Castuserraticus

Every one-industry town/city/country goes the same way eventually. Look at the situation in Detroit/Windsor and the steel (rust) belt centres of Canada and the US. Adaptation is the long term key to survival as long as the transition from the old economy is not too sharp. Albert should be able to prosper because of all the "over educated suits" we have here. The next energy sources will likely be intensely technology based rather than just burning something so will require the engineers and other scientists the O&G business gives us in abundance. The Alberta industry is a world leader in O&G technology development. These skills will do us well in the future unless the government succeeds in milking the business to death and drives the brains away. People are mobile and move to where the opp's are, especially the best and brightest/ highest skilled. Brownstone didn't come here for the cod fishing. AS the old bumper sticker said "don't p#$@ it all away."

So this blonde moose wanders into a clearing...

I recently had a Pathfinder written off. Based on this you'll receive market value. I had some input into the appraisal also through discussion of maintenance and repair work I'd had done. The appraisers are usually independent of the insurance company to prevent conflict of interest. You don't have to accept the insurance company's first offer if you feel it's too low. You'd need to provide documentation to support a higher value. I replaced the Pathfinder with a 4Runner.

I grew up north of GP. The fall can be amazing up there with the poplars changing colour in the valleys and the smell of the high bush cranberries filling the air. Don't leave it too late in the fall because the days get short sooner than you may want. This link http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/basins/BasinForm.cfm provides historical flow data.

Thanx - that will extend the Xmas gift cert and the poacher reward nicely.

Excellent

Brian let us know which rink. Silver Springs was in good shape yesterday. Last year the volunteers were floodingand scraping 2X/day. I assume it's the same this year as the same guy is in charge. Triwood apparently uses the zamboni on their outdoors rink also - don't know if it's restricted to community members.

What quadrant of the city? I'm just about always up for a skate. I approach hockey like sex - more enthusiasm than skll.

For those who aren't familiar with Thoreau he spent just about 2 years (I'm uncertain about this time period) living a subsistence lifestyle on Walden Pond, a small lake on land owned by Ralph Waldo Emerson. He wanted to show people that much of what they sought in the pursuit of happiness was without meaning and that a simple life was more fulfilling. With product from a well tended garden and wild foods he lived quite well. (However, he also refused to pay taxes and avoided jail only through the generosity of friends.) Fishing is a full on physical and mental experience for me. From the first decision to head out, picking the location, deciding the method, rigging up, reading the water at the specific spot, casting and managing the line, and fighting the fish. I don't have time to think about what I should be doing at work. It's very rejuvenating, especially since my success rate has picked up. It seems to be about the fish. Catching a fish is an attainable goal that is achievable only through your concentrated effort. It's a microcosm of life. But, there is never THE fish or THE experience that ends all pursuit. My pursuit has evolved as I've become less clumsy with my approach. I take time to observe the world around me. I can sit for some time watching the concentration of another fisherman completely lost in doing something they really enjoy. Some radiate a contentment and ease of effort that's mesmerizing. I hadn't really thought of fishing in terms of a spiritual experience but many philosophers speak of how a connection to nature is essential to man's spirit. This was also a big part of Thoreau's message. With his increasing mastery of the subsistence skills, he had ample time to observe and understand the natural world around him.

CPG.UN - lite oil Oilsands Quest - oil sands

NAE.UN - paying nearly 17% yield G - looking good, small dividend paid monthly AATI - good strength and growing business

Whatever floats your boat. Anna Nicol did pretty well with the first formula.

It's hard to say if the pedestrians do here. My son and 2 friends where hit by a car last Wed crossing in a marked zone with flashing lights. It was the second car to run the light. On Monday my son saw another person taken away in ambulance from the same x-walk.

The spider senses start tingling as soon as I see a CBC source. Their coverage is often slanted towards the sensational. The question is what do you classify as arms - armoured personnel carriers vs bombs. I know we have a handful of companies that supply aerospace parts - could include missile parts but the biggest component is landing gear from what I recall. I think there may be some armoured vehicle manufacturing. I'm not aware of any munitions manufacturing.

I've had physio, chiro, ART, and acupuncture for various athletic and other injuries. All have worked to varying degrees. The practitioner is critical. If what they're doing doesn't feel right then try another practitioner. When injured I'll see up to 3 practitioners of each type within the first week or two. When I find what works for that injury then I return. Physios do the best assessments I've found. Some chiros are like doctors and try to crank patients through too quickly and don't take time to do proper assessments. The acupuncturist I go to is for a specific issue and he provides the only relief I've found for the condition. I've learned over the years to be very proactive. Don't believe what doctors tell you just because they're doctors. It's my health and I have to advocate for it.

When my son was about 2 I took him into the office with me. He was enjoying running around and spinning on chairs. Suddenly he shows up without a diaper. It turns out he's laid a turd onto the floor in front of the boss' office. I didn't take him with me again.

I'm a year behind you and have an Airwalk hoodie. My son's friends were amazed. Go ahead - it'll make you cool too. Although you'll also get the urge to butcher the language, drop your pants half way down your ass, and make strange hand gestures. I've adapted, but the top of my ass does get a bit chilled these days.

Thanks for the info. I'll look those books up. The book I recommended is by a practicing Muslim. It covers a great deal of their history as well as the present state of the religion and society. Have a look before you blow it off. Every book written is slanted by the author's opinion and therefore somewhat political.

Why is it OK to name the kids Mohammad? Some of them turn into murders and thieves. Is that showing respect to their prophet? I don't foresee any advancements in most Muslim societies. And to think, at the time of the crusades they had the most advanced society in the world with renowned teachers, huge libraries, and advanced technology. If anyone's interested in an inside view of the Muslim world I highly recommend "The Trouble with Islam Today". It's written by a woman who grew up in and still loves Islam. She put her life on the line writing the book.

The salmon fly is attractive but not related to fishing Calgary. I thought a stonefly was in the logo.

* if you license someone, they do have a larger voice in how the resource is managed? Most likely - they can choose to have a larger voice as you have Don. * if you don't license someone, they have no voice and are counted with all others As above - in Alberta anyone who chooses can become involved as much as they want - in energy, forestry, agriculture, ... * licenses may/could incorporate things like location restrictions, age, insurance coverage & first aid training - definitely * licences for guides handling boats may/could require certificate of competency Definitely - there are a few boats each year that the river beats up * typical resource exploiters [ oil/gas, coal, wood] pay about 15% of gross income as a "user fee/royalty/stumpage etc" - is this appropriate for fishing guides? No - C&R is not an extractive industry * if a license system was set up, who should pay for administration - you & I, the Govt, the license holders et al? All these options are ultimately you & I as it's our tax dollars. It should be the license holders paying which means you likely don't want the gov't administering it as the costs will be too high for the relatively small number of guides. This implies a voluntary license system which is somewhat like the present outfitters association membership. Administrative costs would have to include enforcement which can be expensive. * how long should the license be in effect. Yearly, 5 years, quarterly, fishing season only? - annual * should all types of fishing guides be licensed? What about fly in camps, ice fishing guides, horsey outfitters whose wranglers point you @ the creek ??? * could license holders justifiability restrict the public to certain locations if their business is effected. Not public waters. * conversely, should the public, on crowded waters, restrict guides No, generally I believe the guides who make their living from the resource will be more passionate about protecting it than Joe Sixpack. * should guides have to adhere to a higher level of conduct and if so, who develops the ethics for guides The guides - has to be somewhat self policing. A main element is who to complain to and what's the punishment for irresponsible behaviour. * how would a guide and/or a guided operation be identified? License number displayed on boat. They all have to wear the same bright pink hat. * should owners of business who supply guiding services be licensed? Should these license fees be greater that the guide license? No - The owners already pay business taxes and collect licensing fees. They are acting as agents for independant operators. Or should the whole question of licensing guides be dumped and the free for all continue? The primary driver behind most regulation is having someone to complain to and a system of enforcement for violations. Rules are always written based on previous problems so the problems have to be defined. Out-of-province operators, resource management, encroachment on the rights of others, ... A huge problem here is that once a regulatory system is in place it would grow resulting in ever increasing fees. New problems will pop up because people cheat in newly creative ways to get around existing regs. It seems a major fear is that the present system is so open and lax that a truly unscrupulous operator could do some serious damage in a fairly short time period. With all the law abiding fisherman on this board and others watching for violations how long could a crook operate?

Ahhh, morphine! Wonderful stuff. I hope you have a speedy recovery.

http://www.2000wave.com/gateway.asp For others interested in global economic trends, the above links to John Mauldin's weekly comments. He's one of the most accurate prognosticators of global economic trends (US centric) and scans the world for info each week. There's a tremendous amount of info that supports and backgrounds Don's comments in the archives. John also distributes commentary by other writers. There's some interesting guest commentary a few weeks back arguing convincingly that the present US condition is actually good and sustainable (Ken Fisher I think). Canada's present period of prosperity arose from the weak $CDN. The US will hurt over the near term because inflation is much more pronounced where your local currency is falling. China's shift of some of their reserves out of the $US hit the news recently but was noted by Mauldin and others months ago. For some interesting commentary and technical analaysis check out the founders commentary at www.goldmoney.com. The downward trend of the $US is shown well there. I won a nice supper about 2 years ago from a business associate who bet me the $CDN would fall from around $0.85. I wish the news would stop headlining the "record oil prices" and other commodity prices. When adjusted for currency, the commodity prices have been stable for quite a while. Just note how gasoline had been around $1 for about 2 years. The saviour of the world economy is the growth of middle class expectations in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China). The potential is for a global boom that has no precedence due to the areal and numeric scope.

So people think they're going to get a fat cheque in the mail from the increased royalties eh? From the Oct. 31 Globe and Mail. Breaking News from The Globe and Mail The untenable position of Jack Layton Neil Reynolds Wednesday, October 31, 2007 OTTAWA — By unequivocally championing big corporate tax cuts, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion has given Finance Minister Jim Flaherty lots of political cover for whatever corporate cuts he wants to make. What are the chances that NDP Leader Jack Layton could be persuaded to join this remarkable Dion-Flaherty accord? They are, for certain, slim. But perhaps he could be shamed. With more certainty than ever, economic research now indicates that workers effectively pay all corporate taxes through lost wages. Has the time not come for progressives to throw their support behind corporate tax cuts? Working for the Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation, economists Wiji Arulampalam, Michael Devereux and Giorgia Maffini set out to examine "the extent to which corporate income taxes are shifted on to the work force in the form of lower wages." Using the ORBIS financial database, which contains financial information for more than nine million companies, they analyzed the profit and loss statements of 23,215 companies, from 10 countries, for a 10-year period, 1993 to 2003. They ignored small businesses, looked only at unionized companies, and, when dealing with multinational companies, accepted only unconsolidated financial reports from subsidiaries. In the end, they reported that corporate income taxes have a "significant negative impact" on workers' wages. In itself, this was not surprising. Many economists have identified the same effect. But these economists quantified the impact. For an additional dollar in taxation, workers in the short term take a 54-cent hit; in the long run, a $1 hit. Or more. "A $1 rise in tax liability," they say, "results in a fall in worker compensation in excess of $1." Corporate taxes, in other words, can be a deadweight loss. As capital retreats from higher tax rates to lower tax rates, per-worker productivity falls; the lower the productivity, the lower the wages. And the smaller the country, the more pronounced the impact. You can't justify corporate taxes as a mechanism to make the rich pay. In economic terms, corporate taxes must be regarded simply as another cost of doing business. The higher the corporate tax, the higher the cost of doing business. In a statement that appears self-evident, but apparently isn't in some circles, the Oxford economists observe: "Wage rates closely correlate with profits." This was precisely the point that Jack Mintz, Duanjie Chen and Andrey Tarasov made this past summer in a C.D. Howe Institute backgrounder report on tax reform in Canada. "Although politicians often claim that taxes levied on capital investments fall on the rich and the powerful," they observed, "more evidence suggests that workers bear the brunt of corporate taxation." Corporate taxes, they said, "ultimately fall primarily on labour incomes." The C.D. Howe report, citing the Oxford research, examined Canada's corporate tax rates as a cost of doing business in Canada. It found this cost "strikingly high across the provinces." Notwithstanding the tax cuts that governments have introduced in the past couple of years, "the impact of corporate taxes on the tax-inclusive cost of doing business in 2011 will have changed little from 2007 in most provinces." Ontario imposes the highest cost. Corporate taxes formed 30 per cent of the cost of doing business in the province in 2006; they will still form 27 per cent of the cost when all anticipated tax cuts have been made in 2011. Ontario imposes the highest corporate income tax as well: 14 per cent. And the highest tax on capital: 33 per cent. Further still, it imposes its provincial sales tax on capital purchases. In a province struggling forlornly to remain a "have" province, these taxes are an absurd, bizarre and unnecessary handicap. By contrast, New Brunswick's tax-imposed cost of doing business was only 20 per cent in 2006; and this cost will fall to 15 per cent in 2011. New Brunswick has reduced its tax burden on businesses incrementally for a number of years. It now has the lowest corporate tax burden, expressed as a cost of doing business, in the country - lower even than Alberta. It's only a matter of time until capital exits Ontario and heads for New Brunswick. (By contrast further, New Brunswick has lowered its capital tax to 2 per cent.) As the C.D. Howe report noted, though, workers bear the brunt of all taxation, regardless of the myriad ways it is packaged - income taxes, sales taxes, payroll taxes, property taxes. Canada's effective tax rate on workers is now 45.9 per cent. Quebec workers pay the highest rate (at 49.8 per cent), Alberta workers the lowest (at 39.2 per cent). Does Mr. Layton still insist that these pass-me-down corporate taxes should be protected - or indeed increased? Workers of Canada, unite!

Olive flashback gold rib hares ear - caught more for me than any other fly including SJW.