time for a good reminder, we were kiting last night near cott at about 5.30pm and a front went past with dark clouds, it was blue sky above us and it looked like it was maybe 200-400 mtrs from us so no real concern WRONG!
I felt a substantual tingle go through my arms twice, over a 20sec period & thought i have buggered my back. after going into shore, my mate had the same experience we then worked out, we were receving some sort of electrical discharge from the front that went past us,,would not like to caught out in a flat out storm front, im thinking you are better than good chance you will be a crispy critter Big time
Interesting one here a few days ago .Storm approaching.Some higher darkish cloud above us but main part of the storm still 20 km to the west .Also checked radar and lightning tracker before i went out and indicated 1 hr session should be in order .
After 5 mins bang ,didn't see the strike but it must have been close .Usually get the tingles prior to the main activity or a static crack on landing a jump.None of that .
2 of us came straight in .Two temporary Australians continued to kite and came in after about 5 mins and stood on the beach with kites at noon for another 5 mins and finally put kites down
so do you get some static activity prior to the front passing ????, can you send me any info on lighting the lightning tracker
Macca I wasn't in any doubt I'd been zapped by the lightning. Last time I felt a shock like that I was under the bonnet holding a spark plug to the engine block while a mate turned the engine over.
Good rules for lightening, have a read of some articles on it, there have been people hit where the clouds are 10km's away.
Quite a bit of lightening (I think) starts as a static charge from the ground then the bolt comes from the cloud, your kites put that charge a bit higher up in the air.
Yeah thats quite true, that tingle feeling is a leader heading upwards from the ground, it's when those leaders arc with the ones coming down that you get fork lightning.
Although in this case it could perhaps be the kite flying through the air that has created the static energy that was felt, perhaps because of the atmospheric conditions
Taking photos of lightning is a hobby of mine, here are some more lightning links, most of which are run by people with lightning detectors connected to the internet.
what is the distance from where a bolt of lightning hits open ocean to where a person can be swimming for example, so that they don't get electrocuted? I.e. if I'm swimming at Leighton & see a bolt of lightning out at Rottnest (approx 18 k's off the coast) how close can I be before I'm bbq'd???
and what happens to all the fish in the water near where the bolt hits? is it a case of electrocuted fish just waiting to be netted by some lucky fisho???
Lightning striking ground can still be dangerous over 100 feet from where it struck. Some believe lightning will go even further in water, because it's a conductor. But lightning in ground often spreads out in 'ground streamers', quasi-radial tendrils of electricity, which allows it to go farther than if it was dissipating uniforming. Some believe lightning is less likely to form these streamers in water, dissipating more uniformly. So the total area affected may be larger than on land, because water is a better conductor, but the distance it remains dangerous may be less, since it may not form ground (sic) streamers. However, I'm extremely confident that "6 feet to the post" is insanely inadequate for safety. At that distance, you're in danger of a lightning 'side flash' from the post through the air to you, even before it finds the water. General lightning safety guidance uses 6 miles as a reasonable compromise between safety and lifestyle impact.
"I couldn't stop shaking. I s--t myself," said Newitt, who returned to the mounting yard in a hurry.
"I was only a few metres away from the rail when the lightning hit. I could taste it, that's how close it was. As soon as it hit, you could smell it. It was scary."
Promising sprinter Sunburnt Land was killed by a bolt of lightning on a property at Romsey during a storm on November 14."
If you were in the water when the lightning hit near you, I think you'd be fine. The static discharge is looking for the shortest path to earth. Since you are in the water, you don't present a lower resistance path so it's unlikely you'd feel anything except a mild tingle.
Having said that, if the lightning chose to strike you on the arm or head and go through that part of you to the water, it could hurt a bit more...
If there is ANY sign there might be electrical activity nearby get off the water. Your kite is building up electrical charge all the time and the first bolt from a storm or front could well be through your nice wet kite down the highly conductive lines and through you.
I saw a guy get zapped on Botany Bay a few years back and actually saw the arc come out his back. There was a big line of storms coming but they were over 10km away. His kite must have built up enough charge and he disharged down through the water. It was not a lightning strike as such but a big dishcharge that was so bright we could see it from the shore. The pain wiped him out and and we thought we were going to have to rescue him.
I have been struck by lightning in aeroplanes several times. The worst was when we were over 35km away from a cell.(That is not a typo 20nm - 35km) It was big and active and we thought we were a safe distance away. Not so - we still got hit by the mother of all ligtning bolts and by the time we left the the airport they had found 12 exit burn holes in the skin and were still counting.
If you can hear, smell or feel a storm coming get off the water. By the time the first bolts of lightning are coming down you have already left it too late.
i think the new correct strategy is,,,, any thing that mildly looks like containing a potential elect storm just bail well before the clouds are even there
Is that gerroa? It looks exactly like the view from some fiends who lived there until a couple of years ago
i was out last week there were some menacing dark blue clouds around but no thunder or lighting but it seems your lines pick up static electricity every time i jumped, and landed i felt this funny tingel on my feet and hands.. it took me a while to figure out what it was... then i put down my kite rather quickly
I was in a pub that got hit a few years ago.... Saw the storm coming and told my buddies we should go inside. Lots of people stayed out on the terrace. Strike hit just as a waitress walked through the door with a fully laden tray of beers... white light like a nuke, huge BOOOOM and the beers went in high parabolic ...
5 min´s later the barman came down from checking his flat over the bar swearing `cos his new tv had got zapped...
ok apart from the obvious, (getting off the water and pulling your kite down, if there is any sign of a storm cell)
e.g.: is there something you could attach to your lines, close to the kite end, to prevent static from coming down the lines to you ?
"Tingles" come from AC. Lightening is DC. You will feel any static discharge that connects to you that is over about 2000V which equates to the same charge from pulling off a jumper. Lightening is Teravolts ++.
Lightening should dissipate semi-spherically in (under) seawater due to the high salt content. In fresh water its a different caper. If its just been raining in a lake it may continue to form spikes underwater to the next nearest discharge point - which could be you.
My advice, if lightening is around, get your kite down pronto (safety release) and get out of the water - in that order if possible.
I am trying to order the pattern (purple monster), however it’s charging me $3. Thought it’s free today.
Well Marion I am going to work hard to not miss any wins this time. I was sorry to see the mat raffle closed early. So far so good on the blogger readiness. Thanks for arranging it all!
I can’t download the pattern from my phone, I hope I will still get access to it from email link tomorrow, when I can use a computer…
Marian, I love the little monsters. Thanks for the pattern and the opportunity to Finally get an art Mat
Msrisn, Yhsnk you for sll the work you do to set up the quilt alongs and sponsors for the giveaways. You are a superwoman and I hope you are dressing up as one for Halloween. I love your purple people eater which I will love making.
Thank you for the wonderful monster pattern. He is sew cute!! And thank you for organizing this fun blog hop. I’ve received lots of comments today.
At first, it took me to some other page, but when I clicked back to this page, using the back arrow, the rafflecopters were up on the post.
Love that Monster, it’s not as scary as others. I am now sewing for my 18 month old granddaughter, and this will probably be the first Halloween she’ll remember. I’m looking forward to helping her give out “treats” at our home. She will be “WOW’ed” at all the kids and the costumes that come to our house.
Thank you for continuing to organize such fun hops. I have found a lot of great bloggers through them. And thanks for the little monster pattern. He is adorable.
OH, I do love that little monster! And I may or may not have seen that look around here. LOL!! Thanks for being the hostess with the mostess!
Hi Marian! I want to add a thank you for organizing the blog hop. I really have no idea about how it is done, but just to organize so many different people and blog sites is a challenge. How wonderful that you were able to get some sponsors – thank you to them as well. Happy Monday! ~smile~ Roseanne
thank you so much for sharing your “purple monster”. I have at least a half dozen (yes !!) great nephews who will absolutely love this guy.
Marina, thank you SO much for the very cute monster you shared with us today. I really do appreciate it.
There is no mistaking the fact that health care costs are rising. The Department of Health and Human Services recently issued a report that analyzed the premiums attached to 2017 marketplace coverage and they confirmed that yes, plans are increasing in the new year. The HHS revealed that the benchmark silver plan, upon which federal subsidies are based, is set to cost an average of $296 a month next year. That figure is based on prices for a 27-year-old enrollee in the 39 states that use the Healthcare.gov exchange (plus the four states and Washington D.C. that have their own exchanges. And workers at large companies can expect to pay 5% more for their 2017 premiums. With the rise in healthcare costs, it’s even more important that consumers select a plan that works best to meet their coverage needs.
Open enrollment for 2017 health insurance plans has officially started. So if you are looking to change your plan or sign up for a new one, you will have until January 31, 2017 to make your decision. Plans for next year will go into effect as early as January 1st. So if you’d like your coverage to begin by then, now is the time to start making decisions. There are many things to take into account when selecting a plan. Here are a few items to keep in mind while insurance shopping:
This year’s open enrollment deadlines have changed and this will affect when your 2017 coverage will start:
If you sign up for insurance between November 1, 2016 and December 15, your health insurance plan will go into effect on January 1, 2017.
If you sign up between December 16, 2016 and January 15, 2017, your plan will not begin until February 1, 2017.
And if you wait until January 16, 2016 to January 31, 2017, your coverage won’t start until March 1, 2017.
If you would like your coverage to start on January 1, 2017, you will have to plan accordingly. And keep in mind that if you miss open enrollment, you may have to wait a full year before you can sign up again.
Healthcare plans are divided up into four different categories. Bronze plans have the highest deductible and cost sharing. This means that if you go with this type of plan, you will be spending more money out of pocket. Silver plans have lower cost sharing than bronze and gold plans are even lower than silver. If you choose a platinum plan, you will end up with the smallest deductible and far cheaper co-pays. As a general rule of thumb, the more you pay in monthly premiums, the less your cost sharing will be.
Before deciding on a plan, it’s a good idea to sit down and do your best to estimate what your upcoming healthcare costs will be for 2017. Make note of any major health events that you will need to possible plan for. For instance, are you planning to have a baby? Schedule a surgical procedure? Julie Stich, Research Director for the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans suggests that people calculate what they spent last year, including co-payments and co-insurance. Another tool for planning for health care costs is the AARP Health Care Costs Calculator. Having a ballpark figure of what your costs will be can really help when trying to figure out what you want your annual deductible and monthly premium to be. If you go to the doctors frequently to manage an existing health condition, for instance, you’ll most likely want to opt for a plan with lower copays and deductibles. These plans tend to have higher monthly premiums. If you are relatively healthy and only go to the doctor for things like annual checkups and procedures, you may be okay with selecting a plan with a lower monthly premium but higher usage cost.
In order to save yourself from high out of network bills, it’s important to make sure that you select a plan that is in network with your providers. Prior to selecting a 2017 healthcare plan, give your doctors’ offices a call to find out which insurance companies and plans they will be taking in the new year. You should also reach out to your local hospital and do the same. Don’t assume that just because your doctor takes your plan this year that they will next year. To keep up with rising insurance premiums, doctors themselves will often switch which plans they accept on an annual basis.
When selecting a plan, don’t just look at how much your monthly premium will be; you’ll also want to make sure that you pick a plan with a deductible that best works for you. Keep in mind that plans with lower premiums often come with higher deductibles. And higher deductibles take longer to meet, which typically results in more out of pocket costs for you.
One way to potentially save yourself healthcare dollars is to consider signing up for a HSA account. A Health Savings Account is a tax-advantaged medical savings account that you can contribute to and withdraw money from for medical related expenses on a tax-free basis. These accounts can be used to pay for a variety of healthcare related expenses including out-of-pocket doctor and hospital bills, as well as dental and vision care costs. They can’t, however, be used to pay monthly insurance premiums. Many high deductible plans are HSA compatible and make a great way to offset a high deductible.
If you were planning on forgoing the option to sign up for health insurance for 2017, you might want to reconsider. In 2016, people that didn’t sign up for health insurance had to pay 2.5 percent of their income or $695 per adult (whichever amount is more). You are also penalized if your children are not insured. In 2016, parents with uninsured children had to pay $347.50 per child. The maximum penalty amount is $2,085. For the 2017 year, the rate will remain at 2.5 percent, however, the flat and maximum dollar amounts will adjust for inflation.
A lot of people rush through selecting a healthcare plan and then find out halfway through the year, when they incur some sort of health cost, that they made a bad choice. The 2016 Aflac Open Enrollment Survey revealed that 58% of baby boomers spent under a half hour looking at healthcare plan options during the last open enrollment. And 93% of them opted for the same exact plan year after year without researching possible better options. Choosing the right plan could mean a difference in thousands of dollars of out of pocket costs so take your time when deciding what works best for you.
Before you begin an application process, you can preview 2017 plans and price estimates based on your income and geographic location. Follow this link to do so.
Choosing a new health insurance plan can be a daunting task but it’s an important decision that can have a major financial impact on your year ahead. Before deciding whether to continue on with your current plan or opt for a new one, make sure that you sit down and thoroughly consider all the factors above. Take your time, shop around, and find what works best for yourself and your family. It may be a bit of a hassle to look through all the information and calculate all of your estimated healthcare spending for the year ahead but when 2017 comes around and you have to pull out your insurance card, you’ll be glad that you took your time and chose your plan wisely.
After more than 36 years at The Times, Jerry Large reflects on his time here and thanks readers before he heads off to retirement.
Thank you for reading my columns. Readers are the essential element in column writing, because there would be little point to the exercise without you.
The other vital ingredient is having something or someone to write about. I want to thank the many people who have shared what they know with me so that I could share it with readers.
And I want to thank all of you for the generous and kind notes you’ve sent since The Seattle Times announced my retirement. Sometimes I’ve been blasted by people whose emails or phone calls are too nasty to share publicly, but there have always been more good than bad ones, or I wouldn’t have lasted so long. You kept me going.
I’ve appreciated hearing from people who agree with my positions and energized by people who say they’ve learned some things, even if they don’t agree with everything I say. Keeping the conversation going is what column writing is about.
An early mentor, the late Nancy Hicks Maynard, told me you can’t tell people what to think, but you can give them something to think about. I hope I’ve done that.
I came to The Times in 1981, and I did a number of editing jobs in the first decade before switching to writing columns. I was scared at first because I thought if I was going to be offering people my opinions about the problems we face, I should have the solution — not a solution but the solution.
Sometimes I do offer a solution, but it’s one that usually comes from talking with lots of people who know more than I do, or from reading books and reports. Even opinion writing has to be grounded in facts. You remember facts. They really do exist.
I’ve always liked to sit and think. I did a lot of that as a kid on the front porch with my dog Spot (the name’s not original, but aspirational) nestled under one arm. I wanted to understand the world, and I know you do, too, which is why you’re reading this column right now.
When I thought about the present, I wanted to know the history that led to it. I wanted to know the whys of human behavior, and I still do. It’s been a pleasure sharing that with you.
Over the years, I wrote about parenting, school reform, sex (one column, and my mother-in-law’s reaction dissuaded me from doing that again), science, the arts, social-service agencies, government, race, class, gender and at least one acrobat.
What was going on in my life and in the world always affected the mix of columns, because I tended to write about what was most powerfully on my mind at the time.
That included parenting and education when my son was younger. I’ve always written about race and class, though. One reason I wanted to get into journalism was that whenever I read a paper, I felt there was a lot left out or misinterpreted. I wanted to add to the conversation.
For the past few years, race and class have become so acute as issues that they sometimes dominated my thinking and writing. I wanted to combat harmful mythology and help people navigate our many areas of conflict.
Sometimes wrestling with tough issues drained me, but each time a reader said ‘Now I get it,’ I felt renewed resolve.
Newspapers pollinate communities, picking up information here and dropping it off over there, but lately not collecting much nectar in the process. Traditional media companies are starved for revenue and are being bought up by large companies that don’t have good journalism as their paramount goal.
I’ve been fortunate to work for a locally owned newspaper that is committed from the top down to good journalism in service of the community.
When I speak to aspiring journalists, I tell them to read widely, to visit unfamiliar neighborhoods and strike up conversations with strangers. Brains need feeding.
I love learning new things and offering them up for other people to consider, so this has been a great job for me. Now my brain is ready for something different.
In my first column, I wrote about spending a year at home with our son, who was a year old. He’s 26 and in his third year of a Ph.D. program in inorganic chemistry at Stanford University. We all move on.
I’m going to explore life outside the newsroom, but you may hear from me again if the urge to share what I’ve learned gets too strong to resist.
It’s pretty much a given that the space will be filled with rubble after Highway 99 traffic starts flowing through the new tunnel that Bertha built. Or perhaps not?
I’m standing next to the south entrance of the Battery Street Tunnel in Belltown. Traffic on the half-mile thoroughfare connecting the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Aurora Avenue seems light this early afternoon compared to the rush-hour bottlenecks that often form here.
While there’s a lot of expectation about the waterfront viaduct finally coming down next year, I feel that discussion about the future of this 65-year-old tunnel has not captivated much interest. It’s pretty much a given that the space will be filled with rubble after Highway 99 traffic starts flowing through the new tunnel that Bertha built.
Or perhaps not? A group of citizens has been considering some ideas to “Recharge the Battery” and give a new life to this important piece of infrastructure. They are tossing ideas like building an underground park or turning the space into a mushroom farm.
I’d like to throw my own idea into the mix. Since this is a cut-and-cover tunnel — basically, a big trench that has been roofed — what if the cover was taken off? I know, that would mean eliminating Battery Street, the road directly above the tunnel. But perhaps the cover can be removed only from some sections. Pedestrians could then come down to an underground pedestrian boulevard of shops, restaurants and other attractions. Seattle already has a popular Underground Tour — this would be a nice tie-in to that!
OK, your turn now. Is the tunnel space worth repurposing? If so, how would you “recharge the Battery”?