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That could mean, in other words, that Erie will reclaim six digits only for a month or so. Here's hoping that's not the case. |
Either way, there's no comfort to be found in the population trends in either the city of Erie or Erie County. To the contrary, they spell trouble. |
You might remember that in March the latest Census Bureau estimates for counties, for 2015, put Erie County at 278,045, which represented the fourth consecutive year of decline. That plainly illustrates that the region's challenges don't stop at the city limits. |
But a major step toward stopping and then reversing those trends can start in the city. That means replacing drift and rationalizations with facing facts and acting on them. |
The Erie Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously endorsed the city's new comprehensive plan and sent it to Erie City Council with a recommendation that council approve it. And the commission amended its motion to recommend that council attach an action plan to ensure, well, action. |
The comprehensive plan, developed by Charles Buki and CZB consultants, will require tough and politically difficult decisions from Sinnott, City Council members and their successors. It will require, in short, a whole new level of leadership and urgency from City Hall, starting with extensively engaging the public. |
Only that kind of leadership, that level of change, will be sufficient to Erie's problems. And the whole region has a stake in the outcome. We'll all rise or fall together. |
Imagine a day when we all look forward to the Census Bureau's latest pronouncements because they bring good news. Hold that thought, and let's get to work. |
You just totally missed the transit of Venus. And there's more. It was awesome. No worries. The next one will be in 2117. You should be fine. |
Originally, I was going to do a pre-transit post to talk about how awesome this event was going to be. However, that plan got smashed when Jennifer Ouellette (@JenLucPiquant) wrote a killer post about the history of the transit of Venus. I love talking about this historical aspect. There are so many cool stories associ... |
Then what am I to do? How about I use a video of the recent transit of Venus to estimate the distance to the Sun. Instead of repeating what was done in the past – using multiple viewing locations – let me do it with one view. Now, let me give you a warning. I have no idea what I am doing. This might not even work and I... |
Here is the video I will use. |
There are many good ones out there, but this one is a time lapse and states both the frame rate (1 photo every 30 seconds) as well as the viewing location (Takapo Village, New Zealand). The viewing location will be useful if this method fails. One more thing. I have no idea about the angular width of this video. Howeve... |
The units in this case are in radians and seconds. If I do a linear regression on both of these plots, I can find the angular velocity in both the x- and y-directions. This gives an angular speed in the x-direction of -8.15 x 10-8 radians/sec and -2.64 x 10-7 radians/sec in the y-direction. To get the magnitude of the ... |
This gives an angular velocity of 2.77 x 10-7 radians per second. |
Now that I have this angular velocity of Venus with respect to the Sun, what am I going to do with it? Let me start with this simplified model of the orbits of Earth and Venus (not to scale). |
For this model, I will assume that both the Earth and Venus are moving in circular orbits around the Sun. Since this orbital motion is due to the gravitational force between each planet and the Sun, I can get the following relationship between angular velocity (about the Sun) and distance from the Sun. |
Just to be clear, rp is the orbital radius for a particular planet and ωp is the orbital angular velocity of that planet. The 1/r2 term is the gravitational force and ω2 times r is the acceleration of an object moving in a circle. The mass of the planet (mp) cancels. In short, the further a planet is from the Sun, the ... |
Of course, we don't know the orbital distances for either planet but knowing the ratio of angular velocities will give the ratio of distances. |
The key here is that both Earth and Venus have angular velocities that both depend on the same gravitational constant (G) and the same mass of the Sun. |
Now I am going to make another assumption. I am not quite sure how valid this will be, but I will do it anyway. Let me assume that during this transit of Venus, the Earth is mostly stationary. Calm down ... I know it isn't true. But look at it this way. This transit lasts about 3 hours. The Earth only moves 0.0023 radi... |
If the Earth is stationary, then the motion of Venus in the video will be just like Venus is going around the Earth. Here, maybe this diagram will help. |
Things are still confusing, but I am getting somewhere. I still do not know either of the orbital distances. So now that I have an expression for the linear velocity of Venus, I can use that to get an expression for the angular velocity of Venus as it goes around the Sun. Yes, I know this seems like circular logic – bu... |
Now I can bring in the relationship for the angular velocity of Venus with respect to the gravitational force from before. Also, I can use the ratio of angular speeds of the planets to the orbital distances (from above) to remove the radius of the Earth's orbit. |
What is K? K stands for Konstant. It is just that cubed root of the square of the angular velocity ratio. I was just too lazy to re-write that stuff that is just a constant. Now I just need to do one thing: Get a value for the mass of the Sun and the gravitational constant G. I don't think I can get that here. I am pre... |
Plugging in my values, I get a distance from the Sun to Venus of 2.28 x 1011 meters. This is wrong – but not crazy wrong, just super wrong. The listed value for Sun-Venus distance is 1.08 x 1011 meters. Why am I off by a factor of 2? Maybe it is because I didn't take into account the motion of the Earth. I guess I shou... |
Where the "es" subscript means "velocity of the Earth with respect to the Sun". The same convention applies for the other velocities. And like I said, since the planets are moving in the same direction, I can just add the magnitudes of these velocities without worrying about their vector nature. This means I have re-wr... |
With the known values, I get 9.72 x 1010 meters. Wow. That is pretty close. Honestly, I can't believe it is only a little bit off. Normally, I make some dumb algebra mistake or something. I will chalk this up as a partial victory. I still had to cheat on the value of G*M. |
OK, I came up with another hare-brained idea. What if I assumed that Venus was the same size as the Earth? In that case, I could use the angular size of Venus as it goes across the Sun to get the distance to Venus. I guess that would be a pretty cheap solution also. |
There are some technical issues that I won't go all the way over (because I am not sure). In short, the previous methods for measuring the distance to the Sun used multiple viewing positions. Just suppose that you were in Ecuador and I was in North Dakota. If we were looking at the transit of Venus, we would see Venus ... |
The two red dots on Earth (the blue planet) are the two viewing locations. If you know the distance between those points and the angle between the different observed locations of Venus, you are all set. It is a simple problem to find the distance from Earth to Venus. Since (as I stated above) you can also find the rela... |
Here is the tricky part. How do you make your observations at the same time from different locations? That is the technical part scientists faced in 1761. One method uses the times of when Venus enters and leaves the Sun. But, like I said – it can get complicated. |
But there is another way to get observations at the same time: flickr. Lots of people took some pictures of the transit of Venus and posted them to flickr. Almost all of them have the image time in the EXIF data (available in Flickr). Also, many of these photos include a location. So, after browsing around, I found two... |
Image 1 was from Chula Vista, CA (USA). |
Image 2 was in Brisbane, Australia. |
If you look at both of those images, it is pretty cool to realize that the Sun has a different orientation. This is because the Earth is not flat. The people in Australia are sort of upside down compared to the California people. I can fix this orientation problem by lining up the sun spots (good thing there are some s... |
Using the angular size of the Sun as a scale, I get the angular distance between these two locations as 0.00102 radians. Now I just need the distance between the two Earth-based locations. Using this calculator I get a distance of 1.161 x 107 meters. |
And putting in the values from above, I get an Earth-Venus distance of 1.139 x 1010 meters. This would put the Earth-Sun distance at 4.11 x 1010 meters - which is wrong. The accepted value is 1.49 x 1011 meters. I am not sure what went wrong. |
I just realized something rather stupid. If I knew the mass of the Sun and the gravitational constant (G), I could easily find the distance to the sun using the angular velocity of the Earth. I will just chalk this up as a big mistake. |
Joined on January 3rd 2008, last online on 27 April 2017. |
Well I am sure you have heard this before. I like your Avatar! |
Skyward Sword's control scheme too complicated? |
Nintendo: Mario Kart 3DS completed as "act of emergency" |
The return to the Wallabies of breakdown specialist David Pocock has put the All Blacks, already on notice thanks to coach Steve Hansen's warnings, on high alert. |
Pocock, 30, took a sabbatical last year but returned to the Wallabies for the June series against Ireland and his quality was immediately obvious. |
The Brumbies player was especially prominent in the third and deciding test in Sydney, which the Wallabies lost by only 20-16 and the All Blacks are well aware of his pilfering talent stretching back to the World Cup semifinal at Eden Park in 2011. |
His return comes amid Hansen's comments that the Wallabies, who beat the All Blacks in the third and final Bledisloe Cup test in Brisbane in October, will be the favourites at ANZ Stadium. Hansen, determined to stamp out any potential complacency in his side, has already talked about the need to match the home side's h... |
"He's always a big threat when he plays," said rival All Blacks loose forward Sam Cane of Pocock. "The way he continually bounces back and plays at a high level is pretty outstanding. It just creates an awareness – we're on more of a high alert than normal around the breakdown. |
"In every test match there's always a big emphasis on the breakdown – whether it's their ball or our ball, disrupting their ball or trying to get fast ball. It will be a focus again." |
Cane's reference to Pocock bouncing back from adversity is significant because he was given extra attention by New Zealand teams during the recent Super Rugby season, especially by the Highlanders in Dunedin during the home side's victory. However, the 69-test veteran, who has been playing international rugby for 10 ye... |
An added level of intrigue in terms of the loose forwards has been provided by the return to fitness of skipper and openside flanker Michael Hooper, a player who has been sidelined for seven weeks with a hamstring injury suffered in the first test against Ireland. |
Hooper's leadership will be seen as crucial by coach Michael Cheika, who is also a big fan of his ball-carrying ability. |
Asked if Hooper, who recently signed a new five-year deal with Australian Rugby, could be hampered by a lack of recent game time, Cane, who is likely to be directly marking him, said: "He's played so much footy for his age, experience is something he has buckets of despite being only 26. I don't think it will be an iss... |
The All Blacks will include a large number of Crusaders, fresh from their grand-final winning exploits in their pack, and will be keen to honour the franchise's skipper Sam Whitelock who will celebrate his 100th test cap should he play as expected. |
It could provide an extra level of motivation at a ground where last year they were sublime for the first 50 minutes before letting it slip and allowing the Wallabies to run in four tries in a bizarre 54-34 victory. |
"To play 100 games in the engine room takes a bit," said fullback Ben Smith. "The way he prepares for the game stands out for me… his lineout obviously is a big part of his game but there are so many aspects of his game that he's worked on over the years." |
Cane added: "He's just a very proud and driven All Black who works very hard on his game." |
Long ago, haunted Halloween houses had to put time and effort into their tricks. It took ghouls, goblins and mask-wearing-men-with-chainsaws to spook their visitors. |
But in 2013, there's no need for all the fuss. |
In this Unearthed Comics, artist Sara Zimmerman proves that there's not much that will scare people more than a weak Internet connection. |
Homepage image: Flickr, barb_ar. Comic illustration courtesy of Unearthed Comics. Published with permission; all rights reserved. |
Border Patrol officers near Douglas, Ariz., yesterday arrested a 24-year-old-man wanted on an outstanding murder warrant in Washington after stopping him at the border and matching his fingerprint via the Immigration and Naturalization Service's Automated Biometric Identification System, known as IDENT. |
INS officials said Jorge Luis Naverette-Camacho, a Mexican citizen, gave a false name and birth date when he was picked up while attempting to cross the border illegally near Douglas. Border Patrol officers ran his fingerprints through the IDENT system and generated the match. |
The IDENT system electronically compares a live scanned fingerprint with federal databases of persons wanted for serious crimes and those who have been intercepted or removed from the country for lesser violations. |
The Border Patrol agents verified extradition information with authorities in Washington and turned Naverette-Camacho over the Marshals Service for extradition, the INS said. Justice officials familiar with the case were not immediately available for comment. |
According to the Wisconsin DNR, sturgeon spawning on the Wolf River has begun. |
They say they are visible at the Bamboo Bend in Shiocton. |
This year's spawning is starting a bit later than normal because of the cold temperatures. |
They say there's a good chance it'll be very quick because of the forecasted warmer temperatures coming up. |
Ibrigu Knee Length Skirt - Crepe, no appliqués, stripes, multipockets, no fastening, pencil style. 100% Silk. |
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Armani Knee Length Skirt - Twill, basic solid color, no appliqués, zip, rear closure, no pockets, unlined, pencil style, large sized. 74% Silk, 26% Cotton. |
Strenesse Knee Length Skirt - Crêpe, two-tone pattern, pleated detailing, zip closure, rear closure, no pockets, unlined, pleated style. 100% Polyester. |
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Proenza Schouler Knee Length Skirt - Two-tone. Crepe. Side closure. Hook-and-bar, zip. Folds. Fully lined. Flared style. 87% Silk, 13% Polyester. |
Tory Burch Knee Length Skirt - Plain weave, belt, solid color, multipockets, front closure, button closing, unlined, wrap skirt, large sized. 60% Polyester, 40% Cotton. |
Brunello Cucinelli Knee Length Skirt - Plain weave, no appliqués, stripes, multipockets, side closure, zip, unlined, skirt, large sized. 100% Cotton. |
Ralph Lauren Knee Length Skirt - Plain weave, solid color, no appliqués, front closure, self-tie closure, no pockets, lined interior, skirt. 58% Viscose, 42% Linen. |
One of our lovely sponsors, Xoxide, let us know about their community forums which let you discuss all of the products they have for sale - and of course being a modding based retailer, everything about PC modifications. |
As some of you may know, the modification reseller company Xoxide.com runs its own forum called https://www.xoxideforums.com . The interesting thing is, it actually is very popular! XoxideForums has over 1200 members and 5500 threads. A few days ago, the forums unveiled its new skin as well as some new additions to the... |
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August 15, 2016 local news, Texas. |
Three of the best Texas brands in your local grocery store just so happen to be from Austin — at least, that’s what H-E-B says. |
AMERICAN-STATESMAN/Rodolfo Gonzalez: Customers, Candace Rodriguez and Laura Holt of Houston, sit down for a lunch at the Texas Pie Company in Kyle, Texas on Tuesday, April 13, 2010. |
According to Culture Map Austin, H-E-B’s third annual Primo Picks Quest for Texas Best contest named three Austin-area groups — out of 500 entries — as its collective winners this week. The contest not only awards a cash prize to winners but also a prime spot in grocery store shelves across the state. |
The grand-prize winner, which is $25,000, was Texas Pie Company with its Pie Dough Puck. Last year’s winner was Austin’s TEO Gelato. |
In a tie for first place, Austin’s Kitchun won $20,000 for its allergy-conscious products. Last on the list of Austin brands we can be proud of is Culinary Cowgirls, which earned second place and $15,000 for Lone Star Queso. |
And heads up Austin, the contest will take place in the city next year. |
AD editors select extraordinary homes for sale around the world. |
Pedigree: Rose Manor, a 1906 Long Island estate attributed to architect Stanford White, has a fresh new look after a meticulous three-year renovation. |
Among the interventions are the faithfully re-created Ionic columns that distinguish the clapboard exterior and a handsomely updated kitchen. |
Property Values: Gracing the 3.5-acre grounds are a saltwater swimming pool and a new carriage house with guest quarters. |
Talking Point: Previously home to Eileen and Jerry Ford—founders of the Ford Modeling Agency—the dwelling has hosted such iconic beauties as Lauren Hutton, Beverly Johnson, and Jerry Hall. |
Pedigree: This Asian-inspired getaway, conceived by local architect Hamlet Charles Bennett in 2003, overlooks a pristine stretch of surf on the western shore of the Big Island. Part of the private residential community at the Mauna Kea resort, the home is tailored for indoor-outdoor living, with large pocket doors that... |
Property Values: Nearly an acre, the plot boasts a blue-tiled infinity pool. |
Talking Point: Owners have access to resort amenities such as spa services, tennis courts, and two notable golf courses. |
Pedigree: Neoclassical elegance abounds at this 19th-century villa in France's southern Languedoc-Roussillon region. Highlighted by grand entertaining spaces and a stately façade sporting pilasters and quoins, the residence is reminiscent of the work of legendary royal architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel. |
Property Values: Geometric topiaries punctuate the ten-acre parcel, which includes a pool and several outbuildings. |
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