#August Berg Watches

[augustbergus]

Gifting the Perfect August Berg Watch This Mother's Day

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

A Winter Wanderer in the Weddell Sea

Since breaking from the Brunt Ice Shelf in May 2024, a large Antarctic iceberg spent the first few months of its existence mostly hemmed in by the surrounding glue-like sea ice, especially in the new rifts. But late in the Southern Hemisphere’s winter, when sea ice began to fracture and drift, Iceberg A-83 made some progress in its seaward journey away from the shelf.

These false-color images show the iceberg on May 22, 2024 (top), shortly after the ice broke from the shelf, and on August 26, 2024 (bottom). Both images were acquired with the TIRS-2 (Thermal Infrared Sensor-2) on Landsat 9. They are part of a special expanded data collection program called LEAP (Landsat Extended Acquisitions of the Poles), which has been building year-round image records of glaciers, ice shelves, and sea ice around Antarctica, Greenland, and the Arctic Ocean since 2022.

Thermal images like these can help scientists keep watch over Earth’s polar areas, even when the Sun is below the horizon and visible images are unavailable. Winter in the region lasts from March through October, with 105 of these days engulfed in 24-hour darkness, according to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). The BAS operates the Halley VI Research Station, which is located on the remainder of the Brunt Ice Shelf.

Yellows and oranges indicate areas where surface temperatures are warmer, like open water or thin sea ice, while blues denote areas of colder temperatures, like the thicker ice of the iceberg and adjacent ice shelf. BAS has noted that winter air temperatures on the ice shelf are typically below minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit), with extreme lows of around minus 55°C (minus 67°F).

Note the relatively cool surface temperature of the ice-covered Weddell Sea in August compared to May. Sea ice around Antarctica reaches its maximum annual extent and thickness in late winter, usually around mid- to late-September. But even the relatively thick, late-winter sea ice can succumb to a large iceberg, in this case about the size of Portland, Oregon. According to Christopher Shuman, a University of Maryland, Baltimore County, glaciologist based at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, cracks in the sea ice were evident in late July. The berg “clearly had broken from the ‘glue’ (mélange) in early August,” he said.

By September, the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 mission and the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite observed that several pieces had broken off from Iceberg A-83 as it spun and tried to pass the McDonald Ice Rumples, a submerged knob of bedrock that has served as a pinning point for part of the shelf. However, none of the broken iceberg pieces were large enough to be named by the U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC). As of September 13, Iceberg A-83 was the 15th largest of the 46 Antarctic icebergs being tracked by the USNIC.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Kathryn Hansen.

[intriguingpeoplebyangelafloyd]

LUDWIG II OF BAVARIA

LUDWIG II OF BAVARIA

25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886

Fairy Tale looking castles and his Mysterious death

            Ludwig was born at Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, he was the son of Maximilian II of Bavaria and Maria Princess of Bavaria who ruled Germany in 1848 after the abdication of Ludwig I. Growing up Ludwig was known to daydream and enjoyed art, music and architecture.

            Ludwig became king in 1864, aged 18. He never married and lived in isolation.

            Ludwig was best known for his construction of castles such as Neuschwanstein, the famous ‘fairy-tale’ castle as well as two others. He planned to make more castles, but this didn’t take place. His castles inspired Walt Disney when he made the film Sleeping Beauty. Today Ludwig’s castles are one of the most popular tourist spots in Germany. Ludwig II was a patronage of composer Richard Wagner and funded the construction of the opera house at Bayreuth.

Ludwig II spent money on art and architecture which left himself and his country in debt. His uncle, Luitpold the heir to throne was worried about the financial debt he was to inherit. Instead of meeting his ministers in Munich, Ludwig preferred to stay at his palaces and ran the government via written correspondence.

            He was nicknamed the ‘Mad’ king. Ludwig was declared insane without being examined on 10 June by Professor Bernhard von Gudden who was paid well by Ludwigs ministers. His political enemies labelled him ‘mad’ due to the king’s spendthrift habits. In 1885, his ministers came to an agreement his rule needed to come to an end. If a king had a disability or mental illness, they could remove the king from power if he was found unfit to rule.

            Ludwig was arrested and held in confinement at Castle Schloss Berg, south of Munich. His uncle, Luitpold took on the job as regent. They removed Ludwig’s door handles from the doors in his room and the windows couldn’t be opened.

            On the morning of 13 June, Ludwig and his doctor Gudden went for a walk without incident. They walked in the castle grounds along the lakeshore, followed by a male nurse for security.

            Ludwig died aged 40 on the night of 13 June. Despite bad weather, Ludwig asked Dr. Gudden to accompany him along the shores of Lake Starnberg. This time they weren’t in the presence of anyone else. They left at 6:30 pm, and when they didn’t return a search party went to look for them. At 11:30 pm both men were found dead floating in shallow water with their faces in the water near the shore. Nearby they found Ludwig’s overcoats and umbrella between the path and the lake. Their hats were found floating on the water on the shoreline. Ludwig’s pocket watch had stopped at 6:54 pm and the Doctors watch stopped at 8:06pm.

Ludwig was said to have drowned, even though he was a good swimmer and there was no water found in his lungs. The water also was waist deep. The only injury Ludwig had was a scrape on the knee. No autopsy was performed on Gudden, however it was noted that he had a lump above his right eye and scratches on his nose. He was missing part of his fingernail which was found on Ludwig’s overcoat.

It is believed that the two men may have had a fight before they both died. Since their deaths have remained a mystery, some say it was murder, others say it was suicide and then there are those who believed it was an accident.

#ludwigIIofbavaria

[wilsweb-asientour]

Tag 41. 13.08.2023

Jukjeon. Heute standen wir früh auf, um an einem Gottesdienst in Bundang teilzunehmen. Die Fahrt von Myeongdong über den Han-Fluss in den Süden lief reibungslos, sodass wir Zeit für einen Halt im Starbucks hatten, wo wir mit Kaffein auftankten. Die Kirche (할렐루야교회) war beeindruckend, pompös auf einem Berg errichtet mit einer Tiefparkgarage mit 3 Etagen, Live-streaming der Predigt und eigener Küche, die Teller rauspumpten wie eine Krankenhausmensa. Zudem waren wir die einzigen Ausländer weit und breit. Bewunderung pur.

Nach einer verlängerten Mittagspause fuhren wir in ein Volksdorf (한국민속촌) i.d.N.v. Bungnam. Zwar heute eine Touristenattraktion, früher spielte sich jedoch im Volksdorf ein ganz anderes Leben ab. Wir staunten über ein Amphitheater, ein hölzernes Adelhaus und ein eigenes Dorf-Gefängnis. Wir aßen Haemuljeon (koreanischer Reibekuchen mit Meeresfrüchten), Gamja-jeon (koreanischer Kartoffelpuffer) und tranken Reiswein, der genießbar war. Im Nachgang schauten wir uns einen lebhaften Tanzauftritt an und liefen in verschiedenste Höfe rein, um an Dorfaktivitäten teilzunehmen. Da der Typhoon inzwischen China und Taiwan ärgerte hatten wir wieder schwüles Wetter. Kurzum, wir schwitzten wie Sau.

Im Anschluss fuhren wir nach Jukjeon (죽전), wo wir Shaved Ice (geraspeltes Eis) bestellten, einmal mit Mango (애플망고치즈빙수) und einmal mit roten Bohnen (인절미팥빙수). In umgekehrter Reihenfolge ging’s dann zum Abendessen, wieder Korean BBQ (Gegrilltes), dieses Mal jedoch auf Jeju-Art. Für alle Geografieliebhaber, Jeju Insel ist eine Urlauberinsel südlich vom koreanischen Festland und westlich von Fukuoka. Wir probierten drei Schweinefleischvarianten: koreanischen Speck (ca. 5cm dick), Schweinehaut und eine Tofu-Schweinefleisch Suppe. Die erste Variante gefiel Webster am besten mit Gojujang. Wir liefen dann durch Jukjeon, eine junges und lebhaftes Studentenviertel mit vielen Cafés und Klamottenläden. Auf der Rückfahrt nach Seoul hielten wir am Han-Fluss Ufer, um uns Gangnam und Seoul von einer anderen Perspektive anzuschauen.

Morgen ist ein voller Tag angesagt, wir freuen uns und lassen euch natürlich wieder teilhaben. Gute Nacht!

Day 41. August 13, 2023

Jukjeon. Today we got up early to attend a church service in Bundang. The journey from Myeongdong over the Han River to the south went smoothly, so we had time for a stop at Starbucks to top up on caffeine. The church (할렐루야교회) was impressive, grandly built on a mountain with a three-story underground parking garage, live-streaming of the sermon, and its own kitchen that pumped out dishes like a hospital cafeteria. Furthermore, we were the only foreigners far and wide.

After an extended lunch break, we drove to a folk village (한국민속촌) in the vicinity of Bungnam. While now a tourist attraction, the folk village used to be a completely different world in the past. We marveled at an amphitheater, a wooden nobleman's house, and a village prison. We enjoyed Haemuljeon (Korean seafood pancake), Gamja-jeon (Korean potato pancake), and drank rice wine that was enjoyable. Afterwards, we watched a lively dance performance and participated in village activities in various courtyards. As the typhoon was bothering China and Taiwan by now, we had humid weather again. In short, we sweated like crazy.

Next, we headed to Jukjeon (죽전), where we ordered Shaved Ice, once with Mango (애플망고치즈빙수) and once with red beans (인절미팥빙수). We then went for dinner, again Korean BBQ, but this time Jeju style. For all geography enthusiasts, Jeju Island is a vacation island south of the Korean mainland and west of Fukuoka. We tried three pork variations: Korean bacon (about 5cm thick), pork skin, and a tofu-pork soup. Webster liked the first variation the best with Gojujang. We then walked through Jukjeon, a young and vibrant student neighborhood with many cafes and thrift stores. On the way back to Seoul, we stopped by the Han River bank to see Gangnam and Seoul from a different perspective.

Tomorrow promises to be a busy day, and we're looking forward to it. We’ll of course keep you posted. Good night!

[thelensofyashunews]

LIZZY MCALPINE’S NEW ALBUM OLDER OUT NOW

Older, the highly anticipated new album from singer, songwriter and producer Lizzy McAlpine is out today on RCA Records—get it here.

In celebration of the album, Lizzy will embark on “The Older Tour,” an extensive headline run hitting North America, the U.K. and Europe. The dates, which kick off this month, will see Lizzy playing back-to-back nights at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre, Washington D.C.’s The Anthem, Boston’s MGM Music Hall at Fenway and Philadelphia’s The Met. Additional stops include Toronto’s Budweiser Stage, Seattle’s WaMu Theater and San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium as well as performances at Bonnaroo and Hinterland festivals. See below for a full itinerary.

Recorded and produced in Los Angeles by Lizzy with Mason Stoops (Ryan Beatty, Del Water Gap), Ryan Lerman of Scary Pockets, Jeremy Most (Emily King, Norah Jones) and Tony Berg (Taylor Swift, Boygenius), Older finds the 24-year-old rising star stepping into newfound confidence, discovering her voice and defining her artistry with profound simplicity. It’s a notable departure for Lizzy, who wrote the LP’s deeply personal 14 tracks during a transition into adulthood.

Lizzy’s eagerly awaited third studio album features previously shared singles, “I Guess” and the record’s title track, which she performed for the first time on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” last month—watch here.

Older is the follow up to Lizzy’s widely successful album, five seconds flat, which was released to critical acclaim in the spring of 2022. The record features hit singles “all my ghosts” and “erase me (feat. Jacob Collier)” as well as the Platinum-certified track,“ceilings,” which debuted at No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Born outside Philadelphia, Lizzy gained recognition when she began to share original songs and covers on Soundcloud and YouTube. In 2020, Lizzy released her debut album, Give Me A Minute, solidifying herself as a rising force and amassing thousands of devoted fans. She has collaborated with some of the industry’s biggest names, most recently featuring on Niall Horan’s “You Could Start a Cult” and Noah Kahan’s “Call Your Mom.” Watch Lizzy perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Ellen Show and NPR Music’s Tiny Desk, where her set was voted in the Top 5 Tiny Desks of 2022.

THE OLDER TOUR

April 21—San Diego, CA—Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre

April 24—Morrison, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre

May 11—Seattle, WA—WaMu Theater

May 13—Portland, OR—Alaska Airlines’ Theater of the Clouds

May 16—San Francisco, CA—Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

May 18—Los Angeles, CA—Greek Theatre

May 19—Los Angeles, CA—Greek Theatre

June 11—Washington, D.C.—The Anthem

June 12—Washington, D.C.—The Anthem

June 14—Manchester, TN—Bonnaroo*

June 18—New York, NY—Radio City Music Hall

June 19—New York, NY—Radio City Music Hall

June 21—Boston, MA—MGM Music Hall at Fenway

June 22—Boston, MA—MGM Music Hall at Fenway

June 24—Philadelphia, PA—The Met

June 25—Philadelphia, PA—The Met

August 1—Chicago, IL—Lollapalooza*

August 3—Saint Charles, IA—Hinterland*

August 6—Detroit, MI—Masonic Temple Theatre

August 7—Toronto, ON—Budweiser Stage

October 13—Brussels, BE—Forest National

October 15—Amsterdam, NL—AFAS Live

October 17—Berlin, DE—Uber Eats Music Hall

October 19—Cologne, DE—Palladium

October 21—Paris, FR—Zénith Paris - La Villette

October 24—London, U.K.—Eventim Apollo

October 25—London, U.K.—Eventim Apollo

October 27—Manchester, U.K.—O2 Victoria Warehouse

October 28—Birmingham, U.K.—O2 Academy

October 31—Dublin, IE—3Arena

*festival performance

[lynniceberg]

The Ten Directions entry in the 48 Hour Film Project in St. Louis, MO August 2023. We were given the genre of "social media influencer" and our requirements were a character named Vance or Vanna Rashter, a toiletry kit as a prop, and the line "If you don't know, just say so." And, of course, to create the film in 48 hours. Produced by Dan Krumm Directed and edited by Lynn Berg Written by Jack Elias with Freddie Ardonne, Lynn Berg, Audrey Crabtree, Karen Elias, Jason Green, Dan Krumm, and Chris Raglin See the other credits in the movie.

Thanks for watching!

[queermarzipan]

Jan: Sigh No More - Joshua Berg, Hannah Warren Green

This is objectively incorrect. I am doing more sighing than ever before. My current levels of sighing are unprecedented and I have no intention of stopping anytime soon. This fact does not inspire great confidence in the accuracy of this experiment. 

Feb: We Didn't Start The Fire - Billy Joel

Things will Keep Happening. This is very on par for the world at large. My faith in this experiment has returned from the negatives. 

Mar: Bring Me To Life - Evanescence

This is worrying, if it applies to any of my recently-acquired friends. Or maybe I pass on the anomalocaris because we will need it in the coming times. Or it could mean more Good Omens brainrot. ...I'm leaning towards brainrot tbh. Sorry anomalocaris.

Apr: All Die Young - Smith Westerns

Worrying.

May: Ironic - Alanis Morissette

Mildly worrying to very worrying, depending on which bits you focus on. I am focusing on the mild ones. Pointedly.

Jun: We Are Young - fun.

Reflection and community abound. My friends and I are out drinking. I will not be considering any other interpretation at this time.

Jul: Fantasy - Mariah Carey

....right. Um. David Tennant, ig. Not getting over that anytime soon, so. Either that, or a truly incredible level of Friends to Lovers fic consumption. (I watched Free Guy 4 times in 7 days okay I have Associations.)

Aug: Ethanol - The Hex

UHMMM. WORRYING. I choose to believe, instead of applying this to me, that August 2024 is when my best friend @urlocalrockstar's (!!! Hey!!) band, The Hex, achieve an Insane Milestone That I Never Even Considered (they were already on the radio!! The Radio!!!!!! AAAAAA)

Sep: Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - They Might Be Giants

Is this more tua brainrot. I think this is more tua brainrot. Fuck

Oct: Everyday - Buddy Holly

Woo Good Omens again

Nov: Doctor Who Theme - Murray Gold

Okay. Okay. I see how it is. You're just cslling me out publicly now huh

Dec: Across The Universe - The Beatles

Ohhh!! This is a staple of our Christmas singalong!! :D my faith in this experiment has breached the positives. ...Which I am realising now might not be the best news for me lmao. If it does turn out accurate, I hope August at least has to do with the Hex rather than my spontaneous alcoholism.

Tagging: @rainbowpopeworld @captainspectrumreportingforduty @whywouldiknow-that @ecrivainsolitaire @deepfriedanon @urlocalrockstar @ranboo20038

Btw go follow @urlocalrockstar, they barely ever use tumblr and it would spook them SO much to come back to a flood of followers lmao

i wanna start a tag game so: let your spotify predict your 2024!

shuffle your on repeat playlist, and the first twelve songs represent your 2024

january- guns and ships- hamilton (idek what this could represent but okay)

february- we fell in love in october- girl in red (PLEASE)

march- say no to this- hamilton (…i have nothing to say about this)

april- castles crumbling- taylor swift ft hayley williams (damnit sad month then?)

may- you’re losing me- taylor swift (FUCK TWO SAD MONTHS?? breakup songs are even worse now that im actually in a relationship. please. better not be accurate)

june- astronomy- conan gray (please stop why am i having so many sad songs)

july- stoned- ed sheeran (oh fuck this)

august- new year’s day- taylor swift (hm okay. idk what to say about this)

september- heather- conan gray (i consider heather to be a happy song AND it’s mine and my partners song so i’m taking this as a good one)

october- 18- one direction (yessss we’re going okay now)

november- king of my heart- taylor swift (YESSS)

december- all too well (ten minute version)- taylor swift (i take it back ugh)

no pressure tags!!- @autumnleavesforwinter @weeping-in-the-willows @swiftieannah @felizusnavidad @jittyjames @anixknowsnothin (please help me get this off the ground, but also if this flops you saw nothing)

[lboogie1906]

Eligio Sardiñas Montalvo (January 6, 1910 – August 8, 1988), known as Kid Chocolate, was a Cuban boxer who enjoyed great success both in the boxing ring and outside it during the 1930s. He was nicknamed The Cuban Bon Bon and learned how to fight by watching old fight films in Cuba. He sparred with boxers such as Benny Leonard and Jack Johnson, all world champions, before beginning an amateur boxing career. He had no fear and would actively engage in fights outside the ring with anyone who wanted it. His professional boxing debut, officially, occurred on December 8, 1927, when he beat Johnny Cruz in six rounds in Havana. After going up in weight class to the Junior Lightweight division, he started 1931 by winning four fights in a row. On July 15, his dream of becoming Cuba's first world boxing champion finally came true, he knocked out the defending world Junior Lightweight champion Benny Bass in seven rounds to take the world title. Five non-title wins followed, including a first-round knockout in a rematch with Scalfaro. He finished the year by going up in weight, and challenging world Lightweight champion Tony Canzoneri, losing by a decision in 15 in his first attempt to gain the Lightweight crown. He started 1932 by winning his first eight bouts, including a world title defense in Havana against Davie Abad, beaten in 15 by decision. Then, he faced "Kid" Berg in a rematch, losing again, this time by a decision in 15. He engaged in seven more bouts, including two decision wins over Johnny Farr, before fighting Lew Feldman on October 13. The fight was recognized as a world Featherweight title bout, but only by the New York state athletic commission. He won by a knockout in 12 rounds, gaining the New York World title. He defended that world title twice, including a third fight with LaBarba, before relinquishing it while in the middle of a European boxing tour that took him to Madrid, Barcelona, and Paris. He won all of his fights on that tour by decision. Upon returning to America, he lost by a knockout in two in a rematch with Canzoneri. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CnEulhdr4v_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[augustbergus]

Danish Design Watch Straps: Perfect Blend of Form and Function.

[histoireettralala]

The Confederation of the Rhine

British victories at Trafalgar and Maida did not change the fact that by 1806 the Third Coalition lay in tatters and Napoleon dominated the European continent. When William Pitt received the news of Austerlitz, he pointed to a map of Europe hanging on a wall of his cabinet room and asked for it to be removed. "Roll up that map", he supposedly said. "It will not be wanted these ten years." Pitt was right. The triumphs at Ulm and Austerlitz made Napoleon supreme in Italy and southern Germany and gave him a free hand to redraw the political map of Europe. On December 26, 1805, Austria signed a new peace at Pressburg (present-day Bratislava). In addition to confirming French gains made in the previous Treaties of Campo Formio and Lunéville, the Habsburgs were required to surrender all remaining Austrian possessions in Italy, including Venice and its hinterlands, and pay a vast war indemnity. France's allies, Bavaria, Baden and Wurttemberg, were all rewarded for their loyalty and support with Austrian territories in the Tyrol and southern Germany. Thus the Treaty of Pressburg marked an end to the Habsburg influence in Germany and henceforth completely excluded them from Italy. The Holy Roman Empereur, Francis II, helplessly watched the demise of the political institution that his predecessors had toiled so hard to maintain.

The French emperor could have concentrated on consolidating his vast gains. Instead he pursued even more grandiose plans. The French army was kept intact in Germany at German expanse while Napoleon busied himself with extracting contributions from Austria, Spain, Switzerland, and German and Italian states, reorganizing the Batavian Republic into a monarchy, placing his brothers on royal thrones (Joseph in Naples, Louis in Holland), and rewarding his loyal officers with new titles and fiefs in Germany and Italy. Furthermore, even in peace, the emperor was keen on expanding his realm, redrawing borders in northeast Italy and directing French intrusions into Istria and Dalmatia.

As had been the case in 1800-1801, the most profound changes occured in Germany. In the aftermath of the Third Coalition's demise, the Imperial Reichstag was abolished (January 20, 1806), enabling Napoleon to launch a new wave of reorganization of German states. In March he established the first of a new set of minor German states, to be ruled by members of his family; the newly formed Grand Duchy of Berg was given to his brother-in-law, Marshal Murat. More important, the emperor made steps twoard a wholesale transformation of the Holy Roman Empire into a French-dominated German political entity that could serve as a buffer against Prussia and Austria, a market for French goods, and a source of military manpower for the empire. The Confederation of the Rhine (Rheinbund/ Confédération du Rhin) came into formal being in July 1806 when German princes (Fürsten) accepted the Treaty of Paris and recognized Karl Theodor von Dalberg as "prince-primate" (Fürstenprimas) and Napoleon as the "protector" (Protektor). Among the original sixteen German states of the confederation were Bavaria, Württemberg, Hesse-Darmstadt, Baden, and Berg, all of which withdrew from the Holy Roman Empire on August 1, marking the effective end of the empire; five days later, the Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II, had no choice but to surrender the Habsburgs' ancient imperial dignity and proclaimed himself Emperor Francis I of Austria in its place. Almost a thousand years after its inception, the German Reich, in the words of historian Sam Mustafa, "died with a whimper." Twenty-three additional German states would eventually join the Confederation of the Rhine, with only Prussia and Austria, alongside the much smalled Danish Holstein and Swedish Pomerani a, remaining outside it.

The establishment of the Confederation was not just a product of Napoleon's ambition. It also reflected the fact that the south German states were deeply apprehensive of Austrian and Prussian ambitions and willing to support France in exchange for lands and titles. As an inducement for their support (though, in practice, that support was often effectively coerced), Napoleon generously rewarded his Bavarian, Wurttembergian, Badenese, and other allies. Austria was forced to recognize the elevation ot the electors of Bavaria (Maximilian Joseph) and Württemberg (Frederick II) to the rank of kings, releasing them, as well as the newly-minted grand dukes of Baden (Charles Frederick), Hesse-Darmstadt (Louis I), and Würzburg (Ferdinand I) from all feudal ties. Furthermore, these states were made larger by incorporating Kleinstaaten, the smaller imperial member states that the Imperial Recess had swept aside.

Yet such aggrandizement did not come cheaply for the German states, which had exchanged benevolent Austrian leadership for the far more constricting and effective hegemony of France. The confederation was, at its heart, a political-military alliance, and France extracted vast contributions in men and matériel from individual members. And the Rheinbund had a deep, long-term impact on Germany. With its establishment, Napoleon had unwittingly placed the first brick in the foundation of the future united Germany. The French interventions in Germany in 1801 and 1806 profoundly changed the German political reality, reducing the approximately three hundred duchies, ecclesiastical cities, electorates, principalities, to just three dozen states that were ultimately united in 1871. The formation of the Confederation of the Rhine was a crucial moment in the development of modern Germany.

Alexander Mikaberidze- The Napoleonic Wars, A Global History

[tiny-maus-boots]

Queen of Hearts pt 13

A/N: Always and first thank you to my bestie @chloes-yellow-cup for always doing the thing. and to @kimmania who always gives each chapter a thoughtful review. 

13.  

“Oh, my dear it’s so lovely of you to come to brunch. I was starting to feel a little put off you know. All those invitations you so politely refused. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.”

Stacie smiled and sipped her cool iced tea to give herself a moment. It was true, she had ignored all of Edith’s requests to have lunch. And yes, she had been avoiding the older woman. It was a matter of self-preservation really. Keeping up the appearance of normality around someone as observant as Edith Roussard-Ford was never easy. She had a keen eye and open ear to everything that happened to the biggest families in society.

“Well…I suppose I can be frank with you. Now…that things are…resolved.”

The old woman across from her nodded encouragement and leaned forward eager for any tidbit she could glean from Stacie. It was necessary even she’d rather not talk about life with Weston. When dealing with Edith you had to give some to get some.

“Of course, my dear. Dreadful business…”

“It was hard to get away…often times my only haven was my work. Weston was…” Stacie trailed off and cleared her throat. It wasn’t acting, the rush of anxiety she experienced just thinking about that time robbed her of speech. “Weston Whitman was a very controlling man. Controlling and more often than not…violent.”

It never got any easier admitting the truth of things but she raised her chin defiantly. Edith’s eyes widened slightly but her surprise was more about Stacie admitting it than the confirmation itself. She waited a beat for the other woman to ask what she knew was coming.

“Oh, dreadful. Just dreadful. And still…you never knew? There wasn’t a hint of suspicion about his true character?”

“Of his character, yes. Of his actual coming and goings and affairs…no. I had no knowledge of those terrible things. I shudder to think of him, under my roof, sleeping next to me self-satisfied with the blood of innocent women on his hands. What a joke I must have been to him with my work at the shelter, helping him keep up the façade unknowingly.”

“To think nothing of the scandal about the money.”

Of course, the money was far more important a topic than her public humiliation and shame. Stacie let her gaze drop demurely. Money was everything in this world, who had it, who needed it, and who stole it…

“I’ll admit Edith, I had some concerns about Weston’s business. He seemed edgy and evasive and he asked me to empty my personal safe…spending cash. Some jewelry. It was nothing that would ever pay back his investors.”

“I heard the federal agents seized everything. It’s a wonder you have a roof over your head, my dear.”

Stacie’s smile was brief and coy. “Much like oil and water, money and love simply do not mix. When you’re a Conrad you learn that at quite a young age.”

Edith leaned back to watch her carefully. Weighing all that she had learned and the earnestness in which Stacie had conveyed it. She could see the respect dawn in Edith’s gaze and when the woman leaned forward again it was with eager confidence.

“You may be a Conrad in name but you are Helene’s daughter in more than appearance. Your father barely had a nickel to his name when she ran off with him. Now there’s a scandal for you!”

It was surprising and Edith laughed gleefully when it showed on her face. She’d been raised her whole life on the presumption that her mother hand done what she had been expected to do. Money marries into money.

“Didn’t know that did you? She might have run off with August but she was no fool. Van der Berg family lawyers ensured he couldn’t take a dime of it.” Interesting. Stacie made a soft thoughtful sound and Edith continued unprompted. “You have to hand it to August. He made a name for himself. All that money is his by right…I suppose.”

Stacie’s brows came up and she tipped her head to the side. “You sound doubtful of that Edith.”

“I wouldn’t dream of speaking ill of your father, dear. I know you’re not close but there are some bonds that can’t be broken. Family bonds. You understand. I wouldn’t want you to have different opinions of your father. He’s done well by your mother.”

It was there, below the surface, begging to brought into the open. Stacie could feel it between them, brewing like a great storm. One little flicker of interest and it would come out. And then things would change forever between Stacie and August Conrad. And with that she was sure the tentative and fragile bridge she and her mother were building.

But if she were really like her mother, Helene would understand why she was doing this. At least that is what she hoped if this all ever came to light. Stacie let out a soft sigh and leaned back. She couldn’t out right ask about it, it had to be done delicately. Edith watched her work through the knowledge that there was something going on that she hadn’t been aware of. It was a careful dance baiting the woman to reveal more than what Stacie herself had given.

“Well, whatever my father is or is not doing, it’s nothing I know about. He and Weston shared that in common.”

“Ah yes. Thick as thieves those two…”

There it was. The hook Edith thought she was dropping in the water. Stacie batted her eyes in mild confusion, ignoring the slightly predatory smile on the old woman’s face. Her lip pouted out just enough to give the impression that she wasn’t making the leap entirely. Stacie smiled inwardly as Edith swallowed her own lure.

“Mind you, I’m not saying August is a thief, he’s merely an opportunist you see. He’s very good at knowing who to know. It’s how he made his fortune through the years. Nothing illegal in it exactly. Most would say it’s a shrewd bit of business.”

“But I don’t see how that could help him benefit from Weston’s…activities. Of course, he knows everyone, he’s a politician.”

“Hm indeed, indeed. Of course, he wouldn’t be involved in any such thing. Strike it from your thoughts, my dear.” The woman brushed a hand over her knuckles, and not for the first time during the conversation. Aubrey probably would have called the tell earlier but Stacie was proud of herself for picking it up now. “In any case I am quite sure Senator Grant and Warren Randall would lean very heavily on your father if they felt he was in any way responsible for Weston stealing their money.”

Stacie’s heart beat double time but she rolled her shoulders casually in a shrug. Jackson Grant and Warren Randall were her father’s closest confidants, present at every family function since as far back as she could remember. Uncle Jack had even gifted her the first horse she had ever owned. They were, in a fashion, family.

“I haven’t seen Uncle Jack in a few years. Not since his son Kodie and I went to Senior Prom together.”

It hadn’t been her choice of date, and the argument that had raged in the Conrad home had lasted three intolerable days, she and her mother butting heads on everything from the color of her dress to the way she wore her hair. Kodie wasn’t a bad guy and truthfully, he hadn’t wanted to go the dance with her any more than she had with them. But it had been arranged years before the event was even due to take place. In the end they both dutifully took their places next to each other for pictures in the foyer before escaping to the limo to get happily drunk on the well-stocked wet bar.

“I had almost forgotten about the blush of young love. I was worried about that boy for a while. You heard they caught him awhile back in a house full of street whores and enough cocaine to give that Tony Montana character a seizure.”

Her brows came up at that. It seemed unlike the boy she had known but people changed and it took more strength to keep from breaking under the family pressure than perhaps Kodie had. She let her curiosity at the topic glimmer to the surface.

“A house full of…he was the perfect gentleman at prom. I can hardly imagine that scene.”

“Who can say what’s gotten into that young man. If Jackson hadn’t gotten him a job at the Port of Los Angeles, he’d probably be in an out of rehab facilities I imagine.”

She could tell by the way Edith waved a hand dismissively that Kodie wasn’t worth the energy to think on. Stacie lifted a shoulder casually giving it the appropriate gesture of disinterest that was expected. There wasn’t much more to gain from digging further. Eventually Edith would wonder why she was so eager to gossip about the families. It was better to go on to something everyone knew.

“Speaking of rehab, did you know Tristaan has a new line coming out now that he’s clean and sober? He plans to call it Clarity. I saw a sneak peek of some of the pieces and they are just gorgeous. You’d just adore the mother of pearl pin collection…”

The conversation shifted easily and she spent another hour enjoying the afternoon with Edith. She kept the tone of their topics light but her mind was turning over the information she’d gleaned. Stacie was willing to bet even money that Uncle Jack and Warren Randall were in on whatever Weston was into. Whatever business they had together scared Weston, enough to demand she empty her safe, liquidate assets…it was big. Big enough to ignore Weston’s predilection to torturing and murdering women. Stacie knew there was a bigger play on the table, she could feel it even if she couldn’t see it yet. They needed more information and she knew just which card to play. She waved one last time to Edith as she slid into the backseat of the SUV.

“Home?”

She gave Happy a distracted nod that the blonde smiled at before turning to put the car in gear. “Who do we know in drugs?”

Happy’s bright eyes cut to her quickly in the rearview mirror with curiosity. She was weighing the request to see if Stacie was joking or not. After a second she gave a delicate grunt and focused on the road.

“Depends on how much of what you’re looking for.”

“Enough cocaine to make Tony Montana have a seizure.”

This time the eyes panned up in a slow disbelieving arc. Stacie smiled widely and gestured to the street to remind the other woman to keep her focus where it needed to be.

“We might know a guy…”

“Good. Aubrey’s going to want to talk to him.”

“I’ll make it happen, boss.”

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

I Finally Got Those Soul Contracts....Also I think Devildice Matches That Song I Fell In Love With The Devil

on November 9, 2021...

I finally got Cagney Carnation, Ribby and Croaks's Soul Contracts.

I'm glad I finally got Goopy, Root Pack, Hilda Berg, Cagney Carnation, Ribby & Croaks's Soul Contracts....

I still don't like how the HP starts out so low, I mean it isn't my favorite....

but I'm happy I finally got almost all the Soul Contracts from the first world.... well all but Wally Warbles's Soul Contract, if his kid is called "Wally" too,

but like "Wally Jr." can't I just call Wally Warbles Sr. by "Wallace"

and call his son by "Wally".....?

I know at some point when I do get all the Soul Contracts from all the worlds on Inkwell Isle, I will have to face King Dice and Devil.

the song that would fit King Dice, would be I Fell In Love With The Devil by Avril Lavigne. cause of the Devildice ship.

it be interesting if the Backstreet Boys song "I Want It That Way" was sang by some of the Cuphead Chracters, in that one meme.

but it's like Mugman that has to identify which one of them killed Cuphead.

I died so many times trying to get Cagney, Hilda and Ribby & Croaks’s Soul Contracts......which can be true for a lot of fans of the game that ended up being killed by those guys.

well at least I was able to beat Cagney by myself, though I did try to have Two-Player, and going with the simple only didn’t really give you a Soul Contract....

but I was able to get his Soul Contract by going Solo, which I’m happy that happen.

I didn’t really have confidence that I could do it by myself....

I know what song I would like to tease King Dice and Devil with,

another way to scream at them “HURRY UP AND LOCK IT UP ALREADY”

hurry up and smooch each other, Lock It up, King Dice/Devil, Lock It up!

I can be weird.....but it is what keeps me happy and sane.

it’s better than having the days where I don’t feel all that great...

but at least it’s better than the whole 2015 and 2016 incident.

though this year still sucked because of what happen on March, as well as August to September....

if it does turn out that Cuphead does have a type of One-Sided Crush on King Dice, does that mean he is Bi or Pan....?

I’m not sure, but him having a crush on King Dice in that new show, could still be a rumor and might not be true at all.

we fans will have to wait and see.

I’m still happy that I was able to get the Soul Contracts, the ones that I started out with was those Root Pack and even Goopy’s Soul Contracts, which compared to the others I finally got, were more easy.

trying to get those Soul Contracts in that Cuphead Game isn’t very easy....

love the game, but hate the low HP we the Players are made to start out with.

maybe when I get all the soul contracts, I wont go face King Dice or the Devil, and will just keep them, Lol.

but then again, I guess I will have to face them when I do get all the soul contracts.....I think I still want to try to watch more of the walkthrough of the game too.

[logi1974]

Island 2021 - Tag 14 Teil 1

Herrschaften!

Manchmal muss man auch mal Glück haben....

Als wir gestern Nachmittag die Whale-Watching-Tour für heute buchen wollten, bot uns die Mitarbeiterin gleich die Tour um 9 Uhr an. Allerdings hatten wir da  schon den Wetterbericht konsultiert und wussten, dass der Morgen bedeckt sein würde.

Also entschieden wir uns für die Tour, die am Mittag startet. Da sollte sich die Wolkendecke in der Bucht von Akureyri verzogen haben - und so war es auch.

Bis zur Waltour trödelten wir in unserem Studio herum. Sortierten unseren ganzen Kram einmal ordentlich, damit man auch irgendwann einmal etwas wieder finden kann.

Die Ferienanlage befindet sich fußläufig zum Krankenhaus (etwa 400 Meter) und zum Botanischen Garten (etwa 700 Meter). 

Von unserem Balkon blicken wir auf die Berge und die Bucht. Und was sehe ich plötzlich in der Bucht? Ist das ein Kreuzfahrtschiff, da links in der Ecke?

Natürlich, die Viking Jupiter liegt in Akureyri. Hoffentlich machen die nicht auch alle die Tour mit. Wir befürchteten schon das Schlimmste!

Akureyri befindet sich am Eyjafjord, ein langer und relativ schmaler Fjord, umgeben von malerischen Bergen, die tatsächlich teilweise noch Schnee haben.

In den Gewässern rund um Island gibt es mehr als 20 Walarten und ungefähr 8 die man auf einer Walbeobachtung sehen und erleben kann, weshalb sich eine Waltour auf Island auf jeden Fall lohnt!

Die Gewässer sind hauptsächlich von Buckelwalen bevölkert, doch auch Zwergwale, Delfine, Schweinswale, Robben und sogar Orcas können hier gesichtet werden.

Wale kann man bei Island ganzjährig sehen und der Norden ist das eigentliche Eldorado für die Walbeobachtung.

Es gibt allerdings bessere und schlechtere Zeiten, das kann man eindeutig sagen.

Im Winter wandern die Tiere, insbesondere die größeren Exemplare, nach Süden/Westen und verlassen die Gewässer rund um Island mehr oder weniger.

Im Sommer kehren sie dann zurück und nutzen die nahrungsreichen Gewässer rund um Island zum Fressen.

Angeblich sei die beste Zeit zum Whale Watching in Island ist die Zeit zwischen Juni bis August, so sagte man uns.

In dieser Zeit sind die meisten großen Walarten in den Gewässern rund um Island unterwegs und auch aktiv.

Das heißt sie fressen tagsüber und sind dadurch oft an der Oberfläche zu sehen. Auch kehren sie in dieser Zeit regelmäßig zu denselben Orten zurück, an denen sie schon vorher waren.

In dem Sommermonaten haben die Unternehmen Sichtungsquoten von nahezu 100%, nur an ganz wenigen Tagen werden keine Wale gesehen.

Die Chance auf eine Sichtung von Delfinen und Zwerg- und Buckelwalen ist demnach recht hoch. Bei einigen Touren sollen sogar Blau- oder Finnwale gesichtet worden sein!

Die Quoten im Winter sind niedriger und oft nur deshalb im Bereich über 90% weil eben auch eine kurze Sichtung als solche eingetragen wird.

Die meisten Anbieter haben jedoch die Regel, falls man keine Delfine oder Wale sieht, man noch einmal später kostenlos an einer weiteren Whale-Watching-Tour teilnehmen kann.

Wir entschieden uns auch deshalb für den Anbieter “Elding”, da dieser noch über eine Niederlassung in Reykjavik verfügt - und für den Fall der Fälle, hätten wir dann dort die Gutschrift einlösen können.

Wer also Island besucht und dabei auch in den Norden kommt, der sollte die Walbeobachtung auf jeden Fall hier einplanen!

Zudem ist die umgebene Landschaft schön in den von Bergen eingerahmten Buchten- und Fjordlandschaften. Das ist wirklich ein einmaliges Erlebnis.

Die Guides sind Experten darin, die Wale aufzuspüren und geben spannende Informationen über sie weiter.

Das für diese Tour genutzte Schiff ist das einzige Hochgeschwindigkeits-Boot in Island, das speziell für die Walbeobachtung optimiert ist. Es bietet Platz für 200 Personen und einen fabelhaften Blick von der Panorama-Aussichtsplattform.

Langsam setzt sich das Schiff in Bewegung, mit dem Wind hat das noch nichts zu tun. Bis wir aus der Bucht heraus sind, bollert das Triebwerk unter dem Boden.

Die Reise geht nach Norden und an Bord ist man zunächst noch entspannt, die Kameras & Handys sind noch verpackt. Am Horizont zeichnen sich kleine schwarze Punkte ab. Wer ein gutes Objektiv hat, kann Vögel erkennen.

Ich mache es mir unter Deck gemütlich und warte ab, bis die Ersten, der meist nur leicht bekleideten Mitfahrer, hier aufschlagen und sich die bereit liegenden Decken und Overalls ausleihen.

Der Erste kommt schon, da sind wir noch keine 10 Meter gefahren. Tja, hätte er doch mal auf die Mitarbeiter/innen gehört “dress warmly!” Wir sind hier nicht in Namibia - und selbst da wird es auf den Booten in der Walvis Bay rattenkalt.

Wenn die Wale da sind, wird uns erklärt, dann sieht man Möwen. Denn die Möwen laben sich an den “Leftovers” der Wale. Alle sollen gucken. Alle gucken! Nichts, keine Möwen. Aber Schwäne!

Da hinten ist doch was? Ein kleiner länglicher, schwarzer Fleck im Wasser.

Eine ganze Delfinschule mit Babies! Wir sind hin und weg!

Wir beobachten die Delfine eine Weile ....

... plötzlich kommen noch mehr Boote in Sicht...

...jetzt wird es spannend...

.... die Lage spitzt sich zu ...

Es schnauft laut auf der anderen Seite des Schiffes. Alle drehen sich um und stürzen in Richtung des Geräusches:

Alle wechseln die Seite. Es mutet satirisch an und es wird nicht das letzte Mal für heute bleiben.

Kurz darauf ist das Schiff auf einer Höhe mit dem großen Besucher und die Rückenflosse durchbricht ruhig und kräftig die Wasseroberfläche, gefolgt von der großen Schwanzflosse, die sanft zurück ins Wasser gleitet.

Und noch ein zweiter Buckelwal kommt ins Bild:

Wir sind begeistert. Die 85 Euro pro Person für die knapp 4-stündige Tour haben sich für uns gelohnt.

Wir fahren zurück nach Akureyri. Dort ist der Badebetrieb am Hafen in “full swing”:

Was sind wir doch für Memmen mit unseren ganzen Klamotten, die wir an haben.

16 Grad Lufttemperatur ist vollkommen ausreichend .....

[csnews]

Innovative New Whale Detection System Aims to Prevent Ships From Striking Animals

Alex Fox, September 17, 2020

Southern California is home to the busiest port complex in the U.S. Nearly 500 ships passed through the 24-mile-wide Santa Barbara Channel en route to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in August alone. The same strip of water also hosts droves of giant whales. In summer, over the course of a single day, whale watching outfits routinely spot as many as 15 blue whales, many nearly 100 feet long, feeding in the channel alongside humpback whales and thousands of dolphins. This overlap creates an environment where ships sometimes strike and kill endangered blue, humpback and fin whales. The last two years have set successive records for the most whales killed by ship strikes off the California coast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with 21 whales dying by the hulls of ships in 2018 and 2019 combined.

And researchers say that’s likely to be just a fraction of the true death toll. A 2017 paper published in the journal PLOS One estimated that more than 80 endangered whales are killed by ships each year along the U.S. West Coast. The same paper suggests NOAA and whale researchers may only find between 5 and 17 percent of the whales whose bodies have been broken by the bow of a ship, because their corpses tend to sink to the bottom rather than washing ashore. The fatal collisions scientists do record are often grisly. Many times a vessel will coast into port unaware of the pulverized whale draped across its bow. The ships are so large, many are 15 stories tall and more than 1,000 feet long, that they typically have no idea what’s happened until they reach port.

“I’ve seen the damage that a ship strike can do and it’s massive and traumatic,” says Nick Pyenson, the Curator of Fossil Marine Mammals at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and author of the book Spying on Whales. “I’ve seen fractures that run clear across a 20-foot skull, jaw bones that have been snapped and cracked. If it’s not immediate death it’s horrific suffering that typically ends in death.”

Now, a team of researchers is launching an innovative new whale detection system called Whale Safe in Southern California waters to help mariners avoid collisions with the marine mammals and to grade shipping companies on their whale safety. The system produces daily alerts informing subscribers how likely ships are to encounter whales in the Santa Barbara Channel as well as a web-based interactive map showing the locations of individual whale detections. The team has shared the tool with key shipping companies, and officials at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach who are expected to share news of the launch.

The goal of Whale Safe is to provide mariners with the best, most up-to-date information available and to create more awareness, says Doug McCauley, a marine scientist at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) and director of its Benioff Ocean Initiative, which is launching and funding the project in collaboration with other research institutions. “These are 100-year-old animals that are ecosystem engineers carrying around thousands of trees worth of carbon and they’re being run over out there,” he says. “We want to help incentivize the people and companies who want to do the right thing to actually do it and be recognized for it.”

Whale Safe creates a near real-time map of where whales are swimming and how likely ships are to encounter them using data from three cutting-edge sources. First, a buoy equipped with an underwater microphone listens for whale songs in the Santa Barbara Channel and uses an algorithm to automatically identify the calls of humpback, fin and blue whales before beaming the detection to a satellite. Second, trained observers and citizen scientists use a smartphone app to report whale sightings from boats. Third, a newly developed mathematical model uses information gleaned from years of blue whale tagging studies and the latest oceanographic data (such as sea surface temperature and ocean currents) to predict where blue whales are most likely to be.

These three streams of data are all integrated in a single streamlined platform accessible via the web. “The combination of methods is ideal,” says Jaime Jahncke, a marine scientist at Point Blue Conservation Science who was not involved in the Whale Safe project. “Acoustic detection alone is not perfect and modelling alone is not perfect but the combination makes it much more robust. The multiple layers of data help give mariners the clearest picture of where whales are and could make Whale Safe very effective if mariners use it.”

In their preliminary conversations with shipping companies, McCauley says the Whale Safe team has gotten a lot of interest, but no commitments to use the platform right out of the box. Most companies want to take a look at the website and the alerts and see how the whole thing works before taking it on board.

“Nobody wants to hit a whale so whatever we can do to mitigate that we’re excited to pursue,” says John Berge, a vice president with the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association. “More and better data is always an improvement. Having a better idea of where whales are and their concentrations at certain times of year will allow ships to make more dynamic speed and routing decisions.”

Following its launch today, Whale Safe could see a wide range of user groups, says Morgan Visalli, a marine scientist at UCSB who led the Whale Safe project. Curious scientists or members of the public might peruse the locations of whales off their coast, while port officials or the U.S. Coast Guard may decide to push out alerts to ships in their area based on whale detections made by the system. In the case of the shipping industry, Visalli says some companies have indicated it would work best for them if an operations manager on shore signs up to receive the data, and then disseminates it amongst their fleet. Visalli adds that the Whale Safe team is anxious for feedback once more mariners are able to interact with the system.

Some parts of the Whale Safe are already in use in other parts of the world. Acoustic whale detection systems are in use on the East Coast of the U.S. and an app called Whale Alert has been mapping the locations of sightings by humans on the West Coast since 2014. But Whale Safe is the first platform to bring all the best available, near real-time data on whales under one digital roof. Sean Hastings, the resource protection coordinator for NOAA’s Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, says Whale Safe combines layers of data in a matter of hours that might have once taken his team up to a month to merge.

In the Santa Barbara Channel, where Whale Safe’s efforts are concentrated, shipping lanes have been shifted to avoid whales and what’s known as a voluntary speed reduction zone was put into effect in 2007 in response to the deaths of five blue whales killed by ship strikes in just a few months. These voluntary speed limits currently request that ships slow down to 10 knots during whale season, which usually runs from May to November. But even after a more than a decade on the books and various incentive programs only 44 percent of ships slowed down on their way into the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in 2019. Near San Francisco Bay, cooperation is only slightly better at around 50 percent.

Berge says the ships that don’t slow down may be more concerned with adhering to a strict schedule, may be unfamiliar with local regulations or may in fact be slowing down, just not all the way to 10 knots. “I like to think that continual outreach on this topic will continue to boost the compliance,” he says.

Scientists say slowing down makes the impacts that do occur less deadly and may give the whales and the ships a better opportunity to avoid the collision in the first place. “I think of whales as being like giant kids,” says McCauley. “If they’re wrapped up in feeding and socializing, they’re not focused on looking out for ships. We ask cars to slow down around schools to keep kids safe, and these speed restrictions for whales are the same idea.”

Research suggests mandatory slow down zones aimed at protecting the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale have had some positive results. A forthcoming paper by researchers with Point Blue estimates that if 95 percent of ships slowed down in the voluntary speed reduction zones off San Francisco it could decrease humpback and blue whale deaths by as much as 30 percent.

Many whale species have made historic recoveries after being nearly exterminated by human hunting, but those recoveries aren’t bulletproof. When it comes to endangered blue whales in the eastern Pacific, even one whale is significant. “NOAA’s most recent assessment for blue whales says that if we lose more than one animal each year, which we do, then we’re not meeting our population growth targets,” says Hastings.

Whale Safe will be issuing report cards for shipping companies based on their vessels’ cooperation with the voluntary speed reduction zone that NOAA seasonally activates in the Santa Barbara Channel in hopes of reducing fatal ship strikes. Whale Safe uses public location data transmitted by special transponders on ships to calculate their speeds and judge whether they slow down when they’re steaming through the whales’ dining room.

Though the results are only now available to the public, Whale Safe has already produced some assessments for shipping companies’ adherence to the slow-down zones in 2020. The world’s second largest shipping company, Mediterranean Shipping Company, gets an “A.” Its vessels slowed down to the requested ten knots in the voluntary speed reduction zones 94 percent of the time. Meanwhile, Ocean Network Express, the sixth largest shipping company in the world, gets a “D” for only backing off on the throttle for whales 35 percent of the time.

McCauley points out that if the system helps motivate more vessels to slow down for whales, humans will reap benefits too. When ships slow down they burn less fuel, which cuts down on their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions and the release of pollutants like nitrogen and sulphur oxides.

Hastings says Whale Safe could also help inform other interventions like amending the paths of the shipping lanes themselves or extending the envelope of speed reduction zones. If Whale Safe proves effective during its first year of deployment, the Bay Area could be its next stop. But the biggest question surrounding the project’s ability to make an initial impact is whether it results in more ships reducing their speed when whales are present.

“I’m hopeful that the added confidence that Whale Safe will bring to say ‘Hey there really are whales here today’ will encourage more shipping companies to slow down,” says Hastings. “But it also provides resource managers like myself with amazing data to assess whether these speed reductions should become mandatory. Because while we’re grateful for the cooperation we’ve gotten with the voluntary speed reduction program so far, it’s not good enough.”

[ewdaviddd]

folklore think piece

for a lower case album such as this, i will be writing a lowercase think piece on the subject. i will not explain why. you get it or you don’t.

the 1: i have never been in love or any type of romantic relationship that left me with lasting feelings of any kind. but, on my fourth listen through of this song today, what once was just a promising and fun intro to this peasant girl summer gut punch, brought me to actual tears as i sat on the toilet in my lime green childhood bathroom as if i were mourning the one that got away (another great song). however, i am an expert on being hung up on the past, the “what could have been”, and made up hypotheticals. this song also introduces the film motif seen a lot in this album. i think dating an actor has really gotten to her. anyway what a killer way to begin, top notch stuff. how can a song be so fun and so soul crushing at the same time?

cardigan: when did taylor wear black lipstick? this is important to me. an old cardigan is an inherently bisexual article of clothing. that is not an opinion. i read it somewhere today and i believe it. this is the tip of the queer-coding ice berg in folklore, never fear. another reference, “tried to change the ending / peter losing wendy”. this year i wrote a movie script where both peter and wendy were both gay. coincidence? probably. basically this one is classic taylor poetry on every level and it being one of a trio in a larger story makes it that much better. yet again, high school romance is not a universal experience (like for me for instance) but haunting my “what-ifs” is going to haunt me for a long time. and the thought of someone saying i was their favorite cardigan makes me want to scream into a pillow.

the last great american dynasty: my favorite ts songs have always been the ones with detailed characters and stories and this one introduces the trope of the “mad woman” who comes back later on as well a long with many fun character details. at first this song is just cheeky and cute, very visual, a fun world to jump into. but then this particular stretch of lines makes your heart drop into your chest and reminds you why taylor isn’t just always fun and always cute and always creative, she also holds the ability to nimbly sock you in the gut when you least expect: “fifty years is a long time / holiday house sat quietly on that beach / free of women with madness, their men and bad habits / and then it was bought by me.” my jaw is still on the floor. and i’ve never bought a house myself. but i’ve spent numerous christmases having a marvelous time ruining everything (so i’ve been told) so this song still applies to my life.

exile (ft. bon iver): i’m gonna be honest. for as long as i can remember i have strongly disliked bon iver and i never remembered why. it is a matter of principle at this point. i just don’t trust him. but then taylor announced she wrote a song with him which filled me with tremendous anxiety. but i can rest easy. much like “the last time” this song is a ts and male artist collaboration i can get behind. also the film motif again: the only time i’ve left a theatre when i didn’t like a movie was never because movie tickets are so expensive and if i’m shelling out 11 dollars to sit in a chair, i’m staying the whole time no matter how bad the ending. but i probably would have left my sister’s keeper if i had seen it before if i’m being honest. so i get it. thats why i read spoilers for everything i watch before watching it, because the anxiety of worrying about how it ends make me not enjoy it in the first place. the end of this song: the call and response felt… ethereal? i felt like i was watching a broadway musical from the splash zone seats, crying as i was spat on.

my tears ricochet: this song is what i picture stepping outside in the middle of the night when an inch or so of snow has just fallen and i can see the flakes fall in front of a street light sounds like. or the scorned secret ex lover throwing themselves onto the coffin demanding to know why they weren’t enough.   which is to say it feels like a sign from some sort of god. yet again, haunting is brought up, an overt reference to the fact that this album will live in my brain rent free for eternity. for some reason this song reminds me of the relationship between hamilton and burr when burr kills hamilton. that could be because i just watched the disney+ recording last week. one lives, one dies, but neither survive, both pay for it. Which is a super romantic and understanding view on murder. both musical experiences equally chilling and moving. if i die under mysterious circumstances this will for sure be played at the funeral.

mirrorball: first off, this is my mom's favorite which is very important. also, it has skewered a very specific but also universal insecurity of mine; existing just to please others and yet miserably failing. it is comforting that ts is not a “natural’ and feels she must always “try try try” because i too lack natural ability, but also rarely “try” even just the one time. the best way i can describe listening to this song is walking through a silent disco where everyone else is listening to some classic lady gaga jam and you are listening to a calming lullaby sung very far away. but don’t let the soothing sounds fool you. it still will have you reflecting on what it means to look and be looked at. a dark rabbit whole, like falling through the looking glass. i’ve never actually read that book though so i could be wrong.

seven: i’m dumb and on my first listen of this song i thought she “hit her peak” at 7 clock as opposed to age seven. but i always saw taylor swift as someone with an early bedtime. also a fun discovery while writing this, “seven” is the 7th song on the track list. clever. although this song is young and innocent and so nostalgic for a time when screaming ferociously was a widely accepted form of expression, it also sounds like a very old secret someone is whispering to me. a love from long ago that lasts beyond the person being in your life, passed down to me and it all just sounds a little gay. not just because of the specific line to hiding in the closet. but that certainly doesn’t go unnoticed. when i was seven i was definitely in love with girls and assumed that was just what friendship was, playing pirates and making plans of running away together.

august: the eighth track for the eighth month. her mind. also my birth month so that’s special. controversial opinion: from what i’ve read most people seem to think illicit affair is the third song in the triage of teen love. i will strongly make the case that it's actually this one. first of all, the subject: a short lived summer fling, which is specifically mentioned later in “betty”. the central heartbreak of this song is liking someone who always belonged to someone else. yes, this song is a window into a different summer, far from pandemic central and the escapist imagery is delightful. but a whole song from the pov of the “other woman” to james and betty is just so much more fun. and there are two more specific lyrics that prove my point. “remember when i pulled up and said "get in the car”” you will see later comes back from the other person’s perspective. and most of all: the repeated line, “meet me behind the mall”? only teenagers make plans to meet up behind a mall. i rest my case. so now we have cardigan and august. two pieces of the puzzle.

this is me trying: i’m glad i now have a succinct message to send to anyone when they ask me what the hell i’m doing at any given moment. this song just sounds like regret and waste in the most self-assured and confident way. this is “back to december” with the training wheels off.  i have no apologies for my efforts at wasting all my potential. but in this song, taylor has opened her arms to me in a warm embrace and has forgiven me for all i’ve done wrong and reminds me to not take for granted the “try”. okay mom. i’m crying again, but okay.

illicit affair: this is the kind of thing that makes you feel sixteen, living in a dull suburb, while secretly screwing your 38 year old married neighbor who’s rich but wants to be an artiste. aka like a character in euphoria or something. it’s sexy and dangerous until you think about it and then it's just dingy and creepy. but this song starts and stays beautiful. most importantly, this song is too sad and depressing frankly, to be a part of the trilogy. we could never forgive james for leaving such a mess and making her a fool. you don’t want to be this girl. you want to walk up to her and shake her and yell “you exist and will not be ruined by any dumb man”. and that’s feminism.

invisible string: is it reductive if i say this one’s about joe? all my non-stan friends have asked me which ones are about him. we forgive them and point them in this direction. because it is lovely and beautiful that we are all tied to our soulmate for our whole lives before we ever meet them (because that would in fact mean that there is someone out there for everyone which might be naive or dumb but i am both of those things and whats the point of living if you don’t believe in the power of love). this honestly gives me “begin again” vibes in the best way. it’s red-era level with the wisdom of lover-era tay. sublime.

mad woman: the second mention of the “mad woman” as both taylor herself and the character in the story. as usual, tay stays calling out double standards and the manipulation of women into “going crazy” for expressing reasonable anger. I, personally, wish i could say “fuck you forever” without someone saying i’m “overreacting”. this is my least favorite song on the album and i’d still listen to it three times in a row and need to resist the urge to set a man’s lawn on fire. just girly things.

epiphany: i know she said this one is about her grandfather’s experience in the military but all i imagine is a slow montage of harry style’s character in “dunkirk” on the beach. and it’s beautiful. and much like my sophomore in high school self reading “all quiet on the western front” it evokes a pain from deep inside me that engulfs a loss i could never describe and a sadness too awful to witness. you will listen to this song and feel absolutely powerless to the will of the universe and it’s cruelty. and the faint but steady heart monitor beep in the background… i’ve never seen “grey’s anatomy” but i can imagine why it has so many fans sobbing. and let me end on this: two soldiers in some old war (meaning both men based on dunkirk) watching each other like this and living and dying together…gay.

betty: the first verse was pulled directly out of my subconscious fantasy of being in love in high school and it being so wonderful and painful and dramatic. and taylor riding a skateboard… is a mood. the song has been out for less than a week and it’s already a cold take to talk about how this is her gayest song to date (close runner-ups being reputation’s “dress” and “cardigan”). but of course i will still talk about it. the lyrics embody such authentic awkward gay energy (see the lesbian in booksmart for reference) and having been a 17 year old only three years ago, i can say with reasonably good authority that no 17 year old straight boy could stand in front of a crowd of peers and beg forgiveness from a girl he hurt. it’s just not realistic. these are all awkward, over-dramatic, young girls stumbling through love. and it’s awesome. james is the speaker of this song, and the subject of “august”, the summer fling that was never truly there due to james’ love for betty, the titular role of this song. thus completing the love triangle. and there are so many obvious references in this song to both “august” and “cardigan”. rhyming cardigan with car again makes me want to light myself on fire in the best way. i love it. “i dreamt of you all summer long” is the final nail in the coffin for the girl in “august” who was clearly just a place-holder. totally separate from taylor swift, my favorite word is porch. so the amount of times it appears in her lyrics is wonderful. say it out loud. it just feels nice. anyway, this song makes me want to be young and dumb and in love. the second can really only be tolerated because of the first and third. i hope the story has a happy-ending. if james were a boy i’d wish him the plague.

peace: the coming-of-age movie starring james and betty (and inez) is over. we have come to “the age” i guess. there’s a thought that’s gonna fester. if this song was just the line, “would it be enough if i could never give you peace?” over and over for four minutes it would still smash me to pulp and fill my body with helium gas. i can and will cause a car wreck when this comes on the aux. if this song is what being grown up is like (bare in mind grown up to me is like, 30) then i’m ready to be done coming of age. because i already worry if i’ll be at all enough for anyone and way too much for someone at the same time. but like all good poetry, this song isn’t about what it “means”, but how it “feels”. and this is new york city, the summer, pouring rain, a long walk home, desperately fearing and hoping they are there waiting for you.

hoax: a one-sided conversation between me and my stubborn clinical depression. i too, constantly stand alone on the cliff demanding a reason. one has not yet been presented. it operates both within and and against me. i could be bigger and stronger than it. but instead i tend to it like a prickly plant. (“no other sadness in the world will do”). there is nothing both sadder and funnier then the scene in “avatar: the last airbender” when prince zuko stands alone on a cliff screaming at the sky for lightning to strike him. i don’t know why this song reminds me so much of that. what a way to end such an emotional rollercoaster. it is so emotionally draining that it simply forces me to start folklore again from the top and listen to it all over again.  or take a long therapeutic nap.

there are no skips. and it will still surprise you on your 267th listen. proceed with caution.

i knew you, in a past life maybe. i have not met you yet, but folklore has made me believe you exist.

@taylorswift 10/10 good work

@taylornation this had to be shared and i don’t have a twitter so