Posted: 27 Feb 2010 05:44 AM PST

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Weather prognosticators predicted a snowy winter. They were only half right.

Accuweather expected this winter to be a rough one for the Mid-Atlantic.

"Did we think it was going to be record breaking? Probably not," Accuweather meteorologist Tom Kines said Friday.

As we enter March still reeling from a month that brought both a "snowicane" and "snowmageddon," a look back at long-range forecasts for the winter of 2010 shows this season has generated more than twice the snow even the most dire predictions expected.

NBC 10's Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz predicted 18-24 inches this winter for Philadelphia. Accuweather predicted in mid-December that the region could see up to 30 inches this winter, well above the 19.3-inch average that fell between 1971 and 2000.

And while the Farmer's Almanac correctly called two of the storms, they missed two others, including the one the weekend before Christmas - two days before winter officially began - which provided nearly two-thirds of the snow some were predicting for the whole season.

As of midnight Friday, Philadelphia had seen 75 inches total.

And Accuweather says that may not be the last of it.

The weather pattern responsible for this season's aggressive winter weather is expected to stick around until at least mid-March, which could mean more snowstorms. El Niño conditions could start breaking down by April, Kines said.

But "if you're rooting for spring," he said, "you're going to have to wait a while."

The 2010 Farmer's Almanac has a gentler prediction.

The system that blew through the region this week should be the last major snowstorm of the season, according to the publication, which has been predicting the weather since 1818.

Skeptics take note: that comes from the same forecast that predicted that February would bring two major snowstorms about two weeks apart.

"The blizzard conditions that belted the Middle Atlantic states this past weekend, bringing things to a standstill from Virginia to Philadelphia, was not a surprise to those working at the Farmers' Almanac,"

publication officials crowed in a mid-February press release.

Indeed, the almanac's forecast for the northeast called for blizzard conditions around the middle of the month and another snowstorm two weeks later.

The predictions went so far as to name exact dates for the storms, which were a few days off in both cases. The almanac blamed El Niño.

The Farmers' Almanac does not, however, mention the third snowstorm the region saw this month, nor did it anticipate a snowstorm in mid-December.

The publication's March predictions call for some heavy wet snow and possible local flooding mid-month, with heavy rain later making way for clearer conditions. But the wet stuff will keep coming. The almanac expects the summer to bring two hurricane threats and plenty of thunderstorms, and for snow to return by early November.

Annie Tasker can be reached at 215-345-3187 or atasker@phillyBurbs.com

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The almanac - United Press International

Posted: 27 Feb 2010 05:51 AM PST

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Today is Saturday, Feb. 27, the 58th day of 2010 with 307 to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Mercury and Neptune and the evening stars are Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and Uranus.

Those born on this day are under the sign of Pisces. They include poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1807; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black in 1886; David Sarnoff, RCA board chairman and father of American television, in 1891; soprano Marian Anderson in 1897; novelist John Steinbeck in 1902; actress Joan Bennett in 1910; former Texas Gov. John Connally in 1917; actors Joanne Woodward in 1930 (age 80); Elizabeth Taylor in 1932 (age 78), Howard Hesseman in 1940 (age 70) and Mary Frann in 1943; consumer activist Ralph Nader in 1934 (age 76); actor Adam Baldwin in 1962 (age 48); former first daughter Chelsea Clinton in 1980 (age 30); and singer Josh Groban in 1981 (age 29).

On this date in history:

In 1844, the Dominican Republic granted independence from Haiti.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler's Nazis set fire to the German parliament building in Berlin, blamed it on the communists and made that an excuse to suspend German civil liberties and freedom of the press.

In 1942, opening salvos were fired in the Battle of the Java Sea, during which 13 U.S. warships were sunk by the Japanese, who lost two.

In 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, limiting presidents to two terms, was ratified.

In 1964, the Italian government asked for suggestions on how to save the renowned 180-foot Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling.

In 1974, the first edition of People magazine was published.

In 1982, an Atlanta jury convicted Wayne Williams of killing two of 28 young blacks whose deaths over a two-year period had shaken the city. Williams was sentenced to life in prison.

In 1990, the Soviet Parliament approved creation of a U.S.-style presidential system that gave Mikhail Gorbachev broad new powers and established direct popular elections for the post.

Also in 1990, a federal grand jury in Anchorage, Alaska, indicted Exxon Corp. and its shipping subsidiary over the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

In 1991, allied troops liberated Kuwait City.

In 1992, Elizabeth Taylor celebrated her 60th birthday by closing Disneyland for an elaborate private party with her celebrity friends.

In 1994, the 17th Winter Olympic Games ended in Lillehammer, Norway.

In 1998, the Dow Jones industrial average closed at an all-time high of 8,545.72, the first time it closed at more than 8,500.

In 1999, Nigeria's transition to civilian rule was nearly completed with the election of Olusegun Obasanjo, a former military leader, as president.

In 2003, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein denied Baghdad had any connection with al-Qaida or its leader Osama bin Laden and that Iraq would set fire to its oil fields and blow up its dams in response to a U.S.-led invasion.

Also in 2003, Amnesty International reported that the Ivory Coast's main rebel group slaughtered dozens of Ivorian policemen and their children during an October rampage.

In 2004, two studies commissioned by the U.S. Roman Catholic church showed at least 4 percent of priests were involved in child sexual abuse from 1950-2002, with the peak year 1970 in which one of every 10 priests eventually was accused of abuse.

In 2005, the United Nations took a first step aimed at curtailing worldwide smoking by announcing its tough tobacco control treaty had gone into effect.

In 2006, more than 1,300 Iraqis were reported killed in sectarian violence since the bombing of a major Shiite shrine in Baghdad.

In 2007, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, identified as the target by the Taliban, escaped injury when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside U.S. Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Twenty-three people were reported killed in the attack.

In 2008, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank was considering lowering interest rates despite rising inflation and a record low dollar.

In 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama told Marines in Camp Lejeune, N.C., he intended to withdraw most U.S. troops from Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010. He said as many as 50,000 troops would remain there for smaller missions and to train Iraqi soldiers.

Also in 2009, revised data indicated the U.S. gross domestic product, the measure of a nation's total economic activity, shrank 6.2 percent during Oct.-Dec. 2008, biggest drop since 1982.

A thought for the day: Marian Anderson, saying she had forgiven the Daughters of the American Revolution for withdrawing its invitation to perform because she was black, said, "You lose a lot of time hating people."

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Benjamin Banneker: the First African-American Geek - Wired News

Posted: 27 Feb 2010 05:44 AM PST

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Image from the Library of Congress.

As Black History Month enters its final weekend, I thought it might be interesting to bring up the subject of Benjamin Banneker. While there is some controversy about Banneker's place in history, it seems not unreasonable to say that he was quite probably not only the first African-American geek, but also one of the first American geeks of any sort.

Banneker was born free in Maryland in November of 1731 — three months before George Washington's birth. It's not known precisely where he got his knowledge of mathematics and astronomy — some historians speculate that his maternal grandfather was a member of the Dogon tribe from Mali, who are reputed to have a long tradition of studying astronomy. Wherever he learned it, though, it certainly piqued his interest, and that, combined with some schooling from a local Quaker farmer, gave him a solid grounding for geeky pursuits.

Benjamin Banneker

His first known major geeky activity was, when he at age 21 reportedly built a clock out of wood using a borrowed pocket watch as his only guide. The story (for which evidence is scant, but it seems likely there is some truth to it) goes that the clock kept working until after Banneker's death. Banneker's clock is sometimes referred to as "America's first clock," but that is likely an overstatement of its historical importance.

Banneker became an avid astronomer, and used his observations and calculations to assist a survey team working to draw up the boundaries of what would become Washington, D.C. By that time he was getting on in years, so after only a short while surveying he returned home and instead turned his astronomical data into a series of almanacs.

In 1791, he wrote a letter to then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, pleading for justice for African-Americans. He argued the then-radical idea that African-Americans such as himself were just as capable and smart as white people, and as supporting evidence included an ephemeris he had constructed. Jefferson replied, agreeing in principle with Banneker's arguments, but he would later, after Banneker's 1806 death, write that he did not think much of Banneker's abilities.

I encourage you to read more about Benjamin Banneker. He never married, and there is no indication he had any children, so we can't claim him as a geek dad. But I think it's fair to say he was a geek, at a time when that was surely rare for any people with his skin color in America.

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Villages residents, recreation staff brave cold temperatures for ... - Villages Daily Sun

Posted: 27 Feb 2010 05:08 AM PST

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Villages residents, recreation staff brave cold temperatures for annual Polar Splash

By PATRICIA STEELE, Daily Sun

THE VILLAGES — What would you do for a Klondike bar?

Would you get up early, put on your swimsuit and splash into 35-degree weather?

For those brave and daring residents and Villages Recreation Department managers who took the challenge of Friday's Polar Splash, Klondike ice cream bars were their appropriate, albeit chilly, reward.

More than 40 Villages Recreation Department staff members and Villages residents were part of the group that took the plunge Friday morning into the Laurel Manor Recreation Center sports pool.

The inviting and sparkling blue water and the brilliant blue sky belied the true swimming conditions.

The morning was bright and beautiful — and about 35 degrees when the swimmers arrived at the pool.

Their clothing made it look a little more wintry as dozens of people gathered near the pool bundled in sweat suits, coats, gloves, hats and scarves waiting for the countdown to make a big splash.

Soon the brave ones were stripping down to swimsuits and shorts. Village of Belle Aire resident Susan Gill kept warm until the last minute with the occasion-appropriate swimwear fashion of swimsuit, beige gloves and long scarf.

Promptly at 9 a.m., as staff and residents lined up around the pool and joined hands, Community Development District Recreation Director John Rohan started the countdown.

Most swimmers agreed it was much easier to jump into the heated pool than it was to get out into the 35-degree air.

Village of Summerhill resident Vicki Gernert took her time getting out of the pool and, once out, quickly put on her shoes.

"Those tiles are like ice, my feet are freezing," Gernert said. "The rest of me is OK; after all, it's not snowing."

This was Gernert's third Polar Splash and each has been unique, she said. She enjoys meeting the Recreation Department staff and getting to know other daring Villages residents.

"I have a friend in New Jersey that does a polar bear swim in the Atlantic. That's really cold," Gernert said. "But my mama didn't raise no fool; I'm doing a jump in a heated pool."

Jenny Donovan, special events coordinator with The Villages Recreation Department, explained the annual splash has been a popular event with staff and residents for a number of years.

"It's a great way to build camaraderie between staff and residents," Donovan said.

When Donovan began planning the event, she consulted the Farmer's Almanac to find one of the predicted coldest days of the year.

"We really lucked out, because today is cold," Donovan said. "But we're all going to have a great time. It's kind of a right of passage for new managers and supervisors to make the splash. You just have to do it."

Almanacs

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Almanacs “Season's snow much worse than expected - Burlington County Times” plus 3 more

Almanacs “Season's snow much worse than expected - Burlington County Times” plus 3 more

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