WOW News – 30 July | The Web on Wheels

WOW News – 30 July

July 30th, 2009 |

Author: Maree

Hello!

Hope you’ve had a great couple of weeks since our last newsletter.

We’ve finally had a little bit of rain, which has been just great. Our dam’s average levels are now at 28%. They had been down to 22%. It’s amazing when you look at the data for the different dams, how the levels vary. One of our smaller dams is 90% whilst our largest dam is only 16.9% full. Here’s the website for Melbourne’s water storage levels:

http://www.melbournewater.com.au/content/water_storages/water_report/water_report.asp If you’re interested, why not look up your local water supplier’s website and see how the levels are faring in your neck of the woods.

This week we’ll be looking at:

Woodworking patterns;
Learning languages; and
Humour – a Dam Story

Until next time, please take good care of yourself.

Viv

“Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.”
Unknown

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Site to See

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Woodworkers Workshop

This is a picture of the start of my hubby’s latest project. Can you guess what it is?

It’s going to be a high bed for my youngest son. There will be drawers and shelves below – that’s what the three cutouts are for. There’s going to be a ’secret cupboard’ at the back, which Braden’s sooo excited about, and a ladder to climb up onto the bed.

Now my hubby is one of those amazing people who can conceive an idea, and plan it out on paper and make it a reality.

But someone else might be really handy with a hammer and nail, but they might need a hand with the design and planning stage.

Today’s website is one of many that provide plans for different woodworking projects. The following site has some free plans, a directoy of plans from other websites as well as many to purchase:

Here is the main page: http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/resources/index.php?cat=102?mktsrc=idc09016 They are quite flexible on payment – they can do credit card over the phone, or online, or Paypal. And if you’re a member and do want to purchase, but don’t want to do this online, let me know and I’ll help you out.

When you go to the site, scroll down a little bit and you’ll see an alphabetical listing of their projects. They have items that have been made and sold on their online store. There’s also a link on the home page to their free patterns.

Here’s the link straight to the free patterns: http://www.freewoodworkingplan.com/index.php?mktsrc=idc09016 It says they have 9,807 free patterns! There’s also an alphabetical listing here; click on something of interest and there will be a variety of patterns in that category.

What could you make?? Something for home, or something for the grandchildren?

I’m going to put into our picture gallery on our member’s site some photos of some of the many projects John has done. Let us know if you do start a project of your own – we’d love to know, and to see the finished product. I’ll put it up in our gallery too!

Happy hammering!

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How are you?

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Come sta!

That’s – “how are you?” in Italian. The picture above is of the Arno River in Italy. Perhaps Italy’s a place you plan to travel to, and learning the language would make the trip more pleasurable.

I tried to learn Italian many years ago, but as I wasn’t speaking fluently after about 10 minutes, I gave up.

I have always wanted to learn another language. I had another attempt before I travelled to Europe years ago, and I managed to pick up a few German phrases, but promptly forgot everything when I got back. As with most everything we learn – unless you access that same part of your brain, you won’t remember that part that is stored in your memory, and it’s lost.

In my travels on the Internet, I came across this website – Rocket Languages. It sounds really great, and the fellow I was chatting to by email seems really nice (well of course he would be, after all he wants me to be a customer:)) but still, I’m encouraged. So I’m going to decide which language to tackle and join up. They have many languages to learn, with different methods of learning, depending on which one you feel more comfortable with.

Here’s a link to the Learn Italian part of the website, if you’d like to check it out.

Rocket Italian – The Ultimate Guide To Learning Italian

They have different products and courses available if you care to browse through their site. They even have a free six day course, if you sign up with your name and email address. who knows, you might get inspired to learn a few phrases yourself before your next trip. Here’s a link to a product where they will mail out some CDs to your home:

Ciao! (oh, email me, if you’d like to buy a course, but don’t want to use your credit card online).

What would you call it when an Italian has one arm shorter than the other?
A speech impediment

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Humour me!

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Dam Story!!!

This is another from an email I received:

This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality, State of Pennsylvania.

The guy’s response is hilarious, but make sure you read the State’s letter, here, first before you get to the response letter.

The Dam

SUBJECT: DEQ File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr. DeVries:

It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property.

You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity: Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.

A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity.

A review of the Department’s files shows that no permits have been issued. Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental

Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.

The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2006.

Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff.

Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action.

We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

David L. Price
District Representative and Water Management Division.

Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:

Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr. Price,

Your certified letter dated 12/17/05 has been handed to me to respond to. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane, Trout Run, Pennsylvania.

A couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood “debris” dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond.

While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials “debris.” I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.

As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.

My first dam question to you is:

(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers.

(2) Or do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?

If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued. Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.

I have several concerns. My first concern is; aren’t the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation — so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer. The Department’s dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling their dam names.

If you want the stream “restored” to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers — but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.

In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond.

If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers’ Dams).

So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2006? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them then.

In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area. It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone.

If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step! The bears are not careful where they dump!

Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.

THANK YOU.

RYAN DEVRIES & THE DAM BEAVERS