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Korean Government to Promote Offshore Wind Farm in Waters off North Jeolla Province – BusinessKorea

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

The South Korean government is promoting the construction of a 2.4 GW offshore wind farm in waters off North Jeolla Province as the first project in its plan to increase the nations offshore wind power generation to 12 GW by 2030 and become one of the worlds top five offshore wind power producers.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced on July 17 that it has signed an agreement with the parties involved in the project, including the governments of North Jeolla Province, Gochang County and Buan County, and Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), and Korea Wind Power.

The ministry plans to start the construction of a 400 MW plant and a 2 GW plant in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The project will cost 14 trillion won in total.

Although the central government and local governments signed a development agreement regarding the wind power project in 2011, little progress had been made until the construction of a test bed complex began in 2017 due to difficulties in securing residents agreement.

When the large-scale offshore wind power complex project is completed in 2028, it will have a production capacity of 2.46 GW, which is enough to supply electricity to 2.24 million households.

Meanwhile, global offshore wind power generation reached 29.1 GW in 2019, with Europe and China accounting for the lions share. Currently, Japan and Taiwan are also focusing on developing offshore wind power farms. Global offshore wind power generation is expected to increase six-fold to 177 GW by 2030.

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Korean Government to Promote Offshore Wind Farm in Waters off North Jeolla Province - BusinessKorea

Zhong Neng Offshore Wind Project to Feature Locally-Made Pin Piles – Offshore WIND

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

CTCI Machinery Corporation (CTCI MAC) has signed a contract with China Steel Power Corporation to supply nearly ahundred pin piles for the Zhong Neng offshore wind project in Taiwan.

Four production lines will be set up at CTCI MACs Ta-Lin Shop in Kaohsiungs Nansing Free Trade Zone. The pin piles are expected to be ready for load out from March 2023 onwards.

Thanks to our previous experience in offshore wind projects, we are now capable of carrying out simultaneous welding tasks with four -SAW welding machines on sections even with various section diameters, said CTCI MAC Chairman Yun-Peng Tan.

China Steel Power Corporation, a joint venture of Taiwans China Steel Corporation and Denmarks Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), is developing Zhong Neng off the Changhua coast in central Taiwan.

Commercial operation of the 300 MW wind farm is expected to begin in 2024.

According to CTCI MAC, the project is committed to delivering all 27 localization items required by the Taiwanese government, making it one of the offshore wind farms with the highest level of localization in the industry.

MHI Vestas has been selected as the preferred supplier of turbines, and CSBC-DEME Wind Engineering (CDWE) is responsible for the transportation and installation of foundations.

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Zhong Neng Offshore Wind Project to Feature Locally-Made Pin Piles - Offshore WIND

‘A Guide To The Birdsong: Volume II’ Uses Electronic Music To Save The Birds – NPR

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

Ten artists from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean recorded tracks using birdsong from their country, with all profits of the vinyl and digital release going to bird conservation projects. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Ten artists from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean recorded tracks using birdsong from their country, with all profits of the vinyl and digital release going to bird conservation projects.

An international collective of electronic music DJs and composers is taking beats from the dance club to jungles and forests and back, all to help save nature's greatest singers. A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean is a new album that samples the sounds of endangered birds and whose proceeds go directly towards efforts to save them.

Robin Perkins is a 33-year-old DJ, composer and producer originally from Glassup, England. He goes by the name El Bho or "the Owl." Perkins produced the first volume of this project in 2015, A Guide to the Birdsong of South America.

"The whole project," Perkins says, "was born out of this idea of taking the songs of endangered birds and challenging musicians to make a piece of music from them, and so trying to marry these worlds of activism of conservation, birdsong and electronic music."

Perkins invited artists from each of the endangered or threatened birds' homelands to build their own songs around the birds' songs. Electronic music, he says, allows artists to do that in a special way.

"The beautiful thing about electronic music is that it opens up this whole toolbox of things that you couldn't otherwise do, right?" he says. "So you can take a sample of a bird song and do 5 million things to it. You can turn it into an instrument itself. You can reverse it, you can add effects, you can sample it."

Perkins has just finished the second project, A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. One of the musicians who responded to his call is Nicaraguan sonic artist Tamara Montenegro. She chose the turquoise-browed motmot, or Guardabarranco.

"To me it was a very clear choice," Montenegro says. "As a child, I would see this bird freely flying around and meeting his partner they travel in pairs most of the time in my backyard for sunsets. It was a beautiful, mystical moment every day."

The Guardabarranco is threatened by loss of habitat primarily due to deforestation. It's also Nicaragua's national bird.

"This bird represents a lot of symbology in my area of the world because it represents freedom," she says. "And these Central American countries have been striving for political, social, economic freedom for a long time."

The idea of freedom was also part of the impetus for Al Ovando's choice. Ovando is a member of the renowned group The Garifuna Collective that also includes musicians from Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. For the collective's contribution to the album, Ovando chose the endangered Black Catbird. Like the Guardabarranco, the Black Catbirds's freedom is threatened by loss of habitat. Ovando feels his people have a special kinship with the bird and its struggle for survival.

"You just imagine us coming all the way from the coast of West Africa into the Caribbean, ending up in Belize and still continuing the struggle and trying to be part of what the world is today," he says.

Ovando also happens to be a devoted birder. He even convinced the band to add a technical rider to its contracts when the group performs at festivals.

"If there is anybody at the festival who would like to go birding," he says, he wanted it to be known that they "would love to go birding with them, or if they would know some places, some hotspots we could check out some birds."

As with the first album, all of the profits from the new release will support specific organizations, including Birds Caribbean. Its executive director, Lisa Sorensen, explains how A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean will not only help her efforts but may also yield extended benefits.

"There might be a beautiful place to go see birds but there's no trail, there's no interpretive signage there to tell you about what you're seeing," Sorensen says. "So we're envisioning that funding from this project will help us advance both those efforts: building the supply and building the demand for sustainable bird and nature tourism."

That's project founder Robin Perkins' wish too.

"Hopefully people will come away from the album feeling inspired and feeling the need to listen again to the bird song around them," Perkins says, and "to do something to protect the natural spaces that we need to survive."

A Guide to the Birdsong of Central America, Mexico & the Caribbean is out now via Shika Shika. All proceeds generated from album sales go towards Fundacin Txori, Aves de Costa Rica and Birds Caribbean.

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'A Guide To The Birdsong: Volume II' Uses Electronic Music To Save The Birds - NPR

Latin America & The Caribbean – Weekly Situation Update (6-12 July 2020) As of 13 July 2020 – Colombia – ReliefWeb

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

Key Figures

3.2M CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASES IN LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN AS OF 12 JULY

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL POLICY BRIEF

On 9 July, UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres launched a policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on Latin America and the Caribbean highlighting that the region, plagued by weak social protection and high inequality, is home to some of the most affected areas in the world.

The brief notes that COVID-19 will cause a 9.1 per cent contraction in regional GDP in 2020, the worst recession in a century, which could push the number of poor and extremely poor by 45 million and 28 million, respectively.

Short-term policy recommendations include immediate multilateral response for middle-income countries largely excluded from cooperation and full access to economic and humanitarian assistance and basic services for all.

The policy brief is available in English and Spanish.

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Latin America & The Caribbean - Weekly Situation Update (6-12 July 2020) As of 13 July 2020 - Colombia - ReliefWeb

Education of highest order in Caribbean – Royal Gazette

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

Published Jul 20, 2020 at 8:00 am(Updated Jul 20, 2020 at 8:35 am)

Elite but not elitist: Sir Hilary Beckles

Densil Williams, pro vice-chancellor

Just short of a year ago, Sir Hilary Beckles, vice-chancellor at The University of the West Indies indicated the intention of the university to be located in the top 3 per cent of ranked universities by the end of the current strategic planning cycle in 2023.

Referencing an energetic and proactive leadership team of campus principals, pro vice-chancellors, multilayered administrators and academics, research professors and student leaders, the vice-chancellor expressed confidence in the teams ability to remove doubt from the institution in respect of its capacity to break new ground.

On July 17, vice-chancellor Beckles declared a resounding surpassing of this target by the Caribbeans leading university, as Times Higher Education, the globally recognised and most prestigious ranking agency for higher education, announced its 2020 rankings, and The University of the West Indies secured top spots on its three latest lists Latin America University Rankings, Golden Age University Rankings and Impact Rankings.

Triple Firsts, as coined by vice-chancellor Beckles, marks The UWIs breaking into the top 1 per cent of universities in the Latin America and Caribbean region; the top 1 per cent of Golden Age universities that is, the category of global universities between 50 to 80 years old and retention of its No 1 position as the only Caribbean university to be ranked.

Vice-chancellor Beckles added: This remarkable achievement puts The UWI in an elite band. We are elite, but not elitist.

He went on to explain that, the magnitude of this achievement is further contextualised within a landscape comprised of at least 209 Caribbean-based higher education institutions, an approximate 5,497 universities within Latin America and the Caribbean, and over 30,000 universities registered worldwide.

In 2016, when vice-chancellor Beckles conceived and began rolling out the strategic plan together with The UWIs leadership, he set an immediate objective to radically upgrade and globalise the regional universitys reputation and enhance its international visibility and competitiveness. THEs Latin America University Rankings and Golden Age University Rankings have both allowed for The UWI to be assessed by standardised indicators that judge research-intensive universities worldwide across all their core strategic missions of teaching, research, knowledge transfers and international outlook.

According to professor Densil Williams, the pro vice-chancellor, planning, who is credited with overseeing the implementation of The UWIs strategic plan, The UWIs excellent performance in these rankings demonstrate the success of a series of deliberate strategic initiatives implemented under the framework of its Triple A strategy (Strategic Plan 2017-2022).

These include but are not limited to global expansion through partnership with internationally recognised universities to establish centres and institutes across the globe; advancement in the entrepreneurial ethos of The UWI through greater linkages with the corporate sector; and production of impactful research to address societal problems in climate change, nutrition, economic development inter alia.

The vice-chancellor offered special commendation to the entire UWI community, recognising, the tremendous work being done university-system wide to meet the Triple A targets, which has not only driven overall productivity, but has stirred an upsurge in engagement and brand reputation regionally, internationally and in scholastic advocacy on multiple issues of global significance.

He concluded: In spite of this years myriad challenges for the Caribbean community and the wider world, our university has had some high moments, signalling our strength and the success of our strategic plan and efforts. This is yet another of The UWIs finest hours.

The ranking criteria used by the British-based agency provide comprehensive and balanced comparisons that are trusted and used by students, academics, university leaders, industry and even governments. The UWIs continued appearances and progressions in these rankings affirm its prestige and leadership as a now familiar and consistent name in the global higher education arena.

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Education of highest order in Caribbean - Royal Gazette

Elon Musk Says Neuralink Will Stream Music Straight Into Your Brain

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

According to Musk, brain computer interfaces in the future will allow us to ditch the headphones and beam music straight to our brains.

Yes Man

Elon Musk’s brain-hacking startup Neuralink is gearing up for a long-awaited reveal on August 28.

And Musk himself can’t seem to help himself from teasing the brain-computer interface. On Sunday afternoon, when computer scientist Austin Howard asked Musk on Twitter if we could one day listen to music directly through such an interface — streaming it directly into the brain, in other words, with no headphones needed — Musk replied with a curt “yes.”

Skull Lasers

We still know very little about what Neuralink has been working on. Our best look so far came during a 2019 presentation in which the company showed off a device that hooks up to the brain via holes in the skull cut by lasers.

Early iterations of such a device are largely aimed at repairing broken neural connections in those who suffer brain disorders including Parkinson’s, Musk said during a recent podcast appearance.

It’s still entirely unclear if Neuralink’s brain-computer interfaces will ever be able to bypass the ear, the cochlear nerves, and beam music magically to the auditory brain.

But Musk has already set his sights on bigger things. When asked by another Twitter user if Neuralink’s devices could also help “stimulate the release of oxytocin, serotonin, and other chemicals when needed,” Musk replied with another “yes.”

Now Hiring

While some high-tech headphones have promised to beam music “straight to your brain,” they achieve this by sending vibrations to the skull — not stimulating neurons inside the brain.

To make that feature and more a reality, Neuralink is looking to add more, well, brains to its operations.

“If you’ve solved hard problems with phones/ wearables (sealing, signal processing, inductive charging, power management, etc.), please consider working at [Neuralink],” Musk tweeted over the weekend.

More on Neuralink: Elon Musk Teases Major Neuralink Reveal

The post Elon Musk Says Neuralink Will Stream Music Straight Into Your Brain appeared first on Futurism.

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Elon Musk Says Neuralink Will Stream Music Straight Into Your Brain

The Same Company 3D Printing KFC’s Meat Nuggets Is Printing Human Tissue in Space As Well

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

The same company that announced a partnership with KFC to create the world's first 3D printed chicken nugget successfully printed human cells in space.

It’s been a wild weekend for Russian startup 3D Bioprinting Solutions.

First, the company announced a partnership with fast food chain KFC as part of an effort to create the “world’s first laboratory-produced chicken nuggets.”

Now, the same company is ready to announce that it’s been hard at work bringing similar tech into orbit as well.

In an experiment on board the International Space Station that took place in 2018 but has only now been published, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononoenko was tasked to 3D print human cartilage cells in near-zero gravity using a machine called “Bioprinter Organ.Aut,” as Space.com reports — a machine assembled by, you guessed it, 3D Bioprinting Solutions.

The goal was to investigate ways to reverse some of the negative effects of spending prolonged periods of time in space, in particular evidence that parts of the human body can atrophy over time — something we’ve known about for quite some time.

The eventual hope is to give astronauts the ability to print entire body parts in space, according to the researchers — just in case something goes catastrophically wrong during a mission.

A paper about the research was published in the journal Science Advances last week.

Rather than using a bioassembly “scaffold,” a structure that acts as a support for tissue, the machine uses magnets to allow cells to float in place, a process the researchers called “magnetic levitational bioassembly.”

“Magnetic waves or fields are controlled so we can move the cells where we want them to go [to assemble] them into more complex structures of tissue constructs,” Utkan Demirci, co-director of the Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection at Stanford, who invented the process and co-authored the paper, told Space.com.

The Russian startup isn’t only looking at printing cartilage in space.

During following ISS expeditions, “we also conducted experiments in space on fabricating the mouse thyroid gland, fabricating meat, fabricating bones, fabricating three-dimensional bacterial biofilms, as well as crystallizing and growing crystals of protein compounds in a new method,” Vladislav Parfenov, 3D Bioprinting Solutions chief designer, told Space.com in an email.

The post The Same Company 3D Printing KFC’s Meat Nuggets Is Printing Human Tissue in Space As Well appeared first on Futurism.

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The Same Company 3D Printing KFC’s Meat Nuggets Is Printing Human Tissue in Space As Well

Uber Drivers Are Suing to Learn How the Company’s Algorithm Works

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

Uber drivers in the U.K. are suing the company for access to access to its logs on their performance, as well as info on how it's used.

Black Box

Uber drivers in the UK are suing the company in a desperate bid to learn more about the ride-hailing app’s algorithm, which governs their lives and income.

The core argument of the lawsuit, Business Insider reports, is that the company’s decision to withhold personal data about drivers prevents them from understanding how the algorithm assigns them jobs and therefore impacts their livelihood. If it works, it could be a major win for gig-economy contractors trying to assert control over their work.

Enter GDPR

The App Drivers and Couriers Union, which is suing Uber on behalf of the drivers, argued that Uber violates GDPR when it tracks and monitors drivers by gathering data like late arrivals, cancellation records, and passenger complaints, according to BI.

Because the drivers can’t access that data and aren’t told how it’s fed into the algorithm that decides their future ride assignments, the union claims that Uber is violating their digital privacy.

BossBot

If the lawsuit succeeds and Uber drivers gain access to their records, it could set a lasting precedent for other gig workers who essentially report to and are managed by algorithms, BI reports.

With more power and authority granted to drivers, who Uber has repeatedly argued in court should not be considered employees, gig workers around the world could get a more important seat at the table.

More on Uber: Uber Says Rides During “Party Hours” Are Keeping it Afloat

The post Uber Drivers Are Suing to Learn How the Company’s Algorithm Works appeared first on Futurism.

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Uber Drivers Are Suing to Learn How the Company’s Algorithm Works

KFC Is Working on 3D Printed, Lab-Grown Chicken Nuggets

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

With help from a Russian 3D printing startup, American fast food chain KFC wants to craft the

Lab Nuggets

American fast food chain KFC wants to craft the “world’s first laboratory-produced chicken nuggets,” according to a press release — and no, they won’t technically be vegetarian, because they’ll include actual chicken cells.

To create this “meat of the future,” the chain is working with Russian startup 3D Bioprinting Solutions to use “chicken cells and plant material” to print nuggets layer by layer.

KFC claims the approach is more ethical and environmentally sound, as it reduces the need for farming animals.

No Harm

According to the company, “the production process does not cause any harm to animals.”

“3D bioprinting technologies, initially widely recognized in medicine, are nowadays gaining popularity in producing foods such as meat,” Yusef Khesuani, co-founder of 3D Bioprinting Solutions, said in the KFC statement.

The fried chicken giant has yet to actually feed anybody its futuristic nuggets, but the Russian startup is already hoping that the trend will catch on.

“In the future, the rapid development of such technologies will allow us to make 3D-printed meat products more accessible and we are hoping that the technology created as a result of our cooperation with KFC will help accelerate the launch of cell-based meat products on the market,” the statement reads.

Slow Food

Scientists who have experimented with similar bioprinting processes have found them to be extremely slow and laborious, The Verge reports.

Despite the hurdles, though, KFC wants to go ahead and make its Frankenstein nuggets available for final testing in Moscow later this year.

More on lab meat: Lab-Grown Meat Could Be Worse for the Environment

The post KFC Is Working on 3D Printed, Lab-Grown Chicken Nuggets appeared first on Futurism.

NASA’s Mars Rover Spent the Weekend Shooting a Weird-Looking Rock With a Laser

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

NASA's Curiosity rover encountered a strangely-colored rock on Mars and did what any smart robot would do: blasted it with a laser to see what was inside.

No-Scope

Over the weekend, NASA’s Curiosity rover spent its time blasting a bizarre rock on Mars with a laser.

To clarify, Curiosity wasn’t just killing time. This particular rock, Digital Trends reports, was adorned with unusual colors for the area, and vaporizing it with a laser is one of the best tricks Curiosity that has for figuring out what it’s made of.

Target Practice

The laser is just one of Curiosity’s tools for analyzing an object’s chemical composition. In the past, the rover has used them to make discoveries suggesting that Mars once harbored life. The findings for this particular rock aren’t available yet, but Digital Trends reports that the colors could suggest the presence of organic compounds.

But it won’t be until the next rover, Perseverance, shows up with more sophisticated tools that NASA can kick up the hunt for signs of ancient microbes to the next level.

Scouting Ahead

While NASA prepares for its Perseverance launch, Curiosity is continuing on what NASA is calling a “summer road trip” to scout ahead and study more regions of the planet that may have once harbored life.

“Curiosity was designed to go beyond Opportunity’s search for the history of water,” NASA researcher Abigail Fraeman said in a press release. “We’re uncovering an ancient world that offered life a foothold for longer than we realized.”

READ MORE: Curiosity is investigating a strangely colored rock it found on Mars [Digital Trends]

More on Curiosity: Next NASA Mars Rover Will Sport a Rock-Vaporizing Laser

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NASA’s Mars Rover Spent the Weekend Shooting a Weird-Looking Rock With a Laser

“Mini-Neptune” Exoplanets May Actually Be Covered in Radioactive Oceans

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

A class of exoplanets thought to resemble gas giants like Neptune may actually be rocky worlds covered in thick, heavily irradiated oceans.

Nuka-Nepta

New research suggests that astronomers may have been entirely wrong about a class of exoplanets that they call “mini-Neptunes.”

These worlds, which were thought to be smaller versions — just 2.4 Earth radii across — of gas giants like Neptune, may actually be rocky exoplanets covered by thick, deeply-irradiated oceans, according to research by scientists at the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille. The study, published last month in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, threatens to break down the barriers between two classes of exoplanets that astronomers previously thought were totally separate.

Totally Rad

Studying exoplanets tends to involve a little bit of trickery. Researchers use various imaging techniques to figure out things like a world’s density, chemical composition, and whether it has an atmosphere. In the case of mini-Neptunes, most had assumed that their low density and mass meant they were coated in a thick, gassy atmosphere.

Instead, according to the study, some may have oceans of highly pressurized and heated supercritical liquid that’s been irradiated by a powerful greenhouse effect. The ocean, just like a gas giant’s atmosphere, could account for the low density and mass of the exoplanets.

Building Bridges

A separate study published in Astronomy and Astrophysics found that the same irradiated oceans could also exist on slightly-smaller, rocky “super-Earth” exoplanets, as their environments are capable of the same powerful greenhouse effect as the mini-Neptunes.

Much of their calculations still need to be tested and verified through more observations of exoplanets. But if it holds up, the findings suggest that the various worlds out there could be a lot more similar than we thought.

READ MORE: Could mini-Neptunes be irradiated ocean planets? [CNRS]

More on exoplanets: Astronomers Discover “Intriguing,” Extremely Earth-Like Exoplanet

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“Mini-Neptune” Exoplanets May Actually Be Covered in Radioactive Oceans

How Will Revisions to the US Bankruptcy Code Impact Landlords? – National Real Estate Investor

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

Recent revisions to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code might open the door to headaches and heartaches for landlords that rent to small businesses.

In August 2019, Congress created whats known as Subchapter 5 of the Bankruptcy Code. Subchapter 5 is designed to streamline the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process for small businesses and slash their legal bills, according to Robert Dremluk, a partner in the New York City office of law firm Culhane Meadows Haughian & Walsh PLLC who specializes in bankruptcy cases.

Subchapter 5 went into effect this February. A month later, Congress tweaked Subchapter 5 as part of the federal CARES Act, aimed at helping the U.S. recover from the coronavirus pandemic. A major change in Subchapter 5 that will be on the books till next spring raises the cap on secured and unsecured debts for a small business to qualify for Chapter 11. The threshold jumped from a little over $2.7 million to $7.5 million. The idea was to create an easier path for companies to reorganize, Dremluk says.

Legal observers say the re-engineered Subchapter 5 could invite even more small businesses to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization and, therefore, entangle more landlords in bankruptcy proceedings.

Other provisions of Subchapter 5 might also entice small businesses to head to bankruptcy court. They include:

The debtor-friendly Subchapter 5 makes no mention of landlords, notes Katey Anderson Sanchez, a bankruptcy attorney in the Phoenix office of law firm Ballard Spahr LLP. However, she adds that some businesses that in the past might have shied away from Chapter 11 bankruptcy now might find this path more worthwhile. In turn, that could put more landlords in the crosshairs of small business bankruptcies. How so? For one thing, Subchapter 5 weakens the power of a landlord or any other creditor to stop a reorganization plan from being finalized.

Sanchez notes, though, that landlords retain a lot of rights in Chapter 11 cases filed by tenants. She sees nothing in the Subchapter 5 language itself that should give a debtor a definitive edge over a landlord.

Landlords are in a really good position to say, Hey, you know youve got to pay us, Sanchez says. Theres no additional ability for a small business owner to change the terms of a lease or anything like thatnot any more than there is any other chapter of the code.

Through the lens of Subchapter 5, Dremluk sees some positives for landlords. Primary among them is that letting a small business restructure its debt under Subchapter 5 means that a tenant might stand a better chance of keeping its doors open and keeping up with its lease obligations, he notes. He adds that Subchapter 5 paves the way for more small businesses to negotiate with landlords, since some cash-strapped tenants previously found it too expensive to plow through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.

From his perspective, Neal Salisian, founder and co-managing partner of Los Angeles law firm Salisian Lee LLP, says the recent changes in the Bankruptcy code could lead to debtors leases being ripped up. He frequently represents commercial real estate landlords and lenders.

The way that would work is that the tenant could be in a particular space, not paying rent during a moratorium, and have other financial issues during that time that result in a bankruptcy filing. At this point, the whole lease would fall under the proceedings and likely get invalidated, Salisian says. Ultimately, this could be very bad combination of factors for a landlord, leading to months and months of unpaid rent and unoccupied space.

The result of that sort of scenario could be bankruptcy declarations on the part of the landlords themselves, Salisian says.

It remains to be seen how widely Subchapter 5 will be used by small businesses, according to Rory Vohwinkel, a bankruptcy attorney with Las Vegas law firm Vohwinkel & Associates Ltd. For the most part, small businesses are holding off on bankruptcy filings due to uncertainty over their current and future finances, attorneys say. However, legal observers anticipate a near-tsunami of small business bankruptcies to start when that uncertainty subsides.

Once those impediments go away, I think youll see an upsurge in the use of Subchapter 5, Dremluk says. I think a lot of small businesses that have hung on though COVID will see this as an opportunity to clean up their balance sheets, reorganize their business and go forward. But currently, the environment is not really suitable for that.

Vohwinkel and other attorneys are closely watching a Chapter 11 case thats already being pursued under Subchapter 5. Texas-based restaurant chain Texas Root Burger hopes to reorganize through Chapter 11 and to walk away from some of its locations, the Wall Street Journal reported. The newspaper points out that Subchapter 5 might force creditors like landlords to quickly head to the negotiating table with tenants that have filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11.

We are all waiting to see how that case proceeds, as it could be precedent-setting, Vohwinkel says.

As the business community at large adopts a wait-and-see attitude about the coronavirus pandemic and corporate finances, Dremluk suggests that landlords educate themselves about Subchapter 5.

My recommendation would be for landlords to understand the process, become familiar with how it works, how its different from what you might have understood the process to be, he says. A landlord whos asleep at the wheel potentially could end up losing their rights, whatever they may be.

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How Will Revisions to the US Bankruptcy Code Impact Landlords? - National Real Estate Investor

Another Bankruptcy For Germanys BBS Wheels As It Turns 50. – Forbes

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

Legendary German Formula One driver Michael Schumacher took Ferrari to five world championships on ... [+] BBS wheels, to add to his two championships with Benetton. Photo by Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images

Formula One and Indycar supplier BBS GmbH filed for bankruptcy protection in Germany today for the third time in 13 years, on the eve of its 50th anniversary.

Its contract to supply wheels for next years entire Nascar Cup Series field is not believed to be at risk, with BBS purchasing them off its key Formula One supplier, Japans Washibeam.

BBS, which made the poster wheels for every race- and sports-car fan in the 1990s, has taken some of the worlds most famous drivers to victory everywhere from Le Mans and Indianapolis to Formula One.

They were the aftermarket wheel of choice for generations of performance-car owners and made of the poster wheels for every race- and sports-car fan in the 1990s.

Most of the Indycar Series field uses BBS wheels. Photo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Famous for their invention of three-piece racing wheels and criss-cross spoke patterns, BBS GmbH announced its bankruptcy on its website today, describing it as a necessary step to prevent an imminent insolvency.

Blaming its troubles on the Coronavirus pandemic, BBS stated it found itself in financial trouble due to the sudden omission of confirmed payments.

The ancestors of the BBS Super RS design graced thousands of sports car posters in the 1980s and ... [+] 1990s. Photo: BBS

This is not new territory for BBS, which declared bankruptcy in 2007 as well, before being rescued by Belgiums Punch International, and then declared bankruptcy again in 2011 before being taken over by South Koreas Nice Corp.

BBS wheels are found on road cars from Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW, Volkswagen, Toyota, Volvo, Lexus, Jaguar, Infiniti, Rolls-Royce and Subaru.

BBS went in a different design direction for the Lexus ISF wheel. Photo by Spencer Weiner/Los ... [+] Angeles Times via Getty Images

It once dominated high-end performance car wheels, including the Ferrari F40, the Lexus IS-F and an untold numbers of Porsches.

The market slowdown that came with the Covid-19 pandemic forced BBS to shutter both of its production plants, leading to the bankruptcy filing in the court in Rottweil (yes, like the dog).

Being traceable to the currently tough market environment in the automotive branch, BBS situation deteriorated further due to the Corona(sic)-Lockdown which led to a temporary shutdown of the production at both BBS plants, the companys statement read.

However, the key message we want to deliver to you is that the BBS production keeps on running the supply of all our OE and AM customers with BBS wheels is secured!

Prior to the insolvency BBS already initiated an extensive turnaround strategy for the whole company. This new strategy based on BBS AM wheels as focal point will be continued under the guidance of the insolvency administrator.

One of its two administrators, Thomas Oberle, has been here before with BBS, having been appointed as an administrator of BBS International GmbH in 2011, before BBS became BBS GmbH.

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Another Bankruptcy For Germanys BBS Wheels As It Turns 50. - Forbes

Mark McCown: Bankruptcy works in certain circumstances – The Tribune – Ironton Tribune

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

Dear Lawyer Mark: I have a question about bankruptcy.

I got stuck with a mortgage payment that went way up last year and couldnt pay my other bills.

Well, the bank took my house and sold it at the courthouse, and we rent now. The thing is, I put a bunch of medical bills and groceries, utilities and what-nots on my credit cards when I was paying my mortgage payment and so I cant pay those no more.

My other problem is that my mom is dying and wants to give me her house, but the credit card companies told me they would take it if I dont pay them and bankruptcy dont matter.

The house aint worth much, but it looks like that and my old beat up car is all Ill have, since the government wants to bail out everyone but me. Can I file bankruptcy and get rid of the credit cards? WORRIED IN SOUTH POINT

Dear Worried: Whether bankruptcy will work for a person is entirely dependent upon that persons unique set of circumstances.

There are several types of bankruptcy, but the most common one for individuals is called Chapter 7. The first thing that you need to know is that Chapter 7 generally gets rid of unsecured debts, like credit cards, and it sounds like the collection agent who spoke to you was not being truthful.

Debt for which you have given collateral, such as a mortgage on a house, or a title for a car loan, are called secured debts. With secured debts, you generally have three options: surrender, reaffirmation, or redemption. Surrender means giving the collateral to the creditor, and the debt is then forgiven.

Reaffirmation means you keep the collateral and agree to keep paying the debt under either the same terms as you were, or under new terms negotiated by your lawyer. Redemption means you pay the creditor a lump sum and keep the collateral.

Of course, you cant keep a mansion and walk away from the debt (unless you got part of that bailout you were talking about), so the law says how much you can keep. These are called exemptions, and vary state to state. In 2008, Ohio greatly increased some of its exemptions. For example, you can now have equity, which is the amount something is worth minus what you owe on it, in the amount of $20,200 per individual in residential real estate. That means that a married couple could have $40,400 of equity in a house, and still save it in a bankruptcy. Previously, the maximum would have been $10,000 for a couple.

Likewise, a person can now have $3,335 of equity in a car, and $10,725 worth of furniture and appliances.

The most important part of the law is the fact that it is tied to the consumer price index. This means that the amount of exemptions will increase automatically every three years.

I highly recommend you speak to a bankruptcy lawyer about your individual case. Most dont charge for an initial consultation, and he or she can better advise you according to your total financial situation.

Its The Law is written by attorney Mark K. McCown in response to legal questions received by him. If you have a question, please forward it to Mark K. McCown, 311 Park Avenue, Ironton, Ohio 45638, or e-mail it to him at LawyerMark@yahoo.com. The right to condense and/or edit all questions is reserved.

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Mark McCown: Bankruptcy works in certain circumstances - The Tribune - Ironton Tribune

Struggling with debt? Here’s what to consider before filing bankruptcy – restaurant-hospitality.com

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

In the restaurant industry, bankruptcy has long been seen as a last resort for small business owners, indicative of admitting defeat and likely resulting in liquidating assets and closing up shop for good.

But thanks to a new law passed shortly before the coronavirus pandemic began the Small Business Reorganization Act its easier and less expensive for small businesses with less than $2.7 million in debt to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

We spoke with Joseph Pack, a New York and Florida-based bankruptcy attorney and founder of Pack Law, about destigmatizing bankruptcy for small businesses, and what restaurant owners can and should do if they find they cant pay their rent, vendors, or lenders during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

Get on the phone and renegotiate with your lenders

When trying to get out of the hole of massive debt, the most important skill is clear and honest communication with your landlord, vendors, bank and investors.

Owners should be getting on the phone with their bank and other lenders, Pack said. If they can afford to pay off their debt, they might want to enter a new modification of the loan than they had before thats subject to realistic projections. Get on the phone with your lenders, even the person you bought your stove or espresso machine from, and figure out what their attitude is toward your reduced revenues.

Pack broke it down with a simple example: If youre paying off a high-end commercial espresso machine with $400 in monthly payments and now, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, you are unable to make your monthly payments, then get on the phone with the espresso machine seller and ask for a modification of obligation.

The lender is thinking, I could get $5,000-$6,000 for this $10,000 machine, or this restaurant owner could go into bankruptcy and their assets will be auctioned and then Ill be lucky if I get $250 from that, Pack said. Then the lender will be probably more likely to work with you than ever before.

He warned, however, that business owners should be careful to not just ask for payment forgiveness because thats just temporary.

Its not just about making payments; its also about debt covenants [agreements that a debtor will operate within the paradigms of a loan], Pack said. You have to make certain requirements on a monthly basis. The loan could still be in default even with payment forgiveness. There needs to be a sit-down and discussion about renegotiating obligation.

Do not consolidate your debt

One of the most common solutions struggling business owners consider is to consolidate debt. Even though that might sound like a smart way to mitigate a growing mountain of debt, Pack said, I have never met a business operator who said, Boy, Im glad I consolidated my debts! That was a real lifesaver!

Lets say you have a loan at 1% interest, and you have another loan at 10% interest, and you go to a loan consolidation company and they combine those two loans into one $2 million loan at 5% interest, Pack said. Now, if you somehow come into $1 million and can pay down your debt, instead of paying off the original loan with 10% interest and only having to pay the loan at 1% interest, now youre stuck with paying off half of a loan at 5% interest.

Pack added that leaving your loans unconsolidated also benefits businesses filing for bankruptcy because its always in the debtors favor to have multiple lenders to pick off obligations and debt. With one large debt, you are basically at their whim and dont have room to negotiate.

If you have to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, do so under the new Subchapter V of the bankruptcy code

Pack said that he wanted to destigmatize the concept of filing for bankruptcy, which contrary to popular belief does not mean you have to sell your business or close your doors completely. Filing for Chapter 11 has previously been mostly associated with larger companies that can afford federal court proceedings. But a new law, the Small Business Reorganization Act, which was passed in August 2019 and went into effect in February, helps small business approaching bankruptcy options.

The new Subchapter V of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy code allows small businesses with up to $7.5 million in debt to seek reorganization with the goal of keeping control of their business and their equity. Before the pandemic, the maximum debt was $2,725,625, but the eligibility standard was temporarily expanded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES Act, in March.

Small businesses dont have to pay their lenders in full as long as they create a payment plan based on their balance sheet and cash flow within 90 days of filing, give their discretionary income to their creditors, and pay off as much of the loan as they can within three to five years.

The [bankruptcy court] knows no one can run your Italian restaurant other than you and that you need to be there to make the pizza, Pack said. If the business is sold off to some private equity firm who have no idea what theyre doing, no one is going to want to eat the pizza and the restaurant will close anyway. [This plan] lets you keep your equity and your restaurant as long as you do your best to pay what you can over the next few years.

Contact Joanna Fantozzi at [emailprotected]

Follow her on Twitter:@joannafantozzi

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Struggling with debt? Here's what to consider before filing bankruptcy - restaurant-hospitality.com

Break out tissues; ‘Lost Companions’ will touch your heart – The Guam Daily Post

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

The food bowl has been washed, and tucked away safe in a high cabinet.

No one asks you to roll a ball down the hallway anymore. The squeak of soft toys no longer interrupts your TV shows these days; in fact, it's too quiet now and you hate it. Even worse, there's a reason why these things are so, and in "Lost Companions" by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, you'll read thoughts on the loss of your pet.

What a "miracle" it is that we have pets: here we are, different species that feel "a deep and ancient longing" to be with one another. Such a thing "delights" Masson, perhaps because he's had animal companions his entire life.

The problem, as all animal lovers know, is that pets don't live as long as people do.

We know, the moment we get a new fluff, that we're going to grieve that pet someday; just thinking about it is a grief all on its own. Masson believes that animals are also aware of their mortality, but we can't get inside their minds to know what they think about it and perhaps euthanasia is utilized too hastily.

When a pet dies, "we are simply not prepared for this ... we want our beloved companions to live longer." We may be surprised at the depth of the raw emotion we feel; Masson quotes (and marvels at) several people who say they grieved harder at the loss of a pet than they did for a human. We should, therefore, never "belittle the grief of others" when it comes to pets, which includes when our pets exhibit grief and they do.

Says Masson, "You could say grieving makes us human, or you could also say, grieving makes us just another animal."

It's awfully hard to determine the exact point of "Lost Companions."

Yes, it's about losing a pet, and the emotions you inevitably feel about it. But author Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson also delves deeply into the deaths of wildlife, livestock and humans, which are not at all the only off-topic topics. He also writes particularly gruesomely about dog-meat markets, and he touches upon veganism, and "companion" versus "owner." To continue, the tedious, already-hashed-over subject of whether or not pets love us is brought forth again, and Masson argues strongly against The Final Kindness, saying he can't imagine it, but admitting that he's never witnessed it.

And yet.... (heavy sigh).

If you've ever lost a pet, you know you need to read this book, the on-point of which arrives with fewer than 100 pages to go. You know you've been there, and you might be there again, and that maybe, possibly, there's another way to ease your grief, some way you haven't yet encountered. It might be here. It might.

Indeed.

This is a three-tissue book but Masson gives you room: it's not a cry-fest until quite a way in. Keep that in mind, and have your tear-wipes nearby: if you've recently lost a furry loved one, "Lost Companions" may bowl you over.

Animal Foundation Not Taking In Strays, Temporarily – Talk Radio 1210 WPHT

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

LAS VEGAS, NV (KXNT0 - The Animal Foundation says that for the time being, they won't beaccepting stray animals at its shelter.

The decision was made in order to reduce contact between guests and shelter staff.

In addition, the Animal Foundation is also temporarily suspending owner surrenders, while conducting owner-requested euthanasia and return-to-owner services by appointment only.

The foundation is recommending thatpeople who find lost petsusesocial media such as Nextdoor, Facebook to unite the pet with their owners, or to postthe pet on the lost pet search websitefindingrover.com.

Owners cansearchanimalfoundation.com/lostandfoundto seeif their pet has been brought to the Animal Foundation, and make an appointment to claim their pet.

An appointment can be madeby calling 702-955-5932.The foundation says that proof of ownership, such as photo of pet, veterinary records, or microchip number, is required.

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Animal Foundation Not Taking In Strays, Temporarily - Talk Radio 1210 WPHT

Euthanasia referendum: This is it – the End of Life bill will stand or fall exactly as it is – Stuff.co.nz

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

Parliament has done its work, writes Ann David. It has balanced the need of the dying who meet certain additional criteria to legally escape their torment against the desire of all of us to ensure that only that cohort accesses a requested assisted death.

OPINION: If by right to die with dignity we mean the right to reject deathbed torture then yes, I believe we should have that right.

The Health select committee examining the views of Kiwis on assisted dying in 2017and the Justice select committee that received submissions as part of parliamentary process in 2019 were both presented with multiple stories of horrifying deaths in our country.

In some cases, the dying experience their death as a torture through which they are dragged due to the lack of a merciful legal option to avoid it. Their families are wracked by the suffering of their loved ones.

These submissions came from ordinary people up and down the country stories from hospices, from hospitals, from rest homes. It appears there is no setting in NZ that is immune from the scourge of suffering death, not even in top class palliative care.

READ MORE:* My biggest hope for the election is an increased turnout* End of life choice comes down to compassion * Act 'offers choice, not compulsion' * Assisted dying conscientious objection questions too early - court * Assisted dying referendum: why NZs law lacks necessary detail to make a fully informed decision

I have suffered such a death in my family. Perhaps you have too?

For that reason, I attentively followed the passage of the End of Life Choice Act 2019 from its introduction in June 2017 through to obtaining Royal Assent in November 2019. It went through all the usual parliamentary processes in the glare of the media. The time allowed for public submissions was extended from the usual threemonths to ninemonths. MPs who make our laws also made submissions. In the end, parliament voted 69:51 to pass the End of Life Choice Act 2019 as it is now.

No piece of legislation in the history of the NZ parliament has been through more thorough scrutiny. Parliament has done its job and now hands us back this law for our approval or rejection at the referendum.

To imagine it can now be changed is ignorant. The law does not allow any further change at this point. The End of Life Choice Act 2019 will stand or fall exactly as it is on 19 September. It is Yes or No or abstain from voting on this topic. See http://www.referendums.govt.nz

Parliament has done its work. It has balanced the need of the dying who meet certain additional criteria to legally escape their torment against the desire of all of us to ensure that only that cohort accesses a requested assisted death. Enablement balanced by safety.

Every year in New Zealand, many death-hastening actions take place without the regulation or oversight that the End of Life Choice Act 2019 would provide. These include decisions by patient or family to switch off life support that will inevitably end in swift death and decisions by patient or family to reject medical interventions to extend terminal life, thereby leading to earlier death. They are perfectly legal decisions. Never do we hear a suggestion of coercion or abuse in these everyday situations.

Yet they are ripe for exploitation, unregulated as they are. Who protects the patient against such a possibility? One single doctor. No specific regulation governs these decisions or their execution but it seems we, as a society, are perfectly satisfied with this status quo.

It is therefore ridiculous to imagine danger when the additional safeguards of proper regulation and a two-doctor process are added as specified in the Act. In fact, it defies logic.

NZ law should be based on fact, not fanciful conjecture. The fears related to the introduction of medically assisted dying have no basis in fact. They are not observable anywhere in the world where assisted dying is practiced, covering some 200 million people. If our team of 5 million votes Yes, then 205 million people will have the right to avoid unwanted deathbed torture.

Make it so.

Ann David is a member of theEnd of Life Choice Society NZ, whose objective is to have assisted dying legalised in NZ.

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Euthanasia referendum: This is it - the End of Life bill will stand or fall exactly as it is - Stuff.co.nz

Immortality or Bust – Film Threat

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

Immortality or Bust follows the 2016 presidential candidacy of Zoltan Istvan from the Transhumanist Party. If someone believes that immortality is possible and wants to run for president, their name better be Zoltan.

Transhumanism is the belief or theory that the human race can evolve behind its current physical and mental limitations with the help of science and technology. Now, whether you believe in Transhumanism or not, it does not make this documentary in less interesting. Zoltans life story sounds like a sci-fi film.

In his twenties, Zoltan Istvan traveled the world on a sailboat by himself with five hundred books aboard. In his more recent years, he had the idea to drive across the country in a coffin bus (Yes, a coffin bus) to raise awareness of Transhumanism. While doing so, he also reveals that he was running for president in 2016. At this point, just about anyone run for president, except Kanye West, he was a bit late to the party.

During the documenting of his trip and candidacy, we are given information about how technology has evolved and how it relates to human life. At one point, Zoltan talks about a heart that runs on wifi and is meant to be a life-long replacement for a human heart. We are also taken into a facility that houses frozen human bodies in hopes of waking them up/bring them back to life when science has a way of doing so and curing whatever illnesses they may have.

Zoltan talks about a heart that runs on wifi and is meant to be a life-long replacement for a human heart.

This idea of wanting to extend life is one thing, but to be immortal is something I really question. Why would anyone want that? There are far too many ethical and moral issues that come with this idea. The documentary explores these issues a bit, but not enough. It is definitely a one-sided argument and an agenda-driven documentary. With that being side, it is still quite interesting. Zoltan (along with others) gives his reasons for wanting to look further into technology to help evolve the human lifespan. Although some might have decent reasons, some are just hilarious. Zoltan often uses sex as reasoning. He talks about being able to have a heart that can withstand sexual interactions when you are older and then talks about how technology can and has made way for people to experience sexual activities while being in completely separate locations.

There is somewhat of an uneasy moment in the film. The film opens with Zoltan and his mother crying, but it is not clear why. It is not until the end of the film. It is made clear. They are crying over Zoltans fathers dead body. I get that this can push his argument further, but its also something very personal that a normal human being would probably not want on camera.

Immortality or Bust could be a documentary that is meant to sway a persons view on Transhumanism, but it is also a story of an interesting man with interesting (or far-fetched) ideas. It is surprisingly a quick watch even though it is a little more than an hour and thirteen minutes in length. Much of the documentary will also make you think of classic sci-fi movies that show how technology can change the world. Its not a good thing when Zoltan keeps mentioning Jurassic Park in his argument. We all know what happens there.

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Immortality or Bust - Film Threat

High seas adventures and hilarity all part of ‘Salty’ – Petoskey News-Review

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Danzig

Life at sea is sometimes monotonous, sometimes challenging, and always memorable. These sometimes conflicting impulses are certainly well documented in Indian River author and longtime salt Lon Calloways new book Salty.

Calloway, a Well-Seasoned Seadog, is a longtime captain and crewmember, having sailed throughout the United States and beyond on a long list of vessels, from tugboats to ore freighters, and even Mackinac Island ferries.

Salty is the compilation of Calloways regularly raucous, periodically harrowing, and always entertaining stories originally penned to share with family.

For years Id be entertaining my family and friends with sea stories, Calloway says from his part-time home in Sault Ste. Marie, near the famous Soo Locks. And theyd say youve got to write these down.

Eventually he wrote out his stories, sharing them at a family cottage in Wisconsin. Calloways cousin Jill Loree brought her publishing experience to the book, compiling and arranging the stories to highlight the sometimes monotonous, sometimes life-changing experiences of his high seas adventures.

Out of high school, Calloway intended a career in teaching, spending three years at Michigan State University before enrolling at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City. He soon left there for the Coast Guard, however, in part because they promised duty in Alaska, something he considered a gift, but which he soon learned others considered a penal colony.

Calloways first shipboard job actually came when he was still a college student, when he took a brief stint as porter on the Irving S. Olds, a 625-foot iron ore carrier, part of the U.S. Steel fleet. In his chapter on Greenhorn Blues, he explains that when he first boarded the ship, I was frozen in place, mouth agape, watching the hustle and bustle around me.

He soon knew a proud moment on the Olds came when he showed John, a fellow crew member, the Monkey Fist knot he worked hard to perfect, which was tight as a bankers heart and pretty as a mermaids smile.

Calloway soon realized there was more to the shipping life than working for the same company or crewing on the same boat season after season, so he carved a career instead as a relief. He took temporary assignments when and where he could, which included captaining a Mackinac Island ferry boat, sailing first mate on an Alabama tugboat, and many more too.

To be successful at that game, you had to maintain and create a relationship with a dispatcher with all these different unions, he explains. They had to know I would accept a bad job every now and then to get a good job. He says good jobs included working on a university research vessel in Hawaii.

There are disadvantages to a life at sea as well, Calloway admits. The tradeoff is missing a lot of family events, he says. As well, Everybody out there was divorced; it was an occupational hazard, he adds. Sailing relief allowed a bit of a hedge from this downside, however. I was fortunate that as a relief guy I was able to maintain more of a family life, he says.

Over a career that spanned more than 40 years, Calloway says there were many interesting crewmates as well, though some who are memorable for all the wrong reasons. In his chapter One Flew Out of the Cuckoos Nest, he explains how many times you discover youre trapped on a steel island with guys who should be in a mental asylum, such as Stevie, who was certain other crew members were stealing his mail.

Because he more than pulled his weight on deck, the crew overlooked the tinfoil lining in his helmet and his constant efforts to convince whoever he could corner that aliens walk among us, Calloway explains. When Stevie informed the FBI about the imagined mail hijacking, however, the tables turned and the Feds concluded, We found the squeaky wheel on this bus.

In addition to the Calloways colorful tales, he uses the Appendix to include some of the emails he once exchanged with a fifth grade class in Salisbury, Maryland as part of the Adopt-A-Ship campaign sponsored by the Propeller Club of America. Here he tells students about traveling the Great Lakes and visiting such spots as the Welland Canal and the Soo Locks.

From the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Alaska, Hawaii and beyond, Calloway says he enjoyed a career that allowed for flexibility and adventure. I loved the novelty, he says. It was so much fun for me; I still miss it.

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High seas adventures and hilarity all part of 'Salty' - Petoskey News-Review

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