Friday, August 31, 2012

Let's drain the Ocean!


Story # 54, O. T.


      Let’s pump the Oceans dry!


      The World may have a serious problem.  The consensus of many scientists is not if the Ocean’s water level is rising ------ But by how many feet?


      I have just read ‘Deep Water, As Polar Ice Melts, Scientists Debate How High Our Oceans Will Rise.’ by Daniel Grossman.  He rationally presents the various theories of the melting of ice formations as a result of global warning.


      The increase in Carbon Dioxide is believed to be the cause of the Earth’s increase in average temperature.


      Here are my assumptions about this problem:


     1.  The Ocean’s water level is rising.



     2. It may rise 3 – 37 feet in the next 100 years (The exact rise is irrelevant.  The fact is that much beach front property and most of Florida will be under water.) 


     3. The most common cry for action is to reduce the emission of Carbon Dioxide by curtailing fuel combustion.


     4. Reducing CO2 is unlikely to happen and may not stop the ice from melting anyway. (Before man, in past history, the ice melted and the Oceans rose.)


     Here is my proposal for a way to slow the tide from rising:


     1.  Pump the Ocean dry.


     70% of the Earth is covered by water.  But only 3% is fresh water that can be used by man, animals and crops.  Salt water is everywhere and we know how to get the salt out. 

      There are always areas of the Earth that do not have enough fresh water.


      What we have here is a distribution problem.


     2.  De-salt the water by distillation.


     There is a known system of solar collection that uses water to create steam that is used to drive steam generators for electricity.


     3. Use salt water in these solar arrays.


     If Ocean salt water was used in these solar collection systems, the steam produced would be condensed and collected as pure water.  It’s how you made distilled water in Chemistry lab.


     4.  The salt water solar collector would produce two salable products ---- fresh water and electricity.


     5.  Who is willing to pay for water?


     The true cost of normally free water is the price you would pay if you don’t have any. 

      There are areas of the U. S. that need water.  The Colorado River is said to run dry before the flow ever gets to the Gulf of Mexico.  What if we pumped water to the origin of the Colorado River and just let it feed all of the water users to the South.


      In the past in the Atlanta area, there was a 5 year drought.  What if we pumped water to the town reservoirs that could not supply enough water?



     There are known aquifers that supply water to wells.  What if we pumped fresh water into the aquifers?


     6.  Pumping water is a very difficult problem.


     Yes, but it is just an engineering problem.  Americans are very good at engineering things.


     7.  Pumping water is a very expensive project.


     Yes, but selling the electricity and the water will cover some of the costs.


     8.  Who will pay to drain the Ocean?


     It will have to be a government works project.  Individual land owners who will see the gradual erosion of their beach front property, to include their houses, will be in a panic but really can’t do anything about it except take the loss.  Cities with Ocean views will have to protect their dry land.  Half of the World’s population lives within 100 miles of the Ocean. 

      That is a lot of people who will need the collective government’s help.


     9.  Will this work?


     I don’t know.  There are many parts of the solution that are simple engineering questions.  Will pumping Ocean water inland 24/7 have any affect on the water level?  There is an infinite amount of water out there.


     Actually, we are already doing it.  Parts of New Orleans and a quarter of the Netherlands are below sea level and we are pumping the water out to have dry land.  That is continually bailing out the leaking boat.  My plan is to send the water inland so it doesn’t keep coming back.


     10.  Sum it up.


     The tide is rising at an unknown rate.  The cause may be Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere.  The reduction of CO2 may or may not stop global warming which is melting mega-trillions of tons of ice.  The Ocean water level has risen before man was here. 

      So whatever the cause, we need to redistribute the de-salted water inland to where it is needed for normal human activities and farm crops.


      An existing solar collection system using water converted to steam for generating electricity could be adapted to de-salt Ocean water.


      The resulting pure water must be pumped inland.  A network of canals could be used when practical.


 Conclusion:


           Pumping the Ocean dry is a solution to the impending rising tide!




Thursday, August 30, 2012

I've trained my whole life for this!



Story # 54,  OT


      Nobody in the world knows what I know or what I see.


      In the same manner, I don’t know the same set of information that any other human has.  Since no two people have experienced the same set of events, it’s hard to know what other people are thinking unless they tell you.  In a way they are secrets.


      I’ve given away many secrets with this blog.  Should I worry that someone is going to steal my plan for plants?


      First, few are paying any attention.  Second, ideas are easy, action is hard.


      I have written some ideas that I have about a world problem.  These ideas have been baking for several years and now is the time for the internet world to see.


      This off-topic story will be out in a few days.


           The title------------ Let’s drain the Ocean!


Saturday, August 25, 2012

I can see clearly now...

Miniature Garden at the trade show
Story # 53,


      I can see clearly now…..


           If you make something that people ‘remark’ about,
           then it could be remarkable. 

                          Paraphrasing Seth Godin


      Did you see it?


      If this is the buzz after a trade show, then something new and good must have happened.


       At the OFA International Horticultural Trade Show in July, there was a large segment of the 8,000 attendees that were collecting information about Fairy Gardens and Miniature Gardens.


      Presuming that this will carry into next year’s show with more products and players, I can see Sinningias flowing into this mix.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Being an opportunist is a good thing!

My orginial Sinningia 'Li'l Georgie'
Story # 52,


      Being an opportunist is a good thing!


      Back in my Scoutmaster days, there was a part of a Scout’s evaluation for promotion that was called ‘Scout Spirit’.  How could we use this vague ‘catch-all’ to encourage more success in the Scout program?

      It evolved that successful Scouts took advantage of every opportunity to fulfill requirements.  So as we announced activities we would always say ‘Don’t miss this opportunity’ ------- You don’t know when you’ll have the chance to do this again.


      Being an opportunist may sound like you are trying to take advantage of someone but I see it in the best possible light.


      I moved heavily into Sinningias when I saw the opportunity to have them propagated by tissue culture ------ the missing link.


      Never miss an opportunity.




Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Sinningia 'Deep Purple Dreaming' gets wider distribution.


Sinningia 'Deep Purple Dreaming'
 Story # 51,


      Sinningia ‘Deep Purple Dreaming’ gets wider distribution.


     Sinningia ‘Deep Purple Dreaming’ has been around for awhile.  Dave Zaitlin made this cross of S. concinna and S. sellovii which first flowered in 2002.  Who would have thought to try this?  S. sellovii is an upright tall species with dangling reddish flowers while s. concinna is a micro miniature.


      The result has many dangling purple flowers on an upright compact plant.


      Like many interesting small Sinningias it has been doomed to obscurity without a means to rapidly propagate it.  Tissue culture has solved that, so it can be more commonly available.


      The first finished crop has been at Longwood Gardens’ plant shop.




Sunday, August 19, 2012

There are only two parts to work...

Blue Hills for no reason
Story # 50,  OT


      There are only two parts to work….


           Deciding what to do and doing it.



      The one who decides what to do is usually the highest paid and has the most power.


     The one who actually does the ‘decided upon’ work feels like they have the power since they are making the product or service.  The problem is we have interchangeable workers.


     The equation changes when the worker has a craftsman skill that makes them irreplaceable.  Why else would professional baseball players get paid more than the manager?

Friday, August 17, 2012

What if we hold a flower show and everybody comes?

Ladyspipper Streptocarpus 'Blue Ice'
Story # 49,


      What if we hold a flower show and everybody comes?


      The first ever Mid-Atlantic Regional Gesneriad Show, Sale and Symposium will be held on September 29, 30, 2012.  Details are here.http://gesneriadsociety.org/chapters/DAVS/files/RegionalShow.pdf


      The idea of a Gesneriad show on the East coast was proposed by Quentin Schlieder, past President of the Delaware African Violet and Gesneriad Society.  The idea was to have a show in the Fall as a competition with members of the three nearby chapters----Liberty Bell of Philadelphia, the National Capital Area and Delaware.


      The Delaware chapter is hosting the first event at Townsend Hall,  531 South College Avenue, University of Delaware, Newark.  The show is free and open to the public on Sunday, September 30 from 10 to 4.


      In all the planning that Quentin and his committees have done, the question is always-------How many people will come?


      It takes a lot to move people.  There are so many things to see and do, including nothing, it’s amazing that anything new gets attention.


      My part is, together with Mary Schaeffer, to manage the plant sale.  We will have many collector Gesneriads that hobbyist seek.  Once you learn about the Gesneriad family of plants, it is additive.


      I will be supplying finished plants similar to what goes to my commercial wholesale market.  They will be shown here as the show approaches.



Ladyslipper Streptocarpus 'Pinot'




Thursday, August 16, 2012

A Fairy Garden is .....

Miniature Garden
Story # 48,


           ‘A Fairy Garden is a garden that a dollhouse would have.’

                            Jeff Sorensen, Fairy Gardens, Inc.
        

     This makes sense to me.  The garden would be proportional to the miniature scale of the dollhouse.


      This is the kind of stuff that Grandmothers do with their Granddaughters.  Grandmothers always wished that they had found the time to play when their kids were little.


       ‘A Miniature Garden is one where the fairies have not arrived.’

                         G. Hunter, Gary’s Specialty Plants

        The Miniature Gardens that I’ve seen have accessories like furniture, houses, arbors, pathways, animals, fireplaces, windmills…..

      They are a scene.  They are a landscape with small plants.


      There aren’t any rules.  You’ll know a good one when you see it.  Grandma Moses painted scenes that were out of proportion and she got by.




Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Every Miniature Garden needs 'Li'l Georgie'!

Sinningia 'Li'l Georgie' waiting to go into a Miniature Garden.
Story # 47,


            Every Miniature Garden needs ‘Li’l Georgie’!


      Marketing worries about positioning and the story.


      The story is a good one.  Sinningia ‘Li’l Georgie’ is a free-flowering miniature houseplant.


      The positioning is obvious.


           Every Miniature Garden needs ‘Li’l Georgie’!




Sunday, August 12, 2012

Miniature Gardens as an Olympic event!

Miniature Garden with Faries
Story # 46,


      By watching the Olympic Games we learn about sport events that we didn’t even know existed.  If you can swim free style and sprint for two hours in the river you can try for the swimming marathon.  If you can twirl a 19 foot ribbon you can train in rhythmic gymnastics.


      Miniature Gardens as an Olympic event!


      First we will need a lot of rules.  How else will we subjectively know the good from the bad?  Judged flower shows already have categories for mixed plantings ------ Dish Gardens, Terrariums, Plant collections and Miniature Gardens.  Why not elevate it to the Olympic level?


      Luckily you can plant a Miniature Garden any way you want and be happy without any artificial Olympic rules.




Saturday, August 11, 2012

Every so often...

Blue Orchids created a New Category
Story # 45,


                           “Every so often, a plant comes along that is a true game-changer,
                                            transforming its genus or even its category.”

                                                                  Robin Siktberg, Editor, Greenhouse Grower


        It would be great if this is the lead into a feature story about Sinningia ‘Li’l Georgie’
            You can stop laughing now.


      This lead is, in fact, a story about the selection and promotion of the Knock Out Rose by Conard-Pyle Co.  Because of its disease resistance, the first Knock Out Rose has revitalized the Rose industry and deserves its dominant position in the market.  They are attempting to move Knock Out Rose into the flowering shrub category and away from Roses which gardeners had given up on due to various diseases.


      Sinningia ‘Li’l Georgie’ is an unknown plant in an unidentified category.

 
      We know that ‘Li’l Georgie’ is a breakthrough for micro miniature Sinningias because it can grow as a normal flowering plant without extra humidity.


      The category is yet to be defined.  It is one of the world’s smallest flowering plants.  It’s cute all by itself, but what to do with it?   Miniature Gardens, including Fairy Gardens, is where it should go.



                If S. ‘Li’l Georgie’ could be produced in quantity, it could be the ‘true game-changer’ as the leading flowering plant in the Miniature Garden category!




Saturday, August 4, 2012

Nobody does what I do with plants.....

Ivy Wreath Topiary by Gary's Specialty Plants
Story # 44,


      Nobody does what I do with plants…


This sounds too much like bragging so I added:


      …They could, but they don’t!


My signature line:       Nobody does what I do with plants;
                                They could, but they don’t! 

     Started out as half a joke, but critics told me they liked it.


          I’m happy that I’ve used it.