This past weekend was Remembrance Day in Canada and I hope everyone took a few moments to think about those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country.
I also think it's important to think of those who may be still alive but have served in the Armed Forces because just being in harms way in the wars and conflicts can cause both physical and emotional scars as well.
This past weekend in Trenton, Ontario, home of Canadian Forces Base Trenton, a new memorial was unveiled.
For those who don't know, the Trenton Air Base is the place where all service members killed in action overseas are repatriated (returned to their home country).
In all there have been 158 fallen service members returned to Trenton since 2001 before taking the journey down the Highway of Heroes.
The new memorial honours those who were killed during the Afghanistan conflict. The Afghanistan Repatriation Memorial consists of the silhouette of a soldier standing in front of a two large granite maple leaves. One of these leaves has the names of all of the fallen service men and women inscribed on it. It's really quite moving to see.
The unveiling ceremony on the day before Remembrance Day included a parade, a fly past, a wreath-laying ceremony and speeches by Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney and other dignitaries.
It was a very emotional service with many of the families in attendance.
In the photo I took that you can see here, the family of Cpl. Bryce Keller, who was 27 years old when he killed in a firefight with insurgents in the Pashmul District of Kandahar, Afghanistan, August 3, 2006, left his picture pinned to the memorial.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Frankenstorm Approaches
There was a time when I might have considered myself an optimist but with my life experiences so far I'm sad to report that I'm more of a pessimist these days.
When I read the weather reports and watch the news today, all I'm hearing about is this "Prefect Storm" that is bearing down on the eastern side of North America. In particular the Northeast U.S., Southern Ontario and the East coast of Canada.
Now maybe I'll be wrong but if history has taught me anything, it's that when bad storms are predicted for my neck of the woods, they usually fizzle out and die before they get here. Or they'll take a sharp turn to the north or south and do very little.
I can't remember the last big winter storm that was predicted for here that actually happened. Oh the media and weather folks love to hype it up and scare the crap out of people to make them think the worst will happen but most times it never does.
So you're probably saying, "well it's better to be safe than sorry." I agree with that. There's no harm in being prepared for the worst case scenario. However, the experts and emergency response people shouldn't be surprised when people don't heed the warnings.
Have you ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf. Eventually after hearing over and over and over again that these storms are coming and they never do, people will just tune out the warnings. Sure they shouldn't do that because even a broken clock is right twice a day but you can see why they might not get too stressed out over it.
This current storm is supposed to get bad when Hurricane Sandy (not exactly a scary name for a storm) is expected to veer west and make landfall between Virginia and New Jersey where it will move inland and then to the north directly towards my location.
By the time it reaches here it will likely be downgraded to a tropical depression but it will collide with another front that is already bringing rain to us. The combination is supposed to create an even bigger storm with heavy rain, flooding and strong winds.
Having said all of that my response is, so what. I've heard this before and I'm predicting it will be soggy and damp and maybe a bit breezy but beyond that, it's probably not much to get worked up over.
That's not to say that the areas where the storm makes landfall in the U.S. and the early stages of it tracking inland won't see some nasty weather. I just don't think all of the hype for this area is warranted and once again I feel the meteorologists in Canada will come away with another layer of egg on their faces.
That's the great thing about being a weatherman, you never have to be right and your job is safe. You can always find an excuse to explain what changed to make your forecast look foolish.
If I'm wrong and we do get hit with the "Perfect Storm", I'll be the first to admit I was wrong and they finally got one right. I just hope I'm not eating my words while I'm talking to the angel of death.
Did you notice how I made my new photo relevant to my blog? I'm a sneaky son of a gun. Time to go buy a new generator, sandbags, canned goods and bottled water just in case. I wonder if I can send my bill to The Weather Network if I spend all this money for no reason?
When I read the weather reports and watch the news today, all I'm hearing about is this "Prefect Storm" that is bearing down on the eastern side of North America. In particular the Northeast U.S., Southern Ontario and the East coast of Canada.
Now maybe I'll be wrong but if history has taught me anything, it's that when bad storms are predicted for my neck of the woods, they usually fizzle out and die before they get here. Or they'll take a sharp turn to the north or south and do very little.
I can't remember the last big winter storm that was predicted for here that actually happened. Oh the media and weather folks love to hype it up and scare the crap out of people to make them think the worst will happen but most times it never does.
So you're probably saying, "well it's better to be safe than sorry." I agree with that. There's no harm in being prepared for the worst case scenario. However, the experts and emergency response people shouldn't be surprised when people don't heed the warnings.
Have you ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf. Eventually after hearing over and over and over again that these storms are coming and they never do, people will just tune out the warnings. Sure they shouldn't do that because even a broken clock is right twice a day but you can see why they might not get too stressed out over it.
This current storm is supposed to get bad when Hurricane Sandy (not exactly a scary name for a storm) is expected to veer west and make landfall between Virginia and New Jersey where it will move inland and then to the north directly towards my location.
By the time it reaches here it will likely be downgraded to a tropical depression but it will collide with another front that is already bringing rain to us. The combination is supposed to create an even bigger storm with heavy rain, flooding and strong winds.
Having said all of that my response is, so what. I've heard this before and I'm predicting it will be soggy and damp and maybe a bit breezy but beyond that, it's probably not much to get worked up over.
That's not to say that the areas where the storm makes landfall in the U.S. and the early stages of it tracking inland won't see some nasty weather. I just don't think all of the hype for this area is warranted and once again I feel the meteorologists in Canada will come away with another layer of egg on their faces.
That's the great thing about being a weatherman, you never have to be right and your job is safe. You can always find an excuse to explain what changed to make your forecast look foolish.
If I'm wrong and we do get hit with the "Perfect Storm", I'll be the first to admit I was wrong and they finally got one right. I just hope I'm not eating my words while I'm talking to the angel of death.
Did you notice how I made my new photo relevant to my blog? I'm a sneaky son of a gun. Time to go buy a new generator, sandbags, canned goods and bottled water just in case. I wonder if I can send my bill to The Weather Network if I spend all this money for no reason?
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Happy Turkey Day Canada
One of my favourite holidays is upon us here in the Great White North once again. It's Thanksgiving!
Yes, in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving at harvest time which is at the start of October and always on a Monday. We don't wait until late November like our neighbours to the south.
I always try to think of things to be thankful for and most years these things don't change much. I give thanks for my health, family, good friends...the usual stuff.
This year I'd like to give thanks for my golf game except I've been playing bloody awful since about mid-August. So I'm thankful that it's getting colder and soon the golf season will be over.
Also this year I'm thankful that I've been able to lose some weight. At last count I was down about 78 pounds. However, with all the turkey, potatoes, gravy and leftovers I'm likely to consume over the next few days, I probably won't be thankful that I have to starve myself and get a lot more walking in to make up for my indulgences.
Oh well, it's a small price to pay. I mean, it's not like I eat turkey all the time. I can count the number of times I get this favourite fowl. Lets see, there's Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. That's pretty much it unless it's a special occasion but they don't happen very often.
So I hope all of you who find yourselves celebrating Thanksgiving today, tomorrow or at some other time during the year take a moment to think about all of the good things in your life and give thanks.
I've learned over the years that there can and will be difficult challenges we will be forced to deal with but in the end it's good to be thankful for all we are blessed with every day.
Yes, in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving at harvest time which is at the start of October and always on a Monday. We don't wait until late November like our neighbours to the south.
I always try to think of things to be thankful for and most years these things don't change much. I give thanks for my health, family, good friends...the usual stuff.
This year I'd like to give thanks for my golf game except I've been playing bloody awful since about mid-August. So I'm thankful that it's getting colder and soon the golf season will be over.
Also this year I'm thankful that I've been able to lose some weight. At last count I was down about 78 pounds. However, with all the turkey, potatoes, gravy and leftovers I'm likely to consume over the next few days, I probably won't be thankful that I have to starve myself and get a lot more walking in to make up for my indulgences.
Oh well, it's a small price to pay. I mean, it's not like I eat turkey all the time. I can count the number of times I get this favourite fowl. Lets see, there's Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. That's pretty much it unless it's a special occasion but they don't happen very often.
So I hope all of you who find yourselves celebrating Thanksgiving today, tomorrow or at some other time during the year take a moment to think about all of the good things in your life and give thanks.
I've learned over the years that there can and will be difficult challenges we will be forced to deal with but in the end it's good to be thankful for all we are blessed with every day.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Top 15 Sexiest Survivor Ladies
The 25th season of Survivor on CBS is underway so I figured it was time to update my list. The popular television reality series maroons a group of strangers in a desolate location to compete in a game to Outwit, Outplay and Outlast each other until the lone Survivor remains to collect 1 million dollars.
Each season is different in some ways as the producers try to reinvent the game to keep it fresh but even then, if the castaways aren't entertaining or they don't keep our interest, it's easy to turn the channel and watch something else.
The one formula to the show that never disappoints is the sex factor. Lets face it, I'm not the only red-blooded heterosexual male who will tune in to watch beautiful young women in bikinis frolicking in the sand and surf.
I'll suffer through having to listen to annoying castaways like "Shambo", Sue Hawk, Ace and that idiot Jonny Fairplay if it means I can also enjoy watching the smart and sexy women I have listed below. By updating this list from my original posting I am still clearly targeting my male readers more so then my valued female readers but I'm a guy so it's only natural. And of course I could be missing obvious selections that you feel are worthy of top 15 status but this is my list so don't get too upset if I missed one of your favourites.
To be honest, this list really hasn't changed much at all with only one addition to the previous posting and one lady removed. But there was one young lady this season who I feel is worthy of being added. So without any further ado, lets get to the list.
There are a few who were very close to making my new list including Elisabeth Filarski (Hasselbeck), Candice Woodcock, Alexis Jones, Kelly Shinn, Danni Boatwright, Ami Cusack, Monica Padilla, Stephanie LaGrossa and Eliza Orlins. They are all beautiful women from the show but I figured I'd better keep the list to the top 15. Here we go:
Top 15 Sexiest Survivor Ladies
Click on images to see them larger
Number 15 - Kelly Sharbaugh
Survivor Samoa
Number 14 - Chelsea Meissner
Survivor One World
Number 13 - Amanda Kimmel
Survivor China, Micronesia & Heroes vs. Villains
Number 12 - Sydney Wheeler
Survivor Tocantins
Number 11 - Heidi Strobel
Survivor Amazon
Number 10 - Sarah Jones
Survivor Marquesas
Number 9 - Angie Layton
Survivor Philippines 
Number 8 - Ashley Underwood
Survivor Redemption Island
Number 7 - Kelly Czarnecki
Survivor Gabon
Number 6 - Jenna Morasca
Survivor Amazon & All-Stars
Number 5 - Mikayla Wingle
Survivor South Pacific
Mikayla has also posed in Playboy. NSFW
Number 4 - Jennifer Lyon
Survivor Palau
Sadly Jennifer lost her battle with breast cancer on January 20, 2010 at the age of 37.
Number 3 - Parvati Shallow
Survivor Cook Islands, Micronesia & Heroes vs. Villains
Number 2 - Amber Brkich
Survivor Australian Outback & All-Stars
Number 1 - Natalie White
Survivor Samoa
Do you agree or disagree with my choices? Leave me a comment and let me know.
Monday, September 03, 2012
September Already?
I can't believe this summer is almost over. Seems like only yesterday I was driving out to the golf course for the first time in March to play the first round of the year. But here we are only a few weeks away from the arrival of Autumn.
The one complaint I heard from people this summer was actually surprising to me. We didn't have enough rain.
Okay, I agree with them that it was an unusually dry summer and everything is either dead or on it's way to being deceased. The grass hasn't been green for over a month now. The trees are already changing colour due to the lack of rainfall and many crops have suffered because of it.
But this goes beyond summer. For those in these parts we have had very little precipitation gong back to the winter months. I think I used the snowblower three times last winter and once was just to get the gas out of the tank.
The forecast for the fall doesn't look as though it will get any wetter with more above normal temps and dry conditions expected. Part of me thinks this is great but I can't help but wonder what if we're going to pay for it come January. Are the days of the snowstorms for Eastern Ontario over is Mother Nature just waiting for the right moment to jolt us back to reality. I guess time will tell.
This past weekend I took advantage of the amazing weather to go for a walk through Jobes Woods Trail at Presqu'ile Provincial Park where I took the photo shown here. Normally the forest floor is damp or even underwater in this area and this bridge / boardwalk keeps walkers dry. But at this point all it does is keep you above the poison ivy.
The one complaint I heard from people this summer was actually surprising to me. We didn't have enough rain.
Okay, I agree with them that it was an unusually dry summer and everything is either dead or on it's way to being deceased. The grass hasn't been green for over a month now. The trees are already changing colour due to the lack of rainfall and many crops have suffered because of it.
But this goes beyond summer. For those in these parts we have had very little precipitation gong back to the winter months. I think I used the snowblower three times last winter and once was just to get the gas out of the tank.
The forecast for the fall doesn't look as though it will get any wetter with more above normal temps and dry conditions expected. Part of me thinks this is great but I can't help but wonder what if we're going to pay for it come January. Are the days of the snowstorms for Eastern Ontario over is Mother Nature just waiting for the right moment to jolt us back to reality. I guess time will tell.
This past weekend I took advantage of the amazing weather to go for a walk through Jobes Woods Trail at Presqu'ile Provincial Park where I took the photo shown here. Normally the forest floor is damp or even underwater in this area and this bridge / boardwalk keeps walkers dry. But at this point all it does is keep you above the poison ivy.
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