Carp, Ontario - Rich Military History, Agriculture and Drive-In Bingo

!9# Carp, Ontario - Rich Military History, Agriculture and Drive-In Bingo

Unofficially boasting the second highest UFO sightings behind Roswell. Home to Canada's largest nuclear bunker! On again, off again, Carp is once again host to the annual Ottawa Air Show! Annual destination for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Fly-In/Drive-In Breakfast. A location for a Tom Clancy movie shoot staring Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman.

Intrigued? Well you should be! The Historic Village of Carp has nothing to do with the fish by the same name. The seemingly sleepy rural community sits on the northwestern fringe of the city of Ottawa - just a bit 'up the valley' as they say in the (Ottawa) Valley. This small village, although predominantly a farming community, has some of Canada's defined history running through its veins.

The [debatable] secret building of the four-storey nuclear fallout Diefenbunker, was a massive Federal Government construction project completed in 1961. Now part of Canadian Cold War history, a tour through this concert and steel underground fortress will stimulate your senses with the intrigue of espionage, spies and covert operations. Come prepared to walk up and down stairs.

Carp, in the 1960s and 70s, was noted for the unusual number of UFO sightings. This is not surprising, since the this military bunker was a military commissioned, secure defense communications installation. Department of National Defense (DND) personnel would cycle through a tour-of-duty for up to three months inside this bunker facility.

For about 40 glorious seconds in the Tom Clancy suspense movie "The Sum of all Fears", the Diefenbunker was Mt. Weather, Virginia, USA. The inclined tunnel leading to the huge steel-vault-like doors and locations inside the complex were used as a backdrop for the movie, scripted around a nuclear attack on America.

Nice being picked by Hollywood, but the real enticement to visit this rural Ottawa Village is its local character. Rooted in agriculture, adds that 'country fair' feel when in June, the Carp Airport hosts the Ottawa Air Show and again in August, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA Chapter 245 ) fly-in breakfast. Both of these Aviation spectacles boast aerial displays, vintage and modern airplanes and always a taste of aerial hot-doggin'. Although hosted on a smaller scale, rivals the big heart and excitement of the Abbotsford BC International Air Show.

It's all morning fly-in action surrounding the Annual EAA Chapter 245 fly-in breakfast. Sometimes landing back-to-back the pilots, in their kit-built aircraft, circle, land and taxi to designated parking spots. Over 50 to 60 planes are flown in during this much anticipated event. Pilots eat a hearty breakfast, fuss over their aircraft, catch up on news from other pilots, and some then take off into the wild blue yonder. Others, like August Lehmann, veteran pilot of 49 years, flew in from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to attend the annual EAA Fly-In/Drive-In Breakfast. Mr. Lehmann, who flew his custom made 2005 Cessna 230 H.P. Cyclone at an average speed of 130 mph, took the opportunity to visit with friends and relatives along his flight path to Carp, Ontario.

One plane that draws a lot of up-close attention is the prop-version replica kit of the Canadian Snowbird Team CT-114 Tutor jet, right down to the paint. One bi-plane had vintage enthusiasts crowding around for a closer look. Wow! Beautifully lacquered wood throughout the cockpit and on the wings. Lots of photo opportunities everywhere you turned. It was hard for shutterbugs to keep up.

It may start with the Carp Airport, but its charm doesn't stop there. It has a few more unique long-standing attractions:

1) Home to Canada's longest running drive-in Bingo as highlighted on the CBC Show 'On The Road Again' with Wayne Ronstad. Started in 1954 and still going strong!

2) Over 142 years of the Carp Fair, held during the last weekend in September!

3) Incredible sunsets and easy access to some of the best Snowmobiling and ATV trails in Canada!

Enough said! C'mon over! Chat with the locals. Bring your family and friends for a visit to one of Ottawa Valley's gems.

Check out additional images of Carp at Flickr.com (search on 'Carp Charm').

Carp, Ontario - Rich Military History, Agriculture and Drive-In Bingo

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Secrecy, Blackmail, and Corruption - "The Bank Job" Movie Review

!9# Secrecy, Blackmail, and Corruption - "The Bank Job" Movie Review

Based on a true story, "The Bank Job" is the story of the 1971 Baker Street bank robbery. When the British government learns that there are incriminating photos and the threat of blackmail keeping them from arresting a drug importer, Michael X, they secretly hire a group of criminals to break into the bank which holds the photos and steal them. There can be nothing tying the criminals to the government, so every action of the government is done with the utmost secrecy.

When Martine Love (Saffron Burrows) is arrested for drug possession, she strikes a deal with Tim, a government official who's part of the group designed to solve the Michael X problem. The deal is that Martine must help put together a crew to commit the bank heist. She convinces a long-time friend and ex Terry Leather (Jason Statham - "The Transporter") to help her, and Terry puts together a team. As a group, they rent out the building two doors down from the bank and dig a tunnel underneath the bank to rob the safe deposit boxes held in the vault.

Although they are successful in robbing the bank, the tides turn when they realize that the deal was not as simple as it originally was and they discover just what Martine was sent in to steal. In addition, it turns out that another prominent member of society has a safety deposit box at the same bank and wants his items back as well. Now, Terry, Martine, and their team must find a way to avoid jail and deal with the multiple dangerous people who want the photos and their items back.

Where "The Bank Job" succeeds is in keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat with the complex drama. The story is never simple, and even when the viewer thinks that everything is going well for Terry and his crew, something always happens to shake things up. With themes such as secrecy, blackmail, and corruption, suspicion surrounds each character, leaving the viewer waiting to find out the motivations behind each character's actions.

The theme of secrets also plays out within Terry's own crew as well, when the former relationship between Terry and Martine re-emerges, creating a new set of questions. Terry must decide what's more important to him, the marriage to his wife, or the thrill that comes along with the criminal lifestyle. In addition, Martine's feelings towards both Terry and Tim leave the viewer wondering who she's really in the bank heist for, and who will she, if anyone, ultimately betray.

Where "The Bank Job" falls short, however, is that with so much secrecy going on, certain storylines are not described in enough detail and to a point, may not have been needed at all. The best example of this is with the character of Gale Benson. She is a British national attempting to infiltrate Michael X's organization by sleeping with his friend Malik. Although her character is important to the real life story the movie is based off of, inside of the movie, her character is not developed enough. She is only brought up in conversation twice, once at the beginning of the movie, and once at the end. She is unable to succeed in her goal, yet there a number of scenes portraying her, taking away from the action of Terry and Martine.

Despite that minor hiccup, the rest of the story is neatly told, and the action scenes are nicely intertwined with the dramatic discussion scenes. For Jason Statham, who mostly stars in action-type movies (including movies such as "The Transporter", "Crank", and "The Italian Job"), he really gets a chance to do more than just run and fight. The viewer is introduced to his more serious side when you see how he acts around his wife and children. I was happily surprised with the quality of this film and recommend it.

Grade: B

Secrecy, Blackmail, and Corruption - "The Bank Job" Movie Review

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Biometric Gun Safe Reviews

!9# Biometric Gun Safe Reviews

What the heck is that safe's combination? That is a question that has gone the way of the pioneers of old. Today's biometric gun safes store guns, legal papers, important correspondence and other items, safely and easily. One example of a biometric gun safe is the BARSKA. Weighing in at nearly 29 pounds it is heavy enough to make removing it by an intruder, cumbersome and yet, just right for concealed home use.

One purchaser commented that he bought the Barska for the express purpose of storing his guns and found that there was adequate room to also store important documents, passports and other items. The biometric fingerprint identification "combination" makes access extremely difficult for anyone but the owner of the stored fingerprints. A second reviewer reflected on the enticement that traditional locks and combinations have for kids. The biometric identification system removes this and the urge to break into the safe.

The Gunvault GVB2000 Multi Vault Biometric Gun Safe has a "you name it and we've thought of it" security system. Realizing the necessity of keeping guns out of the hands of anyone but the licensed owner has moved the Gunvault GVB2000 to the highest standard of security. One reviewer noted the exactness of the fingerprint recognition of this biometric gun safe. This same person tried many times before he positioned his finger in the correct manner allowing the safe to be opened.

The Biovault Biometric Safe with Fingerprint Reader is a less expensive biometric gun safe. This compact vault has multiple storage possibilities such as guns, legal papers, jewelry, discharge papers, and nearly anything else you might decide upon.

Those who have purchased this biometric gun safe state that the ease of opening the vault is nearly unbelievable. The swipe their finger over the reader and the safe opens in a second or less. This eliminates anyone miraculously coming upon the numerical combination. This vault is easily moved for relocation in the home or when moving to another home.

One of the most compact biometric gun vaults is the Sequiam Biometrics® BioVault 2.0 which is endorsed by the NRA firearms safety instruction program. Despite our wanting to believe that our children will not play with items in safe and secure places, they are often the first ones to find those places and to want to explore what is securely locked behind closed doors. Unless someone has identical fingerprints to those that are registered, this vault is safe.

The BIO Biometric Fingerprint SAFE BOX Jewelry Gun Car is the most portable of the biometric gun safes that we have reviewed. Along with the fingerprint reader is the well built, all steel outer container which provides one of the highest levels of protection.

Several websites have compiled statistics regarding the number of handguns owned by civilians in the United States. They have found that the United States' population is 273 million and that firearms (handguns, rifles, and shotguns) are owned by 235 million civilians.

These numbers certainly speak to the necessity of firearms owners taking responsibility to purchase and use firearm safes that cannot be easily breached. Once again, biometric gun safes appear to have a huge edge over those requiring numeric combinations.

Biometric Gun Safe Reviews

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