Supporting the troops

Where can I purchase decals, car magnets and other 'Support the Troops' items?

Inotek Signs and Graphics in Ajax donated the decals the Region of Durham
used during the “Support the Troops” ceremony July 25.

Inotek donated 600 decals to the Region of Durham and 400 to the Town of Ajax for their “Support the Troops” campaign.

According to Eric Fowler, one of the company owners, there are a few hundred extra decals on hand and if the general public would like to have one for their personal vehicle they can drop by the office and pick one up.

Mr. Fowler said there is no charge for the decals, but warns they will only be available while supplies last.

Inotek is located at 845 Westney Rd. South in Ajax.

People can also purchase “Support the Troops” magnets and other merchandise through the Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency  website.

Fishy Findings

I have heard that the reason for all the dead fish showing up in Lake Scugog may be caused by Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia, what is this?

After researching this question we discovered a website that can answer all of your questions about Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia.

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia, or VHS, is a disease found in fish that causes fatal anemia and hemorrhaging. This disease causes the fish to swell up and become filled with fluid. This disease is fatal, and eventually kills the fish. The disease is highly infectious and spreads to other fish quickly. Although fish are killed by the hundreds because of this fatal fish disease, humans are safe from the disease and cannot be harmed by coming into contact with the fish. The removing of dead fish cannot cause harm to a human but it is very highly recommended to not consume the fish, if dead or dying.

A fish that has died of VHS can show some very obvious signs of the disease. Signs to look for from VHS are, bulging eyes, pale gills, darkening overall colour, fluid-filled belly, cork screw swimming behaviour, and signs of bleeding around the eyes, base of fins, sides and head.
The cause of the disease is not clearly defined, but it is believed that hot summer weather influences how the virus spreads. Warmer water can cause stress to fish, and because of this stress the fish becomes more vulnerable to viruses, and diseases.

If you find a dead, or dying fish and believe that VHS may be the cause, it is important to report the findings to your local fisheries authority.

Raining cats and dogs!

Where did the phrase “it’s raining cats and dogs” originate?

After researching for the answer to this question we came across a website that gave us a few different explanations for the origin of the phrase.
The website describes there are many different stories told to explain the origin of this strange phrase, but no one specific answer.
One explanation stated that the phrase came from Northern mythology that describes the cat as having a strong influence on the weather. Cats were recognized by sailors as having a gale of wind in their tail. The dog is a symbol of wind, and together they can represent the strong weather and winds of a storm.

Another explanation dates back to 17th century England. The streets of England were filthy and littered with waste. When hard rain came down the bodies of dead stray animals, such as cats and dogs would float down the streets of England.

A nicer explanation of the phrase says the expression originated from either the French word, catadoupe, or the Greek word catadupe, both meaning waterfall.
There is no certain answer to this question, but there are many explanations to chose from. You can believe whatever answer sounds best to you.

Dragon Boat Festival

Where did the Dragon Boat Festival idea come from, and what is the story behind the event?
The Dragon Flies website can answer all your questions about the reasoning for this specific event.
For those who don’t know who the Dragon Flies are, they are a group of women who have overcome breast cancer. They have joined forces in a dragon boat team for support, while educating the public about breast cancer, and sharing their first-hand experiences.
The Dragon Boat Festival is an event to raise awareness about the disease. The Dragon Flies have organized the event every year since 1996, and it now takes place all across Canada. 1 in 9 women in their lifetime will be diagnosed with breast cancer and the Dragon Boat Festival brings awareness to this rapidly growing problem.
The story behind the Dragon Boat itself, commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a Chinese patriotic royal advisor who took his own life 2000 years ago by drowning when his king was betrayed and killed by enemies. To keep the fish from eating the popular and well-liked poet’s body resting at the bottom of the river, the people raced dragon boats and sounded drums to scare away the fish.
Pink carnations at Dragon Boat Festivals are now thrown into the water by breast cancer survivors as tokens in memoriam to those who have died and in honour of those who have survived breast cancer.
As outlined on the website there are three main goals for the Dragon Boat Festival, one is to improve the well-being of people who have had breast cancer by participating in dragon boat racing. To support breast cancer diagnosis and treatment by raising funds, and to raise awareness about breast cancer and encourage living full active lives following breast cancer.
The event raises awareness, funds, and spirits of those affected by breast cancer.

Parole and Probation

Is there a difference between parole and probation? What is different about the two sentences?
After researching this question we discovered the perfect website for this answer.

Yes, there is a difference between the two, but both are supervised release programs. Probation is delivered by the provincial government, and parole is given by the federal government.
Probation is a sentence given, usually instead of a jail time. Probation allows a person to stay in the community after committing a crime, usually under the supervision of a probation officer. Probation is one of the least serious punishments that the Criminal Court can give to an offender.
Parole is usually part of a penitentiary sentence and can be received with sentences of two or more years. Parole is a conditional release from prison as an opportunity to be released back into the community after serving time in prison. A person has served part of, or all of their sentence before being released from prison on parole. A person can be released on parole if the National Parole Board thinks they are no longer a threat to society. After receiving parole you must be on your best behaviour because it is just a conditional release and if you disobey the rules of your parole you will be sent back to prison to serve more time

Durham Dumps

Why does Durham shut down its dump/transfer station on Mondays?

According to Frank Lombardo, a solid waste supervisor with the Region, Durham's waste disposal facilities are closed on Monday because they are open on Saturday. The staffs at these facilities are unionized and the agreement is their days off are Sunday and Monday.

The waste facilities in Oshawa, Port Perry and Brock operate from Tuesday to Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and are closed on Sundays, Mondays and Holidays

At this time, Mr. Lombardo said, the Region isn’t looking at expanding the hours of operation to include Mondays. Mr. Lombardo said they just don’t have the staff to cover off the additional hours.

He admitted the Region does receive complaints about the hours of operation, but Mr. Lombardo said he expects that would happen regardless.

However there is another option for residents looking for a waste facility on Mondays.

Miller Waste Durham on Squires Beach Rd in Pickering operates a private waste disposal facility that is open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Also Waste Management Canada on McKnight Road in Courtice is open from Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Athletes Ouch!

The other day I came across someone who has a tibia stress fracture. What is a tibia stress fracture, and why does it occur so frequently in athletes?

After locating this website we found the exact answers you were looking for.

The tibia is the larger of the two bones located in the shine. A stress fracture is also known as a fatigue fracture. The fracture occurs from repeated strain and stress on the tibia, and the bones inability to deal with the large amount of stress placed upon it. Stress fractures happen mostly to athletes during training. When an athletes training is progressing too quickly for their body a stress fracture may occur. Repeated activities and elastic resistance play major roles in this injury. In athletes, especially runners, the tibia is not able to support the force of the leg hitting the ground. The muscle can’t absorb the shock of the impact. This then puts stress on the bone and causes the injury of a stress fracture.
One in ten athletic injuries are stress fractures, and stress fractures occur more frequently in females than males. This injury occurs a lot in runners especially if they increase their training too quickly. This is a very painful injury and can take up to two or three months to heal, depending on the severity of the injury.

Certain stretches and a calcium packed diet does help the prevention of stress fractures in runners. Nutrition plays a key role, along with avoiding a large increase in exercise, and intensity during training.

In Camera

What does “In Camera” mean for Town Council and Governmental Committee meetings?

An “in camera” meeting of Town Council or Governmental committee is when there is no press allowed in the meeting. This means that only government committee members are allowed in the meeting and that the meeting is not recorded by any sort of press, meaning no audio or visual recordings of the meeting can be taken.
In Camera meetings take place when the information discussed at the meeting is anything under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. This Act includes topics such as; any discussion about an individual including their personal information, labour relations, a board employee, property of the municipality or local board, and any other topics that include a specific individual or the land owned by the municipality. The municipality has the right to close the doors of a meeting when its discussion includes any of the previous listed topics under the Act.

For more information and details you can check out this website.

Canadian Geese

Why is it that some geese go south for the winter and others stay? Is it just a matter of food that keeps them here in Canada?

After researching this question we discovered that geese are migratory animals, but in more recent years the species has begun to transform. There are now a group of geese that are non-migratory and do not go south, or as far south each winter. The goose is becoming very adaptable to “human-altered areas”. Geese migrate south because of the lack of food that is found in Canada during the winter months. But if a goose can find food and open water in its home land of Canada then it will not migrate south. This means with more mild winters the geese will stay North as long as they can.

The best answer we could find was found on this website. This is the website’s explanation “Some migratory populations of the Canada Goose are not going as far south in the winter as they used to. This northward range shift has been attributed to changes in farm practices that makes waste grain more available in fall and winter, as well as changes in hunting pressure and changes in weather.”
To sum up this answer, it seems that the geese are adapting to the way the humans are changing the environment and do not have to go south, or as far south anymore.

Catching up on crime

There are a lot of unfortunate crime stories in the news, but I only ever seem to hear the initial story. I don’t always see or hear about the outcome after the accused have been caught, unless it’s a high profile case. Is there somewhere on the web that tells the public the verdict and sentencing of local criminals and crimes?

“ People interested in tracking cases can call the Ontario Court Office at 905-430-4414. You will have to provide a full name and the clerk can access the file.”

Hope this answered your question.