Review: Going Interstellar: Build Starships Now!

Book Review:
Going Interstellar, edited by Jack McDevitt and Les Johnson.
ISBN-13: 9781451637786
Publisher: Baen Books
Publication date: 5/29/2012

Writing a book about humans colonizing space, I?ve recently learned, is a difficult thing; it takes a real effort to imagine humanity flourishing?or at least surviving in something other than a quasi-Medieval, post-Collapse form?some centuries in the future. But while it feels callous to rake aside current conflagrations to examine the embers of a better future, we need only look out our window to see the consequences of acting without thought for the future. One of anthropology?s greatest contributions to humanity is that it has revealed our species? time depth, that we have not popped up from nowhere, but that we have a past. And if the future is built from the past, and if we are to have a tolerable future?including the colonization of space as an insurance policy for the genus Homo?we better start to think about that future, starting now.

Thinking about distant futures has often been categorized as ?science fiction? or the now more-popular ?speculative fiction.? Either way, this body of literature has faced twin perils. On the one hand, stories focusing on the technologies of human space colonization feel detached and inhuman because, of course, those technologies are only tools for the larger project of dispersing humanity from Earth. On the other hand, stories focusing on the human domain of space colonization can feel like a cop-out, ignoring the massive technical issues to replay ancient dramas of human relationships. Combining both elements to make a story that feels technically realistic but does not ?lose? humanity is a tall order.

Many of the stories in Going Interstellar fill that order. And as a bonus, the volume includes a number of exciting and clarifying popular-science essays on the technologies needed for dispersing humanity far out from Earth. As an anthropologist with an interest in the long-term human future, my focus is on the human dimensions of space colonization (though I am fascinated by the technologies involved; they?re as fundamental to human adaptation as any artifact, including chipped stone tools over 2.5 million years old). It is from that perspective that I review Going Interstellar; what does it have to offer about the human dimensions of adaptation to the universe beyond Earth?

Fiction

Choices tackles the reality that human colonists arriving at a prospect world after long hibernation might in many ways live, at first, with many 19th century technologies, and that the mindset they bring will have to be amenable to that situation. The story highlights the fact that off-Earth people will not be replicating suburban American life, and that we should be prepared to change our expectations. This story is by Les Johnson, Deputy Manager of the Advanced Concepts Office at NASA?s George C. Marshall Space Flight Center.

A Country for Old Men, by science fiction titan Ben Bova, plays out the familiar theme of humanity?s struggle with its own creations, in this case an artificial intelligence that might endanger space colonists due to its entrenched rules of action. The struggle here is as compelling as that of Bowman ?vs- HAL in the science fiction masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Perhaps because artificial intelligences are closer to reality today than interstellar starships, this scenario has a particularly immediate feel.

Lucy, by the volume?s co-editor, the Nebula-winning Jack McDevitt, engagingly suggests that the human predilection for craft, intrigue and even rebellion might well?even if incidentally?be programmed into our coming artificial intelligences, with unexpected results. Some of those results might be beneficial. The idea of artificial intelligences choosing to voyage into deep space on their own is both unsettling and enchanting.

Lesser Beings, by science fiction author Charles E. Gannon, imagines interstellar voyaging in the distant future, when humanity has spread so wide in the universe that Earth is consigned to myth, and voyages to distant star systems and planets is used to exile clans vanquished in endless wars of conquest. The story brings up an interesting case of the deliberate destruction of technology in order to force humanity to bring its wisdom in line with its technical intelligence.

Louise Marley?s Design Flaw reminds us that whatever our technologies, we can?t wait around on Earth for humans to ?perfect themselves? before heading for the stars; we are social primates and should expect a degree of proclivity towards social ranking, self-aggrandizement and exploitation in our species. But we also have a capacity for compassion and cooperation, and some of our cultures have encoded these inclinations in important cultural principles of behavior. I am optimistic that our better natures will always prevail, despite occasional darkness, and that the Enlightenment will not easily be put back into a bottle.

Hugo, Nebula and Locus award winner Michael Bishop contributes Twenty Lights to ?The Land of the Snow? , imagining the fascinating scenario of a non-Western culture taking to the stars; we find that however different their philosophies might be on the surface, all cultures must grapple with material realities of existence?for example, trajectories and fuel expenditures. An important element of this story is at the end, when an ancient tradition?dispersal of mandala sand?is altered by the Dalai Lama to mark a certain, new occasion. This reminds me that the adaptive power of ritual and symbolism are not restricted to their value as invariant reminders of tradition, but is also found in their mutability, with the act of ritual alteration itself taking on significance because it ?breaks tradition? but in a culturally accepted way. Off-Earth colonists will do well to understand what anthropology has learned about what culture is, and how it works by adapting our behavior to new circumstances.

In Sarah A. Hoyt?s The Big Ship and the Wise Old Owl we encounter another familiar trope in space-colonization fiction, that of a titanic interstellar vessel on a multigenerational voyage in which the inhabitants have all but forgotten both their origin?Earth?and their destination. Robert Heinlein?s classic 1941 story of the same theme, Universe, examined how heretics might break through unquestioned tradition of the ship to reveal that it was not its own universe, but actually a giant craft hurtling through the immensity of space?from somewhere, and to somewhere. In The Big Ship and the Wise Old, inhabitants of the starship make similarly startling discoveries, this time because their ancestors predicted such dilemmas and encoded instructions for solving them in nursery rhymes.

Siren Song, by five-time Hugo award winner (and 35-time Hugo nominee!) Mike Resnick sketches out the origin of future myths about space travel, perhaps the more mysterious of which will serve as motivation for future explorers. Currently we have a small stock of matter for building such myths, including the astounding salvaging of Apollo 13, the terrifying last moments of the space shuttle Columbia, and people walking and even sleeping and dreaming on the moon, as related in Al Reinart?s dreamy video documentary on the Apollo missions, For All Mankind (1989). Reading Siren Song reminded me of the Reinart film, and its humanization of the astounding early exploration of space.

Nonfiction

Antimatter Starships?the first of two essays by Dr. Gregory Matloff, a former professor of astronomy, NASA consultant and the author of several books on the technologies of space exploration?clearly describes what antimatter is, how it can be manufactured, and why, if it can be harnessed, it has significant prospects for use as propulsion for interstellar craft. While antimatter manufacture and control on the scales needed are beyond our current technology, they hold promise for the enormous energy demands of interstellar flight at high speeds, and remind us of the importance of fundamental research in physics. Dr. Matloff?s second essay, Fusion Starships, clarifies how fusion power works and demonstrates that it is the most likely energy source for the near future of interstellar drives, considering that it produces roughly a million times more energy per unit of fuel than any chemical (e.g. liquid rocket) engine. Future fusion drives could derive thrust from tiny amounts of mass processed at the rear of heavily-shielded interstellar craft?an idea studied for decades, now?or by scooping up interstellar hydrogen to process as one moves forward, like a whale filtering phytoplankton from seawater. Both ideas have their problems, but continue to be studied, with fusion as the common ground. As a side note, this is the first essay I?ve ever read that allows me a clear, visceral understanding of the significance of Einstein?s equation, e=mc^2.

In Solar and Beamed Energy Sails Dr. Les Johnson (Deputy Manager of the Advanced Concepts Office at NASA?s George C. Marshall Space Flight Center) introduces the fascinating concept of solar sails, an idea most of us have heard about or least glimpsed in one science-fiction film or another. The idea is simple; use the solar wind?energy that radiates from the sun, and which pushes on everything it encounters (though comparatively lightly)?to push starships equipped with giant, lightweight sails, just as wind pushes ships on Earth. As usual, there are technical problems to overcome, but the concept is mathematically sound and has even been proved in space with test models, such as the Japanese IKAROS probe that flew past Venus in 2010; several other tests in the works will continue to refine the principle.

Richard Obousy?s Project Icarus provides the history of, and describes, his engagement in a team of researchers designing a manned spacecraft, with modern or near-modern technologies, capable of reaching a number of specific targets beyond our solar system. Obousy, a consulting physicist and associate editor of the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, reveals that this fascinating project is currently reviewing nearly 20 possible fusion drives. Interestingly, Obousy writes ??a quick glance at the Icarus designers reveals an average age of close to thirty. Thus, one hope is that, upon completion of the project, an adept team of competent interstellar engineers will have been created, and that this team will continue to kindle the dream of interstellar flight??

This statement reminds me of emphasis on long-term futures that will be required to plan, and successfully carry out, the human dispersal from Earth.

?

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Stun gun, lasso used to round up horse on Pa. road

(AP) ? State police say they used a stun gun and lasso to catch an unbridled horse that was running loose on a Pennsylvania highway.

State police say the horse was spotted near the California, Pa., exit of the Mon-Fayette Expressway about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Police say the horse would run away when they approached, so they used the stun gun and lasso to subdue and control the animal.

Police say they can't find the owner. They say the animal wasn't saddled and had no identifying brandings or other marks.

The horse was taken by Washington County Animal Control. A veterinarian was called in to tend to the horse.

California is about 25 miles south of Pittsburgh.

Associated Press

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UK cost agency rejects Roche's new melanoma pill

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UK to offer banks cheap credit to boost lending

LONDON (AP) ? Britain's government and the Bank of England on Thursday outlined a series of emergency measures designed to kick-start lending by banks and to protect the country's economy from the worsening debt crisis in the eurozone.

Treasury chief George Osborne said that one program, to be launched within weeks, would offer British banks access to cheap multiyear loans, linked to their lending performance.

The aim is to encourage banks to increase lending to businesses and individuals, amid concerns that caution sparked by worries over the fate of the eurozone could cause a new squeeze on available credit.

Bank of England governor Mervyn King said that, separately, the central bank would activate a liquidity facility announced last December, but so far unused, to inject about 5 billion pounds (US$7.8 billion) per month into the country's financial system.

Neither King nor Osborne offered precise details of how much the programs could be worth, though the measures could involve loans totaling up to 140 billion pounds (US$220 billion).

"We are not powerless in the face of the eurozone debt storm," Osborne said, making his annual address to a glitzy dinner in London's financial district. "Together we can deploy new firepower to defend our economy from the crisis on our doorstep."

With the U.K. economy officially in recession for the first time since 2009 after two quarters of shrinking gross domestic product, the International Monetary Fund had last month urged Britain's government and the central bank to do more to boost economic activity.

"The government, with the help of the Bank of England, will not stand on the sidelines and do nothing as the storm gathers," Osborne said. "We are rolling up our sleeves and doing everything possible to protect British families and firms."

King said the liquidity scheme would be announced in detail on Friday, but would offer six-month loans to banks at monthly auctions in exchange for a variety of assets, with the intention that the money is used to lend to companies or individuals.

He said the program was intended to handle actual or looming "market-wide stress of an exceptional nature."

The eurozone crisis has seen bank funding costs rise ? forcing up borrowing rates for small firms ? and created uncertainty about the future of Britain's most important trading partners. "It is an ugly picture," King said.

"Businesses and households are battening down the hatches to prepare for the storms ahead. The result is that lower spending leads to lower incomes and a self-reinforcing weaker picture for growth," he added.

The so-called "funding for lending" program would be similar to the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, or TALF, implemented in the United States in the 2008 to spur more lending to consumers and businesses at cheaper rates.

The program would see the Bank and Treasury jointly offer "funding to banks for an extended period of several years, at rates below current market rates and linked to the performance of banks in sustaining or expanding their lending," King explained. "It could, I hope, be in place within a few weeks."

Andrew Tyrie, a Conservative Party lawmaker and chairman of Parliament's Treasury Select Committee, said the programs were vital to help Britain's economy survive turbulence from the eurozone.

"These are exceptional circumstances. They require exceptional measures," he said. "It is not just welcome that the Treasury and the Bank of England are working together to secure recovery. It is essential."

Britain's government has made previous efforts to boost lending to small businesses. In March, it launched a 20 billion pound (US$31 billion) program to encourage banks to offer cheap loans to smaller firms.

Osborne also acknowledged that a Greek exit from the eurozone could provide the impetus needed for the currency area to agree to closer integration ? including a pooling of resources and a shared backstop for their banking sectors.

"The political paradox Europe faces right now is this: Some or all of these things are needed for the existing countries in the eurozone to make their currency work, but it may take Greek exit to make it happen," he said. "One thing is for sure: if exit is the chosen route then the eurozone must have a very good plan in place to prevent contagion. The worst case for everyone would be exit without a sufficiently ambitious response."

He said that instability caused by doubts over Greece's future must soon end. "A time for decisions has come," he said.

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Insight: Germany and Greece: a tale of estrangement

BERLIN (Reuters) - In early October of last year, German Economy Minister Philipp Roesler landed in Athens on a plane packed full of corporate executives, carrying a message of hope.

Germany and its leading firms, the young minister told Greek leaders, stood ready to help Greece overcome the debt crisis that had plunged its economy into recession and pushed it to the brink of its second EU/IMF rescue in little more than a year.

The mood in the meetings that followed was described by German officials who participated as "euphoric". Roesler received assurances that commercial disputes with German firms would be resolved. As soon as they were, Roesler promised, German investments would flow, focused on Greece's solar sector.

Yet within weeks the relationship had sunk to a postwar low. From interviews with German and European officials, Reuters has traced how and why trust broke down, with grave implications for Greece and Europe's single currency project.

"The minister was held up as a messiah who would save Greece," said a senior German official who travelled with Roesler and sat in on the meetings. By the time Roesler boarded his plane back to Berlin, he and his Greek counterpart Mihalis Chrysohoidis were using the familiar "du" and "esy".

Just weeks after Roesler's visit, Greece's then Prime Minister George Papandreou shocked his European partners by announcing plans - swiftly reversed - for a referendum on Greece's new 130 billion euro bailout package.

That gambit, a half dozen senior German officials told Reuters, marked the start of a dizzying deterioration in ties between Berlin and Athens, characterized by misunderstandings, broken promises and highly unusual public attacks.

A little more than half a year later, with Greece poised for an election that could determine whether it stays in the euro or returns to the drachma, the level of frustration in Berlin with the country's entrenched political class is sky high and its confidence that Athens can get back on track abysmally low.

German officials, many speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue before Sunday's vote, speak of a broken Greek bureaucracy incapable of implementing decisions taken at the top. A drive to root out corruption and tax-dodging has largely failed, they say.

Looking back, however, some German officials also acknowledge that Greece's descent into disarray, and the resulting risks for the broader euro zone, cannot be blamed on the Greeks alone.

It is also a story of neglect by Greece's European partners, they say, including Germany, which reluctantly bailed out Greece over two years ago, but then proceeded to ignore it until late 2011, when its dire economy, unstable politics and abysmal finances forced it back onto the agenda.

Roesler's trip came nearly a year-and-a-half after Germany bankrolled an initial rescue for Greece. Yet that still made him the first member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet to visit the country since the rescue.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has not been to Greece in three years and European Council President Herman van Rompuy visited once in April 2011, a year after the rescue, their aides confirmed.

"For a year after the first bailout, neither Berlin nor Brussels made any symbolic political gestures towards Greece. No one travelled there to take stock of the situation for themselves," said Markus Kerber, chief executive of the BDI industry federation and a former finance ministry official.

"There was a fundamental misunderstanding that this would end up with big countries like Spain and Italy in the sights of the markets. They didn't realize that a single currency zone doesn't work on auto-pilot."

Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert vigorously denied Germany had ignored Greece, saying Berlin had closely followed the work of the so-called "troika" - the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund - which was charged with monitoring the country's progress. He noted that Papandreou himself had praised Germany for its support and cooperation in meetings with Merkel in March 2010 and September 2011.

"DON'T WORRY"

Two months after Roesler's trip, Chrysohoidis came to Berlin to discuss progress on the joint plans the two had unveiled in Athens. In a 20-minute conversation between the two ministers on December 13th, Roesler expressed frustration with the lack of movement on the Greek side. None of the outstanding disputes with German firms, among them Siemens, Bayer and Deutsche Telekom, had been settled and promised regulatory changes that were seen as a precondition for new investments were stalled.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of every single case personally," Chrysohoidis assured Roesler, according to one German official familiar with the talks.

Ties between Germany and Greece run deep. More than 300,000 Greeks reside in Germany, and nearly one in ten Greeks has worked, studied or lived here. In past years more German tourists visited Greece than from any other country.

But these links mask diametrically opposed cultures, officials on both sides say. The clash between these two worlds has been at the root of much of the confusion and frustration on both sides over the past two years.

The Greeks placed huge importance on face-to-face meetings, while the Germans felt most issues could be resolved remotely by phone or email.

Some Germans also point to the model of the Prussian bureaucrat, whose sense of pride in ensuring decisions taken at the highest levels of government are implemented speedily and to the letter, still runs deep in German ministries. It took a while for Berlin and Brussels to realize that a similar ethos did not exist in Greece. Far from it.

Often Greek civil servants, whose wages and benefits were being slashed to meet austerity goals imposed by Greece's international lenders, actively undermined the ministers they worked for, or operated at cross-purposes with other ministries, with whom they had little or no contact, several German officials said.

Under the guidance of EU and IMF bailout inspectors, the Greek government also made the mistake, the Germans said, of cutting the salaries of civil servants across the board and then later firing a portion of them, when it should have fired first and raised wages for those that remained to keep them motivated.

"They did everything in the wrong order," a senior ministry official in Berlin said.

The result was gridlock that often seemed inexplicable to the Germans.

"There is a wonderful tendency in Greece to wait until the last minute to do anything," an EU official, who is a German national, said. "Five minutes before 12 is too early. It has to be 30 seconds before 12 before they step into action."

BOTTOMLESS PIT

When Papandreou resigned late last year, former central banker Lucas Papademos stepped in to lead a unity government. He too was a disappointment, German and EU officials said.

At an early meeting in Brussels, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso pressed him to announce that he would make the fight against corruption his personal mission. But the Greek technocrat demurred and said Athens was preparing a new ethics law.

As 2011 ticked over into 2012, and Greek politicians began dragging their feet on fulfilling the conditions needed to win approval of a second rescue package, German politicians took to chastising them in public. Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was often front and centre, denouncing Greece on several occasions as a "bottomless pit".

In late January, at his prompting, German finance ministry officials floated the idea with their euro zone partners of imposing a "Sparkommissar", or budget commissioner, on Greece that would take control of its finances.

"Given the disappointing compliance so far, Greece has to accept shifting budgetary sovereignty to the European level for a certain period of time," the one-page paper read.

The proposal got a sharp negative response from other member states and was quietly dropped. But when Reuters and the Financial Times broke news of it on January 27th, it hit Greece like a hurricane, re-opening wounds dating back to World War Two, when the country suffered atrocities at the hands of Nazi occupiers.

In the weeks that followed, Greek protesters took to burning German flags and newspapers began publishing computer-generated pictures of Merkel in a Nazi uniform. Publicly, the German government played down the jibes, but behind the scenes officials seethed.

"We stayed quiet, but we noticed," one senior official said.

A nervous foreign ministry, concerned the German ambassador who was suffering from health issues was not up to the growing challenge, quietly pulled him out of Greece after one-and-a-half years in the job and sent him into retirement, sources in Berlin and Athens said. The ministry said it could not comment on personnel matters and declined to put Reuters in touch with the diplomat, Roland Michael Wegener.

Roesler too had grown fed up with the lack of progress on the Greek cooperation deal he had hoped would bolster his own battered image and arrest a precipitous slide in support for his Free Democrats (FDP), Merkel's coalition partner.

He had been pressing for regular updates, but embarrassed aides had had little to show him. On February 17th he received a status report and it wasn't pretty.

"It seems clear that the implementation is not a priority for the Greek side," the internal ministry paper, which was obtained by Reuters, read. "From a German point of view this is unacceptable. We need immediate, clear signals from the Greek side that the country is ready to accept our offers of support."

Frank Asbeck, the chief executive of Germany's second biggest solar company SolarWorld, had accompanied Roesler on the trip back in October and pledged, along with many of his peers, to help Greece with its ambitious Helios project.

Named after the Greek sun god, its goal was to transform Greece into a "showcase" of photovoltaic development in Europe's sunbelt. But to get German firms on board, the Greek government had been told, it needed to sort out its crude regulatory framework. This hadn't happened.

"We can only support this project if we work hand in hand with the Greek government. They have to step up and deliver," Asbeck told Reuters this week.

A senior official in Roesler's ministry bemoaned the missed opportunity. "What was always important was to get a symbolic breakthrough investment. We told the Greeks we just needed some kind of stone laying ceremony, that we'd send a minister down and that would get things going. It never came."

In a speech on Ash Wednesday in southern Bavaria, Roesler dropped all pretence and slammed the Greeks for failing to deliver on the promises made back in October.

It didn't take long for Chrysohoidis to hit back. "I realize Mr. Roesler has a terrible problem in the polls that show his party at 1.5 percent and he attacks Greece to become popular with the Germans," he told Greek television.

NO FREE LUNCH

Even if Roesler's grand plan had borne fruit, it surely would have been too little and too late to prevent the economic and political upheaval that ensued and continues to haunt Greece. If the radical left party SYRIZA, led by bailout-opponent Alexis Tsipras, emerges victorious in Sunday's election, the risk will rise that Greece could leave the euro.

A confidential wire by the German embassy in Athens warns of "turmoil in the markets" if Tsipras wins and "trouble in the streets" if he doesn't, a senior German official said.

After the experiences of the past year, some euro zone watchers believe Germany will be the first to open the exit door and give Greece a nudge. But that analysis may be too simplistic. The German EU official said regardless of who wins the Greek vote, a new government would be given a final chance.

"There will be a very clear 100-day plan for a new government. If it's not implemented in full, then the game is over," the official said. "This is a very bitter election for the Greek people. They are being asked to support the old guard that got them into this mess."

Others believe the hurdles to an exit are higher. A top European central banker said there was no way to force Greece out of the euro zone if it wanted to stay.

"Europeans can decide to turn off the money taps, in which case Greece defaults by September but it would still stay in the euro," he said.

"There is absolutely no trust in Greek politicians and an awareness that whoever wins, the Greek program will need to be renegotiated after the election. The question is how much Germany is willing to pay to keep Greece in the euro zone. Only Merkel and the politicians can decide that."

Kerber at the BDI believes Merkel cannot afford to let Greece leave because that could trigger uncontrollable contagion in the euro zone, with devastating consequences even for its star member Germany, whose booming exports depend on the health of its European partners.

Like a married couple that have come to loathe each other but remain together for the good of the kids, Germany and Greece may be stuck with each other for a while. This is a message Merkel will need to begin sending more forcefully to her domestic constituents after the Greek vote, Kerber said.

"Germany has to realize that it can't sell its goods to everyone else and run huge trade surpluses without assuming more responsibility and leadership in Europe to hedge its national interests," he told Reuters. "Being export champion for free simply doesn't work. As Milton Friedman once said, there is no free lunch."

(Reporting by Noah Barkin, Gernot Heller, Annika Breidthardt in Berlin, Dina Kyriakidou and Harry Papachristou in Athens, Daniel Flynn in Paris; editing by Janet McBride)

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Canada Travel: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan?s ?Friendly City,? captures spirit of old Prairies

Shannon Leahy

Special to the Star

MOOSE JAW, SASK.?At first, I blame it on the ?parlour splits.?

Was I really looking at a penis sheath, a dried out gourd from New Guinea, hanging on a restaurant wall in Moose Jaw?

?That?s the owner?s son,? says our server, Heidi, as she hands me a two-for-one ?parlour split? shot special, and points to a photograph of a tall Western man surrounded by short, smiling men and women. ?I don?t know what it was, but he just loved visiting Papua New Guinea and living with the Pygmies.?

Storytellers are everywhere in Moose Jaw. That morning at Temple Gardens Mineral Spa Resort, our coffee binge is interrupted by a server wanting to know if we like CBC Radio. We?re told the hotel?s Morningsides Caf? is a tribute to the late Peter Gzowski, who broadcast his last Morningside radio program here on May 30, 1997.

On the caf? wall overlooking the sapphire-blue mineral pool, a small plaque attests to the CBC icon?s love of Moose Jaw, a city Gzowski called ?the most Canadian of all cities.? By the time our coffee break is over, we know Moose Jaw is Saskatchewan?s ?Friendly City,? which explains why citizens are such shiny, happy Canadian people.

The stories perking at Hopkins Dining Parlour are just as sweet, but spooky too. The 1905 mansion is one of the most haunted places in Saskatchewan.

Minnie Hopkins, the home?s original mistress, is believed to still linger here and regularly bangs doors, levitates candlesticks and throws food around. But some servers and ghost hunters believe Minnie isn?t the only spirit to blame for all the hijinks happening at the Hopkins mansion, a structure built the same year that Saskatchewan became a province.

One night, an unseen trickster collected all of the freshly laid table utensils and created an elaborate crucifix of forks, spoons and knives on the stairway.

Not surprisingly, staff seldom, if ever, stick around after they?ve shut off the lights and locked up for the night. The few brave souls who?ve dared glance back at the restaurant have seen a woman looking down at them from the third-floor window. Sometimes a dog, a cocker spaniel believed to be Minnie?s beloved pet, joins the ghostly vigil.

We know none of these strange tales when we decide to sit directly beneath Minnie?s favourite perch and dine outside on the Hopkins?s quiet, tree-lined patio.

When I visit the ladies? room (later revealed as Minnie?s favourite stalking grounds!), I?m amazed by the dozens of autographed posters and cards from Canada?s iconic Snowbird pilots, who train in Moose Jaw and clearly party at Hopkins. Do Snowbirds see dead people?

Outside, it?s a cool night and the restaurant?s twinkling lights and flickering candles add a warm, festive vibe that makes Heidi?s roster of Moose Jaw stories a tad less chilling.

?Minnie Hopkins was considered a bit of a teetotaller,? Heidi explains, ?but Moose Jaw was where people came to drink in those days. We were considered the ?sin capital of the Prairies? because we had everything.?

What did ?everything? mean in Moose Jaw? Girls, gambling, guns and bootlegging starting from 1882 when pioneers first arrived, right up until the 1920s when this ?little Chicago? was a favourite haunt for big city gangsters, most notably Al Capone, who supposedly used Moose Jaw?s underground tunnels as part of his rum-running operation and as a hideaway from Prohibition super agent Eliot Ness.

But gangsters aren?t the bee in Minnie?s ghostly bonnet. Her supernatural disdain for drink is legendary among staff, especially since the ghost doesn?t always wait for darkness to show her feelings about the spirits being served in her house.

Heidi gives an involuntary shudder as she recalls carrying a large tray of drinks for a party on the third floor one night.

?I was reaching over to give a customer his drink and felt a poke in my ribs, so strong and sharp, it hurt a little bit and I almost dropped the tray.?

After that charming story, we bolt inside and snuggle up in the cozy Victorian-style parlour. With the promise of a final parlour split, we accept Heidi?s dare to watch Minnie?s 2003 television debut on Creepy Canada.

When the episode gets too creepy, I stare at the penis sheath on the wall and think about friendly Pygmies and Peter Gzowski, not Minnie and her deliciously scary dining parlour.

JUST THE FACTS

ARRIVING West Jet and Air Canada offer daily flights to Saskatoon and Regina starting from $135. Moose Jaw is a scenic two-hour drive southeast from Saskatoon and 45 minutes west of Regina.

SLEEPING Temple Gardens Mineral Spa Resort is in the heart of Moose Jaw and within walking distance of the city?s best shopping, dining and sightseeing. The 179-room hotel is famous for its rooftop, 43C geothermal pool, posh accommodations and adjacent access to Casino Moose Jaw. Standard rooms and luxury Jacuzzi suites range from $155 to $435 per night. templegardens.sk.ca. Capone?s Hideaway Motel overlooks busy train tracks and a heritage CPR Station, now an 11,500-square-foot liquor store. Located at 1 Main St., the rustic motel offers 24 rooms and kitchenettes (most are non-smoking) from $69 to $99 per night.

TOURING Free guided tours of the Hopkins?s house are available from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. Stroll along Main Street and visit the Tunnels of Moose Jaw, an entertaining underground spectacle that recreates ?The Chicago Connection? and the horrific working conditions of early Chinese immigrants labouring in laundries in the ?Passage to Fortune? tour. Each interactive tour is 50 minutes and well worth the time and money ($23 plus tax for both tours). tunnelsofmoosejaw.com.

DINING Hopkins Dining Parlour is located on a quiet side street (65 Athabasca St.) five blocks from the Tunnels and a leisurely walk from Temple Gardens. Don?t be misled by the 25 flavours of chicken wings; Hopkins also serves chicken cordon bleu and filet mignon. Be sure to order a ?parlour split,? two shots for the price of one, served in one glass or two. Dinner for two with pre- and post-dinner cocktails plus dessert, $78 plus tip. hopkinsdining.com. Bobby?s Place Olde World Tavern serves traditional pub grub plus more than 40 brands of single malt and blended scotches. Ignore the tavern?s seedy location beside the bus station and Salvation Army. Ask staff to tell you Bobby?s life story. Closed Sundays. Join Bobby?s Place drinking team on Facebook. 63 High St. E. (behind the Temple Gardens parking lot).

Shannon Leahy is a freelance writer based in Toronto. Her trip was subsidized by Tourism Saskatchewan.

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Wind Energy Update: Supply Chain Challenges from the Industry Itself

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TMCnet's Business Process Outsourcing Week in Review ? Expert ...

Business process outsourcing (BPO) has become exceedingly more popular over the past 10 years because it allows enterprises to outsource operations and responsibilities to a third-party provider. An advantage to BPO is that is allows company?s more organizational flexibility and management. By outsourcing some of the mundane business operations companies are more open to focus on core competencies.

For example, this week IPsoft, who offers IT outsourcing, said this past year more companies have signed up to take advantage of its services than ever before. Bijan Hafezi, regional vice president, Western Region, for IPsoft, said in an interview with TMC CEO Rich Tehrani (News ? Alert), that outsourcing remains popular.

?We have over 300 or 400 customers right now that do business with us,? Hafezi said in the interview. ?Everybody is trying to outsource. Most enterprises are outsourcing what is now their core business.?

Ed Silverstein, TMCnet Contributor, said there are many benefits for companies who sign up with IPsoft. ?In addition, IPsoft?s services provide lower costs and increase efficiency by using automation technology. It meets company needs in business process automation, IP operations, cloud orchestration, fraud prevention and IT operations,? said Silverstein. ?When it comes to cost control, IPsoft has provided total cost of ownership reductions that average some 30 percent. IPsoft also provides customers with internal costs that remain stable rather than those which fluctuate.?

Read the full story here.

Meanwhile, an IP Business Intelligence company (IPBI), Innography, launched a new SaaS (News ? Alert) service for its clients. The new SaaS offerings will help provide specialized consulting, personalized educational materials, and other ongoing support.

Tyron Stading, president and founder of Innography, released a statement in which he confirmed the new announcement. ?Our customers already recognize great value from their use of Innography and their interaction with our customer success team as evidence by our exceptional customer renewal rate,? said Stading. ?Building upon that success with a high caliber team dedicated to strategic consulting and tactical support via outsourcing is a natural next step for Innography and its diverse customer base.?

The new team will help provide consulting experience and industry best practices advice, management consulting services, and implementation help all on behalf of the customer. TMCnet Contributor, Anil Sharma, said ?this new service will help users ?train? the software to make intelligent decisions based on different business objectives, automating what would otherwise be a time consuming and expensive process.?

Read Sharma?s full report here.

Finally, the Everest Group completed a report called, Impending Contract Renewals: Back to the Future, where it determined that over $80 million worth of outsourcing contracts expire within the next year and a half.

Calvin Azuri, TMCnet Contributor, reported on the results from Everest Group, saying that both ?the business process outsourcing (BPO) and IT outsourcing (ITO) markets will see a large number of contracts come to closure,? adding that most of these contracts were signed before the downfall of the economy.

Ross Tisnovsky, senior vice president, Everest Group, said, ?Infrastructure outsourcing, data center and network tower deals make up a significant portion of the ITO contracts expiring in the near term. Disruptive next generation technologies, such as cloud computing, will introduce new benefits and challenges that the market didn?t see five years ago. As buyers are looking for more than just cost savings, service providers will likely find themselves fighting for renewals if they don?t adapt to new buyer preferences.?

Click here to learn more about Everest Group?s report.

Stay updated on the latest Business Process Outsourcing News by visiting TMCnet.com

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Sale, Dunn carry White Sox past Astros

By RICK GANO

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 7:25 p.m. ET June 9, 2012

CHICAGO (AP) - When Chris Sale is on the mound with his quirky motion and left-handed deliveries that come at all speeds and from all angles, the Chicago White Sox like their chances. Every time.

"Obviously we have all the confidence in the world. We know if we score him a few runs, then normally it's going to be good enough," slugger Adam Dunn said.

That's what happened again on Saturday when Sale pitched eight shutout innings and Dunn had a grand slam in a 17-hit attack that produced a 10-1 victory against the Houston Astros.

Sale (8-2) gave up four singles, struck out seven and walked none while lowering his AL-leading ERA to 2.05 during his fifth straight victory.

"I'm not one to really look at my stats or anything like that. It really doesn't do anything for you," the 6-foot-6 Sale said. "You got a five (ERA) or a one and you still got to go out there and pitch and get outs."

Sale was sent to the bullpen for one game in May after there was concern about some arm soreness. But he had a candid and strong conversation with general manager Ken Williams and convinced the team he should return to the rotation.

"It was kind of crazy there," Sale said. "But everything got figured out and I'm trying to move forward from that."

Sale gave the White Sox a momentary scare in the sixth when he was struck by a comebacker from Jed Lowrie. The ball hit him on the bottom of the left foot, then caught him on the calf. But he was not injured and stayed in the game.

"That ball was smoked. Got to get out of the way of it," he said. "It was kind of comical after the panic went away."

At age 23, Sale is emerging as Chicago's stopper. In his two previous outings, he pitched his first complete game against Seattle and struck out 15 against Tampa Bay.

"He's tough to hit against because he has a lot of different things he can throw. I think a lot of people believe he just goes out and throws 98, 99, that's not what he does," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "He actually pitches, hits corners, creates angles and things like that that make him extremely tough."

Gordon Beckham had three RBIs and Alejandro De Aza finished with four hits for the White Sox, who sent 10 batters to the plate during a five-run fifth that chased Houston starter Jordan Lyles (1-2). Chicago finished with 17 hits - 16 singles and Dunn's 19th homer, a bases-loaded shot off Rhiner Cruz in the eighth for his 12th career grand slam.

"I just let the fifth inning blow up on me," Lyles said, refusing to blame the poor fielding that jumped started the inning. "I didn't make pitches. I put guys on base that I shouldn't have."

Alexei Ramirez reached on third baseman Matt Downs' throwing error to start the fifth. Jordan Danks had an infield single and Ramirez reached third after a bad throw by second baseman Jose Altuve.

Eduardo Escobar worked a walk to load the bases, De Aza delivered an RBI single, and Beckham followed with a two-run single to right as Escobar made a nice slide around catcher Chris Snyder to score the third run. Dunn hit a sacrifice fly and, after a walk to Paul Konerko, Alex Rios had another RBI single to finish Lyles.

Beckham added an RBI single in the sixth.

"You just can't give a good hitting team like that extra outs," Houston manager Brad Mills said.

The 21-year-old Lyles allowed seven hits and five runs, four earned, with three walks in his 4 1-3 innings. He is now 0-5 in 14 road games, including 12 starts.

Lowrie hit his 12th homer leading off the ninth against Zach Stewart.

NOTES: White Sox LF Dayan Viciedo, who left Friday's game after five innings with tightness in both hamstrings, was out of the lineup. Jordan Danks made his first major league start in left and got two hits. His brother, LHP John Danks, is scheduled for a minor league rehab outing Tuesday. He's been on the DL with a strained left shoulder. ... The White Sox were doing more tests on 3B Brent Morel, who pulled himself out of a rehab game earlier in the week. Morel has been bothered by back problems. ... Houston placed OF Fernando Martinez on the seven-day disabled list Saturday for post-concussion like symptoms. Martinez was complaining of blurred vision. He was hit in the head by a pitch while playing for Oklahoma City on May 26. He was called up to the major league team June 2. Four days later, he may have hit his head diving for a ball against the Cardinals. "The thinking was that might have stirred something up a little bit. He went and saw the doctors on Friday and they wanted more tests done," Mills said. ... Astros INF Chris Johnson, who left Friday night's game in the sixth inning with nausea, was not in the lineup.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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