Weather or Not

Hi Tony, thanks for your blog. I check throughout the day when the forecast is so changeable.

So....what's the latest word on the potential for a big snow storm this weekend?

Here's hoping we get 6-9 inches of fluffy stuff!

Where is Wally Kanan, the "weatherman"? Back then, we listened to the news, a brief weather report, NO traffic reports, and guess what? we survived. Today, hyped up reports, are costing plenty. Let's say, Penndot does not have to get ready with their 400 trucks and manpower on a weekend, as they must do, or get fired, as what really happened in District 5-0 on the "Valentine Day Fiasco". The cost of a prepardness, on an event as just (did not) occur, is huge on the budget. Let's say it happens again,and it will, Gov. Rendell could give the school children and college kid's the money they are bickering over at the P.P.A, and every one is happy. But no, we have people in PennDot who are so afraid of the weather reports, that they have their managers shivering in their snow boots. Put yourself right now in a District managers position. Central office is watching every move you make, playing it safe, you bring in all your men and trucks, and bring them in 10 hours ahead of the prediction, if it snows, your their hero, if it don't, they want to know why your budget is busting. We need new leadership in Harrisburg, the Deputies, are not in tune with reality, and don't have the *&#@ to go out on the road and see what is really happening. All they care about is what the very same people, who put them all in this spotlight, the news media, says about them. Does "Catch 22" come to your mind? Forget you,it's all about them. As a manager in Phila. for a long time, I did what I thought was the right thing, no matter what they said up their in their warm ivory tower, I got the job done, and never once broke my budget, not even in the "blizzard of 96". In 92-93, if you re-call the salt crisis in the entire state, not once, did Phila. suffer, I was even trafficking of precious salt to all the different districts throughout Penna. Am I patting myself on the back? Not really, I was just performing my job, and not their's. They are putting too many finger's in the salt spreader's today, and someone should take the initiative, and let the men do their work, as they see fit. I have even heard, thru the informal grapevine, they have cutback drastically on equipment and contractor's, and won't be able to provide service, if a big one comes. That, is unacceptible, they are paving roads over and over in shorter and shorter cycles, and this money could be diverted to snow operations, where it is most needed. Take care, and remember "driving is a full time job".

LOL, I still remember Wally when he was here in Oklahoma City at WKY TV in the mid 1950's. And those "Progress beer and Paul Revere" commercials that sponsored him. I was about 14 years of age at the time. He was Quite a Character.
I had no idea about the following. Its a worthwhile read for those of us who remember him. A good read even if you didn't know of him.

Go here:
http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/wallykinnan.html

This isn't right, this isn't even wrong. Wolfgang Pauli (1900-1958), upon reading a young physicist's paper