How Long Can Any Of Us?

 

Nice Work If You Want It...

 

This beauty was caught just west of Naples, Florida.  Naples!

A 215 pound, 18 foot behemoth of a Burmese Python.

And every year they have a "python hunt".

The winning team gets $2,500.

And usually teams are made up of good ol' Florida boys - and lately, girls.

Just wandering through the swamps and Everglades with a stick.

Holy geez, I don't even like to step off the sidewalk when I'm in Florida.  There's a reason whey there's the expression "a snake in the grass." 

But this year there's a different team out 'a hunting them there things.

So rather than just literally beating the bushes with that stick....

...they's using something called teck noll ogee to track and capture the critters. 

They implanted a few males with tracking devices, and what do males track - females!

But there's some folks who just like to go old school (although I doubt many of them have ever been to school) to track 'em down.

Holy cow.  Look out behind you!

But I think I would like one of them there tracking devices if I ever get forced off the sidewalk.  Maybe wave it around like a Geiger counter.

'allo.  You called?

 

"Put My Mind On Permanent Vacation"

Cool idea.

Build a floating city.

To counteract the effects of sea level rise, The Maldives, with more than 80% of its area less than one metre above sea level, are building a floating city in the ocean.

Designed in a pattern similar to brain coral, the city will consist of 5,000 floating units including houses, restaurants, shops and schools, with canals running in between. 

With the technology they are using, they are supposed to be affordable for the masses.

Great idea.  

What could go wrong? Besides maybe waves. So you buy some Gravol.  No biggie.

And I guess you have to hope you don't have noisy - or nosey - neighbours.

But if you ever do go to the mainland, you'll probably look like one of those drunken sailors who have been at sea for months. Can't walk straight.

Better than having your country underwater, I guess. 

P.S. Of course, "Put My Mind On Permanent Vacation" is a line from the Zac Brown/Jimmy Buffett song "Knee Deep".

Nice Work If You Can Get It

So our Governor General and her staff took a trip to the Middle East for Expo 2020 in Dubai. 

29 of her key staff, and 17 crew, boarded a CC-150 Polaris and proceeded to, well, eat.

A lot.

$80,000 for in-flight catering.

Now I hear you saying, Wait a minute, UC, there were a lot of people on that plane.

You're right, so let's do the math.

So 46 people had three breakfasts, three dinners and two lunches on board.  Can't be that bad.

So let's see, $80,000 divided by 46, divided by 8 meals is.....$217 per meal.

That can't be right.  $217 per meal!  And that doesn't include any booze.

I don't think I've ever had a $200 meal in my life.  Let alone eight in a row.

And, of course, this doesn't include the cost of the flight, hotels, and meals for the eight day boondoggle fact finding mission.

I guess if you've been in government long enough you think you are, what's the word?

Entitled. 

It's Not The Message, It's The Hypocrisy

So this is German F1 driver Sebastian Vettel arriving in Montreal for this weekend's F1 race....

...sporting, well you can read it, an anti Oil Sands T-shirt.

"STOP mining tar sands.  Canada's Climate Crime."

This from a guy who will be burning almost two litres of fuel every lap around the track.  These celebs' hypocrisy knows no bounds.

Another commentator said, Right about now I'll bet there are a lot of Germans who secretly wish they were importing oil from a democratic, human-rights observing ally like Alberta rather than arch enemy and world pariah Russia.

Another said, this from the country that shut down all their nuclear plants to go renewable, only to have to import oil and gas from Russia.  And when that wasn't enough, start burning coal again.

They are the fourth largest consumers of coal in the world!

And I see he is sponsored by Aramco.  The Saudi Arabian national oil company.  That bastion of human rights, women's rights and LBGTQ rights. 

So save us the lectures, bub.

Nothing Says Fun Like Funeral Centre!

[Click picture to read sign]

Come for the music, stay.....forever!

Huh?

To all my music loving friends......

Stolen shamelessly from Jennifer Hunter.  And, of course, Stephan Pastis.

Where's The Buzz, Tell Me What's Happening

50 years ago this September.  What happened?

Paul Henderson scored......

..."The Goal!" ....that all Canadians will remember forever.

That got us out of a very deep hole the Canadian team had dug for themselves during the Canadian leg of the 1972 Canada/Russia Summit Series.

This was the series Canadians thought would be a cake walk over the hated commies.

But the Ruskies embarrassed us on home ice, taking three of the first four games.

We were in shock.  And angry at Team Canada.

And no one will forget the interview that Phil Esposito gave after Game 4 in Vancouver.  A listless 5-3 loss for Canada.

That was one angry dude.  And angry at Canadians for booing his guys.  On home ice!

Espo lit into the fans.  

"We're disillusioned and disappointed. We cannot believe the bad press we've got, the booing we've got in our own building," he barked.  

"I'm completely disappointed. I cannot believe it. Every one of us guys ...we came because we love our country. Not for any other reason. We came because we love Canada."

And I think that's when he decided to take Team Canada on his shoulders and will them to win.

He took on all comers.

Whether they were dressed in red....

...or in black and white.

But in the end it was Paul Henderson's miraculous last minute goal that won the series.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

But it wasn't yesterday.  It was 50 years ago!

50 years ago.  September 1972.

And I've heard zero talk of a celebration?  Come on, trot out some of the old stars.  Have Don Cherry interview them. Replay some of the games.

Come on, man!

I Don't Care....

 

...and I'm not ashamed if I posted this before.

[In a storefront window in Bobcaygeon Ontario....]

Ahem Brothers!

 

Do You Think You're Smarter Than A 68 Year Old?

 

Can you find a good looking man's face in this pile of coffee beans in less than 30 seconds?

If you can, then you are smarter than....

Only one rule - no Googling!

Time's up!

Only In Toronto, Eh?

 

Camels On The Horizon?

 Interesting bit of philosophy on the current state of the world.

Although this quote is attributed, incorrectly, to the founder of Dubai, Sheik Rashid, and deals with the Middle East, his observations I feel apply the world over.

From the article:

The founder of Dubai, Sheik Rashid, was asked about the future of his country, and he replied, "My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I ride a Mercedes, my son rides a Land Rover, and my grandson is going to ride a Land Rover...but my great-grandson is going to have to ride a camel again". 

Why is that, he was asked?

And his reply was, “Hard times create strong men, strong men create easy times. Easy times create weak men, weak men create difficult times.  Many will not understand it, but you have to raise warriors, not parasites."

And add to that the historical reality that all great empires...the Persians, the Trojans, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, and in later years, the British...all rose and perished within 240 years.

They were not conquered by external enemies; they rotted from within.  America has now passed that 240 year mark, and the rot is starting to be visible and is accelerating. We are past the Mercedes and Land Rover Years....the camels are on the horizon.

The greatest generation consisted of 18 year old kids storming the beaches at Normandy. And now, two generations later, some 18-year-old kids want to hide in safe rooms when they hear words that hurt their feelings. They also want everything free from the government because they think they are entitled to it.

So regardless of who said this, very insightful....

[Ed. Note: those of you savvy Googlers may also realize the "hard times create strong men" quote was actually penned by by G. Michael Hopf from from his 2016 dystopian thriller Those Who Remain.]

And I Hope I Never Do

 

As I've said many times, I think it is the pursuit of happiness that adds spice to life.

Having A Ball

Well the story just keeps getting better...

So posted yesterday about a Jays fan who caught a homerun ball hit by Yankee outfielder Aaron Judge and he gave it to a young Yankees fan wearing a Judge jersey.

And I guess that video clip has been viewed by millions around the world.  Including, apparently, Aaron Judge.

So in today's paper....

...they invited the young Yankees fan - and the Blue Jays fan who gave him the ball - to meet Arron Judge...

...and the tears of joy started flowing all over again.

And, oh, George Springer, of the Jays, gave Mike Lanzilotta - the guy who caught the ball - an autographed George Springer jersey.

Pretty cool, Part Deux.

Touches Even The Most Hardened Cynic (Me)

I was watching last night's Jays-Yankees game in Toronto, when Aaron Judge hit a monster home run into the outfield seats.

The baseball was originally retrieved by a man in the first row wearing a Jays polo shirt and cap. 

However, after a quick celebration, the man spotted a youngster behind him wearing a T-shirt with Judge’s No. 99 on the back and a Yankees cap

The man immediately gave the ball to the boy, who burst into tears of joy and disbelief. The elder Jays fan and young Yankees fan then shared a lengthy embrace as tears continued to flow down the boy’s face.

Pretty cool.......

 

Oh come on, lighten up!

I Take It Back!

 Yesterday I posted about how the City of Toronto is approving a contraption called a Pedal Pub, but weren't going to allow any drinking!

Well, yesterday peddlers of a Pedal Pub in Atlanta got going so fast they tipped the darn thing over and injured 15 people.

So maybe Toronto City Council has something there forbidding any drinking.

However, this being the US, some bystanders were saying there were only two people on the pub when it tipped over. but immediately several people threw themselves underneath it and claimed they were injured. 

Stay tuned for more updates as this story develops!

Saving Us From Ourselves

 Finally!

Toronto City Council has finally agreed to approve a new business venture called Pedal Pub. These are  quite popular in several US & Canadian cities.

The concept is you have this contraption of 10 or 12 people, you bring your own drinks, hop on, start pedaling down the road and have a few have a cold beverages.  

Picture below is of fun seekers from Calgary.

Maybe stop in at a pub have another drink, get back on. Have some more drinks and then maybe go to another pub or pedal back to where you started.

I've been on these and they are loads of fun.

So Toronto City Council is about to approve these. Oh, with one difference, though - no drinking allowed. 

That's right, you cannot drink on the Pedal Pub.

Oh Sweet Mother Mary, can't Toronto do anything right?  It's embarrassing.

To the poor sap that has the franchise here in Toronto - sorry buddy. I'm thinking I'm just going to go to whatever pubs I want and save $60.

[Post Script:  Council is only going to approve two.  Fourth biggest city in North America and they are going to have two of these. 

Buddy says, I need to have at least eight of these to break even.

I'm sure the city councilors are shrugging their shoulders and thinking, what's making money got to do with it?]

Anyway buddy, good luck.....

I Believe It!