Hello again, I’m finally back.

Berkley Gulp! Leech

I haven’t posted since June but since then I’ve done quite a bit of fishing. Last summer I didn’t catch huge fish but I caught quite a few. Like usual, I caught the vast majority of my bass on soft plastics.  My favorites include:

• The Yum Dinger – A long, round and straight worm, This Bait can catch anything in any condition. It is best fished on very light line.
• The Yum Walleye Grub – Although they are meant for walleye, we have had success with bass as well (especially smallmouth.)
• The Berkley Gulp! Leech – This is basically a bait that works just as well as a leech but is more durable and can’t die. They come in a container and are emersed in the Gulp solution.

 My highlight of the fishing season last year was definitely the second weekend of May, during this time we caught about 15 pike. The were all small, (1 – 5 lbs) but it was great fun catching them. We caught them mainly on Husky Jerks, with several others being caught on spoons.

My fishing accomplishments this year will (hopefully) include:

• Catching a large bass on something either than soft plastics.
• Catch a pike larger than 5 lbs
• Catch the Giant Largemouth which I lost last year in an “undisclosed location” 

I was playing around with a picture I took in December in Gimp.  Gimp is a free graphic program similar to Photoshop. Here’s it is, tell me what you think.

Here are some photos I took this winter so far.  All of them are shot vertically in the 16:9 size. Tell me which ones you like.  Enjoy!

Through the Window

In storage for the winter

The boathouse- waiting patiently till summer

Bolt in the ice

Snowmobile tracks heading out across the lake

I’m sure you haven’t heard from me in a while. At RCS, we are approaching exams. Hopefully we all survive! (I’m sure we will. Next semester we might not.) I’m sure all of you have heard of the earthquake in Haiti. It has been interesting for me to see how the world responds. Many efforts are being made to help the victims of the magnitude 7 earthquake that hit Haiti approximately a week ago. The UN has sent troops and people to start the unimaginable clean-up processes and searching for trapped victims. There are plans to anchor a hospital ship with 1,000 beds since the sea port was destroyed during the earthquake. Canadian troops have moved in, and the donations keep coming. Some big stars have donated 100’s of thousands of dollars. The Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean delivered a speech to the country and she ended in tears as she has family in Haiti. Please remember these people and keep them in your prayers, as well as the efforts being made.

Even though many email forwards that I receive are useless, I found this one insightful, amusing and sad at the same time.  Cameron recommended I post it, so here it is for you to enjoy.

AN OBITUARY FOR MR. COMMON SENSE

 ’Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, ‘Common Sense’, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

 Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn’t always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

 Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

 His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouth wash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

 Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

 It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

 Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

 Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement …

 Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust. His wife, Discretion, his daughter, Responsibility, his son, Reason.

 He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;   I Know My Rights; I Want It Now; Someone Else Is To Blame; I’m A Victim.

 Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Have any of you been working on something and became so frustrated with it that you swore? Or had an argument with somebody and swore and cursed them? Or on the jobsite have any of you heard a fellow worker blaspheme the name of God? Or were you the one who swore and took the name of the Lord in vain in the preceding scenarios? I admit that I am guilty of swearing in most of these scenarios and am not proud of it. Also, I bet that most if not all of you are guilty of breaking this commandment and have participated in the swearing and cursing at the workplace, in anger, in frustration, school, or anytime and anyplace that you wanted to. Swearing is a horrible problem with our society and should be stopped as soon as possible.
Swearing is “to use profane or obscene language” (Webster’s Dictionary). It includes a vast majority of our sayings such as: “O my fill-in-the-blank”, “what the fill-in-the-blank”, “—- you” or “you fill-in-the-blank female dog”. As well as these sayings it also includes all the substitutes for other words which are worse.
When we blaspheme, we take the name of the most Holy God and we throw it into the mud and stomp on it. By doing this we are saying that we don’t care about God and challenge him to do something about it. Just as a flag represents a country and a photograph represents a loved one, so God’s name stands for all that He is. What is one of the ways Muslim terrorists show their hatred for America? Besides blowing up buildings and soldiers, is by destroying the American Stars and Stripes. When we destroy the name of God by swearing we also show that we hate Him. Matthew Henry says, when talking about the Israelite-Egyptian, “He blasphemed the name, that is, he blasphemed God, who is known by his name only, not by his nature, or any similitude. Not as if God were a mere name, but his is a name above every name”. It is not like we are just making fun of a name of a human but of the Most High God. God’s name stands for His Person. God has let us hear His Names. These names tell us about whom he is and what he does. Moreover, by giving us his name he gives us a way to communicate with him and shows us that he is seeking contact with us. Imagine if we didn’t know His Name. How would you be able to go to Him in prayer? He wants to have a relationship with you.
God does not take the breaking of the third commandment lightly, as seen in our text. Visualize this, someone goes into a neighbouring country and in front of a huge crowd of people throws the national flag on the ground, stomps on it, spits on it and tears it up. The citizens are not going to stand for this and will probably try to kill you. The Lord commands that all swearing be punished with death as seen in Leviticus 24:16 “And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death.” Even though you might not be struck down immediately by Gods anger, He will eventually punish you. No sin ever escapes God and it will be punished with death. “For the wages of sin is death;” Romans 6:23a. The time in which God spares you is the time in which you must use to seek Christ and ask Him to forgive all your sins. The verse continues “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 6:23b.
Let us remember to keep the name of the Lord holy in all our words and deeds today. When we swear in anger, in frustration, or in a joking manner today please remember what you are saying, implying and doing to God. When our emotions start to get a hold of us we should pray to God to help us control our temperament. It is impossible for man to tame the tongue but with God’s help everything is possible. “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” James 3:8.

I would like to wish all a blessed and happy 2010.  Here are some guidelines the apostle Paul gave to the Philippians, instructions that are also applicable for us in the new year. 

Php 4:4-9 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. (5) Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. (6) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (8) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (9) Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 

A lot of different newsgroups and pundits have been doing this and I’d thought I’d contribute the best, the worst and other award winners in various positive and negative categories for the year 2009. 

The most successful politician:  Stephen Harper was the politician that had the most influence on the news and he was the one that contributed the most to the increase of Conservative support.  He went from a government that was about to collapse to one that is holding strong despite the minority status.

The most disappointing Canadian politician:  Michael Ignatieff (Iggy) was supposed to inspire the Liberals and lead them on the path to victory instead he lead them to one of their lowest levels of support, ever.  His uncarried through threat of an election further discredits him.   Just to clarify, it’s Liberals not me, who are disappointed.

The most disappointing American politician: Barack Obama was ingurated in January with high levels of support and a media that fawned over him.  He has failed to bring what was expected and currently has one of the lowest approval ratings for the first year on presidency since the ratings began.

 The rising politician: Jason Kenney, the minister of immigration is a rising star in the Conservative caucus.  He has shown how he can do his job well and is helping the Conservatives steer Canada to the right, most recently with the new citizenship guide. 

The most over-emphasized news story: The H1N1 flu (swine flu). This major pandemic ended up being nothing to out of the ordinary despite the media hype and intense spending of taxpayer dollars. 

The most suprising political appointment:  Gary Doer, the NDP Manitoba premier, was appointed by Stephen Harper, the Conservative PM, to be our ambassador to the United States.  I guess this shows Harper is not totally partisan.

The sports story of the year: Jim Balsille’s attempt to bring an NHL team to Southern Ontario.  Despite the final failure, Hamilton came really close to finally having an NHL team.

The news story with the best ending: The miracle on the Hudson.  Chesley ”Sully” Sullenberger III piloted the Airbus he has flying onto a save landing on the Hudson River after the plane went down after takeoff.  155 lives were saved. 

The most popular food in the news:  Seal meat has become popular this year.  In the wake of the European Union ban on seal products, the Canadians have protested by eating seal meat.  The Governor General was the first to try the delicacy.  A little while latter, the PM and his cabinet had a try.  Now they are starting to serve it at the parliamentary cafeteria. 

I found it a bit humourous to look at my predictions from the beginning of the year, as you can see I had some right and some wrong.

 

Wishing everybody a blessed Christmas and a Joyous New Year.  In this Christmas season let us remember the true meaning of Christmas:

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.    (Luke 2:10-14)