Today we have to put on our running shoes since we are going to attend the Lakeway 5K Wilderness run. This is an annual event put on by The Friends of the Park. This year over 200 folks signed up to run. The event is free and open to all ages and running abilities.
We are catered by III Forks in Austin. Our entertainment is Jackson Browne.
Menu
Snake River Farms – American Wagyu, Gold NY Strip*
Served with flamed Jack Daniel’s Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon Infused Maldon Salt
16 oz
Snake River Farms – American Wagyu, Gold Bone-In Ribeye*
Served with flamed Jack Daniel’s Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon Infused Maldon Salt
24 oz
Classics, Filet Mignon*
6 oz or 8 oz
Atlantic Salmon – tarragon chimichurri
Chilean Seabass
Roasted Chicken
Charred Cauliflower Steak
Let’s get rolling
There’s the sign.
The stage.
The Parks and Recreation table.
Registration.
Juice for later.
Race food – fruit and carbs.
Gift bags.
A quiet chess game before the race.
Warm up exercises.
Getting ready to start.
The firetruck will signal the start.
The mayor, Tom Gilgore (Left) has a few words.
The firetruck horn signals the start.
The race is on.
No, I did not run in the race. At my age even using a wheel chair would be risky. It is time to relax and wait for the runners to return. Let’s have some food and listen to the entertainment.
The coffee machine, as has become a familiar pattern, informs me of a malfunction. This time, the cappuccino operation is temporarily disabled for repairs. Since that was not on my mind this morning, the news has no impact on me. The coffee button starts the process. In checking the date for April 5th, 1925, the only thing going on is a tornado striking Dade County, Florida, causing damage of $300,000 ($5,000,000 in today’s dollars). Not wanting to be involved with a tornado, the decision is to relax with a cup of coffee and leave the clock for next week.
One sip and the doorbell goes off. The effect is like a klaxon horn in a submarine. The pups take up their battle stations and get ready to dive while barking in volumes that would cripple normal hearing. Before the windows shatter and the ears explode, a toss of a puppy treats into the soundproof room causes a mass exodus to grab one. A slam of the door ends the Hounds of Baskerville sound effects.
Before opening and addressing the visitor, the security system needs to be deactivated. Before that, though, the SWAT team needs to be put on standby. A quick text to the leader confirms that status. The control panel makes the shutdown of the security system process simpler. The boiling oil vats are put on standby, the Trebuchet on safety, the concertina wire rolled, the Claymore mines reset, the tower Gattling guns disengaged, the moat net dropped, the alligators fed, the IUDs and shoulder-held rockets put away. The locks on the door are thrown. A look at the security camera shows a bird that looks very much like a road runner standing on the porch. Throwing open the door startles the bird, and with a “beep-beep,” it goes off down the driveway. There is an envelope left in the wake of the bird. It is from Linda Hill. Once opened, the message reads:
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “contains ‘pat.’” Find a word that contains “pat” or use the word “pat” as your prompt. Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
Plastics are durable and strong, which is great while they’re being used but frustrating when they end up in the environment. Scientists at RIKEN in Japan have developed a new type of plastic that’s just as stable in everyday use but dissolves quickly in saltwater, leaving behind safe compounds.
The benefit of plastics is that they’re made with strong covalent bonds that hold their molecules together, meaning they take a lot of energy to break. This is why they’re so sturdy, long-lasting and perfect for everything from packaging to toys.
But those same strong bonds become a problem after the useful life of a plastic product is over. That cup you used once and threw away will sit in landfill for decades, even centuries, before it fully breaks down. And when it does, it forms microplastic pieces that are turning up in all corners of the natural world, including our own bodies, where they wreak havoc on our health in ways we’re only just beginning to understand.
RIKEN researchers have now developed a new type of plastic that can work just as well as the regular stuff when it’s needed, and break down readily into safe compounds when it’s not. It’s made of what are known as supramolecular polymers, which have reversible bonds that function like sticky notes that can be attached, removed and reattached, according to the team.
The team wanted to make a specific type of supramolecular polymer that would be strong enough for the usual uses of plastic, but could also be made to break down quickly when required, under mild conditions and leaving only non-toxic compounds.
After screening a range of molecules, the researchers identified a particular combination that seemed to have the right properties – sodium hexametaphosphate, which is a common food additive, and monomers based on guanidinium ions, which are used in fertilizers. When these two compounds are mixed together in water, they form a viscous material that can be dried to form plastics.
A reaction between the two ingredients forms “salt bridges” between the molecules that make the material strong and flexible, like conventional plastic. However, when they’re soaked in saltwater, the electrolytes unlock those bonds, and the material dissolves.
An artist’s impression of the new plastic, showing the strong bonds above the water and how they break down when submerged in saltwater – RIKEN
In practice, the team found that the material was just as strong as normal plastic during use, and was non-flammable, colorless and transparent. Immersed in saltwater though, the plastic completely dissolved in about eight and a half hours.
There’s one major hurdle with any degradable plastic material of course: what if it comes into contact with the catalyst for its destruction before you want it to? A plastic cup is no good if certain liquids can dissolve it, after all.
In this case, the team found that applying hydrophobic coatings prevented any early breaking down of the material. When you eventually want to dispose of it, a simple scratch on the surface was enough to let the saltwater back in, allowing the material to dissolve just as quickly as the non-coated sheets.
While some biodegradable plastics can still leave behind harmful microplastics, this material breaks down into nitrogen and phosphorus, which are useful nutrients for plants and microbes. That said, too much of these can be disruptive to the environment as well, so the team suggests the best process might be to do the bulk of the recycling in specialized plants, where the resulting elements can be retrieved for future use.
But if some of it does end up in the ocean, it will be far less harmful, and possibly even beneficial, compared to current plastic waste.
A paper describing the research was published in the journal Science.
The good news in this story is further action is being taken to reduce plastic pollution in our oceans. Today’s JohnKu talks about our oceans. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
I randomly opened Detour on the Eternal Road to page 61. With eyes closed, I pointed to the page, and my finger fell closest to the word “exterior,” which became the prompt. (Excuse the blurred book content. I didn’t reset the camera, so my hand is the prominent feature.)
This post was originally published on February 24, 2014. It was co-authored by Marie Ann Bailey and me. Since we all write reviews (or should), I think it will still be helpful.
Top Ten Things Not to Do When Writing a Book Review on Amazon or Anywhere Else
10 When writing a book review, do not provide a five-page synopsis of the book before you even start your review. If you do, at best, readers will just skip the synopsis, and your efforts will be wasted. At worst, readers will confuse the synopsis for your own work, tweet and blog about the review, causing it to go viral and guaranteeing a negative reaction by the author.
9 When writing a book review, do not simply say, “I liked the book. It was really good.” Readers want to know what you liked about the book. If that is all you say, at best, your reviews will simply be ignored. At worst, readers will ignore you in droves when they see you use the same response for everything from Fifty Shades of Gray to Five Billion Years of Solitude and decide not to take your reviews seriously.
8. When writing a book review, do not simply say, “I hated it. It was a waste of time.” If you really didn’t like a book, explain why so the reader can make an informed decision whether or not to read it. If you don’t, at best, readers will just ignore your review, shrugging you off as someone who probably didn’t even read the book. At worst, readers will take exception to your condescending attitude and begin to flag all your reviews as “Not helpful,” quickly causing your reputation as a book reviewer to go south.
7 When writing a book review, do not include spoilers unless you make it clear at the beginning of your review that it contains spoilers. If you do, at best, only a few readers will be disturbed by your spoiler review, and they may even kindly point out your error to you. At worst, a flame war among reviewers of the book will erupt, with you likely getting a call from the author’s pro wrestler brother-in-law, Tiny.
6 When writing a book review, do not think suggesting the author quit writing and take up dishwashing for employment is funny. If you do, at best, readers will take you for the troll you are and ignore you. At worst, you might find yourself suddenly and uncomfortably associated with bullies and brutes, a group of people who tend to eat their own.
5 When writing a book review, do not think the reader needs to know every typo, grammatical error, or other such boo-boo in your review. If you point all these out, at best, your annotations might simply distract the reader from fully understanding what the book is about. At worst, you may be hearing from the author’s attorney because you essentially duplicated the book in your review in your zeal to show your editorial prowess.
4 When writing a book review, do not think that speed reading through a stack of books and then spending a weekend marathon writing reviews will necessarily stoke your reputation as a book reviewer. If you do, at best, readers might be impressed but still wonder about your sanity for producing 60 reviews in 48 hours. At worst, near the end of your marathon reviewing, you conflate Goldfinch with the Peterson Field Guide to Birds, and your reviews become the laughingstock of Amazon reviews.
3 When writing a book review, do not think that just reading a book’s first and last chapter is enough to enable you to write an intelligent book review. If that’s all you do, at best, you’ll wind up just writing “I liked it” or “I hated it” because you really can’t say anything more. At worst, you get called out by another reviewer when you mention the hero survives World War II when, in fact, the book is about zombies, and the hero turns into one in the penultimate chapter.
2 When writing a book review, do not think you need to become an authority on the author of the book you are reviewing. At best, the author will be a stay-at-home mom with two-year-old twins who will feel flattered you think she actually lives a life of romance and danger. At worst, the author could be a lawyer trying his hand at writing fiction and who will not take kindly to your suggestion to the effect: Since he writes from the point of view of a serial killer, he must have experience as a serial killer. In this case, the lawyer may decide to role-play his novel with you as the victim.
1 When writing a book review, do not think you will gain fans and followers by being snarky and rude in your reviews. Okay, you probably will, but consider what kind of fans/followers they will be. At best, they will just be people with nothing better to do than be anonymously rude and snarky on the web. Eventually, you’ll tire of the negativity, change your Gravatar, and start writing constructive reviews. At worst, the people following you could hack into your account and download every Gravatar you’ve ever used and all your email addresses, blogs, and previous book reviews. You will never escape them, making your experience a riveting plot for a dystopian novel. (Whew)
Today, we are visiting the Heritage Center in Lakeway. They are having an open house. This is where all the historical artifacts of Lakeway are kept. Caroline’s of Austin is catering, and Ray Charles is entertaining us.
The Heritage Center was dedicated on November 11th, 2005. The new construction included restoring a portion of the original ranch house erected in the 1930s. The Center includes an archive storage room, the archivist’s office, public restrooms, a small kitchen, and a meeting room.
The Center is named in honor of Byron D. Varner, who wrote the first historical record of Lakeway. It is titled Lakeway: The First 25 Years.
The Rock Room is the only surviving piece of the original ranch house built in the 30s.
Watch your head going into the Rock House.
A fireplace to warm up after working the ranch all day.
A place to play cards and have meals.
Old church bench in the corner.
Now inside the Center itself, volunteers are honored
The walls are lined with historical documents.
The archive is packed full of artifacts.
A display case where more items can be seen.
Another display.
What is an open house without cookies.
A painting of the Fourth of July parade in 2009. (There is a parade every year)
The proud eagle telling us the tour is over
Time to enjoy brunch and the music. I hope you all have a terrific week.
The coffee machine gives me a message that it needs to be cleaned. It is an automated process that only requires me to drop a cleansing tablet into the appropriate hopper when prompted. Knowing full well until the machine is cleaned, there will be no coffee. So the button is pressed, which starts the twenty-minute cycle. What does one do for twenty minutes while a small devil attempts to beat a hole in your head for the lack of caffeine?
Looking at March 29th, 1925, it is one day when nothing much happened. Just as the coffee’s ready, the doorbell rings, sending Twiggy and Tempeste into fits of fur-shedding caterwauling that threatens to shatter the windows. Moving them into a soundproof room with a knuckle bone, the security system needs to be addressed.
Of course, the security system needed to be disengaged before going to the door. The control panel made the process simpler. The boiling oil vats are put on standby, the Trebuchet on safety, the concertina wire rolled, the Claymore mines reset, the tower Gattling guns disengaged, the moat net dropped, and the IUDs and shoulder-held rockets put away. The locks on the door are thrown. The final camera check picked up the image of a rabbit chomping on an oversized carrot. “What do you want?” is my greeting through the loudspeaker system . “Hey, Doc. Open the door.”
Heaving the heavy six-inch door open, my first expression was, “Awe, aren’t you cute.”
“Cute smoot, Doc. I’m here on business.”
“What kind of business?”
“I have a message from Linda Hill.”
“Aww, that’s so nice of you.”
“Here, take it.”
The rabbit handed me an envelope and disappeared around the side of the house. Heaving the door closed and resetting the alarm system before opening the envelope. Once done, the message from Linda Hill read: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “awe/aww.” Use one, use both, use ’em any way you’d like. Bonus points if you fit them both into your post. Enjoy!
Fearing the worst after a prop plane was reported overdue for landing in Alaska last Sunday, search and rescue volunteers were relieved when news rang out that all three passengers survived.
The pilot and two children, who were in elementary and middle school, survived a crash landing on the frozen surface of Tustumena Lake and walked until they were seen.
The story first broke Sunday night/Monday morning that a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser, which departed Sunday from Soldotna Airport near Kenai on a sightseeing trip, didn’t land when it should have.
John Morris, the father of the missing pilot, told CNN affiliate Alaska’s News Source that his son’s cell phone sent its final ping at about 5:00 p.m. Sunday evening over Tustumena.
Alaska’s News Source reports that a National Guard and state trooper search and rescue operation was augmented by volunteers from the community. One family friend posted a notice for help on Facebook that was re-shared 420 times.
Eventually, a Good Samaritan who saw the plane wreckage and three people walking on the frozen lake helped rescuers find them.
The three survivors were taken to a Kenai Peninsula area hospital and treated for “non-life-threatening injuries.”
Dale Eicher was one of the locals who heard the call for help. With a background in assisting search and rescues, he went up in his own plane to look for survivors but had barely arrived in the last known position before he heard over the radio that three people had been reported found.
“I called the troopers immediately because I was still in cell service, and I knew it was a really good chance that the guy who had found him was not in cell service,” Eicher said. ” I was really shocked. I didn’t expect that we would find them. I didn’t expect we would find them alive for sure…it doesn’t always turn out this well.”
The good news here is the community went all out to find the survivors of a plane crash even though it seemed unlikely anyone could survive. Today’s JohnKu talks about hope. I wish you all a super weekend.
