Fishnwire

I agree that a small swivel a foot or two from the lure isn't going to affect its action. But I have to take issue with your suggestion that mono and flouro are more abrasion resistant than braid. Fireline does tend to fray like heck...but that fraying doesn't seem to affect line strength the way the smallest nick to mono or flouro does.

I have to say I don't have a lot of problems with my set-up breaking at the uni-to-uni...but I do use barrels a fair amount of the time anyway. Especially if I'm using something that's going to cause a lot of twist. You'll have a hard time with a leader any longer than a couple of feet though because you'll be reeling the barrel into your eyes if it's too long and/or you're not paying attention.,

That answers that question,. Thanks..........now what about peeing in said areas?

I'm sorry, but like heck I need a "liquor license with an outside open container permit" to drink a beer in my yard. I'm not a proprietor of an establishment that sells liquor to the public...I'm just some guy who owns property and likes the taste of a cold beer on a hot day. I'd love to see a cop try and charge me for having an open container of alcohol in my front yard...because I'd fight it and win and then shove the ticket in the cop's face and say, "Nah nah nah nah nah nah...told ya so!" Maybe I'd get charged for that...but I'd skate on the open container beef. In the bars in the city where I live, you can go back and forth between the indoor and patio sections all you want regardless of whether or not you have a drink in your hand. Of course you can't leave the "licensed" area of the patio with a drink...just as you can't walk out the front door of the place with a drink. What's "wacky" about that? Just as importantly, what does it have to do with peeing in my yard?

In the first example...you'd be charged for the act of urinating in the pot...not for having pulled out your dawg. I'm not asking about taking a leak outside of the bathroom in a public place such as a store that belongs to someone else...obviously that is something you can't do and the situation you described has little to nothing to do with the situation I am asking about. I'm even more confused about your second example. First of all, I thought women in Ontario were allowed to go shirtless, just as men can do. Secondly, if the woman had her back to everyone present, not just the cop, and opened her blouse but no one was able to see her "exposed" skin, what crime did she commit?

That doesn't sound right to me. Why would it be illegal for me to drink a beer on my patio but not illegal to do so the patio of a bar?...both are in full public view, what's the difference? I'm pretty sure I can drink as much as I want anywhere on my property, and unless I cause some kind of disturbance, there's nothing I can be charged with. Unless I sell my house in Canada and buy one in Saudi Arabia, that is.

I'm a little confused. You say, "It is the fact that your willie is exposed not if someone can see it"...then go on to say, "The cops can write the ticket for public urination and exposure if it is visible". Those two statements seem to contradict one another. Also...the definition of exposed (in this context) is "to make something visible, typically by uncovering it". How could someone claim I exposed my genitals if they never saw them?...if they weren't visible, they weren't (by definition) exposed. As far as not be able to "wiggle or touch it in any manner that is not needed to urinate"...if no one can see my Johnson...how can they tell whether or not I gave it an extra shake or two? Not that it matters...I don't plan on masturbating in my backyard anyway, I just want to take a squirt...and I'm quite able to do the latter without doing the former.

Does anyone know if it's against the law to pee in your own yard? Assuming I have my back turned to anyone who might be watching (and am therefore not "exposing" myself) am I breaking any laws if I occasionally relieve myself on my own property which is well within city limits, in a fairly busy residential neighbourhood? It's not that I've run into problems in the past or want to constantly urinate all over my property, but today I was cutting my grass after drinking a few beers and couldn't help pondering this question about half way through the job. Just curious...thanks.

I think "meh" is something people say when the don't care or are unimpressed with something they've seen or heard. "Mang" is "man"...as is "What's up, mang?"......but the "joke" is that the speaker has a latino accent, like Tony Montana from Scarface. Opps....too late.

Remember...you don't have to be able to run faster/further than the bear. Just faster/further than whomever you're with.

Thanks Freshtrax. I may PM you for tips later.

Thanks guys. You've given me some things to think about. The Big Green Egg is not happening...not right now anyway. I just bought a new house and have a baby on the way. She'll never go for it, and I'd probably just lose it in the resulting divorce anyway. I might still try the double barrel one. It's on sale at CTC for about $125 bucks. If I get a year or two out of it, I'll be fine with that. Plus, if it burns out/falls apart I can tell my wife, "You get what you pay for...I guess I'll have to spend more for something that lasts", and then look at Webers or maybe even the Egg.

Thanks for the input, guys. What I'm hearing is that the one I have pictured is going to burn out in no time. Part of me suspected that. Yeah...if money was no option I'd pick up one of those Big Green Eggs. She'll never go for it though. I have a concern about the Weber that is pictured. My buddy has a similar one but the thing I don't like about it is the lid is not hinged. Every time you want access to the grill you have to take off the dome and find some place to set it down. A bit of a PITA, in my opinion. Is that lid hinged?

I'm thinking about buying a new charcoal grill. I've got a NG BBQ but enjoy the whole charcoal thing when I have the time. There's one at CTC that I like. It has a coal-grate that you can adjust the height of...allowing for temperature control. The other one I'm looking at is a dual-barrel grill/smoker combo...this one. I like the idea of trying my hand at smoking some ribs or brisket. It doesn't have an adjustable coal-grate though. I only want to give that up if the smoker attachment makes it worth it. Does anyone have one of these, do you use the smoker chamber much, and how do you like it? Any and all input appreciated. Thanks.

Welcome.

So you feel the need to say "we get it...Move on" after the statements I've made...but weren't compelled to say anything to those that said "Unions suck". OK Sinker, we get it. You're anti union. Move on. You may as well, since you can't seem to offer any counter-arguments to what I've said. I'm not trying to persuade anyone to join a union Sinker...I couldn't care less whether or not you belong to one. It's not like the average unionist wants to see a law that makes union membership a legal requirement...it's the anti-unionists that want to see membership outlawed. I absolutely will continue to "Do [my] thing"...including working with a strong union. If that bothers you, get used to being bothered.

You could talk to a mechanic or just about anyone else in the automotive industry and they'll tell you that the Tacoma being a better truck than the Ranger is an "opinion" held so widely that it could be taken as fact. That you would attempt to argue against such a statement indicates you either work for Ford or haven't shopped for a truck in the last ten years. Anyone who has done so is reading this right now and nodding their head. Perhaps next you'd like to take issue with my ascertation that G Loomis generally makes better rods than Zebco.

Why is working for an "outfit like Paramed" not desirable? Is it just a coincidence that the companies you'd prefer not working for are non-unionized? What company allows its employees or union allows its members to work 25 hrs of night shifts in the same week they work 35 hrs of day shifts? I hope you're not driving anywhere near someone I love at the end of one of those weeks...let alone administering health care to them.

Actually...you don't know me, and therefore can't speak to whether or not I know any of you, can you? I'm well aware not all of you live in Toronto...something tells me "Randy from Sturgeon" is one such individual. I'm unclear in what way a unionized job is not a "real job"...please explain. You also pay for the "bells and whistles" that a Toyota Tacoma has over a Ford Ranger...that's because the Tacoma is a way better truck than the Ranger and it is more desirable to most people. Just like trucks...not all jobs are created equal. In my case I pay about 1% of my income in union dues but make around a third more money than I would if I did the same job for a non-union company. I'm not "paying for" anything.

I don't how it is in the unions you've belonged to...but in mine, the guys who work the least OT make the least money. It has nothing to do with how much work someone thinks they did. I have noticed that those who are eager to label others as slackers and whiners are often the biggest slackers and whiners around though. Guys who openly profess to "do all the work" are usually too busy bragging about how great they are to do any actual work.

Are people responsible for providing health care normally scheduled to work 60 hour weeks every week? That's surprising...and a little scary. To me, at first glance, it kind of makes sense to hire more people and have them work something closer the normally accepted 40 hour week. Admittedly, I really don't know anything about what you do...but I know how I feel after working just two or three 60 hour weeks in a row. Eventually my work (let alone life) begins to suffer. I don't blame your employer for wanting to move in that direction or your union for not preventing it. Are there really no non-unionized jobs available in your field?...or are there no non-unionized jobs available in your field that you want? Just like you could get a job as a parts-man but don't want it...there are other options available to you, they're just not very attractive. You seem to want all the benefits that go with having a union job...without the union. Those gigs are tough to find, Brother. There are a lot more non-unionized jobs than unionized ones...plus there's the option of self-employment. The only reason one would have a unionized job is because they choose to have one...probably because they realize it's better than having a non-unionized one.

Out of curiosity...why do you keep applying for union jobs?

Like I said earlier...if you think that those laws that protect workers can't be repelled and that your employer isn't working towards having that happen...then they've got you right where they want you. If you lose the right to collective bargaining, you'll soon start to lose those rights that were won through collective bargaining. Also there are lots of non-union shops that pay their workers union level wages and give them everything they'd likely get through CB...they don't do so out of the goodness of their hearts...they do so because the want to avoid having their workers exercise the option of organizing. Take away that option and employers will be less motivated to offer wages/benefits that are competitive with union rates.

You are entitled to be compensated for OT if you work (I believe) over 88 hours in any two week period. Vacation pay is mandatory as are stat holidays for those workers that qualify. That stuff is guaranteed under the Employment Standards Act of Ontario...union or not, that's how it is for all working people in the province. Learn your rights and call the MOL if you're getting screwed. No union I've ever been represented by has negotiated for a Christmas party or bonus...that's up to your employer. It sounds like (in your case) the union is "useful" in that you still have a job, because the company you work for is clearly desperate to implement cost-cutting measures.

My union/worker rep has helped me out a couple of times. Other times they've been kind of useless. I have close friends who are in the "inner circle" and when I see the favoritism, how some are clearly are "in it" for themselves and not the greater good, and hear about how money (my dues) is wasted on pet projects and a select few traveling and partying on my dime...I sometimes get a little frustrated, to say the least. All that said...I'm well aware I'm way better off with my union (just about any union) than I would be if I didn't belong to one. The company I work for would like nothing more than to roll back a lot of what they are currently obligated to give us. People talk about how unions "back in the day" fought for and established a lot of the rights we enjoy as working people today. Then someone is always eager to say something like, "Yeah, but unions have outlived their usefulness." They don't realize that unions are currently engaged in the struggle to simply maintain what many now take for granted. If you think laws can't be repealed and that the people who run the companies we work for aren't trying to make that happen right now, you may be in for a big surprise one day when you show up for work and are told "There's no such thing as OT or paid vacation anymore."