Membership Sideblog
- The Marcus Welby of law, by Lance Heisler | Lampe Law Group
July 31, 2010 | 7:45 pmGrowing up in North Dakota during the 50s and 60s, I was privileged to experience something that's all too rare now - the old-fashioned family doctor. "Doc" delivered babies, set broken bones, treated pneumonia, and helped Grandpa with his newfangled hearing aid. Doc knew the community, the families, and the individuals whose basic medical needs he treated from birth through the end of life. Some of you who grew up in that time, and perhaps in smaller communities, may remember a Doc of your own. . . . → Read More: The Marcus Welby of law, by Lance Heisler | Lampe Law Group
- Kitty Mania at the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society, by Sandy Vesledahl
July 28, 2010 | 10:51 pm
Let’s talk about cats, cats and more cats! Why?? Because Prairie’s Edge Humane Society is full of cats and we have many more arriving daily. As of today, there are 44 cats on the adoption floor with more awaiting their surgeries so they are ready for adoption. There are cats in every corner of the shelter who need homes! We are in desperate need of homes for these cats. We cannot emphasize this enough. So we are having a cat sale and we are calling it Kitty Mania ! Kitty Mania is this weekend, beginning Thursday, July . . . → Read More: Kitty Mania at the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society, by Sandy Vesledahl
- On Watermelons and Widgets, by Tom Swift
July 12, 2010 | 11:50 am
The free market does many things well, but we know it does not do everything. Even market fundamentalists concede that the public must build roads, put out fires, police streets, and provide national defense. Most people, at least those to the left of the Tea Party edge of political spectrum, accept that the government must also be involved in education, disaster relief, and health care. That is, certain services must be rendered — necessary services, universal services — whether or not those services are financially profitable. If your house is on fire, you do not have time to . . . → Read More: On Watermelons and Widgets, by Tom Swift
- Vintage Band Festival Contra Dance, by Dan Bergeson
July 12, 2010 | 10:56 am
Okay, so most of the news about the Vintage Band Festival so far has been about the bands. But there’s a number of other events during the weekend. Like the VBF Contra Dance, for instance. The Vintage Band Festival Contra Dance will feature music by The Dodworth Saxhorn Band of Ann Arbor, Michigan and will be led by dance instructor/caller Robin Nelson. Dancing will begin at 8:30 p.m. with a “Grand March” led by 60 costumed members of the 1st Wisconsin Infantry Brigade, followed by a variety of period dances including polkas, contra dances, schottisches, reels and waltzes. . . . → Read More: Vintage Band Festival Contra Dance, by Dan Bergeson
- The Animal-Cruelty Syndrome, by Tom Swift
June 27, 2010 | 8:00 am
Even before I read the first word of this article I had a visceral reaction to it. The accompanying photographs — my eyes tend to skip over photographs in magazines — affected me in a manner that is difficult to articulate. I knew, immediately I knew, I was not going to like what I was about to read. In fact, for that reason I put the piece aside. Not now, I thought. Maybe tomorrow, I said to myself. But, then, I couldn’t not read it, either. If you have not done so already, I hope you will read . . . → Read More: The Animal-Cruelty Syndrome, by Tom Swift
- Puppies! Puppies! Puppies! by Kathy Jasnoch
June 27, 2010 | 7:54 am
June may be Adopt A Cat month here at Prairie’s Edge Humane Society and we have lots of wonderful cats, but we also have PUPPIES! We have a male Newfoundland mix named Chong who is 6 months old, he was a stray so we don’t know a lot about him. He loves to play! We also have three Australian Cattle Dog mixes who are two months old. Marcia, Bobby and Cindy were born at the shelter and spent some time in one of our fabulous foster homes. They are now back at the shelter and ready to find . . . → Read More: Puppies! Puppies! Puppies! by Kathy Jasnoch
- Relay for Life of Rice County, August 6th, Rice County Fairgrounds. By Sandy Vesledahl
June 23, 2010 | 9:35 pm
The American Cancer Society Relay for Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay for Life, teams of people camp out at local parks or fairgrounds and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events. Relay for Life of Rice . . . → Read More: Relay for Life of Rice County, August 6th, Rice County Fairgrounds. By Sandy Vesledahl
- Critter Cam live from Prairie’s Edge Humane Society, by Sandy Vesledahl
June 16, 2010 | 9:04 amNow Showing! Live Kittens playing! You can now watch our adoptable animals at Prairie’s Edge Humane Society (PEHS) live 24/7 on the new Critter Cam installed in conjunction with KYMN Radio. Thanks to the fine folks at KYMN radio we now have a live feed of our adoptable animals showing on our website and KYMN’s website, Tim and Jeff are AWESOME! Currently the Critter Cam is featuring kittens available for adoption. Watch them play, sleep, eat, and everything else they do 24 hours a day 7 days a week! It’s better than anything you can see on TV! . . . → Read More: Critter Cam live from Prairie’s Edge Humane Society, by Sandy Vesledahl
- Save the Northfield Depot: fundraising help needed. By Lynn Vincent
June 11, 2010 | 11:34 am
A BIG Thanks to all of you who came to last Monday’s Volunteer Organization Meeting, and to those who contacted us saying you wanted to help but could not make the meeting. We have pretty full support for Communications and Design and Build sub-committees, and we got a web graphic designer to help with the site. Alice Thomas is facilitating the Communications group, and Steve Edwins is facilitating the Design and Build group. What we are missing and really need are Fund Raising people. We have two grant writiers, but we need folks who are committed to the . . . → Read More: Save the Northfield Depot: fundraising help needed. By Lynn Vincent
- Photo albums: 2010 Prairie’s Edge Humane Society Walk for the Animals, by Bridgette Hallcock Photography
June 11, 2010 | 8:09 am
Thank you to all of those who came to Alexander Park on a beautiful Saturday morning in May to help support Prairie’s Edge Humane Society! I have placed all of the fun photographs on my Bridgette Hallcock Photography Facebook page so that everyone can see how much fun we had! See the two 2010 Walk for the Animals albums here and here. If you would like a print, please contact me, as the proceeds will benefit the animals at PEHS.
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Solution to Global Warming: Paint the Town White
By Tracy Davis, on February 1, 2009, 3:04 pm
According to a recent article by David Adam, environmental correspondent for The Guardian,
[Hashem] Akbari is poised to launch a campaign to paint the world white. He wants dozens of the world’s largest cities to unite in an effort to replace the dark-coloured materials used to cover roads and roofs with something a little more reflective.
It sounds simple, but the effect could be dramatic. Study after study has shown that buildings with white roofs stay cooler during the summer. The change reduces the way heat accumulates in built-up areas – known as the urban heat island effect – and allows people who live and work inside to switch off power-hungry air conditioning units.
Read the whole article here.
 The new Land Development Regulations for Northfield are still undergoing revision. What about the idea of articulating requirements or providing incentives so that all new buildings with a footprint larger than X should have reflective/light-colored roofs..? Now, we’re not an urban heat island (yet), but this can’t hurt, might help, and could have minimal negative economic impact. Why not?
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but I’d have a hard time during the sabbatical not paying attention to see if that was actually the case. I think the more places in Northfield...
Though there appears to be a high degree of political consensus regarding global warming, there is no scientific consensus; so I would hesitate before we start painting the world white.
Seems it would be more fun and increase the economic base of Northfield if we painted the town red. (Oops! I’m really dating myself with that one!)
We actually lightened the color of our roof when we had it replaced soon after the hail storm. My roofer did confirm that the temps are a few degrees cooler, and I did do some other research and was told that world wide, it would not much matter, but when you are flying in a small plane over roads and feel the heat bumps from that, it makes you know that there would be some difference, but enough to noticeably affect anything in a short amout of time, prolly not. I did however slight sense a ‘coolness’ about the house this last summer, but it may have been selective thinking on my part.
The hot roof is a green, growing roof it seems — instead of merely reflecting light as a white roof would, it does photosynthesis and helps with greenhouse gasses.
Norman, you wrote, “there is no scientific consensus.” This is actually not true: There’s a great deal of consensus, but you wouldn’t know it by listening to the mainstream media, which is always trying to appear “fair” by interviewing one scientist who represents the global warming skeptics who are in the minority, and one who represents the growing consensus, in the majority:
“Journalistic Balance as Global Warming Bias
Creating Controversy Where Science Finds Consensus”
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1978
Meanwhile, as the scientists become more sure, and as most claim they don’t feel pressured by other scientists to toe the scientific politically correct line, conservative propaganda claims otherwise and seems to be winning among only the GOP:
“The Deniers are winning, but only with the GOP”
http://ecoamerica.typepad.com/blog/2008/10/the-deniers-are-winning-but-only-with-the-gop.html
As part of the propaganda, some conservative sources claim that “the same” scientists who warned of a coming ice age in the 1970′s now warn of global warming… but this is a complete myth. It was a minority opinion in the ’70′s that an ice age was coming, and the media latched onto it for its sensationalism. There was no consensus then as there is now about global warming:
Study debunks ‘global cooling’ concern of ’70s
Updated 2/22/2008 2:10 PM
By Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/2008-02-20-global-cooling_N.htm
Was There Consensus for Global Cooling in the 1970s?
February 28th, 2007 by Stephen
http://safle.org/wordpress/2007/02/28/was-there-consensus-for-global-cooling-in-the-1970s.html
It’s not about science; it’s about big money defending profits and conservative dittoheads run amok, repeating propaganda for the echo-chamber.
Check out “Apocalypse? No!” – you can view it on U-Tube. Its about 80 minutes long and is an excellent antidote to Gore’s scary movie. I also have a DVD of it (if Bruce Morlan ever gives it back!).
Also, try “Scared To Death: From BSE to Global Warming: Why Scares are Costing Us The Earth”, a book by Christopher Booker & Richard North.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100262412
I heard this story on NPR this morning. It’s about a giant snake found in the Amazon. On first glimpse it has nothing to do with global warming.
Read carefully, because it does.
Scientists are amazed by this find, because they never thought that the rain forest can actually become this hot????
I find it somewhat arrogant of us humans wanting to predict the impact of global warming for the next hundred years, when we can’t even predict the weather for tomorrow.
W
Let’s not forget that even if global warming is not an event of concern, pollution still is one.
Bright,
Not sure how old you are, but I am old enough to remember when pollution was a lot worse then it is today.
This deosn’t mean we can sit back and relax…but it also doesn’t mean we have to push the panic button and make foolish decisions that will hurt us in other ways.
Peter- Thanks for the snake link. I’m not sure we have a good understanding of the historical climate fluctuations and their effects upon the environment. They are different from day to day weather changes. We are talking about long term trends over the whole globe, not local storm tracks or intensities. But the article does raise a good question- is the environment able to adapt to these long term fluctuations better than we presently think it can? Perhaps there is more to be learned from history than we presently know. In the mean time, I think I’ll keep my present roof color. It is light enough to reflect some heat in the summer but dark enough to absorb some in the winter when I need it. It is called a medium value. You should know what that means, Bright.
John, Here is how I see it..the sun ray angle in the summer is more straight above the roofs and therefore beats down on them harshly. In the winter, the sun travels lower in the sky and that is where we can expect four hours or so of heating time through our southern windows. The sun doesn’t really influence the winter roof at all, and especially when the roofs are covered with snow. That’s the short version of it all.
Yes, Peter, there used to be a LOT more urban pollution and panicking is never a good thing.