Let's hope it's a wimper.

But something is rumbling and grumbling  in Yellowstone National Park, and it's not the bear's stomachs.  There were dozens of tremors on Monday.  There have been tremors before, but not so many at once.  Is an eruption in the future?

"Yellowstone National Park was jostled by a host of small earthquakes for a third straight day Monday, and scientists watched closely to see whether the more than 250 tremors were a sign of something bigger to come.

Swarms of small earthquakes happen frequently in Yellowstone, but it's very unusual for so many earthquakes to happen over several days, said Robert Smith, a professor of geophysics at the University of Utah.

"They're certainly not normal," Smith said. "We haven't had earthquakes in this energy or extent in many years."

 

Click to Continue

Remember...going GREEN costs money.

It doesn't ever come cheap.

Asthma sufferers are finding that out now with the release of new "green" inhalers this week that cost five times more.  Healthcare providers fear low income asthmas sufferers will not be able to afford treatment in some cases.  Currently, there has been hoarding of the non-environmentally friendly inhalers which are less expensive.  There are over 20 million asthma sufferers in the U.S.

That's just one example.  Look at the difference with light bulbs for another example...regular or even Christmas lights.  It doesn't matter what it is, if you want to save the environment you are going to pay for it, so you had better get used to it. 

Now if there's something we know about in Wisconsin, it's emissions testing.  At least in Southern Wisconsin.  And emissions are an important part of being environmentally friendly, right?

So, what about the Zamboni?  Well, in Wisconsin we know all about Zambonis.  And in Canada they certainly know about Zamboni's, too.  Well, Wired has a great article about Zambonis going GREEN

"If you were sucking fumes after your last triple lutz, it's probably because your local skating rink uses a fossil-fuel burning Zamboni to keep the ice slicker than Rod Blagojevich's hair. That's why Toronto is resurfacing its ice with the zero-emissions all-electric IceCat."


Continue reading about it

HERE

I'm not speaking of green grass.

And not warmth...unless you are talking about "warming."

And let's start with Australia first.

"SCIENTISTS have warned that Christmas lights are bad for the planet due to huge electricity waste and urged people to get energy efficient festive bulbs.

CSIRO researchers said householders should know that each bulb turned on in the name of Christmas will increase emissions of greenhouse gases.

Dr Glenn Platt, who leads research on energy demand, said Australia got 80 per cent of its electricity by burning coal which pumps harmful emissions into the atmosphere."


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I blame it on Jimmy Carter.  He had us on the right path...there were the fireside chats, the cardigan sweaters,  People already stopped hanging outdoor lights.  He just should have stuck to leading us to this greener path back then...and never stopped.  What happened?  What took so long? (Now of course I'm being sarcastic...you know that, right?).

That's right...you would think Wisconsin would have cleaner air than most states, but that's not so.  Perhaps we used to.  But Wisconsin now has some of the metro areas (out of the 46 total) that are included among the newly added 15 cities with sooty air.  Green Bay, Madison and Milwaukee have been added (cough).

 "More than 100 million people living in 46 metro areas are breathing air that has gotten too full of soot on some days, and now those cities have to clean up their air, the Environmental Protection Agency said Monday.

The EPA added 15 cities to the sooty air list, mostly in states not usually thought of as pollution-prone, such as Alaska, Utah, Idaho and Wisconsin. That's probably because of the prevalence of wood stoves in western and northern regions, a top EPA official said."

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Soot?  I don't know about you, but with global warming and all, I'm too cold to think about it right now.

Other than Santa's sooty red suit, that just makes me think of one thing (I can't resist):

My son and daughter-in-law live in Boulder, Co.  They hike, bike, ski and snowshoe.  They are very healthy people.

They have great bikes.  Boulder's streets are lined with bike paths and bikes have the right-of way everywhere.  Most of the busses have bike racks on them.  People bike to work.  People bike for fun.  People bike to bars.  People bike all winter.   People are healthy in Boulder.

BOULDER, Co. – As real estate agent Matt Kolb recently toured several properties he wore a helmet. It wasn’t a hard-hat fit for a construction site but a bicycle helmet.  Kolb sells homes from the back of a two-wheeler.

"Boulder is in the top-five bicycle-friendly cities in the world," said Kolb. "On a bike, you can get anywhere in town in 20 minutes or less."

Real estate firm Pedal to Properties has teamed up with a non-profit called Community Cycles, which supplies low-cost bikes and maintenance to local businesses as a way to encourage emission-free transportation. 

‘Outdoor deficit disorder’
Community Cycles, which was founded by a handful of Boulder bike-riders two years ago, has become a driving force in getting people out of cars and onto bikes. "We started out with a plan to distribute bikes," said Rich Points, Community Cycles’ executive director. "But now we want to address larger issues."

For Points, getting out of the office and onto a bike "combats ‘outdoor deficit disorder.’ You are more involved in the changes in the environment. You are more involved with your own community."  Even with the onset of winter, Points is not willing to give up the bicycling. He just shifts over to studded bike tires on snowy days.

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Portuguese Man O' War



Have you ever seen one?  Or more?  After a storm off the coast in Florida?  Floating on the surface like purple balloons?

Or the following morning, while you stroll the beach, dried up on the shore?

Portuguese Man O' War...they sting..they hurt like crazy.  I know.  I've been stung before.

Their tentacles float in the water quite far from them and tangle around your legs when you are in the water. 

So, if you are traveling over the holidays or during the winter...beware the sting.  Especially after a storm.

Portuguese Man O' Wars are swarming in huge masses....

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Huge swarms of stinging jellyfish and similar slimy animals are ruining beaches in Hawaii, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean, Australia and elsewhere, U.S. researchers reported on Friday.

The report says 150 million people are exposed to jellyfish globally every year, with 500,000 people stung in the Chesapeake Bay, off the U.S. Atlantic Coast, alone.

Another 200,000 are stung every year in Florida, and 10,000 are stung in Australia by the deadly Portuguese man-of-war, according to the report, a broad review of jellyfish research."

Click to Continue

Oh, the relief for a sting?  Amonia...no matter what its source   : )

It just doesn't matter if 650 prominent international scientists say there is no global warming...

The remaining do say so.  And, most importantly...

Al Gore says there is global warming climate change. 




The Goracle


So there must be!

"POZNAN, Poland - The UN global warming conference currently underway in Poland is about to face a serious challenge from over 650 dissenting scientists from around the globe who are criticizing the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore.  Set for release this week, a newly updated U.S. Senate Minority Report features the dissenting voices of over 650 international scientists, many current and former UN IPCC scientists, who have now turned against the UN. The report has added about 250 scientists (and growing) in 2008 to the over 400 scientists who spoke out in 2007. The over 650 dissenting scientists are more than 12 times the number of UN scientists (52) who authored the media hyped IPCC 2007 Summary for Policymakers. "

Continue HERE

 

Imagine a machine that can pull humid air from outdoors.  One that is being developed further to make drinking water for those countries with a water shortage.  It sounds great to me...sounds expensive energy wise.  But we need the water.  There are safety concerns, but then again...we need the water.  At least the problem is being addressed.

The WaterMill is one such machine that can do the trick...and even comes in camouflage for our military!  They think of everything.

Here's a photo of the inside of the machine...simple enough:

Originally envisioned as an antidote to the shortage of clean drinking water in the world, the WaterMill has the look of a futuristic air conditioner and the ability to condense, filter and sterilize water for about 3 cents per quart.

At $1,299, the 45-pound device doesn’t come cheap, and it is neither the first nor the biggest machine to enter the fast-growing field of atmospheric water generators. But by targeting individual households with a self-cleaning, environmentally friendly alternative to bottled water, Kelowna, British Columbia-based element Four is hoping its WaterMill will become the new must-have appliance of 2009.

[...]

Jonathan Ritchey hopes his company’s commercial success will smooth the way for next year’s arrival of a humanitarian application called the WaterWall, essentially a stripped-down version of the WaterMill.


Click to read complete article

Not in my lifetime, anyway...

Not with terms like "dangerous," "landslide," and "environmental disaster" being thrown out there.  But this fossil fuel is certainly worth being investigated.  Especially since hydrates are so abundant.  So, it's North to Alaska...

from the Christian Science Monitor~

Hydrates have been hailed as a paradigm shift in how to achieve energy independence and as a massively abundant source of cleaner-burning natural gas. Others fear it represents an environmental disaster in the making. Until recently it was thought too dangerous and too costly to extract to be of use.

That view is beginning to change. In a recently released report, the USGS for the first time announced details of large hydrate reserves in the Alaskan permafrost that should be recoverable using existing technology. The vast field could hold as much as 85 trillion cubic feet of gas – an amount far less than the dream scenarios put forward in the past, but still massive. Even more important, such movement makes the possibility of getting at the mother lode of hydrate resources – those located offshore – increasingly realistic.

[...]

Safety concerns also remain. Drilling turns solid hydrates into gas, but this process actually cools the gas, threatening to turn newly liberated gas bubbles back into solid hydrates in the middle of the drill itself – a dangerous prospect. Many also worry that drilling into hydrates might release clouds of gas that could start an underwater landslide. But most experts say that as knowledge of methane hydrates improves, drilling sites are moving away from high-risk areas.


Click to continue entire article

Siemans, Discovery Network and Educators believe they can.  How about you?

"A new environmental science competition for middle schoolers asks teams of 2-3 students, led by a teacher or mentor, to create sustainable, reproducible environmental improvements in their local communities.

Participants in the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge are encouraged to start right away.

Among the prizes for winning teams are $5,000 savings bonds, a "once-in-a-lifetime Discovery Adventure Trip" with a television personality, and an appearance on Discovery's Planet Green network.

Designed with low entry barriers, the Challenge provides the opportunity for students of all backgrounds and experiences to participate. Contest organizers recommend doing the projects over a 9-to-13-week period. Only 16 weeks, including the holiday season, remain before the March 15 deadline, so interested teams should start soon.

Competing teams will use a six-step scientific methodology: identification of issues, researching them, planning a solution, acting together to implement the plan, analyzing what was found, and sharing ways to replicate or expand the effort around the country.

The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge is sponsored by The Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education, and the National Science Teachers Association."

Who will take the challenge?

The problem:

Weather Channel lays off staff





The answer
 


More


Face it...

We pump our own gas, we bag our own groceries, we run our own credit cards through the processors...

We can be our own weather people, too.

It's cold outside. 

Wear a coat.

Have you changed your driving habits in the past year? 

How about in the past six months?

Are you driving less?

Are you carpooling?

Do you take a bus?

Have you bought an economy car?

Do you think before you drive...planning our your day now?

Now that fuel has come down in price, will you go back to your old ways, or will you stay with your change for good?

After all, we haven't solved our energy crisis...this is just temporary, right?

"Americans are driving less despite falling gas prices, reflecting the deepening recession and signaling a shift in lifestyles and driving habits that could outlast the current turmoil.

Drivers logged 10.7 billion fewer miles in September than they did the same month a year earlier — a 4.4% decline, according to data issued Wednesday by the Federal Highway Administration.

FINANCIAL CRISIS: Economic outlook dims

The data reflect the effects of the worsening economy.

"With the unemployment rate going up, people are just not driving," says Fred Milch, division planner for the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, in the South Atlantic region that saw the biggest year-to-year driving decline (5.7%). "They just don't have the money to go on leisure trips and don't have money to go shopping. … People get in the habit of not having to drive."

Click to continue

Earlier in the year you may have blamed rising prices in restaurants on gas prices...a direct result of shipping costs and products made with petroleum.

Later, you may have blamed them on the economy in general.

Something else to add to the list is Green. 

Whenever you go Green, it isn't cheap. 

As restaurants, businesses, colleges and maybe even you start replacing paper products used for fast food purposes and convenience,  it's going to cost you.

What's interesting is what some of these products are made of.





Did you know that clear to-go and storage containers are now made of corn and sugar?

Eating utensils are made of potato and cornstarch (imported from China...something to think about).

All I have to say is, if you are eating outside at a picnic and it starts to rain....get under cover, or you'll end up with food all over your hands and in your lap.

"On July 1, Microsoft replaced the plastic and Styrofoam in its cafeterias and kitchenettes with compostable knives, forks, spoons, cups, bowls, plates and clamshell carryout containers.

That switch is one of several the company is making to reduce the amount of waste generated by the 24,000 meals served daily at its corporate-headquarters campus, where roughly 40,000 full-time employees and vendors work."

Read about Microsoft converting it's cafeteria HERE

Take a look!


HERE

"Parts of California See Coldest Temps since 1893"

"Cold Temps in Oregon Break 118 year Old Record"


Those are the headlines today, and it's only mid-October!

Brrrr is going to be the term this winter.

Only 67 more days!

 

California

"Temperatures dropped to 31 degrees in the Ukiah Valley on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, the coldest Oct. 12 morning since record keeping began in Ukiah in 1893, said Troy Nicolini, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Eureka. The previous record was 34 degrees in 1916."


Read the article HERE



Oregon

"Cold temperatures set several new record lows this weekend, including a low of 22 Saturday in downtown Pendleton that broke a 118 year-old record of 24.

Record lows started falling Thursday with a new low of 20 for Meacham, four degrees cooler than the previous record from 2006, according to information from the Web site for the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Pendleton."

Read the article HERE

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The predictions are usually correct….

I’m speaking of the Farmers' Almanac.  Actually, I think when I first put my blog up I had a link to Farmers' Almanac. 

Farmers' Almanac 2009 goes on sale in August and they have some nasty predictions for winter in our area.  They start with the letter “F.”  That would be FRIGID.  They end with the letter “B.”  That would be BRRRR. 

It’s going to be cold this winter.

Read about it HERE

You can check out the online version HERE or the original New Hampshire-based Old Farmers' Almanac (1792) :


Old Farmers' Almanac