Castuserraticus

I'm confused a bit after reading Morton's letter and some of the follow-up posted on the hunting thread. It appears licensed guides are now sold tags that they can then sell to their clients at market rates. This system has been in place for years? There's tremendous uproar about farmers getting the same right? If I was a large landowner and this was a profitable venture then I would have become a "licensed outfitter" years ago as a means of diversifying revenue. Is it presently illegal for a farmer to charge for access to his land? The noted fees of $5-20/hunter day is peanuts unless the rancher has a large spread and can control lots of animals. To me the question should be What is more cost effective - regulating habitat changes or subsidy incentives? Just imagine the uproar if riparian buffers/restoration and forested wildlife corridors/habitat became required/penalized by law. As Morton states - the farmers can't be expected to carry the load of habitat preservation. Therefore, subsidies are the way. Boy, does this open up a can of worms for abuse and misdirection. Subsidies distort markets and create unintended consequences. Once they're in place and people are counting on them they're very hard to remove. A pilot project can quickly become a right. I don't think anything is going to help hunting and fishing grow in popularity, another stated aim. I've tried to be sure my kids are aware they are part of a food chain but with the increasingly urban population the vast majority of people think of food as coming from supermarkets rather than slaughter houses. The only time they see otherwise in the media is when a slaughter facility is facing charges of cruelty.

Grass roots - Don I don't think you waited for politicians to direct your work on the Raven. They didn't come up with the fall rescue. They will show up for photo ops when a program appears to be successful. I don't see the election affecting fishing unless some candidate tries to severely restrict it. I don't see this happening. So far I think Ed is sounding a bit dim. He's making all sorts of promises that facts show can't be implemented. The "environment" in Alberta is a polarizing issue. Where some people see disaster (eg fires, floods) others see nature's normal cycles. No successful politician is going to make it a major plank. People care about their jobs, health, safety, lifestyle,... way more. These are personal issues. The true job of government is to provide the physical (roads, hospitals, schools) and regulatory (rule of law, personal and property rights protection) infrastructure, and consistent policy that encourages individuals and corporations to make long term plans/investments. Our democratic governments are not generally capable of making long term plans. Politicians campaign based on abusing the other guy and are often elected to "fix a problem". It's the rare politician who's goal is to work with all parties. They don't really lead. I can't remember who said it - "Democracy is the worst system of government, except for all the others." At least with democracy individuals have the opportunity to take personal action on issues that matter to them - as you have on many occasions.

When my son was about 12 he said in answer to a question about he was going to be when he grows up "I want to be "they"."

Warm enough in Calgary is above 0. If you see this in the forecast, there will be lots of people on the river. Watch out for drift ice. Large slabs (up to car sized) start breaking off in warmer weather. Some people fish when it's below 0 but I've found slush to be too bothersome. Just wear several layers under regular waders and get out of the water now and then before your legs stop working. Look up posts for the Hook and Hackle Club. They meet every month during the winter.

One note - I believe it would be dangerous to use a kayak for fishing on a river. When fighting a fish you have no means of boat control and the risk of broaching would be high. Bad things can happen surprisingly quickly when currents are involved. I used to teach whitewater kayaking and have tried fishing from them on still water. I didn't enjoy it because any breeze would move me around too much. I wasn't skilled enough to try and figure out an anchor system. This seems to be very important from what I've read. Sea kayaks are much easier because they're designed to be more stable. Tides can be a real bugger so timing is an important consideration. In the past, I've used kelp as an "anchor" to maintain position and fish the edges of a weed bed. I played with a sit-on top type in Mexico. It seems a good idea to have something like a safety belt to hold you on top in case of a slight tipping. I was surfing and just slipped off a couple of times. The temperatures in Alta are not conducive to enjoying being dunked. I've confirmed this dozens of times. I prefer my pontoon boat for stability and ease of handling. It doesn't have the hull speed of a kayak but it can be used on lakes and rivers.

I feel like Einstein now. St least I had a running chainsaw in my hand.

I dismantled a trac 2 razor. With a piece of cardboard and some masking tape I made a double edge. It's been working for years.

More things seem confusing as the birthdays pile up.

Give me a 1200mm lens to go with Rick's gun and I'd film the guy. When I was young and slightly more foolish I worked the rigs in northern Alberta. We had up to 8 bears at a time around the rig and camp because the garbage incineration regs were not in place yet. We harassed the bears quite a bit to try and scare them but it didn't work very well. I even stood in the flare pit and hit them with a stick if they got too close. I stopped when I saw a sow with cubs chase down a yearling bear that got too close. She ran right over 6-10 ft. trees and batted the other bear pretty good. One day we treed a young bear. Someone got the brainy idea to cut the tree down. When the bear felt the vibrations of the very dull chainsaw it climbed to the top of the mid sized poplar. When the tree fell, the bear bounced once and hit the track. A couple of days later we tried the same stunt again. It seems to have been the same bear because this time it was a 2 man job. One guy poked the bear in the butt to keep it up the tree and one guy was on the saw. I didn't notice my buddy with the stick had changed his mind about participating until afterwards. Apparently, the bear hung onto the tree just above my head. When the tree started to lean and I stepped away, the bear jumped down and went the other way. Our foolishness stopped shortly after. A couple of rig workers (a geologist and cook out enjoying nature) were mauled to death in northern Alberta and every rig was then required to have an incinerator.

No I'm punishing myself with managing 2 companies, consulting to 2 more, volunteering in minor sports, and raising a family. My wife is doing a masters now, her third degree. It reminds why I haven't added to mine. Some instructors are great and some are a waste of time. She's able to focus on the piece of paper she needs for her career change but I don't think I would be that tolerant. In support of instructors studies have shown that the best instructors can only transfer 40% of the knowledge. Most of the work is always up to the student. Career hint - if your degree is targeted at a profession, join the professional association and get involved now. The contacts are invaluable and, contrary to what many say, the good times will not last forever. Who you know trumps what you know generally.

And it's the same thing that happened in Har Megido over 1000 years ago. (It's now known more commonly as Armageddon.) It was at the crossroads of the richest trading routes in the world. Unfortunately for them it was also built on a majorly active fault and shipping by sea came to be favoured over camels. Getty also built lots of golf courses in small towns, raised the level of Buffalo Lake, and leased every tree in the province for pulp. He did the same thing most politicians do when the economy is strong - tax and spend. Oops actually the economy wasn't strong then so he did what politicians do when the economy needs a boost - borrow and spend. Neither are generally done with plans beyond the next election. Our system is not conducive to long term planning. Parties try to oust each other through destructive criticism. If one replaces the other they promptly tear down what the other built.

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.

I always key on the colour change - lite to dark blue - that comes along with drop-offs and current seams. Put on the polarized glasses and scan from up on the bank. I've found fish in some surprisingly small pockets in the winter. Once you've found the blue water, play with the number of split shots to where you're ticking bottom regularly. On several occasions, adding a medium shot has produced immediate results. On some of the smaller pockets, a strong surface current can be hiding a much calmer underlying pocket. In bigger holes, it's a matter of getting the fly to the bottom and being sure to cover the water with several casts and different fly combinations.

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.