text:
Winter storm warning continues for Fraser Valley following Thursday's snowfall
A winter storm whipped across much of B.C. Thursday, prompting severe weather warnings, and raising avalanche fears in the province's Interior.
On Friday, Environment Canada said the storm warning for the Fraser Valley was still in effect, while snowfall warnings issued Thursday for some areas of Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island were lifted.
The federal weather agency said that an Arctic front moved over the South Coast Thursday, with increased amounts of rain turning to snow at higher elevations.
In Metro Vancouver, a special weather statement was in effect for the Sea to Sky region, from West Vancouver to Squamish. Drivers were advised to be prepared for snow or freezing rain.
Howe Sound was expected to receive 10 to 15 centimetres of snow by the afternoon, and there's a risk of freezing rain Friday morning near Squamish.
Environment Canada meteorologist Armel Castellan says higher elevations in Metro Vancouver such as the North Shore and Simon Fraser University in Burnaby might see some snow. But he said it's unlikely snow will fall at sea level in areas like Vancouver or Richmond.
He says it's going to get really messy in the Fraser Valley, where up to 30 centimetres of snow is expected is the central and eastern parts of the region.
Environment officials are warning that the weather conditions may turn hazardous, and say drivers should consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve.
Castellan says the cold air mass over Hope and Chilliwack combined with the moisture will produce significant snowfall. He adds the system will move west to Abbotsford, now forecast to receive 10 to 15 centimetres.
The snow was expected to taper overnight, but then more is expected in the Fraser Valley on Friday as another weather system arrives.
A snowfall warning was also been posted for much of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Environment Canada says five to 10 centimetres are possible over higher terrain of Greater Victoria, East Vancouver Island, Southern Gulf Islands and Inland Vancouver Island. The agency says there was also a "slight risk" of freezing rain later in the afternoon and Thursday evening.
Meantime, much of B.C.'s Interior was also under a snowfall warning, while strong Arctic winds whipped across the province's North Coast.
An extreme cold weather warning has been issued for Watson Lake and Dease Lake, where temperatures are expected to remain in the low minus 40s Thursday morning. The agency says windchill values will be below minus 45.
Meantime, there is a high avalanche risk in much of the B.C. Interior, and authorities are warning people to stay out of the backcountry.
Avalanche Canada and Parks Canada posted a special warning Thursday for the Lizard Range and Flathead, South Rockies, Purcells, Kootenay Boundary, South and North Columbia, Glacier National Park, and the Cariboo regions.
The agencies say these areas contain weak layers of snow, and that recent snowstorms have buried the layers from 40 centimetres to more than a metre deep.
The weight of the new snow has brought this unstable snowpack to a critical point, they say, making it very easy for skiers or snowmobilers to trigger large avalanches.
Avalanche forecaster James Floyer, with Avalanche Canada, says it's a complex situation at the tipping point.
He says the warmer temperatures forecast for the coming weekend will "definitely increase the chances of triggering an avalanche."
Officials say there have been a number of near misses reported over the past week, as well as a fatal avalanche accident north of Fernie on Jan. 8.
Floyer says the conditions require expert-level decision making skills and recommends backcountry users avoid avalanche terrain.


text:
yourself scuba diving in Malta, imagine a reef below you, peaceful,
serene, just think about the simplistic beauty of this scene, schools
of fish swimming by, pull out a piece of Kaboo casino bread supplied by your
diving instructor and there you are weightless feeding the fish,
just one of the many activities you could take part in, and you
were there and able to see it with your own eyes.
Now you can stop imagining this scenario All British Casino and take part in it by
emailing Aquabubbles diving school Malta to arrange your scuba diving
training, we can also arrange your hotel and scuba diving course
via email, phone or fill out our Booking form on this website.
Malta is a great scuba diving holiday Mecca with many varied dives
sites. If you have never dived in your life you are truly missing
one of life's greatest pleasures.
If your not too sure about scuba diving then take one of our introductory
dives with a fully qualified diving instructor who will guide you
through your first dive in a safe area within meters of the Diving
We are happy to rent diving equipment and obtain hotel accommodation
for clubs and scuba diving groups just fill out our booking form
provided on this Website.
Set yourself free from the bonds of Earth, feel what an astronaut
feels when in space, the feeling of being weightless is a great
plus of scuba diving, feel free to take one of our Internationally
recognize scuba diving courses.
do you like Aquabubbles Diving School Malta?
Please let us know!
Site Rating:
10 = best,
1 = worst
Scuba Diving School Malta - Introductory Dive
Diving holiday in Malta for the complete beginner. We
offer the opportunity to fulfill one of the greatest ambitions
of mankind and help you discover a totally new and peaceful world
experienced internationally qualified diving instructors will
introduce you to the basics of Scuba Diving which will include:(S.C.U.B.A)
Self Contained Underwater breathing Apparatus.
are ready for your introductory dive, due to the fact that we are
blessed with calm, clear, current free water, Malta is the ideal
place for the novice diver because we will actually be giving you
all your training in the sea itself.
Note: All divers must present a medical certificate to the
Diving School before any diving is carried out. This certificate
can be obtained locally in Marsascala for around Lm3.00 (Three Maltese
Liri). if you are reasonably fit and have no breathing difficulties
you should be able to pass this without any problems, so come and
enjoy your first scuba diving lesson today and join us to scuba
dive in Malta.
Recognised Scuba Diving Courses
For those that enjoyed their first diving experience so much, we
can offer an Internationally recognised course, so you can improve
your practical diving skills and learn more about the theory of
During these courses you will learn about the discipline and safety
in diving, the physiological aspects of diving and life saving amongst
other things.
and unaccompanied Scuba Dives
Experienced divers are of course very welcome guided
and accompanied by one of our experienced instructors or guides.
We know all the best and local dive sites including caves, wrecks
and other fantastic sites.
We can take you on boat dives, or shore dives during the day or
on special night dives. As in any other country, Malta enjoys a
large number of "tourist sites", these are very well known.
In addition our instructors can take you to the unspoiled sites
which they explore over the winter months.
clubs and groups are very welcome, accommodation can be arranged.
All prices on application.
© 2000 Aquabubbles.co.uk. All rights reserved.
Site designed by Pagenauts

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Upcoming iap2 Courses
The iap2 Foundations in Effective Public Participation course includes two modules: Planning for Effective Public Participation, a three-day course that is the prerequisite for the two-day Techniques for Effective Public Participation.
|2 – 4 March 2020
|5 – 6 March 2020
|20 – 22 April 2020
|23 – 24 April 2020
|25 – 27 May 2020
|28 – 29 May 2020
|21 – 23 September 2020
|24 – 25 September 2020
|5 – 7 October 2020
|8-9 October 2020
|19 – 21 October 2020
|22 – 23 October 2020
|16 – 18 November 2020
|19 – 20 November 2020
About our iap2 Training
Delaney + Associates (D+A) is highly regarded for its International Association for Public Participation (iap2) training. Why?
We are Canada's longest-standing engagement company, serving government, industry and non-governmental organizations since 1996. Engagement is all that we do. From hospital and school closures, to social housing, to wind farms, to official community plans, we are there engaging communities and stakeholders and working with decision makers. Several of our clients have won international recognition from iap2 for the quality of the work we have undertaken with them.
Our trainers – Richard Delaney, President of Delaney + Associates, and Jessica Delaney, Principal Engagement and Communications – are seasoned engagement practitioners working in our strength sectors – health, government and the environment.
What makes them great trainers? Well, you can't teach what you don't know, and they know their stuff! They bring iap2 principles and theory to life with their own stories that speak the truth about the challenges and opportunities of engaging communities and stakeholders. Fear not: PowerPoint slides make only the rarest of cameo appearances! Richard and Jessica are also highly skilled at creating a safe space for participants to share their stories, too.
Our participants regularly give perfect evaluation scores for D+A trainers' ability to "draw on the wisdom of the group".
What does this mean for you, the professional adult learner? An unparalleled training experience!
We offer the iap2 five-day Foundations in Effective Public Participation program several times a year, in Vancouver, Kelowna, Calgary, Toronto, and other Canadian cities. Organizational Foundations programs are also available and are in high demand.
Based on what is widely recognized as the international gold standard in engagement planning – a rigorous, five-step planning process – the iap2 Foundations program is must-have training for practitioners and novices alike, and the entry prerequisite for anyone interested in becoming a Public Participation Professional (new professional certification – CP3).
Take the prerequisite three-day Planning for Effective Public Participation module on its own and follow up with the two-day Techniques for Effective Public Participation module at a later time, or take the two modules as back-to-back training. Either way, this training provides opportunities for immediate and practical on-the-job application.
Have some questions? Want to chat? Please call Valerie or Brenda at 613-837-5890, or email: firstname.lastname@example.com and email@example.com.
Why take the iap2 Foundations Program?
- Participate in a skill-development, interactive and practitioner-endorsed training program that is the international gold standard for planning effective public participation
- The Foundations Program (Planning for Effective Public Participation and Techniques for Effective Public Participation) is mandatory training for engagement practitioners wanting to pursue their professional designation – Certified Public Participation Professional (CP3).
- Receive an internationally-recognized certificate of completion that is in demand by employers and quickly becoming a mandatory requirement for consultants working for government.
Why Delaney + Associates?
- Learn from our experienced and talented trainers who have delivered almost 100 Foundations courses (including the former Certificate course). They pride themselves on creating a dynamic and positive learning environment, in which to share their 35+ years of P2 experience and draw upon the broad experience of the group.
- Learn from Jessica Delaney, D+A Principal Engagement and Communications – one of only eight Certified Public Participation Professionals (CP3) in Canada, and the very first Canadian (December 2017) iap2-licenced trainer to become a CP3! Smart, funny and on the move, she'll keep you engaged!
- Learn from Richard Delaney, D+A President and Principal of Collaborative Decision Making. Also smart, funny and a ground-breaking engagement pioneer.
- Richard co-led the review and revision (2012 – 2014) of iap2's flagship training product, the Certificate in Public Participation – now called Foundations in Public Participation. He was the only Canadian to sit on this international working group (Innovation Project). He currently sits on the international working group planning the strategic directions of the iap2 Federation (Change Group) and the iap2 Training Advisory Committee, representing the Canadian context and training needs.
- Our training team is committed to building engagement capacity in Canada and beyond. We offer training discounts to students, recent graduates and not-for-profits, along with complimentary follow-up coaching.
- Start your learner's journey even before the course begins. We use web-based tools prior to a course to share readings, begin conversations and confirm learning objectives.
- Did we mention "Coffee with Colleagues"? Enjoy a coffee and healthy breakfast to start each day.
- Our alumni of +2200 make up our online community of practice. Receive our newsletter, share documents in the library and connect with fellow alumni.'
"Jessica is an enthusiastic and motivated public participation professional. Her experience and stories are as relevant and valuable as the iap2 educational material."
Project Manager, Transportation Engineer, Urban Systems, Kelowna
Kelowna, September 2019, iap2 Foundations Course
Who should take the course?
- Relative beginners currently working in the field of community and stakeholder engagement
- Seasoned professionals interested in refreshing their understanding of public participation and strengthening their planning and techniques skills
- Individuals in any level of government, the private sector, or a not-for-profit organization, with leadership and/or oversight responsibilities for community and stakeholder engagement activities
What will I learn?
- Use industry-standard tools and principles to design and manage public participation
- Set clear, shared objectives for effective participation
- Manage the full scope of planning needed for effective participation
- Select the appropriate level of engagement and matching techniques
- Develop a public participation plan
- Receive a tried-and-true D+A engagement planning tool
- Be able to communicate effectively for meaningful participation
- Identify appropriate evaluation tools to measure the effectiveness of P2 programs
- Your questions answered here!
"Jessica was a fantastic facilitator – truly demonstrated best practice while leading the training. Just having the chance to watch her work was a learning in itself."
SEI-VS, Seattle, WA
Vancouver, May 2019, IAP2 Foundations Course


text:
Postal workers are to be balloted on strikes in support of two brothers who are seeking reinstatement after winning claims of unfair dismissal.
Members of the Communication Workers Union in North London will vote later this month on whether to walk out over the cases of Mick and Tom Doherty.
They were sacked by postal group Consignia for alleged involvement in football violence but won claims of unfair dismissal when they took their cases to employment tribunals.
A union official said it was a "disgrace" that Consignia was refusing to reinstate the two men.


text:
SSHFS and FUSE To Mount Remote Network Resources
UPDATE (2014.04.09): I may have been premature with the startup script mentioned below. This doesn't seem to work. I am assuming the failure is because my profile isn't loaded at the time the script is run or my account isn't allowed to to run scripts using @reboot in a cron config. Whatever the case, I have found a configuration that works. I put the startup script call in my ~/.bashrc file and it works as intended. Here's the line I added after my environmental declarations (near the bottom):
Everything else worked pretty well. I am getting the following message when I open a terminal and I will need to do more research as to how to resolve this:
fuse: mountpoint is not empty fuse: if you are sure this is safe, use the 'nonempty' mount option
</UPDATE> At work, I have a network homedrive for my Linux systems that I only have access to once logged into one of my systems. Once I am in one system, it's easy for me to move scripts and files around but I have always struggled with the overt disconnection between my local workstation andy my network. My requirements were straightforward: Easy to configure locally, no network/remote configuration required, maintains solid security, and scriptable. Today, I made a push to get some level of resolution to this issue and I was finally successful using sshfs and FUSE. While not strictly work related, this will be a huge improvement for my BeagleBone Black projects as well. It was much easier than I thought it would be. Let's say I want to mount the remote home drive from my BeagleBone (hostname: 'trisket', user: 'dave'). NOTE: These instructions assume Ubuntu, but I'm sure the process is the same for other distros
1. Install (if it's not already installed) 'sshfs' on my client
sudo apt-get install sshfs
2. Verify that my user account is in the fuse group.
groups dave
which returns:
dave adm dialout cdrom sudo dip plugdev fuse lpadmin sambashare
If not, add user:
sudo adduser dave fuse
3. Verify ownership of /dev/fuse and make sure it's root:fuse. This is important!
ls -la /dev/fuse
crw-rw---- 1 root root 10, 229 Apr 3 09:12 /dev/fuse
I fixed this with:
sudo chown root:fuse /dev/fuse
4. Create a mount point: (I wanted this in my home folder)
mkdir ~/bbb
5: Mount the remote resource: sshfs remoteuser@remotehost:/remote/resource /local/resource
sshfs dave@trisket:/home/dave ~/bbb
Success! Now I have the remote BBB home folder mounted on my local workstation. This worked amazingly well and it was very easy to to add others. In retrospect, I think I will centralize the mount points that I bind to much like the mount folder. I am keeping these separate from /media or /mnt for my own sanity. Finally, a quick word on persistence. After I mounted the drive, I logged out and back in and the mount was still there. However, after a reboot, it disappeared. So, as I have mentioned in previous posts for my BeagleBone Black initial configuration, I created a startup script that runs on reboot. There's lots of ways to do this but this is my method which helps me keep everything organized and within scope. First I added the mount line to my ~/startup.sh script:
#! /bin/bash ~/getIP.py ~/updateGateway.sh sshfs dave@trisket:/home/dave ~/bbb
Because I have this already to run on reboot/startup, I don't have to do anything else. However, if you are setting this up for the first time, you can have the cron service run this file for you. I have other posts that go into more detail but you can simply add one entry in your crontab to get this done:
crontab -e
then add the following line:
@reboot /home/dave/startup.sh
Just make sure you change the path to where your startup.sh script is saved. Also, don't forget to make your startup script executable:
chmod +x startup.sh
Overall, this was a very easy feature add to my local client configuration and the value is huge, especially at work. I hope this helps someone and if you have any questions, feel free to post comments.


text:
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Aug. 18, 2016) - LITE ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES INC. (the "Company") (CSE:LTE)(OTC Pink:LTCCF), a total integrated fibre optic solutions provider, is pleased to provide an update on the current operational activities of the Company and to announce that it has received Certificate of Recognition ("COR") certification for its safety program.
The Certificate of Recognition (COR) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes companies who develop and implement health and safety and injury management systems that meet an industry standard. The program rewards employers who take a strategic approach to workplace safety and are committed to reducing both the human and financial costs of workplace injuries. The BC Construction Safety Alliance is the COR Certifying Partner for employers in the construction industry.
Mike Plotnikoff, CEO of Lite Access, stated, "Achieving Certificate of Recognition certification is a significant accomplishment and key differentiator for Lite Access. Most clients require their construction contractors to have a recognized safety program in place as a prequalification to bid on projects - being COR certified exceeds that requirement."
"Pursuing COR was an intensive endeavor that we remained dedicated to completing, and besides the obvious new business opportunities it opens up for us, it speaks to our commitment of providing a safe and rewarding work environment for our entire team," said Wade Wurzer, General Manager of Construction and Design at Lite Access.
Benefits of COR certification:
Corporate Updates:
Municipal Access Agreement Received
Lite Access has been granted a Municipal Access Agreement ("MAA") from the City of Vancouver, British Columbia. The MAA enables Lite Access to deploy fibre connectivity using micro-trench installation methodologies for clients that do not have the ability to own fibre optic or telecommunications services within the City.
Michael Priest, Chief Commercial Officer of Lite Access, stated, "This is an important step for Lite Access to serve clients that are not network operators today and supports the City's goal of expanding broadband access throughout the City of Vancouver.
Telecommunication Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT)
The successful business partnership between Lite Access and valued partner TSTT continues to strengthen. Lite Access received another purchase order in the amount of approximately CDN$250,000 as TSTT increases their fibre optic deployments using Lite Access' best-in-class technology to meet the connectivity demands for their clients.
Novus Communications
Lite Access recently finished an additional build for its valued and long term partner Novus Communications in Vancouver, BC.
"We have worked with Lite Access successfully over the past few years and are continually impressed with their professionalism and ability to provide total integrated fibre optic solutions," said Brent Galpin, Construction Manager of Novus Communications.
Continued Network Builds and Expansion Projects in Western Canada and in the USA
Lite Access continues to support and assist with ongoing builds and expansion projects, highlights include:
About Lite Access
Lite Access is a world leader in microduct and fibre optic technologies. Using its specially designed and innovative micro-trench and micro-drill methods of deployment, Lite Access' proprietary microduct technology extends a network provider's ability to deliver true broadband connectivity directly to end-users, such as homes, government and educational institutions, and emergency response facilities. Providing a full portfolio of fibre connectivity solutions for many types of Telecom infrastructure, Lite Access has successfully deployed thousands of kilometres of microduct networks throughout North and South America, the United Kingdom, the Caribbean, Australia and Asia.
Lite Access' products have been deployed in many high profile communication networks including the Whistler 2010 Winter Olympic facilities, builds within the State of New York including Central Park, the Bering Sea for the TV show "the Deadliest catch," fibre to the home at Stanford University and numerous other locations around the globe that have adopted Lite Access as the "solution of choice" for future proof fibre optic connectivity.
Forward-Looking Information
Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties described in the Company's Listing Statement dated May 26, 2015 available on www.cnsx.ca. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.
The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the information contained herein and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contact Information:


text:
Shing Wako Resort: A Historical Snapshot
1936 The 7 1/2 acre resort property was purchased by Edward J. and Wilhemena (Minnie) Schmidt and F.R. Seyferth.
1937 E.J. and Minnie Schmidt and F.R. Seyferth, took a mortgage out for $2,500 to build the resort. Shing Wako was well known as a dance hall, tavern, country store and gas station; as well as a housekeeping resort with six cottages, an ice house, a maintained beach, dock and boats for fishing. The dance hall, tavern, country store and gas station stood where the office and residence is now. It was THE place to go on a Saturday night!
Ed and Minnie's son, Edward (Bud) worked at the resort full time as well. Their house was located behind the lodge.
1940's Electricity was added to the resort. A cabin was built for Aunt Ann, now cabin 7 – it was called the "Big Cabin" and had an indoor bathroom with toilet, sink and a shower!
1946 Charles and Rose Aymar sold Shing Wako Resort to John and Genevieve (Jean) McGraw. Mrs. McGraw's brother, Bud May and his wife Wanda lived and worked at the resort, and lived in cabin 6 in the winter.
1950's A central bathhouse was constructed with one side for men and one side for women. Each had a shower, toilet, and sink on a concrete floor. The building stood where the small red shed is now across from cabin 3, which is actually a remnant of the bathhouse. Refrigerators replaced the iceboxes in the cabins. The icehouse became a storage barn and garage. There was still wood to haul for the heaters in the cabins and wooden boats to clean and repair. Four "Overnighters" were built near the road for overnight guests. They had a double bed, electricity, hot plate and wash basin.
1952 John and Genevieve McGraw sold Shing Wako Resort to Darrell and Dorothy David. A baseball field was constructed across the road from the resort and many games were played there. The "home" team was called the "Center Cats" (Center Township).
1960 Darrell and Dorothy David sold Shing Wako Resort to Anfin and Sonja Blakstvedt.
1966 Shing Wako Lodge burns down – the end of an era. An owner's residence is built in its place with the resort office included.
1970's Indoor bathrooms (toilet only) were built-in to cabins 1 – 6 in the small front porch area.
Resort was sold several times:
1974 — Raymond and Inga Holmstrom sold to Richard and Helene Letsch.
1977 — Richard and Helene Letsch sold to Gordon and Margaret Lehrke.
1979 — Gordon and Margaret Lehrke sold to Roger and Lois Carson and Jon and Marlene Wordelman.
Shing Wako Resort now has seven cabins, fourteen recreational campsites and four seasonal sites.
1981 Roger and Lois Carson and Jon and Marlene Wordelman sold Shing Wako Resort to Gerald and Anna Straub.
1990 Address of the road outside the resort (now County Road 3) changed from Star Route to HC 87.
Start of a New Era at Shing Wako Resort!
1991 Gerald and Anna Straub sold Shing Wako Resort to Marty Paradeis. Resort included: seven two-bedroom cabins, some tent camping, thirteen water and electric campsites and eight seasonal campsites. The bath and shower houses were still "on top" near cabin 3.
2001 Built five new cabins (#s 8 – 12), with #8 being handicap-accessible, and an asphalt basketball court. Overnight camping is discontinued and the first website was launched.
2002 Built another cabin, #14 and added an 18' deluxe fishing boat to our rental fleet of 14' boats.
2003 The existing resort house and office was sold and moved to rural Pine River. A new resort house and office was built in its place, with the addition of a public laundry facility, restroom and a storm shelter. Two new 20' pontoons and two double kayaks were added to the resort and paddleboat and kayaks begin to be included in cabin rental. Charcoal grills were also purchased for all the cabins.
2004 Cabins are now smoke-free and this was the last summer of seasonal camping. An additional 2 ½ acres of vacant land, adjoining the south side of the resort was purchased. The last "Overnighter" and the two outhouses near Co Rd 3 come down.
2005 Cabin #6 is sold and moved to Pequot Lakes (near the American Legion) and six new Reunion Lodges (#s 15 – 20) are built on much of the new property. A resort workshop/storage building is also built near the office. A newly designed website is re-launched, shingwako.com, with added online availability search.
2007 Began providing resort-wide, high-speed wireless internet.
2008 Air conditioning is added to cabins #8 – 14. Green practices are initiated (environmentally-friendly cleaning products) and on-site massage is now available to resort guests.
2009 County Road 3 (the road in front of the resort) was widened with 10' shoulders and turning lanes added. This proved to be a great improvement for driving, walking, running and biking. The Shing Wako Resort sign was moved from north of the resort driveway to the south.
2010 A swimming ladder is installed at the end of the dock and an accessible path is added to the beach area. Wireless internet service continues to be upgraded for the guests.
2011 White beach loungers with side tables and two single kayaks are added to the beach area; to the playground, a new sand digger. One of the three large White Pines (or Shing Wak's) by the office comes down.
2012 Added Carpet Ball to our playground. It has been very popular! Launched electronic newsletters for guest (sign up at shingwako.com) to keep everyone informed on resort changes and other happenings in the Brainerd Lakes. Two walking trails were been carved out of the woods "on top" behind Cabin 7 and near the lake, next to Reunion Lodge 15.
2013 Shing Wako Resort is on Facebook! We are experiencing one of the coldest and snowiest April's since we moved to the resort. On April 12 there is still 27″ of ice on the lake and more snow and cold in the forecast. And we continue to upgrade our wireless internet! Each cabin has not only a picnic table but newly added stack chairs! 4 for the two bedroom cabins, 6 for the three bedroom cabins, 8 for the four bedroom cabins, 8 for the 3 bedroom Reunion Lodges and 10 for the 4 bedroom Reunion Lodges.
2014 Winter just wasn't going to give up this spring! We got a late start but the playground "remodel" was completed on schedule. Now it is about twice the size with adding a second deck, tunnel slide and monkey bars. The sand was dug out and replaced with pea rock as was the area in and around the "big kids swings" by the lake.
2015 Introduced our new logo!The name Shing Wako is a derivative of the Ojibwe word, zhingwaak(oog), for White Pine(s). In the 1930's there were many white pine in our area and the locals referred to them as Shing Wak's. Our new logo reflects the white pine, beautiful Lake Edward and our amazing of sunsets!
2015 will also be remembered as the year of the July 12 Brainerd/Nisswa storm! Here is what I posted on Facebook: "Yes we had alot of storm damage on Sunday night. The winds blew like we never before experienced. We have not counted the trees that are down, it is numerous. All our guests were safe in their cabins and have their own story to tell! One car had tree damage and one of our new pontoons was damaged. The dock came apart in a few sections. It is amazing that we never lost power or internet connection! We have had a humbling turn out of help and want to thank everyone! We have been able to continue operating with just a few delays here and there. Here is a view from the road – you cannot see the red cabins."
2016 Our rental boat fleet has 3 New Bennington 24′ Pontoon Boats w/ 50 HP motor, depth finder, live wells, awning. One each of blue, black and bronze to help guests tell which one is theirs. We still offer a 18′ deluxe fishing boat w/40HP and two 14′ boats w/15HP. Our beach fleet has been expanded to include 4 paddle boards! Along with our two each of double kayaks & single kayaks, 2 paddle boats (one seats 4 – blue and one seats 2 – green) and a canoe. The beach fleet continues to be free with cabin rental!
And a webcam has been installed near the beach to capture our amazing sunsets! It can be viewed from our website. We have many who say they look at it every day!
2017 Our new sign was installed in May, just as our first guests were arriving! And over the winter Cabins 8 – 14 and Reunion Lodges 15 – 20 were all re-shingled.
2018 Launched our new mobile friendly website with virtual tours! You can still find us at www.shingwako.com. Visit the virtual tours here!
2019 Took down the fish cleaning house and storage shed by the lake and rebuilt them. They remain the same size as that's all we can do so close to the lake. Nevertheless they are new! Marty also replaced the TV's in Cabins 1-7 and 15 – 20 with new and improved larger and flat screen sets. And added new tower fans to Cabins 1- 7 – no they still can't be air conditioned…
Growing Up With Shing Wako
Stories and history about the land and resort, as told by John D. (Jack) McDonald
Courtesy of Shing Wako Resort, Marty & Sue Paradeis, Owners
Compiled By Kathleen M. Keller
On October 6, 1935, Jack McDonald was born. He is the son of George Darrel McDonald and Grace Russell Dunham (Dunham is from her last marriage). In 1931, Grace Russell was one of five daughters that inherited the land that included the property of Shing Wako.
In 1937, Shing Wako was established as a resort. Growing up with Shing Wako, Jack remembers what early life was like at the resort. He remembers playing in the icehouse, hearing the music and revelry when there used to be a dance hall and tavern on the property, and he also remembers when some modern conveniences started popping up. These are his stories. We are grateful for his memories and especially that he has passed them along. We hope you enjoy stepping back in time with him and learning more about this historic resort.
Many Big Pine Trees
Even now there might be a giant white pine within sight of present day Shing Wako. When the resort was built there were many "shingwak's"– the Ojibwe word for "many big pine trees". These trees stood, huge and glorious, on both sides of the unpaved road to Merrifield from Crosslake. This road is presently County Road 3, which was called "Star Route" back in the 1940s. Nearly all of them grew on the land between Lake Edward, on the west side of this road, and Silver Lake, to the east.
The land, that includes Shing Wako, once belonged to Thomas Russell, my great grandfather on my father's side. He put up the first building on the property that was a school in about 1919, out of logs from timber around the area. He then converted it into a house in the early 1920s. The house wrapped around the old school and still stands just west of Silver Lake. When I last saw the house that had been the old school, it was 1949. I was probably 13 at the time. This is when the McGraw's owned Shing Wako; they were the 3rd couple to own the resort.
At this time, the Earhardts, who were friends of ours, lived in the house. Back in 1950, the community gathered at their house to help put out the fire Ed Earhardt's grandson, Joey Shankle had started. He had poured gasoline on the live coals in the cook stove. He died at the scene. Fortunately, the fire did not destroy the house and it was repaired.
My father, George (Dick) Darrel McDonald, recalled when his grandfather Tom Russell was the Engineer on the passenger train in the early 1900s. "Sometimes my Mother would go to Brainerd on the train and I was allowed to go along. When we would get to Merrifield and go out to the tracks to wait for the train, I would walk forward and be standing where the engine would stop and Gramp would stick his head out of the cab window and say "O.K., come on, climb in here" and I would ride with him. He always let me blow the whistle for crossings and I really thought I was a 'Big Shot'. Needless to say, I wanted to grow up and become an Engineer on a Locomotive…"
For more information about the history of owners of the land around Shing Wako and the previous owners of the resort, please see the section, "A Historical Snapshot."
Ice House Fun
About where the dog kennels stand today was where the original icehouse stood. It was built when the resort was built, in 1937. In the winter, an ice crew would put up the ice in that house. Usually the local men would organize a crew, harvest ice from the lakes and sell it to people who had the means to store it for use in the summer. The icehouse at Shing was very large, at least it seemed that way to us kids.
It was half full of sawdust procured from one of the local sawmills, such as Marshall Young's mill. That mill was about a half mile south of the resort, near "turtle pond." This pond now is just a grassy slough.
The sawdust was moved out gradually as the ice was uncovered during the summer. When the new ice was put up the old remaining ice was pulled out and wasted if there was any left from the summer before, as by then it was rounded over from partial thawing and imbedded with sawdust. The new ice was neatly stacked with about 2 feet of sawdust between the sides of the ice and the icehouse. The access door ran from the ground up to the rafters. As the tiers of ice were piled up, boards were put across the doorway to hold the insulating sawdust from falling out. When the house was full, a generous topping of sawdust was applied.
The icehouse at Shing Wako was special because there was an ice locker built into the north end of the building. Ice from the main storage part was slid down the wooden chute. It was made to get the 100-pound ice cakes out and down so they could be hauled around to the north end, cut into manageable chunks and stored in the locker for use or sale.
Ed Schmidt's son Bud did most, if not all, of the ice handling. Tall and lanky, he worked all the time. He would walk so fast you couldn't keep up with him and he didn't say very much. My sister Arlyne and I would pull our wagon over to the icehouse then go over to the lodge and store and tell someone we needed ice. We would usually get fifty cents worth for about 25 pounds of ice and wait around till Bud could be located to get our ice and then we would pull it home.
Sometimes Dad would buy a big chunk and put it in a sled he had rigged up full of sawdust. Sawdust is a wonderful thing to play in when it is hot in the summer. We would sneak into the icehouse over at Shing Wako, burrow down in the cool wet sawdust, plow the sawdust into hills and valleys, cover each other up and truly enjoy life. We would get it well imbedded into our clothes and hair and have to suffer Mother cleaning us up, but it was worth it!
Resort Life
Shing Wako was well known as a dance hall, tavern, country store and gas station, as well as a housekeeping resort with a maintained beach, dock and boats for fishing. The dance hall, tavern, country store and gas station were built at the same time as the resort and stood where the owner's residence now is.
As memory serves me there were six original cottages at Shing Wako. These are all still standing, well spaced along the hill overlooking the lake to the west. A road still runs along their north side going down to the beach, docks and landing.
In the early days when we were young, we could hear the music on the weekends. We lived in the house that is north of that road right across from what still is Cabin 1. Mostly I remember the Peterson sisters, they played the piano and I think an accordion. There was often a fiddle sawing away and the sisters sang along. Sometimes we would hear loud cussing and fighting. It was usually when it was hot and we had all of our windows open. Sometimes Dad would go out and holler at people who got too close to our house with the noise and name calling. Being well respected in the community, he was often successful in preserving the peace. Sometimes he wasn't.
After the war, in 1946, the McGraws owned Shing Wako. John and Jean McGraw had three children, Robert, John Jr. (called Pug) and Sandra. These children fit nicely into the ages of our bunch. My older sister Arlyne frowned on all of us but tolerated us and often had a hand in our mischief. It was mostly just "easy kid stuff" – I remember acquiring part of a case of warm beer, knocking on cabin doors then hiding and playing in the icehouse. Nothing too bad by today's standards.
Mrs. McGraw's brother Bud May and his wife Wanda lived and worked at the resort. Like Bud Schmidt before him, Bud May was the workhorse on the place. There were wooden boats to clean and repair and all the cabins needed maintenance, paint, etc.
As I recall, Bud and Wanda moved into one of the cabins for a while when they were first married. It was the first time (and last time) I had ever participated in a "shivaree". Various friends, relatives and patrons from the tavern silently gather at the newlyweds cabin (which is now cabin 6) well after dark. When the time was right a shotgun was fired and everyone in attendance banged kettles, yelled and hollered and set up a terrible din. Bud and Wanda came out in their bedclothes and expressed their appreciation for our kind presentation.
Fishing and Hunting
Jack's father, Dick McDonald, also had written down memories of the area around Shing Wako. This section is dedicated to his memories of the fishing and hunting that occurred here in the early part of the 20th century. Like Jack's stories, this section is in Dick's own words.
"With regards to what fishing was like in those days I am sure that most persons who read this will not believe it, but what I write here will not be fiction, only fact."
I managed to talk my stepfather, William H. Dunham, into letting me go out with him once in awhile. We would leave the dock a little after daybreak and row around the point about 1/2mile from the dock and start fishing.
He used two cane poles about 10 feet long and worked both sides of the boat at the same time. I fished off the back end with a short pole and in about 3 hours we would have to come in because the boat was full of crappies."
"He would then gut and gill the fish, pack them in chipped ice and have a little lunch then get another load in the afternoon. The next day he packed them in barrels, first a layer of ice, then a layer of fish until he had two barrels full. He would load them in a wagon and drive to Merrifield in time to get them on the train. I believe they went to a market in Minneapolis or Saint Paul. They brought 6 cents a pound."
Some days he would fish for Northern Pike, then it was one pole much longer and with heavier line, a spoon hook baited with a piece of fish cut from the belly was the only bait he used. He would troll it over the end of the boat as he rowed along slowly near the edge of the rushes. About every 50 feet he would land a fish 4 to 10 pounds, but once in a while a big one 15 to 20 pounds would latch on. He usually got his two barrels full in one day.
Hunting was excellent except for deer; there were very few deer in the area at that time but lots of wolves. Walter Van Doren who lived on the north end of Lake Edward killed 30 wolves on the lake one winter.
The wolves for some reason would go out on the lake in the winter and just sit there. Walter built an iceboat powered with a gasoline engine and an airplane propeller (sort of an early version of a snowmobile). When they spotted a wolf on the lake they would take after it and could usually get within gun range before the wolf could reach shore. However, many of them made it into the brush before the boys could get in range.
Another method the hunters used to kill wolves in those days was quite effective. It went this way, right after a fresh snowfall of from 10 to 14 inches, one man on horseback would follow a fresh track and would have a cow bell on the horse and the other man on snowshoes would walk on one side about 100 yards out always on the upwind side of the track. As the horse plodded along on the track the man out on the side could hold his position as near as possible and they would simply stay on the wolf's trail until he was played out. Eventually he would lay down to rest and when the hunter on the horse got too close, he would jump and run always into the wind. They could not run very fast in the deep, fresh snow, so many times the hunter out on the side would get a good shot at the wolf but, of course, they didn't always get them."
I heard of one case where a couple of hunters spent four days following the same wolf before finally getting it. I think the bounty paid by the state at that time was about $20.00 and, of course the hide would bring anywhere from $3.00 to $10.00. If a couple of guys could get two wolves a week, they were doing pretty well for those days. Of course we also trapped and poisoned them.
"When the northern duck flight started late in the fall, they flew through this area by the thousands. Pass shooting was the big thing then. One of the best passes in the country was between Silver and Lake Edwards at the site occupied by Shing Wako Resort."
Down near Silver Lake there was a long narrow dip with a ridge on the lakeside where the hunters would be strung out in the brush there and shooting Bluebills and Mallards by the hundreds. There were enough empty cartridges there to fill a good size truck box. Most of the ducks killed were Bluebills. I was too young at the time to get in on that kind of shooting. The ducks continued to fly those same flyways for many years, but the numbers of ducks dwindled every year till it was all over by the time I was in my late 20's. [This would have been around 1940]"
Modern Conveniences
As time passed, refrigerators replaced the iceboxes in the cabins. This was in about 1950. The icehouse became a storage barn and garage for the Model A Ford Bug that was used as a tractor at the resort. There was still wood to haul for the heaters in the cabins, trash to collect and any number of chores real or imagined for young boys to need a "Bug" for.
The typical Bug was nothing like today's Volkswagen Beetle. It started as a coupe, sedan or truck of some kind. The frame was shortened and a second transmission was mounted behind the original. Springs were usually removed in favor of fitted blocks of oak wood and large wheels and tires were put on the back, along with a short bed of some kind that provided a place to haul small loads.
This particular Bug was built on a Model A Ford chassis. It usually had a trailer attached and more often than not Bud May was working with it from dawn to dark. Sometimes it had a muffler though my father would not remember those times. He was convinced that it was always without one and was ridiculously load. As time passed, the boys were allowed to drive the Bug. They went from the lodge to the lake and back and forth unceasingly, after school and on the weekends. On good days, I got to ride along.
In the late 40s and early 50s, my Dad had experience in the iron mines building trestles. He did commercial work and remodeling. John McGraw hired Dad's company to build small cabins out along the road for overnight guests. These four "overnighters" are no longer standing. (One owner, Jerry Straub, attempted to move one and it did not withstand the move.)
My uncle, Floyd Peck, who married Dad's sister Lela, was a whiz around power saws. He and Dad rigged up Dad's 12 inch Walker Turner radial arm saw to size common pine slabs from one of the local saw mills. They ingeniously grooved the edges to receive an insert creating a good weather seal as the slabs were joined together.
A few years later, a residence was built over on the south side of the property along the edge of the circle drive surrounding the central area. The foundation is still partially there today, but the area is used for a mulch pile. I remember it as a park. It originally had enough brush growing in it to hide little people playing hide and seek. There were all paths crisscrossing the park and the outhouses were there facing the cabins. There was a pump for water there and it seems like there was another pump along the drive. We had to drive the bug slow around the circle when people wer¬e in the cabins because of the noise and the mechanical brakes that didn't work very well if they worked at all. Going down over the hill between the resort and our place we went as fast as the thing would go, which wasn't much.
Electricity came to the resort in about 1940. Before the cabins had individual bathrooms (which were installed during the 1970s), the outdoor toilets were replaced with the central toilets and showers in the 50s. The building stood in the park along the west side. Inside there was a well and pump and a water heater – all the modern conveniences!


text:
Q is for Quiet*
If I could say anything to my students, I'd say:
"Hi, my name is Mrs. Wyatt and I like it very quiet."
But alas, my last name is Wipff
(origin: Alsace-Lorraine) Yes, Swiss
I chose this name! I married it.
My surname is Chung but not Chinese, Korean
It is pronounced "Jung" – not "yung" like Carl (who was Swiss, by the way)
What's that you say?
Oh yes, I love the Quiet
*Part of my alphabiography series


text:
|Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange
previous taxon |
next taxon
Jepson Interchange (more information)
©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
Annual to small tree; sap often colored, often milky
Leaves basal, cauline, or both, generally toothed, lobed, or dissected; cauline generally alternate; stipules 0
Inflorescence: cyme, raceme, or panicle (terminal), or flower solitary
Flower bisexual, generally radial; sepals 24, sometimes shed ± at flower; petals generally 4 or 6 (or more), sometimes in 2 unlike pairs; stamens 4many; ovary generally 1, superior, chamber generally 1, stigma lobes 0many, ovules 1many
Fruit: generally capsule, dehiscent by valves or pores, generally septicidal
Genera in family: 40 genera, 400 sp.: n temp, n tropical, s Africa; some cultivated (Papaver, Dicentra, Eschscholzia ). Petal length includes any spur or pouch. Hunnemannia fumariifolia Sweet (Eschscholzia-like garden per with free sepals) an uncommon waif in CA. Corydalis, Dicentra, Fumaria formerly treated in Fumariaceae.
Annual, perennial herb; taproot sap colorless or clear orange
Leaves basal and generally some cauline, ± linear-dissected
Inflorescence: cyme, 1many-flowered
Flower: receptacle funnel-shaped, tip cupped around ovary base, sometimes spreading-rimmed below petals; sepals 2, fused, shed as a unit at flower; petals generally 4 (except doubled flowers), free, obovate or wedge-shaped, generally yellow to orange (white or pink), shed after pollination leaving crown-like membrane (formerly called "inner rim"); stamens 12many, free; placentas 2, style 0, stigma lobes 48, spreading, linear
Fruit cylindric, dehiscent from base
Seeds many, 12 mm, round to ovate, net-ridged, bur-like, or pitted, tan, brown, or black
Species in genus: 12 species: w North America
Etymology: (J.F. Eschscholtz, Russian naturalist, 17931831)
Annual, erect or spreading, 535 cm, glabrous, gray- or blue-glaucous
Leaf: segments obtuse
Flower: bud nodding, short-pointed, glabrous, sometimes glaucous; receptacle obconic; petals 326 mm, yellow, base sometimes orange-spotted
Fruit 36 cm
Seed 11.4 mm wide, generally oblong to elliptic, net-ridged, brown to black
Chromosomes: 2n=12,24,36
Ecology: Desert washes, flats, slopes
Elevation: 02000 m.
Bioregional distribution: East of Sierra Nevada, Desert
Distribution outside California: to s Nevada, sw Utah, w Arizona, nw Mexico
Flowering time: MarMay
Variable. Plants from n&c DMoj with petals 618 mm & 2n=24 have been called subsp. covillei (Greene) C. Clark; plants from w DMoj (ne Kern Co.) with petals 1026 mm & 2n=12 have been called subsp. twisselmannii C. Clark & Faull
Synonyms: E. parishii has been misapplied to the plants called subsp. t
Horticultural information: TRY.


text:
K3 delivers integrated manufacturing solutions
Today's manufacturers must decrease their production time and deliver high quality products at a lower cost. Success in the manufacturing industry means you need to produce the right products, in the right quantities, at the right time, with good quality, and at a price your customers will pay. The flexibility to identify and capitalise on trends, and respond to the ever-changing needs of your customers is imperative to success. Meeting these demands requires the ability to make quick decisions based on accurate and real-time information.
When you partner with K3, your business is in safe hands. We are one of the leading providers of integrated business solutions to the UK manufacturing industry and have 25 years experience of partnering with manufacturing organisations, helping them
- Increase plant efficiencies
- Reduce cycle times
- Reduce costs
- Optimise resources
- Control product cost and quality
- Simplify production
- Manage multi-site locations
Our close working relationships with the world's leading hardware and software vendors means that we have access to the very latest technologies. This combined with our unrivalled expertise in all aspects of Business Intelligence, Customer Relationship Management, Enterprise Resource Planning, Supply Chain Management, Infrastructure Design and Managed Service Delivery makes K3 your partner of choice. We understand the unique issues faced by your business and will design, develop, implement and support a best-of-breed solution that will address your specific requirements and objectives – both today and for the future.
Manufacturing Solutions:
- Customer Order Management
- Inventory Control
- Stock Locator
- Physical Inventory Management
- Shop Floor Control
- Shop and Inventory Costing
- Purchasing
- Product Data Base
- Master Production Scheduling
- Material Requirements Planning
- Capacity Requirements Planning
- Standard Product Costing
- Accounts Payable
- Accounts Receivable
- Job Accounting
- General Ledger
- Payroll / Human Resources
- Managed Services
Contact Us
Call: 0844 225 2480
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
|The Climate Camp vs the Carbon Market
|Kevin Smith | Thursday, 26 February 2009
"If you liked sub-prime – you'll love carbon trading!"
The iniquities of emissions trading will bring thousands of protesters to the climate camp in the City of London, writes Kevin Smith.
In the Guardian newspaper on 23 February 2009, Julian Glover drew parallels between carbon trading and the notoriously corrupt practice of the Medieval church in selling pardons. He concluded by calling for "a modern Martin Luther to nail a shaming truth to industry's door: Europe's whizz-bang carbon market is turning sub-prime."
Good news: The Camp for Climate Action intends to bring the failure of carbon markets centre-stage this year. On the 1st of April thousands will set up camp in the City of London outside the European Climate Exchange – the biggest trading platform for the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
It may seem like a strange place to set up camp, as there is no field nor obvious target like a dirty power station or a proposed runway. Yet, for the past two years thousands of people have camped against new carbon-intensive developments, like the proposed coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth, and Heathrow's Runway 3, and each time have been confronted by government and industry stating that these developments are justified because carbon-emissions permits will be bought by the companies.
Is the EU trading scheme so bad? Phase 1 of the scheme gave away the right to pollute for free. Bingo! The biggest polluters then made billions in windfall profits. Phase 2 and in the wake of market meltdown, the price of carbon is again at rock-bottom. The EU scheme is providing all manner of opportunities to pollute and make money, which is why companies from e.on to BP to BAA are all supporters. As a mechanism to reduce emissions it has been an out and out failure.
Carbon markets have been aggressively promoted as a solution to climate change, because of its compatibility with the market-obsessed economic agenda of recent decades. In short, include a price on the climate change impacts from emitting carbon, and the market will solve the problem. Yet the financial crisis has shown that markets can, and do, get it spectacularly wrong. Of course, on climate, if markets fail nature will not bail us out.
The Climate Camp's plans to target the carbon markets on the 1st of April were among those protests that were described in today's Guardian by Superintendent David Hartshorn as kick-starting a "summer of rage". Let's hope so, as climate change is a serious threat to our future and people are right to feel enraged that governments are failing to address the crisis. We do need to reduce emissions and carbon markets are not achieving this.
Of course, Superintendent Hartshorn does not mean this, he is using the recession-provoked threat of social-unrest to justify increasingly draconian policing of protest in the UK.
This has been exemplified by the attacks on the Climate Camp over the years. In 2007 our Heathrow protest apparently required some £7 million of policing and surveillance. Anti-terror laws were used against us, until it was picked up by the media and exposed. In 2008, our Kingsnorth protest required an almost £6 million operation and violent incursions by riot police. The home office told parliament that 70 officers had been injured while dealing with the protesters. This was a lie. The real number was zero. The home office apologised for misleading parliament. Yet, we know of no police investigation to find out who lied to Vernon Coaker, Home Office minister.
And 2009? We will see what happens. But on past evidence it is fair to conclude that the police will misrepresent those who protest about climate change on April 1st. Superintendent Hartshorn's comments are yet more evidence, as former Head of MI5 Stella Rimmington puts it, that people in the UK are made to feel that "live in fear and under a police state". The April 1st protest in the square mile will be about carbon markets, and it seems democracy itself.
An edited version of this article was published in The Guardian on 25 February 2009


text:
SPRINGFIELD - Representative JoAnn Osmond, a Republican from Antioch, submitted her resignation from the Illinois House of Representatives on Friday afternoon. It is effective July 1st.
The 68-year-old Osmond was appointed in December 2002 to replace her late husband, Tim, who died of a heart attack at age 53. She said last summer she would not seek another term this fall.
Osmond is the ranking Republican on the House Human Services Committee and serves on the Public Safety Appropriations Committee.
The race to replace Osmond features business manager and certified public accountant Sheri Jesiel - a Republican - and Democrat Loren Karner.


text:
This is one of the most commonly asked questions that people have when they start planning their trip. We here it asked again and again in emails to us and in the various travel forums. It's difficult to give a simple absolute answer, but we'll do our best to share our advice based on our years of hostel travel experience.
If you know your trip's itinerary in advance, it's probably best to go ahead and book your hostels as soon as you have your final plan for what city you want to be in for each night of your trip. If you book your hostels at least 1-2 months in advance, you'll almost always be able to find available beds at even the best top rated hostels. (By "top rated", we mean hostels that have a high Hostelz.com Combined Score, since those tend to be the most popular hostels.)
What if you can't book that far in advance?
Even in the high season (in Europe that means June - August), you can usually still find available beds at most of the top rated hostels if you're booking at least a week in advance. Occasionally some popular but small hostels might start filling up.
But in most cases, most hostels will still have some available beds a week before, especially for weekday nights.
What if you don't want to plan your trip in advance, and want to keep your options open for where ever your travel adventure takes you? Don't worry, you can make that work too. What we recommend is that you at least book your first hostel at your arrival city well in advance.
And then as you continue your trip, try to book your next hostel at least 2-3 days in advance.
When we arrive in a city, we usually get a sense of how long we'll stay after the first day. So we'll usually make plans for our next city after that first day.
Doing it this way means that you may not always be able to find beds at the very most popular hostels in some cities, but you'll almost always be able to find a decent one at least.
Worst case, you may find that the hostel you want is full for a couple days and you may need to adjust your plans a bit and stop in a between city or stay in your current city for a little longer. But that's all part of the adventure of spontaneous travel right?
If you're willing to compromise sometimes, you can make it work.
You do have an advantage if you're using Hostelz.com to make your bookings (you are using it for all your bookings right?). Hostels typically only put a portion of their beds in each of the booking systems.
So a hostel may be "sold out" on most booking sites, but still have a few beds left on another booking website.
But Hostelz.com is the only site that searches all of the hostel booking websites. So by using Hostelz.com, you'll always be able to find even that last available bed at the very best hostel.
Watch out for holidays, festivals, and special events.
If you're planning to attend Oktoberfest in Munich, the Running of the Bulls in North Spain, or La Tomatina near Valencia, that changes everything. For some of the popular events you may need to book a hostel as much as 6-12 months in advance. Holidays such as New Year's Eve can mean full hostels in many countries all over the world.
So watch out for holidays and events of all kinds, and consider booking farther in advance if there's something on the calendar when you plan to be in town.
People on vacation often forget about weekends.
After-all, when you're on vacation a weekend feels pretty much the same as a weekday. But don't forget that people who live in the region you're visiting are more likely to make their trips on the weekend.
So pay attention to the calendar, and book a little further in advance for Friday and Saturday night accommodations.
The above advice was based on the assumption that you're booking dorm beds.
If you're looking for private rooms at hostels, be aware that hostels usually only have a very limited number of private rooms. That makes sense, because they can make a lot more money off of a room full of dorm beds than they can from having a lot of private rooms. Even larger hostels sometimes only have a few private rooms, if any.
Be aware that you'll need to book further in advance if you want a private room at a hostel.
If your trip is more than a year away, it's too early to start making bookings because most hostel booking systems won't let you book more than a year in advance. Yet, if your trip is less than 12 months away and you're sure of your plans, then it's not too early to start making bookings if you would like.
We hope this guide on when to book hostels was helpful and gave you a bit of an insight.


text:
Well, this came up when I had dinner a few days ago in Tokyo with two Japanese friends I first met almost 4 years ago but never had the chance to see each other again through these years (we met online through the love of Moleskine BTW). I felt great that we had yet again another intellectual conversations and sharing what's happening in our lives. Facts vs. Context, Facts vs. Patterns, the ability to see is the ability to recognize patterns and context, books recommendations to share, kids etc.
One tiny topic was about "what if there is no electricity" which we all take it for granted. The topic came after we were contemplating the pattern that when we live in our own cultures so familiar with us we take things for granted which is also the reason why a understanding others' cultures opens our eyes to brand new grounds and patterns. And we should make this pattern recognition a compulsory education to our kids.
(This photo is on Flickr's Explore page on 11th July 2010)
The day after, I went to stay in Ryu Itsuki san's home for a night to find out about his works and passions. He brought along some friends and we had such a great time even though I can't speak Japanese. Fat boy Mijonju and his wife was there all along having fun and video taping (do we still call this video "taping" nowadays?). Itsuki san published two books about auto half cameras in Japanese, if there is any English book publisher out there interested in having the books in English please contact Itsuki san or me.
Incidentally, I got myself a beautiful auto half from Itsuki san, which requires no battery for light metering and winding. Talking about patterns here, can you see the pattern of this particular trip of mine to Tokyo? Well, it comes to an end tomorrow when I will fly back to Hong Kong. I took a photo of the little pleasant objects I have in my room's desk. BTW, when I was walking on the street of Tokyo today I came up with the idea that "men tends to possess objects while women tends to possess relationship", I don't know if you agree with me but I mean it in a positive way.


text:
Considering its fairly central location, Happy Valley feels surprisingly suburban. It's quiet (for the congested northern part of Hong Kong Island) with plenty of fairly traffic-free streets intersecting with its major thoroughfares. It has lots of desirable housing, most of it in the area's numerous high-rise luxury developments, including Highcliff, The Summit and The Leighton Hill. And it has more of a community feel than most parts of inner-city Hong Kong. The result: it's home to a lot of rich people, and quite a few famous people. It's popular with expats and families, but also with young single people, for both its location and its generally pleasant housing stock.
It wasn't always the pleasant slice of not-quite-suburbia that it is today, however. Happy Valley's low-lying situation and marshy environment meant that in the early days of British settlement, the area was a petri dish for various nasty diseases, not least among them malaria, that were responsible for a lot of deaths. A number of cemeteries were built in the area – it still plays host to six of them today, of various denominations – and the name Happy Valley, a common euphemism for cemeteries at the time, took over from the previous name, Wong Nai Chung (these days the Chinese name has changed to Pau Ma Dei, but the old name is preserved in one of the area's major roads).
Since not long after that, the area has been dominated, as it still is today, by Happy Valley Racecourse. Built in 1846, just four years after the British took over – which says a great deal about the colonial administrators' priorities – the racecourse sits at the bottom of the valley. Part of the district runs up the racecourse's east side, but most of it spills up the valley to the south-east of it. Wong Nai Chung Road surrounds most of the racecourse, with Blue Pool Road, Sing Woo Road and Shan Kwong Road the major roads up the hill through the main residential area. Carry on up the hill at the top and you head towards Wong Nai Chung gap and the south side of Hong Kong Island. Facing Happy Valley to the south and east respectively are the two mountains that form either side of the valley itself, Mount Nicholson and Jardine's Lookout.
Happpy Valley is set back from the coast, and therefore slightly shielded from the morass of population along it, but the neighbouring districts of Causeway Bay and Wan Chai, focused on shopping and entertainment respectively but both also residential, are right in the thick of it. To the east of lower Happy Valley is another low-lying area, So Kon Po, which is dominated by various sports and leisure facilities, biggest among them Hong Kong Stadium, home to numerous sporting events including the famed Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament. To the east of upper Happy Valley lies the ultra-exclusive enclave of Jardine's Lookout, the area closest to rivalling The Peak as Hong Kong's most desirable address.
Health Services
There's no shortage of private doctors in Happy Valley, and the area is also close to a number of excellent hospitals. Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, one of Hong Kong's oldest and most renowned private establishments, is in the district, while the equally excellent Hong Kong Adventist Hospital is just up the hill on Stubbs Road. The high-quality, charity-funded Tung Wah Eastern Hospital is just around the corner in So Kon Po, and sought-after private St Paul's Hospital isn't far away in Causeway Bay.
In line with its reputation as a family-friendly area, there's a plethora of schools in and around Happy Valley. Within the district itself, Catholic girls' Marymount Secondary School is on Blue Pool Road, with its primary counterpart not far away in Tai Hang Road; St Paul's School, also a Catholic girls' school, is on Ventris Road; and the private, French-language French International School is on Blue Pool Road. Not much further afield, up the hill along leafy, exclusive Stubbs Road, you'll find a whole string of educational establishments: Catholic co-educational Rosaryhill School, which caters to all age groups; the junior Bradbury School, part of Hong Kong's international-standard, subsidized but expensive English Schools Foundation; Lingnan Primary School and Kindergarten; and Hillside International Kindergarten. Also not a million miles away, in Braemar Hill, North Point, is the prestigious Chinese International School.
Unlike most of the residential districts of northern Hong Kong Island, which are mostly strung along the coast, Happy Valley's position slightly inland means that it doesn't have a station on Hong Kong's extremely efficient and useful MTR subway system (there were plans to build one as part of the proposed South Island Line, but they were shelved in 2009).
Fear not, though, because there's an MTR station not all that far away in Causeway Bay – although from the nearest entrance, at the giant Times Square shopping mall, you sometimes feel like you've walked halfway to your destination by the time you reach the platform.
And then there's the tram. There's a tram terminus at the uphill end of the racecourse, at the corner of Wong Nai Chung, Blue Pool and Sing Woo Roads, and an awful lot of trams, travelling in both directions most of the way along the north side of Hong Kong Island, pass through it. Hong Kong's trams don't necessarily go very fast, certainly stop a lot and aren't air conditioned, but they're extremely regular, efficient and, at HKD2 (25 US cents) for any journey, a complete steal.
The area is also fairly well served for buses. Routes serving the area include the 1 and 10S to Kennedy Town, the 5S between Causeway Bay and Sai Ying Pun via lower Happy Valley, the 8S and 8X to Sui Sai Wan and the 19 to North Point or Shau Kei Wan.
By road, it takes about 10 minutes to get to Central, and there's also a tunnel from Happy Valley directly to Aberdeen on Hong Kong Island's south side, as well as Wong Nai Chung Gap Road over the hills in the same direction; taxis are as plentiful in Happy Valley as they are more or less everywhere in the city. Central plays host to Hong Kong Airport Express Station, 25 minutes from the airport. For the border with mainland China, there are direct buses from Wan Chai.
Shops and Services
Happy Valley's a pretty good area for shopping. Sing Woo Road is lined with a diverse range of stores both independent and chain, while the shops along Wong Nai Chung Road mostly sell homeware, dividing roughly 50-50 into trendy-modern-minimalist and traditional-Chinese-maximalist.
But the important thing to remember is that at its northern end, Happy Valley segues pretty seamlessly into Causeway Bay, one of the most varied and frenzied cornucopias of consumer delight on the planet. Anywhere in Happy Valley, you're a few minutes by road from more stores of every description than you could visit in a year.
Just to the northwest is entertainment-focused Wan Chai; formerly a red-light district, it retains some of that flavour, but also contains a huge number of excellent restaurants and some classy bars along with the seedy ones. There are also plenty of places to eat and a few bars in Happy Valley itself, mostly along Sing Woo Road. Wan Chai is also host to some of Hong Kong's leading cultural venues, in the form of the Hong Kong Arts Centre and Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts, plus the massive Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Considering it's a predominantly high-rise area, like most in Hong Kong, Happy Valley residents are also well served for greenery. Walk up the hill in any direction and the residential suburb soon gives way to mountainside, while lower Happy Valley is completely dominated by the massive racecourse. Not only is it one of the city's only two racecourses, playing host to regular race meetings that are very enthusiastically attended, but the central infield area hosts a whole range of sports pitches, and is home to several sports teams, including Happy Valley Football Club, consistently one of the leading contenders in Hong Kong's first division (which admittedly is of somewhat modest standard).
Overlooking the racecourse is the private Hong Kong Football Club, popular especially with families for its restaurants and outdoor swimming pool as well as its excellent sports facilities, and just around the corner is Craigengower Cricket Club, which despite its name these days is mainly a social club with its primary sporting focus on lawn bowls.
The surrounding districts are packed with sports and leisure facilities. The indoor Queen Elizabeth Stadium is nearby in Morrison Hill (where there's no hill); neighbouring So Kon Po contains the massive Hong Kong Stadium; Causeway Bay is home to the big-by-Hong-Hong-standards Victoria Park, which houses a stadium, and the multi-sport South China Athletic Association; Wan Chai features Lockhart Road Sports Centre, Wan Chai Sports Ground, Southorn Playground and Harbour Road Sports Centre; and up the hill towards Wong Nai Chung Gap are the public Hong Kong Tennis Centre and the private Hong Kong Cricket Club. Morrison Hill, Wan Chai and Victoria Park all have swimming pools, and there's also Wong Nai Chung Sports Centre in the heart of Happy Valley itself.


text:
Strength Training
A complete line of resistance machines, free weights, kettle-bells, bosu's and stabilization balls are provided for complete strength and core training.
Cardio Equipment
We have it all: treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, rowing units and stair climbers. Televisions with wireless connection to your headset adds entertainment to your cardio quest.
Group Exercise
A superb group exercise program. Experienced instructors teach a variety of classes including Yoga, Spin, PRC Pump (weight lifting to music), Zumba, U-Jam, Boot Camp, Guava Fit and Core.
Locker Rooms
Shower facilities with complementary towels and shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Day use lockers with lock are provided.
Personal Training
Our awesome team of trainers will work with you to customize a program specific to your fitness goals. Train as an individual or with a buddy.
Group Weight Loss Programs
Shed those pounds and get into great shape with our '20 Day Fat Melt Away'. A fun, effective and proven weight loss and exercise program. This program falls under small group personal training and is available for a fee.
FIT@PRC 7677 Gateway Blvd. Second Floor
Newark, CA 94560 ph. 510-796-1249
Hours: 6:30 am-7:30 pm Monday - Friday


text:
Tackling the pond disaster
The exceptionally fine and dry weather has been continuing, and I suddenly decided it was time to stop looking despairingly at my raised pond and do something about it. I removed the tarpaulin and all its supports, and bailed out the few inches of water at the bottom. Then I got a stiff brush and some water, and scrubbed away at the failed pond paint and the algae, and I sanded the bits I couldn't reach with the brush, and I kept going until I decided that all the paint that wanted to come off probably had come off. Then I gave the inside of the pond a wash with a damp cloth (the washing water came away dark grey, so the colour was still coming off) and let it dry.
I had to decide what to do about the cracked render at the bottom of the pond. The pond builder seemed to think that removing all the render at the bottom was a bad idea, but I don't know why. Perhaps he thought I might puncture the liner with my chisel. I decided to pick off all the bits that had come loose, and paint over the hairline cracks.
I wanted to use V8 Pondseal with a black additive to make the inside of the pond uniformly black, but I couldn't find anywhere, even on the Internet, that was selling the black additive, so I think it's been discontinued. There are black paints available that are probably suitable for recoating concrete that has already been painted, or partly painted, but I decided that I wanted to get the pond up and running now instead of waiting until I could get hold of some black paint. I knew that the pond would have dried out quite well in the warm and dry weather, and now was a good time to block any more moisture from getting into the concrete blocks that have been used to build up the shelf inside the pond. Later on, when I have done the rest of the garden, I can empty and clean the pond and then apply more paint. There is bound to be something that will go on top of Pondseal (as long as I sand it down well).
So today I gave the pond three coats of paint. The strange thing about the Pondseal is that the manufacturer's opinion of how much paint I need wildly differs from my experience. I estimated that the area I painted last week to seal in the render in the shallow pond was probably close to a square metre, and I did three coats. As 1 litre is supposed to cover 3 -5 square metres, this area ought to require somewhere between 0.6 and 1 litre. In fact I didn't even use half the 500ml can that I had. The surface area of the raised pond is just over 6 square metres. That should have required at least 3.6 litres, and perhaps as much as 6 litres. I bought 1.5 litres, relying on my previous experience rather than what was written on the can, and used 1 full litre plus some more of the 500ml can left over from painting the shallow pond. I therefore have an unused can, which I can either return to the garden centre or keep for further work on the shallow pond in spring, once I find out where it needs attention. Or maybe I can use it to coat concrete blocks which I will put in the pond to stand plants on.
So maybe I should feel a little uneasy about the huge discrepancy between the amount of paint I have used and the amount that I "should" have used. Perhaps my render was not porous enough. But on the plus side, the black colour didn't come off into the paint when I painted over it, so I am daring to hope that I may have sealed in the pigment. And the pond looks black and shiny, so it seems that some of the first lot of paint must have been absorbed before it got washed off.


text:
Moonlit walking tour of Verona
- Walk the secret alleys of Verona to see the Well of Love
- Enjoy the enchanting view of the hills from Victoria Bridge
- See Castelvecchio and by its grand bridge
Starting from the central Market Square, where the stunning 17th century Palazzo Maffei and the breath-taking frescoes of Casa Mazzanti cast their spell at night, you'll walk through secret corners and intriguing alleys to reach the Well of Love.
Passing a couple of traditional and vibrant wine bars and enjoying the view of Verona night-life, you will stroll along the history-rich roads to the Roman period Borsari Gate. Cross Victoria Bridge, to enjoy the enchanting view of the hills surrounding Verona.
Following the gleaming river, you will see Castelvecchio and it's fortified bridge built in 1354. Finally end at the spectacular Arena and the astonishing night-live of Bra' Square.
This tour will leave you desperately in love with wonderful Verona!
- Professional tour guide
- Gratuities
- Entrance into buildings
Children (aged 0-9) : May join the tour for free
Meet your guide at Piazza Erbe, at Fountain of Madonna Verona.
Piazza Erbe, 37121 Verona VR, Italia
- Please note that this walking tour does not enter any of the above mentioned locations
- Wear comfortable shoes suitable for walking the stone streets
- Daily at 8.30pm
You might also like
The Verona Walking Tour is the ideal solution for those who want discover the fascinating Verona Are...
Enjoy a wine tasting session of some of the amazing wines produced in Valpolicella such as Valpolice...
Enter the grand amphitheater and visit one of the world's great open-air concert venues with a licen...
During this passionate walking tour of Verona you'll first see some of the most important locations ...
Legend tells that the name "Valpolicella" is derived from the words "valle" "poli" and "cellae" mean...
With this tour you only have to think about having fun and tasting the incredible wines of the Veron...


text: I have an issue with affection. It's like when someone I care about hugs me or kisses me or even just sits too close to me I feel uneasy and get really tence, and it feels like my chest gets really tight and i can't breath. What's wrong with me? Why can't i just show affection too like normal people?


text:
This study presents a novel near-field optics technology. A near-field cover glass slip (NF-CGS) was developed to improve the resolution of optical microscopy beyond the diffraction limit. A multi-layered structure of cover glass/ZnS-SiO2 (130 nm)/AgOx (15 nm)/ ZnS-SiO2 (40 nm) was employed to generate the optical coupling effect for increasing the contrast and enhancing resolution of imaging. This novel innovation is expected to be employed in near-field imaging techniques for samples in different environments because of its simplicity, rapid laser scanning, and minimal costs. Experimental results of 500 nm, 200 nm, and 100 nm standard polystyrene nanospheres on NF-CGS and normal cover glass are demonstrated and imaged by using a laser scanning confocal microscope.
©2012 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article | PDF Article
OSA Recommended Articles
Pei-Kuen Wei, Jui-Hung Hsu, Wunshain Fann, Kuen-Ru Chuang, Hsun-Tsing Lee, and Show-An Chen
Appl. Opt. 36(15) 3301-3304 (1997)
Jeffrey E. Hall, Gary P. Wiederrecht, Stephen K. Gray, Shih-Hui Chang, Seokwoo Jeon, John A. Rogers, Renaud Bachelot, and Pascal Royer
Opt. Express 15(7) 4098-4105 (2007)
Gregor Schürmann, Wilfried Noell, Urs Staufer, Nico F. de Rooij, Rolf Eckert, Jan M. Freyland, and Harry Heinzelmann
Appl. Opt. 40(28) 5040-5045 (2001)


text:
February 2018
US Premieres of Sunken Garden and Violin Concerto
Janine Jansen
March 8 kicks off a busy month for Michel van der Aa, who has two major works receiving US premieres: his 2014 Violin Concerto for Janine Jansen, being performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Philadelphia and later at Carnegie Hall in New York; and his film-opera Sunken Garden, presented by the Dallas Opera.
Michel van der Aa's 2017–2018 season (which kicked off with the hugely successful US premiere of Blank Out at the Park Avenue Armory) ramps up in March with US premieres of two major works. His Violin Concerto premieres on March 8 with Janine Jansen and the Philadelphia Orchestra, led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who also bring the work to Carnegie Hall on March 13 for its New York premiere. On March 9–17, the Dallas Opera presents the first US production of Van der Aa's occult-mystery film-opera Sunken Garden.
Van der Aa's Violin Concerto – championed by Jansen in cities around the world since its 2014 world premiere in Amsterdam with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – was described by Trouw as "a musical duel between the soloist and the orchestra with challenging music for both partners. The skill of Van der Aa's writing and his musical approach is, in a word, 'sensational,' with an immediately recognizable personal style." In a Playbill interview, Jansen described the Violin Concerto as "a very powerful and rhythmic piece" with "wonderfully lyrical moments."
> Watch an excerpt of the Violin Concerto on the composer's website
> More information about the Violin Concerto
> Event Page: March 8 at Verizon Hall in Philadelphia
> Event Page: March 13 at Carnegie Hall in New York
The US premiere of Van der Aa's critically acclaimed film opera Sunken Garden at the Dallas Opera will feature singers Roderick Williams, Katherine Manley, and Miah Persson. They will be accompanied by the Dallas Opera Orchestra, conducted by Nicole Paiement.
Written with a libretto by British novelist David Mitchell (author of Cloud Atlas), Sunken Garden dives into a surreal world of crime and mystery that straddles two alternate realities. The opera features Van der Aa's signature combination of live action and video projections using 3D imagery.
This will be a fully staged performance of the reimagined adaptation conceived for Opéra Lyon – more intimate and more physical – and premiered there in 2015. It follows previous performances of Sunken Garden at London's Barbican Hall (2013) and the Holland Festival (2013), and semi-staged versions given last October at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and Essen Philharmonie.
Performances take place on 9, 11, 14 and 17 March, and more details and booking can be found via Dallas Opera.
> Watch a trailer video for Sunken Garden
> More information about Sunken Garden
> More information about Dallas Opera's production of Sunken Garden
Performances of both of these works continue what has been a successful US-focused season so far for Van der Aa. In November the short choral piece , a setting of excerpts from Tehillim chapter 5 and inspired by the plight of modern-day refugees, was given at Lincoln Center's White Light Festival. And at the start of the season, in September, completed a sell-out run at New York's Park Avenue Armory, and was described in The Wall Street Journal as "emotionally intense … disturbing and unforgettable."


text:
Aged 16 – 19 and looking for a career in Motor vehicle industry in the Lowestoft area?
This listing has expired
This opportunity is ideal for someone wanting a career in the Motor Vehicle industry. You will gain valuable work experience, and will be supported into an apprenticeship/traineeship. You may be able to earn a bursary of up to £40 per week while you learn.
YMCA Training is a national charity that has an impressive track record of transforming the lives of young people and adults through work-related Apprenticeship training and employment support. We believe in setting inspiring goals and working closely with individuals and employers throughout the UK to develop personal, vocational and work-related skills that lead to employment.
Our study programmes offer you a chance to progress onto further training such as an apprenticeship or into employment, helping you to understand what jobs are right for you, what is expected from you and develop those skills.
Our study programmes offer:-
- A government bursary paid into your bank account.
- Level 1 Diploma in Transport Maintenance.
- And if your maths and English is something you wish to improve then we will work towards you achieving GCSE standards.
- We provide small group classroom environments in a less formal environment than you might find in college.
- Dedicated centres have IT zones, Wi-Fi and an environment of respect and inclusion.
- 1 days' work experience per week based in a garage with a local employer to gain invaluable mechanical knowledge and skills required to complete your qualification.
- Employability skills.
- You will have a dedicated tutor who will support you throughout the duration of your time on the study programme.
- On completion of the Study Programme we will support you to progress to either a Traineeship or Apprenticeship in Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Repair or Vehicle Fitting with YMCA Training.
- All our vocational qualifications are accredited through IMI.
Working from our own centres and employer premises throughout England, we are part of Central YMCA established in 1844 as the world's founding YMCA. At YMCA training we are part of the world's largest young people's movement. For over 40 years we have been working with employers to give young people the confidence and skills to access a career.
During your programme you will receive one-on-one training to help you gain skills as well as help you decide what is the best suited career for you. We can offer you work experience with an employer and a recognised qualification to put on your CV highlighting your readiness for a career.
Apply now and you can be on the road to an exciting career in Motor Vehicle.


text:
This Living Spycraft serial is a crossover with the Stargate SG-1 universe and several events and characters derived from this series. The main "villains" represented here are the replicators, which first appear in the Stargate SG-1 episode, "Nemesis."
Previously, in episode 3.22: "Nemesis" and 4.1: "Small Victories," the Asgard vessel Biliskner crashed into the Pacific Ocean 400 miles off the coast of California, with both the replicators and Stargate Command (SGC)'s Giza Stargate aboard. Several replicators survived the crash and took over the Russian submarine Blackbird. While SG-1 members dealt with the alien threat, the Russian Navy swept the ocean and secretly recovered the Stargate (believed by the Americans to be destroyed). The Russians also recovered three damaged replicators and slipped them into stasis before they could revive. Although the SGC later learned the Russians held the Giza Stargate (in episode 4.7: "Watergate"), they as yet remain unaware the Russians possess replicators as well.
After the Russian government acquired SGC reports of the replicator incident and realized how dangerous the creatures were, they performed a few tentative experiments then shut the project down six months later. One researcher, Karil Fedorov, was too intrigued to let go, however, and went to Katerina Forlova, a Russian Mafia boss who used drones to commit thefts. Federov negotiated with Forlova to write off her sizeable Mafia debts and continue working on the replicators in exchange for the creatures' use in the criminal's activities.
Before the Russian military program closed down completely, Karil used his security clearance to slip in and remove the three inert replicators, taking them to his apartment where he met with Forlova's henchman, Pavel Denisov. Denisov escorted Pavel to Forlova's current base of operations, and old monastery 20 miles outside of Moscow. The theft was discovered six hours later and Colonel Chekov, head of the Russian Stargate program launched an immediate investigation (see Stargate SG-1 episodes 6.1-6.2: "Redemption, Part 1", "Redemption, Part 2" and 6.17 "Disclosure" for more about Chekov).
Unsure of the situation and the number of traitors within the project and his organization, Chekov appealed to Senator Robert Kinsey as head of the Senate Appropriations Committee for the American National Intelligence Department (NID). He asked Kinsey to send a team of trusted U.S. agents to Moscow to find the missing replicators, knowing that he could trust the loyalties of outsiders more than his own men. Rather than risk valued NID operatives, Kinsey used his governmental pull to "borrow" an Agency team for the mission.
The team's escort in Moscow is Dr. Svetlana Markov, one of Chekov's few absolutely trustworthy allies and someone who's worked with the SGC in the past (in the episode, "Watergate").
Unfortunately for Chekov, his superiors have authorized operatives of their own to follow the Agency's team, and Karil continues to work with the replicators, unaware of how dangerous they are and how close he is to inadvertently reactivating them...
- Boris
- Chekov
- Pavel Chernov
- Semko Danilov
- Pavel Denisov
- Karil Fedorov
- Ivan Forlov
- Katerina Forlova
- Ania Ivanova
- Robert Kinsey
- Svetlana Markov
- Bert Samuels
- Earth
Organizations and titlesEdit
- Agency
- Colonel
- United States Congress
- Doctor
- National Intelligence Department (NID)
- Russian Intelligence
- Russian Mafia
- Russian Navy
- Senator
- Soviet Union
- Spetsnaz
- United States Air Force
Sentient speciesEdit
Vehicles and vesselsEdit
Weapons and technologyEdit
- Cell phone
- Chemical analyzer
- Evidence kit
- Fingerprinting test kit
- Flashlight
- Forgery kit
- Giza Stargate
- Handcuffs
- Hand-held lie detector
- Kalashnikov AK-74
- Laser tripwire system
- Leatherman
- Magnifying glass
- Makarov pistol
- Metal detector
- Pocket microscope
- Radio headset
- Replicator
- Rover drone
- Scorpion drone
- Stasis cylinder
- Sunglasses
- UV flashlight
External linksEdit
- Outbreak on the Living Spycraft website.


text:
A Mansfield man who stole meat from a Kimberley store has been ordered to tackle his drug problems.
Darren Timson, 40, of Sandy Lane, admitted two counts of theft when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates Court on May 17.
The court heard he stole fresh meat from the Co-Op, on Maws Lane, in Kimberley, on November 28 and 30, last year.
A 12 month community order was made, and he was ordered to have treatment for drug dependency for nine months.
He must also pay £102 compensation.


text:
Happy Memories Outweigh Bad at Rural Schoolhouse
Photo Credit
I graduated from high school in 1939, at the age of 17, and began teaching a rural school that fall. We started out with a 3rd grade Elementary certificate and had to renew it every 3 years, usually by attending summer school sessions at a nearby college.
My pupils numbered anywhere from three second graders one year to 16 pupils in kindergarten through eighth grade.
My most unusual experience was the year two pupils, a 3rd grade girl and an 8th grade boy from Nuremburg, Germany, attended my school along with 14 others from the district. They were among the displaced people arriving from Europe after World War II. Their parents worked for a local farmer to reimburse him for sponsoring their trip to Nebraska. These two pupils couldn't speak English and I didn't know a word of German. Fortunately they were very intelligent and soon adapted to our ways. In order to teach them English, I used the Dick and Jane primers, teaching them one word at a time and pointing to objects in the room, giving it the English name. I was very proud that the 8th grade boy was able by the next spring to pass his 8th grade exams, and enroll in the local high school.
One of my memories during the Nebraska blizzard of 1947, there was so much snow, it was almost an impossibility to get to school I drove an unheated Model A Ford. When I got to school, the snow was banked up so high in front of the door, I couldn't get in. After several minutes of shoveling, I finally got in the door. Snow banks were as high as the schoolhouse, so the pupils had much fun at recesses, sledding and climbing up and down the hills.
One of my schools didn't have a well, so it was up to the teacher to provide the water. I boarded with my grandmother, and carried a 3-gallon aluminum pail of water to school every morning. Instead of going around the road, I took a shortcut by crossing through fields and crawling under several fences with my pail In very frigid weather there were times the water began freezing in the pail At the end of the year I was rewarded for my services with an extra $5 in my paycheck. I also furnished an alarm clock, since the school didn't have one.
As I look back over the years, the happy memories outweigh the few bad ones, and many of my pupils still keep in touch.
Virginia Oates
Exeter, Nebraska
Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper's Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper's readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.
The Scourge of Ranch Life
A bad time of year to go barefoot on the ranch!
Summer Time Is Harvest Time
The many things that keep one busy throughout the summer
At the fair
enjoying the fair


text:
Hi! I'm Glenn,
The Grab Bar Guy
I've been installing grab bars in the Sarasota, Florida area for more than 15 years.
Grab Bars are safety products for your bathroom or anywhere else in your home where you require added stability. Your safety is my priority. Installation is extremely quick, easy and completely customizable to fit your home.
I am a friendly, licensed and insured guy who has excellent standing in the community and provides personal service.
Don't Delay. Home safety is just a phone call away! Call 941-780-3346 or
Glenn now.
Home |
Gallery |
Grab Bars |