I Didn't Attend Because .................

Look up to the top left corner! See the words, "Why I didn't attend, etc"? Good...now VOTE! We're NOT done!... see below this message where it says "comments" in red text? Great...now click on the word and make one and let us know why you didn't attend the banquet if the poll didn't let you explain more fully.

Time For An Opinion

I'm most likely one of thousand typical Canadians that are quite apathetic when it comes to our political "system" if you can call it that. The dictionary definition of system is this: "the living body considered as made up of interdependent components forming a unified whole " I find it kind of strange that the government then really isn't a system after all especially with what is currently happening in the capital. One thing we do that I am proud of is that we get a chance to vote. With the current "system" whatever happened to my vote???? Mind you I'm not a complainer but I found an email address that you can use just to give your opinion on what is taking place in the "system". In the event that you would like to "sound off" send an email to info@gg.ca

Oh... I almost forgot

Oh ya... I almost forgot this thought from the previous post regarding my plight with Immigration, "Why on earth should I have to press "1" for English?"

A Man With No Country

Many have asked why I haven’t attended the Pig Roasts lately. My reason is legit even though it sounds more like a situation comedy rather than the truth. Let’s do a little background first, shall we. Some of you may know while others may not that I was born in England around the time of the crusades. My parents loaded me onto a rather large boat and we left the island for Canada. Growing up in this country I was allowed to obtain an education, work and I felt special that I was permitted to pay taxes. What was really special is that someone in government felt it necessary to collect even more taxes after they extracted them from my pay checks. This usually took place around the end of April. What is amazing is that I could do all this without anyone asking if I was a Canadian! It’s incredible that I could vote and no one asked me to prove my citizenship at the polling stations.

Back in the “day” I had very little difficulty crossing the border into the USA. All I had to do was show my badge at the border and the nice folks in the official uniforms would kindly smile and whisk me on my way where I supported the American economy and paid taxes there also. Life was wonderful.

Long story short. The American customs folks changed their minds about me and no longer smile. Now all they do is snarl; send me into a detention center where I’m questioned for an hour and then sent back home. I never realized that my last name of Lodge sounded like it derived out of the Middle East. The closest that I’ve gotten to the Middle East was watching the movie Lawrence Of Arabia. All of this treatment because I don’t have my papers. I’m starting to feel like I’m in one of those movies in the ‘40’s where the guards at the border are always demanding to see your papers and the victims shiver in fear.

It gets better! In order to leave the country to get to the Pig Roast I now need to apply for my Canadian citizenship. That will take me a year and a half. Wow, how special is this? I saw on the net that there was an 800 number to call if you were having problems getting your citizenship. Aha!!! Finally someone had seen my plight. I made the call and the gentleman kindly told me that I didn’t qualify because the assistance was for those immigrants who were WAITING to get into Canada!!! I mentioned that I had been here since I was 4, had worked in the fire service for 32 years and had been able to vote since I was 18. I loved his answer even though it was hard for me to understand with his accent, “Sorry, it seems that you have fallen through the cracks”. How nice!

Many nice people have tried to help me namely Ron Jones, Brian Masse and the MPP in my area Mike Wallace and for them I am truly grateful. In conclusion it will be easier to apply for a British passport that will take me only 6 weeks to obtain. The ironic part is that I will have to apply for a Permanent Resident Card from Ottawa. This will stop me from voting now as they have proven that indeed I’m not a citizen of this country. I would love to vote for those folks who helped me but I’m afraid that I can’t. Maybe in a year and a half I will be able to. Let’s hope they don’t hold another election until then.

So, until that time I say “cheerio” to everyone as I munch on my crumpet and take a sip of my cup of tea. : )

NASCAR Superstitions Part 11

Unlucky 13

If you were driving 3,400 pounds of metal at 200 miles per hour, just inches away from other drivers trying to nudge you out of the way, you’d want some good luck, too. You’d probably avoid black cats and walk around ladders, and you most likely wouldn’t want anything to do with the number 13.

You wouldn’t be alone. Many drivers consider 13 unlucky when it comes to car numbers, pole positions, and the day of the month. Nobody was more scared of number 13 than 1962 and 1963 cup champion Joe Weatherly. When he qualified for position 13 at Bristol in 1962, he insisted that it be changed to 12a. And he refused to enter the 13th Southern 500 in Darlington until the name was changed to the “12th Renewal of the Southern 500.”

NASCAR Superstitions

OK.... This is for all those folks out there who thought the movie "Ricky Bobbie" deserved a Oscar and was a true story and ranked up there with the likes of "Ben Hur" and "Saving Private Ryan"

These are a few of the superstitions of some Nascar drivers. I'll be issuing more as the days go by...so, remember the old adage: "Keep the shiny side up and the dirty side down". I believe I heard that one from a group of guys sitting in the parking lot of #4 station talking on their CB's while they pretended they were big rig drivers.

Nutty but true
It’s true. Peanuts are a long-standing taboo for NASCAR drivers. The origin of the superstition is up for debate. One story has some of Junior Johnson’s teammates chomping peanuts in the shop right before an engine blew. The logical conclusion? Blame the peanuts. Another theory is that peanut shells were sprinkled on five cars before a race in the 1930s, and all five cars crashed.

A Brit Speaks Out

All I have to say about this fellow is I hope he doesnt get "bumped" off for his opinion... quite humorous but serious at the same time.

Go to this link: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=418_1176494781+

The Fire Hall Restaurant

On our travels we came across this great restaurant in the Oakville area. They had the best wings ever!! I dont care where you've had wings before these will win over all. If you're ever in the area drop in for some of the best food anywhere .... what's better; tell them you're a firefighter and get a 10% discount. Click on the link below for even more info.

The Fire Hall - brought to you by whatsUP.ca





Welcome to The Fire Hall Online

What is sizzling? What is steaming? What is scorching? THE FIREHALL! But, don't worry because they are well equipped to put out the flames and also serve up a "smoldering" good time too. Friendly service, great food, a large patio and weekly specials greet all that make the trip inside. Adding the finishing touch is the fire equipment paraphernalia that decorates the interior of this Oakville "hot" spot. So, if you can stand the heat-give it a try. With one visit you will be back for another "three alarm" call very soon.

Click Here for our FIRE FIGHTER LINKS

Oil Change Charges???

Okay... Here's the scoop.... !!!! Have you had your oil changed at the dealership lately?
Good... now check your invoice and see if they charged you "environment costs" for disposing of your used oil. Isn't that nice of them.. being politically correct, etc about the environment.

Now.. have you ever wondered how they got rid of the oil????

They sell the stuff to a "refined oil" company who buys it from the dealership for .10 Cents a liter.. neat huh? They not only charge us for getting rid of it but they sell it besides. Talk about double dipping. Next time you notice your invoice ... question them.

Or better still find a place that does it for half price.. oil, lube, filter and a 27 point check for around $20.00 .... and NO "environment costs"!

A Firefighters glove

A Firefighter's gloves hold many things.
From elderly arms to a kid’s broken swing.
From the hands they shake and the backs they pat
to the tiny claw marks of another treed cat.
At 2 am they are filled with the chrome
from the DUI who was on her way home
and the equipment they use to roll back the dash
from a family of 6 she involved in the crash
The brush rakes in the spring wear the palms out.
When the wind does a "90" to fill them with doubt
the thumb of the glove wipes the sweat of the brow
of the face of a firefighter who mutters "What now?"
They hold inch and three quarters flowing one seventy five.
So the ones going in come back out alive.
When the regulator goes; then there isn't too much,
but the bypass valve they eagerly clutch.
The rescue equipment, the ropes, the C-collars;
the lives they save never measure in dollars
are the obvious things firefighters gloves hold
or, so that is what I’ve always been told.
But there are other things firefighter’s gloves touch.
Those are the things we all need so much.
They hold back rage on that 3 am call.
They hold in the fear when you’re lost in a hall.
They hold back the pity, agony, sorrow.
They hold in the desire to "Do it tomorrow"
A glove is just a glove till it's on firefighters
who work all day long just to pull an all-nighter.
And into the fray they charge without fear
at the sound of a "Help" they think they hear.
When the firefighter’s hands go into the glove
it's a firefighter who always fills it with love.
Sometimes the sorrow is too much to bear
and it seeps the glove and burns it deep "in there"
Off come the gloves when the call is done
and into the pocket until the next run.
The hands become lonely and cold for a bit
and shake a little thinking of it.
And they sit there so red eyed with their gloves in their coats
the tears come so fast that the furniture floats.
They're not so brave now; their hands they can't hide.
I guess this means that they are human inside.
And though some are paid and others are not
the gloves feel the same when it's cold or it's hot.
To someone you're helping to just get along
when you fill them with love, you always feel strong.
And so when I go on my final big ride
I hope to have my gloves by my side
to show to St. Peter at that heavenly gate.
Cause as everyone knows, firefighters don't wait.

Thank God.

(Author Unknown)

Religion 101

Have you noticed lately how many emails you’re in receipt of regarding groups (other than the senders of said email) who don’t agree with their own slant on philosophy or religion? Where do these things originate anyway? I personally know someone who insists that all Muslims are “ordered” to read a “secret” book and it dictates that they MUST kill all Christians! WOW …. ! Where does this stuff start? If I depended on this sort of informational nonsense I should be careful when entering into any convenience store or taxi. Mind you I’m not “bashing” convenience store owners or taxi cab drivers. After all, I’ve met some pretty nice folks who are employed by or owned these establishments. Oh yes, before it escapes my mind, I also have a doctor from Iraq. Imagine my foolishness to think that he hasn’t read the “secret book”! Gimme a break!

I’ve read some forwarded emails supposedly written by “staff members” of newspapers who have called for their own version of a “holy war” against immigrants from other countries. Wow! What an authority figure they’ve made of themselves. I wonder how these folks became “Canadians” and what their family backgrounds are? Even worse what if their last name ends in a vowel???? Another thing; I visited some of the “editorial” sites that these emails originated from and the author can’t be found on their site. I find that interesting… Somebody wrote an editorial for the Edmonton Sun and they aren’t employed there. I suppose that’s where the word “Staff Infection” really came from.

Then I notice that the next email I receive from the very same people who want to send these immigrants back to the homeland contain a few quaint quotes regarding God and how special He is in their lives and warn me that if I don’t forward THEIR email that I will receive 20 years of plagues and pestilence. Hey, I can get a much better deal by breaking a mirror and receive only 7 years of bad luck. Don’t threaten others because they refuse to forward email. Over the years I’ve noticed that men die for religion, fight for religion, and dominate other countries for religion. Isn’t it too bad these folks won’t live for their religion?

I know what you’re saying. What about the photos from England with all the crazy Muslims with the posters calling for beheading of local politicians and the sort? There are all sorts of groups that are hate mongerers. That still doesn’t give us the right to put all groups different than us in the same boat. I guess there was that same sort of thinking with the KKK during the past. I find that Radical Muslims are to Islam as the KKK is to Christianity.

Everybody assumes because they found something on the Internet then it’s the absolute truth.
Wonderful ... If this is the case then I can guarantee that we will have the opportunity to meet aliens not of our galaxy at 2100 hours on the evening of December 14 of 2024. Hey, I read it on the web.. it has to be true!!!

Enough of receiving hate emails and forwarding them to others shall we. If we insist on forwarding hate emails let’s make certain we have met “the enemy” in order to make a fair assumption of his or her guilt. I don’t really care if it’s a Muslim, Jew, Protestant or Catholic. This country is made up of many different folks just like you and I. I wonder what would happen if the tables were turned and some of the Irish (or any other ethnic group) were being persecuted for the works of a radical Irish group. I think the Irish who have lived in this country for three generations definitely would NOT want to be forced to find homes back in the Old Country.

Is This True??????

How many times have you received emails about the Quran 911 and a reference to the "Eagle" cleansing the Holy Land? Or about that bag of salad below containing a live frog? Is this stuff true? Well, here's a great site to find out the truth as far as it can be investigated.

www.snopes.com

As far as the Quran foretelling about the Eagle having landed in the Middle East? Not true! As far as they know the frog in the salad is unconfirmed at this point. In the event that you do find a frog in a bag of salad.... DONT panic... seize the opportunity... frog legs are expensive these days.

Hey... Dead Person - Lay Down!!!

Hey, is this person dead or just being resurrected?

Arithmetic of Pain

I don't usually stand on a soapbox and declare my viewpoints very often. Neither do I intend to start doing it now on a regular basis. This article by Alan Dershowitz was sent to me by a friend in Israel and I found it to possess a different point of view other than most news media which at times slants their view according to their own purpose and agenda. After 911 and the loss of 343 of our extended family members I cannot sit by and accept the fact that most of the world will still accept terrorism as long as it is directed at the Jewish nation. As usual, you are welcome to make comments and if you do please remember one thing: all of us are entitled to our opinions and I exercise the right to support yours.

This Blog will never censor anyone unless the comments are slanderous or defamatory.

Mr. Dershowitz is a professor of law at Harvard University.

Arithmetic of Pain

By ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ
July 19, 2006; Page A12

There is no democracy in the world that should tolerate missiles being fired at its cities without taking every reasonable step to stop the attacks. The big question raised by Israel's military actions in Lebanon is what is "reasonable." The answer, according to the laws of war, is that it is reasonable to attack military targets, so long as every effort is made to reduce civilian casualties. If the objectives cannot be achieved without some civilian casualties, these must be "proportional" to the civilian casualties that would be prevented by the military action.

This is all well and good for democratic nations that deliberately locate their military bases away from civilian population centers. Israel has its air force, nuclear facilities and large army bases in locations as remote as anything can be in that country. It is possible for an enemy to attack Israeli military targets without inflicting "collateral damage" on its civilian population. Hezbollah and Hamas, by contrast, deliberately operate military wings out of densely populated areas. They launch antipersonnel missiles with ball-bearing shrapnel, designed by Syria and Iran to maximize civilian casualties, and then hide from retaliation by living among civilians. If Israel decides not to go after them for fear of harming civilians, the terrorists win by continuing to have free rein in attacking civilians with rockets. If Israel does attack, and causes civilian casualties, the terrorists win a propaganda victory: The international community pounces on Israel for its "disproportionate" response. This chorus of condemnation actually encourages the terrorists to operate from civilian areas.

While Israel does everything reasonable to minimize civilian casualties -- not always with success -- Hezbollah and Hamas want to maximize civilian casualties on both sides. Islamic terrorists, a diplomat commented years ago, "have mastered the harsh arithmetic of pain. . . . Palestinian casualties play in their favor and Israeli casualties play in their favor." These are groups that send children to die as suicide bombers, sometimes without the child knowing that he is being sacrificed. Two years ago, an 11-year-old was paid to take a parcel through Israeli security. Unbeknownst to him, it contained a bomb that was to be detonated remotely. (Fortunately the plot was foiled.)

This misuse of civilians as shields and swords requires a reassessment of the laws of war. The distinction between combatants and civilians -- easy when combatants were uniformed members of armies that fought on battlefields distant from civilian centers -- is more difficult in the present context. Now, there is a continuum of "civilianality": Near the most civilian end of this continuum are the pure innocents -- babies, hostages and others completely uninvolved; at the more combatant end are civilians who willingly harbor terrorists, provide material resources and serve as human shields; in the middle are those who support the terrorists politically, or spiritually.

The laws of war and the rules of morality must adapt to these realities. An analogy to domestic criminal law is instructive: A bank robber who takes a teller hostage and fires at police from behind his human shield is guilty of murder if they, in an effort to stop the robber from shooting, accidentally kill the hostage. The same should be true of terrorists who use civilians as shields from behind whom they fire their rockets. The terrorists must be held legally and morally responsible for the deaths of the civilians, even if the direct physical cause was an Israeli rocket aimed at those targeting Israeli citizens.

Israel must be allowed to finish the fight that Hamas and Hezbollah started, even if that means civilian casualties in Gaza and Lebanon. A democracy is entitled to prefer the lives of its own innocents over the lives of the civilians of an aggressor, especially if the latter group contains many who are complicit in terrorism. Israel will -- and should -- take every precaution to minimize civilian casualties on the other side. On July 16, Hasan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, announced there will be new "surprises," and the Aska Martyrs Brigade said that it had developed chemical and biological weapons that could be added to its rockets. Should Israel not be allowed to pre-empt their use?

Israel left Lebanon in 2000 and Gaza in 2005. These are not "occupied" territories. Yet they serve as launching pads for attacks on Israeli civilians. Occupation does not cause terrorism, then, but terrorism seems to cause occupation. If Israel is not to reoccupy to prevent terrorism, the Lebanese government and the Palestinian Authority must ensure that these regions cease to be terrorist safe havens.

Cheap Gas... Well... cheaper maybe

How do you save .02 cents a liter on every gas purchase? It's pretty simple actually. Go to your nearest Petro Canada gas station and fill out the app for their credit card. Immediately you'll receive a card that you can swipe at the pump that will decrease your gas purchase by 2 cents per liter. I recently tried this when I went to pay in the store and the attendant removed the card from the app, swiped it and gave me 40 cents back when I paid him the $20.00 for the gas. I think your allotted something like 230 liters on the card. Try it... it works.

A Firefighters Love of The Job

I got this site in a recent email... I dont usually forward this sort of stuff.. .but this looked pretty interesting. Over the years we've all heard how much the job has changed and how the new kids are so much different than we are. Well, maybe that's the way it's supposed to be... after all how much are you like your parents and the way that they thought? I feel the new kids love the job just as much as we do but they look at authority a little different than we used to. And I'm sure that we can think of more than a few way back in the day that resented authority also and were a pain in the butt. Anyway, take a look and listen to the broadcast if you wish.

Radio@Firehouse.com: "Join Radio@Firehouse.Com Through The Smoke’s Host Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder along with Chief Rick Lasky for a discussion about “Pride and Ownership - A Firefighters Love of The Job,” and what defines someone who loves the job, those who claim they love the job, and those whose actions prove they couldn’t give a damn and simply “dress up” as firefighters when the tones go off."

Recent Old Guys

Ok, as far as I can tell these guys have vacated the fire department. In other words they finally retired.

Gary Percy worked forever in the fire service, probably from the age of 15 or so. After 156 years of service Gary has moved over to Lakeshore to follow in Bob Tapaks shoes and is now the Deputy Chief of that hamlet. Belle River is ordering more white shirts as we speak.

Gary Newton I think has retired but he may show up for work anyways because of a habit of not being able to quit : )

Joe Fauteaux left the premises while his chair was still warm. Apparently he had a novena and left without cleaning out his desk. When last seen Joe was wandering around the parking lot trying to find his way home in a vehicle that didnt have a Fire Department emblem on it.

Bill "Mother" Ferguson who withdrew his papers just to keep everyone on their toes. Bill thought about retiring and then realized he would no longer be a boss anywhere so he decided to stay put. Just kidding Bill... after all, if we cant kid each other who can we kid?

Ahhh... Dennis Axford; "Fatback" by any other name. Dennis leaves the department after 52 years of service mainly at #7 station where he was the boss without any rank. Dennis is remembered mostly for cutting coupons for anything while barking orders to the captains of the day. We should have nicknamed him "Bulldog".

All kidding aside.. Good luck to all ... youre going to love retirement except for Percy and Tapak. Someday even Mother will reconsider : )

Communication problems

Communication problems.............

Is it me or is there a huge communication problem between the department and the retirees? For example, our old friend Harry Soumis passed away and the Communications Center sent an email out to the stations and Association at 8:45 AM on Sunday. I received a message Sunday evening from Paula Hillis asking me if I had heard about Harry's passing. Apparently Jack Hillis had received a call that Harry had passed away on Friday at some time. I sent out emails to all of you including the stations and the Association to determine whether this was true or not. It was interesting after the service that Don Renaud only found out about Harry's death by reading the obits in the Star. In reality that wasn't much warning for us to be notified. The question begs the answer: Why weren't the retirees notified? Mind you, this isnt the place to find fault with any one person or group; but, rather to find a solution to this growing problem. I find it ironic that Harry worked more with us retirees than he did with the present Fire & Rescue Division and yet we were the last to be notified. I would like to see some positive comments about how this communication problem can be rectified.Ok... you're turn.. let's hear from you!