Monthly Archives: August 2019

Northern Hemisphere Aurora Alert

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As I write, streams of solar wind advance at 594.5 Km/second. Commanded by CH58+, a impressive coronal hole poised to deliver rare auroral punctuation as far south as Washington State, Idaho, Montana, Michigan and Minnesota.

Auroras happen when electrons energized by acceleration collide with Earth’s upper atmosphere. Acceleration allows energized electrons to follow Earth’s magnetic field downward to the poles. Anywhere from 80 – 500 Km above Earth’s surface, electrons collide with oxygen & nitrogen atoms, spiking the atoms’ energy. Soon after, atoms relax to their former energy state – relaxation creates light known as aurora borealis. Initially light forms an arc from horizon to horizon, within a few hours arcs twist and sway in upper atmosphere wind.

A geomagnetic storm warning issued by NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center, forecasts G1 (minor) activity August 31, increasing to G2 (moderate) September 1st as solar wind blows Earthward at 650 Km/second.

Its been years since space weather issued public alert of aurora over Greater Vancouver. Auroras are fickle, space weather makes no promises. That said, if you find yourself away from city lights with clear skies, don’t miss an opportunity for Aurora to wrap her arms around you. Once you meet Aurora, night skies become a source of wonder.

G1-G2 Watches 31 Aug-1 Sep, 2019

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC0CLzCpM6nuLSAi1JNBjkA

US Navy’s Guide to Commanding Negroes (1945)

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All Other Persons

In recognition of the challenges in dealing with Negroes, the US Navy developed a pamphlet titled Guide To Command of Negro Naval Personnel (NAVPERS – 15092) in 1945.

The Guide notes the following:

The mission of the Naval Establishment is the protection of our country, its possessions and its interests. It includes neither social reform nor support of the personal social preferences of its personnel. In the accomplishment of this mission it is mandatory that the training and ability of all Naval personnel be utilized to the fullest.

It must be recognized that problems of race relations do exist and that they must be taken into account in plans for the prosecution of the war. In the Naval Establishment they should be viewed however solely as matters of efficient personnel utilization.

In general, the same methods of discipline, training and leadership that have long proven successful in the Naval Establishment…

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Fool Me Once…..

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Pondering a personal reality check, in March 2016, I wrote –

Settle down America, Donald Trump will never become President. Trump is America’s Rob Ford. Just as Toronto’s crack smoking mayor enjoyed a period of inexplicable popularity, Trump’s narcissistic, racist, misogynistic buffoonery will crash and burn. Similarities between Ford and Trump reside in ability of both men to exhibit reckless disregard for traditional politicking.

Disregard is a powerful weapon. Unexpected, refreshing, born of screwed up priorities. Gathering momentum, fueled by unspoken discontent, it penetrates stagnant air with herculean force. Caught unaware, disgruntled populations equate disregard with solutions.

Bolstered by celebrity, Trump entered politics with a haughty declaration, he would make America great again. Basking in waves of rhapsodic affirmation, Trump preened his vision of magnificence. Conservatives dismissed arrogance as patriotism, lining up to hang on his every word. Unscripted tirades mocked political correctness, lack of propriety made it abundantly clear – he didn’t know how, or was interested in playing politics. Overnight, Trump became the voice of blind conservatism.

Trump made it OK to blame, he gave fear direction and purpose. Elated numskulls embraced blame without social restraint. Build a wall to keep Mexicans out (financed in part by seizing money illegal immigrants send to family in Mexico ) ,round up and deport an estimated 11 million undocumented Mexicans, teach China how to do business ( after all, China created the climate change “hoax” to undermine the U.S. economy ), bomb the shit out of ISIS, ban Muslims from entering America, close all mosques, create a Muslim registry – blame black, brown and yellow, music to the ears of America’s white underbelly.

Disregard lances a boil, relief is immediate. Donald Trump embodies rivulets of ooze escaping that wound. Complications arise when reliance on disregard obliterate common sense. Buoyed by waves of delusional disregard, Donald Trump doesn’t realize he’ll never be President. Blame, exclusion, mockery of civil and constitutional rights, ignorance, inflammatory contempt for those daring to question his greatness – wait to deliver a sobering reality. Wake up Donald, do the math – America doesn’t have enough pinched white minds to close the deal. I’m not sure who or what you’ll blame, but assure you I’ll find your attempt entertaining.

 

Tardigrade Moon

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On April 11, 2019 unmanned Israeli spacecraft Beresheet crashed into the Moon during a failed landing. Historians will mark this day as first unintentional Moon crash in 48 years, learn more at https://www.livescience.com/65218-moon-crash-beresheet.html

That said, Beresheet might be credited with depositing life on the Moon. Robotic lander Beresheet carried a payload of 30 million digitized pages of information about human culture and society, human DNA samples and Tardigrades. Human DNA and Tardigrade were locked in resin, held in place by sticky tape onto which thousands more Tardigrade were placed.

Tardigrade, aka “water bear”, are the only known life form capable of surviving airless vacuums of space and lethal radiation levels. Remarkable yes, mind blowing when considered with additional facts – Tardigrade can survive six times the pressure of our deepest ocean, frozen to absolute zero (-273 C) or boiled above 150 C. Dehydrate a Tardigrade for years then add water, voila – business as usual. Eventually they succumb to old age, but don’t hold your breath, life expectancy is 200 years.

In the wake of Beresheet’s fiery demise, indestructible Tardigrade litter the lunar surface. Did they vaporize on impact? I care to think not – Tardigrade are the definition of extremophile, if anything can survive crash landing on the Moon, it’s a Tardigrade.

https://www.thefactsite.com/tardigrade-facts/

Bulletproof Backpack

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Remember when back to school shopping was simple? New clothes, notebooks, pencil crayons, lunchbox? Nervous excitement born of what to wear the first day, not consideration of random gun violence. Fear not – bleeding heart liberals can stop whining about gun reform, bulletproof backpacks are the back to school must.

Last May, Louisiana voted overwhelmingly to amend State law banning students from wearing body armor. How progressive! Little Dick and Jane are encouraged to wear backpack armor at school and all school sanctioned events. What’s this? Poor little Jane’s parents can only afford the $100 sheet of backpack insert, hope Jane is shot in the back by a handgun because her insert won’t stop rifle bullets. What self respecting mass shooter packs a pistol? Stay strong little Jane, when bullets fly use Dick as a shield, his parents had $300 for Dick’s top of the line rifle deflecting armor.

https://www.americas1stfreedom.org/articles/2018/5/23/louisiana-legislature-approves-bulletproof-backpacks/

Ponder absurdity of this image – by what stretch of imagination does aesthetically pleasing placement of a shiny red apple make it okay to flog $300 armor for back to school?

How about this from https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2014/3/31/bulletsafe-bulletproof-backpack-panels/ – NRA froth extraordinaire….

“In fact kids have a higher chance of being hurt playing any sport, even golf, than from a firearm, thanks in no small part to the numerous safety campaigns of NRA such as Eddie Eagle. That doesn’t however change the ingenious of this idea. Parents purchase all manners of equipment to keep kids safe – gates, monitors, socket plugs – so why shouldn’t we consider an item that could protect them in the unlikely event of an attack”.

https://bulletblocker.com/bullet-proof-backpack-shield.html

Don’t mistake mention of Louisiana for isolated demand of bulletproof backpacks, the epidemic flourishes across America. My dismay reads like futuristic script of a 60’s science fiction novel, a cautionary tale chronicling collapse of social order leading to civil war, annihilation of a once dominant civilization.

Wake up people, nothing about bulletproof backpacks is okay, Children deserve better.

Home From Away

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Two weeks away ended late last night with surreal familiarity of coming home. We’ve done this enough to know how dreary Vancouver is after time away. Wisely, my husband softened transition from 11 days in Cuba with 3 in Toronto for Caribana before flying home. Caribana, the largest Caribbean Festival in North America helped, but didn’t cure longing for Cuba.

I’ll need a few days to process Cuban ponders – three cities, over 1,000 kilometers by taxi between them, hundreds of kilometers walked along cobblestone streets – a lot to digest.

2019-07-27 23.14.02

Carnival in Santiago de Cuba

Valle de la Prehistoria, a sprawling 60s era theme park located in Parque de Baconao, twenty Km outside Santiago de Cuba.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/baconao-park

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Changing of the guard at Castro’s grave in Santiago de Cuba.

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Fusterlandia – https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/fusterlandia

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Havana