Starbucks Coffee celebrate their 25th year in Canada

Photo by Starbucks.ca

In 1987, Starbucks Coffee opened their first store outside Seattle in Vancouver, BC. Tomorrow June 12, 2012 Tuesday at Starbucks Coffee, you can buy one tall brewed coffee for only 25cents (too bad it's only until 11:00am), for celebrating their 25th anniversary in Canada.   Go and enjoy the 25 cents coffee :)

Photo by Starbucks.ca

From Starbucks Coffee website:

"Celebrating these moments is part of Starbucks 25th Anniversary here in BC. It is your story that makes us who we are.

To our partners and customers in Vancouver, B.C. and across Canada, thank you for your support and sharing so many happy memories. "

Some Starbucks Coffee story if you are interested.

Source: Starbucks Coffee

Very interesting song Baba Yetu (Lord’s Prayer) by Christopher Tin

Last Sunday, I learned a new song Baba Yetu that presented by my church English choir. Even though I had no idea what they are trying to sing because this song sang in Swahili, a African's language, I still really like this song.  With relax and happy rhythm, all different instruments and great voices, English choir sang it so great, and they are very talented. Since I don't know what they were singing, I did some research about this song. I was very surprised on my finding.

1. Baba Yetu sings in Swahili, so more likely the composer comes from African. However, I am wrong. He's a American born Chinese Christopher Tin. His parents are from Hong Kong.
2. Baba Yetu is a theme song for one of the famous video games Civilization IV.
3. Baba Yetu is a first video game song received Grammy award for "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)" from 53rd Grammy Awards in 2011.

Baba Yetu, Swahili translation of the Lord’s Prayer.

Swahili	English
"Baba Yetu"
Baba yetu, Yetu uliye Mbinguni yetu, Yetu amina! Baba yetu Yetu uliye Fu jina lako litukuzwe. Utupe leo chakula chetu Tunachohitaji utusamehe Makosa yetu, hey! Kama nasi tunavyowasamehe Waliotukosea usitutie Katika majaribu, lakini Utuokoe, na yule, muovu e milele! Ufalme wako ufike utakalo Lifanyike duniani kama mbinguni. (Amina)	Our Father, Jesus who art in Heaven. Amen! Our Father, Jesus Hallowed be thy name. Give us this day our daily bread, Forgive us of our trespasses As we forgive others Who trespass against us Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one forever. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done On Earth as it is in Heaven. (Amen)

Official Music Video - Baba Yetu

This is a music Fountain from Dubai, and they did a good job by matching the song. 

Climbing a 25 ft Building VS Climbing a 1768 ft Transmission Tower

access ladder

Last year, I got a chance to climb a 25 ft building by using the outside standard access ladder (see picture).  I should point out that I fear of height, and I have never climbed this kind of ladder before. I did it because it was a great chance to overcome my comfort zone and experience people who work with the heights. I really admired people that have the courage to work at height. 

This experience brought me back to this video. It's very scary when I first watched it. I didn't understand how people can do this. First, they have to no fear of extreme heights. Second, they have to no fear of death. At the last part of video, they were free climbing which means no fall protection at all. What if the case that there's strong wind when they climb. What if the case that there's lighting when they climb. What if the case that some birds try to attack them. They have no where to go. This video only shows the climbing up part. What about the climbing down. Maybe they can wear a parachute, but after watching couple more times, I don't think parachute is a good idea. To begin with, each of the workers has to wear basic personal protection equipment and hang a tool bag which weight 30 lbs. If they bring the parachute with them, it is definitely an extra burden for them to complete the job safely.   Climbing up is hard. I think climbing down is even harder. 

  

Usually, if you are in high risk job, you will get high pay. I was surprised that transmission/communication tower climber only earn an average $75,000 annual salary, but it may be because they only work three or four days a week. According to ISP planet, climbers often charge $1,500 or more a day plus additional insurance fees or charging $295 per hour. In United State, the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries from 2006 didn't even list cell phone tower workers as a separate category. Cell phone tower work is such a small sub-industry, which means the number of deaths somewhat minimal. In 2006, the death ratio of cell phone workers was 183.6 deaths for every 100,000 workers. 

If you paid me $75,000 to climb 1768 feet tower for once, thanks, I am not going to do it.


Source: Switched.com

Radioactive Seawater Impact Map by ASR ltd.

My friend post the picture of radioactive Seawater Impact regarding to Japan Earthquake back from 2011. I found the whole article regarding to the picture from ASR ltd. It looks like the radioactive seawater heading to Hawii very soon. Then to west side of Canada and US. Some said human is smart, but when you look at the map, I don't think so. What can we do? How do we stop it? This article mention that the contaminated radioactive substances will eventually climb up to food chain. 

When we hurt our nature, the nature will response. Should we be more responsible to our nature.  We can start with 3R - Recycle Reuse Reduce

Article from ASR ltd - Fukushima Radioactive Seawater Plume dispersal simulation

We use a Lagrangian particles dispersal method to track where free floating material (fish larvae, algae, phytoplankton, zooplankton...) present in the sea water near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station plant could have gone since the earthquake on March 11th. THIS IS NOT A REPRESENTATION OF THE RADIOACTIVE PLUME CONCENTRATION. Since we do not know exactly how much contaminated water and at what concentration was released into the ocean, it is impossible to estimate the extent and dilution of the plume. However, field monitoring by TEPCO showed concentration of radioactive Iodine and Cesium higher than the legal limit during the next two months following the event (with a peak at more than 100 Bq/cm3 early April 2011 for I-131 as shown by the following picture).

Source: TEPCO

Assuming that a part of the passive biomass could have been contaminated in the area, we are trying to track where the radionuclides are spreading as it will eventually climb up the food chain. The computer simulation presented here is obtained by continuously releasing particles at the site during the 2 months folllowing the earthquake and then by tracing the path of these particles. The dispersal model is ASR's Pol3DD. The model is forced by hydrodynamic data from theHYCOM/NCODA system which provides on a weekly basis, daily oceanic current in the world ocean. The resolution in this part of the Pacific Ocean is around 8km x 8km cells. We are treating only the sea surface currents. The dispersal model keeps a trace of their visits in the model cells. The results here are expressed in number of visit per surface area of material which has been in contact at least once with the highly concentrated radioactive water.

100 years old almost got a speed ticket in Victoria

I know Victoria is a perfect place for retirement, and many health seniors live in Victoria. If someone told me a 80 years old lady or man driving on the road, I think that is a little bit too heavy for them, but it still doable. I have never thought that 100 years old man still driving on the street, and he may pass by me or follow me when I drive on the street. My friend told me there was a 100 years old man almost got a speed ticket in Victoria/ Saanich few days ago. The most interesting part is the 100 years old man just got a renewal for another 5 years. At this moment, he still has flawless driving record. He must be a very good driver, of course with a very healthy body. I found the news from Saanich News and Victoria Times Colonist. 

Saanich News

A centenarian driver still has a spotless driving record after being issued a warning ticket when he was caught speeding in a school zone Tuesday afternoon.

The 100-year-old man was clocked driving his Buick Century 50 km/h in the 5000-block of Cordova Bay Rd.

Saanich police Sgt. Dean Jantzen said the traffic safety unit officer “wasn’t about to wreck his perfect driving record,” and issued him a warning.

Despite school not being in session on Tuesday, due to the teachers’ strike, Jantzen said there are reasonable expectations that children will be at school, and school zone speed limits are still in effect.

Victoria Times Colonist
It took 100 years for one Saanich man to tarnish his perfect record.
The centenarian was stopped for speeding in a school zone Tuesday, a shock to a Saanich traffic office when she saw the 1911 birthdate on a driver's licence, which was good for another five years. The traffic officer pulled over the 100-year-old driver in a Buick Century when he was spotted going 50 kilometers an hour in a school zone, where the limit is 30 kilometers an hour. The man had a flawless driving record, so the traffic officer gave him a warning ticket.
"I was shocked, not only at the 100 years of age, but the brand new five-year renewal driver licence," said Const. Janice Carmena.

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