Trump: Protesters at GOP town halls ‘planned out by liberal activists’ – The Hill

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President Trump on Tuesday said that liberal activists are orchestrating agitated crowds in GOP lawmakers' home districts across the country.

The so-called angry crowds in home districts of some Republicans are actually, in numerous cases, planned out by liberal activists. Sad! Trump wrote on Twitter.

The so-called angry crowds in home districts of some Republicans are actually, in numerous cases, planned out by liberal activists. Sad!

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Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) both encountered protesters at recent gatherings in their home districts.

House Oversight Chairman Jason ChaffetzJason ChaffetzGOP rep pushes back on Trump's tweet about town hall protests Trump: Protesters at GOP town halls 'planned out by liberal activists' Juan Williams: Senate GOP begins to push Trump away MORE (R-Utah) earlier this month faced a group of demonstrators back in his district, as protesters called into question his treatment of President Donald TrumpDonald TrumpWH adviser Stephen Miller: 'Nothing wrong' with Trump travel order Mellman: Rating the presidents Webb: The future of conservatism MORE.

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Trump: Protesters at GOP town halls 'planned out by liberal activists' - The Hill

The liberal takeover of sports writing, how ‘Jane Doe’ switched sides, and other comments – New York Post

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War historian: Will New NSA Get Leeway He Needs?

Selecting Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as national-security adviser is President Trumps most imaginative decision to date, says Fred Kaplan at Slate. The question is, will Trumps inner circle let McMaster do his job? Hes widely viewed as the Armys smartest officer and has strong ties to Defense Secretary James Mattis. He has also made a career of speaking truth to power, often instinctively, without the slightest talent for fawning to his superiors. But hes spent little time in Washington and will need an excellent deputy. So if current deputy K.T. McFarland and a few others dont resign in the coming days, it may be an ominous sign that McMaster was given less leeway than hell need to do the job right.

Security expert: Trump Doesnt Need Public Opinion

Critics who never accepted Donald Trumps presidency are setting speed records raising the issue of impeachment or the specter of invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him, notes James S. Robbins in USA Today. But their real fear, he says, isnt that Trump cant do the job, but rather that he is using the power of the presidency to do exactly what he said hed do, and quickly. Whether the public approves depends on which poll you read. Yet the question of the reliability of the polls is not as important as the fact that Trump does not care what they say. If he fretted about polling, he never would have been elected in the first place. Thats because Trump is not the kind of needy, approval-driven president who even feels it necessary to consult public opinion when naming his dog.

From the right: Why Jane Roe Defended the Unborn

Norma McCorvey, the Roe of the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling, died Saturday at age 69. And as Nicholas Frankovich notes at National Review, she underwent a midlife conversion from pro-choice to pro-life activism when she became a Catholic. In speeches, she noted that she never actually had an abortion (she gave birth while the case was being litigated) and confessed that she was lying when, to bolster her case, she asserted that her pregnancy resulted from rape. She also complained that abortion-rights lawyers and activists had used her as a pawn. So McCorvey spent the last two decades of her life defending the dignity of unborn children and, in the process, herself.

Conservative take: Sports Writing Has Gone All Liberal

Michael Brendan Dougherty at The Week agrees with those who contend that nowadays sports writing is basically a liberal profession, practiced by liberals who enforce an unapologetically liberal code. You can see it, he says, in the way sportswriters police a consensus against the Washington Redskins name, or for on-field political activism. They no longer speak for the common fan they speak at the common fan, or even just at a caricature of a fan that they assembled from the most voluble sports talk radio callers and the obscure Twitter accounts that jeer their work. But this narrowness, he says, puts them in an antagonistic position not just with fans, but with the entire sports culture beyond journalism.

Culture critic: Late-Night TV Is No Longer Funny

Once upon a time, says Rachel DiCarlo Currie at Acculturated, late-night comedians told jokes. Now, apparently, they destroy people. It started with Jon Stewart; the chief destroyers now are Samantha Bee, John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and Trevor Noah. All this destruction, she notes, tends to be highly subjective because if you dont subscribe to the progressive worldview, you probably will not agree that these people effectively destroyed their mostly conservative targets. In fact, its politics, rather than genuine comedy, that drives the laughs: Its a culture that too often confuses snark with wit and sneering with reasoning a culture that values a good takedown more than a good argument.

Compiled by Eric Fettmann

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The liberal takeover of sports writing, how 'Jane Doe' switched sides, and other comments - New York Post

Liberals vote down Conservative anti-racism motion – The Globe and Mail

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The federal Liberals have defeated a Conservative anti-racism motion so they can pass their own version, which condemns Islamophobia.

Conservative MP David Andersons motion to condemn all forms of systemic racism, religious intolerance, and discrimination failed in a vote of 165-126 in the House of Commons, after Liberal MPs, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, voted against it.

The Tories introduced their own anti-racism motion in response to Liberal MP Iqra Khalids M-103, which calls on the government to condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination and to study the issue at the heritage committee and make recommendations. For procedural reasons, the Liberal motion will not be voted on until April.

Heritage Minister Mlanie Joly said Tuesday that hate crimes against Muslims have more than doubled since 2012 and reiterated the governments support for Ms. Khalids motion.

The term Islamophobia is extremely important as it is discrimination against the Muslim community, Ms. Joly told reporters after the vote.

The Conservatives have expressed concerns that Islamophobia is not defined in Ms. Khalids motion and said it could stifle freedom of speech, including criticisms of Islam. They also say its more inclusive to treat all religions equally, despite the fact that the House of Commons already unanimously condemned all forms of Islamophobia in an NDP motion last fall, although it wasnt a recorded vote.

Mr. Andersons motion, which mirrors in large part that of the Liberals, condemns all forms of systemic racism, religious intolerance, and discrimination of Muslims, Jews, Christians, Sikhs, Hindus, and other religious communities, but does not specifically mention Islamophobia.

It also states that Canadian society is not immune to the climate of hate and fear exemplified by the recent and senseless violent acts at a Quebec City mosque, referring to last months deadly attack on a Quebec City mosque that left six men dead.

Liberal MP Frank Baylis, who introduced an e-petition last year on which Ms. Khalids motion is based, said if the Conservative version passed, the Liberal one would be considered moot. Both motions make similar recommendations, including that the heritage committee study the issue and develop a whole-of-government approach to reducing or eliminating discrimination, collect data to contextualize hate-crime reports and report back to the Commons within eight months.

The NDP, Bloc Qubcois and the Green Partys Elizabeth May supported the Conservative motion, although the New Democrats say theyll also support the Liberal one. Of the nine sitting Conservative MPs running for leader, only Michael Chong has said he will support M-103.

Representatives from the Canadian Muslim Forum, a non-profit organization established in 1993 to represent the Muslim community on public policy issues, urged parliamentarians to pass the Liberal version of the motion, calling it very courageous.

We are a community under siege, said Samer Majzoub, the forums president.

He said the Conservatives reaction has, directly or indirectly, created waves of Islamophobia all over the country.

This motion, unfortunately came as trying to delegitimize the M-103, and trying really to degrade this motion, Mr. Majzoub told reporters Tuesday before the vote.

Conservative MP Grard Deltell said he disagrees with the characterization that the Conservative motion would have delegitimized M-103.

But, he said, We respect their liberty of speaking, and we respect also the liberty of religion. This is what our motion was all about. And unfortunately, the Liberals decided to vote against.

On Thursday, the Ontario legislature will vote on Liberal MPP Nathalie Des Rosierss motion, which denounces attacks, threats of violence and hate crimes against Muslims and condemns all forms of Islamophobia.

Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Browns office said he will vote in favour of the motion and has instructed his caucus to do the same.

With a report from Les Perreaux

Follow Laura Stone on Twitter: @l_stone

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Liberals vote down Conservative anti-racism motion - The Globe and Mail

Beto O’Rourke is a Mexico-loving liberal in Texas. Can he really … – Washington Post

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EL PASO Beto ORourke has long believed that the closer you get to the Mexican border, the less you fear it. So on a recent afternoon, the Democratic congressman who may challenge Ted Cruz for his U.S. Senate seat walked into Juarez for lunch.

The mere name of this Mexican city conjures images of bloodthirsty cartels or seedy red-light districts the kind of place, some have argued, against which the United States should seal itself with a big, beautiful wall.

ORourke is strongly opposed to that plan. Among other things, it would make it harder to visit the bar he took his wife to on their first date.

It was a little bit of a test, to see if she was up for an adventure, he said, ducking into the dimly lit interior of the Kentucky Club.

She was. After drinks, he recalled, they bumped into a camera crew that tried to enlist the attractive couple to kiss on camera for a TV commercial but ORourke begged off. Es mi hermana, he told them: Shes my sister. Ten months later, they were married.

ORourke isnt naive about the violence that plagues parts of the city. Still, he maintains that crime is not the only story about the U.S.-Mexico border, nor even the most important one. He sees Juarez as a place where an open mind and a stomach for risk can lead to meaningful connections and long-term partnerships.

The question for the 44-year-old with statewide ambitions is: Can he get the people of Texas to see the same thing?

Inside the bar, where Elizabeth Taylor and Steve McQueen once partied and the margarita was supposedly invented, the congressman grabbed a table lined by photos of matadors and Mexican baseball players. He was greeted by an El Paso friend, Miguel Fernandez, whose telecommunications firm does work on both sides of the border.

Fernandez talked about his fear that President Trump will spark a trade war between the two countries. At least tell me, where are you now on running for Senate? Fernandez asked, taking a sip from his bottle of Sol. More than 50-50?

Im pretty close, ORourke said. I really want to do this.

Democrats might look at ORourke a small-business owner with hipster credentials, a GenXer who speaks fluent Spanish and looks more like a Kennedy than the Kennedys do and see a candidate of thrilling national potential, marred only by where he happens to live. But then again, maybe its where he lives that makes him exciting.

With its growing Hispanic population, Democrats have long believed that Texas would eventually belong to them just not imminently. But the 2016 election has scrambled the way people think about these things.

I wouldnt have said it last year, but I think he has a chance, said Anne Caprara, of the Priorities USA super PAC, who is advising ORourke on his 2018 potential.

Naturally, others see opportunities as well. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a San Antonio Democrat deemed a rising star, is considering the race, too.

You wont have a problem raising money. Cruz will basically fundraise for you, said Castros twin brother, Julin, the former housing and urban development secretary who recently ruled out a 2018 bid for governor of Texas.

The Cruz camp maintains that it isnt worried about either but sees Castro as slightly more of a threat than ORourke. But while the Castros have the fundraising prowess and name recognition, their pragmatism and caution could keep both from seeking higher office so soon.

[Julin Castro is ready for whatever comes next]

In El Paso, regarded by many as more Mexican than Texan, ORourke is far removed from the Democratic megadonors of Houston or Austin, and he has decided not to take PAC money if he runs. Still, he hopes to turn a necessity into a virtue with a Bernie Sanders-style approach excite the grass roots and rake in smaller donations.

ORourke may be suffering from the bug thats going around the one causing mass delusions that the old rules of politics no longer apply. Can a Democrat really win in this deeply red state against Cruz, who will be running one of the best-financed campaigns in the country? And can he do so on a positive message about Mexicans in an era when calling them rapists helped make a man president?

The timing might not be right for ORourke, but that hasnt stopped him in the past.

Growing up in El Paso, Robert Francis ORourke (the childhood nickname that stuck is a diminutive of Roberto) wanted nothing more than to get out of town. The son of the county judge, he formed a punk band, Foss, with the hopes of traveling the world.

In 1994, Foss needed exposure, and someone suggested a local public-access show called Get Real With Bill Lowrey.

There was only one hitch. It was an evangelical broadcast. We told them we were a new gospel band, said ORourke.

[WATCH: Foss on Get Real With Bill Lowrey. ORourke is the guy in orange]

Oh yeah, they kind of pulled a fast one on me, recalled Lowrey, the televangelist host. But we enjoyed it. Mostly I cant believe he grew up to be a functioning member of society.

Foss toured the United States and Canada, but greater success would go to ORourkes drummer, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, who moved on to the cult-favorite bands At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta. ORourke, meanwhile, realized he couldnt be a musician forever.

I wasnt that good at it, he admitted. And his dad was pressuring him to grow up. He wont say it, but the expectation is: We didnt take out loans for you to go to Columbia and then [play] in a punk band your whole life.

With his Ivy League degree, ORourke moved back to El Paso and started a technology company and an online arts and culture magazine. Even in his 20s, ORourke found it easy to assume a leadership position in the community.

He ran for and won his first race for city council at 32, with a focus on downtown development and border issues, seeing the two as inextricably linked. He wrote a book about the drug war and offered legislation calling for an honest, open national debate on ending the prohibition on narcotics.

In 2009 ORourke heard his congressman, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, at a Chamber of Commerce meeting described drug-related violence in Juarez like a stick-em-up movie full of cretins who were better off dead, as it sounded to ORourke. The councilman was troubled by what seemed like a lack of empathy for El Pasos twin city. A fellow council member, Steve Ortega, urged him to challenge Reyes. And so, in 2012, he took on the 16-year House veteran in the Democratic primary.

[Have liberals found their combative new leader in Keith Olbermann?]

Reyes, a former Border Patrol chief, had the support of Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. ORourke had an arrest record: In 1995, he was arrested for breaking and entering, a prank gone awry, he says, when some friends bet each other they could get past a fence surrounding the local college. Then there was the 1998 drunken driving arrest, an incident he says was stupid and regrets.

Reyes used ORourkes mug shot in attack ads and criticized him for supporting marijuana legalization. Few people thought ORourke had a chance. But with the help of an anti-incumbent sentiment and an anti-incumbent super PAC that poured $240,000 into the race he won.

Five years later, ORourke sees another opportunity to sneak himself in.

It cost 25 cents to walk across the Paso Del Norte bridge back into the United States after lunch at the Kentucky Club. A gaggle of shoppers marched in front of the congressman women off to buy shoes, clothes and groceries that are cheaper in El Paso. A few weeks earlier, Border Patrol had allowed separated families to wade into the stagnant, ankle-deep water below and hug where the two countries meet.

On the one hand, its really pitiful that this is what they had to do... just to see each other, said ORourke. In another way, its really amazing that El Paso and Juarez could figure out a way, and under President Trump no less, to at least do this for families.

[As the GOPs anti-Trump, Ben Sasse picked a big fight. What would it mean to win?]

At a time when Democrats and Republicans alike talk about securing the border, ORourke maintains that the border has never been more secure. The number of immigrants living illegally in the United States has not increased in years. With 32 million documented border crossings a year, Mexicans are a crucial driver of the El Paso economy. And El Paso ranks as one of the safest cities in the country.

But while ORourke points to El Pasos good health as proof that a semi-porous border works well for both sides, proponents of tougher border security argue that credit goes to the rigorous Border Patrol presence and extensive fencing between Juarez and El Paso.

Thats part of what ORourke was up against when he ran against Reyes, who once spearheaded an effort called Operation Hold the Line. If he runs for Senate, hell face Cruz, who promised in his 2016 presidential bid to triple border security and build a wall that works a slogan that certainly worked for the man who won that race.

I just wish more people could see what I see, ORourke said.

To do that requires an early start.

That morning, he woke before dawn for a hike in the Franklin Mountains, leaving his wife and three children sleeping in their home that a century ago sat above a secret tunnel to Mexico.

With his old city council pal Ortega, he snaked up the trail under a full moon, passing the spiky silhouettes of cypress trees and clumps of greasewood plants that smell like tar when it rains.They perched on a rocky point near the summit where they peeled oranges and shared a thermos of coffee, looking out at the twin cities glittering in the dark.

It was nearly impossible to tell what was Mexico and what was Texas, and that, of course, was his point.

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Beto O'Rourke is a Mexico-loving liberal in Texas. Can he really ... - Washington Post

BC Liberals make re-election pitch with fifth straight balanced budget – The Globe and Mail

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Premier Christy Clark had hoped to head into this springs election running on a new provincial budget infused with billions from a thriving liquefied natural gas industry. She will have to settle for something far less.

On Tuesday, Ms. Clarks Liberal government tabled its final fiscal plan before this Mays provincial showdown and, as expected, it had a bit of something for everyone: corporate and personal tax and fee cuts, health and educating funding hikes, and a range of other spending increases that allows the government to ingratiate itself to an array of constituents.

Make no mistake: this is a document most provincial governments would still be thrilled on which to campaign. For starters, it marks the fifth consecutive balanced budget the Liberals will have submitted, a stretch of first-rate fiscal stewardship unparalleled in the country. The provinces debt-to-GDP ratio is 16.1 per cent which compares to 40.3 per cent for Ontario and 48 per cent for Quebec. It is the only province in the country with a Triple A credit rating.

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As Finance Minister Mike de Jong noted, this is not just about holding bragging rights. The difference in that credit rating and those debt figures compared to those of a province like Ontario amounts to a savings of about $2-billion a year in interest costs. That is a lot of program spending.

The government deserves plaudits, as well, for continuing to diversify not just its economy but its trade markets, too. For instance, only 53.9 per cent of B.C.s trade is now with the U.S., compared to 86.3 per cent for Alberta and 80.9 per cent for Ontario. Those percentages take on a more ominous hue when you consider the protectionist trade winds currently emanating from south of the border. Meantime, B.C. created the most jobs in Canada last year as well.

All of this is important. The B.C. Liberals are a coalition of conservative and liberal-minded voters. To keep the conservative wing happy, the Clark government has had to demonstrate it knows how to run an economy, or at least, knows how not to ruin one. It has taken some heat along the way for some of the more ruthless spending decisions it has made in the name of balancing budgets. This has been an important aspect of maintaining the support of conservatives in the province. But the Premier knows she needs to appeal to voters beyond that group as well, especially ones in the mushy ideological middle.

She believes this budget does that. Others may not.

In the weeks leading up to it, Ms. Clark hinted that a significant tax cut was coming. It ended up being a somewhat underwhelming reduction to MSP premiums. It doesnt take effect until next January, while the announced small business corporate tax cut occurs immediately which perhaps speaks to the Liberals priorities. The government has significantly boosted spending in the ministries of education and children and family development, but in both cases it was virtually forced into it; in the instance of education by the courts and in child protection by relentless public criticism and damaging reports.

This is not a government that could in any way be described as warm or sensitive.

Of course, this has always been where the Opposition New Democrats have tried to set themselves apart from the Liberals mostly to little avail. But they will try again.

The New Democrats intend on making a $10-a-day daycare strategy a centrepiece of its election platform, something the Liberals have no interest in touching. The Liberals will also face criticism from the Opposition for not raising welfare rates in this budget, maintaining a hardened position on this line item it has held for a decade. The NDP will almost certainly make other choices on the social welfare side of the ledger that the Liberals resisted in this budget.

At the end of the day, however, the Liberals insist that the upcoming election will be fought on the same fundamental voter concerns as the last one: which party is best for creating jobs and growing the economy, and which party can best be trusted to navigate the often tricky and perilous economic times in which we live.

Ms. Clark is betting this budget, and the four that preceded it, make the case that that party is hers.

Follow Gary Mason on Twitter: @garymasonglobe

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BC Liberals make re-election pitch with fifth straight balanced budget - The Globe and Mail

Why is a freedom enshrined in the UN declaration of human rights … – Stabroek News

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Dear Editor,

Article 26 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) asserts that everyone has the right to education. Subsection 3 declares, Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

The public schools offer their brand of education and most parents avail themselves of it. Some parents prefer different kinds of education (that are also approved by the Ministry of Education). They believe strongly enough to pay for their choice. Even though my brothers and I qualified for free places to attend the top public schools of our choice in the then colony, our parents had sufficient religious belief to pay for our education elsewhere. They paid their taxes and exercised their right as citizen parents. They were not taxed by the British Guiana government for their choice. They were not affluent, and we all had to make sacrifices, but we learnt to depend on the God we believed in.

The private school that I attended later became free for candidates like me. In 1976 such schools were fully taken over by the government. The original brand of education offered by that school continued for a while, but over the years the public school brand took over, and the great traditions and examples of earlier eras faded.

After the restoration of democracy in 1992, there arose again the possibility of parents choosing the kind of systematic education they could bestow on their children, and private schools lived again officially, but by no means easily. Now that choice still exists, but it is being made harder by at least 14%. If Guyana is a land of the free, as we sing so often in our National Anthem, why should this freedom to exercise a right enshrined in the UDHR be impeded?

The tax base that pays for public schools and teacher education has already been broadened in other taxes. Parents who pay for private education are already taxed for being able to afford it. If the government is claiming they are not collecting it and that, As of 2016, there were fifty-four private educational institutions registered with the Guyana Revenue Authority, few of whom were tax compliant, including submission of yearly income and corporate tax returns, then they must learn to fix it according to the law and constitution their predecessors imposed on us. Wasnt there a ministry of governance and highly paid advisors appointed to tell them what is obvious to right-thinking citizens?

I should also not have to be the one to tell the Minister of Finance that money is the legally allowed currency of exchange used by the Guyanese society and that therefore any fiscal policy has social effects. It is like trying to say that raising the temperature (tax) in a closed system (society) will not increase the pressure (stress). Every engineer knows there could be a damaging explosion. Perhaps the social scientists can find a better analogy.

Yours faithfully,

Alfred Bhulai

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Why is a freedom enshrined in the UN declaration of human rights ... - Stabroek News

Ohanaeze president worried about maltreatment of pro-Biafran members worries – Guardian

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Biafra agitators

Ohanaeze President, John Nwodo has frowned at what he described as oppression to pro-Biafran supporters.

He said the Federal Government treats supporters of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) with disdain.

Nwodo stated in Port Harcourt yesterday during a tour, that if the MASSOB and IPOB members were treated like the Niger Delta Avengers and the Boko Haram in the North East, the agitations would be tamed.

He said, Our people feel marginalized, they feel ill-treated. In this country the most sensitive position pertains to the national security, but there is already a vote of no confidence that the Ibos cannot be trusted with the security of the nation. No Igbo man heads the Nigerians police, no Igbo man heads the military, no Igbo man heads the Federal Road Safety Corps, no Igbo man head the Department of State Service and others. We are not the Minister of Defense despite the zoning policy of the federal government.

I dont know why the Federal Government does not want to give people fiscal freedom. We are calling for true federalism.

I know of the Niger Delta Avengers who are angry as the MASSOB and IPOB and are destroying oil facilities. I dont know any of them that have been arrested. What has the IPOB done to be treated differently?

The fact that we have not joined them means that they have not received our cheers because we still believe that the FG can still handle the situation. I call on the Federal Government to have a rethink on how they handle the issues of IPOB and MASSOB. If they treat them as they have treated others they will have a rethink.

2 hours ago Nigeria

2 hours ago Nigeria

2 hours ago News

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Ohanaeze president worried about maltreatment of pro-Biafran members worries - Guardian

Floatplane fuselage donated for entrance feature – Campbell River Mirror

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Have fuselage, will travel. Acting Mayor Ron Kerr, Bill Alder of Sealand Aviation and Jonathan Calderwood and Brian Shaw of the Campbellton Neighbourhood Association pose with a fuselage donated by Sealand for a floatplane entrance feature to Campbell River.

image credit: Alistair Taylor/Campbell River Mirror

The project to build a new Campbell River entrance feature took a big step towards reality recently when a key component of the structure was acquired.

Sealand Aviation is donating a complete Beaver floatplane to serve as an entrance feature to the Campbellton entrance to Campbell River. Bill Alder and Nancy Marshall acquired the final component, the fuselage, and are ready to begin assembling it over the next year.

The concept involves placing a complete floatplane on a concrete platform and pylon to hold it up in the air. The feature has been set for a space between the lanes of Highway 19 as it comes down the hill into Campbellton at 14th Avenue.

The project is being done under the auspices of the Campbellton Neighbourhood Association which has been working on improving the historic district and re-asserting its place as the northern entrance into the City of Campbell River. To that end, projects are focused on enhancing the northern gateway with Highway 19A improvements, park establishment and enhancing public access to the Campbell River itself as it passes through Campbellton.

A gathering of city, neighbourhood and Sealand principals got a look at the fuselage on Monday in an effort to encourage business and volunteers to step up and complete the project without using municipal funding.

Alder supports this project because it speaks to Campbell Rivers aviation heritage and future.

Im really pushing aviation in Campbell River, Alder said. Its (the feature) kind of unique, I dont know of any Beavers in Canada sitting on a pylon. I can just visulalize it driving down that hill. Its going to be something.

Alder said that if all the aspects of the project come together in good time, the project could be completed in a year. Besides the fuselage, Sealand Aviation has all the other components of a Beaver floatplane floats, wings, etc.

We have lots and lots of parts kicking around here, Alder said. We have pretty much all the other components.

The fuselage was originally acquired for a customer in Texas but that project fell through.

During the process we built up a bare-bones fuselage for them to take down there to do some structural testing on it, Alder said.

Sealand Aviation, City of Campbell River and Campbellton Neighbourhood Association principals pose with a complete Beaver floatplane, which is how the floatplane that will grace the northern entrance to Campbell River will look at Highway 19 and 14th Avenue. Alistair Taylor/Campbell River Mirror

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Floatplane fuselage donated for entrance feature - Campbell River Mirror

Mardi Gras brings on the fun – Tullahoma News and Guardian

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LIFESTYLES EDITOR

Kali Bradford

The final day of Carnival season, known as Mardi Gras, takes place on Tuesday. Carnival season began on Jan. 6, which is also known as Kings Day (Feast of the Epiphany).

Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday, is the day before Ash Wednesday, which launches the 40 days of the season of Lent in the Christian tradition.

A Colorful History

Mardi Gras dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. The final day of the Carnival season, it is celebrated in many countries around the world mainly those with large Roman Catholic populations on the day before the religious season of Lent begins. Brazil, Venice and New Orleans play host to some of the holidays most famous public festivities, drawing thousands of tourists and revelers every year. -Photo Provided

According to the website, mardigrasneworleans.com, historians believe that the first American Mardi Gras took place on March 3, 1699, when the French explorers Iberville and Bienville landed in what is now Louisiana, just south of the holidays future epicenter, New Orleans.

They held a small celebration and dubbed the spot Point du Mardi Gras. In the decades that followed, New Orleans and other French settlements began marking the holiday with street parties, masked balls and lavish dinners.

When the Spanish took control of New Orleans, however, they abolished these rowdy rituals, and the bans remained in force until Louisiana became a state in 1812.

On Mardi Gras in 1827, a group of students donned colorful costumes and danced through the streets of New Orleans, emulating the revelry theyd observed while visiting Paris.

Ten years later, the first recorded New Orleans Mardi Gras parade took place, a tradition that continues to this day.

In 1857, a secret society of New Orleans businessmen called the Mistick Krewe of Comus organized a torch-lit Mardi Gras procession with marching bands and rolling floats, setting the tone for future public celebrations in the city.

Since then, krewes have remained a fixture of the Carnival scene throughout Louisiana. Other lasting customs include throwing beads and other trinkets, wearing masks, decorating floats and eating King Cake.

Louisiana is the only state in which Mardi Gras is a legal holiday. However, elaborate carnival festivities draw crowds in other parts of the United States during the Mardi Gras season as well, including Alabama and Mississippi. Each region has its own events and traditions.

Senior Center sets Mardi Gras, Black History Month celebration

The Coffee County Senior Citizens Center in Tullahoma will hold a celebration marking both Mardi Gras and Black History month at 6 p.m. on Friday in the activities room at the senior center.

We are celebrating black history and we thought with it being February, we would add a little flare by adding Mardi Gras with it, said center executive director Vickie Fulmer.

We are doing a lot of Mardi Gras-themed foods along with having the talented local band Utopia come and perform for us. We want everyone to know they are welcome to come and join in on the festivities.

Lead singer for Utopia J.T. Northcutt said the group is excited to come and perform for the celebrations.

Tullahoma is home for us and this is a great cause. We are just glad to give back to the community. There would be no us without the community, said Northcutt.

Northcutt also points out what both of the events have in common.

Its important to point out that Mardi Gras and that style of music is not that far removed from R&B, soul, jazz and other forms of the music. Both were influences of each other, he said.

Fulmer added that Fridays event is free to the public.

We want everyone to come and have a great time, she said. This is a family friendly event that all ages can enjoy. Also come out and see what we are doing here at the senior center. Lots of activities for everyone.

The Coffee Country Senior Center is located at 410 N. Collins St. in Tullahoma.

Last Hurrah Recipes

With Ash Wednesday marking the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting before Easter, Mardi Gras is the last hurrah of sorts, with participants indulging in their favorite fatty foods and drinks before giving them up.

Check out the following recipes to celebrate Mardi Gras appropriately.

King Cake

Ingredients

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1/2 cup butter, melted

5 egg yolks

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

2 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon multicolored candy sprinkles

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and white sugar in warm milk. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Stir the egg yolks and melted butter into the milk mixture. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, nutmeg and lemon zest.

Beat the flour mixture into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar. Mix well. In another small bowl, combine the remaining 2 cups confectioners sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix well and set aside.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough out into a 630 inch rectangle. Spread the cream cheese filling across the center of the dough.

Bring the two long edges together and seal completely. Using your hands shape the dough into a long cylinder and place on a greased baking sheet, seam-side down.

Shape the dough into a ring press the baby into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough. Place a well-greased 2 pound metal coffee can the center of the ring to maintain the shape during baking. Cover the ring with a towel and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the coffee can and allow the bread to cool. Drizzle cooled cake with lemon/sugar glaze and decorate with candy sprinkles.

Andouille, Shrimp and Chicken Jambalaya

Ingredients

3 cups chicken broth, divided

1 1/2 cups white rice

1 pound andouille sausage, diced

1 large sweet onion (such as Vidalia(R)), chopped

3 green onions, or to taste, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons Creole seasoning

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon hot sauce

ground black pepper to taste

1 (14.5 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cooked whole chicken breast, shredded

1 cup chicken broth

Directions

Bring 3 cups chicken broth and rice to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.

Heat cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook and stir andouille sausage in hot pot until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon, retaining any drippings in the pot.

Saut sweet onion, green onions, celery, and bell pepper in the sausage drippings until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Season vegetable mixture with Creole seasoning, minced garlic, hot sauce, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute more.

Pour tomato sauce and diced tomatoes over the vegetable mixture; stir and add shrimp, shredded chicken, browned sausage, and 1 cup chicken broth into the tomato mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a simmer until he shrimp are no longer translucent, 10 to 15 minutes.

Scoop rice into bowls and ladle jambalaya over the rice.

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Mardi Gras brings on the fun - Tullahoma News and Guardian

Shange excel at the Oceania Race Walk Championship – Pretoria East Rekord

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In a near repeat of last year it was again Dane Bird-Smith (Australia) and South Africas Lebogang Shange from Tuks HPC who took the top honours at the Oceania Race 20km Race Walk Championship in Adelaide this weekend.

The bronze medallist at last years Olympic Games in Rio, Bird-Smith, won in a time of 1:19:37 with Shange second in 1:21:00 and Quentin Rew (New Zealand) third in 1:21:12.

Another local athlete, Wayne Snyman from Tuks HPC, finished sixth in a time of 1:21:26.

Shange had sort of mixed feelings after the weekends race. In light of the fact that he has been diagnosed with an iron deficiency while he was at a training camp he considers his second place finish as not to bad. He was told by the Australian medical team who treated him not to get his hope up for a good result.

The HPC-athlete said it was a matter of pride that led to him pushing himself deep into the red.

There is no way that I could train in Australia for two months and then come back to South Africa empty handed. The fact that I doubted my own physical abilities led to me starting the race quite conservatively. Once I realized that I am actually feeling quite good I started to up my pace which led to me catching and passing the early race leaders, he said after the race.

His disappointment sprouts from the fact that according to the official qualification standards set by the IAAF he would have qualified for the World Championships in London but according to qualification standards set by Athletics South Africa he has not done so. The South African qualification standard is 1:20:30 while the IAAFs standard is 1:24:00. According to the IAAF qualification standards Snyman has also qualified to represent South Africa in London.

Last year Shange set a new South African record when raced to a time of 1:20:06.

It would have been nice to have had the qualification for the World Championships out of the way so that I can just focus on becoming a stronger and faster as I am driven by a hunger to make South Africans proud every time I race. Instead my coach, Chris Britz, and I will now have to identify another race to try and qualify. To meet the ASA standard is going to be quite a challenge as I would have to walk near SA record pace to do so. In most international races a time of 1:20:30 will be good enough for a podium finish, Shange concluded.

Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email toeditorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

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Shange excel at the Oceania Race Walk Championship - Pretoria East Rekord

Seychelles Tourism Minister works for daily flights with Mauritius – eTurboNews

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During a courtesy call of the Mauritian Minister for Ocean Economy Marine Resources Fisheries and Shipping, Remdut Koonjoo, on Minister Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Minister Loustau-Lalanne said air connectivity between Seychelles and Mauritius is vital, and there is a need to increase the flights between the two destinations.

Minister Loustau-Lalanne, has made a proposal for Mauritius to look at the possibility of having daily flights between the two islands. He added that if needed, a code-share agreement between their national airline, Air Seychelles, and Air Mauritius could also be signed.

The two ministers spoke on the latest developments relating to the sectors under their ministries. Mr. Koonjoo briefed Minister Loustau-Lalanne on the new developments in the Mauritian ports, adding that the aim is to double the capacity, as ports are vital in the development of the marine and blue economy sectors.

Minister Loustau-Lalanne said tourism is very important for their region and outlined the importance of the Vanilla Islands Organization and the need to keep working together to promote tourism within this group of islands.

The two ministers also talked about cruise tourism sector. Also present during the meeting held at Minister Loustau-Lalannes office in the Espace building were the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Michael Benstrong.

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Seychelles Tourism Minister works for daily flights with Mauritius - eTurboNews

Widely Adored Swimming Pigs Found Dead in the Bahamas – Travel+Leisure

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Swimming with pigs in Exuma has been a bucket list item for many travelers heading to the Bahamas for years. But on Sunday, a number of the widely adored, doggy-paddling pigs were found dead on the beach of Big Major Cay.

Investigators are still working to figure out exactly what happened.

According to Tribune 242, the number of pigs that died is still undetermined.

I understand there are seven or eight pigs still alive. Its still unclear on the number of animals that are dead, Bahamas Humane Society President Kim Aranha told Tribune 242. Id say its more than seven but certainly not the 15 as initially reported on social media. The veterinarians are bringing the samples back but I cant say how long it will take to get the results.

One theory is that the pigs accidentally ingested something poisonous, given the sudden death of multiple pigs.

It could be malicious but I dont really see why someone would go out of their way to hurt those lovely animals, Aranha said.

For now, you can still visit the remaining pigs at Big Major Cay.

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Widely Adored Swimming Pigs Found Dead in the Bahamas - Travel+Leisure

Bahamas Tops Guyana 4-1 At Concacaf Beach Soccer – Bahamas Tribune

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Schedule

YESTERDAY

Canada 6

Barbados 4

United States 8

US Virgin Islands 1

Mexico 9

Guadeloupe 2

Trinidad and Tobago 8

Antigua and Barbuda 1

Jamaica 5

Belize 5

(Belize win 2-0

on penalties)

Bahamas 4

Guyana 1

TODAY

1:45pm Guadeloupev Barbados

3pm - Costa Rica v Panama

4:15pm - El Salvador v Turks & Caicos Islands

5:30pm - Canada v Mexico

6:45pm - Guyana v Jamaica

8pm -Belize v Bahamas

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

1:45pm - US Virgin Islands v Trinidad & Tobago

3pm - Antigua & Barbuda v United States

4:15pm - Panama v El Salvador

5:30pm - Belize v Guyana

6:45pm - Turks & Caicos Islands v Costa Rica

8pm - Bahamas v Jamaica

Thursday, February 23, 2017

1:45pm - Canada v Guadeloupe

3pm - Antigua & Barbuda v US Virgin Islands

4:15pm - Mexico v Barbados

5:30pm - El Salvador v Costa Rica

6:45pm - Panama v Turks & Caicos Islands

8pm - United States v Trinidad & Tobago

Friday, February 24

Sunday, February 26

Quaterfinals, Semi-finals and Finals

Games start at 11:15am

Teams TBD

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas mens national team gave the home crowd of eager spectators the opener they were hoping for and set the tone for the remainder of Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Beach Soccer Championship.

Lesly St Fleur recorded a hat trick and Kyle Williams answered Guyanas only goal of the game as the Bahamas earned a 4-1 win over Guyana in the day one finale last night at the national beach soccer facility.

St Fleur, who scored two of his goals in the first period, said the team was inspired by the home crowd but is mindful that a good showing at CONCACAF is key for the ultimate goal of performing well at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2017.

We played well but there are always improvements in getting ready for the World Cup. Coming out and putting on a good performance in game one was key for us. We have to come back out and play the same type of game we played to keep this going, he said. Im the teams leading scorer, theres a lot of pressure on me but Im ready for that. As a team leader you have to go out there, play with heart and lead with example.

In the first period, The Bahamas Gary Joseph drew an interference call when he attempted an overhead kick for the sides first real scoring opportunity, but Guyanas Ethan Sparman was able to come up with the save.

The Bahamas was the aggressor early on with three shots on goal within the first three minutes of play.

St. Fleur would score the first goal a bicycle kick that found the back of the net at the7:39mark in the first third. He would score on another penalty kick about a minute later at the 6:37 mark to take a quick 2-0 lead. St. Fleur nearly pulled off the entire hat trick in the first third, but was just saved by Sparman.

Nursing a 2-0 advantage, the Bahamas controlled the pace of the game, and escaped several near scoring opportunities from Guyana Jashuan Moores strike just missed left, Jamal Haynes free kick ricocheted off the crossbar, and Bahamas goalkeeper Ivan Rolle kept the opponents scoreless with an incredible save on the another free kick from Deshawn Joseph.

Rolle, the youngest player on the team at 20-years-old,delivered an impressive performance protecting the goal.

I think the jitterbugs are out for me. It was my first tournament, but after this game now Im ready to move forward and continue playing my role in helping this team win, he said, We want to show the world that we deserve to be in the World Cup, not just have the easy path so it is major for us to gain everyones confidence moving forward. It was a great turnout, thanks to everyone at home for making this atmosphere possible.

In the third period, Rolle delivered a perfect throw in to St. Fleur, who was unpressuredand made another bicycle kick for a 3-0 lead with10:08left to play. Guyana scored on a great individual breakaway effort from Joseph. But the Bahamas would expand on the 3-1 lead and put the game away when St.Fleur delivered a cross and Williams finished with a header at the 4:41 mark.

The Bahamas will face Belize - who beat Jamaica on penalties after finishing level at 5-5 - tonight at 8pm as Group Stage play continues.

Other scores from day one included: Canada def. Barbados (6-4), USA def. the US Virgin Islands (8-1), Mexico def. Guadeloupe (9-2) and Trinidad and Tobago def. Antigua and Barbuda (8-1)

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Bahamas Tops Guyana 4-1 At Concacaf Beach Soccer - Bahamas Tribune

US grid can handle more offshore wind power, cutting pollution and power costs – Science Daily

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Injecting large amounts of offshore wind power into the U.S. electrical grid is manageable, will cut electricity costs, and will reduce pollution compared to current fossil fuel sources, according to researchers from the University of Delaware and Princeton University who have completed a first-of-its-kind simulation with the electric power industry.

The researchers consulted with PJM Interconnection -- a grid operator supplying electricity to more than 60 million people in 14 states -- to develop a computer model that simulates how the electric grid would respond to injections of wind power from offshore wind farms along the East Coast at five build-out levels, between 7 and 70 gigawatts of installed capacity. The two-part study is published in the journal Renewable Energy.

One hurdle grid operators face is how to integrate increasing amounts of naturally fluctuating offshore wind into a network that has to deliver reliable power to customers, 24-7. The UD and Princeton team showed conservatively that, with some upgrades to transmission lines but without any need for added storage, the PJM grid can handle over 35 gigawatts of offshore wind -- that's 35 billion watts -- enough to power an estimated 10 million homes. They also found that the PJM grid could in the future handle twice that amount, up to 70 gigawatts, as wind forecasting improves, allowing the power operator to better predict and harness more wind.

"Our goal was to replicate this very human-made energy system under all kinds of scenarios," said Cristina Archer, associate professor of physical ocean science and engineering at the University of Delaware. "What would you do as a grid operator if you thought it was going to be windy today and it isn't, or if the wind storm arrives earlier than expected? We simulated the entire PJM grid, with each power plant and each wind farm in it, old and new, every five minutes. As far as we know, this is the first model that does this."

From her office in UD's Harker Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory, Archer led the team's efforts to generate realistic offshore wind forecasts based on real wind farm data from land-based systems, which colleagues at Princeton then incorporated into their model of the PJM electric power system. The team used stochastic modeling, running hundreds of forecasts with various tweaks in conditions, to realistically represent the fluctuating and sometimes unpredictable behavior of wind.

The model of PJM, called Smart-ISO, created at Princeton, is designed to handle both the variability and uncertainty of growing inputs of offshore wind energy, simulating what happens over an extensive power grid with more than 60,000 miles of transmission lines.

"The uncertainty of wind will require that we develop strategies to minimize the need for spinning reserve," said Warren Powell, professor and lead researcher at Princeton in charge of the SMART-ISO model, referring to electric generators that need to keep "spinning" and be ready for any electricity shortage. "Although we found that reserves were needed -- 21 percent of the 70 gigawatt wind capacity -- there are a number of strategies that could be investigated to better handle the variability as wind grows in the future."

The first U.S. offshore wind farm, consisting of five wind turbines at Block Island, Rhode Island, with a generating capacity of 30 megawatts, had not been built yet when the researchers began their study five years ago. The 70 gigawatts offshore modeled in this study would be almost equal to the total U.S. wind power capacity installed on land through the end of 2016.

Archer says that adding more offshore wind farms would lower consumers' electricity costs and reduce pollution by replacing coal and natural gas power plants.

"We saw up to a 50 percent reduction in carbon and sulfur dioxide and up to a 40 percent reduction in nitrogen oxides emissions at the highest build-out level, a 70-gigawatt set of wind farms. Plus, the costs of electricity would go down every month except in July when air conditioning is at a peak," Archer said. "Wind power is a very good idea -- for people's health and their wallets."

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Delaware. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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US grid can handle more offshore wind power, cutting pollution and power costs - Science Daily

Hornbeck Offshore Services: Too Many Problems Will Drag The Stock Further Down – Seeking Alpha

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Hornbeck Offshore (NYSE:HOS) shares tanked following the company's recent quarterly report. The numbers themselves were not surprising given the horrible market environment - the company reported a net loss of $0.53 per share on revenues of $41.9 million.

To get a quick picture of how bad things are, revenues declined by 52.8% since the fourth quarter of 2015 and by 19.3% since the third quarter of 2016. As a result of poor market conditions, the company had to stack 25 more vessels.

As I stated above, the results themselves are not a surprise at all. Perhaps, seeing actual numbers was a pain for Hornbeck Offshore investors, and this partially caused the post-earnings sell-off.

Also, the stock was elevated after the post-OPEC deal rally, although the deal changed nothing yet for the offshore drilling industry as was highlighted many times during this earnings season (read here, here and here).

However, the most important factor for any company is the outlook, and the outlook presented by Hornbeck Offshore management was just horrific.

Here's what Hornbeck Offshore had to say:

"We project that even with the current depressed operating levels, cash generated from operations, together with cash on hand, should be sufficient to fund our operations and commitments at least through to our current guidance period ending December 31, 2018.

However, absent improved market conditions, we do not currently expect to have sufficient liquidity to repay our three tranches of funded unsecured debt outstanding that mature in fiscal years 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively, as they come due, unless such debt is refinanced or restructured.

Refinancing in the current climate may not be achievable on terms that are in line with our historic cost of debt capital. We are fully aware of the challenges of current market conditions are presenting to all offshore oil and gas industry and continue to actively review our capital structure and assess our strategic options, as we consider plans to ensure the long-term viability of Hornbeck Offshore".

In the previous report, the company warned investors that it was going to assess strategic options, but the language was softer. Now Hornbeck Offshore presented the big picture to investors - the company will have no money to pay debt in 2019 and will have to restructure its debt.

I would like to highlight that it does not even matter for Hornbeck Offshore if the industry rebounds by 2019 or not. The rationale for this statement is that Hornbeck Offshore management believes that it will be necessary to address the capital structure long before 2019. As always, concessions from lenders mean big concessions from shareholders.

Judging by Hornbeck Offshore comments, the company will try to push maturities as far as possible as it does not see any recovery coming soon:

"Earlier in this cycle, the industry mantra was lower for longer. The message we have recently been hearing from our customers, almost uniformly, is that they now see oil prices as lower forever. They no longer view this as a U-shape recovery, but an L-shaped recovery, or so we're told []

Our customers are telling us, they're not going to FID or sanction projects in deepwater. I mean, this is what they're telling us, $40 a barrel. They're going to have to justify $40 a barrel, not $50, but $40".

Here's what we see from this and what the market has so far failed to appreciate in both OSV and OSD stocks.

No matter what the current oil price is, the breakeven bar for projects is set low because oil producers don't want to be trapped in capital-intensive endeavors if oil goes below $50.

Once again, I remind that it does not matter now if they are right or wrong in their evaluation, because they will act upon their views and this means little demand for OSD and OSV industries.

The year 2017 is going to be bad for the industry and for Hornbeck Offshore. The company will likely see its revolving credit line go from $200 million to $75 million as it plans to elect interest coverage holiday at some point during this year.

There is no cash crunch as the company had $217 million at the end of 2016, but this number will trend down as the year progresses.

The deal with creditors won't be easy to reach as highlighted by the problems of Hornbeck Offshore's peer, Tidewater (NYSE:TDW).

Tidewater's shareholders are already on the verge of a wipeout. The situation for Hornbeck Offshore shareholders is better, as the company did not ran into any covenant and does not depend on lenders' good will.

Anyway, proactive attempts to deal with debt mean nothing good for shareholders unless the company can suddenly gain access to capital markets.

At the end of 2016 - beginning of 2017, a group of offshore drillers, namely Transocean (NYSE:RIG), Rowan (NYSE:RDC), Noble Corp. (NYSE:NE), Ensco (NYSE:ESV) and Atwood Oceanics (NYSE:ATW) were able to raise money through debt and equity.

The window of opportunity was opened by the OPEC/non-OPEC deal, but I believe that it has already shut down as no tangible evidence of any improvements on the offshore drilling front materialized after the deal.

Also, players with financial problems like Seadrill (NYSE:SDRL) or Ocean Rig (NASDAQ:ORIG) were not able to raise money during this fortunate period. Yes, Seadrill is in restructuring negotiations right now, but even its founder is not willing to inject money via equity. So, for weaker industry players like Hornbeck Offshore or Tidewater the market was never really opened.

All in all, Hornbeck Offshore still has time to review its strategic options and I expect that the company will not hurry.

Any negotiations with creditors will take long as evidenced by Tidewater and Seadrill restructuring negotiations. Given the uncertainty, the stock will be highly volatile and present trading opportunities on both long and short sides.

However, the general direction will be to the downside as the OSV industry is the last one in the supply chain to benefit from rising oil prices, and current oil prices are not sufficient enough to bail out the OSD industry, the client of the OSV industry.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, but may initiate a short position in HOS over the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Editor's Note: This article covers one or more stocks trading at less than $1 per share and/or with less than a $100 million market cap. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.

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Hornbeck Offshore Services: Too Many Problems Will Drag The Stock Further Down - Seeking Alpha

Offshore drilling opponents re-gear for new round of battles | News … – Charleston Post Courier

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A little more than a month after seismic blast testing for oil and natural gas was stopped offshore of South Carolina, exploration companies are gearing up for a new try.

Conservation groups are gearing up to fight again. This time, the battle will focus on jobs and the economy, they say.

A dozen anti-drilling advocates met Tuesday in Charleston to discuss expanding the opposition. They may look inland for more support in the vein of the massive coastal protest that in 2016 helped derail plans for testing and drilling.

Frank Knapp, founder of the anti-drilling Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast, said he has heard the exploration industry is planning to approach the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management about reversing a testing permit denial adopted during the last days of the Obama administration.

Asked about that, the pro-drilling exploration National Ocean Industries Association president Randall Luthi said, "Industry continues to have interest in updating grossly outdated offshore resource estimates so that future decisions are based on sound science rather than political hyperbole."

In seismic testing, powerfully loud air guns are fired underwater every 16 seconds to read echoes from the bottom geology. Conservationists oppose them because of the potential to disorient and injure marine animals. Business groups have joined the conservationists out of concern for the industry's impact on multi-million dollar coastal tourism revenue.

Luthi and other industry representatives say advances in drilling technology have made the operations safer, and that seismic surveys have taken place for a half-century with no direct evidence it harms sea animals, commercial fishing or tourism. They tout the economic benefit and potential job creation of the work.

Drill or don't drill cuts to the heart of coastal life, where interests are divided between exploring for potential economic benefit or restricting exploration to protect marine life and a billion-dollar tourism economy. Residents widely oppose both testing and drilling as a quality-of-life issue.

The conservation groups that met Tuesday came from Florida to New Jersey, and included local groups such as Stop Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic. They reflected an opposition that grew to include thousands of residents and nine of every 10 coastal municipalities in those states 23 in South Carolina alone.

Knapp's group represents more than 35,000 businesses and 500,000 commercial fishing families from Maine to Florida.

Former Gov. Nikki Haley was part of a coalition of governors who worked largely behind the scenes with industry lobbyists to urge federal officials to open the Southeast coast to oil and gas exploration. Gov. Henry McMaster has said he opposes it. State governors are given a say in BOEM decision-making.

The battle could be the first of any number the conservation groups expect as administration and congressional efforts are made to rescind laws and restrictions set by the Obama administration battles they expect will come down to legal challenges.

The groups "are more fired up than they were a year ago," said Samantha Siegel of Oceana.

"I think the business voice becomes even more important" in the current political environment in Washington, D.C., said Knapp, who did not take part in the Tuesday meeting but said the effort is valuable. "This is not something that you can say, 'We'll fight them next time.' There will be no 'next time.' "

Reach Bo Petersen Reporter at Facebook, @bopete on Twitter or 1-843-937-5744.

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Offshore drilling opponents re-gear for new round of battles | News ... - Charleston Post Courier

Iberdrola Completes Installation Of First Turbine At 350 Megawatt … – CleanTechnica

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Published on February 21st, 2017 | by Joshua S Hill

February 21st, 2017 by Joshua S Hill

Spanish electric utility Iberdrola announced it has completed the installation of the first of 70 5-megawatt wind turbines at the 350 megawatt (MW) Wikinger offshore wind farm off the coast of Germany.

Iberdrola announced on Monday the completed installation of the first wind turbine, the first of 70 5-MW Adwen wind turbines known as WK16. The turbines are being installed by Fred OlsensBrave Tern, one of two self-elevating, self-propelled jack-up vessels dedicated to installing offshore wind turbines.

Upon completion, the Wikinger offshore wind farm will have benefited from investments totaling around 1.4 billion, and is expected to generate enough clean electricity to power more than 350,000 households.

We are delighted to reach yet another key stage of Wikingers construction programme which is testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire project team, said Jrgen Blume, Head of Iberdrola in Germany. Our Wikinger project is progressing well, and we are on target with our plans for full export at the site later this year.

While this is something of a small project, in the grander scheme of things, the involvement of theBrave Tern was enough to capture my interest. TheBrave Tern is one of two vessels (along with theBold Tern) that are able to elevate themselves off the surface of the water, stabilizing themselves off massive jacks from the ocean floor. The vessels are able to work in water depths ranging from 5.5 meters to more than 60 meters, and are able to manage a typical payload of up to 7,600 tonnes.

Buy a cool T-shirt or mug in the CleanTechnica store! Keep up to date with all the hottest cleantech news by subscribing to our (free) cleantech daily newsletter or weekly newsletter, or keep an eye on sector-specific news by getting our (also free) solar energy newsletter, electric vehicle newsletter, or wind energy newsletter.

Tags: Brave Tern, Fred Olsen, Iberdrola, Wikinger, Wikinger offshore wind farm

Joshua S Hill I'm a Christian, a nerd, a geek, and I believe that we're pretty quickly directing planet-Earth into hell in a handbasket! I also write for Fantasy Book Review (.co.uk), and can be found writing articles for a variety of other sites. Check me out at about.me for more.

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Iberdrola Completes Installation Of First Turbine At 350 Megawatt ... - CleanTechnica

Ocean Prediction Center-Coastal, Offshore and High Seas …

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NOAA>NWS>NCEP>OPC>Marine>Product Guides>Multi-national Text Products

Table of Contents

Atlantic High Seas East Coast Canada East Coast Offshore East Coast Coastal Gulf Coast Coastal Gulf Coast Offshore Pacific High Seas West Coast Canada West Coast Offshore Coastal & Offshore for Hawaii, Guam West Coast US Coastal Coastal & Offshore for Alaska

NOTE: The terms Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and Zulu (Z) are equivalent. Maps of coastal & offshore waters courtesy of NWS headquarters.

Atlantic High Seas

[MAP of High Seas area | Alternate MAP of High Seas]

East Coast Offshore

East Coast Coastal

East Coast Canada

Gulf Coast Offshore

National Hurricane Center

Note: Caribbean Sea offshore forecast

Gulf Coast Coastal

Pacific High Seas

[MAP of High Seas area| Alternate MAP of High Seas]

West Coast Offshore

West Coast US Coastal

West Coast Canada

Alaska Coastal & Offshore

Hawaii & Guam Coastal and Offshore

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Ocean Prediction Center-Coastal, Offshore and High Seas ...

Escape to the high seas at the National Aviary – NEXTpittsburgh

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All photos courtesy the National Aviary.

Every winter weekend should involve mingling with exotic parrots, right?

This Friday, parrot and pirate fans alike can set sail on the high seasminus the motion sickness and high price tagwithout ever leaving land.The 21+ set is invited to explore the North Side bird loversdestination duringan after-hours avian adventure dubbed the High Seas Escape.

Start planning your vibrantly hued parrot costume or rowdy pirate duds now, and get ready to shake your tail feather on the dance floor.

Attendees will enjoy exclusive access to the Aviarys Tropical Forest, Grasslands, Wetlands and Penguin Point exhibits, and will see Buccaneer Bird Shows andFliteZone theater presentations.

The nights MVPs will be the exotic parrots, including the Hyacinth Macaw, Yellow-naped Amazon and Military Macaw. Attendees can even watch talented parrots paint.

Get up close and personal with a diverse population of bird species as you feed nectar to colorful lorikeets, assemble fruit skewers for our hungry feathered friends, and admire the remarkable Malayan Flying Foxes.

Have your very own caricature created by artist Tami Haslett, get inked with a bird-themed temporary tattoo, and watch dazzling fencing demonstrations led by the Corsair Fencing Club.

Bird watchers can also hit the dance floor with DJ Scottro, embark on treasure hunts through the tropical exhibits, and snap selfies with Jack Sparrow from Lifes A Beach entertainment.

While roaming the grounds, party-goers will also encounterpopular birds such as flamingos, herons, African Penguins, and Rhinoceros Hornbills.

Caribbean cocktails and gourmet grub will be for sale for in the Atrias galley.

All proceeds from the event will support the National Aviarys education, avian medicine and conservation programs.

Lookingfor more events?Check outour11Pittsburgh events not to miss inFebruary,Top 10 family events in Pittsburgh this Februaryand our17cant-miss Pittsburgh concerts in 2017feature stories.

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St. Louis Park cohousing community welcomes home all ages – Minneapolis Star Tribune

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The scene might resemble an extended familys Thanksgiving dinner roaring fire in the hearth, soft music, delicious food smells, people of several generations eating and talking except that the main dishes on the buffet table are baked salmon and a colorful salad, and most of the people are not related to one another.

Its an ordinary Thursday at the Monterey Cohousing Community in St. Louis Park, one of two nights a week that the communitys residents gather for dinner.

Cohousing communities such as Monterey, sometimes called intentional communities, are groups of people who occupy a single housing development. Residents typically have their own fully equipped apartments or condominiums but gather in common indoor and outdoor areas for meals, meetings, shared projects or ordinary conversation.

People who want time alone can find privacy in their own units. Those who want company can usually find it often spontaneously. Residents work together to maintain the building and grounds, take turns cooking meals and perform other needed tasks.

The everyday functioning of this place brings people together, said Monika Stumpf.

At 76, Stumpf is Montereys oldest resident. She became involved in its founding in 1991 for very simple reasons, she said. Having grown up in a multigenerational household, she missed casual interaction with others.

I didnt like living in apartments, or even when I lived in a house where I didnt know the neighbors and the neighbors didnt necessarily want to be involved or even say hello, she said. That drove me crazy.

Joelyn Malone, 66, a Monterey resident for 21 years, had a similar experience, having grown up on a Nebraska farm among aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. When I moved to the city, I was so lonely, she said.

Minnesotans notorious social reserve made things worse. Everybody was still best friends with the people they went to first grade with.

There are hundreds of cohousing communities around the country (and many more around the world). A few, like Monterey, date back to the 1980s and 90s, but most have popped up since 2000. Minnesota has only two so far (the other a small community in Rushford). At least a couple of others are in the works, with groups formed to make plans and search for sites.

Monterey is relatively small as cohousing communities go, with 29 people in 15 households, including younger and older adults and a handful of children. The development includes a brick mansion built in 1924 that houses common areas and some individual homes, and a cluster of newer condominiums next door.

Joey Baity and Heather Garrett-Baity are among several residents in their mid-30s. They moved in about a year ago with their now-6-year-old daughter, Keightyn. They didnt set out to find cohousing they needed a place to live, and came across Monterey but they felt at home right away. On the day they moved in, residents rushed to welcome them, help carry boxes or offer gifts of food.

We love it; its great, Garrett-Baity said. We want to stay and die here.

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St. Louis Park cohousing community welcomes home all ages - Minneapolis Star Tribune