El Nino effects on weather downright confusing to me
I don’t know about you, but the weather effects of what’s come to be known as “El Nino” are downright confusing to me. I just read that the current El Nino — blamed by many for the snowfall and serious winter throughout much of the U.S. this year — will probably continue through spring. That’s sort of good news and bad news, as far as I could tell — depending on where you live.But the worst part is, I can’t find anyone who can tell me in plain English: How will that effect spring where I live and where many others live, in various parts of the Northern Hemisphere and the U.S. in particular?
Depending on which obscure forecasting source you read (and I used Google to find several sites related to “El Nino effects in U.S.”), I honestly don’t know whether things will be hotter than normal here in southwest Missouri — or cooler than normal. I also can’t tell you, after reading several pages of websites, whether the spring will be wetter or drier than usual.
Groan. I guess I’ll do what I do every spring. I’ll stay flexible and be read for the worst — or for the best? I’ll keep those rain boots available, and break out the sandals just in case. I’ll probably keep the ceiling fans slowly running in the house, but also have the air conditioner ready to flip the switch if it gets too hot.
Gotta love weather forecasting, don’t you??
Earthquakes abound; Tibow does ‘6.66′ — are we near The End??
Earthquakes appear to be on the rise, or at least our awareness of them is rising. Not only did the big one hit Haiti in January, there was a true Monster Quake that rocked Chile yesterday.My most biblically literalistic friends all insist that an increase in earthquakes is definitely one of the signs that we are living in the “End Times,” and warn that we may soon be sorry we didn’t take the Bible more literally.
Almost as though God were trying to reinforce the message: Graduated Florida Gators QB Tim Tibow, renowed as a decent quarterback and an all-around-dedicated-Christian-nice-guy registered a 6.66 score in something related to NFL quarterbacking. (Confession: Although I’m a rabid NFL fan, I don’t pretend to understand the combines and their scoring.)
Okay, abundant earthquakes (there was a mostly under-reported 4.4 quake near Oklahoma City the same day as the Big One rocked Chile), Tibow and “666″ — what’s happening to the world and what’s ahead for the Universe as we know it? Should I be looking for a better home insurance quote and life and health insurance while there’s still time??
And don’t forget, the Mayan calendar runs out in 2012, right???!!! (I loved the comment some comedian made when he heard a reference to the Mayan calendar business — “Yeah, and we all know how closely we follow the Mayan calendar.”)
All right, yes, I’m being sarcastic. I was sitting here with little to do this evening, reflecting on the many people I know personally who take such pseudo-Christianity and weird portents of the future waaaayyyy to seriously. I have the utmost respect for their right to believe such things. I just get weary of all the near-magical silliness with which they conduct their lives and which colors their perception of reality.
So I apologize if I’ve offended any of you who are reading this. It’s just my lame attempt at late-evening humor.
But I surely appreciate, too, the terrible havoc and suffering caused by the Haitian earthquake and the Chilean earthquake, and any others that strike. We all ought to give and help in anyway possible.
Recessionary times revive old ideas for making money
These recessionary times may be reviving some old ideas as new people look for ways to make money. I just finished reading a news report about what items are being bought the most for various “party favors.” And the winner, according to that news story, appears to be personalized drink cups.Many years ago now, I was looking for an idea to start a business and/or be able to make enough money from it to quit my miserable job. (It was a good job, but I was miserable in it.) At the time, one of the biggest ideas making the rounds to pull in eager young entrepreneurs was to buy the supplies and sales literature to go around to businesses offering them rock-bottom prices on personalized pens and pencils, giveaway personalized sticky pads, even paper clip holders with the business name on them. And one of the big attractions even back then was to offer a business owner the chance to give his customers and prospects personalized plastic cups or custom plastic cups of one sort or another.
I never tried the idea. I’m really not much of a salesman, so I was not particularly eager to go door-to-door in various business centers in town hawking personalized office giveaways or whatever.
So it came as somewhat of a surprise to see that personalized drink cups are a big deal right now as giveaway party favors. The article I read (sorry, I never caught a link to it) suggested the obvious reason: Cups are popular because, if they are well made at all, they can be taken home as a souvenir and reused for drinking.
Personally, I’m somewhat of a fanatic about collecting coffee mugs. Plastic coffee mugs — I know there are some — are almost worthless, in my opinion. I like a good, hefty mug I can actually take home and use regularly.
Hmmm. Maybe there’s a business potential for me there … ?