Sunday, November 28, 2010

Did you ever wonder whether all skylights are similar in design?



Did you ever wonder whether all skylights are similar in design?
 
By David McClelland
 
I really thought that all skylights were pretty much of the same design until I read a very informative advertisement in a Florida newspaper while on vacation.
 
It was for Tubular Skylights (TS), a design with which I was unfamiliar. All of the skylights I had seen had been installed to lay flat on roofs, whether they were flat roofs or slooped. We have never had a skylight in any of our homes, but I knew that skylights let in a good deal of light because I have been in homes and other buildings that had them. I couldn't picture what a tubular skylight would be like or just how it would work, so I did the research and this is what I learned.
 
Let me try to describe how the TS is designed and then show you a picture. It resembles a small silo with a domed (convex) window on top. The cylinder below the dome continues through the roof to the ceiling of the room you intend to brighten with natural light. On the bottom of the cylinder is another dome (concave) of glass. The small, clear dome on the roof allows sunlight to enter a highly reflective tube that guides the sunshine to your ceiling. A translucent diffuser lens gently disperses natural light throughout the room below. There are virtually no color distortions (98.7 Color Rendering Index). This would provide the most appealing, natural light in the room below the TS. And it provides as much light as a conventional skylight ten (10) times its size. With this type of skylight, one could provide very good natural lighting for a 900 square foot, or 30' x 30', room.
 
 
The TS manufacturer claims, and the Florida Department of Energy confirmed, that the tubular skylights will pay for themselves in lower energy costs within two years. That is because the equivalent R22 insulation rating will not transfer heat or cold like a conventional skylight. They claim that a TS would save on electric bills by providing natural lighting in your house and air conditioning costs would be lower as well. The cost of a TS was said to range from $200 to $550 each, complete with installation and taxes. And, if installed this year, you can get a 30% federal tax credit. That all sounds good.
 
If you want to learn more about the TS, you can go to: www.tubular-skylight.com.
 

 

Friday, November 26, 2010

Did you ever wonder what percent of released prisoners go straight?


Did you ever wonder what percent of released prisoners go straight?
 
By David McClelland
 
I attended a lecture by Mark Earley, President and CEO of Prison Fellowship, while on vacation in Florida and was impressed not only by his mission accomplishments, but by many of the statistics he cited on prisoners in our country.
 
Earley said that about 1 out of every 100 people in this country is incarcerated and that 1 out of every 32 people is under the supervision of a prison system; i.e., either currently in prison or on parole. I had no idea the numbers were so great. He also said that 75% of the men in prison were from fatherless homes. Those numbers are staggering!
 
Earley was a practicing attorney in Norfolk, Virginia for 15 years and his work frequently took him to jails and prisons to meet with his clients and to build relationships with "men and women on the other side of the law." Later, Earley served in the Virginia State Senate for 10 years and was its Attorney General for one term. He said that while in those jobs, he was tough on crime. He ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Virginia in 2001. Soon thereafter, he received a call from Chuck Colson, then President and CEO of Prison Fellowship, saying that he was retiring and asking Early to be his replacement. Recall that Colson had been imprisoned for his part in the Watergate scandal under President Nixon.
 
After much reflection, Earley agreed to become head of Prison Fellowship and has been doing its work for nearly 10 years. What is Prison Fellowship's mission? It is to help prepare soon-to-be-released prisoners for their release from prison and to provide assistance to them to help them STAY out of prison.
 
More national statistics: Earley said the recidivism rate for prisoners released from prison within the first year is 44%, but this number rises even further to 67.5% after 3 years. And, to make matters much worse, on the average, each year, 67% of the people who were rearrested were charged with close to 750,000 new crimes and over 100,000 of those were violent crimes, including an average of 2,871 murders and 2,444 rapes. And, while in prison, at least 70 percent of the inmates were assaulted by another inmate. When these events occur, the victim usually suffers emotionally as well as physically. This often leads the inmates to accept these types of behaviors and to value their life and the lives of others less by the time they are released. These dehumanizing acts combined with the learned violent behavior greatly influence the causes of recidivism.
 
The most recent figures I could find for Michigan, show the recidivism rate is 46%, close to the national average. However, in Washtenaw County, the recidivism rate is 76%.
 
A Florida study showed that the greatest chance for recidivism occurs within the first 6 months after release from prison and that the longer a released prisoner stays out of prison, the less likely they are to return.
 
Earley told of a county in Texas that has a recidivism rate of only 8% that is believed to be the result of work by a Christian group who counseled prisoners nearing parole and worked with them upon release to assist them in finding jobs and in joining churches. He said Prison Fellowship has adopted many of this group's practices and that their work is reducing recidivism across the country, which gives him renewed hope. 
 
What percent of prisoners go straight? As a nation, it is only about about 33% today, but there is hope that that number could be greatly reduced if the work of Earley's Prison Fellowship and others like it continue. I hope that this blog has you yearning to know more about this huge problem. You can learn more at www.prisonfellowship.org.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Did you ever wonder whether there are beer bloggers?



Did you ever wonder whether there are beer bloggers?
 
By David McClelland
 
I was not familiar with this type of blogger, but while vacationing in Florida, I read an article in the November 18th Sarasota-Manatee Herald Tribune that said that, not only do beer bloggers exist, and lot of them, but that they are organized and hold conferences.
 
The most recent conference was in Bolder Colorado on November 5-7. It was the 2010 International Beer Bloggers & Online Media Conference. The article said it was well attended and that one blogger was there from England to meet to learn and to share.
 
If you haven't been served a beer in England, I can tell you that they serve them at room temperature unless you are astute enough to ask for an "iced lager." I'll bet that his blogs are all served warm.
 
At this beer bloggers conference were four categories of attendees: Citizen bloggers who write about beer or the beer industry; Industry bloggers who write a blog related to their brewery or other beer industry business; News media innovators  who work in the world of blogging and social media; and Beer industry members who want to learn about new media or to interact with the bloggers in attendance.
 
The writer, Alan Shaw, who calls himself "Beer Geek," sampled one beer that cost $750 per bottle. It was made by a Scottish brewer and is called Bulldog's The End of History. It contained 55% alcohol. That's right, was 110 proof beer. I think one would be plenty.
 
Shaw said the brewer made only a few bottles of Bulldog's a year and that it came packaged inside a taxidermied weasel. I can imagine wanting to sample such a brew, but I wonder just how many bottles the brewer is able to sell at that price.
 
Next year, the beer bloggers will hold two conferences: One in Portland, Oregon and one in London. You'd better get your reservations in early. For more, you can contact Shaw at:            Alan.shaw@heraldtribune.com

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Did you ever wonder about the responsibilities of our U.S. Ambassadors?

Did you ever wonder about the responsibilities of our U.S. Ambassadors?

By David McClelland

U.S. Ambassadors are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. All embassies fall within the Department of State and all Ambassadors answer to the Secretary of State. It is customary for each new president to replace some or even most U.S. Ambassadors with those of his own choosing.

The United States currently has 59 Ambassadors and nearly all of them were named in 2008, 2009 or 2010. There are another 21 vacant Ambassador positions.

What are the duties of a U.S. Ambassador? First and foremost is keeping the President informed, via the Secretary of State, of all that may concern his interests in foreign countries. He is the eye of the country he serves. His second duty is to protect and defend his fellow countrymen in the country in which he serves. His third duty is to maintain the most amicable of relations with the sovereign to whom he is assigned and with its ministers. It is said, jokingly, that an Ambassador should maintain a good chef or cook so that he may extend hospitality to those with whom he associates socially.

It is clear that the position of U.S. Ambassador is most important to our country's interests and that the persons filling these critical assignments must be highly qualified, of unquestioned integrity and loyalty.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Did you ever wonder when our Military Academies were founded? Merchant Marine

Did you ever wonder when our Military Academies were founded? Merchant Marine

By David McClelland

Here are the dates when each Academy was founded:
The United States Military Academy in West Point, New York - 1802.
The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland - 1845.
The United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut - 1876.
The United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York - 1942. *
The United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado - 1954.

This is the fifth and final part of a five-part series which discusses each Academy.
Our final look will be of the Merchant Marine Academy.

The United States Merchant Marine Academy, also known as USMMA or Kings Point, is the next to the newest of the five federal Academies. It began in 1942 and is charged with training officers for the United States Merchant Marine, branches of the military or the transportation industry. The students are called Midshipmen, as in the Navy, and are trained in marine engineering, navigation, ship's administration, maritime law, personnel management, international law, customs and other subjects for running a large ship.

Congress passed the landmark Merchant Marine Act of 1936 after a disastrous fire in 1934 killed 134 passengers aboard the passenger ship, SS Morro Castle. This luxury liner ran between New York City and Havana, Cuba. After beginning in temporary quarters, the Merchant Marine's permanent site at Kings Point, New York, was acquired in 1942 and the new Academy was dedicated in1943 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. During WWII, from 1942-1945, the Academy graduated 6,895 officers. After the war, a peacetime four-year college course was instituted. Graduates receive a Bachelor of Science degree. In 1974, the Academy became the first to enroll female students, two years before the other four Academies.

In 1990, the Academy acquired the largest campus based training vessel, the T/V Kings Pointer. Her mission is to supplement the classroom training by providing an operational shipboard platform for use by the academic Department of Shipboard Training. The American Merchant Marine Museum is located at the campus in Kings Point, New York. In 2006, President George W. Bush gave the commencement address at the Academy, the first president to visit this Academy.

For admission to the Academy, candidates need to be physically fit, have strong GPA and SAT/ACT scores and obtain a nomination by a member of the Senate or House of Representatives.

Unlike the other Academy graduates, Merchant Marine graduates are required to fulfill their service obligation on their own by providing annual proof of employment in a wide variety of occupations. About 1/3 elect to work as licensed officers on U.S. flagged merchant vessels, another 1/3 work as civilians in the maritime industry and the final 1/3 become active duty officers in a branch of the armed forces of the United States. They must maintain their Merchant Marine officer's license for at least 6 years.

On October 7, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed legislation permitting women to enter the United States service academies. The Class of 2014 at the Merchant Marine Academy has 342 plebes, of which 43, or 12.5%, are women. The total enrollment is 986 with 89% men, 11% women and 100% full-time.

Some distinguished graduates include: Lane Kirkland, a former head of the AFL-CIO; Warren Leback, head of the U.S. Maritime Administration under President George H.W. Bush; Joseph Williams, First African-American graduate & New York Supreme Court Justice; Elliot See, Project Gemini astronaut, killed in training; Romulo Espaldon, Admiral, Philippine Navy, Commander, Philippine Southern Command and Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Yemen and Albert Herberger, First graduate to become a Vice Admiral in the U.S. Navy and Head of the U.S. Maritime Administration under President Clinton.

A tour of the Merchant Marine Academy and Museum will give visitors a better idea of the history of the Academy and a better appreciation of the experiences of Midshipmen. The Academy is open to visitors year-round except for federal holidays. A visit to Kings Point, New York may be worth considering.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Did you ever wonder when our Military Academies were founded? Coast Guard

Did you ever wonder when our Military Academies were founded? Coast Guard

By David McClelland

Here are the dates when each Academy was founded:
The United States Military Academy in West Point, New York - 1802.
The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland - 1845.
The United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut - 1876. *
The United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York - 1942.
The United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado - 1954.

This is the fourth of a five-part series which will discuss each Academy.
* Let's next look at the Coast Guard Academy.

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) Academy is the smallest of the five federal Academies. It began in 1976 as the Revenue Cutter School of Instruction, with a class of nine cadets. It has evolved into a major institution producing thousands of professionals in many fields.

Its current location in New London, Connecticut, began in 1932 when the town donated the land above the Thames River for this purpose. In 1947, the Academy received a War Reparation from Germany, the Horst Wessel, a 295-foot tall ship which was renamed the USCG Cutter, Eagle. It remains the main training vessel for cadets at the Academy as well as for officer candidates at the Coast Guard's Officer Candidate School.

The Academy provides education to future Coast Guard officers. Cadets graduate with a Bachelor of Science Degree in one of eight majors and are obligated to serve for five years of active duty upon graduation. That obligation increases if the cadet chooses to attend flight school or graduate school. Upon graduation, they enter active duty as ensigns in the USCG. Unlike the other Academies, admission to the Coast Guard Academy is based solely on merit and does not require a congressional nomination. Each year, approximately 2,500 students apply for admission and 400 are selected and enter the Coast Guard Academy as first year cadets. Each summer, about 200 cadets graduate after four years of study and military training.

The mission of the Coast Guard Academy is to graduate young men and women sound bodies, stout hearts and alert minds, with a liking for the sea and its lore, and with that high sense of Honor, Loyalty and Obedience which goes with trained initiative and leadership; well grounded in seamanship, the sciences and amenities, and strong in the resolve to be worthy of the traditions of commissioned officers in the United States Coast Guard, in the service of their country and humanity.

On October 7, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed legislation permitting women to enter the United States service academies. About 30% of entering cadets are women.

Some distinguished graduates include two astronauts – Bruce E. Melnick (1972) and Daniel C. Burbank (1985) and Rear Admiral Timothy S. Sullivan, Senior Military Advisor to the United States Secretary of Homeland Security and Primary Military Coordinator between Homeland Security and the Department of Defense.

The Coast Guard, probably most famous for its spectacular air and sea rescue operations, is charged with the responsibility of protecting our nation's shores, a concept that extends to law enforcement and hazardous chemical and environmental safety, such a repairing damage done by spills. In an average day, they save 12 lives, assist 315 people, save $2 million in property, conduct 144 search and rescue operations, respond to 23 oil or hazardous chemical spills, boarded 90 vessels for port safety checks, inspect 64 commercial vessels, investigate 17 marine accidents, seize 318 pounds of marijuana and 253 ponds of cocaine, service 150 aids to navigation, and interdict 112 illegal migrants.

A tour of the Coast Guard Academy will give visitors an idea of what is accomplished there. The USCG Museum has collections of ship models and airplanes of the 134 years of its history. Paintings and photographs represent its many missions and its history. Artifacts from its conflicts are displayed from the Civil War to the World Wars and Viet Nam. A visit to the USGC Academy will be most enlightening.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Did you ever wonder when our Military Academies were founded? Naval Academy

Did you ever wonder when our Military Academies were founded? Naval Academy

By David McClelland

Here are the dates when each Academy was founded:
The United States Military Academy in West Point, New York - 1802.
The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland - 1845. *
The United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut - 1876.
The United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York - 1942.
The United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado - 1954.

This is the third of a five-part series which will discuss each Academy.
* Let's next look at the Naval Academy.

The United States Naval Academy (also known as USNA, Annapolis, or Navy) is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland. Established in 1845 under George Bancroft, it is the second oldest of the five service academies, and educates officers for commissioning primarily into the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The 338-acre campus is located on the former grounds of Fort Severn at the confluence of the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay, approximately 33 miles east of Washington, D.C. and 26 miles southeast of Baltimore, Maryland. The entire campus is a national landmark and home to many historic sites, building and monuments.

Prospective candidates to the Naval Academy must be first nominated by a Congressman, Senator, the Vice-President, the President, or be the child of a Medal of Honor recipient; and must pass a physical fitness test and a medical exam. Once admitted, students are addressed as Midshipmen, an official rank and paygrade. Midshipmen are in the United States Navy from the moment they raise their hands and affirm the oath of office at the swearing in ceremony. Upon graduation, most Naval Academy Midshipmen are commissioned as Ensigns in the Navy or as Second Lieutenants in the Marine Corps and serve on active duty for a minimum of five years. If they become pilots, they will serve 8-11 years and if Naval flight officers, 6-8 years. Foreign Midshipmen are commissioned into the armed forces of their native countries. Each year, a few Midshipmen are cross-commissioned into the Army, Air Force or Coast Guard.

Participation in athletics is, in general, mandatory at the Naval Academy and Midshipmen participate on varsity, intercollegiate sports teams, intramural team or one of the club teams. The Naval Academy fields 30 varsity sports teams and 13 club teams. Varsity letter winners wear a specially designed blue cardigan with a large gold "N" patch affixed. Members of teams that beat Army are also awarded a gold star to affix near the "N" for each such victory. The sports team mascot is a goat named "Bill."

On October 7, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed legislation permitting women to enter the United States service academies. About 22% of entering plebes are women.

The Naval Academy attracts more than three million visitors a year, including alumni. You would enjoy a visit to the Naval Academy to see and photograph its many national landmarks.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Did you ever wonder when our Military Academies were founded? West Point

Did you ever wonder when our Military Academies were founded? West Point.

By David McClelland

Here are the dates when each Academy was founded:
The United States Military Academy in West Point, New York - 1802. *
The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland - 1845.
The United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut - 1876.
The United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York - 1942.
The United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado - 1954.

This is the second of a five-part series which will discuss each Academy.
* Let's next look at the first and oldest Academy, West Point.

George Washington considered West Point's location to be the most strategic location in America with its commanding position above the Hudson River, 50 miles north of New York City, and he established a military post there in 1787. West Point is the oldest, continuously occupied military post in the United States. President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing West Point as a military academy in 1802. Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, a 1908 West Point graduate and "the father of the military academy," was West Point's superintendent from 1817-1833. He upgraded academic standards, instilled military discipline and emphasized honorable conduct. Some of West Point's distinguished graduates are Generals Grant, Eisenhower, MacArthur, Patten, Clark, Bradley, Haig, Arnold and Schwarzkoph. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin is also a graduate.

The mission of West Point is "To educate, train and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army."

The Army's first class of cadets graduated in 1806. Graduates receive a Bachelor of Science degree and are commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the US Army. Candidates for admission frequently receive a nomination from a member of Congress. Tuition, along with room and board, are all paid for by the Army in exchange for a commitment to serve as officers for at least 4 years. Recent classes have had about 1,300 cadets entering their first year and about 1,000 of those are expected to graduate four years later. West Point started several traditions and was the first American college to have class rings.

On October 7, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed legislation permitting women to enter the United States service academies. In 1976, 119 women entered West Point with the Class of 1980.

West Point attracts more than three million visitors a year, including alumni. You would probably enjoy a visit to our oldest Academy to see and photograph national landmarks.