Category: Technology


Tesla and breakfast…

Filed under: Environment, Technology, Vegtable soup by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
April 26, 2016

A Tesla S, 85 charges up at Merritt, with an adapter to a DC 500 Volt 120 amp Quick charger, Aug /14 File Photo KDG

A Tesla S, 85 charges up at Merritt, with an adapter to a DC 500 Volt 120 amp Quick charger, Aug /14
File Photo KDG


Al from Westbank was using the AC charger at the charging station on Voght here in Merritt on Sunday. A retired man and his wife he made the trip over to have breakfast at the Cold eater hotel. He was happy with the 400 thousand advanced orders that Tesla Corporation had taken on their new affordable model car. When asked why he bough this Model S 85 with the 500 K range he said he opened a Prius before and it seemed like a reasonable transition. I go to Arizona every year and like the Electronics for direction Al said. He leased the car to keep the initial price down including the 10 percent luxury consumption tax.
Growth, Coldwater hotel dome and flag Photo KDG

Growth, Coldwater hotel dome and flag
Photo KDG

 

On this Day: April 26th 1956

The world first successful container-ship goes into service.

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Wood tick

Filed under: Barns and Old Buildings, Environment by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
April 13, 2016
Horses can carry ticks in the spring File :Photo KDG

Horses can carry ticks in the spring
File :Photo KDG

We found a tick on us after going through some tall grass near new construction on the North end of Merritt this week. The dry grass at this time of year is often a transfer point for ticks. Dogs can bring them into your home.
Multiple ticks were also reported on persons hiking in the Southern hills about the town here.
Ticks can carry Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever, like all rickettsial infections, is classified as a zoonosis. Zoonoses are diseases of animals that can be transmitted to humans. Some zoonotic diseases require a vector (e.g., a mosquito, tick, or mite) to be transmitted from the animal host to the human host. In the case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ticks are the natural hosts, serving as both reservoirs and vectors of R. rickettsii. Ticks transmit the organism to vertebrates primarily by their bites. Less commonly, infections may occur following exposure to crushed tick tissues, fluids, or tick feces. Source Wikipedia

When in doubt consult a medical professional.

On this day: April 13th 1997
Tiger Woods becomes the youngest ever Masters champion…

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101.9 a liter

Filed under: Climate, Environment by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
April 12, 2016
Crows at local gas bar !! File Photo KDG

Crows at local gas bar !!
File Photo KDG

The downtown Petro-Canada at the junction of highway 5, 8 and 97c  is offering regular gasoline at a dollar one a liter. Its been that way through the weekend and for about a week making for a bit of a stable period here.

The summer driving season is a couple of weeks away and even this weekend had glorious spring weather beckoning to be out on those roads. If everyone of us took some additional conservation measure for fuel consumption collectively we could more then probably stop any price increase in the cost of fuel  from May to September.

We could then take an interest in weather grocery prices stay down in step with fertilizer and fuel for food production.

On this day: April 12th 1955
The Polio Vaccine is declared safe.

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World Health Day, hats off to the discoverers!

Filed under: Environment, Social Activism by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
April 7, 2016
the Nicola Valley still enjoys the close proximity of a small hospital with a full Lab File Photo KDG

The Nicola Valley still enjoys the closeness of a small hospital with a full lab. File Photo KDG

 

Health is the preoccupation of the healthy, but most people know its value. Serious disease has decimated populations until recent times. things are better with bell weathers like the golden age of health after the discovery of more vaccines like the one for polio, thanks to the March of Dimes.
The World Health Organization recently came into focus again with a successful remedy for the Ebola virus in Africa.
Economy plays a role even now in populations without. However the axiom you can’t buy back your health when lost still resonates.

Editors Note: The  hat in the featured picture looks like the one that belonged to an old retired nurse that pushed a cart about town for along time. It rests on the walk by the Royal Bank on the corner of Quilchena and Garcia, a poetic link to the relationship of money and health. The nurse is not noted about for a while yet we think she is ok. The wind gets a lot of hats in March Merritt.
On this day: April 7th 1967
Film critic Roger Ebert makes his first film review published in the Times.

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EI

Image
Filed under: Education, Technology by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
March 31, 2016
Training program,qualify for when demand is high File photo KDG

Training program,qualify for when demand is high.
File photo KDG

Opinion: The employment insurance needed in Alberta because of oil layoffs should not have qualifying periods based on areas of high unemployment,
 rather a period to find suitable work should be universal and be able to be continued into a retraining period in case of failure.
Job beggars are counter productive.
Trying to stimulate the economy with government spending is like standing in a bucket and trying to lift yourself up with the handle.Eisenhower.

On this day: March 31st 1889

The Eiffel Tower is officially opened in Paris France.

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Budget day

Filed under: Crime and punishment, Debates, Education, elections, Environment, Government Works, immigration, Politics and Politicians, Public health, Religion, Technology, Workers Safety by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
March 22, 2016

 

Dan Albas MP Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola Photo: KDG

Dan Albas MP
Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola
Photo: KDG

Budget from an opposition side of the house…

An action plan is the same as a budget it just expresses the activity in dollars and cents.

The first action plan of a strongly mandated new government comes down today, expressed in dollars and cents the closing of some offices and the change of direction discussed in the recent election including…..

Refugees

Pot

Deficit funding

Infrastructure spending

Global warming intervention

ETC:

 

On this day: March 22 1987

Born: murdered environmentalist Jairo Moro Sandoval.

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Summer Range

Filed under: Barns and Old Buildings, Enterprize, Environment, Space by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
March 17, 2016
Cattle on the ranch at Merritt BC

Cattle on the ranch at Merritt BC

File photo KDG

 

Beef cattle get moved about from summer and winter range. Being fed all winter on the ranch then being moved up to higher pastures to graze on what nature provides makes an economy that we all have a stake in ( except Vegans).
Most range access by road is controlled by metal grated cattle guards in this area however it is good to close any barbed wire fence after use if one is still in service.
There are a number of feed lots here in the Merritt area. The lots function all year long, they are used for dairy cattle that are being matured to two years before being moved to the lower mainland for milk production.

Herd laws make farmers liable for loss of stock not kept behind fences, there can be failure in fences, however collisions with livestock are less frequent now.

 

On this Day: March 17th 2013

The largest meteorite ever observed hitting the moon lands on its backside.

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99.9 cents a liter

Filed under: Environment, Recreational Vehicles, Technology, Tourists by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
March 15, 2016
This is a long way from a gas pump File Photo: KDG

This is a long way from a gas pump
File Photo: KDG

The local Petro Canada station on the corner on Nicola and Voght is offering regular gasoline at 99.9 cents a liter. The price dropped from a $1.02.9 last week and has bridged the psychological barrier of a dollar a liter once again. In earlier weeks it had dropped below 90 cents.
The CBC is reporting that it looked into price increases on long weekends and found something under 20 occurrences which is not unusual for the system of refining. There were other price drops to long weekends.
Canadian Tire suffered a seven figure fine for price fixing between May and November 2007. The combines people usually use real estate zoning to encourage completion in big box stores!
Gas buddy: This service says that the prices are rising and BC is at $1.06.9 with national well under at 92.9.

There is a summer driving season that is about to the college year and summer hours this usually has an effect on prices it will be interesting to see if it is in effect this summer with gluts reflected in bank accounts of producers. (Or did they fix that with grocery prices)
Editors Note:   We believe that the refiner capacity is more responsible for the lag in gas prices dropping in relation to crude prices. No one wants one in their back yard. This may be good as it prevents dumping to a degree. Politically dumped production harms consumers in the long run and predatory pricing will do in competition that make prices stable.

Canadian tire fined  the Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/canadian-tire-pleads-guilty-in-gas-price-fixing-scheme/article534996/
On this day: March 15th 1906

Rolls Royce LTD is incorporated in England.

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TGIF- Daylight savings time

Filed under: Environment, Recreational Vehicles, Vegtable soup by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
March 11, 2016

 

Sunday morning on the 13th is daylight saving time once again. Clocks change at 2 in the morning.

DSC_2466

Daylight saving time (DST) or summer time is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that in the evening daylight is experienced an hour longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. Typically, regions with summer time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring and adjust them backward in the autumn to standard time. [1] source  Wikipedia.

An extra hour coming up for Rodders, this one was out trying earlier in the week. Photo KDG

DST was first proposed in 1895 by New Zealander, George Hudson. The global warming and energy crisis have made it more desirable over time.

On this day: March 11th 1932
Booming Ben the last Heath Hen is seen for the last time.

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Robins sited

Filed under: Fauna, Space, Technology by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
March 9, 2016

https://twitter.com/birdonthehead/status/707266794503811072
Thirty robins sited in the Merritt area on a casual count. Michigan as well, according to a twitter tweet. Forgive the poetic licence.
First day of spring in 10 days.

On this Day: March 9th 2011

The Space Shuttle Discovery  completes its 39th and last flight.

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Sign of spring call for input nuisance control

Filed under: Environment, Public health, Workers Safety by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
March 2, 2016
Notice of an application of herbicide

Notice of an application of herbicide,applicator said it included mosquito resolve. File Photo: KDG

100_9407

File Photo: KDG

There is an advertised opportunity for input into mosquito /nuisance control coming up.
Lower Nicola:
Place Lower Nicola Hall,382 Aberdeen Road
Day: March 7th 2016
Time 6:30 to 8:30, presentation 7:00 to 7:30
Place: Nicola Lake Area, Quilchena Hotel highway 5A
Day: March 8th 2016
Time 6:30 to 8:30 Presentation 7:00 to 7:30
The open house and presentation is hosted by the TNRD Thompson Nicola Regional District.

100_8941

File Photo: KDG                             

Helicopters doing work can be an overhead hazard File photo KDG

Helicopters doing work can be an overhead hazard, applying spray from above.
File photo KDG

On this Day: March 2nd 1995
Researchers at Fermi Lab discover the Top Quark.

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Antarctic visit

Filed under: Environment, Nicola Naturalists by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
March 1, 2016

 

 

Alan Burger has returned to Merritt from a trip to Antarctica. The Nicola Naturalist President will present at the local community college on Thursday March 10th at 7:PM.

NNS President Alan Burger regularly goes to the Antarctic as a naturalist/lecturer on small adventure-tourism vessels. In 2015 he completed a 31-day voyage from New Zealand to the Ross Sea – the deep south – and along the West Antarctic coast. He visited many areas where people seldom go. In January-February 2016 he was in the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia. Global climate change is affecting the Antarctic and its wildlife but sometimes in unexpected ways. Enjoy many photos of wildlife and spectacular scenery.

Alan has recently taken on the executive of the Provincial Naturalists organization.
The lecture theater allows no food or drink, There is free parking in the College Parking lot, at 4155 Belshaw avenue at the top of the hill.
Membership or donation requested.

On this Day, March 1st 2002

An Earth Observation Satellite for environmental purposes reaches orbit. Envisat is a the largest environmental satellite put in orbit and is operated by the European Space Agency.

 

 

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