How would you like to find this on the side of your trash can!!!!!!! (or anywhere!!!!) -- Friends in Australia sent us a picture of a Coconut Crab.
This is pretty interesting.....
Coconut Crab (Birgus latro) is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. It is known for its ability to crack coconuts with its strong pincers in order to eat the contents. It is sometimes called the robber crab because some coconut crabs are rumored to steal shiny items such as pots and silverware from houses and tents. The second photo gives you a good idea of how large these crabs are - a coconut crab is seeking food from a black trashcan.
I received this in an email today and it gave me the most severe goosebumps I have ever had. To give credit where credit is due, I believe this came from the Washington Post. This really will make you stop and think.
. . . Something To Think About . . .
THE SITUATION
In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in
2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.
During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station,
most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged
man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and
stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.
About 4 minutes later
The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat
and, without stopping, continued to walk.
At 6 minutes
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his
watch and started to walk again.
At 10 minutes
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action
was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without
exception - forced their children to move on quickly.
At 45 minutes
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal
pace. The man collected a total of $32.
After 1 hour
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one
applauded. There was no recognition at all.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest
musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever
written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before,
Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100
each to sit and listen to him play the same music.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro
Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social
experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.
This experiment raised several questions:
*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we
perceive beauty?
*If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians
in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of
the most beautiful instruments ever made . . .
How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?
I am currently working on updating & uploading the '2009 Top10Causes Awareness Documentary' I created last summer on to Reactive Candy TV. For those of you who do not know, @Top10Causes was my user name on Twitter before I became @Reactive_Candy. Due to my own personal health issues I was unable to continue the work that I had planned for bringing awareness to these amazing causes.
Back in May 2009, from my @Top10Causes profile on Twitter, I sent out a request for nominations for peoples favorite cause/charity on Twitter. I received a lot of nominations & the voting occured in June 2009. In this documentary I introduce you to the 10 amazing charities that the people on Twitter voted as their Top10Causes. I am sure each of them will touch you deep in your heart, the same way they touched mine.
I am also thinking about running Top10Causes again this summer, if there is enough interest. My thoughts are to have nominations tweeted to me, and then we will vote by using hashtags. I believe in this format it will keep the voting as transparent as possible. Let me know if you are interested in me running this campaign again, and if enough are interested, I am on board to do it again in 2010.
This was sent to me at work via email and had to share! Very heartwarming!
__________________________________________
Something really cute happened in downtown San Antonio this week. Michael R. is an accounting clerk at Frost Bank and works there in a second story office. Several weeks ago, he watched a mother duck choose the concrete awning outside his window as the unlikely place to build a nest above the sidewalk. The mallard laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched over 10 feet in the air. She dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks, and Monday afternoon all of her ten ducklings hatched.
Michael worried all night how the momma duck was going to get those babies safely off their perch in a busy, downtown, urban environment to take to water, which typically happens in the first 48 hours of a duck hatching. Tuesday morning, Michael watched the mother duck encourage her babies to the edge of the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off.
Office work came to a standstill as everyone gathered to watch.
The mother flew down below and started quacking to her babies above. In disbelief Michael watched as the first fuzzy newborn trustingly toddled to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the cement below. Michael couldn't stand to watch this risky effort nine more times! He dashed out of his office and ran down the stairs to the sidewalk where the first obedient duckling, near its mother, was resting in a stupor after the near-fatal fall. Michael stood out of sight under the awning-planter, ready to help.
As the second one took the plunge, Michael jumped forward and caught it with his bare hands before it hit the concrete. Safe and sound, he set it down it by its momma and the other stunned sibling, still recovering from that painful leap. (The momma must have sensed that Michael was trying to help her babies.)
One by one the babies continued to jump. Each time Michael hid under the awning just to reach out in the nick of time as the duckling made its free fall. At the scene the busy downtown sidewalk traffic came to a standstill. Time after time, Michael was able to catch the remaining eight and set them by their approving mother.
At this point Michael realized the duck family had only made part of its dangerous journey. They had two full blocks to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs and past pedestrians to get to the closest open water, the San Antonio River, site of the famed "River Walk." The onlooking office secretaries and several San Antonio police officers joined in. An empty copy-paper box was brought to collect the babies. They carefully corralled them, with the mother's approval, and loaded them in the container. Michael held the box low enough for the mom to see her brood. He then slowly navigated through the downtown streets toward the San Antonio River . The mother waddled behind and kept her babies in sight, all the way.
As they reached the river, the mother took over and passed him, jumping in the river and quacking loudly. At the water's edge, Michael tipped the box and helped shepherd the babies toward the water and to the waiting mother after their adventurous ride.
All ten darling ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up snugly to momma. Michael said the mom swam in circles, looking back toward the beaming bank bookkeeper, and proudly quacking.
At last, all present and accounted for: "We're all together again. We're here! We're here!"
And here's a family portrait before they head outward to further adventures...
Like all of us in the big times of our life, they never could have made it alone without lots of helping hands.
Imagine that you had won the following prize in a contest:
Each morning your bank would deposit $ 86,400.00 in your private account for your use.
However, this prize had rules, just as any game has certain rules.
The first set of rules would be:
1. Everything that you didn’t spend during each day would be taken away from you.
2. You may not transfer money into some other account.
3. You may only spend it.
Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $ 86,400.00 for that day.
The second set of rules:
1. The bank can end the game without warning; at any time it can say, “It’s over, the game is over!”
2. It can close the account and you will not receive a new one.
What would you personally do?
You would buy anything and everything you wanted, right?
Not only for yourself, but for all people you love, right?
Even for people you don’t know, because you couldn’t possibly spend it all on yourself, right?
You would try to spend every cent, and use it all, right?
ACTUALLY, THIS GAME IS REALITY!!
Each of us is in possession of such a “magical” bank.
We just can’t seem to see it.
THE MAGICAL BANK IS TIME!
Each awakening morning we receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life,
and when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is NOT credited to us.
What we haven’t lived up that day is forever lost.
Yesterday is forever gone.
Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time…….
WITHOUT WARNING.
WELL, what will you do with your 86,400 seconds?
Aren’t they worth so much more than the same amount in dollars?
Think about that, and always think of this:
Enjoy every second of your life, because time races by so much quicker than you think.
There's some mighty fine advice in these words. These words are from the Anthony Robbins organization. It has been sent around the world ten times so Far.
ONE...Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO...Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational
skills will be as important as any other.
THREE...Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want..
FOUR...When you say, 'I love you' mean it.
FIVE...When you say, 'I'm sorry' look the person in the eye.
SIX...Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN...Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT...Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
NINE...Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live
life completely.
TEN...In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN...Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE...Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN...When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer,smile & ask 'Why do you want to know?'
FOURTEEN...Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
FIFTEEN...Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN...When you lose, don't lose the lesson !
SEVENTEEN...Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and
responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN...Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN...When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
TWENTY...Smile when picking up the phone... The caller will hear it in your voice.
If you are like me, you too, despise people who abuse parking spots. That is right, I am talking about parking spots. You know the people I am talking about! The ones who double park, taking up two stalls. Or the people who park in handicap zones with no handicap placard & half the time, not disabled/handicapped in any way. Now, in this time & age, we have new parking abusers, the ones with crappy car alarms. Have you ever been woken up in the middle of the night by the loudest car alarm in the world with an owner that cannot hear his own alarm?
I am sure we have all experienced one or all of these parking spot abusers. But have you ever did anything about it? If you have, were you always nice and friendly about it? Well, check out these thank you notes that some people have left for these parking spot abusers. Notes I am sure we wished we had left at some point.
It has officially been declared that Friday, April 30 be the first national "No Phone Zone Day." A large-scale effort to honor victims of distracted driving.
This Friday take the "No Phone Zone" pledge. By pledging, drivers agree to make their car a "No Phone Zone" and refrain from using their phone while driving, eliminating distractions from incoming calls, texts or emails. More than 160,000 people to date have signed Oprah's "No Phone Zone" pledge at Oprah.com. Many celebrities have already joined the cause, including Oscar® winners Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges and Mo'Nique, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, actress and icon Raquel Welch, Olympic superstar Shaun White, country music's Lady Antebellum, entertainer and entrepreneur Tyler Perry, the cast of TV's Glee and many more.
For more information on "No Phone Zone Day," and to take the No Phone Zone pledge, please visit www.oprah.com/nophonezone.
To honour National "No Phone Zone" I share the story & photo's below.
The Honda crotch rocket rider was traveling at approximately 85 mph. The VW driver was talking on a cell phone when she pulled out from a side street, apparently not seeing the motorcycle. The riders reaction time was not sufficient enough to avoid this accident. The car had two passengers and the bike rider was found INSIDE the car with them. The Volkswagen actually flipped over from the force of impact and landed 20 feet from where the collision took place. All three involved (two in the car and the bike rider) were killed instantly. This graphic demonstration was placed at the Motorcycle Fair by the Police and Road Safety Department..Pass this on to car drivers or soon to be new drivers, or new motorcycle owners AND ESPECIALLY EVERYONE YOU KNOW WHO HAS A CELL PHONE!!!!! A picture is worth a thousand words. Save a life. Stop talking on Cell phones and Texting while trying to drive. The life you save may be your own..... or mine.
Ever wonder about the "3 second rule"..you know, when you drop food on the floor you have "3 seconds" to pick it up in order for it to be ok to eat off the floor. Silly rule, but here is something even better than that rule, check out the diagram below. It will answer all your questions about eating food you dropped on the floor.
This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to get into a regular workout routine!
Dear Diary,
For my birthday this year, I purchased a week of personal training at
the local health club. Although I am still in great shape since being
a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be
a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.
I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer
named Christo, who identified himself as a 26-year-old aerobics
instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.
Friends seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club
encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.
________________________________
MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00 am. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was
well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Christo
waiting for me. He is something of a Greek god-- with blond hair,
dancing eyes, and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!!
Christo gave me a tour and showed me the machines.. I enjoyed watching
the skillful way in which he conducted his aerobics class after my
workout today. Very inspiring!
Christo was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was
already aching from holding it in the whole time he was around.
This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!
________________________________
TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door..
Christo made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air
then he put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the
treadmill, but I made the full mile. His rewarding smile made it all
worthwhile. I feel GREAT! It's a whole new life for me.
_______________________________
WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the
counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have
a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to
steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.
Christo was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered
other club members. His voice is a little too perky for that early in
the morning and when he scolds, he gets this nasally whine that is
VERY annoying.
My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Christo put me on the
stair monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate
an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Christo told me it would
help me get in shape and enjoy life. He said some other shit too.
_______________________________
THURSDAY:
Asshole was waiting for me with his vampire-like teeth exposed as his
thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help
being a half an hour late-- it took me that long to tie my shoes.
He took me to work out with dumbbells. When he was not looking, I ran
and hid in the restroom. He sent some skinny bitch to find me.
Then, as punishment, he put me on the rowing machine-- which I sank.
_________________________________
FRIDAY:
I hate that bastard Christo more than any human being has ever hated
any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny,
anemic, anorexic, little aerobic instructor. If there was a part of
my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat him with
it.
Christo wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps!
And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the damn
barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.
The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition
teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama
coach or the choir director?
________________________________
SATURDAY:
Satan left a message on my answering machine in his grating, shrilly
voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing his voice
made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked
the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven
straight hours of the Weather Channel..
________________________________
SUNDAY:
I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go
and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year
my husband will choose a gift for me that is fun-- like a root canal
or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he
would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!
When I first heard about the events in Thailand I had a flashback, to not so long ago, when another country, Iran, was divided amongst themselves due to politics.
Just the other day I received this email from my father, who recently married a beautiful woman from Thailand, whom he calls his "Thai Princess". In this email is what I am sharing with you below. I have asked my fathers permission to post his email and this information on my blog. This is, obviously, very near & dear to my father's heart, as his "Thai Princess" is very near where all of this is going on.
When I received this email my thoughts & prayers went out to both of them and the people of Thailand.
Here is the email from my father:
Hi Candy,
I am not sure if you will want to watch any of these. I assembled these videos because it has been hard to easily describe what has been happening in Bangkok this past month. I think these videos will help you understand a little bit of what is happening.
I have assembled a collection of almost 40 video links to try and describe the protests that have been going on in Bangkok since March 12th. Be forewarned that the images from April 10th contain violence. Two in particular are very graphic and I have added a WARNING!!! to those ones. The protests turned violent on Saturday. There were 21 people who died and over 800 injured.
These video reports come from various sources including international news reports from Australian TV, Associated Press, BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera English, and China...as well as videos from independent individuals. Some reports contain in-depth interviews and/or analysis of what is at the root of the protests.
On the other hand, you should know that my "Thai Princess" lives 10km to 20km from any of the main protest sites. Apart from the protest areas, most of Bangkok is functioning, although the protests have created anxiety and inconvenience. And all Thais seem to be affected emotionally by the violence last Saturday. The blame game continues on both sides. In truth, I think there is plenty of blame to go around. Sadly, I do not see an easy solution to the deep rift in Thai society nor is there any easy way out of this political crisis.
Love Dad
Thursday March 11, 2010 — The environment of Thailand Tourism has been captured at different attractions in Bangkok (Grand Palace, MBK, Siam Paragon). The over all environment shows that even though the red shirts protestors are demonstrating, the tourism in the Kingdom has not been affected. Tourists are enjoying as usual!
Friday March 12, 2010 — Hundreds of supporters of deposed Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra began in Bangkok for a series of anti-government protests over the weekend.
Saturday March 13, 2010 — Large parts of downtown Bangkok have turned red, where tens of thousands of opposition supporters - part of a "Red Shirt" movement - are demanding the government's ouster and fresh elections.
The Red Shirts are supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, the country's deposed prime minister, and they want political change now.
The demonstrators have warned that they will press ahead with their agitation until their demands are met - even if it means "paralysing" Bangkok.
Aljazeera's Wayne Hay reports from Bangkok, where about 50,000 troops have been deployed.
Sunday March 14, 2010 — Red-shirt protesters up pressure on Thai PM - CCTV
Sunday March 14, 2010 — Supporters of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra swarmed into Bangkok today. Wearing their signature red shirts they converged on the Democracy Monument. Today was relatively peaceful but tomorrow they have threatened to spread out all over the city in their attempt to bring the city to a halt and force the current gov't out of office.
http://www.thai-faq.com/yykpi
Sunday March 14, 2010 — Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Thai capital, Bangkok, for a big rally demanding that the government calls new elections. The demonstrators were mainly allies of the former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Sunday March 14, 2010 — Red-clad supporters of deposed Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra vowed Sunday to march on military barracks holding the government as they stepped up protests in Bangkok amid tight security. Duration: 01:15.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbyb_tcGSf0
Sunday March 14, 2010 — Tens of thousands of 'red shirts' have gathered to protest against the Thai government. CNN's Dan Rivers reports.
Monday March 15, 2010 — Thousands of red-shirted demonstrators marched through Bangkok, vowing to topple the Thai government. They're demanding the dissolution of parliament by Tuesday evening.
Tuesday March 16, 2010 — Red-shirt protesters collect blood to pour on Bangkok's government house, in what they describe as a symbolic gesture for democracy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GctcmYKFdIM
Tuesday March 16, 2010 — Protesters in Thailand have splashed hundreds of litres of their own blood outside government headquarters in a "sacrifice for democracy" after their demands for new elections were rejected.
Wednesday March 17, 2010 — After four days of continuing protests, can the Thai opposition force the prime minister to resign? Is the current government capable of clinging on to power?
Saturday March 20, 2010 — In the face of the protests, Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Thai prime minister has stood firm and refused the protestors demands. But if nothing else, the huge numbers of protestors confirmed that Thailand is a deeply divided country.
Saturday March 20, 2010 - Red Shirt Rally March
Tuesday April 6, 2010 — Anti-government protesters in Thailand have defied a government ban to march through more areas of Bangkok, shutting down parts of the city. The government had ordered the red-shirts, as the protesters are known, not to demonstrate along 11 key routes. But the reds, who are calling on the government to step down, fanned out into Bangkok's business district. The move followed scuffles earlier in the day between riot police and protesters. No-one was hurt but it marked the first clash since the protests began almost a month ago.
Arrest warrants have now been issued for ten of the red-shirt leaders. But the court ruled that the arrests can only be made if the leaders are on the stage that the protesters have set up at their camp in Bangkok's shopping hub.
The red-shirts have now established two camps in Bangkok - one in the government district and a second in the city's commercial centre. Their blockade has caused shops to close and tourists to leave hotels.
Early on Tuesday, they announced plans to march through parts of the city declared off-limits by the government.
Brief scuffles broke out as riot police blocked their way. Protesters pelted police with eggs and plastic bottles, but the scuffles subsided with no injury to either side.
The red-shirts then suspended their plans only to reinstate them hours later. "From now we will make an offensive move," a protest leader Nattawut Saikua told the crowd. "Let our people ... march to all the banned 11 routes immediately. If there's anything blocking us, break in with peace." Groups of red-shirts then rallied in Bangkok's business district, carrying flags and riding on motorbikes.
The security forces have said publicly that they will not use force to disperse the protestors. But the BBC's South East Asia correspondent, Rachel Harvey, says that having kept a deliberately low profile for weeks, they are now a very visible presence.
The government sought to calm the atmosphere.
Both sides have said from the start that they want to avoid violence. A court ruled on Monday that the government had the power to evict the protesters under existing special security legislation.
More than three years after the army deposed Thaksin Shinawatra as Thailand's prime minister, instability continues to grip the country. The red-shirts are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who came to power in the wake of the military-backed coup. They say they will not move from Bangkok until their demands for fresh elections are met. Last week the two sides held talks but discussions broke up without resolution.
Wednesday, 7 April 2010 - Thailand PM declares state of emergency (BBC News, Rachel Harvey reporting)
Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has declared a state of emergency in Bangkok amid escalating anti-government protests. In a televised address, Mr Abhisit said the move - which gives sweeping new powers to the security forces to tackle protesters - would help restore order.
Thursday, 8 April 2010 - CNN Report
Thursday, 8 April 2010 - Thailand, State of Emergency (As Broadcast by ABC: Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Thailand's embattled premier declared a state of emergency in Bangkok after protesters stormed parliament in a dramatic escalation of their bid to topple the government. MPs fled and several senior government figures were airlifted by military helicopter after red-shirted supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra forced their way into the country's parliamentary compound.
Friday, 9 April 2010 - Thailand's red-shirt protesters reinstate TV station (BBC News)
Thousands of Thai protesters seized control of a satellite transmission station, forcing officials to allow an opposition TV channel back on air. Security forces retreated after their efforts to disperse the crowd with tear gas and water cannon failed.
Friday, 9 April 2010 - Thai Protesters Storm Into TV Compound (Associated Press)
Thai protesters stormed a TV compound just outside Bangkok Friday, trying to restart their Peoples Channel that had been shut down by the government. More than a dozen people were reported hurt.
Friday, 9 April 2010 - THAICOM Under Siege (CNN News)
Saturday, 10 April 2010 - Raw Video: Thai Troops Advance on Protesters (Associated Press)
Thai security forces using tear gas and rubber bullets fought street battles against anti-government demonstrators Saturday, launching a large-scale crackdown to try to end a month of disruptive protests in the Thai capital.
Saturday, 10 April 2010 - Violence flares in Thai capital (Al Jazeera English)
Clashes have turned increasingly violent between anti-government protesters and troops in Thailand. The soldiers fired rubber-coated steel bullets on Saturday at the so-called red-shirts, who want parliament immediately dissolved and fresh elections called.
Saturday, 10 April 2010 - Thai troops try to clear protest camps (ThaiFAQ.com)
Soldiers and police in riot gear clashed with red-shirted anti-government protestors as they tried to clear them from an encampment in the city.
This situation turned from peaceful to violent in a split second. One minute everyone was dancing and the next they were running for cover as the military opened fire. Sorry for the language in some parts but it was a little intense at times.
Saturday, 10 April 2010 - WARNING!!! Graphic images of soldiers being shot and soldiers firing into the red shirts.
Saturday, 10 April 2010 - WARNING!!!! This is an extremely graphic video of a Thai Red Shirt killed by a bullet to the head.
An independent panel conducting autopsies on 12 bodies of the red shirts protesters who were killed when the red shirts protesters battled with troops revealed that nine of them were shot by high power rifles. It was reported by The Nation newspaper that high-powered rifles can only be used by specially trained gunmen particularly in the army.
Sunday, 11 April 2010 - Thai red shirts defiant after protests (Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay reports)
Red shirt protesters in Thailand are refusing to negotiate with the government after the worst rioting in two decades yesterday left at least 21 people dead.
The anti-government protesters want parliament dissolved and Abhisit Vejjajiva, the prime minister, to leave the country.
A certain calm has returned to the streets of the capital Bangkok, but the stand-off is still far from over.
Sunday, 11 April 2010 - Red Shirts, Deadly Protests in Bangkok (As Broadcast by ABC: Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Thai authorities say at least 18 people have died in confrontations between security forces and anti-government protesters in the country's bloodiest political violence in almost two decades.
Sunday, 11 April 2010 - Bangkok clashes death toll climbs to 20 (BBC News, Rachel Harvey reporting)
At least 20 people are now known to have died in clashes between Thai troops and opposition supporters in Bangkok and more than 800 were hurt. The BBC's Rachel Harvey visited the scene of some of the worst violence to survey the damage. The worst violence came when soldiers and police made an unsuccessful attempt to retake an area held by opposition supporters on Saturday evening. A government spokesman denied reports that live rounds had also been fired.
Monday, 12 April 2010 - Red Shirt Protests, Thailand Crisis, Interview (As Broadcast by ABC: Australian Broadcasting Corporation )
Anti-government protesters in Thailand have paraded the bodies of dead comrades through the streets of Bangkok. Twenty-one people were killed and more than 800 were injured in weekend clashes with troops. A procession of cars, trucks and taxis filled with Red Shirt demonstrators moved through the historic district of the capital with the bodies of their fallen comrades.
Today I spent my lunch hour going down memory lane. Not memories from years ago, but memories a short six weeks ago. I relived the moments that gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes at the most amazing Olympic Games I have ever experienced, and that includes '88 Olympics in Calgary.
Today Calgary saluted the outstanding athletes from Alberta that won over, not only our hearts, but the nations hearts. More than a thousand people filled Olympic Plaza to cheer on sixty of the Alberta-based Olympians and Paralympians.
It was amazing to see all the great Albertan athletes, but I must say the highlight of the event for me was, the one and only, JOHN MONTGOMERY. I love this guy. He isn't from Alberta, he is from my home province of Manitoba. I have two memories of John at the Olympics;his overwhelming excitement when he realized he won gold, brought me to tears, was so proud. Then walking through Whistler Plaza and accepting a big huge stein full of beer & doing the only thing a Canadian would do..take a huge swig. He deserved it.
Here is a little video of his speech at today's event. You can't see him, but you sure know who you are hearing.
Earth Hour 2010 has come and gone in Calgary. This was the first time I participated in Earth Hour. I was saddened by the sight of lights on in my complex. The majority of the units had all their lights.
Although the lights were still on in my complex, the rest of Calgary got on board. Some of the buildings downtown that participated in Earth Hour; Telus Tower, Old PetroCan Tower, Calgary Tower, Hyatt, Bow Tower, Municipal Building(Oz), Public Library, and the Epcor Centre.
The results for Calgary were a little disappointing compared to last year. Calgary saw a reduction of 5 megawatts, 2009 was a better result, as we saved 10 megawatts. Regardless, reduction is reduction is reduction. The 5 megawatt reduction in Calgary during Earth Hour equates to 4 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions that were not emitted into the air.
The only question I have that came out of Earth Hour 2010; Why do we tend to whisper when we are in the dark?
I AM Strong...but get weak at the knees
I AM Beautiful...but on the inside
I AM Funny...but only when laughing at myself
I AM Single...but loving it
I AM Klutzy...but graceful
I AM Conscience...but aware
I AM Innocent...but have guilty pleasures
I AM Voluptuous...but sexy
I AM Ambitious...but not over driven
I AM Awesome...but not egotistical
I AM Wise...but always learning
I AM Human...but make mistakes
I AM Female...but equal
I AM Active...but love lazy Sunday afternoons
I AM Crazy...but sane
I AM Curious...but cautious
I AM Quiet...but know when to be heard
I AM Talented...but amateur
I AM Loud...but know how to listen
I AM Interesting...but quirky
I AM Generous...but not rich
I AM Serious...but seriously goofy
I AM Open...but Mysterious
I AM Canadian...but nothing I AM CANADIAN
