Weather this Week/2010 Hurricane Season Forecast/ChickFila Spicy Chicken

WEATHER
The jet stream is parked along the northern tier of states with just a slight dip into the western Great Lakes. There will a few spots with slight risks of severe storms. Highs will be in the 70s to 90s from the northeast to the southwest. Highs will be in the 60s along the west coast and over the Rockies with a few cooler spots in the higher elevations.

Houston hit 97 on the 28th (one degree shy of the record). Through the coming weekend, the weather will stay hot and humid with highs in the middle 90s each day and a slight chance for seabreeze type thunderstorms each afternoon and early evening.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do season or estación, pronounced eh-stah-see-OWN. A new estación is about to start and I'm not talking about summer. To learn more, go to the AND MORE section.

Time to get your children entertained and educated--order my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE
CHICK-FIL-A'S NEW SPICY CHICKEN SANDWICH
I got to try the new spicy crispy sandwich premiering at Chick-Fil-A on June 6th. I must say...it is quite delicious!!! It's kind a flavor but if you don't like spicy...stay away because there is an after kick. You can always use the old trick of drinking or eating something with sugar in it. I think it was just right. MMMMMMM!

COUSINS AND THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE
My Aunt Shirley's funeral was beautiful. Got to catch up with lots of first, 2nd and 3rd cousins and once and twice removed and so on. While there, I visited with the daughter's of my great-grandma Tekla's brother. Janie, Esther and Dorothy are the Minten sisters. They referred to my great-grandma as Aunt Tilly and said her formal name Tekla is actually the Dutch equivalent of the English name Matilda.

Anyway, the sisters have an amazing "Christmas" house between Falfurrias and Premont. I've been there and it is amazing!!! Even the closets have Christmas. And they have a Christmas shop! It's a nice cool thought not that we are in the throes of summer heat. The house is open for tours from September into March. But they do open for tours during other months on request. For more information, go to:

http://www.santastxworkshop.blogspot.com/

HURRICANE SEASON FORECASTS
Tomorrow (June 1st) is the first day of the 2010 Atlantic Basin hurricane season (which runs through November 30th). Here is a summary of all the forecasts:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its forecast just a few days ago. According to NOAA, the average season has 11 named storms, 6 of them hurricanes, 2 or those major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger--winds of 111 or higher). They are expecting an active to extremely active season with 14 to 23 named storms, 8 to 14 of those hurricanes, 3 to 7 of those major hurricanes. They don't put out a forecast for where they expect landfalls. They are expecting a busy season because of the ending of the El Nino episode (and thus less wind shear), warmer than normal sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic and the fact that we are still in a multi-decadal period of above normal activity. Here is the official report:

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100527_hurricaneoutlook.html

Also here is the official list of names for the 2010 season:
Alex
Bonnie
Colin
Danielle
Earl
Fiona
Gaston
Hermine
Igor
Julia
Karl
Lisa
Matthew
Nicole
Otto
Paula
Richard
Shary
Tomas
Virginie
Walter

Dr. William Gray and his colleagues from Colorado State University are expecting 15 named storms, 8 of those hurricanes and 4 of those major. I will tell you that their revised forecast is coming out on June 2nd (2 days from now) and another on August 4th. They are also forecasting a 69% chance of a major hurricane hitting somewhere along the entire US coastline (52% is the average chance). The chance for Eastern Florida is 45% (average chance is 31%). From the Gulf coast of Florida to Brownsville, Texas the chance is 44% (30% is the average). For more info, check out the following.

http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu/Forecasts/2010/april2010/apr2010.pdf

The Weather Research Center/John C. Freeman Weather Museum is forecasting 8 named storms, 5 of those hurricanes, 3 of those major hurricanes. They are forecasting a 60% chance of a tropical storm or stronger hitting Texas (51% is average chance), 90% for West Florida (71% is average), 70% for eastern Florida (41% average), 40% for Louisiana to Alabama (59% is average), 20% for eastern US (36% average), and 20% Georgia to North Carolina (56% average). Here is the report:

http://wxresearch.org/press/2010huroutlook.pdf

Regardless of which one you regard as most likely, it is time to get your hurricane supply kit together and make sure you have a plan in case a hurricane threatens.

God bless all the men and women who gave their lives for our freedom. God bless their families and friends. And God Bless America.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Memorial Weekend Weather/Garage Sale Lessons/Deducting Clothing Donations

WEATHER
Trough over west and high pressure over east means a contrast in conditions...especially temperature. On Friday, highs in the Pacific Northwest/Intermountain Region/West Coast will be in the 40s to 60s. From the Rockies eastward, highs will be in the 80s and 90s (except for northeast which will have highs in the 60s and 70s).

Houston will be hot and humid through the holiday weekend. Look for a few afternoon and early evening showers and thunderstorms Friday and Saturday. Otherwise, great pool and surf weather. Enjoy! Do keep in mind that we have been having Ozone Watches and air quality problems...this will continue through the weekend. So folks with respiratory problems like asthma, the elderly and young children need to minimize their time outdoors--especially during afternoon hours.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
In my last post, I forgot to give you the Spanish word for aunt. I only provided the pronunciation. Sorry about that!!! So, here is the word: tía

If you are looking for a summer language camp, try The Language Factory. But, if you don't have time or the budget for a camp, try the next best thing...order my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE
Last weekend's garage sale was a huge success. I got to use some of my rusty Spanish and still managed to sell some things and actually come out ahead. Some of our other neighbors also had garage sales. One of my friends sold her son's clothes and she said every piece went. I didn't sell any of Sarah's clothes because I give them to my sisters who have younger daughters. From my sale, I noticed that the toys and furniture items were the first to go. Electronics--phone/computer related were popular. But it took a while to get rid of a printer and an old fax/copy combo.

In the end, the whole experience was so exhausting and yet cathartic. I now have roomy closets and cabinets. I was hoarding all of these empty butter and cool whip containers and never using them...so I recycled those and sold any extra good pieces at the garage sale. Now, when I open my storage container cabinet, it is like a choir of angels is singing Alleluia. I actually feel myself relaxing--not cringing--because I know that a bunch of plastic bowls are not going to fall out. Ahhhhhhhh!

I didn't sell any adult clothes because I knew from a cleanout about 1 year and a half ago that you can probably get more via IRS deduction. But I could have sworn that I had found some prices on the IRS web site. So, I went looking and here is what I found.

"The fair market value of used clothing and other personal items is usually far less than the price you paid for them. There are no fixed formulas or methods for finding the value of items of clothing.
You should claim as the value the price that buyers of used items actually pay in used clothing stores, such as consignment or thrift shops. "

So, I went to an expert...my step-daughter Megan who volunteered in the Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP) thrift shop. Casual men, women and children's tops and bottoms were usually priced at $2. Really good shoes might got for $15 to $20 but everyday flip flops would only fetch $1 to $2. Purses...anywhere from $1 to $10, with the exception being knockoff purses like Chanel, Coach, Kate Spade etc. which could go from $15 to $30 each. So now you have your price list...get in there and clean out that closet.

Seriously, you would probably be amazed at how many clothes you could get rid off. When I did that cleanout a year and a half ago, I got rid of 200 items. I'll bet I could do that again.

So, maybe you can use this extra long weekend to do some closet cleanout...just remember to count everything and record for your 2010 tax return. If you have more than $500, you have to fill out IRS form 8832.

My poll on Justin Bieber is closed. 0% said that you had better believe they have Bieber Feber! 16% said only their kids do. 16% asked "What is Bieber Fever?" And, 66% said they don't have the fever and they are sick of hearing about him. Only one answer was allowed. Thanks to all who participated.

My new poll is about the cuts in special needs education budgets and thus staffing. More than one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

Have a safe and fun Memorial Weekend, but let us never forget those who bought us our freedom with their lives.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weather this Week/Hurricane Preparedness/Inspirational Man and Aunt

WEATHER
Ridge over the eastern US and trough out west will stay stubbornly in place this week. Only major modifier is low pressure off the eastern US that will force some slightly drier air southward middle to later part of this week. So east of the Rockies highs will be in the 80s and 90s. Very pleasant only the west coast with highs in the 60s and chilly for the Rockies and northern plains with highs in the 40s and 50s. There are even some high elevation areas that could have wintry weather.

Houston will be hot through the coming weekend with almost no chance for rain. Some slightly drier air arrives Tuesday/Wednesday but it will still be hot and fairly rain free through the weekend.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do aunt or , pronounced TEE-ah. One of my dear passed away this weekend. Find out why she was so extraordinary in the AND MORE section.

Children have an inate ability to copy and learn pronunciations correctly. If you want them to pronounce the words of other languages correctly, you need to start them early. So, don't delay--order my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE
Hurricane Season for the Atlantic/Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico Region begins on June 1st. This is Hurricane Preparation Week and the National Weather Service has posted some valuable information to help you and your family prepare.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/intro.shtml

On June 19th, the annual Houston Galveston Hurricane Workshop will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center from 10 am to 3 pm. Admission is free. Once again, I will be here moderating the session for the broadcast meteorologist public meet and greet. So put it on your calendar and get ready to pose questions to your favorite on air meteorologist.

At the pool this weekend, I met an amazing man, his family and friends. He was in a wheelchair and Sarah wanted to know why. Of course, he overheard our conversation. So, I looked him right in the eye and said, "She wants to know why you are in a wheelchair". Very patiently, he told us how he used to be a motorcycle police officer and one day as he drove down the highway, a woman turned right in front of him and he smashed full speed into her car and broke his neck. Now, he is paralyzed from almost the neck down and has only a little use of one arm. He can't regulate his body temperature. So, he has to be careful about being out in the heat. He recognized me from being on FOX. So I told him to look for me on Facebook and he would she my notices when I posted a blog. He was at the pool to watch his grandson. His former home nurse...now a best friend was also their with his wife and son. I was so touched by all of them and rejoiced that they are living life with as much joy as possible and to the fullest. God bless them and all who have had and are having such trials.

My dear Aunt Shirley passed away yesterday. He is what I posted about her this past February. I love you Aunt Shirley.

I was thinking about my Aunt Shirley. I used to visit her family during the summers...often for weeks at a time. I was one of those "city folks". But, my heart was in the country. I loved running around barefoot, collecting eggs from the chickens, picking blackberries from the wild bushes along the back fence, riding Sam the horse bareback and drinking milk (unpasteurized) from the cows. By the way, that milk tastes very different from what you buy in the store.

Anyway, Aunt Shirley was a joy! She had a great sense of humor. I used to ask her why she didn't have a dishwasher and she would answer...I already have 4 dishwashers. When I asked where they were she would point at me and say "you, and her and her and her" (she was pointing at her 3 daughters after pointing at me. Then she would belt out a hearty laugh. We were up around 5 or 5:30 to do "the work" and that was taking care of the animals. Aunt Shirley whipped up these wonderful breakfasts--my favorite was the cream gravy with bits of sausage over biscuits. She packed up huge lunchboxes and sent her 3 boys off to work the farm. During the day, us girls took care of the chore of the day. She had one day devoted to washing clothes. For a long time, she had one of those ringer washers. One day was for going "up to town" to shop for groceries and run errands. My aunt and cousins got dressed up...in dresses! Then, there was alway "the work" at around 5:30 pm which was again taking care of the animals. There was always a wonderful dinner too and usually dessert. Then, Aunt Shirley would stay up until about 12:30 am sewing clothes for extra money on the side. She made outfits for entire dance drill teams and made many wedding dresses. She was extremely good at what she did. Of course when I look back on all of this, I marvel at how hard she worked every minute of every day and yet had a ready laugh that shook the rafters. She was a blast!

Don't forget to hug someone you love extra hard this week.

Have a great week everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Summer Temperature and Precipitation Outlook/Weekend Forecast/La Nina and Hurricane Season

WEATHER
Troughiness over the western US will be fairly persistent for the next week or so. High pressure will hang over the southeast. Highs will be in the 80s and 90s from the southwest to the southeast. There will be 70s from the Midwest through New England and along the west coast. Highs will be in the 50s and 60s over the Rockies and northwest. There is a slight risk for severe storms from Texas into Wyoming.

Houston will be hot and humid through the weekend and the coming week...with highs in the upper 80s and low 90s. There is only a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms each day. As I write this post this evening, ther are some storms northwest of Houston.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do summer or verano, pronounced vair-RAHN-oh. Invierno is just about here....find out what the Climate Prediction Center is projecting temperature and precipitation wise for the June through August time period in the AND MORE section.

Check out this testimonial I just got from a fan of our award winning DVD series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco.

I have a toddler who loves Vol. 1 (little guy likes it so much that he scratched it trying to put in the player, uhggg) of Frank and Paco. I have been amazed at how quickly he, me included, is picking up the language. While I don’t have a formal “Spanish lesson time” with him, I have it playing in the background. On more than one occasion, we have been at the grocery store, playground, car, etc., and he will use the proper word to describe something he has seen. I have bought many language videos “blindly” and been disappointed because the description on the box wasn’t accurate for what I was looking for. Yours… dead on!!!

So don't miss out...order Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE
Okay...lots of new figures out today. Climate Prediction Center has posted the new 3 month precipitation and temperature outlooks. See figures at right. Above normal temperatures are expected west and southeast with below normal over the central US.
Rain chances are projected to be above normal from southeast Texas and through the southeast US and over the central US and below normal in the northwest.

The new drought figures are also out...most of the continental US has little to no drought except for UP Michigan and northern Wisconsin. The drought conditions in that area are expected to persist through August.

I also read up on the El Nino/La Nina forecast and it looks like we are in a neutral period with a "significant" percentage of models suggested that we will slip into a La Nina pattern by August. This is important because statistically during La Nina hurricane seasons, more storms tend to form in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico (due to less wind shear caused by the La Nina Pattern). So, we shall see.

It's almost time for my big garage sale with neighbors. I can't believe how much junk I had accumulated. Can't wait to get all this stuff out of here and into homes where it will be appreciated.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Severe Threat/Special Needs Ice Skating/Do You Have Bieber Fever?

WEATHER
Weak trough over the northwest US with weak surface cold front crossing into Texas. Slight risk of severe storms on Tuesday from Texas to Wyoming. Pleasant for the northeast and Great Lakes with highs in the 50s and 60s. Warm and muggy across the southeast and southern plains. Rockies will be pleasantly cool with highs in the 50s and 60s.

Houston area is under Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 5 am Tuesday. There has been some large hail to the northwest of Houston. My most recent glance at the radar indicated that the bowed line was splitting. Best place to be tonight--indoors. Tuesday will be hot and humid again with another round of late afternoon/early evening storms. Extended through the weekend--hot and humid with only slight chance of showers and thunderstorms each day.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do skate or patinar, pronunced pah-tee-NARRRR. Do you like patinar...I think it is fun. Find out about Sarah's first ice skating experience in the AND MORE section.

By the age of 8, 80% of neurological pathways in the brain have been formed and studies show that the brains of mult-lingual children have more developed pathways. So, stimulate those brains...order my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE
Saturday was the big special needs ice skating event--1st time in Sugar Land. Many thanks to Cheryl Sewell of the Arc of Fort Bend County and her husband for meeting all the attendees and signing them in. Here is some information about how it got started. It began with a group called STARskaters.

Jim O’Neill, a founder of “STARskaters” ( http://www.STARskaters.org ) is organized this activity. “STARskaters provides an on-ice skating experience for therapy and recreation for children and young adults with any type of physical or developmental disability. The program is open to anyone five years of age or older who would normally be unable to enjoy an on-ice skating experience due to their disability.”

Sarah used the ice walkers and also rode in the ice sleds. It was a lot of fun. I think the sleds were most popular. We are looking forward to a 2nd event next year.

Well I got a big break from Ticketmaster today. I happily ordered Astros tickets for Gordy and me and Megan for Father's Day and then remembering after hitting the Submit button that Gordy's schedule had just changed so that he is now working on Sundays. So I called Ticketmaster which is supposed to have a no refund/exchange policy and explained how I threw my brain out the window. And, hooray! They refunded the money and I was able to order tickets for another time we could all go. Yay!!!

I have been getting ready for a big multi-family garage sale. Oh my goodness, but we have racked up some stuff since we moved into this house almost 10 years ago. It is almost as much work as getting ready to sell your house. But it is going to feel sooooooooooooooooo good to clear out some of these things.

My poll on the BP oil spill is closed. 40% thought they should work faster to fix the problem. 60% said they are doing the best they can. 0% said they are pleased with the progress. Only one answer was allowed. Thanks to all who participated.

My new poll is about Justin Bieber. Are you a part of this Bieber-mania? Voice your opinion. Only one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

Have a terrific Tuesday!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Location Severe Storm Risk/Debit v. Credit Cards/Help Get Clean Water Everywhere

WEATHER
Jet stream is hanging over the northern US border with some minor dips west and east. This means most of the continental US will enjoy mild weather today (Friday). There is a threat of severe weather over southeastern New Mexico and west Texas and from Arkansas to New York City. Highs nationwide will be mainly in the 60s to the 80s. There will be some 90s in the southeast, Texas and the southeast.

Houston will be warm and muggy for the foreseeable future. There will be a few showers and thunderstorms around over the weekend. But it will be hit and miss. Highs will be primarily in the middle to upper 80s.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do debit card or tarjeta de débito, pronounced tar-HEY-tah DAY DAY-bee-toe. Find out why you might want to avoid using your tarjeta de débito, or at least be more careful about checking your bank transactions when using it. See the AND MORE section.

Learning language and math and science skills are linked. Research shows that children who learn more than one language score higher on standardized math and science tests and have improved scientific hypothesizing than children who are monolingual. Help them begin that language learning process--order my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE
My sister (the world traveler for her work getting radiation sources out of countries where terrorists could get their hands on them) was visiting recently and believe me, she has seen a lot going to Africa and Georgia (old Russia). She said the thing most people don't realize is the extreme lack of clean drinking water in developing/3rd world countries. She said on one trip to Georgia, she was so thirsty, she was dreaming about water. When a hotel manager asked about her visit, she said it was great except she was just so thirsty. He laughed and said ahhhhh and opened a cabinet behind the desk. In it were rows and rows of Evian water. He said he keeps it for visitors from countries like the United States. She was so relieved.

My sister also added that in many countries she has visited, what ends up happening is that people just drink the water anyway. They end up chronically ill with various intestinal maladies. Some cause death.

So truly, this is such a serious problem. As I mentioned in previous posts, my dear Aunt Awanda passed away. She was a huge advocate for mission work and one of her big passions was getting clean water to people in poor countries. So, when I went to make a donation in her memory, I found out that she was a huge advocate for a waterlines, a non-profit, completely volunteer based organization which helps make clean water available around the world. They don't have a "donate now" button. But you can mail a donation to:
302 East Coronado Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505 USA

To learn more, here is the link:
http://www.waterlines.org/

A friend of mine recently said he will not use debit cards because of the lack of protection. I personally only use mine at ATM machines. Plus, I had heard other stories including one where a friend of mine went through a driveup at a fast food restaurant using her debit card to buy a $1 item and how an employee got her information and ran up huge deductions from her account before she realized it.

So, I started checking around and here is what I learned. The big difference between debit and credit cards is that with debit cards, any purchases take the money out of your account immediately. With credit cards, you have until the statement arrives to pay and even then you can choose to pay only part of it and pay interest on the remainder. From an AARP article, I learned that with a debit card, if you report a loss or misuse within 2 days, your maximum out of pocket is $50. If you report within 60 days, your maximum loss is $500. (Note: some states have a $50 limit). If you wait longer than that, you are likely out of luck. Also, if your account becomes overdrawn, you may have to absorb all fees for being overdrawn. Here is the link to that article:

http://www.aarp.org/money/credit_debt/a2002-08-14-ManagingMoneyDebitCards.html

And from Credit Card Forum, with credit cards, you can reverse charges if you receive damaged goods...not usually the case with debit cards. There is much more detail in their article at the following link.

http://creditcardforum.com/credit-card-fraud/23-why-your-debit-card-isnt-safe-any-purchase.html

Now, for both credit and debit cards, who hasn't heard about stories about crafty employees using "skimmers" to copy the scan information off the card? There is more on that in the following snope article:

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/clear.asp

Bottom line, unless you are vigilant about checking purchases on your debit card account, then it is a race against the clock to minimize the amount of unrecoverable withdrawals from your account, if someone steals your debit card or your debit card information.

So, be careful everyone!

Have a great weekend!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Next Rain for Houston/Worried about Smoothie King Workers/Smoke from Mexico

WEATHER
Trough over the western US is keeping the cool air locked over that part of the country. Just talked to my sister today (she lives in the Lake Tahoe area of California) and they had 8 inches of snow yesterday (on May 10th!) On Wednesday the chilliest air will be over the Rockies and northern Plains into the Great Lakes into the northeast with highs in the 40s and 50s. In the southeast, highs will be in the 80s and 90s. The west coast will be pleasantly mild with highs in the 60s and 70s.

A hot and windy day in Houston this Tuesday...high at Bush Airport was 91. The weather will continue warm and windy for the next several days with some showers possible as early as Saturday with some showers and thunderstorms possible on Sunday. The weather will continue very warm into the coming week.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do smoke or humo, pronounced OO-moh. Humo from Mexico can cause air quality problems in Texas. See the AND MORE section to learn more.

Almost time for summer break--have your tools in place--be ready to educated and entertain the youngsters at the same time. Order my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com.

AND MORE
So, it was hot and Sarah and I went to Smoothie King. Usually I go through the driveup but there was a super long line. So we parked and went inside. There is no seating inside...just a small area where you can stand and wait. I immediately noticed the excrutiangly loud noise coming from 3 working blenders. My first thought was that I couldn't wait to get Sarah and me out of there--so loud. My second thought was to feel sorry for the three employees working there. I noticed that the blenders had shields (I would assume for noise minimization). But maybe those shields are just for keeping splatters to a minimum because when one employee lowered one down, I could detect absolutely no reduction in the noise level. I asked the workers if the noise hurt their ears or if they thought it was hurting their hearing. The supervisor said that they were doing just fine. The other thing was I just don't know how they could hear to take the orders from the people in the driveup. I know I wouldn't be able to.

So, I did some looking around on the Net and the decibel levels for blenders were listed as either 90 or 100. 90 is supposed to be a level which causes hearing damage if in an eight hour work period. 100 was enough to cause serious damage for an eight hour work day. http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/teachers_guide/DDB_TRG_Appendices_3.pdf
This table was taken from an education section of the web site dangerousdecibels.org which is funded by an award from the National Center for Research Resources.
And here is that web site:
http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/

So OSHA has some standards for which hearing protection is warranted at 90 to 100 db if work place modifications aren't protecting enough...these include hearing protection. I realize that those blenders aren't going 8 hours straight. But, if my child worked there, I would want them putting in those ear plugs like they give you at the chemical plants. You just roll them into a narrow cylinder and insert them in your ear, letting them expand into place. I don't know what the solution would be for the person at the driveup...guess they would have to rotate through that position.

Once your ears are damaged by loud noise, there is no healing process that gets the hearing back.

In other news, May is the month when agricultural fires are burned in Mexico. When the winds come out of the south, Texas can get a lot of smoke. So, I checked the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's web site to see the forecast and it is either good or moderate air quality for particulates for this week. Here is the link:
http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/compliance/monitoring/air/monops/forecast_today.html

Here's to healthy air.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weekend Forecast/Horizon Deepwater Spill/How to Help Air Quality

WEATHER
Severe weather hit northeastern Indiana and northern Ohio today as a weak cold front pushed eastward. On Saturday, highs will be in the 40s and 50s over the norhern Rockies, northern plains, northern New England, and upper midwest. There will be several areas with thunderstorms (see map at right) and there is a slight risk for severe storms over the central mid-Atlantic. Highs will be in the 80s and 90s for the southwest, south Texas and the southeast.

Houston, there could be a couple rumbles of thunder over night. Saturday will be pleasantly lower in humidity with highs in the low 80s. Sunday will start pleasant and in the 60s and highs will reach the mid-80s. Skies cloud up and there could be some showers in the late afternoon/evening. Saturday and early Sunday, sky cover will be broken.


SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do grateful or agradecido, pronounced ah-grah-day-SEE-doh. We are so agradecido for our mothers.

And all mothers want their children to learn as much as possible. And, learning languages is fun and beneficial to cognitive development. And, children are inately adept at acquiring language. So, don't miss this window of opportunity. Start them out with my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com

AND MORE

MOTHER'S DAY POLL RESULTS
My poll on what you value most about your mother is closed. 57% said they value most their mother's abundant love. 28% said hard work and 14% said sense of humor. No one said religious devotion or intelligence. Thanks to all who participated.

My new poll is on the Horizon Deepwater spill. How do you feel about the containment/cleanup efforts so far? Only one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

HORIZON OIL SPILL
The following is information I pulled from NOAA regarding the Horizon Deepwater oil spill. Note that they say "1.89 million gallons of oily liquid have been recovered".

The experimental containment dome was lowered to just above the sea floor today. The final positioning will be guided via sensors and video cameras to accurately position the structure. Once in position a mile-long riser pipe will be attached to pump oil to a waiting tank vessel. This piping effort may take several days. Meanwhile, response operations continue at more than a dozen command posts and field staging locations across the affected region. The unified command reports that more than 8,500 responders are working on the incident, and approximately 1.89 million gallons of oily liquid have been recovered.


24 Hour Trajectory Map: Jump down to Current Trajectory Maps on this page for full-sized versions.

Overflight and shoreline surveys have found emulsified oil within the Breton National Wildlife Refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service closed the Refuge today to allow personnel conducting cleanup operations and recovery efforts to work safely and efficiently.

NOAA modified the boundaries of the closed fishing area and is extending the fishing restriction until May 17. The federal and state governments have strong systems in place to test and monitor seafood safety, prohibit harvesting from affected areas, and keep oiled products out of the marketplace. NOAA Fisheries continues to work closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the states to ensure seafood safety, by assessing whether seafood is tainted or contaminated to levels that pose a risk to human health. NOAA will continue to evaluate the need for fisheries closures based on the evolving nature of the spill.

NOAA continues to track the floating oil with aircraft and satellite imagery. Twice daily, NOAA oceanographers continue to release updated trajectory maps showing the predicted trajectory of the oil slick. The latest trajectory forecast shows the oil slick generally centered over the leaking well, but spreading both west and east.

Deepwater Horizon Decision Support

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lix/?n=embriefing

NOAA restricted fishing in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico directly adjacent to the area closures enacted by Louisiana. The closure, which will be in effect for at least 10 days, is to protect consumers and the seafood industry. NOAA fisheries representatives will be meeting with fishermen this week to assist them.

NOAA Fisheries Service

http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/

AIR QUALITY AWARENESS WEEK
This has been Air Quality Awareness week through the Houston National Weather Service. It was quite timely that high pressure dominated our weather for much of the week and there were several ozone warnings issued for dangerously high levels of ozone. The combination of sunshine, light winds and warm temperaturese can lead to the formation of high concentrations of ozone nesr the surface. This is especially problematic for those with respiratory conditions like asthma, the elderly and young children.

The following is a link to air quality information through the Houston NWS web site. It provides ideas for how you can help improve the air quality.
The Environmental Protection Agency works constantly to make the air cleaner across the country through air quality standards and rules reducing pollution from power plants, industries and diesel trucks, buses and construction equipment. But you have a role to play, too. Any time you use energy – whether it’s gasoline, diesel, electricity or wood -- you contribute to air pollution in your community and communities downwind.

Saving energy reduces pollution – and it can save you money. Use the following guidelines to help keep air cleaner in your community.

You can help reduce pollution in your community by following these guidelines. These recommendations are especially important when ozone is expected to be unhealthy:

Conserve electricity and set your air conditioner at a higher temperature.
Choose a cleaner commute—share a ride to work or use public transportation. Combine errands and reduce trips.
Bicycle or walk to errands when possible.
Defer use of gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment for later in the day, or for days when the air quality is better.
Refuel cars and trucks after dusk.
Limit engine idling.
Get regular engine tune ups and car maintenance checks (especially for the spark plugs).
Avoid spilling gas and don't "top off" the tank. Replace gas tank cap tightly.
Properly dispose of household paints, solvents and pesticides. Store these materials in airtight containers.
Paint with a brush, not a sprayer.
Buy low VOC paints for indoor and outdoor painting jobs.
You can help prevent or reduce unhealthy levels of particle pollution with these actions: :

Reduce or eliminate fireplace and wood stove use.
Avoid using gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.
Avoid burning leaves, trash and other materials.
Use household, workshop, and garden chemicals in ways that keep evaporation to a minimum, or try to delay using them when poor air quality is forecast.
Replace your car's air filter and oil regularly

WEATHER MUSEUM IN THE NEWS

Congratulations to the Weather Research Center and Weather Museum for the following writeup in the Thursday Houston Chronicle business section. Director Jill Hasling gave a talk at the Offshore Technology Conference about whether the impact of recent hurricanes has anything to global warming.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6992071.html

To all the moms out there, have a very happy and restful Mother's Day. And to my Mom, I love you and hereby grant unto you my award for Best Mother.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Hot Weather/BP Oil Spill/Music as Language

WEATHER
On Tuesday, cool spot will be in the Pacific Northwest with highs in the 30s and 40s. There could be some severe weather in Wisconsin. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible in the areas to the right of the lines with arrow (see figure at right). 90s for highs in the desert southwest and southern plains.

Houston, the mercury soared to 92 on Monday...one degree from the record. An upper low will spin some clouds across northeast Texas, but Houston should not be affected. Look for the weather to stay fairly dry through the middle of the coming week. It will be cool in mornings and very warm in the afternoons. No rain is likely until the middle of the coming week.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do joy or alegría, ah-lay-GREE-ah. There was much alegría in our household this weekend. See why in the And More section.

Learning languages is fun and beneficial to cognitive development. And, children are inately adept at acquiring language. So, don't miss this window of opportunity. Start them out with my award winning DVDs, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They are on the shelf (in the education section) at Barnes & Noble stores or you can order them from http://www.frankandpaco.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.bn.com, http://www.bestbuy.com, or http://www.ebay.com/. Our ESL (English as a Second Language) version can be found at http://www.frankypaco.com

AND MORE
What a wonderful weekend! Sarah celebrated her First Communion and she was surrounded by family and friends. Sarah has worked hard to prepare and we are very proud of her!

Cousin Sophia was one of Sarah's special visitors over the weekend. And, the girls had so much fun going swimming as the community pools had just opened. I thought the water would be freezing but it was actually tepid.

Friday, the Weather Museum had its annual Golf Classic at Wildcat Golf Course. KSEV went live from Wildcat and they let me sit in on a few conversations. As always, we had a blast. This is the 4th time I've had the privilege of broadcasting with these fellas. They are all super neat and the museum if very grateful to KSEV for going to so much trouble. The tournament benefitted the education programs provided by the museum.

Are you wanting to know as much as possible about the BP Oil Spill. Well, this might be the link for you:
http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/
The EPA has set up the site to help people not only obtain information but also to request information.

Is music a language? I have heard a couple people say this recently. So, I decided to do some investigating. There is no doubt that learning music is very beneficial to the function and development of the brain (a fact well documented in teh research literature). Here is a link to an interesting article that came up on the web. I think it might be someone's research paper:
http://graham.main.nc.us/~bhammel/MUSIC/muslang.html

I personally don't think of it as a language because it can not give certain kinds of information--like "don't forget your doctor's appointment is tomorrow). But, I will say that music can affect my moods. It can be used to manipulate--case in point movie music like that found in Jaws--would the movie have been as memorable without it? Just some food for thought.

Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman