#nevada smog check

[wiackcom]

To reduce air pollution, many areas require regular emissions testing of automobiles to verify they meet air quality standards. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of required emissions and smog checks for personal vehicles - from test procedures to pass/fail standards. What is an Emissions or Smog Check for a Car? An emissions test (also called a smog check or pollution test) measures the levels of certain air pollutants in a vehicle's exhaust. It is typically required periodically to renew a car's registration. Key details on emissions testing: Tests tailpipe emissions as car runs on rollers Checks hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) Oxygen sensors also tested Models 1996 and newer tested via OBD-II scan tool Helps identify vehicles exceeding permitted emissions levels Reducing autos emitting excessive pollutants helps improve overall regional air quality. Why are Vehicle Emissions Tests Required? Testing vehicle emissions is mandated in many geographic areas to comply with clean air regulations. The Clean Air Act authorizes the EPA to set vehicle emissions standards. States are required to implement inspection programs in regions that exceed federal air quality standards for ozone pollution and other contaminants. Counties and states that fail to meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone are typically required under the Clean Air Act to implement emissions testing programs, along with other pollution reduction strategies. Currently, over 30 states have some form of mandatory recurrent emissions or smog testing for registration renewal. The EPA estimates these programs yield a 10-15% reduction in volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides emissions overall in adopting areas. What Areas Require Emissions Testing and How Often? States with county or regional emissions inspection programs include: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin Testing frequency varies by state and county: Annual testing - CA, CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, MN, NV, NY, OR, RI, VT, VA Biennial (every 2 years) testing - AZ, DC, GA, IL, IN, MO, NH, NJ, NC, OH, PA, TN, TX, UT, WA, WI Areas meeting EPA "attainment" levels can apply to reduce test frequency or eliminate testing requirements after maintaining compliance for a period of time. Contact your local motor vehicle department to confirm the emissions testing requirements and schedule for your county or region. What Does the Emissions Test Check and How is it Performed? The emissions test checks tailpipe exhaust levels of hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Oxygen sensors are also checked. The standard testing procedure: Vehicle driven onto dynamometer (large rollers) Exhaust pipe fitted with equipment to collect emissions samples Engine brought up to operating temperature Dynamometer applies resistance to simulate driving conditions Multiple acceleration, deceleration, and cruise phases HC, CO, NOx, and O2 levels measured continuously Results compared against emissions standards for make/model/year Since 1996, most inspections are done by plugging into your car's OBD-II port to check emissions monitors in the vehicle's computer. Pass or Fail: Emissions Standards Your Car Must Meet For gasoline vehicles, maximum exhaust emissions standards are: Hydrocarbons (HC): 220 parts per million Carbon Monoxide (CO): 4.2% concentration Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx): 540 parts per million Additionally: Oxygen sensor must be present and functioning MIL light must not be illuminated (check eng

ine light) Fuel cap must be properly sealed with no leaks Any check engine lights, faults, or monitors "not ready" may cause an automatic failure. Standards vary by model year and vehicle class. How to Prepare Your Car to Pass Emissions Testing To improve your chances of passing emissions testing: Fix any check engine lights - Diagnose and repair any issues triggering error codes. Replace oxygen sensor - Faulty O2 sensors almost always cause failure. Replace over 100k miles. Tune up engine - Replace air filter, spark plugs, wires. Helps optimize combustion. Tighten gas cap - A loose or missing gas cap will trigger evap monitor failure. Complete drive cycle - Drive through all conditions to set monitors to "ready" status if needed. Check your local requirements - Some areas prohibit testing immediately after clearing codes. Doing proper maintenance and fixing problems that trigger check engine lights before testing gives you the best odds of a pass. How Much Does Emissions Testing Cost? Emissions test fees vary by testing station and state. Average costs range from $15-$35 for the basic test. This fee is sometimes included in your vehicle's registration renewal cost. Most inspection stations accept cash, credit/debit cards, or checks. In some states, waivers may be available if you spend a certain amount on emissions-related repairs and still fail the test. Contact your motor vehicle department for details on emissions test pricing and potential waivers in your area. Locating Nearby Emissions Inspection Stations Most testing stations are privately owned mechanics and repair shops certified by the state to perform mandatory emissions inspections. Options to find a certified emissions testing location nearby: Check your state's motor vehicle department website for station listings. Search online business directories for "emissions testing" stations in your county. Call your local mechanic and repair shops to ask if they do testing. Look for station signs as you drive - many post signs indicating they offer emissions/smog testing. Find stations close to home to make the required testing and potential re-tests as convenient as possible. Limitations and Exemptions from Emissions Testing In some cases, certain vehicles may be exempt from needing periodic emissions testing including: Classic/antique vehicles - Classic car status varies by state, but is typically 25+ years old. Motorcycles and diesel vehicles - Exempt in some states. New vehicles - New cars within first 1-5 years of age may be exempt. Cars driven very few miles - Low mileage waiver available in some states. Areas without I/M programs - Whatever your state does not mandate. Vehicles registered out-of-state - If registering car in a non-testing state. Check with your local vehicle registration office for emissions testing exemptions and limitations that may apply to your specific vehicle type, age or usage. FAQs How often do I need to get an emissions test done? Testing frequency varies by state but is usually either annual or once every 2 years. Check your specific area. Can I pass emissions testing with a check engine light on? No, any error codes triggering your check engine light must be fixed and light cleared prior to emissions testing in order to pass. Where can I find my latest emissions test results report? Testing facilities provide you with your test report. Motor vehicle departments also keep records of test results which you can request. What should you do if your car fails emissions? Begin diagnosis and repairs immediately. Retest as soon as possible before registration expires. Some areas allow repair waivers if you invest enough fixing issues. Are electric cars and hybrids subject to emissions testing? Pure electric vehicles are exempt since they produce no tailpi

pe emissions. Traditional hybrids still require testing in most areas. Completing periodic emissions or smog checks is required by law in many regions. Follow proper maintenance and testing procedures to keep your car in compliance. #Wiack #Car #CarInsurance #CarRental #CarPrice #AutoLoans

[sportyconnect]

To reduce air pollution, many areas require regular emissions testing of automobiles to verify they meet air quality standards. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of required emissions and smog checks for personal vehicles - from test procedures to pass/fail standards. What is an Emissions or Smog Check for a Car? An emissions test (also called a smog check or pollution test) measures the levels of certain air pollutants in a vehicle's exhaust. It is typically required periodically to renew a car's registration. Key details on emissions testing: Tests tailpipe emissions as car runs on rollers Checks hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) Oxygen sensors also tested Models 1996 and newer tested via OBD-II scan tool Helps identify vehicles exceeding permitted emissions levels Reducing autos emitting excessive pollutants helps improve overall regional air quality. Why are Vehicle Emissions Tests Required? Testing vehicle emissions is mandated in many geographic areas to comply with clean air regulations. The Clean Air Act authorizes the EPA to set vehicle emissions standards. States are required to implement inspection programs in regions that exceed federal air quality standards for ozone pollution and other contaminants. Counties and states that fail to meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone are typically required under the Clean Air Act to implement emissions testing programs, along with other pollution reduction strategies. Currently, over 30 states have some form of mandatory recurrent emissions or smog testing for registration renewal. The EPA estimates these programs yield a 10-15% reduction in volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides emissions overall in adopting areas. What Areas Require Emissions Testing and How Often? States with county or regional emissions inspection programs include: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin Testing frequency varies by state and county: Annual testing - CA, CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, MN, NV, NY, OR, RI, VT, VA Biennial (every 2 years) testing - AZ, DC, GA, IL, IN, MO, NH, NJ, NC, OH, PA, TN, TX, UT, WA, WI Areas meeting EPA "attainment" levels can apply to reduce test frequency or eliminate testing requirements after maintaining compliance for a period of time. Contact your local motor vehicle department to confirm the emissions testing requirements and schedule for your county or region. What Does the Emissions Test Check and How is it Performed? The emissions test checks tailpipe exhaust levels of hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Oxygen sensors are also checked. The standard testing procedure: Vehicle driven onto dynamometer (large rollers) Exhaust pipe fitted with equipment to collect emissions samples Engine brought up to operating temperature Dynamometer applies resistance to simulate driving conditions Multiple acceleration, deceleration, and cruise phases HC, CO, NOx, and O2 levels measured continuously Results compared against emissions standards for make/model/year Since 1996, most inspections are done by plugging into your car's OBD-II port to check emissions monitors in the vehicle's computer. Pass or Fail: Emissions Standards Your Car Must Meet For gasoline vehicles, maximum exhaust emissions standards are: Hydrocarbons (HC): 220 parts per million Carbon Monoxide (CO): 4.2% concentration Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx): 540 parts per million Additionally: Oxygen sensor must be present and functioning MIL light must not be illuminated (check eng

ine light) Fuel cap must be properly sealed with no leaks Any check engine lights, faults, or monitors "not ready" may cause an automatic failure. Standards vary by model year and vehicle class. How to Prepare Your Car to Pass Emissions Testing To improve your chances of passing emissions testing: Fix any check engine lights - Diagnose and repair any issues triggering error codes. Replace oxygen sensor - Faulty O2 sensors almost always cause failure. Replace over 100k miles. Tune up engine - Replace air filter, spark plugs, wires. Helps optimize combustion. Tighten gas cap - A loose or missing gas cap will trigger evap monitor failure. Complete drive cycle - Drive through all conditions to set monitors to "ready" status if needed. Check your local requirements - Some areas prohibit testing immediately after clearing codes. Doing proper maintenance and fixing problems that trigger check engine lights before testing gives you the best odds of a pass. How Much Does Emissions Testing Cost? Emissions test fees vary by testing station and state. Average costs range from $15-$35 for the basic test. This fee is sometimes included in your vehicle's registration renewal cost. Most inspection stations accept cash, credit/debit cards, or checks. In some states, waivers may be available if you spend a certain amount on emissions-related repairs and still fail the test. Contact your motor vehicle department for details on emissions test pricing and potential waivers in your area. Locating Nearby Emissions Inspection Stations Most testing stations are privately owned mechanics and repair shops certified by the state to perform mandatory emissions inspections. Options to find a certified emissions testing location nearby: Check your state's motor vehicle department website for station listings. Search online business directories for "emissions testing" stations in your county. Call your local mechanic and repair shops to ask if they do testing. Look for station signs as you drive - many post signs indicating they offer emissions/smog testing. Find stations close to home to make the required testing and potential re-tests as convenient as possible. Limitations and Exemptions from Emissions Testing In some cases, certain vehicles may be exempt from needing periodic emissions testing including: Classic/antique vehicles - Classic car status varies by state, but is typically 25+ years old. Motorcycles and diesel vehicles - Exempt in some states. New vehicles - New cars within first 1-5 years of age may be exempt. Cars driven very few miles - Low mileage waiver available in some states. Areas without I/M programs - Whatever your state does not mandate. Vehicles registered out-of-state - If registering car in a non-testing state. Check with your local vehicle registration office for emissions testing exemptions and limitations that may apply to your specific vehicle type, age or usage. FAQs How often do I need to get an emissions test done? Testing frequency varies by state but is usually either annual or once every 2 years. Check your specific area. Can I pass emissions testing with a check engine light on? No, any error codes triggering your check engine light must be fixed and light cleared prior to emissions testing in order to pass. Where can I find my latest emissions test results report? Testing facilities provide you with your test report. Motor vehicle departments also keep records of test results which you can request. What should you do if your car fails emissions? Begin diagnosis and repairs immediately. Retest as soon as possible before registration expires. Some areas allow repair waivers if you invest enough fixing issues. Are electric cars and hybrids subject to emissions testing? Pure electric vehicles are exempt since they produce no tailpi

pe emissions. Traditional hybrids still require testing in most areas. Completing periodic emissions or smog checks is required by law in many regions. Follow proper maintenance and testing procedures to keep your car in compliance. #Wiack #Car #CarInsurance #CarRental #CarPrice #AutoLoans

[rotagson]

Simplifying Your Vehicle Registration Renewal in Nevada: A Comprehensive Guide

As a vehicle owner in Nevada, renewing your vehicle registration is a crucial task that you must complete on time to avoid late fees and ensure that you're driving with a valid registration. The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has made the renewal process simple and convenient by offering different renewal options. In this guide, we'll take you through the steps involved in renewing your vehicle registration in Nevada.

Online Renewal

Renewing your vehicle registration online is the most popular and convenient method. To renew your registration online, you'll need to visit the Nevada DMV website and provide your license plate number, the last four digits of your VIN, and your insurance information. After submitting the required information, you can pay the registration fee using a credit or debit card. Once your payment is processed, you'll receive your registration renewal in the mail.

Renewal by Mail

Renewing by mail is another option. When you receive your renewal notice in the mail, you can complete and return the form, along with payment for the registration fee, to the DMV. The renewal notice will include instructions on how to complete the form and the total amount due. You can pay by check or money order, made payable to the Nevada DMV.

Renewal in Person

Renewing your vehicle registration in person at a Nevada Dmv Registration Renewal office is also an option. To renew in person, you'll need to bring your renewal notice or vehicle registration, proof of insurance, and payment for the registration fee. If your vehicle is due for a smog check, you may be required to pass one. If your registration has been expired for more than 30 days, you may be subject to late fees.

Renewal Deadline

In Nevada, you must renew your vehicle registration by the end of the month in which it expires. If your registration expires on the last day of the month, you have until the end of the following month to renew it without penalty. After that, late fees will be added to the registration fee. It's important to renew your registration on time to avoid late fees and ensure that you're driving with a valid registration.

In conclusion, renewing your vehicle registration in Nevada is a straightforward and convenient process. You can renew online, by mail, or in person at a DMV office. It's important to renew your registration on time to avoid late fees and to ensure that you're driving with a valid registration. If you have any questions about renewing your vehicle registration, you can contact the Nevada DMV for assistance.

#dmv registration renewal nevada

[marioprobertson]

What Do I Need To Register My Car In Nevada?

To register your car in Nevada, you will need the following documents:

Proof of ownership: You'll need the title, bill of sale, or other proof of ownership for the vehicle.

Smog check: If your vehicle is more than two years old, you'll need to have it inspected for emissions.

Insurance: You will need to provide proof of insurance, including liability coverage.

Vehicle identification number (VIN) inspection: You will need to have a VIN inspection performed by an authorized person or organization.

Registration fee: You'll need to pay a fee to register your vehicle.

Application for Vehicle Registration: You'll need to fill out an application for vehicle registration.

Nevada driver's license: You must have a Nevada driver's license or identification card to register a vehicle in the state. After you have all the required documents and fees, you can register your vehicle in person at a DMV office or online through the Nevada DMV website.

[servicesasapus]

ASAP DMV | Out OF State Auto Registration And Title Services Information

On the other hand, auto registration fees are on the high end. The Nevada DMV provides an estimator that will give you an idea of what auto registration fees need to be paid.3rd party ASAP DMV Services fees are in addition to what the actual auto registration fees for your vehicle. When coming from out of state you will need a VIN inspection, SMOG check, Title or finance contract. Requirements for certain situations, states, and vehicles may need additional paperwork. We always recommend you call 702-368-2727 before starting your out of state auto registration.

[owlmylove]

Ok so as someone who has never seen an episode of Supernatural in their life but understands a lot of references/whatnot from living through superwholock tumblr, can you explain what happened with destiel? I don't know what to google :/

as someone who has also never seen an episode of Supernatural but was slowly poisoned by the smog of secondhand fandom back in the 20-teens, I’ll do my best babe!!

Castiel apparently made some sort of deal with some sort of entity (??) that, if he was ever happy, he would immediately descend into Super Hell because obvi supernatural has lost all sense of consequences since they jumped the shark in like, season 2 and presumably have spent the last 8 years jumping a veritable Sea World’s worth of meaninglessly dramatic plot twists

anyway, Castiel told Dean he loves him in some of the worst heterosexual acting I have ever seen, somehow (????) felt happy while watching Jensen Ackles look furiously constipated, and then was immediately sucked down a firey hell tube into Super Hell (which feels very Freudian anal fixation 2 me), where gay people go if they dare to be happy for one (1) second

ALSO: the script has since leaked and Dean reportedly “Can Not Reciprocate” so CW rlly just handed us the fastest ever bury your gays speedrun and said “you’re welcome :) :) :)”

this news broke last night while most people were enjoying the bamboo-under-fingernails sensation of refreshing twitter every 5 seconds to check Nevada/Pennsylvania/Georgia results in the U.S. election, and APPARENTLY the New York Post decided this was a good time to come out with a headline that claimed Putin was stepping down as president

natch, the overlap of these 3 events was too much for our tenuous grasp on reality to survive and all hell broke loose. most ppl found out abt the Putin resignation (which has since been denied by the Kremlin) via tweets about destiel “becoming canon” (which has since been disproven by the script) and we all collectively took a tab of cultural LSD and astral-projected back to 2012

now johnlock apologists are apparently crossing their fingers (I think they’re getting a new season in 2022? because yeah sure why the fuck not) and i’m looking over my shoulder every 5 minutes in case the fucking once-ler rises again

soooooo thats what you missed last time on glee <3 

#owl-steal-your-soul #also hi i obviously love your username #owl gang!!!!! <3 #long post #owl post

[baka-monarch]

I have randomly been struck with the strong desire for tiny!sapnap (with fearplay) all of a sudden

Sapnap is tiny. Tiny like the embers of a fire. He doesn't need to be big and his small size has never really affected him much- he's still just as strong as everyone else and just as respected as anyone who's "normal" sized on the smp

But he wants to know what the fuck is going on with Quackity- so he puts on some netherite armor and sneaks into Las Nevadas where he's heard Quackity is the one who made it... He only wanted to check, he wanted to know if Quackity was okay and if- if they really... If they really forgot about him and Karl...

He stays hidden as he follows Quackity around, waiting and hoping to know more about what's going on.... While spying he learns a few things (like Dream's torchur-) that saddens him a bit, but he doesn't once hear Quackity even mention El Rapids, or Karl and him... Not even mentioning having fiances, and Quackity's rings aren't visible.

It isn't until Quackity is alone in his office that Sapnap reveals himself to ask some questions- and he does not get the answers he was hoping for.

•••

"I left you!?" Quackity shouts, standing from his desk to purposely tower over Sapnap. "No no no- you both- all three of you fucking left me!!" The small fireborne stumbles back a bit as Quackity stalks closer. "George told me all about your little Kinoko Kingdom- when we're you gonna fucking tell me huh!? After I wasn't gonna be a part of it I see!" He slammed his foot down, smirking at how Sapnap flinched- oh it felt good to finally have some power, first with what he did to Dream, then with everything with Las Nevadas, and this felt good too. So what if he was a power addict, nothing wrong with that.

"We were going to tell you..." Sapnap starts to answer. "Just... We wanted to finish it first and-"

"oh of course!" Quackity cuts them off. "of course you need to finish building your new empire with your new fiances before you can tell your ex you're abandoning them!!" He reaches down and grabs Sapnap into a tight fist, ignoring their shouting and squirming.

"what are you talking about!?" Sapnap yells the question, wiggling uncomfortably with how tightly the hand is squeezing him, and getting a little sick from how fast he'd been lifted.

"Oh ho ho-" he laughs without humor, his voice layered with sarcasm. "Don't think I didn't notice George. Working with you both all the time and staying up in Kinoko kingdom doing who know what! Probably with Karl right now having fun!"

"Wha- no, Quackity you don't understand!" Sapnap continues to struggle, but only finds the hand holding him becoming tighter and tighter. "H- he's not- tha- that's not-"

"I know exactly what the fuck is going on." Quackity growls. "So why don't you go back to your shit kingdom where nothing ever goes wrong." He kept squeezing until Sapnap disappeared into a puff of smoke and their items fell.

:)

Mcyt g/t list:

@trashpumped @lorie-the-little-ghost @encaos @i-am-a-weeb @wyforyu-gaming @shy-septic-dragon @5unfl0writ3r @colorfulsiren @moonmwah @iwasgoingtohellanyways @echoslime @wilbur-simp @trouble-off-grid @lilsyxx @smogs-0

#ask #mcyt g/t #mcytg/t #tiny!sapnap #g/t quackity #tw death

[financeandroma]

Pollution potentially reduced with the use of lithium batteries.

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These other sectors work into the use of lithium in batteries could perhaps be less contaminated. According to research Electric cars, often known as EVs, seem to be plug-in electric vehicles that have the potential to help keep the city and the world clean. In general, EVs emit fewer emissions than traditional vehicles, which might also contribute to climate change and smog.

Workers have been preparing to launch blasting and digging out a giant pit atop a long-dormant volcano in northern Nevada, which could serve as the first new large-scale lithium mine in the United States in more than a decade, providing a new domestic supply of an essential ingredient in electric car batteries and renewable energy. Check disclaimer my on profile and landing page.

#tumblelog #artists on tumblr #lithium #gogreen #teslaroadster #ecofriendly #bhfyph #electric vehicles

[berniesrevolution]

At first it was the smell of burning leaves, a very nostalgic smell for me, evocative of Indiana in October, back when I was a kid and you could still burn leaf piles. I had never experienced that smell in California before, in eighteen years of living here. I chalked it up to the weirdness of city living—with so many people, who knows what odd things someone might be doing somewhere?

Half an hour later, the sound of helicopters made it clear that it wasn’t a renegade neighbor burning leaves in the backyard. A text from my wife around the same time filled in the remaining details: there was a grass fire about a mile from our house, next to a highway. She had seen it while driving to an exercise class and called it in. Soon I was watching live online video from the local news channel: ten fire vehicles lined up along the side of the road next to a charred football-field sized patch. The 1991 Oakland fire was a smallish grass fire that was put out and then sprang back to life, a fact that is now deeply ingrained into fire management here. Oakland fire personnel were walking through the surrounding area with hoses, saturating it. Most likely some of them would be there for hours, watching vigilantly for any rekindling.

As the day progressed, the fall-in-Indiana smell turned into a New-Delhi-smog smell. That smell evokes fond memories of India; but also memories of upper respiratory infections on two separate occasions when I passed through Delhi. That acrid smoke was from strong winds had started not just that little Oakland fire, but from the now-infamous Camp Fire. A huge smoke plumes trails off of it, like a long gray scarf of doom blowing across the state and out into the ocean.

By the next day the world had shifted into a postapocalyptic yellow-orange-gray cast, like a sunset, but in the middle of the day. It was a Friday. On Friday mornings I have a standing arrangement to meet with another Dad with our kids, usually at the Zoo or at a park. We texted about the air quality but decided to go anyway. (We could risk our pulmonary health outside or our mental health stuck in a house all day with a two-year-old.)

The park was vacant when we got there. All the other parents had apparently opted for the mental health risk. In the bathroom the toilet seat, and the water in it, was covered evenly in gray fibery particles. At first I thought someone had clipped their hair over the toilet, before realizing it was ash.

This is the third time it has been like this in a little over a year. The October 2017 firestorm was large and close, a whole week of windows-closed, ash-on-the-cars, can’t-go-out, red-sky days.

This summer, July of 2018, a couple of months after our son was born, our family drove to Grass Valley, on the shoulder of the Sierra Nevada, house-sitting for a friend who was traveling. We planned to stay for a week, running around outside on the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. We left after two days, in large part because of the Carr-Mendocino fires.

Now we are on day twelve of the Camp Fire shut-in. I started writing this over a week ago, on Saturday November 10, and still we cannot go outside more than briefly. Every day we check the AQI, or “air quality index”, on AirNow or Purple Air, the way most people check the weather. Every day it is “unhealthy” or worse, and we stay inside. Jumping on our couch has been my two-year-old’s primary method of physical exercise. Ordinarily, almost all the time I spent writing this—during weekends, when grandparents are helping out with the kids—I would have been outside, riding a bike.  But that’s not something I could do for the last two weekends without filling my lungs with smoke.

(Continue Reading)

#politics #the left #current affairs #climate crisis #california #wildfire

[neurotically-lime]

Smog Check 101

Many of us here in the United States have to pass smog checks in order for our vehicles to be registered. This is not required in every county in the US and depends totally on where you live. For me, I grew up in a small town in Nevada. We did not need our cars to pass emissions in order to be registered. I drove an old diesel truck that was emitting far too much emissions to pass a test, yet I had no idea.

From there, I moved to the beautiful state of California. Nevada is very strict about insurance and if you have a vehicle registered in Nevada, it must have Nevada insurance. This led me to switch my insurance over to California and then to try to get my truck registered. I quickly found out, that that old truck would not pass emissions. The exhaust components were in excellent shape but after almost 700,000 miles, the truck just did not run as clean as it once did.

Many of you live in places where your vehicle’s must pass smog checks. In this article, we will go over the basics of what to expect with your smog test and what you can fix on your car to help it pass the test.

Emissions Testing

Your smog check consists of essentially three parts. Your car will be lifted into the air and your exhaust system will be visually inspected. If there are any holes or gaps in your exhaust system, you absolutely will not pass your emissions test. As long as these gases are exiting your exhaust system prematurely, it becomes a large emissions problem. You will not pass if your exhaust gasses are leaking.

Your test will also have a visible smoke test. Your car will be started and the exhaust will be watched. If your vehicle is smoking excessively, you will not pass the test. In the winter when you start your car, it is common to see some smoke from the exhaust until the car is warm. This is totally normal and is not what the inspectors are looking for. Constant white, blue, or black smoke is a warning that something about the car isn’t right.

The last part of your vehicle’s emissions testing is an OBD-2 test. A computer will be plugged into your vehicle’s computer to read real-time data on how the vehicle is performing. The mechanics are able to see data on things such as the air-fuel mixture. By looking at this data, they know how clean your vehicle is running.

If your car fails any of these 3 parts, you will need to do some work on your car before it is ready to be tested again.

Smog Repair

Luckily, you can have another chance at passing your smog test. If you don’t pass, they will tell you why you didn’t pass. You can either fix the issues yourself or pay a shop to do the repairs for you. There are many reasons as to why your car might not have passed the smog test.

One very common reason is a rich air-fuel mixture. This could be due to several different reasons. You might need to replace your injectors that have become worn out or change out a bad oxygen sensor. Make sure that each of these components is working as they should, and you will be fine.

Another common cause for failure is a leak. This could be a defective EVAP system (evaporative emission control system) or a leaking gas cap. You have a wide variety of hoses and vents which all could potentially leak. Checking these can be tough but are necessary to pass your emissions test.

One of the most important components in regard to emissions is your catalytic converter. Its job is to convert the toxic gases produced by the engine into non-harmful gases. If your catalytic converter is damaged, you have no chance at passing your emissions test. If you are running a very rich air-fuel mixture the excess unburnt fuel flowing through the catalytic converter will actually destroy it.

Exhaust Leak

Another big reason for failing your emissions test is due to an exhaust leak. These leaks could develop anywhere in your exhaust system. As exhaust gases exit the vehicle prematurely, they have not been treated properly and are far more toxic to the environment and to the public. These leaks can develop for a variety of reasons. You could have run over something that hits and damages the exhaust system. This could puncture it with a large hole or only allow for a small leak. Regardless of the size, you will not be passing an emissions test. These leaks also can develop over time as the exhaust wears out.

Many people have tried to fix these leaks themselves by welding the leak shut or welding something over the hole. This is not recommended. It is generally best to replace the part that is damaged. Changing out exhaust parts is fairly simple and can be done by someone without a significant amount of auto experience. If you aren’t feeling up to it, you can always take it to a shop and have them do it for you as well.

Smog Check Help

Oftentimes, if you fail a smog check, there is help out there for you. Oftentimes, you can receive a tax credit to aid you in your smog related repairs. For those who live in the state of California, if you do not pass a smog test, the state will actually pay you to retire your car. This may not be what you want to do, but there is help out there for those who do not pass their emissions tests.

There are so many different things that can lead you to fail a smog check. It is near impossible to make sure that everything is working perfectly before taking it to the shop. Luckily, there is forgiveness and you can have a second try at passing the test. We found a helpful video of what to check before taking your car in for a smog test. Check it out below. This all helps keep us and our environment safe and clean!

Our sponsor for this article is:

A-1 Auto Tech, Inc. 89 Pioneer Way, Mountain View, CA 94041 650-487-2240 https://mountainviewautorepairs.com/

#smog #auto exhaust repair #smog check station

[newstfionline]

California wildfires rage, killing at least nine and putting tens of thousands at risk

By Joel Achenbach, Katie Mettler, E. Aaron Williams and Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, November 10, 2018

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.--California is on fire again, north and south, the flames deadly and swift, fanned by ferocious Santa Ana winds and fueled by dry tinder. The fires have killed at least nine people, immolated a mountain town and jangled the nerves of many tens of thousands of residents forced to evacuate their homes.

The fires have thus far proved to be unstoppable, operating at flash-flood velocity. The big wildfire here in Southern California, known as the Woolsey Fire, quadrupled in size Friday, covering more than 22 square miles, with no containment. It easily jumped eight-lane Highway 101 and rambled over the Santa Monica Mountains to posh Malibu, where it torched homes and cars. The wildfire then finally ran into its only match so far: the Pacific Ocean.

The bulletins from the northern part of the state were even worse. At least nine people died in or near their homes or vehicles as they tried to outrace the Camp Fire, which devastated the mountain town of Paradise, about 90 miles north of the state capital, Sacramento.

Paradise was anything but, with block after block of destruction, downed power lines, charred cars in the middle of roads, utility poles still smoldering and spot fires around the town, though there wasn’t much vegetation left to burn. Random buildings still stand in the town of 27,000, but for every edifice that survived, dozens that did not.

Marc Kessler, 55, a science teacher at one of Paradise’s middle schools, said the smoke was rising from the Sierra Nevada foothills when he arrived at work Thursday.

“The sky turned black; you couldn’t tell it was daytime,” he said. “It was raining black pieces of soot, coming down like a black snowstorm and starting fires everywhere. Within minutes, the town was engulfed.”

Kessler said authorities told teachers to forget seat belt laws and start piling the 200 or so students who showed up for class Thursday morning into the teachers’ personal vehicles. Some frantic parents showed up to get their children, he said, and bus drivers drove through flames to help save children’s lives.

Kessler said one of the students in his car said, “Oh, look at the moon!”

“I said, ‘That’s not the moon. That’s the sun,’ “ he recalled, his voice breaking. “There were times when there were flames near the vehicles. There were times when you couldn’t see through the smoke. Some of our teachers didn’t think they’d survive.”

About 23.4 million Californians were under red-flag warnings into Friday, and officials warned that flames could reach the city of Chico, a college town of more than 90,000 about six miles from Paradise. People scrambled to evacuate.

The Camp Fire had covered 110 square miles and was just 5 percent contained as of Friday, state officials said, warning that there might be additional deaths that they cannot confirm until they can safely enter smoldering neighborhoods. It is a terrifying situation for family members of residents who were last heard from when the town and others nearby were ordered evacuated.

“We didn’t have much time; it came too fast,” said Cory Nichols, a barber who fled his home in Paradise. “We were going to sell the house. Don’t have to now.”

California has experienced debilitating fires of unprecedented regularity in the past few years, many of them encroaching on towns and cities built up to the edges of forests in areas prone to wildfires. In August, the Mendocino Complex Fire became the largest wildfire ever recorded in the state, burning more than 400,000 acres. The previous record was set less than a year before, when the Thomas Fire burned through more than 280,000 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. In October 2017, some 21 wildfires burned nearly 95,000 acres and 7,000 buildings in Sonoma and Napa counties in the heart of California’s wine country, killing 40 people.

The California fire season normally begins in late spring and lasts through summer. But hot, dry weather has persisted this year well into autumn, and the winter rains have yet to arrive. The Santa Ana winds, which blow out of the Sierra Nevadas and toward the western coastline, are building into howling gales that dry the vegetation and the soil, creating potentially explosive fire conditions.

In Thousand Oaks, 40 miles from downtown Los Angeles, residents have endured a brutal week.

This city, cherished by its residents for clean air and low crime, already was in mourning after Wednesday night’s mass shooting at a country music bar. At a vigil downtown Thursday night, people had lit candles and pondered an unspeakable crime. Just hours later, the same area was choked in smoke and imperiled by the Woolsey Fire.

In the pre-dawn darkness, a gusty wind whipped American flags flying at half-staff in honor of the shooting victims. An orange glow could be seen throughout the city, sometimes leaping into bright flares along the ridgelines. Emergency bulletins buzzed cellphones in the middle of the night, sometimes urging evacuations.

“It’s dangerous to sleep all night,” said Sergio Figueroa, 34, who was dropping his wife off at a hotel where she works on Friday. Late Thursday and into the early hours Friday, he watched television, knowing his home was in the “voluntary” evacuation zone. He said he allowed himself one hour of shut-eye--but not actual sleep.

“You just close your eyes and stay alert,” he said.

At 3 a.m., streets normally empty at that hour were filled with parents, children and pets evacuating as the orange glow crept closer.

“Don’t wait too long. Get out when they tell you to get out,” said Uber driver Brent Young, 52, who was about to take a client from Thousand Oaks to the Los Angeles International Airport through a roundabout route that would circumvent closed freeways and dangerous conditions.

The problem was figuring out which way to go. There were fires in many places. Even before the Woolsey Fire kicked up, another wildfire, the Hill Fire, threatened homes west of town. Highway 101 was closed in both directions at various times for two different fires. The only thing inhibiting the Hill Fire was that it ran into the footprint of a 2013 fire and lacked fuel, officials said.

Longtime resident Peggy Smith, 64, was filling her gas tank at 4 a.m. Friday at a Mobil station in an area under voluntary evacuation. She said people began flocking to Thousand Oaks in the 1960s after airline pilots on the flight path into Los Angeles noticed that there was no smog here. The pilots moved in, and then police officers, and firefighters.

She was ready for the fire. She needed only 10 minutes to load her car with her favorite family photos, important documents, clothes and food.

“My son’s a fireman. I was married to a fireman. I’m not scared,” Smith said. “I have full faith in our fire departments.”

They were busy. The trucks rolled through neighborhoods and zoomed down Highway 101. People had fled, power was out, and the only light came from the fires.

“This is crazy,” said Paige Gordon, a real estate agent who was checking on a friend’s multimillion-dollar house in Westlake Village as flames devoured the parched brush. “We have all aspects of Ventura County on fire.”

As he turned on sprinklers in his friend’s backyard, an eruption of flame on the hillside caught his attention: “There’s the fire right there!”

Smoke loomed over Thousand Oaks like a thunderhead, the black cloud slowly advancing toward the sea as it crossed hills covered in blackened stubble.

In Malibu, film and television producer Ben Rosenblatt, 35, took one look at the approaching fire and knew he had to get out fast. He had just enough time to walk the dog first. There aren’t many ways in and out of Malibu, with the roads that wind up through the canyons impassable because of fire. That left the Pacific Coast Highway, where traffic moved at a crawl. The drive to Santa Monica should have taken him 35 minutes, but the navigation app on his phone said it would be 2 hours 35 minutes.

“It’s like a slow-motion race with massive fire clouds behind you and bumper-to-bumper traffic in front,” Rosenblatt said. “Think of any disaster movie you’ve seen where you’re trying to outrun the storm but it’s happening so slowly.”

Back in Thousand Oaks, the smoke would recede and then billow up again as a spot fire flared anew. At a teen center, set up as an evacuation site for those fleeing the fires, people became nervous when they saw flames on a nearby hillside.

In the parking lot, people slept in their cars beside their cats and dogs, their belongings packed in the back.

Mary Leighton, 57, of West Lake, had just gone to bed Thursday night when her brother heard on the news that they needed to evacuate.

“You think, ‘What do you take?’ “ She said. “My mind went blank.”

Five minutes later, carrying her husband’s ashes and her cat, Pumpkin, she and her family were gone. They slept in a shelter overnight and woke Friday morning to news that homes in their neighborhood had burned. Leighton didn’t know whether her home survived.

#California #California wildfires #Woolsey Fire #Camp Fire

[juicehoee]

All Along the Watchtower {Chapter 4: Ghosts and Demons} (Juice Ortiz)

One/Two/Three/Four/Five

This chapter is almost 5,500 words so enjoy!

Chapter 4: Ghosts and Demons

“Have you ever seen the Conjuring?” Lana waved the DVD in front of Juice’s face. He sat idly, looking dreamily into the distance.

The clubhouse was bathed in a soothing yellow-orange light that danced across the walls and the floor. Amber rays accented the wood of the bar, covering the place with a cozy aura that made Juice want to place his head in the crook of his arm and just drift to sleep right there. It was quiet, save for the occasional car zipping down the street, but it was a faraway sound like part of a movie on the television with the volume turned down real low. He was practically dreaming now; his eyes were open, but his mind wasn’t there. It whizzed across the plane between wakefulness and sleepiness; an unconscious purgatory that felt like a brand new home in the dim, amber light of the bar.

Juice perched on the bar with a short glass of whiskey clenched in his fist, deep in thought about some very important things in his life. Was it worth driving down to Nevada tonight? Priscilla had invited him up for the weekend, but he was covering Sack’s Sunday afternoon shift at the garage which meant he had to drive three hours there on a Friday night and drive another three on a Sunday morning. He was having second thoughts about this girl; her and her Uncle Lenny seemed a little too friendly picking up a guy with head tats and an MC kutte without too many questions. It was weird for country folk to be so open about a grown man letting a guy like Juice into his vehicle with his pretty niece in the backseat. Most horror movies started out that way.

Juice, you’re just being paranoid, he told himself. Don’t screw up a good thing with a nice girl gettin’ caught up with all the little details.

He and Priscilla weren’t anything particularly official yet (a few texts back and forth do not a relationship make), but he wanted to talk to her again. He wanted to know about Boston, about her parents, about her life out there in the middle of nowhere, about her high school hockey career. She was so interesting and there was so much information he wanted to learn.

“Hello?” Lana smacked Juice on the nose with the DVD. “Earth to Juice!”

He jumped in alarm a mile in the air, his ass crashing back down onto the barstool. “Holy hell, you scared the shit out of me. Are you trying to give me a damn heart attack?”

“Sorry.” Lana shrugged. Juice decided she definitely didn’t mean it. “You were pretty zoned for five minutes and I kept calling your name, but you didn’t answer.”

Juice looked around the bar to see if Clay or Tig were around. It was silly, considering Clay went home about two hours ago and Tig had been missing in action for most of the day. In fact, you could hear crickets creaking with how quiet the bar was, highly unusual for a Friday night. Juice just figured most of the guys had gone to drink wherever Bobby was performing tonight. As per usual, he either forgot about his invite or didn’t get one at all. Juice and Lana were alone in the bar and it was the first time they’d spoken since the incident at dinner almost a week ago.

“Clay’s not here to beat your ass if that’s what you’re worried about.” Lana chuckled, propping herself on the barstool next to him. “Although, I’m pretty sure you could take him in a fight.”

She poked at his biceps, feeling the taut muscles of his arms that just oozed a sense of strength and masculinity. Sure, he might be able to take Clay in a purely physical head to head match, but Clay had powers he and Lana could only dream of. Still, he didn’t mind her admiring how strong he was and how high her opinion of him seemed to be in hand-to-hand combat. It was nice to be considered strong for once.

“Yeah, I could punch Clay a few times but he could have me buried off the highway and no one would ever find my body.” Juice said, taking a sip of his whiskey. “So, if I turn up dead, check the highway.”

“Easier said than done.” Lana rolled her eyes at him, but turned to face him and got quite serious all of a sudden. “I just wanted to apologize for getting you in trouble. I didn’t mean to cause anything between you and Clay. I know it’s hard being one of the new guys anyway and the guys still treat you like a prospect even though they’ve already got a new prospect.”

“It’s alright, you didn’t get me in trouble. Clay’s just a crazy old man and he’s gotta keep you safe for your dad while he’s not around.” Juice said. “I can understand that. You should, too.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Lana was quiet after that.

A few minutes passed by with neither of them moving. The tension was palpable, a thick smog of unspoken words suspended themselves in the air between the two, focusing on the space between their bodies on the barstool. She was desperate to be his friend and he was desperate for a friend; he was just afraid that they looked for the wrong kinds of satisfaction in each other.

Lana reached across the bar, sick of the silence. She picked up a bottle of Jack Daniels from under the counter and poured the delicious stuff into a glass, knowing anyone who checked the contents of the bar would never dream of suspecting her. Genius.

“When did you even get here?” Juice asked, finishing his own glass in a few more careful sips. He enjoyed the slow burn of his throat as it went down to his gullet, settling comfortably in the warmth of his belly. His eyes closed a bit; he felt so sleepy. “Thought you’d be at Bobby’s gig. You’re an Elvis fan, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I am. Just didn’t feel like facing everybody today, but I didn’t want to go back home either.” Lana avoided his eyes, swirling a drink with a little red mixer. “Came in through the back a few minutes ago while you were in the Dreamland.”

“The Dreamland?”

“You looked like you were asleep but with your eyes open. Dead to the world. I called your name over and over, but you didn’t even blink. I thought you had overdosed or something and I got worried.”

“You don’t have to worry about me.” Juice said, reach over the bar to put his empty glass in the sink. Someone would get it in the morning. Probably.

“If you say so.” Lana didn’t sound convinced, but she was preoccupied with the Jack Daniels.

As she was about to take her first sip, Juice jumped into action. He hopped up and knocked the drink out of her hand. The glass flew a few feet and crashed onto the hard floor, shattering into a thousand pieces and spilling Jack all over the floor. Lana stared at the mess in horror as Juice looked at her in horror.

“Are you trying to get me killed, girl?” he yelled, shaking her by the shoulders.

“You’re the one trying to get me killed!” Lana yelled back, shoving him off of her. “What the hell was that for?”

“You’re nineteen! You can’t be in here underage drinking on my watch!” Juice threw his hands in the air, exasperated.

“Then don’t watch.” Lana shot back. “You’re not my keeper. You’re my friend.”

“Yeah, well Clay would kill me if he knew I was in the clubhouse alone with you,” Juice paced back and forth. “Just imagine what he’d do if he knew I let you get sloshed on Jack Daniels.”

“He’s not here,” Lana pointed out. “It’s not like he’d ever find out.”

“Yeah, well,” Juice started, staring at the open bottle and wanting to smash it to the ground (but he didn’t have the patience to clean up two huge messes tonight). “You just shouldn’t be drinking anyway. You’re young and it’s bad for your liver.”

Lana was quiet, staring at the shattered glass on the floor. Her body turned away from him, particularly, her face, though he could see the red of her cheeks in the outline of her profile. He didn’t mean to embarrass her, but he was already treading on thin ice and he wasn’t a great role model to begin with. What if one of the guys walked in? He’d be toast. Still, it wasn’t his intention to humiliate her.

Juice closed the distance between them and held her face in his hands. “Look at me.” he pleaded tenderly. “Please.”

She turned her face toward him, but refused to meet his eyes. Half a win was better than nothing, he figured. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“What are we gonna do about the broken glass?” Lana ignored his apology and just kept eyeing the mess.

“I’ll clean it up, don’t worry about it.” Juice’s voice lowered into a soothing whisper. “It’s my fault. We’ll call it a. . . muscle spasm.”

“Are you sure?” Lana asked. Her face was still tomato red and she avoided him like the plague. In his head, he gave her the benefit of the doubt that the yellow light making it that much worse. It was kind of cute in a way, but he shook that thought from his brain real quick. It was stupid to think like that right now.

Juice went to a cupboard behind the bar to get the broom and a little barrel to put the glass in. Lana sat at the bar and watched him as he cleaned up the glass. Cleaning was a talent of his, something he did regularly to keep him occupied. Boredom plagued Juice often and cleaning straightened his head out when he had nothing to do or things got a little fuzzy. His head always ran a little ragged and the serenity of cleaning the broken glass cooled him off a little bit thinking about Lana.

Dammit, he wasn’t even acting that drunk and everything was acting up already. Not a good look, Ortiz. He needed to straighten himself out.

Lana got up and got a Pepsi from the fridge, sipping on that while staring hard into the bar counter. She knew her crush on Juice was hopeless and reeked of high school girl fantasy, but it still hurt when she took a running leap trying to get to know him and landing on her face at his feet while Clay stood over like them like a watchful overlord. She felt like she always fucked up when there were people watching and the club had been keeper a closer eye on her lately.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“What was your question?” Juice emptied the last of the glass into the trash barrel.

“Have you ever seen the Conjuring?” Lana asked, showing him the DVD cover. “You know the one with the haunted Annabelle doll that takes over that family’s farmhouse? It’s based on a true story.”

“No, but I remember it coming out in theaters.” Juice recalled, taking the DVD from her. “Didn’t make it to the theater in time to see it. You like scary movies?”

“Yeah, I guess this stuff is kind of a guilty pleasure for me.” Lana laughed to herself under her breath. “You want to watch it? I was just gonna hang out in the back room tonight. I think my mother has been circling my apartment building all week.”

The DVD had the blurry image of a tree with a noose hanging down from it with The Conjuring displayed across the top. The whole thing was creepy looking, but didn’t stick out from any of the other bad horror movies he had seen in the theaters every once in awhile. The noose unsettled him a little bit, but not enough for him to decide either way on the quality of the movie. He guessed it peaked his interest enough even with the tugging feeling in his lungs that pushed him toward the door and home to his cats.

“Come on, watch it with me.” Lana urged. She got up and grabbed his hand, coaxing him toward the back room. “Don’t make me watch it alone! Creepy dolls are my weakness.”

Juice didn’t pull away. He followed her lead into the crash pad in the back room, separate from the dorm rooms. “You sound like Tig.”

“Yeah, well, where do you think I get my phobia from?” Lana smirked. “When I was six, he told me a story about a haunted doll that convinced a kid to kill his whole family in cold blood. Couldn’t sleep for weeks. The man has a knack for the gruesome little details.”

“He’s like an episode of Law and Order: SVU come to life.” Juice agreed, flipping on the light switch and bathing them in the same dim, yellow light of the bar.

“Gotta love him though.” Lana said. “He’s always been a sweetheart to me.”

“You just said he’s the source of your phobias.” Juice deadpanned.

“It’s not his fault. He didn’t do it on purpose.” Lana said. “I’ve always liked him.”

“If you say so.” Juice let it go.

Tig gave him the creeps and the clear blue sheen of his eyes reminded Juice of being stranded out at sea while being circled by sharks in a life raft with a hole in it. It was a smothering feeling of hostility, but then again, they really hadn’t gotten to know each other that well yet. He could be the sweetest guy with the biggest heart for all Juice knew. He had his doubts, but he had always been one for giving people the benefit of the doubt despite first impressions.

“Ready?” Juice asked.

“Ready.”

There was an old leather couch against the back wall and a small television next to the door. The television gave off 1970s vibes with two antennae sticking up from the back of the box. It didn’t look like the thing would even hold up for a two and a half hour flick, but they’d be damned if they didn’t try.

“Jesus Christ,” Lana looked shocked. “Is that a fucking toaster?”

Juice’s eyes widened at the profanity having never heard it from her mouth before. “Might as well be. Might make the whole experience a little creepier. It adds a certain horror atmosphere.”

Lana took his hand again. She had a slightly terrified look in her eyes and he was starting to suspect she was lying about being into horror movies. They hadn’t even put the disc in. He decided to test his little theory as he put the DVD into the player with one hand.

“We can pretend we’re in one of those old slasher flicks,” he suggested, furrowing his eyebrows and putting on a crazed grin he had learned from watching Stephen King’s It as a kid. “Like Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers is gonna come through the door and cut out throats before we can get out.”

Lana squeezed his hand hard, and he felt the softness of her palms. She inched closer to him and looked out the window, expecting a deranged killer to be standing there with a butcher knife. Juice knew the only way that would happen was if one of his brothers had returned to the clubhouse from Bobby’s gig early. That would be a real fucking horror movie then with real blood instead of the ketchup shit they use in film.

“Don’t be scared.” Juice told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and giving her a comforting squeeze. “You’ve got a big scary biker to ward off all the bad guys for you.”

“Thanks.” she gave him a weak smile. “But haunted dolls aren’t gonna see your kutte and run like everyone else does.”

“Jesus Christ, Lana,” he rolled his eyes and smiled wide at her. “Let me have my hero moment here, okay?”

“Okay,” she let up on him, weakened by his smile. Dammit, that fucking smile made her knees weak. How could he even be real? “You can be my hero for the night then.”

“Thank you.” he grabbed the remote and dragged them both to the lumpy old couch.

Halfway through the movie, he noticed Lana out of the corner of his eye. She wasn’t cowering, but her eyes were wide, barely blinking. Juice decided to break the tension in hopes that lightening the mood would have her freaked out a little less, but he didn’t have much experience in comforting scared little girls. He wasn’t Superman, for Christ’s sake.

“Why don’t I go make us some microwave popcorn?” Juice stood up right as a woman onscreen screamed her bloody lungs out. “You want extra butter or-”

“No1” Lana hopped up next to him, latching onto his forearm with insistence. “Don’t leave me here by myself.”

“It’s just a movie-”

“Please.” Lana pleaded, digging her nails into his wrists. “Please, Juice. I’m humbly begging you. You hold my life in your hands.”

“Alright, alright.” Juice conceded, taking note of the real fear he saw in the downturned corners of her lips. “Let’s just sit back down and finish the movie alright.”

With no popcorn (he’d make some when he got home for the night, he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep without some of it now that he was craving it), they starting watching the movie in all of its glory: screaming children and a sense of instability that made Juice’s stomach churn.

Admittedly, it wasn’t a bad movie. It actually gave him the creeps and made him look at the dark hallway outside a few times, looking for something that shouldn’t be there. It was ridiculous, but he felt a little paranoid himself. Lana looked worse for the wear as time went on; slowly becoming more and more pale like she was turning into a ghost.

“Hey, you okay?” Juice asked, putting a hand on her forehead to check if she had a fever. He felt her warm skin against the back of his knuckles, but it wasn’t hot enough to be a concern.

“I’m fine. It’s just the movie.” she gave him a weak smile. “I’m okay. I’m a big girl, Juice.”

He didn’t believe her especially since her hands were practically shaking every time she glanced at the television. “Come here,” he uttered and she didn’t argue.

Juice adjusted himself so he was laying back on the arm of the couch. He leaned over and gathered her in his arms so the top half of her body was pressed against his chest. One of his hands rubbed her back slowly in soothing circles as he hugged her close to them. Her body relaxed against him, preoccupied with the thought of him so that she completely forgot about the movie. Juice’s chin rested on the top of Lana,s head and he breathed in the scent of her cherry blossom shampoo.

In an article he read, mice were conditioned to fear the scent of cherry blossoms by being shocked after being exposed. Their offspring also feared the scent of cherry blossoms even though they had never come into contact with it, and that’s how some scientists decided that fear and memories can be genetic. But he wasn’t a mouse, and he wasn’t scared. Still, it felt like he was being shocked with electricity and he didn’t know if it was a good thing or a terrible, terrible thing.

“Your hair smells nice.” he commented, burying his nose in her brunette hair.

“Thanks.” she whispered, in awe of him.

There was an unmistakable strength in his arms around her, like gates keeping the ghosts out protecting her from herself (because, of course, the ghosts were all inside her head). The way he ran his hands up and down her back felt like heaven and she could feel the roughness of his hands through her shirt, undoubtedly from his short time working as a mechanic.

She took his other hand in hers, playing with the three gold rings that adorned his fingers. Her pointer finger rubbed the designs on them, all different versions of scary skeletons and other things that added to the image of the big, bad biker he was trying to portray.

“You know, I got into a bar fight a few weeks ago.” Juice told her. “Punched a guy with the rings on and they left a pretty gnarly mark on the guy’s cheek.”

“I bet. I’m sure those rings are tougher than you,” she teased.

They stayed like that, comfortable and happy, while the movie went on, but neither had followed along with the story for a while. Juice could feel Lana’s back rise and fall against him as she breathed and his lungs kept eventually learned to keep in pace with hers.

“Are you still watching the movie?” Juice asked, brushing aside a piece of hair that had fallen into her face.

“I don’t know.” Lana answered, swirling the rings in circles around his fingers.

Juice pulled back his hand from hers and held her under her chin. As her head turned up toward him, he kissed her. He fucking kissed.

Fuck it, he was a dead man, but he was gonna live it up until Clay had Skeeter burn him alive in the incinerator.

Lana was surprised, but she kissed him back as the screaming on the television faded away into the background. She focused on how soft his lips were (they should be, he carried around Blistex 24/7) and how they moved with hers. She clutched him to her, afraid to let him go, and dug her nails into him desperately.

As abruptly as it started, it ended and they separated, but not fully. She still lay against him and he still wrapped an arm around her, holding her at the small of her back. They waited politely for the movie to end, wondering just how the night would end for both of them. Barriers had been broken and the concept of careful had flown out the window. Uncharted territory frightened the both of them.

The credits eventually rolled down the screen, but the tv chose that moment to die and left them complete darkness to contemplate the idea of the clubhouse being haunted. Neither of them wanted to move, but risking falling asleep and waking up to Tig or Chibs finding them was a stupid idea.

“I can give you a ride home, if you want.” Juice offered. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Lana didn’t answer; the darkness had jolted her into delving into an imagination wrought with demons and banshees willing to tear her apart while she couldn’t see them. Her breathing was slow, but her heartbeat was rapid, thumping against her chest uncontrollably. She prayed Juice couldn’t hear it.

“Do you think demons are real?” She asked, timid and quiet. “Like, they can just possess people whenever they want and stuff?”

And that was the very moment Juice decided he wasn’t going to leave her alone in her apartment or the clubhouse. He placed a kiss on her forehead, holding her close to him.

“Come on, you can stay at my house tonight. I’m not leaving you alone for the demons to snatch you up.” Juice smirked. “Anyway, you haven’t met my cats yet, right?”

{***}

“Here are the keys to the black Sedan you needed, Gem.” Juice dropped the keys on the desk in front of her and turned to go straight back into the garage.

“Juice, wait a second.” Gemma said, stopping him before he could slip back into his work.

“Yeah?” Juice asked. “What can I do for you?”

It was hard not to be intimidated by the Queen of Charming when she wanted to have a word with you. Especially in the office where she had the entire club for backup, and that included her husband and son who would snap someone’s neck without a second thought for her. Please, God, he hoped she didn’t want his neck snapped. He was on too many people’s bad sides these days and he didn’t think he could afford to add another one to his list. Clay wanted him dead, Tig was with him, he couldn’t get a read on Jax, and Dolly (his precious cat) hadn’t been talking to him since he started going up to Nevada every couple of weeks to see Priscilla.

“Have a seat.” she told him.

Oh no, this could not be good.

Juice did as he was told, taking a seat in front of Gemma. She took her glasses off and folded them neatly, hanging them on the collar of her shirt. He felt like he was at the principal’s office in high school again, getting reamed for hacking through the school’s firewall so he and his friends could watch porn during study hall. Now, it was easy to admit he was a dumbass kid who didn’t know what to do with his talent, but Principal Wilkins was nowhere near as terrifying as Gemma Teller-Morrow in the same position. He would have given anything to go back to the principal’s office in high school to avoid her wrath.

“What are you doing, Juice?” Gemma asked, in a tone that made him positive that if she could reach across the desk and shake him by the shoulders, she would.

“I’m working?” he rose the pitch of his voice at the end. “I just got you the keys you needed for later on today and-”

She put a hand up to silence him. “No, Juice. I meant with Lana. What was with that shit at the family dinner? Clay blew a gasket and I thought she was going to give Jax a black eye in the middle of our living room!”

“Oh,” Juice realized, dejected. “That.”

“Yeah, that.” Gemma wasn’t happy. “What are you doing, Juice?”

He didn’t exactly know how to answer. Sure, he was friends with Lana before, even when he was a prospect. They were the closest in age (well, until Half-Sack came along, but Lana didn’t seem too keen on him. How could he blame her when Sack had a tendency to drop his pants at any mention of the word ‘balls’?). Ever since the disaster that was Gemma’s last family dinner, he had blown Lana off and avoided her like the plague, as per Clay’s threatening request.

“We’re just friends, Gem. Besides, I got a girl I’m seeing in Nevada and she might be coming to Charming if things work out well enough.” Juice explained. “She was just a little lost and I was trying to help her through it. I was lost before I found the club and she just needs some guidance.”

“Guidance into your pants?” Gemma raised an eyebrow. “Did you know she has a crush on you?”

“Kinda?” Again, he didn’t really know how to answer. “She’s always been a little bit nervous when I talk to her, but I didn’t think too much of it.”

“She’s practically in love with you, Ortiz. You should get glasses if you’re really that damn blind.” Gemma shook her head in disapproval.

“Did she tell you that?”

“No, but she’s not too subtle about it. Luann barely knows you and she could smell the whole thing as soon as she walked into the room and saw her hanging all over you.” Gemma’s voice started to soften. Clay had probably talked to her about the whole thing. “She’s just a kid, Juice.”

“She’s nineteen, Gem. She’s not a kid.” Juice argued. “That’s probably why she’s so lost. Everyone’s treating her like a kid and she’s stuck.”

“Well, maybe Lana’s not a kid, but she’s too young to be your old lady or your late night booty call, or whatever fantasy you got going on in that perverted little head of yours.” Gemma’s voice was stern. As a sidenote, she added, “I know about the panties.”

Juice blushed and wished he could hide in the turned up collars of his Teller-Morrow uniform. “I didn’t. . . I don’t-”

“Relax.” Gemma ordered. “I really don’t give a shit. I’m here to talk to you calmly about Lana on Clay’s behalf because he doesn’t think he’ll be able to stop himself from blowing a hole straight through those lightning bolts.”

Juice’s fingers instinctively reached toward the tattoos on his head, picturing Clay with a shotgun just tearing a bloody hole with a big bullet straight through the ink. It wasn’t a pretty picture but it surely wasn’t the worst thing Clay had ever done with a gun. They wouldn’t even find his body if Clay cared enough. That would send Lana a message.

“Clay’s been her dad since Otto went to prison. Luann hasn’t been much of a mom. Never wanted kids. A little too self-centered.” Gemma shrugged. “Love the woman, but when is it time to give up sequin handbags and blue eyeshadow?”

“I imagine the porn studio wasn’t much of a place for a kid.” Juice assumed, but he said it slowly and carefully as to not insult Gemma’s best friend.

“No, it wasn’t.” Gemma agreed. “The clubhouse wasn’t much better, but at least she had Clay or Chibs to watch after her.”

“I’ve been staying away from her. Like Clay asked.” Juice assured Gemma, knowing it was in his best interest to just go along with whatever they said. “I don’t see why I can’t be friends with her. She needs someone who-”

Gemma cut him off with a venom that made Juice lean hard into the back of the chair. “You’re fucking her up even worse, Juice. You said you got some girl in Nevada you’re seeing, yet you’re here in Charming getting Lana’s hopes up.”

“I’m not getting her hopes up, I’m just-”

“You are, Juice! You make her feel wanted. And that’s what women need: to be wanted.” Gemma stood up and walked around the desk to stand in front of him with a sense of urgency in her eyes.

There was a  motherly quality in her features made him miss his own mother in Queens. How was she doing? Was she still sick? His sister would have called if there was something really wrong. Right? She wouldn’t leave him in the dark.

“Are you even listening to me?” Gemma said, annoyed.

“Yeah, shit. Sorry.” Juice apologized. “Where were we at again?”

“I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but it needs to be done.” Gemma said. “You don’t have to let her down easy, but you gotta let her down and don’t leave her with any false hope.”

“What are you saying I should do?” Juice asked, afraid he knew what she was getting at. Gemma knew how to be cruel without the use of fists (though he was sure she could put up her dukes when it came down to the nitty gritty).

Gemma grabbed Juice’s cheeks between her strong fingers. Her long, dark-blue acrylics dug into the the soft flesh of his face, forcing him to look her directly in her beady little crow’s eyes. If there was anyone in this world who could give Cruella de Vil a run for her money, it was Gemma Teller-Morrow. The only thing missing was a coat of skinned puppies hanging off her shoulders. Her eyes were black with poison that he felt creeping into his, rising goosebumps on his forearms. It was spooky, Gemma squeezing his cheeks in her hands. There was nowhere to run to.

“You gotta break her pretty little heart, Juan Carlos. You gotta break it hard and you gotta break it good.”

Fuck.

#juice ortiz #Juan Carlos Ortiz #juan carlos juice ortiz #juice ortiz imagine #samcro #soa #sons of anarchy #sons of anarchy imagine #sons of anarchy fanfic #soa imagine #soa fanfic #soa fanfiction #sons of anarchy fanfiction #samcro imagine #juice ortiz fanfic #samcro fanfic #gemma teller #original character

[mobilemechanicvegas-blog]

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[mina-van1104]

Friday the 13th yesterday someone messed with my car and gave my dad a flat tire yesterday morning & today Saturday in the morning before work, I decided to go early to work in the morning & then once I got out & looked at my car I had another flat tire & this time on MY CAR & I had to get it fixed.

•

Yesterday &today the person who changed my tire at Pep Boys said somebody physically put a nail on the SIDEWALL of the tire not the rim of the tire so I could not get it patched, I had to change the tire.

•

This is called destruction of property that happened at my house, so I spent the whole day trying to fix my car at Peb Boys & I actually spent almost $500 fixing my tires.

•

I had to have one of my tires that was actually flat but it’s a four-wheel-drive car so I was told & had to change all four tires so because I was told it can’t be a mismatched tire or my car won’t work properly.

•

Next thing you know I get my car fixed, they fixed the car & it cost almost $600 total from today & yesterday (Friday the 13th) So instead of having a good day at work & was really excited to go TO work this morning, instead I had to go fix my tire after I went to work for a little because someone was messing with us (my family) AGAIN at our house.

•

What do you know, after getting tires fixed, went back to work after it got fixed & after work, I went to the police station & the police officer named Officer Hough, did not take my report seriously & said if you didn’t get it on camera it means it didn’t happen. Does that mean if a murder happened, & I didn’t catch it on camera, does that mean it was a not a murder even though there’s a dead body?!

•

Officer Hough, is such a pathetic joke & that she shouldn’t be a cop in the first place. All I wanted to do was report it & write a written statement at the police station, instead I talked to the front desk earlier at the police station who’s actually nice & gave me a written statement to write on but just closed right after he gave me the statement to write on.

•

He told me that an officer would come & get the report which was officer Hough. She persists to tell me that she has real crimes to take care of & doesn’t believe that my tires were destroyed even though I showed her my expensive receipt & told her to look at the nail that was in my car. 😡

•

Officer Hough said she didn’t want to see the nail & said none of my incidents happened!! 😡 Officer Hough, you are not a REAL cop. A cop would have taken me seriously. Spending over $600 when someone purposefully put a nail on the sidewall of my dad’s car yesterday (Friday the 13th) & nail on sidewall of my car’s tire today. Two of our cars were destroyed at my house!!

•

My family has been living in the same house since 1990 when it was first built. (Thirty (30) years) & lived in Nevada since 1979 (41) forty one years. Never had we ever had a flat tire until yesterday Friday the 13th & today the 14th.

•

Fixed my tires TWICE in a row. We never had anyone harassing my family until new neighbors & their kids moved in 2017 who befriended other kids who spread rumors to target us for no reason (discrimination) verbally harassed me & my family. Whom one of their kids CAUGHT on my camera vandalizing my property (threw a rock at my sensor light & shattered it on my camera), then someone shot my car in January with a Gun! How could you not take this SERIOUSLY?!

•

These incidents are highly suspected related to the incidents that have been happening. Theses suspects are my neighbors friends or family!! Flattening our 2 cars with a nail on the sidewall & spending $600 on is not cheap!! The main reason is I don’t care how expensive the tires were, it’s OFFICER Hough who didn’t take me seriously!!

•

Officer Hough (From Sparks Police), you are such a joke!! She said she was not going to take this case. Officer Hough is very unprofessional/ prejudiced & should be fired!! So according to Officer Hough- what she’s really saying is, if you didn’t catch a murder on camera, it means a murder didn’t happen even if you have a dead body. My point is Officer Hough is very unprofessional & should be fired. This is not how you handle police reports!! 😡 I was BORN in NEVADA & am FROM here. OFFICER Hough, you are a TOTAL JOKE!

•

We have the SAME people messing with us for several months-years now since those newer neighbors moved in in 2017 making us have to unnecessarily go to the DMV because someone falsely accused our new cars was a smoking vehicle (who passed all Smog Checks).

•

All 3 of our cars are pretty new & newer neighbors have messed with 3 of our cars. One of the cars that we never drive & put in front of our house was never driven & one of the evil newer neighbors keep falsely reporting it’s a smoking Vehicle on Baring BLVD when our particular car was NEVER even driven there, because we put that car at home.

•

These newer neighbors always cause problems without us ever doing anything to them. Blatant RACISM!! They live on 2266 Rockdale Drive, also friends with 2225 Rockdale Drive, & the kid who vandalized my property shattered my sensor light lives on 2245 Rockdale Drive caught on my camera!! These suspects are friends or family of my newer neighbors!! Get them arrested!! Grrr!!😡 these newer neighbors & suspects need to get a life!! Grrr!! Also OFFICER HOUGH should be FIRED!! 😡 I have a LIFE!! Do you seriously think I would waste my time making this all up?! Huh?! 😡😡😡😡 I was so excited to go to work today (in healthcare-paid work), but had to deal with this instead!!

•

Do NOT vote for TRUMP in 2020!! Idiot TRUMP influenced all the racism & I never had anyone be racist to me OPENLY until 2017 when TRUMP got elected. Don’t vote for TRUMP! Vote for BERNIE or BIDEN (GENUINELY kind people).

•

Officer HOUGH should be fired!! And to all POLICE OFFICERS you should always take every incident report seriously!! That officer thought I was making it up!! You are such a joke, OFFICER HOUGH!! 😡 When I was supposed to be having a good day at work, & wanted to go to work early but only to find out I have a flat tire 2 days AGAIN in a row!! Do you think I’M JOKING?! To OFFICER HOUGH, you are the REAL JOKE!! Grrrrrrrr!😡😭 Makes my blood boil!!! 😡😡

•

# Discrimination # Harassment # DestructionOfProperty # SparksPolice # RenoPolice # SparksNevadaHarassment # 911 # DestructionOfProperty # BernieSanders2020 # Bernie2020 # Biden2020 # NevadaBornAndRaised # HomeMeansNevada # Nevada # UNRnevadaAlumnaMay2016🎓 🐾 # NevadaAlumni # PostUniversityGraduate 🎓 # WolfPackAlumna 🐾 # BachelorsHealthSciences # PublicHealth 🐺 # 2CollegeDegrees # 2ExtraMedicalLicenses # AllAccomplished 👊🏼 # AlreadyAllAchieved # TrueAccomplishments # integrity # honesty # humble # kind ✌🏼 # RenoBornSparksNative # Selfie

[jacewilliams1]

Night flight in an A4B Skyhawk

I suited up, gave the A4B a pre-flight check, fired up the turbine, received Air Traffic Control clearance for my first leg, and departed Los Alamitos in a dense brown smog blanketing LA. I broke through the haze at 5,000 feet and was vectored to a northwesterly course, skirting the California coast. The approach to Alameda Naval Air Station runway 13 was from the northwest, over Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, clear of the crowded airspace around the Oakland and San Francisco airports to the south.

While the ground crew refueled the Skyhawk I grabbed a cup of coffee and a sandwich and checked Aerology for weather. Most of the US was clear (CAVU: ceiling and visibility unlimited). A powerful jet stream arcing gradually northeastward from San Francisco, on the 38th parallel, to Boston, on the 42nd parallel, would propel me across the continent with only one refueling stop. I planned a 1500-mile leg to the Naval Air Station at Olathe, Kansas (NUU), followed by a 1300-mile leg to my destination at NAS South Weymouth (NZW).

Not a bad airplane for crossing the country in one stop.

Climbing to altitude, the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Range ahead of me stood out, reddened by the sun on its way into the Pacific. Just over the mountains, white cumulus buildups darkened the terrain to the east. I leveled off at Flight Level 370, throttled back to 80% thrust for optimum fuel economy, and activated the autopilot. Thirty seven thousand feet is roughly the demarcation between the troposphere below and the stratosphere above. At these altitudes turbojet efficiency is aided by cold air temperatures, and the thin air creates less drag on the airframe.

On autopilot I was able to devote my attention to the landscape and my maps. By comparing position with the airspeed indicator I calculated that the jet stream was giving me a one hundred knots boost. As I crossed the Wassuk Range bracketing California and Nevada I tried to identify the twin peaks: Montgomery on the California side, and Boundary Peak in Nevada, but cruising 25,000 feet over these prominences I couldn’t distinguish one from another. Utah’s Sevier Desert appeared as only a flat spot between the Wassuks and the Colorado Rockies. The great peaks of the Colorado Rockies – Mt. Elbert, Mt. Lincoln, Gray’s – were indistinguishable from my vantage point four miles above them. To a traveler weaving through the Continental Divide they were majestic, but I occupied a different universe.

The foothills of the Rockies tapered down into the Great Plains of Kansas, now inky dark. A hundred and fifty miles from Olathe, my refueling stop, I was cleared to descend at my discretion, and throttled back into a long, coasting glide. Even without navigational TACAN, the glow over Topeka and Kansas City would have guided me to the field. When the tower didn’t turn on the runway lights until I was on final approach I thought somebody must have been asleep at the switch. After landing I got the answer. I was the only jet aircraft at the field. Olathe was a multi-engine base, where pilots had plenty of time to line up with the runway centerline on final; so being a little late with the runway lights didn’t make much of a difference as far as the crew manning the tower was concerned.

I filled out my flight log, got peanuts and candy bars from the vending machine, and watched the ground crew service the Skyhawk. When they finished refueling, instead of telling me the bird was ready to fly, the crew chief delivered bad news: the hydraulic fluid was low – too low to risk a flight covering the remaining half of the continent. Worse yet, they didn’t have jet hydraulic fluid at the base. The closest location for hydraulic with the required specifications was the Air Force Base in Kansas City, thirty miles away. After assessing my worried expression for a few moments, the chief smiled, noted it was a quiet night, and offered to dispatch two sailors in a jeep to get hydraulic fluid. Divine providence had intervened; it was destined that I fly through the night. I flaked out on the leather couch in Operations for forty winks.

“Lieutenant, lieutenant,” I heard in my dream, and awoke to a sailor shaking my shoulder.

“You’re ready to go,” he said.

Naval Air Station Olathe, the only stop on this quiet night.

It was 2am. I restoked on coffee, hit the head, strapped into the A4B, and while taxiing got clearance direct to my final destination, NAS South Weymouth, Mass.

I nursed the Skyhawk to its maximum altitude of 41,000 feet, then turned down the dimmers on the red instrument lights so the cockpit was as black as the void outside – an infinity of brilliant stars impossible to comprehend except when free of the troposphere. I was alone in the silent skies. Just to make sure I had actually been awakened from my forty winks and was not in a dream I radioed Air Route Traffic Control: “Chicago Center, this is Navy 4981, radio check, over.”

“Roger, Navy 4981, this is Chicago Center, I read you loud and clear, over.”

“Copy, Chicago Center, Navy 4981 out.”

Except for the lights of Springfield and Ft. Wayne, the land beneath was dark. Lake Erie, to the left as I neared Cleveland, was a dull black. Unlike the sky, alive with stars, the earth was dormant, sleeping. About a hundred miles east of my home field destination a thin ribbon of red defined the horizon ahead, as the sun, well beneath the curvature of the earth, began establishing its power over the planet. I landed at the sleepy naval air station, my odyssey complete, wrapped my treasure (two rolls of 35mm film) in my red bandana, placed it into my ditty bag, revved up my TR-4 and sped into Boston.

  “A shoreless night, the pilot thought, leading to no anchorage (for every port was unattainable, it seemed), nor toward dawn. In an hour and twenty minutes the fuel would run out. Sooner or later he must blindly founder in the sea of darkness. Ah, if only he could have won through to daylight!

“What use to turn his eyes toward the east, home of the sun? Between them lay a gulf of night so deep that he could never clamber up again.”

Night Flight – Antoine de Saint Exupéry

The post Night flight in an A4B Skyhawk appeared first on Air Facts Journal.

from Engineering Blog https://airfactsjournal.com/2019/07/night-flight-in-an-a4b-skyhawk/

[davidddiep]

15 Best Ways to Honor Earth Day 2019 in Las Vegas

Don’t like the neighborhood you live in?

No problem. Worst comes to worst, you can always move…

But no matter where you live, you’ll still be on planet Earth.

And until we’ve figured out how to colonize Mars or invent lightspeed travel so that we can set up shop on one of those “Goldilocks” planets we keep hearing about on the news…

…this here earth is the only home we’ve got.

So let’s treat her right!

April 22 is Earth Day

It’s the day that we’re meant to honor our planet and reflect on the many different ways we can protect our environment.

We’ve come up with the 15 best ways to honor Earth Day 2019 here in Las Vegas.

Some of these you can do no matter what day it is. Others are Earth Day-specific.

Let’s get started!

1. Don’t Use Your Car

Just for one day.

“But what about work?”

“What about that really important thing I was supposed to go to?”

“What about this, and this and that?”

We get it.

For some of you, the idea of not using your car for one day seems like cruel and unusual punishment.

But it’s just one day.

Here’s some perspective:

The city of Paris held a car-free day back in 2015. People still got around using bicycles, skateboards, and their own two feet.

The result? The group AirParif noted that the city reduced its smog level by nearly 50%!

It might be a while before Vegas does something like that.

A long, LONG while.

But you can still do your small part by not using your car for one day.

Instead, you can

Use a rideshare service

Ride a bike

Use public transportation

Walk

Just try it. As an experiment. See what happens.

Who knows? You might even enjoy it!

2. Don’t Eat Meat

Again: just for one day!

Why? Because scientists are arguing that a vegetarian/vegan diet may be healthier for the planet.

So if you really want to show Mother Earth some love, put the sausages and double-bacon cheeseburgers on pause for one day.

Experiment with life as a vegetarian; see how it treats ya!

If you need inspiration or tips, check out Meatless Mondays.

3. Reduce Your Tap Water Usage

Water conservation is a big deal in Las Vegas for obvious reasons.

But there are little things you can do each day to help conserve one of our most precious natural resources.

If you have sprinklers, run them between midnight and sunrise to help reduce water evaporation. This should be done during the months of May through October.

You can find other sprinkler tips here.

Also, be mindful of your water usage inside your home.

For example, don’t leave the faucet running unless you’re using the water.

If you wet your hands so that you can get them nice and soapy, be sure to turn the water off while you’re applying the soap. Then turn the water back on when you’re ready to rinse.

Yes, it’s an extra step, but that extra step can prevent a lot of waste over time!  

4. Go For a Hike at Red Rock Canyon

Okay, we’ve listed enough things to cut back on.

Now let’s focus on the things you can enjoy.

(Earth is meant to be enjoyed, after all!)

Red Rock Canyon has got mountains, trees, wildlife, and 26 nature trails that you can explore until your heart’s content.

For you truly adventurous types, you can also go rock climbing and paragliding.

5. Visit the Springs Preserve

The Springs Preserve has an award-winning botanical garden that contains thousands of Mojave Desert and desert-adapted plants.

You can also walk, bike, or take a train ride down a series of trails in order to check out native habitats and archaeological sites.

The Springs Preserve is also the home of the Nevada State Museum.

Which is ALSO the home of the Nevada state fossil (yes, there is such a thing!): the Ichthyosaur Shonisaurus popularis.

Few things are more sobering than looking at the fossil of an extinct species.

Who knows? That could be us one day!

All the more reason to take care of our planet, right?

Not just for our sake, but for future generations.

6. Volunteer at Vegas Roots Community Garden

Vegas Roots is a non-profit organization and community garden operating on four acres of property in downtown Las Vegas.

First started in 2010, it still remains Vegas’s first and only urban farm.

And they could use some volunteers.

Come down to the garden for a walkthrough visit, and then check out the times that you can volunteer.

You can also sign up for their Adopt a Plot program, where you get an assigned plot and can grow your own vegetables.

Don’t have a green thumb? Not to worry. You can also buy vegetables directly from the garden.  

7. Recycle Your Essence Bags

You know the custom-made Essence shopping bags that you get from us when you purchase a product?

You can re-use them! Just bring one with you next time you come in for your visit, and we’ll use that instead.

If you’re a frequent customer and have a bunch of bags saved up at home, give some away to your friends. That way, you’ll be sharing the wealth and helping us reduce waste. Teamwork!

8. Try a GLP Product

Have you heard of Green Life Productions?

They’re one of our cultivators, and they’ve made a name for themselves by growing 100% organic cannabis flower.

On top of that, they have a recycling program. Bring seven empty GLP containers to our dispensary, and you’ll get a free GLP pre-roll, shirt, or hat!

9. Plant a Bee Garden

There’s no easy way to say it: our bees are disappearing – a phenomenon called colony collapse disorder.

This is a huge problem for the planet.

And not just because bees are cool to look at and we’ll miss having them around. Nor because it’ll suck not having honey as an alternative to sugar.

Bees are pollinators. They help to transfer pollen from one flower to another. This simple act fertilizes plants so that they can reproduce by growing fruits and seeds.

Which means food for us.

Pollinators are responsible for 30% of the world’s crops and 90% of our wild plants.

Examples of crops that are dependent on bees include apples, peaches, apricots, cherries, grapes, tomatoes, almonds, mustard, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage…the list is long.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, four main reasons for the loss of bees are climate change, pesticide use on farms, habitat loss, and parasites.

Now for the good news: there is something you can do to help alleviate the habitat loss problem.

Plant a bee garden.

No, that doesn’t mean you grow your own bees.

It means creating a garden that’s bee-friendly.

For example, if you have a lawn, you can replace part or all of it with flowering plants. This will provide food and habitat for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

10. Plan a Camping Trip

When you live in a city, it’s easy to forget how much we depend on the earth for our basic survival needs: oxygen, water, food, shelter, not to mention beautiful scenery to look at.

Camping helps us to get back in touch with our earliest roots as human beings. It reminds us that everything we’ve built rests on the bedrock of nature.

Remembering this fact also helps us remember to take better care of nature.

So whether you go to Red Rock, Mt. Charleston, Lake Tahoe or even your own backyard, it doesn’t matter.

Just try to get out of your normal setting and spend a night in nature.

11. Watch Our Planet On Netflix

If you don’t have the time, resources, or inclination to go camping, there’s always the next best thing: watch nature documentaries!

There’s a new nature docu-series available to watch on Netflix called Our Planet. It was made by the creator of Planet Earth and Blue Planet.

Our Planet features amazing footage of some of Earth’s most beautiful environments and wildlife. It also discusses how climate change is affecting life on our planet.

Here’s the trailer:

12. Earth Day at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum

From 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on April 22, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum will be hosting a bunch of activities to celebrate Earth Day, including science exhibits run by Jenny Baliff, the “Science Mom.” Bring your kids!

13. 2019 Earth Day 5K & 10K Virtual Run Las Vegas

Virtual runs are pretty popular right now, and on Earth Day, you can participate in one yourself.

The cost is $20, and at least 15% of the entry fee will be donated to Wild Earth Allies, an organization devoted to protecting wildlife and habitats.

Where is this race held? Anywhere you want. That’s what makes it a virtual race!

You can run or walk in a park, the streets, your local track field, or even the treadmill at your gym. Literally anywhere!

You do the race on your own, record your time, and then submit it to the race organizers to get your Earth Day medal!

14. UNLV Earth Day Fair

If you’re going to be on or near the UNLV campus, be sure to swing by the Earth Day Fair.

Starting at 10:00 am on April 22, the UNLV Student Sustainability Council will be hosting a series of events such as yoga on the lawn, a drum circle, an art gallery viewing, and free food!

The fair is free and open to the public.

15. Use Cannabis to Help You Become More Earth Conscious

Cannabis is many things to many people.

But most of us can agree that cannabis has a way of stimulating the mind and forcing us to think outside of the box.

And under the right circumstances, cannabis can help us come to new insights about ourselves and even help us foster new changes and habits in our lives.

So smoke a bowl or eat an edible, find a spot out in nature, and just sit and observe. Take in the sights, sounds, and smells. Try to remember that nature isn’t something that’s separate from you.

We all come from the Earth. We’re part of it, and it’s a part of us. The better we know and understand the earth, the better we know and understand ourselves.

And if you need to stock up on cannabis…

Essence is Still Offering Special Deals Every Single Day For the Remainder of April!

Come visit us at any of our three locations – Las Vegas Strip, Tropicana West, Henderson – and take advantage of our specials!

Happy Earth Day!

The post 15 Best Ways to Honor Earth Day 2019 in Las Vegas appeared first on Essence Cannabis Dispensary.