Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

L.A.’s New Reflective Streets Bounce Heat Back into Space – RTBC

The record heat waves that scorched the earth from Arizona to Antarctica this year will only get worse, and cities, where heat radiates off buildings and asphalt, will bear the brunt of this heat. “We’ve built our cities like ovens,” Spotts says. “We’re largely using the same materials we have been using since World War II. We need a large-scale change.” According to NOAA, highly developed urban areas can experience mid-afternoon temperatures that are 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than surrounding, vegetated areas. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions tackles the root cause, but in the meantime, cities are looking for ways to lower the temperature. One of the cheapest is to paint roofs and streets white.

santorini
Traditional architecture in Santorini is mostly whitewashed, an age-old method of combating the heat island effect. Credit: Michaela Loheit / Flickr

The Greek islanders of Santorini, with their whitewashed earthen buildings, were on to something: white surfaces can keep a densely populated area cooler. To this end, New York City has added white, reflective coatings to more than 10 million square feet of rooftop over the last decade. And Los Angeles has installed more than 30 million square feet of cool roofs as part of its new building code. These days, when you visit certain parts of L.A., such as Winnetka or Echo Park, you’ll notice the black asphalt changing to a light grayish-white on more than 50 city blocks.

Source: L.A.’s New Reflective Streets Bounce Heat Back into Space – RTBC

Zion Narrows X

Michael Stephen Wills Photography


The first of three long exposures of the Virgin River from the Narrows on the way back to Pam. Earlier on Pam headed back, concerned about thunderstorms and the possibility of flash floods. I hung on, for the perfect photo. I came pretty close here, with the flowing water coming aound this outcrop of picturesque boulders, canyon turning sharply right up ahead.. The Narrows, Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah

Copyright 2021 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

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Ohio COVID cases top 8,000 in one day, hospitalizations rise (Me: Ohio school, and retail openings failing… need to tighten up, mask up and vaccinate ASAP)

Ohio’s daily COVID-19 cases climbed back over the 8,000 mark with 8,349 new cases reported on Thursday, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

It’s the fifth straight day the state has recorded an increase of cases.

In the last three weeks, Ohio is averaging 6,178 cases a day and 7,268 cases a day in the last week.

ExploreOhio’s daily COVID hospitalizations nearly triple vs. year ago, Vanderhoff says
ajc.com

As of Thursday, all 88 of Ohio’s counties meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s definition for a high transmission rate of COVID-19. Each county has reported more than 100 cases per 100,000 people over the last two weeks. Pike County has the highest rate in state with 1,937.2 cases per 100,000 people.

Source: Ohio COVID cases top 8,000 in one day, hospitalizations rise

My New Podcast and Tips + The Backyard Horse Blog’s Podcast!

Happiness Between Tails by da-AL

Don’t know where you’d record your podcast? Here’s Ira Glass, making one in his closet…

Photo of Ira Glass recording an episode of his radio show, "This American Life," in his small closet.

Hurrah!!! Picture me jumping up and down with as much glee as panting with relief after laboring over the ins and outs of producing The Happiness Between Tails Podcast. The HBT podcast is really an experiment — a hands-on classroom where I make most of my mistakes before I serialize my novels (“Flamenco & the Sitting Cat,” and “Tango & the Sitting Cat”) into audio fiction series. For the record, the fiction shows won’t use the automated readers. I’ve already posted a bit about podcasting HERE and HERE.

Here’s my Anchor page…

My podcast dream was kicked into higher gear when WordPress announced its link with Anchor, one where we bloggers can convert out blog posts into podcasts.

It’s not your imagination that the video transcriptions below for teasers are all the same…

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Top of Blue Hole Falls

2048.studio

Cherokee National Forest

Though the water level was low during my recent visit, the beauty inherent in this natural landscape remains consistent.

Located in Elizabethton, Tennessee, this is the first (top) waterfall in a series of four falls which are easily accessed by visitors.

You may enjoy purchasing a print of this scenery, and can do so by visiting my gallery to select the best option – choose from these print types:

  • framed
  • canvas
  • art
  • metal
  • wood
  • poster
  • tapestry
  • acrylic

Enjoy the great outdoors!

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Non tutte le Nane bianche invecchiano nello stesso modo

le pagine dei nostri libri

Un gruppo di ricerca guidato da studiosi dell’Università di Bologna e dell’Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) confrontando la popolazione di Nane Bianche in due sistemi stellari gemelli, grazie ad osservazioni effettuate con il telescopio spaziale Hubble, ha scoperto che non tutte le stelle invecchiano nello stesso modo.

Quello di “Nana Bianca” è lo stadio finale a cui va incontro circa il 98% delle stelle nell’Universo, incluso il nostro Sole. In questa fase, resta solo il nucleo della stella che, dopo aver perso gli strati esterni, non è più in grado di produrre alcuna forma di energia e si spegne lentamente con un progressivo calo sia della luminosità che della temperatura.

Il nuovo studio mostra per la prima volta che alcune Nane Bianche invecchiano più lentamente di altre perché in grado di trattenere un sottilissimo strato di idrogeno che consente loro di continuare a produrre energia attraverso reazioni termonucleari.

La scoperta…

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