Kimler Adventure Pages (http://randsco.com)

I have John of wow-factor.com to thank for turning me on to an amazing mashup of music by an Israeli named "Kutiman". Kutiman has mixed a variety of disparate YouTube videos, creating amazing new music. Rarely does something cross my desk that astounds me. This did.

Israeli Musician "Kutiman" Mixes YouTube Videos to Make a New Vibe

Kutiman: Israeli Ophir Kutiel (AKA Kutiman) has created a mash-up of YouTube videos, into new music videos. His labor of musical love is challenging copyright laws and is simply amazing. Give it a listen.

Every once in a while, you run across something on the Internet that blows your socks off and redefines your very understanding of the world. So it was for me, when my Australian mate turned me onto Thru-You, an online album of recycled YouTube music.

"Wow," Scott said, replaying the music again and again, in an effort to digest and fully comprehend the creative genius at work.

"The vision, patience, technical and musical knowledge that's required [to pull together unrelated YouTube videos and mix them into a completely new sound] is just astounding," Scott claimed, upon watching (and hearing) "The Mother of All Funk Chords", which is the first of seven songs contained in this online album.

See if you agree. Watch Kutiman's YouTube mix and learn more about the controversy that it created!

Listen & Watch in Amazement

Nanaimo - Record snow fell on Sunday, dumping 33 centimeters overnight and in the morning. Record cold temperatures accompanied this record snow dump, changing what had been a mild winter thus far, into something a tad more extreme.

Thirty Six Centimeters of Snow

Record Snow: View out the kitchen window on Sunday morning. Thirty six centimeters of snow got dumped on the Hutton House, burying the honda, the BBQ, the table ... everything! Record temperatures accompanied the record dump.

Rachel and the Oop were off visiting grandparents in Vancouver, so they missed witnessing yesterday's record snowfall.

"When I went to bed on Saturday night," Scott said, "there had only been a light snowfall that afternoon and nothing after that. When the fire hall pager went off at 5:30 AM Sunday morning, I woke up and looked out the window. It was a white winter wonderland!"

Thirty three centimeters of snow had fallen, during the night. Outside, Scott flipped "the beast" into 4-wheel-drive and plowed his way to the North Cedar Fire Hall, seven kilometers away. There, personnel put chains on the front-line pumper (Engine 1), back-up pumper (Engine 7) and the water tender (Tender 6).

Another 3 centimeters fell Sunday morning, bringing the December 14th total to 36 centimeters. This beat the previous December 14th record of 19.8 centimeters, which was set in 2000.

For more Nanaimo snow records and photos ... carry on.

More on the Record Nanaimo Snow

The U.S. Economy. If you're worried about all the doom and gloom about the U.S. Economy, tired of watching your investments decline in value, worried about your job ... then this video outlining the government's plan to get back to prosperity is sure to cheer you up!

Good News About the U.S. Economy

U.S. Economy - A huge debt load. Excellent plan for prosperity. Hmmm. What about the future?

It seems that every time you watch the news, there is doom and gloom about the U.S. economy. First the sub-prime lending fiasco, then housing prices take a nose-dive, then the government $700 billion dollar bail-out and the financial markets are dropping like a stone. Everyone is worried, not about a recession, but an out-and-out depression. Long-standing companies are folding, the automobile manufacturers are asking the government for help, unemployment is climbing, foreclosures right and left, no-one is building homes, which means more unemployment ... will it ever end?

Anywone who thinks they're immune from the effects of this economic downturn is kidding themselves. This crisis will touch everyone, in some way, at some point.

Fred Thompson, a former actor (of Law and Order fame), U.S. Senator (Republican; Tennessee Senator from 1994-2003) and candidate for the 2008 Republican nomination for President of the United States, has some good news to share, about the U.S. economy. In the 8-minute video on the next page, he summarizes the government's plan for getting the economy back on track. In plain English, he cuts through the chatter and presents the plan in a completely understandable way.

The video is a "must-see" for anyone worried about the economy, the future of their jobs, potential bankruptcy of Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security, their retirement investments or pension, or the financial future of their children! By the end of the video, you'll have a complete understanding of the current plan, faith that the government is doing the right things and peace of mind.

The U.S. economy will be heading for prosperity in the new year ... watch the video and relax ...

Video on U.S. Economy Plan

OKAY ... It's not as important as voting for the President of the United States, but there's a local election that will expand the Fire Protection Boundaries in our area. Even though I can't vote, I'm urging residents to vote "YES". Find out why

North Cedar Improvement District Voting on Nov 15th

Vote YES - Residents of Yellow Point and South Cedar: vote "YES" on the November 15th Referendum question to extend the North Cedar Fire District Boundary ... it just makes sense.

Cedar and Yellow Point residents will be voting to elect an RDN Area "A" Director on November 15th. Some property owners will also be voting on a referendum to expand the NCID/NCFD fire protection and emergency response boundaries.

Voting will be held at the North Cedar Intermediate School (2215 Gould Road, in Cedar) on Saturday, November 15th, from 8 AM till 8 PM.

I can't vote because I'm a permanent resident (not a Canadian citizen), but I can urge you to vote for your choice of Directors and "YES" to the referendum question:

Are you in favour of the North Cedar Improvement District extending its fire protection boundaries in order to provide fire and emergency response services to properties in the Yellow Point - South Cedar area at an estimated cost of $70 per year plus $66 per $100k of assessed property value?

There's not much information on the Internet about this fire protection expansion, so I thought I'd put some out there.

Residents who vote "YES will be closer to their fire hall (receive faster fire and emergency service), they'll actually have ownership of both their fire hall and the equipment, they'll also gain voting rights and they may save money through lower homeowner insurance premiums. It just makes sense to vote "YES".

For more about the referendum, a comparison chart that clearly shows why a "YES" vote is the right vote and a map of the affected areas ... carry on ...

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A comparison of Canada's 2008 election and that of the United States - what it cost each country to elect a leader. (Hint: Record amounts set by both countries). Shouldn't it be less expensive to elect public officials?

Canada & United States - Cost of the Election

U.S./Canada Election Spending: Canada spent $300 million on their 2008 election and the United States is on target for spending $5.3 billion. Both values are the highest ever, in their respective countries.

Comparing Canadian and United States politics is bit like comparing grapefruits and tangerines. They're both fruit, citrus even, but also very different. In one respect though, Canada and U.S. are the same - they'll both spent record amounts in their 2008 elections.

It's a travesty that each election should consume ever more energy (time, material and money). It'll be a relief when they're finally over.

For a comparison on election costs between Canada and the United States, carry on ...

Read full story...