@Yakiman

You're quite right. The water does have to go somewhere. But in this case the somewhere would be the Canadian falls. The falls pictured is the American side. The water flow to the American falls squeezes through a comparatively tight section with Goat Island. It would be very easy to have that section blocked by ice and other debris and the niagara river otherwise flowing fast and dumping over the Canadian side.

In the first photo the people are walking about fairly casually with a small child accompanying them. Doubtless for the time, clothing wouldn't likely be up to task to keep one warm in the kind of temperatures it would take to make that river freeze.

My guess then is some sort of ice-jam/log-jam further up river that severely restricted the flow of water at the time, thereby making the freeze-up more likely in relatively normal albeit cold temperatures.

Goddammit, who started slicing onions in my office?

Ha! I can add some more info to the second place on the list (Big Bites Ice Cream and Burgers). Granted it was a Dairy Queen previously but the architecture actually comes from its very original franchise, Red Barn. Red Barn was a McDonald's-ish fast food chain from the 60's and 70's. All of their locations looked, well, like a big Red Barn, hence the name. They were reasonably common in southern Ontario and as the chain slowly folded it was always interesting to see the locations rebranded, usually into an independent burger joint but sometimes other chains would pick them up. Most of the time the buildings were demolished to meet local codes but some, like this one, have stuck around. I'd say this particular location ceased being a Red Barn about 30 years ago.

Ah screw it. I'm going to go with the assumption this thing is going to kill us all next month so I'm off to the Ferarri dealership.

Good morning *crosses fingers*

Tokyoflash - Biohazard Leather

There is no genuine answer to "which is better". Your decision should depend on when you plan to use either, what you typically cook on it and finally, how often you plan to use it.

If you're someone who does a lot of vegetables and white meats (pork, fish, chicken) then the simplicity and easy-to-acheive steady heat of a gas grill is the better choice. If on the other hand you tend to do a lot of red meats, a charcoal bbq adds a certain flavour but it's a more time consuming method.

This is where you have to think about when and how often you cook on a grill/bbq. If it's strictly a weekend affair then you'll probably be able to find the time and effort required to properly prepare and stoke a charcoal bbq. If you see yourself using this frequently during the week where you're liable to be a little pressed for time, go with the gas grill.

As for the flavouring, keep in mind that there are smoker boxes that can be added to a gas grill. They're small, usually cast iron trays that you can fill with flavoured wood and place under the grills to simulate the bbq effect.

Personally I prefer the convenience and versatility of the gas grills but I have to admit to owning one of each because sometimes it's just plain old fun to go through the procedures of getting the charcoal just right.

Hermonystra, a female Osprey.

"Donner" and "Blitzen" were originally named "Dunder" and "Blixem".

While it's her body and hence her own choice (certainly has no impact on my life whatsoever) I'm drawn to the description of her as demonstrating an "almost religious zeal". This does smack of fanaticism to me. While being Earth-friendly is an admirable trait her methods, to me, are unsound.

Oh yeah. As an extension to my prvious rule 1 feel free to apply "El Gordo's Meeting Corollary Rule" which states: the likelihood of an unanticipated meeting being called goes up in direct proportion to your need to leave work on time.

1. If you hear "We're having a short meeting at 3:00 today" be aware that it's a trap. The meeting will not start at 3:00 nor will it be short.

2. If you volunteer to assist with a project your efforts will immediately and permanently become an unpaid part of your regularly expected duties.

It's so easy to make people see what they want to see. That's why eyewitness testimony is considered sketchy at best. The "eyewitnesses" are seeing the video imagery, not some actual event. The "cloud" is even the same color as the backlit Marathon sign. It's definitely a bug in front of the lense, reflecting the sign light.

I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Dave.