Category: Technology


Butterflies and Moths of North America

There is a website that lets you submit photos of butterflies and moths for identification its: http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ubmiting Photos and place serves a good purpose, as it logs the health and numbers of a bell weather, to environmental safety.

along with birds these creatures should also be observed for the plants they are eating and how they fare against predators.

Today in history: August 29th 1946

The USS Nevada is decommissioned.

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Today in history: August 29th 1907

The Quebec Bridge collapse kills 75  workers.

Bang and shake: quake

Sometime after 9PM on the 23rd of August we felt a bang and shake for about half a second in the apartment building that we live in . Fully expecting to see an amount of damage to the building by a car or trick that stuck it we didn’t get out of bed. The next day talk of an earthquake was about the town and news reporting said that Merritt had had a small earth quake, in the range of 2.6 on the energy released scale. Emergency vehicles were about on Friday after the shake and people said that they went to the Clay banks park over flow to a fire that  was not there and there were reports of Fire works at a local school. Lots of accounts of people hearing or feeling the brief shaking including retired fire chief Don Moyes who thought it may be like the experience of his child hood when he would hear and see explosions in the coal mines. Another person working at the Grand said that he spilled a bit of his drink he was preparing.

The United States Geological Survey does not list it on their records this may be that it was not on a plate boundary or an US threat. They do list an earthquake  on the 19th in Osoyoos, 2.5 in energy at 15.32 , UTC 7.00.

Talking to a young woman from Japan on Saturday at Starbucks she said 2.6 is a weekly occurrence for her and her companion said he doesn’t know if it’s a quake, sometimes ,or a passing truck.

The confusion is an enigma about fires and fireworks here is some advice from  a Canadian source on what to do in an event:

http://embc.gov.bc.ca/em/hazard_preparedness/earthquake_information.html

Today in History: August 27th 1928

The Kellogg-Briand pact is signed, it eventually leads to 61 countries signing on.

The week in pictures 8/24/13

Duct pack

The hydro ( or a consultant) here in Merritt are checking old manholes for compatibility for water lines today. A source says the real work to is a duct pack in the Voght street  and the burial of the power lines  that now are on the west side of the road. He also says that the top like goes to a substation in the highland valley and is high voltage up to 63000 volts.

The single line sits atop some ageing power poles at this time.

Today in History: August 15th 1481

The Sistine Chapel is consecrated.

Ball field parking lot paving

The city crews have blocked off the parking lot next to the RCMP station and the Ball fields. The parking lot is being paved over not with new asphalt but recycled asphalt from a highway repair area. The material has gone through a grinder and is laid out without new oil and rolled  untill it has a flat and usable appearance. The parking lot at the local kin park was done in this way a few years ago and has proven durable for the speeds and loads it was subjected to by the picnicking public.

Thats one for the Canadian Eco footprint.

Today in History: August 12th 1978

The treaty of peace and friendship is signed between the people of China and Japan.

TGIF-Lolipops

Merit of Merritt

Its good that it is friday….

The city office has a public publishing self in the reception area of the City Hall. The administrator has a bowl of lollipops beside the committee minutes.

A source offered one with no strings attached or reason for them being there..

Today in history:  August 2, 1870

The first tube underground railway opens in London England.

Safety meeting: IBEW

The meeting room of the local Coldwater Hotel was occupied by members of the IBEW yesterday morning. A member of the group outside for a break said that they were having a safety meeting. When asked ” high visibility concerns ” he didn’t disagree”.

The member said they were involved in the 500 KV line to the lower-mainland. When asked if a tower that had fallen some months ago in the Lundbom lake area was still on the ground he said ” I think that’s been cleaned up now. A separate source at a different time had said that it collapsed when it went to be plumbed. He also said that the towers are heavier gauge steel then in the past. Another source had shown us pictures of the tower on the ground in recent weeks.

The 3rd 500 kv line to the lower mainland is substantially following the existing line to lessen environmental impact.

The pads for the towers are being put in by the company Flatiron represented by the Christian labourers union the towers by Hydro its self with its bargaining unit IBEW.

Today in history: July 24, 1487

The people of Leeuwarden Netherlands strike a ban on foreign beer.

Dew point

This morning at 7 am on the grassed boulevard there was a heavy dew. A fellow at Starbucks on a Yamaha Striker  motor cycle,that had come through he  highway from Hope concurred saying that there was fog and it was chilli as he passed to Merritt. Dew usually signals the end of the fire season here. And at one time was associated with wet legs from moose hunters that were out early in moose pastures.

Today in history: July 18, 1968

Intel corporation is founded.

3 cents a liter

The local petro can at the junction of highway 8 and 5 in Merritt is selling gas at 137.9 a liter . That is down from 1.40 on the weekend.

Merritt is in the center of 7 highways and has had a they as the hub of the Coquihalla at its chamber office in the past.

Today in history: July 10th 1789

Alexander Mackenzie reaches the River Delta that bears his name.

110 go home

A CN service truck driver was asked how fast he used his white service truck on the the train tracks when he lowered the train wheels and followed the tracks ” twenty-five Kilometers and hour he said . He also said that he is in contact with the dispatcher when on the tracks. However he is in GPS control on the highway ” If we go over 110 kilometers an hour it is sent by satellite to the office and we are sent home.’

Today in history: July 9 1922

Johnny Weissmuller breaks the  minute barrier in the 100 meter freestyle swim and the world record  at 58.6 seconds.

One cent a liter

The gasoline prices are a cent better this week then last. One dollar and 40 .9 cents as different from $1.41 last week. The change happened on the weekend .

Many RV  and trucks pulling trailers were seen to be fueling up for the weekend.

Today in history: July 8 1898

Soapy Smith killed in a gun battle on Juno Wharf releasing Skagway Alaska from his grip.