Preparing for the storm of a generation

I've now received three warnings about the coming storm--Ohio State, Spectrum (cable/wi fi provider) and AEP (electricity). Add to that the TV coverage when the weather departments get to display all those charts. Let's keep in mind that the people who really will be keeping us up and running aren't in Congress or at the University. They are line men, truckers, cable personnel, grocery store workers, the road crews, police and fire, and medical staff. All the politics and infighting will have to wait while the real backbone of the country keep us safe. Pray for all of them. Guess I'd better check on the batteries and candles. We're all-electric in this house.

Also, I noticed they are now naming winter storms.  When  did that start?

Update for Friday: The storm is expected to become a “bomb cyclone” Thursday evening into Friday. A bomb cyclone is when a storm rapidly intensifies – and drops 24 millibars (a term used to measure atmospheric pressure) in 24 hours. The storm is expected to reach the pressure equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane as it reaches the Great Lakes, with the weather service describing the strength of the low a “once-in-a-generation” event.

We'll have our Christmas dinner on Saturday evening with left overs on Christmas day.  That way we have time to go to church on Sunday (Dec. 25).  Here's the menu so far:  Glazed ham, baked yams, potato salad, escalloped corn, green beans, relish tray, mixed fresh fruit, possibly biscuits, with my daughter bring mac/cheese and an apple pie.  I have brownies in the oven right now, but now sure they are on the menu.

Yesterday I finished addressing all the Christmas cards, although I have some short letters to compose and send for out of country people.  Obviously, most won't make it by Christmas,  I had a terrific mess--some people may get two.  In 2021, I bought a new computer, but my daughter didn't have time to get it set up until the spring.  Just in case my label program wouldn't transfer (and it didn't), I printed an extra set from Dec. 2021.  Then in November she had time to work on the labels in a Word program.  After the 11th, I decided I couldn't wait any longer so I used 50 of the labels from the Dec. 2021 run, then we got the new labels for 2022 all corrected, sorted and printed.  But the sort was different, and some labels had been corrected.  Also we had given out about 24 cards at our reception on the 11th but hadn't tracked who got them.  I thought I'd go blind working back and forth between the two lists!  Finally, the are in the mail.

If you didn't get one, let me know.  We also have quite a few from other years.

Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs contemplates the Hoover Dam

[He read] an article about the men who maintain the Hoover Dam - one of the greatest engineering and architectural wonders of the modern era. Apparently, a big chunk of these men are about to retire. And guess what? There’s no one to replace them!

This is potentially unfortunate news for the many millions of Americans currently addicted to the electricity provided by The Hoover Dam. For that reason, I suggest you read the attached, or at least watch the video. It’s illuminating.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/03/31/wave-retirements-hitting-hoover-dam-workforce-as-government-scrambles-to-fill/

Heating bills are on the local news

Our son says his gas bill is up 50%.  Our electric went from $331 to $496—difference between this January and last January electric bill (we're all electric, no gas). And that's before the truly cold weather hit, aka polar vortex. Last year's February bill was $109--can't even imagine what it will be this year (covers January, paid in February). Story on the local news tonight how businesses and non-profits are hurting. I wonder if it's the weather, or just Obama keeping his 2008 promise to raise electric bills.

I checked and there really is a 14 Holy Helpers church. It is Roman Catholic and in Gardenville, NY. http://fourteenholyhelpers.org/paris.../changes-in-the-mass/

It takes it's name from this church, and here are the 14 Holy Helpers.

No lobbyist left behind

"The Waxman-Markey climate change bill, a 1,427-page special-interest wish list, was put together in such a rush that the allowance permit numbers don’t add up. If you add the percentage of emissions allowances to various special interests in the years 2016 and 2017 and you get a value greater than one hundred percent. That’s right—the bill allocates nearly a billion dollars worth of allowances over and above the emissions “cap” set for those respective years.

Thousands of lobbyists worked on this bill to secure a piece of the allowance pie. These special interests range from the natural gas industry to the auto industry. Even tropical rainforests made the list. Electric utilities were the big winners, receiving 43.75 percent of the allowances in 2012 and 2013. Petroleum refiners didn’t fare as well, receiving only 2.25 percent of the emissions allowances from 2014-2026. Lobbyists brought their A-game to shape this bill and Members caved into their demands, all but guaranteeing this bill will do nothing for the environment. And it comes at the expense of the ratepayer and the taxpayer.

With over 12,500 registered lobbyists in Washington, it’s no surprise that this bill turned into a feeding frenzy that was rushed through in the middle of the night and promises more than it can actually hand out. Waxman-Markey is nothing more than a huge energy tax and a handout for special interests." The Foundry

Against global warming hysteria?

Here's what James Taranto suggests:

Reader, if you are against global-warming hysteria, high taxes, socialized medicine and a weak foreign policy, Sunday is your day. Show how you feel about the issues by turning on your lights in the evening and leaving them on until you go to bed. If you go out for a drive after dark, make sure you turn your headlights on too.

Granted, the EarthHour people have a head start on us. They started planning this months ago, whereas we're giving you all of 48 hours notice. Yet we think the outlook is bright for this effort. Tell your friends, tell them to tell their friends, and so on, and we'll bet millions of people across the country will turn their lights on Sunday night.

If no one will listen to the silent majority, let's at least make sure they see us.

We don't waste electricity willy nilly, and I go to bed early, but I could leave the TV on.

Obama plans to bankrupt Ohio's coal industry

Oh sure you can build it, but no one will come.

"So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted." B.O.

That's like telling Iowans they can't grow corn. Floridians they can't invite tourists. New Yorkers they can't borrow money. Detroit they can't build cars.

Listen to this terrifying (for Ohioans) interview

HT BizzyBlog.

Storm notes

The National Weather service says that the storm that hit the central Ohio area on Sunday Sept. 14 was the most severe in the region's history. I knew it was bad--many in our area are still without power--but because we weren't affected except for some cable outages, I didn't realize that. Forty-six state roads were closed or restricted on Monday and one third of the state's traffic signals weren't working according to the community paper. You can imagine what a mess that makes on city streets with people trying to get to work.

Our Lytham Road UALC was closed, and since it has the phone service for the other locations, they couldn't get much done either. I saw a friend at Lowes who lives in Clintonville (north Columbus) yesterday and he said they hadn't had mail delivery for 3 days because of downed trees and lines. The Lane Rd. branch of the UA library was open today, but the other 2 are closed, so I was able to unload about 5 boxes of books I've been carrying around in the van to donate to the book sale.

Tremont Shopping Center in our old neighborhood is still closed (as is the school, senior center and library). There are two restaurants, a bakery and a very nice grocery store there. I heard that Mr. Huffman told his customers on Monday to take what they needed, write it down, and they'd settle up after the power came back on. I can't imagine the losses of just those four small businesses and their employees. A lot of elderly live in the area in apartments and depend on those places, especially the Chef-o-Nette Restaurant for at least one hot meal a day.

The local hotels and motels are sold out, and restaurants that are open are very busy. The Panera's where I get my coffee in the morning has lines to the parking lot by 7 a.m. and people ordering lunch with with morning coffee and bagels. This morning I chatted with 2 women, probably in their 80s, who live in the area, but about a mile apart. At least they have gas hot water heaters--our unit is all electric, so if it had been us, we'd have to find a place to shower. Another man I talked to at Panera's had 2 teen-age sons who made $350 on Monday cutting up and stacking fallen limbs and trees.