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11:15 p.m. - 2004-03-23 I was interested in this story about Canadian troops in Afghanistan. Apparently they are paired up with Gurkhas from Nepal in some of the mountainous regions of the country. Gurkhas The Gurkhas are legendary for their ferocity and their expertise at stealth missions. Environmentally, there was a study carried out in Italy between the effects of a car and a passenger train on the air and environment of their country. Apparently the train was the clear winner of the green award. Maybe it's time to reignite the romance of the rails. Right now in Canada there is a passenger service, but one has to be very well off to afford the trip. I recall travelling between Calgary and Winnipeg when I was small - going to visit our grandparents, my Mom's parents. I loved the rhythm created by the wheels running on the tracks and the scenery that one could see from our windows. There is no better way to travel cross country, I think. trains. More work on election tasks today - calls from different people in Ottawa. You can hear the rush and pressure at their end of the phone, as they try to meet their deadlines for this phase of the preparation. When we try to call them, it is usually to hear a recording that all the lines are busy and to call back. That happened a lot last election, and the more critical the deadlines, the more difficult it became to find anyone to respond who actually knew enough to give a useful answer. The landlord I've been working with sent a range he wanted to charge for office space. It is right in line with other rentals in the city - yes! One of the Ottawa staff got back to me with some phone numbers for contacts with the political parties. I tried one and it sounded like a gambling establishment - one of the hole in the wall types. I e-mailed back - after failing to get through on the phome - to ask if maybe it was a wrong number. Last thing I want to deal with right now is a bookie who plays politics on the side. I finished reading the Firm - really good story and writing to boot. I think I'll see if there a few more of his books hiding in one of our bookcases. We have several closets full of books too. Almost all of the "library" is second hand, donations from various people who were done with them and thought my guys would benefit from the opportunity to enjoy them. Some day it is my ambition to read them all - well mostly. However, it's time to exercise right now - shake a little of the torpor off from sitting for so long.
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