O Canada

On my short NW wish list: seeing a Wild game in Vancouver. Time it took to get around to it: less than 2 weeks!

A old friend from school – like junior high old skool – invited me to go. My friend Karlie lives in Bellingham (about 1.5 hours north of Seattle) and invited me to go. We:

• did the border-crossing thing – knew I renewed that passport for some reason
• stayed at the Vancouver Marriott – which was gorgeous and I was seriously thinking about stealing the bed
• almost got run over by some crazy motorcade
• did some sweet shopping – if you ever need some Canadian-themed clothing, check this out
• saw some crazy Olympic preparations

The Wild lost, but it wasn’t a blow-out. As much as I feel like a sissy, I dressed in team-neural clothing. Glad I did, as those crazy Canadians are a tad more aggressive than Minnesotans…which I was surprised to discover…thought they were a gentle folk.

In the good words of Forrest Gump, “that’s all I have to say about that.” Here are the pics:

View from the Vancouver Marriott

Hmmm...wonder who they were transporting....

GM Arena

Game

Me n Karlie

Up next: job

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Canada 2009

Bog Flora, Jasper National Park, Alberta

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Dry Pond, Jasper National Park, Alberta

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Moonrise, Banff National Park, Alberta

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Lake Waterton, Alberta

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Edmonton breaks weather record for coldest December 13

Edmonton breaks weather record for coldest December 13

National Post

Posted: December 13, 2009, 3:38 PM

By Scott Maniquet

Sunday marked the coldest Dec. 13 in Edmonton’s history.

Environment Canada recorded a frigid -46.1 C, or -58.4 with wind chill, at the Edmonton International Airport at 5 a.m., Environment Canada meteorologist Pierre Lessard said.

The old record of -36.1 C was set last year, he said.

“To break a temperature by 10 degrees is very exceptional,” said Lessard.

A ridge of frigid Arctic air has hit all the prairie provinces this weekend, causing record-low temperatures in many parts of northern Alberta, Lessard said.

“Temperatures are very cold over Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There are some places more windy than the others, especially northern Saskatchewan and the north half of Manitoba are very cold,” he said.

But Arctic winds are normal in the winter and should pass through by the middle of this week, Lessard said.

Some flights scheduled to land at the Edmonton International Airport late Saturday night and early Sunday morning were diverted to Calgary because of the severe temperatures, said Edmonton International Airport spokeswoman Traci Bednard.

There were some delays and a couple of cancellations for flights departing Edmonton as well on Sunday morning because of the cold, she said.

“Different airlines and aircrafts have different operating limits,” Bednard said.

Canwest News Service

photo: Pedestrians brave the frigid weather as trees are coated with ice fog on Dec. 13, 2009. (Ed Kaiser/Canwest News Service)

Source

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Green products will be showcased at Landscape Ontario's Congress 2010

The landscaping industry has experienced tremendous growth for many years, providing several economic benefits to society, especially with regards to employment.  However, the industry provides many other social benefits beyond the economic measurement such as environmental, community pride, lifestyle, tourism and recreation.

The landscaping industry is currently positioned for continued future growth because of the many social trends that are occurring such as aging baby boomers interested in garden and garden-related activities during retirement, the return of staycations and the rising concern for the environment. Therefore, moving forward, the landscape industry is fostering strategic alliances with other business professionals to act on these social trends and work towards professional development.

At Congress 2010, a three-day horticultural, lawn and garden tradeshow taking place Jan. 12-14 at the Toronto Congress Centre, Landscape Ontario is partnering with the Ontario Parks Association, Communities in Bloom – Ontario and the Canadian Fence Industry Association as well as the aquatic leisure industry as a means of creating a one-stop buying and networking experience for business professionals.

Landscape Ontario’s Congress 2010 attracts more than 500 exhibitors, many of whom will be showcasing new and green products. Congress 2010 is Canada’s largest horticultural, lawn and garden tradeshow and conference.

The Ontario Parks Association will be running their annual Explorations 2010 trade show in conjunction with Congress 2010.  The 17th annual parks, grounds and recreation facilities trade show is dedicated to showcasing products and services related to parks and green spaces sectors.

Written by Exhibit City News Wednesday December 09, 2009  Read More

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Canada Beats Around the Bush at Delegation Meeting

Every morning there are meetings where Canadians are able to meet with Michael Martin, Canada’s Lead Negotiator at COP15. Today Tyler, Sylvie and Emily from UWSP attended this meeting in order to get some more insight as to what is going on with Canada and why we aren’t saying anything. Our goal was to hear first hand why the government of Canada is not speaking up and what their plans are in terms of meeting commitments.

The meeting today was similar to most meetings that occur with our government – UNANSWERED AND OPEN-ENDED. Many questions were asked from a variety of youth and press. The youth put pressure on the government, but in all cases they were ignored with the annoying use of jargon coming from Mr. Martin. A key question that was asked was: Are Canada’s Current Targets Good Enough? [In regards to the melting of the ice caps and 2050]. Michael Martin answered – or didn’t answer – with a vague statement by saying, “I am not a scientist.” He went on to say that there are a group of scientists that provide recommendations to the delegation and give them the “scientific facts”, but would not answer the question whether or not Canada’s targets will have a negative effect on the earth by 2050. Caroline, a CYD delegate then attempted a different strategy by asking what the scientists have to say about our emission targets. He avoided the question by using governmental jargon. Mike Martin continued to say that it isn’t OUR problem, it is the global community’s problem. He repeatedly stated that Canada will step up only if other countries [AKA the United States] also start making decisions. It is obvious that Canada is not a leader and we as the youth at this COP are embarrassed by Canada’s lack of positive actions.

There are podcasts available so that you can hear what Michael Martin has to say. These will be posted shortly on the Canadian Youth Delegation website, http://cydcopenhagen.org/?cat=5 There are previous podcasts from the week which are also available on this website.

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Just a little intro :)

Hey guys!

My name’s Britney and I’m a Canadian Gal currently attending University. I loveee creating things and have a slight addiction to the internet so I thought hey! Making a blog sounds perfect for me!

I have soo many different interests so I decided instead of focusing on just one subject I’d love to do a variety of different subjects all the way from self-help articles to crafts to celeb updates! I also  love meeting new people so if you drop by and like what you see, feel free to send me a comment or message, I’d be happy to say hi!

I also have two different Youtube channels (making videos is another one of my passions lol). The first one is “thelittlestmonkey77″ which is were I post all my fun/ creative videos and “beautifulpaperflower” where I post my vlogs and some videos on depression and anxiety help! Feel free to check em out!

Thanks so much for dropping by! If you have any suggestions on some topics you’d like to see me post, go for it!

Have an amazing day guys! Love ya! *kisses*

[Via http://beautifulpaperflower.wordpress.com]

First Snowfall

The first snow is always exciting.  This is our first snow in Sutton, Ontario.  This is our front lawn, and I hope to do another version of the back.  The Briars is next door and there are a lot of opportunity to capture snowscapes near lake Simcoe.  It’s not even winter yet, but there will be plenty of opportunities to capture the snow in Ontario.

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