WASHINGTON — With the election over and Democrats in control of the White House and both chambers of Congress, officials in both parties are bracing for a bruising new battle with a different balance of power: the redrawing of congressional maps, where Republicans hold the advantage in many state legislatures across the country, including in key battlegrounds.
Republicans hold total control of redistricting in 18 states, including Florida, North Carolina and Texas, which are growing in population and expected to gain seats after the 2020 census is tabulated. Some election experts believe the G.O.P. could retake the House in 2022 based solely on gains from newly drawn districts.
Already, Republicans are discussing redrawing two suburban Atlanta districts held by Democrats to make one of them more Republican; slicing Democratic sections out of a Houston district that Republicans lost in 2018; and carving up a northeastern Ohio district held by Democrats since 1985.
One of the most overlooked, yet most significant innovations of the early 20th century might be the Post Office’s decision to start shipping large parcels and packages through the mail. While private delivery companies flourished during the 19th century, the Parcel Post dramatically expanded the reach of mail-order companies to America’s many rural communities, as well as the demand for their products. When the Post Office’s Parcel Post officially began on January 1, 1913, the new service suddenly allowed millions of Americans great access to all kinds of goods and services. But almost immediately, it had some unintended consequences as some parents tried to send their children through the mail.
“It got some headlines when it happened, probably because it was so cute,” United States Postal Service historian Jenny Lynch tells Smithsonian.com.
Just a few weeks after Parcel Post began, an Ohio couple named Jesse and Mathilda Beagle “mailed” their 8-month-old son James to his grandmother, who lived just a few miles away in Batavia. According to Lynch, Baby James was just shy of the 11-pound weight limit for packages sent via Parcel Post, and his “delivery” cost his parents only 15 cents in postage (although they did insure him for $50). The quirky story soon made newspapers, and for the next several years, similar stories would occasionally surface as other parents followed suit.
It’s cold and wintery outside. At least it’s not as cold as it has been previous days, and my morning walk wasn’t so bad. For a while the snow stopped, but it’s started up again, although not enough right now to clean off my truck. I do plan to do that this evening, just so I don’t have too much to deal with come morning.
Donald Trump stunned the political world in 2016 when he became the first person without government or military experience ever to be elected president of the United States. His four-year tenure in the White House revealed extraordinary fissures in American society but left little doubt that he is a figure unlike any other in the nation’s history.
... just another scene of blight in Downtown Albany. I assume they are trying to restore this magnificent building, and not just controlling chunks of marble that are falling off the roof.
Good morning! Happy February ! Two weeks to Presidents Day . Snow showers to start off the day and 20 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a north breeze at 9 mph. . It doesn’t feel that cold but maybe I’m just getting used to the cold. There are 4.5 inches of snow on the ground. ️Picked up a few inches already, although it seems like it wound down after my morning walk. Still kind of pretty. It will stick around for this week, with things will start to thaw out at Thursday around noontime and possibly some rain come Friday.
I am ready for a good snowstorm. I just hope this time it won’t be days of unplowed sidewalks on my street, with no place to walk. When I did my walk today, the sidewalks weren’t awful, as snow has been light but I wonder if I will be able to do my walk tonight or tomorrow morning, or if the snow will be too deep. I should probably get the skis out from my truck. I put a tarp over my truck cap to make snow removal easier and clean the panel off once the snow stops so I can keep the battery bank fully charged should I decide not to go anywhere until Thursday, which is usually my shopping day.
Today will snow likely, mainly after 4pm. I am curious, I should pull up the radar. Otherwise pretty cloudy , with a high of 27 degrees at 6pm. Five degrees below normal. North wind 9 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 40 degrees. The record high of 65 was set in 1989. 15 inches of snow fell back in 1898.We could break that record today, but I think the biggest amount of snow will come tomorrow.
Solar noon is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 30.4° from the due south horizon (-40.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 10.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour starts at 4:28 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (240°). The sunset is in the west-southwest (248°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:09 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 8 seconds with dusk around 5:38 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds later than yesterday. The best time to look at the stars is after 6:13 pm. At sunset, look for snow and temperatures around 26 degrees. The wind chill around sunset will be 14. There will be a north breeze at 14 mph. Today will have 10 hours of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 21 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low of 25 degrees at 9pm. 10 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 14th. North wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible. In 2020, we had light drizzle in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 28 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1961.
Saturday looks fairly decent right now. Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 34. Sunday, a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Typical average high for the weekend is 33 degrees.
Only 47 days remain until the first day of calendar spring! But first some snow before the rain later in the week. Black flies still have a few more weeks of hibernation before they come out in mass.
I was thinking the other day that I’m looking forward to spring. I think one of things I miss the most is having the windows open and the fresh air. Plus getting out of town. I feel like remote work will end just before the weather gets nice, but who knows this year. It would be fun to work from up north again this spring/summer but who knows. A lot depends on how fast the vaccine gets out and people feel safe enough to work back in the office.
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Presidents Day when the sun will be setting at 5:27 pm with dusk at 5:56 pm. On that day in 2020, we had cold, mostly sunny and temperatures between 28 and 4 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 35 degrees. We hit a record high of 55 back in 2006.
! Two weeks to Presidents Day 
. Snow showers to start off the day and 20 degrees in Delmar, NY. 
. It doesn’t feel that cold but maybe I’m just getting used to the cold. There are 4.5 inches of snow on the ground. 
️Picked up a few inches already, although it seems like it wound down after my morning walk. Still kind of pretty. It will stick around for this week, with things will start to thaw out at Thursday around noontime and possibly some rain come Friday. 
I just hope this time it won’t be days of unplowed sidewalks on my street, with no place to walk. When I did my walk today, the sidewalks weren’t awful, as snow has been light but I wonder if I will be able to do my walk tonight or tomorrow morning, or if the snow will be too deep. I should probably get the skis 
out from my truck. I put a tarp over my truck cap to make snow removal easier and clean the panel off once the snow stops so I can keep the battery bank fully charged 
should I decide not to go anywhere until Thursday, which is usually my shopping day.
, with a high of 27 degrees at 6pm. Five degrees below normal. North wind 9 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 40 degrees. The record high of 65 was set in 1989. 15 inches of snow fell back in 1898.
is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 30.4° from the due south horizon (-40.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 10.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 
starts at 4:28 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (240°). 
The sunset is in the west-southwest (248°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:09 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 8 seconds with dusk around 5:38 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds later than yesterday. 
The best time to look at the stars is after 6:13 pm. At sunset, look for snow 
Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 34. Sunday, a chance of snow. 
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Typical average high for the weekend is 33 degrees.
Only 47 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!
I think one of things I miss the most is having the windows open and the fresh air. Plus getting out of town. I feel like remote work will end just before the weather gets nice, but who knows this year. It would be fun to work from up north again this spring/summer but who knows. 
A lot depends on how fast the vaccine gets out and people feel safe enough to work back in the office.
