Dakota Today

**Newt Gingrich book price drops to $1.00

Slow news day here for sure.  Drizzle and chill, clouds and a few minutes of actual sunshine.  Temperature now is around 45.  Stopped at local Pamida discount store.  Their pile of books is shrinking, but some just don't move.  Newt Gingrich's "Winning the Future" hit $1.00 in the market economy today.  Got the book and made sure to keep the price sticker for it too.  So far the most interesting part is the photo of his most recent trophy wife Callista.

Far less serious is news from the refrigerator front..literally almost.  I got some of those magnetic letters for kids and could not resist decorating.  Wife has tolerated it for a few days, but suspect I am pushing my luck.

 

I looked a bit more carefully at the combines mentioned in a previous post.  With little knowledge of North Dakota towns and geography, it appeared as if the custom combiner was from both Michigan and North Dakota.  But, it appears that at some point somebody was terribly lonely for Michigan and decided to hang that name on a small town in North Dakota.  It is about 400 miles NE of  Winner, SD.  Bob Anderson, the combiner, said it was terribly cold there last year.  I guess those of us who gripe about weather in South Central SD are pansies compared to those from the frigid northlands of Dakota.

** Stay tuned even if you have a very low tolerance for trivia...or some of the less charitable might say, Stay tuned especially if you have a preference for the trivial drivel all the time-- Doug Wiken

**McGovern and Abourezk preach to the Choir in Winner, SD and we applaud

The political odd couple made it to Winner, SD and were lucky enough to get here for the first bit of sunshine and decent weather in several days.  Abourezk, the former bartender, and McGovern, the son of a preacher man, are traveling around SD doing good things for the Heidepriem for Governor campaign.  Abourezk noted that he did have to watch his language at bit.  I think McGovern has become a little liberated from the bounds of usual bland political responses.  I guess when you get to 87 and are still out trying to do some good in the US and World that you get a bit of a license to speak more freely.  I won't repeat the better comments here, but they were refreshing to hear.

I got a few photos, but I really must get a better digital camera with a real optical telephoto lens.  Below is George McGovern and local yellow dog Democrat Pete Duffy.

Got to give both these guys credit for getting out to a meeting like this.  McGovern has been on a very long political trail mostly as a prairie statesman for around 50 years and Pete apparently had some serious recent surgery.  Puts a couple of faces on the current medical coverage discussion.

The real point of the evening was to push the Scott Heidepiem for Governor of South Dakota, but like all Democratic meetings, there was a bit of rambling.  Both Abourezk and McGovern hammered on the idea that near one-party control of State Government is not good for South Dakota.  South Dakota's reputation for good government is disappearing as no bid contracts and tie ins between University Presidents and corporations with an agenda are excepted as nothing out of the ordinary by Republican leaders.  They have become so accustomed to control that they seem oblivious to conflicts of interest.

McGovern noted that when he got started in SD politics around 1953, there were about 2 Democrats out of over a hundred legislators.  It was a 2-party government situation, but not the right kind.

It is not that bad now, but not good enough to be good for either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party.

Below is one of my fuzzier less than focused photos of Jim Abourezk and Marian Jorgensen.

Abourezk hit the no-bid contracts in South Dakota.  Something like 1800 of them.  Maybe that explains tax increases without evidence of increased good government or governance.  He mentioned Lawrence and Schiller getting a $12,000,000 no bid contract.  He tossed in some interesting ethics-related facts on Joel Dykstra and Pres. Chicoine of SUSD and his sweetheart connections with Monsanto.

Abourezk has been a lawyer for those opposing the Hyperion oil refinery and related some interesting facts related to that.

McGovern hopes people will again realize that the Democratic Party is the Party that is on the side of everyday people just as he realized it years ago even if his own parents never grew out of their Republicanism.

McGovern listed programs that Democrats have pushed and Republicans in Congress have opposed.  Had Republicans gotten their way, there would be no rural electricity, no rural telephones, and no social security or medicare.  South Dakota would be a literally dark, sick, poverty-stricken area even worse than it is now had not Democrats succeeded.  I have to mention however that Abourezk still thinks the US Senate is a "chickenshit outfit" and is perhaps even worse now because so many Democrats seem to have lost courage and perspective and a willingness to educate voters as they hold their wet fingers to the political wind.

  I asked McGovern a question in the general nature of, "With the incredible complexity of society and government, what percentage of current congress does he think are actually sharp enough to honestly grasp issues or do they mostly just parrot on the basis of ideology?

McGovern did not directly answer that, but his response was dead-on any way and interesting.  McGovern noted that in his first campaign for Congress, he spent $12,000.  Now campaigns burn up millions of dollars.  Here in SD, Abourezk noted that Daschle-Thune both put in around $20 million.  Thune won, Daschle lost.

The demands for campaign funds occupy significant time for current congress..perhaps 2 or more days out of each week reserved for fund raising.  This greatly reduces time for study and work, but also in McGovern's perspective makes congressmen less than free agents.  He didn't skip from "kept men" to political prostitutes, but from my perspective we are there already.  The current situation of campaigns and money cries out for public funding of campaigns.

McGovern was also on the George and James excellent adventure to push his book on Abraham Lincoln.  His royalties are going into a fund for study of alcohol and abuse...a project given his attention because of the tragic life and death of one of his daughters.  I waited a bit too long in line to get the last autographed copy.  McGovern signed a few dozen books.

McGovern gave a good short talk on Lincoln's accomplishments despite his own depression and the civil war.  Guess we should get the book.  Will have to follow up on that...perhaps if we get an interview with Senator McGovern for Dakota Today sometime in the near future.  Abourezk got him to talk a bit about his WWII experience.   I think I will discuss that in a post tomorrow.

It was a pretty good night for Democrats in Winner, SD October 3, 2009, ..well at least for some of us with too much gray hair. Abourezk teased one of his old Winner Republican friends with a telephone call saying there were about 150 of us, but it is a sad fact that the export of educated young people from South Dakota is having an impact on every kind of social and political organization in rural areas.  The group was more like 40 than 150.   Years ago, I noted that Janklow's policy could seem to be summed up in "Import garbage and export graduates."  Unfortunately, that has not changed.

It really is time for a resurgence of Democrats in South Dakota.  Maybe Jim Abourezk and George McGovern, old war horses that they are, can help get Scott Heidepreim into a position where South Dakota can move forward again for all of us instead of just the privileged and connected few.

*** Stay tuned for the old political ramblings and rumblings of someone who worked first on the McGovern campaign in Rapid City, SD in 1961 or 1962---- Doug Wiken

Tripp County Veteran's Memorial and Labor Day

I guess there was a celebration including some politicians.   I missed it.  I also missed most of the other special events "celebrating" the 100th anniversary of Tripp County, SD with Winner, SD as county seat.  We did hear some fireworks last night and actually saw a flash or two of those that went high enough.

Missed the annual Labor Day Parade too, but had to drive a couple extra miles to do that since it blocks the state highway for around an hour.  I am not sure why the State of South Dakota allows that.  So much for wet blanket coverage of the bank and implement dealers big celebration.  Take a look at the photo below.  A whole lot of names of veterans from Tripp County.  I may count them when the crowds are gone.

 

Click on the image for a larger version.  The carnival on Main Street folded up and the trucks and rides were rolling out of Winner around 1AM after the Monday celebration of Labor Day.

** Stay tuned even if you drive many miles to prove everybody loves a parade-- Doug Wiken

**Found an old rusty tool

We did a little fencing today.  No, not with epees or sabers, but with pliers and wire and a fence stretcher.  Anyway, while walking where a few hundred cows have walked for a hundred years or so, We found an old rusty tool.  Click on photo below for an enlarged view:

It appears to be a combined pry bar and hammer.  It also appears to have been made by a blacksmith or shop using processes similar to blacksmithing.  There are two small holes toward end I am holding.  I would guess there was a wood handle of some kind like a knife handle.

Anyway, we don't know how old this tool really is.  It might be 40 years old, or it might be nearly 120 years old if it was used before somebody lost it on this farm.  If you have any ideas let us know.  It was not quite what I expected to find when I kicked it.

While speaking of old stuff, my wife and I have now spent 40 years married to each other.  A local store clerk expressed her condolences for my wife, but she did it with an evil grin.

*** Stay tuned even if you are an old tool yourself--- Doug Wiken

** More on "Stranded Wind" electricity, NH3, Methanol, etc

Here in SD, we keep hearing from politicos and others who should know better that wind salvation for SD requires building huge power lines that will generate next to nothing in income for South Dakotans and turn SD into another kind of colony for the coasts or other countries. I have tried to get some interest in other approaches including "The Methanol Economy" idea by Dr. George Ulah, a Nobel scholar.

Take a look at the Stranded Wind site below for a better and more complete exposition of the need for serious consideration of wind options which do not involve huge power line projects to move electricity out of South Dakota.

Stranded Wind Site on South Dakota Wind Energy

Conventional "wisdom" gets hold of politicians, politics, and press in South Dakota and other often better ideas and methods never get any serious consideration.

South Dakota not only needs some thinking "outside the box", but also outside the economic graveyard.

*** Stay tuned for some middling miscellany (How's that for reducing expectations?) --- Doug Wiken

** Research on GM Crops stifled according to Sci American

The recent news that the President of South Dakota State University is also on the payroll of Monsanto has generated some interesting questions and comments along with requests from legislators for more information.

Somewhat related to the broad issue were comments related to plant variety protection by Cory H. at Madville Times blog:

SDSU Foundation and Plant Variety Protection Issues

It is not really too often that Scientific American touches on science or issues related to agriculture, but a recent issue hits a very relevant issue concerning the relation between genetically-modified crop seeds "owned" by the big ag seed companies and their very restrictive purchase agreements versus independent research. Now, there is not access to current edition at Sci Am website. Perhaps in a month something of the "A seedy Practice" opinion page 28 of the August 2009 will show up here Scientific American Magazine

The gist of the story as it relates to independent research free of corporate strings, blinders, and gags is in the following:

"..But agritech companies such as Monsanto, Pioneer and Syngenta go further [than software licenses]. For a decade their user agreements have explicitly forbidden the use of the seeds for any independent research. Under the threats of litigation, scientists cannot test a seed to explore the different conditions under which it strives or fails. They cannot compare seeds from one company against those of another company. And perhaps most important, they cannot examine whether the genetically-modified crops lead to unintended environmental side effects. Research on genetically modified seeds is still published, of course. But only studies that the seed companies have approved ever see the light of a peer-reviewed journal......"

That seems chilling enough, but the article goes on to say that 24 crop scientists have filed anonymous protests to the EPA because they fear retaliation from the seed companies.

This would seem to be another issue legislators and regents and those interested in preserving the integrity of scientific research at South Dakota institutions should be investigating.

** Stay tuned even if all your corn is higher than an elephant's eye--- Doug Wiken

**Winner, SD School District Election results April 14, 2009

The Winner, SD School District in Tripp County South Dakota had another opt-out election combined with election of two school board members. I have some of the approximate unofficial results. I doubt there will be much change unless I copied something down incorrectly or did not hear correctly. With that or those caveats, the unofficial results are below:

 In the opt-out election which would have tacked on another $500,000 in school taxes for three years for a total of $1.5 million of extra real estate taxes, there were 1046 NO votes (aprox 69.4%) and 461 YES votes (approx 30.6%) Total approx 1507.

 This is the second rejection of an opt out this year in Winner district. The first rejection was for an opt-out or opt-up of $1 million  $900,000per year for three years. The rejection may be tempered somewhat by the approximately $138,000 $238,000 of Title 1 stimulus money that according to the ARGUS LEADER will get to the Winner district. It is chicken feed compared to the $4,000,000 or so which will go out to Shannon County, but helpful in any case  depending on restrictions on use.

 In the school board member races, incumbent Clint Vanneman was defeated. The approximate unofficial results are below:

Mike Calhoun........ 790 votes
 Steve Kubik............587 votes
------------------------
Dawn Covey...........542 votes
 Brad Norid.............442 votes
 Clint Vanneman ....327
votes total counted.2688 votes

There appeared to be a significant pile of spoiled ballots as well.

 Two slots were open, so it appears likely that Mike Calhoun and Steve Kubik will be two of the new school board members. Congratulations to them in walking into the middle of a hornet nest.

That is about all I can write tonight. Perhaps more tomorrow on related education issues.

[[ Edit April 17, 2009:  I noticed in the Mitchell Daily Republic yesterday that Supt. Hanson has indicated it is unlikely that the Winner School Board will push for a third election on the opt-out --Doug Wiken ]]]

*** Stay tuned even if this particular local election is as interesting to you as last weeks spilled coffee--- Doug Wiken

*** Happy Banksgiving..er Thanksgiving

Seriously, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who have either sufficiently poor taste or enough tolerance to now and then take a look at Dakota Today.

 The local school district helped cover the front page of the local paper "Thanksgiving" edition today. The school powers that be want to opt out of the tax freeze for something in the neighborhood of $900,000 and frankly I don't know if that is total or amount for one year or for how many years. Might screw out another buck or so an acre from rural land.

 Not sure why there is a need for that. It is claimed to result because of a drop in the total number of students and thus of state aid. High fixed costs must be a part of the problem. I remember that one of the arguments proponents of building  projects used for Winner Schools was the projected growth in student numbers. Apparently like most of the arguments used, it was also total BS.

 Only one of the local banks is part of a national chain, and it is unlikely that the roof is high enough for any spectacular suicide jumps in light of the current bank bailout fiascos. I read a bit of data a couple days ago indicating that the Bush Administration is dumping enough money into Citibank or Citigroup to have bought all the common stock at the roughly $5.00 a share price a few days ago. There is something rotten and it just isn't in Denmark anymore.

 A local wag..not me..was wondering if Janklow managed to get rid of all his Citibank stock or if he let them decline in value in his cold hands. He was also cogitating about Banksgiving instead of thanksgiving, so most of this post is actually his fault. I have learned a lot from George Bush after all.

 But, eat enough turkey or ham, but not too much. Remember there are bankers in need of $25 Billion ...and that is a lot of turkeys.

 

***Stay tuned even if all you hear or read is the equivalent of gobble, gobble, gobble-- Doug Wiken

**South Dakota full of "stranded wind".. alternatives to huge electric grid

Last night or a few nights ago on SDPB -TV I saw part of a SD Focus program with the Democratic and Republican candidates for the SD Public Utilities Commission. Rich Muller got the questions around to energy and the PUC.

 I guess we should not be surprised that both Democratic and Republican candidates were fixated on the power grid required to exploit our "stranded wind". Natural for politicians to see an opportunity for them to do something or control something. Unfortunately, the focus on wind energy as always needing a power grid to export it elsewhere in probably not the correct or at least not the only appropriate focus.

 There are ways to use our "stranded wind" that do not involve connecting wind generators to a huge spider web of power lines spread all over the windy areas of South Dakota. Dr. George Olah in his book Methanol Economy notes that hydrogen is not a good "portable fuel". He recommends using resources such as wind energy to produce hydrogen which can then be combined with atmospheric carbon dioxide to make methanol which can be a good portable fuel much like gasoline. The infrastructure for distributing methanol almost already exists in the form of the fossil fuels distribution system. That can't be said for hydrogen.

As I mentioned in a previous post, there is potential also for using ammonia as a portable fuel even though it is more corrosive than gasoline or methanol. Ammonia has more hydrogen density than does liquid hydrogen according to the technology editor of Motor Trend magazine.

Whatever, these and probably other technologies can be done here in South Dakota using the intermittent and stranded wind right here instead of us becoming a wind colony for the east and west coasts. It would seem correct for our university research centers to be looking into ways to use wind energy that don't just fit into the PUC power grid formula.

 

***Stay tuned and call the new number 1-800-524-3604 if SDPB doesn't block your calls-- Doug Wiken

**Keep those tractors moving with nh3 and make it with "stranded wind"

I was leafing through a Motor Trend magazine for November 2008 looking at all those cars that cost more than we can ever afford and which are slowly creaping up on the gas mileage average of vehicles about 25 years old when I found something interesting. On page 41 is a column titled "Stinky Clean". It is actually about using NH3, also known as ammonia, as a fuel for engines...possibly not for sports cars, but likely first in Agriculture irrigation engines and farm tractors, etc. Apparently ammonia packs in about 30% more hydrogen energy density than liquid hydrogen.

 Ammonia can be stored and transported like propane. Yup, it is used as ag fertilizer (and perhaps also by conscienceless thugs making meth). Ammonia and liquid oxygen can power rockets. Ammonia is not a panacea however. It is corrosive and has low lubricity so it can raise hell with "fuel" injectors. That said, apparently ammonia as a fuel is cost competitive with fossil fuels already and if it could be made using "Stranded Wind" generated electricity would be cheaper. The term "stranded wind" was not one I had seen before, but it applies to the wind we have blowing on the great plains far away from the maddening humming of main powerlines.

 I have pushed for study of Dr. George Olah's ideas on a "methanol economy" using our "stranded wind". It would appear that our university research in South Dakota ought to be thinking in terms of an "Ammonia Economy".

 Time to do some more digging into these ideas. Whatever, we probably don't need to spend millions or billions on powerlines to export wind power electricity out of SD so we can be a colony of California or New York.

 

***Stay tuned even if we may not smell ammonia instead of diesel or gasoline for sometime-- Doug Wiken