text:
NEWS ARCHIVES - ARTICLES The Week That Was
Top 5 World Championship Storylines
Posted in The Week That Was on August 7, 2015
By Brian David-Marshall
Bio Archive Twitter
Brian David-Marshall is a New York–based game designer who has been involved with Magic since 1994, when he started organizing tournaments and ran a Manhattan game store. Since then, he has been a judge, a player, and one of the longest-tenured columnists on DailyMTG.com, as he enters his second decade writing for the site. He is also the Pro Tour Historian and one of the commentators for the Pro Tour.
Five Times for Thommo | Four for Four | Three-peat Champion?
Heads Up! | First Time's the Charm? | July Player of the Month
As we headed into the semifinals of Pro Tour Magic Origins, there were still multiple World Championship slots in play. The Player of the Year title race was still in flux, as were multiple At-Large berths—and there was, of course, the whole matter of the Pro Tour winner's berth to be determined. Once Sweden's Joel Larsson struck the last point of damage to the United States' Mike Sigrist, the World Championship picture finally became clear.
The post-Pro Tour victory obligations for the tournament winner can be a whirlwind, as the player comes to the Newsdesk, goes back to talk to Nico-Nico, gets interviewed for Walking the Planes, gets whisked away by a Pro Tour photographer extraordinaire for his trophy shot, and then comes back as the tournament is being disassembled around him to provide some insight into playing Red Deck Wins Again for Friday Night Countdown. There was barely a moment for him to think about anything other than the fact that he had won the Pro Tour, and to remember to lug his trophy from one location to the next. We finally released him from the carousel, sent him off to his friends waiting to celebrate with him (read: waiting for him to pay for dinner), and said "See you in a couple of weeks at the World Championship."
You could see the gears working in his head for a couple of seconds as it suddenly sunk in that the next two weeks would be a repeat of the preparation he had just gone through for the Pro Tour, as he had earned one of 24 precious berths at the World Championship to be held at PAX Prime. He obviously knew that winning the Pro Tour meant he would get to play in the tournament, since we had talked about it before the Top 8 started, but he had not yet grasped the fact that it loomed so large on the horizon.
#5 Five Times for Thommo?
Three of the people waiting for Joel Larsson were Magic Online Champion Magnus Lantto, World Magic Cup Champion Martin Müller, and Pro Tour Dragons of Tarkir Champion Martin Dang, who will all be playing in the event as well and will be playtesting with Larsson, just like they did for this event—as members of Team Thommo. We have talked about a lot of the super teams throughout this season, but Team Thommo has been putting up winner after winner throughout the year. They have now had team members win the last two Pro Tours with hyper aggressive (but very different) red decks. When Magnus Lantto won the Magic Online Championship, he did so with some very innovative and effective decks in each format. Martin Müller will be one of the youngest players in the field, but he proved himself unflappable in last year's World Magic Cup, when his team managed to pull off one of the greatest comeback victories in recent memory with the timeliest of Duneblasts.
Joel Larsson
Normally we would be focused on members of Pantheon, ChannelFireball, or—more recently—Team Ultra Pro, but if you look at the mantle in the Team Thommo clubhouse, it is lined with hardware—and all of it's from this season. With them making up one sixth of the field and half the season's Pro Tour trophy winners, I am going to be leading off with them on my list of decks to check out during the early rounds of the World Championship.
#4 Four for Four
In this current elite-field incarnation of the Magic World Championship, only one player will have appeared in all four tournaments. Yuuya Watanabe of Japan won the Player Championship in 2012. The tournament was renamed the World Championship one season later and he has been qualified for the tournament every single year since. Josh Utter-Leyton ended the season a couple of Pro Points shy of joining him in this elite club, so now only Watanabe remains.
Yuuya Watanabe, the only four-time World Championship competitor.
It is a testament to his ridiculous consistency at the highest level of the game that he continually rises to the top of the end-of-year standings. He has won Rookie of the Year, multiple Player of the Year titles, and seven Grand Prix in his career. He can also become the second player to win this tournament twice in just a couple of weeks.
When you look at this elite field and see the experience level of the players, with their various trophies and Platinum membership cards to the Pro Player's Club, you would not expect them to be at all intimidated by any other opponents. But when the field was asked if there was any player in last year's World Championship tournament that they did not want to face in a crucial situation, the name most often mentioned was Yuuya Watanabe.
#3 Three-peat Champion?
Obviously, this is the predominant storyline going into the World Championship in Seattle. Can Israel's Shahar Shenhar win his third World Championship in three seasons? For the last two years, the now 21-year-old Shenhar has won the tournament in dream-crushing fashion. During the 2013 tournament, the storybook ending had Reid Duke winning the whole tournament after finishing dead last the year before. Duke was unstoppable throughout the event and his Boggles deck (an unexpected Green-White Auras strategy) seemed poised to help him write the final chapter. Still a teenager at the time, Shenhar was unfazed by talk of storybooks and took down the title even after falling into a two-game hole in the best-of-five finals.
Shahar Shenhar, two-time World Champion
A year later, Shahar was playing storybook spoiler once again. After winning Pro Tour Born of the Gods, Patrick Chapin explained that the Pro Tour was just his qualifier tournament for the World Championship and that was the only thing he was focused on. Chapin was able to follow through on that storyline all the way through to the finals and was on the brink of having his 20-year dream of being World Champion fulfilled—but a 20-year-old was standing in his way. Having already dispatched Yuuya Watanabe, the only other person to win this tournament, in the semifinals, Shenhar wrote his name in the history books as the first two-time World Champion in the history of the game.
Is it time for Shenhar's own storybook run in this tournament to come to an end, or will he be writing a sequel with an unprecedented third straight World Championship trophy?
#2 Heads Up!
By advancing to the finals of Pro Tour Magic Origins, Mike Sigrist managed to squeeze past Player of the year frontrunner Eric Froehlich for not only the PoY title but also the captaincy of the US National team at the World Magic Cup later this year. Froehlich was gracious in defeat and very complimentary of Sigrist, an old-school player for whom he professes tremendous respect. It's hard to be anything but respectful considering Sigrist's season, which saw him win a pair of Grand Prix and make the Top 8 in two Pro Tours after being away from the competitive Magic spotlight for several years.
Mike Sigrist
Eric Froehlich, who was just elected to the Pro Tour Hall of Fame, won a GP and played in the fourth Pro Tour Top 8 of his career this season. The two players ended up ranked No. 1 and No. 2 going into the new season, and they will have a chance to jockey for that top position with their finishes at the World Championship. They are teammates on the ChannelFireball/Face2Face Games conglomerate, and will almost certainly work together to prepare—which makes any potential matchups between them more interesting.
Eric Froehlich
#1 First Time's the Charm?
That's what half the field for the World Championship is hoping. Twelve players will be competing in this event for the first time. All four of our Pro Tour Champions (Ari Lax, Antonio del Moral León, Martin Dang, and Joel Larsson), Magic Online Champion Magnus Lantto, World Magic Cup Champion team captain Martin Müller, and Player of the Year Mike Sigrist are all first-timers in the elite-field World Championship. Joining them as first-timers are Americans Steve Rubin, Seth Manfield, and Brad Nelson, European Ondrej Strasky, and Brazil's Thiago Saporito.
I am intrigued by the American contingent of Lax, Rubin, Manfield, and Nelson, who all worked together in various permutations throughout the season as members of what would ultimately become known as Team Lux. Steve Rubin in particular stands out as someone who had a quiet Platinum season—if that is somehow possible—without any Pro Tour Top 8s, but he was mentioned repeatedly as the man behind decks that carried Ari Lax to a Pro Tour title and Seth Manfield into the Top 8 of Pro Tour Fate Reforged.
That makes two teams of four players competing in their first World Championship, including the aforementioned Team Thommo. Both teams have put up fantastic results and built great decks, and they combine to make up a third of the field. They seem poised to put a first-time competitor into the finals for what I can only assume will be a storybook gone horribly awry when they lose to Shahar Shenhar.
July Player of the Month
It is time to help me decide who will win the Player of the Month honors for July. It was a sparse month for Grand Prix competition, with a couple of weeks getting boxed out by the Prerelease festivities for Magic Origins, and as such there are only three clear candidates:
Italy's Claudio Bonanni won Grand Prix Lille playing Miracles in Legacy, and had to get past a Hall of Famer to claim the trophy. Bonanni faced Olivier Ruel in the finals, who was playing in the 28th Grand Prix Top 8 of his career. Bonanni was the front-runner throughout most of the tournament, and did not slow down once he got to the Top 8.
The United States' Mike Sigrist ended the Pro Tour season the same way he started it—with a Grand Prix victory that led into a Pro Tour Top 8 finish. Sigrist's GP win in Montreal, playing his signature 40-card decks, was a big piece of what allowed him to leapfrog so many players and ultimately become the 2014-15 Player of the Year.
Pro Tour Hall of Famer Shuhei Nakamura won a slice of history at Grand prix Dallas/Fort Worth, where he became only the third player to win seven Grand Prix titles in a career. The other two players? Hall of Famer Kai Budde and soon-to-be-eligible for the Hall of Fame Yuuya Watanabe. Nakamura drafted a solid, if not spectacular, deck in the Top 8 of the event and used it to run roughshod over his opponents.
I need your help deciding which one of these three players will earn the title. Is it the player who defeated a Hall of Famer in the finals? How about the player who needed the win to put himself in a position to become the Player of the Year? What about the Hall of Famer who elevated himself to an elite class of players at the GP level? You can tell me who you think it should be by using the hashtag #MTGPoM and tweeting at @Top8Games or @MagicProTour with your choice for the honor.
What are you most looking forward to seeing at the World Championship? Let me know on Twitter @Top8Games. Tune in next week, when we take a deeper look at the young career of the two-time World Champion.
An Electrifying First Look at Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Wizards of the Coast
Light it up with what you need to know before Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty arrives February 18, 2022.
CARD IMAGE GALLERY
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Variants Wizards of the Coast
The Card Image Gallery is updated each day following the latest card previews. Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty releases on February 18, 2022.
Secret Lair Wants to Know: What's Your Sign? Wizards of the Coast
Are you influenced by celestial bodies? Express that cosmic sensibility with these Secret Lair drops!
Latest The Week That Was Articles
THE WEEK THAT WAS
Five Formats in the New Year by, Brian David-Marshall
Two-Headed Giant | Booster Draft | ModernStandard | Canadian Highlander | Player of the Month The sweet sound of Oath of the Gatewatch packs getting cracked will make its way around th...
Oath of Nissa by, Brian David-Marshall
Do you remember back when blue got all the fun toys? Now, you might think I am talking about cards like Force of Will or Control Magic, but I am actually thinking a little smaller—a lot s...
The Week That Was Archive


Back in February 2013, 200m2 built a special display housing to showcase 'Princess', the world's first narrow gauge steam engine. Princess was returning to London for the first time in 150 years and went on display at London's Paddington station to mark her 150th anniversary.
For her return to London, the Ffestiniog railway commissioned 200m2 to design and build a temporary structure around Princess to showcase this marvel of 18th century engineering. 200m2 built a structure around Princess using its X- 20 TRUSSwire gantry system. High quality exhibition panel displays were then produced to hang from the structure to create a visual presence befitting a 150th birthday.
The exhibition was so popular, the Ffestiniog railway were invited to return to London Paddington again this year. For the new display, F&WHR chose to display its new £250,000 luxury observation carriage, built to mark the 150th anniversary of passenger services on the Ffestiniog Railway.
Sir Peter Hendy CBE, Commissioner of Transport for London visited Paddington Station to examine the new carriage. Sir Peter presented F&WHR General Manager Paul Lewin and Chairman Dr John Prideaux with a London Transport roundel and in exchange received a replica of one of the hand-carved wooden dragons that adorn the interior of the new carriage.
The carriage will be on display at London Paddington station on Platforms 8&9 until the end of June. To find out more about the display materials used to create this exhibition stand, call us on +44 20 3332 0092. Photos courtesy of Chris Parry.


Yeaaaaah... he's mad. And has 4 arms. Huh. I doubt that means anything. I mean, it's not like that means anything. Right?
So he was playing for sympathy?
@DarkwingDork: Ahh. Is he actually free from the lamp, or is he just saying the words for effect, cause she wasn't holding the lamp at the time.
For my next trick I will change my pants!
I'm pretty sure he just wants to give big, big hugs.
Yup. That's his unleashing. Hug the world.
@Salen: All I shall say, the obvious, it is thick wooden beam of a theme running through the seam of this comic book, like a backbone holding it together.
Two arms good, Four arms better.
@WhippetWild: I know. I just wanted to point out the fact. Because you know... "theme". Sometimes you miss things... like when someone outgrows a mansion and happens to have four arms. Because you're a bit focused on the Godzilla v. Mansion thing.
@THE COLONEL: No, no, you're thinking of Denile.
Hmmm. four arms....Kahn is something/one from way back in the history of the "Enchanterverse"??? A history lesson is on the way, I think. Assuming that our girls, and Prismo, can calm him down long enough to save the world. Ms. Britt wished him free, but she didn't have control of the lamp, now did she. /and Josh is such an Idiot that ...well, we'll just have to see now, won't we.
@the COLONEL: And I haven't even seen that movie. That's how good I am.
Josh has two wishes left. He's bound to make a reckless wish with either of them. Either that or a giant sandwich will appear out of nowhere.
@lamp123: If the genie is freed, it no longer has to grant wishes.
@Marshal Banana: True, but would the wish have counted if she wasn't holding the lamp?
@lamp123: She wasn't the first time.
It should have gone more like this, Khan:"Ah, after ten tousand years I'm free! It's time to conquer earth...after I've had my tacos!"
@DaisBlade: And then William Shatner pops in: "Khaaaaan!"


text:
This entry was posted on November 10, 2021 by FOS, in Book review. Bookmark the permalink.
THE NAMELESS ONES. By John Connolly. Hachette 2021. 388 pp. $32.99
John Connolly's latest book is different. In the first place, the central character is not private eye Charlie Parker, but his two gay helpers Louis and Angel. Two books back, they had been sent to the Netherlands to terminate a notorious killer, a task they carried out with the unacknowledged help of one of the US agencies known by capital letters. Both had left the country by the time the body of that bad man was found. The word on the underground was that one of the helpers in that killing was a man named De Jaager. Now, a number of members of the Vuksan family decide that this man and his three helpers should suffer the most gruesome torture and death. Louis takes it upon himself to punish the Vuksans and their helpers.
The other way that this book is different is that it has a strong political message. It is made clear that the Vuksans come from Serbia; indeed, the woke or the squeamish might even suggest the use of the word racist to describe the way the author portrays citizens of that country. Again and again, he refers to the murderous part played by Serbia in the Balkan wars. The only helper our two avengers have in Europe is a Dutchman named Hendricksen. As a young man he was a member of the Dutch UN peacekeepers who had to sit on their fists while Ratko Mladic and his people were killing more than 8,000 men and boys in Srebrenica.
In his recent book Burning Heresies, Kevin Myers describes two assignments he was given to cover events in the old Yugoslavia; there is little doubt that he was in great danger and the real account he gives of what was going on there is in sync with the fiction you read here.
As in the previous action in the Netherlands, the FBI are secretly playing a minor, but deniable, role in the action, as are members of US diplomatic bodies in various European countries. But in the end, it must all come down to Louis and Angel, the former in particular. As a black man, he could never show up in Serbia, so all action must take place in nearby countries, mainly Austria, where the lawyer for the Vuksans carries on his profitable endeavours on their behalf. His name is Frend, and we get an idea of how he operates: 'In his opinion, a conscience was a poor companion for a lawyer, one that always took but never gave.'
We return again to Serbia. It is clear that the ruling class in that country do not meet with the author's approval, their corruption extending to their representatives in other European countries. One of the less bloody of their number is described as 'a gangster trying on a politician's clothes for size – or perhaps it's the other way round – one can never be sure with men of no principle.' The Serbs have applied for membership of the EU, a decision to be made by that organisation in 2025. Dubliner John Connolly does not say so, but any reader of this book would pray to who ever looks after human affairs that their membership should be disallowed while any human being currently under the age of 30 is alive.
I have said this about earlier Connolly books, but I now say it about The Nameless Ones: this is his best book yet. That there is much blood and slaughter, corruption and sleaze, does not take from the lightness of the writing. The author almost seems to be writing with a wry smile on his face, keen to keep his readers entertained with his prose if not with his story.
'Hendricksen smelled blood, and beneath it an odor ranker and more desperate, the involuntary purging of creatures at the end of their suffering' – the book is written with an American readership in mind, whence the odd spelling. One other observation: although the book is about violence, murder, rape and lawlessness, the f-word appears only three times in its pages, a welcome change from much modern writing, including books written by women.
TEN DAYS. By Austin Duffy. Granta 2021. 259 pp. $27.99
I am probably not allowed to say this, but thank goodness for a new Irish writer who is a man. Austin Duffy is a Dublin oncologist and, on the basis of this his second book, a master of the kind of prose that we thought had gone out of fashion.
The central character is Wolfgang, Wolf to his friends, who grew up a Catholic in Dublin, the son of German parents. He has made a successful career in the art world, mostly by designing covers for music albums. His daughter Ruth calls him Mike, a name she gave him when she was eight and he was about to leave his wife to carry on affairs with various women. He returned to his wife to care for her in her final months of cancer and he has to re-establish a relationship with Ruth, now a forthright teenager.
Wolf's wife has asked to be cremated, an action which does not meet with approval from her New York Jewish family. But he and Ruth fly to New York to carry out her wishes and to reconnect with the Jewish side of their inheritance. They attend various Jewish ceremonies associated with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, events at which Wolf finds himself a sometimes unwelcome outsider.
The story is recorded from the point of view of Wolf and the reader is sometimes annoyed that phrases or descriptions that appear earlier in the story are repeated almost verbatim in later chapters. Likewise, we wonder why Wolf and Ruth have bought one-way tickets and why he has set up arrangements to transfer funds and property to his daughter. In time, we learn that, like his own mother many years earlier, he has dementia and is trying to prepare a future for his daughter. As the story progresses, this dementia becomes gradually worse, until he can recognise very few of his in-laws and is confusing Ruth with her dead mother.
This is intense writing, disturbing in places, but avoiding any attempt to bring the reader to tears. Almost all the action is set in New York and the author writes about it with affection but not admiration. Here, he and Ruth are at the traffic lights on 94th Street, 'The Avenue was in its loudest, fullest state as if all humanity was trying to get someplace else but had to pass through this junction first. Manhattan's iconic steam emanated silently out of the ground beside them.' It is a scene that will recall mid-town to anyone after even a short visit to the Big Apple.
The accounts of dementia are clear, almost understated, and always described with care and almost affection. 'It wasn't just the absences, the gaps he could speak of, those he was aware of anyway, and which seemed to come out of nowhere, like rents in the fabric of things, spread out in front of him like a great high depth that had suddenly emerged beneath him.'
This is a wonderful account of a man trying to prepare himself for a future that he knows will be humiliating and empty. Respectful of Judaism and Jewish religious custom, an endearing account of New York and above all a story told from what is unusual in modern fiction, the viewpoint of a man.
SNOWFLAKE. By Louise Nealon. Allen & Unwin 2021. 374 pp. $29.99
Can dreams become so real that we confuse them with reality? Can we imagine that we are dreaming someone else's dream? Snowflake is the second book in as many months that looks at questions such as those. The first was Catch Us the Foxes, by Australian writer Nicola West, set in Kiama on the NSW south coast, though residents there might wish their town was not named. Snowflake is set mostly in a dairy farm in County Kildare with regular visits to Trinity College, but unlike Kiama, people in those places will be delighted with how their places are portrayed.
Debbie is aged 18 and living on a dairy farm with her mother Maeve and her uncle Billy, the latter living in a caravan. As the book opens, she is about to start her studies in Trinity, seeing herself as a culchie among the Dublin sophisticates. She becomes friendly with Xanthe (pron. Santy) and the four of those form the main characters in the story.
The book is a loosely-connected collection of events without an obvious central theme. Where most books have a beginning, middle and end, this has just a middle. The reader can work out the beginning from loose pieces of information in the text – Billy is Maeve's brother, for example or Debbie was a loner at school or Xanthe comes from a dysfunctional family. But there is no ending as such, because the conflicts – mostly minor family ones – are still unresolved at the end.
All of that may give the impression of a dull read, but in fact, this is far from a dull book. It comes with approval from big hitters like Roddy Doyle and John Boyne, people whose opinions cannot be bought, one would imagine. Writer Louise O'Neill describes it as 'laugh-out-loud-funny' and while that may be putting on the praise a bit too thick, the writing is indeed the kind that will have you at least chuckling in places. The local parish priest is described as 'a kind of affable Louis Theroux.' Though Debbie and Xanthe are virgins, they manage to give the impression of active sex lives.
This is a most Irish story: Irish in the narrative it tells and Irish in the way it is told. 'It is socially acceptable to be an alcoholic in our parish,' first-person narrator Debbie explains at one stage, 'as long as you don't get treatment for it.' Elsewhere she explains about the people in her parish that she is 'used to knowing a person's name, their dog and what their da is like when drunk.' Yes, there is a lot of drinking, but of the kind that while it is rarely in excess, manages to get people in trouble.
Where money comes from is not explained, but the farm is big enough to have a milking machine, a tractor and lots of lambs every year, so one imagines that an Irish reader will accept that life is at least passable. Billy is paying Debbie's way through Trinity; she has not finished her first year when the book ends, and it is not at all certain that she will continue. She is attending an STI clinic in the hope that she can be told whether, in one of her drunken stupors, she has had intercourse.
A snowflake, by the way, appears to be a woke-word to describe someone who is easily offended and imagines that the world revolves around them. It isn't clear for which of the characters in the story the word is used.
YOU HAD IT COMING. By B M Carroll. Allen & Unwin 2021. 312 pp. $29.99
At last a book that captures your attention and keeps you reading, an old-fashioned police procedural. A man is shot and the police are immediately involved trying to work out who the culprit might be. The dead man is a well-known and successful lawyer, who has made his name defending young men charged with rape. By coincidence, the ambulance paramedic who deals with him is Megan, one of the girls whom he called a liar and worse in the course of a trial a dozen years earlier.
The leading detective from the Homicide squad is Bridget Kennedy and she will spend the next weeks trying to work out who the killer might be. The second girl who had been raped is Jessica, who now works as a trainer in a boxing gym; she and Megan have not maintained any connection after the trial which saw their two rapists released. Both young women as well as their partners and members of their families are obvious suspects as are a number of other women in whose rape cases the dead man had been the defence counsel.
The book is told in chapters that tell the story from the standpoint of detective Bridget and the women Megan and Jessica. Each of these two has her own story of the struggle coming to terms with their rape and subsequent humiliation in the court case. They appear to have come through the dozen years since into uneasy periods of sometimes stressful calm, alternating with frenetic work. The family of each is gradually introduced and we learn of the damage done by the earlier court case.
As the story progresses, one of the original rapists is killed, which doubles the workload on Bridget and her fellow police. They and the two women victims are presented as complex and authentic characters. The conclusion is unsatisfactory in some ways, a comment which is unrelated to the name of the main mover in the whole story and which will be better explained if you read the book – and this reviewer recommends you do.
Writer Ber Carroll is a native of Co Cork, now living in Sydney where the story is set, specifically the prosperous north shore suburbs like Killara, Gordon and Artarmon. Megan lives with her mother in a rundown cottage in relatively distant Hornsby, still sufficiently prosperous that they hope to sell for a figure in the region of $1.2 million. The book tackles the difficult area where violence against young women is balanced against the right of an accused person to legal representation, even when that often and routinely involves victim-blaming and clever legal tricks.
Frank O'Shea is a member of the Tinteán editorial collective.
« ISAANZ Conference (6-7 December): registration open
Less and More than a Star Called Henry »

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences was delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor a conference on crypto-currencies as part of our goal to foster lively debate on provocative and challenging topics.
With Apple Pay just launched in the UK, and contactless payments becoming ever more normalised, exploring the ripple effect from crypto-currencies becomes increasingly important and urgent. University of Birmingham Law lecturer Dr Tatiana Cutts reports back from the conference, for Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences.


Still, there are no nutritional drawbacks to eating a diet that contains fewer ultra-processed foods, he notes. "Eating a balanced diet, avoiding junk food and maintaining a healthy weight are things we can all do to help stack the odds in our favour".
Klopp will be facing a Southampton side for the ninth time since becoming Liverpool's manager in October 2015 and has only recorded two wins against them. The Saints had gone 12 league games without a win before last weekend. Van Dijk tried to open the door to join his former teammates instead of going to the away dressing room, before realising that he actually plays for Liverpool .
John Mahoney , who has died in Chicago, was born in Blackpool, England. In Chicago, Mahoney was a longtime and beloved ensemble member of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre. After serving in the US Army for a number of years, he became a professional actor. "We were all blessed to have spent 11 glorious years together", Greenberg wrote alongside a picture of the show's cast with Mahoney.
When the team recaptured the bears 8 to 11 days later, changes in the ratio of isotopes in their blood gave a measure of metabolic rate. The field metabolic rates they measured averaged more than 50 percent higher than previous studies had predicted.
It's vital that clinicians be able to identify patients at risk for cardiovascular complications from their cancer treatment . For breast cancer the mortality rate has come down by 10%, meaning deaths in women are declining more quickly.
Go Red For Women is a national campaign geared towards raising awareness about cardiovascular disease and save lives. It's the first Friday in February, and you know what that means.it's National Wear Red Day! Every year, almost 500,000 American women die from heart disease and stroke.
Activity levels vary in different states, however. Although people with the flu are most contagious in the first 3-4 days after their illness begins, some otherwise healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 to 7 days after becoming sick.
Officials say when Violet first arrived after being found as a stray, her eyes were swollen shut, and she had obvious skin burns. Staff at the shelter initially treated Violet with fluids and pain medication, and washed as much dye off her fur as they could.
Military Exchanges will be open; commissaries, except for those located overseas or in a few remote locations, will close. A Republican senator from Montana says the Trump administration is trying to minimize the effects of the government shutdown by keeping at least some national parks open , but former President Barack Obama tried to make shutdowns painful for the American people.
Prior to that, Day coached at Boston College and Temple. I have to believe that Vrabel went into his Titans interview with a clear strategy on assembling a coaching staff, as this will be the first time he's had to hire people, another cause for concern if I'm a Titans fan.
On the other hand, North Delhi Mayor Pretty Aggarwal said, "I received information about the incident on phone at around 9 pm & we immediately rushed to the spot". "May those who are injured recover quickly", the Prime Minister's Office tweeted quoting Modi. The owners could face multiple charges for the lack of safety equipment such as extinguishers in the building used for storing highly inflammable fireworks.
Chung beat fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev 5-7, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the third round on Rod Laver Arena . Sharapova, back in Melbourne after testing positive for a banned substance here in 2016 resulting in a 15-month ban, had looked menacing in the opening two rounds.
The meeting in Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw was the first for a joint working group set up to hammer out the details of the November repatriation agreement. Tuesday's riot came on the same day that a heavily-criticised repatriation agreement was signed between Myanmar and Bangladesh to start sending the refugees back.
Drug Enforcement Administration. When mixed with warm water, the powder turns the pills into a biodegradable gel that can be thrown in the trash. The powder works on other prescription drugs and for pills, tablets, capsules, patches or liquids alike, DisposeRX says.
It also warns not to purchase packaged, loose or mixed salads that may have romaine lettuce . CDC should conduct the investigation while providing timely public information, she recommended. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) issued its first announcement about an E coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce on December 11. "We're working closely with partners to identify that source", Gottlieb said.
Sometimes they'll send a friend or family member in their spot to donate so we don't lose that blood product". The Oklahoma Blood Institute says it is in serious need of O-negative blood donors. January is officially known as National Blood Donor Month. By giving platelets regularly, donors can help patients kick cancer and recover from other life-threatening illnesses and injuries.
LUKE SHAW could be forced to leave Manchester United in January if they bring in Tottenham left-back Danny Rose - but where could he go next? "Liverpool is historically one of the best clubs in the world, but when a player like Coutinho wants to leave, it is hard".
The country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) is likely to reduce minimum balance requirement for savings accounts, media reports said on Friday. The biggest lender had also revised the penalties that account holders are supposed to pay for failing to maintain the stipulated balance in their savings accounts.
A number of gamers may exhibit similar symptoms but do not see any harm in having a passion for gaming. Being added into the ICD-11 will mean that gaming disorder will become an official health diagnosis that can be used by doctors, other health care workers, and insurance companies.
That amounts to 4,700 new diagnoses each day. They are based on models that include trends through the most recent data year and can not anticipate abrupt fluctuations for changes in detection practices, like PSA testing and prostate cancer.
Ologbondiyan said. "The president's trips for medical attention slowed down completion of the process", he said, until when Mr Buhari chose to revisit the matter recently. He said that between the compilation of the list and its announcement, the APC could not stop people from dying but assured that all dead appointees on the list will be replaced.
Next year, people who play an excessive amount of video games could find themselves diagnosed with "gaming disorder". Notable traits include patients prioritising gaming over "life interests and daily activities and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurence of negative consequences".
After 1,500 miles and 24 hours of travel from Clearlake Oaks, California to York County, Nebraska, Jiron's Toyota Tacoma caught the attention of sheriff's deputies when the vehicle failed to signal and drove over the road's center dividing line.
Trump relies on the premise that the Immigration and Nationality Act gives him broad powers to regulate immigration, the judges said , but for the president to block entry, he must first legally prove that person's entry would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.
Papa John's founder and CEO John Schnatter attends the Indy 500 on May 23, 2015, in Indianapolis. The league's fans who are upset by the sight of adults engaging in nonviolent protests of this country's history of police brutality, Schnatter and friends concluded, must therefore be ordering fewer meat-and-cheese pies as a result.
But Mr Haley said several technical details - the absence of stabiliser fins and a series of valves on the side - marked the missile as Iranian-made. Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif hit back at USA claims over the Islamic Republic's missile support for Yemen.
The same deadly flu strain that hit Australia is here in Middle Tennessee, and doctors say it's especially a concern for older people. Abilene pharmacist James McCoy said he hasn't seen a large number of people coming in with flu so far, but he similarly advocated shots for those who haven't had them.
And once the app identifies the song, it will display all the information you need to know about the track, including artist info, sharing options, and other details. Interestingly, this is the first major acquisition after the company bought Beats in 2014 for almost $3 billion. While we were expecting the deal to be finalized soon, Apple has now confirmed its acquisition of Shazam .
In May past year , an elderly man died in Mount Sinai Hospital from the fungus after abdominal surgery. The symptoms are similar to flu-like conditions - fever, aches, and fatigue - and the "superbugs" resistant to medicine are most problematic for people, fatal even, with weak immune systems, particularly newborns, the elderly, and diabetics, according to the report.


text:
Alexa has a skills problem — almost no one is reviewing them
62 percent of Alexa skills have no rating; many others have received just one
The majority of Alexa skills have no user review or star rating, while 65 percent of those branded as five-stars have earned this from a single rating.
It has also been found that 78 percent of Alexa skills with a one-star rating earned this score from just one user review. Just one percent of Alexa skills have earned more than 100 user ratings.
What are Amazon Alexa skills?
Alexa skills can now work together to help you
How to get started with your new Amazon Echo and Alexa
These are the findings of Dashbot, a data analytics platform used by developers to increase user engagement. The data came from the analysis of over 40,000 skills available to U.S.-based users of Alexa, Amazon's voice assistant.
All-new Echo Dot (3rd Gen) - Smart speaker with Alexa - Charcoal
Alexa's skills are like applications. There is a skill store which can be accessed via the Alexa smartphone app and the Amazon website. Skills are then enabled on an Alexa device, like an Amazon Echo smart speaker, with each skill giving the assistant new abilities. Skills include games, shopping tools, news services, smart home control systems, and other utilities.
Just like smartphone applications on Google Play and the Apple App Store, Alexa skills can be given reviews and star ratings by their users. However, the data collected by Dashbot reveals how this ratings system is rarely used and easily skewed.
Skills can be enabled via the Amazon websiteGearBrain
Voicebot, the company behind Dashbot, found that 62 percent of Alexa skills have no star ratings at all, and that 65 percent of skills with a five-star rating have earned this badge of honor from a single user rating. Hypothetically, this rating could have been given by the developer of the skill, or someone associated with them, to boost its visibility in the store.
At the other end of the scale, 78 percent of skills with a one-star rating received this score from a single user. Voicebot said: "These single rated skills cause a skew in analyzing rating clusters because of the bias toward 1-star and 5-star reviews...unless the skill has more than eight reviews, you should take the star rating as likely skewed."
Portal Plus from Facebook. Smart, Hands-Free Video Calling with Alexa Built-in [15.6" display] – Black
Just five percent of skills have received more than eight reviews, and only one percent have earned more than 100.
As well as their star rating, which can be easily manipulated with just a couple of one- or five-star reviews, a skill's position in the Alexa store rankings is equally important.
Alexa skills on the Amazon website can be filtered by review score. When filtering to view skills with four stars and above (the highest search criteria), GearBrain found that three skills out of the first ten had received just one rating each (of five stars), and a fourth had received just two ratings to earn its five-star claim.
Arte Merritt, co-founder and chief executive of Voicebot, said: "Store ranking can be a significant contributor to user acquisition...nearly 40 percent of users discover new skills through the store. In addition, both brands and startups have found the position within the Alexa store has a significant impact - citing that if the skill falls off the first page, they're basically lost. Having a strategy to increase positive reviews, and thus store position, can result in higher user acquisition."
What You Need To Know About Smart Speaker Assistants www.youtube.com
All-new Echo Plus (2nd Gen) - Premium sound with built-in smart home hub - Charcoal
What works with Xfinity xFi
What works with Somfy
What works with Microsoft Cortana


text:
Search Results | Clear Search | Previous (in doc) | Next (in doc) | Prev Doc | Next Doc
Copyright (c) Queen's Printer,
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada License
B.C. Reg. 221/95
O.C. 574/95 Deposited May 18, 1995
This consolidation is current to January 14, 2020.
Link to consolidated regulation (PDF)
Link to Point in Time
Local Government Grants Act
Local Government Grants Regulations
[includes amendments up to B.C. Reg. 51/2019, March 11, 2019]
Part 1 — Interpretation
Part 2 — Unconditional Grants
Division 1 — Small Community Protection Grant
3 Maximum amount of grant
4 Information not available
5-6.1 Repealed
Division 3 — Regional District Basic Grants
8 Amount of grants
Division 4 — Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing
8.1 Traffic fine revenue sharing
Part 3 — Conditional Planning Grants
9 Classes of grants
10 Eligibility
11 Amount of grants
12 Conditions of grants
Part 4 — Conditional Implementation Grants
Division 1 — Water and Sewage Infrastructure Grants
Division 2 — Transportation Infrastructure Grants
Division 3 — Municipal Restructure Assistance Grants
Division 4 — Local Government Restructure Implementation Grants
Division 5 — Special Grants
25 Classes of grants
Division 6 — Other Infrastructure Grants
30 Amount of a grant
Part 5 — Northern Capital and Planning Grants
1	In this regulation:
"Act" means the Local Government Grants Act;
"assessment" in relation to a jurisdiction means the converted value of land and improvements, as defined in section 1 of the Schedule to the Community Charter, in the jurisdiction;
"assessment weighting factor" in relation to a municipality means the provincial assessment value divided by the person assessment of the municipality;
"facilities" means water facilities or sewage collection and disposal facilities;
"greater board" means a greater board as defined in section 1 of the Schedule to the Community Charter;
"jurisdiction" means, as applicable, the regional district, municipality or other area that is the area of jurisdiction for the local government or related organization;
"mean" in relation to a value, amount or number means the mean obtained by
(a) adding together the relevant value, amount or number for each of
(i) the 3 consecutive years, or
(ii) the 2 consecutive years, where 3 are not available, or
(iii) one year, where 2 consecutive years are not available,
ending with the most recent year for which figures are available, and
(b) dividing the total by 3, 2 or one as the case may be;
"per person assessment" in relation to a jurisdiction means the mean assessment for the jurisdiction divided by the mean population of the jurisdiction;
"population" in relation to a jurisdiction means the population of the jurisdiction as determined by the minister, who may consider
(a) information provided by the director of statistics appointed under the Statistics Act,
(b) information in the most recently available Census of Canada,
(c) changes in the boundaries of the jurisdiction, and
(d) other information the minister considers relevant;
"provincial assessment value" means the sum of the mean assessments for all municipalities divided by the sum of the mean populations for all municipalities;
"restructure" means any establishment or reorganization of local government, including incorporations and boundary changes, or any change in its functions;
"rural area" means an area that is not incorporated as a municipality;
"sewage collection and disposal facilities" means
(a) sewage treatment and disposal plants,
(b) works, sewers and pumping stations for the collection, treatment or disposal of sewage, and
(c) works, structures, lines or conveniences that are incidental to and necessary for the collection, treatment or disposal of sewage;
"water facilities" means
(a) water treatment plants and works, reservoirs, dams, wells and pumping stations for the collection, treatment or distribution of water, and
(b) works, structures, lines and conveniences incidental to and necessary for the collection, treatment or distribution of water.
[am. B.C. Regs. 307/97, s. 1; 135/99, s. 1; 185/2006, s. 1.]
2	(1) Subject to subsection (2) of this section and to the making of an appropriation, a municipality may receive a small community protection grant in accordance with this Division.
(2) A municipality may not receive a small community protection grant under subsection (1)
(a) in the first calendar year that it is incorporated, but such a municipality may apply for a grant referred to in Division 3 of Part 4, or
(b) if the maximum amount determined for the municipality under section 3 (1) is less than $100 000.
(3) Payments for a grant referred to in subsection (1) will be made in 9 equal installments unless the payments are combined or accelerated by the minister.
[en. B.C. Reg. 307/97, s. 2; am. B.C. Reg. 111/2009, s. 1.]
Maximum amount of grant
3 (1) The maximum amount of a small community protection grant under this Division to a municipality is calculated by adding the following:
(a) a base amount of $200 000,
(b) an equalization amount determined by multiplying $50 000 by the assessment weighting factor, and
(c) a population amount determined by the following:
(i) if the municipality has a mean population of 5 000 or fewer, by multiplying the municipality's mean population by $50, or
(ii) if the municipality has a mean population of more than 5 000, by subtracting from $250 000 the amount determined by multiplying $25 by the difference between the municipality's mean population and 5 000.
(2) Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 111/2009, s. 2 (b).]
[en. B.C. Reg. 185/2006, s. 2; am. B.C. Reg. 111/2009, s. 2.]
4 If it is not possible to calculate one or more of the factors required for the purposes of making a calculation under this Division because reliable information necessary for the calculation is not available or because information is not available in relation to a recently incorporated municipality, the minister may make estimates for the missing information in accordance with accepted statistical practices and may complete the calculation using these estimates.
[en. B.C. Reg. 307/97, s. 2.]
5-6.1 Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 135/99, s. 3.]
7 (1) Subject to an appropriation, a regional district may receive an unconditional grant in accordance with this Division.
(2) Payments for a grant referred to in subsection (1) are to be made in accordance with the directions of the minister.
[am. B.C. Reg. 111/2009, s. 3.]
Amount of grants
8 (1) The maximum amount of a grant under this Division to a regional district is the sum of
(a) the amount applicable under subsection (2) to the regional district,
(a.1) the amount applicable under subsection (3) to the regional district, and
(b) $5 000 for each local community established under section 243 of the Local Government Act for the regional district.
(2) The maximum amount applicable in subsection (1) (a) for a regional district is
(a) $120 000 if the mean population of the regional district is less than 50 000,
(b) $100 000 if the mean population of the regional district is 50 000 or more but less than 100 000,
(c) $80 000 if the mean population of the regional district is 100 000 or more but less than 150 000,
(d) $60 000 if the mean population of the regional district is 150 000 or more but less than 200 000,
(e) $40 000 if the mean population of the regional district is 200 000 or more but less than 250 000, and
(f) $0 if the mean population of the regional district is 250 000 or more.
(3) The maximum amount applicable in subsection (1) (a.1) for a regional district is
(a) $80 000 if the mean rural area population of the regional district is less than 10 000,
(b) $70 000 if the mean rural area population of the regional district is 10 000 or more but less than 20 000,
(c) $60 000 if the mean rural area population of the regional district is 20 000 or more but less than 30 000,
(d) $50 000 if the mean rural area population of the regional district is 30 000 or more but less than 40 000,
(e) $40 000 if the mean rural area population of the regional district is 40 000 or more but less than 50 000, and
(f) $30 000 if the mean rural area population of the regional district is 50 000 or more.
[en. B.C. Reg. 135/99, s. 4, am. B.C. Regs. 185/2006, s. 3; 78/2007, ss. (a) to (e); 117/2018, s. 13.]
Traffic fine revenue sharing
8.1	The amount that a municipality may receive to help defray the cost of local police enforcement for a calendar year is calculated as follows:
amount = TPC
APC X App
APC = the aggregate municipal policing costs for municipal policing in British Columbia as published for the calendar year by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General;
App = the annual appropriation for the calendar year for the Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing Program;
TPC = the total policing costs for the calendar year for the municipality as accepted and published by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
[en. B.C. Reg. 135/99, s. 5; am. B.C. Regs. 27/2013, Sch. 2, s. 3; 99/2018, Sch. 2, s. 9.]
Classes of grants
9 The classes of conditional grants that may be made under this Part are as follows:
(a) infrastructure planning grants, being grants for projects to study and plan the feasibility, costs, technology and location of proposed water facilities, proposed sewage collection or disposal facilities, proposed drainage facilities or proposed transportation facilities;
(b) community planning grants, being grants for projects to study and plan for growth and management of development at a community level including, without limiting this, for preparation of housing policies for the community;
(c) special provincial planning grants, being grants for projects to study and plan activities of local governments that, in the opinion of the minister, have special significance to the Province;
(d) restructure planning grants, being grants for projects to study and plan any establishment or reorganization of municipal or regional district government or any change in the functions of local government, including without limiting this, to study and plan incorporations, boundary changes and the transfer of services from one jurisdiction to another;
(e) regional growth strategy planning grants, being grants for projects to study and plan activities that contribute to the management of growth at the regional level and for the preparation of regional growth strategies.
[am. B.C. Reg. 414/95, s. 1.]
10 (1) Any municipality or regional district may apply for a grant referred to in section 9 of this regulation.
(2) A greater board, as defined in section 1 of the Schedule to the Community Charter, may apply for a grant referred to in section 9 (a) of this regulation.
(3) The trust council under the Islands Trust Act may apply for
(a) grants referred to in section 9 (c) and (e) of this regulation in relation to activities referred to in sections 3, 15 and 44 of the Islands Trust Act, and
(b) grants referred to in section 9 (b) to (e) of this regulation in relation to activities of a local trust committee, or the executive committee acting as a local trust committee, under that Act,
and for these purposes is a related organization under the Local Government Grants Act.
[am. B.C. Regs. 414/95, s. 2; 185/2006, s. 4.]
11	(1) The payment of any grant under this Part is subject to an appropriation.
(2) In the case of an infrastructure planning grant, the maximum amount that may be paid as a grant to any one jurisdiction in relation to a single project is to be determined in accordance with the following formula:
grant amount = (A + B)
A = 100% of the first $5 000 of the costs to the jurisdiction of the project, and
B = 50% of the next $10 000 of the costs to the jurisdiction of the project,
subject to the limit that the maximum amount of infrastructure planning grants that may be paid to a jurisdiction in relation to a single project in any one fiscal year is $10 000.
(3) In the case of a community planning grant, the maximum amount that may be paid to any one jurisdiction as a grant in relation to a single project is 50% of the costs to the jurisdiction of the project, subject to the limit that the maximum total amount of community planning grants that may be paid to a jurisdiction in relation to a single project in any one fiscal year is $30 000.
(4) In the case of a special provincial planning grant, the amount of the grant and the proportion of the project costs paid as the grant is in the discretion of the minister.
(5) In the case of a restructure planning grant, the maximum amount that may be paid to any one jurisdiction as a grant in relation to a single project in any one fiscal year is $60 000.
(5.1) In the case of a regional growth strategy planning grant, the maximum amount that may be paid to any one jurisdiction in relation to a single project in any one fiscal year is 50% of the costs to the jurisdiction of the project, subject to the following applicable limit determined in relation to the population of the jurisdiction:
population equal to or greater than 500 000 maximum grant $300 000
population of 100 000 to 499 999 maximum grant $225 000
population of 50 000 to 99 999 maximum grant $150 000
population of fewer than 50 000 maximum grant $100 000
(6) Where this section establishes a maximum amount for a grant, more than one jurisdiction may receive that maximum in relation to the same project.
[am. B.C. Regs. 414/95, s. 3; 307/97, s. 3; 78/2007, s. (f).]
Conditions of grants
12 In addition to any terms and conditions established by the minister, a grant under this Part may be made on one or more of the following conditions:
(a) that, unless the study to which the grant relates is completed within the period or by the deadline as specified by the minister at the time the grant is approved, or as extended by the minister or an authorized official from time to time, the grant will not be paid or will be paid in a lesser amount;
(b) that the local government provides to the minister information and reports respecting the study to which the grant relates as requested by the minister.
13 Any municipality, regional district or greater board may apply for a grant under this Division if it
(a) constructs water facilities or sewage collection and disposal facilities, or
(b) contributes to the cost of constructing facilities that are operated on its behalf or for its benefit by another municipality, regional district or greater board.
14 (1) The payment of any grant under this Division is subject to an appropriation.
(2) For a grant under this Division,
(a) the minimum amount of the grant is 25% of the capital cost of the facilities, and
(b) the maximum amount of the grant is 50% of the capital cost of the facilities.
(3) Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 135/99, s. 6 (a).]
(4) As an exception to subsection (2), if the minister considers that there are insufficient funds appropriated to make a grant in accordance with those subsections, the minister may consider only part of the cost of the facilities as eligible for a grant.
(a) that, unless the facilities to which the grant relates are completed within the period or by the deadline specified by the minister at the time the grant is approved, or extended by the minister or an authorized official from time to time, the grant will not be paid or will be paid in a lesser amount;
(b) that the local government provides to the minister information and reports respecting the project to which the grant relates as requested by the minister.
16 (1) A municipality whose application for funding has been recommended to the minister by the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure is eligible for a grant under this Division in relation to the construction and upgrading of local transportation infrastructure that
(a) is part of a major municipal highway, or
(b) encourages walking, bicycling or the efficient use of public transportation.
(2) In considering an application referred to in subsection (1), the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure must consider the location, relationship to land use, consistency with Provincial and regional transportation and growth strategies, classification, function and cost of the transportation infrastructure.
(2) The maximum amount of a grant that may be paid to a jurisdiction under this Division is 50% of the eligible capital costs of the project for which the grant is given.
(3) The minister, in consultation with the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, may determine the costs of a project, including the costs of right of way acquisition for the highway, that are eligible capital costs for the purposes of subsection (2).
18 In addition to any terms and conditions established by the minister, a grant under this Division may be made on one or more of the following conditions:
(a) that, unless the project to which the grant relates is completed within the period or by the deadline specified by the minister at the time the grant is approved, or extended by the minister or an authorized official from time to time, the grant will not be paid or will be paid in a lesser amount;
19 (1) Any municipality may apply for a grant under this Division to assist in
(a) restructuring after an incorporation or boundary extension has occurred, and
(b) making substantial changes in service delivery for its area.
(2) Eligibility for a grant under this Division is subject to the following limits:
(a) in the case of a grant in relation to restructuring, implementation of the restructuring must be approved or certain before a grant is paid;
(b) a new municipality or municipality that has extended its boundaries is only eligible to receive a grant under this Division for up to the first 5 years after the incorporation or extension.
[am. B.C. Reg. 78/2007, s. (g).]
(2) In the case of a new municipality, as a grant in place of unconditional grants under Part 2 of this regulation for the calendar year in which a new municipality becomes incorporated, a municipality may be paid a grant the maximum amount of which is the total of the grants paid under Division 1 of Part 2, calculated as if the municipality were eligible for grants under that Part and prorated for the number of days in that calendar year during which the municipality is incorporated.
(3) In the case of the incorporation of a rural area into a new municipality or the extension of an existing municipality to include a rural area, the maximum total of the grants that may be given under this Division, in addition to grants referred to in subsection (2) if applicable, is the total of the following:
(a) $200 per person, based on the population of the incorporated area that was a rural area before incorporation;
(b) $100 per person, based on the total population of the new or enlarged municipality.
(4) In the case of a new municipality created by the amalgamation of all or parts of existing municipalities, the maximum grant that may be given under this Division in addition to grants referred to in subsection (2), is $100 per person, based on the total population of the new or enlarged municipality.
(5) In the case of a grant to assist in the settlement of an issue between local governments or boards of improvement districts respecting matters within their respective jurisdictions or the allocation of resources or costs between them, the amount of the grant is in the discretion of the minister.
[am. B.C. Regs. 307/97, s. 4; 135/99, s. 7.]
(a) that all or some part of the grant is used for a purpose specified by the minister;
(b) that the local government provides to the minister information and reports respecting the use of the grant as requested by the minister.
22 (1) Any municipality or regional district may apply for a grant under this Division to implement local government restructuring.
(2) As examples, a grant may be given under this Division to cover the costs of conducting an election for a first council for a new municipality or for employing an interim administrator for an area to be incorporated.
(3) A municipality or regional district is eligible to receive a grant under this Division for not more than 5 years after the restructuring or service delivery change to which it relates.
(4) As an exception to subsection (3), a municipality is eligible to receive a grant under this Division in relation to policing services for not more than 5 years after a starting date determined by the minister.
(2) Subject to subsection (3), the maximum amount of a grant under this Division is the direct and actual cost to the municipality or regional district, as determined by the minister, of the transitional expenses for which the grant is given.
(3) If a regional district is incorporated by the amalgamation of 2 or more regional districts, the maximum amount of a grant under this Division to the newly incorporated regional district is the total of the grants under Division 3 of Part 2 of this regulation that would otherwise have been payable to the regional districts that were amalgamated.
(4) The maximum amount of a grant in relation to the provision of policing services is the aggregate of the annual costs to the Province, as determined by the minister in consultation with the Attorney General, of providing policing services to an area formerly policed under section 3 (1) of the Police Act.
24	In addition to any terms and conditions established by the minister, a grant under this Division may be made on one or more of the following conditions:
25 The classes of conditional grants which may be made under this Division are as follows:
(a) special assistance grants, being grants to assist in the resolution of municipal or regional district problems that, in the opinion of the minister, are unusual or unique and for which the minister considers no other means of providing the assistance is available;
(b) regional district supplemental grants, being grants to assist in the provision of services in regional districts that are, in the opinion of the minister, sparsely populated and financially disadvantaged.
26 (1) Any municipality or regional district may apply for a special grant under section 25 (a) of this regulation.
(2) Any regional district may apply for a regional district supplemental grant under section 25 (b) of this regulation.
(2) The amount of a special grant under section 25 (a) of this regulation is in the discretion of the minister and may be made on one or more of the following bases:
(a) a fixed amount;
(b) a fixed amount per resident multiplied by the population of the jurisdiction;
(c) a percentage of the costs towards which the grant is being paid;
(d) an amount established in relation to assessment in the jurisdiction.
(3) The amount of a regional district supplemental grant under section 25 (b) of this regulation is in the discretion of the minister and may be made on the basis of either or both of the following, subject to the limit that the maximum amount of such a grant that may be paid to a regional district in any one fiscal year is 90% of the amount referred to in section 8 (a) of this regulation:
(b) a percentage of the amount referred to in section 8 (a) of this regulation.
29 A municipality or regional district may apply for a grant under this Division to assist with the costs of a facility not eligible for a grant under other provisions of this regulation if the municipality or regional district
(a) constructs a physical asset that is owned or controlled by the municipality or regional district, or
(b) contributes to the cost of a physical asset that is operated on its behalf or for its benefit by another municipality or regional district.
Amount of a grant
30 (1) If there is money in an appropriation to cover a grant applied for under section 29, the amount of the grant must not exceed the lesser of
(a) 50% of the capital cost of the facility, or
(b) $100 000.
(2) If the minister considers that there is insufficient funds appropriated to make all the grants being applied for under this Division for the fiscal year, in the amounts calculated under subsection (1), the minister may reduce the amount to be paid for one or more of the grants.
32 The following regional districts, and any municipality within those regional districts, are eligible for a conditional grant under this Part in relation to the matters referred to in section 4 (1) (a) and (c) of the Act:
(a) the Regional District of North Coast;
(b) the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine;
(c) the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako;
(d) the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George.
[en. B.C. Reg. 51/2019.]
33 (1) The payment of any grant under this Part is subject to an appropriation.
(2) A grant may be made by the minister for the purposes referred to in section 32 and the amount of a grant is in the discretion of the minister and may be made on the basis of a fixed amount.
(a) for a grant to a regional district, that the regional district,
(i) before the end of the calendar year in which the grant is received,
(A) fully allocates the grant funds to one or more regional district services, and
(B) places the allocated funds in a reserve fund associated with the service, and
(ii) provides a report, in accordance with the direction of the minister, respecting the allocation;
(b) for a grant to a municipality, that the municipality,
(i) before the end of the calendar year in which the grant is received, places the grant funds in a dedicated reserve fund, and
(ii) provides annual reports, in accordance with the direction of the minister, respecting the use of the funds and the balance of the reserve fund until the balance is nil;
(c) for a grant to a regional district or municipality, that the regional district or municipality provides to the minister additional information and reports respecting the use of the grant as requested by the minister.
[Provisions relevant to the enactment of this regulation: Local Government Grants Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 275, s. 7]
Copyright (c) Queen's Printer, Victoria, British	Columbia, Canada


I absolutely love decorating my home for each season. With spring in the air and Easter just around the corner, I thought I'd share my 5 easy decorating tips for spring that can make a big impact in your home.
The easiest and quickest way to decorate for spring is by adding a wreath to your front door. It's such a pleasant way for your guests to be greeted and to warm up the entrance to your home.
I recently just tossed out a couple of my old spring wreaths from general wear and sun dye, so this year I was on the hunt for a wreath under $50. I decided to go simple and classic with a white coloured wreath that I picked up from Winners for $29.99 CAD. My 'Welcome' wreath hanger is from Target.
Shop Smart Tip: I try not to spend over $50 on a wreath unless it's something I can't stop thinking about. But as you know from previous posts…I'm not a huge DIYer either. So much respect to those who buy all the supplies and craft a masterpiece. When purchasing a wreath, my go-to locations are: HomeSense ($), Winners ($), Canadian Tire ($), and Crate & Barrel ($$$). When Target was in Canada…obviously it was my first and only stop.
Using wreaths indoors can provide a nice accent to a bare space. Whether you place one over a mirror, hang one in the window, prop it up on a mantel, or over a range hood it can make such a difference. I've repurposed my Christmas CANVAS Cedar Blueberry Wreath from Canadian Tire ($36.99 CAD) that you see on my range hood below. Since the greens aren't too dark and it has some frosted berries in it I thought it worked well for spring too!
Add some fun to any room with a pendant banner. You can string it in a doorway, over a fireplace, around a teepee play tent, or even in a window. I found this cute carrot banner from HomeSense for $9.99 CAD this season and it's the perfect way to add a touch of Easter to Luke's playroom without having to make a banner myself. I've linked to some other cute ones here, here, here and here. Or you could try making your own out of a few bundles of this carrot trio.
Having a little décor on the kitchen table for each season other than just a table runner can really make it festive. As a family of three, we usually eat at our kitchen island so it's not a hassle to keep the table decorated because I don't really have to keep moving it.
In order to get this look, I walked around my house and grabbed what I thought would work to make a pretty table setting. For example, the napkins are just some paper ones that I had leftover from Valentine's Day and say 'Love' but I thought I could use them up for Easter. The dinnerware, glasses, silverware, and candlesticks are things I registered for when I got married six years ago. I went simple and classic because I thought it would take me further in the long run. The garland on the table is actually my Christmas garland which I've repurposed so that I could add some greenery to the table.
5. Dress Up the Mantel The mantel is the perfect place to showcase seasonal décor. I start by shopping my own cabinets and closets to see what I can use from other seasons and restyle. I always make sure the décor I incorporate represents us as a family. I love pastels so I knew I wanted to use soft colours and make it playful with cute props for Luke to look at…like the speckled eggs and stuffed bunny.
Hope some of these ideas help set up your space for spring!! Remember – use what you have first, then go shop to fill in the holes if you need to. Hoppy Easter Shopping!


MOTION OF LIGHT--Rays of light are thrown off from luminous bodies in every direction, but always in straight lines, which cross each other at every point; but the particles of which each ray consists are so minute that the rays do not appear to be impeded by each other. A ray of light passing through an aperture into a dark room, proceeds in a straight line; a fact of which any one may be convinced by going into a darkened room and admitting light only through a small aperture.
Light also moves with great velocity, but becomes fainter as it recedes from the source from which it eminates; in other words, diverging rays of light diminish in intensity as the square of the distance increases. For instance let a fig. 1, represent the luminous body from which light proceeds, and suppose three square boards, b. c. d. severally one, four and sixteen square inches in size be placed; b one foot, c two feet, and d four feet from a, it will be perceived that the smallest board b will throw c into shadow; that is, obstruct all rays of light that would otherwise fall on c, and if b were removed c would in like manner hide the light from d--Now, if b recieve as much light as would fall on c whose surface is four times as large, the light must be four times as powerful and sixteen times as powerful as that which would fall on the second and third boards, because the same quantity of light is diffused over a space four and sixteen times greater. These same rays may be collected and their intensity again increased.
Rays of light are reflected from one surface to another; Refracted, or bent, as they pass from the surface of one transparent medium to another; and Inflected, or turned from their course, by the attraction of opaque bodies. From the first we derive the principles on which mirrors are constructed; to the second we are indebted for the power of the lenses, and the blessings of sight,--for the light acts upon the retina of the eye in the same manner as on the lens of a camera. The latter has no important bearing upon our subject.
It is by this reflection of light that objects are made visible; but unless light falls directly upon the eye they are invisible, and are not sensibly felt until after a certain series of operations upon the various coverings and humors of the eye. Smooth and polished surfaces reflect light most powerfully, and send to the eye the images of the objects from which the light proceeded before reflection. Glass, which is transparent--transmitting light--would be of no use to us as a mirror, were it not first coated on one side with a metalic amalgam, which interrupts the rays in their passage from the glass into the air, and throws them either directly in the incident line, or in an oblique direction. The reason why trees, rocks and animals are not all mirrors, reflecting other forms instead of their own, is, that their surfaces are uneven, and rays of light reflected from an uneven surface are diffused in all directions.
Convex mirrors reflect light from a rounded surface and disperse the rays in every direction, causing parallel rays to diverge, diverging rays to diverge more, and converging rays to converge less--they represent objects smaller than they really are--because the angle formed by the reflected ray is rendered more acute by a convex than by a plane surface, and it is the diminishing of the visual angle, by causing rays of light to be farther extended before they meet in a point, which produces the image of convex mirrors. The greater the convexity of a mirror, the more will the images of the objects be diminished, and the nearer will they appear to the surface. These mirrors furnish science with many curious and pleasing facts.
Concave mirrors are the reverse of convex; the latter being rounded outwards, the former hollowed inwards--they render rays of light more converging--collect rays instead of dispersing them, and magnify objects while the convex diminishes them.
REFRACTION OF LIGHT:--I now pass to the consideration of the passage of light through bodies.
Transparent bodies differ in their power of bending light--as a general rule, the refractive power is proportioned to the density--but the chemical constitution of bodies as well as their density, is found to effect their refracting power. Inflammable bodies possess this power to a great degree.
The sines of the angle of incidence and refraction (that is, the perpendicular drawn from the extremity of an arc to the diameter of a circle,) are always in the same ratio; viz: from air into water, the sine of the angle of refraction is nearly as four to three, whatever be the position of the ray with respect to the refracting surface. From air into sulphur, the sine of the angle of refraction is as two to one--therefore the rays of light cannot be refracted whenever the sine of the angle of refraction becomes equal to the radius* of a circle, and light falling very obliquely upon a transparent medium ceases to be refracted; this is termed total reflection.
I should be pleased to enter more fully into this branch of the science of optics, but the bounds to which I am necessarily limited in a work of this kind will not admit of it. In the next chapter, however, I shall give a synopsis of Mr. Hunt's treatise on the "Influence of the Solar Rays on Compound Bodies, with especial reference to their Photographic application"--a work which should be in the hands of every Daguerreotypist, and which I hope soon to see republished in this country. I will conclude this chapter with a brief statement of the principles upon which the Photographic art is founded.
If a pencil of the sun's rays fall upon a prism, it is bent in passing through the transparent medium; and some rays being more refracted than others, we procure an elongated image of the luminous beam, exhibiting three distinct colors, red, yellow and blue, which are to be regarded as primitives--and from their interblending, seven, as recorded by Newton, and shown in the accompanying wood cut. These rays being absorbed, or reflected differently by various bodies, give to nature the charm of color. Thus to the eve is given the pleasure we derive in looking upon the green fields and forests, the enumerable varieties of flowers, the glowing ruby, jasper, topaz, amethist, and emerald, the brilliant diamond, and all the rich and varied hues of nature, both animate and inanimate.
Suppose we wish to copy by the Daguerreotype, or Calotype process, any objects highly colored--blue, red and yellow, for instance predominating--the last of course reflects the most light, the blue the least; but the rays from the blue surface will make the most intense impression, whilst the red radiations are working very slowly, and the yellow remains entirely inactive. This accounts for the difficulty experienced in copying bright green foliage, or warmly colored portraits; a large portion of the yellow and red rays entering into the composition of both--and the imperfections of a Daguerreotype portrait of a person with a freckled face depends upon the same cause.
A yellow, hazy atmosphere, even when the light is very bright, will effectually prevent any good photographic result--and in the height of summer, with the most sensative process, it not unfrequently happens that the most annoying failures arise from this agency of a yellow medium. A building painted of a yellow color, which may reflect the sun's rays directly into the operator's room will have the same effect. Daguerreotypists, being ignorant of these facts, are very apt to charge their want of success to the plates, or chemicals, or any thing but the real cause; and it would be well to bear these facts constantly in mind and as far as possible avoid them. This, may be accomplished, in a measure, by a choice of location or by having the glass of your windows tinged with blue; or a screen of thin blue paper may be interposed between the light and sitter. In selecting subjects, all striking contrasts in color should be avoided, and sitters for portraits should be cautioned not to wear anything that may produce the effect spoken of--dark dresses always being the best.
Some bodies, which under the influence of light, undergo chemical changes, have the power of restoring themselves to their original condition in the dark. This is more remarkably displayed in the iodide of platinum, which readily recieves a photogenic image by darkening over the exposed surfaces, but speedily loses it by bleaching in the dark. The ioduret of Daguerre's plate, and some other iodides, exhibit the same peculiarity--This leads us to the striking fact, that bodies which have undergone a change of estate under the influence of day-light have some latent power by which they can renovate themselves. Possibly the hours of night are as necessary to inanimate nature as they are to the animate. During the day, an excitement which we do not heed, unless in a state of disease, is maintained by the influence of light and the hours of repose, during which the equilibrium is restored, are absolutely necessary to the continuance of health.
Instead of a few chemical compounds of gold and silver, which at first were alone supposed to be photographic, we are now aware that copper, platinum, lead, nickel, and indeed, probably all the elements, are equally liably to change under the sun's influence. This fact may be of benefit to engravers, for if steel can be made to take photographic impressions, the more laborious process of etching may be dispensed with. In fact, in the latter part of this work, a process is described for etching and taking printed impressions from Daguerreotype plates. As yet this process has produced no decided beneficial results--but future experiments may accomplish some practical discovery of intrinsic value to the art of engraving.
Some advances have been made towards producing Photographic impressions in color--the impossibility of which some of our best and oldest artists have most pertinaciously maintained. The colored image of the spectrum has been most faithfully copied, ray for ray, on paper spread with the juice of the Cochorus Japonica, (a species of plant) and the fluoride of silver; and on silver plate covered with a thin film of chloride. The day may be still remote when this much to be desired desideratum shall be accomplished in portrait taking; but I am led to hope that future experiments may master the secret which now causes it to be looked upon, by many, as an impossibility.


During the 1960s London developed a new sense of itself. It became officially larger when its government was reorganised as 'Greater London'. It also got a new image as the capital of youth and anti-establishment values. Buildings and skirts went higher: hair got longer: music got louder. Carnaby Street and the King's Road became as famous as Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square.
London began to look more futuristic as high rise buildings and inner-city motorways changed the look of the streets. Despite new restrictions on entry, Commonwealth citizens continued to come to the capital to live and work. The long standing problem of race discrimination began to be tackled with the first Race Relations Act.
London's economy started to develop worrying signs during the 1960s. Trade with Commonwealth countries halved as London lost cargoes that had previously been secured through trade protection schemes. Plans took shape to shift London's docks downstream to Tilbury. In 1969, St Katharine's Docks at Wapping became the first of the old upriver docks to shut.
During the decade London lost 360,000 jobs in manufacturing, including 5,500 when the massive AEI factory at Woolwich closed in 1968. It gained 190,000 office jobs and London began to develop a new sector of its economy - tourism. The London Tourist Board was created in 1963.


Banked Track (Outdoor) Skating in the U.S.
USARS sanctioned outdoor skating clinics and competitions in the U.S. are held at either the U.S. Olympic Training Center Velodrome in Colorado Springs, Colorado or Brian Piccolo Sports Park & Velodrome in Hollywood, Florida. There are a few other tracks in the U.S. where skaters sometimes train, but most skaters who don't live near this small number of tracks train in parking lots, paved trails, or on the road.
The Colorado Springs Velodrome is the home of most of the banked track clinics and competitions in the U.S. It is also the location for the USARS Outdoor Speedskating National Championships (ODN). Some inline speedskating clubs also train at the Colorado Velodrome such as Synergy Inline Speedskating and Skate City Competitive Skating.
The Colorado Springs velodrome is now covered by a year-round temperature controlled dome. The following events are held at the Colorado Springs Velodrome.
To compete at ODN, skater must qualify at one of the other banked track clinics or competitions.
Consists of several days of skating at the velodrome and two days of road skating at a nearby paved lot.
The Velodrome at Brian Piccolo Sports Park in Florida has hosted USARS Banked Track Clinics, The Palm Beach Challenge, The American Club Championship, and The America's Cup of Clubs competitions. While there currently are no sanctioned events at this track, local clubs and visiting international teams train here.