L E T   'E R   R I P!!!

It would be nice to see the Duchess Park design that didn't get chosen. The winning design kind of looks like a factory from the 1930s with lots of glass. Looks like a nice presentation of an inferior design. Could the losing bid have been a poor presentation of a better design?

I would like to give my thanks to the emergency workers and fire fighters who have attended and been part of protecting our community from the fires in the BCR Indutrial site.
I am so thankful for their high level of tarin and dedication to their job.

So good job people, THANK YOU!

I'm STILL sick of all of those MMA Fight Night posters plastered all over city lamp standards.

Tidbit about the school district. Next years budget is about 4 Million dollars short of being balanced. So they are taking more dollars out of reserve, and planning on taking money out of the 2009/2010 budget to the tune of 1.2 million. Kind of scary by planning on taking money from future years budgets. They should be dealing with this by making the budget balance. Course though it is an election year and don't want to have to close a school during an election year. Is this really the best way to do it ?

Rest in Peace Dylan Mikolajczyk, taken from us much to soon on May 29th, 2008 at 1:25 am

He was an extraordinary young man and will be very much missed.

There is a Facebook community that is posting photos of Dylan, it's open for all to join. "In Memory of Dylan Mikolajczyk"

I believe my property taxes went up amost 30%. Is this to pay for flood damages throughout the city? I certainly didn't see any improvement in services.

My rant today; the after work traffic going up the Hart hwy. Just try and travel at the 60 km/h speed limit (can't afford a speeding ticket) you almost get run over, in either lane. Lots of people tailgating, a few even shake their tiny fists, and why? The difference is probably 5 minutes, would it kill you to get home 5 minutes later? Due to the high cost of speeding (fuel, tickets) I have recently learned the pleasure of travelling a little slower. It is more relaxing, which is welcome after a busy stressful day. I also have more time to observe my fellow motorists, and have discovered something; there must be another level of licensing that I do not know about. It looks like if you have one of those "N" magnets on the back of your car, you are licensed to travel at a higher speed than the rest of the crowd. I wonder; does that cost more?
metalman.

Amen.. Metalman!

Don't drive on the shoulders on River Road. On Wednesday, a city water truck sunk into the soft shoulder on the River Road berm by the fish hatchery, had to get towed out, and then that section of berm was closed while they fixed the "hole" it made. Very safe, that berm/road!

Metalman ... right on! I think lowering the speed limit inside city boundries to 50k would even be better yet. Less noise pollution as well as gas saved.

Hello metalman. The posted speed is 70 km/h
not 60. But it still wont make a difference
And it sounds like the other drivers are still getting to you. I find if I just dont look at them and turn up the tunes, and sip on a steeped tea from Timmy's works well, But dont look at them when they go by shaking their fingers really does help. respond with a freindly wave.
Very wet out there so You and everyone else have a good safe day.

RIP Luc Bourdon, My condolences to the family.

my friday comments will be restricted to the medical rut we have gotten ourselves into, just throwing money at doctors,nurses, ambulances, hospitals and that being a requirement to make the system function such as it does,our higher learning institutions seem to offer little towards prevention & cures. its almost like job security to try and lower some of these costs with a more inovative approach to prevention.my pet peeve is strontium isotope 90. when involving a doctor into the cellular effects this man made element does to initiate cancer cells they either plead ignorance or act like it cannot be discussed under our government plan. is there a conspiracy by the bomb nuclear folks or do these people suffer from the effects of a sinister gag order muffling their voices to keep the paychecks flowing?i have noticed the government sitting between doctor & patient ,some of you may have suspected or experienced this subtle intrusion in decision making of your procedures?lets try to find a common denominator to this mystery.

Heads up if your buying firewood. A "cord of wood" is no longer 4'x4'x8' Not sure if I can mention the name but he's selling firewood by the gravel(blue) truck load claiming to hold a good 3-4 cord for 475.00.Seems when its actually measured its just a tad shy of 2 cord ( the old measurement??) Couple of seniors have found this out first hand. I dunno....has the firewood biz down sized...like the food industry?
Right on metalman....the hart has got to be the worst....reminds me of a video game.

Hope no one gets in the left lane and sits there.

Here's an idea: After watching local news lately, and looking at it as a kind of third party - in regards to the many changes in employment that might be facing the North Central Interior workers, maybe joint real estate parties could arrange a courtesy flight from the lower mainland to look at designated houses for sale. Call it the flight to retirement??? Some indication from the general public regarding endorsement would be helpful. There seems to be jobs, but maybe not where people are. Note that flights are going from Canada to certain areas in the states-snowbirds taking out equity. Just a thought.

northern taxpayer, You got the wrong guys that are bankrupting our medical plan. Try the drug companies. Mulrooney gave them an air tight contract for many years through patent rights.

When the profits drop on one drug they will develop another even more expensive and research has found that the new drug is only slightly different then the old. Could just be a dffernt name.

Your conspiracy theory may be correct about your doctor who will start to perscribe the new more expensive drug when it comes on the market.

Another great area for waste is the managemenr syndrome. Her is another case of flagerent disrespect for tax dollars. Check the salery for the CEO at Northern Health. I believe its over 300 thousand per annum. They feel underprivledged and should make as much as the doctors do since they are far more important in the mix then doctors

Cheers.

Hypothetically, if you are a lawyer and all you do is defend prostitutes, and you take money from them for this,can you be charged with "living off the avails"? And another thing, if you are a little kid, say twelve or thirten riding your 125 trail bike behind a person in a motorized wheelchair, along a city street, can you get the police to look the other way as they do with these unlicensed, uninsured, unregistered "motor vehicles"? Especially when they (wheelchairs) turn left at 15th and Ospika from the left turn lane then go into Tims? My eyes hurt from rolling them at what is called "contradictions" in life.

Save our wild salmon. Here is some more good information on how foriegners are destroying our environment.
After watching these clips hopefully you will not buy farmed salmon and will help in the fight against open netpen fish farms.
If you continue buying these farmed salmon then you are part of the destruction of our environment and the loss of our wild salmon.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8Dt3sNpaX0E

[urlhttp://youtube.com/watch?v=KbHfX9SEcDI] [/url]

I just have a quick question for you guys.

Is there a way that you can open up this site and have it at the most recent news. Everytime I open this site, I have to click next for about four pages before I get to the most recent articles. Is this the same for everyone or is it just a glitch?

sorry my mistake, I have to hit previous about four times to get to the new articles.

I think it is just a glitch s8fsj, maybe when you bookmarked the page it wasnt on the most recent because i have had no problems

lostfaith" Save our wild salmon."

I think the nets all over OUR riverways catching, so called food fish and selling them by the truck load is a bigger issue.

I am most certain that is not helping our wild stocks.

If you continue buying these (wild) salmon then you are part of the destruction of our environment and the loss of our wild salmon.

WOOHOO cfl is about to start!!! WOOHOO!!

GO RIDERS GO!!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

The real problem on the Hart is that Maxwell and Metalman dont just drive 60, they insist on doing it side by side the whole way up.

If you wanna smell the flowers fine, but do so in the right lane so that people who may consider time valuable can go a little faster in the other lane.

The faster people dont run the slow people of the road, so why cant the slow people show a little mutual respect and stick to the slow lane?

s8fsj,-you probably did bookmark a topic rather than the main news page. Just click on the home button and add to your favorites once the page has loaded.

I experince a pdf file trying to open when the page first starts to load, sometimes it will make my window minimize too.

The real problem on the Hart is that Maxwell and Metalman dont just drive 60, they insist on doing it side by side the whole way up.

If you wanna smell the flowers fine, but do so in the right lane so that people who may consider time valuable can go a little faster in the other lane.

The faster people dont run the slow people of the road, so why cant the slow people show a little mutual respect and stick to the slow lane?

I totally agree with Born in BC!!!

I totally agree with Born in BC!!!

As far as driving on the hart and someone tailgates you, just slow down even slower, that's what I do and maybe one of these days one of the guys with road rage will just drop from a heart attack. Just sont let it get to you. I ignore the fools. It really is too bad the RCMP dont have a bigger quota for tickets and collect them there, they could have it filled in one day. If all the cops did that they could get on with actually dealing with criminals and the speeders would eventually all soose their licences. Problem solved. I know that would be too easy.

I always suspected these dickheads were diliberately holding up traffic. Now I KNOW they are.

What has happened to all the city hall hype about the wood burning hot water heating plant. Ever since the Millar people opposed the plant in the downtown location it seems to have disappeared off the radar screen.
There is probably a new agenda in the works at city hall and the poor citizens of PG will pay dearly for future screw ups from all our new found green experts at city hall.
Hopefully Dan Rodgers will run for mayor and get elected, that way we can study it for another seven years and keep Gina employed.

Thanks justamom and ICEMAN I will try deleting my bookmark and resaving on the home page. :)

"The faster people don't run the slow people of the road, so why can't the slow people show a little mutual respect and stick to the slow lane?"

Look. This shouldn't be an issue at all.

The faster people ARE trying to run slower people off the road by intimidating them with tail gating, which is illegal. Nobody who drives at the posted speed limit needs to be tailgated, but drivers who travel at the speed limit should stick to the right hand lane, by law.

After passing one ought to move back into the right hand lane so that others who need to pass can do so.

Remember that some people MUST be in the left lane so they can enter into a left hand exit lane as they are planning to do next.

If they don't make a move into the passing lane early enough NOBODY will let them change lanes later, believe me.

Give your head lights flasher stalk a couple of pulls if someone is insisting on blocking the left lane for a long time. Sometimes they are on the cellphone or putting on make-up or both. They are unaware of which lane they are in or what the rest of the traffic is doing.

Tailgating is illegal and a form of criminal attempt at coercion. Only idiots do it and they know that they won't get a ticket even if the cops are right there in the traffic to see it.

Facts of life!

Well, so glad someone opened the school can o'worms.
I have recently discovered that our school district 57 high school councilors are promoting homosexuality.
If a child comes in expressing any confusion, they are directed to an organization called the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA).
This organization has the sole purpose of providing activities for both gay and straight youth.
Now I am all for freedom of expression and for gay rights. I am accepting and tolerant of alternative life choices. There needs to be organizations to support youth. I will even except the my child is gay or bi.
What I have a problem with is our children's school advocating homosexuality.
The councilors should not at any time direct a minor to ANY homosexual activity, period.
These children should be directed to professional counseling.

Not to mention that anal sex with a minor (under 18) is illegal:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodomy_law

Lost faith do some research on farmed salmon. Don't get your information from one source. There is a lot of biased misinformation out there. There is no corralation between wild salmon stocks and fish farms. Wild salmon stocks are down on the whole coast not just in the area of fish farms. You should see all the resorts in that area and the number of boats all summer. One never hears if that could be a problem, you know why, Morton gives talks at these resorts. Maybe a little biased there. Also these fish eat the same source of food as chickens, pigs and your fluffy cats and dogs.

A couple of rivers in the area of fish farms are doing quite well on fish returns. Surprising one never hears that from Morton and company.

Oh I just bought some farmed salmon from costco, yum yum.

Seamutt good for you your part of the problem IMO.

If you're constantly being tailgated, it means you're driving too slow. Keep up with the flow of traffic. If you're one of these types who insist on driving 55 kmh in a 60 kmh zone, do it in the right lane.

As for the Hart I'd like to see cops set up a sting in the morning and evening on the Hart where they target specifically the tail-gaters as well as the people who are holding up the traffic.

Preferably I'd like to see them both pulled over at the same time with both vehicles ticketed for being idiots that are endangering all the others that are using the road. Better yet if we could get four at once two tail gaters and the two blockers. That would be justice IMO.

These are my web picks of the week...

This is a fascinating article on the river sturgeon in the Colorado River that are grouping up in deep water 40-50 feet deep in groups of as many as 60,000 fish as big as 14 feet long. It was an amazing find for the scientist and makes one wonder if our Nechako sturgeon are doing the same thing in the winter months... and if so how can we protect them when they are doing this... and why are they doing this if its socially important. Fascinating stuff.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/05/_when_sonar_surveys_spotted.html
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This video here is of a recent speech by Robert F. Kennedy where he calls out the mainstream media for being propaganda tools. I love how he talks about the information deficit as a way to undermine the natural values of Americans and that when properly informed of the facts both democrats as well as republicans polled almost exactly the same results on values.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-CxoX__z4c&NR=1
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This is one of my favorite sites to visit for the pure fascination of what we don't know about the universe with their alternate views of the cosmos that I figure are as good or better than any explination you'll ever hear from NASA.

http://www.thunderbolts.info/thunderblogs/thornhill.htm

Cheers

The problem with the healthcare system is that we are not made responsible for our health. It has been estimated that 75% of deaths a preventable. Yes, you are supposed to die but, you are not supposed to be sick with cancer, heart disease diabetes or obesity for years before you die. It is currently financially disadvantagous to look after your health. Until that changes, health care will contiune to be a cash cow.

If someone drove thier car the way most people drive their bodies, ICBC would charge you more. Why not the medical service plan? Hit people int he pocket books and you will see healthcare change.

My beef today is the rising cost of diesel! What is the government and industry doing to alleviate the on going operating costs for transporting our goods? It is crippling our economy!

I forgot. I also need to add my weekly bitch about the posters all over town that are still up months after the event took place. Maybe we need to fine $100 a poster to the organizers for every poster that is found a week after their events. This kind of advertising is nothing short of litter and should be fined as such when it is left all around town well after its purpose was served. I think.

"Yes, you are supposed to die but, you are not supposed to be sick with cancer, heart disease diabetes or obesity for years before you die."

That is correct .... we are supposed to die on average at 45 or so as we used to 200 years ago ....

I think you are chasing the unachievable .... dying within 2 days of getting a terminal disease.

The longer we live, the longer we will be spending a protion of that life "sick" or not in the best health .... the more frequently we will have accidents which will require medical intervention, the longer we will find ourselvs to weak to look after ourselves or too forgetful to look after ourselves.

Have you ever looked at the cost of the healthcare system for those in the early years of their lives? What is the % increase per person that that has increased over the last 100 years? The number of deaths withing the first year of life has not dropped at no cost to the health care system. In addtion, many who used to die are now kept alive at a lifelong cost to the system.

Then let us look at the cost to the system of giving people their own children who would not normally be able to procreate and would have to adopt.

I say hit people in the pocketbook and you will see more people die since their pocketbook is empty ........

I was viewing Dotto's cafe today and noted that you can now send a parcel directly from home or office by going to the Canada Post site. It is all set up for you.

Re: Driving - if everyone slowed down by 5K you could save a lot of money on gas.

I agree about the posters .... I think we should be providing poster/advertising colums and not allow them anywhere else ..... common in Europe and a few places in Canada.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2415/2479328394_561e08308e_b.jpg

It could even be part of public art

http://flickr.com/photos/by_irma/1429641584

Slowing down in city driving will have little effect on gasoline usage. Much more important is the rate of acceleration, eratic driving of speed up and slow down, as well as continuing to give gas when the light ahead is red and you will eventually have to stop.

At highway speed, drag starts to become a more important factor. Here is a graph for trucks, which have considerably more drag than a passenger vehicle. SUVs, of course, have more drag than a sedan.

http://www.solusinc.com/horsepower.html

"I was viewing Dotto's cafe today and noted that you can now send a parcel directly from home or office by going to the Canada Post site."

"Beam me up Scotty" has finally come to the real world?

;-)

QUESTION OF THE DAY....How come you never see a brunette with blonde roots?

I was taught that you keep right except to pass and the posted speed limit is the maximum not the minimum. What gets me is that I am bullied by tailgaters when in the right lane going the speed limit and then they do the Mario Andretti moves by cutting in and out of traffic only to arrive at the stop light beside me! I get the finger for trying to move into a lane signal light and all (dumb attitude of "not in front of me"). I lived in Vancouver for over 9 years and as bad as the drivers are down there, some Prince George drivers out do them. Did you know that your blood pressure goes up when you get all stressed out about some driver you have no control over? Relax, its good for you.

Owl,

Average is just that, average, if half the popluation dies at age 10 your average age is low and it isn't that safe to hunt with a stick. We dont' do that now. Also famine killed a lot of people as did poor public sanitation. Niether of these are costing the health care system anything.

You point out the increase in costs for the young and I can only assume you mean infectious disease and trauma. The breaking of the health care system is not because of these two problems. You are right we do have better ways to take care of these problems.

Your next point about being kept alive longer proves my point. The diseases we are keeping people alive longer for are preventable. Heart disease is solved with eating more vegetables and going for a walk everyday. 90% of diabetes is preventable with regular exercise. Cancer is also preventable with diet and exercise. Obesity is completely preventable. Don't you find it interesting that obesity surgery is covered by the medical service plan (MSP) and removal of impacted wisdom teeth is not. The one you have to work to get is covered.

Add onto that we are making up and treating diseases. Lowering choleserol has been found to increase the likelihood of death in women. If you give 50 men statin (choleserol lowering drugs) one will benefit.

MSP is broke becuase of chronic illnesses and chronic illnesses are due to lifestyle not genes, germs or bad luck.

anniemartin - going the speed limit inside the city does not require - by law - that you should go to the right in a double lane. Get your facts straight, if you are in a designated passing lane that says slower traffic to the right, then do so (usually out on the highways). God! If your going down the bypass and want to turn left - just think about it. Same thing on the Hart - you want to exit but can't get over because some guy wants to go 90+ in a 70, I say stay in the lane than you want to exit from. Just 'cause it's double wide does not mean slower traffic to the right.
Owl it's a fact - drive slower and you save gas - most of the time. It was proven during the 50 vs. 60 mph test in the states. The truckers tried and lost the faster gives you better mileage case years ago.

Re: Driving, all the Signs say "MAX" not "MIN"so give your self more Time and live longer and if you get stopped it will take even more Time to where you wanted to go.

Sorry, Outwest. Exceeding the posted "MAX," and breaking the law for it doesn't cost lives- dangerous driving does.

Harbinger wrote:- "Hypothetically, if you are a lawyer and all you do is defend prostitutes, and you take money from them for this,can you be charged with "living off the avails"?"

Seems unlikely. Any more than you would be charged with "receiving stolen property" if a thief paid your fee with the money he'd stolen.

I would think it has to do with "the presumption of innocence until proven guilty". Likely in both instances a smart lawyer would want his fee, or a good part of it, BEFORE taking the case.

I just received my City tax bill yesterday. Seems like the tax grab will never end. My taxes are up $650 over last year. That’s about a 32% increase. I am one of the fortunate ones that got taken in by the city in the 1970's and to date still do not have city water or sewer. No curbs or sidewalks, no transit and a street light about every 12th hydro pole. I pay the same taxes for my property as someone living in the bowl with all the fringes. Let it be known that there is $650 from my fixed income pension that won’t be spent at local merchants. It will be even more than that when I factor in increasing fuel costs. It’s going to be all about priorities; do I eat or heat my home, do I eat out or eat hamburger at home, do I buy a new appliance or vehicle or make do with the oldie I own? For a $650 increase in taxes my road hasn’t been patched in at least 10 years nor the ditches cleaned. I wouldn’t mind paying taxes if I got value for them and the money was not peed up against some wall by a politician. End of rant. Feel better but won’t change much.

Rambleon, if you are exceeding the posted max, you ARE driving dangerously.

I must comment.I drove a 5 ton truck for several years in the Lower Mainland.I very seldom had to stop my truck.This amazing feat was accomplished by adjusting my speed to have a lot of open space between myself and the stationary traffic at the red light.Once the light changed green and the traffic began moving I would begin accelerating from usually 30 km/hr.

To those of you who lane change in the city traffic - idiot

To those of you who tailgate,you should lose your licence

Yours is a common complaint, Old Hippy, all over BC. Probably the world, for that matter. The so-called 'developed' part of it anyways.

I'm surprised that more people have never stopped to question why we are taxed so much, yet those doing the taxing still have to go further and further in debt to provide the services we're told these taxes are supposed to be paying for.

Seems we get proportionately less services accompanied simultaneously by both increased overall public indebtedness and higher taxes, year after year.

Maybe some people do "question" this, but it'll be 40 below zero at high-noon in the middle of summer in a shadeless part of Death Valley before they'll ever get an answer from those who should be able to provide one!

I think the answer lies in the way in which the 'bookkeeping' is done. It's presently flawed, and it needs to be changed.

For what it's worth, my property taxes went down $100 this year . . . LOL.

How can District 57 counsellors, suggesting a confused teen contact an organization that sponsors activities for both gay and straight teens, be percieved as promoting homosexuality?
Counselling for those questioning their sexuality Loki? Hmm, maybe counselling for those experiencing acne also? Both things common to a teenager.