JohnF

Aaaaaach! That looks just like what I ate in a sushi bar one night. I thought the round hollowed out thing was a piece of fruit or vegetable with the pit or core removed. It had an odd texture for something that grew on a plant though, so I asked what it was. I almost yakked on the table when the restaurant owner (a friend of mine) said it was eel. Good thing for him I'd already swallowed. JF

C&R grouse huntin'? JF

Was there a still involved? JF

Sorry about that. I started to write, and then changed my mind. Of course then I hit the wrong button. I realized that I don't know you at all, and it might seem intrusive to jump into the comforting and best wishes. But since I'm in anyway, here goes. Here's how I had started out - "Rob, I don't know you or your family, but I have an idea of what you've been through. Several of us here have had the painful experience and, though it probably affects each of us differently, it remains one of the worst hurts any man can suffer." And then I would have gone on to say that it's easy to get caught up in the grief and the loss and let it throw a shadow over the rest of our lives. My wife and I stepped back after we lost our 18 year old son and agreed that he would never have wanted us to live in misery because of him, particularly when what happened to him was not in any way his fault. In the early days after Steve died I would have conversations with him when I was driving alone in the car and no one could see me talking to myself. There was apparently some therapeutic value in those talks because I started feeling better with it all before long although the pain never completely went away. It just seemed to find a little private spot way down deep where it stayed with me without being overwhelming, something i actually even can now enjoy a little bit. To this day 14 years later I still get choked up thinking about him once in a while, and I doubt there's been a day in my life since he left that I don't think of him in some way. Harry Chapin's song always puts a lump in my throat. What I'm saying is to not get too caught up in the grief, particularly if it's because you think it's expected of you. I actually had several folks tell me at the time that I seemed very cold, apparently because I didn't cry enough to suit them. I wasn't particularly polite to them when they said that. I got comfortable enough with the idea that Steve would never have wanted us to suffer because of him and if he would have wanted us to cope that way, then who else's opinion mattered more? So we've never tried to grieve to anyone else's expectations, just those we are sure would have been Steve's, and it's worked for us. I'll probably never live a day of my life that I don't think of him occasionally, and fondly, and sadly, and I hope that our way would have made him proud of us. His friends' weddings and graduations are the toughest these days. I never used to cry at weddings. 8) Happy memories are always better than sad ones. Hopefully you'll soon be able to know what I mean. Sorry if any of this seems out of line. It's offered with the very best of intentions. All the best JF

Is this the night you turn all hairy and howl at the moon? JF

Why not just reply to their invoice explaining your understanding of the facts. This may well just be some clerk being hyper-efficient, thinking the top was missed in the final tally. May be a tempest in a teapot. If they pursue it then tell them to get ready for a battle. Tell 'em their next communication will be with your lawyer and negotiations will be in front of small claims court. Keep a paper trail and notes. JF

Were you led to believe at the time you purchased the boat that the top was included in the package price, or did you realize they had made a mistake on the math? JF

No argument from me there. We have a Caddy. Majority-R-Us. JF

I was told a few years ago of a decently engineered car built with magna components that could be marketed very inexpensively and still be profitable, but as much (read all) of Magna's business was with the N.A. auto industry it would have been suicidal to bring it to the competitive market. Perhaps I've just answered my own question - can even Magna afford to manufacture an inexpensive model(s) without the massive infrastructure of the auto industry to support it's various manufacturing facilities? There's strength in numbers and cost effectiveness in volume. Cutting back on the variety of components designed and built by all the industry suppliers would preclude anything resembling cost effectiveness in their respective processes. Somewhere in this whole mess there has to be a viable balance between production efficiency and cost effectiveness. The problem is it may not pander to those who wear their vehicle like an emblem of their success in the world, or at least how they want to be perceived. JF

Wouldn't be surprised if power windows are cheaper to manufacture than rollups nowadays. The tooling may be disappearing for manual stuff. The parts and component suppliers are now geared up for electronics. Door thickness might be an issue as well. With smaller exteriors and the demand for space inside the cabin the walls had to get thinner and the side airbag uses a lot of that space within. Some of the car guys here would know better about that. My point is that going back to a 1970 production standard isn't necessarily cost effective today. We're a disposable society now. JF

As reviled as Moore is by many factions in America (even Canada) I get a huge charge out of how he cuts to the bone on a lot of issues. Let me go on record right now as saying that I'd bet money he could secretly care less if real honest to goodness hunters (even the Camo Cowboy from Motor City or, rest his soul, Ben Hur) wanna shoot some deer in season, or the odd skunk, or a bunch of competitive minded souls wanna shoot targets weekly to test their prowess. I think what he objects to is the unnecessary shooting of innocent school kids and office workers by yahoos who were raised to believe the gun is all powerful, and that by taking a loaded gun in hand they are suddenly rulers of the universe, and some sort of superior entity. That being said I'm not writing to offend any responsible gun owners. On the other hand any gun owning yahoo cowboy types (read irresponsible ) can take all the offence they want. For those who can overlook Moore's anti-gun sensationalizing I think he makes some valid observations and conclusions here. Love him or hate him, he ain't stoopid. JF

Yeah, thanks a lot. Now I have to keep swallowing just to keep my sphincter from popping outa my mouth. JF

That's what Consumer Protection is for. If BPS advertised it for Canadian consumers with no disclaimers or exclusions then they're required by law to honour it. http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/epic/si...-bc.nsf/en/home JF

That's why I wondered about putting the gov't funding into the legacy program support (pensions, health ins, etc) instead of giving it to the companies that will quite likely finally declare chapter eleven or whatever and forfeit on all the bailout debt anyway. The gov't allowed the problem with the pensions and so on to evolve because they did't require the Big 3 to fund the plans properly in the first place. If the Big 3 had been required to properly fund the pensions and health plans as they accumulated they might have avoided or at east better anticipated the problem they now have. That would address the problem that would otherwise arise for the innocent victims. As for the industry infrastructure breakdown, I figger the market for new vehicles won't go away completely, so why not let smarter operators like Frank Stronach and some Asians pick up the existing manufacturing facilities, suppliers, and labour force and run the industry more efficiently. Might suck for the unions to have to deal with tougher employers but at least there will still be jobs for those who actually wanna work. JF

Doesn't have to be that way. Use the M-word liberally in your complaint. It's called "misrepresentation", and misrepresentation in advertising is illegal in Canada and the Competition bureau enjoys investigating those complaints. That seems to me to be a pretty good example of it. I tried it out on a big brand name recently and got my money returned for a computer service/warranty agreement after almost a year. I didn't even have to get nasty or threaten them. The first two calls got me nowhere but once I dropped the word they couldn't offer my money back fast enuf. Try it. JF

I recently came across a news piece reporting the gov't (I can't tell you which now) is considering new legislation specific to "mail in rebates". There have been too many consumer complaints about abuse by manufacturers, distributors, retailers etc. I had one round of that nonsense with Norton (Symantec) and they just kept stalling me with requests for different proof of purchase, bar code, etc. I got my back up and simply didn't let it die and eventually they came through with the lousy rebate. It probably worked out to about $1/hr for my time but by then it was all about the principle. What they accomplished was to push me over the edge in regards using their products. I was already frustrated by the things Norton did to my puters, and the sticky way files hung around even after uninstalling the programs. I won't use Norton any more. And since that experience I resolved never to buy anything that required a mail-in for a discount regardless of how good the deal sounded. I made one exception when I bought my Quantum Energy baitcaster. The price was good enuf that I was still okay even if the $50 rebate didn't show. But Quantum came through with the rebate like champs and I got the reel for a net price of $100 last spring. As for the rebate in question here I would think your only recourse is thru the retailer. If they weren't supposed to offer it in Canada they should stand behind it themselves. I think that comes under "misrepesentation" & "fair business practices" and is probably enforceable in law. JF

Oops. Probably saying it once was one time too many. JF

With all due respect, I think you're comparing apples and oranges. The people who are employed by the fishing tackle shops are our neighbours, just like the car salespeople. When we buy locally, whether it's fishing gear, domestic cars or foreign cars, we're probably helping out a number of local people in some way. When we buy online we're taking away from local folks. In any case, the lines defining "Made in Canada" have become so blurred it's pretty hard to be sure what is truly made here any more. You've already heard the arguments that a number of the so-called foreign cars are actually assembled right here in Canada, many in Ontario. As much of the fishing gear we buy is manufactured out of country as in, even if it has a domestic sounding label on it. Or it may be assembled here with parts made in Asia or Mexico, just like the cars we buy. I can quite comfortably argue that my Honda built in Alliston did more for Ontario's economy than my wife's Cadillac built in one of the southern states. It's entirely possible that the parts and labour breakdown may prove me wrong but until that comes I sure don't feel guilty about buying a Honda. I supported a local dealership that hires local people by buying a vehicle "Made in Canada". I could go one further and mention that the GM dealership where I bought the CTS recently pulled up stakes and left town forcing me to go to a different dealership for service etc. The Honda dealer is still here and showing no signs of moving out on me. Recently we lost a long time Chrysler dealership as well. Chrysler owners now have to go out of town for warranty work. This whole local business support argument is pretty tough to swallow any more. Our world has grown way too small and industry has become way too multinational to draw hard lines about it. I sympathize with the autoworkers, salespeople, parts manufacturers etc who are threatened by the possible collapse of the N.A. auto industry, but I can't buy the argument that we're always letting down the side by buying "foreign" cars. Respectfully JF

Get out and hit the beach with yer camera then. Florida's always good for some dead stingrays and sharks if you walk a bit. They'd really cap yer depraved fish fiction. I can't help but respect a man who is not only over the top imaginative, but seriously twisted to boot. Great job. JF

DAYUM!!!! As always ***** JF

For wading I use an old army shoulder bag of heavy canvas. It hangs at the back while I'm fishing and if the water gets too deep I can shorten the strap so it tucks right up under my armpit. In it I have a waterproof box (with my licence, car key and a lighter for those cigar days on the water), a plastic tray with all the lures, hooks, lead and leaders I expect to need, plus a pair of gloves for when the weather's cold. I also carry a longer pair of pliers for those times when the fish inhales the lure. For normal extractions and line cutting I just hang a short hemostat and a nail clipper (or small scissors if I'm using braid) on a neck lanyard. My camera hangs on another lanyard down the bib of my waders. I'm trying to switch over to a vest but I just keep going back to the bag. I've been looking at a Flambeau (I think) bag at CTC for $19.95 which is kinda hokey looking but has two trays and a smaller plastic pack included plus a round pocket for a spare fly spool or leader spool. Looks to me like it would work pretty well on the river. JF

I doubt we want politicians managing auto production. What about instead of that the gov't puts up the money to help cover the unfunded legacy obligations? Allow the car companies to go into bankrupty or receivership. Sell the saleable assets. Apportion the receipts as seems reasonable (i.e. - to the recipients least culpable in the failure of the industry). Perhaps better business heads will take over the assets and revive the auto industry in North America with better business sense and less union blackmail. It's time for all involved to realize the N.A. auto industry isn't just a cash cow and start to be realistic and reasonable about how it operates and what expectations folks should have of it. Perhaps we really don't need so many models that no one really knows what they all are. For example, I was looking at the current Ford lineup recently and I couldn't make any sense of it. There seem to be duplications of duplications, and the colour and option lists are ridiculous. Compare that to Honda for instance and you see a much more limited, and logical, selection, and they seem to be doing pretty well in Canada. I think the current gang of operators have proven their ineptitude, had their chance. Clean house in a way that hurts the innocent victims the least and let the N.A. industry start from scratch. There will be lots of bargain production plants, hungry suppliers, and out of work labour force out there so startup shouldn't be too difficult. Seems to me it's time for someone like Frank Stronach and Magna to step up and build a car, without being saddled with all the baggage that the current big three have to haul. And if he doesn't want it, there are Pacific Rim companies that seem to know what they're doing and are already here. I may be overly simplistic, but it looks to me like the convolutions of the industry as we know it sure aren't doing the job today. It's time for a better system, not wasting more money flogging a dead horse. JF

I'm thinking he's perfect for the Russian league, unless there's a circus in need of another clown. JF

An' a fine lookin' lad he is. It's too many beers what prob'ly got them thar poachers in hot water. If'n we wuz to step away from thet thar jug fer jest a mite, mayhap we'd start to think 'bout the dif'rence 'tween right and wrong, and the dif'rence 'tween whut's good fer the fish (and fer us fishermen) and what's good fer the bad guys and stop with them dumb-assed assertions in defence of the folk who're trying to ruin things fer the rest of us'n. Like ah said, we kin back the lawmen or back the lawbreakers. Purty easy choice fer me, but then my Mah din't raise no idjits. JF