‘What Do You Do if a Red State Moves to You?’

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‘What Do You Do if a Red State Moves to You?’

"Sievwright told me he had grown up nearby and had never left; he paid his bills cutting wood and working part-time for a dairy farmer. He told me he had voted for Obama in 2008, Romney in 2012 and Trump in 2016, but it was clear he held no politician in high regard. He said Bill Clinton “sold us out with that NAFTA crap.” He said George W. Bush had “f----d us good.” He said Obama’s eight years “sucked.” He called Hillary Clinton “a mean ol’ heifer.” And he expressed hardly any confidence that Trump would do well as president or make his own life better. “I don’t think he’ll get a second term,” Sievwright said. “It’ll be turmoil for four years. He’s like a firecracker in a keg of dynamite.”

January 25, 2017 – A Look Back At Last Year’s Weather

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This week’s weather is kind of gray for sure. But how does it compare to last year? I pulled up last year’s weather records and found we had a pretty gray week, but otherwise mild except for a little snow during the night of my birthday.

Wednesday 01/27/16. Partly cloudy, a high of 44 and a low of 20.
Thursday 01/28/16. Mostly cloudy, a high of 42 and a low of 16.
Friday 01/29/16. Mostly cloudy and snow, a high of 38 and a low of 25.
Saturday 01/30/16. Mostly cloudy, a high of 40 and a low of 25.
Sunday 01/31/16. Mostly cloudy, a high of 52 and a low of 36.
Monday 02/01/16. Mostly cloudy and rain, a high of 54 and a low of 35.
Tuesday 02/02/16. Partly sunny, a high of 46 and a low of 29.

Setting Sun

January 25, 2017 Evening

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Good evening! The monster pothole at South Swan and Washington Avenue continues to grow and certainly is going to hang-up  the undercarriage of one of those sporty low body cars that state legislators, prominent lobbyists and governor’s top staff drive. To say nothing of low profile tires. Watch out for swerving buses and traffic at the intersection, especially as that pothole grows to two feet or so deep. It’s entertaining to watch at the bus stop. I’m sure it will give Fred Dicker something to complain about on his show. 

Tonight was the first sunset of the year after 5 pm. Mostly cloudy and 37 degrees in City of Albany. A few breaks in the sky before sunset but not much blue sky. There is a west-southwest breeze at 9 mph. The skies will clear tomorrow around 8 am.

Traffic is poking along in Downtown Albany tonight, due to concert at the Knickerbocker Arena and a picket of City Hall by the Blue Collar Unit with their struggles for a fair contract.

Tonight will have a slight chance of rain showers and sleet between 9pm and 10pm, then scattered rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low of 33 degrees at 9pm. 19 degrees above normal. Light and variable wind becoming south 6 to 11 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no sleet accumulation expected. In 2016, it got down to 32 degrees under mostly cloudy skies. The record low of -17 occurred back in 1920.

Waning Crescent Moon tonight with 11% illuminated. The moon will rise around 4:32 am. The New Moon is on Saturday night with mostly cloudy expected. The Full “Snow” Moon is on Saturday, February 11th. The sun will rise at 7:14 am with the first light at 6:44 am, which is 51 seconds earlier then yesterday. Tonight will have 14 hours and 13 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 12 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be scattered showers, mainly after 11am. Increasing clouds, with a high of 45 degrees at 2pm. 14 degrees above normal. South wind 7 to 13 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies and a high of 45 degrees. The record high of 59 was set in 1950. 8.5 inches of snow fell back in 1949.

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. Saturday, a slight chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 34.Typical average high for the weekend is 31 degrees.

In four weeks on February 22 the sun will be setting at 5:36 pm, which is 36 minutes later then tonight. In 2016 on that day, we had snow and temperatures between 40 and 21 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 36 and 19 degrees. The record high of 68 degrees was set back in 1997.

Working on a new chart feature for the blog, to be rolled out over the next few weeks. It’s going to be a new way to present interesting data. The code uses Chart JS to display the charts.

Looking ahead, March 1st is in 5 weeks, Ides of March is in 7 weeks, Average High is 60 is in 12 weeks, Flag Day is in 20 weeks and Summer is in 21 weeks. It will be here before you know it.

Three big myths worth busting for consumers when it comes to fuel economy standards

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Three big myths worth busting for consumers when it comes to fuel economy standards

The standards require automakers to produce cars and light-duty trucks that get more miles per gallon over time, but what a lot of people don’t know is that the actual requirement for each automaker varies by the type and size of vehicles they sell.

For instance, cars have an average requirement of 45 mpg by 2025 while larger vehicles like trucks and SUVS have an average requirement of 32 mpg by the same year.

MPG targets vary within each category as well – large cars have lower targets than small cars and the same goes for trucks and SUVs.

Protectionism Is Only Good If You Love Really Terrible Cars

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Protectionism Is Only Good If You Love Really Terrible Cars

"Protectionist policies don’t just discourage innovation, they also prevent consumers from being able to buy the exact cars they want. It’s hard enough to convince automakers to bring over enthusiast-beloved hot hatches as it is, given the weaker demand for small cars here. Further restrictions on imports would make our chances of getting cars like Toyota’s rally-inspired 210-horsepower Yaris very grim. "

McDowell County, WV Part I

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In McDowell County, WV — the county that was ground zero during the War on Poverty — comparing two Presidential Elections:
 
  • 1988: Dukakis, 74.20%. Bush, 25.40%.
  • 2016: Clinton, 22.97%. Trump, 74.16%.
Only 5.1% of residents over age 25 have a college degree in McDowell County. That’s the lowest of any county over 500 in population in America. When the War on Poverty was underway in 1965, the county had a population of 71,359. Today, the population is 19,835.