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Tim Banks.ca - Tim Banks is the CEO of APM, a Canada wide construction and property development company, with its head office in Charlottetown, PEI. My family has lived on PEI for over eight generations and I was born at the Prince County Hospital in Summerside, PEI. I am hoping someone will soon develop a blood test to authenticate when you actually become an "Islander" as I am still having problems explaining where I'm from? new
(Added: 8-May-2008 Hits: 1 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) Rate It

  • Did you say "Bankruptcy".... I say "No Rae Me"...
    Here's how someone from Ontario reacted to this story.."What the ? from Ontario writes: I thought the headline said Rae declares bankruptcy. We will all be doing that if he does to Canada what he did to Ontario." It appears the writer has a point when you look at the state of affairs in Ontario during Rae's reign as NDP Premier... I find it hard to believe that Liberals would take him seriously but then again what do I know... but I've got money that Canadians will never elect him PM... and surely Liberals can figure that out.....
    Rae declares candidacy for Liberal leadership
    THE CANADIAN PRESS
    OTTAWA ? Bob Rae has formally declared his candidacy for the leadership of the federal Liberal party. The former NDP premier of Ontario, who won a Toronto seat in a byelection last March and was re-elected last month, says he has the ?judgment, character values and experience? to lead the country. Two others are in the race ? Dominic LeBlanc and Rae?s longtime friend Michael Ignatieff. Ignatieff is considered the frontrunner going into the leadership convention in Vancouver next May; polls indicate Rae is having trouble shaking the legacy of his deficit-ridden government on the 1990s. Rae says he?s proud of his performance as Ontario premier, when he faced large deficits and labour unrest, and he says he?s learned from it and won?t try to hide it. Rae and Ignatieff were locked in a tight leadership race in 2006 before Stephane Dion came up the middle and won a surprise victory.
  • "a Deer in the headlights"...
    I was watching Compass tonight and seen the clip of Mike Currie asking Valarie if the concert promoter tried to cancel the concert the day before the event... she looked like "a Deer in the headlights"...trying to explain it? and I was not surprised that her Deputy knew this a week before she did as it's quite obvious who is running the show. Oh what the Hell! What's $400,000.00 of taxpayers' money anyway, just a little "chump change" compared to the "Big Break Giveaway"... but don't worry we taxpayers? aren't on the hook.... we aren't going to have to pay.... .it doesn't matter as it coming out of the Tourism budget....!!!!
    The following is part of a response that David Carver gave to the Guardian which helps explain how the concert business works, something obviously lost on PEI?s Tourism staff...
    David Carver from Stratford, PE writes:
    Unfortunately the media only has the space/time to deliver part of the story here. Prior to the summer of 2008, when we (myself, Tourism PEI, and every tourism operator, store, gas station, hotel, restaurant etc.) lost the Eagles to Moncton, I pitched Tourism PEI on another marquee artist, indicating that if the province were interested, I would submit an offer. Tourism PEI indicated we would have the same deal pints for this artist that we had for the Eagles. I had the artist seriously looking at the offer. It takes an artist months to say yes or no, and during the waiting period I read a story in the Guardian that said the Minister of Tourism had a binding offer with another promoter for the same act. That artist passed on my offer and on coming to PEI. Essentially the Minister took a business idea of mine and brought it to the competition. Despite this, in my opinion, questionable policy for courting entrepreneurs to the province and then taking their ideas to other entrepreneurs/competition, when that artist passed on the offer, I emailed Tourism PEI the idea of Van Halen as another option. The email I got back said the province was not interested in Van Halen as it did not fit with the provinces marketing strategies. A short while later, I read in the Guardian that the Minister of Tourism was in negotiations with Van Halen?s agent.
    FOR THE RECORD
    With respect to taxpayers money and sponsorship, at the end of the day the taxpayers of PEI neither have their money at risk, nor actually even have any of their money invested in my concerts. The PEI Government is not diverting funds that could go to Health Care. They are neither risking nor investing taxpayers dollars (in my shows anyway) HOW THE NUMBERS WORK. (Before you naysayers write back and say, sure Carver is spinning this, call any accountant in the province. They will verify this) A concert like Aerosmith generates over $250,000 in PST from ticket sales and day of show event sales. From an economic impact of $12 million (this is from Tourism PEI and although I believe it is closer to $15 M, I?ll work with their numbers) the province generates an additional $1.2 Million in PST. All this in one weekend. So, a marquee concert generates $1,450,000.00 directly to the province. Someone comes to you saying they will execute, in one weekend, a business idea AT NO RISK TO YOU, and when it is over you will have a $12 Million economic impact, $3 Million dollar marketing impact, and a PST influx, again in one weekend, of $1,450,000, again all at no risk to you. Any person from this planet would say, ?well, what do I need to do to make this happen.? All my investors and I ask for is a sponsor fee to a) reward our taking the risk, b) to help protect our downside, which c) allows us to make offers for marquee artist in the first place. So, in the end, what would you rather have, 100% of nothing, or the higher share of $1,450,000.00. The reality is that the province only pays a share of that sponsor fee, and it is generated mostly from the PST I pay them, plus a small amount, which is generated from the $12 M economic impact and $1,450,000.00 PST. The host city (through hotel taxes etc) Confederation Bridge and other entities contribute significantly. And for those of you that think profit is a dirty word, none of my investors are from PEI, and yet through my passion and their generosity and entrepreneurial spirit, they invest in high-risk concerts. None of them, prior to my speaking passionately about what I consider my second home, had any particular knowledge or affection for PEI until, you know, they came here and now, of course want to move here. What do they do with their share of the profit? Reinvest it and even more, with me so we all can benefit from bigger concerts in PEI. I personally like the Minister and Deputy Minister of Tourism. I think they should stay on and enjoy the ride. I just want to bring concerts here, promote this wonderful province, and earn and then be treated respectfully.
  • Valarie..."kids say the darndest things...."
    Valarie was waxing philosophically this morning when she took a stab at David Carver...?My philosophy with a lot of things has always been ? you get more flies with honey than vinegar and I guess that kind of sums it up,??.... so I took a real close look at Valerie's comments in the following interview in the Guardian. I thought I might take a stab at some philosophy to explain her comments but I didn't know where to start... I thought about Art Linkletter's "Kids Say The Darndest Things" ....but the kids were usually "spewing wisdom" which really didn't apply here so I moved on to an old Bob Marley tune "I shot the Sheriff" but in this case the Deputy is still walking around..... LOOK, the bottom line is I'm no philosopher and I doubt if I could fine a quote to summarize her comments but I do know this Valarie... whatever way you try to explain it the bottom line is your Department squandered $400,000.00 that comes out of taxpayers? pockets.... "Houston, We?ve Got A Problem".....

    Minister willing to work with concert promoter despite criticisms
    DAVE STEWART
    The Guardian

    the following is part of Valerie Docherty's comments...

    ......The province went in a different direction this year, backing a concert Carver was not involved in. Alanis Morissette headlined a show in Alexandra. While the site got rave reviews it didn?t draw nearly as many people as government hoped it would. The province contributed a $100,000 grant to the show plus an additional $400,000 in bridge financing, bringing the total commitment to $500,000. ?Of that, $100,000 was a forgivable grant and the other they are paying back $100,000 of the $400,000 bridge loan so the cost to government, over and above what was planned, is $300,000 that is being looked after by my department so taxpayers are not going to have to . . . we?re not going to have to find another $300,000 somewhere else.??...

    For the complete text of the story http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=191403&sc=98
  • What a difference a "year" makes....
    You may doubt the old expression "what a difference a day makes" but there is little doubt in "what a difference a year makes" especially if you are trying to sell a hotel chain... It's unfortunate for Rodd Hotels but their timing couldn't have been worst when they announced last November they were up for sale. It appears they weren't ready for the sale as it took until June of this year to get their "Acquisition Opportunity Packages" out to prospective buyers and by that time buyers like ourselves were off pursuing other opportunities. We probably would have taken a shot at them but their consultants were trying to play both sides of the fence. What I mean by this is they were calling for individual bids on a single property, or groups of properties, or all the properties en bloc.... kind of like having your cake and eating it too... it was kind of hard to seriously invest money into developing an offer to buy the whole Company when behind closed doors they could decide to sell off a couple of the properties which would have thrown off assumptions purchasers may have been considering... but hey I certainly don't know as much as those high priced consultants. But I do know there doesn't seem to be much going on and in the year since the announcement a lot has happened, the economy is in the toilet, it was a horrible summer, occupancy in these properties was severely down, and the money markets to finance this type of deal have totally evaporated... there were rumours that the Charlottetown Hotel and the Yarmouth properties were sold but no real evidence.... so it begs the question why would they sell at the bottom of the market? and what is the Province doing to see that there is new reinvestment in our Island Resorts going into the New Year? in any event let?s all hope that some new investment opportunities come forward for the properties as they help lure people to our golf courses and we surely need an income boost here?.
    Rodd's announced they were up for sale P.E.I. watching Rodd hotel chain sale
    Last Updated: Wednesday, November 28, 2007
    CBC News
    The government of Prince Edward Island will be keeping a close eye on the fate of Rodd Hotels and Resorts, now that the Island-based chain has been put up for sale.
    The company, the largest privately-owned chain in Atlantic Canada, announced it is putting its properties on the block Wednesday.
    "The Ernst and Young company, that will be acting as their advisers, they have sort of opened the door for us to be able to keep in communications with them so that we have an idea of what's going on," said Tourism Minister Valerie Docherty.
    Docherty said the province and the company had a close relationship, but would not reveal specifics of how much provincial money was invested in the hotel chain.
    "It's not for me to speak specifically about the financial relationship. But because of it, this is another reason why we're going to keep those lines of communication open, so that we make sure that the interests of the province are looked after," she said.
    Docherty said officials in the Development Department have the exact figures on the Island's investment.
    Officials in the Island's tourism industry were expressing their regret about the sale Wednesday.
    Rodd Hotels and Resorts have been part of the industry for more than 60 years.
    "It's a sad day for the tourism industry on Prince Edward Island and a sad day for industry as a whole," said Kim Green, CEO of Tourism Charlottetown.
    "There was a lot of trickle effects of Rodd's being located here on Prince Edward Island, from buying locally and so forth, so it's sad. It's very sad."
    Judy MacDonald, president of the Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I., described the Rodd name as something of a symbol for tourism on the Island.
    "A little bit of sadness that the Rodd name perhaps may not be attached to this business that has been such an important part of P.E.I.'s tourism, and of course one I think that tourism operators and industry members have looked up to in terms of leadership and example," said MacDonald.
    Docherty also expressed some personal regret at the announced sale, noting her first summer job at the age of 13 was at a Rodd hotel.
  • Trudeaumania..... again...
    I just got home from the annual Liberal Dinner at the Delta Hotel where Justin Trudeau was the guest speaker and I can tell you that he impressed the 900 plus people that attended. Normally these dinners attract about 300 people when you're are in opposition and that usually doubles to about 600 when you're in Government. I understand that the tickets went pretty fast and in fact the dinner was sold out due to the high interest in Justin. He swooned the women and he excited the crowd with new Liberal hope... He certainly didn't disappoint anyone and if he ever takes a run at the future liberal leadership he won a lot of supporters here tonight. His speech was very powerful and his delivery was probably one of the best I've ever seen but I won't go into detail as I don't think you want to hear about all the beautiful liberalism.... Earlier in the day he meet with the youth wing of the party and I spoke to a few of them who attended and they found him extremely friendly, very bright and very interested in their issues. A lot of people are expecting him to announce that he is going to take a run at the Liberal leadership this time around but he has clearly said he's "out" and the talk is that he has agreed to co-chair the event in Vancouver which will certainly give him lots of National exposure. He clearly has a lot of his father mannerisms and I'm sure we're all going to hear a lot about him in the future...
    Trudeau visits Charlottetown
    Newly elected Liberal MP Justin Trudeau speaks to young Liberals in Charlottetown Saturday and will speak to a dinner that night. Trudeau is the son of the late Pierre Trudeau and former prime minister. Justin won the Montreal riding of Papineau in the last federal election and is seen as some as a future leader of the Liberal party. (Guardian photo by Brian McInnis)

A Sparrow's Home - islandsparrow's journal
(Added: 17-Dec-2006 Hits: 200 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) Rate It

  • Friday's back . . .

    and time for

    1. Woodsy walks:

    I have noticed something …

    My April-Early Nov photo folders are chock-full of pictures and then my collection  begins to dwindle

    What do you take pictures of in the winter - especially before the snow falls and covers everything in soft white?

    I shall have to learn to look for what I call spare beauty, like this swirly stalk that I noticed on a walk through the woods:

    and the tiny bright splashes of colour that are too easily overlooked in other seasons

    2. Pinecones for burning - we gather them from an gnarly old pine tree in our yard. They are beautiful to see and are also great fire starters.

    3. Christmas music ~ every evening, after the supper dishes are cleared away, I spend an hour or so playing Christmas songs from this book: 100 Great Christmas Songs - fun and relaxing.

    4. Indoor hobby time - I’m making progress on my very first knitted scarf - it has a dropped stitch or two but that doesn’t bother me much. It has been a great practice project for me, it’s soft and warm, matches my winter coat and I’ll be glad to wear it.

    5. Candle season - It’s getting dark around 5:00 pm now and I love the excuse to light the candles and oil lamp. The glow from candle and lamplight is so soft and inviting.  Perhaps not so good for reading but fine for knitting and chatting by the fireside. And especially nice for mealtime.

    For more Friday’s Fav 5 visit Suzanne at Living To Tell The Story.

    Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

     

  • cozy . . .

    Winter has finally arrived:

    Today

    Chance of flurries


    		 High : 0°C | POP : 60%

     

    The wind was high last night and the temperature dropped to freezing.

    I woke up to the news that the western end of the Island, which is  known locally as “up west” while our end of the island is called “down east”, is covered with 20 cm of heavy snow.

    We just had a few flurries.

    There was a light dusting of snow covering my petunias. I guess I’ll finally have to pull them out.

    Here’s a picture from last week - petunias in Nov. They did well didn’t they?

     The house is snug this morning - the fire in the stove is crackling

    Sophie is in her favourite spot and the kitties are purring at my feet.

    I’m in a fleece hoodie sipping a hot coffee au lait.

    Snug, comfortable, and warm - a cozy feeling.

    Winter makes me feel that way - especially when I’m in by the fire :)

    and so, oddly enough, does this little honeybee pot.

    I just had to buy it - I looked at and fell in cozy love with it.

    Why?

    I have no idea.

    Little dishes do it to me - and kittens - and puppies - and babies - small children with rosy cheeks - and old hard-covered books - and out of the way  tea-rooms with little teapots and matching cream  and sugar dishes. And old fashioned candy shoppes with striped candy in tall glass jars  - and tree forts - and quilts. and red wooden sleds. And striped knitted mittens. And candles in candlestick holders. And a boiled egg in a china egg cup. And geraniums on the windowsill. And a tiny silver sugar spoon.

    I know there are more.

    But I don’t know why they do what they do to me. (isn’t that a song :)?

    Do you?

    It’s a sweet feeling.

    Wishing you a cozy day my friends.

  • learning . . .

    Sarah has surpassed me in piano, which is wonderful.

    I love to hear her play

    and

    now she can help me learn new pieces.

    Songs we’re working on

    • Sonatina in G Major op. 36, no. 5 ~ by Muzio Clementi
    •  Largo ~ by G. F. Handel
    • and my favourite Waltz in A Flat ~ by Johannes Brahms

    It’s a complicated piece for me but I enjoy the learning process.

    I’m not the only one who loves to hear Sarah play …

     Sophie  - in her favourite listening spot.


    Brahms: Waltz In A-flat - Van Cliburn

  • seeing. . .

    I’ve been humming this tune with a slight change in the lyrics

    “I can see clearly now,

    the rain is

    the leaves are gone.”

     I’m used to what might be called “fluidity”  in song lyrics.

    My beloved is constantly singing 

    and not knowing the lyrics has never been an impediment to this cheery habit.

    His songs are a bit of a family tradition and

    he has taken quite a bit of good-humoured teasing from the family for his odd lyrics.

    I have to confess, that in the past,

    I even had a few moments of tiny irritation

    when he would sing one of my favourite songs with his incredibly random lyrics.

    But that’s when I was young and foolish.

    I see more clearly now

    and I think it’s one of his most endearing qualities.

    And that is just the segue into what I thought was the real subject of this post:

    Seeing clearly now that the leaves are gone :)

    Like this bird that I saw on a walk through the woods last week.

    A female ruffled grouse, sitting so still and staring straight ahead.

    I’m sure she thought she was completely camouflaged

    but there she was, in plain view.

    R and I had to get out our trusty old bird book to make sure we were identifying her correctly.

    A great book - we’ve worn out several copies over the years.

    ****************************

    But now, as so often happens in my blogging experience,

    I’m thinking about something different.

    Isn’t it funny, how you can begin to write about one topic

    and then end up with something quite unexpected.

    The creative springs begin to flow just by the act of putting the fingers to the keyboard.

    What about you?

    Are your blog posts planned?

    Do you like to follow the memes like Menu Monday or Thankful Thursday?

    What inspires you?

    Your photography, your reading?

    Current events, another blog post?

    Do you write more like a letter to a friend? Or a record of family events?

    Or are you more likely to just sit down and  write as your imagination leads?

    I’m always surprised at the vast amount of topics that are covered on the blogosphere.

    Where do you find your ideas?

    Inquiring minds want to know :)

    Happy Monday my friends!

  • Friday's Fave 5

    Welcome to Friday’s Fave 5!

    I had fun looking over the pictures I took this week

    I’m surrounded by so much beauty that it is hard to choose which ones to share.

    But here are some of my favourite moments from this week.

    1. November can be a grey and rainy month here on the Island. But this year we have had quite a few days of sun. I am particularly thankful for the morning light that steals in through the kitchen windows. What a cheery start to a new day!

    2. October’s glory is past and the leaves have fallen to the ground. Beauty is still here although more subtle and hidden. A bright orange burning bush berry against a blue sky:

    The golden light of evening reflected on an acorn cap:

    3. We are enjoying simple suppers this week ~ rustic roasted vegetables ~ sweet potatoes, carrots, golden Yukons, turnip and parsnip. So simple. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with parsley, sea salt and freshly ground pepper and slide in the oven beside chicken or a pork roast. Oh my …

    And of course colder weather means the occasional old-fashioned, comforting dessert.

    I almost hesitate to give you this recipe - it’s too simple - and I don’t want to feel responsible for diet downfalls.

    Oh well, proceed at your own risk :)

    5 Minute Chocolate Cake in a Mug - Don’t forget to add the chocolate chips. I tried it twice, adding the chips the second time, and that made all the difference. Top with vanilla ice-cream… sweet, rich, chocolatey goodness.

    4. Our home is surrounded by tall, dark spruce trees. I love to stand out beneath them and listen to the sound of the wind rushing through the branches. If you close your eyes, you can imagine that you are standing on the shore listening to the waves.

    5. Or, since I live on an Island, I can just go the beach and listen to the waves for real. And smell the tang of salty air, and hear the cry of the gulls, and watch the sun sparkle like myriads of diamonds dancing on the water.

    Some people thrive in the bustle of city life, some beneath the wide-open prairie sky,

    Others flourish by towering mountains and others deep in the majestic Redwood forests,

    but Islanders thrive by the sea.

    I hesitate to say we need the sea because all we need is found in Him, right?

    But oh, we praise Him best here.


    Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth,

    you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,

    you islands, and all who live in them.

    Is 42:10

    Have a wonderful weekend my friends!

    PS

    For more Friday’s Fave 5, go join the fun at Suzanne’s!

Acts of Volition - General (mostly technical, but sometimes political) blog from SilverOrange's technical director
(Added: 9-Jul-2004 Hits: 485 Rating: 5 Votes: 0) Rate It

  • The Myth of Chinese Democracy

    I?ve been anticipating Chuck Klosterman?s review the new Guns N? Roses album, Chinese Democracy, at least as much as the album itself. Klosterman addresses the album, the event, and the anticipation with an appropriate balance of ridicule and reverence:

    Reviewing Chinese Democracy is not like reviewing music. It?s more like reviewing a unicorn. Should I primarily be blown away that it exists at all? Am I supposed to compare it to conventional horses? To a rhinoceros? Does its pre-existing mythology impact its actual value, or must it be examined inside a cultural vacuum, as if this creature is no more (or less) special than the remainder of the animal kingdom? I?ve been thinking about this record for 15 years; during that span, I?ve thought about this record more than I?ve thought about China, and maybe as much as I?ve thought about the principles of democracy. This is a little like when that grizzly bear finally ate Timothy Treadwell: Intellectually, he always knew it was coming. He had to. His very existence was built around that conclusion. But you still can?t psychologically prepare for the bear who eats you alive, particularly if the bear wears cornrows.

    Read the full review.

  • Office Survival Tip #1

    The first in a series of (possibly only one) office survival tip(s).

    You?re in the office. Coffee has been made. You have a clean mug (a topic for a future tip). You have sugar. You don?t have a clean spoon to stir in the sugar.

    1. Place the desired amount of sugar (or carcinogenic sugar substitute) in the empty mug.
    2. Poor a few teaspoons of coffee into the mug.
    3. Swoosh the mug around in a circular motion, creating a rich coffee/sugar slurry.
    4. Poor in the rest of your coffee.

    Now, enjoy a cup of coffee with relatively evenly distributed sugar without having resorted to stirring with a pen.

  • A Marketplace of Visual Ideas: ClusterShot

    A few years ago, I was contacted by a woman working on an article about keeping your work-area tidy for an internal corporate newsletter. She had found a photo I had taken of my messy desk with an old point-and-shoot digital camera and wanted to use it as a ?before? photo with her article.

    The photo was poorly lit, poorly framed, and relatively low resolution. However, it was valuable to someone, in part because of these issues. A photo like this would never have been for sale on a stock photography site.

    ClusterShot.com screenshot

    The process of actually selling the rights to use the photo was awkward. First, there was some negotiation of the price, then I had to produce an ?invoice? for them as they needed it for their purchasing department to send a cheque. They got invoice #000001 thanks to an OpenOffice.org template.

    This is why we built ClusterShot - a site that simplifies the process of anyone selling any photo to anyone. Anyone can upload their images, or we can suck them in automatically from your Flickr account or RSS/ATOM feed. You can then set your own price or allow people to make an offer. There?s a simple PayPal-powered checkout process.

    ClusterShot is not another stock photography service. Images are not quality-checked and tagged ?horizontal white-background caucasian male? by an army of cubicle-farm employees. Some images are great, and some are terrible. Think eBay rather than Amazon.

    Try it out - you might be surprised that you have just the photo someone is looking for.

  • Printer Falls From Parkade

    Another short film in the series that brought you Man Falls From Airplane and Lands on Printer:

  • A Portait of Zap Your PRAM

    Zap Your PRAM Group Portait

    Taken by the obviously talented Rannie Turingan as part of a series of portraits at the Zap Your PRAM conference at Dalvay-by-the-Sea in October of 2008.

All Shanadian - 100% All Shanadian..er..I mean Canadian. Join me in adventures that promise to be absolutely shandalous! - Shannon Courtney
(Added: 21-May-2005 Hits: 411 Rating: 5.50 Votes: 2) Rate It

  • All Systems Down
    You know in Star Trek when suddenly you all the lights on the Enterprise have gone out, the ship is shaking violently and there's a red alert. Yeah, that's us right now. And by us I mean Planet Earth.  Unfortunately there's no script that tells us things are going to be resolved in the 45 minutes by some stroke of technical genius (Data) or brilliant leadership (Captain Piccard). I'm not sure why
  • Great Expectations
    I've discovered I have an allergy...to expectations.  Oh how I cringe at the idea of living up to someone else's expectations. Heck, I have a hard enough time living up to my OWN expectations. Well, it turns out that in deciding to go to grad school I've opted to let myself be subject to others' expectations. I can't count the number of times I've been reminded that I'm a grad student - and
  • Weight A Minute Mr. Postman
    So I've not been vigilant with my writing as of late. Truth be told, I've not been particularly vigilant about a lot of things as of late. I'm not going to list the excuses, nor make apologies. I'm not sure what the point would be, and I'm quite sure no one but me would be interested in considering the reasons for my lack of vigilance in writing, eating, studying, etc.  Luckily for me (and for
  • I'm Cheating..Kind Of
    Well, I promised to write more often now that I'm settled in Kingston and apparently have loads of time to watch TLC's What Not to Wear, and discover the delights of indpendent shops in Kingston such as Cooke's Fine Foods, which provides a much appreciated venue for alleviating ALL withdrawal symptoms experienced since leaving Scotland. So, yes, I should have time to write a blog post, but as
  • TIME TO TURN THE PAGE
    This summer I neglected the person who needs me the most: me. Somehow, amidst the endless summer engagements, my manic workload, and the whole 'wrap up one life, begin another one' saga, I forgot to look after myself. And, as I found out the hard way, there are all sorts of repurcussions to getting caught up in everything that's going on 'outside' and ignoring what's going on 'inside'. So here I

Anyone for Golf - Comments about just about anything I find interesting - binderpilot
(Added: 31-Jan-2006 Hits: 288 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) Rate It

  • Amalgamation
    I wanted to save this nonsense somewhere and will respond in more detail when I have time.
    Guardian Oct 6/2008
    Just the facts:Why redraw P.E.I.?s map?The Federation of P.E.I. Municipalities says all of the province needs to be incorporated. It says communities could keep their name and identity, but would be governed by a much larger body.Here?s why they say change is needed:? Municipal governments are underfinanced;? Only 10 per cent of the province falls under municipal land use plans; ? Sprawl is expensive, and it costs more to maintain roads, transport children to school, collect garbage, and install and operate water and wastewater systems; ? Only 30 per cent of the Island?s land base is covered by a municipality, and most smaller municipalities don?t have emergency measures plans; ? Loss of agriculture land;? Land use conflicts;? Car dependent communities;? Environmental degradation;? Loss of wildlife.

    Response on the Guardian blog.
    wondering about it from pei writes: There are reasons why many people desire to live away from populated areas and I like the choice. It seems our municipality is doing just fine, except that we now have to drive about 40 miles to get rid of a bag of garbage and run trucks up and down our roads every day hauling away what we used to manage by ourselves. Our school was just fine until they decided to amalgamate after grade 9 and drive our kids an extra 30 miles a day. If you understood the shambles the EMO has always been in you would be scared. If something major ever happend, believe me it would get figured out quick enough what to do. Please someone tell me what is wrong with losing some agricultural land, there is no one to farm a lot of it anyway. The minute you try to put a land use plan in place you automatically start conflicts, where there was none in the past. And it is immediately out of date the moment it is implemented. So what is wrong with a car dependant community?? The only environmental degradation I see is where the cities are. That land used to be woods and meadows with lots of birds and animals living where there is now pavement and buildings. Please keep your nonsense about incorporating to yourselves and if anyone chooses to live in a congested area, crowded to gether like a bunch of rats, living lives governed by traffic lights, sewage smells, night clubs, waterfront noise, congestion and a fast food outlet on any corner, well go ahead. I really don't want my property tax dollars supporting such a system, I'll remain living where I have some space and not a whole lot of other peoples rules.
    -------------------------------------------------------- Talk is cheap, but it takes money to buy whiskey. Grandfather Bill Kinnee 1900 - 1977 --------------------------------------------------------
  • Changes
    Its amazing how change creeps up on you. I built a house for one of my daughters last fall and found myself unable to do many of the simple tasks I once took for granted. It soon became apparent to myself that constant climbing up and down ladders was no longer in the cards for me. My days had to be restricted to a maximum of 5 - 6 hours, I simply am not strong enough anymore and don't have the endurance to apply myself to anything physical for any extended period. It came as quite a surprise to me as physical work has always been something that I enjoyed, being physically tired just meant that I would sleep deeply that night. I still sleep well after a day of work but it is offset by the fact that every muscle I used now aches this makes for an unhappy camper.

    The past week I have been putting a partial basement under the house, laying blocks, framing walls etc, just routine stuff found in any construction project. But I am learning to manage myself better. I carry only one board at a time, pace myself, take the time to find a ladder rather than pulling myself up on things, I guess that is what my life has become and there is no use trying to fool myself. It is going to be nice be able to stand up down there rather than hauling myself around like a rat in a vey confined space. The plumbing in the house is all the old galvanized pipe that hasn't been used for about 60 years. I think I will keep it to myself what I find growing inside them when I inspect them after cutting them out when I put in the new pex. I am sure the stuff growing to the walls will be scary.

    Am making good progress though, finished installing the new furnace and oil fired hot water tank today and just about have the new chimney through the roof. Now that Sharons mother is living with us I felt it was important that the heat be even throughout the house. It is quite a change living with someone with advanced Alzheimers, she has been into my office 3 times in the last 10 minutes asking me if the radio is up to loud and once to find out who I am. She just went into an empty room and is asking no one if the radio is to loud, quite an adventure. It certainly has brought a lot of changes into the house as she requires 24 hour a day watching. Thank goodness for drugs we finally hit upon a combination that relieves her anxiety which was extreme when she first came last June. She constantly had nightmares about being abandoned or being hit or threatened, very fearful and usually ending up with her standing over my bed crying hysterically. Overall though she doesn't bother me, as I said to Sharon if a person doesn't do their best to care for their aging parents they can't have much character.

    I was in Europe for about 3 weeks in September and on a number of occaisions found myself almost to exhausted to enjoy the experience the way I should have. On the first day in Spain after flying from London into Malaga airport, picking up a rental car, finding the resort and doing some exploring I completely crashed that night, it was almost like switches that kept my body going had turned themselves off. Its something I am not used to. But when I look back, it probably would have tired out a younger person. left Palmers Lodge (where I was staying in London) at 6 am to catch the subway from Swiss Cottage station down to Victoria Station, then the train to Gatwick airport for an 11 am flight. Stood in a line for about an hour at Gatwick before making it to the boarding gate. I am getting used to being physically tired but not to the extent that I have recently experienced. I think I push myself to much in short spurts and haven't yet adopted a structured regimen to build up endurance and strength on a regulated daily basis.

    I am glad I went to Europe though and didn't put it off any longer as I can see that if I don't see and do the things I want to over the next few years I will probably never do them at all. The experience of seeing architecture dating back a thousand years is pretty awe inspiring and humbling. We had visited Marbella and Malaga and toured the downtown and waterfront areas, I have never seen a city I loved as much at first glance as Marbella. The waterfront promenade and beach area right in the middle of a city is so beautiful it makes you feel like you could spend the rest of your life just sitting and watching the world go by. Downtown Malaga is built for people to enjoy life, no big stores, no traffic, just marble streets for pedestrians only, little shops and outdoor restaurants by the hundreds and thousands of people enjoying life at a relaxing pace.

    After visiting Malaga in the morning we drove about 2 hours to Granada where I got my first eyeful of things majestic and undescribable. We parked by the bus terminal and took the Metro downtown where we got off near the Cathedral of the Incarnation. At first I didn't recognize it as a cathedral as the streets are so narrow you can't really get a good look at what is above you. As we made our way around we eventually arrived at a small square where you could back up far enough to see the outer facade up to the top. It absolutely takes your breath away. It was designed in 1529 and took 181 years to build, the front is 260 feet high with huge granite blocks that seem to rise up to the sky. A fitting resting place for the bones of Queen Isabella and King Phillip 11 of Spain. Inside there are about 75 immense columns of white polished granite that must be 100 feet high that hold up the huge arches of the roof. I can't even imagine how they built it. What is even more amazing is that compared to St Pauls Cathedral in London this building doesn't even come close. We made our way up the Alhambra and I mean way, way up to the top of a hill that dominates the centre of the city. Where the Alcazar, King Phillips palace and the Sultans palace are located. There is no point in trying to describe the undescribable so I won't even try, if anyone ever reads this look up all 3 on Google images.

    After 4 days off exhausting sightseeing the next 3 days were spent relaxing around the pool at the resort which I desperately needed. I took Erin and Stephen to the airport on Wednesday for their flight back to London and Justin and Clancey on Friday to catch a flight to Rome, on Saturday I headed off to Paris. Wow "What a city".

    I got to my Hotel around 3 pm and after checking in went down to the pandemonium that is Paris on a warm Saturday afternoon. There are so many people that the Boulevard de Sebastapol which is a major street was blocked off for pedestrian traffic only. Many of the other streets are for walking only and were shoulder to shoulder humanity, this is only a guess but I think there are more restaurants in Paris than anywhere else on the planet. And all full of people sitting on the sidewalks at bistro tables sipping coffee or wine. and this goes on until late at night. These European cities must be wonderful places to live when you are young, the architecture is such that the streets are lined with marvellous old buildings that are all 5 stories high. The bottom level is shops, restaurants and the 4 stories above are all apartments so there is a huge downtown population which makes the city very vibrant.

    I spent 14 hours over the next 2 days just walking in downtown Paris, its no wonder I lost 12 pounds and slept like a baby each night. Back to London after 4 days of experiencing the most incredible sights, The Arc de Triomphe is the crown jewel of Paris, just a bit ahead of Notre Dame, The Church of the Madeleine, The Champs d'Elysee, The Louvre and Sacre Couer Cathedral. At the Gare du Nord which is the main train station 19 trains arrive and depart from there. Outside the main entrance there are lots of people who live on mattresses along the front wall under a big canopy, kind of shocking as was seeing people urinating in the streets against trees, or in corners

    The Eurostar train from Paris to London in 2 hours under the English Channel was a neat experience. A word of advice to anyone travelling, visit London first, then carry on to the other countries, London seems small and worn out compared to the other places I visited and except for St Pauls Cathedral and Anglo saxon history it can be passed by.
    -------------------------------------------------------- Talk is cheap, but it takes money to buy whiskey. Grandfather Bill Kinnee 1900 - 1977 --------------------------------------------------------
  • Saw Something Stupid Today
    Miles is away for a few days so I have been coming into the office. Parking is always a problem downtown so I decided to bite the bullet and use the Pownal Street parkade, pay my six dollars a day and avoid trying to figure out when the meter guy is coming around to spread his special brand of cheer.

    This isn't a huge parkade with its 4 levels, probably room for about 300 cars. I think its pretty typical in design with the ends being open so the air can blow through, concrete construction throughtout, no decoration or paint. But it does have something that is pretty impressive, a full blown sprinkler system. And I mean a sprinkler system, pipes like you wouldn't believe, they go everywhere and the size of them makes your arse muscles tighten up. Through the centre there are these big 4" to 5" round pipes that go vertically the whole height of the building and then there are two extensions of 4" pipe that run horizontally the length of each floor.. From these, pipes of about 2 " branch out between the concrete beams with sprinkler heads about every 20 feet. There must be miles of the stuff in there.

    Makes you feel so safe knowing that in the event that someones car catches fire the concrete won't get burned up. If the system ever goes off, hope you're not at houseparty in Charlottetown taking an emergency dump in their bathroom because there will be no water left to wash away the pile you have left behind.

    I have never seen a car on fire, I must have driven a million miles and lots of it in traffic but have never come across smouldering heaps of twisted steel and glass with the tires burnt off them. When I look at this building I somehow think I must be missing something, because I can't envision anyone making a builder install a sprinkler system that would have the capacity to extinguish the Great Chicago fire unless there was a pretty high probability it was going to happen. And if it did happen the fire department is just around the corner, wouldn't they just haul a hose over and put it out.

    Last time I checked CONCRETE DOESN"T BURN. I wish I hadn't seen the damn thing now because suddenly I resent paying the six dollars a day when 50% of the cost is in a sprinkler system that will never be used and if it wasn't there they would only charge me three dollars.

    I hate bureaucrats and inspectors and regulators they are screwing up the world with their rules and regulations. In the paper the last few days there has been a story about a couple from Illinois who bought a summer home in North Rustico for themselves and there 11 children and grandchildren to use. They leased it over the winter to a family with an expiration date of the lease in April. The people refused to move out, they say the owners shouldn't have the right to use the property for their summer holidays. Apparently issues like this go to IRAC who are the rental enforcers. Guess what, the people are still there, but horror of horrors for them IRAC is going to send them a letter.

    Same thing happened in Murray River a few years ago, people stopped paying but decided to keep living in the house.the owners couldn't get them out. It went on for a year or more and when the owners showed up with a truck to move the renters stuff out were told by the RCMP they would be arrested if they tried. The worlds a crazy place!!
    -------------------------------------------------------- Talk is cheap, but it takes money to buy whiskey. Grandfather Bill Kinnee 1900 - 1977 --------------------------------------------------------
  • Svend Robinson
    I came across this and realized I had never posted it after writing it, I'm not really a redneck but this guy has always gotten under my skin. This was when he was caught stealing the ring for his boyfriend. The next day I heard the former long distance runner Bruce Kidd on the radio going on about Todd Bertuzzi and Dany Heatly, there ws something about the whole thing that made me see red.

    I see in the newpaper that Svend Robinson is going to challenge Hedy Fry in the riding of Vancouver Centre. Please, Please Hedy kick the daylights out of this guy at the polls so I never have to be revolted by either seeing him on TV again or listening to him spout his self serving and ridiculous crap again.

    I was listening to Bruce Kidd the other morning on CBC radio as he was making the case for not allowing Todd Bertuzzi or Dany Heatley represent Canada at the Olympic games because they didn?t represent what he thought was the stereotype of a typical Canadian and their values. I get sick of these guys with their righteous indignations, but then I guess its our right as Canadians to have opinions, that is, its OK if your opinion happens to support the belief system of the touchy feely boys.

    Ok Bruce you have the right to say you don?t think they are fit to be hockey players and represent Canada because of the rough tough life they live, well I don?t think that Svend is fit to be a Member of Parliament.

    Todd Bertuzzi was one of the participants in an unfortunate accident where Steve Moore from Colorado who blindsided one of Bertuzzi?s teammates wouldn?t take the honourable route and settle things the way they have always been settled in Canadian hockey with a good old 30 second fight. And Dany Heatley as a young man with a Ferrarri was involved in a car accident in which his friend was killed, terrible thing and he has repeatedly said his irresponsibility is going to haunt him forever. So those two incidents make them unfit to play hockey for Canada. I watched the many press conferences these guys had to endure, and you know what, I was a heck of a lot more convinced that the tears these MEN shed were a lot more real than anything that Svend squeezed out. And you know the difference they weren?t crying over themselves, they were torn apart by what happened to someone else as a result of actions they took which they freely admitted they were responsible for, thats what real men do, not whine about themselves. Did I hear you say they should be in the same category as those using drugs?
    Lets hear about Robinson and what his special personality traits are that make him a prime candidate for helping run our country from information I have seen the follwoing is pretty representative of this guy.

    * Married his high school sweetheart but she divorced him when he cheated on her with a man.Way to go Svend thats what being a Canadian is all about. Don?t you think the RIGHT thing to do was to speak to her and tell her about your feelings for men instead of her having to catch you.
    *Became an alcoholic as his way to cope with his mothers death.My mother died to but I don?t recall needing to have a drink 20 times a day to make me right. We all have major times of tragedy in our lives but the rest of us pick up the pieces and move on, its called strength of character Svend.
    *Became a lawyer, but left the profession after a year.Way to stick it out Svend
    * Was removed by his party as Justice critic after he publicly came out in favour of establishing red light districts and making whorehouses legal.Just what we need to help prop up the families of the nation, a whorehouse on every corner. Tommy Douglas, Stanley Knowles and David Lewis the architects of the core human rights we enjoy would roll over in their graves if they knew the causes their beloved NDP party was now promoting. Svend even you are way to far to the left for the likes of Jack Layton.
    * Heckles President Ronald Reagan in the House of Commons after he has accepted an invitaion to address the MP?s.Most people learn on their mothers knee that you are polite to a guest. What a dork you are Svend to go headline hunting with such a cheap exhibition to a captive audience.
    *Sentenced to jail for criminal contemptHelps kill Sue Rodriguez and my guess was this was more about publicity than compassion
    * Gets hurt while hiking and credits his love for his boyfriend as the reason he survived by crawling 400 yards.What kind of a gooney bird is this guy, he sprained his ankle.
    * Tables a petition in the House of Commons to remove the word God from the preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.Svend before I checked up on you I just dismissed you as being a bit misguided but now I am seeing a pattern emerging, I don?t think you are a nice person.
    * Travels to the Middle East to try an see Yassar Arafat, who refuses to meet with him.Even Yassar knows a fruit cake when he sees one and he won?t even let this one in the country let alone in his office.
    * After a few days in Israel and no one will give him the time of day he pronounces that Israel is guity of torture and murder. He then resigns as NDP Foreign policy critic.Wow Svend you sure showed them a thing or two.
    * Svend steals a $64,000.00 diamond ring and after he realizes he has been caught on tape (anyone who doesn?t think he got tipped off please step forward - no one thats what I thought) he fesses up.His track record to this point makes me question a lot of things about this bird, this clinches it this guy is a cheating, lying, publicity seeking, unbelieving, man with no sense of morality, nothing more than a petty thief who is not above trying to use every ounce of political correctness to his advantage to have to get off. What a weasel
    * Instead of standing up like a man and admitting his guilt he whines about how his love for his partner and the stress he was under made him do it, so he really wasn?t responsible.Come on Svend even an wanker like me knows from my limited exposure to Doctor Phil that there is some serious sick stuff going on in the head of anyone who can?t accept repsonsibility for their actions.

    And you know what, I bet the NDP leadership is cheering Hedy on, come on Hedy, put on those stompin boots, get his raisins into those vice grips! I think the NDP leadership all got the same sick feeling in their stomachs when he announced his return as Lucy had when she moaned her famous lament, ?Aaaaarrrrggggh? my lips touched dog lips?

    So Bruce baby I rest my case. This sick depraved, spineless piece of humanity isn?t suitable in my opinion to be elected to be a local dog catcher let alone be given a stage like the house of Commons.

    But wait there is a special kind of disgusting reality called political correctness that will protect this puppy. He can?t be held responsible for anything because, if he is ever criticized for anything, he plays the ?you are discriminating against me because I am gay card?. PS I have some gay friends and they?re darn nice people, No wonder this country is in such trouble.
    -------------------------------------------------------- Talk is cheap, but it takes money to buy whiskey. Grandfather Bill Kinnee 1900 - 1977 --------------------------------------------------------
  • The Big Apology
    The world is filled with stories of good intentions gone bad and bad people put in positions of trust. There is nothing right about what happened in the past with the aboriginal schools, but the Canadian conscience once it became aware of the realities of what took place has responded correctly. The issue I have is not with the present Government, but with the spineless milksops that came before them.

    But I can assure you I will not be dressing in sackcloth and pouring ashes on my head over mistakes made by others in past generations, but as a society my hope would be that we gravitate towards being a more understanding and thoughtful people because of those mistakes.

    Having lived close to 4 reserves out west, Sweetgrass, Poundmaker, Red Pheasant and Cochin and daily observing first nations peoples I can tell you I have absolutely no understanding of why the conditions on many reserves are as they are when I saw the resources that were available to the bands. Sweetgrass and Poundmaker both had excellent farmland on them and it was available to any Indian who wanted to farm along with all kinds of assistance to get them started.

    Housing was available to anyone who wanted it, the effort was minimal on their part. It used to burn me when I was working myself to exhaustion and barely keeping ahead of the game that many Indians I knew never seemed to do a days work but somehow had a better vehicle than I could afford. They started a plant on the one reserve to produce prebilt homes for the reserves in the area. This came along with training, good wages, the best of tools and working conditions but in no time at all, no one showed up for work, all the tools and lumber had been stolen and the place was left to rot.

    There is lots of talk about the value of the native culture and tradition as being the good old days and how it has been taken from them. I can't see why anyone would want to return to the poverty, living conditions, disease from a past that is nostalgically looked on as the good old days of life as a hunter gatherer. But its hard to grasp how defined group of people can expect to enjoy the benefits of a modern society, with cars, 4 wheelers, ski doos, canned food, electricity, televisions sets, etc without fully participating in an economy and contributing on the same terms as everyone else.

    But maybe there is a solution, the plains indian lived off the buffalo, well maybe we could start raising buffalo in captivity and provide the men in each reserve with horses, spears and bows and arrows. We could then turn one or two buffalo loose each day and they could hunt them down, hack themm to bits and lug them home. It might take a while to accumulate enough skins to make tents and clothes so we could provide them enough from a tannery to get them started. A couple of big stocked ponds should provide fish and we should make detours around the reserves so they could be isolated again. Make it easy to get back to living like prehistoric man again. maybe that would be the best solution, but somehow I don't think that is what they want.

    What I have seen is indians who want everything modern, want it paid for by someone else and to put as little effort as possible into getting it. Think have you ever seen an indian with a job? My experience with the indian kids I went to school with was this, while going to school there was no difference between them and anyone else but after leaving school it didn't take long to catch onto the fact that you could do better by doing nothing than by working. Of all the Indians I knew only one worked hard enough to achieve anything, the rest just went onto permanent pogey.

    Like I said I can't understand and am glad I'm not charged with the responsibility of addressing and finding solutions to the multitude of aboriginal issues that swirl around.
    -------------------------------------------------------- Talk is cheap, but it takes money to buy whiskey. Grandfather Bill Kinnee 1900 - 1977 --------------------------------------------------------

CEOBlues - CEO of SilverOrange, and President of the Internet
(Added: 9-Jul-2004 Hits: 472 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) Rate It

  • The Ultra Light And Simple Camera Strap By Dan

    Over the past few weeks I've had a go at making my own camera strap. I've always hated over-the-neck straps that attach to the top of the camera. They always get in the way. There are other straps starting to attach to the bottom of the camera, on the tripod mount. That's smart. So I did that.

    So here it is in all of its glory. The first video is of me wearing the strap and jumping around like an idiot. The second is a more detailed look at the strap and how I've attached it to the camera.

    I made a mistake in this video. The strap is 1500mm long NOT 150mm. That would be absurd.

    If you'd like one I'd be glad to make one and send it to you. Simply PayPal 17.00 USD to dan@silverorange.com Shipping is included if you're in North America. Please include your name and mailing address for delivery.

  • Why Good Design Will Matter In The Recession

    Alternate Title: Why You Should Hire Us Now

    Like the rest of the world, the whole economic Armageddon has been a hot topic of discussion here at silverorange. We, like most other businesses in the world, are nervous. What does this all mean? How will it affect us? How long will it last?

    We work in a wacky industry. The last few years have been the wackiest we’ve seen in a over decade of doing this. There were businesses that had no plans and plans that had no businesses. There was always more money than people and cash was thrown at problems at astronomical rates. Of course we gladly got involved but we tried to carefully pick who we worked with. We made some mistakes and picked a few doozies but hey, who doesn’t? During this whole period of time we’ve never felt like it was sustainable. This crazy money had to run out sometime. It ran out in October.

    It seems that other than our own ClusterShot.com there are no crazy dot com companies looking for design or development. Back in May we would be getting dozens upon dozens of work requests. Mainly these projects would use the following template for their emails:

    Hello,
    We love your work. We are a VC funded startup based in California and we’re building Web 2.0 site + Social Networking site for an Obscure Demographic Vertical. Money is not an issue. We’re planning to launch in two weeks. When can you start?

    Sincerely,
    The Founder/CEO

    Here is a free piece of business advice: NEVER tell a service firm that money is not an issue.

    What we’re going to see in the coming years is an unprecedented scrutiny of value. Before anyone gives up any money they will need to know that it will be worth it. So if you or your company is not providing people with real value you’re screwed.

    This isn’t going to be the ?we are awesome designers and make shit look cool? value. This is going to be the ?this design will make this thing work and improve efficiency, increase sales, and save money? value. If you’re not doing that for someone, somehow, you are in trouble.

    We’re very lucky. Our company was born in a small place far away from California as the original dot com bubble popped (1999-2000). We learned business the hard way. None of us were paid for the first 18 months. We lived on credit cards, family hand outs, and kraft dinner. We needed to impress clients, prove ourselves, and do valuable work to survive. We’ve continued to hold onto these principles even through the midst of this second bubble.

    Our designs and development increase sales. We have built e-commerce stores and an entire e-commerce platform that have done and continue to do millions upon millions of dollars of business. We’ve designed apps that have increased our clients efficiencies AND increased their sales. These are going to be the things that matter in the months, and maybe years, to come.

    Efficiency, sales, value. If you can provide these you will be sought after in this recession. Make or save your clients more money than you cost and you will be safe.

  • This cat just keeps on bouncing.
    This cat just keeps on bouncing.
  • Peter Schiff - Make This Man a Presidential Advisor

    Thanks to Signal vs Noise for the heads up on this

  • Why We Made ClusterShot

    Steve made a post that I wanted to and add my voice to.

    Yes, ClusterShot.com is a harebrained dot com idea but we did build it for a reason.

    In the spring of 2005 I went to Peru. I travelled around and took some photos. Some were good… some were not. I put them on my personal gallery and went on with my life.

    In November of 2006 I received an email from Bradt Travel Guides. They had found a photo of a condor in my gallery and wanted to use it for the cover of a new guidebook on Peruvian Wildlife. They offered a price, I countered, they offered the same price, I accepted. Now my photo is on a book. It’s on a real book in the real world. Cool.

    After selling the photo I thought ? hey, maybe I could sell other photos! The obvious place to do this was on stock photography websites. I tried out some of the leading ones. Most rejected the photos I submitted. One popular stock site actually called the photo that I had already sold as ?unsellable?. That was funny.

    So this, Steve’s story, and a few others around the office got us thinking. What gives the editors of stock photo sites the right to be policing the marketplace? Shouldn’t the buyers decide what suits their needs? Shouldn’t any photo a photographer wants to sell be able to be placed for sale? As we found out, the photo you least suspect could very well be the perfect photo for someone. This was the beginning of ClusterShot.

    We’re hoping that ClusterShot will become a little bit like Ebay. Some will use it to run their serious photography business. Others, like me, will put all of their mediocre photos on it and maybe sell enough for a meal now and then.

Charlottetown | Ward3 | Brighton - Blog from Charlottetown city councillor Rob Lantz. See also his personal blog Freelantz.ca
(Added: 21-Mar-2007 Hits: 224 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) Rate It

  • Fri., July 25th, Get Out Your Picnic Blankets
    Canada Day is coming back to Victoria Park. All the complaints that traditional family-oriented celebrations have taken a back seat to other activities at the Festival of Lights have prompted City Council to revive this popular event. We are not intending to compete with the FoL, but the idea is to run a parallel, scaled-down [...]
  • Thu., July 17th, Post-Festival Analysis
    Members of the downtown business community recently asked for a meeting with City Council to discuss the future of the Festival of Lights. The meeting took place last Tuesday evening with about 60 to 70 business operators attending, as well as representatives from Tourism Charlottetown Inc., the agency that produces the festival. Council heard one [...]
  • Thu., July 17th, Commission Orders City to Rezone Property
    The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission has ordered the City to overturn a decision last February to deny a rezoning application. The CBC reports that current occupants now fear forced removal from the property. The crux of the IRAC’s decision is a ‘Future Land Use’ map in the City’s official plan showing this property under [...]
  • Thu., July 10th, Letter from an Editor
    The City has received many complaints about the recent Festival of Lights from residents of downtown Charlottetown. I’ve heard others call these people “whiners”. I can tell you, these people have very legitimate complaints. I’ve heard some horrible stories about the things residents had to endure over the course of this event. On the other hand, [...]
  • Sun., July 6th, Victoria Park Cycling Lane
    My boys and I attended the ribbon cutting ceremony last week for the new bicycle lane at Victoria Park. We cycled from one end to the other and back, and as Brodie said, “We won.” I’ve used the lane several times in the past week and I’m happy to see that bicycle traffic is picking [...]

Charlottetown, PE, Canada - This community is for residents (and former residents) of the city of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The purpose is for users to share information about events, cool places to visit, fun things to do, cool people to meet, and any other pertinent information regarding the city.
(Added: 8-Aug-2005 Hits: 379 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) Rate It

  • Possible Move to P.E.I.
    My husband and I are considering a move there when I finish college and I'm looking for opinions/advice from people that actually live there. Is the job market ok (doesn't need to be great) and what is housing like there also.


    TIA



    Fiona
  • Visiting Charlottetown this summer
    Hi! I'm visiting Charlottetown this summer. I'm staying with some fabulous person via the Couchsurfing Project- it's a gambe but I've read great reviews about her.

    I'm of course an Anne fan, yadda yadda, but I'm also interested in the natural beauty and environment of the Island. I'm interested in Canadian culture in general, after all, I'm American! We think everything you do is cooler.

    Here's the rub- I'm super, mega broke. I'm driving up there with a few friends who will be able to share expenses for some things, but for others I'm on my own. I want to have the opportunity to eat some good seafood, see some of the Anne schlock, etc...

    The host said she might be able to get me a comp for the musical, which ROCKS.

    I'm looking for different ideas on how to save money. Are you a seafood catcher person? Want to take me clamming in exchange for, uh, something New Yorky?

    I'm looking for various barters for things I can either bring to you or do. I can usher for comps to a show, for instance. I'm willing to bring you things you can't get in PEI, as long as they are LEGAL!!!!! perishables like NY bagels or pizza are probably out, since we're taking a week to get there.

    Feel free to email me or AIM me (Astoriaunt) and talk NY or PEI. I'd love money saving tips! Where can we wash dishes for a fantastic meal? etc....


    I'll be there from the 9th to the 14th of august, if that makes a difference...


    THANKS IN ADVANCE!
  • charlottetownpe @ 2007-04-30T11:40:00
    hi everyone,

    i'm kelly and i'm 22. i'm a newfoundlander but now live in charlottetown with my boyfriend and chihuahua. i don't know very many people here yet, but would like to! i'm looking to add new lj friends and if we're compatible, perhaps we could hang out down the road. check out my userinfo and if you're interested, add me or comment on my friends-only post and i'll add you back!

    ♥
  • charlottetownpe @ 2007-02-01T07:02:00
    Hi everyone - I hope this is ok. I have set up a community for Islanders or folks that are interested in PEI. Please feel free to join if that strikes your fancy. :)

    [info]peisland
  • Anyone??? lol
    Wake up Charlottetown!!!!!

Cre8ive1 - A life on Prince Edward Island. Photos. A fine selection of music to listen to while you surf.
(Added: 3-Jul-2006 Hits: 236 Rating: 9.93 Votes: 17) Rate It

  • Talking It Away
    We missed PEI's first taste of winter two nights ago, but tonight - the snow is coming. I wanted it to hold off until the airplane I boarded was heading south; four more sleeps! My daughter, a snow lover, was very excited last week when she was getting her first taste. I told her that I find it hard to believe that she came forth from my loins. Did none of me rub off on her? I just want to
  • Winterlude
    I'm late today but for the best of reasons - I got a phone call from one of my oldest and dearest friends that I'd been waiting for for a couple of months. She had moved far, far away in August and I'd been waiting for a call announcing that all was well. I've received that call now and feel a lot more relaxed. It was like one of my kids was missing. Just this week I had been complaining to
  • Free To Be
    I don't have to cook dinner tonight and for that I'm thankful. A night off stove duty is just what the doctor ordered. I feel like I have no responsibilities today, no chores that have to be done NOW or any important matter to attend to. It almost feels like the first day that I've been completely free to do what I wanted or felt like at the moment. Kat talks about retirement sometimes and I
  • November Nonsense
    I got a letter from Google and have asked them to send me in plain English what they are asking me to do. It is so full of legalese that I don't know what it is saying. They took a specific post away for copyright infringement. Since they took it away, I can't view it so don't know what specifically on it was unsatisfactory. I've replied as such to them but they haven't replied back to me.
  • Letters From the Past
    I'm having a very nice day today. I had a To Do list but didn't follow it. Instead I did what I wanted at each given moment. I got lots done, just not what I had planned. There's always tomorrow, eh? I wrote my grandson a letter. He didn't know what a letter was so I told him I'd send him one. Can you imagine? Any of us over fifty certainly knows what letter writing is about because

Doug Hall's Brain Brew Café - American Inventor judge and Eureka! Ranch CEO Doug Hall summers in Springbrook PEI. This is his Brainbrew blog.
(Added: 23-Dec-2004 Hits: 351 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) Rate It

Warning: MagpieRSS: Failed to parse RSS file. (junk after document element at line 2, column 0) in /home/derekm/public_html/magpie/rss_fetch.inc on line 238
    Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /home/derekm/public_html/peiblogs/General_Blogs/index.php on line 846

E.T. Concentrators - Stories and pictures of events and places around Parkdale from the early 50's to the late 70's.
(Added: 1-Sep-2007 Hits: 75 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) Rate It

  • Driving Through Charlottetown 1966
    Here is the rest of the video that I posted on my other Blog.
    It begins in Wood Island's and picks up entering Charlottetown. There is alot to see heading up Queen Street, Canadian Tire, The Met , Roger's Hardware and Dominion Stores.
    then out to Brackley where the Covehead Bridge is down


  • Boarders
    Here is an Email from our Cousin Basil.


    Hi Carl
    This happens to be one of the 'boarders' that you mentioned in your blog. I know that they were many but perhaps not many stayed as long as I did. April 1949 to Nov. 1951. In fact I was either there or heard about it shortly after it happened, that is the biting incident that you wrote about. You were without a doubt a little 'geezer'.
    Thought the photo might interest your for two reasons. Firstly this is the working dress of the Mounties in the 50's. Quite different then the way they dress now. Secondly this is the Highway Patrol Car used at the Bridgewater Detachment. It was a 1953 Meteor 2 door, flathead V8 with standard transmission. I do not recall, in my time there, of anyone out running this vehicle. Lastly the photo was taken in Lunenburg County in either the fall of 53 or spring of 54.





    I remember Basil coming to live with us, I was only 2 at the time, but boy was he fun to have around.
    When Basil applied for the RCMP he had to write an exam and to prepare for it ,
    he and Mother would sit at the kitchen table going over and over the work, as a kid I din't think he would ever finish and play with me.
    The day Basil left for the RCMP Mother and I walked down to the train crossing to wave good bye.
    Below is a video clip from Mom and Dad's 60th wedding anniversary, Basil is paying tribute to Mother "for being the first woman to pass the RCMP exam".
    Every time Basil came back to visit and later with Nancy and their 9 children Mother and Dad would be so excited and proud of him.
    One rainy day Basil showed up at our school to drive me home in a car he had just bought, I recall it being a coupe probably mid 30's.
    Basil you never showed me which house Mr. Mount Stewart lived in, I don't think it was the one with the old man sitting on the front step that you yelled
    "Hello Mr. Stewart".

  • Pex On CBC with Karen Mair "LIVE FROM THE 36"
  • That Was No Picnic For This Teddy Bear
    Last night we went to the Confederation Centre to see a Charlottetown Rural High School play. It was very good with great acting, singing, music and of course costumes.
    With a lot of things it triggered a memory of mine and a play we did at the WI Hall many years ago.
    Our old school on Linden Avenue has been torn down, Bull Dog Demolition completed the job. Dick McGuigan?s company. A good Parkdale boy too!! Lucky for him "Chief" wasn't around.



    In back of the school was the WI Hall which is long gone after catching fire some years ago.
    As I related in previous stories, this old hall was the scene of many concerts and events for many years and was the centre of entertainment for Parkdale.
    I?m thinking back now to a particular school concert we held there probably in late spring,
    I recall it was quite warm in the hall.



    Our class was putting on a play and I was to dress up as a Bear.
    There was no Value Village or Froggies in this era, in fact there was no such thing as giving away old clothing. Even our underwear was handed down from oldest to youngest, thank goodness I had older brothers as well as sisters.
    I remember telling Mother I needed a costume for the play and I was to be a Bear.
    Mother had many things to get accomplished before worrying about a costume.     We practised the play and my Teacher would enquire how my costume was coming along and I?d Say
    ?OK, I guess?
    The day arrived and I still didn?t have a costume and I continued to ask Mom to make me one. Finally she sent me down to the store to but a 10cent package of RITT DYE, dark brown. At last I would get my costume.
    Remember we were a family of 8 kids , me being the last, so their was neither extra time nor money for wasteful things like costumes    .
    Much to my horror Mother came down stairs with an old pair of Long Johns, you know the kind, the ones with the trap door on the rear end. She dyed the underwear brown and hung them on the clothes line to dry.


    Next she sent me upstairs to fetch my old Teddy Bear, the one I was supposed to have grown too old to play with, does anyone ever get too old to love their Teddy Bear?
    She took the Teddy and cut his head off and pulled out the stuffing.
    I ?m still shaking at the sight of my Teddy being killed in front of my eyes.     Off we walked to the Hall and mom and I went in the kitchen to get me dressed.
    It was full of other kids putting on their costumes over their clothes, boys and girls. Mom told me to strip down to my shorts!
    ?No way not in front of these girls?!
    ?Don?t be so foolish, they can?t see you?!
    Yea right.
    I obeyed Mother and stripped down to my underwear, actually they were probably Niall?s or Gord?s old pair.
    I pulled on my ?costume? knowing full well it was really an old pair of Long John?s dyed brown with a faulty trap door just waiting to open and expose me to the world .
    This was not going to fool anyone!
    I then placed the eviscerated head of my recently departed Teddy over my head and stumbled on to the stage for my bit part.
    All I recall is realizing there I am , standing in front of all those people in my underwear wearing my Teddy?s head over mine.



    It is an eerie feeling looking out from in side the body of your recently departed best friend feeling your warm breath filling the cavity and imagining your Teddy is coming to life and has eaten me in revenge.
    I didn?t think I could make it through that afternoon with out dying of humiliation , but I guess I did, with a minium of mental scars.
    I must Google Freud on this one and see if it explains any part of me.

    That day was no picnic for this Teddy Bear.
  • Boy Bites Dog

    BOY BITES DOG


    I?m sitting here watching Clara play with our dog Kallie and smiling as I think of my childhood and all the puppies I had .That triggers a memory of play times I had with my Father.
    Dad was born and raised in Bangor PEI in a large family of little means.     The first part of the story is quite close to how my Dad told me.





    One day when he was just a teen he was splitting wood using the axe that had been in his family for many years. It was his grandfathers axe, the same one he used to clear the land, the original family heirloom, even though the handle had been replaced 5 times and the head twice, such are poor peoples heirlooms.



    Dad was one of seven brothers and one sister on a poor potato farm with one horse.
    As he was splitting the wood, the trusty old axe bounced of the wood and stuck his toes, partially severing a couple. Dad yelled and his father came over to see what happened, took a look and said,
    ?That?ll teach you to pay attention boy?
    He walked away leaving Dad in agony. As he was walking by the barn the horse coughed.




    Grandad yelled ? Quick get the vet, the horse is sick?and one of the older boys ran into Morell to fetch the vet.

    When the vet had announced
    ?The horse is fine Colin?

    Grandad said to the vet
    ?You might as well sew the young fellows toes back on while you are here.



    The story probably contains a little hyperbole but brings home the point of how valuable to the farm was the one horse in comparison to 9 boys.
    I?m the last of eight kids which indicates that my parents were not young when I arrived, Mother was 41 and Dad was 38. The fun was pretty well used up in Dad after playing with 7 other kids and working as a linesman.
    Like any other kid I wanted to play with my Dad as soon as he got home and my favourite game was for the two of us to get down on our hands and knees and pretend we were dogs, ( long before Cheech & Chong) and have a dog fight. We would growl and try to put the other down crawling around the kitchen floor.
    I always played as hard as I could and thought Dad did also and that it was a real fight.



    Dad tired quickly and said he wanted to lay down for a bit.
    Our kitchen on St Peters Road was very large, suitable for 8 kids, 2 parents 2 grandparents and always a boarder. In addition to the big table and chairs we had a day bed underneath the driveway window. On the opposite side by the sink stood a floor model Singer Sewing machine. The machine was made of cast steel and iron housed in an Ash cabinet.
    The cabinet was rectangular with four sharp corners.
    Dad lay on the day bed and fell asleep in minutes, his feet were bare and were resting on the metal frame pointing skyward.
    I was still in my playing mood, crawling around the kitchen floor looking for another dog fight, when I spied these two bare feet belonging to my dog nemesis, just waiting to be attacked.
    The old axiom ?let sleeping dogs lie? at this moment was most apt, but sadly I had not head it yet.
    Sneaking up to the foot of the bed , I heard the ?Dog? in deep slumber and knew it was time to finally win the fight. I slowly raised myself on my haunches and examined my prey. Here is were odds come into play , was it a 50/50/ chance or 0/100 that I?d pick the wrong foot?
    I opened my mouth over Dads foot(The Bad Dog I had been fighting with) and chomped down with all my 5 year old might.

    Worlds Collide

    My world of make believe ended when my teeth struck flesh and didn?t stop.
    Now in my own defence that foot was probably easy to bite through because of the blow from the axe years ago.
    The next thing I knew Dad was rising up off that bed faster than Dracula could from an open casket. I?ve never seen such a look of anguish before on any mans face.
    I let go and started to run backwards wondering what in the name of Heaven had I awoken?
    Dad was yelling in agony and I was crying in fear as I ran backwards, fearing for my safety.
    Here is where my luck changes for the better.
    I tripped , while in full steam reverse, fell backwards and struck the edge of the Singer sewing machine with the corner of my head.



    My head cracked open and blood began to squirt over the floor and I began to loose consciousness saving me from the perceived wrath of my father, which by the way never existed.
    Dad immediately forgot about his pain , picked me up in his arms and hugged me while stopping the flow of blood from my head.
    Being in Parkdale we didn?t have a horse , only chickens, so no reason to call the vet to ?sew Dads toes back on, and stitch the young fellow?s head.
    A bit ironic that we both are there bleeding in front of a "Singer sewing Machine"?

    Clara, who turns two tomorrow , is tugging at my arm to go and ?wrestle?with her up on our bed.
    Do I dare teach her how to play ?Dog Fight??

Ed's Place - This is a page which is where I publish some of my opinions. - Ed Gaudet is a frequent contributer to PEIInfo.com.
(Added: 28-Sep-2005 Hits: 412 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) Rate It

  • My postings have slowed some.
    It would seem that I have posted less often then in past. I am now working full time again and finding the time to post has been a challange.

    Hopefully, I'll have more to say soon as I adjust to my new schedule.
  • When is privatized medicine, Public?
    I want to take this time to clarify my position on Private medicine delivery.

    All hospitals must be public and must provide all necessary services to Canadians under the Canada Health act qith the cost covered by the CHA (Canada Health Act). Canada must return to a system where the federal government provides a full 50% of all medical costs.

    Private clinics providing special services are not new and have a valuable place in Canadian medicine. Virtually all Medical centers, where one sees their family doctor, are private clinics. This allows doctors to share admin and equipment costs, resulting in greater efficiency and lower cost.

    By the same token, as medicine advances, certain operations are highly specialized. These can be best offered at private clinics as hospitals have a limited number of Operating Rooms. This is fine if their services are available to all patients, using medicare for payment. An example is hip replacements. I have heard of a specialty clinic in Quebec that does most of these procedures in Quebec. They bost a higher success rate then a hospital and have dedicated surgeons that are far more qualified for this procedure then surgeons in a regular hospital.

    Such clinics will allow operating rooms in your local hospital to be available for trauma work general surgery. Currently, long waits occur because there simply are insufficient OR's (operating rooms) available to handle the great many new procedures available to us. They will allow Canadians to get more services...services paid for by our medicare card. Such clinics can vastly reduce waiting times for services.

    In some countries, most diagnostic imaging is done by private clinics specializing in this. There is NOTHING wrong with allowing a private corporation who wants to make money by offering additional MRI, or other similar services, as long as these services are universally available under medicare. Once again, such a system offeres enhanced diagnostics with shorter wait times, saving lives.

    The key is to assure we have suitable services available to all Canadians...when they are needed.
  • Handgun ban
    Todays shooting in Toronto, along with the boxing day shooting has made me consider a few details regarding gun control:

    Statements from the Official Opposition?s critic for firearms and property rights:
    Quote:
    Here are a few of the more revealing facts from the Statistics Canada report, Homicide in Canada, 2001:

    Of the 554 homicides in Canada in 2001, 31% were stabbed to death, 31% were shot to death and 22% were beaten to death (See Chart on Page 9). ?Trying to register all the firearms in Canada doesn?t make any more sense than trying to register all the knives and baseball bats,? said Breitkreuz.

    Of the 171 firearms homicides in 2001, 64% were committed with handguns that the RCMP have been registering for the last 68 years, 6% were committed with firearms that are completely prohibited, and 27% were committed with a rifle or shotgun (Page 9).

    Since 1991, handgun use in homicides has steadily increased from 49.8% to 64.3% in 2001. Over the same period homicides committed with rifles and shotguns has steadily decreased from 38% to 26.9% (Table 7 on Page 9). ?The Criminal Code has required the mandatory registration of handguns since 1934 and registration of rifles and shotguns doesn?t become mandatory until January 1, 2003. Why can?t Liberal MPs see what?s wrong with this picture?? asked Breitkreuz.

    Between 1997 and 2001, 74% of the handguns recovered from the scenes of 143 homicides were not registered (Page 10) ? ?Liberal MPs must ask themselves two questions (1) Why were so many handguns not registered after 68 years of trying to register them, and (2) Why didn?t laying a piece of paper (a registration certificate) beside these handguns prevent 37 (26%) of these murders? Based on this statistic alone it defies all logic why the Liberals continue to spend hundreds of millions of taxpayers? dollars trying to register 16 million rifles and shotguns,? stated Breitkreuz.

    Questions for Conservatives...since by their own figures, 25% of the murders were with registered weapons that were stolen, why do they not support banning handguns. Since 26.9% of these deaths were using shotguns or rifles, why are they against registration of them. The Conservative statement that since we do not register knives, we should not register guns...if this is the kind of logic we can expect from the harper people, can you justify voting fo