Pennsylvania - No Link Between Fracking and Bad Drinking Water

From the Washington Times

Methane study, EPA debunk claims of water pollution, climate change from fracking

After a 16-month investigation, state regulators Monday said that natural gas fracking, contrary to highly publicized claims, isn’t to blame for high methane levels in three families’ drinking water in a northern Pennsylvania town.

I Love This Electric Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite

Integration Hits Georgia Prom - in 2013

Harry Note - I understand that the proms were segregated because the "white men couldn't dance."  :-)

For the very first time on Saturday, in small town Rochelle, Ga., students at Wilcox County High School, had their first student-ran integrated prom, an endeavor where organizers said they were looking “to right the wrongs of the past.”

That past involved students’ parents who’d host and control the prom festivities of the high school, not its school board that’s avoided endorsing the special occasion for decades, according to ABC News.

The parents held separate proms -- one for white students and one for black students.

In an effort to push back, four Wilcox County High School senior girls -- two black and two white -- campaigned for an integrated prom, launching a Facebook page asking for support and donations to fund their independent prom that would be welcoming of all.

“We live in rural south Georgia, where not too many things change,” the Integrated Prom Facebook page states. “Well, as a group of adamant high school seniors, we want to make a difference in our community. For the first time in the history of our county, we plan to have an integrated prom.”

The page, with its banner of “Love has no color,” has garnered over 27,000 Likes as of Monday.

On Saturday, the girls expressed their delight and nerves, posting:  “TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!!! SO BEYOND EXCITED :-) *BUTTERFLIES IN OUR STOMACHES AND SCREAMING WITH EXCITEMENT*

Well over 4,000 people liked the status and nearly half of the school’s student body showed up for the historical event.

South Ward Fire Company - Tamaqua PA - Now Part of LCCC

Photo of old South Ward Fire Company by Don Serfass

In the 1950s - 1960s - 1970s - my dad spent a lot of time here. This building used to be the South Ward Fire Company. On the left side was a social hall - on the right side was a bar. In the basement was the garage for the two trucks.

The bar ran the length of the whole right side (east side). There was a phone at the end of the bar that was constantly ringing - a social network of all the members. My Dad spent hours there with his friends - supposedly just drinking the 6 ounce bottles of Coca Cola.

Pop was the chief engineer for several years. He enjoyed driving the "Buffalo" down Hunter Street - "balls to the wall" - mufflerlessly echoing of the old Courier building. I wonder if anyone used mufflerlessly before in a sentence.

This view is facing north - our house was about 1/2 mile behind it.

Many men in Tamaqua used that "hose house" as a poor man's mancave. Whenever I needed a cash fix -  one press of the door bell would buzz me in - and Pop was always good for some loose change - in front of his buddies.

Tamaqua Fire Truck Comes Home From Florida

Harry Note - These pictures were stolen from Dale Freudenberger's page - the following story is form the Ocala News. I was waiting for a picture from Don Serfass of this truck surrounded by Magnolias :-) 

Old fire truck departs Silver Springs

By Andy Fillmore
Correspondent

Published: Sunday, April 28, 2013 at 8:56 p.m.

SILVER SPRINGS - The old fire truck is finally going home.

The 1922 Seagrave, a pumper that in its prime could provide 750 gallons of water per minute, has been on display at the Silver Springs attraction for more than 20 years.

But now, with the attraction coming under state control, all the park inventory — from animals on down — is being sorted and cleared.

That’s why, on a recent day, several Silver Springs employees watched as the red machine was loaded onto a 53-foot-long specialized hauler for a 1,000-mile, 22-hour trip.

Destination: Tamaqua, Pa.

***

The fire engine was purchased for $23,000 in 1921 by the Tamaqua Citizens Fire Company No. 1, one of four volunteer fire companies still active in the town of 6,800.

The truck served faithfully until 1959, when it was sold to an Allentown collector and sat in a barn for almost 30 years.

“A husband and wife saw it in a (car collector) magazine and purchased it and transported it to Ocala,” said Dale Freudenberger, president of the Tamaqua Historical Society.

What happened next is unclear, but somehow the truck made its way to Silver Springs in the early 1990s, where it was on display in the antique auto museum once located on the grounds. The truck also served as a photo backdrop for gatherings and weddings.

***

The state of Florida will take over operation of Silver Springs Nature Park and adjacent Wild Waters effective Oct. 1. The sale of the fire truck is part of preparations for the state takeover, according to Silver Springs director of operations Brent Owens.

“We are shipping things out. The bears, for instance, are going to Colorado. Palace Entertainment (the current operator) and the state didn’t want the fire truck,” he said.

Both Ocala Fire Rescue and Marion County Fire Rescue expressed interest in the 91-year-old truck. But a decision was made to accept the $5,000 offer from the Tamaqua Historical Society, Owens said.

“We’re happy to see the truck go home,” he added.

The return of the truck to Tamaqua was the culmination of a yearlong effort by the historical society, spearheaded by Bob Dampman, 56, who became involved due to his family’s connection to Tamaqua: His parents, Jim and Florence, met and married in Tamaqua before moving to Brooksville aroiund 1971.

The younger Dampman acted as a liaison between Silver Springs and the historical society, sending pictures and information of the condition of the truck.

“I remember this fire truck when it was used in parades and festivals. My brother-in-law was with the volunteer company,” said Jim Dampman, 81.

“I was about 10 and I remember seeing the truck in a parade in 1943 tied to World War II,” Florence Dampman said.

***

In Tamaqua, historians and citizens alike are ready to welcome the Citizen’s Fire No. 1 truck back home.

“This is wonderful; we are very happy to get this truck back,” Freudenbeger said. “We will definitely get the truck cleaned up right away and then look at repairs or restoration. The truck will be in parades as soon as perhaps the end of this year.”

The Dampmans joined the Silver Springs employees to watch long-distance hauler Thomas Matonick of 1st Choice Transportation of Hazelton, Pa. and Gordon Goodwin of Dave’s Towing and Recovery in Citra gently load up the truck.

“It’s sort of sad,” said Bill Hall, as he and fellow Silver Springs employee Thomas Higgs looked on.

Both men agreed they were happy to see the truck go back to its roots.

“I remember the fire truck was across the street at another museum until it was brought across to the park,” said Virginia Ferguson, a 40-year employee and first female glass bottom boat captain.

As the truck was secured, Bob Dampman felt his mission was accomplished.

“I did this to honor my dad,” he said.

New FSU Football Practice Fields - Indoors and Outdoors

On the left your see Doak Campbell Stadium - in the center is the outdoor practice field - on the right is the indoor practice field. In August Tallahassee experiences lots of lightning and rain that cancels practices. No more.

The indoor practice park looks a lot like a big airplane hangar.

Lulu and I just got home from a baseball game. FSU beat Wake Forest 11- 2. From the baseball stadium you get a good view of the new football complex.

We got a good look at the new football practice fields - one indoors and one outdoors. They are right next to Doak Campbell Stadium. They look like they will be done by August 1st - in time for the first practice.

The fields are being funded completely by booster donations - $20 million worth. Funny - we can raise tons of money for this - but the professors have not gotten a raise in like 6 years.

The practice building is essentially a big steel pole building - no pillars inside. The outdoor practice field has been raised up about 5 feet to provide better drainage. You can see the series of plastic pipes that will be under the turf.

This weekend FSU sent a school record 11 players into the NFL via the draft. You think with talent like that they should end up better than playing Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl.

This Really Ran in My Hometown Newspaper On Wednesday

Wednesday, April 24, 2013 By DEN MCLAUGHLIN dmclaughlin@tnonline.com A Lansford woman, who borough police found naked from the waist down outside a convenience store, entered a guilty plea in the case on Tuesday in Carbon County court. Heather Michelle Hayes, 25, pleaded guilty to one count each of indecent exposure and open lewdness before Judge Joseph J. Matika. Hayes was charged following an incident which took place on Feb. 26 at Turkey Hill. Charges of indecent

It's Always Bigger In Texas

Taken from 

"The Rant" by Tom Degan

Everything's bigger in Texas....Ahem.
`

Governor Good Hair

 "Here's what we know after more than a decade of Republican rule: Texas works."

-Governor Rick "Good Hair" Perry

Howdy there, Texas! How's all that DE-regulation workin' out fer y'all?

Governor Perry is absolutely correct when he tells us that "Texas works". What he neglected to mention is that it doesn't work very well. Molly Ivins, a native of the Lone Star State, once expressed a heartfelt feeling of gratitude toward the state of Mississippi: "If it weren't for Mississippi we here in Texas would be dead-last in just about everything." Dear Lord, I miss Molly Ivins. She was just about the funniest human being who ever walked this earth.

The fertilizer plant that exploded a few miles outside of Waco, Texas this week decimated part of the town. The plant had not been inspected since 1985 - nearly three decades ago. As of this moment fifteen are dead with an estimated sixty or more not accounted for. We can expect the death toll to go through the roof in the days to come. 1,350 times the amount of ammonium nitrate that was legal to have in one spot was at this site. In an interview on Current TV the other day, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now put it perfectly when she labeled this latest massacre "industrial terrorism". And this was indeed a massacre. Make no mistake about it. This is the price we pay for conservative form of governance. Are you having fun yet?

This is a topic I've been beating to death on this site for nearly seven years now. Conservative ideas and conservative policies and conservative politicians have destroyed this country. This used to be a nice place in which to live. It's not anymore. And if the people in the so-called "red States" keep going down the road they're presently traveling, it's going to get a lot worse for them in the future.

Would you like to check out a real, honest-to-goodness conservative paradise? Here's a perfect illustration of what I'm talking about: Have you ever caught those ads that are shown late at night on cable television? "For less than a dollar a day you can help Julio get the food he needs to eat and the clean water he needs to drink". You see scenes little Julio walking through garbage-strewn paths, attempting to retrieve water from a sewer-contaminated stream. Those ads always emanate from countries like El Salvadore or Guatemala - right wing dictatorships - places where there is no government regulation whatsoever! 

Wanna have a gander at what the conservatives in this country have in store for America if they ever unconstitutionally seize total control of our government (as they're trying to do)? The next time you take a vacation, visit one of those places. Have a lovely trip.

This 4th Grade Has Gay Marriage Right

Another Honda Scooter - 27 Years Old - One Owner - 2000 Miles

1986 Honda Helix scooter with 2000 miles on it - one owner. 

The Craigslist ad was just too tempting. 

For Sale
Pearl white 1986 Honda Helix CN 250 motor scooter. Original owner, only 2200 miles, garage kept and in like new condition. Capable of carrying two people at highway speeds. Recently serviced by Orion Motorsports in Tallahassee, FL. and ready to go at $1950.

Yes - it was priced way too high according to the NADA guide - but I just had to have a look at the 27 year old scooter still driven by the original buyer.  The ad said he lived by the mall - about one mile from my house. 

A New Light Bulb Better Than The CFL - Swirly Bulbs

I just received 10 of these light bulbs. They are LED bulbs made by Samsung. 

Here are the nice features -

1. They are LED - Light Emitting Diode - no mercury inside - perfectly safe to throw away - but supposedly they last 18 years.

2. They give off very little heat - even after hours of use you can palm them. I measured 97 degrees on my bulb after being turned on all day.

3. When in a lamp they look like a normal bulb - no swirls.

4. They are not as fragile as glass bulbs or the swirly bulbs.

5. They are bright instantly - no warm up period. 

6. They only use 7 watts an hour - less than 1/10th of a cent an hour - you can leave them on all day for under 2 cents.

7. The 7 watt bulb gives off the equivalent of a normal 60 watt incandescent bulb. Same amount of light - 1/9th the cost.

8. They work in any kind of light fixture - some of them are dim-able.

9. You can pretend you are a greenie - but really you are doing it to save money.

10. Good for places where it is hard to change bulbs.

11. They work in 110 volt and 220 volt lamps.

12. The top reason - Lulu likes them.

The price is coming down rapidly. I have no stock in the company. I will report back later if any bulbs fail.

Bad features - 

1. They cost $10 each.

Shall We Give Back Jim Thorpe's Body?

Bill White of The Morning Call wrote this - 

 The fight over Jim Thorpe's body is sufficiently goofy that I decided to resurrect a 2009 column I wrote the last time he was in the news. The latest development, in case you didn't see it, is that a federal judge says Carbon County's Jim Thorpe has to send his body back to Oklahoma, barring appeals. Here was my take on it back when Thorpe's sons started threatening suit:     
   In my dream, Jim Thorpe Borough Council called the public hearing to order.
  "We're here tonight to consider the latest request from the family of Jim Thorpe to retrieve his remains from our cemetery and put it in Oklahoma on the Sac and Fox burial grounds," explained council President John McGuire. "We thought it would be helpful to get the sense of our community on this matter. Mr. Solicitor, can you lay out the background for the audience?"

Little Honda

In the summer of 1965 (when Lulu was 11) - I bought my first vehicle. It was a Honda Cub. Now 50 years later - and Honda selling more Cubs than any other vehicle made (60 million) - a company in Taiwan is marketing a replica. It is called the Symba. I just got back from my local Scooter store after looking at one. I did not take it for a drive but my mind raced back 50 years.

My 1965 Honda Cub had a tiny 50cc engine - and a three speed manual transmission with automatic clutch. That meant your shifted it with your foot but did not have to engage a clutch. It only went 45 MPH - but it did get 200 miles per gallon. At the time we were buying gasoline for 25 cents a gallon so who cared. Mine started by a kick pedal - but those with an extra $25 got an electric starter. Two people could ride on it at once - if they didn't weigh more than 300 pounds total.

This is a picture of the Symba - I just took it this afternoon.

I drove that bike from Tamaqua PA to Allentown - Tamaqua to Gettysburg - and later from Tamaqua to Virginia.

In 1965 - you could buy a new one for $215. At the time - a starting teacher made about $5000. I was making $2 every morning delivering milk for Heisler's Dairy. Read the fine print above - it says 200 miles per gallon!

The Real Honda Cub

There are a few improvements on the Symba over the Honda Cub. The Symba has a 110cc engine - and 4 speeds. The Cub was just 50cc and 3 speeds. The 2013 Symba has fuel injection. 

The local dealer had some 2010 Symba's with carburetors. 

The original Honda Cub had both the light and the speedometer in a plastic fairing. 

In 1964 - The Beach Boys wrote a song called "Little Honda" that made these scooters very popular. 50 years later - only 3 original Beach Boys remain.

We Just Got A Ride Home In A 1931 Chevrolet

Peter and Harry in front of the 1931 Chevrolet.

Lulu and I just attended the neighborhood picnic. We were about to walk the three blocks home when we saw this beautiful black 1931 Chevy sedan on the street. Usually Lulu is not that bold - but she said to the guy - How about a ride home? He said sure - although I was sure that he didn't know I came along in the deal. 

Judge Rules Jim Thorpe's Body Must Go Home To Oklahoma

From The Times News - Lehighton PA

Ruling issued yesterday in U.S. District Court; jurist labels the borough a 'museum'

By RON GOWER rgower@tnonline.com

A federal judge ruled yesterday that Jim Thorpe's body, buried in the Carbon County town named for him, should be returned to his family.

Judge A. Richard Caputo, U.S. District Judge in the United States Middle District, Scranton, stated in his one-page order, "The borough of Jim Thorpe is a 'museum' under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and subject to the requirements of the Act, including those provisions governing repatriation requests."

Red 1978 Ford F100 Custom

Lines look very nice from the side.

I just got done examining this truck and taking it for a ride. 

It was better than I expected.

It is a 1978 Ford F100 Custom Flareside Pickup Truck. It has a 351 V8 engine with 2 barrel carb. It has automatic transmission - power steering - power brakes. The AC works. It has a new windshield - new sliding rear window - the seat is fair - needs reupholstering. It has an aftermarket radio/CD player with an input for the iphone. The body has a few dents and some rust. The doors fit remarkably well.

It has a new gasoline tank and taillights. 

These Senators Voted Against Universal Background Checks Of Gun Buyers

Please vote against them if you can.

Alexander (R-TN)
Ayotte (R-NH)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)

My Letter To Senator Rubio

Rubio Drinking the NRA Kool-Aid.

Senator Rubio -

I am very disappointed that you voted against the gun bill on universal background checks. You have lost my vote. 90% of America is in favor of that bill - but you chose NRA money. Shame on you.

When you run for president - I am retired - and I will use all of my strength to campaign against you. I live close to the Capitol here in Tallahassee - you will remember my house when I put a 10 foot tall picture of Hillary in my front yard.

We know what kind of backbone you have. Shame on you for selling your soul and the lives of your fellow Floridians for NRA money.

You are nothing but a miniature George Bush - I can't imagine being smaller than that man.

Shame on you.

Harry Everhart

GM Will Sell Electric Spark This Summer

Only Oregon and California will get it for now - But GM is going to sell its first all-electric car in America this summer. The Chevy Spark will be made in South Korea - but the engines will be built in Baltimore.

The car is supposed to sell for $32,000 - and the 100 kilowatt engine will have 400 foot pounds of torque. With that power it will be one of the peppiest electrics on the road. With instant horsepower - many teenagers will enjoy spinning tires and jack rabbit starts.

Chevy Spark EV. It will qualify for the federal $5000 tax credit.

Four Days With Two Of Our Best Friends - Carl And MaryLou Zimmerman

Carl Zimmerman is my cousin - we share a grandmother. When we were in school - Carl was much older than me - but now that we are both old - we are almost the same age. We are both retired 10 years. The original Lulu - MaryLou Zimmerman was one of my Lulu's best friends back in Pennsylvania. They met when they started up a play group for the kids - and have been together ever since. All of the kids got masters and/or doctors degrees - one was a Fulbright Scholar.

Marylou was a nurse and nurse administrator. She retired recently. They have two houses - one in Pennsylvania and one in Florida. The one in Pennsylvania is there to house their monstrous collection of stuff - the one in Florida is used to be near the grandkids - they have 3. 

When we moved to Tallahassee in 2004 - they were our first visitors. Now they returned 9 years later to see what we have done with our home. We love spending time with them - and the 4 days went roaring by so fast. 

Their daughter Krista was a varsity swimmer - so the FSU swim complex was a must stop. One of the swimmers gave MaryLou an FSU swim cap.

Bobby Bowden is showing them which way to Harry's Restaurant. We had supper there last night. 

Dodge Gone

The new owners.

The van on a trip to the beach at Alligator Point.

You may recall our 1994 Dodge Van. Jay and Joann came all the way from Lake City FL - 100 miles away - to buy it. Jay is a retired over the road trucker. He says he misses the road - so here they go. They saw the van listed on Craigslist. They are really nice people - one of the best things about dealing on Craigslist is you meet some really nice folks. 

You may re-call I made a shower for this van. I did keep that shower so I could put it in my other vehicles. Also kept the toilet.

Going to Greece via Amsterdam in May

In the center of Athens - is the plateau called the Acropolis. Around 450 BC - the Parthenon was built there along with several other religious and government buildings. Son Drew and his family visited there last year. 

That is Lulu's Dodge 600 in front of the Parthenon. How did she get it there? Simply - when I bought Lulu's car on Craigslist up in Illinois - I drove it 1000 miles home. On the way I stopped in Nashville. The city has build an actual size replica of the famous Greek building. I stopped just enough time for this photo.

The Parthenon is not in great shape. It was used as a temple and at one time it was a powder magazine -  a place to store gunpowder. The Turks at blew it up during a battle. Now they are trying to restore it - picking up the pieces that fell over the edge of the plateau. Also - many of the famous sculptures can be found in the British Museum. Lord Elgin brought them home after he "bought" them in Athens in order to "protect" them. Now the government of Greece wants them back. The stones are called The Elgin Marbles.

Lulu just booked our flight to Athens. She has a conference there. I will go along to carry her bags. We will be on the road from May 16th to May 24th. The trip will include a stopover in Amsterdam. Her trip way be paid for - I must buy my own plane ticket.

FSU Freshman Quarterback With 90MPH Fastball - Jameis Winston

Florida State Freshman Jameis Winston

We’re trying our hardest not to get ahead of ourselves. We don’t want to overhype you. We know you’re just a few months removed from high school. We don’t mean to build you up to an impossible standard.

But you’re not making this very easy on us.

First, before we get into all that, let’s clear one thing up: You don’t mind if we call you Jameis, do you? It just seems to roll off the tongue.

Jameis rhymes with famous, of course, which is why some have taken to calling you, “Famous Jameis.” And who doesn’t like the sound of that?

Meet The Motorheads - They Met Today At Tomahawk

The Motorheads are four old guys that meet to talk about their cars and other toys. They are JP - Josh - Harry - Mark.

Today the conversation was all over the place. JP talked about a Rolls Royce he bought in parts for $1000. Josh discussed his new Ford F150 Truck and the Yanmar tractor his son bought. I was way off topic with ICF home construction. If you wanted to meet a guy that spent $4500 to paint his high performance Mustang - Mark is your man. Like most Ford - you can paint it any color - as long as it is black. I included the price to show Lulu that the $470 I paid Maaco to paint our van was not a lot of money.

This is not JP's Rolls - but this one was in the Springtime Parade this weekend and I got a quick snapshot to show JP how one looks. 

JP pulled up in this 1963 MG Midget. He was all dressed up because he was attending a real estate closing. JP is a commercial appraiser.

Tomahawk has a gigantic menu of burgers and sandwiches. It was pretty quiet there today - the food was good. All 3 of the other guys played it safe with a bacon burger. I ordered a Big Elvis. It contained peanut butter - bananas - cheddar cheese - and bacon. I thought it would be easy to eat - until it came. They threw in two giant hamburger patties - yikes. There must have been 1000 calories in there. Tomahawk is close to campus on Tennessee Street.

JP and family are going to visit us in London this July. He is a British car nut - and we hope to tour a few factories and museums together.

JP is an appraiser - Josh is a psychologist - Mark is a newspaper editor - and Harry is a retired science teacher. 

Beyonce To Cuba - Been There - Done That - When It Was Not Fashionable

From the NY Times

Beyonce and Jay-Z’s paparazzi-trailed trip to Havana has prompted questions from two members of Congress. Thousands of Americans every year get around the U.S. embargo on tourism to Cuba with waivers for academic, religious or research work — or by sneaking in through a third country. (Jack Nicholson, Jodie Foster and Will Smith are among the VIPs who’ve traveled there, according to photos spotted on the wall of one Havana restaurant, reports AP). In a letter to the Treasury Department, which issues such licenses, south Florida Republicans Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart demanded to know what purpose Jay and Bey cited to make their trip, noting that “the Castro regime touted it as [tourism] in its propaganda,” and that “the restrictions on tourism travel are common-sense measures meant to prevent U.S. dollars from supporting a murderous regime that opposes U.S. security interests at every turn and which ruthlessly suppresses the most basic liberties of speech, assembly, and belief.” No word yet from Treasury, which earlier told AP it doesn’t comment on individual cases; nor from the stars’ camp. Best of luck in your investigation, congressfolk, but whether it’s weathering a lip-sync scandal or trademarking her baby’s name, Beyonce always seems to win.

Harry Trip To Cuba Here

Volkswagen Announced Line-Up of 7 Hybrid and All-Electric Vehicles

Hybrid Drivers WantedBy BRADLEY BERMAN form the NY Times April 5th.

BERKELEY, Calif. — Every major car company has its own DNA, a set of qualities that make it clear to drivers that they are behind the wheel of a Chevy, a Toyota or a BMW. And just like a healthy human’s genetic code, automotive DNA should be an immutable thing, regardless of the technology powering the wheels.

That posed a challenge for Volkswagen as it belatedly developed its first gas-electric hybrid passenger car, the 2013 Jetta Hybrid: how to preserve VW’s DNA while introducing technology that shuts off, at least occasionally, its prized internal combustion engines.

April 4th - My Dad Died Today

Harry Nathan Everhart - 1916 to 1982 - coal miner. This picture was sent along with his application for Miners Asthma benefits. He was 60 here - he died at age 66.

Dad died. It feels like yesterday - but it was 31 years ago in 1982. He was 66 years and 2 days old. He was a coal miner at Number 8 in Coaldale PA for 25 years - 1934 to 1959. It is funny how your job identifies and defines you - his life was dominated by lungs full of coal dust.

He grew up in Coaldale in a company home. When he was 7 - his father left and Dad refused to talk about him ever again. When the company wanted to throw his Mom and the 4 kids out of the company patch home - he agreed to go into the mine and be "indentured" to the company. "He sold his soul to the company store." At age 7.

England Considers Free Parkng Spaces For Electric Cars

If tax credits and rebates aren’t enough to convince consumers to buy an electric car, maybe free parking will do the trick. That’s the message from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), a progressive U.K. think tank.

The organization is proposing that electric vehicles in the U.K. be allowed to park for free in permitted areas, designated parking lots, and along the sides of most major streets outside city centers. IPPR said EV owners should receive a green badge granting the parking privilege, as well as free use of toll roads and free access to congestion zones. (Low emissions vehicles are currently exempt from London’s congestion zone fees.)

The most controversial part of the plan is to offset free EV parking by increasing parking rates for conventional vehicles, and levying fines for internal combustion cars blocking EV charging spots.

The use of free parking as an electric car incentive has not been widely used in the United States. For about 15 years, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) waived parking fees for drivers of electric vehicles—a perk valued at $30 per day. But that perk was discontinued on March 1, 2013.

Several California cities, including Santa Monica, Santa Cruz and Berkeley, offer a number of free EV parking spots in congested downtown areas.

In a 2011 survey of 7,000 consumers in 13 countries, Accenture found that 65 percent of respondents would be more inclined to buy a plug-in car if free parking were available.

From plugincars magazine

Samoa Sells Airline Ticket By Weight

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (AP) — A tiny Samoa airline is giving a new reason to drop extra weight before your next trip: Tickets sold by the kilogram, not the seat.

Samoa Air planned on Wednesday to start its first international flights with a pricing model that charges based on how much passengers and their bags weigh.

There are no base fares — each kilogram (2.2 pounds) costs 93 cents to $1.06, depending on the flight.

That means the average American adult man weighing 195 pounds with a 35 pound bag would pay $97 to go one-way from Apia, Samoa to Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Travelers in the region are used to stepping on scales when they fly because of small planes used between islands.

But Samoa Air is the first to charge by weight.

From NY Times.

Today Was "Pouring Day" at the Southwood ICF House

This is the architect - she is showing you one of the ICF forms.

This morning at 11 AM was the big pour. I have been closely following the construct of this ICF - Insulated Concrete Form - House being built on the lake at Southwood. 

When completed - the house will look like any normal house - hardiboard siding outside - drywall inside. The secret is in the sauce. The walls will be one foot thick - 4 inches insulation - 4 inches concrete - 4 inches insulation. 

The big pour was anti-climatic for me. You could tell it was a very big day for the owner - builder - architect - crew.

Simply - a concrete truck came with its spinning load. A large rubber hose carried the concrete to the forms. A crew of men was putting the concrete into the molds - while others were making sure there were no leaks - or walls bowing out. With the exception of a little water coming out of the cracks - and a guy using a vibrator to shake out the bubbles - it was a pretty mundane process. All the important work was done - setting up the forms - making sure everything was a square and plumb.

I got to meet the owner - a computer programmer. We had so much to share on our research. The president of the company and the architect - both young ladies - were there to oversee the operation. 

These guys were handling the concrete hose.

On right - the new owner of the Southwood Lake home.

A little bit of water oozed out of the window sill.

This fella was using a vibrator to work out the air bubbles.

Hazleton Makes The New York Times

New Attitude on Immigration Skips an Old Coal Town

By TRIP GABRIEL

HAZLETON, Pa. — Before Arizona’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, before “self-deportation” became the Republican presidential platform in 2012, there was Hazleton.

This working-class city in the Poconos passed the country’s first law aimed at making life so difficult for illegal immigrants that they would pack up and leave.

Hazleton has faded from the national attention it drew with its Illegal Immigration Relief Act in 2006. But as Republicans in Congress advance plans to provide a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the country, the city presents a test case of whether the party risks leaving behind a critical part of its core constituency: white working-class voters for whom illegal immigration stirs visceral reactions.