Ending the year with an opinion and a quote

 

I made it, though sometimes I wasn't sure I could or would. I've posted at a rate of a post a day, even though some days I had to post a lot of them to make that rate. But this is likely the last one.

As you might expect, the subject is Donald Trump, and the danger he poses to democracy in the United States. We knew he would before he was elected, we were sure he would the day he was inaugurated, and nothing that has happened since has changed that certainty, though the dangers he poses to world peace and the global environment, and human rights and human health (with the help of his catastrophic cadre) are now more clear.

But back to democracy. Here's the piece:

The real cost of an unchecked president

Blind partisanship is eroding the nation’s system of checks and balances.

And here is the operative quote:

"For all the protections built into our government, an imperious president has always been the biggest threat to checks and balances."

Why?

"The end product, in the hands of an unchecked president, is a government that prioritizes partisan solidarity over constitutional democracy, subverting competition between the branches and parties alike. That is the end of checks and balances."

And we have seen this happening, because the gerrymandering to try to maintain a Congressional majority, prioritizing party over the voting populace, could result in a Congress that continues to be servile to the President. We will have to wait and see if the Supreme Court, perhaps reasserting a degree of independence as well as discernment, will rule against the President on several important issues. I can hope, but I'm not counting on it.

Democracy is in danger.  The next year will be intensely crucial.

Are you ready?

Are we ready?

WE the people had better be.

What wolf apples can do

 

In the previous post, I discussed how I learned about the existence of maned wolves after first discovering the existence of wolf apples.  So why did I discover the existence of wolf apples?

Because of this article:

Characterization of Solanum lycocarpum Starch and Its Application as Edible Coating in Minimally Processed Baby Carrots

Yes, that sounds sexy, doesn't it?  First of all, S. lycocarpum is the wolf apple. See the "lyco" in there?  Now, why is this of interest to the average human?

To put it simply, the starch can be converted into a powder, which can be made into a coating that maintains food edibility (as well as appearance) for a good long period of time, and this is done without plastic. So it's good for the environment for two reasons;  reducing food waste and reducing the use of plastic which is used to reduce food waste.

That is indeed sexy.

My question is:  can wolf apple cultivation be expanded, and can it be expanded and agriculturalized (if that's a word) so that there are still enough wolf apples for the maned wolves?

So the article doesn't get into that. It suggest that this could be done regionally (i.e., where wolf apples grow).  But if this catches on, wolf apple cultivation should be expanded to other places where they can be grown and harvested, and the starch processed to reduce food waste in other countries, like the good ol' USA.

Wolf apple

This wolf eats apples

 

It was only a very short time ago that I discovered the existence of a creature named the maned wolf.  I don't remember ever seeing it in a zoo, though some zoos have them.

It lives in the grasslands of South America. It also eats wolf apples, so named because the maned wolf eats them.

This article has more information about it:

The Verge Review of animals:  the maned wolf

I borrowed their picture:

So, the whole reason I found out about maned wolves and wolf apples will be apparent in the next post, which I plan to post before the year ends.  I have two days left.

Lighthouse of the Week, 12/28/25 - 1/3/26, South Buffalo Southside Lighthouse, New York, USA

 

In case you aren't familiar with geography and weather, the reason that Buffalo, New York gets so much lake-effect snow is that it's located at the eastern end of Lake Erie, and when winds blow over open water, the air gets moister and moister, and when that moist air hits the cold shore, SNOW happens. 

So, if you're thinking there might be lighthouses around Buffalo, you're right. It has a famous one (I'll feature that next week). And it has this less famous one too.

Google Maps calls it what I've called it in the title;  the Lighthouse Directory calls it the Buffalo Harbor South Entrance Light.

It's located south of Buffalo, amazingly enough.

Here's some of what the Lighthouse Directory has on it:

"1903. Inactive since 1993. 29 ft (9 m) round steel tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a concrete platform on the Stony Point Breakwater. The original 4th order Fresnel lens was transferred to the Buffalo Main light in 1987; in 2013 it was removed, restored, and displayed at the Heritage Discovery Center in South Buffalo. The lighthouse has been replaced by a post light (focal plane 36 ft; white flash every 6 s) at the end of the breakwater. ... In 2008 this poorly-known lighthouse became available for transfer under NHLPA. The Buffalo Lighthouse Association applied for ownership and its application was approved. In 2012 the Association was seeking $185,000 for an initial project to stabilize the lighthouse. According to the Association, "An $850,000 project is planned to restore the station and reuse it for maritime education in partnership with the M.A.I.N. Foundation, as a shoreline study center and as a site for amateur radio activities." In 2014 volunteers worked to secure the lighthouse, patching the roof and replacing windows. In 2022 restoration was boosted by a grant of $137,800 from the Buffalo and Erie County Greenway Funding Committee. The photo at right shows the lighthouse repainted in 2024 and restoration will continue in 2025."

 Lighthouse Friends has a page too: Buffalo South Entrance South Side, NY

 I have pictures!  I tried to find just the ones with the new paint, as there are several showing it looking badly in need of a paint job.

Seen on the door

 

OK, so I just happened to notice this unusual grain pattern in a wooden door.

I wonder what Georgia O'Keefe would think of it.

Georgia O'Keefe, one of the "Black Iris" series

Explaining the Pacific Northwest owl controversy

 

This is a longish article about why there is a proposed barred owl hunt-and-kill to help spotted owls.

Owl vs. Owl

A Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to save northern spotted owls by killing barred owls splits conservationists and wildlife lovers 

Here's an interesting part:

"THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE points to the outcome of the initial experiment as a reason to scale the strategy up. Robin Bown, the barred owl management lead, said that in areas where barred owls were killed, spotted owls experienced a population stabilization, compared with a 12 percent decline in populations where barred owls were not. She also pointed out that the loss of even 470,000 barred owls won’t make a significant dent in that species’ total numbers. “We’re not going to eliminate them from the West, and we’re not trying to,” Bown said. “But if we manage them, and if we can find pockets of areas where we can keep our native spotted owls—at least for now—then we will have both our species.”

“Ethically, it’s not comfortable for people,” Bown continued. “But if we don’t do it, we lose our species. If we do it, we can have both.”

The fact remains that under the Endangered Species Act, FWS has a legal obligation to do something. “There’s not a clause in the act that says, ‘things are so bad, we’re going to give up,’” said Katherine Fitzgerald, the northern spotted owl recovery lead with the FWS. “What it says is that we should conserve threatened and endangered species, which means work toward recovery. That’s what we’re obligated to do, and that’s what we’ll do.”

And we don't want to lose them.  Turn up the sound.  While you're listening, remember that climate change-related wildfire intensity increase has also diminished northern spotted owl habitat.

Don't take the train

 

I'm not planning on it, after reading this.

We Should All Be Embarrassed By This Train

Large excerpt:

"It’s worth looking into a specific comparison to see how flat [Amtrak] NextGen falls. Tokyo to Hiroshima is about a 500-mile journey. Direct Shinkansen service is bookable for the route with trips ranging between 3.5 and 4 hours in duration. The trains run about every 15 minutes during peak times, and on a recent day when I searched for pricing, they cost $133.

Washington, D.C. to Boston is a 450-mile drive. NextGen train service between the two cities has a scheduled time of 7 hours and 5 minutes. I cannot stress this enough: for some unholy reason, the trip is 11 minutes longer than the “quickest” traditional Acela departure running the same route on the same day. Huh? Glad we got those sweet new trains!

Including traditional Acela and NextGen service, there were a grand total of eight departures on a weekday. Tickets a month in advance started from $217 for the lowest fare business seats and ranged up to $526. Prices skyrocket further on short-notice bookings. Shinkansen fares, meanwhile, remained within a few bucks of $133 whether I was searching for today, tomorrow, next week, or next month. Did I mention they run every 15 minutes? And get you there in half the time?

Then there’s the reliability to consider. Japanese bullet trains operate on a precise schedule and are the epitome of dependability. I’ve ridden dozens without arriving more than a few minutes before or after a scheduled ETA. Amtrak ETAs are like plumber appointments; you can expect to arrive within a theoretical four-hour window on your chosen day.

To be fair, though, both systems are devout about their timetables: Shinkansen trains are religiously on time. On Amtrak, arriving at your scheduled ETA is considered a sanctified miracle.

The current Shinkansen trains aren’t in their final iteration, either. Like an episode of the country’s beloved Dragonball Z, they are still powering up to reach a new form. Japan has been steadfast about improving its train service throughout the decades. When the Shinkansen debuted in 1964, it topped out at 130 miles per hour. Today it hits 200 mph. Not complacent with that, the country has long been developing its SCMaglev service, which has been tested at speeds up to 375 mph. In practice during operation, it’s planned to top out at a mere 314 mph."

Nope. Not gonna do it.  But I'll take the train if I go to Japan.

Which is sad, because the NextGen Acela does look somewhat cool.