Weeds

Normally on Thursday we like to rant. Due to a few things
going on, that isn’t going to happen today. First we had a
few rants already this week; we are volunteering to work
the Blues Fest, and Keith Meyer sent me an email. Thanks
once again for the thought. Emails to us are like t-shirts,
if somebody goes to the trouble to send us one, we’ll at
least look at it. My first thought was what could I possibly
get out of a seven page article on weeds?

I was surprised. While we still don’t entirely buy
into the global warming hype, we can accept that the co2
levels would have to be higher than in the horse and buggy
days. We’ll add a link to the article at the end of this
post if you care to read it.

An article in the June 29, 2008 issue of the New York Times
magazine is by Tom Christopher entitled “Can weeds help solve
the climate crisis?”

In Maryland, scientists at the Department of Argriculture’s
research campus have been working on how increased levels of
carbon dioxide will affect how plants grow. They studied the
affect of increased temperatures and co2 in cities and in the
country.

At this point, one statement stuck out to us. It basically
said that carbon dioxide has recieved a lot of attention as
a greenhouse gas. But it is also, along with water, light and
nutrients, one of the four essential resources for plant
growth. The effect of raising this gas’s concentration on
plants is not really understood.

Lewis Ziska, a weed ecologist, found that in Baltimore the
temperature was 3 to 4 degrees warmer than surrounding the
countryside. He also found that the co2 level is well above
the current global average. In fact, it matched a level
that some experts predict as an average for the planet in
30 to 50 years. He set up three test beds, an organic farm
in the western part of the state, one by an inner harbor,
and a park in Baltimore. He took soil from the farm, which
already had seeds from 35 common weeds, to each bed to test
results.

He got a shock when the weed lambs-quarters grew to 6 to 8
feet tall on the farm, but to 10 to 12 feet tall in the city.
He made a lot of interesting discoveries along the way. He
found that restoration that took decades in a woodland, was
nearly completed in 5 years in the co2 rich air of the city.

We also found out that weeds cost U.S. farmers about 12
percent of their harvest, costing an annual loss of $33 million.
We also learned that some weeds we have today were actually
brought here for their beauty or utility.

Weeds mean different things to different people. To gardeners,
a weed is a plant out of place. To farmers, a weed is any
plant that interferes with profit. And to Ralph Waldo Emerson,
a weed is a plant who’s virtues have not yet been discovered.

Plants like red rice or wild oats are some of the most trouble-
some weeds today, but were once a food source. Weeds like
Canada thistle and quack grass are resistant to herbicides. And
cheatgrass in the western U.S. has changed the landscape due
to it’s combustability. When the area was native grassland,
fires occured once every 60 to 100 years, now that cheatgrass
has taken over fires occur every 3 to 5 years. Of course they
talk about the heat moving north also.

One other thing he found interesting, and on the web, is that
marijuana growers have an amazingly detailed knowledge of how
co2 enrichment affects their crop. He doesn’t look for any
scientific papers from this group anytime soon.

There is a lot more in the article
here. We still don’t like weeds, but at least we know more
about them. Comments on just about anything are welcome.

A little help

It would appear FEMA isn’t playing around when it comes to the local
floods and storms. They are supporting state and local efforts in
Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas.

In Iowa, FEMA and partners are providing for more than 4,000 evacuees
in the Cedar Rapids area. The American Red Cross (ARC) opened 10
shelters which served 461 residents last night. More than 6,000 meals
have been served, with more than 115,000 meals on-hand. FEMA has
provided six truckloads of water, has 20 truckloads on-hand and an
additional 10 en route to affected areas. Altogether, more than
738,000 liters will be delivered. Three trucks of meals (MREs) are
also on the way to supplement current supplies. Through contracts
with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (USACE), FEMA can provide additional water and meals as
necessary. FEMA has 20 teams standing by to conduct Preliminary
Damage Assessments (PDAs). FEMA is coordinating the efforts of a
housing assistance task force to review emergency housing needs and
available housing alternatives.

In Illinois, planning is being conducted in anticipation of flooding
that may occur along the Mississippi River as waters from states
already impacted flow through the state.

They are also busy in the other states mentioned.

Go here
to read more about what’s being done.

That’s what going on while most of us wait for the water to go down,
comments on just about anything are welcome.

Tim Russert dies, and water in the basement

Tim Russert, host of Meet the Press, died earlier this afternoon. He had a heart attack at work at 58 years old. We’ve watched him sometimes and always thought he was a humble sort. He just didn’t seem as wound up as some, or as pushy as others. Our condolences to his family.

Changing the subject, we just got done pumping about 5 inches of water out of our basement. That’s the most we’ve ever had to pump out. Looks like we may have to raise the water heater a few inches just in case it happens again. Comments on just about anything are welcome.

CAFE and the V-8

 Is the 35 mpg CAFE standard the death of the V-8? It’s already killed off GMs new Ultra V-8 double-overhead-cam engine that was supposed to go into production next year. Since Ford was the first carmaker to put V-8s in popularly priced cars, will they be the first to jump on the V-6 bandwagon? Both companies are investing in GTDI technology. Gas turbocharged direct-injection will be in over half a million vehicles in 5 years. Claim is the horsepower and torque is awsome, with mpg savings.

 Carmakers can meet the 35 mpg standards. After all, they’re doing it all over the world. In Asia, and Europe to name a couple of places. Now everyone should agree that the cost would be higher for less vehicle. It just cost more to make diesel, hybrid, and other high tech gas saving powertrains.

 If all transportation accounts for only 27% of Americas’ CO2 emissions, and our passenger vehicles only 14%; why not go after whatever is making up the other 73% first? While that will never happen, we can expect our politicians to take the easy way out. So in the mean time, we’ll be fighting our cars for our food, and probably get a carbon tax instead of a gas tax. All this for the pleasure of driving an underpowered, undersize, expensive, coffin on wheels.

 We can even blame it on global warming. After all we have weather records for about 120 years out of the billions of years this planet’s supposedly been here. Seems to a thinking man that we should be able to predict all sorts of things with that information. And no, we’re not saying global warming is a farce. After all we lived through the predicted ice age of the 70s. We just think even if it is manmade, it isn’t anywhere near a critical problem.

 That’s our take, comments are always welcome.

Auction, finalist, and the weather

 We’ve watched about 10 hours of the Barrett-Jackson auction. While we know they save the best for the weekend, we think the bidding so far has been on the low side. It also seemed like there were a lot of Monster Garage vehicles on the block. Let’s face it, vehicles sold at this auction are impulse buys and some say it’s a good gauge of the economy. If the economy is solid, the prices are way up there. When the economy is bad, the prices fall. We don’t know about that, but we’ll be watching anyway, especially Saturday.

One finalist for Police Chief says he fully supports the Guardian Angels. Jerry Mines responded to an email we sent and even included a picture of himself with Curtis Sliwa. He also appeared to be willing to answer questions and concerns as they arise.

It also looks like we’re going to get a real taste of winter this weekend. With weekend lows below zero we’ll have to bundle up to patrol. If you must be out, be careful. If your car breaks down it doesn’t take long to get yourself in trouble if you’re not dressed for the weather.

That’s a bit of what’s going on in our opinion. Comments on any subject are welcome.

Preparing for ice storm/power outage

Brook from NHS sent along the following document. It is NHS’s post purchase class information on preparing for an ice/snow storm. You might know some of these tips, but not all. If we see something in here that makes us safer in a storm, it’s worth the read. A big nod to Brook for sending this along.
Preparing for a Winter Ice/Snow Storm and possible Power Outage.

Steps

1.Make sure you have some basic survival items in your house before the threat of a storm:

A shovel. Even if you live in an apartment you should own a shovel as you may need to dig yourself out before your ground crew gets in, and they are unlikely to dig out your car.
Flashlights. Make sure you have good quality flashlights and lamps with fresh batteries.
Food. Make sure you have enough non-perishable food to last a few days. Even if your budget is tight you should make sure to keep extra food in the house. Canned and powdered foods are good for long-term storage.
A Can Opener. Make sure to have a good old-fashioned manual can opener.
Blankets and Warm Clothing. You may already have these items, but remember you will need enough blankets to keep you warm without any heat and in adverse conditions.
A Camping Stove or Barbeque Grill. A gas powered camping stove is a wise investment for any emergency situation. If you have an electric stove in the kitchen a camp stove is almost a necessity. Be sure you use it with proper ventilation, and have plenty of backup fuel.
Gas Stoves in your home can work, remember that if you have a gas stove with igniters, you may have to light the burner manually (with a match). Never use your gas oven to heat your home.
Matches to light your gas range/camping stove/candles. Do not rely on lighters that can run out of fuel or break down all too easily.
A Battery Operated Radio. This way you can get news without wall power. Make sure the batteries are good. It is also possible to buy a motion charging radio, as you can with a flashlight.
Prescription medications. Like food, it is always wise to have enough to last you a few days.
Anything else vital to your household. You should always have ample supplies of items like diapers, formula, batteries, and so on before the storm hits.
A wall phone with a cord, or a portable cellphone charger. Cordless home phones will not work when the power is out. Many states require at least one wall plugged phone, which receives power from the telephone connection, in all households. 
3.Anticipate a long power outage. By preparing you can make a power outage bearable.

If you have an interior shut off valve on your exterior water spickets remember to turn the shut the valve and purge water by turning on outside spicket.(This should be routine winterization on your home)
4.Decide what to do with the Food in your freezer and refrigerator. If the power will not be out long leave the doors closed, keeping the air inside, and your food will most likely be fine. If it seems like it will be a while (three or more days) move the food. The nice thing about a winter storm is there is plenty of cold to store your food. Frozen items can be left outside (keep an eye on the temperature) and refrigerated items left in an enclosed porch or other cold area. Eat perishable foods first, keeping canned goods for more lengthy outages.

5.Keep tabs on your family members. Make sure you know where everyone in your family is and that they have proper shelter before the storm hits.

6. Be aware of approaching storms. Watch weather reports, listen to emergency radios, and actually watch the little black bands at the top of your TV screen warning you about storms. This will tell you when you need to be prepared for the storm.

7.Keep Warm to survive the storm. When the storm hits, already have a fire or furnace running to keep you warm if this is feasible. Keep blankets ready, and above all, stay warm. Drink hot liquids and eat hot foods.

8.Have Entertainment Bored people can become anxious, panicky, or plain irritable, and this can sometimes lead to poor decision-making during a winter storm. Have entertainment such as books, board games, cards, crafts, and so on in the house. It’s entirely possible to even enjoy a power outage!

Tips

Do not panic. There is usually actually help very close if you really, really need it. Most storms are major annoyances rather than full-blown natural disasters.
Keep fire extinguishers on hand, and make sure everyone in your house knows how to use them. House fires are suprisingly common in storm situations as people turn to alternate heating sources without taking the necessary safety precautions.
Stay home. A lot of injuries and fatalities happen when people venture out by car in a bad snowstorm, and have an accident. Ask yourself, “Is this trip really necessary?”
If you have water pipes in the outside walls of your home you may wish to allow a small trickle of warm water to run which can help prevent frozen pipes.
If your pipes do freeze you may wish to call a plumber. Frozen pipes can burst and cause further damage to your property. A licensed plumber may be able to assist
Warnings

Never use charcoal, or a propane heater in an enclosed area without proper ventilation. Carbon monoxide can build up. Silent and odorless, it is deadly. Cook on the back porch or near an open window.
Candles, if used improperly, can cause fire. More than 140 people die each year from candle related home fires according to the National Fire Protection agency - nearly one-third from using candles for lighting. Candles are not recommended as light sources during power failures. Flashlights are far safer.
Gasoline powered generators can kill people when used indoors or in open garages that allow the fumes to flow into the home. The Carbon Monoxide is odorless and your CO detectors will probably not work when you have no electricity.
Exercise extreme caution when using a generator and ensure all extension cords are properly sized and UL listed. Generators can and do electrocute people.
Barbeque grills and camp stoves kill people - from fires and Carbon Monoxide emmissions. Use with extreme caution and never bring gas fires equipment into the house or garage.
Things You’ll Need

Snow shovels and other snow removal equipment.
Canned food
Can opener
Battery powered radio
Flashlights
Batteries
Coleman Stove, Barbeque Grill
Enough fuel to run the stove
Blankets
Lots of clothing
Water
First aid kit
List of emergency numbers and addresses (you may not be able to phone but you may be able to walk, hitch a lift etc. to get help)
Foot and hand warmer packs
Matches
Extra hats, socks and mittens
First aid kit with pocket knife
Any necessary medications
Rock salt to melt ice on walkways
Sand to improve traction
Non-electric entertainment: Books, Cards, Board Games, etc.
 
 

Neighborhood Housing Services Post Purchase Education includes a Home Maintenance component which includes information regarding preparing your home for weather occurrences. Please contact NHS offices at (563)324-1556 if you would like additional information.

Rain, Curtis Sliwa, and emails

 I’ve been requested to do a post to stop the rain. We would just like to say that We’ve been doing everyting we can to help stop it. We haven’t washed and waxed the cars since it started, we haven’t watered the flowers. We’ve even started working on an Ark, just it case it doesn’t stop. Any suggestions on how to stop the rain, at least until we get the yard done, will be appreciated.

 On a different note, Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, had a nice write-up recently. I only have it on PDF file, but if you want to look at it go  to Sliwa.

 I’m looking into whether e-mails from City Council members are public information or not. If I find out they are, I may have some interesting posts coming up. While I don’t believe there is a conspiracy going on Downtown, I do believe there is a vendetta going on. So, if it is proven that e-mails are public domain, I’m ready to prove some points.

Your comments are welcome on these or other subjects.