Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Laptop rollup

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Be proud, Canadians!

what we Canadians have to be proud of....
(that only we seem to know about...)
1. Smarties (not sold in the USA )
2. Crispy Crunch, Coffee Crisp (not sold in the USA )
3. The size of our footballs fields, one less
     down, and bigger balls.
4. Baseball is Canadian - 1st game - June 4, 1838 - Ingersoll, ON
5. Lacrosse is Canadian
6. Hockey is Canadian
7. Basketball is Canadian
8. Apple pie is Canadian
9. Mr. Dress-up beats Mr. Rogers
10. Tim Hortons beats Dunkin' Donuts
11. In the war of 1812, started by America , Canadians pushed the Americans back past
      their White House. Then we burned it, and most of Washington ... We got bored because they ran away.
      Then, we came home and partied... Go figure.
12. Canada has the largest French population that never surrendered to Germany .
13. We have the largest English population that never Ever surrendered or withdrew during any war to anyone,                 anywhere. EVER! (We got clobbered in the odd battle but prevailed in ALL the wars)
14. Our civil war was fought in a bar and lasted a little over an hour.
15. The only person who was arrested in our civil war was an American mercenary, he slept in and missed the    whole thing. He showed up just in time to get caught.
16. A Canadian invented Standard Time.
17. The Hudsons Bay Company once owned over 10% of the earth's surface and is still around as the world's   oldest company.
18. The average dog sled team can kill and devour a full grown human in under 3 minutes.  (That's more information than I need!)
19. We know what to do with the parts of a buffalo.
20. We don't marry our kin-folk....
21. We invented ski-doos, jet-skis, Velcro, zippers, insulin, penicillin, Pablum and the telephone.
 Also short wave radios which save countless lives each year.
22. We have ALL frozen our tongues to something metal and lived to tell about it.
23. A Canadian invented Superman.
24. We have coloured money.
 25. Our beer advertisements kick ass
 (Incidentally... so does our beer)
 BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY ...
 The handles on our beer cases are big enough
 to fit your hands in with mitts on.
 Ohhh..... Canada !!
 Oh yeah... And our elections only take one day!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

5 Ways to Cheat Death

By the editors of Men’s Health
5 Ways to Cheat Death

Live higher up (iStock)


Live higher up



Science has plenty to say about beating the reaper. Harness this insider knowledge and then pass it on to your great-grandkids.

The science: A 2009 study of people in Switzerland found that those living at high altitudes had a 22 percent lower risk of dying of coronary heart disease.

Why it helps: Nobody's quite sure. Scientists say the extra UVA exposure, which means more vitamin D, could be one benefit. About 77 percent of Americans have a D deficiency, a condition that may lead to bone disorders and heart disease.

Your move: Most people can benefit from taking in 1,000 IU of vitamin D daily, so eat more D-rich foods, such as seafood. (Salmon, tuna, and mackerel are good bets.) Or take a vitamin D3 supplement, says study author Adit Ginde, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado at Denver.

Make relationships last (iStock)


Make relationships last



The science: Adults with strong friendships and/or community involvement lived an average of 3.7 years longer than the normal U.S. life expectancy, according to a 2010 review by researchers at Brigham Young University.

Why it helps: "Social support is linked to better immune functioning," says study author Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology at Brigham Young. And with meaningful bonds in your life, you're likely to take fewer risks that endanger those worthwhile relationships, she adds.

Your move: It's often easier to schedule an event than to plan an open-ended get-together. Sign up at a site like groupon.com, which feeds you constant ideas (and discounts). If a good event pops up, rally your troops.


Brush your teeth (iStock)


Brush your teeth

The science: People who brushed less than twice a day had a 70 percent higher risk of death or hospitalization from heart disease than those who brushed three times or more, according to a 2010 U.K. study.

Why it helps: Oral bacteria can enter your bloodstream, possibly triggering plaque buildup in your arteries.

Your move: Brushing and flossing remove bacteria, but many people floss incorrectly, says Judy Kreismann, R.D.H., M.A., a clinical associate professor of dental hygiene at New York University. Floss right: Wrap the floss so it forms a C around the front of one tooth and a C around the back of the adjacent one. Move the floss up and down.

Breathe clean air (iStock)

Breathe clean air

The science: People who live in cities with relatively good air quality live a few months to a year longer than average, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Why it helps: Dirty air carries micro-pollutants that can trigger inflammatory reactions, says study author Arden Pope, Ph.D. "Even mild inflammatory responses can contribute to cardiovascular disease."

Your move: No matter where you live, you can trade sidewalk jogs for trail runs. Streets equal more air pollution from passing vehicles, and deep breathing increases your inhalation of the stuff, says Pope.

Accept your age (iStock)

Accept your age

The science: In a 2009 study from Germany, researchers asked people how they felt about their age. Those who were happy with their age lived an average of 2 years longer than people who were bothered by it.

Why it helps: Acceptance of aging - rather than denial of it - is related to healthy behaviors, says study author Dana Kotter-Gruhn, Ph.D., a psychologist at North Carolina State University.

Your move: As people age, they tend to compare themselves with their younger selves, which leads to some disappointment, says Kotter-Gruhn. Instead, compare yourself with your contemporaries; plenty will be worse off (and others will be inspirations).

Places to see

A wild tepui rock formation in Venezuela // A tepui in Venezuela (Alamy/Robert Hildebrand)

Aprada tepui, a remote rainforest mesa on the border of Venezuela and Guyana, is so little explored that in 2006 researchers discovered a cave - Cueva del Fantasma - large enough for a helicopter to fly into it. The area is also home to rare poison dart frogs, carnivorous plants and hundreds of other undiscovered species - and who knows, maybe a cave that can accommodate a jumbo jet


Pharaoh cuttlefish compete for the attentions of a female in the Mergui Archipelago // Pharaoh cuttlefish compete for the attentions of a female in the Mergui Archipelago (Alamy)

Most of the beaches in the 800-island Mergui Archipelago, Burma, have never been visited by anyone but the native sea gypsies. That means endless coastlines of virgin scuba diving. The problem is getting there - between 1940 and 1997 Mergui was off limits to outsiders, but now the Burmese government allows limited access to dive boats, though they strictly control their movements.


In the distance: mountaineers have made several failed attempts on Gangkhar Puensum // Gangkhar Puensum (Getty)

As far as geographers can tell, the highest unclimbed mountain in the world is Gangkhar Puensum, a 7,570 metre spine of granite marking the border between Tibet and the tiny kingdom of Bhutan. Mountaineers made failed assaults on the peak in 1985 and 1986 but couldn't knock it off. In 1998, after Bhutan blocked access to the mountain for spiritual reasons, a Chinese team tried and failed to reach the peak from the Tibetan side.


Ruins of a gold mine in the Darien Gap // Ruins of a gold mine in the Darien Gap (Alamy)

The Pan American Highway runs unbroken from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to the farthest tip of Argentina...except for a 87-kilometre break between Panama and Colombia known as the Darien Gap. Home to two national parks, this swampy, mountainous terrain has only been crossed by a handful of off road expedition vehicles and a small cohort of hikers. No wonder - impossible terrain and roaming bandits and armed guerillas have kept this one of the least visited spots on Earth.


Floating in a cenote in the Yucatan // Floating in a cenote in the Yucatan (Getty/Jose Azel)

Mexico's Yucatan is dotted with cenotes - underground lagoons; some 500 km of watery passageways have been documented crisscrossing the peninsula. Scientists and explorers, however, think there could be countless kilometres of underwater rivers and passages still to be discovered. Several local groups, including the Global Underwater Explorers, discover new caves every year.


Forest elephants in the Ivindo national park, Gabon // Forest elephants in the Ivindo national park, Gabon (Alamy)

There is no road access to Ivindo national park, in Gabon, one of the last intact and unexplored rainforests in Africa. In 2001, during his megatransect of the continent, the biologist Michael Fay discovered the Langoue Bai, deep within Ivindo, a glade where elusive forest elephants, buffalos, gorillas and chimps romp with little fear of humans.


The Nyainqentanglha mountain range visible through prayer flags // The Nyainqentanglha mountain range visible through prayer flags (Getty)

For several years, the Japanese mountaineer Tamotsu Nakamura has catalogued the unclimbed mountains in the eastern Tibetan Nyainqentanglha range, which is tightly controlled by the Chinese government. His photos of the unclimbed peaks have the mountaineering world drooling. According to one estimate the area has 164 mountains over 6,000 metres, with 159 yet to be summited.


The Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco national park is one of the last remaining refuges of maned wolves // A maned wolf (Alamy/Fernando Quevedo de Oliveira)

This vast area of thorn and scrubland on the border of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia has remained little developed because of its brutal climate. In particular, the three million hectare Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco national park, the largest in Bolivia, is an impenetrable thicket that protects some of the continent's last remaining jaguars, pumas, maned wolves, and at least one indigenous tribe that has no contact with the outside world.


Russian brown bear on the Kamchatka Peninsula // Russian brown bear on the Kamchatka Peninsula (Alamy/David Tipling)

Though the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula has exploded in popularity with adventure travellers, especially fly fishers, over the past decade, most of the area's rivers and streams have yet to be mapped. Last summer, a team of six veteran kayakers set out to descend as much virgin whitewater as they could as part of the Kamchatka Project expedition, which was intended to raise conservation awareness and perhaps spark a kayaking industry.


Google Earth image of Mt Mabu // Google Earth image of Mt Mabu (Google Earth)

The Mozambiquan region of Mt. Mabu is so remote that scientists only discovered it when they noticed a blank spot on Google Earth in 2005. When they finally trudged into this mountainous rainforest, three years later, they discovered a whole ecosystem untouched by man, including new species of snakes, butterflies and a chameleon. Now scientists are wishing they could scrub it off the map again to keep the treasure trove safe from local loggers.


The Blue Nile continues to stymie explorers // The Blle Nile (Getty/Andrew Holt)

You'd think that after 5,000 years, we'd know something about the Nile and its tributaries, but the Blue Nile river, originating in Ethiopia and running through the Sudan before connecting with the main event at Khartoum, was only fully navigated for the first time in 2004 when the filmmaker Gordon Brown and Pasquale Scaturro made it from Ethiopia to Alexandria in Egypt. The river's countless tributaries and rugged terrain continue to stymie explorers and cartographers.


View of mountains in British Columbia // View of mountains in British Columbia (Getty/Dave Steers)

There are literally thousands of unclimbed and unskied peaks in British Columbia, but some of the most spectacular are in the Coast Mountains, including the 2,400-metre Spectrum Range and Rainbow Ranges. Skiers with the stamina and ambition to make the trek into the mountains can make genuine first climbing ascents and first skiing descents to their hearts' content.


Melt water on the Greenland ice sheet // Melt water on the Greenland ice sheet (Alamy)

The vast, unforgiving icecap covering the interior of Greenland has been an exploration blank spot, with most expeditions keeping close to the coast. But in the past decade explorers have begun venturing further and further into the interior, often by kite-ski. In June last year, the Greenland Legacy Crossing set a world record when two kite-skiers travelled an astounding 370 miles in one day in their sleds.


Fly-fishiing in Mongolia // Fly-fishing in Mongolia (Getty/Dave Hamman)

Taimen are the largest salmonid - think trout and salmon - in the world, with the aggressive toothy fish reaching 100 to 150 centimetres. Mongolia is one of the last refuges of the sport species, and adventurous anglers, often using ground squirrels as bait, are still finding untouched fishing tributaries off the Eg and Urr rivers in the country's north.


Cliffs at Kangaroo Island - the 5km-deep canyon lies not far off the coast // Cliffs at Kangaroo Island - the 5km-deep canyon lies not far off the coast (Getty)

Off the Bonney Coast of Australia lies an underwater canyon system so deep and so vast it is only now being mapped. The maze, which reaches depths of 5,000 metres, has turned out to be a biological hotspot, with the specially equipped Southern Surveyor research vessel pulling up undiscovered species of fish and plankton almost every time it voyages out.





By Jason Daley