Most red blooded Canadians get excited when they hear that is going to be a call for the writ to began the fall election. This year there will be a huge groan and many expletives when our dysfunctional PM actuates the process as it will punish all of us because we will have to listen to the rhetoric for double the normal election time. This is very unusual and shows just how desperate he has become to hold on to power.
I suspect that most Canadians have already set their mind as to whom they wish to lead the country and we should not have to share the huge cost for so long. Many people do not understand the potential cost of an extended election but it could cost many millions of dollars and the sitting rich party will benefit most as the government matches funds raised by the parties by donations from faithful party members.
Whatever occurs during the next months I will predict that there will be a Liberal-NDP coalition government occupying the right benches come the day after the election.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Tomato Time
Our first red tomato came on July 9th and they were slow in producing more than one or two every other day. Today is near the end of the month and we find ourselves with a problem. as we are going to the Maritimes for a couple of weeks and our tomatoes decided to ripen in numbers that usually cause us to freeze bags for the spaghetti sauce later.
We eat them every day and try to give as many away as we can but when we are away we have to depend on our faithful children to take care of business. With all the hot weather at hand we really should be here to do our own work. With such a small garden this year we are surprised to see two plants with 49 tomatoes and they all seem to be healthy and unblemished. This is the first year for vegetables to be grown in this location so there is no contamination.
Our cucumbers are growing among the tomatoes and will soon take over as the tomatoes diminish but provide good support for the vertical growing cukes..I may try to take home some tomatoes for my family as their season in later than ours.I love tomato season and am already planning for next year by enlarging my small garden.
We eat them every day and try to give as many away as we can but when we are away we have to depend on our faithful children to take care of business. With all the hot weather at hand we really should be here to do our own work. With such a small garden this year we are surprised to see two plants with 49 tomatoes and they all seem to be healthy and unblemished. This is the first year for vegetables to be grown in this location so there is no contamination.
Our cucumbers are growing among the tomatoes and will soon take over as the tomatoes diminish but provide good support for the vertical growing cukes..I may try to take home some tomatoes for my family as their season in later than ours.I love tomato season and am already planning for next year by enlarging my small garden.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Port Dover
Theresa and I traveled to Port Dover to enjoy a day away and celebrate Theresa's birthday. We enjoyed the seaside atmosphere and the activity on the beautiful sandy beach, We stayed in a very old hotel right down in the center of town and enjoyed the food specialty of Lake Erie Perch and fries.
The area is in one of the great agriculture counties of Ontario,Norfolk. For years this was the tobacco producing area and the cash crop for most of the farmers. When tobacco became a dead issue the farmers went back to traditional crops but new crops of peanuts, beans and grains became the mainstay. We drove the back roads and marveled at the beauty of the farmland and the wonderful crops due to the great soil and growing conditions.
Golf was also on our mind so we played on a great 18 hole course which was kept in perfect playing order. It was a long course and after the game we were tired but drove some more along the Lake Erie Shore and took pictures of the water and beaches. This was a good decision to go there and we will surly be back to once again play golf
and just enjoy.
The area is in one of the great agriculture counties of Ontario,Norfolk. For years this was the tobacco producing area and the cash crop for most of the farmers. When tobacco became a dead issue the farmers went back to traditional crops but new crops of peanuts, beans and grains became the mainstay. We drove the back roads and marveled at the beauty of the farmland and the wonderful crops due to the great soil and growing conditions.
Golf was also on our mind so we played on a great 18 hole course which was kept in perfect playing order. It was a long course and after the game we were tired but drove some more along the Lake Erie Shore and took pictures of the water and beaches. This was a good decision to go there and we will surly be back to once again play golf
Pan American Games
These games do more to unite the Central and South American Countries than any other sporting event. Toronto is thee perfect place to hold such a event as there are within it's borders a large representation of all the participating nations.
We have done something that has not been done before. The venues for the games are spread over the largest geographic area ever and involved the sharing of costs for the facilities as well. Every facility is built to become a place where the local and provincial meets could and will be held in the future. For one good example the Hamilton Tiger-cats were going to replace its facility and with the hared costs of team, city and provincial government a 40'000 seat field was completed and will be used for the next thirty years.
The City of Milton became home to the velodrome and will provide a world class facility for biking events and home to Canada's teams as well as local use. The home for the competitors will provide housing for many people after the games as did the facility in Montreal did after Expo 67.
These games are such a great success in every way with the city now embracing the whole idea and traffic and expected problems with crowd control were never realized. To top it all off Canadian athletes have surpassed all expectations and have brought honour to themselves and their country.
We have done something that has not been done before. The venues for the games are spread over the largest geographic area ever and involved the sharing of costs for the facilities as well. Every facility is built to become a place where the local and provincial meets could and will be held in the future. For one good example the Hamilton Tiger-cats were going to replace its facility and with the hared costs of team, city and provincial government a 40'000 seat field was completed and will be used for the next thirty years.
The City of Milton became home to the velodrome and will provide a world class facility for biking events and home to Canada's teams as well as local use. The home for the competitors will provide housing for many people after the games as did the facility in Montreal did after Expo 67.
These games are such a great success in every way with the city now embracing the whole idea and traffic and expected problems with crowd control were never realized. To top it all off Canadian athletes have surpassed all expectations and have brought honour to themselves and their country.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
The Trouble With Iran
When I was much younger Iran was a sophisticated power in the Middle East. Culture, education and prosperity could describe the country. Extreme Right Wing Conservatives in the form of religious radicals took power of the nation. This terrible change caused a rift with most of the world. Oil was their economic engine and after years of fear and frustration most of the world powers brought forth restrictions which crippled the nation.
For thirty years there were signs that Iran was providing economic and military help to the bands of rebels who brought terrible destruction and hardships on many Middle East countries. Israel was mostly singled out and America and Canada as well as others came to the side of the Jewish nation.
Now that the world powers have come to a fragile settlement on the nuclear question I would expect Canada to support the agreement. However our government is so embedded with Israel that they appose the agreement on principal. It is this type of policy exhibited by our conservative government that makes it difficult to work with countries like Palestine and others.
Our foreign policy has been moving further to the right and has caused Canada to be classified as a nation to watch instead of admired as we once were. We jumped in to send military force in the Middle East in the war on Islamic radicalism but shun a peace agreement with Iran ,one of the main problems in the area power struggle and showing signs of becoming a positive force for good.
For thirty years there were signs that Iran was providing economic and military help to the bands of rebels who brought terrible destruction and hardships on many Middle East countries. Israel was mostly singled out and America and Canada as well as others came to the side of the Jewish nation.
Now that the world powers have come to a fragile settlement on the nuclear question I would expect Canada to support the agreement. However our government is so embedded with Israel that they appose the agreement on principal. It is this type of policy exhibited by our conservative government that makes it difficult to work with countries like Palestine and others.
Our foreign policy has been moving further to the right and has caused Canada to be classified as a nation to watch instead of admired as we once were. We jumped in to send military force in the Middle East in the war on Islamic radicalism but shun a peace agreement with Iran ,one of the main problems in the area power struggle and showing signs of becoming a positive force for good.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Fish Cakes and Tomatoes
It has always been my personal challenge to have a red tomato by the 12th of July. In the past years I failed to do so by a few days. This year I had my garden in early and I have been rewarded with not one but two red tomatoes. I usually plant the smallest tomatoes I can buy and this year was no exception. I did however buy a larger plant some time later that bore me these large tomatoes so again I did not really gain a red tomato on the desired date. It will be another week before my regular crop ripens.
I was asked to make fish cakes for a family event this week. I was fortunate to buy beautiful salt cod locally and so this morning starting at six thirty I prepared the cod and peeled eight pounds of potatoes. I was ready to go at eight but Theresa needs a cup of coffee before cooking the fish cakes. It is a team effort as she has the right touch to cook the cakes to a golden brown without burning them. We made sixty, forty small and twenty regular size.
Guess what I had for breakfast? Fish cakes and fresh tomato.
I was asked to make fish cakes for a family event this week. I was fortunate to buy beautiful salt cod locally and so this morning starting at six thirty I prepared the cod and peeled eight pounds of potatoes. I was ready to go at eight but Theresa needs a cup of coffee before cooking the fish cakes. It is a team effort as she has the right touch to cook the cakes to a golden brown without burning them. We made sixty, forty small and twenty regular size.
Guess what I had for breakfast? Fish cakes and fresh tomato.
Have Our Police Changed So Much?
I have been very quiet about the police problems south of the border because they have cultural challenges we seem to be experiencing here as well. During the past weeks there have been some very startling events which cause me to be worried about the direction we are moving too.Several recent shootings by police leave me to believe that at least a few officers have great lapses in training if they are unable or unwilling to disarm people without killing them.
I have served on police commissions where during a six year period the police not only did not shoot anyone and never even drew their weapon. During this same period the local police arrested many people and among them there were mentally disturbed offenders who had to be talked out of hurting themselves or others.
You will say that is all right in a small city but only a number of years ago police never carried guns and were successful in using skills to disarm offenders who had knives and various other weapons. We all agree that times have changed but the last incident witnessed by a person in the same close location said that the officer entered the scene and immediately yelled to the man drop your weapon and when the order was not obeyed immediately he killed him at close range.
There could be more to this but a man carrying a hammer against an officer who wore body armor, and had other equipment could have taken the time to talk to this person. Because he had mental issues he probably never knew that a hammer was a weapon. It is distributing that officers could not take an action which would not demand deadly force and leave a person dead.
Living in Halton County in Ontario, which is the safest county in the country, we are not used to such police actions but it could happen. Training and more training is needed with officers who are deficient in social skills. Even one death has a huge impact on many people and the general public react negatively to the force in general.
We must support our police but they must earn and maintain that trust so we can work together to make every part of Canada safer.
I have served on police commissions where during a six year period the police not only did not shoot anyone and never even drew their weapon. During this same period the local police arrested many people and among them there were mentally disturbed offenders who had to be talked out of hurting themselves or others.
You will say that is all right in a small city but only a number of years ago police never carried guns and were successful in using skills to disarm offenders who had knives and various other weapons. We all agree that times have changed but the last incident witnessed by a person in the same close location said that the officer entered the scene and immediately yelled to the man drop your weapon and when the order was not obeyed immediately he killed him at close range.
There could be more to this but a man carrying a hammer against an officer who wore body armor, and had other equipment could have taken the time to talk to this person. Because he had mental issues he probably never knew that a hammer was a weapon. It is distributing that officers could not take an action which would not demand deadly force and leave a person dead.
Living in Halton County in Ontario, which is the safest county in the country, we are not used to such police actions but it could happen. Training and more training is needed with officers who are deficient in social skills. Even one death has a huge impact on many people and the general public react negatively to the force in general.
We must support our police but they must earn and maintain that trust so we can work together to make every part of Canada safer.
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