Author Archives: mikeodom73

The Legality Of Marijuana In Canada

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Canada is one of the few countries in the world that has decriminalized marijuana.  However, the road to decriminalization was not an easy on for advocates of the herb. At the time of writing you can order weed online canada, for medicinal and recreational uses. Public opinion polls since 1997 have shown an increasing number of Canadians agreeing with the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. It is now not uncommon to find your local vape shop just around the corner with all the paraphernalia you could want! You can even find the cheapest weed in canada online, with most companies offering a discrete delivery service!

Medical Marijuana Legislation

In 2001, Health Canada established a regulation on access to marijuana for medical use.  There were 2 categories of patients who were eligible for this access.  Category 1 covered patients receiving treatment for symptoms related to end-of-life care or those with certain medical conditions including severe epilepsy, severe arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.  Category 2 covered patients who suffered from debilitating symptoms not related to any of the medical conditions covered in Category 1.  

Medical marijuana was only to be provided to patients who could demonstrate the medical need for this herb.  In 2014, the Medical Marijuana Access program was replaced with the Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations.  Under the new regulations, medical marijuana production was allowed by licensed producers.  This was done to ensure the quality of the marijuana being used by the medical field.  

The definition of medical marijuana was expanded in 2015 by the Supreme Court of Canada.  The new definition included any form of consuming marijuana including brownies, oils and smoking it through a bong (even a tornado bong).  Medical marijuana is legal in Canada, but there have been raids on some dispensaries in 2016. 

The Decriminalization Bills Of 2003- 2004

In 2003, the Liberal government introduced a bill that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use.  Being in possession of 15 grams or less would have resulted in a fine with possession of more being a ticketed offense or criminal charges.  The bill looked likely to be passed, but it died when Parliament prorogues.  The death of the bill was largely attributed to pressure from the American DEA.  

In 2004 an identical bill was introduced by the minority Liberal government.  The law was not passed as the government was defeated during a confidence vote.  After the Conservative victory in 2006, the government did not continue with the legislation. 

The Cannabis Act 2017

A new act was introduced to the Canadian Parliament in 2017 which would legalize marijuana across the country.  The Liberal Part of Canada proposed the legalization in 2012 and it was one of the major points of Justin Trudeau’s campaign to become Prime Minister.  The Cannabis Act was introduced to Parliament by Jody Wilson-Raybould, the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of Canada.  

The Act would allow people over the age of 18 to possess 30 grams of marijuana for recreational use.  It allowed each province to place further restrictions on possession, use and sale.  Part of the Act, was a tax revenue projection which stated that the national treasury would gain $675 million each year.  The bill was legalized in 2017 and would see marijuana possession legalized by 2018.  Until this time, it is still considered illegal to possess recreational use marijuana in Canada.

DIY Dent Repair? Hmm….

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Some of you have been asking about this thing called “mobile dent repair,” and if it’s something we should be doing to our cars and bikes on our own…well, here’s a DIY article about it, but I honestly don’t recommend it…

Paintless dent repair is commonly used to avoid more time consuming and expensive repairing methods. When you get a small ding in your car try repairing it yourself rather than hiring a professional auto repairer. Here are a few basic steps to follow.

Step 1: Examine the dent

First of all, inspect the dent. Some dents may be fixed easily while others may require more extensive repairing. If the dent is caused due to hailstorms or other natural calamities, you might want to consider consulting a hail repair specialist. Once you find some potential options, you should ensure that they possess all the necessary credentials to provide accurate and reliable services. else, if it’s a dent that you can fix with your tools, you might want to go ahead with the next step.

Step 2: Acquire the Necessary Tools

Next, acquire the tools you will be needing to carry out the repair. Most of the tools can be found in any home toolkit. If not, you could purchase it from somewhere similar to a Home Depot. Sites like Raise may have coupon codes that could be used to buy these at a lower price. The methods are simple ways which have however been deemed successful in cases of small dents.

Step 3: Use Aluminum Foil, a Lighter and Canned Air

A basic method which could work is to place a piece of aluminum foil over the dent. Then, switch on a lighter and hold the flame right over the foil for half a minute or so. Then spray with some canned air for a few seconds. The sudden change from a high to a low temperature could help the metal change its form and the dent might be removed as a consequence. Wipe with a soft cloth to remove any traces.

Step 4: Use a Hair Dryer and an Air Duster

A similar method to apply a change in the metal’s temperature is to heat up the area where there is the dent with a hair dryer. Then, after about a minute spray the heated patch with an air duster. A layer of ice will form over the dent. When the ice begins to melt the dent should pop back and be fixed. Once the ice has melted up wipe completely dry with a soft cloth.

Step 5: Apply Suctioning

Purchase a dent removal kit from an auto trader. Place the suctioning tool found in the kit over the dent you wish to repair. This is often in the shape of a cup, with a string at the other end. Basically you have to pull the string in order to apply the pressure in the space encompassed between the cup’s interior and the vehicle’s metal. Alternatively, if you do not wish to buy such a kit you can always use a plunger which is a common tool found in every home. If the dent is not complicated this will lead to the metal to pop back in place linearly. You may try to repeat more than once so as to try and achieve a bigger suctioning. If not successful, you can proceed to more extensive DIY paintless dent repair methods.

Step 6: Using Other Tools from the Dent Repair Kit

Apart from the suctioning cup a dent repair kit will also contain a dent pulling tool. Place this over the dent. Then, pull hard so as to make the dent pop out. When this is achieved you may use a small hammer to push it back more linearly with the rest of the body as it may protrude a bit outwards at first. It is best to fix a board or a block of wood at the back of the metal while doing this.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/diy-paintless-dent-repair

A post for real men

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I’m going to be doing a kitchen remodel here at my place, and was needing some inspiration…so here’s a great article I found from TrendHunter. You can see all the ideas with pictures here: http://www.trendhunter.com/slideshow/diy-activities-for-men. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

While arts and crafts are often considered a very female-centric activity, these DIY activities for men are showcasing that there are a wide variety of projects available that the male demographic will surely find appealing and worthwhile.

While there are certainly a plethora of DIY activities that allow individuals to create their own customized apparel pieces or home furnishings, these DIY activities for men feature much more rugged and manly projects that will surely attract any auto enthusiast or gaming fanatic. A great way to encourage men to become more handy and creative around the house, these DIY activities will certainly have men feeling like they can accomplish anything they set their minds to.

From upcycled hammer hooks to recycled beer bottle couches, these DIY activities are offering some rugged and rustic activities that men will surely appreciate.

When your car won’t start in the morning

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Unlike people who like to burrow underneath the sheets on cold mornings, cars are inanimate creatures – they don’t feel cold the way humans do. When you start your car on a cold morning and all you hear is a “click” and the indicator lights on the dashboard do not come on and the engine does not roar to life – don’t blame the weather. Check your batteries.

Ideally, you should look at the terminals of your car batteries regularly. Make sure that the terminal caps are tight and do not wiggle free. Look at the terminal (there’s one with a + sign and one with a – sign). All batteries have a positive (+) and a negative (-) terminal. They are also usually color-coded so you don’t hook up the negative wire to the positive terminal (that will be a disaster!).

woman with jumper cables

Sometimes, your battery terminal is loose or it is corroded. Moisture and grime promote build up on the terminals and this causes corrosion on the battery terminal. Make sure the terminals and the terminal caps are clean. If you see deposits on the terminal that are whitish in color it might mean that battery acid is leaking out of the sealed battery and this batter acid is corrosive. It causes the build up around the terminal, preventing the electrical charge from travelling smoothly. Be careful, though, as the battery acid might cause burns. The leaking battery acid might also cause sparks that will short-circuit your electrical wirings and cause a fire in your engine.

A car battery has a usual life of about two years depending upon the use of the car. If you use your car every day and you drive a lot at night, you might need to replace your car battery every two years. Remember that a car battery does not provide electrical power for your car. Ideally, the car battery is merely a storage unit for electrical power that is manufactured by the alternator.

The stored electrical power in the car battery will provide the initial spark that will trigger the internal combustion when you start the car. After that, most cars run on the gas or diesel power and not electrical power anymore except for hybrid or electrical cars. Hybrid cars run on both fuel and electrical power while electrical cars run on purely electric power.

All the electrical power generated by your car as it runs is made in the alternator. Your alternator contains an electromagnet that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy which is then stored in the car’s battery. When the alternator is working well, as you drive around, the alternator keeps your car battery charged. If your alternator isn’t working properly, it won’t convert enough electrical energy to keep your batteries charged. The result is, while you are driving around with your headlights on, with the radio on and while you are charging your cell phone, your car will use up the stored electric power in the battery, thereby draining it.

The electromagnet in the alternator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy by a high-speed rotation of a shaft. The shaft is attached to by a fan belt to another shaft in the engine. If the fan belt that drives the alternator is loose, it will make a squeaky noise. The squeaky noise comes from the fan belt sliding instead of it driving the alternator to rotate. When the alternator fails to rotate the mechanical energy is not converted to electrical energy. That explains the dead “click” in the morning when you start the car.

Check the batteries regularly. Check into a garage and ask them to run a test on the batter to see if it is charging well. Have them check the fan belts for nicks and tears and even for moisture and grime as these affect its efficiency. Keep a log and remember when you had your car batteries changed. Manufacturers usually give a one-year warranty on a car battery. Checking the car battery regularly ensures that you maintain the validity of the warranty and you keep your car running smoothly.

The ‘walk around’ check: basic preventive maintenance

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Most car owners and drivers sail through the back door with a piece of toast in their mouth, a mug of coffee, the newspaper and a briefcase. They go directly behind the wheel, start their car and back out the driveway. This amount of stress and tension really is not very good for your own health or for your car’s.

If you keep pets around your house, you know better than just start the ignition and get out the driveway in the morning. You know you have to check out your tires to see if the cat has sharpened its claws on it and has caused tears on it, or the dog has chewed down that nozzle that sticks out of the tire where the tire is inflated. These simple irritations might just cause your car to break down while on the road, or worse, it might lead to an accident.

If you suddenly find yourself with a flat tire in the middle of traffic, you would have to push your car to the side and you can be sure that you will get a ticket for obstruction and get towed for it. If the tire blows out while you are on the interstate doing 50mph, it’s not only unpleasant, it’s downright scary! You will struggle to keep your car from weaving. You will have to apply the brake gently, move your car slowly to the side and avoid colliding with another vehicle on the interstate at all costs. Not a very pleasant scenario, is it?

To prevent little irritations such as these from becoming life-threatening accidents, you must make it a habit to do a simple “walk around” check before you start your car in the morning. Beginning at the front of the car: check the lights, the tires, the wheel fixings (the nuts and bolts and the rim of the tires) as well as the body.

Make sure that the lights are all intact (no broken lights). Look and see if the tires are standing and not flat. Check to see that the nuts and bolts that keep the tire attached to the car are tight. Look to see that the rim of the tire is round and not dented in some parts. If you see stains on the rim of the tire, it could just be mud, it could be your dog’s pee, or it could be brake fluid leaking. Check behind the rim of the tire if there is any moisture there. Look at the doors and see that they close and open well.

If you have time, pop the hood and check the dipstick and the level of the motor oil. Check that there’s water in the radiator. Check the level of brake fluid in the reservoir. If you still have time, start the car with the hood popped open; and listen for any unusual sounds: check for loud grinding and squeaky noises. A grinding noise might mean there’s something loose somewhere which is causing the engine to vibrate too much. A squeaky noise might mean there’s something wrong with the fan belt that drives the alternator or the air conditioning or the car’s cooling system.

Turn the headlights on and off to see that they are working fine. Turn on the signal lights to see if they are working. If on the dashboard there are flashing lights, it might mean that your gasoline tank is nearly empty, it might mean that your car is overheating – flashing lights on the dashboard are not a good sign. If on the dashboard, the signal lights are blinking faster than usual, check to see that outside, the signal lights are blinking as well. It might mean that something is off in the electrical wiring. Faulty electrical wiring might lead to a fire in the engine or inside the car.

If your car does not pass the “walk around” test, you might have to call a mechanic and borrow your wife’s or husband’s car for the day. It will be inconvenient, for sure, but at least, you won’t find yourself miserable in the middle of lonely stretch of road without any cell phone signal and without any way to call on a mechanic. Or worse, find yourself in the middle of a road wreck.

Fluid check: Signs that a car is roadworthy

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Preventive car maintenance checks for the warranty

If you bought your car brand new and it is just three years old, chances are, it is still under the manufacturer’s warranty. A manufacturer’s warranty is only valid if you bring your car in for preventive car servicing every three months at the car dealer. Check out the owner’s manual in the glove compartment of your car. You’ll find a thick book that shows you the features of your car and also provides you with a schedule for when to bring your car in for its preventive maintenance.

The fluid check

If you do not bring your car in for any of its preventive car maintenance checks, the manufacturer’s warranty will be invalidated. It is important that you keep to your schedule. The first maintenance check is usually after the first month and it is for tightening of nuts and bolts. The successive maintenance checks are also valuable as the oil is changed and all the fluid levels in the car are checked. This means that the coolant in the radiator is checked along with the brake fluid, the motor oil, the transmission fluid, and even the amount of water in the reservoir for the windshield sprinkler!

overheated car

If you’ve ever gone for an annual physical examination, you will probably recall that you give samples of your blood and urine for testing. The fluids in your body give a picture of the overall health and working condition of your body. It is the same way with cars: the fluid levels in the car give a picture of the overall roadworthiness and condition of the car.

If too much coolant in the radiator has been used up, it might mean that there is a leak in the radiator hose or the car’s thermostat isn’t working properly. This may imply that when you operate the car, it is at a higher temperature than is recommended, thus some component parts may get warped or “baked” into place. If the brake fluid has been used up too much, there may be a leak in the brake hose, or the braking system isn’t working properly.

The fluid check is very important – do not miss out on it.

Basic Tire Maintenance Check: Rotation and tire depth

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stack of tires

Aside from checking the tire pressure weekly, you can also check the wear and tear on the tires and rotate the tires. You can bring your car to a mechanic and have him check the wear on the tires. He will then take each tire out and replace them into a different place from the previous spot it used to be in (front tires may get replaced in the back tire wells or vice versa). This will ensure that the tires wear down at a fairly even and uniform rate. If you’re handy, you can do this yourself.

Some cars are front-wheel drive (both of the front tires are driven by the motor when you run the car while the back tires just roll along as they are pulled by the front tires). There are cars that are rear- wheel drive: both the back wheels drive the car while the front wheels roll along as they are pushed by the back tires.

SUVs are usually “4×4” meaning all the wheels are driven by the engine simultaneously; or they may be “2×4” meaning two wheels are driven by the engine simultaneously while the other two wheels roll along as they are pulled or pushed by the other tires. You can just imagine that the tires that “drive” the car are the ones that suffer more wear. Rotating your tires will ensure even wear on the tires. This will also ensure even handling as you brake.

How can you tell when your tires are worn?

Well, if you go to a tire store, you will notice that the new tires have small “hair-like” bits of rubber sticking out. You will also notice that there are deep grooves on the tires. The depth of the grooves signals that these are new tires. As you drive your car, the depth of the groves lessens as the road eats away more rubber from the surface of your tire. A tire that is smooth (it doesn’t have deep grooves on its surface) is “bald.”

An observant traffic cop will pull you over if you are driving around with “bald” tires. Bald tires mean that your car will have trouble stopping as there will be nothing that will maintain traction on the road. When the road is wet as when it has just rained, a car with tires that are “bald” or nearly “bald” will more likely skid and slip on the wet surface. You will lose control of your car when you apply your brakes. Yes, even the emergency “hand” brake will not keep the car from skidding out of control when your tires are “bald.” Bald may be beautiful, but this does not apply to car tires.

Basic Tire Maintenance: tire pressure check

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The car’s tires are like a person’s feet. If your feet are sore or you wear shoes that have very little or no support at all, then you are likely to get injured. The same analogy applies to cars and its tires. The tires are the part of the car that touches the road. It bears the weight of the car and its passengers and cargo. Thus, it is the part of the car that is subjected to the most wear and tear. Checking it regularly may save you from expensive repair, and it can save your life.

Check the tire pressure once weekly

The tire pressure is measured in pounds “per square inch” (psi). This not only measures how much air there is in the tire, but it also measures how much that amount of air inside the tire pushes against the inner walls of the tires. To check how much air you should keep inside the tires, check the manual for the car manufacturer’s recommendations. If your car isn’t brand new or if you’ve changed your tires before, the recommended tire pressure should be embossed on the tire itself, near the rim.

Stick to the recommended tire pressure: too low tire pressure means more drag as more of the tire touches the road, there is more friction, and thus, more rubber gets eroded as you drive your car. If the pressure is too high, your ride will be too “bouncy” and only the middle of the tire surface will touch the road. Either way, the wear on the tire will not be even and it will affect how much gas you consume: drag makes you push harder on the gas pedal, increasing the consumption of fuel to simply propel the car forward.