Happy Winter Solstice Day!

Winter is finally, officially here. I was going to celebrate with an
hour or so of just tooling up and down the Owens Valley with a vague idea of
shooting a couple landings at Mammoth Airport (KMMH) provided the runway was
clear. Alas, time and a deflated nose gear strut permits not.
Yesterday morning's low in the NW corner of California's share of the
Great Mojave Desert was 22°F with a daytime high of 44. That was our first
excursion into the 20s. This morning's low was a bit warmer at 25. My
condolences to the folks in Denver and eastward. Our days have been clear
and a million for at least one week.
Come February, our Skyhawk is expected to rise to the top of the hangar
waiting list. Maybe then my fingers won't ache so much doing the preflight.
Tomorrow... Yeah, tomorrow....

Yesterday the Weather Channel went on and on and on for at least 15 minutes
about when winter would officially begin in EACH time zone! It was an
amazing display of stupidity.

They had a map showing each time zone's official start of winter, including
the time down to the second. Yep, each time zone was only different from
the next by, you guessed it.... EXACTLY one hour! Imagine that! But the
weather bunny had to point out each time not just once, but THREE times
starting on the east cost and working to the west coast.

Truly informative and educational. I can hardly wait for them to start
tracking Santa.

Happy Winter. Freezing rain here, no snow.

Jim

"Jim Burns" wrote in message
...
Yesterday the Weather Channel went on and on and on for at least 15
minutes
about when winter would officially begin in EACH time zone! It was an
amazing display of stupidity.

They had a map showing each time zone's official start of winter,
including
the time down to the second. Yep, each time zone was only different from
the next by, you guessed it.... EXACTLY one hour! [...]

Of course, the dumbest thing about that is that there's only ONE actual time
at which winter starts. This year, it's at 12:22am on Dec 22nd, UTC.

In other words, celebrating the "start of winter" in each time zone, one
hour apart is incorrect, as is celebrating it at all yet. The start of
winter hasn't happened yet. As I write this post, it's still nearly six
hours away.

Pete

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"Jim Burns" wrote in message
...
Yesterday the Weather Channel went on and on and on for at least 15
minutes
about when winter would officially begin in EACH time zone! It was an
amazing display of stupidity.

They had a map showing each time zone's official start of winter,
including
the time down to the second. Yep, each time zone was only different from
the next by, you guessed it.... EXACTLY one hour! [...]

Of course, the dumbest thing about that is that there's only ONE actual
time at which winter starts. This year, it's at 12:22am on Dec 22nd, UTC.

In other words, celebrating the "start of winter" in each time zone, one
hour apart is incorrect, as is celebrating it at all yet. The start of
winter hasn't happened yet. As I write this post, it's still nearly six
hours away.

Pete


But celebrating it at 0022 UTC you have to celebrate it a UTC -4,-5,-6...

That's what they were attempting to pointing out... but I don't think the
weather bunny had a clue as to what the tele-prompter was telling her. The
map showed the times as being one hour a part for each time zone which
equaled being the same moment in time everywhere. It had her totally
flustered and confused.
Jim

"Gig 601XL Builder" wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net wrote in message
...

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"Jim Burns" wrote in message
...
Yesterday the Weather Channel went on and on and on for at least 15
minutes
about when winter would officially begin in EACH time zone! It was an
amazing display of stupidity.

They had a map showing each time zone's official start of winter,
including
the time down to the second. Yep, each time zone was only different
from
the next by, you guessed it.... EXACTLY one hour! [...]

Of course, the dumbest thing about that is that there's only ONE actual
time at which winter starts. This year, it's at 12:22am on Dec 22nd,
UTC.

In other words, celebrating the "start of winter" in each time zone, one
hour apart is incorrect, as is celebrating it at all yet. The start of
winter hasn't happened yet. As I write this post, it's still nearly six
hours away.

Pete


But celebrating it at 0022 UTC you have to celebrate it a UTC -4,-5,-6...

That's what they were attempting to pointing out... but I don't think the
weather bunny had a clue as to what the tele-prompter was telling her.
The
map showed the times as being one hour a part for each time zone which
equaled being the same moment in time everywhere. It had her totally
flustered and confused.
Jim

That might be why professional entertainers rehearse.... ;-)
Peter

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"Jim Burns" wrote in message
...
Yesterday the Weather Channel went on and on and on for at least 15
minutes
about when winter would officially begin in EACH time zone! It was an
amazing display of stupidity.

They had a map showing each time zone's official start of winter,
including
the time down to the second. Yep, each time zone was only different from
the next by, you guessed it.... EXACTLY one hour! [...]

Of course, the dumbest thing about that is that there's only ONE actual
time at which winter starts. This year, it's at 12:22am on Dec 22nd, UTC.

In other words, celebrating the "start of winter" in each time zone, one
hour apart is incorrect, as is celebrating it at all yet. The start of
winter hasn't happened yet. As I write this post, it's still nearly six
hours away.

Pete


I must admit I am very happy rounding off the start of winter to the nearest
day.

Danny Deger

I was told this by my college German professor, so I cannot vouch for its
accuracy as I don't speak all the languages.

Winter solstice (Dec 21 or 22) is the shortest day of the year. At least it
is in English, German, and Russian.

In French, Spanish, and Italian it is the longest night of the year.



Jim

Winter is finally, officially here.

Yep, this is the deepest, darkest night of the year.

In summer, we'd be heading out the door to the hangar, or the
playground, or the beach, for four more hours of "life". Instead,
today we huddle inside around the computer monitor, because it's
already been dark for over two hours (as I write this) -- and the sun
will be just coming up when I head into work tomorrow morning.

But it's not the coldest night of the year, not by far. Thanks to the
heat-sink effect of the earth, that day is almost precisely one month
in the future. Today it's in the upper 30s here in Iowa, with 1/4-mile
pea-soup fog, and 100-foot ceilings. Far from the worst that Mother
Nature can dish out -- but certainly nothing to crow about.

We heard one single-engine plane pass over the airport today -- he made
a couple of half-hearted approaches, and then departed for greener
pastures (and an ILS approach) up in Cedar Rapids. (And even there he
must've been at-or-below minimums...)

Yep, this is the time of year we all dread in summer, and struggle to
get through when it comes. It's as bleak as it gets -- which is, of
course, why they put Christmas smack in the midst of it. Nothing a
little faux merry-making to curse the darkness, and ward off the
demons!

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

which is, of
course, why they put Christmas smack in the midst of it.

No, it's why they put Saturnalia in the middle of it. And Saturnalia
may well have been a co-opt of some other holiday. Christmas was put
there in an attempt to drain Saturnalia of its pagan power, and get
people (who would be celebrating anyway) to at least do so in the name
of the latest god to achieve prominance.

Jose
--
"There are 3 secrets to the perfect landing. Unfortunately, nobody knows
what they are." - (mike).
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.