Brad Pitt is so cheap he makes me look like Richie Rich.

A winter storm that pummeled New York City for two days broke a monthly record for snowfall in Central Park that stood for 114 years, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm killed at least three people, knocked out power to more than 700,000 electrical customers across the U.S. Northeast and grounded thousands of flights from regional airports. As the city digs out, forecasters are already watching another storm that may hit the U.S. East Coast next week.

“This is stuff that doesn’t happen too often, maybe a couple of times a century,” said Jeffrey Tongue, a weather service meteorologist in Upton, New York.

Manhattan’s Central Park received 36.9 inches (93.7 centimeters) as of yesterday, the most ever for a single month, the weather service said. The previous record for February was 27.9 inches in 1934, and the mark for a single month was 30.5 inches in March 1896.

Almost 21 inches blanketed the city during the storm, which began at about 8 a.m. on Feb. 25. The record for a single snowstorm was set Feb. 11-12, 2006, when 26.9 inches fell.

From “NYC Snow Storm Sets Record, Stops Flights, Cuts Power” by Brian K. Sullivan, published February 27, 2010 at BusinessWeek.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2010 is the Year of the Tiger, which commences on February 14, 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011. The Tiger is the third sign in the Chinese Zodiac cycle, and it is a sign of bravery. This courageous and fiery fighter is admired by the ancient Chinese as the sign that keeps away the three main tragedies of a household. These are fire, thieves and ghosts.

People that are born in the Year of the Tiger are generally well liked because of their charismatic personalities. Often, failing at a given duty or being unproductive in his personal or professional life can cause a Tiger to experience a deep sense of depression. A Tiger is always at their happiest when they endeavor to climb the ladder of success. Attaining the top spot is his foremost purpose; being in a position of power is her ultimate goal. They are quick learners, need to be challenged and often prefer to work alone. Some Tigers tend to change careers more frequently because they get bored quite easily. They are natural born leaders and perform at their best if working towards positions of power and influence. So once there is no further room for progression, they will often move on to something else.

From Yearofthetiger.net

The Simply Switch On…! collection illustrates the progress of small early c20th electrical appliances through books, adverts, instruction manuals and over 300 electrical artifacts, taking into consideration such aspects as technology, design, marketing and social impact.

The collection was started in 1980 with a discarded Hoover Dustette which the museum curator’s grandparents had bought in the mid-Thirties and used ever since. It was still complete with its storage hook and instruction leafle,t and in fully working condition. The realisation that there were obsolete and unwanted, yet fully functioning and interesting electrical appliances still around formed the impetus for the collection. Appliances have been discovered through a wide variety of sources: scrap heaps, domestic recycling centres, junk shops, charity shops, car-boot sales, Ebay and the internet, antiques and collectors fairs, generous donors, private sales and other collectors.

Learn more about Simply Switch On…! A virtual museum of small early electrical appliances

For all New Yorkers, here is a reminder of important Sanitation rules you must follow, plus a few common-sense suggestions to make your winter safe and more enjoyable:

Sidewalk Safety

Whether you’re the owner, tenant, occupant or the person in charge of any lot or building, you must clear the snow and/or ice from your sidewalk within four (4) hours after the snow has stopped falling or by 11 a.m. if the snow stopped falling after 9 p.m. the night before.

If the snow becomes frozen and too hard to remove, you may spread sand, sawdust or another similarly suitable traction material within the same time limits.

As you clear your sidewalk, keep in mind: YOU MUST NOT THROW SNOW INTO THE STREET.  It’s against the law and it forces Sanitation to re-plow your street. Also, never cover fire hydrants with snow – this could interfere with emergency firefighting efforts.

Failure to comply with the law may result in fines ranging from $100 to $350.

Snow Shoveling Suggestions

If your doctor has told you not to shovel snow, don’t do it; ask for help.

If you’re in good health and your neighbor is disabled or elderly, become a “snow angel” and give a helping hand!

Protect your heart and your back. Don’t drink alcohol, smoke or eat a large meal before you start shoveling. When you shovel your sidewalk or driveway, wear warm layers of clothing, drink water and take frequent breaks.

Most important: Stop shoveling when you feel you’ve had enough!

By John J. Doherty, Commissioner of Sanitation, February 9, 2010

The Freecycle Network(TFN) began in Tucson to save the desert landscape from expanding landfills, building a modern day gifting concept around one mans trash is anothers treasure. From grassroots, TFN created an infrastructure of 7 million+ members, who reduce waste over 700 tons/day from landfills.

Freecycle is currently in the running for Pepsi’s Refresh Project. Vote for them to receive $250K to expand their program to reduce the waste filling our countries landfills.

Ingredients:
Water, Textured Soy Protein Concentrate, Corn Oil, Contains Two Percent Or Less Of Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Vegetable Gum, Natural Flavors From Vegetable Sources, Maltodextrin, Soy Fiber, Salt, Carrageenan, Potato Starch, Onion Powder, Caramel Color, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Konjac Flour, Sunflower Oil, Sesame Seed Oil, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt), Concentrated Onion Juice, Ascorbic Acid, Vinegar Powder, Citric Acid, Aspartic Acid, Modified Corn Starch, Malic Acid, Succinic Acid, Tartaric Acid, Lactic Acid, Wheat Flour, Soy Lecithin.

From MorningStar Farms

Department of Sanitation slang:

airmail n: trash thrown at the truck from a high window (“Incoming! We’ve got some airmail being delivered.”)

body bags/sausage bags n: 120-gallon garbage bags popular in big apartment complexes with compactors (“Get ready for some heavy lifting—we’re picking up sausage bags next.”)

chart adj: scheduled to have the day off (“No salad wagon for me Wednesday, I’m chart.”)

disco rice n: maggots (“The disco rice in that turkey carcass are moving like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.”)

57 n: the sign-in, sign-out sheet (“Don’t forget the 57 before you leave for the day.”)

fruit wagon/salad wagon/white elephant n: garbage truck (“It’s just another day riding the ol’ salad wagon.”)

get it up v: to remove the trash from the street (“Joey’s been on the fruit wagon for years, so he can really get it up.”)

hopper juice n: the bilelike substance that pools in the bottom of the truck’s collection bin (“It’s your turn to clean out the hopper juice.”)

mongo n: salvageable garbage (“Don’t chuck that table, it’s mongo—I can use it in my living room.”)

out of town adj: term used when an employee is sent to work at a garage other than the one he or she is normally assigned to (“I’m going out of town Wednesday, a garage in Queens is one man short.”)

stroke the book v: to calculate payroll (“Don’t bother the superintendent right now, he’s stroking the book.”)

urban whitefish n: a used condom floating in the water (“Man, people have been getting lucky this week; there’s another urban whitefish on the loose.”)

walk backwards v: to work very slowly (“Pick up the pace, yo; you’re walking backwards.”)

From Time Out New York

From: Bill Helman
To: Cweiss@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2005 3:06 PM
Subject: RE house/land at Oyster Wacha

Christina I was going to call Michael Barclay to get started do you have contact info for him?

From: Cweiss@aol.com
To: Bill Helman
Sent: Thursday, May 05 2005 5:28 PM
Subject: Re: house/land at Oyster Wacha

thanks… i think i understand it all, and pretty much what i had already surmised. I think Millard will be able to send out the letters on May 12th… so we will go from there. Is it your thinking that we don’t want to go in fron of the Edgartown commision until the other home owners have passed on their rights to buy the property? Even the first round of just explaining the general parameters of what we want to build? As far as the Assoc. itself is concerned, let Michael Barclay know when it’s convenient for you and the others concerned to see what we have in mind… again, after May 12th, but should we want bill all have passed or not….
I don’t want to burden you will all these questions, but it’s nice having you as our inital contact person.

Thanks again.

Christina

Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty announced today that the Department will begin its annual Christmas tree curbside collection and recycling program on Monday, January 4, 2010. The program will run through Friday, January 15th.

Residents should remove all tree stands, tinsel, lights, and ornaments from holiday trees before they are put out at curbside for removal.  Trees must not be placed into plastic bags. Clean, non-bagged Christmas trees that are left at the curb between Monday, January 4th and Friday, January 15th will be collected, chipped, and made into compost. The compost will be processed and subsequently spread upon parks, ball fields, and community gardens throughout the city.

In January 2009, the Department collected 122,235 discarded Christmas trees.

“The Department is very pleased to offer this special recycling service. Providing collection and recycling options for residents is environmentally valuable and benefits our neighborhoods. Working in conjunction with the City’s Parks & Recreation Department allows residents to take part in the recycling process and permits them to even reuse their composted Christmas trees to fertilize for the spring. Compost is a natural fertilizer and is an excellent soil enrichment that promotes the healthy growth of plants and grass,” said Commissioner Doherty.

The Parks & Recreation Department will be hosting Mulchfest 2010 on Saturday, January 9th and Sunday, January 10th from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. at more than 80 sites throughout the city. To find citywide locations, visit the Parks & Recreation website at www.nyc.gov/parks . The citywide service allows New Yorkers to drop off their holiday trees at designated parks for mulching and event attendees can pick up free mulch. All lights, ornaments, and decorations must be removed from the trees prior to drop-off.

From “Sanitation Begins Christmas Tree Recycling on Jan. 4th” published December 28, 2009 at NY Department of Sanitation.