Some news for all of you!

Two tonnes of the powerful explosive ammonium nitrate that were missing Wednesday afternoon have now been found, the RCMP in B.C. said.

“It was a clerical error and the missing bags of ammonium nitrate are now accounted for,” Sgt. Rob Vermeulen said.

Earlier Wednesday, the RCMP said the transportation company Kinder Morgan had reported a discrepancy in late December in the inventory of the powerful explosive from a storage facility in Surrey.

The missing ammonium nitrate consisted of two one-tonne bags in a 6,000-bag shipment.

“Out of an abundance of caution, it’s being investigated by the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team as well as both North Vancouver and Surrey detachments,” Vermeulen said.

Ammonium nitrate was used in both the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

“The amount is quite large. If you detonate 1,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate it would make for one heck of an explosion,” said Andre Gerolymatos, a Simon Fraser University professor and expert on terrorism.

The 2010 Winter Games could be a target for terrorists, Gerolymatos said.

“Any large event that attracts world media is a potential target for terrorists,” Gerolymatos said.

The ammonium nitrate, which was destined for the mining industry, was shipped from Alberta to North Vancouver in the fall of 2009, Vermeulen said.

It was then sent from North Vancouver to Surrey, where the discrepancy was noted and reported to police by Kinder Morgan. Vermeulen stressed that there was never any evidence of theft or criminal wrongdoing.

He said Kinder Morgan conducted an extensive inventory audit to resolve the discrepancy. Ammonium nitrate can be used as a fertilizer or as an explosive to open up mining quarries.

Since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, ammonium nitrate that is intended for use as a fertilizer is coated so that kerosene and diesel fuel cannot penetrate it, Gerolymatos said.

“It was always easy to get fertilizer. Until Oklahoma City, no one thought about fertilizer as a bomb, but [Timothy] McVeigh changed all that,” Gerolymatos said.

The missing ammonium nitrate is the non-coated variety, Gerolymatos said. “If you put kerosene on it, or diesel fuel, then kaboom.”

Kinder Morgan is a North American pipeline transportation and energy storage company that operates the Vancouver Wharves terminal in British Columbia.

In 1993, a 675-kilogram bomb killed six people and injured more than 1,000 people when it exploded under the World Trade Center.

The Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 killed 168 people and left a crater six-metres wide and 2.5-metres deep.

tsherlock@vancouversun.com
? Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
Source

Everyone has memories about the first car that they ever owned or that their parents, friends or loved ones gave them. For me, my first car was a 2001 Altima that my father bought for me in 2001 when I was in college.

There is a saying that beggars cannot be choosers, and trust me, I wasn’t begging when my father announced that we were going to go to the Nissan dealership to look at cars for me. I was THRILLED. I was going to have my own car- my own vehicle that I could personalize and leave my stuff in and make my own. No more harassing my parents about driving me to my friends’ houses or driving me to and from track practice or other various school meetings that I had. In retrospect, I think my parents were probably saving money by buying me a relatively inexpensive vehicle knowing that I was going several states away to college.

No parent can stomach the thought of their child wandering around without a means of transportation, at least not the parents on Long Island. I grew up in an upper middle class neighborhood and went to school with kids whose first cars were brand new BMWs, Lexuses and Infinities. Therefore, it really was not a huge deal for my Dad to go the conservative route and purchase an Altima for me. I was thrilled nonetheless. Suddenly the roles were changed, and I could choose to let my younger brother (who had recently acquired his driver’s license but who was still without a vehicle) borrow my car. If I wanted to go for a run at one of the state parks, I didn’t have to wait for an opportunity or a time when either of my parents were free to take me. Instead, I could simply jump in my car and go.

My little Nissan Altima had a silver exterior and was the “sporty edition”. This simply meant that it had a 6-cd changer stereo system ( which was then a big deal) and a few other little features like a power sunroof. What I had added on after the fact was a rear spoiler for the back of the car as well as tinted windows. I remember thinking how awesome my little car looked. I couldn’t wait to get back to college so that I could personalize it with a few tasteful ‘bumper stickers’ that represented my college as well as my sport: cross country and track. You see, when I was growing up, because my father always drove a company car, we were never allowed to put anything personal on his car like bumper stickers; and even though my mother’s car was her own car, she never liked the idea of having bumper stickers on a vehicle because she thought it looked “silly” and cluttered.

I still remember that little car. I remember asking the car sales woman whether or not my car stereo would come with a tape player in it. I also remember being really disappointed when she told me that most vehicles were being manufactured without tape players in them. How much time has changed the cars that we drive!

Finding Mid South Rental Properties has become easier now. With the growing existence of Memphis house rentals, one can easily search for a rental property online in Memphis. There are some really good websites available online in this regard. These sites happen to be an extensive source for and about residential rental properties.  These sites help you access current data on all the residential rental properties in the Midsouth. They are a reliable destination for finding your dream home. You don’t have to look anywhere else to find Mid South rental properties. You simply have to choose a zip code, how much rent you want to pay, how many bedrooms you need and these sites will search the database, create a list and plot your search results on a map.




Your search for a rental home can lead you to online sites that cater to the interests and queries of the real estate seekers. You can get access to the largest database of the Midsouth rental properties. These sites help you make saved searches and get daily email alerts regarding new properties and rent changes. Some of these sites do not collect data about their users, nor place cookies in their computer. Browsing the whole site gives you a clear picture of whether you want to check out any other site to find your rental home.

Real estate sites related to Memphis Rental Properties explore many local and national websites, including local print media and property management websites for residential rental listings. For including the ad in their database it must have a particular address. At some of these sites, the tenant can have access to many properties annually. Currently, there are many Memphis rental properties available on these sites, everyday. 

After searching everywhere they have the knowledge of, they try to bring you the most complete database of properties that you’ll ever find. Their database is updated by their professional staff every day and this makes it possible for you to gain access to the most updated and complete list of available Mid South Rental Properties. 

Renting is rapidly altering the housing scenario. As you can imagine, foreclosures don’t look very interesting to owners of rentals, whether it is a house, an apartment or a condo. Same is applicable in the case of Memphis Apartment Rentals and Memphis Condo Rentals. Many people today are opting to live in the Midsouth rental homes as they provide luxury and comfort to the residents and the pleasant surroundings make you feel fresh always. It would be very regretful to not to visit the sites of Mid South Rental Properties. You can get your desired properties online in Memphis in just a fraction of a second. So, stop looking further and just log on to these sites. Click the mouse of your PC and it will get you closer to your dream home.

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The past month has been a whirlwind of
sight seeing, visiting family and friends and eating, lots of eating.

We arrived in London at the start of
August to stay with my cousin Kate and her fiancee Paddy. We had
almost a week there indulgining in those things we’d missed in south
east asia – baths, newspapers, doonas and being cold enough to wear
jeans. When plannning our first few days in the UK, most of the
things we wanted were to do with the food we’d missed in Asia –
roast dinner, spag bol, curry, fish and chips, etc…

Kate and Paddy beside Big Ben

When we weren’t eating we managed to
fit in the sights such as Big Ben, Tower of London, Greenwich,
changing of the guards,

a west end show, and even a night in Brighton
(unfortunately jet lag prevented us experiencing the legendary night
life and we were in bed by 9).

The weather was great and Louisa was
convinced all those people who had been warning her about English
weather were lying.

After London we headed to Oxford to
stay with my Auntie Adele and her family. It was good to get out of
the city and spend sometime relaxing, having a bbq and attempting to
punt. We got in a good walk around the countryside, pub meal, a look
around the university and the Harry Potter movie for a bit of
culture.

Auntie Adele and Uncle David

From one university town to another. We
headed to Cambridge after a few days to stay with my Uncle Tod and
his family. It was at this stage the English weather finally started
living up to its reputation. We saw the city in the rain, which is
probably the way it should be seen!

Tod also took us to Norwich, a very
pretty town, and Great Yarmouth, a very ugly town. Great Yarmouth is
an English seaside town. Unlike in Australia, where the beach is
enough for a seaside, the English add amuusement parks, jumping
castles, horse and carriage rides and bars along the road next to the
beach and even on the beach itself.

uncle Tod at Great yarmouth

Next stop was to visit my Nanna in
Matlock. We spent four days trapessing up and down the Derbyshire
Dales and surrounds. It was great to get back to my “second home”
and explore all the old areas, including the hotel I used to work at.

Nanna on the Derbyshire Dales

The next stop was Sheffield to visit
Jef, a friend from home. We had a few days exploring the city, and
its night life – including a pub quiz, where we lost almost as
badly as we do at home!

Pub lunch in Sheffield

It was great to get to see everyone
again and it seemed so strange to get back into the habit of
backpacking, but we weren’t on our own for long.

After Sheffield we headed to Edinburgh,
where Jo met us.

With Jo in Edinburgh

We had three nights in the middle of the city during
the Edinburgh Festival and we made the most of it. We saw some
brilliant acts including a musical improvisation group, Facebook the
musical and some great stand up comics. It was very hard to leave
Edinburgh!

The Fringe Festival

Inverness was next, where Jo left us
for a week and we explored Loch Ness for a day, but didn’t find the
monster.

After a day we flew to Dublin to meet Malcolm and Leanne,
Louisa’s parents.

Inverness was cold but Ireland was even
colder. I kept thinking I should return to Ireland in summer, until I
realised August is summer there…. I wore my scarf, jumper and
raincoat most days, some days I even put on my thermal top! But we
deicided the scenery was best viewed when it was cloudy, to keep it
authentic.

Beautiful Irish scenery

We had a day looking aruond Dublin at
churches, the castle, a walk along Temple Bar and the Liffey. In the
evenning we saw an Irish dancing and music show while eating Irish
stew. The next day we hired a car and headed south.

Our car

We spent about 4
days driving around and saw just about everything south of Dublin. It
was a great trip and good to see Louisa’s parents again too.

On to Europe main next for 2 months.

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Toyota the plug-in naysayer?

During a period of more than 3 years Toyota tested about 150 lithium-powered plug-in Prius hybrids – a fleet still larger than GM’s current Chevy Volt fleet – logging more than 1 million real world miles in almost every type of driving condition imaginable. The lithium batteries used proved safe and reliable, but still cost-ineffective.

Next month, Toyota will produce another 350 plug-in hybrids, followed by another 150 early next year, for further testing. This time however, the goal isn’t based on safety and reliability. Instead, Toyota’s new goal is to provide the most cost-effective plug-in hybrid package based on real world driving needs and conditions.

Over the last few years Toyota has claimed that they would produce plug-in hybrids as soon as the technology was ready, and for Toyota ‘ready’ means cost-effective in addition to safe and reliable. Coincidentally, Toyota knows a little something about the cost-effectiveness of new technologies.

Today, about 70 – 80 percent of new car customers are interested in purchasing hybrid cars, a segment dominated by Toyota. With such high interest, why is market share still only about 3 percent? According to consumer surveys it all boils down to costs, and consumer surveys on plug-in hybrids tell a similar story.

So, why is Toyota bashed for stating the obvious?

Finish: When did Toyota pull the plug on plug-in hybrids?

see also….

1. Smart: And hybrids are expensive?

   Is it really that cute?Are hybrid cars cost-effective? That depends, but compared to the new Smart ForTwo Highstyle, I’d say hybrids like the Toyota Prius are a fantastic deal.According to reports, the ForTwo Highstyle will begin at $22,461 for the 71-hp version.I guess at that cost, a hybrid version is out of the question. …

2. Time to get real about hybrids and plug-ins

   All about the dead Presidents? Several months ago, a JD Power survey found that, despite declining gas prices, more than 70 percent of Americans were interested in buying hybrid cars. More than 40 percent of that 70 percent indicated they would pay as much as $5000.00 more for a hybrid.At the time, however, hybrid sales [...]…

3. Mercedes believes hybrids next big thing

   A Mercedes hybrid at NAIASWhile small city EVs are just around the corner, EVs with range similar to today’s vehicles are still 20 years away according to Thomas Weber, the research and development boss of Mercedes-Benz.Thus, Mercedes will continue to work on EV technologies, but the short term focus will be on improving conventional technologies, [...]…

4. Toyota iQ Concept, Tiny But Brilliant

   Besides the fairly obvious trend of being green, another theme of this year’s Frankfurt auto show is downsizing. Earlier this week we saw the unveiling of the rear-engined, rear-wheel drive micro-compact Volkswagen Up!. But the Up! won’t go unchallenged for the most innovative form of city-friendly transportation around, especially not since the unveiling of the [...]…

5. Suzuki makes Swift move to plug-in hybrids

   Another series hybridSuzuki is bringing the Swift plug-in hybrid to the Tokyo Auto Show.Not a lot of details have been released so far, other than the fact that the Swift plug-in hybrid is a lithium-powered series hybrid. …

6. Gassy: Making sense of Fisker plug-in hype

   The Model T of the plug-in hybrid?There has been a ton of news about Fisker Automotive in the last several days. I guess being connected to the VP of the US is a pretty smart move, especially when the government is doling out $50 billion in fuel efficient loans and other grants, etc. these days [...]…

7. Report: Plug-ins would increase CO2 emissions in England

   It all keeps coming up dirty coalAre plug-in hybrids the key to global warming?Absolutely not if coal is the source of plug-in electricity.However, could coal-powered plug-in hybrids help reduce CO2 emissions as other clean technologies are added as power-generation sources?That largely depends upon where one lives and a number of the factors, including whom you [...]…

8. Nissan, Fed Ex ask gov for $124 billion for plug-ins

   The Nissan Leaf electric vehicleA group calling itself the Electrification Coalition, led by Nissan and Federal Express, is asking for the government to spend $128 billion over 8 years to help make electricity the fuel of cars.The EV group “is urging Congress to pass a series of tax credits and loan guarantees to help bring [...]…

9. Small, Toyota Prius-fighting GM hybrids still a possibility

   GM’s hybrid story still developing Sure, the Chevy Volt is the poster child for GM’s clean and green efforts. And, even though GM doesn’t like to call the Volt a hybrid, the Volt is also GM’s marquee hybrid. But that doesn’t mean GM’s hybrid story is anywhere near the end. Yesterday, I learned that GM isn’t just [...]…

10. Mercedes-Benz Vision S500 Plug-In Hybrid Concept Vehicle To Debut At IAA In Frankfurt

    Shortly after the successful market launch of the S 400 HYBRID, currently the most fuel-efficient luxury-segment saloon with a petrol engine, Mercedes-Benz will be presenting the first ?three-litre car? in the premium class – the Vision S 500 Plug-in HYBRID – at the 63rd IAA in Frankfurt. The technology vehicle will display the future of [...]…

Walking into the super sleek lobby of Hotel Gault in Montreal, I was secretly excited to be greeted in French by the gentleman at the front desk. I have always hoped I look French… but unfortunately for me the charade was up about two seconds later as I realized I barely knew any French, and had to come up with a response to his greeting.

“Do you by chance speak English?” I said, as I gave a smile. Of course he did! Thank goodness.

It is always a bit intimidating arriving in a new city that doesn’t speak your language, but I was quickly put at ease by the incredibly friendly and gracious staff at Hotel Gault.

After checking in, I took the lift up to the fourth floor and found my room. I couldn’t help but grin as I walked in and heard French classical/jazz music playing – I really was in Montreal!

Delicious gourmet chocolates awaited me at my modern desk near the door, along with a water bottle and the weather report for the next day. Minus four degrees Celsius with sun.

Not bad for a winter’s day in Montreal.

Warm spotlights lit up my large, minimalist room, highlighting its incredible features from the luxurious and low-sitting, heather grey FLOU? bed, with custom-made linens, the white-oak paneling of my closets, two enormous windows, the sexy polished concrete flooring with oversized contemporary rug and the oh-so-glorious bathroom.

Let’s pause a moment and talk about this bathroom. It was one of the best aspects of the room in my opinion; think open concept with a private closet for the toilet, a stall shower with glass door, a pristine free-standing white porcelain tub fit for two, and heated flooring. C’est magnifique!

But let’s not stop there. The 30-room boutique hotel in Montreal is actually housed in a former textile warehouse, revitalized into an inviting space with a warm, innovative design. The lobby boasts impressive art by Lorraine Joannette and leads to a bright eating and lounge area.

A full breakfast is served here every morning, and is included in your room rate. And yes, it was a delicious spread. Other delicious meals and drinks can be enjoyed here as well until 3 a.m.! Walk a bit further and you’ll hit the cozy library/living room area, where you can enjoy a quiet and relaxing moment with a vast array of literature or you can peruse the DVD selection to rent from and bring up to your room.

Hotel Gault is located in the heart of Old Montreal’s booming West End. This means staying here is a treat because you are within walking distance to countless art galleries and cafes, cute restaurants, boutique shops, Square Victoria metro station, the Saint Laurent River, an outdoor skating rink, horse carriage rides…the list goes on.

I enjoyed staying at this hotel so much that I had to coax myself into leaving so that I could see the rest of Montreal.

If you’re traveling for business or leisure, this incredible property is guaranteed to be the icing on the cake.

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