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OT: Anyone from Iowa lurking here?

[...]from Iowa[...]?

>

Nope--but coastal Carolina experiences high-water problems all the time.

[...]I grew up in Huntington, West Virginia >[where] they built a flood wall >

The Feds should get out of the Let's-FIGHT-Mother-Nature business and should stop underwriting poor decisions by humans. You want to live where the water level is known to rise and wreck your house? Fine--YOU pay the full insurance rates, but NO GOV'T SUBSIDIES for your Type A behavior.

Use the flood plains to do something SMART: Put only vegetation there--like Sorghum:

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*-*-*-*-*-biomass+sorghum+mixes-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*+*-*-*-*-modified-*-*-*-*+*-*-*-*-*-*-hoses+right.now+*-*-*-*-*-sell-for-*-*-*+*-is-made-from+more-energy-per-gallon-*-*+pipelines+zero-*-*+*-*-six-times-the-ethanol-*-*-*-*+SwiftFuel+ethanol+corrosion+not.corn+*-contains-no

...and stop subsidizing rebuilding beach-front housing. Again: You like that location? YOU pay the REAL rates. If the gov't wants a tax base from coastal sand, use low-lying coastline areas to grow brine-tolerant vegetation:

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Reply to
JeffM
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One could make the same argument for Tornado Alley, Hurricane Central, Forest Fire Areas, Avalanche and Earthquake Zones... but then, where will all the Americans live? Arizona?

I do hope FEMA has learned its lesson from Hurricane Katrina and mobilizes QUICKLY this time.

Michael

Reply to
mrdarrett

In Arizona it's common for flood plains to be grassed and planted with deep root vegetation. Take a look at a map of Scottsdale, AZ, to see how well a cooperative effort between a city and the U.S.Corp of Engineers can work out... a green-belt flood drainage channel virtually the full north-south length of Scottsdale.

The City of Phoenix park a block down the hill from my house is actually an _enormous_ catch basin...

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Arizona, in conjunction with the Corp of Engineers, designates flood plains. You can't get a building permit nor home-owners insurance nor mortgages in those areas.

If you are already in a flood plain before it was designated flood plain you can't get future homeowners coverage _unless_ you also pay for Federally-backed flood insurance (expensive).

Over the nearly 47 years I've lived in Arizona flood loss of homes has practically gone to zero.

However we still have problems with idiots trying to drive across flowing streams, so we passed a Stupid Driver Law...

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You'll know you're from Arizona when...

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...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
         America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave
Reply to
Jim Thompson

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Or when you are able to take a rifle and shoot your full family name perfectly legible into a rock formation 50ft above you. Seen that in Zion, amazing.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.
Reply to
Joerg

Jim Thomps>In Arizona it's common for flood plains

Every once in a while you encounter common sense in action.

What'd you think of the plant-derived can't-tell-it-from-gasoline stuff Cringely was writing about?

:"You no longer associate bridges or rivers with water."

8-) Yup. The Desert Southwest.

--but when it DOES rain...

Reply to
JeffM

Arizona is far from perfect, but occasionally the legislature does perform properly.

I didn't read that article. But my understanding is that only sugar beets or sugar cane have enough energy I/O ratio to be financially viable.

Although I recently saw a news item saying seaweed might work well, supporting its own fermentation.

It can be hell on wheels ;-)

...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
         America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave
Reply to
Jim Thompson

Jim Thomps>I didn't read that article. But my understanding is that

Click the link. It's a real eye-opener.

Reply to
JeffM

Fancy talk, but no clear definition as to what SwiftFuel really is... might be a scam :-(

...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
         America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave
Reply to
Jim Thompson

l...

Interesting. I looked around the website. It claims that the fuel is patented, but I couldn't the patent number anywhere. John Rusek, listed as a principal of the company, has a previous patent 6255009 on hydrogen peroxide energy conversion.

Reply to
Richard Henry

Wisconsin, of course. Flat for the most part, but enough rivers that it's well drained (at this very moment I am sitting on the edge of the river valley that's never going to flood). Oh, but don't tell anyone, we don't want those "coastist" weenies (to paraphrase Jim) hanging around.

Tim

--
Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk.
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms
Reply to
Tim Williams

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Hmm... made entirely from ethanol...... maybe ethyl acetate? Simply came to mind. I've never heard of it used for fuel, just another organic solvent, and as such not particularly cheap for the most part. By boiling point, it's probably a fine gas substitute. It's made from ethanol and acetic acid, plus some acid catalyst and distillation; two molecules become one, with the loss of a water molecule. Acetic acid can, of course, be made from ethanol by oxidation (bacterially (acetobacter, et al.) or chemically), which adds oxygen to the mix, which seems to preclude the higher power output claimed.

Tim

--
Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk.
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms
Reply to
Tim Williams

Reply to
JeffM

I used to go to Chippewa Falls regularly on a project with Silicon General (the old Cray facility). Not so nice in the winter :-(

...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
         America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave
Reply to
Jim Thompson

el...

If they are claiming theoir technology is patented, the only "Swift Enterprises" US patents I found on the USPTO website have to do with hydrogen peroxide.

Reply to
Richard Henry

Cool, another that agrees with me on these issues.

Reply to
JosephKK

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Bah! You're so old, you're a permanent Arizona snow bird. ;-)

Tim

--
Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk.
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms
Reply to
Tim Williams

Absolutely! Been here 46 years ;-)

...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at

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| 1962 | America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave

Reply to
Jim Thompson

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*-*-*-*-*-biomass+sorghum+mixes-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*+*-*-*-*-modified-*-*-*-*+*-*-*-*-*-*-hoses+right.now+*-*-*-*-*-sell-for-*-*-*+*-is-made-from+more-energy-per-gallon-*-*+pipelines+zero-*-*+*-*-six-times-the-ethanol-*-*-*-*+SwiftFuel+ethanol+corrosion+not.corn+*-contains-no

I got a call from a head hunter in IA today to talk about a job there. He started out with three questions:

1) Why did you leave your previous job? 2) Why are you considering leaving your current position? 3) Why in HELL are you considering moving to Iowa? 
--
Keith
Reply to
krw

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