One week later this picture is quite a bit different. The snow long gone, taken by the warm temperatures of the last seven days. But while it was here, it was certainly the talk of the town. Though we have to admit that the rest of the country might have a wee laugh at our expense over our "coping skills". This is from the lookout off of Summit Avenue overlooking the city and the harbour.Saturday, April 07, 2007
Pictures of Podunk: Snow at the lookout
One week later this picture is quite a bit different. The snow long gone, taken by the warm temperatures of the last seven days. But while it was here, it was certainly the talk of the town. Though we have to admit that the rest of the country might have a wee laugh at our expense over our "coping skills". This is from the lookout off of Summit Avenue overlooking the city and the harbour.
We'll be right back after this short commercial message, April 6
You just don't have this problem with the Daily News.
Free delivery every Wednesday and Friday would solve this problem!
Free delivery every Wednesday and Friday would solve this problem!
Driven by a testosterone addled young fellow, but only on Sundays!
KITT is on the clock, the iconic car of the Knight Rider days has been put up for sale in Califorina.
The boingboing website, which features many strange and wonderful entries, has the skinny on the sale.
A car dealer called Kassabian Motors in Dublin, California is selling the talking Trans Am for $149,995 dollars. David Hasslehoff not included!
Gas mileage probably isn't very good, but you'll be able to put your road rage to good use!
Friday, April 06, 2007
"Everything comes to an end"
The radio and television teaser ads provide quick snippets of past events and a somber sense of foreshadowing of the near future. Of all the quick release lines in the thirty second spots, the one that seems to scream out at the listener is from a weary wife, tired of her daily tribulations, “everything comes to an end.”
Sunday, perhaps we shall view the beginning of the end!
The final nine episodes of the Soprano’s will air on HBO (and Movie Central in Canada), as everyone’s favourite anger management patient, Tony Soprano, begins to take us all down the uncharted path ahead (well uncharted for the viewers, David Chase we suspect has an idea where this all is going) for his New Jersey families.
The Feds have been getting closer over the seasons, his enemies bolder and there is the whiff of insiders to his very own organization perhaps playing pretty loose with their loyalty. All issues that don’t suggest a happy outcome for the middle manager of crime incorporated for upper New Jersey.
The Soprano’s has been a most remarkable television show, unlike anything that most of us had ever seen on the television. It has changed mindsets in the entertainment business as to just how grown up an audience is these days. It has angered and amazed large numbers at times, blurring the lines of where television should and could go with their product.
It is most likely the one show that launched HBO to its major player status in the United States and changed the viewing habits of many Americans over the last seven years, from the very first episodes The Soprano’s built up a cult following that abandoned the networks on Sunday evenings, a sea change of viewership that continues at full speed to this day.
From that early beginning for HBO, the channel that was dedicated to movies and entertainment specials suddenly became a major player in the world of television programming.
With The Soprano’s leading the way, HBO provided quality television for adults, those not afraid of the odd curse word or an overtly violent act. Viewers that wanted plot development, real characters and realistic portrayals of life, not some Hollywood sanitized version of how things could be.
Once the Soprano’s took hold of the television clickers of the continent, the television gates would open to bring other equally well made productions to the screens that normally lower themselves to a base common denominator.
Shows such as The Wire, Rome, Deadwood, Carnivale, Brotherhood, The Shield to name but a few, can all raise a glass of wine in salute to Tony and his crew, they blazed the trail for television that took chances and found an audience anxious to break free of the formula of the network offerings.
It’s no surprise that network television has changed in the seven years that the Soprano’s have ruled their empire, for most part the night time dramas on the networks are now more powerful and more entertaining than a decade ago. While still not as graphic as those that appear on HBO or Movie Central, the themes have become more complete, reflective of a maturing of commercial television completely due to the acceptance of the upper pay channels offerings.
Sunday, Tony will begin to settle his accounts, for Canadians the opening night offers up a rendezvous with some Quebecois gangsters who apparently rub Mr. Soprano the wrong way, not something you would wish on your worst enemy (well okay, sure your worst enemy, but not just some shmoe you're mad at for the moment).
As the mid season finale was winding down, there were hints that Tony had problems within his own organization. Maybe Paulie, who doesn’t project the term loyalty very easily will turn on his boss, maybe someone else close Silvio or Christopher, who knows for sure who may crack should the pressure mount.
Then again, there is the building tension between Tony and his New York rival Phil, who has been the stone in Tony’s shoe for a number of seasons now. With Phil’s boss John secure and unhappily in jail, there is no one to reign Phil in, an explosion of violence seems to be only a matter of time between to the two branch offices.
Compared to business, Tony’s family life seemed happier than ever by the time Christmas had rolled around, but considering the past history on the home front and the numerous skeletons waiting to be revealed, the next nine shows surely won’t be a rerun of the Walton’s.
Though the promise of perhaps feature movies from time to time in the future is interesting, it’s been the ritual viewing patterns over the last seven years that have made the show the fixture it became. The events of Sunday were always up for debate on Monday, leaving us with six days of wondering who would be whacked next, who would turn out to be a rat or where Tony would go next in his quest for his share of the prize of organized crime. There will be a few more weeks of debate and analysis before Tony and his crew fade to black.
We’ll pop the popcorn and get ready for A3 to lead us into the night on Sunday; the show has been one in a million, complete with that shotgun shine.
Like a night at the Bada Bing, we expect that these next nine shows will not disappoint.
Sunday, perhaps we shall view the beginning of the end!
The final nine episodes of the Soprano’s will air on HBO (and Movie Central in Canada), as everyone’s favourite anger management patient, Tony Soprano, begins to take us all down the uncharted path ahead (well uncharted for the viewers, David Chase we suspect has an idea where this all is going) for his New Jersey families.
The Feds have been getting closer over the seasons, his enemies bolder and there is the whiff of insiders to his very own organization perhaps playing pretty loose with their loyalty. All issues that don’t suggest a happy outcome for the middle manager of crime incorporated for upper New Jersey.
The Soprano’s has been a most remarkable television show, unlike anything that most of us had ever seen on the television. It has changed mindsets in the entertainment business as to just how grown up an audience is these days. It has angered and amazed large numbers at times, blurring the lines of where television should and could go with their product.
It is most likely the one show that launched HBO to its major player status in the United States and changed the viewing habits of many Americans over the last seven years, from the very first episodes The Soprano’s built up a cult following that abandoned the networks on Sunday evenings, a sea change of viewership that continues at full speed to this day.
From that early beginning for HBO, the channel that was dedicated to movies and entertainment specials suddenly became a major player in the world of television programming.
With The Soprano’s leading the way, HBO provided quality television for adults, those not afraid of the odd curse word or an overtly violent act. Viewers that wanted plot development, real characters and realistic portrayals of life, not some Hollywood sanitized version of how things could be.
Once the Soprano’s took hold of the television clickers of the continent, the television gates would open to bring other equally well made productions to the screens that normally lower themselves to a base common denominator.
Shows such as The Wire, Rome, Deadwood, Carnivale, Brotherhood, The Shield to name but a few, can all raise a glass of wine in salute to Tony and his crew, they blazed the trail for television that took chances and found an audience anxious to break free of the formula of the network offerings.
It’s no surprise that network television has changed in the seven years that the Soprano’s have ruled their empire, for most part the night time dramas on the networks are now more powerful and more entertaining than a decade ago. While still not as graphic as those that appear on HBO or Movie Central, the themes have become more complete, reflective of a maturing of commercial television completely due to the acceptance of the upper pay channels offerings.
Sunday, Tony will begin to settle his accounts, for Canadians the opening night offers up a rendezvous with some Quebecois gangsters who apparently rub Mr. Soprano the wrong way, not something you would wish on your worst enemy (well okay, sure your worst enemy, but not just some shmoe you're mad at for the moment).
As the mid season finale was winding down, there were hints that Tony had problems within his own organization. Maybe Paulie, who doesn’t project the term loyalty very easily will turn on his boss, maybe someone else close Silvio or Christopher, who knows for sure who may crack should the pressure mount.
Then again, there is the building tension between Tony and his New York rival Phil, who has been the stone in Tony’s shoe for a number of seasons now. With Phil’s boss John secure and unhappily in jail, there is no one to reign Phil in, an explosion of violence seems to be only a matter of time between to the two branch offices.
Compared to business, Tony’s family life seemed happier than ever by the time Christmas had rolled around, but considering the past history on the home front and the numerous skeletons waiting to be revealed, the next nine shows surely won’t be a rerun of the Walton’s.
Though the promise of perhaps feature movies from time to time in the future is interesting, it’s been the ritual viewing patterns over the last seven years that have made the show the fixture it became. The events of Sunday were always up for debate on Monday, leaving us with six days of wondering who would be whacked next, who would turn out to be a rat or where Tony would go next in his quest for his share of the prize of organized crime. There will be a few more weeks of debate and analysis before Tony and his crew fade to black.
We’ll pop the popcorn and get ready for A3 to lead us into the night on Sunday; the show has been one in a million, complete with that shotgun shine.
Like a night at the Bada Bing, we expect that these next nine shows will not disappoint.
You can do a little research on the season finales with the stories below:
One road, one runway, no problems…
Don’t expect the city works crews to be buying the beer should they run into their counterpart from the Airport anytime soon.
Last week’s storm has left many on Kaien Island with tales of clogged roads, abandoned cars and a sense of wonderment over snow removal strategies. But, all was fine over at Dibgy Island that at least according to the story weaved from the viewpoint of the airport in Thursday’s Daily News.
Of course, city workers might be quick to point out that it helps when you only have one road with little traffic to get in the way and a stretch of runway which likewise isn’t exactly running at capacity. But that won’t keep the airport officials from delivering the report that they’re still pretty happy with the job done on Digby.
Of course, the fact that the road on Digby Island and the airport are both hidden away from most Rupertites, means that the workers there could probably work quite well without the benefit of the Monday morning quarterbacking of Rupertites that comes with events on this side of the harbour.
While the city struggled to keep its plows on the road and got to what appeared to many to be a late start in the removal of the snow, the airport kept the runways open and the passengers moving once the flights actually arrived.
Though most would suggest that over all the airport crews probably have it pretty easy compared to their city compatriots, last time we checked there were no abandoned cars, steep hills or rubbernecking motorists to get in the way. Plow the runways with some lunatic coming down a hill sideways at you and perhaps the comparison might be a bit more level not to mention entertaining.
The day of snow at the airport and how the attack was rebuffed was archived for us in the Thursday edition of the Daily News.
Crews raise their game to keep aircraft flying
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, April 05, 2007
When Prince Rupert’s roads were clogged with snow last week, and even the city’s rugged taxi fleet called it quits, there was one road that was still open for traffic — the airport runway.
“We weren’t expecting all that snow. According to the forecast it was rain that was supposed to come in,” said William MacNeil, airport manager. “But the boys handled it quite well.”
Last week’s storm has left many on Kaien Island with tales of clogged roads, abandoned cars and a sense of wonderment over snow removal strategies. But, all was fine over at Dibgy Island that at least according to the story weaved from the viewpoint of the airport in Thursday’s Daily News.
Of course, city workers might be quick to point out that it helps when you only have one road with little traffic to get in the way and a stretch of runway which likewise isn’t exactly running at capacity. But that won’t keep the airport officials from delivering the report that they’re still pretty happy with the job done on Digby.
Of course, the fact that the road on Digby Island and the airport are both hidden away from most Rupertites, means that the workers there could probably work quite well without the benefit of the Monday morning quarterbacking of Rupertites that comes with events on this side of the harbour.
While the city struggled to keep its plows on the road and got to what appeared to many to be a late start in the removal of the snow, the airport kept the runways open and the passengers moving once the flights actually arrived.
Though most would suggest that over all the airport crews probably have it pretty easy compared to their city compatriots, last time we checked there were no abandoned cars, steep hills or rubbernecking motorists to get in the way. Plow the runways with some lunatic coming down a hill sideways at you and perhaps the comparison might be a bit more level not to mention entertaining.
The day of snow at the airport and how the attack was rebuffed was archived for us in the Thursday edition of the Daily News.
Crews raise their game to keep aircraft flying
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, April 05, 2007
When Prince Rupert’s roads were clogged with snow last week, and even the city’s rugged taxi fleet called it quits, there was one road that was still open for traffic — the airport runway.
“We weren’t expecting all that snow. According to the forecast it was rain that was supposed to come in,” said William MacNeil, airport manager. “But the boys handled it quite well.”
Unlike the city, which had two of its three snow ploughs break down when an unexpected 22 centimetres of snow dumped down last Wednesday, the airport had relatively new equipment ready to go.
A couple of years ago, the airport was able to acquire a new loader and snow blower.
“Sometimes, you see that equipment just parked there, but when you need it, you have it and it gets you out of a jam. It kept everything running operationally,” said MacNeil.
When the snow started coming down, the first thing that happened at the airport was the power went out.
“We went on emergency power right away,” said MacNeil.
Then the airport began losing some of its communications.
“Some of the NAV Canada sites went down because they lost power as well and their emergency back-up didn’t kick in at the same time,” he said.
“We had to deal with all these things but we got it all up and running. Even the road itself, we had some people come up and clear the road.”
Nature was vicious out on Digby Island. Even though the road was cleared, when the Hawkair passengers came up a half an hour later, passengers actually got out to help clear trees that had blocked the roadway.
Then staff came back in at six the next morning and had to cut more than 20 fallen trees in order to get the road open again.
“It was a steady ordeal but as result we didn’t lose any flights from our point of view.
“We had the runway open,” he said.
Of the two flights that were canceled, neither was due to a problem with airport operations. A Hawkair flight was canceled because a navigation aid went down 15 minutes before the Hawkair flight got in and Air Canada Jazz had to cancel one of its flights because there were problems with communication equipment.
Word gets around about Fairview port
We first tipped Podunkians about the interest in our port from Alaska back on March 25th, now the word has gone national and international.
The Globe and Mail featured the increased awareness of our port from our northern neighbours in the national paper today. With a special from Cathryn Atkinson, who recounts much of the same territory we came across last month expanding on some of the aspects of development here and how it may spur a rush from the North.
TRADE
Alaska looking south to Prince Rupert port
CATHRYN ATKINSON
Special to The Globe and Mail
Friday, April 6, 2007
Alaska's state motto may be "North to the Future," but a growing number of its entrepreneurs are turning south to tie their fortunes in with the planned $170-million container port development at Prince Rupert.
Due to open in October, the container port is already prepared for an explosion of investment and trade activity in Asia, the U.S. Midwest and Ontario.
With a CN rail route to Chicago and Toronto that is one of the quickest on the continent, Prince Rupert is also the nearest point of entry to North America for ships travelling from Asia.
It is 700 kilometres closer to Shanghai than Vancouver and 1,900 kilometres closer than Los Angeles.
Now resource-rich Alaska wants in. The state's seafood, forestry products and minerals could be brought down by ferry along the Alaskan marine highway to reach both the Asian and the U.S. markets.
The Alaskan connection has the potential to be as important to the Prince Rupert port as many Asian nations, said Don Krusel, president and CEO of the Prince Rupert Port Authority.
"A good reason for [Alaska's] excitement is that a proper trade corridor with North America and a proper shipping facility with the rest of the world has moved 600 miles closer to them," he said.
"That changes the economics of the logistics chain quite dramatically.
"I think there is an unlimited opportunity for Alaska."
Mike Round, who works for the chamber of commerce in the Alaskan coastal town of Ketchikan, said goods from the Panhandle are primarily shipped by barge to Seattle or Tacoma, Wash., taking more than 40 hours. The northerly container port at Anchorage is not an option because it is even farther away.
Prince Rupert is 140 kilometres south of Ketchikan, making it attractive to the southeastern region of the state in particular because it is about six hours away by ferry.
"I see this container transfer facility in Prince Rupert as being just an incredible opportunity for Alaska to get our goods to and from here at very competitive prices," Mr. Round said. "But take-up by our companies does depend on the rates set."
According to the port authority, the rates for moving containers both by sea to Asia and into the interior of North America by rail are being set by container-ship firms and CN. An announcement of the rates is expected in several weeks.
Mr. Round said access to the container port may also result in a boom in manufacturing in the state. Instead of raw materials being sent elsewhere to create goods for sale, they can now be built locally and shipped via Prince Rupert.
"For example, now there's opportunity in the timber industry to bring modular homes, or window or sash frames or value-added furniture," he said. "We've never been able to have that mentality because the means to move it hasn't existed."
With the expansion of rail access, he continued, Alaskan fish will reach Chicago in 108 hours.
"That is not any longer than sending the product down in a van to Seattle, which we do now," he said. Another problem for shipping Alaskan products to Washington is cost -- a proposed $50 surcharge is being considered on each container moving into and out of the state's ports. There is already a similar charge in place for Californian ports.
Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond has become an unofficial ambassador for his city's container port, making a dozen trips to Alaskan communities in the past year, largely to discuss its potential for the state. He met new Governor Sarah Palin at her inaugural ball in Juneau in January.
"I've been connecting people and making them aware of it in Juneau, Anchorage and around the southeast [of Alaska]. I mentioned the port development in Prince Rupert to Governor Palin, and she was already aware of it," he said.
The Globe and Mail featured the increased awareness of our port from our northern neighbours in the national paper today. With a special from Cathryn Atkinson, who recounts much of the same territory we came across last month expanding on some of the aspects of development here and how it may spur a rush from the North.
TRADE
Alaska looking south to Prince Rupert port
CATHRYN ATKINSON
Special to The Globe and Mail
Friday, April 6, 2007
Alaska's state motto may be "North to the Future," but a growing number of its entrepreneurs are turning south to tie their fortunes in with the planned $170-million container port development at Prince Rupert.
Due to open in October, the container port is already prepared for an explosion of investment and trade activity in Asia, the U.S. Midwest and Ontario.
With a CN rail route to Chicago and Toronto that is one of the quickest on the continent, Prince Rupert is also the nearest point of entry to North America for ships travelling from Asia.
It is 700 kilometres closer to Shanghai than Vancouver and 1,900 kilometres closer than Los Angeles.
Now resource-rich Alaska wants in. The state's seafood, forestry products and minerals could be brought down by ferry along the Alaskan marine highway to reach both the Asian and the U.S. markets.
The Alaskan connection has the potential to be as important to the Prince Rupert port as many Asian nations, said Don Krusel, president and CEO of the Prince Rupert Port Authority.
"A good reason for [Alaska's] excitement is that a proper trade corridor with North America and a proper shipping facility with the rest of the world has moved 600 miles closer to them," he said.
"That changes the economics of the logistics chain quite dramatically.
"I think there is an unlimited opportunity for Alaska."
Mike Round, who works for the chamber of commerce in the Alaskan coastal town of Ketchikan, said goods from the Panhandle are primarily shipped by barge to Seattle or Tacoma, Wash., taking more than 40 hours. The northerly container port at Anchorage is not an option because it is even farther away.
Prince Rupert is 140 kilometres south of Ketchikan, making it attractive to the southeastern region of the state in particular because it is about six hours away by ferry.
"I see this container transfer facility in Prince Rupert as being just an incredible opportunity for Alaska to get our goods to and from here at very competitive prices," Mr. Round said. "But take-up by our companies does depend on the rates set."
According to the port authority, the rates for moving containers both by sea to Asia and into the interior of North America by rail are being set by container-ship firms and CN. An announcement of the rates is expected in several weeks.
Mr. Round said access to the container port may also result in a boom in manufacturing in the state. Instead of raw materials being sent elsewhere to create goods for sale, they can now be built locally and shipped via Prince Rupert.
"For example, now there's opportunity in the timber industry to bring modular homes, or window or sash frames or value-added furniture," he said. "We've never been able to have that mentality because the means to move it hasn't existed."
With the expansion of rail access, he continued, Alaskan fish will reach Chicago in 108 hours.
"That is not any longer than sending the product down in a van to Seattle, which we do now," he said. Another problem for shipping Alaskan products to Washington is cost -- a proposed $50 surcharge is being considered on each container moving into and out of the state's ports. There is already a similar charge in place for Californian ports.
Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond has become an unofficial ambassador for his city's container port, making a dozen trips to Alaskan communities in the past year, largely to discuss its potential for the state. He met new Governor Sarah Palin at her inaugural ball in Juneau in January.
"I've been connecting people and making them aware of it in Juneau, Anchorage and around the southeast [of Alaska]. I mentioned the port development in Prince Rupert to Governor Palin, and she was already aware of it," he said.
Refinanced Hawkair proves a costly thing for Prince Rupert
While the city's residents most likely welcome the rejuvenated state of Hawkair and the travel options it provides to the north coast, it's exit from bankruptcy protection is proving to be something that will cost the city of Prince Rupert some money.
The City's status as an unsecured creditor means that Hawkair will only be paying thirteen cents on the dollar, for monies owed while it suffered it's problems. Which means that whan all the bills are tallied and the final cheque clears, the city is set to lose a quarter of a million dollars in lost revenues due to the protection in place by the courts.
As the airline travelled down its path to refinancing, it rolled up a debt of monies owed totalling $119,920.49 to the Prince Rupert Airport Society and $158,360 to the city for ferry services provided by the Digby Island ferry.
The debt of Hawkair was not just a local concern, the airline had amassed a debt load of over 6 million dollars to a number of unsecured Northwest creditors, now with a new financial plan in place and new investors they will have 500,000 dollars to pay back a portion of what was once owed.
The remainder will be written off by the creditors who are now wiser but certainly not any wealthier.
The Daily News provided a full recap of the situation in the Thursday edition of the paper.
Sale of Hawkair hits city in pocket book
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, April 05, 2007
The City of Prince Rupert and the Prince Rupert Airport Society stand to lose close to a quarter of a million dollars in the restructuring and sale of Hawkair.
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, April 05, 2007
The City of Prince Rupert and the Prince Rupert Airport Society stand to lose close to a quarter of a million dollars in the restructuring and sale of Hawkair.
The city is an unsecured creditor and is expected to receive about .13 cents on the dollar owed by the troubled airline.
“It’s not good news obviously,” said Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond.
“We suffered the same kind of hit with Air Canada when they restructured. It just speaks to how volatile this business is and how great the need is for people managing the airport to stay on top of those bills.”
This past March, the city along with the majority of Hawkair’s unsecured creditors agreed to a proposal to sell the regional airline to Alberta-based Bar XH. Hawkair had been under court protection from its creditors for 16 months while it tried to refinance its airplanes and reduce costs.
This month, Hawkair sold its assets to Bar XH for $200,000 in exchange for an agreement to continue air service in the Northwest and the employment for its workers.
The company expects to have about $500,000 to spread around its unsecured creditors, who are owed more than $6 million.
Hawkair owed $119,920.49 to the Prince Rupert Airport Society, which operates the airport, and $158,360 to the city, which operates the ferry service to Digby Island.
However, the city is not alone on the list of unsecured creditors who have agreed to take a bath. Other municipalities and locally-run airports including the Kitimat Terrace airport, are owed $182,785; North Peace Airport services is owed $42,631 and Dawson Creek is owed $64,549.
Pond said council became concerned, as did the airport society, as that debt continued to grow and the company struggled.
“The airport society working with council agreed to put Hawkair on very strict terms so that did not grow any more during the time of their operations. Thank heavens we capped it where it is,” he said.
“But it’s a challenge because what do you do with an air carrier that has flights coming in every single day and is now falling behind on payments. It never happens instantaneously. It happens a little bit at a time and people do the best they can but it’s a hit.
“That’s money that could have been used for upgrading the water system and increasing passenger amenities. It’s behind us. What we have to do now is focusing our business for the future.”
We'll be right back after this short commercial message, April 5
As the Liberal's have found, arranging for air travel has it's high and it's low moments.
Flying, it can be a real adventure!
Flying, it can be a real adventure!
Wild Weather takes its toll on wildlife shelter
Last weeks wild last days of winter has left the Prince Rupert Wildlife Rehab shelter damaged and in need of some 25,000 dollars in repairs.
It makes for a major economic burden for the retired couple that runs the local sanctuary for wildlife and who rely on donations to help keep the shelter a going concern.
The unusual nature of last weeks storm and the subsequent damage make for a call to action that local residents may wish to answer.
Thursday's Daily News provides a look at just how severe the damage was last week and how local residents can lend a hand in getting the shelter back on track.
WILDLIFE SHELTER BATTERED, BRUISED BY SNOWSTORM
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Page one
Usually, the kind volunteers at the Prince Rupert Wildlife Rehab Shelter get to heal the wings of bald eagles and feed abandoned baby porcupines found in Northwestern B.C.
But after last week’s snow storm, it was the shelter itself that ended up injured and in dire need of help.
The unusual storm last Wednesday dropped a foot and a half of snow on top of the shelter’s rehabilitation pens and then it froze. The weight of the ice twisted steel beams and bend down the wire mesh of several shelter pens, collapsing others, said Tobbi Gjelsvik of the Prince Rupert Wildlife Rehab Shelter.
Repairing the damage will cost in the neighbourhood of $25,000 and is putting an added strain on Gunther and Nancy Golinia, the retired couple who for the past 17 years have dedicated all their time and money to saving injured animals in their remote corner of B.C.’s wilderness.
“We are really in a bind as far as covering the cost to rebuild these pens,” said Gjelsvik. “This affects the shelter’s ability to take in animals and when you have pens out of commission, it puts a strain on the animals that you can take.”
The Golinias are best known for their work with eagles, however they take in all kinds of wildlife such as injured owls, deer and mink. They’ve even helped rehabilitate such exotics as a frigate bird, native to Mexico, that got lost in a storm and crash-landed onto a B.C. Ferry two years ago.
The Prince Rupert Wildlife Rehab Shelter takes in 700 animals per year and the success rate of animals released back in to the wild is 80 per cent.
Gunther, who is in his 70s, is known to run out at any time day or night to pick up an injured animal while Nancy stays at the shelter to carefully monitor the intravenous drips, medicine and food intake of their patients.
They take in animals from the Queen Charlotte Islands east to Smithers and from the B.C. border to the Central Coast.
Their property, located on the eastern edge of Prince Rupert, is a collection of eagle pens, heated aviaries and covered barns that house their patients. Deers often graze in the grassy area in between the pens while the high pitched cry of eagles stretching their wings fill the air.
Working in gum boots and flannel shirts, the couple use their decades of knowledge to look after creatures that most people only get to see on postcards.
No one who has visited the property can deny there is something special about the Golinias and the work that they do, Gjelsvik said.
“And it helps our area for the Golinias to provide that service,” he said.
“But this last week has been very stressful. We are looking for any help we can get.”
The storm brought added tragedy, collapsing some of the pens and killing several birds, while a few others managed to get free before they were fully healed, putting their chance of survival at risk, noted Gjelsvik.
Since the storm, the couple have been working tirelessly to repair the damage, so busy that haven’t even been able to notify the community about what has taken place, he said.
“They are out there lugging big pieces of timber around. I keep telling them, don’t do that,” he said. “And it’s been really stressful for the animals.”
Gjelsvik said there’s only so many times the shelter can ask the community for help but they are really in a bind.
Anyone who can help the shelter is asked to contact Gjelsvik at tobbi@citytel.net or call him at (250) 624-1120.
Donations to the shelter’s suppliers would be gratefully accepted (for charities bound by gaming fund regulations) in the form of labour or in cash.
***Correction: The Daily news corrected the phone number for donations which should have read 627-1120***
It makes for a major economic burden for the retired couple that runs the local sanctuary for wildlife and who rely on donations to help keep the shelter a going concern.
The unusual nature of last weeks storm and the subsequent damage make for a call to action that local residents may wish to answer.
Thursday's Daily News provides a look at just how severe the damage was last week and how local residents can lend a hand in getting the shelter back on track.
WILDLIFE SHELTER BATTERED, BRUISED BY SNOWSTORM
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Page one
Usually, the kind volunteers at the Prince Rupert Wildlife Rehab Shelter get to heal the wings of bald eagles and feed abandoned baby porcupines found in Northwestern B.C.
But after last week’s snow storm, it was the shelter itself that ended up injured and in dire need of help.
The unusual storm last Wednesday dropped a foot and a half of snow on top of the shelter’s rehabilitation pens and then it froze. The weight of the ice twisted steel beams and bend down the wire mesh of several shelter pens, collapsing others, said Tobbi Gjelsvik of the Prince Rupert Wildlife Rehab Shelter.
Repairing the damage will cost in the neighbourhood of $25,000 and is putting an added strain on Gunther and Nancy Golinia, the retired couple who for the past 17 years have dedicated all their time and money to saving injured animals in their remote corner of B.C.’s wilderness.
“We are really in a bind as far as covering the cost to rebuild these pens,” said Gjelsvik. “This affects the shelter’s ability to take in animals and when you have pens out of commission, it puts a strain on the animals that you can take.”
The Golinias are best known for their work with eagles, however they take in all kinds of wildlife such as injured owls, deer and mink. They’ve even helped rehabilitate such exotics as a frigate bird, native to Mexico, that got lost in a storm and crash-landed onto a B.C. Ferry two years ago.
The Prince Rupert Wildlife Rehab Shelter takes in 700 animals per year and the success rate of animals released back in to the wild is 80 per cent.
Gunther, who is in his 70s, is known to run out at any time day or night to pick up an injured animal while Nancy stays at the shelter to carefully monitor the intravenous drips, medicine and food intake of their patients.
They take in animals from the Queen Charlotte Islands east to Smithers and from the B.C. border to the Central Coast.
Their property, located on the eastern edge of Prince Rupert, is a collection of eagle pens, heated aviaries and covered barns that house their patients. Deers often graze in the grassy area in between the pens while the high pitched cry of eagles stretching their wings fill the air.
Working in gum boots and flannel shirts, the couple use their decades of knowledge to look after creatures that most people only get to see on postcards.
No one who has visited the property can deny there is something special about the Golinias and the work that they do, Gjelsvik said.
“And it helps our area for the Golinias to provide that service,” he said.
“But this last week has been very stressful. We are looking for any help we can get.”
The storm brought added tragedy, collapsing some of the pens and killing several birds, while a few others managed to get free before they were fully healed, putting their chance of survival at risk, noted Gjelsvik.
Since the storm, the couple have been working tirelessly to repair the damage, so busy that haven’t even been able to notify the community about what has taken place, he said.
“They are out there lugging big pieces of timber around. I keep telling them, don’t do that,” he said. “And it’s been really stressful for the animals.”
Gjelsvik said there’s only so many times the shelter can ask the community for help but they are really in a bind.
Anyone who can help the shelter is asked to contact Gjelsvik at tobbi@citytel.net or call him at (250) 624-1120.
Donations to the shelter’s suppliers would be gratefully accepted (for charities bound by gaming fund regulations) in the form of labour or in cash.
***Correction: The Daily news corrected the phone number for donations which should have read 627-1120***
Liberal's grounded before they even get to the gate!
Woe be the Liberal organizer looking for a campaign airplane for an anticipated election to come.
The Liberal's looking to make sure that they've covered all the political bases, have taken to trying to reserve an airplane for leader Stephane Dion and other high profile Grits to spread the Big L word should Stephen Harper decide to take the nation to the polls.
The only problem is that choice number one, Air Canada isn't exactly rushing to their beck and call on the issue and in fact the air carrier has said that due to record load factors from the Canadian public, there's no plane at the hanger for the Liberal's this time around.
If ever there might be an indication at just how far the Liberals have fallen these last few years, this could be it. A once mighty political machine reduced to scrambling through the discount airline shelves looking for something, anything that might give their upcoming campaign, not to mention candidates a lift!
Canadian's should keep their eyes to the side of the road later this year, you never know that fellow on the edge of the highway with his bags ready to go could very well be a hopeful Prime Minister to be looking for a ride.
Bad Days and Good Days for the leaders of the industries of drugs
The Ontario Provincial Police, RCMP and Toronto Police were busy on Thursday, holding their press conference with a good deal of satisfaction over their infiltration and subsequent arrest of members of the Hell's Angels in Canada.
An eighteen month investigation led to a number of arrests on Thursday, aided by an undercover operative who is described as a "full patch member" of the outlaw motorcycle gang, who decided to lend assistance to the combined forces of law enforcement.
And while he will no doubt be well rewarded( and relocated we assume) for his efforts, we somehow doubt that his reward will be quite as financially liberating, as the golden handshake just given to another gentleman who also has made a few dollars in the drug business, all be it the legalized version.
Glenn Murphy the Chairman and CEO of the Shoppers Drug Mart chain has left the top job at Shoppers, with almost $32-million in stock options plus an “enhanced” non-compete deal that will pay out close to $4-million over the next two years.
That's in addition to $2.7-million-plus in compensation last year, including a bonus of almost $1.5-million, not to mention the almost $18-million in unexercised options still awaiting a decision.
Not a bad haul for a six year run as the top bean counter of those who count the pills and recommend the most appropriate perfume.
Murphy, who is in his mid fourties is thinking of working overseas as his next challenge, though with a personal float of some forty million dollars, he need not look too hard for that next challenge.
No final tally was provided by the police regarding their efforts against crime today, but it is said to have put a major dent into the operations of one of the most sought after organizations that law enforcement has.
Over in the land of the legal drugs, things are going pretty good as well, with record profits, little competition and no inconvenient interruptions to business from the guys and gals in blue.
And best of all when you leave the legal drug industry, you don't have to join the witness protection program.
An eighteen month investigation led to a number of arrests on Thursday, aided by an undercover operative who is described as a "full patch member" of the outlaw motorcycle gang, who decided to lend assistance to the combined forces of law enforcement.
And while he will no doubt be well rewarded( and relocated we assume) for his efforts, we somehow doubt that his reward will be quite as financially liberating, as the golden handshake just given to another gentleman who also has made a few dollars in the drug business, all be it the legalized version.
Glenn Murphy the Chairman and CEO of the Shoppers Drug Mart chain has left the top job at Shoppers, with almost $32-million in stock options plus an “enhanced” non-compete deal that will pay out close to $4-million over the next two years.
That's in addition to $2.7-million-plus in compensation last year, including a bonus of almost $1.5-million, not to mention the almost $18-million in unexercised options still awaiting a decision.
Not a bad haul for a six year run as the top bean counter of those who count the pills and recommend the most appropriate perfume.
Murphy, who is in his mid fourties is thinking of working overseas as his next challenge, though with a personal float of some forty million dollars, he need not look too hard for that next challenge.
No final tally was provided by the police regarding their efforts against crime today, but it is said to have put a major dent into the operations of one of the most sought after organizations that law enforcement has.
Over in the land of the legal drugs, things are going pretty good as well, with record profits, little competition and no inconvenient interruptions to business from the guys and gals in blue.
And best of all when you leave the legal drug industry, you don't have to join the witness protection program.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Fond remembrances of a coach and manager
With the unexpected passing of Dick St. Louis on March 26th, a number of Rupertites have shared their memories of some thirty years of time spent with the familiar face of the Civic Centre.
The Daily News looked back at St. Louis’ career and the thoughts of some of the people who crossed his path in those years.
BELOVED COACH FONDLY REMEMBERED
By Patrick Witwicki
The Daily News
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Pages one and six
The Jim Ciccone Civic Centre has just begun a new era. Reluctantly.
That’s because a presence that has been there since 1971 will no longer be heard inside those walls after Dick St. Louis passed away on March 26.
He was there working at the centre when its doors first opened, and was still there even two weeks ago, training his boxers, right until the end.
Not having him there from now on is going to take a lot of getting used to, for everybody.
“I was hired by Dick at 14,” said Aqubal Manhas, who still works at the Civic Centre today. “His commitment to the department … he put a lot of time in to make sure everything was okay.”
Regardless of position, St. Louis always treated every single employee with the same amount of respect, said Manhas.
“He really cared about the workers and the programs that were going on,” he said.
In addition to his duties at the Civic Centre, St. Louis quickly got involved with his two favourite sports: boxing and archery. Both the Prince Rupert Boxing Club and the Rainbow Archers began under his tutelage, and 30 years later, they are as popular as ever.
“His commitment to archery and boxing, he really did that with a passion,” said Manhas.
“That was his true joy, I don’t think anyone could put out as much passions as he did.”
Throughout the years, St. Louis has also trained many great boxers on the North Coast, including provincial and national champions. Keith Gurszky and the late Joe Martin.
But St. Louis was also one of the first coaches in the North to get females involved with the sport, something that current boxing club coach Selena Storey remembers well.
“I just joined (the club) for exercise, then Dick said, “I think you should box,” said Storey. “I was worried, because (15 years ago), there were few lady boxers around.
“I told Dick, ‘getting punched in the face just isn’t my thing,’ and Dick said, ‘Oh, but you have head gear on, so try it out,” so I tried it for the first time and I liked it.”
“Dick was very persuasive,”
Seven years ago, when Storey was thinking about leaving the club after having children, St. Louis persuaded her once again – this time, as a coach.
“He’d always say to me ‘don’t sell yourself short,” said Storey.
This eventually led to Storey becoming a referee as well, and now she and Albert Smith have been left with the job of carrying on St. Louis’ legacy with the boxing club.
Smith’s tenure as a coach has just begun, but after training with St. Louis as a boxer since a teenager, he is willing to try and take it on.
Especially after what has transpired in just the past two weeks since St. Louis’ passing.
”I had gone down there to watch some boxing,” said Smith. “And he asked me to get involved a week before he passed on.”
Smith and others knew that St. Louis wasn’t well, but even a week prior to the Golden Gloves Boxing event in Prince George, St. Louis was busy giving Smith instructions, specifically, how to ensure up-and-coming local boxer Forrest Shale would succeed.
“My being there meant a lot to me,” said Smith.
Smith is just one of many protégés that St. Louis brought into the fold of boxing and in many cases, it has helped turn the fortunes around for many youths in the community.
“I got involved (with boxing) just hanging around the Civic Centre,” said Smith. “Dick noticed me playing around with another guy who was sparring and got me into it. “I trained under Dick for seven years.”
Smith went on to enjoy excellent provincial success before retiring from the sport in 1991.
“He was more of a mentor when I was a teenager,” he said. “He was one of the best coaches on the North Coast, in my opinion.
“He turned a lot of amateur boxers into champions.”
The Rainbow Archers is another club that has been around since the 1970’s, and while the St. Louis name will live on – Dick’s son Pat took over the club earlier this season –archers all over town will find it strange not seeing St. Louis setting up various targets inside the Auditorium, or his prophetic words, “Range closed” during various shoots.
“Even after retirement, he put so much time and effort to make sure archery and boxing would be strong in this community,” said Manhas. “Anyone who wanted to learn, he was there. He would get involved.”
The toughest part in the equation is how both clubs, and the Civic Centre in general, move forward with St. Louis no longer around. Boxing practice has been difficult the past two weeks, as the boxers try to adjust not having St. Louis watching their every move as they prepare for the Salmon Belt on April 21.
“It’s just everything,” said Storey. “You see a nail on the wall that’s where Dick hangs his keys … just not having there for that extra push.
“He became a great family friend, and it’s going to be very hard.”
Smith agreed that while the boxing club fully intends to push onward, it won’t be the same without St. Louis.
“Without Dick in the club, there’s a big part missing,” he said. “We’ll never be able to fill the boots he’s left behind. The younger guys are really going to miss him.
Manhas added: “He spent so much time with his kids, his family… that was his life, staying active. Even though he wasn’t well, he would still come in. He fought right til the end.”
The memorial service for Dick St. Louis will take place Thurs. April 5 at 11 a. m. at Annunciation Church.
The Daily News looked back at St. Louis’ career and the thoughts of some of the people who crossed his path in those years.
BELOVED COACH FONDLY REMEMBERED
By Patrick Witwicki
The Daily News
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Pages one and six
The Jim Ciccone Civic Centre has just begun a new era. Reluctantly.
That’s because a presence that has been there since 1971 will no longer be heard inside those walls after Dick St. Louis passed away on March 26.
He was there working at the centre when its doors first opened, and was still there even two weeks ago, training his boxers, right until the end.
Not having him there from now on is going to take a lot of getting used to, for everybody.
“I was hired by Dick at 14,” said Aqubal Manhas, who still works at the Civic Centre today. “His commitment to the department … he put a lot of time in to make sure everything was okay.”
Regardless of position, St. Louis always treated every single employee with the same amount of respect, said Manhas.
“He really cared about the workers and the programs that were going on,” he said.
In addition to his duties at the Civic Centre, St. Louis quickly got involved with his two favourite sports: boxing and archery. Both the Prince Rupert Boxing Club and the Rainbow Archers began under his tutelage, and 30 years later, they are as popular as ever.
“His commitment to archery and boxing, he really did that with a passion,” said Manhas.
“That was his true joy, I don’t think anyone could put out as much passions as he did.”
Throughout the years, St. Louis has also trained many great boxers on the North Coast, including provincial and national champions. Keith Gurszky and the late Joe Martin.
But St. Louis was also one of the first coaches in the North to get females involved with the sport, something that current boxing club coach Selena Storey remembers well.
“I just joined (the club) for exercise, then Dick said, “I think you should box,” said Storey. “I was worried, because (15 years ago), there were few lady boxers around.
“I told Dick, ‘getting punched in the face just isn’t my thing,’ and Dick said, ‘Oh, but you have head gear on, so try it out,” so I tried it for the first time and I liked it.”
“Dick was very persuasive,”
Seven years ago, when Storey was thinking about leaving the club after having children, St. Louis persuaded her once again – this time, as a coach.
“He’d always say to me ‘don’t sell yourself short,” said Storey.
This eventually led to Storey becoming a referee as well, and now she and Albert Smith have been left with the job of carrying on St. Louis’ legacy with the boxing club.
Smith’s tenure as a coach has just begun, but after training with St. Louis as a boxer since a teenager, he is willing to try and take it on.
Especially after what has transpired in just the past two weeks since St. Louis’ passing.
”I had gone down there to watch some boxing,” said Smith. “And he asked me to get involved a week before he passed on.”
Smith and others knew that St. Louis wasn’t well, but even a week prior to the Golden Gloves Boxing event in Prince George, St. Louis was busy giving Smith instructions, specifically, how to ensure up-and-coming local boxer Forrest Shale would succeed.
“My being there meant a lot to me,” said Smith.
Smith is just one of many protégés that St. Louis brought into the fold of boxing and in many cases, it has helped turn the fortunes around for many youths in the community.
“I got involved (with boxing) just hanging around the Civic Centre,” said Smith. “Dick noticed me playing around with another guy who was sparring and got me into it. “I trained under Dick for seven years.”
Smith went on to enjoy excellent provincial success before retiring from the sport in 1991.
“He was more of a mentor when I was a teenager,” he said. “He was one of the best coaches on the North Coast, in my opinion.
“He turned a lot of amateur boxers into champions.”
The Rainbow Archers is another club that has been around since the 1970’s, and while the St. Louis name will live on – Dick’s son Pat took over the club earlier this season –archers all over town will find it strange not seeing St. Louis setting up various targets inside the Auditorium, or his prophetic words, “Range closed” during various shoots.
“Even after retirement, he put so much time and effort to make sure archery and boxing would be strong in this community,” said Manhas. “Anyone who wanted to learn, he was there. He would get involved.”
The toughest part in the equation is how both clubs, and the Civic Centre in general, move forward with St. Louis no longer around. Boxing practice has been difficult the past two weeks, as the boxers try to adjust not having St. Louis watching their every move as they prepare for the Salmon Belt on April 21.
“It’s just everything,” said Storey. “You see a nail on the wall that’s where Dick hangs his keys … just not having there for that extra push.
“He became a great family friend, and it’s going to be very hard.”
Smith agreed that while the boxing club fully intends to push onward, it won’t be the same without St. Louis.
“Without Dick in the club, there’s a big part missing,” he said. “We’ll never be able to fill the boots he’s left behind. The younger guys are really going to miss him.
Manhas added: “He spent so much time with his kids, his family… that was his life, staying active. Even though he wasn’t well, he would still come in. He fought right til the end.”
The memorial service for Dick St. Louis will take place Thurs. April 5 at 11 a. m. at Annunciation Church.
Government money for airport upgrades
The Prince Rupert Regional Airport has received an infusion of cash from the federal government in order to upgrade its electrical system.
A new generator and improvements to the runway lighting system is on the 2 million dollar agenda as the airport prepares for a period of growth spurred on by the container port development.
The Daily News featured the developments on its front page Wednesday.
AIRPORT FLYING HIGH AFTER OTTAWA HANDS OVER $2 M
Money will help improve facilities before anticipated boom in passengers
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Pages one and three
The Prince Rupert Regional Airport has received almost $2 million in federal funds for work that the average passenger may never notice.
But it’s important stuff, said Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond.
“This is great news. It’s regrettable this isn’t the sort of thing that is going to be visible to passengers, it’s not going to make the world obviously better. But it’s necessary work and it very much keeps the Prince Rupert airport in the game and speaks strongly of the federal government’s view of the Prince Rupert airport,” said Pond.
William MacNeil, airport manager, explained that the funds will go toward upgrading the airport’s electrical system.
“What we are doing is replacing all the underground cabling that connects to the lights on the runway,” said MacNeil. “We are changing over our emergency generator because that’s at the end of its life… we are changing the electrical mechanism on the two security gates that we have… and replacing a lot of the components in the electrical field centre is to bring up to the current standard.”
The funding is provided under the Government of Canada’s Airports Capital Assistance Program. Prince Rupert will receive $1,903,892 to pay for more than 80 per cent of the total estimated cost for airfield electrical systems restoration.
It’s good news, given that Prince Rupert should see an increase in airport traffic beginning with the opening of the Fairview Container Terminal, said Pond.
“It’s an upgrade, improving what we have there,” said MacNeill.
“It needs to be replaced before it collapses and we are trying to be proactive about replacing things,”
The upgrades will also make Prince Rupert’s airport current with regulations.
For example, some of the standards for the spacing of lighting on the runway have changed and this will now be brought up to code.
The airport is still seeking funding for the remaining 20 per cent of the electrical upgrade, including electrical cabling to the NAV Canada sites.
However, MacNeil is hopeful this additional funding will be in place in time to allow for the completion of the work this year.
“We have the bulk of the funding done through the Airport Capital Assistance Program,” he said. “We hope to complete it all in 2007.”
The Airports Capital Assistance Program finances capital projects related to safety, asset protection and operating cost reduction.
“The safety and security of the traveling public is a top priority for Canada’s New Government,” said federal Transportation Minister Lawrence Cannon, who mad the funding announcement. “These projects will improve airport safety and protect Canadians. They will also boost the economic potential of the airports and surrounding communities.”
A new generator and improvements to the runway lighting system is on the 2 million dollar agenda as the airport prepares for a period of growth spurred on by the container port development.
The Daily News featured the developments on its front page Wednesday.
AIRPORT FLYING HIGH AFTER OTTAWA HANDS OVER $2 M
Money will help improve facilities before anticipated boom in passengers
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Pages one and three
The Prince Rupert Regional Airport has received almost $2 million in federal funds for work that the average passenger may never notice.
But it’s important stuff, said Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond.
“This is great news. It’s regrettable this isn’t the sort of thing that is going to be visible to passengers, it’s not going to make the world obviously better. But it’s necessary work and it very much keeps the Prince Rupert airport in the game and speaks strongly of the federal government’s view of the Prince Rupert airport,” said Pond.
William MacNeil, airport manager, explained that the funds will go toward upgrading the airport’s electrical system.
“What we are doing is replacing all the underground cabling that connects to the lights on the runway,” said MacNeil. “We are changing over our emergency generator because that’s at the end of its life… we are changing the electrical mechanism on the two security gates that we have… and replacing a lot of the components in the electrical field centre is to bring up to the current standard.”
The funding is provided under the Government of Canada’s Airports Capital Assistance Program. Prince Rupert will receive $1,903,892 to pay for more than 80 per cent of the total estimated cost for airfield electrical systems restoration.
It’s good news, given that Prince Rupert should see an increase in airport traffic beginning with the opening of the Fairview Container Terminal, said Pond.
“It’s an upgrade, improving what we have there,” said MacNeill.
“It needs to be replaced before it collapses and we are trying to be proactive about replacing things,”
The upgrades will also make Prince Rupert’s airport current with regulations.
For example, some of the standards for the spacing of lighting on the runway have changed and this will now be brought up to code.
The airport is still seeking funding for the remaining 20 per cent of the electrical upgrade, including electrical cabling to the NAV Canada sites.
However, MacNeil is hopeful this additional funding will be in place in time to allow for the completion of the work this year.
“We have the bulk of the funding done through the Airport Capital Assistance Program,” he said. “We hope to complete it all in 2007.”
The Airports Capital Assistance Program finances capital projects related to safety, asset protection and operating cost reduction.
“The safety and security of the traveling public is a top priority for Canada’s New Government,” said federal Transportation Minister Lawrence Cannon, who mad the funding announcement. “These projects will improve airport safety and protect Canadians. They will also boost the economic potential of the airports and surrounding communities.”
Janet feels media was unfair.
Janet Gretzky has spoken out for the first time about the revelations in the press back in February of 2006 about her alleged connection to a gambling ring run out of New Jersey.
She claims that the media treatment she was subjected to was "unfair" and "tried to paint something that just wasn't true."
In an in depth article in the May edition of Chatelaine, Mrs. Gretzky apparently expresses disappointment in the way she and her family were treated by the media machine. Which at the time no doubt smelled a little blood in the water over her name becoming entwined in the illegal betting investigation, an investigation that also brought former Phoenix assistant coach Rick Tocchet into the spotlight.
Tocchet's alleged involvement is still to be determined as the case wanders its way through the American justice system, but one year after the fact Mrs. Gretzky is looking to get her side of the story out, using Canada's national women's magazine as her vehicle.
In the article Gretzky touches on the long distance marriage and family life that the Gretzky's are working with. A relationship that has its challenges as Wayne runs the Coyotes and the family remain in their California home.
Chatelaine probably isn't high on the reading list for many hockey fans around the world, but the website is probably going to get more than a few hits today and May might just provide the biggest spike in circulation in a long time...
The above article first appeared on my HockeyNation blog, for more items about hockey check it out!
Perhaps it's time for an album of cover songs
Keith Richard's is in a bit of damage control today over his recent comments about what he did with dear old Dad.
I was only joking, says Keith Richards
By Dean Goodman in Los Angeles
The Australian
April 05, 2007
KEITH Richards may never have met a drug he didn't like, but today the Rolling Stones guitarist denied mixing his father's ashes with cocaine and snorting the ghoulish concoction.
The 63-year-old rocker caused an international uproar yesterday when British newspaper New Musical Express quoted him as saying: "The strangest thing I've tried to snort? My father. I snorted my father. He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow ... . It went down pretty well, and I'm still alive."
Richards, known for his death-defying appetite for drugs, said in a statement on his band's website, rollingstones.com, that "the complete story (was) lost in the usual slanting."
"The truth of the matter is that I planted a sturdy English Oak. I took the lid off the box of ashes, and he is now growing oak trees and would love me for it!!! I was trying to say how tight Bert and I were. That tight!!! I wouldn't take cocaine at this point in my life unless I wished to commit suicide."
Bert Richards died in 2002 at age 84. The WWII veteran was estranged from his son for decades, but they made up in the 1980s, and the father moved to his son's Connecticut estate, where they played dominoes every Friday night.
With his mutton-chop sideburns, pipe and crossword puzzle, Bert Richards was frequently spotted at Rolling Stones concerts.
While Keith Richards may have drawn the line at snorting his dead dad, the so-called "walking laboratory" and "world's most elegantly wasted human being" is inextricably linked to tales of legendary hard living and drug abuse.
He once went for nine days without sleep, and said he wrote most of his songs during the 1970s while on heroin.
"Then again, I was never just on smack. I was on everything else as well," he told British music magazine Uncut in 2004.
Perhaps most infamously, he was said to regularly fly to Switzerland for a complete change of blood. Or so the myth goes. That story also grew out of a flippant remark to journalists.
The consequences of his actions have been relatively minimal, with Richards falling prey to just a few freak accidents. Last year he hit his head while on holiday in Fiji and had to undergo brain surgery.
Fans have reported that he sometimes looks bewildered on stage, and can lash out at his bandmates in frustration when things go wrong.
The Rolling Stones are gearing up for a European tour that begins June 5 in Belgium.
So while he tries to dig himself out of trouble once again, we ponder the possibilities of a new album of cover versions that might be of help to Keith..
1. I was only Joking
2. Ashes to Ashes
3. Dust in the Wind
4. Diggin' a hole
5. Devils and Dust
6. Cremation of Sam McGee
8. Down in a hole
9. People who Died
10. My Way
A two front war for Alcan?
The folks at Alcan must be wondering what's in the water these days.
Hot off recent their troubles in Kitimat, where the local government has been an outspoken critic of the company, comes word that the Aluminum giant isn't particularly wanted in Iceland either.
Alcan Icleand is finding that it's plans for a smelter expansion is receiving as much positive news as their efforts in Kitimat garnered over the last few months.
Take note of the comments from Alcan regarding the Icelandic showdown, you could almost insert Kitimat in the text and the message wouldn't really change a lick!
For Alcan, it's apparently getting harder and harder to find a little love these days.
Iceland municipality votes against $1.2B expansion of Alcan plant
Last Updated: Monday, April 2, 2007 3:52 PM ET
The Associated Press
People in a small Icelandic municipality have voted against a planned $1.2-billion-US aluminum smelter plant expansion by Canadian aluminum maker Alcan Inc.
The Montreal-based company said it is reviewing the results of the vote, noting the initiative was defeated by a very slim majority.
The residents in Hafnarfjordur, a municipality of 25,000 people just south of Iceland's capital, Reykjavik, voted 50.3 per cent against the proposed expansion.
The ISAL smelter employs 450 people, and has a current capacity of 180,000 tonnes per year. The planned expansion would have more than doubled capacity to 460,000 tonnes per year.
The defeat for Alcan carries broad implications for both Iceland's economy and for the company, the world's second-largest aluminum maker, which has signalled it might leave the plant.
"If the expansion won't go through, we see that as the beginning of the end of the plant," Hrannar Petursson, the plant information director for Alcan Iceland, said Thursday.
"Alcan has noted the results of the public consultation, and will now carefully review all available options," Michel Jacques, the president and CEO of Alcan Primary Metal Group, said in a statement.
"A large proportion of the citizens of Hafnarfjordur support our project and I would like to thank them, as well as all of our ISAL employees, for their invaluable contribution in advancing the development of this project that we believe is beneficial to all stakeholders," Jacques added.
Iceland is just coming through a period of high growth, boosted by recent aluminum plant investment.
The Alcan project "would have changed the economy dramatically," said Ingolfur Bender, a Reykjavik-based economist at Glitnir Bank. "The result means that the economy will cool down more rapidly than otherwise."
Economic growth jumped to 7.2 per cent in 2005 from 2.7 per cent in 2003 largely as a result of aluminum investment, prompting 18 interest rate hikes since May 2004 by Iceland's central bank to the current record high of 14.25 per cent.
But growth slowed to 2.6 per cent in 2006 as the projects concluded. Inflation has slowed to 5.9 per cent in March from 8.6 per cent in August and is expected to continue slowing.
Iceland is an attractive location for aluminum smelting plants because of cheap electricity from hydropower plants.
Hot off recent their troubles in Kitimat, where the local government has been an outspoken critic of the company, comes word that the Aluminum giant isn't particularly wanted in Iceland either.
Alcan Icleand is finding that it's plans for a smelter expansion is receiving as much positive news as their efforts in Kitimat garnered over the last few months.
Take note of the comments from Alcan regarding the Icelandic showdown, you could almost insert Kitimat in the text and the message wouldn't really change a lick!
For Alcan, it's apparently getting harder and harder to find a little love these days.
Iceland municipality votes against $1.2B expansion of Alcan plant
Last Updated: Monday, April 2, 2007 3:52 PM ET
The Associated Press
People in a small Icelandic municipality have voted against a planned $1.2-billion-US aluminum smelter plant expansion by Canadian aluminum maker Alcan Inc.
The Montreal-based company said it is reviewing the results of the vote, noting the initiative was defeated by a very slim majority.
The residents in Hafnarfjordur, a municipality of 25,000 people just south of Iceland's capital, Reykjavik, voted 50.3 per cent against the proposed expansion.
The ISAL smelter employs 450 people, and has a current capacity of 180,000 tonnes per year. The planned expansion would have more than doubled capacity to 460,000 tonnes per year.
The defeat for Alcan carries broad implications for both Iceland's economy and for the company, the world's second-largest aluminum maker, which has signalled it might leave the plant.
"If the expansion won't go through, we see that as the beginning of the end of the plant," Hrannar Petursson, the plant information director for Alcan Iceland, said Thursday.
"Alcan has noted the results of the public consultation, and will now carefully review all available options," Michel Jacques, the president and CEO of Alcan Primary Metal Group, said in a statement.
"A large proportion of the citizens of Hafnarfjordur support our project and I would like to thank them, as well as all of our ISAL employees, for their invaluable contribution in advancing the development of this project that we believe is beneficial to all stakeholders," Jacques added.
Iceland is just coming through a period of high growth, boosted by recent aluminum plant investment.
The Alcan project "would have changed the economy dramatically," said Ingolfur Bender, a Reykjavik-based economist at Glitnir Bank. "The result means that the economy will cool down more rapidly than otherwise."
Economic growth jumped to 7.2 per cent in 2005 from 2.7 per cent in 2003 largely as a result of aluminum investment, prompting 18 interest rate hikes since May 2004 by Iceland's central bank to the current record high of 14.25 per cent.
But growth slowed to 2.6 per cent in 2006 as the projects concluded. Inflation has slowed to 5.9 per cent in March from 8.6 per cent in August and is expected to continue slowing.
Iceland is an attractive location for aluminum smelting plants because of cheap electricity from hydropower plants.
Home field advantage?
The troubled image of International soccer took yet another in a long list of hits yesterday as British Soccer fans, battled with Italian soccer fans and Italian police in the football stadium in Rome. By the time the running battles had been quelled by police, 18 Manchester United fans found themselves in Rome hospitals suffering a number of injuries at the hands of Italian fans and police.
They battled in the streets on the way to the stadium, they battled from their seats in the stadium and if the British had been allowed to leave the stadium after the game, they perhaps would have had to battle their way back the way they came.
As hard as it may be to believe, considering its checkered past, its the British fans that are being painted as the victims of the soccer stadium violence. Most of the reports coming outso far, have it that the Italian security forces were particularly quick to their batons when it came to the British fans and not quite so fast to work when the Italian fans were making trouble.
Mind you reputation means everything, and the travelling British soccer fan over the years has been a most destructive lout at times, though to be fair, they've cleaned up their act quite a bit in the last decade or so. But last night, that apparently meant nothing as the riots raged.
Television pictures show the Italian police wading into the British side of the barrier seperating them from the rest of the crowd and delivering blow upon blow of truncheons, prior to that the two groups of fans had taken to launching missiles at each other across that same barrier. (see Sky TV photo gallery) (Live Leak video item here)
Before the game, the British fans had been warned of potential trouble as the hardcore fans of the Roma squad, the Ultras were expected to make the Manchester United sides fans feel less than welcom in Rome. British fans were told by their own Football Association to stay off the subways and stay away from two particularly dangerous bridges where ambushes were possible.
It makes for a rather surreal image, of tear gas wafting across the stadium, blood streaming from open wounds on cracked skulls and riot police pushing and prodding soccer fans into a small holding area until the stadium cleared. The British fans had to wait at least ninety minutes before they could leave the stadium after the match, in order for Italian police to move along the Roma fans waiting outside.
This was not the first incident of violence in Italy this season, in fact the Italian league has been the scene of some of the ugliest of incidents that the soccer world has seen in the last number of years. Violent confrontations have taken place time and time again, leading to more than a few instances of games being placyed in front of empty stadiums as punishment for fan mis-behavior.
Somewhere in all that drama they managed to play a soccer match, Roma won 2-1, though nobody seems to be talking much about the game anymore.
Needless to say, the battles of Rome have become fodder for England's rather excited press, here's a sample of the day's coverage thus far!
The Independent--United fans hurt as violence flares in Rome
The Guardian--Police clash with United fans at Rome's Olympic Stadium
The Star--Battle of Rome
The Mail--Roman riot as United fall in Italy
Metro-Football fans in bloody clash
Mirror-Man United Fans in Hospital after Clash
The Times-United’s worst fears realised as Rome proves hostile territory
Manchester Evening News-Fans terror on the terraces
Sky News-Trouble in Roma
BBC--Fans in hospital after violence
They battled in the streets on the way to the stadium, they battled from their seats in the stadium and if the British had been allowed to leave the stadium after the game, they perhaps would have had to battle their way back the way they came.
As hard as it may be to believe, considering its checkered past, its the British fans that are being painted as the victims of the soccer stadium violence. Most of the reports coming outso far, have it that the Italian security forces were particularly quick to their batons when it came to the British fans and not quite so fast to work when the Italian fans were making trouble.
Mind you reputation means everything, and the travelling British soccer fan over the years has been a most destructive lout at times, though to be fair, they've cleaned up their act quite a bit in the last decade or so. But last night, that apparently meant nothing as the riots raged.
Television pictures show the Italian police wading into the British side of the barrier seperating them from the rest of the crowd and delivering blow upon blow of truncheons, prior to that the two groups of fans had taken to launching missiles at each other across that same barrier. (see Sky TV photo gallery) (Live Leak video item here)
Before the game, the British fans had been warned of potential trouble as the hardcore fans of the Roma squad, the Ultras were expected to make the Manchester United sides fans feel less than welcom in Rome. British fans were told by their own Football Association to stay off the subways and stay away from two particularly dangerous bridges where ambushes were possible.
It makes for a rather surreal image, of tear gas wafting across the stadium, blood streaming from open wounds on cracked skulls and riot police pushing and prodding soccer fans into a small holding area until the stadium cleared. The British fans had to wait at least ninety minutes before they could leave the stadium after the match, in order for Italian police to move along the Roma fans waiting outside.
This was not the first incident of violence in Italy this season, in fact the Italian league has been the scene of some of the ugliest of incidents that the soccer world has seen in the last number of years. Violent confrontations have taken place time and time again, leading to more than a few instances of games being placyed in front of empty stadiums as punishment for fan mis-behavior.
Somewhere in all that drama they managed to play a soccer match, Roma won 2-1, though nobody seems to be talking much about the game anymore.
Needless to say, the battles of Rome have become fodder for England's rather excited press, here's a sample of the day's coverage thus far!
The Independent--United fans hurt as violence flares in Rome
The Guardian--Police clash with United fans at Rome's Olympic Stadium
The Star--Battle of Rome
The Mail--Roman riot as United fall in Italy
Metro-Football fans in bloody clash
Mirror-Man United Fans in Hospital after Clash
The Times-United’s worst fears realised as Rome proves hostile territory
Manchester Evening News-Fans terror on the terraces
Sky News-Trouble in Roma
BBC--Fans in hospital after violence
Many still suspicious of TILMA
April 1st saw both BC and Alberta move closer to harmonizing many of the ways that they do business and conduct trade in Western Canada. The TILMA protocol came into effect on Sunday, a government initiative that stands for Trade Investment Labour Mobility Agreement and depending on who you talk to it is either going to open up brand new markets and opportunities or lay waste to the social safety so carefully guarded for all these years.
As is anything to do with Canadian bureaucracy, it was passed without much information being provided to the public, not that we seemed to be particularly inclined to seek it out in the first place.
Like the Free Trade Agreement of the Mulroney years and NAFTA that followed, it’s one of those government initiatives that has many baffled, though apparently not moved to action just yet.
As we discovered a week or so ago, the prospect of the Agreement coming into effect had more than a few local residents wondering why there hasn’t been much investigation into the program and how it may affect the local municipal structure.
With the program now in effect, The Daily News examined some of the local reaction to the debut of TILMA in the Tuesday paper.
‘FIND OUT HOW DEAL BETWEEN PROVINCES AFFECTS US’
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Page one
Community members are calling on the city to take an active interest in the newly created Trade Investment Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA).
“Some of the possibilities that (TILMA) can have on municipalities makes my hair curl, and I don’t know enough about it,” said Peggy Davenport during the open session of last week’s council meeting.
“This is a binding agreement which gives investors and individuals the right to sue because of government programs and regulations that may restrict or impair investment.
“I would really feel a lot better if I knew that Prince Rupert was doing it’s own investigation so that we can protect ourselves.”
As of April 1, B. C. and Alberta are responsible for complying with the general rules and special provisions of TILMA, an inter-provincial free trade agreement that supporters say will save the two economies billions by making the movement of goods, services, investment and workers easier.
“I’m appreciating already that we’re (noticing) money coming from Alberta to here,’ said Davenport, who is concerned the agreement may increase the likelihood of private health care locally. “They have lots of money up there and we don’t. They’re beginning to buy property, invest; they’re beginning to look around here. What if they just decide to move in and do their own thing and override what we want because they have the money, they have the investment and they’ll have the TILMA agreement behind them?”
Among changes are that B. C. and Alberta will not require businesses located in either of the provinces to maintain local offices or be residents as a prerequisite to carrying on business.
Alberta and B. C. companies will also be able to bid on an expanded range of government goods and services contracts in both provinces and many commercial vehicles will not longer need additional registration and permits to carry goods across the B.C.-Alberta border. As well, professional requirements for a number of occupations will also be reconciled between the provinces allowing people to work in either B. C. or Alberta. Standards have already been reconciled for acupuncturists, chiropractors, occupational therapists, and water and waste water operators with more professions to become uniform during the next two years.
The agreement could have a wide range of effects. As Coun. Tony Briglio noted, there seems to be just as many positives as there are negatives making it difficult to decide how to feel about the legislation.
“We can’t sell ourselves short in regards to the kids of protections we have, that’s one of the reasons why I think it’s important that we get on to finalizing the Official Community Plan, that in itself is a protection,” he said.
“We ought not to be overly scared of something – what we need to do is get a better understanding of it and through the (Union of B. C. Municipalities) is one way to do that.”
Mayor Herb Pond, a UBCM director, was asked to bring back any information on the agreement as it relates to municipalities.
Following a two year transitional period, TILMA will be fully implemented on April 1, 2009.
As is anything to do with Canadian bureaucracy, it was passed without much information being provided to the public, not that we seemed to be particularly inclined to seek it out in the first place.
Like the Free Trade Agreement of the Mulroney years and NAFTA that followed, it’s one of those government initiatives that has many baffled, though apparently not moved to action just yet.
As we discovered a week or so ago, the prospect of the Agreement coming into effect had more than a few local residents wondering why there hasn’t been much investigation into the program and how it may affect the local municipal structure.
With the program now in effect, The Daily News examined some of the local reaction to the debut of TILMA in the Tuesday paper.
‘FIND OUT HOW DEAL BETWEEN PROVINCES AFFECTS US’
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Page one
Community members are calling on the city to take an active interest in the newly created Trade Investment Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA).
“Some of the possibilities that (TILMA) can have on municipalities makes my hair curl, and I don’t know enough about it,” said Peggy Davenport during the open session of last week’s council meeting.
“This is a binding agreement which gives investors and individuals the right to sue because of government programs and regulations that may restrict or impair investment.
“I would really feel a lot better if I knew that Prince Rupert was doing it’s own investigation so that we can protect ourselves.”
As of April 1, B. C. and Alberta are responsible for complying with the general rules and special provisions of TILMA, an inter-provincial free trade agreement that supporters say will save the two economies billions by making the movement of goods, services, investment and workers easier.
“I’m appreciating already that we’re (noticing) money coming from Alberta to here,’ said Davenport, who is concerned the agreement may increase the likelihood of private health care locally. “They have lots of money up there and we don’t. They’re beginning to buy property, invest; they’re beginning to look around here. What if they just decide to move in and do their own thing and override what we want because they have the money, they have the investment and they’ll have the TILMA agreement behind them?”
Among changes are that B. C. and Alberta will not require businesses located in either of the provinces to maintain local offices or be residents as a prerequisite to carrying on business.
Alberta and B. C. companies will also be able to bid on an expanded range of government goods and services contracts in both provinces and many commercial vehicles will not longer need additional registration and permits to carry goods across the B.C.-Alberta border. As well, professional requirements for a number of occupations will also be reconciled between the provinces allowing people to work in either B. C. or Alberta. Standards have already been reconciled for acupuncturists, chiropractors, occupational therapists, and water and waste water operators with more professions to become uniform during the next two years.
The agreement could have a wide range of effects. As Coun. Tony Briglio noted, there seems to be just as many positives as there are negatives making it difficult to decide how to feel about the legislation.
“We can’t sell ourselves short in regards to the kids of protections we have, that’s one of the reasons why I think it’s important that we get on to finalizing the Official Community Plan, that in itself is a protection,” he said.
“We ought not to be overly scared of something – what we need to do is get a better understanding of it and through the (Union of B. C. Municipalities) is one way to do that.”
Mayor Herb Pond, a UBCM director, was asked to bring back any information on the agreement as it relates to municipalities.
Following a two year transitional period, TILMA will be fully implemented on April 1, 2009.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Pictures of Podunk: snow, before it washes away!
The problem with taking pictures of a Podunkian snowfall is that they get dated pretty, fast! Grabbed a quick snap of the park along Summit overlooking the harbour in the aftermath of last weeks dump of snow.
From the Podunkian in box!
More mail from the Podunk in box, which we now gladly recycle to the Podunkian class starved for a chuckle or two.
This may be the closest that some folks get to church this Easter, as we present some tantalizing church bulletin announcements, which tell more of a story than perhaps was intended!
They're back...........Church Bulletin Bloopers!
Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:
The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water."
The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus.
"Our youth basketball team is back in action against Christ the King Baptist this Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands.
The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.
Remember in prayer the many that are sick of our community.
Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.
Don't let just worry kill you off - let the Church help.
Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.
The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: "Break Forth Into Joy."
Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24th in the church.
So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?"
Come early and listen to our choir practice.
Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled.
Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.
The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind.
They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.
The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
The eighth graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours."
And for those who like to look at their history and find similarities running amok!
Year 1981
1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe
3. Australia lost the Ashes tournament.
4. Pope Died
Year 2005
1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe
3. Australia lost the Ashes tournament
4. Pope Died
Lesson Learned?
The next time Charles gets married, someone warn the Pope.
This may be the closest that some folks get to church this Easter, as we present some tantalizing church bulletin announcements, which tell more of a story than perhaps was intended!
They're back...........Church Bulletin Bloopers!
Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:
The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water."
The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus.
"Our youth basketball team is back in action against Christ the King Baptist this Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands.
The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.
Remember in prayer the many that are sick of our community.
Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.
Don't let just worry kill you off - let the Church help.
Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.
The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: "Break Forth Into Joy."
Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24th in the church.
So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?"
Come early and listen to our choir practice.
Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled.
Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.
The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind.
They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.
The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
The eighth graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours."
And for those who like to look at their history and find similarities running amok!
Year 1981
1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe
3. Australia lost the Ashes tournament.
4. Pope Died
Year 2005
1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe
3. Australia lost the Ashes tournament
4. Pope Died
Lesson Learned?
The next time Charles gets married, someone warn the Pope.
Anxious to make a contribution
The desire of Prince Rupert residents to have more of a say in the Official Community Plan process may finally be close.
Phase one of the consultation process was by invitation only. Controversy surfaced when it was explained that the consultant who conducted the interviews on the prep work for the Official Community Plan, conducted interviews with a select group of citizens. Making for a situation that didn’t sit well with many in the community who felt left out of the initial phase of the process and wondered if the city was getting a complete picture of how its residents really felt.
With that portion of the planning now complete, things move on to phase two, which is supposed to be a more accessible process for the public which wishes to make a contribution. Details of public meetings and consultations are apparently planned for the city’s website.
MORE SET TO GET SAY ON CITY’S PLAN
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
The first stages of the city’s Official Community Plan (OCP) have not been open enough for some people.
So far, information has been guaranteed through invitation only focus groups and a small random telephone survey.
“My residence was one of the telephones that rang (for the Quality of Life surveys),” said Colleen Wiens, who asked city council last week to outline when the OCP process would become open to the public.
“I was not allowed to participate in the survey because my husband was employed by the city.”
“I don’t feel very happy about that.”
Others have expressed concerns that the selection process for focus groups was not representative, raising concerns the document will not reflect the community’s will.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to look at the Official Community Plan, some of us have been really looking forward to having some control over how our life is in Prince Rupert,” said Peggy Davenport, who added for her part she was happy to have taken part in the focus groups.
“Appreciating the fact that an awful lot is not in our control because of what’s going on with the port and there’s a lot of big guys out there with big money who have a lot of power, within our own community, we still need to have some control.
“We appreciate our parks, we appreciate our clean environment, we appreciated the ability to walk when we go into town and do our shopping, to be able to live without a car – these kind of things.”
City Administrator Gord Howie explained that the consultant hired to perform the Quality of Life survey determined employees, and clearly those related to employers, would not be included in the initial fact collecting process.
However, the next step - a series of public meetings that will soon be listed on the city’s revamped website – will be open to everyone.
“The data gathering that’s been done to date wasn’t really the planning part of it, it was the part that says who is Prince Rupert, what do they value and what needs to be done right,” said Mayor Herb Pond.
“The planning part is the part that now comes, and it becomes a much more public process that says where are we going to have parks, and how many of them are we going to have,” he said.
”It’s not like this is raw land with no plan, we already know the downtown core is the downtown core, the waterfront is the waterfront, we know which areas are currently parks, so we can work with those.
Phase one of the consultation process was by invitation only. Controversy surfaced when it was explained that the consultant who conducted the interviews on the prep work for the Official Community Plan, conducted interviews with a select group of citizens. Making for a situation that didn’t sit well with many in the community who felt left out of the initial phase of the process and wondered if the city was getting a complete picture of how its residents really felt.
With that portion of the planning now complete, things move on to phase two, which is supposed to be a more accessible process for the public which wishes to make a contribution. Details of public meetings and consultations are apparently planned for the city’s website.
MORE SET TO GET SAY ON CITY’S PLAN
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
The first stages of the city’s Official Community Plan (OCP) have not been open enough for some people.
So far, information has been guaranteed through invitation only focus groups and a small random telephone survey.
“My residence was one of the telephones that rang (for the Quality of Life surveys),” said Colleen Wiens, who asked city council last week to outline when the OCP process would become open to the public.
“I was not allowed to participate in the survey because my husband was employed by the city.”
“I don’t feel very happy about that.”
Others have expressed concerns that the selection process for focus groups was not representative, raising concerns the document will not reflect the community’s will.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to look at the Official Community Plan, some of us have been really looking forward to having some control over how our life is in Prince Rupert,” said Peggy Davenport, who added for her part she was happy to have taken part in the focus groups.
“Appreciating the fact that an awful lot is not in our control because of what’s going on with the port and there’s a lot of big guys out there with big money who have a lot of power, within our own community, we still need to have some control.
“We appreciate our parks, we appreciate our clean environment, we appreciated the ability to walk when we go into town and do our shopping, to be able to live without a car – these kind of things.”
City Administrator Gord Howie explained that the consultant hired to perform the Quality of Life survey determined employees, and clearly those related to employers, would not be included in the initial fact collecting process.
However, the next step - a series of public meetings that will soon be listed on the city’s revamped website – will be open to everyone.
“The data gathering that’s been done to date wasn’t really the planning part of it, it was the part that says who is Prince Rupert, what do they value and what needs to be done right,” said Mayor Herb Pond.
“The planning part is the part that now comes, and it becomes a much more public process that says where are we going to have parks, and how many of them are we going to have,” he said.
”It’s not like this is raw land with no plan, we already know the downtown core is the downtown core, the waterfront is the waterfront, we know which areas are currently parks, so we can work with those.
Pay before you pump may be on the way
British Columbia motorists may soon have to pay up front before they fill up, if the results of a recent WorkSafe BC survey is followed through on by the Provincial government.
With a number of high profile gas and dashes taking place as the price of gas rises, the province is giving serious consideration to expanding the regulation that is in effect in some of the larger urban areas during the evening hours.
The CBC website had details of the plan and some of the history behind the problem.
B.C. drivers may have to prepay for gas 24 hours a day
Last Updated: Wednesday, April 4, 2007 9:05 AM PT
CBC News
Drivers could soon have to prepay before filling up at B.C. gas stations 24 hours a day to protect workers from gas-and-dash thieves, says WorkSafe BC, the agency responsible for worker safety.
The change would be the result of the death in 2005 of Lower Mainland gas station attendant Grant De Patie, who was dragged to his death when he tried to stop a driver who hadn't paid for $12.30 worth of gas.
The young man's death prompted his father, Doug, to spearhead a campaign for "Grant's law," which would make it mandatory to prepay for gas at night in major urban centres.
The provincial government announced last October that it would bring in a regulation to that effect.
WorkSafe BC then held a series of public consultations into the proposal, and spokeswoman Donna Freeman said the public wanted the province to go further with the idea.
"We had significant input suggesting that the regulation should be broadened, to be provincewide and apply 24 hours a day," she said.
The new 24-hour prepayment rule could come into effect as early as the end of this year, following more public meetings.
Doug De Patie is pleased, saying the move would save lives. "It will protect workers 24 hours a day from gas-and-dashers. It eliminates the crime of gas-and-dashes."
With a number of high profile gas and dashes taking place as the price of gas rises, the province is giving serious consideration to expanding the regulation that is in effect in some of the larger urban areas during the evening hours.
The CBC website had details of the plan and some of the history behind the problem.
B.C. drivers may have to prepay for gas 24 hours a day
Last Updated: Wednesday, April 4, 2007 9:05 AM PT
CBC News
Drivers could soon have to prepay before filling up at B.C. gas stations 24 hours a day to protect workers from gas-and-dash thieves, says WorkSafe BC, the agency responsible for worker safety.
The change would be the result of the death in 2005 of Lower Mainland gas station attendant Grant De Patie, who was dragged to his death when he tried to stop a driver who hadn't paid for $12.30 worth of gas.
The young man's death prompted his father, Doug, to spearhead a campaign for "Grant's law," which would make it mandatory to prepay for gas at night in major urban centres.
The provincial government announced last October that it would bring in a regulation to that effect.
WorkSafe BC then held a series of public consultations into the proposal, and spokeswoman Donna Freeman said the public wanted the province to go further with the idea.
"We had significant input suggesting that the regulation should be broadened, to be provincewide and apply 24 hours a day," she said.
The new 24-hour prepayment rule could come into effect as early as the end of this year, following more public meetings.
Doug De Patie is pleased, saying the move would save lives. "It will protect workers 24 hours a day from gas-and-dashers. It eliminates the crime of gas-and-dashes."
On our own steam, for three or four weeks
Our power needs are in our own hands it seems, BC Hydro has set up two thermal generators that run on natural gas to provide the electricity needs for the North Coast while they repair the transmission tower toppled by an avalanche on Monday.Prince Rupert was knocked off the provincial grid on Monday and dealt with a black out for two to three hours while BC Hydro could get their two thermal generators up and on line by mid Monday.
While there is no anticipation of further problems to the Rupert power supply until the repairs are made, BC Hydro is asking residents of the North coast to conserve their power so as to enable the generators to keep up to demand and provide a steady supply of power to the community.
The Daily News had full details on the power outage and BC Hydro’s temporary fix in the Tuesday edition.
GENERATORS POWERING CITY AFTER HYDRO LINE SEVERED
Repairs are likely to take three weeks, people urged to conserve energy
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Pages one and three
The North Coast is no longer connected to the provincial hydro grid after a snow slide took out a large metal transmission tower.
Dave Conway, community relations manager for Northern B. C., said the slide Monday morning took out the tower and respective power lines, leaving Prince Rupert and Port Edward without power until a generator could be brought on line.
“We have two thermal generating stations in the Prince Rupert area,” said Conway. “At this time, Prince Rupert and the surrounding area are receiving their electrical supply from these generators.
“We are asking customers t use their power conservatively, to be power smart and turn off tings they aren’t using. We are not anticipating any further disruptions in service.”
The generators produce enough power to supply the community using natural gas.
“If (customers being power smart) takes a load off the generators. The more electricity people use, the more load it puts on the generators,” he said.
“If we lose the generators and until we get the transmission tower and the transmission lines back in place, there will be no electricity supply until we can get the generator back up, but we don’t anticipate any service problems.”
It will take three weeks to repair the damage from the slide, which is being described by the Canadian Avalanche Association as a mid-sized avalanche.
The two generators will provide 45 megawatts, however the supply is at a slightly higher frequency than the usual current.
“What that means is that any equipment that is sensitive electrical equipment, it can affect it, but what most people will notice is that their clocks will run faster,” said Conway.
A wet heavy snow storm last week brought the city to standstill, with power and cable outages, that were largely required by Thursday afternoon.
In Terrace and the Nass Valley, the snowfall was even heavier, with almost a half a metre of snow falling and power outages lasting several days.
According to the Canadian Avalanche Association, avalanches can occur after snow storms when the weather warms up.
On the upside, at least Shames Mountain has a good snow base for spring skiing.
The mountain currently has a meter of snow over an existing five metre base. They can no longer give an accurate reading of snow pack mid mountain, because the gauge has disappeared under the pack, but they estimate the snow pack at more than 600 centimetres.
Environment Canada is currently predicting sun until Thursday when it will begin to rain in Prince Rupert, with highs around five or six degrees and more snow in Terrace on Thursday and rain on Friday.
Local supply store sold to Northern investors
We first discovered this bit of corporate news for Prince Rupert while wandering through the princerupert.com website.
Northern Industrial Sales, the local supply store on 1st Avenue East, has been sold to an Inuit Development Company. In addition to NIS in Rupert, a number of other supply stores across BC and the North were purchased as well, to be merged into one large Northern company.
NorTerra Incorporated, will have twelve stores in a territory that spans from Rupert to Quesnel and North to Whitehorse and Inuvik. NorTerra has been investing in a number of industries over the last few years including Canadian North airlines, Northern Transportation and Weldco-Beales an industrial equipment company.
NorTerra enters retail sector
Last Updated: Tuesday, April 3, 2007 11:31 AM CT
CBC News
NorTerra Inc., an aboriginal-owned management company, is making a foray into the retail sector by acquiring three chains that sell construction supplies in the North and British Columbia.
NorTerra is a joint venture of Inuvialuit Development Corp., representing the Inuvialuit of the Western Arctic, and Nunasi Corp., representing the Inuit of Nunavut. It already owns an airline, a marine transportation company and an industrial manufacturer.
On Monday, the company announced it was buying Independent Industrial Supply of north-central British Columbia, Northern Industrial Sales of western British Columbia, and Northern Metalic Sales branches in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.
The chains account for 12 stores.
"Industrial supplies is one that we think there's quite a bit of upside for [getting] actively involved in supporting the mining industry and resource industry," NorTerra president Carmen Loberg said.
"In this case, we were able to assemble a fairly decent amount of coverage across the North of 60 and in northern B.C."
The newly merged company, to be known as Northern Industrial Sales, will have stores in:
Yukon: Whitehorse, Watson Lake, Dawson City.
N.W.T.: Yellowknife, Hay River, Norman Wells, Inuvik.
B.C.: Prince George, Terrace, Chetwynd, Prince Rupert, Quesnel.
The company did not say how much the deal was worth.
NorTerra owns the Canadian North airline, Northern Transportation Co. Ltd. and Weldco-Beales, a heavy equipment manufacturer.
The company's headquarters are in Edmonton, with offices in Yellowknife and Hay River, N.W.T. In 2006, it made sales of more than $300 million.
Loberg said between 11 and 15 per cent of the company's employees are aboriginal workers.
Northern Industrial Sales, the local supply store on 1st Avenue East, has been sold to an Inuit Development Company. In addition to NIS in Rupert, a number of other supply stores across BC and the North were purchased as well, to be merged into one large Northern company.
NorTerra Incorporated, will have twelve stores in a territory that spans from Rupert to Quesnel and North to Whitehorse and Inuvik. NorTerra has been investing in a number of industries over the last few years including Canadian North airlines, Northern Transportation and Weldco-Beales an industrial equipment company.
NorTerra enters retail sector
Last Updated: Tuesday, April 3, 2007 11:31 AM CT
CBC News
NorTerra Inc., an aboriginal-owned management company, is making a foray into the retail sector by acquiring three chains that sell construction supplies in the North and British Columbia.
NorTerra is a joint venture of Inuvialuit Development Corp., representing the Inuvialuit of the Western Arctic, and Nunasi Corp., representing the Inuit of Nunavut. It already owns an airline, a marine transportation company and an industrial manufacturer.
On Monday, the company announced it was buying Independent Industrial Supply of north-central British Columbia, Northern Industrial Sales of western British Columbia, and Northern Metalic Sales branches in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.
The chains account for 12 stores.
"Industrial supplies is one that we think there's quite a bit of upside for [getting] actively involved in supporting the mining industry and resource industry," NorTerra president Carmen Loberg said.
"In this case, we were able to assemble a fairly decent amount of coverage across the North of 60 and in northern B.C."
The newly merged company, to be known as Northern Industrial Sales, will have stores in:
Yukon: Whitehorse, Watson Lake, Dawson City.
N.W.T.: Yellowknife, Hay River, Norman Wells, Inuvik.
B.C.: Prince George, Terrace, Chetwynd, Prince Rupert, Quesnel.
The company did not say how much the deal was worth.
NorTerra owns the Canadian North airline, Northern Transportation Co. Ltd. and Weldco-Beales, a heavy equipment manufacturer.
The company's headquarters are in Edmonton, with offices in Yellowknife and Hay River, N.W.T. In 2006, it made sales of more than $300 million.
Loberg said between 11 and 15 per cent of the company's employees are aboriginal workers.
That's me in the corner, That's me in the spotlight, I'm losing my religion.
Anyone see an iPod in his ear?
Browsing through the Crooks and Liars website, I stumbled across this YouTube clip that features Dick Cheney as the lurker at a George Bush press conference; it almost seems to verify all the shadowy suspicions over the American VP!
Something about shadowy men lurking in the shadows...
We'll be right back after this short commercial message, April 3
You've got a radio, you've got some tunes, you've got some wheels, go for a cruise!
Karl Rove has found his posse!
Karl Rove has found his posse!
Security concerns spur changes at BC Ferries
There's going to be a noticeable difference very soon when you prepare to board a BC Ferry in the province. Owing to the state of the world today and with an eye back to 9-11 and other high profile sercurity issues over the years, BC Ferries is looking to change a few things about your Ferry experience.
The CBC BC website has details from Canadian Press of what BC Ferries has planned in order to be more security conscious and enhance the present security situation on the fleets vessels and terminals.
More cameras, increased fencing and random passenger screenings all are part of the changes to the ways that BC Ferries operates in the changing times. It may require a change of attitude to the passenger as well, gone no doubt are the days of dashing down to the Ferry terminal to scramble onboard a vessel just in the nick of time.
Instead preparation and patience may become new buzzwords in the Ferry line up!
BC Ferries plans to boost security
Last Updated: Tuesday, April 3, 2007 9:09 PM PT
The Canadian Press
BC Ferries will beef up security to meet Transport Canada requirements, but will stop short of airport-style measures that would slow down travel, the company's president says.
"What's going to happen is there'll be continual upgrades to the security system," David Hahn said Tuesday, adding all ferry systems in Canada will be affected by guidelines to be released in the fall.
"If it's appropriate, we will move to more aggressive things like screening, but I don't think there's any master plan to screen every passenger," Hahn said.
He said there may be random security checks of some people, "not any kind of profiling."
Hahn said BC Ferries will continue to operate with the least amount of intrusion possible.
His comments contradict those made earlier Tuesday by Manuel Achadinha, vice-president of terminal operations for the fleet.
"There will be times, for example, if security incidents increase, it'll be like the airports," Achadinha said. "It might take you an hour to get through."
BC Ferries has slowly increased security by adding more cameras, providing employees with identification badges, installing more fencing around terminals and restricting access on some areas of the fleet.
Hahn said the new security measures have nothing to do with the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, but have ties to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorism attacks in the United States, the commuter train bombing in Madrid in 2004 and London's subway bombing in 2005.
"I don't think people should be overly concerned that there's going to be this massive slowdown in transit times," he said.
"The only time it would get difficult to travel is when it should be difficult to travel, which is if there's some kind of extraordinary event and people would expect that."
Union supports security initiative
An official at the BC Ferry and Marine Workers' Union in Nanaimo said the union is aware of the security measures being considered and generally supports the initiative.
"They are keeping us in the loop and that's where we like to be. We're all on the same side on this issue," said the union official, who did not want to be identified.
Canadian security expert Michel Juneau-Katsuya said screening ferry passengers and vehicles can be done but it presents complications.
"People have mixed feelings about it because of the sheer technicality of having to deal with volume," he said from Ottawa.
Explosive materials
Potentially explosive materials such as gasoline and industrial chemicals that airport sniffer machines detect can be carried on ferries legitimately, said Juneau-Katsuya, a former officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
He said terrorist groups are less likely to target ferries than other forms of transportation, such as Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system.
However, a December 2006 report on maritime terrorism by the Rand Corp., an American think tank, said ferries are particularly vulnerable to attack because of the speed needed to board passengers, cargo and vehicles.
And unlike cruise ships or cargo vessels, whose hull designs make them hard to sink, ferries sit low in the water and have open car decks, the report said.
"Attacks on ferries are easy to execute, have the potential to kill many people, are likely to capture significant media attention and can be exploited to visibly demonstrate a terrorists group's salience," the report said.
The CBC BC website has details from Canadian Press of what BC Ferries has planned in order to be more security conscious and enhance the present security situation on the fleets vessels and terminals.
More cameras, increased fencing and random passenger screenings all are part of the changes to the ways that BC Ferries operates in the changing times. It may require a change of attitude to the passenger as well, gone no doubt are the days of dashing down to the Ferry terminal to scramble onboard a vessel just in the nick of time.
Instead preparation and patience may become new buzzwords in the Ferry line up!
BC Ferries plans to boost security
Last Updated: Tuesday, April 3, 2007 9:09 PM PT
The Canadian Press
BC Ferries will beef up security to meet Transport Canada requirements, but will stop short of airport-style measures that would slow down travel, the company's president says.
"What's going to happen is there'll be continual upgrades to the security system," David Hahn said Tuesday, adding all ferry systems in Canada will be affected by guidelines to be released in the fall.
"If it's appropriate, we will move to more aggressive things like screening, but I don't think there's any master plan to screen every passenger," Hahn said.
He said there may be random security checks of some people, "not any kind of profiling."
Hahn said BC Ferries will continue to operate with the least amount of intrusion possible.
His comments contradict those made earlier Tuesday by Manuel Achadinha, vice-president of terminal operations for the fleet.
"There will be times, for example, if security incidents increase, it'll be like the airports," Achadinha said. "It might take you an hour to get through."
BC Ferries has slowly increased security by adding more cameras, providing employees with identification badges, installing more fencing around terminals and restricting access on some areas of the fleet.
Hahn said the new security measures have nothing to do with the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, but have ties to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorism attacks in the United States, the commuter train bombing in Madrid in 2004 and London's subway bombing in 2005.
"I don't think people should be overly concerned that there's going to be this massive slowdown in transit times," he said.
"The only time it would get difficult to travel is when it should be difficult to travel, which is if there's some kind of extraordinary event and people would expect that."
Union supports security initiative
An official at the BC Ferry and Marine Workers' Union in Nanaimo said the union is aware of the security measures being considered and generally supports the initiative.
"They are keeping us in the loop and that's where we like to be. We're all on the same side on this issue," said the union official, who did not want to be identified.
Canadian security expert Michel Juneau-Katsuya said screening ferry passengers and vehicles can be done but it presents complications.
"People have mixed feelings about it because of the sheer technicality of having to deal with volume," he said from Ottawa.
Explosive materials
Potentially explosive materials such as gasoline and industrial chemicals that airport sniffer machines detect can be carried on ferries legitimately, said Juneau-Katsuya, a former officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
He said terrorist groups are less likely to target ferries than other forms of transportation, such as Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system.
However, a December 2006 report on maritime terrorism by the Rand Corp., an American think tank, said ferries are particularly vulnerable to attack because of the speed needed to board passengers, cargo and vehicles.
And unlike cruise ships or cargo vessels, whose hull designs make them hard to sink, ferries sit low in the water and have open car decks, the report said.
"Attacks on ferries are easy to execute, have the potential to kill many people, are likely to capture significant media attention and can be exploited to visibly demonstrate a terrorists group's salience," the report said.
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