Wordless Wednesday: I'm getting a dog

My brother is moving to a new town and I'm getting a dog. He's a cute little dog; but don't let looks deceive you, he's a handful.

Looking Back

I wanted to take a minute to reflect on this past month. I know that April still has a couple of days left in it, but the end of the month was all I could think about today. It has been a rather interesting month so far and my traffic has exceeded my goals for this month. I started the month on a break from blogging and right after my break my traffic increased tremendously. I have to Thank everyone for stopping by my little corner of the web to drop your card and/or a comment. I do owe a lot of my traffic to those who come here from either Entrecard or my ad on some one Else's Entrecard widget.

Some of you may have noticed that I have started posting a "Wordless Wednesday" these past couple of weeks. I will try to keep wordless Wednesday up from now on, although I may need to purchase a new camera. I hope you like coming back for a read I will be trying to post more often so you will have something new to come back and read. But for now I will end with some link love for the top 5 Entrecard droppers this month.

read my mind
Life In the Internet
Diet Pulpit
Media Morgue
WORLDWIDE TRAVEL BLOG

Wordless Wednesday: The Importance of Tire Maintenance

My Phone took this picture after my tire blew out on the highway. Tire maintenance is really important!

Earth Day

April 22, 2008 was Earth Day. For me it seemed like everything except for my daily walk was out of place today. My day started really badly, I had to race to work whereas I usually take my time to conserve fuel. I normally attempt to set aside an hour a day for turning everything off, unfortunately I was only able to manage three quarters of an hour. While I was at work, a colleague ended up making a mistake and we ended up having more printed paper than we should have, today certainly did not go as it should have! But now that it is over we all can look back on today and see what differences we could have made for the sake of our future on this planet.

What is Earth day to you? To me it is a chance to review anything I have been doing to reduce my carbon footprint as well as exploring new options to "Go green." There were quite a few things that I would have preferred to do differently with respect to reducing my impact on the environment. I hope you all have had a chance to look at what you are currently doing to reduce your impact on the environment.

Anyway one thing that was on my mind today was composting. Composting food waste is an excellent way to reduce your impact on the environment as it prevents food from decomposing in landfills and creating pockets of methane gas. My home town introduced a new program last year where you would put items that can be composted in a green bin for collection on your usual garbage pick up day. Not every one participates which is a little disturbing but those who do participate are certainly reducing their impact on the environment.

I do believe that if everyone takes a few small steps towards reducing their impact on the environment, our children would grow up in a much greener and healthier world. With all of the emphasis on health in today's world we all should take a minute or two to take a look at what small changes we can make to reduce our own impact on the environment. So in conclusion, even though today really has not presented me with much I can do to reduce my impact on the environment; it has given me a chance to reflect and see what I should start doing differently. I hope your "Earth Day" was better than mine and I hope that you take a minute or two to reflect on what your are doing to better the environment. Please leave me your opinions on Earth Day, I really would like to hear them.

Image: Wiki Media Commons

What Ever!

Today I was excited to find this little card in my mailbox when I got home. But then I made the mistake of checking my page rank. Last time I checked my page rank was about two weeks ago, right before I decided to start using Mozilla for my Internet browser; it was at 3/10. I was quite happy with that page rank after all I had looked into what would help your PR increase and had worked hard to get there. Today I found out that I no longer have a PR which explains to some extent why I only get 1 or 2 hits from search engines instead of the 8 to 15 I was getting two or three weeks ago.

I do want to know why I got slapped by Google? Was I just not posting enough to keep the PR? Was it because it took almost 4 weeks for a little card going air mail to reach me from California, which I could drive to in less time? Or was it because my traffic increased more than you thought was natural? There are lots and lots of questions I could ask and I know that the big conglomerate that is Google will never answer a single one! Which is why I am saying "WHAT EVER!" I really don't have the time or the energy to worry about why my page rank went from 3 to 0. Personally I think its down right ignorant but they don't care do they? Anyway I just had to get this little rant off my chest; maybe I'll be able to sleep better tonight. This has been my opinion, if you've been slapped by Google leave me a comment and let me hear your story.

Image: My phone took the picture of a card from Google before I knew what was happening!

Attention: Coin Collectors Don't Miss This!

Today I had an opportunity to view some rare coins through Monaco Rare Coin's website. As most of you who have read my previous posts; or those who are inclined to follow investments know that precious metals are one of the most safest and profitable investments. The coins in the picture accompanying this post are not offered on the website, but clearly illustrate rare coins. Anyway, the whole website offers valuable information for everyone interested in collecting rare and valuable coins.

The page that made me want to write this post was the top picks page. On the top picks page you get to watch a short but informative video from Adam Crum the Vice President of Monaco Rare Coin. The best part about collecting rare coins is that it is very easy to get started. The website offers more information on getting started as a collector. You should visit and view the specials as well as all of the valuable information Monaco Rare Coin is offering.

Democratic Indecision

As I was reading through a few articles on both of my favourite news network's websites I found an article about Hillary Clinton admitting that Senator Barrack Obama could win the presidential race this year. I have not been paying much attention to the primaries as of late considering that I am a Canadian and cannot vote in the U.S. Elections. As for my thoughts on voting, you really should take a stand and vote for who you think could best lead your country; do you really want some one else to speak for you? Anyway the last time I caught any primary coverage Clinton was slightly ahead of Obama in the polls; I now see that Obama has a little bit of a lead on Clinton.

It certainly seems like there is a lot of indecision on who will lead the democrats into the upcoming elections on November 4, 2008. The republicans have already nominated Senator John McCain, but the democratic nomination is still up for grabs. There still are 9 more primaries left to sort out the democrats nomination; but it seems as though people are split on who they want leading the democrat party.

Canadian politics are so very different in terms of choosing a party leader. For example members of the Liberal Party will nominate some one and the members of the party will elect their leader. Considering that we have at least 4 different parties on the ballot in federal elections this is much easier than having campaign races for each party leader. Now I am not saying that the American Electoral system is wrong and should be changed to emulate the Canadian Electoral system, I am just pointing out a difference. In my opinion the race for the Democrat Nomination is dragging on.

In conclusion the race for the democratic nomination is very inconclusive (from my point of view). As for how the primaries affect Canadians; well we do see a lot of American television and I am sure some of us Canadians are tired of hearing about how long the primaries are going on. I do not think we will see a clear victor in the race to win the presidential nomination until after the remaining primaries are concluded. I am sure that our Prime Minister will work with whoever wins the presidential race regardless of whether it is Clinton, Obama or McCain. We have the largest border with the U.S. and we also share one of our favourite past times (hockey), so of course we will work with whoever wins the election. But the Stanely cup playoffs are underway so choose your candidate and vote for them; hopefully these primaries will have concluded soon so we all can wonder about whether a democrat or a republican will lead the U.S. for the next four years. This has been my opinion; what's yours?

Image: David Ball
News Article: Clinton admits Obama could win White House

Wordless Wednesday: Spring Has Arrived

My Phone took this Picture. Enjoy!

Inflation on Food Prices

While I was doing my usual surf through a few news network websites I came across this article about inflation and food. In the article a report by the U.N. is mentioned as well as the Food and Agriculture Organization. The report was released last Friday and states that the cost of wheat and rice produce has doubled in the past year. The demand for cereals has been much stronger in the past two months which inevitably increases the price. They are also saying that this is not any short-term problem but one for the long-term.

People are not going to stand for higher food costs. Right now some people have trouble keeping food on the table in today's changing market. The higher cost of food has sparked riots in Africa and the Philippines. We could see more riots and protests over higher prices on food in the coming months, maybe even years. What kind of effect will that have on the price? They may reduce prices by a fraction of a percent or more; but the truth be told, we will have to wait and see if it makes a difference.

What does higher costs for rice and wheat have to do with Canadians? Well some of the farmers in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan will benefit from being able to sell their grains ate higher prices. The rest of us Canadians on the other side of the chain will have to pay even more on our grocery bills. Considering that there are still a large number of Canadians that are not able to afford both shelter and food; this is not good news. I have noticed a rise in the cost of a loaf of bread, until the supply can meet the demand I fear even more price increases are imminent. That's my opinion; what do you think about it?

Image source: Wiki Media Commons
News article: Food prices to surge higher, UN report warns

Starbucks vs Tim Hortons, Version 2.0

I have mentioned in previous posts that I would be doing another post on Starbucks versus Tim Horton's. Well as I was getting my second coffee of the morning before I got to work I found out that not only has Tim Horton's raised their price of coffee but also Starbucks as well. Last time the price of a cup of coffee went up, it did not bother me at all. However this time it did; it was a little different this time.

This time I found out about a 5 cent increase to the price of coffee at Starbucks, no real big deal there, earlier this week Tim Horton's raised their prices by 7 cents to keep up with competition. This is what was different; not only was my morning coffee higher than yesterday, but also my coffee at lunch was an additional 4 cents higher than my morning coffee from the same coffee shop! That just really bothered me, last time I checked it was coffee and not the stock market.

The part that bothers me the most is that at least if you go to Timmie's and get a large double double they will put the cream and sugar in the coffee for you. Tim Horton's has far superior service compared to the treatment you get at Starbucks. Not only is Starbucks over priced but you also have to put the cream and sugar in your coffee yourself. Some people like that but to me it just shows a lack of service and for the new price of Grande Bold, you shouldn't have to carry a lidless cup of hot coffee over to a cluttered counter top to make your coffee.

I know that Starbucks mostly gives black coffee to different patrons, the whole atmosphere is different including the retro music playing throughout the shop. Whereas Tim Horton's offers you much better value for your money, except maybe in the choice of coffee blends they offer. On most days going through a busy drive through at Tim Horton's will take 15 minutes at most, over at Starbucks you have to wait about 15 minutes in the drive through when there is only one car in front of you. Makes me ask the question: "What are they growing the coffee first?" Maybe I'm just a little impatient but come on, it does not take 15 minutes to pour three or four coffees and put cream and sugar in them.

In any case I am just blowing off some steam because seeing two price increases in one day really got me angry. We get gouged everywhere else, why not at the coffee shop too, right? Anyway I am sure every one has their own opinions on these two coffee franchises, this is just my opinion anyway. How about sharing your opinion?

Image: 2 coffee cups photographed with a Samsung m300 cell phone.

Disclaimer: Logos shown in picture are trademarks of their respective companies.

Cleaner Skies

I just read one of the best news articles I've seen in a while. Hydrogen is a very simple element but the diversity of applications for hydrogen are numerous; for example hydrogen can now be used for flight. I know that balloons and airships in the past have been using hydrogen to stay aloft but this is an entirely different application. In this application, Boeing has test flown a single engine plane powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and the three test flights confirm that Eco-friendly planes are on the horizon. There were only three twenty minute flights of the aircraft; but those three flight represents a tangible future for Eco-friendly avionics. The best part about these test flights is that they were manned flights requiring an actual pilot to fly the aircraft.

The best thing about hydrogen powered flight is that it greatly reduces the amount of greenhouse gases put directly in our atmosphere. I certainly hope that there will be more development in fuel cell technology especially in the air transport industry. Reducing our dependency on fossil fuels for transport will inevitably reduce our carbon footprint on our environment which will benefit not just Canadians but everybody around the globe.

As for how this would affect Canadians, well I can only guess. But having airplanes powered by renewable and environmentally friendly fuel would only benefit everyone by reducing hydrocarbon emissions and possibly reducing the cost of air fare. I am certainly not an expert but fuel cell technology is worth exploring more of the possible uses. We all would be able to breathe a little easier with less greenhouse gases in the air. Thats my opinion, what do you think?

Image source: Wiki Media Commons
News Article: Hydrogen-powered airplane takes flight: Boeing

While I Was On Break

Well I'm back from my little break from blogging and I certainly feel better now. Anyway, I just wanted to share this little article I found while I was looking around for an interesting topic for my first post after the break. Within the article I found news of an Opera that was intended to be based on a part of American pop culture. We all know that the number of Celebrities in Hollywood certainly keep those tabloid magazines in business; because everybody just has to know. But this Opera is going to be based on the life story of Anna Nicole Smith and will be written by the same British writer who penned Jerry Springer - the Opera.

We all know who Anna Nicole Smith was and we even watched her story unfold in the spotlight. Her life and death had some highlights and she certainly got her fifteen minutes of fame. But how many people would want to watch an opera about the buxom blond who first captivated us in the pages of Playboy magazine? As a Canadian watching glimpses of her story as it happened south of the Canada/U.S. border; I am already tired of it. Although to people on the other side of the world, this drama could be quite intriguing.

Now this really does not mean very much to the average Canadian, well at least if you're not one of Anna Nicole's fans. I am sure the Opera the British writer pens will be a smash hit in Europe; as for our own shores I doubt it will fair as well as it does across the Atlantic. That just happens to be my opinion; how about sharing your opinion with me?

Image source: Wiki Media Commons
News Article: British writer penning opera about Anna Nicole Smith