February 16, 2023

Today’s Nation & World section of my local newspaper reported on the rising temperatures in the Gulf of Maine.  During 2022, the Gulf recorded warming that was faster than most of the world’s oceans.  Last year was the second-warmest year on record with an average sea surface temperature of 53.66F (12C), or more than 3.7F (6.6C) above the 40-year average.  The accelerated warming is changing an ecosystem that is host to numerous important commercial fishing industries, especially the American lobster (Homarus americanus), in addition to the rare North Atlantic right whales (Balaena australis).  Last year fell short of setting the mark for hottest year by less than half a degree Fahrenheit, said scientists with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, a science center in Portland.  Warming is driving species more associated with southern waters into the Gulf of Maine and altering its food chain.  That includes species like the black sea bass (Centropristis striata) which prey on the Gulf’s lobsters.

When I looked online, I found the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) and environmental groups have been locked in a fierce debate over lobster regulations for over a decade.  Ecological groups have warned the near-shore vertical fishing lines that connect the seafloor traps to surface buoys can snag whales and call the lines a primary culprit in the devastating collapse of the right whale population.  The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) introduced new rules for catching lobsters last year that limit the number of fishing lines in the right whales’ habitat, requiring knots in the lines that can break free when a whale is entangled, and implementing two seasonal fishing ground closures when the whales migrate to northern waters.  The July ruling by the US District Court judge in Washington D.C. found the 2018 regulations from the NMFS failed to protect the right whale population, and the agency had violated the federal Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.  Lawmakers in New England have been split on regulations targeting the lobster industry, with Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) accusing Seafood Watch of “literally trying to put these people out of business”.  During 2021 Maine’s lobster fishery took in US$724.9 million, a 75% increase from 2020 and the most profitable year in the state’s history.

Interestingly, Right whales earned their name because they were once considered so abundant they were known as the “right whale to hunt” and because they floated when they were killed, a plus for 18th and 19th century whalers.  Whale numbers plummeted due to overfishing during the 1900’s, and dropped to 268 individuals in 1990, although they slowly rebound to 481 individuals in 2011.  The numbers have subsequently dropped each year.  Scientists have been concerned with low birth rates, with only fifteen calves born this year.  According to the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, less than 18 were born last year and only an average of 24 a year in the early 2000’s.  Scientists at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries estimate 85% of right whales have been entangled in fishing gear at least once and efforts to disentangle whales from the gear can be deadly. 

THOUGHTS:  Protection of any species is a delicate balance between competing resources.  The Gulf of Maine’s ecosystem is being disrupted by warming waters that are allowing black bass to migrate north.  Overfishing of the Right whale went unchecked for centuries.  Now politics and competing lifeways are being used to create a desperate patch to resolve a crisis that had been ignored for too long.  In January 2023, the Doomsday Clock was moved forward to 90 seconds (1 minute, 30 seconds) before midnight.  Ninety seconds is only an eternity when your team is holding a precarious lead in basketball.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

February 14, 2023

Today’s Nation & World section of my local newspaper reported that Valentine’s Day spending in the US is projected to be US$26 billion, up from a paltry US$24 billion last year.  The study of 7,616 adults found consumers intend to spend most of this money on loved ones, but there would also be a return to the pre-pandemic habit of also acknowledging others.  Overall spending is expected to nearly match the 2020 pre-pandemic peak, making it the second highest level since the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics began tracking the day’s spending in 2004.  One of the fastest growing categories is for pet-related items.

When I looked online, I found The National Retail Federation (NRF) said Valentine’s Day spending in America will average US$192.80 per person, making Valentine’s Day the third most expensive holiday in the US, just behind Christmas and Halloween.  Men tend to spend twice as much on average than women ($235 vs. $119).  The top gifts for 2023 are candy (57%), greeting cards (40%), flowers (37%), and providing an evening out (32%).  This comes while the consumer price index shows cards and gift wrap are up 16% from a year ago, candy is up 11%, dining out is up 8%, and jewelry and flowers are up about 6%.  Around 36% of those surveyed said they expect their partner to spend at least US$50 on their Valentine’s Day gift.  With the ease of pandemic concerns, 41% of Americans say they would love to receive an experience as a gift this year, such as an evening out or tickets to a concert or sporting event.

Not all gifts are considered equal, and over $9.5 billion is spent on unwanted gifts each Valentine’s Day.  According to WalletHub, you can consider it a waste of money to give gifts like tools (Honey-Do), gym memberships (you need to shape up), sporting equipment (or be more active), kitchen appliances (so you can cook), cheesy stuffed animals (to put next to the pillows on the bed), or a mixtape (all I could think of).  A recent study from Finder.com shows that over 72.5 million people also spoil their pets on Valentine’s Day.  Dog owners spend around US$31.24 on their canine companions ($1.28 billion total), while cat owners spend around US$27.42, on their feline friends ($863 million total).  Generationally, Millennials spend the most on pet gifts, with around US$37.68 for dogs and US$30.16 for cats.  It sounds like I need to get Zena another pup-cup. 

THOUGHTS:  The reason I gave you the heads up last Saturday is that retailers walk a fine line between overstocking expected gifts to running out of the latest craze.  If your partner asks for something specific and it is not delivered, another expensive gift will not be what is remembered.  Love and paying attention to detail are always a good way to go.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

February 13, 2023

After I got home from work yesterday, we finished making the last of the snacks we would nosh prior to (and during) the Super Bowl and put on the ribs for a slow bake.  Melissa already had the pregame shows airing which had started at 9 am.  By 2 pm most of the viewers are fried and know there are still over three hours before the opening kickoff.  That is when they break out the alternative big gun.  While this was Super Bowl LVII, it was also Puppy Bowl XIX.  We tuned to the game and the announcers were providing play by play as the tiny puppies chased and carried a small ball around the field that had been fashioned for them.  Zena is always entranced to see a puppy on TV and she got up close and personal.  See seemed unable to figure out why she could not get a sniff from the puppy standing just in front of her.

When I looked online, I found the Puppy Bowl is an annual television program on Animal Planet that mimics an American football game like the Super Bowl, except using puppies.  The footage shows a group of puppies playing inside a model stadium with commentary on their actions.  The first Puppy Bowl aired on February 6, 2005, at the same time as Super Bowl XXXIX.  This was presented as a novelty show for those not interested (really?) in the actual game.  The puppies featured in the Puppy Bowl are from shelters and the entire program is designed to raise awareness about adopting pets from shelters and rescuing abandoned animals.  This year’s version of puppy Bowl included dogs from one of our local shelters.  Puppy Bowl is shot inside a miniature Plexiglas “stadium” that is 19 feet (5.8 m) long by 10 feet (3.0 m) wide.  Each puppy is between 12 and 21 weeks old and there is a height and weight limit due to the size limitations of the play area.  Yesterday’s Puppy Bowl XIX was the first puppy bowl to go into overtime.  The game includes animal cheerleaders (various species in different years), and a Kitty Halftime show (chasing lasers, etc.).  Like the human game, Puppy Bowl has morphed into a three hour event, with an additional 1 hour pre-game show. 

Puppy Bowl is so popular it has been moved to an earlier timeslot, so it does not compete with the game and is also shown at other times after the human game.  Puppy Bowl is not the only contest centered around the Super Bowl.  Many are known to watch the game for the commercials.  Each year these commercials are graded by Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.  Among this year’s best-ranked ads were those from Google Pixel, T-Mobile, Kia, and PopCorners.  Game commercials also featured some losers that did not win over viewers with their ads.  It cost US$7 million for a 30-second ad during Super Bowl LVII, and advertisers could spend as much as US$10 to US$15 million in total after production costs for a spot, noted Derek Rucker, a Kellogg professor and co-lead of the school’s ad review.  While a great ad can launch a brand’s image and boost sales, a terrible ad can damage the brand.  Rucker believes this year’s ads did not include any huge hits or misses.  Like the reruns of the Puppy Bowl, the ads are available on the net.

THOUGHTS:  For a while I thought the Super Bowl might mirror Puppy Bowl and go into overtime.  After Philadelphia dominated the first half Kansas City scored on every possession in the second half.  The Eagles tied the game and then it ended on a Chief’s field goal with 8 seconds to play (38 – 35).  Being a Kansas son (yes, I know they are from Missouri), I was happy for the Chief’s win but even more for an exciting game.  The game did not appear to start that way and in past years that has not always been the case.  The Gatorade bath tradition for the winning coach goes back 40 years and has been bet on for the last four.  The cameras were said to have missed this iconic moment and it was not shown on TV.  Furious viewers took to Twitter to express their anger.  I learned the bet was won by an outsider (purple).  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

February 11, 2023

My NY Times feed this morning mentioned since Valentine’s Day was fast approaching (February 14th if you forgot) that it was a good time to mention the language of love.  This started with the intimate pet names couples use for each other and how they are sometimes dropped in public, giving the hearer a “mixture of alienating and thrilling” feeling.  Apparently, the author thought this was TMI.  On that note, they moved on to the cryptic messages contained on the candy hearts that arrive every year at this time.  These messages are limited to nine letters at most and are often fewer.   I like to eat these early in the season before the candy turns hard and difficult to chew.  This tends to remind me of past relationships that took the same course.  What really intrigued me was an addon note that the Five Love Languages has been around for 30 years.

When I looked online, I found The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate is a 1992 book by Gary Chapman.  Chapman outlines five general ways romantic partners express and experience love, which he calls “love languages”.  These are acts of service, gift-giving, physical touch, quality time, and words of affirmation.  Chapman goes on to give examples from his

counseling practice, as well as questions to help determine your own (and your partners) love languages.  According to Chapman’s theory, each person has one primary and one secondary love language.  The implication is if you can discover another person’s love language, you can act toward them in ways that demonstrate you care for them.  The book sold 8,500 copies in its first year, 17,000 the next, and 137,000 two years later.  It was on the New York Times Best Seller list from 2009 to 2013 and a revised edition of The Five Love Languages was released on January 1, 2015.

I came across a product review of The 5 Love Languages on doesitreallywork.org.  This rated the book from a variety of perspectives.  On the expertise of the author, “Gary is a well-recognized speaker and counselor when it comes to relationships . . . he has been on over 400 radio stations.”  The book is not only affordable advice but is applicable to almost every relationship as seen in the spinoffs (5 Love Languages for the Workplace, etc.).  The book is not written for relationships in trouble and much of it pertains to how to prevent discord.  There are 13,135 reviewers for the site that had given feedback on The 5 Love Languages and have given the book a five star rating, notable for the relationship genre.

THOUGHTS:  I noticed another piece of advice in the review that rang true when it said you would need to read the book in its entirety (208 pages) and then put the ideas into practice.  I have found love and relationships can (and should) take a lot of time, as anything does that is worthwhile.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

FYI: This information is being provided in advance so you can get ready prior to Valentine’s Day.  While I gave you a week to prepare for the GBBC, you only get four days to prepare for Valentine’s.  Hopefully it will be enough.  A last second bag of last year’s candy hearts may not do the job.

February 10, 2023

We are only one week away from the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) and my email has been lighting up with information concerning how to be involved (Friday, February 17, through Monday, February 20).  The following is gleaned from the GBBC news release from January.  GBBC is an effort to tally as many of the world’s bird species as possible over the four day weekend.  Combined with other bird counts, GBBC results help create a clearer picture of how birds are faring, and whether individual species are declining, increasing, or holding steady in the face of habitat loss, climate change, and other threats.  David Bonter, co-director of the Center for Engagement in Science and Nature at the Cornell Lab, said “we do know that half the bird species in the United States and Canada are decreasing.” An estimated 385,000 people participated during the 2022 GBBC and reported more than 7,000 species from 192 countries.

When I looked online, I found the GBBC is a community science project in ornithology conducted annually in mid-February. The event is supported by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society.  Data is submitted online via a web interface and compiled for use in scientific research.  The GBBC was the first community science project to collect bird sightings online and display results in near real-time.  The GBBC was launched in the US in 1998.  Since 2013, the event has been observed by international bird watchers, and anyone can now participate in the event.  In 2015 nearly half of known bird species worldwide were reported.  The data collected during the event is subject to verification by experts to overcome potential shortcomings in the abilities of amateur participants.

The GBBC is not the only program that relies on amateurs.  When a bright purple ribbon glowed over Alberta, Canada, in 2016 the scientists who study aurora borealis (northern lights) did not know it was there.  Reports came in from night-sky watchers who had cameras and the skills to document the aurora, which they affectionately named Steve.  What was different is these hobbyists had a way to share their experiences and data with the scientist.  Aurorasaurus is a crowdsourced aurora-reporting tool built by a collaboration that includes members of NASA, Penn State University, The New Mexico Consortium, and a small R&D company called Science Education Solutions.  The aurora watchers who used Aurorasaurus are an example of the growing influence of citizen scientists.  When they are enabled by computing power, apps, and the increasing acceptance from researchers, they are directly contributing across wide areas of research.

THOUGHTS:  When we talk of amateur participation it should be noted that several hundred years ago all scientists were citizen scientists, either funded by patrons or on their own.  It was not until the modern university system that scientists were required to have advanced degrees.  The scientists who oversee the GBBC rely on the 100’s of thousands of amateurs who compile the impressive results.  If you would like to be one of them, step-by-step instructions for entering your bird lists for the GBBC is available at:

* Merlin Bird ID app: https://www.birdcount.org/merlin-bird-id-app

* eBird Mobile app: https://www.birdcount.org/ebird-mobile-app

* eBird on a computer: https://www.birdcount.org/ebird-on-computer

Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

February 09, 2023

The back section of my local newspaper picked up an AP article on an effort begin made to bring the dodo bird back from extinction.  Colossal Biosciences first announced a plan to revive the woolly mammoth two years ago, and recently said also wanted to bring back the dodo.  The Dallas company, which launched in 2021, said it had raised an additional $150 million in funding.  To date, it has raised $225 million from wide-ranging investors that include United States Innovative Technology Fund, Breyer Capital, and In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital firm which invests in technology.  To bringing the dodo back is not expected to directly make money but the genetic tools and equipment that the company develops to try to do it have other uses, including for human health care.  Colossal is testing tools to tweak several parts of the genome simultaneously and is working on technologies for what has been called an “artificial womb”.

When I looked online, I found the dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a flightless bird endemic to the island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.  The dodo’s closest genetic relative was Rodrigues solitaire, and both were hunted to extinction.  The two were part of an extinct subfamily (Raphinae) of flightless birds that were a part of the family which includes pigeons and doves.  The subfossil (partly fossilized) remains show the dodo was about 39 inches (1 m) tall and may have weighed 23 to 39 pounds (10.6 to 17.5 kg).  The dodo’s appearance is only known by drawings, paintings, and written accounts from the 17th century, and these accounts vary considerably so the bird’s exact appearance is unresolved, and little is known about its behavior.  It is often described with brownish-grey plumage, yellow feet, a tuft of tail feathers, a grey, naked head, and a black, yellow, and green beak.  It used gizzard stones to help digest its food (fruits?), and its main habitat is thought to have been the woods in the drier coastal areas of Mauritius.  It is assumed the dodo became flightless due to the readily abundant food sources and an absence of predators on the island.  The last dodo was killed by humans in 1681.

Beth Shapiro, a molecular biologist on Colossal’s scientific advisory board, has been studying the dodo for two decades.  The dodo’s closest living relative is the Nicobar pigeon, and her team plans to study DNA differences between the Nicobar pigeon and the dodo to understand “what are the genes that really make a dodo a dodo.”  The team may then attempt to edit Nicobar pigeon cells to make them resemble dodo cells.  It may be possible to put the tweaked cells into developing eggs of other birds, such as pigeons or chickens, to create offspring that may in turn naturally produce dodo eggs.  The concept to recreate the dodo is still in an early theoretical stage.  The environment that supported the dodo has changed dramatically since the 1600’s and because animals are a product of both their genetics and their environment, Shapiro said, “it’s not possible to recreate a 100% identical copy of something that’s gone.”  Even while a company working on technologies to bring back extinct species has attracted more investors, other scientists are skeptical such feats are possible or a good idea.  While the dodo is not a dinosaur, it does recall the Jurassic Park series.  What could go wrong?

THOUGHTS:  The dodo is one of the best-known extinct animals and became known in popular culture as a symbol of an outdated concept or object.  Calling someone a dodo is slang for a stupid, dull-witted person, as the bird was said to be stupid and easily caught.  Detractors to reviving the dodo say this will diminish attempts to keep endangered species from extinction.  What does it matter if we can just bring it back?  Researchers say it will cost 100’s of millions to revive any species, and the result will not be the same as the original.  This leads to the question, “Who is the real dodo?”  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

February 03, 2023

My family gets together for a weekly call to discuss the exciting (or lack thereof) things that are going on in our lives.  This began with the onset of the pandemic lockdowns as we were dutifully trying to stay home.  We also live scattered across 2000 miles (3200 km) in four different cities.  While we had previously tried to stay connected, this became impossible during the pandemic years.  On this week’s call my brother brought up the term throwing shade.  This was used for what I generally called insulting, or disrespecting, or even dissing.  We all laughed when several minutes later he used the word in a sentence.  This is cited by linguists as a proven way to infuse a new word into your vocabulary.  When I looked inside the back pages of what I thought was the sports section of our local newspaper today, I came across an article that referred to “cuffing season,” another phrase which was not familiar.

When I looked online, I found cuffing season refers to a period where single people begin looking for short term partnerships to pass the colder months of the year.  Cuffing season usually begins in October and lasts until just after Valentine’s Day.  The use of the word cuff refers to handcuffs but is slang in the same vein as “hooking up” or “getting hitched.”  The act of seeking out casual romantic relationships is not new, but cuffing season might be original in ascribing that desire to the weather.  The earliest recorded print uses of cuffing season date from college newspapers in 2011, with cuff preceding that as a verb with origins in African-American vernacular as something close in meaning to hook up.  The term saw significant use as college jargon before ever seeing print.  The use of cuff in the title of a 2013 song by the rapper Fabolous may have helped to introduce the phrase to the public at large.  The popularity of dating apps like Tinder gave cuffing season a platform.

When I scanned my newspaper’s USA Today article, I found it was not about cuffing, but referred to a more recent (in name) phenomenon called snow storming.  Snow storming is the opposite of cuffing and involves ending your relationship in favor of a fresh start in the new year.  This could happen because the old relationship was toxic (?), but it often occurs without an obvious reason.  Many people use snow storming rather than choosing to stay in a dissatisfying relationship during the season characterized by loneliness.  Some couples stay in dead-end relationships because it is comfortable and saying goodbye feels too hard.  A new year can prompt a reevaluation to see if your current romance fits your long term goals, or if it is time for snow storming your partner.

THOUGHTS:  The more I read, it seemed cuffing was used to provide a short-term relationship during the cold, lonely nights of winter.  In contrast, snow storming was used to break an old relationship during these same cold, lonely nights to give freedom to prepare for something new.  Relationship coaches warn both approaches should be handled with caution.  Years ago, I read we tend to get in relationships with those who are at the same emotional level as we are, at times a scary thought.  Both cuffing and snow storming can be ways to avoid intimacy and may result in throwing shade (I used it in a sentence).  Emotional maturity is a life-long goal we can never stop working to achieve.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

February 01, 2023

One of Zena’s favorite treats is the “pup cups” she received from our local chain burger drive thru.  Melissa would take Zena along for the ride when she ordered, and the teller would notice her prancing in the back seat.  The pup cup was a small container with a squirt of whipped cream, and occasionally a dog biscuit stuck in the middle.  That treat is one of many things lost as we are coming out of the pandemic, and it is sorely missed by Zena.  Zena turned “1” on Sunday, January 29th and I stopped at the grocery on my way home from work to find the ingredients for a homemade version of the delicacy.  We had the dog biscuits but not the canned whipped cream.  When I got home, I whipped up my version of a pup cup and sang happy birthday as a tribute to Zena’s first year of life.  It reminded me of the saying that every human year is calculated as seven dog years.

When I looked online, I found the idea of “dog’s years” is another myth we get tricked to believe.  While it may be easy to multiply your dog’s age by seven it does not accurately convert to human years because in their early year’s dogs mature more quickly than humans.  The first year of a dog’s life is equivalent to the first 12-15 human years.  The second year of dog life equals 9-10 human years, and each year after that equals 4-5 human years.  That means a dog’s calendar year could equal anywhere from 4-15 human years.  This calculation also depends on the dog’s stage of life, as well as their size.  Smaller breeds tend to have longer life spans than larger breeds.  Small breed dogs are considered senior at the age of 7 calendar years, while large breed dogs might be considered seniors at ages 5-6.  Given Zena’s large size (80 pounds/36kg), she is already the equivalent of 15 human years.  She will be in her puppy stage up to 15 calendar months, her adult stage up to 6 calendar years, a senior until 8-9 calendar years, and “geriatric” when she is over 12 calendar years.  It was easier to just multiply by seven to find the dog years.

When I celebrated Zena’s birthday it also reminded me that January 29th is Kansas Day.  Kansas became the 34th state on January 29, 1861.  The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 opened the two territories to settlement and allowed the new settlers to determine whether the states would be admitted to the union as “free” or “slave”, making it a territorial battleground known as “Bleeding Kansas.”  A hundred years later, Kansas was a battleground of the civil rights movement with the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954.  The Supreme Court decision effectively ended the doctrine of “separate but equal” in public schools.  Kansas is also known for its contributions to jazz music, barbecue (Kansas City), and as the setting of L. Frank Baum’s classic children’s book, The Wizard of Oz.  The dog who played Toto in the movie was a small breed dog who was 10 (or 56 dog years) at the time of filming.  Toto’s biography says she “died in 1945 at the age of 13 (that’s 91 in human years).”  Yet another myth perpetrated as truth.

THOUGHTS:  When I was in Elementary School the art segments of my school day consisted of coloring pictures of that had been mimeographed (look it up) by the school office.  These were then hung along the wall up for mom and dad to ooh and aah over on Parent’s Day.  That meant pumpkins and turkeys for Thanksgiving, Santa’s for Christmas, and heads of presidents in February (Lincoln and Washington) which were all relatively easy to color.  That was not the case for Kansas Day, and we were taxed trying to color the small sunflower and state seal in the center of the flag.  It was times like these I longed for dog years to give me time to finish.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 31, 2023

When I opened my local newspaper to the Nation & World section today, I found an AP article by Jon Gambrell on a test flight in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to power one of the two engines of a Boeing 777.  Flight 2646 flew for just under an hour over the coastline of the UAE after taking off from Dubai International Airport and heading into the Persian Gulf before circling to land.  The second of the plane’s engines ran on conventional jet fuel for safety.  Emirates Airline described the sustainable fuel as a blend that included fuel from Neste, a Finnish firm, and Virent, a Madison, Wisconsin-based company.  “This flight is a milestone moment for Emirates and a positive step for our industry as we work collectively to address one of our biggest challenges — reducing our carbon footprint,” said Adel al-Redha, Emirates’ chief operation officer.

When I looked online, I found that sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is produced from sustainable feedstocks and is very similar in its chemistry to traditional fossil jet fuel.  Using SAF results in a reduction in carbon emissions compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces over the lifecycle of the fuel.  Typical feedstocks used are cooking oil and other non-palm waste oils from animals or plants, as well as solid waste from homes and businesses (packaging, paper, textiles, and food scraps) that would otherwise go to a landfill or to incineration.  Potential sources include forestry waste (waste wood) and fast growing energy crops (plants and algae).  SAF reduces the release of heat-trapping carbon dioxide typically burned off by engines in flight.  While SAF is currently more costly than traditional fossil jet fuel, the cost is a combination of the current availability of sustainable feedstocks and the continuing development of new production technologies.

Aviation releases only one-sixth the amount of carbon dioxide produced by cars and trucks, but airplanes are used by far fewer people per day, meaning a higher per-capita source of greenhouse-gas emissions.  Jet fuel is one of the biggest expenses an airline face.  Emirates used over 5.7 million tons of jet fuel in 2022, costing US$3.7 billion out of its US$17 billion in annual expenses.  Jet fuel cost on average US$146 a barrel at the end of last week, according to S&P Global Platts.  It was not immediately clear how much the fuel used in the Emirates’ test on Monday cost per barrel.  The UAE is a major oil producer and OPEC member and is the host of the next United Nations (UN) climate negotiations (COP28) beginning in November.  OPEC has already been criticized for nominating the CEO of Abu Dhabi’s state oil company to lead the UN negotiations.

THOUGHTS:  A check online found the four major SAF companies are backed by airlines (who use the fuel) and companies who produce and refine fossil jet fuel.  The fossil fuel industry was one of the major players in alternative energy (solar, wind, and geothermal) during the late 20th century, and costs remained high and technology stilted until governments mandated a change.  If this is an example, SAF will not become viable until the public demands it and governments again step in to mandate change.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

January 25, 2023

The snowstorm predicted to arrive yesterday arrived.  Melissa and I had both been slated to go into the office but had opted to work virtually at home.  The storm’s arrival wreaked havoc on both of our work events.  Mine was in the morning and the internet was spotty.  One had problems getting on and another could not hear.  I tried to get the system to work for half of the one hour scheduled meeting, and finally waved goodbye and shut it down.  The on-site workers for Melissa’s meeting all arrived at 8:30 am, but the snow started not long after.  They were all sent home by noon to continue the meeting virtually.  I always loved snow days as a child.  Now as an adult it just means we switch venues, at least if the internet works.  Being at home did give us the opportunity to watch Zena’s first experience with snow.

When I looked online, I found yesterday’s storm was moving in from the south, gathering moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, and preparing to turn it into a wet snow over the Ozark and Ouachita ranges of western Arkansas.  Predictions said the rain will turn to snow around 2 pm with accumulations of 1 to 8 inches (2.5 to 20 cm) in the northwest part of the state.  This is the first snowstorm to hit at a time when we were expected to be working on-site and we wondered if we had made the right decision by staying home.  The snowfall was very wet and began to accumulate quickly.  By this morning we had received 10 inches (25 cm) where I work, 8.5 inches (21.5 cm) where Melissa works, and a respectable 5.2 inches (13 cm) at our house.  The odd part was, this was the first snow I remember where the temperature never dropped below freezing (32F or 0C).  

The forecasters had a great time reporting on our first snow of the year, and this was a “sleeves rolled up” event.  One even took a moment to explain my question about how we were getting snow with temperatures above freezing.  Snowfall happens when a cloud forms with enough moisture in an area with temperatures below freezing.  If the air from the cloud to the ground is also below freezing, the snowflakes will stay frozen.  If there is warm air between the clouds and ground, the snowflakes will begin to melt.  Depending on where the warm air is between the cloud and ground, you can get sleet, freezing rain, rain, and even snow with temperatures above freezing.  For snow with ground temperatures above freezing, you need a very thin warm layer just at the surface, so the snowflakes do not have enough time to melt completely.  As the snowflakes start to melt, they also clump together making them appear bigger than usual.  Our forecaster noted the warm air was only about 100 feet (33 m) above the ground.  While this type of snow rarely accumulates, we were the exception.

THOUGHTS:  Zena was very curious about the first white stuff she saw falling from the sky, but when I let her outside, she became apprehensive.  She could not understand why the flakes were sticking to her coat rather than falling off like the rain she loves to play in and immediately came inside.  As the snow blanketed the patio she grew more used to it, and found when she zoomed around the deck she would slide rather than stop.  It is also common for humans to fear the unknown.  When we strike out across the oceans or to the skies we do not know what to expect.  While there are hazards, there is also bliss that comes from being first to make a discovery.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.