Weather Forecasting

Here is the rant of the day... why does are tex dollars go towards weather forecasting, ie enviroment Canada?

It's much more reliable to look at the window. You look at the forecast for a few days in advance...looks good you think so you make plans... you look the next day and it's changed... then look later and it changes again... and again... so what's the point!?!?

Example... yesterday weather in Edmonton for Saturday June 1, for The Police concert said 26 with a few cloudy periods... now it's 20 and cloudy with showers...70% showers... up from 10%... what.

So again I ask... governments are so into privatization for people to make money for essential services such as water, gas and electric. Yet we hold onto something that is never right. Let someone else do it... if they are good and accurate people will pay for the forecast... if they are always wrong then they will crash and burn!!!

Seems us Brits have been right all along

BBC NEWS Health Tea 'healthier' drink than water

BBC NEWS - Blaze ravages historic Cutty Sark

BBC NEWS England London Blaze ravages historic Cutty Sark

Further to a previous post on the drone CCTV camera and the whole debate over CCTV cameras. If you read the article you will see they are using CCTV cameras to maybe help with the tracking of the people who did this. Mmmmm !!!

(Picture from the BBC website)

BBC NEWS - Pilotless police drone takes off

BBC NEWS England Merseyside Pilotless police drone takes off

In Grande Prairie there is debate over some cameras in the downtown core, yet in Liverpool UK. they are taking it to the extreme. I would be interested to know what people think about this.

This flying drone follows in the footsteps of a the talking CCTV camera in the UK. A CCTV camera that the command centre can send voice message to send a message to possible bad behaviour. (Picture BBC News website)

Article in Globe and Mail

Just came across this article in the Globe and Mail, came across it as I added a page element to the left and that was the first item that came up.

Makes interesting reading.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070521.RGRANDEPRAIRIE21/TPStory/Business

Yet another wonderful long weekend!! NOT.

Was supposed to build my deck this weekend, but a combination of the weather and lack of lumber at a well know lumber store scutlled the plans.

I have been dabbling in Facebook of late, thanks Dinna Rinne, chatted with a few people who I have lost touch with. Is Facebook just another one of those fad sites or will it continue on? I hear from a collouge that the guy who runs it was offered a deal from Google and turned it down. Google's take over the the web thwarted.

So the city is at last enforcing the cover loads to the dump policy at last, just hope they are sensible on it and realize that some loads don't need a cover. It's about time they started to enforce, this city is becoming a dump. we have been here 19 years and this is the dirtest I have seen it. I would like to see by-law doing more about the litter bugs than giving out speeding and traffic vilotion tickets. How about a dirty truck by-law as well, I seem to remember this being mentioned at council at one point, don't know what happened to it though. If these oil patch trucks where forced to clean up before they came back into town it would hep, along with the construction companies allowing there garbage to blow around.

OK enough ranting for the day.

The new library art gallery, yeh, started at last. Some culture to the city, a new facility that is not a sports facility, not that I have issues with sports, but there has to be a balance, and this new culture centre will help if you want to watch the progress you can check out the webcam the city has on its website http://www.cityofgp.com/exploregp/rcmpwebcam.htm

Well back to cleaning inside the house!!!

Fish and Chips on Kenington Liverpool...

Chip shop, Kensington
Originally uploaded by liverpoolgazmo.

This was Wongs when I was growing up in Leopold road. They had the best fish and chips.

I went in here a few years ago when visiting my dad, the people running it where the kids running around when I was like 15.

We called the shop Smoky Joes when I was a kid and I remember having a "guy "outside the shop to raise money for fireworks. there was also another shop up the street I think we called it Mikes, but that was across the road and we usually went to Smoky Joes.


I was along Kensington last summer (2006) and what a sad place it has become, they might was well knock down all the building and just have green space while they wait for someone to develop.

Wow..

Wow..
Originally uploaded by Bowen Family Canada.

... and so it begins... will try and keep a picture blog going of the progress...although not much this weekend due to RAIN...AHHHHHHH

Train De-Railment in Grande Prairie 2006

Train De-Railment in Grande Prairie 10
Originally uploaded by Bowen Family Canada.

Some people may remember this derailment in GP. Just looking at the pics again, I wonder if there was anyone in this porta potty when the train came off the tracks and just missed????

Rain Rain Rain

Was hoping to get some work done in the yard this weekend, but guess what... IT'S RAINING...

So do other people have a bad feeling about this summer? I do, I think it's going to suck, I think the hub is going to be used a lot to stay warm outside.

So yep, wanted to get some more cleaning up out back and maybe even start on the frame for the hot tub pad, I guess we shall see what the rest of the weekend brings, but I am not holding my breath. The long weekend is coming up quick.

The Alberta Boom!!

There had been a fair bit of new this week around rent increases in Edmonton, some tenants have been sent rent increases as high as 100%. The Alberta Boom!!

Again in the news a new up grader in the Edmonton area residents are worried about the rise of cancer rates in places that have these. The Alberta Boom!!

I hit a huge pothole yesterday in Grande Prairie, then another and another. I could not avoid them they where along 100st south of the tracks. The Alberta Boom!!

We keep being told that we are all benefiting from this Alberta Boom, I have yet to see it. As someone who works in the public sector I have yet to see large sumes of money coming my way, in fact when I speak to my friends and fellow workers they cannot see any benefits either.

Conclusion, yes there is a boom and those that are benefiting are the oil barons and those workers coming from out east to make a fast buck then head back home to buy their dream home in cash!! Yet my kids stand no chance of being able to even buy a house with a mortgage.

The government needs to put a freeze on all new oil based development, let's have a rest, some breathing room to catch up, force the cost of doing business in Alberta to drop. S0me people sat raise the royalties the oil companies pay and while I don't think that would be bad idea, it would not solve the problems, unless it slows down the growth, all it would do would be more money for later, but solving the problems today as we don't have the workers to solve the issues. In Edmonton a large contract to renovate part of the Whitemud did not get one bid, that says it all.

So The Alberta Book is a joke, and for all those of you outside of Alberta who are thinking of coming here to make a fast buck, think again!