Texas Air Pollution Alerts And Dangerous Nitrogen Tanks

Every Wednesday on my way back south from Southlake, and Sprouts Farmers Market, I see two Air Pollution Alert signs on the west side of Davis Boulevard. I don't see any Air Pollution Alert signs on the east side when I'm heading north.

What perplexes me is wondering what the purpose of these two signs can possibly be. What is one supposed to do with this alert? Watch out for incoming Air Pollution?

And why are these two Air Pollution Alert signs the only two I've ever seen? These signs are in North Richland Hills. Are they all over North Richland Hills? The only other North Richland Hills road I have driven on lately is North Tarrant Parkway. I saw no Air Pollution Alert signs on that road.

The two Air Pollution Alert signs on Davis Boulevard are within about a half mile, or less of each other. Maybe that stretch of road is extra polluted, thus the signs.

There is another disturbing thing I see each week on Davis Boulevard. It is between the two Air Pollution Alert signs. About 6 feet from the side of the road there is this big metal tank that says "Nitrogen" on it. Above the tank there is a sign that says "Danger."

Today I had resolved that I would get pictures of the Air Pollution Alert sign and the dangerous Nitrogen Tank sitting along side a busy, heavily polluted road. When I saw the Nitrogen Tank up close and personal, I could read what was written below "DANGER"....

FIBER OPTIC CABLE ROUTE
CITIZEN ACCESS TO 911 OR OTHER
EMERGENCY SERVICES MAY BE
INTERRUPTED AND YOU WILL BE
SUBJECT TO CIVIL LIABILITY AND/OR
CRIMINAL PROSECUTION IF YOU DIG,
TRENCH OR PUSH PIPE IN THIS
VICINITY BEFORE GETTING PERMISSION

Well, that cleared that up. Near as I could tell, the Nitrogen Tank is being used to help hold up the DANGER sign. Probably because a proper sign hole could not be dug without damaging that fiber optic cable. One would think something could have been found to accomplish this other than a Nitrogen Tank that looks a bit foreboding sitting 6 feet from the curb with a big ol' DANGER sign above it.

So, that's been my exciting day, so far, this fine Wednesday in Texas. Despite forecasts that said otherwise, we will not be hitting 100 today. Maybe tomorrow. At least I will sleep better tonight, now that I've sorted out what that disturbingly dangerous looking Nitrogen Tank is all about. But, then again, I do still have that Air Pollution Alert to worry about. I'll probably sleep anyway.

Texas Miscellaneous Madness

Another goofy day in Road Rage Mad Fort Worth. Up before the crack of dawn, swimming at day break. Computer burnout continued over from yesterday.

I am finding myself learning way more about Texas than I think is healthy. My Regions of Texas Project is wearing me out. I'm learning all sorts of odd things. Like little Midland, Texas is nicknamed "The Tall City" I assume by people who have never seen a tall city. Midland used to brag that their 22 story Wilco Building was the tallest building between Fort Worth and Phoenix. That's like saying that some building in Spokane is the tallest between Seattle and Chicago. Or so it would seem to me.

And then I got one of the more absurd comments in a long time, from what I assume to be either a know-it-all Texan or a Chesapeake Energy shill operating out of Oklahoma City. This comment was in regards to yesterday's blogging about today's EPA meeting at D/FW Airport regarding pollution from cement kilns.

Anonymous said.......

Dude, Seriously, you think that a drill rig that uses 1000 gallons of diesel fuel per day to drill a well is "pumping" out more fumes than all the cars and trucks in the DFW area in one day - You are getting some seriously wrong information. There are over 1 million cars in DFW and all of them are using 1 gallon per day bud... and there are only 72 rigs drilling in Texas as of today. Go ahead and drive your car to a meeting about pollution... That a joke. you are the problem - not the solution.

Apparently the Anonymous dude does not pay a lot of attention to the news. As in last week it was widely reported that Dr. Al Armendariz was right about the Barnett Shale drilling operations contribution to North Texas air pollution.

With the State of Texas agreeing.

As in "State environmental officials say that an SMU researcher (Al Armendariz) was correct: Gas drilling in the Barnett Shale contributes about as much air pollution to the Dallas-Fort Worth area as car and truck traffic."

I'm guessing that Anonymous Dude is one of those Texas Road Ragers that have us being America's second most mad drivers.

I'm hitting the road in a bit, to head north. It being Wednesday I'm likely going to go to Sprouts Farmers Market while I'm out dodging Road Ragers.

Dallas/Fort Worth Drivers 2nd Most Angry Road Ragers

I don't know who did the survey, but the results somehow determined that New York City drivers are the worst Road Ragers in America.

25 Metropolitan areas were surveyed. The #2 location for angry, aggressive, tailgating, horn honking, overreacting, temper losers is my current location of Dallas/Fort Worth.

I have been accosted by a Road Rager or two in Texas. Just a few days ago someone got quite agitated at me because I'd stopped in the middle of an intersection to take a picture of a spouting leak.

If I'd been taken that picture in Baltimore, Sacremento, Pittsburgh, Cleveland or Portland I likely would not have gotten yelled at, due to those towns being the top 5 with the most courteous, considerate drivers.

I don't know what makes these Texans in D/FW so angry. It could have something to do with the heat. We are expected to hit 100 tomorrow.

I'm feeling a bit angry and aggressive today. I have not felt any rage on the road though. I did get a bit agitated at Wal-Mart due to seeing this woman in super short shorts and a top barely covering her top, with a big belly button adorned by a piercing. She was not fat, but she was super homely, with a pimply face and stringy hair. Why does such a person bother to get a belly button pierced? I don't get it.

I'm also agitated due to having been up since 4 am. I was in the pool this morning while it was still dark. That was a bit odd. Then I turned into a webpage making machine again. Then around 8 am I realized I needed to alter every page on my humongous Eyes on Texas website, removing elements that only Internet Explorer displays, which look odd on other browsers.

To make the fix involved 5 changes on each page, with each change involving multiple mouse clicks. I figured I could go through the entire website in 2 hours. I was wrong. It took til past noon. My mouse clicking hand is worn out. If I were to drive anywhere right now the slightest little thing might set me off with an explosion of Texas-worthy Road Rage. I say might, because it's never happened before, no matter how cranky I am.

Downwinders At Risk in Dallas/Fort Worth

It really is a miracle that somehow there are not 100s of us Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplexers dropping dead daily from breathing the air here. We've got Barnett Shale gas drilling operations that apparently spew more bad stuff into the atmosphere than all the vehicular traffic in D/FW.

And then there are the cement kiln spewers that pump bad stuff, like mercury into the air that we breathe, along with a lot of other bad things, like soot and hydrochloric acid.

I know it's short notice, but tomorrow, Wednesday, June 17th, at the Grand Hyatt in DFW International Airport inside Terminal D the Environmental Protection Agency will take public testimony from 10 am til 8 pm. The EPA is working on some new federal rules that might decrease some of the most dangerous types of pollution being spewed by cement plants.

In a surprising twist, the cement industry is lobbying against any new rules that might force them to clean up the air and so they are working hard to thwart President Obama's EPA's first attempt at reigning in some of America's worst polluters.

Go to the Downwinders at Risk website for more information.

Roy Orbison Festival This Weekend In Wink

My West Texas Corespondent, Jammin Mole, has told me that this coming weekend, June 19 & 20, the 20th Annual Roy Orbison Festival is coming to Wink.

The festival will feature a California Rockabilly Boogie group called Truly Lover Trio.

On Friday the Pretty Woman Contest takes place. I'm pretty sure Jammin Mole will be the winner of that contest.

On Saturday the festivities start off at 9 am with a parade, likely featuring the winner of the Pretty Woman Contest. There will also be an antique car show and flea market.

Then, Saturday evening, Wink's main drag gets closed to traffic for a street dance and concert.

Big crowds are expected for the Roy Orbison Festival. There is plenty of parking. Please be careful when driving in the Wink vicinity. Sinkholes are known to suddenly appear. If Wink's infamous ghosts worry you, you needn't be concerned. The Wink ghosts are all friendly.

Swimming & Hiking All Over Big Bend Country

I got up a bit early this morning, about 5. Then after my early morning skinnydip I turned into a webpage making machine til about noon.

I have not gotten around to getting my bike wheel fixed, so my only aerobic outlet is on my feet. I don't go roller blading when it gets over 90. I've had too many incidents.

The humidity has dropped a bit from yesterday, so I did not overheat as much as I did yesterday, whilst hiking the Tandy Hills Natural Area. All the rain from a few days ago has really amped up the jungle-like foliage in parts of the Tandy Hills. My camouflage cargo shorts almost blend in with the jungle.

I mentioned earlier that I had gotten back to a project I started a long time ago, that being webpaging The Regions of Texas. It's a daunting task. Currently I am in Big Bend Country. Some call this West Texas.

Today I have been to Alpine, Balmorhea, the Big Bend National Park Area, Del Rio , El Paso, Fort Davis, Marfa and Wink. Like I said, it's exhausting.

I'm off to Fort Stockton now and Paisano Pete, he being the world's largest roadrunner.

Wink Texas Ghosts, Sinkholes & Roy Orbison

My West Texas Eyes On Texas corespondent, Jammin Mole, has been sending me pictures from West Texas for my humongous Regions of Texas Project that has been tormenting me for a year.

Actually, it has been tormenting me for a bit less than a year. A year ago this coming July 20 I flew up to Tacoma for what turned into a torturous lost month. Prior to leaving I'd built the website framework for my Regions of Texas Project. I brought the reference materials north with me and my intention was to make 5 to 10 webpages a day.

By the time I escaped Tacoma I'd been so traumatized that I'd totally forgotten about my Regions of Texas Project. When I got back here I was more interested in regaining my sanity than working on that website project. And so it remained way in the back of my mind for months and months.

And then last week I was looking at my Google webstats and I saw that the few pages of that project that I had gotten done were doing real well. I had not noticed. I have an awful lot of webpages to try and keep track of. That and I forget things.

So, I'm currently in what's called Big Bend Country. That is where Wink is. Wink is both famous and infamous. Wink is a very little town, it's seen better days. Wink was Roy Orbison's hometown. There is a little Roy Orbison Museum in Wink that you can visit by appointment.

Wink needs to have someone make the town a statue of Roy Orbison, similar to what Lubbock has done for Buddy Holly. And maybe someone could make better signage for the Roy Orbison Museum and for the sign that says "The Original Home Site of Roy Orbison."

Wink is also known for its Sinkholes. There are two of them. The first Sinkhole sank on June 3, 1980. Then, almost 22 years later, to the day, an even bigger Sinkhole sank. And now there is a sagging in the ground, near Wink, that geologists say will become Wink Sinkhole #3.

My West Texas Wink Corespondent tells me that locals travel about Wink in pairs. One car following another with about a 100 foot gap. If the ground sinks underneath car #1, car #2 is supposed to get help, and vice versa if car #1 sees car #2 disappear in the rear view mirror.

That is Wink Sinkhole #2 in the Sinkhole picture.

Little Wink is also famous for being really HOT. As in Wink is often the HOTTEST spot in Texas and the entire country.

Wink is also known for its ghosts. There are several Wink ghost stories. The Wink ghosts are nationally known. By those who pay attention to such things.

So, for a little town of less than 1000 people, Wink has a lot going on. Ghosts, Roy Orbison, record breaking temperatures. And giant Sinkholes.

The Iraqi/Nigerian Scam Targeting A Gullible Texan

I've gotten the Nigerian email scam many many times. There have been a few variants over the years, but, til today, they have always been African.

I've figured these scams must work, otherwise they would have long ago disappeared from the Internet.

Reading the Wikipedia article about the Nigerian Scam, apparently it is quite a little industry in Nigeria and has been for quite some time.

And now Iraq is getting in on the act. Or maybe it is Nigerians posing as an American major in Iraq who somehow came into possession of $45 million of Saddam's money.

Below is the scam email. One would have thought the scammer would have properly spelled "good luck." And properly signed the major's name....

Dear Sir,

I am Major.scott J.wright, an American soldier in peace keeping force in Iraq, I am serving in the military of the 1st Armoured Division in Iraq, as you know insurgents everyday and car bombs are attacking us.

We managed to move funds belonging to Saddam Hussein's family in the tune of USD$ 45 Million Dollars in cash. We want to move this money to you, so that you may keep our share for us till when we will come over to meet you.

You are to take 40% of the total 45 Million Dollars and keep 60% for me and my partners. Please No strings attached, we plan on using diplomatic courier and shipping the money out of Iraq in three large silver boxes using diplomatic immunity.

The boxes can be shipped out in 48hrs,so If you are interested kindly send me an e-mail signifying your interest including your most confidential telephone numbers for quick communication, then we can send to you the shipment details and the fright number and labels.

goodluck,

major.scott J.wright.

Natural Hiking At The Tandy Hills Natural Area & Whataburger

Apparently today is Au Naturel Day in Texas. So, after this morning's refreshing skinnydipping and way too much time clacking on a keyboard, and even though the Heat Index was 92, I decided that it was likely that the Tandy Hills had dried out from our recent deluge, so I went to the Tandy Hills Natural Area for some natural hiking.

It was HOT. The humidity has dropped, so it was not quite as HOT as yesterday. At noon, on a Sunday, when it's this hot, you have the Tandy Hills to yourself. Except for noisy birds.

I saw a few diehard wildflowers today, but most of the color has left the prairie.

A long time ago I blogged about Whataburger after Alma, the Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast, sent me a disturbing email about her Whataburger experience. The last few days I've been getting rather detailed comments from Whataburger employees, pretty much guaranteeing that I am never going to ever experience what a burger Whatburger makes.

Speaking of lunch, mine is done. Time to eat it. Talk to you later.

Sunday Morning Texas Skinnydipping Before Church With President John Quincy Adams

It is 10 am, Sunday morning. The humidity is at 64%, the temperature is 80. The Heat Index is 83. We are gradually burning off the excess moisture that has us being way too humid here in my zone of Texas.

Yesterday, when the Heat Index was 104, I went in to Wal-Mart. It was like walking into a refrigerator. Icy. And then walking out of the refrigerator, back into the hot, humid air, it was instant sticky. I am not a fan of instant sticky.

I did my usual Sunday morning skinny dip later than usual. Which made the moon a bit more faded than normal and the sun a bit brighter.

I'm always getting asked if I have had any embarrassing skinnydipping incidents. The only one I can think of was at my previous abode, the meter reader showed up in the back yard while I was au naturel. I think the meter reader was more embarrassed than I was.

Did you know one of our Presidents was a skinnydipper? John Quincy Adams liked to take a daily skinnydip, weather permitting, in the Potomac River. John Quincy had a couple embarrassing skinnydipping incidents.

One involved a female reporter named Anne Royall. Adams had over and over again refused interview requests from the woman, she being the first female professional reporter in America. When Ms. Royall learned that Adams skinnydipped in the Potomac virtually every morning at 5 am, she went to the river, waited for the President to get in the water and then sat on his clothes until he answered all her questions.

Another time, while the President was skinnydipping in the Potomac, a bum stole his clothes. President Adams stayed in the river for almost an hour, til he saw a boy walking by. He hollered at the boy to go up to the White House and ask Mrs. Adams to send down a new set of clothes for the President. About 20 minutes later the boy came back with a servant carrying clothes for the President.

I don't know if President Adams continued his Potomac River skinnydipping after that. I suspect he continued.