A Titch Late But …

 … as a family we are participating in the Unplug and Play Family Literacy Week as coordinated by the Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society (LASS) and supported by community sponsors.

More info. and a  schedule of events is here.

Read a bit more, increase your outdoor activities, play some family games and get away from the screen … worthy goals all!

AHSA will be back, plugged in and online, next week.

My Garden in Tanzania by Richard Zigler

Sweet peas, beans, pumpkins and sunflowers

Enjoy each moment

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Lightning Over Africa

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken December 29, 2011 from 20:55:05 to 21:14:09 GMT, on a pass from over central Africa, near southeast Niger, to the South Indian Ocean, southeast of Madagascar. The complete pass is over southern Africa to the ocean, focusing on the lightning flashes from local storms and the Milky Way rising over the horizon. The Milky Way can be spotted as a hazy band of white light at the beginning of the video. The pass continues southeast toward the Mozambique Channel and Madagascar. The Lovejoy Comet can be seen very faintly near the Milky Way. The pass ends as the sun is rising over the dark ocean. Video courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center Via the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/Videos/CrewEarthObservationsVideos/ 

Is it just me, or …

…  does anyone else think movie trailers should include the disclaimer “You have just seen all the best parts of this movie”?

* from the Washington Post’s The Style Invitational where they asked readers to finish an “Is it just me . . .” sentence.

Classics at the Classic–Alfred Hitchcock Series Jan. 23

Okanagan College and the ‘Classics at the Classic’ Series presents, the Alfred Hitchcock Festival:

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) 7:30pm Monday January 23rd @ the Salmar Classic

The film centres on Charlie, a small-town high-schooler who enjoys a symbiotic relationship with her favorite uncle, also named Charlie. When young Charlie “wills” that old Charlie pay a visit to her family, her wish comes true. Uncle Charlie is his usual charming self, but he seems a bit secretive and reserved at times. When a pair of detectives, posing as magazine writers, arrive in town and begin asking questions about Uncle Charlie, young Charlie’s curiosity is aroused.

View this document on Scribd

For more of the upcoming series

Canada Under Attack

Another Rick Mercer gem …

How to recognize insurgents who threaten democracy.

Waiving Affordable Housing for Jackson?

I wasn’t at the January 16th 2012 Development & Planning Services mtg. where the issue of affordable housing on a portion of the Jackson site was slated to be brought forward.

The understanding – as of last October – was that the city would undertake the search for a developer of the project. Failure to find a suitable developer would basically eliminate the affordable housing option and permit the school district to pursue other alternatives for developing on that part of the Jackson plan.

The city has neither the expertise nor the money to undertake this themselves and there has apparently been no positive response to the RFP to develop and manage the proposed project.

The project was deemed to be not feasible according to one submission. A second submission urged the city to set aside the land for future affordable housing development until the city could partner with other bodies (Pages 175-177 here).

What was to be brought forward at this DPS meeting is that the city should:

… confirm that it waives its opportunity to develop the site for affordable housing

Phonely: …

… What you are when your best friend is named Siri.

* from the Washington Post’s The Style Invitational where they asked for neologisms including the four-letter block N-O-E-L, in any order but without any other letters between them.

The Future of Energy in a Finite World

Harper’s support of the Northern Gateway Pipeline proposal represents poor environmental, economic and energy policy for Canada.

The Tyee article The Expert’s Report that Damns the Northern Gateway Pipeline (Nikiforuk: Jan 12 2012) looks at energy expert David Hughes and his contention that :

The Northern Gateway Pipeline will explosively increase the scale of oil sands production at a level not in the national interest

His call is to reject Enbridge’s faulty and damaging rapid growth projections and to focus on a national strategy emphasizing prudent extraction that is in Canada’s rather than oil companies’ interests.

Way Too Much Free Time

Hello …. For the two of you who sent in this Lionel Ritchie mash-up link:

Occupy Armstrong 2012 by Duncan Morris

*Click the ‘toon for a larger view

Happy New Year , & yes I am still alive

Happy New Year , & yes I am still alive. Now that I have passed my 85^th birthday, does this mean that I have joined my Elders, who possess much wisdom ? CBCTV reported that our prime minister, Stephen Harper, is going to China. Will he assure them that the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline will be approved ? That dirty Tar Sands Oil from Fort McMurray, which China has invested in , will be coming down the pipe?

Two considerations: Why would anyone want to have anything to do with dirty Tar Sands Oil ? High paying jobs, Yes ! But, at WHAT PRICE, & TO WHOM ? The Environment ? Four barrels of clean water from the Athabasca river , many cubic feet of natural gas, & Two tons of tar sands, to produce ONE barrel of oil ?? ? Why even consider this, when 20 long term jobs can be created by sustainable energy technology, as compared to 4 short term jobs using the tar sands ? Besides, it could be accomplished by no additional cost to taxpayers. Simply transfer the Federal subsidies which are now given to the oil companies, to entrepreneurs, dedicated to designing & building environmentally friendly energy ? It is happening in Germany, & other European countries. And, they are generating far more Jobs than those tied to fossil fuels. The real tragedy is, much of Natures precious water is lost forever, to say nothing about what is happening to the land, the rivers, & the people who depend on those rivers for their livelihood.

Why add insult to injury ? Who in their right mind would consider moving dirty oil through pristine wilderness ? In a pipeline ? and Oil Tankers ? It is like putting all your eggs in one basket. Sooner or later people are going to wake up to the fact, that pipe lines LEAK, TANKERS RUN AGROUND, THE ENVIRONMENT PAYS THE PRICE. To say nothing of what it is going to cost our children & grandchildren to clean up our mess. Yet, we still have HOPE; This could be the year that governments, at all levels, listened to our Elders ? Anyway, NATURE HAS THE LAST BAT.

Dan MacQuarie

To Have a Reasonable Understanding of the Science of Climate Change

… New Hampshire Republicans who disagree with the Republican Presidential candidates and the Tea Partiers who doubt that there is climate change and who view CO2 emissions as posing no risk.

The struggle for Republicans who believe in climate change.

There are three rules for writing the novel …

… Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.

W. Somerset Maugham

Iapetus

* Click on the image for a larger view

Saturn’s Iapetus: Painted Moon
Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA

Explanation: What has happened to Saturn’s moon Iapetus? Vast sections of this strange world are dark as coal, while others are as bright as ice

Perspective

She’s Alive… Beautiful… Finite… Hurting… Worth Dying for

* as linked to by SN on Facebook. Thanks.

Uploaded by bittusahgal on Jun 26, 2011

This is a non-commercial attempt to highlight the fact that world leaders, irresponsible corporates and mindless ‘consumers’ are combining to destroy life on earth. It is dedicated to all who died fighting for the planet and those whose lives are on the line today. The cut was put together by Vivek Chauhan, a young film maker, together with naturalists working with the Sanctuary Asia network (www.sanctuaryasia.com).
Content credit: The principal source for the footage was Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s incredible film HOME http://www.homethemovie.org/. The music was by Armand Amar. Thank you too Greenpeace and http://timescapes.org/

Having Your Say: January 2012

Here is where you can submit your ideas on issues that are not linked to a specific article already posted online here. Sort of an “Open Mike” crossed with a “Letters to the Editor” section where you can raise your own ideas and questions for others to see  and comment on …. right here … right now!

Scratch that itch on your burning issue! What’s your take that needs to be heard?  Leave your thoughts in the Comment section.

If you have a full-fledged article to post, contact me using the Contact form and we’ll arrange to get your article online.

This spot is for your ideas…. submitted via the Comments section below.

I’d also like to refer to Clint Smith’s “say” last November. He raises some valuable points to ponder. It’s reposted just below.

My rant: Since I moved to Salmon Arm, our hospital has gone through at least two major expansions, we have added a sewage plant and sewer system, paved more roads, gone from one large grocery store, (remember Super Valu) added two shopping malls with 4 large grocery stores, and Askews Downtown, expanded Bastion School, built South Broadview and Hillcrest, built and populated the Industrial Park, Canadian Tire, a swimming pool and twin rink arena, and a college and a bus service. It seems to me all of these employ people. We also have added innumerable subdivisions, townhouse developments and condo developments, and seniors residences, with almost no removal of residences in existence when I came here. More people must live here!! Yet all this has not reduced my taxes in Salmon Arm. Becoming a Senior has had more impact on my taxes paid than all the additional jobs and population.

Have I got it wrong? What am I missing? Is more always better?

Your thoughts – either on Clint’s submission or on whatever question or issue is bubbling away for you –?

Middle age is to vanity as …

…  windshield is to bug

* from the Washington Post’s The Style Invitational where they asked for analogies in the “A is to B as C is to D” form.

West Beach Still a Go According to Rink

Cam Fortem’s latest article on Mike Rink’s reaction to the BC Supreme court decision against his scheme is West Beach project still has options, developer’s lawyer insists (Kamloops Daily News: Jan. 11 2012).

The lawyer representing Rink’s New Future Group is quoted:

“Although we lost on the lease structures, in our view it’s not the end of the development,” Prior said. “We want to get a handle on what can go in there.”

The court decision is the latest in the saga of West Beach.

Lenopause: …

…  Stage of life when one thinks “The Tonight Show” is cutting-edge humor.

* from the Washington Post’s The Style Invitational where they asked for neologisms including the four-letter block N-O-E-L, in any order but without any other letters between them.