Be Inspired by Canada
Shane Koyczan - We Are More
on www.youtube.com
Slam poet Shane Koyczan delivers his poem "We Are More," which was commissioned by the Canadian Tourism Commission. Shane Koyczan urges us to keep exploring and keep being inspired by Canada. Shane Koyczan ...
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Philip Hoare Answers a Book Question
February 12, 2010, 7:00 am
Stray Questions for: Philip Hoare
By BLAKE WILSON
From the New York Times
A Blog About Books
Excerpt:
"I never tire of telling people to read Hal Whitehead’s “Sperm Whales: Social Evolution in the Ocean.” It’s the most astounding work. Whitehead is a Cambridge-educated statistician who, like me, became fascinated by whales. He has spent the past three decades studying them, from Sri Lanka to the Galapagos and the Caribbean. He now works at Dalhousie, Nova Scotia. His conclusions on sperm whale culture are breathtaking. These cetaceans possess the largest brain of any animal — and their neo-cortexes are so highly developed that they are believed to be capable of tool use, complex communication, social structures and abstract thought. Whitehead even hypothesizes that sperm whales may have developed their own ideas of religion. When I read that — in the final pages of a rigorously researched book, filled with scientific data — I nearly fell out of bed."
Philip Hoare’s new book, “The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea,” has just been published.
Stray Questions for: Philip Hoare
By BLAKE WILSON
From the New York Times
A Blog About Books
Excerpt:
"I never tire of telling people to read Hal Whitehead’s “Sperm Whales: Social Evolution in the Ocean.” It’s the most astounding work. Whitehead is a Cambridge-educated statistician who, like me, became fascinated by whales. He has spent the past three decades studying them, from Sri Lanka to the Galapagos and the Caribbean. He now works at Dalhousie, Nova Scotia. His conclusions on sperm whale culture are breathtaking. These cetaceans possess the largest brain of any animal — and their neo-cortexes are so highly developed that they are believed to be capable of tool use, complex communication, social structures and abstract thought. Whitehead even hypothesizes that sperm whales may have developed their own ideas of religion. When I read that — in the final pages of a rigorously researched book, filled with scientific data — I nearly fell out of bed."
Philip Hoare’s new book, “The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea,” has just been published.
Ferry from Yarmouth to NEW HAMPSHIRE in works?
Ferry to Nova Scotia still in talks
Cargo, passenger service eyed
By Adam Leech
aleech@seacoastonline.com
February 13, 2010 2:00 AM
PORTSMOUTH — The elimination of Canadian government subsidies for a ferry service from Maine to Nova Scotia has not dampened plans to develop regular service from Portsmouth.
Canadian company Bay Ferries announced in December that it was ending the seasonal service between Maine and Nova Scotia after officials said government support would not be available for the 2010 season. Bay Ferries operated The Cat from Bar Harbor and Portland to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The high-speed ferry operated seasonally from late May to October, coinciding with Maine's tourist season.
"I became concerned when I saw the Canadian government stopped subsidies on The Cat and how it might affect their project," said Marconi. "But to the best of my knowledge, they are still in the process of doing an economic analysis and that shouldn't have an impact."
Last year, officials at the Ports of Yarmouth and New Hampshire expressed interested in developing a ferry service that would operate year round. Though a final plan is not in place, the two sides were serious enough to have Marconi, Pease Development Authority Executive Director David Mullen and Port Committee Chairman Anthony McManus travel to Yarmouth for a tour of the facilities.
The plan included both cargo and passenger service. Providing an alternative to trucks driving 800 miles from Nova Scotia to New Hampshire to deliver cargo was key, as it would help sustain the service during the winter months when passenger interest is limited. For the average ferry boat, the trip from port to port across the Bay of Fundy is 12 hours.
"The lack of available Canadian subsidy money may hamper our efforts," said Mullen, "but if the economic analysis Yarmouth was doing suggests there is enough interest in shipping cargo from Yarmouth year round, then the limited capacity ferry we were contemplating might be further strengthened if our service was the only one available."
Pease and Yarmouth officials agreed on a memorandum of cooperation in summer 2009, which explicitly stated both sides were interested in pursuing a potential partnership.
Marconi said initial talks have also centered around receiving subsidies from the Canadian government and significant infrastructure upgrades at the Port of Yarmouth. The Portsmouth terminal, Mullen said, would require only minor upgrades to accommodate a ferry of the type being discussed. Roll on/roll off, or "Ro-ro," ferries are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo on vehicles that can drive on and off the boat with the use of a hydraulic ramp.
A timetable on a decision is not known, Marconi said, making and the potential launch date for ferry service even more unclear.
Cargo, passenger service eyed
By Adam Leech
aleech@seacoastonline.com
February 13, 2010 2:00 AM
PORTSMOUTH — The elimination of Canadian government subsidies for a ferry service from Maine to Nova Scotia has not dampened plans to develop regular service from Portsmouth.
Canadian company Bay Ferries announced in December that it was ending the seasonal service between Maine and Nova Scotia after officials said government support would not be available for the 2010 season. Bay Ferries operated The Cat from Bar Harbor and Portland to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The high-speed ferry operated seasonally from late May to October, coinciding with Maine's tourist season.
"I became concerned when I saw the Canadian government stopped subsidies on The Cat and how it might affect their project," said Marconi. "But to the best of my knowledge, they are still in the process of doing an economic analysis and that shouldn't have an impact."
Last year, officials at the Ports of Yarmouth and New Hampshire expressed interested in developing a ferry service that would operate year round. Though a final plan is not in place, the two sides were serious enough to have Marconi, Pease Development Authority Executive Director David Mullen and Port Committee Chairman Anthony McManus travel to Yarmouth for a tour of the facilities.
The plan included both cargo and passenger service. Providing an alternative to trucks driving 800 miles from Nova Scotia to New Hampshire to deliver cargo was key, as it would help sustain the service during the winter months when passenger interest is limited. For the average ferry boat, the trip from port to port across the Bay of Fundy is 12 hours.
"The lack of available Canadian subsidy money may hamper our efforts," said Mullen, "but if the economic analysis Yarmouth was doing suggests there is enough interest in shipping cargo from Yarmouth year round, then the limited capacity ferry we were contemplating might be further strengthened if our service was the only one available."
Pease and Yarmouth officials agreed on a memorandum of cooperation in summer 2009, which explicitly stated both sides were interested in pursuing a potential partnership.
Marconi said initial talks have also centered around receiving subsidies from the Canadian government and significant infrastructure upgrades at the Port of Yarmouth. The Portsmouth terminal, Mullen said, would require only minor upgrades to accommodate a ferry of the type being discussed. Roll on/roll off, or "Ro-ro," ferries are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo on vehicles that can drive on and off the boat with the use of a hydraulic ramp.
A timetable on a decision is not known, Marconi said, making and the potential launch date for ferry service even more unclear.
“Nova Scotia is one of the windiest places in the world.
Now the province is turning those coastal breezes into electricity in order to help the planet.
But not everyone likes the new technology on the block.”
Sunday, February 14th at noon on CBC TV’s LAND AND SEA
Featuring
Daniel D’Entremont of Lower West Pubnico,
Nora & Judith Peach of Digby Neck
Reuben Burge of RMSenergy.
Now the province is turning those coastal breezes into electricity in order to help the planet.
But not everyone likes the new technology on the block.”
Sunday, February 14th at noon on CBC TV’s LAND AND SEA
Featuring
Daniel D’Entremont of Lower West Pubnico,
Nora & Judith Peach of Digby Neck
Reuben Burge of RMSenergy.
Labels:
wind turbines Digby Neck
New Carrier for Yarmouth Airport?
Sources say an American carrier is looking to provide air service to/from Yarmouth and the Eastern Seabord of the States. It could happen as early as next month.
Labels:
Yarmouth airport Maine USA
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Poor Cell Phone Service on Digby Neck and Area
Yarmouth Municipal Council is at work getting better cellular service for the people in their area (Argyle, etc.). They are going beyond Bell/Aliant and going to the CRTC. (Canadian Radio and Television Network). Our area will not see a benefit from their hard work, however, as it would be too south of here.
Everybody knows there are reception problems on Digby Neck and perhaps the Islands as well, but has anybody done anything about it? Trying to talk to Bell/Aliant is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It doesn't work. The CRTC will. But there needs to be voices. Either register your comment with the CRTC, or write to or call your municipal councillor. They need to know that there are a number of people who have the same issue, so they can go to bat for us. Jim Thurber may be your rep, or it may be Linda Gregory linda.gregory@ns.sympatico.ca
Even if you don't live in the area you could be travelling through it and be affected by the many "blank" zones. More than that, it could affect whether you live or die or whether someone else lives or dies. If there's an accident and you can't reach anybody, or nobody who is trying to help you can reach emergency services, then...
Cell phones (and reception) are really safety devices, in 2010. We need the service to cover *all* of Digby Neck and Islands. Please add your voice. I'm writing Linda right now. linda.gregory@ns.sympatico.ca
And please, be someone who has the caring to *want* to save someone's life...by just making that call.
Everybody knows there are reception problems on Digby Neck and perhaps the Islands as well, but has anybody done anything about it? Trying to talk to Bell/Aliant is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It doesn't work. The CRTC will. But there needs to be voices. Either register your comment with the CRTC, or write to or call your municipal councillor. They need to know that there are a number of people who have the same issue, so they can go to bat for us. Jim Thurber may be your rep, or it may be Linda Gregory linda.gregory@ns.sympatico.ca
Even if you don't live in the area you could be travelling through it and be affected by the many "blank" zones. More than that, it could affect whether you live or die or whether someone else lives or dies. If there's an accident and you can't reach anybody, or nobody who is trying to help you can reach emergency services, then...
Cell phones (and reception) are really safety devices, in 2010. We need the service to cover *all* of Digby Neck and Islands. Please add your voice. I'm writing Linda right now. linda.gregory@ns.sympatico.ca
And please, be someone who has the caring to *want* to save someone's life...by just making that call.
Eastlink Broadband
EastLink Newsletter This newsletter is intended to provide you with information regarding the progress of EastLink High Speed Wireless Internet. January 2010 Message from Lee Bragg, CEO EastLink As we enter a new month, we do so with optimism. We continue to make good progress with EastLink’s High Speed Wireless Internet in Zones 5 and 6. Over the past few months we have had conversations with Nova Scotians who are pleased with their new High Speed Wireless service and with those who are looking forward to having service installed. And we’ve spoken with Nova Scotians who have expressed their concern with timelines and a feeling that the information they are receiving is not accurate. I want to express personally that we appreciate your concerns and ask for your patience. On behalf of EastLink, I can assure you that we are working very hard to roll this project out to meet our commitment of full coverage in our territory. As we launch more towers and increase availability, we also become aware of some geographically challenging areas experiencing low signal strength. While these areas can impact original timelines, we have a process in place to deal with them involving the installation of repeater poles to strengthen the signal. We are still on track to meet our May 31 delivery completion timeline. We are also working very hard to improve the way we communicate with you and the timeliness with which we communicate. That means that we are continuing to make improvements to the Check Availability updates on our website. Our next newsletter, due out later this month, will have even more detailed information on Tower Updates to keep you better informed on the status of availability in your community. And we are communicating more regularly with our Customer Service staff to ensure they have the most up-to-date information to answer your questions and address your concerns. Below are some of the more common questions that we’ve received these past few weeks. I hope you find the answers helpful. FAQs Q. Why is service available in part of my community but not at my civic address? A. The majority of communities in EastLink’s territory are served by more than one site, which means that more than one tower services these communities. Because more than one tower is involved, many communities are partially served at present as we work to bring all of the tower sites in these areas on-air. EastLink is committed to providing 100% service in its territory by May 31, 2010. Q. Why did your last newsletter have some communities listed more than once? A. Our December newsletter noted several cases where a community was listed as being both currently on air and due to be launched the end of January. In these cases, communities are served by more than one tower site (as described above), of which one tower may be on air and another may be close to completion.
We apologize for any confusion this created. Q. How often is your website updated with Tower launch information? A. We update the Check Availability tool on the broadband pages of our website on a weekly basconceivable that if you check the website on a Thursday and then again on that Friday, the information could be different as a result of the update. Our goal with uploading weekly updates is to ensure that you have the most accurate information as quickly as possible. In some cases, you could notice a change in the original launch date. In-service dates may change due to things like weather (i.e. tower climbing required by an installer can’t be done in extreme cold or windy weather); and commercial power installation. We continue to work with the May 2010 delivery completion timeline. Q. You've mentioned that you will be providing more detailed information on Tower Updates - what does that mean? A. In future, ournewsletter Tower Updates will list all communities within EastLink's territory, by county, with an indication of which communities are fully served, partially served and those for which EastLink High Speed Wireless is coming soon. NEXT ISSUE: Mid-February (including more detail in Tower Updates) For information on availability in your area, or to subscribe to EastLink High Speed Wireless Internet, please visit eastlink.ca or call EastLink Customer Care Centre at 1 888-345-1111 (residential), 1 877-813-1727 (business).
We apologize for any confusion this created. Q. How often is your website updated with Tower launch information? A. We update the Check Availability tool on the broadband pages of our website on a weekly basconceivable that if you check the website on a Thursday and then again on that Friday, the information could be different as a result of the update. Our goal with uploading weekly updates is to ensure that you have the most accurate information as quickly as possible. In some cases, you could notice a change in the original launch date. In-service dates may change due to things like weather (i.e. tower climbing required by an installer can’t be done in extreme cold or windy weather); and commercial power installation. We continue to work with the May 2010 delivery completion timeline. Q. You've mentioned that you will be providing more detailed information on Tower Updates - what does that mean? A. In future, ournewsletter Tower Updates will list all communities within EastLink's territory, by county, with an indication of which communities are fully served, partially served and those for which EastLink High Speed Wireless is coming soon. NEXT ISSUE: Mid-February (including more detail in Tower Updates) For information on availability in your area, or to subscribe to EastLink High Speed Wireless Internet, please visit eastlink.ca or call EastLink Customer Care Centre at 1 888-345-1111 (residential), 1 877-813-1727 (business).
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