tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47052845295653908662024-03-17T21:29:46.876-07:00Weights, Measures, and EsotericaOakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.comBlogger6747125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-89785441905159020722024-03-17T21:28:00.000-07:002024-03-17T21:28:53.993-07:00Did you drop something?<p> </p><p>I wonder how this got there. Clearly somebody was not paying attention about 80 years ago or so.</p><p><a href="https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/ww2-bomb-weighing-1000-lbs-unearthed-at-florida-airport-prompting-evacuations">WW2 bomb weighing 1,000 lbs unearthed at Florida airport prompting evacuations</a></p><br />
<div>You'd probably evacuate too if you found something this big and boomy, and I don't just mean leaving the area promptly.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAuenmF9I7KxdzeFID3thef7mBjRoIPyPC6q0FcCwHfgFIYhkLBleppLdO57kf5nh6TnYMZL23Z_pim3WgNmGqBEAxfxm0YVud4mlNnYnBQr7jqhyxuHfeROZ-nhGFpT7NtgBEuqPnIxPIAc2bZ77VLMdWKJcb98wEXtHdQYCRQvIUtMAzn5Yd4xOr4s/s500/its%20the%20bomb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAuenmF9I7KxdzeFID3thef7mBjRoIPyPC6q0FcCwHfgFIYhkLBleppLdO57kf5nh6TnYMZL23Z_pim3WgNmGqBEAxfxm0YVud4mlNnYnBQr7jqhyxuHfeROZ-nhGFpT7NtgBEuqPnIxPIAc2bZ77VLMdWKJcb98wEXtHdQYCRQvIUtMAzn5Yd4xOr4s/s320/its%20the%20bomb.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's the bomb</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Fortunately it was determined that the bomb was "inert", and it was disposed of. That statement does not indicate if the explosive within the bomb was still capable of exploding if properly stimulated. And I don't know if anyone tried to find out.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-29514512927873697442024-03-17T21:18:00.000-07:002024-03-17T21:18:02.957-07:00Report on forest fires from WRI<p> </p><p>WRI is the World Resources Institute, which does really good work tracking man's impact on the environment and climate change, and describing solutions that might work to address the increasing direness of both situations.</p><p>And they also publish articles that lay out the facts clearly, such as this one.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/global-trends-forest-fires">The Latest Data Confirms: Forest Fires Are Getting Worse</a></span></p><b>Mounting Temperatures Are Fueling More Severe Fires in Boreal Forests</b><br /><blockquote>"The large majority — roughly 70% — of all fire-related tree cover loss over the past two decades occurred in boreal regions. Though fire is a natural part of how boreal forests function ecologically, fire-related tree cover loss in these areas increased by a rate of about 110,000 hectares (3%) per year over the last 20 years — about half the total global increase between 2001 and 2022.
<br /><br />
Increasing fire activity in boreal forests is likely due to the fact that northern high-latitude regions are warming at a faster rate than the rest of the planet. This contributes to longer fire seasons, greater fire frequency and severity, and larger burned areas in these regions."</blockquote><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2q1RuXLXYuv5iqdvUzkl1DzZQJO1F9miJ82GSQa25ykwCdzRqLDhAH4d_HDnxPF72J2vE6dBgUZ5E4-cYQG3m3kkimlk3QgGbKbuWb4RFNgIW5chbkhorG-VPwr3PPX0gUKGAyrmAmEfZSo532s6g-oA7cGFx4EJ5UEIAwXLSxTEIr17mmmYsit6zX8k/s720/quebec%20fires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2q1RuXLXYuv5iqdvUzkl1DzZQJO1F9miJ82GSQa25ykwCdzRqLDhAH4d_HDnxPF72J2vE6dBgUZ5E4-cYQG3m3kkimlk3QgGbKbuWb4RFNgIW5chbkhorG-VPwr3PPX0gUKGAyrmAmEfZSo532s6g-oA7cGFx4EJ5UEIAwXLSxTEIr17mmmYsit6zX8k/w400-h266/quebec%20fires.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Image from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/151430/fires-burn-across-quebec">"Fires Burn Across Quebec"</a>, NASA Earth Observatory.</div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-74664419681348976452024-03-17T21:05:00.000-07:002024-03-17T21:05:31.427-07:00I'm sorry, but this is not a good idea<p> </p><p>It's not about the number of kids, or where they live.</p><p>It's about the number of kids AND where they live.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-13047587/mother-reveals-raising-dozens-children-worlds-coldest-city.html">Siberian couple with 22 CHILDREN reveal what it's really like to raise such a large brood in the world's COLDEST city - where temperatures plunge to -84°F and even waiting for the school bus can be lethal</a></span></p>I guess, even in Russia, they get government support for all the kids. But still, it's really tough.<div><blockquote>"The narrator [of the YouTube video about them] reveals that 'older siblings look after the younger ones, ensuring they reach the nursery and school first to prevent them from freezing.'
<br /><br />
In one scene, four of the older Pavlov children can be seen huddled together as they wait for a bus to take them to a university in the city center.
<br /><br />
The voiceover says that the 'situation could quickly become dangerous, and with no bus in sight, they must rush back home or try to stop a passing car to avoid frostbite.'
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Luckily the bus arrives in a matter of minutes. As seen in the film, the buses are painted red to make them easier to spot in thick fog or snow."</blockquote></div>With climate change, even this place will be warming up. But it still gets very cold there in the winter.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHGlZBFu_5wyKpIs3ZcAWg0bgNwaSvnz2YHUL5_obF0adI52i8IimCwKXjsA7VvdlUM6vcE008F22xKtFQ_oW5g3DMr8BPVjRqUO2RlC-aKm9zi4GTFJbeBxlOromuiSaJh_NGz2aDKyaS7HijXLqMVpGeS9iXQFV8_dUOLRByfnjDu-tyWKlYATNQRI/s644/Location-of-Yakutia-and-its-districts.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHGlZBFu_5wyKpIs3ZcAWg0bgNwaSvnz2YHUL5_obF0adI52i8IimCwKXjsA7VvdlUM6vcE008F22xKtFQ_oW5g3DMr8BPVjRqUO2RlC-aKm9zi4GTFJbeBxlOromuiSaJh_NGz2aDKyaS7HijXLqMVpGeS9iXQFV8_dUOLRByfnjDu-tyWKlYATNQRI/w373-h400/Location-of-Yakutia-and-its-districts.png" width="373" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-14299668717634296932024-03-17T20:54:00.000-07:002024-03-17T20:54:01.373-07:00Don't miss the winners of the 12th Annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest<p> </p><p>While I see a lot of articles about photography contests, I don't have the chance to post about all of them. But this one was pretty spectacular.</p><p><a href="https://www.uwphotographyguide.com/ocean-art-contest-winners-2023">Winning Images from the 12th Annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest</a></p>I sure liked this one, by Alessandro Raho. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj45Rli2W-JX959rf2pwqhNjViC46LkNdasjB_gzwF_ebP28C_13WBL0r3tGo9T8ezrwP0iJuCk-k8p_mkkfPbeOodbFE3833lCpEX_Atw57KsF_Fx9tIc-lOjTyM5WeZmrgIp_j9Ho8RWhpYx28J00E_BiOYTV5fPjTeU6sqSUq-etYGoVG2q71CFpbA/s800/OCTOPUS%20MACROPUS,%20POLPESSA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj45Rli2W-JX959rf2pwqhNjViC46LkNdasjB_gzwF_ebP28C_13WBL0r3tGo9T8ezrwP0iJuCk-k8p_mkkfPbeOodbFE3833lCpEX_Atw57KsF_Fx9tIc-lOjTyM5WeZmrgIp_j9Ho8RWhpYx28J00E_BiOYTV5fPjTeU6sqSUq-etYGoVG2q71CFpbA/s320/OCTOPUS%20MACROPUS,%20POLPESSA.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-78626992292475516602024-03-17T20:45:00.000-07:002024-03-17T20:45:40.708-07:00Winter without snow -- remember?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52kXYWoa0xvWb-agdg02IsI5osCkyG4dBtVwkzsmvocIS_VfOHwGMlIUN_5Y1ALY3Ks9vSbOd44gAP_8bY3F3-GQwuDxGBEZtH_ynFRtGWSO7qkQicH8riPAaS4cG3C9AWJ-G7yzVctjJjn_P8AoKODDdSawEqn3aUCsOlUhskZXGMbyc5wYIBVRevvk/s960/Snow-cover.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52kXYWoa0xvWb-agdg02IsI5osCkyG4dBtVwkzsmvocIS_VfOHwGMlIUN_5Y1ALY3Ks9vSbOd44gAP_8bY3F3-GQwuDxGBEZtH_ynFRtGWSO7qkQicH8riPAaS4cG3C9AWJ-G7yzVctjJjn_P8AoKODDdSawEqn3aUCsOlUhskZXGMbyc5wYIBVRevvk/s320/Snow-cover.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cover photo from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-reveals-a-widespread-decline-of-snow-cover-in-the-northern-hemisphere/">"Study reveals a widespread decline of snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere"</a><br /><br />Climate change deniers make a big deal about a quote from years ago, that went like this:</p><p></p><blockquote>"According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit of the University of East Anglia, within a few years winter snowfall will become "a very rare and exciting event". "Children just aren't going to know what snow is," he said."</blockquote><p>Anytime there's a heavy snow (even a lake-effect snow augmented by ice-free lakes that are warmer than the mean for that time of the year), this quote gets dragged out, and the sniggering begins.</p><p>However, parents are taking it seriously. Because as the persistent snow line moves northward, more and more places that used to get snow regularly in the winter are getting less and less of it in the winter, and some places are going years without any, or not enough for any kind of winter recreation. </p><p>This opinion piece from the <i>Washington Post</i> emphasized that:</p><p> <span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2024/02/02/climate-change-snow-childhood/">What is winter without snow? Our children are finding out</a></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">"But there is an added layer of melancholy for parents who came of age in a time and place where winter meant snow, who realize that their formative childhood experiences might not be shared by the next generation. Snow days aren’t what they once were: Many parents are now expected to work remotely, and more school districts across the country have introduced virtual learning as an alternative to a day off. The climate is changing, and so is our culture.
</blockquote><br />
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">“This is hard to explain to some people, because not everyone cares about snow, and some people assume snow grief is just connected to skiing,” Maria Finnegan, a mom to a 3-year-old in New Hampshire, told me. “But that’s not what it is to me. A huge part of my identity is connected to this seasonal shift that is just incredibly beautiful.”</blockquote><br />
<div>So, any of you climate change deniers that are chuckling inwardly when there's a big snow -- enjoy it while you (and your children, if you have them) can. Because it's not a laughing matter anymore.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-64626850406680951462024-03-07T22:57:00.000-08:002024-03-07T22:57:11.651-08:00What could go wrong?<p> </p><p>Let's start with the headline:</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91019820/why-these-california-developers-want-to-build-the-countrys-tallest-tower-in-oklahoma-city">Why these California developers want to build the country’s tallest tower in Oklahoma City</a></span></p><blockquote>"Designed by the California-based architecture firm AO, the tower is a slender rectangular slab with a gently curved belly that would likely rise about 150 stories, and include a hotel, serviced condominiums, and private residences. Its top floors would be reserved for a restaurant, bar and observatory, where the public could look out over the Great Plains from more than a third of a mile in the sky."</blockquote>Artist's conception:<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPu1obR3xROKP_AgXYdzW-8KQK1cPHabhEFgVtep8vRYGJGSfn-hOY8el2vkF2V6RIhuaS-70fQUQvBaVK-8IVn7NMp5lEqT74mSDuId5C9VkWCL6vshulks5eHTCdeoT0CeNtpTLVQ9mcX7ujq9eIDw5Brckjei7wI8ftB9WMjoQ3R17RngxtkEMXycI/s1080/oklahoma-city-tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="664" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPu1obR3xROKP_AgXYdzW-8KQK1cPHabhEFgVtep8vRYGJGSfn-hOY8el2vkF2V6RIhuaS-70fQUQvBaVK-8IVn7NMp5lEqT74mSDuId5C9VkWCL6vshulks5eHTCdeoT0CeNtpTLVQ9mcX7ujq9eIDw5Brckjei7wI8ftB9WMjoQ3R17RngxtkEMXycI/s320/oklahoma-city-tower.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Now, being in Oklahoma City, could anything <i>possibly</i> go wrong with this idea? Anything come to mind?'</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZViEE1y3qU-SlmCaenQVyibDnNadIZUB6VCQMUDfS-59m-_JTSxoHuHVmoVu2VG-14x0W4C7k1IdIehcBFHWCul2BeF9z81CN3zyqwU6tkbxCfS-nIMH0lPjl9vL_FQq-PA7p-GwYtQmWJojEBFz-y9scBNOtjQ8z0cJ_ms7Gzq6layUgeVQxXR1sKI/s300/oklahomatornado300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="300" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZViEE1y3qU-SlmCaenQVyibDnNadIZUB6VCQMUDfS-59m-_JTSxoHuHVmoVu2VG-14x0W4C7k1IdIehcBFHWCul2BeF9z81CN3zyqwU6tkbxCfS-nIMH0lPjl9vL_FQq-PA7p-GwYtQmWJojEBFz-y9scBNOtjQ8z0cJ_ms7Gzq6layUgeVQxXR1sKI/s1600/oklahomatornado300.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm sure it would be fine.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-40741313040048359892024-03-07T22:45:00.000-08:002024-03-07T22:45:10.303-08:00The next Bond girl?<p> </p><p>I'm going to have more to say about this. I'm probably going to have to say more about it soon. </p><p>The current situation is that the next James Bond, 007, English super spy, is still being cast. There is talk that the next movie will be Casino Royale -- again -- directed by Christopher Nolan. Nolan wants to make it a period piece, it is said, going back to the 1960s in which it was originally set.</p><p>I'm not sure I like that idea, which is part of my wanting to say more about this.</p><p>In any case, while the oddsmakers are trying to set the odds on who the next Bond will be (with <a href="https://movieweb.com/aaron-taylor-johnson-james-bond-rumors/">Aaron Taylor Johnson reportedly having the inside track right now</a>), they're also setting the odds on the next lead female, i.e., the next Bond girl.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="Michelle Keegan, Jodie Comer and Saoirse Ronan battle it out to take the female lead in the next Bond movie">Michelle Keegan, Jodie Comer and Saoirse Ronan battle it out to take the female lead in the next Bond movie</a></span></p>Yes, THAT Michelle Keegan.<div><blockquote>"According to the <i>Daily Express</i>, betting expert James Leyfield from <i>Gambling.com</i>, explained: 'Jodie Comer is the 6/4 favourite on specials betting sites to be the next female lead in a Bond movie.<br /><br />
'Michelle, who is 5/2 to be the next Bond Girl, started out in soaps, starring as barmaid Tina McIntyre in <i>Coronation Street</i> for six years.'<br /><br />
Meanwhile, according to the Irish Mirror, Saoirse got the odds of 5/1 to bag the next Bond role as the female lead."</blockquote></div>So, who's next?<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluTXHAERog5hZp4od63T6IVP2Hpg_I9aLetWTTQA23KZ4Cp3C-wKiSUjomqY7sdOXLMZpf8KVE1oeRzgY6tC_2JTv3lTYkuOJwcxqNT_HKAhQwibT9IgOH5wDGVgVM9y9VqM_V1mtLVTXF7h2J7Rwcp-vvOhAErcB0-TlOgKLLKI5n3hMHdaWAZj3TLU/s1015/bonds.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="1015" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluTXHAERog5hZp4od63T6IVP2Hpg_I9aLetWTTQA23KZ4Cp3C-wKiSUjomqY7sdOXLMZpf8KVE1oeRzgY6tC_2JTv3lTYkuOJwcxqNT_HKAhQwibT9IgOH5wDGVgVM9y9VqM_V1mtLVTXF7h2J7Rwcp-vvOhAErcB0-TlOgKLLKI5n3hMHdaWAZj3TLU/w400-h199/bonds.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Keep these in mind:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvGue73spHXPBMW3Qwl3xr-Bo9Z_fXj1QQtc07ALe5sTMoAgZDBCwFCrvt1ljpj8BvTx4Xb4Pp427qVKxP0sJ2l7iRWeLsWmShIn-X5E_-3o4hNGHSKKm0KtOkdGzVrihfOPLJHzS2yDXCzyfrXxZEpGY7ZEEIKdEHET5uvkWDVN_SlqijYzaTjXZFgY/s506/mk%20two.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="506" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvGue73spHXPBMW3Qwl3xr-Bo9Z_fXj1QQtc07ALe5sTMoAgZDBCwFCrvt1ljpj8BvTx4Xb4Pp427qVKxP0sJ2l7iRWeLsWmShIn-X5E_-3o4hNGHSKKm0KtOkdGzVrihfOPLJHzS2yDXCzyfrXxZEpGY7ZEEIKdEHET5uvkWDVN_SlqijYzaTjXZFgY/s320/mk%20two.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpmSiLs7h-xqHFRQS0dqwBnWk0tHbeXe2Hs0idPT8u8JUaL06yFFpqd6B68o7Kls30meTzMmeDXaV9R4sc4JeGS9cKg8sAoQ3UITFOkZWZwFoA3SPhVeWMILngJ38i8Y1XtrJKZw3CsNJxDc3yiEvQCxwj97H86aJrQ7F23yss7w5_KB2l-YW8MDAU1g/s580/mk%20three.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="532" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpmSiLs7h-xqHFRQS0dqwBnWk0tHbeXe2Hs0idPT8u8JUaL06yFFpqd6B68o7Kls30meTzMmeDXaV9R4sc4JeGS9cKg8sAoQ3UITFOkZWZwFoA3SPhVeWMILngJ38i8Y1XtrJKZw3CsNJxDc3yiEvQCxwj97H86aJrQ7F23yss7w5_KB2l-YW8MDAU1g/w368-h400/mk%20three.png" width="368" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-51828747560580049012024-03-07T22:07:00.000-08:002024-03-07T22:07:41.212-08:00Finally, NASA opens the can<p> </p><p>I was following with interest the OSIRIS-REx mission sample return. There were lots of places where things could have gone wrong (and nearly did -- <a href="https://spacenews.com/osiris-rex-parachute-deployment-affected-by-wiring-error/">the drogue parachute didn't open</a>). </p><p>But the main parachutes deployed, the capsule came down, they carefully took it to the lab, and then, speaking of not opening, they couldn't get the main sample container open because two screws were stuck. </p><p>If you didn't see what happened, they had to design a new special screwdriver to get those two recalcitrant screws to turn. After considerable effort, they finally opened up the main chamber. And if you'll remember back to when it was collected from asteroid Bennu, there was nearly too much in the container. So now there is lots and lots of sample to analyze.</p><br /><a href="https://www.space.com/nasa-osiris-rex-asteroid-sample-canister-open">NASA finally opens OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample canister after freeing stuck lid</a><br />
<div><blockquote>"While 70.3 grams (2.48 ounces) of material had already been accessed from the outside of the sampler head, known as the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM), the bulk of the asteroid sample material remained trapped within the capsule.<br /><br />
According to NASA's statement, the bulk of the asteroid material is now accessible after two of the 35 fasteners on TAGSAM that could not be removed using the existing tools approved for use inside the OSIRIS-REx sample container were finally freed."</blockquote><p>Let the analyzing begin.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVU6x-YopyMjKoDJF7WFNCAC1lX9m-qzOp6c0kNn263OVlhMpm9pASehVLHM3F_QPqYWtPktsD0Y424fABW9WNc2bVvEl3WAP8_Pr_1liqI0MTDrv137n8Sf91uUvj73yGXyTiofFqFaeSrn3o_dQ9tSEF13c8TvBBvv6CdTXt-bVNywGHxaGqilxXPQ/s604/o-rex%20open%20sample.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="604" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVU6x-YopyMjKoDJF7WFNCAC1lX9m-qzOp6c0kNn263OVlhMpm9pASehVLHM3F_QPqYWtPktsD0Y424fABW9WNc2bVvEl3WAP8_Pr_1liqI0MTDrv137n8Sf91uUvj73yGXyTiofFqFaeSrn3o_dQ9tSEF13c8TvBBvv6CdTXt-bVNywGHxaGqilxXPQ/w400-h225/o-rex%20open%20sample.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p></div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-17468351146762016882024-03-03T19:20:00.000-08:002024-03-03T19:20:19.773-08:00Newly-found shipwreck lands on Newfoundland<p> </p><p>My title for this post is the main reason I wrote it, but it's still an interesting find.</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/29/shipwreck-canada-newfoundland-cape-ray">‘Let’s find out’: shipwreck mysteriously appears on Newfoundland coast</a></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">"But what makes the latest discovery unique is the unexplained nature of the wreck’s sudden appearance.
</blockquote><br />
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Neil Burgess, president of the Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, suspects the ship was freed by a combination of coastal erosion and the force of post-tropical storm Fiona, which destroyed homes in the region last year."</blockquote><br />
<div>This shot of the wreck has been used in many news articles. I hope they don't mind me using it.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLFAmpccoRPpiqbC3wxfqeuAyQwtydVFJSfzSLiFTgXUgPrr4kPAF9PCpYtowFq6IGn8b1umti1O1EVqchT9wSdtFBWNXFVVIi3VDgCWDFqj5XXfZJcdptfaf32iEHl1L1dyIryQxd_wznPzHguxwaTE1rV4Vzz6jauvpUbN10UiwPmXyprV1KJI8nrQ/s1400/the%20newfie%20shipwreck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1400" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLFAmpccoRPpiqbC3wxfqeuAyQwtydVFJSfzSLiFTgXUgPrr4kPAF9PCpYtowFq6IGn8b1umti1O1EVqchT9wSdtFBWNXFVVIi3VDgCWDFqj5XXfZJcdptfaf32iEHl1L1dyIryQxd_wznPzHguxwaTE1rV4Vzz6jauvpUbN10UiwPmXyprV1KJI8nrQ/w400-h225/the%20newfie%20shipwreck.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-87010616464955717092024-03-03T19:10:00.000-08:002024-03-03T19:10:16.772-08:00Lighthouse of the Week, March 3-9, 2024: Grand Turk Lighthouse, Turks and Caicos<p> </p><p>First of all, because I had to clear this up for myself, Turks and Caicos are a British Overseas Territory. So while part of the UK, and the residents having full British citizenship, they have their own government, capital, flag, and currency (which happens to be the U.S. dollar).</p><p>Now that we've cleared that up, they have one major historical lighthouse, which is the one seen here, the Grand Turk lighthouse. It's historic both for being the only major lighthouse in the Turks and Caicos islands, and because it's made out of cast iron. And in some of the many pictures of it online, you can see that it rusts. But I found prettier pictures, after it was painted, I presume.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/wuzMndhGLoXgRgzL6">Here's where it is</a>.</span></p><p>So here's more about it, from the Lighthouse Directory, where I get most of my information.</p><blockquote>"1852 (Alexander Gordon). Reactivated (1998); focal plane 33 m (108 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. 18 m (60 ft) cast iron tower, painted white, attached to kerosene storage house. A 4th order Fresnel lens (1943) from the lighthouse is on display at the Turks and Caicos National Museum. The keeper's house and kitchen also survive. ... The lighthouse was prefabricated in London by Chance Brothers; it is a very rare example of this early design in cast iron. After many years of neglect, the lighthouse was partially restored in 1998. In 2006 Carnival Corp., the cruise line holding company, granted funds to repaint and refurbish the lighthouse, keeper's cottage, and other light station buildings." </blockquote><p>The Directory also says it was repainted in 2012.</p><p>The pictures I liked are below.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyJm4AEOrD0qFvmiGbZlJNYtCaLJ60LJkpFKq8f8ZgCsOehCaVgQqnF7M0szdJBwQYvRRRq0hi14k-QiTuXxYk1QgoklHU3LmFFhQyQaLNj363O1Q7wCg7C5xJFHhTbdsZgie-VJl6Uyhyphenhyphenb5jTkHbptgsrsUEA_kTwogU-gbFEQrsh4ZU0HNGaXA8Sbc/s735/Grand%20Turk%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="735" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyJm4AEOrD0qFvmiGbZlJNYtCaLJ60LJkpFKq8f8ZgCsOehCaVgQqnF7M0szdJBwQYvRRRq0hi14k-QiTuXxYk1QgoklHU3LmFFhQyQaLNj363O1Q7wCg7C5xJFHhTbdsZgie-VJl6Uyhyphenhyphenb5jTkHbptgsrsUEA_kTwogU-gbFEQrsh4ZU0HNGaXA8Sbc/w400-h265/Grand%20Turk%205.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOro6ZUYRE_jwPlGjqkA8CmbosymBPg3KiKn80fNUooCoOxkD8IsZ9Uj3Ex9Ur6bJR1zRd8zs1gA4YP32xY_3bePrzv5bJsX_Gcmpmq8rFuhLMPvgcRRNHcQNrwkaPYCrHNinyjFwKtyKcjIv3Xais2wv_HfwwHEWxyj5nhMCCUvhJWD5QVLZcfb6avs/s1280/Grand%20Turk%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOro6ZUYRE_jwPlGjqkA8CmbosymBPg3KiKn80fNUooCoOxkD8IsZ9Uj3Ex9Ur6bJR1zRd8zs1gA4YP32xY_3bePrzv5bJsX_Gcmpmq8rFuhLMPvgcRRNHcQNrwkaPYCrHNinyjFwKtyKcjIv3Xais2wv_HfwwHEWxyj5nhMCCUvhJWD5QVLZcfb6avs/w400-h200/Grand%20Turk%204.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBgpbLZIykFET32bwRLfE8CqxYjrAFUh9DmVXASJRJodvwrBuZkGlx4sEaVU2dH9Dv_4SA3xT1ghoBGHrexaCEriZnzoJM0WEHaiuWfvD9G2oBB-8B2dxAESGORTSS5KtfVClS50fgVQ_ZSexNP9uylMXw116QpJiLo90li1C4mRhJ69HkLLvaqcBoJ8/s800/Grand%20Turk%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBgpbLZIykFET32bwRLfE8CqxYjrAFUh9DmVXASJRJodvwrBuZkGlx4sEaVU2dH9Dv_4SA3xT1ghoBGHrexaCEriZnzoJM0WEHaiuWfvD9G2oBB-8B2dxAESGORTSS5KtfVClS50fgVQ_ZSexNP9uylMXw116QpJiLo90li1C4mRhJ69HkLLvaqcBoJ8/w300-h400/Grand%20Turk%203.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEkxxJ36b3VXuhcijUxTd1uxfeZeD_T557TDdccOES89sh1Q_Cg74mehu453KekFWUQrHELPN-CW76gEsnCdR2aNlbS6wuzd77yTv_fZRkMZfAvUXnrfMO2vd3xd_MDXAZ-j57UGc2-iBjyCFUe3-A8wdVxyvWIYqnR2uf-CJPTlDfxNWWsIjg4RuD0w/s600/Grand%20Turk%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEkxxJ36b3VXuhcijUxTd1uxfeZeD_T557TDdccOES89sh1Q_Cg74mehu453KekFWUQrHELPN-CW76gEsnCdR2aNlbS6wuzd77yTv_fZRkMZfAvUXnrfMO2vd3xd_MDXAZ-j57UGc2-iBjyCFUe3-A8wdVxyvWIYqnR2uf-CJPTlDfxNWWsIjg4RuD0w/w400-h266/Grand%20Turk%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_BdsXMfw-4kUfC8JYBMB3zG7dGSwYuzf0zOhdPXyBavNOwK27ZZ2yjmct_ncm-rQtXyiQBLTRklaN85AIay5RW3zKXelOVwbK7Ynj4asKYe4QWUqAQ7ww0T4aUiWttxGiXWDASS9dRML7NTSTg6sH5mHTZrRg8-JKMR7R6qQ4S-n202i4Nn28gxoB1g/s1280/Grand%20Turk%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_BdsXMfw-4kUfC8JYBMB3zG7dGSwYuzf0zOhdPXyBavNOwK27ZZ2yjmct_ncm-rQtXyiQBLTRklaN85AIay5RW3zKXelOVwbK7Ynj4asKYe4QWUqAQ7ww0T4aUiWttxGiXWDASS9dRML7NTSTg6sH5mHTZrRg8-JKMR7R6qQ4S-n202i4Nn28gxoB1g/w400-h200/Grand%20Turk%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br /><br />Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-76714638178442129202024-03-01T21:19:00.000-08:002024-03-01T21:19:21.203-08:00Minnesota will have a new state flag (maybe)<p> </p><p>The state of Minnesota is going to have a new flag.</p><p>Unless Republicans can stop it.</p><p><a href="https://www.mnsenaterepublicans.com/senator-westrom-save-our-historic-minnesota-state-flag/">Senator Westrom: Save our historic Minnesota state flag</a></p><p><br /></p><p>But wait, why is Minnesota getting a new state flag?</p><p><a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/12/19/new-minnesota-flag-final-design">Let it fly: Minnesota officially has a new flag</a></p><p>"The Legislature set up the panel and tasked it with selecting a new state flag and seal before the end of the year. DFL [Democratic - Farmer - Laborer] lawmakers raised concerns about the existing flag being too cluttered and insensitive to some groups because the way it portrays a Native American man riding off into the sunset as a white farmer tills the land."</p><p>That's why. Senator Westrom says that the flag is really about this, regarding the Native American heritage:</p><p></p><blockquote>"According to MN Statutes 1.135: “The Indian on horseback is riding due south and represents the great Indian heritage of Minnesota. The Indian’s horse and spear and the Pioneer’s ax, rifle, and plow represent tools that were used for hunting and labor."</blockquote><p></p><p>You'll have to decide for yourself if that's true or not.</p><p>Meanwhile, here's the old and new flags, to assist the decision-making.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEcghNp7YMwq4LYWLMBuAh5NAlHPGSTUh6YH_SQ8zRDgvJ5VyTGcKEjV9mvBWC2BVpQIgD5y9WMvhYCykVVlhRin5cUtLKDalIpJ6TU-9Tti4DHDkcST524eqQBOZ9DEfPD0__EWGvy6-_AdxHpvZwS9Z4geqtJSnP5cGS39nsRTCUIJTdfn2eXg2gpQ/s1083/minnesota-flags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="1083" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEcghNp7YMwq4LYWLMBuAh5NAlHPGSTUh6YH_SQ8zRDgvJ5VyTGcKEjV9mvBWC2BVpQIgD5y9WMvhYCykVVlhRin5cUtLKDalIpJ6TU-9Tti4DHDkcST524eqQBOZ9DEfPD0__EWGvy6-_AdxHpvZwS9Z4geqtJSnP5cGS39nsRTCUIJTdfn2eXg2gpQ/w400-h140/minnesota-flags.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>While they were in the redesign mood/mode, they also came up with a new seal, featuring a loon, in contrast to the old seal, which features the Native American and the invading white farmer who took the Native American land and heritage.</p><p>Not that I'm judgmental or anything.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Yy7rr80gbmlD99XkygruMJCtYQodcPdqFiS32ai8vFbdJfdonMnX573paW8nzooEEF5JBEX08bjCzjTMfi0teXBmzz7F9z3UbyYTdCwOgD9D5YJW0F13L-qnCzxIN8xuV9V9U43Pxm8MWmIu2VDtp0Z733NYFi-EUoLjKZdnpsliW5polGDQLzUi9MA/s1228/new%20seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1228" data-original-width="1179" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Yy7rr80gbmlD99XkygruMJCtYQodcPdqFiS32ai8vFbdJfdonMnX573paW8nzooEEF5JBEX08bjCzjTMfi0teXBmzz7F9z3UbyYTdCwOgD9D5YJW0F13L-qnCzxIN8xuV9V9U43Pxm8MWmIu2VDtp0Z733NYFi-EUoLjKZdnpsliW5polGDQLzUi9MA/s320/new%20seal.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc26xLWlD6uIHUdmqDguoEqWkqQbR9GHlOQhPyhhQ1SFPJV_eofKkbxzIq0iwVrYK-4ZUR5-YZXkwnux_HeUxcTPK7hTNvMzNE-H3qvc_huHep56I91R6ps4eeRz63yQ3xUrtmCoDW1C__lBDiA0NLXr2xCCK9Drs-af7ur1fmU-_EeH8WoWuEb_XHEYs/s840/old%20seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="840" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc26xLWlD6uIHUdmqDguoEqWkqQbR9GHlOQhPyhhQ1SFPJV_eofKkbxzIq0iwVrYK-4ZUR5-YZXkwnux_HeUxcTPK7hTNvMzNE-H3qvc_huHep56I91R6ps4eeRz63yQ3xUrtmCoDW1C__lBDiA0NLXr2xCCK9Drs-af7ur1fmU-_EeH8WoWuEb_XHEYs/w400-h266/old%20seal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-58894539878375225652024-03-01T20:57:00.000-08:002024-03-01T20:57:05.049-08:00A stark comparison<p> </p><p>The exemplary E.J. Dionne Jr. wrote a strong column in the <i>Washington Post</i> recently. I'm extracting a marvelous section of it here.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/01/28/trump-biden-false-equivalency-media/">Sure, Trump and Biden are old. The similarities end there.</a></span></p><blockquote>"It’s time for everyone, <i>the media especially</i>, to face up to the actual choice: Between constitutional democracy and authoritarianism. Between a normal human being and a self-involved, spiteful madman. Between a government that has performed well and a regime that would gyrate from one personal obsession to another."</blockquote><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKFo2kYR74-0XKQMwOtn6kXCcwm7lgQKDfCt58Rl409Ome5xO1b7awMMGLDTqbhulEMY1nEqXxwuGC_aFlPi9zoUooOagovRZEPDUmczy-7ZrxHa_5NvFLK0ouVvFqvVO8RTh6WtRdKQ_d7Mc2hj-MClMwkgZC_oio8RhBg68CZDakpEZcMJ_-U0a66I/s4200/biden%20trump%20debate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3051" data-original-width="4200" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKFo2kYR74-0XKQMwOtn6kXCcwm7lgQKDfCt58Rl409Ome5xO1b7awMMGLDTqbhulEMY1nEqXxwuGC_aFlPi9zoUooOagovRZEPDUmczy-7ZrxHa_5NvFLK0ouVvFqvVO8RTh6WtRdKQ_d7Mc2hj-MClMwkgZC_oio8RhBg68CZDakpEZcMJ_-U0a66I/w400-h290/biden%20trump%20debate.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-32191706734226474712024-02-28T21:44:00.000-08:002024-02-28T21:46:49.285-08:00Milloy is sweating<p> </p><p>Steve Milloy is a disreputable denier. He has a Twitter handle called "JunkScience", and that's what he pushes. He used to deny that cigarette smoking causes cancer (he was paid by tobacco companies) and now he denies human causes of climate change, along with denying that any pollutants in the atmosphere adversely affect lung function and health, and a lot of other things that accurate reputable science knows to be factually true.</p><p>He also lives somewhere in the Washington D.C. area, so this headline (and temperature) must have made him sweat. I sure hope so. But I think he's impervious to reality.</p><p><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13011779/Washington-DC-sees-warmest-January-day.html">Washington DC sees its warmest January day EVER as mercury hits 81F - making city warmer than MIAMI</a></p><br />Actual footage of Steve Milloy on a winter day that's much warmer than normal:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyx5Gl-vuwdFBPrhCh1WyGsUHU7gRFBulDY9Nd7Co6s3zAfVhp33DhyphenhyphenzZds4dEnnxKO1JCkU_E7bsq8z2PfZmCHj7muX4pQ7nBRlai1wDYj8NptHexU7Pe32UPlN3nHc-S8nHCmqtl4cllkD_JbquA8_-0iF_7e93_RMI019l3cB-GDYPzHC3xddodvyc/s356/200%20sweat.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="356" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyx5Gl-vuwdFBPrhCh1WyGsUHU7gRFBulDY9Nd7Co6s3zAfVhp33DhyphenhyphenzZds4dEnnxKO1JCkU_E7bsq8z2PfZmCHj7muX4pQ7nBRlai1wDYj8NptHexU7Pe32UPlN3nHc-S8nHCmqtl4cllkD_JbquA8_-0iF_7e93_RMI019l3cB-GDYPzHC3xddodvyc/s320/200%20sweat.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-77653420058870948102024-02-28T21:31:00.000-08:002024-02-28T21:31:45.584-08:00Sign of the times<p> </p><p>This article was both vaguely humorous and sadly terrifying.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/01/26/hermit-crabs-shells-plastic-trash/">Majority of land hermit crab species now use trash for shells</a></span></p><blockquote>" “We confirm for the first time that the use of artificial materials by hermit crabs is a behavior occurring on a global scale,” the study authors wrote in the paper, which will appear in the <i>Science of the Total Environment</i> journal."</blockquote>Canned crab might be good for making crab cakes, but not for this little guy.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91KrgXCm4u-o5WSu4R0CFdkaIlP40VCozp9KkCCgTFS2oGaaQf4KMKurrZ57R_nRFRlxoFOCFa3Q1Um7MoN_Lu3MFqNzQQJPUO6-ogDDn0QeUlXfnmyWFUchdlMVwQbzrXHZrMcPx6wvioUzef0DOY13A_5LZ6fcN4VZOhhyphenhyphenyiC6DO4H6nEQwSpYe6pc/s1200/canned%20crab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91KrgXCm4u-o5WSu4R0CFdkaIlP40VCozp9KkCCgTFS2oGaaQf4KMKurrZ57R_nRFRlxoFOCFa3Q1Um7MoN_Lu3MFqNzQQJPUO6-ogDDn0QeUlXfnmyWFUchdlMVwQbzrXHZrMcPx6wvioUzef0DOY13A_5LZ6fcN4VZOhhyphenhyphenyiC6DO4H6nEQwSpYe6pc/w400-h210/canned%20crab.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br />
</div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-41927211108804644682024-02-28T21:20:00.000-08:002024-02-28T21:21:26.430-08:00Looking forward to the Presidential election<p> </p><p>No, actually I'm not looking forward to it. Given the way that Trump's lousy lawyers are still managing to delay almost everything (even though he's going to have to find a lot of money and soon), I'm hoping that Alvin Bragg nails the case against him for paying off Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal (the latter by having the <i>National Enquirer</i> buy her exclusive story about her affair with Trump and then never running it) to influence the 2016 election. This is going to trial at the end of next month, which as I write this is one day away, and that wouldn't have happened if this wasn't a leap year.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/25/us/politics/biden-trump-presidential-election.html">The Looming Contest Between Two Presidents and Two Americas</a></span></p>These two quotes are quite illustrative.<div><br /></div><div>"Deep divisions in the United States are not new; indeed, they can be traced back to the Constitutional Convention and the days of John Adams versus Thomas Jefferson. But according to some scholars, they have rarely reached the levels seen today, when Red and Blue Americas are moving farther and farther apart geographically, philosophically, financially, educationally and informationally."</div><div><br /></div><div>"In an increasingly tribal society, Americans describe their differences more personally."</div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of illustrative, here's a shot of Karen McDougal on the beach, in what I call <a href="https://tugpullpushstop.blogspot.com/2020/12/split-revels.html">"the pose"</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9J_rM4F5YH9DEKzFCeE7pPUo8vn3EVHfgtQ-QOvjGD8o3Fe8SGE0GtRsWWWYMoeCMHGv-TWBRWVdmW0N53m3lOpKuYCbSkLlLPR4-bEV2pzKEAeRLwcRUCh1YR0Y6p2q2Ugr8JIIWW5YGfwHuE2SYG_oYnLfFv3KQAv2MqBp1mp5WUd1qH-EFLgUVGw/s400/McD%20on%20the%20beach.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9J_rM4F5YH9DEKzFCeE7pPUo8vn3EVHfgtQ-QOvjGD8o3Fe8SGE0GtRsWWWYMoeCMHGv-TWBRWVdmW0N53m3lOpKuYCbSkLlLPR4-bEV2pzKEAeRLwcRUCh1YR0Y6p2q2Ugr8JIIWW5YGfwHuE2SYG_oYnLfFv3KQAv2MqBp1mp5WUd1qH-EFLgUVGw/s320/McD%20on%20the%20beach.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-10646606656518167722024-02-28T20:58:00.000-08:002024-02-28T20:58:19.207-08:00A bit safer<p> </p><p>In a post not long ago, I noted how Crystal Palace followers usually become concerned about this point in the season that their team of choice might be relegated back down to the Championship. But they softly said good-bye to the dean of the Premier League coaches, Roy Hodgson, and welcomed a new coach, <a href="https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/club/oliver-glasner-new-crystal-palace-manager-story-so-far-everything-you-need-know/">Oliver Glasner</a>. Glasner watched as CP got a point from a draw with Everton, and then coached the Eagles to a 3-0 win over Burnley, aided by a clever play when a Crystal Palace player enticed a Burnley player to pull on his jersey as he closed in on a scoring chance. This resulted in a red card, meaning that the offending Burnley player is tossed from the game, and the team has to play the rest of the game with 10 players, including the goalkeeper, thus providing an advantage to the other team. After two adroit substitutions, the Eagles started twitching the twine of Burnley's goal with the ball. (Wow, that was good.)</p><p>Three points later, Crystal Palace is now situated in 13th place with 28 points, tied with Bournemouth on points but ahead on goal differential by one goal. The relegation zone starts with Luton Town's 20 points, and below that Burnley and Sheffield United are already packing for the trip down. Now, I'd actually like to see Luton Town and their cute little field stay up, and they could, but it's going to be interesting. </p><p>Next up for Crystal Palace: Tottenham Hotspur, who should be the victors. However, their next two scheduled matches are against the aforementioned Luton Town, and then the on-dangerous-ground Nottingham Forest, who should have had a player named Robyn Hude at some point in their history but never did. (The match vs. Newcastle is postponed and TBD when it is to be contested.)</p><p>Go you Eagles!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzTzjKnuhn7JFJf108_l-Q3cFKrib3_O5Y8aBqKKOSE1VruVFc9_xtL9m5qA61VpSHOIT9mZlEq_7jVGfM2JbDkkQ6RbHRo0u2_riCZ2kRNn5ckkLagVNjntW5pTj-tRwpbK5RBoUAq7FFvW_Nt4j83prCw5t89lhqCdReyofYOf4rnb_Ynb3vLV_wvg/s500/crystal-palace-fc.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqzTzjKnuhn7JFJf108_l-Q3cFKrib3_O5Y8aBqKKOSE1VruVFc9_xtL9m5qA61VpSHOIT9mZlEq_7jVGfM2JbDkkQ6RbHRo0u2_riCZ2kRNn5ckkLagVNjntW5pTj-tRwpbK5RBoUAq7FFvW_Nt4j83prCw5t89lhqCdReyofYOf4rnb_Ynb3vLV_wvg/s320/crystal-palace-fc.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-42185069023007003842024-02-28T20:39:00.000-08:002024-02-28T20:39:47.145-08:00Lighthouse of the Week, February 25 - March 2, 2024: Baileys Harbor Rear Range Light, Wisconsin, USA<p> </p><p>I went back to the narrow Door Peninsula of Wisconsin for this lighthouse. The Door Peninsula is what forms Green Bay, with the bay on the west side and the Lake (Michigan) on the east side. It's a navigational hazard, so it has lighthouses.</p><p>The Baileys Harbor Rear (or Upper) Range Light is one of two; as you might suspect, there is also a Front (Lower) Range Light, too. In one of the pictures, you can see both of them. First,<a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/q59PcLsCAm1CcUtm9"> where is Baileys Harbor</a>? (I included Ephraim and Egg Harbor; zoom out to see more of Wisconsin).</p><p>What does the Lighthouse Directory tell us about this distinguished light source?</p><p></p><blockquote>"1870. Reactivated (inactive 1969-2015, now privately maintained); continuous white light. 35 ft (10.5 m): square cupola-style lantern mounted on the roof of 1-1/2 story wood keepers house. Lighthouse painted white; roofs are red. ... The exterior of the building was restored in 2017 and the interior is being restored and refurnished to its 1923 appearance, when the last keeper was present. Beginning in summer 2023, volunteer docents will spend one-week stays in the lighthouse."</blockquote><p>I'd make it a tour stop if you visit the Door Peninsula, and make sure you take part in a fish boil.</p><p>Here's the pictures I found; not a lot of them online, it seems.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQflI6aVjgstcuT94Fu88YTsOjy_AN26f9QAVI6hBdmfq56imnJGrlOOKJoTK_R7g-AfIOyvmIVmhlnaNxWnT8YLvkfrZJG5JhiOglKBnYWy3NRLDPvcXOK60K3fBWKXiIDedMUSHl4n3kHZwckrqXx5u61HPMMPCxc4Tav9e0_5IEj3v3c8ASU2cgoY/s2000/baileys%20harbor%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQflI6aVjgstcuT94Fu88YTsOjy_AN26f9QAVI6hBdmfq56imnJGrlOOKJoTK_R7g-AfIOyvmIVmhlnaNxWnT8YLvkfrZJG5JhiOglKBnYWy3NRLDPvcXOK60K3fBWKXiIDedMUSHl4n3kHZwckrqXx5u61HPMMPCxc4Tav9e0_5IEj3v3c8ASU2cgoY/w400-h300/baileys%20harbor%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvP2R7gPpKj4VyNyAJY1QJSXejiLJZup0YDe2jIBB2_bSlzb7Da5T8d_O9R4NeeYg0GuyHhVmHbnXOHNFLA5-07Wr6PxMiZx5AQrTcjLTkeeegG6QteFWyNLJfeIMFVdNmUe4n_7mNmUkgoOq8slg78CU8yugk31Cs2j7RaDV_zUKndBSxO-RCpKBV-sA/s800/baileys%20harbor%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvP2R7gPpKj4VyNyAJY1QJSXejiLJZup0YDe2jIBB2_bSlzb7Da5T8d_O9R4NeeYg0GuyHhVmHbnXOHNFLA5-07Wr6PxMiZx5AQrTcjLTkeeegG6QteFWyNLJfeIMFVdNmUe4n_7mNmUkgoOq8slg78CU8yugk31Cs2j7RaDV_zUKndBSxO-RCpKBV-sA/w400-h300/baileys%20harbor%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQYJTcNUhMXqqpDkiaK-CbBGt5VVwJAByjvUnYBYeoP_ZoIyX_QiJUKIIxiucTVhivyWinEw5jEhytOh_DpP6gZqIrjqUnc2xixMWPJrND1fqeSfbwSJSvxqJG3dNmBnWJ4H4nBVD0HrXQU0TbW5Cg08cqPrA7i-jFREM6gUjvbQge2IBKth0wHaOao8/s800/baileys%20harbor%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="800" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQYJTcNUhMXqqpDkiaK-CbBGt5VVwJAByjvUnYBYeoP_ZoIyX_QiJUKIIxiucTVhivyWinEw5jEhytOh_DpP6gZqIrjqUnc2xixMWPJrND1fqeSfbwSJSvxqJG3dNmBnWJ4H4nBVD0HrXQU0TbW5Cg08cqPrA7i-jFREM6gUjvbQge2IBKth0wHaOao8/w400-h268/baileys%20harbor%203.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p><p></p>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-44763773378003617872024-02-24T21:32:00.000-08:002024-02-24T21:43:40.488-08:00"Total Recall", for real<p> </p><p>If you will hearken back to the original <i>Total Recall</i> movie (and perhaps the book by Philip K. Dick, though I have not read it), aliens had left a machine on the planet Mars that could terraform the place -- and <u>fast</u>. I hope that doesn't give too much away, but hey, the movie was made when Arnold Schwarzenegger was still fairly young, so if you haven't seen it, you're way behind.</p><p>Anyway, read this newsflash from Mars.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.space.com/mars-water-ice-equator-frozen-ocean">Water ice buried at Mars' equator is over 2 miles thick</a></span></p>The Mars Express orbiter has detected enough water ice buried beneath the Red Planet's equator to cover the entire planet in a shallow ocean if melted.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hvKrbN3Iezbo7bI-lzm6pJ1O0zsHNY9RM9MLO_1BHkPoIbV5DjPwDfZOEOLJOfsjzWsIesaWCIlFUv2_YdPzgjM3wd38gr-0T0sYjGR_uz0NLyxZkMLAgXkWXLdsbtDWKAUd2Ta81QCSYj4q_9d_lGc8oQAxoEqquJmVAT1agb0lF-4Xo_TAJ45Wmzw/s602/medusae%20fossa%20image.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="602" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hvKrbN3Iezbo7bI-lzm6pJ1O0zsHNY9RM9MLO_1BHkPoIbV5DjPwDfZOEOLJOfsjzWsIesaWCIlFUv2_YdPzgjM3wd38gr-0T0sYjGR_uz0NLyxZkMLAgXkWXLdsbtDWKAUd2Ta81QCSYj4q_9d_lGc8oQAxoEqquJmVAT1agb0lF-4Xo_TAJ45Wmzw/w400-h225/medusae%20fossa%20image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRyw3Kx95sXf7V1EhQkbmb1V3i4Zikuu7aaBQVqyWbuWrQ4IDa90WWsim8tZ7TwL4Y9FJm4yEu6wLit81is6xfLASeM2dHN3NL7ZxbsRqDK50ob23udKv3CmeZr_iHPPFNZIiRRHa-3JR5AQEiHPibXJ5w99aDgB4-wmVqdS0WNJjf7qVk58iaBbWjQs/s168/ice%20thickness%20scale.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="42" data-original-width="168" height="42" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRyw3Kx95sXf7V1EhQkbmb1V3i4Zikuu7aaBQVqyWbuWrQ4IDa90WWsim8tZ7TwL4Y9FJm4yEu6wLit81is6xfLASeM2dHN3NL7ZxbsRqDK50ob23udKv3CmeZr_iHPPFNZIiRRHa-3JR5AQEiHPibXJ5w99aDgB4-wmVqdS0WNJjf7qVk58iaBbWjQs/s1600/ice%20thickness%20scale.png" width="168" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This map shows the estimated amount of ice within the mounds that form the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) consists of a series of wind-sculpted deposits measuring hundreds of kilometers across and several kilometers high, indicating that the ice-rich deposits are up to 3000m thick. (Image credit: Planetary Science Institute/Smithsonian Institution)</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I know where the aliens put the terraforming reactor. Now we just have to figure out how to turn it on. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-45397770875697619352024-02-24T20:51:00.000-08:002024-02-24T20:51:04.586-08:00Well, the equation has a new value<p> </p><p>There's a famous equation called the "Drake Equation" that is a way to calculate how many intelligent races of beings might be present in the Milky Way galaxy. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_equation">Read more about that in Wikipedia</a>.</p><p>One of the factors in the equation is this:</p><p><i style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Nimbus Roman No9 L", "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 16.52px; text-wrap: nowrap;">n</i><sub style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Nimbus Roman No9 L", "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 13.216px; line-height: 1; text-wrap: nowrap;">e</sub> = the average number of planets that can potentially support life per star that has planets.</p><p>Well, that number may have an actual value now. </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12996441/Huge-breakthrough-search-aliens-NASA-discovers-85-Earth-like-exoplanets-right-conditions-support-life.html">Huge breakthrough in the search for aliens: NASA discovers 85 Earth-like exoplanets that could have the right conditions to support life</a></span></p><blockquote>"By studying NASA satellite data, the experts from the University of Warwick have found another 85 'exoplanets' – planets outside our solar system.
<br /><br />
Their size ranges from about 11,000 miles to a whopping 350,000 miles in diameter – so all are larger than Earth (just under 8,000 miles).<br /><br />
But, like Earth, they're potentially the right distance from their host stars to have a temperature that can sustain life – known as the 'habitable zone'."</blockquote>So now there's a number for <i style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Nimbus Roman No9 L", "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 16.52px; text-wrap: nowrap;">n</i><sub style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Nimbus Roman No9 L", "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 13.216px; line-height: 1; text-wrap: nowrap;">e </sub>. Or, actually, there's a range of numbers. But at least there's a limit on the range.<div><br /></div><div>Oh, c'mon. There's got to be at least one other type of intelligent beings in this galaxy, right? Even if they do look like this:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeYVJdmFKoAcH0IqVFevoFugzrqa1y4ALgZpVVohx6G9q2UBwxPtPQENkCwbseqvUlim5lSFTP1Ew4sb7kqGe85FKM29aZXoqMK8rgjDnddYWmCnH5w-4wyK9AZJImiVzyHTIBZDZivwCkRnoe_ur_l-SyDtU28NSTkEqmPvv2QPaWDtEtWA2l-HU7j0/s400/guild%20navigator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="400" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeYVJdmFKoAcH0IqVFevoFugzrqa1y4ALgZpVVohx6G9q2UBwxPtPQENkCwbseqvUlim5lSFTP1Ew4sb7kqGe85FKM29aZXoqMK8rgjDnddYWmCnH5w-4wyK9AZJImiVzyHTIBZDZivwCkRnoe_ur_l-SyDtU28NSTkEqmPvv2QPaWDtEtWA2l-HU7j0/s320/guild%20navigator.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br />
</div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-36462252214788079912024-02-24T20:15:00.000-08:002024-02-24T20:15:16.852-08:00Two major passings<p> </p><p>Noting these two passings of important figures in journalism and physics.</p><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/01/23/charles-osgood-dead/">Charles Osgood, wry stalwart of CBS’s ‘Sunday Morning,’ dies at 91</a></p><div><blockquote>"On Mr. Osgood’s watch, “Sunday Morning” continued in the Kuraltian tradition of down-home folklore blended with culture, sports and nature. There were stories about elephants painting on canvas, tractor ballets, centenarian bricklayers — interesting yarns that would never lead the evening news. He also interviewed towering figures in the arts, such as painter Andrew Wyeth, playwright Edward Albee and opera singer Plácido Domingo."</blockquote></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhPNMV-Bkr2rLuTJ5JI7jvfBO0oiyOfUd4koUI3SVV2Rogt5cMWIARaKFCG59s2h35Ex5-WrfE76t1MfYtoLjreqYXRKCHJgLOGNe99GQ2X7m6WZNyfAQrIFOr6_QN6oBbO9HnzOPAlOXmW8xe5vYQMzBomaRVn9l9nuxg9eHoIk9EyZcqDUluGSDa2Y/s752/charles-osgood.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhPNMV-Bkr2rLuTJ5JI7jvfBO0oiyOfUd4koUI3SVV2Rogt5cMWIARaKFCG59s2h35Ex5-WrfE76t1MfYtoLjreqYXRKCHJgLOGNe99GQ2X7m6WZNyfAQrIFOr6_QN6oBbO9HnzOPAlOXmW8xe5vYQMzBomaRVn9l9nuxg9eHoIk9EyZcqDUluGSDa2Y/s320/charles-osgood.jpg" width="272" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/01/23/arno-penzias-big-bang-nobel-died-obituary/">Nobel laureate Arno Penzias dies at 90; helped find traces of big bang</a></span><br /><br />
Along with a Bell Labs colleague, he conducted groundbreaking work widely considered fundamental to one of the landmark discoveries of modern science<div><br /></div><div><blockquote>"The discovery made by Dr. Penzias and Wilson came from pointing their device at the sky, and detecting a mysterious and unexplained electromagnetic background that in the world of microwave technology appeared at first as mere noise.
<br /><br />
It was in 1964, at Bell Labs in Holmdel, N.J., that Wilson and Dr. Penzias made their celebrated discovery using their horn-shaped antenna. Even they were startled by what they found.
<br /><br />
The mysterious radiation they collected from space in the form of microwave signals came not, as had been suspected, from some single, narrow region of the cosmos. Instead, it came from everywhere. Although faint and no longer possessed of the titanic energies that had created and once characterized it, the radiation pervaded the universe."</blockquote><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtyzrFIVOKmMteLUEHacgj1S5CZJPmnOMVWKE1R9e8D4ImMNXNosh_j0W8Sp5LwAbl2aCOH-MCKadIP7sv6poIrShzBxpJRf7JD72JzA7JEqQmj_dNtzc_wxhy91_tCltTDCYBTJZzG9m4eNG2IZPSoqxNyX3cVnihzCj8nWb7JIz-KFRX0gJu8C5sWs/s280/Arno_Penzias.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="235" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtyzrFIVOKmMteLUEHacgj1S5CZJPmnOMVWKE1R9e8D4ImMNXNosh_j0W8Sp5LwAbl2aCOH-MCKadIP7sv6poIrShzBxpJRf7JD72JzA7JEqQmj_dNtzc_wxhy91_tCltTDCYBTJZzG9m4eNG2IZPSoqxNyX3cVnihzCj8nWb7JIz-KFRX0gJu8C5sWs/s1600/Arno_Penzias.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-6447641309590171242024-02-24T17:20:00.000-08:002024-02-24T17:20:09.004-08:00This one is obvious<p> </p><p>Michael Phelps, one of the greatest competitive pool swimmers of all time, announced about he and his wife Nicole just added a fourth child to their brood.</p><p>OK, so he has good swimmers, apparently. Had to be said.</p><p><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12994229/Michael-Phelps-wife-Nicole-announce-birth-FOURTH-child.html">Michael Phelps welcomes FOURTH child! Swimming legend and wife Nicole announce the birth of son and reveal his name alongside sweet photo</a></p>The newborn tyke's name is Nico Michael.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-42203049648091063932024-02-18T18:57:00.000-08:002024-02-18T19:07:53.570-08:00Lighthouse of the Week, February 18 - 24, 2024: Canet-Plage Light, France<p> </p><p>I wasn't sure where to find this week's lighthouse, but I stayed in Europe, and decided see what lighthouses in France I hadn't visited yet. This uniquely-designed lighthouse popped up. </p><p>Location-wise, I couldn't even find it by it's name, but it's located behind the dunes of this beach, <a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/jZMRERaKTS5EADos6">Plage du Sardinal</a>. Zoom out to see where Canet-en-Rousillon is (the nearest population center of note), and zoom further out to see Perpignan, just a bit north of the Spain-France border.</p><p>So, about the lighthouse. It's a fairly new one. <i>Lighthouse Directory </i>provides details, which are limited because there isn't a lot of history here, just modern design.</p><p></p><blockquote>"1977. Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); four white flashes every 15 s. 24 m (79 ft) triangular concrete tower with gallery and an enclosed equipment room at the base. The light and gallery are supported by three concrete columns, with access via a stairway that spirals almost magically up the open center of the tower. Entire lighthouse is white. ... This modern design is by the architectural firm of Cardin, Diatkine et Frémolle of Montpellier. Located on the dunes behind the beach at Canet-Plage, about 800 m (1/2 mi) north of the harbor."</blockquote><p></p><p>There aren't a lot of pictures of this one on Web site, but Google Maps has quite a few; I've got three below.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGYMGinW6yURyW8W-iloo029Wf9b2Tmreed38r2C2PamkRHzlAY7r84EhCjxXYJu8SYDTXuTQJp13S6dERnuT52gYf5gjH2zCzrk5b-wfUyfokqfzUICz93WzRmOmwNR20UIQhllt6FkIFwiNdQLbDsQEROOQsh00Pd4nw4YNvwsEfGHu0haKeUlj6-4/s410/canet-plage%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="294" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGYMGinW6yURyW8W-iloo029Wf9b2Tmreed38r2C2PamkRHzlAY7r84EhCjxXYJu8SYDTXuTQJp13S6dERnuT52gYf5gjH2zCzrk5b-wfUyfokqfzUICz93WzRmOmwNR20UIQhllt6FkIFwiNdQLbDsQEROOQsh00Pd4nw4YNvwsEfGHu0haKeUlj6-4/w286-h400/canet-plage%201.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz78uLR7PuA4y3UO8vcaEK-6yI9-nNpetWF1JIT_SRbJJjJSWA-mHijv3fO7b_5Z9Lv9Y9wWwUPsjdVYRfBom-OTCIcuVaA_jqfnXP2ufysAD6EXGtJvzocPpqXNefSiP5m5qmOCJ9TfBqT572VE6HW-JXeqTok3sYQ6NMILNMLhBKEIOpqsij1A1UsjA/s600/canet-plage%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz78uLR7PuA4y3UO8vcaEK-6yI9-nNpetWF1JIT_SRbJJjJSWA-mHijv3fO7b_5Z9Lv9Y9wWwUPsjdVYRfBom-OTCIcuVaA_jqfnXP2ufysAD6EXGtJvzocPpqXNefSiP5m5qmOCJ9TfBqT572VE6HW-JXeqTok3sYQ6NMILNMLhBKEIOpqsij1A1UsjA/w400-h265/canet-plage%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9Ay_2fZ689HxJCqkqg_vkuvyyYG25pjbbu4gGVBW4-iv8VfwP1QWIRjf4mkMEYkBj8VJ2ZgY9tIfTcQZcwFTM7ARLsshgioFgLbmuOFKewetgF2mDLOvfjn_atW7K1VBu1gNdZF66eLPA2RbvP7Ly5YEXzwnWVBUxUVudaS_Hz5EfoVErPtL7pGf8YQ/s545/canet-plage%203.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="403" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9Ay_2fZ689HxJCqkqg_vkuvyyYG25pjbbu4gGVBW4-iv8VfwP1QWIRjf4mkMEYkBj8VJ2ZgY9tIfTcQZcwFTM7ARLsshgioFgLbmuOFKewetgF2mDLOvfjn_atW7K1VBu1gNdZF66eLPA2RbvP7Ly5YEXzwnWVBUxUVudaS_Hz5EfoVErPtL7pGf8YQ/w296-h400/canet-plage%203.png" width="296" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-59030469224293570712024-02-18T15:42:00.000-08:002024-02-18T15:42:58.741-08:00No bad news here<p> </p><p>I don't know if this has changed, and if it has, I hope it has gotten worse for Cruz.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ted-cruz-poll-raises-alarm-bells-in-texas-election/ar-BB1gWZ3D">Ted Cruz Poll Sets Off Alarm Bells in Texas Election</a></span></p><blockquote>"The survey, released Thursday by Emerson College, found Cruz polling at 42 percent among likely voters in a hypothetical matchup with U.S. Representative Colin Allred, who had 40 percent support. In a matchup with Texas state Senator Roland Gutierrez, 41 percent said they would vote for Cruz and 40 percent said Gutierrez."<br /><br />"The hypothetical matchup between Allred and Cruz showed that the Democrat held a significant advantage among Hispanic voters, young voters and women—three critical voting blocs in the nation's second-largest state.
<br /><br />
Latinos make up the biggest ethnic group in Texas, accounting for 40.2 percent of the population, according to 2021 data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Non-Hispanic whites represent 39.8 percent. The poll showed Allred leading Cruz among Hispanic voters by 24 percentage points. Cruz performed better among white voters, by 23 points."</blockquote>Get rid of him, Texans.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4kqpUqJaHbqEkX1MmBZeh3EdO4mBBFrbPSID9CR1-XLzA34Z49pwROEIYSv5yeEvUNw2qXRu8m56YLcA6fUExilLTU7opkB9QQgSPMoM32af8e0gpiF0NDsXY7MXKo4_CJOMPa9O2xSQzwNpAAy3fHNo-oVu89QlixgOh6utdlfMdPfBqT4b7bbMVBs/s640/Cruz%20caricature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="640" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4kqpUqJaHbqEkX1MmBZeh3EdO4mBBFrbPSID9CR1-XLzA34Z49pwROEIYSv5yeEvUNw2qXRu8m56YLcA6fUExilLTU7opkB9QQgSPMoM32af8e0gpiF0NDsXY7MXKo4_CJOMPa9O2xSQzwNpAAy3fHNo-oVu89QlixgOh6utdlfMdPfBqT4b7bbMVBs/s320/Cruz%20caricature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br />
</div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-74061237136513036862024-02-18T15:26:00.000-08:002024-02-18T15:26:34.915-08:00lt's that time of the year again<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujI3gmb6geG1rHIMl8hwgf8qM2AEyj4yAWALy5zDmLeSwcEuCImSj6koursmvMn-VY-7dWHFymJD7xkjl1RthjP2R6d1ESmcic9ZHDjpeGCTrPwuDdSvcsw8UiyllK2YgBrMjlpWIhozPqBk9q2CfoV_XdkuGqs91sqFqHP-nkuZkuP-IiXouUm6eWKQ/s500/crystal-palace-fc.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujI3gmb6geG1rHIMl8hwgf8qM2AEyj4yAWALy5zDmLeSwcEuCImSj6koursmvMn-VY-7dWHFymJD7xkjl1RthjP2R6d1ESmcic9ZHDjpeGCTrPwuDdSvcsw8UiyllK2YgBrMjlpWIhozPqBk9q2CfoV_XdkuGqs91sqFqHP-nkuZkuP-IiXouUm6eWKQ/w200-h200/crystal-palace-fc.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>About this time every year, watchers of Premier League football (soccer) consider one of the most important questions of the ongoing season.</p><p>Now, you might think that would be which team is going to win the Premiership (the league title). Some years that has practically been decided by now. Other years it's closer. This happens to be close year, with Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City all contending, and all within a couple of points of the top spot (currently occupied by Liverpool).</p><p>Or you might think it's about the qualifications for the Champions League and Europa League. The top four positions in the Premier League go to the Champions League, and the fifth-place team goes to the Europa League. That's interesting right now too, with Manchester United on a four game winning streak, now only three points behind Tottenham Hotspur for fifth place, but the Spurs just two points behind Aston Villa for fourth.</p><p>But it's neither of those things. About every time at this point in the season, Premier League watchers start to speculate about whether or not Crystal Palace will get relegated.</p><p>The team has actually been in the PL since 2013, and while they've usually been in danger of relegation every year (with a couple of exceptions), they haven't dropped. This year has been a struggle, though, as they no longer hage top scorer and top penalty-magnet Wilfried Zaha. Still, they have good players, notably Eze and Olise, but both of them are hurt right now.</p><p>They won a must-win against last-place Sheffield United on January 30th, but now they're facing what amounts to another one, against Everton on February 19. And Everton is desperately hanging on after being given a 10-point penalty for not following the fair-pay rules. They're a bit better than CP, with 8 wins compared to CP's current six. But not that much better; so this amounts to a must-win for both teams. A draw would move CP up to a tie with Brentford at 25 points, while Everton would be even with Luton Town at 20 -- I'm not sure what the tiebreaker is there. Should CP win they'd move ahead of Brentford but still be a point behind Bournemouth. </p><p>I don't think any team with less than 30 points is safe yet, so that includes Fulham at 29 in 12th place. There's still a lot of season left, but clearly CP needs a bit of luck, healthy players, and a couple of wins to stay at the top level. </p><p><br /></p>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4705284529565390866.post-84721108181456375032024-02-17T22:23:00.000-08:002024-02-17T22:23:30.197-08:00There are less snow days<p> </p><p>For years, a "prediction" that children wouldn't remember snow has been belittled by climate change deniers. </p><p>But slowly and inexorably, it's happening.<br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/01/16/climate-change-snow-kids/">Snow days help make childhood magical. Now they’re melting away.</a></span></p>
<div><blockquote>"It was with Calvin’s [of <i>Calvin and Hobbes</i>] directive in mind that when last week’s forecast began to promise our first real snow in two years, I splurged on snow pants and heavy socks that we might not have cause to use again before my children grow out of them. On Monday evening, we watched the snow thicken in the glow of the streetlights. My daughter made snow angels in our backyard. We all built a snowman, whose body was repurposed for a snow fight with the neighbors. I towed my son around the yard on our little plastic sled. And both kids did their best to help their father shovel the front walk.
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This storm didn’t match the biggest snows of my youth, when my family slept in front of our fireplace and slid through quiet streets on cross-country skis. But if it turns out to be the last snow of my son’s childhood, there’s a chance he might remember it."</blockquote><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecf4mwguBx63OVdO2eg_mjdqbyiVth0uCCUCc-DmapaZsb7A-d_zh1w5Smur4AxpGbLNolMQdZkxpbMJLD0Md6bH-s72rEyUaVdlyP2ucZsU0WTrqdNrUKcr0Mz66XFYMoh09fYGz7SfffUxxpUGDOUv9ZI9SkBh5y4lPGdeae0W7r8D7aYJRxcgiAYw/s1000/sled%20hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="1000" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecf4mwguBx63OVdO2eg_mjdqbyiVth0uCCUCc-DmapaZsb7A-d_zh1w5Smur4AxpGbLNolMQdZkxpbMJLD0Md6bH-s72rEyUaVdlyP2ucZsU0WTrqdNrUKcr0Mz66XFYMoh09fYGz7SfffUxxpUGDOUv9ZI9SkBh5y4lPGdeae0W7r8D7aYJRxcgiAYw/w400-h201/sled%20hill.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This shouldn't be forgotten</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p></div>Oakden Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14118842087707270695noreply@blogger.com0