February 7, 2010
“Thunder is good,” I quoted, watching it in a sort of dreamy stupor, “thunder is impressive; but it is the lightning that does the work.” – The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
Reading has always been a passion of mine. Currently I’m reading The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. The series features eighteenth-century Scotsman James Fraser and his twentieth-century time-traveling wife, Claire Randall. The books are masterpieces.
While reading The Fiery Cross, I came across the above passage. It caught me off guard and made me think about the parenting strategy of Good Cop, Bad Cop. Thunder wants to be your friend and only startle you with its loud announcements; however, it is the lightning that punishes you and send you to your room without dessert.
February 5, 2010
I’ll admit it – occasionally I Google my name… okay, and occasionally I Google the names of my closest friends. While Googling the late Lee Weisbrod, I came across this blog post written by Kellyroo.
It’s nice to know that while Lee is gone, he and his family are touching lives of other individuals.
February 4, 2010
Sometimes adults forget that children have something to say and have stories of their own. While surfing the Internet, I came across a Web site developed by Sabrina, a young girl that was struck by lightning. Similar to myself, Sabrina created an outlet where she can educate her peers about the dangers of lightning. While her Web site isn’t state of the art, it is hers and I for one am proud of her and her accomplishments.
January 29, 2010
According to The New Zealand Herald, a 37-year-old man was struck by lightning while washing dishes at a YMCA camp in Yarramundi, situated in Sydney, Australia’s far west, on Jan. 28. The man, who suffered injuries to his neck and shoulder, was treated by paramedics and was expected to be taken to hospital.
When I was in elementary school, one of the first things told to my eager-to-learn class was the danger of showering or using faucets during a lightning storm. Apparently, the 37-year-old man wasn’t warned about the dangers of his actions or he ignored the already known knowledge.
Let’s review…
When lightning strikes, the electrical current follows the path of least resistance down to the ground. Metal is a fantastic conductor. Therefore, if lightning strikes an unprotected house, the current will travel through any metal pipes including the tap water pipes (such as those going to your shower and kitchen sink). These pipes contain impurities that help the water conduct electrical current.
In an episode of MythBusters, a reality TV show featured on Discovery that either confirms or busts myths, held a show entitled “Son of a Gun.” This episode featured confirming or busting myths related to lightning including: showering during a thunderstorm and using the phone during a thunderstorm. Below is their finding, according to an annotated account provided by kwc.org.
You can get electrocuted from a phone or in the shower from a lighting strike to your house: confirmed
For a full listing and explanation, visit http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2005/03/mythbusters_son_of_a_gun_showe.html… and be smart, stay away from your pipes during storms, your dirty dishes (or body) can wait.
January 28, 2010
Many injuries and deaths can be prevented through an understanding of the dangers of power lines, electrical appliances, extension cords, and lightning.
- Richard Neal, American Politician -
January 27, 2010
This may shock you… I’ve never been the girl interested in science. Yes, surprising – I know – especially coming from a girl who writes a science/weather related blog. Actually while attending elementary school, high school, and even college, science was my least favorite subject. However, it was the severe weather that always interested me – the science of tornadoes, volcanoes, and even lightning.
Keeping the interest alive, I recently found an article entitled “Scientists Exploring ‘Volcanic Lightning‘” featured on FOX News.com. The article states that scientists are studying the connection between volcanoes and lightning.
Volcano seismologist Stephen McNutt at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’s Geophysical Institute saw strange spikes in the seismic data from the Mount Spurr eruption in 1992, which ultimately sparked a plethora of research.
Ultimately McNutt and his team found that when a volcano erupts (like Mount Redoubt which was used in their study), lightning is emitted at a higher rate than during an actual thunderstorm.
As told to FOX News.com, McNutt states, “At the moment the eruption started, there were these sparks of lightning coming from the vent of Redoubt that only lasted 1 to 2 milliseconds. This was a different kind of lighting that we have never seen before.”
Seismologists are still learning how lightning differs in different mediums. While the newly acquired knowledge is fascinating… it doesn’t change this science misanthrope.
December 20, 2009
Shame on me. It’s been a long time since I have updated my blog. Due to the summer months being over and the winter months rolling in, I seem to have lost some of my inspiration. However, the funny thing about inspiration is that it can spark from the oddest of things.
The other day I was substitute teaching in a kindergarten classroom. The students were all sitting Indian-style on an ABC carpet listening to the teacher read a book entitled, Where Does Light Come From?. To my surprise, lightning was mentioned – which in turn made me think just how much light does lightning give off?
According to The National Severe Storm Laboratory, lightning can have 100 million to 1 billion volts and contain billions of watts.
Even more interesting is that lightning gives off other radiation besides light – namely, X-rays. The production of X-rays was predicted in the 1920s; however, it wasn’t until recently (in the 2000s) that researchers confirmed these predictions. Researchers at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology detected X-ray emissions from an induced lightning strike along a wire trailed behind a rocket shot into a storm cloud.
This finding sparked many more studies regarding X-ray emissions from lightning. The University of Florida and Florida Tech used X-ray detectors to confirm that natural lightning does indeed make X-rays in large quantities. The findings are fairly new, therefore, the cause of X-ray emissions is still being researched.
Filed under Science
Tags: Florida Tech, light, lightning, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, The National Severe Storm Laboratory, The University of Florida, volts, watts, Where Does Light Come From, X-ray detectors, X-rays
July 24, 2009
Currently we are in prime thunderstorm season. A thunderstorm is just as likely these days as the ever present humidity. Even though thunderstorms are prevalent during the summer months and the media coverage of safety techniques and horror stories are told, individuals still place convenience over their safety.
According to an article written by JoNel Aleccia from msnbc.com, lightning safety is an inconvenience. Deadly Bolts: Lightning Survivors Stress Safety reads,
“The trouble is that too few people take thunder and lightning seriously… They play one more hole of golf, or go for a hike or a run despite a gathering storm. They’ll dash across a parking lot in an cloudburst or linger in a boat on a lake a little too long.”
I’ll be the first one to tell you that prior to the loss of my best friend from a lightning strike, I didn’t give the severity of lightning a thought. I’d watch thunderstorms from an inch away of the glass windows. I’d run from a building through the down pouring rain and thunder to reach my dry car. My younger brother even once jokingly took a shower (in his boxer briefs) during a storm while running and doing cartwheels around our front yard.
The truth is prior to becoming a victim or the family/friend of a victim, you do not place the safety before the convenience. It is a constant balancing act that requires patience and time. Yes, it is more convenient to run through the parking lot to your car during a storm but at what risk? Chronic pain? Hypersensitivity? Memory lapses? Brain damage? Death?
As the prime season of thunderstorms continue become a member of the safety over convenience group without having to suffer a victimizing event.
July 22, 2009
Today marks the three year anniversary of the death of Lee Weisbrod and Steve Fagan. They continue to be missed; however, they live on through memories and stories. Throughout the three years, I have been contacted by numerous people – acquaintances, friends, and complete strangers – who either knew the boys, briefly met the boys, or know someone that has been through a similar experience as the boys.
This morning, just like every morning in this technological world, I checked my email first thing to find a message waiting in my inbox informing me of an online community on Facebook. This community is for Emily Crikelair, a 19-year-old girl who was struck by lightning outside of her home in Pennsylvania.
The strike placed Emily in Chester Crozer Medical Center unconscious with her heart not beating. Now more than 9 months after the initial strike, Emily is still undergoing therapy sessions and her healing process is on the up.
The story of Emily Crikelair is nothing short of amazing. Please show your support by joining the Facebook group – Pray for Emily.
RIP LEE WEISBROD
07.06.87 – 07.22.06
RIP STEVE FAGAN
12.08.87 – 07.22.06
