It could be months before the investigators release a cause for the explosion, but the ammonium nitrate at the plant is notoriously volatile, so chances are this was just an accident. Could also be an accident caused by unsafe conditions as mentioned above.The Washington Post did give it front page coverage and more inside section A later. I suspect that the reason the bombing at the marathon gets more coverage is that it could so easily happen anywhere at any public event or in any public setting. The fertilizer plant, while terrible, was site-specific and not likely an outside attack. I don't think it means one state is getting preferential coverage. I certainly would prefer NOT to get that kind of coverage and I suspect those in Boston would agree. Years ago, there was an explosion at a fireworks factory. Awful, but there was an inherent danger just as there was in the plant in Texas.People are horrified by such tragedies, but people who work in those places realize they can be dangerous. I do think there should be a perimeter around such factories within which houses cannot be built, but again, many people would object to "Big Brother" deciding where they can or cannot live. I agree that regulation is a good thing and people forget what it was like when rivers caught on fire and food was not as safe as it is now, etc., etc. Pesky, just out of curiosity, I have never heard of regulators that weren't publicly funded-who funds you? If you don't want to say, no worries. You just mention it frequently and I really am just curious-it obviously isn't any of my business. I know of private places that monitor things-DH is on the board of one such environmental non-profit-but they have no regulatory authority. I think it would be great if they did!

These short-term visits to many countries are still available. Daily. The Dutch one, at 1:05 a.m., often takes you for a rather in-depth visit dealing with a variety of subjects in different countries. Cost still the same - zero. Does this, like many offers on the internet, sound too good to be true? It's straight goods - just try it for yourself. There need be no commitment on your part, such as giving your name, address, phone number, etc. Just listen. No air tickets, airport taxes. No currency exchange fuss. No passport required. No sitting in airports waiting for flight delays. No security checks. Best deal in town, I'd say. ole joyful

Had a dozen Monarchs in my garden yesterday . I tried growing some milkweed from seed sent to me from a fellow grardenweber and they didn't come up I probably did something wrong next spring I'm going go along the highway and dig up some starts . I posted this story before but several years ago i had several hundred at once show up in late summer/early fall it was so cool they spent the night and were banging off the windows after dark trying to go to the lights on in the house I got up before daylight and watched them leave after the sun came up have never seen them like that since wish I had thought enough to take some pictures but it was before I had a digital camera and had no film in the camera I had.

There have been quite a few studies done showing that certain breeds are sensitive to ivermectin which is used in heartworm meds. Ivermectin toxicity affect certain breeds that may carry a genetic mutation. They were starting to see this first in collies and later other herding breeds, the Aussie is included in those susceptible breeds. I remember discussing this with my vet when we had a Sheltie/Aussie mix. Apparently they have a test for the genetic mutation these days. I live in an area where heartworm is simply not a problem. My dog is not on heartworm meds at all. I have discussed this with my vet and he sees no reason for me to put her on it unless we plan to take her to areas where it is a greater risk. Then I would be happy to have her tested and put on medication for the time period necessary. I have no fleas either but if she is out in parks and places where she meets others dogs I do use a dose of Frontline at the start of flea season. No reason to do flea treat in the dead of winter. A lot of things are pushed on clients by vets for one simple reason. They know people get lax in the care of their animals. If they say recommend something for the season the client may forget next year so it's easier to put the dogs on heart worm year round. Of course this doesn't apply to people who travel a lot with their dogs or live in mosquito zones year round. By advocating for yearly vaccines they know they will at least see the dog once a year since people bring them in for annual health check ups or worse wait until they are extremely ill. Here is a link that may be informative: http://www.cliniciansbrief.com/sites/default/files/attachments/Ivermectin%20Toxicosis.pdf