Around Town with Ernie Souchak

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Ahhh the weekend – driving over things, debarking trees, rolling the jeep on it’s passenger side, killing virtual deer but not the does, dragons named holly, trips to nowhere, a boot in a face, a knife attack on a door, bathroom brawls, and a dude with an aluminum baseball bat waiting on a dark side street – there certainly IS something to love about Lowell … I’m just not sure what it is yet

On Saturday however, we discovered something interesting -

Tucked away in Rindge NH, we found the “Cathedral of the Pines”. We flashed a look of amusement. Would this be along the lines of Salem NH’s “America’s Stonehenge”? ( http://stonehengeusa.com/ ) or the “World’s Largest Ball of Twine” ( http://www.darwintwineball.com/ ) where they offer a twine ball starter kit for $25.00?… We would soon find out.

The site is located at the top of a hill – an old farm we thought. On the site you will find a meeting room (with a fireplace and the smell of a great fire permeating the air), a gift shop, restrooms, a monument, and of course, the “Cathedral”

As I’m told, the history of Cathedral of the Pines began simply enough as an act of faith when Douglas and Sibyl Sloane of Newtonville, Massachusetts were seeking a place to erect an outdoor chapel.

The idea came to Mr. Sloane in the summer of 1935, when walking along the shores of Lake George, NY he found a stone that resembled an opened Bible. I often see open bible stones along the shores of lakes, so I completely understood.

Several years passed before they happened upon and chose the ideal site for their outdoor chapel. The property was indeed a small farm.

The summer of 1946 saw completion of the stone altar and its first services. Official dedication of the Cathedral occurred that same summer. In the fall, the “Altar of the Nation” was officially dedicated as “a memorial to the World War II dead of New Hampshire” and as a shrine to the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. In 1950, the Altar was rededicated as a memorial to all American war dead.

Visitors to the Cathedral are greeted by a 55 foot stone tall bell tower that is dedicated to American women – both civilian and military. Officially dedicated in 1967, The Women’s Memorial Bell Tower is believed to be the first monument in the United States devoted to women’s service and sacrifice.

At the center of the tower, a granite fountain commemorates the lives of American nurses lost in war. The “Tree of Life” sculpture, designed by Douglas Sloane III, signifies strength of character, stamina, determination, and courage. Twelve kinds of fruit grow from the limbs of the tree: breadfruit, pear, fig, peach, olive, orange, avocado, apple, lemon, cherry, pomegranate, and plum.

The fountain, with its “Waters of Life” and the “Tree of Life,” with its fruit and leaves, refer to passages in the Book of Revelations [22:1-2] “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

Large bronze plaques, designed by Norman Rockwell and created by his son Peter, decorate the tower’s four archways. One plaque portrays an early pioneer woman, child at her side and rifle at the ready, in remembrance of those who defended their homes and families. Another represents the women of the armed forces–the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard. A third depicts American Red Cross founder Clara Barton assisting a wounded soldier in tribute to all nurses who serve our combat forces. The remaining plaque honors women who gave their lives to the war effort in many capacities: the Sisters of Charity, who tended wounded and dying soldiers; women who served in the Salvation Army or YWCA; USO entertainers and war correspondents; those who tended farms and shops; and women who worked in wartime factories, universally known as “Rosie the Riveter.”

The bells in the tower include English and Flemish carillons. There are also two Sheffield steel bells; one is an “Angelus,” and the other is a larger, 1800 pound bell cast by the Naylor Vickers Company of Sheffield in 1866.

Behind that, you will find the gift shop and “Alter of the Nations” The Altar of the Nation was built in 1946 and recognized by Congress in 1957 as a National Memorial to American men and women who lost their lives in war.

The stones that make up the main body of the Altar come from all fifty states and from every United States President since Harry Truman. There is a stone from Plymouth, England where the Pilgrims left the Old World and one from Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts where they landed in the new. There are stones from the battlefields of Lexington, Concord, and Yorktown where the American Revolution began and ended. Three stones from the Parthenon in Athens and a stone from the ancient Coliseum in Rome are also embedded in the altar.

Stones have come from the homes, libraries, or gravesites of U.S. presidents including George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, and Ronald Reagan. A volcanic rock from Little America in the Antarctic honors the famous explorer Admiral Richard E. Byrd. Numerous stones come from the battlefields of WWI and WWII in Europe, such as the one contributed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower that he took from Omaha Beach in Normandy, site of the D-Day invasion. There are tributes from the Pacific Theater of WWII with stones from Japan, the Coral Sea, and from the shores of Iwo Jima. There are stones from Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. One of the more recent stones, donated by President George W. Bush, came from the Pentagon following the attack on America, September 11, 2001.

Three large slabs of “verde antique,” also known as “Maryland Green,” marble form the top of the Altar. The slabs weigh more than half a ton each. They come from a quarry in Maryland that straddles the Mason-Dixon line, the boundary separating the north and south during the Civil War. The slabs on the right and the left symbolize the North and the South and the one in the center symbolizes the joining of the two into one Union. Soil from Mt. Zion in Jerusalem is mixed into the mortar that binds the marble to the Altar.

Perhaps the most unusual stone is the one from Koblenz, Germany, the town where Sandy Sloane’s plane was shot down in 1944. In 1969 the mayor of Koblenz made a special trip to the Cathedral and presented a stone from the 600-year-old bridge over the Moselle River in Koblenz. The donation of the stone the accompanying service on October 14, 1969 symbolized the Cathedral’s ideals of friendship, peace, and brotherhood.

It was strange to see such a place, melding military service with religion, but it’s 236 acres of walkways, park benches, and places to explore really caught my eye. The views were really quite stunning, especially on a crisp fall day, and I’m glad we made the detour.

For more information on the Cathedral of the Pines, visit their website at http://www.cathedralofthepines.org/index.htm

I have a friend Audrey – We are both single, and live in the same town. We eventually met (mental note: skip the ice cream next time, bring LOTS of napkins). We are each others confidants – I am lucky to have her around, even if she does cause agita here and there.

I had been wondering what was going on, why some of the women I had met were so interested in going out, only to “regret” the situation in the days following – was it my cologne (au de irish spring), my demeanor? … I’m back to wearing underwear, so that’s not it. Puzzling.

When I mentioned it to the tall cool one, she had an interesting response. Her aunt had asked about our situation, so maybe she had stopped to consider this before. What she had to say made sense (we have the best conversations)

She mentioned that she truly believed that people our age get so lonely and truly WANT a companion, and when the potential comes up … they think “SHIT, what am I going to DO with one”. And then the thought process turns to simply “SHIT”.

Especially “Old Farts” our age who are so used to doing their own thing with their own time.

I couldn’t have agreed more, and yet I guess I really never considered it – I have indeed been there. Making plans, only to dread doing so as the day progressed because my commitment to someone was now somehow a “restriction” if I chose to change my mind.

I think we have all been in a situation as we grow older, where we meet someone and think, after a short while, “I want my old life back!” and begin to question ourselves. It usually has NOTHING to do with the other person; in the times I have faced this I was crazy for the girl – it’s just an adjustment.

Maybe that is why we set our sights (and our expectations) so low sometimes – dating and the good times that go with it, knowing full well that person will never be able to get close enough to our hearts to hurt us again.

When we do meet a good one, we run from the “threat” – someone we know will make us happy. Someone who is capable of “tricking” us into lowering our guard, and subsequently opening us up for disappointment and heartache. There aren’t many who can get past the scars, but when you meet them, you know.

So maybe it IS just a matter of timing between two people?

Audrey and I continue to talk – in the meantime, it seems like a nice morning to explore Rte 119

Thoughts?

I love that the moon to me, is always visible to everyone I ever loved, and every person I will ever meet – a true constant for thousands of years to come.

So there I was, watching the world go by outside the train this morning and flipping through the paper when I saw an article highlighting David Sandalow, the Energy Department’s assistant secretary for policy and international affairs and his “plug-in” Prius.

David claims his Prius, which was converted two years ago to allow him to recharge the battery from an electric outlet, gets more than 80 miles per gallon and lets him drive 30 miles on a single charge. He fills up his car with gasoline about once every month or two. What he fails to mention is that the “plug-in” conversion was $9000.00 over and above the already steep 28k for the Prius V.

I sat and thought about it for a while and thought to myself, this claim he is making is total crap – What we need is honesty in the comparison of energy efficiency – not propaganda – the “80 Miles per gallon” statement is utterly deceptive.

The fact is, is that overall vehicle efficiency in a “plug-in” hybrid is only marginally more efficient than a regular hybrid (skipping some losses associated with the charging of the battery by the IC engine) and in turn only marginally more efficient than a modern pure internal combustion powered car like the Chevy Aveo (what an ugly little spud)

But the real lie is in terms of total system energy efficiency – by plugging in, you just shift from using a local internal combustion powerplant to a remote powerplant (most of which use a form of combustion).  Both convert chemically stored energy to mechanical energy at roughly the same level of efficiency (the IC engine operating at a higher temperature is in fact slightly more efficient than the steam plant which powers most electric generation).

I find it amusing that he notes his big clean orange cord to “fuel” his car - Hey Dave, do you know what’s on the end of that? 53% is burning coal, 20% fissioning uranium, 20% is natural gas, and less than 7% falling water and other “green power” such as wind and solar.

I wrote about this in 2008, noting Iowa as an example with 85% of their electrical needs produced by burning coal. The original article can be found HERE

Instead of using gasoline to run the hybrid at peak operation, using braking and coasting to charge the batteries as the system was designed, you have this; a chain of losses -

1) convert mechanical energy to electricity

2) pump the electricity hundreds, possibly thousands of miles and incur the line losses associated with it (On average, there is a 7.2% energy loss rate that can be attributed to the movement of electricity and this limits electricity transmission over long distances)

3) convert the electricity that makes it back to chemical form (charging the battery)

4) convert the chemical back to electrical while discharging the battery

5) finally convert the electrical back to mechanical energy

I suppose that’s great for making Dave feel good, but it does nothing but defer the ugly truth to remote power production when it could be produced locally (ie by the Prius) far more efficiently.

So if you are going to make comparisons in a feel good article, maybe we should base results on two simple metrics -

1) MPG or “miles per kilowatt hour equivalent at the car” – taking all vehicle losses for all vehicle energy conversion into account.

2) Total cost per mile driven for the system used – taking into account all of the direct costs of driving — much as we do with appliances and energystar ratings.

Dave is claiming about 75 cents per “gallon” to recharge the Prius. A bigger question becomes -

1) How is the local energy grid going to deal with substantial increases of “plug-in” cars, when we have brownouts already, and no one is willing to live with a peak power plant in their back yard

2) How is that going to affect consumer rates?

3) What will be done with all the old battery packs? recycle perhaps?

4) And what about battery technology? Honda claims 8-10 years of life, but 3 years after producing the Civic Hybrid, the complaints are mounting about limited range, poor performance, and limited charging. 3 years?

I don’t know – something to think of perhaps - I’m not against “green” initiatives, I am all for it as a huge supporter of sun and wind – I’m just against being fleeced over regarding feel good items that are clearly all about marketing, and lacking in science.

I could be wrong … comments and criticism welcome

Arr, It Be Talk Like A Pirate Day!
By Capt. Jack Bloodbeard

Arr… Capt. Jack here, reminding ye about the 6th annual “International Talk Like a Pirate Day! “ September 19th (this year and every yarrrrr)

Following the mass text message to our fellow scoundrels last year, Capt Jack and his motley crew boarded the SS Blackened Whale for a cruise of epic proportions

Me matey John Littlefinger (he was John Longfinger in port, but these cutlasses be sharp) woke us late, for we was downing a keg or two of rum these past hours. After his customary flogging, don’t ye know, we thought we’d run up the colors, as it were.

Talk Like A Pirate Day is simple, yarr. Ye simply pretend yer a pirate (and if yer not, ye better pretend ye are!) and engage in wenchin’, pillagin’, and all that piratey life.

Now, although Ernie Souchak writes his letters in a more…educated style, at heart we’re sailin’ the open seas, with a blowsy wench and a tankard of rum held to catch the evenin’ breeze. So if yer readin’ other parchments about our little party, make sure you read them in the proper style, eh?

And of course to our poor mate on the University bridge – me hardy, we had NO idea that eyepatch was real …. Arrrrgh DOH! Ha ha ha

So ya missed it last year? Just a few weeks to go until TLAP 2010…arrrrrrrrrrrrrr! … for the whole story, visit the Official Talk Like a Pirate Day website by CLICKING HERE

This is a reprint from December 2006 as I rebuild “Ernie” – please bear with me

We did it – after a 2 year search we finally found the elusive downed wreckage of a bomber located across the side of Mt Waternomee.

The locals won’t discuss it, preferring to keep the secret but with a few satellite images, and a cool dude named Fitch, We finally have it’s location. I’m not sharing, so don’t ask, but I hope to have some great pictures of the now 60 year old engines and airframe. Despite all that time, the wreck remains in place on the mountain. Very exciting indeed!

As many of you know, the Adventure Club originally heard of this plane and looked for it fruitlessly in the summer of 2005. The locals won’t tell you anything, and there is no real trail leading to it. The crash site is remote, several miles into the woods and on an extremely slippery angle covered in mud and snow just shy of the Mt Waternomee summit.

In December of 1942, a B-18 Bolo bomber was returning from a coastal anti-submarine patrol and got lost in bad weather on their way home to the Westover AFB in Chicopee MA. Through a gap in the clouds they saw a city that they assumed was Providence RI, and set course for home. The city was actually Concord NH and the flight path led them directly into the side of Mt Waternomee, a peak on the ridge of Mt Moosilauke (4800′)

The crew was a ‘borrowed’ B-24 crew thrown together for this one assignment. Lost in a blizzard, they crashed at 160mph into the mountain with a full bomb load. The resulting explosion of several bombs on board shook the homes in Plymouth NH, 21 miles away. Of the 7 crew members, amazingly 5 survived. A plaque was dedicated on the site of the wreck on July 4,1992 and there it sits, quietly in the deep northern woods.

For the full story on this amazing wreck, click HERE

So on a Tuesday morning (mental health day for me, work day for the rest of the Adventure Club) I arrived at the mountain, just as it started to snow (of course), and after several hours on foot climbing what felt like the inside of a giant salad bowl (it just kept going up and getting steeper) I finally broke for lunch. The bomber I knew was located at about 2600’ up on the mountain, 900’ short of the summit at 3500’ total, and a 1700’ elevation gain from the roadway. Distance traveled was 2.75 miles one way, with a 900’ gain in the three quarters of a mile. I’m I giving away too much information here? Whatever – I’m basing this on fractional GPS data; my GPS was not my pal Sunday (cloud cover, tree cover, snow … you know the drill)

If there was a trail there, it was hardly used and covered in snow – navigation was mainly by the multicolored survey flags tied to trees. Sometimes they were there, but in many instances there seemed to be sections where the flags had been intentionally torn off leaving me to “guess” LOL – oh well I still had my compass, plastic maps and grease pencil with me just in case. Give me a stopwatch, a pencil and a map and I’ll fly you through the alps in a plane with no windows – Well, as long as there is a cheeseburger at the other end

So there I am sitting in the snow covered leaves, enjoying a snack and wondering if I missed my target yet again, when I hear something sounding of my mothers clothesline as a kid. Out of the corner of my eye, something moves. Through the woods I spot a big American Flag (like the one I had packed for this hike, just in case). And then, there it was; two radial engines, a piece of tail, a wing, landing gears, and a plethora of aluminum panels, none bigger than a coffee table littering the side of the mountain! I spent a little time up there, nothing around me for miles but the occasional ground squirrel and the sound of a light snow drifting down through the trees. Sometimes solitude can be an amazing feeling as I ate the rest of my lunch and enjoyed the view. Awesome – I wonder what those crewmen were thinking, standing there in the dark, during the storm illuminated by the burning wreckage of their plane.

Now if I can find my way back, I’ll be all set – no really, that is what I was thinking ha ha ha – time for a new GPS

So bombing down 93 South, coming home from the hike, I was cranking the tunes and again heard some lyrics I can relate to – the last line especially. People listen to the music, but I think the real genius many times is the person penning the lyrics.

There are those who think that life has nothing left to chance,
a host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance.

A planet of playthings, we dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive

You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

You can choose from phantom fears or kindness that can kill;
I will choose a path that’s clear- I will choose Free Will.

There are those who think that they were dealt a losing hand,
the cards were stacked against them – they weren’t born in Lotus-Land.

All preordained- A prisoner in chains- A victim of venomous fate.
Each of us- A cell of awareness- Imperfect and incomplete.

Genetic blends with uncertain ends, on a fortune hunt that’s far too fleet.

And that’s about it Folks – Christmas is right around the corner and no sign of snow yet in Lowell. I joined the gym today – to work out? Maybe, but they have a Sauna, Hot Tub and Pool in a subterranean room under Middlesex Street which is VERY cool indeed. Bring on the snow; I’ll be soaking in the Hot Tub ……Niiiiice

Have a good Holiday Everyone!

Disturbing… FUNNY and cool, but disturbing – talk about feeling like you’re on acid, while still being stone straight. Enjoy (and crank the volume)

Finally, an entirely scientific graph showing that the decrease in the number of pirates worldwide is causing global warming. This is the indisputable evidence we have been waiting for, showing pirates are in fact holy creatures who distribute candy to small children.

http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/surfacestationsreport

I enjoyed this report too – What happens when 650+ Volunteers go out and survey 82% (and climbing) of the Countrys Weather monitoring stations? Check it out – it’s a good read.

The Mount St. Helens Volcano Cam – In HIGH Definition
(updated every 5 minutes by the USGS)

This is a static, near real-time high definition image of Mount St. Helens, taken from the Johnston Ridge Observatory. The Observatory and VolcanoCam are located at an elevation of approximately 4,500 feet, about five miles from the volcano. You are looking approximately south-southeast across the North Fork Toutle River Valley.

Click on the picture to go directly to the full size real time shot and get the statistics on the mountain and it’s health…sure it was more fun a few years ago when the thing threatened to blow up every 2 days but whatever – watching the fly that loves to sit on the lense is fun too.

This was written in August 2010 – as of this update (Nov 2010) it has been pushed to the floor for debate by cloture and is expected to pass – no word yet on whether the Tester Agreement or portions thereof will be included. Here is a quick link to the latest as of Nov 20, 2010

5236-food-safety-bill-to-empower-fda-wins-senate-cloture

Here is where I stood in August -

Ah yes … Senate Bill S.510, also known as the “FDA Food Safety Modernization Act”

Sometimes, even in the worst of economic times, it seems that the government can find a way to try to make things worse…

I mean it’s not every day you find Amish farmers serving raw milk in the U.S. Senate. But this week a group of libertarian, small, sustainable, organic farmers were serving up the unpasteurized milk – which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deems dangerous – to Senate staff and local food advocates as part of an effort to push back against pending federal food safety regulations.

So I sat and pondered - I’m not sure where to go with this one – as is typical of most government products, this one is laden with page after page of undecipherable verbiage, to the tune of 266 pages.

For the brave, here is the link –

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:s510rs.txt.pdf

So people are screaming – on the surface it doesn’t look good. Here are a few pertinent facts, which include the fact that;

The original bill no longer exists. The new S510 is only one part of an amendment they kept – which of course makes me wonder how bad the original was.

It also is only in committee, which means the Senate has been asked to consider it. Will they vote on it in September when the Senate reconvenes? Why yes of course, otherwise the Senate doesn’t care about the children (which of course makes me a smart ass, I KNOW )

The main piece it seems that has people all riled up though is this; (as I understand it)

If you trade or give your food away, or sell it at farmers market, you are no longer considered growing for personal consumption. That puts you in the category of “Community Supported Agriculture Supplier”. CSA has been around for years to describe community supported agriculture, but this is something much different.

The Senate is touting S.510 as ensuring safety in our food supply through stricter regulations on the who, what, where and how in regard to the food entering the marketplace (along with a companion House Bill H.R. 2749 voted on last year)

I wish they would do something about obesity, diabetes, and processed food first – that kills far more than the 5,000 people a year who die of food borne illnesses (of which only .09% can be traced back to locally grown produce and meats btw)

S.510 tracks where the food came from, and under what conditions it was produced so that it can be traced back to it’s origin. That means if your neighbor develops a stomach ache after enjoying your bacteria laden zucchinis, you are accountable. I have no problem with that. It’s the cost of enforcement and the bureacracy involved, given the minimal footprint of CSA’s that bothers me.

For factory farms, checks and controls are understandable, but then they also have the flexibility (money) to adapt to changing requirements on the industry.

It is the what S.510 could really bring about that worries me.. (outside of the 825 billion in additional costs passed onto consumers in 2010 alone).

What S.510 has the distinct possibility of becoming is a drive to the freshly built State Agriculture Office (stimulus money?), to talk to the ladies (new jobs!) who got promoted from the DMV to fill out a stack of paperwork the size of War and Peace (more jobs to proof and file), pay a handy little “CSA Licensing Fee” along with their requisite fees and stamps, agree to surprise inspections, and agree you can be shut down at any time for any reason following said spot inspection (which under S.510 does NOT have to have a reason why it was initiated to begin with)

Some of the lesser known aspects of S.510 include allowing the government to mandate antibiotics, hormones, slaughterhouse waste, pesticides and GMO’s. It also puts all US food and all US farms under the control of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, in the event of contamination or an ill-defined emergency (which is no big deal, as long as you realize we are all under their control in the event of a National Emergency anyway)

And of course if a paper trail must be initiated, so your produce/product is traceable for “safety”, I would imagine it could also be taxed as income, no?

That’s the scope of it in it’s simplest form, although it contains a number of provisions which would take up far more space than I am willing to dedicate here – I printed the link, take a look

Is this going to be the end of organic farming, or your local farm run by a hardworking single mom? No probably not directly or in the near future but farmers who can afford to survive under these regulations, are people who probably don’t run farms locally to begin with. Expect feed prices to rise, along with the costs associated with bringing produce and other farm raised good “field to table”. In other words, we will all eventually feel the pinch as it makes it way down the chain. Heirloom seed production, is another possible issue, but one for another day.

Some say thresholds will be in place before any vote, to protect farms of a certain size, but I can’t find that outlined anywhere. And if I cannot find it, what about the Senator who’s voting on it without ever reading it in the first place? I’m just thinking that regulations should be based on risk, and not enacted as a blanket policy. You DO know what happens when small things get caught under blankets right? yea, they smother. Meanwhile the bigger and stronger escape. Monsanto is pretty big.

So there I am sitting on the fence, and decide to reach out to a few folks. And there it is, the “counterpoint” to my “point” from Rebekah Brietzer of the Consumers Union, the non profit publishers of Consumer Reports -

Rebekah writes –

“I work for Consumers Union, the non-profit publishers of Consumer Reports, and we strongly support S.510. We also strongly support the local, sustainable, and organic movements and would not support a bill that would shut down these operations before they have a chance to flourish. S.510 does not present a “one-size, fit all” solution, but rather is purposely designed to be flexible to protect small, organic, and local farmers while being stringent in other areas to protect consumers from contamination in produce and processed food.

Currently, Section 103 of the bill requires the FDA, in developing on-farm food safety regulations, to ensure that they are “scale appropriate” and can apply to all types of operations – large or small, simple or complex. The bill also protects organic farms: the current language states that any new food safety standards developed by the FDA cannot be in conflict with organic standards. New standards are also required to consider maintaining biological diversity, conservation, the environment, and the impact on small farms.

We do not believe S.510 poses a threat to small farmers or organic farming practices. With 5000 people dying every year as a result of food borne illness, we can’t afford not to pass this bill.

See why Food Inc. producer and the author of Fast Food Nation Eric Schlosser supports this bill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqurqoVCibk

Interesting ….

You can also reference “Small Farms Gain from Compromise on S. 510” in Food Safety News (August 2010) which outlines certain provisions being considered for S510 before it is voted on at http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/08/s-510-compromise-contains-key-changes-for-small-farms/

So there you go; two sides looking in at the same thing. I need to do some more research, but feel free to chime in using the “comments” link below this article. As I have always said, this is just an educated opinion, I could always be wrong, so I appreciate the input.

For those unregistered, here is a snapshot of the comments attached to this story – it provides an interesting clarification on a few points

1. # edit thisMAB on 20 Aug 2010 at 7:28 am

I’ve been following this bill closely. Allow me to correct a few inaccuracies from your post. First, the bill is out of committee. It is in the limbo between committee and the floor.

Second, tracking food requirements will be responsive to the size of the business. If a CSA is large enough to require inspection (i.e., not you selling zukes to your neighbor), the fees and record-keeping will not be the same as for larger businesses. This will prevent the bigger and stronger from having an advantage.

Third, your “War and Peace” stack of paperwork fear is a residual from a FARFA campaign to derail this bill. By crying willy-nilly, they made it out to seem that every little farmer was going to be buried under a mountain of paperwork. It didn’t seem to matter that this bill has long had provisions to make sure that it was not “one-size-fits-all”. They kicked and screamed and lied about it anyways.. There websites still up if you want a laugh.

Further, the latest version of S. 510 has an almost excessive amount of language that directs the Secretary to adjust the bill’s enforcement for small entities. It borders on redundant.

Very plainly, S. 510 does not require any facility that is not already registered to register.

That means if you’re not already on file, you’re not going to be hit with a long line at a government office and a thick book of forms. If you are registered, you won’t have to provide any new documents unless your business is of sufficient size or risk to warrant such documents.

A couple other points you might want to respond to: I am not quite sure where you got the .09% figure in relation to food illnesses and small producers.

Also, I have not seen any language in the bill that would indicate the authority to mandate antibiotics, GMO, etc. Quite the opposite, there is specific language directing the FDA to not make any requirements that would come in conflict with organic standards.

The “farms of a certain size” thing that you reference is the issue of the Tester amendment. Under the auspices of protecting small entities, Sen. Tester had an amendment exempting all facilities who’s adjusted-gross income is under $500,000. AGI is what a facility would make after deductions. In the food world these deductions can be plenty. Think labor, fuel, transportation of goods, unsold goods, and basically the cost of running the business. To generate $499,999 AGI, a food operation would have to be quite large and move a substantial volume of products to a substantial number of consumers. In my opinion, that is too large to just flat-out exempt. There is plenty of room in this bill, and during the public comment period, to adjust fees and regulations for small businesses. That is explicit, so I don’t think the Tester amendment is prudent. It’s also not attached to the bill as I type this.. so we’ll see.

Thanks for the opportunity to comment.

2. # edit thisadmin on 22 Aug 2010 at 12:01 pm

Interesting … And yes, it is out of commitee – Thank you for taking the time to comment – it’s always appreciated

3. # edit thisadmin on 22 Aug 2010 at 12:11 pm

And yes that was the Tester Ammendment I was referencing … A half mil is in fact far too much for an exemption as I’m sure you agree. The 0.9% was from a study done last summer by the USDA. I have that data at my office and will post it here when I get back next week.

You may be able to help however on a point of contention I have – where does S.510 address scaleability? Your second paragraph states “Second, tracking food requirements will be responsive to the size of the business. If a CSA is large enough to require inspection (i.e., not you selling zukes to your neighbor)” I believe you, I just want to see it in black and white, and admittedly did not see it in the bill – it’s one of the things that makes me wary

Your response was well worded and to the point, again thanks for responding

I’m wracking my brain on how to inject “funny” into this posting, but most of it is dead serious, so bear with me –

OK so yes, Ernie is back. I had the blog down for a long time – with so much going on, so many changes, it was simply on the back burner. Any time I had was going towards my book, and my daughter. So what has transpired over the past year?

Well let me start by saying, things are amazingly well. You know how sometimes you meet someone, and even though it’s quick, they touch you in such a way as to make a change in your life? The whole “people come in and out of your life for a reason” thought process?

In the past year I have refinanced my home, paid all my debts off, and married my daughter to a fine young man in the Army.

I have “my” life back after doing the things a responsible dad does for his children – not that my responsibility ended, it just changed The plan is to do another year in Boston, get my Flight Instructor rating finalized, and then take the money and run. I can work out of any airport, and/or lease a helicopter of my own – there are so many opportunities if you look. Life is too short.

And the search for someone special continues – it’s been a few years now, and it’s not so bad being single, but coming home to someone someday would be nice. No rush, but someday would be nice.

Jimmy asked about Flight School …

Now at the halfway point and preparing for my solo, you would think it would be all so natural right? wrong. Hour upon hour of ground school instruction, navigation, FAA regulations, emergency procedures, first aid, and pre/post flight inspections are part of the deal. And when we are flying, half the time we are executing maneuvers that make your average space coaster look tame – for a guy who hates amusement park rides, it’s funny.

Heading to Logan .. that’s my big skull on the left

Here is an example of what I mean – the first video shows an engine off autorotation – yes, they chop the throttle and expect you to get back to the airport without a motor. The other video shows an autorotation also, along with giving you a good idea of what we are flying. I’m actually flying the bigger brother to the R22, called an R44 (4 Seat) but the point is the same. It’s all going to be worth it If you ever wanted to try, I say go for it!

The low rotor alarm kicks at 37 seconds .. then the fun starts

These are R22′s – look at it 30 seconds in – FUN

On another note -

Jacqueline (Mombourquette) Pelletier will be going to Aurora Colorado in a few short weeks to join her Husband – how quiet things will be …

Daddy’s Little Girl

It’s all in the eyes …

I was thinking about it, and it occurs to me that my job as her Dad will never change, but it’s strange nontheless. I am no longer the man in her life providing a roof over her head, health insurance, or the emotional support everyone needs. She will be thousands of miles from here as someone’s wife – food shopping, keeping house, driving her skinny little butt to work, and living her life on her own terms. I remember washing poop off her back in the sink – see where I am coming from?

Ah life – not constant, just constant change. What’s next? I guess that is the question that makes life interesting.

Warming my bones beside the fire, a cabin on a misty mountaintop, and a sustainable living producing my own power and food are still out there. I just have to find a way to reach them … I will

Yea this was just to interesting to pass up….. Enjoy

After setting up a friends Fios DVR earlier, in exchange for a home cooked meal (is there ANYTHING better?), I thought I was going to choke to death laughing over this news report … it only gets funnier as it goes along – what a stupid piece of shit!

…and yea, mousing over the bottom of the video will prompt the play bar – click the play button to watch it … speaking of stupid pieces of shit

Hey,

I continued to think about things. Here’s another way of looking at men, women and dating … lets say “outside the box, just toss that umbrella down”

“… random torrential down bursts of opportunity”

Maybe there is no such thing as the perfect mate, the “one”. … I have to consider it may be more like “a mind boggling whole hell of a lot of potential mates” In some ways that’s comforting to think about….or terrifying I guess.

While it would be cool to sit back and wait for “fate” to bring us the guy or girl who we will spend the rest of our lives with, I think it’s delusional and self defeating; as much as trying to make something work when not everyone’s on board with it – We have all been there.

There isn’t a lightning bolt that slaps you on the ass and lets you know THIS is the person over all others. There never was….

It’s like the rain; rain falls all the time. Sometimes we are prepared for it, sometimes we are not. And depending where you are when it hits, you either get caught in it, or you don’t.

In fact, most of us try to avoid it. We run from it. Maybe you remembered your umbrella, maybe you didn’t?

No big signs of impending happiness, just random torrential down bursts of opportunity; and that’s the most fate can do, the rest is up to you.