your daily moment of bogglement

These figures on election spending gave me pause.

For roughly the same amount of money, about $20 $40 million, you can finance two four Senate campaigns in the United States... or an entire party's campaign, 308 candidates in total, in Canada.

(First link via shetterly. Actually the information on campaign spending is kind of an aside, it's got lots of interesting information on inequality and how wealth buys political clout. But it startled me.)

(Edit. I hadn't taken into account limits on individual candidates' spending, which run roughly an additional $60,000 to $100,000 depending on the number of voters in their riding. So average that at $80,000 per riding, multiply by 308 ridings, call it another $24 million for a party running candidates in every riding. Add the $18 million in party spending, if I'm reading this correctly, and that comes out to $42 million Canadian. Still seems like a bargain.)

Earworm

"One Night Love Affair"

Get out of my head, Bryan Adams!

House update: Friday, and the year

Happy 1st anniversary of home ownership to us! One year ago today,
we officially took possession of our house. It's been a long,
sometimes stressful experience, but consider how much we've achieved:

• Ripped off the ugly green awnings


• Entire new electrical service and wiring


• Entirely new plumbing including city water service upgrade


• New natural gas line to 2nd floor


• Took down all the plaster and lath, removed rock wool


• Moved some walls, built some pass-throughs


• Bathroom tile


• Bought bathroom fixtures, two entire kitchens, two sets of
  appliances


• New windows and door on third floor


• Spray foam insulation


• Shaving spray foam insulation back so that drywall could be put on
  without unsightly bulges


• Moved/upgraded heating ducts, installed thermostat, hooked up furnace
  and HRV unit


• Fire and soundproofing between us and the next house (3rd floor) and
  between the two units


• Drywall (in progress)


• Sanding and priming (in progress)


• Refinished floors (in progress)


• Paid down slightly more than 2% of our mortgage *sigh*

And those are just the high points, and do not take into account miles and
miles of other stuff that had to happen in order for all this to get done.

(One day, those will have links. Not today. What? I'm supposed to be
working here.)

Anyway, thanks to all our helpers and to all of you who've
been along for the ride. Your encouragement has really meant a lot!

My aunt reports:

Today for lunch Gill, Dan, David, John and I had udon noodle
soup with a tempura side.

Gill has been sanding and priming on the second floor.

Dan replaced flooring in the first floor--the stuff that shows--while
David did sub-floor there--the stuff that doesn't show.

John went to Canadian Tire and called other places for replacement parts
for a spin saw, which he 'fixed' earlier. C'est la vie. He and Gill have
gone off to get Dennis's.

William came and will come back Monday to finish up drywalling, etc.
Cheers, Helen

(no subject)

Cranky and I saw Brick. It was wicked awesome, is all I have to say. Well, that and "where can I find screencaps?".

And tomorrow I build my kitchen. I hope.

(no subject)

OMG I missed the wank! And the crazy! For hours! (Via cleolinda. Apparently the work in question is now gone like a gone thing that has George Lucas's lawyers after it.)