Posted December 1, 2009

Even though Blackhawk Foundry and Machine in Davenport has been sold and will cease operation sometime after January 1, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it will see that clean up of lead contamination at the plant site is completed.

The foundry agreed in August to remove lead contamination found on the site, but announced November 17 it was selling the business to Citation Corp., a Michigan firm which designs and manufactures metal products.

Blackhawk President James Grafton blamed the sale and upcoming shutdown on the poor economy. The company laid off nearly 100 employees earlier this year and said it currently employs 127 people.

A spokesman for the U.S. EPA Region 7 office in Kansas City said Blackhawk has submitted the required Corrective Measurers Implementation (CMI) work plan in accordance with its August agreement.

November 23, 2009 by bgierke

Last weekend wife and I traveled north to visit a friend with whom I had crossed paths but once in the 35 years since college. Make that twice – as I told his wife, last time I’d seen her she was all wrapped in white.

Our college years were quite the mix of intellectual rigor and ribaldry. Malheureusement, I’ve forgotten everything I learned, but can still be gross and disgusting with little trouble. For example (and the only one I’ll provide) I’m still a urinary artiste.

He met his wife when she was three days old. I had to wait till kindergarten to find mine. We exchanged that info after regaling each other with memories and new developments. We agreed that it was an incredible stroke of something that we ever got a second date with any female, let alone a life long commitment from a girl with the advantage of a long view.

November 20, 2009 by ggackle

The river grain terminal which Davenport has long sought to remove from its city owned riverfront appears headed for relocation in downtown Bettendorf, two blocks from the city's new downtown civic center.

River/Gulf Grain Company has requested a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seeking approval for establishing the river barge terminal at the foot of Bettendorf's 23rd Street. The city's new QC Waterfront Center is located south of State Street at 21st Street.

The terminal also would be just upstream from the Isle of Capri Hotel and Casino and its marina. The Goldstein family owns River/Gulf Grain as well as the riverfront property proposed for the grain terminal.

The corps issued the public notice for the permit request Nov. 12 and is seeking public comment on the grain terminal now through Dec. 11.

November 19, 2009 by ggackle

With smartphone penetration reaching nearly 30 percent of U.S. adults, it isn't surprising many are planning to use the mobile devices for their holiday shopping.

According to a Deloitte study, 20 percent of mobile phone users are planning to use the device for researching prices, finding product info, getting discounts/coupons and reading reviews.

The study also found 22 percent of consumers plan to shop primarily online this year.

Another survey, this one by BIA/Kelsey found nearly 19 percent of smartphone (i.e. iPhone, Blackberry, Droid, Android) owners are using their Internet-capable devices to search for local products and services.

November 13, 2009 by bgierke

This week, courtesy of National Public Radio, I had occasion to listen to a fascinating program about stem cells on 'Speaking of Faith.' Host Krista Tippett visited the regeneration lab of Fr. Doris Tayor at the University of Minnesota.

Problem with organ transplants is rejection. Patient has to take powerful drugs for life to avoid a new heart from making an Alien-like exit. Ms. Taylor is working on a method to build a new heart out of one’s own cells.

Not yet in human trials, she starts with a heart from a rat cadaver and washes out all cells leaving an interstitial “scaffold”. Then she uses stem cells to build a new heart upon that structure. Below you can watch a video showing steps in the process culminating in a new beating heart!*

November 11, 2009 by ggackle

The winner of Bettendorf's 4th Ward city council election, Greg Adamson, spent at least $5,800 on his campaign, nearly eight times more than his opponent, incumbent alderman Patricia Malinee, according to state campaign finance and disclosure reports.

The state report filed by Adamson days before the November 3 election also shows 30 percent of his campaign contributions came from outside the city and nearly 40 percent came from donors in the city but outside the 4th Ward.

Adamson currently is treasurer of the Scott County Republican Party and served as a county supervisor after retiring from the Bettendorf Police Department. He is currently serving as a member of the Bettendorf Park Board.

November 2, 2009 by bgierke

While driving across our beautiful state earlier this week, obsessing about problems and desperate for creative insight, I turned on the radio. Iowa Public Radio, to be precise, and a program about lucid dreaming*. That’s when you’re in a dream and know it. There's even such a thing as dream yoga in which adepts reportedly develop remarkable facility.

The discussion also recounted a wide range of dream research and anecdotes. Abraham Lincoln had a dream premonition of his assassination shortly before the tragic event. Sting and Johnny Cash, to name but two, have had songs come to them in dreams.

Solutions to important math problems have appeared in dreams. Or moments after a sunrise awakening. (Which brings to mind the incredible underpinning mathematics seems to provide our universe. Hmm, brains certainly aren’t rectilinear…)

October 29, 2009 by ggackle

An "Alternative Compliance Program" developed by MidAmerican Energy in response to proposed "cap and trade" greenhouse gas legislation has received a critical assessment from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The state's largest electric utility has been a leading critic of the "cap and trade" legislation under debate in Congress, and it submitted a white paper Oct. 13 outlining an "alternative compliance program" to the Iowa Utilities Board. The filing was part of the utilities board inquiry into the impact of the proposed American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, the federal "cap and trade" legislation.

Under MidAmerican's alternative, the states would be allowed to opt out of the federal "cap and trade" plan, and non-compliance penalties for not meeting air quality caps would fall first on the state.

For additional Crow Creek Park images, view slideshow at bottom of page.

October 27, 2009 by bgierke

OK. Enough. Enough with the peace and quiet. I’m not a girlie man. Back to the blood, guts, and gore. Real thing this time though, with "The Bard’s" representation to boot.

Sunday (October 25) was St Crispin’s Day. It’s named for twins Crispin and Crispinian who were martyred in about 286 AD. They were removed from the liturgical calendar by Vatican II, but they’re not what make the date noteworthy anyway. Several historically important battles have been fought on October 25's: The Battle of Balaklava (The Charge of the Light Brigade) in 1854, The Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Pacific in 1945, and The Battle of Agincourt in 1415.