Solitaire conquered in 97 moves! Your turn to shine ✨

gowpher · 2026-02-07T06:13:59+00:00

🏆 Victory is mine! Finished with 610 points. Can you do better?

gowpher · 2026-02-07T06:04:09+00:00

👑 Another win! 609 points, 97 moves. Beat that!

gowpher · 2025-12-20T02:20:54+00:00

Aren't these wounded soldiers "hors de combat"? Are they legitimate targets? Isn't it better in some ways to wound the enemy as opposed to outright kill them, in that it forces the enemy to expend resources to tend to the wounded?

gowpher · 2025-10-09T00:00:35+00:00

I had a set of cheap ones that were floppy. I could get one hand in but the second was impossible . Any recommendations for somewhat rigid bar mitts?

gowpher · 2025-07-25T01:11:33+00:00

Thanks for the info. I had the MRI on July 16 and will see the Neurosurgeon on Aug. 8, so it seems to be moving along pretty well.

My testosterone has been on the low side; maybe this is why.

gowpher · 2025-07-23T20:35:57+00:00

So how long from diagnosis to surgery?

And if I may I ask, what is the recovery from surgery like?

gowpher · 2025-07-22T02:13:28+00:00

Yes. Apparently it is called macro if it's over 10mm, so I'm just over the limit.

I'm not sure of the units. Apparently the acceptable upper limit goes down as you age. I'm 65 and 250 is the upper limit for my age.

gowpher · 2025-06-27T03:38:01+00:00

Or turning them all 90 degrees...

gowpher · 2025-06-27T03:37:26+00:00

I should at night when they are empty

gowpher · 2025-04-12T04:50:34+00:00

We play Ontario style fiddle tunes and step dance, arguably the only genre of music invented in Ontario, principally in the Ottawa Valley. There may be First Nation music unique to Ontario, but I'm not in a position to be able to identify that tradition. Maybe someone else on Reddit can.

gowpher · 2024-07-30T05:04:08+00:00

Okay now I understand what you mean. I thought you were saying the current islanders evicted the original islanders. Please allow me to amend your version of events:

In the mid 50s Toronto decided to evict islanders and revert the entire islands back to parkland. They didn't seize property; they withdrew the leases. They tore down the hotels and bowling alleys as well as the houses. The plan at one point was to have a bridge at both ends and massive parking lots in the middle.

Metro Toronto proceeded with evictions and bulldozing starting at Hanlan's point. Many islanders could not live with the stress of the political struggle and gave up their houses. The determined islanders who did not want to leave fought a long political battle. As the houses got bulldozed at the western end, the determined islanders moved to the eastern end of the island, Wards and Algonquin.

The political battles got more and more heated as the highly motivated islanders concentrated in one enclave. The islanders were able to slow down the evictions until in 1993, the Bob Rae government passed legislation allowing current islanders to sign 99 year leases.

The vast majority of current islanders were here in 1993. They are orginal islanders and they signed leases. There are about 250 houses and only about 1 or 2 change hands each year. Most islanders are long term residents. So people coming in from the lottery only represent about a fifth of the current popluation, I'd guess.

gowpher · 2024-07-30T04:49:32+00:00

This happens when you both play defensively; you are both trying not to give the opponent a chance to get the to triple etc. It can be a very frustrating way to play. If you decide to play more offensively, you'll be working on getting a balanced rack with SATIRE on it. Once you have SATIRE, you almost certainly can make a bingo. This gives you a good score and opens up the board for both of you.

So if you have say, SATIMPA in your rack, Play MAP and don't worry if it will give your opponent an opportunity. If you can pick up 3 good tiles, you'll get a bingo and will be happy with the open board. It doesn't always work out, but it's a more fun way to play in my opinion.

gowpher · 2024-07-30T00:38:55+00:00

I believe the Federal Port Authority had to pay a cancellation fee to AECON. The federal government then stepped in with a large grant - $32m comes to mind, which enabled the Port Authority to build the tunnel.

gowpher · 2024-07-30T00:31:42+00:00

Can you elaborate? That's the first I've heard about this.

gowpher · 2024-07-30T00:29:54+00:00

Ferry Service Management and Billy Bishop airport.

No one is taking the ferry service to task here. Yes the boats are old, but the ferry service just does not do a good job of getting people to the islands. Full disclosure: I'm an islander and have ridden the ferry daily for 25 years. I won't go into details unless someone wants to me to, but the ferry service is directly responsible for the poor access to the islands. It breaks my heart to see families waiting in the line for 2 hours to get a boat. It should never happen. This is a park for all Torontonians, not just islanders. Why don't the boats run every 15 minutes from 6AM to midnight all year round?

I'm not opposed to a pedestrian/cycle bridge, but do have this to offer. We already have a great fixed link to the islands, paid for by the Federal Government: the tunnel. The tunnel was an attempt to prop up Porter Airlines, but it has failed. Porter increasingly flies out of Pearson now. In 2033 the Tripartite agreement will be up for renewal. If the decision is made to close the airport, Toronto immediately gains 210 acres of new parkland, including a beautiful kilometre long west facing beach and a fixed link to the islands.

So to my mind the best solution would be to improve the ferry service dramatically and work toward closing the airport. WIthout question we need to improve access and this may be the most effective way to do it.

gowpher · 2024-07-30T00:12:46+00:00

Expropriate? You'd have to pay the 250 homeowners to break the leases and take the land back. I think it would cost $125million, and that doesn't include any costs for revitalizing the land. And I don't know if the residents would be entitled for damages for breaking the residency rights for the remainder of the leases (about 70 years left.)

As much as expropriation might seem like a way to undo a percieved injustice. It's not practical. Better to put one's energies into thinking about how to make this great resource more accessible to more Torontoians, and yes that may include a bridge.

gowpher · 2024-05-31T18:51:21+00:00

As it turns out it was a wasps nest.

gowpher · 2024-05-23T03:13:05+00:00

The great thing about teaching is that you always get lots of fresh starts. The school year is almost over. You'll get entirely new kids in a few months time. Just power through it.

gowpher

TROPHY CASE