Enhanced "pat down" vs. full body scanner: a few thoughts

I think I'm qualified to comment on this current hot topic for two reasons.  First, my job requires frequent air travel so, by most measures, I am a "road warrior".   I have been awarded American Airline's "million mile" designation.  This year I have flown more than 80,000 miles, 120 individual flights.  Second, I have a piece of titanium in my leg which means I fail the metal detector walk-through almost every time.  That means I have had dozens of patdowns, this year alone.  I have been through 6 different airports since the new "enhanced pat down" procedure was implemented so have had that "experience":  Here are my thoughts about those, as well as the scanners. 

My issues with scanners:
1.  it takes twice as long to go through a scanner line vs. the traditional metal detector.  That's because the passenger in the scanner has to assume a specific position and they have to turn at least once as part of the scanning process. Then,  you have to wait for the image screener to convey to the TSA agent at the scanner that the passenger is cleared (or not cleared).  I say twice as long -  honestly at one airport, I counted and 10 people went through the metal detector to the 1 person going through a scanner.  At least most airports now have decent instructions (see blog http://janicestalmcneilly.blogspot.com/2010/05/airport-security-almost-always-story.html)

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2.  You're being told that you have a choice...scanner or "pat down". That is really not true.  While scanners are becoming more common they are still not in place at many (most?) airports.  Case in point:  my home airport is small and I doubt they will ever install a scanner.  Last week, Reagan airport in Washington DC - no scanner for the American Airline's security area (I still find this rather surprising).  Last week, two airports had scanners, but they were not working at the time I was going through security, so again, no choice. 

3.  There are assurances that the near- naked images from the scanners are "wiped" from the computer's memory.  However, the people monitoring the scanner images are in a private area.  Am I the only person who suspects that they have the opportunity to use a camera phone IF they see an image they feel inclined to save/share?   Trust me, I have no concern that they would want to save my image, but when I hear young/attractive (enhanced?) flight attendants say they suspect they are targeted for scanning, I sympathize.  Note:  the image below is from a body scanner.  Its one of the more graphic examples I've seen online, more graphic than the ones they display in the airport instructions and more graphic than the images they've been sharing this week. 

4.  While I'm not concerned about this "virtual strip search", I am concerned about the radiation exposure.  I have zero confidence in anything the FDA says.  After all, this is the government agency that told Americans decades ago that margarine was healthier than butter, only to find out years later that the trans fats in margarine is a significant health risk (think heart attacks).  It was the FDA in 1973 that repealed a law that required the food industry to use the word "imitation" on food packaging for any food where chemical substances are used to create something that looks like natural products - and they did this because of pressure from the food industry.  (lobbying dollars at work).  If they are so susceptible to the pressure from the food industry, should we not expect the same regarding these scanners? 

Case in point - Michael Chertoff.  He was the head of Homeland Security from Feb 2005 to January 2009.  When he left this position, he formed the "Chertoff Group" and was immediately hired by the Rapiscan company to provide "security advice".  He's been on a number of talk shows promoting the body scanners.  He is their paid spokesman and is making, I'd guess, millions of dollars doing so.   Rapiscan is one of two manufactures that supply scanners to the TSA.  Kind of like the food industry's lobbyist saying "trust us, all those chemicals we put in your food are safe". 

Radiation exposure:  since the body scanners at airports do not penetrate the skin, the "experts" assure us there is no radiation concern.  My concern is they don't know.  If you do a little research, you will find several references to a concern about this type of radiation that bounces off the skin.  Can it damage the skin or tissue just under the skin (like breast and testicles - that are more prone to cancer)?  From what I read, we just don't know.

So for me, who flies so often, the repeated exposure to the radiation from the full body scanners is a concern.  That is the reason, when given the choice, I "opt out" of the body scanner line and choose to go through the regular metal detector which then, invariably, results in an enhanced pat down.  Only in a few instances have they tried to talk me into the scanner.  I ALWAYS say "no thank you".

The "enhanced pat down"
1.  There are some recent web postings and articles that tell "horror stories" about TSA agents of the opposite sex conducting these pat downs.  I have never seen this happen.  Everytime I need a pat down, they call for a "female assist" and I wait for one to show up.  I've never felt like the agent was deriving any pleasure from this process. Most of the time, they seem almost apologetic.  Sometimes other passengers watch, but I assume they're either curious about the process or they are wondering what about me resulted in the pat down.

2.  Privacy - everytime I go through the "pat down", I am offered private screening.  I've never requested privacy so I have no idea where exactly they would take me for that. 

3.  A man recently complained that they screwed up the seal of his urinary ostomy bag.  That's a tough situation as I'm sure the TSA agent felt the bag when he patted down the passenger and therefore had to determine what it was.  They cannot accept the passenger's word about what it is...no different than they can't accept a card from my physician saying I have titanium in my leg.  They have to check.  I doubt they intended to dislodge the seal on that bag.

Here's my issue - I think the TSA agents need to have a pleasant disposition.  I'm not saying they have to smile and be chatty.  Just don't be a grouch.  I would get into some specific details but I could be accused of profiling, so I won't. Suffice it to say I have encountered a handful of female agents who were almost belligerant.  In a couple of instances, I simply said "please get your supervisor".

I cooperate fully with these pat downs, but I don't need rudeness or someone acting like a drill sargent.  For example, prior to the new "enhanced pat down" process, the old process required the passenger to sit down so the agent could check to make sure you weren't carrying anything on the bottom of your foot.  You had to lift your leg up - usually to the level of the seat.  However, one female agent at the Miami airport yelled at me a couple of times to "lift it higher".  It was her attitude more than the impossible position she was requesting that resulted in me putting my foot down (literally) and requesting her supervisor. My complaint - my tax dollars pay her salary.  I don't need verbal or physical abuse to be adequately screened.

 So TSA agents, cheer up!  Be nice.  Be understanding.  In return, I think most passengers will return the courtesy.  If they don't, think like a Disney employee - you're getting paid to do your job.  You had to know going in to it that you'd be encountering some testy passengers.  (hey, I'm a nurse - I knew going into that job that I'd be dealing with some unpleasant body parts, odors, fluids etc (ok, think poop, pee, blood - HIV exposure) - I was never rude to a patient about any of those. 

Airport floors - what are we exposed to?  What concerns me more than the pat downs is the lack of cleanliness on the floors.  You're required to take off your shoes.  If you're barefoot (ie in sandals), you're walking on a floor that hundreds (thousands?) of other people are walking on.  That is creepy!  I've been through a couple of airports that provide little footies (the kind they often provide when you're walking on new carpet at an open house).  I won't suggest airports provide those because no doubt it would cost billions of tax dollars to provide those. But I sure do wonder how often they clean the floors.  I carry my own footies - if you're flying in sandals, you might want to consider doing that as well.

A couple of unanswered questions:
1.  why did it take 10 months for them to implement a new "enhanced" pat down process, following the December 2009 underwear bomber?
2.  are we finding anything as a result of the new enhanced pat down and body scanners?  So far, government reps on recent news shows can only cite "prohibited substances" or "illegal" substances.  I assume that's a fancy way of saying "drugs". 
3.  Is the cargo being carried by passenger planes being screen adequately?  Could that pose more of a risk than the actual passengers?  Given the more aggressive screening of passengers, is it not safe to assume terrorists will be targeting packages?
Some people are suggesting bomb sniffing dogs as the best solution - less invasive, cheaper, no radiation exposure. 

If you're flying, know your rights
(Note:  There are many more rights, so if you want the entire list - check online):
-private screening if you have to have a pat down
-same sex TSA agent doing the "pat down"
-maintaining visual control of your personal items (that's all the stuff in the security bins - your purse, your computer etc).  Watch the agents - they like to stack your second bin on top of the one that contains  your laptop.  Not sure its good for the laptop but I'm not the only person who has walked away from security forgetting the laptop because it was hiding under the top bin - not visible.  Just ask them  to not stack your bins.  I say maintain visual control NOT that I think TSA agents might steal your stuff.  I think passengers might accidently pick up something that belongs to you.  Example - on a flight a few months ago, a flight attendant came on the intercom and said "if you own a Dell laptop, please get it out of the case and make sure it is your's.  If it isn't, ring your call light".  Sure enough, someone finds a Dell laptop that isn't their's...and amazing to me, the person with the other Dell was on the same flight so they were able to switch (this is a flight out of Ohare airport - what are the odds these guys would both be on the same flight?).  By the way, another little tip, tape your business card to the top of your laptop - that would likely prevent this type of incident.

Fly safe!

Pensacola - home of the National Museum of Naval Aviation

When I was born, my dad was in the Navy, stationed in Pensacola, Florida (well, technically, he was off on a 9 month Mediterranean cruise aboard an aircraft carrier).  I'm not quite sure how old I was when we moved from there to Oceana, VA, (maybe 3 or 4) but I hadn't been back to Pensacola until this year. 



Me and my mom, Pensacola

  During my work trip there last week, I took time to visit the military base - which, by the way, is the home of the Blue Angels.

It wasn't a problem getting onto the base, but the pass they gave me restricted my access to primarily just the air museum (National Museum of Naval Aviation).

Inside the museum, there was every kind of aircraft imaginable from the first ones flown by the Navy to ones flown today.  I walked around looking for  the ones filmed by my dad during his cruises on the aircraft carriers.  I'm not sure I found the exact ones but I found some from the right time period.  I remember watching his home movies with the planes getting catapulted off the carriers and then watching them land.  My dad was in involved with aircraft maintenance on the carriers.

While I enjoyed seeing all the aircraft (an amazing display), I also enjoyed seeing the replicas of some aircraft carriers.   I remember whenever my dad would come back from a crusie, the families got to board the carrier and the kids got orange juice and doughnuts.  I've been on the Forrestal (first carrier to support jet aircraft), the Intrepid (currently a museum in New York City) and the Saratoga (launched october 1955 - cost $207million).

USS Saratoga

On display in the museum was this propellar - 15 ft in diameter, weighing 27,000 lbs.  It was one of the four propellars on the USS Intrepid.

Disney World is the "hot spot" for family vacations in Florida, but I think more families should add this museum to their list of educational places to take their kids.  I think kids of all ages would find the aircraft interesting - especially since you can walk right up to them - no glass cases or barricades preventing you from touching them.  There are also interactive exhibits and if you want, you can climb into the cockpit of a fighter jet.  So much history on display - promoting education in a way you will never "get" from a history book. And if you time it right, you can watch the Blue Angels practice!

Pensacola is also a great beach destination, so you can throw in some "fun in the sun" along with the visit to the museum.





Shout Out to Syracuse Airport!

I had a quick trip to the state of New York this week.  First time to Syracuse - and truthfully, it was just a fly in and out as my work was in Binghamton.  Two positive things to say about this airport:

1.  Free wireless.  Why don't all airports have free wireless access?  (hello to whoever runs OHare airport).

2.  An amazing, educational area - all about flying.  The first part of this area was a climbing/slide area - well designed and I'm sure would be popular with kids.

As I continued my exploration, I noticed several glassed in cases with a variety of information about flying. Notice the overhead sign "How Planes Fly" and the picture of the runway (on the left side of the photo)

They had parts of a dismantled 727 jet on display.  In the upper level, the flight deck was on display along with a sign describing "how to take off".

In the lower level, a section of the plane cut out so you could see not only the passenger section, but also the wiring just inside the outer layer and the cargo space.

There was a luggage cart - the kind you see outside delivering luggage planeside.

I wondered why this display was outside the security area as it would be a great diversion for kids while waiting for a flight.  On the other hand, I wonder if it is a "field trip" destination for schools as I'm not sure I've seen a better educational display of airplanes and airports.  It was fabulous! 

My second thought was why don't the big airports (Chicago Ohare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami) have something similar.  While I've noticed some small play areas inside these airports, I've not seen anything like this. 

Big thumbs up to the Syracuse airport!!!





Serving our country - Kyle childers - Indianapolis

Thursday, October 14, 2010
Ohare Airport

I met Kyle Childers in the G concourse at Ohare airport where he was awaiting a flight to Wisconsin.  He was headed to Fort McCoy, WI, for training.  Kyle is a computer guy

Kyle hails from Indianapolis, IN and has served our country for 13 years.  He has been overseas in Kososvos and Afghanistan.   While in Afghanistan, Kyle participated in a half marathon - the same day Indianapolis had its half marathon.

Kyle, thank you for serving our county and keeping us safe!

From the Indiana National Guard website:

"OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini Marathon Remote Race at Camp Phoenix, Afghanistan
posted on May 13, 2010 3:51 AM

Story by Spc. William E. Henry, Task Force Cyclone, 38th Infantry Division

CAMP PHOENIX, Afghanistan – Just over 300 Coalition Forces and civilians stationed at Camp Phoenix, Afghanistan, participated in the OneAmerica 500 Festival Remote Mini-Marathon, May 8, 2010.

This remote race is designed to bring the race to those deployed overseas around the world. Of the participants, 110 runners completed the 13.1 mi. run and the remainder participated in the 5 km run.

The course was laid out in laps within the boundary of the military base and was a mixture of cross-country and street running. The remote race conditions were unlike the version held in Indianapolis, with gravel covering a large percentage of the course and the base sitting at around 6,000 ft. above sea level.

The 38th Infantry Division Headquarters Company, Indiana Army National Guard, planned and coordinated all support for this event. This included the promotion and registration at Camp Phoenix, the receipt and issue of all mini-marathon supplies shipped from Indiana, and the coordination with various supporting units, including the camp garrison command and medical and traffic support.

The 38th Infantry Division Headquarters Company commander, Indiana Army National Guard, Capt. Kevin Stephenson, Fortville, Ind., said he was thanked by many participants who were grateful for the opportunity to partake in the run, even if they were not from Indiana.

“Not only does the remote mini-marathon and 5K provide an opportunity for our Indiana Soldiers to still participate in the runs, but it also promotes cohesion and friendly competition amongst different units and nationalities,” said Stephenson. “Additionally, this event affords an opportunity to promote the great state of Indiana, and I was approached by several Soldiers and civilians from other states who were very appreciative of this run.”

Serving our country: Andrew King - Navy

Thursday, October 14, 2010
Ohare Airport

Andrew King has served in the United States Navy for 6 months.  He completed basic training at Great Lakes Navy base.  He was enroute to Mayport (near Jacksonville, FL) where he will be trained to work on engines in large ships.  Mayport Naval base has the third largest fleet concentration in the U.S.

From the base's website:
"Mayport is unique in that it is home to a busy seaport as well as an air facility. At Mayport, we sustain and enhance warfighter readiness by providing support to the Fleet and to Sailors. We are the "Finest Service to the Finest Fleet."

Andrew's home town is Jeffersonville, IN.  H plans to make the Navy his career.

Andrew, thank you for serving our country and keeping us safe!!

Great job American Airlines (Ohare airport) - supporting Breast Cancer Awareness

Thursday, October 14, 2010
I flew from Charlotte, NC to Chicago today.  Walking through the H/K concourse, I noticed the gates were decorated with a lot of  pink.  Upon closer inspection, it became clear - staff had taken time to decorate for breast cancer awareness.  I don't know if there was a competition or not, but some of the gates were amazing.   Kudos to American Airlines!!  What a great way to raise awareness.  Here are a few pictures.

This was hanging on the wall at one of the gates. 

The photo below shows how that entire gate was decorated.  It was amazing.

The photo below shows a gate decorated like the sidewalks in Hollywood.  I believe the names on each star were breast cancer survivors.

The pink balloons below were at the entrance to the G concourse.

I read that 77,000,000 passengers passed through Ohare airport in  2009.  Say 1/4 of them use American Airlines.  That's breast cancer awareness exposure to potentially > 50,000 people!!

Its only fair to share that some Delta Airlines staff were also supporting breast cancer awareness this week.  I saw pilots in pink ties and flight attendants in pink uniforms.

Marcus Bond - Navy: Serving our Country

Last Saturday I met Marcus Bond who has served in the Navy for 10 years.  Marcus hails from Decatur, IL.

 Thank you, Marcus, for serving our country and keeping us safe!

Airport restrooms - do we need attendants?

8/26/2010 Charlotte Airport.
I was flying  USAirways which is a rare occurrence, so I was in a different area of the airport than usual. In the "ladies room", I was surprised to find a female attendant. She had a little folding table set up with an assortment of “ladies things”, Kleenex, a dish of peppermint candy and, you'll notice, a large tip jar.

She was also dispensing paper towels. She would go to the paper towel dispenser, pump the lever to get a couple feet of paper towel and then she would fold it and place it next to each sink, replacing them as travelers used them.

If you’ve read a few of my other blogs you know how I feel about the lack of cleanliness in public bathrooms. So I wasn’t impressed that she was laying paper towels out for use…on the surface of the sink counter.  I also wasn't sure about her hand hygiene as it appeared she was checking out the individual stalls and keeping them tidy. 

She also was dispensing mouthwash. There was a large bottle with a pump top.  Alongside the bottle, she had dispensed individual cups of the mouthwash.

You’ll notice the cups were sitting on the sink top which is right across the walking aisle from the toilets. As I noted in my “Hotel Room Coffee Makers" blog earlier this year, when you flush a toilet, there is a spray that potentially goes 20 ft. in the air. With the stall doors closed, this might not be a problem, but the spray really goes up not sideways, so I’m wondering if every flush generates spray particles that go over the doors and land on the sinks….perhaps near (or in?) those little cups of mouthwash.

My coworker says attendants are in all the bathroom at the Charlotte airport. Apparently their primary purpose is to help direct traffic as the bathrooms can become congested.  Indeed, this bathroom attendant would see someone come in and then she would walk to an open stall and signal the passenger to use that stall….and apparently I wasn’t there at a busy time because most of the stalls were empty.

I did ask my coworker if there were attendants in the men’s room and learned there are. So, while I’m wondering what “products” they dispense,  what I'd really like to know is if the attendants guide the incoming male  travelers to a urinal. (that seems like it would be a little weird).

Why am I writing about this?   Well, its the first time I've encountered bathroom attendants in an airport ...and I travel coast to coast and have been in many different airports.   Are they really necessary to minimize congestion in the bathrooms?  Have there been complaints about having to wait for a bathroom? 

O'Hare doesn't have them and they have a much higher volume of flights and passengers.  (actually I'm thinking maybe O'Hare needs these attendants out on the runways to reduce air traffic congestion!)

I'm also curious who is paying these attendants.   Is it the airport?  Or the airline?  Either way, I assume we travelers are footing the bill somehow.

I guess it’s good they have a job especially given the unemployment situation today.   However, its one more thing that I am expected to pay for which I think should be free!   If I want to pay to use a bathroom, I will move to Europe where I had to pay in almost every situation.

I chose to dispense my own paper towel (never saw her wash her hands) and didn’t use any products, so I didn’t leave a tip. Should I have left one? After all, she’s employed to do this job.   Or is it ok to draw the line at having to pay a buck to ...well, you know.

How do you demonstrate your love of country?

A FB friend recently posted a message regarding the consequences of burning the flag. I have to say I find it very disturbing that someone would want to burn the very symbol of our freedom. Growing up, in our home, the flag flew often and there were pretty strict "guidelines" - never out in the rain, never touched the ground, never left hanging at night etc - treated with great respect. (my dad was career Navy).

Flag hanging from the top of a fire truck ladder - at a poker run/fund raiser for wounded marines.

Anyway, when I read that posting, two things came to mind.  First, it made me think about an evening spent at the Georgetown fair a couple of weeks ago. I was there for a concert - the Vogues were playing (a group from the 60's/70's for you youngsters). The lead singer commented that after 9/11, as they toured the country, they saw flags flying everywhere. He says they hardly see any now when they're traveling ...yet when he drove into Georgetown, they were hanging from every street light down the main street. He asked if they were leftover from the July 4 celebration and the crowd indicated that was not the case.  He went on to give the audience somewhat of a "pep talk" about demonstrating your love of country by hanging a flag, supporting the men and women in the military etc.  He was preaching to the choir....this crowd "got it" and responded enthusiastically.

I have a couple of neighbors who not only display a flag, they have installed full-sized flag poles in their front yards and from that, they hang the American flag...occassionally adding an Illini flag (usually associated with a sporting event).  I do notice, however, that they seldom take the flags down..they hang in rain, snow and at night.  I have mixed feelings about that - all going back to the "flag rules" taught to us by my dad.  A few other neighbors hang them, but not too many.  Is it because we're a culturally diverse neighborhood or is it because people just don't care?

My second thought as I read the FB message was about demonstrating "love of country" beyond the easy/symbolic gestures (like a bumper sticker that says "I love America") - and that is making sure we maintain this country's majestic beauty for generations to come, by not trashing it!

Cigarette butts disposed of in a parking lot?

 I took this picture in a parking lot.  In my experience, its not uncommon for a smoker to think its perfectly acceptable to throw their butt,  or the whole darn ash tray as in this case, on the ground.  And this from a guy who has a bumper sticker that reads "I love America".  So I ask him...how can you claim to love America, but have zero concern about trashing it?   He didn't take kindly to my gentle confrontation...someday I will be found dead in a parking lot.  I'm only sorry I didn't get his picture before he walked away.

In fairness to smokers, I could have taken many other parking lot "trash pictures" as there were fast food bags, some empty soda cans and various other trash, no doubt thrown out of a car because someone didn't want to trash their car!  You see the same kind of trash in ditches along highways. 

So, I examine my "trash habits" and have to admit I have room for improvement - but I'm motivated to do a better job (thanks to people like cousin Heather and her husband, Aaron, cousin Patty and Susie, a friend from Florida, who set a good example).   Step 1 was to start composting (after visiting Patty who is also a gardener).  Easy to do and pretty interesting to watch large amounts of compostable stuff get reduced to a few inches of rich black "plant food".  Step 2, recycling - I just need to switch trash haulers as the one I use doesn't accept much (cans and milk jugs) so I end up accumulating other items in my garage and taking them to the recycling center.

Its hard to break old habits.  For example, I do believe that plastic bags used in grocery stores are a problem in that they will never ever be anything other than a plastic bag....forever. So, I'm trying to do my part to avoid using them (how can anyone argue the logic of that?). To that end, a year or so ago,  I purchased some of the large cloth grocery bags.  But I have to admit that purchasing them (cheap at 99cents/bag) is just the first step...then you have to remember to take them with you when you go to shop.  I now try to keep empty ones in the car so they are there when I need them (and ok I have to confess that even when they are sitting on the seat next to me, I sometimes forget them and have to run back to the car).  I like them, I feel good about using them...and a big plus is they hold twice as much as the plastic bags. 

At the risk of alienating those of you who are big Glenn Beck fans (although you probably haven't read this far into the blog if you are, as being environmentally conscious has somehow today become attached to being politically liberal...which is fascinating but that's a whole other subject)...can I just say that I was rather stunned to hear hear him and some guests recently "dis" the whole concept of using cloth bags when shopping.  They made fun of the concept, saying it wasn't "manly" to use them....and that they would continue to use plastic bags because they think its perfectly ok - in fact they said they would "double bag and use as much plastic as possible". (google the video...."Beck and crew mock reusable grocery bags). 

So I'm thinking, how can this guy, who claims to be so in love with America and its freedoms, not care anything about the actual America...the land, the air ...no concern about maintaining its majestic beauty?  I'm not talking global warming here...I'm talking about the simple idea that plastic in a landfill will be plastic forever...so if we can avoid that, why is that a bad thing? 

Is it not demonstrating true "love of country" when you care enough about it that you are conscientious about keeping it "clean"?  So I say, let's fly our flags, support our troops, plant a tree and recycle, all in the spirit of "I love America".

Do cows have an internal GPS?

I live near the University of Illinois and a drive into town often takes me past some of the University's farmland.  This evening, enroute to join some friends for dinner, I drove past one of the pastures and noticed a herd of cows, maybe 40, all lined up, side by side, facing the same direction (east).  They were grazing.  I had to take a picture as it is an odd sight.

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I've always assumed that cows (and sometimes horses) do this to take advantage of each others' swishing tails - to deal with flies.  However, I can't recall if this is something they do in the winter, when there aren't any flies, so when I got back home I decided to do a little search to see if there was anything on the internet about cows being lined up in a row.

I was surprised to find a large number of references on this topic, most citing a study conducted by some researchers who used images from Google Earth satellite.  The study, based on observing 8,510 cows in 308 different locations, concluded that cows will typically face north. 

One theory was the north/south orientation results in the sun shining more directly on the cows' sides, perhaps warming up their gut.  Not so for my cows. They were all facing east - so my theory is they were trying to avoid having the sun shining on their heads. Does this make them cooler? Or have they read in a magazine that increased sun exposure causes wrinkles?

Or maybe the eastern orientation is religiously based....I believe early in the history of the Catholic church, altars faced east.  In Florence, Italy, there is a baptistry building across from the huge Cathedral.  The baptistry entrance is on the west side and when you've been baptized, you exit through a door that faces east.  I believe other religions have preference for an eastern orientation. 

Here's what else I learned about cows:
-cows that are named (and "sweet talked") produce up to 5% more milk/day.  Ok, so here's a little trivia -
do you have any idea how much milk a good milk cow can produce in a day? If my recall is accurate, its in excess of 20 gallons/day.  So 5% is a healthy amount of extra milk.  (wonder if anyone has ever studied something similar with humans)
-most cows don't sweat - their big wet noses act as a cooling system
-a cow's stomach has 4 chambers  (rumen, reticulim, omasum, abdomasum).  The University has several cows with glass "port holes" inserted into their sides.  When they have the Veterinary Medicine open house in the spring, you can see these cows close up - in fact they open up the port holes so you can see right into the stomach.  The open house is usually in April and worth taking the kids.

Why am I writing about cows?  Well, the sight of those cows all lined up in a row was a Kodak moment for me.  But aside from that, I love animals so I'm always interested in learning more about them.  Which is why I have a road trip to a large dairy farm in Indiana on my summer "to do" list.  Taking Evan and Garrett.  They have thousands of dairly cows, 80+ babies born everyday (with a glass enclosed arena so you can watch the deliveries) and a bar coding system for each cow that tracks their exercise, their food intake and their milk production.   They recycle all the  manure to power the farm.  Fair Oaks Farm.  There are several YouTube videos about this place.

If you are interested in more details from the study, here are a few exerpts from some of the postings I found when I "Googled" the topic:

From a site called SuperEco, comes this statement written by Karen Murphy, 3/18/09:   "Cows don't make handy wristwatches, but they're decent navigators. Lack a GPS? No problem! Cows are great multitaskers: they give milk, add to the compost pile, and naturally orient north-south. You may be interested in how we know this. You can thank your friend Google for this news. That's right, Google (and we don't mean "let us Google that for you"), the people who showed you the carbon and are busy underwater mapping oceans, are now equally busy tracking the standing habits of standing cows". Google Earth.
This article goes on to say that standing under power lines may disorient the cows...so I wonder if that is what was causing the cows in my picture to face east.

From Discovery News (related to Discovery Channel), written by Emily Sohn Feb 2009:  "Dairy cows face a lot of pressure. Every day, month after month, a lactating cow is expected to let down her milk under the expectant eyes of a farmer whose bottom line depends on how much it he can squeeze out. Now, new research suggests a gentle way to get more milk out of anxious mama-cow: Stroke her, ask about her day, and call her Elsa, Rose, or Lady Moo. Cows with names produce up to five percent more milk, according to a study published in January in the journal Anthrozoos". 

From Live Science written by Jeremy Hsu, August 28, 2008: " Wind and time of day did not offer better explanations for why 8,510 cattle in 308 locations around the world would mostly face north-south. Shadows suggested that many of the images were taken on cloudless, sunny days, so Begall's group also factored in direct ground observations of cattle herds."  This was also referencing Google Earth findings.

From Discover Blog written by Ed Yong, March 16, 2009:  "Now, the same team (he's referencing the researchers who used Google Earth Satellite - same study all the other sites referenced) - have found that high-voltage power lines, which emit strong magnetic fields of their own, disrupt the orientation of cattle and deer. Near these lines, their neat alignment goes astray and they position themselves at random. This disturbance becomes less and less pronounced as the animals stray further away from the power lines."  If I lived anywhere near power lines, this might make me nervous.

Ed continues with   "The benefits that cows and deer gain by detecting magnetic fields are just as unclear as the means through which they do it. There are many possibilities. Synchronising the direction of the herd could make it easier to graze efficiently or escape predators effectively. It could help them to navigate as they move to fresh pastures (although deer also align magnetically while they're resting). The most intriguing reason of all, which the group put forward in their last paper, is that magnetic alignment could make some bodily processes function more effectively."

I find it interesting that there are people spending time studying this peculiar activity when we have diseases to cure and many other problems that need to be analyzed and solved.  If they do find the real reason cows typically face north (except for those at the U of I), what will they do with that information?

8 hours of riding...all for a burger...and some yard art and a windfarm

Sunday, August 1.  Headed north, destination Starved Rock.  Actually the destination was a little Irish pub(Duffy's Tavern) in Utica, IL. that has a great reputation for burgers.

Normally I'd share the route we rode but honestly I have no clue as many of the roads had nothing more than a directional/numerical reference (something like N1800 or W2220).  That, plus an unexpected detour due to road construction, meant I spent almost the entire day not having a clue where I was.  I pondered that as I rode my Harley through the heart of the nation's "bread-basket" (for you city folk, that means this is where we grow what you eat...ok so not really "we", more like "they").  I like to keep that frame of reference, otherwise its just corn field, bean field, corn field, bean field.... 

I often complain about that aspect of riding in central Illinois, but there actually are some very scenic spots.  If you look really close at the barn in the picture below, you'll see there is a large flag painted on the side.  (for you city folk, this is a soy bean field).  Picturesque, yes?

Back to the not knowing where I was - it made for an interesting day.  Kind of like that team-building game you play where you're blindfolded and you have to trust your teammate to lead you around.   I had my Blackberrry but didn't even have the urge to get it out and check my location.  It was very relaxing, actually.

So, we meander through the country and I'm surprised to see thousands (yes thousands) of butterflies.  They must be sound sensitive because it was the lead motorcycle passing that seemed to stir them up - up in the air, that is and often flying directly at those of us on the rest of the motorcycles.  I felt like I was being dive-bombed.  There were some Monarchs, but most were small - maybe quarter-sized - yellow butterflies.  I tried to figure out what was attracting them to the area.  I'm still not sure if it was the corn fields or if it was the clover that was growing in many of the ditches.  Whatever the attraction, it was a very cool sight.  My only regret is I didn't have a camera in hand to capture them filling the air.

I did get a few photos during one of our "where the heck are we" stops (one of the guys had a good map that showed all of the numbered roads).  Those little yellow butterflies were everywhere.  I liked this particular group...it looked like they were on a hike, all lined up on the side of the road headed the same direction as us.  Maybe they had their little "thumbs" out and wanted to hitch a ride.

Side note - one of the guys gets off his bike and starts shaking one of his pantlegs.  "I feel like a bug flew up my pants" he says.  He was so right...out flies a bumble bee.  Makes me wonder if I should start wearing velco straps around my boots to keep critters from flying up my pantlegs. 

We're riding through Essex, a small town west and slightly north of Kankakee/Bourbonnais, when we see a yard filled with "critters".  I don't know how else to describe the sight.  We pulled into the drive and walked around to check out the yard art.  I'm posting a few of my favorites.

I figure this indian would be appropriate in my garden as I'm a serious Illini fan.  Doesn't quite look like "THE CHIEF" but cool nonetheless, don't you think?

There were lots of farm animals...horses, cows etc.

There were also some exotic zoo type's including an elephant that sprayed water out of its trunk.  My favorite was the buffalo.  Maybe because that was my high school mascot.  Too bad he was too big to fit on the back of my Harley.

I'm not sure what Jack uses to make his yard art....maybe scrap metal?  The buffalo seemed to be made of some type of metal shavings or maybe dismantled steel wool pads??  Whatever the case, Jack Barker is the artist and his address and phone number are in the photo below.

On to Utica for lunch.  Utica is a small town, but obviously popular with the biking crowd as evidenced by the main street as well as by the hour we had to wait to get our order.  No complaints, though - it was air-conditioned and we had baskets of popcorn to eat and lots of ice tea while we waited.

We drove through Starved Rock state park but didn't stop (not sure what that was about???).  The ride home was another backroads adventure, again having no clue where I was until we hit Pontiac, IL.  Dan was leading us at this point and he seemed to know the backroads very well.  He drove us by the state prison...very creepy actually with all the barbed wire and the signs on the street that warned you not to pick up hitchhikers.  Dan has relatives that work there.  He says they get serious criminals and other prisons ship their "out of control" prisoners here.  They are in lock-down all but one hour/day.  I don't think I'd like to live across the street from this place...but lots of people do as it sits right next to a residential area.

Our last "Kodak moment" stop was about 20 miles east of Bloomington.  To put this in context, last week, during a drive to Evansville, IN, I saw 3 - 18wheelers, each one hauling one of the blades that are used to build a windmill.  I was surprised how big the blades are...in fact, at first I didn't even realize what they were.  So when I saw a large number of windmills in the distance, I asked the rest of the group if they'd mind a slight detour.  

Dan did better than get us sort of close..he got us right up to one.  I had no idea that the tower was large enough for a doorway although I guess it makes sense that technicians would need to occassionally climb to the top to fix things.

I also learned that the blades are 130 ft long and they can be adjusted, remotely, to change the angle of the blade...either to pick up more wind, or to pick up less.  I have read that the blades spin at a rapid speed (in California, there are reports that some birds are being killed in large numbers at windfarms due to this). I found references (Google) that explained the California windfarm (20 yrs old) uses old technology, including the types of blades used and the speed - which was reported at 179 mph.  The newer windfarms use updated blades and they spin at a slow rate of speed...so no dead birds.  I had also heard the windmills were noisy but as we stood there, near many windmills, we didn't hear anything.  Last piece of windfarm trivia...the farmers who provide the land for the windmills are paid a "per acre" annual fee....$3000 to $5000.  This farmer has a crop of soybeans planted around the windmills so it doesn't appear they have to give up much in the way of crops.

It was a great day of riding and socializing with some old and some new friends.  I close by posting a few more photos from the day (more yard art and windmills).

OK, you gotta love the fact that we saw "Don Quixote" and then the windmills.