Podcasts about outer islands

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - A new passenger transportation solutions project was launched for Cortes, Quadra and some of the Outer Islands. Kate Maddigan, of the Cortes Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA), obtained a grant to fund the project and will oversee developments on Cortes. Quadra Island facilitator Jennifer Banks-Doll will be overseeing the project on Quadra and the Outer Islands. Their first step is fact gathering but unlike past initiatives, they intend to implement some of these ideas. A survey being launched this Monday, May 13, and an online forum on May 21.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The Cortes Island Academy appears to have its full quota of 20 students for 2023/24. Manda Aufochs Gillespie, the Academy's principle Board member, explained, “We've let the first 20 students know that they have a spot if they want it, and then we'll start taking students off our wait list. This time last year, we were still like, 'oh no, we don't know if anybody will sign up for this crazy new program we have.' This year, not only is it an established program that's going to keep continuing into the future, but we had so many applicants that we had to have a wait list.” “We took that hard job of figuring out who to let in and gave it to a jury of community members, who listened to the students videos that they had to create as part of their application, read the reference letters, looked at their application, and helped take into consideration our matrix of priorities such as making sure we make additional concessions for local students, etc. Some of them said it was one of the hardest things they've ever had to adjudicate or give their thoughts on. It wasn't easy, but it was a beautiful process of young and old Cortesians, people who lived on the island and have moved off, representatives from the school district and from the Outer Islands. “The second really exciting thing that we're doing this year, is that the Cortes Island Academy has officially created partnerships with other rural remote Outer Island communities within School District 72 to treat their students as much as possible as locals. That means that we can prioritize their applicants and applications into the Cortes Island Academy.” “We've had to figure out a rental situation where those Outer Islands families can come and share in the responsibilities of hosting these kids on our island. They can be part of this innovative, awesome, educational experience, so that they can have a real option.” CC: Which Outer Islands? “We have offered places to students from of course Quadra, Sonora, Read, and an island called Bibs, which I've never even heard of. “Those are what we're calling the Outer Islands. There's other ones too , Maurelle and other places out there. Some of these have families and students who get to school by boat or have almost no option at all even compared to Cortes. They're even more remote.” “We just want to stress that our rural and remote students are suffering in Canada, that they're underperforming in all academic majors. They're dropping out of high school at almost double the rates of their rural counterparts and they're entering the workforce with the largest education gap of any developed country.” “My dream is that every student in Canada has an option to something like a Cortes Island Academy, but in the meantime we're starting in our own backyards and helping make this a true option for local people. So thank you again to our community and those many neighbors who took the time to be part of this heart-wrenching process of figuring out who we are going to prioritize for letting in.” “The Cortes Island Academy has done something that's pretty hard to do, which is figure it out a way to leverage government and education money for something that is really out of the box.” “This program still costs about $200,000 a year in hard costs, and that has been up to the Cortes Island Academy Society and the Cortes Island Community Foundation to fill that gap. We were able to fill that gap last year through individual donors and through a grant from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.” “We are still trying to fill that gap this year. Of this year's $200,000 hard costs, we have raised more than a quarter already.”

Are the world maps made up? Why is Greenland as big as Africa on a map? Who done it? Also, Who is Mackinder? and what is his 'Heartland Theory' all about? What is the Rimland and the Outer Islands?#Mackinder#Heartland#Rimland#Russia#China#Europe#India#World MapsThe Theory was developed by Halford John Mackinder back in 1904; revised a bit in 1919 - but why would it still be relevant in 2023? Listen on.........! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - More than eight years have passed since Transport Canada (TC) transferred administration of three wharves to the Strathcona Regional District (SRD). Owen Bay on Sonora Island, Surge Narrows on Read Island, and Port Neville on the northern shore of the Johnstone Strait are all within Area C. The SRD was provided with $2.9 million for maintenance and upgrades that were to be completed sometime during the next decade. These upgrades have not yet occurred. Nor has a service to carry out operations and maintenance been established for Area C. Robyn Mawhinney, the new Regional Director, hopes to have this work well underway before the November 2024 deadline. RM: “The wharves are important. They need improvements. Outer Discovery Islands residents rely on these wharves for their day-to-day life, and they have a high desire for this to get underway.” “There was an attempt at an alternative approval process for a wharf service in 2022, and it did not pass. There were definitely some folks last time that had concerns about the wharf service. I do think a lot of it had to do with the lack of communication. That's why this time I am really focused on making sure that there is lots of communication. So this time, I am having town hall meetings to answer questions, and hear concerns. I initiated this community consultation on Quadra Island and at Surge Narrows before a bylaw is written because I want a wharf service to meet the needs of the community and find the community support needed to become a reality.” “I was really pleased that the Strathcona Regional District's, CAO David Leach and two staff engineers joined me at the town hall meetings. I think that the folks on both Quadra and the Outer Islands were really pleased to have that conversation, be heard and have their questions answered.” “At these meetings, SRD engineers stated that they have done Class B estimates on the costs for wharf upgrades and are optimistic that the existing funds will be adequate.” CC: Were most people positive? RM: “I think most people were curious.” CC: Can you get it done in time? RM: “That's another good question, and was one of the questions that came up at the meetings. Marine work, such as pilings, can only be done at certain times of year. Something the SRD engineers have referred to as fish windows, because the timing is approved by Department of Fisheries, oceans as the least disruptive to marine life.” “Which is why I've been pushing this forward and seeking community engagement prior to a wharf service bylaw being drafted, because timing is important.” “Apart from the Transport Canada funding deadline, there is the lived reality for folks who are using these wharves as their sole connection to their broader community. The wharves need work. There are plans in place, and the service must be created in order to spend the federal funding. Officially, the funding expires in November 2024. Dave Leitch, the Strathcona Regional District's Chief Administrative officer said at one of our recent meetings that he thought if the work was in progress, an extension wouldn't be unusual.” CC: Personally, I would think that if they wanted to get rid of them 10 years ago, they don't want them back. RM: “There's some language in the divestiture agreement. It says, ‘If Area C residents do not approve a service, the divestment funds must be returned to Transport Canada' — which has stated they make no promise to continue operating the public ports.”

FINALE SEASON PREMIER! B-Day arrives, and the world of The Last Refuge changes. In the premier episode of our final season, the cast explores what happens on each of the four Outer Islands on that fateful day through some unusual eyes. What calamities will occur? Who will our players be playing? And how many times will they cry knowing this is The Beginning of the End? Find out in this week's episode of The Last Refuge.   YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/16PC2p1o_Rc    Twitter/Instagram: @dndlastrefuge Email: dndlastrefuge@gmail.com Website: www.dndlastrefuge.com Merch: bit.ly/tlrmerchstore DMs Guild/DriveThru RPG (use this affiliate link and TLR gets 5% of your purchase!): https://www.dmsguild.com/?affiliate_id=705437   Episode shot at: THE PODCAST PLACE, www.podcastplace.com   MUSIC CREDITS Druid's Grove - Maiden of the Wild - Score by Marc Cholette Great City - Bastion of the Wood Elves - Score by Cecep Upin From: BattleBards.com, Under License: BattleBards Podcasters Audio License   Pursuit Borealis By: Scott Buckley, From: scottbuckley.com.au   Breaking World News by WinnieTheMoog  Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6142-breaking-world-news License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license  Artist website: https://linktr.ee/taigasoundprod   Enchanted Valley by Kevin MacLeod  Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3709-enchanted-valley License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license    The Descent by Kevin MacLeod  Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4490-the-descent License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license 

Roy L Hales/ COrtes Currents - The inaugrial meeting of the new Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board occurs today. All of the incoming and re-elected Directors will be sworn in. Both of the two new Directors from our broadcast area, Mark Vonesch and Robyn Mawhinney, will be among them. Cortes Currents spoke to Mawhinney about her preparations to take office. My days have been very full since the election. I had a seven hour orientation session at the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) office, and I learned from the many different departments what they're working on and how they intersect and can support Area C and Quadra Island. I've had other meetings with other staff members as well, including Tommy Yates, the corporate officer. I've been learning about the options and considerations as I work on how best to achieve the community advisory council that I spoke about during my campaign,” she explained. “There are issues, of course, which continue from one director to the next, and I'm really grateful for Jim Abrams commitment to a smooth and informed transition. He and I have had several long conversations.” She's also been getting emails and phone calls from her constituants. One of the ideas that she found particularly intriging was trying to come to a strategic alignment with the other Regional Directors, on the issues they want to prioritize over the next four years. “Many staff decisions are filtered through these strategic priorities and initiatives. I understand that the board will be working together on these in spring 2023, setting the direction for the next four years, and I am looking forward to that,” said Mawhinney. “It feels to me like each director really has the best interests of their community at heart, and each of the electoral area communities have very different needs and priorities within them.” Gerald Whally gave the other rural Directors a tour of the Sayward Valley and village last week. Mawhinney said she is enjoying getting to know the other Directors, and listed their top priorities: Gerald Whalley (Area A: Sayward to Kyuquot/Nootka) - keeping taxes low and people as unfettered as possible by any sort of regulation. John Rice (Area D: South of Campbell River to Oyster Bay, from the Strait of Georgia to Buttle Lake) - water is important t the whole community Vonesch (Area B: Cortes Island) - who has been wotrking with the Cortes Housing Society on a plan to impose a 3% tax will be asking the SRD for a letter of support to impose a 3% tax on all of Cortes Island's short term rental units. Mawhinney was impressed by the fact Vonesch is ready to ask the SRD for a letter of support. If he gets it, the next step will be to approach the provine. “It was great hearing how far Cortes has come in their work towards affordable housing. I think that here on Quadra we have a lot to learn from Cortes,” she said. Mawhinney also spoke about Jim Abram's assistance dealing with the Outer Islands. The SRD has completed a fire brigade study for the Surge Narrows Community Association. They are currentlly assessing whether it meets their needs, or if there's some other option which might meet their needs better. The SRD is also about to install pumps on the wharfs at Owen Bay and Evans (Sonora Island), Evans Bay (Read Island), Surge Narrows (Read Island) and Port Neville (on the B.C. Mainland). This is a fire protection measure that that Mawhinney inherited from Abram. She learned about at her orientation meeting and the SRD engineer has agreed to let her come along when they do the installation. “I'm really excited to see Owens Bay and Evans Bay. I visited Surge Narrows four times during my candidacy, but I haven't had a tchance to explore further,” she said. about I believe that visiting and experiencing a location expands one's understanding and respect for a place, and that I'm really looking forward to it.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - One of the key points that Marc Doll keeps mentioning, in his campaign to become Regional Director of Area C, is the need to form a community Association. In today's interview he explains why. “There's significant differences between a Community Association and an Advisory Council,” explained Doll. “It's created by the Regional Director, for the Regional Director. It is an attempt to give the Regional Director some input from a select group of people on the island.” “A community association, on the other hand, is created for the community by the community. It is independent of a Regional Director, but it's process of how it proceeds with discussions, how it attacks issues informs the regional director while it's doing the work of the community association at the same time. So it's more of a parallel process, it's independent, it's democratic. Those are some of the significant differences.” Q/Why is this important? “Well, I think it's incredibly important on basic democratic principles, on community building and community organizational principles. The other thing is in terms of effectiveness, a regional director is one person who has, in our case, two votes on a council with 35 votes. There is limited power that comes with the voice of one.” “However, when a community is engaged and working on issues, its voice is more than just the Regional Director table. Its voice extends out beyond that. It also adds weight to the voice that the Regional Director is bringing to the SRD table. Instead of saying, ‘Well, I've consulted with my people, and we believe this is the way to go,' you're now, ‘hey, the community has put the work into this issue. We've gone through a democratic process. Discussions were had. This is the way that Quadra Island and the Outer Islands wants to go.' Weight really helps move community issues forward.” “Another important aspect of a community association is it isn't all about working on the next problem. It's also doing the work of making a community better, of getting groups together, of making collaboration possible, of creating partnerships, of engaging people, getting people to focus on their community. Its reach is much more than just advising a Regional Director. It does the work of community building and making a community better.” Q/How would you go about forming a community association on either Quadra Island or Area C? “We already have a community association in Area C with SNCA, Surge Narrows Community Association on Reed Island.” So we know that it is possible. We have examples on Hornby Island with HIRRA and Denman Island with the Denman Island Residence Association. So we have examples to fall follow. We're not going to be inventing this from scratch. Like all not for profit organizations, there's a basic template that needs to be followed. How it's going to come about is actually already starting. One of the big parts of this campaign is finding those who have the passion for this community, that have the energy, that want to step up and make this happen. And as I've spent the last four months talking to people, the number of people wanting to jump on board is significant. Getting messages like we got just this week from somebody saying,' my chances of being appointed to an advisory committee are small, but I will join a community association in a heartbeat to make this community better.' Those are the type of messages that we're getting. We know the interest is there and it's simply engaging in and harnessing the skills and passions that we know people in this area and on these islands.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - There are not enough family doctors and the shortage of paramedics has reached crisis levels. Some people would like to see better fire services in North Island. In the third of a series about the issues he will be facing if elected Regional Director on October 15, Marc Doll spoke about emergency services on Quadra Island. “I'm a volunteer firefighter on the island and the ambulance service is currently relying on firefighters to be the driver. Any firefighter that currently has a class four license is basically being put on standby because they no longer have the ability to have two people scheduled to keep the ambulance going. Even with that, there are periods of time where there is no one scheduled and there is no ambulance available on Quadra Island,” he began. “It is as bad as I have seen, and it is getting worse.” Doll knows three people who have ceased to serve Area C as paramedics or Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) during the last three years. One was a female paramedic who worked in the Outer Islands, but unless there was an emergency she only received $2 an hour standby pay. This was not enough to meet her family's needs, so she reluctantly moved to Vancouver where paramedics are better provided for. “We're in a crisis situation and you couple that with our ability to get off the island when the ferry isn't running. There's solutions that are being worked on right now, but it has been over the last number of months where there have been people that just couldn't get off the island in a respectable period of time,” said Doll. “The Regional District doesn't have ambulance services under its purview, but there is influence. There is storytelling. There are relationships that need to be built and that is the role of a Regional Director to get those stories out there.” The Strathcona Regional District Board can collectively lobby for better wages at the provincial level. Doll's family is among those that have been touched by a related issue, the island's shortage of doctors. Their doctor left Quadra and they have not been able to find a replacement. “One thing that we can do as a community is focus on our housing question. When you look at communities that have been successful in attracting family doctors and have been successful probably in keeping ambulance attendance working, it sometimes comes down to their housing options,” he said. “There is work that we can do through the SRD as a regional director and through community organizations. I'm proposing to ensure that we have appropriate housing available for people who are making wages of an ambulance emergency service worker, or even doctors, to have that housing availability there.” The suggestion that fire protection be extended over North Island is more problematic. It is currently served by BC Wildfire Service, whose mandate is to protect forests but not buildings. In 2019, the Quadra Island Fire Department made a proposal to extend their coverage over the island — but they would need two additional fire fighters and a truck. Quadra's Fire Depart is separate from the SRD, and in 2020 the SRD sent out a survey to find out of North Island residents wanted it to provide fire service. 50% of the respondents said they were not willing to pay any additional taxes to support this. “The cost of another fire hall serving a wide area with few people, makes that an untenable choice,” said Doll. “However there are people organizing in the areas that are more at distance from the population centres on Quadra Island. Community organizations are making good progress getting the pumps, and getting some of the training. That's something I know that the Quadra Island Fire Department is willing to work with people, and help with training.”

Read last week's episode hereChapter FiveThe stranger the Littles had named Walker was out and into the late night with the bundle of the ruck sack in one hand.He stopped in the wide courtyard and smelled the night. Beyond the heady scent of the eucalyptus trees the Littles planted in this region to protect their crops from the cruel late night and early morning frost and mist, he could smell the dust of the roads, the salt from out along the ocean, and the general aroma of things growing in the lands all around.And… he could smell others out there tonight. Unclean things coming along in the dark as they were known to do. They were here, unseen and out there in the darkness, undetectable because of their sorceries and craft, but there all the same.By the sign in the dirt of the courtyard he could see their trace, just barely. They were crafty and careful, and they'd come close to listen to what passed beyond the great door of the dark inn.Pulling his hood over his head he headed off down the lane, away from the coast and the road that ran south to the tower of Sirith Osildor, or north to Indolién. He moved swiftly, not bothering to cast a look back, knowing they were there in clusters, working their nets already and seeking where they could come upon him and catch him. They were new to these lands now that the sacred boundaries of the Black River had been violated. But as he moved fast and farther into the dark beyond the inn proper and the fields that surrounded it, each new scent on the wind confirmed to Walker what he already knew.They were here on this wilding night. And they'd come for him.The stranger took the northeastern road up out of the area around the Last Friendly Inn. Walker moved swiftly up and along the way, passing the last few Little homes in the district, he could still see the soft glow of candlelight coming from firelit kitchens and knowing that the simple gentlefolk there were possibly about a late night snack of perhaps some of the last of the winter smoked ham, a fried egg or six, and of course the Hot Lilly they all liked to make and put up for the winter from last year's harvest.The stranger had to admit to himself that he could have used a bit of that peppery fire, and a well-cooked egg, and perhaps even a fatty slice of ham. He had a long night in front of him, and if he was going to outmaneuver his pursuers in the dark wilds toward the northeast, then he was going to have to cover some rough country to come at Indolién from a direction no one suspected.And was he even going to Indolién? Perhaps the hour for the great city was too late even now that the gateways to the south were wide open. And perhaps it was best to do as Bearkiller had bade him to now.Set to his mission this night even though it was surest death and there was no hunting fellowship to see it done.Those thoughts bothered Walker as he moved, shouldered the ruck, and ran one gloved hand over the leather scabbard of the sword. He gave it a slight pull, executing the barest of draws. Just to make sure the blade was ready to clear leather should the fight come soon.And soon enough it would come. That was a safe bet for this night.The first rise out of the coastal valley that lay next to the small ridge of hill and the wide plains along the sea, showed him the district of the Littles behind, and the wide and big moon starting down toward the sea.Out there the sea was empty and made like the armor of the Elven Horse by the moon. There were no silver sails of Indolién. But, and Walker's eyes were keen, there were black sails out there, in the mist, and out in the open, testing the waters between the Outer Islands and the approaches to the harbor at Indolién.But he really only pretended to be interested in the wide moonlit sea out there tonight. Instead, he'd turned to survey the shadows of the trees, the draws, and the quiet places where he knew his pursuers must be waiting. Threading winter's deadfall carefully to stay on his trail.The Men of the North are known for their ability to run for days at a time. But now, in the dark, and heading into the East, pursued by an unknown force, now was not the time to run. Running was easier to track, and the goblins were known to run for long periods too. And what if they had the support of some riders? Dark horse or even wolf?The best trick now, thought Walker, who was more skilled than most at tracking and evasion within the woods, was to throw them off and move quietly away in some other direction than the one they were certain he was pursuing. There was a greater chance of losing them altogether, and if they did find his trail, then he could set traps and deadfalls, or lure them into dangerous places they might not get out of.Now he followed what the Littles did not call the Old Road. This was the Northeastern Lane according to the Littles. It was an  ancient[NC1]  way made so by the Old Kings but now, and in the long years since, it had turned to little more than a wide winding path that would make its way in a very haphazard fashion up into the Dry Hills country and through the small hamlets, holds, and large farms of the Highlands Littles who lived up that way.Walker stood for long minutes, waiting as the moon sank down toward the distant sea. Across the many roads and ways down there among the Little's strawberry farms near the coast, the watch had come out to light the lanterns that lay along the roads and wide spaces between their villages, as their job had been for many generations.He could see none of his pursuers down there in the dark, but he sensed their presence all the same. He checked the dagger in just the same manner as he had the sword, and thus satisfied, turned, topped the rise as fast he could, and started up into Dry Hill country by heading down the opposite side of the large hill and down into the low hollows that lay between the rising landscape that formed the Dry Hills area.There was nothing but late-night silence, perhaps some occasional owl calling out, and then there was the wind from down along the coast raced quickly up into the hills, moving through the stands of oak and other clustering trees causing them to whisper in hushed tones.That would be good. It would cover the sound of his passage once he left the road. And the shifting winds would cause all the shadows to move in the tress and underneath them, not just his.“Perhaps there may even be fog later,” he said to himself though no one was about to hear. It was his way, forged by hard years on the road, alone, and his investigations into all the forgotten places of the world. Often, when no one else was around, he would speak out his plans, his advantages, and the obstacles facing him, talking through it all just to hear if there was any falseness in them.This was a habit he'd acquired from the Men of the North, and his time among their scouts and warriors before he found his way among the Storytellers, where talking, and the telling of things, became not just second nature, but a language all its own full of many strange truths.So, Walker reminded himself that the fog might just come up into the low areas beneath the Dry Hills and perhaps along old streams and creeks of the hills, following the paths of such to send its misty tendrils up aways a little bit more. And that would be good for him against the shadows that stalked him even now. Moving in the fog would be like moving under a blanket. Concealing him and allowing him to hear them blundering about.But the fog did not come to aid Walker before he was forced to give battle against them in a lonely old hollow once called the Charring Tree Wayside for no reason any of the Littles of these present days could ever remember. Though the reason why it was named such was known to the Storytellers and kept in their records and annals. The Charring Tree Wayside was a place of ancient evils and Walker, as he moved swiftly, his road-eating stride long and relentless, cursed himself inwardly for not having thought they would be waiting for him among the crumbled rune-laden stones of that sort of place.Such fell creatures were oft ever[NC2]  attracted to all the ancient evils that were ever done under the sun. It was ever their way, and Walker cursed himself for not having taken this into account as they closed their noose about him in the night.The hunters that faced him were Moon Fen Goblins from out of the eastern waystes beyond the Black River itself. An area of ancient sunken kingdoms and the shattered remains of an old battle where the bones and broken weapons of ancient heroes and foes still lay within the mud and the vast lakes of that area. Moon Fen Goblins were predators more animal than sentient. The orcish warlords used them as such. Excellent hunters, stealthy creepers, they moved like hunting wolves in packs when they needed to, and creeping snakes when they must. They were excellent at infiltrating held lands on long range patrols deep in enemy territory and it made sense that in the aftermath of the fall of Sirith Osildor and the ancient tower, they would be the first ranging into these lands. Often led by a strong leader, these Moon Fen Goblins had probably come north in the weeks before the battle of Sirith Osildor as some sort of screening force and perhaps they were not specifically sent to find him but had spotted him moving slowly and steadily north after the battle.The first arrow of their attack came at the stranger out of the darkness as he entered the hollow and it was thanks to the swiftness of his kind that he sensed its flight and reacted by throwing himself against a sturdy oak for immediate cover.The speeding arrow whipped past and off along the road. A second came, flying dark and fast in the night, and later several more slammed into the oak, or began to whistle through the air all around him.The sorceries that had guarded them were now broken and he could see their foul presence revealed in the last of the spectral moonlight. Soon it would be dark, but as has been said, he had keen eyes, and the years he'd spent among the Men, and the Outcasts, had given him tricks and sharp eyes even for the darkest of nights.The goblin hunters had ringed the clearing at the bottom of the hollow, staying well back up along the brush and tree covered slopes. There were five of them, and five was an evil number.Use me now, whispered the voice in Walker's mind. He ignored it and shifted the bundle under his other arm. A moment later he drew his old blade with barely the snik it took to clear leather.He'd faced longer odds before. But no fight was ever fair. Or guaranteed of an outcome. They were archers and his bow had not made the journey with him north, instead breaking in battle as the Watch tried to hold the throughway beneath Sirith Osildor in the last hours before defeat.Use me now, Hecil, whispered the voice from within the bundle. Two are better than one and I shall help you though you are not elvenkind. Turn loose my powers and strike them down, ancient Man. I thirst for vengeance. Even the pitiful blood of these dark hounds long from home will do for now. Turn me loose and watch me free you… of the trap you have gotten yourself into.The voice was female. Whether elven, human, or some such other race… Walker did not know.But he didn't like it and he'd heard its siren's call since being tasked with the carrying of the object in the bundle of his old travel ruck away from the dusty crypts beneath the tower.But he'd been warned. Warned by Bearkiller and Almandir. And warnings from old Mountain Men were to be heeded. Walker had himself learned that during many hard lessons and come to trust their wisdom in the years since, always testing it. Always finding it true.Still, the thing in his ruck called to him, as he heard the shadow orcs moving about in the brush of the hollow, whispering and giggling like it was play, scrabbling and cursing in the Black Speech. Firing their whistling bolts and seeking to move to their next cover as he quiet shifted [NC3] from cover to cover, ever one step ahead of their targeting.Perhaps, thought Walker as he sought some advantage, they are not aware I possess no bow this night. If they were… then they would rush as one and try to take what I bear.Walker bent and picked up a stone. He waited for a moment, then whipped it at a noise nearby. Whether it struck home or not, that was not his intention. For a moment they stopped their firing, whistling their hunting speech[NC4] [NC5]  and orders. Unsure of what the noise was and what their prey was about even now when he was cornered down here in the dark.But with the next seconds, using their uncertain halt, Walker was already moving up on them. Blades out. And as everyone knows, Men make no sound when they wish not to. Even if they are booted and clothed in the rough and woodlands manner of their peoples from ages past just as Walker was when he came upon them in the dark. A traveler. Not some Emerald Knight in full armor. Servant of the throne of Indolién.The traveling stone he'd whipped at them had gone off through the brush and perhaps the goblins, because these were hunters, predators, thought it was him fleeing suddenly off in a new direction.[NC6]  They were waiting for more sounds to confirm his flight when suddenly Walker exploded upon the first one, running that tall and lean goblin through with a simple stab of his old blade. It was done quick which was best[NC7] , and he shook the green creature, covered in black greasy stripes, naked and warty from the waist up, off his blade and made quick his next attack. The weapon he wielded was a blade borne in the wars across the desert waystes to the east[NC8] , and the long years he'd haunted the southern lands seeking rumors of the mission he'd been sent on long[NC9]  ago. It was a simple blade. No magic in it[NC10] . No elven craft or sorcery. Something forged in the cruel furnaces of the north by mighty men who worked at hot forge and heavy hammer beneath the cold shadow of snow-capped mountains on cold mornings and even colder nights.The sharp blade pushed neatly though the spindly Moon River Goblin kitted only in the barest traveling armor and carrying a darkwood bow. The horrid creature wore a gray sash across the bottom half of his twisted face, and though one ear was missing, he'd managed long ago to pierce what was left of the nub with an old misshapen and milky pearl the likes of which were unseen in the north.That one died gasping and kneeling.Moving swiftly forward, Walker hefted the blade and drove it though the creatures back, then pushed it until it came out another goblin hunter's concave sternum[NC11] . He grasped that foul-smelling one[NC12]  quickly with the well-worn leather glove of his other hand and smothered the cry of alert and murder the night hunter was bound to give in the next instant, ignoring the whispers of blood, blood, and goblin blood, pleading in his mind from the thing in the ruck on his back.There were five here in the dark but there was confusion, and the goblin hunters were uncertain for a moment as he moved swiftly among them.He held the goblin close, counting the remaining and seeing they were distracted with the confusion he'd caused them. He waited for the creature to die, its stench rising up into his nostrils and mixing with the night and the sickly sweet decay of the old hollow where once, much wickedness had been done long ago.The rest of the hunters were moving in the next seconds, finding themselves and calling, really whispering to one another, in their vile black speak.“Cuzza suum Guzudi?” they hissed softly to one another. Some cant for counting and coordinating in battle, guessed Walker as the one in his arms began to go limp with loss of life and blood, turning to little more than dead weight.Walker withdrew his blade, not bothering to wipe the fetid blood from it, tossed the rags of the thin twisted corpse into a sunken carved stone, long hidden here, and moved toward his next target, a dangerous thing now among the hunters in the dark.Or at least for the moment.The hunting party whispered their hissing speech to one another from across the distances that separated them in their ambush, clearly angry and growing more panicked by the second as the wild man among them began to hew and cleave at them with the long and deadly blade.It was a bad stroke[NC13]  the goblin Walker chose next. The thing struck light to a ghostly green lantern and turned, illuminating the savage man and blade just feet away and coming for it at the last instant there in the deeps of the ancient hollow.“Heeeyai!” it screamed, frightened, and leapt forward suddenly, slashing at Walker with a small cruel dagger it carried. This night hunter had placed his strung bow about his slender chest in order to work the lantern in the chaos.Though dagger faced the longer blade of the Stranger, no viciousness was spared, and no quarter given. The agile little goblin, maintaining a deft hold on the bobbing lantern spewing a mossy green illumination, attacked swiftly, slashing wildly to force the stranger to give ground downslope. The cuts were wicked and had they found flesh they would have been equally deadly for goblin blades are oft poisoned. Walker's worn grey cloak caught a quick slash before he was able to parry a wicked thrust with his own rapidly deployed dagger. A moment later he brought his old sword around in a quick arc and forced the dagger aloft and away from its defense.With the cruel little sticker out of the way, Walker withdrew his blade and plunged it forward an instant later as the orc began to call an alert of, “Heeyaa--,” once more.There were two left of this small hunting clutch now, and they came toward the lantern of the dying goblin hunter on the ground, thundering through the brush to catch the stranger in the act of sudden attack and murder.In the distances there were others, whistling their alerts to contact.Perhaps their leader, one of the ones Walker had killed already, had wanted the taking of the prize they'd been sent to find this deep in enemy territory on their scout, for himself. And so, he had not sounded the alert. But now there were many others in the hills this long night, other bands of Moon Fen Goblins, and so whoever ran this clutch hadn't given air to his horn to alert the nearby bands of hunters and assassins that the prey was found and run to ground. Perhaps he'd made that decision in the early moments of the battle, when the black arrows had whistled through the night and he'd hoped for an easy kill and a soft plunder, returning to their masters with the thing that was sought.Or keeping it if he found it lovely enough.Perhaps…But now with three clearly dead, and two calling by shrill whistle for more, Walker presumed their leader dead. And for a moment, amid the fight, he sensed his chance to get away. To hit hard, and then fade away like some ghost that never was there.Men are ever a cruel and tricky lot in battle.Then there was a third moving fast through the tangle of the old and unkempt hollow, and this one was surely the leader if only because his armor and bulk were much more than the others in the shadows of the night.The survivors of the hunting party he'd fallen upon attacked as one as the other two hunters joined the leader against Walker. The leader swept a blade out savagely, raised a ram's horn and blew, alerting one and all in the host of goblins out that wilding night that the quarry had been run to ground finally.One blast would let the others know the prey had been found.A second blast would tell their ears where.The swarthy, bandy-legged creature with a bald and scarred scalp and missing fingers, sucked in another lungful of air, preparing the second blast to alert the location of the fight, and then a dagger from the man appeared dead center in his chest.Flung from out of the night, coming from the battle along the hollow floor, his fellow goblin hunters mere whirling shadows in the battle against the night-wraith of the man, the stranger a thing of darkness in the night seeming more so than even them, had flung his dagger to stop the alert and the goblin leader died watching it appear in his chest just above the old armor he wore.It struck with such force that the wind was knocked from the goblin leader and he let go of the horn as he died.Perhaps… thought the leader as darkness took him, unable to gain even the slightest bit of air, perhaps the whispering voice in the bundle was the thing they'd been sent for.And then he was dead, rolling down the slope among the old leaves and waiting spiders, coming to rest against a cracked rune-covered cut stone that offered no comfort in the night.With three dead, two should have been fine to deal with. But the wild man called Walker found himself challenged against the two hunters who'd brought out their curved little blades no bigger than a troll's dagger. Perhaps these two had been the up and comers in the hunting pack. Those who'd one day challenge the pack warlord for supremacy of the tribe, the mates, and the mean horde of stolen gold and captured gems the orcs of Moon Fen regarded as wealth and status, buried out in the high cliffs beneath the waters of the Dead Sea deep in the waystes.Their ancestral homes for reasons not even they knew.Perhaps these were those, Walker's storyteller's mind wove. Because there was a story to everything, and everything was a story. Still, that did not stop his parries or opportunistic thrusts to gain advantage as their steel rang out in the night and the horns of other hunting parties cried out in dark joy. He may have caught one on the arm, given a good slice because there was blood under foot and spraying about as the fight continued. But the battle was too close and too hectic, switching ground and seeking advantage one moment to the next for him to see which shadow he'd wounded.And still the thing whispering in his mind hadn't stopped. And if anything, it had grown to distract. Demanding now to be used for that which it was made for.Chaos. Blood. Death.Walker ignored these whispers, not bothering to pay mind as he fended off the two attackers along the bottom of the ancient hollow. Neverminding he'd lost his dagger to the dead goblin leader blowing the call for help. Or how imminent that help was in coming soon. Mere minutes perhaps…And then, in just a brief instant, the blink of an eye really, the battle suddenly shifted and was done. The first goblin landed his blade deep in Walker's side but pulled it free in the next. The wound was a silent scream that was both hot and cold in the same unending moment of pain.Walker's lore-minded mind knew this was not good. Perhaps a Mohrgul Blade, he thought as the offending goblin danced away, cackling gutturally, and clicking its broken teeth in some arcane and enigmatic meaning.The other foe sensed its moment with the wounded man's back presenting and struck out with an all or nothing blow to land his own blade in the back of their enemy and join the kill.But this was a mistake. And where the brief fight suddenly changed and ended abruptly. Wounded though a man may be, they are a deadly race all the same. Able to divide their mind away from the things of this life and to concentrate on their task and purpose. Pleasure, or pain, the Men of long ago were able to endure[NC14]  the hardships of the Dark Years and Long Crossing through the Frozen Nethers by putting their minds, and needs, elsewhere despite the harsh circumstances.Perhaps the elves of Indolién had lost that trick, trading it in for the fineries of civilization. Eschewing pain over pleasure.But Men had not.Walker's path had been much different than both men and elves. And his life a return in many respects to the old ways much sneered about in the Emerald Courts. So, it was nothing for him to simply ignore the fatal wound[NC15]  and swing wide as he heard the suddenly foolish headlong rush of the other goblin smelling blood and excited for the kill. The old blade of the savage man bit deep into the orc's skull and came away with brain matter and bone. The cut wasn't clean… but it was enough.The other goblin who'd backed off to enjoy his victory and cowardly slice, was surprised to see the deadly arc of the stranger's blade take off the head of his comrade… and then… come for him in the same moment as the Man turned his pivot into a tremendous sure-footed rush across the treacherous deadfall of the old hollow. Giving ground, backpedaling, the lean goblin threw up both its black claws, one still holding its own blade, to fend off the furious attack. But this was to little avail as the blade of the man rammed home and pinned the sly hunter dead against the trunk of an old twisting oak.Run though its tiny black heart, the last thing the cruel goblin hunter heard was the sudden snap of the man's blade against the solidness of the oak as the warrior pushed it through, having a bad angle and revealing some old fault within the forged metal waiting for just such a moment to occur.In the silence that followed, Walker backed away holding the hilt of the broken weapon he'd borne long in his travels.Hearing the laugh of the whispering voice hidden within his worn ruck turn to the full-throated satisfaction of seductress scorned. The voice of the thing in the bundle.Gray wisps of smoke crawled from out its knotted covering.Walker could feel his own blood running down his side and along his leg. Into his boot. But there wasn't any time for this. In the distance he could hear the others, the other night hunters coming for him, calling one to [NC16] another out there in the late night. Coming to do the evil the horn had called them for.Coming for him. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nickcole.substack.com/subscribe

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is developing an Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP) for Area C. the Discovery Isalnds and Mainland Inlets. Meredith Starkey, the Manager for Parks and Planning, described this as a broad level vision plan which can lead to more specific policies and regulations. “For instance, building permits are currently not required on Quadra Island but they are in other areas of the SRD. Those are community level decisions, to say how far down do we want to take these ideas and codify them into legally binding and enforceable regulation,” she explained. “The Outer Islands have a local area plan, but they don't have an official community plan and they don't have zoning bylaws.” An ICSP could lead to the the creation of an official community plan for the Outer Islands. Starkey said the SRD received a grant to create an ICPS for Area C in 2018. “That project wasn't concluded, so we do have some remaining grant budget and a lot of consultation information from when that project started. We're relaunching now with a different approach. We are trying to piece together what we've heard and confirm and collaborate with community a little bit more, to make sure that the final plan actually reflects the will of the community.” “We've initiated this with a sort of a targeted focus group, calling it a task force. We've been soliciting interest from residents in the Outer Islands and on Quadra to serve as our working group in order to provide the content and confirm the material.” Ideally there will be about 16 members, half of which come from Quadra and the remainder from the Outer Islands. The SRD wants representation from across demographic groups: the business community, parents, seniors etc. Starkey and Aniko Nelson, Senior Manager of Community Services, will represent the SRD. Shannon Gordon, from the Whistler Centre for Sustainability, has been hired to facilitate the process. The ICSP must be completed by the end of 2022. “It's a very quick tight timeline for us. We are hoping to meet at least probably three or four times with task force over those over the next coming months,” explained Starkey. “There will be an opportunity for the community more broadly to take a look. We're calling it a plan on a page, but the idea is that there would be something that we could share easily with a wide range of people to get some comments back that will probably be I want to say November early December.” There is a lot going on at the SRD right now. They are looking into the housing crisis. The Connected Coast project is underway. Starkey, herself, is working on transportation plans. On top of all of that, there will be a regional election on Saturday, October 15, 2022. “I would encourage anyone who's interested to check in with the SRD website and social media platforms from time to time,” said Starkey.

Interview with the prolific author AF Stewart!From the author's bio: "I'm from Nova Scotia, Canada, and I write speculative fiction (fantasy, sci-fi, horror), as well as poetry. I have been plying the trade for several years, periodically interrupted by those pesky events from life. I have published independently and authored such books as the Saga of the Outer Islands series, the Killers and Demons series, Fairy Tale Fusion, and Ruined City. I've also had stories published in various anthologies, including Hell's Empire, A Twist of Fate, the Christmas Lites series and Mechanized Masterpieces from Xchyler Publishing."Originally broadcast on January 10, 2022 on CHMR 93.5 FM in St. John's, and on other great stations across the country. Listen online at http://www.chmr.ca/​​.This program, and others like it, are helped by support from viewers and fans on Patreon. Consider helping support Engen Books on Patreon for as little as $1.00 a month for excellent rewards, including books! http://www.patreon.com/engenbooks​​Checkout Engen titles at http://www.engenbooks.com/​​Write Project Newsletter signup for FREE book: http://eepurl.com/c8W9OTEngen Horror Society Signup for FREE book: http://eepurl.com/c8YemrFantasy Files signup for FREE book: http://eepurl.com/c8X4zLThis recording Copyright © 2022 Matthew LeDrew

There are strong calls to fast-track vaccinating Fiji's smaller islands which are at threat from the spread of covid-19 from the main land.

Bringing uncapped internet to remote Pacific islands is the aim of Kuk i Net, a startup in the Cook Islands.

Outer Islands flights too expensive? Katalina Tohi interviewed Tevita Palu regarding domestic flights and the reason for the expensive flights. - Outer Islands flights too expensive? Katalina Tohi interviewed Tevita Palu regarding domestic flights and the reason for the expensive flights.

In memories of loved ones, speech by Rev Palakana Havea. - Outer Islands flights too expensive? Katalina Tohi interviewed Tevita Palu regarding domestic flights and prices.

-In this episode: Underground Ashi'mei finds the remains of her clan, and relives some painful memories. Her grandfather reveals the mystery of the Outer Islands as they struggle to find a way to save what they can from the Weaver's. Jerris has an idea.

-In this episode: After setting themselves to the task of defending Crisfell against the Weavers, Ashi'mei and her friends begin to gather their forces. Sending her friends to reform the Scarlet Wolves, Ashi'mei, Jerris and Connor set sail for the Outer Islands, whic