"North American Union"

[Easy Drifter]

Jag: I doubt it but we do have a land border with Alaska.
Daniel: I am not to sure if you are kidding or not. Casino Rama is on a very prosperous Indian Reserve and is Indian owned by the Chippewas of Rama.
However, it is a curling game, but not a bonspiel. It is also fairly good money for a winning team. This afts game was a semi final with the current world champion team competing. They lost. To night pits the Glenn Howard rink against Shirley Jones the reigning womens' World Champions.
Casino Rama is about 50 K from here near Orillia.
The area where I live is a curling hotbed. The Glenn Howard rink (2007 World Champions) home rink is Coldwater. Another top contender in curling is Wayne Middaugh who also curls out of Coldwater as does his wife Sherry whose team is always a contender on the women's side. The Middaughs live here in Victoria Harbour. Glenn is the Manager of The Beer Store in Midland (10k away) and lives neaby. His brother was multi time World Champion.
What is kind of funny is that the three of them plus Glenn's wife curl as a team in a recreational league in Midland and often get beaten. Coldwater is 1100 people about 20k from here. I do most of my shopping there although Midland is closer. Midland is about 17,000. Orillia 32,000.

[Daniel]

Was an educated guess

[Easy Drifter]

If I remember correctly curling originated in Scotland.
There is only 1 sheet of ice at the Casino that was put in after the last concert in the Casino's concert centre. It will come out after tomorrows final. The seating for curling is 4000 and the front rows are up close.
Getting proper ice is tricky as the place is designed for concerts.
Most Curling takes place in rinks designed for the purpose and with several sheets of ice.
The 'Skins' games are really designed for TV and even the stategy is different. In a regular game of 8 ends the top score counts. In a Skins game each end counts separately and to win an end you must score two points (your 2 rocks closest to the Button) Each member of the 4 person team throws 2 rocks. The money starts off at say a $1000 for the first end. If no winner the money is added to the next end. As the game progresses the amount per end increases as well as any carry over.
I think top money tomorrow is $100,000.
That is a very simplified description of the game.
It is complicated as people throw rocks as guards (they weigh 40 lbs.) and you really can make them curl or curve.
Someone described it as chess on ice.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Can she see Canada from her house?

Jag...if she lives in Juneau...YES she can. The border isn't too far behind the Alaska Capital in the Panhandle.....

[Mark in Oshawa]

If I remember correctly curling originated in Scotland.
There is only 1 sheet of ice at the Casino that was put in after the last concert in the Casino's concert centre. It will come out after tomorrows final. The seating for curling is 4000 and the front rows are up close.
Getting proper ice is tricky as the place is designed for concerts.
Most Curling takes place in rinks designed for the purpose and with several sheets of ice.
The 'Skins' games are really designed for TV and even the stategy is different. In a regular game of 8 ends the top score counts. In a Skins game each end counts separately and to win an end you must score two points (your 2 rocks closest to the Button) Each member of the 4 person team throws 2 rocks. The money starts off at say a $1000 for the first end. If no winner the money is added to the next end. As the game progresses the amount per end increases as well as any carry over.
I think top money tomorrow is $100,000.
That is a very simplified description of the game.
It is complicated as people throw rocks as guards (they weigh 40 lbs.) and you really can make them curl or curve.
Someone described it as chess on ice.

I was there for the second semi between Jones and Howard. Watching the final on TV in between posts now.

Curling...it is more or less a Canadian thing....yet another reason a union between us and the US would be lost...we have a different culture...eh?

[Mark in Oshawa]

Is that some kinda injun talk?

Daniel...the natives get a little cranky when you call em injuns....but since they take a lot of my money on a periodic basis with their dang casino up in Rama (the name of the reserve is Mnjkaning...try letting that roll off the tongue!) I am sort of the opinion I can all em that.

Our native peoples have a lot at their disposal to fleece this country back off the white man and I figure the Casino is there way of getting it back one Quarter at a time!

[Roamy]

It is fine the way it is except I would like to see a trade
southern Texas for the Baja !!!!!

[Easy Drifter]

Actually Mark they reverted back to Rama a few weeks ago.
Their multi time Chief, Sharon Stinson Henry, is a pretty sharp lady. Her husband is a former Olympic Boxer.
She also makes very good money as Chief (well over $100,000 a year) and the council menbers do very well too.
She lives in Orillia, not on the reserve, in definetly a better part of town. Mind you she lived there before she was elected chief.
She has done well for her people and Rama has more facilities than many 'white' communities. New arena, new Medical centre, fairly new school to grade 8 which also teaches native culture and Ojibway and a top notch fire dept. and a police force which often aids the OPP rather than the other way around.

[Hondo]

It is fine the way it is except I would like to see a trade
southern Texas for the Baja !!!!!

You think the French would give us a refund on Louisiana?

[Mark in Oshawa]

Fiero...they would charge you for returning a damaged product.....