JohnF

Having burned out quite a bunch I'm inclined to agree with you. I used to just drill out the holes in the burners on my cheapos (to even up the heat) until they would drill no more. Or until the bottom of the unit collapsed. Mayhap we should just buy cheapies and replace 'em every few years. JF

So, at the risk of sounding like the compleat consumer and forgeting about price, what's the very best BBQ to buy in Ontario these days, bar none? I do all the family cooking. My kitchen stove cost over $3,000 but I still do most of my cooking outdoors. It's only logical that the BBQ should be my bigger investment. My current unit is a Beefeater made in Australia but I'm not knocked out by it. It's ok but I think it could be a lot better for $700+. I'd be happy to lay out more if the durned thing would give me what I want (even heat distribution, rust resistance, etc) I really like the charcoal idea for flavour, but I use the BBQ way too much to wait for coals to prep for cooking every day. What I want in a unit is even heat distribution, corrosion resistance in the burners, grilles and drip tray, natural gas burners, a good igniter (or no igniter at all), some kind of insulation and a deflector for slow cooking, a decent rotisserie, perhaps even a smoker option if that's not asking too much. Mebbe we need to put our heads (and money) together and develop a really good BBQ for these northern climes. Surely we have the skills, equipment, and expertise to match with our BBQing experience and expectations to build the better (best?) BBQ. I can see a dual fuel unit that will work on gas or charcoal depending on how much time you have to play. A smoker option isn't out of the question either. Any inventive (and inclined to metal fabrication) souls out there ready for the challenge? I have a neighbour who'd probably do the welding. I'm sure he could weld marshmallows to Walleyes if need be (he does tricksy welding for aerospace engineering) and he loves to cook in the back yard (as long as beer is involved). Send me your thoughts. I'd be willing to spend a little money to have him weld up some of them to see if they work. Of course buying the best BBQ would be much simpler but so far I haven't found the perfect one. JF

So you can cook steaks faster than Bob Villa???? JF

There's your answer. JF

That's a simple question with a complicated answer. There are many reasons why our young men and women do this war thing. - Because they want to make the world a better place - To live up to the expectations (or orders) of others - For the pay cheque - Because somebody has to do it - Because they come from a country whose citizens have higher expectations of what life should be like - As a stepping stone to a promotion in the military - To feed their sense of adventure - As an alternative to the way things are at home - to protect their home, family and country from the kind of trouble that so many of our world's countries experience each day There are lots of reasons for it, some selfish, some altruistic, but generally it all boils down to one thing - as long as there are threats to our way of life, here and abroad, flawed as it may be, we're lucky that there are folks willing to step up, whatever their motivation. This war stuff has been going on for years and years and years, the young and the able stepping up to defend our principles and to help our friends. We can only pray that the day will come when they won't have to put their lives on the line any longer. But don't hold yer breath. Don't, like so many did during Vietnam, ever blame these young folks for the silliness of the politicians. Them we only suffer. They're our cross to bear. To those who fight we should show nothing but appreciation. They aren't accomplices. They don't make the wars. They just fight 'em. God bless 'em and their families, whatever their motivation, and God forbid any of my grandchildren ever have to put themselves out there in harm's way. JF

As someone else said already - one never knows when business or pleasure will present the next opportunity for international travel, so why be unprepared? We North Americans are among the most affluent and internationally mobile of all of the world's societies, so it only seems logical to have a current passport for whatever travel opportunity presents itself. I'd sure hate to miss out on a great trip just because I hadn't bothered to renew my passport. Besides, we only truly get to appreciate how lucky we are when we visit other countries. Canada just keeps looking better & better when you travel a bit. JF

One quick dip in that freezing water would put all thoughts of romance out of my mind. JF

I know what you mean. I guess I'm not bright enuf to be a flyfisherperson. Too dang many pockets to remember where each little thingy resides. JF

Our world is ever shrinking. Passports are just one more must have. JF

Not much point in agonizing over it right now. We might as well wait until we know how it's really gonna nail us, then show our appreciation at the polls. I'm sure if it's painful enuf we won't forget by the next election. Mayhap the gov't in a moment of uncharacteristic consideration (read weakness) will give us a break and offer some kind of offsets or rebates - whatever - to make this whole exercise relatively painless, simply a combining (harmonization sounds so much nicer - kinda musically comforting) of two existing taxes. Look at the positive side - we'll only have one tax calculation to worry about. Of course I'm not sure how I'll calculate my ITC's now, or if I'll even be able to claim them (that alone will ding me a few grand per year). This die is cast. Let's just see how badly it's gonna bite our butts. JF

Might be a bonus for tax accountants. They'll be the only ones who will be able to wade through the quagmire of rebates and exemptions that this will create. JF

Not only the cost of a new home, but also all the fees attendant to home buying (realtor fees, legal fees, home inspector fees, etc) that are subject to GST now. That's an increase of 8% across the board on all those fees that are not eligible for the new home GST rebate. Ontario realtors are currently lobbying hard to have them consider the ramifications - just in case they hadn't already. It's one of those things that can slide by looking like a logical combination of two taxes to provide easier calculation and bookkeeping, but it has lots of expensive impact that isn't so obvious at first glance. It's too bad we have to be so cynical about our politicians, but every time they try to sneak one of these by I remember why we're cynical. JF

You'd think they'd have more respect for the hand that feeds 'em - or that pays for all those stupid rides. Nowadays my son rides roller coasters without me (I'm only that dumb once) but he still gets to laugh at my golf swing too often (I'm that dumb over and over and over). JF

CTC has a nice looking unit with some storage and one rod holder for $500. I think it's Old Towne (or something like that). I've seen that brand before. It was either at BPS or perhaps Gander Mountain down in Ohio. No idea if it's any good but I like the colour. JF

Mebbe he'd like skunk? JF

Could you teach him to eat fresh fish? JF

I agree. I admit though that it concerns me a little seeing some folks dive with only the resort course as training, but as long as they aren't scared stiff and stay close to the dive leaders in shallow water they're pretty safe. I can't be too critical though. It's the way I started. JF

My kids tricked me onto that sucker. I almost puked all over us. Kinda wish I had. They deserved it. JF

Darn. I was just about to post something headed "Epicacious" JF

Does the $350 include the boat? If so, that's very reasonable. You'd pay a good chunk to rent a boat like that for a day, and according to a recent post here you got about $50 worth of minnows thrown in. And yer a fool for posting pics of yer girl on here. Now you'll be getting swamped with invitations to go fishing, provided she comes along. Where else can we see pretty girls who appear to enjoy holding smelly old bass? Good report. JF

Sushi, straight off the hook? JF

Talk to yer friendly neighbourhood realtor. They can help with that. We know everything. JF

My fishing buddy drops in plastic water bottles (frozen) in the summer to keep the temps down. He's had a variety of fish for several years now. JF

My buddy Rob uses the guts to attract crayfish which he then uses for bait, or even eats if they're big enuf. He'll eat anything that comes from the water apparently. JF

I've had two of the GM vans something like that (Venture and an Olds) and in 8 years had absolutely no problems. JF