Squirrel's belong to the order "Rodentia", with 1650 species, it is the largest group of living mammals. It also comprises forty percent of all present day mammal species. There are over 365 species of squirrels in seven families. They include the tree squirrel, ground squirrel, and flying squirrel. Plus many squirrel-like mammals such as the gopher, ground hog and prairie dog. Squirrels are the most active in late winter, when the mating season begins. The males will chase a females, as well as, chase off other suitors. This ritual of chasing, occurs through the trees at top speed. While they perform some of the most breathtaking acrobatics imaginable.
The period of gestation varies from 33 days in the smaller species of pine squirrels, up to 60 days for the larger species such as the common gray and fox squirrels

Studies have shown that just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower
LDL cholesterol.Several studies suggest that cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar, making it especially beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes. In some studies, cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.In a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells. It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.

A spat is a type of shoe accessory covering the instep and ankle. Spats were primarily worn in the late 19th and early 20th centuries Spats are still used as a traditional accessory in many marching band uniforms in the United States.
French infantry wore white spats for parade and off duty wear until 1903. Italian soldiers wore a light tan version until 1910 and the Japanese Army wore long white spats or gaiters during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. Spats continue as a distinctive feature of the Scottish dress of Highland pipe bands, whether civilian or military. The modern Royal Regiment of Scotland, into which all Scottish line infantry regiments were amalgamated in 2006, retain white spats as part of their uniform. Prior to that date most Scottish infantry units in the British Army wore spats. For Highland regiments in kilts spats reached halfway up the calf. For Lowland regiments in trews spats were visible only over the boots.In Japan, the term "spats" refers to leggings. In American football, the act of taping the outside of one's cleats using athletic tape is known as "spatting."

The Name "Puma": "Puma" is the Quechua word for the animal. "Cougar" is a derivative of the Tupi word "suasuarana," which means "deer-like" (in color). "Panther" is the Greek word for the animal. "Lion" comes from the Greek word "leon," for the animal. The size of the puma varies considerably over its large geographic range. The basic coloration is yellowish-brown on top and pale underneath. The young are born with a speckled coat and a ringed tail, but the markings disappear as the young grow. In the adult, the only traces remaining are black markings on the head. The puma grows over five feet long, with almost three more feet for its tail. It can weigh up to 225 pounds, but the female is generally smaller.

Answer Festus
Who played Robin, Batman’s sidekick in the TV show?

This week there was great outrage over the discovery of many abused animals at a Humane Society location in the city. Several of the managers have been charged with cruelty to animals and relieved of their jobs. It is too early to surmise what was going on as the facts are not known yet and it would be unfair to lynch these guys until they have an opportunity to tell their side of the story. What is known however is that 7 animals had to be euthanized immediately based on the condition of their health. Many others required hospitalization and most need some good food and TLC. I am an animal lover, (not a fanatic that puts them ahead of people) that believes that we human beings have a responsibility to provide care, shelter and food to all domesticated animals. It was we who brought them out of the wild and into an environment where they didn’t have to rely on their natural instincts to provide the necessities of life. Instead they have been conditioned over centuries to rely on us for their basic needs that, in some cases, includes love and affection. Sometimes this can be misplaced affection as in a case involving this Humane Society shelter where it appears a dog was kept alive after it was ordered put down because of a vicious attack on a child. If this dog had repeated its behaviour on another child or adult it would have been a crime and really unnecessary if this shelter employee had followed the court’s instructions. The right thing to do was to euthanize this dog because it was not totally domesticated and thus represented a threat to people. But on average most pets and other domesticated animals are like children that never grow up mentally and therefore need to be cared for by their owners. Part of this care is to show compassion and understanding to these creatures that for the most part are ready, willing and able to do the jobs we want them to do. I cannot understand how anyone could intentionally hurt any animal unless it was in self defence. To do this type of thing you must have a piece missing upstairs that would indicate a lack of compassion and empathy. Unfortunately this behaviour is not usually restricted to four legged animals only so be aware of people like this for your own sake. I often think that subjecting abusers to the same treatment they inflict on their animals would be fair justice but then again that would make me just like them, heaven forbid.

It infuriates me when these left wing elitists stand up and berate our military personnel about prisoner abuse, torture and minor assaults. WE ARE AT WAR! These combatants are trying to kill our soldiers and have been successful too many times and yet the Lib’s are fanatical about the rights of these guys. It’s all well and good that they want our Countries to be seen as kind and benevolent but for God’s sake not at the peril of our men on the battlefield. If our soldiers now have the additional burden of worrying whether their actions on the battlefield may one day come under the scrutiny of the main stream media will it cause them to hesitate one or two seconds too long and thus end up dead? We take these young men and we train them to kill efficiently in order to protect our citizens, our society and our Country. We put them in harm’s way and expect them to do things that the common politician wouldn’t even dream about. And then we jump on them if there is any sign of perceived brutality against their foes who by the way, would slit their throat without a thought if they had the chance. Think about the time when you were 18 to 25 and found yourself in a precarious situation where you had to defend yourself against an aggessive person. Would you be thinking about how to get out of the situation without causing your opponent any distress while you tried to save your own bacon. Of course not! Yet these loonies on the left want our soldiers to apply the Charter of Rights principals to their enemies while they are trying to stay alive. I would say to these pompous asses, “ Don’t try to judge these soldiers until you have walked in their shoes”. This is why the military should deal with their own and not put our troops in the civil arena. The other fallacy about this self righteous attitude is the one that says , if we show the world our passion for “being fair and just to all” they may decide to like us and copy our ways. Yet there is no evidence this has or ever will happen. It is a pipe dream that the left likes to trot out to justify their indefensible attacks on our military. In fact it is just the opposite because these vicious killers, dictators and religious fanatics see us as weak and vulnerable when we go after our own. Sure there are extreme cases of injustice within the military of which I would not argue, but those are few and far between and are generally handled expeditiously by the Military Justice System. War is not a pleasant walk in the park, it is a brutal battle to kill or be killed and our soldiers must be free to operate within rules that reflect their situation not the everyday rules that you and I must follow. Maybe one day these elite politicians will volunteer to fight for their Country and then see the light. Do ya think?

This past weekend I and three others jumped in my truck and headed to Green Bay Wisconsin to see the Packers game on Sunday. For those of you who are football fans I suggest you try and get to at least one game at Lambeau field in your lifetime because it is the football mecca of the NFL. The stadium is located smack dab in the middle of a town with only 125,000 residents. This is an amazing thing to see in itself as almost all of the residential houses become temporary parking lots using their driveways, lawns etc to squeeze in as many cars as they can. The cost starts at $5 and moves all the way to $20 as you get closer to the stadium. Half of them also host impromptu tailgate parties which means the coolers and BBQ’s are set up right there in the front yard sending whiffs of smoke up and down the street. There are also a number of bars that set up “a one price for all you can eat and drink” pre-game party which consists mostly of beer and bratwurst and some fixings. The game day music is always rocking outside Lambeau and you can hear it for blocks. Everywhere you look it is a collage of Green and Yellow as fans are decked out in the team colours. Every once in a while you will see an opposing team’s colours but they are quickly drowned out by the Packer faithful. It is truly a “football” town as it seems like every man, woman and child are fanatical about their beloved team. On top of that thousands come from miles around to attend the games making the traffic difficult getting into and out of town on game day. Luckily I have some old friends in Green Bay so when we arrived on Saturday night and we went right to a good buddy’s house, unloaded our gear and had a few cool ones while we caught up on current events. About an hour later we all piled into his truck and headed off to the Prime Quarter, our favourite Steak House in Wisconsin. This restaurant on a game weekend is always packed so the wait is normally an hour or more which is fine as it gives us more time to talk and enjoy a few more brewskies. Once a table becomes available the fun starts as in this eatery you get to grill your own steak on one of the two huge BBQ’s in the middle of the restaurant. As I picked a huge thick rib eye from the glassed in refrigerator, I noticed the 40 oz sirloin on the top shelf and remembered the time my son and nephew finished off one each to get their pictures on the wall of fame at the Prime Quarter. Once you season your steak with butter, salt and garlic salt you flip it on the grill and start the process which consists of turning and watching as the meat cooks sending off an incredible aroma. Once finished you add a baked potato, salad and some Texas toast and get down to business. After a great meal we head off to a bar called the Champions, owned by a friend of my friend, and have a few more beers. In the bar happens to be Gilbert Brown a retired Packer linebacker sitting at his favourite table signing autographs and wolfing down a feast of nachos. Gilbert was known as the” Grave Digger” and judging from his size you can understand why. We left around midnight and hit the sack immediately on arrival back at the house. Next morning after a big breakfast we headed to another friends place where we parked our truck. Now believe this or not, it was right across the street from the stadium! 3 minutes to cross the street and we were in line headin’ through the doors. It was sunny 57 degrees F and the Packers won, what more could you ask. After the game was over and we said our goodbyes we took off for the 13 hour drive back not regretting one thing about the weekend as it was one of the best. We have been making this trip once a year for the last 4 years and while every one of them has been a blast this one ranks up near the top.

Any homeowner will quickly tell you the importance of good neighbours, particularly those that have lived near to a bad one. I have had the good fortune to have had very good neighbours with the exception of maybe one or two that were somewhat below average. In our first condo in Toronto it became clear that when the odour in the stairwell changed from curry to the sweet aroma of Ghanga weed it was time to move on so we bought a house in a suburban town. We were in a new subdivision with a bunch of young families all pretty much just starting out. These were our first houses and as a plus we were on a court which helped build solid friendships that would last for years. Here we had one neighbour who refused to pay his share for fencing after it was agreed to and installed. When he (the teacher) met my five year son, at the time, in the front yard and asked him how he was doing, my son answered, `My dad thinks you`re an asshole``. Needless to say we didn’t talk much over the next few years. The next house we lived in had neighbours on one side that were really interesting. He was an old guy that had lost his job while in his 60`s and had to continue working at low end jobs into his 70`s to make ends meet. The lady that lived with him was mentally challenged but she was harmless. He was prone to the sauce and many a time wandered out of his house half dressed or absolutely naked on a few occasions. He would lock himself in his room and cause his lady friend much grief before he could be persuaded to come out. Sometimes the fire truck had to intervene. She was a darling but would constantly be at our door wanting to borrow $20 of which she would return when her Govt cheque arrived. In fact she always borrowed or charged the exact amount of money as her monthly stipend so that she was broke right after receiving her money and therefore started the cycle once again. We would get a Xmas card from her in September amongst other little idiosyncrasies. My neighbour’s across the street were pretty much normal but the one two doors over was scary. When she and her husband were having their house built she would show up unannounced and began berating the builder’s crew for doing something wrong. I can remember her screaming at them so loud it could be heard 300 yards away. When the Town was repaving the roadway on our street she was always in constant battles with the construction guys. The Town reps always tried to avoid her but it was impossible. If she wanted to complain she would search them out whether behind a grader or under a truck. The neighbour in between us is the unfortunate one because they have been harassed since they moved in. Their boys were too loud in the back yard or their fence needed painting and on and on. After hearing about this lady you may vision a large and ominous person but on the contrary, she is petite, well groomed and reasonably attractive. She has developed such a reputation that there are many men on the street ,including myself, that would cross the street to avoid meeting up with her. All I can say is, thank God she lives two doors away because she seems to be the proverbial “neighbour from hell”.

It’s time to create a new model for Government and it won’t affect the Charter of Rights or the Constitution in any way shape or form. This model will change only the way the Government handles the taxpayer’s money. First each area of Government that has a budget must and spends money must have their employees take an oath to handle all financial transactions using the North American “Good Accounting Practices (GAP)” and sign a document to that affect. Next the fiscal year of 2008 will be used as a baseline for all financial comparisons and activities going forward. The next step is somewhat more difficult but it is a must for this model to be successful. Each Department (or section etc) Manager must provide a monthly accounting to their superior and then this manager to their superior all the way to the top bureaucrat in that particular area of the Government. This report will report the normal cost accounting data ie spending against plan etc but it will contain one other piece of accounting information. It will contain a summary indicating any and all actions initiated by the department that have eliminated waste (meaning unnecessary spending) in their area. These savings must be visible in the cost accounting report. In other words it can’t be money saved in one place and lost in another. It has to be a reduction from the total budget. These savings will be tracked and at the end of the year the savings will be translated into a percentage of the budget and each employee will see their pay checks increase by the same percentage. Their salary will remain the same as long as the savings remain intact. If the savings for the next year remain in place but no further savings are found then their salaries are increased by inflation only. If the savings are lost then their salaries are reduced by the same percentage as the loss. Once every five years the baseline will be adjusted accordingly so that an incentive remains. The necessary audits are required to ensure adherence to GAP. The definition of waste does not include viable services and programs but it does include the unnecessary expenditures to deliver them. Millions upon millions are wasted every year and there is not adequate oversight to stop the bleeding of taxpayer cash. Until bureaucrats believe there is something in it for them they are unlikely to spend much time looking to cut out waste and lower the budget because they are always trying to find ways to at least maintain the budget they currently have. That is why there is always a rush to spend money at the end of the year. As the old saying goes “if you don’t use it you lose it” when it comes to government budgets. I think it would be worth a try but it would take a politician with “gonads” to make it happen. Is that an oxymoron?

The Liberal minded folks in the US Government have finally gone over the edge in a politically motivated exercise that will no doubt backfire on them somewhere down the road. The decision to bring these self admitted terrorists to New York City and put them on trial for their crimes is an attempt to provide a forum for the Dem’s to show they can be tough while also being fair. The idea is to show the American electorate that they can trust the Democrats with National Security while providing the rest of the world with evidence that the USA under the current Government is compassionate and civilized. The first wall you have to hurdle is to call the World Trade Center bombings a “crime” versus an “act of war”. With everything that has happened prior to 9/11 and for sure directly after, it is almost inconceivable that anyone could leap to this conclusion. Secondly by taking this step they are providing war criminals with all of the protections in the Constitution of the United States which should be reserved for US citizens only. Even if you argue that the crime was committed on US soil these guys were certainly not in North America and in fact were captured as Prisoners of War on foreign soil. Third is the fact that the other POW’s in Gitmo either will or have been tried by military tribunals. It is then obvious why the Libs want the high profile guys handled in New York (PUBLICITY!). To the first point it is ludicrous to think that the enemies of the USA will think any better of them because they put these guys on trial. If you look closely at these people and any of the Countries that sympathize with them, you will see that their method of doling out punishment is far more severe and undemocratic than anything seen in the western world. Do you honestly think taking this step will change their thinking? The other western nations (primarily Europe) are almost impotent in terms of their ability to deal with terrorists so why should anyone care what they think? In fact the publicity of these trials will play right into the terrorist’ hands as they will have a national stage to berate the USA which will provide a strong recruiting tool for young Jihadists to help their cause. To the second point can you imagine the life that a judge and jury would have after the trial of these radical Muslims? Does the name Salmon Rushdie conjure up any images? For the last point I have to take you back to WWII and the Nuremburg trials that saw the German leaders who developed and executed the atrocities of that war. They were tried in a World Court under Military rules of procedure. The soldiers were kept in prison camps until the end of the hostilities and then set free to return home. What is wrong with this model? It doesn’t work for the Libs because they see the terrorists as misguided souls that will suddenly wake up and embrace the United States and the Western world when they find out how nice we are. They want to convert the world to our democratic style of life. While that is a nice objective I thought our Country’s first priority was to protect its citizens, and not to save the world? God bless the unfortunate families that lost friends and family in the World Trade Center tragedy. They will have to put up with these arrogant !@#$%$%% standing up on TV every day thumping their chests and berating the United States of America along with their loved ones. I say shame on the political opportunists.

Frankly I must say on a general basis I love women. Now of course in the terms of lasting relationships I love my wife first and foremost as she is the true love of my life but I do enjoy the entire female gender for a variety of other reasons. For instance, my mother-in-law is an inspiration as she is the truest definition of a matriarch but with vive and ardour that are rarely seen in much younger women. From a family perspective, I love both my sisters but in truth my baby sister is my favourite. She is more like me than the other siblings and she is a total joy . She is bright and intelligent while at the same time being loving and family oriented. My two daughters-in-law are not only very attractive but are also fantastic mothers and wives. My nieces, both from my side of the family and from my wife's side are amazing. They are truly beautiful in every sense of the word but also incredibly intelligent, strong willed and talented beyond belief. I don’t have any daughters but as you can see I have lots of great substitutes. My sister-in-laws are also a delight as they are each unique in their own way and have totally different perspectives on life. The ladies that I have worked with over many years and still maintain contact with are also wonderful people who are innovative, beautiful and full of life. My investment manager is a crackerjack when it comes to business but is equally skilled in a social environment and these skills have allowed her to rise to the top of her profession. I have other female friends that I don’t see face to face on a daily basis but whom I have contact with on the internet and they are a constant source of great humour and classic info on the electronic freeway. All in all I can’t understand why some men shy away from women when the female gender can hold the key to much enjoyment. There is really no need to try and understand them as this can lead to utter frustration and ruin the entire experience. Just go with the flow and thank your lucky stars.

I couldn’t think of anything dramatic to write about today so I’m just going to jot down whatever pops into my head. (Within the boundaries of good taste of course). First I found out that I am not the only person in the world that knows two beautiful women named Mary Sue. I learned that the one in South Carolina named M’Sue was really a Margie Sue so it appears that I am just a normal run of the mill guy after all. I am elated that so many have embraced Remembrance Day as an important event. This was not so ten years ago but since the war in Afghanistan people now seem to realize how important our military is to our Country and its citizens. Red wine is the nectar of the Gods and on top of that it is good for you. I want to go back to Italy for a vacation on the Amlafi coast. I love Italy, its people and its food and of course the preceding sentence provides the most important reason of all. I put my Harley away for the winter today and have resigned myself to the fact that I’ll be driving on four wheels only for the next 5 months. Might have a trip through the Rockies on the bike next year but not yet confirmed. New sun room being installed on Friday and I can’t wait. No more sitting in the garage to have a stogie now I can sit outside the house but in sunlight to have a smoke and watch the birds. My grandsons are all healthy and each has his own distinct personality. I was away on vacation for a month and didn’t see two of them during this time and it was painful. When we did meet the joy of seeing them running to me yelling grampa, grampa was better than anything I could have ever received. The neighbour is redoing his kitchen and I can hear the hints coming from inside my walls already. Apparently someone put a needle into a tootsie roll pop on Halloween and gave it to a kid at the door. I think if they find this nut they should make him or her eat this pop as their punishment. Seems fair and reasonable to me don’t you think. I have a good friend in the south that I was able to spend some time with this fall. Friends are precious commodities that you should never take for granted. Short and sweet but packed with punch.

It is more than interesting to watch how the major news networks report on this horrific story. The obvious facts are that an individual in the military went onto the base at Fort Hood and proceeded to shoot people with a gun killing 13 and wounding up to 31 others. The so called mainstream media immediately reported that this guy had snapped and shot people while he was insane. The Muslim and Arab organizations within the States immediately denounced this act and the individual. Then came the search for the causes of this insane episode such as, “could it have been post traumatic stress syndrome?” Did the military overlook the harassment he may have felt being a Muslim in the armed services? These and many other scenarios played out time after time on the airwaves and the talking heads had a field day trying to analyse this thing to death. Then, as I normally do, I turn on Fox News and Bill O’Reilly’s “The Factor” and this is what I heard. This guy was either completely insane or it was a jihadist attack on American soil committed by a Muslim terrorist sympathetic to the opposite side in the current war now underway. Straight and to the point without the politically correct filter applied at the main stream media outlets. As much as the Liberal press wanted this guy to be insane it now appears as more and more evidence is uncovered that he was definitely was on a mission of jihad. It also appears that his actions over the past two years have escalated towards this catastrophic event and no one did a thing to stop it. Why you ask? My guess is that it was due to the Politically Correct Doctrine that has taken over North America as the Libs just don’t want to upset anyone, even at the at the cost of human lives. Do you remember the folks that trained to fly the planes into the World Trade center? They did it right on American soil and because it was the first action of war on the homeland you may be able to excuse people for missing this pattern of behaviour. But there is no excuse for, if the evidence supports it, to allow this guy to operate like he is alleged to have done, with full immunity from scrutiny in this current day and age. I will wait to see the evidence but if it supports the theory of PC behaviour in the Military then whoever shuffled the evidence into the corner to avoid upsetting a group of people will have blood on their hands. They will be as complicit in the murder of these people as the shooter, make no mistake about it. The Democrats will want to turn this into a “Police Action” rather than an “Act of War” regardless of the motives of this guy. In this way of course he can plead temporary insanity and the problem is solved as far as they are concerned. I certainly don’t want to see all Muslims blamed for these types of attacks but when the militant jihadists and the passive Muslims read out of the same book it becomes difficult to figure out who interprets the scriptures from the Koran literally and who do not. Hopefully a way will be found because if these attacks continue the entire situation will take on a new dimension because people will get tired of waiting for them to happen and start to take matters into their own hands.