RenoVous

  In the desert of northern Peru is an ancient earthen wall known as the Muralla La Cumbre. It was built near the capital city of Chan Chan, home to the Chimú people, who lived around the 9th-15th century.  In 1470, they were conquered by the Incas. The wall was constructed during the 13th and 14th centuries and spans across 6 miles.  Anthropologists believed it was meant to protect farmlands from invaders, especially since there are accounts of a long-lasting war between the Chimú and Incas in 1400. But new evidence suggests it was built to protect them from devastating floodwaters during El Niño - a climate fluctuation where winds along the equator are weaker, pushing warm water back east along the west coast of the Americas.  This causes the Pacific jet stream to move south and extend, bringing moisture with it. Gabriel Prieto, from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Florida, found layers of sediment on just one side of the wall, and that the lowe...

 Along the Truckee River. In Eagleville, CA At Washoe Lake. It's National Camera Day! I just use my phone, but it is a Google Pixel, so it's meant for this.

  "Orca Attacks!" While it may be easy to understand why they would want to target our boats, experts are denying that these actions are based on intimidation. For one, we know that orcas are playful creatures.  Andrew Trites, director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit at the University of British Columbia, notes they are mimicking play behavior of other killer whales, suggesting it is being positively reinforced. Secondly, he believes viewing these instances as attacks could lead to misunderstandings about the animal, much like the fear of great white sharks instilled in us by movies. A boat captain whose ship was struck is afraid people might start shooting the orcas, taking matters into their own hands, believing they need to protect themselves. Encounters have been documented off the southern coasts of Spain and Portugal since 2020.  An orca approaches from behind, strikes the rudder repeatedly, sometimes until it is broken.  A boat may be immobilized, and some ...

  Arak is one the world's oldest flavored spirits, originating from the area of Lebanon in the 12th century. In Arabic, arak is the word for "sweat," which describes the distillation process.  The drink is a form of brandy made from fermented grapes, which is infused and redistilled with aniseed. Because of the term, in other parts of the world, arak may not only be anise flavored, but may use palm sap, rice, or sugar cane. It is considered a drink of hospitality, often associated with weekends and holidays.  It is usually watered down to a level of wine, which causes the solids to fall out of suspension and gives the liquid a milky opalescence. It is also a pillar of culinary heritage, serving as a palate cleanser between dishes. When Muaddi arrived to the West Bank, years of poverty and politics had diminished the once great spirit.  Three generations removed from distillation, a craft that had been more than a thousand years, the quality devolved into an inexpensi...

  Starting with the BET Awards. Madisin Rian Summer Walker Leigh-Anne Shameik Moore And throughout the week. Indira Varma Sarah Jessica Parker Willow Smith Jennifer Lawrence Vanessa Kirby Amal Clooney

 I didn't feel right keeping the "Fun" given the reason for the topic.  Surely you've heard about the Titan submersible and its passengers. The Coast Guard located a debris field on the ocean floor and the Navy confirmed they detected sounds consistent with implosion just an hour and a half into the dive. The water pressure at the site of the Titanic wreck is roughly 6,000 psi. For every 33 feet you go down, the pressure increases by one atmosphere, (the weight of the earth's atmosphere at sea level).  At sea level, we are met with about 14.7 psi. Director James Cameron commented on the importance of hull composition when developing these subs, stating the carbon-fiber composite OceanGate used has "no strength in compression."  

  Gordon Boettger rode the Sierra Wave from Minden, NV to Cedarville, CA - logging 3,058 km, which is 50 more than the previous record. The Sierra Wave is an air current created by winds that lift off the Sierra Nevada mountains, generally called lee waves. Gordon has been gliding since he was 13, with his first solo flight at 14, and a power solo on his 16th birthday. He flies an Arcus, which is legal for night flight and is equipped with night-vision goggles.  It is reliable at high altitudes and in cold temperatures. His ultimate goal is a two-day flight into the center of the US, exceeding 2300 km. Interview

  "Revisit your old favorites or discover new artists from different cultures." First is a favorite, from Mexico. Intrigued by the Ukraine Eurovision bands, let's check out their most successful rock band. From Pakistan. Here's a favorite I've shared before, from Mongolia. New to me, Elisapie, an Inuit indie-folk artist.   You know I love a Metallica cover. Beautiful.

  Today's Google Doodle is to honor the 93rd birthday of Magdalena Abakanowicz, a Polish sculptor and fiber artist. Born in 1930, her childhood was disrupted by World War II.  She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 1954. She initially painted gouaches on canvas, such as From the Birds Cycle, 1957. Fish, 1955/56. In the 1960's she began experimenting with soft sculptures, turning fabric into three-dimensional forms, which were called Abakans.  She won top prize at the Sao Paulo International Art Biennial in 1965. Backs, started in 1967. Abakan Red, 1969. From the exhibit,  Every Tangle of Thread and Rope. Her work, Agora,  is featured in Chicago Grant Park, and is considered her most important statement about humanity, inspired by "The Crowd" sociological phenomenon - that crowds act as a whole and individuals lose their individuality within. In Milwaukee, The Group of Five.

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  On Saturn's moon Enceladus, scientists have found the rarest of six elements upon which life as we know it depends - phosphorus. While reviewing data from the Cassini spacecraft, they found evidence in water geysers blasting through the icy crust. These powerful jets shoot 79 gallons per second.  Most of the material falls back down as snow, but some of it feeds Saturn's E ring, a halo of tiny ice particles. The oceans are now known to contain all the necessary ingredients: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, and oxygen.  Phosphorus is important in forming a skeleton for DNA molecules while also helping to maintain and repair cell membranes. The findings suggest concentrations 500 times higher than the highest known amount in Earth's oceans. "It is just a habitability indicator, and a very good and important one, " says Frank Postberg, team lead. Cassini Space.com

 On the way to our camping place, we passed some wild donkey. Lost Creek "Nature is not a place to visit, it is home." -Gary Snyder