The Squamidian Report – Sept. 24 / 16
 
Issue #748

Including:
The Ontarion

Hi All,

“There's fresh snow on the mountains
Bright in the mornin' sun
The crisp fall air is tellin' me
That winters coming on....”

Thats a quote from one on my songs and it holds true. The rains of earlier this week coated the higher elevations around here with a nice bright covering of snow. And the sun  has illuminated it brightly in our +5 degree (at our elevation) morning air. Gotta love this time of year. Leaves are turning, air is clear, the Sound is the color of glacier melt water and, best of all, the kids are all back in school which gets them off the streets and out of the stores. At least during the day. Another 'best of all' is that tourist season has wound down a bit so the highway is not quite as nuts as during the summer.

The local bear population is trying to fatten up as much as possible and that means they are eating anything and everything they can. The town is almost over run by them. We see them daily out our windows and along the streets. Well, actually nightly as thats when they rummage around but we have seen several on our street during the day. Those ones are usually younger and not as smart as the older one who know enough to at least pretend to stay out of sight. Either way, we don't go for a walk in the dark this time of year. That just wouldn't be a wise thing to do. And you always drive slowly because those big critters have a tendency to cross the street without looking both ways. Oh, bears don't poop in the forest like the old saying says, they poop on our streets, usually right in the middle of them. Which just proves that on some level, they have a pretty good sense of humor. And some of those deposits are big enough to cause a small car to get stuck.
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A while back I wrote a bit about the Feds finally getting on board with trying to do something about the distracted drivers that are killing people right across the country. It looked like they were finally taking it seriously, as it should be taken. Now I've heard on the news that the Feds have backed away from writing some new laws to address the problem, dumping it back on the provinces. The difference between a federal crime and a provincial crime is substantial, and with distracted driving being a provincial crime, the penalty would be much less, and differ from province to province. What a bucket of bull. Distracted drivers are killing people and getting away with it. There has been other situations over the years where the Feds were under pressure to create some law to deal with some situation and ended up backing away, avoiding taking any responsibility. The very responsibility we have given them when they are elected. But its not a surprise. Politicians don't like creating laws that would most likely catch them in its net. No politician is going to write or pass a law making talking or texting while driving illegal and punishable with jail time if said politician commits said crime on a regular basis. Ain't going to happen. So, we will end up back where we started, distracted driving being just a slap on the wrist at most, while the victims are left dead, injured and ruined. Frustrating but not surprising.

Its part of our driving culture, letting idiots get away with doing dangerous and stupid things. Did you know that in the States, there is an average of 10 traffic deaths PER DAY. No other industry or life style or interest would ever be permitted to have a mortality rate of even the smallest percentage of that and be permitted to carry on. Can you imagine an airliner going down every week or so? Or a ship sinking weekly, or a factory blowing up every day? No, we would not stand for it. But when it comes to driving, well, that doesn't count because, it seems to be ok in our culture to die on the roads but if half a dozen people pass away during flue season its a tragedy and the population rises up and demands the government and medical people do something about it. What a strange world we live in.

doug
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THE ONTARION REPORT

Hello everyone!

Well, today I got my question answered. I had asked; “When is the last day of summer anyway?” well, the last day of summer was Thursday of this week and it was indeed a beauty! Perfect sunshine with perfect temperatures and not a cloud in sight! That lasted until around 5pm and then the clouds started to roll in along with slightly cooler temps. I guess it had to happen sooner or later but there was a silver lining in those clouds since the weekend weather is once again pure sunshine but with cooler temperatures. I guess we have to take the cooler temps now that the fall is finally here! Like I said last week let’s hope that the nice weather hangs in until late November at least.

I heard that the Farmer’s Almanac has predicted that Canada is in for a blustery and cold snowy winter. What the heck is that all about? I thought the weather Gurus had decided that our weather patterns had changed for good and that eventually the earth would be nothing but a water covered wasteland with all of the climate changes coming our way! I guess they were just a bunch of doomsday preaching knot heads that like to scare the hell out of the general public. I’ve always said that the weather changes in cycles just as it has for thousands of years and the changes of the past 10 years are no different. One year it’s cold and difficult during the winter and the next it’s a tad mild by comparison with quite hot summers and vice versa over the following years. I doubt half of North America will be under water within our lifetime so I guess “whatshisname/Al Gore” the former USA Vice Pres can stop building that Arc and quit scaring the hell out of his foolish listeners! Time to get on with life as it’s always been!
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     Just to change the subject a little, what’s with all the terrorist acts here in North America? If it’s not idiots making bombs out of pressure cookers in the US, it’s assholes “faxing” bomb threats to the RCMP here in Canada and causing the evacuation of every school in Canada’s smallest province!  If the technical wizards of our national police force can’t trace the origin of a “Paper Fax” within minutes of receiving it from that prankster, they’re not very efficient. I’m sure that even our Canadian authorities have the capability of tracing such a message in short order or maybe their phone line was down due to a raccoon chewing through the insulation? Who knows, it could be that “Jenny” the operator was taking her lunch break with “Goober” at the time and left the switchboard unplugged! It seams that we’ve been depending on the American FBI to hear about these incidents first and phoning Ottawa to warn us of upcoming terrorist events here in The Great White North. First we get a message from the FBI about a bomb threat at one of our “World Renowned” Universities in Waterloo and even then the FBI had to trace the threat to England for the Canadian authorities. A couple of weeks ago the OPP were notified by the RCMP via the FBI about a terrorist in a small town just to the west of London Ontario who was about to get into a cab for a ride to London with a knapsack full of explosives to blow up a mall full of people. Luckily the OPP had a couple of cops that weren’t sleeping in their cruisers and were able to make it to the address of the “home grown” white skinned/red headed 20’s something “wannabe Muslim” just in time to scare him into detonating his device in his own lap in the back of the cab. Thank goodness for the FBI once again! Two good things came of that event, one: He never made it to that Mall and two: He blew his own worthless self all over the inside of that cab without killing anyone else. I guess the OPP officer that shot him as well helped prevent him from living another day to repeat his plan!

Where are these idiots coming from that think it’s their duty to convert to a perverted ass-backwards religion that hates every non-believer of their way of life? It’s only a matter of time before one of them actually succeeds in killing dozens of Canadians with a homemade device. How is it that the FBI manages to learn of these would be terrorists before the authorities of our own government get wind of them? Maybe it’s time to build a wall of our own! I guess however that building a wall won’t help if they are already here among us. We just have to be self-vigilant and not be afraid to report any unusual or suspicious activities we notice to the authorities. I say we gotta keep our eyes open along with our minds and for those of you who have one, keep your cell phones handy! It’s sad to have to be suspicious of everyone and everything that’s going on around us but that’s just the way things are these days! Now it’s not the colour a person’s skin or the way he or she dresses that should make one suspicious but any odd activity or anti establishment comment, be it spoken or written that should alert us. SO, those of you who frequent “Facebook” or any other means of communication must keep our national security in mind and report any shifty sounding comment or commentary to your local authorities! This is not a joke, just think of that neighbour that’s always got his or her blinds drawn or seems to have more money than most but doesn’t keep a regular employment schedule. You NEVER KNOW!

     Anyway, I could go on and on but then I don’t want you to start thinking I’m paranoid! Guess I’ll go adjust my night vision telescope and have one last look around the neighbourhood before bed!

That’s it for this week folks!
Thanks for tuning in and I’ll look forward to talking to you all again next week in The Ontarion Report!

Bye for now … Greg

PS: Something To Think About>
If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you!
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Have a good one..
the doug
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