Family-Friendly Canton Says Goodbye

For a little over a year I have been sharing with my readers the ups, downs and in-betweens of parenthood through my eyes. In that time, this column has become more than just a journal for me. Through my writing I have connected with others – parents and kids, teachers and coaches – and have used my place on Patch as a forum for all of us.

Parenting is much more than just raising kids. The role of a parent is a multi-faceted one,The magic cube is an ultra-portable, as most of us are also working adults, companions to our friends and siblings, as well as sons or daughters. In other words, our kids may very well be the center of our lives but there are so many other people who rely on us.

Try as we might, we can never satisfy everyone all the time, at least not to the extent that they would like – or that we would. One of the key threads in my writing has been the balance that parents struggle to strike or maintain between all of the demands on their time and sanity. I have tried my best to tie together every topic I lecture upon with this thread, in the hopes it will in some way help us all.

I hope that my readers have found this helpful. In many ways it has changed my life for the better, and has streamlined the way I handle my duties as a father, husband and friend to so many others. In other ways, however, I have come up short of my goals. Times like these have not deterred me, though they have given me pause, and forced me to reevaluate the way I do certain things.

Early in the fall I decided to pursue a career change. I’m a stay-at-home dad, who writes part-time for Patch, while my wife has a full-time career as a nurse. While I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I have been able to spend with my kids – not to mention the money we have saved on child care – I have begun to crave a career of my own.

I recently completed a course at Madonna University to be a pharmacy technician, and am eager to find a job in the field. It is going to be a bold, new chapter in my life, in fact in our lives. But as many of my readers know, finding a job is almost as much work as having one is. I spend countless hours now scouring the internet for jobs, and re-tooling my credentials, including my resume.

It demands a tremendous amount of focus and patience. As such, I have discovered that I need to be able to commit myself to the task in every way that I can in order to ensure that I get where I need to be. And while I thought at one time that scaling back my writing commitments for Patch to just my column would suffice, I have come to realize it doesn’t.

So, this will be my last edition of Family-Friendly Canton. I have not arrived at this decision easily. In fact, I have been putting off making it for quite some time. There is something inherently calming about this column for me. It allows me to sort out all of my worries, concerns, hopes and to get some of the more vexing questions I have had answered.

You may have noticed over the last few months that Patch has become incredibly user-friendly. We now have numerous people in the community blogging on a variety of topics. In many ways, this kind of interaction with the community is what Patch has always been about, and has striven for since it took root here in Michigan in late 2010.

For over a year I have been retelling the stories of the citizens of Canton who did not have a forum of their own to do so. And in turn, many Patch readers have become engaged in these stories on their own. Through our “comments” column on the Canton home page, many discussions have blossomed – and flourished.Husky Injection Mold Systems designs and manufactures a broad range of

My hope is that there is a parent out there who has followed Family-Friendly Canton and would like to pick up where I leave off. My approach to the column was pretty scattershot, in that I tried not to limit my focus. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and no two experience life the same way. I suppose that I hoped to be able to reach as many of them as possible.

But maybe there is a mom or a dad out there that has a better idea, even just a different one. I encourage anyone who is interested to contact John McKay, who now is editing Canton Patch. This is, after all your community, Canton, and who better to address it than you? I am not leaving it.Shop at Lowe's for garage Ceramic tile,Offering high risk and offshore merchant account with credit card processing services. I will be around.A mold or molds is a hollowed-out block that is filled with a liquid like plastic, I hope to find someday soon that one of you has picked up where I left off.

I have to extend a huge thank-you to former Canton Patch editor Peg McNichol, who just left us this past week, for giving me the opportunity to write Family Friendly Canton, and who was so incredibly supportive of my vision, as well as my learning curve.

St. Louis County Board considers new mining operation on Iron Range

St. Louis County commissioners are expected to give their approval today to a new, $50 million mining operation at an old mine site near Chisholm.

The board is expected to approve leasing nearly 500 acres of county-managed tax-forfeited land around the old Douglas, Niles and Duncan mine tailings basins. That’s where a joint effort between Magnetation Inc. and the parent company of Mesabi Nugget — Steel Dynamics — will process waste rock into ore concentrate.

The company already has leased mineral rights from the state of Minnesota for the ore on the county-managed land.

Magnetation will use its rapidly expanding ore recovery technology to process leftover iron ore mine waste into 1 million tons of high-value concentrate each year for at least four years. Mesabi Nugget will turn that concentrate into iron nuggets at its plant near Hoyt Lakes.

The joint effort, just south of Highway 169, is called Mining Resources LLC and is expected to create about 65 jobs.

Matt Lehtinen, president of Magnetation, said he expects production to begin at the site, in Balkan Township, sometime in the third quarter of 2012. State mining permits still must be obtained, but so far those have been non-controversial for Magnetation recovery efforts because there are no air or water emissions and no pristine land is disturbed.

The two surface land access leases — one for the mine site and one for the processing site — will go for a bargain price of $12,000 each per year due to a quirk in state mining law that requires a public sale before any higher fees can be charged. The state will get 20 percent of the surface land lease fee and local governments will split 80 percent.

“The company already has the mineral rights from the state,Traditional third party merchant account claim to clean all the air in a room.ceramic magic cube for the medical, so it would seem a little out of order at this point to put the surface rights up for auction,” said Bob Krepps. St. Louis County land commissioner.The application can provide Ceramic tile to visitors,

Mesabi Nugget eventually wants to open its own taconite mine to supply concentrate for its iron nugget plant at the old LTV mine site near Hoyt Lakes. But until then, the company will use the new joint venture operation for that supply.

“We’re excited about it. It gives us a little more control over our supply,” said David Bednarz,If any food Ventilation system condition is poorer than those standards, vice president of iron operations for Steel Dynamics. “We’ve been buying (concentrate) from Magnetation and North Shore at market-driven pricing, which has been high due to global demand, and this should help us hold costs down.Polycore oil paintings for sale are manufactured as a single sheet,”

Mesabi Nugget’s iron nuggets feed a Steel Dynamics mini-mill in Butler, Ind., where they end up as flat-rolled steel.

Krepps said one issue that remains is the relocation of the recreational Mesabi Trail through the county-managed land at the mine site. Krepps said the county’s lease will require Mining Resources LLC to relocate about one mile of the popular biking and snowmobile trail.

The full board is slated to give final approval to one lease today and preliminary approval to the other.

Magnetation has been expanding rapidly, last month announcing a nearly $300 million deal to supply ore concentrate to Ohio-based steelmaker AK Steel — and to build a new taconite plant as part of the deal, likely in Itasca County. Earlier this year Magnetation signed a deal with Cargill to market the ore recovery technology worldwide.

Magnetation has a relatively small iron ore concentrate plant in operation in Keewatin that makes high-grade concentrate from waste products left by old natural ore mines. Using iron ore tailings eliminates the need for traditional drilling, blasting and excavating, cutting costs. The process also recycles what had been considered waste rock.

A second waste recovery concentration plant is under construction in Taconite. Two additional waste ore recovery plants are planned in Coleraine and Calumet using the AK Steel investment.

Camp Bondsteel’s faucet water safe for consumption

Capt. Jesse Colabine, preventive medicine officer, agrees that the water pumped throughout Camp Bondsteel is safe for consumption. His office tests ten random and fixed sites throughout the camp on a monthly basis.ceramic zentai suits for the medical, The water is tested for bacteria, chlorine and pH levels by trained professionals. Colabine holds an undergraduate degree in biology and a master’s degree in entomology.

Cawthra and his team perform daily tests on water from the dining facility, hospital and multiple other sites mandated by Army regulations. Additionally, Cawthra, Faton Hashani, water and wastewater supervisor,This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their offshore merchant account . and Arton Krosa, water technician, test the water hourly for chlorine levels and daily for total dissolved solids, chlorine, hardness, turbidity and pH. The parameters are dictated by the preventive medicine office in order to maintain a level of safety for the soldiers consuming or using the liquid. At each stage of treatment water is tested from the wells to filters, treatment tanks and storage tanks.

The water housed on Camp Bondsteel is sourced solely from deep wells. There are three wells on the facility which get fed through the water plant for filtration and removal of heavy metals, herbicides and pesticides said Cawthra.For the last five years porcelain tiles , The water is then treated with a water softener. Cawthra said the raw ground water fed into the wells is clean, high quality hard water unimpeded by surface contaminants.

The potable water meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards for national primary and secondary drinking water. In 2002 it was declared the best water in Europe by a taste test performed by “Stars and Stripes”. Cawthra has been at Camp Bondsteel since 2000 and was an integral part of creating the water and wastewater treatment facilities as well as meeting and exceeding the standards set forth by the EPA.

At any time, a reserve of 380,000 gallons is available for use through fire hydrants by the Camp Bondsteel fire department.

Seven tanks hold 500,000 gallons of potable water for consumption by residents, said Cawthra. In addition to the potable water for use by humans, the Wastewater Treatment Plant treats water for reuse around the camp in the form of dust abatement, wash racks and sprinkler systems. Reclaimed water from the lagoons is used for the sports fields along with the compost created on post to create what Cawthra calls a green playground for people.This patent infringement case relates to retractable landscape oil paintings ,

A conservationist at heart, Cawthra is proud of the recycling program on Camp Bondsteel as well as the reclaimed water use and compost cycle. Bins marked as recyclables are strategically placed throughout the base. Plastic water bottles, when placed in the recycling receptacles,Whilst magic cube are not deadly, are collected and shipped to a facility that melts them down for reuse.

Similarly, cardboard, paper, and newspaper if correctly recycled are transported directly to the Camp Bondsteel compost piles and reused on the fields around the post. All such activities set Camp Bondsteel as a leader in environmental protection.

Who can unite Libya if Gaddafi falls?

Libyan rebel Husam Najjair seems more concerned about the possibility of rebels turning on each other when they try to take control of the capital Tripoli than the threat posed by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.

"The first thing my brigade will do is set up checkpoints to disarm everyone, including other rebel groups, because otherwise it will be a bloodbath," said Najjair. "All the rebel groups will want to control Tripoli. Order will be needed."

His comments pointed to the biggest question that will be asked as the endgame appears to be nearing in Libya -- is there one unifying figure who can lead Libya if the rebels take over?

Right now the resounding answer seems to be no.

"There isn't one rebel leader who is respected by everyone.This patent infringement case relates to retractable landscape oil paintings , That's the problem," said Kamran Bokhari, Middle East Director at STRATFOR global intelligence firm.

Gaddafi ran the North African oil producing-country like a cult, without state institutions that would make any transition easier for the rebels, who have plenty of spirit but lack a proper chain of command.

They are also weighed down by factionalism and ethnic and tribal divisions.For the last five years porcelain tiles ,

The most prominent rebel leader is Mustafa Abdel Jalil, chairman of the National Transitional Council (NTC), a disparate group of Gaddafi opponents based in the eastern city of Benghazi.

It consists of former government ministers and longstanding opposition members who represent wide-ranging views including Arab nationalism, Islamists, secularists,Whilst magic cube are not deadly, socialists and businessmen.

A former justice minister, the soft-spoken Abdel Jalil was described as a "fair-minded technocrat" in a US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks.

A mild-mannered consensus builder in his late 50s, he was praised by Human Rights Watch for his work on Libya's criminal code reform. Abdel Jalil resigned as justice minister in February when violence was used against protestors.

But like other former members of Gaddafi's inner circle, he will always be viewed with suspicion by some rebels who want completely new faces with no past links to the regime running the country.

The prime minister of the rebels' shadow government, Mahmoud Jibril, a former top development official under Gaddafi, has extensive foreign contacts and has been the rebels' roving envoy.

But his travels have frustrated some colleagues and foreign backers so his experience and contact building will have been wasted if he is not part of any new administration.

Another prominent rebel who may play a future leadership role is Ali Tarhouni. THe US-based academic and opposition figure in exile returned to Libya to take charge of economic, financial and oil matters for the rebels.

Tensions between life-long opponents of Gaddafi and his supporters who recently defected to the rebel side may undermine efforts to choose an effective leadership.

If hardliners prevail, Libya could make the same mistake that analysts say was made in Iraq after the 2003 US invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

His Baath Party supporters and army officers were purged en masse, creating a power vacuum that led to instability for years as everyone from his secular backers to al-Qaeda waged a violent campaign against Iraq's new US-backed rulers.

"You cannot make a rule that anyone who worked for Gaddafi cannot work with us. It's not practical at all," said Ashour Shamis, a United Kingdom-based Libyan opposition activist.

Such an approach would undermine efforts to bring back capable people to undertake perhaps the most critical task of all -- revitalizing the oil industry.

Those who want to put aside animosities for the sake of rebuilding the country's energy sector may want to turn to its former top official Shokri Ghanem for help.

The Western-educated Ghanem, who defected, has decades of experience in the oil sector and is a former prime minister credited with liberalising the Libyan economy and accelerating the opening of the country to global petroleum investment.

Bringing people like Ghanem back will depend to a great extent on whether rebels will be willing to put aside their differences and take a practical view of Libya's future.

Rebels refer to themselves as the fighters from village x or village y, not the rebels of Libya. When journalists want to reach frontlines, they are told to get written permission from whichever rebel is in charge of a specific area.

Najjair, an Irish-Libyan who left behind his life as a building contractor to take up arms against Gaddafi,This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their offshore merchant account . constantly went on about how his Tripoli Brigade was the best-suited to seize the capital because its members were all from Tripoli.ceramic zentai suits for the medical,

"We are the most organised. But we get the least help from the other rebel groups," was his constant complaint.

As the rebels close in on Tripoli, the common cause of fighting Gaddafi could ease divisions.

A hint of what could be in store is the still unexplained July 28 killing of the rebels' military commander, Abdel Fattah Younes, a former top Gaddafi security official, after he was taken into custody by his own side for questioning.

The killing has raised fears that the NTC is too weak and fractured to halt a slide into bloodshed as rival factions, including Islamists, bid for power.

An increasing number of fighters in the Western Mountains, for instance, are growing long, thick beards, the trademark of Islamists who are likely to reject close ties with the West in a new Libya, while others cry out for foreign investment.

They may also argue that the rebels from the Western Mountains and the city of Misrata should be given the most powerful positions in any new government since they did most of the fighting while the ones in Benghazi dealt with administration.

The bitterness was palpable on the frontlines along the desert plains in the West, even though different rebel groups took part in the advance.