Sunday, November 30, 2014

Taking Notice of Sustainable Alternatives to Cage Raised Turkeys

HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK!

When I miss NYC, the NYT and New York Daily News satisfies my need to know what is happening in that crazy place.  So, I was pleasantly surprised when I encountered an article in the NYDN titled "Less mutant turkey, more gamey goose" listing pleasantly surprising alternatives to the caged raised, overweight (and not in a good way) hormone fed turkeys. Few people may be surprised to know that geese are a great sustainable alternative to turkeys, and they described to  are more tasty and fatty (in a good way)  than the all white meat turkeys people buy. There are some farm raised, free ranging turkeys that one can find, and those are raised in a more environmental friendly way but in a place like NYC, most people may not be able to afford them or find them. In NC, it is easier to find free ranging and farm raised turkeys but those sold at Walmart are still cheaper (and bigger). I don't eat aves but if I did, I would try me a nice wild caught goose for thanksgiving.

check out the article! and may your next thanksgiving have some tasty goose

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/dan-nosowitz-mutant-turkey-gamey-goose-article-1.2025011

Monday, November 17, 2014

CSB DuPont- LaPorte, TX Investigation Update

The CSB investigation into the tragic accident at DuPont's La Porte, Texas, chemical plant got underway this morning at 8 a.m.  Seven members of the eight-member team met with company and local union representatives to map out the direction of the CSB investigation. This took place in a  company building conference room at the facility.
Subsequently, investigators began interviews of several DuPont personnel, with plans being made to interview shift workers and other possible witnesses to the events that led to a release of highly toxic methyl mercaptan, exposure to which killed four workers early Saturday morning. Those interviews were continuing this afternoon.
The CSB is coordinating the worker interviews with the help of International Chemical Workers Union Council representatives.  
The team has not yet been able to access the area where the leak and the deaths occurred, described by Investigator Banks as an approximately 5-stories high enclosed structure with piping, valves and other equipment.
Mr. Banks said, "DuPont is taking steps to assure the area is safe to access. We will be evaluating that process and when we determine it is safe for our team members to document the site we will enter. We don't know how soon that will be. We have asked the company to preserve the status of the process, valve and other equipment settings as close as possible to where they were at the time of the accident to aid in our investigation."
He continued, "At this point, obviously it is too soon for us to be able to determine the immediate cause of this accident.  We will release information to the public as soon as confirmed findings are known."
Investigators are preparing document requests which typically concern maintenance schedules, operator training, equipment histories, hazard analyses and other information critical to determining the root cause of the accident.
CSB Managing Director Daniel Horowitz, will join the team this evening in Houston, bringing the total to eight members. He will manage CSB public affairs on site. He can also be reached through public@csb.gov.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

The Top 100 Papers (according to Nature)

http://www.nature.com/news/the-top-100-papers-1.16224?WT.mc_id=FBK_Nature_1410_Top100papers_PORTFOLIO

Thursday, November 6, 2014

EPS-HDT: SOCIOECONOMIC PROFILES

Economic Profile System –
Human Dimensions Toolkit

EPS-HDT is a free, easy-to-use software application that runs in Excel, from your desktop, and produces detailed socioeconomic reports of communities, counties, states, and regions, including custom aggregations and comparisons.
EPS-HDT uses published statistics from federal data sources, including the Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce; Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor; and others.
System Requirements:
Windows (XP/Vista/7) with Microsoft Excel (Office 2003/07/10/13).
Mac (OS X 10.6+) with Microsoft Excel (Office 2011).
Price: Free. Download Size: 4MB.
The new Excel 2013 compatible version of EPS-HDT is now available! Click “register” to download it now.
For more information, contact:
Patricia Gude at 406.599.7425 or [email]