2021 Mixed Nuts Breaks Record

    

It's that time of year, where I take a look at the stats and see what the year was like for my blogs.  For Mixed Nuts this is the year that a record was set.  The old record of 986 was outdone in 2021, this year 2118 views were recorded.  And we are not at the end of the year!  That is an increase of 1132 compared to the 2012 count.  since the stats have been calculated. It should be noted that there is a slight variation between what statcounter.com and Blogger.com shows.  That total according to blogger is 2500.  

What I am most pleased about is the time people are taking to read the blog.  While the majority of you just come by look and leave right away there are those who are actually reading the content.  This year close to 200 of you actually dove in and read the content.  Nice, I would love to know in comments which articles interested you so I can get more content like that on the site.  The top one for 2021 is Music From Mars.  The article actually came close to topping an old article about tennis blogs.  It features audio clips from space and a link to the show Ideas by CBC that aired the piece earlier this year.

Thank you to all of those who have come by and read Mixed Nuts.  2022 is around the corner and I am looking forward to seeing this blog really take off.

On The Job? - Merry Christmas And Thanks

Today most stores some restaurants and banks are closed along with other so called non essential businesses.  But there are still plenty of people working today they also worked yesterday and they will be on the job new years eve and day.  We all know the main ones.  Police, fire and ambulance.  Doctors and nurses but there are others out there as well who will be on the job.  Some are are known and others might surprise many of you reading.  

1. Taxi and ride share drivers are on the road moving people from point A to B as are transit operators.  In fact many within the field are on the job operating planes trains and buses.  Along with them are the support teams people in ticket booths, baggage handlers and custodial, security and maintenance crews.  

2. I mentioned doctors and nursing staff, but along with them working are medical secretaries, PSWs, porters, custodial staff, members of staff are on standby to repair equipment, and security teams.  Also on the job are people who work in labs X-Ray rooms and managers who work on the wards.  

3 The media, yes TV radio, news, print and their associated support staff do work.  

4. You may be surprised to note that vets, zookeepers and staff at aquariums work during the holidays.  Animals need to be cared for just like humans.  

5. Sadly people do die on and around the holidays, staff at funeral homes do work during this time of year.  As do clergy.  In fact many professionals who work in the social work field such as case workers and other mental health professionals are on call to help when needed.  

6. Call center staff. Yes though I may be off today, many of my colleagues who work in the industry are taking calls today.  Traditionally the day is slow but it can peak up with a barrage of calls about setting up accounts and device to having to deal with that gift that flopped, the worst kind of call to get on a day like today.  

I can go on about the jobs and people working them today, the list would be quite huge.  The point here is that the fact that it is Christmas does not take away the reality that today for many it feels just like any other day.  Whether they are driving a truck or in the case of the military standing a watch each of these people has to do the job today as they would any other day, and they will do so as we move into 2022.  So I think it's important to say thank you and merry Christmas to the people on the job working to keep us safe, fed, informed and safely connected from one point to the next as we enjoy the day off with friends and family.  All of you are very much appreciated.

The 12 Days of Christmas - Phew That is A Whole Lot Of Bird And One Hefty Bill - And Other Facts

 The twelve days of Christmas is a well known Christmas song, actually it's a poem known as a cumulative verse / song.  Most people sing the 12 days before Christmas, it's actually supposed to be sung from the 25th to the 7th of January.  When you look top top to bottom you will notice one theme, birds up to the maids a milking the song is about giving birds, and what do we do with these birdies?  EAT THEM.  Yep these are supposed to be eaten.  Fun fact the five golden rings are not jewelry they are.......BIRDS!  In this case Pheasants, yes your are probably getting it the song is very bird centric.  

Some other interesting facts include:

1. Some believe the poem was a way to teach the Catholic Catechism to children.  Nope it was not. 

2. The general consensus is that the poem was a memory game played with the winner being able to recite the whole poem with no error.

3. It is also thought to be a song about a lover giving his true love wedding gifts.  Thought this would be quite difficult to do not to mention costly.

Speaking of cost here is the breakdown of what it would cost to get all the gifts in the song.

Gift 2021 Price

A partridge in a pear Tree $222.68

Two turtle doves $450

Three French hens $255

Four calling birds $600

Five gold rings $895

Six geese-a-laying $660

Seven swans a swimming $13,125

Eight maids-a-milking $58

Nine ladies dancing $7,553

10 lords-a-leaping $11,260

11 pipers piping $2,944

12 drummers drumming $3,183

GRAND TOTAL79.454.19

That is a whole lotta dogh! if you ask me. Anyway if you got the cash and you want the gal you may want to buy these items, but I would suggest maybe a car, a house or a really cool trip to go on. Jeez I wish someone would spend 80 grand on me LOL. Kidding of course. The best gift I already have, I am have survived 4 waves of COVID and actually have kept employed I even managed to move up the ladder a bit.

There is a group of unsung heroes who have braved the pandemic and I am going to pay tribute to them in my main blog Candid Conversations with a Candid Comment for now I will just wish all of you who read this all the best, Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays.


Cliff T.

The Internet Archive

Wow, I just found a really interesting site.  Have you ever wondered if there is any kind of archive on the internet for things like audio, video and even websites?  The answer is yes, there is a website that you can go to that does have a huge collection of material on it.  All of it free, of course they would love a donation to help them manage it, which is only fair.  

Visitors can join the archive or just browse the catalogued items.  For example I listened to a Bing Crosby tune recorded at 78 RPM while writing this post.  So much new content is added to the internet each day and finding things that are actually from an era long behind us is actually very cool. I decided to sign up and probably will drop some donation money to them.  There were some things I did look for but was not able to find, but really this is a well done site and you can find some really interesting content.

Check them out https://archive.org/

Photo resourced from Pixaday.com

Vancouver Presents 20 Questions With Santa

 

Christmas is almost here and for the kids and the kids at heart it is a time to be with friends, family and of course to share special memories of times gone by.  Santa Claus is gearing up for the big day and Vancouver Presents had a chat with him and they did find out some interesting things about him in the interview.

You can get in reach out to Santa in variety of ways.

You can call him, just one note though it is going to be a long distance call so you may see a bump in the phone bill in January.

You can also visit his Facebook page 

And you can send him snail mail. From anywhere in the world just drop on over to Canada Post and read the instructions.

I am sure there are other ways to reach out to Santa but these seem to be the best ones I have found and I hope you enjoy the season.  Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays.

Balmoral Castle - The Queen's Summer Hangout And Fave Place

Most people have a place that they consider a favorite spot.  It can be a restaurant or park etc.  Well the Queen is no different, she has a place that she like to hangout at and interestingly enough it is not in the capital.  Nope London just does not do it for the monarch.  

So where does the Queen like to go and just chill.  Balmoral Castle it is said is the Queens favorite place.  In a Readers Digest article recently published it was revealed that Queen Elizbeth II is most happy when she is at Balmoral.  She has gone to the castle during the summer pretty much all of her life and enjoys horseback rides and driving in her Range Rover around the estate.

When the Queen or other royals are not at the castle tourists are welcome to visit.  You can find out more about Balmoral Castle and other interesting facts related ot the Royal Family by visiting royal.uk.  Wikipedia is also a good page as always to explore and there is an article about the castle. 

Hey did you know you can sponsor an article here on the site.  Email me at candidconversations@hotmail.com and we can set something up.

Cliff T.

Canada's Victoria Cross - Never Been Awarded - Jesse Larochelle Should Be The First

 

The Victoria Cross is the highest award anyone serving in the militaries of the Commonwealth can get.  Many Countries in the commonwealth have members of the military who have earned this award for valor, the bulk of them as British Subjects, this includes Canada.  The last time the VC was awarded dates back to 1945.  Canada has adopted it's own version of the VC and that has not been given out unlike say Australia, which does have it's on VC and has awarded it. 

However there is a movement in Canada to change this.  The push is for a gentleman by the name of Jess Larochelle, a former soldier who served in Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment.  While in Afghanistan he defended and held a position that nearly got overrun by the Taliban, mostly while wounded himself and he did so alone.  The position he defended usually would have a team of 4 operating the C6 weapons along with another crew that would fire M72 LAW Rockets.  Mr. Larochelle did this with a broken neck.  For his valor he did receive the SMV (Star of Military Valor)   

Canada is not big on issuing medals to it's military members and with good reason.  The awarding of medals is symbolic, it states that the person did something unique and worthy of note.  If you see a Canadian Military member wearing a rack of medals it means they have done some really extraordinary things in they're career, or have served with distinction especially in an operational capacity.  In most cases you won't see Canadian Military members wearing any medals except those for long service and good conduct.

I would love to see this post go viral and push forward the message that the VC is duly awarded to this very brave and well deserving veteran.  

Resources:

As It Happens interview about the push to get the Victoria Cross Awarded to Pvt Jess Larochelle (ret)

Canadian Legion article about the Victoria Cross.

Petition to have Jess Larochelle awarded the VC.

Christmas Events in Hamilton Ontario - To Do Canada Site

 

Hard to believe but, 2021 is nearing it's end and one sign of that is the approach of Christmas.  Hamiltonians this post is for you, but anyone from anywhere is welcome to jump in and enjoy the festivities.  To do Canada has listing of events and interesting sites to visit on it.  These include Christmas displays, parades, concerts ad other events.  

When I was living in Edmonton AB I visited a street full of homes decorated for the season and even walked around one home, on the outside of course, to view the displays.  There are many people who really do it up big along with organizations and even whole towns and cities get right into the holiday period.  

Christmas is coming and I hope you all have a good one regardless of the situation you are in.  Now here is the link to the events.

Christmas Events in Hamilton – Lights, Carols & Theatre

Merry Christmas!!

Shameless Overt Plug - My Other Blogs - Episode 1 The Intro

 

Mixed Nuts is just one of 3 blogs I write.  Yes this is a shameless overt plug for my blogs Candid Conversations and My Point Your Point.  

I have been blogging since 2009 the first of my creations was and still is Candid Conversations.  This blog features interviews from around the world with some really interesting people.  All the interviews are done via email and none have been deleted so there is a good amount of reading one can do.  Note some links in the older posts are no longer live.  And, some posts have information that may be irrelevant. But, it's still a good read in my opinion.  I recently created a Patreon Account and am looking for Patreons to support the blog.  The eventual goal is to fully monetize Candid Conversations.  One route is to get support from people like you.  So please swing by and visit https://www.patreon.com/candidcconversations and show some love.

The latest interview on the blog features Daniel Whiteson co podcaster and science guy, he and his, pal Banana loving Jorge Cham produce a podcast, Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe. An iHeart produced podcast that features chats about the science that goes into trying to understand the universe.

My other blog is called My Point Your Point.  Originally planned as a debate blog it has morphed into a blog that is series of opinions I have on various topics.  The debate part sort of went flat.  For now that is the way it stay the name may change unless I can find the right formula that will attract good debate on the subjects.  

So there you have a shameless overt plug.  I will put more updates up here about the other blogs along with other content.  And, in case your wondering I am planning to post at least once per day on Mixed Nuts.  Please come back and see what I have uploaded here on this blog, and do check out my other two.  Thanks and see you down the pages.

Cliff T.

100 Years And Still Going Strong - The Poppy

Today is November 12, remembrance day was yesterday but, the work of the Canadian Legion still goes on.  They support veterans past and present and the community at large via various programs.  One way of raising funds is by selling the symbol of remembrance, poppies.  Adopted as the flower of remembrance the poppy symbolizes the sacrifice of those who served in the wars Canada participated in.

This year the legion is marking the 100th anniversary of the poppy and offering anyone interested in getting it an online portal to buy online.

Here is the main link for the Canadian Legion itself https://www.legion.ca/home 

The use of the poppy is inspired by John MCcRae and his poem In Flanders Fields.  For veterans everyday is remembrance day, thank you for your service past and present ladies and gentlemen.

Cliff. T.

Chess Boxing - Yes It Is A Thing

Chess boxing, that is chess and boxing combined, what? Yes you are reading this correctly.  There is actually a sport called Chess Boxing and it does combine the two sports.  

Here is how it works; you have a table with a chess board and a standard amateur boxing ring.  Now toss in two competitors who box and play a round of speed chess.  The goal is to get a check mate or technical knock out.  The sport, wait for it, has been  around for 50 years, 50!  That is just bonkers.  

You can read up  on this sport via Wikipedia. 

Cadence / Marching Songs

In a recent post I discussed military drill, notably close order drill. In order to do the drill that is required military personnel do something called PT (physical training). Usually this involves the platoon or company doing things like push ups, crunches and you guessed it running or what are called forced marches. The forced march or run starts off with no gear on but eventually the members of the platoon or company wear the full kit and run or march. During these sessions something called cadence is called or sung. That is the left right left right command, or a song like I wanna be a drill instructor.

 

Other nations armed forces do have cadence / marching song, but the United States Marines are the most notable users of the sung cadence.  

One of the most famous dates back to the 1930's, ERIKA.  This marching song speaks of a soldier longing after his sweetheart, whose name of course is Erika.  Now I know this was a song sung by the Heer and SS but, having said this the song is well done.  I believe the tune is still sung by the modern German armed forces.  The point of the cadence / marching song is listed below.

A cadence / marching songs job or goal is to, lift the spirit of the platoon, unify them and instill pride in unit and of course country.  It's one thing to show you can fight, but being able to show your troops are fit and morale is high is another.  As we approach November and remember our fallen wounded and current serving members of the armed forces, we think of the times they sung these songs outside of the training while they marched into battle and I have to say I actually found it easier to do drill and march when I sung cadence in the Army Cadets.  

Every military has marching / cadence songs, I could spend hours finding them but here are a few links that did catch the eye, from the US, Canada Russian and Germany.

Cliff T.

For a complete list of Canadian Forces authorized marches visit Wikipedia.

Distress Calls - Interesting And Scary To Listen To

As many of you know I am a ham radio operator.  I got my license back in 1982, 40 years! wow, that is a long time.  Anyway, for the most part we just talk and also send each other cards, called QSLs.  I have a collection of these from many countries.  There is a part of the hobby thought that is serious, it has to do with emergency communications.  We do handle traffic, the fancy word for calls, in such situations.  And we use different modes of communications, voice Morse Code and all kinds of digital signal modes to provide help.  

I have never really done any heavy work in a disaster, though I did handle some calls during the Mexico Earthquake back in the 80s and one car accident.  This said while I do know how to do it, I have never set up a net or ran messages.  But, I do know people who have, it's intense.  Very very intense.

If you have watched YouTube you may see video on distress calls and hear words like Pan Pan and Mayday and it is interesting to hear this stuff and it's also kind of scary to.  But, you should know that there is a way to do things if you ever end up in the midst of an emergency. 

I have put 2 videos from YouTube here that explain what Pan Pan and Mayday mean.  And what to do if you happen to come across a situation and are near a transmitter, specifically one operated by a ham operator.

 Note the video about ham radio process is U.S. focused but, here in Canada the rules are very similar.

Cliff T.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving EH!

First off Happy thanksgiving to all our Canadian readers.  Enjoy the day no matter how you celebrate the day.

Here ae some supposed facts about the holiday.

1. We do our holiday in October and it's always the second Monday, that is true.  

2.  In Quebec it is called L'Action De Grace.  Translated The Action of Grace.  In Quebec it's a thing but, not a thing, after all this is an English tradition and the French do not really celebrate the holiday.  Which is Ok more turkey and stuffing for us Anglos.  LOL

3. The food, similar to U.S.  Though you may see ham on the table as well as chicken.

4. The CFL classic features two games, this year 2021 Ottawa will play in Montreal and Hamilton hosts Toronto.  The full CFL schedule is here. BTW the games on the 11th are at 1 and 4 respectively.

5. We do our thing shopping wise just like our American friends, on the U.S. Thanksgiving Friday.  Of course we really go goofy shopping wise on Boxing Day, December 26th.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

C. T.

Music From Mars - CBC - Ideas And Other Dope Tunes From Space, Sort of

 

Being a ham radio operator for so long I tend to just listen around the ham bands and not really pay much attention to signals outside of stations I am attempting to work or hear.  After listening to a recent episode of Ideas on CBC I got a better appreciation for what is going on in the cosmos.  There is a whole lot of radio to listen to coming from within our solar system and yes from outside of it as well.

The cool thing is that this very audio has been used to make music and has even been used in films and shows like Star Trek and Star Wars.  The episode and other content can be found on the Ideas Show page.  

Also of note is the fact that there is such a thing know as music in space.  Wikipedia outlines some of the cool sounds from space.  These of course are mostly man made sounds.

I should note is that what you are hearing is not actual sound, but rather data converted to sound via radio telescopes with some exceptions where microphones have been mounted to space probes.  Again we look to Wikipedia for an explanation.  

Below are interesting sites that talk  about what sound would be like on our nine planet solar system and how NASA listens in on what is going on in space.

Eavesdropping in Space: How NASA records eerie sounds around Earth.

Enjoy and thanks for reading Mixed Nuts.

Cliff T.

Cuckoo Cuckoo Cuckoo - Yes it's a post about Cuckoo Clocks

My aunt Dianne had a cuckoo clock.  It was fun to listen to it for a bit then it just got annoying.  Anyway, these clocks have been around for a long time.  But, there is one in particular that is quite unique.  In Schonach im Schwarzwald, Germany there is a cuckoo clock that is huge.  I mean really really huge.  It is 4.5M tall 4.5M wide and the cuckoo weighs 150Kg.  For the non metric crowed that is 15 x 15 Ft and 300Lbs.  

It took 5 years to build and just like a regular cuckoo clock it has all the parts that make up the clockworks.  The real interesting thing is that tourists can actually go inside this clock and see all the mechanics at work.  

And if you really like cuckoo clocks then you may want to visit Cuckooland a museum in England that has a lot of them, apparently 700 are in the collection.

The oldest clock is 250 years and I am assuming it still works.  Good grief can you imagine 700 cuckoos going off at midnight.   

Happy reading and thanks for visiting Mixed Nuts.

The clock is 4.5M x 4.5M it's bird weighs 150kg

Atlas Obscura site featuring the clock and info about the site.  Click here.

Manchester Evening News Article about Cuckooland, a museum housing 700 cuckoo clocks, believed to be the largest collection in the world.

  Cliff T.

Rain Rain And More Rain - 7 Meters! Annually - Hucuktlis BC

Hucuktlis (pictured left) formerly Henderson Lake is a very very wet place. On average this area of BC per annum gets a rainfall amount equal to 7 Meters, 21 Feet of rain. Rain of course is measured in Millimeters so w would say that the rainfall equals 9,307 mm or 366 inches, or more accurately 30 feet! That is just nuts LOL.

Hucuktlis (pronounced “who-chook-tlis”) Lake means place way inside and is the home of the first nations people known as the Uchucklesaht.  They live in the area and perform ceremonies honoring the Thunderbird a legendary creature that flaps it's wings to create thunder and flashes it's eyes to produce lightning.

A readers Digest Article about the lake can be visited by clicking here.

https://www.uchucklesaht.ca is the official website of the Uchucklesaht nation.

This is not an area to just go and wander around there are bears and other wild animals in the area. Also it's isolated, only accessed by water and on foot.

Take a look at Google Maps the lake is remote very very remote. Note the map shows the old Henderson Lake place name.

Cliff T.

The Ghan - Australia And The Worlds Longest Train

 rains come in a variety of types and lengths.  There are freight and passenger trains of various sizes around the world but the record holder for the longest passenger train in service is the Ghan.  

The train usually has two locomotives and 30 cars on it, but has been known to have up to 44 cars.  This makes it a world record holder.  The Guinness Book of Records lists this train as the longest.  The Ghan's length is 774M 2359 FT.  It takes 3 days to travel from Adelaide to Darwen.  To ride the Ghan, my guess this would be a bucket list item for anyone especially a rail enthusiast.  To read more about this train and if you want to book a ride check the links below.

Journey Beyond Rail, you can book via this site. Click this Link.

Guinness Book of Records page on the Ghan. Link.

Wikipedia Article about The Ghan.

C. T.

Nah Really - Would You Bid On This - Michael Jordan's Undies!!!!

Apparently a website is hosting an auction on Michael Jordan's undies.  Yep his undies.  The briefs show signs of wear and usage and were handed over by a former security guard.  What, wait a minute, a security guard had MJ's briefs and decided to auction them off.  Ummmm how on God's green earth did he get his hands on these?  Oh never mind, never mind, I do not want to know.

You can bid on these by clicking the link to Lelands Sports Memorabilia and Card Auctions.  The bidding ends September 25th and so far it's at 500 bucks.  Eeeew I don't want to know who is bidding on these really but if you want to well have fun.  My eyes my beautiful eyes.  LOL I will not un see this for weeks. 

Cliff T.

Drum N Bass - Big Ups To Hospital Records

In 2013 I was really getting into podcasts, still do today.  I have 81 of them on my phone that I subscribe to in 2 formats spoken word and music.  One of the most well known and enjoyed in my collections is the Hospital Records Podcast.  Hospital Podcast has bee around for quite some time and its creator is London Elektricity / Tony Colman.  He and another fella named Chris Goss created the label Hospital Records eventually the two parted company and Tony took over the brand and created the podcast Hospital Records.  The label also has another branch called Med School which recently closed up.  But not to worry this label still routinely pumps out the releases from artists like Keeno, Whiney, Fred V and the boss himself London Elektricity. Drum and Bass has a very distinctive sound.  The article on Wikipedia describes DNB this way.

Drum and bass (also written as Drum&Bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic music characterised by fast breakbeats (typically 165-185 beats per minute[2]) with heavy bass and sub-bass lines,[3] samples, and synthesizers. The genre grew out of the UK's jungle scene in the early 1990s.[4]

To give you an idea of the sound here is a track I found on YouTube.

Check out https://www.hospitalrecords.com.

Enjoy the day and thanks for checking out Mixed Nuts.

Cliff T.

The Humble Payphone

If you were to ask anyone these days where the nearest pay-phone or phone booth is you'd probably get a blank stare or something like just a waat you talkin bout bro what is that?  Ok I am probably exaggerating a little on the second response but, it's not far from accurate a description of the response one would get to such a question.  

Pay-phones and booths are a thing of the past and generally they are very hard to find today.  In Canada just over 36,000 are left in the USA its 100,000 with approximately a fifth located in New York City.  When one considers that the pay-phone was ubiquitous in the 80's and 90's that is significant, it indicates that eventually they may be like the dinosaur, extinct.  For those who can not get hands on a phone that could be a real problem.  

For now though if you can find a working one you can drop that coin and make a call or use your phone card to connect.

I found some articles and sites that are interesting to read.

Wikipedia Payphone.

BlogTO Whats Happening Toronto Public Payphones.

One of my favorite news sites CBC has 2 articles related to payphones Article 1 and article 2.

Payphone Project, quirky and really cool.

Cliff T.

Peter Puck

Peter Puck, remember the cartoon back in the 70's.  If you do not or have never herd of the character and the cartoon you may want to visit Wikipedia to get the details.

Conceived in the 70's by Donald Carswell the cartoon features a character shaped like a puck, the idea simple, explain hockey to viewers from young to old.  9 episodes were created and these aired on CBC's Hockey Night In Canada and NBC's game of the week. 

Peter Puck lives on in print and online, yep you can GOOOOGLE him and find books on Amazon about him as well.

Cliff T.

Texas Does It Bigger and Weirder - National Museum of Funeral History! Really? Yes Really

Ok I must admit this is one for the books.  They say Texas does it bigger, well why not have a gigantic collection in a museum dedicated to history of funerals.  Ya you are reading correctly, funerals.

The National Museum of Funeral History located in Houston TX houses a large collection of items related to funerals and the stories behind the artifacts.  The idea here is not to be creepy, but to show how the funeral industry developed and how funeral traditions were created.  Subjects covered include cremation, embalming and the development of the casket.  I chuckled when I read the motto of the museum, here it is "Any day above ground is a good one."  You have to admit that is witty.   

Learn more by visiting the site at https://www.nmfh.org 

Cliff T.

iKouii - Art Delivered By Disabled Creators Art Influenced By Disability

While searching for content for our flagship blog Candid Conversations I cam across this site via a press release, it's called iKouii.  

The site connects persons with and those who are not disabled who create art centered around disability.  This site is really cool looking.  I was going to seek out the contact for the group to do an interview for Candid Conversations but since this site is so visual and I don't add photos or video on Candid Conversations very often I felt that Mixed Nuts would be the best place to draw attention to this site, especially since I am a person with a disability myself.

Check them out at the following link https://ikouii.com/  

Cliff T.

Something Fishy For You To Sea

Do you like fish, not to eat but, to watch.  Well I do, but I would not want to do that all day.  There is something calming about watch fish swim around.  And some of the fish out there are really cool looking.  So I found some sites that have live cams for you to view fish.

1. Monerey Bay Aquarium has a variety of cams you can log onto, including a shark tank, no not the show the fish.  LOL

2. Ripley's Aquarium Canada, the one in Toronto, ooooo I want to see that up close but for now here are some cams to view.

3. YOUTUBE lots of live cams of fishies.

And of course you can just Google away and find others out there.

How about a live one from this site.  

Enjoy nd thanks again for visiting Mixed Nuts.

Cliff T.

Happy Canada Day - Now Lets Get Weird - Interesting Facts About The Great White North EH!

 

Ah yes Canada the true north strong and free.  And the true north weird?  Well yes we do have some weirdness in our home and native land.  There is the fact that even though we are an independent country we still have a queen.  Come on you have to admit that is kind of weird.  But, it's a good weird.  I found some  other facts that I think you will find weird interesting, funny and unique.  This is my way of saying Happy Canada day.

Did you know we have the longest highway in the world, yep the Trans Canada Highway is among the longest in the world, it covers all 10 provinces and spans about 5000 miles and Yonge Street is amongst the longest though it is not considered to be the longest in the world.  These are known facts but I found some that are quite interesting.  Here is a list of some interesting facts about Canada.

1. Nrarcisse MB, a place for snakes to get jiggy with it.  Yep in May you can visiit this town and see snakes mating yep mating.  About 70,000 are drawn to the town because it's cool and the soil is just right for you know getting it on.  The New York Times has an article about this unique event Written by Ian Austin.

2. in 2018 the Canadian Govern confirmed that Santa Claus is a citizen of Canada.  According to CTV News who contacted various agencies Mr. and Mrs. Claus are citizens of Canada and they do pay taxes according to the CRA,.

3. The X-Files probably did not cover this, but St. Paul AB is home to a UFO landing pad.  https://www.stpaul.ca/UFO-Landing-Pad.  Never been there but sounds like quite an interesting place to visit.

4. Wood Buffalo National Park, is home to bison and other animals is actually bigger than countries such as Denmark, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

5. Canadians are known for being polite and apologetic.  Interestingly there are laws across Canada that cover apologies called Apology Acts, here is the link to Googles results for Apology Act.

These are just five I found yes a bit weird funny and education and all true.  I found some links you can visit that have these and other facts about Canada.

Culture Trip 

Sons of Norway https://www.sofn.com/blog/20-fun-facts-about-canada/

Hike Bike Travel 

There are lots of other sites you can visit that have fun weird and true facts about Canada.  Check them out and thanks again for visiting this Canadian bloggers site.  It was fun putting this together for you.

Cliff T.

Reenacting WWII As Allied And Axis Soldiers

World War 2 seems like a distant memory.  Think about this for a moment.  The second world war begun in 1939, that is over 80 years, this year to be exact it will be 82 years.  it lasted 6 years, ending in1945, that is oh lets see, 76 years since the last round was fired.

There are not many veterans left, in fact if we go back and look at the first world war there are none, zero.  The second world war it is estimated that 300,000 vets are still alive today.  During the war 300 million soldiers saw combat the biggest numbers coming from the U.S. Germany, Russia and Japan.  To say it was bloody is an understatement, estimates number the dead between 40 and 120 million civilian and soldiers combined.   

Why am I pointing this out, well because there are people out there running around in the countryside reenacting battles and yes they dress in period costume, allied and axis alike.  It's quite interesting a bit controversial and a hobby that really takes up time and energy.  

Vice did a report on reenactors who play the role of German combatants check out the video on YouTube.  I also found an interesting YouTube channel called wwIIFreak001 that features a reenactor.  And yes he does dress in the field uniform of the SS. 

There has been some controversy about the inclusion of reenactors who play the role of the German, in 2018 a railway in Yorkshire England stopped allowing reenactors who portrayed the Germans from participating in the reenactment.  The Story comes from indy100.com.  History is messy and sad but important to recount.  Hence my posting today.  Please note I am in no way a supporter of any ideology that promotes harm to any group in any form.  I do not condone or support the existence of any hate group such as the KKK or white supremist groups.  This post is to showcase reenactors portraying life as soldiers of a unit in the military during the second world war from the perspective of allied and axis views.  Just like me these groups shun ideology but do not shy away from showing what it was like to be a part of the unit they represent.  

A list of reenactor groups found on Milsurpia's website.

Another reenactors list composed of German units and the main page is at http://www.worldwartwohrs.org/index.htm.  I am sure there are others out there so look around.

Thanks for reading and have a super weekend.  

Cliff T.

 

By the left QUICK-----MARCH!! - The history of close order and combat drill

When I was a teen I joined and was part of the Army Cadets.  My unit CC1979 sponsored by the Canadian Grenadier Guards held our parades and did our courses at Centennial Regional High, the corps was asked to find new quarters and now trains in a different location, for more info visit the Facebook page.  

Part of what cadets reservists and regular CF members do is something called Close Order Drill.  Why?  I duno is not the correct answer LOL.  The answer is really straight forward, it's designed to train members of the unit to move in a uniformed manner, to develop teamwork and to provide members the opportunity to gain  confidence and trust in the leadership training the team.  To give you an idea of what close order drill looks like see  the picture below.  It is of me in 2019 waiting to go on parade during a reunion of my corps.

As you can see in the photo to the left there are two groups to the right are the alumni to the left the current compliment comprising CC1979.  We are at attention just so you know I am the dude in the yellow shirt.  This is close order drill.  Besides standing at attention we also did other drill movements, marching, open order and close order march the dress right etc.  There is a set of procedure movements for the platoon as well as the company Sargent Major and those who carry rifles and flags all done a certain way and all designed to show orders can be given and taken and executed in an even flow with confidence and precision.  Though for the older crew it was a bit rusty as some, like me had not done drill in years, not worry it is like riding a bike you never really forget drill.

The second form of drill, and FYI army cadets, do not do this one, is called Combat or Battle drill.  In the early days of warfare soldiers moved in a certain way on the field of battle, one was called the Phalanx developed by the romans.  These were set movements designed to guide large battle groups in the process of move and engagement on the filed.  Today battle drill like the Phalanx is not taught as weapons modern to the filed would simply wipe such formations out in seconds.  Instead battle drill is the art of learning who is in command of sections, platoons and larger formations and how to engage with modern weapons.  Training such as how to clear a room or use a General Purpose Machine gun while moving are taught.  Both sets of drill are important and there is an  interesting history to how drill evolved.  Take a look at this article from the Britannica site that speaks about how these drills evolved.  

Below are some videos about trainign in the military.  The first is season one of Basic UP.  This show followed CF members through the training regimen.  It shows both drill sets.  The second video is of a room clearing exercise, commonly know as Battle / Combat Drill.  The last two videos below show Close Order drill.  While I am a proud Canadian and support of the CF I have to give props to the Marines, these guys are the best when it comes to CO drill. 

Thanks for dropping into the site.  And for those who serve and have served thank you for what you do to keep our country safe.

Cliff T.
 

Every Child Matters - 215 - Kamloops BC Residential School

 

Reports are now surfacing that the remains of the 215 children who died at a residential school from the period 1890-1969 could reveal how they died and who they were.  You can read the article on the National Post Website. 

Out of respect I will not be adding additional links or commentary.  I would encourage your own journey to learn more about Canada's not so pleasant past and some of the current issues facing this country today.

Thanks for reading.

Cliff T. 

Ontario Covid 19 Second Dose Plan & Reopening Phases

The COVID-19 battle is entering a new phase, it almost reminds me of the D-Day landings June 6th 1944 when the British, Canadians and Americans took the beaches of Normandy and signaled the end of the Nazi regime.  Though such a comparison is pretty far fetched.  The feeling of a state of war has gripped the world, instead of soldiers the combatants are the nurses and doctors against the virus.  In Canada provinces like Ontario have taken on 3 waves of the virus with heavy losses.  Over 25,000 Canadians have died during the pandemic 8700 plus in Ontario included.  And just like the battle on the beaches new techniques and weapons were deployed to end it, just like new techniques and vaccines are now beginning to end COVID-19s deadly impact.  Ontario and other provinces are now getting ready to allow businesses to open and people to gather in large groups.  This is being fueled by a marked increase in people getting vaccinated.  

So here is where we are now.  Ontario has passed 65% of first dose recipients.  

97,747 Daily doses administered

9,082,025Total doses administered

706,832People fully vaccinated

Source Government of Ontario

This means Ontario can expect to begin to open up before the end of summer if the pace continues.

The plan calls for the following:

• Week of May 31: individuals aged 80+
• Week of June 14: individuals aged 70+
• Week of June 28: individuals who received their first dose between the week of March 8 to April 18, on a “first-in, first-out” basis. For example, this included individuals with the highest-risk health conditions and special education workers.
• Week of July 19: individuals who received their first dose between the week of April 19 to May 9, on a “first-in, first-out” basis. For example, this included individuals aged 50 and over, as well as individuals with high-risk health conditions.
• Week of August 2: individuals who received their first dose between the week of May 10 to May 30, on a “first-in, first-out” basis. For example, this included individuals who cannot work from home and individuals who have at-risk health conditions.
• Week of August 9 to 16: individuals aged 12 to 25
• Week of August 9: individuals who received their first dose from the week of May 31 onwards on a “first-in, first out” basis, respecting the recommended intervals.

For more details visit the Newsroom of the Government of Ontario.

As all of this happens the opening of Ontario will look like this, a staged pan based on the percentage of people vaccinated begins the process to open Ontario's economy up.  The key is the percentage 60 70 and 80 to be exact.  As each of these is met plus 21 days wait the next level of reopening will move ahead.

The complete details are listed here.

I am looking forward to having a real wing ding with lots of wings!  MMMMM chicken wings.  Anyway you get the idea here, it's about doing our part to help win the final battle and get back to normal, get the shot, stay the course win the fight.

Cheers Cliff T.

Up Up And Away Went Doggie

It looks like weird is once again gracing this bloggers site.  Check this one out.  In an unusual homage to the movie UP!, maybe, a man in Delhi attempted to use balloons to float his dog up into the air. It worked but it was not a smart idea.  The dog did rise struck the apartment building he was near and was rescued by a woman whose apartment balcony the dog, Dollar, hit.

Gurav Sharma, 32 is facing the consequences of his action, arrested and charged with animal cruelty after the video and witnesses filed reports of the stunt to police.  The video has been taken off Sharma's YouTube account he posted bail and apologized for this not so uplifting stunt.  The dog, Dollar is ok but probably does not want to be near any balloons, can you blame him.

The story from Toronto Sun, Weird News.

Meatballs Spaghetti and Prego sauce on the Counter Literally. Nope Nope Nope

There are many hacks and tricks to making a dish. Take spaghetti with meatballs. There are lots of ways to make this iconic dish And there are lots of interesting ways to serve the meal. One lady has taken presentation of the food to quite the extreme. I frankly do not endorse this idea but, whatever floats your boat.

So the nuts and bolts of this is quite simple.  Lisa, the person in the video cooks up meatballs and spaghetti.  She then puts sauce, Prego, on the counter, then the meatballs, then cooked spaghetti with parmesan cheese and yes lettuce and bread and then she mixes the spaghetti with the sauce and chees and leaves the bread and salad on the sides of the counter.  

Now my assumption is that the counter is cleaned and that guests get plates and utensils and scoop the meal on to the plates.  At least I would hope that is what they would do.  I would also assume that Lisa has washed her hands before handling the food.

None the less this video is kind of interesting and icky at the same time.  The Toronto Sun carried the story complete with video on May 18th in the weird news section of the online edition.  

I like being different, but I will pass on this idea.

Cliff T.

Fungus Mutates Cicada Brains Deletes Genitalia!

Well I have to say I am glad I am not a bug, like the Cicada.  Especially at this moment.  Imagine getting ready to emerge after 17 years then finding out you can't get it on with your mate because you have no genitals.

That is the reality for the Cicada's that get this disease called Massospora fungus. The fungus attacks the brain and causes the cicada to develop a plug replacing the genitals. The eventual end is the death of the Cicada. Massospora fungus only attacks the 13 and 17 year periodical Cicada.

There is a bit of a silver lining though.  If you can call an infection rate of 5% of the Cicada population a silver lining.  Now I can not compare this to the pandemic that would be too much of a stretch but I can say that if I would be in this position I would not be a happy camper.  The other interesting thing is that the Cicadas that are infected don't know until it's much too late or just plain don't know they are dying until, well they die.

There is research being done to figure out what is going on in the Cicada  population re the fungus.  Until then the lowly Cicada is on its own.

Mixed nuts is a site designed to bring interesting subjects, sites and stories to light.  I try to post on a regular schedule.  Thanks for stopping by this blog and come back to see what else is new.  

Cliff T.

Technorati Article re Brains and Fungus / Cicada

Anti Pervert Hairy stockings / leggings - mmmm OK not going to ask

 

Mmm ok, I get that women wanting to wear skirts shorts and dresses do not like unwanted looks.  But, this method of warding off those who want to leer or do something else ala shoe cam is definitely off the wall.

Just for the record I did look this up as a search on Google via the shopping tab, and ya you can get this item.  

I wonder if they also sell them on Amazon? NOPE.  But you can find them at other sites.  

I am just going to shake my head and provide the link and let you decide if this is the thing you want to spend your hard earned cash on.

Google Shopping is the place to view and if you want buy these things.

Happy Friday!

Cliff T.

Hoop Skirts

I do have to say that there is nothing more elegant than a lady in a dress or a skirt.  These days the wearing of skirts and dresses are not the most common thing in society and that's ok.  Though I have not worn such garments being a fella I can sort of relate to what it's like to wear one, having donned a kilt once.  It's not like wearing a skirt but I had a sense of what it feels like to be in one.  Thinking about it now reminds me of two things.

How cumbersome it was to get the thing on and fitting correctly and how kind of open one is in the thing.  I was self aware that some joker might want to flip the thing and take a look up it.  On the other side of the coin was the idea that it made me look handsome and it was not terribly uncomfortable to wear one.

So I can imagine that for a lady a skirt or dress has connected to them these feelings and thoughts above. Ugh I have to put the thing on over a petticoat wear stockings and yet hey I look good in this.  

Now imagine wearing a skirt or back in the day a dress and having an undergarment that pushed the skirt out in the form of a circle or other shape.  That my friends is or was the fashion of the late 1800s.  Hoop skirts were worn for comfort and technically ease of movement.  

The Crinoline was a stiff petticoat that was made of horse hair cotton or linen it was worn to extend the skirt outward in the form of a lining that shaped into a circle.  At the peak these dress linings would extend the skirt out 6 yards in circumference, 18Ft! that is a whole lotta skirt. These days they may still be seen worn by women on special occasions, mostly in the southern US.

Women and fashion have come a long way.  But, like I said seeing a lady in a skirt or dress always turns my head especially a BBW (big beautiful woman) in one.  Of course the greatest beauty and strength is in the heart not the clothes so don't be misled I think it's awesome that women are more empowered today to show off that strength along with being beautiful.  We have come a long way since the 1800s with still more room to improve.

C. T.

Kitboga - The Dude with Shades Who Messes With Scammers

Kitboga, hmm interesting name.  This guy has been making life hell for scammers for quite some time.  The idea came to him after a family member got taken for a lot of money and he decided to see if he could beat them.  So he set up accounts on Youtube and Twitch and has been making fools of those who think they are getting a hit on a juicy target.

Over 1 million people follow Kitboga as he takes on those who are online trolling for victims.  

https://kitboga.com is the main site for Kitboga it links to his channels and he has garnered media attention.  CTV News featured him.  

Now before you think this is cool I want to try this DON'T.  Kitboga is an engineer by trade he knows computers inside and out and has skill that most people like you and I do not.  If you think there is a scam going on hang up can the professionals and practice safety online by doing the following.

1. Check with the CRA or IRS.   These government agencies don't call on you in the manner a scammer does.

2. Get a call from a person claiming to be from the bank, HANG UP.  Call the bank and check out the claim.  The same goes for calls from people claiming to be from a company like Bell or a tech support branch of a company.  They don't make calls, take it from a guy (me) who works on behalf of a tech company we don't do it it's a major no no and would lead to immediate dismissal if we did.  We only do when asked or on follow-up to an existing job we are working on.

3. Ah yes those emails and ads you get, you are a winner, you have a virus, this is XYZ company with important updates.  Never click the link and if you do do not put personal data in.  Look for extra charges and be aware that if it looks to good to be true, it's not.

4. Keep personal info off the socials addresses photos that show your address cute pics of the kids in identifiable locations near your home bad idea.  Sure we want to share our life story, just be careful of what you put online it can get you into trouble.

Kitboga's site is meant to teach us via humor how to stay ahead of the scammers in the immortal words of Pleakly from Lilo and Stitch "Educate yourself." Youtbe clip

Thanks for visiting Mixed Nuts.  I will add more content I promise so come back again soon.

Cliff T.

Facebook AI taught itself it's own language

AI, it's not just a buzz word.  The tech is out there and has been for some time but, there have been some goofy things that have happened along the development road.  In fact there is still a lot of road left to traverse before AI can really be a thing humans can truly trust.

The case for mistrust can be made in an example of what happens when AI intended to do one thing does another.  In 2017 Facebook created two chatbots that were intended to communicate with each other.  Well they did and it went off the rails when the bots created a language that the designers could not understand forcing Facebook to shut it down.

Like I said a long road still needs to be traveled.  I am sure they are still trying to fix this or refine it so it does not do it again.  Thus far seems that I have heard no news stories about this.  So I guess they are not getting too far YET.

Here is the article that touched on this weird event back in 2017 from the Independent out of the UK.

Welcome to 2021 and YAY we are back up with new content starting today.

C. T.