Al's Morning Meeting

Galveston County Census Facts

Click here for the quick-facts page. Here is more in-depth data (PDF) on the county.

Houston as a Chemical Supplier

A lot of you have focused on the Houston area as an oil center -- and it is -- but it is also a vital supplier and shipper of chemicals besides petrol. "The Handbook of Texas" says production of chemicals in Texas makes up the largest manufacturing industry in the state. The Houston area has had the heaviest concentration of chemical plants in the post-World War II days. The major suppliers are members of the Texas Chemical Council. Here is a list of who is who in the chemical game there.

Like New Orleans, the Port of Houston also moves a lot of coffee (PDF).

Houston: the Port

The Port of Houston is one of America's most important (PDF) shipping ports. Its Web site says:

The Port of Houston is a 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities located just a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico. The port is ranked first in the United States in foreign waterborne commerce, second in total tonnage, and sixth in the world.

The Port of Houston is made up of the port authority and the 150-plus private industrial companies along the ship channel. All together, the port authority and its neighbors along the Houston Ship Channel are a large and vibrant component to our regional economy.

About 200 million tons of cargo moved through the Port of Houston in 2004. A total of 6,539 vessel calls were recorded at the Port of Houston during the year 2004. The Houston Pilots navigate each vessel through the Houston Ship Channel.

The Port of Houston has an impressive listing of firsts, from unloading the world's first container ship to becoming the country's first port to receive ISO 14001 compliance. Read the entire list of firsts (PDF). 

Save Those Important Papers

The stories I have seen in the last few weeks remind all of us that we need to keep  "important papers" in an easily accessible and secure place. You may need health records, medication lists, passports, birth certificates, homeowners insurance papers, flood insurance, car titles, life insurance papers, a pay stub, a credit card statement, birth certificates, INS documents, mortgage information, marriage certificate, divorce declaration, bank accounts and a copy of your will. The St. Petersburg Times has a story.

Bankrate.com said that just because you are a good record-keeper does not mean that you are a "safe" keeper. Have you backed up your computer data and put a copy of it in your safe deposit box? How about backing up photos and discs?

Blogs and Citizen Journalism

The Houston Chronicle has a running blog for people to contribute their experiences.

I also like the Houston Chronicle's SciGuy blog.

There are private forecasters who are offering views like this one: Foots Forecast. Good details.  

Also, Hurricanelivenet.com is a live storm-chaser site. 

NOAA Radio

Corpus National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration live radio online (Note: This site automatically plays its broadcast as soon as the page loads. You might want to adjust your computer volume.)

From all around the Houston vicinity: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx/observations.htm

Hurricanes Pressure Lumber Market

When Katrina hit, prices jumped, then settled down as, sadly, people began to realize that new construction may take many months or even years to begin on a large scale.

In addition, storms create downed trees that can quickly be milled.

Reuters reports:

There was an emotional jump in lumber futures in the days following Katrina as traders reacted to the potential rebuilding that will be needed. Since then CME prices had retreated as production was not severely affected and traders realized it will be years before extensive rebuilding begins, lumber sources said.

 

Also, there has been plenty of lumber for immediate building plus production may increase as trees blown down by Katrina will need to be processed quickly before they spoil, lumber sources said.

 

Georgia-Pacific Corp. (Research) said last week it will restart two long-idled building products plants in Mississippi to meet increased demand for building materials in the wake of Katrina. The two plants should be operational by year-end and will initially use timber damaged by the hurricane. 

Gold Prices at 17-Year High

There are lots of guesses about where it goes from here. In times of trouble, however, this conversation about including precious metals in your investment portfolio always comes up.

Why is Ice So Vital After a Storm?

It is more complicated than you would think. Slate.com explains.

Women are Cleaner than Men

On a day when a lot of news is life and death, this one is not, but it is interesting. I suppose it is information worth knowing, if you are going to be shut in a shelter with a bunch of people. AP reports:

Men are dirtier than women. So scientists confirmed by spying in public restrooms, watching as one-quarter of men left without washing their hands.

 

The worst offenders were at an Atlanta Braves game.

 

In contrast, 90 percent of the women did wash up.

 

Wednesday's results mark the American Society for Microbiology's latest look at how many people take what is considered the single easiest step to staying healthy: spending 20 seconds rubbing with soap under the faucet. ...

  

Back in 1996, the society first studied how often people follow mom's advice to always wash up after using the toilet. Researchers lingered in public restrooms, putting on makeup or combing their hair, while surreptitiously counting. They concluded about one-third of people did not wash.

 

The group sponsored an education campaign about how hand-washing can stop the spread of flu, diarrhea and other infectious diseases. Every few years, researchers repeat the spying.

 

This time, 83 percent of people washed, reported Harris Interactive, a research company that last month monitored more than 6,300 public restroom users for the society.

 

That is a little better overall. But take a closer look:  

• The worst hygiene was at Atlanta's Turner Field baseball stadium, where 37 percent of men left the bathroom without washing, and 16 percent of the women did.
• New York's Penn Station had the biggest gender disparity, where 64 percent of men washed their hands compared with 92 percent of women. Grand Central Station was almost as bad.
• The best hygiene was at San Francisco's Ferry Terminal Farmers Market and Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry and Shedd Aquarium, where only about 12 percent of people left without washing.

People exaggerate about hygiene. A Harris telephone survey of 1,000 more adults found 91 percent insisted they wash in public restrooms. Additionally, 77 percent claimed to always wash before handling or eating food, and 32 percent after coughing or sneezing.

We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.

Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible.