Category: Enterprize


Stop line

A source at the ministry says that there are sensors in the pavement at the street lights on highway 8 Nicola Avenue here in Merritt. The sensors will change the red light to green but you must be behind the painted stop line stopped to activate it, and not past it waiting to turn. He said that some lights have cameras that do the same thing but you can also be out of the field of view for them to work.

Some old street lights are on arbitrary timers as well.

Today in history: May 31, 1927

The first  of 15 million Ford Model T‘s comes off the assembly line.

Merit of Merritt

Its good that it is Friday….

24 haulage jobs

A source says that there are 24 haulage jobs posted at the Highland Valley copper mine. The multiple hundred ton trucks are driven off road in the mining pits and the source says that they are an entry level position.

In the past

haulage jobs were posted for bid by seniority by mill labourers the source that works there said they are both entry level jobs. This is not confirmed.

The website shows one haulage job advertised the source may not be current or the jobs are posted internally.

http://www.infomine.com/careers/jobs/job914836/pit.utility.haul.truck.driver.aspx

Highland Valley copper is undergoing a major upgrade two buses are currently picking up iron workers from the parking lot behind the Merritt Desert Inn on Voght street daily.

Today in History: May 28th 1937

The German auto manufacturer Volkswagen is established.

Today in history: May 11, 1997

A computer, Deep Blue defeats a champion chess player Garry Kasparov!

National Film Board Canada

The national film board in Canada has been around for decades and has been mandated to the arts and culture of Canada. They have many shorts that are available as well as features that document and dramatize Canadian culture and content. A source said that  he worked for them once in the animation of shorts , he said that 60,000 drawings would be made to produce a 5 minute animated short. The drawings all slightly different were then filmed as they were dropped into view one at a time to give a sence of movement.

We are thankful for the wonderful enjoyment that comes from technology and computer animation ,however the NFB has an arcade of short animations that mirror Canadian attitudes and aspirations over time.

Canadians have a high standard for the welfare of pets, to rid a person of an unwanted pet is no mean feat in Canada here is a 1988 NFB award winning short that is being promoted on their website.

The Cat Came Back by Cordell Barker, National Film Board of Canada

Today in history: May 8.1912

Paramount pictures is founded.

New accountant

The chartered accounting firm that has been a mainstay of local business here in Merritt has a new owner, but same location. The 1900 block  Quilchena avenue, upstairs office was for decades, Best ,Reimer and Maclean. It was sold to Alistair Murdock from Victoria , Murdoch has operated the business for about ten years and gained the confidence of the community, he is  a two term and sitting  city councillor.  Murdoch has sold the firm to Carrie Ware and company. Carrie  said the Alistair is going into semi retirement , and has bought a company in Kamloops, a community of about 80,000 an hours drive from here.

No word on whether Murdoch will serve out his term on council.

Today in history: May 6th 1954

Roger Bannister breaks the 4 minute mile .

Penny for your thoughts

The penny is out of production here , and the last few months a rounding of formula is in effect; to the nearest nickel. When we offered to pay the 3 cents of the dollar 98 for a large coffee at McDonald’s Sunday we were pleasantly  given a nickel back. Pennies are not about as they were . And the approximately 2 that would have been made for every Canadian this year is obvious by their absence. However outlets still honour them and an unconfirmed source said that they were able to put  a one cent debit transaction through at a local big box that had an add a penny take a penny counter dish at one time.

A counter person agreed that the demise of the penny needs to overcome a lot of poetry and folklore to be complete:

A penny saved is a penny earned.

Put a penny in your shoe for luck

Don’t give a wallet or purse without  a cent in it as a gift.

And of course in all respect to the British homeland, Margret Thatcher’s pennies don’t come from heaven they have to be earned here.

 

Today in History: April 29,2011

The Royal Wedding of William and Kate.

TGIF – rafting

Merit of Merritt

Its good that it is friday….

Next meeting of the Nicola naturalists Thursday, May 23   7 pm at the Merritt Civic Center , Downtown. The meeting is a joint meeting with the Nicola Valley Explorers. “The Majestic  Thompson River”  with Bernie Fandrich. (Kumsheen Raft Adventures )

Today in history: April 19th 1927

Mae west is given 10 days in jail for your part in the play SEX.

60 jobs gone

The people at Ardew were informed at 5 o’clock this morning  Saturday 13/13 that they were all laid off. The mill was being taken over by Aspen Planners after being acquired by them. The Ardew Mill is old tech without J bar sorter.:*

* Opinion: There will be a net job loss in that sector as Aspen Planners have two mills here before acquiring Ardew. One saw mill one planner mill .

The consolidation sees AP in control of  the Weyerhaeuser operation and the Ardew operation  , leaving one other   lumber producer here; Tolko Industries a private company that also had its start as a family business.

Other small mills include NMV and pine Ideas as specialty lumber manufacturers.

Today in history: April 15th 1923

Insulin becomes generally available for people with diabetes.

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Update: 4/9/13 A reliable source at the city says that ” he has not turned the water on as yet”

Smart dryer

This morning the Google home page is showing a caricature of a smart appliance and a calculator that says don’t panic. As the appliance spits out data. Also the hydro authority has sent out a monthly edition of their newsletter introducing the new online account and its advantages to the consumer. The ability to compare to neighbours and similar homes is one that may be appealing to those who don’t like machines that do too much.

Below is a transcript of the newsletter:

As part of the recent upgrades on bchydro.com, you’ll notice your account online is now called MyHydro. With MyHydro, you’re still able to manage your account online as you did before, but you’ll also have access to new features that give you a closer look at your electricity use. Watch the video to learn how MyHydro helps you save energy, time and money.

Take a closer look at your electricity use

By taking a deeper look at your electricity use, you can find ways to save energy and money. With MyHydro, see how your electricity use affects your bill by:

  • Viewing your electricity use down to the hour and right up until yesterday to see when you’re using the most electricity.
  • Comparing your electricity use to factors such as average outside temperature, similar homes nearby and last year’s consumption.
  • Projecting your electricity use and estimated cost for the current billing period based on your consumption patterns.
  • Putting Power Smart tips into action and signing up for automatic email alerts to check back in and stay on track with your conservation goals.

Detailed consumption data gives you the right information at the right time, and helps you identify where you can save energy to keep your bill as low as possible (watch how the Greens track their electricity use to save on their electricity costs). While many of our customers can now view and track their daily electricity use, you may be among those customers who won’t have access until later this year. Make sure to log in to MyHydro regularly to see if your account is activated.

Manage your account online to save time

A growing number of BC Hydro customers regularly use bchydro.com to manage their account online. When you log in to MyHydro, you can view your bill and payment history, select a payment method, and even start, stop or move your service. When you log in to MyHydro, you’ll find these account functions in the account services toolbox.

Log in or create a MyHydro Profile

If you’ve always managed your account online, your BC Hydro Profile is now your MyHydro Profile. Never managed your account online? Create a MyHydro Profile and link your account to get started.

It appears in the material that yours and others in similar homes power consumption will be public , and the system certainly lends itself to eventual two rate system to take advantage of off-peak usage and since there is little competion  in the monopoly, that could mean that the lower rate could be the same as now and the peak rate move up in cost. Unless this efficiency brings all hydro down.

Opinion: this is really different and appealing to techies however our time is worth something and the prudent will control this and not let it dominate their time.

Today in History: March 11,2006

Chile gets its first female president, Michelle Bachelet.

New snack

The local A and W fast food outlet has a new snack! Chubby Chicken piece in a roll. It has a very tasty sauce.

The restaurant has free coffee refills to 11 am and a special on apple turnovers.

The Chicken piece is attractive and stimulates taste buds in a pleasurable way!

Rates : **** good

Today in History: November 8 1973

The right ear of  J. Paul Getty  the third is delivered with a ransom note that caused the payment of a 2.9 million dollars ransom.