"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to understand the possible threat posed by the spread of the Asian longhorned tick"
Earlier in the week was Small Business Saturday, which encourages people to shop at locally-owned small businesses. It’s the kind of event promoted by chamber of commerce types, and locavores, who think if we spend more of our money at local businesses, it’s good for the local economy. It it is, but also shopping locally promotes waste and inefficiency.
Big businesses are successful because they have economies of scale, they can sell, move, and produce product with less waste and overhead then small businesses. Less waste doesn’t just mean more profits, it also means less trash going to landfills, less electricity wasted, less costs on things that don’t actually make peoples lives better. Big business is typically better regulated by government, less likely to engage in fraud or crime then small businesses. I am not against Big Business, I think in many ways it’s good for our economy.
Small businesses do have an important role in our economy – they promote innovation and new ways of doing things. Large businesses are risk adverse. Why try something that’s risky when there is sure bet? All large corporations originally started small, usually with a novel product or service, something of value that isn’t provided by an existing business. Small businesses are also a leading employer when grouped together collectively.
Indeed, I’ve toyed with the idea of getting into small business myself. I think at some point I could turn my mapping skills into a businesses of my own. I’ve seen advertising for some of the mapping products that other people are selling on the Internet, and there seems to be a market for high quality maps, especially those printed on good water-resistant paper. There also is a big market for making maps with aerial (orthophotos) and other tree data for hunters and others who could benefit from a careful survey of their lands. But not for now.
Now we could do a lot to help small businesses by getting the health insurance and retirement burden off their backs, but government has been slow at creating a universal healthcare system. They could also create more options for supporting retirement efforts of both employees and owners of businesses. Regulations could be simplified and made more straightforward. Lots of things could be done to make life better business of all sorts.
I am not one who bemoans the lost of local business in favor of big business. Efficiency should win. Lower prices, more selection are good for consumers who often have a limited budget. But I also think small businesses do have an important role in our economy, advancing novel new products and services that aren’t provided in communities but are needed. Small business should be encouraged but big business shouldn’t be frowned upon – each should be emphasized for their unique strengths.
Happy Weekend! Snow showers and 33 degrees in Delmar. ❄ Calm wind. The air remarkably chilly, seems like there is a lot of moisture in the air. The bus was a few minutes late. Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 6 pm. ☃️
Well, another week has come and gone as has another month. 📆Creeping further into the future, it strikes me hard to believe in a little over a year we will seriously be talking about 2020.🎇 Tomorrow is December, but I have both the proper registration and inspection stickers on the truck now. A CD matured today, I added enough to double it then reinvested it at a higher rate. One step closer to owning land and being off grid. 🏡 Those days are a ways off, but I know with careful planning I can get there just like I did buying my truck and college education with cash. Just takes time. ⏳
I think it was a good week, a lot was accomplished during those days. 💼 One week closer to warmer days and the snow melting away, one more day closer to my future. I went for another lunch hour long walk around the plaza. I’m getting to know the ins and outs of the various hallways I can do in the plaza,to mix things on up. No lights in my office yet but I followed up with some people. I think now it will get fixed. :idea:I like my job, especially statistical analysis part of the work and seeing communication ideas become reality.
Tonight will have a slight chance of rain and snow before 7pm, then a slight chance of snow between 7pm and 8pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 27 degrees at 1am. Typical for tonight. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2017, we had cloudy skies with some clearing in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 31 degrees. The record low of -5 occurred back in 1875.
Tonight will have a Waning Crescent Moon 🌘 with 37% illuminated. The moon will rise at 12:41 am. The New Moon is on Thursday night with mostly cloudy skies. The Cold Moon 🌝 is in 3 weeks. The sun will rise at 7:05 am with the first light at 6:34 am, which is one minute and 4 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 43 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 24 seconds over last night.
Tomorrow will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 38 degrees at 2pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 8th. Calm wind. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies, clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 45 degrees. The record high of 67 was set in 1934. 3.7 inches of snow fell back in 1969.❄
Looking ahead to Sunday, rain, mainly before 1pm. 💦 High near 45. Southeast wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Doesn’t sound like it will be super wet during the day time hours but night will rain a lot, probably killing off some of the snow in places. Typical average high for the weekend is 41 degrees.
Traffic is moving fairly well heading out of the city tonight. 🚌I’m glad, as I’m tired and looking forward to getting home. I think I’ll cook up some dinner, maybe work on some projects and retire to bed quite early.
Saturday looks quite nice, maybe a bit brisk but sunny for a change. 😎 Rain though Sunday night so I doubt I’ll head out to the wilderness for an overnight. One possibility is hiking out to Five Rivers or I might go to Schodack Island State Park and combine that trip with my weekly shop. I don’t need a lot of food and supplies but a few little things. Figure I should save gas however possible. Rainy and cloudy but fairly mild Sunday.
I was looking at the past snow accumulation maps for December 1st,❄ and this has in many parts of the state been the snowest start to the month in fifthteen years. Usually November is not nearly as white or as cold.
That said, it’s increasingly looking nice for next week. I may take a few days off, might even spend a few nights in the wilderness.🌲 It all depends on the weather and what I feel up to doing.
In four weeks on December 28 the sun will be setting at 4:29 pm,🌄 which is 6 minutes and 35 seconds later then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had snow, mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 8 and -5 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 32 and 17 degrees. The record high of 61 degrees was set back in 1982.
Looking ahead, First Day of Winter ☃️ is in 3 weeks, 4:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 4 weeks, Winnie the Pooh Day 🍯 is in 7 weeks, 5 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 8 weeks , March 🌨 is in 13 weeks, Ides of March ✝ is in 15 weeks, Memorial Day Weekend Starts 🏕️ is in 25 weeks and Dog Days of Summer 🌻 is in 31 weeks.
Write your Congressperson! Demand change!