Wednesday Blogosphere Roving #17

This Wednesday's found images include a two-part presentation of jellyfish photos; an evocative representation of a beautiful summer day in Minnesota; an image that shows some of the detail on a famous building in Barcelona designed by Gaudi; and a wonderful series on the care and feeding of young starlings in Norway.

Among this week's blog articles, Mark Stoneman opines on the recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the right to gun ownership (and be sure to read the comments at the end of the post for some thoughtful elaboration); Jenn Thorsen shows us some postcards from the Victorian era that commemorate American Independence Day; Evelyn presents a sampler of Hawaii blogging; and Ritu theorizes about how trying to 'game the system' at social media sites such as Digg might end up to be self-defeating.

Finally, after hearing the rumors about a purported link between certain vaccines and childhood autism, Chris decides to find out for himself whether or not those rumors are credible before he proceeds to have his baby son immunized. A scientist himself, Chris knows how to find, evaluate, and interpret pertinent research literature, and he shares his conclusions with his readers.

So then, without further ado, here are this week's offerings:

Images:

• Jellyfish - by T. Bruce in Eyes Mind Heart


• Jellyfish - Part 2 - by T. Bruce in Eyes Mind Heart


• Minnesota Clouds Late June - by Danny in Waking Up to Another Beautiful Day


• Ironwork on Balcony at La Pedrera or Casa Mila in Paseo de Gracia, Barcelona, Spain - by Carlos in Barcelona Photoblog


• Pictures of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) feeding their young- by Thomas Laupstad in Photos from Northern Norway

Articles:

• Accepting the Court’s Decision on the Second Amendment - by Mark Stoneman in Stoneman's Corner


• Having a Blast with Victorian Fourth of July Postcards - by Jenn Thorsen in Thrift Shop Romantic


• Summer Speeds Up at the Carnival of Aloha! - by Evelyn in Homespun Honolulu


• The Autobury & System Gaming Connection: A Theory - by Ritu Pant in NetHackz


• The MMR vaccine and autism - truth, lies and the media - by Chris in chrisdellavedova.com

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And here is an assortment of things I posted on my other blogs during the past week. (NB: Usually I post one example from each blog, but this week there's another two-part tale in The Right Blue.)

In The Right Blue:

• Sipadan Island - Being there, Part 1 and Part 2 - a 'two-fer' about this tiny, remote island off the coast of Borneo

In B N Sullivan - Photography:

• Aspen's Dancing Fountain - another in a series of photos from my recent visit to Aspen, Colorado
  

In my aviation news blogs:

• Frontier Airlines joins the capacity reduction juggernaut - in Aircrew Buzz


• NetJets flight attendant sues Jennifer Lopez over dog bite, injuries - in Cabin Crew News


• New safety recommendations for operators of turbojet aircraft - in Professional Pilot News

That this week's roundup!

A Lion Called Christian

I'm a sucker for animal stories that tug at the heartstrings, and especially when those stories are about a cat. This video, sent to me by someone who knows those predilections of mine, is about a big cat -- a lion called Christian. He was raised by two people in their home until he became too big for domestic life. He was returned to the wild, but his human 'family' had a reunion with him after a year, and that's what this video is about.

Animal lovers -- and especially cat lovers -- should get out their hankies now, and prepare to say, "Awwwwww."



(If the video does not play or display properly above, click here to view it on YouTube.)

Wednesday Blogosphere Roving #16

This Wednesday's found images are quite varied. First, two completely different images from Hawaii. Ernest Theisen's panorama of Kilauea Volcano's Halemaumau crater is an experimental image, as he explains underneath the photo. Although I've done a lot of underwater photography in my day, I've never managed to get a shot of garden eels -- but Steve has done a good job of capturing these elusive creatures. Then, speaking of Hawaii, one of the most amusing kitties on the Internet models a hula getup.

Next is a stunning beach shot from Deniss Saksa, followed by Zarquon's excellent image of a tropical bird -- and be sure to click on that last photo to enlarge it, so that you can see the details.

Among this week's blog articles, three offer useful advice, one profiles a most interesting and unusual job -- and then there are the answers to a question that you've heard again and again. (Wink, wink.)

Here are this week's offerings:

Images:

• New Panorama - by Ernest Theisen in A Pictorialist's Place


• Garden Eels - by Steve in A Kona Scuba Diver


• Fashion Friday: Tropical Daisy! - Daisy in Daisy the Curly Cat


• Sunset on Stroomi Beach - by Deniss Saksa in Snapping Photons


• El Tucán 006 - by Zarquon in Cyberware.ca

Articles:

• Wave! – The World is Watching - by Jenn Thorsen in The BlogCatalog Community Blog


• The answers to the question everybody wants to know - by Rob Stevenson in Rob's Megaphone


• Free Flight Specialist - by Carrie Lowery in My Cool Job


• The Top Eleven Laziest Foods to Grow - by Dr. Nicole Sundene in Kitchen Table Medicine


• 14 Simple Ways to Super Charge Your Brain - by Jay White in Dumb Little Man

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And here is an assortment of things I posted on my other blogs during the past week. (NB: Usually I post one example from each blog, but this week there's a bonus: two-part tale in The Right Blue.)

In The Right Blue:

• Sipadan Island - Getting there, Part 1 and Part 2 - a 'two-fer' about an incredible journey to an incredible place
  

In B N Sullivan - Photography:

• Elks Building, Aspen, Colorado - one of a series of travel photos from Colorado, where I am this week
  

In my aviation news blogs:

• Furloughs coming for 950 United Airlines pilots - in Aircrew Buzz


• Details of the United Airlines Flight Attendant 'Early Out' Program - in Cabin Crew News


• United pilots decry furloughs as 'drastic over-reaction' - in Professional Pilot News

That this week's roundup!

Blogging the Vog: SO2 Monitoring on the Big Island

Hawaii's National Guard has joined the fray in coping with emissions from Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. Honolulu's KHON 2 News reports that State and Federal agencies -- including the Guard -- have set up new monitoring systems to track concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the ambient air at a number of locations around the Big Island. SO2 is considered to be potentially the most hazardous of the numerous gases emitted by Kilauea Volcano.

According to KHON 2 News, the monitoring equipment deployed to monitor SO2 on the Big Island is the same as that used to monitor for "weapons of mass destruction" -- presumably that used to detect evidence of chemical warfare agents. What a thought! -- yet what an appropriate and welcome peacetime use for such equipment.

KHON 2 News quoted Lt. Colonel Trey Johnson, Hawaii National Guard, who said, "In this particular case Kilauea was producing sulphur dioxide levels that were of concern, and that exceeded the county's ability to respond to it effectively."

Hawaii County Fire Chief Darryl Oliveira added, "We had none of that in place prior to April. And again thanks to all the partnership we had with all the agencies, mainly the 93rd, we were able to put that together so now we have some form of monitoring system in place that can be used as a tool."

In recent months, Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii has been emitting unusually high levels of gases, smoke, and ash, leading to unprecedented amounts of vog (volcano smog). At times the vog has been heavy enough to be visible throughout the island chain, even in communities on Kauai, the island farthest from the active volcano. Communities on the Big Island have been affected most, and most often, due to their proximity to the source of the emissions that create the vog.

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About the Illustration: The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) produces mapped 24-hour composite images of SO2 emissions from Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano. The one shown above maps the SO2 cloud for June 20, 2008. Click on the image above to view the four most recent NOAA SO2 maps for Kilauea.

Click here for information and links to more resources about vog in Hawaii.

Wednesday Blogosphere Roving Hiatus

No Wednesday Blogosphere Roving this week, I'm afraid. I am traveling, and I have not had the time to devote to reading scads of blogs and finding new images and articles to share this week.

In fact, I have not had a lot of time for much besides getting through airports, flying, driving, eating foods I'm unused to, and sleeping in beds that do not belong to me: you know the drill. This is not to say that there's nothing enjoyable in my destinations -- right now I'm in Colorado, and it's perfectly lovely here at this time of year. It's just that the process of travel really sucks! And the older I get, the less well I tolerate that process. [/end mini-squawk.]

Back to the Blogosphere Roving topic -- if you've been anxiously looking forward to my weekly finds, and you are now disappointed, may I suggest that you have a look at some of the blogs on the list of blogs I like; or, you could go over to one of my other blogs, The Right Blue, to read a recent story I posted there about an adventure dive in a very special underwater cave; or, you could have a look at my photography blog, from which I borrowed the photo included with this post.

And now I'm off to that bed-that-is-not-my-own for some needed rest.

Wednesday Blogosphere Roving #15

Bonus time! There are five entries for this Wednesday's found images -- just like always -- but three of those links will take you to multiple colorful images. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Among this week's blog articles, there is one about "green" food (but the writer is not referring to green vegetables); one about a wonderful website where language lovers can pass the time happily, while learning something as well (and I thank the writer for this great tip!); and two great 'how-to' articles about photography.

The link in the middle of the list goes to an amusing piece that proposes using a Google Map to keep track of where the plane belonging to the founders of Google has been sighted. By the way, the plane that Dan Frommer's article refers to is owned by Larry Page and Sergey Brin personally. It is not owned by Google-the-corporation, and I assume that Mr. Frommer knows this, despite his use of the term "Google Party plane." I mention this to assuage the potential for outrage among those who would be scandalized at the thought of Google having a "party plane."

Please note that one of the featured images this week is by Thomas Pitera, who also wrote one of those photography 'how-to' articles. This is the first time in the brief history of my Wednesday Blogosphere Roving series that I have featured both an image and an article by the same person in the same week. I think you'll agree that both are worthy of being featured.

Here are this week's offerings:

Images:

• Images of the Week - by Thomas Pitera in Photography Savvy


• Birch Wood Pattern - in Phogulum: Blog Through the Camera Eye


• Speaking of Flowers - by T. Bruce in Eyes Mind Heart


• Water Under the Bridge - by Gale Rainwater in Gale Rainwater Photography


• South Africa – The Table above the Clouds - by CK II in CK Go Places

Articles:

• Eating "Green" - by Karen in GeoFooding


• Distractions at Oxford.com - by legbamel in One Step Forward


• Where In The World Are Larry, Sergey, And The Google Party Jet? - by Dan Frommer in Silicon Alley Insider


• Making the Most of Automatic Flash - by Thomas Pitera in Photography Savvy


• Food Photography Tips and Tricks - by Jonathan Pollack in Digital Photography School

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And here is an assortment of things I posted on my other blogs during the past week (one example from each blog).

In The Right Blue:

• On a collision course with critters in the sea - answering the question: Do fish ever bump into you underwater?
  

In B N Sullivan - Photography:

• Monkey Pod Tree In Flower - fragile-looking seasonal blossoms
  

In my aviation news blogs:

• Continental Airlines to retire aircraft and eliminate thousands of jobs - in Aircrew Buzz


• New designer uniforms for Singapore Airlines male cabin crew - in Cabin Crew News


• JAL adopts 'Electronic Flight Bag' technology for its Boeing 777 fleet - in Professional Pilot News

That this week's roundup!

The Laws of Ultimate Reality

I received this list as an email pass-around. The items on the list made me chuckle, probably because each has a grain of truth.

The Laws of Ultimate Reality:

• Law of Random Numbers - If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always answers.


• Law of Probability - The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.


• Variation Law - If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in at first will always move faster than the one you are in now.


• Law of Biomechanics - The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach


• Law of Surfaces - The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.


• Law of the Result - When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.


• Law of Gravity - Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.


• Law of Mechanical Repair - After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee.


• Law of the Alibi - If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.


• Law of Close Encounters - The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.


• Law of the Bath - When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.


• Law of the Theater - At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.


• The Starbucks Law - As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.


• The Doctors' Law - If you don't feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you'll feel better.Don't make an appointment and you will remain sick.


• Law of Commercial Marketing - As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.


• Law of Physical Appearance - If the shoe fits, it's ugly.


• Law of Public Speaking - A closed mouth gathers no feet.


• Law of Logical Argument - Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.

Do any of these ring true for you?

Tip of the hat to my friend Kathy, who sent the list to me.