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Dear Editor,

My family is the recipient of Illinois Country Living magazine. We enjoy it immensely and usually pore over it from cover to cover.

However, in the July issue, you have printed an erroneous fact, which I must call to your attention. On the page on which you have chosen to honor the Illinois fallen heroes of the Iraqi Freedom conflict, you have included the name of Marine Captain Ryan Anthony Beaupre. But the hometown given for Captain Beaupre is not correct. He is a native son of the tiny village we live near, St. Anne, Illinois. Captain Beaupre is considered to be the first Illinoisan to fall in combat in Iraq, when the helicopter he was piloting crashed on March 21, killing all aboard.

I have known Captain Beaupre's parents since they were young and his grandparents, as well. He is buried next to his paternal grandmother in the St. Anne Catholic Cemetery. Please take the time to correct this error in your next edition. We are all very proud of the sacrifice Captain Beaupre made in the name of freedom; he is our own.

Most sincerely,
Patricia C. Finney

Editor: We apologize for the error. We found the information at www.defendamerica.mil/fallen.html. It is our sincere hope that all of our readers will not forget the men and women serving our country, especially those that have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

Worst U.S. blackout was preventable

Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said the August 14 blackout that cascaded across eight U.S. states and part of Canada was largely the fault of FirstEnergy Corp. and could have been prevented.

Abraham cited FirstEnergy's failure to trim trees along major transmission lines and the failure of FirstEnergy's control-room alarm system, which was not working properly and failed to alert employees that transmission lines had gone down.

The Energy Secretary also noted that once the problem grew to a certain magnitude, nothing could have been done to prevent it from cascading out of control.

FirstEnergy's President and COO Anthony Alexander, responding to the blackout report, said, "We remain convinced that the outage cannot be explained by events on any one utility system. For example, most experts agree that the network was stressed and being asked to perform in ways for which it was not designed. Our transmission system was designed and built to provide reliable service to our customers, not to be a superhighway for long-distance transactions to Canada and elsewhere."

North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) President and CEO Michehl Gent said, "As unfortunate as the blackout was, our analysis indicates that it was also preventable and clearly demonstrates the immediate need for mandatory [electric reliability] standards." Currently, compliance with NERC's standards is voluntary.

Don't let antibiotics make you your own worst enemy

Many people think that if they are sick enough to go to the doctor, they deserve an antibiotic when they get there. But antibiotics will not cure the cold or flu and oversubscribing antibiotics has led to bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotic treatment.

A mother waits in the pediatrician's office comforting her sniffling son. She has expectations, and they involve a prescription for antibiotics that will treat her child's cold, or sinus infection, or flu or whatever it is that's making him stay up nights whining in genuine discomfort.

The trouble is, the pediatrician can't satisfy her wishes because antibiotics are powerless against viruses, and it's likely that her son has a virus.

The overuse of antibiotics has led to the evolution of antibiotic resistant germs. In 1995, more than 40 percent of outpatient antibiotics were prescribed for colds and flus they couldn't cure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported recently that in 1992, 13,300 hospital patients died of bacterial infections that were resistant to antibiotic treatment. Many people do not know that taking too many antibiotics is risky behavior and a threat to their long-term health.

So when your doctor or pediatrician tries to just say no to giving you that useless antibiotic, resist the urge to beg him or her for an antibiotic. Agree with your doctor to practice watchful waiting.

To manage discomfort in the mean time, get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids. Give your sick child or yourself over-the-counter medications that mitigate your uncomfortable symptoms.

6 | ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING | www.icl.coop

Fuel cell technology to power consumer electronics

Fuel cell technology often touted to power cars and homes may now find a place in the consumer electronics industry to power laptop computers, cell phones and video cameras.

In summer 2003, NEC unveiled a prototype laptop that runs on a methanol fuel cell. The company said it would start selling the product on the mass market in Japan next year.

Leading manufacturers of computers such as NEC, Toshiba and Motorola are working on developing prototypes of fuel cells that will be longer lasting than rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Right now, manufacturers are promising to power laptops for five or more hours with the fuel cells. But they say within the next two years, fuel cells will power consumer electronics for up to 40 continuous hours. This is compared to two or three hours for the current lithium battery.

A fuel cell generates electricity by way of chemical reactions, usually between hydrogen and oxygen. This chemical reaction strips hydrogen of its electrons, which form an electrical current running outside the fuel cell. The only byproduct of this chemical reaction is water if hydrogen is used as the source. Other sources for the chemical reaction besides hydrogen are ethanol and methanol.

Source: USA Today;
Yahoo! News;
The New York Times.

Grant money available for geothermal energy community projects

Communities and non-profit organizations can now receive money for the installation of geothermal heating and cooling systems through a program administered by the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC) and funded by the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation (ICECF).

Any facility operated by a government or non-profit organization and served by an Illinois electric cooperative is eligible for funding. Eligible facilities, such as schools, community centers, libraries and churches, may apply for a grant of up to $50,000 to help offset the higher initial cost of geothermal system installations.

"Geothermal heating and cooling systems are the most efficient available today," says John Freitag, Vice President of Operations for the AIEC. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in a landmark technical report entitled "Space Conditioning: the Next Frontier," calls geothermal systems "the most energy efficient, environmentally clean and cost-effective space conditioning systems available."

Geothermal systems can save 50 percent in energy costs, and have been proven to decrease maintenance costs as well. Geothermal systems recover the earth's energy with loops of pipe installed under ground. It is primarily the cost of installing this ground loop that creates the higher initial cost.

ICECF invests in clean energy development and land preservation efforts throughout Illinois. Facilities not serviced by Illinois electric cooperatives can apply directly to ICECF for geothermal system funding. Information on ICECF's other grant programs can be found on their Web site at www.illinoiscleanenergy.org.

For more information about the geothermal system funding program, contact the local electric cooperative in your area or the AIEC at (217) 529-5561, or go to www.aiec.coop.

Co-ops sign agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has entered into a memorandum of understanding [MOU] with the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will ultimately reduce the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions by electric cooperatives.

The purpose is to explore new areas for cooperation on the identification, development and deployment of greenhouse gas emission-efficient actions, activities, and technologies suitable for electric cooperatives. This may include developing renewable technologies for electricity generation, such as biomass co-fired power plants, biomass gasification, animal waste-to-electricity, landfill methane and increased use of wind and solar energy.

The term biomass refers to any plant derived organic matter, including trees, agricultural crops, agricultural wastes and residues, wood waste, aquatic plants, animal wastes and other waste materials. Using biomass to generate electricity or produce fuels from biomass ranks second in renewable U.S. primary energy production and accounts for 3 percent of the primary energy production in the United States, according to the Department of Energy.

Source: NRECA; DOE

7 | January 2004 | www.aiec.coop

New Web site has tips for saving on your energy bills

A new Web site sponsored by the Department of Energy shows consumers how to save money on their energy bills this winter. The site is part of the federal government's Smart Energy Campaign launched this summer to help consumers conserve energy and decrease demand for dwindling natural gas supplies.

"The demand for natural gas is growing faster than producers can get it out of the ground and ship it out to consumers," Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham said when kicking off the Smart Energy Campaign.

"America's natural gas shortage effects everyone; from senior citizens, living on fixed incomes, to small business owners trying to keep the lights on," Abraham added. "Conserving energy in the home saves consumers money today while also helping ensure abundant energy supplies in the future."

To see energy saving tips, go to www.eere.energy.gov/consumerinfo/energyJ3avers.

New program increases capital available for rural businesses

USDA and the Small Business Administration have signed a collaborative agreement that establishes a new program to support the financing of new and expanding rural businesses. These businesses will enjoy greater access to venture capital investment funds through a new initiative called the Rural Business Investment Program (RBIP).

The new program will allow newly formed venture capital investment companies to leverage private capital funds with government financial assistance. RBIP will increase the amount of capital available for investment in rural businesses and will provide a new resource for technical assistance to such businesses, according to a joint USDA/SBA statement. More information is available at USDA's Web site, www.rurdev.usda.gov.

Be prepared for safe winter travel

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, 25 percent of winter deaths can be attributed to people being caught out in a storm. The National Weather Service reports that many of these winter deaths occur when people attempt to leave their vehicles during a storm to walk to safety.

Remember to keep your interior lights on while the engine is running and be sure the exhaust pipe is clear of snow and ice. Crack the windows slightly to allow in fresh air and to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. To prevent hypothermia and frostbite bundle up in woolens or a blanket.

If travel is necessary in stormy weather, it's best to inform someone of the travel route, destination and expected arrival time. Travelers should remember to keep their gas tanks near full to avoid ice in the tank and fuel lines and keep a disaster supply kit in the car.

Source: American Red Cross; National Weather Service; National Safety Council

EPA report says air quality continues to improve

A recent report released by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that emissions of six major pollutants have declined 48 percent since the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970.

"While many people believe that air pollution is getting worse, the data in reports like these show that air quality is actually improving," said Richard Robinson, Environmental Representative at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

The report is based primarily on monitoring data coming from thousands of stations across the country, which assess the air concentrations of the six criteria pollutants: carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone, particulate matter and sulfur dioxide.

EPA points out in the report that in the time that emissions have declined by 48 percent, U.S. gross domestic product increased 164 percent, energy consumption increased 42 percent, and vehicle miles traveled increased 155 percent.

The six pollutants monitored in this report come from many different sources, including factories, power plants, smelters, dry cleaners, cars, buses, planes, trucks and trains. Natural sources include windblown dust and wildfires.

Source: EPA; NRECA

8 | ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING | www.icl.coop