Dakota Today

***American as school in the Fall...or maybe not

Nearly every store of any kind is having "school" sales.  Backpacks, notepads, erasers, pencil boxes and pencils.  Good old black lead wood pencils and then some Crayola  (Division of Hallmark) brand colored pencils.  I use them to color in some enlargements of cartoons I find amusing or informative.  Today I looked at the fine type on the Crayola colored pencils.  I was a bit surprised.

Some good propaganda about reusing tons of plastic and how solar panels provide all the energy to make one billion crayons and a half billion markers "in the USA" each year.   But, in the really, really fine print is this "Made in Vietnam".  That got me wondering if the solar power being used was in Vietnam or in the US.  I don't really know, but it is a bit discouraging when plain old pencils churned out be the billion can not be made right here in the USA...especially when most of them will be sold to parents of American school kids.

*** Stay tuned even if you ALWAYS know what is on every label of every product--- Doug Wiken

 

 

*** Crops and Weather are the news.

Temperatures in the area have been mostly dreadful.  Something like 104F for high yesterday and it stayed hot until temp finally dropped down to 75F this morning.   Did not take long for the bright, burning sun to again push temperature up to around 104F today and there was some humidity which was good for crops, but made the heat more miserable.

A little good news this evening,  Wall of clouds filled the northern sky and we got a bit of rain.  Just enough to leave puddles on asphalt and settle the dust.  But, the tiny shower came with a temperature drop down to 71F or 81F depending on which report or thermometer.  Breeze actually felt cool which was markedly different than winds this morning and yesterday which felt as if they were coming out of an open furnace.

Looks like some of the corn around here unrolled with the drizzle and temperature drop.

*** Stay tuned even if it is really to hot to waste time on the internet--- Doug Wiken

*** NOVA on PBS Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and what to do now

PBS NOVA science show is on now.  It is dsccussing the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the Ukraine in 1986.  It is worth watching.  A tremendous amount of engineering as well as millions of bolts and tons of steel will be used to build an arch "sarcouphagus"to cover the failed reactor.  Pieces of the steel structure will be moved over the destroyed reactor.  The radiation makes everything more difficult, complex and dangerous.

A few days ago, I read a newspaper story indicating US corporation Westinghouse is bankrupt.  Their reactor building business took a huge downturn after the Ukranian nuclear reactor disaster.  More on this if I can find the original story. Photo and info at NY Times . I did not notice that the NYTimes article was from Apr 27, 2014. Here is a current link to NOVA info on the Chernobyl Megatomb video.   The PBS site available on a ROKU stick has the video now.  Also some on Extreme Weather which is good.  Here is a more recent link with more information Extreme Tech Mega-Project puts Chernobyl to rest   From this link is info on size of structure "Over 10,000 different people contributed to building the structure, which stands 354 feet tall and an astonishing 843 feet wide."

From several other links, " In 1986, in the heart of Ukraine, the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded, releasing 400 times more radiation than the Hiroshima Bomb. Hastily, a "sarcophagus" was built to contain the radioactive materials that lingered at the site after the explosion. However, 30 years later, the sarcophagus is crumbling, and another disaster at Chernobyl looms. Now, an international team of engineers is racing the clock to assemble one of the most ambitious superstructures ever built-an extraordinary 40,000 ton, $1.5 billion dome to encase the crumbling remains of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. Battling arctic winter weather-and lethal radiation-this is the inside story of the epic race to build Chernobyl's Mega Tomb.

Also here is a link Forbes on Westinghouse Bankruptcy and Nuclear setback.

These two stories and events should cause more people to think about the benefits of wind, solar, and hydro power electrical generation.

** Stay tuned here and to NOVA----Doug Wiken

*** From shorts to longjohns in one night...South Dakota of all places..and Thorium.

Welcome to spring. Sunshine and warm for past days.  Women and girls  were wearing short, shorts.  I wasn't, but it was shirtsleeve weather in western South Dakota.  This morning, we awoke to freezing temperature 32F degrees, and an inch or two of wet show.  A couple photos below of the second day of spring in Tripp County, South Dakota

And then there was snow in the Winner Park.  Streets, etc were so warm yet that snow on them has melted already.

Whatever the weather, and whatever the effects of fossil fuels on climate, take a look at the link below concerning generating electric power by using Thorium salts rather than Uranium. Wind and solar are huge opportunities, but Thorium-based nuclear power production works well with finding the rare earths needed for solar systems.  Take the two minutes the video takes.  It is well worth your time.  THORIUM ELECTRIC GENERATION..SAFER, SIMPLER ,  And another link Thorium Remix.

NOTE OF MAR 21. 2017: Take a few more minutes and check the comment by Mike Jones related to solar energy and associated with this post.  He has hands-on experience with the system mounted on his house in Colorado.
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***Stay tuned and may Thorium  power be with you in the future---Doug Wiken

***Wild Weather Christmas Day 2016

Weather forecasts for Christmas Day and following days were so terrible we decided to stay home for Christmas instead of traveling anyplace.  Driving through 60 miles of 3 inch deep slush last year was lesson enough.

I was startled by a flash of light and the sound of a vehicle going past.  I wondered what was going on.  It was not Santa, Donner and Blitzen, et al, because in a couple seconds I heard a clap of thunder.  Then rolling thunder and more thunder and lightening.  Then it started raining hard.  In the Winner, SD area we got about a half an inch of rain.  Temperature was right at 32 or so, but it did not freeze.  Melted some of the snow from a previous storm.  That was the unusual part of Christmas for us.

My wife roasted a chicken and we had that and stuffing and cranberries.  Exotic weather but pretty tame dinner.  Below is an image of plates with part of food on them.

  It all tasted good and we were happy to be inside instead of splashing around in the pouring rain.  We listened to the weather radio and soon we had a severe wind warning for 8PM.  Sure enough, by 8:15 wind was howling like a jet plane in the trees and snow was flying horizontally. This morning, there was not much snow, but a few more flakes were falling and wind was still blowing enough to make seeing for driving difficult for a few hundred feet.

We hope you had a happy, healthy, and safe (and maybe even boring usual) Christmas Day.  And, I guess we can be happy that days will start getting longer and warmer...sometime.  My wife talked to her BIL in Phoenix, AZ and it was snowing and blowing there while it was raining here.

***Stay tuned even if your Christmas Day was much, much more interesting-- Doug Wiken

*** Is eating Cheerios loading you up with glyphosates?

Huffington Post on a Facebook page indicates a company testing foods has found residues of Monsanto's Glyphosate Roundup in foods like Cheerios.  You can get the information at Huffington Post and Food Democracy Now.  The US has set allowable residue levels higher than those in Europe.

***Stay tuned and wonder if maybe eggs might be better after all--- Doug Wiken

*** The "Anthropocene" age. layers of civilization and fossil relics

I just looked at the September 2016 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN around page 32 and found an article on "What mark will we leave on the Planet".  It is part of nine or so related articles.  One of the ideas discussed is the "Anthropocene" age.  A Dutch researcher (Paul Crutzen)  in year 2000, decided we were not part of the 11.700 year old Holocene age, but a new age-- The Antropocene Age.

The question about this is have we really entered a new geologic age.  The author (Jan Zalasiewicz) thinks we have changed earth enough to warrant calling it a new age.  He thinks that evidence of this age will still be around thousands of years from now.  He views metals like Aluminum  which exists in pure form enough to cover the world with aluminum foil as the old "rocks" which will be found.  Other rocks will be the half a trillion tons of concrete.  Humans now shift more sediment than natural forces such as rivers  and wind do.

Radioactive particles will be around for thousands of years as a result of nuclear bomb use and tests.  The radioactive layer is an abrupt Anthropocene signature.  All this and things like metal in teeth, skeletons with artificial metal hips will be pushed up millions of years from now and some newly minted cliff will  reveal a distinctive Anthropocene layer.  Despite this idea, the concept of an Anthropocene Age is not settled.  "The jury is still out."

I have left out a lot in this short summary, but the article and the rest of the magazine are worth reading.

***Stay tuned even if your trash and work will not leave evidence around for millions of years.-- Doug Wiken

Related articles

Scientists: Earth Entered a New Age Around 1950

The Anthropocene Is Here: Humanity Has Pushed Earth Into a New Epoch

The Anthropocene is here - scientists

Deirdre Fulton - The Anthropocene Is Here: Humanity Has Pushed Earth Into a New Epoch - Progressive Radio Network

Earth in new geological era called the Anthropocene thanks to impact of nukes, plastic rubbish... and chickens

Experts declare Anthropocene has begun

Are we living in the Anthropocene epoch? Scientific body says "yes"

Scientists: Anthropocene epoch is upon us, be ready!

*** Photo: Platte-Winner Bridge in Canadian Smoke

Not a whole lot of smoke to be seen on the flat areas between Platte and Parker, but the Missouri River hills looked a lot like the Black Hills because of the blue smoke in the Missouri River valley near the Platte-Winner Bridge yesterday afternoon.

Click on image for a slightly larger version.

We were visiting our daughter, husband, granddaughter Emma, and brand new granddaughter Lily Jean. Thankfully, mother and Lily Jean are both doing well and nestled into home after the hospital stay.

Meanwhile, back at the farm near Winner, wind is blowing about 30mph and gusting to around 45.  Temperature is around 60 and chill factor is not a welcome change after a few nice days.  KELO weather is talking about possible freezing temperatures in parts of South Dakota tonight and tomorrow.

*** Stay tuned for more on "South Dakota--Land of Infinite Variations"--- Doug Wiken

Canadian Smoke on the SD Prairie

The air here was mostly clear early this morning, then it looked like real rain was moving south to add to the few drops on the windshield.  Then my son called from Rapid City telling me the smoke from the Canadian fires had reached there.  Then I noticed the rain drops stopped falling on the car windshield and the smell of smoke was in the air.  Smoke has gradually gotten thicker.  NOAA weather at Winner Wiley Field still shows 8 mile visibility.  Anyway photo below gives an idea of the smoke.

Click image for slightly larger version.

I guess in a few hours we will see what impact the Canadian smoke has on sunset colors.  Maybe another image then. Well, a cloud bank prevented seeing any color sunset.  But this evening (May 8, 2016) the sun was a big orange ball.  We did not have the dense smoke today that was here yesterday however.  But, enough must have been in the sky to make a bright orange sunset.  Below is that image with a little lens flare.

Click on image for a larger view.

***Stay tuned even if your eyes are burning a bit and your nose is running from the smoke--- Doug Wiken

 

 

*** More "weather" news..very old and new.

I have wondered for a year or so why National Weather Servicer NOAA radio KZZZ60, channel 7, north of Reliance, SD did not report anything about Winner, SD which is definitely in south central SD.  I finally found the right button to push on the Nation Weather site and got an email address for Aberdeen weather Office.  I asked why other channels out of this area had Winner weather, but the weather channel for this region did not.  About noon today I got call from Aberdeen and was told that the Winner weather was now on KZZZ60.  Apparently some software code error had scrambled the connection to the Winner Wyly Field airport.

I checked about an hour later and it reported the Winner weather.  I called back to the Aberdeen office and thanked them.  Being a smart ass, I also asked them why guys who knew the weather would put a regional office in the SD City with probably the worst weather in the state.  Whoever answered just laughed and said, "We did not have any choice in that city selection."

Now, a bit of news which may have something to do with ancient weather changes and splitting of continents, etc.   Dinosaurs Were Going Extinct before the Asteroid finished the job.

Well enough of that news.  Tonight we listen for political earthquakes, minor tremors, and blizzards of crap.

** Weather or not---- Doug Wiken