Surfing The Channel

Archive for September, 2010

Over 40 years ago the Dallas-Fort Worth area was full of reports that there was a monster at Lake Worth. Aptly named the Lake Worth Monster, it was reported to be a 7ft tall man-goat-beast which somehow is covered with both scales and lots of hair. If you find yourself in luxury Dallas hotel in early October with nothing to do, check out the Lake Worth Monster Bash. The annual event is scheduled for Oct 2nd in 2010.

Usually held at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge , the Monster Bash celebrates the Monster that first gained notoriety in 1969. The event feaTUres authors Stephanie Erb, Nick Redfern and Ken Gerhard will be selling and autographing books about the Lake Worth Monster. Erb book is titled Cam the Man Hunts for the Spooky Goat Man while Redfern and Gerhard penned Monsters of Texas. redfern will also offer a free lecture on Texas monsters.

Maybe the monster hasn’t been seen much in recent years, there’s still plenty to enjoy at the Bash. bison viewing, canoeing, hayrides and storytelling are just a few activities on the schedule. There’s also music, food and games as well as monster-tracking hikes through the area, or just take a regular guided hike of the refuge. And don’t worry if you miss it this year. The event will be back, whether the Monster is sighted in the next year or not.

For many students an internship is a great way to obtain valuable work experience, begin networking, and sometimes even make some extra cash. All of these can be obtained through the many internships available here in the U.S.; however, for students looking for an even greater experience there are international internships .

An international internship not only allows students to gain experience and try their skills out in the real world but it also gives them a great cultural experience. Many universities offer programs abroad as well as some companies like Southwestern . But before beginning such an experience there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

Not only countries have the same expectations and definition of internship as we do here. It is important to stay flexible and open to any changes. It is also important to maintain open communication not only with your supervisor but also the director of your program. Being conscientious and considerate of the culture is also important.

If you are going to a country that doesn’t speak English it is important that you can at least passably speak the language of the country you will be interning in. Although you will learn it quickly once you arrive and hear it every day, it will be less stressful if you go in with some knowledge.

There are many other details concerning travel insurance, living arrangements, an passport/ visa requirements that you will want to figure out before you leave; however your school or organizing institution can help guide you.

Lastly, feel free to enjoy yourself and make the most of your experience interning abroad with Southwestern. Photos and souveniers won’t be the only the things that you come home with, you’ll have a wealth of experience that will benefit you for years to come.

In an age of mechanical reproduction, the work of the celebrity impersonator is something of an oddity. It’s possible to bring back an image, a moment, and a blip on the cultural map in moments with the aid of sound and video recordings, making it a tough thing to be in the business of doing it without wires. But this is exactly what the work of Danny Gans was all about, and his passing in May last year marks the end of an important era.

There will very likely be more impersonators coming from the next generation, but there are still holes left unfilled. It’s difficult work, and it’s also some of the most exciting to see. Here, where Las Vegas Hotels often resemble things they are not, performers performing other performers who they are not have found a natural home.

Las Vegas was the natural home for Danny Gans. Although he was featured in Bull Durham , his film work paled in comparison to his contributions to live comedy. Here, in the city of imitation, the chance to see a live performer expressing an imitative art in competition with the mechanical, offers an unusual chance to touch a familiar place. The familiar place here was always distant, and always just out of reach.

School of Fish Foundation in Vancouver is hosting a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience for the entire month of September. This unique event happens nightly and the seating in the private dining room is limited to 12 people and is expected to sell out quickly. The revolving 6-course menu with wine-pairings is priced at $216 per person.

This September event puts a lens on the dire state of the oceans by making the public aware of the possibility that seafood will become extinct within our lifetime. Canadian seafood consumers, due to the efforts of the School of Fish Foundation are now better equipped to make sound dining decisions on the spot.

The Ocean Wise organization with their outreach programs has convinced restaurants to place a Northern Star symbol next to sustainably harvested seafood. This symbol is becoming increasingly prominent. Many of the hotels Vancouver offers its visitors were the first to use the Northern Star symbol on their menus.

We’re no longer living in simpler days of wild versus farmed seafood. Rather, restaurant chefs are emphasizing the importance of spotting the characteristics of ethical seafood farming. Sooner than later farmed seafood will have a stronghold in the fish markets and will be regarded as the choice of fish and not the lesser.

In a history stretching back 107 years, founded in 1897 by Ransom E. Olds, the Oldsmobile brand of automobile produced 35.2 million cars, one of the oldest car brands in the world. Phased out of production in 2004, the Oldsmobile continues to be used by its owners, but as these vehicles age and wear out, these owners are increasingly turning to their repair manuals as their mechanics inform them that the chances of acquiring replacement parts may be a difficult task.

Another long-lived car brand, the Mercury, was created in 1939 by Edsel Ford , the son of Henry Ford . This brand of vehicle, originally known for its performance, is also scheduled to be phased out beginning this year, with all production stopping by the fourth quarter of 2010. As these vehicles continue to age, they pose a similar problem for
their owners as the Oldsmobile do for their owners. Having access to a Mercury repair manual is a good first step to help with the inevitable search for needed parts.

With both the Oldsmobile and Mercury brands, familiarity with these repair manuals will allow owners to talk more specifically and confidently with dealers, mechanics, and/or salvage yards, especially as parts are phased out, too.

As a quick example, if an owner were to have an Oldsmobile LS 88, circa 1996, and the emergency brake is sticking or worn out, mechanics will say that this part is no longer made and that a dealer or a salvage yard may be the only place to go for help. The Oldsmobile repair manual should prepare a person for that conversation, so when dealers or mechanics begin talking about calipers, rotors, boosters, drums, and pad sensors, the owner will be ready.

Every move, no matter how traumatic some of the factors involved might be, holds the potential for enormous, positive life changes. Sometimes it’s a matter of leaving the past behind and just starting everything all over. More frequently, however, it’s not as drastic. The best things of the past move forward into the new life, and the things that are no longer necessary get left behind. The good news, in this day and age, is that the kinds of things transglobe property management services offers can help in every step along the way, and they’re there to help make every aspect of the transition easier.

As people move from one place to another, from a past to a future, apartment finders and landlords are also finding ways to move into the future. The wild popularity of the internet makes it possible for companies like Transglobe to play many roles simultaneously. The service that helps one find a new place to live across the country is often the same people who will manage the apartment, and this is a nice continuity, and makes for a much more personal experience. It’s also easier to make that fresh start when one knows the landlord is there to listen to concerns, and help with any issues that might arise.