13 Nov -2.4 17:31:08 W 40
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
Friday, November 13, 2009
Turning wood into savings
Autumn brings on loads of opportunities for folks to get in some quality fresh-air time and exercise.
Most of us are familiar with the walks, hikes, runs, hunting/ fishing seasons and related adventures that present themselves this time of year.
But there's one often-overlooked autumn activity you may want to add to your outdoors agenda.
Head to the wooded hills and countryside to harvest firewood for use in your home. You'll be surprised at the benefits you can reap.
It's a given that you'll get ample healthy outdoors exercise — walking to locate the timber; sawing, chopping or gathering the wood; loading it into your vehicle; and then hauling the stash home for stacking.
The biggest perk in this win-win endeavor, though, is that the energy you expend outdoors translates directly into energy you can save indoors.
Using firewood in a wood stove or fireplace insert to heat your home can dramatically reduce heating costs, say Jim Long of Paris Springs and Barry Bradley of Miller, both of whom heat their homes exclusively with wood.
"When we moved into our house 18 years ago, it was rigged up for heating with propane," Long recalls. "After my second propane fill-up (each bill close to $400), I replaced the old heater with a wood stove and we have been heating with wood ever since."
"If I don't heat with wood, I'm not warm during the winter," says Bradley, who uses two wood stoves (one on the west side, the other on the south side) to heat the family's more than 1,500-square-foot abode.
Using the top of a home-heating wood stove or fireplace insert (instead of an electric, natural gas or propane-fueled kitchen range stovetop) for cooking simply increases and can even double the energy-cost savings.
In the midst of the current economic downturn, savings on home energy bills can be well worth the wood-harvesting excursion.
source....
Most of us are familiar with the walks, hikes, runs, hunting/ fishing seasons and related adventures that present themselves this time of year.
But there's one often-overlooked autumn activity you may want to add to your outdoors agenda.
Head to the wooded hills and countryside to harvest firewood for use in your home. You'll be surprised at the benefits you can reap.
It's a given that you'll get ample healthy outdoors exercise — walking to locate the timber; sawing, chopping or gathering the wood; loading it into your vehicle; and then hauling the stash home for stacking.
The biggest perk in this win-win endeavor, though, is that the energy you expend outdoors translates directly into energy you can save indoors.
Using firewood in a wood stove or fireplace insert to heat your home can dramatically reduce heating costs, say Jim Long of Paris Springs and Barry Bradley of Miller, both of whom heat their homes exclusively with wood.
"When we moved into our house 18 years ago, it was rigged up for heating with propane," Long recalls. "After my second propane fill-up (each bill close to $400), I replaced the old heater with a wood stove and we have been heating with wood ever since."
"If I don't heat with wood, I'm not warm during the winter," says Bradley, who uses two wood stoves (one on the west side, the other on the south side) to heat the family's more than 1,500-square-foot abode.
Using the top of a home-heating wood stove or fireplace insert (instead of an electric, natural gas or propane-fueled kitchen range stovetop) for cooking simply increases and can even double the energy-cost savings.
In the midst of the current economic downturn, savings on home energy bills can be well worth the wood-harvesting excursion.
source....
Thursday, November 12, 2009
ISS Tonight
12 Nov -3.4 17:08:01 SW 79
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
Wood stoves great for winter heating
Colder temperatures mean turning up the heat, which also can mean a bigger utility bill. But there are several things you can do to make sure your house is warm and cozy this winter season, without adding to your bill.
An alternative heating source to the traditional coal or oil furnaces found in many homes is a wood stove, which can be a decorative feature in your house or cabin, or installed functionally in your utility room just like a traditional furnace.
Wood stoves not only reduce your electric bill, they also burn renewable resources cleanly, so you can keep your home at a comfortable temperature and feel good about your shrinking carbon footprint.
Popular, flexible and economical, wood stoves really only need to have a chimney properly installed to provide the best heating source for your home. They work best located on the main floor near the center of the house because then the heat can reach all corners of the building.
Wood stoves are quieter than traditional furnaces since they aren't blowing heated air through air ducts in the walls and ceiling.
In addition to savings on your electric bill, a wood burning stove from Northern Tool + Equipment can also qualify you for a 30-percent-off energy efficiency federal tax credit if purchased before December of 2010.
But if you are having difficulty choosing between the quality brands, great prices and a huge variety of heating capabilities for any size house, Northern Tool + Equipment allows you to compare five brands of stoves side by side so you can find the best option.
If you are interested in another multi-fuel stove option, like a corn or pellet stove, Northern Tool + Equipment also has plenty of information on all varieties.
source....
An alternative heating source to the traditional coal or oil furnaces found in many homes is a wood stove, which can be a decorative feature in your house or cabin, or installed functionally in your utility room just like a traditional furnace.
Wood stoves not only reduce your electric bill, they also burn renewable resources cleanly, so you can keep your home at a comfortable temperature and feel good about your shrinking carbon footprint.
Popular, flexible and economical, wood stoves really only need to have a chimney properly installed to provide the best heating source for your home. They work best located on the main floor near the center of the house because then the heat can reach all corners of the building.
Wood stoves are quieter than traditional furnaces since they aren't blowing heated air through air ducts in the walls and ceiling.
In addition to savings on your electric bill, a wood burning stove from Northern Tool + Equipment can also qualify you for a 30-percent-off energy efficiency federal tax credit if purchased before December of 2010.
But if you are having difficulty choosing between the quality brands, great prices and a huge variety of heating capabilities for any size house, Northern Tool + Equipment allows you to compare five brands of stoves side by side so you can find the best option.
If you are interested in another multi-fuel stove option, like a corn or pellet stove, Northern Tool + Equipment also has plenty of information on all varieties.
source....
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
ISS Tonight
11 Nov -2.4 18:20:38 W 39
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
Cousin: Japanese captured Amelia Earhart
Wally Earhart of Carson City, the fourth cousin of Amelia Earhart, says the U.S. government continues to perpetrate a “massive coverup” about her mysterious disappearance in the Pacific 72 years ago.
Because of the current surge in interest about the pilot's fate spurred by the recent release of the film “Amelia,” starring Richard Gere and Hilary Swank, it is time the American public “know the truth about Amelia's last days,” said Earhart.
Amelia and her navigator, Fred Noonan, did not die as claimed by the government and the Navy when their twin-engine Electra plunged into the Pacific on July 2, 1937, Wally Earhart said in an interview.
“They died while in Japanese captivity on the island of Saipan in the Northern Marianas,” claims Earhart, a 38-year Carson City resident.
“The Navy and the federal government would have you believe that Amelia and Noonan died on impact when their plane ran out of gas while attempting to reach Howland Island during their flight around the world,” Earhart said.
“Their airplane did crash into the Pacific, but instead of dying, the pair was rescued by a nearby Japanese fishing trawler. The Electra airplane was still floating and the Japanese hauled it aboard their ship in a large net.
“The Japanese then transported Amelia Earhart, Noonan and the airplane to Saipan. Noonan was beheaded by the Japanese and Amelia soon died from dysentery and other ailments,” Wally Earhart continued. He added that the Japanese troops on the island cut the airplane into scrap and tossed the remnants into the Pacific.
“There are many people, including Japanese military and Saipan natives, who witnessed all these events on the island,” said Earhart, who disputes claims by several historical researchers that Amelia Earhart and Noonan were instantly killed when their plane hit the water or they died of starvation and disease on either Howland Island, Gardner Island or in the Marshall Islands.
Why do the government and Navy continue to “cover up” the true facts of the case?
There are two major theories, according to Wally Earhart.
One is that the Navy was “inept” in not finding and rescuing the aviators after their aircraft crashed. The other is that President Franklin D. Roosevelt “wanted the whole matter kept under wraps,” Earhart said.
“Roosevelt had asked Earhart, a close family friend, to scout Japanese military installations in the Pacific during her flights in the region. This was kept a deep secret back in 1937 and it is being kept a secret today because Japan and the United States are good friends and military allies and the government doesn't want to drudge up old antagonisms,” Wally Earhart believes.
Earhart also noted that Amelia Earhart had close relations with Nevada.
“She loved Northern Nevada and often visited friends in Carson City and at Lake Tahoe. And she also made several flights across the state, stopping at a half-dozen cities,” Earhart added.
On one flight, while flying a small plane between Las Vegas and Salt Lake City in 1928, she was declared missing after making a forced landing in bad weather in a deserted area near the Nevada-Utah state line. Rescuers were called out when it was feared she had crashed into a mountain peak in isolated Lincoln County in eastern Nevada.
Searchers ultimately found Amelia sitting beside her downed plane. She was uninjured but the craft suffered a bent propeller and other minor damages.
In 1931, Earhart crossed Nevada in an autogiro, the forerunner of the helicopter, making landings at Wendover, Elko, Battle Mountain, Lovelock and Reno.
And in 1929, George Putnam, her future husband and millionaire heir to a publishing fortune, divorced his first wife, Dorothy, in Reno. Amelia Earhart and Putnam were married two years later.
The mystery surrounding the fate of Amelia Earhart may never be solved. It remains the most famous missing person case in United States history.
source....
Because of the current surge in interest about the pilot's fate spurred by the recent release of the film “Amelia,” starring Richard Gere and Hilary Swank, it is time the American public “know the truth about Amelia's last days,” said Earhart.
Amelia and her navigator, Fred Noonan, did not die as claimed by the government and the Navy when their twin-engine Electra plunged into the Pacific on July 2, 1937, Wally Earhart said in an interview.
“They died while in Japanese captivity on the island of Saipan in the Northern Marianas,” claims Earhart, a 38-year Carson City resident.
“The Navy and the federal government would have you believe that Amelia and Noonan died on impact when their plane ran out of gas while attempting to reach Howland Island during their flight around the world,” Earhart said.
“Their airplane did crash into the Pacific, but instead of dying, the pair was rescued by a nearby Japanese fishing trawler. The Electra airplane was still floating and the Japanese hauled it aboard their ship in a large net.
“The Japanese then transported Amelia Earhart, Noonan and the airplane to Saipan. Noonan was beheaded by the Japanese and Amelia soon died from dysentery and other ailments,” Wally Earhart continued. He added that the Japanese troops on the island cut the airplane into scrap and tossed the remnants into the Pacific.
“There are many people, including Japanese military and Saipan natives, who witnessed all these events on the island,” said Earhart, who disputes claims by several historical researchers that Amelia Earhart and Noonan were instantly killed when their plane hit the water or they died of starvation and disease on either Howland Island, Gardner Island or in the Marshall Islands.
Why do the government and Navy continue to “cover up” the true facts of the case?
There are two major theories, according to Wally Earhart.
One is that the Navy was “inept” in not finding and rescuing the aviators after their aircraft crashed. The other is that President Franklin D. Roosevelt “wanted the whole matter kept under wraps,” Earhart said.
“Roosevelt had asked Earhart, a close family friend, to scout Japanese military installations in the Pacific during her flights in the region. This was kept a deep secret back in 1937 and it is being kept a secret today because Japan and the United States are good friends and military allies and the government doesn't want to drudge up old antagonisms,” Wally Earhart believes.
Earhart also noted that Amelia Earhart had close relations with Nevada.
“She loved Northern Nevada and often visited friends in Carson City and at Lake Tahoe. And she also made several flights across the state, stopping at a half-dozen cities,” Earhart added.
On one flight, while flying a small plane between Las Vegas and Salt Lake City in 1928, she was declared missing after making a forced landing in bad weather in a deserted area near the Nevada-Utah state line. Rescuers were called out when it was feared she had crashed into a mountain peak in isolated Lincoln County in eastern Nevada.
Searchers ultimately found Amelia sitting beside her downed plane. She was uninjured but the craft suffered a bent propeller and other minor damages.
In 1931, Earhart crossed Nevada in an autogiro, the forerunner of the helicopter, making landings at Wendover, Elko, Battle Mountain, Lovelock and Reno.
And in 1929, George Putnam, her future husband and millionaire heir to a publishing fortune, divorced his first wife, Dorothy, in Reno. Amelia Earhart and Putnam were married two years later.
The mystery surrounding the fate of Amelia Earhart may never be solved. It remains the most famous missing person case in United States history.
source....
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
On This Day In 1975:
Fitzgerald left Superior, Wisconsin on the afternoon of November 9, 1975 under Captain Ernest M. McSorley. She was en route to the steel mill on Zug Island, near Detroit, Michigan, with a full cargo of taconite. A second freighter, Arthur M. Anderson, destined for Gary, Indiana out of Two Harbors, Minnesota, joined up with Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, being the faster ship, took the lead while Anderson trailed not far behind.
Crossing Lake Superior at about 13 knots (15 mph, 24 km/h), the boats encountered a massive winter storm, reporting winds in excess of 50 knots (90 km/h) and waves as high as 35 feet (10 m). Because of the storm, the Soo Locks were closed. The freighters altered their courses northward, seeking shelter along the Canadian coast. Later, they would cross to Whitefish Bay and approach the Sault Ste. Marie locks.
On the afternoon of November 10, Fitzgerald reported a minor list developing and top-side damage including the loss of radar, but did not indicate a serious problem. She slowed to come within range of receiving Anderson's radar data and for a time Anderson guided the Fitzgerald toward the relative safety of Whitefish Bay. The last communication from the boat came at approximately 19:10 (7:10 PM), when Anderson notified Fitzgerald of being hit by rogue waves or perhaps seiche waves large enough to be caught on radar, that were heading Fitzgerald's way and asked how she was doing. McSorley reported, "We are holding our own." A few minutes later, she suddenly sank – no distress signal was received. A short ten minutes later Anderson could neither raise Fitzgerald nor detect her on radar. At 20:32, Anderson informed the U.S. Coast Guard of their concern for the boat.
Once Anderson noted the loss of Fitzgerald, a search was launched for survivors. The initial search consisted of Anderson, and a second freighter, SS William Clay Ford. The efforts of a third freighter, the Canadian vessel Hilda Marjanne, were foiled by the weather. The U.S. Coast Guard launched three aircraft, but could not mobilize any ships. A Coast Guard buoy tender, Woodrush, was able to launch within two and a half hours, but took a day to arrive. The search recovered debris, including lifeboats and rafts, but no survivors.
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
Crossing Lake Superior at about 13 knots (15 mph, 24 km/h), the boats encountered a massive winter storm, reporting winds in excess of 50 knots (90 km/h) and waves as high as 35 feet (10 m). Because of the storm, the Soo Locks were closed. The freighters altered their courses northward, seeking shelter along the Canadian coast. Later, they would cross to Whitefish Bay and approach the Sault Ste. Marie locks.
On the afternoon of November 10, Fitzgerald reported a minor list developing and top-side damage including the loss of radar, but did not indicate a serious problem. She slowed to come within range of receiving Anderson's radar data and for a time Anderson guided the Fitzgerald toward the relative safety of Whitefish Bay. The last communication from the boat came at approximately 19:10 (7:10 PM), when Anderson notified Fitzgerald of being hit by rogue waves or perhaps seiche waves large enough to be caught on radar, that were heading Fitzgerald's way and asked how she was doing. McSorley reported, "We are holding our own." A few minutes later, she suddenly sank – no distress signal was received. A short ten minutes later Anderson could neither raise Fitzgerald nor detect her on radar. At 20:32, Anderson informed the U.S. Coast Guard of their concern for the boat.
Once Anderson noted the loss of Fitzgerald, a search was launched for survivors. The initial search consisted of Anderson, and a second freighter, SS William Clay Ford. The efforts of a third freighter, the Canadian vessel Hilda Marjanne, were foiled by the weather. The U.S. Coast Guard launched three aircraft, but could not mobilize any ships. A Coast Guard buoy tender, Woodrush, was able to launch within two and a half hours, but took a day to arrive. The search recovered debris, including lifeboats and rafts, but no survivors.
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
ISS Tonight
10 Nov -3.5 17:58:04 SW 82
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
Monday, November 9, 2009
Space Hotel to Open in 2012
'Galactic Suite,' a space hotel, is on schedule to launch in 2012. Passengers will fly up to the hotel on a Russian rocket, with a 3-night stay costing $4.5 million. While orbiting the Earth, they'll get to watch the sun rise and set 16 times a day.
source....
source....
the "eye" of Taurus
Aldebaran, the "eye" of Taurus, the bull, is in good view in the east by 8 or 9 p.m. The star is nearing the end of its life, so it is undergoing a series of dramatic changes. Those changes have caused Aldebran to puff up like an orange balloon.
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill
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