« A red granite statue in Gamla Stan, Stockholm. I vaguely
remember it being marked with a date around 1914 and a name like 'sea
god', but I love the pervy smirk. The sun came out for about five
minutes as we were killing time in Stockholm waiting for Otava to
arrive and I'm glad it was while we were next to this rather odd piece
of statuary. »
Is it Friday yet? Every system has decided to be a pain in the ass
this week and I've been daydreaming about collecting the parts
required for building a giant electromagnet. The rather cold weather
we have had lately has left me looking like a dry skin superhero (if
such a superhero existed) who could destroy opponents by having all
their skin crack and bleed. I'm going to have to start wearing gloves
indoors just to hide my red, cracked, and bleeding sandpaper hands.
In Finland, I usually call the season very loosely named 'spring' the
grit season since you don't really notice any warm weather or lack of
snow, but the grit from the months of gravel being ground into a
micro-fine dust is omnipresent. There's nothing like a grit tornado
whipping down the street, passing by/through you and afterwards
feeling the patina of grit in your mouth. If the amount of grit that
Otava is tracking into the house already, before the thaw, is any
indication we're going to have a very, very gritty next few months.
Otava has been particularly restless and petulant the past few days.
I noticed his chew toy had some blood on it so I had a look inside his
mouth and it seems he is loosing his baby teeth. I imagine that the
process isn't any more pleasant for puppies than it is for humans so
I'll cut him some slack when he is feeling generally cranky, pissed
off and decides to gnaw on me. When the other puppy owners in the dog
park ask what Otava has destroyed, after listing their own puppy's
scorecard, they look at me rather incredulously when I tell them that
he hasn't wreaked any havoc yet. Yet.
Easter must be approaching as we noticed the Fazer Mignon Eggs
in the grocery last night. I should get a packet of rye seed and grow a
plate of grass [love the mämmi dog turd. :)] since all our plants
died last year in the great darkness that was the ulkoseinäremontti
and a spot of green would be welcome. Repopulating all the empty pots
on the window sills is an idea, too.
Pollution damages rare UK plants04/19/2004 01:53 PM One of the UK's most vulnerable plant families, the stoneworts, are at
risk from pollution caused by high levels of nutrients.
Marijuana Plants Found Outside Courthouse (AP)
Marijuana Plants Found Outside Courthouse (AP)09/07/2004 11:17 PM AP - Sheriff's officers had marijuana growing right under their noses
— or at least right outside their headquarters — before
discovering and removing the illegal weed.
GM Plants Could Lessen Need for Nitrogen Fertilizers
Wind Farm - Growing 150-ton plants in the sky03/20/2003 04:22 PM Wind power had a record year in 2002, with 6.8 gigawatts of
new power taking the combined worldwide total to 31 gigawatts. Only
five years ago, 75% of that capacity was not even built yet, and the
generating capacity of individual wind power turbines was a measly 150
kilowatts. Today's standard wind turbines pump out 2-3 megawatts
each, and yet more powerful and efficient prototypes are already being
tested. Wind power is advancing quickly, that's clear. At a recent
alternative energy conference in the US, Christopher Flavin,
President of Worldwatch, stated that "Wind Power is breaking
into the mainstream," and that it will be "the lowest-cost electricity
within the next few years." Today, so-called Wind Farms are
"sprouting up" all over the world. Recent innovations have even made
it possible to install the first wind power in Antarctica, where
the average windspeed is more than 25 mph, and can gust to 150mph.
These "fortified" windmills are smaller and shorter than the 2-3
megawatt models, however. A full-sized windmill stands more than 50
meters high, and that makes them quite difficult to construct.
I visited a "growing" wind farm last year, one that was about
half-way finished, and was given a tour of the site by the
construction manager. What follows is a short pictorial account of
my site-tour, and a description of the processes involved in changing
a fallow, rocky coastline into a productive wind farm.
Singing Japanese plants (Reuters)
Singing Japanese plants (Reuters)07/20/2004 06:17 AM Reuters - People who like talking to their plants can now enjoy a
musical accompaniment,
thanks to a Japanese invention that turns petals and leaves into
amplifiers.
Levi's Closes Last Two U.S. Sewing Plants (AP)01/08/2004 08:32 PM AP - Levi Strauss & Co., the California Gold Rush outfitter whose
blue jeans are a globally recognized symbol of America, closed its
last two U.S. sewing plants Thursday.
Nuclear Plants in 31 States Said Prone (AP)
Nuclear Plants in 31 States Said Prone (AP)04/06/2005 05:29 PM AP - Fuel storage pools at nuclear power plants in 31 states may be
vulnerable to terrorist attacks that could unleash raging fires and
deadly radiation, scientists advised the government on Wednesday.
Kraft to Cut 6,000 Jobs, Close 20 Plants (AP)01/27/2004 05:17 PM AP - Kraft Foods Inc. said Tuesday it will eliminate 6,000 jobs, or 6
percent of its work force, and close 20 plants worldwide over the next
three years as part of a restructuring that follows more than a year
of disappointing sales and earnings for the biggest U.S. food company.
Piste pressure on alpine plants04/18/2005 02:04 PM The way ski pistes are currently managed is changing the number and
type of plant species in the Alps, a study finds.
Leak at Japan Nuclear Plants Kills Four (AP)08/09/2004 05:30 AM AP - A nonradioactive steam leak killed four people and injured seven
others Monday in the worst-ever accident at Japanese nuclear power
plant, officials said. One other worker was reportedly in critical
condition.
Japan nuclear firm shuts plants
Japan nuclear firm shuts plants08/13/2004 03:54 AM The company running the Japanese nuclear plant hit by a fatal accident
is to close its reactors for safety checks.
Japan Gadget Turns Plants Into Speakers (AP)09/14/2004 08:50 AM AP - The therapeutic power of flowers takes on new meaning with a
Japanese gadget that turns plants into audio speakers, making the
petals and leaves tremble with good vibrations.
Rare plants trimmed as weeds (Reuters)
Rare plants trimmed as weeds (Reuters)02/05/2005 09:23 PM Reuters - Road workers trimming weeds by a roadside north of San
Francisco inadvertently
cleared away some of the world's last wild examples of a rare plant, a
botany expert says.
Chapped
The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry: plants of egyt
