Here are some of my own thoughts about stories you might pursue:
Electric bills are hitting the needy so hard this summer, the Salvation Army is overwhelmed. It normally helps 75-80 families with their summer power bills, but more than 750 households are requesting help.
Electric bills are hitting the needy so hard this summer, the Salvation Army is overwhelmed.
It normally helps 75-80 families with their summer power bills, but more than 750 households are requesting help.
The SEER rating system works much in the same way as miles per gallon -- the higher the SEER value, the higher the efficiency. The old standard was 10 SEER. A 13 SEER unit is 30 percent more efficient than the old standard, if it is installed correctly. These high-efficiency units are obviously more expensive to buy than the kind you could have bought last year, but they will, in theory, pay for themselves in savings over time. One air-conditioning company explained:
(Equipment installed before 1980 generally has a SEER rating of 7 to 8. SEER ratings also decrease over the life of a unit. To get the exact energy-efficiency rating of your existing unit, you may wish to contact an air-conditioning contractor with the model numbers of your indoor and outdoor equipment, or look at the energy-efficient label on equipment installed after 1988.) For example, if your existing system's SEER is 7, and you replace it with a system that has a SEER of 11.5, you'll save $507 a year on your electric bill. Here is a bulletin that helps to explain why [PDF] sometimes, even when a higher SEER system is installed, it does not perform up to expectations.
(Equipment installed before 1980 generally has a SEER rating of 7 to 8. SEER ratings also decrease over the life of a unit. To get the exact energy-efficiency rating of your existing unit, you may wish to contact an air-conditioning contractor with the model numbers of your indoor and outdoor equipment, or look at the energy-efficient label on equipment installed after 1988.) For example, if your existing system's SEER is 7, and you replace it with a system that has a SEER of 11.5, you'll save $507 a year on your electric bill.
Here is a bulletin that helps to explain why [PDF] sometimes, even when a higher SEER system is installed, it does not perform up to expectations.
At least a dozen manufacturers have already switched over to the new coolant. There is a common belief that, after 2010, when manufacturers will not be allowed to produce Freon units, older air conditioners that use Freon may be more difficult to maintain -- and Freon may get a lot more expensive in a decade or so. The EPA disagrees, and sees no major price change on the horizon. The guy who is selling me my new air conditioner says there should be plenty of Freon around for the life of a unit that is installed now. A number of reputable HVAC sites confirms that. The EPA explains the timetable for the transition away from R-22:
January 1, 2004: In accordance with the terms of the Montreal Protocol, the amount of all HCFCs that can be produced nationwide must be reduced by 35 percent by 2004. In order to achieve this goal, the U.S. is ceasing production of HCFC-141b, the most ozone-damaging of this class of chemicals, on January 1, 2003. This production ban will greatly reduce nationwide use of HCFCs as a group, making it likely that the 2004 deadline will have a minimal effect on R-22 supplies. January 1, 2010: After 2010, chemical manufacturers may still produce R-22 to service existing equipment, but not for use in new equipment. As a result, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system manufacturers will only be able to use pre-existing supplies of R-22 to produce new air conditioners and heat pumps. These existing supplies would include R-22 recovered from existing equipment and recycled.
January 1, 2004: In accordance with the terms of the Montreal Protocol, the amount of all HCFCs that can be produced nationwide must be reduced by 35 percent by 2004. In order to achieve this goal, the U.S. is ceasing production of HCFC-141b, the most ozone-damaging of this class of chemicals, on January 1, 2003. This production ban will greatly reduce nationwide use of HCFCs as a group, making it likely that the 2004 deadline will have a minimal effect on R-22 supplies.
January 1, 2010: After 2010, chemical manufacturers may still produce R-22 to service existing equipment, but not for use in new equipment. As a result, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system manufacturers will only be able to use pre-existing supplies of R-22 to produce new air conditioners and heat pumps. These existing supplies would include R-22 recovered from existing equipment and recycled.
January 1, 2020: Use of existing refrigerant, including refrigerant that has been recovered and recycled, will be allowed beyond 2020 to service existing systems, but chemical manufacturers will no longer be able to produce R-22 to service existing air conditioners and heat pumps.
Here is a page that explains how air conditioners work and how to calculate a unit size to fit your needs. Here is an interesting tidbit: The word "ton" has nothing to do with the weight of the unit. It is based on the old measure of how much heat is absorbed by one ton of ice. Here is more about all of that, plus an explanation about BTUs, if you care.
Below are some more resources you might find useful while covering the heat wave:
But how deceptive to speak of a "fertilized egg" when it's a week-old human embryo who's attempting to implant! Preventing implantation causes the embryo to starve to death, a death that is just as final as that produced by an abortion weeks later. There's no confusion among scientists and doctors on this.
Scientists say the hubbub is hogwash because studies have shown that the progestin hormone in Plan B prevents ovulation but does not affect a fertilized egg, and therefore cannot be considered abortion.
"People mix up emergency contraception with abortion, and it is really inaccurate," said Regine Sitruk-Ware, executive director of product research and development at The Population Council, a nonprofit that conducts research on reproductive science, including birth control and abortion procedures. "Political opponents of abortion want to prevent access to emergency contraception on the basis that it may prevent implantation, and therefore would be a sort of early abortive. This is not the case."
The pills, which do not work if a woman is already pregnant, prevent ovulation or fertilization of an egg. They also may prevent the egg from implanting into the uterus, considered the medical definition of pregnancy, although recent research suggests that's not likely.
Laws in nine states allow pharmacists to dispense Plan B without a doctor's prescription under certain conditions.
Contraceptive advocates and doctors groups say easier access to Plan B could halve the nation's 3 million annual unintended pregnancies. Opponents say wider access to the pill could promote promiscuity.
The FDA's own scientists say the pills are safe, and in December 2003 a panel of independent advisers overwhelmingly backed nonprescription sales for all ages.
The FDA rejected that recommendation, citing concern that young teens could use the pills without a doctor's supervision. Barr reapplied, asking that women 16 and older be allowed to buy Plan B without a prescription and setting up a program for pharmacists to enforce the age rule -- just as stores now bar cigarette sales to minors.
Specifically, we would like to learn more about your proposal to restrict distribution of Plan B to certain pharmacies, i.e., the OTC version of Plan B would not be available at gas stations, convenience stores, etc., but only to those pharmacies agreeing to (1) keep the OTC version of the drug behind the pharmacy counter and (2) dispense the drug only upon the production of a valid photo identification card establishing the age of the consumer. In particular, we would like to learn more about your plan to routinely monitor these pharmacies to make sure they comply with the restricted distribution plan. In addition, we are very interested in learning how you plan on enforcing the restrictions if a pharmacy fails to comply with them, e.g., whether the restrictions will be incorporated into the terms of a formal contract and, if so, what the terms of that contract (particularly those terms related to a breach) look like. If after our discussions we conclude that the CARESM Program isn't sufficiently rigorous to prevent the OTC version of Plan B from being used by young girls who can't safely use the product without the supervision of a practitioner licensed by law to administer the drug, Plan B will remain Rx-only for women of all ages.
A Year After Katrina: The Faith Fallout
ReligionLink, the excellent resource from the Religion Newswriters Foundation provides this:
When Hurricane Katrina hit in late August 2005, faith groups had a profound effect on rescue and recovery efforts. A year later, people of faith say Hurricane Katrina permanently changed much more than the Gulf Coast: It changed the way religious groups help and heal in the wake of disaster. Interviews with religious leaders revealed that they have learned inspiring lessons about how to provide aid effectively. They've committed to long-term recovery efforts and preparing for future disasters. And they believe faith remains an untold story in the ways it has touched the lives of survivors, caregivers and congregations. ReligionLink offers topics for stories, linked to background articles and reports. National and regional sources can address one or more of these topics.
For other ideas and sources, see these past ReligionLink issues:
NPPA Opposed "Orphan Works Bill"
The National Press Photographers Association has taken a stand against the "orphan works bill" pending in Congress. NPPA says this legislation is vitally important to photojournalists:
Called "Orphan Works," the bill supposedly aims at the issue of copyrighted work for which the author cannot be found, either because of a missing credit line or because the author is impossible to track down. If someone claims that they can't find you, the bill would allow publication of your photographs without your prior permission, without penalty, and in some cases, without payment at all.
Read the actual language of the bill here.
The World's Biggest Man-Made Holes
OK, this has nothing to do with improving your journalism but it is nothing short of amazing. This is one of the world's largest man-made holes. It is a diamond mine in Siberia. Make sure you locate the tiny arrow pointing to a huge truck inside the mine as a matter of scale. The hole is so big that helicopters are not allowed to fly over it, because the might get sucked in. Here it is on a Google map.
Here is a photo from AirLiners.net.
While I am at it, other notable holes include the Bingham Copper Mine in Utah and the Mponeng Gold Mine in South Africa.
Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends upon the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors and inaccuracies found will be corrected.
