Category: Vegtable soup


Hydrogen again…

Filed under: Business, Energy, and infrastructure, Enterprize, Industrial projects, Population, Vegtable soup by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
June 17, 2026

A View point ..

So, The 2010 Olympics in Vancouver saw two experimental hydrogen buses. Powered by hydrogen fuel cells demonstrated for that event. They were put in service. Tags were half a million each. Never seen any for a while. Merritt DC had hydrogen service for fuel-celled powered trucks at the truck. Stop along the showers. They didn’t make shower water out of the hydrogen after they burned it. Sorry but that was a good stretch.

Merrit “positioned for freight”

If you’re looking for a history of hydrogen fueling stations operating over decades in Merritt, you might be chasing a bit of a ghost story—or perhaps thinking of early alternative fuels like propane and compressed natural gas (CNG). In reality, there were no historical hydrogen outlets for trucks in Merritt. For decades, the heavy flow of commercial freight and logging trucks moving through the Nicola Valley relied strictly on traditional diesel cardlocks. The technology to use hydrogen as a commercial heavy-duty trucking fuel simply didn’t exist in a viable way in the 20th century, so the infrastructure was never built.That said, hydrogen-powered trucks *are* finally becoming a reality on the highways around Merritt today. Over the last couple of years, companies have begun running commercial pilot projects with Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell trucks, specifically putting them to the test on the steep, grueling climbs of the Coquihalla Highway up to Merritt. Since there isn’t local fueling infrastructure yet, these trucks fuel up at modern stations in the Lower Mainland or Kelowna. They use those single fills to haul massive payloads up the mountain, proving that zero-emission transport can handle B.C.’s demanding interior grades without the severe weight penalties associated with battery-electric trucks.The ultimate outcome here is that Merritt is perfectly positioned for the *future* of freight, rather than having a hidden history of it. While the town doesn’t have a decades-old legacy of dispensing hydrogen, its strategic location at the junction of the Coquihalla, Highway 5, and the Okanagan Connector makes it an inevitable, critical node for B.C.’s emerging commercial hydrogen corridors. You won’t find any vintage hydrogen pumps hidden around town, but you are absolutely going to see more of these high-tech, water-emitting trucks pulling through the valley in the years to come.

Fashion statement

Photo: KDG

So, this in the first week of June or so we’re making statements of propriety diligence enjoyment fashion. Just having a cruise through Merritt BC beside the arena parking lot.

That small gas tank is as telling as anything, their enjoyment is a testimony against the unwise of this life that somehow thrive on strife, disruption and conflict.

Welcome to Merritt.

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Ring

Filed under: Berivement, Vegtable soup by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
June 14, 2026
💍

Tourism BC engages

The tourist association of BC makes a friend with Tumbler Ridge with a great present of $5,000 in a recovery grant for resilience in that community.

Engagement is support with feeling we think. The hands that reach out are the hands that pray thee for success.

The presentation was to the Tumbler Ridge resiliency fund received by Jesse Olson director of community development. Presented by Clint Fraser CEO of Northwest BC tourist association, via British Columbia tourist association Chief Exec Amber Papou.

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Fire & people, June 22nd, one June is better than another…

Filed under: Public safety, Vegtable soup by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
June 12, 2026

Firefighters are incredibly brave and dedicated individuals who put their lives on the line to protect people and property from fires. They are true heroes.

When a fire breaks out, firefighters are the first responders on the scene. They work tirelessly to extinguish the flames, rescue anyone trapped inside, and ensure the safety of everyone involved.

Firefighters undergo extensive training to prepare for their challenging and dangerous job. They learn various firefighting techniques, how to operate firefighting equipment, and how to handle hazardous materials. They also receive medical training to provide emergency medical care to those in need.

In addition to responding to fires, firefighters also play a crucial role in preventing fires through education and fire safety inspections. They teach communities about fire prevention, the importance of smoke alarms, and what to do in case of a fire. By raising awareness and implementing safety measures, firefighters help reduce the risk of fires and protect lives.

Firefighters are always ready to answer the call, regardless of the time or weather conditions. Their commitment, bravery, and selflessness truly make them the backbone of our communities. Let’s appreciate and support these extraordinary individuals who make a profound difference in our lives.

Action day for firefighters

Historical Record

Historically speaking, there isn’t a major emergency or natural disaster tied to **June 22nd** in Kelowna’s firefighting annals. The defining historical wildfire event for the city—the massive Okanagan Mountain Park Fire—didn’t ignite until August of 2003.However,

June 22nd does hold a couple of distinct, modern meanings for firefighting and the local community in Kelowna:### 1. The Kelowna Firefighters “Falcons Night Out” FundraiserIf you are looking at the local calendar for the Kelowna Fire Department or the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 953, **June 22nd** is traditionally anchored as the **Kelowna Falcons Night Out**.Started in 2012 in partnership with the Nonis family (owners of the Kelowna Falcons West Coast League baseball team), this annual June 22nd event is one of the most prominent community fundraisers for the **Kelowna Firefighters Charitable Society**. The evening features: *

A “Kids Zone”

with bouncy castles and face painting. * Firefighters competing in games and challenges between baseball innings. * A massive 50/50 draw and a cornerstone summer fireworks show. * All proceeds fund community programs and local families in need.

### 2. Specialized Fire Training

Because the Central Okanagan is an interface zone heavily impacted by wildfire behavior, Kelowna frequently acts as a training hub in the early summer before the core fire season peaks. For instance, the region hosts the specialized **Kelowna Fire Effects Monitoring Workshop** starting on June 22nd. This provincial hands-on training provides firefighting and forestry professionals with technical tools to measure exactly how intense fires impact the terrain over time, shaping future containment strategies.> **Note on a similar historical date:** If you are thinking of a solemn line-of-duty event in the department’s history, it occurs exactly one month later:

On **July 22, 1966**, 27-year-old firefighter **Garry Drachenberg** tragically lost his life when his fire truck overturned during a call. To this day, it remains the first and only line-of-duty fatality suffered by the Kelowna Fire Department since its original volunteer brigade formation in 1905.>

The firesmart program is available in Merritt.

Rebate intake July, check for applications

Up to $2500.00 rebate, see image link on photo.

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Earth Sky

Filed under: Astronomy, Environment, Sky scapes, Space, Vegtable soup by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
June 8, 2026

June  8 to 14 th  2026, the night sky

Look up

Magic storms are still a possibility, go to Environment ,Canada Space weather FMI

Space Weather Canada https://share.google/k84sqsGQcjSjGlirK
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Hopeing love to you

Filed under: Love, Prose, Vegtable soup by percypaschal — Leave a comment
June 6, 2026

What are you doing this evening?

Love is not a train wreak

Falling in love is effortless—it’s a chemical cascade that happens *to* you. Staying in love, however, is an active choice that requires continuous, deliberate effort. The initial spark eventually gives way to the routine of daily life, where long-term romance transforms from a feeling into a practice. It demands that you show up for your partner even when you are tired, distracted, or annoyed. This means actively choosing to see them, listen to them, and appreciate them long after the novelty has faded. The work of love isn’t about grand, sweeping gestures; it’s found in the quiet discipline of kindness, patience, and the daily decision to remain committed to another person’s happiness alongside your own.At the heart of this enduring commitment is a delicate, ever-shifting balance of give and take. A healthy, lasting relationship rarely operates at a perfect 50/50 split; instead, it fluctuates based on life’s demands. There will be seasons where one partner is overwhelmed, stressed, or grieving, requiring the other to step up and carry 80% of the emotional weight. The crucial element is reciprocity over time. True compromise isn’t about keeping a rigid scorecard of who did what; it is about a mutual willingness to yield. It means learning to balance your individual needs with the collective health of the relationship, ensuring that neither partner feels chronically depleted or taken for granted.To sustain love permanently, couples must intentionalize strategies that protect their bond from emotional drift. First and foremost is cultivating emotional responsiveness—acknowledging your partner’s small attempts to connect, whether through a brief text, a shared glance, or a casual comment. Second, couples must master the art of “repair.” Arguments are inevitable, but the ability to apologize sincerely and move past conflict without harboring resentment is what prevents emotional erosion. Finally, permanent love requires a commitment to continuous discovery. People change over decades, and staying in love means consistently dating the person your partner is becoming, ensuring that your connection evolves rather than stagnates.

Love you
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Extinction on board Canada circa 1990s

Filed under: Environment, Fauna, Fish, Flora, Vegtable soup by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
June 4, 2026

Karner Blue & Frosted Elfin Butterflies

Gone extinct

Canadian extinctions in the last 50 years.

While Canada hasn’t lost any high-profile megafauna like grizzly bears or caribou entirely to global extinction in the last 50 years, several unique, localized species and distinct populations have completely vanished from the country.

### 1. Globally Extinct

(Gone Forever)These unique creatures only existed in specific Canadian habitats and are now completely lost to the world: * **The Hadley Lake Sticklebacks (Extinct c. 1999):** This was a fascinating “species pair” (two distinct but closely related species, the Benthic and Limnetic sticklebacks) that lived side-by-side exclusively in Hadley Lake on Lasqueti Island, British Columbia. Discovered in the 1980s, they were entirely wiped out within a decade after someone illegally introduced predatory catfish into the lake. * **The Banff Longnose Dace (Extinct c. 1986):** This tiny, specialized freshwater fish was endemic to a single marsh fed by hot springs in Banff National Park, Alberta. A combination of factors led to its sudden demise: the introduction of invasive tropical aquarium fish, a beaver dam that restricted their movement, and chlorinated water leaking into the marsh from a nearby swimming pool.

### 2. Extirpated from Canada (Still Exist Elsewhere)

These species or distinct regional populations once thrived in Canada but can now only be found in the United States or in captive breeding programs: * **Greater Prairie-Chicken (Extirpated c. 1987):** Known for the striking, bright orange air sacs on the necks of males during their elaborate courtship dances, this large grouse once ranged across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario. Massive habitat loss from agriculture and over-hunting drove them completely out of Canada. * **Karner Blue & Frosted Elfin Butterflies (Extirpated c. 1991 and 1988):** Both of these small, beautiful butterflies disappeared from their native oak savannah habitats in southern Ontario. The Karner Blue vanished primarily because its caterpillars feed exclusively on wild lupine, a plant that rapidly disappeared due to land development and fire suppression. * **Black-Footed Ferret (Extirpated in the wild c. 1974):** This nocturnal predator disappeared from the Canadian prairies as its primary prey, the prairie dog, was systematically eradicated by ranchers. While technically extirpated from the wild decades ago, massive conservation efforts have since attempted to carefully reintroduce captive-bred ferrets back into Saskatchewan’s Grasslands National Park.

### 3. Recent Distinct Population Extinctions

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) also tracks distinct regional populations that disappear: * **Lake Whitefish Species Pairs (Como Lake, ON) (Extinct c. 2018):** A unique evolutionary pair of small- and large-bodied whitefish in Como Lake, Ontario, was officially declared extinct after an invasive zooplankton (the spiny waterflea) completely disrupted the local food web. * **Atlantic Walrus – Nova Scotia/Newfoundland Population (Extinct c. 2017):** While the Arctic populations of the Atlantic Walrus survive, the distinct population that once hauled out along the Atlantic coastlines of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland was formally declared extinct by COSEWIC after failing to recover from historical commercial harvesting.

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Four stages of water

Filed under: Social Activism, Vegtable soup by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
May 31, 2026

While we commonly think of water as having three stages (solid, liquid, and gas), the “fourth stage of water” often refers to plasma when discussing the fundamental states of matter. However, within the context of water specifically, it’s more nuanced.
Here’s a breakdown:
* Solid (Ice): Water molecules are rigidly bound in a crystal lattice.
* Liquid (Water): Molecules are more loosely bound and can move past each other.
* Gas (Steam/Water Vapor): Molecules are far apart and move randomly.
When people talk about a “fourth stage of water,” they might be referring to a few different concepts:
* Plasma: If you heat water vapor to extremely high temperatures, the molecules can break apart, and the atoms can become ionized (electrons are stripped from the nuclei). This superheated, ionized gas is plasma, which is indeed considered the fourth fundamental state of matter. This is not a common state for water under everyday conditions.
* Supercritical Fluid: At very high temperatures and pressures (above its critical point), water can exist as a supercritical fluid. In this state, it has properties of both a liquid and a gas, diffusing like a gas but dissolving substances like a liquid. While distinct, it’s generally considered an extension of the fluid phase rather than a completely separate “stage” in the same way solid, liquid, and gas are.
* Exclusion Zone (EZ) Water / Structured Water: This is a more controversial concept, primarily popularized by Dr. Gerald Pollack. He proposes that water adjacent to hydrophilic surfaces can form a structured, ordered layer with different properties than bulk water. He sometimes refers to this as “EZ water” or “structured water” and suggests it acts like a liquid crystal, having a more ordered hexagonal structure. While intriguing, this concept is still an area of active research and not universally accepted as a distinct “fourth phase” in the traditional scientific sense.
In summary, if you’re looking for the generally accepted “fourth state of matter” in the scientific community that water can achieve under extreme conditions, it’s plasma. However, if you encounter the term in other contexts, it could refer to supercritical water or the more speculative “EZ water.”

Life under the ICE

The size of Chicago
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Wednesday charm

Filed under: Vegtable soup by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
May 27, 2026

Memorial Garden NVIT Merritt Campus May 2026.

The Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) was founded in 1983 as a private institute by the five First Nations bands of the Nicola Valley—the Coldwater, Lower Nicola, Nooaitch, Shackan, and Upper Nicola bands. Created out of a vision to provide a meaningful space where Indigenous people could thrive in higher education, it initially opened its doors to just 13 learners in a specialized forestry program. In 1995, the institution achieved a major milestone when it was officially designated as a Provincial Institute under the British Columbia College and Institute Act, making it BC’s only public, Indigenous-led post-secondary institution. Today, it operates two main physical campuses—the primary Eagles Perch campus in Merritt and an urban site in Burnaby—while simultaneously delivering mobile, community-based education directly to over 35 distinct Indigenous communities across the province.The institution’s governance and modern student body directly mirror its founding values and unique public mandate. Fully governed by a First Nations Board of Governors and deeply supported by a dedicated Elders’ Council, NVIT operates under an Indigenous-led administrative structure designed to keep curriculum and student services learner-centered and culturally grounded. The student population has grown to approximately 1,500 learners annually, with individuals representing nearly 70% of all First Nations communities in British Columbia, alongside a smaller segment of non-Indigenous students from local regional school districts. Over the decades, NVIT’s expanding network of alumni has produced influential community leaders, environmental technologists, health care workers, and business professionals. Many of these graduates transition directly into roles within First Nations governance, resource management, and social services, carrying forward credentials ranging from specialized certificates to joint Master of Business Administration degrees explicitly tailored for Indigenous cohorts.

Merritt Campus

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Dream World

Filed under: -Photography, Vegtable soup by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
May 22, 2026

Some people are caught in an extraordinary public context.

Proportions propose prose, Photo KDG

The camera created a dreamy sense for this traveler on Voght Street in Merritt BC…

Public statement that might be followed,  an artist presenting, or accidental it is called a moment.

😷
Some creative fun options, over tech perfect
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Trade and Energy: Black Sea River Systems

Filed under: Climate, Environment, Vegtable soup by percypaschal — Leave a comment
May 20, 2026

Basket of life

Rivers of life

The rivers that flow into the Black Sea—most notably the Danube, Dnieper, Dniester, and Don—serve as vital ecological, economic, and geopolitical lifelines for Central and Eastern Europe.

These vast freshwater systems act as natural highways, enabling international trade and commercial navigation deep into the European interior.

Beyond transportation, they supply critical freshwater for agricultural irrigation across vast agricultural belts and sustain unique delta ecosystems, such as the UNESCO-protected Danube Delta, which are rich in biodiversity and serve as essential habitats for migratory birds and endangered fish species. Furthermore, these rivers continuously deposit nutrients that dictate the unique marine chemistry and fish populations of the Black Sea itself, making them indispensable to the regional fishing industry and the livelihoods of littoral nations.
Regarding energy generation, the technical and economic exploitation of these river systems varies dramatically by region. On the Upper Danube and parts of the Dnieper, the hydroelectric potential is largely exhausted;

Decades of intensive development have resulted in major installations like the massive Iron Gate dams (shared by Romania and Serbia) and the multi-dam cascade system in Ukraine. While localized, micro-hydro upgrades and modernizations continue to tap small fragments of remaining energy, any substantial large-scale potential remains intentionally undeveloped. This is due to strict European Union environmental mandates, such as the Water Framework Directive, alongside concerted efforts by international commissions to protect remaining free-flowing river stretches from hydromorphological damage. Consequently, regional energy focus has shifted away from building new river dams and toward expanding offshore wind, wave energy, and deepwater subsea energy corridors across the Black Sea basin.


For a deep dive into how these massive river systems impact underwater geography and deep-sea environments, you might find this video highly insightful:
Scientists Found Enormous River Flowing Under the Black Sea
This video explores how the unique interaction between the Black Sea and inbound water sources creates fascinating, hidden underwater river currents right along the seabed.

The Blue Danube, seen by many eyes over millenium still rolls on in its solumn wait for yours…

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Bridge over river Kwai

Filed under: Canada, Vegtable soup by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
May 19, 2026
Gasoline the addiction of suburbia.

Gas prices have gone up because of tensions in the middle east. We pay for the Americans play…
Planned obsolescence…

It seems like the rationale of militarism, stares us down in a cycle of frustration lubricated by hope and activity. The balance sheet of suffering for a cause remains at; just be cause…

No sense, lots of feeling, rhetoric driven by simplistic resonating rot. The last of us is the best of us drives a futile clamour of reasoning supported by end game punting of facts, furious fiction and fantasy.

It settles down when involvement in tangibles like this bridge completes the cycle of provocation , program and purchase.

Will it always be?

Greatness is a delusion and meekness is a charm. But somehow there is a codependency risk in their interaction.

The balance sheet between expenditure (imperialism) and income (fame) 15 minutes and generation suffering is tilted.

Let’s pretend and go back to simple, we can name it all after hockey stars, dead are better.  Everything is solved, my goodness that works, dingy Einstein, E =MC squared only vibrates trouble and energizes tripping over the light fantastic.

Thanks for your attention the truth is people are messy and loss is a bust when we are explaining we are “losing” . That may be only our time but we never get that back after expending it

Benediction

Good luck enjoy the moment, be in the present you have the secret now, enjoy … KDG

300,000 reserves, demand on labor.

Well, Collective security means something different some decades on.

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Cuisine

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Vegtable soup by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
May 18, 2026

Well, dinner needs company.

Farmers market Saturday Morning,Merritt BC, May long weekend, 2026

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