Log
Board Meeting
June 11, 2006

Session Start: Sun Mar 26 17:55:24 2006
(Roger) The June 2006 meeting of the Troubled Times Inc. Board of Directors shall hereby come to order.
(Roger) Our first order of business is the minutes from our last meeting. Are there any questions or comments?
(Gerard) No questions from my side
(Steve) none here
(Roger) If there is no objection, then the minutes stand ratified as correct.
(Roger) Our next order of business is the reports from our ongoing projects.
(Nancy) No objections here.
(Roger) The first project is the survival booklet and CD project.
(Roger) We've had a slight slump in orders since the last meeting. Our stock is holding well as are our funds in the Paypal account.
(Steve) So, steady as she goes. No changes required?
(Nancy) Announcements during the Blog broadcasts and on radio have been less than previously.
(Roger) Yep. There isn't much else to report from my part.
(Nancy) I was on Kerang! in the UK and had an excellent interview but did not get a change to plug the nonprofit stuff, for instance.
(Nancy) I have not always included the N/P blurb if the Blog stuff was strickely ZT material, but will feature is all this month, for instance.
(Nancy) Things can change overnight.
(Nancy) I heard from OutThereTV that they have gone national, and I am one of their features.
(Nancy) Last on, January 2006. If on again and plugging the N/P stuff, big coverage.
(Roger) I'm ready!
(Nancy) So, inventory holds, and we await the next surge, right?
(Roger) Definitely. Are there any questions about this project?
(Nancy) None here.
(Roger) The next project is the Seed project. Nancy, I believe you have a big report to make here?
(Nancy) Roger stated that in general seed viability diminishes rapidly after 5 years.
(Nancy) This rule holds true from the tests I ran this year in my garden, but there are differences, some seed more viable, some less.
(Nancy) Flax seed from a spice rack. Bought to plant in 2002 and germinated, in 2006, not a seed germinated.
(Nancy) If collected in 2001 was 5 years old, but might have been older.
(Nancy) The Grain Amaranth that Roger bought and distributed in 2001, was 2000 seed I presume, did not grow at all for me in 2005 nor in 2006, when I was very careful to water regularly.
(Nancy) I replanted some Golden Amaranth that I planted in 2002, presumably 2001 seed, and it germinated 100%!
(Nancy) Seed to Seed book states that Amaranth is a long lived seed, so I'm thinking the stuff Roger got may have been irradiated and is not viable!
(Nancy) Meal Corn from the Arc, which I purchased in 1998 so was 1997 seed had a surprising 39% germination at the 9 year point.
(Nancy) Some of the seedlings look weak, some strong, so viability also results in weak seedlings, I presume.
(Nancy) Seed to Seed states a 3 year viability for sweet corn, 5-10 years for hard corns, and this seed was 9 years old.
(Nancy) I tried some Peppercorn seeds from the spice rack but got no germination, presumably irradiated or old.
(Nancy) Parsley seed I collected at my sisters in 2000 had only 1 plant germinating out of an estimated 100 seeds, 1% at the 6 year point. Seed to Seed states will be 50% for 3 years, so should not be surprised, I guess.
(Nancy) Cilantro was pleasant surprise. 1999 seed and I would estimate close to 100% viability.
(Nancy) Musk Melon from the Arc, also 1997 seed, had a 10% viability at the 9 year point, and all the plants look strong.
(Nancy) I also planted another patch with seed collected in 2003, and these had a 68% viability at the 3 year point.
(Nancy) Seed to Seed states 5 year viability for melon seeds.
(Nancy) Daikon raddish seed collected in 2000 when Ichi was here and gardening germinated at an estimated 50%, doing well with strong plants at the 6 year point.
(Nancy) Seed to Seed states a 5 year viability is normal.
(Nancy) Okra seed collected in 2000 had only a 2% germination at the 6 year point, but another patch planted with seed collected in 2003 had 74% germination at the 3 year point.
(Nancy) Seed to Seed states a 5 year viability.
(Nancy) Green Peas from the Arc, 1997, had 10% viability and the Snow Peas 19% viability at the 9 year point.
(Nancy) This is pretty good considering that Seed to Seed says only a 3 year viability should be assumed.
(Nancy) Tomatoes were another pleasant surprise.
(Nancy) Seed to Seed book states 4-10 year viability.
(Nancy) These were 2000 seeds and I would estimate better than 50% germination without question at the 6 year point.
(Nancy) Brocolli from the Arc, 1997 seed, had 7% viability from 9 year old seed.
(Nancy) Seed to Seed says 4 years viability should be asssumed.
(Nancy) Peppers were a shock. 1997 Arc seed for Long Yellow, Cayenne, Jalapeno, and Bell all failed except for one lone Cayenne seed with this 9 year old seed.
(Nancy) I replanted and got the same result, thinking it needed warmer weather and might have rotted, but the weather made no difference, same result.
(Nancy) 2% on Cayenne, zero for the others.
(Nancy) I know that onion is frail, can only be counted upon for a year or so, and it seems peppers are not that long lived.
(Nancy) Seed to Seed states 3 year viability.
(Nancy) I know that onion is frail, can only be counted upon for a year or so, and it seems peppers are not that long lived.
(Nancy) Seed to Seed states 3 year viability.
(Nancy) I planted several bean varieties.
(Nancy) Kidney beans collected in 2000 had 52% in 6 year old seed.
(Nancy) Pinto beans collected in 2002 had 42% viability in 4 year old seed.
(Nancy) Navy beans surprised me in being low, 2000 seed having zero viability at 6 years but a reseeding with 2002 seed got 17% viability in 4 year old seed.
(Nancy) Black beans collected in 2000 got 50% viability in 6 year old seed.
(Nancy) Seed to seed says to expect these beans to have a 4 year viability.
(Nancy) Lima beans collected in 2002 had 16% viability in 4 year old seed.
(Nancy) Seed to Seed says to expect 3 year viability.
(Nancy) Green Soy collected in 2000 was a disappointment with zero viability.
(Nancy) I replanted with seed collected in 2001 and got the same result, zero.
(Nancy) Have now replanted again with seed collected last year and waiting results.
(Nancy) Garbanzo collected in 2000 had zero viability but was not particularly large seed, so I reseeded with some older but stronger looking seed from 1999 and got 12% viability.
(Nancy) Seed to Seed states that Garbanzo is only 60% viable during a 3 year period.
(Nancy) Barley from 2000, some seed Roger purchased and distributed, has not germinated but potentially still could. It's been at least 3 weeks, and the soil kept damp the whole time.
(Nancy) I reseeded with Millet from that same period, and am waiting to see result.
(Nancy) The web reports that grass seeds, which Barley is, may take up to 4 weeks to germinate, so I may yet have Barley among the Millet, we shall see.
(Nancy) I am also waiting for some recently planted eggplant to germinate, so don't have the counts on that.
(Nancy) This is Arc seed from 1997, once again.
(Nancy) This morning, looks like 3 seeds that do not look like tree or weed seeds are coming up, so still viable!
(Nancy) My advise to people, grow your seed out regularly to get fresh, at least every 3 years or so.
(Nancy) END OF REPORT
(Roger) Wow, tremendous report and obviously a tremendous effort too!
(Roger) Does anyone have any questions for Nancy?
(Gerard) No questions
(Steve) I didn't realize seed would fail to that extent with given time
(Nancy) What an eye opener this was! I now include in all my interviews, where it fits and I can get it in, grow out your seed corn and don't be complacent!
(Steve) So, bottom line, don't trust aging seed stock!
(Nancy) I also was smug, Steve. What this test shows is that Seed to Seed (and Roger) know what they are talking about as the statistic come very close to expected!
(Nancy) I'm now going to be more conscientious about growing out my seed.
(Roger) I wish I had more space nearby so I could make a stronger effort in doing this here as well.
(Nancy) In the end, Rog, it is not you and I with our handful of seeds that will save the world.
(Nancy) We need to EDUCATE people, and this is what I intend to do.
(Roger) The next report is the Server project. After a temporary issue involving an alarm of some nature, I discovered (with Nancy and Ernie's great assistance), that the server had a setting in the BIOS that disabled the cpu cooling fans during sleep mode to conserve energy.
(Gerard) So the server overheated?
(Roger) I changed this setting and have been running the server for 7 days now without any alarms. The ftp software is working well and the only problems I have with the dynamic ip from my ISP and timeout issues when I'm trying to upload large files through my LAN.
(Roger) I think that was what the alarm was about. It was set to alarm when the CPUs were at about 120 F. I increased this to 125 F and changed that power saver setting as I mentioned.
(Roger) No alarms yet!
(Gerard) that's better
(Roger) Are there any questions about this project?
(Nancy) Ernie really came through on this, had his finger on the issue and what to do about it right off!
(Gerard) No questions as yet
(Roger) It would be helpful if the manual would decode the alarm tones, but then they wouldn't be able to earn as much revenue for tech support!
(Steve) no questions from me
(Nancy) Ain't that the truth!
(Roger) The next report is the Blog Radio project. Nancy?
(Nancy) This continues steady with my Wednesday night hours being a lecture series.
(Nancy) I also have a Saturday night hour on GodlikeProduction where they've opened up a slew of international toll free call lines and most new ZT emerges from this hour, lately.
(Nancy) So as the Earth changes progress, as they surely are with the weather and volcanic activity and quake increases and all, I have the stage.
(Nancy) I heard from French Guiana that they had a 5.2, and NEVER have quakes. People notice, and are increasingly concerned.
(Nancy) End of report.
(Roger) Are you planning to mentioned the nonprofit more often again (as suggested above in the Booklet/CD report)?
(Nancy) I've been neglecting this of late because the Blog lectures were so very ZetaTalk focused, but I've changed my approach.
(Nancy) This next month I'm doing a 4 part series on my script/short story The Passage (which has attention from a professional script editor lately, by the way) and am including the N/P blub in Roger's voice in this.
(Nancy) I think it is clear from the slack in orders that this related to attention paid to announcement on radio, Blog radio, whatever.
(Nancy) So, I need to include this, and not forget!
(Roger) Well, at least whenever you have an opportunity.
(Roger) Are there any further questions or comments?
(Nancy) None here.
(Roger) Gerard, Steve?
(Gerard) None
(Roger) Any new business not mentioned on the Agenda?
(Nancy) None that I can think of :-)
(Steve) none here
(Roger) Then I would entertain a motion to adjourn.
(Nancy) I MOVE we adjourn.
(Gerard) I second
(Steve) I third
(Roger) Then this meeting is officially adjourned
Session Close: Sun Mar 26 18:55:11 2006