At the polling station

Yesterday, I went to exercise my right to cast a wasted vote in our (Canadian) federal election. As I handed over my driver's licence as identification, I quipped to the lady there "Are there any photo Id.'s that don't look horrible?" She laughed, examined my photo for a couple of seconds and then said "This one isn't bad at all." She handed it back to me along with the voting slip.

I went to the private "booth" to mark my "X", but the whole time, something wasn't sitting right with me. And then it struck me. She woman felt that the hideous creature staring out from my driver's licence is a good representation of me. Now, I'd be the first one to admit that I've never been movie star material, but it never occurred to me that I might make the short list to play Quasimodo.

I'd post the offensive image, but I don't want to risk anyone rendering their keyboard inoperable.

Q & A's from around the web

Best way to remove back hair?

Marry a gorilla. It won't get rid of your hair but when you walk along the beach holding her hand, no one will notice your hairy back.

It's Canadian Thanksgiving

In looking at the screenshot I took at the weather network, it made me think that perhaps Montana belongs to Canada.



Oh, wait. It may be more appropriate for it to belong to whomever owns Alaska. It's much too cold to belong to us.


That's right--I have nothing better to do on Thanksgiving than to compare temperatures around the continent. What a turkey, I am. Actually, the turkey is in the oven. I just finished baking a butter pecan cake (they made me a deal I couldn't refuse at .99 for the mix and it was the best flavour remaining), and I'm waiting for it to cool so I can slather it with vanilla frosting.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians! And to all my American friend, I hope you don't get snowed in, today.

Way to grow hair on bald skin found

It's hair-raising news for millions of men - scientists have revealed they have found a way to grow hair on bald skin.

The breakthrough came after researchers discovered a gene in stem cells which can re-grow hair follicles on mice. The new stem cells also have all the same identities as an original hair follicle. The remarkable work overturns previous scientific views about the identity of follicle stem cells. The researchers discovered that mice hair follicles contain a chemical compound called Lgr5 which was previously thought to only live in the intestine and colon. By transplanting the protein Lgr5 on to the backs of dead eight-week-old mice, the scientists found they could re-grow hair.

Furthermore, the 'new' hair follicle would stay healthy and continue to grow for as long as 14 months.

Story

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But, it was not all good news, today. In Washington, bureaucrats are scrambling to try and figure out a solution to what is viewed as an inevitable problem arising from the experiments and expected to become evident in the coming weeks and months: What to do about the (heretofore) majestic symbol of the United States, the bald eagle.

Classic cars from my childhood

I was in my early teens when my older brother came home with one of these beauties one day:

Somehow, it seemed even more beautiful back then to a wide-eyed boy who religiously read his brother's hand-me-down Car & Driver magazines. To me, the car represented awesome power, even if its looks didn't convey it. Only the hood work over the engine gave a hint of what was underneath. That and the diminutive emblem on the front fenders indicating 396 CID.

For the uninitiated, it was a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 (SS signifying "Super Sport", not Nazi). The 396 cubic inch displacement engine packed as much as 375 horsepower. This was the age of muscle cars and this was certainly one of them.

Here's a gallery of pix of that model immaculately restored/maintained: Click here.

As for my brother's car, I will never forget the first time my brother took me for a ride in this machine. We zipped along down Keele Street weaving in and out of traffic, laying rubber in any gear. He entered the circular ramp to the eastbound 401, and as we neared the end of the ramp, I was unprepared for the fury that was about to be unleashed.

Bro switched gears, stomped on the accelerator, and I was driven (literally) back against my seat with a G-force I had never experienced before in my young life, or for that matter, ever since. The front of the car seemed to lift up making me feel like we were headed skyward. There I sat glued for what seemed like an eternity, and feeling like I couldn't breathe as we screamed down the highway, the engine roaring like an angry lion.

That car was a harbinger of things to come. In 1970, the mother of all muscle cars rolled out of Detroit: The Chevelle SS 454. This monster delivered an unbelievable 450 horsepower--more than any other stock car in that era.

While looking for pix, I came across some sale prices for the '67 Chevelle SS396, the highest being an incredible $87,000.

Next, I will review another car my brother actually rebuilt around the same time he had the Chevelle: a '57 Chevy

To see all posts in this series click here.

Last Kiss music video.

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