To the seasons of life
A film presented by a young couple last evening at the lecture theater, NVIT , Merritt Campus ,admission a 4 dollar donation.
Marie Josee (MJ) Arsenault did a preamble to a film that had excellent photography and direction. Beautiful coral reefs and ocean flora and fauna gave a pleasant context to present a pressing issue to the Eco-Odyssey Foundation.
The view of the film maker, a Rob Stewart, was that sharks a great and no threat to people.
The film is far from propaganda as there are diverging views presented however you still get the sence of public relations and a bias. The bias is based in the concern for the de-fining of sharks and may be legitimate. The big plus is the awareness of the environment and the volume of the world population in people who demand protein and social capital from the ecosystem and the limits on hunter gather systems ability to provide.
The film has some gore as the removal of fins and landing of hooked sharks is presented.
Paul Watson and his international effort to interfere with non complies in international waters was a surprise in the film. His confrontational style is uncomfortable, maybe by design.
Paul Watson a Canadian was one of Time Magazines heroes of of the environment of the 20th century. He also championed Timber wolf’s in British Columbia.
The presenters have a web site: www.eco-odyssey.com
Editors Note:
Our view is that predators like sharks are part of the eco-system and keep us safe from disease by consuming the weak and sick in the ocean similar to all top predators. The film presents a view and statistics that humans are safe from them and there are only 5 deaths a year and most from bleeding. we think that that is not accurate and that another dynamic exists in open ocean especially when debris and rough water is prevalent. Sharks in large numbers eat anything, in that context. Historically in at least one instance the crew of the USS Indianapolis torpedoed by a Japanese submarine on its return from delivering the Atomic bomb to the Enola Gay experienced huge losses to sharks over a time in the water.
Here is an eyewitness account by a survivor from the Indianapolis,Woody James:
The day wore on and the sharks were around, hundreds of them. You’d hear guys scream, especially late in the afternoon. Seemed like the sharks were the worst late in the afternoon than they were during the day. Then they fed at night too. Everything would be quiet and then you’d hear somebody scream and you knew a shark had got him. USS Indianapolis org website.This may be an abnormal and may add to the hysteria over sharks. However a lot of the fatalities and shark attacks come from places that also rely on tourism and there may be a problem for reporting.It does seem that time in the water is a factor for feeding.The website Missing at Sea reports 64 people with unknown status missing from cruIse ships now and dating from 1995 to 2009. There are 440 species of sharks and the Tiger Shark is said to eat anything. Shark killings or harvesting estimates are 100 million a year. There are many myths and misconceptions about sharks. However they like other predators are keen to blood scent and can be attracted to chumming and made more aggressive. In the macro sence they seem as less of a threat then lightning however people should educate themselves in how to avoid being in trouble around them and what the specific risks are. We can safely assume that the low amount of documented deaths is not the whole story. The film Sharkwater was released in 2007; eco-odyssey has Merritt mailing address at this time. There are at least 4 Shark sanctuaries in the world at this time including The Bahamas. Want to do something for sharks. Eco-odyssey PO Box 2019 Merritt,BC Canada V1K-1B8
Today in history, March 29th,1882
The Knights of Columbus are established.
Its freedom to read week and the library had a book burning. Placing about 50 odd books on a table that someone had asked to be withdrawn or taken out of some system some where. The display had fire wood on it and if a library patron had not taken one of the items to the counter and asked that it be spared it would have been burned this coming Monday, after freedom to read week was past. The last book saved from the fires happened late morning today. The book was redeemed from the fire by a middle aged First Nations patron who happened to be along with a radio (Q101 FM ) official.
The last book saved was a book by Timothy Findley that dealt with an incident when Army officers raped a fellow officer in the First World War.Titled The Wars, someone had asked that it be withdrawn because it promoted homo sexuality. In some contexts it could be difficult to ask that it be saved from a burning. The jacket cover includes flames of fire.
An member of the RCMP, had asked to have a copy of a book recently removed, as reported by a local paper.
The Temptress a book close to and dealing with Women On Top remained on the shelf and was not placed on the table to be saved.
Editors note: The local police are seen as using resentment to extricate information from people; its incredulus that they didn’t know about freedom to read week coming up so soon. We trust that the public library remains a place of intellectual freedom and not constrained by the suspicions of the police.
Today in History , March 1 1912
The first parachute jump from a moving airplane is accomplished by Albert Perry
There is a small airstrip here in Merritt, Saunders Field. It is on a nice little bench just north-west of town. The local city council was inviting people who would be interested to be on the airport committee to contact the city. The strip is 634 meters at 500722 North,1204450 west. It is a public airfield and yes operated by the city.
About two decades ago a premier visited it in a whirlwind working tour and a 600 thousand dollar grant was given to put night landing lights on it. The money was never used and was returned to the Cabinet. However in the last year there has been a new hanger building built and there is a going concern helicopter company at the field.
The Merritt Flying Club operates a website that updates weather every 5 minutes as well as almanac and moon phase.However the last reading shows 29/1/12 and there is a registration offer from ambient weather.
The airstrip has had scheduled passenger service in its history never lasting long as small planes are not comfortable to use as passengers and there is commercial jet service in both Kamloops and Kelowna, about an hour and a quarter away.
A city committee is usually chaired by a councillor and is a good precursor to running for elected office.
Every now and then the Federal government lands one of its four engine search and rescue aircraft and gets fuel adding to the legitimacy of the strip.
Today in History: February 13,2008
The Australian Prime Minister makes a historic apology to the aboriginal people ; the indigenous Australians and the stolen generations
Editors note: tomorrow February 14, 2012, afternoon 12-1, Dr.Cora Voyageur at the local college will be giving a presention open to the public on trends in aboriginal communities: there is also and evening session.
Free Education, a long time ago when the old now were young an education was a great privilege. In Canada in the sixties and seventies, the criteria for the federal police force was 11-11. Five foot eleven and grade eleven. That still put the members at an advantage over the norm of grade 6; not to many years earlier. At this writing I am at a community college and a public institution that has a first nation emphais.Those north american indians were promised that education and medical attention would be free to them centuries ago. Some of them took advantage of it and used it to be involved in the community as a whole. Indians like Len Marchand were effective Members of Parliament. And a single voice of an elected native in the Manitoba Legislature halted the ratification of a consitutional amendment the meech lake accord; several years and a lot of governments ago.
Today in the hallway of the college, at writing are some posters of Fidel Castro and some of his revolutionaries, that had some similar aspirations.
There is lots of different ways of funding an education and the onus is on the person. From criminal injury compensation administered by medical practitioner’s, to retraining when the employment people can’t find a person suitable work for the age and experience of a seeker. Rewards in scholarship for various affinities are available and a student loan system that favors the deserving. The military in particular in the United States has a history of supporting service people to re-education since the end of the Second World War.
The posters in this school come from a site called Trabajadores Sociales and has to do with spanish speaking people in the labour curve.
PS: Happy 60th to our gracious Queen.
Today in history, February 6,1989
The round table talks begin in Poland starting the overthrow of Communism.
Image via Wikipedia
Have a weekend!
Today in history, January,27 1996
Germany first observes International Holocaust Day
Image via Wikipedia
The Nicola Valley Institute of Technology is in Merritt BC Canada and has a Campus in Burnaby BC as well . Its roots are in Merritt with a Grand Chief Gordon Antoine who had a vision to educate his people in a way that would keep their culture.
The school is for the First Nation in Canada and has a policy of admiting others as well.
There is an element of North American Indian Culture in all the courses and it promotes the Thompson and Okanagan language. A confirmed source says that he took a 2 year college university transfer credit in biology, a 4.5 course from a PHD instructor and for a cultural investment of a day also had instruction from some native elders in traditional plant usage including making a pine needle baskets and string from Indian Hemp.
The perseverance of the founders came after the school had been located in store fronts at a distress rental time of the resource community of Merritt . Showing them self serious they eventually got a multi million dollar building that is able to expand to about twice its size .Small in the stature of many universities and colleges; the effort is unique to the way that natives can pursue education. The institution can give credit’s up to an associate degree. It often has agreements to grant Bachelor of Social Work Workers from chartered universities and colleges such as TRU. Many graduates find work in their own aboriginal communities after completing their degrees. It is also culturally enriching to take Native studies and English courses that include another culture then your own. However the bulk of their student s come from the First Nations Community.
A source estimates that there are about 1200 students between the two campus’ and that most of them are Aboriginal. The source also says that the new crime bill is a step backward for the aboriginal community that although having a about four percent of the national population they have a huge, out of proportion population in jails in Canada.
NVIT has a number of trades and technical courses offered from time to time. As well as law enforcement pre seletion courses. The school encourages student democracy and civil harmony.
Accomidateing the local issues of first nations peoples in Canada.
http://www.nvit.ca/programsandcourses.htm?RD=1
Today in History December 14th,1994
Construction begins on the Three gorges dam in China.
Today in History, December 14, 1903
The Wright brothers make first attempt to fly the Kitty Hawk.
Lots of no trespass signs about and some on old hydro meters. Dell from Coopers says they were by and changed his. Some people say they don”t want them because of health issues. Other say they wanted a choice for no wireless connection. The fact is they are being installed and adds in the papers are asking for clear access.
The hydro has worked since it was nationalized in BC as a monopoly and as socialism goes it was considered draconian. However the lower rates we are supposed to get from the monopoly are supportive of the vision of Canada being a mixed economy. As a Non profit crown corporation it is not allowed to have retained earnings and must lower rates for efficiencies it gets. Still you have to watch that the government does not raid it for revenues like raising water licence fees, to accommodate good water levels for the utility.
The off-peak time dynamic will be the next issue us consumers will be watching as we still want it to be an under girding of our economy and not go to profits.
BC Hydro has the rights to all water in the province for generation purposes and a lot of power. When good snow packs occur the next year should see rate reductions, as they have in the past.
The lines and poles are public property and that always raises an issue when they talk about co generation ; recently the utility has replaced a lot of poles and is working to have a third 500 KV line to the lower mainland from the interior.
Today in history December 13 ,2003
Saddam Hussein is captured in Iraq. ( The Ace of Spades)
The Japanese needed security and provoked the second world war for fill. Yes fill, the crafty fellows thought that the world would respond by firing artillery shells into the island nation, plugging holes and filling cracks so that they had land to live and grow on. That has to be true as when the game went atomic the war was over because no more fill.It’s a long, long way to paradise from spirit bay….
If the Japanese can make it to Vancouver they can fly for about a thousand dollars to New Zealand via commercial air carrier .
Note there are poisonous sea snakes in the ocean off New Zealand .
Hey Merit what do you say?
Kevin Griffiths
percypaschal
The Proprietor Review 