Blast From the Past

 What are the odds?

31 Flavors

Just like ice cream religion and politics come in a variety of flavors.

And considering the polarized nature of our country I'm not surprised.  Last month I learned that if you criticize Donald Trump it can trigger an animated and somewhat hostile response.  I wouldn't call it a mistake on my part as much as a learning experience. 

I learned that pointing out the flaws of a much-loved personality isn't worth the risk of damage to otherwise friendly relationships, neighborliness and general comity.  So I'm going to follow my own advice and pour myself a big cuppa simmah down.  Some things are not worth the aggravation.

I am reminded that politics is a lot like religious belief - and can range from agnostic to devout.  Some people are apolitical while others can be partisans.  A variety of flavors.

I offer this by example.  The three major monotheistic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  The defining belief of all three is the denial of all gods but one.  The God of Abraham.  And within each of the three you will find a variety of different flavors of each.  There is something for everybody and plenty to go around.

And just like you don't generally disparage someone for their choice of faith belief - you shouldn't ridicule someone for whatever flavor of politics they choose.

Some of us have conservative to center-right views and tend to be more mindful about our politics.  Policy is a big deal and counts for a lot.  Personalities?  Meh, not so much.  We're not aggrieved.  And we don't demonstrate fealty and obeisance to anyone in government.  If you are elected you work for your citizen electorate.

The friggin' mid-term elections are coming-up.  So pour yourself a cuppa whatever flavor of simmah down you like and show some tolerance.

Ukraine

 With Rootin' Tootin' Putin rattling his sabre in eastern Europe this comes to mind...

Friday Music

Composed by Bob Dylan and released as a single from his 1970 album New Morning. It’s a love song to his first wife Sara. Dylan also record the song with George Harrison although that recording was not released until 1991.

This live duet was recorded during a soundcheck for the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh performances at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

If Not For You...

 

Winter Trail Camera

Unless there are extremes of cold and snow wintertime doesn't slow-down the local wildlife.  If anything they're out and about foraging more actively than other times of year.  

From one of our recent forays to service the trail cameras there is this...

A gobbler stretching...

And a whitetail running...

Rubber Idol

A fine example of a postmodern Laughing Buddha Statue......steel belted

 

Demographic Shift Hits Evangelicals

Peter Wehner argues Why It Matters That Support for Israel Among Young Evangelicals Is Falling.

There is no single cause that satisfactorily explains the loss of support for Israel among a younger generation of evangelicals; it is a confluence of factors. One of them is theological, having to do with the issue of eschatology and Biblical end times, topics that don’t loom nearly as large for young people today as in the past.

Older evangelicals are more likely to hold premillennialist views. This perspective believes that Jews will return to their ancient homeland, portending the second coming of Christ, which will itself be a fulfillment of prophecy. Amillennialism—the denial that an earthly millennium of universal righteousness and peace will either precede or follow the second coming of Christ—doesn’t believe that Jews have a role to play in how the end times unfold.

Professors Inbari and Bumin told JNS that there has been a significant erosion in support for premillennialism among younger evangelicals. Younger pastors are more amillennial than older ones, there’s less focus by the newer generation of pastors on the end times, and less attention paid to Israel within that context. To put it another way, premillennial theology has been weakened, and that bears on how some Christians view the Jewish state. A Biblical scholar who teaches at a Christian liberal arts school told me that “eschatology is simply not a big deal for my students.”

To be sure, many Christian Zionists support Israel based not on eschatology but on covenant—that is, on what they believe are the promises of God made to the Jewish people which are irrevocable—and because they believe standing with the Jewish state is the right place for Christians to be, both biblically and historically, including given the terrible history of Christian anti-Semitism.

Link to the full column is found at the top of this post.

 

Speaking as someone who doesn’t have any serious grievances nor feels any need to grovel, express fealty or demonstrate obeisance to anyone in government I keep my own counsel and question authority.

Join and follow The Bulwark. Where thoughtful conservative and center-right news, opinion and mindfulness survives in exile. 

One day the fever will break......

Truth in Labeling

Food labeling is confusing.  But do not be deceived.

When orange juice says it's non-GMO, it is useful to know that all oranges are non-GMO.  The only potential GMO products in the USA are papaya, corn, alfalfa, soybeans, cotton, potatoes, squash, canola, sugar beets, and apples.

When organic milk is labeled antibiotic free, remember that all dairy products, including milk, are always antibiotic free.  Same applies to meat.

Those bananas advertised as cholesterol free?  That's because all bananas are cholesterol free.

When a jar of peanuts says it is made in a plant that processes peanuts just use your common sense and roll your eyes.

When a bag of apples says it is gluten free, remember that gluten comes from wheat.

When you see a Facebook post that talks about hormones in beef, please understand that an 8oz serving of beef has 2-3 nano-grams of estrogen, an 8 oz serving of white bread has 136,080 nano grams of estrogen, and 8 ounces of soy flour has 342,468,000 nano grams of estrogen.  All living things produce estrogen,  it's science.

When that carton of eggs says that they came from vegetarian fed chickens, don't forget that chickens are naturally omnivores.

So yes, eat healthy, but don't be swayed by deceptive advertising.  Be informed.

No farms, no food.  Know your farmers, know your food.

 

The Dignity of Farming

Seen by the side of the road.....

Woodland Redhead

For most of my adult life my exposure to squirrels was namely city-dwelling Eastern Gray Squirrels.  They were ubiquitous to urban life and were more of an annoyance if anything.  They raided bird feeders, gnawed-on house siding and soffit and invaded attics and fireplace chimneys.

And for many years there were no tree-dwelling squirrels here at The Platz.  Ground squirrels tunneled in the septic mound and took-up residence in the rock wall.  That was the extent of our known squirrel population

Beginning with 2018 another species of squirrel arrived.   

Meet Sciurus niger - the Eastern Fox Squirrel - the largest of the tree squirrel family although slightly smaller than the common gray squirrel. 

At first blush you might guess this to be a Red Squirrel.  However, lacking in this photo is the Red Squirrel's distinctive bright white belly and white rings around the eyes.  The rusty coloring and large bushy tail are reminiscent of a fox - implying this is a Fox Squirrel.  

The bright orange pelt of this animal and it's loud, scolding call make it an easier visual and audible identification.  Unlike the Eastern Gray Squirrel this species has a wider home range and spends more time on the ground foraging. 

In the last three years they've been showing-up with increasing frequency on the trail cameras.  My conclusion is that as our forest has matured along with acorn production from the oaks is that the resident population has increased. 

They're active year-round and January and February is their mating season so there's likely more chasing of the ladies happening too.

Fun to observe and without destructive tunneling behavior I'm tickled (so far anyway) to have them around.

Game Day

Even the bear has skin in the game today....

Red-Stained Memories

Who remembers these?

If you are old like I am you likely have a memory of red pistachios. When you shelled and ate them your fingers would become stained red. And your tongue, lips and mouth would be colored bright crimson. So why were pistachios dyed red anyway?  And why aren’t they any longer?

Pistachios play an integral role in Middle Eastern culture and cuisine. As a consequence, virtually all pistachios were sourced in Iran. And it was a Syrian (not Iranian) pistachio import/export guy who took pistachios destined for export and dyed them red to mask minor imperfections from harvesting methods of the time.

Fast-forward to 1979 and the assault on the American embassy in Tehran and the Iranian Hostage Crisis. President Jimmy Carter, among other things, froze Iranian assets held in the US, cut-off diplomatic ties to the country, and embargoed the sale of Iranian oil and other export goods. Including pistachios.

The trade actions taken by Carter had the unintended consequence of serving-up a monopoly on the pistachio market for California’s small number of growers. The consequence is that nowadays, almost all of our delicious pistachios come from California. California pistachios have become a $3.6 billion industry!  And because the harvesting of the nuts is automated the nuts have no unsightly imperfections.  There is nothing to hide and thus, no red dye.

For the nostalgic among us red-dyed pistachios can still be found as a novelty – mostly around the Christmas holiday. Speaking for myself, this blogger doesn’t miss the red fingers and mouth.

You can learn more about the story here.

Friday Music

The British band was born in Birmingham in 1964 and included Mike Pinder on keyboards, Ray Thomas, Graeme Edge on Drums, guitarist Justin Hayward and John Lodge on bass.

The group took a break from one another in 1974 – reuniting in 1977. Over the life of the group more than 70 million albums were sold worldwide – including 18 platinum and gold LPs. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

This single was released in 1970 (fond high school memories) on the album A Question of Balance. It was the band’s effort to break out of the psychedelia stereotype and better perform in live concert settings.

This is a very good cover of one of my favorite Moody Blues songs by The Neighborhood Picnic Band.

It’s Up To You…….

Gobblers on the March

Sure, you'll likely find this strange.

But whenever a photo like this turns-up on a trail camera...

This comes to mind...

Fatso

Aside from the fact that there are three deer in this short, silent, 15 second video vignette they look fat.

Sure, the deer are now sporting their thick winter coats of hollow guard hairs to shed the elements and retain heat but they look stocky.

And judging from the shorter face and legs one of my neighbors has suggested that the whitetail in the foreground is very likely an early-born 2021 fawn.

And I take some comfort from knowing that if they go into the colder months packing a few extra pounds that will tide them over some of the colder and leaner months between now and spring green-up.

Noteable Quoteable

The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.

- George Orwell, 1984

First Full Moon of the Year

Today heralds the first full moon of 2022.  At 5:51 PM to be precise 

01.09.20 photo

According to Native American tradition January's full moon is named after howling wolves and is remembered as the Wolf Moon. 

It is said that at any given time there are estimated to be as many as a dozen wolves wandering-about here on the peninsula.  I haven’t heard any wolves howling - just the resident coyotes - likely explained by the fact that the only wolves here are solitary males.  Likely dispersing bachelors that find their way here crossing the ice from the upper peninsula of Michigan or Northern Wisconsin.

In other cultures this is called the Old Moon, Snow Moon, Ice Moon or Moon after Yule. 

And so it begins - if you like clear skies and howling at the moon - 2022 is going to deliver a dozen full moons - including four full super moons!  I'll make an effort to post a heads-up on these lunar phenomena; and you may wish to bookmark this link so you don’t miss anything.   

Fingers-crossed for cold, clear winter sky-gazing tonight. 

Cheers!

 

Cover-up

 

 

 

Interesting analogy.

I can relate.

Mask-up when you are in a crowd.  It's for the safety of the unvaccinated.......

Following the Evidence

One of the advantages of hiking in the winter is the story that can be ascertained from evidence left in the snow.  That can include scat, urine stains, feathers and fur but namely tracks.

From our walk the other day we found this...

A large wing print left in the snow that was more than three feet-across from tip to tip with a large divot in the snow centered at the bottom.

 

 

If I had to guess this was left by a Great Horned Owl.  

The divot is where the birds talons plunged into the snow to grab they prey.  The hearing of this owl is so acute that they can discern a rodent beneath up to a foot of snow.

It's their nesting season now and I can hear them calling back and forth when I take the dog out before bedtime most nights.

Friday Music

This song was composed by Dick Reynolds and Jack Rhodes and recorded by Wanda Jackson (remember her?) in 1956.  The original lyrics, recorded by Jackson, contain a verse not usually included in later versions.  It also differed in other minor details. 

It has been covered by just about everybody ever since.  Including, but not limited to:  Dusty Springfield, Skeeter Davis, The Everly Brothers, The Grateful Dead, Johnny Rovers and even Janis Joplin.  Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn cut a recording for the album - Honky Tonk Angels.   Emmylou Harris and Crystal Gayle covered it too.  Linda Ronstadt recorded two iterations of this song.  The first was included  on her 1969 solo debut album - Hand Sown...Home Grown.  And the second a country-pop crossover version for her 1973 album - Don't Cry Now.  It was this second one that was subsequently released as a single and charted as a top 20 country hit in that year.

Linda really belts this song is a most excellent live cover with The Eagles.  

Silver Threads and Golden Needles.....

The Big Con

The anniversary of the January 6th riot and breach of the US Capitol has come and gone.  And it has been interesting to me to witness the extent to which obedient adherents have been twisting themselves into knots to downplay and gaslight their ever-evolving version of the event.   

 

Seriously, what’s the point?

Would you publicly announce to anyone willing to listen that the riot (I do not use the term insurrection) which unfolded on January 6, 2021 was righteous and noble? 

Of course not.  And that's because most of us do not break the law (law abiding), know the difference between right and wrong (moral and ethical) and are not easily swayed by a mob (principled).

The reality of the matter is the consequences to participation in the riot and capitol breach range everywhere from a simple dismissal of charges or a ticket for trespassing, to significant prison time; with everything in-between.  That is because the participants range everywhere from ordinary people that got caught-up in the moment to hardcore agitators who conspired and planned to show up in tactical ballistic kit with bear spray and zip ties. 

Hundreds upon hundreds of individuals have incurred thousands upon thousands of dollars in legal expenses.  Many of them now have a misdemeanor or a felony conviction on their  record.  Fines and prison sentences have been imposed.  Some remain in jail pending trial.  Lives, relationships and career prospects have been seriously messed-up.  Permanently ruined perhaps.  Some are likely genuinely remorseful and would tell you they regret their involvement; that there was an abundance of stupid and bad judgement on that day.

 

And like any gangster the hardcore gonna remain unrepentant.  They belong in prison.

Rule #1 - If someone hosts a riot, run the opposite direction. 

In closing, am I the sole observer of the fact that none of the people at the top (Trump, Giuliani, Brooks, et.al.) who egged-on, riled-up and otherwise set the table for the crowd has stepped forward to remedy any of the legal or financial consequences these people have suffered?

 

Nope.

It’s the ultimate con. 

 

Mama And The Twins

 

Speaking of deer - there was this photo taken the day after Christmas.

Larger deer in the middle and two more generally full-grown - yet smaller deer - foreground and background.

They're all looking fat and sassy.

My guess is mama and her twins born earlier in 2021.

Keeping Cozy

 

Door County’s community-owned propane company has been powering homes, farms and businesses in Door and Kewaunee County since 1983. 

New this year is cellular telemetry on the tank that summons a delivery when needed. 

Temperature this morning was -6 degrees F……

 

 

Taunting

We've being trying to capture some video of a pair of larger raptors hanging-around.  We suspect that they’re rough-legged hawks.  This is a bird that resides during the breeding season in the northern reaches of our hemisphere - up near the arctic circle.  From time to time they pay a call here for our tropical winter weather.  Stay-tuned.

In the interim you’ll have to settle for this. 

Whitetail taunting…..

 

 

More Voter Fraud

I've posted on this subject as recently as last month.

photo - Sumter County Jail

A fourth retiree from The Villages has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into voter fraud at the well-known central Florida retirement community. Charles Franklin Barnes, 64, was taken to Sumter County Jail on Tuesday night, and faces a charge of fraud, according to a spokesperson for the county sheriff’s office.  

Three other residents of The Villages, all reportedly registered as Republicans, were arrested last year for allegedly casting ballots in both Florida and their home states. Soon after, Lake County officials said they'd handed another six potential cases of double voting over to prosecutors.  As a consequence, additional arrests are likely to be made.  

Though records show Barnes is not registered with a political party in Florida, he allegedly voted there in the 2020 presidential election, as well as in Connecticut, where he is registered to vote. 

Mind you, this is not evidence of a vast conspiracy.  It is an example of the garden-variety fraud that goes on with every election.  

And none of it is of the scale that would likely impact the outcome of a national election.  Yet it does happen and it is committed by bad actors regardless of political party. 

Personally-speaking I'd like to see more of these morons caught, punished with fines, jail time and revocation of their voting privileges if convicted of a felony.  

Make and example of these fools.

Thieving Troublemaker

Meet Corvus brachyrhynchos - the American Crow. 

A common, year-round, resident here on the peninsula this is an all-black bird – including plumage, legs and feet and beak.  The raven shares some similarities with the American Crow but is measurably larger.  A raven sports a wedged-shaped tail (apparent in flight) while the tail of a crow is squared-off.

I happen to think that this is one of the smartest birds around these parts. a highly social bird they flock together for roosting overnight with unmated birds pitching-in to assist with raising the young.

Don't leave your car keys outside on the picnic table as this bird collects and stashes bright shiny objects in its nest.  It is also able to mimic the calls of other birds and human voices. As a trickster it uses this skill to make trouble and entertain itself.  This is a bird that not only makes and uses tools, it can solve puzzles on par with your five year-old, learns from the death of one of their tribe, holds a grudge and can even identify you on sight.

Anyway, here are a couple of fun action shots taken of this bird after an overnight snowfall..... 

 

Shoeing

25 degrees F and sunny.

About a foot of fresh powder on the level.

First time in a couple of years that there's been enough snow on the ground to breakout the snowshoes.

Glorious!

Friday Music

Composed by David Gates and recorded by the group Bread this song was released on their 1972 album Guitar Man.

From the soft rock genre it featured acoustic guitar, strings and electric guitar (with added wah-wah effect).

It peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that year.

This is a fun cover.

Karaoke for drums version….

Fresh Powder!

It began with overnight snow and continued throughout the day.

As I tap-out this post it has started-up again.

The plow cleared the driveway and I just finished clearing the walks, patio, Forno, generator, propane tank and edges. 

 

Certainly not a record-setting snowfall.  The tape measure was alongside a snowblower cut on the front walkway. There’s a few spots it was over my boot tops and other spots a half foot.

 

I’m calling it 12 inches on the level.

 

There’s snowshoeing on tap!

Roomba

We've had this nifty little household robot for about a month now.  It is a Roomba - an autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner sold by iRobot and introduced to the market twenty years ago.  Our model is connected to our household WiFi and includes mapping capabilities.  Over a period of time it has 'learned' its way around the first floor of the house and navigates its way around known obstacles.  

We have all hardwood and tile floors with some area carpets and if you don't move the furniture too much it's methodology is much like that of a towed array side-scan sonar used to locate a ship wreck.  What I liken to mowing the lawn.

From time to time the forest of chair legs beneath the dining room table challenge its capabilities and on rare occasion will cause it to get stuck - but other than that it performs a decent job of cleaning the floor.

When it needs to offload collected debris, senses that it needs to recharge or on command by either of our handheld devices or preset program it returns to its docking station.  It is murder on the dog hair.

Speaking of which - we still have our old-school kitchen Roomba.  It is always at the ready to clean-up anything I drop or spill on the floor and then returns to its docking station.

 

Energy Independent?

I am witness from time-to-time of individuals who state a belief that the Former Guy made us energy independent, and now under the Current Guy we have somehow immediately lost that energy independence.

To be clear, presidents cannot and do not decree energy prices, production, dependence or independence. Global markets and supply demand forces are responsible for this. That said, I know that most of you reading this want easy answers to complex subjects. I get it. And the easy answer is to point to the Current Guy's hostility to the oil and gas industry and say: See. It’s all his fault! The actual answer is more complicated. Allow me the opportunity to explain.

First, a few words about what constitutes energy independence – something that most individuals see only through the lens of oil and natural gas. A more accurate view would be to account for all of our domestic energy production; oil, natural gas and coal and renewables. Then subtract our net energy consumption. If you only consider oil and natural gas those sources represent only 68% of our energy consumption. Thus, if you observe our net exports going positive the conclusion is energy independence. If our net exports go negative the conclusion is dependence.

The truth of the matter is because oil is a fungible global commodity we import oil from other countries each and every day in the natural order of the oil business. That reality is not going to go away. All that matters is if we import a million barrels of oil and export a million barrels of finished product our independence is basically unaffected.

It is a fact that in 2019 the net imports for both crude oil and finished products flipped from positive to negative. By that measure alone, we became energy independent insofar as oil consumption is measured. The Former Guy was president when this happened for the first time in October 2019. 

Second, if you look at the chart (above) the trend towards independence began under the Former Former Guy. Alas, the policies of the two prior presidents bear no responsibility for that trend.  Neither of them get credit.  Hydraulic fracking is responsible for this.

Nevertheless, it was under the Former Former Guy that legislation was passed into law allowing producers to sell crude oil for export. Heretofore, only refined products like gasoline and diesel could be exported. Opening-up the markets for domestic producers extended the fracking boom benefiting front line producers and not just refiners.

Lastly, it is a fact that the Current Guy has embraced policy that could negatively impact domestic oil supplies in the future. However, the surge in pricing that we are witness-to today is largely a consequence of a COVID-induced drop in production (supply) that began in the spring of 2020 long before the Former Guy left office. The 2020 drop in production was 5%. That happens to be a drop of more than three million barrels per day. It has not yet recovered. And while consumption (demand) during the pandemic recession initially declined by 3% our energy independence began to shrink.

So, the short answer is that we maintained a margin of energy independence (albeit smaller) going into 2021. And since then demand has fully recovered and we now find ourselves with this: Smaller Supply + Increased Demand = Higher Prices.

The final answer to the energy independence question won't be known until all the data is in for the full year of 2021.  Then we will know we've lost our energy independence for the year. I’m not being a smart-ass but if it hasn’t it will largely be a consequence of domestic oil and gas production continuing to lag pre-COVID levels. As the gap closes and production more closely matches the demand needs of a recovering economy our fleeting dalliance with independence will likely return and consumer prices will moderate. That is my expectation.

 

Word of the Day

Perihelion

Today, (actually last evening after midnight) our planet earth reached its closest position in its annual orbit around the sun.  This is called perihelion.  To be sure that is about three million miles closer than our position with the sun in June of this year when we will be stretched furthest away.  Called aphelion   

You're probably scratching you head over the fact that the overnight temperatures have plunged into the single digits lately.  If we're closer to the sun why aren't we warmer?  That would be a consequence of the tilt of the earth on its axis.  Living in the northern hemisphere we're tilted away from the sun and it is wintertime.  If you live in the southern hemisphere you are tilted in the direction of the sun and it is summertime.  You may recall that only a couple of weeks ago we celebrated the winter solstice - that time when we are tilted the furthest from the sun.  The proximity of perihelion with the solstice is merely coincidental.

If you want to impress your acquaintances and coworkers here is a fun factoid.  Astronomers tell us that the earth is distancing itself from the sun at a rate of about 1.5 centimeters a day.  While that might add-up over the course of billions of years we're still attached at the hip with our closest star.

As with all stars the fate of our sun is preordained.  As it ages and begins to run out of fuel it will morph into a red giant phase; and all the planets closest to the sun (including earth) will be incinerated in a spectacular and fiery denouement.  We're toast!

Have a good day.

And you're welcome.

Shooting Stars on Tap Tonight

The Quadrantids are an annual meteor shower that is a consequence of Earth passing through the debris field of a crumbling comet some 500 years ago.  If you have an opportunity to witness this event - depending upon your location - it has the potential of producing as many as 60 to 200 shooting stars an hour. 

For those of us in North America the Quadrantids will reach its maximum rate of activity tonight - January 3.  Some shooting stars associated with the shower began on January 1^st and will continue thru January 4^th.  It is short-lived yet has big potential.

Observing the show on the peninsula requires a location with little light pollution and a view towards the north-northeast between the North Star and the Big Dipper.  Fortuitously, this month's New Moon began yesterday and will help keep skies dark. 

You do not necessarily need to locate the radiant to observe the meteor shower as the shooting stars will appear in all parts of the night sky.  Viewing prospects for your own location can be found here.

Raising a toast to clear, winter night skies and viewing the heavens...  

Is Wood Good?

A FB friend of mine shared an article with me that was recently published in The Guardian. Like my family, he supplements his heat with wood during the colder months at our latitude. My sense is that he was more concerned and inquisitive than alarmed. His friends on the email chain appeared more alarmed. The background is as follows:

A recent study conducted in Athens, Greece has resulted in research that supports the notion that wood burning stoves in urban areas are responsible for almost half of people’s exposure to cancer-causing chemicals found in air pollution particles.  I am reminded that only two generations ago my forebears heated their homes with coal.  Yup, bituminous coal for daytime heat and anthracite for banking the fire overnight.  The last house I owned still had the coal chute built into the basement wall for easy delivery.  And the rafters above the footprint of the coal bunker were still covered in coal dust.  The air quality back then was horrific.  Burning all that coal left a pall - a miasma - across the sky when conditions were sub-optimal. PAHs ruled.

The introduction of gas forced-air heat technology made the previous technology obsolete by the time the 1960s rolled-around.  Like coal, natural gas was a non-renewable fossil fuel; but cleaner-burning than its predecessor. But I digress.

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in tiny pollution particles are produced by burning fuels and have long been known to have carcinogenic effects. This new study examined the sources of the PAHs and suggests that wood burning produced them in larger quantities than the diesel fuel or gasoline used for vehicles.

This is important on several levels. Researchers suggest that smoke from wood burning is much more toxic than other types of particles suggesting that wood burning is a significant driver of long-term carcinogenic risk. Nevertheless, the concentration of the PAHs in the Athens study was below EU limits but double the World Health Organization’s reference level. Based on WHO data, the PAHs in Athens would be expected to cause 5 extra cancer cases for every 100,000 people.  Can the EU and WHO have it both ways?

The questions that come to mind include the following:

• One study, in one city.

• Urban communities are crowded. More dwellings means more wood stoves concentrated in a smaller area. What about rural dwellings?

• The study suggests that the complex topography of the basin favors the appearance of mesoscale flows throughout the year and the frequent stagnation of air masses. There are seasonal non-local contributions from the Black Sea area, Balkans and Eastern Europe. There are similar effects found in Los Angeles and Denver.  Heck, in Ireland peat continues to be burned as biomass for generating electricity.

• Of critical importance to this blogger are the type of stoves used. Are they ordinary fireplaces or something more efficient? Are they regulated and thus engineered as to reduce emissions output? We have a wood stove that is EPA certified. It operates at an exceedingly high temperature, uses only outside air for the combustion of wood and wood gases. At operational temperature there is more heat produced, more complete combustion and less smoke. Most stack emissions are water vapor. There is also less ash produced.

• We burn only dry, aged hardwood. The study suggests that Athenians burn fresh softwood (pine) and hardwood (olive, oak, beech) This practice has been consistent for residential heating over recent years.

My conclusion is that this study is incomplete and raises more questions than it answers. I would like more background and further study of rural v. urban air quality, results with various wood fuels and stove technology and regulation. If I had to hazard a guess, US and Canadian air quality standards are stronger with added emphasis paid on cleaner-burning technologies in North America. That our diesel regulations are stricter than those of Europe comes to mind. 

Wood is also a sustainable fuel resource.  Non-renewable fossil fuels used for direct burning or power generation is unsustainable.

With modern stove technology my take-away is that choosing to heat with wood continues to be good. 

Link to the study is here.

 

Weight Loss Program

If you see this skinny guy around the neighborhood that would be me.

When I retired from the day job two and a half years ago I tipped the scales at a robust 210+ pounds. When I saw my doc for my annual physical in October I weighed-in at 188 pounds – the lightest I’ve been in likely 20 years. And the doc told me that if reduce a wee bit more or hold my place, by the time I visit him next fall he’d consider taking me off my BP and cholesterol meds.

Thinking long term a couple of weeks ago I went to my favorite menswear store (Fleet Farm) and invested in two new pair of Lee trousers in a 36 waist.

I want to raise a toast to near daily walks with the dog and no access to an office kitchen and all of the inherent temptations that lurk within.

Woot! Woot!

 

Ringing-In The New Year

I know that about half of my friends are grumpy as we come to the end of the Current Guy's first year in office.  Speaking for myself I don't miss those days of a White House careening from crisis to crisis like a drunken carnival ride operator.  But the purpose of this post is not to dwell on that but share some history.  My attempt to build the case that things are not as dire as you think.  Indulge me the opportunity to lend historical perspective. 

Our current lot in life is not nearly as dreadful considering our forebears who had to live thru the year 536 — the year that may possibly be the absolute worst in human history.  

How bad was it?   

Sometime early in 536 a haze settled across Europe, the Middle East and Asia blotting-out the sun. 

The pall darkened the skies for a year and a half.        
  
The temperature dropped 35-36 degrees Fahrenheit, famine followed widespread crop failures and to top it off there was an outbreak of bubonic plague that decimated the population.  This was a terrible, horrible, no-good very bad year.    

Tree ring analysis provides evidence of a massive cooling event in either late 535 or early 536 – followed by another drop recorded in 542 - a double-whammy of cold temperatures.   

A study of ice core samples from a European glacier uncovered microscopic shards of volcanic glass which were traced to volcanic rocks in Iceland.  Researchers believe that this is evidence of a massive volcanic eruption that loosed a gigantic plume of ash into the atmosphere in 536.  The ash shrouded the Northern Hemisphere for more than a year.  A follow-up eruption in 539 or 540 - linked to North America - explains the double-whammy temperature drop recorded in the tree rings.      

Long story short, the volcanic events, plague outbreak and biggest drop in temperature in more than two thousand years resulted in three decades of global economic stagnation.  

Curiously, additional study of the ice samples revealed a spike in airborne lead particles in the year 575.  Lead ore was used the smelting of silver and its presence in the ice is evidence that the precious metal was once again in demand for making new coins as the European economy started to recover.     

You might think that you have a lot to complain-about at the start of the new year.  Sure, you may be unhappy with the Current Guy and his policies.  And there are COVID variants to grapple-with.  Yet we live in a golden age of modern medicine.  We have vaccines and new anti-viral therapeutics being introduced to market almost daily.  And we have evolved from incandescent, to compact fluorescent to LED lighting.  There is central heat and clean water.  Indoor plumbing too.  At least you're not fighting off the Black Death while shivering in the gloom and darkness of a cloud of volcanic ash. This was at the front end of the Dark Ages for a reason. 

There are a couple of lessons to be learned by this.  Be thankful you weren't around in 536 and beware of global cooling events.  They do happen.  And they can happen again.     

Learn more about this time in history here.