Decided to play golf, actually I was invited so I went. I got a new driver for my birthday and this was my second opportunity to try it out. I think I did okay with it, in fact I can only think of two drives that missed the fairway. It felt nice and made a great 'ting' when it hit the ball straight and true.

Well this is it for a while, I'm taking some time to head south to Georgia. Going to a family reunion at Elijah Clark State Park. It looks like it will be a fun couple of days with a lot of family get-together and some quality time down in the sun and fun of Georgia. After that we're going Six Flags over Georgia for some serious roller coaster fun.

I'm looking forward to it and now I must pack, if only I knew what I have done with my digital camera.

Peace

I did my run for the day, another 6 km with the time of 36'47". I think that's just a touch slower then last time, although I did run a faster final 300 metres then before. I'm going to blame traffic on this one, I was held up crossing the street.

You know I wonder if we should not declare 2004 the "Year of the Salad". Seems every fast food restaurant has added salads to their menu. I notice that Wendy is doing salad up big, although this is not anything new to them, I remember going to Wendy's in the 80's and enjoying their salad bar. Yes that was a treat, baked potato and salad bar. People laughed but they were looking to the future. Then the 90's hit which was the supersize decade and now as we enter the first decade of the 21st century there is the realization we have supersized people. So salad is a good choice, plus it may stave off the inevitable lawsuits that are bound to come to the fast food industry.

Salad, always a good thing.

Peace.

Well the training continues. With the weather keeping me in for most of the day I decided to venture out in the late dusk. Thank goodness my back light still works. Decided to keep it simple, just 11.5 k today, for 30 minutes.

The most difficult part was keeping the gnats out of my mouth, I almost succeeded although there were a few crunkies as I chewed. I don't know how many flying swarms I went through but there was the distinct ping of bugs off my jacket.

Feeling good about what I'm doing.

Peace.

I got a frantic phone call, seems my brother got nailed with one of those fraudulent dialers. Seems his modem has been calling people in Estonia and Sao Tome. I just want to say to those morons who design such things, I hope your burn long and painfully. It seems more and more people are figuring there is a thrill from sticking viruses, trojan horses and other things on computers to screw people up. I read an article that said service was slow on Google because someone made a worm. Why bother. I know Google is set to have an IPO and make people a lot of money but why bother something that a lot of people use for their searches. I admit I google on a regular basis, especially if I want to look up interesting facts.

To give an example I spent an hour or so looking up information on the Chinese poet Qu Yuan . You can ask why and the answer will be because it was interesting. It started by looking for information about Rice Dumplings, which was from an Iron Chef episode. I found there is a legend attached having to do with the suicide of this poet. I also learned that Dragon Boat festivals are held in commemoration to Qu Yuan. I also read some of his poetry. So all because of a single google.

Yet there are malicious cranks that want to cause damage. Those of you, please grow up and let the rest of us continue with our interesting lives.

Now that I've gotten that out of my system. Oh by the way, if your phone bill does have calls to Sao Tome, contact PhoneBusters. The page has their toll free phone and fax number, it will be worth it to report these clowns.

Went for my run today, far better 6k, 36:44- better then the 39 I had before.

Peace

Continued my training yesterday I did a 3k run (18:19) & a 19.3k bike ride (49'15"). Felt quite good.

Today will either be an easy day or rest day.

The joy of knowing the holiday has begun is a great. Going to be a busy couple of weeks, what with a family reunion happening next Sunday. Still this is the weekend to relax and take it is.

I was going to come up with some interesting political comments; and I still plan to. The CRTC has been getting under my skin for years. A lot of it has to do with its mandate to 'protect Canadian culture'. When you look at your television there is a lot less Canadian culture. In fact the national networks seem to do without a lot of CanCulture. As far as I can figure most of the restrictions have to do with allowing Canadian advertisers to show their commercials.

But I wonder why on one hand ESPN, HBO and the channels Canadians want to see are unavailable, but Al-Jazeera is totally acceptable. Good question, I guess if Canadians saw what, more sports it might make us question our loyalty to Canada. It's nonsense we require this regulatory body to tell us what to watch or not to watch. But they do, the Globe and Mail had this little report: "The RAI bid to the CRTC was a huge election issue among Italian-Canadians, with senior Liberal MPs promising that the channel would find its way on to the Canadian airwaves". Then in Quebec, 15000 protested the closing of their favourite radio station.

Good thing I live in such a free land, where I can decide what to watch or listen to without fear.

Peace

Was able to get out and do some bike training today, 17.2 km in 42'35". Considering how hot it was I feel good about my time. What I need to do is get a street bike rather then my mountain bike to do some more training.

You know every so often the various agencies of the federal government do something that makes me scratch my head. Recently the CRTC our anal-retensive commission that has the role of deciding what is fit for Canadians to watch and listen to, sort of a modern "ministry of propaganda and public enlightenment'. Well they made a couple of decisions which make me wonder. First of all, a radio station in Quebec CHOI had their license pulled by the commission because they allowed their morning DJ to be rather boorish. Now you have to remember this is Canada, the world's largest nanny state, where you are not allowed to think bad thoughts, only government approved thoughts. They DJ's were like a lot of DJ's and involved in the 'shock jock' stuff that Howard Stern made famous. What makes this ruling rater ominous is this quote: "The decision by the CRTC, which marked the first time the regulator has refused to renew a radio licence because of on-air views, was criticized by some observers as censorship and an infringement on freedom of expression". Look forward to more of this because I believe once you censor one thing, it becomes easier to censor the next and the next, you get my drift. So now the CRTC is involved in deciding what is proper thought for Canadians. Like I said, the nanny state, you know if you don't like something there is a few things you can do; you can stop listening, you can write or call and complain, you can promise to raise hell with the sponsors of the program. You can do a lot, you have that choice and freedom. However once you let the government decide what is right you enter a very nasty time.

In a related piece of news, the same regulatory body which censored one station for saying bad things, is allowing the Arab satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera to be a part of Canadian satellites systems. My question for the CRTC is this, are they allowed because they are stridently anti-American or because they are anti-Semitic. You see, in the nanny state there are thoughts allowed but only those sanctioned by the State. In Canada you are allowed to be anti-American and anti-Semitic.

One more thing, came across this article. Very funny my only fear is that the CRTC will read this and think it's a good idea.


Peace

This was going to be a run day for my training of the dualthon in August. After that opening line you are expecting a 'but'. Yes there is one and here it is. But the forecast was for smog and humidex warnings and so I decided to stay indoors. This is not to say I did nothing but watch 'Seinfeld', I did a half hour of weights and a half hour on the treadmill. So I gave myself both a strength and cardio workout for an hour. I do feel good, especially after the shower.
I know the literature does inform a person to add variety to the work out so it doesn't become stale. I worry sometimes it is happening, so I do try to vary the routines. Right now I'm looking for some new weight training workouts to add that freshness to the regimen.
Hopefully the air quality will be better for Friday.
Yesterday I attended a game at Comerica Park the new home of the Detroit Tigers. I have attended a number of games at Venerable old Tiger Stadium, yes I've seen Al Kaline play, but this was my first visit to this new place. I was impressed it is a beautiful place to watch a game. There is an intimate feel to the place and it does have what I want in a stadium, real grass and dirt. I would like to say the home team won, but alas, this is the 21st century Tigers, although they put on a good game and lost 5-4 in 10 innings. I believe this is a team on the rise and will only get better.

Peace

Today I started training for the dualthon in August. It's taking place on the 15th. Now it's not like I'm a total newbie, I've done both bike races and runs. Really it's a matter of combining the two with all the necessary work that will entail.
For this day I did my usual 6 k run and then rode for 11 k. The total time was 1 hour 6 minutes. My run was very slow today, I think I intentionally kept it slow for the bike. This week I plan to run on Wednesday and Friday, with the full training of bike and run on next Sunday. I'm hoping to shave time off and then add another 11 k to the bike. For the bike I'm taking sort of my running trail and then doubling it.
I felt good after the bike and with only a water bottle felt hydrated at all times. The bike was not a drain on my strength, especially after a good run so I'm hoping.
I'll let you know how I feel on Wednesday. Oh yes, I'm going to keep the weight training going as well.

I have to admit, every so often I do find it interesting to watch a
game of golf on television. I keep hoping to find some tricks and
tips that will assist my own rather amateurish game. The good
news is that I recently read most players shoot over 100. So I
feel in good company, those who don't are very good amateurs or
professionals. Since I am neither, I shall be content.

I'm trying the new edit composer which they have
with blogger and may I say it looks sharp. It's nice to see
there are a number of options that can be used when working on
it. I wish some other programs would also get with the program
and use something like this.

Well, not much to report on the political scene,
after the election I think we all need a break. So there's the
Open today, also known as the "British Open" and it's interesting to
watch the weather come in and go out, with apparent ease. One
moment everyone is in the sun and pleasant conditions, the next there
is a storm. So it will be interesting to watch how the weather
acts tomorrow. I wonder if it's better to start or be at the
end. I know that score is the determining factor but with the
weather it's conceivable you could start in good weather and end in
bad. If the openers end in bad, will that mean the leaders will
start in bad?

Something to consider. Who do I hope to
win? Good question. I don't have any favourites, just
hoping to see some good golf.

This isn't much of a thought, but hey it's Saturday and I hope it's going to be a good weekend.

I'm thinking about entering this dualthon in August
so I'll be practicing on the bike tomorrow. The run is only a 3k
and a 6 k. Both of those are normal distances for me, but it's
the bike or combining both which will be tricky. I'll get the
bike out and do about 20 k tomorrow. I'll blog how I felt
afterwards.



Peace

So yesterday I decided to watch the All-Star Game. It was a good game and since I'm more of an AL fan it was really good to see them hammer the National League. There was a few things I didn't enjoy, first that animated character "Scooter". Why do some networks feel they have to make something like this 'cute'. I know it was geared to the kids to explain some of the terms; hey you want to make the game appeal to kids, start it an hour early.

I also didn't care for Bud Selig stopping the game to give Roger Clemens a lifetime achievement awards. I mean it stops the flow of the game, and the All-Star game, while a celebration of the individual baseball player is also a game that pits the best of both leagues. You want to honour a person wait until the game is over. It's lessens the game. Now they talk about how important it is, it was always important, until knobs like Bud Selig decided to cheapen it.

Much has been made about the Rockets horrible first inning, giving up six runs and having the AL batters go through the cycle. I wonder and I understand a lot of people are wondering if Mike Piazza didn't try a little 'Bull Durham' on the Rocketman. As you may know the two hate each other. Although they claim to have patched things up, there will always be some underlying animosity.

If you know the movie 'Bull Durham' it deals with a catcher by the name of 'Crash' Davis, he is given a job to develop a new star pitcher, Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh, who has a million dollar arm and a 10 cent head. There's one scene where 'Nuke' brushes off the signs and tells 'Crash' he wants to throw heat. Crash goes back to his position and tells the batter what's coming. The batter obliges and hits the ball out of the park, hitting the Bull sign over the right field fence. So it makes you wonder, did Piazza whisper, 'he's throwning heat' to a few batters. I know Jim Rome has dismissed it during his show today. Well, it's fun to consider isn't it.


Peace

Well it's been some time since I posted something. I read an article on the Wired website of many people suffering from burn-out. It would be difficult to be articulate & witty all the time. This wasn't my problem, I've been away for a vacation.

What have I been thinking about? One thing has been the CFL , the Canadian Football League. It seems more Canadian players are playing in the 'skilled' positions such as running back & receivers. This is a nice return. For many years Canadians would be the O-linemen & the kickers. The 'skilled' positions of QB and the abovementioned was for the import (read American) players. Teams like Ottawa are playing more Canadian players. The CFL has a definate import/non-import ratio & it seems more teams are allowing Canadians an opportunity to excel at out game. Canadian football is unique and if you haven't watched any take the opportunity to watch some


Peace

Today I start my holiday! Yay. It turned out to be a great day weather wise. Okay, I am now going to bore you with a list of what I did for the first day:
1) Slept In
2) Worked on the Garden
3) Vacuumed out the MiniVan
4) Washed the MiniVan
5) Went for a Run ( 7 km)
6) Going to relax and listen to some music.

What I'm listening to right now is Melissa Auf Der Maur's first solo album 'Auf Der Maur". The second cut is getting a lot of airplay, but personally I think the first one 'Lightning is my Girl' is great. I enjoy having it as background as I work on the computer.

Well, nothing overly profound, I've got some theories about medicare that I'm working on, but right now, it's holiday time. It is time to kick back and not do much thinking.


Peace

HAPPY CANADA DAY

Indeed it is a happy Canada Day. We went to Fort Malden this afternoon and witness an interesting sight, 137 people took the oath of citizenship today and became Canadians. I didn't expect that but it was a delight to see; people from all over the world were making Canada their official country. From this point on they will be able to call themselves Canadians. They promised to be true to their new home and obey the laws and be good citizens.

I know there are a number of challenges facing this land I love but it restores my faith in the dominion to know people are willing to take this step. When you think about it, it's severing their old ties and loyalties and becoming one with their native land. Made me feel good to be a Canadian.

The local paper The Windsor Star featured a column by Victoria Billingsley. In her column she bemoans the fact that our first Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDonald is forgotten today. She wrote this poignant passage "Nevertheless, you were always true to your country and to its interests.
Your unique capacity to understand human nature, that men could never be made into saints, kept you focused on the realities and on men as they actually were, with all their warts and blemishes.
You grasped the means by which change could and did occur under your 20-year guidance of your Dominion as its prime minister.
Langevin, your loyal friend, admired your tolerance, intelligence and understanding". I've been a fan of Sir John A. for over 30 years and I appreciate these words, he was our greatest Prime Minister and had a love for our land that has never been surpassed. While others claim to love Canada, his was the deep love of a parent to a child. Thank you Victoria for these words.

Well, only a few hour remain of Canada Day, or Dominion Day 2004, our 137th birthday. All I can say is the words of our national anthem: God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.O Canada, we stand on guard for thee . God keep and bless this Dominion.


Peace

the election is over. what an interesting result. so we face a minority Liberal government. I suppose the question is what that will mean to us and what will be the result. One obvious result is that we will be going to the polls in probably two years. The second is that all of a sudden, Paul Martin is going to have to keep some of his promises. I know what you're thinking, a Liberal keep his word, what a concept. If the NDP comes with a list it will mean Paul will have to become a liberal. You see one of the great myths in Canada is that Paul Martin is a liberal. He is not, he is a conservative multi-millionaire. The only thing that interests him is not paying Canadian taxes. It is still the irony that the man who wants us to pay for all the benefits of being a Canadian doesn't like his company paying any taxes. You would think the man who believes paying taxes is a patriotic duty would gladly get rid of those 'flags of convenience' and pay his fair share. Of course, this is another example of the two rules that exist, one for the rich and one for the rest of us. The big difference is that the rest of us get to pay.

I was glad the local candidate I supported go elected. Jeff Watson will do a good job representing this riding in Ottawa. He's got some good ideas and will make a strong presence nationally. One difference between him and Susan Whelan is that he had to work to be elected and not depend upon the last name. Oh yeah, and some of his election workers, very nice.

I did some scrutineering last night, oversaw the counting of the ballots. I want to say this right here, right now, Liberals cheat. This one fellow decided a spoiled ballot should count, yes I immediately put on a challenge. Had this been a narrow election my objection could have made a lot of difference. Lesson to all, a Liberal will cheat, steal and do practically anything to win. Perhaps we should give Liberal supporters a world map to show Canada is not a bananna republic.

The biggest disappointment I had, besides the minority Liberal was the turn-out. I thought there was sufficient interest to get a huge crowd but the turn-out was the same as 2000. At 60.6% that means a lot of Canadians didn't get out to vote. Of course there will be the questions and probably the best answer is the fact a sizable number of Canadians have lost faith in the political process. The mantra, 'they're all a bunch of crooks' is one that comes out of the mouth of Canadians too easy. Of course if you examine the last 11 years of Jean Chretien, it's easy to understand why the cynicism has developed. Here was a man who went out of his way to prove politicians are crooks. He ruled with an iron fist, abused opponents and spent money on his cronies. He lied about the sale of his property and to ensure that the right people got the right money put pressure on the President of the Business Development Bank, to the point he resigned. This man later sued the government and won. Also for the people of Ontario, with the McGuinty break a promise a week regime there is a lot of mistrust. It's sad because not all of them are crooks, just the ones who run under the Liberal banner.


Peace

The Globe and Mail

This is it everybody. The big day. Like the headline in the Globe says, just vote. Today is the day we decide who will govern our lives for the next number of years, or perhaps a better time, months. It's easy to sit home and not bother. You look about and spout the mantra 'they're all crooks'. Well, who's fault is that? By not voting you give those in power the idea that they can get away with murder because no one really cares. Prove them wrong and show yoou care by doing one of the easiest chores imaginable. Go to the poll take a little piece of paper, go behind this cardboard booth and make an 'x' at your choice.

Don't know where the poll is, go to your recycle box and pull out on of those election flyers and call the local candidate's office. Tell them you need a ride and they'll come and get you. For the ultimate irony, call the office of the candidate you're not voting for, just don't tell them that.

I guess what I'm saying today is:

Get off your butt and VOTE

G-8 Summit: World Leaders Missed Good Opportunities on Several Issues

If you can remember that far back, Paul Martin had a few photo ops with his new best friend Bono. Bono if you don't know is the lead singer of the band U2, and one of the most social aware rockers you will meet. To give you the scenario, Bono was real happy that his new pal Paul Martin was big on supporting the fight against AIDS in Africa. Paul promised to do whatever is in his power to ensure generic drugs reach this troubled continent.

Let me say I support all efforts to fight this horrible disease, the numbers coming out of Africa are appalling. What's worse is the major pharmaceuticals are doing all in their power to stop this from happening. They don't want to have anything cut into their profits. The tragedy of it all is found in this line: ""Meanwhile, three million people are dying each year from AIDS despite the fact that effective life-extending treatment is already available for less than $1 a day". Lives lost for profit. It is incumbent on the west I believe to help fight this disease. We need to.

What's all this got to do with Paul Martin, well I don't read his name anywhere standing up and demanding the G-8 nations do anything. I mean, yeah they made promises to solve the world's problems, eventually. Listen up all, the world can't wait for the richest nations to get around to it, it must be done now. I notice that when the issue of debt forgiveness to the third and fourth world was brought up by Tony Blair, it was ignored. By the way Paul, this is another favourite topic of your friend Bono. He strongly supports debt forgiveness. It is criminal that the IMF and World Bank demands repayment for loans that basically repays other loans. The IMF puts demands on these nations that destroy whatever social safety net existed. This is a crime, but again, silence from the G-8. Yes they'll do something, eventually, when they get around to it.

Paul Martin, breaks another promise.


Peace

Copps supporters switch allegiance to NDP

I hadn't planned on writing about the election today, I had a story about my cat. I'll mention it at the end of this. Things are getting mighty interesting for the NDP, the headline for today tells of supporters of Sheila Copp switching to the NDP. In a way this is not a surprise, Paul did play fast and loose with Sheila, obviously punishing her for daring to run against him for the leadership of the Liberal Party. In all honesty I am not a fan of Sheila but I must admit, she was hosed by the pro-Martin supporters in the battle for the riding. An interesting comment made by one of her supporters is this: "At a news conference, former Liberal supporter Jimmy Lomax threw his support behind NDP candidate Tony DePaulo.
'We don't want (Prime Minister Paul) Martin,' Lomax said. 'Martin represents dishonesty. How many lies has he told us already?'". Now this is nasty. I suspect these people are becoming public with the blessing of Sheila? If so then Hamilton may be a very interesting place on the 28th, after all the Copps name carries a lot of support in that city and if it is even believed that Sheila would rather support the NDP then the Liberals it will be game over. I suspect there shall be some interesting races, especially the former riding held by Sheila. There is probably a great deal of animosity towards Martin and this is just some fuel for the fire.

All this is happening at a time when Paul is busy drumming support: Martin appeals to NDP voters to vote Liberal. This is interesting, if you read the article Paul told NDP supporters that he and they shared the same core values. Yes, I can almost hear the NDP'ers rolling on the floor with laughter over that. Yes the NDP with its strong labour roots have much in common with the multi-millionaire owner of Bahamas, erm Liberia, ummm, Canada Steamship Lines. Paul is saying the parties shaer the same view of minority rights, well, that may be true, if we could ever figure out what Paul Martin does belive in, besides clinging to power. Memo to all NDP'ers out there: you share nothing with Paul Martin. Remember he's the guy who gutted the Health Care system. He's the guy who killed social housing. He's also one of the people that used taxpayer dollars for his buds in Quebec. You share nothing with him. Don't be fooled.

I don't think I'ver ever seen a politician so desperate as Paul Martin. He's losing, no he's lost. It's all but over Paul. The pain, well actually, part of the pain will be over on the 28th, although I think some more pain will be soon coming your way. If you listen real hard you can hear them sharpening their knives in Liberal backrooms across the nation. Paul, I would now begin to watch your back.

Now for the cat story. Let me say I like cats. I own a cat, but there are times they bug me. Yesterday I was sitting outside with my cat when he decided to go for a stroll. He went to the wood pile and sniffed around. It was then I saw him launch and grab something. Yes he decided to get in touch with his inner cat and grab a baby bird. Needless to say I went right after him and took it out of his mouth, the bird was a Blue Jay. The place exploded in noise and feathers, I picked up the little bird and was almost attacked by Jays. After some work the bird flew over the fence where the parent birds proceeds to squawk and bomb anything, including me, that moved. I kept an eye on the bird when I could and the Jays were in a very offensive mode. The bird stayed in the neighbour's yard for the night and I could see the parent birds were very occupied keeping an eye for any more predators. At one point, I saw them dive at another cat, who wasn't even near their bird.

When I woke up this morning I heard the Jays. When I let the cat out the Jays were very aggressive and so our cat was cowering on the back porch. I decided to see if I could find the little bird, I did, back on the woodpile, just looking at me. with the feel of feathers, wings and air in my hair, I was divebombed, I left the bird alone. At lunch the Jays and the young chick were gone, the adventure was over.


Peace

I've been reading the news today about the Fete-nationale celebrations in the Province of Quebec. It is interesting to consider how a party that calls themselves the party of Quebec continually blows it. If you remember the last referendum the Federal government under Chretien was so lackadasical about it they nearlu lost. If it wasn't for people like Jean Charest it would hàe gone the other way.

The Liberals response to this was to set up the policy of having a prominent presence in the province. This meant sponsoring sports shows & other shows. Of course the result of this was Adscan. The money that was supposed to show the flag ended up in the pockets of friends of the PM.

How did the feds respond to this? One cabinet minister shrugged it off as 'business as usual' in Quebec. So their response to scandel was to say corruption was the usual way in Quebec. The result? The potential is a Bloc sweep in the province. So the end result may be a rejuvinized separtist movement. I hope those companies enjoy the spoils because that money may cause all of us grief.

Thanks Chretien, this is your legacy. Paul, I hope you liked your stay at Sussex Drive, because its coming to an end.

Peace