Favorite Link Friday April 1, 2016 - P.O.W. Report

Friday, April 1, 2016

Favorite Link Friday April 1, 2016

Kodiak chefs star in new reality show about Bush catering


A family-run catering business that specializes in remote Alaska meals is getting its own reality TV show.

“Alaska’s Wild Gourmet” premieres on the Outdoor Channel at 7 p.m. Saturday, according to a press release from the network.

The show follows Sherri Ewing, the owner of Kodiak’s Red Hot Cooking catering company; her son, Le Cordon Bleu-trained head chef Bradley; and daughter, Amy. According to a show trailer, “for years, this family has been creating five-star meals, harvesting the bounty from nature’s forgotten grocery store.” Episodes cover everything from “beach banquets to mountain meals” and then some, according to a press release.

“Passionate about creating meals made entirely from locally foraged, fished and farmed ingredients, the cast of ‘Alaska’s Wild Gourmet’ braves the most secluded corners of the Alaskan bush, endures the ever-changing weather, and even risks encounters with deadly animals in the first season’s eight episodes,” the press release notes. “And things get saucy from the very beginning.” [Source

Bill would let communities fund ferry service directly


On Thursday, Kito’s House Bill 292 received its first hearing in the House Transportation Committee. A simple piece of legislation, it consists of only one line of text, stating that communities will be allowed to contribute money to keep the Marine Highway running.

“My hope is we’ll make the marine highway system more effective and efficient throughout the state,” Kito said.

He said he envisions the contribution as nonbinding. If a community gives $1 million, it shouldn’t expect to get $1 million more in service from the ferry system. It also wouldn’t be a “pay to play” system where communities would be penalized for not contributing.

“I would anticipate that the department would be able to utilize the funds in a way that it saw would benefit the Marine Highway System,” Kito said.

Even if it’s not enough to improve service, a contribution could do something like restore onboard naturalists to the ferries or ensure special service for particular events or series of events.

HB 292 remains in the House Transportation Committee. [Source] 

'First Time in Human History': People 65 and Older Will Outnumber Children Under 5


Sometime in the next four years the global population of human beings who are 65 and older will surpass those under 5 for the first time, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau.

“These two age groups will then continue to grow in opposite directions,” it says. “By 2050, the proportion of the population 65 and older (15.6 percent) will be more than double that of children under age 5 (7.2 percent).

“The main demographic force behind population aging is declining fertility rates,” says the Census Bureau report. “Populations with high fertility tend to have a young age distribution with a high proportion of children and a low proportion of older people, while those with low fertility have the opposite, resulting in an older society.”

“In many countries today, the total fertility rate (TFR) has fallen below the 2.1 children that a couple needs to replace themselves,” says the report. “In 2015, the TFR is near or below replacement levels in all world regions except Africa.”

“Thus new challenges arise: Who will provide help and care to the childless older people?” they write. “On what support networks can they rely? And, what role does the state play in care provision?” [Source

Fake service animals would be criminalized under a bill that just passed the Colorado House


Fake service animals would be criminalized under a bill that just passed the Colorado House Bill's sponsor compares faking service animals to parking in a handicap parking space

Kyle Walpole of Evergreen uses his service dog, Matilda, as a second pair of ears.

Matilda went through two years of extensive training that taught her how to handle herself in public settings. She also learned specific behaviors to help Walpole with his hearing impairment, like nudging him when the phone rings, letting him know when his name was called and alerting him to the sound of a crying baby.

It has taken decades, Walpole said, for service animals to be respected and understood by society. He fears any trust that has developed is in the process of crumbling due to posers who slap a vest and phony credential on their animal to sneak it into restaurants, shops and other public places.

A bill that just passed the Colorado House seeks to make it a crime for folks intentionally to misrepresent a pet as a service animal for their benefit.

Rep. Daniel Kagan, an Arapahoe County Democrat who is sponsoring the bill, explained that it would make the offense punishable in the same way that taking a disabled parking space is punishable — a $33 surcharge plus a fine of:

• $350 to $1,000 for a first offense;

• $600 to $1,000 for a second offense;

• $1,000 to $5,000 and up to 10 hours of community service for a third or subsequent offense. [Source
I support this 100% and hope that Alaska will do this in the future! 

Video of the Week


Quote of the Week 

"Were you to live three thousand years, or even thirty thousand, remember that the sole life which a man can lose is that which he is living at the moment...he can have no other life than the one he loses. For the passing minute is every man's equal possession, but what has once gone by is not ours."-Marcus Aurelius

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Search