| Kaduce races to the finish
Kaduce is now in the final leg of the 2008 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race, an over 1,000 mile trek from Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon in Canada.He started Saturday and will likely finish within the next few days.Anxiously keeping up with the race is his mother, Meg Thorton of Chippewa Falls."I'm on my Internet constantly," she said. "I get up in the middle of the night to check the Internet."Although Kaduce's finished the race twice before, Thorton has concerns. There are long legs in the races where racers may not reach a checkpoint for hours at a time, and sledding can be dangerous.One woman had to quit the race Tuesday because of a knee injury."A mother always worries about her kids," she said.A love for the unusualDog sledding wasn't always a dream of Kaduce's.He grew up loving dogs and the outdoors, but he had never been exposed to the sport, which is popular in Alaska and Canada.But Thorton wasn't shocked when she heard her son had started racing."It didn't surprise me really," Thorton said.
Drought/deer disease may be related
A couple of things have captured the attention of Matt Knox, deer biologist for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. One is the drought the other is the high amount of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease in the deer herd. Knox wonders if the two are related, especially since HD is showing up in Virginia areas where it has been rare through the ages. Virginia is one of several states dealing with HD. Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources recently announced it had documented 3,000 deer deaths this year due to HD. Wildlife officials in West Virginia say HD has spread to 15 counties. Paul Johansen, that state’s assistant wildlife chief, said he can’t remember seeing the disease so widespread, either in West Virginia or regionally.
Goodbye, cruel world ...
The nomadic existence of undergrowth and ocean-dwelling is not for him: he needs a home. Each new paying resident of Second Life is offered a plot of land. Kenny chooses one on Blacktail Ridge. It is, I have to say, a disappointment: a dark and icy wasteland with a few scattered shacks. I'm reminded of my grandfather who emigrated to Australia in the Twenties on the promise of a parcel of verdant farmland in Victoria, and got there to discover he had been given some acres of waterlogged bog. He stayed for a decade. Kenny returns promptly to the beach. Good land has become so rare in Second Life that people are prepared to pay hundreds of real dollars for it. You can buy a private island for $1,250, plus a monthly charge of $195 in land fees. There are several takers. Anshe Chung, Second Life's richest avatar, owns a property empire on the site worth $250,000 (£137,000) and employs 17 real-life people.
Backgrounder: Clay Point salmon farm
NZ King Salmon, in association with Te Atiawa, was first issued a marine farm licence for a Clay Point salmon farm in 1994. The licence was not immediately brought to production because the company decided to focus on adding value to its product attracting market pull, rather than pushing volume growth which inevitably targets commodity markets and the risk of price pressure inherent in such markets.. More recently consumer demand for salmon has been on the increase reflecting a global trend away from processed foods towards nutrition and healthy eating. New Zealand sales by value increased by 20 per cent alone in 2007 so three years ago NZ King Salmon began discussions with Te Atiawa as to how new salmon production could be effected at the Clay Point licence. The location
Clay Point is on the northern tip of the Marlborough Sounds, north east of French Pass.
Ex-Boeing engineer charged with spying
Defense Department official and two others were arrested on Monday on espionage charges involving the passing of classified U.S. government documents to China. Department officials said Dongfan "Greg" Chung, 72, of Orange, California, who was employed by Rockwell International from 1973 until its defense and space unit was acquired by Boeing in 1996, was arrested without incident at his residence. He was accused of espionage involving economic secrets, conspiracy and other charges. You May Also Like .
Officials: Tax solutions must not hurt classroom
Every two-year legislative term will see a "battle royale" over funding for school instructional costs, if the stable source of property taxes is taken away, state Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, said."We've got to make sure there's dollars for education every two years," Pelath said.Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson said property taxes provide a funding source for education that doesn't fluctuate, but they must be fair.Income and sales taxes are much more susceptible to economic downturns, several speakers said.State Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, sounded a caution about proposed amendments to the state constitution that would make some tax caps permanent, saying the constitution ought to be a stable document.Soliday, too, said tax solutions should not be specifically addressed in the constitution because of the potential for changing economic circumstances.Despite the focus on tax relief's effect on education, other educational issues should not be overlooked, Soliday said.
Eden Prairie may get arts center
She sees it as a place where the creative people of the community can share their gifts. An arts center would provide an arena for adults and children whose interests are not met by sports or other activities, said City Council Member Kathy Nelson. She said council members have seen estimates of utility costs that indicate that the building was built well and will have reasonable operating costs. Neighboring Edina has a studio arts center overlooking Lake Cornelia. It operates with a budget of about $600,000 a year -- most of which comes from class fees and fundraising. About $100,000 is provided by the city from liquor store proceeds, said Brad Benn, retired assistant director. The Edina center offers pottery, painting, drawing and photography.
|
