Meth: “You’re holding a flame-thrower in your hands”

Posted on 24 January 2012 by JC
English: Anti-meth sign ("Stop Meth"...

Image via Wikipedia

The life cycle of our local (county) All Hazard Mitigation Plans has tracked the growth, and recently contraction, of methamphetamine use in rural America.  We classified meth as a hazardous substance, a technological hazard, due to the unique impacts of manufacturing—the devastating effects on property as well as people, and the large costs to clean up meth houses.

The ‘meth house’ hazard has moderated after recent state legislation restricting purchase of certain ingredients, however the illegal drug continues to pop back up in unexpected places.  The National Domestic Preparedness Coalition highlighted this article today on their feed:

‘Shake-and-bake’ meth fills hospitals with burn patients

By Jim Salter
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — A crude new method of making methamphetamine poses a risk even to Americans who never get anywhere near the drug: It is filling hospitals with thousands of uninsured burn patients requiring millions of dollars in advanced treatment — a burden so costly that it’s contributing to the closure of some burn units.

So-called shake-and-bake meth is produced by combining raw, unstable ingredients in a 2-liter soda bottle. But if the person mixing the noxious brew makes the slightest error, such as removing the cap too soon or accidentally perforating the plastic, the concoction can explode, searing flesh and causing permanent disfigurement, blindness or even death.

An Associated Press survey of key hospitals in the nation’s most active meth states showed that up to a third of patients in some burn units were hurt while making meth, and most were uninsured. The average treatment costs $6,000 per day. And the average meth patient’s hospital stay costs $130,000 — 60 percent more than other burn patients, according to a study by doctors at a burn center in Kalamazoo, Mich…

Be careful out there.

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(cross-posted from All-Hazard Mitigation blog)

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Microblog Weekly Updates for 2012-01-22

Posted on 22 January 2012 by JC
  • Competition, economy prompt closure of MT fly-fishing shop http://t.co/pCF7c90x via @billingsgazette #trout #
  • .@kimruehl Midnight in Paris reminds me how important Places are in shaping who we are. Midnight in Paris, Texas, a much different movie #
  • “@The_Tinder_Box: ♫ Check out The Tinder Box tour dates on Facebook! http://t.co/uNbIkxtn” Mankato New Ulm Sioux City Boulder #NoDepression #
  • “@CountryFriedRok: @TwangNation So, it's the Target vs WalMart crowd dividing line w/ Americana vs Country?” #NoDepression #
  • Et tu, NPR? “@nprmusic: First Listen: Tim McGraw, 'Emotional Traffic' http://t.co/PHvbfmqb” #crap #NoDepression #
  • Web Goes On Strike: Jan 18th! All-out blackout 2 stop #SOPA #PIPA. Petition @twitter and other sites to join us. http://t.co/7uRvtSHh #
  • Both my readers might wonder why… MT @AnnT: #SOPA Strike FYI http://t.co/yoAGCqra #
  • Ni! “@Mando_lines: My family is watching Spamalot tonight and I'm not. Makes me want to say Ni!!!” #
  • Yesterday I stayed offline for #SOPA #PIPA blackout. Can't say I missed the Internet that much… #
  • Cold cruel winds blow down intent / upon the Bannack mining camp… Vigilantes 1864: http://t.co/7o4rxwtq @cowboypoetry #
  • So Grammys opened arms race of self-promo “@TwangNation: The curious case of @TheGRAMMYs nominee @LindaChorney – http://t.co/piDar1Cp” #
  • Buy me some nails for my coffin… "Nails" – Audrey Auld: http://t.co/ISlH252D #NoDepression #
  • Schell's Deer Brand, New Ulm, MN RT @OwenTemple: Why hasn’t a brewery put a picture of a deer on a beer, to appeal to beer drinking hunters? #
  • Schell's Brewing Co est. 1860, one of oldest family-run breweries in US, also brews Grain Belt for non-hunters. @owentemple #
  • Beer is good. Deer Beer is great. RT @OwenTemple: Thanks @JCShepard for leading me to this- Deer Brand- http://t.co/qmxs1Hof #
  • Is it evil to wish ur kid lost a tournament game so u can go home early? Yea, I thought so… #

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JohnSmith in Windom

Posted on 21 January 2012 by JC


Fast Tube

I was going to see folk singer JohnSmith play the Carson Meeting House at Delft tonight, just north of Windom, in the Prairie Wind Folk & Bluegrass series.  After slogging home from my boy’s basketball tourney Saturday afternoon in 1/4-mile or less visibility, I let the blowing snow win and stayed safe at home.

The Kerrville-winning songwriter’s 6th CD, Gravity of Grace, came out a couple years ago.  He’s going to be around Bend, Oregon, in February, then back home around Winona, MN, before Folk Alliance (Memphis this year).

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Microblog Weekly Updates for 2012-01-15

Posted on 15 January 2012 by JC
  • Denver/Front Range can be affordable music scene “@kimruehl: @CountryFriedRok Portland OR is good for that too.” #
  • “@highcountrynews: A response to Tom Friedman's claim that rural America doesn't deserve/need high-speed Internet http://t.co/AgflBbnQ @AnnT #
  • U have a #vinyl record player in your car? MT @CountryFriedRok: I have listened to the new @LincolnDurham record 100 times in my car. #
  • Hit & Run Bluegrass Live at high sierra music festival americana stage 3 July 2005 http://t.co/m2QpbbfX #NoDepression #
  • Obama. “@orgeorphelin: Als God nou het Licht, de Waarheid en het Leven is. Wie is dan het Donker, de Leugen en de Dood? #
  • “@highcountrynews: From BoingBoing: North Dakota tries to be cool, fails http://t.co/0ibseugt” #fail #
  • Facebook furor dooms #NorthDakota tourism ad: Nightlife promotion called ‘sleazy,’ ‘sickening’ | INFORUM | Fargo, ND http://t.co/KoMame8p #
  • The Real McDeal “@AmericanaOK: Listening to Ralph McLean – Country: http://t.co/B2YhnSnb With guest Rodney Crowell @RodneyJCrowell” #

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Broadband Briefing: LightSquared vs GPS

Posted on 12 January 2012 by JC 

Cross-posted from Blandin on Broadband blog,
originally prepared for Southwest Regional Development Commission.

LightSquared vs. GPS

A new wireless start-up with Minnesota connections has been in the news lately with plans to provide a unique wireless-satellite communications network that could bring ubiquitous broadband coverage to rural America for a fraction of the cost of existing, limited service.  The issue?  The new LightSquared network threatens to overwhelm America’s Global Position System (GPS) receivers, making the devices obsolete.

The Company and the Technology

Reston, Virginia-based LightSquared Subsidiary LLC was formed in 2010 with plans to provide a wholesale, nation-wide 4G-LTE wireless broadband network with integrated satellite coverage.  The new service is built on spectrum used by two Mobile Satellite Service(MSS) sat-phone companies Inmarsat and SkyTerra, and has announced a significant network partnership with Sprint-Nextel.  Forbes magazine reports that the company invested $50 million to develop new microchips to provide dual-mode wireless at a price below existing cellular service.  By avoiding costs of supporting legacy voice networks, LightSquared projects to wholesale 1 gigabyte data service for about $7, compared to the $50-$60 typically charged retail 3G/4G customers today.

In January 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an Order giving LightSquared conditional approval to build out a ground-based wireless network using its MSS spectrum.  However, that order was subject to further testing and FCC review due to potential GPS interference.

The Issue with GPS

The federal Space-Based Positioning, Navigation & Timing (PNT) Committee has been examining potential interference by the LightSquared network with GPS receivers.  They state the issue:

The base stations of the LightSquared network will transmit signals in a radio band immediately adjacent to the GPS frequencies. The GPS community is concerned because testing has shown that LightSquared’s ground-based transmissions overpower the relatively weak GPS signal from space. Although LightSquared will operate in its own radio band, that band is so close to the GPS signals that most GPS devices pick up the stronger LightSquared signal and become overloaded or jammed.

There is also concern that the FCC may approve a technical solution to the problem that requires millions of existing GPS users to upgrade or replace their devices…

The results [of PNT testing] clearly demonstrate that implementing LightSquared’s planned deployment for terrestrial operations poses a significant potential for harmful interference to GPS services.

There are basically two technical issues.  First GPS signals are very weak—satellites are 12,000 miles above the Earth and operate on solar power—so receivers have been designed to be sensitive to the full GPS spectrum.  This, however, means many GPS receivers also pick up adjacent frequencies.  Second, LightSquared proposes to change weaker satellite signals in adjacent spectrum to much stronger ground-based 4G wireless signals, exacerbating interference.  Further federal testing results, leaked in December, confirm interference with 75% of general purpose GPS receivers;  however, no “significant interference” was found with cellular phones.  The NTIA will next test high-precision receivers used in farm equipment and scientific instruments.

Different groups have suggested different ways to eliminate conflicts.  (The Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MnGEO) Emergency Preparedness Committee has tracked the evolving issue on their blog.)  LightSquared’s position is that GPS makers were aware of potential interference and should have built better technology.  The company has petitioned the FCC to re-affirm their spectrum license.  LightSquared has also offered to limit initial use of spectrum closest to GPS signals and delay boosting power on ground stations.

Opponents, including The Coalition to Save our GPS, contend that LightSquared is causing the problem by changing from low-powered satellite service with limited ground stations to high-powered ground-based service.  Members of the coalition include GPS makers; agricultural equipment manufacturers such as AGCO, Case New Holland, Caterpillar, and Deere & Company; and national organizations including the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, among many others.  .

The Issue with Politics

Many media sources have touched on multiple political issues involved in the LightSquared proposal.  Philip Falcone, a native of Minnesota’s Iron Range, acquired control of the company through Harbinger Capital, his New York hedge fund that is now being investigated by the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Senator Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican, and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski have feuded through the last year on Congressional oversight in the matter.  The FCC’s National Broadband Plan specifically calls for accelerating terrestrial deployment of MSS frequencies.  Questions have, however, been raised about why FCC approval was granted to LightSquared prior to testing, and also about a report that General William Shelton was pressured by the White House to change testimony to Congress in favor of LightSquared.  Grassley placed holds in December on two nominees to the FCC over the issue.

LightSquared has also touted support where it doesn’t seem to be clear.  For example, a September press release stated that “we received a strong endorsement of our view that LightSquared and GPS can co-exist from several of the country’s leading agricultural organizations…” including the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and National Farmers Union.  However, far from endorsing the proposal, the letter referenced supports both rural broadband and precision agriculture.  In testimony to the House Committee on Small Business, AFBF President Bob Stallman urged Congress to assure that “LightSquared should cover the expense of all technical fixes to the interference issue.”

-John C. Shepard, AICP

(Note: Graphic source is ‘Opening Remarks for “Spectrum Issues — A Place Where Competitors Become Colleagues?” ‘ by Chris Hegarty, MITRE contractor to Federal Aviation Administration, at U.S. Presentations from the Munich Satellite Navigation Summit, March 1-3, 2011.  Illustration used on Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) website referenced above.

Update: Public source of graphic & update on precision NOAA testing here.)

 

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Microblog Weekly Updates for 2012-01-08

Posted on 8 January 2012 by JC

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2011 Site Year in Review

Posted on 4 January 2012 by JC

Bit of inside baseball here.  Ported the blog to a new server mid-year 2011 with alot of help from my amigo, pen name Orge Orphelins.  I’m still no good with Google Analytics—it’s too powerful a tool for my simple wants and needs—so this is more of a qualitative, navel-gazing year-end review.

2011 Quick Stats

2,836 site visits
2,077 unique visits
4,421 pageviews
~1.56 pages/visit
4:01 – 8:35 average time on site (before & after move)
Most all of you visitors are from the US
Welcome visitors from Canada, UK, Brazil & France
About 1/3 of y’all are coming by search, ¼ referral, ¼ direct

Top Posts 0f 2011

I started out trying to do the Post a Day challenge, then shifted to Post a Week… ended up keeping up with Post a Month!  I have many different interests, and rather than focusing this blog on just one of those it has evolved into a repository of my many different posts.  We’ll see how that holds up going forward.

#1: Little (Lego) House on the Prairie (Style).  This 2009 post caught Google’s eye for both terms ‘Lego’ and ‘Frank Lloyd Wright’.  Lost the pictures when the site ported, fixed that now.  Here’s a cool story in the Chicago Tribune about the designer behind these Lego architecture lines.

#2: Dr. David Y Gin, RIP.  Obituary for my brother-in-law, a great guy gone much too soon.

#3: Open Letter on Legislation for Zoning Variances in Minnesota. The Minnesota legislature rolled over and passed legislation making it much easier to grant zoning variances in the state.  One good thing is they normalized criteria so you meet the same requirements in a township or a city.

#4:  Texas Declaration of Independence 1836.  Just the text.  Looks like I lost my source link when the site ported. Should go back and fix that, too… right after lunch.

#5: NPR Wishes President Reagan a Happy 100th.  Last year would have been President Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday.  I posted a few reflections on this occasion.  A great man.

Goals for 2012?

  1. In real life I’m a “planner”, working in community & economic development, mostly in rural America.  I often save up potential post topics until I have time to write out 800 or 1,000 words on the topic, or else I just pop it off in 104 characters or less to Twitter.  I’d like to get better at the 400 words or so middle ground.  You, gentle reader, probably have more patience for that, too.
  2. I ought to figure Analytics out.  See what y’all are up to.  Get some of that SEO voodoo to work.  Or I could just hit myself repeatedly upside the head with an adding machine. About the same amount of pain.
  3. I’ve been neglecting the roots music community.  One blog featured on No Depression last week garnered more comments than I’ve ever yet had on JCShepard.com.  When a tree falls in the forest it may still make a noise if no one is there to hear it… but that tree would sure rather have an audience for its effort.

That’s what we’re all about:  Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Americana.

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Another List Posing as a Post: My Most @Lastfm Spins of 2011

Posted on 2 January 2012 by JC


Fast Tube

Last.fm is a nifty little online music community, based in London with users all over the world.  It started simply enough—users install a utility in their PC music player (Windows Media, iTunes, etc) to “scrobble” their music real-time, sending data on artist/track to Last.fm servers for charting.  Everybody gets a Billboard chart of their own.

It’s a classic internet start-up story.  Passionate early adopters dedicate substantial amounts of free labor to build community, but eventually the founders are overwhelmed by the task (and the visions of sugar plums dance in their heads) and sell out to evil Big Media.  All down-hill from there.

Classic Quality vs. Quantity it is.  That said, I’ve invested 126,000+ plays into their database, although there are many with many more (some folks set their iTunes playing 24/7 in the background just to game the numbers) and most with many less.  Like Facebook, it seems each change the corporate overlords make to boost profitability kills community and the Forums I lurk on have seen less and less traffic since the sell-out.  The Radio function, once a major feature, is now limited—I think to US, UK and German users, but I’m not sure since I gave up on it quite a while ago and many of my online amigos have picked up other servers such as Spotify.

That as it may be, I still scrobble and check in on my Americana group and scribble the occasional list posing as a Journal.  Like this one.  You’ll see many of my Best of 2011 on the list and some 2011 releases that were candidates.  Some old favorites and some new favorites.  Some country, some folk, some blues, all good stuff.

 

Artists Played in 2011

1 Play
(would be even higher if you include  Alison Krauss by herself)
279
2 Play
219
3 Play
204
4 Play
201
5 Play
200
6 Play
181
7 Play
176
8 Play
174
9 Play
165
10 Play
157
11 Play
154
12 Play
151
13 Play
134
14 Play
123
15 Play
118
16 Play
113
17 Play
108
18 Play
107
19 Play
103
20 Play
102

Albums spun in 2011

1 Play
170
2 Play
126
3 Play
120
4 Play
106
5 Play
100
6 Play
84
7
80
8
78
9
76
10 Play
75
11
73
11
73
13
66
14 Play
65
15 Play
64
15 Play
64
17 Play
60
17 Play
60
19 Play
56
19 Play
56

Tracks tracked in 2011

1 Loved track
29
2
28
3
24
4 Loved track
21
5 Loved track
20
5
20
7
19
7
19
7
19
10
18
10 Loved track
18
12
16
12
16
14
15
14
15
14 Loved track
15
14
15
14 Loved track
15
19 Loved track
14
19
14

Happy new year, may it bring you many musical delights.

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Microblog Weekly Updates for 2012-01-01

Posted on 1 January 2012 by JC

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JC’s Americana Top Tunes of 2011

Posted on 28 December 2011 by JC


Fast Tube

Authenticity is not necessarily the sole province of the author.  Rather it seems writers/composers/architects/painters perform most spectacularly in the theater of the imagination—the farther they stretch, the higher they soar.  Yet I remain fixated on the authenticity of the singer-songwriter, the original artist delivering the original performance in the original package.  I mock and degrade performers who re-package/re-purpose/re-gurgitate somebody else’s data.  Yet the original artist can have no cleaner title to a work of fiction than any other soul who brings a performance to life.

Take me and love me if you want me
Don’t ever treat me unkind
‘Cause I had that trouble already
And it left me with a dark turn of mind.

I don’t know.  The older I get the less I know.  Seven years now I’ve been gone from the radio gig at KRFC-FM, doesn’t seem so long yet seems so much longer.  The wonderful world of Americana has grown and matured—we even broke into the Grammy’s—yet so many disappointments—the Americana Grammy nominations have pretty much sucked wind.  You will find none of this year’s Americana nods on this here Americana list, but it’s full of Bluegrass and Folk and even Country music….

People come together,
people go their own way
Love conquers few
And I’ll do whatever,
I’ll say what I need to say
Just not for you

My own personal economic restructuring continued unabated from 2010 to curtail music purchases in 2011.  I did spring for the Crazy Heart DVD in the discount bin, so good things do come to those who wait.  The kindness of friends and strangers keeps more music sampled online than one might expect.  It’s part of the push and pull of publicity vs bread on the table we’ve danced since Minstrel days and before.  I just haven’t spent the quality time with this year’s releases, as friends have noticed from the absence of record reviews on this here venue.  Work and life and yes lack of funds intrudes.  Oh, well, so here we go.

 

JC’s Top Americana (no matter what the Grammys say) Releases I’m Glad I Heard in 2011

(in alpha rather than rated order)

Alison Krauss & Union Station / Paper Airplane

Anything that Alison touches turns to gold.  Robert Lee Castleman’s title track is a complicated, melancholy self-examination that seems a fitting follow-on to Castleman’s track ‘Crazy as Me’ on 2004′s Lonely Runs Both Ways and ‘The Lucky One’ on 2001′s New Favorite.

Amos Lee / Mission Bell

I almost left young Amos Lee (aka Ryan Anthony Massaro) off my ‘Americana’ list.  This Blue Note release debuted at Number One on the Billboard chart, he don’t need my love.  Most of the album is bluesy, funky soul that I like well enough but it’s ‘El Camino’ that kept bucking my prejudice.  The man can sing.

Bearfoot / American Story

These Telluride troubadours bring a solid performance to this post-bluegrass tale.  And yes, it doesn’t hurt that newish member SaraNora Jane Struthers can melt butter with one sultry glance.

Drive-By Truckers / Go-Go Boots

The driving beat on ‘Used To Be A Cop’ has a way of climbing into the back of my skull and working its way down into my gut on the way to setting boots a-tapping.  Maybe its just where I am right now but good gracious what’s left of DBT is turning out the but-for-the-grace-of-God soundtrack of my life.  Go-Go Boots rock.

Gillian Welch / The Harrow & The Harvest

She kept us waiting long enough, but it’s like Gillian never left the room after 2003′s Soul Journey.  Gillian is an album artist—I have my favorite tracks, but my favor expands when I play this start to finish, front to back, like we used to play old vinyl in the days it took some effort to pick and choose.  And that’s the way it goes.

Matraca Berg / The Dreaming Fields

Kenny Chesney got Matraca Berg & Deana Carter a Grammy nom for ‘You & Tequila’, its Matraca’s ‘Oh Cumberland’ what brings tears to my eye.  I was really excited when this talented songwriter came out of semi-retirement for her first new album in over a dozen years.  She’s one of the nicest gal’s on Twitter and won’t disappoint you either.

Rodney Crowell / Free Live EP

In conjunction with his memoir Chinaberry Sidewalks—which he kicked-off with a book signing/mini-concert at the Country Bookshelf in beautiful downtown Bozeman, Montana—Crowell put out Rodney Crowell: Acoustic Trio Live, 13 tracks recorded with Will Kimbrough on tour.  He also released 3 tracks as a free live E.P., including ‘Love Is All I Need’ which never fails to melt my ice cold heart.

Steve Earle / I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive

My attitude with Steve Earle is entirely “Love the sinner, hate the sin”.  I dislike intensely Mr. Earle’s politics, but I do too believe in miracles.  Yes, ‘God is God’ indeed and Molly O she needs all the grace we can grant.

The Tinder Box / These Winds EP

Don’t usually bother with outfits that only have an online presence at MySpace or Facebook.  In this case, I make an exception based on the recommendation of my amigo, the mayor, who recommended this folk-blues Sioux Falls, SD, based trio.  These guys pound a mellow yet high-energy vibe that would do any Colorado string band proud.  Didn’t hurt when they through their debut EP up on the web after their summer tour wrapped.  I expect to hear great things from The Tinder Box next year.

I exhausted my welcome far too long ago
Yet I’ll stick to these hardened Plains
‘Cause I think they know what I mean.
I think they understand.

 

Honorable Mention for 3 Special Ladies

The Greencards / The Brick Album

Strictly speaking the Greencards are a mixed gender ensemble, but it’s the female vocal that punched this album up my list—not all the way to the top but in the general vicinity.  Their self-released album is good.  Really good.  It just didn’t fit my mood this year.  My bad.

Lori McKenna / Lorraine

I wilt in front of Lori McKenna’s lilt.  I know she has benefited commercially from her alliance with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, but it takes her performance in directions that leave me cold at the same time her vocals & songwriting warms my soul.  File this in the overproduced bin but worth a deep discount if you can find it.

Marybeth D’Amico / The Light Inside

Saved the best of the rest for last.  Only reason Marybeth isn’t on the A-list is I never got around to getting her CD.  My bad.  D’Amico is a talented writer, observer and performer.  I’m hoping Santa doubles back with this one in my stocking.  Hey, can’t hurt to hope?

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