Rain Postscript

Environment Canada reports that if it rains today (it already has), then a new all time record for rain in Toronto for the month of July will be set.
As I write this, another thunderstorm is approaching and the Severe Weather Warnings are up. Here's hoping August will be drier.

Rain rain go away!

It was something we already knew as Torontonians. This has been the lousiest summer in a long time, weatherwise. Now it's confirmed. It's been the wettest June-July on record. Yesterday we broke a 28 year old record, and between now and the end of the month, we'll add to it. Falling on the heels of the snowiest winter in years, one wonders what exactly is going on in the atmosphere.
Today's three local world class sporting events have been affected. The Canadian Open Golf Tournament (which is located just blocks away in Glen Abbey, here in Oakville) is on a rain delay and has been severely affected by the torrential rains of the past week. The Rogers Cup Tennis Tournament has had play interrupted, and tonight's Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star game between the League and the EPL's West Ham United will be a soggy affair.
The question remains- who planned these 3 events all at the same time?

Where the Hell is Matt ? (not Matheson!)

According to The Age, this all started in a Brisbane video game company office...
Have a look if you want.

Carbon Footprint Redux

I am following up on my recent post about carbon footprints. A detailed calculator and action planner are available at this website, and one can compare the results with average people in other countries and cities. There is also a Facebook Group that uses the calculator.
Start measuring. Start thinking. Start acting greener.

http://zerofootprint.net/

Launch of the iPhone G3

It's here. At least in Australia it is for the next few hours. For the moment anyway. Since Australia is one of the first countries to see dawn on July 11th, it will also see the launch of the new Apple iPhone G3.
How will the iPhone G3 change the way people communicate, exchange information, stay connected 24/7?
Time will tell.
It may be a little longer to see the results in Canada, as Rogers, the exclusive iPhone carrier in Canada, has distictly non-competitive rates. Time will tell if it takes off in Canada too.

Sheep Grazier's Warning

I am hosting an Australian this week and have been watching the weather there, as a matter of hospitality, since talking about Canadian weather, especially things like wind chill and humidex, can be a little, well, dry.
I want the following warning to be widely distributed, just in case you have sheep. There is a "Sheep Grazier's Warning" issued for Southwestern districts of Western Australia. And you thought that a humidex warning was a pushing the weather envelope!
This reminds me of the time there was a "Koala Emergency" on the Monash Freeway in Melbourne last November.

See: The Weatherzone.com.au
Just in case the URL for this expires, the warning reads:

Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
Western Australia

WARNING FOR SHEEP FARMERS
Issued at 4:55 pm WST on Wednesday, 9 July 2008

Sheep farmers in the Southwest, adjacent Great Southern and South Coastal
districts are warned that with cold, wet and windy conditions are expected to
develop during Thursday and there is a serious risk of sheep or lamb losses.

On a serious weather note, heavy snows, up to 30 cm, have fallen in the Alpine areas of Australia, and skiers are happy once again. Victorian school holidays are currently on and the snow has fallen just in time, as they are over at the end of next week.

The iPhone in Canada

The buzz is that the iPhone launch in Canada by Rogers may backfire, since the data plans that Rogers offers are overpriced and smack in the face of competition. Don't like it? There is something you can do!

A Blog about Blogs...Did you know that Blogging Makes you Happier?

The Age (Melbourne) newspaper reports that new research points to the fact that blogging can make you a happier person. I am feeling happier as I type this. I bet the one or two people who read this are probably happier too.
If you want to read on, check this article out on the Age website.

Happy Canada Day! Canada is 141 years old!

We spent Canada Day with some of the great friends we met while in Australia. Exchange families gathered at the home of Joe Milling and Leslie Parking in Ingersol, Ontario (about 2 hours south west of Toronto). We enjoyed the pool, the reminiscing, the warm sunshine, and for the Victorian Aussies reading this, it was +30 and sunny!