County 'code of the west' includes manure warning

Last Updated: Monday, August 30, 2010 | 3:14 PM MT Comments14Recommend8

CBC News

Rural life in Clearwater County isn't all chirping birds, says the county manager. Would-be residents must be prepared for the sound of running combines at 2 a.m. and the smell of manure. (The Canadian Press)Living in cowboy country ain't as easy as it seems.
A new guide put out by Clearwater County, a vast rural area west of Red Deer, is meant to help people decide if they're up to the challenge.
"I think we have some deep roots within Clearwater County. You know, first, second and third generation farms, and they love that lifestyle and they want to preserve it as much as they can," Reeve Pat Alexander recently told CBC News.
The county's new "code of the west" warns the area can be dusty, it can stink like manure and that some farmers, like Alexander himself, will run their combines until 2 a.m.
The code cautions that most of the county's roads are unpaved and, in the winter, unplowed.
"There are things that take place in rural Alberta that have taken place for 25, 50 or 100 years and, you know, they will continue to take place," said Alexander.
"It's all part of being in rural Clearwater County."
The "code of the west" is a concept made famous by the prolific Old West novelist Zane Grey. The set of rules for living in cowboy country has been modernized a bit and adopted by a number of American communities and at least two in Alberta, Clearwater being the most recent.
County manager Ron Leaf said that while acreage owners have just as many rights as those in the agriculture industry, some people move out to Clearwater seeking an idyllic lifestyle — expecting "no noise, just [hearing] the birds."
"Really what the code is all about is here's what it's like to live in Clearwater County."
But Leaf said it's not meant to make people feel unwanted.
"We by no means want to discourage individuals. We very much are open and welcome people to come and live here," Leaf said.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/08/30/calgary-clearwater-county-rural-cowboy-code-west.html#ixzz0zYBaUl00

Obama endorses mosque near Ground Zero

Last Updated: Friday, August 13, 2010 | 9:53 PM ET Comments661Recommend191

The Associated Press

U.S. President Barack Obama supports the construction of a mosque being built two blocks from where nearly 3,000 people died in the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. (Mark Lennihan/Associated Press) U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday endorsed building a mosque near Ground Zero, saying the country's founding principles demanded no less.
"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practise their religion as anyone else in this country," Obama said, weighing in for the first time on the controversy.
"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community centre on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances," he said. "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."
Obama made the comments at an annual dinner in the White House state dining room celebrating the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
The White House had not previously taken a stand on the mosque, which would be part of a $100-million Islamic centre to be built in lower Manhattan, two blocks from where nearly 3,000 people perished when hijacked jets slammed into the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
Press secretary Robert Gibbs had insisted it was a local matter.
The issue sparked debate around the country as top Republicans including Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich announced their opposition.
While insisting that the place where the twin towers once stood was indeed "hallowed ground," Obama said that the proper way to honour it was to apply American values and show "a way of life that stands in stark contrast to the nihilism of those who attacked us on that September morning, and who continue to plot against us today."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/08/13/mosque-obama-ground-zero.html#ixzz0z1iXpkRe\

 

Moslems may have the right to build this mosque but surely one may question the sensitivity and motivations behind this particular siting.

Federal funds for N.L. power unfair: Quebec

Last Updated: Friday, August 13, 2010 | 3:23 PM NT Comments171Recommend40

CBC News

Jean-Marc Fournier is Quebec's newly appointed justice minister. (CBC)A top Quebec politician says his province objects to Newfoundland and Labrador's application for federal money to help it transmit power from Labrador to Nova Scotia.
Quebec's newly appointed Justice Minister Jean-Marc Fournier says he wants every province treated equally. That's why his province wrote a letter to the prime minister objecting to the application.
"If Newfoundland and Labrador want to develop their energy we are happy with that, we just ask that it is done the same as with every other province," Fournier told Radio Canada.
He noted Quebec didn't receive federal money to build its hydroelectric power transmission system.
Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia submitted a request to the federal government in late June for federal infrastructure funding to defray the cost of a power line to Nova Scotia from Newfoundland. The line could potentially handle power generated from the proposed Lower Churchill hydroelectric megaproject in central Labrador.
On Thursday, N.L Premier Danny Williams called a news conference to speak out against what he described as "predatory" behaviour by Quebec
He accused Quebec of deliberately blocking the energy aspirations of Atlantic Canada by writing a complaint to Prime Minister Stephen Harper about the funding application from the two Atlantic provinces.
Williams said Newfoundland and Nova Scotia reject the suggestion that they're asking for an unfair subsidy.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2010/08/13/nl-quebec-fairness-813.html#ixzz0z1eZ0ly6

Is  Quebec afraid this might compromise their already unfair Churchill Falls Hydro Deal?

Antarctic Scotch to be tested, not tasted

Crate of more than 100-year-old Scotch found in explorer's hut

Last Updated: Friday, August 13, 2010 | 11:45 AM ET Comments68Recommend38

The Associated Press

A crate of Scotch that was trapped in Antarctic ice for a century was finally opened Friday — but the heritage dram won't be tasted by whisky lovers because it's being preserved for its historic significance.
One of crates of Scotch whisky is seen after being recovered by a team restoring an Antarctic hut used more than 100 years ago by famed polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. (Antarctic Heritage Trust/Associated Press) The crate, recovered from the Antarctic hut of renowned explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton after it was found there in 2006, has been thawed very slowly in recent weeks at the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island.
The crate was painstakingly opened to reveal 11 bottles of Mackinlay's Scotch whisky, wrapped in paper and straw to protect them from the rigours of a rough trip to Antarctica for Shackleton's 1907 Nimrod expedition.
Though the crate was frozen solid when it was retrieved earlier this year, the whisky inside could be heard sloshing around in the bottles. Antarctica's -30 C temperature was not enough to freeze the liquor, dating from 1896 or 1897 and described as being in remarkably good condition.
This Scotch is unlikely ever to be tasted, but master blenders will examine samples of it to see if they can replicate the brew. The original recipe for the Scotch no longer exists.

'I just looked at this [crate] and honestly, my heartbeat went up about three paces.'—Michael Milne, whisky lover

Once samples have been extracted and sent to Scottish distiller Whyte and Mackay, which took over Mackinlay's distillery many years ago, the 11 bottles will be returned to their home — under the floorboards of Shackleton's hut at Cape Royds on Ross Island, near Antarctica's McMurdo Sound.
Whisky lover Michael Milne, a Scot who runs the Whisky Galore liquor outlet in Christchurch, described the rare event as a great experience.
Polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's base camp is pictured in Antarctica. Crates of Scotch whisky have been recovered by a team restoring an Antarctic hut used more than 100 years ago by Shackleton. (Antarctic Heritage Trust/Associated Press) "I just looked at this [crate] and honestly, my heartbeat went up about three paces. It was amazing," he said. "The box was like a pioneer's box with the wood and nails coming out," he said.
Although Milne said he'd give anything to have a taste of the whisky. "It is not going to happen and I am not going to get excited about it," he said. "But if there was ever an opportunity, it could be a wonderful one to have."
Nigel Watson, executive director of the Antarctic Heritage Trust, which is restoring the explorer's hut, said opening the crate was a delicate process.
The crate will remain in cold storage and each of the 11 bottles will be carefully assessed and conserved over the next few weeks. Some samples will be extracted, possibly using a syringe through the bottles' cork stoppers.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/08/13/con-antarctic-scoth.html#ixzz0z1b6L3kz

Summer in the City

‘Summer in the City
Back of my neck gettin' dirty and gritty’

The roar of air conditioner compressors and fans competes with the background rumble of the city outside for supremacy. After a night when it barely cooled at mid-morning the thermometer is climbing rapidly toward 90+. Already this week there has been a smog advisory.

‘And I’m stuck in this city
Ain’t going nowhere’

Tomorrow I get driven to the Oakville Hospital, pick a number, and begin the waiting process all over again. In the meantime life goes on and I get myself sufficiently respectable to cross the street for bread, OJ, and cream for my coffee. It being the first of September and Labour Day Weekend approaching returning students are tying up our elevators with their futons and desks. Traffic on Trafalgar Rd is backed up all the way to the QEW  by construction but that doesn’t stop cars from careening around the corner onto my street.

Bread, how does a commercial bakery manage to burn a batch of bread and why was is shipped, Dempster’s should know better. Fortunately I found a loaf that wasn’t scorched. The 24-hour variety store has ‘Lots of Pulp’ orange juice and after some looking I find my Table Cream. The staff all seem to be young, squat, and middle European bappering away in some strange language. I pay for my  purchases and persuade the cashier to use my shopping bag and leave noting that Blockbuster now sports cross-hatched guards in all its windows and doors. The heat assails one the moment one exits cooled space. Litter mars the landscape straws lying in the grass and fast food napkins decorating the garden.

The heat pump above the building entrance still drips water right over the main entrance, inside the floor of the elevator looks like something out of a slum tenement. At the end of my hallway the fire exit sign still hasn’t had its burnt-out light replaced after almost a month.

‘I gotta to get out of this place
If it’s the last thing I ever do’

Hanging Around Oakville

Another week poking around my apartment in Oakville. I’ve been spending my time getting re-acquainted and learning to do new things with software on my laptop. I should be doing further work with my picture files but lacking the ability to upload them I can’t generate the motivation. I have been busy sorting through books, DVD’s, and CD’s finding CD’s to listen to, DVD’s to watch and books to read next. After imposing a modicum of organization on my collections got out a vacuum and started fighting dust.

On August 23 tired of my four walls and took a drive to Milton to visit a friend. Nothing like hearing other people’s woes to take one’s mind off one’s own. Milton is the fastest growing community in North America and is experiencing all the growing pains associated with that kind of expansion. I was thankful to discover Derry Rd is no longer a work in progress nor covered in red clay. Learning that power outages caused by construction are a daily occurrence was an eye-opener. The taste of pears and tomatoes fresh from a backyard garden reawakens taste buds one didn’t know one had.

On Tuesday managed to get back online briefly, when I’ll ever catch up on all those E-mail who knows though I am attempting to keep up with my comix. Feeling I should get my teeth checked at least once a year kept the appointment I’d made the week before. The dental technician who took up residency a few years back is my definition of a female redneck--resentful of people such as myself who have a pension plan and medical benefits and in general opinionated and not shy about sharing. It is one thing that she spent considerable time updating my dental records, quite another that she tacked on a charge of over one hundred dollars for so-doing with nary a by your leave. Did you hear me say something unprintable? Drove to Bronte for lunch at the Coach and Four Pub frequented by the local senior’s population and still maintaining high standards. A walk round the block revealed derricks busy constructing the infamous Bronte Quadrangle whose developers’ block-busting blitz irrevocably destroyed the face of Olde Bronte and may even have been behind the mysterious fire that befell the Boat House Restaurant at the corner, good on the owners for stubbornly holding out and rebuilding. A stop at Future Shop for some newly released DVD’s reminded me of their continued inefficiency and lack of current stock and a cashier who had to be reminded that the computer is often not updated accurately overcharging by $20--the store may have gotten a one million dollar face-lift but otherwise remains unchanged. Found my dye and worked on my shoes, alas the polish has dried up.

Thursday afternoon a neighbour drove me to the Oakville Hospital for my date with the laser which was my reason for being in town. It is a sad commentary on the state of health-care that a procedure that lasted all of 120 seconds took up 4 hours of my day. We left at 1:30 arriving with a half hour to spare before my appointment. It was to be an entire hour before my number came up in reception and an hour after that before I finally got to see the doctor. By the time I called my ride, got picked up, and spent another 45 minutes picking up the prescribed eye-drops at Shopper’s Drug it was 5:30. By that time I’d long since finished the book I took with me to read.

Friday morning went to the doctor’s office for an after-care checkup. Hopefully there is a special section in Hell reserved for practitioners who overbook and have no regard for their patient’s time and patience. I arrived at 9:30 for a 9:45 appointment and found an over-crowded waiting-room. Patients were lined up outside in the corridor. Eventually I got a seat and held on to it with a death-grip. I’d brought a 400-page book with me this time. When the doctor finally saw me at 11:00 AM I had to remind him that the nurse who had put drops in my eyes 40 minutes ago warned me they were good for 10 minutes. I left with the news that the operations had been a success--pity the patient died of boredom waiting. At least my generator had had a chance to have a good run at recharging my RV batteries. I’d earlier caught up somewhat online. For this I am spending three baking weeks in Oakville.

Back in Oakville

Home isn’t home anymore, my RV is now home. Upon opening my condo apartment door was met by a wall of eighty degree heat which took the air conditioning unit twenty-four hours to overcome. Left soon after to find my favourite Swiss Chalet still open and to be recognized by my waitress. My beer was warm but otherwise the meal was as excellent as I’d remembered. Sated I went hunting for batteries for my beeping smoke alarms and browsed Oakville Place noting the closed spaces and missing businesses. Home again I braved the heat and settled in to watch Doctor Zhivago after determining that my smoke alarm problem was caused by a piece of junk installed unbeknownsted to me. Getting caught up with 3 months of mail is always a trial.

Saturday morning after sleeping round the clock settled into my own bathtub for a good soak before dropping in on a couple of my neighbours including the ones who check my apartment. Decided to watch the mini-series North and South which I plan to loan my Brother-In-Law who is presently ploughing through the novels upon which it is based. Also at last finished reading the Guide Book on Gros Morne National Park. Now that I’ve finished it wish I had a chance to tour the park without rain, fog, and snow and see the flowers, wildlife, and geology described therein.

Sunday morning, my home finally felt cool and I went off to church and had dinner with friends. Upon returning dropped in on two neighbours and met another in the hallway. I needed company to divert my thoughts from the visit I was to pay on the morrow. In my travels today found rubber speed bumps on Warminister Dr. Took an alternate route next day to Hopedale Mall where I visited the TD Bank for cash and to hopefully resolve some credit card chip issues and got supplies at Metro, the former A&P. At 11:15 Friday August 16th kept the appointment with the ophthamologist which brought me back to Oakville. As always doctor’s offices are a case of hurry up and wait. This one makes the patients feel like cattle at an abattoir. I will say that when it came to it the doctor took the time to explain matters to me in detail. The outcome was a decision that I need laser eye surgery to be performed over two appointments beginning the last Thursday in August. My final appointment will be an after-care checkup on Friday, September Third. The possible complications and side-effects are balanced by the distinct possibility of an accute attack of glaucoma leading to excruciating pain and overnight blindness. A Hobsian Choice.

Although I’d thought to travel while I waited the extreme heat and the cost of summer camping in Southern Ontario persuaded me to stay home in my air conditioned apartment. Unfortunately I lack internet contact in my home and feel withdrawal symptoms. After a day spent reading and watching DVD’s on Tuesday finally decided to start my refrigerator for the first time in two years and had my first coffee since noon Sunday this morning, Wednesday, August 18th. After two months of nearly freeezing in Newfoundland when I wasn’t lost in a fog or being deluged it’s hard to get used to the fact that it hasn’t rained here since my return a week ago and the overnight temperature barely gets to 70. It took my fridge 48 hours to get to operating temperature but at least after 2 years it still runs.

After one week at home I still can’t get online without driving somewhere else. This morning I figured out how to direct tune my fancy tuner stereo. I’ve immersed myself in my video collection moving from the seriousness of North and South to the red-necked ridiculousness of the Tremors Series and the Celtic Fantasy of Heath Ledger in Roar. Since I own three vacuum cleaners I really should attack the dust and there’s still that pile of mail.... Experimenting with Google’s Picassa Software seemed more fun.

August 21, 2010
Went out this morning to find an internet connection. Had to deal with 100 plus gift requests in Farmville and downloaded 300 E-mail. It may be some time before I catch up. Got some groceries and drove home again.

Back in Halifax

Friday, July 30th
Arrived to find my Sister and Brother-in-Law in their front yard. After the events of the last few days I wasn’t up to much but that evening I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to have a thorough soak in a bathtub. Every traveller should have a sister with a washer and dryer and a brother-in-law who does washing and waxing along with repairs. Sunday Morning we walked down to Saint John the Baptist United Church--seems to be a popular name for a church in these parts; in the afternoon drove into the city to take in the band concert in the Public Gardens.

Is my friend Roy correct in asserting that rain follows me around. In any case it rained all last week making it good weather to catch up on reading and watch some movies. It wasn’t until the weekend that we got to the Annapolis Valley to pick Highbush Blueberries. After church on Sunday got a feed of Clams and Chips at John’s, a Greek Family Restaurant. Talk about treating guests like family, the owner came out and grabbed a chip off my brother-in-law’s plate and popped it in his mouth. After we wandered around the touristy Fisherman’s Cove which overlooks McNabs Island west of Dartmouth.

Monday morning August 9th I pulled up stakes and hit the highway headed west. Gasoline was $1.07.1 in Nova Scotia, 99¢ in New Brunswick. Before leaving stopped at Masstown Market north of Truro to pick up groceries and fresh produce along with a small fortune in Maple Syrup worth its weight in gold as gifts for friends in Alberta and Texas. It started raining just as I crossed the border into New Brunswick. Had made a reservation for Hartt Island and spent a restless first night back in my RV bed especially since the site wasn’t level and I was too lazy to bother with planks.

Tuesday the drive proved uneventful. I’ve been fortunate in not being held up by road construction. Unlike Monday I didn’t have any drivers like the one who kept passing me only to slow down. Stopped in Edmunston just before crossing into Quebec to stock up on a few things I couldn’t find at Masstown and get gasoline. Camping Lido near Riviere-Du-Loup offered me a choice of campsites and good Wi-Fi.

The drive Wednesday down the Eastern Townships along Highway 20 was long and hot. At least I didn’t have to navigate in fog though there was a great deal of bridge reconstruction along the way. In Quebec they typcially tackle the entire bridge and route traffic to the opposing lanes with a barricade down the centre. The crossover lanes are left permanently in place blocked by rods when not in use. Haven’t looked at the booklets I picked up at the Quebec Border when I made a rest stop upon leaving New Brunswick. Stopped for lunch at a rest area along the highway mid-way between Quebec City and Montreal where there was a boutique selling over-priced cheeses, cheese curd, and cheese strings, sandwiches, tourist items, drinks and local cider. I broke down and picked up some cider. I’ll have to wait for it to cool properly. Found a campsite in Bromont Quebec though it doesn’t seem to be the same place I stayed last May. It’s 80º F here and I’m thankful for working A/C.

After a drive west along Highway 10 leading to Highway 20 through West-End Montreal found my way to the Ontario Border and Highway 401. With the rest areas and tourist bureau still under construction Westbound as it was Eastbound stopped for a break at a brand new rest area which lacked all but a washroom and dining area. Camped for the night at a KOA north of Cardinal near Upper Canada Village north of the 401 and rested up for Friday’s uneventful drive across the top of Toronto.

RV Videos: How to deal with a RV tire blowout. This video could save your life!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010How to deal with a RV tire blowout. This video could save your life!How would you react to a blown front tire? Would you slow down? Speed up? No matter how you answer, please watch the informative online video "The Critical Factor" from Michelin. Truly, seeing this could save your life. And by the way, according to the video, hitting your brakesis the WORST thing you could do!Posted by Staff Report at 7/27/2010 03:38:00 PM

RV Videos: How to deal with a RV tire blowout. This video could save your life!

Ramp repair compounds Marine Atlantic woes

Last Updated: Monday, August 9, 2010 | 6:33 PM AT Comments22Recommend13

CBC News

The discovery of a stress fracture on a ramp at the Marine Atlantic terminal in southwestern Newfoundland slowed down the ferry operator's commercial service.
A problem with a hinge on one of two loading ramps in Port aux Basques was discovered on Friday night.
Gerard Merrigan says Marine Atlantic immediately launched repairs at one of its loading docks in Port aux Basques. (CBC) "We had a small stress fracture in the ramp," said terminal manager Gerard Merrigan.
"We felt that it was in the best interest to have it repaired immediately before we continued operating."
Because Port aux Basques has a second ramp, crews with the Crown corporation were able to keep loading and unloading passenger vessels.
However, truckers and others who use the commercial service were faced with delays while repairs were done, and crossings with the Leif Ericson ferry were pushed back.
The problem comes quickly on the heels with three of the ferries that connect southern Newfoundland with Nova Scotia.
Repairs were made this weekend, although the Leif Ericson has been working through delays. It is expected to return to the regular schedule by Tuesday.
Marine Atlantic has had a difficult summer. In addition to mechanical errors and delays, Marine Atlantic has come in for fierce criticism over its commercial reservation system.