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Tuesday, March 27, 2012 - No comments
The Distance from Here to the Bosphorus
Okay, that's not entirely true. Knowing that I might feel crummy like this my whole time here, I purposely flew into the farther-out European-side airport just so I could take a ferry back across on my way to my Asian-side home. I knew it might be my only chance to get out on the water and enjoy the salty sea breeze and the dance of the seagulls as they chase the bits of simit tossed by passengers from Eminönü to Kadıköy, and I wasn't about to miss out on the experience that, more than any other, represents life in this incredible city for me.
The day before my surgery, I did make it down to the seaside for a little while - long enough to have one last cup of çay at Haydarpaşa Station before they transform it from a glorious hundred-year-old railway station into something horrid like a mall or a bowling alley. But that day was more about bidding farewell to a building that holds an important place in both Istanbul's history and my own. And besides, there was a crazy fog that day through which one could barely make out the tips of the minarets of the Blue Mosque through the haze, so it wasn't much of a day for impressive views.
Today, after sleeping in til almost eleven (the doc says the anesthetic should be out of my system - when is this tiredness going to go away?) and slowly making my way through my breakfast and quiet time routine, I decided that even if I wasn't up for a full-on gez (exploration, outing), I could at least handle a bus ride along the Asian shore of Bosphorus - just to remind myself that I'm here and it's there.
I got all excited about taking the dolmuş (minibus) from Kadıköy to Üsküdar, passing familiar spots along the way, and then riding the bus up the coast to Beykoz for a cup of tea in the sleepy fishing village at the end of the line. It's an appropriately gray day - the kind that's perfectly suited to seagull cries and whitecaps and ferries gliding past steamed-up teahouse windows. All I was really going to do was ride a few buses, sit still, and ride those same buses home. Surely my body could handle that much.
But by the time I'd slurped down my soup and gotten myself dressed, the fuzziness in my head had overtaken the palpitating excitement in my heart, and I knew the only place I was going was back to the couch. In my pajamas once again, with a cup of tea in hand (Indian and milky, not Turkish and black like the seaside one I'd been anticipating), I dejectedly curled up under my blanket and sighed.
This was not how I wanted to spend this day.
For the past week I've been holed up at home, sleeping, reading and writing by day, partaking in the daily çay-and-a-dizi ritual by night. ("Dizi" is Turkish for "TV series with unbelievably convoluted plot that everyone and their mom are addicted to.") In nearly every dizi (at least the ones set in the present day) there is someone who lives in a yalı (old wooden mansion) on the Bosphorus. And for those who aren't wealthy enough to have a view of the sea and "the other side" from their breakfast table, they inevitably head down to a bench by the water to make out or make up with their boyfriend, deliver the ransom money that will save their kidnapped fiancée or shoot a bullet through their backstabbing brother-in-law's heart.
The Bosphorus is at the centre of life here in Istanbul. At least it always has been for me.
But as I sit here reluctantly on the couch of my convalescence, the view from my window is entirely unlike that of the ladies on those dizis who call for a servant to bring them a fresh cup of çay as they read the morning paper and watch the freighters lumber their way down from the Black Sea. From here, I see smoke curling up from the chimneys of tiny houses warmed by woodstoves. Laundry flapping in the late afternoon breeze, soon to be snatched in before it is darkened by the coal-coloured haze that will settle over the neighbourhood at dusk. Little girls in blue uniforms with white collars and boys with loosened ties chasing soccer balls home from school.
And women. Everywhere, women.
The old lady with the black and white headscarf is sweeping onion peels from the flat roof of the two-storey house behind us, presumably having just cleaned several boxes-worth purchased at the pazar. A middle-aged woman is leaning out a window of the building across the street, shaking out a long, narrow carpet with the great skill that I envy but have yet to acquire. The clouds of dust sent flying by each strong flick of her wrists are sure to be followed by complaints from the lady whose laundry is hanging one balcony down. Further up the street, a woman is lowering a basket tied with string from the fourth floor to the bakkal below, for cigarettes or bread or both. Whether she has a baby sleeping in the house, food on the stove, or is just too tired to make the trek down the stairs and back, this basket system is the salvation of many a woman living on the upper floors of Istanbul's tall apartment buildings.
All these women have gotten me to thinking.
My Istanbul and the Istanbul of my dreams, the Istanbul of those women in the wooden mansions on television....it's a very different Istanbul than the one of the onion peel-sweepers and carpet-shakers and basket-lowerers. When is the last time any of the housewives in this neighbourhood took a bus up the Bosphorus just for the pleasure of a cup of tea and a little sea breeze? On a good traffic day, we're less than ten minutes from the sea, and yet economic hardships, the demands of husbands and children, and that suffocating Turkish belief of "kader" ("destiny" or "your lot in life") likely keep them from venturing much further than the corner store or a neighbour's house, except on pazar day.
I have a friend here who owns a company that employs lower class women who make handcrafts to be sold at markets and fairs. I remember her once telling me that several of the ladies, even though they live in one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities, had never been on a minibus before and don't go anywhere they can't walk to. Whether bus fare is too much or their husbands have defined strict limits on their comings and goings, the boundary lines of their worlds are drawn suffocatingly close to home. For some, staying within walking distance of their houses might be comforting; for others, it might be a whole lot like being in prison.
Even for the ones who work and are able to get out of the neighbourhood every day, a sit by the sea is not a commonly indulged-in luxury. If they're anything like my Turkish mom, they get up while it's still dark to head to the office and come home exhausted from answering phones or cleaning floors all day only to have to put food on the table before their husband's complaining gets too loud. This past Sunday, my adopted Mom and I had talked about maybe taking a little field trip downtown to poke around a bookstore - something she's been wanting to do for months - but a phone call from relatives who wanted to "pop by" meant she spent the day cleaning, dashing to the store for cookies, serving tea and emptying ash trays instead. A day off is just not in the cards for most Turkish women.
Maybe that's why they're all so hopelessly addicted to their dizis. Like this girl, confined to the couch with a bandage on her ear, the view out the windows of those rich ladies' mansions is the only glimpse of the Bosphorus they can ever hope to get.
Kinda puts my own "confinement" in perspective.


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GREAT post Yvonne!! LOVE my cast iron :)
I just bought my first cast iron skillet and am so happy to read about how to take care of it! I had no idea about the "pre-seasoning", got to do that! Thank you so much Yvonne!ReplyDelete
My 10" cast iron skillet was given to me by an elderly baby sitter twenty five years ago. She said it was fifty years old at the time.
Nothing sticks to it and we love using it and thinking of her.
For all of the cooking I do (or used to do), I never use cast iron. I had a skillet once many years ago and it would rust and get that sticky surface that you mention...I couldn't get past the fact it never felt clean to me. When I read your post and see it is supposed to be like that, I'm sorry I got rid of it! I know so many people swear by cast iron. I really do wish I had one when I make cornbread etc. Great information! Hope all is well with you.ReplyDelete
There may be some confustion to new cast iron users because the instructions written in the picture of the iron skillet say "wash in hot sudsy water" then on down in your paragraph it states not to use soap. I use iron skillets and griddles almost everyday and have done so for many years. I have never used any type of soap to clean them. The safest and best way to clean them is hot water, a sponge and kosher salt. Also, I have found that if I dry the pan very well and use a paper towel to lightly rub vegetable oil on the surface there is never that sticky residue. Also, I put a clean, dry paper towel between the skillets when they are stored. Never a drop of rust or sticky residue and nothing ever sticks. Ever! LOVE cast iron!ReplyDelete
Thanks for this Yvonne. My cast iron pan is in the cupboard as I never use it. The outside of it (not the bottom) is really rough. Is that normal? The inside appears to be quite smooth and rust free. I need to start using it again. I remember bacon and eggs cooked in it growing up. Have a wonderful day. Blessings, PamelaReplyDelete
You make it sound so easy! I've always been a little intimidated by cast iron from reading about smoke points and which oil to use, etc. (I actually have a bottle of flax oil in my cupboard that I've been too afraid to try in case it's smokey. I've heard it creates the best seasoning, though. . .) Maybe I'll give it a go with vegetable oil. :)
Have you ever done any tutorials or posts about your photography/image editing? It's one of my favorite things about your blog. :) I did a quick search but couldn't find anything. . .
definitely I learned the hard way...need to pre season mine :)ReplyDelete
I bake cornbread in mine most of the time so I really never wash it in soap. I wipe it out with a paper towel. I just bought a vintage square cast iron chicken fryer. It's sides are about two and a half inches high. I have not made cornbread in it yet but when I do it will be pretty and thick.ReplyDelete
Thanks for these tips. This is what we do too. XOReplyDelete
I have a cast iron skillet that was passed down to me and these are some wonderful tips Yvonne! Thank you so much! :-)
That's all my parents would cook out of when I was growing up. I can't believe I haven't added one to my kitchen ... yet! Thanks for the wonderful tips to season them properly because I'm sure I would've skipped that step and ruined it! LOLReplyDelete
I love cooking with cast iron pans. I have three: one with deep sides bought new, a large skillet that was my grandmother's, and a tiny skillet that my mom gave me that she inherited from someone. Your seasoning tips will be helpful to many readers.ReplyDelete
I will never forget my Grandmother's steak cooked in her cast iron pan in butter. And, the gravy she made with that was so good. I know it had tea in it. It was amazing!ReplyDelete
I love cooking in cast iron. Thanks for the tips.ReplyDelete
Great post, Yvonne! I love cast iron too. My mother made the best cornbread ever in her skillet! When I was much younger, my husband thought I was crazy to ask for a cast iron skillet for Christmas one year. I was so thrilled when I received it. I have two skillets and a cast iron stew pot today and wouldn't take anything for them. I fully intend to pass them on to my daughter one day because there's just no way to replicate the wonderful effect that years of use has on cast iron. In the beginning, I always used sudsy water to clean mine and could never figure out why it never stayed seasoned (even when wiping down with oil). Finally, someone told me to never ever use soap, but to use kosher salt instead. It acts as a great scrub and I rarely have to pull out the plastic scrubby thingy. Just dump a generous amount into a hot (be careful!) skillet and "scrub" the salt around with a paper towel. The only time I ever use suds is if I've cooked something like fish in the skillet and even then, I just give it a quick swipe.ReplyDelete
Yvonne, I have a brand new cast iron pan that I have NEVER used, and NEVER seasoned. Your post came at a perfect time. I'm going to get right at this! Thank you. :)ReplyDelete
I was just thinking about re-seasoning my pans a couple of days ago. I LOVE cooking with cast iron!!! My large one makes a great "griddle" when I'm doing burgers. It's big enough for me to do the burgers, grill the onions and then toast the buttered buns like they do in greasy spoon restaurants. Love it! I have always washed mine with soap and water with no ill effects, but I'll give this way a try. Maybe I won't have to re-season as often!ReplyDelete
We love our cast iron. Have two sizes... want to invest in more.ReplyDelete
I just cooked a roast in my brand new cast iron dutch oven. I'm unsure how much to "clean" the pot. I ran hot water into it and scrubbed the insides with a plastic scrubber, and a copper scrubber (hope that was ok), and there's still a ring of gunk around the upper inside of the pot. Do I need to keep scrubbing? Use salt? Please help me settle my nerves.ReplyDelete
If you inherit a cast iron pan that is gunky and rough you can clean that all off by building a campfire and put the pan right down in the flames. Put it right on the coals and all. Let it get almost red hot and it will burn away all that built up grease etc. Let it cool completely before touching it or you will get a nasty burn. After you have done this, wash the ashes off and season as usual. My Mother and Grandmother taught me to do this years ago. Sometimes you can find one cheap at a yard sale because people think they are nasty or ruined. It is a simple think to correct. Great tute..ReplyDelete
You are an absolute inspiration for us!! Thank you for sharing this amazing post with us!ReplyDelete
I had two very rusty cast-iron pans that I was ready to get rid of because no matter what I tried, I couldn't get rid of the rust. I had an Ah-Ha moment today, and decided to try the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I ran it under water and then started lightly scrubbing, and the rust lifted up and was rinsed down the drain! Now I have to reseason the two pans and will finally be able to use them again! Easy, easy, easy!ReplyDelete
I wonder if you could do the re-seasoning on a covered gas grill. We have several sizes, but my favorite is the one my husband cooks cornbread in and he won't let me use it for other cooking. I keep looking at Good Will and yard sales for an expensive one for me.ReplyDelete
I wonder if you could season on a covered gas grill. Hate smokiness inside.ReplyDelete
I love my cast iron skillets. I wouldnt use anything else. Plus there are no chemical residues like with teflon. I use coconut oil to season my pans and they dont get sticky at all. Thank you for the article!ReplyDelete
Stone Gable

subset: commoncrawl


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When it comes to the accessibility of web pages, web applications and web tools, most people turn to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). In order to help technology providers and employers understand the basics of WCAG and other related accessibility standards, PEAT spoke with the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Shawn Henry, who leads their worldwide education and outreach promoting web accessibility.


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Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008 - "Walk and Stalk" Collection
4 comments:
- Andrea and Kim said...
Now Miss Doodle, how much fun are these? I love them...and those heels. Well this woman doesn't wear those any longer, but you have some fun designs here to be sure! Lovely dresses, lovely shoes and what will be next?
Thanks Miss Doodle!
- October 21, 2008 at 3:14 PM
- sukipoet said...
Clever and funny shoes. Now, who would we be stalking when wearing our stalk shoes. I too stopped wearing heels maybe 35 or 40 yrs ago. In fact, once I found the Birkenstock type shoe with wide space in there for my foot, which is relatively small but likes a lot of space, I have worn them almost exclusively. And I nver put my foot into a sneaker aka running shoe.
- October 21, 2008 at 5:46 PM
- Jerry OX said...
hello !! it's a amazing day !! i think you 're really good and really overbooking ...your blog is so nice ! and i like your shoes you know !!
bye !!
- October 21, 2008 at 6:49 PM
- Cris, Artist in Oregon said...
I left a comment and it disappeared. arrgh.
Anyway I said these are fun drawings of shoes. not sure I would wear any. lol
But I do love high heels and wear them still. but not if I have to walk alot. Mostly to go and sit somewhere. :))
- October 21, 2008 at 9:15 PM


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You are here: HomeCommunityGalehawkInfo
42, female
Location: In the woods
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Press release by Richard Boom
For its 15th Anniversary, PvP is again breaking new ground in the comic medium with the creation of the PvP ...
Sneak peek by Richard Boom
Valiant has provided BF with a preview to Harbinger #12, in stores everywhere May 8th.
This Saturday, Free Comic Book Day hits stores worldwide and Marvel wants fans to take the experience to a whole ...


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Item Description
Minutes of Executive Committee, Kansas State Central Committee
Author: Kansas State Central Committee
Date: October 22, 1856
Dated Lawrence, October 22, 1856, these are apparently the minutes of the first meeting the Kansas State Central Committee's executive committee, chaired by James M. Winchell with George S. Hillyer as secretary. Eight resolutions are recorded, authorizing the committee to provide assistance, etc.
Location of Original: KSHS Call Number: James Blood Collection, # 281, Box 1, Folder 3
Item Number: 101308 Number of images: 2
Keywords: Free state cause; Hillyer, George S.; Horses; Kansas Central Committee; Lawrence, Kansas Territory; Minutes; National Kansas Committee; Relief; Winchell, James M., 1823-1877
pg. 1
pg. 2


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Guests tend to return again and again to Hôtel Richemond. For some, it is the attentive service that makes them feel right at home. For others, like a well-known American rock star, it is, perhaps, the privacy accorded to celebrities. The star has stayed three times at the Richemond, a hotel with an Old World feeling about it. The guests are jealously guarded by doormen and a management that doesn't tolerate intruders like paparazzi. And, indeed, none was visible when the star's clan (minus the star himself) stayed last year in the hotel's "royal suite," the most expensive at $3,400 a night.
At those prices you expect special treatment. Opera singer Luciano Pavarotti had no difficulty finding his favorite olive oil in his suite's kitchen during his stay. "He likes to cook pasta at 3 a.m., and he wanted this special olive oil, so we ordered it," says Philippe Rubod, the Richemond's 36-year-old director. "Our job is to say yes." The Richemond does that very well. When guests come to stay for long stretches, the hotel cleans out their rooms and moves in their personal furniture, which the Richemond keeps in storage for its clients. The hotel still keeps some loyal customers' wardrobes and other private belongings. One customer was the late French author Colette. She wrote her last novel at the Richemond, and an apartment has been named after her; the Suite Colette can be yours for $2,300 a night.
Before it became known as one of of Switzerland's best hotels, Hôtel Richemond was a family pension named the Riche-mont. It has remained small, with 100 rooms and suites. Four generations of the Armleder family have run the hotel since it was founded in 1875, by Adolphe-Rodolphe Armleder, the son of a German maker of oak wine barrels.
For Adolphe-Rodolphe's great-grandson, Victor Armleder, who now heads the hotel, Hôtel Richemond aspires to be what he calls a "personal hotel," which offers the kind of service a "gentleman or lady" would expect to find in a fully staffed home. This means the staff will press your suit on short notice at 7 p.m. or serve a meal for eight in your suite at 2 a.m. Both Victor and his widowed father, Jean, live in the hotel, and it's safe to assume that their close proximity keeps the staff on its toes.
Room service includes round-the-clock access to 300 video titles (there is a VCR in each room) and a fine cigar list. This being Geneva, where Havanas of virtually every size and type are available, the hotel sells Cuban cigars individually or by the box. Thus, guests can pick among two dozen cigars, including the Richemond's own label as well as Punch Double Corona ($9 a piece, or $233 for a box of 25), Montecristo Especial ($7, $183), El Rey del Mundo Lonsdales ($8, $200), Davidoff Chateau Latour ($9, $216) and Davidoff No. 1 ($10, $250). The least expensive cigars are Flor de Cano Coronas and Richemond Diva ($2.60, $81).
This is not a flashy place. If hotels were people, this would be Old Money, not nouveau riche. For starters, the Richemond is set back about 50 yards from Geneva's renowned Lakeshore Drive, where some of the city's most glamorous hotels flaunt tremendous views of the Alps, Lake Geneva and Geneva's tourist attraction, the Jet d'Eau, a water jet that spurts foamy water like a geyser high above the surface. While you can admire Mont Blanc from some of the Richemond's rooms, you won't face bumper-to-bumper traffic when you walk out of the hotel, which is situated across from a small park, Jardin Brunswick.
Epicureans can choose between two restaurants in the hotel. Le Jardin offers casual elegance. Locals often eat on the terrace shaded by a bright green awning. The menu stresses fresh ingredients like fresh-picked asparagus, wild mushrooms and raspberries (when they are in season) and grilled sole. Haute cuisine is served in Le Gentilhomme, a restaurant decorated with heavy red drapes, red chairs and sofas, silver candelabra on every table (there are just 11), and a heavy, wood-and-silver, rolling caviar trolley that the supplier, Caviar House, refills with fresh caviar daily. The master wine list is available at both restaurants and for room service and includes 450 different selections. A vertical list of Pétrus goes back to 1947.
From the thick carpets to the walls padded with richly decorated fabric, the Richemond communicates comfort and a sense of serenity in the middle of a noisy, European business capital. "We are more like a club than a hotel," says Rubod. "We speak more of the 'friends' of the Richemond than the 'clients' of the Richemond. Someone like Michael Jackson knows that once he has passed the doors of the hotel, there won't be photographers and journalists here. Guests are left alone; they know they can circulate freely within the hotel without being bothered."
But for all visitors, the Richemond is a quiet haven--a welcome refuge among the many large, luxury hotels of Europe.
-- Per-Henrik Mansson
Hôtel Richemond
Brunswick Garden, Geneva, 1211
Phone: (4122) 731-1400
Rooms: from $210 per night


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THERE IS A FIFTH MAJOR after all. No, it's not the long-debated Players Championship. It's the LPGA's popular Evian Masters played in Paris, France, according to Golfweek:
Beginning in 2013, Evian will be designated as a major championship, the LPGA's fifth, sources told Golfweek.Golfweek also reported that the Evian Masters course will be lengthened and other changes will be implemented to make the tournament worthy of its major designation. Evian has been a mainstay on the LPGA schedule and boasts a $3.25 million purse, same as the U.S. Women's Open.
The LPGA's number of major championships has been a moving target over the years. The tour's current majors—Kraft Nabisco Championship, Wegmans LPGA Championship, U.S. Women's Open and Ricoh Women's British Open—have been a foursome only since 2001. Before the British Open achieved major status, the du Maurier Classic was the tour's fourth major, from 1979 to 2000.
Jiyai Shin told Golfweek Evian's new major status created "more chances to win."
But a veteran player and major winner who requested anonymity said, "I originally probably would be opposed to something like that."
In other news, So Yeon Ryu won the U.S. Women's Open in a three-hole playoff at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Ryu birdied the final hole to catch clubhouse leader Hee Kyung Seo at 3 under par. The event rolled into Monday due to numerous weather delays.
−The Armchair Golfer
(Photo: Courtesy of Celso Flores, Flickr, Creative Commons license)


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Meteorologists continue to believe that parts of western North Carolina will be hammered by the southern side of circulation around Hurricane Sandy and the developing super storm to the north.
And the forecast still mentions a chance of snow showers around daybreak Tuesday in the immediate Charlotte area.
Meanwhile, heavy snow and winds strong enough to topple trees and cause power outages are predicted for the North Carolina mountains, from Monday into Tuesday night. It appears as if the worst of it will come Monday night and early Tuesday.
High wind and winter storm warnings have been posted in some mountain areas, with the heaviest snow predicted above 2,500 feet. Forecasters expect 4 to 8 inches of wet snow at and above those altitudes, but heavier amounts are possible.
Even Asheville is forecast to get an inch or two from the system.
The best guess is that we'll be looking at thousands of power outages by Tuesday morning, with some of those problems as far south as the N.C. foothills.
Here's a look at what to expect:
N.C. mountains ... from 4 to 8 inches of snow above 2,500 feet, but amounts of up to 2 feet are possible along the Tennessee border. Northwest winds will increase to 25 to 35 mph from Monday into Tuesday evening, with gusts of 60 mph. Winter storm warnings are posted for areas above 2,500 feet, but winter weather advisories -- for 1 to 2 inches of snow -- are in effect for Asheville and some other mountain valley locations.
Charlotte, the Piedmont, and the foothills ... A weak impulse of low pressure will cross the area Monday evening or Monday night, adding to the already fierce storm to the north.
Northwest winds of 20 mph, with gusts to 35 mph, are likely Monday. Those gusts might reach 40 or 45 mph Monday night and Tuesday.
A few showers are possible Monday, but when the weak low pressure area moves across early Tuesday, it could trigger a few snow showers. Temperatures will be a few degrees above freezing, so accumulations are not expected. But I'll note what I wrote yesterday -- if snow accumulates on grassy surfaces at the airport long enough, it will count as "trace" accumulations of snow. That Oct. 30 snow would break an all-time record for the earliest snow ever in Charlotte. The current mark is Oct. 31.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Snow, damaging winds, cold ... and we get off easy
Meteorologists continue to believe that parts of western North Carolina will be hammered by the southern side of circulation around Hurricane Sandy and the developing super storm to the north.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Snow (not accumulating) in Charlotte forecast
The super storm expected to wallop the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast early next week is being billed by meteorologists as potentially historic, and that might include the Charlotte region -- in the form of snow.
There's no need to get all excited. We're not talking about a foot of snow on the ground for Halloween.
But the National Weather Service says that when the big storm -- a hybrid of Hurricane Sandy and a mainland low pressure system -- moves across New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania late Monday and early Tuesday, it could send a mix of rain and snow showers into the Charlotte region.
Several inches of snow are predicted for the North Carolina mountains Monday night and Tuesday morning, with up to 6 inches falling in the higher peaks. Most areas above 3,000 feet could see some accumulating snow from this system.
In addition to the snow and influx of very cold air, circulation around the super storm is expected to be strong enough to cause damaging wind gusts in the high country. A High Wind Watch has been posted for the northwest mountains, where forecasters say sustained northwest winds of 30 to 40 mph, with gusts to 60 mph, are possible.
That will bring down trees and power lines.
Father south, in the lower altitudes, the nasty weather is expected to develop Monday night, as the super storm moves inland.
Forecasters say a weak low pressure system is predicted to sweep through the region, bringing a chance of precipitation. As of Saturday afternoon, meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C., say the precipitation could fall as snow showers in the hours shortly before and after daybreak Tuesday.
Temperatures would be a few degrees above freezing, but if it snows hard enough for a short time, it could cause a trace of accumulation. And that would be historic.
The earliest measurable snowfall in Charlotte history came on Oct. 31, 1887, when a trace was reported in the city. If a trace were to be measure Tuesday morning, we'd eclipse the record by a day.
Incidentally, it will be breezy here in Charlotte, too. Meteorologists are thinking now that the storm will make landfall in New Jersey, rather than in Delaware as some earlier forecasts indicated. A New Jersey landfall would lessen the chances of damaging wind gusts reaching our region, but we'll still likely experience gusts of up to 30 mph Monday night and Tuesday.
The really devastating effects of this storm will be felt north of Charlotte, and we'll be lucky to escape all that. But the storm is strong enough and large enough to affect our weather, several hundred miles away.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Sandy's gift to us: Cold air
The Charlotte region will escape all but the edges of Hurricane Sandy as it moves up the East Coast this weekend, but as Sandy reaches the Mid-Atlantic coast and morphs into a super storm, it will contribute to a very cold stretch of weather next week in the area.
The cold air already was coming. The big storm to our north will help make it even chillier.
In fact, if you like the warm weather, get outside this afternoon. This is pretty much the finale.
Temperatures are in the mid and upper 70s Friday afternoon, but a cold front is approaching from the west. That front is predicted to stall Saturday in the mountains, but clouds from Hurricane Sandy will push into the Charlotte region.
A pressure gradient -- or difference in pressure -- between high pressure behind the front and low pressure from Sandy will help create rather gusty winds Saturday in Charlotte. The bottom line of all this: Clouds, a high in the upper 60s, and winds gusting to 25 or maybe even 30 mph (especially east of Charlotte) in the afternoon.
Outer rain bands from the hurricane are likely to cross the eastern part of the Charlotte region, especially in Anson, Richmond and Montgomery counties.
Then as Sandy pushes north of the Carolinas, the cold front will cross Charlotte, and temperatures will tumble. The coldest air won't arrive until Monday, so we're likely to eke out another day in the mid 60s Sunday, probably with a return of sunshine.
But our highs Monday through Wednesday likely will be in the low to mid 50s. The strong counter-clockwise circulation around the big storm to our north will bring cold air into the region.
Temperatures during trick-or-treating for Halloween on Wednesday evening probably will be in the low 50s.
There's another little twist to all this. The strong northerly flow behind the storm and cold front could even trigger a few snow showers in the mountains. Heavy snow is not expected, though. We're talking about snow showers that might coat the ground for a while. That would happen Sunday night, according to meteorologists.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
A taste of winter next week
The big weather news during the next few days will be the possible evolution of Hurricane Sandy into a huge East Coast storm, but the weather will be making news -- on a lesser scale -- in the Charlotte area, too.
The same cold air mass that will feed into Sandy late this weekend will pour into the Carolinas on Sunday and Monday, bringing the chilliest temperatures we've seen since early spring.
Doug Outlaw, of the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C., said Thursday morning that temperatures next week will be more typical of January than the last week of October.
Actually, readings won't be quite like January, when Charlotte's average high temperature is 50 or 51 degrees. But it won't be much different than early December or late February.
Highs on Monday and Tuesday might not climb out of the middle 50s, and there will be a northwest breeze to make it seem even colder. Morning lows will be in the mid 30s, and if frost doesn't arrive in Charlotte, it certainly will make an appearance in the suburbs.
Today probably will be the last 80-degree day in the current warm spell, and it might be the last time we see 80 until 2013.
Slightly cooler air will move into the region Friday, holding daytime highs to the middle 70s. Then the cold front will push across the Carolinas later Saturday, bringing a chance of showers.
Heavier rain and gusty winds will be felt along the North Carolina coast, courtesy of Sandy.
The changeover in air masses is expected Sunday, which could turn out to be rather cloudy and windy. Highs will only reach the lower 60s.
Then it'll get even chillier Monday, and it looks as if the cold air will last through at least Halloween (next Wednesday).
I mentioned yesterday that a strong, strong storm moving up the East Coast could conceivably alter the weather pattern in the Eastern United States for a few weeks, by helping turn the North Atlantic Oscillation negative. That would bring repeated shots of cold air into the East for a while. We'll have to wait and see about that.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Sandy could be a newsmaker ... even locally
Tropical Storm (soon-to-be Hurricane) Sandy is the talk of the meteorology message boards today, because some computer models predict it could become a historic East Coast storm.
And while we in the Charlotte area almost certainly won't even see a drop of rain from Sandy, it could have an impact on our weather for weeks to come.
On Wednesday morning, Sandy is a purely tropical system and is beginning to hammer Jamaica. It is expected to cross Jamaica and then make landfall in eastern Cuba, before moving across the eastern Bahamas later in the week.
That part of the storm's track is considered highly likely.
It's what happens afterwards that is generating talk (and predictions of a cataclysmic storm on the East Coast late this weekend and early next week).
Originally, the computer models predicted Sandy would curve northeast and out to sea, a danger only to fish and possibly Bermuda. But the European model began predicting Tuesday that Sandy would push north-northeast, well off the U.S. coast of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, but then curve back toward the coast after passing the Outer Banks.
On Wednesday, some of the other computer models began picking up on the same trend.
There's another big player in the whole picture. A surge of cold air will push into the eastern United States later this week, fed by a large trough of low pressure. That system will have plenty of energy, and some of the computer models predict Sandy will absorb strength from the trough and intensify rapidly.
This is somewhat similar to the "Perfect Storm" -- the 1991 Halloween Nor'easter that did huge damage on the East Coast and got some of its strength from Hurricane Grace in the Atlantic.
There seem to be three possibilities here:
1. Out to sea. Sandy swings northeast, out to sea, and doesn't bother anyone in the mainland United States.
2. Curve back to the coast. Sandy curves back to the northwest and blasts into the U.S. coast, somewhere between Maryland and Maine. Some computer models show a storm of up to Category 3 hurricane power.
But another theory holds that Sandy would lose some or much of its tropical characteristics and be a subtropical or post-tropical system. That would still produce heavy damage on the coast, with huge waves, heavy rain and strong winds. But under that scenario, the winds would be spread across a much wider area than a hurricane but would not be as strong (maybe 60 to 80 mph).
New York City, Boston and Philadelphia would be targets of such a storm.
3. "Replacement" storm. Another theory holds that Sandy might curve out to sea but leave a weakness in the atmosphere behind. That weakness would turn into a coastal low pressure system that would move up the coast. That system would get very strong, absorbing energy from the advancing trough, and bring big waves, heavy rain, strong winds and even heavy, wet inland snow to the East.
Cold air is coming late in the weekend and will remain next week. We'll almost certainly have our first frost Tuesday morning, and we'll be seeing daytime highs in the upper 50s and lower 60s, with nighttime lows in the 30s, for at least part of the week.
But a super-sized Sandy could affect our weather for weeks. Sometimes these huge and powerful systems can help change the overall weather pattern in the Northern Hemisphere. I saw some conjecture that Sandy could help create a Negative North Atlantic Oscillation. A negative NAO means cold weather will come spilling into the eastern United States for at least the first part of November, and possibly longer.
After several weeks of quiet weather, we certainly have something to talk about this week.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Temperatures head up; something stirs in tropics
We've gotten the week's coldest weather out of the way already.
From here on, Charlotte-area temperatures will be on the rise, creating some really nice conditions for several days.
At the same time, the tropics -- which have been quiet for weeks -- are coming to life. A system taking shape south of Jamaica could have a role in weather later this week for some part of the Carolinas.
But that's iffy. For now, let's focus on what we know.
Temperatures in Charlotte and elsewhere across the region fell Monday morning to their lowest levels so far this season. The coldest temperature I've seen so far for Charlotte-Douglas International Airport was 41 degrees, which would be the chilliest reading since a 39-degree low on April 24.
The 41-degree low is the same as I saw at thermometers in Mint Hill and Matthews.
But it was colder elsewhere in the area. Some of the Monday morning unofficial lows:
36 degrees: Morganton.
37 degrees: Salisbury, Wadesboro.
38 degrees: Lexington, New London (northern Stanly County), Troy (Montgomery County).
39 degrees: Albemarle, Concord, Lincolnton.
High pressure responsible for allowing temperatures to drop like that is modifying across the eastern United States, and our Monday afternoon highs will climb into the middle 70s.
Overnight lows Tuesday morning will be about 5 to 8 degrees milder, and afternoon highs are forecast to be back in the middle 70s. Highs will approach 80 degrees Wednesday through Friday.
No rain is in the forecast, which is good and bad. Obviously, it'll allow us to enjoy the nice temperatures (which are about 10 degrees above average for late October), but we're below-average recently for rain, and things are starting to get dry.
... Which sets the transition to the tropics.
The National Hurricane Center is watching an area of disturbed weather south of Jamaica and said Monday morning there is a 90 percent chance of the system becoming a named tropical depression within the next 48 hours (and possibly today).
The system is forecast to move north, toward Jamaica and Cuba, during the middle of the week. Some computer models predict the system will move up the east coast of Florida. That, of course, puts the Carolinas coast in play.
It will be something to keep an eye on this week.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Hats and jackets for weekend outings
The weekend recreational weather forecast is short and sweet ... clear and a bit on the cool side.
If you're out in the morning or in the evening, take a jacket. If you have a midday outing, you'll need sunglasses and a hat. It's autumn at its near-best this weekend in the Charlotte area and across the rest of the Carolinas.
Don't use today as a guide for the rest of the weekend. High pressure will settle into the region overnight, bringing temperatures about 5 to 6 degrees cooler than Friday.
Highs will be in the upper 60s each day, with morning lows in the low to middle 40s. Skies will be clear throughout the weekend.
Here's your recreational weather forecast:
Friday night football ... The afternoon breezes will die down, and temperatures will drop pretty quickly as cooler air filters in. You can expect temperatures in the upper 60s at kickoff, but it'll drop into the upper 50s (and maybe the mid 50s) by the end of the game.
Saturday morning ... Temperatures will chill to the mid 40s in Charlotte at sunrise, so if your children have a 9 a.m. soccer game, or if you're scheduled to play golf or tennis in the morning hours, plan accordingly. It will be chilly.
Saturday afternoon football and other events ... Full sunshine and cool temperatures are in store. If you're headed up to the mountains to see the leaves (or maybe to catch Appalachian State's home game against Wofford), expect afternoon temperatures in the lower 60s at 3,000 feet and higher. Winds will be nearly calm. Down in the Piedmont, highs will range between 66 and 69 degrees.
Saturday evening ... Duke and North Carolina have an evening football game, and fans can expect clear skies, calm winds, and temperatures falling from the low and mid 60s at kickoff to the mid 50s by the end of the game. Take a jacket.
Sunday for the Panthers ... Tailgating temperatures will be in the upper 50s around 11 a.m., but it'll climb to around 65 degrees for the 1 p.m. kickoff against Dallas. By late in the game, readings could be near 70 degrees. Expect full sunshine.
Looking ahead at next week ... The cool trend will moderate, but clear skies will remain. By Tuesday and Wednesday, afternoon highs will be in the mid 70s, and we'll be pushing 80 degrees -- more than 10 degrees above average -- by the end of the week.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Get ready for a shake
Be prepared for an earthquake drill on Thursday.
Yes, earthquake.
FEMA has scheduled the Great Shakeout for 10:18 a.m. Thursday in 12 states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.
The drill is designed to remind the public of what to do in (and after) an earthquake.
The earthquake drill has taken place for years, but this is the first time the federal government has included the eastern United States. A few years ago, many Carolinas residents would have laughed at the idea, but that was before 1:51 p.m. on Aug. 23, 2011.
An earthquake centered in Virginia rattled much of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and the shake was felt here in the Charlotte region. That quake is a big reason why Virginia, Maryland and the Carolinas have been added to the drill this time.
But history shows other reasons to be prepared.
One of the biggest quakes in U.S. history happened Aug. 31, 1886, in Charleston. And the U.S. Geological Survey says the area around Charleston is among the most active seismic zones in the country.
The outer edges of the Charleston earthquake zone actually extend into southern Mecklenburg, Union and Anson counties, along with Chesterfield and Lancaster counties of South Carolina.
The 1886 quake killed 60 people, did $23 million damage (in 1886 dollars), and was felt as far away as New York, Cuba and Bermuda.
There have been other quakes in the Carolinas, although all were less severe. A reasonably strong earthquake was reported in southern Mecklenburg County on Dec. 13, 1879.
The big quakes in the Mississippi Valley in 1811 and 1812 were felt in the Carolinas.
And the western mountains of North Carolina are in another active seismic zone, with several quakes reported there every year.
Federal officials say the advice during an earthquake is "Drop, Cover and Hold On." That message will be stressed during Thursday's drill.
"Earthquakes occur all year long across our country -- in a lot of places you wouldn't expect," says FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "For the Great ShakeOut, we're asking everyone to take a minute out of your day to drop, cover and hold on -- and practice what you would do during an actual earthquake."
For information about earthquakes and earthquake safety, check: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Stormy start, but then a nice week
Our work week is getting off to a stormy start Monday morning across the Charlotte region, with the passage of a cold front across the Carolinas.
But nicer weather will follow, and the advance outlook (see below) indicates we're in store for some warm and dry weather.
Heavy rain fell for several hours Monday across the foothills, and the line of showers and thunderstorms finally reached the immediate Charlotte area around 9 a.m.
The National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C., says a few of the storms could carry 40 mph wind gusts, and heavy rain likely will fall for relatively brief periods of time as the showers and thunderstorms slowly move through. An outbreak of severe weather is not expected, although severe thunderstorms could develop this afternoon across the eastern half of North Carolina.
The changeover to nicer conditions will come rather quickly, meteorologists say.
Sunshine will mix with the clouds by later Monday afternoon, especially west of Charlotte, and clearing should overspread the area tonight.
That will set the stage for three days of nice weather. With mostly sunny skies Tuesday and Wednesday, we'll have highs of 68 degrees Tuesday and then in the lower 70s Wednesday. There'll be more clouds Thursday, but temperatures will climb into the middle 70s before another cold front crosses the area Thursday night.
A few showers are possible Thursday night and Friday, followed by a return to sunshine and cooler temperatures -- highs in the middle 60s Friday, upper 60s Saturday, and lower 70s Sunday.
Looking ahead: The Climate Prediction Center's 8-14 day forecast calls for a good chance of above-average temperatures and a very good chance of drier-than-average conditions in the Carolinas. In fact, that's the forecast for the eastern half of the United States.
In the tropics: It's easy to forget that we're still in hurricane season, because the United States has largely escaped the impact of tropical weather systems this year (with the exception of Hurricane Isaac in late August).
But there's a storm out in the Atlantic, and it could threaten Bermuda late Tuesday and early Wednesday. Rafael is a strong tropical storm and expected to reach hurricane status today. The National Hurricane Center's forecast track carries Rafael over Bermuda, possibly as a weak Category 1 hurricane. The storm will curve northeast and never affect the U.S. mainland.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Your NASCAR, football, anything else forecast
There's no such thing as 100 percent guarantees in weather, but we'll come reasonably close to that with this weekend's forecast.
It's a weekend when, literally, hundreds of thousands of Carolinas residents will be outdoors. Some of the bigger attractions:
-- High school football tonight.
-- College football Saturday.
-- The NASCAR Nationwide Series race tonight at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
-- NASCAR's Sprint Cup race (and all the pre-race events) Saturday at the speedway.
-- Renaissance Festival.
-- Countless youth soccer, football, baseball and softball games, plus golf and tennis outings.
-- Trips to the mountains to see the leaves.
Unlike last week, when a cold front and a cold air wedge teamed to create a miserable Sunday (after a summer-like Saturday), this weekend looks to be nice and 100 percent autumn. There won't be any 80-degree weather Saturday or Sunday.
You might be surprised by the clouds at midday Friday across the Charlotte region, but they're the remnants of an area of showers and thunderstorms that swept through Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia earlier in the day. There's no chance of rain today in the area, and meteorologists say the clouds will move out of the region by mid-afternoon.
A cold front will cross the area today, leaving cooler temperatures but pleasant weather Saturday. Then the high pressure system modifies Sunday, allowing for a warm-up before rain arrives Monday.
So here's what to expect at various outdoor venues this weekend:
FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, AUTO RACING ... Mostly clear skies and mild weather, for this time of year. Temperatures will be in the upper 60s at kickoff and the start of the 300-mile race, with readings dropping to the upper 50s by 11 p.m.
SATURDAY MORNING EVENTS ... Temperatures will drop to near 50 degrees at daybreak, then climb through the 50s during the morning. Expect sunny skies with the cool temperatures.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON ... Sunshine and high temperatures reaching the middle 60s are a good bet.
SATURDAY NIGHT'S RACE ... Rain won't be a problem, with mostly clear skies. Expect temperatures to be near 60 degrees when the 500-mile race starts, falling back through the 50s during the evening. Winds should be calm.
SUNDAY ... Partly sunny skies, with highs in the lower 70s after a morning low in the middle 40s.
IN THE MOUNTAINS ... It should be good for leaf-viewing. Skies should be mostly clear Saturday and partly sunny Sunday, with especially good visibilities Saturday. Temperatures will be a bit below seasonal averages Saturday, then climb back to average Sunday.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
NASCAR fans will need jackets
As the headline says, fans headed for three nights of racing Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway will need their jackets. But they won't have to worry about rain. And they'll probably see sunshine on their way to the track.
The cold air wedge finally broke down overnight, which means the clouds and drizzle are gone. So are the chilly temperatures, with highs 15 to 20 degrees below average the past two days.
Instead, we'll have sunshine and highs in the low 70s Wednesday.
The weather headlines over the next few days will be dominated by a series of weak cold fronts crossing the region. The fronts are forecast to be dry, but we'll notice a change of air mass -- about every other day -- as the fronts pass.
For example: The forecast high Thursday will be about 5 degrees cooler than today. That's because a cold front is crossing the region tonight.
Then it'll warm back to the mid 70s Friday, drop about 5 degrees again Saturday behind a front, before warming to the upper 70s Sunday and Monday.
The only possible fly in the ointment is the development of a weak cold air wedge Saturday morning, when high pressure will be centered over New England. But National Weather Service meteorologists think we'll retain partly sunny skies that day.
A frost advisory is posted for Wednesday night and Thursday morning in the mountains, with lows in the middle and upper 30s. In the Charlotte region, lows will reach the lower 40s at daybreak Thursday -- which is chilly, but not frost territory.
Now, for the races ...
Fans can expect temperatures during Pole Night events Thursday to be in the low 60s, dropping into the upper 50s by the end of the evening.
Friday night temperatures will start in the upper 60s and fall to the lower 60s. And Saturday night, fans can expect temperatures in the mid 60s at the start of the race, falling to the upper 50s.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Don't expect much improvement today
I could be wrong about this, and I hope I'm wrong.
But if you're planning your wardrobe for Tuesday, expect Charlotte's weather to be an awful lot like Monday's.
You might have heard forecasts for some clearing Tuesday afternoon, but chances are any clearing in the immediate Charlotte area won't happen until shortly before sunset. In other words, we'll remain in the gloom for another day.
We're still locked in a cold air wedge, and those conditions are very stubborn to break down. Weather computer models aren't very good are predicting when the wedges will end, tending to kill them off too early.
Such was the case Monday, when the models -- and some forecasts -- called for partial sunshine to return by late morning in Charlotte. Then that forecast became afternoon, and now some predictions are saying late afternoon. That sounds right.
The wedge will dissipate from the west, with the mountains and western South Carolina being the first to see the sun. But heavy, cold, damp air has piled up against the mountains, covering the Piedmont. And it will take quite a while for warmer air to mix down and scour out the clouds.
Temperatures likely will rise from the upper 40s Tuesday morning to the upper 50s by afternoon. But that's more than 15 degrees below the average high for this time of year.
There will be a reward after all this, though.
Partly to mostly sunny skies are likely Wednesday, with highs climbing back near average for this time of year (mid 70s). A weak cold front will cross the region Wednesday night, so Thursday's highs will be a few degrees cooler, in the upper 60s. But sunshine will return.
Then a real warm-up commences for the weekend, with highs in the low to mid 70s Friday and Saturday, climbing to the upper 70s for Sunday and Monday.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Out come the winter clothes
Sweaters, sweatshirts and other cold-weather clothing that has been stored away since last winter is making a reappearance Monday across the Charlotte region.
Blame it on a cold air wedge -- that weather situation in which cool, damp air is carried into the Piedmont off the Atlantic Ocean and wedged against the mountains. Clouds form, and temperatures go nowhere. In fact, in most cold air wedges, the temperature is 15 to 25 degrees below the seasonal average.
That's the case Monday in the region.
The temperature fell from 60 degrees at 1 p.m. Sunday, gradually sliding through the upper, middle and then lower 50s. It's been hovering between 50 and 51 degrees for most of the day and probably will go no higher.
Actually, we're on track for our coldest day since early March. The high temperature so far Monday at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport is 54 degrees, recorded around 3 a.m. That would be our chilliest high temperature reading since March 4 and 5, when the high was 53 degrees.
By my count, this is the third cold air wedge in our region in the past two weeks, and I've written before that they are bad, bad news in the winter. Most of our ice storms and sleet events happen during wedge situations.
The National Weather Service had been predicting widespread showers this afternoon, but that is looking unlikely, with most of the rain staying west and northwest of the region, falling across eastern Tennessee and Kentucky. The mountains are most likely to see rain Monday, although a few showers could spread into the Charlotte region.
The same thick clouds that prevent temperatures from climbing also stop much of a thermometer drop at night. In a normal situation with highs in the low 50s, we could expect low to mid 30s at night -- and our first frost or freeze of the season. But since this is an "artificial" chilly day -- kept cool by clouds, rather than an actual mass of very cold air -- our overnight lows will only drop into the low to mid 40s.
And if the clouds hang around all night, we might not drop much lower than 50 degrees.
Cold air wedges are difficult to break down, and they usually last longer than computer models predict. So look for more clouds Tuesday morning, before the wedge finally dissipates in the afternoon, some sunshine returns, and highs climb into the lower 60s.
Things should return to normal Wednesday, with highs back in the middle 70s.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Naming winter storms touches off a fight
It's our job to give you all the weather news, and sometimes that means taking you beyond cold fronts and low pressure systems -- into what's happening behind the scenes.
And behind the scenes, the two for-profit giants of the meteorology world are embroiled in a spat over naming winter storms.
The Weather Channel recently announced that it will name "noteworthy" winter storms. It says doing so will make it easier for the public to keep track of developing winter storms and plan accordingly.
In other words, the way the National Hurricane Center affixes names -- in alphabetical order -- to tropical storms and hurricanes, the Weather Channel plans to do the same in winter. Most of the names date back to famous names in Greek and Roman history, but the Finnish name Ukko also is on the list for 2012-13.
I'll give you a link to the Weather Channel's story and list of names later. But back to the dispute.
A few days after Atlanta-based Weather Channel made its announcement, Pennsylvania-based AccuWeather issued a news release, criticizing the idea. AccuWeather officials say the storm-naming will confuse the public, rather than help.
Let's try to be even-handed here.
The Weather Channel says major winter storms already have been named -- such as "The President's Day Storm" and "Snowmageddon."
"Naming winter storms will raise awareness, which will lead to more pro-active efforts to plan ahead, resulting in less impact on the public overall," says Tom Niziol of the Weather Channel.
The company says it will not name a storm more than three days before it threatens a metropolitan area, and it will take other factors into consideration -- the time of day and day of week that the storm will strike, for example.
AccuWeather disagrees.
Joel Myers, founder and president of the company, says his company has studied the idea for years and decided it would be doing a disservice to the public.
"The Weather Channel has confused media spin with science and public safety and is doing a disservice to the field of meteorology and public service," said Myers, who has a doctorate in meteorology. "We have explored this issue for 20 years and have found that this is not good science and ... will actually mislead the public."
Myers also says many of the worst winter events are localized.
The National Weather Service has not commented on the dispute and apparently plans to remain at arm's length. That means the Weather Channel's names might not get much publicity, beyond the Weather Channel (and perhaps its parent company, NBC).
Here's a link to the story: http://wxch.nl/QJQw8y.
And here's a link to the list of names: http://wxch.nl/QJS9TO
Monday, October 1, 2012
Weather changes coming for Charlotte
It's raining, a stiff breeze is blowing out of the northeast, and the temperatures are locked in the lower 60s -- about 15 degrees below average.
Yes, autumn is here. But it won't be here for long.
A cold air wedge -- a Piedmont phenomena I've written about before (http://bit.ly/PRBP1s) -- has established itself today across much of North Carolina and South Carolina. It means we'll have a chilly, wet day, with temperatures probably not escaping the lower and middle 60s.
Computer models indicate there could be a break from the rain, lasting several hours, Monday afternoon and evening in the Charlotte region. But more rain will return later this evening.
Rainfall amounts won't be heavy, as most areas will get a half-inch or less. This is exactly what the lawn doctor ordered for anyone who fertilized and seeded over the weekend.
These cold air wedge situations tend to be most common in autumn and spring, but they sometimes develop in the winter -- occasionally, with very important ramifications. Many of our sleet and ice storm episodes happen during a cold air wedge, as warm, most air from the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic is carried over a layer of cold air trapped near the surface.
We'll need to watch this pattern as we approach winter. If we keep having cold air wedges, or if low pressure continues developing in the Gulf of Mexico and pushing up across the Southeast (as it is doing today, for the second time in recent weeks), then that could be a big hint about our winter weather pattern.
The cold air wedge is forecast to break down Tuesday, with the low pressure system moving north of the Carolinas, and the counter-clockwise flow of air eventually scouring away the layer of cold air near the surface. As that happens, a cold front will cross the region.
It's possible that a few strong thunderstorms could develop Tuesday as the front approaches, but those most likely would be south of Charlotte. Regardless, it'll be a lot warmer Tuesday, as the wedge dissipates. Highs are expected to reach the upper 70s.
That sets the stage for another big change, from Wednesday through Friday. We'll be back in some late-summer weather, with sunny to partly sunny skies and afternoon highs of 80 degrees or even a little warmer.
The next cold front will approach the region over the weekend, so the forecast for Saturday and Sunday is very iffy, at this point. For now, the National Weather Service is going with partly cloudy and mid 70s Saturday, then low 70s with a small chance of rain Sunday.


text:
I'm coding in "C" and I am using the PIPE method to invoke the running of a gzip command from another program. Its a backup program and part of the program is to verify the integrity of the gzipped backup file. To do this I try to execute the command:
"gzip -vt <backupfile>.tar.gz" via opening a PIPE.
The pipe opens and executes this command fine however the resulting output doesn't get sent back up the PIPE to my program, it just gets printed out in the shell. E.g. "<backupfile>.tar.gz: OK" shows on the screen, but my program doesn't get this output sent back to it. So my program never knows the result of this test. How can I get my program to read this shell outputted result?
Any help greatly appreciated.


text:
Heater by Hakan Gürsu
Hakan Gürsu Shares The Pebble Heater
Hakan Gürsu, the project leader of the displayed project Heater:Pebble by Hakan Gürsu demonstrates, Pebble is designed as a healthy heating system for both indoor and outdoor places. The system is based on the heating of naturally formed and tumbled pebbles of various natural colors via an electrical resistance. The product is healthy by humudifying the air, also economical and space-saving with the wide surface area in a small volume. The product, as a natural heating system is both functional with its mobility and visually appealing with a sculpture like look. .
Heater by Hakan Gürsu Images:
End of the article, click here to go back to previous page, or alternatively go back to Magazine of Design homepage.


text:
'UPFRONT with Mike Gousha' recap for March 10, 2013
Northern Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy tells ``UpFront with Mike Gousha''
President Obama isn't talking about balancing the budget.
Duffy said on the program, produced by WISN-TV with WisPolitics.com, that citizens must understand the president's language when he talks about a balanced approach to the budget. "We have to be clear he is saying we are never going to balance the budget," he said. "We'll talk about reducing deficits, but if you ask 50, 100 years from now we will borrow from each one of those years.
We'll never balance it."
The Weston Republican said the House, Senate and Obama should produce a bill and then compare to determine the exact terms. "I think it is incumbent on [the president] as a leader to actually come forward with a budget that will be balanced at one point in our future," Duffy said.
Duffy is also calling for transparency. "If [the President]… will raise all these taxes not just on millionaires and billionaires, but on middle-class Americans, then tell America that and show us how you get to a point of balance."
According to Duffy, American families, small businesses and manufacturers have cut at least 2 percent out of their budgets. As for the federal government, "there is a lot of fat that we can cut."
"No one thinks that the federal government runs at 100 percent capacity,"
Duffy said. "My concern, though, is if the president wants to make a political move out of this and start to cut actual necessary services that are provided like air traffic controllers at Wisconsin airports, meat inspectors, T.S.A. inspectors and by not allowing kids into the White House to go on their class tour. Those kind of things can be painful."
Duffy said only wasteful spending should be cut. He gave the example of the transportation expense of the Watermelon Queen and free cell phone programs.
Duffy said he would favor closing tax loopholes and reforming the tax code. "What we are trying to do is raise revenue by growing the economy."
-- State Reps. Jim Ott and Josh Zepnick were also on "UpFront" to discuss changes to Wisconsin's drunken driving laws.
"We have a bill that would make all first-time offenders make an in- person appearance in court. You don't have to do that in all counties in Wisconsin right now," said Ott, R-Mequon. "I think that bill will get passed.
Other bills like making first offenses criminal at point-one-five blood alcohol concentrations and above, that might be a little tougher."
Zepnick, D-Milwaukee, said rates of individuals driving while intoxicated shines a light on Wisconsin's culture of celebrating drinking. "I think people do not even realize that they are in a situation where they are abusing it… It becomes a real public health issue."
Zepnick is also in favor of sobriety check-points. He said he wants to propose a voluntary pilot project to see if the benefits of the program would outweigh the costs.
Tommy Thompson
-- Also on the program was WISN 12 News political reporter Kent Wainscott, who conducted a sit-down interview with former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who lost the Senate race last year to Tammy Baldwin.
Clips from the interview show the former Republican governor and HHS secretary on his farm in Elroy.
Thompson said of the election, "It was a difficult time in my life. I had expected to win, and it was very disappointing not to but you move on. When you get knocked down you either have to stay down… or pick yourself up."


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Tammi Chun appointed executive director of the Hawaii P-20 InitiativeUniversity of Hawaiʻi
Hawaii P-20 Initiative
Kristen Bonilla, (808) 956-5039
External Affairs & University Relations
As executive director, Chun facilitates contact between the heads of the Initiative's three founding institutions (P-20 Leadership Team) and the Initiative's planning and policy-setting council (P-20 Council) with business partners, community groups and the general public. She will be responsible for the overall administration of the Initiative and for directing its strategic projects, which include a six-year, $15-million GEAR UP Hawaiʻi state grant that focuses on preparing secondary students for college, and an eight-year, $10-million W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant with the goal of every child in Hawaiʻi reading on grade level by third grade.
"With Tammi Chun's leadership as executive director, the Hawaiʻi P-20 Initiative is poised to develop the strong business and community partnerships we need to continue to make great strides in improving the educational outcomes for Hawaiʻi's residents," said David McClain, president of the University of Hawaiʻi System.
Chun comes to the position with significant experience working across educational sectors and with a variety of partners. Most recently, she was director of GEAR UP Hawaiʻi, a federal program at the University of Hawaiʻi whose mission is to significantly increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
Previously, she researched educational and social policy at the RAND Corporation and the Consortium for Policy Research in Education at the University of Pennsylvania. She also worked at the Los Angeles Educational Alliance for Restructuring Now (LEARN) facilitating school reform in the nation's third largest school district.
Chun holds a BA from Pomona College and an MPP from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She has been involved in numerous community organizations including Envision Hawaiʻi, Blood Bank of Hawaiʻi, and the Kakaʻako Christian Fellowship Church where she serves as a member of the management team.
Chun assumes leadership of the Initiative, which was previously led by Kathy Jaycox. Jaycox served as interim executive director since 2002, and helped to lay the foundation for the Initiative, including establishing the P-20 Council and Strategic Plan. During Jaycox's tenure, a $500,000 W.K. Kellogg Foundation planning grant was awarded to the Initiative and supported the development of the P-20 Strategic Plan. This led to the current $10 million award from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for "Capturing the Momentum, P-3 Initiative." Jaycox will be continuing with the Initiative as senior associate.
The purpose of the Hawaiʻi P-20 Initiative is to address the challenges of the "educational pipeline" in Hawaiʻi, beginning with early learning, continuing with formal schooling from pre-K to postsecondary, and lasting throughout one's life. The Initiative's mission is to increase educational outcomes for Hawaiʻi's people by increasing the output of the educational pipeline and closing the "achievement gap" between groups that have been successful in the pipeline and those that have not. The Initiative is led by University of Hawaiʻi System President David McClain, Department of Education Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto, and Good Beginnings Alliance Executive Director Elisabeth Chun. For more information on the Hawaiʻi P-20 Initiative, visit www.p20.hawaii.org.
For more information, visit: http://www.p20hawaii.org


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(Reuters) – Libya's new parliament appealed for national unity at its first formal session on Monday as rival armed factions battled for dominance of a country struggling to hold itself together three years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.
Hours before parliament met in the eastern city of Tobruk, heavy artillery and rocket fire bombarded southern and western Tripoli, where Islamist-leaning Misrata brigades have fought for three weeks with rival militias allied with the town of Zintan.
Lawmakers gathered in a heavily guarded hotel in Tobruk because three weeks of fighting in Tripoli and Benghazi had made Libya's two main cities unsafe for the parliamentary session.
Western nations, which have mostly pulled their diplomats out of the North African country due to the fighting, hope that the new assembly can nudge the warring factions toward a ceasefire and negotiations to end a political deadlock.
Elected in June, the House of Representatives replaces the General National Congress (GNC) after a vote which, analysts said, eroded the political dominance that Islamist factions linked to the Muslim Brotherhood had in the legislature.
In a sign of Libya's deepening polarization, the Islamist former GNC president and a group of current and ex-GNC lawmakers rejected the Tobruk session as unconstitutional, setting the stage for more political infighting.
"A swift transition from the GNC to the new parliament is vital because the country is in turmoil," Azzedine al-Awami, the former deputy GNC chief, said at the first session.
"We hope all Libyans stand together to put our country's best interests first."
Justice Minister Saleh al-Marghani, standing in for the prime minister, who was attending a summit of African and U.S. leaders in Washington urged lawmakers to form a unity government.
Out of 188 elected lawmakers, 158 were sworn in during the session in Tobruk. They then elected Aguila Saleh Iissa as the House's president. Saleh is seen as a jurist and had occupied many judicial positions during the time of Gaddafi.
The United States, Britain, France, Italy and Germany quickly issued a joint call for parties to accept a ceasefire and a dialogue supported by the United Nations, and to recognize the authority of the parliament's elected representatives.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, meeting with Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni during the summit in Washington, said it was a "critical time" for Libya.
"Libya's challenges can really only be solved by Libyans themselves, but we are committed to stand by them as they engage in the difficult work of doing so," Kerry said.
He said the United States was committed to returning diplomats to its embassy in Tripoli "as soon as the security situation allows."
But, underscoring the divisions over the legitimacy of the new assembly, in Tripoli outgoing GNC President Nouri Abusahmain, an Islamist leader, rejected the Tobruk meeting because of the way it had been held and the location of the session.
It was not immediately clear how much support his statement would generate or its impact on armed factions allied with the Islamist political leadership. Most Islamist-leaning lawmakers and ex-GNC members had stayed away from Tobruk.
More than 200 people have been killed in the recent fighting in Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi. Clashes have closed off most international flights, damaged Tripoli's main airport and sent foreign diplomats and workers fleeing abroad.
The battle for the airport is part of a wider political struggle between two loose factions of ex-rebels and their political allies who once fought together against Gaddafi, but whose rivalries exploded over the spoils of postwar Libya.
On one side are the Zintan brigades – based in the city some 130 km (80 miles) southwest of Tripoli – with their anti-Islamist Qaaqaa and Al-Sawaiq fighters, including some ex-Gaddafi forces, and political allies who say they are a bulwark against Islamist extremists taking over Libya.
Against them are fighters loyal to the western port of Misrata who are allied with the Islamist Justice and Construction party, an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, who say they are fighting to purge ex-Gaddafi elements.
In a worrying development for Libya's budget, the country's lifeline oil production has slipped to 450,000 barrels per day (bpd)from 500,000 bpd a week ago, the National Oil Corp said on Monday, without explaining why output had fallen.
Even the previous figure is well below the 1.4 million bpd Libya produced a year ago, before strikes and blockades cut output and exports from the OPEC state.
Britain was closing its embassy operations on Monday, one of the last foreign governments to pull out its diplomatic staff, following the evacuation of the United States and the United Nations after the fighting erupted in Tripoli.
A Royal Navy ship on Sunday evacuated more than 100 British citizens, Libyan families and some foreign nationals. Some diplomats crossed by road into neighboring Tunisia.
With its national army still in formation, Libya's fragile government has long struggled against the power of the militias, which have skirmished in parts of the capital since 2011.
Many of the militia brigades are on the government payroll, approved by competing factions in ministries and the parliament, but are often more loyal to commanders, political allies or regions than to the Libyan state.
The General National Congress was stormed numerous times by different militia brigades trying to pressure lawmakers on political decisions or to demand that it dissolve.
Most of Tripoli has stayed largely calm, with fighting mainly restricted to the de facto front lines in the south and parts of the west of the city. Fuel prices have soared on the black market as fighting has caused shortages.
In Benghazi, an alliance of Islamist fighters and ex-rebels have joined together to battle Libyan armed forces, seizing a special forces military base last week and pushing the army outside the city.
Those Islamists, from the Ansar al-Sharia group, are branded a terrorist organization by Washington and have been blamed for a 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi in which the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans died.


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Health and fitness does not merely mean for the appearance and the figure look out but it does play a strong role in maintaining the senses and activities of the routine life. The health and fitness if carried properly answers a lot of questions related to diseases, body disorders and organs functions, not only this it can also cure to several mild disorders and relief stress. There are lots of clubs and exercise places located in cities where you can and give sufficient time to your body. Body needs care and rest, if you are unable to manage to go specific place and sort out hours for yourself, you can carry out exercises that are unsaid, work outs at your home and office and make your body fit with essential foods and diet that makes the body best maintained and healthy. The healthier you are the longer gets your life. Kids too need special attention regarding their fitness and diets. The necessary point to note is that people needs knowledge regarding health and fitness, this is available best at the internet as people are more comfortable to seek guidance on internet regarding any topic and when it comes to health and fitness, people seek for personal guidance, which is best available at internet along with supervision of experts and doctors of health and fitness.
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Longmont is expected to close its purchase of the Royal Mobile Park on Friday, giving remaining residents six months to move, city officials said.
Assistant city manager Shawn Lewis said residents of 12 trailers still on the site south of Boston Avenue between South Pratt Parkway and Main Street will receive notices either Friday or Monday that they must move.
The city is paying $2.62 million for the property, which will be used for flood mitigation.
"Much of the park will be relocated in the river," Lewis said.
In 2008, Anderson Consulting Engineers studied flooding hazards along the river throughout the city. The study was updated in January. Among the recommendations was for the city to buy several properties along the river, including the Royal Mobile Park. The city negotiated with the park's owners for two years, before the sale was announced in November.
It's not clear when the work to widen the St. Vrain River channel will begin. Because of September's flood, the consulting firm and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are again assessing the situation.
"It's going to be part of a much larger project now than we anticipated," Lewis said.
Seventeen abandoned mobile homes will be moved to a landfill in Erie, said Tracy DeFrancesco, the city's housing and community investment specialist. The residents who lived in those homes either had flood insurance or have negotiated settlements with FEMA, she said.
The city is working to help relocate residents of 12 other trailers, DeFrancesco said.
"We will assist them with that transition," DeFrancesco said.
Unfortunately, no mobile home sites are available in the area, she said, adding that staff are keeping their eyes open for ones that open up.
Another problem is that at least three of the mobile homes are too old to move. In some cases, the city might have to help owners buy new mobile homes — up to $9,500 — or move to apartments, DeFrancesco said.
Two residents, a mother and a daughter who each own a mobile home, have found a new park to move their homes to, she said.
Using federal Community Development Block Grant funds, the city is paying residents' expenses for moving their homes — up to $6,000 each — or moving costs based on the number of rooms; security deposits; rent differentials for up to 12 months; and the cost of hooking up phone and utility services, she said.
The city is working with the residents to maximize how much they receive from FEMA or their own insurance companies, as well, DeFrancesco said.


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I've been trying these beans for the last few days and its the most ridiculous espresso. I dont know if the high content of husk has anything to do with it, but try as I will I get a 'dirty' , unpleasant flavour from it. I have altered the grind setting on my mazzer several times and compared to other beans tried sofar I will not be buying these ones again.
Next week I will try Kicker and Blake.
I hope to get a positive experience from those.


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Export 129 results:Author Title Type [ Year]
Filters: Author is Chris Marnay [Clear All Filters]
"Optimizing Distributed Energy Resources and Building Retrofits with the Strategic DER- CAModel." Applied Energy 132 (2014) 556-567. LBNL-6779E..
"Regional Analysis of Building Distributed Energy Costs and CO2 Abatement: A U.S.–China comparison." Energy and Buildings 77 (2014) 112-129. LBNL-6678E..
"Integrated control of dynamic facades and distributed energy resources for energy cost minimization in commercial buildings." Solar Energy 122 (2015) 1384–1397. LBNL-1003927..
"Software-as-a-Service Optimal Scheduling of New Mexico Buildings." European Council on an Energy Efficient Economy 2015 Summer Study. 2015. LBNL-1001209..


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HORNADY MFG CO Hollow Point XTP (Extreme Terminal Performance)
Hornady 10MM Cal 200 Grain Hollow Point Extreme Terminal Performance 100/Box
The controlled expansion of the XTP Hollow Point is 1.5x its original diameter over a wide range of velocities. It features a heavier jacket, which stands up to the high pressures and velocities of the highest performance handgun.
SPECIFICATIONS:Mfg Item Num: 40060 Category: RELOADING BULLETS & COMPONENTSBullet Type :XTP-HPCaliber :10mmWeight :200 grQuantity :100 Per BoxBullet Material :Bullet Coating :Bullet Tip Material :Cannelure :Metal Type :Core Type :


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Schellenberg, David (1852-1919)
David Schellenberg: Mennonite Brethren (MB) elder in Russia; born in Neukirch, Molotschna Mennonite settlement, South Russia, 13 September 1852, the son of Abraham J. Schellenberg (3 December 1807 - 23 April 1884) and Maria (Pauls) Schellenberg (10 August 1823 - 17 November 1876). In 1879 he married Lena Enns (13 September 1852, Tiegerweide, Molotschna Mennonite settlement, South Russia – 15 December 1907, Rückenau, Molotschna Mennonite settlement, South Russia), a daughter of Daniel and Maria Peters Enns. Four children were born to this union. After his wife's death he married Sara Koop (nee Klassen). David died in 1919. His funeral was held on 3 March 1919, when the Molotschna settlement was overrun by Makhno bands.
David supplemented his elementary education with extensive reading. After years of Sunday-school teaching he was called to the ministry at the age of 24 and ordained on 15 April 1878. When his older brother, Elder Abraham Schellenberg, left Russia on 15 May 1879 to immigrate to America, he took a part of his church with him and David Schellenberg was elected as elder of the remainder on 14 April 1881, and ordained to the office on 23 May 1882.
P. M. Friesen pays the following tribute to David Schellenberg: "The elder was modest and wise and gladly recognized the talents of others. Many blessings accompanied the earlier part of David Schellenberg's eldership. This changed however later, until circumstances developed in 1909 which brought the office of elder in Rückenau to a standstill." The leadership was henceforth given to a church council. The last ten years of his life were spent in quiet but in full fellowship with his church.
B. B. Janz, a contemporary of David Schellenberg, in consultation with other contemporaries, wrote a biography in the German, of which the above is an abbreviated translation.
|Jacob J. Toews
|Richard D. Thiessen
|Date Published
|November 2006
Cite This Article
MLA style
Toews, Jacob J. and Richard D. Thiessen. "Schellenberg, David (1852-1919)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2006. Web. 10 Jul 2020. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Schellenberg,_David_(1852-1919)&oldid=77486.
APA style
Toews, Jacob J. and Richard D. Thiessen. (November 2006). Schellenberg, David (1852-1919). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 10 July 2020, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Schellenberg,_David_(1852-1919)&oldid=77486.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, pp. 448-449. All rights reserved.
©1996-2020 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.


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The US Treasury Department has frozen all recruitment by its anti-money laundering arm and forced the agency to rescind 11 job offers, after an investigation found it violated the federal employment code during an aggressive hiring push, according to several government officials.
The Office of Personnel Management, a federal agency that governs labor practices in the government, determined that the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, known as FinCEN, illegally screened candidates in a quest to hire only lawyers for certain jobs, the officials said.
It has recommended further investigations by two other federal agencies into FinCEN's practices, they added.
Rules for hiring at government agencies make it illegal to screen candidates for qualifications that aren't stipulated in the job description, and the jobs FinCEN had posted weren't designated as being only for lawyers, the officials said.
Some senior Treasury officials knew about FinCEN's practice but it was not halted until OPM identified the problem, two of the sources said.
A Treasury spokeswoman said that FinCEN is "committed to complying with all relevant federal rules and regulations regarding federal hiring."
OPM did not return calls and emails seeking comment.
The hiring freeze at FinCEN and further investigations into its practices could deal at least a short-term setback to its push to aggressively crack down on money laundering.
ACAMS moneylaundering.com, a compliance trade publication, previously reported that FinCEN was under scrutiny and that Treasury officials were considering suspending its hiring authority.
However, the actual hiring freeze, the rescinded job offers, the investigations, and why OPM intervened have not been previously reported.
The hires were being done as part of a drive by FinCEN's director, Jennifer Shasky Calvery, to remake her agency, the formerly sleepy steward of US anti-money laundering laws, into a powerful organization capable of standing up to big banks and other financial firms where violations are discovered.
FinCEN has taken part in several of the highest-profile actions against banks over the past three years, including a record $875 million settlement with HSBC Holdings Plc for helping Mexican drug traffickers launder money in US accounts. Earlier this year, the agency also participated in an investigation into JPMorgan Chase & Co. That probe resulted in the bank agreeing to $1.9 billion in penalties and forfeitures for failing to alert regulators to suspicions about convicted Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff.
FinCEN can issue civil penalties but lacks prosecutorial power.
The positions at FinCEN where the illegal hiring took place were in the agency's recently revamped enforcement division, according to the officials. One of the officials said several of the people whose job offers were revoked are currently prosecutors at the Department of Justice, where Shasky served as the chief of the DOJ's Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section before moving to FinCEN in September 2012.
It is unclear whether any of the people who had job offers revoked suffered damage to their careers as a result.
At an ACAMS conference in March, Shasky talked about her hiring strategy.
"We needed people that understood, 'How do you do enforcement? How do you issue a summons? How do you do a deposition? How do you negotiate a settlement? How do you draft the charging documents?' Just kind of the nuts and bolts of doing enforcement," she said.
FinCEN ranked 296 of 300 in the 2013 list of the best places to work in the federal government, according to the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, based on data collected by OPM in an employee survey. The agency scored low on categories such as effective leadership, teamwork and employee skills-mission match. In 2012, FinCEN was ranked 147 out of 292.
Federal employment experts said the incident highlights the antiquated system that dictates hiring procedures inside the federal government, making the task of recruiting new government employees far more complicated and cumbersome than it is in the private sector.
Debra D'Agostino, a founding partner of the Federal Practice Group, which specializes in labor laws for government employees, said hiring managers at government agencies frequently have more specific requirements in mind than they are permitted to display in some job postings. Most find a way around the problem without leaving a paper trail, she said.
"It happens all the time," D'Agostino said. "In this case it looks like they just took the extraordinary step of tinkering with things when there was no reason to do that and now they have to suffer the consequences."
Linda Rix, who is co-chief executive of the consulting firm Avue and who worked early in her career in OPM's audits department, said the rules need to be revamped.
"They're a bunch of Byzantine rules that the government has that a normal layperson looking at this says, 'I can see why they would want someone with this skill,' but that is contrary to how the government operates," she said.
A recent memo from the Obama Administration concerning the 2015 budget called for a congressionally chartered commission to examine the federal personnel system and recommend reform.
The FinCEN ads for the jobs in question didn't say explicitly that only lawyers could apply.
But the people at FinCEN in charge of hiring devised a system to weed out candidates who weren't lawyers by asking whether they had "complex litigation experience," something only a lawyer could claim to have, according to one of the sources.
It could not be determined why FinCEN could not get permission to classify the jobs as open only to lawyers.
OPM discovered the practice during a routine audit. As a result, the job offers for the 11 lawyers were rescinded earlier this year, the officials said.
OPM also recommended that Treasury refer the incident to the department's Inspector General and to the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency tasked with protecting whistleblowers and disciplining government employees for labor misconduct, for investigation, they said.
A spokesman for the Office of the Special Counsel declined to comment for this story.
"We can neither confirm nor deny the existence of investigations," said Richard Delmar, a spokesman for the Treasury's inspector general.


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Unionville, MO
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