When I saw this weeks video clip, my mouth just dropped open. I couldn't believe my eyes.
This weeks clip takes us to yet another Airshow, only this time it doesn't feature a tragic mid-air collision. Instead, this clip shows an Airbus A310 doing a low speed pass and a high speed pass over the airfield.
It doesn't sound all that impressive but watch the video and look at just how low the airplane is on it's second pass. On the first pass, keep on eye on the left wing tip and how low it comes to the ground.
I realize the pilot is a professional but with a plane this big and and all the things that could go wrong, it just seems a little reckless to me. But it makes for an interesting video clip.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Heavenly Light
This past weekend I managed to get out with my camera and take a few photos.
A storm front was moving in and I was hoping to get a few photos before the rain arrived. I was just heading out from my parents campsite when I looked in the rear view mirror and saw the sun poking through the clouds. I pulled the car over and when I walked down by the lake and looked back I was amazed at what I saw.
As you can see in my photo, the sun was breaking through the clouds in two spots. The contrast of the bright sun with the dark clouds was kind of impressive I thought. It almost looked as though an alien spacecraft was just above the clouds and it was scanning the earth below. Maybe I've just seen too many science fiction movies.
You can check out more of my photos by clicking the link in the right column.
A storm front was moving in and I was hoping to get a few photos before the rain arrived. I was just heading out from my parents campsite when I looked in the rear view mirror and saw the sun poking through the clouds. I pulled the car over and when I walked down by the lake and looked back I was amazed at what I saw.
As you can see in my photo, the sun was breaking through the clouds in two spots. The contrast of the bright sun with the dark clouds was kind of impressive I thought. It almost looked as though an alien spacecraft was just above the clouds and it was scanning the earth below. Maybe I've just seen too many science fiction movies.
You can check out more of my photos by clicking the link in the right column.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Clip of the Week - September 17/07
This weeks clip goes back to Labour Day weekend and some fun CFL action between the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos.
It wasn't the game that got the fans worked up so much as it was the streakers who hit the field and disrupted the action. Now normally I don't condone this stuff (wink wink) but I was impressed by the run made by the one guy so much it was worthy of Clip of the Week honours.
He had some good moves and in particular I thought his stiff arm on the security guy to avoid a tackle was very impressive. The Argos may want to sign this guy...it couldn't hurt them.
It wasn't the game that got the fans worked up so much as it was the streakers who hit the field and disrupted the action. Now normally I don't condone this stuff (wink wink) but I was impressed by the run made by the one guy so much it was worthy of Clip of the Week honours.
He had some good moves and in particular I thought his stiff arm on the security guy to avoid a tackle was very impressive. The Argos may want to sign this guy...it couldn't hurt them.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Sometimes I Ain't Too Bright
I'll admit it. It doesn't happen too often but there are, on rare occasions, times when I might not act in the most intelligent manner or do something that would be classed as being bright.
I'm certainly man enough to admit it when I've done something just not right. You know the moments when people look at you and say, "He's not the crispiest chip in the bag."
Well, one such occasion happened just the other day. I had arrived at my parents campsite and after helping to unload some firewood, I decided to start a fire. We had some time to kill before supper and it was a cool afternoon and a fire to sit around and chat would be nice.
Now I've made hundreds and hundreds of campfires in my lifetime. I've been camping every summer my entire life and know how to make a good fire. One thing I've never been accused of is having a fire that wasn't big enough or warm enough.
I shredded a bunch of paper and put it in the fireplace. Next I took some dry wood that will easily burn and get the fire going before adding any heavier wood. You have to build up some heat and coals before you add the big log that will burn for hours.
Everything was going great, until I spotted a can of lighter fluid. I don't recall the exact brand or the exact fluid but it was likely an aliphatic petroleum solvent to light BBQ's or it could have been good 'ol Naphtha. What ever it was, I don't normally use it but thought to myself, "Hmm...why not?" So I opened the can and started pouring it on a bit at a time. I stopped and then thought that a bit more would be a good idea so I more or less soaked the wood and the paper.
I stepped away for a bit to talk and then searched the trailer for the matches and sauntered over the the fire pit. I grabbed a match and proceeded to strike it. It didn't start. I struck it again and this time the match came to life with a nice flame. I bent over and was lowering the match into the pit in anticipation of putting the flame to the paper.
I'm sure you've figured out where I'm going with this story by now haven't you?
Before I could get the match close to the paper, there was an explosion...a big poof if you will, and a large fireball enveloped my hands, arms, head and upper body. I quickly jumped back, and I don't do much of anything quickly anymore, as the shock and heat had me patting my head, face and arms to put out the fire that wasn't even there.
It seems whatever had happened managed to start the fire, however it wasn't enough to set me on fire. Instead, the worst that happened was all the hair on my arms was burnt or singed and the smell of burnt hair was quite pungent. Luckily my eyebrows were still in place and came out of the experience unscathed.
Fortunately there was no real damage and I wasn't forced to "Stop, Drop and Roll" to but out any fire on me. I've certainly learned my lesson. From now on when I light the campfire, I'll be sure to light the match and then throw it in from a distance to ignite the lighter fluid. Come on now...you didn't think I was going to stop using that stuff now did you?
I'm certainly man enough to admit it when I've done something just not right. You know the moments when people look at you and say, "He's not the crispiest chip in the bag."
Well, one such occasion happened just the other day. I had arrived at my parents campsite and after helping to unload some firewood, I decided to start a fire. We had some time to kill before supper and it was a cool afternoon and a fire to sit around and chat would be nice.
Now I've made hundreds and hundreds of campfires in my lifetime. I've been camping every summer my entire life and know how to make a good fire. One thing I've never been accused of is having a fire that wasn't big enough or warm enough.
I shredded a bunch of paper and put it in the fireplace. Next I took some dry wood that will easily burn and get the fire going before adding any heavier wood. You have to build up some heat and coals before you add the big log that will burn for hours.Everything was going great, until I spotted a can of lighter fluid. I don't recall the exact brand or the exact fluid but it was likely an aliphatic petroleum solvent to light BBQ's or it could have been good 'ol Naphtha. What ever it was, I don't normally use it but thought to myself, "Hmm...why not?" So I opened the can and started pouring it on a bit at a time. I stopped and then thought that a bit more would be a good idea so I more or less soaked the wood and the paper.
I stepped away for a bit to talk and then searched the trailer for the matches and sauntered over the the fire pit. I grabbed a match and proceeded to strike it. It didn't start. I struck it again and this time the match came to life with a nice flame. I bent over and was lowering the match into the pit in anticipation of putting the flame to the paper.
I'm sure you've figured out where I'm going with this story by now haven't you?
Before I could get the match close to the paper, there was an explosion...a big poof if you will, and a large fireball enveloped my hands, arms, head and upper body. I quickly jumped back, and I don't do much of anything quickly anymore, as the shock and heat had me patting my head, face and arms to put out the fire that wasn't even there.
It seems whatever had happened managed to start the fire, however it wasn't enough to set me on fire. Instead, the worst that happened was all the hair on my arms was burnt or singed and the smell of burnt hair was quite pungent. Luckily my eyebrows were still in place and came out of the experience unscathed.
Fortunately there was no real damage and I wasn't forced to "Stop, Drop and Roll" to but out any fire on me. I've certainly learned my lesson. From now on when I light the campfire, I'll be sure to light the match and then throw it in from a distance to ignite the lighter fluid. Come on now...you didn't think I was going to stop using that stuff now did you?
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Vivid Memories of 9/11
Here it is, six years after that horrible day in 2001 and the images in my memory are as fresh today as they were on that horrific morning. It was one of those events in history like the Kennedy Assassination, the attack on Pearl Harbor or the Challenger Shuttle explosion where you can remember exactly where you were when it happened.
It sounds so cliché but it really was just another day like all the rest before it. On September 11, 2001 I was working as the morning announcer on the local radio station in my hometown. The morning had been going smoothly with the usual jokes, interviews, trivia contests and birthday announcements. I had just finished a break at 8:49 a.m. when Todd Smith, one of our news reporters, opened the studio door and told me to come to the newsroom and that the World Trade Center in New York had been hit.
I looked out the studio window and I clearly remember thinking, "it's a beautiful clear day how could you not miss the World Trade Center, it can't be an accident." I walked across the hall to the newsroom and joined the rest of the staff watching the TV as we speculated the size of the plane. CNN was reporting a small private plane had hit it but we looked at the hole in the building and knew that couldn't be the case. A small plane would have bounced off the side of the tower.
It was now 9:00 a.m. and with the news on I had five free minutes to go back to the newsroom to continue watching the events as they unfolded. Standing there I said, "they had to have hit it on purpose." No sooner did I get the words out of my mouth and the second plane came into view. "There's another one" I shouted just before it slammed into the second tower and erupted into a gigantic fireball over the city. The words that followed by most of us watching included "Holy Shit" and "Oh my God" as we stared in disbelief at what we were witnessing. I think Todd and I both said "It's an attack" at the same time as we rushed to get back to the studios to get the latest out to our listeners.
Realizing the magnitude of what was happening, I knew we had to change our programming immediately from music to information. Nobody was going to care that they weren't hearing the Eagles, all they wanted was the latest information. For the next 45 minutes and with the help of our news staff, I did my best to provide the latest details, facts and thoughts on what was transpiring.
At 9:40 a.m. the Pentagon was hit by yet another plane and this went from being more than a story we could handle with our limited resources. I managed to find ABC Radio's coverage on a satellite feed and switched over to live coverage from them for the remainder of the day. We stopped only for local news at noon and then returned to the ABC feed for the afternoon.
After watching for hours on TV at work and having seen the towers collapse, I finished off my duties for the day and went home to continue viewing from my couch. It was one of those things where you're watching all of these events unfold in front of you, yet you really can't believe what you're seeing. It was an overload of emotions as I watched in disbelief.
I can't remember what I did on the air the next morning as it was just a blur. I certainly wasn't in the mood to be funny, tell jokes or play games and I don't think my audience was in much of a mood for it either. I think all I did was take calls and talk about what had happened. There was much speculation of course on who was to blame but at the time all I could think about were the number of lives lost, how few survivours were pulled from "Ground Zero" and just the size of the disaster.
The number of victims was close to the total lost at Pearl Harbor but this was so different because other than the Pentagon this wasn't a military target and these weren't soldiers and sailors being targeted. These were civilians of all nationalities; average everyday hard-working people like you or me who never hurt anyone and probably didn't know much about the terrorists, their agenda or their homeland. All they did was get up in the morning and go to work or get on a plane and it cost them their lives. For the heroes wearing police and firefighters uniforms; they died doing what they were trained to do and I'm sure their families are proud of them and their sacrifice.
As I sit here six years later, a lot of things have changed in my life but I still remain angry at some things. I'm angry at those who perpetrated those acts and I'm angry that the cowards behind it have not been brought to justice. I always hear how this is a small world but for some reason we can't find Osama Bin Laden and bring him to justice.
I don't want to make this a political statement but I'm not a fan of George W. Bush. Having said that, I would like him a lot more had he been able to capture and kill Bin Laden as he promised in the hours and days following the attacks. I am in favour of the death penalty and I don't think anyone has deserved it more in recent years than him. I'll smile ear to ear if he is ever found alive and soon after killed.
It sounds so cliché but it really was just another day like all the rest before it. On September 11, 2001 I was working as the morning announcer on the local radio station in my hometown. The morning had been going smoothly with the usual jokes, interviews, trivia contests and birthday announcements. I had just finished a break at 8:49 a.m. when Todd Smith, one of our news reporters, opened the studio door and told me to come to the newsroom and that the World Trade Center in New York had been hit.I looked out the studio window and I clearly remember thinking, "it's a beautiful clear day how could you not miss the World Trade Center, it can't be an accident." I walked across the hall to the newsroom and joined the rest of the staff watching the TV as we speculated the size of the plane. CNN was reporting a small private plane had hit it but we looked at the hole in the building and knew that couldn't be the case. A small plane would have bounced off the side of the tower.
It was now 9:00 a.m. and with the news on I had five free minutes to go back to the newsroom to continue watching the events as they unfolded. Standing there I said, "they had to have hit it on purpose." No sooner did I get the words out of my mouth and the second plane came into view. "There's another one" I shouted just before it slammed into the second tower and erupted into a gigantic fireball over the city. The words that followed by most of us watching included "Holy Shit" and "Oh my God" as we stared in disbelief at what we were witnessing. I think Todd and I both said "It's an attack" at the same time as we rushed to get back to the studios to get the latest out to our listeners.
Realizing the magnitude of what was happening, I knew we had to change our programming immediately from music to information. Nobody was going to care that they weren't hearing the Eagles, all they wanted was the latest information. For the next 45 minutes and with the help of our news staff, I did my best to provide the latest details, facts and thoughts on what was transpiring.
At 9:40 a.m. the Pentagon was hit by yet another plane and this went from being more than a story we could handle with our limited resources. I managed to find ABC Radio's coverage on a satellite feed and switched over to live coverage from them for the remainder of the day. We stopped only for local news at noon and then returned to the ABC feed for the afternoon.
After watching for hours on TV at work and having seen the towers collapse, I finished off my duties for the day and went home to continue viewing from my couch. It was one of those things where you're watching all of these events unfold in front of you, yet you really can't believe what you're seeing. It was an overload of emotions as I watched in disbelief.
I can't remember what I did on the air the next morning as it was just a blur. I certainly wasn't in the mood to be funny, tell jokes or play games and I don't think my audience was in much of a mood for it either. I think all I did was take calls and talk about what had happened. There was much speculation of course on who was to blame but at the time all I could think about were the number of lives lost, how few survivours were pulled from "Ground Zero" and just the size of the disaster. The number of victims was close to the total lost at Pearl Harbor but this was so different because other than the Pentagon this wasn't a military target and these weren't soldiers and sailors being targeted. These were civilians of all nationalities; average everyday hard-working people like you or me who never hurt anyone and probably didn't know much about the terrorists, their agenda or their homeland. All they did was get up in the morning and go to work or get on a plane and it cost them their lives. For the heroes wearing police and firefighters uniforms; they died doing what they were trained to do and I'm sure their families are proud of them and their sacrifice.
As I sit here six years later, a lot of things have changed in my life but I still remain angry at some things. I'm angry at those who perpetrated those acts and I'm angry that the cowards behind it have not been brought to justice. I always hear how this is a small world but for some reason we can't find Osama Bin Laden and bring him to justice.
I don't want to make this a political statement but I'm not a fan of George W. Bush. Having said that, I would like him a lot more had he been able to capture and kill Bin Laden as he promised in the hours and days following the attacks. I am in favour of the death penalty and I don't think anyone has deserved it more in recent years than him. I'll smile ear to ear if he is ever found alive and soon after killed.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Clip of the Week - September 10/07
It's time once again for the clip of the week. This week I have a funny one for you with a little foul language in it so be warned.
Eli's Dirty Jokes is a regular addition to YouTube lately. If I have the story correct, the jokes are told by an accountant and then put to animation. Or that could be what they want us to believe. Either way...enjoy the clip.
Eli's Dirty Jokes is a regular addition to YouTube lately. If I have the story correct, the jokes are told by an accountant and then put to animation. Or that could be what they want us to believe. Either way...enjoy the clip.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Clip of the Week - September 3/07
I have always loved Air Shows and having lived in an Air Force town my whole life, I've not only been to numerous acrobatic displays but I live each day with military planes flying overhead.
Sadly, the clip this week reminds us of how dangerous air shows can be and that a fun afternoon enjoying the sights can quickly turn to tragedy. I have been witness first hand to an air show accident that involved two Canadian Snowbirds and it's a sight I'll never forget.
This Air Show accident happened in Poland on the weekend and resulted in the deaths of two pilots.
Sadly, the clip this week reminds us of how dangerous air shows can be and that a fun afternoon enjoying the sights can quickly turn to tragedy. I have been witness first hand to an air show accident that involved two Canadian Snowbirds and it's a sight I'll never forget.
This Air Show accident happened in Poland on the weekend and resulted in the deaths of two pilots.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Labour Day Weekend
Here it is, another Labour Day Weekend.
Jerry Lewis is getting extra sleep so he'll be ready to go for another Muscular Dystrophy Telethon beginning on Sunday night. How many millions will he raise this year I wonder.
Students who haven't already gone back to class will be doing their last minute shopping for new school clothes and supplies. Of course the supplies they buy today are a little different from when I went to school. I never had to buy a laptop computer or iPod to get by. For me it was a couple of pens and maybe a Sony Walkman cassette player.
And of course another sure sign of Fall is evident to the campers getting in their final fill of "roughing it" prior to the inevitable first snowfall. That sign would be critters like the chipmunk above gathering nuts and other goodies to stock up their food supply for the long winter ahead.
Of course I do the same thing but I start storing my food internally all year long.
Jerry Lewis is getting extra sleep so he'll be ready to go for another Muscular Dystrophy Telethon beginning on Sunday night. How many millions will he raise this year I wonder.
Students who haven't already gone back to class will be doing their last minute shopping for new school clothes and supplies. Of course the supplies they buy today are a little different from when I went to school. I never had to buy a laptop computer or iPod to get by. For me it was a couple of pens and maybe a Sony Walkman cassette player.
And of course another sure sign of Fall is evident to the campers getting in their final fill of "roughing it" prior to the inevitable first snowfall. That sign would be critters like the chipmunk above gathering nuts and other goodies to stock up their food supply for the long winter ahead.
Of course I do the same thing but I start storing my food internally all year long.
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