February 2nd, and its impact on our culture
February 2, 2015
A new meme has swept through the comic strips today: eating sausage on Feb. 2nd: Ground Hog Day. Blame it on tiny text screens or auto correct, likely.
A bit of black humour on the calendar’s jokiest day isn’t amiss, it’s just a different approach from the usual trite Groundhog Day gag such as:
“What happens if the groundhog sees a maple leaf?”
“Six more weeks of dull hockey.”
Or this rather obscure B.C. effort on Feb. 2, 2015:
http://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/bc/
This morning there’s actually a live feed from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania as the sun rises. But it’s the usual assortment of aging men hogging the microphone while clad in funny hats and ill-fitting ceremonial coats. No sign of the rodent yet.
Groundhog Day is a great fuss about nothing. Likely that’s why the jokes are so lame. And as for Phil, or Chuck, or whatever the locals have named their marmot? It’s a pretty good gig: free food, no coyotes, and no risk whatever of seeing a shadow this snowy February morning.
UPDATE: 10:29 p.m.
Priceless. This marmot had had enough of the whole stupid business:
Good fences make good neighbours.
February 1, 2015
I’d thought of using that path across my neighbour’s field as a shortcut to the Cataraqui Trail for snowmobile expeditions, but I hadn’t for fear of leaving a track as an open invitation to trespassers.
On a warm-up round of the farm this morning, though, I ran across the tracks of an intruder made the night before: the snowmobiler had found his way onto my property through a gap in the fence not traveled since the plowing match in 2007.
Had he followed my established tracks I wouldn’t have been annoyed, but the yob took a shortcut through several acres of little trees, trampling them in his quest for a short cut over Young’s Hill. Inevitably he ran up against a closed fence, so he made an awkward U-turn, clipping an 8 year-old pine, then waded through more yellow birch, spruce and walnut on his way back off the property. I hope this guy realizes his mistake and does not return.
If this happens again, I’ll be forced to rebuild the fences we took down for the International Plowing Match in 2007 and haven’t had reason to put back up since. But driving a snowmobile over little trees is uncool.
Tom just told me that this won’t work as a title because nobody wants to hear about the trip unless it gets screwed up or we have bad luck.
But how about a couple of geezers defying the law on a back-roads tour to Newboro in a UTV? And then bouncing over drifts for three miles each way across the lake in a crude vehicle without working cup holders?
Or letting each other drive? Neither of us is much of a passenger.
I should mention that for winter I have enclosed the cabin of the Ranger so that the only exit is from the driver’s side. Last fall Tom gave me a piece of left-over boat-canopy plastic which had become translucent from age, but when I fitted it with pipe clamps where the right door would normally go, it kept the wind out quite well. There was just the problem of a little bit of claustrophobia for whoever’s riding shotgun.
Anyway, the rig is pretty warm in a cold wind, so for his annual winter expedition to the cottage I suggested to Tom that he would feel more comfortable and likely safer in the Ranger cabin rather than perched on the back of my Ski-Doo. The only trouble was that we would have to drive back roads to Newboro as the plastic windshields and improvised side tarp wouldn’t withstand a ride at highway speeds on a trailer. We’d have to drive seven miles of back roads to get to the lake.
I expected Tom would be fine without a means of escape from the Ranger until we got onto the ice, but it turned out my friend’s heart-stopping moments began as soon as we headed down the shoulder of the first paved road. I’d forgotten how spooky a ditch can look when one is perched above it on an icy shoulder. It’s hard to trust the left tires to maintain traction while the rights are sliding on glare ice. That metal cabin frame is reassuring when overhanging branches loom up on a trail, but the same metal seems less friendly when one thinks of banging into it with his head during a roll-over.
That’s what the seat belts are for, Tom.
Down the back roads we sped, cruising along at the Ranger’s full 24 miles per hour and letting on we were driving a Miata. A noisy Miata. The enclosed cabin keeps a lot of noise in, making it especially hard for the passenger to hear.
Tom played tourist, fascinated by our neighbours’ pristine stone house and property. He wondered about the missing windows from a brick porch on another, then he discovered the old cheese factory just off the Narrows Lock Road. We slipped into Newboro and changed drivers.
Now it was my turn for claustrophobia, as I decided that Tom would be less nervous on the ice with a steering wheel in hand. Of course that meant I’d be unable to bail out in an emergency. But I had brought along an escape tool, one of those padded hammers with a cutter built in. I rehearsed the routine: plunge the point through the vinyl, cut a big hole, then bail out, every man for himself. But in the meantime don’t let Tom get the Ranger stuck!
Trouble was that Tom couldn’t really hear my shouted instructions as to route selection because of the noise and the fuzzy earmuffs on his trapper hat. Fortunately Tony was running his 4WD Ranger ahead of us and I knew he would pick a clear route through the drifts. He learned his lesson last winter after twice belly-hanging the UTV on large patches of deep snow, the first time without a shovel aboard.
The ice is thick this year and quite predictable — as long as you don’t look at it. If you do try to find a way through the sea of small drifts by eye, though, the bare spots are terrifying. They look like open water.
Tom’s naturally a cautious driver, and when he’s not sure of his course he slows down. To his credit he didn’t spin the Ranger out for all of his drift-hopping while I screamed at him to keep his speed up.
In fact between us we managed to turn the voyage across Newboro Lake into an uneventful drive, if we don’t count a strained vocal cord on my part.
BTW: Two minutes before this photo was taken Tony was all neatly buttoned up into a sensible parka, but I think he was going for a contrast with Tom’s many layers of clothing.
Princess Auto reviews questioned (Princess Auto responds)
January 19, 2015
Update: 25 March, 2015
This extended explanation from Princess Auto representative Evan Maydaniuk seems generally satisfactory to me.
Rod
————————————————————————————–
Hello David,
I hope you are doing well, I am reaching out to you in regards to you concerns with the our Ratings and Reviews software. I am one of the project leads here at Princess Auto in regards to the reviews program. We receive thousands of reviews and questions during a business cycle. Therefore to handle this large amount of data, all user generated content, this includes reviews and Q&A, is moderated by an external company. This company approves or rejects content using a variety of codes, your particular review was flagged as a safety issue. This code causes the review to be rejected and then submitted to queue to be looked at by a Princess Auto team member.
This is where Estelle had forwarded your comments on to our buyers. The buyers would then look into the product and see if we should recall the item. Our buyers have reviewed the product and have decided the product is not going to be recalled. Given their decision, I will move ahead and post your review live to our website. It should be visible by the end of the work day tomorrow. Please note that we do take your comments seriously, we just need to make sure they go through the proper channels first.
On your blog you had mentioned that Princess Auto creates fake 5 star reviews, I assure this is not the case. All review content is generated by the public. Of course we do need to filter and reject some reviews temporarily as with yours, or permanently if it is vulgar in content or spam. Only active, non-rejected, reviews affect the final star count of the product. This explains why you saw no change in star rating with your negative review.
There is also two ways of affecting the star rating. The first and most beneficial way, which is how you have done, is to submit a written review. A written review provides an explanation for the for the star rating and does effect the overall standing of the product in terms of stars. The second way is to simply give a product a star rating, this does affect the overall star count, but does not give any explanation behind the rating.
I hope this clarifies things, please feel free to email me directly if you have any further questions.
Cheers,
Evan Maydaniuk
Update, 20 March, 2015
Princess Auto is still at it with their online ads, plunking 5 star ratings on products they want to move. These stars are not backed up by verifiable reviews. One ad for a sprinkler claims 4 reviews, but only one short review was available to find. The other 5 star claimed one review, but I couldn’t find it.
I love the stores and the online catalogue service, but I have to conclude that their ratings can’t be trusted. There’s no basis for the claim.
(UPDATE: 25 March, 2015 In the context of Evan Maydaniuk’s letter cited above, I’ll back off the condemnation in the previous paragraph, Maydaniuk has demonstrated at least conscientious intent. I’ll wait and see.)
This is regrettable.
cc. mailorder@princessauto.com
Original article begins here:
My son and I are loyal and frequent customers of Princess Auto, a Winnipeg hardware store which has enjoyed considerable success online and at locations around Canada including Kingston and Ottawa.
As a loyal customer I have submitted a number of reviews of products. I haven’t noticed that any haven’t appeared after a reasonable interval, except for the latest review of a 36″ log roller. Because in my opinion the product was dangerous if used as intended, I wrote it a negative review and recommended not buying it.
The review did not make it to the website. A couple of weeks later I received an email asking for another review of the same product. I wrote another, slightly amended to focus attention on the single defective component of the roller, shape of the hook. That was over a week ago. I checked today, and the site still claims a five-star rating of the product, based upon one review which it does not display.
This bothers me. Up until now I have had every reason to respect the staff and management of Princess Auto, and I believe there are a lot of Canadians like me to judge by the crew of geezers who routinely flood the store every second Tuesday morning to take advantage of the latest sales.
Store staff have helped me a great deal over the years with advice, special orders, and cheerful lay-aways.
The use of fraudulent online reviews doesn’t fit the culture of the organization, and I hope this rant helps to prevent the slide.
Rod Croskery,
RR1 Portland, ON
https://rodcroskery.wordpress.com
RESPONSE:
Hello. Thank you for taking the time to review our product.
Your comments have been forwarded to our Buyer so that they can contact the vendor to correct the design of it to make it safer.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
Regards,
Estelle
Mail Order
Princess Auto Ltd.
Box 1005
Winnipeg, MB R3C 2W7
Toll Free; 1-800-665-8685
Toll Free Fax: 1-800-265-4212
E-mail: mailorder@princessauto.com
Is any gasoline in Canada available without ethanol?
January 18, 2015
I asked the following question on Quora:
In Canada Shell 91 gasoline is reputed not to have an ethanol content despite regulations requiring 10% ethanol in all gasoline sold in Canada. Is there ethanol-free fuel available for sale in Canada?
Jason Salvatori replied.
Shell 91, (or V-Power 93) and most of the other brand “premium” gasolines do not have ethanol. The Canadian regulation requires 10% ethanol average in its fuel, by volume sold. So your lowest tier (usually 87 octane) will have 10% to 15% ethanol in it. Most people buy this as it is the cheapest (often 10 to 12 cents/L less than the premium). The mid-range gas (89 octane) will have 5% to 7% ethanol. Let’s say that by this point 95% of the people have bought gas with ethanol in it. This leave the other 5% able to buy ethanol-free gasoline and still have the retailer meet the regulatory requirements.
It is also mandated that gasoline with ethanol be labeled as such. When you go to the pump, there will be a sticker beside it saying “may contain up to xx% ethanol.” The ethanol free ones will also be labeled.
Why Not IV: Miscellaneous adjustments
January 17, 2015
The Ski Doo’s engine now runs very well. I measured 14 miles per Imperial gallon on a refill after 81 miles of jackrabbit hops around the farm and neighbourhood. Starting is no longer an issue.
But the steering had begun to give me fits. Things were loose, but the catch was the effort required to maintain control while driving among the ruts of other machines. My son pointed out a loose ball joint on the steering linkage. It snugged up nicely with a 17 mm socket and 13 mm wrench.
But the steering was still much too vague. This morning I figured out a way to lift the front of the Ski Doo with the car hoist so that I could examine the steering linkage at my leisure. The central bolt proved loose. A few more turns with the 18 mm socket did the job. The skis no longer seemed cross-eyed.
A run down the Cataraqui trail went considerably better than before.
Another pair of riders stopped for a chat. One guy suggested double carbides to eliminate the wandering in ruts: the extra carbide selects its own lane.
On Newboro Lake the machine proved that its engine is strong and quick, hitting 50 m/hr on crusted snow without effort.
What about Cartier?
January 14, 2015
Last week many heads of state traveled to Paris to participate in a massive demonstration in reaction to the Paris shootings. The French and German leaders were front and centre. I scanned the photos for Stephen Harper. Nowhere to be seen.
Mr. Harper turned out to be in Kingston to make a speech on the occasion of the 200th birthday of Sir John A. Macdonald. At no time during this speech did he name any of the other fathers of Confederation. It was all John A.
In a Globe and Mail column today Jeffrey Simpson laments “presentism” as the re-interpretation of history in the context of contemporary values. But then he returns to comparing Macdonald and U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, effectively falling into the presentism trap himself. Insofar as Confederation was put together a couple of years after his death, Lincoln was largely irrelevant to the formation of the Canadian federation. But of course presentism presents Canadian history through an American, Republican lens.
Apart from providing an excuse to avoid a potential combat zone on a Paris street, Harper’s mission in Kingston last week was apparently to purge Sir Georges Etienne Cartier from the Confederation myth. Any student of Canadian history will tell you that Cartier partnered with Macdonald in the grand project. As a young man Cartier fought in a couple of rebellions against British rule. He brought Quebec and then Manitoba into the federation. He was the equivalent of the premier of Lower Canada. He made the deal with the Hudson’s Bay Company. He controlled the Grand Trunk Railway. Most historians give Cartier the nod as the most important father of Confederation.
But according to Stephen Harper and the English media in Canada at the moment, the man never existed. For example I have just read four National Post articles about John A. and his birthday and only one of them made a passing reference to Cartier.
We get it, Steve. You want us to believe in the great man myth. But you’d be more convincing if you quit pointing at yourself when you say John A.’s name.
UPDATE:
Turns out I’ve been scooped by the Montreal Gazette:
http://montrealgazette.com/opinion/opinion-happy-200th-birthday-sir-george-etienne-cartier
But at least I was ahead of Lysane Gagnon of the Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/stephen-harpers-parisian-no-show/article22441877/
Why Not? III: re-learning the snowmobile
January 10, 2015
The sofa feels pretty good after this morning’s session with 450 pounds of aluminum and rubber attached to my ankle.
It may not have been as drastic as all that, but I did manage to tumble off the machine when I dumbly tried to climb an interesting set of drifts without adequate forethought. The machine ran out of momentum and I tipped off to the downhill side. One of my over-sized insulated rubber boots didn’t free itself from the stirrup and there I was. The boot soon came free, but I found myself stuck in my own back forty.
Then I remembered a video series where these guys from Ottawa ram snowmobiles through impossible conditions on a trip north. One of the topics was how to unstick a snowmobile. So I stamped down the snow on the uphill side of the machine and around the back. Of course I was getting wet because there hadn’t been much reason to put on snowmobile pants for a run around the farm.
The machine dutifully backed out of the trap. I remounted, remembered to balance the thing, and blasted up the hill over the remaining drifts. I stopped at the top, breathing pretty hard, but no more than I would lifting a large round of maple onto the block splitter.
Lesson relearned: every time you start a snowmobile it’s game on, and you had better be ready for whatever the trail can throw at you. Quietly I felt grateful for the week of wood-cutting I had gotten in after the recent thaw. It left me moderately prepared for unexpected exertions.
But it would be to oversimplify the tale if the prequel to this misadventure weren’t told. After Cory Sly rebuilt its carburetors I test-drove the 1999 SkiDoo Touring LE last night for a half hour. Apart from its tendency to fight the ruts on the Forfar section of the Cataraqui Trail, the machine ran perfectly.
This morning it started dutifully, but then the oil light winked on. I shut off. Restarted. Definitely on. This light indicates* that no oil is getting to the engine to mix with the gasoline.
Into the house, laptop open, crash course on oil injection systems in Ski Doo models. Posted a plea for help online, complained by email to pals. Before taking wrench to engine, though, I called Cory.
“It’s not an oil shortage. The light comes on when it’s a litre down to warn you to add more.”
“It’s full, and I backed the top off to let air in.”
“Is the parking brake on?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“You shouldn’t leave it on. It may stick on and you’ll end up with a hydraulic leak and hot pads, a recipe for a fire. Shut the parking brake off and it should be fine.”
And it was. Of course then I had to send more emails and Internet posts admitting my newbie jitters.
Then came the ride around the property, the wonderful new drifts, and a return to the couch to compose this account.
At the current rate it will be a long time before I log significant mileage on the snowmobile, but so far it appears willing.
* (among other things, it turns out)
A question about Canadian crude oil prices I asked on Quora
January 3, 2015
Canada sells crude oil to the United States at a hefty price reduction. Is this discount tied to a specific price level for crude, or does the export price of crude fall at the same rate as global prices?
Respose by:
Muhammad Abduhu, Process Engineer in Training
(2 upvotes by Rod Croskery and Branden Pronk.)
At some fundamental level, Canadian oil/bitumen prices (WCS = Western Canadian Select) move up/down with WTI (West Texas Intermediate) which is an American oil price benchmark (see graph).
Source: [1]
Oil is a globally traded commodity so the world wide supply/demand picture sets bounds on the price that Canadian oil can fetch.
Other, more “local” supply/demand factors determine the differential/discount to international prices.
The size of the discount is determined by factors such as:
Heavy Oil Discount: As Branden Pronk points out, not all refineries can process Canadian bitumen so it’s not as “valuable”. Refineries need to install costly equipment to be able to turn bitumen into gasoline/diesel.
Takeaway Capacity: Refineries on the Gulf Coast/Europe/Asia can process Heavy Oil but insufficient transportation/pipeline infrastructure makes it difficult to get the oil to these refineries. The Keystone XL pipeline and moving crude by rail are some or the attempts by the industry to address this.
Location: The Canadian price is set near Edmonton, AB and excludes the cost of transport to refineries outside Alberta.
Increasing Supply: Canadian companies are bringing increasing amounts of bitumen onto the market: from 2 million bbl/d today to something like 3 million bbl/day by 2020 [2].
Competition with other heavy oil producers like Mexico [3] or Venezuela.
The WTI-WCS differential has fluctuated between $10 and $40. The average over the last few years is closer to $20 and could remain that way for a while [4].
1: Energy Prices
2: http://www.capp.ca/getdoc.aspx?D…
3: Canadian Oil Surge to U.S. Gulf Puts Mexico on Defensive
4: http://www.ogj.com/articles/2014…
Why Not II: a tractor’s no good without implements.
December 25, 2014
The sled project began as a set of skis and a snowmobile hitch and tongue. In an earlier life I built a mini-hayrack on it in the mistaken belief that it would be useful for cargo behind the 1976 Alpine. Turned out the Alpine came with an automotive trailer hitch as well as the snowmobile variety, so for cargo I simply pulled the utility trailer on which it rode between expeditions. The thing was way too much of a brute for a dinky little caboose like this. The utility trailer normally worked well, though we ran into a little problem once on Newboro Lake. Check out The Heroic Winter Assault on Scott Island at the bottom of the page for details.
The existing body was too short for my 35 lb. power ice auger, so I began modifications. The hitch height was 8″ too low, as well, so Peter Myers fabricated a new tongue and I added some length.
Then came sides, a pair of 12″ pine boards. In an effort to reduce weight, though, I fabricated a pair of lightweight doors from scrap pine and pieces of 1/4″ plywood I found in my shop. Then I raided a box of cabinet hinges I’d bought on eBay for fasteners.
Tremclad yellow seemed a reasonable match for the Ski-Doo palette, so I rolled a half-gallon onto available wooden surfaces, the skis, the floor, and my clothes.
With the doors removed the sled should handle sap collection duties in March as well.
Now all we need is snow.
https://rodcroskery.wordpress.com/2009/01/04/the-winter-assault-on-scott-island/
the Walnut Diary 