SlowPoke

Quitter.

According to the map, my hydro is still working. We're on London Hydro here... no flashing clocks this morning. It sure is windy though! Brian

I tried that once at a fire extinguisher sale... d'oh!

Mike, I should have called you when I was passing through around 1AM. Chatham to Windsor wasn't bad... London to Toronto to Chatham sucked harder than a "Binford Fan Cooled Universal Bypass Central Vacuuming System"

Excellent news Rob, congradulations! -Brian

I know we're all thinking it... where's ccmt and bly? Sorry to hear about the break in and I hope it wasn't too big of a loss for the store. I'll keep my eye open on kijiji and other classifieds. Is there a way we can post an inventory of missing items - there's a ton of bargain hunters around here that might spot something. -Brian

I loved the "mellow Dave" part..... "... and the fish appears to be digging....". Another great show and nice to see the G3 in the background. I thought the support team was relegated to a 12' tinny with a 5hp viking. You really do spoil your crew Dave!

Bummer! My Tahoe has been acting up lately. The drivers side rear door lock mechinism freezes and only partially engages or disengages the lock. When the vehicle is warm, no problem. Is there a chance it could have condensation/freezing issues? If you can keep it warm overnight and try to recreate the problem, you might have a direction to follow. -Brian

Agree. I'm not a religious person but I don't tune out at that portion of the show. It's very tastefully done, well thought out and performed with good intentions. I don't know why anyone would be offended by it. In my opinion, one of the best fishing shows on air - and it should be given their budget! Here's the camera and crew... The camera boat... And the underwater team...

Plowing the driveway eh? That's how it started for Kwame Kilpatrick.

Woohoo! Thank you Dave and a big thanks to Jaden for keeping the old man honest! -Brian

By no means am I an expert, nor am I in the insurance biz. I feel for you having been flooded myself and sustaining major interior damage as well as nearly having a roof blown off. In the event of my flood, my insurance covered contents and interior damage but would not flip me a dime for preventitive measures even having paid out twice. I incurred the cost of a backwater valve in the grey water outlet myself. It would seem their responsibilty ends at your four walls, roof and foundation. Nothing to do with poor workmanship. When my roof was replaced, they offered to pay for one of four sides due to wind damage. I was one of the lucky ones on the street that sustained damage but no leaks. I ate the cost of the other three sides and I was a little disappointed but I can see their point. The other three sides were just old. I think if anything you should consider pushing the builder for poor workmanship. If it's happened to you, there is a good chance it has or will happen to your neighbours. Obviously your roof(?) has been leaking for a considerable abount of time. Likely before the Tarion warrenty lapsed. I think if I had a new home I would consider a home inspection before Tarion ran out - that doesn't help you now but maybe it will help others. Sorry about your water damage but at least you didn't lose anything irreplaceable. -Brian

I didn't think anybody saw that... I told Goran that would happen if we both stood on the same side of the boat!

Nice report! Some great scenery shots, a nice big pike and some scary looking water! Thanks for posting. -Brian

I bet! Don't forget your cowbells!

Hey buddy, long time - no see... we should hookup again sometime Good job scoring some tickets. Women's freestyle? Is that skiing or skating? -Brian

Is that aimed at me? Just because I set myself on fire to stay warm doesn't mean I'm a wimp!! ; -Brian

I don't remember if you have internal GPS antenna in the back or if you're running a puck. If you have a puck, you can tap into it with the NMEA bus for signal to the front GPS/Sonar... so, you can buy an LMS520C DISPLAY ONLY for about the same price (or cheaper) than the X510 colour Lowrance sonar... around $350-$400. The LMS520 and X510 have identicle sonar specs. Then use the US2 from the Minnkota for your transducer. LMS520C - Display Only - $369.99 If you don't have a puck.... LMS522 - Portable - $549.99

Guess which one is MTP?

If he wants to chime in, he will. I just know he's pretty stoked about it!

I know someone dying to try his out! He might even convince me to venture out onto the ice this year to see the new toy in action. -Brian

He's just going to trade them... save the postage, ask Danbo what he wants and post 'em in the classifieds! Back to the show.... Completely different! Not just the FoF format but Gar? I remember a long while back seeing a fishing show about peacock bass. It rocked. And then everybody did a show on peacock bass! Dave is the 'gator gar trailblazer! -Brian

If I were boss.... - Aim for "Best in Class" in a single brand. Stop trying to win overall market share by producing numerous models competing against eachother. Did GM really need a Chevy Monte Carlo, Oldsmobile Cutlass, Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick Century to represent the 2-door coupe class? Did they really need a Chev/Olds dealer beside a Pontiac/Buick dealer? Minimize redundancy, maximize brand identity. - Smaller dealer networks. A huge expense passed on to franchisees forced to compete with mirror image products just hundreds of yards away. Independents are forced to swallow excess inventory on slow moving product to have access to fast moving, profitable products. Even dealers with the best business models are seeing hard times because of the demands placed upon them by the manufacture. Rebates, financing deals and "employee pricing" events are imposed on dealers to move a glut of inventory as a result of poor planning from the manufacturer. I would look into manufacturer owned dealers - "super centers" if you will. One or two large showrooms to service a large market. Franchise out service/parts departments. Smaller, more versitile authorized repair centers tailored to thier communities. There is nothing I hate more than paying $100/hr to a dealer knowing that a good portion of that is to support a glitzy showroom that I may visit once every 4 or 5 years. - Reduce legacy costs. Continue to offer 'walk-away' packages to sever future financial ties to employees. Without crunching numbers, I suspect there is too-good-to-pass-up number in everyones mind and paying out now will surely save a whack over the long term. This would be a sticky proposal and would require support from unions, but; if your company said to you "take this $250,000 package in lieu of a pension and benefits and come back on Monday for your $30/hr job" -OR- "we might be bankrupt by the end of the month, here's a pamphlet to explain bankruptcy procedures, where YOU stand as a creditor and a contact number for the Government office to help you fight for your pension"; what would you be inclined to do? Here's a really sensitive point... - Reduce healthcare costs. Instead of pulling back on Canadian production, move more production into Canada. Rid yourself of ultra-high healthcare premiums and let your tax paying Canadian employees utilize the public healthcare they already have access to. A generous benefit package with drugs, life insurance, STD/LTD would eat up just a fraction of the savings over an all encompassing US healthcare benfit plan. The ideal "bailout" solution? See what Frank Stronach could do with a couple hundred billion. A non-union Canadian manufacturer from parts to finished product. A simple lineup under one brand... Magna 100 - A sub-compact design, 2-door hatch in 3 trim designs (base/sport/luxery) Under $10K Magna 101 - (Same as above in right-hand drive. Hey, it works for Shimano!) Magna 200 - A compact design, 2-door hatch, 4-door sedan in 3 trim designs (base/sport/luxery) Under $15K Magna 300 - A mid-size design, 2-door, 4-door, 4-door wagon in 3 trim designs (base/sport/luxery) Under $20K Magna 400 - A mid-large tourning design, 2-door, 4-door in 2 trim designs (sport/luxery) Under $30K Magna 500 - A full size design, 4-door in 2 trim designs (sport/luxery) Under $40K ... now I'm getting carried away with this.... I would much rather see Canadian bailout funds directed at risky new venture with a possibilty of success than a band-aid on a festering wound that may never heal. -Brian

Provinces in peril was pretty funny but the biggest laugh was Bush unveiling his portrait and saying "Welcome to my hanging" and Stewart commenting "if your entire administration was a setup to this joke, kudos to you!" -Brian

Thanks for posting Ron! World record or not, who really cares? It's so nice to see a fish that size go back into the water. It was a shame to see the skeptics spewing and the begrudging bloviating. -Brian