Whoops! November 7, 2007

As expected, we got down to freezing at the airport. First time since April 10. Clouds came overhead for much of the night, preventing the mercury from falling farther…but…many people got well below freezing with Nolin River Lake getting down to 22. In fact, just about everyone was colder than the official temperature at the airport….which raises more questions, as usual. The NWS was 29 and that is probably what most people had in Louisville. Anyway, we’ll slowly come out of the bucket the next few days before a nice warm up takes over for the weekend.

On This Date In History: On this date in 1940 one of the greatest engineering boondoggles was uncovered in Washington. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened in July 1940 to great fanfare. With a span of 2800 feet, it was the third longest bridge in the world. The builder decided to save money by making the bridge only 39 feet wide to support just two lanes of traffic. It was designed to withstand winds of 120 mph. People flocked to the bridge after it’s opening, not just because it was faster than the ferry, but also because moderate winds that are common in the area would make the bridge sway and even undulate up and down. Drivers reported losing sight of the autos in front of them when the bridge waved. The bridge gained the moniker “Galloping Gertie.”

All the fun and games came to a crashing end on this date in 1940 when steady winds of just 42 mph made the bridge sway…and then leap. It continued throughout the day until the entire structure failed. The bridge had been closed but the last man let across lost control of his car and, in fear of being tossed 190 feet into the Tacoma Narrows below, he fled on foot. He tried to retrieve the family cocker spaniel from the back seat but the pup would have none of it. As he reached the end of the bridge, the bridge collapsed spectacularly with the dog as the only casualty.

The result of the collapse was analysed and is a common subject in college physics classes. Basically, the wind was in tune with the natural harmonics of the bridge. The more the wind blew, the greater it increased the amplitude of the harmonics creating a wave. Its a similar phenomena as when a singer breaks a glass. To avoid a similar fate, bridges today, including the one that replaced “Galloping Gertie” have damping and aerodynamic features built in and wind tunnels are used to test the ability of the structure to resist wind and prevent compromise of the integrity of the structure.

Whatever man builds, can come down. Gravity and other forces are constantly at play. There are some things in life in which compromise can be a good thing. But engineers cannot afford to not get it right the first time. It kinda reminds me of what US Grant often said, “man proposes; God disposes.” These days we often teach our kids that close is good enough. If that is your methodology, mommas don’t let your babies be engineers.

Voting Day Statistics November 6, 2007

It was a chilly day but that was no excuse not to vote. I know many of you have already had freezing temperatures this season but officially, at the airport, we have not. Its probably the only recording device not to drop below freezing. But the decision was made a couple of years ago to move the official site to the airport so tonight, will be the official first freezing night in Louisville.

I was urged by John Boel to find the greatest margin of victory in a Gubernatorial race in Kentucky history. So I called the Secretary of State’s office and they only have posted records back to the early 1970′s. Beyond that, I’d have to go to Frankfort or snoop about in the official library site and I have weather duties. But I did find in 1975, Republican Bob Gable was skunked by Democrat Julian Carroll 63% to 37%. If you know of bigger landslides, feel free to let me know. I suspect in the late 19th century there may have been a wider win. I know of one Louisville mayoral election in which Charles D. Jacob defeated John Baxter by a margin in the range of 15 to 1. Baxter and Jacob battled many times for the post but I think that Baxter had become rather unpopular as illustrated by an assassination attempt prior to his big defeat.

In this case, we have the library tax. When I first moved here, I wanted to know what that 2.2% tax taken from my check was all about. No one knew. Many people I know didn’t even know that there was such a tax taken from their check. It seemed odd to me because we have a 6% sales tax, a 6% income tax and this 2.2% city tax. I’m taking this from memory but I found a book that explained the genesis. Louisville was one of the most solvent cities in America because it had a sinking fund that financed all projects. For some reason, and I can’t recall why, the power structure decided to alter the city financing. I believe it was Mayor Farnsley who had decided it wasn’t right for people living outside of the city but who worked in Louisville to enjoy city services without paying for them. It is unconstitutional for any entity except the federal or state government to tax income. So, they looked at a couple of other cities for a guide to skirt the Constitution. They came up with an occupational tax. I believe it was 1947 when that came into being. I am uncertain as to whether at that time it was levied on all people earning income from Louisville or just those living outside the city. I suspect it was for everyone as, again, I suspect it is unconstitutional for a tax to be levied on people who don ‘t have the right to vote. I may be wrong but I do know that today, its 1% for everyone. Then there is .8% for schools and .4% for TARC. That is how we arrive at the 2.2% tax. Those living outside of the city do not have the school portion taken from their checks. The library tax of .2% proposed would be added to this payroll deduction.

How this is not considered an income tax is beyond me. They tax my income before I ever see it and there is no provision for any deductions. It’s just taken. It is deductible from state and federal income taxes, but that only helps if you are able to itemize. I may re-read the book I found to see if it explains what was the matter with the old sinking fund but I suspect that public projects costs were outstripping the sinking funds ability to solely provide funding.

Occupational tax….Occupational fee…its an income tax, in my book.

Anyway, that’s the broad explanation of the tax. Again, feel free to fill in the blanks.

Happy voting.

A Chilly Future? November 5, 2007

Enjoy the mild conditions early Monday afternoon because they won’t last. A front comes through bringing a chance for rain but I doubt if you will need to build an ark…not that exciting but we could use a little rain. Behind it, the temperatures plummet and we don’t get out of the 40′s for two days…except at night when clouds and wind on Tuesday morning will keep us in the mid 30′s but Wednesday mornings will be in the low to mid 20′s. The rest of the week we remain below seasonal norms with a warm up next weekend. You have no excuse not to vote on Tuesday from the weather department. No rain…a little cold…it’s November….vote. I know what you should vote for and I think I can forecast how it will turn out…but I’ll keep that under my hat.

On This Date In History: On this date in 1842, Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd. She was considered quite a catch in her day. I don’t think they had a “catch and release” program back then.

She actually is a rather interesting figure and there have been several biographies about her and numerous…hundreds…..written about Lincoln which delve into their relationship, how it affected his presidency. Its probably a good idea to read several to get some sort of perspective because each author will come at it from different perspectives and sometimes with a preconceived agenda or notion of what they want to say. Jean Baker has one of the more recent biographies of Mary Todd and it paints a very sympathetic portrait by often using late 20th century sensibilities and transporting them back to the 19th century. If you look closely, you find that Professor Baker received funding from the Elizabeth Connolly Todd Foundation. Like I said, biographers look at subjects from different perspectives and different photos…the one adorning the Baker portrait of Todd is not the same presented above.

On this date in 1965, speedster Craig Breedlove’s wife, Lee Ann, tried to steal his thunder when she became the first woman to drive more than 300 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats. I’m not sure if Craig got mad, but he certainly made sure he shared the spotlight. Just few hours later, Craig Breedlove got in his car and shattered his land speed record by reaching over 555 mph in his Spirit of America jet powered car. I don’t have a photo of Lee Ann.

A Day of Improbabilities November 3, 2007

It’s not improbable that the weekend will be great. Seasonally cool but generally sunny though there may be a few clouds Saturday night. We warm up Monday and then we get a big chill for the middle of next week. That’s not too improbable either given that its November.

 

On This Date In History: It is early November and that is Presidential election time every four years. On this date in 1948 one of the biggest improbabilities occurred with the re-election of President Harry S. Truman. I think most people know the story of how Truman had greatly trailed challenger Thomas Dewey in all of the polls leading up to election day. Truman embarked on a “whistle stop tour” of the nation in the final days to try and ramp up support by making stump speeches across the nation from the back of a rail car. On November 2, Truman voted in his home town of Independence Missouri and then headed to the Elms Hotel in Excelsior, Missouri to watch the returns. Early returns were not good for Truman and he went to bed thinking he had been defeated. Of course he won and the famous photo of him holding the Chicago Tribune with the headline of “Dewey Defeats Truman” over his head. The story behind that headline is little known.

There was a writers strike at the Tribune that night so many of the regulars on the staff were replaced by inexperienced people. The staff on hand got wind of the early returns and were aware of the polls. Deadline approached and they figured Truman would lose so they produced the headline. They wrote the front page and a few others using a typewriter. Instead of correcting errors, they simply put an “x” over the type-o’s or other errors. Five lines even appeared upside down. All copies of the newspaper went out to the public that way. Some think the nation’s political press has had it upside down ever since.

On this date a year earlier, Howard Hughes defied all probability. He had contracted with the U.S. Government to produce a flying boat that could ferry 750 combat troops or two 30 ton tanks across the Atlantic during World War II. Officially called the H-4 Hercules, the plane fell seemingly hopelessly behind construction schedule and well over budget. The war ended before delivery and the government cancelled the order.
But Hughes was convinced his vision could be transformed to civilian use and revolutionize the airline and air cargo industry. He completed the plane with his own money. Aluminum and other metals were short during the war so he made the plane out of wood. On this date in 1947, Hughes flew the flying boat near Long Beach in California, confounding critics who said such a huge machine could never fly. It never flew again as it was obsolete before it ever flew.

To this day, it still holds the record for aircraft with the broadest wingspan at 319 feet….more than a football field. It’s also the tallest plane ever built at over 79 feet, or about a 7 story building. It is the worlds largest flying boat and, of course, the record that will probably never be equaled; the largest plane ever built from wood. Many think of the thing as a lark but it is another in a long list of examples of Hughes genius for vision. Hughes exploits proved it was possible for enormous aircraft to fly and thus did indeed revolutionize flight design. Even though by weight and length other modern planes have been deemed the largest planes ever built, the “Spruce Goose,” as it was called by Hughes detractors, stands alone was one of the most daring an innovative steps in the history of flight.

Both of the events of this date in history show what can happen when determination, courage and self-confidence come together to render moot the opinions of the experts. Though Truman ended his second term with historically low poll numbers, his place in history is rising as analysts recognize the great strides that shaped the post war world begun during his term as President with such things as the creation of Israel and the beginnings of Civil Rights and desegregation. Hughes achievement was perhaps the crowning achievement in a remarkable life. We see him as the richest man in the world of his time but in reality, he was an innovator in aircraft and satellite technology. Many of our conveniences we take for granted are directly linked to Howard Hughes. Many of our missile defense systems had their genesis from Howard Hughes.

How Hughes died and how Truman left office have clouded their legacies. In both cases, their reach and vision far outdistanced their lifetime.