Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Just Ducky

The 5 am Ch 5 ABC News (7/24/06) are reporting More Portuguese Man-o-war on Cape Cod.
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A 12 year-old boy was stung in Harwich on the outer Cape this past week-end.
Paramedics used baking soda to draw out the poison, like they do with bee stings. Over a dozen people were reported stung here this summer so far.
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Rhode Island Beaches, on the Atlantic coast (less than an hour South of here) are also reporting more of the floating poisonous menace, n a "waist-high" swimming alert is in effect there.
Rip current warnings still in effect with swells still up all over the Cape.
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Talkin about critters riding the Tropical Atlantic Ocean currents...
On World News Now, ABC's fun early am news report, They have this Brittish dude, Declin Curry, give odd stories in the news from across the pond. Thousands of little Plastic toy ducks are now swimmin along the Gulf stream, currently on their way to visit the Brittish Isles.

The container of bath toys, which later broke open, took a stormy weather leap off a vessel from China in the Pacific Ocean (along with a container of Nike shoes) way back in the early 1990's. Scientists have turned the spill into an Ocean currents science project.
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I find the subject pretty interesting. I took a full year of Earth n Ocean Science courses in college. (n Astronomy, too)
It's no secret all the Earth's oceans (besides the land-locked Dead Sea) are connected n an object (or a creature) caught in a major current can travel through both major oceans over time if they hit it right.
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So I searched and found the story source: "Pacific Toy Spill Fuels Ocean Current Research"
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The following is excerpted from the site:
http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/ducks.html
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Source: Eos, Vol. 75, p.425, September 13, 1994.
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"...At 44.7°N, 178.1°E, a dozen forty-foot (13.3 m) containers were washed overboard, one of which held about 29,000 plastic bathtub toys ...
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... Ten months after the spill, plastic toys began washing up on beaches near Sitka, Alaska...
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The 6- to 12-cm toys manufactured in China were packaged in a plastic housing glued to a cardboard backing.
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... we learned that approximately 400 toys, positively identified from photographs, were found between November 1992 and August 1993, along approximately 850 km of shore between the city of Cordova and Coronation Island, bordering the eastern Gulf of Alaska..."
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"... several bottles released in the vicinity of Nome, Alaska, were found approximately 10 years later in Iceland, Ireland, and Norway; and a drift bottle, released June 26, 1979, in the Bering Strait was found in western Scotland 7 years later on July 6, 1986..."
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"... after a number of years we also expect some of the toys to be dispersed around the North Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and the northern North Atlantic Ocean...
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... Given the substantial release of 29,000 toy animals, we anticipate that by the year 2000 a few toys will have been transported to many oceanic locations in the Northern Hemisphere.
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... We ask your help in reporting any subsequent finds of the toys or other interesting drifting objects. ..."
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Well, here we are in '06!
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Tropical critters like Portugeuse Man-o-War, Basking sharks, Sea-turtles, n alligators have been showing up by the droves far from home in Massachusetts n on the Cape this season.
I hope they decide to go home when vaca is over...
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n if ya see any wayward yellow, plasic duckies, send the project a postcard!

Friday, July 21, 2006

Beryl Brushes By

After watching the news Yesterday I decided I'd hafta clean the storm drain n move stuff on the deck before leaving, cause any action would take place during early am work-hours. Out the window, fairly high swells were visible well after high tide, n lotsa folkz pulled small boats out of the harbor at the ramp.
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Now Friday am (after work), the tropical storm warnings are down n Beryl has passed to 35 miles NorthEast of Nantucket Island. Off-shore seas to the East are up 7 to 11 feet, so mariners aren't havin much fun out there! Rip-current warnings are up for all of Buzzards Bay waters, n the entire Cape shoreline.
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Winds didn't seem severe here at all, nothing looked tossed about, but there's been some rain.
Don't worry, readers - Everything Cape-side is okay!
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Last week Fox 25 news at 10 on the 16th had a piece on 12-15 ft Basking Sharks sighted off Scusset beach in Sagamore. Video showed a young dude in the water right next to one! Well, the species isin't usually dangerous, but that's a pretty big fish to get next to!
Wonder what other sea-critters followed the tropical Gulf-stream up with the storm this week...
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Well, I got pinched out of regular expected days off. This isin't one. Now I get to wait til Monday, n I'm only getting one day, because we're suddenly seven people short due to an INS check finding illegal aliens!
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now it's time for my nap again...

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Deck Garden

Photo by SnaggleTooth
Here's some of my deck Garden back in June, beginning to sprout up. Mischief thinks it's really her garden of course.

Blogger finally let me upload it, 3 days later... I was gonna insert it with the Deck Garden Report in the post below (oh well).

I'm really glad the "pillars" didn't kill it all. I'll have to shoot an updated view soon, they're more spread out now.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

More Local Reports

The weather could be better, it's been overcast n hot-sticky-humid since yesterday.
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North of Beantown in this state n parts of Southern NH also, had severe weather yesterday featuring 3.5 inch hail, strong winds, heavy rain, n reported funnel-clouds with possible (yet unconfirmed) micro-burst (Marblehead) and two tornadoes (Wendell) smashing n denting homes, vehicles, car-dealership inventories, ripping off a Walgreen's roof, n tossing a regatta of (thankfully evacuated) sailboats at a yacht-club (Marblehead Neck, "Corinthian") in a spiral, like papers off a table!
Glad we missed it here...
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quote (from today's official Weather Report):
"Severe Weather

11 counties are now under advisories, watches, or severe weather warnings.

Northern Berkshire County
Southern Berkshire County
Northern Bristol County
Eastern Essex County
Western Essex County
Eastern Hampden County
Western Hampden County
Eastern Hampshire County
Western Hampshire County
Central Middlesex County
Northwest Middlesex County
Southeast Middlesex County
Eastern Norfolk County
Western Norfolk County
Eastern Plymouth County
Western Plymouth County
Suffolk CountyEastern
Windham CountyWestern
Windham CountyNorthern
Worcester CountySouthern
Worcester County "

* ... Well, I guess they're covering the weather-guy butts pretty thoroughly now... (a little late)!
Maybe I'll pass on the local baseball game I wanted to see tonight...

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Deck Garden Report:
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My deck plants are growing slowly with the lack of sunshine this year. So far I can count the blossoms out there on one hand. I finally got a couple of Lavender blossoms after two years of fighting to keep the plants alive n losing many of both species I've been workin with. The babies breath are starting, n I spy one yellow Brown-eyed Susan trying not to dry-up before opening. Although it's been humid, I've had to water the shrubs n trees because rainfalls have been so light the past few weeks. We may get a couple of inches by tomorrow.
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All my annuals this year were planted from seeds I harvested from last year's blossoms, so I'm happy they came up n lived through the caterpillar invasion at all. Some about 5th generation marigolds sprouted up again also.
The perenial ferns n shrubs are goin to town, along with a weed collection of "ornamental" grass I happen to like. I also grow some scrub grass varieties just to give the cats something to eat so they leave the rest of the possibly harmful plants alone.
The little evergreen trees are doing alright, except I'll need a new 2-foot pot or trash-barrel for the White Fir tree which managed to split it's container open during one of the storms that knocked it down. The poor little thing has wilted badly several times due to the extra air-exposure.
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There is definately a bumper crop of Sceeters out there as I predicted after all that Spring rain. I'm spending much less time outdoors lately to avoid them. I'm very allergic to insect sprays now, n can't stand being next to people who have it on, either. It's been over five years since I've used any. The buggies are gettiin inside the house, too. They attack me inside work also, where I can't escape.
I'm itchy n swell-up like crazy, too.
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My truck blew a big hole in the exhaust system this week, so now it's five times louder than the Harley next door, Yikes... I'm trying to drive as little as possible n very gentle on the gas pedal cause that's really louder!
The good news is, the people next door have gone home. Plus the annoying n loud people downstairs left for the city today. YAY! The teen-age daughter was giving them a big problem, (teen-agers need their social-life) so they left early. What a relief! It'll be a few more weeks before their next trip down. So I'll be sleeping much better, but feeling guilty about being loud myself until I get the truck repaired.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

How Convenient

Well the date is 7-11,... (like the store-)

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Alot has been goin on around here since Independence Day.

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There's a guy I enjoy visiting after work some early a.m. s at a local convenience store on the way home. I always show up exhausted n messy from the job, but he never minds how I look, n always takes time to chat with me. He had a few unexpected nights off last week. I finally tracked him down again the a.m. of the 10th. My buddy, Brian, at the Cumbies Store, was a bit shaken up by a fight that occurred there after the fireworks I'd missed. I had noticed the place roped off n surrounded by Police cars on my way home.

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Last year an out-of-towner was stabbed n killed after that show.

This year's violence fatality was a townee, a 53 year-old man (I've known from over 20 years earlier), who was attacked on Brian's watch at the convenience store. He was hit with the plastic lottery scratch-ticket display case, which had sharp corners, n died from his injuries. Brian feels bad because the dude died, even after he 'd stopped the fight, administered first aid, n did what he could to help. He even had to close down the store because it was "A crime scene."

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The Perp, also a townee, now in custody, according to Brian, had followed the victim there from a bar right down the street from my house. He'd accused the victim, who was a builder, of ripping him off before the attack. I personally don't believe that guy could've intentionally ripped anyone off! He was happy-go-lucky, easy-going, good with his kids, even-tempered, n friendly.

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It's difficult to imagine that anything the man did would warrant deserving to be bludgeoned to death. Very sad, especially for his family.

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I took a good, long listen to Brian's account. We also took a good gander at how the new display case is bolted to the counter, as it should've been to begin with. We also walked around trying to figure out if anything else in there could be used as a lethal weapon in the future. Brian will be reporting recommendations to the corporate HQ. He's having a few issues with the ever-changing store management, n the fact that night there was no one in charge available to call!

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Anyone who takes on the over-night-shift solo in a 24-hour store has my respect. It's alot of risk n responsibility. You never know who will walk in the door, n what they're capable of.

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Convenience store employees, thanks for all you do!

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Then yesterday, I see on the TV news another tragedy, another senseless death.

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I've always hated going through tunnels in Beantown. Many people I know have traveled repeatedly that very way on many airport-run occasions since the "Big-Dig" project was undertaken.

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http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/  9495876/detail.html#

Ceiling panels collapsed in the lead-in- connector tunnel of Route 90, (Mass Pike) East-Bound (near exit 25), just before the "Ted Williams Tunnel" leading to Logan Airport. Several 3-ton cement n steel panels fell on a vehicle, instantly crushing to death Milena Devalle, 38, while her hubby driving, walked away with minimal injures.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/  9495876/detail.html#

How random is that unluckiness? - to have been there at such a wrong instant to have your life ripped away?!

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Modern Continental built the tunnel, n no doubt is about to be bankrupt with lawsuits n rebuilding costs. The steel hangers, or tie-ins, uniquely used to hold panels in that section are reportedly in another possible 17 other Big-Dig locations. The company was accused not long ago with using out-dated cement mix (sub-graded quality) in the project.

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Watch out, folks, our Governor of MA, Mitt Romney, may decide to take a run for oval office one of these days soon. He's taking legal action to oust the Chair man of the Turnpike Authority, who before right now, was self-solvent n did not answer to the Gov's office.

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So the tunnels used to be convenient, now they may be proven deadly! Who want's to go in next? Knock on wood n cross the fingers, make a wish, n pray you're spared!

T.F. Green Airfield in Warwick, RI, doesn't require any tunnel travel for those who feel unlucky, though it's a little inconvenient...

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Like Jelly

My 4th holiday:
Luckily, I was so tired from work, I slept through all the summer holiday noise. I was up for about 2 hours after a phone call, n then got to go back for another nap til 4pm. My first 7 hours of sleep in one day in weeks!
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Then at 6 it was off for a walk to visit my daughter n family down the hill from my place for dinner. We went out n played with the baby awhile. He's so cute at 1.5 years old, walking, talking, dancing, n playing. It reminds me of old times with my kids before they got busy with growing up n going to school.
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It took me two days to finally fix my cell phone so it would work again, n too late today to call my other daughter n grandson. One of the many down-sides to being on an opposite schedule from everyone else! I guess I can't leave the phone in my pocket at work anymore. It's the third time the phone lost power there already. The job's very physical. My wrist is acting up too. It's been so hot n humid lately. I'm hoping the soreness abates before work begins again.
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Still, after the late news I managed to play the national anthem in honor of the holiday n a couple more tunes on my violin before becoming too sore for the wrist. Straight! Keep it straight! no bending! Tall order for the right, writing n bow hand...
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In the news on the Cape this week, are the swimming bans in effect in Falmouth, Nantucket, n off-Cape in Westport (in the water's known as "Buzzard's Bay") because of numerous Portuguese Man-O-War sightings. 14 people have been reported to be treated for stings at local hospitals so far. The large royal blue n violet top-floating, toxic, jellyfish can have tenticles over forty-feet long, n still have poisonous sting capability hours after beaching.
I might have a violent reaction to that one, as I have to many things (like normal jellyfish stings, horsefly bites, n bee-stings), so I haven't been in the water yet, unusual for me. The tropical invertebrate fish haven't been seen here in many decades. Only one, once, that I can remember. Not over 50 of them, in a spread-out area as we're currently experiencing.
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I'm paraniod enough about the sharks, already.
So, erring on the side of caution, my normal "over-my-head" (I wrote a song with that title awhile back) swimming excursions are on hold. I don't like fresh-water swimming, or paying for it, so I'm keeping out of Buzzard's Bay a few more weeks to see what the reports are.
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The only jelly I want will be on the Peanut butter n bread for lunch...

Cove

Photo by SnaggleTooth

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Freedom Warrior

Happy Independence Day, USA!
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Below follows a comment made to a challenge question given at Sugarloaf Mountain, to comment about why this country is great.
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This place is great because I am not a subordinate slave because of my gender. I can believe what I will n talk about it without getting arrested. I'm free to drive across the country if I decide I wanna. I can get educated when ever I wanna.
Money though, we all gotta work for, unless your parents give it to you, which is also allowed. Where ever you're from, you can try again here. This place is so diverse of mixed cultures n blood, it's an interesting country to meet folks n learn about people n the rest of the planet.
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Few people in few countries get to enjoy these benefits.
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I'm so glad n greatful to be here in the U.S.
- n not in the middle East (for example- I could be locked in or stoned to death for my fiesty-ness).
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I salute all the USA's Freedom Warriors
again, (as done earlier at JBI), by word or deed!
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"Live Free or die!"
(Patrick Henry, state slogan of NH)

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Flag Shot

Photo by SnaggleTooth
*pic #1, see post below...

Gotta have the flag up to add to the festive view from my deck of the parked vehicles n naked trees. Actually, this pic was taken Mem-Day week-end.

The Cove

Photo by SnaggleTooth
Pic #2, see post below...

Here's "the Captain's houses" built on stilts over the water's edge taken from the "Dummy Bridge". When the water comes up into the house, plugs in the floor are removed to allow the water to receed back into the cove.
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These homes are located on the other side of the woods-triangle, (shown in these other pics below) across the street from my apartment.