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Laura Thieme

Bizresearch President – 10 years - 2007

Fisher College of Business Lecturer on Search Marketing

OSU Russian Studies Grad – 1993

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25th March 2007

Warm Weather Where You Are?

Warmer Weather Than Usual This Time of Year?
by Laura Thieme

It’s March.  Yep, not July, March, in case you were wondering why the pools aren’t open.  It’s going to be 80 degrees tomorrow in Columbus, Ohio.  Today was in the high 70’s.  That’s typically Florida weather this time of year, or warmer.  About a month ago, per the blog posts below, robins were dying because the ground had been frozen for over a month.  Now the robins have long forgotten their cherry post.  They’re off mating, or chasing each other around the neighborhood.  Indeed, a sign of spring.  I have to laugh because yesterday I came out of the office after training two interns, and noted three black crows in the trees.  I thought, “Great!”  “Black crows”.  I always thought crows were a sign of death, at least the movies depicts that, right?  Anyway, then I saw a black crow standing on top of the other, and thought, “OOOOH, so that’s how….”  LOL.  So, more like a sign of procreation, not death.

Sorry, I digressed.  Anyway, so how ’bout this warm weather we’re having?  I have a problem when it’s this warm, knowing we had 32 degree weather a short while ago, and two weeks ago we had wild temperature fluctuations.   According to www.wunderground.com the average March temperature for Columbus, Ohio is 45 degrees.  The high record of 80 degrees was set back in 1907.  The record low was set in 2001, at 13 degrees.   If you look at this report for the month of March, you see that we’re about 20 degrees over the average on a daily basis, in the past couple of weeks. 

So is warmer weather at this time of year a further sign of global warming, or just fluctuation in the temperature?  According to the New York Times, warmer winter weather is affecting Vermont’s infamous maple sugar production schedule, making it harder to figure out when to tap the trees for its maple sap.  2.8 degrees warmer according to researchers in the Northeast United States, which is affecting the sugaring season, making it come earlier and last a shorter period of time.

If you wonder why this matters, let’s isolate the maple trees in Vermont as one effect of global warming and how that can affect the economy.  Vermont is well known for its maple syrup, but this also drives tourism.  If people do not schedule their trips to Vermont, because the maple syrup season is earlier or shorter, or if maple trees do not thrive in the warmer weather over many years, this can affect so many industries and companies related to tourism-driven local economy.

In fact, one of the largest maple sugar producers in Vermont, Arthur Berndt, is part of a class-action lawsuit (www.climatelawsuit.org) against the Import Export Bank and others.  See the environmental lawsuit PDF by clicking on this link.  Very interesting read.

21st March 2007

Al Gore on Global Warming - A Plea to Congress

Al Gore on Global Warming - A Plea to Congress Today
by Laura Thieme

Republicans Frosty? - CNN Coverage

20 years after Gore’s initial presentation to Congress, he’s back trying to save the planet.  “Gore said he hopes whoever is elected president in 2008 “can use his or her political chips” to lead the world toward a new global climate treaty to replace the 1997 Kyoto protocol that requires 35 industrial nations to cut greenhouse gases. “  The Bush administration argues Kyoto would hurt the U.S. economy and objects that high-polluting developing nations like China and India are not required to reduce emissions.  “I fully understand that Kyoto, as a brand, if you will, has been demonized,” Gore said.

Gore wants 90% cut by 2050 in carbon dioxide and other warming gases, including a ban on building new coal-producing plants that lack technology to capture emissions.

I believe in what Gore is trying to accomplish, but in Inconvenient Truth, he indicated we’d probably not be living as we know life today, if we don’t do something sooner.  So, for short-term improvement and change, what can we do?

I’ve blogged about this before - see earlier posts about what you can do to save the planet.

19th March 2007

Five Fish Died in One Day

Friday - Five Fish Died in One Day?
Is it the water?

http://health.msn.com/general/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100157833>1=9145

Just the other day, I arrived back from a trip out of town to see five fish die, one by one, in my tank.  Aquarium Adventure maintains my little fish tank.  They had done a water change on Monday.  By Friday evening, all five were dead.  One was dead Friday  morning when I walked in but by the end of the day, they were gone.

Greg from Aquarium Adventure and I are wondering if it is the water.   See the article above about Columbus Ohio having the least pure water rating of #87.   Recently, after doing the dishes in the office kitchen, I noted on two occasions the water turned yellow after it had been running for a while.  I showed it to my VP.  Perhaps we need to have Worthington test the water.

There are other factors, like we forgot to feed them for three days while I was out of town.  But another environmental change could have caused the fish to die.  Temperature fluctuation.  It was 75 degrees one day, and 32 degrees the next day.  Even human beings suffer in that type of fluctuation.  A small fish tank may not do well under those conditions even with a temperature regulator.

So, we’re going to get water from the store, that’s treated.  Greg said do not use distilled water, only spring water.  We’re going to get someone to come test our tap water.  We’re going to get a larger fish tank, and I’ll hope I’m not a sucker for an upsell on this item.  And we’re going to move it away from the window so wild temperature fluctuations aren’t as much an issue.

1st March 2007

The Oscars & Al Gore

The Oscars & Al Gore
by Laura Thieme

Al Gore - Rock Star

Al Gore won an Oscar for Inconvenient Truth, which I’ve watched and adopted into my life recently.  I was excited to see Al Gore win.  Melissa Ethridge won as well, for the song, I Need to Wake Up, from Inconvenient Truth.

Many say Al Gore did this for political reasons, but I’d ask, Have you watched the movie?  Have you read the book? It doesn’t have to be political.   Personally, I think he should not run for office.  I think his purpose in life is being served right now as a humanitarian and an environmentalist.