Who’s protecting the children?

Let’s see if I can get this straight. The federal and state governments have given wind companies the ability to destroy our natural resources by blowing off our mountain tops, have been given permits to kill while not being held responsible for any harm they are responsible for. The worst of it is they are harming children while being backed by the very people who are supposed to protect us. We feel our state and federal governments have forsaken us to side with the large faceless corporations.

They are using the disguise of green energy to sucker in job-poor areas with the promise of jobs and money for the town. For the locals the jobs are temporary as they have a fleet of workers that travel from job to job. Then the wind companies reap the benefits of tax credits that are coming out of the very pockets of the citizens they are harming, with billions of these tax credit dollars being spent out of country.

Is it right to sacrifice even one family under the guise of something that is supposed to be for the greater good? Study after study have shown living in close proximity to wind turbines make people ill, with all the studies being ignored.

The results of these studies are very real to us as we are now ill.

If you could see the dark circles around my children’s eyes due to the lack of sleep caused by the wind turbines, maybe you’d better understand my frustration.

It is a parent’s duty to protect their innocent children from harm. If we were to knowingly put our children in harm’s way, the state would be after us. But in this situation it is the state that has helped put my family in harm’s way.

There have been many times through history that supposedly well meaning men have pushed their own agenda under the guise of doing something for the greater good. But in reality the deed is self-serving and innocent people are sacrificed along the way.

During times of war sleep deprivation was used to weaken the enemy.

We feel the longer we stay at our home they know we will become sicker, weaker and more apt to give up without a fight. But if they think for one minute we will go quietly into the night, they could not be more wrong.

Every Vermonter impacted and not impacted needs to stand up and be heard. For those not impacted by wind projects with a state that does business with reckless abandon, the next project supposedly for the greater good could be knocking on your door.

What is the next project that will require problems and sacrifice to be made of Vermont citizens?

This is not something I chose to do. This is something I’m being forced to do. We need to be heard. People need to understand. We are not playing a game.

We are not only fighting for ourselves, we are fighting for every Vermonter who may be threatened with the loss of their home, land and sanity.

Roots in Coleman

The Fike children attended a one room country school, the Wise school which was three miles away. Dora said, “They told my dad they were going to build a school a mile away but they changed their minds and built it three miles away.”

Dora remembered being six years old and riding down the railroad tracks in a cart pulled by her brothers Lester and Dale after school let out. The day didn’t start out that way. Dora, Dale and Lester rode in the cart pulled by a mule and when the boys got to school, they tied the mule up across the road from the school in the church yard. During the day the mule managed to get untethered and walked back to the farm. The boys decided the only way to get the cart back home so they could ride back to school the next day was to pull the cart back home. They put Dora in the cart and decided that pulling the cart down the railroad tracks was easier than going down the road. Dora said, “I remember sitting in that cart jouncing all the way home.”

Ed and Carrie were members of the United Brethren Church so not too much emphasis was placed on Christmas although the family always got together for the day. Dora remembered the first time she saw Santa Claus. She was 3 and was in downtown Coleman by Smith’s Hardware Store with her mom and her Aunt Emma. Dora said, “I was so scared I tried to climb up my Aunt Emma’s leg to get away from that man in the red suit and white beard.”

Ed enjoyed his children coming back home for the holiday and everyone was treated to oyster stew. Christmas programs were always enjoyed with the children learning “pieces” and songs for the occasion. “All the parents came to see us the night of the program,” Dora said.

Farmers went into town on Saturday to buy groceries and anything else the family might need. It was their one night out each week.

One day Ed Fike came in and said to Dora, “Here, Sis. You feed this pig and it’s yours.” Dora kept the little pig in a box in the corner of the kitchen and when Dora went outside, the little pig followed her everywhere. Then one day a salesman came to the farm house and when he started back to his car the little pig followed him. He picked the little pig up, put it under his arm and left. Dora said “I never saw my little pig again.” Later she was given a sheep to raise but her dad sold it when it was full grown. Dora said, “I didn’t have much luck with pets.”

Her playhouse was the corn crib during the summer months but in the fall, the corn crib was full. Dora said, “Well, by then it was too cold to play outside anyway.” She paused for a moment and then continued, “It was a lot different then how kids played and how they do now.”

The Fike family always had the huge farm horses called Percherons. One day, Dora and some of her nieces decided they wanted to ride one of the horses but the horse had other ideas and walked under the clothesline in the yard and wiped them off. Dora said, “I guess he got tired of having us on his back.”

Ed Fike had a threshing machine and in the fall the neighbors all pitched in, going from farm to farm threshing grain using Ed’s machine. The women and children came too, with the women putting together huge meals for the hungry men. At noon when the men came in from the fields, a tub of water was put out so the men could wash the black grain dust from their faces. Dora’s daughter Connie remembers threshing times, too. Connie said, “The women would say to us kids, ‘Take this pail of water with a dipper back to the men in the fields.’”

Dora went to the tenth grade and then stayed home to care for her mother who suffered from what was then simply called “milk leg,” a condition that sometimes developed when a woman gave birth. Most of the time, “milk leg” lasted for a short time. In Carrie’s case, it didn’t.

Strong rural communities

Last week, the Department hosted several members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) at USDA headquarters in Washington to highlight the findings of a new report, Promoting Growth in All Regions, that says investments in rural places are vital for aggregate national economic growth and in many cases, such investments have found that rural regions have, on average, enjoyed faster growth than urban regions.

In this time of economic challenges, the United States and other members of OECD cannot leave significant growth opportunities in rural regions untapped.   The authors of the OECD report are in  Washington this month to launch the report and urge policy makers not to overlook this reality when crafting economic policy for the country.

President Obama and Agriculture Secretary Vilsack have long believed that "strong rural communities are key to a stronger America."

This study provides rigorous research and explanation for why regional rural economies are so important to a nation’s overall economic health.  While this report is certainly not the first study to examine the importance of strengthening rural regions, it is notable for its comprehensive, longitudinal, and cross-national analysis.

The report’s authors point out that overlooking the economies of these regions may constitute a missed opportunity for significant economic growth.

Missed growth opportunities are also missed revenue opportunities for governments facing budgetary shortfalls and rising deficits.  Policy experts must develop comprehensive policy packages that integrate investments in infrastructure, human capital and the labor force to improve rural economies.  Additionally, regions must identify their local assets and build a development plan based on those assets.

Many US regions are leading the way in developing such place-based growth strategies. A second recent OECD report, called Linking Renewable Energy to Rural Development contains case studies from Iowa, Maine, Vermont, Tennessee and Oregon.

In each of these states, local regions identified renewable energy generation as a local opportunity, and with the help of Rural Development, made strategic investments to develop the potential of renewable energy in the area by linking it to already existing industries, like manufacturing to wind turbine production in Iowa, and the forest products industry to woody biomass in Maine.

Council Bluffs city attorney Dick Wade said the conversions at the Walter Scott Jr. plant shouldn't cause an economic disruption for the city because MidAmerican Energy has until April 2016 to complete the project.

"In that timeframe, they can be converted to natural gas or whatever they see most appropriate to keep them operational," he said. Settlement negotiations included MidAmerican Energy completing the installation of baghouses at Neal Energy Center Units 3 and 4 by Dec. 31, 2014. The company said construction is already in progress and was under way prior to the lawsuit.

Also as part of the settlement, both parties agreed to work with the Iowa State Fair to install 600 kilowatts worth of solar panels. Agreeing on such a project is common in a settlement, Potthoff said."This is a new aspect in the agreement that we're very excited about," she said.

MidAmerican Energy currently has a wind turbine at the state fair that, when installed in 2007, was supposed to provide one-quarter of the total energy used to power the fair each year.

'Smart' appliances are stupid

Smart appliances get no love. Every year at the Consumer Electronics Show, the world's gadget makers unveil a slate of refrigerators, ovens, and washer-dryers that they insist have been infused with superior intelligence.

And every year, everyone scoffs. That's because smart appliances' smarts are usually pretty stupid and never worth the price. This year Samsung showed off a $4,000 fridge called the T9000.

It's got an LCD touch screen and a wireless connection to the Internet. That's the sine qua non of intelligence according to gadget makers—slap a touch screen and Wi-Fi on a fridge and voila, you've got yourself an icebox with an IQ to rival Einstein's!

Why do you need a touch screen and Wi-Fi on your fridge? Is it better for your cucumbers? That's where the whole argument breaks down.

The T9000 will show you a clock, news headlines, and let you use apps like Evernote right on the door. Apparently you can add an item to your grocery list by tapping it into the fridge then have it available to you on your phone later on.

Why wouldn't you just type it into your phone in the first place? Or on one of the four iPads you've likely got lying around, considering that you're rich and dumb enough to drop $4,000 on a ridiculous fridge? I haven't got a clue.

And neither do any of the companies pushing smart devices. What's the point of an Internet-connected washing machine and dryer? To check the status of your washing from anywhere in the world, obviously! You'll never again find yourself panicked about your whites while you're partying with your bros.

You can also "start a load of laundry while driving home from work," an executive from LG boasted in a press release. That sounds great until you remember that LG's machine can't load itself.

To do your laundry on the go, you had to have filled it with dirty clothes and added soap, just like with any cheapo machine, and then brazenly left the house without starting the washer. Smart!

LG didn't announce the price of its new washer-dryers, but its old smart washing machines and dryers were priced at $1,600 each.

That's about $1,000 more than you'd spend on a run-of-the-mill model. If starting your laundry from your car is that important to you, knock yourself out, but understand that you're basically throwing your money away.

Some critics argue that the self-evident stupidity of these smart gadgets shows that the entire pursuit of intelligence in our appliances is misguided. "Maybe I'm just a snob who just wants a fridge that keeps food cooled and makes good ice," says Gizmodo's Jesus Diaz.

 But I don't quite agree that we should keep our appliances dumb and simple. The real problem with smart devices isn't that they're trying to be smart but that they're not nearly smart enough. I would love to have a refrigerator that was legitimately intelligent, not one that put on airs because it got gussied up with a touch screen.

What's a legitimately smart fridge? Well, how about one that automatically keeps track of everything I put in it so that I can check to see if I've got any Dijon mustard left while I'm at the store?

Or maybe it could figure out that my four carrots, three ribs of celery, and last night's chicken leftovers will add up to a great stock—and then flash a recipe on its screen when I go get a Coke.

Or take my stove: What if it could determine when the sauce that's been reducing on the back burner has just reached the proper consistency—and then shut off the burner all by itself?

It's not easy being green…

I was reminded of this unreasonable obstinacy regarding all things green when I gave a presentation to an audience of public sector building managers. I did my normal breathless 20-minute spiel about the golden age of renewable energy funding, once in a lifetime opportunity, etc, then stood back expecting a smatter of polite applause, a few questions and possibly the odd whoop of enthusiasm.

But, instead, I was met by a silent sea of sullen faces, folded arms and the odd mutter about listed buildings, austerity cuts and 'some of us having to live in the real world'.

This experience was not entirely unexpected. Most of the developers and investors I work with used to moan about trying to sell energy efficiency to the public sector. They complained about a wall of bureaucracy, inflexible procurement regulations and a 'not invented here' mentality.

What is more telling now is that the market has stopped complaining and has pretty much just given up on the public sector all together. They are working with industry, retail and other more sectors where it is simply easier to get things done.

For the hard-pushed public sector, this is a massive missed opportunity. You probably work in a big draughty old building that leaks energy like a sieve. I am guessing you also complain about austerity cuts and worry about your future job security. These three facts are not entirely unrelated.

We have been over this ground before, but it is worth rehearsing once again. Collectively the public sector is the UK's single largest consumer of energy. It has thousands of buildings, most of which are more than 50 years old and cost a fortune to heat, light and cool. As a rough guide, the sector probably spends at least a couple of billion pounds annually buying fossil fuel energy. The price of this is going up inexorably and in the last three years the price of electricity alone has risen by 50%.

At the same time, the development of technology to reduce energy consumption is booming along in leaps and bounds. Low-energy lighting, building management systems, more efficient boilers and good old-fashioned insulation have all become mainstream technologies that collectively can save 25-30% on the average building's energy bill.

So we have three factors coming together: lots of leaky old buildings occupied by users who are facing unparalleled budget cuts; continual improvements in technology that deliver massive savings in energy usage; and, finally, the price of fossil fuel power going up every year.

You would think this would lead to a huge industry in public sector energy efficiency schemes. You would think everybody in your organisation would be turning down the thermostat, installing LED lighting and switching to newer boilers. You would think energy conservation would be top of the list of priorities for your leadership team and members. You would think all of these things, but you would be wrong.

There are lots of public sector organisations that talk about their green credentials but the number that are actually doing anything significant is still less than a couple of hundred or so. Yes, that's right, a couple of hundred or so in a sector that, according to my helpful contact at the Office of National Statistics, employs 5.7 million people and has precisely 8,280 separate organisations.

As ever, there are few shining beacons in the gloom and some councils and hospitals are doing a huge amount to cut their energy costs. Peterborough, Nottingham and Wiltshire councils are all great examples of what can be done, but they are laudable exceptions. 95% of the public sector is not doing anything significant at all about energy conservation or, if they are, they are keeping it very, very quiet.

Talking Business

Nathan Lynch may be just 15 years old, but he has plenty of skating experience to share with customers at his family’s new business, Rocket Scooter & Skate in Spearfish.

“He hasn’t ridden a bicycle all year,” said his father, David Lynch. “He’s probably got 200 or 300 miles on his longboard.” Nathan and his sister Hannah, are the real reason for the shop, which opened Nov. 17 at 541 West Jackson Blvd. near Killian’s Steakhouse.

“We have two teenagers that are both very much into longboarding, and we decided to make a board one day,” said David, who’s a craftsman by trade. “My wife, Krista, is interested in scootering … (and) we just worked into an idea of combining the scooter and the skateboards together.”

Rocket Scooter & Skate carries a big variety of skateboards and “a good healthy line” of longboards, including Landyachtz, Loaded, Arbor, and Lynch’s own Trophy Longboards, which he makes from cherry, maple and walnut hardwoods. The shop also carries parts and hardware for skateboards and longboards, as well as safety gear and skate apparel such as hoodies and backpacks. They hope to eventually sell shoes as well.

Rocket Scooter & Skate also sells 50cc and 150cc retro-style scooters and mopeds by Motorino. They sell parts, too, and they can repair and service scooters.

David grew up skateboarding in southern California. The new business has inspired him to get back to skating himself, but don't expect to see him doing tricks at the Spearfish skate park anytime soon. “If I did that I’d just be laying there until the paramedics showed up,” he said with a laugh.

In fact, plenty of people DO know the Kuchen Man, also known as Joel Schwader, who sells his homemade desserts, rolls and breads at the Farmer’s Market each summer. In 2009, he sold more than 3,000 of the South Dakota state dessert, a pie-sized custard pastry with German origins.

Schwader sold kuchen through local grocery stores for a time but stopped when the price of cream would have forced him to raise his prices. Now the Kuchen Man has found a new home at The Beanery Deli & Bakery.

“They were looking for a baker,” he said. “In wintertime, things slow down for me, and I thought, well, this might be a good fit.”

So far it’s worked out great for both Schwader and The Beanery. “He, of course, was a great (job) candidate, with his experience and what he could offer,” said restaurant owner Lisa Holbrook.

Schwader now makes all the bread for The Beanery and its contract sites, Western Dakota Technical Institute and Camp Rapid. He kneads all the dough by hand. "It just gives a better bread," he said.

Schwader’s kuchen — which he calls "the best comfort food I know” — is now sold by the slice and whole at The Beanery at 201 Main St. Schwader’s kuchen comes in apple, peach, raspberry, cottage cheese, rhubarb, strawberry, strawberry-rhubarb and triple berry.

Herbst, who is married to Sturgis native Robert Herbst, operated a restaurant in Colorado for 10 years. She took over Tillie’s in mid-October, saying she plans to build on the current menu rather than make big changes.

Tillie’s is now open at 6:30 a.m., serving breakfast sandwiches on Black Hills Bagels along with Dark Canyon coffee. A variety of soups, sandwiches and salads is also on the menu, including specialty sandwiches such as the Cuban and Buffalo Chicken.

Diners can also choose to have their sandwich fixings on a wrap, cooked on the Panini press or served on a fresh spinach salad.

“I may be biased, but I believe we have the best deli sandwiches in town,” said Herbst, whose business sits at the corner of Junction Avenue and Main Street.