New Energy Sources

I've heard quite a lot lately in the news about "why don't energy companies invest in technologies like solar, or wind?" Even so, progress is being made.

In Massachusetts, the Patrick administration's Commonwealth Solar rebate program, implemented in January, is part of a push to increase the amount of solar energy used from 4 megawatts to 250 megawatts over the next decade. (By comparison, the Pilgrim nuclear plant has a generating capacity of nearly 700 megawatts.) A novel program included in the state's new energy bill would allow utilities to own solar panels for the first time.

Uh, whoops. Wait a minute. Did you say the electric company was prevented by law from owning solar panels? So what was supposed to be their interest in seeing solar technology prosper?

It makes me wonder what other dumb laws like this exist. Probably designed to 'level the playing field', but in fact preventing those with capital from using it.

I'd love to hear an oil company exec actually say "Senator, we are pursuing all alternative forms of energy. We look forward to a day when the use of oil is banned. And when it does, with the technologies we will own, you can bet your booties we'll jack the price sky high."

Hat tip to Ace of Spades.

Blowing her nose

This girl nearly got her nose blown of.

A delicate moment

I've told a story similar to this to family members.

A report of a family fight Wednesday afternoon in New Castle didn't turn out to
be what police expected.

A nine-year-old girl called 911 after she awoke from a nap and heard her mother screaming. She went to her mother's bedroom and thought her mother was being attacked.

Turns out, her parents were just enjoying marital relations.

But the New Castle Police Department responded to the little girl's call, and even filed a report, noting "Mom and Daddy were involved in a romantic moment and daughter mistook them as fighting."

"Enjoying" being the operative word.

Too Good To Ignore

Some stories are too good to ignore.

Would-be car thieves could learn from a New Bedford man's mistake: If you're going to steal a car, avoid the idling state police cruiser — especially if two troopers are inside.

Jose Alvarez Nieves was arrested Monday night after he allegedly tried to break into three cars in a convenience store parking lot, including an unmarked state police cruiser, according to state Trooper Paul Gifford.

"It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime stories," Trooper Gifford said.

Not quite a "Darwin" story, but close. Give Jose some time.

Ah, small town life!

It's so fun to live in a small community, where everyone gets in everyone else's business.

Four members of the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors and the Gloucester sheriff were indicted on a total of 15 misdemeanor charges by a special grand jury Tuesday.

In addition, a Gloucester developer faces 10 felony charges in connection with the forgery of county documents.

Supervisors Teresa Altemus, Michelle Ressler, Robert "Bobby" Crewe and Gregory Woodard each were indicted on charges of transacting public business in private, unlawful warrantless search and computer trespass. Crewe and Ressler also faces charges of coercing and intimidating a county employee as a result of a closed-door meeting on Jan. 8 with former Planning Director Jay Scudder.

Sheriff Steve Gentry faces a single misdemeanor count of malfeasance or misuse of office for conducting unlawful searches and seizures related to the entry of the offices of former county employees Bill Whitley and Danny Stuck.

Developer George Woodhouse, who was Crewe's largest campaign contributor and who also contributed $500 to Gentry's campaign, is accused of forging county certificates of occupancy, which are documents that certify that a structure complies with county ordinances regulating building.

We've all been waiting for this ever since these four decided they were going to personally remake all of Gloucester's government.

I sneer at $4 gas

Yeah, because it only hits me a few bucks at a time, spread out over the entire year.

But, this house gets hot water for taps and baseboard heat from a fuel oil fired boiler. Fuel oil prices are about 20 cents per gallon higher than last year, and to get a discount price I have to pay in a lump sum for the year up front. That'll be around $3500 - 4000. I'm not sneering at that.

Jim Webb - not VP

So, our senator says he doesn't want to run with Obama.

Freshman U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, in a statement just released by his office, said he's told presidential nominee in-waiting Barack Obama, "Under no circumstances will I be a candidate for vice president."

Given that he only won his Senate seat by 0.5%, I don't see that he would have been that much of an asset anyway. Or, since it's Virginia, was that supposed to prove he's a centerist?

Stay Strong Lou

One of my favorite bloggers, Lou Minatti, is going through some rough times. Having lost both my grandmother and mom this spring I've got some idea. Stay strong, pal.

Bling

Damn! Now we're going to have home invasions to steal our doorknobs. Well, I guess it could be worse.

Robert "Boochie" Burrest Jr. has always liked to tinker.

As a child, he'd go around his neighborhood with a wagon full of tools, doing odd jobs. In high school, he'd make his own wooden shoes. As he grew older, he began customizing cars.

About eight years ago, after fooling around in his workshop, Burrest came up with his first invention. It's a wooden or metal ring on which you can screw an assortment of decorative doorknobs.

Maybe ol' Boochie here can figure out how to get rappers to use these doorknobs, instead of gold teeth, as a new status symbol.

Foreclosure Rates

Not that I'm saying some houses have been overpriced, or anything, but here is a diagram of the foreclosure rate in the area where I grew up. Each little house symbol denotes a property in foreclosure.



Now, here is the area where I live now. If you looked really closely you'd see I had to fudge a bit. I had to zoom out by one more step in order to get any foreclosures to appear.

It is hot.

Very hot. And humid. Very humid. Mikey is staying indoors except to water flowers and take out the trash. A/Cs on full blast 24x7.

So, I'm playing on the computer, transcribing my grandmother's diaries from 1937-1941. I'm about 85% done. The best part is that I got a new 22" LCD monitor yesterday, to replace my old beater of a 17" CRT. Much easier on the eyes, and I can open multiple windows at once, and see them all.

Arctic Ice Disappearing due to Bush Administration and Volcanoes, but mostly Volcanoes?

Yeah, volcanoes. Under the ice cap.

Recent massive volcanoes have risen from the ocean floor deep under the Arctic ice cap, spewing plumes of fragmented magma into the sea, scientists who filmed the aftermath reported Wednesday.

The eruptions -- as big as the one that buried Pompei -- took place in 1999 along the Gakkel Ridge

Meanwhile, in the Colorado mountains...

...they're still skiing.

With an average of 3 feet of snow still covering the upper slopes of Aspen Mountain, the Aspen Skiing Co. will open the top of the mountain to midday skiing this weekend.

Seven runs and 45 acres of mostly intermediate terrain will be served by the Ajax Express lift, officials announced Monday.

The mountain will be open to skiing and riding Friday through Sunday; the Ajax Express chair will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. Skiers and riders must upload and download on the Silver Queen Gondola, which will be running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the last ride down at 4:30 p.m.

No, that's not a misprint.

It all evens out

It's been really hot here on the east coast, but on the west coast, all that climate change has people dying.

A Bellevue man who intended to spend only the day on the slopes of Mount Rainier has died after being caught in a blizzard.

Two others in the hiking party, suffering from frostbite and hypothermia, are awaiting rescue at Camp Muir at the 10,000-foot level.

What? It's June. Surely that can't be right. Hmmm, better check another story.

As Western Washington residents thaw out after the coldest June week on record, forecasters say drivers heading for the mountain passes could expect up to 5 inches of snow to fall by Tuesday morning.

What the hell? That can't be right. We were all supposed to be suffering the hottest temperatures ever seen. Well, I guess not in Washington.

With summer only 11 days away, what Seattle has is higher sustained heating bills from the unusually persistent chill of what is now the coldest spring on record for the Seattle area, traction tires required to slip through the passes Tuesday and a threatened growing season for local farmers.

Overall, daytime high temperatures in the region have averaged at least 10 degrees below normal -- while overnight lows have been only slightly chillier than normal -- translating into more gas and electricity use higher bills.

Whew! So I guess they'll be spared a little longer than us.

Almost a Darwin

So close. So very, very, close.

Some of the folks on my project team were meeting with the people in the VDOT bridge section to discuss a new product being built with our GIS Roads layer. It's intended to help steer overweight vehicles over appropriate roads, and to keep them away from weight restricted bridges.

In the middle of the meeting their beepers and phones start going off.

A one-lane bridge in Giles County collapsed yesterday when a heavily laden cement truck tried to cross the weight-restricted span.

The state Route 713 bridge over Walker Creek was posted with a restriction limiting the maximum weight of vehicles to 8 tons.

"It appears that an overweight vehicle violating the posting collapsed the bridge," said Malcolm T. Kerley, the Virginia Department of Transportation's chief engineer.

The 2003 Mack truck was carrying 15½ tons of cement, said state police Sgt. Michael Conroy. "The [cement] alone . . . pretty much doubled the limit on the bridge."

"This is an example of why we post weight limits on bridges," Walus said. "We want to remind all drivers to heed posted weight limits and follow posted safety instructions."

A/C Day

Today we reached the yearly milestone where I have to tote up the window air conditioners from the basement, and put them in the bedroom windows. Up until now it's only reached the mid 80's about 3 days total, but it's supposed to be up there every day this week. It was over 90 today.

So, it was fun working out in the yard later cleaning up from our minor disaster on Thursday. A moderately large (12 in diameter) branch came down out of our oak tree in the back yard. Fortunately we were both at work, and the dogs were inside. Everything it hit was smashed.

Most annoyingly, it came down on top of our clothes line. The lines were fine, but the aluminum post bent! I got out there and pushed it back up, and it seems OK for now.

It was also fun getting out the little chain saw, and carving it all up into pieces. The saw hadn't been used since Isabel, back in 2004.

The saving grace of the day was probably the Williamsburg Farmer's Market, where Coriander got much adoration, and Winnie bought us two quarts of yummy organic strawberries.

Darwin Award - XI

You know the phrase "never bring a knife to a gunfight"? Well, never bring a BB gun to a shotgun fight.

FORT WORTH -- A robbery suspect entered an west-side donut shop early Friday armed with a BB rifle, but a good Samaritan who came to help a shop employee had a shotgun.

Conclusion: the robbery suspect died from a blast of 12-gauge buckshot to the chest, police said.

The incident was reported about 2 a.m. at the Happy Donuts shop, 109 Roberts Cut Off Road, said Lt. Paul Henderson, police spokesman.

The suspect was Richard Lane, 45, of Fort Worth, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's office.

"What I understand," Henderson said, "is this particular suspect was known in the area for possibly other criminal activity -- other robberies, other burglaries."

The neighbor who shot the man was not arrested.

Headline of the Day

Great tits cope well with warming

Well, I should think so.

Canadian Anchor Babies

Dr. Winnie asked me recently if I'd feel as bad about Canadians sneaking across the border as I do with Mexicans. I said sure, they were all dope heads and had funny accents. Now, it also turns out they're coming to raid our health care system.

More than 100 Canadian women with high-risk pregnancies have been sent to United States hospitals over the past year - in what a doctors' group attributes to the lack of a national birthing plan.

The problem has peaked, with British Columbia and Ontario each sending a record number of women to U.S. neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Specifically, 80 B.C. women have been sent to U.S. hospitals since April 1, 2007; in Ontario, 28 have been sent since January of 2007, according to figures from the respective health ministries.

André Lalonde, executive vice-president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, said the problem is due to bed closings that took place almost a decade ago, the absence of a national birthing initiative and too few staff.

"Neonatologists are very stretched right now," Dr. Lalonde said in a telephone interview from Ottawa. "We're so stretched, it's kind of dangerous."

Great! So they come here to give birth, making their kids American citizens. I scanned the whole article, and apparently the provinces are footing the bill. But there is a question of why they can't open their own neonatal units. Maybe Canada isn't such a great place after all.

Stephen Bennett

The reason I was really interested in going to the concert where we saw Tommy Emmanuel (see previous post), was to see Stephen Bennett. He's married to a VIMS professor, and I see him from time to time around town.

For the concert shown here, the Fifth Harp Guitar Gathering, we were in the audience, for the third time at one of these festivals. Every one that has been held near us. (The other two gatherings were in OR & FL.) We were sitting just a bit to the left of the camera. Just awesome.

Tommy Emmanuel

Charles at LGF posted this, and I couldn't help piling on. I've gotten to see Tommy once, because, Winnie wanted to go, and he was amazing.

Tornados and such

While we were missing the Sierra Madre fire on the one hand, we were also missing the tornadoes at home on the other. Well, nearby tornadoes anyway.

Or so I thought. Apparently they were a lot closer than that.

And yes, purely in the interest of studying the social effects of natural disasters on communities, when we got the chance we moved toward the fire, not away. Kind of like when there's a storm.

UPDATE: Here's a great bit of tornado video, from the camera inside a parked ambulance.

The Wedding

We are just back from our daughter's wedding in Pasadena. Despite what some folks at the reception asked, no we were not the wedding party that had to be airlifted out of the Sierra Madre fire zone.

It was in a park, though, just south of Jet Propulsion Lab. I've posted the video above, and there are some photos loaded at Flickr. My thanks to Michele, who took all the best shots.

The County Budget

Here is why so many of us find government incomprehensible from the get go. I live in a county with a population of about 34,000.

The proposed budget for the county for FY2009 is $122 million dollars. That's seems incredibly large. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea of spending that much money for anything in this county.

Sixty million goes to the school district, which has about 7,000 students. Plus federal dollars.

I know the numbers all add up and make sense, but the sheer scale makes me feel like I'm trying to do my personal finances by counting on my fingers and toes.

And the Government Shall Set You Free

Obama needs to learn to shut up. Fresh off of this -
You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them…And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not.

And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

Then he says this -

"What is absolutely true is that people don't feel like they're being listened to," the Democratic presidential contender said. "So they pray and they count on each other and they count on their families. You know this in your own lives.

" And what we need is a federal government that is actually paying attention. A government that is fighting for working people day in and day out making sure that we are trying to allow them to live out the American dream and that's what this campaign is about."

You see when people have problems they shouldn't be praying or turning to friends and family. Their first thought should be that the federal government should be doing something for them. That's sure my American dream.

Bringing Up Baby

Parenting is hard enough when everything is going smoothly, but it gets worse when the parents can't agree on "how to raise their kids." Sometimes it can even lead to fights.

When police asked the woman why the two had separated, she said they have "different ideas about how the baby should be raised," according to a police report.

When officer Daniel Swift asked the woman what she meant by that, she said that the two belong to different street gangs. "They could not agree on which gang the baby would claim," Swift said.

How about we all chip in and send them a little bitty prison uniform?

Gobal Warming Causes Volcanic Eruptions

You knew it had to come up eventually.

Increased volcanic activity is linked to ice melted by the effects of global warming, a study has found.

So much ice in Iceland has melted in the past century that the pressure on the land beneath has lessened, which allows more of the rock deep in the ground to turn to magma. Until the ice melted, the pressure was so intense that the rock remained solid.

Carolina Pagli, of the University of Leeds, led research which calculated that over the past century the production of magma had increased by 10 per cent.

The research team, reporting their findings in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, said an extra 1.4 cu km of magma has been created under the Vatnajökull ice-cap in the past 100 years.

Since 1890 the ice-cap has lost 10 per cent of its mass, which has allowed the land to rise by up to 25m (82ft) a year.

Son of a B! The area where this ice cap was has risen 25 meters per year for the last 118 years? Where there was a flat plain before, now there's a mountain nearly 10,000 feet tall? That in itself ought to pretty well accommodate a measly 1.4 cu km (0.34 cu mile) of magma. But what a great tourist attraction!

19 March 2005 - Day Thirty-one

Another momentous day has arrived! First, the kids got their first real solid food today. I feed them about 4 oz. of cooked hamburger, split 8 ways, this morning.

Then, they got their first trip outdoors! We moved the pen fencing out onto the patio, and let them roam for a bit. You never heard such complaints! This floor is hard! My toes are getting cold! What happened to the walls and ceiling? That light is too bright!

Anyway, I think you'll have to agree that they are adorable.

17 March 2005 - Day Twenty-nine

Chris Evans and grandson came by today to look at the pups. It sounds like Chris and David will be getting one of our girls, probably Miss Ginger Snap. That was two spoken for, two we keep, and four to go. however, Erin called and said she didn't think she was going to be able to keep a pup in her first year of graduate school. Poor thing would be alone most of the time. Plus, renting a place where they would allow her to have a dog would be very expensive.

The collie daddy seems to be taking quite a shine to the babies. He will get in and nuzzle and check on them, being ever so careful not to step on anyone.

16 March 2005 - Day Twenty-eight

Four weeks old this evening. And the rough realities of life strike. Tonight, Woody (Arrowhead) and Star (Spiral) got their first baths. Star was pretty good about it but Woody complained, a lot.

The last few days have been fairly rough dealing with these guys. They are eating rapidly growing amounts. We were using the formula plus rice cereal, but the kids were also getting constipated, and taking turns with a lot of grunting and groaning. We are about to finish our second carton of formula in a week, at $30 a carton. Tonight we are trying competing methods to soften puppy kibble for them. I'm soaking a few in milk. Winnie pulverized a few in a mini-blender container. We'll try feeding them soon and see.


The area we set aside for them in the dining room is good, but there was a problem. I had lined it with a plastic sheet, topped by a canvas painters drop cloth, topped by newspaper, and then their soft rug. I was assuming the canvas drop cloth would bead up more moisture than it did, and it was getting wet.

Our friend Donna suggested a piece of linoleum as a base. That's what she used when her dog had pups. So, we bought a 6x9 piece at Lowe's. When I pulled up the other stuff I was in for a rude surprise. The plastic drop cloth had leaked, it was damp underneath, and going to ammonia. So, first that had to get cleaned up. What a smell!

We have our first definite 'forever home' for one of our girls. They hope to come visit soon and meet every little body.

We were down

For a day or so we had electrical problems here. Seems we had a failing neutral wire in the line between our electric meter and the breaker box.

Why? The doofus that installed out deck three years ago scraped and pinched the insulation off the wire. We're damn lucky he didn't manage to burn our house down, or electrocute us.

10 March 2005 - Day Twenty-two

The first bowl of formula went down this morning, and they just devoured it. We had been planning on supplementing with this just once or twice a day, but maybe they are ready to accelerate through the weaning. Maybe give them just formula a couple ore times today, and then start mixing in some baby cereal tomorrow. I want to be careful, so they don't get constipated, though.

Today was also a big day, as we moved them around the house to give them more room, and more contact with us. They had been in just the wading pool, and they were feeling very isolated and frustrated in there. There was a lot of whining going on. So now, they are in the dining room, with about 3 times as much space as before.

8 March 2005 - Day Twenty

OK, they are beyond getting near to having teeth. They have teeth coming in. Momma is starting to look a little hesitant about nursing. We'll need to start weaning them on.

The weeing is really commencing, we are having to wash the liners twice a day now.

7 March 2005 - Day Nineteen

Let the weeing begin! Cinny did not want to get into pool this morning to feed the pups. The pups were very wiggly too, or maybe, as a result. Eventually I decided that maybe it smelled too much like puppy pee, so I pulled up the cover to wash it, even though it had only been in since the night before. Silly me! The pups have started to wee in earnest, and the papers underneath were significantly wet over large areas. As soon as I cleaned this out, and put in fresh liners, everyone settled down.

Also, these guys are getting near having teeth. We can feel the little bumps on their gums.

6 March 2005 - Day Eighteen

(And if you think a picture of a collie puppy is cute, check out the video.)

The pups continue to grow very big and very fast. It's getting hard to do photos
of them, because they are always in motion. And if not in motion, too sleepy to be
really fun! Their eyes have opened a bit, and they see us when we come into the room.
They crowd over near the edge of the pool for a pat. If it's momma, they all crowd
around, and get rowdy waiting for a meal.

I weighed the biggest (Arrowhead), and smallest (Bitty Girl) yesterday, and the
range was about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds. That's not too bad. I thought the range was
probably more, as that boy's head is about twice the size of her's.

Personalities are definitely coming out. Blaze is a climber, Bitty Girl is a
growler, and all of them are little loves. They nuzzle up to our hands and lick us, and
try to suck our fingers.

The issue of names is also being worked on. Their eventual owners can name them as
they like, but we'll use our usual "spice" scheme in giving them some sort of names to
start with. What we've come up with so far, is something like this:

• 'Spiral' - Spiral Galaxy Star Anise ('Spiral' or 'Star')
  
• 'Big girl' - Nutmeg Custard ('Meggy')
  
• ''Bitty girl' - Ginger Snap ('Ginger')
  
• 'Arrowhead' - Sasparilla or Sweet Woodruff ('Woody')
  
• 'Island' - Something something Wasabi something ('Wasabi')
  
• 'Big Boy' - Something something Coriander something ('Cory')
  
• 'Short Stocking' - Something something Basil something ('Basil')
  
• 'Blaze' - Blazin' Hot Chipotle ("Blaze')

• 
  

What My Kid Is Up To

Damn that Global Warming!

It's just not safe to go outside anymore.

GILFORD, N.H. (AP) - Much of this week's winter carnival in Gilford has been canceled, due to too much winter.

Parks and Recreation Director Herb Greene notes that the cancellation of 2 events was due to poor road conditions and snow-filled parking lots.

Of the three events originally scheduled for Wednesday, the Cardboard Box Sled Derby has been rescheduled to Friday morning.

Cole Porter Got There First

A college education I should never propose,
A bachelor's degree won't even keep you in clo'es,
But millions you will win if you can spin on your nose.
Be a clown, be a clown, be a clown.

Obviously, this guy wasn't listening.

After James McGrath graduated from Christopher Newport University, he spent a year or two "working miscellaneous odd jobs here and there" while looking for the opportunity that would become his career.

He expected it to be some form of social work - that's what he had planned when he took his degree in psychology with a minor in religious studies - but instead, he would up turning a college hobby into a role in The Greatest Show on Earth. McGrath, 26, has returned to the Peninsula this week in character as Crickett, a spike-haired clown in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Well, I always wondered what people did with a Bachelor's in Psychology.

28 February 2005 - Day Twelve

It wasn't our imagination last night. The pups are wiggly. Today they are all, in effect, walking. Unsteady to be sure, but up on all fours, and bellies off the ground. Another day or two, and their eyes should open.

They are also getting very cuddly and cute. Yes, the cuteness factor is beginning to rise exponentially.

Cinny went to the vet today. They said her ear problem is a yeast infection. She has some ear drops to set her right. One of the techs was wondering if the pups are all spoken for yet. Her mom would like a collie.

We also started looking at other names for these guys. The plan was to give them spice, herb, or pepper related names. I also wanted to sneak in pastries there somewhere. So far it looks like Big Girl will become "Nutmeg" (Meg), Bitty Girl will be "Ginger Snap" (Ginger), and Spiral will become something like "Marjoram" (Margie) or Pennyroyal (Penny).

In jest I've suggested Arrowhead become "Arrowroot Biscuit". My other leading names for boys are Coriander (Cory) and Sweet Woodruff (Woody). Finally, maybe an Ancho or some such in there. I also suggested "Jalapeno Cornbread". Well, OK, maybe that is a little too silly.

27 February 2005 - Day Eleven

I had an e-mail from a lady in Arizona today. She has been looking at my page,
and wondered if I knew of collie rescues or breeders she could contact. I sent her
info for contacting rescues through the Collie Club of America, and breeders through
Collies Online.

• Pup #1 - 'Spiral' - 35 ounces (+4)
  
• Pup #2 - "Big girl' - 36 ounces (+3)
  
• Pup #5 - 'Bitty girl' - 28 ounces (+2)
  
• 'Arrowhead' - 41 ounces (+5)
  
• 'Island' - 34 ounces (+3)
  
• 'Big Boy' - 38 ounces (+4)
  
• 'Short Stocking' - 33 ounces (+1)
  
• 'Blaze' - 37 ounces (+2)
  

Well, I think this was the last night for the "weighing". They were all so
wiggly I could hardly get them in the sling long enough to check them.

Cinny is showing a new problem. I've noticed for a couple days she had a lot of
bloody crusts in her ears. It comes right out with a Q-tip, but we are concerned
she might have ear mites or some such thing.

Renewable energy, but not very reliable

Windmills sound great, but not so good in practice at times.

A drop in wind generation late on Tuesday, coupled with colder weather,
triggered an electric emergency that caused the Texas grid operator to cut
service to some large customers, the grid agency said on Wednesday.
Electric
Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said a decline in wind energy production in
west Texas occurred at the same time evening electric demand was building as
colder temperatures moved into the state.
The grid operator went directly to
the second stage of an emergency plan at 6:41 PM CST (0041 GMT), ERCOT said in a
statement.

Cosmic Convergence

I have to love it when these things all come together -

A York resident — who apparently wants his cremated ashes to be brewed into a special ale for his wake — was recently named "Beerdrinker of the Year" by a Colorado-based brewery.

Wynkoop Brewing Company named Matt Venzke the winner of its "12th annual search for America's ultimate beer fiend" last weekend in Denver. Along with the coveted title, Venzke wins "free beer for life" at Wynkoop Brewing Company, a $250 beer tab at his favorite bar, the Taphouse in Hampton, and the opportunity to create a special beer with Wynkoop's head brewer for next year's Beerdrinker of the Year" event, according to a Wynkoop statement.

My favorite place to go for a beer!

26 February 2005 - Day Ten

Not much to tell today. They just keep on growing like crazy, and keep getting cuter.

• Pup #1 - 'Spiral' - 31 ounces (+1)
  
• Pup #2 - "Big girl' - 33 ounces (+2)
  
• Pup #5 - 'Bitty girl' - 26 ounces (+1)
  
• 'Arrowhead' - 36 ounces (+2)
  
• 'Island' - 31 ounces (+3)
  
• 'Big Boy' - 34 ounces (+2)
  
• 'Short Stocking' - 32 ounces (+3)
  
• 'Blaze' - 35 ounces (+3)
  

Global Warming Kills

I t was just a matter of time, wasn't it? They've been warning us all along, and now it's happened.

Six people have been killed in three days by icicles falling from buildings in a central Russian region, ITAR-TASS news agency reported Tuesday.

Darwin Award - Almost

Didn't it used to be that people went crazy trying to steal gold? Is it just here in Virginia that the people are so low-rent that they go for copper?

A man Richmond police say was trying to steal copper from a Dominion Virginia Power substation was seriously burned Saturday night.

Richard Croker, 36, was taken to VCU Medical Center with burns over 65 percent of his body, authorities said. He was listed in stable condition this morning.

Richmond police said officers were on patrol just before 9 p.m. Saturday when they saw a large ball of fire and explosion at a Dominion substation in the 4300 block of Hull Street Road.

When they pulled up to the fenced-in substation, they found Croker inside with his clothes on fire.

Police said Croker had climbed over the fence and was trying to steal copper wiring.

Police have obtained warrants charging Croker with trespassing, felony destruction of property and larceny. He has not yet been served with the warrants, police spokeswoman Wendy Jenkins said.

25 February 2005 - Day Nine

OK, Cinny was more than a little ill last night. It was a full blown poop-a-thon. I discovered she had her first accident at about 10pm. Got that cleaned up and went to bed. Left Winnie a huge note. See, to get Cinnamon to eat her dinner we've been jazzing it up with cooked beef liver. I don't think that is agreeing with her tummy. So, the note said "No more liver!"

Anyway, for all the good that that did. I was up with her again at 11pm (another oops), and at midnight (oops, again). Finally got the procedure down then, and got her out at 1, 2, and 3 without further incidents. Except, of course, for my not getting to sleep. When I put her out at 3, I lay down on the couch and was out for an hour. When I got her back in, she finally slept until wake-up time at 5:30.

So, needless to say, I was more useless than usual at work on Friday.

She did get 1 1/2 cups of regular kibble for breakfast, but pooped indoors twice more during the day. This evening I've gotten 2+ cups of kibble into her, with no gross results. Hopefully laying off of the liver has fixed this.

The puppies, of course, are wonderful. Definitely pushing up on their legs now and trying to walk. Even the smallest is now a 1/2 pound larger than the biggest was at birth. The largest is over 2 pounds. They seem to be keeping a gap of around 8 ounces, or so, between the largest and the smallest among them.

• Pup #1 - 'Spiral' - 30 ounces (+2)
  
• Pup #2 - "Big girl' - 31 ounces (+2)
  
• Pup #5 - 'Bitty girl' - 25 ounces (+2)
  
• 'Arrowhead' - 34 ounces (+1)
  
• 'Island' - 28 ounces (+1)
  
• 'Big Boy' - 32 ounces (+2)
  
• 'Short Stocking' - 29 ounces (+2)
  
• 'Blaze' - 32 ounces (+2)
  

24 February 2005 - Day Eight

Sorry, no pictures today.

Cinny was a bit ill last night, and pooped on the floor around midnight. Then she did it again during the day.

The puppies all seem fine, though. Growing like crazy.

* Pup #1 - 'Spiral' - 28 ounces (+3)
* Pup #2 - "Big girl' - 29 ounces (+3)
* Pup #5 - 'Bitty girl' - 23 ounces (+2)
* 'Arrowhead' - 33 ounces (+4)
* 'Island' - 27 ounces (+3)
* 'Big Boy' - 30 ounces (+2)
* 'Short Stocking' - 27 ounces (+3)
* 'Blaze' - 30 ounces (+2)

23 February 2005 - Day Seven

Well, everybody is a week old tonight, and doing well. It seems to me that some of them can almost be called walking. Not stably, but they are up on their feet. It's getting so that Cinny can hardly get sat down before someone is trying to crawl into her lap. I'm going to have to start watching them very closely, as they might soon manage to get out of the wading pool. Then it's only a few feet to a staircase.

Our two problem children from yesterday, Island and Blaze, made up for no weight gain yesterday by putting on 3 and 4 ounces respectively.

I'm feeling a lot better about Bitty Girl, too, as she is now 5 ounces bigger than the biggest of the pups was when they were born. She's still down a half pound from the largest, but that's OK.

• Pup #1 - 'Spiral' - 25 ounces (+2)
• Pup #2 - "Big girl' - 26 ounces (+2)
• Pup #5 - 'Bitty girl' - 21 ounces (+2)
• 'Arrowhead' - 29 ounces (+2)
• 'Island' - 24 ounces (+3)
• 'Big Boy' - 28 ounces (+2)
• 'Short Stocking' - 24 ounces (+1)
• 'Blaze' - 28 ounces (+4)

Thank god for interested bystanders

That's what they said about this story over at Instapundit.

Colt Haugen, a 22-year-old student at the University of Colorado and waiter at Ruby Tuesday, was working at the restaurant last month when he saw a man pull a pill from his pocket and put it in his date's glass when the woman got up from the table. "I almost dropped the food I was holding. I couldn't believe what I was seeing," Haugen says. "I talked with the manager. I told her, I said, 'I saw this plain as day. And if we don't do something about this, something's going to happen to this woman.'" The police were called and when the drink was tested, it was found to contain Valium. Nancy McGrath, the woman at the table, was on a blind date and considers Haughen to be an "angel." "He saved my life," she says.

22 February 2005 - Day Six

More visitors today! Dave Gauthier and Erica Westcott came by. They aren't really looking for another dog, but are buying a house on a half acre up county, so if we need a temporary home for anybody...

These little guys are starting to push up and try to walk. It makes them look more clumsy than before, because they try to stand up, and then fall over. Before, they just scooted around on their bellies like seals.

* Pup #1 - 'Spiral' - 23 ounces (+1)
* Pup #2 - "Big girl' - 24 ounces (+3, on top again)
* Pup #5 - 'Bitty girl' - 19 ounces (+2)
* 'Arrowhead' - 27 ounces (+1)
* 'Island' - 21 ounces (no change - watch this)
* 'Big Boy' - 26 ounces (+2)
* 'Short Stocking' - 23 ounces (+2)
* 'Blaze' - 24 ounces (no change - watch this)

Big Whoop

OK, so they managed to blow up the spy satellite. The hit a known target, the size of a bus, in a stable, essentially circular orbit with highly precisely known ephemeris. How about hitting a missile, launched only seconds to minutes ago, dubious ephemeris available at most, under thrust, and potentially taking evasive action? This proved nothing about missile defense.

21 February 2005 - Day Five

Pups had a visitor tonight; Julie Herman came by to see them. Like us, she had never seen newborn pups. Only after they were a few weeks old.

Winnie has been concerned enough about how small Bitty Girl is, that she tried to give her a bottle of instant puppy formula today. "Ewww, what's that?" was the only response she got.

• Pup #1 - 'Spiral' - 22 ounces (+2)
• Pup #2 - "Big girl' - 21 ounces (+1, no longer biggest)
• Pup #5 - 'Bitty girl' - 17 ounces (+2)
• 'Arrowhead' - 26 ounces (+2)
• 'Island' - 21 ounces (+2)
• 'Big Boy' - 24 ounces (+2)
• 'Short Stocking' - 21 ounces (+2)
• 'Blaze' - 24 ounces (+2)

20 February 2005 - Day Four

They continue to grow by the hour. It's amazing how fast. Also, they are starting to show some personality. There are a couple, like spiral, that when whine and complain, even while they are eating. They've also begun to make sounds that are clearly dog whines and barks. It's little, but it's cute.

Here at 1pm Cinny is getting a nap. Thank goodness. She was nursing pups continuously last night for about 6 hours, as best as I was able to figure. It started around 11, and she didn't get them all off to sleep at once until about 5 am.

Here are pictures of five of the pups. Mouse over the photo for the name of each.


At the end of the day their weights were:

* Pup #1 - 'Spiral' - 20 ounces (+3)
* Pup #2 - "Big girl' - 20 ounces (+3)
* Pup #5 - 'Bitty girl' - 15 ounces (+1)
* 'Arrowhead' - 24 ounces (+4)
* 'Island' - 19 ounces (+2)
* 'Big Boy' - 22 ounces (+3)
* 'Short Stocking' - 19 ounces (+2)
* 'Blaze' - 22 ounces (+3)


The "ALT" tags don't seem to come across in Blogger. From the top, the pups pictured are Spiral, Short Stocking, Bitty Girl, Big Girl (vertical shot) and Arrowhead.

Another Puppy Story

I heard this story on the news this afternoon.

In late December, life looked grim for Amber, a very pregnant silver Labrador retriever that was either lost or dumped in a remote area near McGregor Lake.
Alone in the cold, she found shelter inside a burned-out log, where she gave birth to nine puppies. Somehow, Amber kept herself and her litter alive, for a week to 10 days.

Then her luck changed. The roar of snowmobiles caught her attention and she raced out for the companionship she craved and the help she needed from two compassionate young men.

It was just a coincidence that Joey Norris, 20, and Austin Lowe, 22, were in that area. Norris said it was his first ride on a snow machine and his first time in this particular area.

“There’s not much around there,” Norris said.

He said he and his buddy were enjoying their outing when the dog ran out to engage them in play. It was obvious that she was nursing puppies.

“We stopped and asked her where her puppies were,” Norris said.

Amazingly, she led them to the hollow log where she had kept all nine pups warm and fed.

“We couldn’t even see them, but we could hear them,” he said.

Amber had secreted the puppies deep down inside the log where neither predators nor good Samaritans could reach them. Even with the strength of youth, the men couldn’t break the log open enough to retrieve the tiny dogs.

They were forced to leave them overnight to return home for tools and a plastic tub.

THE NEXT day, they hiked back to the spot to initiate their rescue mission.

Norris said they first lured the mother lab away in case she became too protective. Then, the work began.

“We had a crow bar so we peeled the log back, piece by piece,” he said. “Then we put them in the Rubber Maid and drove them to the Humane Society.”

Norris said he was familiar with the shelter and its no-kill policy. They trusted the staff would take care of the mother dog and her litter.

Although the Humane Society of Northwest Montana has no quarantine facilities for puppies, shelter manager Marje Guest made room for the heroic mom who had gone to such lengths to save her babies.

“She’s a wonderful dog — somewhere between brown and silver,” Guest said.

The shelter settled on the name Amber for the dog, noting her color and honoring Norris’ girlfriend of the same name. An exhaustive search of lost-and-found ads and calls failed to turn up anyone looking for a dog of her description.

Although she had a collar, Amber had no tags or microchip to identify her owner. But her friendly manner and knowledge of commands indicates she once had a home.

“She was somebody’s dog,” Guest said. “But it was obvious she had been out there for some time.”

GUEST said Amber and the puppies were in decent condition for as long as they were on their own. It appeared that she had been living on carcasses while feeding her young.

“She wasn’t in terrible condition, a little on the thin side,” Guest said. “The puppies were in good shape, nice and chubby. She’s a very good mom.”

19 February 2005 - Day Three

Didn't take any pictures today. Cinny is definitely getting the hang of this. She nurses when she needs to, and then comes down and joins the rest of the family when she can. She was much happier as a result.

Here are today's weights. You can see how they are growing, some of them being up 2-3 ounces in just the past 24 hours.

• Pup #1 - 'Spiral' - 17 ounces (+1)
• Pup #2 - "Big girl' - 17 ounces (+1)
• Pup #5 - 'Bitty girl' - 14 ounces (+2)
• 'Arrowhead' - 20 ounces (+3)
• 'Island' - 17 ounces (+2)
• 'Big Boy' - 19 ounces (+1, no longer biggest)
• 'Short Stocking' - 17 ounces (+1)
• 'Blaze' - 19 ounces (+2)

18 February 2005 - Day Two

I got back to work this day, so didn't see them much. In the evening, we did take Curry in to see them for the first time. He was interested and quite gentle. Cinny was cautious but not aggressive. Very good, for them both!

We took advantage of the quiet evening to sort out and weight all the pups again. They now range from 12 to 17 ounces. So everybody has gained one to two ounces since birth. That's good news. All their little umbilici have now fallen off, too.

So that we can sort them out, we've started putting names on them. Mostly, they are based on patterns we notice in their ruff markings. These should stay constant as they grow up. They are:

• Pup #1 - 'Spiral' - 16 ounces
• Pup #2 - "Big girl' - 16 ounces
• Pup #5 - 'Bitty girl' - 12-13 ounces
• 'Arrowhead' - 17 ounces
• 'Island' - 15 ounces
• 'Big Boy' - 17-18 ounces
• 'Short Stocking' - 16 ounces
• 'Blaze' - 17 ounces

Confusing Cause and Effect

From the Rocky Mountain News -

Poor children in Denver have to travel farther to get to the city's highest-performing schools, a study to be released today shows.

Sigh! You don't suppose it's because children from poor families tend to have lower performance in school do you?

17 February 2005 - Day One

This was a day of getting adjusted for us all. The early morning hours had been real restless for us all. I can't believe how much they squeak and whine. Cinny was trying to figure out what she should be doing, and we were trying to make sure she didn't lay down and squash a baby. I only got 2 hours sleep, and so skipped going to work. We took mom and pups to the vet later that morning, and she pronounced them as all being fine.

We are spending lots of time in the room with Cinny. She seems to want the company.

Their little blue home you see here is a kids wading pool, lined with fake sheepskin material. Under one half of it I have a folded up electric mattress pad heater we've not needed here in VA. This is keeping the little guys plenty warm.

By evening, things had settled down a bit. Then, just at 10pm, we had company. Winnie and I had both sent out e-mails announcing the pups, and Chris Evans and Donna Grusha came by to see them.

Trying to figure which pup is which is a challenge. So, from the first night, the only three pups were are sure which is which of; the girls. The smallest pup is a girl (pup #5), her sister (pup #2) has a really dark coat, leaving pup #1, the other girl. The boys are all a mystery.

16 February 2005 - Happy Birthday!

Three years ago, today, we had quite a lot of excitement here.

Here are some photos from the evening the puppies were born. What a night that was. Cinny knew that things weren't quite right in her tummy. I found her hiding behind the bed in the small bedroom after dinner. I could smell something wasn't right. Literally. I got a hand behind her, and found a pup half delivered already. I backed her out of that spot, and we got her laid down on some towels.

Then for the next 5 hours we delivered puppies. The first couple worried us, as they weren't breathing properly as they came out. Winnie got their airways drained, though, and blew on their faces, and they started to squeak.

The fifth pup was a surprise. We had just delivered the fourth, and had the first three down to suck, when there was a squeak from behind Cinny. Now how did one of those pups get back there. But this one was all wet, having just come out unannounced and unnoticed. we'll be keeping a watch on her though, as she is the smallest in the litter.

The eighth was a surprise, too. The x-rays at the vet had only showed 7 pups, but we were unconvinced, so we waited. Sure enough, just after midnight on the morning of the 17th, we got an eight pup.

We were pretty happy she let us help. Some dogs don't want any interference, but she seemed happy to have us there to help get the amniotic sacks off, and to get them cleaned up. She also seemed happy to have someone there to tell her she was a good girl, and she was doing a good job.

In all, we got 3 girls and 5 boys. They ranged in weight that night from 11 to 16 ounces. we tried to keep track of them by marking them with strings around them. We were afraid to tie these too tight, though, and by morning they were all off.

Funny (or gross) moment of the night. - Dogs like to eat the afterbirth. Both as a hormonal thing, and to clean away the scent of blood from any predators. After the first two, we didn't want her eating any more of them, as they can also cause an upset tummy. So, I got a trash sack, and started dropping them in there. Of course, I didn't watch where I put it, and at a crucial moment sat down to help with a delivery, right on top of the sack. There was the ultimate POP-SQUISH sound as the garbage sack broke and the afterbirth exploded all over the seat of my pants. Eww!

Let's Shoot Down a Satellite!

No doubt you've heard of the satellite that's going to be shot down?

The military will try to shoot down a crippled spy satellite in the next two weeks, senior officials said Thursday. The officials laid out a high-tech plan to intercept the satellite over the Pacific just before it tumbles uncontrollably to Earth carrying toxic fuel.

The real reason is undoubtedly the one they are denying.

President Bush ordered the action to prevent any possible contamination from the hazardous rocket fuel on board, and not out of any concern that parts of the spacecraft might survive and reveal its secrets, the officials said.

Uh-huh. You think that the fuel tank will survive the fall intact, but not the electronics and/or imaging gear? Good lord, how dumb do you think we are?

Specialists in spy satellites have speculated that the problem satellite, managed by the National Reconnaissance Office, is an experimental imagery device built by Lockheed Martin and launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard a Delta II rocket.

Well, doofus, is the satellite in an equatorial orbit, or a near-polar orbit? I could say more on the subject, but I think my former employers (see above) would still get a bit testy about that.

Gloat

Today, after exactly six years in the same cubicle, I moved to a new location.

Actually, I didn't move into another cubicle. Instead, I moved into a real office, with a door, eight feet of east-facing window, and twice the square footage of my old place.

The boss is calling it a "testing lab". I'm calling it a coup. No other consultant in the department has ever been given an office with a door, and this place is 50% consultants.

To keep it low key, when someone asks how I rated this, I tell them I was too important to fire, but too obnoxious to be allowed to mingle. The boss says that's about half right. Yes, but which half?

A Quiet Sunday Evening

I thought I'd write this sooner, from home, but here I am at work.

Sunday we had an amazing windstorm as a cold front came through. It blew for hours. First the TV and Internet went out. Then there was a big crack and out went the lights. It turned out that the next door neighbor's maple tree, in the front yard broke, and a section up to about 3 ft across came down across the power lines. The tree caught on fire, and it took three and a half hours to get the tree off the lines and the power back on.

Unfortunately, we must have missed an automated response step in reporting our other outage. I called the cable company last night, and my problem was news to them. They say it will probably be Friday before they can get anyone out to look at it.

So, no TV, no Internet, until then.

This hasn't been a good two weeks

First, two weeks ago tomorrow, I had to drive up to New York to help out as my Grandmother entered a nursing home. She lived alone for over 50 years, so I think this is coming as a major shock to her. Then, I also organized a lot of the packing up and cleaning out of her apartment.

Most of her furniture went to Salvation Army, and quite a bit of smaller stuff went to the SPCA thrift shop. Some of her smaller, nicer possessions went into storage. I brought all of her personal, non-financial papers home with me, and I'm slowly figuring out what is what. Boxes and boxes of photos and photo albums, diaries, correspondence, etc.

Then, en route home, a week ago Thursday, I began feeling 'weird'. By the next morning I felt distinctly bad. By the time I got to the doctor's office, at 2:30, I had a 103.4 fever. They did the test, pronounced it the flu, and gave me Tamiflu. That helped really fast, but I still worked from home on Monday, and dragged through the rest of the week. Today I napped for two hours. Now, I'm ready to eat and sleep again.

Hit and Run

Winnie was the victim of a hit and run last night. An older blue pickup truck hit her Rodeo from behind at a stoplight at the same intersection where a young woman was killed a couple of days ago.

Winnie pulled over to exchange information, and the truck took off. She called it in, and the State Police took as much info as she had, but it was dark when it happened and she didn't have a good description. Just a cracked bumper to replace from what we can see, but WTH?

Winnie says if she ever catches him, she'll kick his asshole out his mouth.

I believe her.

Darwin Award IX

When, oh when, will they learn that if you must steal copper wire, you need to turn the power off first.

Around 40,000 volts of electricity killed a 32-year-old would-be copper thief in Ajax on the weekend.

Durham Regional Police confirmed today that the man, found dead inside a hydro substation Saturday, was trying to steal copper wire.

Police said the man used bolt cutters to get into the fenced compound and came into contact with a large transformer, electrocuting himself.

Now, That's a "Bond Girl"

We've all seen the array of of woman who've appeared in the James Bond movies over the years. Generally little waifs, though often with big bosoms.

Pierce Brosnan shows somewhat more glorious taste. This is his wife.

On a winter holiday in Hawaii in the company of a curvaceous beauty is as fitting a location for any Bond - past or present.

Which is exactly where Pierce Brosnan, star of Die Another Day and Goldeneye is enjoying his winter break.

Joined by his wife, former journalist Keely Shaye-Smith, the pair splashed around happily in the ocean close to their holiday home on the island of Kauai.

Full-figured Keely exuded confidence as she joined her husband in the surf.

The 43-year-old has turned her back on the Hollywood size zero trend and is a pin-up for shapely women, even writing fashion tips for American Vogue.

Pierce, 54, recently declared his wife "stunning", adding: "I love my wife's curves!" in an American magazine.

Makes me want to go buy a movie.

Let it Snow!

Just like last April ,we are getting a snowstorm today. These coastal-raised collies aren't really quite sure what to make of it.

Every Home Should Have One

Ever needed a really comfy couch you can really lay back and relax in? How about this baby? I fact, babies would probably be quite comfortable here.

An Uncanny Resemblance

These two have an uncanny resemblance, don't you think?

Congratulations Cousin!

So, now I have a new little first cousin, once removed.

Do You Live Close to the Beach?

When we get together with family, and talk about living in Virginia, this is one subject that always seems to come up.

Yes, we do live close to the water, though our "beach" is along the York River, near where it empties into the Chesapeake Bay. We do see tides here, and the water is brackish (partially salty), but I'd have to admit it's not nearly like being at Virginia Beach.

Even so, here's a video that shows how close we are to the water.

Vacation - Addendum

For any of my relatives that may ever consider visiting - do not be alarmed when you arrive at the security checkpoints in Dulles International. The swarm of Middle-Eastern and African people milling about the checkpoints, speaking in strange tongues and accents are actually TSA employees. They are there to protect you from bad people.

Uh-huh.

Coors Gets Around

Man, you find find Coors beer everywhere now. Not like the old Smokey and the Bandit days. Even on a Scottish beach.

The mystery of a huge container washed up on a beach in the Western Isles has been solved.

The 27m container has been identified as a beer fermentation tank belonging to the American brewery Coors.

I like the other ideas people had for it.

One reader thought the numbers 5580 written on the container could have meant the container was used to house the chemicals used in DTD 5580, a three-part paint scheme used for aircraft all over the world.

Another website user thought it could have been a rocket stage previously launched from the South Uist launch site.