Clancy Tucker's Blog, page 137

21 October 2018 - OLD FASHIONED HORSEPOWER

OLD FASHIONED HORSEPOWER
G'day folks,
 Welcome to a flashback in time, when people used horses, not vehicles.




T hey say “it takes a village,” but if it was 1920-something, it took a horse– maybe a couple. As absurd as it seems today, if necessary, entire towns were known to relocate all their buildings via horse-and-buggy to proverbially greener pastures. With the rapid railway and urban development boom at the turn-of-the-century, lots of folks found themselves looking to relocate their log cabins, Victorian mansions, and other abodes, and it looks like all they needed were some solid stallions.



In the 1920’s Lake Saskatoon was a bustling little community. When the railway bypassed the town by a few kilometres, that meant the end for Lake Saskatoon as a regional hub. The residents did what any sensible community would– put their houses and shops on sleds and had teams of horses pull them a few kilometres up the road.













Clancy's comment: There ya go. The good old days, eh?I'm ...

20 October 2018 - TOM BLUBAUGH - GUEST AUTHOR AND LITERARY STRATEGIST

TOM BLUBAUGH - GUEST AUTHOR AND LITERARY STRATEGIST -
G'day folks,
This is my first interview with a Literary Strategist. Enjoy Tom's frank answers.
Welcome, Tom  ...


1.   Tell us about you and what you do.
I am an author and book marketing coach (Literary Strategist). I work  one-on-one with authors around the world. I am developing an online Authors Community that is a safe harbor for authors of family friendly literature including a circle of vendors who offer all services for publishing. My main purpose is to help authors brand their names and their work and to develop a reading audience. I understand that budgeting for me is usually not an option so I charge a nominal $35 USD per month for my coaching services. It’s a bargain.


2.   What was the happiest moment of your life?
The day that I realized I could have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.


3.   What was the saddest moment?
When I realized the long-term effects of a pedophile’s abuse of me at age 12 .


4.   What surprised you most?
I realized that I had not been cheated out of one penny while doing business on the Internet for over 20 years.





5.   What was your greatest disappointment?
I realized, after my parents had passed, the heartache I put them through as a juvenile delinquent.


6.   Who did you misjudge? Why?
Too many people until I began to understand everyone is a product of their upbringing and all of us don’t know what we don’t know about ourselves.


7.   What or who was your biggest challenge?
          Overcoming fear that began in my childhood.


8.   What has been your biggest regret?
          Not investing more in myself--education, health, self-respect.


9.   What would be your dying comment? Why?
          Love God and love your neighbor. It’s the secret of contentment.


10.               Who or what stunned you the most?
Finding leadership qualities that were in me when I joined the Navy at age 18.


11.               What would you like written on your tombstone?
          He helped many.


12.               Who would you rather have not met? Why?
Sorry--they’re still alive.


13.               Who were you most envious of? Why?
I can’t think of anyone.


14.               Who did you forgive – for doing something you never thought you’d forgive?
          The priest who molested me.





15.               What was your greatest moment in your life?
When I became a father.


16.               What is your greatest achievement?
Becoming an author and book marketing coach.


17.               What personal traits would you like to have in your next life?
I like what I have now.


18.               What advice would you give to world leaders?
Love God and love your neighbors.


19.               What advice would you give to parents today?
Lead by example.


20.               Who would you choose to be stuck on a desert island with?
Barbara, my wife.







22.               What are the greatest legacies you will leave behind?
My children and grandchildren.


23.               What’s lacking in the world today?
Respect for each other as equal human beings and creations.


24.               Any pearls of wisdom for the rest of us?
If you weren’t afraid, what would you do--then do that.


25.               What would be the last sentence you ever write?
The end.


26.               What inspired you most?
I didn’t know it at the time--my high school bookkeeping teacher who wouldn’t let me graduate until I made up all my homework assignments and tests from cutting her classes. She made me go to school a week longer than any other students because she cared. I thought she was mean until I realized she placed me on a different path.


27.               Who or what made you laugh the most?
Barbara, my wife.





28.               What would be your top three chosen careers in your next life?
Author, coach, mentor.


29.               What is your prime focus in life today?
Enjoy the journey.


30.               Do you have any fear of doing something wrong?
Not any more.


31.               If or when you reflect on your past, can you identify any world events that you believe had a significant impact on you?
The assassination of John F. Kennedy.


32.               Do you think one can live a purposeful life without knowing the meaning of life?
Yes, but not the purpose of life.





33.                From your perspective - what is the way forward for the world?


Love God and love your neighbor. 




34.               Imagine that you were given a chance to live again, what will you do first and what will you do differently?
I’m not sure that I would change anything. Life is like making an apple pie. Some ingredients are good to eat on their own and some aren’t, but mixed together and baked in the oven produce something great.


35.                Do you have a bucket list? Tell us more.
I really don’t. I’ve done everything I’ve wanted to do and I enjoy where I am.


36.               Any great claims to fame?
Seeing the books I’ve written published and read.


37.               Anything you’d like to add?
Probably tomorrow, but not today.






 BOOK TRAILER
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Clancy's comment: Thanks for being so honest, Tom. Some of these are tough questions. Best wishes in all that you do.
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19 October 2018 - THE ANCIENT KOMODO DRAGON

THE ANCIENT KOMODO DRAGON
G'day folks,
I've posted about these before, but I just love these ancient-looking animals.  Komodo dragons are the largest and heaviest lizards in the world. They have been around for millions of years and are sometimes known as the last living dinosaurs! 



The Komodo dragon, also known as the Komodo monitor, is a species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and Padar.


Quick FactsType: ReptileDiet: CarnivoreLife span: 30 years or moreSize: Up to 3mWeight: Up to 90kg (male), up to 73kg (female)Habitat: Tropical/Savanna forestsRange: IndonesiaScientific name: Varanus komodoensis Amazing Facts About the Komodo dragonKomodo dragons originated in Australia, where they have lived for four million years, but are now also found on the Indonesian island Komodo.They can reach up to 3 metres in length and about 70 kilograms in weight. They are so big because there are no other carnivores that live on the island with them. This gives the dragons first pick of all the food on the island! The large size becomes a trait that is passed down to their offspring, a phenomenon known as island gigantism.The komodo’s tail is as long as its body and it has a long forked tongue. Its skin is covered in strong armoured scales that acts like chain-mail armour.The komodo dragon has poor eyesight and restricted hearing ability. However, it can use its tongue to detect smells and taste. The komodo dragon sticks out its tongue and swings its head from side to side when it moves. This allows it to find prey up to 6 miles away!


 Komodo dragons like to live in hot and dry places and are ectotherms. Ectotherms are animals that use the sun as a way to heat themselves up. This also means that they are mainly active in the daytime.Komodo dragons are carnivorous but also like to scavenge carrion (dead animals). They produce venom which can cause its prey to lower its blood pressure, mass bleeding and induce shock. This helps them take down large animals such a deer and water buffalo.For many decades people believed that it was the bacteria in the dragon’s mouth that caused its prey to die by infection. In fact, Komodo dragons have very clean mouths! They have been known to lick around their teeth and mouth as well as rub their face among leaves after eating.Komodo dragons are a vulnerable species. The main pressures on their population are habitat loss and loss of prey due to poaching.







Clancy's comment: Amazing creature, and certainly not one you'd want to tangle with.
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18 October 2018 - SOME INSPIRING QUOTES

SOME INSPIRING QUOTES
G'day folks,
Get ready for some inspiring quotes.




























Clancy's comment: Inspired? Fired up? Good, get to work.
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17 October 2018 - JESSICA SIMPSON – ACTOR, SINGER & FASHION DESIGNER

JESSICA SIMPSON -  ACTOR, SINGER & FASHION DESIGNER -
G'day folks,
Welcome to some interesting facts about a woman who got her first break at sixteen. Jessica Ann Johnson is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. Simpson signed a recording contract with Columbia Records when she was sixteen, and released her debut studio album Sweet Kisses in 1999. It sold over four million copies worldwide, and spawned the top three song "I Wanna Love You Forever". 




Who Is Jessica Simpson?
Born on July 10, 1980, Jessica Simpson is an American singer, actress and entrepreneur. After signing with Sony, she released the albums Sweet Kisses (1999) and Irresistible (2001). Simpson caught her big break in entertainment in 2003, but not for her singing; she appeared with her former husband, ex-boy band member Nick Lachey, on the MTV reality show Newlyweds, which quickly attracted a large fan base. Acting offers ensued, including a part in the 2006 film Employee of the Month. However, Simpson's biggest success to date has come through her fashion empire of clothing, accessories and shoes. 



Early Years
Jessica Ann Simpson was born on July 10, 1980, in Abilene, Texas. After developing her voice in the local Baptist church choir, she made an unsuccessful bid for The Mickey Mouse Club at the age of 12. Disappointed but undaunted, Simpson continued to sing in the Christian music circuit after being discovered by a small music label while performing at church camp.
  With her father as her manager and her mother as her stylist, Jessica Simpson eventually signed with Sony and toured with popular boy bands during the late 1990s. She released her first album, Sweet Kisses, in 1999 and her second, Irresistible, including the hit single "I Wanna Love You Forever," in 2001. Success for Simpson remained just out of reach, however. Her albums received a somewhat lukewarm response, and were eclipsed by the enormous success of pop contemporaries Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.



Commercial Success
It wasn't until after she married 98 Degrees crooner Nick Lachey and starred on the MTV reality show Newlyweds that Simpson's career took off. The show followed the couple around for their first year of marriage (and then their second), providing the insatiable audience with a peek at their glamorous and mundane world. Boosted by the success of the show, Simpson's third album, In This Skin, was re-released in 2004, becoming a huge hit among MTV viewers. That year, the couple also produced The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour on ABC and enjoyed a successful turn as hosts of Saturday Night Live.
Simpson soon turned to acting with a leading role in Dukes of Hazzard (2005), the big screen remake of the popular television series. By the end of that same year, Simpson and Lachey filed for divorce. Her career also seemed to flounder, appearing opposite comedian Dane Cook in the lackluster comedy Employee of the Month (2006) and receiving little notice for her next album A Public Affair (2006).

Returning to her love of country music, Simpson recorded Do You Know (2008). The album made it into the top five of Billboard's album charts. She co-wrote many of the songs for the album, which featured a duet with Dolly Parton on the title track. In 2010, Simpson appeared on a reality show entitled Jessica Simpson: The Price of Beauty, which explored beauty treatments, fashions and fads. Also in 2010, she released a holiday album, Happy Christmas.




Career in Fashion
In recent years, Simpson's singing career has taken a backseat to her fashion empire. Her namesake line of clothing, accessories and shoes has become a very successful enterprise, generating roughly $750 million in sales in 2010. Simpson returned to reality TV in 2012, starring alongside John Varvatos and Nichole Richie as a mentor on the designer competition show Fashion Star, hosted by Elle Macpherson.



Personal Life
In 2010, Simpson began dating former American football player Eric Johnson. Two years later, on May 1, 2012, the couple welcomed their first child together, daughter Maxwell Drew Johnson. "We are so grateful for all of the love, support and prayers we have received," Simpson posted on her website soon after her daughter's birth. "This has been the greatest experience of our lives." 
  In November 2012, Simpson announced that she was pregnant for the second time. The news led to speculation surrounding a recent deal between Simpson and Weight Watchers; after reportedly losing more than 60 pounds—weight that she attributed to her first pregnancy—in the fall of 2012, Simpson signed on to become a new spokesperson for the international weight-loss company. Referencing Simpson's anticipated weight gain, news outlets questioned whether Simpson's pregnancy is a deal-break for Weight Watchers.

Simpson and Johnson had their second child together, a baby boy named Ace Knute Johnson, on June 30, 2013. A 32-year-old Simpson delivered the baby via a scheduled C-section, according to reports.

Simpson married Johnson on July 5, 2014, in California. In September 2018, Simpson announced that she's pregnant with their third child, a girl.
  

Clancy's comment: Ah ... There ya go. One very attractive, and successful, woman.
I'm ...

16 October 2018 - ‘The Excellent Writer Within’ by Michael Levy

‘The Excellent Writer Within’ by Michael Levy
G'day folks,
Today, I present a guest post from Michael Levy. Hopefully, it might inspire aspiring and struggling writers.
 Welcome, Michael ...

The art of good writing comes from the artist within. All humans have the ability to become great authors, poets, artists and musicians, etc., so why do most folks find it such a difficult task? Why do many people say I could never be a writer or I could never aspire to write poetry? Moreover, why do folks who do write grow discouraged when their work is rejected?




We are what we think, so if we believe we cannot succeed in our daily actions, then for sure we will never get away from our perception of what we think we are. This self-defeating attitude was not of our making. As we were growing up and maturing into adulthood, we were indoctrinated with thousands of negative thoughts. This gave us a belief that we are only homemakers or only truck drivers. This limited vision of our role in life gives us a limited life. People the world over have great creativity. Once we start to understand who we are and the reasons we exist, we start to cultivate eloquent works of creativity.
Just writing worthy, meaningful, literature will not get the success it deserves unless we possess the resolve to carry on writing in spite of the critics. There will always be those who criticize a writer, no matter how well the composition. Rejection is an everyday experience for most writers. This is a joy we must accept and grow from. Just because someone does not like our essay does not mean it has no value. It means it was not acceptable to the editor or book reviewer who was reading the essay.



We can do two things when we feel constant rejections. We can give up and say, it was not meant to be. Alternatively, we can say, "How do I become a better writer and have my work accepted by more of the establishment?'" Once a small section of the general public starts to take an interest in our writing, the sheep mentality of the "establishment" will no doubt follow. It always has. It always will. Success breeds success.
Until we can find the inner core of creativity and start to write from the soul, we will never become great writers. We may achieve a modicum of success by writing a few columns for a newspaper or magazine but that could keep us in a vacuum. We can scrape a living, but may not amass a fortune, for we are trying to write and trying will never cut the mustard.



The secret to excellent writing is to enjoy with ecstatic abandonment each letter and syllable we put down on paper. The pure joy of writing makes us successes; nothing else will. Those who tell us we have to struggle and sweat have not grasped true meaning in their lives. We need no approval of any human to be a success.
Stop trying to become a success. We are successes already. We were born. We are the success of life. The sperm hit the egg and here we are...
Hello world!
Everything else we do and achieve is just a bonus.



Life is to be enjoyed, not endured. Joy brings true meaning to life. 
Now the next question to ask is "what is joy?" What does joy mean and how do we achieve it? Look within , take time to silence the mind and feel the texture of nothingness. Smell the perfume of celestial splendor. Discover the sound of cosmic waves flowing though your subconscious mind. Palpate infinity. 
Breathe eternity. Conceive the splendor of maturating into the essence of a successful writer. Be the word, become the poem, and live the adventure.
Everything we do is inscribed in our soul’s book of life. We just need to learn how to read the instructions written within every cell and molecule of our being.



Each tissue and sinew bleeds muscular power of infinite, majestic might. Fly on the wings of limitless mastery. Escape the shrouded cocoon and become the enchanting butterfly. The dreams of authentic reality are about to manifest a rainbow of magical delights:_____
 "Write on Time" _____ "Compose in Space"
J_ust
O_bey
Y_ourself ___ (THE GENIUS)
  

WEBSITE

Clancy's comment: Thank you, Michael. My advice to my students is to let loose ... Don't hold back. In so doing, you might be surprised as to what you actually write.
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15 October 2018 - McNABS ISLAND IN NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA – ABANDONED

McNABS ISLAND IN NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA  - ABANDONED 
G'day folks,
I've often posted abandoned properties around the world. Well, here is another one.
  O n a recent trip to Nova Scotia, Canada to investigate the cemetery where many of the victims of the Titanic were buried, a chance conversation in a bar in Halifax, brought up a fascinating island lying abandoned just in the harbour, called McNabs Island. It’s said that this island was home to the some of the most enchanting collection of ruins you could wish for; a cove of shipwrecks, abandoned forts, the ghosts of old fairgrounds, the remnants of a soda factory, slowly decaying Victorian houses and their once grand gardens, potters fields filled with the victims of a cholera epidemic, and a place simply and beguilingly know as Hangman’s Beach. To add to the mystery, local legends tell of forgotten mines filled with gold. Does anything capture the imagination as much as deserted island full of such ruins? 




One of the first things to strike you about McNabs is its peaceful tranquility. Left abandoned for many decades know, nature has slowly reclaimed the man-made structures there. It looks much as it must have done, when the first Europeans landed their boats here centuries ago.





In 1787, one such adventurer, a British officer called William Dyott, landed on McNab’s Island, in much the same spot. He wrote in his diary, “a most beautiful small island entirely covered with spruce fir to the water’s edge…formed altogether a most beautiful prospect. I never spent a more pleasant day.”
The second thing to strike you about the island is it’s close proximity to Nova Scotia’s principal city, Halifax. It makes it all the more curious why it was abandoned.
But it wasn’t always so. McNabs Island is just under 400 hectares in size. It was once popular hunting and fishing grounds for the Mi’kmaq First Nations. In 1749, Colonel Edward Cornwallis landed, beginning a long, military presence on the island that would span for two centuries. For many years, McNabs was known as Cornwallis Island, and was of vital, strategic importance, guarding the approaches to Halifax from enemy ships.



The coastal defences on McNabs were once a forbidding deterrent to naval invasion, one contemporary historian noting, “an enemy attempting to reach the inner harbour would have a devastating broadside.” A standing force was stationed on the island during the two World Wars, but the advent of long range bombers and ballistic missiles saw the island’s military usefulness recede, and eventually come to an end; any threat to Canada would come from the skies and not the sea. 
Venturing further northwest, you reach the former home and graveyard of the family that gives the island it’s name; the McNabs.



 Peter McNab bought the island in 1782, building houses to farm the island. Later McNabs were successful merchants, trading in port and madeira wines, sugar, spices, tea and coffee. Ellen McNab was the last of the family to live on the island. She sold off the last few remaining acres, and died in 1930.Up until the 1950s, there were as many as sixty to a hundred people living still on the island, but all have long since gone. 
Like many of the old buildings on the island, the old McNab family home has gone.  But the remnants which have survived, have done so largely to a dedicated group of volunteers, who since 1990 have worked tirelessly to preserve and promote this special place, that for decades has been in danger of being permanently ruined.




Due to its location in the Halifax harbour, mixed with dangerous shoals, McNab’s Island is surrounded by deadly, treacherous waters. The Cove might be one of the highest concentrations of shipwrecks to be found in Nova Scotia. Ferry boats, tugs, schooners and trawler have all met their fates here, the landscape marked with exposed and weathered keels, masts, ribs and hulks. Dan Conlin, writing for the Friends of McNabs Island Society, remarks, “evocative old timbers and rusty fittings still have secrets to reveal and secrets to tell.”



Amongst the ships to wreck here include the HMS Tribune, 1797, with just 12 survivors from a crew of 250; HMS Mars, 64 guns, sank without a trace in 1755. The Gertrude de Costa disappeared into the depths in less than a minute in 1950, just six escaping.




But for all the eeriness of the empty island, it is also a place of beauty, a wildlife sanctuary of the first class, especially for birds. Loons, ospreys, falcons, grebes, cormorants and herons are just some of the to be found in this abandoned birdwatchers paradise. It was the natural beauty of the island that saw it become a wildly popular picnicking destination in the late 1800s and early 1900s.



Clancy's comment: Yet, another interesting location abandoned.
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14 October 2018 - ANCIENT SHIPWRECK FOUND OFF PORTUGAL

ANCIENT SHIPWRECK FOUND OFF PORTUGAL
G'day folks,
I enjoy reading about ancient things that are discovered, and most of the time I am gob smacked by how advanced people were many centuries ago. I found this interesting article on the Huffington Post.
The shipwreck of a vessel returning to Portugal from India laden with spices 400 years ago has been found off the coast of Lisbon.

“From a heritage perspective, this is the discovery of the decade,” project director Jorge Freire said. “In Portugal, this is the most important find of all time.”




 In and around the shipwreck, 40 feet below the surface, divers found spices, nine bronze cannons engraved with the Portuguese coat of arms, Chinese ceramics and cowry shells, a type of currency used to trade slaves during the colonial era.

Found on 3 September off the coast of Cascais, a resort town on the outskirts of Lisbon, the shipwreck and its objects were “very well-preserved,” said Freire.




Freire and his team believe the ship was wrecked between 1575 and 1625, when Portugal’s spice trade with India was at its peak.




 In 1994, Portuguese ship Our Lady of the Martyrs was discovered near Fort of Sao Juliao da Barra, a military defence complex near Cascais.

“For a long time, specialists have considered the mouth of the Tagus river a hotspot for shipwrecks,” said Minister of Culture Luis Mendes. “This discovery came to prove it.”




The wreck was found as part of a 10-year-old archaeological project backed by the municipal council of Cascais, the navy, the Portuguese government and Nova University of Lisbon.

  
Clancy's comment: Let's wait and see what they find. Many thanks to the Huffington Post.
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13 October 2018 - AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHY

AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHY
G'day folks,
As a photographer, I love looking at pics taken by others. Check out these smart photographs.




























Clancy's comment: Great stuff. Love the little girl and the hen. Thank you to all the photographers.
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12 October 2018 - THE AMAZING KAKAPO

THE AMAZING KAKAPO
G'day folks,

The Kakapo is an extraordinary and unique bird that is the only flightless and nocturnal parrot in the world – as well as the heaviest!



Quick FactsType: BirdDiet: HerbivoreLife span: Average 58 yearsSize: 59-64cm (length)Weight: 1-4 kgHabitat: Naturally vegetated areas, away from mammal predatorsRange: New ZealandScientific name: Strigops Habroptilus  Amazing Facts About the KakapoKakapo are the world’s only flightless parrot. They have very strong legs, making the birds excellent climbers and hikers. They are also the world’s heaviest parrotKakapo have very short wings, which they use for support and balance, and for parachuting to the floor from trees. The feathers of a kakapo are softer than other parrots as they do not need to be strong for flyingKakapos are said to smell nice! It is thought their sweet-musky odour helps the birds to find each otherThese parrots are nocturnal, meaning they roost during the day in trees or on the ground and are active at nightThe kakapo’s defence mechanism is to freeze and hope to blend into the background. This tactic doesn’t work with mammals which hunt with smell rather than sightThe parrots are said to be very friendly even in the wild. There passive nature however made them easy game for Maori and European settlersThe kakapo were relocated from 1980-1977 to two islands off New Zealand’s South Island which are free from mammal predators. This has allowed the species to survive; they would otherwise be extinct  In 2012, there were only 125 known kakapos left in the wildKakapos are now critically endangered. Before the arrival of people to New Zealand, the kakapos’ only predators were eagles. When people introduced mammals such as rats, stoats and cats to New Zealand, kakapo were hunted to near extinctionThe kakapo is a unique parrot. It uses a ‘Lek mating system’ where the male will pick a prominent spot and compete with other males to attract femalesMales compete by making low-frequency ‘booms’ to alert females to their presence. These booms can travel up to 3 miles! After 20-30 booms, the males switch to a high-pitched ‘ching’. This sequence of calls can go on for 8 hours a night for the duration of mating season: 2-4 months!Kakapos do not breed every year. The frequency of breeding is thought to be linked to the fruiting of the rumi tree, which occurs every 2-4 years!




Clancy's comment: Yet another interesting species, eh?
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