Story:

Odds and ends: Ottawa will spend more than $1 billion on the G8 and G20 summits on security to protect world leaders and their entourages when they meet in Ontario in a couple of weeks.

Those meetings will result in a lot of words spoken and very little else, as is usually the case.

Oh, I'm sorry, there will also be pictures of Prime Minister Stephen Harper with those leaders smiling at the cameras.

I haven't been to one of those summits but here's what the final communique will say in part.

"We feel progress has been made in dealing with the global economic climate and issues that affect the intertwined economies of the nations present. We have also committed to working on issues of sustainability, both economically and environmentally. Future meetings will expand on these endeavours."

Perhaps these leaders could reduce greenhouse gas and hot air emissions by staying home and having a video conference.

It's a lot cheaper and our billion bucks could better be spent on things that are really important to us.

•

Isn't it ironic that Americans always wanted plenty of cheap oil on their land, and now that BP is giving it to them, some aren't happy. . . .

•

So some university students want taxpayers to pay for their education.

Here's my question: When those same university students start working, will they complain that so much of their paycheque goes to taxes?

•

Brandon city council will have at least three new faces in October. Whomever they may be, be prepared to interface with constituents while revisiting issues because the dialogue wasn't all inclusive ( translation: Expect to talk a lot before accomplishing much).

•

Interest rates are on the way up. As one of the guys at the poker table put it: "As long as I can afford the monthly payment, who cares about the interest rate?"

Fortunately he is not in the financial sector.

But what he says is true to quite a few people. The bottom line is not so much how much it costs to borrow the money, but can they afford the monthly payment?

•

Buy now, pay forever . . . low monthly payments: Unlike governments, most of us don't have access to a money printing machine, except for the odd counterfeiter.

•

Everything old is becoming new again. Remember the "coaster" bikes most of us aging baby boomers learned to ride as kids?

Recently saw one of the new model coaster bikes on sale for $850.

My first car cost 900 bucks.

•

On the subject of old, the No. 1 fire station will be vacant by the end of the summer.

Any ideas what to do with it?

Some suggestions include a restaurant, museum or retail space.

How about a city hall annex? Councillor offices and a media lounge makes sense to me.

John LoRegio is news director of 880 CKLQ AM and 94.7 Star-FM