#chaparral monkey

[calochortus]

Bushtit Terrenea resort 092 by Pekabo Via Flickr: On this day we only see the boys. It was just so fun to watch them and try for a photo. "The Bushtit is the only member of its family( aegithalidae) in the Americas; seven other species are found in Eurasia. All have similar complex hanging nests."allaboutboids

[kwebtv]

Henry Darrow (born Enrique Tomás Delgado Jiménez;  September 15, 1933 – March 14, 2021) Stage, film and television character actor known for his role as Manolito "Mano" Montoya on the 1960s television series The High Chaparral.  During the 1970s and 1980s, he was seen in numerous guest starring television roles.  Darrow replaced Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Zorro's father Don Alejandro de la Vega in the 1990s television series Zorro.

Darrow had already landed small parts in 12 movies and 75 television series when he won the role in a 1965 stage production of The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. This brought him to the attention of television producer David Dortort, who immediately recruited him for his television western series The High Chaparral, casting him as Manolito Montoya. Making its debut on American television in September 1967 (NBC), it went on to last four seasons and was screened around the world. While on the show, both he and series' lead Cameron Mitchell became household names as the breakout stars of the show.

Darrow is the first Latino actor to portray Zorro on television. (José Suárez played Zorro in a 1953 Spanish film.) He starred in the series Zorro and Son and also has provided the voice for the animated series of The New Adventures of Zorro. He replaced Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Zorro's father from 1990–1994, in the Family Channel's successful series, The New Zorro.

In 1972, Darrow co-founded the Screen Actors Guild Ethnic Minority Committee with actors Ricardo Montalbán, Edith Diaz and Carmen Zapata.

In 1974-75, Darrow portrayed police detective Manny Quinlan in the first season of Harry O starring David Janssen.  The character was killed off at the end of the first season in a re-tooling of the series.

His other television credits include Wagon Train, Stoney Burke, Gunsmoke, The Wild Wild West, Bonanza, Daniel Boone, The Big Valley , Hawaii Five-O, The Mod Squad, McMillan and Wife, The Streets of San Francisco, Wonder Woman, The Waltons, Simon & Simon, Tales of the Gold Monkey, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Golden Girls, Star Trek: Voyager, Babylon 5, General Hospital, Dynasty , Dallas, One Life to Live, Santa Barbara, The Bold and the Beautiful and many others.    (Wikipedia)

[fatehbaz]

the “world’s smallest deer.” the giant terrestrial predatory planarian worms. the “little monkey of the mount” marsupial. the southern river otter. the monkey-puzzle tree. the inimitable giant lawal tree, only member of its genus. the Austral parakeet. the kodkod. all of the many unique frogs ...

... all of which are endemic to the ecoregion, living nowhere else ...

i gawk and fawn over Valdivian temperate rainforest region, and these endemic species, and the snow-capped volcanoes, where rufous-legged owls perch above as giant marine otters swim at sea among the steep fjords, and how up to 90% of flowering plants live nowhere else in the world. a temperate rainforest at the corner of South America, separated from similar landscapes by the towering Andes, windy Patagonia, the humid Amazon, and thousands and thousands of kilometers away from similar temperate forest regions. and so Valdivia is, without exaggeration, an ecological island.

just happened to see a photo of a kodkod today, and now i’m hyperfixating, i guess.

coastal temperate rainforest covers a tiny fraction of the planet’s land, one of the “rarest” global ecosystems. Mediterranean chaparral is another of the rare land ecosystems, which also hosts many endemic species. the Pacific coast of temperate South America has both temperate rainforest and chaparral sitting side-by-side, like a mirrored image of the Pacific Northwest coast.

i think about the kodkod, small, but fierce gaze. so it goes with cats. something alluring about “South America’s smallest cat,” climbing branches where orchids and mosses and lichens create little epiphytic oases in the trees.

about 50% of Valdivian temperate rainforest replaced by industrial tree plantations in the past 50 years. traditional caretakers of the rainforest, Mapuche, limited administrative autonomy over less than 5% of historical land.

something about the Pacific. like everything it touches is enchanting. Aotearoa. Valdivia. Hokkaido. Redwoods forests. Fiji. Kamchatka. Great Bear Rainforest. Baja California. Great Barrier Reef. Salish Sea. Oaxaca. Haida. Kyushu. Aleutians. Choco-Darien. like so much power in that vast ocean that it breathes life into land, thriving life even at its fringes. and this isn’t “simply” “superstition” or “reducing” complex ecological processes: it really is the Pacific that nurtures the salmon, which nurture the rivers, which nurture the bears and the cedar and the mosses and people. the sea exhales fog, storms, mist, the rainforest inhales.

the sea, the rivers, the fog, the rain, water. (sorry. the little microhabitat where i grew up was close enough to rainforest, but was itself so dry, parched, exposed. can’t help but appreciate water.)

where does “water” end and “land” begin, in this space where the functions of land are so inseparable from the sea?

i’ve never been to Valdivia, so i try not to assume that i “know” the place. when i was a little kid, among other decorations, i had two posters on the wall near my sleeping space: a photo of the temperate rainforest of the Great Bear Rainforest, and a photo of the temperate rainforest of Valdivia.

two corners of the world. both shrouded in thick forest and dense fog, both covered in thriving moss, both suspended between steep glacier-capped mountains and cold seas.

the coast. the borderland. the bridge. the transition zone. the edge.

[fangzhouzi]

方舟子推特合集（305）2019.10.21-25

方舟子 @fangshimin 方舟子，本名方是民，科普作家，新语丝网站。 California, USAxysblogs.org/fangzhouziBorn September 28, 1967Joined December 2010 44 Following 225.2K Followers 27.1K Tweets

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 21 社科院的机构发现了中日韩男星女性化是中央情报局的阴谋，这还了得，要把这些男星都封杀了？其实美国很多男星也很女性化，现在还流行跨性别，请社科院再论证一下这又是什么局的阴谋。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHYqCDDVAAARVSe?format=jpg&name=medium

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 21 三个白痴：2006年川普带伊万卡、小川普参加电台节目，声称他们都是靠学习成绩好才进的宾州大学。主持人问他们17乘以6等于多少，伊万卡拒绝回答，小川普说等于96或94，川普说等于1112或112，在工作人员指出正确答案是102后，川普仍然坚持112才是对的。 https://youtu.be/iMIKzUAY8n4

Siyuefeixu @Siyuefeixu2 · Oct 21 没有计算器，美国人欧洲人大多数都算不出来，没啥奇怪的地方。但是这就证明他们笨吗？中国人，印度人韩国日本人的心算能力确实很棒，但是后续的科研成果呢，除了日本人的原创能力科研能力为，我没觉得有什么突出，14亿中国人就一个诺贝尔科学奖，自豪吗？

Fixth @Fixth3 · Oct 21 我觉得这完全是偏见。我自己在一个美国综合排名一百五以后，专业排名70以后的普通公立大学学计算机，2的0次方到16次方大家都可以瞬间说出来。之前以为美国人计算能力差要靠计算器，来了以后发现他们笔算和心算能力不输中国人。这还是一个全美排名150以后的公立大学。

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @Fixth3 and @Siyuefeixu2 总有自我感觉过于良好的背井蛙要把美国人都当白痴。

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @loveflyfish 你见过几个外国人？这个视频本来就是美国人挖出来嘲笑川普一家子笨的，难道是美国人笑自己？没想到这条推特下倒是暴露出很多自以为数学好的中国人其实也是白痴。

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @loveflyfish 原来此人把便利店收银员当成外国人代表。收银员不用收银机算帐、找钱，难道要自掏腰包？有这种逻辑，还敢瞧不起外国人？

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @GJ9K7I1KgIyNfDG 背井蛙真多，一个个跳出来做美国通。美国小学生也要背乘法口诀，只不过人家叫乘法表。九九口诀算什么，美国小学生还有背19x19乘法表的。美国人都在笑川普一家连小学生都不如，这些背井蛙却要把川普一家当美国人算术能力的代表。

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 21 原来施一公夫人赵仁滨博士是在中国航天科技集团公司主持空间生物学研究的，该公司的空间生物学研究主要是号称利用空间诱变育种技术推出保健品。我以前多次说过，这种空间诱变育种技术如果真比一般诱变育种技术有优势，生物学基本原理要被推翻，可以得好几个诺贝尔奖，比施一公牛多了。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHcAyK6U8AUgAxa?format=jpg&name=900x900

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 20 女儿不知在哪听说了安慰剂效应，问我怎么知道吃药能不能治病。我就给她讲了随机、对照、双盲试验，一说就明白了。我自己是到了读博士时才接触到这些概念。所以说一代更比一代强，不要瞧不起那些为解决气候问题抗议的中学生，他们说不定比你更懂科学，至少比那些共和党议员懂。那些议员跟他们比就像白痴

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @FallIntoTheSeaK 把随机、对照、双盲试验当成“设置对照组，控制变量”的实验，说明到现在也没搞明白那是什么意思，这种自以为是的态度，看来是永远搞不明白了。

眉间尺 @Despairwrath · Oct 20 求答个问个私人问题，给女儿讲这类内容，用英语讲还是用汉语？

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @Despairwrath 我们讨论科学、美国政治这类“高深”问题用英语。

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 21 美丽的风景线：150万黎巴嫩人示威反腐败。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHcXkLpU8AAzEuq?format=jpg&name=900x900

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 21 施一公夫人赵仁滨博士放弃美国强生公司优越的工作生活条件，毅然回国，几年后成为中国科学界最大富豪。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHco1_UUUAAQzAK?format=jpg&name=900x900

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 21 仅仅过了十年，美国基督徒比例已由77%下降到65%，不信教比例从17%增加到26%，大部分（54%）美国人不去或很少去教堂，千禧年一代（1981-1996年出生）不信教比例达40%，民主党三分之一不信教。美国追上北欧、西欧指日可待。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHcv-6OUwAASOQD?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHcv-6HUEAA1jrM?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHcv-6jUYAAvmVi?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHcv-6kU8AAFvi5?format=jpg

Winnie Mo @XueFeiYun · Oct 21 美国未来最大危机应该是穆斯林化，大量拉丁裔肆无忌惮生孩子，将会爸美国拖向灾难的深渊

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @XueFeiYun 晒一个连拉丁裔传统上信什么教都没搞明白却要操心美国前途的美国通。

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 21 我记得中国是不许外国机构到中国做民意调查的，所以很多世界性民意调查关于中国的数据往往是空的。不知这些调查出中国民众对本国制度和发展道路的满意度世界第一的“许多外国机构”在哪里？ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHc3whzVAAIT36q?format=jpg&name=medium

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 21 乌镇亚非拉不联网大会。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHdKjrpU4AEXqki?format=jpg&name=medium

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 21 美国军队撤出叙利亚北部后去了伊拉克西部，要在那里防止伊斯兰国再起。川普不是说撤军的目的是要让他们回家吗？伊拉克是他们的家？ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHdc9G3U8AAmIBw?format=jpg&name=medium

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 21 在美墨边境申请避难的带小孩的萨尔瓦多难民，父母被关在拘留中心，小孩被从父母那里带走送去美国家庭寄养，有的美国家庭办了正式领养手续，父母被遣送回国后，小孩却被迫留在了美国当别人的子女。避难没申请成功，连小孩也被夺走了。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHdkgeVVAAEVVxQ?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHdkgeSU0AA83qM?format=jpg&name=small

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 21 2016年的事现在一起算总账，一笔一笔都记着呢。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHdsmAKVAAc_2z6?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHdsmKVU0AA3hTQ?format=jpg

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 22 中医的经验之谈，吃精让人脑残。 https://twitter.com/i/status/1186545090501599233

Eddie Cheng @realEddieCheng 康涅狄格州的大学校园里，已经不再有言论自由。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHgxRpGU4AE2ozW?format=png&name=900x900

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 22 Replying to @realEddieCheng 不是现在才这样的，根据的是康州100年前的一条法律，平均每年有一人被定罪。这明显违反言论自由。最高法院判决过类似的法律违宪。但从没人为此上诉（可能是因为以此轻罪换取检方撤销更严重罪名），所以也就一直没被判违宪。去年Reason有一篇文章分析这条法律明显违宪https://t.co/ZjzB1D5Gtn?amp=1

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 22 圣地亚哥最热的日子不是夏天，而是秋天桑塔安娜风从沙漠吹来的时候，有几天气温会比夏天高。今天桑塔安娜风来袭，最高气温竟然达到32摄氏度，全年最热，应该是创纪录高温。不过室内温度只有25度，室外湿度只有20%，不出去晒太阳就好了。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHhG5-rVUAAkgDM?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHhG5-qUEAArI-m?format=jpg&name=small

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 22 美国驻乌克兰代理大使不顾美国国务院的禁令，今天去众议院作证，详细讲述川普将乌克兰调查拜登作为解冻援助和在白宫会谈的交换条件。这个职业外交官有做笔记的习惯，留下了有关会议、通话的记录。气得川普大骂“这是私刑”。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHhNq8RU8AAB7cP?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHhNrEYVUAASw0K?format=jpg&name=360x360 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHhNrEZVUAAHFVT?format=jpg&name=360x360 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHhNrEaU0AAQSph?format=jpg&name=360x360

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 22 数学家川普 https://twitter.com/i/status/1186793079799345152

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 22 利用身高1.2米个子小的优势刺杀了7个团级或营级日本军官，这种抗日神剧才可能出现的牛皮央视、人民日报都当成了事实。这个老兵还对他70多年前“刺杀”的日本军官名字记忆犹新，一一道来，似乎显得真实。他不知道是，日军战死的官兵都是有记录的，谁显得无聊去查一下记录就可揭穿这个牛皮。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHhjkHZU0AE3vg8?format=jpg&name=900x900

Jimmy Chen @chen3026_chen · Oct 22 人日这条微博好像自宫了。

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @chen3026_chen 刚查了，还在，无数人被这个老骗子感动落泪。

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 22 又有人大胆“辱华”了——辱华为。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHh2KYJVUAAuxpq?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHh2KYJUUAAHcBT?format=jpg&name=small

Yuxian Wang @yuxian_wang95 · Oct 22 我同事买了个mate30 不知道是不是pro 她录完指纹我们全课室任何一个人都能解锁那个指纹。

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @yuxian_wang95 and @GuoLuming 你也“辱华”，华为海军马上杀到。不过听说因为发不出军饷华为海军已解散？

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 22 发表新文章《一天该吃多少水果？》https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/wRjCG8bqN1eTFgWtQA3Iqg

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 22 编抗日神剧也要有点历史常识，个子小戴着红领巾冒充小学生去刺杀日本军官这样的故事也编得出来？抗战的时候小学生就戴红领巾？用谁的鲜血染红的？这么个拙劣的老骗子能把央视、人民日报都骗得团团转，为什么？投其所好嘛。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHiGKRmU8AARXsR?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHiGKRmVAAE62Ka?format=jpg&name=small

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 22 潟湖即景 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHiQUVYUYAA5ntN?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHiQUVVU8AAHWa5?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHiQUVUU4AAwwAf?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHiQUVUUcAAoB6i?format=jpg

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 22 今日所见野花：帕尔默苘麻（Palmer's Indian mallow）、盐碱地天芥菜（Alkali heliotrope）、加州灌木向日葵(California bush sunflower)、加州倒挂金钟(California fuchsia)。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHieq2RUcAAdvl9?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHierZJU4AAtOJo?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHierZIUYAA9mEv?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHierznUUAIkiNu?format=jpg

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 22 美国驻乌克兰公使的15页证词是目前为止对川普最致命一击，让此前川普、共和党议员的狡辩都失效。里面提到，美国驻欧盟大使���他解释，川普是商人，商人在给欠他钱的人开支票之前，那个人需要先还帐。所以乌克兰想要得到援助，需要答应调查拜登。驻欧盟大使原来也是商人，所以特理解川普拿国家利益谋私利 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHipYeKUYAA_W12?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHipYe6U8AE2XVq?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHipYeLUUAEfW3f?format=jpg&name=small

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 22 连麦康奈尔都打脸川普，看来川普大势已去，老乌龟要自保。这个月初川普说，麦康奈尔看了他与乌克兰总统的通话记录后对他说，这是最清白无辜的通话。现在麦康奈尔撇清自己，说从没和川普谈论过那个通话，川普是不是说谎，要去问他。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHiwD_oUcAAJKdf?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHiwETeUEAAlGoq?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHiwETdU0AAhIu-?format=jpg&name=small

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 23 今天NBA赛季第一场比赛，奥尼尔在直播间说莫雷是对的，看到了不平就应该说出来，言论自由是美国最好的价值之一，我们有权想说啥就说啥，别人不懂是别人的事。接下来央视、人民日报应该把奥尼尔也批倒批臭了吧？ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHi4T_KU4AApgic?format=jpg&name=900x900 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHi4UZuUUAAs1FP?format=jpg&name=small

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 23 今天负责乌克兰援助的美国国防部部长副助理到国会作证。共和党党鞭带领25名（其中13名没有听证资格）的共和党众议员冲击举行听证的机密室，在那里吃披萨，并违法带入手机，他们离开后国会警察还要搜查房间里的电子设备，导致听证推迟5个小时。共和党再这么闹下去，美国国会也要和港台立法会一样了。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHmTo4aVUAAVeFN?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHmTpAYVUAAuYWB?format=jpg&name=small

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 23 收到中国地质大学（武汉）保卫处的通报，胡斌因为向新语丝举报该校院士候选人王焰新重复发表论文而且改变作者署名（很容易核实），被刑事拘留了。不知犯的是什么罪？妨碍院士选举罪？当年肖传国选院士弄虚作假被我揭露后，他只是去武汉法院起诉我损害名誉权，要是在现在就可以派公安跨省抓我了。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHmabFxVAAAof4u?format=jpg&name=900x900

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 23 月季花丛中，隐藏着一只大角翅螽斯(greater angle wing)，考人眼力。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHmkIVnUUAAohru?format=jpg

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 23 川普说：“我们正在科罗拉多建墙。我们正在建一座美丽的墙，真正有效的大墙。”看来他把新墨西哥州割给墨西哥了。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHmxz_sUUAA0b8S?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHmxz_jUcAAuRs0?format=jpg&name=small

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 23 “方舟子”在微信成敏感词了？��安春《方 X X对我的影响（勘误补充版）》https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/YTsP5ARiId1N8AuHaxq9Ag

凡眼尘躯 @fanyanchenqu · Oct 23 “厦门大学某文科教授（名字忘了，绝对不是易中天），被方  舟  子指出文章错误之后，出书时把方的批评文章收入并给方寄稿费，算是私下支持吧，方  舟  子认为他是被批评者当中最有雅量的。” 方老师这是哪位？还有，我记得你开通打赏应该因为前堂堂央视记者王志安。

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @fanyanchenqu 厦门大学中文系教授谢泳，见我在2009年写的《文科学者也应掌握英语》。

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 23 新鲜出炉的刘记韭菜盒子，新鲜收割的韭菜。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHnJJk7U8AAmKEP?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHnJJ5dU4AEJrqM?format=jpg

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 23 土耳其与俄国达成协议，土耳其将保持已占领的叙利亚北部库尔德人地盘，剩下的库尔德人地盘由土耳其和俄国共管。川普宣布他成功促成停火，撤销对土耳其的经济制裁。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHnT4IcUcAALf6v?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHnT4IdUYAASH6m?format=jpg&name=small

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 23 “量子霸权”，听着好吓人，量子要去欺负谁了？quantum supremacy的意思不过是量子有了至高优势地位，翻译成“量子优势”“量子优越性”都可以，跟“霸权”是怎么扯上的？ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHnbcJWVAAEYAQs?format=jpg&name=medium

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 23 今日所见野花：加州扫帚(California broom)、红灌木猴花(red bush monkey flower)、查帕拉尔灌木锦葵(Chaparral bush mallow)、加州荞麦(California buckwheat)。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHnjncOU8AE-tjf?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHnjnkoUYAA1zlg?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHnjoB0UcAAE8of?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHnjoB1UEAMUERB?format=jpg

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 23 墙国：有215家墙外媒体获得墙内承认在墙内派驻记者，但他们的网站23%被墙，其中英文的媒体31%被墙，包括几乎所有有影响力的媒体。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHnsKxjU0AA9Asi?format=jpg&name=900x900

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 23 川普的助手搜集推特上吹捧他的推特，整理出来让他看。他写信感谢吹捧他的人，那个人得意洋洋地把川普的感谢信晒出来，人们才知道川普还有这嗜好。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHn0RCEUwAAIK8o?format=jpg&name=medium

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 23 薛涌不教自己的女儿中文，但是要靠双语课程赚钱当然要说学中文的好处，一个是生活一个是工作，没毛病。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHn_LA2U8AAtofE?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHn_LBHUcAAd8QR?format=jpg&name=small

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 24 桑塔安娜热风吹开了后院棕榈树的花朵。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHrWTSVVUAAkESk?format=jpg

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 24 李国庆没医学常识，洗浴是不会感���梅毒的，除非在洗浴时发生性行为，包括同性性行为（美国新发梅毒病例大部分是男同）。梅毒螺旋体在体外很难存活，一离开身体很快就死了，对高温尤其敏感，即使在体液里加热到50摄氏度只能存活5分钟，所以在浴池环境更无传染可能，不要得了性病就拿浴池、公厕当借口。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHrf2U3UcAA3kxe?format=jpg&name=medium https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHrf2YLU8AAA43V?format=jpg&name=900x900

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 24 中国人偷渡死了也能怪给英国，胡总编真是思路新奇，不服不行。其实类似的惨剧在其他欧美国家也发生过，例如2017年在美国得州一名沃尔玛员工在其停车场发现一辆拖车里挤了几十名偷渡客，死了十人。2003年得州也在一辆丢弃的拖车里发现几十名偷渡客，死了19人。只不过死的不是中国人，胡总编不关心而已。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHrrHk6UcAAv9XS?format=jpg&name=900x900

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 24 乌镇亚非拉不联网大会，丁磊饭局只有两个人去，李彦宏演讲只有20人听。形势一片大好。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHr3TryU0AAzyCO?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHr3Tr0U8AUyYFo?format=jpg&name=900x900

pepsi bottles @yahoya8 · Oct 24 Replying to @fangshimin 哪个真哪个假? https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHr5_fkVAAA9NGF?format=jpg&name=900x900

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @yahoya8 拿2017丁磊饭局的照片来质问2019年丁磊饭局照片的真假，这招是跟胡总编学的？

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 24 新文章，不知墙内能不能看到。Evernote会根据墙内要求屏蔽某个账号或某篇文章。方舟子：中国地质大学（武汉）校长王焰新究竟有没有学术腐败？ https://t.co/vKh8BmQrVG?amp=1

大魚·海棠 @owlishx · Oct 24 这个保卫处处长一看就是开后门当上的，什么样的傻逼才会活生生地把王校长放在火上烤，把一个无名小卒的举报上升为方舟子的权威认证。王校长不开除他简直对不起全校师生。

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @owlishx 应该是王校长下的命令。

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 24 川普下令所有的联邦机构停订“假新闻”《纽约时报》和《华盛顿邮报》，说是可以省下纳税人几十万美元，还不如他少去自己的会所打一趟高尔夫球省下的纳税人钱多。以前他已下令联邦机构的电视只能放福克斯电视台。只允许公务员听一种声音，其他国家的洗脑方式学得不错。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHsTf0xU0AAMIV_?format=jpg&name=900x900

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 24 1982年埃克森公司的内部研究准确地预测到2019年大气二氧化碳浓度将上升到415ppm，全球平均气温将因此���升1摄氏度。埃克森公司科学家今天在国会作证时骄傲地说：“我们是优秀科学家！”引起哄堂大笑。然而埃克森公司多年来一直散布全球变暖是骗局，直到几年前才放弃阴谋论，误导了无数人，并不是优秀公司 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHsahVtU8AA-odU?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHsahVuU8AA50CU?format=jpg&name=900x900

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 24 按这个趋势，明年的不联网大会还开的话，丁磊就该一个人吃饭了。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHsh_03UYAAjOVz?format=jpg&name=large

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 24 自上世纪70年代到现在，美国核武器控制系统都在一台IBM系列1电脑上运行，使用8寸软盘。2016年的时候才说要升级，今年总算升级完毕，不再用8寸软盘了。5年前就没人生产软盘了。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHstGO8VUAEIAaV?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHstGg-UEAERRlx?format=jpg&name=small

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 24 美国参议院少数党领袖和一名共和党参议员联名致信国家情报局代局长，要求调查抖音美国版是否危害美国国家安全，声称其采集用户数据，隶属中国公司，需要听命于中国政府。抖音美国公司对此声明他们不会听命于中国政府，你信不信？墙内怎么反制？也找一家美国视频平台调查？等等，它们早都不许进入墙内。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHs1r_jU0AE4SJe?format=jpg&name=medium

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 24 今日所见野花：醋草(vinegar weed)、南方忍冬(southern honeysuckle)、加州倒挂金钟(California fuchsia)、风滚草(tumbleweed)（入侵植物）。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHs-vMkU8AAs6Xo?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHs-vTzUwAAO0G8?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHs-vdaUEAA1Y8J?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHs-vohVUAA1Edr?format=jpg

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 24 【川皇帝】川普律师对法官说，总统有绝对司法豁免权，即使犯罪也不能查。法官问：如果川普总统在第五大道杀人，也不能查？警方什么都不能做？川普律师答：是的。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHtG1_oUUAAopAd?format=jpg&name=medium

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 25 川普说他说“我们正在科罗拉多建墙”是开玩笑，虽然他是很严肃地说的，听众们还兴奋地欢呼，而且他是在匹兹堡说的，开科罗拉多什么玩笑？换别的总统，就承认口误把亚利桑那说成科罗拉多。谁不会有口误？但极其稳定的天才怎么会口误呢，没逼着工兵团出来声明的确正在科罗拉多建墙就不错了。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHtObmOUEAAX9pT?format=jpg&name=360x360 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHtObmNU8AAQNMc?format=jpg&name=360x360 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHtObmOUUAAOLrV?format=jpg&name=360x360 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHtObmOUcAAFdY8?format=jpg&name=360x360

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 25 央视和澎湃新闻版的抗日神剧说日军驻乐陵第一任宪兵队长茨谷五雄和第三任队长小野田守都是李安甫（又名李正西）杀的，书籍版的抗日神剧却说茨谷五雄没被杀，调走了，小野田守则是钟正斋杀的。我们该��哪个版本？骗子话说多了总会露馅的。另外，日军驻乐陵宪兵是个分遣队，队长是上士级别，连军官都不是 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHwmryTU0AUDuAg?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHwmrySU4AA6iKT?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHwmryTUEAA-td-?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHwmrySUEAADZai?format=jpg&name=small

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 25 环球时报社评《39名中国人惨死，英国该负责任》，意思是英国及相关欧洲国家没有起到保护偷渡客死于非命的责任。如果小偷翻墙入户偷东西时摔死了，环球时报也要抨击屋主没有起到保护小偷死于非命的责任？ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHwvgjeU8AMUlTD?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

Eddie Cheng @realEddieCheng · Oct 25 无论是在欧洲还是美国，偷渡客在车厢里无论是闷死、热死还是冻死都没什么人注意。但要是在海水里或是河里淹死，然后有一张漂浮的尸体照片，就立即舆论大哗，良心发现，口诛笔伐起被偷渡国家的边境政策了。

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @realEddieCheng 因为漂洋过海是公开的，是别人看得见的，所以应该提供必要的人道主义援助，而躲在车里是偷偷的，即使想要提供援助也做不到。

明月 @rJTpWtshJF3iH97 · Oct 25 Replying to @fangshimin and @nextdodo 你真是不要到家了，拿这个事情来炒作，环球时报什么时候说英国人对此负责的？

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @rJTpWtshJF3iH97 and @nextdodo 这些翻墙水军除了会骂人，眼睛还是瞎的。

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 25 任总既然感谢川普的打压救了华为，那就应该欢迎打压，为什么还要抗议，还要起诉美国政府，还要出动国家机器封杀任何质疑的声音？看来学阿Q学得还不到家。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHw8jhmU4AAOEDH?format=jpg&name=900x900

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 25 现在猪肉真便宜，何不卖到中国？ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHxE33AUwAAZI6h?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 25 中国地质大学（武汉）校长王焰新究竟有没有学术腐败？（图片版） https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHxNKYyUYAE-EYB?format=jpg&name=large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHxNKYzVAAAuPkq?format=jpg&name=medium

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 25 好莱坞又“辱华”了，虽然辱的是个美国人。李小龙女儿有能耐也让“美国电影局”撤档。 https://twitter.com/i/status/1187924866269208576

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 25 美丽的风景线：智利圣地牙哥130万人示威游行。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHxjaeEUwAAzJT6?format=jpg&name=large

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 25 伊万卡把量子优越性当成川普的政绩，说它是谷歌与川普当局合作的结果，川普当局为此做出了贡献。如果是指美国联邦政府给该项目资助，那也是13年年前就开始了。把政府资助说成合作，看来以后美国取得的任何重大成果，都可以说成是与美国政府合作的结果了。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHx0ZBfUEAAIL3p?format=jpg&name=900x900

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 25 军运会定向越野赛所有中国选手因作弊被取消资格的事墙内有人敢报吗？报了就是寻衅滋事。 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHx612cUwAAVsGs?format=jpg&name=medium

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 25 以后再有人吹嘘墙内电子支付如何方便，只要问一句：哪天号突然被封，还方便得起来吗？ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHyE5Q2UUAAasiY?format=jpg&name=900x900

May Zhou @MayZhou53950152 · Oct 26 属实，我遇到过，就在QQ上发了一篇文章，里面引用了胡适和鲁迅关于爱国主义的看法就说违法冻结账号，所有相关的财务账号全部冻结，损失太大。

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @MayZhou53950152 鲁迅、胡适都爱“辱华”嘛。

方舟子 @fangshimin · Oct 25 山中即景 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHyK9eCUUAAzuoq?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHyK9eqU8AA-ILO?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHyK9eEVUAAJcTz?format=jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHyK9eoVUAEXRmY?format=jpg

huang lei @palladiumhl · Oct 26 方老师，请问第二张小红果的学名是什么？和老家山上的很像。

方舟子 @fangshimin Replying to @palladiumhl 加州特有植物托勇树(toyon)，也叫加州冬青(California holly)。拉丁学名Heteromeles arbutifolia，该属只有这一种。是洛杉矶的市树。

[josephbrooksjewelry]

Sticky Monkey Flower #mimuluslongiflorus another iconic West coast chaparral native wildflower that brings in the bees and hummingbirds plus being a host for the caterpillars of several butterflies like 2 checkerspots and a buckeye. #monkeyflower #mimulus #flowerpower #californianativeplants #californianativewildflowers #beautyatyourfeet #openyoureyes #killyourlawn #plantnativeplants @josephbrooksjewelry (at Charmlee Wilderness Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca4rzKqLndY/?utm_medium=tumblr

[lenoirlivre]

Zodiac signs plants correspondences

Each of the 12 signs can benefit from the properties of certain plants which may resonate better or carry the qualities of the corresponding sign.

Aries ♈ (March 21 - April 19)

Aries is a Fire sign ruled by the planet Mars. Plants associated with this sign have bright colors and spicy flavors and may have thorns.

Fruits and Vegetables: Chinese cabbage, mustard, horseradish, onion, garlic, leeks, red pepper, rhubarb, chives, radishes

Flowers: Calendula, geranium, anise hyssop, poppies, red roses, tulips, amaryllis, hollyhock, cowslip, tiger lily, impatiens

Herbs: Nettles, burdock root, cayenne, red clover, yellow dock, yarrow, St. John’s wort, hops, marjoram, milk thistle, wormwood, gentian, sarsaparilla, tarragon, ginger, coriander

Taurus ♉ (April 20 - May 20)

Taurus is an Earth sign ruled by the planet Venus. Venus is the planet that represents desire and beauty, so Taurus plants often have gorgeous flowers and enticing fragrances.

Fruits and Vegetables: Spinach, peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, gourds, artichoke, olive, grape, apple, fig, apricot, pomegranate, strawberry

Flowers: Daisies, lilac, aster, lily of the valley, sweet pea, lilies, larkspur, columbine, violet, foxglove, rose, sweet William, daisy, geranium

Herbs: Licorice, fenugreek, slippery Elm, anise hyssop (Venus), mallow, lavender, dandelion, marshmallow, sage, vervain, feverfew, thyme, angelica, yarrow

Gemini ♊ (May 21 - June 20)

An Air sign ruled by the planet Mercury. Plants associated with this sign usually feature finely divided leaves or stems, hairy or fuzzy leaves or subtle odors.

Fruits and Vegetables: Endive, carrots, parsnips, oats

Flowers: Orchid, chrysanthemum, lilac, azalea, daffodil, Lily-of-the-valley, honeysuckle

Herbs: Mullein, hyssop, lemon balm, lobelia, elecampane, vervain, woodbine, yarrow, meadowsweet, dill, fennel, skullcap, lavender, fenugreek, licorice, valerian

Cancer ♋ (June 21 – July 22)

Because Cancer is a Water sign and is ruled by the Moon, Cancer’s plants generally have soft or Moon-shaped leaves, contain a lot of moisture, or are found near water. Oftentimes they are white in color, or have white or pale yellow flowers.

Fruits and Vegetables: Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, endive, kale, lettuce, watercress, kohlrabi, mushroom, turnip, sweet potato, cantaloupe, cucumber, gourds, watermelon, pumpkin, squash, seaweed, mango, banana, apple, pear

Flowers: Daisy, water lilies, jasmine, hyssop, morning glory, geranium, lily, lotus, white roses, opium poppy

Herbs: Peppermint, spearmint, papaya leaf, agrimony, lemon balm, parsley, verbena, chickweed

Leo ♌ (July 23 - Aug. 22)

Leo is a Fire sign ruled by the brilliant Sun. Plants associated with this sign are usually large and gold or orange in color, or have heart-shaped leaves or a radiating shape.

Fruits and Vegetables: Chinese cabbage, corn, collards, mustard, Swiss chard, okra, peppers, pineapple, orange, grapefruit, olive, coconut

Flowers: Marigolds, anise hyssop, sunflower, dahlia, larkspur, aster, passion flower, heliotrope, poppy, peony, calendula, crocus

Herbs: Borage, hawthorn, motherwort, rosemary, celandine, mint, lavender, parsley, dill, fennel, chamomile, St. John’s wort, angelica, eyebright, anise, ginger, saffron

Virgo ♍ (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22)

Virgo is an Earth sign ruled by the planet Mercury. Plants associated with this sign often have finely divided leaves or stems, subtle odors, or small, brightly-colored flowers.

Fruits, Vegetables and Grains: Endive, carrots, parsnips, barley, oats, rye, wheat, millet 

Flowers: Narcissus, chrysanthemum, aster, violet, all brightly colored small flowers (particularly blue or yellow)

Herbs: Dill, fennel, blackberry (leaves and root), plantain, St. John’s wort, skullcap, woodbine, valerian, lavender, marjoram, licorice, parsley, fenugreek, dill

Libra ♎ (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22)

Libra is an Air sign, and is ruled by the planet Venus. Because Venus is the planet of beauty and love, Libra’s plants often have light, lovely flowers and gorgeous scents.

Fruits and Vegetables: Broccoli, eggplant, spinach, peas, sweet potato, artichoke, watercress, pomegranate, apricot, apple, fig, plum, grape, strawberry, olive

Flowers: Orchid, gardenia, tea roses, tuberose, freesia, gladiolus, aster, hydrangea, daisy, nasturtium, rose, violet, primrose, pansy, columbine

Herbs: Parsley, cleavers, juniper, corn silk, uva ursi, mint, thyme, yarrow, angelica, vervain

Scorpio ♏ (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21)

A Water sign ruled by both Mars and Pluto, Scorpio’s plants are often found in remote places or underground. They will likely have thorns, be red in color, and grow under adversity.

Fruits and Vegetables: Mushroom, peppers, rhubarb, leek, onions, chives, pepper, garlic, horseradish, radish, mustard

Flowers: Calendula, rhododendron, geranium, holly, black-eyed Susan, scarlet monkey flower, anemone, heather, gardenia, honey-suckle, peony, hibiscus

Herbs: Aloe vera, ginseng, pennyroyal, raspberry leaf, saw palmetto, cramp bark, basil, gentian, wormwood, ginger, coriander

Sagittarius ♐ (Nov.  22 - Dec.  21)

Sagittarius is a Fire sign that is ruled by the planet Jupiter. Plants associated with this sign tend to be large in size and fairly conspicuous, with a pleasant odor.

Fruits and Vegetables: Asparagus, endive, rhubarb, beets, tomato, turnip, watercress, olive

Flowers: Red roses, calendula, anise hyssop, pinks, carnations, clematis, peony, crocus, jasmine

Herbs: Dandelion, horsetail, Oregon grape root, wild yam, sage, feverfew, sage, anise, nutmeg, mint

Capricorn ♑ (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19)

As an Earth sign ruled by the planet Saturn, Capricorn’s plants usually have few flowers, are knobby or woody, and may have an unpleasant smell or taste. Saturn rules plants with long lives and slow growth.

Fruits and Vegetables: Spinach, mushroom, beets, parsnips, barley, rye

Flowers: Calendula, black poppy, henbane, nightshade, African violet, snowdrop, jasmine, love-lies-bleeding, pansy, baby’s breath

Herbs: Comfrey, sarsaparilla, rue, kava kava, mullein, thyme, horsetail, shepherd’s purse

Aquarius ♒ (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)

  Aquarius is an Air sign ruled by the planet Uranus. Plants associated with this sign will often grow in unusual places and may vary in appearance.

Fruits and Vegetables: Spinach, beets, rye, barley, parsnip

Flowers: Bird of paradise, orchid, gladiolus, trillium

Herbs: Chamomile, catnip, skullcap, passion flower, valerian, hops, aloe, myrrh, frankincense, spikenard, kava kava, comfrey, cinnamon, cloves

Pisces ♓ (Feb. 19 - March 20)

As a Water sign ruled by both Jupiter and Neptune, Plants associated with this sign are often large but hard to find, and may grow near the ocean.

Fruits and Vegetables: Asparagus, endive, mushroom, rhubarb, beets, tomato, seaweed, watercress, olive

Flowers: Calendula, anise hyssop, jasmine, lilac, narcissus, water lily, poppy, clematis, wisteria, lilac, orchid

Herbs: Golden seal, Echinacea, chaparral, eyebright, mugwort, kava kava, yarrow, skullcap, oatstraw, nutmeg, anise

[sierragordareserve]

It is considered Mexico’s most biodiverse region.

15 vegetation types:

vergreen forest, sub-evergreen forest, subdeciduous forest, deciduous forest, sub-montane shrubland, cloud forest, oak forest, pine forest, juniper forest, fir forest, Alpine chaparral, temperate grasslands, xerophyllus grassland, xerophyllus scrubland and riparian gallery forest.

Thousands of plants

1,718 species of vascular plants and 124 species of macromicetes

131 species of mammals, 363 species of birds, 72 species of reptiles and 23 species of amphibians

 Its more famous animals being ;

the Jaguar, the Yucatan Brown Brocket, the Mexican Black Bear, the Spider Monkey, the Otter, the Great Curassow, the Crested Guan, the Bearded Wood Partridge Dendrortyx barbatus, the Military Macaw Ara militaris, the Red-crowned Amazon Amazona viridigenalis, the Tucan, the Emerald Toucanet and the American Crocodile

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/mexico/sierra-gorda/

[we-characterize-differently-here]

2p Hetalia Characters as Biomes

2p!America: Northwestern Coniferous Forest

Climate: Mild, moist, humid, cool and dry summer

Plant Life: Mosses, redwoods, spruces, fir

Animal Life: Bears, elk, deer weasels

2p!Russia: Temperate forest

Climate: Four seasons

Plant Life: coniferous and deciduous trees

Animal Life: Deer, bears, squirrels, tree birds

2p!China: Taiga/Boreal forest

Climate: Long, dark winters; short, mild summers

Plant Life: coniferous, some deciduous trees

Animal Life: Lynx, timber wolf, moose, weasels, beavers

2p!France: Tropical rain forest

Climate: Hot, humid, rainy all year

Plant Life: Deciduous trees, ferns, orchids

Animal Life: Monkeys, pythons, toucans

2p!England: Desert

Climate: Hot/cold and dry with little rainfall

Plant Life: cacti, plants with short life cycles

Animal Life: Foxes, antelope, bats, owls

2p!Germany: Tundra

Climate: Long dark winters, permafrost much of year

Plant Life: Mosses, short grasses

Animal Life: Muskox, arctic fox, lemmings

2p!Japan: Chaparral/Shrubland

Climate: Hot & dry summers, cool & moist winters

Plant Life: Shrubs, herbs

Animal Life: Coyotes, bobcats, deer, quail

2p!North Italy: Grasslands/Savannah 

Climate: Four seasons, fires and grazing animals prevent tree growth

Plant Life: Grasses

Animal Life: Badgers, prairie dogs, snakes

[coreymichaelsmithson]

The Real Deal

The Manitou Springs Cave Dwellings are a popular tourist attraction in the middle of a popular tourist town in the middle of popular tourist Colorado. It's only a short drive from the parking lot to a downtown full of ice cream parlors, gem shops, and the kind of "art galleries" that hawk dreamcatchers and Kokopelli lawn ornaments. There are a few "vape" stores, which seem to be all the rage these days, and an old-fashioned penny arcade. I put a nickel into a nickelodeon, turned a crank, and watched a podgy lady with marcelled hair strip to her foundation garments. This got me very excited, naturally … but mostly because of the creaky old technology, and the fact that I paid a nickel to see something "naughty".

The cave dwelling ruins, however, are something of a fabrication. It turns out that the buildings were originally located over three hundred miles away, taken from a completely different region, climate, and cultural heritage. The buildings were disassembled, shipped across the state on rails, reassembled in a new configuration, and then rebranded as an educational museum. There is hardly any visible text that announces this relocation business, so unless you are reading all the fine print buried in the museum placards, you might believe that you are looking at the real deal. But if you look more closely, you can see the hokum: the walls have been stabilized with concrete, rather than adobe or clay mortar, and all the access points look suspiciously … well … accessible. It's hardly a place to commune with the ancient ones; kids tug on their parents' shirts and whine about popsicles, while others run around the hearths and clamber over the crumbling masonry like monkeys. One exasperated mother sighed, "Hey, guys, come on, this is a sacred site," and I just didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise. Like much of America these days, it was only a recreation … a recreation of something that once existed and held genuine significance. American history has become a simulation with a gift shop. All this rustic set dressing we were traipsing through was a sham; we had all paid good money to see a fake archeological site, one with New-Agey flute music piped in over hidden loudspeakers. None of the ancient ones ever built a fire here, though a few local residents were hired over the decades to work as dancers and interpreters.

Don't get me wrong … it's a nice museum, with an impressive collection of native pottery and arrowheads. They are really trying hard to preserve a style of architecture that has been vulnerable to vandals and developers, and they should be commended for rescuing the ruins from certain destruction. It's just that I'm getting so tired of searching for authenticity in things. The gift shop was larger than the museum itself.

So I left Colorado's Rockies, feeling kind of bummed and cynical, and I headed further south. The sky grew broader, the road got dustier, and before I knew it, I was in the northern part of New Mexico. Right away, I could sense a difference. There was more visible poverty, more haphazard housing, more rusted vehicles. The pine trees had given way to juniper, there were several abandoned gas stations, and I could see lots of collapsed buildings left high and dry by the silver boom. I loved it from the start.

As I coasted down through the Jemez Mountains, I saw what looked like an enormous thunderhead in the distance. But something wasn't quite right; the cloud hugged the horizon, rather than billowing into the upper atmosphere, and it looked … thin, somehow? Yes … thin, brown, and hazy at the edges, and it didn't look quite like any other cloud I'd ever seen. I rolled down the window, took a deep sniff, and realized that I was driving straight towards a wildfire.

The hills here are covered with dry vegetation … chaparral, yucca, prickly pear, sage … all of it sunbaked and combustible. This ecosystem requires fires for balance; occasional fires help clear out the underbrush, space out the trees, and allow new growth to take hold. But as humans tend to value real estate over the environment, they prevent fires from performing their natural function, and this allows the area's flora to grow much thicker than usual … ironically making the wildfires much worse and harder to control. As I drew closer to the Rio Grande, which slices through the plain like the first cut in a cake, the smoke became thicker and darker. It filtered out the sun and cast an eerie tan light over everything. The landscape was drained of color, until it looked like a faded sepia print, or maybe a daguerreotype. The odor was strangely enjoyable, though, with the burning cottonwood smelling like a campfire. A campfire that had already consumed 1,300 acres.

Dusk on the edges of Taos was magical, especially given the weird diffused light. I caught the sunset at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, a very impressive span that joins two halves of the fractured plain at a dizzying 565 feet above the river. It's a frequent site for film shoots and suicides. Bighorn sheep graze on its upper slopes, and rafters brave the rapids below. The light fell across striped bands of rocks and plunging cliffs, and as the sun went below the horizon everything became purple and blue.

That night, I rode into Santa Fe, under a sky full of blazing stars. The town is much smaller than I'd imagined, and the scale of its streets is charmingly intimate. Most of the buildings in town are built in the Pueblo Revival Style … which means walls of adobe, softly rounded corners, red stucco, and exposed timbers (here known as "vigas"). Nobody has a lawn, and the plots of land are tiny. It's refreshing to see such minimal spreads for dwellings.

I'm in town to visit an old friend from grad school, a supremely talented artist and adventurer who's developed a deep understanding of this place. I've been staying in her small adobe home, which is in the middle of a major rehab, and cuddling up to her sweet face-licking dog. After the twin disasters in Boulder, and the long haul through Colorado, I'm in need of a good dose of peace, so I've been taking it kind of easy here.

The day after my arrival, my host and I visited Meow Wolf, a large interactive attraction created by a local arts collective. A wealthy benefactor gave the group millions of dollars and said, basically, "Okay, kids, go play" … and boy, did they ever. The collective bought up an old bowling alley, gutted it, and took to transforming the unremarkable building into a sprawling immersive installation. It's a collection of kooky rooms and spaces, all joined together in surprising ways: the fridge in an otherwise ordinary kitchen becomes a portal to an alien forest, you can climb through the washing machine into a room full of glistening lights, you can play the ribs of a glowing mammoth skeleton like a xylophone. There are a lot of black-light effects, shimmering LED ropes, mirrored rooms, sensors, projectors, hidden staircases, and touch-sensitive mushrooms. It's the kind of DIY, "let's put on a show in the old barn" spirit that needs to be supported these days, and it made me happy to see that Santa Fe's burgeoning art world could include such an enterprise.

That evening, we went to the dog park, which is at the town's highest point. It's a reclaimed landfill, but you wouldn't guess it from looking at all the healthy shrubs and sandy paths. Somewhere among the dusty arroyos, a hiker had some kind of a seizure; fortunately, a team of first responders were able to come to his rescue in time. My friend, who volunteers for a local search and rescue team, told me that her group sometimes has to help retrieve dead people from the wilderness. There's lots of junkies and drunk drivers, and a deranged spree killer just took out five people in the area. Oh, and there are rattlesnakes, scorpions, and black widow spiders crawling about. New Mexico is a dangerous place.

We spent the next day swimming and loafing in the Abiquiú Reservoir with two other locals and three dogs. The water was cold, deliciously so, and our feet stirred up murk in the shallows, which made red billows rise against the dull olive of the lake. It took some convincing to get all the dogs to join us in the water, but once they did, they got into the spirit of the thing admirably. Surrounding the lake were chunky cliffs of red and white, with huge boulders strewn about. It was a colorful, impressive place. We ate ham sandwiches and tangerines beneath the shade of an overhanging rock shelf. As the wind kicked up, and flapped all our towels, I could see fine grit blasting against the grooved rock, and thought again of how this environment is a study in physical processes: abrasion, erosion, evaporation. New Mexico may be merciless, but she is also a talented artist. I've fallen in love with her giant white clouds, which seem to echo the shapes of the mountains below. The way their shadows drift across the landscape, always revealing and obscuring contours, is captivating.

On our way back into town, we caught some good views of Cerro Pedernal, a commanding mesa that overlooks Rio Arriba County, one of Georgia O'Keeffe's favorite places in the world. She believed that if she painted the mountain enough, it would eventually be gifted to her. In the end, she got what she wanted: her ashes were scattered along its top. After lapping up some ice cream, we drove by her hillside house and studio. Looking out over the mauve and tan landscape, I could easily picture Georgia, severe-looking in her black dress and wide-brimmed hat, climbing up the hillocks to study the distant hoodoos, or perhaps driving deep into the desert in her lurching Model A to collect animal skulls. Intrigued, I visited a museum in Santa Fe dedicated to her life and work. She certainly was a tough old bird, living alone in the high desert … but photographs of her also reveal something else: her intelligence, a winking slyness, a gentle and understated wit expressed in the slightest hint of a smile.

After a delicious Mexican breakfast (the joints here offer red salsa, green salsa, and "Christmas"), I left Santa Fe with some real satisfaction in my stomach and happiness in my heart. It was a terrific place to visit, and I'll be eager to return.

On a whim, I turned to the south. An hour later, deep in the Sandia Hills, I encountered the work of another American artist, one that would make me laugh, gasp, and weep tears of joy. I went to Tinkertown.

Ross Ward was a painter by trade and a creator by nature. He specialized in painting the façades of carnival dark rides and spook houses. During his work assignments, which would take him into Oklahoma and Kansas, he would collect interesting objects: patent medicines, dolls, toys, miniatures, sideshow ephemera, circus posters. All of these found their way into Tinkertown, his personal museum in Sandia Park, one of the most astonishing and rewarding works of "outsider art" in the world.

Starting in 1962, Ward began carving a model of a country mercantile, based on his love of the Old West and its mythologies. This "little hobby" of his grew and grew, until he had built an entire Western town, which he toured in various fairs until it became too large and unwieldy to move. There's a saloon, a dance hall, a general store, a steam engine, two traveling circuses, a sideshow, an Indian trading post, a Chinese laundry, an ice cream parlor (with whining children, naturally), a photography studio with an uncooperative infant subject, a bath house, an assay office, a Wells Fargo Express stop, and a gigantic toy store. Everywhere you look you see evidence of Ward's puckish humor: blue-nosed temperance crusaders campaigning against "THE DEMON RUM", a tiny cut-out of Alfred Hitchcock standing in a graveyard, God and the Devil playing tug-of-war with a man's soul, a crotchety old nurse barging in on a doctor just as his sexy patient is disrobing, a bank customer with a screw driven into his heart, a law office called "Gowgem, Hard & Deep". Little dramas play out everywhere. A politician named "Philbert Phencepost" brings flowers to the door of a prostitute named "Chantilly Freelance", while a paper man gets squeezed through a laundry tub wringer labeled "Friendly Loan Department". Ward was an excellent carver, and his townspeople have wonderfully expressive faces, but it's the narratives that really sell the show.

The features of Tinkertown are too numerous and delightful to easily summarize. It really is something that must be experienced in person. There are lots of handwritten notes stuck everywhere … some tell the stories of his whittled figures, others are inspirational quotes about finding one's path in life. Ward had such exuberance, such warmth, and it shows in every detail. He obviously found joy in creation, in collection, in telling stories, and this joy is transferred to each visitor. I walked around with the dumbest, goofiest smile on my face ... but at times I was also brought to tears by the staggering generosity of his spirit.

At the moment, I'm sitting on one of his hand-built benches, surrounded by his cheeky recreation of an Old West town, watching hummingbirds feed from planters fashioned of old pop cans. The hummingbirds are loud, like giant bees, and they are fighting one another for the best positions. The surrounding walls are made with tens of thousands of glass bottles embedded in cement, which gleam in the sunlight. I spent a long while chatting with two lovely ladies working in the gift shop, who filled me in on Ward's story. Sadly, he began showing signs of Alzheimer's at age 57, though it didn't seem to slow him down too much. His family encouraged him to keep working … building out one small section of his bottle wall (which they secretly dismantled every night), and decorating an "art car" (a Jeep covered over with dolls, toys, pennies, bottlecaps, and other objects).

About an hour ago, as I stood outside and shook my head at the art car, which was as fruity and bizarre as it sounds, one of the gift shop employees excitedly called me back. "Corey! Corey, come here!" Standing with her was an attractive, kind-looking older woman. With a serious, almost ceremonial air, the employee introduced us. "Corey … this is Mrs. Ward, Ross' widow."

Immediately, I seized the stranger in a big bear hug. With tears in my eyes, I gushed for a long while about how deeply this place had affected me, how much her husband's sensibilities spoke to my own, how grateful I was for the experience. "That's a man's whole life in there," I said, wiping my eyes as I pointed towards the attraction. "He had so much imagination. So much curiosity. Thank you for sharing this."

With a twinkle in her eye, she asked, "Would you like to see the house?"

Within minutes, I was being given a private tour of the Wards' home, which was crammed with his books, mementoes, and original artworks. All the charm and whimsy of his collections and carvings found their echo in his paintings and drawings. I clapped my hand to my mouth and choked even back more tears. He was obviously a genius, a nutty but genuine genius, the kind that just doesn't come around so often. Over a forty-year span, Ross Ward dedicated himself entirely to art … mind, body, and soul. He made his work for one simple reason, the joy of creation, and then he shared it when he realized that others would find pleasure in viewing it. It's the purest kind of creation, even if its presentation is tempered with a healthy dose of Barnum-like showmanship. I couldn't believe my good fortune. I had found real art in Tinkertown. Way out in the middle of nowhere, New Mexico, I had finally found the real deal.

[calochortus]

Lazuli Bunting Malibu Creek State Park 254-2 by Pekabo Via Flickr: We watched the pair feed fledglings...."caught him singing full tilt, though his bill was full of insects! After we had turned our backs I looked over my shoulder and had the satisfaction of seeing him take his beakful to the nest. You couldn't help admiring him, for though not a warrior who would snap his bill over the head of an enemy of his home, he had a gallant holiday air with his blue coat and merry song, and you felt sure his little brown mate would get cheer and courage enough from his presence to make family dangers appear less frightful." from "A-Birding on a Bronco" Florence A. Merriam

[mikemortgage]

Column: Fires, floods, quakes are part of California living

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In the winter of 2009, my wife and I found a house that looked like a great place to start our family, a three-bedroom in a hilly subdivision surrounded by dry brush just outside the Redding city limits.

By that point, I’d covered wildfires for the Record Searchlight newspaper for three years. I’d seen fire after fire ignite during Shasta County’s blast-furnace summers in the brushy chaparral that dominates the landscape.

In 2008, a freak early summer lightning storm ignited more than 86,500 acres in the area, prompting the evacuation of dozens of families. I stood in that very subdivision where we now wanted to live as residents watched a churning smoke plume on the other side the Sacramento River canyon. The fire didn’t jump the river that day.

But as my wife, Cara, and I toured that same subdivision, I told her, “This neighbourhood is going to burn to the ground some day.”

We bought the house anyway.

The quiet streets, the running trails and the fishing opportunities minutes away in Lake Shasta outweighed the risk.

How very Californian of me.

If there’s one consistent thread in California’s history, it’s that we often ignore the profound risks that come with living in this big beautiful state — the earthquakes, the mudslides, the wildfires, the floods, the droughts and, yes, even the volcanoes.

It’s been like that since our founding.

Gov. Leland Stanford took a rowboat to his inauguration in January 1862 because Sacramento was swallowed by the same floodwaters that would turn the Central Valley into a vast inland sea stretching from Red Bluff to Bakersfield.

Despite the billions we’ve spent on dams and levees, it’s only a matter of time before it happens again.

“It’s still going to flood some day,” Jeffrey Mount, a watershed expert with the Public Policy Institute of California, told me a couple of wet winters ago after Hurricane Harvey. “There’s still going to be that rare large event, which will overwhelm us.”

Half a million Sacramentans go about their lives largely oblivious to the threat.

I grew up in Mt. Shasta, a small alpine community near the Oregon border. The city is named after the massive active volcano that looms above it. When Shasta inevitably erupts, lava, debris, ash and boiling steam and gases could wipe my hometown off the map.

But, man, what a great place to grow up.

When I was a boy, I would bike out to the meadows by my house. I’d spend hours fishing, barefooted up to my knees in creeks frigid from the melting snow pouring off my mountain’s glaciers.

I’d like to live under Shasta’s shadow again some day. Never mind that my home would stand on ashy soil flecked with pumice and obsidian, reminders of the eruptions of centuries past. Never mind the charred marks on the big cedars and pines, scars from wildfires that burned through Siskiyou County decades ago. Never mind that my great aunt’s home was one of the few left standing in her neighbourhood after the Boles Fire burned through the Siskiyou County city of Weed in 2014, torching 157 homes.

I get why more than 2.7 million Californians are living in places that could erupt in a catastrophic inferno any summer, or those who move to California even though we could build as many as 1.2 million new homes over the next 30 years in the areas with state’s highest fire risk .

I get why they’re rebuilding Santa Rosa’s Fountaingrove neighbourhood, which first burned by the Hanly Fire in 1964 before it burned again in 2017’s Tubbs Fire. And why they rebuilt Harbison Canyon in San Diego County after it was levelled by the Laguna Fire in 1970 and again by the Cedar Fire in 2003.

I get why Cheri Skipper, whose Harbison Canyon home burned in the Cedar Fire, wanted nothing more than to move back in while it was being rebuilt, despite the trauma she endured and the anxiety that still has her obsessively looking for smoke and checking local fire-watcher websites.

“All I wanted to do was to go home, put my head on my pillow and look out the patio and see my view,” she told me as she gazed out at the green hills festooned with wildflowers after recent rains. We both knew this summer the vegetation will be brittle and dry , her canyon a wind tunnel for the Santa Anas.

What I don’t get is how surprised people are that these big, destructive fires keep happening.

The “new normal” is what officials keep calling it, but last year’s “record breaking” 1.9 millions of acres burned wasn’t really a record at all. If anything, we’re approaching something closer to an “old normal.”

UC Berkeley researchers estimate that prior to 1800, about 4.5 million acres of California burned in a typical year. That was before we started monkeying with our climate and infesting our wild places with non-native, fire-prone vegetation. We spent a century trying to put out every fire that popped up to protect the state’s lucrative timber stocks and the ever-expanding sprawl.

Some environmentalists argue we should stop moving to these places and rebuilding them when they burn down. They tell cities to focus on infill and building up urban centres in a sustainable way. Stop encroaching on nature. Fair enough. That certainly is the safest alternative.

But that’s not going to happen if California’s history is any guide. Plus, what do you do about the folks who already live in dangerous communities? Tell them they should move? Tell them firefighters aren’t going to try to save their homes?

Californians aren’t totally oblivious to the dangers. There is an active debate over how much new development we should allow and where we should allow it. There’s common ground in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s and President Donald Trump’s executive orders to thin the forests after the Camp Fire. Of course, the devil is in the details. It remains unsettled how much logging, intentionally-set “prescribed” fires and other wildland management strategies California and the federal government will undertake.

The reality, though, is there’s only so much that can be done when you live in a state that wants to burn.

Before too long, before it’s too late, we’ve all got to have a clear-eyed understanding of the risks of living in the hundreds of lovely communities like Redding, Paradise, Malibu and Santa Rosa that have encroached into the forests and chaparral. The price you pay to live there is that in any fire season, you and your family could burn.

Prepare accordingly.

Adopt the mindset of J. Lopez, one of two firefighters I spoke to recently whose homes survived major wildfires burning in adjacent wildlands. They still chose to live there knowing they’ll almost certainly go through another one. That’s why they’re zealots about evacuation planning and minimizing the risk to their properties by clearing the vegetation around their homes.

“On Sunday, I got up in the morning, and two minutes later I’m walking in the forest. How cool is that?” said Lopez, an assistant chief with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “But it’s understanding what you’re moving into and embracing it. You’re not going to change it. Nature is always going to win.”

It did in Redding.

Last summer, I found myself driving through the neighbourhood where my wife and I had bought our first house. I was on assignment for The Sacramento Bee the morning after the Carr Fire and its infamous “firenado” roared through western Redding, burning 1,079 homes.

Home after home was burned to wood skeletons along the streets where I once walked our puppy and pushed our girls in strollers. Just outside the subdivision, a woman and her two grandchildren burned to death.

Out of sheer luck, our former home, which we had since sold after I changed newspaper jobs, was still standing.

Despite the heartbreak and the terror and the loss, my old neighbourhood will rebuild, and the region will be a fire trap again as soon as the chaparral grows back. Yet, if I still lived in that neighbourhood, I’d almost certainly want to stay there. Those trails. That fishing. The peace and quiet. I miss them still.

from Financial Post http://bit.ly/2ZeHEzg via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

[theeshyone482-blog]

monkey got all in his face...lol (at Chaparral High School (Temecula, California))

[markgreeley576]

Gran Turismo Sport’s Full Car List Before Tomorrow’s Release

Gran Turismo Sport drops tomorrow and the full car list is pretty impressive…And it’s just the ones at release…

Alfa Romeo 4C Gr.3 Gr.3 Alfa Romeo 4C Gr.4 Gr.4 Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition N 200 Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.4 T Sport N 200 Alfa Romeo 4C Gr.3 Road Car N 500 Alpine Alpine Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Alpine Alpine Vision Gran Turismo 2017 Gr.1 Alpine Alpine Vision Gran Turismo Race Mode Gr.X Aston Martin Aston Martin DP-100 Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Aston Martin Aston Martin Vulcan Gr.X Aston Martin One-77 N 800 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 Gr.3 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S N 400 Aston Martin Vantage Gr.4 Gr.4 Audi Audi R18 TDI (Audi Sport Team Joest) Gr.1 Audi Audi R8 LMS (Audi Sport Team WRT) Gr.3 Audi Audi Sport quattro S1 Pikes Peak Gr.B Rally Audi TT cup Gr.4 Audi TTS Coupé N 300 BMW BMW i3 N 200 BMW BMW M4 Coupé N 400 BMW BMW M4 Gr.4 Gr.4 BMW BMW M4 Safety Car Gr.X BMW BMW M6 GT3 (Walkenhorst Motorsport) Gr.3 BMW BMW M6 GT3 M Power Livery Gr.3 BMW BMW Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X BMW BMW Z4 GT3 Gr.3 Bugatti Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X / Gr.1 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 N1000 Bugatti Veyron Gr.4 Gr.4 Chaparral Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Chevrolet Camaro SS N 500 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Gr.3 Gr.3 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Gr.4 Gr.4 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C7) N 500 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Gr.3 Road Car N 500 Citroën DS3 Racing N 200 Citroën GT by Citroën Gr.4 Gr.4 Citroën GT by Citroën Race Car (Gr.3) Gr.3 Citroën GT by Citroën Road Car N 500 Dodge Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat N 700 Dodge SRT Tomahawk GTS-R Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Dodge SRT Tomahawk S Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Dodge SRT Tomahawk Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.1) Gr.1 Dodge SRT Tomahawk X Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Dodge Viper Gr.4 Gr.4 Dodge Viper GTS N 600 Dodge Viper SRT GT3-R Gr.3 Ferrari 458 Italia N 600 Ferrari 458 Italia Gr.4 Gr.4 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 Gr.3 Ferrari LaFerrari N1000 Fittipaldi Motors Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo by Pininfarina Gr.X Ford Focus Gr.B Rally Car Gr.B Rally Ford Focus ST N 300 Ford Mustang Gr.3 Gr.3 Ford Mustang Gr.4 Gr.4 Ford Mustang Gr.B Rally Car Gr.B Rally Ford Mustang GT Premium Fastback N 400 Ford Mustang Gr.3 Road Car N 500 Gran Turismo Gran Turismo Racing Kart 125 Shifter Gr.X Honda Civic Type R (FK2) N 300 Honda Honda Project 2&4 powered by RC213V Gr.X Honda NSX N 600 Honda NSX Gr.3 Gr.3 Honda NSX Gr.4 Gr.4 Honda NSX Gr.B Rally Car Gr.B Rally Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track N 300 Hyundai Genesis Gr.3 Gr.3 Hyundai Genesis Gr.4 Gr.4 Hyundai Genesis Gr.B Rally Car Gr.B Rally Hyundai HYUNDAI N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X / Gr.1 Infiniti INFINITI CONCEPT Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Jaguar F-type Gr.3 Gr.3 Jaguar F-type Gr.4 Gr.4 Jaguar F-type R Coupé N 500 Lamborghini 2015 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Gr.3 Lamborghini Huracán Gr.4 Gr.4 Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 N 600 Lamborghini Veneno N 800 Lexus LC500 N 500 Lexus LEXUS LF-LC GT “Vision Gran Turismo” Gr.X Lexus RC F N 500 Lexus RC F Gr.4 Gr.4 Lexus RC F GT3 prototype (Emil Frey Racing) Gr.3 Mazda Atenza Gr.3 Gr.3 Mazda Atenza Sedan XD L Package N 200 Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X / Gr.1 Mazda Roadster S (ND) N 100 Mazda Atenza Gr.4 Gr.4 Mazda Atenza Gr.3 Road Car N 500 McLaren 650S Coupe N 700 McLaren 650S Gr.4 Gr.4 McLaren 650S GT3 Gr.3 McLaren McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X / Gr.1 McLaren MP4-12C N 600 Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG 4MATIC N 400 Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG GT S N 500 Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG GT Safety Car Gr.X Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG GT3 (AMG-Team HTP-Motorsport) Gr.3 Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo Racing Series Gr.X Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG N 600 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gr.4 Gr.4 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 Gr.3 MINI MINI Clubman Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Mitsubishi Concept XR-PHEV EVOLUTION Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Final Edition N 300 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Final Edition Gr.3 Gr.3 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Final Edition Gr.4 Gr.4 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Final Edition Gr.B Rally Car Gr.B Rally Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Final Edition Gr.B Road Car N 500 Nissan GT-R Gr.4 Gr.4 Nissan GT-R Gr.B Rally Car Gr.B Rally Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 N24 Schulze Motorsport Gr.3 Nissan GT-R Premium edition N 600 Nissan GT-R Safety Car Gr.X Nissan NISSAN CONCEPT 2020 Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Nissan Nissan GT-R LM NISMO Gr.1 Peugeot 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport N 200 Peugeot Peugeot 908 HDi FAP – Team Peugeot Total Gr.1 Peugeot PEUGEOT Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Peugeot PEUGEOT Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.3) Gr.3 Peugeot RCZ Gr.3 Gr.3 Peugeot RCZ Gr.4 Gr.4 Peugeot RCZ Gr.B Rally Car Gr.B Rally Peugeot RCZ GT Line N 200 Peugeot RCZ Gr.3 Road Car N 500 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991) N 500 Porsche 911 RSR (991) Gr.3 Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport Gr.4 Porsche Porsche 919 Hybrid (Porsche Team) Gr.1 Renault Sport Clio R.S. 220 EDC Trophy N 200 Renault Sport Mégane Gr.4 Gr.4 Renault Sport Mégane R.S. Trophy N 300 Renault Sport R.S.01 Gr.X Renault Sport R.S.01 GT3 Gr.3 Subaru SUBARU VIZIV GT Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Subaru WRX Gr.3 Gr.3 Subaru WRX Gr.4 Gr.4 Subaru WRX Gr.B Rally Car Gr.B Rally Subaru WRX STI Type S N 300 Subaru WRX Gr.B Road Car N 500 Toyota 86 GRMN N 200 Toyota TOYOTA 86 Gr.4 Gr.4 Toyota TOYOTA 86 Gr.B Rally Car Gr.B Rally Toyota TOYOTA 86 GT N 200 Toyota Toyota FT-1 Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Toyota Toyota FT-1 Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.3) Gr.3 Toyota TOYOTA S-FR N 100 Toyota TOYOTA S-FR Racing Concept N 400 Toyota Toyota TS050 – Hybrid (Toyota Gazoo Racing) Gr.1 Toyota TS030 Hybrid Gr.1 Volkswagen Golf VII GTI N 200 Volkswagen GTI Roadster Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Volkswagen GTI Supersport Vision Gran Turismo Gr.X Volkswagen GTI Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.3) Gr.3 Volkswagen Scirocco Gr.4 Gr.4 Volkswagen Volkswagen Beetle Gr.3

The post Gran Turismo Sport’s Full Car List Before Tomorrow’s Release appeared first on GAS MONKEY GARAGE | RICHARD RAWLINGS | FAST N LOUD.

[joyfulphilosophertimetravel]

Don’t fly upside down on a full stomach

Flying sideways or almost upside down may not be everyone’s idea of fun, but for the best view of the famous Nasca Lines, it is par for the course. Of course, no one told me before I went up. My friend did warn me to take travel pills because the flight can get bumpy but my flight was never bumpy. The pilot’s skills were unquestionable as he dipped and glided across the sky like a salsa dancer in a ballroom competition. Nasca is still an unsolved mystery since all the theories put forward by the experts thus far are just that—theories. Talk to the locals and they’ll give you different explanations too. But did anyone ever consider this just might have been a giant canvas for the Nasca people between 200 BC and 700 AD? Nasca is a desert in the sun-drenched Pampas de Jumana, which is a six hour bus ride from Lima, Peru though it felt like ten. The small town reminded me of the old westerns where the dust whipped around the cowboys as they walked or rode up Main Street. Scenes from Bonanza and High Chaparral come to mind, but instead of horses there are old cars and a beautiful main square. The town wasn’t windy just very dusty. There’s no 1800s gold rush but they do mine gold in these parts. And the only mystery I solved was the origin of some Peruvian pottery I had at home. But the town was as fascinating as the lines depicting an astronaut, whale, hummingbird, monkey, hands and several other drawings that have covered the earth for centuries. Did the Nasca people have great imaginations or did they see an astronaut way back then? That’s for the scientists to decide. Some say they may be astronomical signs. Nasca is a great way to break up the journey between the capital city of Lima and Peru’s second largest city, Arequipa. Most people spend a day and move on but there’s enough to do here in a two day visit. I visited a couple places where they make pottery in the Nasca tradition. The designs mimic the lines that are also reflected in the jewellery. The Marie Reiche Museum, named after the Nasca researcher with the astronomical theory, along with the working mine company that gives visitors a peak at how gold is mined and prepared are worth a visit. Sandboarding in the dunes is popular among the adventure youth. There is the cemetery with the mummies and the hilltop look out to view the lines. But nothing tops a plane ride over the Nasca lines. I did heed my friend’s advice not to eat anything before my flight, but I did drink a cup of tea an hour and a half before. Having flown in small planes on several occasions without any mishap, I never imagined that I would feel queasy. In order to truly appreciate the magnificent shapes on the ground that stretch over several hundred square kilometers, some fancy maneuvering was required. In one swoop for a better view, I felt the tea come all the way up to my throat and remember praying for it to go back to where it came from rather than out the opposite direction. Fortunately, my prayers were answered and I received a certificate for my flight across the UNESCO Cultural Heritage site of mysterious drawings at Nasca.

[newstwitter-blog]

New Post has been published on News Twitter

New Post has been published on http://www.news-twitter.com/2017/03/09/la-times-socal-wildflowers-get-the-star-treatment-thanks-to-actor-joe-spano-just-listen-15/

La Times: SoCal wildflowers get the star treatment, thanks to actor Joe Spano. Just listen.

You may know him as FBI special agent Tobias Fornell on the crazy popular TV show “NCIS,” but this time of year, Emmy-winning actor Joe Spano takes on a softer role: the voice of the wildflower hotline.

Only in L.A. would a celebrity be your guide to finding sand verbena, monkey flowers, dune evening primrose and other species that pop up in spring around local deserts.

In a season that’s gone in an eye blink, Spano’s distinctive voice delivers vital information to Southern California’s dedicated flower stalkers near and far on the Wild Flower Hotline hosted by the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley.

“I love it, it’s such an adorable thing to do,” says Spano, best known for his role as Lt. Henry Goldblume on the 1980s TV drama “Hill Street Blues.” “…It’s not like being on ‘The Wire’ or ‘NCIS.’ We’re not dealing with global catastrophes.”

With rains that started early and have continued through winter, some areas stand to have great flower displays this season. Every Friday, you can hear Spano provide updates on the latest blooms and where to find them.

Right now, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park on the eastern side of San Diego County is the place to see desert lupine, dune evening primrose and desert lilies. Flowers are starting to pop along washes on the desert floor at lower elevations southeast of Borrego Springs.

Spano can’t recall exactly how long he has spoken for the flowers, but it’s been at least a dozen years.

He receives the wildflower report on Thursday night, then records it at his Calabasas home (which sits on an acre and a half of chaparral opposite Cold Creek Canyon Preserve in the Santa Monica Mountains) and sends an MP3 file back.

It was his interest in native plants for his home garden that drew him to the organization’s native plant nursery and eventually the hotline.

Lili Singer, the organization’s director of special projects and adult education, says the hotline, now in its 34th year, was on hiatus for three years because of the high cost of a dedicated phone line and diminishing number of callers. More people were reading the report online.

But with the option of putting the report on the organization’s in-house line for free, the hotline returned last Friday — and so did Spano.

“With Joe back and a colorful season, I think the interest for calling will be piqued!” Singer writes in an email.

You can hear Spano’s reports through May 26 by calling (818) 768-1802, Ext. 7, or listen online at the website.

ALSO

Get a jump on spring gardening at this native plant sale

Things in D.C. are so overheated that the cherry blossoms are popping prematurely, forcing an earlier start to the festival

After summer’s wildfire and winter’s heavy rains, five coastal parks in the Big Sur area remain closed indefinitely

Santa Barbara’s new science museum aims to spark your curiosity

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel

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[rabbithopsherwaytorwanda]

Day 10

Today we woke up early to leave at 7 am for Akagera National Park, which is on the other side of Rwanda from where we were this morning. Rwand is about the size of let's say, massachusetts. It's tiny, and dense and wonderful. Going from east to west, it gets a little bit drier, from more of a rainforest to more of a dense chaparral. The dirt is red all over Rwanda, and when the windows are down on the bus, the dirt gets all over my clothes and up my nose and makes me sneeze.  I want to enjoy my book but I can't when there's so many beautiful things happening around me in real life. I saw bald Eagles, blue birds, yellow birds, tall birds, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, dragonflies, zebras, monkeys and their babies, deer, and about a million butterflies in 3 hours! In legit looking at a crocodile right this moment! We haven't even gone on the safari yet.  Our tent lodge is extravagant. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and African tea are all included. In front of our tent lodge, a monkey walked by with her baby. They just sat and looked at me. It was quite wondeful. In addition, our hotel is right on a lake. They told us not to go off the boardwalks because they hippos come onto the land at night!! I hope I get to see that as a reality.