Almanacs “The Man Behind the 40-Inch Snow Rumor - NBC Philadelphia” plus 3 more

The Man Behind the 40-Inch Snow Rumor - NBC Philadelphia
The Almanac - March 3 - Post Chronicle
Here and abroad, we're spending ourselves silly - Vancouver Sun
Trio put unbeaten wrestling slates on the line - Pennsylvania Almanac

The Man Behind the 40-Inch Snow Rumor - NBC Philadelphia

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 06:01 AM PST

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Have you heard the rumor that we're getting 40-inches of snow on March 7? Because we have -- more times than you can count over the past few days.

From your mother to your aunt, father to your brother, people seem to be expecting the largest snowfall in our history to hit the region this Sunday.

But the only problem is that it's not true. It's all a big fat rumor.

So where did all this panic stem from? A 65-year-old Exeter Township, Pa. man named Lester Moyer.

Debunking the 40-Inch Snow Rumor

WATCH

Debunking the 40-Inch Snow Rumor

"I didn't realize people had such hysteria, you know, so all I can say is sorry," he said.

Lester, who's been publishing his own weather almanac -- Moyer's Almanac -- for 31 years, predicted that the area would see "high winds and drifting snow" on March 7.

But when the amateur weatherman -- who reads the weather through moon phases, cloud formations and animal behavior -- was interviewed by a Berks County paper in mid-February, he made his snowfall total prediction. And it was a doozie.

"If I had to give it an indication, I would say we're looking at 40 inches or maybe plus. That's the worse scenario," he said.

And the tale spread from there, like whisper down the lane.

The largest snowfall ever recorded in our area was just over 30 inches -- so this storm was set to shatter the record.

Now the snowed-out public is panicked and even Lester's a little ticked off about the whole situation.

"I said that was a potential, a worst-case scenario that I didn't think had a chance," he told NBC Philadelphia. "But some folks in the media only heard that part and ran with it."

We've searched for the news outlet that ran the original story, but haven't been able to find it. More recent articles peg several different papers with the illustrious title of being the original interviewer -- leaving the trail cold.

Although he has no meteorological degree, Lester says his customers swear by his almanac's accuracy.

"The people that buy my Almanac say I'm 85 to 95 percent accurate, you know, and they plan their vacations and their family get togethers around my predictions," Lester says. "Of course, I, you know, get the naysayers, you know, who say, you know, I'm some kinda a kook, you know, but it was a way of life years ago."

He apparently correctly pinpointed the first two major storms in February, months before they hit.

"In the almanac, Lester predicts bad weather days on Feb. 4 and 5 - Berks got 17.2 inches Feb. 5. He also predicted "something wicked this way cometh" Feb. 8 to 11 - we got 23 inches in a blustery storm on Wednesday, which was Feb. 10," Reading Eagle reporter Ron Devlin writes.

But what do real scientists think about all of the hubbub created by Lester's guesses?

"I'd love to see a track record of his forecasts…so we can independently verify," said meteorologist Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz. "You never know, maybe somebody has found some way that they can predict the weather that far in advance."

However, this time around, there's nothing to worry about. There aren't even any storms on the way to produce all that snow.

"The pattern has changed," Glenn said. "On March the 7th, it's not gonna snow. It's not even cold enough to snow and there's no storm."

First Published: Mar 2, 2010 1:52 AM EST

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The Almanac - March 3 - Post Chronicle

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 05:25 AM PST

Today is Wednesday, March 3, the 62nd day of 2010 with 303 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Pisces. They include English poet Edmund Waller in 1606; industrialist George Pullman, inventor of the railway sleeping car, in 1831; telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell in 1847; Charles Ponzi, convicted of fraud for a pyramid scheme that bears his name, in 1882; U.S. Army Gen. Matthew Ridgway in 1895; movie star Jean Harlow in 1911; "Star Trek" actor James "Scotty" Doohan in 1920; musician Doc Watson in 1923 (age 87); Lee Radziwill, sister of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, in 1933 (age 77); fashion designer Perry Ellis in 1940; radio show host Ira Glass in 1959 (age 51); former football star Herschel Walker, the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner, and Olympic gold medal heptathlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee, both in 1962 (age 48 ); and actors David Faustino ("Married ... With Children") in 1974 (age 36) and Jessica Biel in 1982 (age 28).

On this date in history:

In 1845, Florida was admitted to the United States as the 27th state.

In 1875, "Carmen" by Georges Bizet premiered in Paris.

In 1879, attorney Belva Ann Lockwood became the first woman to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1923, Time magazine published its first issue.

In 1931, an act of the U.S. Congress designated "The Star Spangled Banner" the national anthem of the United States.

In 1974, a Turkish jetliner crashed near Paris, killing 345 people.

In 1985, British coal miners ended a yearlong strike, the longest and costliest labor dispute in British history.

In 1986, the President's Commission on Organized Crime, ending a 32-month investigation, called for drug testing of most working Americans, including all federal employees.

In 1991, a home video captured three Los Angeles police officers beating motorist Rodney King.

Also in 1991, residents of the Soviet republics of Latvia and Estonia voted overwhelmingly for independence.

In 1993, Dr. Albert Sabin, the medical pioneer who helped conquer polio, died at his home of heart failure at age 86.

In 1995, the last U.N. peacekeepers left Somalia.

In 1996, a bus bombing in Jerusalem killed 19 people.

In 1997, U.S. Vice President Al Gore admitted he made fundraising calls from the White House but said he'd been advised there was no law against it.

Also in 1997, former CIA official Harold Nicholson pleaded guilty to spying for Russia. He was sentenced to 23 years and seven months in prison.

In 1999, an estimated 70 million people tuned in to watch former White House intern Monica Lewinsky's taped TV interview with Barbara Walters.

In 2001, foot-and-mouth disease, which had flared in Britain, was reported in France and Belgium where livestock were quarantined on two farms.

In 2004, former WorldCom Chief Executive Officer Bernard Ebbers pleaded innocent to an indictment on federal fraud and conspiracy charges. The company's 2002 bankruptcy was the largest in U.S. history.

In 2005, the U.S. military death toll in Iraq reached 1,500.

Also in 2005, North Korea announced it was dropping its self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile testing, in place since 1999.

In 2006, former U.S. Rep. Randy Cunningham, R-Calif., was sentenced to eight years in prison for taking $2.4 million in bribes from military contractors for help in landing lucrative government contracts.

In 2007, cleanup operations were under way in Alabama, Georgia and Missouri, where tornadoes killed 20 people, destroyed a hospital and a school and left hundreds homeless.

In 2008, the U.N. Security Council adopted a third round of sanctions against Iran for its refusal to stop enriching uranium. The resolution authorized cargo inspections in and out of Iran suspected of carrying prohibited equipment and tightens monitoring of Iranian financial institutions.

In 2009, gunmen attacked a bus carrying the Sri Lankan national cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan. Six Pakistani police officers were slain and seven cricketeers were wounded.

Also in 2009, Mexico officials said 1,000 more police personnel would be sent to crime-riddled Ciudad Juarez along with a military buildup to bring the number of troops to around 7,000 to join in the violent drug wars.

A thought for the day: Edmund Waller wrote, "Poets that lasting marble seek / Must come in Latin or in Greek." (c) UPI

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Here and abroad, we're spending ourselves silly - Vancouver Sun

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 06:37 AM PST

With a federal budget due Thursday, I must harp on government fiscal irresponsibility. Wait a minute. This isn't a harp. It's a pitchfork. Where have you led us?

The Ottawa Citizen assured us it'll be steady-as-she-sinks for the feds, with "no new spending measures or tax cuts beyond what the Harper government has announced already in its plan to stimulate the economy, says a senior government official." The newspaper reported that the government official's comments "appear to douse speculation the Conservatives are transitioning to a period of serious belt tightening" -- that, despite Treasury Board president Stockwell Day's hints that the government would identify specific programs to be cut, "there will be no absolute spending cuts in the budget" (according, again, to that senior government official).

Gosh, was that just rube bait? For added horror, I read this solemn guff in parallel with Benjamin Franklin's mid-18th-century Poor Richard's Almanac maxims. Back then, people were so weird they believed in right and wrong and humility and other age-of-whale-oil barbarities like frugality. Who today would say, "If you'd be wealthy, think of saving, more than of getting: The Indies have not made Spain rich, because her Outgoes equal her Incomes." To be fair, our governments don't seem to be thinking of doing either.

Of course we'll be assured Thursday that in a few years, when the ship of state stops leaking red ink, they'll batten the hatches, trim the sails and get things back in balance. So here's Franklin: "To-morrow you'll reform, you always cry;/ In what far country does this morrow lie?"

Not Europe, that's for sure. It's old news that the PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain) have ghastly financial problems. But sophisticates have assumed countries like Germany and Britain would bail them out.

Guess again. Germany's deficit is way above the EU's alleged limit. And last week the Daily Telegraph reported: "In surprise news which sent the pound sliding on Thursday, official figures showed that the "British Government borrowed £4.3 billion last month. It was the first time since 1993 that the public finances had gone into the red in January -- a month in which tax revenues usually push the Exchequer into the black," so Britain's deficit could exceed "even the Chancellor's forecast of a record £178 billion."

Big trouble is coming here. U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates just blasted America's European NATO allies for military feebleness. He's glad they've stopped attacking each other, as are we all. But he called the "demilitarization of Europe -- where large swaths of the general public and political class are averse to military force and the risks that go with it . . . an impediment to achieving real security and lasting peace" because it might be "a temptation to miscalculation and aggression" by bad guys.

Gates's government is running larger deficits than at any time since the Second World War, while spending less of GDP on defence than at any time since Pearl Harbor.

So excuse my harping on this fiscal crisis engulfing Western civilization. It beats singing about responsibility while plucking a pitchfork.

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Trio put unbeaten wrestling slates on the line - Pennsylvania Almanac

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 03:59 AM PST

Trio put unbeaten wrestling slates on the line

After claiming section titles this past weekend, three area grapplers are headed into the WPIAL Class AAA wrestling championships undefeated.

Tyler Wilps (171) of Chartiers Valley, Mackenzie McGuire (112) from Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park's Dylan Mogan (125) put their unbeaten records on the line Thursday, March 4 when the district tournament commences at Canon-McMillan High School.

The event, which also decides state qualifiers, concludes Saturday, March 6, with championship matches.

Wilps, who was the Allegheny County champion earlier this year, pinned David Fitzpatrick of Ambridge to win the Section 5 title last Saturday. The Pitt recruit improved to 33-0 this winter.

McGuire used a 9-3 decision over Central Catholic's Chris Nuss to win his section crown. The sophomore raised his record to 27-0.

Meanwhile, Mogan won the Section 4 title with an 8-2 decision over Waynesburg's Zach McGinnis. Another sophomore, Mogan is 18-0.

In Section 5, Dario Dobbin (119), Nick Catalano (135), Sam Lombardo (140) and Cody Klempay (215) each successfully defended their titles for Canon-McMillan.

Joining their Big Mac teammates in the winners' circle also were: Connor Schram (103), William Pihiou (125) and Ian Binotto (285).

Colton Shorts (112), Colin Ryan (152) as well as Alex Campbell (189) grabbed runner-up medals for the Big Macs.

Other area champions during sectionals included: Zan Kail (145) from Peters Township as well as BP's Nick Bonaccorsi (160) and Adam Lazenga (285).

Among the additional area runners-up were: BP's Phil Kail (130), USC's Josh Tropp (135), CV's Ethan Howard (119) and Braeden Shaak (125).

By finishing either third or fourth in consolation action many other local grapplers earned spots in the WPIAL finals.

From BP were: Martin Sams (135), Nick Sabol (152) and Ben Nolan (189).

From PT were: Devan Evanovich (103), Mike Buckiso (112), Matt Sikora (160), Pat Walker (285)

From USC were: Mike McGuire (125), Austin Wilding (130), Matt George (140).

From Lebo were: Andy Buttlar (103), Evan Brem (112), Adam Kemerer (130), Chris Vayo (140) and Jack Hnath (152).

From CV were: Jesse Griffin (103), Kle Kessner (145) and Mitchell Zajicek (215).

Class AA

Chartiers-Houston's Michael Inness and Nick Carr from South Fayette captured gold medals at the WPIAL Class AA championships.

While Innes recorded a technical fall over Mike Pavasko of Steel Valley in the 140-pound final, Carr decisioned South Side Beaver's Dave Demor in the 145-pound championship bout.

In addition to runner-up Tanner Sutton (125), CH advanced Victor Lipari (119), Garrett Vulcano (145), Thomas Hairston (189) and Nate Grandelis (285) to the Southwest Regional championships set for Friday and Saturday at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown.

While SF's Seth Carr (103) also moved on to the regional so did a contingent of wrestlers from Keystone Oaks. Among them are: Michael Kazalas (171) and Nick Zanetta (112).

Home

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Almanacs

Wednesday, March 3, 2010