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Home / Canadian Politics / Remember when Canada was about to become 'a global energy powerhouse'? So how'd that work out?
The leaders of the G8 say hi from St. Petersburg in 2006 (Photo: G8Russia.ru).
Remember when Canada was about to become 'a global energy powerhouse'? So how'd that work out?
David Climenhaga
Posted on March 09, 2020, 1:28 am
Anybody remember Stephen Harper's plan to turn Canada into "an energy superpower"?
That was in July 2006, a dream articulated in Mr. Harper's first speech abroad as Canada's prime minister.
Canada was not only about to become "a new energy superpower," Mr. Harper told the Canada-U.K. Chamber of Commerce in London, his government intended to turn the country into a "global energy powerhouse."
Stephen Harper with U.S. President George Bush in the heady days of Twenty-zeroes (Photo: Chris Greenberg, the White House).
Those were the days! The G8 (remember that?) was about to meet in St. Petersburg, Russia. Oil was selling for $74.57 US a barrel. The United States had to import oil to keep the wheels of its economy turning. Mr. Harper was threatening to show Russian President Vladimir Putin a thing or two for not bowing to the new neoliberal imperium.
"We believe in the free exchange of energy products based on competitive market principles, not self-serving monopolistic political strategies," he grumped at Mr. Putin, explaining that the world including Russia must allow market forces to prevail.
"An ocean of oil-soaked sand lies under the muskeg of Northern Alberta, my home province," he bragged. The Globe and Mail, covering the story, noted how Canadian diplomats had been instructed to tell business leaders and politicians how much energy Canada supplies to the United States, reinforcing the message that Canada was a safe, reliable and market-based source of energy.
Almost 14 years have passed since that heady day, when the new prime minister even got to have tea with Margaret Thatcher, his hero and the model for his plan to use fossil fuel revenues to finance the change to an ideological market fundamentalist utopia without anyone noticing what was actually being done until it was too late.
So how's that market fundamentalist fantasy coming along in 2020?
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, just before oil prices plummeted through the floor (Photo: Government of Alberta).
Mr. Harper hasn't been prime minister for almost five years now, although he's still lurking in the background trying to foment a regime in Canada that nowadays looks more dystopian than utopian to most Canadian voters.
The United States pumps out enough oil to satisfy its own needs. So, as we keep forgetting to remind ourselves, our No. 1 customer has become our No. 1 export competitor. So much for the bountiful benefits of allowing market forces to prevail!
Not only that, but people everywhere have concluded global warming is an actual thing, and they're looking for answers that don't include steaming out petroleum from that ocean of oil beneath the "muskeg" in Mr. Harper's Alberta back yard.
The former prime minister's acolytes are back in power here in Alberta — plotting to save the collapsing oil industry by setting up a Russian-style monopoly with looted teachers' and nurses' pension savings. Mr. Putin, I'm sure, would approve.
And the Russian president is confident enough now to tell Saudi Arabia to drop dead when it tries to blackmail his country into curtailing production in the face of a global pandemic that's already suppressing demand for oil — blowing former Harper cabinet minister turned Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's aspirational 2020 budget to smithereens less than two weeks after it was tabled in the Legislature!
Time for a new one already?
When Mr. Kenney was elected in 2019, promising an immediate return to oil boom nirvana after the previous NDP government and the Progressive Conservative one before that had struggled with depressed energy prices since 2014, it was supposed to herald the return of the "Alberta Advantage."
All that was needed, Mr. Kenney told us, was low taxes and a War Room that would tell those urban green European extremists global warming was baloney and Alberta's bitumen was the very best, most ethical oily sand in the planet. Then Alberta would be Great Again.
He'd have a summer of repeal, he vowed, and make MLAs stay up late in the Legislature to dump the NDP's efforts to diversify the economy and reduce the province's enormous carbon footprint. And give the man his due: Promise made, promise pretty much kept!
But instead of low taxes and a booming economy floating on rebounding oil prices, we've got oil prices plunging into the sub-basement with no alternative source of revenue pushing Alberta toward a financial meltdown that can't really be blamed on any of the United Conservative party's usual scapegoats.
Who knew that markets respond to supply and demand?
Last night when I last looked on my handy-dandy cell phone app, West Texas Intermediate was down to $27.69 US, and Western Canadian Select, our tarsands special, was trading at $14.43.
I imagine most people in Canada are thanking god Mr. Harper and his so-called Conservatives were run out of office before they hollowed out what was left of the country's manufacturing sector in the name of putting all our economic eggs in the oil basket.
But here in Alberta about all we have is the former leader of the Opposition, and not incidentally the recipient of a nice Canadian Parliamentary pension, yelling for Alberta to separate if we don't get right back on the Harper oil train! As if that's going to make the price of bitumen magically rise.
This is apparently what passes for serious political discourse in Alberta nowadays.
So how's that energy superpower thing working out?
Alberta NDP Alberta politics Canada-U.K. Chamber of Commerce Canadian Politics Conservative Party of Canada Jason Kenney Law of Supply and Demand Margaret Thatcher Oil Prices Russia Stephen Harper United Conservative Party Vladimir Putin West Texas Intermediate Western Canadian Select
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21 Comments	to: Remember when Canada was about to become 'a global energy powerhouse'? So how'd that work out?
Alberta oil producers were advised about a decade ago that the US would soon reemerge as not only a major oil and natural gas producer, it will also return to being a major energy exporter. Of course, the fat heads in Calgary laughed. Four years later, many of those fat heads were jumping off their brand new, insanely tall, and very vacant office towers. Personally, I've been dancing and laughing on all their graves.
Now that the recent and spectacular crash in oil prices are taking hold on world markets, I can imagine that the UCP budget has enormous holes shot through it. With the projections for a balanced budget completely out of whack, I suspect Kenney will take to the airwaves and blame Trudeau for Saudi Arabia and Russia failing to reach a production agreement. No doubt Andrew Scheer will even declare that a Conservative government would, as they intended to do with the railway blockades, force both the Saudis and the Russians back to the bargaining table and agree to production levels that will assure a healthy $300/bbl price. Mission accomplished. Next, in honor of International Women's Day, they will force women to be barefoot and pregnant, because they are happier that way.
Seriously, the thought of Ken-Doh in a state of perpetual panic fills my heart with tremendous joy. Pulling the plug on the War Room would be the sensible thing to do, but what about all those barely employable UCP members? They need the charity of a good partisan slush fund.
No. Kenney will stay the course and maintain his version of reality, spiced up with a wild tantrum every now and then. I mean it's the only way he can get his rocks off.
Code Clements
Kenney is pretending to be mini Trump, just like Ford bragged about being maxi Trump, as he claimed being Trump prior to Trump being Trump. Neoliberalism as practiced by Harper, Kenney, Ford is dead, but we do not have a reliable replacement. We will continue to increase inequality, enrich the elite and corporations, attack unions , reduce employment and wage growth, as long as these believers in Reaganomics and Thatcherism lead us into an abyss.
Looking back to 2006 sure does help show us what happened to Mr. Harper's grand plans to remodel Canada in the image of a Conservative petro state. Gee I wonder where Mr. Harper got that idea from?
What happened? Well, to praphrase a former British Prime Minister, events happened. As you mentioned rising prices led US oil companies to develop new technologies to extract more of the stuff and we went from concerns about peak oil then to a world seemingly swimming in the stuff now.
Also, increasing concern about climate change as its impacts became increasingly visible around the world, and now declining demand as the world hunkers down due to the corona virus.
Mr. Harper's timing was fairly good, although in hindsight it would have been wiser for him to retire before 2015 when his grand petro state idea started falling apart. Although, maybe he took one for the team then, because he had only mediocre ministers left and no one he felt could carry on adequately after him.
Well guess what, one of those B team ministers is now running Alberta and events keep on happening that our Premier seems powerless to respond to.
It's probably not a coincidence the high water mark for the Harper Conservatives was that time when oil prices were rising or at their highest Unfortunately, for them and also our own UCP, I think it is unlikely oil prices will recover much soon, or for a long time, if ever.
J.E. Molnar
So is this what going to hell in a handbasket feels like?
Pardon my schadenfreude and snark, but can one now expect Jason Kenney to convene another expert panel, headed by that stable economic genius from Saskatchewan, Janice MacKinnon (now gainfully commissioned as a regent for the U of A on the taxpayers' dime)? If so, maybe this time they will look at the revenue side of the ledger as opposed to only looking at the expenditure side. Just a suggestion Mr. Kenney.
Hana Razga
Ha, Jason Kenney has already convened another expert panel to advise on economic issues, with one of the people appointed being Jack Mintz
1. Yes, it is.
2. Jack Mintz will lead a panel to deal with the oil crisis, while JayKay schticks it to Ottawa again.
3. Full steam as head on the budget. Oops, almost typed budgie.
4. Please do not ask questions about coronavirus. What? He can't hear you.
5. He'll be at the Winchester waitng for all this to blow over. I might have taken that from a zombie movie.
Farmer Brian
In the 2018-2019 third quarter Fiscal Update and Economic Statement published in February 2019 by the Alberta NDP the path to balance projected by the NDP showed non-renewable resource revenue going from $5.429 billion(actual) in 2018-2019 to $12.3 billion in 2023-2024. The reason I point this out is you attack the UCP for putting all its eggs in one basket, if you look at the projections of the former NDP government they were doing the same thing they just presented it differently.
The unfortunate reality is the economic fallout of Covid-19 is going to affect everyone in Alberta and create a lot of financial suffering. On the farm Covid-19 has lowered world grain prices by roughly 10%, combine this with delayed shipping caused by Indigenous demonstrations and 2020 hasn't been good on the farm after a far less than ideal 2019 harvest. But I am fortunate I still have a job which many in the oil industry won't and for that I am lucky.
The NDP were as silly as anyone else who tries to bank on predicting oil prices, but unlike the Used Car grifter-yokel Party, the NDP did not propose blowing a hole in the already precarious revenue stream with the historically discredited practice of corporate tax cuts combined with increased privatization and cuts to public services. Make-a-few-people-rich-quick schemes are the MO of the Kons, a very different approach than that of the NDP.
Farmer Brian, the UCP is nothing more then the former Far Religious Right Social Credit Party that Lougheed defeated because of their extreme ways and operating this Province with their religious ideology. You have Jason Kenney already blaming everyone but himself about Alberta's economy. A few experts are predicting the Alberta deficit could go over 15 billion dollars because of Kenney's ideology, he budgeted 7.5 billion. For you and everyone else Kenney has been the worst Premier Alberta has ever had. And for your information the farmland I rent out the Renter is doing just fine.
Bob Raynard
I see in Saturday's Edmonton Journal Jason's War Room took out a half page ad claiming that if India, China and SE Asia were to switch to natural gas the reduction in carbon dioxide would equal double Canada's annual emissions. I'm not sure what the point of the ad was, but it sure feels good to see the war room spending money the UCP tells us we don't have.
Keith McClary
"if India, China and SE Asia were to switch to natural gas"
While we slowly phase out coal by 2030?
(10% of the energy value of LNG is burned to liquify and transport it, so it would make more sense to convert Alberta plants first.)
Did the ad also claim that Tar Sands "oil" is lower emissions than conventional oil?
Harpo's worldview is about as sophisticated as that of a medieval peat-cutter. One of the great psychopathic neoliberal propagandists of the late twentieth century, Yegor Gaidar, spelled out very clearly how reliance on oil to fund an economy left that economy subject to the machinations of geo-politics:
"Gaidar identified about a dozen structural, longer-term factors and several more immediate triggers whose confluence led to the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The predominant factor was the inefficiency of the Soviet economy, which could not cope with a sharp drop in revenues from oil exports. That drop caused the regime to default on its socio-political contract with the Soviet population, which was much more extensive and rigid than the one between President Vladimir Putin and the people of post-Soviet Russia, according to Gaidar. The Soviet regime didn't pursue fundamental reforms in earnest even when its leaders realized that such reforms had become a matter of life and death. The last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, stalled out of concern that the population and parts of the elite would not accept the painful sacrifices such reforms required. Gaidar, who can fairly be called the father of market reforms in post-Soviet Russia, argues that in the absence of action by the Soviet government falling oil prices triggered a "crisis in balance of payments and [the] accounting system that developed into a broader economic crisis and led to a steep decline in production and standards of living, political destabilization and finally collapse.""
https://www.russiamatters.org/analysis/soviet-collapse-and-its-lessons-modern-russia-gaidar-revisited
Some folks allege that the collapse in oil prices, which at that time smashed Canada as well as the Evil Empire, was the result of some sweet, sweet lovin' between the CIA and the Saudis, who were the swing producers during the early eighties. Regardless of what prompted the collapse, the point to be taken by anyone who could read, was that oil dependence was a mug's game.
But not Harpo the scholar, who managed to write a hockey book while serving as PM. Somehow he had the time to read about amateur hockey in Toronto in the early twentieth century, but couldn't bring himself to learn about the fracking revolution that was occurring, or the historical pitfalls of petro-states. But I suppose that 6000-year-old-earthers don't put much stock in learning history.
Simon Renouf
It's instructive to recall that Harper's belief in Canada as "a new energy superpower," and a "global energy powerhouse" were always based not on the free market but rather Canada riding on the coat tails of the Russia/OPEC supply cartel. It's probable that Russia and Saudi Arabia can make money selling $30 oil. How long could any Canadian producer afford to do so?
Not a very stable compact between Russia and the Saudis.
"Here's what's happening: Washington has persuaded the Saudis to flood the market with oil to push down prices, decimate Russia's economy, and reduce Moscow's resistance to further NATO encirclement and the spreading of US military bases across Central Asia."
https://www.counterpunch.org/2014/12/16/the-oil-coup/
Seems to be the Empire lining up in the ol' I formation that scored them a touchdown in '86:
"The timeline of the collapse of the Soviet Union can be traced to September 13, 1985. On this date, Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, the minister of oil of Saudi Arabia, declared that the monarchy had decided to alter its oil policy radically. The Saudis stopped protecting oil prices, and Saudi Arabia quickly regained its share in the world market. During the next six months, oil production in Saudi Arabia increased fourfold, while oil prices collapsed by approximately the same amount in real terms.
As a result, the Soviet Union lost approximately $20 billion per year, money without which the country simply could not survive."
https://delong.typepad.com/egregious_moderation/2007/06/yegor_gaidar_th.html
Special K and Steve-O: Continuing on with that old Thatcher-Reagan zombie shuffle, with all of the same predictable results. Was it that long ago? It seems like it was only yesterday, with Special K both standing in for and aping Steve-O on the present day Alberta stage. Oh,those memories!
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/corporate-canada-likes-harpers-tax-cuts—-but-it-likes-handouts-too/article1000036/
And, don't forget:
"Closing in on a decade since the Harper government doled out nearly $14 billion to Chrysler Canada and General Motors Canada, Ottawa has written off $2.6 billion owed to taxpayers by a defunct arm of Chrysler."
https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/canadian-taxpayers-secretive-2-6-billion-gift-to-chrysler/
What surprises does Special K have in store for Alberta Taxpayers? Whatever they may be, rest assured that they will be hidden far, far away, out of sight and out of mind. Down the old memory hole, away we go!
Kenney is bragging about this $2.6 billion for "old Chrysler" shortly before it went bankrupt (essentially it was a gift to Chrysler's secured creditors).
"Back in 2008 and 2009, during the global financial crisis, we saw government around the world do extraordinary things to ensure economic stability, stability in financial markets here in Canada, ensuring the future of the auto sector and tens of thousands of jobs related to it in Ontario and Quebec's manufacturing sector."
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/we-need-the-government-of-canada-to-have-our-back-kenney-to-appeal-for-help-from-ottawa-1.4848229
When you see a duck? Do you really need to hear it quack?
Something fascinating is happening during these times of bad news:
"Fallout from coronavirus outbreak triggers 25% decrease in China's carbon emissions…."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/covid-19-coronavirus-climate-carbon-emissions-china-economy-1.5477466
Watching Kenney's press conference today was revealing, in the sense that he is clearly nervous about the future that is unfolding for him.
Alberta is fast heading to the abyss and all Kenney can go on about is his brilliant plan to save Alberta. Let's set the record straight …
Kenney has been lying since Day One. He proclaims to have the only solutions to all of Alberta's ills, including a fat tax cut for those who don't need it and massive spending cuts to teach his enemies who's the boss. Further down that list of solutions includes threats, insulting PMJT, and praying that Andrew Scheer can win the election. When all that failed, the tantrums started, followed by more threats, more lies, more assaults on his enemies…yet the pit gets ever deeper.
So, at today's press conference, Kenney decided that, when looking over the edge into oblivion, he would be conciliatory and diplomatic. He spoke of a partnership with Ottawa and would would a list of immediate and help initiatives to revive Alberta's devastated economy. Kenney spoke of needed capital works projects, included the massive $260B environmental clean up of redundant oil and gas wells. It's a massive project, but one that is worthy of pursuit. For a second I thought Kenney was about to utter the phrase "social license". He even spoke of reductions in carbon-emissions as a major step forward for the province. Did Rachel Notley just enter Jason Kenney's body?
After hurling all the insults at PMJT, can Kenney even get a productive audience over these iniatives? Then there's the matter of Kenney declaring war against the CPC by endorsing his own candidate, Erin O'Toole, over the party's wishes to favour Peter MacKay…Kenney is beginning to look like someone who's running out of options.
Meanwhile, his dreams of entering the PMO are fast slipping away.
We'll see if Tom Olsen and Matt Wolf even have jobs at the end of this month.
Kenney is probably thinking about free market solutions like the "Bank Policy Institute" suggests:
"Actions the Fed Could Take in Response to COVID-19"
https://bpi.com/actions-the-fed-could-take-in-response-to-covid-19/?utm_source=Bank+Policy+Institute
The above is not satire, I think.
For satire:
"Experts scramble to figure out how global oil price crash the fault of Wet'suwet'en protestors"
https://www.thebeaverton.com/2020/03/experts-scramble-to-figure-out-how-global-oil-price-crash-the-fault-of-wetsuweten-protestors/
Re: The WAR Room, have you noticed that their pages load slowly. That's because they have giant 14600kB (4121×2318 resolution) image files like :
https://www.canadianenergycentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/GettyImages-178442742-e1583533144851.png
For comparison, the G8 image at the top of this page is 76kB.
After downloading the 14600kB file, your browser has to convert it to a much smaller resolution size to fit your screen.
I wonder who does their web design – the same outfit that "designed" their logo?
dave insask
what will he and moe to morrow I wonder. $28.50 is bad foroil
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This statement was originally published on article19.org on 12 December 2018.
ARTICLE 19 condemns the decision of the Chelmsford Crown Court to convict the so-called Stansted 15 protesters under terror-related legislation. The charges are hugely disproportionate to their act of peaceful protest to stop a deportation flight. The protesters' conviction on 10 December 2018 represents a disproportionate restriction of the right to protest which is likely to have a chilling effect on individuals seeking to exercise this right across the UK.
The 15 protesters had cut a hole in a perimeter fence and chained themselves around a plane at Stansted Airport on 28 March 2017 to prevent a deportation flight, which included asylum seekers whose claims had been denied. The protesters successfully stopped the flight from taking off, and were arrested and charged with aggravated trespass. However, the government later ramped up the charges to "Endangering safety at aerodromes" under Section 1 of the Aviation and Maritime Security Act, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The law was brought in to tackle terrorist offences, and has no place in the policing of protests.
The protesters are part of a campaign group called End Deportations. Of the deportees on the plane, 11 of those are now having their claims for asylum reassessed.
"These severe convictions are a shocking assault on the right to protest and clearly disproportionate to the actions of protesters. These convictions should be quashed. The UK government must avoid undermining the protection of the right to protest in the UK and reaffirm the rights of individuals to protest," said Thomas Hughes, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19.
Under international and regional human rights standards, any restrictions on freedom of expression, including protests, must meet the so called "three part test": they must be prescribed by the law, pursue an explicitly enumerated legitimate aim and be necessary and proportionate to a pressing social need for the restriction.
Protests in the form of civil disobedience/direct action, such as is the case with the Stansted 15, that violate an existing law, involve the exercise of human rights and meet the requirements of this test. Additionally, ARTICLE 19 has long argued that in such cases, law enforcement and courts should consider a number of factors, including motivation of the protesters and the non-violent nature of the protest. We have recommended that judiciary and administrative authorities should apply lenience in punishment and should consider whether strict application of criminal offences is an appropriate and proportionate form of restriction against protesters.


I remember the last time I had dinner with my friend. The dinner before everything changed.
We met at Applebee's and just to get to dinner was such a feat for us both. Work schedules, sick kids, husbands working overtime. Sometimes a simple plan Is the hardest to make happen.
Her same frustration that her 3 year old feels the same way about her clothes.
The amount of food her son can eat.
Budgets, coupon clipping and the wish that sometimes are husbands could help just a bit more.
Our upcoming vacations both first vacations for our families.
The softness and beauty of her newborn Daughter. Elly.
My continued wish/jealousy that I wasn't ableto have the third child I yearned for.
The usual subjects of two busy, tired, but loving mommas.
During dinner and our catch up, I joked that I would like to have her baby and could she give me her. All in jest of course.
She joked that I could take the other two (temporarily) because the baby is so "chill" and that she was "one" with her mommy. Elly was the easy baby that makes you want more babies.
We talked about the sweet things that newborns do and how beautiful her daughter was. They were just at our house for a play date so my girls and I had hugged, kissed and snuggled on Baby Elly. She was everything her momma said. Easy, beautiful, warm and lovely.
For a moment we talked about a serious matter – not our normal subject. It was me who brought it up. I asked about if they had a will and if so, who would they leave their kids to? I said we didn't have one but it is on our list of things to do. We talked about our worries if we, the mother's were to go before their husbands.
The usual fears of a mother who would leave their children behind. It was not our normal conversation, nothing serious are even at the time, something we could possibly imagine.
She said we are on her list of people she would leave her kids with.
As we finished our dinner we discussed our weekend plans. We were finally going to a flower nursery and filling up our empty flower beds. They were laying low because they had a new baby and that is what families with new babies do.
The upcoming dance recital for their three year old.
We finished our dinner, paid our bills and tightly hugged in the parking lot. We headed home. A promise of a play date soon and a quick "love you" we headed our separate ways.
2 mommies - 2 daddies - 5 kids between us.
2 days later on a warm April Saturday, in a flower nursery way out of the way. I missed a call from my friend. It was not normal for her to call me so early on a Saturday so I hurriedly listened to her voice mail.
She told me that Elly was being life-flighted to the hospital and that she wasn't breathing. Her voice put fear in my heart. I yelled to my husband that we had to go. Our flower pots half loaded. I quickly paid and Brian jumped in the car. As we traveled I called her over and over. No answer.
I prayed out loud and in my mind over and over that Baby Elly was okay.
Babies are resilient, please let her be okay.
Don't do this to her mommy. Please let her be okay.
Please, please answer your phone. Please let them be okay.
I walked in the door trying to patiently wait for a return call. Finally I told my husband that I was going. I was going to the hospital. I had to be there. I had to know if they were okay.
My phone finally rang – It was her.
I listened to my friend sobbing that her daughter was gone. Her baby had died. My sobs matched hers and I fell to my knees. My husband got me thru the moment, so I could go and help my friend.
It was the moment before the moment. I got back up and grabbed my keys. She said I didn't have to come. I told her there was nowhere else I would be. I steeled myself for the grief I knew was coming. I will never forget the sound of her voice in that moment. I wish we could go back to our hug and hold just a second longer.
Have you been there? How did you handle it? Share with me, as I am sure if you have been there, you know. These are the calls that are life changing.
I have been there. 20 years ago, my best girlfriend "H" lost her son to SIDS when he was only 4 months old. The sadness and loss is not expressible or explainable. It does soften over time, believe it or not. H and her husband went on to have 3 really awesome kids, and I am their proud godmother. We always remember their older brother who is in heaven now. Your friend must be a special kind of strong.


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14 July 2020: Selangor announces economic recovery plan; Jack Ma sells US$8.2b worth of shares
Jul 14, 2020 | News |
Covid-19: Selangor announces economic recovery plan
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The outlook for Malaysia's industrial property market is looking favourable as it is expected to see more enquiries, especially from manufacturers, said independent property consultancy firm Knight Frank Malaysia. Its Capital Markets executive director Allan Sim said manufacturers would be looking to take advantage of the tax incentives, adding that the industrial real estate market has remained resilient in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. "We also foresee more international e-commerce operators considering Malaysia as an important regional distribution hub within their network," he said. Additionally, the firm said the Malaysian government's move to provide generous tax incentives for foreign manufacturers under the National Economic Recovery Plan would help to position the country as a strong contender in attracting more overseas manufacturing operations to its shores. (Malay Mail)
PDZ and Sanichi to develop RM1.5 billion regional e-commerce logistics hub in Johor
PDZ Holdings Bhd and Sanichi Technology Bhd are planning to jointly develop a regional e-commerce logistics hub in Johor, which is estimated to cost over RM1.5 billion. The logistics hub is designated to handle activities related to transportation, separation, coordination and distribution of goods for local and international transit, similar to Alibaba Group, and will target supply-chain players. The hub was expected to be developed over 234 acres in Desaru, Kota Tinggi. People familiar with the matter said that the GDV would exceed RM20 billion. It is understood that both PDZ and Sanichi would jointly apply for approval from the relevant government agencies in Johor to develop the hub. Sanichi group managing director Datuk Sri Dr. Pang Chow Huat said the logistics hub would be a mixed development comprising an e-commerce centre, a distribution centre, warehouses and a transit centre. (NST Online)
Malaysia sets precedent as first country to remove Speaker before dissolution of Parliament
Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusoff, speaking after his ouster as the Dewan Rakyat Speaker yesterday, said this is the first time in the history of the world that a speaker is removed before the dissolution of Parliament. He said the only other country that has done this before is Trinidad and Tobago in the 1990s, but this was due to an offence committed by the speaker. "I don't know whether it is a good precedent, but it certainly is something extraordinary," he said at a press conference. He added: "The speaker, once he is appointed, does not speak for the government only; he speaks for the whole house. Any speaker that becomes a speaker for the government only is not a proper speaker." Mohamad Ariff, however, said his removal was done constitutionally by way of voting, adding that it is the MPs that decide on the appointment of the speaker — not the Cabinet or the Prime Minister. (The Edge)
Alibaba's Jack Ma sells US$8.2b worth of shares
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd co-founder Jack Ma has cut his stake in the company over the past year to 4.8% from 6.2%, cashing out around $8.2 billion at its current share price, the firm's annual filing showed. The divestment comes as Ma retired as the Chinese e-commerce company's executive chairman in September and pulled back from formal business roles to focus on philanthropy. Alibaba did not disclose the average selling price of his divestment. The stock's stellar performance has been helped by forecast-beating earnings growth, even as China's economy sharply slows, as more people shop online for essentials due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alibaba Executive Vice Chairman Joseph Tsai also reduced his stake in the company over the same period, to 1.6% from 2.2%. Both Ma and Tsai have been steadily less involved in Alibaba's regular operations since Daniel Zhang was announced as Ma's successor as company chairman. He assumed that role formally in September 2019. (The Star Online)
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Behavioural Optometry is based on concepts of neuroscience and treats each patient as an individual in relation to their eye condition. This concept is not new or special -- it is how all patients should be treated.
Besides examining the "hardware" (e.g. eye health and the structural abnormalities), Behavioural Optometry aims to normalize higher-order visual functions (the "software") and attempts to address the individual's visual neurocognitive status. Indeed, vision is more than meets the eye and neuroplasticity underpins the basis in vision therapy.
Consultant Optometrists at IGARD adopt a neurocognitive approach to vision-care during their clinical practice. Senior Consultants are clinically trained in Behavioural Optometry and they are best known for their work on Vision Therapy and Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation.
Senior Consultant Optometrists Evelyne Saysana and Yap Tiong Peng (IGARD Group Singapore) and Dr Robert Sanet from San Diego, USA. IGARD is a practice in Singapore with a strong focus on Behavioural Optometry and Vision Therapy. Yap Tiong Peng received his training and accreditation in Behavioural Optometry in the U.K. and Evelyne Saysana completed her Masters degree in Behavioural Optometry from the University of New South Wales, Australia. Both of them practises at IGARD.


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Do you love tennis? The Australian Open is the Aussie premiere tennis event on the sporting calendar but did you know they also have some COOL bands playing?
Sneaky Sound System follow in the footsteps of Pete Tong (2014) and The Presets (2013) as Heineken Saturday headliners. A host of other big name acts, including Sheppard, The Preatures, Lanie Lane, Gossling, Megan Washington and Potbelleez, will feature on the Heineken Live stage throughout the 14 days of the tennis season's first Grand Slam.
The main day on Saturday the 24th of January will see Sneaky Sound System headlining. Our local tennis star and genuine 'Man of the World' Mark Philippoussis is leading the call for visitors to get behind the 'Legends Of Tennis' and help celebrate the sport's top talents and biggest personalities. In the spirit of fun, Heineken is inviting consumers to don their best tennis outfits – complete with tight shorts, 70s headbands and perhaps their finest Roger Federer-style white blazers.
Mark states, "I think it's great that Heineken will be celebrating the Legends of Tennis. I'm thrilled to be their special guest on the day and looking forward to the unique atmosphere and getting into the spirit of fun on Heineken Saturday!".
Triple M presenter and host of Channel 7's The Mole, Shura Taft, will keep the festivities ticking along as MC. Both will be judging and dishing out prizes for a number of Best Dressed categories on the day.
On other days the bands or artists will be performing one hour set at 6pm, unless specified below.


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Przegląd Nauk Historycznych
Profesor Halina Evert-Kappesowa i Madame Dupont
Dąbrowska, Małgorzata
Professor Halina Evert-Kappesowa and Madame Dupont
Professorin Halina Evert-Kappesowa und Madame Dupont
Professeur Halina Evert-Kappesowa et Mme Dupont
Профессор Халина Эвэрт-Каппэсова и мадам Дюпонт
Halina Evert-Kappesowa was a professor of Byzantine studies at the University of Łódź. She was born in the family of Ludwik Evert, a publisher and a senator in the Polish Parliament before WW2. She led a cushioned existence as the wife of Alfons Kappes, an entrepreneur and a representative of Polish industry in Turkey. They spent some years in Istambul where she followed the traces of old Constantinople. Due to her Turkish experience she became interested in the history and culture of the Byzantine Empire. She entered the University of Warsaw and studied the history of Byzantium under Professors Oskar Halecki and Kazimierz Zakrzewski. WW2 and then the communist system introduced to Poland in 1945 changed her life completely. She settled down in Łódź, but found it difficult to find a job at the University because of her social background. The questionnaires at the University Archives show how discreet she was when describing the vicissitudes of her family and to how she tried to adjust to the new political system. Malgorzata Dabrowska recreates Professor Kappesowa's difficult scholarly career in the years 1945–1985. The article is based not only on the University documents but mostly on the private correspondence with Dr Muriel Heppell, whom Halina EvertKappesowa met during her stay in Dumbarton Oaks, a famous Center of Byzantine Studies in Washington D.C. This exchange of letters shows the hidden thoughts of a kind lady, who never accepted the postwar order and was depressed in her scholarly and private life. Humiliated by the living conditions, she found an unexpected support in Madame Dupont, a mysterious person who appears in the letters as a financial benefactress of her travels to the libraries in the West, still difficult to reach in the seventies for the lady who remembered the fortune of the Evert family.
Uniwersytet Łódzki, Wydział Filozoficzno-Historyczny, Instytut Historii, Katedra Historii Średniowiecznej


When Air Force One is shot down by terrorists leaving the President of the United States stranded in the wilderness, there is only one person around who can save him � a 13-year old boy called Oskari. In the forest on a hunting mission to prove his maturity to his kinsfolk, Oskari had been planning to track down a deer, but instead discovers the most powerful man on the planet in an escape pod. With the terrorists closing in to capture their own �Big Game� prize, the unlikely duo must team up to escape their hunters. As anxious Pentagon officials observe the action via satellite feed, it is up to the President and his new side-kick to prove themselves and survive the most extraordinary 24 hours of their lives.


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Chemical recycling gaining limited traction so far, too focused on plastic-to-fuel, report finds
The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives' report takes aim at an area of growing interest for the recycling industry. The plastics industry pushed back on its findings.
"Plastic Surgery: A radical new recycling process will breathe new life into old plastic" by Vivan Sachs for IBM is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
E.A. Crunden @eacrunden
A new report from the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) pushes back on growing discussions around "chemical recycling" or processing strategies supported by the plastics industry. Entitled "All Talk and No Recycling: An Investigation of the U.S. 'Chemical Recycling' Industry," the report states the U.S. chemical recycling sector largely consists of plastic-to-fuel (PTF) operations rather than plastic-to-plastic (PTP) efforts.
Some recycling stakeholders — including plastics groups — have cited chemical recycling as a key effort meant to operate in tandem with traditional mechanical recycling. Environmental groups and some nonprofit recyclers, however, said the practice harms human health and the environment. The facilities have also been slow to come to fruition and fulfill their promises, according to critics.
"Industry has been trying to figure out chemical recycling for decades," said GAIA U.S. Program Director Denise Patel, who told Waste Dive the new report shows those efforts "are just not panning out in ways that are either financially or technically feasible."
Technologies under the "chemical recycling" label.
Permission granted by GAIA
Chemical recycling, sometimes grouped with other alternative recycling proposals under the term "advanced recycling," has received increasing attention as stakeholders seek solutions for traditionally low-value mixed plastics. GAIA's report, however, states PTF practices pose a barrier to climate goals, in addition to harming the low-income communities and people of color who often live near industrial facilities in many areas.
In the report, GAIA found 37 chemical recycling facilities have been proposed since the early 2000s, according to publicly available information. Twelve of the proposed projects aim to break down or purify plastic feedstock using solvent or catalysts, but they largely remain in the early development stage (either announcement or pilot), according to GAIA.
Of the remaining facilities, GAIA said only three are operational and all are focused on pyrolysis and gasification PTF processes. Two are explicitly PTF operations — Brightmark's facility in Ashley, Indiana, and New Hope Energy's facility in Tyler, Texas. Agilyx's facility in Tigard, Oregon, is the third; that operation has been cited as a PTP facility, but GAIA's case study states the majority of its output is sent for combustion in cement kilns, including over 49,000 tons of styrene material in 2018.
The report showcases three "case studies," looking at the facilities operated by Agilyx and Brightmark Energy, along with Renewlogy's Salt Lake City, Utah, operation. GAIA found each of these facilities to either be predominately focused on PTF or, in the case of Renewlogy, idled due to operational issues.
The three operational chemical recycling facilities GAIA found in the United States.
Those facilities come with health and environmental risks, Patel said. Agilyx's Tigard facility, for example, delivers styrene products to its partner Americas Styrenics in St. James Parish, Louisiana. That area has been dubbed "Cancer Alley" by media, advocacy groups and some residents due to the cancer clusters that have cropped up among the majority-Black, low-income communities living in close proximity to industrial plants. All PTF operations meanwhile generate greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. While some in the industry maintain that process is less emissions-intensive than other fossil fuels, GAIA's report says those metrics "either lack independent verification or are based on incomplete, partial life-cycle assessment (LCA) models."
Several of the companies singled out in the report did not respond to a request for comment. Eugene Royal, a spokesperson for New Hope Energy, told Waste Dive the company was not consulted by GAIA for the report and called it "inaccurate in almost every regard" concerning the company's practices. "New Hope Energy is committed to helping create a circular economy with clean processes that reduce the carbon impact and do not add to the landfill," Royal said. He added his company "does not feel any need to rebut GAIA and is content to let the results it produces speak for themselves."
In a statement to Waste Dive, Agilyx Director of Communications John Desmarteau said the company was "disappointed" with the report. GAIA contacted the company regarding its operations, but published the report before Agilyx could respond, Desmarteau said.
"The data [they] used was pulled from public records and was fragmented between our preprocessing of feedstocks correlated to...emissions data also publicly available," Desmarteau said. "This data is not directly related to the actual yield performance of our system."
The company remains "very excited about the efficacy and the level of environmental stewardship" offered by its technology, he added.
Groups like the American Chemistry Council (ACC) have pointed to chemical recycling as key to future advancements for the industry and a solution to growing public and brand concern over plastic waste. ACC did not respond to a request for comment from Waste Dive, but the trade group has pushed for PTF operations for some time. In a public statement, ACC Managing Director of Plastics Markets Keith Christman said such practices are "an important piece of the innovation puzzle" and "offers significant economic opportunities."
ACC's efforts include an initiative once called the Plastics-to-Fuel and Petrochemistry Alliance, which rebranded as the Chemical Recycling Alliance in 2019, and again changed its name in May 2020 to the Advanced Recycling Alliance for Plastics (ARAP), a move meant to reflect its membership. ARAP includes stakeholders such as Chevron Phillips Chemical, along with Agilyx, Brightmark, and Renewlogy.
Chemical recycling has been the subject of panels at conferences like SPC Advance, WASTECON, and others for years. It is unclear how the wider recycling industry may react to these signs of pushback amid ongoing debate. Contributors to GAIA's report include Kate Davenport of Eureka Recycling and Kate Bailey of Eco-Cycle Solutions — both nonprofit MRF operators.
But some stakeholders like Closed Loop Partners (CLP) have called for increased investment in chemical recycling. Analysis by the group has found such technologies could unlock potential revenue opportunities of $120 billion in the United States and Canada. The Recycling Partnership's 2019 "Bridge to Circularity" report also assessed chemical recycling, finding mechanical recycling to be the only process available at scale, with companies seeking to produce polymers at an early development stage.
Georgia Sherwin, CLP communications director, told Waste Dive the company is partnering with select technology providers to analyze the health and environmental impacts associated with technologies that fall under the advanced recycling label.
"There is no silver bullet solution to the plastics crisis and it'll take all of the tools in our toolbox to solve complex global challenges," Sherwin said, explaining CLP supports exploring new approaches to dealing with the waste stream, including items that have proven challenging to recycle. "We need to invest in advanced and mechanical recycling technologies to recapture existing valuable plastics," she continued, adding CLP believes a true solution "will require a combination of approaches to keep valuable materials in play."
GAIA's report reflects growing concern about PTF projects and industry support for them internationally as well. Janek Vähk, a policy coordinator with Zero Waste Europe, shared a joint statement on chemical recycling with Waste Dive on behalf of the European NGO alliance ReThink Plastic. It says more clarification around chemical recycling processes is needed and that the process should only ever be used to deal with "contaminated and degraded durable plastics." ReThink Plastic also calls for further investigation of health and environmental impacts.
On a U.S. city level, chemical recycling has met with mixed interest. Some urban areas — like Phoenix, Arizona — have included the process in their "zero waste" goals. Others have been more reluctant, like Pinellas County in Florida, which did not include chemical recycling in its zero waste plans despite initially considering it.
But attention to chemical recycling seems to be growing at both the state and federal levels. Per GAIA's report, 15 states have introduced legislation that would no longer define post-consumer plastic as solid waste, while chemical recycling or advanced recycling facilities would be "regulated as chemical manufacturing facilities rather than solid waste management." GAIA maintains that shift would lead to more plastic waste flowing into PTF facilities.
The recent climate action plan released by House Democrats includes the option "to chemically recycle certain materials into original molecular building blocks" — language that GAIA said indicated an openness to the process, which concerned them. That inclusion comes months after the Senate stripped language from the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act that would have backed a study advancing chemical recycling.
The back-and-forth over the decision to remove the language could spell controversy for similar federal legislation. GAIA intends to focus on communicating its position on chemical recycling to lawmakers, Patel said.
"I think that the climate plan overall is a real show of progress on climate policy," she said. "But if policymakers and the federal government continue to allow themselves to be influenced by the industry that has brought climate change to our doorstep, that would be a mistake."
Follow E.A. Crunden on Twitter
Filed Under: Corporate Recycling Zero Waste Policy
Danielle Ternes / Waste Dive/Waste Dive
US waste and recycling sector faces mounting risks and opportunities from climate change
As the industry increasingly recognizes its contribution to climate change and sees business opportunities in potentially mitigating those effects, the sector could be at a notable inflection point in the years ahead.
Brian Tucker / Waste Dive
Where curbside recycling programs have stopped in the US
Over 100 local governments around the country have canceled or indefinitely paused their programs due to cost pressures and other issues, with recent changes happening in Kentucky.
By Waste Dive Team • Updated: Dec. 22, 2020
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text:
El incidente del zapato sucedió durante la Reunión Plenaria número 902 de la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas, del 12 de octubre de 1960, cuando, según algunas fuentes, el líder de la Unión Soviética, Nikita Jrushchov, golpeó uno de sus zapatos sobre su propio estrado de delegado.

Los hechos
Durante la reunión, el líder de la delegación filipina ante las Naciones Unidas, Lorenzo Sumulong, había hecho la siguiente alocución, en referencia a la política exterior soviética durante esa época de Guerra Fría.

Jrushchov entonces subió al estrado. Una vez allí, de una manera «teatral», hizo a un lado a Lorenzo Sumulong, con un movimiento hacia arriba de su brazo derecho -aunque sin ningún contacto físico- y procedió a demandar que el presidente de la Asamblea, por entonces el irlandés Frederick Henry Boland, llamase al orden al «adulador del imperialismo estadounidense» de Sumulong. El presidente entonces sugirió al delegado filipino que "evitase divagar en argumentos que pudiesen provocar animosas intervenciones de otros [terceros]".

El premier soviético golpeó sus puños contra la mesa e incluso tomó uno de sus zapatos y la golpeó con él. Luego, el delegado filipino fue interrumpido otra vez. Ahora por el viceministro de Relaciones Exteriores de la comunista Rumania, quien provocó e insultó al presidente de la Asamblea a tal punto que el señor Boland, visiblemente sonrojado, acabó por desconectar el micrófono del rumano. La caótica escena finalmente terminó cuando Boland, para tratar de poner algo de orden, golpeó su propio martillo (el cual incluso se rompió), cancelando de esa manera la sesión.

Otras fuentes informaron que los eventos fueron un poco diferentes. Jrushchov primero habría golpeado su zapato y luego acudido al estrado a protestar. La nieta de Nikita, Nina Jrushchova (o Khrushcheva), escribió en octubre del año 2000, en víspera del cuadragésimo aniversario del famoso incidente, que después de varios años de embarazoso silencio, su familia le explicó qué había sucedido en realidad. El líder soviético estaba usando zapatos nuevos y muy apretados, por los que se los habría sacado disimuladamente, mientras se acomodaba en su asiento. Luego, después de haber golpeado su propio estrado con su puño izquierdo, durante su furibunda respuesta al delegado filipino, su reloj de pulsera se le cayó. Por lo que, entonces, al agacharse para buscarlo, vio sus zapatos. Entonces, ante esa visión de cuero resplandeciente, no habría podido resistir la tentación de usar uno de ellos como una eventual "arma disuasiva".

En esa misma conferencia, Jrushchov había «fanfarroneado» que los «misiles [nucleares] intercontinentales salían de las fábricas soviéticas como salchichas de una máquina de hacer embutidos».

El líder Nikita Jrushchov en sus memorias incluso menciona otro incidente con un zapato. Dice que en una ocasión estaba vertiendo fuertes expresiones en contra del régimen (1939-1975) del dictador español Francisco Franco. En esa ocasión un representante de España pidió su derecho de réplica y —poco después del discurso de este último— los delegados de los países socialistas empezaron a hacer bastante ruido como forma de protesta, en solidaridad con el líder soviético. Jrushchov escribió que
La reedición en inglés de las memorias de quien fuese premier de la ex Unión Soviética dice, sin embargo, que esta anécdota no es verídica.

Contexto internacional
El "incidente del zapato" se dio en un momento de un visible "recalentamiento" de la Guerra Fría. Por un lado, hacía tan sólo unos 5 meses, el primero de mayo de 1960, había tenido lugar el propio incidente del U-2, en el cual un avión espía estadounidense había sido derribado en pleno territorio soviético, sorprendentemente sobreviviendo su piloto, Francis Gary Powers. Este hecho tuvo como efecto colateral negativo la cancelación de la cumbre que debía realizarse en París entre ambas superpotencias antagónicas, los EE. UU. y la entonces Unión Soviética. Por otro lado, el gobierno del presidente Dwight D. Eisenhower estaba teniendo cada vez peores relaciones con el entonces nuevo gobierno revolucionario de Cuba, a la par que éste se estaba acercando cada vez más al de la Unión Soviética, a partir de la visita oficial del ministro soviético Anastás Mikoyán a la ciudad de La Habana, en febrero de 1960.

Véase también
 Incidentes con zapatos

Referencias

Enlaces externos

Incidentes diplomáticos
Relaciones internacionales de la Unión Soviética
Nikita Jrushchov

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The five things you need to know right now (maybe)
A highly arbitrary selection of essential (or at least marginally interesting) factoids
The five things you need to know right now (maybe) A highly arbitrary selection of essential (or at least marginally interesting) factoids Check out this story on Freep.com: https://on.freep.com/1j5EmaY
Brian Dickerson, Editorial Page Editor Published 11:57 a.m. ET Nov. 17, 2015 | Updated 2:18 p.m. ET Nov. 17, 2015
A child watches a screen promoting a Star Wars toy at a store selling Star Wars merchandise in Los Angeles, Calif. last month. The seventh film in the franchise, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" opens in theaters a week before Christmas on December 18.(Photo: Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images)
1. Islamic State, ISIS or Daesh?
Western leaders including French President Francois Hollande and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have begun calling the organization that took responsibility for the Paris attacks Daesh, an approximate acronym for the Arab transliteration of the bulky "Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant." The group most news organizations now call the Islamic State or ISIS disdains the Daesh moniker, in part because it conjures a similar-sounding Arabic word ("dahes", which means"one who sows discord." Western politicians argue that adopting the organization's favored label, Islamic State, helps it sell its propaganda message and insults Muslims.
2. What's in a word?
Oxford Dictionaries has named the "face with tears of joy" emoji its Word of the Year despite the fact that it is not really, you know, an actual word. Among the authentic words eclipsed by the "face-with-tears" emoji:' lumbersexual, on fleek and refugee.
3. The force is strong:
Darth Vader is eclipsing Snoopy on toy department display shelves -- and kids didn't even get a vote. The Wall Street Journal reports that retailers are purchasing less "Peanuts" movie-related merchandise than expected to make space for toys associated with the next Star Wars movie, in anticipation that the latter will generate more sales.
4. Just six minutes:
It took Holly Holm less than six minutes to beat previously undefeated Ronda Rousey in their heavily promoted mixed martial arts title fight last weekend. Holms needed five rounds to KO an earlier opponent, Juliana Werner, in April 2014 -- but that decision came after Holm broke her left arm in the first round.
5. Retailers win:
In most cases, the clothes available in outlet stores are lower-quality merchandise manufactured specifically for that store. "Shoppers may hit the outlet mall thinking they're shrewdly outfoxing the higher-priced retailer," says the Financial Post's Sharon Lindores. "In reality, retailers are usually one step ahead of the consumer."
Contact Brian Dickerson: bdickerson@freepress.com.
Read or Share this story: https://on.freep.com/1j5EmaY
Time for Sen. Lucido to stop digging
Detroit can't run from $600M mistake
Feedback: Lucido comments don't belong in modern world
Mich. senator's crude remark to reporter was not harmless small talk
Our opioid epidemic vocabulary needs to change
About half of Detroit water shutoffs are still off


HARWICH – Cape Downwinders, the local group of citizens opposed to the Pilgrim Nuclear Power plant, has enlisted the help of Senators Markey and Warren along with Congressman William Keating in their latest campaign to increase oversight at the plant.
The Senators and Representative Keating signed a letter to NRC chair Kristen Svinicki outlining concerns over the plant's recent shutdown during a blizzard on January 4th.
The group says Pilgrim's owner, Entergy, was not properly prepared for the storm and put the area in danger during the emergency shutdown operation.
Pilgrim is set to be decommissioned in 2019.


text:
Motorola Inc. (произносится Моторола инкорпорейтед) — американская компания, занимавшая в своё время лидерские позиции в области интегрированных телекоммуникаций и встроенных электронных систем.

В 2010 году занимала 110 место в списке Fortune 500 крупнейших компаний в США. Главный офис располагался в Шомберге, неподалёку от Чикаго, штат Иллинойс (США).

В 2011 году компания была разделена на Motorola Solutions и Motorola Mobility. Последняя затем была поглощена компаниями Google и Lenovo.

История

Galvin Manufacturing
В 1928 году компания Motorola начала своё существование как семейная компания Galvin Manufacturing, основанная братьями Полом и Джозефом Галвинами. На работу было принято 5 человек, общая зарплата которых в первую неделю работы составила 63 доллара. Компания выпускала блоки питания для радиоприёмников.

В 1930-х годах компания начала производство радиоприёмников. Тогда же была зарегистрирована торговая марка Motorola для одного из продуктов — автомобильного радиоприёмника:  — транспортное средство, плюс окончание -ola названия марки популярного тогда домашнего радиоприёмника Victrola. Сам приёмник изобрёл знаменитый в будущем авиаконструктор Уильям Лир.

В 1943 году Galvin Manufacturing стала открытым акционерным обществом и вышла на фондовую биржу. В 1947 году Galvin Manufacturing Corporation была переименована по названию своей самой популярной торговой марки - в Motorola.

Развитие бизнеса в сфере электроники и телекоммуникаций
В 1950-х годах Motorola открыла в Финиксе (штат Аризона) научно-исследовательскую лабораторию и в 1955 году выпустила первые в мире коммерческие высокомощные германиевые транзисторы. В это же время известный чикагский графический дизайнер Мортон Голдшол (Goldsholl) разработал логотип компании в форме крыла летучей мыши.

В 1956 году Motorola выпустила первый в мире пейджер — радиоприёмник, получающий адресованные только ему сообщения. Среди первых пейджеры взяли на вооружение сотрудники больниц и менеджеры, впоследствии этот продукт стал массовым.

Motorola была одним из основателей систем мобильной связи. 3 апреля 1973 года глава подразделения систем связи компании Motorola Мартин Купер совершил первый в мире звонок с мобильного телефона главе исследовательского отдела конкурирующей компании Bell Labs Джоэлу Энгелу.
Первый в мире коммерческий портативный сотовый телефон Motorola DynaTAC 8000X был выпущен 6 марта 1983 года. Новинка массой почти в 800 граммов с аккумулятором, которого хватало на 8 часов, и размерами 33×4,4×8,9 см стоила 3995 долларов — тем не менее, вызвала в США ажиотаж.

В 1970—1990-е годы компания производила микропроцессоры. В частности, процессоры 68000 и PowerPC использовались в компьютерах Apple Macintosh.

В 1986 году в корпорации была разработана концепция управления производством — «Шесть сигм» ().
Зрелость производственного процесса в этой концепции описывается как σ-рейтинг отклонений, или процентом бездефектной продукции на выходе, так, процесс управления качеством 6σ на выходе даёт 99,99966 % выходов без дефектов, или не более 3,4 дефектных выходов на 1 млн операций. Motorola установила в качестве цели достижение показателя качества 6σ для всех производственных процессов, и именно этот уровень и дал наименование концепции.

19 сентября 2006 года Motorola поглотила Symbol Technologies, Inc. (торговая марка Symbol принадлежала The Enterprise Mobility Company; штаб-квартира в США). Symbol имела около 900 патентов в области лазерного сканирования, имидж-сканирования штрих-кодов, RFID, лазерных проекционных дисплеев, технологий мобильных вычислений, беспроводных технологий и произвела более 7 миллионов сканеров-штрих кода и терминалов сбора данных. Сумма сделки составила около 3,9 млрд долларов (15 долларов за акцию).

В 1999 году было отделено подразделение по производству дискретных полупроводников (, SCG) в отдельную компанию .
В 2004 году было отделено подразделение по производству интегральных полупроводников () в компанию Freescale Semiconductor.
В 2006 году компания Freescale Semiconductor была куплена консорциумом, возглавляемым Blackstone Group LP, что стало крупнейшей частной покупкой технологической компании и вошло в десятку самых крупных сделок в мире.

Кризисный период

В 1990-е годы компания вложила несколько миллиардов долларов в коммерчески неудачный проект спутниковой телефонии Iridium.

С начала 2000-х годов корпорация Motorola Inc. начала регулярно нести убытки, после чего произошло несколько реструктуризаций и избавление от убыточных подразделений. С середины 2000-х годов основные проблемы компании были связаны с убытками подразделения по производству мобильных телефонов, которое к началу 2011 года было выделено в отдельную компанию Motorola Mobility.

Была разделена на две независимые компании Motorola Solutions и Motorola Mobility (процесс разделения завершился 4 января 2011 года). Акционеры корпорации Motorola Inc. получили акции как первой, так и второй компании. Основным правопреемником большей части интеллектуальной собственности и активов корпорации Motorola Inc. стала компания Motorola Solutions.

В июле 2010 года Nokia Siemens Networks достигла соглашения с корпорацией Motorola Inc. о приобретении части подразделения Motorola Solutions, связанного с беспроводным сетевым оборудованием за 1,2 млрд долларов.

4 января 2011 года завершился процесс разделения корпорации Motorola Inc. на две независимые компании Motorola Solutions и Motorola Mobility.

В августе 2011 года было объявлено о достижении соглашения по поглощению компании Motorola Mobility корпорацией Google с ожидаемой стоимостью сделки — 12,5 млрд долларов. Сделка была закрыта в мае 2012 года.

В 2014 году подразделение Motorola Mobility предприятия Motorola было приобретено альянсом Lenovo. Общая сумма сделки составила 2,91 млрд долларов, при этом корпорация Google сохранила за собой портфель патентов компании Motorola.

Деятельность

Структура
В компании Motorola было три ключевых подразделения:
 Мобильные решения для предприятий (Enterprise Mobility Solutions)
 Мобильные решения для дома и операторов сетей (Home & Networks Mobility)
 Мобильные устройства (Mobile Devices)

Показатели деятельности
Выручка за 2008 год — 30,1 млрд долларов (падение на 18 %), чистый убыток — 4,16 млрд долларов

Выручка за 2007 год — 36,6 млрд долларов, чистый убыток — 49 млн долларов.

Выручка за 2006 год — 42,9 млрд долларов (в 2005 — 36,8 млрд долларов), чистая прибыль — 3,4 млрд долларов.

Motorola в России
Представительство компании в России было открыто в 1993 году, и во второй половине 2000-х годов численность его персонала доходила до тысячи человек. Однако затем компания уступила свою долю российского рынка мобильных телефонов конкурентам и приняла решение с 1 января 2011 года закрыть своё торговое представительство в Москве (торговое представительство Motorola Mobility).
Вместе с тем представительство Motorola Solutions (решения для корпоративных заказчиков и бизнеса по созданию iDEN-инфраструктуры) продолжает свою деятельность в Российской Федерации.

В 2016 году, Motorola вернулась в Россию, уже «под крылом» Lenovo. С 1 марта 2016 года в магазинах российских ритейлеров вновь появилась линейка из четырёх смартфонов Moto, и заработал российский сайт Motorola с линейкой смартфонов.

Motorola в Израиле
В Израиле компания была представлена отделением Motorola Israel Ltd. с главным офисом в Тель-Авиве с численностью персонала 3000 человек.

Motorola Israel Ltd занималась разработкой и производством:

 автомобильной электроники
 систем АСУ
 информационных систем

Благотворительность
Motorola являлась одной из компаний-обеспечителей Американского института предпринимательства.

См. также
 Список моделей сотовых телефонов Motorola
 KreaTV

Примечания

Ссылки

 Motorola — «Звезда и Смерть» одного бренда

Электротехнические компании США
ИТ-компании США
Производители телекоммуникационного оборудования
Производители сотовых телефонов
 Motorola


Longtime volunteers share their best tips for watching Blue Angels practices and getting the most from the autograph sessions.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will take to the skies above Naval Air Station Pensacola for their first local practices of the 2019 air show season on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The popular viewing area behind the base's National Naval Aviation Museum can draw as many as 25,000 visitors on busy practice days. Throngs of fans gather inside the museum's Blue Angels Atrium after most Wednesday shows for an autograph session with the elite Navy and Marine pilots.
David Lorenzo and Debbie Naylor are part of a group of devoted longtime museum volunteers who help manage the crowds and ensure the viewing experience outside the museum and the autograph sessions inside the museum run smoothly. The duo have lots of good advice for people planning a trip to the base to catch a Blue Angels practice and autograph session.
• Keep your ID with you. A photo ID is required to enter the flight line viewing area behind the museum and to enter the museum itself.
• Backpacks are not allowed inside the museum or in the flight line viewing area.
• Be aware of the sun. Naylor encouraged anyone planning on watching the show to bring sunscreen, wear a hat and have plenty of water on hand.
• Come early to get a a good parking spot and claim a prime seat on the bleachers. The museum opens at 9 a.m. and the practices start at 11:30 a.m. on most days.
• A good place to watch the show is the grassy area near the bleachers. Bring a blanket and enjoy the morning with the family.
• Visitors can bring portable chairs, and chairs are available to rent on site.
• Stay hydrated, especially during the summer shows. Naylor likens sitting on the metal bleachers in the heat of the summer to being on a cookie sheet. "You can become overheated quickly," she said.
• Practice schedules are subject to change with little notice depending on weather and the public view area will be cleared if there is lightning in the area.
• A speaker system allows visitors to hear museum volunteers' narrate the practice demonstrations throughout many places on the museum grounds. People who don't mind being a little farther from the flight line, can see and hear the show in the shade of the museum building while avoiding a longer walk, Naylor said.
Blue Angels return for 2019: Blue Angels make their triumphant return to Pensacola. Did you catch them?
Lorenzo was a Marine fighter pilot in Vietnam who went on to fly commercially with Delta Airlines. He now volunteers at the pilot autograph sessions. Lorenzo said the museum has developed a well-organized system for the autograph sessions to allow as many visitors as possible to have a little time with the pilots.
• If you are outside watching the practice, start heading toward the museum as the practice is ending to get a good spot in line for the autographs.
• The Blue Angels will autograph two items per person. The museum volunteers distribute a brochure of the 2019 Blue Angels team, which visitors can ask the pilots to sign.
• The pilots will sign most anything, expect body parts, Lorenzo said. "They won't sign your body," he laughed.
• The pilots are usually happy to have their photos taken with visitors, but please be aware many people are waiting in line for time the Blue Angels.
• Bottles of water or other liquids are not allowed inside the museum.
• Lorenzo encouraged autograph seekers to be patient. "We will try to get as many people as through as we can. In most cases we have (the pilots) for at least 30-35 minutes," he said.
All practices start at 11:30 a.m., unless otherwise noted. Practices marked with an * will be followed by a pilot autograph session inside the museum. The base's National Naval Aviation Museum has a flight line viewing area behind the main museum building.
Times and dates of practices are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, visit the National Naval Aviation Museum's website at navalaviationmuseum.org.
All unescorted visitors to the Naval Air Station Pensacola who do not possess valid Department of Defense identification are required to enter the base through the West Gate, located at 1878 South Blue Angel Parkway.


text:
Annie Lennox OBE (Aberdeen, 25 de desembre de 1954) és una artista musical, activista política i filantropa escocesa. Després d'aconseguir un èxit discret a finals de la dècada de 1970 dins el grup de new wave The Tourists, va formar el duet Eurythmics amb el seu company de grup Dave Stewart aconseguint un reconeixement mundial durant la dècada de 1980. Després de la seva aparició al vídeo musical de la cançó "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" de 1983 amb el cabell molt curt tenyit de color taronja i amb vestit d'home, la BBC va publicar: "tots els ulls estaven clavats en Annie Lennox, la cantant que amb la seva potent imatge andrògina desafiava la mirada masculina". Va tenir d'altres èxits amb Eurythmics com "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" i "Here Comes the Rain Again".

Lennox va iniciar una carrera en solitari l'any 1992 amb el seu àlbum de debut, Diva, d'on van sortir uns quants singles d'èxit com "Why" i "Walking on Broken Glass". El mateix any, va interpretar "Love Song for a Vampire" per a la pel·lícula Dràcula de Bram Stoker. El seu disc d'estudi de 1995, Medusa, conté "No More I Love You's" i una versió d'"A Whiter Shade of Pale". Fins ara, porta publicats sis àlbums d'estudi en solitari i una recopilació, The Annie Lennox Collection (2009). Ha guanyat vuit Brit Awards, i té el rècord per al de "Millor artista femenina en solitari" amb sis vegades. També té quatre premis Grammy i un MTV Video Music Award. El 2002, Lennox va rebre un premi Billboard Century, que és el major honor atorgat per la revista Billboard. El 2004, va aconseguir el Globus d'Or i l'Oscar a la millor cançó original pel tema "Into the West", escrit per a la banda sonora de la pel·lícula El Senyor dels Anells: El retorn del rei.

La tessitura de Lennox és de contralt. La cadena VH1 l'ha nomenada "La cantant de soul blanca viva més gran" i per a Rolling Stone és entre els 100 cantants més grans de tots els temps. El 2012, va quedar en la posició 22 a la llista que va fer VH1 de les 100 dones més importants en música. Se la considera "l'artista femenina britànica amb més èxit de la història de la música del Regne Unit". El juny de 2008, comptant la seva feina amb Eurythmics, Lennox havia venut més de 80 milions de discos a tot el món. Va actuar a la cerimònia de clausura dels Jocs Olímpics d'Estiu de 2012 interpretant Little Bird com a part de la mostra de la música britànica. A l'edició de 2015 dels premis Ivor Novello, Lennox fou nomenada fellow de l'Acadèmia Britànica de Compositors i Autors, la primera dona que rebia aquest honor.

A més de la seva carrera musical, Lennox també és activista política i social, i ha destacat recollint fons i conscienciant sobre els efectes del virus del VIH/sida sobre les dones i els nens de l'Àfrica. El 2011, Lennox va ser nomenada OBE per la reina Elisabet II per les seves "campanyes caritatives sense descans i pel lideratge de causes humanitàries".

Actuacions
Annie Lennox no ha actuat mai en solitari als Països Catalans, però el 30 de setembre de 1989 hi va actuar a Barcelona com a component d'Eurythmics.

Discografia

 Diva (1992)
 Medusa (1995)
 Bare (2003)
 Songs of Mass Destruction (2007)
 The Annie Lennox Collection (2009)
 A Christmas Cornucopia (2010)
 Nostalgia (2014)

Referències

Cantants escocesos
Guanyadors del premi Grammy
Guanyadors del premi Oscar a la millor cançó
Artistes per la llibertat del Tibet
Persones d'Aberdeen
Alumnes de la Royal Academy of Music
Oficials de l'Orde de l'Imperi Britànic
Activistes LGBT escocesos
Compositors escocesos


Auwus Atiwius Cawatinus (dead by 216 BC) was a powitician and generaw in Ancient Rome. He was de first Roman dictator to wead an army outside Itawy (den understood as de Itawian mainwand), when he wed his army into Siciwy. He was consuw in 258 BC and again in 254, a praetor and triumphator in 257, and finawwy a censor in 247. Cawatinus must have died by 216, because Marcus Fabius Buteo (censor in 241) was named de owdest wiving ex-censor; Cawatinus wouwd have been senior to him in terms of de date of censorship and deir respective ages.
Ewected consuw in 258 wif Gaius Suwpicius Patercuwus, Atiwius was given Siciwy as his province. During his first consuwship, he had severaw successes, taking many Siciwian towns, but feww into an ambush from which he and his army were saved by a tribune, Marcus Cawpurnius Fwamma. He conqwered more towns after his narrow escape from de Cardaginians, and was granted a triumph on his return, uh-hah-hah-hah. He was ewected or appointed praetor in 257 in de year of his triumph.
Atiwius was reewected consuw in 254 wif Gnaeus Cornewius Scipio Asina, and de two co-consuws rebuiwt de Roman fweet wif 220 ships, after de earwier fweet had been wost in a storm off Cape Pachynum. Bof consuws saiwed to Siciwy, where dey captured Panormus de same year. However, onwy Asina was granted de triumph (possibwy because Cawatinus had awready triumphed dree years before).
In 249, fowwowing de disastrous navaw wosses of Pubwius Cwaudius Puwcher and Lucius Junius Puwwus, Puwcher was fined 120,000 asses and his cowweague committed suicide. Bof consuws were now unfit for command or deceased; de dictator Marcus Cwaudius Gwicia, appointed by Puwcher, was removed on de grounds dat he was Puwcher's freedman, and dus not even a senator, wet awone a senator of some status. Atiwius was derefore ewected dictator and wed an army into Siciwy, becoming de first dictator to wead a Roman army outside Itawy. He had no great miwitary successes, or at weast none noted by Roman historians or in Smif.
Atiwius was ewected censor in 247. Severaw years water, in 241, he was chosen as mediator between de proconsuw C. Lutatius Catuwus and de praetor Q. Vawerius, to decide which of de two had de right to cwaim a triumph, and he decided in favour of de proconsuw.
According to Smif, Atiwius dedicated tempwes to Spes (de personification of hope and safety of de young) in de Forum Howitorium and Fides (de personification of good faif whose symbow is a pair of covered hands symbowizing an agreement) on de Capitow.
Atiwius was de son of Auwus Atiwius Cawatinus, who had been accused of betraying de city of Sora in de Samnite Wars. Standing in disgrace of his imminent condemnation, de ewder Atiwius was saved by a few timewy words from de great Fabius Maximus Ruwwianus (de first Maximus and at dat time (306 BC) de drice consuw and acting praetor), his fader-in-waw. Fabius asserted dat he wouwd have never continued his rewationship (as Patron) had he bewieved Atiwius was guiwty of such a crime. The Pwebeian Atiwii were derefore cwients of de aristocratic Fabii, and awso rewated to dem by marriage. Thus, our present Atiwius was de grandson, on his moder's side, of Fabius Ruwwianus.
^ Powybius i. 24, as cited in Smif.
^ Smif provides de bare facts: "Beyond de fact dat he buiwt a tempwe of Spes noding furder is known about him. (Cic. Ue Ley. ii. 11, De Nat. Deor., ii. 23; Tacit. Ann, uh-hah-hah-hah." Are de detaiws from Munzer?
This articwe incorporates text from a pubwication now in de pubwic domain: Smif, Wiwwiam, ed. (1870). "Cawatinus, A. Atiwius" . Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mydowogy. 1. p. 560.
This page was wast edited on 1 Apriw 2019, at 12:54 (UTC).


Tamales are my favorite Mexican dish. If I have a choice, chances are I'll get a tamale over everything else. What can I say? I like the shredded meat and the masa corn shell. For a while I've been asking Jessi if we can make some, but she kept saying she didn't know how. So... When we went to Colorado, Jessi's mom showed us how. Now we too can enjoy this amazing food - homemade. Yum!
The process for making tamales is fairly straight forward. First you roast your meat of choice with a little bit of water and your favorite spices. Then you shred the meat and cook it some more with more spices and a few veggies. At the same time you let some corn husks soak in water until they become supple. Then you buy masa mix (from what I understand you can make this yourself, but it significantly increases the difficulty level) and spread it evenly on each corn husk. Put some meat in the middle and roll it up. Finally, you put them face up in a pot with some water and let them steam cook for a while.
Want to see what the final product looks, and tastes, like? Invite us over.


text:
By Peter Bass
Illustration by Caroline Magerl.
At this writing, the physical symbols of summer have been tucked into winter cocoons: rockers off the Porch, kayaks under the buildings, water pipes drained, and this year's array of ultrasonic rodent repellers activated. We did badly in the latter department last winter: the wrong breaker was switched off and some dog food was left in the pantry. Spring revealed evidence of long-running rodent orgies. Sleeping accommodations included bunkrooms with en suite baths in the stove insulation, which required replacement of a nearly new appliance. As you read this, please send evil thoughts toward the rodents of Boothbay in hopes that they might throw themselves into the sea. I am envisioning a new device in our ongoing war against these unwanted off-season guests. If there are high-frequency aural repellents, could there not be an aural attractant, a sort of electronic Pied Piper? I envision a moving sidewalk, such as the type that connects airport terminals, with rodent lullabies playing in the brightly lit corridor, itself festooned with posters for midwinter rodent vacation spots. Of course, the end of the moving sidewalk would be the end of the pier, not baggage claim. Enough of my winter obsession with rodents; on to the important news of our state.
The Toast of Friendship The town of Friendship, Maine, has a reputation for not necessarily living up to its name, particularly in dealings with outsiders. This column will take no position on the veracity of this widely held belief, but I am pleased to note that one of the reasons it might be true has been eliminated. In the November 2009 elections, Friendship's voters decided to permit sales of beer and wine. My research indicates that this is known as becoming a "moist" town, as opposed to becoming a full-blown "wet" town, which would permit the sale of hard liquor also. Friendship had been dry since 1919. I don't know about you, but I would rather my town be known as "wet" than as "moist." The latter seems soft and indecisive, not generally a Maine trait. At the very least the townspeople could have granted an exception for Maine champagne, a.k.a. Allen's Coffee Flavored Brandy. Wine is for people from away. Skip that! If you're going moist, go Maine moist: beer and ACFB. More Capt. Pete's Rules At a small inland boatshop in North Yarmouth, lined up outside, are an 18-foot Pointer launch owned by my siblings and me, a 29-foot Dyer powerboat that belongs to my wife and me, and a 41-foot Bristol sailboat, also formerly owned by the same happy couple. It occurred to me that I could put a sign in front of each showing the total expenditure on each over the years, or in the case of the Bristol, any net loss at sale. I could then take a photograph and keep it as a pictorial and financial history of my recent boating life. My fellow yachtsmen will quickly recognize the inadvisability of such an exercise; there are some things that simply should not be known to some people. Even if my wife and I were the only ones to see the photograph, neither of us should have that information, although for different reasons. There are reasons why many boat projects are not fully accounted for by a boat owner. Depression avoidance is one that comes to mind; marital relations another. The owner of the Yarmouth yard where I have kept boats for years insists that "boat" is an acronym for "break out another thousand," an amount I refer to as a "boat unit." The advantage of using this term is that it sounds smaller, as in, "That new gizmo cost only 1.7 boat units." This brings us to Capt. Pete's first rule of the cost of boating: Never, ever, under any circumstances divide the annual cost of boat ownership by the number of days the boat was used. Capt. Pete's second rule is: When undertaking an extensive upgrade to one's yacht, always secure a post office box in a nearby town in which to receive invoices. And a corollary for the fishing yachtsman: Always store half of your fishing rods at an unmarried friend's house during the off season. Save Our Stripers The lower Kennebec River has a reputation as a world-class destination for light tackle fishing for the striped bass, a relatively prolific species that ranges from Maine to North Carolina, depending on the season. Some states, like Maine, manage stripers as a game-fish-only resource; some allow a commercial fishery. An alarming scarcity of fish in the last couple of years threatens a $25 million recreational fishery in Maine, which in turn supports the hospitality business, marinas, guides, tackle and bait shops, etc., etc. It was a relief, therefore, that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted down a proposal to allow the states with commercial fisheries to carry over unused quotas from one year to the next, as noted in Mainebusiness.com. The fishery crashed a couple of decades ago. Strict management and environmental improvement of spawning areas in the Chesapeake helped it roar back about 10 years ago. But something has changed of late, and the fishing in Maine has suffered. Adding commercial pressure did not seem like a good idea to the Commission. Stripers are about the only inshore saltwater recreational fishery we have left in Maine, except for the mighty mackerel. Cod and haddock are too far offshore now for small-boat anglers. Go to www.stripersforever.org to get information and get involved. The Pink-tailed Deer the case in other parts of the world, particularly Argentina, where the red deer is considered an invasive species. Red deer are native to northern Europe, and are similar in size and appearance to elk. Wikipedia, on the Internet, has an interesting read if you are so inclined. Here in Maine, a self-sustaining red deer herd could adversely affect the whitetail and moose populations. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) worries about effects on the locals but has no jurisdiction in the matter, as red deer farms are regulated by the Department of Agriculture. Given the number of red deer farms in Maine, New York, and New Hampshire, Maine could easily see a red deer problem whether we manage the farms well or not. The Mighty Shrimp Like shrimp? Do you consider yourself an environmentalist? What do you buy? Imported farmed shrimp, an industry built with your tax dollars through the World Bank, has wreaked environmental and social havoc in many countries. I love shrimp, but never buy a bag of frozen shrimp without checking to see if it is of U.S. origin, and, since I am particularly provincial, preferably from Maine. Maine Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) is a wild, sweet, and more nutritious alternative to the imported farmed product. The powers that be have determined that the 2009-2010 fishing season for shrimp in Maine will again be 180 days, thanks to successful management efforts. As recently as 10 years ago the season was just 25 days long. In our household we have become exceedingly fond of Maine shrimp rolls, which we make like a good lobster roll: a little real mayo, salt, and pepper, with a little shredded lettuce in a roll. But not just any roll. We demand a white, standup, New England-style hot dog bun grilled in butter. Don't argue with me about the bun. One can purchase perfectly cooked, peeled, and frozen Maine shrimp in bags from Cozy Harbor Seafood at Hannaford stores in Maine. They thaw quickly in cold water; one bag makes three or four rolls. There are those who think a shrimp roll is better than a lobster roll, although the folks I am thinking of have ties to the shrimp industry. I find a shrimp roll nearly equal to lobster, less expensive, and a lot easier to make. If your store doesn't have Maine shrimp, complain loudly. If you live near the coast, there are many roadside shrimp purveyors in season, but you'll have to do your own cook-and-freeze operation to satisfy that need for instant shrimp roll gratification. Cozy Harbor is the principal player in Gulf of Maine shrimp, supplying the only cooked and peeled frozen product at retail. Three quarters of their production goes to Europe; most domestic production goes to food service sectors, such as restaurants and schools, with very little going to consumer retail. The current health of the industry is a good example of successful fisheries management. Buy 'em, eat 'em. Acronyms Gone Wild We should always applaud when two nonprofit institutions with complementary if not overlapping missions choose to merge and create some economies of scale. In the case of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) and the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (GoMOOS), we should applaud as well the elimination of one acronym. GoMOOS is a participant in the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS). GoMOOS is being absorbed by GMRI, which will still participate with NERACOOS in a New and Expanded Way (NEW). There is an organization around Millinocket that helps with economic projects called Katahdin Area Recovery and Expansion (KARE). I have started my own philanthropic nonprofit to which anyone may donate. One hundred percent of the revenue will be spent on management of the fund and zero percent on actual programs. I am the management. My organization is called the Well Intentioned Commission for Keeping the Economy Decent and Giving Out Organ Donations (WICKEDGOOD). And in case you missed it, the Grand View (topless) Coffee Shop is back in business in a temporary office trailer in Vassalboro. Regular meetings may now resume for their association of supporters, the Vassalboro Association for Viewing and Ogling Outrageous Mammaries (VAVOOM).
Hamilton Marine's Big Score Once upon a time, all you needed to build a boat, besides ability and a plan, was a pile of wood and the Wilcox-Crittenden catalog. W-C, a venerable institution, was at one time the country's largest manufacturer of marine hardware. It continued as a subsidiary of Gulf+Western in recent years but has now ceased to exist, except in the form of its extensive remaining inventory. That has all been purchased by Hamilton Marine, a nationally known marine supplier founded in Searsport, Maine, by Wayne Hamilton. Hamilton is now offering many classic W-C products in its catalog, on line, and in its several stores. I am planning to get a supply of oarlocks to leave to my offspring; you should do the same. Go to hamiltonmarine.com. But Can You Throw a Canoe Off the Roof? It was nice to see that Wisconsin-based Johnson Outdoors, parent company of Old Town Canoe, decided to invest in an expanded plant in Old Town and consolidate their other plastic boat manufacturing in Maine, which includes a couple of kayak lines now manufactured in the northwest. The consolidation will add jobs to Old Town and ensure the long presence of this company in Maine. The Bangor Daily News covered the obligatory ribbon cutting with the Governor in mid-November. When the Gray family sold Old Town Canoe to the Johnson family in 1974, the company was experimenting with molded plastic boats, in addition to wood/canvas and fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP). Up to that point the latter was the new material. Old Town was an early adopter of the plastic boat and a real pioneer in the industry. The closest thing to an indestructible canoe at the time was aluminum, but it was such a noisy ride that it seemed to be at odds with the charm of canoeing. Old Town's new Royalex canoes combined maintenance-free durability without the disadvantages of aluminum. To convince a tradition-bound canoeing world that the new material was up to the task, an early advertisement showed employees throwing a canoe from the roof of the downtown factory. It worked. So, I am sending my brother over to eyeball the new plant to see if they incorporated a launch point on the roof to test new models and materials. Or maybe they will keep the old plant for the occasional canoe toss. No Man Is Without an Island Recently an old friend of mine realized a long-time dream and purchased a small island off the eastern Maine coast. It is a remote, treeless spot with a small cabin and views in all directions. Owning an island must be an odd and wondrous feeling. For those of us without the ability to do the same, a press release has fallen into my lap that promises the next best thing: a small floating island that you can tether to your inner tube; it comes complete with cup holders, a recess for a cooler, a snack tray, and an umbrella or plastic palm tree. I am referring of course to the soon- to-be-famous Bev Barge, from Weekend Products. It comes with two tubes with tethers that allow them to be attached to Bev Barge. (The Barge has anchor points for up to 8 tubes.) The recess accommodates a 36-quart Igloo cooler, which the release states will hold 48 cans. The way I figure it, the math works as follows: Assume 6 tethered revelers drinking 8 beers apiece. Each beer will take 20 minutes to drink, for a total of 160 minutes of drinking. Assume a drift of 1 mph. This results in a 2.7 mile radius or about 22 square miles of search area for the Coast Guard. Take Heart As you read this in the dark depths of winter, remember that the annual Maine Boatbuilder's Show in Portland is but a few weeks away (March 19-21, 2010; www.portland company.com). I hope we all will have recovered some solvency by then, will have abandoned our states of temporary impecuniousness, and will become yachtsmen again, or at least people of the paddle. See you at the show. Also, I will be looking for you come spring, so keep those fenders and dock lines aboard if you frequent the waters that I patrol from the Porch. Feet up, binoculars at the ready.
Long-time MBH&H Contributing Editor, freelance writer, and raconteur Peter Bass is an owner of Maine Cottage Furniture. Click here to read other articles by Peter Bass >> To submit your comments... newsy tidbits, photos, illustrations, clippings, rants, and raves for possible use in this column, use the form below. Or mail to "View From the Porch," P.O. Box 758, Camden, ME 04843 or fax to 207-236-0811. Items may be edited for length and clarity; materials become the property of Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors, Inc.
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