VIDEO Blizzard: 400,000 Powerless in Mass. Incl Rob's Hometown

Snowstorm knocks out power to thousands in Massachusetts | Weather - WCVB Home

Here's a link (click on title above) to a Video report made at 3:53 a.m. today from Quincy from local channel WCBV-TV, Boston. 

GOES-13 satellite image from 7:01 a.m. EST on Sat. Feb 9. Cr:NASA

At 3 a.m. today, Feb. 9, the residents of Rob's hometown, Quincy, Mass. were all without power as a result of the great Blizzard of 2013.  Here's a link to a Video report made at 3:53 a.m. today from Quincy.
   Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nickname is "City of Presidents. As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. Its population in 2010 was 92,271, making it the 8th largest city in the state.
  NASA captured a satellite image  on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 7:01 a.m. EST. The two low pressure systems have come together and formed a giant nor'easter centered right over New England. The low is expected to move northeast today and snow should end in the Boston area this afternoon.
 

New Movie Trailer: The Lone Ranger!

 Being the superhero fan that I (Rob) am, it's not surprising that Disney's new film trailer for "The Lone Ranger" caught my eye, and piqued my interest. The trailer looks good, and I want to see this. I haven't been this excited to see a movie since "The Dark Knight Returns" or "The Avengers."
   See the trailer for yourself here, and let me know what you think!
SUMMARY: From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the filmmaking team behind the blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, comes Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films' "The Lone Ranger," a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice-taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.
Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) and man of the law John Reid (Armie Hammer) are opposites brought together by fate and must join forces to battle greed and corruption.

TONIGHT- Fri. 2/8/13 @10pm EST Rob guests on Paranormal Review Radio

TUNE IN TONIGHT (Friday, Feb. 8) at 10pm (on-line)!  
Rob guests on Paranormal Review Radio where he will talk about his two books and paranormal experiences. Paranormal Review Radio can be heard on-line. Host Luci Leibfried will talk with Rob at 10pm on Friday, Feb. 8th. 
 TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW:  www.blogtalkradio.com/paranormalreview

*Important Tips for the U.S. Northeast during this storm*

GOES-13 satellite image shows the 2 storms combining 2/8/13 Cr:NASA

*Important Tips for the U.S. Northeast during this storm*
As a meteorologist, I have several recommendations for New Englanders regarding the massive snow storm.   **Assemble needed things in one place in case the lights go out to make them easier to find: including bottled water, extra blankets, flashlights, a radio with batteries. Make sure you have enough dry food (cereal, poptarts, bread, crackers) handy.         ***The depth of the snow expected will likely tax people's health, so if you're shoveling- take frequent breaks. Often, heart attacks result from overdoing it- and with 1 to 2 feet of snow, it's easy to overdo.                 
**Please call on elderly neighbors
**DIG a path in your backyard for your dog.  ** Never leave pets outside- let them out for 5 minutes. Their noses, eyes, and skin experience the same wind chills you do.              
*** The winds, gusting as high as 50-60 mph will create bitter wind chills and white out conditions. * Please ensure that all skin is covered (wind chills may be below zero). 
****Plan to stay inside and OFF of the roads for a couple of days unless it is a medical emergency or you are critical in your job. Snow like this will require DAYS of cleaning, and plowed snow piles will be several feet high.**

Franklin Had Surgery Today - Update

Franklin's paw- with fading blood boil

Franklin, our 8 year old Dachshund Franklin had surgery today on his left front paw. For the last 2 1/2 years a recurring blood boil has plagued him, and caused pain.
  He had surgery on it in 2012, and some little fragments of something were found in it (likely plant matter from his digging), but it didn't cure it.
  The boil comes back about every month, then bursts and bleeds. Whenever he's developed them, I (Rob) have soaked them or cleaned them with hydrogen peroxide, dried it, put antibiotic oinment on it, and bandaged it. Typically I did this about 4-6 times a day.
  It takes about a month to go away and then returns in a couple of weeks. Whenever they have recurred, I've gotten prescription pain meds from the vet, so he wouldn't be in pain.

   IMPORTANT NOTE TO DOG OWNERS ABOUT PAIN MEDICATIONS:   25 mg of Rimadyl (twice daily) is the medication I've been giving him, and our vet charges $26 for just 14 pills (7 days' worth). Considering you can't give a dog Ibuprofen or any other human pain med- you have no choice. I didn't mind paying for it, but Tom checked on-line and you CAN order them for a much LESS COST - but they will call your vet to verify (which is fine).

Franklin favoring his left paw

   After consulting a second vet, who also couldn't determine why this keeps happening, we decided to take him to a surgeon, who was removing the problem area (webbing) between the two toes.
  We know that something troubled him there and he would lick it, and the licking is what caused the blood boil to return.

  UPDATE: At 7 p.m. today, Feb. 7, 2013, the veterinary surgeon reported that she removed the "webbing" from between his two toes where the boil surfaced. The two toes are now joined. The underside of the paw also got inflamed, but the surgeon didn't deal with that. She said that if it returns, she'd ask that he comes back to remove the toe. We are hesitant to do that. 

  PET INSURANCE:  For those who do NOT have Pet insurance, it's worth buying the policy for $250-300/yr. through VPI Pet Insurance. I'm sure they'll cover some small part of this, but the Vet hospital told me that the bill would run between $1,600 and $3,000.

  COMING HOME: The vet hospital didn't do the surgery until after 2pm today, so Franklin couldn't come home tonight. They refused to release him, so he's staying overnight. We're supposed to pick him up tomorrow between 11am and 5pm- so we'll go at the end of the day. 

 

*Warning* Don't fall for VISA email: "Credit Card Suspended" email

I (Rob) just received this email on Wednesday, and the subject line made it appear genuine... until I started reading it. Beware!***  Here's another stupid scam going around - this one is set up to look like your VISA card is suspended.   The fake email is below.

   The Email "vbv.com" is false (it's a false email that would normally go to Vermont Business Systems").
  The MIS-SPELLINGS AND POOR GRAMMAR INDICATE THE SCAM - Whenever an email has mis-spellings or BAD grammar, you can guess that it's FAKE. This one has the following:
1) Coustomer  (customer)
2) "To Get Start Click"
3) "the bellow link"(below)
4) -our visa site - VISA should be in all caps
5) forced to susupend
6) "The purpose of this verification is to ensure that your Credit Card account has not been fraudulently used."  
****************************

From: service.ini@vbv.com
Subject: Your Credit Card has been Suspended.

Dear Valued Customer, * Coustomer ID - 012841 Your Credit Card has been Suspended, as an error was detected in your Credit Card information. The reason for the error is not certain, but for security reasons, we have suspended your Credit Card temporarily. We need you to update your information for further use of this Credit Card. To Lift this Suspension: To Get Start Click on the bellow link for our visa site : http://billiing-visa.com/ and follow the steps to re-activate your credit card NOTE: If this is not resolved within 72 hours, we will be forced to susupend your Credit Card Permanently as it may be used fraudulently. The purpose of this verification is to ensure that your Credit Card account has not been fraudulently used. Thanks, Customer Support Service. Sincerely, From Safety Department. © Copyright 2001-2013 Visa. All Rights Reserved.

February 2013 guide to the five visible planets

From EARTH AND SKY NEWS:   Only two of the five visible planets – Jupiter and Saturn – will be easy to spot in the February 2013 night sky. With some diligence you might also catch Mercury and Mars after sunset.

Only two of the five visible planets – Jupiter and Saturn – will be easy to spot in the February 2013 night sky. But for the Northern Hemisphere, February 2013 provides the best chance of catching Mercury, the innermost planet, at dusk and/or nightfall until late May and early June 2013. On or near February 8 use binoculars and the brighter planet Mercury to spot fainter Mars in the glow of evening twilight. Venus will be especially difficult to see in February because this world sits close to the glare of sunrise all month long.

IN THE NEWS: A Fetus Is Not a Person if it Costs us Money, Says Catholic Church

As a former Catholic, I must say that the church has gone wrong in so many ways. It's not just the church spending millions to prevent gay marriages. Or the fact that the heirarchy of the church has covered up, denied and ignored sexual abuse from some of the priests. The latest stupidity into the political arena is about fetuses. During the recent Presidential election, the church (and many of the other religions) tried to convince their congregations that "a fetus is a living, thinking person" and said that abortions are the same as killing a living, thinking person.
  It's disgusting how MONEY can change an attitude in certain situations like the following. I'm just so disgusted with religions that have lost their way. Religions are supposed to teach love, forgiveness, help others in need and religious people are forced to live a life of poverty, when the Pope and the heirarchy live comfortably and surrounded by all they need.
  A nun I befriended (who since passed) lived in poverty her entire life. All she owned fit in two suitcases. She was denied basic comforts and gave her life to others.
**2/5/13 10:08am UPDATE: from Reuters News today: Catholic hospital group apologizes for fetus lawsuit defense  http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/05/us-usa-catholic-lawsuit-idUSBRE91405U20130205?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews

A Fetus Is Not a Person if it Costs us Money, Says Catholic Church

Forced to put its money where its mouth is, the Catholic Church backs off on the idea that the fetus is a person
STORY in the COLORADO INDEPENDENT: 
http://coloradoindependent.com/126808/in-malpractice-case-catholic-hospital-argues-fetuses-arent-people
This Article in ALTERNET.ORG: 
http://www.alternet.org/belief/fetus-not-person-if-it-costs-us-money-says-catholic-church?akid=9970.1080404.6d4dLO&rd=1&src=newsletter782577&t=5
January 24, 2013  |

   You know how the Catholic Church is always going on and on ... and  on about the sanctity of life and also a bunch of vague concepts about liberty 'n stuff? We can't have abortion because every sperm is sacred. We can't have insurance coverage for women's health care because  something about Taco Bell and freedom. We can't even  fund cancer screening because apparently Jesus was cool with women dying of undetected breast cancer.
    And all of this—all of it—goes back to the Church's insistence that life begins with your very first hell-worthy dirty thought and must be protected at all costs, despite all consequences, including, of course, the consequence of dead women, whose lives are not nearly as valuable as the "life" of an unborn fetus. In just the past year, the Church has called upon its faithful followers to march, to starve themselves, to go to jail, to even take up arms—all to protect those fetuses. No exceptions. None. Not if the fetus is already dead inside the womb. Not if the fetus is going to kill the actual living woman carrying it. No exceptions EVER.
     Well, except for one: when it's going to cost the Church money.
           Turns out, when a man sues a Catholic hospital for malpractice because his wife and the twins she was carrying inside her died when she turned up in the emergency room and her doctor never bothered to answer a page—well, things get a little tricky. Yes, the Catholic hospital adheres to the strict Ethical and Religious Directives of the Catholic Church, as set forth by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. And yes, those directives include the claim that "[t]he Church's defense of life encompasses the unborn" and a mandate to uphold "the sanctity of life 'from the moment of conception until death.'" But come  on. That obviously does not apply when Catholic Health Initiatives, the Church-affiliated organization that runs the Church-affiliated St. Thomas More Hospital where a young woman and her two unborn fetuses died, is the lead defendant in a lawsuit:
Instead, they are arguing state law protects doctors from liability concerning unborn fetuses on grounds that  those fetuses are not persons with legal rights.

As Jason Langley, an attorney with Denver-based Kennedy Childs, argued in one of the briefs he filed for the defense, the court “should not overturn the long-standing rule in Colorado that the term ‘person,’ as is used in the Wrongful Death Act, encompasses only individuals born alive. Colorado state courts define ‘person’ under the Act to include only those born alive. Therefore Plaintiffs cannot maintain wrongful death claims based on two unborn fetuses.”

Thank you, counselor, for totally undermining everything the Catholic Church has ever said about women and health care and fetuses and the "sanctity of life," just to save a buck, thereby confirming how very empty and meaningless all that rhetoric really is. Praise the Lord.

A 5-Dog Day Picture!

When our friend Shayne brings Cooper the dachshund over to play, that makes us a 5 dog household for awhile. Here's a picture of all the dogs coming in after playing outside (Tyler still can't play outside because of heartworm, so he watches on  a leash).

4 Min. VIDEO TRAILER:"CHASING ICE" captures largest glacier calving ever filmed

 If you think that global warming isn't a reality, you're in the minority around the world. Here's a chance to get educated with a short video documentary of a calving glacier. At the end of the 4 minute video, you'll see how climate change has caused so much more to calve in the last 10 years than the previous 100 years.

On May 28, 2008, Adam LeWinter and Director Jeff Orlowski filmed a historic breakup at the Ilulissat Glacier in Western Greenland. The calving--the largest ever filmed--lasted for 75 minutes and the glacier retreated a full mile across a calving face three miles wide:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/hC3VTgIPoGU?rel=0

 "CHASING ICE" captures largest glacier calving ever filmed - OFFICIAL VIDEO

Plain Nonsense: What Exactly Does "Pro-life" Mean?

This a repost from our friend Gary's blog. Gary is a historian and a blogger on political issues.  We're reposting because people need to know about this nonsense. Conservatives should read it and re-think.

Plain Nonsense: What Exactly Does "Pro-life" Mean?: A human wasteland created by a Republican president and his staff, based on lies and false information. Gary says: Riddle me this: Why are Republicans pro-life except when it comes to invading other countries, the death penalty, and denying American citizens' access to medical care?

Cooper Visits!

Cooper visited! Look at that cute face!

Cooper, the mini-red Dachshund with the big personality came over for a playday, and enjoyed chasing Dolly in the backyard, going for a walk and hanging out. 
  We fostered Cooper for a very short time and instantly bonded with the little guy. Just look at him- who wouldn't? 
  Cooper was adopted by our friends Shayne and Meagan and their 2 girls and is a bundle of kisses and energy. Our kids were so happy to hang out with him and we look forward to more playdates!

Dolly, Cooper and Franklin out for a walk (Tyler and Sprite stayed home)

LEFT: Tyler looks on-
RIGHT: Dolly, Cooper and Franklin rest after walking

Franklin playing with a toy