Open Thread – Snowblind
I ventured forth this morning into downtown Anchorage. After a cold snap with temperatures in the double digits below zero, things finally warmed up – and then this happened. The forecast was for 8-16 inches of snow in Anchorage, and more at “higher elevations.” Whenever you hear the words “higher elevations” you can think “Mudflats Central.” And yes, the forecasters were right.
Here’s a quick snap of the day and its abysmal driving conditions in downtown on 5th Avenue. The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts is in the background. Stay safe this weekend, and have fun shoveling!
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/02/senate-gop-activist-federal-judges-wanted/252570/?google_editors_picks=true
This is so delocious an irony and me hopes rwnj all choke on it.
Anybody else having trouble making a comment on the new thread? beth.
Yes, there seems to be some kind of problem. I’ve alerted Snoskred and will hopefully hear back soon… Sorry for the inconvenience, everyone! AKM
My bad, beth. I think I clogged up the comment tubes with green cheese, guacamole, and crowfeathers. 🙂
thatcrowwoman
Wellllll….. It was 32 this AM, which is slightly warmer than usual, down here in the Chihuahuan Desert at 4100′. The high will probably be about 70, and the sun will go all day, although there have been clouds up high, so it may be blocked a bit from time to time.
Rain? HAH! Snow? I wish… 🙁
Dust? Guaranteed 100%!
4100′-is that East or West of the Prime Meridian? On a seriouser note. I was gonna ask Mag,Queen of the Desert,but maybe you can answer this. Do you have turquoise laying all around or does it come from jewelry stores?
West, my good man, west! If you know how to look, you can find small pieces of turquoise lying around at times, but you have to be in the right spots to do so. I’ve found some small chunks less than 50′ from where I’m typing right now, but they are not much bigger than green peas in size.
The best and most reliable stuff is of course for sale, naturally. My little chunks are rather motley in color and small, so they are curio’s more than anything.
Thanks a bunch. I’m rilly gettin’ edjicated and lord knows I needs it.
Mike, you big silly. The Prime Meridian is just east of the Prime Rib.
Good news for Obama! Mitt wins Nevada and Gingrich vows to continue the ‘fight’ calling Romney names like dishonest and ‘moderate’. Mitt will, no doubt, respond with unflattering remarks about Gingrich as he did in Florida. Palin is right, this process needs to continue until the country is so disgusted by the two GOP rivals bloodying each other’s images that Obama will easily win reelection. Maybe Fox’s Ailes is actually a democratic operative. After all, he is the one that hired Palin to spew her venom, he’s the one who gave her a platform to tell America to vote for Newt in order to keep this disgusting display of American electoral politics going. With the likes of Gingrich and Palin constantly in the spotlight, throwing mud at other republicans by insisting that they all need to wage war ‘against the (GOP) machine’, we might see democratic electoral wins for years to come.
weather is TOO nice here…40’s this am, had long john top for trip to Central Valley, thinking it would be cold out there for rocket launches… WARM day = mid 70’s in bright sunshine- and REALLY regreting that long john shirt as I hiked up a couple of hills to retrieve my rocket ( got my Level II certification !!) Wife actually came along to watch the “fireworks”, as a couple of poor souls had their rockets disintergrate, or arrow into the ground with no chute deployment… also a couple of BIG rockets roaring into the sky… just awesome !! and of course, the famous “Pinata Rocket” ..loaded with candy and dispersing it at 400 feet for the kids !! Easter is best- the guy fills it with plastic egss, each with their own parachute !! 80 eggs, descending from the sky, and kids running as if it’s the last bit of cady on earth ! 🙂
Plum tree is blossoming, and we need some RAIN !!
Yep, you are certifiable, no question about that.
🙂 and I’ve got the papers to prove it!!
Keep those papers handy if you travel to Arizona, there, ben.
One of my favorite units teaching science to 6th graders was the rocketry unit. We all built model rockets from recyclables (paper towel tubes, etc.), used those little Estes motors from the hobby shop, and launched them from the track behind the school.
One of the school guidance counselors was retired Air Force, so he was launch engineer and safety specialist. The volunteer fire department brought an engine on-site just in case. Parents came to observe, and got packets of instructions/ideas/suggestions for more hands-on family science. We had some spectacular flights, a few complete duds, and were chased more than once by a rocket spiraling out of control. 🙂
Good times.
I’m certifiably crazy about science, eh?
tcw
Please place a giant redwood in a plastic egg and rocket it to mikey’s farm. That would be section 23, Highland Township,Obrien County, NW by god Ioway. 51058-7576. And thanks in advance.
Lucky mikey. I’m gonna be the only kid on my block to have a giant Redwood tree. Wait a minute……I AM the only kid on my block.
should be arriving about……………………..NOW !!! Quck,Mikey run out there before the little kids get the egg !!!!
too late.the damn groundhogs beat mikey to the egg and it is now residing under my East porch.
Have you seen this?
Steven Colbert interviews Maurice Sendak:
http://tinyurl.com/6vy4d6f
Not for children…and don’t sniff the markers, but
Enjoy!
thatcrowwoman
Wow. Just watched the evening news, and before the weather forecast (mild) for our area, saw photos and video of the major storm in which much of the country is mired. Mudpups everywhere, stay safe, warm, and dry.
Guys, I just got an email about this video. Holy cow. This video is so strong, so real.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZwpSwm_4as
This is a lady named Linda, giving her reaction to the Komen decision.
Please, be sure no little ones are in the room when you watch this.
I can not urge you enough to share this.
I watched this, and was in tears- she reminded me of my sister, the most courageous person I ever knew.
Planned Parenthood will get funds this year, but not the next, thanks to the rabid right-wing evangelicals. Take time to find good, local nonprofits to support with your donations.
Thank you for the link, jimzmum…I watched it, was moved to my very core by it, and passed it on. I fully concur with her closing statement. Again, thank you! beth.
Groundhogs are Marmots,but,Marmots are not necessarily Groundhogs. This is the exceptionalism Palin always refers to.
As I’ve written before, the whole Komen controversy left a nasty taste in my mouth and the more I’ve ready the more bitter it becomes. I never questioned buying anything with the pink ribbon emblem embossed on the packaging…I gladly felt like I was doing something…albeit small…for a great cause. My eyes have been opened! My money will now go to real research programs and health organzations instead of to the Komen group. After all, they are simply the middle man in the process. And now that I know how nasty the organization is (sending their expensive legal attackers after anyone who uses the words for-the-cure with cease and desist orders) and how they really are floating more towards the far right in the country, no more pink ribbons for me!
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/02/is-komens-reversal-a-real-reversal.php?ref=fpb
I agree. There are good nonprofits out there, including Planned Parenthood, that provide needed services for cancer patients and that are doing ground-breaking research. You can use guide star.org or other search engines to research how they get/spend their funds.
All of my Komen tees are going to Goodwill, except the first (1999) when SGK actually helped fight breast cancer. I am a survivor who’s lost 5 family members to the disease…
Looks like you got the same mess we did just a few days ago. We went from -17 to 33 in a day. I am not looking forward to the rains to melt all this down and the ice that will probably show up in between.
Be safe all you, as well the other places getting slammed with nasty stuff.
I will ignore the those with sunny pleasant weather 🙂
Ignore us all you like, UgaVic, but some of us are upset that winter in all its glory has not arrived. The last thing NY state needs is another drought, and if we don’t get some rain or snow, that’s where we’re headed. Last drought brought crop and orchard failures, and those of us who love to eat local food aren’t looking forward to another.
have you ever looked at these? they have been pretty much right on the money for my area for last few years as far as outlook over a 3 month period.
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/seasonal.php?lead=1
I have gone through more than one drought, the last in DC that went on for years and like you said hurt many crops. I wish it on no one. TX is in my thoughts a lot now adays due to all their lack of rain.
There is still the lower 48 kid part of me that remembers green grass and bulbs starting to sprout in Feb and fields of Daffodils by mid-March. It is a little hard to watch all the shorts and sandles in many parts of the country when you are getting hit with winds that shake the house and so much snow you have to worry about opening the outside door.
Just playing Scarlett O’Hara and ‘ignoring ‘ it until tomorrow gives me a little relief 🙂 I am more than ready to share some of this and of course the ice and slush that is sure to come…no offense meant!
none taken.
I’m looking out the window at a sunny day with 37 degree temperatures. No significant snow for the next 10 days. This is Rochester and I’m tired of looking at bare streets and half-dead lawns!
It’s the beginning of February and I’ve only had to take the shovel out twice. and that was only to clear a few inches off the driveway because there wasn’t enough for the plow to come.
We’re supposed to be snowy here, gosh darn it!
(Not that I’m disappointed that there isn’t precipitation of assorted forms and large quantities on my garage roof since it will make its nefarious way through my ceiling and into my kitchen until I get the roof fixed, but I do miss having enough white stuff to at LEAST cover the grass!)
leenie, if you miss shoveling, come on over to my house. Bring your shovel. I hope you’re tall, because to shovel the driveway I have to throw snow over berms which are higher than my head. If we work together, we should have the driveway done in two hours or so.
Got some hot chocolate? I’ll bring the cookies!
And, no, I’m not particularly tall but I am fairly creative when it comes to finding ways to deal with increasingly large piles of snow bordering driveways. And I’ve got some really warm and snuggly new socks my sister gave me for Christmas so I’ll be right over!
I have the hot chocolate if you have the snuggly socks!
More true romances have started with those very words,than any others in history.
I’m so glad Eric Schneiderman is NY’s Attorney General:
http://www.care2.com/causes/ny-ag-brings-new-charges-against-big-banks.html
“The complaint also alleges that the MERS system eliminated the ability of homeowners and the public to track property transfers, further clouding the foreclosure process. “The banks created the MERS system as an end-run around the property recording system, to facilitate the rapid securitization and sale of mortgages. Once the mortgages went sour, these same banks brought foreclosure proceedings en masse based on deceptive and fraudulent court submissions, seeking to take homes away from people with little regard for basic legal requirements or the rule of law,” Schneiderman said.”
“I’m so glad Eric Schneiderman is NY’s Attorney General:”
Yes, yes, and yes! And now we get to share his talents and tenacity with the rest of the country!
He reminds me of a more refined, less obnoxious, but still persistent version of Eliot Spitzer. And, of course, without all the prostitutes!
I’m so thrilled to see that some legal action is finally being taken against the institutions that caused this economic meltdown, and I very pleased to see Schneiderman leading the charge.
I *AM* very pleased. Oops!
Since I am from Iowa and only know what I hear on Cnn or Msnbc, I have a different view point of Eliot Spitzer. I always saw him very intelligent and went after the “bad guys”.
Also that is the reason he was “caught” with the woman in the hotel—-the bad guys had to get rid of him. He knows too much.
His personal life—not so good—-but apparently he has made peace with his wife and kids? true?
Always glad to see the perspective from out of town. This is how I heard it, from someone who doesn’t let her imagination run wild.
Spitzer had the goods on exactly who was responsible for the mortgage meltdown. He had an appointment to spill the beans the next day, but it never happened because he got caught not-quite-in-flagrante-delicto with the call girl.
Perhaps his appointment was with the Washington Post, but we’ll never know. I really never cared about his personal life (just as I didn’t care about Anthony Wiener’s twitter mishap). Why is this kind of behavior overlooked as long as there’s an R after the name? (That’s a rhetorical question, I know the answer already: IOKIYAR.)
I do know it was the FBI that showed up at the hotel room door. Who knows what they had to say? Who knows what kind of subtle or not-so-subtle threats were made? It does bother me that Democratic politicians step down at the first hint of scandal, while those on the other side stay in office, and more often than not, are re-elected.
The whole thing did smell rather suspicious since the timing was way too coincidental. I always liked what Spitzer did to fight for NYers and I would have been terrified to be a target of one of his investigations since he always seemed to ‘get his man’ (or woman).
I did support him for Governor and was disappointed when the whole scandal hit the media – partly because it brought down an administration that was doing some good for the state and partly because he allowed his ego (and various appendages) to get in the way of his commitment to the people who elected him.
While I never thought that the choices in his personal life prevented him from doing a good job as Governor, they DID provide wonderful ammunition for his enemies, thereby reducing his effectiveness. One would hope that intelligent politicians like Spitzer and Weiner would realize the danger of letting their hormones overrule their common sense when they are soo in the public eye.
As a teacher, I am always conscious of how my behavior may be perceived, and act accordingly. When in public, I am aware that I may be seen by students or parents and even keep my position in mind when doing things like posting comments or pictures on Facebook. I never post anything that I would be embarrassed to have the parent of a student see. Is it fair that I live by more restrictions than my neighbor who works in an insurance office? Perhaps not, but that’s part of the deal I accepted when I took my job. Politicians are in office for a limited period of time (well, most of them are!) and should be able to restrain from engaging in activities that show disregard for the law or generally acceptable behavior while they hold the public trust.
But you are correct – in most cases , Republicans are forgiven, or even admired and lauded, when their transgressions (moral or legal) come to light, but somehow the Democrats get run out of town by screaming people wielding pitchforks and flaming torches. So not fair!
Only a matter of time before Boner and Cantor intercede on behalf of big money and wrestle jurisdiction away from New York. They can’t afford to let due process ruin their re-election chances.I am very thankful for all of you that keep us informed from the Liberal bastion East Coast.
For anyone thinking a vote for Willard Romney is a vote for someone reasonable, please read this:
http://thinkprogress.org/green/2012/02/03/418141/romney-public-lands/
“Romney’s statement stands in stark contrast to the conservative tradition of knowing the value of protecting the lands that belong to all of us places for future generations. Teddy Roosevelt, the great Republican conservationist, once said, “Conservation is a great moral issue, for it involves the patriotic duty of insuring the safety and continuance of the nation.”
“Public lands in Nevada – and other western states—actually provide an enormous economic boost and sustain hundreds of thousands of jobs. Indeed, recent Interior Department statistics show that federally managed public lands in Nevada provided over $1 billion in economic impacts and supported 13,311 jobs in 2010 (and this statistic doesn’t even include the economic impacts of Forest Service lands, managed by the Department of Agriculture). Recreation, energy and minerals, and grazing and timber all play a part in the economic effects that public lands provide to Nevada. Activities like skiing at Lake Tahoe, boating at Lake Mead, and hiking at Great Basin National Park all take place on public lands.”
I read that, too. Also. Not a good perspective in Colorado, except for the right-wing Koch clones whose philosophy is “anything for a buck”. Most reasonable conservatives do believe in conservation, especially because it’s a billion dollar industry here.
Well, I was reading an interview with an author I admire (Paulo Coelho), and saw the link to this article. Good grief, the woman will be with us forever.
http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/02/03/john-terry-how-sarah-palin-got-it-right/
No snow here. Cloudy with rain today. Makes it a good day to do some inside chores. I have a major jump on spring cleaning so I can get outside earlier this year. I am not missing the snow at all because of the huge amounts of rain, it would be disaster level snow. Mike, I would be happy to send you some of our precipitation.
We have 19″ and it’s still snowing… since Thursday evening. I’m headed out to shovel the back patio and stomp a few doggie paths, hard going for Miss Mocha since it’s up to her back. Mr. CO will crank up the big snowblower and clear the drive out into the street.
The usual snow February snow total is 5+ inches- and it’s only the 4th… send any other storms to the mountains, where they need it.
Or I’ll encourage the white stuff to visit Mike instead 😉
Your storms were mentioned on the forecast here. The meteorologist said the western storms would be blocked by the high pressure over our area. I’m up for a good storm, as long as it’s not this coming Friday, which is show day for us.
What’s all the pink stuff on the parking meter? Moose tongues? NW Iowa is a really s#@##y brown color. Almost no snow to be seen anywhere. I have a nearly new snowblower that needs exercise like I do,no snow no go. Ag department doubts there will be enough moisture to start a crop this spring, Send moisture if you can. I will see if I can locate GPS coordinates for mikeyland.
You have good eyes—had to check back to see what you saw.
We have had rain, rain, and more rain all winter. Less than 1 inch of snow in January. Some days in the low 70’s. We are generally cold as kraut right now, but today’s temps will be in the 50’s with rain instead of snow. Winter wheat is confused. My daffodils are in bud, and that is just nuts!
I just made a run to the airport a few minutes ago to drop someone off. Although I was not totally surprised, I noticed that the main roads have not been plowed. Int’l Airport Rd, and Jewel Lake road were basically off limits to anything less than 4 wheel drive.
You’d think the muni had never seen snow before. I guess the mayor is too busy with all his sweetheart deals to worry about mundane things like snow removal.
Rain here this morning. It’s cold but no snow. I just came across these pics from last year. Enjoy!
http://www.rte.ie/weather/photo.html
Gorgeous pics,Irishgirl, why not have English sounding names? People might get the impression you are from another country.
Cos we are not English! We are German now. Don’t get me started.
It is complicated.
They were all lovely; thanks for posting. The photo from the estuary looks like a painting!