December 22, 2010

There were 3 posts published on December 22, 2010 (this is page 1 of 1).

Immigration equals congressional seats

2010 Census apportionment

The official Census apportionment took place this week. While North Carolina grew at an 18.5% clip this past decade, it was not enough to gain us an additional seat in the House of Representatives. We missed that landmark by fewer than 16,000 people.

One thing I noticed is that the states which gained the most in population are also the ones known for attracting immigrants (documented or otherwise). Since the Census doesn’t care whether someone is a citizen or not the states that made big gains in population benefited from at least some so-called “illegal” immigration. Do you think that these states might now change their tune about immigration?

N&O runs another ethically-questionable ad

Heat Surge ad

Wow, that didn’t take long.

The News and Observer has gone to the bottom the barrel again by running yet another advertisement that misleads its readers into thinking they can get something for nothing. In spite of me calling the newspaper out earlier for the misleading “free $2” ad, the paper has continued to take money from the shady Universal Syndications company for its misleading ads.

As with the $2 bill ad, there are plenty of consumer complaints about this advertisement. One only has to check the websites of Consumer Reports and the Better Business Bureau to find them. Bloggers have documented the issues with these ads. Consumer Affairs has covered them. The Columbus Dispatch dig deeper into the story, interviewing the poor people who were duped by the deal:
Continue reading →

White Christmas on the way?

White Christmas?

Our weather forecast is calling for a significant chance of snow on Christmas Day in Raleigh. Currently the forecast shows a 60% chance of snow the afternoon and evening of Christmas Day. My forecaster friend Jeff Orrock says this snow could be significant.

We could be looking at a White Christmas and then some. Stay tuned!

A STORM SYSTEM WILL TRACK ACROSS THE DEEP SOUTH CHRISTMAS DAY…BEFORE MAKING A TURN TO THE NORTHEAST AND MOVING ALONG THE SOUTHEAST AND MID ATLANTIC COAST CHRISTMAS NIGHT AND SUNDAY. WHILE THERE REMAINS CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY AS TO THE EXACT TRACK AND TIMING OF THIS STORM…CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING THAT CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA WILL SEE ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL.

via National Weather Service Watch Warning Advisory Summary.

Update 10:30 AM: News14 meterologist Lee Ringer says this storm has major potential, though the track and timing are not certain. Adjust your travel plans accordingly!

While a lot of folks are dreaming of a white Christmas, this storm has the potential to become a major snowstorm from the Carolinas to the northeast. This would create dangerous or impossible travel conditions.