To bring peace over the water, we must be at peace ourselves. 

Times Online - Comment

Unfortunately, not enough was done to defend against tidal waves (tsunamis) in the Indian Ocean. It could happen again and again.
Times Online - Comment: "It is man-made failings that allow natural disasters to wreak havoc"

50Plus.com.

It's interesting seeing how average people "save" for their retirement. Gee, life would be simple if we all had a rich uncle or incredible talents.
50Plus.com.: "I am a 50-year-old freelance writer, and last year I grossed about $32,000. I married late in life (46), had a child even later (48) and took on my first mortgage last March. At the time I met my wife, I had about $15,000 in RRSPs, but we cashed in most of that earlier this year, along with the better part of my wife's savings, in order to buy our home, a home we needed because we had a son, my beautiful two-year-old boy, James, who is the light of our lives but whose day care alone costs us $700 a month. We also started an RESP for him that costs us another $100 a month each.
Put the mortgage and the child together, and you're looking at a couple who's contemplating Freedom 95."

FunPic - biggest collection of funny, cute, crazy or interesting pictures and videos

Great picture of a cat drinking from a straw. Probably pop with some booze.
FunPic - biggest collection of funny, cute, crazy or interesting pictures and videos

The Spirit of Christmas.com

Hopefully, both you and your family will get more out of Christmas than just delicious food and great presents.
The Spirit of Christmas.com: "round the world, more than 3 billion people celebrate Christmas!"

Eddie Fisher

This was a performer who never really lived up to his potential, but he had a few great songs. He was even married to Liz Taylor.
Eddie Fisher: "b. Edwin Jack Fisher, 10 August 1928, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Fisher was a 'bobby sox idol', one of the most popular US singers of the 50s, with a strong, melodic voice."

Holy cow, it's winter. Very soon our place could look like this. We live in Canada too. 

Winter's here at last. When I woke up this morning, it was minus 20 celius with a minus 30 windchill. Christmas will be white, but probably not that cold in Brampton, Ontario 

NHLCBANEWS.com

These guys/hockey players earn more in two seasons than most of us in a lifetime. Bad business management by both sides is hurting the game and its prestige.
When does it all end?
NHLCBANEWS.com: "NHL RESPONSE AND COUNTERPROPOSAL
DECEMBER 14, 2004"

Beyond the Sea

One of my favourite singers from the fifties and sixties, Bobby Darin loved music of every kind. Unfortunately, his heart condition killed him at 37. This is the guy who connected with all types of music: jazz, pop, big band, rock and folk.
Beyond the Sea

Toronto Sun: Andy Donato Editorial Cartoon

Is the NHL really done for? Will professional hockey survive the lockout? Here's Donato's cartoon on the subject.
Toronto Sun: Andy Donato Editorial Cartoon

They call this a Newfy lawnmower. If it had a shovel in the front, it would be a Newfy snowplough. 

Let us pray that we can make a difference in this world at Christmas and throughout the year. 

We will meet over the rainbow some day. 

I'll be using this blog less because it's hyperlink function seems to be inoperable and I can't pick up any websites on the "Blog This Utility".

AdDesigner.com is a unique FREE service that gives you the power to design and download professional-quality, animated banner ads quickly and easily. In seconds, you can create top-quality, optimized banner ads that are perfect for your favorite banner exchange, a paid advertising campaign, or anywhere else.

Pierre Berton(1920-2004)

This man had a passion for Canada and Canadians. He published over 50 books on these subjects. "The National Dream", "The Last Spike", and "Klondike Days" were three of his most popular books.

"On an already big news day Tuesday he managed to provide a front page challenge to George Bush, if not knocking the visiting U.S. president out of the headlines, at least elbowing him aside. The CBC National also hastily shuffled its Tuesday night lineup, giving Berton's death a good 15 minutes of lead airtime before getting to Bush coverage from Ottawa."

Can you contact websites and blogs at Tripod.com? I can't.
Tripod: "Tripod makes it easier than ever to upload and share your summer vacation photos online. Simply choose a design, upload your files, and Tripod does the rest! And best of all, it's FREE for all Tripod members."

It is possible to contact higher spiritual beings while in a human body on earth. The internet is creating connections through the mind and soul that have never existed before.

The barriers between worlds are coming down and you can be part of it.
Heaven Hell Purgatory Interactive

It's fun surfing blogs through this company(Blog Explosion). Certainly, much better than those other boring surf exchanges.
Surfing - BlogExplosion.com

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends south of the border. It's still great to be part of North America and its traditions.
The First Thanksgiving: Mayflower Home Page: "The tradition of the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving is steeped in myth and legend. "

I couldn't have stated the beliefs of the literary traveler/pilgrim any better. It's basically a journey of discovery into our own spritual nature and universe.
L Frank Baum: "Storytelling was a natural gift Baum possessed. He had the ability to capture the imagination of children and to create worlds of timelessness in his stories. Baum states in the introduction to The Lost Princess of Oz, 'Imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, the talking-machine, and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of before they became realities. So I believe that dreams -day dreams�with your eyes wide open�are likely to lead to the betterment of the world. The imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create, to invent, and therefore to foster civilization. A prominent educator tells me that fairy tales are of untold value in developing imagination in the young. I believe it.' "

After sleepwalking to 9/11 and the fiasco regarding weapons of mass destruction, you'd think that there would be a passionate desire to reform U.S. spy agencies. This now doesn't seem to be the case.
Yahoo! News - Spy Agency Reform Appears Dead: "A plan to overhaul U.S. spy agencies died on Saturday in the face of opposition from key Republicans just hours after congressional negotiators thought they had clinched a deal backed by the White House on the post-Sept. 11 reforms. "

"Compassionate Conservatism", perhaps just another oxymoron like "Military Intelligence." That which is stated doesn't in fact exist.
Article | What Is Compassionate Conservatism?: "Last week a trio of outraged Republican presidential contenders dismissed the idea of 'compassionate conservatism,' espoused by Texas Gov. George W. Bush, as hot air at best and, at worst, a slur on past Republican accomplishments. They are half right: Compassionate conservatism does represent a break with national Republican programs of the past. But far from being an empty slogan, it is a well-formed domestic policy agenda."

Take the "Canada Test" and see if you're actually one of them.
Never Be Bored.com - Jokes | Quotes | Games and more!: "Signs You May Be a Canadian "

Great stupid comments made by people in higher places. Have fun.
Quotez - Features: The Stupidest Things Ever Said: "[I want to] make sure everybody who has a job wants a job.
George Bush, during his first campaign for the presidency."

This was the big train derailment in Mississauga, Canada twenty five years ago. The tankers were full of toxic chemicals. 250,000 people were peacefully evacuated. I was one of them.
Mississauga News Online: "Twenty-five years later, my memories of that night are so vivid. I was actually in the shower of a brand new home we had just barely moved into on Stavebank Rd. (now known as Morrison Ave.) right below Dundas. The whole area was under construction at the time and we had very few neighbours. Ours was the first home closest to Dundas St. in the 'Pit' as we used to call it. "

Interesting review of the Polar Express. A trip into the outmost edges of reality.
Movie Review: The Polar Express: "Nowadays we are raising children who know too much too soon and put far too much stead in reason and logic. But as scientists have pointed out again and again, the universe is a mysterious place that goes far beyond our capacity to understand it. In fact, many of these rational men and women agree with the mystics in all religious traditions who honor the limits of our knowledge. As the Catholic theologian Leonardo Buff has put it: 'We never 'catch up with' reality itself. The real nature of mystery always evades our attempts to conceptualize it, and escapes the nets of our language and symbolism. Its depths are never plumbed. Mystery is always linked to passion, enthusiasm and all great emotions, in short, to life's deepest and greatest impulses.'"

In Flanders Field, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae: "By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields. "

Canadians are still peacekeeping in Afghanistan as "Rememberance Day" draws closer.
The Canadian Army - News - Headlines: "Canadians formally took command of their area of responsibility in Kabul, Afghanistan, recently in what Lieutenant-Colonel Donald Denne, commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group, called a 'seamless transition'."

We have many things in common with the blue states in the U.S.
Feel free to join us. Up here, liberal isn't a dirty word.

Matthew Yglesias: A Modest Proposal: "There's actually a semi-serious point to be made here that's relevant to ongoing discussions about the importance of cultural conservatism in US politics, namely that the real lines of cultural cleavage in North America do not track the international boundary very well. Quebec is obviously culturally distinct from the rest of Canada in a variety of ways. The American South isn't like the rest of the USA. Meanwhile, the northen portions of the US tend to resemble whichever bits of (English speaking) Canada they happen to be adjacent to."

Fortunately, I don't have to depend on busking or butt kissing for a living.
I have a day job.
David Barron's "Day Job"

I always believed that the world would be better place if more people tapped into their hidden potential(The true passions in their life) Here's a website that moves in that direction.
Unlimiting Potential ~ Passion Mapping: "Create your own Passion Map � a unique life map of your deepest truest motivations born of your whole person intelligence. A Passion Map enables you to access cognitive, intuitive and somatic intelligence and captures the relationship between your inner passions, your creativity and your ability to communicate effectively."

"I know where George Bush is going. He's going up there." 

Interesting video by "The Bush In 30 Seconds Contest". It was the over-all winner.
Bush in 30 Seconds: "Child's Pay by Charlie Fisher"

After the election why not relax in a tranquil place close to eternity?
Yes, some spots are almost like heaven.
A Vision of Hotel California

The cards below now sell for $1.99. Real cheap. Please note, there were never any Al Qaeda cards because the Bush Administration considered Saddam Hussein and his army more important than bin Laden and his terrorists. The expense for the Iraqi campaign is 200 billion dollars and climbing.

Have a Happy Halloween.
Iraqi Leadership - House of Cards

This is the first time that I've seen these playing cards. I think certain people aren't playing with full decks.
"55 Most Wanted" Playing Card Deck for U.S. Regime Change

Al-Zawahri, this is the other guy that the Bush Administration hasn't captured yet. Obviously, he's a much bigger fish than Saddam Hussein, but how many times has he been mentioned in presidential speeches?
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Profile: Ayman al-Zawahri: "He is believed by some experts to have been the 'operational brains' behind the 11 September 2001attacks in the United States. "

Seymour Hersh is a Pulitzer Prize writer who wrote about "The My Lai Massacre" in the Vietnam War. His new book is called "Chain Of Command: The Road From 9/11 To Abu Ghraid".
Seymour Hersh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you'd like to know more about Canada and how we treat the "inner elite" here, check out "The Royal Canadian Air Farce".
No beaver, moose or politico is so sacred that it can't be made fun of.

Royal Canadian Air Farce - How It All Began

Here's a fun website that may offend someone. It's called "Cartoon World". Hopefully, George W. Bush can find his (creator)cartoonist/puppeteer here.

CARTOON WORLD

It's during this time in the presidential election race that I feel acutely the lost of John Lennon and his love for peace and inner wisdom.
Bagism: Albums & Singles: Lyrics: John Lennon Collection

George and Elvis started about the same time. It's just great that he's been with us so long.
Yahoo! News - George Jones Marks 50th Anniversary with Album, PBS:

Terror alerts can be interpreted in different ways. Most of them are vague. Obviously, this is the stuff that any wacko or crank can take advantage of. It's also the level of paranoia.
Terror Level Alerts: Collect them All!

The U.S. dollar is having a tough time against the Euro and commodity-based currencies. This is definitely something for the presidential candidates to be concerned about.
BBC NEWS | Business | New high for euro as dollar falls: "Renewed concerns about imbalances in the US economy and the threat of terror pushed the euro to fresh heights against the US dollar on Monday. "

Saddam Hussein was probably the most overrated criminal mastermind in the Middle East.
CNN.com - Rumsfeld: In the end, Saddam 'not terribly brave' - Dec. 14, 2003

If you want some good ideas about dressing up for Halloween, take a few tips from this guy.
THE ZEN HAPPY PAGES

At the top of my oxymoron list, I'd have to put "Military Intelligence." I guess we've seen some good examples of that lately in the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" fiasco.

OxymoronList.com

Lots of overtime at the Canada Post exchange office in Mississauga these days. With the addition of mail from Chicago and Purolator, we could be working seven days a week for the next five months.

Yahoo! News - 'Superman' Actor Christopher Reeve Dead at 52

Christopher Reeve was the finest superman that I've ever seen. He was a real class act. Check out the song, "Superman Is Dead" by the "Crash Test Dummies.

It's tough putting my own personal search engine in this blog. Also, HTML code relating to polls or webrings, doesn't seem to fit into my template. It makes me yearn for the good old days at Tripod.

May your journeys through cyberspace be enlightening and exciting. Try making contact on an upper level at .

I hope you're enjoying a mild and colourful fall. I am. 

I could have had four days off for Thanksgiving, but one of the things that I'm thankful for is the large amount of overtime that I've had in the Post Office this year. In fact, I'm working overtime for three out of four days during the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Sure it's great having time off, but getting ahead of the bills is my number one priority.

It's been a really nice fall so far in Brampton, Ontario: warm weather with minimum precipitation.
Canadian Thanksgiving at Web Holidays

My wife and I bank at a branchless bank called "President's Choice Financial". There're no bank fees on Interac withdrawals and most other transactions.

There's a high interest savings account(right now, 2.15%) which requires no basic amount to get the high interest.

There are reward food points on credit card transactions and bill payments.

Also note there's a low interest rate(5.75%, right now)line of credit that's on "the saving button" of an Interac machine. Why line up for services when most services can be delivered through a computer or a CIBC ATM machine?

Some technology is just great.

President's Choice Financial | home ���

Rodney Dangerfield, one of the first celebrities to have his own webpage. He saw it coming.
The internet is just one big gig that never ends.
Rodney.com ...

My wife and I are renovating the office, putting in a new closet, new carpet, new lights, etc. etc. Sometimes, it's difficult finding time to blog, but blogging is always a priority. I blog, therefore, I am. My life continues in real time.

As a last resort, I may have to change ISPNs in order to reach webpages at Tripod. If that doesn't work, the only option is to archive my webpages in some way.

One has to move on rather than dwell on past failures with spyware or software. I'm a writer and I'll have to concentrate on that for the next long while.

Have you seen a good movie lately? http://qualteam.tripod.com/davidbarronstoptenmovies/

Well, I brought in a technican to handle this Tripod problem(i.e. getting on my websites). He ran a professional edition of "Adware" which caught 150 more pieces of spyware and bravo I was able to get on my websites for the whole evening. However, this morning, things had returned "to normal" and I wasn't able to get on any Tripod websites like http://qualteam.tripod.com/qualteam/.

What do you think the problem is?

My views on the presidential election are found on "Barron Blog #1."

This blog will not contain US political views. It will, however, contain the usual left field material that populated my original blog.

I have a part time job looking after haunted houses like this one. 

This is me at the Canadian Post Office. I just noticed now that I have no neck. What happened to it? 

Until I handle the issue or issues with my webpages and blog at Tripod, my blogging activity will occur at Blogger(i.e. "The Barron Blog #2"). Wish me luck in getting rid of spyware and/or corrupt files that are stopping me from getting on my webpages at Tripod. Visit us in Canada sometime(http://qualteam.tripod.com/thebarronfamilyphotoalbum/) .

This blog is also owned by my wife, Irene, who makes infrequent contributions to my(our)blog. 

Do you prefer the bare-faced Barron or the moustached Barron? 

The frustration continues. I haven't heard back from Rogers or Tripod on forum advice on how to correct a problem with connecting up to certain websites. The bigger the mountain to climb, the sweeter the victory. Hopefully, I'll get this matter handled over the next few days.

I have over 500 entries on my Tripod Blog at http://qualteam.tripod.com/qualteam/. Unfortunately, I can't get on this site to edit it or add to it, so I'll have to continue my blogging with Blogger for awhile.

I'm light on my feet and easy to meet.