Monthly Archives: March 2017

Mysterious wave of death strikes the Bahamas’ famous swimming pigs – Washington Post

Posted: March 4, 2017 at 1:37 am

A mysterious wave of deaths recently struckBig Major Cay, theuninhabited Bahamas islandfamous for its tourist-friendly swimming pigs.

Up tohalf of the pig colony died and the bodies were tossed into the sea, according to reports from over the weekend. Early investigationscould not identify an explicit cause of death.

Wayde Nixon, a Bahamas man who brought the pigs to the island decades ago, suggestedthat tourists killed the animals with a lethal diet. Withunrestricted access to the pigs, visitors had been seen giving the animals junk food as well as booze.

We had the government vet in there [and] examined them all thoroughly, Nixon told the Nassau Guardian.Seven or eight pigs died, he said, leaving about 15 alive. The ones that survived appeared to be healthy.

Kim Aranha, president of the Bahamas Humane Society, indicated to the Nassau-based newspaper Tribune 242 that there were fewer pigs remaining on the island than initially reported.

I understand there are seven or eight pigs still alive, Aranha said, though she said this was about equal to the number of deaths.Veterinarians collected samples of the dead pigs,but it was unclear how long a laboratory analysis would take.

Its really a mystery as to what killed these beautiful animals. I believe most of the carcasses were in the ocean, Aranha told the Tribune. It could just be a horrible accident where they ate something poisonous. It could be malicious but I dont really see why someone would go out of their way to hurt those lovely animals.

She added that there were silly sailors who were known to try to get the pigs drunk. But tour operators out of Nassau treated the animals with respect, she said.

Part of the Exuma island chain, Big Major Cay, also known as Pig Beach, isin theCaribbean Sea to the southeast of Nassau. Until the deaths, the cay had been billed as a sort of porcine paradise. The pigs dog-paddled through the crystal sea, drank from the islandsspring of fresh water and got fat on a steady supply of food brought by tourists, who visited the island by the boatload.

But selfie-happy tourists were not the only indignitiesthat the four-legged residents survived in recent years. The pig colony endured an invasion of bikini-clad reality show contestants during an episode of The Bachelor. The pigs had a brief cameoin the 2013music video for Timber, the Pitbull dance-pop number featuring Ke$ha. Fueled by celebrity visits, a featureon NBCsToday show and a beach made for Instagram, the pigs popularity expanded.

So, too, did their origin stories. Ancient mariners had left the pigs behind on the island, some said. The cache of would-be pork was forgotten, then rediscovered. Or perhaps the beasts were the only living remainder of a crashed pirate ship.That foreigners had accidentally released pigs into the Bahamian wilds was not an alien narrative. Feral boarson the Great Inagua Island, to the south of Pig Beach, were descendants of pigs housed ina mid-1700sFrench garrison.

The truth, according to the Today show, was that the swimming pigs were the result of a more recent fable. When fears about thecataclysmic Y2Kmillennium bugreached a fever pitch in the late 1990s,two farmers, fearing that food supplies would crash along with computers,bought the pigs and raised them on the island.

After the pigs were discovered dead over the weekend, Nixon, oneof the two farmers, lamented that the Pig Beach phenomenon had spiraled out of control.

Right now its blowing out of proportion with people, anybody bringing food there, anybody doing whatthey [want to] do, he toldthe Nassau Guardian.We have people coming there giving the pigs beer, rum, riding on top of them, all kind of stuff.

The Bahamas government hasnow barred tourists from feeding the pigs. Nixon sought support from the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism to restrict visitors from getting too close to the pigs. Establishing a safe viewing distance would still allow tourists to photograph the famous swimming pigs, he said, while protecting theanimals that remain.

US Agents Raid Caterpillar Over Offshore Tax Practices – New York Times

Posted: at 1:36 am

New York Times

US Agents Raid Caterpillar Over Offshore Tax Practices
New York Times
Federal agents raided three Caterpillar buildings near its Illinois headquarters on Thursday, company and law enforcement officials said, in an escalation of an inquiry into the heavy equipment manufacturer's offshore tax practices. Caterpillar has ...
Caterpillar Offshore Tax Practices Illegal, FBI Raids Chicago, Illinois HeadquartersiMotorTimes.com

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KPMG offshore tax dodge: Trudeau vows to do ‘better job’ with tax avoiders – CBC.ca

Posted: at 1:36 am

Reacting to a CBC/Radio-Canada investigation into offshore tax dodges, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed to do a "better job of getting tax avoiders and tax frauders."

The fifth estate, in a joint investigation with Radio-Canada's Enqute, revealed the names of several wealthy Canadians who appear to be linked to shell companies set up by KPMG in the tiny tax haven of the Isle of Man.

Canadians who bought into the tax scheme declared they were "gifting" their money to an offshore jurisdiction. The money would be invested and any returns would be "gifted" back. Because these returns were so-called gifts, it would all be tax-free.

KPMG has consistently insisted that this "Offshore Company Structure," as they called it, complied with Canadian laws

Documents obtained by the fifth estate and Enqute show 21 "high net worth" Canadian families signed up for the massive tax dodge from 1999 until 2012 when it was first detected by CRA auditors.

During an event in Vancouver on Friday, Trudeau was asked if he would reopen a parliamentary finance committee's inquiry into the KPMG scheme "inlight of these new allegations."

The prime minister avoided referencing KPMG directly, saying "it is absolutely unacceptable that there be people not paying their fair share of taxes."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, shown in Vancouver on Friday, says his government has put $440 million into the Canada Revenue Agency to 'to ensure we are doing a better job of going out and getting tax avoiders and tax frauders.' (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)

Trudeau said his government has put $440 million into the Canada Revenue Agency to "to ensure we are doing a better job of going out and getting tax avoiders and tax frauders."

"That's something we're going to continue to do," he said. "We know that there is always more work to do, but it's something we continue to take very, very seriously.

"We know Canadians want to make sure that people are paying their fair share of taxes."

Meanwhile, the NDP is calling for an investigation to uncover the full extent of the KPMG affair.

"The Liberal government must conduct a thorough investigation into this scheme and commit to ending these secret, penalty-free amnesty deals for tax evaders," said Pierre-Luc Dusseault, the party's revenue and finance critic.

The KPMG tax dodge first stirred controversy last spring when CBC revealed that the CRA offered a secret sweetheart deal in effect, an amnesty to the accounting firm's clients who had been caught using the scheme.

The offer granted KPMG clients "no penalties" provided they paid back taxes and modest interest.

But Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier insisted Friday that legal proceedings have not been abandoned against any clients who used the KPMG scheme, which the CRA has described as a "sham."

"I insist there was no amnesty and there will not be an amnesty," she said.

Offshore tax loophole to be closed – Otago Daily Times

Posted: at 1:36 am

The New Zealand Government is moving to close loopholes preventing large multinationals from claiming tax breaks which costs the country about $300million a year.

At the International Fiscal Association Conference in Queenstown yesterday, Revenue Minister Judith Collins announced the release of three base erosion and profit-sharing (BEPS) consultation documents, aimed at strengthening New Zealands rules for taxing large offshore companies with a presence in New Zealand.

BEPS is a tax avoidance strategy used by multinationals, where profits are shifted from jurisdictions with high taxes, for example the United States, to jurisdictions which had low taxes, or so-called tax havens.

Mrs Collins told the Otago Daily Times yesterday the new measures were about fairness.

"One of the things that happens is that if youre an offshore company with an office in New Zealand ... they load on to the New Zealand company a lot of the cost of head office or ... they charge the New Zealand office for things, like very high interest rates," she said.

"They put a lot on the business in New Zealand.

"Profits they make in New Zealand are significantly reduced for tax purposes [and] profit is shifted offshore.

"Certainly, an amount of manipulation is allowed [but] were closing that loophole. Its just about fairness.Salary earners dont get a chance to do that, so why should anyone else?"

Included in the proposals was a new anti-avoidance rule to apply to large multinationals which structured to avoid having a permanent taxable, presence in New Zealand.

A large multinational is considered a company with a global turnover of more than 750million ($NZ1.21billion).

There were also plans to update existing transfer pricing legislation to align with OECDs new guidelines and Australias rules, as well as several administrative measures aimed at helping Inland Revenue (IRD) assess and collect the right amount of tax.

Those measures would generally only apply to large multinationals which refused to co-operate with the IRD and would make it possible for IRD to assess the companies based on the information the department has at the time.

That would also require tax to be paid earlier in the disputes process and allow IRD to collect relevant information held offshore.

"The proposed measures will also contain remedies for Inland Revenue where the non-resident does not co-operate, such as increased penalties and a power to allocate income to New Zealand in the absence of information to the contrary," Mrs Collins said.

"If the IRD does its job properly, we have money for hospitals ... schools ... the things people expect [the] Government to provide."

New Zealand was not trying to be a world leader with the "quite strong, but measured" proposals.

"Were a very open economy, we rely on exports to survive, we need foreign capital as well.

"We need to not send out a message [that] we dont want multinationals.

"Were happy to have you as long as you pay your fair share of New Zealand-earned tax.

"Just because were nice, friendly little Kiwis, were not stupid."

She expected legislation to be shored up and coming to parliament by mid-year once it became law it would be much more difficult for multinationals to find loopholes.

"Whatever measures we put in place there will be some very clever people in the world who will be hell-bent to get around this."

tracey.roxburgh@odt.co.nz

Three consultation papers proposing new measures to strengthen New Zealands rules for taxing large multinationals were released yesterday.

They contain proposals for:

Tackling concerns about multinationals booking profits from their New Zealand sales offshore, even though their sales are driven by New Zealand staff.

Preventing multinationals using interest payments to shift profits offshore.

Implementing New Zealands entrance into an international convention for aligning our double tax agreements with OECD recommendations.

Submissions on the implementing the international convention are open until April 7, and submissions on the other two documents are open until April 18. Ministers will consider final proposals later this year.

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Repsol receives consent for exploration drilling offshore Norway – WorldOil (subscription)

Posted: at 1:36 am

3/3/2017

STAVANGER, Norway -- Repsol Norge AS is the operator for production license 705 in the Norwegian Sea.

The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) has given Repsol consent to drill exploration well 6705/7-1 in a prospect named Stordal.

The well's geographical coordinates will be:

67 15' 05.14" N 05 10' 29.12" E

The drilling site is in the deep-water section of the Norwegian Sea, around 395 km west of Bod. Water depth at the site is 1,410 m.

Drilling is scheduled to start in early March and to last 33 days, or 48 days if a discovery is made.

The well is to be drilled by Transocean Spitsbergen, which is a semisubmersible drilling facility of the Aker H-6e type, owned and operated by Transocean Offshore Ltd. It was built at the Aker Stord yard in 2009, is registered in the Marshall Islands and classified by DNV GL. Transocean Spitsbergen received a new Acknowledgement of Compliance from the PSA in November 2012 following a change of ownership.

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Repsol receives consent for exploration drilling offshore Norway - WorldOil (subscription)

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Helicopter Lessor Waypoint Sees Offshore Sector Bouncing Back – Aviation International News

Posted: at 1:36 am

Helicopter Lessor Waypoint Sees Offshore Sector Bouncing Back
Aviation International News
Rotorcraft leasing group Waypoint sees improved demand from the offshore oil-and-gas-support sector, which has been a weak point in the helicopter market for the past three or four years. According to Waypoint CEO Ed Washecka, business confidence in ...

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Industry 4.0 on the High Seas – MarineLink

Posted: at 1:36 am

Werner von Siemens (SIEMENS.NS) mission to lay 50,000 nautical miles of transatlantic cables might not have been destined to fail but at least one business rival tried to make sure that it would. It wasnt enough to merely execute a risky project that had never been done before. The crew aboard the Faraday, the ship that Siemens and his brothers commissioned, also had to move faster than saboteurs who planted false reports in the press and even broke cables. And it was in this pressure-filled environment that Siemens turned to another recent invention of his to enable his crew to work around the clock: a electrical generator, placed on the deck, to light up the night skies.

This spirit of deploying new technology and innovation on the high seas is just as relevant 143 years later even if the challenges are much different, which thousands of leaders from the maritime industry, including naval architects, shipbuilders and owner/operators talked about recently at the International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans. Today the marine industry is working towards solutions for propulsion, environmental regulations, safety standards, and global trade by embracing the technological advancements currently reshaping the industrial world: what we call Industry 4.0.

And it had zero emissions. Batteries are charged on each side of the fjord with electricity, provide from a mix of the countrys renewable resources such as hydro and wind power.

Another Industry 4.0 development is using one common platform to collect and consolidate operational ship data from different system suppliers and in common data formats in order to supply applications via a simple and standardized interface. The applications can help optimize ship operation and performance. For example, software is used to transmit vast amounts of ship or event fleet operational data, back to an onshore control center for analysis and optimization. Monitoring systems at sea allows for quick response to issues, thus increasing reliability and uptime, while reducing costs. We also see Industry 4.0 influences in the port of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, location of the Discovery Channels popular reality television series, Deadliest Catch. The recently commissioned Blue North commercial fishing vessel is now operating out of Dutch Harbor and is now one of the worlds most highly automated ships, able to catch, process and package fresh cod on-board in a Industry 4.0-like factory on the seas.

Finally, product lifecycle software (PLM) is being used to design the most highly complex ships. Performance and build-time is sped through the collaboration of designers, engineers, production specialists, partners and suppliers, so shipyards can optimize performance. While on the seas, operators are using advanced software to integrate all operational equipment through seamless and controlled data acquisition.

The Author

David Grucza is Director, Siemens Drilling & Marine, U.S.

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Industry 4.0 on the High Seas - MarineLink

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Survival on the high seas (From The Northern Echo) – The Northern Echo (registration)

Posted: at 1:36 am

Recreating one of the greatest survival feats in naval history the Mutiny on the Bounty is no easy ask, so could Channel 4s modern-day crew pull it off? Gemma Dunn finds out more

If truth be told, the modern-day man is often considered a mere shadow of his esteemed ancestors. There's no denying many of today's chaps - accepting of the 'metrosexual tag' or not - are more likely to be caught crafting a meticulous appearance, than pledging blood, sweat and tears on a life-or-death voyage. His band of merry men are a group of friends in a swanky bar; his compass reading skills peak at Google Maps.

But excluding the likes of survivalists Bear Grylls and Ray Mears, would our contemporary menfolk - if presented with the opportunity - jump at the chance to achieve the same extraordinary feats as their hardened predecessors? It turns out, yes, they would - or at least in the case of Channel 4's new series, Mutiny.

Trialling the age-old nautical saying, 'When ships were made of wood, men were made of steel', the fact-based series follows a group of nine 21st-century contemporaries who attempt to relive one of the greatest survival feats in naval history. But how did they fare pitted against a fleet of 18th-century seaman?

The tale begins 230 years ago, when British navy ship HMS Bounty was sailing from Tahiti to the West Indies. During its 17-month voyage, a poisonous rift meant Captain William Bligh and his loyal crewmen were cast adrift in the Pacific Ocean and left for dead.

In a remarkable act of seamanship, Bligh - forced into a tiny open boat and left to die - led his crew to safety across 4,000 miles of ocean from Tonga to Timor. It would go down in history as the Mutiny on the Bounty.

To replicate the same gruelling journey for the Channel 4 show, nine men would follow the same route on a replica 23ft open wooden boat, with similar equipment, the same food and water rations and the same basic clothing that Bligh's men had.

They'll also use the 225-year-old diary kept by Bligh during the voyage as a survival handbook, to help them uncover the secrets of the seas in such unpredictable, often brutal, environments.

SAS veteran-turned-TV star Ant Middleton leads the expedition, assuming the role of Captain Bligh. It's a role he refers to as "psychologically and leadership-wise, the hardest task I've done. In my military career, everyone had been through that process," explains the 36-year-old, who made his name as the lead instructor of Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins.

"Everyone knew how to behave, the discipline was there, the structure was there," he elaborates. "This was a team of strangers that came together having gone through no process, so for me it was probably my toughest leadership task I've had to date, because I had to tailor to each and every one of their needs."

The rest of the eclectic crew, aged from 23-43, is made up of builder/handyman Ben Gotsell; sailor/adventurer Chris Jacks; professional sailor Conrad Humphreys; skipper Freddy Benjafield; doctor Luke Kane; brand ambassador Rishi Ravalia, and embedded cameramen Dan Etheridge and Sam Brown.

Staying true to form, Mutiny's producers cast a crew that would mirror that of Bligh's - with Gotsell recruited as ship carpenter and odd-jobs man, and Kane taking on the role of surgeon. Any expertise was put to good use.

"The worst bit was when everyone's skin basically disintegrated," recalls Kane, who is in his final year of GP training. "The cold, wet period was quite long, and essentially our skin's outer layer broke down, which let all these bugs come in. Everyone was riddled with ulcers and boils. It was really difficult to manage it, because the only way to deal with it was to dry off and we just couldn't do it. Sam's hands were the worst, he didn't have fingerprints for ages."

Indeed, cameraman Brown recalls: "There was a very 21st-century moment when I came off the boat; my iPhone didn't recognise me because I had no fingerprints. Like most of my jobs, I probably went into it a bit complacent. Somebody told me it was dry season, so I thought, 'Get a nice tan, nice cruise'. It was grim."

While health and safety protocols had to be put in place, Middleton was adamant the group would be self-sufficient, and that a call for the 'safety boat' would be for absolute final resorts only. "I said from the beginning, 'I won't be involved in anything that's not as authentic'. I didn't want it to be a Big Brother boat, these guys knew that if they called that safety boat in, then they're off. It's as black and white as that," he states.

As for conflict, there's no denying there was bickering on board - but any disputes were quickly put to bed. "It's bigger than any individual, this trip. The magnitude, the size of it and the seriousness of it, we had to stick together as a team.

"Back in the day, they say 'when ships were made of wood, men were made of steel', but trust me, to this day, men are still made of steel and I wanted to get that message across," Middleton adds. "That was my primary thought process, to let the modern-day man know we've still got it."

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Campbell River Sea Cadet off to England to hit the high seas – Campbell River Mirror

Posted: at 1:36 am

RCSCC Admiral DeWolf PO2 Emily Castro will deploy on the tall ship Royalist off the coast of England next month.

image credit: Contributed

A Campbell River cadet is hitting the high seas in a tall ship next month.

Petty Officer 2 (PO2) Emily Castro, a member of 54 Royal Canadian Sea Corps (RCSCC) Admiral DeWolf located in Campbell River, has been selected to participate in a tall ship training deployment on board TS (Training Ship) Royalist in the United Kingdom (UK). PO2 Castro is one of 12 Sea Cadets from Canada who will train with 12 Sea Cadets from the U.K.

From April 24 to May 14, six female and six male Royal Canadian Sea Cadets will sail aboard TS Royalist, which is a square rig brig owned and operated by the Marine Society and Sea Cadets (MSSC) of the United Kingdom.

TS Royalist deployment takes place aboard a square-rigged sailing ship 32 meters in length. The ship is under the command of a qualified captain, with a permanent crew who instruct, year round, the embarked cadets on a weekly basis. The ship will sail off the south coast (English Channel) of the United Kingdom for a period of 12 days. During this deployment, cadets are involved in every part of ship board operations (helm, lookout, husbandry, cookery, seamanship, safety, etc.) and sailing evolutions (hoisting, lowering, furling and unfurling sails, on deck and aloft in the rigging, etc.) in a 24/7 watch system. Cadets will also be climbing masts using harness type safety gear. Accommodation and messing is basic and based on an open mess deck plan where Cadets sleep in individual racks with sleeping bags and have extremely limited storage space.

Selection for these deployments are a great honour, says 54 RCSCC Commanding Officer Lt(N) Dan Richard. Only top rated cadets from across Canada have been chosen, and it means extra work as there will be time away from school. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The Royal Canadian Sea Cadet program is a youth program for Canadians aged 12 to 18. Jointly sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the Navy League of Canada, the aims of the program are:

To develop in youth the attributes of good citizenship and leadership; to promote physical fitness,and to stimulate interest in the sea element of the Canadian Forces and civilian maritime affairs.

The national Sea Cadet Training Program provides a wide range of course instruction and supporting activities to meet the interests of cadets.

New recruits begin their training with Drill and General Cadet Knowledge, giving them an introduction to the origin and development of the cadet movement; an understanding of the military/cadet rank structure; and an appreciation for the wear and care of the uniform. Cadets then move on to subjects such as Citizenship, Physical Fitness, Sensible Living, Drill, Seamanship, Maritime Identification, Marksmanship and Range/Shooting.

All cadets are required to participate in community service activities, fundraising, field exercises, sports, and citizenship activities throughout the year.

In addition to mandatory training activities, cadets are encouraged to participate in optional programs of interest to them. These can include:

Cadets also have the opportunity to experience both powered and sail boat familiarization training. Annually there are two weekends of Sail Training at the North Island Nautical Site located in Comox.

Sailing is considered part of the mandatory training program and the cadet must attend at least one sailing session per year to complete his/her training level. Dates are scheduled during the spring and fall of each training year to accommodate this requirement.

Although we are training Cadets, fun has to be part of the program, says Lt(N) Richard, if we arent having a good time doing this, why are we here?

And we are always open to young people who want to join and take part in a dynamic program. We meet on Thursday nights from 6:30 through to 9:15 p.m. at the Navy League Hall located at 911-13th Avenue in Campbell River.

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Transportation/Traveling While Living Off Grid – Mother Earth News

Posted: at 1:34 am

Since my father was told to walk the Trail of Tears our family has traveled 14,000 recorded miles through 24 states by foot and by horse. This journey started when my dad wanted to understand being American Indian (or Native American as said today) and talking with my great grandfather who said pointing out his door in Cherokee North Carolina; Walk the Trail of Tears and than you will know somewhat it is like to be Indian.

Leaving with myself (9 months old in a kids carrier backpack), my mom, and our horse Prince Hussein a retired Thoroughbred race horse packed with our minimal goods we started the walk which took 14 months helped and inspired by the good will of the people. Whenever we needed food or anything dad would offer to do a work exchange and since he was multi skilled laborer there was always work to be had. This trip started a 20 year odyssey of travel by horse. Over the years we acquired 3 more kids, more horses, and a couple of wagons. Our first upgrade was a loaner of a couple of mules and a wagon which we used for about a year. Than we got a 2 wheeled buggy (our chariot) that was pulled by Prince, which had Amish wooden wheels with a metal band around them and we made a cover using bent willow branches and canvas. We used that for quite a few years until we got our Cadillac wagon. This is a 4 rubber tired wagon which is made using the straight rear axles from a Cadillac. Such a smooth ride though we did get the occasional flat. We pulled the old two wheeled buggy behind with our supplies in it. Going by horse has its disadvantages (averaging 5 miles an hour or under 30 miles a day although our record is 76 miles on a cold upper state NY winter day when Prince just wanted to run all day), and advantages (no cost grass powered).

Sung to the clippy clopping of the cadence of the horses hooves;

The bull was looking through the fence,

He says; I seem to have lost my sense of sight,

I think I see a wagon, coming down along the road,

Sure looks like they have an easy load.

Ol Prince is clippy clopping

And ol Smokey just aint stopping

And we thank you Lord for an easy load

Popcorn popcorn road, Popcorn popcorn road, I like the popcorn road

Zoom zoom road, Zoom zoom road, who likes the Zoom zoom road?

I have heard many people say and lately have read many memes that have some version of: It is not the destination, It is the trip.

This is definitely how we went. Although we mostly went back to Alabama, or Tennessee, or once to Israel in the winter to rest up and not travel in the cold weather, we also did travel through Connecticut and New York in the winter. One Christmas we camped out on the green in New Haven Connecticut and we created a real life nativity scene next to the normal one. That was fun as I had lots of kids to play with.

I remember once on my birthday in January we were snowed in somewhere in our buggy and I was crying; this my birthday and I have stuck in this little 5 foot square with nothing to do all day. Somehow in the midst of the windy snowstorm someone saw our tiny 5 foot square buggy with our horse hunkered down nearby and knocked on the canvas. I dont know if it was when dad went out to check on and feed Prince or not, I just remember being invited to a strangers house for what turned into my birthday party. Up to that day I had not liked carrot cake but when they provided me a carrot cake with candles my joy overwhelmed my dislike and I like carrot cake to this day some 30 years later. Reflecting on this miracle, I am truly amazed by the kindness of strangers.

We usually didnt have a problem finding a place to camp, whether is was just the side of the road or in a church lot. When we wanted to rest up or stay in an area for longer than a few days we carried with us the Directory of Intentional Communities and Alternative Schools. These people always seemed up to doing work exchange for us to stay for a week while we looked for more permanent work.

When we hunkered down for the winter in Tennessee we had a truck for hauling wood but mostly for hire. We would haul, transport, drive to work in it and go to town once a month to buy food and do laundry. I got my first full-time job baby sitting or being basically a servant to an eldery man and used the truck to get to work. My first real part-time job ( I was making minimum wage of 3.25) helping Bob, a great handicapped man, with his house and raised bed garden. Since that was only 3 miles away I rode my bicycle there.

In Tennessee we were near a bicycle factory that made low quality department store bicycles and since many people in the area worked at the factory there were tons of these bicycles around. I got highly skilled at repairing them, using only the tools I had, which were a screw driver and an adjustable wrench, as they were such low quality they constantly had to be repaired. Years later, this skill came in handy when I become a manager of the Bike Surgeon bicycle shop where I was the Bike Doctor ( I make house calls) and later when I started my first full time business Alternative Transportation and Energy. Who knew that the hassle of constantly repairing low-quality bicycles would lead there? Now living in a smaller University town I find it easier and faster to get somewhere on a bicycle especially if you have to find parking. In the winter when I ride or walk to gym I always find it funny to see my neighbors who drove to the gym.

We and our society are very car dependent. I got my first car, a 64 Plymouth Valiant, when I was 14, which I loved to drive around our farm and I fixed up to sell. Growing up in rural Tennessee I was driving tractor, raking hay when I was 8. The hard thing is to try to break free from our dependence on the car to try to realize it is just a tool, not a lifestyle or whatever is marketed to us. I love my Subaru and at least once every 3 months (used to be every month) I love going on a high speed jaunt. I do tend to not use my car in town but rather walk or bicycle which is why I bought a small 300 square foot house downtown. I bought a house in town when I found myself driving to town 2 or 3 times a day almost every day for work or meetings. How can I be Living Off Grid, Really?!?! with solar for my electricity but be fuel dependent and waste all that time ( 2 or 3 hours a day) driving?

I am trying to reset my mind that the car is to be used only for travel outside of town or for on a rare occasion hauling a bunch of bulk goods. This is how I grew up but after 10 years of becoming addicted to the car it is difficult to break the addiction. My dream is to live somewhere with a lifestyle that doesnt need the cost and hassle of a car! The challenge, joy and speed of riding a bicycle around town is becoming as addicting.

I look forward everyday to the interactions I have on my Living Off Grid, Really!?!? Facebook page and hope you will join the discussion there.

Stay energized, Aur

Aur Beck has lived completely off-grid for over 35 years. He has traveled with his family through 24 states and 14,000 recorded miles by horse-drawn wagon. Aur is a presenter at The Climate Reality Project, a fellow addict at Oil Addicts Anonymous International and a talk show co-host at WDBX Community Radio for Southern Illinois 91.1 FM. Find him on the Living Off Grid, Really!?!?Facebook page, and read all of Aur's MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.

I put together this kids ditty was I was super young and remember it for some reason;

Popcorn popcorn road, Popcorn popcorn road, I like the popcorn road

Zoom zoom road, Zoom zoom road, who likes the Zoom zoom road?

I have heard many people say and lately have read many memes that have some version of: It is not the destination, It is the trip.

This is definitely how we went. Although we mostly went back to Alabama, or Tennessee, or once to Israel in the winter to rest up and not travel in the cold weather we also did travel through Connecticut and New York in the winter. One Christmas we camped out on the green in New Haven Connecticut and we created a real life nativity scene next to the normal one. That was fun as I had lots of kids to play with.

I remember once on my birthday in January we were snowed in somewhere in our buggy and I was crying; this my birthday and I have stuck in this little 5 foot square with nothing to do all day. Somehow in the midst of the windy snowstorm someone saw our tiny 5 foot square buggy with our horse hunkered down nearby and knocked on the canvas. I dont know if it was when dad went out to check on and feed Prince or not, I just remember being invited to strangers house for what turned into my birthday party. Up to that day I had not liked carrot cake but when they provided me a carrot cake With candles my joy overwhelmed my dislike and I like carrot cake to this day some 30 years later. Reflecting on this miracle years later I am truly amazed by the kindness of strangers.

We usually didnt have a problem finding a place to camp whether is was just the side of the road or in a church lot. When we wanted to rest up or stay in an area for longer than a few days we carried with us the Directory of Intentional Communities and Alternative Schools. These people always seemed up to doing work exchange for us to stay for a week while we looked for more permanent work.

When we hunkered down for the winter in Tennessee we had a truck for hauling wood but mostly for hire. We would haul, transport, drive to work in it and go to town once a month to buy food and do laundry. I got my first full time job baby sitting or being basically a servant to an eldery man and used the truck to get to work. My first real part time job ( I was making minimum wage of 3.25) helping Bob, a great handicapped man, with his house and raised bed garden. Since that was only 3 miles away I rode my bicycle there.

In Tennessee we were near a bicycle factory that made low quality department store bicycles and since many people in the area worked at the factory there were tons of these bicycles around. I got highly skilled at repairing them, using only the tools I had which were a screw driver and an adjustable wrench, as they were such low quality they constantly had to be repaired. Years later this skill came in handy when I become a manager of the Bike Surgeon bicycle shop where I was the Bike Doctor ( I make house calls) and later when I started my first full time business Alternative Transportation and Energy. Who knew that the hassle of constantly repairing junk low quality bicycles would lead there? Now living in a smaller University town I find it easier and faster to get somewhere on a bicycle especially if you have to find parking. In the winter when I ride or walk to gym I always find it funny to see my neighbors who drove to the gym.

We and our society are very car dependent. I got my first car, a 64 Plymouth Valiant, when I was 14 which I loved to drive around our farm and I fixed up to sell. Growing up in rural Tennessee I was driving tractor raking hay when I was 8. The hard thing is to try to break free from our dependence on the car to try to realize it is just a tool not a lifestyle or whatever is marketed to us. I love my Subaru and at least once every 3 months (used to be every month) I love going on a high speed jaunt. I do tend to not use my car in town but rather walk or bicycle which is why I bought a small 300 square foot house downtown. I bought a house in town when I found myself driving to town 2 or 3 times a day almost every day for work or meetings. How can I be Living Off Grid, Really?!?! with solar for my electricity but be fuel dependent and waste all that time ( 2 or 3 hours a day) driving?

I look forward everyday to the interactions I have on my Living Off Grid, Really!?!? Facebook page and hope you will join the discussion there.

Stay energized, Aur

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Transportation/Traveling While Living Off Grid - Mother Earth News

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Monthly Archives: March 2017

Mysterious wave of death strikes the Bahamas’ famous swimming pigs – Washington Post

US Agents Raid Caterpillar Over Offshore Tax Practices – New York Times

KPMG offshore tax dodge: Trudeau vows to do ‘better job’ with tax avoiders – CBC.ca

Offshore tax loophole to be closed – Otago Daily Times

Repsol receives consent for exploration drilling offshore Norway – WorldOil (subscription)

Helicopter Lessor Waypoint Sees Offshore Sector Bouncing Back – Aviation International News

Industry 4.0 on the High Seas – MarineLink

Survival on the high seas (From The Northern Echo) – The Northern Echo (registration)

Campbell River Sea Cadet off to England to hit the high seas – Campbell River Mirror

Transportation/Traveling While Living Off Grid – Mother Earth News

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