Earth And Heavenly Filaments: Fall In Arizona
Nov 18 Photo’s
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Category Archives: Random
Walking Stick Bug Waiting
Today I noticed something odd on the wisteria vine. It was this stick bug waiting. I think all the grasshoppers eating things may be too large for it, but…?
-
-
-
Web Searching Can Be Like The Weather; Not What Is Predicted
I was just trying to find a quote for a political article I’m writing.
I generally do not make things up, like “Death Panels”, even though it might be a discussion about death and lets say a kind of panel, or grouping of folks considering ones options on end of life issues. So. Since I was going to refer to a political issue where I know a specific mistake was said repeatedly, but not knowing who said it and from where, I had to make odd search request like; Republican Senator who got Democratic Senators name wrong in health care debate. Like you perhaps, search engines do not know what the hell I am really asking, but do not mind giving me all kinds of alleged responses.
A GOP guy got a congressional democrats name wrong, thinking he was someone with a similar name. If he would have been that person, it would have been a shaming indictment politically in the health care “debate”, but instead he just happened to have his name sound like an others. That was close enough, again, for standing in as truth on the conservative talking head, where the blood seems to rush to. Then, this mistake was still being said the next day after the rest of humanity who cared was informed of the mistake.
Now the right wing is not known for caring what the facts really are, nor if they are actually false but still being promoted as truth. They are filling in the blanks in their ideology and not a rational/objective attempt at interpreting the world; they must confirm conserved theory as factual.
Conservatism has a block on factual reality testing, and an S.A.P. on creating anything that will lend their ears to a confirmation bias, so that all is well in their world view. Most of us try to conserve our world view most of the time. Media conservatism is now operating a shotgun approach on peppering the Health Care Debate with unanswerable (self answered by asking) questions, wild allegation,etc. in order to change appearance reality into an operational consensus reality perception–worked for the Iraq invasion and many other conservative promoted issues.
I was in a religious/spiritual cult decades ago, and can see how this all works, but that does not make me necessarily right. We, all of us, well most of us, have our established patterns of perception that see the world the way that seems to work for us. So problems, as long as I block self reflection/introspection some way, are caused by some outside entity. (Now there are outside influences and cause. I am not suggesting, as some do, that the whole world is actually only of my own creation. How I see it may be quite that, but not its reality. I am not the all God, as “spiritually” seductive that may seem for those who believe the solipsistic viewer creates Creation) ) Back to blocking introspection and bias; Politics tends to raise this one way to see all to an art, and the right wing, to an unquestionable religion, where those who question us must be wrong!
Who cares if fascism is really socialism that is actually really communism and all the isms really liberalism? Gulp! No really.
(I am being facetious. But this circular reasoning loop, where context gets blurred and propositions get confirmed by the emotionalized thesis, is seemingly being established on the GOP’s propaganda platforms. Circular reasoning can aid and abet Thought-terminating clichés, where a concept gets poisoned, and its possible benefits turned into a perceptual evil to be condemned by ignoring any worth. We see many being incited to rant against socialism, for instance, when many connective interest of society are actually socialized, but not called or acknowledged as such=concept containment for manipulation of perception purposes. )
By the way. Did you know Obama , the secret Muslim one, has a plan to overthrow America, so lets us do it first? I’m beginning to think Obama and Osama are the same person;——OMG–!
Anyways
This long winded post with many an and, and probably a few so’s and such, is really about weather prediction. It seems not unlike political climate choices. This monsoon=(season) season in the Desert Southwest was said to have a 40% chance of being a good la nina one, which could have been longer and wetter. It has been very dry overall in Tucson this hot summer. I have received about half the rainfall of last year, a la nina like year.
Today was to be one of our best in this year of rarely reaching classic healthy monsoon climatology, especially since last week someone on The Weather Channel kinda suggested the monsoon was gone for the year. Then yesterday, with rain around Phoenix, it was still the monsoon on the same channel. No one may do anything about the weather, but that does not stop us from calling it one thing then another as if we may well be changing the weather itself.
This last week summed it up; The remnants of hurricane Jimena were going to soak us good, perhaps. Then it wasn’t actually headed here anymore (overnight computer model change of heart) but out to the Pacific. Which, while saying this, it’s energy continued to head east as the maps for it pointed the other way. We usually get tropical influence a day or more before they predict it will come. This year one of the weather forecasters even said this. I thought; amazing, even he sees it. In that case, that the moist air arrives ahead of prediction. The other side is true as well; when they say it is going to dry out a few days from now, it often dries out by that evening or the next day. So it becomes a question as to why what is more or less out the window is thrown out there and the computer prediction seemingly put in its place?
Ah. The power of institutional mandates. Sometimes, nothing like a PHD to Pile it Higher and Deeper.
I thought you liked education? Depends on what is actually being educated; a mind or a machined perception.
If I am confusing you, now you know the stress of paying too close attention to our weather forecasters; it is not the window out which they are looking, but the computer screen. I remember in Tucson one evening in the 1990′s. The local weather guy declared there was 0% chance of rain, then a loud boom occurred. The folks in the studio looked at each other. ‘That was thunder!’ As a nasty storm began to pound the studio building. I remember thinking; How could you not at least look out the window? Since I am very garden and landscape oriented, rain is big to me here in the desert.
So some fact checking is necessary, or should be if we care to be accurate or even right. I’m glad I did not go into meteorology; for would I be in their same shoes; Which computer model do I pick? Hum? What are the odds? What is my hunch? Which has been right recently? Instead of reading something real, like the sky, although in modern meteorology that has its limitation. It should never be ignored.
Another day in Tucson, again in the 90′s, I walked into a store on a hot summers day with a rare 100% chance of rain. I looked at the sky before coming in, thinking; high pressure or hot dry air is wiping out the cloud formations. Then I heard a female store clerk ask an old gentleman walking in; “Is it going to rain today;—?” “No.”; confidently said the seemingly old farmer guy. He learned to read the sky where he is apparently. The university of real life. He was quite certain of what I was suspicious of, and what the weather forecasters were certain would not be.
Fact or fiction; there may be no true substitute for real life. Ism or no ism. Rain or shine.
This Sky?
A 70% chance of rain this day–perhaps the best % this year; numerous showers and thunderstorms. I did get 0.01″, earlier, so chalk one up to correct.
Life; Its not all we crack it up to be.
Praying Mantis Drying Off
Praying Mantis Drying Off
-
-
-
-
–and a beetle, Ringo I think
Landing On Days End
-
A form still stands
color etching around
and throughout its branches
we see halfway between now
mountains speaking earth
a camera sensing light
a trees ghost holding friends
words too empty to tell
of all that comes and goes
stands and then sinks back
consumed by nightfall—
perched amidst stars
waiting for one to rise
songs to tempt colors return
from an ignorant abyss—
in this silence
waiting was worth
waiting for
-
Differing Reflections of August Light
Differing Reflections
-Waters many faces
-Hydrogen and Oxygen bonding
-The Soul of Life in Reflection
-These movements of August Light
-
-
-
(Home photo’s Aug 26 2009)
A Late August Storm
-Had 1.24″ Beans on the ground at lower left are Mesquite beans. They fall for summer rains.
-White streaks may be hail; had pea-dime size
-
-
More photo’s of this days weather here;
August Desert Rains; The Fleating Storm
A Sunday Summer Storm; August in Arizona
-
Desert Weather is very unpredictable. We were given two days of 70% chance of rain, and possibly heavy rain at that. My total? 0.14″. However, nearby, often following predictable geographic steering, heavy rains could be seen just miles away. It is often as if the storms tend to follow the valleys after being triggered by mountains or other means of convergence. Once I was working at a home a few miles away, well about 8. Every day there were heavy rains, the ground was saturated. I’d call home; Is it raining there? No. By the time I was home up the hills; bone dry. On some occasions, the opposite happens, where the hills have the buildup “locked” in overhead. Then we can get big rains 1-2″ from quite a small rain shaft. (This stalled storm effect happened about 2 hours after this post was written–approx 1″ of rain in 20 min. Largest hail dime size.)
-Downdraft blowing rain-shaft Photo edited to get the rain movement against bright sun.
-
Watercolor clouds overhead
-
Tucson International Airport; A Tourist Attraction?
Growing up around the Chicago area, I was a little familiar with major airport scenes. Midway and O’hare would see us dropping in on very rare occasion to watch the planes take off and land. It was our version of taking a vacation. We lived under a major Midway flight path, before Midway entered its more minor airport phase.
My father was in the Air Force in World War 2, so he was familiar with airplanes. To us kids, airplanes were for warriors and the wealthy to travel in, not us. We did not even have a car. But it sure was cool to watch them planes come and go, imagining the world as your destination.
Well Tucson’s airport in nothing of the magnitude of major ones. It has undergone much improvement over the last several years, and is now quite nice and efficient. When I drop in to pick folks up or send them away, I wander around the art and other exhibits scattered around. There is quite a bit of cool stuff that seems to be on some sort of exhibition circuit.
Anyway. Here are a few pics. from the baggage area of AA. Last time I showed the airport, a copy of the Mars Lander was there.
Small section of U of A wood and wildfire exhibit showing a small part of the tree ring data.
-When picking up luggage one can check out local places to visit. I’ve been to both of these; very nice and informative spots.
-
-Crowds? Hardly ever. Little rushes before and after flights, otherwise clear sailing around the airport terminal.
The airport and vicinity has plenty of parking and shuttle service, not too easy to get lost there.
-
-
-
-
-
-
When Windows Were Something
-
- Years ago we acquired this “Afghan” window. Seems windows were something to look at and not to just look out. The chain heads down to a latch on the 2 window doors. This was an air window, not glass.
Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek; A Future Founding Father?
-( With free Showtime, I get to see some things I might not have. This post describes one of them.)-
Does Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek series qualify him as a Founding Father of The Future?
After seeing a documentary (Trekkies 2 on Showtime) of Star Trek fans around the world, a powerful narrative seemed to be present that may alter the trajectory for humankind’s destiny. Gene Roddenberry may well have left a mark so bright and relevant to all, as to endure into humanities future. Our survival, and possible more long term existence as a space faring civilization, may come to pass in some part thanks to this science fiction creators vision of humankind’s future. I was already aware of many scientist in Astronomy and Astrophysics, who credit Star Trek with inspiring their own imaginations to put their lives where their vision was, but Star Trek apparently cast its futurist promise over many in other ways.
-
| Star Trek | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| The 2006 Star Trek 40th Anniversary franchise logo, featuring Captain Kirk (William Shatner) (left) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) | |
| Creator | Gene Roddenberry |
| Original work | Star Trek (1966) |
-
When the first Star Trek came out, I was a kid thinking it was just too much to bother with. My life at that time did not allow uninterrupted nor peaceful TV viewing. I caught up with it with its reruns in the 70′s. By the 80′s, when watching Star Trek with friends, they would look at me astonished as I would recite the next character lines ahead of time. It seemed that for some reason, after seeing them twice, I knew the words years down the road. Now that was some writing and character performing to make that stick.
Anyway.
I always looked forward to new Star Trek series developments, but never considered myself the kind of “Trekkie” to go to one of those conventions. The TV news would show the seemingly sad characters who tried to liven up their earthly lives by pretending to be an alien. Seemed odd to me, but honestly, most of us have some curiously odd interest if we’d admit it. We just might not have such a public platform to act out the acting out in.
-
Trekkies 2
TREKKIES 2 – Star Trek Fan Documentary, the feature-length documentary about Star Trek fans. The filmmakers (Director/Editor Roger Nygard, …
www.trekkies2.com/ -
-
This documentary; Trekkies 2, did not quickly dispel my bias as to the fans state’s of mind, still a lot of pretending to be someone else, a kind of hobby. This someone else, however, appears to embody qualities that that Trekkies value as human virtue, so how bad is that? I then learned of the volunteer work many Trekkies do to actually improve the lives of their fellow aliens, earthlings, and that is not bad at all.
It was the comments of one guy from the recent war torn Balkans, that presented the transcendent or universal narrative that Roddenberry put into this Star Trek phenomenon: It does not matter who or what you are or where you are from; the future has a place for you at the table. Actions in deep space portrayed ethnic and racial, even alien life, as life that sits with us at the table when this transcended “knowing” of self legitimacy is acknowledged and extended toward others as in The Golden Rule. In time, the series franchises included women as society in general recognized female abilities beyond what was once thought appropriate.
In the Balkans; where religion and politics played to tribalism reaction and alienation, some could see the hopelessness of retreating only to “your group”. What happened to the pluralistic life? the diversity? the cosmopolitan excitement and cross fertilization? It was shuttered up and spray-painted over by fear. But then there was this vision on video tapes passed around, where everybody was shown to have a place in the future. Now that was something to get excited about, for then, no-one is the loser. No one is erased and discarded by appearance or other status background bias.
-
Gene Roddenberry’s future is a meritocracy of sorts, but not one judged by appearance with its storehouse of ignorance and insecurity. The future was to be open to you, is open in Star Trek, be who you can be, we are all on your side. A kind of egalitarianism of the Golden Rule and of Democracy stands behind its imagery, even though most Star Trek series are based on hierarchical military platforms. When it comes down to the characters off duty lives, their operational psychology, they are encouraged to question authority and speak their minds without top down evaluation of relevance or “your place”. It is worthwhile to note that many of the worlds most beloved leaders, including military, were known to view themselves as servants of those following.
Roddenberry’s vision was not one of homogenization; where we all think and act alike, as is seemingly implied to some by concepts of egalitarianism, or intrinsic fairness of right to human consciousness. The imagery and iconography portrayed this value of self history and background; where respect is granted even when ways are not understood. People still had their old customs, still honored their hereditary story and faith, finding them as anchors of self realization in a speeding future.
The USA’s Founding Fathers had elements of this independence of spirit. Roddenberry, however, takes this up to another level. There may have always been Founding Mothers who put Truth and love of Life above their own self interest. Or did they know that was their self interest as well? Mr Roddenberry took the time to create a vision of a whole universe for the future, where that mission is a revelation to those able to see beyond the wounds of the present moment. A new now beckoning toward a Higher Light.
The future is founded now.
Perhaps it is that Spirit, that is the Final Frontier.
-
More on Roddenberry——-
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Gene_Roddenberry
-
Gene Roddenberry – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eugene Wesley “Gene” Roddenberry (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the creator of Star …
-
-
Star Trek Online Official Site
Aug 12, 2009 … Star Trek Online: Explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations in an expanding vast universe.
www.startrekonline.com/ – Cached – Similar
-
Emma’s Dream
-
Our rotund cat happens to be near what may be her favorite book if she knew.
-
