To the seasons of life
Off road plate
Photo KDG
Its owner Jerry say s that its required now and that it gives him the right to cross a public road to get to off roading on the other side. No ICBC insurance required but he says he has private insurance of some kind. Snow mobiles have been doing this for some time and there is a vibrant club here in Merritt . they have their AGM usually at the Merritt civic center behind city hall MTC.
On this day : August 11th 1929 Babe Ruth hits 500th home run, first ever recorded.
Merritt BC incorporation
Photo KDG
On the corner of Garcia and Quilchena Avenue in Merritt BC Canada is one of the land marks of the 700 souls that made the City of Merritt at the top of the Victorian/ Edwardian age. In the side walk out side and across the street proudly displayed is a plug that tells the date of the cities incorporation in 1911. April first of that year saw a council in place that and a local doctor starting to take on his own, a 1908 graduate of Magill University and a medical Doctor John Joseph Gilles.
Invited by a CPR director to the wealth of coal, agriculture and timber and a microcosm of Victorian prosperity and with new world hope, the little city sported a couple blocks of enterprise anchored by the Adelphia and the Coldwater Hotel. The council found a life in this valley.
With only serious European contact from the mid 19th century a place of relative respite from long grudges of the past, Merritt developed and prospered with 2 diversions of old world strife drawing her resources and strength.
DR. Gillis had his practice in the Coldwater hotel and raised 8 children in a house on Garcia (a couple of blocks down from the Adelphia) street now a BB run by the Gillespie family.
At this writing the progenitry of JJ are planning a get together in early September. We applaud the effort to remember this families effort for our past and future. You may want to take an interest in the website.
http://www.gillisfamilyreunion2015.com/#!events/c1cb2
pp
On this Day August 4th 70 CE On this Day August 4th 70 CE
Rome destroys Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem.
Pipeline politics are on again! Has any one ever asked the question why is oil not refined at sea and taken by tankers off rigs to retailers. Maybe the technologies are non existing. Why not? Can water also be desalinated on off shore rigs cleaned up and taken away? Possibly but the politics of oil is the politics of wealth and seems to be very guarded.
Locally hearing by January the recommendations a possible decision 0n if we will have a twinned line come through Merritt still makes us conflicted between knowing it is someone’s necessary evil and some else’s path way to wealth . We at this blog (royal we) hope that what ever the NEBs report is that it mitigates and distributes the benefits closer to ordinary Canadians birth expectations and rights….Here’s what the responsible operator of the 60 year trans mountain line says of the countdown to decision.
It’s been nearly two years since the head of Kinder Morgan and the company behind the Trans Mountain Pipeline project addressed the local business community about the project, and it was at a time when any formal decision to proceed was a couple years away.
On Tuesday, Kinder Morgan president Ian Anderson was back in Coquitlam speaking to the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce to provide an update on the billion-dollar pipeline project.
He said the National Energy Board is expected to issue its recommendations to the federal government in January, which in turn has another 90 days to accept or reject the project.
In the meantime, he said the energy company still has a lot of work to do on the design of the project, the emergency response plans, and dialogue with First Nations communities.
Kinder Morgan is proposing to expand the 1,550-kilometre pipeline that carries oil from Edmonton to Burnaby.
The proposed pipeline route in Coquitlam would run east of the Port Mann Bridge through the Fraser River, hitting land near United Boulevard.
The line would follow the road west past the Eaglequest Golf complex before meeting up with the Lougheed Highway corridor to Burnaby.
The cities of Coquitlam and Port Moody along with the Village of Belcarra have been given intervener status, which allows the municipalities to ask questions and receive answers through the NEB process.
Anderson, who last spoke to the chamber in the fall of 2013, said the company has listened to some of the local concerns about the project, noting Trans Mountain originally intended to use the Colony Farm area as a work site, but opted not to after hearing from the community.
He also said the company has heard from businesses along United Boulevard about the disruptions from years of construction in the area, and are trying to mitigate the impacts from any pipeline construction.
The balance of the worlds wealth is important, and the use of income needs to be in responsible hands, lets not squander that or make the world worse but wealthier . The way these things are done is as important as doing it. PP
Editors note: The decision remains in the hands of the people of Canada through responsible elected and the rule of law.
On this day: July 17th 1955
Disney land is dedicated in California
Smoke filled the skies around Merritt on Monday and Tuesday, there were fires around Cache Creek and the Pemberton area sending smoke this way
Photo KDG
On this day: July 09 1993
Canada divides its Northwest Territory in two, creating Nunavut and making NWT and Yukon the three territories in Canada’s north region.
Poles in place for the 130 KV line from the Merritt Substation to the Highland Valley
Photo KDG
Below is a standard that journalists use in publication:
1. Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth
Democracy depends on citizens having reliable, accurate facts put in a meaningful context. Journalism does not pursue truth in an absolute or philosophical sense, but it can–and must–pursue it in a practical sense. This “journalistic truth” is a process that begins with the professional discipline of assembling and verifying facts. Then journalists try to convey a fair and reliable account of their meaning, valid for now, subject to further investigation. Journalists should be as transparent as possible about sources and methods so audiences can make their own assessment of the information. Even in a world of expanding voices, accuracy is the foundation upon which everything else is built–context, interpretation, comment, criticism, analysis and debate. The truth, over time, emerges from this forum. As citizens encounter an ever greater flow of data, they have more need–not less–for identifiable sources dedicated to verifying that information and putting it in context.
2. Its first loyalty is to citizens
While news organizations answer to many constituencies, including advertisers and shareholders, the journalists in those organizations must maintain allegiance to citizens and the larger public interest above any other if they are to provide the news without fear or favor. This commitment to citizens first is the basis of a news organization’s credibility, the implied covenant that tells the audience the coverage is not slanted for friends or advertisers. Commitment to citizens also means journalism should present a representative picture of all constituent groups in society. Ignoring certain citizens has the effect of disenfranchising them. The theory underlying the modern news industry has been the belief that credibility builds a broad and loyal audience, and that economic success follows in turn. In that regard, the business people in a news organization also must nurture–not exploit–their allegiance to the audience ahead of other considerations.
3. Its essence is a discipline of verification
Journalists rely on a professional discipline for verifying information. When the concept of objectivity originally evolved, it did not imply that journalists are free of bias. It called, rather, for a consistent method of testing information–a transparent approach to evidence–precisely so that personal and cultural biases would not undermine the accuracy of their work. The method is objective, not the journalist. Seeking out multiple witnesses, disclosing as much as possible about sources, or asking various sides for comment, all signal such standards. This discipline of verification is what separates journalism from other modes of communication, such as propaganda, fiction or entertainment. But the need for professional method is not always fully recognized or refined. While journalism has developed various techniques for determining facts, for instance, it has done less to develop a system for testing the reliability of journalistic interpretation.
4. Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover
Independence is an underlying requirement of journalism, a cornerstone of its reliability. Independence of spirit and mind, rather than neutrality, is the principle journalists must keep in focus. While editorialists and commentators are not neutral, the source of their credibility is still their accuracy, intellectual fairness and ability to inform–not their devotion to a certain group or outcome. In our independence, however, we must avoid any tendency to stray into arrogance, elitism, isolation or nihilism.
5. It must serve as an independent monitor of power
Journalism has an unusual capacity to serve as watchdog over those whose power and position most affect citizens. The Founders recognized this to be a rampart against despotism when they ensured an independent press; courts have affirmed it; citizens rely on it. As journalists, we have an obligation to protect this watchdog freedom by not demeaning it in frivolous use or exploiting it for commercial gain.
6. It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise
The news media are the common carriers of public discussion, and this responsibility forms a basis for our special privileges. This discussion serves society best when it is informed by facts rather than prejudice and supposition. It also should strive to fairly represent the varied viewpoints and interests in society, and to place them in context rather than highlight only the conflicting fringes of debate. Accuracy and truthfulness require that as framers of the public discussion we not neglect the points of common ground where problem solving occurs.
7. It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant
Journalism is storytelling with a purpose. It should do more than gather an audience or catalogue the important. For its own survival, it must balance what readers know they want with what they cannot anticipate but need. In short, it must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant. The effectiveness of a piece of journalism is measured both by how much a work engages its audience and enlightens it. This means journalists must continually ask what information has most value to citizens and in what form. While journalism should reach beyond such topics as government and public safety, a journalism overwhelmed by trivia and false significance ultimately engenders a trivial society.
8. It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional
Keeping news in proportion and not leaving important things out are also cornerstones of truthfulness. Journalism is a form of cartography: it creates a map for citizens to navigate society. Inflating events for sensation, neglecting others, stereotyping or being disproportionately negative all make a less reliable map. The map also should include news of all our communities, not just those with attractive demographics. This is best achieved by newsrooms with a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. The map is only an analogy; proportion and comprehensiveness are subjective, yet their elusiveness does not lessen their significance.
9. Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience
Every journalist must have a personal sense of ethics and responsibility–a moral compass. Each of us must be willing, if fairness and accuracy require, to voice differences with our colleagues, whether in the newsroom or the executive suite. News organizations do well to nurture this independence by encouraging individuals to speak their minds. This stimulates the intellectual diversity necessary to understand and accurately cover an increasingly diverse society. It is this diversity of minds and voices, not just numbers, that matters. source : http://www.journalism.org/resources/principles-of-journalism/
Please feel free to comment on any matter in our blog!
On this day: April 8th 1908
Harvard University votes to have Harvard Business School:
Leaf has direct connection to 500 volt quick charger in Merritt.
Photo KDG
The charging station at the arena parking lot off Voght Street in Merritt saw some use on the weekend. A Nissan leaf from Kamloops ued the quick charger for about 20 minutes and produced an 85 percent charge. A further 18 minutes would have produced a full charge however” It may be hard on the battery” was the concern that made the driver continue to the 70 amp charger that Sun country installed at the local truck stop and bus station near the junction of highway 5A to Kamloops. The charge will be slower but we have confidence in the topping up and want to see the charger on the outskirts of town. There six chargers in the City and they are on sites available by smart phone. The 500 volt quick charger ( 20 minutes 85 percent ) was placed by BC Hydro. The charge was without fee on Sunday. On this Day: April 2nd 2011 India wins the world cricket cup.
All presentations are on at 6 pm except for health services. which is at 1PM.
The Merritt Public library is at 1691 Garcia Street, sign up sheet at counter.
On this day: March 27th 1975
The Trans Alaskan pipeline is begun.
There is a mighty presence of cleaning here in Merritt, British Columbia, this week as well as crew out replacing winter damage to roads and light standards. Pleasant calm spring weather is about this week a change from windy and colder. Crocus are in bloom in some yards.
On this day: March 24th 1958
Elvis Priestly is drafted into the US Army
Poles in place for the 130 KV line from the Merritt Substation to the Highland Valley
Photo KDG
Work is well progressed on 130 KV line.
On this day: March 18th 1896
Lord Stanley donates his silver cup to the best annual hockey team.
A happy job stewart talks to us at the start of the 3rd 500 KV line near Merritt. Photo KDG
You may be miffed that the BC government takes a dividend from hydro when its supposed to be a non profit and delivering power at a rate that reflects your equal standing as a citizen in British Columbia now that dividend may be more attractive when a low snow pack creates less generating capsity then in other year. Putting pressure on that dividend against a reasonable rate. Is it a tax? It is against the mixed economy concept that is supposed to undergird our free system of profit driven business. Here’s what hydro is saying about the snow pack:
Lower-level snowpack is way below normal in many areas across province
No snow on the North Shore mountains. Mount Washington closed to skiing for the season. A record high temperature of 14°C at Vancouver airport a month after Christmas. What’s going on here? And what does it mean to 2015 water levels in B.C., including BC Hydro’s reservoirs? To answer those questions, and to take a deeper dive into the effects of climate change, we sat down with BC Hydro meteorologist Tim Ashman, author of a popular in-house weather blog that goes out to more than 1,000 BC Hydro employees. A member of BC Hydro’s hydrology and technical services team, Ashman agrees that this has been a weird winter in B.C. “It’s been unusual in B.C. and in much of Western North America,” he says. “It’s been warm quite consistently, pretty much all winter, with only a couple exceptions.” What makes the winter of 2014-2015 so unusual is just how warm and wet it has been compared to other so-called El Nino years. We had one in 2009-2010 during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but that winter was largely dry. Not this time around, because this El Nino year is different. “All of our storm cycles have been warm,” he says. “And that’s had a significant effect on our snowpacks. We’ve had to deal with water runoff instead of storage into the snowpack. At elevations where we’re generally storing snow at this time of year, we’ve seen runoff.” That runoff was significant enough that BC Hydro was forced to spill water at several dams, notably in the Campbell River system. Meanwhile, a rainy October in the north recharged ground water and increased streamflows into BC Hydro’s largest reservoir, Williston, in what amounted to an unusual, but welcome, pre-winter influx of water heading into the peak season for electricity demand.
Maybe rain will come maybe taxs will go up. What ever comes we still have a lot of good people and an enduring community to increase our quality of life come what may. You may take this serous enough to do that solar project you have put off. On this day: March 5th 1975 The first meeting of the home brew computer club.
For more from hydro visit the newsletter: http://www.bchydro.com/news/conservation/2015/decreased-snowpack-impacts-bc.html?WT.mc_id=c-15-03_snowpack
Hey Merit what do you say?
Kevin Griffiths
percypaschal
The Proprietor Review 