Random Stuff

Mining

America is pretty insular when it comes to news and our perception of ourselves and world events. If something happens in the US – it’s important. Somewhere else – not so much.

Mention to just about anyone the mining tragedy and the response will be that it’s just awful – those poor 6 guys, now presumed dead, and the 3 rescuers who died trying to reach them in Colorado.

Few, if any, would even know about the mining accident in China this week that killed 180.

We seem to have a mining accident with multiple deaths every few years. When it does happen – its big news and people want to know why.

China is a huge country with a huge population. I’ve never been there and I’ve not studied it with any depth but it seems as though it’s leaping from a 3rd world country to a semi-first world country. Their energy appetite is growing furiously.

In mining, China averages 13 deaths per day. No – that’s not a typo. A lot of their mines are very small – almost mom and pop type operations. It’s unrealistic to expect Western standards and operations in an emergent economy. But that is no consolation to the families of the 180 that died in this week’s accident.

This week’s accident in China was a small news article buried deep in the Sunday paper – if reported at all.

BTW – there was also a bridge collapse in China shortly after the Minneapolis collapse. Killed a lot of people. Anybody hear of it?

Sleazy

Speaking of knowing why – I find myself completely disgusted with that Bob Murray fellow. I don’t think it’s a lack of experience in dealing with the press and public – I get this visceral bad reaction to him. If he told me the sun rises in the east and sets in the west – I don’t think I’d believe him. I’d go outside and look for myself.

Hurricane Dean

One of my favorite cruise stops is Majahual, Mexico. (Marketed as Costa Maya) Been there once. I’m booked on a cruise that will stop there in November and again on the family cruise in January.

I hope we'll still stop there.

From what I can tell from tracking maps and Mexican news sites - looks like Hurricane Dean is expected to make a category 5 landfall somewhere between 20 miles north to 20 miles south of the Majahual bulls eye.

It’s a tiny place with cinder block stores, restaurants and a few 1 and 2-story hotels. It’s also right on the beach. From what I recall there are 3 sort of paved, mostly dirt, roads that run parallel to the ocean. The school is on the 3rd street– maybe a thousand feet inland from the beach. At most.

I have a sinking feeling that what little there is there is going to get wiped out.

If enough of it survives – I hope we still stop there. That will be as good a place as any to spend our money. They’re going to need it.

Raccoons

Due to the unusually long streak of hot weather and lack of rain, I've been putting a little dog food out everyday for the Raccoon family. Normally it's better to put out food only occasionally. But the heat and drought has undoubtedly made foraging for food more difficult.

I don't put out enough to sustain them - just enough to help them out. They are clearly still hungry once they've eaten because they go crazy looking for more food after they've finished what's there.

I want to put out more but I can't let them become dependent on my handouts. Otherwise they'll lose their natural ability to hunt and forage.

I've also changed my feeding habit with them. I had been waiting till they show up to put the food out. Putting it out early attracts ants which they don't like.

But - the 3 small ones have been getting too accustomed to my presence. They were rising up on their hind legs, dancing around, and grabbing at me and the and cup I use to pour the food in the bowl. They almost got to the point where they would try and climb up my pants leg.

I just don't want to take the risk of accidentally getting nipped in their excitement and hunger. I have no desire to have to get rabies shots.

So - the food now goes in the bowel when I get home. They'll just have to deal with the ants.

They still come up to the screen door to check me out - but that's as close as I now let them get. They're wild animals and need to stay that way.

They also like to play. A lot. They've discovered the bathtub / hot tub toys that Erika left. I keep them on a small round table next to the hot tub. The small raccoons grab them and play with them and scatter them around the deck every evening. I occasionally have to collect them from the yard.