October 13, 2022

Since we are going on a trip, we dropped Zena off at our friend’s house yesterday.  They have a sheltie dog that we had pet sit while they were away and now, they were gracious enough to board Zena for us.  Zena hopped in the back seat, I snapped on her seat restraint, rolled the back windows partially down, and we were on our way for the 20 minute ride to see “Cousin Eddie”.  When we arrived Eddie was at the side gate and started barking excitedly at the “people” who pulled into his yard.   That of course got Zena excited as she tried to get out of the car.  Melissa picked up several parcels we had brought for Zena’s stay and let Zena jump down from the jeep.  I have been walking Zena and know she can lunge against the leash when she gets excited.  Melissa had wrapped the leash around her hand and wrist to make sure she could hold Zena.  It worked.  As Zena took off, she brought Melissa along with her.  Melissa went crashing to the driveway.

We picked Melissa up and made a cursory check to make sure she was alright, then got everything into the house.  Eddie had come in to see the commotion and then Zena and Eddie went to the back yard to get reacquainted.  Zena was excited and began to chase Eddie around the yard and play fight with him.  When they first met, Zena was half the size of Eddie but now Zena towers over him.  Zena continued her rough and tumble play until Eddie had enough.  When Eddie ran it just egged Zena on, thinking it was still a game.  Then Eddie realized he could run under the porch and Zena was too big to squeeze in after him.  Then Eddie popped out the other side and the case was on again.  This happened several times until Eddie went back under the porch and waited until Zena settled down.  When he did come out, they were fine.  By the time we left they had again gotten used to each other and the rough and tumble was over.  Hopefully it will stay that way during our trip.

When we got home Melissa surveyed her damage.  She not only fell but skid along the cement drive.  She had torn the knee of her pants, had a raspberry on her right knee and elbow, and had what looked like the beginnings of a giant bruise on her left leg and hip.  Her small finger hurt and had a bruise around it which probably meant it was broken.  Melissa was preparing for a trip, but I do not think this was the type of trip she had in mind.  Thank goodness we are going on a vacation so she will have time to heal.

THOUGHTS:  My brother tells the story of the trip he took in college.  This was a semester abroad and he was going to live in southern France.  The day before he left, he fell and broke his hand.  He said when he arrived everyone greeted him with a firm handshake.  If was not a happy time.  First impressions tend to stay with others for a long time.  My brother decided it was better to make a polite first impression than to refuse to shake, despite the pain.  Being polite, or at least civil, is an important first step in creating unity.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

October 12, 2022

I found it appropriate as we geared up for our trip that the Nation & World section in our local newspaper carried an article about the effect heat waves are having on European travel.  Americans have faced travel restrictions for the last two years and now that the restrictions have eased more travelers are scheduling trips overseas.  However, these trips are not “business as usual”.  The heat waves are changing where and when travelers take their vacations.  Travelers who had originally scheduled trips around the Mediterranean are now opting for Scandinavian vacations.  Others have postponed their trips until later in the year, opting for October rather than the June or July vacation they originally scheduled.  These changes are happening in hope of missing the rounds of heat waves predicted for next year and beyond.

When I looked online, I found heat waves are a prolonged period of hot and humid weather.  These temperatures vary depending on what is considered normal for the place and season.  The waves occur when high pressure in the atmosphere forces hot air down and traps is near the ground.  The high pressure then acts like a lock and prevents the hot air from rising.  This also prevents rain from falling and the air continues to get hotter.  These waves are classified as low, severe, and extreme.  Climate change has brought both more extreme and more frequent heat waves.  The World Weather Attribution reports what was considered a 100-year extreme is now 30 times more likely to occur today.

As I scanned through the article, I found the United Nations (UN) and the International Red Cross (IRC) issued a joint report (a first) chronicling past waves and suggesting ways to prepare for the future.  There have been 38 heat waves worldwide from 2010 to 2019, and they have accounted for more than 70,000 deaths, a likely underestimate.  This totaled more than one sixth of the 410,000 disaster related deaths from weather over the same span.  Heat waves account for some of the deadliest disasters on record.  While the drought in Somalia is pushing the country to the brink of famine, when combined with extreme heat it becomes far deadlier.  These effects are particularly hard on developing countries.  Bangladesh experienced as much as a 20% increase in deaths on days with heat waves.  Wealthier countries have the resources to allow people to adapt but poorer countries do not have the resources to overcome the heat waves.

THOUGHTS:  There are several attempts being made to mitigate the extreme heat waves affecting the world.  Emergency housing and cooling stations are being built for people to get out of the heat.   Materials used for roofs and pavements are being changed for materials that absorb less solar energy and reflect more sunlight.  School calendars are shifted to mitigate the impact of the heat waves.  These efforts all take time and money, something developing countries do not have.  Climate change has been brought on by excesses of the industrialized countries.  It seems fair they should also absorb a large portion of the cost to mitigate the problem.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

October 11, 2022

I decided today would be the day to make sure all my documents were ready for the trip we have planned.  We have not traveled for a while and I really did not know what to expect, what documents to take, or what to make copies of for the trip.  Luckily, we had several traveling family and friends, and we reached out to them.  While I did not need a visa to travel, I did need my passport.  What else to take was obvious.  We needed our travel documents, health documents, financial cards, and money.  What I did not think of was copies of the above in case they were misplaced or lost.  I scanned everything (except the money) and loaded it to drop box, then made hard copies just to be safe.  I realize that is part of my “old school” showing, but it did make me feel more secure knowing I could show copies if anyone thought they needed to have something to hold.  What could it hurt? 

When I looked online, I found a passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person’s identity.  A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily (and now generally only at all) and access consular assistance.  A passport certifies the personal identity and nationality of its holder.  It is typical for a passport to contain the full name, photograph, place and date of birth, signature, and the expiration date of the passport.  While a passport is typically issued by national governments, certain subnational governments are authorized to issue a passport to citizens residing within their borders.  Many nations issue (or plan to issue) a biometric passport that contains an embedded microchip, making them machine-readable and difficult to counterfeit.  As of January 2019, there were over 150 jurisdictions issuing an e-passport.  Previously issued non-biometric machine-readable passports usually remain valid until their expiration dates.  Having an e-passports is not a requirement, but what could it hurt?

The last time I traveled I was with a group that specified all the travel documents I needed to take, including visas, a passport, and a health card showing proof of vaccinations (smallpox, etc.).  The director also suggested I take a copy of my birth certificate and an extra passport photo, just in case.  This time we are with another group which specified the travel documents but did not indicate I should take copies of all my important documents, just in case.  Frankly, on my last trip I did not have or need most of the financial documents I duplicated this time.  This time when I applied for a passport, I was given the option (for US$10) of receiving a passport card as well.  A passport card is a wallet-size travel document that can only be used to re-enter the United States at land border-crossings and seaports-of-entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda, and cannot be used for international travel by air.  The card provides a less expensive, smaller, and convenient alternative to the passport book for those who travel frequently to these destinations by land or by sea.  While I rarely travel to these destinations except by air, I figured, “What can it hurt?”

THOUGHTS:  The last time I traveled it was a good thing I brought my birth certificate and a passport photo as I lost my passport.  This was a time of tension in the country where I traveled.  I was refused entry into the embassy by the foreign nationals on guard outside and had to return with another US citizen with a passport to be let inside.  Having a reissued passport meant I also needed a visa to be in the country.  Standing in front of the document processor I was told they had no record of me entering the country and he would not reissue a visa so I could leave.  I finally understood I could “prove” I was standing in front of him for 100 Dinar (US$300).  What can it hurt?  I paid the fee and received my Visa.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

October 10, 2022

In the backstories of the US$billions of damages and loss of more than 75 lives from Hurricane Ian last week was an article about a flock of parrots that were saved from one of the outer islands.  Will Peratino and Lauren Stepp refused to leave their Pine Island refuge while authorities pleaded with residents because of damaged roads and a collapsed bridge that prevented deliveries of food, gas, and life-sustaining supplies.  The couple would not leave without their two lemurs and a flock of 275 parrots, including some of the world’s rarest.  The birds have been relying on food donated by wildlife officials since Ian hit, but the supply of fruit, peanuts and other edibles were becoming hard to come by because of the downed bridge and the scarcity of gasoline.  A rescue mission (dubbed “Operation Noah’s Ark”) was launched by Project Dynamo Tuesday to catch, cage, and ferry the birds off the island to persuade the couple to leave.  The parrots ranged from macaws to cockatoos to rare specimens of king parrots of which there are only two dozen known pairs in the US.

When I looked online, I found the Parrots (Psittacines) are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes and found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions.  One-third of all parrot species are threatened by extinction, which is a higher aggregate extinction risk (IUCN Red List Index) than any other comparable bird group.  Parrots have a pantropical distribution, but several species inhabit the temperate regions in the Southern Hemisphere.  The greatest diversity of parrots is in South America and Australasia.  Characteristic features of parrots include a strong, curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward (zygodactyl).  Many parrots are vividly colored, and some are multi-colored.  Most parrots exhibit little or no visible sexual dimorphism (look the same).  They form the most variably sized bird order in terms of length.  The diets of most parrots are seeds, nuts, fruit, buds, and other plant material.

The Malama Manu Sancuary where the parrots lived has rescued many of their birds from homes that could no longer care for them, and some are used for breeding rare species.  The sanctuary is named from two Hawaiian words, “Malama” the word for protect and “manu” meaning bird.  In the hours before the storm, the sanctuary owners herded their flock of parrots and packed them into their home to shield them from the force of the elements.  Had they been left in their sanctuary cages they would have all been underwater.  While the focus of many search and rescue missions has been on human life, there have been pet rescues.  Bryan Stern, the founder and leader of Project Dynamo, said his team had already rescued at least six dogs, three cats, and three birds.  When asked why they performed the rescue, the director said, “We would not abandon them . . . If they cannot be fed or watered, they will die. And I can’t live with that.”  Obviously, this rescue skewed the numbers.

THOUGHTS:  When I lived in California’s Bay Area a rescue center was built for stray dogs and cats at the cost of over US$6 million.  This featured separate wings (one dogs, one cats) with separate rooms (not cages) for each animal and a communal play space for exercise.  The center was built entirely by donation.  Humans have a strong desire to give and receive affection and our pets freely give and are easy to love.  Animals have a positive effect on us and activate our feel-good hormones (oxytocin system) associated with empathy, trust, and relationship building.  Our pets make us feel better whether they are dogs, cats, birds, and yes, even reptiles.  We need to find the same level and compassion for other humans.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

October 08, 2022

As Zena and I took our walks this week we were met with the Halloween yard displays that seem to pop up every year in our neighborhood.  I have mentioned how Zena does not like unexpected encounters on her walks, whether it is a mole or another dog.  One of the displays featured ghosts hanging from the branches of a tree in the front yard of a house.  Zena noticed this display half a block away and began to tense up.  As we got closer, she began to growl and then when we were across from the ghosts Zena started barking and lunging on her leash.  I decided I needed to let her get close so she could figure out what these scary looking objects were.  They had intruded on her walk, and I needed to reduce her fear of the unknown.

When I looked online, I found the science of fear comes from the emotions released that also give us pleasure.  Fear refers to an emotion or feeling induced by perceived danger or threat which produces a physiological change that evokes a behavioral response (e.g., fight, flight, or freeze).  When we face fear, our bodies will react with one of these responses, but our brains are also cognitively lazy.  When we get a “safe” fear (haunted house or horror movie) our brains will quickly evaluate the situation and tell us that we’re free from risk.  Many people seek a “controlled” fear because we know we are safe.  Fear produces a rush of endorphins and dopamine which can result in a pleasure-filled, opioid-like sense of euphoria.  Some people seek thrills to see how much fear they can tolerate.  Fear can also bring people closer together as a shared experience.  Teenage dating advice suggested taking a date to a scary movie because being frightened releases a biochemical flood that can yield a pleasurable outcome, which we often misattribute to the person we are with.  Others are curious about the “dark side” and fear of the unknown is one of the most natural and instinctive fears we have.  “Safe” fear gives us the rush and togetherness without any potential trauma.

When we approached the scary yard display Zena’s fear quickly dissipated.  She gave one of the ghosts hanging from the tree a sniff.  It probably smelled like the person who hung it, and while Zena did not understand why it was there, she did know this was not alive or a threat.  Having satisfied her curiosity, we were able to continue our walk.  I knew we had to retrace our steps back by the yard display to go home and I wondered how Zena would react the second time she saw the scary display.  As we approached her ears did pickup, but then she seemed to recognize the threat she had already investigated.  As we walked by this time Zena ignored the display.  Her fear had been resolved.

THOUGHTS:  When I was growing up, our one TV channel (yes, one) always carried a scary movie on Saturday afternoon.  These were the hokey B Movies produced in the 1950’s that emphasized radiation (A-Bomb), invasion (Red Scare), and extraterrestrials (space race).  I was the only one in the house as I watched one of these movies and it filled me with fear.  The robots would sneak up on people from behind and shoot a gamma ray from the “eye” in their head and disintegrate the hapless humans.  I recall peeking around the door at the TV when the scary parts came.  I was filled with fear, but unable to turn away from the action.  Unlike Zena, I was unable to put this fear behind me and move on.  Even now I can wonder if something might be sneaking up behind me to shoot me with a gamma ray.  When we are confronted by the uncontrolled (albeit unfounded) change in our lives it is easy to be filled with fear.  It is only when we face those fears and see “the man behind the curtain” that we realize we can safely move on.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

October 07, 2022

As I took Zena to her final obedience training class today and was looking forward to her graduation.  We were scheduled to visit the big hardware store in town, but the treat man thought it might be too overwhelming for Zena as she is rarely in situations with other people.  He opted for a nearby farm supply store that might be less crowded and had more potential for other dogs to be present.  When we arrived, rather than the 3 or 4 cars expected, the lot was nearly full.  When we went inside, we found it was inventory day, and the aisles were crammed with checkers counting the product on the shelves.  Zena became anxious being around so many people, but we skirted the inventory aisles and quickly walked by most of the shoppers.  The trainer finally took her to the fenced outdoor patio and escaped from the commotion.  I worried this might be touch and go as far as her graduation went.   

When I looked online, I found Dog Obedience School graduation is usually a time to show all the other dog parents how well your dog behaves as compared to theirs.  That means following hand signals, moving through an obstacle course, and sitting quietly next to the other dogs in line.  The other idea to pop up was the possibility of ordering one of several available cards to commend Zena on her graduation from Dog Obedience School (US$3.79 includes envelope).  There were also graduation announcements that I could send out to all my (Zena’s?) friends.  While it is nice to mark these significant occasions in our (her) life, I often wonder if the real intent is to hint at the possibility of receiving a gift to honor the event.  While I thought the sentiment was nice, I decided to forego both possibilities.  I was already too late to send out the announcement and was not sure whether Zena would appreciate a card.  I decided to give Zena another treat instead.

Zena was able to handle all the obstacles she encountered at the farm supply store.  She maneuvered through the aisles like a trooper and while she took notice of the people, kept her real focus on the trainer.  Out in the yard she jumped up on a raised platform and practiced lay down and stay.  She did well but began to become overstimulated.  When we went inside there was a tiny yippie dog riding in a shopping cart that began to make a ruckus, but Zena ignored her and focused on the treats.  We weaved through the people on the way out of the store and she finally began to settle down when we got to a grassy area.  Time was up and the session was complete.  The trainer praised her work and said she had learned what she needed (I needed) to know, unless we wanted to make her a show dog, and he did not offer that training.  He took Zena’s picture, and the graduation was over.  While this was Zena’s first graduation (she is only 8 months after all), it will probably not be her last.

THOUGHTS:  I have experienced eight school graduations in my life, ranging from Primary School (this was before widespread Kindergarten) to my last graduate degree.  I believe the one I hold fondest in memory was when I graduated from Primary School.  The event was held in the second story of an abandoned dance hall in our small town that had a raised stage and curtains.  Everyone had their name called (all 12 of us) and we walked across the stage to receive our diploma.  While that was memorable, the best part was the homemade cookies and punch severed at the conclusion.  The next year I embarked on a regime that would comprise most of my next 50 years.  Melissa framed my four college degrees for one of my birthdays, but sadly the Primary School diploma had been lost.  Like much of life, it probably exists far better as a memory.  Holding onto memories can bring us joy, but we need to remember the lessons taught as well.  These memories help allow us to navigate through our present life.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

October 06, 2022

When Zena and I went out for our walk this morning we encountered a mole shuffling along the road gutter near our house.  While I my yards always seem to provide evidence of mole presence, this is the first mole I have ever seen above ground.  Zena is always curious about new encounters and immediately wanted to find out what this tiny intruder was in our walk environment.  Since my yard has been plagued by a mole (s?) my first thought was to get rid of it.  Then I remembered how the benefits of a mole (removing insects, grubs, and worms) are said to outweigh the runs and exit holes they leave in your yard.  I have an aversion to killing anything for no reason other than it is there, and rather than kill them I use sonic stakes to repel moles from my yard.  I diverted Zena’s attention with a treat, and we went on down the street.  My thought was it is too far to make it to my yard anyway.

When I looked online, I found the eastern mole ((Scalopus aquaticus), or the common mole, is a small mammal adapted to a subterranean lifestyle.  The word “mole” refers to any species in the family Talpidae, which means “mole” in Latin.  Moles are found in most parts of North America, Europe, and Asia, and the eastern mole is native to southeastern US.  The mole is about 6.3 inches (16 cm) in length including a 1¼ inch (3 cm) long tail and weighs about 2.6 ounces (75 g).  They have cylindrical bodies, reduced hindlimbs, and short, powerful forelimbs with large paws adapted for digging.  A fleshy, moveable snout projecting over the mouth with nostrils on the upper part is used as a touch organ.  The short, thick tail is is also used for touch when the mole moves backward in the tunnel.  The minute, degenerative eyes are hidden in the fur and the eyelids are fused, limiting sight to distinguishing between light and dark.  The small ear openings are concealed by fur, but hearing is acute.  A mole will stop digging when it hears humans or pets walking in the yard.

While gardeners see a mole as a pest, they have positive contributions including soil aeration, feeding on slugs and small creatures that eat plant roots, and providing prey for other wildlife.  The pelt of the eastern mole is small and does not dye well making it of no commercial value to the fur industry (lucky for the mole).  When a mole disfigures lawns, damages the roots of garden plants searching for food, or take sprouting corn, they are considered undesirable.  However, some homeowners report a mole eradicated other undesirable insect pests.  The species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because of its wide distribution, large (assumed) population, occurrence in several protected areas, tolerance to habitat modification, and because it is unlikely to decline at a rate to qualify for listing in a threatened category.

THOUGHTS:  Today’s San Jose Mercury News reported a reporter finding a dead mole above ground on a hike in the nearby hills.  When the queried on Facebook, other hikers were finding the same thing.  The responses offered several solutions to the problem, but nothing definitive.  While it may be an interesting phenomenon with a solvable solution, the author likened it to finding missing socks (his dog takes them when he leaves the house).  I have found my socks missing while I am getting dressed, only to later find them out on the patio (Zena).  My traveling mole may be a mystery, but likely it was just moving to a new location.  Conspiracy theories often provide improbable explanations for easily understood events.  It seems the wilder the explanation, the more it spreads across the internet (and is believed?).  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

October 05, 2022

During our walks I have noticed piles of brush and limbs placed near the curb at several houses along our route.  These were left for a period and then mysteriously disappeared.  I asked a neighbor, and he told me brush removal was a function of our street department.  Yard waste is collected once a month if it met certain criteria.  It could be no longer than 8 feet (2 ½ m) long and no more than 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter.  Yard waste should be stacked, and bundles cannot exceed 24 inches (60 cm) in diameter.  Everything should be placed at the curb or no more than 10 feet (3 m) from the street.  Melissa had always placed our limbs and trimmings in the tree line at the back of the property and I had continued this course.  One pile that caught my attention was a pile of rose clippings as I had recently trimmed the rose bush in our front yard.  When we came by this morning the owner had added a freshly cut stack of vines containing spiny seed pods about 2 inches (3cm) in diameter on the pile.  When I showed this to Melissa, she said it looked like jimson weed.

When I looked online, I found jimson weed (Datura stramonium), known by the common names thorn apple, devil’s snare, or devil’s trumpet, is a poisonous flowering plant of the nightshade family Solanaceae.  Its likely origin was Central America, and it has been introduced in many warm regions of the world.  Jimson is an erect, annual, freely branching herb that forms a bush up to 2 to 5 feet (60 to 150 cm) tall.  The root is long, thick, fibrous, and white.  The stem is stout, erect, leafy, smooth, and pale yellow-green to reddish purple in color.  The stem forks off repeatedly and each fork forms a leaf and a single, erect flower.  The leaves are about 3 to 8 inches (8 to 20 cm) long, smooth, toothed, soft, and irregularly undulated.  The fragrant trumpet-shaped flowers have a pleasing odor, are white to creamy or violet, and 2 ½ to 3 ½ inches (6 to 9 cm) long.  The flowers open at night, emitting a pleasant fragrance, and are fed upon by nocturnal moths.  The egg-shaped seed capsule is 1 to 3 inches (3 to 8 cm) in diameter and covered with spines.  At maturity, it splits into four chambers, each with dozens of small, black seeds.  It is an invasive weed regarded as dangerous.

Like all Datura species, every part of the jimson plant contains deadly toxins (tropane alkaloids) that can kill animals (including humans) that ingest it.  All species of Datura are poisonous and potentially psychoactive, especially their seeds and flowers.  The leaves have a bitter and nauseating taste, which is imparted to extracts of the herb, and remains even after the leaves have been dried.  Ingestion can cause respiratory depression, arrhythmias, fever, delirium, hallucinations, and even death.  Due to their effect, Datura have been historically used as poisons, and as hallucinogens, by various groups.  Traditionally, psychoactive administration of Datura was often associated with witchcraft and sorcery, including the Western world.  Datura species have also been used ritualistically to enhance spiritual development by some Native American groups.

THOUGHTS:  Jimson weed grows naturally in West Virginia and has been used as a home remedy since colonial times.  Due to its easy availability and strong reaction with the nervous system, teens in some areas of the state are using jimson weed as a drug, either brewed, chewed, or eaten.  Side effects include rapid heart rate, dry mouth, dilated pupils, blurred vision, hallucinations, confusion, and combative behavior.  Severe toxicity has been associated with coma and seizures, although death is rare.  The Brooklyn Botanic Garden site named this the “weed of the month” for its lovely flowers.  “With all its extraordinary looks and lore, jimson weed is a fascinating plant to contemplate (but maybe not cultivate)!”  I wondered why this had been cultivated (and thrown onto the street) in our neighborhood.  Hopefully it will not be eaten.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

October 04, 2022

My Sunday newspaper carried a story of a ship located last week that had sent a wireless radio message warning the Titanic about the presence of icebergs on that fateful day in 1912.  The Titanic received the Mesaba’s message, the warning never reached the captain on the bridge and on April 15, the “unsinkable” liner hit an iceberg and sank with a loss of over 1,500 lives.  The SS Mesaba sank six years later in the Irish Sea as part of a convoy from Liverpool to Philadelphia on September 1, 1918.  The ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat and twenty people were lost.  The wreck of the merchant vessel was identified by researchers at Bangor University in Wales using multibeam sonar.  Sonar and echolocation are essentially the same process, but echolocation is the use of echoes to detect objects observed in natural creatures (biosonar) while sonar is (nautical) echolocation.

When I looked online, I found echolocation is used by bats and other animals to determine the location of objects using reflected sound.  This allows bats to navigate in pitch darkness to hunt, identify friends and enemies, and avoid obstacles.  Echolocation allows bats to fly at night and in dark caves.  Bats seem to have developed the skill to locate night-flying insects.  Bats make the sounds in their larynxes and emit them through their mouths.  Fortunately, most are too high-pitched for humans to hear as some bats can scream at up to 140 decibels, or as loud as a jet engine 30 miles (45 km) away.  Bats can use echolocation to detect an insect up to 5 miles (7.5 km) away, work out the insect’s size and hardness, and then to avoid limbs and wires as fine as a human hair.  The bat cranks up the calls to pinpoint the prey as it closes in for the kill.  To avoid being deafened by its own calls, a bat turns off its middle ear just before calling, then restores its hearing to listen for the echoes.

While echolocation is produced naturally by animals, human produced sonar uses machines to produce the sound waves that measure the distance between a sound source and the objects in its surroundings.  Humans also use sonar for navigation, communication, mapping, and frequently in underwater vessels.  The active sonar used by the Bangor researchers to map the seabed and identify the Mesaba wreckage, involves emitting pulses of sounds and listening for echoes.  The speed of sound is constant, so by measuring the amount of time between a chirp emitted and hearing its echo, a vessel can calculate the distance to the reflecting object.  The multibeam sonar used by the Bangor team enables seabed mapping at an increased level of detail which allows the details of structures such as shipwrecks to be observed.  One of the Bangor researchers described multibeam sonar as “a game-changer for marine archaeology.”

THOUGHTS:  “Echolocation” was coined by zoologist Donald Griffin in 1944 but reports of blind people being able to locate silent objects date back to 1749.  During the 1940’s experiments staged at Cornell Laboratory showed sound and hearing, not pressure changes on the skin, were what drove human echolocation.  Some passively use natural environmental echoes to sense details about their environment, but others actively produce mouth clicks to gauge information about their environment.  Both passive and active echolocation help blind people sense their environment.  Sighted people tend not to perceive the echoes due to echo suppression, but with training sighted individuals with normal hearing can learn to avoid obstacles using only sound.  Echolocation is a general human ability.  The human brain receives millions of stimuli every second from our surroundings.  The question is what to ignore and when to pay attention.  When it comes to creating unity with others, we need to actively pay attention.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

October 03, 2022

Last week I noticed a beautiful flower had bloomed amid the weeds I have allowed to serve as groundcover in the mailbox planter.  The bed has been planted with types of bulbs that sprout and flower at different times of the year.  With the hot summer most of the cover (including weeds) had died back.  I kept thinking I needed to plant something, but I have also watched as other house owners in the neighborhood had been planted annuals.  They never lasted more than a couple of weeks before they died.  The weeds that are taking over in my planter appeared to be succulents, and I was surprised Melissa did not like them.  When I asked, the reason was that they had not been planted by her (or her mom?) and just grew on their own.  She knew exactly what the plants and the flower were, purslane.

When I looked online, I found Common purslane (Portulaca oleracea), also known as little hogweed, is an annual (tropical perennial in growing zones 10 – 11) succulent in the family Portulacaceae.  The species was recorded in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum.  Due to the great variability, of the species many of the subspecies and varieties have been instead described as separate species, but other publications list them all as variations.  The plant may reach 16 inches (40 cm) in height.  It has smooth, reddish, mostly prostrate stems and the leaves, which may be alternate or opposite, and are clustered at stem joints and ends.  The yellow flowers have five regular parts and are up 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) wide.  The flowers can appear at any time during the year depending on rainfall and open singly at the center of the leaf cluster for only a few hours on sunny mornings.  Purslane has a taproot with fibrous secondary roots and can tolerate poor soil and drought.  The fruits are the many-seeded capsules, and one plant can develop up to 193,000 seeds.  It is no wonder these succulents take over.

While purslane is best known as a weed it is also an edible and highly nutritious vegetable that can be eaten raw or cooked and contains about 93% water.  It has a slightly sour or salty taste, much like spinach and watercress.  Purslane can be found at farmers markets for use in crunchy salads or ethnic cuisine, and it can be cultivated for ornamental use.  Archaeobotanical finds of purslane are common at Mediterranean prehistoric sites.  Historically, , seeds have been retrieved from a protogeometric (1040 – 900 BCE) layer in Kastanas, Greece, as well as from the isle of Samos dating to the 7th century BCE.  In the 4th century BCE, Theophrastus names purslane (andrákhne) as one of the several summer “pot herbs” that needed to be sown in April.  The healing properties of purslane during antiquity were thought to be so reliable that Pliny the Elder advised wearing the plant as an amulet to expel all evil.  Purslane is high in many nutrients while low in calories, making it one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet.  I do not think I can convince Melissa to eat any of these weeds.

THOUGHTS:  Like many species of plants purslane is both a weed and miracle food.  The internet sites I found alternated between how to get rid of the plant and where to get the best price on seeds.  It all depends on the beholder and what you are accustomed to.  Migration is often treated in the same manner.  While some are moving into the suburbs, others are moving into urban areas, and both are creating diversity in what was perceived to have originally been homogeneous communities.  How change is perceived depends on the beholder.  The right to live where you want should not be afforded to only the elite.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.