The northernmost plant

 

National Geographic went to the ends of the Earth.

Again (they've been there before). 

The last flower at the top of the world—and the perilous journey to reach it

"Here, above the Arctic Circle, the planet is warming four times faster than anywhere else on Earth. Changes here will have ripple effects across the globe, which is why the team braved harsh conditions to find what lives on the edge."

If you want to know where it is, I found it on Google Maps.  The satellite photography isn't even good.

Read the article if you want to see the last flower.  Here's the species, the Arctic poppy.

There's a tomb in Petra

 

Petra is the famous city of stone in Jordan. It's been in movies (notably, as the article below reiterates, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), and numerous scenic pictures. 

Inside the most famous of the buildings (?) in Petra, called the Treasury, archaeologists found a tomb. I don't think that they were expecting that, even though there are other tombs around.

‘Stunning’ hidden tomb found at Petra site featured in ‘Indiana Jones’

Underneath the Treasury in Petra, Jordan, archaeologists found remains and a ceramic vessel some said looked similar to the “Holy Grail” depicted in “Indiana Jones.”

OK, they must have been important to be buried there. Who were they?

In general, they know.  But who the individuals buried in the Treasury were, not so much.

"But many questions about the Nabataeans and their city still remain. “There is so much that we have yet to learn about the Treasury, said Creasman in the Warner Bros. news release. One major remaining unanswered question: “When was this remarkable structure built, and why?”

I know, why? 

A view of the Treasury:

A great review of a terrible (yet fascinating) science fiction movie

 

I'll admit to watching The Chronicles of Riddick a few times. Hated every minute. And kept watching every minute of it. I can recite dialogue from it. 

Science-fictionally, it's ridiculous. It's a space opera and all that entails. Of particular awful fascination is the impossible planet of Crematoria.  There is literally no way this planet works. Yet it's ideal for the action in the movie.

Crematoria, artist's conception, because it's certainly not real:

And if you loved and hated it, somewhat like I do, the good news/bad news is that there is going to be a sequel!  Yay/ugh!

Read more. He agrees with me (but offers more insight).

The World Wasn’t Ready For Vin Diesel’s Sci-Fi Epic

This looks watchable

 

It's only in theaters, so I have to find the theaters.  Lord of the Rings fans might like this one. I hope I do, too.

The War of the Rohirrim

Zendaya channels Cher

 

I don't know if you saw this from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this year, but Zendaya paid tribute to Cher by looking amazingly like her, in a dress very similar to one Cher wore years ago.

Zendaya leaves very little to the imagination as she channels Cher in a daring gold cut out gown at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony

The coat she wore there was pretty cool, too.

If you missed the show (which I did), here's the full list of 2024 inductees.

Performer Category: 

• Mary J. Blige 
• Cher 
• Dave Matthews Band 
• Foreigner 
• Peter Frampton 
• Kool & The Gang 
• Ozzy Osbourne 
• A Tribe Called Quest 

Musical Influence Award: 

• Alexis Korner 
• John Mayall 
• Big Mama Thornton 

Musical Excellence Award: 

• Jimmy Buffett 
• MC5 
• Dionne Warwick 
• Norman Whitfield 

Lighthouse of the Week, November 10 - 16, 2024: Farol de Câmara de Lobos, Madeira, Portugal

 

If you don't know exactly where the Portuguese island of Madeira is, that's OK. Because while it's not real far from Portugal, it's considerably closer to Morocco, sitting in the Atlantic Ocean and fairly isolated.

This week's lighthouse, the name of which you can garner from the title of the post, is located here on Madeira. If you want to know where Madeira is, zoom out. I also recommend the pictures. 

The Lighthouse Directory says this much about it, and in this case, there's not much to say.

"1937 (station established 1920s?). Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); red light, 4 s on, 2 s off. 5 m (17 ft) square concrete equipment room with gallery; the light is displayed from a short mast on the roof. Building painted white; the mast has a red horizontal band. ... Located atop a vertical volcanic dike adjacent to the main pier at Câmara de Lobos, a village about 8 km (5 mi) west of Funchal on the south coast of the island."

All that's left to do, then, is show the pictures.

It's all we need

 

In this era of uncertainty and doubt and distress and anger,

let's just take a break and watch Shakira dance and sing and party with beautiful friends.