Fall Banter and General Discussion

[Hoth]

8 hours ago, PhineasC said:

I am really hoping for a monster bombing storm blowing up in the Gulf of Maine while my temps are in the low 20s. Is that so much to ask for? Enough of this weak-ass sheared crap we keep getting

You'll get your fair share of those, along with a shiteton of upslope goodies. And I will live vicariously through you as the daffodils come up in early January lol

[tamarack]

13 hours ago, dendrite said:

Yeah it must be the Darling named GMO trees then. I think they only had to change a few genes out of the 40k in the genome. The added gene produces oxalate oxidase (OxO) which neutralizes the oxalic acid that is produced by the blight fungus. So the fungus can actually exist on the trees without the acid being formed to kill it. And the gene is found naturally in wheat and bananas and other plants already. I think there's another marker gene in there for identifying which seeds actually have the resistant gene. So really it's like 99.999% or better.

https://www.esf.edu/chestnut/about.asp

Here's my seeds that came in. They are way smaller than the Chinese ones you can find in grocery stores right now.

Nice!  In our experience, deer love to browse chestnut so we put wire cages around the ones we planted.

[tamarack]

10 hours ago, MegaMike said:

Good to hear!

I ran the interpolation for all events listed here < https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/snow-and-ice/rsi/societal-impacts > for the NE US. So there are 211 in total. I'm iterating from highest to smallest RSI (the sum of area/population impacted by climatological snowfall thresholds). At the moment, I have 19930312_19930315, 19960106_19960109, 19780204_19780208, and 19690222_19690228. I'm hoping I'll get some feedback for the interpolations (such as additional observations or ideas... The 4 Seasons!!!). I fully expect to redo some of these images to make them more accurate for my ultimate analysis. I'm surprised how detailed the GHCND archive is though. There's plenty of observations since 1900 for our area. Northwest Maine was the only exception so I had to be creative for that region. 

I could look at other historical events too. I just need the start and end dates (even dating back to 1900).

Here are the final images I'll post until the other images process and I decide where to put them.

Curious about one of the sites in Maine that had 48-60 in Feb 1969- the point at the SW end of that color is Long Falls Dam (which sadly went off line in 2011 - at least I can no longer find its data.)  Is the one to the NE Harris Dam?   Farmington co-op's 43" is their biggest dump on record and their pack was 84" at the end - was Maine's deepest until Chimney Pond in Baxter Park reported 94" in 2017.
Some trivia - Gardiner, Maine co-op reported 12.0" but 3 miles south at our place we had 10.3" from 1.70" LE from often rimed flakes.

[Lava Rock]

Los Angeles shuts down outside dining for next 3 wks. I'm sorry, but are they following any science?

[codfishsnowman]

21 hours ago, MegaMike said:

Good to hear!

I ran the interpolation for all events listed here < https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/snow-and-ice/rsi/societal-impacts > for the NE US. So there are 211 in total. I'm iterating from highest to smallest RSI (the sum of area/population impacted by climatological snowfall thresholds). At the moment, I have 19930312_19930315, 19960106_19960109, 19780204_19780208, and 19690222_19690228. I'm hoping I'll get some feedback for the interpolations (such as additional observations or ideas... The 4 Seasons!!!). I fully expect to redo some of these images to make them more accurate for my ultimate analysis. I'm surprised how detailed the GHCND archive is though. There's plenty of observations since 1900 for our area. Northwest Maine was the only exception so I had to be creative for that region. 

I could look at other historical events too. I just need the start and end dates (even dating back to 1900).

Here are the final images I'll post until the other images process and I decide where to put them.

These are the best maps I have seen yet for these events

[codfishsnowman]

Anyone else realize there are no acorns to speak of this fall?

[SJonesWX]

3 minutes ago, codfishsnowman said:

Anyone else realize there are no acorns to speak of this fall?

polar opposite here. I filled a 17 cf cart with acorns a month ago. That was from 1 tree.

[dendrite]

6 minutes ago, codfishsnowman said:

Anyone else realize there are no acorns to speak of this fall?

Maybe all of yours fell in my yard.

[dendrite]

10 hours ago, tamarack said:

Nice!  In our experience, deer love to browse chestnut so we put wire cages around the ones we planted.

I have to protect them from the voles and chippies too. I found that out the hard way the first time I tried it. I may try some of those 4-5ft tree tubes to train them going upward because my other chestnut trees are growing as much outward as upward since they have a wide open field. I'm afraid to prune them and introduce wounds.

[Baroclinic Zone]

9 minutes ago, SJonesWX said:

polar opposite here. I filled a 17 cf cart with acorns a month ago. That was from 1 tree.

 

6 minutes ago, dendrite said:

Maybe all of yours fell in my yard.

I’ve never seen this many acorns in 16yrs that I’ve lived here.

[Lava Rock]

Anyone else realize there are no acorns to speak of this fall?

We had a ton of them

[Chrisrotary12]

55 minutes ago, codfishsnowman said:

Anyone else realize there are no acorns to speak of this fall?

The squirrels and chipmunks gathered them all! The tails are super fluffy! Big winter incoming.

[DavisStraight]

20 minutes ago, Lava Rock said:

1 hour ago, codfishsnowman said:

Anyone else realize there are no acorns to speak of this fall?

We had a ton of them

Same here, wonder why the codman not getting many

[STILL N OF PIKE]

Covid (and Covid lockdowns / Fear appeals )  effect on Food , Housing and Employment Hardships . 
 

https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/tracking-the-covid-19-recessions-effects-on-food-housing-and

What are the costs anyway 

 

[TauntonBlizzard2013]

For anyone in medicine. I was talking to my brother in laws fiancé, who’s a nurse today. She said people definitely aren’t getting as sick this go around, at least from what she can see. She also said her friend, you is a doctor in NYC believes the virus may have mutated to a less potent strain?

Im not claiming any of this stuff as true or fact, but it’s interesting to here those takes from people in the medical field. I’d also leave open for the fact that treatment and handling of hospitalized cases is probably better now, which may be playing a role in that opinion.

[STILL N OF PIKE]

3 hours ago, Lava Rock said:

Los Angeles shuts down outside dining for next 3 wks. I'm sorry, but are they following any science?

They are also culling the homeless due to high rates of spread amongst them. Newsom  said it’s a horrible but necessary decision.

[mreaves]

26 minutes ago, STILL N OF PIKE said:

They are also culling the homeless due to high rates of spread amongst them. Newsom  said it’s a horrible but necessary decision.

Culling?

[#NoPoles]

9 hours ago, dendrite said:

I have to protect them from the voles and chippies too. I found that out the hard way the first time I tried it. I may try some of those 4-5ft tree tubes to train them going upward because my other chestnut trees are growing as much outward as upward since they have a wide open field. I'm afraid to prune them and introduce wounds.

Nashville Hickories?

[Lava Rock]

They are also culling the homeless due to high rates of spread amongst them. Newsom  said it’s a horrible but necessary decision.

Ha, wouldn't doubt it

[HoarfrostHubb]

8 hours ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

For anyone in medicine. I was talking to my brother in laws fiancé, who’s a nurse today. She said people definitely aren’t getting as sick this go around, at least from what she can see. She also said her friend, you is a doctor in NYC believes the virus may have mutated to a less potent strain?

Im not claiming any of this stuff as true or fact, but it’s interesting to here those takes from people in the medical field. I’d also leave open for the fact that treatment and handling of hospitalized cases is probably better now, which may be playing a role in that opinion.

There are definitely more hospitalizations and ICU cases now, but that is probably due more to increased spread. Deaths are up too. 
There are additional treatments and maybe people are realizing they have it sooner?

[STILL N OF PIKE]

Increasing risk of a double dip recession Q1/Q2 2021.
 

Fiscal inaction from a deeply divided congress magnifies the economic consequences (slowdown)  from Covid scaling back economic activity , particularly in the industries currently in severe recession But also as revenue shortfalls begin to lead to their own dominos . 

The next few quarters , the economic pain has a couple paths to climb the socioeconomic ladder And gain market share In the middle class and upper middle class as job losses should regain steam this winter w Covid rises and provide cover for cost cutting measures in middle management and people furloughed as a less enticing view of the recovery comes into focus as well as dealing with revenue shortfalls ..especially in major cities where large local and state aid via stimulus was counted on.
 

Bank losses in the commercial real estate sector may weigh on and potentially generate “ issues” in Europe first .

Most see the economy growing nicely in second half of year but not recapturing pre pandemic levels for a while and the recovery to be sort of “K” shaped. Middle class potentially hollowed out a bit . We shall see, hopefully the virus abates faster.

[STILL N OF PIKE]

Third Consecutive Monday that positive vaccine news is announced around 7am.

This time it’s Oxford -AstraZeneca Vaccine initial  efficacy  And it has less obstacles bc it can be stored at non obscene temps

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55041371

[Whineminster]

12 hours ago, dendrite said:

I have to protect them from the voles and chippies too. I found that out the hard way the first time I tried it. I may try some of those 4-5ft tree tubes to train them going upward because my other chestnut trees are growing as much outward as upward since they have a wide open field. I'm afraid to prune them and introduce wounds.

where can I buy some to plant?

[WhitinsvilleWX]

9 hours ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

For anyone in medicine. I was talking to my brother in laws fiancé, who’s a nurse today. She said people definitely aren’t getting as sick this go around, at least from what she can see. She also said her friend, you is a doctor in NYC believes the virus may have mutated to a less potent strain?

Im not claiming any of this stuff as true or fact, but it’s interesting to here those takes from people in the medical field. I’d also leave open for the fact that treatment and handling of hospitalized cases is probably better now, which may be playing a role in that opinion.

Could be some selective pressure going on, hard to say without some extensive sequencing efforts. 
A lot of the decreased severity is likely due to the age groups being affected now. 

[WhitinsvilleWX]

26 minutes ago, STILL N OF PIKE said:

Third Consecutive Monday that positive vaccine news is announced around 7am.

This time it’s Oxford -AstraZeneca Vaccine initial  efficacy  And it has less obstacles bc it can be stored at non obscene temps

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55041371

It’s an oddball vaccine, but it looks like it might work. What they did is to take a chimp cold virus, inactivate it so it won’t infect humans, then they drop in the spike protein antigen from Covid. The immune system then makes antibody to the virus, spike protein and all. 
They already had the virus engineered before Covid was even heard of in 2019. They were using it to make vaccine for Ebola and Mers. When Covid came along, they just dropped in the spike protein and off they went. 

[Baroclinic Zone]

Yeah, this another promising vaccine.  Let's hope we can get these all approved and work on immunizing the globe to mitigate this mess.

[tamarack]

12 hours ago, dendrite said:

I have to protect them from the voles and chippies too. I found that out the hard way the first time I tried it. I may try some of those 4-5ft tree tubes to train them going upward because my other chestnut trees are growing as much outward as upward since they have a wide open field. I'm afraid to prune them and introduce wounds.

Back in my brief and unlamented time as the state's urban forester, I went to the national convention in Minneapolis and on a field tour thru Hennepin County we saw an area planted to burr oak at which the trees had 4-ft tree tubes.  They found that when the little trees emerged rom the tubes the leaves were at the perfect height so deer could dine without having to lower their heads.    (Of course, w/o the tubes those trees would never have reached even 2 feet tall.)

[Baroclinic Zone]

What 2020 needs.

 

[WhitinsvilleWX]

17 minutes ago, Baroclinic Zone said:

Yeah, this another promising vaccine.  Let's hope we can get these all approved and work on immunizing the globe to mitigate this mess.

Hopefully.

This one doesn’t require low temp storage. This one might be the ticket for 3rd world and remote distribution.  

[Baroclinic Zone]

5 minutes ago, WhitinsvilleWX said:

Hopefully.

This one doesn’t require low temp storage. This one might be the ticket for 3rd world and remote distribution.  

Indeed.  I also saw that the efficacy of this one increased to over 90% when the initial dose was lower then the booster shot.  They don't know why that is but I'm sure they'll research it more and if drug is approved that may be the route they go.  Let's have 2021 obliterate this virus.