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 | The al-manac: Walking in the weeds |
  Our family's Thanksgiving weekend tradition returned to the farm this year. This was also the first trip to the farm since renovations started last winter.
On Sunday morning we decided to walk around the perimeter of the farm, since I had never done it and no one else had done it in years. On our way back through the woods we spotted a clearing that had bright green plants growing in it. Upon inspection we found 24 marijuana plants planted in 5 gallon pails. It appeared that this wasn't the first year the gardeners had been at work either, since there were holes filled in in the next clearing too.
Dad remarked that he's probably the only judge in the province with pot growing on his land. At least now we know how the renovations were paid for!
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Posted by apayne on Wednesday, October 12 @ 12:48:55 EDT
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| The al-manac: Two opposing cases |
Two interesting legal cases made news this week. The first involves a former UN employee who successfully sued the Washington Post for libel in Ontario. The Judge in the libel suit wrote, "Those who publish via the Internet are aware of the global reach of their publications, and must consider the legal consequences in the jurisdiction of the subjects of their articles." The case is being appealed by a 52-member coalition of media firms who say the ruling was wrong, and limits free speech.
The other case concerns an Australian man who is to be extradited to the US for violating copy right laws. US courts claim Hew Raymond Griffiths is a ringleader of the pirate group DrinkOrDie, The interesting bit is that Mr. Griffiths is accused of committing crims in the US despite having never left Australia at the time.
Although the two cases are different countries, seeing how this plays out will be interesting. Media firms aim to prevent themselves from being held liable in other jurisdictions, while at the same time individuals are being held liable for violating laws in another jurisdiction.
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Posted by apayne on Saturday, March 12 @ 07:30:10 EST
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| The al-manac: First heavy snowfall leads to plow troubles |
 The first snowfall of the season was a couple of weeks ago, during which I spent 3.5 hours on the 401 doing what usually is a 40 minute trip. As anyone who's driven in snowy climates knows, the first snow forces everyone to relearn the basic skill of winter driving.
Today was the first heavy snowfall of the season. Drivers were generally confident and handling the roads well. Heavy snow brings our the plows though. Like parking authority officers, I think plow operators must derive a sense of twisted pleasure from their work.
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Posted by apayne on Friday, December 24 @ 02:14:47 EST
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| The al-manac: D-Rock discovers Catch 22 |
 GC mini-team D-Rock 'n Dad found a local cache this afternoon. The day was perfect for a walk in the park. The cache itself was an easy find - D managed to discover it himself once told what to look for.
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Posted by apayne on Sunday, October 03 @ 22:06:02 EDT
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| The al-manac: Russians in Iraq? |
 Asia Times Online has a story entitled When Grozny comes to Fallujah that talks about potential Russian involvement in Iraq. Colin, Cam, and I discussed the Iraq situation and the US desire to minimize civilian casualties back in May. The points then were that while it's a good thing that civilians harm is minimized, it makes the war almost unwinnable.
The Russians have shown themselves to be much less squeamish, and have been much more willing to risk civilian lives in battle. The dynamic of the war will definitely shift, since blood on American TV will be less of a defensive tool. Russia is much more willing to take a very tough stance against terror and rebellion, and are comfortable in the role of being feared instead of loved.
Still, one has to wonder if the venture is worth it for them. They already seem to be free to handle things as they see fit in their sphere. What other political favour could come from entering Iraq?
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Posted by apayne on Friday, September 03 @ 13:57:22 EDT
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| The al-manac: A Servant When He Reigneth |
 Jerry Pournelle posted a link to the Kipling peem A Servant When He Reigneth on hist site today, with a comment about limiting the scope of authority.
I was reminded of it again tonight as I watched some of the Cheney speech at the RNC, and noted the "Let Freedom Reign" signs being waved in the audience. The Americans have given up more of the freedoms that define them in the years since 9/11 than any terrorist would ever have imagined. I had to wonder if the people waving those signs had stopped to consider what they've given up?
Read on for the poem.
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Posted by apayne on Wednesday, September 01 @ 23:39:37 EDT
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| The al-manac: Paynes grow by one. |
 As Colin previously announced, he is the reigning champion of non-standard wagering, having taken the Payne Baby Pool with a correct predicton of July 4th for Nigel's arrival. Nigel was born after only 2 hours of real labour and weighed in at 9lbs 11oz. Tonight, the latest addition to our family arrived home after a week at Grandma and Grandpa's place where Allison recovered. Nigel has gained back his weight (they lose a bit after birth), and is doing well. Duncan has been great.
Visitors are welcome anytime.
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Posted by apayne on Saturday, July 10 @ 02:00:44 EDT
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| The al-manac: Dumb travels again |
D-Rock and I went on D's first Geocaching expedition today, and visited To Catch A Thief. We dropped off Dumb since he wants to head east, and our camping trip will be west of here.
Before heading out I checked my GPS settings because I was consistently 20m or so off from Cam on our previous geocaching adventures. Sure enough, I was using a different map datum setting than the Geocaches use. The GPS was much more accurate today, and having a compass helped get us right on target.
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Posted by apayne on Saturday, June 12 @ 13:42:46 EDT
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| The al-manac: WordPress blog |
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I've loaded up another 'blog application to play around with over at Payne's Playhouse. The al-manac will stay here though!
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Posted by apayne on Friday, May 28 @ 11:55:17 EDT
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| The al-manac: Free to become invisible |
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I spent the past weekend taking the Canada Safety Council motorcycle course at Durham College. Other than the weather (which I was dressed for), the weekend was a load of fun. I had some frustrations with stalling the first bike I started on each day, but was fine once I switched to another. The bikes liked the bitter cold even less than the riders.
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Posted by apayne on Monday, April 05 @ 19:44:53 EDT
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