Posted on 08/23/2002 1:28:27 AM PDT by Snow Bunny
Beaches, rivers and boat launches provide access to Cook Inlet for world-class salmon and halibut fishing. Many charter services are available for some of the finest saltwater fishing to be found anywhere in the world! Be sure to buy a ticket for our annual Halibut derby held May thru August. The angler who catches the largest halibut will win $2,500. A derby ticket costs $7 and is good for 7 days from the date of purchase or until the ticket holder weighs in a halibut. Weekly and monthly prizes will be awarded.
Don't go dissing my fair and dont go dissing SPAM. *wink*
Spam is made in Austin Minnesota and its a BIG thing here.
We going to the fair next friday, and plan on stopping by the AM-1280 "The Patriot" radio booth
Not to mention pigging out on "anything on a stick"
YES... just about anything you can think of, someone at the fair sells it "on a stick"
Let's Roll!
to you and all the other new posters and lurkers at the Canteen! We love having you. If you came before and I missed it, sorry! I hope to see you all often! :))) 
The following e-mail I received today. I decided to post it here as a Public Service Announcement. Please take the time to read it and share with those you care about.
Computer Lesson -- Please read
Please read & share with anyone you know who has a child that spends a lot of time on the computer.............
Shannon could hear the footsteps behind her as she walked toward home. The thought of being followed made her heart beat faster. "You're being silly," she told herself, "no one is following you." To be safe, she began to walk faster, but the footsteps kept up with her pace.
She was afraid to look back and she was glad she was almost home. Shannon said a quick prayer, "God please get me home safe." She saw the porch light burning. When she was safely inside, she leaned against the door for a moment, relieved to be in the safety of her home. She glanced out the window to see if anyone was there. The sidewalk was empty. After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and go on-line. She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on.
She sent him an instant message:
ByAngel213: Hi. I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!GoTo123: LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you? Don't you live in a safe neighborhood?
ByAngel213: Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked out.
GoTo123: Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven't done that have you?
ByAngel213: Of course not. I'm not stupid you know.
GoTo123: Did you have a softball game after school today?
ByAngel213: Yes and we won!!
GoTo123: That's great! Who did you play?
ByAngel213: We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL
GoTo123: What is your team called?
ByAngel213: We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really cool.
GoTo123: Did you pitch?
ByAngel213: No I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don't want them mad at me....Bye!
GoTo123: Catch you later. Bye
Meanwhile......GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far.
Her name: Shannon
Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985
Age:13
State where she lived: North Carolina
Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall.
Besides this information, he knew she lived in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 P.M. every afternoon until her parents came home from work. He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the seventh grade at the Canton Junior High School.
She had told him all this in the conversations they had on-line. He had enough information to find her now. Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident, on the way home from the ball park that day. She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games. Parents were always overreacting and hers were the worst.
It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn't be so overprotective.
By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her. Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely. He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed the fear she had felt.
After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her shirt. He knew he had found her. Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. It was only a few blocks to Shannon's home, and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car. Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon's house. He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move.
Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room.
"Shannon, come here," her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa. "Sit down," her father began, "This man has just told us a most interesting story about you."
Shannon sat back. . . . . . . . . . How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today!
"Do you know who I am, Shannon?" the man asked.
"No," Shannon answered.
"I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123."
Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! GoTo123 is a kid my age! He's 14 and he lives in Michigan!"
The man smiled. "I know I told you all that, but it wasn't true. You see, Shannon, there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do it to find kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you, to teach you how dangerous it is to give out too much information to people on-line. You told me enough about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. Your name, the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze."
Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live in Michigan?"
He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh. It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?"
She nodded. "I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky. The guy found her and murdered her, while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line. The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it. I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it again." "Tell others about this so they will be safe too?"
"It's a promise!" That night Shannon and her Dad and Mom all knelt down together and thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.
Please send this to as many people as you can to teach them not to give any information about themselves. This world we live in today is too dangerous to even give out your age, let alone anything else.
EVEN FORWARD THIS TO PEOPLE WITHOUT KIDS SO THEY CAN SEND IT TO FRIENDS THAT DO.
< /OFF TOPIC >
Thanks. I have seen too many threads with "Amber Alert" in the title. Maybe this fictional exchange will get people to think a little bit and prevent one.
We now return to regular Canteen FReeping.
A photographic haven lodged in history and in legend, Ninilchik is a fishing community that lives up to it's given name, "peaceful settlement by a river." The flavor of this old Russian fur trading village still emphasizes it's past prominence. The old Russian Orthodox Church, built in 1900, and the historic cemetery overlook the entire rustic village of Ninilchik, and peacefully share the brilliant Alaskan sunset skyline with Mount Redoubt and Mount Iliamna, which are perched across Cook Inlet. Ninilchik extends north and south along the Sterling Highway from mile markers 134 to 138. Today the main livelihood comes from commercial fishing, sportfishing and tourism. Many people gather at the Ninilchik small boat harbor to watch the colorful commercial fleet come in at high tide and "off load" their catch or travel through town to see the sport fleet 'catch of the day".
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.