Places

Average Bridge Rating By Municipality

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This map shows the average of bridge ratings for most towns in New York State. Some of the towns are lacking data or did not match when I completed the data join yesterday.

In New York State, bridge inspectors assess all of a bridge’s individual parts. They are required to evaluate, assign a condition score, and document the condition of up to 47 structural elements, including rating 25 components of each span of a bridge, in addition to general components common to all bridges. The NYSDOT condition rating scale ranges from 1 to 7, with 7 being in new condition and a rating of 5 or greater considered as good condition.

NYSDOT also computes an overall New York State condition rating for each bridge by combining the ratings of individual components using a weighted average formula. This formula assigns greater weights to the ratings of the bridge elements having the greatest structural importance and lesser weights for minor structural and non-structural elements. If a bridge has multiple spans, each element common to the spans is rated and the lowest individual span element rating is used in the condition rating formula.

NYSDOT defines a deficient bridge as one with a State condition rating less than 5.0. A deficient condition rating indicates deterioration at a level that requires corrective maintenance or rehabilitation to restore the bridge to its fully functional, non-deficient condition. It does not mean that the bridge is unsafe.

https://www.dot.ny.gov/main/bridgedata

My Gadsen Flag

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As much as horrifies my liberal friends I really love my Gadsden flag.

You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to own my own Don’t Tread on Me Flag but was too embarrassed to spend the $8 to buy it.

I’m a life long liberal Democrat who loves guns and burning things that government is involved in too much in our private lives.  I’ve always kind of liked the Tea Party message of defending the second amendment, individual empowerment and less government interference with the lives of private citizens.Government shouldn’t regulate individuals like it does large corporations. You might say my views are closer to Malcom X and Huey Newton then Donald Trump or Paul Ryan but I couldn’t find an inexpensive Black Panther flag that I liked. Moreover, nobody knows what the meaning of the Black Panthers is anymore. The Panthers flag just isn’t that nice color wise, especially next to my Blue Marble Earth Flag or now my Rainbow Flag. I thought about getting a Molon Labe flag but I didn’t like the colors or the military undertones. I’m not a war monger but I believe in citizen empowerment and the right of self-defense and self-reliance.

I’ve long flirted with the Tea Party because I love the Man (lol!) and his aerial highway patrols as much as the next person, but I also think that Obamacare has helped a lot of people even if I think that the subsidies should have been a lot more generous for middle class families. Why can’t government help people get healthcare and an affordable college education without spying on our emails or beating up on the farmers just trying to do their jobs? Animal rights and environmental extremists have gotten much too much control in our society today. People who are ill informed and act only emotion, have no role in our governing. I’m more concerned with air pollution from coal power plants and large landfills then marginal farmers in the mountains grazing cattle and rednecks burning trash and riding quads in the woods. Not every acre of land should be declared wilderness. We can have public lands with great backcountry camping and trails, hunting and fishing but we can also have logging and mineral production to help pay for upkeep of the land.

I believe we can have a government that works for the people and promote the common good without treading on people’s rights.

Grin

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

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The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The most recent revision was prepared by the PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University, and was released by USDA in 2012. Based on the average annual minimum winter temperature over a 30-year period, the map divides the country into zones representing a spread of 10°F (zones 1-13), each subdivided into two half-zones with 5°F spreads (e.g., zone 1a and 1b).

Data Source: PRISM Climate Group. USDA Plant Hardiness Zone, New York State.