News12.com Blog

Molecular Magic

We had a story this evening about how cold it is in the Northeast and Midwest.  It was so cold in Chicago that the ice melt sprinkled on roads wasn't able to get the job done. Now that's cold!   Mother's comment

Salt will melt snow and ice down to a temperature of about 15 F.  Calcium chloride (CaCl) is better.  It can work at temperatures as low as -15 F.  Have you ever wondered how sprinkling salt or CaCl  on ice makes it melt?  It does seem like magic, doesn't it?  You throw some of it on ice and even if it's below freezing, it starts melting. 

How does this work?  OK, maybe you have to be a science junkie like me to think this is cool, but here's what happens. 

While ice (and snow flakes) seem solid to us, on microscopic level, the molecules are vibrating quite rapidly.  Some ice molecules momentarily vibrate so fast that they jump from the solid or ice state to liquid water.  They quickly re-freeze, but in the instant they are liquid, the molecules are vulnerable. If they contact salt or ice melt, they join with it and this new, salty water solution has a lower freezing temperature, and so it remains liquid. 

Once it starts, the process spreads very quickly until, as if by magic, your driveway and sidewalk are clear of snow and ice.  Unless of course it's below zero and it's too cold for this work.  In that case, just sit back and wait for spring.

Bill Korbel

Airplanes and Ice Don't Mix

There is no safer way of traveling on this planet then on a U.S. airline flight.  More people die from drowning in bathtubs then in airline crashes.  In fact, you could fly every day for more then 30,000 years before your number would be up. That's around 11 million flights!  What makes those numbers even more incredible is that airplanes by nature must operate in some very nasty weather.  But because of very strict procedures,  and more rules and regulations then any other business around, they do it , and do it well, even when Mother Nature decides to show her nasty side.

We saw an example of that last week when the Northeast snow and ice storm caused schedule changes and cancellations that reverbated around the country for days.  Why did this happen?  I heard someone say " it was just ice, imagine if it had been a foot of snow".  Well, when it comes to airplanes, a half inch of ice can be much worse then 12 inches of snow.

FAA regulations specifically state that no aircraft may take off if there is any ice (including frost) or snow on the plane. This is because even a thin layer of ice can greatly affect performance and may lead to a crash.   Last Wednesday was one of the worst ice storms we've seen on Long Island in years.  A relentless mix of freezing rain and sleet coated everything in sight, including airplanes, with a rock solid coating of ice.  In order for planes to depart, they first had to be completely ice free.  You may have spent quite a few minutes scraping ice off your car windows.  Imagine the problem of getting ice off something the size of a 747!  Even with smaller planes, it's a daunting task.

Standard de-icing precedures begin by spraying the entire plane with a heated fluid that is very much like the anti-freeze used in your car.  It melts any ice on the plane and offers short term protection from additional icing.  To extend the time the aircraft is protected, crews must next spray on a thicker, cold fluid that is more viscous and clings to the plane, protecting it for a longer period of time.  How long is determined by the type of fluid, the air temperature and the type of precipitation falling.  Protection time, called "Hold Over Time" or HOT, for the light freezing rain and temperatures in the upper 20s that were recorded at JFK was about one hour.  That meant once de-icing began, the plane had to be off the ground within one hour. The forecast was for temperatures to rise above freezing, which would have ended the ice threat.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen.  Instead it got colder, and the freezing rain got heavier.  Heavy enough, that regulations prohibited takeoff because no de-icing could provide protection. 

So planes sat on the ground, getting coated with more and more ice. Ramps became so icy that tugs could not move planes around and things escalated out of control.

Yes, a lot of people were inconvenienced and many got angry, but no one got killed.  The rules that govern every aspect of the aviation industry worked perfectly, which is precisely why the most dangerous part of any flight is, far and away, the drive to the airport.

As an old pilot once said: "It's better to be on the ground wishing you were up there, then up there, wishing you were on the ground".

Bill Korbel

There is no safer way of traveling on this planet then on a U.S. airline flight.  More people die from drowning in bathtubs then in airline crashes.  In fact, you could fly every day for more then 30,000 years before your number would be up. That's around 11 million flights!  What makes those numbers even more incredible is that airplanes by nature must operate in some very nasty weather.  But because of very strict procedures,  and more rules and regulations then any other business around, they do it , and do it well, even when Mother Nature decides to show her nasty side.

We saw an example of that last week when the Northeast snow and ice storm caused schedule changes and cancellations that reverbated around the country for days.  Why did this happen?  I heard someone say " it was just ice, imagine if it had been a foot of snow".  Well, when it comes to airplanes, a half inch of ice can be much worse then 12 inches of snow.

FAA regulations specifically state that no aircraft may take off if there is any ice (including frost) or snow on the plane. This is because even a thin layer of ice can greatly affect performance and may lead to a crash.   Last Wednesday was one of the worst ice storms we've seen on Long Island in years.  A relentless mix of freezing rain and sleet coated everything in sight, including airplanes, with a rock solid coating of ice.  In order for planes to depart, they first had to be completely ice free.  You may have spent quite a few minutes scraping ice off your car windows.  Imagine the problem of getting ice off something the size of a 747!  Even with smaller planes, it's a daunting task.

Standard de-icing precedures begin by spraying the entire plane with a heated fluid that is very much like the anti-freeze used in your car.  It melts any ice on the plane and offers short term protection from additional icing.  To extend the time the aircraft is protected, crews must next spray on a thicker, cold fluid that is more viscous and clings to the plane, protecting it for a longer period of time.  How long is determined by the type of fluid, the air temperature and the type of precipitation falling.  Protection time, called "Hold Over Time" or HOT, for the light freezing rain and temperatures in the upper 20s that were recorded at JFK was about one hour.  That meant once de-icing began, the plane had to be off the ground within one hour. The forecast was for temperatures to rise above freezing, which would have ended the ice threat.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen.  Instead it got colder, and the freezing rain got heavier.  Heavy enough, that regulations prohibited takeoff because no de-icing could provide protection. 

So planes sat on the ground, getting coated with more and more ice. Ramps became so icy that tugs could not move planes around and things escalated out of control.

Yes, a lot of people were inconvenienced and many got angry, but no one got killed.  The rules that govern every aspect of the aviation industry worked perfectly, which is precisely why the most dangerous part of any flight is, far and away, the drive to the airport.

As an old pilot once said: "It's better to be on the ground wishing you were up there, then up there, wishing you were on the ground".

Bill Korbel

Reason to celebrate

For the last 2 weekends I've joined thousands of Long Islanders who were out on the streets celebrating being Irish.  There's a great LI tradition in at least a half dozen communities, where the Saint Patrick's Day parade is the weekend after the 17th, so you can keep the Irish eyes smiling for most of the month of March.

But there's an even greater reason to smile right now if you're Irish. The prospect of peace, power sharing and political leadership that will give what the people want in Northern Ireland -- an end to decades of hostility. They will work TOGETHER now to govern.

A historic meeting between DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) and Sinn Fein has come up with a date of May 8th for the power sharing to begin. That means they will establish Catholic and Protestant power sharing!!!  This is a picture shows both sides.  Ian Paisley (Protestant is  on the left) and Gerry Adams ( Catholic on the right )

The Pope has described the progress made in the Northern Ireland peace process as "a very powerful Christian witness" for other areas where conflicts include a religious component, according to Irish President Mary McAleese.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the deal would not stop republicans or nationalists being republicans or nationalists, nor unionists remaining unionists.

"What it does mean is people can come together, respecting each other's point of view and share power and make sure politics is only expressed through peaceful and democratic means.

And in that it will give the people of Northern Ireland the future they want and give heart to all of us who have wanted this process over the past few years.

Now at last we have a date certain for a remarkable coming together of people who have, for very obvious reasons, been strongly opposed in the past."

Now that these 2 enemies have met and agreed on a time table for a fresh start I wonder if the Middle East can take note and effect change.

Because from peace comes prosperity!

These 2 former gunmen in the battle of Northern Ireland were once the face of troubled times.  3,600 people died.  But right now they are the faces of compromise and possible peace.  Ian Paisley (Protestant)--has been reffered to as " Dr. No" for his staunch refrusal to have anything to do with Gerry Admas and Sinn Fein.  Now he's saying " we have agreed with Sinn Fein".

And what is even as amazing is the  80 year old Paisley has been able to get hardliners behind the compromise. I have to admit-- I wasn't sure that there would be peace in my time.  If you want to get some background on the conflict check out this historical essay that starts in 1170 with the Norman invasion and outlines the problems in the region since then just click here. It really shows how the problem went from one between irish and English-- to relationships on the island with the Anglo-Irish agreeement in the 80's to direct clashing between protestants and Catholics.

To hear, "We must not allow our justified loathing of the horrors and tragedies of the past to become a barrier to creating a better and more stable future for our children," from Paisley gives me such hope for the future.  It has often been the atrocities of the past that are the stumbling blocks to a future with understanding and unity. 

Adams says, "There is a new start with the help of God." This move is also a big step for the Sinn Fein (generally accepted as the political arm of the IRA). Disarming, accepting police reforms and changing the way they operate is a massive step for an organization which, at its core, has belived that its mandate is historical and that force is necessary to remove the British.

Of course everything can't be rainbows and butterflies.  The road to true peace may be rocky.  Adams and Sinn Fein want Northern Ireland to reunite with Ireland -- where Paisely's Democratic unionist  party wants the north to stay with England. The core is still the same BUT the change comes in working together toward the future.

But right now the desire for a better life seems to overshadow the difference. The new road will be tough with identity issues, cultural differences,the future of the Irish language in the region, the constitution. The list is long but having both parties togther making the descions for the betterment of the whole was but a dream just days ago.

Paisley is expected to become first minister in this Northern Ireland administration while Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness would be deputy first minister.

Elizabeth Hashagen

For the last 2 weekends I've joined thousands of Long Islanders who were out on the streets celebrating being Irish.  There's a great LI tradition in at least a half dozen communities, where the Saint Patrick's Day parade is the weekend after the 17th, so you can keep the Irish eyes smiling for most of the month of March.

But there's an even greater reason to smile right now if you're Irish. The prospect of peace, power sharing and political leadership that will give what the people want in Northern Ireland -- an end to decades of hostility. They will work TOGETHER now to govern.

A historic meeting between DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) and Sinn Fein has come up with a date of May 8th for the power sharing to begin. That means they will establish Catholic and Protestant power sharing!!!  This is a picture shows both sides.  Ian Paisley (Protestant is  on the left) and Gerry Adams ( Catholic on the right )

The Pope has described the progress made in the Northern Ireland peace process as "a very powerful Christian witness" for other areas where conflicts include a religious component, according to Irish President Mary McAleese.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the deal would not stop republicans or nationalists being republicans or nationalists, nor unionists remaining unionists.

"What it does mean is people can come together, respecting each other's point of view and share power and make sure politics is only expressed through peaceful and democratic means.

And in that it will give the people of Northern Ireland the future they want and give heart to all of us who have wanted this process over the past few years.

Now at last we have a date certain for a remarkable coming together of people who have, for very obvious reasons, been strongly opposed in the past."

Now that these 2 enemies have met and agreed on a time table for a fresh start I wonder if the Middle East can take note and effect change.

Because from peace comes prosperity!

These 2 former gunmen in the battle of Northern Ireland were once the face of troubled times.  3,600 people died.  But right now they are the faces of compromise and possible peace.  Ian Paisley (Protestant)--has been reffered to as " Dr. No" for his staunch refrusal to have anything to do with Gerry Admas and Sinn Fein.  Now he's saying " we have agreed with Sinn Fein".

And what is even as amazing is the  80 year old Paisley has been able to get hardliners behind the compromise. I have to admit-- I wasn't sure that there would be peace in my time.  If you want to get some background on the conflict check out this historical essay that starts in 1170 with the Norman invasion and outlines the problems in the region since then just click here. It really shows how the problem went from one between irish and English-- to relationships on the island with the Anglo-Irish agreeement in the 80's to direct clashing between protestants and Catholics.

To hear, "We must not allow our justified loathing of the horrors and tragedies of the past to become a barrier to creating a better and more stable future for our children," from Paisley gives me such hope for the future.  It has often been the atrocities of the past that are the stumbling blocks to a future with understanding and unity. 

Adams says, "There is a new start with the help of God." This move is also a big step for the Sinn Fein (generally accepted as the political arm of the IRA). Disarming, accepting police reforms and changing the way they operate is a massive step for an organization which, at its core, has belived that its mandate is historical and that force is necessary to remove the British.

Of course everything can't be rainbows and butterflies.  The road to true peace may be rocky.  Adams and Sinn Fein want Northern Ireland to reunite with Ireland -- where Paisely's Democratic unionist  party wants the north to stay with England. The core is still the same BUT the change comes in working together toward the future.

But right now the desire for a better life seems to overshadow the difference. The new road will be tough with identity issues, cultural differences,the future of the Irish language in the region, the constitution. The list is long but having both parties togther making the descions for the betterment of the whole was but a dream just days ago.

Paisley is expected to become first minister in this Northern Ireland administration while Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness would be deputy first minister.

Elizabeth Hashagen