2007)

Peach Bottom is a nuclear power installation about 90 miles from Philadelphia, less than 100 miles from Washington, D.C., and less than 200 miles from New York City:

[singlepic=163,320,240,,left] “Parts of York County are within the ten mile Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) of two nuclear power plants-Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station and Three Mile Island (TMI) Nuclear Power Plant. ” ((From the York County Emergency Preparedness website. )) That’s a lot of risk for one community; let’s hope their evacuation planning and preparedness are in good shape. (Link to Acrobat/.pdf file on York County website).

The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) reported, on October 31: (updates to follow):

Washington, DC – Kerry Beal, a whistleblower who exposed overworked and exhausted guards at the Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Plant, was notified this week by owner Exelon Nuclear that he “did not meet the selection criteria” for continuing to work at the plant.

Beal filmed guards sleeping at the plant only after his efforts to notify Wackenhut (Exelon’s Peach Bottom security contractor) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of the regular occurrence of sleeping guards were met with inaction. Wackenhut Corporation lost its contract to provide security to the Peach Bottom nuclear plant because of the resulting publicity surrounding the sleeping guards.

“This is the stupidest thing they could have done. Now, they’ll ensure no one else will be brave enough to come forward and try to fix problems” said Danielle Brian, Executive Director, Project On Government Oversight.
Mr. Beal’s whistle-blowing prompted USA Today to editorialize: “The Peach Bottom case is a stark example of what has to go right in the crucial effort to keep nuclear plants safe. In this case, the plant owner, the security company and the NRC all failed. It shouldn’t take a hidden camera to make them do their jobs.”

An internal Wackenhut email released by POGO today shows that up until a few weeks ago, guards were still being forced to work more than 60 hours per week. The October 16, 2007 email from Wackenhut manager David Draghi notes: “I have revised the shift schedule…If you can afford to start giving your team members a break from 60 hours please do so.”

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Order from 2003 sought to reign in the problem of overworked guards. But industry efforts to weaken the Order prevailed, resulting in the current situation where security officers can work up to 72 hours per week. POGO issued a letter to NRC Chairman Klein today pointing out that pending efforts at the NRC to strengthen the rules are being dragged out for another two years. Continue reading →

Jews, Moslems, and Humanity: A Christmas Story.

dervis_korkut11

This is the story of how Dervish Korkut, and his wife, Servet, Muslims of Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, saved the life of Mira Papo Solomanova, a young Jewish woman during World War II, how Mr. Korkut, the curator of the Sarajevo Museum, also saved the Sarajevo Haggada (click here), from the Nazis, and how Mira then saved Dervis and Servet’s daughter, Lamija and her family from the Serbs. Click here for the details in the New Yorker, here, here and here for other documentation on the Internet.

In 1942, Naza Commander Yohan Fortner arrived at the Bosnian National Museum in Sarajevo demanding the Sarajevo Hagadda. Dervish Korkut, Muslim, librarian, intellectual anti-fascist, and anti-communist, hid the book. He told Fortner that the book had already been taken by the Nazis. One way of looking at this is that Mr. Korkut risked his life to save a book. However, I would suggest that he devoted his life to saving books, ideas, culture, and humanity.

In April, 1942, Dervish protected a young Jewish woman, Mira Papo Solomanova, by bringing her home and passing her off as “Amira,” a Muslim servant, a cousin of his young wife, Servet, to help care for their infant son, Munib. They risked their lives to save another person.

In 1994, in a letter to the Holocaust Memorial at Yad Vashem, Israel, Mira documented how Dervish and Servet saved her life.

Dervish passed away in 1969. (While we originally reported that Servet had passed away in 1998 we now know that) Servet lives in Sarajevo, and we hope, in good health. In 1999 their daughter Lamija evacuated her children in advance of the collapse of Kosovo. Lamija and her husband were sent by the Serbs to a refugee camp. Lamija went to the Jewish community in Kosovo with a photocopy of Mira’s testimony. Four days later she and her husband were flown to Tel Aviv and reunited with their children, and Mira’s Israeli son, Davor Bakovic.

If this story is filmed, Harrison Ford should play Dervish, to Angleina Jolie’s Mira, and Uma Thuman’s Servet. Robert DiNiro should direct and play both Munib Korkut, and Davor Balkovic.

Regardless of whether or not this story makes it to the silver screen, the world needs more Dervish Korkuts, more Servet Korkuts, more Mira Papo Salomanovas, and fewer Yohan Fortners.

Celeste Monforton calculates odds on OSHA leaving lumps of coal, candy – or nothing in workers' stockings @ The Pump Handle

Celeste Monforton reminds us that at year’s end, the Secretary of Labor is required to make public certain filings:

It’s that time of year—time for the Secretary of Labor to issue her semi-annual regulatory agenda. Look for its publication in the Federal Register around the second week of December.I’ll be curious to see OSHA’s timetable for action on diacetyl, the butter-flavoring agent associated with severe lung disease in exposed workers.

* Will OSHA list diacetyl on its reg agenda?
* Will it provide a target date for publishing a proposed rule?

I’ll also be eager to see OSHA’s latest schedule for proposed rules to address:

* Hearing conservation for construction workers (who are not included in OSHA’s 1983 noise-control rule)

o Current target date: Undetermined. Will OSHA provide a date for proposing a rule?
* Hazards related to cranes and derricks (responsible for 80 U.S. worker deaths annually)

o Target date was October 2007. OSHA’s federal advisory committee on construction safety and health (ACCSH) recommended in October 2006 that the draft rule be published in order to keep the regulatory process moving forward. What date will OSHA offer for publishing the proposal?

* Diseases related to exposure to respirable crystalline silica
o Target date to complete peer review of risk assessment: September 2007. Asst. Secretary Foulke missed that deadline; will he give us a new one for early 2008?
o The SBREFA report* was completed in December 2003. Will the anti-regulatory, anti-worker forces clamour for a new SBREFA panel since the previous one was completed more than 4 years ago?
* Diseases related to exposure to beryllium
o Target date to complete SBREFA report* was September 2007. The Small Business Administration and OSHA have not yet even convened the required SBREFA panel. I’m predicting that OSHA’s will offer a new target date of April 2008 to complete the SBREFA report. (I further predict that OSHA won’t meet whatever target date they publish in the forthcoming reg agenda for the Beryllium SBREFA report.)

I’ll also be curious to see if OSHA revises its target dates for finalizing safety standards on:

* Vertical tandem lifts used in longshoring and at marine terminals
o Target date for publishing a final rule: December 2007. Will Mr. Foulke get this rule out by June 2008–by the 3 year anniversary of the close of the rulemaking record?
* Hazards related to electric power transmission and generation in post-construction settings (responsible for about 50 U.S. worker deaths per year)
o Target date for final rule: January 2008. Let’s hope that OSHA retains this January 2008 deadline and rings in the New Year by issuing this rule to protect workers from electrocutions. Every month of delay translates to four preventable worker deaths.

At times, I roll my eyes at OSHA’s regulatory agenda and I call it a joke. The target dates seem meaningless because OSHA never meets the deadlines it sets for itself. But, I must remind myself that these schedules aren’t the same as dates for cleaning out a sock drawer or rearranging the jars on the spice rack.

OSHA’s regulatory agenda (and MSHA’s too) address significant hazards that cause disabling injuries, illnesses and deaths among tens of thousands of U.S. workers. The exercise of preparing the agenda must be more than just changing the dates for new supposed deadlines. Every delay in months (and then usually years) can be calculated into actual cases of injuries, diseases and deaths that could have been prevented. The semi-annual revisions to OSHA’s and MSHA’s regulatory agendas demonstrate an Administration’s determination and commitment to the health and safety of U.S. workers. Target dates missed and then delayed reflect poorly on an Administration’s respect for workers’ health and lives.

OSHA’s Reg Agenda Coming Soon « The Pump Handle

Everson hiring/firing and the future of the American Red Cross

NB: to follow this story with some nuance, readers are advised to read Trent Stamp’s Take. TST is the blog of Trent Stamp (scroll down for bio), the founder of Charity Navigator. Many of comments are thoughtful and illuminating – suggesting that Stamp’s created a small community with shared concerns about nonprofit governance.

Link to Stamp’s most recent post – “Red Cross Debacle: Day Two.”

Stephanie Strom has been covering the ARC and other nonprofits for the Times for a couple of years. This is from her Thursday piece (November 29th), Firing Stirs New Debate Over Red Cross:

Nonprofit experts said that the Red Cross needed to move quickly to fill its top job, but that its culture, which is averse to change, coupled with the missteps of over more than a decade, would make it a difficult job to fill.

“You need someone like Colin Powell to step in,” said Paul C. Light, a professor of public service at New York University who does an annual survey of confidence in charities. “But there aren’t that many national figures like that who’ll take the job, and within that pool, there aren’t any who know anything about disaster relief, let alone blood. And who would take this job under these circumstances, anyway?”

I’m not certain what Professor Light means by “like Colin Powell” – particularly because Secretary Powell’s conduct prior to the invasion of Iraq has given many of his admirers pause.

We’d like to suggest six candidates to lead the Red Cross, and one structural change.

Candidates for the top post

Four people, any of whom would be outstanding in the top post:

Dr. Irwin Redlener, pediatrician, author of Americans At Risk, founder, with Paul Simon (not the senator) of the Children’s Health Fund, and head of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University (The Children’s Health Fund has four stars from Charity Navigator
); (A cursory review of the ARC’s history suggests that Dr. Redlener might be the first Jewish person to head the Red Cross);
Craig Fugate head of emergency services for the State of Florida (post about Fugate background coming later in the day);
William Bratton, currently the Chief of Police in Los Angeles; he’s also been head of the NYC Transit Police, Boston’s transit police equivalent, and Police Commissioner for the City of New York. Some may remember that he was forced out – despite outstanding successes – by then-mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Bratton has a history of doing impressive things without telling reporters about them: patrolling subways by himself and in uniform in the middle of the night, and he has a history of rescuing dogs and volunteering in animal shelters. This is in contrast to, for instance, a recent Cabinet member who made regular trips to Walter Reed to visit wounded soldiers – but made sure lots and lots of reporters knew about it.
Paul Maniscalco, former Deputy Chief of New York City’s Emergency Medical Service, co-author of “Understanding Terrorism and Managing the Consequences,” and currently on the faculty at George Washington University.

Disclosure: I’ve done unpaid consulting for Dr. Redlener, and hope I don’t unduly flatter myself by claiming him as a friend; I’ve corresponded with Craig Fugate, and pestered him with research questions, but we’ve never met; Bratton and I have several friends in common, and we’ve met – the first time walking our respective dogs in Central Park. We talked for an hour and it wasn’t until the next day that I knew who I’d met. Paul Maniscalco’s wife and I were colleagues at an investigative firm, and became friends.

Appoint an Inspector General – either in addition to, or in place of, the Ombudsman

ARC clearly has integrity and ethics issues – nationally and in regional and local branches. A strong Inspector General System – with authority over the national organization and the affiliates – would go a long way towards restoring trust.

Two oustanding candidates for ARC’s first Inspector General

Clark Kent Irvin – former IG for the Department of Homeland Security and before that the IG of the United States Department of State. And the author of Open Target: Where America Is Vulnerable to Attac,an account of his work – and frustrations – as Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security.

Bunnatine (“Bunny”) Greenhouse – the chief contracting officer for the Army Corps of Engineers – with a stellar record – until she complained about Halliburton’s no-bid contracts – and lost her job.

Using Mr. Ervin or Ms. Greenhouse as an Inspector General (or auditor, etc.) would immediately send a message that the ARC is serious about integrity and transparency – by hiring someone who puts integrity ahead of career.

"How to Survive (Almost) Anything" – Laurence Gonzalez

Laurence Gonzalez, the author of the new book Deep Survival , has a piece in the on-line edition of National Geographic Adventure. From “How to Survive (Almost) Anything,”

Accidents of all types used to be analyzed in terms of their physical or mechanical causes. When the cause was clearly human error, they were often written off as the result of foolishness or lack of training. But among those who investigate accidents, there is an increasing awareness that this type of analysis does not fully explain why otherwise rational people do what may seem irrational.

For example, in May 1989, Lynn Hill, the winner of more than 30 international rock-climbing titles, was preparing to climb what she called a “relatively easy” route in Buoux, France. She threaded her rope through her harness, but then, instead of tying her knot, she stopped to put on her shoes. While she was tying them, she talked with another climber, then returned to climb the rock face. “The thought occurred to me that there was something I needed to do before climbing,” she later recalled, but, “I dismissed this thought.” She climbed the wall, and when she leaned back to rappel to the ground, she fell 72 feet (22 meters), her life narrowly saved by tree branches. In her case, more training would not have helped. In fact, experience contributed to her accident. She had created a very efficient model for tying her rope to her harness. She could do it without thinking. So the act of tying her shoes may have been similar enough to tying her rope that it allowed her to reach the unconscious conclusion that her rope was tied, even while leaving a slight residue of doubt.

Continue reading →

James Vlahos on the search for Steve Fossett

The December 2007/January 2008 issue of National Geographic Adventure has an excellent piece by James Vlahos about the SAR (S

earch And Rescue) effort following Steve Fossett’s disappearance. “The Vanishing” appears on page 68 of the print edition – but not at all on National Geographic Adventure‘s on-line counterpart. Vlahos makes some interesting points about the human factors issues that are likely to have led to Fossett’s death, and suggests that decentralized – and perhaps somewhat uncoordinated – efforts – may have overlooked some portions of the area in which Fossett was most likely to have crashed. This is worth a read – especially if you’re not familiar with the large area/small target search problem.

The National Geographic Adventure websitedoes have a great piece on survival skills by Laurence Gonzalez . About which more shortly.

AllMed Hi-Viz Rescue Vest – excellent!

I’ve been using the AllMedHi-Viz Rescue Vest for a few weeks. Happy to recommend it – worth every penny – although for CERT and other purposes I’d like to see a lower bulk price. For the record, we weren’t given a review sample – and regard this as money well spent. And I intend to assemble a bulk purchase soon. Here are some images.

It’s great – I’ve worn it every time I’ve been to the park with Lucy and Zoe before dawn, and my guess is that it exceeds ANSI Class III visibility requirements. (AllMed doesn’t make the claim – and for the moment, I’m saying again – it’s a guess). We’ll try to measure visibility soon.

And it has the feel of something well-made and well-designed – very sturdy but not at all uncomfortable.

And it’s got enough pockets that, by itself, it could function as a go-bag or jump bag with the “A” gear – the absolute essentials. We’re going to figure out how much we can stuff in the pockets.

Responders should, of course, add ID – name, units, etc. – but I’d urge anyone doing it to use Reflexite letters – what makes this vest unique is the combination

of conspicuity and load carrying ability – i.e., pockets – don’t make it any less reflective if at all possible.

Product page here .

Professor writes Op-Ed opposing mine safety bill, neglects to disclose his patronage by mine-owning interests

This must be one of those “absent-minded” professors we’re always hearing about. Because he’s apparently not one of the “treehugging liberal elite,” either.

Celeste Monforton points out that Professor Rick Honaker of the University of Kentucky recently wrote an Op-Ed – but didn’t disclose that his professorship, and his department, take money from mining interests – and made broad and extravagant claims regarding the introduction of H.R. 2768:

In “New Mining Bill Premature,” printed in the Lexington Herald-Leader, Professor Rick Honaker says it is incomprehensible” that Congress is attempting to place new safety requirements on coal operators. * He claims new mandates will “serve no useful purpose” and will “only undermine the efforts of those trying to implement” the 2006 MINER Act. That’s some tough criticism.

On closer look, I notice that neither the op-ed itself nor the professor’s byline mentions his university department’s financial connection to mining industry—an industry that also strongly opposes HR 2768. These ties include a large financial endowment established by the mining industry, called the Mining Engineering Foundation. The Foundation was created in 1983 with a $1 million endowment, which included a hefty donation of $500,000 from Mr. Catesby Clay, president of Kentucky River Coal.** Interest from the fund now provides financial support to school’s mining engineering department.

– snip –

In Dr. Honaker’s case, his byline states:

“Rick Honaker is the Mining Foundation Distinguished Professor and chairman of the University of Kentucky department of mining engineering.”

I’ve since learned that Dr. Honaker’s distinguished professorship is affiliated with the Mining Engineering Foundation, (not the Mining Foundation.) This led me to the information about the group’s financial support of Professor Honaker’s department.

– snip –

Notes:

*In the posted version of Rick Honaker PhD’s op-ed, the yellow highlighted phrases are mine (for emphasis.)

**Mr. Clay was recently honored

by the Kentucky Coal Association.

Celeste Monforton’s post at The Pump Handle.

It’s disturbing that the Lexington Herald-Leader couldn’t (or wouldn’t) figure this out for itself – it’s axiomatic that readers are entitled to know who’s speaking – or on whose behalf a speaker works.

If Professor Honaker ever testifies under oath, and makes, or has made, a practice of this omission, he’s laid an elegant foundation for some interesting cross-examination. To quote the noted trial lawyer David Lewis, “Bias is never collateral.”

Let’s suppose for a moment that Honaker is right about the legislation in question. But now, having concealed his financial ties, he’s made a permanant and public record of misleading by omission. If he’s an honest scholar, he’s unfairly damaged his own reputation.

"Moflow" water pack from Polarpak via Boing Boing Gadgets

From Boing Boing Gadgets:

The “Moflow” water pack from Polarpak looks like a traditional back-mounted water carrier, but the inclusion of an air pump adds two useful features: you don’t have to suck on a hose to get a sip of water, as biting on the tip gives you a blast of pressurized liquid; the air pressure in the reservoir helps keep the water from sloshing around. You can add a shower head attachment as well for a little backwoods rinse down.It looks like a wonderful addition to the standard design, but I’d worry that the little hand pump, which isn’t integrated into the system, would be easily lost.

It’s selling at a suggested $32, but you’ll still need to purchase a backpack with a standard hydration pack slot.

Product Page [PolarPak.com]

From Joel Johnson at Boing Boing Gadgets .

The existence of a “standard hydration pack slot” is, in our view, a very helpful innovation, and we’d like to know who came up with it. We hope to start reviewing light packs with these slots as candidates for g0-bags/jump bags – and the presence hydration slot should count for a lot.

Everson resigns as President of the Red Cross

Philip Rucker of the Washington Post reports that Mark Everson, late of the IRS, more recently head of the American Red Cross, has resigned. He’d only been with the Red Cross since May of this year. From Rucker’s piece :

American Red Cross president and chief executive Mark W. Everson resigned today because he engaged in a personal relationship with an employee.

Everson, who previously was commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, took over the Red Cross on May 29 as the federally chartered disaster-relief agency struggled to restore a reputation damaged by its response to Hurricane Katrina. He oversaw a broad restructuring plan for the $3.4 billion organization.

Everson’s resignation is effective immediately. He was engaged in a personal relationship with a subordinate female employee, agency spokeswoman Suzy C. DeFrancis said. A senior executive at the Red Cross informed the board of directors about the affair about 10 days ago and the board asked Everson to resign, DeFrancis said.

The Red Cross is unique and holds a particular public trust – it has a charter established by Congress, FCC-allocated radio frequencies – the unauthorized use of which is a crime – it’s quasi-governmental.

Adultery is not, I think, generally an issue of public concern – but with a subordinate, and when it’s against the rules – asking for Eveson’s resignation seems wise action by the Red Cross board. It’s safe to say that the Red Cross has great potential; this sort of conduct, at minimum, is a distraction from critical work.

Trent Stamp points out that “this makes at least 4 ARC presidents who have been forced out in the last 6 years.” (Link to post)

Stamp is the president of Charity Navigator – a well-regarded promoter of good practices and transparency among nonprofits. In July Stamp called Everson on appointing a longtime aide as the Red Cross ombudsman.

(There’s nothing inherently wrong with bringing subordinates and colleagues with you to a new employer – in fact, it’s often useful, where people have existing trust and working relationships. But not as an ombudsman, inspector general, or outside monitor. And it’s disturbing that Everson couldn’t have done those sums himself).

While Rucker of WaPo says that the Red Cross board learned of this ten days ago – looks like the decision may have been made today – we found this release dated today – announcing that Everson would preside over the 12/3 Florence Nightingale awards ceremony. Suggesting that the board’s decision happened after the Nightingale announcement.

Perhaps not – we’ve also found an earlier version on the Red Cross website dated November 20th.

(Update – RETRACTION) Unconfirmed/incomplete report of Levinson release

UPDATE, 11/27/07: we’ve determined – much to our embarassment – that we were suckered by trackback spam into concluding this was a new report. In fact, it linked, eventually, to a May 2007 post on abcnews.com

This is one of the more insidious permutations of spam – polluting the stream of information about critical issues. Our apologies to our readers. Eds.

The Janine Swainston blog has a report dated November 21, 2007 (two days ago) headed

Report: Iran May Release Former FBI Agent Soon

The entire text of the blog post is:

Friends of the former FBI agent believed to be in custody in Iran, Robert Levinson, say he could be released as early as today based on what they describe as two unconfirmed reports from Tehran. “We have received a call that he is free, and we have people at airports in Frankfurt and Dubai where we have been told he could show up,” one of. . .

The “more” link leads to an ABC News post dated May 1, 2007.

There’s no direct contact information on this blog – but we’re trying to run down this report – which, if true, would be the best Thanksgiving ever for a bunch of my favorite people – not least Bobby Levinson. (If this post finds its way to Mr. Levinson – he should be reminded that he owes me at least one dinner).

Gasoline tanker overturns, melts highway overpass, causing collapse

This is the first of what we hope will be a group of articles about the costs of transporting liquid petroleum products (heating oil, gasoline, jet fuel, etc.). We’re going to start with this incident because the reporters and multimedia staff of SFGate.com ((SFGate.com is, we gather, the on-line presence of the San Francisco Chronicle)). did such an excellent job of explaining how this particular incident happened on April 29, 2007. Their multi-media illustration of the events – “How the Crash Happened” can be found here

Here’s an excerpt from Demian Bulwa and Peter Fimrite’s piece ((written with assistance fromCarolyn Jones, Michael Cabanatuan, Rick DelVecchio and John Wildermuth, )) published the same day

The single-vehicle crash occurred on the lower roadway when the tanker, loaded with 8,600 gallons of unleaded gasoline and heading from a refinery in Benicia to a gas station on Hegenberger Road in Oakland, hit a guardrail at 3:41 a.m.

Engineers said the green steel frame of the I-580 overpass and the bolts holding the frame together began to melt and bend in the intense heat

— and that movement pulled the roadbed off its supports.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Trent Cross said the driver of the tanker, James Mosqueda, 51, of Woodland (Yolo County), was traveling too fast in a 50 mph zone when his truck overturned and burst into flames.

Photograph by Mark Costantini/San Francisco Chronicle. More images here.

Mosqueda, an employee of Sabek Transportation in San Francisco for 10 months, got out of the truck on his own after it overturned and hailed a taxi that took him to Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, witnesses and police said.

He has been transferred to the burn unit at St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco, where his father said he was “doing OK” this afternoon, having sustained burns on his face, neck and hands. The family expected Mosqueda to remain hospitalalized two or three more days.

– snip –

Oakland firefighters, the first public safety workers on the scene, arrived with two engines at 3:55 a.m., Capt. Cedric Price said.

“We didn’t know it was a tanker truck that was involved. As soon as that was established we immediately upgraded to a large scale incident response team and added two more engines and two trucks,” Price said.

Firefighters immediately noticed the upper connector ramp was buckling and seven minutes after they arrived — at 4:02 a.m.– it collapsed, Price said. Now there were no more structures threatened, the firefighters’ approach shifted.

“With no structures or lives in jeopardy and with 8,000 gallons of flammable fuel involved, you’re basically better off letting it burn itself out,” said Price.

Firefighters used only water to control the blaze, which took about two hours, he said. Had there been lives at risk, firefighters would have used foam to fight the blaze, but it would have run off into the nearby Bay water, polluting it.

“That this didn’t happen on a weekday morning might have been the only beauty of it,” said Price.

With the help of protective gear and breathing devices, firefighter exposure to the fumes was minimal, according to Price. A total of 29 Oakland Fire Department personnel were on scene as well as one engine from Emeryville. A smaller crew of Oakland firefighters remained there through the early evening to watch for potential dangers.

“Tanker fire destroys part of MacArthur Maze | 2 freeways closed near Bay Bridge”

We’re trying to learn how many of these incidents there are a year – and how many people get hurt. Apart from the risk to life – the risk to structures seems so great that we’d want to encourage great caution in transporting any form of petroleum fuel.

And take this sort of risk into account when we decide how much of it we’re going to use.

Drainspotting.com – visible art covering underground systems

Drainspotting.com is a terrific collection of manhole covers – and a few other pieces of imagery embedded in sidewalks. The following images from DrainSpotting were taken by Edward MacGregor Since one of the most important things we can do in preparing our own communities is to know what’s underneath them, knowledge of what covers the openings seems a good starting point. At this writing, I’m several thousand feet away from an underground, unmarked

series of pipes which carry, among other things, jet fuel. (One backhoe miscalculation and one cigarette away from what we suspect would be a memorable incident).

Go-Bags – several lists and thoughtful comments from Jim McDonald

has an interesting and practical post about go-bags – it’s an annotation and exegesis of lists he’s posted on his Emergency Kits page. Here’s McDonald’s explanation of his “Urban Bag”:

Urban bag

If you’re just going away for a little while, or you only need to get home from the office, and you’re in a built-up area, this has the supplies you need. If you can grab nothing else, grab this one. If you only have ten seconds, grab this one.

(Along with what’s in your pockets. I assume some pocket change, subway tokens, a pocket knife, ID, and so on.)

Continue reading →

Mountain Hardwear Stimulus Jacket: waterproof, breathable and REFLECTIVE

Mountain Hardwear now has on offer the Stimulus jacket

Which is waterproof, breathable, and has some stretch – but what’s novel is that it’s reflective.

And is available, therefore, only in a color that Mountain Hardwear calls “Stainless Steel.”

I’ve had a couple of Mountain Hardwear’s pieces – one jacket and a hat. They’re both among the best clothing I’ve ever had. jacket had single defect: it allowed me to lose it. The hat was, I believe, stolen by one of my children – high praise, indeed.

We’re going to see if we can take a look at one of these – Mountain Hardwear’s website doesn’t provide specs on the reflectivity – but if it meets ANSI Class II or III it might be an ideal option for clothing emergency responders.

Popular Logistics

Systems thinking on the biohumanosphere.