Milloy is sweating

 

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.

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.

Washington DC sees its warmest January day EVER as mercury hits 81F - making city warmer than MIAMI

Actual footage of Steve Milloy on a winter day that's much warmer than normal:

Sign of the times

 

This article was both vaguely humorous and sadly terrifying.

Majority of land hermit crab species now use trash for shells

" “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 Science of the Total Environment journal."

Canned crab might be good for making crab cakes, but not for this little guy.

Looking forward to the Presidential election

 

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 National Enquirer 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.

The Looming Contest Between Two Presidents and Two Americas

These two quotes are quite illustrative.

"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."

"In an increasingly tribal society, Americans describe their differences more personally."

Speaking of illustrative, here's a shot of Karen McDougal on the beach, in what I call "the pose". 

A bit safer

 

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, Oliver Glasner. 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.)

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. 

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.)

Go you Eagles!

Lighthouse of the Week, February 25 - March 2, 2024: Baileys Harbor Rear Range Light, Wisconsin, USA

 

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.

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, where is Baileys Harbor? (I included Ephraim and Egg Harbor;  zoom out to see more of Wisconsin).

What does the Lighthouse Directory tell us about this distinguished light source?

"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."

I'd make it a tour stop if you visit the Door Peninsula, and make sure you take part in a fish boil.

Here's the pictures I found; not a lot of them online, it seems.

 

"Total Recall", for real

 

If you will hearken back to the original Total Recall 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 fast. 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.

Anyway, read this newsflash from Mars.

Water ice buried at Mars' equator is over 2 miles thick

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.

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)

So, I know where the aliens put the terraforming reactor. Now we just have to figure out how to turn it on. 

Well, the equation has a new value

 

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.  Read more about that in Wikipedia.

One of the factors in the equation is this:

n_e = the average number of planets that can potentially support life per star that has planets.

Well, that number may have an actual value now. 

Huge breakthrough in the search for aliens: NASA discovers 85 Earth-like exoplanets that could have the right conditions to support life

"By studying NASA satellite data, the experts from the University of Warwick have found another 85 'exoplanets' – planets outside our solar system.

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).

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'."

So now there's a number for n_e .  Or, actually, there's a range of numbers.  But at least there's a limit on the range.

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:

Two major passings

 

Noting these two passings of important figures in journalism and physics.

Charles Osgood, wry stalwart of CBS’s ‘Sunday Morning,’ dies at 91

"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."

Nobel laureate Arno Penzias dies at 90; helped find traces of big bang

Along with a Bell Labs colleague, he conducted groundbreaking work widely considered fundamental to one of the landmark discoveries of modern science

"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.

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.

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."

This one is obvious

 

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.

OK, so he has good swimmers, apparently.  Had to be said.

Michael Phelps welcomes FOURTH child! Swimming legend and wife Nicole announce the birth of son and reveal his name alongside sweet photo

The newborn tyke's name is Nico Michael.

Lighthouse of the Week, February 18 - 24, 2024: Canet-Plage Light, France

 

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.  

Location-wise, I couldn't even find it by it's name, but it's located behind the dunes of this beach, Plage du Sardinal. 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.

So, about the lighthouse. It's a fairly new one. Lighthouse Directory provides details, which are limited because there isn't a lot of history here, just modern design.

"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."

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.

No bad news here

 

I don't know if this has changed, and if it has, I hope it has gotten worse for Cruz.

Ted Cruz Poll Sets Off Alarm Bells in Texas Election

"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."

"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.

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."

Get rid of him, Texans.

lt's that time of the year again

 

About this time every year, watchers of Premier League football (soccer) consider one of the most important questions of the ongoing season.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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. 

There are less snow days

 

For years, a "prediction" that children wouldn't remember snow has been belittled by climate change deniers. 

But slowly and inexorably, it's happening.

Snow days help make childhood magical. Now they’re melting away.

"It was with Calvin’s [of Calvin and Hobbes] 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.

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."

This shouldn't be forgotten

 

Now that's a girlfriend!

 

Henry Cavill, actor most noted for playing Superman in Man of Steel, then his lead role in The Witcher, and now in Argylle, has a very lovely girlfriend.

Henry Cavill looks dapper as his girlfriend Natalie Viscuso puts on a VERY busty display at Argylle premiere in South Korea

There are many pictures of them together, and a few of her alone. And I think Henry has a good catch.

Again?

 

Seriously, this happened again. Someone bought a little trinket in an antique shop for a few bucks, and it turns out to be worth thousands of dollars.

Purchased for $25, This Bargain Brooch Could Sell for $19,000—Thanks to ‘Antiques Roadshow’

"Over 30 years ago, Flora Steel bought a unique brooch at an English antique market for just under £20 (roughly $25). At the time, she didn’t know it was designed by William Burges, a storied Victorian-era Gothic Revival designer.

Now, thanks to a chance viewing of an old “Antiques Roadshow” clip, the brooch is projected to sell for up to $19,000.

Made of silver, lapis lazuli, malachite and coral, the brooch is flat and circular with a cross through its middle, according to a statement from Gildings, which will auction it in the spring."

So if you see something that looks like this on sale -- cheap -- buy it!

Lighthouse of the Week, February 11-17, 2024: Scheveningen, The Netherlands

 

One thing I've discovered about lighthouses in The Netherlands -- a lot of them are various combinations of red and white. That's not uncharacteristic of lighthouses in general, but it seems like The Netherlands are particularly fond of this combination. You'd think, given the flag, that Denmark would be more into the red-and-white.  (I also just discovered that the Netherlands flag is three horizontal stripes, red on top, white in the middle, blue on the bottom -- and this inspired many other flags, as it's one of the oldest country flags in history. So it's boring, but they're not going to change it. I guess I was thinking that the flag must have orange in it, because the national soccer team famously wears orange -- but those are the king's colors. And they put an orange pennant on the flag on "King's Day" and the birthdays of the King and Queen.)

But enough about that. This lighthouse is an example of a red-and-white design. This is an older and historic lighthouse in The Hague, and is considered one of the world's "greatest iron lighthouses".  You'll see that again shortly.

This is where it is.

Below, the excerpted information from the Lighthouse Directory.

"1875 (Quirinus Harder). Station established by 1630. Active; focal plane 49 m (161 ft); two white flashes, separated by 2.3 s, every 10 s. 30 m (98 ft) dodecagonal (12-sided) cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, attached or adjacent to a 2-story keeper's house. 3rd order Fresnel lens in use. Lighthouse painted red, lantern and gallery white with a green dome. ... One of the world's greatest iron lighthouses, this classic Dutch tower was prefabricated by Nering Bögel of Deventer. The historic light station is now managed by the Scheveningen Museum."

So, if you ever visit the Hague, look seaward.

Meanwhile, look down for pictures.

It won't happen, but it should

 

This was written by New York Times columnist David French, before the Supreme Court considered the issue of whether Donald Trump should be taken off the Presidential ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

Any reasonable straightforward reading of the amendment indicates that he should be. But the SCOTUS will find a way to avoid the issue.  To their shame, and our detriment.

I'm going to start with the first four paragraphs of French's piece. Below that, a link to the rest.

Disqualify Trump (or Else)

In the weeks since the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment disqualifies Trump from holding the office of the president, there’s been an enormous amount of commentary noting that the decision is potentially dangerous and destabilizing. Knocking the Republican front-runner off the ballot could lead to further alienation, more anger and potentially even violence.

There’s no doubt that knocking Trump off the ballot would send shock waves through the American body politic, but why would anyone believe that it’s inherently less destabilizing if Trump runs?

We already know what he does when he loses. For him, counting the votes is only the beginning of the battle. If he loses, he’ll challenge the results, conspire to overturn the election and incite political violence.

And if he wins? Then you have an insurrectionist in command of the most powerful military in the world, who is hellbent on seeking vengeance on his political enemies. Does anything at all sound stabilizing about that?

Read the rest.

Words are bad in Florida

 

I'm guessing that you've probably seen an article about this.  If you didn't you should. First for the laugh, then for the sheer terror of how awful it is.

Florida school district bans the DICTIONARY over fears students would look up words like 'sex' after Gov. Ron DeSantis restricted what children could be taught in school

"The Escambia County School District, located in the Florida panhandle, took down The American Heritage Children's Dictionary, Webster's Dictionary for Students, and Merriam-Webster's Elementary Dictionary, among other books.

School officials determined that these dictionaries and encyclopedias violated Florida law HB 1069, also known as the 'Don't Say Gay' bill, signed by DeSantis in 2022 to limit access to materials containing 'sexual conduct' in classrooms."

Here's a funny cartoon on this subject.

Lighthouse of the Week, February 4-10, 2024: Enoshima Sea Candle, Japan

 

I did a quick check on this lighthouse of the week before I started finding some pictures of it. While I never featured it as a lighthouse of the week, I did feature it in a lighthouse of the week post. 

As I was looking for pictures, I also found out that this is a privately-owned lighthouse. There will be more on that later.

As is customary, the first thing that I do is to show the location of this featured lighthouse. As you will see, it is on Enoshima Island. To see where that is, I've zoomed way out, so it is possible to see Yokohama, Kawasaki, and Tokyo. Zoom in to see Enoshima Island!

The next thing to do is to get some information from the Lighthouse Directory:

"2003 (station established 1951). Active; focal plane 107 m (351 ft); white flash every 10 s. 60 m (197 ft) round steel skeletal tower, wider at the top than at the bottom, with a lantern atop a large circular observation area. The tubular outer framework of the tower is white. At night, the tower is bathed in lights of changing colors. ... Eno Shima, a triangular island just off the coast near Fujisawa, is famous in Japanese folklore and is considered the perfect spot for viewing the sunset behind Mount Fuji. The island is connected to the mainland by a bridge and is a very well known tourist attraction. The tower is located at the highest point of the island, near the center."

And the website:  Enoshima Sea Candle

Pictures, of which there are numerous:

Deplorable

 

Reprehensible Representative Elise Stefanik echoed the words of her Dear Leader in calling the convicted and jailed criminals who invaded, graffitied, defiled, and desecrated the Nation's Capitol Building in an attempt to overthrow the government and follow the insurrection instructions of the same Dear Leader:

"Hostages".

They are not, and never were. 

She should be censured. Actually, she should be tossed out of the government altogether, along with a lot of the other robot followers in the House of Reprehensive Republicans.

Jan. 6 ‘hostage’ comments fuel House GOP divisions in tough election year

"So when Stefanik appeared Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” host Kristen Welker asked if she thought those “who stormed the Capitol should be held responsible” for those crimes.

“I have concerns about the treatment of January 6 hostages. I have concerns,” Stefanik said."

Go on, just tell them to start shooting

 

Donald Trump, quoted in this article in the Washington Post (and I'm sure, elsewhere) basically tells his mesmerized mind-controlled hordes to lock and load, and get ready to fire.

Trump warns of ‘bedlam,’ declines to rule out violence after court hearing

"  "Speaking to reporters after an appeals court hearing in which Trump’s lawyers said he should be immune from prosecution for trying to overturn the 2020 election, Trump claimed without evidence that he was being prosecuted because of polls showing him leading President Biden. He warned that if the charges succeed in damaging his candidacy, the result would be “bedlam.”

“I think they feel this is the way they’re going to try and win, and that’s not the way it goes,” Trump said. “It’ll be bedlam in the country. It’s a very bad thing. It’s a very bad precedent. As we said, it’s the opening of a Pandora’s box.” "

He's a clear and present danger.

 

So who's funding it?

 

This is a remarkable article, about an endeavour to create the next international space station --

as a private venture.

Now, while I'm sure there's a lot of government(s) funding involved, still, has any calculated the BILLIONS of dollars it cost to just launch the pieces of the current ISS into space?  And how much it cost after that to put the pieces together?

I suspect that they've figured out a way to do this cheaper (but it will be interesting to see how). They are still going to require some heavy lift launches, I would think.

Airbus and Voyager Space finalize mission for next International Space Station

"Airbus Defense and Space and Voyager Space’s collaboration to build the next International Space Station (ISS) has taken a significant step forward as the two companies confirm the creation of Starlab Space.

Airbus and Voyager announced on January 9, 2024, that they have completed the transaction to create the new entity which will steam ahead to design, build, and operate the Starlab commercial space station.

Starlab is planned for launch in 2028 to ensure a continued human presence in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and ultimately replace the ISS."

First of all, it doesn't look that big. 

Oh yeah - cue the dancers.

And now a note about Katerina Avramtchikova

 

She's a model. 

She has an Instagram account.

So she has some impressive pictures.  Three are shown below.

There are more.

Might work

 

Given that he got elected in Kentucky, and he's a Democrat, I have reasonably thought that Governor Andy Beshear might be a good candidate for higher office.  Had things gone differently in the past few months, that might have been a good idea right about now.

But if wer're planning for the future, putting some money on Andy could be a very good bet.

As his national profile rises, Democratic Ky. Gov. Beshear launches PAC

"Already, Beshear, 46, is considered a rising star of the Democratic Party after winning reelection in a state that Donald Trump won by almost 26 points in 2020. He is now term-limited — meaning he cannot run for governor again."

Can anyone think of a good job for an unemployed former governor?

I can.

Meanwhile, contribute here.  In This Together PAC.

Since I know the ending

 

Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess starred in the movie One Day, and if you've seen it, you know how it ends.  (Obviously.)  Plus, it was based on a novel, and if you know how that ends, then you know how the movie ended. (Also, obviously.)

Now, I'm not against movie remakes. Some of them have been acceptable. I'd have to think hard to come up with any that were actually good. But there is a problem. If a movie or a book has a somewhat unexpected event or events in it -- and I'm not saying One Day does, if you haven't seen it -- then that unexpectedness is not nearly so surprising the second time around. And there have been unexpected occurrences that I did want to see in the movie adaptation of a book or in a remake; some of them were well done.  And I was REALLY disappointed on the occasions when an unexpected occurrence that I wanted to see happen was poorly done, or left out completely. 

However, there are sometimes unexpected occurrences that I really don't have to see again if I know they're going to happen.  Now, I'm not saying that One Day has any of those. But I'm not going to work very hard to watch the remake.

If you're interested ... there are 14 episodes.  One Day (2024) IMdB

Read this

 

Yes, I'm doing a few posts about Donald Trump. I promise to get off that subject.

After this one.

This editorial is from the New York Times. And it hits hard and on-target.

A Warning About Donald Trump and 2024

There's this:

"Mr. Trump’s four years in the White House did lasting damage to the presidency and to the nation. He deepened existing divisions among Americans, leaving the country dangerously polarized; he so demeaned public discourse that many Americans have become inured to lies, insults and personal attacks at the highest levels of leadership. His contempt for the rule of law raised concerns about the long-term stability of American democracy, and his absence of a moral compass threatened to corrode the ideals of national service."

 And this conclusion:

"Re-electing Mr. Trump would present serious dangers to our Republic and to the world. This is a time not to sit out but instead to re-engage. We appeal to Americans to set aside their political differences, grievances and party affiliations and to contemplate — as families, as parishes, as councils and clubs and as individuals — the real magnitude of the choice they will make in November."

Beware; and remember, any vote that isn't for Biden is a vote for Trump. More on that later (but soon).

More insurrection truth

 

While I'm on the subject, let's stay on the subject of the January 6th insurrection.

Three years later, beware dangerous revisionism of Jan. 6

This sums it up quite accurately:

" "The truth must be told. Mr. Biden won the 2020 election, fair and square, and no credible evidence has emerged of widespread voter fraud. Mr. Trump, despite knowing that he lost, summoned supporters to Washington ahead of the certification of the election and told a crowd on the Ellipse that he’d go with them to the Capitol and that they needed to “fight like hell.” Mr. Trump relished watching on television as his supporters attacked the Capitol for 187 minutes and resisted pleas to stop them. As Vice President Mike Pence said later: “His reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day.” "

It was an insurrection, and Trump led it

In a few words, this is what's going to happen

 

Jennifer Rubin, writing in the Washington Post (which she does a lot), commenting on the what the Supreme Court will rule in the case of whether or not Donald Trump should be disqualified from running for the office of President of the United States, based on the fact that he participated in an insurrection on January 6th, 2021.

Though I have a three-point set of excerpts, read the whole discussion. 

You can bet on the Supreme Court's abject partisanship

Part A. "The U.S. Supreme Court will have a hard time reversing the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision applying Section 3, but that doesn’t mean it won’t."

Part B. "The Colorado court’s evidentiary hearing also confirmed that Trump had “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same [the Constitution], or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.” (She adds more detail subsequently.)

Part C. "Bottom line: The partisan majority on the court could duck the question, deeming it premature or a matter for the states, thereby enraging their right-wing patrons, though that is highly unlikely. Alternatively, it could fashion a definition of insurrection to suit its purposes or blatantly defy Section 3’s clear language (e.g., invent a requirement for a criminal conviction). Right-wing justices’ contortions will confirm the utter lack of credibility that now defines the court."

Yup. I've been thinking that exact same thing.

Lighthouse of the Week, January 28 - February 3, 2024: Conche Lighthouse, Newfoundland, Canada

 

This is a cute little lighthouse on Newfoundland, no longer operational, but maintained by the nearby Town of Conche.  As you'll see, the actual light is just a little further out.

Let's see where this is:  Town of Conche.  Zoom out to see where it is;  it's on the northern peninsular extension of the island province.  Now, if you switch to satellite, most of the island was fogged in by the town, but you can see the lighthouse (look for the white slash on the rocks). The Lighthouse Directory doesn't refer to this picture, it links to a satellite picture on Bing.  But it is visible in the Google Maps satellite image.

Speaking of the Lighthouse Directory, the short summary is below. But I will note that Lighthouse Friends has more information on this one.

"1914. Inactive since 1992. 4 m (14 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white. The active light (focal plane 20 ft; red light, 1 s on, 5 s off) has been moved to a square cylindrical aluminum skeletal tower a few feet farther from shore. ... The lighthouse was in severe disrepair until it was rebuilt by local volunteers. A boardwalk provides access to the tower."

There aren't a lot of pictures of this one; based on the map, I suspect it is not easy to get to. The working light is visible in the second picture, and there's an iceberg in the fourth one, if you didn't notice.

Flickr has a pretty good picture of it, too.