Green Man Blog - Guest Articles

A Brown Recluse

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:34:00 -0700

The following is a guest article by Thomas Martincis

The brown recluse is a poisonous spider most commonly found in midwestern and southern states of the United States. It is about one-half inch overall and has long skinny legs. The brown recluse is brown with a characteristic dark violin-shaped marking on its head. It is most commonly found outside in wood, leaves, or in piles of rocks. If a brown recluse wanders indoors they will go to dark closets, shoes, or attics. The brown recluse is a non-aggressive spider and will only bite when it is disturbed. Source: U.S National Library of Medicine

The Brown Recluse Spider
By Thomas Martincic

As the husband of a Brown Recluse bite victim, I know firsthand how frightening it can be to be bitten, how important it is to get educated about these spiders, and the need to be prepared for the unexpected.

The Brown Recluse Spider is so named because it is by nature, "reclusive." Because it likes to hide during the day in clothes, shoes, boxes and other out of the way places where bites are most likely to occur through unintentional contact, it is regarded by many as the most dangerous spider here the United States.

When a Brown Recluse spider bites, it is rarely due to aggression. Bites will usually occur because it is hiding out in your clothes and you put them on, or your hand has touched the spider when handling boxes, or you have rolled over them or unknowingly touched them while sleeping in your bed at night. Because Brown Recluses love to hide in boxes and clothes, they can hitch a ride almost anywhere in the United States. However, they are most commonly found south of a line stretching from Northern Nebraska to Northern Ohio.

Because they do scurry around at night, they are difficult to detect. One way to be sure they are not in your home is to install sticky spider traps in various places. Traps are economical and safer to use because no chemicals are sprayed in your home. And, according to Kansas University researchers, spider traps are an effective means of controlling their populations.

Brown Recluses are not affected by most pesticides and according to research, they can actually benefit by your use of them. In lab studies conducted at Kansas University, they have shown the Brown Recluse Spider's inclination to prefer dead prey over living ones. In fact, they can eat an insect killed by pesticides 24 hours prior and suffer no harmful effects.

Brown Recluse bites can develop very rapidly with necrosis starting to form in just a few hours after being bitten. This is because venom literally kills living tissue on contact. Quick response in the event of a bite wound, and finding ways to control their population are important to protecting yourself from these very dangerous spiders.

If you believe that you are bitten by a Recluse, examine the area very closely. Brown Recluse bites will almost invariably contain two small fang marks about 1/16th of an inch apart. The necrosis will begin at those fang marks and spread out into the surrounding tissue. The area will turn a bluish grey as the skin tissue dies, and eventually will slough away, producing an open ulcer. In some bite wounds, it may appear that someone has taken a scoop of flesh out of your body.

Systemic symptoms such as fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, sweating, joint pain, kidney failure and even coma are possible. However, most Brown Recluse bites do not have severe systemic symptoms. Those who are most in danger of severe reactions are the very young, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.

Brown Recluse Spiders benefit from human population growth so it looks like this spider is here to stay. The best thing to do is be informed, and know what to do in case you are bitten.

A nasty bite from a Brown Recluse spider.

Thomas J. Martincic is the designer, owner, and writer of the website http://www.brown-recluse.com/.

You can read more about these spiders, see pictures of bite wounds, view high resolution photos of the spider, and get some prevention tips by visiting the web site. 888-732-5873

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Martincic

http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Brown-Recluse-Spider&id=3598803

The Green Man Blog is written to spread environmental awareness and appreciation of the natural world around us. Thank you for visiting! Stay green, support the organic movement, and be sure to visit www.greenmantshirts.com or www.robjuszak.com for the best in organic cotton and bamboo t shirts!

Oceanic Trenches

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 20:46:44 -0700

Guest article by Bispo Barbosa

The Challenger Deep in the Marianas Trench adjacent to the Philippines is the deepest place on earth, reaching 10.7 km below the surface, a vertical relief greater than that of Mount Everest. The Puerto Rican Trench reaches a depth of 8.4 km. The 5,900 km Peru-Chile Trench is the longest; it is bordered by volcanoes on South America.

It was not until the modern concept of plate tectonics was developed that an understanding of how oceanic trenches form was established. These trenches are associated with both earthquakes and volcanic activity and are the result of the interaction of two crustal plates, one sliding under the other and descending. As the underlying plate moves downward at a steep angle into hotter regions of the earth (a process known as subduction),pulled by convection currents and gravity, a trench is formed where one plate slides below the other. Subduction produces additional heat by friction. Heat causes the plate to melt, and the resulting molten material (magma) rises to the surface, erupts, and builds volcanoes.

The downward movement also causes earthquakes. Where two oceanic plates converge,a volcanic island arc system of basaltic rock develops in the direction of the downward-dipping plate, such as occurs in the Aleutian Islands. An oceanic-continental interaction creates mountains as sea sediments are squeezed and raised upward, and volcanoes as a result of the melting of the inclined plate.

In this situation the molten material rises through the mountains, is contaminated by the surrounding rocks, and erupts high on the mountains to form andesite volcanoes.Trenches are relatively steeper on the landward side and gentler on the ocean basin side.Sediments accumulating in the trench derived from the erosion of the adjacent continent tend to be thicker on the landward side. The oceanic trenches are home to famous hydrothermal vent faunas.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bispo_Barbosa

http://EzineArticles.com/?Oceanic-Trenches&id=3405765

Top Reasons to Conserve Energy and Go Green

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:54:57 -0700

The following is a guest article by Brent Crouch.

Every year, newspapers and magazines crown one word or phrase the official buzzword of that year. Often times, the winning phrase comes from a movie or television show, but this year, the phrase on everyone's mind has been "going green."

Thanks to outrageous fuel costs that have made everything from heating our homes to driving our cars a trial, there is a genuine movement within the United States to head towards renewable, clean energy like never before.

The election of Barack Obama as President also sends a signal to the rest of the world that the US is finally ready to take issues like climate change and renewable energy seriously. So, why go green? Let's take a look at just a few of the reasons why.

One of the biggest arguments against going green, whether it be on a state-wide level or at home, was cost. Solar panels were just too expensive to install in a home and wind farms were too costly compared to coal plants or nuclear power. Now, with new technology pioneered by companies around the world, the first low cost solar panel has hit the market.

Home wind generators are now extremely affordable and more and more power companies from coast to coast allow you to sell back your excess energy for a credit. If you have been waiting for costs to come down before going green, then now is the time to act.

Why go green? You'll save a bundle!

There is an old saying in the world of politics that says all politics are local. This means that the biggest, world changing movements begin in neighborhoods with one or two people. The same can be said for going green. All it takes is one or two people going off the grid and before you know it, every home in that area is outfitted with solar panels and wind generators. None of these people set out to be trailblazers, they simply want to help Mother Nature and lower their expenses, but good ideas have a way of catching on.

Why go green? Because you may be the first domino that could change an entire region!

When most of us think of going green, we think of our home, but there is so much more to living a green lifestyle than that. We can drive energy efficient cars or better yet, not drive at all. We can do our part to ensure that our workplace is as green as can be. Often times, when environmentally conscious individuals begin to make green changes around work, the response they get from those around them is, "We never thought of doing it that way before."

Why go green? You can change the way business gets done around the world!

Going green means different things to different people. For some it may be replacing old light bulbs with energy saving fluorescents. For others it may be installing solar panels and wind generators. No matter what steps you take, going green gives you a feeling of accomplishment like no other.

Why go green? Because you are doing the right thing!

Keep up with the latest alternative energy news from HowToSaveElectricity.net.

Article Source: Top Reasons to Conserve Energy and Go Green.

The Green Man Blog is written to spread environmental awareness and appreciation of the natural world around us. Thank you for visiting! Stay green, support the organic movement, and be sure to visit www.greenmantshirts.com or www.robjuszak.com for the best in organic cotton and bamboo t shirts!

Wind and Sun Power Coming to Ohio

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:16:39 -0700

Ohio Receives $13 Million For Solar and Wind Projects
Author: Elysia Niemi

Cleveland, Ohio - Governor Ted Strickland today announced that 25 Ohio projects will receive more than $13 million in grant awards funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's State Energy Program.

"We are shaping Ohio's future by strengthening our advanced energy economy today. Supporting the growing wind and solar industries creates jobs, creates energy and reduces costs for hard-working Ohioans," Strickland said. "These Recovery Act-funded projects take the state another vital step toward our goal of making Ohio a world center for advanced energy."

US Representatives Betty Sutton and Marcia Fudge, Ohio Department of Development Director Lisa Patt-McDaniel, the governor's energy advisor Mark Shanahan, and other community leaders and elected officials joined the governor and Lincoln Electric Chairman and CEO John Stropki for today's announcement in Cleveland. Lincoln Electric will receive a $1 million grant for its wind turbine installation project.

These renewable energy awards are the first to be awarded from Ohio's $96 million State Energy Program, which was accepted by the U.S. Department of Energy on June 26th.

"We are excited to have this opportunity under Ohio's energy program to demonstrate the value of wind energy by investing in our own installation," Stropki said. "This project is a continuation of other Lincoln EHS programs and green initiatives currently under way in our manufacturing operations to improve our costs and protect our environment. Not only will the wind project provide long-term benefits by reducing our energy costs, it will also showcase the unique benefits that Lincoln products and welding solutions provide to wind tower manufacturers to improve their quality and lower their costs."

Public and private entities will use the funds to install wind electric, solar electric and solar thermal technologies at businesses, schools, parks and other public locations throughout Ohio.

"Ohio is an impact state for advanced energy job creation potential," Patt-McDaniel said. "Our state's manufacturing strengths, logistics capabilities, skilled workforce, and competitive business environment make Ohio a major competitor in the growth of our nation's new energy economy."

Proposals for Deploying Renewable Energy: Wind and Solar component of the program were accepted beginning August 25, 2009. Projects submitted were selected through a competitive review process based on several criteria: project readiness and ability to be completed within 12 months, a matching investment of at least 50 percent, and direct economic impacts to create and retain jobs in Ohio.

Governor Strickland acknowledged that these awards would not have been possible without the support of members of Ohio's Congressional delegation and President Barack Obama for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"The Wind and Solar Awards afford Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio an opportunity to create jobs in a burgeoning field. By investing in energy, we will promote an industry of endless possibilities, create sustainable jobs, and retrain workers to enter this expanding 'green' workforce," said Representative Fudge (OH-11).

"Today's announcement of $1 million for the solar energy project that will be installed in Akron Metro's facility is great news," Representative Sutton said. "It is projected that these solar panels could save up to 33 percent in energy costs. The projects announced today will strengthen Ohio's advanced and renewable energy sectors, facilitate job creation and retention, and reduce energy costs along with greenhouse gas emissions."

Awarded projects meet the federal goals of the Recovery Act's State Energy Program to accelerate renewable energy development in Ohio by creating or preserving jobs and reduce energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

"Expanding the use of wind and solar energy across Ohio will create jobs in an expanding global market, positioning Ohio for growth for years to come," Shanahan said. "Recovery Act resources are helping Ohio communities make their own renewable energy while accelerating market-driven job creation in our state."

A list of award recipients follows below:

WIND PROJECTS

Archbold Area Local Schools (Fulton County) - $750,000 to install a 500 kW wind turbine and integrate the technology as a teaching tool in the classroom.
Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners (Cuyahoga County) - $1 million to install a 600 kW wind turbine at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in conjunction with a career and new energy training center.
Green City Growers Cooperative (Cuyahoga County) - $1 million to install a 1.5 MW wind turbine to power a 5.35 acre greenhouse and a 40,000 square-foot facility that will process fresh produce for Northeast Ohio.
Huron-Wind LLC and City of Huron (Erie County) - $280,500 to install a 100 kW wind turbine.
Kenston Local School District (Geauga County) - $630,500 to install a 600 kW wind turbine and integrate the technology as a teaching tool in the classroom.
Lincoln Electric Company (Cuyahoga County) - $1 million to install a 2.5 MW wind turbine at its manufacturing facility.
Pettisville Local Schools (Fulton County) - $750,000 to install a 500 kW wind turbine and integrate the technology as a teaching tool in the classroom.
Toledo Electric Joint Apprentice and Training Committee (Lucas County) - $420,000 to install a 100 kW wind turbine to serve as a training tool for 1,000 apprentices.

SOLAR ELECTRIC PROJECTS

Affinity Building Systems, Inc (Montgomery County) - $292,684 to install a 105 kW solar photovoltaic system.
City of Cincinnati, Duke Energy Convention Center (Hamilton County) - $252,937 to install a 93 kW photovoltaic array rooftop system at the Duke Energy Convention Center.
City of Cincinnati Parks (Hamilton County) - $451,418 to install a total of 170 kW solar photovoltaic systems at 13 sites in the park system.
Forest City Residential Management Inc., Midtown Towers (Cuyahoga County) - $1 million to install a 350 kW solar photovoltaic rooftop system on three of The Midtown Towers' residential building complexes.
Greater Cincinnati Water Works (Hamilton County) - $775,655 to install a 280 kW photovoltaic solar array rooftop system.
Hull & Associates Inc, Bedford Office (Cuyahoga County) - $266,254 to install a 93 kW solar photovoltaic system at its office building in Northeast Ohio.
Hull & Associates Inc, PNA Solar Project (Wood County) - $680,782 to install a 250 kW solar array project on Pilkington North America, Inc's (PNA) Plant 21 site.
IGS Energy (Franklin County) - $261,089 to install a 93 kW solar photovoltaic system on their corporate office building.
Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland (Cuyahoga County) - $217,479 to install a 76 kW solar photovoltaic rooftop system at an office building built to LEED certification.
METRO Regional Transit Authority (Summit County) - $1 million to install a 488 kW solar photovoltaic rooftop system located on its central bus barn.
Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH), Summit Facility (Hamilton County) - $652,932 to install a 232.65 kW solar photovoltaic rooftop system.
Solar Vision LLC, Athens City Community Center (Athens County) - $631,637 to install a 220 kW photovoltaic solar array system on four carport structures in the parking lot of the Athens City Community Center.
Solar Vision LLC, Bexley Police (Franklin County) - $335,328 to install a 117 kW photovoltaic array system on four new carport structures in the parking lot.
Toledo Museum of Art (Lucas County) - $282,264 to install a 100 kW solar rooftop system.
Toledo Zoo (Lucas County) - $306,837 to install a 103 kW solar system.

SOLAR THERMAL PROJECTS

Great Lakes Brewing Company (Cuyahoga County) - $190,082 to install two hot water heating systems.
Parkway Local Schools (Mercer County) - $16,080 to install a solar thermal system.

About the Author:

Cooler Planet is a leading solar resource for connecting consumers and commercial entities with local solar Installers. Cooler Planet's solar panel resources and solar energy page contains articles and tools to help with your solar project.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Ohio Receives $13 Million For Solar and Wind Projects

Are You Sure it was a Coyote? How to Tell a Coyote from a Dog.

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:53:00 -0700

Note: The following article is from Chuck Bonner, a lifelong hiker and amateur naturalist who writes extensively on nature, hiking, and more at HikingWithChuck.com. Chuck is also the author of Noticing Nature, available at Amazon.com.

A coyote attacking a sheep. His "elbow" is a couple of inches below the underline of his chest. Photo by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, public domain.

Whenever anyone tells of seeing a coyote in a heavily populated area, they are met with the inevitable question, "Are you sure it wasn't a dog?" The response is usually short on specifics but long on emphasis: "It didn't look like a dog." But, of course, a coyote does look like a dog. Just not exactly.

One commonly cited difference is that a coyote has longer legs than a dog has. I've used that description myself, but I always felt a little uncertain. "Longer legs" isn't quite accurate. A coyote is somewhat longer than it is tall, and so is a typical dog.

No, a coyote does not actually have longer legs than a dog has. But there is an unmistakable impression of "legginess" about a coyote.

After puzzling over it for a while, I realized what it was. A coyote's "elbow" lies below the line of its sternum, and a dog's "elbow" is higher than its sternum. (There are rare exceptions, but I'll get back to that.)

The German shepherd has some resemblance to a coyote. His "elbow" is a couple of inches higher than the underline of his chest. Photo by Charles J. Bonner.

A German shepherd is a fairly typical domestic dog, and one that looks superficially similar to a coyote. His "elbow" joints are much higher than the underline of his chest. Even a decidedly un-coyote-like dog such as a Boston terrier has his "elbows" higher than his sternum. The same is true of just about every dog I've examined (with a few exceptions, which I'll get back to). A picture of a coyote clearly shows the "elbow" well below the underline of the chest.

Now, why is this? Is the coyote's humerus proportionally longer than the dog's? Maybe so. But for field identification purposes, it is not really necessary to take precise measurements.

Look very closely at pictures of coyotes and dogs, and you will see that the real difference is that the dog's chest is proportionally deeper than the coyote's.

The same is true in other wild canids. Domestic dogs have deeper chests than foxes, wolves, or jackals.
The gray wolf is the most equivocal of the wild canids in this regard. A gray wolf's chest is a bit deeper than that of a coyote, and its elbow joint is just about on the same level as the underline of its chest. This can be rather hard to distinguish when the wolf has long fur, as they often do.

The Boston terrier doesn't look anything like a coyote. Still, his "elbow" is distinctly higher than the underline of his chest. Photo by Charles J. Bonner.

But this is a pretty good rule of thumb: A domestic dog's elbow is higher than its chest, and a wild dog's elbow is at or below the line of the chest.

What about those exceptions I mentioned earlier? There are two, the sighthounds, and the "primitive" domestic dogs.

In most sighthounds, the elbow joint actually is lower than the underline of the chest. This is obviously not a matter of having a shallow chest. Sighthounds have proportionally longer humerus bones than other dogs. Still, nobody is going to mistake a greyhound for a coyote.

"Primitive" dogs also often have the elbow joint lower than the chest. They retain the same proportions of chest depth and leg bone length as their gray wolf ancestors.

Fortunately, most primitive dogs are strikingly different from coyotes in other characteristics. Most "pariah" dogs are yellow, and many also have drooping ears and/or curled tails, which coyotes and other wild canids never have. And these primitive dogs are very rare in the U.S., where coyotes live, and you'll never see one roaming free.

Next time you think you see a coyote, try to get a good view of the front legs and see where the "elbow" joint is. A coyote has a very "leggy" look that comes from a shallow chest.

Living on the Thames

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:06:35 -0700

Note: the following lovely article is from Suzanne Charlton. Suzanne and her husband, Rob, live on a narrowboat on the river Thames. Many readers probably know about Great Britain's canal system and the narrowboats, and in this article Suzanne writes about what it's like to live aboard a narrowboat. Suzanne also writes on her own blog, Narrowboat: The Green Man

The Green Man.

Living in tune with nature is rather easy to do when living on a river. The good ship The Green Man is moored on the Thames near Oxford, England. ‘Ship’ is not really a good way to describe the vessel.

It is a 55ft narrowboat. It is only 6ft wide. If I stand inside I can reach out and touch both sides. To be honest, it is like living in a corridor, but a beautiful corridor made seemingly smaller by sharing it with 2 cats and a Morris dancing husband.

Every morning I awaken to see a heron fishing in the shallows of the river bank. I share my breakfast on a regular occasion with a friendly mallard duck and out of the corner of my eyes I often see the flash of iridescent blue as a kingfisher or two pass in a flurry. I have been known to shoo curious wildfowl out of the boat when their inquisitiveness becomes too much and they let themselves in via the cat flap.

Inside the Green Man with Lewsey the cat.

Every season is more pronounced than when living in a house. In summer the sun heats the steel shell of the boat and we spend most of our time outside on the riverbank, walking the fields. In autumn, the river rises from the incessant November rain. I like to cultivate my little piece of river bank. I grow fruit and vegetables throughout the summer, but come autumn the threat of flooding means the land will lie fallow until spring. In winter the pools and streams freeze, the river too, in parts. We have skated on the water before. The icy chill is kept at bay inside The Green Man and we are kept warm by our multi-fuel burning stove. And then, as the ice melts the river inevitably bursts its banks again. We can only reach dry land by wearing waders or rowing through the flood waters. Spring sees life return to the banks and water. Carp bathe in the shallows and river mammals play in the waters.

My living quarters may be small, but how many people can say they are rocked off to a gentle sleep every night by the ebb and flow of water beneath them?

My garden in summer.

Garden and boat when the floods come.

My hubby, Rob, in my flooded garden.

Me, The Green Man, and Lolly the cat standing on the frozen Thames.