Hurricane Names

Follow this link for tips on preparing for a Hurricane: Preparedness tips

Only 10 hurricanes since 1851 have passed within 75 miles of Boston. The most recent was almost exactly 20 years ago: Hurricane Bob.

When you think about it, it may seem curious that hurricanes and tropical storms receive names each year, while other kinds of storms -- such as severe thunderstorms and the fierce tornadoes they sometimes produce -- do not.

After all, the largest and most intense thunderstorms can spawn dozens of tornadoes that impact cities and communities across multiple states. So why are names reserved only for those storms that reach tropical storm and hurricane status? Why not simply use the date on which a hurricane makes landfall as its name?

In fact, that's just how hurricanes and tropical storms were labeled in the United States all the way up until the 1950s.

Before 1950, military weather forecasters in the U.S. were responsible for assigning a number, not a name, to tropical storms. For example, the fifth tropical cyclone of the 1932 hurricane season was called Hurricane Number 5. In later years, the military phonetic alphabet (Able, Baker, Charlie, etc.) was used to assign names.

Beginning in 1953, tropical storms were assigned female names. Names were listed in alphabetical order, with the first tropical storm of the year given a name beginning with "A."

In 1978, both men's and women's names were included in the eastern North Pacific storm lists. In 1979, the Atlantic Basin list of names was expanded to include both male and female names. Today, once a tropical disturbance intensifies to tropical storm strength, with wind speeds above 39 mph, the National Hurricane Center gives it a name.

Member nations of the World Meteorological Organization have since revised the list to include names common to English, Spanish, and French-speaking peoples. The order of men's and women's names alternates every year. For example, in 1995 the list began with Allison. In 1996, it began with Arthur.

In the event that more than 21 named tropical cyclones occur in the Atlantic basin in a season, additional storms will take names from the Greek alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and so on.

Occasionally, a name is retired from the list when an associated hurricane has caused many deaths or a tremendous amount of damage. Some retired names include Andrew, Bob, Camille, David, Dennis, Elena, Fran, Frederic, Katrina, Hugo, Ivan, Opal, Rita, Stan, and Wilma.

Source: www.weather.com/ 08/24/2011

New financial planning information available

The American Consumer Credit Counseling organization, a non-profit, has published two very useful booklets. Understanding Credit Reports explains what credit reports are, how they are scored and how to receive one. The Personal Financial Workbook is for tracking your daily expenses and much more. The booklets are available for free upstairs in the Reference Department Job Center.

Last week for individuals and families using Massachusetts Health Connector to buy or change health plans

The first annual six-week open enrollment period to purchase individual health insurance ends in one week.

Until August 15, Massachusetts residents who either want to purchase individual or family health insurance coverage or want to switch their existing coverage will be able to do so will via the Health Connector, or directly from health plans. After August 15, under a new state law, the window of opportunity shuts until next July.

Until last year, Massachusetts individuals and families could buy or switch their health plans at any time they needed to throughout the year. Concerns about abuse from “jumpers and dumpers” – policyholders switching to more extensive and expensive coverage right before they needed care and then switching back or even dropping that plan after they received treatment – prompted the legislature to enact open enrollment, which is, of course, only “open” during a very limited time frame.

The law means that unless some individuals or families act within the next week they will either be stuck with the plan they have or, for many of those who are currently uninsured, with no plan whatsoever.

This open enrollment period only applies to residents purchasing insurance for themselves or their families, not to residents who are eligible for employer- or government-subsidized coverage or to self-employed residents.

The open-enrollment period doesn’t apply to everyone though. Certain residents who meet “special conditions” are exempted from the open-enrollment restrictions.

The Department of Public Health’s Office of Patient Protection will consider applications for waivers from people who have been denied insurance coverage because they missed the open enrollment period, depending on the reasons why they missed their opportunity during the open enrollment period

For more information, residents can visit to the Health Connector’s web site, mahealthconnector.org, call the Connector at (877) MA-ENROLL, or call the HelpLine at 800-272-4232.

Emergencies and pets: What to do

Pets are valued members of our families and it is important to know what to do with them in an emergency. We have had some severe weather this past winter and summer.
Are you prepared to take care of your pet in an emergency situation like a hurricane or tornado? The American Red Cross has some useful tips on what to do with pets in an emergency. They also have a checklist available at this web site.
Red Cross Pets and Disaster Safety Checklist
Here are some titles of books on the topic in the library collection:
The Dog Bible by Tracie Hotchner (636.7 Hotchner)
What Every Pet Owner Should Know by Dr. Karen Halligan (636.8 Halligan)
The Original Dog Bible: the Definitive New Source for All Things Dog by Kristin Mehus-Roe (McA 636.7 Original)

Debt Limit: Myth v. Fact

The debt limit is the total amount of money that the United States government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, interest on the national debt, tax refunds, and other payments. The debt limit does not authorize new spending commitments. It simply allows the government to finance existing legal obligations that Congresses and presidents of both parties have made in the past.

Failing to increase the debt limit would have catastrophic economic consequences. It would cause the government to default on its legal obligations – an unprecedented event in American history. That would precipitate another financial crisis and threaten the jobs and savings of everyday Americans – putting the United States right back in a deep economic hole, just as the country is recovering from the recent recession.

Congress has always acted when called upon to raise the debt limit. Since 1960, Congress has acted 78 separate times to permanently raise, temporarily extend, or revise the definition of the debt limit – 49 times under Republican presidents and 29 times under Democratic presidents. In the coming weeks, Congress must act to increase the debt limit. Congressional leaders in both parties have recognized that this is necessary. Recently, however, a number of myths about this issue have begun to surface.

This page: Debt Limit: Myth v. Fact provided by the United States Department of the Treasury separates the fact from the fiction.

What does "CSA" mean?

Are your friends and neighbors raving about the local organic produce they are getting for their “shares” from a “CSA”?  Do you want to know what that means and how you can participate too?

CSA means Community Supported Agriculture and that is actually a local farm supported by its members - consumers who purchase “shares” and benefit from what the farm growns and harvests.  Members help pay for the seeds, fertilizer, labor and equipment for the farm.

This arrangement benefits both the farmers and the shareholder or consumer.  The farmer gets paid at the beginning of the season and doesn’t have to wait till he harvests and sells his crops.  The consumer knows exactly where their food is coming from and can establish a relationship with the farmer.  They also get to experience new items that they might not have tried before and are assured that their produce is fresh.  Commonly, shareholders do not know what is going to be contained in their allotments and pick-up is usually in bi-weekly increments.

Some farms offer items other than just produce (eggs, dairy products, etc.).  And, some farms offer winter shares and half shares.  It may be too late for this season’s harvest, but you can glance at their web pages and plan for next year.

Some CSA’s in the Framingham area are:

Stearns Farm

http://www.stearnsfarmcsa.org/

Hanson’s Farm

http://www.hansonsfarm.50webs.com/csa.html

Eastleigh Farm (eggs and milk)

http://www.eastleighfarm.com/

Silverwood Organic Farm (Sherborn)

http://www.silverwoodorganicfarm.com/

Siena Farm (Sudbury)

http://www.sienafarms.com/

Outpost Farm ( Holliston)

http://www.outpostfarm.net/csa.htm

More information can be found at the Local Harvest website, here. http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Massachusetts CSA listings are here.

http://extension.umass.edu/vegetable/resources/csa-information-listings

The USDA’s website on CSA’s

http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml

Space Shuttle Program

The final flight of the Space Shuttle Program lifted off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida today. Atlantis' final flight will cap off an amazing 30-year program of exploration.

NASA's space shuttle fleet began setting records with its first launch on April 12, 1981. Starting with Columbia and continuing with Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, the spacecraft has carried people into orbit repeatedly, launched, recovered and repaired satellites, conducted cutting-edge research and built the largest structure in space, the International Space Station.

The NASA website: www.nasa.gov offers a number of excellent pages covering all aspects of the space shuttle, including its history, past missions, benefits, technologies, photographs, computer wallpaper, and much more