No rain in forecast

Was a long night last night for some reason. Not sure why, but glad it is over. According to Weather Underground (www.wunderground.com) there is no significant chance of rain in the forecast for the next 6 days. Let’s just hope it holds up. My grass does not need to grow anymore until my lawnmower part comes in. Damn part is on back order again. I might see if I can jerryrig something up this weekend to get at least one mowing done.

I was going to take the boat out this weekend, but the river is not expected to drop back to normal around me until Wednesday night, so I think I will put that idea on hold.

Not much else happening right now, so this tired ole’ body is going to bed. :-| ^MM

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Where have all the tree houses gone?

This is a good article by Chris Lee about how parents and society fears are partially to blame for keeping our children from nature.

Think back to your childhood and recall how much time you spent outside. Recall those times fishing with Grandpa or exploring trails with a sibling. Or maybe it was building forts and tree houses in the wooded area down the street. Whatever it was, most folks would agree that unscheduled, unstructured time outdoors was an important part of their childhood.

Now consider how many kids today have built a tree house, or have even seen one? In today’s tech-happy, plugged-in world, kids aren’t getting outside and into nature nearly as much as their parents did. They’re not playing in the woods or exploring the nearby creek. They darn sure aren’t building tree houses. They don’t have the opportunity to explore at will and learn from experience or see the natural world as it exists without lawnmowers, chemicals and weed trimmers. When they are outside, it’s increasingly for an organized sport, which research has shown not to have the same restorative effect on kids as does play in natural areas such as weedy fields and woodlots. It’s a disturbing trend for sure, especially considering the future of our natural resources hang on the efforts, passions and votes of today’s youth.

Read rest of story >> The Hawk Eye.

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Slashdot – Copyright Troll USCG Violates Copyright

“The US Copyright Group — a company owned by intellectual property lawyers, which has been in the news for threatening downloaders of the movie Hurt Locker — has apparently stolen their site from a competitor. At one point, even the competitor’s phone number and copyright statement were copied word for word on USCG’s ‘settlement’ website. The competitor is reportedly going to send a Cease & Desist.”

via Slashdot Your Rights Online Story | Copyright Troll USCG Violates Copyright.

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Feds back local diabetes discovery

A London company may be on the verge of a groundbreaking treatment for diabetes — and an infusion of federal money announced yesterday in London may help it get there.

Gary Goodyear, minister for FedDev Ontario, announced the economic development agency for southern Ontario is giving $45 million to fund research at several businesses, including Sernova Corp. at the Stiller Centre.

“We need another study that will take us to the next level of clinical work,” said Philip Tosleikis, chief executive of Sernova.

Sernova received nearly $500,000 last year to fund its research. The funding announced Thursday will allow the company to apply for $5 million next year to fund clinical trials, the next stage in bringing its medial device to market.

“With that federal funding, we were able to go out and secure $2 million in private money and that has all come back to London,” Tosleikis said.

The Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) gave money to 25 businesses last year in London.

“We are supporting and encouraging business to innovate and maximize potential, to create jobs,” said Goodyear, who made the announcement at the Stiller Centre for Technology Commercialization.

“These are our job creators, these are our community builders and they are businesses like Sernova. Sernova is a great example of what we can do. It is truly a Canadian success story.”

Read more >> Feds back local diabetes discovery | Money | London Free Press.

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Disputes, damages, worker mistakes cost Iowa $6.6M

DES MOINES — State government paid nearly $6.6 million to settle claims and resolve disputes caused by employee mistakes, workplace misconduct or other damages in the past fiscal year, officials said Thursday.More than half of the fiscal 2010 total paid for settlements and judgments that were approved by the State Appeal Board involved a $3.3 million medical malpractice case at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics and all but $1.4 million of last year’s payout was under the regent universities’ heading.

Read More >> Disputes, damages, worker mistakes cost Iowa $6.6M.

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