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| North America |
| The North America Forum :: Ask us a Question! |
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North America :: Going to Monument Valley, and want to know a good place to stay? Moving to Boston, and want to know the average cost of groceries and rent? Wondering about the weather in Mexico? Want to learn more about what's happening in Ottawa? Here is the place to discuss issues of interest to North Americans, and inquire about tourist destinations in North America. Ask us a Question!
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| Getting up and Moving away |
Posted by Johnmg on May, 13. :: 6 Comments
I live near rochester ny, How many people have lived in or near Rochester and what did you think of the area??
If you moved away are you glad you did it, and would you recommend the place you moved to?
How were you able to pack things up and move?
suggestions on starting a new life some where are welcomed lol
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| Wine Tour; Mendocino, CA |
Posted by Gargamel on May, 08. :: 13 Comments
Gang,
In late October my shawty and I will spend five glorious days in Mendocino, California--Anderson Valley, specifically--tasting wine and spending quailty time outdoors and in general being all in love and shit. We have reservations at a cozy inn, and I have just secured a ridiculously sexy Chevrolet Cobalt (thanks, Alamo!). Only one of these days will be a hardcore travel day. Another of them we would like to spend on the coast, watching whales leap through rainbows.
At least two days shall be dedicated to visiting at least two wineries. There is one vineyard I have decided I like: Husch. It is small, picturesque, and picnic-friendly. I would prefer that the other vineyard(s) we visit contrast to this one; they would be more organized and tour-oriented, pandering to visitors. In short, I want the quiet, "authentic," DIY experience on one hand, and the bloated American tourist experience on the other. Perhaps there is even a happy medium.
Are any of you familiar with the area and its vineyards? Which do you recommend? What other attractions and experiences might be of interest? Thanks as usual for your responses. In return I can only offer the usual: penis jokes and digressions about underground hip hop.
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| What am I expected to do after receiving a graduation card? |
Posted by Bohne on May, 08. :: 11 Comments
Yesterday we received a graduation card from my husband's (and I suppose my) niece.
I have never met her, never heard from her.
I think my husband has seen her as a baby, before her parents split up.
Now we get this printed card with two photographs but without any personal notes in it. Not even a signature.
Is this just something you do, and don't expect anything?
Is it an attempt to get in touch with family?
Or are we expected to send a gift?
With my husband gone, I have no idea!
I quite like the idea, that she just wants some contact, but would there not be at least a handwritten sentence?
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| More bad news for Canadian Forestry |
Posted by dadpad on May, 08. :: 1 Comment
800 more mill workers out of work in B.C.
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Another 800 mill workers in B.C. are about to lose their jobs as two more pulp mills — in Mackenzie in the Central Interior and Nanaimo on Vancouver Island — are shut down.
Mill owners Pope & Talbot Inc.said the closure will be effective immediately after creditors refused to extend financing for the company in bankruptcy court.
The job losses add to the troubles already facing what was once the province's most important industry.
Industry officials estimate 10,000 B.C. forestry workers have lost their jobs through mill shutdowns, down-time and lay-offs brought on by the downturn in the U.S. housing market over the past year.
http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2008/05/06/bc-mackenzie-nanaimo-mill-layoffs.html
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| Shutdowns,layoffs hit largest West Coast forest company |
Posted by dadpad on May, 02. :: 8 Comments
Western Forest Products closes most of its logging operations as demand drops.
Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, April 30, 2008
he West Coast's largest forest company, Western Forest Products, announced Tuesday it is shutting down most of its logging operations and laying off more than 800 loggers and contractors as demand for wood products continues to tumble world-wide.
Logging is to shut down at the end of next week so the forest company can bring its log inventories in line with its lumber orders, Western's chief operating officer Duncan Kerr said Tuesday.
The reason is not just the U.S. housing collapse any more, Kerr said. Lumber that once fed U.S. homebuilders is now being diverted to other markets around the world, leading to a global erosion in demand.
"Even if you drop your price, you are still not going to sell any more wood," he said.
Only last week, Western announced it was shutting down its Ladysmith sawmill due to falling demand for commodity lumber.
Most of the new layoffs are to hit operations on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. Logging will continue only in operations that are harvesting mostly high-valued species, like cedar, where demand remains strong.
Kerr said the curtailments are entirely market-related. Western can't sell enough lumber to justify its logging harvest.
"We have maintained sufficient logging to cover the lumber orders we have at this time."
Western is laying off 220 of its own logging employees, as well as many of its logging contractors. The exact number of people affected was not clear Tuesday, but Dave Lewis, executive director of the Truck Loggers Association, said a quick tally put the number at more than 800.
Lewis termed the layoffs devastating for families and coastal communities. Logging contractors are just in the process of returning to work after a winter of abnormally heavy snowfall. A shut-down now, when they are desperate for revenue, is likely to push some of them out of business, he said.
"This is bad," Lewis said. "When a company like WFP, which controls 43 per cent of coastal Crown forests, runs into trouble and is forced to curtail operations to this degree, the number of people who are affected is astounding.
"This will have an impact on the entire Vancouver Island economy."
The layoffs are not permanent, Kerr said. Western wants to return to the woods during June to rebuild log inventories before fire season shuts the wood down again in August.
Lewis said the on-and-off logging will push contractors, who must finance their equipment and carry high overhead costs, into dire financial straits. They will not have enough time to recoup their losses from this shutdown before the woods are closed for fire season.
"But this is no time for the contracting community to be taking shots at Western. Obviously they are in trouble and it's up to us and the government to support them wherever possible."
He said loggers are concerned that Victoria could make the situation worse by considering a plan to take timber back from Western in the Queen Charlotte Islands without compensating the company under a seldom-used clause in the company's forest licences.
That would accelerate the Western's plight and harm the contractors who rely on it, Lewis said. "No one wants to see Western go under. We need to see the government demonstrate support.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=1d0dc9b6-3c22-41d5-9e48-911c8fb29257
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