Monday, August 23, 2010

Off to Rivers Inlet




Off to Bella Coola and then Bella Bella today for work. Flying into Bella Coola for which the approach is quite impressive zig zagging through the mountains.


Then jumping into a boat for the trip to Bella Bella, stay there for the night and then down by boat to Rivers Inlet for work, including running a videoray ROV. It’s a tough gig but I will survive ;-) The boat



There is no internet where I will be so I apologize for no posts till around Saturday.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Assignment Kandahar: Pistol Pete’s patrol



‘My mission,” says Pete Reintjes, a sunburned, sweat-stained captain, “is to hold Nakhonay.”

It’s a dangerous, complicated task, and one suddenly crucial to Canada’s shrinking combat assignment in Afghanistan as it comes nearer to an end.

Capt. Reintjes has slept 15 hours in the past 10 days, reckons his sergeant, Jesse Kidney, one of just eight other soldiers in a small Canadian operational mentor liaison team (OMLT). The crew is assigned to a platoon of Afghan National Army soldiers.

The group is remarkably diverse. All but two of its members are reservists with different lives back in Canada. There’s Corporal Victor Choi, 21, a political science student at York University in Toronto. Capt. Reintjes, 43, is an Ontario Provincial Police officer in London, Ont. His men call him “Pistol Pete.”



Read more

The First World War, explained as a pub fight


Picture of a early Canadian armoured car WWI
For those that find history a little intimidating, here is a “blue collar” explanation of the events, with some humour thrown in! A thank you to Tanknet for adding to this.

The First World War, explained as a pub fight........... Germany, Austria and Italy are stood together in the middle of the pub, when Serbia bumps into Austria, and spills Austria's pint. Austria demands Serbia buy it a complete new suit, because there are splashes on its trouser leg. Germany expresses its support for Austria's point of view Britain recommends that everyone calm down a bit. Serbia points out that it can't afford a whole suit, but offers to pay for cleaning Austria's trousers. Russia and Serbia look at Austria. Austria asks Serbia who it's looking at. Russia suggests that Austria should leave its little brother alone. Austria inquires as to whose army will assist Russia in compelling it to do so. Germany appeals to Britain that France has been looking at it, and that this is sufficiently out of order that Britain should not intervene. Britain replies that France can look at who it wants to, that Britain is looking at Germany too, and what is Germany going to do about it? Germany tells Russia to stop looking at Austria, or Germany will render Russia incapable of such action. Britain and France ask Germany whether it's looking at Belgium. Turkey and Germany go off into a corner and whisper. When they come back, Turkey makes a show of not looking at anyone. Germany rolls up its sleeves, looks at France, and punches Belgium. France and Britain punch Germany. Austria punches Russia. Germany punches Britain and France with one hand and Russia with the other. Russia throws a punch at Germany, but misses and nearly falls over. Japan calls over from the other side of the room that it's on Britain's side, but stays there. Italy surprises everyone by punching Austria. Australia punches Turkey, and gets punched back. There are no hard feelings, because Britain made Australia do it. France gets thrown through a plate glass window, but gets back up and carries on fighting. Russia gets thrown through another one, gets knocked out, suffers brain damage, and wakes up with a complete personality change. Italy throws a punch at Austria and misses, but Austria falls over anyway. Italy raises both fists in the air and runs round the room chanting. America waits till Germany is about to fall over from sustained punching from Britain and France, then walks over and smashes it with a barstool, then pretends it won the fight all by itself. By now all the chairs are broken, and the big mirror over the bar is shattered. Britain, France and America agree that Germany threw the first punch, so the whole thing is Germany's fault . While Germany is still unconscious, they go through its pockets, steal its wallet, and buy drinks for all their friends.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

And just when you think they couldn't get dumber....


Well May is sure to catch the other parties unaware with this move, no doubt the NDP or the CPC failed to appreciate the groundswell of support for polygamy simmering away in the Canadian public……

I guess when the all the good high ground is taken, a molehill beats floating in the swamp.


The Green Party of Canada will consider a motion Sunday on whether or not they will push to decriminalize polygamy.

Party members in a workshop on Saturday evening voted to send the motion to the full-Party plenary, where they'll debate and vote on it.

Speakers in the workshop were careful to define polygamy as a marriage between multiple spouses. They made a clear distinction between polygamy between consenting adults and a polygamist sect in Bountiful, B.C., where domestic abuse has been alleged, though charges were thrown out in 2009.

“It's a human rights issue,” said Trey Capnerhurst, a Green Party candidate in Edmonton East, noting that she is polyamorous.


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The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys!




This is serious RC (Radio Controlled) flying, this model of the C-17 must have taken thousands of hours to build and one single mistake will end your fun in a second, I suspect the ratio of build hours to fly hours is something like 1000 to 1. Can you imagine the poor guy having to explain to his wife “Honey you know that RC plane I was building for the last year?, well I broke it….”
You will note this thing has real jet engines.

Simon's Cat in 'The Box'



Ah cats and boxes, they were meant for each other, you put the box and find that your cat has taken up residence, instead of the expensive cat bed you just bought them! Then as you attempt to carry out any task around the box the cat ambushes you and snags your arm with their claws. After causing you pain and annoyance they ask for food!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Soaring the Desert


Blackhawk - Why I Love Soaring the Desert from NMERider on Vimeo.


Great video courtesy http://vimeo.com/11129348

QinetiQ’s Zephyr solar powered unmanned aircraft soars to new world records



Back in the 1980’s when I was in the army I was attached to Remote Pilotless vehicles (RPV) trials in DRES Suffield, Alberta, lots of interesting stuff going on but crude in comparison to these aircraft, but we knew it was going to be big.

QinetiQ today (14:40 UK time on Friday 16 July) announced that Zephyr, the leading solar powered high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) Unmanned Air System (UAS) has been flying for the past week, smashing a number of long-standing world records.

Currently flying high above the US Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, Zephyr has already passed the seven day / 168 hour mark and the clock is still running. This DOUBLES the unofficial world record for longest duration unmanned flight of 82 hours, 37 minutes set in 2008 and already held by Zephyr, and is well in excess of the current official world record of 30 hours 24 minutes set by Northrop Grumman's RQ-4A Global Hawk on 22 March 2001.
read more here

via Micheal Yon's facebook

Red Elvises I WANNA SEE YOU BELLYDANCE

It's Eastern Bloc Friday so to help you get going for the weekend we present:



AKA "Traditional Siberian surf rock"
I have always been a fan of the Red Elvises, this band is a a hoot to see live, but you really don't want them living beside you....




and now for something completley different.....Highway to Hell, Ukrainian style

“China already consumes twice as much steel as the U.S., Europe and Japan combined,”


That’s a lot of steel! I wonder how much is coming back through Rona and Walmart?

Read this "tweet" from the head of Rio Tinto