The evil of PAF C23

Back in the bad old days of slavery in the United States, there was a thing called the 'Underground railroad' which spirited escaped slaves over the border into the anti-slavery (Abolished in 1834) British run Province of Canada amongst other places. Many into Ontario, although a number of notable families who can trace their lineage back to those days ended up in BC to make their mark in a free (ish) country.

The 'railroad' hit its peak during the US Civil War years with estimates of up to 100,000 freed slaves being bandied about, although sources indicate that the successful number is closer to 30,000, or even as low as 6,000. Considering the network of safe houses was mostly informal, the lowest figure seems the most likely.

The reason I bring this up is the continuing furore about 'secret courts' and forced adoptions in the UK, the most high profile of which is the recently leaked case of Vicky Haigh, which may only be the tip of a very large and polluted iceberg. From what I can see, various UK Social Service departments have been operating against basic human rights laws, and the Police have been complicit. Although in their defence I'd say that the Police are fed a line, and are bound to comply with the demands of Social Services. All Social Services have to do is make an allegation, and the blind juggernaut of Police and Courts rumbles into action.

The heart of the problem lies with PAF C23, which sets out 'targets' for adoptions and care orders. At this point I blink heavily and suppress the need to go "WTF?" How can you set targets for Social Service driven adoptions like a commercial sales operation? What complete fucking genius came up with that crazy idea? What affectioned time pleaser first mooted Key Performance Indicators for adoption? Which sectionable bunch of cretins put it into action? Who insist that the practice continues? Ofsted, that's who. I discussed the matter this morning with Mrs S, who opined that giving Social Workers 'adoption targets' was a licence for corruption. To quote from the UK Parliament early day motion;

Ofsted continues to put pressure on local authorities to increase the number of adoptions; recognises that the only significant way in which this can be done is to increase the adoptions of babies and toddlers

Such is the motivation for stealing unweaned children from their parents almost literally at birth. One of the cited reasons for such evil is an unverifiable 'risk of emotional abuse'. Now being a parent, I know that low level 'emotional abuse' is pretty much a two way street in any family. I've been on the receiving end, and tried very hard not to pay back in kind (Not always possible). And it's a pretty flimsy excuse for such a draconian measure.

There's also the accusation that certain people are using the Foster Care system as a regular source of income. At twenty thousand pounds a year per child, all you've got to do is foster two or three and it's easy street, at least financially speaking. Decline the unruly teens (Who the unscrupulous would just dump back into the 'care' system) and go for the toddlers. Three children, and you can live quite comfortably. Mrs S and I brought our two up on a net income of almost half that. We never starved.

Some families under threat of such child theft leave the UK and often flounder in new circumstances. Others, like Miss Haigh, have a wide circle of friends and associates overseas who have perhaps assisted her with tips about where to find accommodation, shielding her identity / location from officialdom where necessary. Others may seek practical assistance from Ian Josephs 'Forced adoption' website. Although I think Ian could do with a little assistance in creating a more user friendly site. Too many words Ian. It needs restructuring into something a little more practical and user friendly.

Here in Canada, we are still recovering from the scandal of 'Residential schools' where First Nations children were taken to Borstal like establishments to be 'educated'. The fallout is still making money for various ambulance chasing lawyers, who up until 2009 had big billboards up on Highway 19 north of town with wording like "Victim of Residential School system?" The scandal has cost the Canadian Taxpayer not far short of a billion dollars;

Total Compensation as of March 01, 2011: CAD$960,247,668

Taken from the original source here. When the scandal finally breaks (As break it must, injunctions or no) in the UK, guess who will be picking up the tab? Got it in one - Taxpayers

Perhaps the powers that be should recognise that, like with slavery, people (Even small and helpless ones) are not property.

Although I won't be holding my breath for that penny to drop.

Cross posted at Orphans of Liberty. Or rather not.

Canadian Census 2011

Have just completed my first ever online census for Canada. Not all that onerous, and about as basic as it gets. Essentially it boiled down to these questions;

1. Who are you?
2. How many live there permanently?
3. Who are they?
4. Is this your correct address?

Remarkably painless. Five minutes. I can do this.

Hate sites and the law

The new Harper Government here in Canada may be about to make rather a large mistake. In their proposed new crime bill C-51 there is a clause that will effectively make it an offence for a Canadian web site owner to link to a 'hate' site, or one deemed to have 'offensive' material. From the Parliamentary publication here;

2.1.1.1 Hate Propaganda (Clauses 4 and 5)
Hate propaganda offences must be committed against an “identifiable group.” Clause 4 of the bill adds “national origin” to the definition of “identifiable group.”8

Clause 5 of the bill provides that the offences of public incitement of hatred and wilful promotion of hatred may be committed by any means of communication and include making hate material available, by creating a hyperlink that directs web surfers to a website where hate material is posted, for example.

Okay. I can see a few potential issues here. As one who occasionally writes "Fuck" or in an exasperated expostulation "What the fucking hell were they thinking of?" does this make this blog a 'hate' site? A number of the web sites and blogs I link to regularly use pejorative language on various topics. They also express what some (but not all) might call 'extreme' views on various issues. Which I link to because it's interesting / howlingly ridiculous / amusingly apposite. I cannot control their content, and if that content changes without my knowledge I have no say in the matter. If I might not wholly agree with someone's point of view or the way they express it, does that mean I have to remove all reference from this or any other blog I contribute to?

Such a policy is unworkable, and here's why. Even the most vaguely web savvy person knows about the Wayback machine where everything is laid bare. So if the authorities were to send me a nasty email threatening prosecution about such an errant link or post, even if said 'hate' link or post is taken down, it's already too late. The material will still be available for as long as those cacheing servers exist. Seeing as they are based in the USA (as are the servers upon which this blog is based) and all over the world, such a threatened prosecution would be pointless. I couldn't really comply, even if I wanted to. The offending material would remain.

It's worth noting that the authorities in Canada have tried to prosecute bloggers in the past over 'hate' material, one 'hate' blogger has even done time pre trial, but I understand no prosecutions have taken the offending content down. All they've actually done is kept some lawyers in work.

The idea of trying to regulate an international medium based on a domestic standard is on a hiding to nothing. Firewalls leak (Great Firewall of China). News gets out (Like from Iran and Syria). The only way to stop people saying things you don't like is to pull the plug entirely. No Internet at all. In today's web enabled world, is that workable?

As far as offensive content goes, my own take is that everyone is entitled to say what they damn well please on their own web space. It is their god given right to make a fool of themselves in a public forum, just as it is my right to ignore, highlight or hold them up for ridicule. The web allows everyone that privilege. In that way it's very democratic. However, if this clause in crime bill C-51 stays, that right of critique goes with it, because linking to 'hate' material, whatever that might be, and for whatever reason, may invite prosecution. Likewise discussing contentious issues regarding other cultures. Debate is essential. Democracy cannot really function without it. And 'hate' is such a very subjective term.

As always, the law of unintended consequences will be found grinning and lurking in the shadows where web related matters are subject to legislation. For example, the bit about 'harassing messages' in clause 11 may end up biting a few credit control companies in the ass. This could get interesting....

Cross posted at Orphans of Liberty.

Canada has a majority government

Have been watching the Canadian federal election results come in. Regarding the screen grab taken at 22:10 PST 2nd May 2011 (02:10 ET 3rd May). Looks like we have a majority government at long last. With over a 60% turnout, no less. Glad to see our local incumbent retain her seat, as she's a good solid constituency MP. The Liberals and Bloc Quebecois are pretty much toast, electorally speaking. The Greens have one seat in the lower Gulf Islands. Although their victory is hardly surprising out here on the hippy drippy West coast. From observations based on other countries it has to be said that Green MP's tend to have the electoral life span of Mayflies. Especially when the voters find out what all those eco-friendly policies really mean. They'll learn. With an overall majority in power the Greens are still pretty much irrelevant anyway.

Interestingly, a bunch calling themselves the Pirate Party of Canada fielded a candidate who won 331 votes locally, see their Manifesto here. Incidentally, the Libertarian party vote (A smidgeon short of 6,000) just (but only just) outstripped the PC Party.

Harper's Conservatives, regardless of their other (often hysterically over hyped) failings, have proved a steady hand on Canada's tiller of state in these economically straitened times, and have thus earned their (current) twelve seat majority. It was an eleven seat majority as per screengrab, but that's the thing about dynamic web content, you set your screen to auto refresh, and the news moves faster than the speed of blog.

All results culled from Elections Canada date and time as screengrab. However, these are only the preliminary polling day results. As a non-citizen I don't have a vote, but I will be watching the final results with interest in the morning.

West Coast BC Tsunami watch

In the wake of the big Japanese Earthquake. Environment Canada has issued the following Tsunami warning for the Western BC coast (Their caps);

A LARGE EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED IN THE PACIFIC BASIN NEAR JAPAN. THE WEST COAST ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTRE HAS RAISED THE ALERT STATUS TO ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES OF COASTAL BRITISH COLUMBIA:

ZONE A - THE NORTH COAST AND THE HAIDA GWAII ISLANDS

ZONE B - THE CENTRAL COAST INCLUDING BELLA BELLA, BELLA COOLA AND SHEARWATER

ZONE C - THE OUTER WEST COAST OF VANCOUVER ISLAND FROM CAPE SCOTT TO PORT RENFREW

AT THIS TIME IT IS BELIEVED THAT A LOW LEVEL TSUNAMI HAS BEEN GENERATED THAT COULD IMPACT MARINAS AND OTHER COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE OR CREATE STRONG CURRENTS IN HARBOURS AND ISOLATED COASTAL AREAS. LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN THESE ZONES HAVE BEEN ADVISED TO ACTIVATE THEIR EMERGENCY PLANS AND TO IMMEDIATELY EVACUATE MARINAS, BEACHES AND OTHER AREAS THAT ARE BELOW THE NORMAL HIGH TIDE MARK.

Here on the Eastern shore of Vancouver Island we shouldn't notice anything, rather like the last Tsunami alert. The people who should pay close attention to the bulletins are those around Port Alberni, Tofino, Uclulet, and Port Renfrew. I can hear those surfboards being waxed from here.

Did go looking for Japanese webcams on the big Japanese quake last night, but the only one I could find was an out of focus view of someone's office wall in the Miyagi district.

Update: Tsunamis of 5-6 ft (1.5-1.8m) high have been reported at the Alaskan end of the Aleutian Islands and at Crescent City, California. Nothing reported from the west coast of Vancouver Island at the time of writing. For Canadian citizens in Japan, there is help available via this site.

Update: As of March 11th at 20:00, the West Coast Tsunami advisory is cancelled.

Seen in the narrows

Surfaced from working on my current MSS to hear a loud noise, like one of the usual aircraft buzzing overhead. Sounded rather like one of the twin engine turbojet aircraft that Jazz use for the Vancouver to Nanaimo run. The sound hung around and got louder.
"What's that?" I asked Mrs S, who was reading in the front room. "Are we being buzzed or something?"
"I don't know." She said, raising her head from the Peter Ackroyd she is currently absorbing.

So I took a look and my jaw just went south for the Winter. A hovercraft! A real live, no shit hovercraft! In Coastguard trim no less. I mean I'd heard they'd got one, but I never thought I'd ever see a hovercraft again outside of a science museum. A quick google later I've got the details; It's the CCGS Siyay, a fisheries and coastguard vessel based in Richmond, Vancouver.

I know my picture is crap, but by the time I'd gone and found my camera it was over a mile away, roaring down the side of Link Island. So I had to improvise using my spotter scope.

That has just made my day, possibly my week with an option on the whole of February.

No veiling of issues

Regarding the latest row over veils and voting. There should be no 'ban'. However the rules on identification at voting should be tightly enforced. If the recording officer requires ID before a vote card is issued, then he or she should be allowed to verify the ID of the voter before doing so. The right to vote is important enough to transcend a purely personal preference, which is all this veil malarkey is. It's a tribal, not religious observance.

Re this desire to permanently hide the face. My youngest covers up whenever she's feeling upset, defensive or fragile. When the hoodie and the scarf go on, Mrs S and I try to cheer her up rather than berate her for hiding. Doesn't stop her doing it, but it does make her hide less frequently. We talk to her about what's making her feel sad, kid her that she's being a bit 'weird', then she brightens up and her inner sun comes up again. The hoodie comes off and all is smiles.

Maybe there's a lesson for everyone in there somewhere.

Don Cherry

There is a bunch of people in Vancouver who want Hockey pundit Don Cherry off the air. Mainly because of his right of centre politics, which he occasionally shares with the viewing public when commenting on TV Hockey games.

I like Don, he's down to earth and great fun. He's part of the Canadian sporting psyche. There is no way he should retire. Especially as the proposal to get rid of him comes from a bunch of wasters. Don is part of the spirit that built Canada. His detractors are a bunch of pantywaisters who are an embarrassment to British Columbia. Don would be sadly missed. No one really cares if the people who want him off the air exist.

I propose forming the Society for the preservation of Don Cherry.

Don is a national treasure, and one that should never be buried.

On being a migrant

Having successfully immigrated into Canada, I'm struck with the changes we need to go through having gone from being 'Temporary residents' to 'Permanent Residents', a status which needs renewal every five years, unless you wait until eligible for citizenship and go for that.

Everything is new. You are given a permanent Social Insurance Number which means you aren't reliant on the one job any more, but then you have to dash around updating Driving licences, health insurance registration, and a whole heap of other things. Always with the creeping sensation that you've missed a trick somewhere. Creditworthiness needs to be reinforced with a 'major purchase'. For us this has meant a new car. Registration with all sorts of agencies designed to help new migrants, but which only kick in when you become a 'Permanent Resident'. If you're only on a work permit they can't add you to their stats. In a way this makes us feel like we're entering the country all over again.

Although Mrs S and I are delighted with our new status, we're still left with a sensation of "Okay, what's next?" When dealing with officialdom. There's nothing intrusive apart from the smoking ban, and most issues are dealt with as a matter of courtesy. The North American 'Point and shoot' style of driving still bemuses. Even most of our local population of down and outs are polite to the point where you feel embarrassed not to throw them a couple of bucks. Everywhere, pedestrians carrying insulated cups of coffee carefully held in front of them like protective amulets.

There's an odd disconnected air to it all, and all the certainties I'm used to dealing with have gotten fuzzy round the edges and somehow much bigger. Like we've finally been let into the party, which we thought would be a small 'do' of maybe fifty or sixty and finding ourselves in a happy chattering crowd of thousands.

We'll get used to it shortly.

Rust in peace

All good things come to an end, and it is my sad duty to announce the demise of our venerable, spacious (we used it as a camper van on the Trans-Canada) old battlebus. Bought at a knock down price back in 2007, we got over three years almost trouble free use from it (Apart from an almost inaccessible seal blowing on a transmission pump and a brake service). I will miss it. It served us well.

The battlebus has in our ownership crossed Canada coast to coast, from Tofino on the west side of Vancouver Island, to the easternmost tip of the Cape Breton trail, Nova Scotia and the misty hills of Price Edward Island. We have crossed vast prairies asking deep and reaching questions like; "When's the next bend?" or "Is that a hill over there?" and rarely; "Hey! Isn't that a tree?" Listened to songs about the majesty of Northern Ontario's forests that weren't by Gordon Lightfoot. Had to retune the radio four times a day because we kept on passing out of the transmitter footprint (No Sirius). If you think it's too far to walk down to the shops for a cold one, then Canada isn't for you. Vast is almost an understatement, yet our vehicle took it all in it's ageing stride.

However, Mrs S and I, after much headbanging deliberation, have purchased a more fuel efficient SUV with all season tyres, satnav and all the trimmings. Not only that, but it's a blast to drive, and nimbler than a mountain goat on amphetamines. The frustrated banging of heads has stopped, only to be replaced with a dash out of the front door to be first into the driving seat, a practice at which Mrs S becomes ever more Machiavellian. "Oo, I've forgotten my keys, lock the front door love." She says, and yours truly ends up in the passenger seat yet again. Hmmmm.

If anyone is interested, we've christened the new vehicle 'Thumper'. Why? Because it reminds me of this Disney Character.

Down and out in BC

In the Library this afternoon, busy browsing the shelves and was addressed thusly by one of the local 'Street people' who'd overheard me talking to Mrs S. "Can you say something?"
"Pardon?" I was somewhat taken aback.
"What part of England are you from?"
"Here and there." I hedged.
"That is a wonderful accent."
"Really?"
"Can you say something more?" He asked. I obliged. You can't help it when someone asks you as nicely as he did.

'Street person' had a warm jumper on which I reckon cost whoever donated it to him a couple of hundred dollars. "Good, eh?" He grinned, plucking at the fine wool on his sleeve.
"Keep you warm?" I asked.
"Sure does."
"I got my DVD player charging over there. Only cost me sixty seven bucks." He said.
"I recall when those were a thousand dollars apiece." I responded with an ironic twist to my mouth. This was one of our better dressed down and outs. As polite as the majority are round here. There's the odd one or two who are so far gone they hate the world and all that's in it, but the rest are polite as all hell. Talk about culture shock. Toffler would be nodding with an air of quiet satisfaction.
"It's pretty cool." He grinned and moved on, DVD's in hand. He at least would have viewing tonight. I passed him by later. He was wearing headphones and watching some art house movie. Not bothering anyone, just like a man who knows that the tides of fate have their ebbs and flows, and his time would surely come. All he needed was patience.

What a contrast from the UK. Damn, I love this country.

David Cameron's party just lost my vote for good

I wrote to my UK constituency MP (A Conservative) raising a concern. Specifically about the funding of torture child porn on the taxpayer dollar. Particularly the recent controversial 10:10 video. By way of a reply I was deliberately insulted. In an official reply on House of Commons notepaper. I was patronised as well, but that I can cope with.

Now having taken gigatonnes of verbal crap on the streets of Britain for three years, you might think that I'm relatively immune to insults. Not so. You develop a thicker skin for the workaday, but there are places you don't expect abuse from. Your MP is one. It comes as a bit of a shock. Revelatory even.

As for returning the insult a la swearblogger, I think not. I will not return that specific insult because to play that game I'd have to turn my brain off.

If that particular MP wants votes at the next election, he might have to work very hard indeed to win his safe seat back. Reputation counts for a lot in my old stamping ground, and I'll be busy spreading the word in private. Disrespecting your constituents, even expatriates, is a lose-lose game.

By contrast, my local Canadian MLA and MP are both NDP, and although I don't agree with their politics, they are both splendid people who put constituency first. In the absence of a worthwhile opposition, they will have my vote. When I finally get one, that is.

In Britain it seems views not in keeping with party policy are often treated with open contempt. By Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems, anyone not an independent. Gordon Brown did it in public, the rest of them do it out of the public view. So long as they're in power it seems, they don't give a monkeys.

Proof that I live in a truly civilised country

....can be found when the Canadian Senate votes down economically suicidal legislation.

H/T to Wattsupwiththat.

Wow....

Holy smoke and buckets of blood me hearties! Gordon Campbell has announced his intention to resign.

Wonder if he said; "Either that tax goes or I do"? Nah.....

H/T Small Dead Animals

Anonymity in BC

If one misguided person gets their way, it looks like the last sperm donors in Canada will lose their right of anonymity.

For what appears no better reason than the rather selfish "But I want to know!" One lawsuit threatens to screw a lot of good people who desperately want to be parents and haven't the biological wherewithal to produce children the old fashioned way. Cui bono? To whose benefit? It's a big lose-lose all round.

This is wrong on so many levels that it makes my eyeballs spin. Stripping people of their anonymity where no wrong is either intended or done is counter productive, and will ultimately force childless couples south of the border in search of genetic material to father a child they cannot produce themselves.

This is not to say that there should not be some form of regulation regarding donors. Whilst there is no issue with donors needing proper testing to eliminate genetic diseases and potentially harmful recessives, what does bother me is the trivial nature of the lawsuit, and the law of unintended consequences lurking just around the corner.

The UK has made this mistake, with the effect that sperm donation has dropped off the face of a cliff, thus reducing the gene pool available to potential parents. Said potential parents are now reduced to going to less well regulated clinics outside of Britain. No-one wants to give, free of charge, their own bodily secretions to have the result turn up on their doorstep demanding recognition some twenty or so years later. I mean think of the awkwardness factor alone. How would they introduce themselves? "Hi there. I'm your ejaculation." springs to mind. No doubt once the door of donor anonymity is prised open, another lawyer will be after financial support from sperm or egg donors.

One more good reason for the judge to dismiss the plaintiff's case; families are complex and fragile things. Who can tell how one's spouse of the moment would react if, in your forties, a young man or woman turned up on your doorstep, barging their way into your family life and demanding recognition? I've seen what my wife's ex did to his daughters with the revelation of a new half sister. Speaking as an interested bystander, I was not impressed. Neither were my stepdaughters.

There is so much more to being a parent than mere biology, as I've found out for myself. A simple biological contribution isn't enough to qualify. Being a parent is about mutual learning, shared affection, commitment, and a whole Himalayan sized spoil heap of heartbreak, joy, and sheer hard bloody work. It's not just an issue of gametes. Only a complete Sociopath looks at it that way.

As for the facile "If you don’t want to be identified, don’t be a donor." statement on the part of the plaintiff. That demonstrates outright contempt for the rights of others. People have the right to a past, they have a right to family life, they also have a right to privacy providing they have committed no crimes, and to steamroller over those rights just because one person has to know is just plain wrong and ultimately to the detriment of many others, past and future.

I'm sorely tempted to call the plaintiff in this case a silly selfish entitlement-seeking bitch, but I'm far too polite for that.

Veterans

This news item reminded me of how much better run Canada is than the UK. In the UK, if you serve your full 'twelve' in the Navy, Army or Air Force, see active service in wars or NATO, UN ops; once you finish or retire, that's it. No more involvement apart from through the British Legion and the informal 'old boys network' of ex-servicemen. Maybe a Forces pension. Or if you get seriously wounded a disability pension. Apart from that, you're on your own.

Here in Canada we have the Department of Veterans Affairs, special motoring insurance discounts for veterans with special numberplates and pensions. Even ex-members of the RCMP and Local Police force are eligible. There appears to be no cut off as the barracks gate shuts behind you for the last time. You served your country and this is part of the payback for that service.

A real life example is a friend who served in the Canadian Navy who has all his special health care needs dealt with via the DVA. They have made a number of visits and payments to him since he became seriously ill over the past two years, and, being the man he is, he's often voiced some small embarrassment at their largesse. All he has to do is ask.

The Canadians really seem to know how to treat their ex-servicemen. At least to this outsider. Yet the UK has not truly learned the lesson from Kipling's time when ex servicemen were discarded after discharge or crippling injury.

Morning on my deck

Taken at 8am this morning from just outside the kitchen window. The closer lumps poking out of the sea fog are Thetis and Kuiper Islands, with Saltspring in the distance behind. It may be cooler than the seasonal norm and we had a log fire going last night, but this mornings view? Ah, words! Superlatives fail me, but then I'm easily pleased.

In your own time please.........zzzzzzzzzzz

After a rainy afternoon taking the piss of my fellow British Columbians and their relaxed attitude to green stop lights, I'm convinced that someone must be dumping THC in the water supply. Normal drivers the world over see the green light and are off the starting blocks like greyhounds out of the trap as follows;

Light changes to green
go

Here in our part of BC there seems to be a different imperative. The sequence goes like this;

Light changes to green
Look around startled as if you've been caught naked in public
Check radio is on
Scratch head
Examine steering wheel
Seem to realise that you're doing the driving
Depress accelerator, and apologise for getting it down
Move forward

I regularly see people taking a full five seconds to react to a traffic light change (Normally via my rear view mirror). Have no idea what they've been drinking or smoking, but it must be wicked stuff.

Of course it's very frustrating if you're behind them in the same lane at an intersection, and choruses of 'Why are we waiting' can often be heard emanating from the Drivers seat of our truck or van. That and cries of "When you're ready!" Sometimes the fun never starts.

Upon reflection, this reticence to get on with the business of driving may well be a learned reflex on the part of the locally trained motorist, as the average British Columbian pedestrian has an unnerving habit of stepping straight out into the road without pausing to look; crossing or no. The local rules of the road say that pedestrians have priority, and running them over is verboten, but locally I've never seen so many people with an avid death wish. Mrs S and I are of the opinion that those who leave the island ne'er to return do so because they have been run over in a foreign clime. Perhaps they belong to the local chapter of the Euthanasia Society and can't bear the thought of another meeting. All I know is that a good many of the local pedestrians seem to be bucking for a Darwin Award. And I thought the local Deer population were bad enough.

A pedestrian who simply stepped off the kerb into a two lane highway this afternoon left me feeling glad my reflexes, honed through years of riding and driving in the UK, are still in good shape. As are my brakes.

Encouraging environmental news

Two items;

The Sockeye Salmon run being almost bigger than the 1913 record breaker. So many that the catchers and processors can't keep up. I shall be waiting for the prices to drop to lay in a store of canned stuff.

Victoria BC will no longer dump untreated sewage into the ocean. Which will be good for the Juan De Fuca waters.

It's a nice day. I'm off for an afternoon's fishing.

The view from my deck

Is quite awesome this evening. Although I still have trouble with inviting friends and neighbours to "Hey, let's sit on my deck." But for the sake of a vowel goes social ostracism. The thing is, I do have a large deck, and that is no hyperbole. Then again, this is a country of big decks. Few Canadians worth their salt would ever own up to having a small deck, but enough of the double-entendres.

I was watching a movie earlier on this evening and I saw a very bright flash outside. Bright enough to be someone taking photographs close to my front window. Dog had slunk into his usual hidey hole down the back of the washing machine in my bathroom so I went outside. No-one there. Apart from a large isolated lightning cloud around thirty miles to the North-East. Massive bolts of lightning too far away for me to hear even the remotest trace of thunder. I watched it for ten minutes as giant arcs of static electricity shorted between ground and cloud.

Quite spectacular, but that's British Columbia for you. Superlatives tend to be the stuff of workaday, from the biggest Sockeye Salmon run for almost a hundred years to my morning view of Mt Baker 93.9 miles away. Canadians have a word for it; 'awesome', and that is no exaggeration.