Cell phone fury

Here's a great story that was posted at blogginstocks.com by Victoria Erhart about cell phones in the courtroom. I say "Yah!" When people are asked to turn off their cell phones, whether it be in a courtroom, a restaurant, movie theatre or wherever and don't comply they need a kick in the ass. It's the same argument as banning smoking in public places. You're infringing on everyone else's rights when you do this. Get with the progrom and take it outside!

When Lake County Indiana Criminal Court Judge Diane Boswell demands order in her court, you better believe she means it. Frustrated by repeated disturbances from cell phones ringing during proceedings, Judge Boswell demanded to know who the guilty parties were. When the offenders seated in a row designated for court visitors did not speak up, Judge Boswell ordered the entire row of visitors to serve detention in chairs usually reserved for jail inmates. The visitors had to sit there until morning court was completed. Then Judge Boswell began to dispense justice.

Judge Boswell fined a woman on disability $100 for failure to silence her phone. She ordered a man to serve 40 hours community service because he was one of the offenders but did not speak up promptly when Her Honor first inquired. Judge Boswell even fined the woman sitting next to this man 40 hours of community service because she didn't rat the guy out. The moral of this AP press release: Don't bring your cell phone to Judge Boswel's court.

This is not the first case of judges throwing the book at cellphone users in court. In July, U.S. District Court Judge Wiliam Shubb swept down off his bench in search of the offending cell phone ring. Finding the phone in the hands of a older woman, Judge Shubb took the phone, opened the court room door and threw the cell phone into the hallway. He then ordered his marshals to confiscate every cell phone in the court room.

There seems to be an immediate need for Motorola, Apple or Cingular to supply non-offensive ringtones. Maybe the theme to Judge Judy's show?

Summer Vacation

Summer seems to be winding down here on the east coast of Canada. Don't get me wrong, the temps are nice in the mid-20's (75F), it's sunny and not too cold at night. But you can feel the cool in the air in the morning and you know we're sliding into Fall.

I took about a week and a half break this summer. We did some camping in PEI, which is a lovely small province. If you like gentle rolling hills, sandy beaches and great golfing this is a wonderful place to take a vacation. Marco Polo Land has been a favourite place to camp for may years and it's still one of the best. We used to go here when we were kids with our family and always enjoyed it so much. I still continue to return every summer.

My brother Steve and his daughter Kristin were up for a brief visit. We managed to get in a round of golf at Rockwood Park here in Saint John. If you like woods and water, which I don't, it's a great course. With 2200 acres it's the largest park inside city limits in Canada. It has alot to offer for families and is really worth a visit. We enjoyed our golf match even though it was a scorcher by Saint John standards at 32C. Neither of us played very well but we still had fun.

We followed this up with a tasty lunch, a swim at Meenan's Cove in Quispamsis and a sausage BBQ. An enjoyable day for sure. It's too bad we only get to do this occasionally. Ah those summer days, almost gone.

And how did you spend your summer?

When I Whine

I thought I'd share this. I am as guilty of this as anyone. It's so easy to forget our blessings.

When I Whine
~~~~~~~
Today, upon a bus, I saw a girl with golden hair
I looked at her and sighed and wished I was as fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave,
I saw her hobble down the aisle.
She had one leg and used a crutch
But as she passed, she passed a smile.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine
I have 2 legs, the world is mine.
~~~
I stopped to buy some candy
The lad who sold it had such charm
I talked with him a while, he seemed so very glad
If I were late, it'd do no harm.
And as I left, he said to me,
"I thank you, you've been so kind.
It's nice to talk with folks like you.
You see," he said, "I'm
blind."
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 eyes, the world is mine.
~~~
Later while walking down the street,
I saw a child with eyes of blue
He stood and watched the others play
He did not know what to do.
I stopped a moment and then I said,
"Why don't you join the others, dear?"
He looked ahead without a word.
And then I knew, he couldn't hear.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 ears, the world is mine.
~~~
With feet to take me where I'd go.
With eyes to see the sunset's glow.
With ears to hear what I would know.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I've been blessed indeed, The world is mine.
~~~

Pass it along.

Now This is Way Cool!

Check out Nokia's new phone or is it a camera or is it a video camera? Whatever the heck it is, I want one! I know we won't see this in North America for awhile since it's just becoming available this month in Europe but it's on my Christmas list.

Check out the specs. The Nokia N93 features a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and 3x optical zoom. You can connect the Nokia N93 directly to your TV for a widescreen movie experience. You get DVD-like quality video with MPEG-4 VGA video capture at 30 frames per second. It also features large internal memory of up to 50 MB, which can be further expanded with a hot swap miniSD card of up to 2 GB, allowing users to capture up to 90 minutes of DVD-like quality video or close to 2500 high-quality photos.

This is one very cool multimedia machine especially great for Vlogs and spur of the moment video capture. You will need one too.

Review of the Nokia N93 here

Specs and demo at Nokia

Hot Rods, Muscle Cars and More

I visited the Atlantic Nationals car show in Moncton, New Brunswick on Sunday. It was a beautiful warm sunny day with temps in the high 20's C (80's F). It took place at Centennial Park in Moncton and the place was jammed full of antique cars and trucks of all description - hot rods, muscle cars, trucks, tricked-out Japanese cars, speciality vehicles - you name it, they were there.

In all between 1800 and 2000 of these vehicles were spread over hundreds of acres. Fortunately there were plenty of shady spots for respite from the sun, so it was great.

My favourites are the 67-72 muscle cars, especially the Mopars like the Cuda, Road Runner, Charger and Challenger.

My mom used to own a '71 Dodge Challenge with a 340 c.i. engine. This was a small block V8 that was lightweight, had a high output and was at home on the street or at the drag strip. In reality this little engine put out a ton of power, something like 315 to 320 hp. It was a real fun car to run.

Mom used to drive it back and forth to work and get groceries. The poor car! About every 6 months she's take it into the shop so the mechanics could take the heads apart and scrape the carbon out. After awhile they told her to leave it in first gear so it would rev higher and keep things a little cleaner. I was in university and would always look forward to coming home to take that car out and give it an "Italian tune-up", that is drive the s**t out of it. She said she'd never sell to me because she figured I'd kill myself. Maybe she was right.

I've captured some of the ones I liked the best here. If you like to tinker and socialize with people with a similiar addiction, this is a wonderful hobby. Of course it helps to have a bit of cash as restoring and keeping these babies running is not for the faint of heart. It's a labour of love. What a great way to spend a summer day! I'm jealous - I want one. Now if I only had a garage.

Enjoy.

The Beautiful Miramichi

I come from a place originally called Newcastle but after amalgamation with some surrounding communities is now called "Miramichi". This name is actually the name of the river that runs through the town and is renown as one of the world's premier salmon fishing rivers.

My ancestors settled this area and the river has been a big part of our family's life for generations. To learn about some of the areas' history check here. These are excerpts from a book called "Miramichi Tales Tall and True" by Doug Underhill. Doug is a former high school English teacher (mine in fact!) and quite a fisherman in his own right. You can check him out here.

This area is steeped in history and tradition. The Miramichi Folksong Festival is a venue for traditional folksingers and storytellers from the Miramichi area and is held every year in August. The songs are unique to the area and have been passed down verbally from generation to generation. They talk of the lumbermen, the fishermen, the guides and life on the river. You'll hear tunes like "Memories of Dungarvon", "Blackville Bell", "Chemin de Fer", "The Fire of '25", "The Tobique Valley Line", "Rose of the Miramichi", "“Banks of the Gaspereaux"”, "“Jam on Gerry'’s Rock", "“Gallant Brigantine"”, "“Jeannie Ferguson"”, "“Lighthouse Keeper'’s Wife"”, "“The Stowaway", "“Napan Heroes"”, "“James McGee"”, "“Banks of the Little Eau Plaine", "“Dungarvon Whooper", "“Messenger Song", "“Pride of Glencoe" and "Dark Eyed Sailor".

I visited my mother this past weekend who still lives there. I don't get there as often as I should but it's always good to spend some time reconnecting with family, friends and the river. There's an area called French Fort Cove that now has a great hiking trail. We spent a good part of the morning checking out the area taking in some wonderful scenery. You can find out more about it here. You have to read about the Headless Nun!

Relationships

Relationships are a big part of life. I attended the funeral of my cousin a while back. The pastor who gave the message told us that after we're gone the only things people really remember are the relationships they had with the person. How true that is.

All the wealth or things we have accumulated mean little when we're gone. People remember us for what kind of a person we were, what we did or didn't do for others, what our priorities in life were, our attitudes and actions towards people.

We spend a great deal of our time and energy dealing with family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances and even strangers. To say relationships can be difficult is an understatement. They are tough, really tough.

Here is some good advice on relationships between couples from Susan Quilliam, relationship psychologist and author. I need to keep these in mind as much or more than anyone else (my comments in brackets):

1. Without quality time, your relationship will not survive. Carve out at least half an hour a night, and at least one day a month when you the two of you spend time exclusively together. [Ok, especially hard to do when the couple live in 2 different cities]

2. You will both need security, comfort. A good relationship is built on compromise and a great deal of give and take on both sides. [Note "both"; if one does it and the other doesn't it gets really bad]

3. Keep your dependence and independence in balance. Tell and show your partner how much you need him or her, but don't cling, as that can make your partner feel trapped.

4. Encourage the other person to listen to you, by showing appreciation when they do. Be aware that most men aren't mentally programmed for conversation in the way women are. They need more silence and internal time.

5. Learn to do the one thing that is most likely to restore good feeling in your relationship - giving your partner a genuine, loving and approving smile. [I'd add a hug here :) ]

6. Often those subtle quirks that first attracted you to your partner can, with time, turn around and become toe-curlingly annoying habits. Learn to love them, warts and all. [Yep sometime stuff goes right over my head - sorry]

7. Hidden resentments poison a relationship; so if something bothers you, say it. [When you're angry please get it out in the open, don't hold it in. Like the lady says it's poison]

8. Remember that boredom typically covers up anger. If you feel bored with your partner, ask yourself what you're angry about.

9. Learn how to argue well. The trick is to never say anything that you wouldn't want to hear said to you.

10. Research suggests you need five positive experiences to erase the memory of one negative experience. So give five kind words for each bitchy comment. Give five hugs for each cold shoulder.

11. Learn how to negotiate. Each of you states what you want, then both of you work together to find a way forward.

12. Accept the things that won't change. Some characteristics about your partner are there for life - and you have to face that.

13. Learn to forgive.

Great words to live by but easily overlooked or forgotten when anger or something else takes our minds somewhere else.

On a related note, long distance relationships are also really hard. I have a dear friend that I don't see enough and the distance makes it real tough. "Ask Alice" says this:

Alice,

My friend and I have been involved in a long distance relationship for six months now. We keep in touch with each other on a regular basis, calling and visiting each other. I feel that the distance between us will cause our relationship to end. We have been seeing each other for a year and a half. What are our chances of being together in the future?

—Miles away

Dear Miles away,

As Alice looks into her crystal ball, she sees that there is another way to think about your situation. The future, of course, is unclear, even for Alice, so why not focus on the present? Your distance could be considered a blessing in disguise, allowing you to come to know your friend in many ways that close proximity could stifle. Proximity can breed taking for granted the opportunity to talk at any time. It can also lead to physical intimacy (Alice doesn't know if you are sexually intimate) before you are both ready. Distance, combined with telephone calls and writing, electronically or through snail-mail, can foster an enviable intimacy which results from learning about another's qualities, values, ways of thinking, sensitivities, dreams, and aspirations. This type of intimacy can make your coming together much more special. Alice knows there are some people, in circumstances similar to your own, who spend more time writing their thoughts and feelings to the recipients of their affections than they spend in face-to-face conversations with people they live with, day in and day out. Many day-to-day relationships are characterized by superficial conversation, and few, if any, meaningful heart-to-hearts. So, Alice is suggesting that you not run away from your long-distance relationship, but nurture and savor it.

It is important for you and your partner to talk about what you're feeling, and what your concerns are. S/he may be wondering about the same things. If being together on a daily basis is what both of you want, then you can begin to strategize ways to make this happen. Will you need to wait until you graduate? Can one of you transfer schools? Or change jobs? Leave the possibility open, too, that you may continue in this coupleship for a long time, and that would be okay, too. Alice believes there are many "right" ways to be involved in a loving relationship.

Alice

University Graduation

I just attended what I believe to be my first university graduation ceremony. I didn't bother going to my own way back when because I had just landed my 1st full time job and didn't feel that I could afford the time off. I've always wondered whether I missed something special or maybe it just would have been boring.

Yesterday was my daughter's graduation. She is now the proud holder of a Business degree with Honors majoring in Marketing from the University of New Brunswick (UNB). Happy Day! It was a good day.

Despite sitting through the handing out of hundreds of diplomas I'm glad I went. Obviously I wanted to support my daughter. Also, being an alumni of said school, I was curious to see how things had changed.

Although the school has grown and now has campuses and affiliations in such far flung places like Africa and the Far East, it's nature remains the same. It's a comfortable, linked community where students and professors interact well (to a large extent) and located in a somewhat quiet, very scenic part of the world. It provides an island for those looking for safety and time to find themselves and their place in life.

I know my daughter has made life long friendships which will do her in good stead and she's ready to enter the "world". She's developed the tools she needs to learn, lead and live over these past 4 years. It's been good for her, good for her friends and peers.

Go forth and prosper!!

My Daughter & I

Such a cute pair! And she just graduated with a business degree. Now she needs to find a job to support me in the style I'd like to be accustomed to!! 

Cuba Pics

Here's a collection of some of my pics from recent trip to Cuba. Enjoy!

Trip to Cuba

I just returned from a 1 week vacation in Cuba where we stayed the new Barcelo Marina Palace. It's located in Varadero which has the largest resorts complex in the Caribbean. International development began here in the 1930's when the US chemical millionaire Irenee Dupont Nemours built a large estate on the peninsula. The peninsula has over 20 km of white sandy beaches.

We booked our trip through Signature Vacations and flew direct from Halifax Nova Scotia to Varadero. Unfortunately the flight was delayed 3 hours due to mechanical problems but we eventually arrived at about 1:30am. Getting through Immigration and getting baggage was no problem. A quick bus trip to the resort and we were ready to go.

The Marina Palace is only about 1 year old and is nicely appointed. The rooms were spacious and clean with all the modern conveniences you'd expect in North America. They use the latest technology mostly from Europe. The resort is quite spread out being almost a mile long. The beach is about 2 kilometers long and as a result there's lots of room where you can have some privacy.

The staff was friendly and the food was fine although selection was a bit limited. There was only 1 day when selections were not great while the rest of the time it was good.

The day tour of the capital, Havana, was eye opening. There was a tremendous number of dilapidated buildings. According to our tour guide, whenever asked about this, the response was "they are targeted for re-construction". There is actually re-construction happening in old Havana around the historical plazas. Obviously being a popular place for tourists these would be the areas they would focus on first. Unfortunately there just isn't enough funds to do them all so I expect many buildings will continue to look run down for years to come.

Impressively there weren't many kids roaming the streets. They appeared to be all in school. The ones we saw were dressed in school uniforms. Now whether this is the same across the country I really can't say. However I do know that education is free right up to university. I had a Cuban man working for me in the IT industry and he had four degrees. The problem is when you get out it's hard to find a decent paying job.

Everyone is given a ration card to buy food, clothes, etc. The guaranteed salary is 350 Cuban pesos a month which is only about $18/month Canadian. So needless to say that doesn't go very far. So whether you're a doctor, dentist, lawyer, clerk or laborer, that's what you get. In order to make ends meet, most take on extra jobs.

Working in tourism is about the best since they get access not only to goods being brought in by tourists from around the world but they usually get tipped in CUC (convertible Cuban Pesos) which are equivalent to a U.S. dollar. This means they can buy goods that tourists could purchase although it's unclear to me how that happens since they're not actually allowed to shop in these stores. I expect the answer is the "black market" which is alive and thriving.

These people work hard. Everyone has to work without exception and get 3-4 days off a month if they're lucky. This combined with a real lack of personal transportation makes it really difficult for the family life resulting in a 60% divorce rate. Working long hours is also a given. In tourism a day that runs from 6am to 10pm is not unusual. But when you talk to people about it, the response usually is, that's life. I'm not sure if everyone feels that way, I expect not.

There seems to be plenty to do if you're visiting. There are lots of country-side tours, water trips, historical places to see and places to explore. There doesn't seem to be many restrictions on travel within the country and there's pretty easy access to vehicles. There's always locals available willing to show you around or guides who will take you on a custom tour.

Bottom line is that in Cuba the weather is great, it's a very safe place and the people are wonderful. Also if you like cigars and rum, it has some of the world's best. I'd go back again.

Sunny California

I recently returned from a business trip to southern California. I've been there quite a few times over my working career and always enjoy it. I can see why so many people choose to live there.

The climate is ideal, there's a wonderful blend of climates with everything from snow in the mountains to lush greenery to rolling sand dunes nestled up to the Pacific Ocean that stretch for miles. I especially enjoy driving the Pacific Coast Highway when there's lots of time and I just want to roam.

It's unfortunate that all these great things are marred by horrendous traffic, smog, electrical shortages, fresh water supply problems and just lots and lots of people. Locusts have landed in the land of milk and honey.

I like Californians by and large. I find them optimistic and forward looking. They generally don't like whatever government is in power. They gave Arnold a chance but it's commonly held that he won't get another. They're an eclectic lot coming from far and wide including my home of Canada. It's really the eptimomy of the "melting pot of humanity".

You Know You're In California When...

The fastest part of your commute is down your driveway.

You were born somewhere else.

You know how to eat an artichoke.

The primary bugs that you worry about are electronic.

Your car has bulletproof windows.

Left is right and right is wrong.

Your monthly house payments exceed your annual income.

Your mouse has only one ball.

Your cat has it's own psychiatrist.

You dive under a desk whenever a large truck goes by.

You can also take the California Driver's License Test. Yep, they're a strange bunch.

What happened to the Canadian men?

I just have to wonder what's going on with the Canadian men at the Olympics in Torino. Right now on this Wednesday evening Canada has 18 medals. The women have won a full 72% or 13 of these. What's with that?

If they gave medals for 4^th place Canada would be cleaning up! What it comes down to for the men is the lack of will or desire to give that little extra to put them into the medals. In other words I really don't think it's the physical part of their game that's the issue but it's all in the mind.

Reggie Jackson once said “The will to win is worthless if you don't get paid for it.” Some countries pay their athletes for bringing home the bacon. For example the Lithuanian government pay their athletes a special cash bonus of more than $100,000 for each gold medal. Victorious U.S. Athletes will get just $25,000, paid by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Russian government will pay $50,000 for each Russian gold.

So maybe that's what it takes, a little incentive. Abraham Maslow, the U.S. psychologist noticed while he worked with monkeys that some needs take precedence over others. For example, if you are hungry and thirsty, you will tend to try to take care of the thirst first. He developed his hierarchy of needs. In the hierarchy physiological needs are at the very bottom of the pyramid and must be satisfied before anything else can be considered. These include the basic needs like oxygen, water, protein, salt, etc.

When the physiological needs are largely taken care of, the second layer of needs, those of safety and security, comes into play. These are followed in order by love and belonging needs and esteem needs.

So if our athletes are scrapping by, holding down part time jobs to eat and trying in line up financing support for training and competition, it doesn't leave a lot of time and energy to focus on being the best in the world. At the very least those who demonstrate success should reap some rewards to allow them to focus on their support and do even better.

Come on Canada, we need to support our athletes, not only morally but financially! You can't win races if you're starving. Then you end up in 4^th place! Get it?

Another Canadian Election!

Vote on January 23rd!

Thankfully this election has been abbreviated due to Christmas. I was glad that most of the politicians did not bother people over the Christmas vacation period. Of course this was probably more about not being able to get people's attention then it was about being sensitive!

In the last few weeks things have been getting dirty. I especially liked the "army in the streets" ad that the Liberals had produced and decided it was too controversial to run but it "accidentally" got released. Name calling, shouting, taking the leaders' words and twisting them, it's all there. So much for the genteel inoffensive Canadian way. There's no need for it people.

I also think the parties should be stopped from making spending promises. I mean you can promise money for every cause and special interest group under the sun during a campaign. But the story changes drastically when the elected party "opens the books" and discovers "Oh things are much worse than we thought, so unfortunately we can't live up to all those promises we made." Stop it! People want to hear where you stand on issues not how you will spend money you don't have and that doesn't belong to you. It belongs to us, the tax payers.

My favorite item for this election is CBC's VLT Voting Machine.

To cast your vote click here.

Welcome 2006

Here it is, a new year. Another opportunity to make a clean start and make the year count for something. It's not that 2005 was a terrible year but I'm left feeling that I should have accomplished more. I don't know that I accomplished much personally.

I did stuff, was involved in worthy enterprises, helped people when I could, travelled some and there were no major personal disasters in my life. But still I find the year wanting. Perhaps there are some things I should have been doing that I didn't do.

2006 does hold promise for change. My daughter graduates with her Business degree this year. My company will either expand and really take off or it will not live up to my expectations and I may be looking for a new opportunity. A good friend is trying to make some changes in her life. She's had a terribly difficult 2005 with job and health challenges. I hope to be positive part of that change. Also I'm thinking of travelling to Cuba with some friends. Perhaps some things will b e revealed to me.

I would like to be able to look back and say 2006 was a better year, one in which I was able to make a positive difference in my own life as well as those around me. I don't want another year where things are left undone.

To KC - I wish you every happiness this year. May your road become easier, may you laugh again and may your heart's wish be fulfilled. I pray your eyes will be opened and you will know love again.

A Poem for the New Year by Helen Steiner Rice

God grant us this year a wider view, So we see others' faults through the eyes of You; Teach us to judge not with hasty tongue, Neither the adult ... nor the young.

Give us patience and grace to endure And a stronger faith so we feel secure; And instead of remembering, help us forget The irritations that caused us to fret.

Freely forgiving for some offense And finding each day a rich recompense, In offering a friendly, helping hand And trying in all ways to understand, That all of us whoever we are ... Are trying to reach "an unreachable star."

For the great and small ... the good and bad, The young and old ... the sad and glad, Are asking today, "Is life worth living?" And the answer is only in "loving" and "giving."

For only "Love" can make us kind And Kindness of Heart brings Peace of Mind, And by giving love we can start this year To lift the clouds of hate and fear.

Ah, Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

This is the first official day of winter. The temps are definitely cooler and we're anxiously awaiting snow. Nove Scotia to the east of us have been hit several times already but so far we've been quite fortunate.

I like a little snow at Christmas. There's nothing like big fluffy snow flakes drifting to the ground while you sit in front of a nice wood fire sipping some hot chocolate or apple cider. We have an artificial Christmas tree but if you have to have a real fir or pine, you get to take in the scent of the tree and it adds to the ambiance. We used to have a real tree but our daughter made us put it up so early that it was dead or dying by the time Christmas rolled around.

I'm looking forward to a nice 2 week break from work. It's a great time to kick back, visit friends and family, eat turkey, read books, watch movies and play games. Ah yes, the art of doing nothing!

We always go to Christmas Eve services at our local Baptist church. We usually have a candlelight service with lots of special music. It helps focus us on the real reason for Christmas, when God sent his Son to earth to save us from our sins. It's really a "happy birthday" occasion but as was pointed out in a recent skit I saw, we overlook the real guest and focus on ourselves. You can see some of the pictures at this site.

Remembrance Day - Nov 11th

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throwThe torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

- Col. John McCrae

On August 4, 1914, Britain declared war on Germany. Canada, as a member of the British Empire, was automatically at war, and its citizens from all across the land responded quickly. Within three weeks, 45,000 Canadians had rushed to join up. John McCrae was among them. He was appointed brigade-surgeon to the First Brigade of the Canadian Forces Artillery with the rank of Major and second-in-command.

In April 1915, John McCrae was in the trenches near Ypres, Belgium, in the area traditionally called Flanders. Some of the heaviest fighting of the First World War took place there during that was known as the Second Battle of Ypres.

On April 22, the Germans used deadly chlorine gas against Allied troops in a desperate attempt to break the stalemate. Despite the debilitating effects of the gas, Canadian soldiers fought relentlessly and held the line for another 16 days.

In the trenches, John McCrae tended hundreds of wounded soldiers every day. He was surrounded by the dead and the dying. The day before he wrote his famous poem, one of McCrae's closest friends was killed in the fighting and buried in a makeshift grave with a simple wooden cross. Wild poppies were already beginning to bloom between the crosses marking the many graves. Unable to help his friend or any of the others who had died, John McCrae gave them a voice through his poem.

Let us remember all who have died defending our country, our way of life, and the men and women of our armed forces who continue to put themselves in danger for us.

Pain and Anguish in New Orleans

I continue to watch in horror of the breadth of the disaster in the southern US. The loss and heartbreak of the families is astounding. My heart and prayers goes out to them.

If you want to keep up to what's happening in New Orleans, there's an excellent record of events posted by technology folks who have stayed behind. Check it out at Survival of New Orleans Blog.

I encourge you to give generously to the very real needs of all those effected. Here's some great organizations that are doing excellent work there. Here are some links were you can make a donation:


In Canada, you can make a donation to the Canadian Red Cross online at www.redcross.ca, call 1-800-418-1111 or contact their local Canadian Red Cross office. Also you can make a donation to the Salvation Army who are doing an awesome job there.

Starting on September 6, Canadians may also make a financial donation at the following banks:

BMO Bank of Montreal
Canadian Western Bank
CIBC
HSBC Bank Canada
National Bank of Canada
RBC Royal Bank
Scotiabank
TD Canada Trust

If youi live in the U.S., here are some organizations that are worthy of supporting:

Souhern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief Fund

American Red Cross

Salvation Army

Scenes from New Orleans

Backstreet's Back

When my daughter called me at work several weeks ago and asked if we could be in Portland Maine on August 10, I didn't realize what I was getting into. I had promised her a bit of a trip before she heads back to university in September but I hadn't planned on this.

As a huge Backstreet Boy's fan, she follows their every move. She discovered that their current concert schedule would bring them reasonably close to where we live in Easrern Canada and decided to make a play to get there. Well if any of you have daughters you know it's pretty tough to say no. So reluctantly I agreed.

It was as I imagined it. An arena full of girls, all ages and sizes, from grannies to grade schoolers, Backstreet groupies one and all except for one relunctant dad in the 21st row. It's apparent that the time this group of guys took off had not dimed the adulation of this crowd. Surprising there were some empty seats but the audience or the group didn't seem to notice.

I have to admit the Backstreet Boys did put on a good concert. Their voices were good, timing exact and dance routines well practiced. The crowd ate it up. My ears are still ringing from the high pitched screaming that only a 14 year old girl can create.

My daughter thoroughly enjoyed the show and the pictures we took will be cherished for years to come. I enjoyed her enjoyment and appreciated the quality of the performance even though it's not my favourite music. It provided us lots of memories that we will always share and confirmed to my daughter that what's important to her is important to her dad. Hopefully neither of us will ever forget that.

One Crazy Guy

You know as well as I do there are just some people who will do anything for attention. I used to work with this guy who worked hard and played harder. He was always the one wearing the lampshade at a party or doing the libo even though there wasn't anything to go under.

Then there are those who are just plain drunks and are not in the least funny although think they're the live of the party. Now me, I used to be a lampshade kind of guy when I was younger but now I just get a charge from those who try to be.

I think I may have found a guy who is not drunk, although it probably would have helped him survive this "experiment", but will do anything for a laugh or attention. I have to wonder if he came out the other side. Let me know what you think.

http://fun.from.hell.pl/2004-03-24/zabawy-w-pracy.mpeg