Les Wikileaks...pour ou contre?

Depuis quelques temps, les journaux mentionnent que le site internet Wikileaks est sur le point de divulger de l'information très sensible sur les relations entre les États Unis et d'autres pays. Ces documents sont pour la plupart des notes et opinions que les É-U ont sur les autres pays et certaines sont entre deux pays et au sujet d'un troisième.

Si les relations internationales sont fondés sur des mensonges et des fausses promesses par les É-U, je crois que les Wikileaks sont bonnes et que ceux responsable de ces documents devraient être tenue responsable de leurs acts. Par contre, si les renseignements divulgués sont des informations sur des plans stratégique de défense ou des rapports d'intelligences sur la corruption d'un gouvernement quelconque, les délateurs devraient être emprisonné pour trahison envers leur pays.

C'est le point de vue d'un militaire (moi) loyal envers son pays mais pas au point à aller à l'encontre de la sécurité de mon pays et de ses représentants diplomatiques et militaires. Le peuple a le droit de savoir mais à quel prix? Une vie humaine c'est déjà trop coûteux.

Mon iMac

J'ai finalement mon iMac. Ma douce moitié m'a acheté un iMac 21.5 pouces et je suis comme un enfant avec une nouvelle bébèle. Je suis en train de découvrir comment partager les fichiers et m'assurer que tout ma music se transfère du notre Dell. Ce n'est pas si simple mais je vais y arriver.

A +

Sad and frustrating.

WINNIPEG - With a third crash victim still fighting for her life, final charges are still pending against the alleged drunk driver who slammed into a car full of friends in St. Vital early Sunday morning.

Police said Tuesday that an 18-year-old woman remained in critical condition, more than two days after the Pontiac Sunfire she was riding in was T-boned by a red Chevrolet Cavalier at the intersection of St. Mary’s Road and Bishop Grandin Boulevard.

Recent Dakota Collegiate grads Senhit Mehari, 19, and Amutha Subramaniam, 17, died in the hours after the crash, which happened shortly before 3 a.m. on Sunday. Two other victims in the Sunfire were treated and released with non-life threatening injuries.

The 17-year-old driver of the Cavalier, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, is facing numerous criminal charges, including driving impaired causing death and criminal negligence causing death. More charges may be added as the investigation continues, police repeated on Tuesday.

A life lesson

Have You Ever Danced?


An old prospector shuffled into town leading an old tired mule.

The old man headed straight for the only saloon to clear his parched throat.

He walked up and tied his old mule to the hitch rail. As he stood there, brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.

The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, "Hey old man, have you ever danced?"

The old man looked up at the gunslinger and said, "No, I never did dance... never really wanted to."

A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said, "Well, you old fool, you're gonna dance now," and started shooting at the old man's feet.

The old prospector --not wanting to get a toe blown off-- started hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet. Everybody was laughing, fit to be tied.

When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.

The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a double-barreled shotgun, and cocked both hammers.

The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air.

The crowd stopped laughing immediately.

The young gunslinger heard the sounds too, and he turned around very slowly. The silence was almost deafening.

The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old timer and the large gaping holes of those twin barrels.

The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man's hands, as he quietly said, "Son, have you ever licked a mule's ass?"

The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, "No sir..... but... I've always wanted to."

There are a few lessons for us all here:
Never be arrogant.
Don't waste ammunition.
Whiskey makes you think you're smarter than you are.
Always, always make sure you know who has the power.
Don't mess with old men, they didn't get old by being stupid.
I just love a story with a happy ending, don't you?

Présentation des élève à la première journée d'école.

Premier jour de classe *1er septembre... le directeur prend les présences des élèves. -"Mustapha El Ekhzeri" -"Présent" -"Achmed El Cabul" -"Présent" -"Kadir Sel Ohlmi" -"Présent" -"Mohammed Endahrha" -"Présent" -" Ala In Ben Oit" Silence. -" Ala In Ben Oit" La classe demeure silencieuse. - Pour la dernière fois: " Ala In Ben Oit". Soudain un garçon dans la dernière rangée se lève et dit au directeur: - C'est moi, mais ça se prononce: Alain Benoit.

Les occasions de randonnées sont comptées.

Encore une belle petite randonnée de moto avec les Boyz ce soir. On se rencontre à 6h00PM à un Tim Horton, on prend un p'tit café et 6h30PM les moteurs sont en marche et on roule. Ça fait deux randonnées du jeudi que je suis chef de route. Je choisi toujours une route sinueuse le long de la rivière Rouge au sud de la ville. C'est généralement une distance de 60 à 80 km pour les randonnées de soir la semaine. Les fins de semaines, nos distances sont plus autours de 200km par jours.

J'aime bien ces rencontres, ça change le mal de place puis les gars sont différents de ceux avec qui je travail à tous les jours. En tout cas on découvre le Manitoba rurale et c'est intéressant.

A+

Chuck

Tweaked my bike exhausts

I was wondering how I could get the nice rumble of a Vance & Hines or Cobra exhausts without dropping $600 on my bike. Well I found the secret online. Drill out the baffle from the back of the exhaust and voilà. All it cost me was a 1 1/4 inch hole bit with a 12 inch extension for my drill and it was done. The rumble is deep at low revs but loud and throaty at high revs. I know the decibel level is still within limits but around cops I still keep it low.

I like the sound of my new bike and so far no apparent loss of power or fuel consumption. A few putt putts when I coast to a stop but that was happening before it just was quieter.

Salut.

Encore!

Ce n'était pas seulement que de la chance lorsque j'ai joué 79 lundi dernier. J'ai joué 78 aujourd'hui dans un tournoi du commandant de la base sur le terrain de Carman. Nous étions 96 golfeurs, il faisait froid et un vent de 25 à 30 kmh. Le parcour est seulement 5773 vgs, par 71 avec une slope de 109 et un rating de 67.8 mais il fallait quand même bien jouer pour briser 80. J'étais à 39 sur les premiers 9 trous mais nous avions commencé en shot gun donc du 16ième trous au 6ième. Et 39 sur les 9 derniers trous. Sur la carte c'est 36 front et 42 back mais je suis conscient que le 39 et 39 est plus réaliste. J'ai terminé 4ième derrière deux 73 et un 74.

Le pire dans tous ça c'est que l'hiver sera super long et qu'au printemps ma game ne sera pas aussi bonne.

Salut.

I finally broke 80.

We played QuarryOaks golf course in Steinbach Manitoba. It was 5672 yds (whites) par 72 with a slope of 122 and a rating of 70. It was an 0800 round, the temperature was 5 degC and the sun was out but clouds were rolling in. Doug Chess, Alex Lloyd, Sam Marcotte and yours truly. I shot 41 on the front with wet greens and a little bit of wind. The worst was the temperature and the fact that my back was stiff for a few holes. Double bogey, par, bogey, bogey was my start. 5 x bogeys and a Birdie after nine. The back nine was a lot windier and the sun was gone (temp 12DegC). 3 x bogeys and one Birdie on the back for a 38. I still have a grin on my face because I came close a few times in the last two years but ended up with an 80. This time, I finished 18 with a bogey for a 79.

QuarryOaks is one of the most difficult courses for me because you need to drive very good and put with the right weight (greens are stinking fast). I did all that today and was rewarded. This brought my handicap down from 15.1 to 14. Now I need to know if I can do this again, and again, and again... I'm playing Meadows tomorrow and I've never played it so we'll see.

Salut!

Chuck

Ride for Dad Cross Country tour rolls into Wing

Major Charles Halikas, Deputy Commandant of the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Studies, leads a group of military members on the 2010 Ride for Dad Cross Country Tour as it passes through Winnipeg and the Wing. (Photo: Sgt B Mcleod)

17 WING WINNIPEG, Man. � Gleaming chrome and a crescendo of revving engines signaled the arrival of the 2010 Motorcycle Ride for Dad at 17 Wing Winnipeg on Wednesday, the 18^th of August.

Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) motorcycle officers plus support vehicles escorted approximately forty motorcycles as they thundered north on Wihuri Road and into the Wing Recreation Centre complex parking lot where the riders thanked the Wing, WPS, and the sponsors of the Ride for Dad for their assistance and support.

Master of Ceremonies Wayne Rostad of CBC television�s On the Road Again fame enthusiastically informed the assembled riders, media, and spectators about the goals of the tour. The Ride for Dad Tour began when Gary Jens of Ottawa lost a close friend to prostate cancer. The tour now promotes awareness and raises money for two causes, prostate cancer and the Military Families Fund and General (Retired) Rick Hillier is one of the co-chairs of the Ride.

Colonel Yvan Boilard, 17 Wing Commander, gave a short welcoming speech to the tour, followed by Winnipeg Police Chief Keith McCaskill, and various sponsors. Mr. Rostad thanked the Wing Commander for providing the beautiful sunny weather in Winnipeg.

Following the ceremony and a brief lunch, the riders departed the Wing for their next stop on their cross-country odyssey, Brandon.

Un autre réserviste qui voulait servir son pays...mais à quel prix?

Le Caporal Brian Pinksen 21 ans faisait parti du 2ième Bataillon Royal Newfoundland Regiment à Corner Brook, Terre Neuve. Il est le 152ième militaire à donner sa vie en Afghanistan.

Son rêve était de servir au sein des Forces Canadiennes. Il voulait faire sa part en Afghanistan et faire parti d'un bataillon de la Force régulière (le RCR) en tant que réserviste. Avec seulement deux années dans la milice, il a eu ce qu'il voulait. Une promotion acceleré à Cpl pour un déploiement en théâtre opérationel. Durant une patrouille, un engin explosive improvisé lui a causé plusieurs blessures aux membres et aux organes internes. Ils l'ont évacué à l'hôpital sur le camp de Kandahar et après quelques jours, ils l'ont envoyé en Allemagne pour continuer les opérations médicales. Sa mère est allée le rejoindre et il est mort devant elle 8 jours après l'accident.

Il est le 17ième réserviste à mourir au combat. Ce n'est que 11% des décès mais c'est plus que le pourcentage de réservistes vs réguliers en théâtre. J'ai commencé ma carrière dans les forces canadiennes comme réserviste dans l'infantrie il y a 23 ans. Je dois dire que j'aurais aussi voulu aller en Afghanistan pour servir mon pays mais après avoir vu ce qui se passe là bas, ce n'est pas un choix à prendre à la légère. Si on se joint aux forces canadiennes comme réserviste, c'est parce que on a des ambitions de faire quelque chose d'autre dans le future et la réserve est un moyen de gagner de l'argent comme n'importe quel autre mais avec un peu plus d'action. Pourquoi risquer de tout perdre si ce n'est pas notre choix de carrière pour la vie? J'ai choisi de transfèrer dans la régulière parce que je voulais faire ça le reste de ma vie. Je ne crois pas que c'est ce que Brian avait comme intention.

Nous devont nous assurer que notre jeune génération fasse le choix d'aller à la guerre avec le plus d'information possible et que ce choix soit fait en accèptant que leur vie n'est plus la leur mais plutôt celle d'un guerrier Taliban qui joue à la lotterie avec des explosifs.

Dort en paix Brian, tu es un héro à mes yeux... mais ce sont tes parents qui souffrent à présent.

Chuck

The CN Canadian Women's Open

Wow! What an outstanding opportunity to see these girls in action. Today Nath and I got to see the 3rd round of the Canadian Open at the St-Charles Golf and Country Club. By the way, I now know why this is a very select (and expensive) club. The course was absolutely immaculate for golf. They used two of the three nines and boy was it challenging for the girls. Only 6500yds (Blue tees) compared to 7200yds+ for the guys but they were hard yards to play.

It rained pretty much all day but we got to walk around all morning and see some tee off and puts. When my favorite Michelle Wie teed off we were about 10ft away. She has the most natural swing I have ever seen. After she got under way, we went back to our Marquee Suite by the 18th green (gracieuseté de Procurity at $25,000) where we were shielded from the rain and saw every one come in for their finishing hole while having food and drinks on the house. It was a 420yd PAR 4 with two very nasty trees on either side of the fairway and a ditch at the 300yd point. Lots of Bogeys but also a few nice Birdies. Only one girl drove over the ditch and birdied the hole because of a beautiful pitch shot within 3ft.

All in all this was a memorable day that made me realize that I would have to be in a wheel chair or something very bad would have to happen for me to stop playing golf. I bought lots of goodies to remember this event, and the golf course because unless Nath's Boss ever invites me, I would have to be able to pay $25,000 for a share plus annual membership and I don't really have that lying around these days.

Until the next post, see ya!

Chuck

CN Canadian Women Open

Yeyyyyyy!

Samedi le 28 août 2010 je serai assis dans une tente VIP au 18e troue du CN Canadian Women Open. Et oui, Nathalie s'est fait offrir deux billets par sa compagnie pour la journée du samedi. J'ai vraiment hâte de voir les filles en action.

Je vous en redonne des nouvelles.

Chuck

Prairie Regional Golf Championship in Cold Lake Alberta

So I made the 17 Wing Golf Team to participate in the Prairie Regional Championship in Cold Lake Alberta. We traveled Saturday 17 July to Saskatoon and played a championship course called Dakota Dunes. It's an amazing links style golf course that had just hosted the Canadian Championship the week before. We played from the Gold tees 6800yds which was not the longest but the second longest. I shot 90 and was blown away. Sunday we arrived in Cold Lake and played the base course to check it out before the official practice round Monday. The tournament was Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with travel back Friday to Regina and Saturday to Winnipeg. All in all, it was a challenging course from the blue tees at 6565yds and we fared pretty good. The team finished third out of eight teams and only 3 points behind the first and two behind second. The officials cancelled the third round midway because of sever thunderstorms and lightning. We would have won the championship had we been able to finish the third round. Oh well! Maybe next year. My two rounds were 91 and 87 and my 87 counted on the second day. The way it works is if you have a team of 5 men and 1 woman, you count your top 4 men and the woman but because not all teams had a woman, they didn't count the women's scores for team standing. We only had 5 guys so one of us did not count and it was me the first day and Doug the second. He shot an 87 also but we took my score;-)

I hope I make the team next year because this was an outstanding opportunity to play golf competitively and be paid to do it. It felt like being on tour.

Cheers!

Home sweet home!

Et oui nous sommes de retour au pays. Arrivé hier soir 23:30. Pas dormi de la nuit mais c'est pas grâve. je repars demain matin pour un tournoi de golf régional à Cold Lake en Alberta. Encore dans mes valises pour une semaine. Un gros sacrifice pour jouer au golf toute la semaine.

Merci à tous d'avoir suivi nos aventures.

Chuck et ses Princess

8ième journées à Londres

Aujourd'hui nous avons eu la plus belle visite de notre voyage. Nous sommes allés au Château Windsor, la résidence de la Reine. Elle considère le Palais Buckingham son office et Windsor sa maison. Nous avons vraiment visité les appartements royaux et la chapelle St-George ou plusieurs Rois et Reines dont Henri VIII et Elizabeth I ont été enterrés. C'est le plus vieux château médiéval encore habité en Angleterre (je crois que le guide a dit au monde mais on est pas certain). Le père de la Reine Elizabeth II, le Roi George VI, a décidé de changer leur nom de famille à Windsor parce qu'il avait un nom de famille allemand (Mountbatten je crois) et il ne voulais pas régner avec un nom allemand. Il a pris le nom de Windsor parcequ'il habitait au château du même nom. Le Prince Charles porte le nom de famille Whales (Galles en français) parce que le Prince héritier est toujours Prince de Galles. Ses fils William et Harry (Henri) portent aussi le nom Whales. Juste un peu d'histoire pour vous.

Demain c'est le départ a 15h20 (heure de Londres) et on arrive à Winnipeg vers 23h30 (heure de Winnipeg) avec environ quatre heures d'attente à Montréal de 17h50 à 21h40.

On se reparle plus tard.

Jour 7 à Londres

Je m'étais trompé dans mon compte de jours et nous sommes vraiment le 7ième jour du voyage.

Pas grand chose de nouveau aujourd'hui mais nous avons visité la maison de Charles Dickens le créateur de plusieurs livres (Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield,...). et c'était très bien. Du magasinage pour le reste de la journée. Nous avons réservé un troisième voyage pour demain. Nous allons visiter "Windsonr Castle", le chalet de la Reine. Elle habite là les fins de semaines et durant ses vacances. C'est un vrai Château et nous avons vraiment hâte de le visiter.

Bonne fin de journée à tous.

Jour 5 à Londres

Salut à tous.

Aujourd'hui un deuxième tour guidé. Nous sommes allé à Salisbury voir la Cathédrale. Elle a été construite dans les années 1200-1300 et elle est encore très fonctionnelle. Ensuite nous avons visité Stonehenge, un site de cinq mile ans qui est un calendrier solaire et lunaire. Le troisième et dernier arrêt (et le plus beau) était la ville Romaine de Bath. Nous avons visités des bains Romains datant de 50AD. La ville, d'environ 190,000 personnes, était une des plus belle que j'ai vu dans tous mes voyages. Les buildings étaient fait de "limestone" doré.

Retour en ville à 19h00, souper et un peu de télé avant le dodo. Demain, ce sera une journée légère avec une visite de la maison de Charles Dickens et du magasinage à Harrods.

Bonne nuit.

4 ième journée à Londres

On croyait avoir de la pluie et du temps frais aujourd'hui. Du moins c'est ce qu'ils annoncaient mais les météorologistes Britanniques sont aussi poches qu'au Canada. Il a fait environ 27Deg et beau soleil.

Journée débute au Shakespeare Globe Theatre. Superbe tour qui met en perspective la vie sociale des gens du 16ième siècle. Le theatre contenait environ 3000 personnes et il est à ciel ouvert. On a pu voir comment les paysants et l'aristocratie étaient traîtés. Ensuite une visite de la prison "Clink", la plus vieille de Londres. Les moyens de torture étaient très impressionnants. Notre visite finale de la journée fût les Donjons de Londres. Wow! 1h30 super éducative et c'était ce que nous avions besoin pour comprendre l'histoire de Londres à l'ère Elizabethan (1500-1600).

Petite marche devant la "Westminster Abbey" mais ce n'était pas ouvert aux visites le dimanche. Ensuite on a relaxé dans un parc jusqu'au souper et maintenant nous sommes assis devant la TV pour la finale de la coupe du monde (19:30).

Demain, visite guidé au Zellers Britannique aussi connu sous le nom de Stonehenge, Salisbury et Bath, un village Romain.

à suivre...

Jour 4 à Londre

Encore une journée de 30 degrées et ensoleillé. Levé un peu tard mais c'est ok parceque notre après-midi fût très occupée. Nous sommes allés au London Bridge et avons visité le pont et son histoire très intéressante et épeurante. La visite des catacombes de Londres et l'histoir du pont est faite avec de vrais acteurs et le tout est sous le pont dans les grottes. Petit fait d'histoire, le pont a été vendu à un américain en 1971. Il l'a demonté et remonté en Arizona. Le pont actuel est assez neuf. Nous sommes ensuite allé au London Tower Bridge et nous l'avons vu ouvrir. Chose qui, on nous dis, est généralement rare parceque les bateaux trop grands pour passer ne peuvent aller sous les autres ponts donc ils traversent celui là et doivent s'accoster quelque part ou retourner d'ou ils viennent. Le dernier pont visité est le Millenium Bridge qui est un pont de piétons et celui qui apparait dans le 6ième film de Harry Potter et le Prince au Sang Mêlé au début du film.

Demain, levé tôt et autobus j'usque qu'au Donjons de Londre. Ensuite une visite du Shakespeare Globe theatre ou il a fait tous ses pièces de théâtre. Dans l'après-midi c'est ouvert à toutes les option...du !@#$%? de magasinage.

Salut.

Chuck

Troisième journée à Londre.

Salut à tous.

Il fait 30Deg C depuis qu'ont est arrivé et c'est super. Aujourd'hui une journée super occupé. Nous sommes allez faire notre premier tour organisé. La compagnie est soso mais nous avons vue beaucoup.

Première arrêt à Westminster Abbey pour photos seulement et ensuite nous avons marché devant le Big Ben, le parlement, la maison du PM (White Hall) et nous avons visité un musé et les baraques militaires de la Household Cavalry. Ensuites nous avons été voir le changement de la guarde royal au palais Buckingham, un diner au Covent Garden et l'après-midi fût un peu plus occupé. La tour de Londre (c'est vraiment un château mediéval) ou pratiquement tous les souverain on habités pendant 600 ans. C'est là que la guarde personnel de la Reine habitent. Ils s'appelent les Beefeaters (comme la boisson). Dans l'enceinte du château nous avons vue les "Crown Jewels" dans une voutes asser sécuritaire. Nous avons ensuite pris un bateau pour se rendre au London Eye (la grande roue). Une vue superbe de Londre en 360 degrées.

J'ai inclue un photo sur mon blog mais si vous voulez savoir de quoi je parle, Google vous montrera un photo de chaque.

Demain, journée relaxe. Musée Charles Dickens, magasinage (encore!@#$$%%) et peut-être le London Tower Bridge ou le Dongeon.

Deuxième journée à Londre

Aujourd'hui, on a commencé vers 10:00 pour récupérer notre someille. Nous sommes allé au musé de Madame Tussaud et c'était super bon. La file d'attente était 1h30 mais le tout en vallait la peine. On a beaucoup de photo. Ensuite une petite visite à la maison de Sherlock Holmes au 221b Baker St. Bob, I got you a little something because it struck me like something you would really like as soon as I saw it.

Pour finir la journée, les filles on magasiné un peu (beaucoup).

Demain, le tour guidé de Londre.

A+

Première journée à Londre

Première journée presque terminé.

Yééé! J'ai reçu ma valise ce soir donc pas besoin de mettre le même linge demain. J'ai acheté un t-shirt après-midi au cas ou.

Ce fût une journée de découvertes. Nous étions excité mais aussi très fatigué parce que Kim a été malade dans l'avion toute la nuit et elle nous a tenu réveillé.

Nous sommes allés au Palais Buckingham et on a marché dans le Piccadilly Circus et visité quelques boutiques. On s'est assis dans le gazon du parc St-James en face du palais et c'était bien. Retour à la chambre pour un petit repos et mettre notre petite épicerie au frigo. Nous sommes sortie vers 18:30 pour aller souper. C'est là qu'ont a découvert une coutume Britannique. Les Pubs/restos ne servent pas de soupé après 18:00 et deviennent des bars ou les gens boivent mais ne mangent pas. On a trouvé un resto Hollandais qui spécialise de crêpes géantes. Leçon apprise...souper avant 18:00.

Il est 20:50 mercredi le 7 et on relax en regardant le match Espagne vs Allemagne.

D'autres nouvelles demain.

on our way

we are in Ottawa and about to board for London. kim's nose is bleeding again and Nath is being the mother hen again. talk to you again from across the pond.

The Queen's visit to Winnipeg

It was quick but worth it. The Queen visited Winnipeg today. She spent around 6 hours in the city and amid all her engagements, she wanted to walk through a path lined with Afghanistan Veterans. That's where I was today at 17:30. It was very hot and muggy but I was five feet away from Her Majesty and His Royal Highness. What a great opportunity. No matter what people say about the Monarchy, I still think that it's cool to have it around and as a history buff, I know that we were conquered by the British and if it weren't for the ruler at the time and the situation in the US, every single Canadian including those from Quebec would be speaking English. The only difference, is that Quebec would have become the 14th Colony and would now be an American State. Try to keep the French there I say. When Wolf defeated Montcalm, Québec was conquered. The number of French peasants was so great that the British could not control them and because the Americans were actively recruiting in Québec to help in the civil war 10 years after the Battle of the Plains, the British government decided to allow the French to keep their customs, religious beliefs and language to prevent an exodus or alliance with the Americans. The separatist don't want to admit it but it is true that Québec would be American today if it hadn't been for that.

Anyway, I'm not a true monarchist by any stretch of the imagination but I still get pretty impressed by the royal family. It was nice to be so close. I can now say I saw the Queen and Prince in person twice in my life. Maybe this is her last visit to Canada and I'm glad to have been part of it.

Salut.

It all came crumbling down at mile 14.

So I'm running with the 4-hour pace bunny and all is going well. At the half way mark, we are at 1:57 so all is looking good for a 4-hour race which is all I was hoping for. My first marathon was a 4:18 so my goal was to do better but if I could be close to 4 hours then I was going to be very happy.

As the title says, it all came crumbling down at mile 14. Mr Intestinal Tract decided to go to work and I began having huge intestinal cramps that forced me to stop not once, not twice but four times to the portapotty to relieve the pain...and dehydrate myself even more. The worst was that the toilets were located at the marathon relay exchanges and all the portapotties had huge lineups of people who had completed their own part of the run so none were reserved for those of us who needed to keep going. That made it even worst because on top of the wait and the clock still ticking away, I had to wait there in agony trying to not soil myself.

This little trip to hell repeated itself 3 more times and at one point I had to go 4 miles with cramps before I could find a toilet. So the second half of my marathon was completed in 2:49 for a finish time of 4:46. This was 28 minutes slower than my first and I know I spent that much time waiting and ...dehydrating. Oh! Well! At least I finished it. I walked a lot in the second half but I'm still happy I completed my second full marathon. I'm now at 10 half marathons and 2 fulls in three years of running. I will keep doing halfs and probably do one more full but somewhere else. I need to see a different course and different medal/t-shirt.

The lesson learned here is no matter how hard you train and how fast you are, your body has the last word on how you are going to do and you must respect that. If you want a great example, Google Paula Radcliffe from the UK and see what she did at the 2004 Olympics.

Back to the training runs to prepare for my next temporary moment of insanity.

Cheers!

The big M is coming next weekend.

Oh Boy! I'm not ready for this race at all. I ran 13K today at lunch and almost passed out. I felt dizzy and hot. I think I've got symptoms of Asthma because after about 9-10K I begin to wheeze for air and it feels like my lungs are not getting replenished. The temps was about 25Deg C and with a slight tail wind, I was overheating in the last 3K.

This 42K run will be a test of my willpower because I have not put in the quantity of miles I need to ensure a 4-hour finish time. I think I'll be a little longer than my first Marathon. As long as I finish on my own steam I'll be happy.

I keep asking myself what have I gotten myself into? I'll be answering when I cross the finish line.

Chuck

Sons of Anarchy

What a great TV series. Nath and I recently finished viewing the first two seasons of the series Sons of Anarchy. It's about a California based Motorcycle Club who's main source of revenues is gun smuggling. They operate in a quiet town call Charming in which they take great pain in keeping free of drugs, prostitution and other gangs who are trying to exploit this virgin territory. A few known actors mostly C and D-list but in this series, they quickly become A-list because you can't help but fall in love with every little side story. I found myself grinning throughout the series as I truly enjoyed the way they portray the inner-workings of an old, well established MC.

It is a great series that will leave you wanting more after you had your viewing marathon. Yep that's right. You can't just watch one episode per night. It is always three or four and that's because we had to work or do things the next day. I would have watched this from start to finish if it hadn't been for work.

I don't know yet when season 3 will come out but this is a definite "must see" in this household.

Enjoy it. I'm sure you can figure out how to get it.

Chuck

The 2nd Annual Air Force Run

So it was rainy, windy and a little cool when we lined up for our respective races. I, the Half Marathon and my daughter Stéphany a 10Km. With very little training since my Winnipeg Police Services Half Marathon of May 2nd and Stéphany's one or two training runs this year, we were not very optimistic that we would finish with a good time. I guess the body responds in mysterious ways because Steph put in her fastest time of 1:10 which is 7min/km and faster than any other race or practice runs she has done. Bravo ma grande!

I ran my half in 1:51:32 and as it turns out, it is my second best time for a half marathon. My best was in Kandahar, Afghanistan at 1:51:24. Had I known I was that close I would have pushed a little more although I was pretty much out of gas by the time I hit the finish line. I really need to train better for these things. The thing I'm most proud though is that this race was my 10th half marathon since I ran my first one in 2006 and none in 2007. I think I might run one more this year on top of the Manitoba Full Marathon on 20 June. Three Half per year is enough because I ran five last year and was pretty beat at the end. I'm feeling my 40 year old body after a race but I also have never been this healthy in my life.

I will run and race until my body decides I can't anymore. Hopefully it won't be for another 30+ years. This is tough but sooooo rewarding.

Salut.

Lots of lungs but no legs.

Yep! I had no problems with my oxygen intake capacity when I ran the Winnipeg Police Services Half Marathon this past Sunday. In fact I think I was probably 20 pulse per minute slower than my 85% . My problem was the legs. I did not put sufficient KMs in training to allow my leg muscles the proper conditioning for 21.1Kms. My hip flexors and the rest of the joints in my legs were having difficulty functioning after about 14Kms which happens to be the longest run I did this year due to a little encounter with some four-legged furry friends of the barking nature. Anyway, I ran with my friend Jennifer who also did not put enough miles on her legs to be able to keep a fast pace. She was also recovering from a bad couple of weeks of sinus infection so she had a good excuse. Me, I was just lazy. This was my 9th Half Marathon race and I knew I could finish it no matter what so I didn't force myself to run like I should have. I do these for fun and with a 2:00 finish time I'm happy. My next race is going to be the Air Force Run on 30 May and that too is a Half Marathon. I will try to do better. I must keep training and be more disciplined because on Father's day I'm running the Manitoba Marathon and it will be my second full. This distance I cannot take for granted that I will finish. A full 26mile marathon needs preparation even if you plan on walking. The wall awaits you around mile 19 and even if you plan on walking, cramps and the infamous lactic acid build up can stop you dead in your tracks.

This race distance should never be underestimated. Even pros know to respect the 26.2 distance. The best example of this is Paula Radcliff from UK during the summer Olympics. Find her on Google and you'll see.

Talk to you soon.

Chuck

I joined the CAV.

No not the cavalry. The Canadian Army Veteran motorcycle unit. It's a group of veterans who have decided 7 years ago to get together to Ride their motorcycles and have Fun. My formation is the 1st CAV (central Canada) and my unit in Winnipeg is Dieppe from the great battle in France that cost Canadians so many lives due to poor Intelligence and tactics. A major failure in command but I digress.

I've met one member so far and spoke to my unit president on the phone. They seemed super nice and very welcoming. I will meet them this week for coffee and maybe will receive my 1st CAV patch as well. I'm anxious to ride with these guys. It'll be nice to ride with someone for a change.

More to follow after my first meeting with the Prez Des.

Am'I ready for a Half Marathon?

Well, I've been training for 6 weeks now and although I haven't put in anywhere close the the miles I should have according to my training program, I feel I'm ready to run 21Km in two hours or less. Last Friday, on our way to the lake, Nath dropped me off 18Kms away and I ran in. Unfortunately some coyotes thought I smelled good and decided to follow me to see if I'd make a good meal. I started my run a little late and by the time I had 12Km done it was too dark and the coyotes were about 100 to 200ft to my right following me in the field. Since I could not see very well anymore and they were sounding a little more close I decided to call Nath for a pick up. She got to me at Km 14 so I never got to do the whole 18Km but it was still a good run with a little bit of adrenalin boost in the end.

On a different note, during our return trip Sunday, we saw a tornado touch the ground about a mile south of the highway we were travelling on. I was towing the trailer so it was a little unnerving trying to get out of the way and beyond the reach of the storm cloud that produced that tornado. It lifted from the ground less than a mile away from the road and we were clear the rest of the way. Another little boost of adrenalin for yours truly this weekend.

Back the the running, I ran a quick 6K today at lunch. It took 31 mins and I had an 87 sec negative split so I'm happy I can still push hard. Heart rate only went up to 180bpm but then I averaged 150bpm on the outbound 3K so I could have pushed a little more. My only concern for the half is the total distance on the legs. I have not run more than 14Km this year because of my abs (groin) injury and the "frickin" coyotes. Last week I went with my boss to run hills at a place called garbage hill here in Winnipeg. I guess it used to be a landfill but now it's a beautiful park on a grassy hill with a paved road that goes up to the top and then a gravel trail down the other flank. From one side to the other, it's 700 meters so an out and back is 1.4Km. We did seven (7) repeats plus a warm up of 1.5Km around the entire park. That 11.3Km was the best training I've had in a long time. My legs were burning but it was a good burn that will allow me to get more out of them when the time comes on my half marathons and the full Manitoba marathon in June.

That's it for now. I'll write again after the Winnipeg Police Half Marathon this coming Sunday May 2nd. Wish me luck.

Le printemps est excellent...jusqu'à date.

Nous avons le printemps le plus beau que j'ai vu depuis notre arrivé au Manitoba en 2002. Les températures journalières sont entre 15 et 23 degrés Celcius. Le matin en allant travailler en moto c'est un peu frais (4 deg C) mais avec un bon cache cou et des gants chaud ça se "tuff" bien. Au retour vers 16:30 - 17:00 c'est super confortable et je préfère de loin voyager en moto dans la circulation d'heure de pointe que dans mon camion. Ma musique de iPod me tient compagnie et le plein air est très ravigotant après une journée au bureau. Si la ville peut terminer de nettoyer les rues, ça sera encore mieux parce que présentement on doit faire très attention au coin de rue et en tournant à cause du sable.

Cette semaine c'est un peu occupé avec un cours de cuisine grecque (Kim et moi), rencontre pour les finissants et quelques autre obligations. Vendredi soir nous allons nous échapper au chalet et travailler un peu sur le terrain et le nettoyage du printemps. J'ai hâte.

D'autres nouvelles plus tard. Salut.

What is a REDNECK?

A REDNECK is a white person of lower socio-economic status in the United States and Canada.

But why REDNECK?

The most common American usage, referring to the poor rural white Southerner, probably derived from individuals having a red neck caused by working outdoors in hot sun...men who work in the field, as a matter of course, generally have their skin burned red by the sun, and especially is this true of the back of their necks".

OK! So that clarifies it a bit but I don't see the derogatory side of it. You're outside in the sun all day..you get a sunburn in the back of your neck and people make fun of you and the fact that you worked hard all day and barely made any money. What kind of people would do that I ask myself.

So again a REDNECK is someone of lower socio-economic status so I dug a little deeper to figure this out.

A family's socioeconomic status is based on family income, parental education level, parental occupation, and social status in the community (such as contacts within the community, group associations, and the community's perception of the family).

Also,

Socioeconomic status is typically broken into three categories, high SES, middle SES, and low SES to describe the three areas a family or an individual may fall into. When placing a family or individual into one of these categories any or all of the three variables (income, education, and occupation) can be assessed.

All right then! I was affraid I was going to fall in that category and have people call me a REDNECK. I mean.. I'm white and that fits the profile, I burn easily so when I play golf I have to put some sun screen on my neck but I'm not the only one in my foursome who has to do that. Other than that, my wife and I make a shitload of money, we are both university educated and are both professionals in our field. We are constantly rubbing elbows with the business professionals and wealthy community of Winnipeg and Manitoba through various charity dinners and silent auctions. My kids are straight A students and know exactly what they want to accomplish in the future. Oh! I almost forgot, they also were both published authors at the age of 14.

I'm glad I had a look at what the word REDNECK meant because for a minute there I thought I could labelled as one.

Now I'm even more proud to be a French Canadian who is fluent in English and has had the opportunity to travel the country and the world to be better informed about the various cultural, religious and political differences out there.

Fiew!