Heroes - Battle of the Atlantic

I also found this autographed picture in my Mother-in-law's papers. I cannot make out the signatures properly which is a shame! The sailor on the left signed "Black __ Jack" I think it may be an Mc? The other is Rufus Playfair maybe? The stamp on the back of the picture is K-491 which turns out to be HMCS Orangeville. (Previously HMRS Hedingham Castle (I). I assume that means these sailors served on the Orangeville If anyone reading this knows, please leave a comment or email me.

Colin Cahill; The Titanic and the Halifax Explosion

This is my husband's Great Uncle on his Maternal Grandmother's side. I found this clipping in some papers of my Mother-in-law. What an interesting story I thought it was and I think you will too. If you click on the picture and the article you can read them easily so I shan't needlessly repeat his story here.

Beaver in the Detroit River... first in 75 - 100 years!

(Detroit Free Press)

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902160355

Click the direct link above so you can watch the video of the cute critter and read the whole story! Google Detroit Free Press, search "beaver" and you'll find it! (Unless you're using Chrome as a browser... not supported!)

Well our river is cleaner and this proves it. It is actually very, very exciting in ecological terms! Next who knows? The Ivory Billed Woodpecker? The Carolina Parakeet?
Yes, there used to be a "parrot/parakeet" native to our area! Who knew? I didn't until Mich told me.

All in all, the bad environmental news till outweighs the good, but the good is still great!

(here's a wiki link to extinct birds http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extinct_birds

Ladybug in February... in my house.

Apparently, after Googling this, it is not uncommon. Who knew? Mich said it looked dusty, I didn't notice. My house, has a big, light coloured, Western exposure wall, that in summer attracts bugs as it is very warm. I guess, when it got cold, they found nooks and crannies in which to hibernate. Sometimes, they wake up and find a way inside. (Explaining the dusty appearance from living in the walls!) They do no harm. Folk lore says: "If you find a ladybug in your house in the winter you will have good luck and fortune will come you way."

Well, today I bought 3 lottery tickets, in 2 different countries! (Maybe I should have googled BEFORE I flushed the poor thing down the toilet?)

I could have put it in a container, in the fridge and released it in the spring once the weather is such that milk outside would neither spoil nor freeze.

So, now that I've posted this, and you've read it, remember, don't flush your lucky ladybug down the toilet the day you buy lottery tickets! :)

Valentine's Eve, and my full and happy life!

I was thinking today that were I to buy a rose for everyone in my life, whom I love and who loves me... I'd be broke!

I truly am blessed with a loving family, dear, close friends and work mates. I don't know what I've done to deserve these blessings but I am very grateful for them!

For all of you in my life, thank you. I hope I give even just a portion of what I receive! xo

Darwin Day; Happy 200 Charlie!

Darwin showed that by paying attention to nature, we can learn where we came from and how we got here.

Now, we must pay attention to nature to see where we will end up.

At the moment, it's not looking terribly positive.

Australia in flames.

I know there are thousands of pictures on the web of the horrific fires in Australia, these four, however, particularly effected me.

Welcome visitor # 14,999!

Actually, I'm over 15,000 now but this visitor, being from Wales, is just a tad more interesting than my darling daughter Michelle being visitor #15,000 from second story of my own house! NOT that Mich isn't important of course! (Even though I specifically told her NOT to go into the blog this morning as I didn't want visitor #15,000 to be her!) :)

Today's News!

From 60 year old women, going to India for in vitro, giving birth to twins... currently in a hospital in Calgary, for which the tax payers are shelling out; and likely to end up in someone else's care in the not so distant future; to a huge Child pornography ring bust in Ontario... in which there are three persons arrested, too young to name, protected under the Young Offenders Act. Does anyone else see the pitiful irony of that? Protected under the Young Offenders Act?

I sometimes truly just despair.

Green Link vs Parkway Proposal; Windsor Ontario's border crossing and ifrastruture battle!

I found this interesting article, dated yesterday, February 3rd, explaining where the financing for the new highway connecting the 401 to the new border crossing is coming from... tendering and not to mention the expected time table! Good news though, local companies will likely get some work according to the story.



From Daily Commercial News, (Reed Construction Data)

Actual Article can be read HERE.

February 3, 2009

Infrastructure Ontario

IO chooses alternative financing and procurement model for Windsor highway

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

Construction of the 10-kilometre highway connecting Highway 401 to a new border crossing in west Windsor will be undertaken as an alternative financing and procurement (AFP) project, Infrastructure Ontario (IO) has confirmed.

Paulette den Elzen, project communications manager at the provincial Crown corporation, said requests for qualifications are expected to be issued this spring or summer for the Windsor-Essex Parkway.

Construction could get under way by the end of this year on the below-grade, six-lane highway with 11 tunnels and a four-lane service road, the first major highway project undertaken by IO.

Cost estimates have not been released by IO. But the parkway is usually referred to as a $1.6 billion project.

“We’re all for it,” said Rob Bradford, executive director of the Ontario Road Builders’ Association.

“It’s a lot of new work. It is going to increase the pie significantly.”

He said some of the larger companies that are members of his association are taking a close look at the project.

“Whether or not they would decide to bid it, or be able to wrap up the required financing, remains to be seen,” he said. “But they are certainly looking at it seriously.”

In Windsor, the Heavy Construction Association initially had taken “a strong position” that the highway should be traditionally tendered to maximize the potential for local content.

However, executive director Jim Lyons said Infrastructure Ontario has since become “sensitized” to the association’s concerns.

“I am now comfortable that there will be contracting-out to local firms,” he said. “It is just a matter of how much.”

Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Transportation are targeting completion of the project in 2013.

Bradford said that while international consortia are expected to take an interest in the project, ORBA believes “the wherewithal and capacity” exists in the province to undertake the project.

Windsor Ontario, hosting Red Bull Air Races!

In a city that could use some good news, this is pretty exciting. No Detroit, just us, little Windsor! Thanks to our Mayor who took it upon himself to go to them and offer our little city on it's own. Last year, Detroit hosted with Windsor as a second party to the event. Detroit has some major problems, it's ex-Mayor just got out of jail, it's almost bankrupt and well... has a lot of other things on it's mind besides the Air Races. Our Mayor, well good for him for going for it and getting it!

The schedule... 2009

Abu Dhabi, UAE 17/18 April
San Diego, USA 9/10 May
Windsor - Ontario, Canada 13/14 June
Budapest, Hungary 19/20 August
Porto, Portugal 12/13 September
Barcelona, Spain 3/4 October

Aren't we in some fine company?

The flu shot, 2008/2009... not so good?

Credit: Science & Health News


No kidding! I know of three people, the poor Mich included, who've had their shot and have full blown flu! Vomiting, dizziness, coughing, 102 fever and assorted ills. I do realize that there are many, many strains of flu... but surely, there's got to be a better way than tossing a dart at a board? Talking to my friends, everyone, knows someone with the flu. Apparently it's going through the schools, like wild fire

Acorn shortage and squirrely behaviour!

I'd read about the shortage, actually, the dearth, of acorns, thought it strange and really didn't think about the consequences. Every winter I feed the birds and the squirrels just hang out under the feeder with the birds and eat the castoffs. Often mingling with the ground feeding birds like Morning Doves and Juncos. I put out apples and peanuts for the squirrels several times a week figuring they might not have enough stored to survive. Now I'm worried that I'm creating a kill zone!

My friend's daughter, (Rachel,) saw a squirrel on the window ledge eating a bird! There's video, but I cannot figure out a way to get it out of facebook and into here so it's just the screen shot above. (Watching all the action was a cat who really wanted to eat both of them!)

Now I Googled squirrels eating birds and it does happen. As per Wikipedia "Squirrels' diet consists primarily of a wide variety of plant food, including nuts, seeds, conifer cones, fruits, fungi and green vegetation. However some squirrels also consume meat, especially when faced with hunger. [2] Squirrels have been known to eat insect, eggs, small birds, snakes and rodents." The squirrel most often carnivorous is the thirteen-lined ground squirrel.

In some urban areas of the states, deer are invading towns and the experts are blaming the acorn shortage. More and more deer are coming into towns, looking for food. The normally shy creatures are hungry.

Scientists say that these things are cyclical and hopefully next year will be normal or a bumper crop. One can only hope that acorns and therefore oak trees, aren't going the way of the honey bee!

New world, old bargaining? Unions and the new economy.

Windsor Match Plate, a long operating Windsor Ontario shop clearly told their employees that this was their final offer. They say they were taking jobs at a loss just to keep the work coming in while trying to find a solution. They submitted their offer through the Ministry of Labour and the union, CAW Local 195, voted on it.

"Our members solidly rejected what the company has termed its final offer," said Gerry Farnham, president of Canadian Auto Workers Local 195 which represents the workers.
"We're now waiting for an opportunity to get back to the table to try and resolve these issues."

The company has as much as said they will now close the doors. I'm not sure what part of "final offer" Mr. Farnham didn't understand. I am sure of one thing.

Some people still have not figured out that on September 16th, 2008 we woke up to a new economic world. Did you not pick up a newspaper? Read anything on your computer that gave you a clue? Virtually every plant building cars in North America has been closed for the past few weeks. Few have been sold at dealerships now facing closures. Entire countries have teetered on the verge of insolvency. What part of this is too hard for you to figure out?

The days of $30 an hour, paid personal days, COLA and all the other perks paid for by struggling companies are over. A reduction of $4 to $6 and hour, from $30, is still a pretty damn good wage and beats the heck out of Unemployment Insurance or welfare.

I'm getting dizzy from shaking my head in disbelief. It's a new world, time to wrap your head around it.

*EDIT* Hmmm, I just heard, on the news, that the CAW has changed it's mind on talking about renegotiating contracts with "the big 3." Apparently they now think that due to the current economic climate it may be necessary, even though "wages are not the problem." There's to be a meeting in Toronto for discussion. Kenny and the boys may have had an epiphany! Actually, thinking about this sudden change of vision, it serves to make the Windsor Local 195 and Mr. Farnham look a tad foolish and kind of on the outside as far where his Union stands on these issues.

Windsor, Ontario and snow ploughing...

Driving to work today was an adventure. The roads, I assume they were there somewhere under the snow, were bad enough but the intersections! OMG! Seriously... how much do these guys get paid? I swear they have contests to see which operator can build up the biggest snow dam at the busiest intersection. Have they any kind of training?

Why is it I can go to London, where they get real snow, and turn a corner without driving through 2 feet of snow dam? I bet that half or more of our local MVA's are caused by people trying to turn and losing control through the build up!

The most amazing thing to me today was once I hit the Tecumseh Town limits, it was like a whole new road! They obviously know how to do it. May I suggest that the Windsor snow plough dudes have lunch with the Tecumseh snow plough dudes and bring a pen and paper!

Upcoming Canadian Federal Budget... and responsiblity

I am no fan of the Harper Government. As a matter of fact, last weekend Bob was watching the news and I was playing on the computer. I heard an interview with a Political expert, talking about Obama and what it means to the US and the World. He commented that things could start changing. For the first time in many years there would be "intellectuals" at the helm of several powerful countries. Gordon Brown in England, Kevin Rudd in Australia, Barack Obama in the US and he went on the say that "maybe one day, Michael Ignatieff in your own country of Canada! I burst out laughing at the skip over of our current PM. Sorry I digress, back to the upcoming budget.

If it is a good budget, if it is good for our Country in these tough times, ALL Members of Parliament have an obligation to vote in favour! I'm hearing MP's saying that they already know they won't vote for it! Hello? What is your responsibility? It is to do what is best for us. This is the time for true non partisanship! If the Tory budget works, plug your nose, stand up and vote "aye!" Show me, show us that you care more about fixing what's wrong than you care about a power grab!

I will be watching!

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My sister said we are "odd."

This is the facebook string that goes with the picture of our new fishies, Barack & Joe. Apparently, my sister Sandra finds us odd! She's proud we're related, but odd none the less. Well, if she thinks that's odd, it's a good thing she lives way up North in Sturgeon Falls.

Today, Bob found my blow dryer in the bathtub. The cord all wrapped up nicely and yes in the middle of my bath tub. There's a perfectly good explanation for it. It's not like the time I put my curling iron in the fridge and had no way to explain it. (I'm assuming I was distracted and doing a few things at once.)

The blow dryer wasn't working right this morning. Half power and just weird. So, I turned it off. It was hot, I smelled electrical hotness, I unplugged it and smelled it, it smelled fine. I then think maybe the outlet is the problem? I feel it, it's cool, I feel all around it, it's cool. Oh, I use the basement bathroom which is important to the story.

I go to the back part of the basement as I decide I should check the wires where they go to the panel box. This is through a door and in a different room. You have to turn a light switch on waaaay in the back to see there. All is well at the panel box. I decide, ok then, it's the blow dryer and place it in the middle of the bath tub figuring that should it erupt into flame it can do no harm there! See? Makes perfect sense.

The story once told to Bob then explained to him why the light was on waaay back in the basement behind the furnace. I had forgotten to turn it off. Now once I heard that I thought how silly of Bob not to see the blow dryer, see the light on waaaay back by the panel box and not just figure the whole thing out! It's so obvious!

Odd? I think not!

President Barack Obama

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2009/01/20/obama.takes.oath.cnn



The Presidential Oath of Office:

I, (Barack Hussein Obama,) do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

What Chief Justice John Roberts said:

"I do solemnly swear that I will execute the office of President to the United States faithfully...."

Barack, after pausing, gives a slight nod of his head and they continue out of order from what it should have been said in the first place. Barack did, however, start talking sooner than he was to have, before the "do solemnly swear."

To be really fair, if that had been GW, we'd have mocked him to no end!

Regardless, a hopeful day, a new administration and one can only hope a new outlook. His speech certainly gives that impression!

Happy Obama Eve... the inaugural swim of our new fishies!

Say hello to Barack & Joe. Inaugurated into the Bondy-Toal aquarium on Obama Eve!