Earthquake in Ontario-Quebec, Canada felt in Rochester + Buffalo, NY

Did you feel that? The photos on the wall rocked back and forward clicking. Iced Tea in my glass swished back and forward. My apartment seemed to slightly shake. It lasted about 30 seconds to a minute.

Yes, it was an earthquake! "The U.S. Geological Service reports a 5.5 magnitude quake that originated in Ontario-Quebec border 12 miles below the surface at 1:45 p.m., but it was felt as far as Detroit, Cleveland, Rochester and Buffalo." Details are sketchy now, but local news 13WHAM confirms and adds that they have noticed many Twitter and Facebook comments from Rochester. Click on 13WHAM for more local updates. By the way, it was the 3rd earthquake I've felt in my life. All of them small.

A good news article from CBC News Toronto Canada. Just posted by my buddy maniar on Twitter. Thanks Jaffer!

What Snowstorm?

Most winters Rochester, NY gets slammed by snowstorms, but not this year. We only had one storm worth mentioning to date. All of the eastern snow storms have missed us. So today we smugly look upon the rest of the nation and say, "Now you know what we go through every freaken year!" Ah, but don't worry, a storm is brewing here for the middle of next week. Please stay safe folks, and drive carefully!

2 Students Die of H1N1. One at Cornell University (Rochester)

Swine flu is spreading like wild fire in the U.S.. Thousands of students have H1N1. Some schools in the U.S. have only been in session about 3 weeks. In Rochester the children have just gone back, yet we already have one death in Rochester at Cornell University.

Some of the hardest hit areas are Washington State University with more than 2,ooo students who have reported flu like symptoms. The University of Maryland has 435 cases to date. Cornell University in Rochester N.Y. has reported more than 520 cases and one death. A freshman at Troy University in Alabama died a week earlier. Current totals are over six thousand students that have H1N1. Click here for a current report by the American College Health Association.

The Cornell student was 20 year old Warren J. Schor who died on Sept. 11 at Cayuga Medical Center. There are conflicting reports. Some say that he an underlying medical issue, others say that he was perfectly healthy.

At Troy University 18 year old Andrew Salter of Valley, Alabama died.The family confirmed that he had no underlying medical issues. Ironically he decided to major in nursing. He is the 4th person in Alabama to die from Swine flu to date.


You can read more...

The Washington Post: Colleges Seeing Lots of Early Flu

The Daily Collegian: Cornell flu death opens eyes

WSFA 12 News: Swine Flu claims Troy student's life

American College Health Association

Random Ramblings #6

Health Wise

I'm almost over the virus that I had. My sprain is getting better, but taking so darn long. I'm officially out of work. This has caused financial, and depression problems to worsen. I wrote a few blog post drafts concerning the depression, but glad I never posted them. They even scared me. I'm not happy to be alive right now. They say that it is always darkest before the dawn. Well, I hope so, because it's very dark now.

He Was Slapping Her

My asshole of a neighbor had knocked his girlfriend down and was standing over her slapping her. This happened in the hall. I immediately called the police. They arrived in two minutes. By the time the cops arrived they were in her apartment, and questioned them. I could hear the conversation. The dispute was over money, (I think for drugs). My favorite neighbor, and I agreed to call the cops right away if Mr. asshole starts in again. We don't want him getting away with it. (Sorry if my language offends you, but I can't think of a better word for him at this time.)

Rochester Weather - Tornados & Cool

Two tornado's hit the Western N.Y. area not far from Rochester on July 25th. They caused quite a bit of damage in Corfu in Genessee county, and a little in Hilton in Monroe county where they hit. Hundreds of customers lost electricity in those areas. The Darien-Corfu tornado had moderate damage to several buildings and trees and winds ranging from 86-110mph. The path was four miles long and 100 yards wide. The tornado in Hilton caused less damage. It's big news around here since our last tornado in Monroe county (my county) was in 1981.

I've been enjoying wonderfully cool weather lately! We have only had 4 days over 80 degrees (26.6 C) and none in the 90's (32-37 C). We just might break the record for the coldest July in history (since 1871) for Rochester. I just love it! Yes, we have more rain then usual, but it's no big deal. Not much flooding at all.

photo credit

Fire ALL The New York State Senators!

Question - Who's in Charge of the New York State Senate?

Answer - The Stooges! Knuckleheads! Moe, Larry, and Curly.

Here is what has happened in a nutshell... Democrat Senators were in control until a coup two weeks ago. Two Democrat senators Pedro Espada Jr. and Monserrate switched to the Republican side. Reporters say independent upstate businessman Tom Golisano played a role in their coup. (At least he's leaving N.Y. State soon.) There was rumor of a physical altercation (fist fight?).

Democrats refused to acknowledge the Republican coup, and stopped going to the Senate meetings. The whole thing got kicked up to the courts.

The court decision was something like, ...Hey, knuckleheads, get your act together. YOU senators need to decide who is in charge. ..Around this time one of the Democrat defectors came back to the Demarcate side making it dead even.

This all happened on June 8th. It's been about two weeks since the coup, and basically the Senate has been shut down. Knuckleheads!

Gov. Paterson (Dem) stepped in and said that he will make the Knuckleheads show up even if he has to get the guards involved. One reporter noted that the Governor can make the senators show up , but can't make them vote. Yesterday senators showed up, but it was a two ring circus. "Parallel dueling" sessions were held with several senators talking at the same time.

The knuckleheads are more then an embarrassment to New York state and the U.S. They are selfish, greedy, and power hungry. You would think that after 9-11, The attack on America, that the government would grow up and come together for the sake of the country, but... NO! You would thing that during the greatest recession since the great depression that they would stop being so selfish, but ... NO! You would think that during a flu pandemic that may lead us into a depression. A flu that could mutate into something very deadly, that that they would stop being so selfish, but ... NO! The Senate as a whole is acting like The Three Stooges! Someone please clunk their heads together!!!

The British would never put up with this crap! Prime Minister Tony Blair had to leave office early because he lost favor in the eyes of the Brits. In Britain they realize that the government works for the people, and not the other way around. For some reason we in the U.S don't understand this basic concept and allow way too much crap.

My solution - FIRE ALL THE KNUCKLEHEADS (SENATORS)! Make them run for the senate again with a two week campaign, giving them and their opponents the same money to run on. Why not!? It's not like the N.Y. Senate will get anything done during that time period. Hopefully the people will figure out who the worst offenders are and vote them out. That way we will have a New York Senate that is a bit more for the people, and less like the Three Stooges.

To Contact Gov. David Paterson of N.Y. State CLICK HERE


Read about the Stooges, Um N.Y. State Senators ...

CBS - In New York, Senate "Coup" Takes Down Dems

Capital News 9 -

New York Times - Dueling Sessions Cast Doubt on Any Action by State Senate

Syracuse.com - Fate of same-sex marriage bill in NY State could come down to the vote of one man, Bronx Democrat Ruben Diaz.

NOTE: The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century. They were named "Larry, Moe, and Curly" (Shemp replaced Curly later.) They often used slapstick, name calling, and physical comedy like poking each other in the eye. Moe often clunked the other two heads together calling them "Knuckleheads." They often fought each other, and portrayed themselves as stupid buffoons.

Rochester NY News & Lilac Festival Schedule 2009

Lilac Festival Information 2009 - The festival is Rochester's largest and brings in almost a half a million people each year, including tourists who travel to the area. The park has "over 500 varieties of lilacs and more than 1200 lilac bushes in the parks' 155 acres". It will take place on May 8 to 17 at Highland Park. "Musical acts will include Rickie Lee Jones, Joan Osborne, Dr. John & the Lower 911, Southside Johnny & the AsburyJukes and Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy. The festival and concerts are free." Mark Quinn, superintendent of horticulture for Monroe County says that the Lilacs are "in excellent condition."

I had a wonderful time last year (click here), and even pigged out on wine & food samplings! I particularly liked the free chicken and veggies at "Cooks Pan." and will look for them again. I hope to get a camera and take photos this year. Rochester has hard winters, but makes up for it with a ton of fun festivals! Rochester's nickname is the Flower City. Find out more http://www.lilacfestival.com/ Here is a list of more Rochester festivals, concerts, etc. and here at myrochester.com

Gay Marriage in New York State? - Cross your fingers folks! Today Gov. David Patterson introduced a bill to legalize same sex marriage in New York state. The bill was defeated when the Republicans had control, but now with the Democrats there is a fighting change. I know that my pal Pat Martinez and her partner Lisa Golden have been working hard for this. Read more here.

Time Warner, tisk, tisk! - Time Warner Cable Inc. of Rochester NY is acting greedy. It wants to use metered billing for Internet usage, (similar to gas and electric), where those who use more bandwidth pay more. In this economy? BAD IDEA! There has been a public uproar. Many home businesses work from the Web. Rochester also has a large deaf community who uses video phone as a main avenue of communication. Politicians Rep. Eric Massa and Sen. Chuck Schumer demanded that Time Warner abandon its plan. Time Warner seemed to have backed down, but not really. It is more like a postponement in hope that the community will get use to the idea and accept it. Hm, I think that I'll stick to my slow dial-up for now. It's much less expensive.

Bad News For Buffalo NY, Rochester, and more. - I was shocked when I read it! According to the local news Rochester is doing better then most other cities, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Forbes has a list of "U.S. Cities Where It's Hardest To Get By" They listed 20 on-line and, Buffalo was #5, Rochester was #15. They also have a list of "America's Most Livable Cities".It includes several cities in Mass. and Pa. among others. Hm, should I pack my bags?

Star Trek Movie - I'm a bit of a Trekkie so I had to sneak this in. The movie named "Star Trek" opens May 8. It's "a chronicle of the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members". Here's the movie trailer. Oops, it opens the same day as the Lilac Festival, but I can work that out. I hope this leads to a new series! About time! YAHOO! By the way, Leonard Nimoy who plays Mr. Spock (and is also in the movie) is said to live in my area. He is my favorite Star Trek character of all time. In case he's reading this...I'm no skinny Minnie! ; )

photo credit

Rochester, NY Winter Summery 2009 & No Kodak Bonuses

I'm a bit lazy today. I'm putting 2 posts in one. Both are short and Rochester, New York related.

Rochester, NY Winter Summery 2009 - Yes, I know that we might still get snow, but I'm summarizing it now, and crossing my fingers. The snowfall accumulation to date was 101.7" - not a record, but it's more then our average of 89.6". December was the snowiest month of the season, bringing 46.2 inches. We didn't have a blizzard. I don't believe that we had any major storms. We had several moderate ones. We rarely had those terrible mixed precipitation combo snow/ice storms that I dislike so much. We just got a good amount of steady snow throughout the season. Well, that's not such a bad winter for Rochester. See current weather and forecast here.

No Kodak Bonuses! - I'm getting so sick of hearing economic news, but this is a major change for our area, and has made national news. The Eastman Kodak Co. has been one of Rochester's largest employers for many decades. The company has suspended its bonus, and it means a loss of millions of dollars to Rochester.

Stores use to plan sales around Kodak bonus times. New cars, appliances, furniture, big ticket items. The only other time there wasn't a bonus was in 1934 during the great depression. Click here for local news and comments on the subject.

I remember when having a Kodak, or Xerox job met that you had it made for life - good money, benefits, and job security. Sadly, those days are gone.

Storm Hits Rochester, NY - Snow, No Ice

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A winter storm warning is in effect all day for the Rochester, NY area.
Highlights...

-- 4 to 8 inches by 7pm.
-- Snow all day Wednesday.
-- Heaviest snow 8am to 3pm.
-- Total snowfall 8 to 12 inches.

On the news they said that the morning commute will be "manageable". However, we have had a inch or two of snow and roads are slick, so slow down. It's not until later that the brunt of the storm will hit. The good news is that Metro Rochester will not get ice. The souther tier might get a mixture of snow & ice. The power should stay on for the most part. Highs around 30. Winds will be 10 to 15 mph. As Rochester goes, this is a good size storm, but not one of our worst. For more weather click on the link below. A live weather blog will be on the link soon.

This information is from News 8.

Rochester NY 1st Real Snow Storm

Rochester NY is going to have it's 1st significant snow storm of the season. "A winter storm warning is effect from 8 AM this morning to 10 PM EST this evening." "Snow will develop later this morning. The snow will become steady late this morning through the afternoon when it could be heavy at times. The heavy snow be accompanied by some thunder. Accumulation 6 to 10 inches. Windy with temperatures steady in the mid to upper 20s. Northeast winds 10 to 20 mph becoming east and increasing to 25 to 35 mph." This storm is considered a moderate one for the area.

The Rochester city school district is closed, which is a big deal here. Many other schools are closed as well. See link below for the latest information.

The good news for Rochester is that it will be all snow and no ice. I hate those mixed precipitation storms that are so hard to clean up. Rochester can handle this, but today will be messy and a good day to stay home. I'm going out soon to do some shopping before the storm hits. I will put one of my snow shovels in my car, and leave it there all season. Then I will stay home safe & sound. It's a good day to make out Christmas cards to send to the relatives. ;o) The next storm is Sunday. It won't be as bad as this one. Click on the link below for the latest weather information.

This post was based on info from rochesterhomepage.net

UPDATE: Generally the Rochester area received 8" to 12" of snow. The official snowfall at the airport was 8.4". The next day many schools remained closed. Digging out was difficult due to the amount of heavy snow, and the cold. The road salt didn't have much effect because of the cold. 2 smaller storms would follow yielding 1'-4" each. As of 12-24-08 snowfall for the season was 43.8" normal average is 23.7. Buffalo had 42.9". Syracuse had the most with 64.3". Click here for snowfall stats.

D&C Local Paper: First snowy round slams Rochester region

photo credit

Hey Rochester NY - Hillary Clinton at MCC 3:00 Today

Hey Rochester New York - Senator Hillary Clinton will be speaking at MCC (Monroe Community College) at 3:00 Today! It's a 'Get Out the Vote' rally in support of Democratic Congressional candidates Maffei, Massa and Kryzan. It's open to the public. It will be at MCC's Stabins Physical Education facility.


Source: R News
New 10

Hate Crime? - Obama sign burned on black family's lawn

This happened here near Rochester, NY, in the suburb of Irondequoit. It made national news - MSNBC. They took the story from our local station WHEC-TV. This is the article condensed. Would you consider this a hate crime?...

Several Obama signs have been stolen from people's front lawns but what happened to a family in Irondequoit is a whole lot worse. They are the only black family on the street and their Obama sign was burned.

On John's (not his real name) front lawn was the burned metal frame of what was his Obama sign. Set on fire at night and for John, it brought back memories of attacks against African-Americans.

"They would terrorize good God-fearing Americans, usually black, by burning items - usually a cross on their lawns. I just see this as an act of domestic terrorism or something very similar to what the KKK used to do."

The street isn't a busy one, and the house is tucked away. On TV news they, said that there were several other Obama signs on the street, but this one was the only one burned.

"CNN Political Commentator David Gergen says he's worried about what might happen before the election. "There is this free floating sort of whipping around of anger that could lead to some violence. I think we're not far from that."

John says the burning of his political sign. "It made me feel as though an act of domestic terrorism has been delivered to my little part of the world, my very own property."

Irondequoit Police say they're going to investigate, although it's very tough to solve these crimes.

The local chapter of the ACLU said, in their opinion, this was a hate crime."

---------------------------------------
Folks, Sen. McCain, and Gov. Palin have been trying to link Obama to terrorism. Among other things they say that Obama was friends with a "terrorist" named William Ayers. Obama was a casual acquaintance with Ayers when he was 8 years old. Young Obama could hardly be held accountable for Ayers's behavior almost 40 years ago. There has been other instances. Please read this good article from the Associated Press: Congressman says McCain "sowing seeds of hatred. "Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and veteran of the civil rights movement, says the negative tone of the Republican presidential campaign reminds him of the hateful atmosphere that segregationist Gov. George Wallace fostered in Alabama in the 1960s...During some rallies featuring McCain and Palin, supporters have shouted "traitor," "terrorist," "treason," "liar" and even "off with his head." With all these accusations against Obama I wouldn't be surprised if John's (the Irondequoit man) house was burned down! McCain really needs to stop implying that Obama is a terrorist, or this will soon lead to violence!

Please folks, read the facts on this...

FactCheck.org He Lied" About Bill Ayers? ..."McCain cranks out some false and misleading attacks on Obama's connection to a 1960s radical."

PolitiFact.com: A radical Ayers Allegation ..."This attack is false, but it's more than that – it's malicious. It unfairly tars not just Obama, but all the other prominent, well-respected Chicagoans who also volunteered their time to the foundation."

WashingtonpostFactChecker: Did Obama "lie" about Ayers? ..."The McCain campaign is distorting the Obama-Ayers relationship, and exaggerating their closeness. There is no evidence that Obama has "lied" about his dealings with Ayers. It would be more accurate to say that he "told the truth slowly," a regrettable but commonplace practice among politicians seeking to avoid embarrassing questions."

Main Source: msnbc article

WHEC Original Article

Rochester, NY Real Estate Market is Stable

Thinking of moving to a place where the housing is stable, and comparatively low priced? Well, consider Rochester, New York.

"While the bottom has dropped out of the real estate market in many large metropolitan areas, property owners and realtor's say the housing market in Rochester remains stable."

"Arlene Eggleston of ReMax Plus said,”Rochester is really unlike the rest of the country. You don't have the highs and the lows that you see in big cities, so I would have to say the market is really quite stable here.”"

"The hallmark of the Rochester NY real estate market is a lot of house for the money. Compared with most other parts of the United States, Rochester houses have more charm and character for a fraction of the price! Based upon 2004 data, the median home sales price in the United States is $225,000, compared to the Rochester area's median home sales price of $115,000. The median house price in the city of Rochester is even more affordable. In addition, 77.5% of area homes are affordable to a family earning the median income, compared to 50% nationwide, demonstrating that in Rochester, your real estate dollar goes farther. (The Rochester area's median income is $58,800, slightly higher than the national median.)"

Rochester didn't make Forbes top ten list of "American's Recession-Proof Cities", however, our housing was mentioned favorable. Although we are entering into a difficult period of credit crunch, to date Rochester's housing has held up comparatively well.

If your thinking of moving here, check out this tool...

Yahoo! Real Estate (Rochester, NY)


Sources -
13 Wham: Rochester Real Estate Market Stable

Rochester City Living: Housing & Real Estate in Rochester

Rochester, NY - Ike Winds downs trees, knocks out power

By Rikki Van Camp

After a night of high winds and poor sleep, residents woke up this morning to find more yard work ahead. A willow limb came down in this Buffalo Street yard. In Palmyra, a 200-year-old tree fell on a house.

---

Did you hear the winds last night? At one point I thought that someone was trying to kick in my window air conditioner. When I checked no one was there, but tree branches were laying on the ground. Apparently one flew at my A/C. It scared the living day lights out of me.

Come to find out it was the remnants of Hurricane Ike. Yes, all the way in upstate New York! "wind speeds reached 60 miles an hour." "More than 63,100 people in the Rochester area this morning were without power after the remnants of Tropical Storm Ike whipped through the region early today"...Across the area, downed and sparking power lines, flaming transformers and trees blocking roadways caused headaches for residents and emergency crews alike...The county 911 center fielded well over 200 calls between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., an amount usually reserved for blizzards and ice storms, said Sheriff Phil Povero...In Monroe County, PittsfordMendon High School and Northwood Elementary School in Hilton were closed today as a result of the storm." At lest four other schools had two hour delays.

"A lot of people lost power overnight but the town of Palmyra lost a part of its history. A 200-year-old tree crashed into a farmhouse that once belonged to one of the town's founding residents." "Winds knocked down several large trees, including a historic 120-year-old, 150-foot-tall Northern Red Oak, at Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua early today."

As for me I'm fine. My power never went out, but the T.V. reception went out now and then. I can't believe this was the remnants of Hurricane Ike. It's days like today that I'm glad that I live in Rochester. The worse that we get is an occasional Blizzard, or Ice Storm. Your power might go out, you might be stranded at home for several days, but normally your life and property are safe.

OF SPECIAL NOTE, several large trees and power lines are blocking parts of Scottsville Road and other nearby streets in Scottsville and Chili Center. There are also several reports of similar scenes in the Pittsford and Perinton and the Mendon, Fishers area. Also"RG&E workers are handing out bottled water and dry ice to any customers without power at 195 Muchroom Blvd., in Henrietta until 10 pm Monday night, and again from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday."



Folks please give to the Red Cross if you can. They are there to help during emergencies. Currently 55 volunteers from Rochester, N.Y. are in Tyler Texas helping out with hurricane efforts. Also 4,000 Red Cross volunteers are helping out nation wide. Red Cross funds are down due to recent hurricanes.

Rochester & Finger lakes donations phone 585-241-441 or Rochester Red Cross website

And national Red Cross website.


Main source & photo MPN now.com

You can read more...
Democrat and Chronicle.com Winds knock out power to over 63,000
13wham: RG&E Hands Out Water, Dry Ice - 23,000 Still Without Power
High Winds for Ike Sweep Rochester Area
13wham: High Winds from Ike Sweep Rochester Area
13wham: Wind storm destroys part of Palmyra history

Have You Ever Put Someone On A Pedestal?

Some of the facts have been changed so that the woman on the pedestal would be protected.

Have you ever put someone up on a pedestal? You know, thought that they were so special that they could do no wrong? That's how I felt about Mandy. When I lived in Syracuse I met an RN who was very special. She was not only a very caring and good nurse, but she was a Christian, and a perfect example. It wasn't just me that thought so, but many others.

Mandy had more then her share of problems. She had a chronic disease, and was often in pain. She had an abusive husband who was diagnoses as a sociopath. Yet, Mandy relied, and trusted in God so much that she acted like she didn't have a care in the world. She was upbeat, and joyful. She loved helping others, and had a huge heart. Mandy was very approachable, had many friends, and admiring peers. The patients respected, and liked her. She read the Bible on her breaks, and sometimes discussed it with others. More then that she seemed to embody love, joy, and forgiveness. In my book she was the very definition of an nearly perfect nurse, person, and Christian.

Today things changed a bit. Reality set in a bit. I Googled Mandy's name and found out that she had an action of misconduct as a nurse, and admitted to it. Mandy had taken a narcotic for her own use at work. The narcotic was meant for a patient. At first I was shocked, then I started to make excuses for her in my mind- She had a painful, chronic, disease, perhaps she was out of her own medication. Perhaps the patient was a sleep, and didn't need the med. Maybe that's what happened? Or maybe it was worse. Maybe Mandy had been on pain meds for so long that she was addicted.

At any rate, I know that her actions were wrong, and I'm sure that Mandy does too. Isn't it odd that some people can do 99% right, and good in there lives. Then there is that 1% that dashes them down to the ground. It reminds me of that movie Crash, best picture Oscar for 2005. Have you ever seen it? If you haven't, you should! I highly recommend it. Early in that movie you think that you have the good guys, and bad guys all figured out. Then at the end you realize that no one is 100% good, or bad, but we are all just human. We all make mistakes. That's not to say that we shouldn't try to do our best, but one quick wrong decision can mess up a life. I guess we can only do our best, and hope that we don't get slapped down to hard when we make a mistake. Or at lest that those around us, especially our loved ones, will be understanding.

Tonight my heart goes out to an old friend and colleague, her family, especially her children. I hope that her children realize that their mother is special in spite of imperfections.

Note to readers - I do not condone abuse, and personal believe that it is a deal breaker in a marriage. However, I understand Mandy's decision to stay with her husband, and respect her determination, love, and ability to forgive. She was not alone. Family members, some friends, and key people in her church knew. Both her, and her husband were receiving church, and professional counseling. I also would have respected Mandy if she had chosen to leave him.

Forbes Lists Buffalo, NY with Fastest-Dying Cities

Forbes has listed Buffalo, NY as one of the Fastest-Dying Cities in the U.S. Other cities making the fast-dying list include: Cleveland, Dayton, Canton and Youngstown, Ohio; Flint and Detroit, Mich., Springfield, Mass.; Charleston, W. Va.; and Scranton, Pa.

On the Forbes website, it said "Buffalo has long been synonymous with city-in-decline. In the early 1900s, Buffalo was one of America's 10 largest cities, a burgeoning industrial center. It's been on decline ever since, despite a location that takes advantage of trade with Canada. Buffalo is home to M&T Bank and the Delaware North Companies--one of the major operators of stores in airports."

Of course The Buffalo News paper has it's own spin on things, and believes that things are on the upswing. "..Buffalo’s unflattering statistics included a population loss of nearly 42,000 since 2000, an unemployment rate of 5.7 percent (compared to national average of 4.3 percent) and a gross domestic product of 1.9 percent ...However, U. S. Census Bureau estimates being released today show the young adult population in all of Erie County is actually increasing...."

Rochester, NY is about 75 miles from Buffalo. There is a saying - "As Buffalo goes, so goes Rochester." I hope not! Unfortunately Rochester has had it's problems too. Rochester has been tightening it's belt. Factories especially have been downsizing. Unemployment here is 5.4% the same as Syracuse, NY. Our population growth is -5.3%. Although things aren't good, we have a younger population.

Mayor Duffy came up with a hair brained idea to solve Rochester's decreasing population. He said that if you worked in the city of Rochester, maybe you should have to live in Rochester. Fortunately his idea was shot down quickly.

Rochester does have it's pluses. Our cost of living is low, and housing is low. In fact Rochester has not been effected as much by the housing slump, as other cities have.

Do you want to know how your city would compare with Buffalo, or any other city? Click here for a cool comparison tool.

Rochester Recent Storms - Flooding, Hail, Crops Hit

Photo from 13WHAM.com of Springwater/Dansville N.Y.

It was just last month when the Rochester, NY area was hit by crop damaging storms. Well it happened again on Wednesday, but this time was a bit different. The storms and damage were hit and miss, however, we had flash flooding added. Some streets were closed, homes flooded, and hail up to golf-ball size.

"The recent severe weather in the Rochester area is hitting local farmers particularly hard. Rain and flooding has washed out some fields and crops, but isolated hail storms have caused the worst damage."

We were told on TV recently that soon we will see fruit, and vegetables in stores that have bruises, but are edible. The bruising is from the hail. Bloomfield farms got hit hard. with "golf-ball size hail, and strong winds leaving some bruises crops and broken vines in pumpkin patches. Farmer, Mr. White said, "This is as bad as it gets.""

"It is like a machine gun, just sort of riddling the field with little pellets and the stems just burst right open," Jim Ochterski of Cornell Cooperative Extension said.

Beside the crops being hit we had flash floods. The flooding hit around rush hour as three inches of rain fell turning Rochester expressways from roads to rivers in a matter of minutes.

"Employees at Rochester Colonial found themselves on an island. Those who dared to leave got soaked and stuck.

Parts of Mount Read Boulevard and Lyell Avenue were nearly impassable. There were white caps in the passing lane of I-490 East and portions were shut down for time; I-390 South in Greece was backed up all the way to the airport.

The parking lot at the Mall at Greece Ridge flooded in a matter of minutes as water climbed as high as the tires. Inside the mall, some ceilings began to leak."

Severe Flooding from Thursday's storms hit Livingston County, Springwater/Dansville, NY, (pictured above), leaving some residents homeless.

In Greece, N.Y. some resident and emergency crews were kept busy trying to rid basements of water.

"Greece's Ridge Road Fire Department fielded upwards of 100 calls in a matter of hours. "We had areas of the district with flooding that I haven't seen flooded in the 20 years I’ve worked here,” said Alan Bubel of the Greece Ridge Fire Department. "We tried to get our engine company to a job and we actually got stuck in some water…We had to get people out of the water--one woman in a wheelchair, another woman stuck in her mini-van, so it was crazy for awhile."

It's to early to know if any part of the Rochester area will be considered a disaster area. On a personal note, I am fine. There was no major flooding where I live, just a bad T-storm. Once again I'm disappointed I missed out on seeing hail! A few miles from me they had hail.

Information & excerpts from 13WHAM most links offer slide shows.

Rochester's soccer star Abby Wambach breaks leg

Pittsford native and U.S. soccer star Abby Wambach is scheduled to have surgery at 2 p.m. today to repair two fractures in her left leg, suffered Wednesday night during a game in San Diego, according to her brother, Matt Wambach.

Abby’s mother, Judy, flew out from Rochester early this morning to be with her daughter, who now will miss next month’s Olympic Games in China. Doctors expect to insert a titanium rod into her leg during today's surgery...

Click here for full story.

Ms. Wambach is a good roll model. I hope that she recovers quickly. My thoughts are with her.

Abby Wambach's Official Website

Have You Heard of Willowbrook?

Geraldo Rivera a hero? Children naked, filthy, neglected, and abused. Robert Kennedy. The state of New York...What do these things have in common? Read "A Willowbrook Legacy" written by my blog buddy Tom of "Sheep and Goats" and find out. Tom has a wonderful post on the subject. While you're there please leave him a comment. You know how we bloggers love comments. ;o)

Severe Thunderstorms with Hail, Spells Disaster for Upstate NY

HAIL NO! On June 16th the Upstate New York, (NY), area got pounded by rain, and hail during a severe thunderstorms with winds sometimes exceeding 60 mph. The hail ranged in size from pennies to golf balls. It looked like it had snowed in some areas. It was the worst hail storm in years. The state agriculture commissioner will survey hail damage suffered by upstate orchards.

Agriculture officials say apple, peach, strawberry and cherry crops from the Niagara Frontier east to the Hudson Valley suffered extensive damage. Some growers reported losing as much as 75 percent of their crops in the storm, which also damaged corn and other vegetable crops.

Officials in Wayne County, on Lake Ontario just east of Rochester, have called on Gov. David Paterson to declare the county a disaster area.

The storms knocked out power to nearly 10,000 RG&E customers in Gates and Rochester.

It was a strange start to Wegmans LPGA week as hail fell during a weather delay at Locust Hill Country Club.

As for my area, we had a thunderstorms on and off all day, but no hail. Frankly, I was a bit disappointed.


This post was based on readings from...

Newsday.com

Buffalo News

WHEC-TV 10

And another WHEC-TV 10 article

View slide show here

Severe Thunderstorm Slam Rochester Area Now

Several severe thunderstorm are hitting the Rochester NY, Monroe county area. We had 60 MPH winds in Geneva for example. Some areas had Tornado watches, large hail, trees down. One woman on the news said, "My tress just fell like matchsticks." Thousands in the area lost power. Syracuse got hit badly too with 30,000? losing power. The worst is over for Rochester, but not some surrounding areas.

Basically now west of Rochester looks good except for East Lockport. But another round of storms are due to hit East and South of Rochester including Wayne, Ontario, Yates, and Penn Yam counties. Dansville, Wayland, and Naples are being hit now. The storm could include large hail, strong winds, downed trees, and loss of power.

The good news is that it cooled off the area. We went from 86 degrees to 72 in no time. Finally relief after several days of 90ish degree weather. It's odd to turn off the A/C after it has been on non stop for days.


Get the latest including a slid show at 13WHAM

For more about the first storm - Democrat & Chronicle
"The first storm swept through the area midmorning. That fast-moving storm included about 10 minutes of heavy rain, whipping winds, frequent lightening and small penny-sized hail. Winds were recorded in excess of 60 mph. At peak, about 8,100 properties in the region were in the dark." Several schools were closed....