…then the world apparently did not end yesterday.

Not that I’m surprised! The Mayans didn’t say it was ending, simply that was when the cycle of their calendar ended. Presumably, if they were still around they would have added another digit at the beginning of the year and carried on.

I was checking out the aviation forecast for Ottawa and saw this:

TAF CYOW 201438Z 2015/2112 31006KT P6SM FEW030 TEMPO 2015/2022 BKN030 BECMG 2016/2018 06005KT
FM202200 06012KT P6SM FEW015 OVC090
FM210200 08015G25KT 4SM -SN BKN030 OVC070
FM210500 08015G25KT 1SM -SN BLSN OVC010 PROB40 2105/2107 3SM -FZRA BR
FM210700 08015G25KT 1/2SM SN BLSN VV005 PROB30 2107/2110 2SM -PLSN -FZRA BR
FM211000 07018G28KT 1/4SM +SN BLSN VV002
RMK NXT FCST BY 201800Z=

Apart from the fact that it’s fairly disgusting weather in general with gusting winds, snow, blowing snow and the possibility of freezing rain and snow pellets, it also shows that it’s supposed to be very windy with excessive amounts of snow and blowing snow starting at 1100UTC, which you can see in red.

The Mayan calendar purportedly indicates that the world is supposed to end at 11:11UTC tomorrow morning and the forecast period doesn’t extend past 12:00UTC tomorrow morning (highlighted in fuchia). Coincidence or proof? (Hint: It’s a coincidence.)

It looks like tomorrow morning is going to be chaotic, and of course I have to be downtown in the Market really early:

TAF CYOW 180238Z 1803/1824 07008KT 2SM BR OVC003 TEMPO 1803/1805 6SM -FZDZ BR OVC006
FM180500 08008KT 2SM BR OVC003 TEMPO 1805/1808 6SM -DZ BR OVC006
FM180800 07012KT 1SM -SNRA BR OVC003 TEMPO 1808/1812 5SM -RA BR OVC006 PROB30 1808/1812 4SM -FZRA BR
FM181200 06012KT 1/2SM SN VV002
FM182000 34010KT 2SM -SN OVC012
RMK NXT FCST BY 180600Z=

Basically, it looks like there’s going to be freezing drizzle, snow showers and possibly freezing rain, all before 7am, and then snow carrying on then until tomorrow evening.

Driving to the Market at 7am is gonna be a blast.

There was a lot of ice fog this morning coating everything in hoar frost. I noticed this on a bolt on the bridge over the Transitway near Tunney’s Pasture…

Monday morning’s commute is going to have a high suck factor. The overnight forecast tonight is calling for snow, blowing snow, snow pellets, freezing rain, mist, ice pellets, all with fell winds from the east. The freezing rain and mist is forecast to switch to “just” rain and mist around 1pm Monday afternoon.

TAF CYOW 100245Z 1003/1024 07015KT P6SM OVC012
FM100400 08015G25KT 11/2SM -SN VV012 TEMPO 1004/1006 6SM -SN
FM100600 08015G25KT 1/2SM SN BLSN VV007 TEMPO 1006/1009 2SM -SNPL OVC010 PROB30 1006/1009 4SM -FZRA BR
FM100900 08015G25KT 4SM -FZRA -PL BR OVC005
FM101200 09012KT 2SM -FZRA BR OVC003
FM101800 10005KT 2SM -RA BR OVC003
FM102100 27015KT P6SM SCT004 BKN020 OVC100
FM102300 29015G25KT P6SM SCT025 BKN120
RMK NXT FCST BY 100600Z=

I’m glad I live close enough to work that I can walk to the office.

CBC has a story about Tim Hudak calling for the privatisation of the LCBO. Included is this quote from a statement made by Hudak:

“The LCBO is a prime example of Queen’s Park operating a commercial enterprise — from top to bottom — that should be exposed to private sector competition, enabling more consumer choice.”

It has long been a fact that the LCBO is the single largest purchaser of wines and spirit in the world and that this is why Ontarians have access to a huge catalogue of products from any LCBO store in the system. I fail to see how privatising LCBO will “[enable] more consumer choice” when we already have an enormous number of products to choose from. Splintering the industry by introducing multiple players will result in all of them having less buying power and very likely an overall decrease in selection and probably an increase in price.

There is an argument to be made for looking at expanding the network of stores that are allowed to sell wine and beer. Currently, retailers in rural areas are able to obtain a franchise from the LCBO to allow them to sell some products normally only available through an LCBO store. A couple of concerns for expanding this would be an increase in accessibility of alcohol to underage people and also the potential increase in crimes against the stores. Other provinces allow wine and beer to be sold through corner stores, so there should be ample crime statistics to examine.

But the biggest problem with selling off the LCBO is the revenue stream for the province. The LCBO generates a huge amount of revenue that goes into the provincial coffers. If the LCBO is privatised, how is he going to make up for this loss in revenue. A liquor tax could be collected at the point of sale, but that’s not going to make up for the loss of revenue from the profit made by the LCBO between their cost and the retail price.