Spring Has Finally Sprung!

   It's not like the snow has melted, or we're enjoying temperatures of 18 or anything just yet, but last night my wife and I saw the surest sign ever that winter's over, and spring has arrived.
   We didn't see a jack-rabbit who had turned all brown yet. We didn't see a robin. We didn't see a flight of geese returning from the south after the long winter.
   No.
   What we saw was this

   Transition to this

   Yup! Someone took the snowmobile out of the back of their pick-up and put a dirt bike in the bed instead.
   So, spring can't be too far away now.

TTFN

Ramping Up The Rhetoric Part 2

   I was amused to say the least by the comments flying between two of Canada's provincial Premiers recently.
   This past weekend, separatist Parti Quebecois premier Pauline Marois:

     Called Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall a "weasel" always trying to trip her up, in comments tweeted by a Quebec journalist.
   Saskatchewan's premier

  Laughed the whole thing off, then told reporters in French (after consulting French translating app), that he only tries to trip up the opposition in Saskatchewan.
   I find it amusing that in the latest public opinion poll on popularity, the premier of Quebec was languishing in the middle of the pack, while Wall remains the most popular in Canada.
   I also was amused by Wall saying he has no ill will towards his Quebec counterpart and looks forward to working with her at an upcoming premiers get-together, depending on what Quebec people say about it, as they get set to go to the polls early next month.
   Wall also added he'll work with all the premiers, including Marois. If she's re-elected. Polls show it's likely the P.Q will form government again.

TTFN

Ramping Up The Rhetoric

   The "tit for tat" between Canada and Russia over the situation in Ukraine continues to simmer along, with the occasional bubble of trouble billowing to the surface.
   Canada banned several Russian officials after that country's excursion into the Crimean peninsula, and today Russia fired right back, banning 13 lawmakers and officials, including Speaker of the House of Commons Andrew Scheer

   Mr Scheer just happens to be the M.P for the Regina-Qu'Appelle riding, which also happens to include towns like Balcarres and Abernethy. I've known Andrew for years, in fact since he was first elected in 2004. He was even a guest of mine on more than one occasion when I hosted a radio talk-show in Regina, but that was before he was named Speaker.
   There are other names on the "list of 13", including Conservative Ted Opitz, Liberal Irwin Cotlerand the NDP's Paul Dewar. Not surprisingly, national president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Paul Grod is also on the list.
   Will this escalate? Who knows. I know I'll be watching the developments.

TTFN

Winter Is Finally Over

   It's true! Spring finally arrives (arrived) at 10:57 a.m Saskatchewan time this morning. And I couldn't be happier after the long, snowy and brutally cold winter we've had. The only problem now is the much warmer weather we associate with the change in seasons could still be weeks away.
   And people in many parts of the province will be hard pressed to actually believe Spring has Sprung. There's freezing rain warnings out for some areas, while the Southwest corner of the province could be blanketed by 15 cm of snow. And that ain't all. The temperature will tumble once again, down to -22 later this week.
   But despite all that, just as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, warmer days are ahead.
   Happy Spring everyone!

TTFN

The Mystery Of Malaysia Air Flight MH 370

   Who doesn't know about this mystery. A Boeing 7-77 with 239 people on board takes off from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia more than a week ago bound for Beijing China and disappears. Vanishes from radar, no flight data information from transponders on the aircraft. Nothing. No wreckage has been found yet. Not even an oil slick.
   And, of course, the speculation about why the plane went missing has been rampant. Several reports suggest a hijacking. Others suggest one or both of the pilots intentionally crashed the plane. Still others say the flight turned back with the communication system disabled.
   But there was one very compelling scenario put forward by a pilot with 20 years flying Class-1 multi-engine planes. He believes Flight 370 suffered a fire of some kind (likely electrical) which lead the pilot to do what he was trained to do. Find the nearest airport and land. The author goes on to say the left turn the plane made would have taken them to a safe haven airport. He also says if it was an electrical fire, the crew may have been forced to pull fuses on the data transmitters to try and stop it, and that smoke from such an event could have eventually incapacitated them. He goes on to say the plane would have carried on until fuel ran out.
   An interesting theory, and certainly believable.
   The truth may come out eventually, if they ever find the plane.

TTFN

Going Green

   It's St. Paddy's Day, and that means going green:

   I brought my Lucky Charms, Pot o' Gold and darn near everything green I could get my hands on. The glasses have flashing lights in them, and they darn near made me hallucinate. I also think that was a little too much, but that's my opinion. I did wear a shamrock bow-tie, which is hard to see in the sea of green.
   Why? Well, simple. I've already "dressed up" as a zombie for Halloween, and donned the kilt for Robbie Burns Day.
   And in the spirit of St. Paddy's Day, this will help you find out what your Leprechaun name is. Mine is "Wooly McSpud"

TTFN

Mission Concluded

   The Canadian Flag was ceremoniously lowered today in Kabul, Afghanistan marking the end of our military operation in the war torn nation. It was a low-key event held under heavy security, marking the end of more than 12 years of military involvement there.
   Commando's hunting for Osama bin-Laden were the first troops on the ground, arriving in late 2001. After that, 40 thousand military personnel rotated through different campaigns. That included our 5 year combat mission in Kandahar.
   The mission came with a cost. 158 members of the Canadian military were killed there, as was a diplomat, one journalist and 2 civilian contractors.
   The end of the military mission doesn't mean the end of Canada's involvement. Our ambassador there says the country will remain engaged in Afghanistan and the focus will be on helping build the ruined nation's economy, particularly in the resource sector.

TTFN