My Two minutes of fame

I made it onto the local news station this week as part of WTOL 11's EcoTrack segment.

I can't say I was given any warning. My boss let me know about an hour before the camera crews came. Luckily I shaved that morning!

Watch the video

EcoTrack 11 Report: A GIS to help farmers and growers

Posted: Mar 24, 2008 6:07 PM EST

The University of Toledo's Geography department is rolling out a new mapping tool that all farmers and growers should see. It's called the Maumee Basin GIS, reports News 11's James Canterbury.

"It's an information management service web site where you can interactively look at some maps of the Maumee River Basin and its watershed," explains Timothy Ault, senior researcher in University of Toledo's geography department. "You go through and basically see where streams, roads are and other info like what kind of soil is found in what area."

Not only will the Maumee Basin GIS help gardeners select the right plants for their soil type, but Ault hopes it will make environmental differences by tracking erosion in the watershed.

"Many of these fields have an entire drainage system and ditches, which means anything draining into the ditches is going to immediately get to Lake Erie through these ditches," Ault explains.

Ault says area farmers may be able to prevent harsh chemicals from getting into the water supply by using a conservation practice called no-tilling. It prevents erosion but also means more money in growers' pockets.

"The nutrients that are in the farmer's land and soil are very important," Ault says. "They are what help the crop. So if that is getting washed away, that means the farmer is going to spend more money to have to treat the field again in the Spring."

To see if the Maumee Basin GIS would help you get ready for the growing season, visit www.maumee.utoledo.edu.

Clinton forgets 2008; plans for 2012 presidential bid

As Hillary Clinton's probability of gaining the Democratic nomination becomes more and more remote, I wonder why it is she stays in the race, slinging mud against the Obama campaign.

I think I have just figured out the the Clintons' strategy.

Her goal is not a 2008 victory, but a 2012 one.

The game plan is this:

1) Clinton can't win the Democratic nomination. The math is against her. She will not have a chance in Nov. 2008. Even with Pennsylvania. Not possible

2) If Obama wins, then it may well be another 8 years before she gets a chance again to run for president. And, by then, she would be considered a has-been.

3) If McCain wins, then Obama just couldn't close the deal in Nov. 2008. The Dems picked the wrong candidate. With McCain, we will have a 72yr. old president. Most likely a one-termer.

4) A McCain presidency means she could run again in 2012 as the Democratic nominee that should have been nominated in 2008.

Thus, to win the White House, she needs to make sure that Obama loses in Novemeber.

Now, with that in mind, consider this Hillary Clinton soundbyte:

"Now, I think you'll be able to imagine many things Senator McCain will be able to say. He's never been the president, but he will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth an [anti-war] speech he made in 2002."

She'll endorse McCain before she'll endorse Obama.

Anything to win.

Clinton's University of Toledo Rally Draws Few

One day to go before Ohio goes to the polls to choose between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In the past month, Clinton has gone from a certain double-digit lead over Obama to uncertainty. Two recent polls are in conflict: the Columbus Dispatch pegs Clinton with a 16 point lead while the Cleveland Plain Dealer indicates a statistical tie.

Last Sunday (2/24) Barack Obama visited The University of Toledo's Savage Hall (the largest auditorium facility on campus). The line stretched across campus and over the Ottawa River. In the end, a few thousand were turned away because the hall was packed.

Today marks the first day of Spring Break, one of the earliest Spring Breaks I have ever heard of. I cannot help but recall that age old college tradition of taking the trip to a lower latitudes,spending a lazy week on the Gulf coast. But back in my day we were not on a semester system, and spring break fell on the last week of March. Nowadays, these students get to celebrate spring weeks before it truly arrives to this region. And on the gulf coast? Well, for those going this year, it looks like Mother Nature will be kind, at least during the day. I doubt there will be many nights walking along the beach in a bathing suit with temperatures in the 40s.

But I digress. The point is, this week there isn't much happening on campus. The cafeterias are closed, Starbucks is cutting its hours short. Students, normally making this a rather lively campus, are nowhere to be seen.

Or so I thought. On my way into campus this morning I noticed a considerable police presence, and a sign pointing to my normal lot indicating "Clinton Parking -->". Odd, I thought, campus seems pretty much dead. So I pulled into my lot, and easily found a space to park, a rare feat during the normal school year.

On the walk to my office I noticed the Clinton campaign bus parked behind the Student Union building and how this contrasted against a campus where the only activity was coming from the construction workers restoring the Field House.

An hour later my office mate joined me. He and another coworker decided on a whim to attend the event. They had no difficulty getting in at the last minute. Their estimate of the crowd there to see Clinton was between 300-400 total; 150-200 if you don't include the press and security staffed.

Not a good showing for Toledo, Ohio - a typical Ohio blue-collar town.

I also can't help but wonder: How out of touch is her advance team to schedule a campus event right on the beginning of Spring Break? Granted, other Ohio Universities have their spring breaks later in the month, but didn't anyone on her staff bother to check? Even despite all that, why such a low turnout?! Toledo is not a college town. You would think, with such a Democratic presence and so many blue-collar, union workers, Clinton could have drummed up a larger crowd.

My analysis: this does not bode well for Ms. Clinton's chances of taking Ohio, no matter what the polls say.