July 20, 1969: One Small Step … One Giant Leap …

Five more Apollo missions carried astronauts to the moon before the program ended in 1972. (There was to have been six, but Apollo 13’s mission ended in near disaster.) The last man to leave his footprint on the moon was Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan, on Dec. 14, 1972.

Considering that watching the moonwalks was one of the most exciting things I did in elementary school, I find it sad that we have a couple of generations going now, who never had that privilege. I hope that NASA, or even the private sector, can find a way to get there again soon.

Cream pie protests ‘thoroughly unacceptable,’ Calgary mayor says

The latest Alberta politician to be the target of a cream pie says he’s disappointed the dessert has become “the method of choice” of those who want to make a political statement.

I mean, really. These people could be coming after the politicians with guns. Instead it’s a pie in the face. I think it says something, something nice, about our political system, and our residents. The fact that you are having them charged with “assault with a weapon”... means that you don’t understand what a weapon actually is.

See… stampeding is dangerous!

Mechanical bull knocks Calgary man unconscious

A young Calgary man is in hospital with potentially life-threatening head injuries after an accident with a mechanical bull.

For those of you reading who don’t live in Calgary, or who have never come to the Calgary Stampede… “stampeding” is a verb, which refers to all the different kinds of fun activities, usually combined with consuming too much alcohol, that you can do while attending the Calgary Stampede.

I was reading my RSS feeds this morning, and I checked the weather forecast.  This is what I saw:



So… what exactly do you do with a forecast of “Floods”?

I can only hope that this will show up on the Canadian iTunes store, too. 

Meanwhile, vote with your wallets, people.  Make sure that the only conclusion that can be drawn from this is that people don’t want DRM, and will pay more to prove it.

EMI, Apple partner on DRM-free premium music | CNET News.com

EMI Group will soon sell digital music with better sound quality and no digital rights management restrictions through Apple’s iTunes Store.

Ontario removes video slot machines flashing winning images

Ontario’s provincial gambling operator has pulled 87 video slot machines out of service or physically removed them from its casinos after a CBC investigation found what appear to be subliminal messages flashing at players.

These guys think they know what the truth is.  Maybe they are right.  It is an interesting experiment, in any case.  ;-)

$5M to bring back ParticipACTION exercise program

The federal government pledged $5 million over two years Monday to renew ParticipACTION, the federal fitness-awareness campaign. Starting in the early 1970s, the non-profit agency encouraged Canadians to get fit. The program included a series of television ads that encouraged people of all ages to “keep fit and have fun.” The program ran for three decades, until its funding was cut in 2001. The federal government decided to renew ParticipACTION to help Canadians develop healthier lifestyles, said Secretary of State for Sport Helena Guergis. The focus is on kids 12 and younger, and groups at high risk, such as seniors, aboriginals and people with disabilities. The renewal of ParticiPACTION and a new website, www.HealthyCanadians.ca, were announced by Guergis, Health Minister Tony Clement and Public Works Minister Michael Fortier in Toronto and Montreal on Monday. “We all remember the ads … and so that’s the kind of thing we want to see happen again,” Clement said.

And I think that’s a good thing.  Canadians of all ages remember ParticipACTION.  My husband and I were just laughing over a ParticipACTION reference in a television show last week, and wondering how many Canadians would realize what a Canadian in-joke that was, and how many non-Canadians would even notice.  (And if you were wondering, it was on Stargate Atlantis).

Now, I guess that means setting up the exercise bike in the basement just became my evening priority…