This week's blog is an interesting read... "The personal, political and reflective thoughts of an eclectic thinker." Some very interesting thoughts and well worth stopping in for a read!
A mere handful of hours after the US Supreme Court hands Ruprecht the Monkey President a genital cuff for his abuse of absolute power with regards to the military tribunals at Gitmo, a startling new audio tape suddenly emerges across the vast, mindnumbingly massive space of the internets. This tape, as if given to us as a gift from the heavens, supposedly features a voice approximating that of Osama bin Hidin raining accolades on Zarqawi, and serves as a stark reminder of the horrifying terror unleashed upon western civilization these many years ago, reaffirming in our minds, the raw need for the War on Terror to continue unabated...
Coincidence? Hard to say... but it certainly seems suspicious that the very day Bush takes a strike against his War on an Ideology, this tape shows up, smacking a line drive into left center...
I can't seem to find references to the Tories campaign donation scandal on either CTV or CBC anymore. The link in my previous post doesn't work either.
The Supreme Court has ruled that Chimpy McFlightsuit overstepped his authority with his military war crimes tribunals at Gitmo. The military trials would undoubtedly violate US law and the Geneva Conventions... Two years ago, the court also stated that Bush overstepped his authority with regards to holding terror suspects indefinately with no access to courts and lawyers.
Naturally, I am sure that McChimpy and his following of rabid psycophants will maintain that the Geneva Conventions do not apply to these detainees, but I maintain that if they apply to US and coalition forces involved in this facade of a "War", then they must apply to the opponents. To state otherwise is ridiculous.
So it only took 5 years for them to give the Chimpmeister a genital cuff for his desire for absolute power... When are they gonna shut the place down. That's what I want to know.
Oops. $1.7 million is a lot of unreported donations... Why? Because they didn't understand political financing laws? Wow. This is our new government. You know, the folks who gave us our recent budget. What else don't they understand?
Note: It seems that coverage of this on both CTV and CBC has become non-existent. Of course, there are other places to read the news...
It seems the CIA may be spying on Canadian bank accounts as well. Wonder what happened to that piece of paper we all have to sign about security and privacy, whether it's at the bank, H&R Block or anywhere else?
Oh yeah, I forgot. That darned "War on Terror"... more freedom and privacy goes down the tubes in the name of... wait for it... FREEDOM!!!!
In his second start back from the DL, AJ Burnett shut out the Nationals and pitched a complete game for his first win (6-0) as a Blue Jay. Amid concerns of health issues, he had 7 strikeouts, allowed only 6 hits, no walks and made well under 100 pitches to finish the game. Glad to see this guy is for real, and a definate hand to Doc Halladay in the rotation. Burnett was still throwing 96mph fast balls in the 9th, showing that his elbow may indeed be back to top form.
As a side note, Josh Towers was again booted down to AAA after he returned and had two brutal starts yet again. Hopefully, they keep him there!
I am not saying that the Liberal government was any different, but something I constantly heard from Tory pundits over the course of the election was how the Conservatives would cut the pork in Ottawa and strive for a smaller, more efficient government.
So they answer the call by raising MPs expense allowances by 20% just before they break for the summer. That is a $24,000 a year expense account per MP. If I am reading the news correctly, this may or may not include $75.40 a day for meals and incidentals (chewing gum for Dingwall remember) and an increase to $0.47 a km for MPs driving their own cars to work. MP salaries are already 34% higher than they were only 6 years ago, in 2000 at $147,000 a year.
Maybe they should rent apartments instead of staying at hotels like the Radisson for $89 a night... or even better, they could get a lucrative tax credit by riding the public transit to work.
Another weekend floats by without pausing to check back in afterwards... So much to do in the yard. Friday began with a trip to Mom's, in order to get a chainsaw from her. We had a nice supper, and then I mowed her lawn and did some trimming. This is a good thing, since we left with not only a chainsaw, but also her good weed-eater :) Of course, it has been so hot of late, that we decided to leave our lawn this weekend, until it is far cooler.
Saturday was the big day as far as work went. Somehow, I managed to mix in a little World Cup and some ball later in the day, but basically, the task at hand was to remove the tin shed we have from it's current rotting base in the low back corner of our yard, build a new base from new lumber, and place the shed on it. Seems pretty straightforward, but then we have to consider there were about 666 nails holding the thin tin frame down to the old wood.
We began by placing the base boards down in the general area we wanted. They were pretty much the exact size needed, so all we had to do was trim some 3/4 inch plywood for the floor. This went very well actually, and allowed me to get on with the hardest bit. After some gentle prying, and even some rather rugged prying, I had the shed loose from the old rotten wood floor. It took myself, a kind neighbour and the boy and his friend to get inside and lift it over to the new base. My wife had stained the base already, so now all I needed to do was a little metal work here and there (paneel klopping for the Afrikaaners out there) and nail it all back down.
After all was finished, it looked pretty darned good. I think we are going to paint over it though, as it is an old greenish and white color, and our yard is all dark brown. The rest of the day was filled with campfire (new firepit remember?) and drink.
I woke up sunday morning at 8:50 with a fusion reaction occuring in my frontal lobes, but had to crawl downstairs to catch the England - Ecuador game. Great game, especially after Beckham scored with a complete cracker of a goal in the lower corner. I did fail to appreciate the logic behind the purely defensive English formation. Only one forward makes for some pretty sketchy attack. England won, which was great, allowing them to move ahead again.
However, my jubilation soon waned, as we had to begin sanding down our picnic table in order to refinish it. The heat has been nice, but after the previous day of work, sun and drink, the heat was really kicking my butt. I helped sand the table as much as I could, then promptly collapsed in a shaded lawnchair for a few hours.
Good weekend. In fact, the whole week looks to be good, with highs up over 30 degrees. Hmmm... AJ Burnett is starting for the Blue Jays on tuesday... must watch.
"Something NEW almost daily!!! Snarky, sarcastic, irreverent, and queer as a $3 bill!" is the tagline for Scott's blog.
Scott has a very interesting blog, and covers many things, from politics and humor to gay rights and other affairs, even the Monday eye candy posts. He is from Phoenix Arizona and has too many opinions and too much time on his hands! Go ahead and have a read! I am pleased that Scott has bid on my rental space, and maybe one day, I'll be able to beat him in the Battle of the Blogs at BlogExplosion!
Just yesterday, I was reading something about this on Wizbang, watching all of the right wing commentors crucifying the left with really loud "SEE??? Told ya so..." over wild claims of 600 year old shells being found in Iraq (incidentally, they have been pulling up the odd degraded weapon from time to time over the entire course of the occupation, so no surprises here), but as usual, it turns out to be a load of dingos kidneys.
The claim was made by Senator Rick Santorum and Peter Hoekstra the evening before a debate and vote on the withdrawal from Iraq. So they found more pre-1991 casings and try to make a case about the flaunted WMD program that Hussein was still operating... This is nothing more than a political move by Santorum, who is down 18 points in his Senate re-election bid.
Remember last time there was news like this all over the airwaves? Within a week, CSIS, the fuzz and 400 other folks made the startling announcement about the arrest of the 17 terror suspects in Toronto.
So what is going to happen next week?
"Watch Clark. Watch him close you hear?" - Blair (John Carpenter's "The Thing")
Well Father's Day was on Sunday, but Saturday was the big day for me. We have really wanted to do some stuff in our yard, and a good start is a fire pit. We went down to the Co-op and bought blocks, grates and more to build one, and after a few beers, I had completed the pit!
Nice and easy interlocking blocks and a bed of sand for drainage when it rains is all it took. The digging wasn't too bad, though I spent some time removing a massive concrete post base for an old laundry hanger. Seems the people that used to own the house filled a 3 foot hole with cobbles and poured in the cement. So the base was really quite large.
Once everything was done, it was time for a fire. Of course, at this point, the beer was flowing, food was cooking and times were good. Little did we know, but an arsonist (likely kids smoking) had lit up an old warehouse only a block from our house. We saw the smoke in our back yard, and I grabbed the camera and sprinted down the street to see what was going on.
I arrived just before they started working on the fire. The corner of the old eyesore warehouse (pretty much abandoned) was an office and that is where the fire started. The flatbed trailer closest only had pipe on it, but the one in the background had some rather expensive looking construction equipment.
The boys got busy once they were all there. You can see the wall starting to buckle outwards from the heat. Smoke was pouring out of all the other half ruined doors along the building, making for quite a spectacle.
Water works well, and thankfully, we have some around just for occasions like this. The boys worked quickly, and thankfully, nobody was hurt in the blaze.
I was half expecting to see firemen bashing doors in with axes, and rescuing people and stuff, but no such luck. In a way, it is too bad the place didn't get razed. There were a coupld more of the old warehouses and they have already been demolished. They are ugly and dangerous. I suppose, once the investigation is over, it could be torn down.
The Tories are suggesting a tax break in the form of reducing the CPP contribution employees pay on their pay cheques so that their take-home pay is higher. Okay, tax breaks always sound great, but let's think about this for a while. Currently, employees pay 4.95% into the CPP fund, so that when we get old, there is at least something there for us, whether it's enough or not is beside the point. This cut is of an undetermined amount, but let's just throw out a 1% cut, since this is a number the Tories seem to like. On a cheque for $1000, you could save an amazing $10 a cheque. Big break in the take-home pay huh? But what happens in the future?
In the US, Social Security is in serious trouble. In other words, by the time someone my age retires, there may be NO money left. Is this what we want to happen in Canada? Our plan works, and works fairly well in my opinion. However, to increase our take-home pay by pocket-change every cheque (say 2 drinks in the bar), we could be risking the future for all of us when we retire. In a world where only fools don't look to the future, investing in RRSPs, stocks and savings is key. Why then, would our government propose to hinder this?
This is another example of H-Dawg and the Tory platform of "fending for yourself" and live in the present, without fear of the future.
I am not an economist, nor a politician. The workings of this are likely too complex for your average person to "get", but it will involve moving money from surpluses, and covering costs with this and that... in the long run, there will be less money, guaranteed. And that is the bottom line. Blevkog has some insight into the inner workings of this...
In a much anticipated and welcome move, Montreal's head coach Guy Carbonneau announced Kirk Muller as an assistant coach alongside Doug Jarvis and Roland Melanson. I heard this rumor early in the playoffs, and though Muller denied any such thoughts, I had strong suspicions this would come to be. So far, Muller's head coaching record with Queen's University has been average (8-13-1-2), but then the NHL is a different game altogether.
Muller has long been a favorite player of mine, combining skill with solid two-way hockey sense, and a great competitive spirit. He can only bring good things to the team, and now, I cannot wait for next season to begin! Hopefully, his passion, enthusiasm and grit will wear off on the players, allowing them to build on a great season this year.
Canadians tell Tories to shove their Child care choice
Stardate 5947.90
A recent poll suggests that 50% of Canadians prefer the former Liberal government's national day-care plan to the Conservative's "Choice" in child care of $100 a month. In fact, even 1/3 of Tory voters do not like the plan, suggesting that the money each month may simply not be spent on child care.
No duh. What else did the Tories promise that people will come to see as political and not social policies?
The amazing comeback bid by the Oilers simply wasn't enough. Okay, well technically, there were several other reasons why the Oilers lost game 7, but it was an entertaining game to say the least.
Seeing long time veteran Rod Brind'Amour finally hold the cup up was satisfying in a way. And the fact that rookie goalie, Cam Ward won the Conn Smythe was very cool. He played for Red Deer last year, and is an Albertan as well.
As for the game, I think Edmonton was fooled by their easy victory in game 6, and it seemed as though they lost most battles on the boards, were out hit, and lacked the ability to get quick passes through without Carolina intercepting them. There were a few terrible plays in the offensive zone as well, where guys in near perfect shooting areas passed the puck off to either nobody or blindly behind their backs... The Oilers really needed to score on their 2 man advantage, but instead, Smyth took the inevitable hooking penalty.
This marks two years in a row that Alberta has choked in the Stanley Cup final. Next year, we'll see if Montreal can do better!!!
The Edmonton Oilers have surprised me in almost every way these playoffs. For the record, I am NOT a fan of the Oilers at all, and I even hate them more than Toronto, but now I must cheer for them as they do battle in the final game of the playoffs.
After killing Carolina in game 6 to tie the series up from being down 3 to 1, I can only assume they will continue to dominate a weary looking Hurricane squad, and bring the Cup back home to Canada WHERE IT BELONGS!!!
It would seem that North Korea is on the verge of launching a long range missile test, that many folks seem to think is a rather bad idea...
The Koreans claim that this missile would allow them to stop the US from flying spy planes over their country. It is now completely fueled and ready to fly.
Republican dominated House rejects a timetable for pulling US troops out of Iraq 256 - 153 votes.
“Stay the course, I don’t think so Mr. President. It’s time to face the facts,” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California answered, as she called for a new direction in the conflict. “The war in Iraq has been a mistake. I say, a grotesque mistake.”
Words closer to the truth simply could not be uttered. It's a shame the rest of McChimpy's puppets couldn't think for themselves...
This week, I have another interesting site called The Plumbutt Chronicles. "One man's war against global stupidity" is his tagline... Stop by and read some. Say hi!
The US death toll in Iraq has reached 2,500. Over 18,490 troops have been injured and depending on your sources, tens of thousands and even upwards of 100,000 Iraqi civilian deaths have been caused by the Invasion, occupation and insurgency ensuing from this war. How many more people are going to die because of lies?
Well it's just my prediction for tonight and likely a no-brainer. The way I see it, there is no chance on earth that the Oilers can get their crap together enough to win tonight. They may as well go to the dressing room every time they get a powerplay, and the number of stupid plays and boneheaded passes they make will never get through what will undoubtedly be a very determined Carolina team. The score tonight? I am guessing 4 to 1 for Carolina.
The worst news is that only once in the entire history of Life, the Universe and Everything, has a team come back from a 3 to 1 game deficit to win the Cup.
Hey, they did better than the Habs, but not better enough to impress me :P
Get ready for this... over 11000 coalition troops are about to go on the largest offensive yet against the Taliban in Afghanistan. This includes 2200 Canadian soldiers. I have only two things to say... good luck boys, and why are we on the offensive? Who decided it was actually time to change how we help in foreign conflicts? I know the role of our troops has changed from our traditional roles now, but why? This goes back to the difference between Peace-keeping and Peace-making. The first is defensive, while the latter is offensive. To some, this would be a valiant mission, one that will test our soldier's mettle, and allow them to act and rout out the evil Taliban, alongside their British and US brothers. To others, this is another reminder of how we have begun to follow the steps laid out by the Americans in there "War on Terror". Battling an insurgency that will continue to grow until the occupation of their country countries is over.
I am waiting for the Harpsicle to tell us that these men and women are risking their lives to protect our freedoms and interests overseas. Yeah, some dudes we disagreed with in a frigid desert thousands of miles from nowhere are a risk to our freedom. What interests overseas? The fact that if we withdrew our support for the US occupation that they would spank us and stop inviting H-Dawg to Crawford for steaks and some riding? What is a risk to our freedom is that every time we go on the offensive, we risk the chance of provoking other forms of attacks, like *gasp* terror, wiretaps, prison camps...
Bush popped into Baghdad for a surprise visit with the new PM, Nouri al-Maliki today. Maybe it's just me, but I always wonder what people like this are really thinking when they are shaking hands with the most dangerous man on earth... Is this guy really happy to be meeting the man who in essence gave him power, yet is responsible for plunging his country into the chaotic mess it is in today? What about other world leaders? Take Tony Blair for example... he has ran alongside McChimpy since the beginning.
Frankly, I think that since they killed Zarqawi, a small player in the chaos that has become Iraq to begin with, and al-Qaeda has named a replacement, he had to stop by and make a photo-op visit, just to show them that the US is still there... I am starting to think that I would like to see this ended once and for all, say with an arm-wrestling death match between George and Osama. Now *that* would be entertaining...
There seems to be little point in all of this... at least at this point in time. Perhaps a week ago, sure, but now that the press and other important figures have had a field day with this, these men are already guilty in many if not most eyes.
Galati said the men and youths have been subject to "unprecedented" treatment -- and that they have been declared guilty in public by not only Toronto's mayor and some Muslim community leaders, but also Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "Within mere days of the arrests, the prime minister of Canada and the mayor of Toronto publicly declared the guilt of the accused," Galati said outside the courthouse.
I have to agree with this statement wholeheartedly. Of course now, with a publication ban on the proceedings, who knows if the investigation will go according to the book and rules...
The time has come for me and some friends to whittle down our copious list of songs we try to jam out, and pick a half dozen to really work on. We all think 6 tunes is enough for now, especially since we are all part time musicians. Most of the tunes are metal and hard rock, and really, I like many of them a lot. Picking only 6 will be difficult, especially since we have to agree on the songs. One constant would be the desire to play lots of Priest :)
A rough list now could include some Judas Priest (Metal Gods, Better By You Better Than Me, Nightcrawler and possibly Heading out to the Highway or Breaking the Law), Slayer (Dead Skin Mask), Metallica (Seek and Destroy) and Iron Maiden (Flash of the Blade). All pretty cool tunes in their own right, and fun to jam regardless.
Six tunes should be enough for any BBQ or party, and we can always jam around on other things if we need to. Can't wait to get going... I know most of these songs pretty well, though there are parts here and there that I will really need to work on. We also get a mix of heavier slow metal ala Metal Gods, and faster stuff like Maiden. Should be fun for everyone, and the odd chance to go off on the guitar is always there :P
It would seem that a fellow intent on blowing up an abortion clinic and shooting doctors who provide abortions had a mishap when his home-made pipe-bomb went off at a friend's home. He has been arrested, but I can almost guarantee he will not end up in Gitmo, and that he will have full access to his lawyers... there are no terrorism charges laid, but the charges do include possession of an illegal handgun and making home-made explosives.
So how come this doesn't make the terrorism news page? Is it because he is not a Muslim or an Arab? What's the friggin difference? The 17 alleged "terrorists" in Canada sure didn't get off so scot free...
As Robert at My Blahg says, the article fails to mention any reference to Christianity or terrorism.
It was a rainy day yesterday, but our team's spirits were not dampened by the weather. We did our ride, and raised over $1900 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
The bike seats 30 people, and though we were a few riders short, there was no lack of enthusiasm.
This is a great way to get folks in the office to get out for a good cause, and as you can see, everyone had fun!
Today, a team of dedicated athletes from our office ride the Big Bike for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. We did this last year and raised thousands of dollars for this worthwhile group. I should be able to post a couple of pics later on in the day. Even the rain is not going to dampen my spirits...
"We are a target because of who we are, how we live, our society, our diversity and our values -- values such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law -- the values that make Canada great," - Stephen Harper at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa on June 3rd, 2006, after the arrest of suspected terrorists.
"Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what we see right here in this chamber -- a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms -- our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other." - George W. Bush at a Joint Session of Congress on September 20th, 2001, 9 days after 9/11.
As part of the Blog Explosion traffic sharing community, we can rent out a small advertising space to blogs that are of interest to us... This week, I have a new renter.
I have featured Scooter before, so having him back again is a great treat! Scooter's is your one stop place for music, TV, sports, politics and many other interesting things! Stop by and check it out :D
Today is apparently of some siginificance, being the 6th day of the 6th month of the, er, 6th year... Of course, all I can think of is this, while listening to all of the evil, devil-worshipping metal I can get my hands on...
The fact of the matter is, there will be no end to mankind as we know it today. Maybe tomorrow, but not today. Naturally, this will leave a lot of people put out, especially after all of the calls for doom and gloom. It would seem that the only significance of the day is th release of a whole lot of bad movie remakes. It is a capitalist's dream however.
With careful marketing, even the most forthright capitalist driven Christians could make a killing from the mere attachment of 3 powerful and ominous numbers to any product...
Forget 5-Alive and Hi-5. Now we have "666! Juice of the Apocalypse"!!! Perhaps it's time for the new frozen "Devil's Dinner" that heats up in your microwave in only 6 minutes and 66 seconds... The marketing dreams could go on and on.
Of course, not everyone believes in this drivel, but some people take it very seriously and will go to no end to let others know that we are eventually all doomed...
When you consider the shitstorm our world has been heading into for several years now, maybe this guy is right after all.
I am somewhat surprised in actuality to have heard of the "story of the day" as an apt commentor calls it. Well, I am surprised somewhat I suppose... I was of the belief that there would never be any sort of terror plots or attacks in Canada until the day that Harper got his vote to extend our mission in Afghanistan. Even then, I suspected it was still only a small chance. Of course, I now think our lot has been tossed in with the Americans and British.
In Toronto, they have apparently set up and busted 17 people involved in such a plot. Before folks start jumping up and down saying "I told you so" think about a few points.
These men posed no threat whatsoever. No really, it's true. Allegedly (this should be a familiar word), CSIS has been watching them for ages, and the RCMP themselves delivered fake fertilizer to them in order to move in and nab them. Of course, this goes to show that our intelligence and law enforcement groups are doing a great job. Kudos to them.
A mere week beforehand, CSIS and the media had the country in an uproar with the announcement of "homegrown" terrorists all over Canada. In fact, they went as far as to sugget that they could be right in your backyard. Talk about fear mongering.
Coincidence? Likely not. The CSIS interview was probably talking about the very plot they busted up the following week. This bust all seems very convenient to me. I am not suggesting anything underhanded, but really, within a week? Perhaps this is a prelude to giving said agencies more powers, such as phone taps, internet search collection, and indefinate imprisonment without charges or warrants? When are we going to see the Canadian Patriot Act hit the House? Please, please, do not let it happen.
Already, these 17 men are guilty, even without full legal proceedings. What proof they have beyond what the press is reporting about the actual fertilizer order is not known. Did these men intend to blow up things? Probably... but they still need proof. Naturally, once th epress got a hold of this, they are already guilty... on parade for the whole world to see. Canada did good! Next thing you know, these guys will have actual, real, alleged ties with Al-Qaeda instead of simply planning an Al-Qaeda style attack.The kind folks that run the corner store may also be guilty now, though maybe not literally, but how many Canadians will go to the corner store run by foreign folks and not look at them suspiciously out of the corner of their eye?
In my opinion, the press release about "homegrown" terrorists lurking in Canadian streets did far more damage to our culture, society and country than any bomb ever could. We as Canadians, have always prided ourselves on what is quite literally a melting pot of culture, races and religions. Now, we can develop intolerance, racism and hate instead, and we can do it with the blessings of our Government and their agencies.
There is one solution... get out of Afghanistan. Leave the Americans to their own plans of capitalist conquest.
I hate stray cats. The only cats I hate more than stray cats are other people's cats that spend more time in our yard than their's. Or more to the point, stray cats that the neighbour feeds so they keep coming by. These cats amazingly lived through the winter and will likely continue to flourish so to speak, as the year goes by.
I had mentioned our elderly neighbour before, the fellow that just had a clot in his leg, and he has several or four cats that he likes to feed, even though they aren't really his cats. This is great, but they tend to spend a lot of time in our back yard, and really enjoying crapping in our gardens and digging up our nicely planted bulbs, flowers and veggies.
In reality, I want to kill the offending cats. It is getting very annoying and after all, who wants someone else's (not even) cat crapping in their garden every day? The problem is, I think the cats are one of the few pleasures our neighbour has left. I know he won't take them in the house, and I am loathe to ask him to get rid of them altogether...
Occupying a country is a dangerous affair... For the occupiers and the citizens. Sometimes you just have to wonder however. The War should never have happened to begin with, and even though Saddam was a total bastard, are the people better off now? Somehow, I doubt it.
Two women in a car were speeding to a hospital as one was on the verge of giving birth, and after failing to stop at a US observation post, soldiers fired on their car, killing both women (and the unborn child).
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. forces killed two Iraqi women -- one of them about to give birth -- when the troops shot at a car that failed to stop at an observation post in a city north of Baghdad, Iraqi officials and relatives said Wednesday. Nabiha Nisaif Jassim, 35, was being raced to the maternity hospital in Samarra by her brother when the shooting occurred Tuesday. Jassim, the mother of two children, and her 57-year-old cousin, Saliha Mohammed Hassan, were killed by the U.S. forces, according to police Capt. Laith Mohammed and witnesses.
Eventually, this has got to end. With the massacre of civilians in Haditha by soldiers who were "pissed off" at their comrade being killed the top US General in Iraq is ordering "values" training for the troops stationed there. Jesus. Values training.
All opinions shared on this site are strictly my own. Some people may disagree and that is fine, but rude comments or overzealous debate will be curtailed. I enjoy civil discourse, and encourage independent thought. I oppose George W. Bush and his Wars based on lies.
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I have lived in Central Alberta almost my entire life, except for a 4 year stint when I was younger in Swaziland, and about 5 years in beautiful BC. I have a wonderful girlfriend and am expecting very soon! I work in the engineering field and enjoy writing in my spare time.
The claim was made by Senator Rick Santorum and Peter Hoekstra the evening before a debate and vote on the withdrawal from Iraq. So they found more pre-1991 casings and try to make a case about the flaunted WMD program that Hussein was still operating... This is nothing more than a political move by Santorum, who is down 18 points in his Senate re-election bid.
Well Father's Day was on Sunday, but Saturday was the big day for me. We have really wanted to do some stuff in our yard, and a good start is a fire pit. We went down to the Co-op and bought blocks, grates and more to build one, and after a few beers, I had completed the pit!
Nice and easy interlocking blocks and a bed of sand for drainage when it rains is all it took. The digging wasn't too bad, though I spent some time removing a massive concrete post base for an old laundry hanger. Seems the people that used to own the house filled a 3 foot hole with cobbles and poured in the cement. So the base was really quite large.
Once everything was done, it was time for a fire. Of course, at this point, the beer was flowing, food was cooking and times were good. Little did we know, but an arsonist (likely kids smoking) had lit up an old warehouse only a block from our house. We saw the smoke in our back yard, and I grabbed the camera and sprinted down the street to see what was going on.
I arrived just before they started working on the fire. The corner of the old eyesore warehouse (pretty much abandoned) was an office and that is where the fire started. The flatbed trailer closest only had pipe on it, but the one in the background had some rather expensive looking construction equipment.
The boys got busy once they were all there. You can see the wall starting to buckle outwards from the heat. Smoke was pouring out of all the other half ruined doors along the building, making for quite a spectacle.
Muller has long been a favorite player of mine, combining skill with solid two-way hockey sense, and a great competitive spirit. He can only bring good things to the team, and now, I cannot wait for next season to begin! Hopefully, his passion, enthusiasm and grit will wear off on the players, allowing them to build on a great season this year.
Seeing long time veteran Rod Brind'Amour finally hold the cup up was satisfying in a way. And the fact that rookie goalie, Cam Ward won the Conn Smythe was very cool. He played for Red Deer last year, and is an Albertan as well.
The Plumbutt Chronicles
The US death toll in Iraq has reached 
It was a rainy day yesterday, but our team's spirits were not dampened by the weather. We did our ride, and raised over $1900 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
The bike seats 30 people, and though we were a few riders short, there was no lack of enthusiasm.
