blizzard ("winter storm Juno") update

sorry for the sponsor's messages. here's a satellite picture. Quite some some

Here's our terrace last night from yesterday's snow, even before the blizzard hit.

what i find amazing is how eerily quiet it is on the streets after these snow storms. No traffic, only a few people, and the only sound is the occasional snow shovel scraping on the side walk.

Northeast braces for monster winter storm

"This could be a storm the likes of which we have never seen before," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a Sunday news conference. "Don't underestimate this storm. Prepare for the worst."

The hottest news story in the US: Deflate-gate

FROM NBC NIGHTLY NEWS: The celebrity quarterback of the New England Patriots (boo!) Tom Brady struggled to bring some perspective on Thursday to the absurdist football drama known as Deflate-Gate. "This isn't ISIS," he said. "No one's dying." But Brady said he could not explain why footballs (used by the Patriots but not the opposition) might have been deflated below league standards, theoretically making them easier to throw and catch, in the game that sent his team to the Super Bowl. Brady denied wrongdoing and said he had never knowingly played with a football that did not meet league regulations. "I would never do anything to break the rules," he said. "Everyone's obviously trying to figure out what happened." Brady said that before the AFC championship game, in which the Patriots routed the Indianapolis Colts 45-7, he went through the same process he does before any game — going over the footballs and selecting the ones that felt right. Under NFL rules, each team supplies 12 footballs to the league to use while it is on offense. ESPN has reported that an NFL investigation found the footballs supplied by the Patriots to be 2 pounds below standard, but Brady said that he has not been contacted by any league investigators. "When I pick those footballs out, at that point, to me, they're perfect," he said. "I don't want anyone touching the balls after that. I don't want anyone rubbing them. To me, those balls are perfect. And that's what I expect when I show up on the field." He did say that his ideal grip is a football with 12.5 pounds per square inch of pressure — the low end of what's allowed under league rules. The NFL is still investigating, and Brady passed up a chance to dismiss the scandal as a media-generated distraction. "The integrity of the sport is very important," he said. But he added that he felt the Patriots "won the game fair and square." Earlier in the day, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he knew nothing about it — although he suggested that Brady might have answers. "Tom's personal preferences on his footballs are something that he can talk about in much better detail and information than I could possibly provide," Belichick told reporters. "I have no explanation for what happened."

what Monica is missing out on: "Death toll rises as 'flash freeze' paralyzes Northeast"

A deadly "flash freeze" swept through much of the Northeast on Sunday, causing crashes that killed at least four people and forcing flight delays and closure of all bridges linking Philadelphia and New Jersey. Parts of the Northwest suffered a similar fate: Twelve people were injured in a massive wreck involving more than a dozen tractor-trailers on icy Interstate 84 near Baker City, Ore. But the most pervasive problems were in the East. In Connecticut, Hartford's Bradley International Airport closed temporarily due to ice on the runways. Morning flight delays averaged almost an hour at Philadelphia International Airport; Kennedy International delays were almost 40 minutes. Rain falling on frozen roadways and runways caused black ice and hundreds of crashes across the region. "It has warmed up and we don't have ice now," Charlie Metzger, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Transportation Department, told USA TODAY late Sunday. "We will treat roads again overnight, but we are not expecting a repeat of today's problems." Those problems included three road deaths in Pennsylvania and another in Connecticut. Interstate 76 west of Philadelphia closed in both directions after a 30-car collision that left at least one person dead, Metzger said. Two people died in a multi-vehicle crash on I-476 in the state. Kaitlyn Maier, of Philadelphia, said she was driving with her boyfriend when she came upon the I-76 crash. "Ten minutes before I was asking him, what is this? Rain, or what?" said Maier, adding that emergency responders directed her and other drivers to turn and drive eastbound on the westbound side to the next exit. "I've driven through snow a lot, and this isn't like anything I've ever driven in. I was going less than 10 mph, but I had no control of my vehicle." In New Jersey, the Pallisades Parkway that links North Jersey to New York City via the George Washington Bridge was closed for hours due to the ice, state transportation spokesman Steve Schapiro told USA TODAY. Speed limits were lowered along the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike, where dozens of accidents were reported early Sunday, he said. More than 200 crashes had been reported across the state before the ice gave way to warming temperatures. Schapiro said that in many areas roads were pre-treated, but the rain washed the salt away before freezing. Some roads were treated several times, he said. "We had black ice almost everywhere and roads are treacherous," Schapiro said. The Delaware River Port Authority closed the four bridges linking Philadelphia and New Jersey to allow treatment. Bridges generally freeze before road surfaces do, which can make them even more hazardous. In Connecticut, an 88-year-old woman died in a crash on icy roads, authorities said. And in New York City Fire Department said emergency calls poured in due to accidents on icy roads where traction was limited. The conditions forced road closures in the city and on Long Island. The New York State Thruway was closed southbound from Newburgh to the New York City line. Officials across the region said hundreds of trucks were sent out to treat roads. The situation improved as temperatures rose into the upper 30s and 40s F (4-6 C) later in the day.

Comedy Week

Been bitterly cold all month but not much precipitation. Not been above freezing for over a week, and often in the low 20's F and single digits in the wind. So nothing like a few laughs to warm you up! Paul went to see 2 middle-aged, obese white American male stand up comics this week. Last Saturday night, it was over to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark (courtesy of Christmas gift from Kate & Steve), then Wednesday night he followed up at MSG to see Monica & his favorite, Louis C.K. Both played to full houses for over an hour each. Here are some excerpts - see who you think is funnier (WARNING: "Parental Advisory" for Louis C.K....)

this morning's commute

about 25F (-5 celsius), "real feel" of 8F (-15 celsius)

Ferocious cold today across the USA

double click on video for best results