Post-Blizzard 2011 Aftermath

one more snowstorm

The week just past ended with a third snowstorm, dumping a half foot of snow where I live. It has now gotten so that the snow level in my back yard is over the level of my deck, which is a foot off the ground. It looks like my deck is in a ditch. I have had to dig my car out again. Later that evening, one of my neighbors was on a role with his snow-blower, and cleaned out paths from my front door to both the street and to my car.

the further battle of the ants

The ants are still with me, but thanks to my having cleared out the silverware drawers and the pot and pan cabinet underneath, and spraying lemongrass oil in the drawers and cabinet, I have kept the ant population under control.

reprieve of the caitlin clarke page

My plans to reconstruct the Caitlin Clarke Page are on hold. I got an e-mail message via the CC Page's feedback form — which I had to reset after months of sporadic spam messages. The post was from a guy who became a Caitlin Clarke fan by watching Dragonslayer at age 13 and, after a busy life, discovered only now that she is dead. It was a lovely message, and it makes me reconsider stripping the images and articles out of the site.

I don't know. The fact that it took so long for that fan to find the site (and discover Ms. Clarke's death) implies that the CC Page has been flying below the radar of public life for a long time. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Federal government will attack my Web site. I will continue to redesign the CC Page (it needs it), but I will keep the articles and images for now.

pseudoephedrine bills

First, I am aware that methamphetamine turns human beings into barely salvageably ruined creatures who starve and disease their children and pollute everything around them to support their habit. (Just Google meth for examples.) But the problem is mostly the meth freaks themselves, not the stuff they steal or fence to make the meth.

Second, as a matter of hindsight, methamphetamine is many times worse than marijuana or even cocaine. Instead of going after potheads, the Drug Enforcement Agency should have focused on breaking the back of meth use a decade ago, when it was easier to deal with. It is another example of incompetence by Bush the Younger; but that's water under the bridge. It is not too late to refocus Federal efforts in fighting meth in the Midwest, since nature is dealing with the pot farms in California (in the form of fire and drought).

Finally, it looks like Senate Bill 394 is making excellent progress; if passed, it will stiffen already-existing registration of pseudoephedrine purchases by forcing all drugstores to report purchases, and refuse all sales to anyone who already bought pseudoephedrine at another store. House Bill 1030 (requiring prescriptions) is working its way, too, but hopefully it will die the death before it makes it out of the House.

esperantistoj, mia hejmlando nomiĝas indianio

BTW, the Esperanto word for Indiana is Indianio, not Indianao. If Wikipedia says otherwise, ignore it.

Parenteze, la vorto por Indiana en Esperanto estas Indianio, ne Indianao. Se Vikipedio diras alie, ignoru ĝin.