Grandma is 89 and still drives. In a letter to her grand-daughter, she writes: "The other day I went to our local Christian book store                       and saw a "Honk If You Love Jesus" bumper sticker.  I was feeling particularly sassy that day because I had just come from a thrilling choir performance followed by a thunderous prayer meeting. So I bought the sticker and put it on my bumper. Boy, am I ever glad I did; what an uplifting         experience that followed! I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection, just lost in thought, and hadn't noticed that the light had changed. It's a good think that someone else loves Jesus, because                if he hadn't honked, I'd never have noticed.                                    I found that's lots of people love Jesus!  W... 05/21/2009

 Last week, the Cookie Monster came to town in Ottawa, and in an impromptu stop stop at an Ottawa bakery,           he stopped, much to the chagrin of secret service personnel,                        and did a "walk-about" to buy cookies.  Barak decided on a recent visit to Ottawa, to "drop" in on the Moulin de Provence bakery to buy some cookies for his daughters. Obviously, he had some previous knowledge of these cookies. He came in, unannounced and said, " I understand you have Canadian cookies, in the shape of a maple leaf". Well, he bought a few, and mingled witht he staff and did a few photo ops, and everyone was thrilled. Of course, now business at the bakery has gone nuts! Previously, they were selling 200-250 a week; now they're working overtime to keep up with orders of 2000 a... 05/19/2009

                                       Every year, hundreds of Canadian "east-coasters", from Labrador and Nova Scotia, take to the ice to participate in the annual seal hunt. Why, I am at a loss to understand. The hunt is not supported by the DFO, (Department of Fisheries and Oceans), and it certainly isn't supported by the majority of Canadians. There is no market for seal products, and recently, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to ban Canadian seal products. A few years ago, a pelt fetched over $100; today they're lucky to get $15. It's so bad, many sealers stayed home this year. The entire Canadian sealing industry is worth perhaps, 16 million dollars, so why bother? Recently, a few politicians, (east coast of course), suggested incorporating seal skins into the athletes... 05/19/2009

As senses become impaired, animals play a key role. For years now animals have played        a role assisting people. Most people                 are aware about so called "seeing eye" dogs,                           one I had never heard about is "hearing dogs".                           The Lions Foundation of Canada has for the past 26 years been providing trained assistance dogs to the hearing impaired. They also provide dogs for the blind and people with other disabilities.    For some reason, they know not why, smaller breeds such as Jack Russels lend themselves to "hearing dog" roles better than other breeds. They are easily trained to listen for alarm clocks, smoke detectors, sirens, appliances turning on and off and door bells. The other dog they've had great success with is th... 05/19/2009

 This is Gordon Pell, one of the geniuses at the Royal Bank of Scotland. He is the last surviving member of the board who presided over the bank's ill-fated decision to take over Dutch bank ABN. This little mis-step cost R.B.S 36.4 billion (USD) It was just announced that Mr. Peel will retire with an annual pension of $780,000! (USD) How's that for compensation for a job well done? Who, pray tell, sets these ridiculous compensation packages? I guess corporate greed knows no boundaries! 05/19/2009

I belong to the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, (FVREB), the 6th largest in Canada. Our board requires our members to take a minimum      number of professional development courses             every 2 years. It's a condition of getting                   your license renewed. No courses-                                   no re-licensing-no exception. When you stop and think about it, it's not a bad idea. Imagine going to a doctor who interned 20 years ago and never took another bit of training to keep up all the latest techniques, drugs and medical advances? How comfortable would you be with that? Same thing with us. We're professionals and we need to be constantly upgrading our skills. Recently our board received from the     Canadian Real Estate Assocaiation, (CREA),         the "Ethi... 05/18/2009

Today, I managed for the first time this year, to get out and play a round of golf. I was alone, so I got put in with another threesome, a fifty-ish man and his 30 year old son and this georgeous woman in her 40's.       Everyone played reasonably well, but she was phenomenal. She consistantly drove down the middle of the fairway and had a good short game.  On the 18th tee, she blasted a huge shot and chipped to within 30 feet of the hole. It was a tough putt, downhill and breaking all over the place. She said, "If I make this putt, it will be the first time I'll have broken 70. If ANYONE came explain how to drop this shot, we'll have dinner at my place, a hot tub and drinks, and... play it by ear." The father and son team, both went into long explanations about the break in the grass, ... 05/17/2009

This just in: Dateline: Afghanistan  This is the zoo in Kabul, Afghanistan.          It's war-ravaged, filthy, and most of the animals are dead.                      But the real story here is Afghanistan's only known pig. A pig is a curiosity in Muslim Afghanistan,           where pork and pork products are illegal                     because they are considered irreligious.                                 Because of fears of swine flu, "Omar"                             here, has been put into quarantine. Humanitarian efforts are under way from organizations in the west to find a companion for him to help pass his time in stir. At press time, 3 candidates had been short-listed.                                               The Active Rain community can help out by voting for their fav... 05/17/2009

 It has been suggested that because of the tri-lateral trade agreement, (NAFTA), between Canada, Mexico and the United States, the borders to the north and south of the U.S. should be treated equally. I disagree. Canada and the U.S. have always had a special relationship which does not include Mexico. Canada and the United States both have long-running democracies. We have a history of going to war together against a common enemy. Today, our troops fight side by side in Afghanistan.   Janet Napolitano, United States Secretary of Homeland Security, has suggested Canada and the States don't have a "special" relationship. I beg to differ. The relationship between Canada and the United States has been special for many generations. Together, we have prospered with the advent of the St. Lawre... 05/12/2009

It was predictable. You knew it was going to happen...        ....Chrysler in chapter 11 and GM not far behind.                      And the people at Ford are looking like geniuses. The secret to Ford's success is not what it's done, but when. Almost 3 years ago when the banks still had an appetite for debt, Ford leveraged everything and put the money in the bank.  The 103 year old icon isn't out of the woods yet. While they have over 5 billion in net assets, they are bleeding about one million dollars a month. They shed luxury models Jaguar & Aston Martin and it may be enough to get them through. What I don't understand though, is why should a company that has shown good stewardship, have to compete on an uneven playing field with GM and Chrysler, who stay in business on government h... 05/12/2009

Some of you I am sure have seen the movie "Flyboys". This was pretty closely based on a true story. The Lafayette Esadrille was formed in 1916. Made up mostly of American volunteers, the hope was the French could convince America to give up its neutrality and join the war effort.     These pilots were reckless and daring and eleven of them became aces. In total, they racked up 159 kills and the squadron amassed 31 Croix de guerre, 7 Medailles militaires  and 4 Legions d'honneur. They were all apparently, party animals and could not be controlled-nor did anyone try very hard.  As long as they were playing havoc with the enemy, who really cared they did off duty? The squadron shown below, had two members who later acquired additional fame in another role. What, may you ask does a ship hav... 05/12/2009

 Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security, recently said in an interview that BOTH borders, Mexico and Canada, need to be beefed up equally. I contend that the border to the south and north of the U.S are not at relative parity. We don't have hundreds of thousands of Canadians risking body and soul to break into the States illegally. We don't have 6000 people being shot to death every year in our border towns over a drug trade which is at epic proportions. I think there is more than a little hypocrasy going on here.          America is one of the greatest countries on the planet.                     They put a man on the moon and have been a world                                  leader in all matters innovative. It seems to me                                               that ... 05/11/2009

 Could anyone out there tell me where this woman came from...and what is on? This is Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security. In a recent interview, she reiterated the view that terrorists,                (including the perpetrators of 9/11), routinely enter the                              United States through Canada.  This prompted Michael Wilson, Canada's ambassador to the United States, to set the record straight again. (For the unpteenth time!) The 9/11 commission reported in 2004, that ALL the 9/11 terrorists arrived in the U.S. from outside North America. And they entered the U.S. with documents issued by the U.S. government. When confronted with this news, Napolitano's handlers said she "misunderstood" the question. And to make matters worse, some of the terrorists too... 05/11/2009

 You know them; every office has them. THE ENERGY VAMPIRES. Their life is a train wreck and all they want to do is complain;  AND they need an audience. And they suck the life out of you. Getting into polite conversation is useless. Within nano-seconds they turn the conversation around to tell you how crappy their lives are. And, after 10 minutes of this abuse, I'm looking longingly at the nearest bridge.       This behaviour I can equate to having a nest of rats                ferreting around in the attic. A little pest control is                               needed otherwise the roof is going to cave in. Getting rid of a pack of rats is no easy matter. A lot of firmness is required and being bluntly honest. Eventually, they go away in search of their next meal. 05/10/2009

No, not this! This is a gerkin. Gerkhas are people from Nepal. The British tried to overtake the Gurkhas in the 1800's, but they were no match. Having beaten the British, the Gurkhas let them live, because, they were brave. That led to Britain recruiting these warriors for the British army, where they served for over 200 years. They were fierce fighters and were never without their "kukri", a curved, razor-sharp knife (that played havoc), with an opponent. There are countless stories about these guys slithering through grass on their stomachs and taking the legs off an ememy before they knew what hit them. These are the fiercest fighters on the planet-bar none! Over time, they accumulated every military medal to be had, including 26 Victoria Crosses-the highest honour attainable! There ... 05/10/2009

I have HAD, one of those Canon five in one machines, the one that photo copies, scans, faxes, prints and makes coffee. You know the ones. The other day, I spotted a message in the window that said, "INK ABSORBER IS FULL". So, I went to my manual, and there is nothing there              about an Ink Absorber. This prompted a call to Canon.                             The conversation went along these lines. (I got this operator with an aggravating nasally voice.) Canon-"Good afternoon; Canon, how may I help you?" Me-"I'm getting a message that says Ink Absorber is full". Canon-"Yes, that's right. It happens after about 2 years" Me-"So what is it?" Canon-"It's an absorber behind the print head that soaks up excess ink". Me-"So how do I fix it? There's nothing in the manual". Canon-"You ca... 05/10/2009

For those of you who fish or surf off the west coast of Vancouver Island, this may be of interest. Recently, a small commercial fishing boat looking for dogfish,  hooked into a really big one. This thing only fought for about 15 minutes and eventually came alongside where crew managed to put a rope on the tail.                     The fish took off, towing the 42 foot boat backwards at 7 knots. It started taking on water. This went on for an hour and eventually the fish drowned.   Final tally on the catch? 1035 LBS! That's a lot of sushi. (Yes, it's a Great White shark!) I've seen Seven Gill sharks while diving off Vancouver Island but never a Great White. Don't get me wrong. I like sharks and I've dove with them around me. The Great White is the only one I don't trust. They're unpredic... 05/06/2009

Racism is alive and well in Keswick, Ontario. A fight broke out the school gymnasium the other day when a white kid made a racial slur towards a Korean student.   Not content with the slur, he punched the Korean kid in the mouth. Now, what the assailant did not know is that the Korean has a black belt in tae kwon do. His father had always taught him to not fight back in anger, but rather in self defence, AND, only with the left hand. In a blink, the left came forward and broke the     kids nose. One of them was suspended. Guess which one?                                              The school principal has recommended in a letter                                that the boy not only be expelled from                                           Keswick H.S., but from all schools in         ... 05/04/2009

Recently, I wrote a blog on my youngest daughter-the marathon runner. This one's about my eldest daughter-the stylist. Hey, I'm a proud father, so indulge me.  Catherine does not work at a CUT-6 salon, she works at one of the top salons in B.C., "Hennessey's Spa and Salon", and she has a        "monied" clientelle who are very loyal to her. This is the link to her salon. (Hey, she's my daughter, so I give her a plug, and anyways, it's my blog). http://www.hennesseysalonspa.com/                   (Just before Christamas, she slipped on the ice and broke                            her arm in 2 places and was off for 4 months. Half her clients waited                                      until  she got back to get their hair done). That's loyalty! She tells me she invests heavily into her t... 05/04/2009

I did my first blog on January 20th, 2009. It was lame, and as I look back on it, I would love to erase it. But that's the learning curve I guess.   First off, I have a bone to pick with my managing broker, Liz Moras, who got me into blogging in the first place.                                                         She created an addict! My day starts at 5:30 AM reading papers, both on-line and in hard copy, reading news and gleaning little tit-bits for yet another blog. By 7 AM, I've written 2 more and responded to 10 other posts; if I don't do it, it bothers me all day. I've had some success stories though.....                                                   Ed Fox, a guy I never met before, but part of our network, gave me his entire "Expiry Campaign". He didn't ask a thing! Laur... 05/03/2009