Holidays on Ice

Holidays on Ice, by David Sedaris

$8.99 at Amazon.com

ISBN: 0316779237

Has the stress of the season been getting you down? Are you the kind of person who responds to holiday pageantry with a cynical eye-roll and a Bah-Humbug? If so, then Holidays on Ice is most definitely the book for you!

David Sedaris, in case you're not familiar, is the best-selling author of some outstanding memoirs such as Naked and Me Talk Pretty One Day. This is a collection of some of his essays and short stories, all related to Christmas in some way. It's unbelievably funny, and is guaranteed to have you laughing out loud like a mental

patient.

In Merry Christmas to Our Family and Friends!!!!, David writes a Christmas newsletter from a suburban family which becomes more outrageous with each passing line. It seems the Dunbar family is giving mixed reviews this holiday season. Their father's tour of duty in Vietnam produced a daughter he never knew he had. When Khe Sahn comes to live with her father's family, she hardly speaks a word of english, and arrives dressed like a southeast Asian prostitute. The long-suffering mother, who is also the narrator, becomes exasperated by her new Vietnamese step-daughter and by the rest of her outrageous clan. It's an unforgettable holiday greeting card.

My favorite essay, and probably the most notable in the collection, is an account of Sedaris' time working as an elf in Santaland, where New York City tourists come to see Santa Claus at the Macy's in Herald Square. Anyone who's ever worked in customer service will soon be rolling on the floor laughing as David describes the outrageous antics of the customers who file through his cue to see Santa. One woman instructs her young son to pee in a corner (of a department store) so they don't lose their place in line. Another sprays Santa in the eyes with hairspray, causing him to wince in pain as he's nearly blinded.

The unreasonable, mentally unstable, retarded, and self-absorbed all line up like refugees to enter Santa's snowy, fiberglass world.

I've posted on a couple of Sedaris' books before, I truly consider him a genius and a national treasure. This book is short, light, and not too expensive, making it an ideal stocking-stuffer for everyone who's sarcastic and jaded on your list. Don't forget to get one copy for yourself.

This book is too funny to be missed, and no holiday is complete without it.

Orion

During the winter months, the constellation of Orion dominates the northern sky. This group of stars is among the easiest to recognize because of the three bright stars in a straight line that make up his belt. Orion and the surrounding area contains a number of remarkable stars and other celestial objects.

In Greek mythology, Orion was a mighty hunter who fell in love with Metrope, daughter of the king of Chios, and sought her hand in marriage. The king constantly deferred his consent to the marriage, and eventually had Orion blinded. Orion consulted an oracle who told him he could regain his sight by going to the far east and letting the rays of the rising sun fall on his eyes. His sight restored, Orion went to live on the island of Crete, where he was killed by the sting of a scorpion. After Orion's death, he was placed in the heavens as a constellation.

The orange star at he top left is the star Betelgeuse, 400 light-years from Earth and shining more brightly than 10,000 Suns. This is a star in decline, pulsating in the red supergiant stage. The color of a star gives information about its temperature, size, and life expectancy. Stars change color like a piece of heated metal, becoming progressively red, orange, yellow, white, and blue. For this reason Betelgeuse appears to flash red, contrasting with the pale blue of the surrounding stars.

Orion also contains a number of notable nebulas. Until 1610, nebulas were thought to be stars. Now they are recognized as giant clouds of gas and dust, sometimes luminous and other times dark. Nebulas fascinate astronomy enthusiasts because of their wispy, spiral shapes.

Clearly visible to the naked eye as a bright fuzzy patch, the Orion Nebula is the closest nebula to Earth (1,200 light-years away). Its location in Orion's sword, just south of the leftmost star in the belt, also makes it easy to find. Several thousand stars were probably born here. A few of the youngest are still inside the nebula, and they heat the ambient gas to over 18,000^oF.

The Horsehead Nebula is one of the most admired objects in the sky, first observed at the Harvard University Observatory in 1888. The familiar horse head shape is actually a small extension of a much larger cloud, invisible against the night sky's black background. Stellar winds are gradually eroding the magnificent scrolls of this famous nebula, so that the head will lose its familiar shape over the next several thousand years. Enjoy it while you still can.

Adjacent to the Orion Nebula is a cloud of microscopic, bluish gas known as the Witch Head Nebula. The color is derived from the reflected light of the blue supergiant star Rigel, which shines more brightly than 40,000 suns. The nebula is actually a more vibrant blue than the star itself. Like the particles in the Earth's atmosphere, the nebula reflects more blue radiation because it absorbs blue less than other colors.

Next to Orion is the constellation Taurus, which contains the Pleiades, the most visible open cluster in the night sky. Single stars like our sun are relatively rare: stars usually come in groups of two or more that orbit one another. The Pleiades appears to contain seven stars in tight formation, although there are actually more than seven. They have been celebrated since ancient times: Homer's Odyssey mentions the Pleiades, as do the Old Testament books of Job and Amos. The cluster will dissipate over the next few million years, and each star will follow its own path through the galaxy.

All these objects near Orion are visible during December and January. For a clear view, use a telescope, but most can be spotted simply by looking up at the night sky on a clear night.

If you're interested in outer space, check out Astronomy: A Visual Guide, by Mark A. Garlick, and Cosmos, by Sylvia Arditi and Marc Lachieze-Rey. Both contain fascinating astronomy facts, along with lots of gorgeous glossy pictures.

For my previous posts on outer space, click here.

Sponge

Sponges were once thought to be plants because they spend their entire adult life fixed to the sea floor, unable to move around. On land, animals must move around in search of food. In the ocean, water currents carry an abundant supply of food in the form of microscopic plankton. Fixed animals can take advantage of this by filtering their food from the water, without having to move from place to place.

When it is time to reproduce, they shed sperm and eggs into the water. Currents distribute them to new area, where they can settle and grow.

The anatomy of a sponge has no symmetry, nor do they have distinctive body parts. A sponge consists of a cooperating community of individual cells, which surround a system of canals through which water is pumped. As water passes through, plankton and particles of organic matter are trapped inside. Rigidity is provided by a skeleton of tiny, bony splinters called spicules, scattered throughout the body.

Some sponges grow to about 6 1/2 feet tall. The largest may be hundreds of years old. There are more than 15,000 different types of sponges in a breathtaking variety of colors. Grays and browns predominate in deeper waters, brighter colors in the shallows.

Six species of sponges are considered commercially marketable, especially a type called demosponges, whose populations are now badly affected by over-collection. Mediterranean sponges are the softest and best. These are gathered by divers and then cut into the familiar blocks seen on supermarket shelves. Fortunately, most kitchen and bath sponges are now synthetic, and were never really living sponges at all.

The elegant branches of the tube sponge are easily torn, so this variety is found only in very deep water where wave turbulence is minimal. Tube sponges are most common in the tropical waters of the south Pacific, and they typically grow to about 3 feet in length. It is sometimes seen as a single tube, but more often as a series of branches joined at the base. When this sponge releases its sperm into the water, it resembles a smoking chimney.

Most sponges need a hard surface for attachment, although a few can bore through soft sediment. For this reason they often form beautiful "gardens" in shipwrecks and on coral reefs. The largest populations exist where tidal currents are strong, which brings extra food. Other animals such as crabs and worms sometimes live inside of sponges.

There aren't too many interesting books just about sponges, but there are lots of good ones about all kinds of animal life. Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide, by David Burnie and Don Wilson is a good first step for an interest in animals in general. Ocean, by Philip Eales, David Burnie, and Frances Dipper is a good one about sea life. Both are filled with interesting facts and lots of glossy pictures, perfect for yourself or as a holiday gift.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Tyrannosaurus Rex and its subgroup, the Tyrannosaurids, were some of the largest land predators the world has ever known. They were several times larger than the largest land predators of today, such as the grizzly bear, which weighs less than one metric ton. Tyrannosaurus Rex weighed more than five metric tons. The mouth was wide enough to swallow an adult human, and the bite was three times as powerful as that of a lion. Possibly the best known of all dinosaurs, it was considered the "king of the dinosaurs" until the discovery of larger allosaurids, such as gigantosaurus in the 1990s.

About 20 skeletons of Tyrannosaurus Rex have been excavated, so the appearance of this dinosaur is known with some confidence. It was present at the mass extinction event, 65 million years ago, which ended the ended the age of dinosaurs.

It was first discovered in the Hell Creek Formation in Montana, probably the best record anywhere on earth of life at the end of the Cretaceous era, just before and during the mass extinction event that wiped out 35 percent of all species including the dinosaurs. This formation has yielded thousands of fossils, including the T-Rex skeletons in the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution. During the Cretaceous era the area was warm and humid with open forests and rivers. It was not swampy.

Scientists debate the lifestyle of Tyrannosaurus: was it a fearsome predator, as has always been portrayed? Or was it a slow-moving animal, living as a scavenger on the corpses of animals that had died or had been killed by more active hunters?

Evidence for the first theory includes the position of the eyes. The fields of vision overlap, so the animal had good depth perception, essential for a hunter of fast-moving prey. The teeth and skull certainly seem very strong, able to withstand the stress caused by struggling prey. Although they are much larger, the teeth are almost exactly the same shape as those of monitor lizards, the most vicious predatory reptiles of modern times. The ear structure is like that of crocodiles, which have good hearing.
Marks that match Tyrannosaurus teeth have been found on the bones of Triceratops, and Tyrannosaurus teeth have been found wedged in the bones of the duck-billed dinosaur Hypacrosaurus.

On the other hand, animals as big as Tyrannosaurus might not have been capable of much sustained speed or activity. Once up to speed the animal could stumble easily, resulting in a crash that might have been fatal.

It is very likely that both theories are true to a degree: Tyrannosaurus was probably an occasional hunter when threatened with starvation, but did not pass up the chance to devour any corpse it came across. Trackways suggest that it might have followed great herds of plant-eating dinosaurs, preying on easy victims such as the young and the injured.

The small arms of Tyrannosaurus Rex have always been a mystery. What good is a pair of arms that is too short to reach the mouth, or anything else?

There are three main theories: First, that they were used to pull prey toward the chest so that the jaws could reach it. Second, that they were used to grasp the female while mating. Third, that they could help the animal get up from a lying down position.
The arms were surprisingly powerful: the same length as a human arm, but three times as thick. Still more peculiar, the arms end in only two clawed fingers, useless for grasping.

No one can explain any of this for certain, and it's a good example of how some aspects of dinosaur behavior cannot be solved by the fossil record.

There are a lot of terrific books about dinosaurs, perfect for holiday gifts. A few of my favorites include the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs, by Dougal Dixon; National Geographic Dinosaurs, by Paul Barrett; and Dinosaurus: The Complete Guide to Dinosaurs, by Steve Parker.

For my previous posts on dinosaurs, click here.

The Philadelphia Civil War Museum

There are wonderful treasures to be discovered in Philadelphia, for those with a passion for the turbulent time of our heart-wrenching split between North and South. One treasure is open for all to see; the other has gone underground until a new home can be found, to display this fascinating relic of national significance.

Key players in the war have called Philadelphia home, such as General George Gordon Meade, the commanding general at Gettysburg. The equestrian statue to honor him is in Fairmount Park on Lansdowne Drive, directly behind the Memorial Hall, which is now the Please Touch Museum. The sculptor was Alexander Milne Calder, famous for his William Penn statue atop City Hall.

The statue is magnificent, yet challenging to get to and therefore largely unnoticed. The General Meade Society has a petition to move the statue to a more prominent place by City Hall. The petition is on the Society's website at www.generalmeadesociety.org

The other intriguing treasure is the precious head of General Meade's favorite war horse, Old Baldy. He was previously displayed with deep respect in the front room of Philadelphia's Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum at 1805 Pine Street.
The museum closed in August 2008, preparing to move to a fine location on South 3^rd Street. Unfortunately, the funding was suddenly cut by the Pennsylvania government, leaving the museum in limbo, the collection in storage.

Hopefully a new location will be found, so Old Baldy and their excellent collection can be on display in time for the national events commemorating the 150^th anniversary of the Civil War, beginning in 2011. Information on the museum and updates on the search for a new location can be found at www.cwurmuseum.org

The Moon

Most people heard that NASA launched a missile at the moon's south pole last week, followed by the LCROSS spacecraft. The experiment was designed to search for the presence of underground glacial water, which scientists have suspected might be found beneath the Cabeus A crater. The LCROSS spacecraft flew into the plume of dust left by the missile's impact and measured the properties before also colliding with the lunar surface.

The experiment cost $79 billion, cheap in the world of space travel. Millions gathered outside with binoculars and telescopes on the early morning of September 9 to observe the impact. It therefore seems like a good time to post a few comments on the moon, our nearest celestial neighbor, and the only body with details visible without a telescope.

As far as we can tell, it's unusual for a satellite and its host planet to be so close in size as the Earth is to the Moon. Mercury and Venus have no moons, and Mars has two, but they are very tiny. The diameter of our moon is about one-fourth that of Earth (3480 Km, 2160 mi.); but its volume is one-fiftieth of Earth's, and the Earth's mass is 81 times greater than the mass of the moon. Thus the pull of gravity on the lunar surface is only one-sixth of what it is here.

A rocket trip to the moon takes 60-70 hours. If you drove to the moon by car at a steady speed of 75 miles per hour, it would take 135 days to reach your destination. Twelve men and no women have walked on the moon, and the Apollo missions have collected 842 pounds of moon rocks.

Although the strength of the moon's gravity is one-sixth that of Earth's, the gravitational field itself is uneven. There are patches of unexpectedly high gravity , called "mascons", or "mass concentrations" on the lunar surface. Nobody knows for certain what causes them, but they are found in high concentrations where there are thick layers of lava from volcanic activity. Surprisingly, not all areas which were once volcanically active host mascons. In 2011, NASA will send a probe to study the moon's gravity in minute detail. This will not only allow us to learn more about the moon, but also about how gravity can work here on Earth, and throughout the universe.

Things hardly ever change on the surface of the moon. Neil Armstrong's footprint will be visible for thousands of years, and it is still possible to find rocks on the surface from when the Solar System was created. The astronauts from the Apollo 15 mission found a rock that is 4.5 billion years old. Called the Genesis Rock, it is now on display at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

The moon is a very quiet, stable environment, which makes it a terrific place to mount astronomical instruments. In fact, the moon is a perfect observatory, completely free from noise, light, and atmospheric interference such as we have here on Earth.

Some day its craters might be used as dishes for massive radio antennae. It's also an ideal launch pad for deep space exploration. If bases could be established on the moon, deep space exploration would become much easier. To exploit this potential, first we'd need to work out how to live there and build construction facilities. This is where water, native to the moon rather than shipped from Earth, would come in handy. Then we would have to find a way to launch space vehicles in a lunar environment.

No doubt it's a big job, but we're working out the details all the time.

For more information, I recommend checking out the Book of the Moon, by Rick Stroud.

For my previous posts on outer space, click here.

Japan: The Early Centuries

There are 4,223 islands in the archipelago called Japan. Six hundred of them are inhabited, but only five are of any considerable size. The largest, Hondo or Honshu, is 1,130 miles long, averages about 73 miles wide, and contains 81,000 square miles, more than half the land area of the nation.

Population: 127,463,611
Total area: 145,882 sq. mi. (slightly smaller than California)
Capital: Tokyo
Prime Minister: Yukio Hatoyama (since September 2009)
Constitution: May 3, 1947
Language: Japanese
Religion: most Japanese observe both Shinto and Buddhist rites; about 16% belong to other religions, including 0.7% Christianity
GDP: $4.018 trillion, $31,500 per capita

No other nation is so afflicted by earthquakes. In the year 599, an earthquake swallowed entire villages. Comets streaked across the sky, asteroids crashed into the earth, and Japan was mysteriously blanketed in snow in mid-July. Drought and famine followed, and millions of Japanese died. In 1703 an earthquake killed 32,000 in Tokyo alone. In 1923 earthquake, tsunami, and fire caused 100,000 deaths in Tokyo. Kamakura, so kind to Buddha, was nearly totally destroyed. All modern Japanese buildings are now constructed to withstand seismic activity as a result.

Research has shown that the Ainu, a tribal people whose origins are unknown, were the first inhabitants of the Japanese Archipelago. They may have populated the islands from the 2nd and 1st millenia BC. Invading peoples from nearby areas in Asia began expeditions of conquest to the islands, forcing the Ainu to the northern portions of Honshu.

About AD 360 Empress Jingu, who would eventually be considered a goddess, took over the government after the death of her husband, Emperor Chuai. She led Japan to invade and conquer a portion of nearby Korea. During the next several centuries, cultural influence passed between Korea and Japan. Chinese writing, literature, and philosophy became popular.

The most important event of the period was the importation of Buddhism. This is usually dated in 552, when a king from southwestern Korea sent Buddhist priests to Japan, together with religious images, scriptures, and calendars. The imported culture soon became deeply rooted in the islands, and while contact between the two countries weakened after the Japanese were driven out of Korea in 562, by the early 7th century Buddhism had become the official religion of Japan.

In 604, the first Japanese constitution was drafted. A great council, the Dajokan, ruled alongside the emperor through local governors sent from the capital. Nara in Yamato became the first fixed capital in 710. In 794 Kyoto was made the imperial residence and, with few interruptions, remained the capital until 1868. By the 9th century, the emperor and Dajokan ruled all of the main islands except Hokkaido.

During the 9th century the emperors began to withdraw from public life, delegating the affairs of state to subordinates until they came to be regarded as abstractions in the national life rather than its directors. This political void was filled by the rising power of the Fujiwara, the leading family of court nobles. In 858 the Fujiwara became virtual masters of Japan, maintaining their power for the next three centuries.

The period of Fujiwara supremacy hosted a great flowering of Japanese culture; influenced, but no longer dominated by China and Korea. Wealth accumulated, and was centered on a life of luxury and refinement. Kyoto became as elegant as Paris in poetry and dress, setting the nation's standards for learning and taste.

I've stopped trying to summarize the Nations of the World in a single post. My short history of Japan will be continued...

For my previous posts on the Nations of the World, click here.

Virginia Luppino: Virginia Creeper

photo: D. Derbyshire/2007
On the trail

The first sign of summer's end is the red blaze of Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). The native woody vine can easily reach hights of 30'. It can easily climb smooth surfaces using small forked tendrils tipped with small strongly adhesive pads. The creeper can kill vegetation it covers...witnessed by the red foliage climbing dead trees.

Vikholrabirginia creeper can be used as a shading vine for buildings on masonry walls. Because the vine, like its relative Boston ivy, adheres to the surface by disks rather than penetrating roots, it will not harm the masonry but will keep
a building cooler by shading the wall surface during the summer, saving money on air conditioning. As with ivy, trying to rip the plant from the wall will damage the surface; but if the plant is first killed, such as by severing the vine from the root, the adhesive pads will eventually deteriorate and release their grip.

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Olana Celebration: October 24

SECOND ANNUAL HISTORIC VIEWSHED TOUR PLANNED FOR OLANA

On Saturday, October 24 2009, The Olana Partnership and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, will join with neighboring landowners to celebrate the beauty surrounding Olana's 250-acre landscape.

Like last year’s very successful event, the 2009 self-guided tour focuses on the
farms and privately owned landscapes within the Olana viewshed. Visitors will stand high above the Hudson River Valley in rarely-seen locations: they’ll walk across meadows, beside ponds and streams, through orchards and gardens, often looking back at Frederic Church's Olana. They will experience first-hand the variety and magnificence of the region Frederic Church called "the center of the world."

Often referred to as the “crown jewel” of the Hudson Valley, Olana was the home of Frederic Church, one of America 's most important artists, a student of Thomas Cole and a major figure in the Hudson River School of landscape painting. Church, also a contemporary and colleague of Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux, designed Olana's Persian-style house amidst a 250-acre landscape and working farm.

When designing his landscape, in the 19th century Picturesque landscape style, Frederic Church intentionally integrated his setting within the surrounding landscape, revealing and framing exceptional views. The grounds, now under restoration, constitute a masterpiece as important as any of his paintings. In creating this 3-dimensional work of art, Church used the principles he used in his paintings – with a foreground of house and environs, middle ground of woodland, parkland and farmland, and the panoramic background of the Catskills, Taconic Ranges and the Hudson River.

Today, many believe the Hudson River School to be the beginning of the American Conservation Movement, and the Olana Viewshed is a unique manifestation of those historic ideals. While the celebration of views was integral to the philosophy of the Hudson River School painters, the idea of recognizing them as something to be protected is new. Throughout the country, efforts are underway to protect views, from California’s Napa Valley, to areas surrounding Civil War sites, and in the environs of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Virginia. In New York State, landscape historians, environmentalists, community members, art patrons, and land conservation organizations have all joined forces to protect the spectacular viewsheds throughout the Hudson Valley, of which Olana’s is preeminent.

This year’s tour captures the excitement of last year’s successful event. The ten unique private properties featured are located along the Hudson River and the foothills of the Catskill range, and include an 1870’s Calvert Vaux designed home, the former estate of the famous landscape painter Charles Herbert Moore, a biodynamic farm, and a restored 1743 barn perched above 436 protected acres. Additionally, members can ascend to Olana’s seldom-visited Bell Tower, with its unparalleled river and mountain views. Following the tour there will be a party at an 1850’s farm with 180-degree views of the Catskill range. The Viewshed Tour is a benefit to support the restoration of Olana’s historic landscape. (The tour is from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, tickets are $50, $40 for members; the party, from 4:30 to 6 pm, is $100 and $75 for members. Bell tower tours, from 10AM to 1PM, are $50 and free for members.

Two other organizations integral to the preservation of Olana’s viewshed will be represented during the introductory part of the Viewshed Tour. Scenic Hudson, a non-profit organization that has been a crusader for the Hudson Valley since 1963, will send representatives to discuss their work to protect and restore the Hudson River and its majestic landscape as an irreplaceable national treasure and as a vital resource for residents and visitors. So far, Scenic Hudson has protected 1,248 acres in the Olana Viewshed, largely through conservation easements with private landowners and working farms. The group’s campaign to Save the Land That Matters Most—a collaboration with fellow land trusts, governments, individuals and businesses—seeks to protect 65,000 acres of great scenic, ecological and agricultural significance throughout the Hudson Valley. Also on hand will be representatives of the Columbia Land Conservancy, a local non-profit land trust which works with the community to conserve the farmland, forests, wildlife habitat and rural character of Columbia County, and which has also made great strides in protecting Olana’s viewshed.


About Olana:
Olana State Historic Site, one of seven historic sites and 13 parks administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), Taconic Region, is a designated National Historic Landmark and one of the most visited sites in the state. The Olana Partnership, a private not-for-profit education corporation, works cooperatively with New York State to support the restoration, development and improvement of Olana State Historic Site. To learn more about Olana, please visit www.olana.org.

Worst Fashion Since Parachute Pants

Every decade, a fashion enigma surfaces. This one, "winkers" will be remembered as fondly as the polyester leisure suit and parachute pants.

Virginia Luppino Fine Landscapes: Tip of the Day

On the trail

Tree ripened peaches are here.
Seek them out at small orchards on back roads in Germantown and Clermont...at orchard stands like Montgomery Place in Red Hook.


Heads up:

How to pick a peach

Ripe fruits will be golden.
Mature fruit that has hung on the tree long enough to develop the sugar will have a distinctive orange cast.

Above all. . . let your nose be your guide. Ripe peaches are deliciously fragrant.

Consider planting one in your yard or neighborhood.

Cool Morphing Video of Leading Men in Film

Via Slog

Whole Foods Slammed with National Boycott

The CEO of Whole Foods wrote an op ed article for the Wall Street Journal this week, decrying that health care was not an intrinsic right and something reserved for the wealthy - oops, not the smartest move for a company that claims it is a progressive corporation committed to the good of the community.

The fallout has been substantial, and now there is a national boycott of the company, via facebook:

Whole Foods is NOT a company that cares for communities and they have built their brand with the dollars of deceived progressives. No more. My $ will no longer go to support Whole Foods' anti-union, anti-health insurance reform, right-wing activities.

John Mackey, CEO and co-founder of Whole Foods wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on 8/12/2009 quoting Margaret Thatcher and suggesting that healthcare is a commodity that only the rich, like him, deserve.

The national debate about health care has become complicated and vicious, and it seems that not even the Iraq war caused such alarm or stir.

New Study About Storms and Global Warming

The New York Times reports today that a recent study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration suggests that there are not bigger storms and hurricanes today, but that modern sophisticated tracking has improved. The concern is that with high tech tracking of storms, data comparing storm activity over the centuries is skewing information about global warming and the increase of "big storms."

The NOAA believes that todays environment is very similar to the years 900-1200.

In findings reported this week in The Journal of Climate, the NOAA researchers, led by Christopher W. Landsea, say that several disturbances logged in 2007 and 2008 as tropical storms would never have been identified without satellite observations and new analysis techniques.

The researchers studied storms that played themselves out at sea, either in a day or two or over a longer period, from 1878 to 2008. By the late 19th century, they estimated, meteorologists missed perhaps two of the larger storms each year, and by the 1950s they were picking up on average all but one each year.

Yet the researchers estimate that a century ago, as many as 80 percent of short-lived storms came and went without ever being officially noticed.

Over all, they conclude, storm counts have not changed in the last century.

Read the NYT article HERE

Yesterday's Released Documents Show Cover-up

On Tuesday, over 7800 pages of documents regarding the Bush White House were released, and already more disturbing information is being uncovered regarding Carl Rove and staff's role in the firing of U.S. attorney's for political reasons. Also, the documents indicate the White House cover-up of the firings.

The Huffington Post is requesting that their audience assist them read through the newly released documents and email relevant ones to them.
The Huffington Post has already forwarded numerous documents to U.S. prosecutors.

This Weekend in Columbia County

Thursday-Sunday, August 13-16

Walking the dog Theater's production of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night - Directed by Adrian Locher (Theatre of the Word, UK) - Information at 392-6121 or www.ps21chatham.org - 8 pm - NO PERFORMANCE ON FRIDAY - PS/21, 2980 Route 66, 1 mile north of Chatham

Film - The Beaches of Agnes - directed by Agnes Varda - A cinematic self-portrait - 5:30 pm - Time & Space Limited

Film - Under Our Skin - "Investigates the untold story of Lyme disease, an emerging epidemic larger than AIDS" - Thurs/Fri at 7:30 pm, Sat at 3:30 & 7:30 pm, Sun at 3:30 pm - Time & Space Limited


Theatre - Crazy For You - Gershwin plus tap dancing. What could be bad? - Reservations at 392-9292 or www.machaydntheatre.org - Thurs at 2 & 8 pm, Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 4 & 8 pm, Sun at 2 & 7 pm - Mac-Haydn Theatre, 1925 Route 203, Chatham

Friday, August 14

Music at Sunset series - Long Neck Band - 7 pm - Information at 828-4656 - Greenport Town Park


Free Outdoor Movie - Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window - Bring a chair - After dark - PARC Park, across from the Opera House - Presented by Time & Space Limited


Friday-Sunday, August 14-16

Ancram Community Days - A weekend of activities including a "dive-in" movie at the pool, a dunking booth featuring town officials, chicken barbeque, the Local Bluegrass Jam Band, a potluck picnic, and an ice cream social - Who could ask for anything more?


Saturday, August 15

Gallery talk - Carolyn Marks Blackwood talks about her Hudson River photographs - 2 pm - Hudson Opera House


Badila family Community Celebration - Bring a picnic and join in the games from 2-7 pm - Performance including Lady Moon and her band Eclipse (fresh from her performance at Club Helsinki in Great Barrington), Young Paris, and Diata Diata from 7-10 pm - Henry Hudson Riverfront Park


Wine Tasting/exhibition opening - A retrospective of works by Lou Stettner, a seminal photographer of the 1950s and 1960s, best known for his photographs of Penn Station commuters. The wine tasting is curated by Michael Albin of Hudson WIne Merchants and will compare French and Hudson Valley food and wine - 6-8 pm - Athens Cultural Center


Chatham Improv - Bud Godfroy, Richard Lapo, Prudence Theriault, John Wallace and Mark Wilson - 8 pm - Space 360, 360 Warren Street


Saturday-Sunday, August 15-16

Napoleonic Brigade Re-enactment - Battle skirmishes! Military encampments! Information at 392-0062 or www.oldausterlitz.org - Battle times : Saturday at 1:30 pm, Sunday at 11:00 am - Austerlitz Historical Society, Old Austerlitz Site, Route 22, Austerlitz


Sunday, August 16

Rip Van Winkle's Wacky Raft Race - Information at 1-800-355-2287 - Starts at 11 am at Athens Riverfront Park and ends whenever at Dutchman's Landing, end of Main Street, Catskill.


Music - A faculty/student concert presented as part of the Hudson Jazz Workshop with Armen Donelian, Marc Mommaas and David Liebman. Information at 822-1640 or info@armenjazz.com - 3 pm - Hudson Opera House


Bruce Molsky - Traditional American music by an "old-time fiddler" (Also plays guitar and banjo) - Has played at Lincoln Center and on "A Prairie Home Companion," and has been nominated for a Grammy - 3 pm - PS/21, 2980 Route 66, 1 mile north of Chatham

MARS: Population 1
Writer: James Allerdyce
Director: James Allerdyce
Utter isolation. Limitless exploration. As he runs out of air, the first man to land on Mars comes face to face with his own sanity, humanity, and SPACE-MADNESS, in this innovative Sci-Fi experience that will awe your imagination.
0h 45m Local Miami, FL Solo Show FringeHIGH
Staycation:Outer Space Zombie Adventure Time Traveler
www.JamesAllerdyce.com Share Show
VENUE #9: The Players Loft
Sat 15 @ 7:15 Thu 20 @ 3:30 Sat 22 @ 12 Mon 24 @ 5* Wed 26 @ 7 Sat 29 @ 11

Kathy Griffen Last Night on Larry King

When Kathy Griffen is on fire, she is hilarious.....and you got to love the way she pampered Levi Johnston, giving him his best on air appearance ever.

Quest Conference in Phoenicia, NY August 24-28

Quest Conference taking place in Phoenicia, NY August 24-28. For more information about
the conference please see www.EsotericQuest.org

Name of Event: An Esoteric Quest for Inner America, The Songs of Woody
Guthrie and Pete
Seeger, An Evening of Folk Music performed by Judy Gorman
Time: 8:30PM
Date: Tuesday, August 25th, 2009
Location: Menla Mountain Retreat Center,
Phonecia NY
Phone: 212-219-2527x101
Admission: $20

Description: Part of the Esoteric Quest Conference
(www.esotericquest.org). As America reawakens to social justice and equality as core
values, its great folk music tradition conveys countless stories of
struggle and triumph in this cause. Woody Guthrie may be our greatest songwriter of the people's America and Pete Seeger is his worthy heir. This rousing evening takes us into the heart and soul of the America of the common man and woman.

Name of Event: An Esoteric Quest for Inner America, Blessings at the Threshold, Elizabeth Street, New York City, 1905, An Evening of Stories told by Gioia Timpanelli
Time: 8:30PM
Date: Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
Location: Menla Mountain Retreat Center, Phonecia NY
Phone: 212-219-2527x101
Admission: $20

Description: Part of the Esoteric Quest Conference
(www.esotericquest.org). This is an evening of stories and back stories of
Sicilian and Jewish Immigrants working in the garment industry in New York City in 1905. Coming out of great necessity, the immigrants from Sicily and Russia in 1905 came with few material goods but with their cultures intact. This evening will include some folk tales and spiritual stories about Saints and Holy Fools.

Name of Event: An Esoteric Quest for Inner America, Wade in the Water, an
Evening of
Gospel Music performed by Chanda Rule
Time: 8:30PM
Date: Thursday, August 27th, 2009
Location: Menla Mountain Retreat Center,
Phonecia NY
Phone: 212-219-2527x101
Admission: $20

Description: Part of the Esoteric Quest Conference
(www.esotericquest.org). Led by singer/songwriter and international
performer Chanda Rule, Wade in the Water melds spirituals, blues, and gospel, taking listeners on a musical journey from the southern-most parts of Mississippi to the slick streets of Northern urban metros, and back again. The songs, lyrics, and arrangements connect the dots of the history of African American spiritual music, drawing a smooth line from early Negro Spirituals to contemporary gospel.

Poem for the Day (by Greg Howell)

Death won't meet me face to face
He stays 10 steps behind on diligent chase
A dark cold shadow nipping my blistered heels
Teasing taunting my soul for total embrace

He knows I laugh I am dead in haste
A dark numb spirit walking arrogantly in space
Little reward for Death to capture a spirit chilled
Dead man walking at a sprinter's pace

American Psychiatric Association Report

After a two year study, the APA has notified the psychiatric community that gay reparative therapy, a religious-based attempt to change sexual orientation, does not work and should not be used in therapy. The APA's report states:

"Practitioners can assist clients through therapies that do not attempt to change sexual orientation," the report read, "but rather involve acceptance, support and identity exploration and development without imposing a specific identity outcome."

The report also underlines previous findings that homosexuality is a normal variant of human sexuality and expresses concern for teens and young adults that are placed in harmful reparative therapy programs. By the way, the above painting is a popular Christian image merchandised across the country to Christian bookstores and giftshops.

The Huffington Post has a new article about the APA's report.

The Edge Reports: AIDS at 25

The Edge has a a new article about the AIDS epidemic. Officially named 25 years ago, the disease first begin to surface in the late 1970s and was essentially not reported in the press for years. Almost 20,000 people died before Ronald Reagan even acknowledged the epidemic.

Read The Edge article

Rachel Maddow Does Her Homework!

Brad Pitt Stands By Gay Marriage Again

Last year, Brad and Angelina announced that they would never get married until all people in the GLBT community have the same rights to marry as heterosexuals. This week he again goes to bat for the gay community in an interview with the rather conservative PARADE magazine, the national insert magazine that appears in many Sunday papers across the nation. In the interview, Pitt asserts:

"I have love in my life, a soul mate absolutely. When someone asked me why Angie and I dont get married, I replied, Maybe well get married when its legal for everyone else. I stand by that, although I took a lot of flak for saying it [and] hate mail from religious groups. I believe everyone should have the same rights. They say gay marriage ruins families and hurts kids. Well, Ive had the privilege of seeing my gay friends being parents and watching their kids grow up in a loving environment.

It's ridiculous that Prop 8 took away gay people's right to marry! I have no understanding of that kind of hatred. Maybe it's fear of difference or of the unknown. If you feel belittled, maybe you need someone else to belittle to feel powerful. It's the only way I know how to explain it. You've got religion telling you what to think about homosexuality, about marriage. They say homosexuality is a choice, a lifestyle, something you can be cured of, and that isn't true. But if you're tucked away and have no friends who are gay, you'll believe what the preachers say. Just think of it in terms of being in love how would you feel if someone told you that you couldn't be with the person you loved?"

Via WickedGayBlog

Ugly Betty Transformation?

Several sources report that ABC's Ugly Betty, saved from cancellation despite continued decline in viewers the last couple of years, is getting a make over - literally. Three season's ago, Ugly Betty was the breakout hit of the year, but viewership has eroded quickly despite winning several Emmy awards. Rumors are spreading through the media and leaked photos that the fourth season will see a transformation of the lead character.

FringeNYC Festival Spotlight

FAR OUT--the New Sci-Fi Musical Comedy
Supreme Eyeball Productions
Writer: Brian Breen and Michael Chartier
Director: Kimothy Cruse
Choreographer: Justin Boccitto
Boy meets girl, boy gets girl...boy fights singing-eyeball-alien-diva?! Keep an eye open for this rollicking spoof of classic 1950's grade-B-alien-invasion movies, the sock hop teen scene, and the cold war. It's outta sight!
1h 50m Local Manhattan, NY Musical Comedy
Staycation:Outer Space Zombie Adventure Summer Camp(y)
www.faroutthemusical.com Share Show
VENUE #10: Minetta Lane Theatre
Sat 22 @ 7:30 Wed 26 @ 8 Thu 27 @ 4:15 Sat 29 @ 5 Sun 30 @ 2:45

Last Weekend at Hudson Stage WorksCAR TALK

CAR TALK
by Lucile Lichtblau
directed by Laura Margolis

starring
Bonnie Black ..................Larry Sharp
Melissa MacLeod Herion.......Abby Lee

WORLD PREMIERE......JULY 22 - AUGUST 9
tickets $24 - $29 (senior/student/grp discounts avail.)
www.stageworkshudson.org

A frank and hilarious look at the endangered institution known as marriage ...

Millie and Ed, a middle-aged, middle-class Jewish couple, have just learned that their only child, Rosalie, is gay and seriously involved with a taxidermist named Zoe. They take off to visit Rosalie to scope out the situation, not knowing that on their journey they will confront the skeletons in their own closet as Rosalie comes out of hers.

CAR TALK skewers our traditional definition of family as it explores love - the type of profound love that makes it possible to cross all boundaries, and the humor that comes along with it.

Virginia Luppino Fine Landscapes: Plant of the Day

Woody Plants 2.0

Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum
Doublefile Viburnum


We defer, once again, to
Michael Dirr:

"A garden without a viburnum is like life without music and art."

The Queen of flowering shrubs.
A true, rare four season plant.
Abundance of flowers, berries, fall color along its horizontal branching which holds the snow on those still snowy winter days.

Pete Seeger Meets Gay Icon Jimmy Somerville

The lastest release from Jimmy Somerville, the iconic gay singer that brought us such classics as "Smalltown Boy" and "Don't Leave Me This Way" is folk singer Pete Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?"



InsideOut Magazine recently interviewed Pete Seeger (July/August Issue). Click HERE to read the interview.

Summer Art Activities at Hudson Opera House

Integrarte

Mondays 4-6pm
Wednesdays, 10-noon
Fridays, 2-4pm
(children ages 6-10 +up welcome at this session)

August 3rd through 28th
Integrarte returns to HOH! The series of workshops will be held throughout August with artist Bruno Pasquier-Devignes. All work is crafted from found materials including newspapers, cardboard, plastic bottles, grocery bags, fabric, corks, wire and more! The workshops are free.



Found Fashion
with Perri Katzman

Tuesdays and Thursdays
August 4 - 27
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Design and construct your own outfit to show off while strutting down the runway. The only rule: no fabric allowed! Artists can build their creations using found objects, such as feathers, gum boxes, or board game parts, just to name a few. The possibilities are endless. Photo courtesty Zoe Cohen, Anna Baryshnikov and Dinah Decker. Free!

Creative Writing for teens
with Kathe Izzo

August 10 - 13
1:00 - 4:00 pm
Student writers ages 13 - 18 will explore their own voice and style as well as various characters and points of view using guided exercises. Led by poet Kathe Izzo.

Hudson Community Book Group

Mondays, through August 17
4:00 - 5:30 for 8-10 yrs. old
5:30 - 7:00 for 11 & up
In collaboration with the Hudson City School District, students ages 8 and up and their parents are invited to participate in literacy activities at HOH.

All workshops are FREE for youth!
Registration may be required.

To Register: Call HOH at 822-1438
or e-mail joe@hudsonoperahouse.org

FringeNYC Festival Spotlight

America's Next Top Bottom: Cycle 5!
Celebration Theatre
Writer: Created by Efrain Schunior. Based on an idea by Michael Matthews, Jason Moyer & Efrain Schunior
Director: Efrain Schunior
Do these boys have what it takes to be America's Next Top Bottom? Watch as these 7 ass-piring bottoms attempt to outdress, outbitch, and outsass each other for the crown. Who will get it in the end? YOU decide!!!
1h 0m National Hollywood, CA Improv/Sketch/Stand-up Comedy
Staycation:Celeb-reality TV in Hollywood
www.americasnexttopbottom.com Share Show
VENUE #11: The Actors' Playhouse
Sun 16 @ 8:15 Mon 17 @ 5:45 Wed 19 @ 2 Fri 21 @ 10:45 Sat 22 @ 2:15

www.fringenyc.org

Gay Games Internationally Reporting Bashing

Seattle's Gay Games have reported that small bombs have been thrown and detonated on the track, injury numerous athletes. Since the games have begun, there have been numerous threats and reports of harrassment. The Edge reports:

A Seattle-area athlete needed medical treatment Tuesday after small bombs were thrown onto the track at the start of a relay run at the World Outgames. This attack is the second to take place against on attendees since the global LGBT multi-sport event opened last weekend. Three men have been detained as a result of the incidents and police said they are looking for a fourth suspect.

It was not known at press time whether the attacks were related or what the motives were, but police were treating the weekend incident, in which two Danish men reportedly punched and kicked three men from the United Kingdom, Sweden and Norway in a gay-bar district in Copenhagen as they returned from the opening ceremony on Town Hall Square.

I've said this before and I say it again, leaders such as The Pope, U.S. Senators, and even Obama have this on their hands as they have allowed, even encouraged, an environment of hatred toward GLBT people to continue and thrive. This would be top headline news with immediate government intervention should this happened to any other minority group.

Schwarzenegger Cuts AIDS Funding

Gov. Schwarzenegger today signed to cut out massive amounts of funding for HIV Positive and people living with AIDS. This is probably the saddest day of the year, thus far, for California......and the state has had many, many embarrassing and sad days over the last 12 months!

From the Health AIDS Foundation comes this statement:

Today’s cuts to HIV/AIDS programs include: an 80% reduction in funding for Education & Prevention, a 70% cut in HIV Counseling and Testing, a 50% cut for Early Intervention (that provides primary medical care), a 100% cut in Therapeutic Monitoring Program (the program that monitors the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS drugs administered through the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program), a 20% cut in Housing and more than a 50% cut in funding for Home and Community-Based Care.

“With a single stroke of his blue pencil, Governor Schwarzenegger has terminated the state’s AIDS programs and, along with it, the lives of some of the state’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “The Governor’s heartless act is not only deadly, but guaranteed to cost California taxpayers millions more in the future. With HIV testing programs sidelined and the state’s ability to prevent new infections stymied, new infections in California will increase—each new infection can mean up to $600,000 dollars in lifetime health care costs. A 100% cut to the Therapeutic Monitoring Program is the definition of penny-wise and pound-foolish—with the ability to monitor the effectiveness of lifesaving AIDS drugs hampered, the state’s already cash-strapped AIDS Drug Assistance Program will only end up spending more for drugs.”

“Governor Schwarzenegger’s unilateral decision to essentially dismantle the state’s lifesaving HIV/AIDS programs will cost lives, endanger the public’s health, and constitutes negligence,” said Whitney Engeran-Cordova, Director of AHF’s Public Health Division. “The state’s ability to identify people living with HIV is now severely crippled—creating an enormous obstacle to the prevention of new infections and linking those who need it to treatment. Not only will the Governor’s callous funding cuts devastate those living with HIV/AIDS who rely on the services the state provides to stay alive and healthy, but today’s cuts also pose a serious threat to our shared responsibility to combat the spread of HIV in California.”

Dow Above 9000!!!!

Enough said!

FringeNYC Festival, Manhattan

I'm back! Perhaps our regular viewers have noticed that the last few week's postings have been...well, sparse. This time of year for me is an intensive marathon for preparing the program guide for the FringeNYC Festival in NYC. If you are not familiar with this festival, one might consider it the Sundance of international theater.

Each year over 200 international plays, including musicals, drama, comedy, and children's theater, are performed at 18 venues in the heart of Manhattan. This years festival runs from August 14 - August 30 and covers 3 weekends.

For the next month, now that I am intensely familiar with all the upcoming productions, I thought I would spotlight some that have caught my eye and would be recommended to our InsideOut Blog readers:

PIE-FACE! THE ADVENTURES OF ANITA BRYANT
Kangagirl Productions
Writer: David Karl Lee
Director: Kenny Howard
Before Miss California, there was Anita Bryant, the original scandalicious beauty queen turned orange juice promoting, Jesus-loving, homo-hater. "A Tank in Taffeta!- Orlandocitybeat.com. "Inspired Hilarity!"- Orlando Sentinel. "Tastes suspiciously like a banana cream surprise...Delicious!"- Orlando Weekly.
1h 0m National Orlando, FL Comedy Multi-Media
Staycation:Summer Camp(y) In Someone Else's Shoes
www.kangagirlproductions.com Share Show
VENUE #11: The Actors’ Playhouse; FRI 14 @ 5:15; SAT 15 @ 10:45; WED 19 @ 3:45; SAT 22 @ 7:45; SAT 29 @ 2:15

For more info about tickets, events, scheduling, and programming, visit:

http://www.fringenyc.org

Findustry in Hudson

click image to enlarge and read:

Recession Hits Hudson NY Antiques Market

Hudson antique dealers struggling
Recession thinning city's antique market

HUDSON Warren Street in Hudson is well known for its dozens of
high-end antique shops, and dealers are feeling the pinch as the recession
tightens its grip on the nation's consumers.

Sales in Hudson are down around 20 to 30 percent, according to Hudson
Antiques Dealers Association president Frank Rosa. Though few, if any, shops
have closed this year and dealers say things aren't as bad as they could be.

For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:

http://www.registerstar.com/articles/2009/07/19/news/doc4a6269eac0f460180018

Tomato Blight: Hudson Valley Garden Confidential

The Tomato Blight seems to be the issue most on everyone's mind these days and I thougth it best to pass this along.

I've decided to go back to the old Biodynamic recipe for Equisetum Tea.

Equisetum tea is a common plant tonic used in Biodynamic agriculture. It comes from the Horsetail Herb. The plant is very high in silica which is a vital element in plant growth. Equisetum tea is used to prevent aphids, fungus, blight, mildew etc. The dried plant is brewed by lightly boiling in water for an hour to create a potent tea. The tea helps to dissolve the silica into a form that plants can very quickly absorb. This tea can be used fresh on plants or fermented for a few weeks in an earthenware container for an even stronger brew. When applying the tea it should be diluted (10 water to 1 Equisetum) and stirred in water for at least twenty minutes and then sprayed on plants.
Repeated applications over several days are effective in strengthening plants. A little bit goes a long way.


If you decide to give this a try please let me know what your results were. On the other hand, if you have found something else that is helpful... please share your experience and I will pass it along.
Contact Virginia Lupino

Verdigris Art and Tea Presents

click image to enlarge and read: