Alfalfa is Dead, Not Alice Cooper January 21, 2010

What happened to Alfalfa?

Alice Cooper Is Not Beaver, Mr. Green Jeans or Alfalfa; Just Vincent Damon Furnier

On This Date in History:  When I was growing up,  there were all sorts of rumors about what had happened to child stars.  A big one went that Alice Cooper was really Eddie Haskell from Leave it to Beaver.  Truth was, at the time,  actor Ken Osmond was a cop in Los Angeles.  He has since showed up again portraying Eddie Haskell as an adult.  Another one said that Beaver Cleaver was killed in Viet Nam.  Truth was that actor Jerry Mathers was alive and well and he too has reprised his role as Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver several times. I had been told that Mr. Green Jeans was really Alice Cooper.  An offshoot of that was that Frank Zappa was the son of Mr. Green Jeans.  Then there was Alfalfa from Our Gang aka The Little Rascals.  I heard he had died of a herion overdose or that he was really Alice Cooper.  At least part of the Alfalfa rumor was true and was part of a series of misfortunes that came upon many of the Our Gang/Little Rascals  actors.  Some say it’s a curse.  

Alfalfa the Crooner

Carl Switzer was born in Paris, Illinois on August 27, 1927.  Hal Roach was producing the successful Our Gang movie shorts when in 1935, Switzer was added to the cast as Alfalfa.  His appearance made him easily distinguishable to audiences.  He was a tall skinny kid with freckles and a distinctive cowlick that pointed skyward consistently regardless of how much he tried to slick his hair.  He also had an interesting singing voice that only added to the comedy.  In an episode called The Pitch Singer, Alfalfa famously crooned off-key the tune I’m in the Mood For Love. 

Carl Alfalfa Switzer as Ensign Keim in 1954's The High and The Mighty Starring John Wayne

Kids grow up and times move on.  In 1940, the Our Gang series ended but it later returned to television under the title The Little Rascals.  Switzer tried odd jobs after Hal Roach ended the series.  He was a bartender, a shoeshine boy and a tour guide.  Switzer tried to stay in acting and actually got small parts in some 60 films. but, they were often uncredited roles.  A few of the films were quite popular, even classics, such as My Favorite Blonde (1942), The Human Comedy (1943), Going My Way (1944), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), State of the Union (1948), Pat and Mike (1952).  We might even be able to find him as a slave in Cecile B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956) though it might be tough considering it was the proverbial “cast of thousands.” 

Alfalfa was a husband and father

As it turns out, somehow Switzer never received any money for his work in Our Gang, even though he appeared in 75 film shorts.  TV had not gotten going and no one thought about royalties or syndication.  I haven’t figured out how or why he appeared in the films without being paid or how his parents allowed that to happen.  Anyway, in 1958 Switzer got a break and landed a good role in Stanley Kramer’s The Defiant Ones.  But,until its release, he needed to earn a living.  Apparently, Switzer liked the outdoors because he had several brushes with the law in the 1950′s, one of which involved illegally cutting down trees in the Sequoia National Forest.  Though his acting career seemed to have been on the rise in 1958, he was shot in a San Fernando Valley bar,but he recovered.  So, to pick up some extra money, he came up with a part time gig leading bear hunting expeditions.  Some of his customers included Henry Fonda and Roy Rogers.  So, apparently he was pretty well liked and well known. 

Alfalfa Died Over One of These

Seems that Switzer borrowed a guy’s hunting dog.  The dog escaped and he put out a $50 reward for its return.  When a man found the dog, Switzer not only paid him the $50 but he also bought him about $15 worth of drinks,which was quite a bit of booze back in the day.  A few days later, Switzer got loaded himself and decided to go to the dog owner’s house and demand that he be reimbursed for the $50.  The two men got in a fight and Switzer ended up shot to death.  The death was ruled as justifiable homicide because the story was that Switzer had hit the other man on the head with a lamp or a clock, then forced him into a closet.  Switzer supposedly came after the man with a hunting knife claiming he would kill him and the man responded by shooting him at close range with a pistol on this date in 1959.  However, some accounts claim that the knife was really a jacknife (or penknife) and the blade was closed.  There are many conflicting reports detailing the killing of Carl Alfalfa Switzer, but  in general they are consistent.  Nevertheless, Alfalfa was dead but the public generally didn’t know about it because it just do happened that Cecil B. DeMille died on the same day as Carl Switzer, which may be the root cause of the rumors that followed.  So, Alfalfa is not Alice Cooper and he did not die of a heroin overdose, yet, he remains dead. 

Louisville Area Rain Jan 20 and Jan 21

Near Term Weather More Like Gumby Rather Than Pokey

Weather Bottom Line:  Story remains consistent in the weather department with Saturday being the best day of the weekend, best day for the month of January and best day you will get for the forseeable future.  The pokey low I”ve been telling you about will be moving on by and, as it approaches overnight, will kick off t’storms to our south where there have been much warmer temperatures of late than we’ve seen around here. In fact, there is a slight chance of severe weather in Western Kentucky, maybe even as close as Bowling Green on Thursday afternoon.  I betcha the high for the day is actually after sunset on Thursday.  I suspect that showers will linger for early Friday but by midday the rain will end though we still won’t get out of the 40′s.  Then another system approaches and this time we get the benefir of warmer air.  Saturday will feature partly cloudy skies and an afternoon high pushing 60…and that will set the stage for potential thunderstorms on Saturday night, rain on Sunday and then late Monday or more likely Tuesday…we may get a little snow.  After that, the long term is a little up and down and not clear, but it does appear that we will be getting into a pattern of going from around average temperatures to periods of below average temperatures as we have a parade of storm systems moving through in a progressive manner…in other words more like Gumby, not Pokey.

Without Cold Winters, We Might Not Have Basketball January 20, 2010

Not Sure If This is What Naismith Had in Mind and It's Not Clear We Ever Would Have Heard of Michael Jordan if it Weren't For Cold Massachusetts Winters

Women's Basketball Was introduced to Smith College A Few Months After 1st Men's Team. This is Smith practice in 1903

On This Date in History: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland.  Not sure why Cleveland was picked except maybe the state and city provided good tax incentives.  But, at least its in a big city.  Baseball’s Hall of Fame is in tiny Cooperstown, NY.  I love that town.  The Pro Football Hall of Fame is in Canton, Ohio.  The Hockey Hall of Fame was supposed to be in Kingston Canada but funding dried up.  Eventually, it ended up in Toronto.  I think the first time the term “Hall of Fame” was used was in 1900 when the Hall of Fame for Great Americans was established at New York University, now Bronx Community College.  Then, the sporting world jumped on the bandwagon.  I believe that myth, folklore or history suggests that baseball was first played in Cooperstown and football in Canton, which is why those towns were chosen.  The Basketball Hall of Fame is in Springfield, MA because, on this date in 1892, the first basketball game was played.

Dr. Naismith's gym class produced the first basketball team. They consisted of nine players and their coach, pictured here on the steps of Springfield College Gymnasium. Back row: John G. Thompson; Eugene S. Libby; Edwin P. Ruggles; William R. Chase; T. Duncan Patton. Center: Frank Mahan; James Naismith. Front row: F. G. Macdonald; William H. Davis; Lyman W. Archibald.

It was invented by James Naismith, probably during the Christmas holidays in late 1891.   It really came about as a matter of necessity than anything else.   See, Naismith was a Physical Education teacher at the YMCA International Training School in 1891.  Today, it is referred to as Springfield College.  It gets cold in Massachusetts in the winter.  He had to find an indoor game of “athletic distraction” for the students.  He considered outdoor games such as Lacrosse and Rugby but thought they were too rough, though he did figure a way to eliminate tackling of Rugby was to disallow running and he liked the idea of the goals of LaCrosse.  Then, he remembered a game from his youth called Duck on a Rock.  Something about trying to knock a “duck” off the top of a large rock by throwing another rock at it.  I guess the prospects of throwing rocks in a closed building wasn’t too appealing but he did gain some inspiration from his recollection of that game.

1936 Olympics Are remembered as the Nazi Olympics by many and the Olympics of Jesse Owens humiliating Hitler. But For Naismith, they were the showcase for his game

The rules of the game have evolved.  Originally, Naismith used soccer balls and the baskets were peach baskets.  No one thought of punching a hole in the bottom of the baskets so, when a goal was scored, either a long dowel had to be used to punch the ball out or a guy on a ladder had to climb up to retrieve the ball.  So, the game wasn’t as fast paced as it is today.  Also, originally, bouncing or dribbling the ball as one moved was not part of the rules.  But, you couldn’t run with it either.  It was strictly a passing game.  The court was also half the size of the modern playing area.  Many people today say that basketball players are the best athletes in the world, but I suppose that was not the case back in the day.   Due to the popularity of the YMCA, the game spread rapidly across America and eventually was adopted by organizations in other countries.    Naismith lived to see the little game he invented become an Olympic sport in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.  By that time, the game had evolved to include movement being allowed as long as a player bounced, or dribbled the ball; the dimensions of the court were doubled; the number of players for each team at any given time was reduced from 9 to 5 and there was an introduction of a free throw line for foul shots.  Oh…and someone did figure out that it might be a good idea to have baskets with an open bottom end.   It is interesting to note that basketball is the only sport in which the women’s game developed simultaneously with the men’s game as Smith College took up the sport in 1892, shortly after Naismith had invented it in Springfield.

Here are the original 13 rules as outlined by Naismith:

1)The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.

2)The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist.

3)A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man running at good speed.

4)The ball must be held in or between the hands. The arms or body must not be used for holding it.

5)No shouldering, holding, pushing, striking or tripping in any way of an opponent. The first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as a foul; the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game. No substitution shall be allowed.

6)A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violations of Rules 3 and 4 and such as described in Rule 5.

7)If either side make three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the meantime making a foul).

8)Goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the ground into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edge and the opponents move the basket, it shall count as a goal.

9)When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person touching it. In case of dispute the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them.

10)The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have the power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.

11)The referee shall be the judge of the ball and decide when it is in play in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.

12)The time shall be two 15-minute halves with five minutes’ rest between.

13)The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winners.

Thursday Morning low still isnt here

Weather Bottom Line:  The song remains the same.  The shortwave ridging did materialize on Tuesday afternoon but only served to dry the air enough to take out the fog and get the temperatures to the mid to upper 40′s.  There probably was some freezing fog on surfaces like cars and handrails Tuesday morning but road temperatures probably weren’t low enough to cause problems.  Anyway, we still have the pokey low coming in from the west along the stalled frontal boundary.  Look for chilly rain off  and on through early Friday.  Rain chances will go up throughout the day on Wednesday and crescendo on Thursday.  Saturday still looks okay but Sunday…we may even hear some thunder and see some lightning.  At this point, models are hinting at colder air for the last week of January, possibly a little snow.  But we’ll see…the data has been inconsistent and its more than a week away.

This Alphabet Was More than ABC January 19, 2010

If Brigham Young Had His Way, A Campbell's Soup Can Would Look Like this in Utah (Deseret)

This Deseret Reader Featured 38 letters

On This Date in History:  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints was founded on April 6, 1830 in New York.  The faith was based on the visions of Joseph Smith.  Not long thereafter, the church known as the Mormons moved to Ohio.  That, however, was never considered the promised land.  Instead, Smith decreed that the city of God was in the Show-Me State.  Coverts to Mormonism converged on Independence, Missouri which was later the home of President Harry Truman but for the Church of Latterday Saints, it was considered to be their Jerusalem.    But, the Mormons were met with anger and violence.  Skirmishes broke out wherever members tried to settle in in 1838, the governor  of Missouri said that Mormons “must be exterminated or driven from the state.”   That was not a type-o.  The governor called on the extermination of certain American citizens.    Hmmm…so much of freedom of religion.  Remember, most scholars agree that when the founding fathers constructed the Constitution, they provided provisions to protect religion from government interference.  Today, many suggest it is the other way around.  The Mormons in Missouri knew otherwise.  By the way, the “extermination order 44″ issued by the governor in 1838…was rescinded…in 1876!  Government moves swiftly to correct its mistakes.

South Wall of Las Vegas Fort....Strip has come a long way from humble beginnings

The Mormons left a bunch of murdered martyrs behind in Missouri and tried out Illinois but were driven out by the citizens and state officials.  Their try in Nebraska didn’t last long and finally they ended up in the Salt Lake Valley in Utah where the  new leader, Brigham Young, planned a new Mormon nation that he called Deseret.  Mormons moved to the new land and used it as a home base for far off missions.  Farming thrived as did new ventures in mining.  The region was surveyed and communities were planned, including present day Las Vegas.  The dream of a Mormon nation though went by the wayside when the United States Congress declared Utah a territory of the United States on September 9, 1850.  See what happens when you find too much mineral wealth in your new colony? 

Find Out How to Buy a Bio on George D Watt by clicking image

Now, while the nation of Deseret never came to fruition, the language of Deseret did come about for a short time.  On this date in 1854, the Board of Regents of the University of Deseret adopted a new phonetic alphabet.  That University was later called the University of Utah.  As the second president of the Church of Latterday Saints, Brigham Young had charged a committee with developing a new alphabet that simplified the English language.  I’m not sure how developing a new alphabet with more letters made it more simple, but George D. Watt did so.  The conventional alphabet has 26 letters but the one that Watt came up with had anywhere from 38 to 40 letters, depending on which source you want to believe.  Again, how can an alphabet make a language more simple when one cannot even determine how many letters it has?  As an example, there were several different versions of the alphabet in various readers.   Most available photos show 38 letters this anti-mormon book in 1870  shows a key for Deseret Alphabet with 40 letters.

A few books were published using the alphabet, which was supposed to help unify the Deseret nation.  It seems however that the only person who really championed the new symbol system was Young himself.  It lasted for a little more than 20 years and quickly faded away with Young’s death on August 29, 1877.  Probably the shortest lived and only alphabet in world history based on the cult of personality.

Notice the Short Wave Ridging at 500mb on Tue Evening

NWS Rain Total Map Jan 17-18

Weather Bottom Line:  Man, it was cold on Monday.  It was one of those days when the cable weather outlet kept saying it would be in the mid 40′s and we never budged past the mid 30′s.  And it was the kind of cold that you get  on the Gulf Coast.  I always tell Snow White when we go to New Orleans in the winter that 45 degrees in New Orleans is not 45 degrees in Louisville.  It’s because of the humidity.  Well, Monday, 37 degrees in Louisville was like 37 degrees in the French Quarter.  It was really kinda interesting in that, when we went to the car this morning, it was frozen.  The condensation formed on the car before it went to freezing, so the beaded up water was really ice.  Anyway, the clouds kept the temperatures down as there is a quasi frontal boundary almost over the top of us.  They had sun in Paducah and it was in the 50′s so I suppose one might say that they are south of the boundary.

We have a pokey low coming along an old frontal boundary

Now, on Monday evening, it was apparent that there was a shortwave coming through the flow to our west.  As it passes by midday on Tuesday, it’s a pretty fair bet that we get into shortwave ridging which I suspect will give us some breaks in the clouds and allow us to get to the mid to upper 40′s.  Another, deeper wave develops along the front to our west.  It will start to roll and approach us on Tuesday night, increasing rain chances.  It’s not Gumby, it’s Pokey and so rain chances will be pretty high on Wednesday into Thursday.  I suspect  that the low itself will be somewhere in the neighborhood on Friday morning before moving out so rain chances go off the board by midday Friday. Saturday actually looks pretty decent with well above average afternoon temperatures.

Discovery Quest Ends in Disappointment, Death January 18, 2010

Photographer Threaded the Eye of the Ice Needle For this shot of Scott's Terra Nova...The Captain Was Not As Fortunate

Robert Falcon Scott

On This Date in History:  Robert Falcon Scott was a British Explorer who was bound and determined to be the first person to reach the South Pole.  He set off in 1901 for Antarctica in the Discovery.   It was an appropriately named ship for Scott and his team wandered about for 3 years and made a survey of Victoria Land on the frozen continent’s Ross Sea and discovered the Edward VII peninsula.  Even though Victoria or Edward VII weren’t with them, I suppose it was deemed as good protocal to name discoveries for royalty.  This was just an exploratory mission to set up the ultimate move to the South Pole because they only made a few brief forays onto the continent itself before ending the 3 year journey.  He returned and wrote a book about the Discovery Expedition. 

Scott Made his Final Voyage in the Terra Nova...Not Much of an Ice-Breaker

Now, there were other explorers who had their hearts set on reaching the South Pole first.  One was Norwegian Roald Amundsen.  Competition between explorers of the final global frontiers was fierce and an undeclared war between the two men began in 1911.  Both knew of the other’s ambition and both suspected that history remembers the winners and not who comes in second.

Scott Prefered men to dogs

In this case, both 1st and second gained everlasting fame.  In honor of the pair, the weather station at the South Pole is named the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, where you can get current weather conditions.  But, only one man won the race.   Both men set sail for Anarctica but, Amundsen went to the Bay of Whales and set up a base camp 60 miles closer to the South Pole than Scott.  That was the first of his many good fortunes.  Both expeditions took off from their base camps in October 1912.  Amundsen had sleigh dogs while Scott took motor sledges and Siberian ponies as well as dog teams.  Apparently, Scott had the mindset of the time. 

Amundsen's Dogs Carried Him to The Bottom First

Remember, the Titanic was nearing her maiden voyage and many had thought that technology was the answer to all nature had to offer.  Scott largely disregarded the proven use of dog teams in harsh conditions. Scott wrote, “In my mind no journey ever made with dogs can approach the height of that fine conception which is realised when a party of men go forth to face hardships, dangers, and difficulties with their own unaided efforts, and by days and weeks of hard physical labour succeed insolving some problem of the great unknown.  Surely in this case the conquest is more nobly and splendidly won.”   It was definitely a race for the dogs because, not only was Amundsen’s route favored by geographic location, but also by the Antarctic weather.  It was summer time in Antarctica but the weather can still be brutal but Amundsen’s meteorological conditions were actually not too bad by Antarctic standards.   The Norwegians reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911 and favorable weather conditions allowed them to return to their base by January 1912.

The Last 5- From left to right: Dr E. A. Wilson, Lt. H. R, Bowers, Capt. Robert Falcon Scott, Petty Officer Taff Evans and Capt. L. E.G. Oates.

Scott was on the move all that time and had no idea of his rivals movement.  So, he pushed on thinking that he still had a shot to reaching the bottom of the world first.  Perhaps Scott depended too heavily on technology because the motorized sleds broke down.  Then the ponies had to be shot and he decided it was best to send the dog teams back, leaving he and four companions to press forward on foot.   Robert Falcon Scott must have been pretty upset on January 18, 1912 when, after over 100 days of great travail, he reached the South Pole and found that Amundsen had already been there.  What a bummer.  But, his coming in second place was the least of his worries.    See, the weather wasn’t too kind and these guys had to find their way back on foot.  Two of the men died along the way, but Scott and the other two continued on.  They made it to about 11 miles from the basecamp when the weather was so bad that they had to wait it out in their tent.    They waited forever. 

Royal Norwegian Navy Frigate Roald Amundsen (F310)

When the frozen bodies of the three men were found on November 12, 1912, a final entry was found in Scott’s diary dated March 29, 1912,  about a month before the Titanic sunk.  The men were found inside the tent Scott wedged between his two partners, Lt. Henry Bowers and Dr. Edward Wilson.  They were in their sleeping bags covered them as if they were asleep but, curiously, the flaps of Scotts bag was thrown open.  Maybe he got too hot.  Amundsen though also tempted fate and technology.  In 1928, the great Norwegian explorer was claimed by the top of the world when the plane in which he was flying on a rescue mission plunged into the icy Arctic Ocean.  Now, explorers using a submarine are searching for Amundsen’s plane in the icy depths of his grave.

Francene Was Loved and Will Be Missed

Weather Bottom Line:  I will be an usher at the service for Francene Cucinello, who passed away last week.  Sunday’s rain should be gone and that should be the only good thing for the day.  She was very well liked professionally and more importantly, personally.  She will be missed.  Francene was too young to be taken from this world but she touched the lives of many while she was here.  The rest of the week’s weather will feature rain as a front gets hung up. Probably not consistent rain, but shower activity from time to time with cool, but slightly warmer than average tempertures.

Answer to Haiti Crisis to Create Bigger Global Financial Woe? January 17, 2010

 

How Will Citizens of the World Pay?

Crisis in Haiti Demands attention (Click Image for recent slideshow)

US Intervention: First off, just a note.  A few days ago I posted a piece that suggested it was time for US intervention in Haiti for the umpteenth time in the past 150 years.  I had someone suggest that I had rocks in my head for comparing relief efforts to an intervention.  Well, Time Magazine seems to be on the bandwagon now as they have called it a “compassionate invasion” by the United States.  In my view, the article starts off by making some comparison to New Orleans and Katrina. Here is a recap of the real problems associated with Katrina.  A difference is that the Haitian government invited the US in almost immediately whereas the Governor of Louisiana did not ask for federal help in such a timely manner. What the media does not say, or does not know, is that the Federal government cannot just send troops willy nilly into any state, even in a disaster, without an official request from that state’s governor.  In the Civil War, the United States did not send troops into Kentucky until the state asked for assistance to rid the Commonwealth of an invading Confederate force.  In any event, the Time article does suggest that for all intents and purposes, Haiti is now the 51st state.  It will be intersting to see how this all turns out and if US intervention this time ends up in something positive for Haiti and for the Western Hemisphere.

US total debt

Who is going to Pay and How? The world is coming to the aid of Haiti as nations and individuals are pledging money.  Earlier this year, several creditor nations had agreed to cancel all Haitian debt but France is now asking those nations to speed up the process of Haitian debt forgiveness.   The global community is pledging all sorts of financial support.  But, the question must be asked: where is this money going to come from?  The US is pledging $100 million.  That comes out of the US treasury.  The US is also footing the enormous bill for deploying troops, transportation and supplies.   The US national debt already is past 50% of the GDP and experts recently warned Uncle Sam to not let the debt rise beyond 60% of GDP.  

Olbermann, Limbaugh Probably Not Best Friends

America is stepping to the plate en masse.  USA Today reports that in 2005, private American donations following Hurricane Wilma, Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina totaled nearly $6.5 billion.  USA Today says that Americans are on pace to surpass that total following the earthquake.  Rush Limbaugh recently took heat for reminding people that President Obama’s pledge of $100 million was from the US Taxpayer.  Limbaugh said that he did not trust the Obama Administration to properly collect and use donations made through the White House web site.  Keith Olbermann, among others, attacked Limbaugh for his statements.  Many have suggested that Limbaugh was encouraging people to not donate monies to relief efforts, but Limbaugh defended himself by saying that he never said any such thing.   As I had commented regarding Pat Robertson,  I am not sure what the value was for Limbaugh’s timeliness in expressing his opinion on the subject as, without evidence to support his fears, he stood very little chance of gaining sympathy for his position.  As it stands, the USA Today report indicates that Americans are indeed opening their wallets.  So, if Limbaugh’s detractors claim he told people not to donate to anyone, this would be proof that listeners don’t necessarily do what he says. 

US Debt to GDP Ratios

Nevertheless, the issue of international debt is something that must be considered.  While a time of crisis is not a time to be pinching pennies, someone has to figure out how meeting the needs of humanity today will not create a larger global crisis tomorrow.  Businessweek published an article that details a potential global debt crisis.  It claims that the US is already way beyond the 60% ratio of debt to GDP as it assert Uncle Sam is running at over 93% of a Debt to GDP ratio.  It puts Iceland at over 300%, Greece at 125%, Spain over 66%, Britain and Ireland around 82% and Mexico a winner at just under 50%.  The monies allocated for earthquake relief do not generate any return income so any contributions made from the public sector of any country comes directly out of the treasury. 

Citizen Taxpayers Carry Gov't Debt Burden

 Jamaica is trying to negotiate its way out of it’s debt crisis and Argentina is struggling to find a pathway from its big hole.   But, it’s not just nations that are teetering on bankruptcy.  Word out of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam is that banks there remain burdened with bad debt.   Brazil’s main bank, Banco de Brasil,  is issuing quite a bit of debt at low, but slightly higher, interest rates.   In Europe, Hungary is finding ways to lend to that country’s banks to try to prop up lending.   In the US, banks in Illinois, Minnesota and Utah were recently seized by regulators.   So, while the stock market continues to rise, there are still many landmines remaining in the global financial system.  We are told that we are in recovery, but China is warning that the slew of international debt may be a roadblock to the future.  China is fearful that a global recovery could be stimied by faulty exit strategies by the international community as well as weak demand and high unemployment.

Global Money Tree Drowning in Debt

So, the world is clearly not out of the woods just yet.  The world must respond as it is to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti.  It is completely necessary on many levels for the US to take the lead in helping Haiti immediately and creating an environment for a better Haiti in the future.  And, while Limbaugh’s reference to funds coming from the US treasury was extremely untimely, the question remains for Uncle Sam and the rest of the world: how do we pay for it?  It used to be in America that charitable giving was completely the responsibility of individuals and they gave  what they could.  Since the Great Depression, America and other nations have grown increasingly comfortable with their governments providing funding for domestic and international social and relief efforts.  Unlike individuals though, governments tend to give more than they can afford, reasoning that taxes can always be collected to make up the difference.  But, at some point in time, someone has to pay.  Care needs to be given because solving one crisis by creating a bigger crisis is not much of a solution.

NAM calls for over 1/2" of rain by Sunday Evening

Weather Bottom Line:  I told you that Saturday would be good and it got even warmer than I thought.  Mid 50′s were commonplace across the area.  Now, a system is lifting up from the Gulf and up the Appalachians to bring rain on Sunday.  By Sunday evening, the NAM advertises over a half inch of rain.  I would think somewhere in the neighborhood of .75″ areawide would be a good bet.  As the system lifts northeast, we get slightly cooler air behind it with a decent Martin Luther King Day on tap with highs around 50.  Then a front comes down and gets hung up across the Ohio Valley bringing a few days of clouds and showers with temperatures cooler, but still above seasonal norms into the mid to upper 40′s.

National Nothing Day Might Be Good For Congress January 16, 2010

You can even get a wristband (click image) for National Nothing Day!

Doing Nothing Meant Alot to Bon Scott and Angus Young

This Date in History:  Everyone says that they are so busy these days, or at least we act like we are.  I wish I had a dollar for every time someone tells me that they are too busy to do something.   Do you think that you could just do nothing?  There is an AC/DC song called Down Payment Blues with a line that says “I know I ain’t doin’ much, doin’ nothin’ means a lot to me.”  My friends and I in high school always liked that song.  I guess Bon Scott liked doin’ nothing.   After a bunch of poor grades on a test, a bunch of my students’ excuse was that they didn’t have time to do the reading assignment.  A few days later, I tricked them when I asked if they had seen the UL-UK football game, the VH-1 Awards or Dancing with the Stars.  When they all said that they had, I told them to never tell me that they don’t have time to do the reading assignment.    We use the excuse that “I don’t have time” to do a given thing when, in fact, we choose not to use our time in that way.  We say that we don’t have time to visit a co-worker in the hospital but have plenty of time to watch that favorite TV show.   So, the question on the table might be, could you do nothing or are you too busy?

I think that everyone’s life is an interesting story.  But, I suppose society doesn’t much think so.  The lives of everyday people tend to go by the wayside while instead we turn our attention to people who yearn for attention even though they didn’t do anything to really earn that distinction.  Think of all of the celebrities in the spotlight today who really have done nothing except be in the spotlight.  So, maybe we do like to celebrate nothing.  If that is the case, then today is your lucky day.  It would seem that the life of a newspaperman would be interesting but, in the case of Harold Pullman Coffin, apparently that was not the case. 

One cannot find anything about the life of this journalist; not even the name of any newspaper for which he worked.  Children Come First have a writing contest for the day but the link to the Smithsonian it features leads nowhere.  But, you will find that he was described as a “newspaperman” and he managed to leave his name for posterity and history simply by decided to celebrate nothing.  On this date in 1973, newspaperman Harold Pullman Coffin designated January 16 as National Nothing Day.   I’m not sure of his motivation but he wanted to “to provide Americans with one national day when they can just sit without celebrating, observing, or honoring anything.”  Beyond that quote and the assertion that he was a newspaperman, there is nothing more.  It’s too bad that Congress doesn’t recognize Coffin’s day for about half the year, then the nation might be able to get something done.

Abolitionist Coffin Related To Harold Pullman Coffin?

Anyway, I”m forced to speculate regarding Mr. Coffin but I have found that the University of Nevada at Reno is the holder of the E.B. Coffin collection.  It is a set of personal papers and photographs derived from the Edward Baker Coffin family.  Edward Baker Coffin was born in 1861 in California.  His family was from Nantuckett, MA and his uncle or great uncle was probably aboltionist Levi Coffin as his brother was named George Levi Coffin.  Edward B. Coffin married Ida Pullman of Elko, Nevada.  They had 4 children, including Harold Pullman Coffin.  Now, that is a rather unusual name so it’s probably our National Nothing Day founder or at least a relation.   Now, the listing of Harold Pullman was fourth in the list of the children so we may presume that he was the youngest.  But even so, if we assume that Edward Coffin was 30 when Harold was born, then Harold Pullman Coffin would have been 82 when he designated National Nothing Day as an Un-Event.

Andy Rooney Doesn’t think much of Birthdays

 Andy Rooney just celebrated his 91st birthday so, it’s possible that Coffin could have been still working as a newspaperman.  (Rooney Bio) But, it seems more likely that the founder of National Nothing Day was the grandson of Edward Baker Coffin.  But, we know nothing of the birthday of Harry Pullman Coffin and Andy Rooney says that Unhappy Birthday is a better greeting or none at all for someone looking at another year on the planet.  Besides that, it’s probably better that we know nothing about the founder of National Nothing Day because, if we knew more, than that would be something. 

Weather Bottom Line:  It’s National Nothing Day so Saturday’s forecast is nothing.  But, Sunday may be rain, so enjoy nothing while you can.

Pat Robertson and Haiti: What Was He Talking About? January 15, 2010

Click Image for 1:23 of Pat Robertson's Comments and at least some sense of context

Haiti Earthquake Slideshow

To be sure, the Haitian earthquake is a calamitous tragedy.   It is well documented that Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and human misery by modern standards is routine.  But, the amount of human suffering brought about by this disaster will only get worse before it gets better.  Beyond the initial injuries and death, death will certainly come from those who cannot get medical attention, there will no doubt be disease and then there is the potential for violence as someone attempts to bring a sense of law to an area that has long had a degree of lawlessness.  Initially in natural disasters, often the goodness in all mankind comes out and everyone looks to come to the aid of anyone in distress, regardless of their social, religious or political standing.  Then, after about 48 hours, hearts in some tend to harden again and people begin to take advantage of others vulnerabilities.  It seems to me, that is a part of human nature. 

In times like these, nations and peoples from around the world do their best to bring support and relief.  Typically there are words of encouragement and hope.  But, people also want to look for reasons.  As far back as early Mesopotamia, the people of the Fertile Crescent would suppose that it was the desires of the gods that brought destructive flooding.  Some civilizations would make sacrifices to a volcano in the hopes of avoiding its wrath.  In recent times, some tried to reason that New Orleans suffered from Hurricane Katrina (even though New Orleans was not struck by Katrina-Mississippi was hit by Katrina) due to some malevolence on the part of the citizenry.  Some do not want to consider that perhaps the hurricane was merely carrying out its mission to transport heat and moisture from the tropical region to the polar region and that it just happened to move across a populated area.  Port-Au-Prince is  located on a seismically active zone that is prone, from time to time, to earthquakes.  Sooner or later it would happen.  But, there are some who speculate that there has to be some other reason.

Artist Portrayal of Event to Which Pat Robertson Made Reference

Now, when there is suffering, it seems to me that the main objective is to bring relief to those who need it and the time to discover the reasons why can wait.  But, for some reason, some people feel the need to opine as to the reason.  Pat Robertson in the aftermath of the quake made such a pronouncement.  Robertson said that Haiti has suffered and is suffering its fate due to a pact with the devil made as it struggled to free itself from slavery under the French in the late 18th century.  It was but a brief reference and Robertson’s theological and political opponents have jumped on him even though he said much more than that including a request for prayer for the Haitian people.  Nevertheless, I question the need to make such a historical pronouncement at that time.  But, now that its out there, I decided to try and find out if there is anything to support the notion.

Click Image to read about Voodoo in Haiti which is practiced today

Keep in mind, in order to reach a full conclusion, one must study the evidence presented in the full historiography of a particular subject.  It is impossible to do that using the internet as a source.  But, I thought I’d at least scratch the surface to at least quell some of my curiosity.  After all, just as it is wrong to make a claim with no substantiation, it is equally wrong to dismiss assertions out of hand simply because it does not fit your worldview and not due to  any reasoned examination.  Without great context, I am left to surmise that Mr. Robertson was referring to the Bois Caiman which was supposedly a voodoo ceremony on August 14, 1791 presided over by Boukman Dutty.  It’s not even clear that it was a voodoo (vodou) ceremony at all but it certainly seems to have been a collective cry to a higher power to deliver the Haitians from their fate of bondage.

I found one translation of what the prayer by Boukman ( Bookman) that is as follows:

“The god who created the earth; who created the sun that gives us light. The god who holds up the ocean; who makes the thunder roar. Our God who has ears to hear. You who are hidden in the clouds; who watch us from where you are. You see all that the white has made us suffer. The white man’s god asks him to commit crimes. But the god within us wants to do good. Our god, who is so good, so just, He orders us to revenge our wrongs. It’s He who will direct our arms and bring us the victory. It’s He who will assist us. We all should throw away the image of the white men’s god who is so pitiless. Listen to the voice for liberty that speaks in all our hearts.“

However, there a different translation given by N. and R. Heinl, in their book Written in Blood:

Good Lord who hath made the sun that shines upon us, that riseth from the sea, who maketh the storm to roar; and governeth the thunders, The Lord is hidden in the heavens, and there He watcheth over us. The Lord seeth what the blancs have done. Their god commandeth crimes, ours giveth blessings upon us. The Good Lord hath ordained vengeance. He will give strength to our arms and courage to our hearts. He shall sustain us. Cast down the image of the god of the blancs, because he maketh the tears to flow from our eyes. Hearken unto Liberty that speaketh now in all your hearts. (Heinl p. 43)

Click on Image of Book to see Bob Corbett's Haiti Page

Now,  while these translations of the text have been made public, there are some scholars who have argued that the ceremony never took place and the story is simply a myth used for motivation at the outset of the Haitian revolution.  A man named Bob Corbett published a back and forth with other contributors  on the subject arguing whether or not the ceremony was indeed a true event.   Now, if you assume the above translations are correct and the speech was indeed given at the ceremony, a careful examination reveals not a word concerning Satan or the Devil.  The first translation does refer to “our God” and that can leave a lot open to interpretation.  But, a key difference in the second translation is that it refers to “our good Lord” and the “good Lord.”  On the surface, one might think that they are referring to the Christian God but, a look at the text also brings to light the reference to “their god.”  One would assume that is the god of the French and the French were largely Roman Catholic so, perhaps that is what gives rise to the idea that they are praying to a different god and not to the one God.  However, Dr. Jean Gelin has made some research into the subject and Dr. Gelin concludes that the Haitian people involved were not talking to Satan, but instead praying to the one God of the universe in the monotheist Christian tradition.   That excerpt was taken from the second part of a three part series Gelin titled, “God, Satan and the Birth of Haiti.”  Here is part I and part III.

Jean Gelin's PhD is not in theology but disagrees with Robertson's historical view

Now, it may be worth noting that Dr. Gelin is referenced in this manner at the bottom of his 3 part series published in 2005: Jean R. Gelin is a licensed minister of the Church of God and serves as an assistant pastor for a young Haitian-American church in the United States. He holds a Ph.D. in plant sciences and works as a scientist in agricultural research. Dr. Gelin can be contacted at gelinjr@yahoo.fr regarding this article.  His Ph.D and vocation is in agriculture not theology.  Pat Robertson on the other hand is a very educated man and theologian.  I have no idea if Dr. Gelin has a motivation to redeem the people of Haiti or if he is truly motivated by truth.  I think that Pat Robertson is motivated by bringing what he thinks is biblical truth to the masses.  But…I don’t get it.

Martin Luther advocated a personal relationship with God through Jesus

It seems to me that Mr. Robertson has unnecessarily opened a can of worms that may actually turn people away from the Christian Faith rather than bring them to a relationship with Jesus.  To be fair, his comment was very brief and in the context of the need to pray for the people and his optimism that something good would come of it. While I have done no scholarly work on the subject, it seems to me that the historical context is still up for debate and has not really been established by fact.  Until Mr. Robertson provides some body of work, then that is the only conclusion one can draw.  In all honestly, one must say at  this point “we don’t know” if there was indeed some sort of satanic deal in 1791.  But, in the tradition of Martin Luther, the protestant church came about with the idea that individuals can develop a personal relationship with God through Jesus the Christ.  Luther thought that one did not have to go through a priest or any man or pay tribute to gain salvation but instead study the Word of God and develop that personal relationship.  So, if a person today has established a personal relationship with God through Jesus, how can he possibly be held responsible for the actions of someone 200 years before, even if they were a relative? 

Mother Theresa Served All Without Exploring the Reason Behind the Plight of the Destitute

In my view(for what its worth), our role in life is to serve God.  If we are all God’s creations and the body of Christ, then the only way to serve God is to serve others and raise our children.  I don’t know the political persuasion of individuals in Haiti, whether or not they live a righteous lifestyle of one of lawlessness and moral depravity.  I believe that Jesus of Nazareth was known for ministering to the tax collectors, lepers, prostitutes and others who were looked down upon by the elite.  He preached a chance of reconciliation with God and forgiveness.  Whether Mr. Robertson is correct or Dr. Gelin is correct is not relevant beyond academic discussions.  It seems to me that our charge is to minister to those in distress with basic human needs, medical attention, companionship and hope and I think Mr. Robertson would agree.  At this time, we should bring love and not condemnation.  While Mr. Robertson may in the end be able to make his case, I’m not sure that now was the time to do so.  I’m also not sure of the value of a knee jerk condemnation of Mr. Robertson without knowing the facts, except to say there is much work to do and people to serve. Mr. Robertson said that something good can come from this and I agree.  Haiti can have a brighter future than it has had in its past, but only through honesty, love, compassion, effort and service to the Lord through the service to others. I had a friend in jail once.  I did not ask the reason.  I kept up with him and tried to provide encouragement without regard to why he was where he was.  Ours is not to ask why,  but to serve.

Sunday Evening Polar Jet Well North, Southern Branch well South

Weather Bottom Line:  So, I washed my car…and the birds decided a nice clean car was an invitation to let me know they were still in the neighborhood, eathing the berries.  We got to 51 officially on Thursday. Look for the same on Friday.  Sunday’s rain is still possible but it may stay southeast.  Temperatures will remain in the 40′s after a couple of more days near 50.  We may chill down a bit in the wake of a big low going up the SE US and up the east coast.  The extreme long range models are hinting at a possible long wave pattern change back to a cold time with the jet diving back to the Gulf  Coast.  But, so far, it’s inconsistent as one might expect from 15 days out.  I’m talking about the last week of January so there is plenty of time.  Regardless, don’t think that the cold air is done with though..just taking a break less than month into winter.

Time For US Intervention In Haiti…AGAIN January 14, 2010

Before/After Haiti Presidential Palace Click Image for Slide Show

Boston.com always is a good source for slideshow

In 1888, the US showed up with a show of force in Haiti.  That was sufficient for the Haitian government of Louis Lysius Félicité Salomon who lasted longer than most leaders of Haiti.  The Americans were flexing their muscles in order to persuade Salomon to give up a captured US Steamer and its crew that was taken amidst charges of blockade running.    In relation to other Haitian, leaders, Salomon really wasn’t too bad as he managed to connect the nation with the rest of the world via telegraph, improved the education system, attracted foreign capital and created a national bank.  But, he eventually was forced to capitulate as another strongman gained power.

Navassa Island Map

Not Much to Navassa Island...except for Guano

Navassa Island is a pretty worthless island off the southeastern tip of Haiti. Christopher Columbus first charted the island on his 3rd and 4th voyages but he wasn’t too interested because the tiny island had no water.  But, the US claimed the island in 1857 and later in the 19th century a company out of Baltimore started mining for guano.  Yup…guano.  Seems guano phosphate was seen as a good organic fertilizer and American agriculture interests couldn’t wait to get their hands on…guano.  Well, the American supervisors weren’t too kind to the workers and there was a revolt.  That resulted in white supervisors getting arms, legs and heads chopped off. If you managed to keep your head, you may have had it bashed in.  The US Navy showed up and took suspects back to Baltimore and then eventually back to Haiti for trial.  They were found guilty but escaped execution after US President Benjamin Harrison communted their sentences to life terms following pressure from US African American clergy as well as some of the white jury members.  It’s kinda  weird thing in that it’s considered an unincorporated territory of the US but Haiti claims in.  Its  really of no use today.  Even the US didn’t think it was worth a lighthouse anymore.  But, the island has found a new job as a wildlife refuge.

Americans Depicted At Ft. Riviere, Haiti 1915

In the 19th Century there was great interest in the Caribbean Islands by the US.  But, before the Civil War, the US. did not recognize the independence of Haiti because it was a land of free men.  The Southern States “slavocracy” had some power in Congress those politicians viewed that land as opposition to slavery.  President Ulysses S. Grant had longed to annex Dominica.  I had always thought that it meant the entire island though some texts say he just meant the Dominican Republic.  He made a formal proposal in 1870 but any enthusiasm faded.  Partly because of talk of a canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific and also due to lingering racism.  Concerns about political unrest and also activities of the Germans in World War I led to intervention in 1914 and then a US takeover in 1915.  From that time until 1934, the US basically ran the country with a military government. 

Brave, Desperate Haitian Boat People in 1990's

In the 1950′s, President Francios Duvalier took over in Haiti and at first there was some hop. e but charges of corruption circulatied causing much problems for the administrations of the United States (Duvalier bio) In particular, President Kennedy was forced to take action.  The 1990′s brought more intervention on the part of the United States for a variety of reasons.  In 1994, the Clinton Administration got involved with “Operation Uphold Democracy” in an effort to prevent the ouster of supposedly democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who got 67% of the vote in 1990 and was a Catholic Priest.  Aristide though was driven from power and the US put him back in.  Then, he was ousted again only to return and in 2004, the US again got involved with “Operation Secure Tomorrow.”  Part of the reason the Bush Administration and the Clinton Adminstration got involved was to try to prevent more refugees from coming to the US from Haiti in boats, as they had done during the early part of the Clinton Adminstration which proved to be a diplomatic, humanitarian and public relations problem for the United States. 

US Sec'y of State Colin Powell visits Haitian Interim President Alexander Boniface in 2004

There are about 9 million people in Haiti.  If 100,000 died in the earthquake, that would be about 1.1% of the population.  In the US if that type of event took place, it would be about 3.5 million.  If the reports of 500,000 dead prove true, then the proportional equivalent would be over 17 million.  As it has for 150 years, the US will be involved in Haiti.  Perhaps something good may come from this.  Maybe, the Haitian people will end up with a stable, honest government that can harness the hard work and enterprise of most of their people.  When Haitian immigrants come to the US, they generally become prosperous and contributing members of society.  While the Dominican Republic is not a wealthy nation, it shares the same landmass and enjoys a much higher standard of living than Haiti, which is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.  UNICEF reports the per capita income in Haiti is $560.  Nation Building?  In this case, it’s the right thing to do.  If the US is going to take responsibility for security by following the Monroe Doctrine, its the responsibility of the US to make sure that the Haitians have a chance to prosper in the hemisphere dominated by the worlds greatest Democracy.  It would be in our national interest to have a stable and prosperous Haiti and it would be our moral responsibility to make it happen.

By Friday Evening, Critical Thickness (freezing lines) at all levels are way North

Weather Bottom Line:  On Tuesday, Louisville officially made it to 33 degrees.  It did that for less than an hour but it goes in the record book as being above freezing, making our freezing weather streak at something less than 12 days.  Forget the fact that no one lives at the airport and that no other reporting station in the region was above freezing, it still will be recorded in history that we were above freezing.  Wednesday the official high was 39….at the airport.  I washed  my car.  See, we have these trees and bushes with berries.  So, when it snows, the birds eat all of those berries.  Then they like to decorate my car to let me know how much they appreciated the berries. 

Our average high this time of year is 41…I think it dips to 40 for the last week in January and the first week of February.  Well, the jetstream is going to take a break.  The pattern is such that we will have the opposite of the last 2 weeks and the next two weeks will feature warmer than average temperatures. But, don’t break out the tanning butter and shorts just yet.  One or two days may hit 50 but for the most part we’ll be seeing highs in the 40′s.  A big low coming around the bend out of the desert Southwest and into the Gulf will get wound up and move to the northeast into the SE US.  But, without sufficient cold air, there won’t be any wintery precipitation except in the extreme highest elevations of the Appalachians…and that might be a stretch.   We’ll get some rain out of the action for the end of the weekend but I suspect as winter storms go, it may be something worthwhile for the New England seaboard, but that’s about it.  Given that…I thought it was a good day to wash my car.

Massive Haitian Earthquake; Winter Storm Known as “School House Blizzard” January 12, 2010

Damage in Haiti

Building collapse in Haiti

Major Earthquake In Haiti-

A Major Earthquake centered near of Port Au Prince with a magnitude of at least 7.0 occured on Tuesday evening.  Initial reports are of building collapse and extensive damage.  Haiti is probably the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere and communications are poor to begin with and there is no infrastructure to speak of.  Aid will be difficult to get to people in distress.  President Obama has pledge the aid of the United States.   Reports on television claim there is a Tsunami Watch but information (found below) from the Tsunami Warning Center seems to not confirm media reports.  It will probably be at least until daylight, if not for days, to determine the extent of the destruction and misery of the region.

Earthquake Details
Magnitude 7.0
Date-Time Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 21:53:09 UTC
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 04:53:09 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 18.451°N, 72.445°W
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region HAITI REGION
Distances 15 km (10 miles) SW of PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
140 km (90 miles) E of Les Cayes, Haiti
145 km (90 miles) WNW of Barahona, Dominican Republic
1140 km (710 miles) SE of Miami, Florida

Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 8.3 km (5.2 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST=103, Nph=103, Dmin=365.7 km, Rmss=1.14 sec, Gp= 94°,
M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=7
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)

Event ID us2010rja6

WEXX32 PAAQ 122203
TIBATE

PUBLIC TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT NUMBER 1
NWS WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER PALMER AK
603 PM AST TUE JAN 12 2010

…A STRONG EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED BUT A TSUNAMI IS NOT
   EXPECTED ALONG THE COASTS OF PUERTO RICO/ THE VIRGIN
   ISLANDS/ U.S. ATLANTIC AND GULF OF MEXICO STATES/ AND EASTERN
   CANADIAN PROVINCES…

NO WARNING… NO WATCH AND NO ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR
THESE AREAS.

BASED ON THE EARTHQUAKE LOCATION – MAGNITUDE AND HISTORIC TSUNAMI
RECORDS A DAMAGING TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED ALONG THE PUERTO RICO/
VIRGIN ISLANDS/ U.S. ATLANTIC/ EASTERN CANADIAN AND GULF OF
MEXICO COASTS. EARTHQUAKES OF THIS SIZE CAN GENERATE DESTRUCTIVE
TSUNAMIS ALONG THE COAST NEAR THE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES IN THE
EPICENTRAL REGION SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY AND TAKE
APPROPRIATE ACTION.

AT 553 PM ATLANTIC STANDARD TIME ON JANUARY 12 AN EARTHQUAKE WITH
PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE 7.3 OCCURRED
IN THE HAITI REGION.

THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER IN EWA BEACH HAWAII WILL
ISSUE MESSAGES FOR AREAS IN THE CARIBBEAN OUTSIDE PUERTO RICO
AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY STATEMENT ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT BY THE
WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER UNLESS ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE. SEE THE WEB SITE WCATWC.ARH.NOAA.GOV
FOR BASIC TSUNAMI INFORMATION – SAFETY RULES AND TSUNAMI TRAVEL
TIMES.

Blizzard Before Global Warming

Blizzard Before Global Warming
On This Date In History:  It’s been exceedingly cold over much of the nation so far this winter.  We are in the midst of a warm up as the long wave pattern finally changes, though our warm up will only take us to at or slightly above seasonal norms.  At this point, there does not appear to be a major change in that pattern through January.  As it stands, for the next couple of weeks, I think that there will be big storms crashing into the Pacific Northwest coast of the US. 

While the warm up will take temperatures to the upper 70′s to near 80 in South Florida, that is about normal.  And, it’s not out of the question that we get an extended extreme warm streak sometime later in the season. It’s not unusual, so much so that it is known as a “false spring”. It has happened before and it happened well before anyone suggests that global warming had started. January warm-ups happen. In the Midwest, January 11, 1888 had been unseasonably warm as had the morning of January 12. A cold front came barrelling down with air that dropped temperatures well below zero with high winds. Some reports of the day say that the mercury fell 100 degrees in 24 hours. ..while its possible, that may be an exaggeration.

You Can Read The Book

You Can Read The Book
When the mercury fell, the snow began to fall. Most likely a shortwave blew up from the southwest and grabbed all of the warm moist air to the south and threw it over the cold air. People who had gone to work and especially school children had not dressed for the extreme cold as the whole thing was a total surprise. 235 people died that day, many of them school children trying to get home. Hence, on this date in 1888, the Midwest of the United States suffered from what is now known as either the “Schoolhouse Blizzard” or the “Schoolchildren’s Blizzard.” One story holds that a teacher was trapped in her schoolhouse with 3 children and by 3 pm they had run out of heating fuel. She tried to lead them 82 yards to her boarding house. Visibility was so poor that they got lost in the short distance and the 3 kids died. She survived but lost her feet to frostbite. There are many other tales of rescues using rope to tie children together as they tried to get to safety. (Blizzard Tales)

Extreme weather changes have gone on in this country in the winter for a long long time….long before anyone thought of global warming. Its just that now we have better forecasts to be able to prepare.

Wall Street March 1888

Wall Street March 1888

It was a tough winter in 1888. In March, New York City had one of its greatest snowfalls and blizzards. From March 12-14, about 50 inches fell and wind drifted the snow to up to 40 feet. The city came to a standstill.

Weather patterns really haven’t changed all that much, its just that forecasting has gotten so much better. Be thankful for the bus-stop forecast. People get upset if the weather guru on TV says “up to an inch of snow” and they only get a quarter inch, which is what they said but it wasn’t an inch. The folks in the Midwest in 1888 would trade that for what they got any day of the week.

Chinook Winds Can Be Phenomenal and Dangerous January 11, 2010

Eating Snow Can Be a Problem Unless Your Name is Chinook

Winds that flow over the top of mountains will often come down the leeward side the range.  When the airflow moves from the higher elevation to lower, there is compressional warming.    If you compress air, it heats up and when it expands it cools. That is why oxygen under pressure comes out cold when released.    In the American West,  such a downslope wind is referred to a Chinook Wind.  The word Chinook means “Snow Eater” because Native Americans had noticed that when a warm wind blew down the mountains, the snow would disappear.  That would be from rapid sublimation, or the snow turning directly to vapor as a result of the influx of warm, dry air.  It is said that in places on the Eastern Slope of the Rockies, Chinook Winds are so common that houses have sliding wooden shutters to protect windows from flying debris.  Flying debris?  Are the winds that strong?  Yes…sometimes they are that strong.

Chinook Arch

On this date in 1972, The National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado recorded a wind gust of 144 mph.  That is nearly category 5 hurricane strength.  South of Boulder at Rocky Flats, winds gusted to 105 mph and 90 mph gusts greeted downtown Boulder.  Stapleton Airport in Denver reported gusts to 53 mph on January 11, 1972 and 47 mph the following day.   In Boulder, more than 25 mobile homes were destroyed…some by wind and others by fire that erupted after they were overturned. 

Chinook Arch

Buildings suffered major damage, car windows were blown out, traffic lights blown away and trees, power lines and utility poles were down.  Some 75 families had to leave their apartment building due to severe structural damage.   Flying debris caused much of the damage, much as one might expect in severe weather or a hurricane.  Industrial complexes, government and private offices were evacuted out of fear of the results of flying matter and broken glass.  15 airplanes were damaged and hanger damage reported at Jefferson County Airport.   In Boulder, the damage added up to 2 million dollars and total reports for damage in the area came to about $25 million. 

Wild Pac NW Temp Swings-Daily Swings Jan 1972 Ft. Nelson BC

 So, what about the “snow eater” part.  In Denver, temperatures climbed to the mid 50′s.  It is not unusual for temperatures to rise 20 to 40 degrees in a matter of minutes.  The winds typically come from the northwest or west with the mountain crest sporting the “chinook arch.”  At the outset of a chinook, temperatures can vary wildly as warm air mixes with cold.  So, one spot may feel a 30 degree temperature rise in 15 minutes only to feel the rush of much colder air before the warming begins again.  In the Black Hills of South Dakota,  the town of Spearfish in 1943 experienced a 49 degree rise in temperature in just 2 minutes.  90 minutes after that, the mercury dropped 58 degrees in less than a half hour.  The low for the time frame was -4 F and a high of 54 F.  The system in 1972 was not isolated as on January 15, 1972 there was a 103 degree rise in temperature in 24 hours in Loma, Montana where the mercury went from 54 below zero to 49 degrees above zero.   Here are some other significant temperature rises:  Granville, ND on Feb. 21,1918 went from -33F to 50F in 12 hours, Fort Assiniboine, MT rose from -5 F to 37F in 15 minutes, Dec. 1 1896 folks in Kipp, MT  felt the mercury rise of 34 degrees in just two minutes and a total daily rise of 80 degrees and 30 inches of snow disappeared in half a day. 

The United States is not the only place to get this type of phenomena, but North America is the only place where they are called Chinook.  Elsewhere, they are known as Foehn Winds, but Chinook is much more fun.  There is some notion that the term Chinook derived from people of a region in the Columbia River Valley, the Chinooks, who first reported the winds to the white settlers.  But I like the Snow Eater story better.

National Snow Cover Still 59% of USA

Weather Bottom Line:  The Monday snow was pretty lame.  Not enough moisture.  Now, some folks may get above freezing on Tuesday afternoon as the clouds break but I suspect that the official end of the below freezing temperatures will be on Wednesday afternoon or maybe even midday.   The long wave pattern is finally changing and the cold air will retreat back into Canada.  That will mark about 12.5 days since we were above freezing in Louisville, one of the longest stretches on record, though I believe the longest such freezing streak runs to 17 days.   It’s going to be short of my early prognastication in late 2009 that we wouldn’t get above freezing until the 15th, but the 13th is close enough…or long enough.  Now, we get to the 40′s Wed through Friday.  There is still that big low that will develop in the Gulf.  The southern branch of the jet stream will swing down out of the southwest into Texas and a low will form. It will then eject into the SE US.  The jury is still out but at this time, most modeling data does not drag down cold air sufficiently to give us snow…but we’ll see.