Jeff Milner

Anna-Maria and I saw a coyote on campus at the University of Lethbridge this afternoon. As luck would have it I happened to have my digital camera with me; so here is the photo.

I don’t know much about coyotes, but I looked up some info on google and here is a quick summary:

• Only 5-20% of coyote pups survive their first year.
• The coyote can run at almost 40 mph.
• Coyotes can breed with both domestic dogs and wolves. A dog-coyote mix is called a “coydog.”
• The coyote is more likely afraid of you than vice-versa.
• Coyotes maintain their territory by marking it with urine.

This particular coyote was not running anywhere near full speed, but he did look somewhat afraid of us. I can’t really blame him though because we were in the Jeep which, in my humble opinion, is enough to put a great deal of fear into any pedestrian – member of the canine family or not. He wasn’t afraid to the point of “marking his territory” however.

In addition to photos of bridges being off-limits, you can add this tourist photo below, (taken by my Dad in 1997), to the type of images soon to be illegal if the NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s proposed ban on taking pictures in the subway system is approved.

Apparently they are planning a general prohibition against photography and videotaping in any of the Big Apple’s subway systems as an anti-terrorism measure.

A group of about 100 photographers held a small protest recently taking pictures of each other taking pictures in the subway.

From the NYTimes:

There was a tense moment when the crowd decided it would photograph a transit police dispatch station at 14th Street. A startled officer came out and suggested that they leave.

“You didn’t say ‘Cheese!'” one of the cheekier photographers said.

Anna-Maria and I have spent the afternoon working on a new blog for French-Canadian actors working outside of Quebec. It’s purpose it to help unite the people across Canada working in French theatre. Unfortunately for English speaking folks like myself, it’s all in French, but hopefully you can enjoy the image of my apple tree in the header.

Cancer cells beware: A new study by researchers in the UK has shown that a certain genetically-modified virus has the ability to multiply rapidly only in cancer cells killing them off while leaving normal cells alone. The team plans to test the genetically-modified virus in clinical trials in people in 2005.

A couple of years ago a newly acquired “friend” of my mom’s asked her if she could set up the kids (meaning my brother and me) an interview with a recruiter for Microsoft that was coming to town. We were somewhat computer literate – I had worked at the computer store, and so did Gary but she didn’t know that. It was odd to say the least. Then it got more suspicious – they were holding these so-called interviews at Humpty’s restaurant for crying out loud.

The spider senses were tingling but we were just so curious as to what was really going on that we had to go. That was my first and thankfully last encounter with Quixtar. Needless to say we didn’t sign up.

MSNBC has an interesting report about Quixtar’s shady practice which sounds exactly like that first meeting:

Greg Fredericks: “If you’re somewhat serious, all I mean by somewhat serious — if you invest maybe, say, 10 to 15 hours a week in your business. This is your own business — you could generate in the next 12 to 18 months, an extra quarter of a million.”

Tim Sandler [Dateline producer]: “I’m sorry. How much?”

Fredericks: “A quarter million.”

Sandler: “You’re making more than $250,000 — quarter of a million?”

Fredericks: “Umm hmm.”

The funny thing for us was, the guy was trying to tell us that if we had a webpage selling goods we were going to be RICH RICH RICH. They were comparing their sales to that of Amazon.Com and Ebay. We knew it was a scam so just for entertainment purposes we went to their website, not only was it not spectacular it wasn’t even working. Now Quixtar has bigger problems than an out of service webspace:

Both the FBI and the criminal division of the IRS are making separate inquiries into at least two top distributors not focused on in this [MSNBC] report.

It’s probably not too late to get signed up with Amway, or Quixtar, but if you want you could always wait for the next reincarnation of the giant pyramid sales scheme organization. Thanks for the job lead mom! j/k ;)

Pictures like this one that my dad took of me in 1997 at the Brooklyn Bridge are no longer allowed to be taken according to an over-zealous police officer in New York.

From a PBase photo gallery:

Due to security concerns you cannot legally take any photos taken ON or near a Bridge without permission. My friends and I were taking photos of the sunset near the Verrizano Bridge in January 2004 when we were asked to show our ID to the cops and told not to take photos.

…The reason we have to get permission to take photos now is because of the distruction [sic] of the World Trade Center.

A member of a Clash tribute band was arrested yesterday after a text message he sent was intercepted and traced back to his phone. Apparently he used his mobile to text the lead singer with the words to the song Tommy Gun, which the singer had forgotten. The text said “How about this for Tommy Gun? OK – SO LET’S AGREE ABOUT THE PRICE AND MAKE IT ONE JET AIRLINER AND TEN PRISONERS”. One month later he was arrested by Special Branch officers.

A writer over at The Museum of Hoaxes, is convinced that Rance is just some cartoonist/filmmaker/screenwriter named Keith Thomson. That’s right – a nobody as far as celebrity is concerned.

I guess Rance won’t be buying anyone a new Dodge Viper anytime soon, no matter how many riddles they solve, essays they write, or otherwise earn DVP’s (Dodge Viper Points).

It’s too bad. I don’t mind that Rance’s secret identity has been revealed, it’s just disappointing that he’s not any kind of celebrity at all, and that basically everything he said was a lie. I guess I am just a sucker for wild claims via the blogosphere.

On Saturday morning just before 10:30am a house located on the North-side of Lethbridge exploded.

A 68-year-old man was looking after his 11-year-old grand daughter. She was blown from the house and landed in the yard. Apparently she escaped with only minor cuts and bruises. The elderly man was discovered very soon afterwards by neighbors. He was under a pile of rubble laying on his sofa. The neighbors quickly dug him out and as from what I understand, moments after he was safe – what was left of the bungalow erupted up in flames.

Both he and the girl, though escaping serious injuries, remained in Lethbridge Regional Hospital yesterday.

The explosion is suspected to be caused by a natural gas leak in the basement.

Talk about a bad day.