"Evil Didn’t Win At Sandy Hook"

That's hard to watch without choking up.

"I Laughed So Hard I Almost 'Shipped My Trousers'"

That's the Charles Dickens version of this commercial: http://www.jtirregulars.com/2013/04/ship-my-pants.html

The Blankets I Have Been Working On!

The blankets I have been working on took me from January to December to make. These blankets are all crocheted by me and are for the family. Yes it takes a long time to make and also in the summer I really didn't work on them to much with going out and birding and taking pictures of  flowers. I am just thankful I got them all done in time.

The reason for making these blankets is the older kids got jealous last year because I made blankets for the grandkids. So I found out what colors the kids liked, my son was very easy and you will see why. Then when I was finding out what colors for the kids Drew says I would like one too. So that added another one on. I made six blankets in twelve months.

Here are pictures of the blankets:

Yes to the left is Bears colors for my son and to the right is the colors that Drew's son picked out.

To the left is Whitewater University colors for my youngest daughter and right is Packer colors for Drew. Drew's blanket was the last one and I just finished it on Thursday night.

To the left is the colors that my son's girlfriend picked and the one to the right is the colors my older daughter picked.

Yes I have been busy making the blankets and with everything else all year long. I am just happy I finished these in time so they can get them for Christmas. Now time to go to the store to get everything to start my Christmas cookies hopefully get them done on time!

Winter....grrrrrr

Open Blog - Weekend

Party on!

"What Is the X in Xmas?"

From Dictionary.com:

"December 11, 2013 by: Dictionary.com blog in: Current Events 396 Comments 
 
"Here’s a holiday surprise that only the dictionary can provide. Do you find the word 'Xmas,' as an abbreviation for Christmas, offensive? Many people do.

"You won’t find Xmas in church songbooks or even on many greeting cards. Xmas is popularly associated with a trend towards materialism, and sometimes the target of people who decry the emergence of general 'holiday' observance instead of particular cultural and religious ritual.

"But the history of the word 'Xmas' is actually more respectable — and fascinating — than you might suspect. First of all, the abbreviation predates by centuries its use in gaudy advertisements. It was first used in the mid 1500s. X is the Greek letter 'chi,' the initial letter in the word Χριστός. And here’s the kicker: Χριστός means 'Christ.' X has been an acceptable representation of the word 'Christ' for hundreds of years. This device is known as a Christogram. The mas in Xmas is the Old English word for 'mass.'  (The thought-provoking etymology of 'mass' can be found here.) In the same vein, the dignified terms Xpian and Xtian have been used in place of the word 'Christian.'

"As lovers of the alphabet, we are transfixed by the flexibility of 'X.' The same letter can represent the sacred, the profane ('rated X'), and the unknown ('X-ray'). What does the “X” in Xbox stand for? Find out more about the 24th letter of the alphabet, here.

"What other holiday-related words would you like to know more about? Let us know, below"

Read more: http://blog.dictionary.com/xmas-christogram/

Coffee with Cops at McDonalds

Legal Stranger reports on this morning's Coffee with Cops at McDonald's:

"Pictured is MPPD Captain Brian Smith discussing community topics with Journal Times reporter Cara Spoto.

"BLB and Legal Stranger interviewed Captain Brian Smith and Chief  Zarzecki 

"Topics included  community policing, militarization of police departments, department policies, community bloggers and ccap.

"Also complimenting  the attendance was Racine County District Attorney Rich Chiapete 

"MPPD Captain Brian Smith and Chief Zarecki also had in attendance  their senior  staff to engage with the public and discuss individual citizen concerns.  

"Coffee with Cops is a great way to meet our public employees and discuss community concerns in a relaxed environment. If you have concerns with police policy, you should plan to attend when another event like this occurs.

"Thank you McDonalds for hosting a fine community event.".

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone and welcome back! Another week has come and gone, seemly in an orderly fashion. I know that sounds weird, but this week felt rather monotonous. Anyways, here's your questions...

1) Have you ever locked your keys in your car?

2) What season stresses you out the most?

3) What is your favorite winter activity?

4) When is the earliest you put up your Christmas decorations?

Enjoy your weekend!

Useless Information

Did you Know: 
The “King of Rock & Roll”, Elvis Presley was almost dethroned!

A new up and coming Rocker, Jerry Lee Louis was writing and singing songs and was climbing the charts extremely fast.

Elvis was drafted into the army which didn’t help his career during this time.

In 1957 as Jerry Lee Louis got to the top, this crazy guy went and married his 13 year old cousin!  He was dropped like a hot rock around the world.

Elvis was discharged from the army and wrote a song named ‘Teddy Bear’ which put him right back on top.

Useless Information

Did you Know:

 

The “King of Rock & Roll”, Elvis Presley was almost dethroned!

 

A new up and coming Rocker, Jerry Lee Louis was writing and singing songs and was climbing the charts extremely fast.

 

Elvis was drafted into the army which didn’t help his career at all.

 

In 1957 as Jerry Lee Louis got to the top, this crazy guy went and married his 13 year old cousin!  He was dropped like a hot rock around the world.

 

Elvis was discharged from the army and wrote a song named ‘Teddy Bear’ which put him right back on top.

Useless Information

Open Blog - Friday

Uh-oh!

Fun Holidays

Open Blog - Thursday

“To err is human; to forgive, divine.” - Alexander Pope

Christmas Lights 2013 Part 1

Saturday we went birding and I told Drew that I was going to go somewhere and take pictures of Christmas lights. The thing of it was I never told him where we would be going because I was driving the car. So are trip to us to Candy Cane Lane in West Allis Wi.. Here are some of the pictures that we had taken that night:

           This is the first sign you will see when you drive down the very first street for the lights.

When you drive down the street there are people standing there taking donations for the M.A.C.C. fund for the children.

                                Then we have Santa on his sleigh with the reindeer and presents!

I thought this was really neat it is a dancing Frosty the Snowman. 

              Yes there really is a red M&M out there too. I told Drew that I had to have this picture!         

This is how I felt out there taken the pictures Saturday. Driving up and down about four streets going really slow with the traffic there and the window down the whole time and heat on high. 

I really hope everyone likes the pictures and yes there are a lot more to come with in the couple of weeks 

 left.

"10 Words for Happiness"

From Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/?sshow=happiness-words

Happy Holidays.

"The Copenhagen Wheel official product release"

https://www.superpedestrian.com/

That's innovative technology applied to the ancient concept of the wheel.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my snowmen and snowwomen!  How are you?  I already know: cold.  My, did it become winter quickly.  We’ve already had subzero temperatures and a snowstorm that caused hundreds of accidents.  This is the time of year when I switch into one day at a time mode.  I don’t dare ponder what’s ahead in the next few months because it’s too depressing. 

The good news, of course, is that our Green Bay Packers won against the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday.  Sound the trumpets!  Summon the guards!  Yahoo, we sneaked one through!  Hallelujah!  Unfortunately, Mr. Aaron Rodgers is still not well enough to play.  This Sunday, December 15, our gallant warriors face the Dallas Cowboys on their turf.  May the Force be with them!  Knock ‘em dead, boys!

In the Irregular Football League, we are already into our semifinals.  It's my Screaming Psychics vs the Racine Irregulars and the Half-Astrophysicists vs the Fighting Mongrels.  Mr. OrbsCorbs' Orbliterators ended in 5th place and Ms. Tender Heart Bear's The Mighty Bears finished 6th.  

It would be nice if the weather toned down a little bit so that we could appreciate the decorated homes in the Racine area.  I saw some lovely lights going up in early November.  Those people must love their decorations.  I tried to nudge Señor Zanza up a ladder to decorate our home.  No such luck.  Junior offered to do it, but I was afraid of what he might do.  If times were better, I would’ve hired professionals to do it.  Well, I decorated the porch and the interior myself.  It looks simply marvelous!  Santa, you’re welcome here.

I read that donations are down this year at Salvation Army kettles.  Many are blaming that on a campaign to donate to other charities because the Salvation Army is perceived as anti-gay:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/salvation-army-anti-gay  I wonder how much of that is true and how much of the dip in donations is due to economic hard times?  I believe that those at the “top” have little regard for the suffering of those “below” them.  They don’t give a damn that life has become difficult for so many or that it impacts donations.  I shout, “Shame!” but it changes nothing.

Christmas is supposed to be a joyous time of year and I hope that’s true for you.  It can get hectic, so it pays to stop and think about the true meaning of Christmas.  I wish all of you Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Merry Kwanza, Festive Festivus and Happy New Year!  Or Happy Holiday(s) of Your Choice!

Here’s a lovely video entitled “WestJet Christmas Miracle: real-time giving.”

Wasn’t that inspiring?

Thank you for stopping by to read my blog today.  I love company and I love you.  I don’t discriminate; I love everybody.

Have you been naughty or nice?  Ask madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

Stay warm, my dears!  Please be extra careful driving in bad weather.  Avoid it if you can, go slowly if you must.  Ho-ho-ho!  Geloscopy!

A caring husband

He: “My dear, what can I help you with”?

She: “Take this bag of potatoes, peel half of them and put them in the cook pot”.

Open Blog - Wednesday

Stay positive.

Ring-Tailed Poot Sighting

After Charlie gets his evening treat, he likes to nap in a tent made by hanging a robe from a doorknob. He's also claiming the space underneath the kitchen sink as his.

"VIDEO: Traffic cam captures massive pileup on Highway 41/45"

See: http://fox6now.com/2013/12/10/video-traffic-cam-captures-massive-pileup-on-hwy-4145/

Why do we have to relearn how to drive in the winter every year?

"Russell Brand Will Blow Your Mind"

Eleven minutes is a long time to listen to anyone, but the message here deserves it.

I don't know that much about Russell Brand and I didn't know about this aspect of him.

Open Blog - Tuesday

Yummy.

New Weather Widget

The weather forecast on our sidebar now comes from the Weather Channel. Accuweather has changed their widgets and they are huge.

Local Loyalty - Sweet Flame

Today's edition of Local Loyalty

 is about a wonderful find at 335 Main Street, 

Sweet Flame, open Mon.-Sat., 10am-5pm.

Here is the link to their web site -

 

Sweet Flame

 

They are also on Facebook. 

I had the nicest visit with Tom, who owns it along with his wife, Sheila. 

When I 1st walked in, the atmosphere was so warm and inviting, and smelled simply yummy!  

Their 2 year birthday as a business there, was yesterday, 

the 8th of December. 

They offer an amazing variety of honey's, both local and from across the nation and the world. You can even taste and try many of the varieties they offer! Can't do that at the grocery store! Anything you want to know about each honey, they are your people.

 

They also carry some very unique foods from specialty places, and deal with them directly. That direct connection with the very people that make their products is really cool. 

Tom personally makes all the candles for the store, right there, in store - how cool is that? They are all natural wax, and well scented. He can custom color or scent any candle, tealight, votive or pillar, 

or even special order. 

When asked what three words he would use to describe their store, the answers were - 

Unique

Artisan

Handmade.

Next time you're downtown, try to make a point to stop in and check them out. You'll be glad you did, I sure am!!

      

 

Open Blog - Monday

Be careful out there.

Lovejoy Rising

I have posted lots of pics of Comet Lovejoy and managed to get up early enough this morning and brave the chilly Tucson (below freezing...don't judge northerners!) temps to take some shots.

Saguaro National Park east is about a 10 minute drive from where I live. I wanted some pics with some nice foreground objects so I hiked into the park a little bit to get to the first batch of big saguaros. I got several wide shots with a 35mm lens. I used a feature on my Skytracker that will track at only half the rate the stars move across the sky. I did this to split the difference between the land and sky, keeping both of them reasonably in focus with minimal blurring during the 20-30 second exposures I was using.

Of course I felt the need to put on the longer (250mm) zoom lens and try a two minute shot of the comet. The tail is developing nicely and covers several degrees of the sky.

Comet Lovejoy was visible to the naked eye and it is definitely brighter than M13, probably a little brighter than 5th magnitude. Easy and nice binocular target, naked eye under dark skies. For finder chart, Heavens Above is a good place. Just set it to the time you want to observe. 

I should note that Lovejoy is moving farther into the northern sky. For much of the continental U.S., it can be seen after sunset and before sunrise, although it is much higher in the sky and easier to see before sunrise. The farther north you are, the easier it is to see after sunset (although Mike Weasner got it after sunset from Oracle, just north of Tucson a few nights ago so anything Tucson or north is fair game for sure!)

I am enjoying this comet, but could the next one please be a good evening object?

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Open Blog - Weekend

Maxine is a blast.

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone and welcome back! It has been a quiet week for me. Not much has been going on.... Could it be the weather? Anyways, here are your questions....

1) What cartoon do you still like watching?

2) Where is the funniest or the strangest place you have fallen asleep?

3) When was the last time you went barefoot in public?

4) What poems do you have committed to memory?

Enjoy your weekend!

Open Blog - Friday

Feel the love.

My kingdom for a spatula!

Which one of you wise guys hid or took my silverware during the move?  I have a fork, a butter knife, and a paring knife.  I've got dishes and bowls and pots and pans, but no utensils.  Well, that just keeps giving me an excuse to go to Top Dog Hot Dogs for food.  I hope I find my stuff before I go broke.

"Black Friday Shopping Chaos [Super Cut Compilation]"

Thanks to Racine Community Media for posting this video: http://racinecommunitymedia.tumblr.com/post/68618066660/black-friday-madness-a-video-montage-capturing

What have we become? 

Downtown Post Office Doesn't Pay Taxes

From Property Reports:

Why do Racine County taxpayers have to carry so many downtown properties on our backs?  Some of these businesses have owed taxes for years and years, and still nothing is done about it.  Lying John's friends play by a completely different set of rules than us..  Their tax debt is simply ignored while our services are cut and cut again.  I would be ashamed of bilking so many people out of so much money, but lying John's friends are proud of their crimes.

Read more: http://racinesales.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/mr-president-can-you-pay-your-taxes/

Party on, lying John!

Star Trails Over Kitt Peak

I have always wanted to try a star trails picture. A couple of weeks ago, I had an evening at Kitt Peak. The Moon was waxing gibbous and very bright and lit up the domes very nicely. I was with a group over by the 0.9 meter telescope so I set up my camera outside, programmed it to take 30 second exposures for a few hours, and went about my work.

I ended up with 162 pictures by the time we were getting ready to go. I made some adjustments in Lightroom to tame the bright sky and then imported them into a free program called StarStax. StarStax will add the individual images automatically and create the star trails picture for you. There are some options you can adjust, but it's pretty automated. Here is the result. 

Overall I am pretty pleased with the first attempt. I can spot a couple of flaws to clean up (and I would like to figure out where they came from, but I might have to look closely at 162 pictures to find the bloody things!) You can see the north star in its tight dance around the celestial pole and many other stars making nice trails. The lights of Tucsonare off to the right.

I have some old pics I used to make time lapses. I might go back and put together a few more of these from those old pics. 

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

"Downtown Racine Real Estate Prices Collapse"

From Racine Exposed:

Kenosha KOs Racine:

Racine property values go down hard.

But don't worry, because a solution has been found;

Life is great at the top.

Read all about it: http://racineexposed.wordpress.com/2013/12/04/downtown-racine-real-estate-prices-collapse/

How Do You Tell When the United States is Pissed at Your Country?

When you look up and see a Tomahawk Cruise Missile fly overhead.

A Tomahawk can be launched 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) from its target.

It has surgical strike capabilities meaning it will hit its target and be accurate within 1 meter (39 inches) delivering 1,000lbs of explosives or nuclear warheads.

All this technology for the mirror price of $1 million dollars apiece!

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT

Open Blog - Thursday

Aw, that's cute.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my movers and shakers!  How are you?  I’ve been helping Mr. OrbsCorbs settle into his new apartment.  There is so much stuff.  I think the boxes breed when we’re not looking.  I’m exhausted and I’m just tapping out a short blog for this week.

Our wounded warriors from Green Bay fell again on Thanksgiving Day.  O woe!  They will meet their next foe, the Atlanta Falcons, on Sunday at noon.  Arise from your wounds and maladies, dear Packers.  Massacre the Falcons.

In the Irregular Football League, we are already into our playoffs.   Of note is that Mr. OrbsCorbs’ Orbliterators have fallen into fifth place while my Screaming Psychics remain in second.  I predict a late surge that will result in Mr. Hale-Bopp’s Half-Astrophysicists dropping to second place.

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We should remember to give thanks more often.  An attitude of gratitude invariably snaps me out of the dumps.

Christmas is in the air.  The Salvation Army bell ringers have been out for weeks.  And there are the myriad displays of holiday lights.  Be sure to spend some time with someone that you love.  Like I love you.  Thank you for reading my blog

Have you been naughty or nice?   madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

Stay warm and dry, my dears, to ward off colds and influenza.  Get your Christmas shopping done now to avoid the rush.  Bibliobibuli!        

Open Blog - Wednesday

Have a great hump day.

Open Blog - Tuesday

Enjoy your day.

Air Glow Over Kitt Peak

Another shot from my night on Kitt Peak a few days ago. This is a wide shot taken from the Visitor's Center. 

You can see the iconic McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope in the background and the sky glow from Tucson on the left. However, if you look on the right side of the image, you will notice a faint green glow and possibly even fainter red if you look close. This is a real phenomena called air glow. Due to air glow, the sky is never completely dark. Airglow occurs all over the sky but is usually more pronounced close to the horizon since you are looking through a thicker layer of atmosphere.

There are several sources of air glow. During the day, atoms in the upper atmosphere are ionized by sunlight. When the ionized atoms and electrons recombine, they give off light...and oxygen can give off green light in the process. Cosmic rays striking the upper atmosphere contribute to air glow as well. Finally, oxygen and nitrogen can react with hydroxyl ions in the upper atmosphere and give off light through a process called chemiluminescence. 

Air glow is not visible during the day as it far too faint. Even at night, you need to be in a very dark site to capture it. Thursday night was the first time I have captured this elusive phenomena.

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Amazon.com Shipments

On Cyber Monday, Amazon.com is expecting (estimating) they will have sales placed at the rate of 300 orders per second.

They are also working on Drones to deliver orders.  The order must be placed within a 10 mile radius of distributions centers and 5lbs or less.

You place your order on the internet; pickers at the warehouse(s) will package the order and place it on a conveyor belt.  The belt will transport the package and stop under a Drone.  The Drone will then reach down clamp the package raise it up and fly to a given GPS coordinate or your house.  Come down in your yard, set the package on the ground and fly back to the distribution center.

Elapse time from placing order to delivery at your home…30 minutes.

They are looking at a start up time frame of 2015 - 2017.

Source: President of Amazon on 60 Minutes

Useless Information

Did you know:

 

Sales on Black Friday where down compared to last year but sales on Saturday were up 37% compared to last year.

Open Blog - Monday

Have a good day, mates.

Open Blog - Weekend

Take it easy.

Green Flashes from Chile

Sitting around Kitt Peak today, I had some extra time and went back and took care of something that has been on my to do list. I photographed a great sunset from Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory back in March. I wanted to animate all the pics so you could see the progression of green flashes. I finally did that today and am pleased with the results.

This animation is roughly real time so they move fairly quickly. You can watch the green flashes (yes, plural) break off the Sun, move away and disappear. Look at the last green flash...do you see other colors as it vanishes? I recommend checking this one out full screen!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

An Open Letter From Comet Lovejoy

Dear Earthlings,

I see you have been really excited about Comet ISON. There was a lot of hype about it being the "Comet of the Century", "Brighter than the full Moon" and a "Once in a lifetime experience".  I am happy my comet brother seems to have survived his close pass to the Sun. I wish ISON nothing but the best.

However, I can't help but feeling a little ignored over here. I know I was only discovered on September 7th so maybe I kind of snuck up on you. I was originally only forecast to reach 8th magnitude according to Universe Today so maybe people thought you would need a big telescope to see me.

But hey, I have been working hard to put on a good show for you and I don't feel like anyone is paying much attention to me. I have brightened up a lot more than expected and can be seen with the naked eye from a moderately dark site. I bet most city dwellers could find me with binoculars without too much difficulty. Heck, you can even photograph me with off the shelf cameras. Look at this shot from this morning taken with a Canon 60D and Ef-s 55-250mm zoom lens. Okay, he used an iOptron Skytracker to take a longer exposure, but I think I am looking pretty good here!

Come on, look at that tail! If you look close, I think you can tell there are two tails!

I am about at my brightest and best right now. I am going to start slowly fading as I get farther away from Earth but I think you have a few more weeks to take a shot at seeing me. I am hanging below the handle of the Big Dipper right now, one of the easiest things to find in the sky. Here is a finder chart from Heavens Above to help you out. Change the date and time if you need to because I move quick!

Okay, I am a morning Comet so you will have to get that strong cup of coffee when you come to see me. It will be worth it. The Moon is a slender crescent now and not too bright so it doesn't interfere with seeing me. The Moon will be new December 2nd and move into the evening sky leaving me in a pristine, dark morning sky, the perfect time to check me out!

So, do we have a date? I would love to meet you all before I leave. I mean "Love" is right there in my name! I won't be back for about 8,000 years or so and it would break my heart not to meet you.

Sincerely,

Comet Lovejoy

Repritned with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.