Did you know that there is a small island between Jamaica and far southwest Haiti, that is a part of the United States?
Until a few minutes before I wrote this, I didn't either. I was stumped for a Lighthouse of the Week, and so I went to the Lighthouse Directory, and at the top, in the Southeastern United States and U.S. Caribbean section, there it is; and because I didn't recognize it, I clicked on it to find out more.
This is what I found out (edited):
"1917. Inactive since 1996. 162 ft (49 m) round cylindrical white reinforced concrete tower with lantern and gallery. The lighthouse is unpainted; lantern painted black. The 1-story keeper's house is unroofed and in ruins. ... This unusual and historic lighthouse was built to guide ships bound for the Panama Canal. Unfortunately, the lighthouse is now critically endangered by abandonment and lack of maintenance. ... Located near the highest point of the island (the focal plane was 395 ft (120 m)). Site restricted (sensitive ecological area), tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."
Below, three pictures. There aren't a lot more; it's not on the major cruise routes. Being somewhat close to Cuba probably has something to do with that.
As most know, Vanessa Hudgens got her start in Disney's High School Musical and its sequels. She's a multi-dimensional actress/singer/dancer/entertainer, and has become a sexy siren, too. Given the title of this Daily Mail piece, she has put high school wholesomeness in her rearview mirror and has the sexy engine purring nicely as she guns it down the highway.
Lizard Head is a peak in Colorado, near Telluride, which I just learned about recently.
Via Streetview and its associated panoramic pictures, here's a view of it from nearby Black Face mountain. If you don't see it immediately, pan around to find it. Below the panoramic view is another picture of it, so you know what to look for.
One of the sad facts of American gun culture is that many of the deaths caused by guns happen in domestic settings, i.e., the home. It can either be partners living in the same home (married or otherwise linked), families, or people that unfortunately and sadly take their own lives.
This is another example of why there are too many guns, and gun-possessing homes, in the United States. And this example unfortunately happened in the state I live in.
"During a Friday afternoon news conference, Cecil County Sheriff Scott Adams said, 'this is a terrible and tragic day for our community.'
There had been no previous history of emergency calls from the house and the police put out a reverse 911 call to assure the surrounding areas there was no threat to the public."
If there's a gun available, then it can be used -- and many times, tragic events like this happen.
"The Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia is a World Heritage Site — designated by the United Nations cultural organization UNESCO — honouring the generational tradition of farming in this region. The landscape consists of 18 urban settlements dating back to the nineteenth century, with coffee farms situated on steep mountain ranges, often in forest clearings.
But owing to climate change, these farmers report that their livelihoods and heritage are threatened by changes in temperature, more extreme weather events, increases in pests and disease and their inability to plan production decisions (such as when to harvest coffee cherries) on the basis of historical indicators that have been altered, and that they feel they have no way to successfully adapt. Although they are experienced farmers who often have the wisdom of generations of coffee farming in their families, they do not have the support that they need to overcome the challenges presented by climate change. They need more information, institutional support and financial stability."
Just like the traditional olive oil agriculture in Spain.
We should be paying attention. Fortunately, some scientists are paying attention.
A lot of times in my discussions with climate change deniers / skeptics / "lukewarmers" / and misguidedly stubborn science misinformers (MSSMs), there will be admissions from them that things are changing, the globe is warming (GW), some of it is even caused by humans (thus anthropogenic, AGW), but for various misguided reasons, they say that despite the changes, it won't be bad, and certainly not "catastrophic"(i.e., CAGW).
To which I frequently ask, what is catastrophic? Is it catastrophic when a flash flood from an extreme rainfall event washes away Main Street in your village? Is it catastrophic when one of the famous rivers that runs through your country dries up? Is it catastrophic when 90% of the world's coral reefs might be gone in 30 years?
"The morning that [olive oil farmer] Mr. Bautista studied the withered olive tree branch, he was sweating in heat that was already headed above 100 degrees by 11 a.m. As he drove his Toyota pickup truck around the 5,000 trees that he cultivates in a grove beside the tiny village of El Molar, where he grew up, he was already ruing lost profits. He and other farmers expect that the olive crop of Jaén will be about 50 percent smaller than last year. Government estimates of lost income now stand at $1 billion."
The article goes on to explain how climate change, economics, and culture changes could threaten the olive oil production in this region, altering both an economic anchor and a historical way of life.
With all the (justifiable) hoopla about the James Webb Space Telescope, it might be possible to forget that the Hubble Space Telescope isn't done yet, and won't be for a few years.
Read the article, which has a link to the actual research paper. I'll provide the picture and the caption.
"The massive star cluster NGC 346, located in the Small Magellanic Cloud, has long intrigued astronomers with its unusual shape. Now researchers using two separate methods have determined that this shape is partly due to stars and gas spiraling into the center of this cluster in a river-like motion. The red spiral superimposed on NGC 346 traces the movement of stars and gas toward the center. Scientists say this spiraling motion is the most efficient way to feed star formation from the outside toward the center of the cluster."
To end this series, there's always Elizabeth Hurley. I even have a movie part that I'd like her to play right now, if I could only right the screenplay and get it produced.
Well Charlize Theron is one of Hollywood's classic beauties, even though she's been willing to take on roles that don't emphasize or exploit her beauty, and she's been willing to look plain/frumpy/disreputable.
But she's gorgeous, of course. And Dior gets some advertising, too.
I've been in the Brooke Burke camp for a long, long time, way back to when she was modeling for Frederick's of Hollywood. And I remember how happy I was when I finally learned her name.
The island of Ireland has a craggy, rocky shore, and it has lots and lots of lighthouses. I haven't tried to count how many Irish lighthouses I've featured over these past years, looks like more than five and less than ten. I've featured black, red, upside-down, and isolated on a rock Irish lighthouses. So there's quite a bit of variety.
This time, I'm featuring a stainless-steel lighthouse.
The original lighthouse isn't stainless steel; it's a more traditional design, with a keeper's house and a low tower. And that one isn't working anymore, but somebody bought it and might be living there. Getting there might be a challenge, as you'll see.
This is the Roancarrig lighthouse. The new one might be called Roancarrigmore, which is kind of humorous, even if it's inadvertent.
So first, let's see where it is. It's in far southwest Ireland, south of Killarney and Dingle, and west of Cork. (I just had to write that sentence.) The island is in Bantry Bay, which ends at the lovely village of Ballylickey. (I had to write that sentence, too.) Here's where, if you need visual guidance, zoomed out far enough to show where it is in relation to Blarney and Cork. Google Maps doesn't even acknowledge that there's a lighthouse on the island. But if you switch to satellite view, it's pretty obvious that there is. And it's pretty obvious that the lighthouse and keeper's house are the only thing on the island other than a dock, and a helipad. Which is how the owners of the place must get there; I'm not sure where the nearest harbor is, maybe Blackrock to the west. Or where they'd fly the helicopter from. I guess I have to ask, I can't afford it.
OK, so first, let's get the basics from the Lighthouse Directory, and then add some links.
"1847. Inactive since 2012. Approx. 12 m (40 ft) round tower with lantern and gallery attached to 2-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white with a single black band under the gallery. ... In late 2010 CIL announced that the light would be moved to a small stainless steel tower adjacent to the lighthouse and this move was completed in May 2012. The new lighthouse (focal plane 18 m (59 ft); flash every 3 s, white or red depending on direction) has a solar-powered LED light. ... In 2016 the historic lighthouse and keeper's house were listed for sale at €130,000 and in early 2017 the property was sold. Located on a small islet off the eastern end of Bere Island, marking the eastern entrance to Castletownbere from Bantry Bay. Accessible only by boat [obviously] "
Great story from the Washington Post -- about how to control lionfish. Which basically consists of spear 'm and eat 'em. This story goes into details, and is illustrated.
It tastes good, too; so let's overfish them into oblivion, or at least back into normal balance.
"And it did. Jammal is just one of many restaurants that began offering the fish [lionfish]. Jammal likes to serve the whole thing raw, with a side of soy sauce to complement its buttery, light and delightfully non-fishy taste."
I can't believe that I almost forgot to post this informative Daily Mail article about Abbey Clancy and family on vacation. Seems like I've been following Abbey's coming and goings and procreatings for a century (well, pretty much all this century). And though she's had four children courtesy of the avid efforts of her husband Peter Crouch (former top level soccer player), she still appears very, very, fit.
And should be careful, too, based on one of these pictures, as it appears that hubby Peter would still be willing and able and motivated to procreate again. But maybe he took "steps" to make sure that four procreative efforts is all they're going to have.
OK, done? Here's what I think. If a majority of Americans think Trump's MAGA movement is a threat to democracy (and it is), and they agreed with what the President said in the speech, then his speech was not the reason they thought that. The MAGA movement is the reason they thought that -- and thus the MAGA movement is dividing the country. Because there are about 40% of the country's population that don't think MAGA is a threat to democracy, and that would be to a very large extent those in the movement, and sympathizers that aren't quite in the march.
So the nation is divided about 60-40 about whether MAGA is a threat to democracy.
In the article, basically the same percentages believe that the President's speech was "divisive". Well, it wasn't the President's intent to tell the country MAGA isn't a threat to democracy. He wanted to highlight the danger. Thus, if he's highlighting to the 60% that agree with him what they already agree with, and the other 40% don't agree with him, he isn't in the business of building bridges between the two sides.
Basically, he wants everybody that's on his side of the divide to vote when and where they can, and hopefully in such numbers that MAGA and its sympathizers don't take over Congress. Because if you want to see divisive, that would do it.
"Larson is the brains behind Growing Up, which chronicles 10 coming-of-age stories that explore the 'challenges, triumphs and complexities of adolescence.' "
OK, that's great. And I might even watch a few episodes.
Rolls Royce, which makes airplane jet engines in addition to extra fancy automobiles, is ending it partnership with Boom, which is intending to build a supersonic jet. Though the article makes it sound like this is an amicable parting, I'd like to know who Boom is actually going to have building their engines.
Because to go very fast, you have to have a very good engine.
" "We are appreciative of Rolls-Royce’s work over the last few years, but it became clear that Rolls’ proposed engine design and legacy business model is not the best option for Overture’s future airline operators or passengers. Later this year, we will announce our selected engine partner and our transformational approach for reliable, cost-effective and sustainable supersonic flight," Boom outlined in a statement."
I would hazard that Boom's business success is going to be very contingent on who that partner is.
This BBC News article says that its possible a real malaria vaccine -- which would save numerous lives and alleviate the suffering of thousands -- could be at hand.
"The [University of Oxford] team expect it to be rolled out next year after trials showed up to 80% protection against the deadly disease.
Crucially, say the scientists, their vaccine is cheap and they already have a deal to manufacture more than 100 million doses a year.
The charity Malaria No More said recent progress meant children dying from malaria could end "in our lifetimes". "
But before we celebrate ...
"The team will start the process of getting their vaccine approved in the next few weeks, but a final decision will hinge on the results of a larger trial of 4,800 children due before the end of the year."
I hope it passes the test and gets approved, because malaria is just plain bad. And the world needs all the good news it can get right now.
I've featured several lighthouses in the country of Italy, both on the mainland boot and adjacent islands (Sardinia, Sicily), but there are still several more. This one is located at the base of the "spur" of the boot, the Gargano Peninsula, and sits at the base of the "mole" on one side of the harbor.
Even though the peninsula features a national park covering much of its land surface, this isn't the touristy side of Italy, so there aren't a lot of pictures of it. However, it does have some history, as can now be read in the excerpts from the Lighthouse Directory below.
"1868 (extensively rebuilt in 1947). Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); white flash every 5 s. 18 m (60 ft) octagonal cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 2-story masonry keeper's
house. Entire lighthouse painted white. ... The lighthouse was heavily damaged in 1943, during World War II,
and was rebuilt after the war."
The one way that the human race might avert dire consequences to the health of the planet and the fate of humanity (which are obviously linked together) is lots and lots and lots of energy.
Since nuclear fission reactors still face an uphill battle, even though reproducible modularity is the way to go and might be the way things are going, the dream of energy salvation is nuclear fusion.
And a news report from last week indicated that maybe, just maybe, that dream is a little closer to reality.
"Despite all the work that lies ahead in getting these reactors to produce more energy than they consume, progress has been encouraging. By 2025, the engineers at KSTAR want to have exceeded the 100 million-degree mark for a period of 300 seconds."
There's a particular problem with the one I've selected to highlight here, despite the impressive minimalist architecture. The problem is, if you're trying to exercise, how do you see the wall at the other end?
I think exercise is not the point of this one. Here's an excerpt from the description of it:
"Steady warm-white light is possible, but a computer control produces any of 16 million distinct colors — her favored pastels comprise a 20-minute cycle that slides from sky blue through the warm tones of a “cotton-candy sky while the sun is setting.”
As I said, atrociously large scads of money to spend.
It sounds like a soap opera plot (and a little research revealed that it actually was, on Days of Our Lives), but in "real life", a young woman in Brazil gave birth to twins who had two different fathers.
I just found out about the elk cam in Virginia, following the successfully immigrated elk herd in the southern part of the state. I haven't seen an elk on it yet, but bugling for a mate season is just about upon us, so it should be a good time to watch. It has night capability too, which I happen to be looking at now, but it is currently elkless.
Well, I found this one by accident looking for a lighthouse with a different theme. But this one is another one of those classic lighthouse-on-a-rock types that always look impressive, even if you never heard of it before.
This is the Mizunoko Shima (also known as Mizunokojima) Lighthouse, which is located where? It's located here. I had to zoom WAY out to show that it's in the channel between Shikoku (right/east) and Kyushu (left/west). Even though I could find more pictures of it with "Mizunoko Shima", Google Maps goes with Mizunokojima.
That probably explains the "damaged" part in what follows, from the Lighthouse Directory.
"1904. Active; focal plane 56 m (184 ft); white flash every 10 s. 39 m (128 ft) round stone tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 2-story stone keeper's house. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands. ... The lighthouse was repaired after being heavily damaged during World War II. ... This is one of Japan's tallest lighthouses. Located on an isolated rock in the center of the Bungo Strait about 25 km (15 mi) east northeast of Saiki."
The last part is most certainly correct, as shown in the pictures that are below.
From Ann Telnaes of the Washington Post (in case you hadn't heard, Ginni Thomas also sent email to Wisconsin state legislators imploring them to find a way to overturn the 2020 election results in that state, i.e., give Trump the win over Biden).
This quote from the article starts out somewhat scientifically, but then the quote goes in a direction that probably wasn't intentional.
"We thought the early universe was this chaotic place where there's all these clumps of star formation,
and things are all a-jumble," the Space Telescope Science Institute's Dan Coe told WaPo [Washington Post], adding later that,
before the JWST was launched into orbit, Hubble's imagery was "missing all the colder stars and the older stars. ...
We were really only seeing the hot young ones."
Well, that's understandable. Hot young ones are hard to overlook.
Despite not having nearly the length of coastline as Chile, Peru, or Colombia (which has coastline on two different bodies of water), Ecuador does have a portion of the South American western coast. And because it does, it has a few lighthouses. This one is located on a beach, near a small town (Engabao), and fairly close to Guayaquil.
The Lighthouse Directory is short and sweet with regard to this one.
"Date unknown (station established 1920s). Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 3.5 s off. 7 m (23 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, painted white with red bands at the base and on the gallery."
I originally couldn't find many pictures of this one because I searched for "Engabao Lighthouse". "Faro Engabao" was more successful. But I did find two Google Streetview pics, which are below, followed by pictures that I eventually found.
