Monthly Archives: June 2017

If it weren’t for ‘Blossom’, we may not have Serena Ryder – CBC.ca

Posted: June 17, 2017 at 2:28 pm

Way back when, long before the huge hitStompa, in a small town near Peterborough, Ont., a pre-teen Serena Ryder saw her future reveal itself in the opening scene of the 1988 filmBeaches.

"What's the girl's name from 'Blossom'?" Ryder asked meas she remembered Mayim Bialik playing a youngCC Bloom (BetteMidler's character)in the movie.

The singer-songwriter startedimitating Bialik's over-the-top character, turning her mouth to the side, flaring her jazz hands and shimmying like a showgirl.

"She's this 9-year-oldgirl, smoking a cigarette behind the bleachers and singing and I was like 'Oh, I wanna do that!'"Ryder said, laughingat herself.

But dressed all in black, with hersoon-to-be signature fedora (which was more Six than Blossom), Ryder says she neverfelt like she reallyfit in growingupinMillbrook,Ont. Shehad a sense of there being something for her beyond the sleepy town of 8,000 people.

Serena Ryder performs songs from her album Utopia in Studio q. (Cathy Irving )

"I always felt that I stood out like a sore thumb," said Ryder, now Toronto-based and a Juno award-winning musician.

"I always felt like 'Oh, there's something and I don't know what it is, but I know that there's something out there for me to be doing.' And I always loved music from the beginning ... always so passionate about it."

Contrary to the pop-country music that everyone in the townwas into in the 1990s, Ryder loved soul andR&Bsingers:Mariah, Whitney, Linda Ronstadt and TLC.

Ryder's new album Utopiashowcases a teeny-tiny bit of those influences: be it in the melody and cadence of tracks like Firewater or in the soulful runs that peek through on the first single Got your Number a high energy track that she wrote jamming at the drum kit in her living room.

At the time of the impromptu session with the drum kit, Ryder didn't even know she was writing a new album.

After the excitement of touring the platinum Harmony,she says she needed to take time for herself. She moved to a beach in California for a year-and-a-half.

She had no plan other than getting back to writing music for music's sake.

"For me it was writing from a place of loving creating again," she said. "Loving experimenting, loving the art of writing, doing it because I just felt like it, which was so awesome."

Almost 100 songs later, Ryder realized that there was a narrative that linked her new songs together, and she had more than enough material for a full-length album.

The first song she wrote during that period, Saying Hello,reflects the story of someone who needs to reconnect with herself from time to time. Other songs deal withthe rollercoaster of life:love, lonelinessand loss.

Cover art for Serena Ryder's new album, Utopia. (Facebook)

The music on Utopiawas also inspired by Ryder's reality of being a person dealing with mental health challenges.

"I was writing about my journey, years of going up and down with my different moods," she said. "In the past I've been diagnosed as having really severe clinical depression and even with having bi-polar disorder."

Not knowing much about her family roots, Ryder says, might have contributed to her psychological difficulties.

During our conversation, she talked about her mother, Barbara Ryder, having Ojibwafamily but not knowing her biological parents. SerenaRyder doesn't know much abouther biological father at all.

"My biological father was from Trinidad, but I never met him, didn't know where he was from," she said.

"So it was always like 'Where am I from? Where's my history, where's my family?' And so I felt like that might haveperpetuated the imbalance as well."

Although the creation of Utopia was spontaneous, Ryder did go to several different sources for inspiration. She drew fromher personal stories, but also stories from First Nation communities.

The Cherokee parable of the Two Wolves inspired Ryder while writing songs for her new album. (Album art)

Her friend and fellow Canadian songwriterSimon Wilcoxtold her of the Cherokee legend of the Two Wolves, which holds that within us all there is a battle between good and evil, represented by two wolves;the one we feed is the wolf thatwill prevail.

"But I was like: 'What would happen if you satiated both wolves, and they're not fighting with each other anymore," she said.

"So that's the grey area. And that's my utopia: finding that balance, finding that grey area"

SerenaRyder will perform at Metropolis July 8th as part of Montreal's Jazz Festival. Nantali'sinterview withRyderwill be broadcast on the July 8th edition of Our Montreal.

Continue reading here:

If it weren't for 'Blossom', we may not have Serena Ryder - CBC.ca

Posted in New Utopia | Comments Off

Mark Hayward’s City Matters: Vietnamese community finds comfort in Manchester temple – The Union Leader

Posted: at 2:28 pm

Former Buddhist monk Lan Huynh concludes a recent worship ceremony with the sounding of a bell, forged in Vietnam. The bell notes the locations of the temple Manchester, New Hampshire.(MARK HAYWARD/UNION LEADER)

IMAGINE THAT FIERCE, religion-hating communists take over the Vatican.

They plunder, purge and create their utopia, but after about 25 years, they loosen up. (After all, the internal energy of any revolution has the half-life of a Russian winter.)

Eventually, the Red Vatican offers to send priests to Catholic parishes around the world.

What would a priest-less church do?

Thats the predicament of Phuoc Dien, the 25-year-old Vietnamese Buddhist temple squirreled away in the Hollow neighborhood of Manchester. Vietnam which went entirely communist in 1975 with the fall of Saigon initially repressed religion.

But about five years ago, the Vietnamese government offered to replace Phuoc Diens monk, said Dung Hale, the president of the temple.

No thanks, said the temple. They could be spies, said Hale, 72, who has lived in Manchester for 18 years.

Now they (the communist government) say they cant destroy religion, so they use religion to make people like them, said Hale, who spent 10 years in a communist prison camp.

So the temple turned to Lanh Huynh, also 72, who also spent 10 years in a prison camp. Now a retired carpet installer, Huynh was a Buddhist monk in the former South Vietnam. When the communists took over, they forced him to marry, ending his career as a monk, he said.

He holds services in a converted factory. The worship space includes plush rugs comfortable to shoe-less feet, bright reds and yellows, and statues of multi-armed figurines and other deities. A massive bell cast in Vietnam with the words Manchester, New Hampshire, evident among Asian symbols calls people to prayer.

The temples Cedar Street parking lot features a statue of the quintessential Buddha happy, fat and seated. A bowl of oranges and apples is at his feet, as well as a few sticks of burning incense. On the Auburn Street side, a patio features Quan Tse Am, a Buddha with a female figurine who is under a canopy and surrounded by palms, incense, fruit and benches where people gather to converse.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that about 916 Manchester residents are Vietnamese, a little less than 1 percent of the city population. Hale estimates that about half are Buddhists and the other half Catholic.

They gather at times for community events, such as 6 p.m. tonight at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, when a fundraiser will be held to raise money for Vietnamese war veterans who remain in Vietnam.

The temple also serves as a gathering place for the Vietnamese community. Older people said it reminds them of their home country. Middle-aged Vietnamese put their children in the language classes, hoping they do not lose all connections to their heritage.

The classes include three American-born adults.

I think Im in third grade. They tell me that once you learn the alphabet its a simple language, said Kevin Georgantas, 41. The owner of a Goffstown automobile sales and service company, Georgantas is learning Vietnamese to prepare for the arrival of his fiancee.

He sits next to his future cousin, a 5-year-old Vietnamese boy.

Georgantas said he was drawn into the Vietnamese culture when he picked up his mother from a Vietnamese-run nail salon. The manicurists peppered her with questions: Is her son single? Would he like to meet an Asian woman?

He has visited Vietnam twice and is awaiting a visa for his 25-year-old wife. The Vietnamese approach family the way his parents did, he said.

The traditional roles that my parents and grandparents had that seemed to be lost to the millennials, are very strong, he said, in the Vietnamese culture.

Mark Haywards City Matters appears Saturdays in the New Hampshire Union Leader and UnionLeader.com. He can be reached at mhayward@unionleader.com.

Here is the original post:

Mark Hayward's City Matters: Vietnamese community finds comfort in Manchester temple - The Union Leader

Posted in New Utopia | Comments Off

Air Seychelles expands codeshare network to Beijing – Aviation Tribune

Posted: at 2:27 pm

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, has expanded its codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways to offer travelers easy one-stop connections to the Chinese capital of Beijing.

The new codeshare deal will see Air Seychelles place its HM code on Etihad Airways daily service between Abu Dhabi and Beijing, a city of more than 21 million people and the home of six Unesco World Heritage Sites including the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.

The codeshare route is the island carriers fourth codeshare connection with Etihad Airways in East Asia after Hong Kong, Seoul in South Korea, and Tokyo and Nagoya in Japan.

Air travelers will have one-stop access between Beijing and Seychelles via Abu Dhabi, which is linked to the tropical island group through double-daily flights with Air Seychelles and Etihad Airways.

Roy Kinnear, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, said:

Our new codeshare route with Etihad Airways provides guests with convenient travel options to Beijing and reinforces the strong political and economic relations between Seychelles and China.

Nearly 6,000 travelers from China have visited our shores this year, and we are working hand-in-hand with our tourism partners to grow this number further.

For instance, this codeshare will support the Seychelles Tourism Boards recent roadshow in China by providing travel agents with new booking options to Seychelles.

GET MORE STUFF LIKE THIS IN YOUR INBOX

Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox

we respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously

Read the original post:

Air Seychelles expands codeshare network to Beijing - Aviation Tribune

Posted in Seychelles | Comments Off

Tropical trouble? Storms could spin up in Atlantic, Caribbean – USA TODAY

Posted: at 2:26 pm

Two separate tropical systems are developing in the Atlantic and the Caribbean.(Photo: National Hurricane Center)

Two separate systems one in the western Caribbean, the other in the central tropical Atlantic could develop into tropical storms within the next few days, the National Hurricane Center said.

The center said there's a 60% chance the Caribbean system will become a tropical storm within the next five days, and a 50% chance of developmentfor the Atlantic one.

The first storm, a slowly budding tropical system now in the western Caribbean Sea, will slowly drift across the Yucatan Peninsula into the Gulf of Mexico over the next few days, AccuWeather said. As it passes over the Yucatan, torrential rainfall and mudslides are possible in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala.

After emerging into the Gulf, the storm could potentially move toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. The storm is not forecast to become a hurricane, which occurs whenwinds reach 74 mph.

NOAA predicts active Atlantic hurricane season with 5 to 9 hurricanes

Meet the hurricane hunters, whose harrowing flights are all in a day's work

The tropical system in the central Atlantic is forecastto drift toward the islands of Dominica, Barbados, Martinique, St. Luciaand Grenada late this weekend.

On average, there's one named storm in June in the Atlantic, Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico every other year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationsaid.

"Its not so uncommon to get a named storm in the Atlantic during June,"Weather Underground said, noting Colin and Danielle developed during the month in 2016 and werethe earliest C and D storms on record.

"But its remarkable to have two potential tropical cyclones at the same time during mid-June," the websiteadded.

The next names on the list of tropical storms in the Atlantic basin for 2017 are Bret and Cindy, after Arlene formed in April.

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2twhNSB

See the article here:

Tropical trouble? Storms could spin up in Atlantic, Caribbean - USA TODAY

Posted in Caribbean | Comments Off

Caribbean jockey in the big shows has hearts racing – The Philadelphia Tribune

Posted: at 2:26 pm

Caribbean people do you miss horse racing back home, the excitement, the clippity clop of those running feet? There was Santa Rosa Park in Trinidad & Tobago, St. Georges in Grenada, Garrison Savannah in Barbados and Caymanas Park in Jamaica.

Back in the day, it was like a ritual every Saturday afternoon when radio announcers gave the play by play of the races. This was often music to the ears of horse racing fans, especially when their horse prevailed.

Many people may recall a reggae group called the Pioneers, which paid homage to a favorite horse called Long Shot who died at a race. The very catchy lyrics reminisced about the loss of Long Shot and the impact on die-hard fans. Since a long shot means taking a chance but not likely to win, this song became very popular in Jamaica during the late 1960s when a lot of people would either go to the races or listen on the radio.

Song lyrics: What a weepin and wailin dung a Caymanas Park, Long Shot kick the bucket Get up! get up! in the first race and them pull up the pace Long Shot kick the bucket.

Many horse racing fans may be familiar with one of todays young up-and-coming famous jockeys from the Caribbean, Rajiv Maragh, who is an Indo-Jamaican (family originally from India). He is the son of a jockey who rode in Jamaica and relocated to Florida. So quite naturally, he followed in his fathers footsteps and with the proper training became a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.

It did my heart proud when I watched this son of the Caribbean ride at the Kentucky Derby 2017. How did he get there? How does a jockey get to the Kentucky Derby?

In the same way, our track-and-field athletes spend a lot of time preparing to compete on the world stage similarly young people who aspire to become jockeys or trainers (in the horse racing business) work to perfect their art in order to display their talent on the worlds stage or be hired as a trainer in other countries where they could enjoy sustained success.

Maraghs journey to the top was not easy in this dangerous sport. His road to success had many detours. The familiar phrase coming up the rough side of the mountain quite aptly describes Maraghs experience exactly.

He suffered many injuries. During an interview after the Derby race, he mentioned a terrible accident during a race in October 2014 that resulted in a broken arm. Following that injury, a life-threatening accident occurred in July 2015 during a race at Belmont Park in New York.

An article in USA Today gave details of this horrific accident. According to the author, a horse, Mini Muffin, ridden by Ruben Silvera, veered into the path of YourCreditIsGood. Maragh, who was the jockey, became unseated as his horse fell on top of him. He suffered four collapsed vertebrae, nine fractures to his spine, a broken rib and a collapsed lung. It was a tedious journey back to health.

Maragh was thankful to God that he survived as the doctors could not guarantee that he was going to fully recover.

Being a jockey is who I am and what I love. It really means the world to me so when I was down and out, I had a lot of time to reflect on my life and think about whether or not I wanted to continue in this profession, Maragh said.

All roads led back to the fact that I just wanted to be a jockey. Thats what my passion is for, and I enjoy it every day. Its hard to describe what it means other than its just a natural part of my life and livelihood, he added.

This was his year, Maraghs great comeback after such a horrific accident. He was victorious on his horse, Irish War Cry, taking first place during the Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct in April. (The pair would place 10th in the 20-horse field at the Kentucky Derby in May. The horse did not race in the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown.)

As I watched the horse getting closer and closer to the finish line at the Belmont Stakes in New York, my body became tensed. The other horses were right behind him. Admittedly, feeling a little disappointed, I watched Irish War Cry come in second in that June 10 race but.. I was still very proud of Maragh.

After coming back from those injuries, this finish could only be described as phenomenal. Fantastic!

We wish Maragh the best in all of his future endeavors.

Go here to see the original:

Caribbean jockey in the big shows has hearts racing - The Philadelphia Tribune

Posted in Caribbean | Comments Off

Island happy: Sapphire Falls adds Caribbean dinner show – Orlando Sentinel (blog)

Posted: at 2:26 pm

Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, the newest of Universal Orlandos on-property hotels, has added a weekly dinner show that goes with its islands-oriented theme. Caribbean Carnaval is presented to guests and Central Floridians on Wednesdays.

The festivities unfold at the resorts Cayman Court, a covered, open-air pavilion. Thats the setting for an all-you-can-eat buffet, select drinks (including Planters Punch) and colorful entertainment featuring musicians and dancers who represent a 45-minute tour through the Caribbean.

Our team wanted to create something that was fun, that had fantastic food and really inspired by the beautiful islands of the Caribbean with dance and music and something very interactive, said Barb Bowen, managing director.

Songs from the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago are performed. It all builds up to get-on-your-feet crowd participation. The show debuted last month.

Weve tried to adapt to the feedback that weve gotten, Bowden said. What weve really learned is that the interactive part the conga and the limbo our guests really love.

In addition to visitors, the event has appeal as a date-night option or for corporate outings, she said.

Other Loews properties at Universal already have special events, such as monthly lobby concerts at the Hard Rock Hotel and the Wantilan Luau on Saturdays at the nearby Loews Royal Pacific Resort.

We think this, depending on our guests travel patterns, gives our guests maybe two opportunities to see a dinner show, Bowden said.

Most striking on the buffet is the mojo-roasted suckling pig. Other fare includes ropa vieja, jerk chicken, grilled snapper, Caribbean rum cake and guava flan.

Caribbean Carnaval tickets are $69 ($35 for ages 3-9). Children under age 3 get in free. Seating begins at 6 p.m., with entertainment kicking in at 7 p.m. For reservations, call 407-503-3463 or go to caribbeancarnaval.eventbrite.com.

The public has received its first glance at the vacation cottages to be available at Margaritaville Resort Orlando, which is scheduled to open in late 2018. Floridians might feel right at home.

Inspired by Key West, Bahamas, Jamaica, coastal Carolina, the Florida Keys and towns along the Gulf Coast, these homes are designed to reflect those diverse architectural styles and periods while capturing that unmistakable Margaritaville paradise, said Pat McBride, CEO of the McBride Company, which leads the design process of the Margaritaville properties.

Together, the project teams selected dozens of atmospheric architectural details intended to transport visitors, both mentally and physically, to the Margaritaville state of mind, McBride said in a news release.

The rendering released last week shows units in one-, two- and three-level designs. The dominant colors are pink, yellow, aqua and white. Other touches seen are shutters, Adirondack chairs and, naturally, palm trees.

Margaritaville has nine resorts/hotels across the Southeast U.S. and Caribbean. The Central Florida version is under construction along Highway 192 in Kissimmee, east of State Road 429.

When complete, the 300-acre Margaritaville Resort Orlando resort will feature 1,000 vacation homes, 300 timeshare units and a 187-room hotel. The properties are inspired by the lifestyle of singer/songwriter/author Jimmy Buffett.

Margaritaville says its vacation-home pricing starts at $250,000. For more information, go to margaritavilleresortorlando.com.

First responders will receive an unusual shout-out this fall: Their professions will be incorporated into the design of the annual corn maze presented by Long and Scott Farms.

As seen from the sky, a fire truck with a ladder, a police car and an EMT vehicle will be woven into the pathways of the corn maze, which consumes nearly 7 acres. Customers work their way through the puzzle that is cut into higher-than-your-head cornstalks. (Theres a plan for rescuing the hopelessly lost, too.)

Scotts Maze Adventures marks its 15th year of operation in 2017. The seasonal attraction reopens Sept. 30. It will open, on select days primarily Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 10.

The ecotourism attraction also includes a mini-maze, a zip line for kids, playground, giant jumping pillow, super slide, hayrides, misting maze, picnic areas and fishing opportunities.

Admission is $12 for ages 4 and older. Its free for 3-year-olds and younger. For more information, go to http://www.longandscottfarms.com

Theres a grand-opening date for Mine Blower, the wooden roller coaster at the Fun Spot park in Kissimmee. The ride will debut Friday, the company says.

When the project was announced, the key element of the thrill ride was its 360-degree barrel roll, which will turn passengers upside down over the loading station without the benefit of shoulder harnesses. Since then, more features have been revealed, including high-banking moments and what the designers referred to as a heart over head moment.

Fun Spot officials have said the ride represents a $6 million investment. It was built on the east side of the attraction, displacing two flat-land Go-Kart tracks. .

Fun Spot visitors will pay $9 to ride the new coaster, or it can be bundled with other rides with an all-day pass.

Got a news tip? dbevil@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5477; Twitter, @ThemeParks

Excerpt from:

Island happy: Sapphire Falls adds Caribbean dinner show - Orlando Sentinel (blog)

Posted in Caribbean | Comments Off

Want offshore wind turbines off La Jolla? – San Diego Reader

Posted: at 2:24 pm

The Sustainable Energy Advisory Board is discussing community choice aggregation today. Its a hot topic revolving around greenhouse gas emissions and whether to stay with SDG&E or create a new local government agency tasked with purchasing energy and setting utility rates. SDG&E would still deliver the electricity and send out the bills which would include charges for the city-bought energy, SDG&Es transmission services, and a fee for no longer buying energy from SDG&E.

The advisory board responsible for advising the city council and mayor on energy policy was established in 1981 as the Energy Advisory Board in response to the oil crisis sparked by the Iranian Revolution it was redubbed to its current moniker in 2003.

Current members appointed by the mayor include SDG&E special counsel, a public policy consultant, a labor organizer, a building industry professional, a Chamber of Commerce member, the CEO of a firm that advocates for clean technology, a solar industry advocate, construction industry professional, and an associate for the California Center for Sustainable Energy. This non-profit has been deep in the trenches with the city to move along a slow-going community choice feasibility study. The current chair is a former pharmaceutical executive.

On May 23, Francisco Urtasun talked to the community planners committee, a group made up of representatives from different local planning groups. Urtasun is regional vice president of Sempra Services, a new division of Sempra Energy, the parent company of SDG&E.

The back and forth was lively and a bit heated at times. The agenda item slated for 15 minutes went on for close to an hour.

Urtasun said more than once that he wasnt with SDG&E explaining that utility companies arent allowed to advocate against community choice. He said a law was passed after a firefight between Pacific Gas & Electric and Marin County when they formed a community choice aggregate in 2010. The way around this for SDG&E was to form Urtasuns new division with shareholder and not ratepayer funds in 2016. He made it clear he wasnt lobbying against community choice but instead wanted to be part of what he described has been a very one-sided conversation full of misinformation.

His main points of contention are that choice already exists with SDG&E as 130,000 residential customers have chosen to go solar and countless commercial customers have gone direct access. According to SDG&Es website, customers can opt for 100-percent renewable energy now if they choose.

His other beef was that community choice programs can muddy the waters with renewable energy portfolios that dont lead to the kind of greenhouse gas emission reductions that new renewable projects produce. He explained that community choice programs use renewable energy certificates (commodities traded on the open market) that are then laid over natural gas or coal and it counts as green.

There were eight public speakers, all in favor of community choice. Three were from advocacy groups (Climate Action Campaign, San Diego 350, Community Energy Action Network), one was a local regulatory attorney, and another was a member of the Carmel Valley planning group that said recently they voted in favor of community choice. The other three included concerned citizens from Mira Mesa, San Carlos, and a local scientist not affiliated with any community choice organization.

More than one speaker mentioned that ratepayers could opt out of community choice and return to SDG&E at anytime. Everyone would be automatically opted-in if community choice happens. A 2015 community choice assessment stated that a fee will be charged if anyone opts to return to SDG&E. There is also an exit fee that customers would pay for leaving SDG&E, possibly for decades.

The main reason mentioned for choosing community choice was the citys climate action plan goal to reach 100-percent renewable energy citywide by 2035. The main argument in favor was access to more renewable energy with the added benefit of lower rates.

The 2015 assessment ran some numbers that came up with a possible five percent savings over SDG&E rates with a similar SDG&E renewable energy portfolio. Because of the exit fee, the city wont be able to offer community choice to everyone and also keep rates competitive during the first three years.

More concrete information should be forthcoming when the feasibility study is released. According to the advisory board May meeting minutes, it should go before the board late summer.

Dr. Aaron Day spoke of his concern about the disconnect of Sempra promising to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 while currently signing 20-year contracts for new natural gas plants.

The representative from the Southeast planning group said, Ill be damned if anyones going to tell me what to do with my power. If you want me to be like a real fool and spend more money so I can get an electric car and not buy any power from him [Urtasun]. But he has his virtues, he has engineers who know what the hell theyre doing.

Clairemonts representative said friends in Marin County (the first in California to choose community choice) have seen their utility bills decrease dramatically.

The representative from Uptown said even though solar has been heavily pushed, its still only a tiny percentage of the energy produced. We talk about the horrors of natural gas. Its 60 percent of the energy in California. He said offshore wind turbines produce more energy than solar but joked, Now I know Joe over here from La Jolla, youre going to go before the La Jolla planning group and say we want the offshore wind turbines all along the beach. Well pick up the pieces of whats left of you afterwards.

He then said energy right now is akin to 1960s S&H Green Stamp trading. He said Southern California uses a lot of coal. Many people may not realize that at night in Los Angeles, the majority of the energy is from coal. If you have an electric car, you got a coal mobile.

The Scripps/Miramar representative cut to the chase when he called the whole debate completely fraudulent because neither Sempra nor community choice produces energy.

Read the original:

Want offshore wind turbines off La Jolla? - San Diego Reader

Posted in Offshore | Comments Off

Offshore Energy Debate Renews – Greater Wilmington Business Journal

Posted: at 2:24 pm

The waters off North Carolina are back into play for potential offshore oil and natural gas drilling.

For some local opponents of offshore drilling, the issues return was not welcome news.

This time, however, people are angry. They knew their president and Congressmen were listening and supporting them. Now, to have all those efforts destroyed is causing many of us to become discouraged with government, but we cant do that.

We have to believe our voices mean something. We cant give up, Kure Beach Mayor Emilie Swearingen said.

Holly Ridge, opposed to offshore natural gas/oil exploration and offshore drilling (Aug. 11, 2015)

SURF CITY, opposed exploration and drilling (Aug. 4, 2015)

WILMINGTON, opposed seismic testing and drilling (July 21, 2015)

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, support of seismic surveys (July 6, 2015) Commissioners reconsidered on Aug. 17 whether to take a more neutral stance, but since that move tied 2-2, the earlier resolution of support remained in place

SUNSET BEACH, opposed seismic (June 30, 2014)

ST. JAMES, concerned over seismic (May 6, 2014)

OAK ISLAND, concerned over seismic (Apr. 29, 2014)

TOPSAIL BEACH, opposed seismic (Apr. 23, 2014)

CASWELL BEACH, concerned over seismic (March 31, 2014)

CAROLINA BEACH, opposed seismic (Feb. 28, 2014)

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, opposed oil or gas drilling (Sept. 9, 2010)

The East Coast was last brought into the question of oil exploration under the Obama administration. In response to that proposal, 32 North Carolina local governments passed resolutions opposing offshore drilling and exploration.

But last year the Obama administration removed miles of water off the Eastern Coast from potential oil exploration and exploitation.

This time around, all previous resolutions approved by local and state governments will automatically be forwarded to the National Marine Fisheries Service so its not necessary for local governments to redo resolutions, Swearingen said.

Not all are opposed to the new plan.

The N.C. Petroleum Council endorsed Trumps plan, saying that the continental shelf off the North Carolina coast is estimated to hold 2.4 billion barrels of oil and 24.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Our state is uniquely positioned to add jobs and bring in local revenue through energy development, which can safely coexist with our current tourism and fishing industries while providing much needed diversity for our local economies, N.C. Petroleum Council Executive Director David McGowan said in a statement about the executive order.

State Rep. Deb Butler, D-New Hanover, said constituents she has heard from are opposed to any measure that moves North Carolina closer to offshore drilling. Butler said she is concerned about environmental impacts and the disruption or reduction of the tourism economy.

In my opinion, the North Carolina coast is an asset and a resource that cannot be replaced, nor should it be jeopardized in any manner, Butler said.

The reality of offshore drilling, however, will most likely not be realized for many years, said Steve Yost, president of North Carolinas Southeast, a regional economic development partnership.

Exploration and research alone would take at least several years, Yost said. After that, if its deemed economically feasible, itd take considerable time for companies to ramp up and make the significant investment to actually do it.

Offshore Energy Debate Renews - Greater Wilmington Business Journal

Posted in Offshore | Comments Off

Young nun fights for justice for immigrants and the poor in Indy – Indianapolis Star

Posted: at 2:21 pm

Sister Tracey Horan, the winner of the 2017 Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award for her work to reduce poverty and racial inequity, talks transformation and relationships she has learned from. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar

Sister Tracey Horan listens to speakers at City Market, during a vigil and march from the City Market to Christ Cathedral on Monument Circle, calling on city and county law enforcement to stop supporting unlawful detentions of undocumented immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Thursday, June 15, 2017.(Photo: Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar)Buy Photo

Tracey Horan had never been behind the walls of a convent before she moved to El Paso, Texas, after college to teach middle-school math.

She was surprised to learn that the religious sisters watched TV, told jokes and evendrank beer on occasion. But they also were deeply spiritual and committed to social justice issues. Horan, who was on ajourney of self-discovery and discernment, wondered if she was being called to the religious life.

The Indianapolis native and Roncalli High School grad lived with the Sisters of Charity for two years, growing not only in her faith but in her awareness of systemic poverty, discrimination and economic oppression issues the sistersconfronted in their work and discussed at the dinner table every evening.

Today, the29-year-old one-time cheerleader-turned-teacher-turned-community activist is a second-year mission novice with the Sisters of Providence, founded by Saint Mother Theodore Guerinin 1840. She will take her firstvows this year vows of poverty, chastity and obedience on her way to becoming a full member of the religious order based at St.-Mary-of-the-Woods.

How Utah Is Contributing To Safer Space Travel – Utah Public Radio

Posted: at 2:21 pm

The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle will be the first spacecraft capable of taking a human crew to multiple deep space destinations. On Thursday at Promontory Point, Utah, the crafts launch abort motor was put to the test.

Orbital ATK is the company that designed and manufactured the launch abort motor for NASA and executed the test. According to Charles Precourt, vice president and generalmanager of Propulsion Systems at Orbital ATK, the test that took place on Thursday at Promontory Point is an important step in proving that the launch abort system will work.

This is a key milestone on the way to validating our capability to field those systems, Precourt said.

According to Orbital ATK, the launch abort system will help to save astronauts in the event of a malfunction during launch. If something goes wrong, the launch abort system is activated within milliseconds igniting the boosters in the abort module and pulling the crew capsule off and away from the rocket. Capable of producing about 400,000 pounds of thrust, the abort motor will carry astronauts far away, and fast, positioning them for a safe landing.

Once complete, the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle will be the first spacecraft of its kind, capable of bringing its crew to more than one destination in deep space. It will carry up to six occupants, twice as many as the Apollo capsule did. The launch abort system will sit atop the craft, a safety feature that will, under the best circumstances, never see use.

Utah facilities continue to play a role in creating components of the spacecrafts launch abort system. Orbital ATK is producing the abort motor at its facility in Magna, and the composite case for the motor at its Clearfield facility.

See original here:

How Utah Is Contributing To Safer Space Travel - Utah Public Radio

Posted in Space Travel | Comments Off

Monthly Archives: June 2017

If it weren’t for ‘Blossom’, we may not have Serena Ryder – CBC.ca

Mark Hayward’s City Matters: Vietnamese community finds comfort in Manchester temple – The Union Leader

Air Seychelles expands codeshare network to Beijing – Aviation Tribune

Tropical trouble? Storms could spin up in Atlantic, Caribbean – USA TODAY

Caribbean jockey in the big shows has hearts racing – The Philadelphia Tribune

Island happy: Sapphire Falls adds Caribbean dinner show – Orlando Sentinel (blog)

Want offshore wind turbines off La Jolla? – San Diego Reader

Offshore Energy Debate Renews – Greater Wilmington Business Journal

Young nun fights for justice for immigrants and the poor in Indy – Indianapolis Star

How Utah Is Contributing To Safer Space Travel – Utah Public Radio

The Prometheus League

Breaking News and Updates

Prometheism

Forbidden Fruit

The Evolutionary Perspective

Transtopia Menu

Library Updates

Library Books

Future Euvolution

Lucid Dreams from Childhood

Genetic Revolution

Speciation + Self-Directed Evolution