There’s no time like early winter to write about a lawn mower. I’ve been meaning to publish a review on the Neuton 5.2 batter-powered lawn mower we bought after moving into our new house since August; better late than never I guess. 

In short, I don’t have a single bad thing to say about this $350 push mower. Usually reviews are supposed to include pros and cons, but I can flatly state this mower has none of the latter.

Both Jude and I can easily maneuver the Neuton around our just-over-a-quarter-of-an-acre lawn. It shipped with a bag, a mulching attachment, as well as a side discharge chute. (We almost always used the mulcher.) The battery life, which I was originally concerned about, turned out to be more than sufficient. In fact, we found we could do two mowings on a single charge. We were eager to keep up with the trimming because too-tall grass would challenge the Neuton 5.2 (not at all an issue at all with either of us). At first, we found the narrow mowing deck and wheel base annoying because we had to run back and forth across the yard a few extra times. Its 14-inch deck was measly compared to my old 21-inch gas mower’s deck. But what’s wrong with a little additional time outside and exercise? The narrow deck didn’t get a second thought.

My old gas mower weighed at least three times as much and consumed, on average, a whopping heap of fuel and oil. Not to mention the headaches and annual maintenance. In my eyes, the Neuton has already paid for itself in just one summer.

Did you know?

Each weekend, about 54 million Americans mow their lawns, using 800 million gallons of gas per year and producing tons of air pollutants. Garden equipment engines, which have had unregulated emissions until very recently, emit high levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, producing up to 5% of the nation’s air pollution and a good deal more in metropolitan areas.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the amount of pollution emitted by a lawnmower operating for one hour is equivalent to the amount of pollution emitted by a car driven for approximately 20 miles.

A fantastic although topic-jumping essay from November issue of The New Yorker details president Robert Mugabe’s systematic destruction of Zimbabwe. It includes some history, too, which helps explain how the country has gone from being Africa’s breadbasket to Africa’s begging bowl.

He added, “The West is afraid to be accused of being neocolonial, as Mugabe accuses it of being. But this is not what is happening. What is happening is that twelve million people are under siege by a purported liberator.” Mudzuri concluded, “Why is it O.K. to help Iraq and fund everything there, but wrong here? To leave Africa to the dictators and the looters doesn’t help you. Where is Big Brother? He is not here.”

I’m not sure how long The New Yorker archives their essays online, so here’s a PDF for download.

For your inner star-gazing satisfaction (if you miss this one, you’ll be waiting 50 years for your next shot):

Starting Thanksgiving evening, Jupiter and Venus will begin moving closer so that by Sunday and Monday, they will appear 2 degrees apart, which is about a finger width held out at arm’s length, said Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky and Telescope magazine. Then on Monday night, they will be joined by a crescent moon right next to them, he said.

Look in the southwestern sky around twilight — no telescope or binoculars needed. The show will even be visible in cities if it’s a clear night.

The three celestial objects come together from time to time, but often they are too close to the sun or unite at a time when they aren’t so visible. The next time the three will be as close and visible as this week will be Nov. 18, 2052, according to Jack Horkheimer, director of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium.

(via Discovery.com)

It’s the same old tune from government officials in Zim blaming this particular outbreak on Western economic sanctions. If you can dry that one out, you can fertilize the lawn.

The BBC:

The number of people being infected with cholera is rising and nearly 9,000 cases have now been confirmed, the United Nations says.

Aid agency Oxfam earlier called on Zimbabwe’s government to declare a national health emergency.

It said ordinary Zimbabweans were desperately short of food, health care, clean water and safe sanitation, and the crisis is set to worsen significantly in December.

The economy is in free fall, with inflation last listed in July at 231,000,000%.

“The situation is under control, there is no need to declare it [an emergency],” Zimbabwean Deputy Health Minister Edwin Muguti told AFP news agency on Wednesday. ”These are results of punitive illegal sanctions imposed on us by the West… I am sure they like what they are seeing from this outbreak.”

Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights believes many people are dying at home where they are not being treated.

These scumbags will try anything to earn a buck. AirfareWatchdog.com:

The Department of Consumer Affairs has been cracking down on faulty scales that are not properly calibrated for use at major airports around the country. When tested at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, investigators found 14% of the scales at JFK and 4% of the scales at LaGuardia were overestimating the weight of bags by at least one pound. A one pound difference today at the airport can add up big time during your check in. Some airlines charge up to $100 for overweight bags.

The DCA found a total of 102 scales were not working properly during their investigation and ordered them to be shut down immediately. While most of the airlines abided to this ruling, they still found 10 broken scales being used by American Airlines. DCA Commissioner Jonathan Mintz commented on the broken scales, “That kind of improper weight can, particularly now, when every penny counts, really make an impact on a consumer’s wallet.”

So how will you know if you are using a broken scale the next time you check your bags in at the airport? Simply look for the red “CONDEMNED” sticker that was slapped on the side of the scale by the agency.