Saturday, October 10, 2009

“Heating costs this winter not expected to rise drastically - Commonwealth Journal” plus 4 more

“Heating costs this winter not expected to rise drastically - Commonwealth Journal” plus 4 more

Heating costs this winter not expected to rise drastically - Commonwealth Journal

Posted: 10 Oct 2009 04:29 AM PDT

Published: October 09, 2009 08:54 pm    print this story  

Heating costs this winter not expected to rise drastically

By BILL MARDIS, Editor Emeritus
Commonwealth Journal

Home-heating costs this coming winter should be about the same as last year and most suppliers say the amount you pay will be in direct relation to how severe the cold.

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service are wishy-washy. They say there is a 50 percent chance it will be colder than normal this winter and a 50 percent chance it will be warmer than normal. Go figure.

However, those who dread cold weather had best cling to the educated forecast that spreads its prognostication down the middle of the road. Weather signs in folklore paint a bleak picture and The Old Farmers Almanac puts snow on the ground most of the winter.

Woolly worms are solid black; hornets' nest are high off the ground and corn shucks are thick, all signs of a cold winter. The time-tested almanac says we can expect snowfall in time for Thanksgiving, frequent snow in December, and additional snowfalls from January to mid-February.

But your monthly heating bill should bring a warm glow; at least not a shock. Suppliers of home heating energy generally say costs will be basically the same as last year and in some cases lower.

Dan Henderson, manager of Somerset Gas Service, said natural gas prices for home heating are locked in and will stay the same during the winter. The current cost is $7.87 per decatherm, he noted. A decatherm is roughly 1,000 cubic feet of natural gas.

Somerset Gas Service gets natural gas through its 170-mile network of mains extending into Eastern Kentucky. However, the city gas system is also connected to a Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation terminal at Button Knob on the Marion-Casey county line.

The gas main to Eastern Kentucky was built during a nationwide shortage of natural gas in the 1970s. The network of natural gas mains has since been extended and transports gas from previously landlocked wells in mountainous Eastern Kentucky. That, and installing a companion line extending to the Texas Eastern terminal, effectively ended natural gas shortages during periods of extremely cold weather.

Cliff Feltham, media relations manager for Kentucky Utilities Company, said cost to heat homes with electricity will " ... probably be about the same as last year ... there hasn't been much change in the base rate." KU does not have a pending rate increase request, he said.

However, Feltham pointed out that the monthly electric bill will directly relate to " ... the kind of winter we have." Feltham said he has heard reports of an ominous forecast by the Old Farmers Almanac.

Members served by South Kentucky RECC will see higher environmental surcharges and possibly lower fuel adjustment charges, according to Nick Comer, spokesman for East Kentucky Power Cooper-ative, electric supplier to South Kentucky RECC and 15 other cooperatives.

"Coal prices are down significantly from last year," noted Comer. However governmental mandated emission control equipment will affect the environmental surcharge customers see on their bills, he noted. The new scrubber equipment being installed at John Sherman Cooper Power Station in Burnside is not yet to the point of affecting the environmental surcharge, but the cost of scrubbers on two units at the Maysville plant will be reflected, he said.

A few homes in the area still heat with coal, and coal prices are about the same as last year.

Bill Crum, scale manager at The Ikerd Companies, said block coal for home heating is $100 a ton and house stoker coal is $120 a ton. He said the local company is not making deliveries at the present time " ... but later we may be able to."

Prices for propane gas are generally lower than this time last year. A spokeswoman at Ameri-gas said current prices are bouncing between $1.99 and $2.39 a gallon. This time last year, the price ranged from $2.299 to $3.049 a gallon.

During a relatively cold winter, an average home will use between 800 and 1,000 gallons of propane, she said.

If your home has a fireplace or wood-burning stove, firewood is available at a relatively small cost in the Daniel Boone National Forest. A $20 permit, good for 30 days, may be obtained at the London or Stearns ranger district offices.

The part of Pulaski County north of the Cumberland River is in the London Ranger District and the area south and west of the Cumberland River is in the Stearns Ranger District headquartered in Whitley City.

The permit allows the holder to cut four cords of firewood. The trees must be dead or down and must be 100 feet off an open Forest Service road, according to a spokeswoman at the London district.

Four cords of wood make a big pile. A cord is a stack 4 feet high by 4 feet wide by 8 feet long. That much wood will keep the home fires burning while the cold winds howl.

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Commentary: Becoming a U.S. citizen - McClatchy

Posted: 10 Oct 2009 03:32 AM PDT

By Daniel Shoer-Roth | El Nuevo Herald

It was a journey of 4,440 days.

That's the time it took me to become an American citizen after arriving to the United States as a student in the summer of 1997 to travel a new road.

For immigrants it's like climbing to the top of Everest.

With my hand over my heart, I took the Oath of Allegiance to the United States in a moving and warm ceremony Tuesday at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services headquarters in Miami, where 198 people from 30 countries were naturalized.

Hours before the oath, USCIS officials invited me to be the keynote speaker at the event. Of course, I accepted the great honor. It was my first assignment as an American citizen.

"Where else in the world are people from 30 countries naturalized on a normal afternoon?" I asked.

"We are fortunate to become part of the greatest democracy in the world; with this privilege come big responsibilities," I said to the applause of those who, like me, were celebrating a landmark in their lives, a rebirth of sorts.

It is a dream come true that millions of people in the world also yearn for, especially in places where there is no freedom. It is, in essence, what the founders of our new nation sought.

There are no words to express the depth of my feelings. Only those who have been naturalized after a long immigration process can relate. But if I were to define the act of naturalization, I would say that it is a treasure, a gift from the United States for our contributions, our good moral character and our perseverance.

I would like to think it's also a gift from God. What are the chances that I got my green card on Sept. 29, 2004 and on Sept. 29, 2009 I became a citizen? That's exactly five years, the minimum required by law.

The ceremony began with a moving video showing historical photographs of immigrants with quotes in which they shared their patriotism. Later, at one of the most emotional moments, a list was read of the new citizens by country of origin. Each group was to stand up. Colombia had the largest number: 24. There were immigrants from Uzbekistan, Morocco and Great Britain. There were 12 of us from Venezuela.

We were all happy, united by the realization of our common dream, although reaching it through different paths. In mine, there had been instances of anxiety, fear, euphoria. There were even nights in which I couldn't sleep because my future was unknown.

Not to mention the numerous challenges to demonstrate that I had something of value to contribute. Visits to attorneys, searches for documents, notarized translations, letters of recommendation, university grades, and the financial upheaval that came from meeting all those obligations.

In a bag they gave us, we found the flag, a copy of the Constitution and the Citizen's Almanac, which lists the contributions made by Americans born abroad in all areas of society, like Alexander Hamilton and Albert Einstein. It also included an application to register as a Florida voter and instructions on how to obtain a U.S passport.

As is traditional, a video message from the president congratulating the new citizens closed the event.

"You can help write the next chapter of our American story," Barack Obama said. "I am proud to welcome you as a citizen of this nation."

And I, Mr. President, am proud to be one of you.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Daniel Shoer-Roth is El Nuevo Herald's metro columnist.

Do you know this Christmas plant? - The Daily Advertiser

Posted: 10 Oct 2009 12:33 AM PDT

Submitted photo

Large red, orange and yellow berries make live Christmas ornaments.

Let's welcome fall with a mystery plant.

Before poinsettias became the favorite holiday plant, this plant was widely used indoors as a Christmas decoration. It blooms in winter with large red/orange berries against bright green leaves. One of its common names implies a Christmas event.

Although it can be grown all over the country as an indoor plant, those of us who live in the South grow it outdoors as well, usually in containers in a protected location.

This old-fashioned plant is an evergreen perennial that will reach two to three feet high as a woody shrub. It's a member of the nightshade family and is said to be toxic to birds and pets. Members of the Louisiana Society of Horticultural Research will recognize it as a plant release from some years back.

To participate, please e-mail me at the address below with the botanical name and one of its common names. I will respond by e-mail.

Almanac predicts some surprises

Since 1792, The Old Farmer's Almanac has predicted the weather with mostly dependable accuracy. It is famous for correctly predicted events such as snow in July, a murder trial with a then-future president handling the defense and the capture of a German spy on U.S. shores during World War II. Farmers and others consult the weather predictions religiously.

There's good news for Acadiana in the recently released 2010 Old Farmer's Almanac. The 2009-10 winter weather map predicts a mild winter and normal precipitation for much of Louisiana, including Acadiana. For summer 2010, cool, dry weather is predicted for all of Louisiana.

The very long-term forecast for the world is for global cooling. For the immediate future, a chilly winter with above average snowfall is predicted throughout most of the U.S.

How does The Old Farmer's Almanac predict the weather? The editors assure us that their predictions employ no fokelore. They use technology, the sun and a secret formula.

Container gardening will be topic of presentation

The next in the Garden Talk Series hosted by the Lafayette Parish Master Gardeners will be "Container Gardening," to be presented by Master Gardner and floral designer Theresa Guidry at 10 a.m. Oct. 17 at the Demonstration Gardens behind Ira Nelson Horticulture Center.

The almanac - United Press International

Posted: 10 Oct 2009 12:26 AM PDT

Today is Saturday Oct. 10, the 283rd day of 2009 with 82 to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning star is Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn. The evening stars are Neptune, Jupiter and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Libra. They include English chemist-physicist Henry Cavendish, discoverer of hydrogen, in 1731; composer Giuseppe Verdi in 1813; actress Helen Hayes in 1900; playwright and Nobel laureate Harold Pinter in 1930; entertainer Ben Vereen in 1946 (age 63); actress Jessica Harper in 1949 (age 60); rocker David Lee Roth in 1954 (age 55); country singer Tanya Tucker in 1958 (age 51); and pro football star Brett Favre in 1969 (age 40).

On this date in history:

In 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy was formally opened at Fort Severn, Annapolis, Md., with 50 midshipmen in the first class.

In 1886, Griswold Lorillard of Tuxedo Park, N.Y., fashioned the first tuxedo for men.

In 1963, a dam burst in northern Italy, drowning an estimated 3,000 people.

In 1973, Spiro Agnew became the first U.S. vice president to resign in disgrace after pleading no contest to income tax evasion.

In 1985, movie legend Orson Welles, whose remarkably innovative "Citizen Kane" of 1941 was still regarded by many as the best American-made picture of all time more than half a century later, died of a heart attack at the age of 70.

In 1993, Greek voters returned to power former Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and his Pan-Hellenic socialist movement.

In 1994, Lt. Gen. Raoul Cedras, commander in chief of the Haitian armed forces, resigned to make way for the return of exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

In 1995, Israel freed some 900 Palestinian prisoners and pulled its troops out of four towns as the second phase of the peace plan was implemented on the West Bank.

In 1997, the major tobacco companies agreed to a settlement in the class-action suit brought against them by 60,000 present and former flight attendants. They had claimed second-hand smoke in airplanes had caused them to get cancer and other diseases.

Also in 1997, it was announced that the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize would be awarded to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and its coordinator, Jody Williams of Putney, Vt.

In 2001, representatives of 56 Islamic nations, in an emergency meeting on Qatar, condemned the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

In 2002, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize. He was cited for his efforts to bring peace to the Middle East and his commitment to human rights and democratic values around the world.

In 2003, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Iranian lawyer Shurin Ebadi for her work in promoting democracy and human rights in Iran and beyond. She was the first Muslim woman to win the award.

In 2004, a videotape of the beheading of British hostage Kenneth Bigley in Iraq was shown on an Islamist Web site.

Also in 2004, more than 100 people died in flash floods in northeastern India.

In 2005, Angela Merkel became the first woman chancellor of Germany after her Christian Democrats won the parliamentary election. The incumbent, Gerhard Schroeder, said he would play no role in the new governing coalition.

In 2006, Russian military experts backed North Korea's claim that it had carried out a test of a nuclear weapon.

In 2007, a U.S. Foreign Relations Committee resolution labeled as genocide Turkey's killing of some 1.5 million Armenians during World War I. Turkish leaders responded by threatening to pull their support from the war in Iraq.

In 2008, Connecticut became the third state in the United States to legalize same-sex marriages, following California and Massachusetts. The state's supreme court ruled a law limiting marriage to heterosexual couples was unconstitutional.

A thought for the day: Queen Elizabeth I said, "I have the heart of a man, not a woman, and I am not afraid of anything."

Colder weather brings out the scissors - Blue Springs Examiner

Posted: 09 Oct 2009 11:07 PM PDT

I dread cold weather. The kind of cold that even though you want to work outside, it's not worth having your nostrils freeze together. The Farmer's Almanac predicts a long, cold winter.

I'll begin to suffer from cabin fever soon after the first frost, which they say may be this weekend. Watching the last pepper plant wilt and outdoor plants slowly die, it's enough to either convince me to move to Florida or convince the boyfriend to transform the unused pingpong table in the basement into a miniature nursery.

Judging by Dad's reaction to cold weather, I must have inherited this trait of not liking to be cooped up. With the recent cold, rainy days he found ways to entertainment himself that could prove to be disastrous if he's stuck in the house too long.

It's probably a good thing Dad's power tools have been stored away because he could do some real damage if he had electricity behind those scissors of his.

I never imagined he had that many pairs of scissors in the house, or the things he would be able to cut up. From old window well covers to empty snack boxes, the trash man never has to worry about overflowing bags, because it's all neatly cut up into one-inch by one-inch squares.

Worrying that he was getting bored out of his mind (funny – since he has dementia) I pulled out old family photo albums, thinking it would give him something to do besides cutting up things.

The albums had apparently been looked at since they were no longer on the dining room table where I put them. Finally I found three of them stuffed into the back of a closet.

When I asked Dad about the missing albums he couldn't remember putting them in the closet, or even looking at them for that matter. I know he had because in his frustration of trying to remember who's who, he conjured up some crazy stories about his family.

"This family," he said, "in these old photos, they don't live around here anymore."

He was pointing to a photo of my two older brothers.

"These guys here," he continued, "I'm pretty sure they're dead."

I reassured Dad that they hadn't died and those guys are his sons and even though he hasn't seen them for quite awhile, I was sure they thought of their dad often.

What's up with having siblings that you never see or talk to? Sure, one lives in New Mexico and the other in Oklahoma, but is that any reason to lose touch?

The old photos revealed two doting, much older brothers (10 and 12 years difference) taking care of their little sister (that would be me). Something happened after they left home, because they simply never came back.

Mom was the glue that kept us all together and after she was gone the brothers rarely came back home and as years went by they stopped calling too.

A couple of days later the albums were back on the table with two pairs of scissors sitting on top of them. I took the albums home and replaced them with two empty snack boxes.

Hope he never sees the movie "Edward Scissorhands."
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