January's Finally Over

   Maybe I'm just getting older, but it seems January lasted forever. I know it's got 31 days, like March, May, July, August, October and December, but time sure seems to crawl in January.
   It didn't help this year when wave after wave of Polar Vortexes blanketed most of the North American continent, plunging temperatures and windchills way down. It also doesn't help when January is the "darkest" month of the year. Even though the solstice is December 21st, we don't get to see much of Mr. Sun during the month.
   At least we made it through, and can now look forward to February, the shortest month of the year. And let's also hope the groundhog doesn't see his shadow, meaning an early end to winter (even though his prognostication really doesn't mean a whole lot).

TTFN

It Was A Day To Remember

   Indeed it was. It was January 29, 2006, 72 miners were trapped underground at the Mosaic K-2 Potash mine near Esterhazy after a fire in a pipeline. It took 30 hours for crews to put the fire out, get the smoke cleared and bring several miners who headed for refuge shelters back up.
   There were no injuries. In the aftermath, a lot of attention was paid to the operation, specifically just what had gone right.
   I remember that Sunday night very well. I was working in Regina when I got the call saying the workers were trapped. I went back to the radio station, and stayed there all night providing updates every hour. I also took part in the half-hourly conference calls mine officials held to update us all.
   The story, of course, went international with particular focus from the U.S, where a coal mine fire that happened before the Esterhazy incident killed several miners.
   Everyone was glad to say the least that all the workers at K-2 got out safe and sound.


TTFN

"Issues"

   And I've been having a lot of them. For some reason or other, I've been unable (until now) to update this blog. In fact, I've been getting some funky error message whenever I tried to log on.
   But thanks to our technical wizard Kyle, the situation has been resolved. Kyle did tell me that there's an issue with compatibility with the blog host and some Explorer updates. Something like that, which makes me very glad indeed we have guys like Kyle who can fix them.
   So, look forward to more posts in the not too distant future.


TTFN

Butt Out

   This is national non-smoking week in Canada, and each province is running an event to try and get people to kick the habit.
   In Saskatchewan, health officials are targeting school kids with the anti tobacco message by having grade 6 to 12 students view international non-smoking ads, voice their opinion and even vote on their favourite one. They have until the end of April to do it.
   In Manitoba, officials are looking for people willing to quit in March.
   The question is, do these campaigns actually work? Most health officials will tell you 'yes', they do work. And up to a point, they do. But if you're trying to get kids to either kick the habit or not start at all I sometimes wonder if the message gets through.
   As a former smoker, I can attest to the fact that smoking is very, very addictive and habit forming. I can also attest to the fact that quitting is very, very hard. Not the simple action of getting rid of cigarettes etc, but the actual effort needed to kep from lighting up again. It took me more than a few attempts to kick them for good, but I eventually did. In 1999. And I've been tobacco free since.
   Am I sorry I got started? Of course. When I think of the money that literally went up in smoke, let alone the health issues (I've got COPD), yes. It would have been much better had I never had those first few puffs on those Lucky Strike cigarettes a friend gave me to try more than 40 years ago. But it is what it is.

TTFN

Sold!

   Well done Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed. Nearly half a million dollars was raised for the Children's Hospital of Saskatchewan when Simmons sold his customized 1956 Ford F-100 pick-up at the Barrett Jackson auction in Arizona Friday. In total, 450 thousand dollars was raised. Well done!

TTFN

Hiroo Onoda

   You've probably never heard of Hiroo Onoda, but he made the history books. He was one of the last Japanese Imperial Soldier to surrender in the Second World War. He was posted to the Philippines in 1944, and died at age 91 this week. What sets Onoda-san apart from all other veterans is when he surrendered. It wasn't in 1945 after the unconditional surrender of the Japanese Armed Forces. It was in 1974.
   He somehow hid in the jungle for 29 years, undetected with 3 other soldiers. During that time, they did several guerrilla raids, killed some 30 Filipino's and even had a shootout with police.
   It wasn't until he met with a former commander who rescinded an order given in 1945 to stay put and spy on American troops did he surrender.
   Surprisingly, he still had his uniform, a functioning rifle with 500 rounds of ammunition, several hand grenades, a sword and a dagger. And apparently, all were in good shape.
   Despite the fact he took part in raids that killed people, and engaged in shootouts with police, Onoda never served jail time. In fact, he was pardoned by then Filipino president Ferdinand Marcos.
   An interesting historical sideline.

TTFN

Did You Watch?

   American Idol is back for a 13th season, and again with changes to the judging panel. Gone are Nikki Minaj and Mariah Carey. Back is Jennifer Lopez, who joins Keith Urban and Harry Connick Junior.
   The show has been struggling the past few years, with the number of viewers down sharply from past seasons. It's not the top rated show anymore. In fact, "The Voice" beat them for entertainment/reality shows last year.
   I will (not for the first time) NOT be watching. In fact, the only season I did watch was season 2, which was enough for me. In my view, it's become nothing more than karaoke night in America, with almost interchangeable contestants. And I'm sure the producers are just crying all the way to the bank with my decision.
   Another big reason I didn't watch is the fact that right now, I don't have cable TV right now. A service provider will be doing that at the end of this month. But I still won't be watching, along with an awful lot of other people. Even so, enough fans are still turning in to maintain the entertainment Juggernaut for at least a few more seasons.
   One very big plus this year is a 15 year old singer who auditioned this week. Tristan Langley made it through to the next round of the competition, even though only 2 judges voted for him. Tristan is the son of Nikki McKibbin, who finished third on season one.

TTFN