Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Catching Up
I've fallen behind a bit in posting here. Thanks to all who sent cards and emails making sure everything is alright.
Okay, actually...no one noticed! :)
We seem to have survived "The Hottest Day in Ten Years in Chicago." Yes, our little mini heat wave has it's own name! It was 102 officially in Chicago on Sunday...104 at Midway. But, thanks to a blast furnace-like 25 mph southwest wind, the humidity - although bad - wasn't as bad as it could have been. The heat index topped out at around 107 or so. That's a far cry from the "Deadly Heat Wave of 1995" (another one with an official name!) that killed 700 people here. Heat index readings back then were in the 125 degree range.
First, the city reported that three people died from Sunday's extreme heat. Then, they changed their mind. Now, they say those people died of other causes...but just happened to die on a very hot day.
I have long believed - and I'm certainly not alone - that the "700 heat fatalities" from 1995 were greatly inflated. In the vast majority of those fatalities, the heat was the second - or even third - listed cause of death. Sadly, many of those people were going to expire any way...it just happened to occur during the heat wave. Did the heat kill people in the summer of 1995? Sure...but not 700 people.
A real concern this summer is the drought in northern Illinois. We got a few sprinkles yesterday...but we are still in the area of 6 - 7 inches below normal for rainfall. This is our rainiest time of year...yet, some parts of northern Illinois have received less than two inches since the start of June! Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has declared the entire state to be an agricultural disaster area, in hopes of securing federal relief for farmers...many of whom have already lost more than half their crop...and, some of whom will sadly be wiped out this year.
Big story out of Chicago on Monday was the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union splitting from the AFL-CIO. This is actually a pretty huge deal in the labor world...and there are few, if any, bigger union cities than Chicago. My own union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) is also a part of the AFL-CIO. I'm not sure we'd merit much network coverage if we were to bail out...
Our vacation plans are set...August 12 - 22 in Cabo San Lucas. WooHoo! And, we still plan on going to California for the annual bash at Francis Ford Coppola's Niebaum-Coppola Winery in September.
Okay, actually...no one noticed! :)
We seem to have survived "The Hottest Day in Ten Years in Chicago." Yes, our little mini heat wave has it's own name! It was 102 officially in Chicago on Sunday...104 at Midway. But, thanks to a blast furnace-like 25 mph southwest wind, the humidity - although bad - wasn't as bad as it could have been. The heat index topped out at around 107 or so. That's a far cry from the "Deadly Heat Wave of 1995" (another one with an official name!) that killed 700 people here. Heat index readings back then were in the 125 degree range.
First, the city reported that three people died from Sunday's extreme heat. Then, they changed their mind. Now, they say those people died of other causes...but just happened to die on a very hot day.
I have long believed - and I'm certainly not alone - that the "700 heat fatalities" from 1995 were greatly inflated. In the vast majority of those fatalities, the heat was the second - or even third - listed cause of death. Sadly, many of those people were going to expire any way...it just happened to occur during the heat wave. Did the heat kill people in the summer of 1995? Sure...but not 700 people.
A real concern this summer is the drought in northern Illinois. We got a few sprinkles yesterday...but we are still in the area of 6 - 7 inches below normal for rainfall. This is our rainiest time of year...yet, some parts of northern Illinois have received less than two inches since the start of June! Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has declared the entire state to be an agricultural disaster area, in hopes of securing federal relief for farmers...many of whom have already lost more than half their crop...and, some of whom will sadly be wiped out this year.
Big story out of Chicago on Monday was the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union splitting from the AFL-CIO. This is actually a pretty huge deal in the labor world...and there are few, if any, bigger union cities than Chicago. My own union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) is also a part of the AFL-CIO. I'm not sure we'd merit much network coverage if we were to bail out...
Our vacation plans are set...August 12 - 22 in Cabo San Lucas. WooHoo! And, we still plan on going to California for the annual bash at Francis Ford Coppola's Niebaum-Coppola Winery in September.
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I agree with your opinion that the 700 "heat related" deathe were overexagerated. I recall one of the victims was found dead in his car, having passed out the night before after drinking heavily. I certainaly didn't think that was any more "heat related" than if he had passed out in the middle of a busy road and been struck by a car and having it called a "motor vehicle" accident.
Sadly, still a lot of deaths in a short period of time.
Long time listener, first time poster. Enjoy your work.
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Sadly, still a lot of deaths in a short period of time.
Long time listener, first time poster. Enjoy your work.
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