use db connection string from environment variable
it's process.env, not process.ENV.
logging connection problems
commenting out attempt to set TZ on db server

cleared not happy with this method of setting the time_zone. need to
research better solution.
adapting to heroku's use of varying port numbers. also pruned some commented code.
best to close db connections when app finished.
trying out the api calls on heroku
changed var names from blahPath to blahUrl where appropriate. Bit of tidying too.
changed js config back to point at local version of api.
fixed conflicts
missing curly brace