Good lord. The Boston Police are restricting access to bars near the Garden and Fenway tonight -- no entrance after halftime, and if you go outside, "you will be directed to leave the area." Sorry, smokers! And extra cops on foot, especially by colleges.

The case worker will at least give me someone to ask who's been changing my recommended dosage without talking to any of my specialists.

Maglite makes LED flashlights. In fact, they have one that has its own rechargeable system. But that looks like a custom double AA, and I don't want more chargers in my landscape.

apparently rechargeable batteries aren't good enough for smoke alarms

Is that a policy thing, or a technical issue?

What kind of flashlights do you guys have in your cars? My parents used to have one of those big lanterns that also allowed for strobing and red flashing lights. Can't work out if it's worth the effort of a whole new form factor.

I think I'll keep the 3 cell incandescent Maglite in the living room, and get, maybe, LED mini Maglites for the bedroom, bathroom, and maybe kitchen. Or maybe that doesn't need its own. Also need to check I have butane filled up for candles.

I find that LED lights are bright but don't throw a great distance. I only have tiny LED flashlights, so I don't know how effective a larger one would be. Those big Maglites are always great for bonking someone over the head, if necessary.

anyone have suggestions about smoke alarms? I have two alarms in particular in my house (I think there are like 8 alarms in the house total) that are so high up, that it is a herculean task to change out the batteries. Furthermore, it beeps CONSTANTLY until we can change out the batteries. If I could, I would remove the alarms where they are and put them lower down so that we don't have to get out the huge ass ladder move all the furniture to change out the batteries.

I have a similar issue LeN, had to go buy a ladder just to change one. But I was told for firecode it had to be at the highest point in the room. Which...smoke rises, yeah, but wouldn't it rise past a lower one too?

not to mention that in my house, there is a smoke alarm right outside the bedroom (the room with the high ceilings) in the hall. Any fire that set off the BR smoke alarm, would assuredly set off the hallway one. and the hallway one is set lower.

I heard there are smoke alarms that you can pull down with a lever or something. is this just mysticism?

So I see this headline in the NYT Tuaregs Use Qaddafi’s Arms for Rebellion in Mali

I thought Tuareg was a European coffee product or car. So I was very confused.

edit: I am not crazy.

Timelies all!

Trying to defend my lunch from Nova, who seems rather interested in my sandwich.(Of course she is, it's food the human is eating, therefore it must be good.)

Is that a policy thing, or a technical issue?

Technical. The instructions say not to use them because smoke alarms pull more current than rechargeables can supply (I think, it's been a few years since I read my smoke alarm's manual), but of course I tried because I would like everything in my life to be rechargeable. Basically the alarm aways thinks the batteries are about to run out of juice so it's beeping at you to put new batteries in all the time.

I have a little LED flashlight from the auto parts place tucked into the Toyota's console, and biggish flashlights with handles (that probably came with emergency kits) in each trunk. I should check the batteries in those, they are probably really old as they never get used.

VW makes a Tuareg.