The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has awarded the prestigious 'Chartered Insurer' title to Argus Insurance Company (Europe) Limited, one of Gibraltar's leading providers of insurance advice and support.
The Chartered Insurer status is an exclusive title awarded only to firms that meet rigorous criteria relating to professionalism and capability. All Chartered Insurers commit to the CII's Code of Ethics, reinforcing the highest standards of professional practice in their business dealings.
Argus Insurance Company (Europe) Limited specialises in providing insurance for individuals and businesses in Gibraltar as well as in Malta.
To date, fewer than 30 firms worldwide have achieved Chartered Insurer status, and Argus is the first company in Gibraltar to be awarded this designation.
For further information, contact Kathleen Wilkes, Office Manager, on 200 79520 ext. 235.
As the premier professional body for the insurance and financial planning professions, the CII promotes higher standards of integrity, technical competence and business capability.
With over 120,000 members in more than 150 countries, the CII is the world's largest professional body dedicated to these sectors.
Success in CII qualifications is universally recognised as evidence of knowledge and understanding. Membership of the CII signals a desire to develop broad professional capability and subscribe to the standards associated with professional status.


text:
Hu Jintao was 'aloof', Ahmadinejad a 'bellicose peacock': Clinton's take on world leaders
Hillary Clinton talks with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer for her first television interview in conjunction with the release of her new book titled Hard Choices in this handout photo taken in Washington on June 5, 2014. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
The Straits Times take a sneak peek at Hillary Clinton's memoir, Hard Choices, which hits the bookstores on Tuesday. -- ST PHOTO
http://str.sg/Zi4K
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Russia's Vladimir Putin remains "fixated" on reviving the Soviet empire, China's Hu Jintao was "aloof" and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a "bellicose peacock," Hillary Clinton dishes about key world leaders in her new book.
The former secretary of state presides on Tuesday over the closely-managed rollout of her new memoir, "Hard Choices", which many observers interpret as an unofficial kickoff of her prospective 2016 presidential campaign.
After visiting 112 countries in her four years as top diplomat, Clinton sheds light on her dealings with power players at the heart of some of the world's intractable problems - and how her ties with them often set the tone in negotiations.
"The personal element matters more in international affairs than many would expect, for good or ill," she writes.
Among her most difficult relationships as America's top diplomat was with Putin, with whom she had rocky ties after the failed US-Russia "reset" at the outset of the Obama presidency.
"He's always testing you, always pushing the boundaries," she writes of Russia's president, whom she described as an autocratic leader with an "appetite for more power, territory and influence."
In criticising the Kremlin's takeover of Crimea this year and its aggression in eastern Ukraine, Clinton warned such moves could backfire against a country already saddled with a sputtering economy.
"Think also of the long-term strategic interests Russia could pursue if Putin weren't fixated on reclaiming the Soviet empire and crushing domestic dissent," she writes.
China's President Hu Jintao, meanwhile, was less directly combative and more "scripted" and "polite," Clinton writes in her 635-page tome.
With the United States and China the world's two largest economies, the "predictability (and) formality" from leaders like Hu made sense to Clinton. But she stressed that Hu lacked the "personal authority" of predecessors like Deng Xiaoping.
"Hu seemed to me more like an aloof chairman of the board than a hands-on CEO," she explained, citing her trips to Beijing where she often held more fruitful meetings with lower level dignitaries.
"How in control he really was of the entire sprawling Communist Party apparatus was an open question."
- A 'gentleman,' a 'bellicose peacock' -
She reserved poignant criticism for Iran's Ahmadinejad, whom she described as "a Holocaust denier and provocateur who... insulted the West at every turn."
The Iranian leader showed himself to be a "bellicose peacock strutting on the world stage," and unwilling to thaw the chilled relations with Washington enough to engage in meaningful negotiations over Teheran's controversial nuclear program - a stubbornness which contributed to Washington slapping sanctions on the Islamic republic.
"President Ahmadinejad's second term was a disaster, and his political standing at home had collapsed."
Clinton wrote that her years of knowing Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu helped ease their occasionally strained debates over the Mideast peace process and Iran's nuclear programme, which she said Netanyahu believed "was a bigger and more urgent threat to Israel's long-term security than the Palestinian conflict."
"I learned that Bibi would fight if he felt he was being cornered, but if you connected with him as a friend, there was a chance you could get something done."
Among other US allies, few appeared to hold as much sway for Clinton as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom she described as "the most powerful leader in Europe."
"She was carrying Europe on her shoulders," she said of Merkel, whom she first met back in 1994 when Hillary and her husband, then-president Bill Clinton, travelled to Berlin.
With leaders like Merkel quiet and reserved in person, France's Nicolas Sarkozy proved the opposite, often offering "rapid-fire, almost stream-of-consciousness soliloquies" on foreign policy that sucked the oxygen out of a room.
"He would gossip, casually describing other world leaders as crazy or infirm," she said. "One was a 'drug-addled maniac'; another had a military 'that didn't know how to fight'; yet another came from a long line of 'brutes.'"
But Clinton insisted that "despite his exuberance, (Sarkozy) was always a gentleman."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
"Telemóveis" (dansk: Mobiltelefoner) er en sang af portugisiske singer-songwriter Conan Osíris. Sangen vil repræsentere Portugal i Eurovision Song Contest 2019 i Tel Aviv, Israel.

Referencer

Sange fra 2019
Sange fra Eurovision Song Contest 2019
Eurovision Song Contest-sange fra Portugal
Sange fra Portugal

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


2019 European Women In Construction & Engineering Awards Finalist | Building, Construction, Engineering & Property Development | Heron Bros Ltd.
Heron Bros is delighted to announce that our CR Manager, Shauna Young, has been shortlisted as a finalist for the European Women In Construction & Engineering (WICE) Awards.
Shauna has been selected from over 400 entries as a finalist for the 'Best Woman in Business Development' category due to her truly exceptional individual contributions to the construction and engineering industries.
Women represent only 11% of the construction workforce in the UK and most of these jobs are office based and only 2% work in manual jobs.
The aim of the awards is to make these industries more enticing to women. To create role models for women considering a career in these sectors, while encouraging companies to employ and train more women in these industries.


Short Information : join Indian Army has asked for application for technical graduate course. If you qualify for this post, then submit online application. Read the full post for this.
The candidate must have the qualification of engineering degree.
Short Information – Indian Army has sought applications for vacancies. If you want to apply for this rally, you can submit online application.
The matriculation with 45% marks in the total (main subjects) and 33% marks in each subject.
If there is a high qualification of the candidate i.e. 10 + 2 and above, there is no requirement of percentage.
Candidates will have 10 grade passes in grade system each and overall aggregate C-2 grade or at least D grade in 4.75 points.
Each subject should have 50% marks and 60% marks in the class XII.
In class XII, English and mathematics / accts / bookkeeping should be studied and should be reserved in the class XII in 50% marks in each of these subjects.
If a candidate is a graduate or has higher qualifications, then the percentage points passed in cl XII will also apply to his qualifications.
Note : For more information about the post, read the Notification.


Wheel allows you to control and customize your Copenhagen Wheel - the new device from Superpedestrian that transforms your bicycle into a smart electric hybrid. Named one of TIME Magazine's 25 Best Inventions of 2014.
Superpedestrian is focused on urban mobility. Our mission is to help people move through cities more seamlessly.
The Copenhagen Wheel contains a motor, batteries, multiple sensors, wireless connectivity, and an embedded control system. The Wheel learns how you pedal and integrates seamlessly with your motion, multiplying your pedal power 3x—10x. It makes hills feel flat and distances shrink, so you can cycle just about anywhere.
All actuation of the Wheel happens automatically via the pedals through sensing and control algorithms. When you pedal harder, like when you're going uphill, the Wheel provides more assistance. Using the Wheel app, you can vary the level of powered assist.
When you own a Wheel, the Wheel app gives you control of your Wheel, and allows you to give your friends and family access to your Wheel so they can share in the fun too.
"New tech turns regular bikes into hybrids" -The Guardian.
"Helping people move through cities in a seamless way" - Forbes.
"Aimed at encouraging alternative methods of transportation" - CNN.
"It's rare that a company comes along and reinvents the wheel, but it looks like that is about to happen" - The New York Times.
"Instead of adjusting your speed using a throttle or button, you'll simply pedal faster" - Engadget.
"Cycling is limited to the scale of the city, but we want to help people overcome the city" - Wired.
"The Copenhagen Wheel does for electric bicycles what Apple did for mobile computing with the smartphone and tablets" - Smithsonian.com.
Every time I stop it gives me a new ride. When I stop to eat a nutrition bar the connection to the app on my iPhone X is lost. The only way to resume is to turn off the wheel and start a new ride. I wish there was a way to increase the time allowed to stop. The same has happened at long traffic signals. I still give the wheel 5 stars, because I can keep up with my friends, and I am not exhausted at the end of the ride. Let's go dancing!
My Copenhagen Wheel is one of the best purchases I've made in the last five years. I was concerned about paying $1700 until I reviewed my utilization of car2go and dockless scooters over the previous 12 months $2,400. That did not include Uber and Lyft.
I've have not needed anything but my bike going on three months.
To date I've put several hundred miles on the wheel and couldn't be more satisfied. I had originally planned to use the wheel only periodically, but it's ease of operation and the possibility of at least delaying potential knee surgery has altered those plans.
Thank you, Superpedestrian. Your Copenhagen Wheel is awesome.


Dr Linda I don't know how to express my appreciation to you where I was to where I am now. I call you and I didn't even have to tell you anything. You got to work and put me on my feet to stand firm in every area of my life I'm great Dr. Linda you're my Doctor for life keep up the good work .


text:
Q: What is the definition of $H^{-k}(\mathbb{R}^n)$ and its norm? What is the definition of $H^{-k}(\mathbb{R}^n)$ and its norm? How can I understand the fact $$\|f\|_{H^{-k}(\mathbb{R}^n)}=\|(I-\triangle)^{-k}f\|_{H^{k}(\mathbb{R}^n)}.$$

A: By definition, $\|f,H^s\| =\|(1+|\xi|^2)^{s/2}\hat f(\xi),L_2\| $, where $\hat f$ is a Fourier transform of $f$.
In addition, $\hat{\Delta f} = -|\xi|^2\hat f$ (up to a constant factor depending on you definition of Fourier transform), so if $k\in \mathbb N$
$$\|(I-\Delta)^k g,H^{-k}\|=\|(1+|\xi|^2)^{-k/2}\times(1+|\xi|^2)^k\hat g(\xi),L_2 \|$$
$$=\|(1+|\xi|^2)^{k/2} \hat g(\xi),L_2 \|=\|g,H^k\|,$$ which replies to your second question.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
(510 ILCS 30/) Illinois Bovine Brucellosis Eradication Act.
510 ILCS 30/1
(510 ILCS 30/1) (from Ch. 8, par. 134)
Sec. 1. As used in this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, words and phrases have the meanings ascribed to them in the Sections following this Section and preceding Section 2.
(Source: P.A. 99-78, eff. 7-20-15.)
510 ILCS 30/1.1
(510 ILCS 30/1.1) (from Ch. 8, par. 134.1)
Sec. 1.1. The term "Department" or "Department of Agriculture" means the Department of Agriculture of the State of Illinois.
(Source: Laws 1959, p. 2257.)
Sec. 1.2. The term "bovine brucellosis" or "brucellosis" means the disease wherein an animal of the bovine species is infected with Brucella microorganisms irrespective of the occurrence or absence of clinical signs of bovine infectious abortion.
(Source: P.A. 78-818.)
Sec. 1.3. The term "official test" means any test for the detection of bovine brucellosis, approved by the Department and the United States Department of Agriculture, which is based on the use of a standardized suspension (antigen) of Brucella microorganisms in dilution of blood serum taken from the animal to be tested, a bacteriological culture of brucella abortus from milk or tissue samples or any other test approved by the Department.
Sec. 1.4. "Ring test" means the abortus brucella ring test, the same being a diagnostic test of milk or cream to detect the presence of brucellosis in the herd in which such milk or cream was produced.
Sec. 1.5. The term "infected animal" or "reactor" means an animal which has given positive reaction to an official test for the detection of brucellosis and has been so classified after review by the designated brucellosis epidemiologist, or other State and federally approved designee, or if Brucella microorganisms have been found in the body or in the body discharges.
(Source: P.A. 95-93, eff. 8-13-07; 95-335, eff. 8-21-07.)
Sec. 1.6. The term "accredited veterinarian" means a veterinarian who is licensed by the state in which he practices, is approved by the State Animal Health Official of that state, and is accredited by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture or any successor agency.
Sec. 1.7. The term "quarantine" means a condition in which cattle shall be kept separate and apart from and not allowed to come in contact in any way with other cattle.
Sec. 1.8. The term "restriction" or "restricted" means a condition in which cattle shall be kept on certain designated premises and shall not be allowed to come in contact in any way with cattle from other premises.
(510 ILCS 30/1.9)
Sec. 1.9. (Repealed).
(Source: P.A. 91-457, eff. 1-1-00. Repealed by P.A. 97-25, eff. 6-28-11.)
510 ILCS 30/1.10
(510 ILCS 30/1.10) (from Ch. 8, par. 134.10)
Sec. 1.10. The term "certified brucellosis-free herd" means a herd which has complied with Department rules and regulations for establishing and maintaining certified brucellosis-free herds of cattle in Illinois.
Sec. 1.11. Certificate. The term "health certificate", "certificate of health", "certificate of veterinary inspection", or "interstate health certificate" means a legible record, made on an official form of the state of origin or the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture or any successor agency and issued by an accredited veterinarian of the state of origin or a veterinarian in the employ of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, or any successor agency, which shows that the animals listed thereon meet the health requirements of the state of destination. The health certificate must contain the name and address of the consignor, the name and address of the consignee, and an accurate description or identification of the animals involved and must also indicate the health status of the animals including results and dates of required tests, and vaccinations, if any. A health certificate for any purpose other than Illinois exhibition cattle is valid for 30 days. A health certificate for Illinois exhibition cattle is valid for 90 days.
(Source: P.A. 89-154, eff. 7-19-95.)
Sec. 1.12. Official vaccinate. The term "official vaccinate" means a female bovine animal which was inoculated against brucellosis in Illinois with a licensed vaccine. Such vaccinations shall be by an accredited veterinarian who shall properly identify each animal vaccinated and report all such vaccinations to the Department within 30 days. An "official vaccinate" also means an animal inoculated in a similar manner under existing laws in states other than Illinois. The official vaccination age for Illinois shall be set by regulation.
(Source: P.A. 88-91; 88-457.)
(510 ILCS 30/1.14)
Sec. 1.14. Cattle. The term "cattle" means any member of the family bovidae of the genus bos, including all exotic types of cattle and oxen but excluding antelope, sheep, and goats.
Sec. 1.15. Bison. The term "bison" means any member of the genus bison, including buffalo, exotic types of buffalo, and crossbred bison or buffalo such as beefalo and cattalo.
Sec. 1.16. Designated brucellosis epidemiologist. The term "designated brucellosis epidemiologist" means an epidemiologist who has demonstrated the knowledge and ability to perform the functions required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and who has been selected as a designated brucellosis epidemiologist by the State Animal Health Official and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Sec. 2. The Department of Agriculture is authorized and directed to cooperate with the United States Department of Agriculture in the eradication of bovine brucellosis in domestic cattle in this State.
Sec. 3. All owners of dairy or breeding cattle within the State of Illinois shall submit their cattle for an official test for the detection of brucellosis upon request by the Department, and shall provide the necessary facilities for making tests and render such assistance as may be required by the Department. The direct expense of making such tests shall be paid by the Department.
The Department may use or authorize the ring test to detect the herds in which brucellosis exists. All herds producing milk or cream which react to the ring test shall be given an official test in accordance with rules and regulations of the Department. If the tests provided for in this Act disclose that any animal or animals in such herd are infected with brucellosis and it appears that the public interest would best be served by their destruction, the owner may be partially indemnified for the loss sustained, unless otherwise required by the provisions of Section 4 of this Act.
510 ILCS 30/3b
(510 ILCS 30/3b) (from Ch. 8, par. 136b)
Sec. 3b. Quarantine. Herds which disclose reactors shall be quarantined until depopulated or official tests indicate brucellosis infection no longer exists in the herd. Unless there is a negative complete herd test within six months after disclosure of brucellosis in the herd, the Director may, following an administrative hearing, require the herd to be depopulated.
Sec. 4. If State funds are available for paying indemnity, the Department shall pay to the owner of each infected animal an indemnity of $50 for any grade animal and $100 for any registered animal, except that steers so destroyed shall not be eligible for indemnity unless the Department approves depopulation of the entire herd. The Department may, by regulation, increase the indemnity payments, or include additional classes of cattle in order to facilitate the program for eradication of brucellosis. Registration certificates covering animals registered with an approved registry association shall be presented before payment of indemnity, otherwise indemnity payment shall be made as grade. A reasonable length of time will be allowed for the registration of eligible animals that are under 3 years of age.
Sec. 5. When one or more animals in a herd have been classified as reactors to an official test, the entire herd, except steers, spayed heifers and calves under 6 months of age, shall be quarantined immediately and the owner so notified. An accredited veterinarian or a veterinarian in the employ of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, or any successor agency, shall permanently hot iron brand each animal classified as a reactor, within 15 days after classification of such animal as a reactor, on the left hip with the letter "B", such letter to be not less than 2 nor more than 3 inches in height, and shall place a special identification tag in the left ear of such reactor. The veterinarian applying an official test for brucellosis shall immediately notify the Department of each such reactor on forms furnished by the Department, giving the number of the tag placed in the left ear and the number of any tag in the right ear. Reactors shall be shipped for slaughter within 30 days of test date, except that the Department may, upon request, grant an extension of not more than 30 days. Suspect animals which have a history of having aborted and are from a herd containing reactors may be designated as reactors by the veterinarian obtaining the blood samples, when approved by the Department. Suspect animals in herds under quarantine due to brucellosis infection may be designated as reactors by the Department if deemed advisable in the interest of brucellosis eradication. No person shall remove any reactor identification tag.
All animals classified as suspects to an official test shall be positively identified and their movement restricted to the premises where found until they are retested and found negative, or identified as reactors.
Animals with a positive result to an official test at livestock auction markets or marketing centers may be slaughtered or returned to the herd of origin only by permit and must remain under quarantine for further evaluation.
Sec. 5.1. Steers, spayed heifers or calves under 6 months of age may enter Illinois when accompanied by an official health certificate or by prior permit from the Department.
Sec. 6. No dairy or breeding cattle more than 6 months of age shall be imported into the State of Illinois unless they are accompanied by an official interstate health certificate showing the cattle negative to an official test for brucellosis within 30 days prior to the date of entry, except as otherwise provided in this Act. The Department may by regulation impose additional requirements on specific classes of cattle from Class B and Class C states as defined under the Brucellosis Eradication Uniform Methods and Rules approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Sec. 6.1. Shipping of dairy or breeding cattle. The Department may require that no dairy or breeding cattle more than 6 months of age shall be shipped from any livestock auction markets or marketing centers in Illinois consigned to any point within the State unless they are accompanied by a certificate of health issued by an accredited veterinarian or a veterinarian employed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, or any successor agency, showing them to have been negative to an official test for brucellosis prior to release from such public stockyards or be under 24 months of age for beef breeds and 20 months of age for dairy breeds and accompanied by a record of official brucellosis calfhood vaccination.
Cattle consigned to livestock auction markets or marketing centers in Illinois may enter such livestock auction markets or marketing centers without test or certificates of health showing them to be free from brucellosis, however, the Department may require that these animals must be negative to an official test for brucellosis before they are removed to an Illinois farm.
Sec. 6.2. Entry into State without test. Except as otherwise provided in this Act, dairy and breeding cattle may enter Illinois without an official test for brucellosis when accompanied by an interstate health certificate approved by the State Animal Health Official of the state of origin and issued by an accredited veterinarian of the state of origin or a veterinarian employed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, or any successor agency, showing:
1. Such cattle to have originated from a Class Free State or a certified brucellosis-free herd and giving the certified herd number; or
2. Such cattle to be official female brucellosis calfhood vaccinates 24 months of age or under for beef breeds and 20 months of age or under for dairy breeds.
Sec. 6.3. Female cattle of the beef breeds over 6 and under 18 months of age, for feeding and grazing purposes only, may enter the State or may be shipped from marketing centers or auction markets within the State without test for brucellosis. The Department may require that such cattle be held under quarantine until they have passed a negative brucellosis test and such test is reported to the Department, or until a report of their disposal for slaughter is made to the Department. They may be held in quarantine without test during their feeding and grazing period, which period shall not exceed 12 months from date of entry. Upon application to the Department and at the discretion of the Department such period may be extended for an additional period not to exceed 90 days. When required by the Department, at the expiration of the feeding and grazing period the cattle shall be sold for immediate slaughter or tested for brucellosis at the expense of the owner. The owner shall report such disposition to the Department. Such cattle classified as reactors to an official test for brucellosis shall be sold for immediate slaughter and the owner shall report their disposal to the Department.
Sec. 6.4. Female cattle of the beef breeds 18 months of age or older. Female cattle of the beef breeds 18 months of age and over, for feeding and grazing purposes only, may enter the State, provided that such cattle are accompanied by an official certificate of health which states they were negative to an official test for brucellosis within 30 days prior to date of entry, which test shall be conducted by a State or Federal approved laboratory, or are under 24 months of age and were officially calfhood vaccinated.
(Source: P.A. 91-457, eff. 1-1-00.)
Sec. 6.5. Bulls over 18 months of age, springer heifers and cows, or heifers and cows with calves, are classed as breeding cattle and as such must comply with the requirements governing breeding cattle.
Sec. 6.6. Subject to the minimum requirements set forth in Sections 6 to 6.4, both inclusive, the Department is empowered to permit dairy and breeding cattle to enter this State from any other state or territory upon the same terms and conditions as dairy and breeding cattle from this State are permitted to enter such other state or territory.
Sec. 6.7. Bison, except steers, spayed heifers, or calves under 6 months of age, may be imported into Illinois if consigned direct for immediate slaughter to an approved slaughtering establishment and accompanied by a consignment certificate, or if accompanied by an official health certificate indicating the bison:
(a) Originated from a certified brucellosis-free
herd; or
(b) Are official female brucellosis vaccinates under
24 months of age; or
(c) Were negative to an official brucellosis test
within 30 days prior to importation.
Bison steers, spayed heifers, or calves under 6 months of age may enter Illinois when accompanied by an official health certificate, or consigned for immediate slaughter to an approved slaughtering establishment accompanied by a consignment certificate.
Sec. 6.71. Except as otherwise provided in this Act, no female bison or bulls more than 6 months of age shall be loaned, leased, traded or sold in this State, except for slaughter, unless such bison either:
1. Have been tested for brucellosis and found negative within 60 days prior to the date of such transaction and are accompanied by either a certificate of health or an official test chart showing such test and the result thereof, which test shall be recognized for unlimited change of ownership or premises within the 60-day period; or
2. Are females 24 months of age or under which were officially vaccinated against brucellosis with a licensed vaccine, are positively identified, and are accompanied by an official certificate of vaccination; or
3. Are in a certified brucellosis-free herd at the time of transaction.
Sec. 6.8. Cattle for immediate slaughter consigned to a recognized slaughtering establishment may be shipped into Illinois without a brucellosis test or health certificate, however, such cattle shall be accompanied by a consignment document as provided by rules and regulations of the Department. Such cattle shall be held in quarantine until slaughtered.
Cattle for immediate slaughter not consigned to a recognized slaughtering establishment may be shipped into Illinois without brucellosis test as provided by the rules and regulations of the Department. Such cattle shall be held in quarantine until slaughtered.
Sec. 7. Before accepting any cattle or bison for shipment into the State of Illinois or consigned to points within the State of Illinois, every person, transportation company or truck operator shall require that a certificate of health or permit or any other health or slaughter forms required to accompany cattle or bison, as required in the orders and regulations of the Department, be furnished them to be attached to the waybill and accompany the animal to its destination. Such person, transportation company, or truck operator shall have such certificate of health or permit in his or its possession at all times from the loading of such animal to the delivery of such animal at its destination, and available for inspection upon demand.
Sec. 9. The Department shall make rules and regulations relating to cattle under quarantine and restriction and the owner of cattle under quarantine or restriction shall comply with all reasonable quarantine or restriction measures which may be deemed necessary by the Department and shall bear all expenses connected with such quarantine or restriction. The Department may allow the sale and transfer of cattle under quarantine or restriction subject to such reasonable regulations as the Department may prescribe. No rule or regulation made, prescribed or issued by the Department pursuant to the provisions of this Act shall be effective unless such rule or regulation has been submitted to the Advisory Board of Livestock Commissioners for approval.
510 ILCS 30/10
(510 ILCS 30/10) (from Ch. 8, par. 143)
Sec. 10. The Department may make and adopt reasonable rules and regulations for the administration and enforcement of the provisions of this Act. The Department, or its representatives, in performing the duties vested in it under this Act is empowered to enter, during usual working hours, any premises, barns, stables, sheds or other places where cattle are kept, for the purpose of administering the provisions of this Act.
(Source: Laws 1939, p. 94.)
Sec. 11. Administrative penalties. Any person violating any provision of this Act or of any rule, regulation or order of the Department issued pursuant to this Act may be ordered, following an administrative hearing, to pay the following administrative penalties:
(1) $300 for a first violation;
(2) $600 for a second violation; and
(3) $1,000 for a third and subsequent violation.
510 ILCS 30/11.5
(510 ILCS 30/11.5)
Sec. 11.5. Subpoenas. The Department, over the signature of the Director, is authorized to subpoena and bring before the Department any person or persons in this State and to take testimony either orally or by deposition or by exhibit, with the same fees and mileage and in the same manner as prescribed by law in judicial proceedings in civil cases in circuit courts of this State. The Director may issue subpoenas duces tecum to command the production of any or all records relating to the person.
510 ILCS 30/11.10
(510 ILCS 30/11.10)
Sec. 11.10. Hearing rules. The Illinois Administrative Procedure Act and the Illinois Department of Agriculture rules adopted under that Act apply to hearings under this Act.
Sec. 11.15. Judicial review. All final administrative decisions of the Department are subject to judicial review under Article III of the Code of Civil Procedure and its rules. The term "administrative decision" is defined as in Section 3-101 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Proceedings for judicial review shall be commenced in the circuit court of any county permitted by Section 3-104 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
Sec. 14. Vaccines. The use of vaccines containing Brucella microorganisms shall be permitted in the manner and upon the conditions hereinafter set forth. Only vaccines produced under license of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture or any successor agency for calfhood vaccinations against bovine brucellosis may be used. Such vaccines shall be sold by the distributor only to a licensed veterinarian, and shall be administered only by a licensed veterinarian or a veterinarian in the employ of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture or any successor agency. All animals vaccinated shall be positively identified. The Department may by regulation require brucellosis vaccination of female cattle or female bison entering or moving within this State.
The veterinarian vaccinating such animals shall give to the owner an official record identifying such animals and stating that they were vaccinated with a licensed vaccine, giving the date of vaccination, the serial number and name of the manufacturer of such vaccine, and the dosage used.
Animals vaccinated at such age, when accompanied by an official record of vaccination, or any animals that have lost their ear tags but have the official calfhood vaccination tattoo in the ear may move unrestricted, even though they may react to an official test for brucellosis, until they reach the age of 24 months for beef breeds and 20 months for dairy breeds. Upon request, the veterinarian vaccinating any such animal shall test the animal for brucellosis prior to vaccination and shall give the owner an official record showing the result of the test and that the animal was then vaccinated with a licensed vaccine, giving the date of vaccination, the serial number and name of the manufacturer of such vaccine, and the dosage used.
510 ILCS 30/14b
(510 ILCS 30/14b) (from Ch. 8, par. 146b)
Sec. 14b. (Repealed).
(Source: Repealed by P.A. 88-91.)
Sec. 15. Any veterinarian administering any vaccines containing Brucella microorganisms or making any test for bovine brucellosis shall report same to the Department within 30 days, on forms to be furnished by the Department.
510 ILCS 30/15a
(510 ILCS 30/15a) (from Ch. 8, par. 147a)
Sec. 15a. No person, firm or corporation shall operate a laboratory in this State for the purpose of conducting tests for bovine brucellosis for others, nor shall any person, firm or corporation conduct such tests for others, without first securing a permit from the Department. The application for such permit shall be on a form prescribed by the Department and shall set forth the name of the applicant and if a corporation, the name of its principal officers, the location where such laboratory will be operated or such tests conducted and the records thereof kept, a brief description of the training and experience of the applicant or the person in charge of conducting such tests and such additional information as will enable the Department to determine the responsibility of the applicant and the qualifications and ability of such applicant to conduct tests. If the Department finds that the applicant is responsible and appears to be qualified to conduct such tests, it shall issue a permit. Such permits shall be in effect from the date issued until revoked by the Department.
Every person receiving a permit to operate such a laboratory or to conduct such tests shall keep a record of all tests, including the name and address of the person for whom the tests were conducted, and shall report to the Department the results of all tests. Such reports shall be made each week on forms to be prescribed by the Department.
If the Department finds that any applicant for a permit is not responsible or is not qualified to conduct such tests, it may refuse a permit. If the Department finds that any person, firm or corporation holding a permit is no longer responsible or qualified to conduct such tests or is not correctly reporting the results of tests conducted or if the holder of any such permit shall fail to report to the Department the results of the tests conducted as herein required, the Department may revoke such permit.
(510 ILCS 30/17) (from Ch. 8, par. 148a)
Sec. 17. Cattle moving intrastate. Female cattle more than 6 months of age and bulls more than 18 months of age moving intrastate may, by regulation, be required to be tested and found negative for brucellosis prior to movement and be accompanied by a certificate of veterinary inspection or be quarantined in the case of feeding and grazing cattle. This Section does not apply to cattle moving for slaughter only.
(Source: P.A. 87-160; 88-91; 88-457.)
(510 ILCS 30/17a) (from Ch. 8, par. 148b)
Sec. 17a. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as preventing the movement of cattle into stockyards registered under the Packers and Stockyards Act, a State-Federal approved slaughtering establishment, or a marketing center approved by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Department of Agriculture, as defined in the Illinois Livestock Auction Market Law, and operating under the rules and regulations pertaining to marketing centers.
(510 ILCS 30/17b) (from Ch. 8, par. 148b.1)
Sec. 17b. This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Illinois Bovine Brucellosis Eradication Act".


On June 12, the Worcester Police Department received a call about a motor vehicle injury accident. Initial reports indicated that the accident involved two cars, and the accident was first reported to police around 7 in the evening. Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene. The accident occurred on the 1st block of New Vista Lane.
Once arriving at the scene, emergency responders discovered that one individual involved in the accident had been injured. This victim was given medical assistance at the scene, but the extent of their injuries is still under review. However, no fatalities were reported. After statements were taken from those involved in the accident and from witnesses, police directed traffic around the area, and the scene of the accident was soon cleared. Police are investigating the cause of the accident.
Car accidents can occur at any point, especially when we are not expecting them. No one gets in their car and expects to be in a car accident that day. The impacts of some of these accidents can be quite severe. By remaining aware at all times and practicing constant vigilance, all drivers can do their best to keep roads safe for others as well as themselves. Reckless driving can leave to accidents, and accidents can end up causing injuries that impact victims' lives in devastating ways for years to come.
Fortunately, the injuries reported in this accident do not appear to be serious, but some car accidents can be deadly. We strongly urge each driver to remain attentive and follow the rules of the road whenever they get behind the wheel. Negligent driving can have extreme consequences that leave victims dealing with injuries that are incapacitating and leave them in critical condition.
We know how serious some car accidents can be as we are committed to regularly helping victims and their families in the wake of these accidents. At the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Glassman, we are also concerned members of this community. We urge all drivers to do their part to keep accidents from happening. We know that accidents do sadly happen, so we are also here to help victims get help so they can return to their lives.


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Book Review: Prehistoric Lakeheaders – The 90-Century Story of Pre-Contact Thunderbayans by Alan Wade
Posted March 15, 2019 in Articles and Book Reviews.
Alan Wade is giving a talk about his book on Saturday, March 30 at 2:00 pm at the Waverley Library in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Prehistoric Lakeheaders – The 90-Century Story of Pre-Contact Thunderbayans is available at Amazon.ca in both paperback and kindle and at Amazon.com
This book is not a technical, scholarly treatise, but rather a practical guide written in language non-experts can follow and learn from. A couple of decades ago Alan knew very little about the early human history of the Thunder Bay area– just like many of the people who will read this book – and his book is primarily geared toward this audience. Alan is not an archaeologist but he has learned much about the prehistory of this area by reading and by talking to professional archaeologists, amateur archaeologists, historians, and anyone he encountered who is interested in this topic. His book is a summary of what he has learned. In addition to the text, he has a very large index and many references to allow people to learn more about items that interest them. To make it more relevant to younger people who have grown up with computers, he has notes at the end of each chapter with specific references to YouTube videos and suggestion for topics to 'Google' to learn more.
Alan tells the story of the early settlers of the Thunder Bay area in three acts. He calls these chronological stages 1) the stone tool Thunderbayans 2) the copper tool Thunderbayans and 3) the pot maker Thunderbayans. Alan has written a book in layman's language that begins with the first people to inhabit this area. We don't know what they called themselves but archaeologist call them Paleoindians. Their descendants – Native Canadians, Indians, aboriginals or whatever term you prefer – lived here almost 9,000 years before Europeans and other others entered this area. It is astounding that the human history of this area is primarily the history of Native Canadians and that only the last 4% is the history of both Native Canadians and European descendants. Alan refers to the years before the arrival of European explorers as the "missing years".	There has been relatively little written about these early people and almost all that has been written has been by professional archaeologists – virtually all of whom are European descendants – and very little by Native Canadians.
Bill Ross, who was the Regional Archaeologist for the Ministry of Culture for over a decade, has noted that most archaeologists write and produce papers for other archaeologists. These specialized papers are usually loaded with technical terms and some are so jargon-filled that they are very difficult for the average person to follow. Alan writes that they are as interesting to read as a phone book and strives to write jargon free. Susan Martin, a Michigan archaeologist specializing in the study of prehistoric copper and its uses by the Native People of the Lake Superior region, has written that most archaeologists "spend so much time categorizing and comparing artifact types that they confine their audience to what other archaeologists think and forget the humans who created the record they are studying." Alan uses Susan and Lakehead University archaelogist Scott Hamilton as examples of professionals in this area who write scholarly articles as well as books that non-experts can understand.
Alan writes extensively about the Cummins site, a Palaeoindian site on the edge of Lake Minong, a post-glacial lake swollen by melting glacial ice that was a predecessor to Lake Superior. The site is located ten kilometres from Lake Superior on a former Lake Minong beach. It was found over fifty years ago by volunteers working under the guidance of Hugh Cummins. At a ceremony dedicating a placque commemorating the site, Bill Ross said that "we probably have 40 sites within the city limits, or at least close to the city, of this age and it started with one amateur." Many well known archaeological sites – Brohm, Biloski, Renshaw, McClusky, MacGillivry, Crane, etc, – are named after the amateur archaeologist who found them. There are way more amateurs than professionals and professional archaeologists are usually busy keeping up in their profession, supervising students, teaching classes, carrying out administrative duties, etc and the vast majority of new archaeological sites and important artifacts are found by amateurs.
Professional archaeologists in Thunder Bay, like Ken Dawson, Bill Ross and Scott Hamilton, have successfully worked with amateurs to the benefit to both. Some amateurs got interested by finding arrowheads, scrapers, pieces of pottery or other artifacts when camping, hunting or just working in their garden. Others by using metal detectors and finding ancient copper artifacts, many of them over five thousand years old, after starting metal detecting looking for coins, jewelry or other lost metal objects.
Alan mentions many local archaeologists, such as Dave Arthurs, Jill Taylor- Hollings, and Scott Hamilton who, in addition to working with amateurs, have been diligent in consulting with Elders and working with band members in archaeological surveys and excavations.
We have learned most of what we know about the early history of Native Canadians – and we learn very little about their history in grade school or high school – from non-Native men. We desperately need more written and visual information coming directly from Native People and from those that listen to and absorb what they have to tell us. Fortunately this is happening at an expanding rate and their viewpoints will give us a different and more complete perspective on the past. Alan respects and has listened to Native People, married a Native woman and his book gives us a fresh, engaged look at the early human history of the Thunder Bay area.
His Enthusiasm is Contagious
Posted July 24, 2017 in Book Reviews.
In 1963 Joe Marohnic was teaching in Niagara Falls, Ontario when he and his wife Jennifer decided to get away from the pollution and bureaucracy in southern Ontario. After much searching they decided on a town on the edge of a wilderness park. Joe took advantage of the easy access to wilderness in Atikokan and became an avid canoeist and camper. He found there was a lot to like in Atikokan – the rail yard, clear northern skies, snowshoeing, and a river slowly winding its way through the town. Most importantly, the town was full of a variety of interesting people.
Many years later Joe wrote an article called "My Students and the Stars" for the Atikokan Progress where he stated that he also "discovered what a truly black sky filled with countless stars looked like, with the Milky Way stretching from horizon to horizon. This discovery was what set a pattern for the rest of my adult life. From here on in everything revolved around telescopes, optics, binoculars, star charts, and making telescopes, which was accompanied by a passion to share with my students my amazement at what I was discovering in the sky. These are the feelings that made me dedicate each cloudless night for one and half decades to sharing the sky with my students. I knew if I got my students up the hill to look at the sky, it would open their minds to possibilities they didn't know existed. This is what happens when we experience anything profound. Astronomy inspires us to drop our blinders of limitations. Most people have not been encouraged to reach their full potential as human beings and I believe gazing up into the universe reflects to people who they really are and can be, since you absolutely cannot look at Saturn through a telescope and be the same person. You have no choice but to expand, because if Saturn is possible, then anything is possible."
It wasn't just students who shared his passion and trudged up the hill to the telescope. Forty years ago my wife Marie and I followed Joe up the hill behind their house in Highland Park to look through his big telescope. He would point out double stars, distant galaxies, craters on the moon, planets, and other wonders of the universe. We saw the rings of Saturn and, like his students, we also expanded our universe.
Joe taught grade school in Atikokan from 1964 to 1978 and then taught an inventive and highly successful alternate learning program at the Atikokan High School until his retirement in 1990. Most of his students were disadvantaged kids who caused trouble in class, and teachers were glad to see them go. Joe, on the other hand, calls them "my favourite kind of kid." A collaboration between Joe and some of the students about their experiences, good and bad, resulted in the book "All I Can Give You Is Me".
Joe learned the craft of photography in Atikokan. He was fortunate in having one of his favorite photography locations – the railroad yard – located right in front of his house. In addition to his own photography he has also taught photography and darkroom skills to many people in Atikokan. A book that I really love called "An Opinion in Black and White" is the compilation of photos from one class in 2004 at the Intergenerational Arts Centre in town.
Joe has been taking photos for well over sixty years. In the introduction to his latest book he says that "you would think that after all that time a person would know all there is to know about a topic or enterprise and become tired of it, but that isn't the case." He then quotes jazz great Miles Davis who said "sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself."
Joe is an 83 year old self-taught photographer who is still learning how to "photograph like himself." He has had twenty-one solo exhibits in Canada and Europe, been awarded Ontario Arts Council grants and has published four books, including one about Croatia, the country his parents emigrated from and that he has travelled to many times.
Joe now has medical problems and his lack of mobility limits his photography. He even stopped taking photos for a while but missed it so much that his wife Gabrielle convinced him to start again. The photos in his most recent book, 'Portraits From My Armchair', was primarily taken in his Thunder Bay living room adjacent to a large window that provides soft, directional light that is ideal for portraits. A few of the portraits were taken outside and for those he substituted his wheelchair for the armchair.
He asked friends, family, neighbors and people he encountered in his daily activities if they would like to be photographed. For privacy reasons, he doesn't identify the people in the portraits but he does have a short quotation from a respected photographer to go with each photo. The first one – "It is easy to make a picture of a stranger and call it a portrait. The difficulty lies in making a picture that makes a viewer care about a stranger" – best summarizes the strength of Joe's photography. To accomplish this, his goal is to make a connection with the person. He wants the feeling to be like having coffee together but with a camera, rather than doughnuts, between them. Then he has a chance to catch the spirit of the person.
Photography and astronomy give Joe hope and keep him active in body and in spirit. His enthusiasm is contagious. Through his teaching and his example he has helped many others realize that they also have enthusiasms that they should share with others.
"They Came From All Around" by Harold Alanen
Posted March 3, 2017 in Book Reviews.
Harold Alanen's roots run deep into the glacial till of the area south and west of Thunder Bay. His grandparents were part of the influx of Finnish immigrants that arrived here in the early 1900's. Harold was born in Nolalu, went to school there and later taught at the same school. Harold graduated from Lakehead University and is now a retired teacher/principal. In addition to his educational background, Harold is also an accomplished archaeologist, writer and photographer.
Harold's interest in the history of the area began early in his life. In 1955, his grade four teacher at Nolalu Public School showed the class a stone spear point that a classmate had found in a potato field on the family farm. Harold says that the discussions about the ancient stone tool "kindled an interest" in finding out more about the history of where he lived. This interest continues to this day and has resulted in a detailed look at its history.
Native People followed the retreating glacier at the end of the last Ice Age and entered the region about ten thousand years ago. Archaeologists believe that the earliest artifacts that have been recovered southwest of Thunder Bay- many of them found by the writer of the book – are found on the ancient shorelines of glacial lakes that are now a long distance from water. He documents old Native Canadian trails, including a still visible trail that leads up from the border to rich wild rice locations on Whitefish Lake.
Although the book focuses on the history of the 12,000 square mile area from Nolalu to Northern Light Lake, it encompasses much more that. Harold explains how the glacier transformed the landscape and created lakes, rolling hills and areas suitable for farming. He also gives insights into how immigrants slowly altered the landscape and how communities were formed and adapted to the changes that occurred when mining and logging replaced farming.
Although Finns made up a majority of the people in the Nolalu area in its early years, soon immigrants from many countries arrived. This diversity led Harold to use "They Came From All Around" – a lyric from a Gordon Lightfoot song – as the title of his book.
The boom in homesteading accelerated with the passing of the "Free Land and Homestead Act of 1868" The description of the growth of resulting communities includes details on the development of churches, schools, cemeteries and the building of the "Outlaw Bridge' over the Pigeon River.
There was a boom in silver mining with the opening of the Rabbit Mountain Mine and other silver mines in 1880's. Harold traces the development of the "Pee Dee" railroad as it grew toward the Paulson Iron Ore mine just over the border in Minnesota. When the proposed mine failed, the railroad was able to stay alive by hauling silver ore in the later stages of the local silver mines, carrying lumber to area sawmills that had opened along the rail line, taking railroad ties to Port Arthur, and transporting supplies to and from the communities along the rail line.
What started out as primarily a history of the Finnish population in the Nolalu area evolved over years of research into a detailed chronicle of the lives of people of numerous nationalities in rural Thunder Bay. This book shows that "they came from all around" and, in the words of Gordon Lightfoot;
time has no beginnings and history has no bounds
as to this verdant country they came from all around
they sailed upon her waterways and they walked the forests tall
And they built the mines the mills and the factories for the good of us all
This book describes how this was done in one small part of our verdant country.
This book is available directly from Harold Alanen
Contact Harold Alanen
Life on the Invisible Line by John Bouchard
I met John on Saganaga Lake in the early 1980's. He was a Conservation Officer who worked along the border – the invisible line – between Minnesota and Ontario. When visiting John and Eve I noticed the mural depicting life on Saganaga in the entryway to his office/home on the lake. John was also known for the wonderful cartoon-like drawings that he did of friends and that also graced his log book that he kept for his job as a C.O. Although I was aware of his abilities as an artist, I only became aware of his wonderful ability to write stories depicting his adventures when I read this book. John was known for his outgoing nature and sense of humour and these traits come through strongly in his book.
There have been many books written about the Boundary Waters , Quetico Park and the surrounding area but John's book is unique. The short stories – based on actual events in John's life as a Conservation Officer – have over 100 of John's illustration. They add another dimension to the funny, poignant and often bizarre stories. As John says in his ode to Saganaga on the back of his book, his tales are " stories told truthfully though colours are bold". I highly recommend this bold book about the colourful characters that John encountered in his decades along the Ontario-Minnesota border.
My article about John Bouchard can be found at http://www.lakesuperior.com/travel/ontario/saganaga-saga-love-affair-with-remote-border-crossing/ The article contains some of John's wonderful drawings. One example from is book is shown below. Find the book for sale on Amazon.ca
From the Pacific to the Atlantic by Canoe
When I first heard that Mike Ranta was planning a solo canoe trip from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean I thought to myself that would be an incredible feat – but that it was impossible. I was proven wrong.
This book, Mike and Spitzii's Great Canadian Adventure 2014, tells how a man and his dog accomplished this feat. Mike was raised in Atikokan and still lives there; on this trip he was following the example of Atikokan's Don and Joe Meany. Don paddled on the Ontario team that raced across Canada from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta to Montreal in 1967 to celebrate Canada's 100th birthday. In that same year, Joe and two buddies followed the same route in a three man kayak. Another Atikokan connection is that Mike and Spitzii were using a Souris River canoe and XY Company paddles and both of these are world class products made in Atikokan by locally owned companies.
Mike and his dog Spitzii began their journey by heading up the Fraser River from Vancouver. Travelling up a major river against the current was just the beginning of his difficulties. The Cascade Mountains were the next major obstacle in what would be a series of obstacles and he was doing this alone save Spitzii. Mike likes to travel by himself and told me that "I have never felt alone in the bush. What I love about solo wilderness travel is that I can then focus on the environment around me. I get to go at my own pace, listen to and make connections with Mother Nature."
Although he was paddling solo he had his dog with him. As you will discover in the book, it wasn't just a dog – it was Spitzii the wonder dog. Spitzii does everything a good bow paddler does except paddle. Spitzii scans the water ahead and woofs when he spots a submerged rock, log or any other obstacle in the water. Dogs have much better hearing than humans and he hears rapids and waterfalls well before Mike hears them. Mike said that a couple of times he woofed and looked back at Mike when they were beginning to cross a wide part of a bay to save time on Lake Superior. He evidently heard rumblings in the distance and was warning about an approaching storm that wasn't yet visible. Mike learned to respect these warnings and immediately look for a place to land the canoe when he got a warning woof from Spitzii. Bear warnings and wildlife spotting are also part of his repertoire.
Mike left Vancouver on April 1, 2014 and paddled up the Fraser River all the way to Hope, British Columbia where he found that creeks heading east into the mountains were still frozen and it was not possible to canoe any further. He had to take to the side of the highway and pulled his canoe and all his supplies on a wheeled cart. He found that the traffic on the highway – especially the trucks – made this the most dangerous part of his trip. He walked for seven days up and over the Cascades. He got back onto the water on the Similkameen River where he had a big scare. He came around a sweeping curve, saw rapids ahead and couldn't get to shore in time and ended up in the cold, glacial fed water under his over-turned canoe. Fortunately, both he and Spitzii got to shore before being swept down the rapids.
This was just one of many examples of times when Mike found that he should expect the unexpected on a trip of this magnitude. At this point, Mike had crossed the Cascades but now he had to get up and over the Rockies. It was a challenge to travel this diverse and wildlife rich area. One morning he woke up near Revelstoke, British Columbia to six inches of snow and -5 Celsius. At another point he was walking in 2 ½ ft of snow while pulling his canoe behind him. They encountered many bears on their journey, but near Golden, British Columbia they (Spitzii is like a person in this book) saw a cougar print embedded in a bear print. Another memorable sight was a herd of elk crossing the river in front of them in Alberta.
It wasn't as though paddling solo up a major river and crossing two major mountain ranges while alternately dodging trucks and paddling down icy rivers meant that he had completed a major part of his trip. He was just beginning. Crossing Saskatchewan and Manitoba is where Mike had some of his most memorable, and unusual, encounters. Mike was glad to arrive in Thunder Bay, on schedule, near the end of July. He now faced the challenge of Lake Superior. Of course he had some wind-bound days but near Marathon he surprisingly found the lake "was like glass with only the odd loon and fish rippling the surface."
Mike was now half way across Canada and many more adventures were yet to come. One of the more unusual occurred in Montreal on the St. Lawrence River. Mike decided to run the La Chine Rapids in Montreal in order to save the time it would take to portage around the locks. He got a call from Joe Meany as he was headed towards the rapids. Mike recalls how he "told him to stay on the line and that we would run the rapids together. It was a great run and by the time I got to the bottom of those rapids I swear that Joe was sweating more than I was. Spitzi was at his best and knew there was no margin for error on this section of the river as he watched for breach rocks and logs. We had a couple of scary moments and we had a good little drop just before we got out of the fast water and Spitz got a little wet on that one. When I finally got to the base of the rapids, Joe and I were both pretty excited and I could hear in his voice that he was glad that he stayed on the line. Joe and I have never been in a canoe together and I always wanted to paddle with him and that day I felt as though I'd accomplished that goal. Joe is a legendary paddler from back home and it was an honour to run those rapids with him. Even though he wasn't there on a physical level, he was in my heart and in my mind and was the strength behind every stroke that I made in that section of fast water. I will always remember that it was a special moment for me that I will always cherish"
Mike left Vancouver on April 1, 2014 and arrived in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia on October 31. Mike was the first person to cross the North American continent solo by canoe in one canoe season. Mike raised $50,000 for the Atikokan Youth Initiative Centre on this trip. Mike also did a solo trip across Canada in 2016 and raised money for Canadian Veterans. This coming summer he is planning a trip from Bella Coola, British Columbia that will follow Alexander Mackenzie's 1793 route over the Rocky Mountains and on to Montreal. He will then continue on to Nova Scotia. Spitzi will again be in the bow of the canoe and another solo canoeist will accompany him. This trip will be a little bit longer and also more difficult.
His friend Don Meany once told him that "if you can't go through it, go around it. If you can't go around it then be damn sure you can go through it." That attitude is on display in this book and it will be present on any future trip.
The book is available at the Finnish Book Store in Thunder Bay and Mike Ranta's Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/mikeranta2016/