Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast for Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Today – Cloudy. 40 percent chance of flurries this morning. Wind south 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming southwest 40 gusting to 60 this morning. High plus 3.

Tonight – Mainly cloudy. Wind southwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low minus 1.

Rare ‘super blue blood moon’ total lunar eclipse

The Canadian Space Agency says a lunar eclipse will be visible from Canada on January 31, 2018.

A total eclipse will be visible in western and northern Canadian cities, and a partial or penumbral eclipse will be visible in Canada’s eastern cities.

The duration of the totality will be 76.1 minutes.

The next total lunar eclipses will be visible in Canada on January 20, 2019; May 26, 2021; and May 15, 2022.

NASA officials says the Jan. 31 full moon is special for three reasons: it’s the third in a series of ‘supermoons’ when the Moon is closer to Earth in its orbit — known as perigee — and about 14 percent brighter than usual. It’s also the second full moon of the month, commonly known as a “blue moon.” The super blue moon will pass through Earth’s shadow to give viewers in the right location a total lunar eclipse. While the Moon is in the Earth’s shadow it will take on a reddish tint, known as a ‘blood moon.’

Here is a LIVE stream from NASA:

The Canadian Space Agency says a lunar eclipse occurs when Earth is in between the Moon and the Sun.

The Moon passes through the shadow cast by Earth.

This phenomenon can only happen during a full moon, when the Moon is on the opposite side of Earth than the Sun.

Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses can be seen by practically an entire hemisphere, which means that a much larger number of people can see them for a longer period of time.

During a lunar eclipse, Earth’s shadow consists of the umbra (inner part, where there is no sunlight) and the penumbra (outer part, where there is some sunlight).

Depending on the Moon’s trajectory, there can be three types of lunar eclipses:

– Penumbral eclipse: the Moon crosses Earth’s penumbra

– Partial eclipse: the Moon partially crosses Earth’s umbra

– Total eclipse: the Moon completely crosses Earth’s umbra

A total lunar eclipse will go through all three stages and will usually last between 30 and 60 minutes. Even during a total lunar eclipse, the Moon is never completely invisible. Sunlight is refracted through the Earth’s atmosphere and gives the Moon a red hue, which is where the name Blood Moon comes from.

Canadian Space Agency officials say in order for a lunar eclipse to happen, there must be a full moon. Depending on the time of day and your location (and obviously, the cloud coverage!), you may be able to see the entire eclipse or only part of it. If the eclipse starts shortly after the Moon rises, you will see the whole thing. If the eclipse starts just before the Moon sets, you will only see the first part of it.

Chatham Moose Lodge shows their support for Hospice

The Moose Lodge, Chatham presented a donation of $4,000 to the Chatham-Kent Hospice Foundation to support hospice end-of- life care in our community.

“Recently one of our members utilized the Hospice and this experience had an impact on all of the
members. We wanted to give back and Hospice fits in with our mandate to support children and seniors,” stated Jerry Ytsma – Moose Lodge.

Shown in the photos, fromt left: Bill Lyons, Bill Horton, Gord Daly, Jerry Ytsma, Steve Ytsma, Steve Walker –Vice Chair– Chatham-Kent Hospice Foundation, Chris Cavanagh, Jamie Kennedy, Chris Goldhawk, Jeff Lepatourel, Dan Walker.

Parks Canada hiring students for 2018 season

Parks Canada in southwestern Ontario is pleased to once again offer students the opportunity to work in a hands-on environment through its Student Employment Program.

The student recruitment campaign runs until February 5, with a goal of filling numerous positions at Point Pelee National Park and Fort Malden, Fort George and HMSC Haida national historic sites.

As part of the Parks Canada team, students will have an opportunity to positively impact visitor experiences at the national park and national historic sites in southwestern Ontario.

Students will gain valuable experience working in a positive team environment while learning practical, highly marketable, and transferable skills that will help them as they advance in their careers.

Parks Canada is looking for students with a wide range of interests and skills to fill a variety of positions.

Openings are available in janitorial and grounds, heritage and park communicator, public relations and communications, and visitor experience musician/animators positions.

Both bilingual and English-speaking students who are currently enrolled in high school or postsecondary programs will be hired to support operations at Parks Canada’s sites in southwestern Ontario.

Interested students are encouraged to apply through the federal government jobs portal at www.jobs.gc.ca and should search for jobs open to the public in southwestern Ontario.

‘Robert Frost: The Poet & 14 Poems’ at Chatham-Kent Public Library

On Thursday, February 22 at 2 p.m. Clair Culliford will be presenting ‘Robert Frost: The Poet & 14 Poems’ in the Community Living Café at the Chatham Branch of Chatham-Kent Public Library.

Come hear some of the poems of Robert Frost, the famous American poet. This event will also include a brief biography of Frost. Admission is free and advanced tickets are not required.

‘Robert Frost: The Poet & 14 Poems’ is part of The Veranda Presents, a series of live entertainments including the ‘Thames River Revue,’ ‘Edgar Allan Poe, Live in Chatham’ and ‘A Christmas Reading.’

To find out more about programs and events at Chatham-Kent Public Library, visit www.ckpl.ca.

Ontario improving elevator availability

Ontario is elevating its efforts to reduce outages and improving access to elevators, while maintaining the province’s strong safety record.

Tracy MacCharles, Minister of Government and Consumer Services, was joined by MPP Han Dong in Toronto recently to announce that the government has developed an action plan that would make Ontario the first jurisdiction in the world to establish standards for elevator repair timelines.

In addition to establishing a standard for elevator repair timelines, Ontario will also:

– Enable collection of necessary data to inform the development of the standard.

– Enhance enforcement of maintenance requirements, including through new administrative monetary penalties.

– Amend Ontario’s Fire Code to notify fire departments when designated firefighter elevators are out of service to improve planning and response during emergencies.

– Publish information about elevator performance to help people in the province make better informed decisions before they rent or buy a home in a multi-storey building.

– Help elevator owners negotiate better maintenance contracts ‎through an education and outreach campaign.

– Create new standards for new-build high-rise buildings to ensure they have enough elevators to serve residents‎.

The government commissioned an independent study to examine the issue of elevator availability and propose solutions, which was conducted by the Honourable J. Douglas Cunningham.

The action plan addresses all of the 19 recommendations proposed in the final report.

Provincial officials say there are about 20,000 elevators in approximately 10,000 residential and institutional buildings in Ontario, including long-term care and retirement homes. Approximately 655,000 elevator trips are taken each day on these elevators.

In Ontario, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority regulates elevators, including through licensing and inspections, to ensure all devices conform to the Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000 and applicable regulations, codes and standards.

The independent study on elevator availability included a series of over 50 interviews and workshops with stakeholders, and a survey with responses from 250 licensed elevator owners and operators in Ontario.

In the Ontario Fire Code, existing buildings greater than six storeys with residential occupancies are required to have at least one elevator provided (identified on the street floor) for use by firefighters.