Video shows the dramatic moment Green Day were rushed offstage

The news comes in the wake of fan fury over Ticketmaster's 'dynamic ticketing' policy

Imagine keeping your produce fresh and delicious throughout the year without relying on modern refrigeration. A root cellar provides a sustainable method for food storage by utilizing the earth's natural cooling properties to extend your harvest’s shelf life. Even better, constructing a root cellar is a rewarding weekend project that enhances your self-sufficiency. So, are you ready to dig in? A picturesque scene of a homestead with a newly constructed in-ground root cellar. The cellar is located on a shaded, north-facing slope, with wooden doors slightly ajar, revealing shelves filled with fresh produce. Planning Your Root Cellar Before you start building your root cellar, careful planning is essential to ensure it meets your storage needs and functions effectively. From selecting the right location to deciding on the design and gathering the necessary materials, each step plays a crucial role in the success of your project. Choosing the Right Location The first step in constructing a root cellar is finding the perfect site. Ideally, you should choose a north-facing slope with a consistently cool and stable temperature. However, if such a spot isn’t available, look for a shaded area that doesn’t flood easily. Good drainage is crucial in keeping your cellar dry. Additionally, you’ll want to ensure that your chosen location is easily accessible. Deciding on the Design Several design options include in-ground, hillside, and above-ground cellars. In-ground cellars are dug into the earth to provide excellent insulation. Meanwhile, hillside cellars utilize the natural slope for easier entry and stability. On the other hand, above-ground options are simpler to build but may require additional insulation. Choose the design that best suits your needs,  the area climate, and your available space. More importantly, consider your long-term storage goals when deciding on the size and complexity of your cellar. For detailed design inspiration, visit Mother Earth News. Gathering Materials and Tools Before you begin, make sure you have all the necessary materials and tools. A basic in-ground root cellar requires the following: Shovels and digging tools Concrete or cinder blocks Gravel for drainage Wood for framing Insulation materials (straw bales, foam boards, etc.) A door or hatch Ventilation pipes Making everything ready before you start makes the building process much smoother. Additionally, you may consider renting or borrowing specialized equipment if you plan to build a large cellar or if digging the ground presents a challenge. Learn more about essential building tools here. Building the Root Cellar A root cellar is an age-old method of preserving food in a cool, dark, and humid environment. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or someone looking to store produce long-term, building a root cellar can be a practical and rewarding project. Excavation Mark the area where you plan to build your root cellar. Then, dig down to a depth of 8-10 feet, all the while ensuring the walls remain vertical. As you dig, remove rocks and roots that could interfere with the construction. The size of your cellar usually depends on your storage needs, but for a typical small-scale cellar, you’ll probably need an 8×8-foot structure. Furthermore, remember to provide extra space for the walls and insulation. Creating a Drainage System Proper drainage is essential in keeping your cellar dry. Start by laying a gravel bed at the bottom of the hole to help move water away from your cellar. Additionally, consider installing a drainage pipe leading away from the site to prevent water buildup. Incorporating a French drain system can further enhance drainage efficiency if you live in an area with heavy rainfall. For more drainage tips, refer to this guide from The National Resources Conservation Service. Constructing the Walls Next, use concrete or cinder blocks to build the walls of your cellar. These sturdy materials provide excellent insulation from the outside elements. Carefully stack the blocks and ensure a secure and level construction. Depending on the design, you might also need to use mortar to hold the blocks together. Additionally, consider reinforcing the walls with steel rebar for added stability. This applies especially to large cellars or if you expect heavy soil pressure. Insulating the Cellar Insulation helps maintain a consistent temperature inside your root cellar. Natural materials like straw bales are excellent, environmentally friendly insulators. For a more modern approach, you can use foam boards. Line the inside walls with your chosen insulation and secure it in place for maximum efficiency. Additionally, if you live in an area with extreme temperatures, consider adding an extra layer of insulation to better protect your stored goods. Installing the Roof Construct a wooden frame for the roof and make sure it’s sturdy enough to support soil and any additional insulation. Afterward, cover the frame with plywood or similar material. Next, add a layer of insulation on top of the roof structure. Finally, cover the entire roof with a thick layer of soil to act as additional and natural insulation. However, if your region experiences heavy snowfall, make sure your roof can withstand the occasional added weight. Adding the Door A functional, well-insulated, and secure door is critical to your root cellar. Both a thick wooden door and a premade insulated hatch work well for this project. However, make sure it fits snugly to prevent warm air from entering and cool air from escaping. For added security, consider installing a locking mechanism, especially if your cellar’s location is a more accessible or remote area. Ventilation Proper ventilation prevents mold and helps maintain air quality. As such, you can install two ventilation pipes near the floor to draw in fresh air and near the ceiling to expel stale air. This setup promotes natural airflow and keeps the cellar environment optimal for storage. Additionally, consider installing adjustable vents to control airflow and humidity levels throughout the year. Final Touches Once your root cellar is built, it's time to focus on the final details to ensure it functions efficiently and meets your storage needs. Proper organization and monitoring are key to maintaining an optimal environment for preserving your produce. In this section, we’ll guide you through setting up the interior and closely examining the conditions inside your root cellar.   Organizing the Interior Arrange shelves and storage bins inside your root cellar to keep produce organized and easily accessible. Wooden shelves are sturdy and allow air to circulate stored items. Use wire racks or slatted shelves to enhance airflow further and prevent moisture buildup. Monitoring Conditions Keep a thermometer and hygrometer inside your cellar to monitor temperature and humidity levels. The ideal condition for your cellar should be around 32-40°F with 85-95% humidity. Adjust ventilation or add moisture (e.g., damp sand) to maintain these levels if necessary. Additionally, inspect your cellar regularly for signs of mold, pests, or temperature fluctuations and address these issues promptly to ensure the longevity of your stored produce. Reap the Rewards of Your Root Cellar Building a root cellar provides a host of benefits: Extended Shelf Life Root cellars keep fruits and vegetables fresh for months, which reduces waste and saves money. Eco-Friendly Storage Natural cooling methods minimize or even eliminate the need for external energy sources. Increased Self-Reliance A root cellar allows you to store and preserve home-grown produce, enhancing food security. In a single weekend, you can create a functional root cellar that provides year-round storage for your harvest. This project preserves your food and connects you to traditional sustainable living practices. Are you ready to start building? Your journey toward a sustainable and self-sufficient lifestyle begins with a well-built root cellar. Discover more sustainable living projects here.

The CBS Evening News closed out their newscast with a commentary piece on the most recent school shooting in Winder, Georgia. The editorial was high on emotion, but offered little in the way of solutions beyond calls to “do something”.  Watch the commentary in its entirety as aired on the CBS Evening News on Thursday, September 5th, 2024 (click “expand” for transcript): CBS EVENING NEWS 9/5/24 6:56 PM NORAH O’DONNELL: We've spent the last two days confronting a horrifying part of life in America these days: School shootings. Summer recess brought a break from that violence, but as we have all been reminded, that break is over because school shootings seem to be something we are unwilling or unable to change. Here is CBS's Jim Axelrod with tonight's "Eye on America." JIM AXELROD: So now we've got a new name atop the hideous list. STUDENT: He was a very sweet kid. He did not deserve this. Neither did the coach, or everyone else. AXELROD: Winder, Georgia, joins Columbine, Newtown, Uvalde, and hundreds of others with traumatized children. STUDENT: You could hear gunshots, like, just ringing out through the school and you are just wondering which one of those is going to be somebody that you are best friends with or somebody that you love. AXELROD: And parents who rushed to campus not knowing if they would hug their kids or bury them. PARENT: I just dropped everything and sprinted to the car. He got a bullet hole from one side of his backpack to the other side. AXELROD: Winder, Georgia. STUDENT: The gunshots were so close to me, like, my ears started ringing real bad. AXELROD: A new name that’s shorthand for senseless tragedy.  Because it's been such a steady drumbeat in the news cycle for so many years, it might be easy to lose sight of the dimensions of the school shooting epidemic. Since Columbine, a quarter century ago, there have been 388 deadly school shootings in the United States, killing at least 526 people. Let that sink in. JOE BIDEN: But as a nation, we cannot continue to accept the carnage of gun violence. BARACK OBAMA: We’ve endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years. AXELROD: Pick your president. GEORGE W. BUSH: Our nation is shocked and saddened by the news of the shootings at Virginia Tech today. AXELROD: Even your decade. It's been a problem with no solution. BILL CLINTON: Perhaps now America would wake up to the dimensions of this challenge and we could prevent anything like this from happening again. AXELROD: Well, apparently we can. Angel Garza told us that in the days after he lost his 10-year-old, Amerie Jo, in Uvalde. ANGEL GARZA: Nothing is going to change. I mean, this always happens in a small town, nobody expects anything bad to happen and then it happens and everybody wants to make changes, to prevent it from happening, and then it dies down a little bit, and then it happens again, and then we are just in- it’s a cycle. AXELROD: Whoever first defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result" wasn't talking about school shootings. But think about it. Insanity. What better word is there to describe where we are? For "Eye on America," I'm Jim Axelrod in New York.  O’DONNELL: These are our children. And our teachers. Something needs to be done. This, too, has become a part of the post-school shooting ritual. The national media come parachute into a city, perform their emotive journalism, advocate for gun control, and then fly back to New York or D.C. without ever addressing the true causes of what led to each individual school shooting. In their view, the problem is always the guns. It is never the litany of breakdowns which always float to the surface in the immediate aftermath of the shooting- most notoriously, “known to authorities” which has become a meme.  But then there are the other breakdowns that go unaddressed, whether these are societal or familial. The media don’t really care about these. They just come in and cry out for gun control. At least they do in most cases. CBS didn’t even do that, choosing instead to clamor for a fix it is unable or unwilling to mention by name. And so Norah O’Donnell closes out the newscast with the familiar “do something” call to action. Even if that “something”, civilian disarmament, would ultimately put the whole of our society at risk.  The media have no solution beyond taking the guns. And emoting. Until the next breakdown which leads to a shooting and we do it all over again. Everything, that is, except actually addressing the underlying causes of school shootings.  

In March 1980, John Favara struck and killed the 12-year-old son of infamous New York mobster John Gotti with his car. Four months after Frank Gotti’s death, Favara mysteriously disappeared. The post Inside The Disappearance Of John Favara, The Man Who Accidentally Killed John Gotti’s Son Frank appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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