I don’t know about you, but I’m getting ready for the next lock-down and more remote work. πΎ
I have decided not to buy a large block of smartphone time/data, but going month to month because I am not sure when the next time things will shutdown due to COVID-19. While the numbers look pretty low in New York City, one can’t look at other parts of state without some alarm. Most of the high positivity levels are buffeted by the fact that most of the people ending up in the hospitals now are either unvaccinated (which most of the public shrugged and says sucks to be them), or are very elderly and frail, and as the public thinks, probably would have died anyways should they have had a strong gust of winter’s wind push them over while walking outside with their walkers. If not the flu. Old people die to make up for all punk kids who are being born.
Will the politicians close things down now that COVID-19 levels are spiking in Upstate? Probably not, because they see how much economic damage shutdowns cause, and the populous anger that it stirs up, especially among the already aggrieved businessman who feel like they already spend too much money complying with government mandates. I’m watching to see if Buffalo burns with the shit going down there in the coming weeks. Instead, politicians will prefer to step up the mask mandate game or vaccination card-check at bars and restaurants. Despite what the crazy conservative posters suggest on social media, I doubt they’ll be checking cards at grocery stores or gas stations, as people got to eat and buy fuel, and Mr. Patel behind store counter probably doesn’t want his more of his teeth busted out by angry burly-white men who just want $100 in over-priced gas to fill up their big pickup truck and they ain’t going to show their government papers. Plus, I doubt many people will be excited about just the government printing more cash to give out as welfare payments, with the inflationary times we live in.
But who knows how bad things will get. We are certainly getting mixed signals about Omricon strain, but maybe it’s because the government workers who study such things don’t really understand how bad it is as the cases are fairly limited right now. But it’s silly to pretend it won’t escape the poor colored communities in Africa, and won’t come roaring across America to every little hick town that smells like cow shit and every big city. It might be necessarily to go back to way things were last winter, and I’ll need the data on my phone, as at this point I have zero plans to get internet at home, plus I want the flexibility if it’s nice to head out of town and work up from the woods where after a stressful day, I can have a roaring fire, eat off styrofoam plates and burn shit. I know it’s winter with a ton of snow up north, but we could have another spring like last year, phoning it from along Sacandaga River in Speculator which was my office for a good portion of pandemic.
I haven’t gotten my booster shot, even though I’ve been eligible since late October as a public-facing worker. Why not? Mainly because I’m hardly excited about getting injected more of a toxic substance in my body when it’s not absolutely necessary. Plus I’ve heard people have had some pretty bad reactions to the booster shot, which wear off after a day or two of misery. I guess it beats though getting the COVID. Maybe I should think about getting it before the rush is back on for boosters, and the supply disappears like so many things this year. I think I’d rather be cranky for a few hours then end up dealing with all that hospital shit.
Hey, for the trip to here from Albany and back, I averaged 19.3 miles per gallon, including spending 22 miles on dirt road, stopping to take pictures, and not taking expressways except for a short section of Thruway between Albany and Schenecady. I was very impressed with Big Red.
The nationβs first plastic bag ban in Suffolk County, NY set off panic in the plastics industry. How did industry create the myth of recycling and squash potential bag bans?
We speak to Assemblyman Steve Englebright, who sponsored the bag ban in 1988, about the decades long fight to ban plastic bags in Suffolk County and the tactics used by the plastic industry to thwart these bans. Plus, Kara Napolitano from SIMS Municipal Recycling Facility in Brooklyn offers us a new way to think about plastics recycling.
Today’s sunrise was at 7:01 am. The next time the sun will rise earlier then today π is in 74 days on Wednesday, February 9, 2022.
The average high for today is 45 degrees. π‘ The next time it will be on average warmer then today is in 111 days on Friday, March 18, 2022 when the average temperature will be 46 degrees.
The highest point for the sun today will be 26.2° from the horizon at 11:44 am. π The next time the sun will be higher in the sky mid-day is in 49 days on Saturday, January 15.
Today has 9 hours and 55 minutes of daylight. β³ The next time the day will be longer then today is in 48 days on Friday, January 14.
Today’s sunset will be at 4:24 pm. The next time the sun will set later then today π is in 24 days on Tuesday, December 21.
The average low for today is 28 degrees. π‘ The next night it will be on average warmer then tonight is in 117 days on Thursday, March 24, 2022 when the average temperature will be 29 degrees.
The report recommends hiking federal royalty rates for oil and gas drilling, which have not been raised for 100 years. The federal rate of 12.5% that developers must pay to drill on public lands is significantly lower than many states and private landowners charge for drilling leases on state or private lands.
The report also said the government should consider raising bond payments that energy companies must set aside for future cleanup before they drill new wells. Bond rates have not been increased in decades, the report said.
The Bureau of Land Management, an Interior Department agency, should focus leasing offers on areas that have moderate to high potential for oil and gas resources and are close to existing oil and gas infrastructure, the report said.
That wind is howling around and it’s going to be a cold one today but hopefully sunnier later and maybe warmer weather later in the week. β I might go out hiking today down in the Normans Kill Gorge but I think I will want to bundle up as it’s pretty cold with that wind that is howling around. That 14 degree wind chill seems to be accurate — it’s whipping around outside.
After Wednesday, I won’t have my truck π until my tires come in and truck is inspected but I’m hoping that will be soon. I’m not planning on having it next week or being able to get out of town next week. But maybe the following week if it’s not too cold and windy — or a ton of snow comes. It’s December and getting out gets more difficult. Honestly though, I don’t mind a few weeks closer to home where I can save on gas and other expenses I have during the summer months when I’m traveling.
Today. Feels like … December 26th.
Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny.
Northwest wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.
and
35 degrees
,14 max wind chill,
4:24 sunset.
Tonight. Feels like … December 14th.
Partly cloudy.
West wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.
and
23 degrees
,
7:02 sunrise.
Sunday. Feels like … December 18th.
A slight chance of snow between 11am and 1pm, then a chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy.
Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
and
37 degrees
,
4:24 sunset.
Sunday Night. Feels like … December 7th.
Snow likely, mainly between 1am and 4am, then a chance of snow showers after 4am. Mostly cloudy.
Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
and
25 degrees
,
7:03 sunrise.
Monday. Feels like … December 22nd.
A chance of snow showers before 1pm, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers between 1pm and 4pm, then a slight chance of snow showers after 4pm. Mostly cloudy.
Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
and
36 degrees
,
4:23 sunset.
Monday Night. Feels like … December 21st.
Partly cloudy.
and
21 degrees
,
7:05 sunrise.
Tuesday. Feels like … December 12th.
Partly sunny.
and
39 degrees
,
4:23 sunset.
Tuesday Night. Feels like … December 3rd.
Mostly cloudy.
and
26 degrees
,
7:06 sunrise.
Wednesday. Feels like … December 3rd.
Partly sunny.
and
42 degrees
,
4:23 sunset.
Wednesday Night. Feels like … November 30th.
A chance of snow showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy.