With acidification of the Arctic Ocean (and presumably others) what will fill the ecologic niches currently occupied by shellfish and other organisms that are dependent on carbonate? Anyone?

According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, there is a price for happiness and it is different for men and women!

According to the Telegraph and several other news sources, a Yorkshire man uses his remote for something more important than the TV.

My wife and one of my kids got to the flu clinic for their H1N1 vaccinations. We have been trying to get the paperwork done so our other kid could get his shot but it is probably too late as he came down with the flu today. Not certain whether it is regular flu or H1N1 so we will keep an close eye on him. He is First Nations so there is more concern but we spotted it early and have got him resting, taking fluids and acetaminophen while avoiding milk.

Has anyone seen "Men who stare at goats" yet? From what little I have heard, it could be good or bad. The local paper gave it a 4/5 stars so I am assuming it isn't complete dreck. We are trying to decide whether to take the kids or to wait for it to come out on video.

Apparently the development of a new ocean on the east coast of Africa is moving more quickly than expected.

Link to DigitalJournal article.

Bad news - My Canon Powershot A95 is seriously dysfunctional. Googling suggests the CCD Imager is shot.

Good News - The same google revealed that this is not only a known problem but Canon has issued an advisor offering to pay shipping/receiving both ways as well as doing free repairs on these cameras (apparently a defective part was used in many of them). I haven't checked to see if this applies to Canada or not but...

Bad News - We need a camera for tomorrow so I will have to go forth and purchase a new camera today. I also have no idea what brand or what to look for in terms of features.

We use our camera for family snaps, taking pictures of my art work and for me to document things I may wish to use for ideas in my artwork.

I am open to any open suggestions that may come in over the next 30-60 minutes before I head out.

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Update: We went camera shopping and came home with a newer version of the Powershot. Same type of camera only 5 years newer with better numbers. Seems ok though loading pictures to the PC is clunkier. For some reason our PC will not read the memory cards so we need to use the camera itself in the loading process.

There are some who might appreciate why I like this fellows art.

While cruising about the net I came across a blog post which suggests the entire Mojo Nixon library is available for free download at Amazon.com and I thought you might be interested.

I just realized that a dear friend has just entered her annual widowhood. Being married to a die hard hockey fan must be tough. At least he will be back to share the mosquitoes.

I caught part of a show called Drain the Ocean. Some of the images, such as the 2 mile high cliffs along the edge of the Bahama Platform, seem very familiar but in a strange way, as if I had seen a painting of them many years ago.


edited for grammer

For the those who are interested I have included some photos of my finished studio. You can see my latest piece on an old dining room table I use as a work surface. It is at a very early stage. The place is a mess but anyone who knows me (at least when I didn't have a housekeeper) will not be surprised. The room is just over 11' square (probably between 125 and 130 sq feet).


Studio Photo #1


Studio Photo #2


Studio Photo #3

The large paint tubes are a fairly cheap arcylic I am using for the base of the large painting I am working on. They are basically a cost-cutting measure as it would cost me hundreds in paint alone to do this piece otherwise.

The large piece is being painted on the back of a 60's era wall panel. It is not in great shape but this is more of a test before I use another panel (in much better condition) for a more difficult large piece so I am trying to keep my costs down..

This stage of our basement reno (approx 18 months and counting!) is nearly finished. A railing and some very minor electrical work are all that is left.

The next stage (carpeting/flooring and trim) will not happen until after next spring so we can see if the basement will spring a leak again. If no leak then we will be able to get the last bit finished and have folks over to check it out.

The boys will not think it is finished till we get a new TV.

....is a good murder mystery series set in Manitoba. It should involve curling, industrial hockey leagues, cottage country and the grain industry to start. I would have to think youth gangs would also have to be a factor in at least one of the books. The protagonist could have one of those fairly dull but important jobs in the grain industry (not as a salesman since they are supposed to be a good guy). A truly enterprising writer might even work in some of those dozens of small town sculptures, usually fiberglass, erected to celebrate the small towns... ie the Komarno Mosquito. There is enough diversity of geography and culture to make it exotic.

I view the protagonist (or one of them if each book has their own protagonist) as an everyday type of guy. Smarter than average. Maybe slightly better educated though partially self educated. I guess it is partly because I like the standard Dick Francis hero but have found his books to be getting a bit dull over the years. Someone needs to take over the mantle and breath fresh life into well worked concept.

The other caveat... you need to know Winnipeg and Manitoba well. If you don't it will end up as dull as The Edge (my all time least favourite Dick Francis novel).

There you go... I have tossed out some free ideas. Let me know when it is published. I will buy a copy. (p.s. I know there have been murder mysteries based in Winnipeg and Manitoba but, to my knowledge,  nothing modern that wasn't tongue in cheek).

What photos of Harper? The reformatories are caught in yet another lie. Courtesy of Canoe.ca

I have found that ego-googling my real name gets me 1 true hit but only after I add qualifiers to thin out the spam. The guy with the car dealership who shares my name gets plenty of hits but a hindu pop culture philosphy rules the hit count.

Happy Birthday Kaffyr!!!!
 
Hopefully you and Bob have time and opportunity to give that oxygen tank a good workout today!

Ex Tory MP Rahim Jaffer charged with drunk driving and cocaine possession.