San Andreas fault!

 

The Cascadia Subduction Zone is a 600-mile fault that runs from northern California up to British Columbia and is about 70-100 miles off the Pacific coast shoreline. There have been 41 earthquakes in the last 10,000 years within this fault that have occurred as few as 190 years or as much as 1200 years apart.

What causes earthquakes on the Pacific coast? Along the Ring of Fire girding the Pacific Ocean, for example, the seafloor plunges beneath Asia and the Americas, building mountains, feeding volcanoes, and triggering earthquakes. The ground first bends and then snaps—an earthquake—to release energy along faults.

What part of California has the most earthquakes? Central Valley South The San Andreas fault system is the major geologic boundary between the North American and Pacific tectonic plates and passes through much of the state. It will create the biggest earthquakes—as big as magnitude 8—that will disrupt the whole region.

Let's hope California fires settle down and no earthquakes hit these poor people!

I love You Tube

Whenever I don't know how to do something, I go to You Tube.  Descaling my Keurig, a weird thing happens to my laptop or how to fix something, it's such a good resource.

Yesterday my brother-in-laws cleaning lady told me his house has fruit flies.  She couldn't find anything in his house that would attract them.  No fruit or anything sweet in the kitchen so she asked me if I could get something to get rid of the nuisance bugs.

We were going out yesterday so I thought I would check out Canadian Tire, Home Depot or some other store that may sell pesticides.  Then I thought, check You Tube!  I went to you tube and found a few videos on using apple cider vinegar, Dawn dishing soap some fruit.  Put it in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and punch holes in the wrap with a fork.  The video said "the flies go in and can't get out".  

It's working!  They are loving the apple cider cocktail!  

To save you looking up the You Tube, here is the recipe:

• Make a trap: Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of vinegar, so you can use it to lure them into a trap. Here's how to make a trap using apple cider vinegar or white vinegar:
  1. Pour a small amount of vinegar into a bowl or jar
  2. Add a few drops of dish soap and some ripe fruit
  3. Cover the bowl or jar with plastic wrap
  4. Poke a few holes in the plastic wrap
  Place the trap where you've seen fruit flies

Let's Make a Deal

Last August Cheryl, Lexie and I flew to Los Angeles for a taping of Let's Make a Deal.  Lexie was chosen as a contestant and the episode was scheduled for Monday, January 13th, and then we were told it would be broadcast on Thursday January 16th.  It still shows broadcasting Thursday online!

It was broadcast on Monday!   If you are in the US, you can see it on CBS.com or if you have Paramount + it's also available.  Cec is trying to find a copy online but so far has not been successful.  

If we can get a copy, I will put it on this blog.  I apologize for everyone who missed it!

Things that make me laugh!

 

Coronation Street

 

Coronation Street is the longest running soap opera.  It started broadcasting in 1960 and is produced in Manchester, UK.  I've seen a couple of these talks and they are very enjoyable.

Joe Duttine, the actor who plays Tim Metcalf on Coronation Street was at the York Theatre yesterday.  He talked about his character and other characters.  I didn't know they have 24 writers.  Their filming day is 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM.  He was very personable and answered many questions from the audience.  No spoilers were revealed.  

It was a gorgeous day yesterday and seeing this "Tim Talk" was a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Jean Chretien

Yesterday, Jean Chretien turned 91 and he gave himself a birthday present. He told Donald J. Trump to piss off in the The Globe and Mail. Here's his column: 

Today is my 91st birthday.

It’s an opportunity to celebrate with family and friends. To look back on the life I’ve had the privilege to lead. And to reflect on how much this country we all love so much has grown and changed over the course of the nine decades I’ve been on this Earth.

This year, I’ve also decided to give myself a birthday present. I’m going to do something in this article that I don’t do very often anymore, and sound off on a big issue affecting the state of the nation and profoundly bothering me and so many other Canadians: The totally unacceptable insults and unprecedented threats to our very sovereignty from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.

I have two very clear and simple messages.

To Donald Trump, from one old guy to another: Give your head a shake! What could make you think that Canadians would ever give up the best country in the world – and make no mistake, that is what we are – to join the United States?

I can tell you Canadians prize our independence. We love our country. We have built something here that is the envy of the world – when it comes to compassion, understanding, tolerance and finding a way for people of different backgrounds and faiths to live together in harmony.

We’ve also built a strong social safety net – especially with public health care – that we are very proud of. It’s not perfect, but it’s based on the principle that the most vulnerable among us should be protected.

This may not be the “American Way” or “the Trump Way.” But it is the reality I have witnessed and lived my whole long life.

If you think that threatening and insulting us is going to win us over, you really don’t know a thing about us. You don’t know that when it came to fighting in two world wars for freedom, we signed up – both times – years before your country did. We fought and we sacrificed well beyond our numbers.

We also had the guts to say no to your country when it tried to drag us into a completely unjustified and destabilizing war in Iraq.

We built a nation across the most rugged, challenging geography imaginable. And we did it against the odds.

We may look easy-going. Mild-mannered. But make no mistake, we have spine and toughness.

And that leads me to my second message, to all our leaders, federal and provincial, as well as those who are aspiring to lead our country: Start showing that spine and toughness. That’s what Canadians want to see – what they need to see. It’s called leadership. You need to lead. Canadians are ready to follow.

I know the spirit is there. Ever since Mr. Trump’s attacks, every political party is speaking out in favour of Canada. In fact, it is to my great satisfaction that even the Bloc Québécois is defending Canada.

But you don’t win a hockey game by only playing defence. We all know that even when we satisfy one demand, Mr. Trump will come back with another, bigger demand. That’s not diplomacy; it’s blackmail.

We need another approach – one that will break this cycle.

Mr. Trump has accomplished one thing: He has unified Canadians more than we have been ever before! All leaders across our country have united in resolve to defend Canadian interests.

When I came into office as prime minister, Canada faced a national unity crisis. The threat of Quebec separation was very real. We took action to deal with this existential threat in a manner that made Canadians, including Quebeckers, stronger, more united and even prouder of Canadian values.

Now there is another existential threat. And we once again need to reduce our vulnerability. That is the challenge for this generation of political leaders.

And you won’t accomplish it by using the same old approaches. Just like we did 30 years ago, we need a Plan B for 2025.

Yes, telling the Americans we are their best friends and closest trading partner is good. So is lobbying hard in Washington and the state capitals, pointing out that tariffs will hurt the American economy too. So are retaliatory tariffs – when you are attacked, you have to defend yourself.

But we also have to play offence. Let’s tell Mr. Trump that we too have border issues with the United States. Canada has tough gun control legislation, but illegal guns are pouring in from the U.S. We need to tell him that we expect the United States to act to reduce the number of guns crossing into Canada.

We also want to protect the Arctic. But the United States refuses to recognize the Northwest Passage, insisting that it is an international waterway, even though it flows through the Canadian Arctic as Canadian waters. We need the United States to recognize the Northwest Passage as being Canadian waters.

We also need to reduce Canada’s vulnerability in the first place. We need to be stronger. There are more trade barriers between provinces than between Canada and the United States. Let’s launch a national project to get rid of those barriers! And let’s strengthen the ties that bind this vast nation together through projects such as real national energy grid.

We also have to understand that Mr. Trump isn’t just threatening us; he’s also targeting a growing list of other countries, as well as the European Union itself, and he is just getting started. Canada should quickly convene a meeting of the leaders of Denmark, Panama, Mexico, as well as with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to formulate a plan for fighting back these threats.

Every time that Mr. Trump opens his mouth, he creates new allies for all of us. So let’s get organized! To fight back against a big, powerful bully, you need strength in numbers.

The whole point is not to wait in dread for Donald Trump’s next blow. It’s to build a country and an international community that can withstand those blows.

Canadians know me. They know I am an optimist. That I am practical. And that I always speak my mind. I made my share of mistakes over a long career, but I never for a moment doubted the decency of my fellow Canadians – or of my political opponents.

The current and future generations of political leaders should remember they are not each other’s enemies – they are opponents. Nobody ever loved the cut-and-thrust of politics more than me, but I always understood that each of us was trying to make a positive contribution to make our community or country a better place.

That spirit is more important now than ever, as we address this new challenge. Our leaders should keep that in mind.

I am 91 today and blessed with good health. I am ready at the ramparts to help defend the independence of our country as I have done all my life.

Vive le Canada!

It's time to book my vacation