Hello Snowbirds.

Be thankful you took a break down south. We had a bit of a warm spell, in fact, all the way up to plus 5 and then Friday it all went in the crapper and we dropped down to daytime highs of minus 22 with a 10 to 15 click wind blowing in our face from the Northwest.. Brrrr Cold, Chilly.

So what is wind chill? Here's the latest info from Environment Canada:

Canada’s Wind Chill Index

Canadians are well aware of how much misery the wind chill can add to an already frigid day in winter. Knowing the wind chill is in fact an essential part of Canada’s weather forecasts, as it provides everyone with the knowledge they need in order to stay safe in our worst weather.
It is for this reason that the Canadian Wind Chill Index is an accurate, easy to understand tool, that and reflects the needs of Canadians. It was created based on research that used human volunteers and advanced computer technology, combined with recent medical advances in the understanding of how the body loses heat when exposed to cold. As a result, the wind chill observations and forecasts that you hear are now much more representative of what you actually feel once you step outside.
The index is expressed in temperature-like units, the format preferred by most Canadians. By equating the current outdoor conditions to an equivalent temperature with no wind, the index represents the degree of “chill” that your skin senses. For example, if the wind chill is -20 while the outside temperature is only -10^°C, it means that your face will feel as cold as if it was a calm day (no wind) with a temperature of -20^° C. (See the numerical chart on wind chill values estimate for more information).
The wind chill index enables Canadians to take action and avoid injuries from the cold. This includes dressing warmly to avoid frostbite and hypothermia, and making informed decisions based on accurate wind chill information, such as whether it is safe for children to play outdoors.
On cold and blustery winter days, listen for the wind chill index in your local weather forecast!

Does it make sense to you? I haven't checked the charts yet but I know the taking action bit means get thee to a warm climate at least for a while.
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On a more positive note, the Bonnyville Pontiacs picked up four big points this weekend by beating the Grande Prairie Storm in back-to-back games on Friday (3-1) and Saturday (5-0). The final game was a barn burner with lots of goon action from the Storm that ended up costing them in the end picking up 5 penalties in a row in the final period. The Pontiacs handled themselves like gents and just played hockey. It really paid off because they blanked the Storm 5 to nothing giving net minder Julien Laplante his 6th shutout of the season. The shutout pushed him passed the previous record of 5 which he set himself.
Their next home games are Feb 4 & 5 against Ft. Mac Oil Barons and Lloydminster Bobcats respectively. The team is currently sitting at fourth overall with 68 points according to the latest stats from the AJHL.
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Don't forget that the Hon Mel Knight, Minister of Sustainable Resource Development will be Bonnyville on Wednesday, February 2 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Beaver River Fish & Game Association building to chat about the sustainable resources and some of the new issues affecting the area. Its open to everyone and coffee and refreshments will be available. Our MLA Genia Leskiw will also be in attendance so come with questions.

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Funny for the Day!

An Illinois man left the snowballed streets of Chicago for a vacation in Florida. His wife was on a business trip and was planning to meet him there the next day. When he reached his hotel, he decided to send his wife a quick e-mail.

Unable to find the scrap of paper on which he had written her e-mail address, he did his best to type it in from memory. Unfortunately, he missed one letter, and his note was directed instead to an elderly preacher's wife whose husband had passed away only the day before. When the grieving widow checked her e-mail, she took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing scream, and fell to the floor dead.

At the sound, her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen:

Dearest Wife,

Just got checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow.

Your Loving Husband.

P.S. Sure is hot down here.

Have a great week. Dave

I'm not shocked anymore

I finally got over Canada's loss to the Russian team in the World Junior Hockey tourney and have moved on to other things. I just came back from emceeing a two-day ag show in Lloydminster and met some pretty interesting people. You can check out that story on my other blog www.boomersgeneration.blogspot.com  I'll keep this one running about local events so keep sending them in. Don't forget tonight's presentation out at Shaw House  - A Book Launch 'World's Greenest Oil' Turning the Oil Sands from Black to Green by Dr. Peter Silverston. Dr. Silverstone will be there presenting his thoughts on how we can change the image of our Oil from Black to Green for the world markets.

Jesse Lake in warmer times.

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Don't forget to book your booth space for the Bonnyville Ag Society's upcoming Home, Farm & Leisure trade show - March 4, 5 & 6 in the Centennial Centre Field House. For an exhibitors package, contact Charlene at the Ag Society office at 780-826-3240.
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Got to run for now folks, office work is calling. Till next time. Enjoy life. Dave

I'm still in shock

I'm still in shock after last nights World Junior Hockey matchup between Canada and Russia. I still can't figure out what happened to our team. They dominated the first two periods with precision, skill and tough corner work to keep the Russian's off their game. Then, in the third period they just forgot everything they ever knew. No teamwork, no plan, no effort on power plays, no brains. Maybe they were just too sure of a win coming out for the third period and thought the Russian team would lay down and give the Gold medal to them. NOT! All they did was wake up the sleeping Russian Bear. Too Bad!

Coach Cameron did a hell of a job getting them there but they obviously didn't listen to him when the bell rang for the final period. Now they will have to go through the rest of their life thinking about the chance that got away. For some of the players who are still under 20, they may get a chance to return to this series next year but for Ellis it was his last year so he will never know. Its too bad because he deserved it. He worked hard, took a lot of punishment all to no avail. One guy can't win a hockey game. Its called team work! That's what gets the job done.

IN 2012, the series comes to Alberta. Edmonton and Calgary are sharing games with 10 being played in each city. More than 150,000 people register for the ticket package lottery last night and that's a lot of fans. (The NHL should be so lucky). With tickets ranging from$310 for Standing room in Edmonton to a lofty $1299 for lower bowl in Calgary, the quality of play will need to be first rate.

The Silver medal was ok but I'm thinking the nation wants gold so until next year - Go Canada!

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Soon it will be Christmas Day.

 For those who follow the Julian calendar, the 6th of January is Christmas Eve and I want to wish all of my Ukrainian friends a Merry one. The picture you see above is by Stefan Melnychenko who resides in Edmonton and his artwork is in many collections around the world. For more information on this incredible artist visit his web site www.stefanmelnychenko.com  Here are a few more images celebrating the season and my wishes to everyone. You know you can never have enough Christmas. 

 
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Yay Canada Great Game

Canada defeats Russia in 2009

Our boys in red rolled over the US team on their home turf 4 to 1. It was nearly a shutout except the missus had to go and say it before the end of the period and then Canada got a penalty and USA went on the power play and scored their only goal of the game. Too little, Too late. Its time to get ready for the Russians this Wednesday evening. It will be a barn burner. I couldn't believe how many Canadians were in Buffalo for the game. The stands looked like a sea of red. Go Canada Go for the Gold.  That's Wednesday evening on TSN.

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In light of all the nasty crap that's being said about our dirty oil, here's an event you should take in courtesy of Lakeland Industry and Community Association (LICA). Dr. Peter Silverstone will be presenting "World's Greenest Oil" Turning the Oil Sands from Black to Green. Mark your calendar for Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 7 p.m. out at Shaw House west of Bonnyville. Here's a poster on the event so you'll have all the info. (Just click on the image to see a larger version)
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Now, keeping in the same vein that I started yesterday I thought maybe a few helpful hints on getting that belt line back in shape might be welcomed so here goes.

3 Bad Diet Mistakes To Avoid At All Cost

Even though there is so much information available about weight loss, the same diet mistakes are being made over and over every day. We are not talking here about little slipups where you ate a slice of pie that was not on the plan, but big mistakes that lead to failure to lose the weight that you want to lose. Understanding these errors can help you develop the attitude that will lead to permanent weight loss for you.

1. The All Or Nothing Attitude

All or nothing dieters will often pick out a complicated diet that is almost impossible for them to maintain. Before beginning, they will search the kitchen for anything that does not fit the plan and throw it in the garbage. They are planning to be the perfect dieter, and so they will be, for one day, three days, seven days or even a couple of weeks. Then, inevitably, something happens that means they cannot keep to the diet one time. Immediately the whole thing is ruined in their eyes and the diet is over. They go to the store and buy all the things that went into the garbage last week and proceed to gain back all the weight that they lost, as fast as possible.

If you are this kind of dieter you need to ask yourself some tough questions. Do you really want to lose weight permanently, or just lose a few pounds so that you can enjoy putting them back on again? The way forward is to make small changes to what you eat so that you have a slow but steady weight loss.

2. The Attitude of Sacrifice

Another common mistake is to view your diet as a period of sacrifice. You do not allow yourself the foods that you enjoy most while you are on your way to your target weight. You may have a great diet plan and be very successful in losing weight, but what happens when you reach your goal? You have not learned to eat 'bad foods' in moderation so as soon as you start, you are likely to go out of control. It is better to include a little of everything in your diet and learn to enjoy it in small quantities. Yes, even chocolate!

3. Goal Failure

Setting achievable goals is vital in any weight loss plan. Goals should be clear, realistic and set out in writing. While you probably do have an ideal weight in your mind, unless you are only very slightly overweight it is probably too distant to be useful. A more useful goal would be to lose two pounds per week for the first five weeks and then one pound per week after that. Some weeks you will lose more and some less, some weeks you may even gain, but if you track your progress on a graph you will see that ups and downs are natural and do not stop you progressing steadily toward your major goal.

If you have been making these mistakes, do not worry. The most important point in dieting as in so many other things is to move on. Learn from your failures as well as your success and do not use a mistake as an excuse for giving up. The only way to achieve your goal permanently is to make a commitment to become a healthier person. Remember that eating normally includes eating more some days and less others. Learn to enjoy food in moderation and you have every chance of avoiding these bad diet mistakes.
Enjoy.

If you want to get notice of my updates just subscribe on the right column above and you'll automatically receive notice of new material I've added. Talk to you soon. Dave 

Happy New Year Everyone.

I hope you had a great break and that your plans for the new year are all in place. I've got some cool new stuff I'm going to be bringing to you so you might want to check back every day. I'm going to have a bunch of FREE helpful tips on everything from losing weight (yup I put on a few pounds too and want to take it off) to gardening tips, wedding planning ideas and checklists, fishing information or ways to start a business from your home. I'll even have tips on where to get the best deals on car rentals or cell phones or digital cameras.

In fact, here's one right now on skiing vacations.


Big Sky Ski Vacations

With all that Big Sky, Montana has to offer skiers, it
is amazing that so few know about its existence!
Known for its wide open slopes and short lift lines,
Big Sky Ski Resort has one of the largest lift served
vertical drops in the United States. Over 5300 acres
of ski slopes and trails await skiers, with over 33 feet
of snowfall each season.

Big Sky Ski Resort features twenty three lifts, 220
trails, and a 4350 foot vertical drop. The top elevation
is 11154 feet. Along with the ski lifts, there are also
two cable car lines available. While there are
beginner slopes, most of the slopes are geared
toward intermediate and expert skiers.

There are many places to lodge in Big Sky Resorts
Mountain Village, which rests at the foot of the
impressive Lone Peak mountain. Enjoy Sleigh Ride
dinners, ice skating, parties, snowmobile tours, and
a variety of community events. At Big Sky, there are
no strangers. Big Sky, Montana is one of the highest
rated Ski Resorts in the United States, and there is
something here for everyone.

Tomorrow we'll visit some crazy slopes in Alaska. Come on back Soon.

Hey if you like what you see or learn, let your friends know and join my True Fan team at the bottom of this page. Its Free and you could win points and prizes. Till next time. Enjoy. Dave