...that lynx swim?

Lynx are good swimmers. At least this one was. We spotted it from our boat this past weekend the middle of Wolf Lake, which is quite a large lake in Northern Alberta, Canada.  He had a long way to get to shore, but was swimming quickly.

It looked odd to see a cat in the water.

Lynx have distinctive tuffs on their ears. They are double to triple the size of the average house cat.  In some places they are called bob cats because they have a short tail. Most people, though, call them lynx and call the other species of short-tailed cats without the ear tuffs bob cats.

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"...criminal elements exist and prove dangerous indeed..."

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Here are some more pictures of beautiful Wolf Lake. We were fishing for Pike and Walleye.

 

...the Snowbirds, Canada's formation flyers, are officially known as...

...the Snowbirds, Canada's  formation flyers, are officially known as the 431 Air Demonstration Squadron?

...the CT-114 Tutor jet that the Snowbirds have flown since 1971 was designed and built in Canada and was used by the Canadian Forces as its basic pilot training aircraft until 2000?

...the jets are painted in a distinctive red and white paint scheme symbolic of Canada's national flag?

...the CT-114 Tutor jet is 9.75 m long? Has a wingspan of 11.12 m, weighs approximately 7170 lbs (3260 kgs), and can carry 310 U.S. gallons (1173 litres or 2,012 lbs) of fuel?

...the Tutor is powered by a General Electric J-85 engine producing 2,700 pounds of thrust? Top speed of the aircraft, with smoke tanks attached, is 412 knots (470 mph or 750 km/h)?

...the motto of the 4331 Squadron is THE HATITEN RONTERIIOS (Warriors of the air) and it's badge is an Iroquois Indian's head?

...the Snowbirds were at the Yellowknife airshow today and I saw them perform?

Did you know...

...THE TRAZ is now available in the U.K.? Kindle eBook regular edition, School Edition eBook, School Edition Paperback    1st Edition Paperback

“Raw and emotional with fast-paced, gripping tension"

“The first of a series, igniting an appetite for the sequel”

Canadian Red Cross trivia

BY THE NUMBERS

2,500 – The number of disasters the Canadian Red Cross responded to in 2011.

23,000 – The number of Canadians forced from their homes due to floods and wildfires in just a 2 month period last spring.

6,000 – The number of Canadian Red Cross disaster response volunteers.

WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE IN YOUR EMERGENCY KIT to  meet your needs at home or if evacuating

The Red Cross recommends that you keep a disaster preparedness kit in your home with enough supplies to meet your family’s needs for at least 72 hours. By taking some time now to store emergency food, water and other supplies, you can provide for your entire family.

Store these supplies together in sturdy, easy-to-carry containers such as suitcases on wheels or backpacks in case you need to evacuate your home:

• Water: During an emergency, tap water can become polluted or supply may be cut off. Store two litres of drinking water and two litres of water for washing per person, per day, keeping a 72 hour supply on hand for your family and any pets. Listen to public announcements about treating the water in your area after a disaster. Once per year, make use of your water supply and add fresh water to your kit.
• Food: Store at least a 72 hour supply of non-perishable food for each person. Select foods that are compact and lightweight, non-perishable and require no refrigeration, cooking, preparation or added water. Once per year, check the expiration dates of your food items. Ensure that there is enough for each member of your family.
• Manual can opener
• Crank or battery-operated flashlight, with extra batteries
• Crank or battery-operated radio, with extra batteries
• Extra keys, for house and car
• First aid kit
• Cash in small bills
• Special needs items - medications, baby formula and diapers, and equipment for people with disabilities. Learn more about plans for people with disabilities.
• Copy of your emergency plan

Did you know... THE TRAZ is free today & less useful trivia....

...only a pool table has pockets with tracks that return balls to one end of the table. A billiard table has nets beneath each hole from which the balls must be retrieved.

...honey is collected twice a year, usually in July and late September into early October. According to beekeepers, the best time to harvest the hives is in the heat of the day while the older bees are away.

(Thanks to PennyPress Puzzler's Giant Book of Word Games 20)

Did you know...

...THE TRAZ is FREE today --special promotion in preparation for the release of the sequel. Click here to downoad to your kindle, computer, SmartPhone, iPad...

Also free in the UK

Did you know......Motorcyclists are 25 times more likely to experience a deadly accident on the road than those in passenger cars?

The Facts
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• Motorcyclists are 25 times more likely experience a deadly accident on the road than those in passenger cars.
• In 2006, 88,000 motorcyclists were injured in highway accidents alone.
• In 2006, 4,810 motorcyclists were killed in road accidents.
• 11 percent of all roadway accidents that occur in the United States involve motorcycles.
• Head injury is the leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes.
• A motorcyclist not wearing a helmet is 40 percent more likely to die of a head injury than one who wears a helmet.
• A motorcyclist not wearing a helmet is 15 percent more likely to suffer a nonfatal injury than one who wears a helmet.
• It is estimated that helmets reduce the likelihood of a crash fatality by 37 percent.
• In 2007, a total of 7.1 million motorcycles were registered in the U.S.
• In 2005, the motorcycle fatality rate was 73 per 100,000 registered motorcycles; meanwhile, the passenger vehicle fatality rate in the same year was 14 per 100,000 registrations.
• Motorcycle use is growing disproportionally to fatality growth.  For instance, in 1997 there were 3,826,373 motorcycles registered in the U.S. and 2,116 motorcycle fatalities.  In 2005, there were 6,227,146 motorcycles registered in the U.S. and 4,810 motorcycle fatalities.  So, between 1997 and 2005, registrations grew 63 percent while fatalities more than doubled.

A 2009 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Highway Loss Data Institute report found that:

• More than half of motorcyclist deaths involved at least one other vehicle.
• 42 percent of two-vehicle fatal motorcycle crashes involved a vehicle turning left while the motorcycle was going straight, passing, or overtaking the vehicle.
• A little less than half of all motorcycle driver deaths involved no other vehicle.
• Of the1,791 motorcycle deaths that involved only the motorcyclist
  • 48 percent were speeding.
  • 42 percent had blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08 percent or higher.
  • 655,000 motorcycles were purchased, a decrease from 1.1 million in 2008.

  Image: dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

  ">Photo courtesy DAN FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Possible Causes of a Motor Vehicle Accidents

• Poor weather conditions;
• Not utilizing a turn signal;
• Lane splitting, i.e. when a motorcyclist drives between two lanes;
• Ignoring traffic conditions;
• Ignoring traffic signs;
• Disobeying speed limitations;
• Driving on the wrong side of the road;
• Not seeing a motorcyclist due to glare or other view obstructions;
• Inexperienced motorists;
• Driving while under the influence of drugs;
• Vehicle defects;
• Roadway defects;
• Intentional hostile actions.

Motorcycle Accidents: Statistics and Possible Causes

• In 2006, 88,000 motorcyclists were injured in highway accidents alone.
• In 2006, 4,810 motorcyclists were killed in road accidents.
• 11 percent of all roadway accidents that occur in the United States involve motorcycles.
• Head injury is the leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes. 
• A motorcyclist not wearing a helmet is 40 percent more likely to die of a head injury than one who wears a helmet.
• A motorcyclist not wearing a helmet is 15 percent more likely to suffer a nonfatal injury than one who wears a helmet.
• It is estimated that helmets reduce the likelihood of a crash fatality by 37 percent.
• In 2007, a total of 7.1 million motorcycles were registered in the U.S.
• In 2005, the motorcycle fatality rate was 73 per 100,000 registered motorcycles; meanwhile, the passenger vehicle fatality rate in the same year was 14 per 100,000 registrations.
• Motorcycle use is growing disproportionally to fatality growth.  For instance, in 1997 there were 3,826,373 motorcycles registered in the U.S. and 2,116 motorcycle fatalities.  In 2005, there were 6,227,146 motorcycles registered in the U.S. and 4,810 motorcycle fatalities.  So, between 1997 and 2005, registrations grew 63 percent while fatalities more than doubled.

A 2009 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Highway Loss Data Institute report found that:

• More than half of motorcyclist deaths involved at least one other vehicle.
• 42 percent of two-vehicle fatal motorcycle crashes involved a vehicle turning left while the motorcycle was going straight, passing, or overtaking the vehicle.
• A little less than half of all motorcycle driver deaths involved no other vehicle.
• Of the1,791 motorcycle deaths that involved only the motorcyclist
  • 48 percent were speeding.
  • 42 percent had blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08 percent or higher.
  • 655,000 motorcycles were purchased, a decrease from 1.1 million in 2008.

Possible Causes of a Motor Vehicle Accidents

• Poor weather conditions;
• Not utilizing a turn signal;
• Lane splitting, i.e. when a motorcyclist drives between two lanes;
• Ignoring traffic conditions;
• Ignoring traffic signs;
• Disobeying speed limitations;
• Driving on the wrong side of the road;
• Not seeing a motorcyclist due to glare or other view obstructions;
• Inexperienced motorists;
• Driving while under the influence of drugs;
• Vehicle defects;
• Roadway defects;
• Intentional hostile actions.

Information kindly provided by MotorcycleAccident.Org 

For more info on bike safety visit: http://www.motorcycleaccident.org/

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My BackTracker series of novels features bikers and biker gangs.  However, my rough and rowdies characters are more more concerned about getting killed by each other, rival gangsters, or the cops than by road hazzards.

Click here THE TRAZ  to sample or purchase the first book in the series.  BACKTRACKER: the sequel to The Traz will be released Spring 2012.