Stacey checked in from Manila during Monday’s BT with an update on the playground project she’s covering for Citytv. Click on the video link below for details on a delay facing the construction team, Stacey’s cross-cultural spa experience and her first impressions of life in the Philippines.
Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on February 3rd and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The Lantern Festival is held on the 15th day - and it is nothing short of spectacular! The Chinese Zodiac consists of a12-year cycle. 2011 is the YEAR OF THE RABBIT. Each year is named after a different animal with distinct characteristics. Many Chinese believe the year you were born determines your personality traits, physical, mental attributes – as well as success & happiness.
You are a RABBIT if you were born in any of these years - 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011.
The luckiest of all signs, you are talented and articulate.
Not a rabbit? Find YOUR traits here: http://www.theholidayspot.com/chinese_new_year/
Being neighbourly
Heather loves her neighbours, here’s why: “These are baby Merlins that were hatched and raised right across the road from my house in Spruce Grove. I took this picture through the window — they are literally right outside my house. It was absolutely wonderful to see and hear them all summer”.
DID YOU KNOW? Merlins are tolerant of humans and many will nest close to cities and farms … some even spend the winter with us in northern Alberta. Just keep a safe distance ok?? They kill thier prey in the air and often, lunch is eaten on the wing. (Or on the fly if you get my drift!)
CAPTURE ‘YOUR’ NEIGHBOURS! … AND OF COURSE WE MEAN THE BIRDS / BEES / FLOWERS / & OR THE TREES 
. UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY, SEE IT ON BT AND THIS BLOG TOMORROW!!!
Our entire BT team has been looking forward to Stacey’s trip to the Philippines. Over the next number of days, she’ll document the efforts of a group of Edmontonians who are donating and re-assembling a Castledowns playground halfway around the world. Stacey will check in with BT throughout her trip. Before she left, she filed this report:
View from the office
Check out Wendy’s view from her office! “This was one morning in November looking out of my office window, just off Jasper Ave and 112 Street. You are looking towards the river. Edmonton never looked prettier! Thanks Wendy.
DID YOU KNOW? Go to the website: “Do Nothing For 2 Minutes”. The site forces you to do nothing for two minutes. You can listen to the sound of ocean waves, take a break — Just DON’T TOUCH your MOUSE or keyboard or you’ll get a nasty red FAIL message. After two minutes a “well done” message pops up. I think we could all use some relaxation-even at work! http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/
WE ENCOURAGE A LITTLE ‘PRODUCTIVE’ DAYDREAMING — EVEN AT WORK. JUST TELL THE BOSS YOU’RE MOONLIGHTING FOR BREAKFAST TELEVISION. WORKS FOR ME EVERY TIME!
Anatomy of a Volcano
No need to panic – but this story does resemble a disaster movie matinee. It is fascinating to scientists who are studying the Super Volcano in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Seems those bright minds have been noticing ground swells since 2004. Some areas of the park have been pushed up by as much as 25 cms (10 inches). In the COLES NOTES version: The oldest and most famous national park in the U-S sits on top of one of the biggest volcanoes on Earth. There is a crater (a CALDERA) about 6 and a half kilometres below the surface that is filled with magma. And that’s the ground swell under the microscope. Curious? Good. I have included a few links below to National Geographic (that includes a video) and a link to a newspaper out of the UK. Thanks to Phil for piquing my interest. So if you come across something we should know about - let me know!
my email address: michele.mcdougall@rci.rogers.com
Don't bug her - She's a Lady!
Sara has one very talented 16yr old daughter. Here’s why: ”Chelsey loves photography and I wanted to share a photo with you. This is her lucky Ladybug! Thank you Ladies: Sara, Chelsey AND the bug. It seems everybody likes Ladybugs. They “are” terribly cute. Gardeners and farmers like them because they eat harmful crop pests like aphids.
DID YOU KNOW? There is a well-known children’s rhyme which begins “ladybug, ladybug, fly away home, your house is on fire and your children are alone”. It is said to have evolved from the practice of burning crops at the end of the season. According to the story: farmers would sing to warn the ladybugs to fly away, leaving harmful insect pests behind to be burned in the flames.
THERE ARE NO LIMITATONS TO THE SEASON – AND THAT SHOULD BE THE REASON - TO SEND US YOUR NUMBER ONE PIC. FRESH AIR PHOTOS ARE SEEN BY THOUSANDS EVERY MORNING ON BT AND ARE VIEWED BY HUNDREDS MORE ON THIS VERY & WORLD FAMOUS EDUCATIONAL BLOG. UPLOAD YOUR PICTURE TODAY!!
A dear visitor
“I took a few pictures - but this was the only one that was basically a post card“. Great Scott – right you are! He took this photo on a cold clear morning, but was warm and cozy – shooting through the window. ”I live just outside Sherwood Park and have a lot of deer visitors – they seem to like the bark from my apples trees. I am lucky that my visitors can’t see me through the glass”. I see another deer in the trees – do you?
DID YOU KNOW? The white-tailed deer can leap more than two and a half metres in the air and make horizontal leaps of nine metres — that’s almost as long as a school bus! When it senses danger the deer raises its tail. This is called ‘flagging’ because the large white patch on the underside of the tail signals “danger” to other deer and helps a fawn follow its mother to safety.
IN THE BACK YARD — THE FRONT YARD — DOWN THE STREET … FRESH AIR PHOTOS ARE EVERYWHERE. CAPTURE YOUR KODAK MOMENT, SEND IT TO US AND PREPARE FOR BT AND BLOG INFAMY. OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY!!!
Former Heavyweight World Champ Mike Tyson is a dad for the eighth time.
The 44-year-old boxer and his wife Lahika Spicer Tyson, 32, welcomed a baby boy Tuesday in a Las Vegas hospital. The couple already have a 2-year-old daughter together named Milan, and Mike has five other children born to other mothers.
In addition to being a new dad, Mike has an upcoming documentary series on pigeon racing (yep, that’s right) premiering later this winter on Animal Planet, and he’ll also be reprising his role in “The Hangover 2″.
Kate Hudson and Matt Bellamy are reportedly engaged.
The Fool’s Gold actress — who is 14 weeks pregnant with her first child with the Muse rocker — reportedly held an “intimate” bash to celebrate their union with their closest friends and family at an exclusive London hotel on Monday night.
The couple could be set to move back to the UK after Matt, 32, revealed plans for Muse to move to London to make writing and rehearsing for their next album easier.
This is Hudson’s second child. She has a 7-year-old son Ryder with ex-husband Chris Robinson.
Courtesy: www.HollywoodLife.com
Anybody who’s searched for their favourite fish in the sea has no doubt come across a couple of crazies. We’ve all got that one story of the nightmare first date, the ex that wouldn’t let go or the catfight that actually managed to flatter.
But I’ve never heard of a girl giving herself a black eye to secure some one-on-one time. That is, I had never heard of such a thing until Monday’s episode of The Bachelor (9pm, Citytv).
Not that I’m suggesting there aren’t other explanations for the sudden swell below Mad Michelle’s eye. Maybe the Sandman missed his mark as he touched down while she slept. Maybe she had one too many the night before, leaned too far forward brushing her teeth and forced a meeting of face and faucet. Or maybe there’s drama behind the scenes we’re not privy to – did Emily (The Perfect 10) land a haymaker off camera? We can only hope.
With Meredith McLennan having wrapped up her stint on BT and Trevor Schmidt on vacation, Carla Turner and I welcomed two new faces to our Tuesday morning BT Bachelor panel – Janine Sebastian (floral designer, La Piazza Dasee) and Lindsay Y (English/Film Studies grad student, U of A). Check out the video link below for their take on the latest goings-on at the Bachelor mansion.
We’d love to hear from you as well! Feel free to leave a comment here on my blog or send me an email before next Tuesday’s panel at 8:10am.
Until then,
rpj.
