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coldstreamer@shaw.ca******* Issues related to the District of Coldstream, local government issues, political commentary, local area photos,oddities in the news etc....
Friday, September 2, 2011
Boil water advisory - Kalamalka Lake water supply
Unfortunately, the address search does not seem to work. Left click on map repeatedly to enlarge it and reveal the D (Duteau) and NK (North Kal) areas.
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Labor Day Officially Moved to China - First U.S. Holiday to be Outsourced
September 2, 2011
BEIJING (The Borowitz Report) – Labor Day, one of America’s most beloved and longest-celebrated holidays, has been officially moved to China, U.S. officials confirmed today.
The Labor Day celebrations are expected to kick off Monday afternoon in Beijing with a barbeque attended by over seven million people and presided over by former NBA star Yao Ming.
The transfer of Labor Day to China represents the first time in American history that an entire holiday has been outsourced, experts said.
“It may be just as well,” said the University of Minnesota’s Davis Logsdon, who has lectured extensively on Labor Day traditions. “It’s been getting harder and harder for Americans to remember what labor is.”
Tracy Klugian, 37 said he was sorry to see his annual Labor Day barbeque relocated from his home in Medina, Ohio to Beijing, but is taking the loss in stride.
“I used to really look forward to Labor Day,” he said. “But to be honest, getting a day off isn’t as special as it used to be.”
While Mr. Klugian said it was “a little strange” for Labor Day barbecues to occur in China with no participation by Americans, he added, “Maybe someday we’ll be able to make illegal fireworks for them.”
Meanwhile, U.S. officials said it was looking "more and A" that Thanksgiving would be relocated this year to India.
“At the very least, Americans will still be able to celebrate Thanksgiving by phone,” one official said. “But they should listen closely because some menu options have changed.
The Labor Day celebrations are expected to kick off Monday afternoon in Beijing with a barbeque attended by over seven million people and presided over by former NBA star Yao Ming.
The transfer of Labor Day to China represents the first time in American history that an entire holiday has been outsourced, experts said.
“It may be just as well,” said the University of Minnesota’s Davis Logsdon, who has lectured extensively on Labor Day traditions. “It’s been getting harder and harder for Americans to remember what labor is.”
Tracy Klugian, 37 said he was sorry to see his annual Labor Day barbeque relocated from his home in Medina, Ohio to Beijing, but is taking the loss in stride.
“I used to really look forward to Labor Day,” he said. “But to be honest, getting a day off isn’t as special as it used to be.”
While Mr. Klugian said it was “a little strange” for Labor Day barbecues to occur in China with no participation by Americans, he added, “Maybe someday we’ll be able to make illegal fireworks for them.”
Meanwhile, U.S. officials said it was looking "more and A" that Thanksgiving would be relocated this year to India.
“At the very least, Americans will still be able to celebrate Thanksgiving by phone,” one official said. “But they should listen closely because some menu options have changed.
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Thursday, September 1, 2011
B.C. teacher contract talks lagging
Contract negotiations with B.C.'s teachers are not going well, says provincial Education Minister George Abbott.
“There's not a lot of reason for optimism at this time for an early resolution,” Abbott told a Vancouver news conference Tuesday.
Abbott said the potential for a strike by teachers could make for a rocky school year.
The B.C. Teachers Federation has said its members will not take on duties like attending staff meetings or filling out report cards if a contract is not agreed to by the time students return to classes Sept. 6.
The teachers want wage increases, better benefits and more say on the size and composition of classrooms.
But Abbott said his government will not budge from its net-zero mandate, which means no new money is available. It also means, however, that spending priorities could change to allow for wage increases if there were cuts of equal value elsewhere in the education budget.
Legislated back to work
In June, teachers voted 90 per cent in favour of strike action to back their contract demands.
Because they provide an essential service, Abbott said teachers would be forced to return to work if they eventually try to go on strike.
“One need only look at history to know that there have been numerous occasions in recent decades where these withdrawals have resulted in what are termed 'legislated solutions,'” he said.
In June 2006, teachers accepted a five-year contract that included wage and benefit increases that amounted to about 16 per cent and bonuses worth up to $4,700 each.
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Minister Abbott has a unique approach to labour bargaining: go ahead and bargain but I do not have any new money to bargain with.
“ Abbott said his government will not budge from its net-zero mandate, which means no new money is available. It also means, however, that spending priorities could change to allow for wage increases if there were cuts of equal value elsewhere in the education budget.”
How can spending priorities be changed? Do we take monies intended for children’s education to provide wage increases for teachers? That does not sound palatable. Should teachers give up some of their other benefits, such as health care, pension or whatever in order to increase their current income? That sounds like robbing their future. None of those options seem like winners. Government spending priorities seem to be the problem here.
This government has no sufficient money for education and health care yet huge sums of money were spent on the Olympics and the roof of BC Place. There is also plenty of money for executive salary increases. Executives of BC Ferries have taken home more than the net earnings of the corporation. The chair of Powerex Corporation made $636,315 in 2010, in 2011 his earnings are $1,011,718, an increase of 63%. For more examples of extreme wage increases please go to Global video and fast forward to 9 minutes, 20 seconds. Those increases are a far cry from the net-zero offer teachers are receiving. Is this a “Government of the people, by the people, for the people?”
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Beetle Develops Resistance To Monsanto's Genetically Modified Corn
Lucia Graves - Huff Post
lucia@huffingtonpost.com
WASHINGTON -- Corn beetles have been consuming plants that were genetically modified to be resistant to that very beetle, raising fears that a new superbug could develop or that farmers could be forced to increase the use of pesticides.
In a study published late last month, Iowa State University entomologist Aaron Gassmann found that western corn rootworms (WCR) in four Iowa fields have developed resistance to an insect-killing protein derived from Bacillus thuringiensis, also known as Bt, the natural insecticide in Monsanto's genetically modified corn plant.
While there's still no evidence that any significant number of the pests have become resistant to the genetically modified seeds sold by agribusiness giant Monsanto, the findings may have farmers looking for alternatives.
Laboratory testing confirmed beetles were able to pass on Bt-resistance to their offspring.
"These results suggest that improvements in resistance management and a more integrated approach to the use of Bt crops may be necessary," Gassmann wrote in his study.
But Monsanto, which first released the genetically modified seeds in 2003, said the vast majority of customers are still getting good returns from the technology.
"These products continue to perform very well for growers in 2011, providing the expected level of WCR control on more than 99% of the acres planted with this technology," Monsanto wrote in a statement on its website.
lucia@huffingtonpost.com
WASHINGTON -- Corn beetles have been consuming plants that were genetically modified to be resistant to that very beetle, raising fears that a new superbug could develop or that farmers could be forced to increase the use of pesticides.
In a study published late last month, Iowa State University entomologist Aaron Gassmann found that western corn rootworms (WCR) in four Iowa fields have developed resistance to an insect-killing protein derived from Bacillus thuringiensis, also known as Bt, the natural insecticide in Monsanto's genetically modified corn plant.
While there's still no evidence that any significant number of the pests have become resistant to the genetically modified seeds sold by agribusiness giant Monsanto, the findings may have farmers looking for alternatives.
Laboratory testing confirmed beetles were able to pass on Bt-resistance to their offspring.
"These results suggest that improvements in resistance management and a more integrated approach to the use of Bt crops may be necessary," Gassmann wrote in his study.
But Monsanto, which first released the genetically modified seeds in 2003, said the vast majority of customers are still getting good returns from the technology.
"These products continue to perform very well for growers in 2011, providing the expected level of WCR control on more than 99% of the acres planted with this technology," Monsanto wrote in a statement on its website.
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About Me
- Coldstreamer
- I have been a resident of Coldstream since 1976. I have had 15 years of experience on Council, 3 years as Mayor. As a current Councillor I am working to achieve fair water and sewer rates and to ensure that taxpayers get fair treatment. The current direction regarding water supply is unsustainable and I am doing all I can to get the most cost effective water supply possible.