Burning Bodies To Create Electricity? New Twists on Burying the Dead December 9, 2009

Beware of the Man Eating Goonch!

Everyone is looking for more efficient ways to create energy.  Some or turning to wind energy, others to solar power and then there are efforts to harness the tidal movements of the ocean to create usable energy.  A new proposal has come about in England that is rather ingenius, if not disturbing for some.  See, crematorians need a lot of energy.  So, someone came up with the bright idea to capture the heat used to burn human bodies and use it to generate electricity.  Not sure how that would fit into Cap and Trade. 

Man Stood at His Own Wake for 3 Days; Why not stand for eternity?

In Australia, not everyone is eager to be cremated but instead prefer to find eternal peace.  But  laying everyone rest takes up a lot of space.  Even though has a huge plot of land in Western Australia that is basically unhibatable, there is a shortage of space for cemeteries.  An Australian company has come up with a great idea.  Why not bury people standing upright?  Not exactly the restful position envisioned by most people, but the entrepreneur is taking an additional approach.  Not only does it save space, but it also will help save the planet.  He says that by simply drilling a 9 and a half foot deep, 30 inch wide hole and sticking gramps in the hole in a biodegradable bag, then the entire process is Green because it produces less carbon dioxide.  How? No casket.  One guy already took it one step farther.  He asked that he be left standing at his own wake.  He died and stood for three days to greet all of his visitors.

Freeze Dry Dead Guy Garden

Perhaps that is not high tech enough for you.  I mean, we are in the 21st century.  And a Swedish company agrees.  Instead of cremation or burial (vertically or horizontally) they have a better idea.  How about freeze dried?  Using liquid Nitrogen, dead bodies are frozen and then broken into bits so small it creates a powder…sorta like a fine slushy.   But, they use a vacuum process to remove all moisture and then a filter to remove any excess metals..you know…in case gramps had a pace maker or fillings.  And, there you go…ashes to ashes dust to dust.  The company suggests that you can put gramps’ powder on the grave to take advantage of all of the nutrients.  Hey,  why not package it and sell it as fertilizer?  I guess that grave that have plants growing the biggest and brightest is the ultimate proof that the person really was full of manure.

Goonch Has Teeth Like a Shark

But like all new things, alternative burials can create unintended consequences.  It seems that in the region near the India-Nepal border, for many years there have been ritual burials in which a body is burned to some degree and then the burned bodies or remains are tossed into the Great Kali River.  It seems that the river has a type of catfish called a “goonch” that regularly dines on the human remains.  Legend has it that there is a large creature that prefers humans that are alive and a researcher has determined that the legend is real and that the predator is a giant “goonch” catfish that has gotten fat over the years from being fed the dead.  The conclusion is that through encouragement, the local customs have created a giant man eating fish.   He is suggesting that locals start using the more “ecofriendly” method of burial at sea.

Louisville Peak Wind Gusts Wednesday Morning to 9AM

Weather Bottom Line:  Today is going to be pretty lousy.  Oh, the rain is out of the picture for the morning; but the wind and falling temperatures will be the issue.  Overnight we had wind gusts to 46 mph in Louisville and the temperature climbed to 58 degrees at 4AM.  By 9AM we had lost 10 degrees from that high and the main push of cold air will be pushing in by afternoon.  Don’t be surprised to see below freezing temperatures by your drive home from work.  Winds will generally be 20-40 mph with perhaps higher gusts but I doubt if anyone will hit the ballyhooed 60 mph.  The waves on the river should be pretty good by late morning with a westerly component to the wind. As the wind shifts more northwesterly by late day, the waves should back off somewhat.  Maybe some wrap around flurries late Wednesday since the cold air will be trying to squeeze out whatever moisture that it can.  Still think we won’t get out of the 20′s on Thursday.  There is another system that comes out of the west for the weekend that seems to me may begin as snow but warm air should surge northward and then it would turn to rain.

Man Marries a Cartoon, Groom Tweets From Alter, Physicists Make World’s Smallest Snowman-Are we Doomed? December 5, 2009

Guess it was a slow day at the National Physical Laboratory in West London

Science has brought so many advancements to human life.  One would think that today’s researchers are working to solve problems of over-population, hunger, disease and even global warming; and they probably are.  But these physicists found time to create the world’s smallest snowman.  I’m not sure what they were trying to prove, what they were supposed to be doing or if they were just fooling around.  But, I’m sure those who are funding their work might like to know.

True Love Tweeter or Just A Twit

Was that stupid?  I dunno…they were probably working on some other project and the snowman building was showing what they could manipulate on a small scale.  But, I think that the story of the groom tweeting from the alter is pretty far out in left field.  The guy interrupted the minister so that he could take out his phone.  He kept himself out of the early doghouse by handing a second phone to his bride.  But still…tweeting and going on facebook when you are before the eyes of God making your devotional pledge?  How romantic.

SAL9000 Shows Off His Bride

Bride

Speaking of romance and technology…this guy in Japan married a computer generated character from a popular video game.  The groom was some guy who calls himself SAL9000 says he fell in love with Nintendo DS “Love Plus” character Nene Anegasaki after he apparently had failed flings with other computer generated characters.  The ceremony was broadcast live over the web.  Darn…I missed it.

Funny Elf

And finally, the kids could have stood to miss this.  Seems a man dressed up as an Elf told Santa that one of his bag of Christmas presents was filled with dynamite.  William C. Caldwell, III is a slight man of just about 5 feet tall and got in line to visit Santa at a shopping mall dressed up as an elf.   The 45-year-old Caldwell had a surprise for Santa, though I’m not sure if he sat on Santa’s lap to whisper it in his ear.  But, when he got to the front of the line, he twice told Santa that he had dynamite in his bag.  Turns out it was a hoax.  Funny guy.  He’s in jail.

Jarbidge Victim Not So Lucky

On This Date in History: Jarbidge, Nevada is in the northwest quandrant of Nevada in a pretty out-of-the way place along the Idaho border. It had a population of nearly 1200 in 1911 but mining operations ceased in the area by 1932. The town population has dwindled to around 20. While it has people and the post office is still open 5 days a week, it either is or has a ghost town…not sure if the ghosts are counted among the 20 or not. I”m also not certain if it was supposed to be JarbRidge but someone stole the “r”.

Anyway, on this date in 1916 it was a rather cold and brisk day in Jarbidge, which is not too surprising given its location and its reputation as a town that collects lots of snow. The postmaster grew concerned because the mail stage was 3 hours late. Remember, the automobile had not been around for very long and in difficult terrain, a horse was a much better mode of transportation. So, a search party went out and found the empty stagecoach at 11PM. They also found the driver with a fatal bullet wound. Nearby lay a bloodstained overcoat.

On The Case in 1916?

Kuhl Got Out of Jail Free

I’m not sure if the detective on the case was Columbo but they certainly seemed to solve the crime before the closing commercial because authorities went straight to Ben Kuhl who was known thereabouts as a drifter. People in the town knew that Kuhl had been seen in a similar overcoat. In Kuhl’s tent, they found a pistol. Another key piece of evidence was an envelope that was picked up near the coach. The envelope had a bloody palm print. Now, police work was starting to line up with science around that time (Remember Hec Ramsey?) and so they made an impression of Kuhl’s palm print and it was identical to the one found on the envelope. The sherrif also arrested 3 other men known to have run with Kuhl. It’s a long story (here’s a version) but they released one guy and another got off for agreeing to testify against the other two. One of the men was given a life sentence but he only served a little more than 6 years before being paroled. In Kuhl’s case, the jury took but two hours to determine a conviction of murder in the first degree. His sentence was death. He chose a firing squad over a hanging but neither was necessary. After numerous appeals, his sentence was commuted to life. But, he too was paroled, but his trek to freedom took longer as he got out in a little less than 28 years. Ben Kuhl died a year later of tuberculosis.

Ramsey Was CSI before CSI

This marked the first time that a palm print was admitted as evidence in the case. It also marked the last time that a stage coach was ever robbed. The jury bought the latest in technology relating to crime-scene evidence and Kuhl was convicted. But, of the $3000 taken in the robbery, only $182 was recovered. Maybe the ghosts of Jarbidge spent the rest. Or maybe, the guy that they released spent it all. But the man responsible for putting Kuhl behind bars in the first place was also the man who set him free. See, the prosecutor at Kuhl’s trial was a man named Ted Carville….the very same Governor Carville who paroled Kuhl on April 16, 1943.

On a side note, in the trial of the man who only served 6 years, Carville asked the press not to report the trial, in fear that it would taint the jury in Kuhl’s trial. The press obliged. Think that would happen today? Do you think that two men who were convicted of being an accesory to murder would get paroled 6 years and 28 years later?

Weather Bottom Line:  Forecast remains on track….while GFS is backing off midweek snow stuff…others still insist on it.  The key factor will be whether or not the low tracks to our west or to the east.  Have to wait and see.  A few folks might see 40 on Saturday.  Sunday everyone gets to the low 40′s.  Plenty of sunshine each day.   Monday’s system could bring some insignificant snow but really nothing too exciting.  We’ll look at it closer through the weekend.  Main point is that its not warming up any time soon…probably below seasonal average 49 for at least the next week.

Woman Gets Amnesia After Sex; Nation Has Amnesia Regarding 1st Woman Elected to Congress November 8, 2009

We’ve heard of amnesia.  Few of us have ever really encountered anyone actually getting amnesia and our knowledge of the condition is generally limited to tv shows or movies.  There was the recent case of the man in Seattle who apparently had amnesia.  Many people speculated that he was faking it.  But, amnesia is apparently more common than we think.  Transient Global Amnesia occurs with some frequency in people over 50.  It is triggered when there is strenuous activity.  That would include bowel movements.  That’s got to be some trauma…both the event that caused the amnesia and the resulting amnesia.  But, there is another fairly common causation.  Sex.  This woman suffered from amnesia after sex with her husband.  Oh, she finally recovered but she can’t recall one thing: having sex with her husband.  Experts say she must have had fun.

On This Date In History: The 19th Amendment to the Constitution that guaranteed women the right to vote was not ratified until August of 1920. However, on this date in 1916, Jeanette Rankin(bio) was basking in the glow of becoming the first woman elected to Congress on the previous day. How does that work?

Well, western states were in a somewhat leadership position regarding suffragettes. Wyoming gave women the vote in 1869 when it was still a territory. Utah, Idaho and Colorado voted for the suffragettes by the turn of the century. One must remember, there is no such thing as a Federal Election. All elections are state or local. So, states can pass their own voting laws. Rankin was from Montana and after working in New York as a social worker and getting involved in the women’s suffrage movement. She moved home to Montana in 1914 because she believed that the western states offered the best opportunity to gain women’s suffrage due to their pioneering spirit that she thought gave more respect to women and their ability. She was right because shortly after she moved there, women in Montana got the right to vote. She was elected to Congress in 1916 with strong support from men and women. When she went to Washington, the nation looked to see if she could handle the office.

Several books on Rankin Available (click image)

Handling the office was not an issue. What became an issue was her strongly held beliefs. She was elected as a Progressive Republican and she held strong pacifist views. When the vote to enter World War I came up, she voted against it. Even though 55 other Congressmen voted against it, she was ridiculed by many as not having the ability to take on the responsibility of national office. Others though said she showed strong, courageous leadership in her vote. She remained in office through World War II. She held on to her convictions and voted against that war too. She is the only member of Congress to have voted against the United States entry in both world wars. This time, she voted alone.

Old Gal Still Stirred things up in 1960's

Seems Jeanette was one of those who thought that President Roosevelt had deliberately provoked the attack on Pearl Harbor. That didn’t sit well with anyone, including her constituents in Montana. So, instead of being defeated, she declined to run in 1943. But, she wasn’t done. In 1968, the 88 year old Rankin led a march on Washington to protest the Vietnam War. Rankin died in 1973 but you’ve to admire her. While I would not necessarily agree with her positions, one has to acknowledge that, unlike most politicians, she had a core belief and never knuckled under and remained active in promoting that belief until her last breath. Rather remarkable on many levels if you think about it.  The Jeanette Rankin Foundation awards scholarships or low-income women over the age of 35.

Tuesday 7 AM wet drive to work?

Weather Bottom Line:  A spectacular Sunday will lead us into an almost equally as nice Monday.  Perhaps it’s time to use up that extra sick day for the year.  Highs again will be in the low 70′s with some folks perhaps pushing the mid 70′s.  But, clouds will be on the increase late in the day.  A cold front is sweeping down from the west and northwest.  Chances for rain will start to increase late Monday evening and continue to rise into Tuesday when there will be a pretty fair chance for rain and maybe some rumbles of thunder.  However, I suspect that the best chance for rain will be sometime before sunrise to just after midday so there will probably be insufficient heating to create much noise.  The rest of the week into the weekend look pretty quiet with highs in the low 60′s with mid 60′s perhaps by Friday.  It is this front that will pick up Hurricane Ida.