Canadian Expatriates, its contributors, and readers have been invited by Foreign Affairs Canada to participate in a series of eDiscussions. The current topic is “Showcasing Canadian Culture and Know-How Abroad”.

We are asked to consider the following questions:

What role does Canadian culture and know-how play in our foreign policy?

How might the government best promote Canadian talent and expertise in the world?

The eDiscussion runs from April 4 to May 6, 2005. At its conclusion, a summary of the discussion will be sent to senior policy planners.

The Expat admin team encourages its readers to join in the eDiscussion at the Canadian International Policy website.

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Posted by Admin

The administration team is currently searching for Canadian expatriates who would be interested in contributing to the Expat Blog. The subject matter is wide open, but must remain family friendly.

If you are interested in joining our blogging team, please send an email our way!

Thank you!

Saturday night, we returned from a Canadian chocolate shopping extravaganza to find that we were under a tornado watch. As the sun set, the wind kicked up, the rain and hail began, and the thunder rolled. The tornado watch soon turned into a warning and the sirens sounded. We quickly grabbed the birds, some candles, the radio, and the pups, and sought refuge in the safety of the basement. It was the first time that we faced the threat of a tornado in the black of night.

Although there were a few dicey moments, there was not much damage. The 60 mph winds tore the roof off of a nearby school and mangled the school's fence and baseball diamond, but overall damage was slight. Students from the school are being bussed into other communities for some of their classes while the roof and water damage are being repaired.

As the storm left central Illinois and headed for southern Indiana and northern Kentucky, we emerged from the basement. We moved the birds back to their room, put the candles back where they belonged, and returned the radio to its place in the kitchen. Before we turned in for the night, we took one last look at the weather radar. A line of storm cells would be passing us later in the night, but it looked to be much weaker than the line that had just passed us. We decided to take our chances and go to bed.

Later that night, tornados spawning from that first line of storm cells tore through Indiana and Kentucky, killing at least 22 people as they slept in their beds.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost their homes and their loved ones.