COLUMBIA SPY

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Police: Bullet shot into moving minivan on Route 30

It's getting crazy out there.

http://m.ydr.com/yorkdaily/db_301241/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=HzVbmUF3

Like an unwanted guest, winter is here

This has been the week from Hell - if Hell were cold, windy, and frozen over, that is. When daytime temps are only in the teens and 20s, the prospect of a day even slightly above freezing is enough to warm the cockles of one's heart. (What the hell ARE cockles, anyway, and are they something I should talk to my doctor about?)
The worst thing about winter, though - besides heating bills, dead batteries, and frozen pipes - is there's no one to blame it on. I can't point the finger of shame (frozen though it may be) at those rotten Republicans in Congress, or big banks, or the CIA, or the military-industrial complex. Which makes one frustrated, as well as cold. My main recourse is to bitch and grumble to whomever will listen, and no one will, not voluntarily anyway, and I don't blame them.
This morning, we got a dusting of snow, just enough to be a nuisance. Tomorrow - more snow? Who knows? Certainly not the local weathermen. I hate that false certitude they toss at us, as if anyone could predict the future. How can they finagle and lie so often and still keep their jobs? As I've said elsewhere, every weather forecast should include the disclaimer, "For entertainment purposes only. Not to be taken seriously."
I love it when they give us the odds of precipitation, as in "There's a 40% chance of rain next Monday." If it rains, they're covered. If it doesn't, they're right, too. That kind of prediction is meaningless. One could name any percentage of probability about anything and still claim to be right. I could say there's a 99% chance of a zombie apocalypse tomorrow. If it doesn't happen, I can say there was a 1% chance against it and I'm right after all.
All that aside, we're left with the simple (and sad) fact that frigid weather is here. We're right dead-center in the dead of winter, and there's nothing we can do to change it, or hurry it along. No way to say, "I hate to cut this short, but I have things to do."
We're going to have to dig in, hunker down, and wait it out.
Old Man Winter is definitely messin' with us, and he is one nasty, old bastard.

PPL trimming branches | WPMT FOX43

PPL Electric Utilities will increase tree trimming and removal along its power lines this year to further reduce tree-related power outages and improve the reliability of electric service for customers.
http://fox43.com/2013/01/24/ppl-electric-utilities-expands-efforts-to-reduce-tree-related-power-outages/

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Cold thoughts on a frigid day

Today reminds me of death. The bitter air, the long shadows, the frozen ground. Now I know why they call this the dead of winter. I need to get out of this cold.

Birds in bare trees try to out-lament each other by chirping and squawking about who's coldest.
I'm down at the tracks. A Norfolk Southern train rumbles by.

I wonder what's in those train cars. If a train ever derails, toxic chemicals could escape from a ruptured tank car and kill everyone in their sleep up to 3rd Street and beyond. Hopefully, one of the cars will also leak nitrous oxide so everyone can die laughing.