TerryH

The Money Hole

Thanks Chris, I wasn't sure what the final score was -- the game ended after my bedtime. Terry

Last night's game was brutal. The lesson for me was obvious. The Oilers have a ton of talent, and yet they put a disorganized mess on the ice, once again. Doesn't that suggest a coaching problem? McTavish has to go, sooner better than later. Terry

Everything I've read on the topic recently suggests Chrysler is toast. In fact, an article in today's Financial Post suggests that even with a bailout package, GM and Ford will likely end up in bankruptcy proceedings. It's the only way to shed the union contracts and other problems. Terry

Gotta get this guy to tie my #44 flies. Terry

A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (Ford Motor Co.) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile. The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 7 people steering and 2 people rowing. Feeling a deeper study was in order; American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing. Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team’s management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 2 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 2 people rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the ‘Rowing Team Quality First Program,’ with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rowers. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses. The pension program was trimmed to ‘equal the competition’ and some of the resultant savings were channeled into morale boosting programs and teamwork posters. The next year the Japanese won by two miles. Humiliated, the American management laid-off one rower, halted development of a new canoe, sold all the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses. The next year, try as he might, the lone designated rower was unable to even finish the race (having no paddles,) so he was laid off for unacceptable performance, all canoe equipment was sold and the next year’s racing team was out-sourced to India.

I'll be there regardless. Harps, I'll bring some firewood and maybe a hotdog or two. Terry

What difference does it make?? For the record, damn right I'm an Oilers fan -- just ask Bigbowtrout. As far as the Oilers home record is concerned, I believe it is 3 wins and 5 losses -- not great. Terry GO OILERS!

The best comment I heard in regard to the crappy video was "even in a banana republic, when you're doing a coup, the first thing is to take over the TV station." I guess our three stooges coalition didn't know about that part. Terry

Sure hope you're right. So far, the Oiler's home record sucks. Terry

Hey Clive, how does your invention stack up as far as GHG's are concerned . Terry

From the Edmonton Journal, Dec. 3 Fish lie in way of open-pit coal mine U.S. study notes protected bull trout grounds are upstream from joint watershed U.S. government scientists studying the Flathead River watershed straddling the B.C.-Montana border say they’ve discovered the prime spawning site for a threatened species of trout. It is on the Canadian side of the system and in the shadow of a proposed mountaintop coal mine that drew fire from U.S. president-elect Barack Obama during his drive to the White House. Biologists with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Montana state Wildlife Department say the findings pinpoint the mouth of Foisey Creek in southeastern B.C. — near the planned site of a controversial open-pit coal operation proposed by Toronto-based Cline Mining Corp. — as a “critical” site in the lifecycle of the protected bull trout, which often migrates from U.S. waters to Canada to reproduce. It’s a discovery, the scientists say, that adds to previous evidence showing threats to the watershed’s population of cross-border cutthroat trout, and which should clinch the environmental case against the mine. “The 2008 spawning surveys indicate that the river section immediately downstream of the proposed mine site contained the highest numbers of bull trout ‘redds’ ” — nesting areas where eggs are laid in river cobble — “in the interconnected river and lake transboundary system,” USGS aquatic geologist Clint Muhlfeld said. “Development of an open-pit, mountaintop coal mine will negatively impact these important populations and the habitats upon which they depend for persistence.” The study showed that about 30 per cent of all redds in the north fork of the Flathead — and 70 per cent of all redds in the Canadian section of the watershed — are found next to the proposed mine. The Flathead River — which has its headwaters in southeastern B.C. near the Alberta boundary but flows south through northern Montana before spilling into Flathead Lake — has for decades been a source of conflict between environmentalists determined to preserve its “pristine” upper valley and energy companies hoping to exploit the drainage basin’s rich supply of coal and methane. A coal mine proposal in the 1980s was rejected after a panel under the International Joint Commission responsible for shared U.S.-Canadian waterways ruled the development could adversely affect fish populations. Cline’s proposed Lodgepole mine, located about 50 kilometres south of Fernie, B.C., would produce an estimated two million tonnes of coal per year over the mine’s 20-year lifespan, generate hundreds of jobs and some $3 billion. Although the company has tried to reassure critics that its economic objectives would be carefully balanced by measures to protect the Flathead ecosystem, the proposal has sparked opposition on both sides of the border. Currently under environmental review in B.C., the planned mine has been denounced by Canadian and American nature groups as ecologically ruinous and has drawn fire from Montana officials — including Gov. Brian Schweitzer — who have argued there’s a risk to water quality along the U.S. stretch of the river. In June, during his bid to become president, the Obama campaign released a statement saying: “Barack Obama supports efforts by Senator Max Baucus and Senator Jon Tester, as well as Gov. Brian Schweitzer, to stop the Cline mine. The Flathead River and Glacier National Park are treasures that should be conserved for future generations.” Muhlfeld said U.S. wildlife officials have discussed their concerns about Flathead River fish with the B.C. government and Cline Mining Corp. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the latest findings. “From what we know now, without a doubt, there’s no way they can punch in a mine without seriously affecting Montana’s fishery,” Mark Deleray, a biologist with the state wildlife office, told a Montana newspaper last week about the bull trout study. “These fish need all the parts — quality, connected habitats — and the mine site is a key part of the habitat.”

Let's just hope he stays in his grave. With all the craziness happening right now, it wouldn't surprise me if he's trying to get out. This whole thing is getting more bizarre by the minute -- Elizabeth May in the Senate and then the cabinet, another billion to Quebec in equalization (guess where those $'s are coming from). God help us all. Terry

I've already sent an email to the Liberal Party, and one to the Governor General will be going out tomorrow (gotta cool down a bit first). I've never belonged to a political party, and over a lifetime, I have voted for a lot of different parties. However, this outrage has convinced me to join the Conservative Party and send my first ever politcal party financial contribution. This is banana republic stuff of the highest order and I can't wait for the next election. Terry

I don't want to seem to be laying any blame, but I was on this website, not some porn site (I do those late at night when no one is watching ) when I got the virus alarm. Unfortunately I didn't write down the name of the virus, but I do recall it was a Trojan. I've got Windows set to do auto updates, and they've been coming nonstop ever since I reinstalled XP. My anti-virus/spyware software does auto updates every day. Also, I've got a firewall in my router plus the XP firewall. It just goes to show that even with all that stuff, one can be vulnerable. I've now added Spywareblaster to my defences. Anyway, a warning to everyone, keep an eye on how your browser is behaving, in particular if you find you're being redirected when you click on search results. Such a change can look pretty insignificant, but when I saw all the other stuff that was happening, it was a little scary. Terry

I was roaming around on the FFC forum on Friday, when my anti-virus/spyware detector sounded an alarm. It was some kind of Trojan, and the software (F-Secure) supposedly disinfected things. However, I noticed after that my browser (IE 7) had been hijacked -- i.e. when ever I did a search and clicked on any of the search results, I was redirected to a different site (i.e. not the URL shown in the search). So I installed Firefox and the same thing happened with searches there. The bug was pretty nasty, since it prevented updates to my antivirus software, wouldn't allow XP to do a system restore, and a few other things I won't get into. Not knowing what else it might be up to, I bit the bullet and spent the last two days reformatting my hard drive and reinstalling XP and all my programs -- a total P.I.T.A. Has anyone else had this problem?? Terry PS I've added another layer of anti-spyware to my system.

Gary, hitting the big six oh -- that's a lot of candles. Have a great birthday. Terry

It's been on my to-do list for about 20 years, but I still haven't got around to it. I bought a set of large ripple foam boat box replacement sheets for the purpose. I think they are still available at some of the shops in Calgary, and would certainly simplify the process. Terry http://www.rogueflyshop.com/Fly+Fishing/Fl...Boat+Patch.html

Chris, as long as I'm still above the ground, it's a good day. Do you measure your fish with the same tape you do your height with? Terry

Oh oh, that does it for me I guess (and bigbowtrout) . Actually, the median height for males is around 69.5" (5' 9.5"), and 5' 11" is around the 60th percentile (i.e. 60% of men are shorter). http://www.halls.md/chart/men-height-w.htm I know, I doth protest too much. Terry

I like the fingerless gloves made by Kenai. They have a thin neoprene palmside and polyester fleece backside and interior. They don't absorb water, so when you dunk your hand in the water, you won't have a water logged glove for the rest of the day. Being fingerless, you're still going to get cold, but as others have pointed out, there's no way you can operate a fly rod with a set of full gloves. I'm sure you can find the Kenai gloves in Calgary, but if not, you can get them at the Crowsnest Angler. Terry

5' 11" is short? Terry

Don Andersen guts fish???? What's left for a guy to believe in? Terry

Hey Bigbowtrout, is this DudeRainbowLove guy your alter ego?

I was also surprised by this result, but I guess the kicker is the last phrase in the question: "....if the goals of a Quality Fisheries can still be met." This would probably mean a bait ban and perhaps more restrictive "keeper" regs. Terry