Well, That Was Quick!

   It does seem like the month passed in the blink of an eye. But what a month it was! July came in like a lion, with torrential rain, in parts of the province 10 inches, over the Canada Day long weekend. That, in turn, brought flash flooding to many areas of both Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The damage from all that water is still being cleared, and a pricetag set on it.
   Many, many communities were hit hard by the rain, with Melville one of the hardest hit. Folks in that city were sandbagging furiously, trying to keep water from the local hospital and a care home. The mayor there says City Hall got water.
   And of course, all that water had to go somewhere. And that somewhere,  of course, was downstream into Manitoba. That entire province was put under a state of emergency, and the military was called in to help.
   In my province, more than 17 hundred claims have been filed with an agency that provides disaster relief funding, and more will come. More than a 3rd of that were in Yorkton. My wife and I got very lucky. We had no issues with either rain or sewage water in our house. Thousand and thousands of hectares of farmland was turned into lakes, and the loss in Canola alone could top 1 billion dollars.
   All that water has also meant a huge population boom for mosquitoes as well. Last time I went out to cut the lawn, I was greeted by a cloud of the pests.
   July is gone, and with it, half the summer! Lets hope August brings warm, drier weather.
   And a little known fact or 2 for you (if you didn't know already). July and August are both named after Roman Caesars. July after Julius, August after Augustus. Makes sense. And a little more trivia for you. We all know February has 28 days (29 in each leap year), and here's why.
   According to legend, when Julius had his month named after him, he took an extra day from February (which then had 30 days) so his month was the same length as December, January, March, May and October. Not to be outdone, Augustus also stole a day from February so his month was the same length as July.

TTFN

Taking Care Of The Crew

   It's Tuesday, and for no special reason, I decided to treat the morning crew at both radio stations. Just for the hell of it, I brought in chocolate chip muffins from Tim's.
   I think the gang enjoyed them. I know I did!

TTFN

It's Been A Bad Year For Them

   Mosquitoes are everywhere this year, and it's all thanks to the rain we've been having. Clouds of the little blood-suckers rise up and attack just about every time you set foot outdoors, and it seems not much keeps them at bay.
   Just this past week, I went out to cut the grass and was met by a cloud of the pests. I was wearing one of those mosquito repellant devices, but still they got through. I ended up having to go to the store and grab some "Deep Woods" formula stuff, which finally worked.
   I'm not one prone to being bitten by them, normally. But this year has been abnormal, and I've had countless bites. And summer isn't over yet!
   The other thing the water, and mosquito hatch, has brought out is dragonflies:

   They eat mosquito larvae and mosquitoes as well. And there are tonnes of them out there too! i just wish they'd do a bit better job munching and crunching their way through the clouds of 'skitters.
   In the meantime, I've stocked up on bug spray, repellant, citronella candles etc, just to try and enjoy the outdoors.

TTFN

No Longer AFK

   I'm back, and indeed no longer AFK (Away From Keyboard) Had a good week off, accomplished what I needed to, and didn't make it too far away from the couch! All in all, a good week.
   So, it's back to business as normal, with more to come later today.

TTFN

AFK

   Gamers out there will know that means Away From Keyboard, which is what I'm going to be for the next 10 days.
   I've got some time off to re-charge the batteries, and I won't be back until the 28th.
   Have a great week! I know I will.

TTFN. Well, at least 'til the 28th.

Even More Memories

   It might not seem like much, that boot print. In fact, it almost looks like it was taken this past winter after someone stepped in some slushy snow. But it isn't. It is, in fact, one of the pictures taken from the first ever landing on another celestial body. And it happened 45 years ago Sunday.
   It was July 20, 1969, when man walked on the surface of the moon. Neil Armstrong became the first. His words "that's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind" were beamed around the world. Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin stepped onto the surface a few minutes later, saying "magnificent desolation".
   And I remember it well. It was storming on that summer Sunday, and I was 13 year old, and glued to the (black and white) T.V with my father. I remember the lunar module descending, and just before it touched down, lightning hit a transformer in the area, knocking out the power. Luckily, it came on just in time for us to find out the astronauts touched down safely.
   Then came the opening of the LM, and Armstrong walking down the ladder and into history:

   They didn't stay on the surface long as they gathered rocks and moon-dust to bring back. They also deployed scientific instruments, some of which are still apparently working and being used. They, they climbed back into their tiny craft, blasted off, linked up with Michael Collins, who remained in orbit, and several days later returned to earth, fulfilling slain president John Kennedy's wish to have a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
   It total, just 12 men would leave their mark on the moon, and just 27 would orbit it before the Apollo program was scrapped.
   The first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, died in August 2012 at 82. Aldrin is now 84, and Collins is 83. Their footprints should last on the moon's surface for thousands, perhaps millions, of years.

TTFN

More Memories

   O-kay, I'll admit it. I'm not the most organized person. Especially when it comes to my home office. My idea of filing is just to simply A): Put it on my computer desk, B): Put it somewhere on my bookshelf or C): Shove it in a closet, and shut the door. My wife had been asking several times for me to clear away the clutter, and I finally did.
   And that's when I found the album above. I knew I hadn't thrown it out, but stashed it somewhere, only to have it turn up years ago in Regina, and again when we moved to Yorkton
   For those who don't know who he is, Reggie "Sweet Daddy" Siki was, in fact, a professional wrestler way back in the day when there were several territories, and not just one or 2 huge conglomerates like the WWE, WCW or ECW.
   I remember watching Siki wrestle in the old Stampede Wrestling shows growing up in Calgary. Stampede Wrestling was run by Stu Hart, who is the father of former WWE superstar Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and the late Owen Hart. I'm not sure what the actual size of Stampede Wrestling's territory was, but I know it was headquartered in Calgary, and went into B.C and parts of Manitoba along with Alberta.
   And, being a fan at the time, when I saw this album in the store, I grabbed it. And you know what? Siki could sing! Sure, it's country, and they're all cover songs, some of Hank Williams, but he could belt them out quite well.
   Flash forward some 30 years to my stint in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It was the mid '90's, and one of the stations had a half hour long public affairs type program which we were all required to contribute to. One day, I managed to track Sweet Daddy down in Toronto, and got a 5 minute feature. He was still singing, but had switched to the blues and rock by then.
   Now 74, Siki was running a karaoke bar in T.O. But I'll always remember him from Stampede Wrestling when I was a kid.
   And by the way, I've started keeping my home office a little more organized.

TTFN

Ahh, The Memories

   And they came flooding back during our Secret Garden Tour stop in Indian Head. Woolco department stores haven't been seen in Canada since Walmart bought out the Canadian assets in 1994. They didn't have a very long run either, having been formed in 1962.
   So, why the trip down memory lane? Simple. The very first job I ever had was in the mens wear department in one of the stores in Calgary. 42 years ago. Of course back then, mens wear was a sub-lease to Woolco by Jack Fraser, I think it was.
   And it was during my 2nd stint at a different store in Calgary I met the woman who became my wife. I was in sporting goods, she was in pets and plants. That is now some 32 years ago. I also remember having many, many meals at the Red Grille and/or Strawberry Street. They were the in store restaurants
   So, yeah. Seeing the old, weather beaten bench in Indian Head did bring back a flood of memories. Hell, I even remember $1.44 days (which I hated because of all the price changes). I believe it was the first Monday of the month, although I'm likely well wrong. And I also sort of remember part of the old jingle from TV ad's: Woolco. Double "U", Double "O" L C O.
   Funny how something as mundane as a bench can open the memory flood gates.

TTFN

On Tour

   I'm the first to  admit it. I'm not a gardener, or really that much of a fan of flowers etc. But my wife is. For the past 7 years, her and several of her friends have gone on what's called the "Secret Garden Tour" in Regina. It's a fundraiser put on by a dance academy, and basically people open up their backyards to let others see just how does their garden grow.
   In the past, there have been some gardens outside Regina that were included, but this year, there were 3. In Indian Head, about 55 km east of the city. This was one of the gardens we visited there, and probably the best on the entire tour:

   Not that the others were nothing but weed patches. Far from it. It's just that this was the only garden that rated a "Shut Up!" from the ladies I chauffeured Saturday. Apparently, "Shut Up!" is the highest praise they give to a garden.
   The last stop on our tour was interesting, even to an admitted non-gardener, for the design in the front yard:

   Having said already my wife loves to garden, she ran into a few problems this year, which prevented her from going all-out. Still, with the limited resources (and the poor spring we had) she came up with what I feel is a great effort:

 

   I'm sure when we get the yard a bit nicer next year, her garden will get a "Shut Up!" rating as well.

TTFN

Still Getting Spam

   Despite the fact that the federal government brought in new anti-spam laws (see my blog of July 2), my in-box at work is still being inundated with unwanted emails from groups/individuals I have never signed up for. Things like the examples below:



You probably think that it's too late to shed your winter-LB's you gained before you bust out your bikini, tank tops, and hit the beach. THAT'S ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE.
No need to fear, you can rid 1LB-a-day with "The Doctors" method that worked for Oprah and everyone else who has tried.
Oprah's Top Tip Of 2014 (now Posted)
It Involves----
--NO going to a grimy gym
--NO Starvation or food restrictions

Lasik Special -

Sick of waking up and looking for your glasses?

Want to be able to see clear as soon as you open you eyes?

Thats what I wanted, and heres how i got it ....

See Clear: http://www.smokywool.com/lasik/special/july.index

299 per eye in July -

Complimentary Evaluation

I went in tired of wearing glasses for 20 years, And walked out with 20/20 Vision.

 
   So, 2 weeks after the feds announced the crack-down, I'm still getting this stuff. It's almost as ineffective as their much vaunted "do not call" list for telemarketers of years ago. And in a lot of these circumstances even when you try and hit the "unsubscribe" link, it won't let you do it.
   And if that's not bad enough, when I mark some emails as junk, they keep popping up in my in-box.
   C'mon Ottawa! Lets get tough on these spammers.

TTFN

It's Over

   And for the 4th time, and first since 1990, Germany has won the World Cup. They did it by beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was a better match than the Argentine-Netherlands semi that went to a penalty kick shootout to decide, with Germany more or less dominating the pitch.
   The real story, of course, is the melt-down of the host country, which was one of the favourites going into the tournament. Not only were they drubbed 7-1 by Germany in their semi-final, but they also lost the 3rd place game 3-0 to the Netherlands.
   After dropping both those matches with an aggregate 10-1, the finger pointing has started. And it has already apparently ended at Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. The Brazilian Football Confederation is apparently going to fire him. At least according to one TV report.
   So, another 4 years must pass before the next World Cup, which will be held in Russia. At least the players shouldn't have to worry about the heat and humidity like they did in some Brazilian cities in this tournament.

TTFN

At Least The Day Will Go Fast

   And it's because I'm a one-man band this morning. In addition to my regular GX94 morning nrews run, I'm doing sports (something I was used to doing in my days in Regina), plus the morning news on our sister station, Fox FM. Again, it's nothing I haven't done before, but it does mean extra work to be sure.
   It all boils down to preparation, and how far in advance I can work on material for both stations. Again, it's nothing I haven't done in the past. In fact, I work well ahead on newscasts so I'm not rushing with just a few minutes to go before I'm on-air.
   It will mean a little more running around, but I could use the exercise!
   And I only have myself to 'blame' for this. I suggested that (if need be) I could do both morning runs. And it's just for one day only.
   Speaking of running to get on-air.....

TTFN

The Final Is Set

   And it was Argentina over Netherlands 4-2 on penalty kicks after neither could penetrate the others defenses in 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of additional time. Compared to the Germany, Brazil game Tuesday, this one seemed lackluster on the surface. It wasn't on the pitch, even despite the lack of scoring.
   As mentioned, both teams were evenly matched, perhaps a bit too evenly, and no one could score, despite some good chances on both sides.
   So the final 2 games are set for this weekend, with the Dutch:

   Against Brazil:

   Saturday in the 3rd place game. A game I will miss. I'm going to be in Regina at an event my wife has been looking forward to for a year, planning for months, and tickets bought in May. And since she doesn't drive, I will be the chauffeur. Every year, one of the dance academies in Regina has what they call the "secret garden" tour as a fundraiser.
   Basically, people volunteer to open their backyard gardens to the public to showcase what they've done. It runs the gamut from people just starting out, to homes where professionals take care of everything. I myself don't know the difference between a gladiola and zinnia, but my wife does. So, that's where I'll be.
   On Sunday, I will be glued to the T.V for the Germany

   Argentina

    Final match. Now, I just have to decide who to cheer for.

TTFN

PS: Just a quick note of interest. The match will be watched by Popes from the 2 nations this Sunday (after Mass, of course). Former Pope Benedict XVI is German. Pope Francis 1 is Argentinian. The Vatican has not said if the 2 will watch the match together.

A Soccer Shocker

   It was Germany over Brazil 7-1 in semi-final play at the World Cup. The beautiful game was played in a city who's name translates to "Beautiful Horizon", Belo Horizonte, but it was an ugly outcome for the host nation.
   In baseball or hockey, a 7-1 scoreline is embarrassing. In football (soccer), it's almost unheard of. More so, because Brazil was one of the teams favored to with the whole shebang. But then Germany came storming in wearing the red and black and notched 5 goals in the first 30 minutes of the game, and getting the other 2 in the 2nd half. In that spate of goals, Miroslav Klose became the player scoring the most goals in World Cup history, getting his 16th. Brazilian superstar Ronaldo had been the leader with 15.
   Watching Brazil implode in that game was painful, even though they're not the team I am supporting. The defense was lackluster, and the usual sharp goaltending of Julio Cesar was dull. There was one moment of redemption for Brazil, if you can call it that. They scored their only goal in the final minute of play.
   So now Germany awaits the outcome of today's semi between Netherlands and Argentina in Sunday's final. I'm almost willing to bet today's game will not be another blowout.

TTFN

That's A Lot Of Bull

   Especially when several of them are coming at you on a torrent of hooves, horns and ornery bovine. It's the annual "running of the bulls" in Pamplona, Spain where several bulls are released, and people literally dodge death avoiding them. And although this is the first day of the festival, 4 people have been gored.
   I understand why people do it. For the rush. I'll be the first to admit I'm not much of a thrill seeker, so having several 2 thousand pound ticked off mad cows stampeding in my direction is not on my bucket list.
   The festival, according to some records, goes back to 1215, and was immortalised in Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises" novel in 1926.
   It's true I like my steak on the rare side, but not so rare to be thundering down a narrow street directly at me!

TTFN

Still Watching The Flood Situation

   Even though we've had a few days of sunny, hot, drier weather, flooding is still a major concern in our area. In Saskatchewan this weekend, more than 70 communities were under local states of emergency. The provincial government will be setting up response centers around the province to help flood victims, by giving them aid they need.
   One was set up in Melville Friday after flooding last week caused major damage (see picture), while others will be set up in Yorkton, Esterhazy and other areas. The good news is the water is going down. The bad news is there's going to be a lot of damage to repair, and there's a lot of farmland under water.
   In Manitoba, Prime Minister Stephan Harper toured flood stricken areas, including Brandon, where the first crest of flood water rolled through this weekend. Luckily for that city, the water wasn't as high as it was in 2011. Another crest is due later this week, but officials expect it will be lower that the one this weekend.
   When it comes to the cost of cleaning up, in Saskatchewan, premier Brad Wall figures it could be around 360 million dollars, and he's hoping to get a 100 million advance from the Feds. On his part, the Prime Minister says aside from what's currently available for disaster relief, neither Saskatchewan or Manitoba can expect much more money from Ottawa.
   I count myself as extremely fortunate. I've been checking every day, sometimes twice, for signs of water incursion into our home. So far, we're dry.

TTFN

Happy 4th!

   A very Happy Independence Day this July 4th to all my American viewers! Have a great, and safe, long weekend!

TTFN

Shame It Fails In Practice

   Just an update on yesterday's post about the new anti-spam measures that supposedly took effect July 1st. If this is an indication, they don't work. This is just one of several spam emails I've had in just the past 2 days:

[Good Housekeeping]

Want to know what really works to get thin?

-------------------------------------------------

You probably feel guilty when you overeat. Guess what?

You don't have to feel that way.

You want to do something  but you have lack of motivation. This will give you the boost to drop 22 LB's without changing what you eat. In fact you DO NOT even have to spend time in the gym.

Oprah is a prime example - [The doctors explain how this is possible] She just melted away 17LB: 

   So at first blush, it does not seem to be effective, at least with internationally generated spam.

TTFN

Great Idea, In Theory

   In Canada, new anti-spam laws took effect yesterday, with the federal government hoping to cut back on the amount of spam people get in their in-boxes. What it meant, was businesses and organizations had to send out what amounted to a confirmation consent form to allow them to keep sending you e-mails.
   According to the feds, "The intent of the anti-spam legislation is to deter the most damaging and deceptive forms of spam that impact Canadians and Canadian businesses." And that's fine as far as it goes. But, at least so far, it doesn't go far enough. While it's true that a communication can't be sent unless implied consent is given, there's still a 3 year gap where businesses etc can get express consent from former clients and/or customers. The upside is you can now report spam.
   Looking at my in-box at work today, I've noticed spam email dealing with weight loss, personal finance scores, and 3 exact messages about marijuana approval in the U.S. None of which I want, but most of which I'll still be getting over the next 3 years. At least at first blush. And the reason is the source is off-shore, be it the States, Nigeria or China.
   It's those emails I'm looking forward to never seeing again.

TTFN

What A Mess

   That was the scene outside the hospital in Melville, Saskatchewan this morning, taken by GX94 Sports Director Benny Walchuk. The hospital had to be evacuated after a weekend of excessively heavy rain dumped up to 240 millimeters, or 9+ inches, of rain on parts of our province and Manitoba.
   The dam at the reservoir in that city has apparently held, but a helicopter is being brought in to overfly it.
   Yorkton, where I live, was hit hard as well with 110 mm of rain through the weekend. Our mayor says 50% of the homes here have had some form of water damage, either sewer back-ups or seepage. Storm drain systems across the region are overtaxed due to the rain.
   Several highways have been closed and are impassable on both sides of the boundary.
   Ironically, it was 4 years ago to the day today Yorkton was hit by major flooding after a torrential storm. Some of the measures taken after that event to prevent future flooding did work, including drainage basins, which helped mitigate flooding in several homes and businesses.
   And while we are supposed to be in for sunny, hotter weather, that too poses potential problems in the form of possible thunderstorms as the moist air gets heated.
   As for when it's going to dry out.....right now, that's a mystery. But it is going to be days, if not weeks, before things in southeast Saskatchewan and southwest Manitoba return to any semblance of normal.

TTFN