Fogbow

For some 8 winters, I went down this hill on the way to work (and back up the slightly lower incline on the other side). The photo is part of the way down the hill since you cannot see the bottom easily from the top. Here is the rest of the hill behind me. When I was driving that way, the road at the bottom had the stop sign and downhill on my side gave enough speed to get up the other side even with a rear-wheel-drive pickup truck. However, for those driving down there in the early 80s and earlier, they had the added fun of the train sometimes coming through at the bottom of the hill.

On the way, home, if there was snow that had not yet been plowed or was a few inches, I often took an alternate route around that hill since my RWD truck could not always make it all the way to the top of the hill. When I finally replaced it with a 4WD truck with big nobby off-road tires, no problem.
The hill is 1,566 long with an elevation change of around 200 feet. While there are steeper grades the length is what gets you on this.

https://miami.cbslocal.com/2021/12/27/2 ... on-manors/

WILTON MANORS (CBSMiami) – Two children have died and four others have been hospitalized after a hit-and-run crash in Wilton Manors Monday afternoon.

According to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, the six children were struck in the 2400 block of NW 9 Avenue.

Witnesses on the scene said the kids were struck by a speeding driver who went around a stopped Broward bus.

“He was being impatient and went around the bus,” a witness recalled.

That split second decision was deadly.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue pronounced two young children dead at the scene.

The four other kids, ages 1, 2, 6 and 9, were rushed to Broward Health in unknown conditions.

“When he cut in front of me he went straight for the kids,” said bus driver Selvin Arjun.

northland10 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 27, 2021 5:49 pm For some 8 winters, I went down this hill on the way to work (and back up the slightly lower incline on the other side).
Downhill drive sm.jpg

The photo is part of the way down the hill since you cannot see the bottom easily from the top. Here is the rest of the hill behind me.
uphill drive sm.jpg

When I was driving that way, the road at the bottom had the stop sign and downhill on my side gave enough speed to get up the other side even with a rear-wheel-drive pickup truck. However, for those driving down there in the early 80s and earlier, they had the added fun of the train sometimes coming through at the bottom of the hill.

On the way, home, if there was snow that had not yet been plowed or was a few inches, I often took an alternate route around that hill since my RWD truck could not always make it all the way to the top of the hill. When I finally replaced it with a 4WD truck with big nobby off-road tires, no problem.
The hill is 1,566 long with an elevation change of around 200 feet. While there are steeper grades the length is what gets you on this.

There are essentially five ways to get from the Kent/Renton valley floor to the Kent East Hill, where I lived for about 25 years.

I'll just give you addresses so you can map them out.

First and easiest: Renton Village to 17801 108th Ave. SE, Renton. This is the Benson hill, which was the longest way, with the most gradual grade, but there would still be a couple more miles to get home.

Second, and the usual route when there was no snow or ice: Saar Cemetary, S 212th Way, Kent, WA 98031 to 9645 S 208TH ST (not my home address, this is simply where the grade more or less topped out, although there was still a climb of about 100 feet to get to my house). This is the 212th/208th Hill.

Third, and in a three-way tie with the Fourth and Fifth options, is the SE Carr Road Hill: Valley Medical Center to 17801 108th Ave. SE, Renton. Again, still a couple of miles to actually get home.

Fourth, and tied with Third and Fifth as worst possible route home: James Street Hill. The only good thing about this one is that there are no curves: Mill Creek Middle School, Kent to 10201 SE 240th St, Kent, WA 98031.

And the last option, Smith Street/Canyon Drive/SR 516/Kent-Kangley Road: 600 E Smith St, Kent, WA to 10248 SE 256th St, Kent.

Often all of these may be closed to traffic during snow/ice except for Benson Hill!

I lived in Reston VA for a few years before I moved back to California. I worked in DC at NavTelCom and my boss lived a few miles away. We occasionally car pooled.

One morning we woke to find maybe a foot of snow. No big. Snow plows get an early start. For some reason, however, it was around noon before our section was plowed.

George and I tried for almost an hour to get out of his neighborhood. I didn’t have chains, but did have good snow tires. George lived in a bowl and the hills were just too steep for my big car. I’d get almost to the top… and slide backwards.

George finally said “OK, fuck this. I’m declaring a snow day!” He helped me get to the top of a hill (branches under tires, rocks in trunk) and walked home.

I enjoyed my snow day.

Dave Barry said 2021 is a variant of 2020. Dave Barry is still writing!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine ... view-2021/

Cannot find a solar power thread, so here it goes

Be ready to LYAO! In Yearly Departed female comedians eulogize 2021 to all female funeral attendees. The costumes are FABULOUS! The humor is HILARIOUS!

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ye ... RE&PC=APPL

For trl.

MN-Skeptic wrote: ↑Fri Dec 31, 2021 3:08 am

A 743-tweet thread to explain something he describes as "pretty simple"? I'd HATE to see his thread describing something complex!

Kriselda Gray wrote: ↑Fri Dec 31, 2021 3:28 am

MN-Skeptic wrote: ↑Fri Dec 31, 2021 3:08 am

A 743-tweet thread to explain something he describes as "pretty simple"? I'd HATE to see his thread describing something complex!

I hadn’t noticed his tweets before. Some are pretty good:

MN-Skeptic wrote: ↑Fri Dec 31, 2021 3:37 am \I hadn’t noticed his tweets before. Some are pretty good:

I think the deputy shot the wrong one

Criminal charges possible for man attacked by tiger after reaching into enclosure at Florida zoo
MEREDITH DELISO and WILL GRETSKY
Thu, December 30, 2021, 9:10 PM·

A maintenance worker who entered an unauthorized area of a Florida zoo and was attacked by a tiger could face criminal charges, authorities said. The tiger was shot and killed by responding authorities in order to free the man from the animal's jaws.

The incident happened Wednesday at the Naples Zoo after it had closed to the public, the Collier County Sheriff's Office said.

A member of a cleaning service contracted by the zoo to clean restrooms and the gift shop, but not the animal enclosures, had "entered an unauthorized area near a tiger that was inside its enclosure," according to the sheriff's office.

The man, identified by authorities as 26-year-old River Rosenquist of Naples, was possibly petting or feeding a male Malayan tiger, "both of which are unauthorized and dangerous activities," when the attack occurred, the sheriff's office said.

"Initial reports indicate that the tiger grabbed the man's arm and pulled it into the enclosure after the man traversed an initial fence barrier and put his arm through the fencing of the tiger enclosure," the office said.

Rosenquist called 911 to request help, according to the sheriff's office. A deputy responded to the zoo around 6:30 p.m. and found the man with his arm in the tiger's mouth. The deputy kicked the enclosure in an attempt to get the tiger to release the arm, but was "forced" to shoot the animal, authorities said.



https://www.yahoo.com/gma/man-attacked- ... 00085.html

Don’t zoos have tranquilizer darts, or is that just a movie thing?

raison de arizona wrote: ↑Fri Dec 31, 2021 12:37 pm Don’t zoos have tranquilizer darts, or is that just a movie thing?

They do, but this was the police I believe. I’m sure the zoo staff are horrified and grieving, but not for the human.

raison de arizona wrote: ↑Fri Dec 31, 2021 12:37 pm Don’t zoos have tranquilizer darts, or is that just a movie thing?

Also tranquilizers take time and may not be effective with one dose. They’re more used I believe to prep an animal for an exam or procedure in a very controlled situation.

pipistrelle wrote: ↑Fri Dec 31, 2021 12:48 pm

raison de arizona wrote: ↑Fri Dec 31, 2021 12:37 pm Don’t zoos have tranquilizer darts, or is that just a movie thing?

They do, but this was the police I believe. I’m sure the zoo staff are horrified and grieving, but not for the human.

Staff at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, as well. Eko and two brothers and one sister were born at the Little Rock Zoo in 2013. Eko and the two brothers went to WPZ in 2015, and Eko was sent to Naples Zoo in 2019.

Seattle has an excellent zoo. I toured it with jcolvin2 this summer, and it was very obvious that the zookeepers deeply cared about the animals. One of the most animal-friendly zoos I've seen (but in general, animals have way more open space in the North Carolina Zoo, where sometimes the animals are hard to see, not because they're hidden, but they're so far away).

So I'm sure if one of their (former) animals had to be killed, they're suffering.

Foggy wrote: ↑Fri Dec 31, 2021 1:51 pm Seattle has an excellent zoo. I toured it with jcolvin2 this summer, and it was very obvious that the zookeepers deeply cared about the animals. One of the most animal-friendly zoos I've seen (but in general, animals have way more open space in the North Carolina Zoo,where sometimes the animals are hard to see not because they're hidden but they're so far away).

So I'm sure if one of their (former) animals had to be killed, they're suffering.

It's a lovely zoo.

A former avian keeper, Ernie Rose, often posts on the FB page Western Washington Birders, and recounts tales of when he worked with raptors. You can tell he absolutely loves the work he did at WPZ. He is very informative, very interesting, in case anyone here is interested.

Bad winters in states, ranked.

https://edition.thrillist.com/s/states- ... nt=1570308

Three best:

Hawaii
Arizona
California

Three worst:

Alaska
Michigan
Minnesota

Number 50 is Hawaii; Number 1 is Minnesota.

Pennsylvania 23, about the middle of the pack.

I think some rankings are surprising.

I lived in Michigan for four years. I can attest to those being miserable winters. I don't know why, but the winters I lived there, I had terrible leg pains, bad enough some days I had to call off work. Didn't give it much thought when I was there, but when I moved back to PA, it took me a winter or two to realize that it was only those winters that I had the problem.

Three best:

Hawaii
Arizona
California

Didn't we hear from someone recently who knew someone who moved to Truckee, California, and found it ... chilly?
It depends where in California you live. It can be brutally hot or brutally cold or anything in between.

Warm up exercise: go rake a forest...

The article forgot to mentioned that winter in Hawaii is very rainy. Usually, each island has some flooding. Earlier in December, Oahu & Maui had severe flooding. Tourists were not happy.

I woke up early this morning when the phone rang - island wide flood warning. I left the house promptly to drop off mail & pick up a couple of things before my road washes out. It's still raining heavily this evening. I'll probably be stuck at home this weekend (and maybe Monday, too). But, hey! The temperature is in the 70's!