Life's Business, Travel Destinations, Family and Reflection

Six Steps to Thoughtful Wooden Handcrafted Gifts That Are Fun to Make and a Joy to Give

2009-01-25T09:25:00.001-05:00

Woodworking and handcrafts do not require an investment in a workshop or special craft room. With a few simple tools (mostly hand tools) and preparation of your work area you can begin crafting wooden treasures right at your kitchen table or on the living room floor. Let your creative talents be expressed in small woodworking projects. Watch the joyful faces of those who receive your wooden creations as gifts.

AUTHOR BIO:
Carl Chesal is a business consultant, internet marketer and professional photographer. His hobbies include Gardening and Woodworking. He operates (http://www.homeandbodyhowto.com) - Home And Body How To, providing Home and Garden DIY project plans, woodworking template plans, memorabilia, cooking recipes, and music gear. Something for the Do-It-Yourself Carpenter, Cook, Gardener, Decorator, Collector, and Musician.

DIY Soldering Tip - How To Keep Water Away From the Joint to be Soldered

2007-08-07T00:48:00.000-04:00

Remember when you solder your copper pipes (especially the ones lying horizontal), you need to ensure NO water remains in the pipes; especially, anywhere within meters of the joint to be soldered. Failing to keeping the water away from the solder joint will result is less than optimal heat at the joint to ensure a proper temperature, which will allow the solder to flow around the joint.

Solution: Stuff pieces of store-bought sliced white bread into each pipe coming to the connection, connect the joint with the proper sleeve or elbow and then solder the joints. The bread acts as a dam and stops the water from being drawn to the hot joint. Keeping the water away from the hot joint, stops cooling and ensures the hottest pipe temperature for solder adherence. You will see that the solder flows around the joint when you get it hot enough with the torch.

Once you are finished the entire piping job, remove the screen filter from the sink faucet. turn on the water and you will see the white bread now break down and be washed down the drain.

About the Author:

Carl Chesal is a business and channel development consultant, trainer, internet marketer and professional photographer. His hobbies include Gardening and Woodworking. He operates BizFare Enterprise Inc, providing business, marketing, and internet marketing consulting services. Bizfare Enterprise also operates a number of secure on-line shopping sites, like Home And Body How To

Parenting Life's Ultimate Vocation - Being the Best Global Parent by Learning, Growing and Applying

2007-07-12T16:59:00.000-04:00

Is it miraculous or maturity that, as a newbie grandparent, the meaning of life seems clearer than ever?

This new and wondrous child, our granddaughter Ellie, has jumped Grandma (Baba) and Grandpa into a new chapter of our lives. After some over-fifty reflection, the notion of making a name for yourself in the corporate or political realm now appears to sit more toward the “all about me” end of the “lifetime achievement” scale. Being a positive contributor to the world is really the ultimate goal of life - moving up the 'Scale of Lifetime Achievement' toward the more selfless “all about you” end of the scale.

This personal aspiration of growing global goodness can be somewhat formidable. So maybe applying a more localized focus for your personal earthly contributions is the best way to positively impact this world. Goodness in bite size pieces! It is the small individual acts of goodness, when aggregated with others people's small positive contributions, that really make this world a better place for everyone.

MEANING OF LIFE #1: Contributing to Life, even through the smallest action, is the meaning of life itself.

Life and my upbringing has taught me one thing: The best way to make this a better world is to focus on your local world, starting with your immediate family and then your community. “Keep your own backyard in order”, my parents used to say.

Think about your earthly role and responsibilities from the aspect of a sibling, a life partner or a friend. It may allow you to identify ways you can make a material difference to those closest to you. After all, this is your circle of influence, where you should responsibly provide the greatest and most profound impact on human behavior. Think of this. If our life's accomplishments and contributions created a positive force on our immediate Circle of Influence, this world would continue to grow and prosper into a much better place for us and future generations.

Scientists and Psychologists have long said that our whole human personality blueprint is determined in the first 10 years of our lives – our formative years. By the age of 10 years 90% of our Life Values are solidly established in each individual. Think of this! In the first 10 years of our lives, the way we think, the way we think of ourselves and others is defined and imprinted as our psychological makeup. Our Value System is now defined - the course of HOW we grow and interface with our earthly surroundings. The only way this personal value course or mindset can be altered would be through some significant emotional event: some impactful event that 'stops us in our tracks' and forces us to consider a alternate path from this point forward.

With such lifelong impact associated with our formative years, it stands to reason that Parenting is a major determination of a child's ultimate adult human behavior. It is our role as parents that garners the single most important impact on life. There can be no greater vocation in life than raising children to become productive, positive and additive to the goodness in this world.

Parenting, at a minimum, requires that a child's need for basics, like Food, Shelter and Safety, be met. It is the higher needs of Affection, building self-esteem and self-actualization that truly define the areas that are affected by parenting or early childhood development.

MEANING OF LIFE #2: Being a committed Father or Mother to all your children!

Provide your children with a solid foundation so they may be the Best That They Can Be as an adult. Be committed to all levels of child and adolescent development. Across the entire range of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:
- Physiological
- Safety
- Love, Affection and Belonging
- Self- Esteem and Esteem received from others
- Self-Actualization (a person's need to be and do that which the person was "born to do”)

There is nothing more important than being a parent! The foundation for a person's adult life is influenced, molded and formed in those formative years of life. The parent has the ability and responsibility to create the best environment for learning and enforcing social, self-confidence, attitude and leadership skills.

Like any area of expertise, parenting (and in a support role grand-parenting and teachers) requires continuous study, discussion and exercise to improve and perfect the craft.

MEANING OF LIFE #3: Life is all about learning, growing and applying (Ask Listen Try) to create an even better world.

Let's expand the traditional definition of parenting. Being parent-like could also include responsible parenting to those children of the global community called our friends, our colleagues and our neighbors. Expand the idea of Parenting or Grand-parenting to include any adult responsible for some aspect of a child's upbringing or development or education. Now with even more committed and responsible parents ensuring a healthy childhood environment, won't this be a much more supportive and tolerant world?

I must get back to being a grandfather. I truly enjoy this part of my life!

About the Author:

Carl Chesal is a business and channel development consultant, trainer, internet marketer and professional photographer. He operates BizFare Enterprise Inc, providing business, marketing, and internet marketing consulting services. Bizfare Enterprise also operates a number of secure on-line Professional Services sites, like Communicate Innovate.

Landscaping with Trees Help Conserve Energy and Save Energy Costs

2007-06-21T20:51:00.000-04:00

In your Landscaping Plans, consider planting trees. Trees not only add value, they can also save energy. This can lead to lower monthly heating and air conditioning bills, while giving you pleasure for years to come.

Deciduous trees (i.e. trees that lose their leaves in the fall) when planted on the south and west sides of your homes will grow to be an energy-reducing feature - and therefore, it's a cost saving feature too. The shade produced by deciduous trees during hot summer months reduces the burden placed on cooling equipment such as fans, heat pumps and air conditioners.

Tall evergreens planted on the north side of your home will perform the same energy-saving function in the winter. They can block those northerly winter winds. This in turn reduces the work your furnace will have to do to maintain a reasonable level of warmth in your home

Remember, energy, like money, doesn't grow on trees. But trees can be an energy and money saving device for your home.

Inexpensive Automated Eco-Friendly Water Soaker Garden Irrigation System – Do-It-Yourself - Create a Water Conservation Garden

2007-05-23T17:15:00.000-04:00

You looked at installing a underground sprinkler system on your property. And then stopped short when you realized the thousands of dollars it would cost! How could plastic pipe and sprinkler heads cost so much? Here is a lasting inexpensive water irrigation system that is near maintenance free and will have your neighbors wondering why they never see you watering your garden and plants. You can claim yours to be an environmentally friendly garden soaker system (or water drip system), using the minimum amount of water to sustain your plants and shrubs.

Get the water as close to the plant roots as possible. Using less water is important to our global environment.

Communities now encourage water soaker systems instead of sprinkler systems. Water applied near the ground will mostly be absorbed into the earth where it is needed by the plant and grass roots. Water sprayed above the plants and grass lands on the leaves and flowers before dripping to the ground. This longer exposure to the air will cause much of the sprayed or sprinkled water to evaporate into the hot summer air.

More than ever now communities control the watering of lawns and gardens during the summer months. Sometimes you are restricted to garden watering only - not lawns. An automatic water timer system combined with a soaker hose system makes plenty of sense in reducing the amount of water dispensed to water your garden plants and shrubs.

So how can I make an effective soaker system for my garden for under $500?

With some off-the-shelf components, you can have a simple but elegant soaker system that with be automatic and near maintenance free. With a simple water timer system, Y-connectors, faucet multipliers, some 1 1/2” ABS pipe, quality 1/2” garden hose and your choice of soaker hoses or irrigation hoses for potted or hanging plants, border gardens, row gardens or (dare I say) even lawn sprinklers. You now have the elements for a simple soaker irrigation system for your garden. This do-it-yourself automatic water irrigation system will ensure you water plants at the best time every day; specifically, early morning and late afternoon. As an added home security feature, when you are away from home your garden will sustain its beauty and make it look like someone is at home.

Here is the material list required for your automatic garden soaker system. (Note: there is a complete Picasa image gallery of all the required components of this inexpensive soaker system at http://picasaweb.google.com/carl.chesal/GardenIrrigationSystem ):

1) Select your water timer – I selected Orbit from Home Depot. Make sure it has a battery timer so power outages won't alter your scheduled watering times. It should allow for at least 3 watering zones.

2) Select your main faucet multiplier (or Valve splitter) that will attach to your outside water faucet and can accommodate the 3-4 water zones plus a spare to allow for regular garden hose watering. You can secure these special faucet multipliers from garden centers or at Lee Valley Tools.

3) Enough 1 1/2” ABS pipe (and glue) and 22.5 degree elbows to run underground (6” - 10” depth). Use the 22.5 degree elbows only to allow for easy insertion of the garden hose into the ABS pipe. You can cut further costs by burying the garden hoses directly underground. The ABS piping does provide added protection from accidental puncture from aerators, pitch forks and other garden tools. This ABS pipe can also serve double duty to run low voltage wire or speaker wire to the remote areas of your garden.

4) Enough quality garden hoses to run through the ABS pipe and connect to the soaker hoses in all your garden beds.

5) Soaker hoses for all your garden beds.

6) Enough Faucet multipliers (Valve splitters) to extend each watering zone with soaker hose as required.

Creating your automatic garden soaker system involves more of a landscaping effort than anything else. Here are 3 steps to completing your eco-friendly automatic garden soaker system (Note: refer to the Picasa image gallery for details of component assembly):

1) Bury the ABS pipe feeding the garden hose through it as you connect and glue the pipe sections. Bury the pipe 6”-10” under your lawn or sidewalk. Have both ends extend out of the ground using the 22.5 degrees elbows so that the stiff hose can still be easily pulled through the pipe.

2) Connect the soaker hoses to the ends of the garden hoses and weave the soaker hoses through your garden under plants and around shrubs. Follow the installation instructions of the soaker hose manufacturer.

3) Install the water timer and water zone valves on the faucet multiplier. Connect the hoses for each zone. Follow the installation instructions of the water timer manufacturer. Do not set the water time for each zone more than 20 minutes each. Set two water times – early morning (around 6 am) and late afternoon (around 7 pm).

Maintenance of your Irrigation System and Preparation for Freezing Winter Temperatures:

1) Disconnect the [zone] hoses at the main faucet where the Water Timer is located.

2) Using a Shop Wet Vac, suck the excess water from each zone hose. Use electrical tape to secure the vacuum pipe against the end of the hose. Turn on the wet vac and let it run for 10-15 minutes. Empty the water extracted before repeating this for each hose at the main faucet. You will extract enough water from the hoses so as not to incur any winter damage to your hoses from freezing water.

3) Tape a plastic bag over the ends of each of the [zone] hoses. This will prevent little critters from getting in the hoses and clogging them when you reconnect the system in the spring.

4) Remove the water timer and faucet multiplier. Store them in a warm place where they will not freeze.

5) Note: you DO NOT need to disconnect and remove the soaker hoses. They should last 4-6 years before you need to replace them. Check the soaker hoses each spring for holes. You can patch these holes with high-friction Silicone tape. You may also leave outdoors all-year-round any valve splitters that were used to increase the soaker hoses in a particular water zone.

You now have an inexpensive water soaker system that won't break the bank. You have saved thousands of dollars and can boast of being a friend to our environment. You clearly are doing your part for water conservation and the ecology. Nice going!

Home Security Checklist – 10 Simple Steps to Securing Your Home Interior Property - Securing Your Residential Property

2007-05-02T19:50:00.000-04:00

Homeowners can stop most Residential Break and Enters (B & E). B & E offences are perpetrated mostly by unsophisticated criminals who seize immediate opportunities. Unfortunately, opportunities provided by homeowners themselves.

Specific things (opportunities) the potential offender looks for:

1) Homes which appear unoccupied (i.e. Owner/renter on vacation) - lawns not mowed, newspapers piled at the front door, mail accumulation, no lights at times (usually night) when a family might be expected to be at home;

2) Homes and neighborhoods where the owners/renters appears to be at work - mail in mailbox, packages at door, advertising flyers left at front door. A simple act of ringing the doorbell or knocking on the door can confirm this;

3) Homes in upscale neighborhoods (more to steal);

4) Open garages (entry point to the house, place to hide or steal contents);

5) An easy method of entry offering concealment - fenced-in or hedged back yards, rear or side doors/windows completely or partially shielded from view by fences, screened patios, shrubs, sheds, basement window wells;

6) Easy entry points - unlocked doors/windows, easy-to-open doors/windows (sliding windows or patio doors that can be lifted out of their tracks), breakable glass in or near doors that could allow door to be unlocked, doors that can easily be forced open using a foot, plastic card, crowbar or chisel (poor quality locks or poor installation).

Here are 10 ways to Target Harden your Dwelling whether you are away for the day or for a lengthy trip:

1) Create Light and Sound. Use automatic timers for your lights inside and motion detector lighting outside your house. New timers have a random on/off time and battery backup in case of power outages. Make it look like your house is occupied both during the day as well as at night. Attach lights and radios to these timers.

2) Leave a key with a trusted friend or neighbor so they can check, at least every 48 hours, on your home. Some home insurance policies stipulate such regular checks of your home or you void your insurance coverage. Consider a house sitter.

3) Create that lived-in look. For lengthy trips away from home, have a neighbor park a car in your driveway, keep your front door clear of newspapers/brochures and mow grass/remove snow.

4) Ensure all windows, all doors and all garage doors are locked. Disconnect power to automatic garage doors. Proper dead bolt, hinge, lock, latch and door frame installation is important to ensure doorways and windows cannot be pried open, spread apart or screws removed to allow easier forced entry into your home. Change locks on new homes or if your key has been lost. If they want in make breaking glass the only option for a criminal. Glass can be hardened, especially in and near doors, with tempered and special break-proof laminates. Use steel solid exterior doors only. Install through-door viewers to ensure you can see who in at your door before you open it. Video surveillance cameras connected to your PC and also your PDA are now reasonably priced.

5) Install an alarm system that wails loudly when tripped. Just like the flashing alarm light in your automobile, have a similar visible indicator in your front and back windows. Make potential intruders know that you have a burglar alarm system.

6) Install bars or grill work in your basement windows (these can be opened from inside in case of fire). A window well provides a convenient place for a would-be thief to take lots of time to enter your home through the basement.

7) Don't leave your garage door opener in your car when you are at work. If a thief breaks into your automobile they know your home address from your vehicle permit. If you leave your garage door opener in the vehicle, they now also have easy access to your home, while you are at work.

8) Document your possessions. Take Photos and/or Videotape all your valuables. Every year video your entire home, belongings and property. Record serial numbers on large valuables. Store all this information off-site. You now have a record of all your property incase of theft or fire.

9) Register and mark valuables through Operation Identification (contact your local Police). Obtain an engraver from your Community Police Office or buy one. Etch or engrave your driver's license number (not SSN or SIN) on valuables. If stolen and later found, Police can check with Motor Vehicles for your name and address. Keep minimum cash and valuables in your home. Secure valuables off-site (bank safety deposit box).

10) Maintain a good neighbor community. Organize a Neighborhood Watch. Look out for each other. That snoopy neighbor can be a perfect burglar alarm system.

Your home and property are part of a community and neighborhood. There is always strength in numbers. Expand your home security network. Work to have your community burglar unfriendly. Clearly let the bad guys know, “Go Somewhere Else”!

About Bizfare Enterprise Inc
Bizfare Enterprise Inc provides a secure online shopping experience for high quality products and professional services. Products sold through inter-linked websites include: Fashion - clothing, jewelry, leather accessories; Home and Garden Decor - pewter, room accents, recreation; Collectibles & Memorabilia - mohair bears, photographs, sports items; Hobbies & Crafts - cooking, DIY wood projects, gardening, Music - equipment and services. Bizfare Enterprise Professional Services provide our clients with applied real world experience in Business and Channel Sales and Development, Internet Marketing, Commercial Photography, Personal Development and Professional Writing Services.

Home Security Check - 10 Simple Steps to Securing Your Exterior Property - Securing Your Residential Property from Break and Enter (B&E) and Burglary

2007-04-19T21:07:00.000-04:00

Most Residential Break and Enters (B & E) are crimes of opportunity. They occur because homeowners provide the opportunity and there are individuals (criminal elements) willing to take advantage of the situation. Police and Community Policing efforts continue to empower communities to collectively develop partnerships aimed at delivering meaningful crime prevention and community safety initiatives like Neighborhood Watch.

The 3 major deterrents to most crimes targeting residential property include:
1) reducing opportunity
2) increasing the difficulty to perpetrate a crime of theft, burglary or intrusion
3) increasing the time required for an intruder to perpetrate the crime

all of which will increase the offenders rick of being observed and reported to police. A collective cooperation of a community and neighborhood, like the Neighborhood Watch program, does discourage local crime and drives them to go elsewhere. The real objective is “crime displacement” not “crime reduction” - Go somewhere else, but Not Here.

Residential B&E offenders are usually not sophisticated criminals. They look for the easiest target possible like unlocked windows (basement or first floor), unlocked front door and lifting patio doors out of their tracks. They could also perform simple forceful entry through doors or windows. Daytime (0900 to 1700 hours), when no one is at home, is the most common time for Residential Break and Enter crimes.

Here are 10 simple ways to Target Harden your property's Exterior Grounds and Locks, which are your first line of defense against intruders:

1) Trees and shrubs near any windows (front, back yard or sides) - ensure trees and shrubs cannot conceal a potential intruder and allow the offender to work unnoticed on doors or windows. Cut back trees and trim shrubs low from the top and trim them up from the ground. Remove them if they can conceal a person. (increase the rick of being observed)

2) Sheds or any other out buildings - ensure no one can hide behind sheds or other buildings. (increase the rick of being observed)

3) Hedge, Perimeter Bushes or Fence - does their height, density or privacy allow for offender concealment. Again allowing offenders to work unobserved on rear windows and doors. Lock gates forcing the offender to scale over the fence. (increase the difficulty and the time)

4) Motion Detectors and Lights - use motion detectors on lighting so that when the lights come on the neighbors know something or someone is moving around your house. A motion detector could be applied to trigger a radio show to play inside the house, just like a similar application in the movie Ferris Beuller's Day Off. Make it look like someone could be at home. (reduce the opportunity and increase the rick of being observed)

5) Timers and Day/Night Timers - Light up your garden, pathways, sidewalks and your property with low voltage and LED lighting. These are beautiful landscaping touches to your property as well.(increase the rick of being observed)

6) Barking dog - A dog inside your house that barks on the slightest motion or noise outside your house is a great opportunity reducer. A big barking dog is even better. Some police feel a barking dog is more effective than an burglar alarm system. As a simple alternative, a radio set on a talk channel will make it appear like the house is occupied. The offender will hear conversation coming from inside the dwelling. (reduce the opportunity and increase the rick of being observed)

7) Ladders - Remove all climbable objects like ladders, trellises, BBQ, picnic table, trees close to the house. These could be used to gain access to second floor windows and balconies. Remove, lock-up, cut down as necessary. (increase the difficulty and the time)

8) Telephone and Cable - shield and protect so they cannot be cut from outside your house. Monitored alarm systems typically require the use of the telephone or cable connection. (reduce the opportunity)

9) Parking and Garage – ensure your parking area and garage door(s) are visible to the street. Keep your garage door(s) closed when you are not in the front yard and lock your vehicles. Don't make it easy for an offender to just walk into your garage and steal what they want. (reduce the opportunity)

10) Locks - good locks (and chains where appropriate) on your shed, gate, BBQ and picnic table. Ensure nothing can get moved. Locks on your doors and windows will receive more detailed discussion under a separate article on securing your Interior Property. (reduce the opportunity and increase the difficulty)

Your home and property are both your castle and your fortress. Be smart and keep your home safe for your family and friends. With some common sense and the help of your local hardware store, you can keep the good inside and clearly let the bad guys know, “Go Somewhere Else”!

About Bizfare Enterprise Inc
Bizfare Enterprise Inc provides a secure online shopping experience for high quality products and professional services. Products sold through inter-linked websites include: Fashion - clothing, jewelry, leather accessories; Home and Garden Decor - pewter, room accents, recreation; Collectibles & Memorabilia - mohair bears, photographs, sports items; Hobbies & Crafts - cooking, DIY wood projects, gardening, Music - equipment and services. Bizfare Enterprise Professional Services provide our clients with applied real world experience in Business and Channel Sales and Development, Internet Marketing, Commercial Photography, Personal Development and Professional Writing Services.

Laughing Keeps You Healthy - Laughter is the Best Medicine – Keeping Laughter in Your Life

2007-04-15T18:49:00.000-04:00

An infant's smile or a child's laugh is magical. Receiving a smile from an infant or child elicits an automatic smile from any adult. Parents, grandparents and adults alike will perform varying degrees of happy face antics in the hope of getting a baby to smile. Medical studies have determined that laughing is both contagious and healthy.

I it's most demure mode, laughing will manifest itself visually as a smile maybe coupled with some wide eye contact. At the other extreme end of the laughing scale, you will realize Visual, Kinesthetic, and Auditory displays – leg slapping, belly shaking, body contorting laughter! Just thinking about this 'Laugh Attack' brings a smile to your face. Remembering or thinking about laughter itself physically and mentally emotes all the positive effects of actually laughing.

The beautiful thing about laughter is that it is contagious. It matters not whether you initiate laughing or it comes from some other source, the health benefits of laughing have been studied and documented.
Laughter is the BEST MEDICINE!

Yet, laughter is still one of the least understood of human behaviors and one that is just now a serious study by scientists. Science has been able to determine three parts of the brain are activated during a good laugh: 1) a thinking or cognitive area for understanding the joke, 2) a movement or kinesthetic part for initiating muscle movement, and 3) an emotional region that derives the “giddy” feeling. Why do people laugh at jokes delivered while others laugh at incongruities like pain inflicted or a threatening situations? Is laughter a signal indicating a action is meant “in fun”? These things are still being studied.

Laughter makes us (and others) feel better.

Studies have identified a number of areas, where applying laughter, will be a positive and healthy experience. Feel better by laughing:

1) Health and laughing
A) lifts up your mood
B) is contagious and positive
C) is stress reducing
D) has proven long term connections to improved mental health

2) Learning and laughter has shown that
A) levity as a teaching style reduces fear and anxiety and opens students up to learning and absorbing
B) well-planned, appropriate, contextual humor can help students ingrain information

3) Relationships and laughing
A) help create a social lubricant that, in groups, encourages cooperation and altruistic behavior
B) is believed to be one of the earliest forms of communication; especially, emotional communication. Laughter could have preceded the spoken word and bonded groups in pre-historic society.

“By the time a child reaches nursery school, he or she will laugh about 300 times a day. Adults laugh an average of 17 times a day.” “Science of Laughter” Discovery Health

Clearly as adults we do not laugh enough. Here are ten ideas to improve and increase laughter [and fun] in your life:

1) Receive, Share and Tell Jokes - email is awesome for this and so are social gatherings. Telling jokes (and learning what jokes are appropriate) will prove to improve your social and public speaking skills.

2) Share humorous personal stories - stories about yourself will allow you to laugh at yourself. Laughing at yourself is a great way to express and learn from our mistakes and little foibles.

3) With your family and friends play group games that require group interaction (Parlour Games) - old standards and board games (like Charades, Pictionary, Balderdash, Cranium, Trivial Pursuit, Humzinger) or more organized themed events like a Murder Mystery Night. Excellent for a varied group of age and shyness. These are just FUN! Play like children!

4) Laugh out loud - not just a chuckle, a deep laugh that works the lungs and belly (maybe even brings tears to your eyes). Laughing equals Happy and Happy equals Healthy!

5) Karoke or new video games like Guitar Hero - whether at home or at a public event, singing and music are excellent and fun group situations that will help create fun and laughter!

6) Meet your group at a favorite pub or watering hole - conversation and stories will naturally make you laugh. Have fun!

7) Play Kids' Games - nothing allow you to play like a child than playing with your children or grandchildren. And nothing is more liberating than laughing with children!

8) Learn with friends - experience learning a new language or go to dance class with other people or couples. Laughing will open you up to a better learning experience.

9) Host a Party (maybe with a Fun Theme (item 3) - a casual informal gathering (BYOB, BBQ, Campfire or Dinner Party) will always give people an opportunity to meet and share. Invite fun people and you will create a fun and memorable event.

10) Do something you have never done before - with other people or friends, step out and do something new (community fair, site seeing, small airplane ride, hot air balloon, casino, a day at the track, snowmobiling, skiing). With a group you have both the benefit of increased support and protection. Have fun!

Fun and Laughter is best in a social group setting. Do Not attempt Laughter alone. It is best served with friends. Get Crackin' and Get Laughin'!

The Genesis of Computer Art – FORTRAN a Computer Art Medium Replicates the Leonardo da Vinci Mona Lisa – A tribute to John Backus

2007-04-03T18:33:00.000-04:00

Where did computer art, computer graphics and computer animation begin?

Written communication became sharable and pervasive once stone etchings were replaced with the mobility of paper and ink. Similarly once computer languages advanced from machine or assembly code to third generation computer languages, only then did computer output advance from simple alphanumerical (maybe mosaic) printouts to graphics and images with smooth curves and realism.

Computer graphical output got its humble start when alphanumeric characters hammered on TTY and line printers to represent X-Y graphs and even mosaic images. It was crude, but allowed for a more effective analysis of mathematical and scientific solutions. Computer programming languages like FORTRAN and BASIC made it easier to develop and program printers, plotters and CRT screens to display and print graphics and ultimately images.

The FORTRAN programming language – a personal and historic short review.

John Backus, the inventor of FORTRAN, passed away on March 17, 2007 at the age of 83. He lead a team of IBM computer scientists to invent the first high-level programming language in 1954. John Backus received the Turing Award in 1977, an IBM Fellowship (1987) and the Draper Prize (1993).

FORTRAN is a computer programming language particularly suited to computation and scientific applications. But it was also used for business applications like the student information system at Saint Mary's University (SMU) in Halifax Nova Scotia. It was a prevalent programming language in business before more structured and english-language-like programming languages came on the scene; namely, COBOL, PL1, RPG, BASIC.

It is FORTRAN that brings back fond memories of coding sheets, punch cards, debugging student code and the old IBM 1130 computer at university. FORTRAN, BASIC and COBOL were the prevalent programming languages of the day (circa 1976). After many iterations of “debugging your code”, having your program work was such a 'high', an exalted feeling of success.

Every Science, Engineering and even Business student undertook a course in one of these languages. A necessary and effective way of understanding the logical and mathematical world of computers. Even more so it offered students an in depth knowledge of business and science processes like order processing, accounting, engineering calculations.

With the recent passing of Mr Backus, I was reminded that there are historical vestiges of that programming era right in my own basement. I have a collection of my most 'profound programming works'. Hardcopy computer code printouts are contained in two binders. Even Better though! These programs are immortalized on 80 column punch cards! Why did I save computer punch cards for over 35 years? Not sure I am able to answer that question – Maybe I need some professional help!

FORTRAN programming as an Art Medium?

I enjoyed programming in FORTRAN. So much so, that I spent most of the Christmas of 1975 duplicating an alphanumeric printout picture of the famous Mona Lisa. This image of the Mona Lisa was done by printing and over-printing standard alphanumeric characters creating a mosaic art piece to form an image of that famous Leonardo da Vinci painting. Step back from this computer printout and you viewed a simple replica of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Not having access to the original programming code, I meticulously counted and coded each character line-by-line from a hardcopy printout into programming print statements. With due respect to the master Leonardo, I used FORTRAN print statements for this task! Like a brush to canvas the computer printout image of Mona Lisa took form after many days of coding.

One of these Mona Lisa Mosaic printouts is framed and hangs in my office where I hone my craft as an Internet Marketer and Photographer. Still have another dozen Mona printouts stored with my programming anthology binder.

The search has begun for access to an 80 column punch card reader.

Getting access to an 80-column card reader could facilitate moving the Mona Lisa FORTRAN code from its analog state to a digital version. Using an online editor, I could once again deploy the power of FORTRAN to print copies of 'computer mosaic' Mona Lisa. Then 'Mosaic Mona' would be available for the world to enjoy.

I figured out that my infatuation with FORTRAN programming might have stemmed from the fact that both FORTRAN and I were coincidentally created in 1954. Thank you John Backus for bringing us computer geeks FORTRAN.

About Bizfare Enterprise Inc
Bizfare Enterprise Inc provides a secure online shopping experience for high quality products and professional services. Products sold through inter-linked websites include: Fashion - clothing, jewelry, leather accessories; Home and Garden Decor - pewter, room accents, recreation; Collectibles & Memorabilia - mohair bears, photographs, sports items; Hobbies & Crafts - cooking, DIY wood projects, gardening, Music - equipment and services. Bizfare Enterprise Professional Services provide our clients with applied real world experience in Business and Channel Sales and Development, Internet Marketing, Commercial Photography, Personal Development and Professional Writing Services.

Nutrition Information on Food Labels - How to Read Food Labels

2007-03-14T22:46:00.000-04:00

Based on Canada's Food Guide for Healthy Living, you can secure your FREE copy of THREE Nutrition guides which help you read and interpret Nutrition Information on Food Labels.

Answers to Frequently-Asked Questions about:
- Nutrient content claims
- Words to Watch for
- The Importance of Nutrients
- Sugar claims

Simply complete and submit the information at Home and Body How To and secure your FREE
Nutrition Publications

Your Personal Adamant List (PAL) Understand and Know Yourself – Help Others to Understand You Too (Getting To Know You)

2007-03-13T17:20:00.000-04:00

I am Adamant About That.

You've heard this phrase time-and-time again from individuals - from your friends, from colleagues, from family, even from your own mouth. In a group conversation, you or someone has likely ended a statement with this claim, “....... I am adamant about that!”.

This phrase seems to emphasize a strong and unmovable conviction or opinion about a particular subject. This exclamatory statement “I am adamant about that!” serves to both reinforce our personal, absolute convictions and also let's others know that this is your non-negotiable, uncompromising, don't-question-me area.

This personal claim of conviction is a perfect window (Johari Window) into your persona and helps people understand you as an individual, as a human being. This 'adamantation', as we shall call it, is a glimpse into your personal BELIEFS and VALUES. And beliefs and values are the solid foundation of our personalities.

A new approach.

Idea! Most of us presently elicit these personal 'adamantations' in a random way through one-on-one conversations and group dialogue. Maybe we should take time, regularly, to create (and re-create) a written 'Personal - I am Adamant List'. This list could explicitly identify our personal position on any number of worldly things. Some of the topic areas to consider as part of this 'Personal Adamant List' might be: the environment (maybe specifically global warming), traditions (around holidays and birthdays), relationships (love and friendship relationships), ethics, spirituality, sexuality, politics and the list grows.

A 'Personal Adamant List', or PAL, would never be a static or stagnant written list. Your 'Personal Adamant List' would, like life, be a dynamic and changing list of 'adamantations'. Over time this PAL would outline an interesting personal history of your beliefs and values mapping a revealing trail of your personal growth and maturity. A personal document more poignant than the daily ramblings of a diary or a BLOG. Your PAL, being void of personal references, would have the added benefit of being something you might openly share. Your PAL is likely to provide YOU with a greater understanding of YOURSELF. A Good Thing.

Make your 'Personal Adamant List' (PAL) a part of your toolset when you are assessing a new employer, a customer or a business associate. Use it to determine the alignment between your personal beliefs and values and their underlying beliefs and values. You could even include parts of your PAL in your bio, your blog and your profile information. Give people the opportunity to really get to KNOW YOU, really get to UNDERSTAND YOU. Understanding is the first step toward effective communication. It could result in a richer human interaction and communication experience. This is a another Good Thing.

Imagine the positive effect at a party, social soiree (swa ray), or business gathering. Much reduced 'foot-in-mouth' situations. Eliminate those embarrassing moments when you say something that, you only now realize, is diametrically opposed to somebody else's belief. And now you perform some awkward back-peddling to counter the wave of alienation you've created. In time using your PAL, you could come to develop a more adept manner of approaching topics, which will allow you to test the waters for other people's 'adamantations' before opening your mouth. More improved communication and human interaction.

It just keeps getting better.

Simple House and Personal Security - Neighborhood Watch

2007-03-07T08:11:00.000-05:00

This practical and simple Security Tip comes from Neighorhood Watch.

If you don't have an alarm system in your home, this may be the next best
thing.

I'M SURE ALL OF YOU HAVE AN EXTRA SET OF KEYS. PUT A SET BY YOUR BEDSIDE
TABLE. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST DETERRENTS I HAVE EVER RECEIVED!!!

Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.

Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this:
It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key chain.

It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar or rapist won't stick around....after a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there.....

This is something that should really be shared with everyone.

Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime!

First Time Home Buyers: Tips to Buying Your First Home that will Reduce Your Stress and Buyer's Remorse

2007-02-25T13:16:00.000-05:00

The purchase of a first home is likely to be the biggest one-time purchase in your life. There is a huge shift from living with family or renting, to owning a home. It can be an overwhelming experience and at times you may feel that you are barely keeping in step with the process. We are now at a point in our lives where our children are buying their first homes and we see the worry and signs of stress that make this FIRST BIG PURCHASE such a momentous event for them. The learning gained from buying a home and selling a house six (6) times - four different cities and two different provinces - has given us experiences that we share here with our children. The tips we can give you when going through the mind-game process of buying a home are insightful and are especially for people just like our children - first time home buyers.

Every step along the way to becoming a property owner brings a new rush of questions.
This first-time home-buying torrent of questions can, at times, feel like you are fighting river rapids in a kayak. Just like novice kayaker, it is fear of the unknown in home-buying that creates the stress.

Can we afford this house?
Did we pay too much for this property?
Will we be able to make the monthly payments?
How will we pay property taxes and still have money for any maintenance and renovation costs?
Will we have a mortgage forever?

Notice most questions and fears are centered around finances. Not surprising then that this big purchase would cause you stress. Finances or Money is the number ONE cause of stress in our lives.

Our experiences can be the information that can help you steer the ship named 'Home Equity'. Equity - the difference between the market value of a property and the claims (loans + mortgages) held against it.

Here are a TEN pointers that helped us and can help you through the psychological aspects of buying your first house (you might even experience an adrenalin rush):

1. Accept that buyer's remorse will happen and it could overcome you early in the process of purchasing your first home. Buyer's remorse is a natural feeling where we doubt ourselves and question our purchasing actions. It may last for months after you buy. These are natural feelings to have; a home is a large purchase with significant impact on your lifestyle. Remorse will give way to a contentment as you make this house your home. Buyers remorse usually lessens as you become more experienced in buying and selling houses.

2. Buy a House, Sell a Home. Buy to resell. Buy with resale in mind. Remember that this is your FIRST house purchase, and not likely to be your last. Within 3-10 years of buying a house you are likely to sell and buy a second, third, or fourth house. Perhaps you will buy more than that number. No matter the number of houses you buy, do so with the view that you will re-sell, make a profit, buy UP (larger home) and/or reduce your mortgage on subsequent house purchases.

3. Pay the minimum Down Payment on your first house – unless you are paying 25% or more against the total price of the house (this may provide you with some relief on the mortgage rate), THEN pay the minimum. Use your cash for legal fees and transfer taxes PLUS for household improvements (like painting), maintenance and furniture/appliances/tools purchases. Remember point number “2” - this is your first home.

4. Don't make yourself 'house poor' - Amortize your first mortgage to the limit (25 years plus). This will reduce the impact to your monthly cash-flow (mortgage + interest payments). Don't concern yourself with paying down this FIRST mortgage in 5, 10 or 15 years. You expect to build equity in your first home to apply to your next home purchase(s). Remember item “2” - this is just your first home.

5. Loans and Mortgages are a Fact of Life – settle into the idea that you will likely have a mortgage and some form of loans for most of your working life. Unless you come from “material substance”, i.e. money, or have won the lottery, you will have large debt for most of your life. Accept that you are likely not to be in a position to eliminate your mortgage until you have worked 20-25-30 years.

6. Shop around for your mortgage – mortgage hunting can be an exciting thing. Use it as a learning experience. Bankers, Mortgage brokers and Real Estate agents all want to give you the money! Talk to other first time home owners. Compare interest rates, terms of mortgage and payout penalties. It's a numbers game - have fun with this financial aspect of home ownership by familiarizing yourself with financial terminology and ask those 'mortgage financiers' to break it down into layman's terms so you can understand it.

7. Separate an 'emotional' buy from a 'good' buy – this ONE THING will be your biggest hurdle, causing additional stress between a couple in their hunt for the first home. Real estate agents may try to leverage (manipulate) this couple tension to their advantage – like getting you to buy beyond your means or buy NOW because other offers are on the table. As difficult as it may become, agree as a couple that if things are not right for you as a couple that you are willing to walk away from any house deal on the table. Be vigilant in reaffirming this point to each other.

8. Create a “Must Have / Would Like” list of features - accept compromise as an element of home buying – unless your first home is custom built, accept that you will need to compromise on some of the features you have on your list of features. Remember item “2” - this is just your first home. Getting all the house features you want requires a longer term view – a goal on your next home.

9. Scope out any neighborhood in which you want to own a home – just like test driving an automobile before you buy it, walk around your potential neighborhood. Check out schools, shopping and city hall (use the web) for zoning (building projects), crime levels and types, community involvement. Talk to people who live and work in the area you are considering a home purchase.

10. Accept the fact that your current social lifestyle may shift a bit – entertain at home instead of going out on the town; mowing the lawn and garden maintenance might replace some of your gym activity; interior decorating and carpentry become new hobbies to replace Nintendo and X-Box.

11. Breathe – Breathing is good. Enjoy the rigors and rewards of home ownership. Learn and continue to educate yourself on home ownership.

First time home ownership can be a highly stressful situation. But buying your first home can still be a wonderful experience. Home buying and home ownership should complement your life and relationship with your spouse and family. You may want to do it more than once. Buy a House – Sell a Home. Make your house the home that others will want to buy. Be the Consumer, Not Consumed.

BNL BLAM Tour! Barenaked Ladies is One of Canada's musical wonders!

2007-02-23T18:37:00.000-05:00

Rocking Fun! That captures the Barenaked Ladies BLAM Tour Concert in Ottawa at Scotiabank Place on February 21. This is a group to be experienced LIVE! BNL is a group that truly loves to play together and to a crowd. Their seemingly spontaneous stage antics and banter creates a great Musical Comedy. Barenaked Ladies are great musicians and they are funny guys! They engaged the Ottawa audience by retooling lyrics to include well researched localisms. Tyler Stewart for Prime Minister, Winterlude, World's longest skating rink, Beaver tails, Potine, ice sculptures were included in both lyrics and rants by Steve and Ed. Tyler's eating fascination with very large milk shakes and the salt shaker (now a maraca) which he purchased at the Stittsville Flea Market, caused a funny musical miscue. BNL even referenced Carp, Arnprior, and Nepean. The tasteful stage was masterfully animated with complex lighting effects. Kevin Hearn performed his vocal debut with Serendipity on their newest album – Barenaked Ladies are Men.

BNL is very much a band to be experienced LIVE!

The opening act for Barenaked Ladies was Tomi (pronounced Tommy) Swick from Hamilton Ontario. Tomi Swick is a Great singer and the band has a mature full instrument sound – love the guitar rifts and effects. These guys know how to play! This alternative singer has some of the overtones of Tom Cochrane (Red Rider) and Paul Simon. Treating us to their original music, they also mastered a version of Graceland that matched the Paul Simon rendition. Buy their CD – Stalled Out in the Doorway – is end-to-end great!

Grand Parenting – Infant and Child Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) – Updated CPR Techniques

2007-02-19T22:35:00.000-05:00

So you thought you knew about CPR techniques. You were certified prior to October 2005 as a CPR trained individual. NEWSFLASH! It is NOW time that you get CPR re-certified! If you have never been CPR trained, go do it. As parents, grandparents or anyone entrusted the care of our children CPR is a vital technique in our toolkit for emergency response.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), according to the American Heart Association 2005 document, 2005 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC , has been modified for all categories – Infant, Child and Adult. From Choking to full CPR response grandparents and parents alike must get trained. Your infant and children's lives could depend on your ability to administer proper choking and CPR response techniques.

Why should Parents and Grandparents know how to address choking and administer CPR?

Look at some of the statistics for choking related emergencies and deaths:

• In the USA each year 3,000 people die from choking

• About 2,600 choking accidents in the UK each year involve children under four years of age

• In Canada, choking on food causes approximately 200 deaths each year

• Babies under two years are at the highest risk from choking injuries

• Children up to age 6 years also have a high risk. Approximately 80% of emergency calls for choking are for children under 6 years

• A child with a fully obstructed airway will be dead in 4-6 minutes without help.

Every child-care provider has to be certified for CPR as part of their ECE (Early Childhood Education). Everyone in the medical, rehab, retirement and emergency response all require CPR certification. They are typically re-certified annually. As a parent you would want anyone caring for your infant or child to have CPR and Choking technique knowledge. So it makes logical sense that even you, the parent or the grandparent, should be CPR trained. CPR training is a small but important skill for anyone caring or baby-sitting an infant or child.

If I just call 911 then the ER team can administer CPR.

Yes, ER teams, once they arrive, will take over from those who have been delivering CPR to the victim. No oxygen circulation for more than 6 minutes is disaster. Immediacy of CPR delivery is paramount to a person's survival. Waiting for the ER team will be too late. CPR and Calling 911 is the only way for any level of survival success.

Isn't the CPR technique different for Infant, Child and Adult?

Until 2005 the mix of breaths to compressions was different for each category. But now it is 2 breaths and 30 quick compressions for infant (less than 1 year), child (1-8 years) or adult (over 50 lbs). The American Heart Association discovered that circulating the blood through the lungs and heart to the brain can only be accomplished with sustained quick compressions. In fact, the compressions are more important than delivering the breaths. The old method of 5 to 15 compressions has been extended to 30 quick compressions for all recipients. This delivers the necessary circulation through the lungs and heart to the brain and other body extremities.

How do I get CPR Trained?

In the USA simply contact the American Red Cross, American Heart Association or American CPR Training. In Canada CPR training is delivered by the Canadian Red Cross or St. John Ambulance. You could also check with your local hospital, fire department, ambulance, or emergency response for FREE CPR workshops that might be coming to your area.

Be the responsible parent or grandparent. Get CPR trained and get re-certified or trained at least every two years. Protect your future. Keep our children safe. Be the best parent and grandparent you can be.

Buyer Beware the Extended Warranty – Deal or No Deal

2007-02-07T16:06:00.000-05:00

Experience is always life's best teacher. But ideally it is through somebody else's experience that you could learn a valuable lesson about extended warranties.

What is the deal with extended warranties? Are they really an insurance against damage or malfunction?

A seasoned salesperson knows just when to propose the extended warranty; especially, those electronic store sales representatives. When you are high on the purchase the salesperson poses the question, “ Would you like the extended warranty added to this purchase?”. Now they Do NOT review the extended warranty Terms and Conditions (T's & C's) outlining the things that ARE NOT covered by the extended warranty. In fact, some of them purport (Like Future Shop which is part of the Best Buy chain of stores) it is a 'no hassle' insurance. BUNK!

Truth be told, the extended warranty merely extends the manufacturer's warranty and is confined to the same coverage restrictions. It is interesting that the major area where you would want coverage – damage or breakage from impact – IS NOT covered under an extended or a manufacturer's warranty. Review, up front, the details of the extended warranty contract. You will discover lots of exclusions with respect to damage.

Consumer Reports Magazine surveyed tens of thousands of its readers about their repair experience with an extended warranty. The repair cost usually was less than the extended warranty cost. Consumer Reports Magazine concluded from this 2002 research that extended warranties are NOT A GOOD INVESTMENT.

Studies have shown that electronic stores use extended warranties to bolster their profit margins on low margin electronic items. The extended warranty could add 30% to the cost of your purchase. Smooth-talking efforts to sell customers extended warranties is usually part of a sales employee's compensation and job security.

An Extended Warranty seems to be a case of 'buyer beware'. Remember electronic equipment prices drop very quickly. Newer products are introduced every 6 to 12 months forcing that once 'state-of-the-art' item you have to be flushed from manufacturer's inventory at rock bottom prices to retailers and consumers. This short product life-cycle creates a cut-throat competitive retail pricing environment among manufacturers and retail stores. Extended warranty sales improve a retail store's bottom line.

Instead of repairing your damaged product, consider replacing it via one of the on-line auctions. This bid-price for the exact used [undamaged] product you have could prove less cost than the extended warranty cost. You will have just saved yourself some money and the frustration of arguing with a customer service representative to have an extended warranty claim honored by the retail store.

Your Personal Kyoto Protocol - Our Individual Responsibility to Reduce Greenhouse Gases and be Environmentally Friendly

2007-02-05T23:33:00.001-05:00

It is now time for each and every one of us to make a positive effort to help reduce the impact of Global Warming on our good earth. The official cause for global warming has been unequivocally determined at the 2007 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) meeting in Paris France. Established in 1988 by the the United Nations, the IPCC has just completed its 4th Assessment Report, which has established that global warming has been human-caused and for the most part greenhouse gases have been the largest contributor to the acceleration of global warming. Effects of global warming will definitely be experienced in this century.

Reducing greenhouse gases. What can we individually do in-parallel-to and in-advance-of government decrees, programs and laws?

We can do lots! But here are FOUR areas to consider right now!

1. The always can-do-more Recycle-Reuse now includes in our house the extended use of jars or plastic containers to store leftovers. And they are used in my workshop for paint, paint thinners and wood filler before recycling them. Keep containers and jars in use longer and resist the use of those “burping” containers.

2. Encourage your employer to implement a partial or full Work From Home Program (Telecommuting as it was referred to in earlier times). This is particularly appropriate for office jobs that involve sales, marketing and telephone support. Fact is, most of these roles are characterized by computer / web use, telephone / conference calls and on-site customer visits. Think of the reduced automobile traffic that could result from such a responsible program. Even if your office were to implement a 1 or 2 day per week Work from Home program, you reduce gas emissions and while creating cubicle sharing program, which will also reduce business overhead costs. Progressive companies like Dell, Microsoft and Sun Microsystems have such Work From Home Programs.

3. Plan, reduce and eliminate those automobile trips to the mall, grocery store, sports or fitness event. Car Pool with neighbors and consolidate trips for supplies. Wow! Just like they did in pioneer times. Time to plan one or two days per week when you do all the “going into town for supplies”. Walk, take the bus or subway instead of your carbon generating greenhouse gas emitting vehicle.

4. On-line shopping as an alternative way to shop. You not only save gas but also reduce the wear-and-tear on on your vehicle. No travel time and no parking expenses further respects your valuable time and saves money. Products purchased on-line are conveniently delivered directly to your door. On-line internet shopping makes even more sense to those in rural communities, where they are typically farther away from shopping centers.

Time to get to know your neighbor, expand your circle of friends and acquaintances, reduce the use of your automobile(s). Claim it as your own Personal Kyoto Protocol.

Grand Parenting – The Science of Installing A Child Car Seat Child Restraint Not a Snap Installation

2006-12-24T14:07:00.000-05:00

Wow! Janet and I will soon be proud grandparents of a beautiful child, a gift from the loving union of our daughter, Sharon, and her husband, Greg. Who knew there would be so more to learn. And re-learn about the care of baby and children! So much to consider and prepare before the baby arrives. Every parent and grandparent must be diligent in ensuring safety first for their grandchildren.

Auto Travel – don't even think of taking your little munch-kin or grand-child for that quick trip to the corner store without first ensuring that your child/baby car restraint seat is properly installed.

But I installed the Car Seat according the the manufacturer's User's Manual. It's installed properly!

Think again!

Those manuals don't always give you the complete picture for best car seat installation. Seek additional help from websites like NHTSA – National Highway Transportation Safety Association and Transport Canada. Watch your newspaper, local TV, or listen to local radio for regularly scheduled Car Seat Clinics coordinated by your local emergency response, fire or police. Or visit a Child Safety Seat Inspection Station near you. Whether as a parent and as a new grand-parent, you owe it to your child or grand-child to ensure that they are properly secured in any vehicle that transports them.

I recently attended such a Car Seat Clinic with my soon-to-deliver daughter. We took my vehicle – BUT YOU SHOULD TAKE ALL Vehicles that will transport this precious human cargo. The 1 hour spent installing, and re-installing, the infant seat in my back seat proved how little I knew about proper Car Seat Installation. The Emergency Response pros at this free clinic were diligent in ensuring a number of crucial installation elements:

1) infant seats must be installed in the rear-facing position in the rear seat of the car. Not! Not every should you install an infant or child restraint system in the front seat ! Repeat NEVER!

2) seat MUST be secured with the car seat belt system or to factory installed UAS anchor bars (restraint clips tucked between the seat back and the seat itself and marked with a visible symbol). UAS anchor bars are in all cars built since September 1, 2002. All car new car seats have 2 USA Connectors compatible with this child restraint system. And it is not just a simple click and quick tug of the belt that will do. It will take ALL your adult weight and strength to bear-down on the car seat and pull tight the seat belt or anchor straps. It might even take TWO adults to perform this more-than-snug feat. You will significantly compress the pad of your rear seat. It is only right if there is no side to side movement in the secured seat.

Observation: I took two adults to perform this task at the car seat clinic. Be warned that releasing the web strap may also require two adults: One to bear down on the seat to relieve some of the tension on the straps and, the Other to relax the web strap and undo the clip from the UAS anchor. Be patient.

3) The rear facing seat, once tightly secured (compressed into the rear seat), should have the back of the seat at a 45 degree angle. This is important 45 degrees. This properly supports your infant's head and neck should there be a collision. Those miracle floating noodles were cut, fitted and inserted between the car seat base and the rear of the seat bottom to get the compressed angle right. It took 4 installs and 3 noodles, secured with dust tape, to provide the correct 45 degree angle.

4) The rear facing seat MUST not touch the back of the front seat. Allow at least a 1 inch gap between the infant seat back and the back of the car front seat.

Learn how to properly install the infant or child car seat in EVERY vehicle where the car seat will be placed. Do it RIGHT. A young life depends on it!

Coast Pedal Boards Brings Innovative Effects Pedal Board to Professional Musicians

2006-11-23T12:54:00.001-05:00

Guitar and Bass professionals welcome this durable and custom Effects Pedal Board.

Ottawa, November 20, 2006 Coast Pedal Boards and BizFare Enterprise Inc of Ottawa Ontario have just launched a new website dedicated to providing musicians with highest quality accessories and equipment. Products that will sustain the demands and rigor of both the performing and touring musician.

The introduction of an innovative Pedal Board Design is Coast Pedal Boards keystone product. Coast Pedal Boards are superior hand-built, made-to-order boards for professional musicians at a price anyone can afford. This Pedal Board is designed based on feedback from guitar and bass players. Co-developed and designed by Ian Chesal, lead guitarist for bands like The Apollo Effect and Universal Honey, the Coast Effects Pedal Board is designed by a guitarist to meet the demands of stage and touring performances.

"The rugged design of this pedal board ensures that I can stomp on an effects pedal with complete confidence of engaging on cue. No misfires on effects!" Articulated Ian Chesal. "With the adjustable front legs, I can adjust the incline of the Coast Pedal Board to suit the varying stage conditions. Access to the back row of pedals is as easy as the front row!"

Innovation and durable quality are the mantra for this and other Coast Pedal Board products for musicians. With a working surface measuring 35" x 15" (89 cm x 38 cm), the Coast Pedal Board provides room for two rows of effects pedals (comfortably holds up to 16 pedals). The Coast Pedal Board comes in a select choice of finishes. Custom graphics can be added to each board. The custom Coast Pedal Board is now available for ordering.

About Bizfare Enterprise Inc

Bizfare Enterprise Inc provides a secure online shopping experience for high quality products and professional services. Products sold through inter-linked websites include: Fashion - clothing, jewelry, leather accessories; Home and Garden Décor – pewter, room accents, recreation; Collectibles & Memorabilia – mohair bears, photographs, sports items; Hobbies & Crafts – cooking, DIY wood projects, gardening, Music – equipment and services. Bizfare Enterprise Professional Services provide our clients with applied real world experience in Business and Channel Sales and Development, Internet Marketing, Commercial Photography, Personal Development and Professional Writing Services.

Characters Named Carl or Karl: Carl the Stereotypical Crazy or Odd Person in Movies, TV Shows and Screenplays

2006-11-05T16:40:00.000-05:00

Is it because MY NAME IS CARL, that I have a heightened sensitivity to writers' descriptions of a Carl character in their TV shows, movies and books? Am I over reacting?

Strangely, sensitivity IS NOT one of the characteristics usually portrayed by any character called Carl. Whether it is in a drama or comedy 'Carl' is always portrayed as the 'weird' character.

Recently, I was watching the popular television crime series Law and Order: Criminal Intent and there it was again. The 'Carl' character in this episode was a psychotic menace. A twisted doctor who, when pushed to the limits in an intense interrogation scene with Detective Goran, snapped!

Carl, even as a dog in a popular series of Children's Books – Good Dog, Carl turns out to be a Rottweiler! Why couldn't the breed in this story series be a poodle or a collie? Instead, Carl is the dog that is misunderstood and therefore mistrusted. The name Carl, again and again, is stereotyped as a human character that is unpredictable, different (and not in a good way) and tyrannical. And don't think that the character is limited to only the male form.

* Carla on the popular sitcom Cheers was “different" - bossy and offensive
* Karl on Desperate Housewives is a cad and brutish husband,
* add your own maligned 'Carl' character here – you will know one or two

The roots of the name Carl, both it's male and female derivatives - Karl, Karla, Carlton, Carlisle, Carlyle, Carlie, Carly, Carlo, Karlo, Karel, Karoly, Carol, Caroll, Carlotta, Carlota, Karla, Karol, Karola, Carola – are Germanic. The name means 'one who is strong'. A very respectable trait.

So when in the history of the literary and screenplay world did the name Carl or Karl becomce aligned with the notion of 'crazed'?

My research has lead me to Gary Larson of The Farside cartoon fame and to his continuous humorous comic clips of 'Too Much Coffee For Psycho Carl'. In Larson's surrealistic world where animals rule, rationalize and hold humans in contempt, it is refreshing and completely understandable that the human portrayals would include a crazed man named Carl.

Why not Carl for crazy? Drama crazy? Comic crazy? It matters not!

We Carls are certainly up for this crude and comical image! Carls are strong because we are funny! All the Carls I know have a great sense of humor, a quick wit and have the ability to laugh at themselves.

As for sensitivity? The late Pope John Paul II proudly wore the name Karol (Carl in Polish). And this Karol was the epitome of human sensitivity, love and good humor.

Who better than sensitive, loving and good humored Carls to bear the anti-Carl traits portrayed in media?

Little Known Ottawa Tourist Attractions – Canada's Capital Off the Beaten Path Sights Ottawa Canada Tour Tidbits

2006-09-17T15:03:00.000-04:00

_______________________
Touring visitors around Ottawa is one of those pleasures that just gets better and better as you uncover more intricate history, attractions and unique sights. The Capital City of Canada, Ottawa, could also be dubbed 'The Museum Capital of Canada'. With over 13 major museums, a dozen government attractions, and an extensive Art Gallery, there is something to satisfy every curiosity, every history buff, every art connoisseur and every entertainment taste. You could literally spend months touring this Museum Gem of Canada.

Chatting with the local guides, Members of Parliament (MPs), security persons and even Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has uncovered a few 'off the beaten path' attraction anomalies that add to the intrigue and beauty of the Canada's National Capital Region.

1)The Acoustic Anomaly of the Baldwin-LaFontaine Statue on Parliament Hill. Tucked to the right and behind the main Parliament building, up behind the statue of Queen Elizabeth II sitting on a horse. Robert Baldwin and Louis LaFontaine established responsible government in Canada with the 1841 reunion of Upper and Lower Canada. Stand front and center and face this monument that looks like a mini stage. Speak in a normal voice and listen.. The sound has the natural acoustic amplification qualities like those of a mini Red Rocks Colorado amphitheater. Don't leave yet! Sit two people opposite each other; one at the extreme right and one at the extreme left edges of the 'stage'. Have the two whisper a conversation back and forth. WOW!

2)The Cat Sanctuary on Parliament Hill is to the left of the main Parliament building. For over 18 years and counting, volunteers have fed the 26 plus colony of stray cats. Formality and compassion in harmony. You can't get any more Canadian than that, eh!

3)Drive along Sussex Drive from Rideau Street and continue through the round-about at 24 Sussex and Rideau Hall (across the street) on up to the RCMP Musical Ride Training Facility. You might even get to feed the horses through the fence! On the return drive enjoy the Ottawa River look-off, zip up into Rockcliffe Park to see Embassies, Ambassadors' Homes and homes of the Ottawa elite. Park near Rideau Hall, walk its beautiful gardens and capture the Changing of the Guard.

4)No trip to Ottawa is complete with out a drive up into Gatineau Park, a short drive to an entrance just over one of the 5 bridges between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. This park is a mecca for mountain bikers. On one excursion we watched a black bear eating by the side of road just a short distance inside this park. Drive right up to the Champlain Look-off, which overlooks the Ottawa Valley and Ottawa River. Gatineau Park is on the edge of the Canadian Shield. An incredible site any time, but particularly a perfect place in the Autumn. You might be lucky enough to view the excitement of hang gliders or para-gliders against this pristine valley backdrop. Oh! You must exit the park through Chelsea so you can enjoy the homemade ice cream and waffle cones of La Cigale.

5)Bicycle along the miles and miles of pathways throughout the National Capital region. And if that is not enough, every summer Sunday morning, sections of the River Parkway are blocked to regular automobile traffic for your biking, walking and running pleasure. Ottawans are serious cyclists – even through the cold and snowy winters!

6)Early September (Labour Day Weekend) is the time to catch the fun and color of the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival. Since 1988, this annual festival has been attracting huge crowds and hundreds of balloons. To view these Aerial Art Flotilla drifting over the Ottawa River and the Peace Tower of the Parliament Buildings is a photographers delight. Just listen to that distinctive deep 'whooshing' sound as they ignite the burners.

Most of Ottawa can be enjoyed with a walking tour. But treat yourself to one of the river or canal boat tours, bus tours or hop aboard the old Wakefield stream train for a step back in time. Nature. History. Geology. Outdoor Activities. Politics. Animals. Take a little time to enjoy Ottawa's other amenities.

And what does Ottawa offer during those cold Winter months? That's another story for another day.

Russell Peters – A Comedy style that creates the newest Cultural Laugh-In. Laughter the Best Medicine Especially Laughing at Yourself - Yuk-Yuks

2006-09-11T09:09:00.000-04:00

“And what is your background, Pinky?” Russell Peters looked directly at me from the stage at Yuk-Yuks in Ottawa Ontario at the 8 pm Saturday, Sept 9th show.

I was wearing a blue shirt, so I wasn't getting the 'Pinky' comment until my wife, Janet, pointed out that I was all red-in-the face from laughing. Hey, we were seated center stage right in front of the microphone, so we knew we were potential targets for Russell's smooth and engaging wit. I was mentally prepared. Not! I blurted out, “Czech European Cape Bretoner!”

Did I just say that? Not even a sentence! Now it was out there for Russell Peters to mould into an interactive dialogue about “rouge children”, “dirty Czech talk” and “hitting people in the face with a fish if I was an angry Cape Bretoner”. He even got the east coast accent right. I believe I might be the first Cape Bretoner to be exposed 'Russell Peters Style'. This evening with Russell Peters is one that “Pinky” will cherish forever.

Russell Peters is redefining 'Cultural Comedy'. Russell Peters, a comedian from Toronto, Canada, who has South-Asian roots, is touring the world and amazing audiences with his hilarious exploration of various races, including his own East Indian heritage. His brilliant comedy investigates culture clashes, viewed from the perspective of sublimely ridiculous, as he skillfully addresses racism and both cultural acceptance and non-acceptance even as it occurs within the race boundaries.

Laughter of any kind is one of life's most effective medicines for ensuring good health. And being able to laugh at oneself is even healthier. Laughter promotes the emotion of happiness. Happiness, in turn, releases beta-endorphins that science has determined make your body feel good, naturally. Comedy focused on a particular social, ethnic, geography, political or religious matter can be enlightening while producing 'side splitting' endorphin- releasing feel-good-all-over laughter.

Life now determines that who delivers the message in paramount in how effectively it is received by the listening audience. Not surprisingly a Cape Bretoner or Newfoundlander is most effective in delivering joke after joke about their culturally inherent traits or local idiosyncrasies. These two geographic cultures have spawned many comedic successes - Mary Walsh, Rick Mercer, General John Cabot Trail, Hughie and Allen, Cathy Jones, and Bette MacDonald. Overall, both Cape Breton and Newfoundland peoples are fun-loving, good-natured people. Laughing at ourselves comes with the territory.

Like a Cape Breton comic, Russell Peters personifies how laughing at yourself is an excellent venue towards cultural understanding and acceptance. Laughter is the best medicine. And a most effective way to unite all people in the world's global community.

Want to experience more of Russell Peters in Action? His first DVD CD “Outsourced” is available. GO buy THIS DVD or CD today! You will love his style of comedy!

We cherish an autographed DVD sleeve of this first of many Russell Peters DVDs! You're gonna love this guy!

They will Clamor for this Clam Dip! A Simply Delicious Party Clam Dip

2006-09-04T22:24:00.000-04:00

They will Clamor for this Clam Dip!

Been serving up this simple Clam Dip for Years and it always gets a two-thumbs up!
A can of clams, French Onion Dip and a few additional ingredients will have you preparing this simply delicious Clam Dip for your next party or get together. Perfect with plain chips or various snack crackers. For the complete Clam Dip Recipe go to Home And Body How To Family Room Snacks.

Carp Ontario Canada – Ottawa Air Show, Experimental Aircraft Association, Diefenbunker, Carp Fair, Drive-In Bingo! Historic Travel Destination

2006-09-02T18:27:00.000-04:00

Unofficially boasting the second highest UFO sightings behind Roswell. Home to Canada's largest nuclear bunker! On again, off again, Carp is once again host to the annual Ottawa Air Show! Annual destination for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Fly-In/Drive-In Breakfast. A location for a Tom Clancy movie shoot staring Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman.

Intrigued? Well you should be! The Historic Village of Carp has nothing to do with the fish by the same name. The seemingly sleepy rural community sits on the northwestern fringe of the city of Ottawa – just a bit 'up the valley' as they say in the (Ottawa) Valley. Carp, though a small village and predominantly a farming community, has some of Canada's defined history running through its veins.

The [debatable] secret building of the four-storey nuclear fallout Diefenbunker, was a massive Federal Government construction project completed in 1961. Now part of Canadian Cold War history, a tour through this concert and steel underground fortress will stimulate your senses with the intrigue of espionage, spies and covert operations. Come prepared to walk up and down stairs.

Carp, in the 1960s and 70s, was noted for the unusual number of UFO sightings. This is not surprising, since the Diefenbunker was a military commissioned, secure defense communications installation. Department of National Defense (DND) personnel would cycle through a tour-of-duty for up to three months inside this bunker facility.

For about 40 glorious seconds in the Tom Clancy suspense movie “The Sum of all Fears", the Diefenbunker was Mt. Weather, Virginia, USA. The inclined tunnel leading to the huge steel-vault-like doors and locations inside the complex were used as a backdrop for the movie, scripted around a nuclear attack on America.

Nice being picked by Hollywood, but the real enticement to visit Carp is its local character. Rooted in agriculture, adds that 'country fair' feel when in June, the Carp Airport hosts the Ottawa Air Show and again in August, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA Chapter 245 ) fly-in breakfast. Both of these Aviation spectacles boast aerial displays, vintage and modern airplanes and always a taste of aerial hot-doggin'. Although hosted on a smaller scale, rivals the big heart and excitement of the Abbotsford BC International Air Show.

It's all morning fly-in action surrounding the Annual EAA Chapter 245 fly-in breakfast. Sometimes landing back-to-back the pilots, in their kit-built aircraft, circle, land and taxi to designated parking spots. Over 50 to 60 planes are flown in during this much anticipated event. Pilots eat a hearty breakfast, fuss over their aircraft, catch up on news from other pilots, and some then take off into the wild blue yonder. Others, like August Lehmann, veteran pilot of 49 years, flew in from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to attend the annual EAA Fly-In/Drive-In Breakfast. Mr. Lehmann, who flew his custom made 2005 Cessna 230 H.P. Cyclone at an average speed of 130 mph, took the opportunity to visit with friends and relatives along his flight path to Carp, Ontario.

One plane that draws a lot of up-close attention is the prop-version replica kit of the Canadian Snowbird Team CT-114 Tutor jet, right down to the paint. One bi-plane had vintage enthusiasts crowding around for a closer look. Wow! Beautifully lacquered wood throughout the cockpit and on the wings. Lots of photo opportunities everywhere you turned. It was hard for shutterbugs to keep up.

It may start with the Carp Airport, but Carp charm doesn't stop there. It has a few more unique long-standing attractions:
1) Home to Canada's longest running drive-in Bingo as highlighted on the CBC Show 'On The Road Again' with Wayne Ronstad. Started in 1954 and still going strong!
2) Over 142 years of the Carp Fair, held during the last weekend in September!
3) Incredible sunsets and easy access to some of the best Snowmobiling and ATV trails in Canada!

Enough said! C'mon over! Chat with the locals. Bring your family and friends for a visit to one of Ottawa Valley's gems.

Check out additional images of Carp at Flickr.com (search on 'Carp Charm') or click on the title above or below this article.

Sport Fishing Holiday Destination Fit for Non Anglers – Canadian Nature Tour at Plummer's Arctic Fishing Resort, Great Bear Lake, Canada

2006-08-26T18:56:00.000-04:00

It was one incredible week! Plummers Arctic Fishing Lodge tucked in the northeast part of Great Bear Lake, in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Almost nine (9) years have passed, yet I can transport myself back with all the sights, sounds and feelings as if it were yesterday. My recollection of that Plummers experience is as vivid as the hundreds of photographs and video footage captured during this dream working vacation. The hospitality, the gourmet meals and the unending attention to detail exhibited by Chummy Plummer and his staff at the Great Bear Lake Lodge provided the rooted harmony that balanced the sometimes overwhelming awe of nature that constantly and completely surrounded us. Mother Nature reigns supreme in this Arctic wilderness. People are insignificant participants in the daily cycle of life in this true north.

This 'up close and personal' touch with nature makes Plummers Great Bear Lake a must-go-to Nature Vacation destination. At least once in your lifetime experience a place on this earth where truly the slogan could be:
“GREAT DESTINATION ENGINEERED BY NATURE. GREAT MEMORIES GUARANTEED BY PLUMMERS.”

Five-star fishing, five-star fishing camp accommodations, five-star hospitality wrapped up in the memorable five-star natural vistas and untouched nature of Canada's North. Back in the late 1990s Plummers was a mecca for the most serious sports anglers from around the world. Plummers Great Bear Lake Arctic Fishing Lodge has now been discovered for its “not just for anglers” amenities - Plummers now boasts family week, annual dental and medical seminars.

Visiting remote Canada, north of the Arctic Circle, in late August was one of those 'planets-all-lining-up' opportunities. Accompanied by my business associate John, our week long adventure leaves memories as crisp as the early northern morning air. And what better way to start our morning than hearing a Plummer's staffer call out “Coffee gentlemen.” A carafe of steaming coffee placed outside of our door accompanied our 6 am wake-up call each day. That first coffee of the day set the pace for the short walk to the lodge dining building and for a 'whatever your heart desires' breakfast.

Plummer's Arctic Fishingactually has four separate Lodge locations: 1. Great Slave Lake near Yellowknife; 2. Great Bear Lake; 3. Trophy Lodge, on Great bear Lake; and 4. Tree River Lodge on the Coronation Gulf in Nunavut. During our week long stay we experienced two of these four fishing venues – Great Bear Lodge and Tree River Lodge. Ideal locations for capturing first-rate photographs. And perfect enough for President George Bush, Senior, along with a few of his closest Canadian friends, to visit both these Plummer venues every summer.

Just flying to The Great Bear Lodge is something in itself. We flew out of Winnipeg, Manitoba on a Boeing 737 Jet, first landing at the Great Slave Lake Lodge on a gravel runway and then on to Plummer's Great Bear Lake Lodge, once again landing on a gravel runway! The jet had special flanges behind the front wheel to prevent stones from being ejected into the jet engines. It is something else to look out the airplane window to the rear of the plane as it lifts off and seeing a cloud of dust coming off the runway. Once airborne, it sure looked like some good ol' boys were rippin' up a gravel road below us!

The fishing on this Lake is nothing short of THE BEST. Great Bear Lake is the eighth-largest lake in the world and fourth largest in North America. Awesome! Incredible! Some o f the world's largest lake trout have been reeled in on Great Bear Lake - 72 lbs . Seventy-two pounds makes this fish over 140 years old! It's sport fishing only at Plummers. All catch and release. Plummers practices strict conservation rules, so there will be plenty of fish to catch for centuries to come.

For every two anglers there is a guide assigned for the week. He or she takes care of operating the boat (18 foot aluminum), determining the best location to fish each day, preparing the fresh fish lunches on one of the hundreds of islands (now there's a culinary treat!) and any fishing tips/tricks. John and I were not preoccupied with fishing and so we turned our attention to aggravating our guide, a young University of Manitoba student named Kelly. And we drove him to the limit; asking him all sorts of stupid questions. We did have some coaching from a few of the Plummer's staff on the top 'best stupid questions' to ask, so we mixed them in with our earnest questions:

“So how many pounds of potatoes do they go through in a season at this lodge?” (Stupid)

“How many trout do you figure are in Great Bear?” (Stupid)

“How big is this lake anyway?” (Earnest)

“How much Red River Cereal do they go through in a season?” (Stupid)

“Who is that lady that drops the coffee carafe at our door each morning?” (Stupid)

“How many gulls do you think are on this lake?” (Stupid) Gulls, nature's garbage disposal crew, always showed up when the guide was finished cleaning the trout for lunch.

“How cold is this water?” (Earnest ) If you are wondering, 42- 45 degrees Fahrenheit is the correct answer.

John and I arrived at Plummers with only our clothing and camera equipment. No need to bring any fishing gear of your own. Plummers equipped us with all the rod, reel and tackle gear we needed. They did a great job because, as novice anglers, John and I caught over 40 fish between us! An activity that we never tired of was enjoying the afternoon Northern Sun and scouting out the many islands that dotted 'The Bear'. Much to our guide Kelly's chagrin, we really weren't there for the fishin' – we were the sightseer type of tourist that comes to Plummers. The solitude afforded us with the gentle rhythm of the trolling boat and the anticipation of when we would see the next eagle, or caribou or musk-ox on 'The Bear' shores was just the ticket to help two hardworking executives from the big city of Ottawa, Ontario to unwind.

We became known to other guests at the lodge as the two 'anglers' to stay away from! Perfect! Come to think of it, we always had fishing places completely to ourselves. Bob Izumi was filming a show for his “Real Fishing” TV series at the same time as our visit. Even he didn't seem the least bit interested at my elation that I had snagged what our guide said was the smallest trout he'd ever seen – less than 1 pound 'soaking wet'! Kelly said the lure weighed more than my prize catch! Now there is fishing talent I don't often forget to boast about! John was on the opposite end of the scale from me as far as being a sports fisherman. He did capture, and I mean capture, a trout that was the size of a dog – a 34 plus pounds! Wow! Ya gotta see the pictures!

I went camera crazy here! Images of fishing in the 9 p.m. dusk light, casting right off the lodge's shore. Wolves near the camp, caribou that hadn't been seen this far south of the Arctic Circle so late in the summer season! The ultimate trip within the trip was our fly-out to the Tree River Camp, Nunavut. This camp consisted of eight (8) tarpaulin-roofed, stilted bunk houses and a cook house in the middle of 'no where north'. Flat tundra and low bush were contrasted by mountainous visas that could only be described as a “black grand canyon”, moon-like terrain. We were on the Canadian Shield. Tree River itself is edged with hardened mud river banks where arctic squirrel-gopher-like creatures known as 'sik-sik' were housed in borrows within the river banks. The camp cook, Carol, and her helper, Mary, treated us to a incredible dinner of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. To top off this sumptuous meal we had ice cream and cake for dessert. Did I say we were in a remote camp on the Arctic Ocean? Sure felt like the Ritz!

We unsuccessfully tried our hand at Arctic Char fishing. Enough of that story! With our guide Kelly we continued with our boating down the Tree River river to touch upon the shores of the Arctic Ocean. We stood next to an authentic inukshuk, saw weather bleached caribou bones, ate some not-so-sweet blueberries and walked the bluff at the mouth of Tree River. We scanned the Arctic ocean waters and could see a sliver of land on the horizon. Victoria Island maybe?

A desolate yet primitive beautiful land in August, we imagined how harsh the winter climate must be to those living here in Canada's north. No time for those chilly thoughts now! The late August sun was warm; perfect for standing near the cliff shore while watching seals play in the mouth of Tree River below us. At that moment we felt as though we were a small speck in the northern universe. I'm certain it was the solid black rock of the Canadian Shield beneath our feet that kept us from being swallowed up by this “Arctic Vortex”. Everywhere I turned there was a photo to be taken. My Canon EOS A4 'photo-exercised' through 20 rolls of film that trip. I scanned these pictures and share some of the best ones with the world. Go to Picasa Web Albums - “plummers arctic fishing”.

Returning to our base camp at Great Bear, we fished a couple of more days and then continued this incredible nature trip with one more memorable experience: we jumped into the frigid Arctic Circle waters of Great Bear Lake. Good news! We did receive a special Plummer's tee-shirt for our stupidity to brave this dunking. Printed on the tee-shirt is “ I was Stupid enough to Swim in the Arctic Circle”. Yes, in our finest dress of long red underwear we jumped off the wharf at the Plummers Lodge into the 43 degree Fahrenheit water! For the record, at that temperature everything shrinks! To this day, my tee-shirt is proudly displayed in our family room.

Plummer's Arctic Fishing is one of those destinations you should put on your must do list. “GREAT FISHING OUR CLAIM, MOTHER NATURE OUR FRAME.” In January 2007, Field and Stream rated Plummers Fishing Resort at the #1 fishing destination in North America.What a perfect way to experience the beauty of Canada's north. Take your whole family on a trip of their lifetime!

Tic-Toc This Den is Locked – Picking Blueberries in Cape Breton Nova Scotia (Caper Society)

2006-08-18T11:46:00.000-04:00

The 60s were a magical time. Magical and unique in so many social aspects. and changin' time all over the world. Life on the Island of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia had a particularly unique social climate for children and teenagers of that decade on that island oasis.

August was the time when blueberries were ripe for the picking and moms all over the island would send their children out to pick this miracle blueberry. One of nature's most healthy foods. In the fields and on the hills of Cape Breton blueberries flourished. This little miracle of nature grew in low brush areas; especially, areas that had sustained a brush fire in the previous 2 years.

The blueberry picking venture could bring you to the hill near the Sydney Radar Base, the secret-to-this-day location called 'Blueberry Hill' in Whitney Pier, or the woods near communities like New Waterford. Blueberry picking was almost always a group outing. Ages 5 to 25 ventured out together in the early morning, with lunches in hand and dressed to protect against the heat of the noonday sun.

Each person in the picking troupe was assigned their own container into which their blueberries went. The youngest would likely have a plastic margarine container. The older ones would pick right into a 4 quart basket. I remember other people whose berries went into those old glass 1 quart milk bottles. The basket was open to the air and stopped the berries from sweating and getting mushy, a problem people had with the glass milk bottle.

Tall tales of weird nature sightings or stories of pranks-pulled were lively dinner table talk after a day of picking. There always seemed to be a practical joker in every crowd! Like when my older sister, Marie, went on a blueberry picking outing. Our cousin, Karl, was in the same berry-picking group. He brought Marie to a rich ripe blueberry patch and let her pick a full container of berries before telling her that he had 'peed' on that berry patch! Was he telling the truth? He hasn't said a word to this day!

There was one rule of blueberry picking etiquette that remained the cornerstone of social order. A simple phrase that was respected by all berry pickers, no matter their age. Simply, when a picker found a berry-ladened bush, he or she was able to claim is as their own. In an authoritative, but polite voice, the picker would call out, “TIC-TOC, THIS DEN IS LOCKED!”

Once spoken, it was clear that the blueberry patch was singularly owned by the picker who called out “Tic Toc this den is locked”. For the most part, this real-time land claim to a blueberry patch was respected. Others in the group might move nearer to the newly claimed patch. But, unless invited to pick, other pickers stayed away from that 'Tic-Toc'd' area. They would go off a find their own private blueberry bush. Soon you would hear that cry repeated throughout the day “Tic-Toc this den is locked!”

Now this cry of the wild blueberry picker was common in Cape Breton. Its origin is unknown. Was it unique to blueberry picking in Cape Breton? Did it filter out into mainland Nova Scotia and on to the continent of North America?

Respect for rules. Respect for others. Growing up in Cape Breton Island was full of these tidbits of social order. Nice memories! Blueberry picking memories are still being made today on the 'Island of Islands', Cape Breton.

Robins Nesting - up close and personal – “Bob, Bob, Bobbin' at our front door” in Carp Ontario

2006-08-17T16:53:00.000-04:00

A frightened bird flew off our front porch when I opened the front door to retrieve the newspaper. OK, I jumped too! It was 11:00 pm. Imagine my surprise when I looked up and noticed a birds net carefully tucked on top of one of the porch posts.

My raised voice, “Well we got visitors. We got Robins!”, brought my wife to join me at the front door.

“This nest wasn't here this morning. They must have worked all day to build it. Boy they're fast”, I exclaimed.

“Well I guess we are going to be surrogate grandparents”, my wife laughed. “We've been chosen to witness a beautiful part of nature – the nesting and raising of Robins. Odd, they would be nesting this late into the summer. It's July 3rd already.”

So we settled in for a period of time, but we didn't know how long they were going to stay. We were always a curious couple and I knew that we would want to capture the entire Robin Nesting process. An avid photographer, I set up the camera props to ensure the best 'nest' visual, yet non-intrusive, vantage point. The front door to our house now became a “no entry” zone. A four foot step ladder was positioned inside the front door and my Canon D60 Digital SLR was mounted on a Slik mono-pod, adjusted so when it rested on the top step of the ladder, the camera was at the perfect height pointed through the transom window directly across from the Robin's Nest - a mutually comfortable 6-8 feet of distance between us.

The nesting mother and protective father robins grew accustomed to seeing my face (but mostly the camera lens) early each morning and then a few times throughout the day. We were going to see a lot of each other over the next month. We were the best hosts to our bird visitors. Every night around 9 pm, the front door light would be turned off earlier than usual, so as to give mother robin the comfort of darkness in which to sleep, protect and incubate her eggs. As she settled into the nest, she would point herself in the direction of our transom window peering at us in our living room.

The entire egg 'laying-incubating and hatching' process occurred over a two week period – from early July to the third week in that month. The photo images captured mother robin's diligence and gentleness. How she moved the eggs (number unknown at this point) with her beak and the hours she spent incubating them. We spent many quality moments just looking at each other – up there through the transom – Robin in her nest, me on my ladder.

We knew something exciting was happening! Mother robin was spending more time sitting on the edge of the nest reaching into its depth with her beak while retrieving what looked like pieces of egg shell, which she would eat. This, in fact, was one of my major observations about nesting robins – they eat everything in the nest that is debris, and I mean everything! When you are peering through a camera lens, you see every detail. This biological waste reclamation by the parents is an environmentally friendly aspect of robins. They exemplify 'recycle-reuse'. And this has all been captured in 6.2 mega-pixel digital images! You bet!

The robin parents began a tag-team of alternating trips returning with worms for the ravenous robin chicks. And look we could count the tiny skyward pointing, bright-orange-colored beaks. There were three! Three robin chicks had hatched and now were competing for as much food as the parents could drop down their little throats. No robin parent 'pre-chewed' the food. Whole worms where dropped into those three chick gullets. Bring it on!

Over the next two weeks that we captured the obvious and amazing day-to-day growth changes in each of the three robin chicks. The parent robins continued the parade of worms. They plucked away the baby fuzz and ate this plus any dropping that the three chicks produced. The area around the nest, namely our front porch floor and chairs, remained surprisingly “bird dropping” free for this month long miracle. They were truly a ' recycle-reuse' creature. And it makes sense. The robin chicks just swallowed any food that was dropped into their always wide open beaks. Completely digesting this food would be difficult for these infant birds. Naturally when it came out the other end, either robin parent would just grab and eat it. Hey there is still some nutrition left in that stuff!

The chicks matured and started perching on the edge of the nest. Each one now seemed focused on preening, constantly pecking at their feathers in, under, over and around their wings. Each chick now took personal responsibility for removing the remaining baby fuzz and preparing their wings and bodies for that inaugural flight.

We watched, and digitally captured, near falls out of the nest, some typical 'child-bird' pushing and shoving, and frustration that generally accompanies bird nest overcrowding. And then on August 7th around 9:30 in the morning we looked up through the transom and there was only one bird left in the nest. His other two siblings had already flown the coup. And then number three flew off! Oh, maybe more like fluttered and flapped to the floor of our front porch. But once he got his 'land-legs' he then flew into the front garden. No doubt, to hunt for food.

So we rushed outside to grab a few more pictures of the robins now free from the confines of the nest. And then they were gone. We left the nest undisturbed for a another week, thinking they might return. But they never returned to the nest. Not the babies. Not the parents. They were off being robins! And it all happened in just over 4 weeks.

But they did leave us a little gift for being gracious hosts. Remember I commented on how clean the area remained from bird droppings. Well I guess the terror of that first free-fall from the nest, that first 'leap of faith', just before those wings grab air.... well, er who wouldn't poop themselves! Oh well, time to engage the pressure washer.

I waited another week before removing the empty nest. It sure is quiet around here. We miss the grandkids.

All of this Robin Drama is captured on hundreds of digital images. Some of these can be viewed on Flickr.

A pre-cursor to Paint Ball? - Lee Hawkers – a 1960s Cape Breton Teenager Hide-'n-Seek Game

2006-07-29T17:39:00.000-04:00

There are segments of sociology, found perhaps only on Cape Breton Island, that need to be recorded, if not studied. The game of “Lee Hawkers” is such a segment; a common summer night cry of “1-2-3 Lee Hawkers” heard from the woods surrounding the New Waterford neighbourhood of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. This game of modified hide-and-seek involving two teams was part of teen years in the mid-1960s. Lee Hawkers was a creative hide-and-seek game played in the specific suburban area of New Waterford called River Ryan/Scotchtown.

The River Ryan/Scotchtown area was, and still is today, a residential community. Unlike today back then the neighbourhoods were more widely interlaced with forests and fields. Throughout the 1960s, summer days would see teenaged boys playing baseball, pitching horseshoes, building forts in the woods, shooting practice rounds with BB guns , or biking out of town to Kilkenny Lake for a swim. But what would these typically testosterone-driven males do for night-time fun? What mischief could they find cloaked in the darkness of sultry summer nights?

The mischief arose when the child's game of Hide-and-Seek morphed into a more adult oriented game involving two teams, a 'jail' and few, but specific, rules of engagement around being captured and being freed from jail.

The best recollection is that this after dark game was originally a male only sport. Two teams of male teens would take turns being the captured (Hiders) or the captors (Seekers). To begin, in a clearing, a field or in someone's dirt driveway, using a tree branch or the heel of a player's boot or sneaker, a large circle (6-8 feet in diameter) would be roughly marked in the sun-baked ground. This would become the jail into which the captured Hiders would be thrown by the Seekers.

To capture or catch a hiding member of the opposing team, the Seekers would start their hunt in the dark wooded areas for any Hiders. It's dark. It's the forest. Seekers could jump out at a Hider... so usually the hunt was carried out in pairs of Seekers. But why the name Lee Hawkers? Read on... once a Hider was isolated, according to the original rules of seek and capture, a Seeker would be required to spit (yes a hawker!) on the Hider, pound them on the back while yelling “1-2-3 Lee Hawkers”. This marked the Hider as a “catch” or “captured”. The Seekers would lead the captured Hider back to jail (the circle) for safe keeping. The “Lee” (short for leeward) in “Lee Hawkers” was a obvious warning that you should spit, or hawk, in the direction of the wind to avoid getting hit with your own spit (ugh!). And so this spitting, or hawking - the “1-2-3 Lee Hawkers” capture sequence - would be repeated until all the Hiders were caught and in jail. Once all the Hiders were captured, the teams would switch roles – Seekers would become Hiders and Hiders would become Seekers. Hide. Catch. Jail. Switch. Were that the game was so simplistic. The game was a more complicated and a whole lot more dynamic because jailed Hiders could be freed from “jail”. Say what!

The jail was guarded by a couple Seekers. These Guard Seekers remained on high alert to prevent Hider teammates from freeing their jailed buddies. If an uncaptured Hider ran through the jail then all jailed Hiders were now technically freed from jail, free to run back into the forest and hide once again. How could the Seekers stop these repeated breakouts?
The trick was to catch these rogue Hider breakout experts before they ran through the jail. By using the same capture 1-2-3 sequence (hawking, back pounding, yelling ”1-2-3 Lee Hawkers”) it would not only stop a breakout attempt but also result in a fresh Hider capture. “Off to jail with ya!” At this point in the evolution of Lee Hawkers you have a teen male-dominated, hawkin' 'n hittin', after dark, hide 'n seek game. A bit messy, somewhat primitive, but relatively harmless.

Enter the teen girls. They want to play. Co-ed Lee Hawkers. This had new possibilities, new promise. Hmmm, a thought. A thought that met an age-old goal – have some fun while you find a mate.Just like the Stag Line (see Wikipedia or My BLOG), Lee Hawkers seems to have evolved from an excuse for a dating game wrapped in the guise of team sports.Or was Lee Hawkers a primative form of the game now called Paint Ball? Could Paint Ball splats of color have replaced the spit, or hawker, in the culturally historical Cape Breton game of Lee Hawkers? Or was this game called Lee Hawkers simply a ruse by teenage boys to play with the girls? Surely these are questions requiring further discussion.

The girls were in the game. But first the spitin' and hawkin' had to go! And so it did. Lee Hawkers became a more gentile sport for the combined sexes. Catching a Hider now involved only “rapping” (lightly pounding) a girl Hider on the back while yelling “1-2-3 Lee Hawkers”. Since the new rules eliminated hawking, Hiders about to be captured, would no longer run to avoid the 'guber'. Instead Hiders would resist capture by the Seeker by lying on their back to prevent from being rapped. Based on the size/strength ratio of Seeker-to-Hider, the attempt(s) to flip and “back rap” could turn out to be quite an extended tussle. Sometimes it would require the efforts of 2 or more Seekers to flip and rap a potential captured Hider.

Now let your imaginations fill in the blanks here. Imagine what happened when the Hider was a female, the Seeker was a male. Hider – female. Seeker – male. Tussle. If the Seeker was a male, and he discovered a female Hider, he would never call for help from his Seeker teammates. This is the part where subtle changes in the 'unwritten' rules came into effect when the girls joined the game. The effort was always different in these female-to-male capture encounters. There was an unspoken adjustment in the game rules and a somewhat neutralizing of male brute force. The male Seeker would tussle gently with the female Hider until she could be flipped or rolled off her back, and the male Seeker's was able to tap her back combined with the cry “1-2-3 Lee Hawkers”. It was amazing the length of time it took for one strong teen male to perform a simple 45 to 90 degree roll of a female to gain access to her back. It must that unexplainable physics of females!

Like the game of Lee Hawkers so goes dating, and so goes love. The brute strength in hormone-driven games is neutralized. It becomes gentler. It emotes the chemistry of sexual attraction. And so goes life.

Lee Hawkers was one of those 1960s Cape Breton (or at least a Scotchtown – River Ryan) phenomena that, perhaps just like the Stag Line, was a dating game ritual wrapped in the guise of team sports. Or maybe it was the pre-cursor to today's Paint Ball. Whatever it was, it sure was memorable!

The “Stag Line”: A Cape Breton Dance Hall phenomenon (part of our Cape Breton Social Heritage)

2006-07-03T13:09:00.000-04:00

The “Stag Line”, a male high school dance practice, was certainly indigenous to Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia Canada.

Remember those Cape Breton school dances in the 1960s?

The community hall or gymnasium would be dimly lighted by a few flood lights. Whether the music was delivered by a jukebox, a DJ or live band, the use of a color organ and strobe light was prevalent – you had to have colored lights pulsing to the beat of the music. Waiting in anticipation of being asked to dance, the teenage ladies were seated along the walls of the dance floor while some of the young girls started things off by dancing with each other.

In Cape Breton this familiar 1960s dance scene now took a radical depart from the norm. The young gents, dressed in typical macho denim jeans 'n jacket, entered the dance hall 'struttin' their stuff'. Then, like "the March of the Penguins", these young males, 2 or 3 abreast, began a deliberate saunter (always in counter clockwise direction) around the dance floor.

This procession of "eligible male dance partners" (hence the name '''stag line''') expanded with more guys joining their buddies in the "dance floor walk about". In short order, this stag line grew to a solid moving procession (2 to 4 wide) of guys. For the entire evening, this organized stag line circled the dance floor, positioned between the dancing masses and the eligible ladies sitting along the edge of the gymnasium.

What was the purpose of this Cape Breton dance-matching ritual?

Being in the stag line, provided each male ample opportunity (multiple loops of the dance floor) to scope out the females, both dancing and sitting. He would spot his next potential dance partner. With both the encouragement and jabs from his immediate “stag line” buddies, once he worked up the nerve, (usually after 4-10 passes) the male would simply step out of the stag line in front of the chosen sitting lady and request a dance.

Now here is the shear brilliance of the stag line. It really was a simple male support system for those almost always shy and awkward teenage guys working up the courage to ask a girl to dance. If the female response was affirmative, the gentlemen simply escorted her to the dance floor then danced to as many tunes as was enjoyable for both. When the dancing was ended by either party, the guy escorted her back to her seat and then (this is perfect) rejoined his comrades in the stag line parade.

Now, should a female's response to a dance request be 'negatory' or even a little hesitant, the "stag line extracted" male need simply to step back into the line right next to the comfort and support ( or jabs) of his buddies. And likely only a few people even noticed the rejection let alone the valiant attempt. Everyone kept face. And the recovering male, once re-composed, would start the hunt for the next dance partner.

How did the stag line practice get started?

One plausible theory about the origin of the “stag line” is that at a dance enters the local 'fonzie”,tough guy with his entourage of tough guys. Being the “top catch for any lady”, these tough guys started to strut in front of the ladies seated around the dance floor. Low and behold, the 'regular', 'not so tough', 'but wanting to be part of the tough guy club' guys started following behind these tough guys. And so the 'stag line' was born. The stage line phenomenon appears to have only survived the 1960's teenage generation. Not sure if any photographs have captured this social dance practice.

So the stag line really brought a kind social order to Cape Breton teenage dances. No one got hurt and males learned to deal with rejection and ridicule in a more supportive (sometimes not) team environment.

Maybe stag lines should re-introduced for those over 50 dances. If for no other reason, seniors would get our walking exercise. Picture that.....

Canada Day is Every Day in Ottawa Canada - A Family Entertainment Destination

2006-07-02T15:24:00.000-04:00

A must do trip for you and your family would be soaking up the party atmosphere of the July 1st Canada Day Celebrations in Ottawa, Canada - The Nation's Capital!

Ottawa (population approximately 1 million), typically a proud, safe, conservative government and high tech city, pulls all the stops for the Canada Day Celebrations. A full throttle party with street buskers, renowned entertainers, local musicians and new musicians and bands from across Canada. Every park and band shell is a mecca for all afternoon, all evening entertainment, right up to the spectacular 10 pm fireworks display, seemingly synchronized at dozens of locations in and around Ottawa-Gatineau and the National Capital Region.

Ottawa on Canada Day truly is a opportunity for new musical groups to express their music to new and large crowds eager to hear, move and applaud new talent. So not only is Ottawa a must as your vacation destination, but Ottawa is a must for any musical band wishing to break into a broader audience than their local city or town!

The 2006 Canada Day Celebration was just this type of 'breaking out' event for a new Toronto based band, The Apollo Effect. TAE, an independent rock-alternative group, 'thrilled and was thrilled by' the crowd that gathered at Andrew Haydon Park. This 2000+ audience danced and moved to the sounds from TAE's debut CD.

The night was perfect - an 8:30 play slot, with perfect light, both on stage and in the late evening sky, and the crowd pumped in anticipation of experiencing The Apollo Effect. Perfect for listening, perfect for performing and perfect for photography too. It doesn't get any more magical than this.

Ottawa rocks on Canada Day - The July 1st Canadian Birthday Party is a must do destination in planning your next year's vacation. Come to the Nation's Capital to share and experience a redefined 'Happy', as only can be delivered in the Capital of Canada. Home to the country's largest number of history, art and technology museums, Ottawa, celebrates every season:
Spring - Tulip Festival, marathons, so many parks, walking and bike paths;
Summer - end-to-end concerts (Jazz & Folk Festivals), farmer markets and July 1st Birthday;
Autumn - community fairs, markets and the turning trees (Oh, the colors);
Winter - the Christmas lights on Parliament Hill, Winterlude, world's longest skating rink;
and every sport and recreation activity - swimming, boating, sailing, hiking, biking, skiing, skating, ATV'ing, snowmobiling .....or just walking.... you name it!

Ottawa is the definitive family vacation destination! And an incredible place to live and raise a family.

Olympic Youth Academy (OOYA) shapes our leaders (Canadian Youth - Our Future Canadian Sport Leaders beyond the 2010 Olympics)

2006-05-22T14:38:00.000-04:00

Leadership in our Canadian youth is pervasive and active. As a volunteer (photographer), I was witness and observer to an extraordinary 4-day conference hosted by the University of Ottawa (May 11-14). This year's theme was “Making a Difference”. The delegates to this 2006 Ontario Olympic Youth Academy, were fifteen Ontario students representing their high schools. These students confirmed that our youth will bring a new order of leadership to this country, their province and their communities.

OOYA is sponsored by Sport Alliance of Ontario, OFSAA, and the Canadian Olympic Committee. The Ontario Olympic Youth Academy is held each year and serves 2 purposes:

To share the magic of The Olympic Games in a 'hands on' format by debating, discussing, discovering, meeting, networking, playing, laughing in an active & dynamic 4-day conference.

To meet Olympic athletes, coaches, organizers and managers and hear them speak about the impact The Olympic Games has had on their lives.

Working long hours, this group of engaging teenagers were involved in interactive presentations and group workshops. Through the team sports of Dragon Boat Racing and a modified Olympic Games event, the group showed their ability to focus as a unit and meet goals. The delegates developed Sports and Exercise programs that can easily and immediately be introduced in their respective schools and communities. Programs are like:

“Clean Play Starts with a Clean Place to Play”,

“Mini Olympic Days” to promote a healthy and active lifestyle to Grades 5 & 6,

are designed for both athletes and non-athletes and help shape high school students into leaders.

Appearance by guest speakers included:

Sue Holloway, Honorary Chair of OOYA - Silver and Bronze Olympic Medalist for kayaking (1980-Los Angeles). Ms. Holloway is the first female to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics (1976 - kayaking and cross-country skiing).

Shaunna Burke - second Canadian female to reach the summit of Mount Everest (spring 2005).

Pierre Lafontaine, CEO Swimming Canada - recently, Head coach for Australian Institute of Sport, and before that the Phoenix Swim Club of Arizona. Mr. Lafontaine led 4 and 8 medal swimmers to Olympic victories in 2004 and 2000 respectively.

Marg McGregor - Chef de Mission 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England.

Greg Joy - Silver Medalist and world record for high jumping 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Marc Leger – 2005 Canadian delegate at the International Olympic Academy in Greece.

Dr. Gene Sutton, Chair OOYA and National Olympic Academy, Director of the COC Board, and Canada’s Chef de Mission for the 2003 Pan American Games team.

Michael Chambers - President Canadian Olympic Committee (COC).

These speakers had a profound impact on the delegates. The Academy ended on a high note with an emotional closing ceremony during which each delegate lit a candle from the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games Torch!

However subtle, a key message was woven throughout the conference presentations by the Canadian Olympic athletes, Olympic coaches, and Sports executives. And that message: to have these future leaders consider sports management, sports coaching, and sports education as career options. This message was effectively introduced and appreciated by the delegates. Some delegates openly shared their renewed consideration for sports education/management as a career choice.

Currently, there are a number of active Provincial/Territorial (PTOAs) Olympic Youth Academy Programs:

Quebec Youth Olympic Academy

Ontario Olympic Youth Academy

Alberta Youth Olympic Symposium

BC Olympic & Paralympic Youth Leadership Academy

Nunavut Youth Olympic Academy

As a youth sport educational forum, the various Olympic Youth Academies, are an excellent way to introduce Canadian Youth to career and volunteer opportunities and rewards associated with national, provincial, community sports management/coaching, and sports education. The Olympic Youth Academies provide an expanded opportunity to share the Canadian Olympic Dream whether as an athlete, a coach, an organizer or a volunteer.

Expanding and funding the Olympic Youth Academy Programs to each and every Canadian Province and Territory has been an ongoing initiative of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC). Each province should embrace this youth leadership forum. It is a perfect program to parallel the COC initiative Own the Podium 2010

Snowmobile Safety - Basic-Essential Snowmobile Safety Tips (BESST) - Safety First in Ottawa Canada

2006-03-10T13:09:00.000-05:00

Snowmobiling with the BESST

(Basic Essential Snowmobile Safety Tips)

This year, as with the previous 4 years, snowmobiling has gained the dubious honor of being the most dangerous Winter Sport. Ten tips to help put safety and fun into your snowmobile rides.

The increased awareness and education on Snowmobile Safety by Snowmobile Clubs and Governments has emphasized a greater respect for riding safety, wide use of hand signals and overall snowmobiling etiquette. As an advocate of 'safety first' when is comes to motorized vehicles, especially snowmobiles, respect for this winter activity is key to snowmobiling enjoyment. Experience as a snowmobile rider has made me even more vigilant about safety.

Here are 10 tips for snowmobiling safety that will put the fun into your next ride:

Wear a helmet. Always. Even if you are just making a quick 2 minute trip to get supplies from your vehicle. No exceptions accepted.
Emergency 'OFF' button. The most important feature on the snowmobile is the emergency OFF button located next to the throttle. Make sure the rider knows where it is. Hitting the emergency OFF button instantly shuts off the engine.
No alcohol. You need to be at your peak of attention and alertness. With both the thrill of the run, and the sled exercising ('sledder-cise') you will sweat, and you will become dehydrated. Take water, or other non-alcoholic beverages along with you for drinking on the trails. Save the alcohol for when you stop for the day (no more driving of any kind) and just want to sit around and talk about the day's ride.
Check your rear view mirrors. Like driving an automobile, look ahead and check behind every 15-45 seconds. I consider rear view mirrors a must have on snowmobiles. Watch for more aggressive riders that speed up behind you. Let them pass – pull over, slow down, stop – let them pass.
Don't override your lights, or your comfort level. Ride your sled to your level of comfort and ability. There will always be other riders who speed ahead of you. What you will find is that you will catch up to them at the next intersection, juncture, or rest stop. Remember: “It's how you pace yourself, not how you race your sled.”
Use the buddy system. Watch for other riders in your group. Your sleddin' group is like any effective team: the group “lead-dog” and “trailing sledder” must ensure everyone is together, accounted for, and safe.
Never kick your foot toward the ground. Keep your feet and legs safe. Never use your feet or legs to counter a tipping sled. Putting your foot down to the ground, or your leg out to stop a tip, is a good way to twist your ankle, or have your leg yanked back or grabbed by snowmobile track. Painful!
Never place anything between you and the throttle. Not a person or a thing (sleeping bag, bag of groceries). Nothing. Persons or things between you and the throttle can make situations happen where the throttle gets jammed down hard and the snowmobile quickly accelerates (uncontrolled) forward.
Sit down when reversing your machine. Don't stand up. Remember the laws of physics and inertia – if you stand, the reverse motion will cause your unstable standing body to lurch forward, likely jamming your body against the throttle.
Stop often. Enjoy the scenery, nature and the wildlife. Ride for 30-60 minute segments with 5 minute breaks. Ride with sledders that like to stop and “smell the flowers” – not just “pound on the miles”. Sleddin' gives you access to locations, sights, and scenery only afforded you in winter, when waters are frozen and landowners grant access to their properties. Stay on the trails. Respect the signs.

For every snowmobile trip you take
“It's all about the smiles, not the number of miles.”

Business Planning Nature Retreat - Creative Thinking at Natures Winter Get-a-way (Haliburton Forest Ontario Canada)

2006-03-08T09:43:00.000-05:00

Put a new twist in your next Business Planning Meeting.

Want to get close to nature, experience an untouched forest, gain a deeper understanding of wolves, experience outdoor activity like mountain biking, hiking and wilderness camping in the summer to snowmobiling, cross-country skiing or dog-sledding in the winter! What a great way to get the creative juices flowing - outdoor activity combined with faciliated meetings.

All of this is part of a 60,000 acre private "nature enclave" tucked next to Algonquin Park in Ontario Canada. Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve Ltd is a private "Nature Oasis" offering you FIVE-star Snowmobiling and outdoor activities with rustic accommodations. The rooms and cabins are ideal for groups of 4-20 people with room to hold discussion groups - but bring your own flip charts, projectors and meeting supplies.

The snowmobiling is awesome - rated one of the top 10 snowmobiling destinations in North America - with over 190miles/300km of groomed trails that thrill both the novice or seasoned sledder - you will experience everything from wide trails to exciting single track trails that surprise and delight you with each turn, twist or mogul. A maximum of only 100 snowmobiles per day are allowed in the park. When my wife and I were there in February, we passed no more than 6 sleds the whole day. Saw the groomers twice.

There are even shelter cabins, with firewood, water and bunks, scattered throughout the Reserve should you require "emergency" shelter.

There are lots of "photo ops" in this "nature enthusiasts dream". Be prepared to stop and enjoy the scenery. As a professional photographer, I particularly like the nature photography opportunities that Haliburton Forest presented.

To make the most of your experience at Haliburton Forest, we offer you some tips and observations :

1)The Gas Pump closes at 5pm, so if you like night riding fill up before you hit the Cookhouse for dinner

2) The Cookhouse Restaurant is open from 8am to 7pm - no late nite snacks; however, the cabins and rooms are house keeping units complete with microwave, stove, refrigerator, pots, pans, dishes - SO BRING FOOD.

3) The licensed Cookhouse only has beer (one or two choices) to drink - no wine, no liquor - SO BRING Liquor for that leisurely NITE CAP or when you sit around to discuss the day's ride or your company's business plan.

4) Be prepared to share the Cookhouse at breakfast, lunch and dinner with bunches of school kids, after all, Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve is a regular teaching retreat for thousands of high school students.

5) There is a boil water advisory even in the winter - so boil it before you drink it or use it for cooking or even cleaning the dishes.