Plant Blindness

Another new sport

A new musical instrument

Courtesy of a childhood friend

Cleaning water

The Great Resignation

Making it in the movies

Appropriate for Saturday's weather in the Northeast?

He knows his insects

Moving in

Remember this day

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António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN, speaks on the International day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.

Working at 100

Have you heard of this "sport?"

Extreme ironing (also called EI) is an extreme sport in which people take ironing boards to remote locations and iron items of clothing. According to the Extreme Ironing Bureau, extreme ironing is "the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt." Courtesy of our Florida correspondent

A different cat

Courtesy of our Florida correspondent

Aging men

Courtesy of a childhood friend

More than mushrooms

Check your Spam account

Laura Spears did and

She was looking for a missing email from someone, so she checked the spam folder in her email account. "That's when I saw an email from the lottery saying I had won a prize."

She now plans to retire early, and to monitor her emails more closely in the future.

Advice from a Duncaster resident

NOT ALL THIEVES ARE STUPID 

1. LONG - TERM PARKING Some people left their car in the long-term parking at San Jose while away, and someone broke into the car. Using the information on the car's registration in the glove compartment, they drove the car to the people's home in Pebble Beach and robbed it. 

So I guess if we are going to leave the car in long-term parking, we should NOT leave the registration/insurance cards in it, nor your remote garage door opener. This gives us something to think about with all our new electronic technology. 

2. GPS: Someone had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard. 

When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents. 

Something to consider if you have a GPS - don't put your home address in it. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.

3. CELL PHONES: I never thought of this! This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her cell phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet, etc., was stolen. Twenty minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says, "I received your text asking about our Pin number and I've replied a little while ago." 

When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text "hubby" in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account. 

Moral lesson: a. Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc. b. And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back. c. Also, when you're being texted by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet "family and friends" who text you. 

4. PURSE IN THE GROCERY CART SCAM: A lady went grocery-shopping at a local mall and left her purse sitting in the children's seat of the cart while she reached something off a shelf. Wait till you read the WHOLE story!

Her wallet was stolen, and she reported it to the store personnel. After returning home, she received a phone call from the Mall Security to say that they had her wallet and that although there was no money in it, it did still hold her personal papers. She immediately went to pick up her wallet, only to be told by Mall Security that they had not called her. 

By the time she returned home again, her house had been broken into and burglarized. The thieves knew that by calling and saying they were Mall Security, they could lure her out of her house long enough for them to burglarize it.

*PLEASE PASS THIS ON Even if this does not pertain to you, please let your family and friends know so they don't get caught in a scam.

The Brain and Eating

An unknown icon

 

A poem by Walt Kelly

Northern Lights Lyrics 

Oh, roar a roar for Nora, 

Nora Alice in the night, 

For she has seen Aurora 

Borealis burning bright. 

A furor for our Nora! 

And applaud Aurora seen! 

Where, throughout the Summer, has 

Our Borealis been?

Courtesy of a Duncaster resident

Following Aurora

Aurora

How did this happen?

No one seems to know. The firefighters were called when his mother found him with the toilet training seat around his neck. They freed him in minutes.

Getting rid of plastic

It looks as though Senegal is projected to produce more than 700,000 metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste by 2025 if nothing is done. The U.S., with a population about 15 times that of Senegal, is projected to produce about 337,000 metric tons.

One man, Modou Fall, has taken this problem to heart. And dresses to show his goal. His entire clothing is 100% plastic. A multicolored cape made entirely of plastic bags sweeps the sandy ground. A hat constructed out of plastic sunglasses is perched on his head.

He can often be seen dancing through the streets dressed in this self-designed and ever-evolving costume made entirely of plastic, mostly bags collected from across the city. Pinned to his chest is a sign that reads NO PLASTIC BAGS.

He planted dozens of trees across the city and held community meetings to persuade people to stop buying throwaway plastic. He organized cleaning and tire recycling campaigns in Dakar’s lively neighborhoods, his waste pickers dodging taxi drivers and street vendors as they went.

Prices Inflating

Is that you driving the Ford?

Saying the obvious

Boston in Winter

At nightime from February through the last day of winter (March 20) Boston’s Emerald Necklace is at work. It is a 1,100-acre chain of emerald green lights linked by parkways and waterways from Boston to Brookline. Several park bridges and trees “will be awash with emerald glow,” according to a statement from the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. The chain was designed in the 1800s by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

A different violin

I never realized that some musical instruments include such parts of animals as horsehair, hooves, horns and bones. Now, a violin maker from England has built a vegan violin; it contains steamed pear, berries and spring water.

He was left alone

Searching for relatives

Go Vegan?

Eruption of Tonga Volcano

Words from MLK

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” 

“I have decided to stick to love...Hate is too great a burden to bear.” 

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” 

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” 

“Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase.” 

“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” 

Visit Omega Mart

Rowing in the Atlantic

It 's a weird world

A comic book page from a 1984 issue of Spider-Man has been sold at auction for $3.36m. The artwork was sold at auction in Dallas, Texas, for more than ten times its original opening bid. 

Last year, a 1962 Spider-Man comic sold at auction for $3.6m, beating Superman as the most expensive comic ever sold.

Prices are changing

Creating art with Word

That's Microsoft Word I'm talking about. Prince Jacon Osinachi Igwe of Nigeria has been experimenting with Word since he was a kid. He has sold his work through Christie's auction house. In October he made $68,000 from one of his works.

Covid comparison

Can you compete with him?

And now a word about the oceans

They're getting hotter.

According to an annual study published in the peer-reviewed journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, the past five years have been the five hottest for Earth's oceans since measurements began in the late 1950s. Last year was the hottest ever recorded.

Since the late 1980s, oceans have been warming eight times faster than they did during the preceding decades, and 2021 marked the third consecutive year in which the previous record for annual energy absorption was shattered.

 
The increase in ocean heat also raises air temperatures, allowing more moisture to enter the warmer atmosphere. For every 1.8 degrees of warming, heavy rain events will intensify by about 7%. 2021 marked one of the wettest years on record for the East Coast, thanks to a slew of tropical storms and summer thunderstorms.

From the Centers for Disease Control

Courtesy of Duncaster resident

Do you have this quarter?

The government has started minting it. As you can see, the coin features poet Maya Angelou - the first black woman ever featured on the US quarter. Angelou was the first black woman to write and perform a poem at a presidential inauguration.

This coin is the first of the American Women Quarters program. Others scheduled are Sally Ride, the first female US astronaut; Wilma Mankiller, the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation and a campaigner for indigenous rights; and Anna May Wong, who is considered the first Chinese-American film star in Hollywood. 

$2 Trillion in damages

That's how much NOAA says has been the cost of 310 major weather and climate disasters since 1980. Last year was an especially bad year - disasters exceeded $145 billion, making 2021 the third-costliest in the time period studied. These events claimed 688 human lives and injured scores more. The storms were especially bad for communities of color, low-income communities, and communities that have endured multiple disasters. 

And things are getting warmer. The last seven years were the hottest on record worldwide as the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane continue to rise. NOAA says 2021 was the fourth-warmest ever recorded in the U.S.

Car for sale

It's a Mercury, which is not made anymore. This one, known as the Hirohata Merc, was custom built in 1952. It will be auctioned off later this month. It is expected that this 70 year-old car will fetch at least $1,000,000.

The customization was extensive - a chopped-down roof, smoothed-out body panels, a lowered stance, novel chrome trim, two-tone paint and a meticulously handcrafted interior. It is one of 30 vehicles registered in the National Historic Vehicle Register — an inventory of individual automobiles with key significance in American culture.

More drivers

Northern Lights in Northern Scotland

Who taught him how to drive

Its getting hotter

From The Guardian:

Last year saw record-breaking high temperatures recorded at more than 400 weather stations around the world, with meteorologists voicing alarm over what climate scientists say is the shape of things to come, according to a report published Friday.

The Guardian reports that 10 countries—Canada, Dominica, Italy, Morocco, Oman, Taiwan, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States—set or matched their national monthly high temperature records last year.

A few continental and planetary records fell too: Africa had its warmest June and September ever. August brought 48.8°C (119.8°F) in Syracuse, Italy, the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe. July had already brought 54.4°C (130°F) in Furnace Creek in the U.S. Death Valley—the highest reliably recorded temperature on Earth.

Hell in Kazakhstan

Wages are growing

The Portuguese Stonehenge

Photos from a different era

Tip O'Neill, a Democrat and Speaker of the House, and Ronald Reagan, the 40th President, actually spoke with each other, as they had the same goal - do what's best for this country.

Who made the money

Sources: Forbes, “The World’s Real-Time Billionaires, Today’s Winners and Losers,” accessed Dec. 31, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2021

The first anniversary

President Carter speaks

For American democracy to endure, we must demand that our leaders and candidates uphold the ideals of freedom and adhere to high standards of conduct.

First, while citizens can disagree on policies, people of all political stripes must agree on fundamental constitutional principles and norms of fairness, civility and respect for the rule of law. Citizens should be able to participate easily in transparent, safe and secure electoral processes. Claims of election irregularities should be submitted in good faith for adjudication by the courts, with all participants agreeing to accept the findings. And the election process should be conducted peacefully, free of intimidation and violence.

Second, we must push for reforms that ensure the security and accessibility of our elections and ensure public confidence in the accuracy of results. Phony claims of illegal voting and pointless multiple audits only detract from democratic ideals.

Third, we must resist the polarization that is reshaping our identities around politics. We must focus on a few core truths: that we are all human, we are all Americans and we have common hopes for our communities and our country to thrive. We must find ways to re-engage across the divide, respectfully and constructively, by holding civil conversations with family, friends and co-workers and standing up collectively to the forces dividing us.

Fourth, violence has no place in our politics, and we must act urgently to pass or strengthen laws to reverse the trends of character assassination, intimidation and the presence of armed militias at events. We must protect our election officials — who are trusted friends and neighbors of many of us — from threats to their safety. Law enforcement must have the power to address these issues and engage in a national effort to come to terms with the past and present of racial injustice.

Lastly, the spread of disinformation, especially on social media, must be addressed. We must reform these platforms and get in the habit of seeking out accurate information. Corporate America and religious communities should encourage respect for democratic norms, participation in elections and efforts to counter disinformation. Our great nation now teeters on the brink of a widening abyss. Without immediate action, we are at genuine risk of civil conflict and losing our precious democracy. Americans must set aside differences and work together before it is too late. More on democracy in crisis

Homeless kids

Would you believe that about 1% of our population (4.2 million) consists of homeless youths. That's what the National Conference of State Legislatures says. Of these, 700,000 are unaccompanied by a parent or guardian: 1 in 10 young adults between 18 and 25, and one in 30 aged 13 to 17. 

More than a quarter (27 percent) identify as queer, with LGBTQIA+ youth of color experiencing higher rates of homelessness than other populations. 

What’s more, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, more than half of unaccompanied homeless youth are under 18 and sleep outside, in a car or in another place not meant for human habitation.

Visit Gandikota

Why?

A problem-solving farm

Do you believe Bob Woodward?

Would you believe these are birds?

An Israeli wildlife photographer has captured a remarkable momentary image of a flock of birds forming the shape of a spoon with a heap of sugar.The illusion happened during what is known as a murmuration, where thousands of starlings fly and swoop in clusters.

Pets start fires

South Korea has issued a warning that cats can start fires. There have been over a 100 started by cats in the past three years by turning on electric stoves with their furry paws. 

In the United States, almost 1,000 home fires each year are started by pets, according to the National Fire Protection Association, although it remains unclear what percentage of these blazes are started by cats.

A 45-year-old tortoise in Essex, England, knocked a heat lamp onto its bedding and started a fire while its owners were out of the house. As thick smoke rose, neighbors in the town of Great Dunmow called emergency responders, who rescued the tortoise and extinguished the flames.

In the county of Essex, England, a dog that had been left home alone started a house fire by turning on the microwave, which happened to have some bread stored inside. 

Gin history

Jumping to fight pollution

Fighting Covid

A group of public health experts and grassroots activists has started a campaign to dramatically improve our efforts fighting Covid. 

Our current methods are inadequate in their opinion: 

"Website-driven sign-ups place the burden on individuals and create unnecessary barriers and delays, often for those with the fewest resources (ie. people in areas lacking internet access, digital literacy, or language proficiency)," the letter reads. "The most efficient, equitable, and effective path requires removing all barriers to [test] access as quickly as possible." 

Here is their proposal: 

"We are asking you to mail an ample and continuous supply of free rapid at-home tests and N95-quality masks to every household in America twice a month through May 2022, with additional supplies sent to first responders, healthcare workers, and public centers in our most impacted communities," reads campaigners' open letter to Jeffrey Zients, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator."

Becoming a stuntman