Average. . .

. . . Schmaverage . . .


(from http://science.time.com/2014/01/22/average-temperatures-in-january-warm-despite-cold/)
"January 2014 will go down as the month we all learned about the polar vortex (even if meteorologists have known about it for decades). It’s the month when it got so cold that Minnesota closed all schools for the first time since 1997, when much of the Midwest was more frigid than the North Pole, when even Tampa experienced temperatures below freezing. (As of this writing) much of the eastern half of the country is suffering through another bitter cold snap—not caused by the vortex, FYI—one that has blanked the East Coast in heavy snow. Winter, in short, has felt miserable.

But here’s the surprise: on a historical and national level, it hasn’t actually been all that cold. With data from Weather Underground, I calculated the average high daily temperature from Jan. 1 through Jan. 22 for the 10 largest cities in the U.S. The results make this winter look surprisingly average:

    Jan. 2014 Average High                Historical Average High
    New York:         38 F (3.3 C)          36 F (2.2 C)
    Los Angeles:     76 F (24.4 C)        68 F (20 C)
    Chicago:            27 F (-2.7 C)          32 F (0 C)
    Houston:          64 F (17.8 C)          63 F (17.2 C)
    Philadelphia:   40 F (4.4 C)           41 F (5 C)
    Phoenix:           73 F (22. 8 C)         67 F (19.4 C)
    San Antonio:   66 F (18.9 C)           63 F (17.2 C)
    San Diego:        72 F (22.2 C)          65 F (18.3 C)
    Dallas:               58 F (14.4 C)           57 F (13.9 C)
    San Jose:          66 F (18.9 C)           58 F (14.4 C)

What do we learn from this? Well for one thing, there’s an East Coast bias in news coverage, at least of the weather. But while it truly has been historically cold on average for much of the Midwest, for most of the rest of the country the average temperatures have been around normal, or even a little above. And the West Coast is experiencing an unusually hot winter (one that has compounded the record drought in California). Average high temperatures have been further above normal in Los Angeles and San Jose than they’ve been below average in Chicago. Anchorage has been positively balmy—by Alaskan standards—with average daily highs that are 11 F (6.1 C) greater than the historical average for January. . ."

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The 2014 Edition. . .

        . . . of the Brewer’s Alley Songwriters’ Showcase . . .

                              Tomy Wright

. . . continues with  Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano opening the January 13th show @ 7:30PM

Brewer's Alley Restaurant & Brewery
124 North Market Street Frederick, MD 21701
Telephone: 301-631-0089 Fax: 301-631-1874
http://www.brewers-alley.com/

 Monday Night Songwriters' Showcase is now in its ninth year!) The program starts at 7:30 pm with a piano prelude, followed by three or four songwriters doing three songs each (lots of variety). The featured songwriter for the evening goes on around 9 pm for around an hour, followed by two or three more three-song performers. Somewhere in the mix we may throw in some poetry. Our MCs are Ron Goad, Todd C. Walker and Tomy Wright, frequently interrupted by Rod Deacey on sound.

There is no admission charge per se, but there is a collection for the featured performer. If you don't want to put money in the hat, you don't have to. And you don't have to give a reason, or you can simply say “I can't spare anything this week” or words to that effect. That is totally fine as people’s circumstances change all the time.

If you CAN afford to put cash in the hat, please give generously – most touring songwriters live on an unbelievably small amount of money. They often drive all night to their next gig because they can't afford a motel. It is not an easy life. And all the tip money goes to the featured songwriter – no money is siphoned off for Ron, Todd or Rod, or for Tomy, Walt or John Holly, or for any of the cameo players, who perform for nothing. It actually costs them money to put on the shows, but they keep doing it for mysterious reasons that they have yet to fathom!

Featured songwriters are a mix of national and regional touring performers, with many award winners from all genres.

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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