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whywishesarehorses · 4 years ago

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A Mustang Crisis Looms in the West

With too many animals on public lands and too many on the public’s hands, the federal wild horse management program is short of money and palatable solutions.

By Dave Philipps Published March 22, 2020

CHALLIS, Idaho — Dawn broke over the peaks of the Lost River Range, revealing a chase in the wide open valley below. Seven wild horses crashed through the sage, dark manes billowing in the golden light, pursued by a government contractor in a glossy helicopter that dodged left and right like a mechanical Border collie, driving the band forward into a hidden corral.

Within hours, the captured mustangs had been sorted, loaded onto trucks to be stamped with an identification number and sent to the Bureau of Land Management’s wild horse storage system. And the helicopter was back out hounding the hills for more.

All over the West, similar scenes have played out as the federal government fights to control the number of wild horses roaming public lands. Managers say they need to keep the herds down so they don’t destroy delicate native species habitat and threaten the livelihoods of ranchers.

But in recent years, the Bureau of Land Management has been losing that fight on two fronts: It hasn’t been able to round up nearly enough horses to limit the wild population. And it doesn’t know what to do with the ones it has managed to capture.

The roundup operation itself is strikingly efficient — a helicopter and a few workers in jean jackets can catch scores of mustangs in a day. The bureau rounded up 7,300 in 2019.

But once they are caught, they have to be fed and cared for. And the costs and frictions of having so many animals on the government’s hands — 49,000 at last count — have pushed the whole wild horse program toward collapse.

The rented pastures and feed lots where they are kept now devour more than two-thirds of the program’s budget, leaving little money for anything else, including looking for ways to get the bureau out of its current fix.

Low on cash, the bureau cut roundups drastically in recent years. But officials acknowledge that the move just made matters worse, by allowing the population on the range to grow rapidly. There are now about 100,000 wild horses and burros on public lands — more than at any time since the days of the Old West. The government reckons the land can sustain only about 27,000.

Bureau officials warn that the mustang herds are a looming catastrophe for the land, and there is no cheap or obvious solution. Capturing all the excess horses and caring for them in storage for the rest of their lives could cost up to $3 billion. Doing nothing may prove costly, too.

“If we don’t get this controlled, it’s just going to get worse,” said Alan Shepherd, the on-range branch chief for the wild horse program. Mustangs have already destroyed fragile desert springs in some places, and the birds, snakes and butterflies that depend on them, he said: “We are going to get to the point where the public lands are going to be almost unusable by anything.”

Mr. Shepherd started his career 30 years ago working on an emergency roundup on the Nellis Air Force Base missile test range in southern Nevada, where drought and overpopulation killed thousands of mustangs.

Now, near the end of his career, he worries that more herds are headed for a similar collapse.

Wild horse welfare groups argue that the crisis is largely invented. They say the government sets its population targets artificially low to justify mass removals that serve the interests of cattle ranchers and distract from other public land policies that are far more damaging.

“It’s a bait and switch,” said Suzanne Roy, director of the American Wild Horse Campaign, a group that has lobbied against roundups. “They say wild horses are an existential threat; meanwhile, they are loosening regulation on energy extraction. We do agree that roundups are creating a crisis in management, but the claims of overpopulation and horses starving are just not borne out by on-the-ground observations. Generally, the horses are doing pretty good.”

Crisis or no crisis, the number of horses on the range has risen into uncharted territory. Mr. Shepherd estimated that while 7,300 horses were captured in 2019, 17,000 foals were born. “We’re not even keeping at status quo,” he said.

In the early frontier days, wild horses in the West were too numerous to count. Explorers saw herds running on the Great Plains, likening the sight to the roll of waves in the ocean. On early maps, vast areas were labeled simply as “wild horse desert.” Later, as the region was settled, the herds were hunted down. Many were shipped east to pull city streetcars in places like Manhattan. Others were slaughtered for dog food and fertilizer. By the 1960s, only a few thousand mustangs were left.

Congress granted federal protection in 1971 to the remaining herds, which were nearly all on Bureau of Land Management land. With few predators and no hunters to cull them, the herds began to rebound, and land managers realized in the 1980s that they were quickly outgrowing the patchwork of public land allotted to them. That is when the helicopter roundups began.

At first, the program appeared sustainable. The bureau publicized an adoption program that found homes for captured horses, and the wild population stayed relatively constant. But news reports in the 1990s revealed that most of the “adopted” horses were actually going to slaughter, often while bureau employees profited. Regulations were tightened, and a backlog of unwanted horses began to build up on rented pastures in the Midwest.

Some conservative lawmakers from rural districts have pushed the bureau to euthanize excess horses or sell them for slaughter, but those steps remain widely unpopular and have not gained traction in Congress.

The bureau has told lawmakers repeatedly that it could create a sustainable program if Congress budgeted enough money to reduce the wild population to 27,000. Three times in the past 30 years, Congress has done so. Each time, though, the efforts were tripped up by dizzying costs and lawsuits from animal welfare groups.

Now the bureau is asking again. William Perry Pendley, its acting director, is a longtime conservative activist and lawyer who sued the bureau a number of times on behalf of ranchers before entering the administration. In an interview, he said he favors a proposal to remove more than 70,000 horses from the range over five years.

“Right now, it’s the ‘Sorcerer’s Apprentice,’” he said. “We’re carrying water and not getting anywhere.”

The bureau is in talks to open two huge feedlots to hold thousands of horses. But it is unclear if Congress is willing to spend billions to store unwanted horses, especially if an economic downturn drains public funds. Bureau staff say privately that they expect the population on the range to continue to grow toward disaster.

It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. More than a decade ago, government auditors warned that the cost of storing captured horses would “overwhelm the program.” A 2013 report by the National Academy of Sciences urged the bureau to shift away from roundups and start using readily available and inexpensive fertility control drugs, which are typically administered by dart gun annually in the field.

Bureau leaders acknowledged the warnings and promised to embrace fertility control drugs, but their use actually declined in the years after the report. Less than 1 percent of the program’s current budget is spent on them.

Nearly all of the fertility control now happening on wild horse ranges is done by local volunteers, often retirees, who have learned to wield dart guns in the field.

That includes Andrea Macki, a visual artist who has been darting horses in the Challis herd for more than five years. She says the fertility control treatments have slowed reproduction rates by half, and could do more.

“It’s the obvious solution,” she said as she squinted through the dawn light to watch the helicopter rounding up horses she knew. “I wish the B.L.M. would invest in it, instead of all this.”

Bureau officials say that darting tens of thousands of horses in the field each year is not practical, and would take years to shrink the herds as much as a roundup can in a few days. Congress approved a $21 million increase in the wild horse program’s budget for this year, with the stipulation that the money would be released only when the bureau submitted a five-year plan that includes increases in both roundups and fertility control.

The bureau has also taken steps to dispose of captured horses, including deals that may be sending horses quietly to slaughter. It has ramped up sales of horses it deems unadoptable, charging $25 a head. In 2019 it sold 1,967 that way, often by the truckload in bulk sales; officials have refused to say who the buyers were.

Mr. Shepherd say the bureau tries to screen out slaughter buyers, but acknowledged that it does nothing to monitor the fate of horses after sale.

The bureau also created a program that offers $1,000 to anyone willing to adopt a horse.

Together, the sales and adoptions put about 7,000 horses into private hands last year, not enough even to keep pace with roundups, let alone draw down the number now warehoused.

On the edge of the wild horse range in Challis in central Idaho, Jackie Ingram, a rancher, has shared 168,700 acres of public land with the mustang herds for 46 years. Each spring her family drives hundreds of Black Angus cattle up a steep road through Spar Canyon to graze the high, windswept hills on Bureau of Land Management land.

In some years, she said, the wild horses left so little grass to eat that other wildlife disappeared, and her family had to cut back their cattle herd.

“We like the horses, but we also want to protect the land,” she said. “Every time they do a roundup, we’re happy. If the horses get to be too numerous, it affects the sage grouse, the elk, the antelope and us. All of us depend on the grass.”

#long post #blm mustang #mustang horse #horse news #equestrian #equine

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maandarinee · 4 years ago

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what are all the podcasts you listen to?

anon I'm so glad you asked

Since it is a pretty long list including synopses (stolen from the podcast feed or website because I'm Bad at summaries and in some cases it's been a while since I listened) I'm going to put it under a cut.

I've separated the list into "Complete" (either finished or cancelled) and "Ongoing" podcasts. Some have additional comments by me. Current favorites are marked orange. My eternal beloved are Our Fair City and Wolf 359.

Complete

ars PARADOXICA: "When an experiment in a time much like our own goes horribly awry, Dr. Sally Grissom finds herself stranded in the past and entrenched in the activities of a clandestine branch of the US government. Grissom and her team quickly learn that there's no safety net when toying with the fundamental logic of the universe."

Blackwood: "Five years ago, Molly Weaver, Bryan Anderson, and Nathan Howell started a podcast focused on the local legend of a monster called The Blackwood Bugman. Quickly, the investigation grew out of their control, as they discovered that, not only are the legends seemingly true, many people in Blackwood have turned up dead or disappeared without a trace." --> [this feels like the Blair With Project, but as a podcast. Didn't get a second season due to no funding, but it works as a standalone]

Dreamboy: "Dane, a spun-out musician spending the winter in Cleveland, Ohio, has two main goals: keeping his job at the Pepper Heights Zoo and trying not to waste all his time on Grindr. What he doesn’t expect is to get swept into a story about dreams, about forevers, about flickering lights, about unexplained deaths, about relentless change, and about the parts of ourselves that we wish other people knew to look for. Oh, and also a murderous zebra." --> [very NSFW; does cool things with music! Didn't get a second season due to no funding, but it works as a standalone]

King Fall AM: "...centers on a lonely little mountain town's late-night AM talk radio show and its paranormal, peculiar happenings and inhabitants." --> [cancelled after 100 episodes, ends on a huge cliffhanger]

Our Fair City: "A campy, post-apocalyptic audio drama." --> [I know the description sounds like nothing but just trust me, I love it so much]

Steal the Stars: "...is a gripping noir science fiction thriller in 14 episodes: Forbidden love, a crashed UFO, an alien body, and an impossible heist unlike any ever attempted."

Stellar Firma: "...a weekly Science Fiction, Comedy podcast following the misadventures of Stellar Firma Ltd.'s highest born but lowest achieving planetary designer Trexel Geistman and his bewildered clone assistant David 7. Join them each episode as they attempt to take listener submissions and craft them into the galaxy's most luxurious, most expensive and most questionably designed bespoke planets. However, with Trexel's corporate shark of a line manager Hartro Piltz breathing down their necks and I.M.O.G.E.N., the station's omnipresent and omniinvasive stationwide A.I. monitoring those necks to within 3 decimal places, they'll be lucky to make it a week before being slurried and recycled into raw human resources." --> [semi-improvised, I thought I'd have a problem with the improv bit because that's not usually my thing, but no, I absolutely devoured this]

TANIS: "...is a serialized docudrama about a fascinating and surprising mystery: the myth of Tanis. Tanis is an exploration of the nature of truth, conspiracy, and information. Tanis is what happens when the lines of science and fiction start to blur." [+ spinoff The Last Movie] --> [I have no clue what the hell is going on here]

The Black Tapes: "...is a serialized docudrama about one journalist's searc for truth, her enigmatic subject's mysterious past, and the literal and figurative ghosts that haunt them both."

The Magnus Archives: "...is a weekly horror fiction anthology podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, an organisation dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird. Join new head archivist Jonathan Sims as he attempts to bring a seemingly neglected collection of supernatural statements up to date, converting them to audio and supplementing them with follow-up work from his small but dedicated team. Individually, they are unsettling. Together they begin to form a picture that is truly horrifying because as they look into the depths of the archives, something starts to look back…"

Time:Bombs: "...a new audio drama podcast about the hilarious world of bomb disposal. Ride along with EOD technician Simon Teller on the busiest night of the year for him and his team - when business is, quite literally, booming."

Wolf 359: "Life's not easy for Doug Eiffel, the communications officer for the U.S.S. Hephaestus Research Station, currently on Day 448 of its orbit around red dwarf star Wolf 359. He's stuck on a scientific survey mission of indeterminate length, 7.8 light years from Earth. His only company on board the station are stern mission chief Minkowski, insane science officer Hilbert, and Hephaestus Station's sentient, often malfunctioning operating system Hera. He doesn't have much to do for his job other than monitoring static and intercepting the occasional decades-old radio broadcast from Earth, so he spends most of his time creating extensive audio logs about the ordinary, day-to-day happenings within the station. But the Hephaestus is an odd place, and life in extremely isolated, zero gravity conditions has a way of doing funny things to people's minds. Even the simplest of tasks can turn into a gargantuan struggle, and the most ordinary-seeming things have a way of turning into anything but that." --> [starts funny, turns very intense]

Ongoing

Alba Salix, Roya Physician (+ The Axe & Crown): "A witch, her apprentice, and her fairy herbalist treat the ills of a fairy-tale kingdom." + "Gubbin the troll tavernkeeper deals with his clueless new landlord, his shady niece, and some new competition."

Archive 81: "A found footage horror podcast about ritual, stories, and sound."

Arden: "A (fictional) true crime podcast about cold cases and the reporter and detective who try to solve them."

Brimstone Valley Mall: "The year is 1999. Lurking somewhere between Hot Topic and the food court, five misfit demons from Hell kill time inciting sin in a suburban shopping mall. When the lead singer of their band goes mysteriously missing, the demons only have two weeks to find him before they play the biggest gig of the millennium - or face the wrath of Satan herself."

CARAVAN: "First rule of Wound Canyon: No one who gets in, ever gets out. So when a brilliant, ghostly specter flies through the sky amid the rain and lightning, Samir stumbles off a steep cliff and into a hidden world, one in which demons, vampires, and all other manner of paranormal creatures take sanctuary." --> [also pretty NSFW and horny in general]

Death by Dying: "The Obituary Writer of Crestfall, Idaho finds himself deeply in over his head as he investigates a series of strange and mysterious deaths… when he is supposed to simply be writing obituaries. Along the way he encounters murderous farmers, man-eating cats, haunted bicycles, and a healthy dose of ominous shadows." --> [I had to stop listening to this in public because it kept making me undignified laugh and snort noises]

Desperado: "Blood magic, Voodoo magic, old gods, new gods: We've got it all! Follow the story of misfits from all over the world, as they try to survive and protect their heritage from modern-day crusaders."

EOS 10: "Doctors in space, a deposed alien prince, a super gay space pirate and a fiery nurse who'll help you win your bar fight."

Girl In Space: "Abandoned on a dying ship in the farthest reaches of known space, a young scientist fights for survival (and patience with the on-board A.I.). Who is she? No one knows. But a lot of dangerous entities really want to find out. Listen as the story unfolds for science, guns, trust, anti-matter, truth, beauty, inner turmoil, and delicious cheeses. It’s all here. In space."

Janus Descending: "...follows the arrival of two xenoarcheologists on a small world orbiting a binary star. But what starts off as an expedition to survey the planet and the remains of a lost alien civilization, turns into a monstrous game of cat and mouse, as the two scientists are left to face the creatures that killed the planet in the first place. Told from two alternating perspectives, Janus Descending is an experience of crossing timelines, as one character describes the nightmare from end to beginning, and the other, from beginning to the end." --> [absolutely harrowing horror]

Love and Luck: "...is a fictional radio play podcast, told via voicemails and set in present day Melbourne, Australia. A slice of life queer romance story with a touch of magic, it follows the relationship between two men, Jason and Kane, as their love grows both for each other and their community." --> [soft and gay, feels like a warm hug]

Potterless: "Join Mike Schubert, a grown man reading the Harry Potter series for the first time, as he sits down with HP fanatics to poke fun at plot holes, make painfully incorrect predictions, and bask in the sassiness of the characters." --> [the only non-fiction podcast on the list]

Primordial Deep: "When a long extinct sea creature washes up on the shores of Coney Island, marine biologist Dr. Marella Morgan is contacted by a secret organization to investigate the origins of the creature’s sudden and unnatural resurgence. Soon, she and a team of experts find themselves living on the research station The Tiamat, traveling along the abyssal plains as they search for answers far below the waves. But there are dangers in these ancient waters. Reawakened, prehistoric monsters are rising from the deep -- jaws wide and waiting, and in the darkness, something is stirring."

Red Valley: "No one at Overhead Industries wants to talk about defunct research station Red Valley, and account man Warren Godby is out of his depth. When he meets Gordon Porlock, a disgruntled archivist with a bag of tapes from the station’s last known occupant, they will begin a journey to the limits of experimental science, confront horror and trauma from the past, present and future, and try to remember the cheat codes from Sonic the Hedgehog 2."

Rusty Quill Gaming: "An actual play podcast following a mixed ability group of comedians, improvisers, gamers, and writers as they play through the extended, tabletop roleplaying campaign Erasing the Line, an original game world of the GM’s crafting." --> [took me a while to get into because I have trouble focusing on non-scripted things, but eventually I got really hooked on the plot and attached to the characters. This podcast is really fucked up at times if you think about it]

SAYER: "A narrative fiction podcast set on Earth’s man-made second moon, Typhon. The eponymous SAYER is a highly advanced, self-aware AI created to help acclimate new residents to their new lives, and their new employment with Ærolith Dynamics." --> [feels like Welcome to Night Vale but narrated by GLaDOS from Portal]

StarTripper!!: "Join Feston Pyxis on a road-trip through the cosmos, as he leaves behind his old life in search of the best and wildest experiences the galaxy has to offer!"

The Amelia Project: "...is a secret agency that fakes its clients' deaths, then lets them reappear with a brand new identity! A black comedy full of secrets, twists... and cocoa."

The Big Loop: "...a biweekly anthology series. Each episode is a self-contained narrative exploring the strange, the wonderful, the terrifying, and the heartbreaking. Stories of finite beings in an infinite universe." --> [I don't like anthologies, except this one]

The Bright Sessions: "Dr. Bright provides therapy for the strange and unusual; their sessions have been recorded for research purposes." --> [think X-Men, but with therapy instead of a school]

The Deca Tapes: "Recordings have surfaced of ten people that are locked into the same space together. We don’t know where they are, or if they'll get out. But the answers must be somewhere on these tapes."

The Silt Verses: "Carpenter and Faulkner, two worshippers of an outlawed god, travel up the length of their deity’s great black river, searching for holy revelations. As their pilgrimage lengthens and the river’s mysteries deepen, the two acolytes find themselves under threat from a police manhunt, but also come into conflict with the weirder gods that have flourished in these forgotten rural territories."

The White Vault: "Follow the collected records of a repair team sent to Outpost Fristed in the vast white wastes of Svalbard and unravel what lies waiting in the ice below."

Tides: "...is the story of Dr. Winifred Eurus, a xenobiologist trapped on an unfamiliar planet with hostile tidal forces. She must use her wits, sarcasm and intellectual curiosity to survive long enough to be rescued. But there might be more to life on this planet than she expected." --> [think The Martian, but on a water planet]

Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery: "Lillian Harper moves to the small town of Mt. Absalom, Ohio, to care for her estranged mother Dorothy after an injury. Living in the town's boarding house which has been run by her family for generations, she discovers conspiracies, ghosts, and a new family in the house's strange assortment of residents."

VAST Horizon: "Nolira is an agronomist tasked with establishing agriculture in a new solar system, but when she wakes up on a now- empty colony ship, the whole of her plan disappears. The ship has been set adrift, with numerous mission-critical problems requiring immediate attendance outside of her area of expertise. Nolira is aided by the ship’s malfunctioning AI, which acts as her confidant and companion during the fight for survival."

Victoriocity: "Even Greater London, 1887. In this vast metropolis, Inspector Archibald Fleet and journalist Clara Entwhistle investigate a murder, only to find themselves at the centre of a conspiracy of impossible proportions."

We Fix Space Junk: "...follows seasoned smuggler Kilner and reluctant fugitive Samantha as they travel the galaxy, dodging bullets and meeting strange and wonderful beings as they carry out odd jobs on the fringes of the law."

Welcome to Night Vale: "Twice-monthly community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, where every conspiracy theory is true. Turn on your radio and hide."

Within the Wires: "Stories told through found audio from an alternate universe."

Wooden Overcoats: "Rudyard Funn and his equally miserable sister Antigone run their family's failing funeral parlour, where they get the body in the coffin in the ground on time. But one day they find everyone enjoying themselves at the funerals of a new competitor - the impossibly perfect Eric Chapman! With their dogsbody Georgie, and a mouse called Madeleine, the Funns are taking drastic steps to stay in the business…" --> [one of THE funniest podcasts I have ever listened to]

#ask #anon #please talk to me about podcasts at all times #podcasts #podcast recommendations

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rjzimmerman · 4 years ago

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This is a long post, but I want to post something positive (hope for the future) instead of all the negative crap I’ve posted because.......negative crap surrounded us for 4+ years.

While the US Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledges that the iconic monarch butterfly, a major pollinator, should be designated as a threatened species, it has declined to do so, saying it has to focus limited resources on higher-priority species. Noah Greenwald, director of the endangered species program at the Center for Biological Diversity, however, is hopeful the monarch can gain necessary protection under Biden. Wikimedia Commons/Via Center for Biological Diversity.

The photogenic, badger-like American wolverine, known for its round ears and thick fur, is known to patrol up to 500 square miles of snowy territory in a relentless quest for its next meal, scaling mountains in minutes. Wolverines’ historic ranges include northern Eurasia and North America; however, government-sponsored eradication programs and habitat loss in the early 1900s nearly eliminated the animal from the Lower 48. Beginning in the 1960s, they started making their way back to Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Now, an estimated 250 to 300 wolverines roam south of Canada—a stable population, though likely less than half the carrying capacity, or the number the environment can support. The species—which plays an important role in the ecosystem as predators that keep prey animal populations in check, furthering biodiversity—faces a range of threats, from loss of habitat to roads and other development, resource extraction, recreation, and, especially, climate change. Wolverines rely on deep snowpack lasting into May—a condition that, of course, will diminish as the planet warms. As far as climate-change-induced extinction goes, Greenwald describes the wolverine is a “real canary in the coal mine.” He adds, “We’re in court working to overturn the Trump admin’s refusal to grant them protections. If not, it’ll come down to the courts." Nigel Hoult/Via Center for Biological Diversity.

In October, the Trump administration finalized a controversial rule that removes ESA protections for all gray wolves in the lower 48 states, excepting Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico. The move, long in the making, turns over management of this imperiled species to states and tribal governments. “We’re going to court, and we’re hopeful that both gray wolves and Mexican gray wolves will be able to expand further into their range in the southwest,” Greenwald reports. “We’re in the process with USFW of developing a new management and recovery plan for reintroduced species, and we’re hopeful it’ll be much easier to work with Biden’s [as yet unannounced] new head of agency. The current director used to work for Monsanto.” doublejwebers/flickr/via Center for Biological Diversity.

Yes, the ESA protects plants too! Advocates are proposing that the whitebark pine gain threatened status this year, due to its struggle under introduced disease and climate change. Noah Greenwald/Center for Biological Diversity.

The lesser prairie chicken, which calls the southern plains states of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas home, has lost much habitat in recent years to agriculture and oil and gas development. (Its habitat overlays the Permian Basin, which has seen more oil and gas development in the past decade than anywhere else in the world.) They also don’t do well with the addition of utility poles in their stomping grounds, as they double as perches for predators. “We petitioned to add lesser prairie chickens to the endangered list in the late 1990s, and while they got put on the candidate list, during that delay is when the fracking boom started, so threats to its survival only increased,” Greenwald shares. “Eventually, it got listed as threatened, with a somewhat unfortunate conservation agreement that would let the oil and gas industry off the hook, but we’re challenging that decision in April, and we’re optimistic that the Biden administration will list them as endangered, or at least threatened.” USFWS/Via Center for Biological Diversity.

Several years back, male jaguars started moving up from Mexico, and have since been spotted roaming throughout the Southwest and the Grand Canyon. Trump’s border wall, however, threw a wrench into one of the biggest cat recoveries the New World had seen. The fact that Biden has said he’ll halt construction on the wall, however, gives Greenwald hope. “It would at least give jaguars a fighting chance.” Flickr Commons/Eric Kilby/Via Center for Biological Diversity.

The dunes sagebrush lizard, which calls southeast New Mexico and West Texas home, is threatened by oil and gas development on the Permian Basin as well as sand mining for fracking. Greenwald says this fetching reptile is due for another decision on listing next year. USFWS/Via Center for Biological Diversity.

The Trump administration downlisted this pretty, black-and-red American burying beetle—found in South Dakota, Oklahoma, the Sandhills of Nebraska, and, oddly enough, Rhode Island’s Block Island—from endangered to threatened, based on a petition from petroleum lobbyists. Greenwald calls the decision “completely nonsensical,” as threatened status allows some states to all but exempt a species from protection, say, by legalizing gas and oil development in its habitat. Which is what happened recently in Oklahoma. “It was a total handout to oil and gas at the expense of the beetle, which is actually one of the few insects that raise its young,” says Greenwald. Fascinatingly, it does as much by finding bird carcasses, exuding a mucousy fluid from its anus to cover said carcasses and laying eggs and raising young atop them. “It provides a vulture-like service, feasting off carcasses’ nutrients,” says Greenwald, who is in talks with various advocates about action to override industry’s “special exemption” regarding these beetles. Doug Backlund/South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks/Via Center for Biological Diversity.

There was some movement on the part of the Trump administration to delist the Florida Key deer, but luckily, it didn’t go anywhere. “Their numbers are up, but because they live in the Florida Keys, they’re likely to be underwater in the next 50 years if we don’t do something about GHGs,” says Greenwald. “It’s our smallest deer, so we’re hopeful that we’ll see enough climate action under Biden to give it a chance to survive.” USFWS/Via Center for Biological Diversity.

Coral species including staghorn (pictured) and elkhorn also occur in the Keys and have unfortunately been delisted since the aughts. “With ocean acidification from GHGs, coral in our reefs are disappearing quickly,” cautions Greenwald. “If we don’t get them back on the list, we’ll have lost a gorgeous world.” NOAA/Via Center for Biological Diversity.

#Endangered Species Act #President-Elect Joe Biden

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shemakesmusic-uk · 4 years ago

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Jorja Smith has unveiled a standout new video for latest track ‘By Any Means’. The powerful video (directed by Otis Dominique and Ellington Hammond) shines a spotlight on communities across the UK, complimenting the track’s vital message around social issues and the civil rights movement. As noted by Jorja about the track: "The inspiration behind 'By Any Means' really came from going to the Black Lives Matter protest and leaving thinking, what can I do to keep this conversation going? It’s not just a post on social media, it's life.” ‘By Any Means’ is the first track to be unveiled from a new project titled ‘Reprise’, curated by the team at Roc Nation with the sole aim of bringing awareness to social justice issues. A portion of proceeds will go to funding organisations that support victims of police brutality, hate crimes, and other violations of civil rights. [via Dork]

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Madison, WI-bred and Chicago-based band Slow Pulp recently announced Moveys, their self-produced debut album, and shared its first single 'Idaho.' Now the band shares another song off of the forthcoming record, entitled 'Falling Apart.' The track, featuring Alex G collaborator Molly Gemer on violin, is accompanied by a fantastical music video about feeling lost in a familiar landscape. Director Jake Lazovick, places Emily in a transient world, surrounded by flying objects and missing pieces. The clip features nostalgic animations, body doubles for social distancing purposes, and an homage to Massey's background as a ballet dancer. Read more about the song from Massey below: "As we were finishing up writing the album my parents got into a serious car accident and I came back home to help take care of them. A couple of weeks later COVID-19 started getting worse in the US, and quarantine began. Life felt completely surreal, everything had drastically changed and at such a rapid pace. It was especially strange because everyone was experiencing the same thing at the same time, but couldn’t be physically with each other to support each other. I felt like I couldn’t process any emotions I had about the whole ordeal because I had to keep it together to take care of my family. It became easier to stay numb, and create a facade that I was doing ok, than it was to release any type of healthy emotion for a long time. Luckily I did allow myself to have a full on breakdown induced by a stubbed toe and confusion over taxes, sometimes it’s the littlest things that finally get you."

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Soap Detox met a party, and somehow their friendship sustained during the lengthy hangover that followed. A frisky Swedish three-piece with a lust for melody and good times, their raucous garage-pop is already making waves in their homeland. A full EP is incoming, with Soap Detox trailing this with their irresistible new single 'Give Me Gore'. A three minute fuzz pop wonder, it's a clanking, cheeky, subversive statement from a group who thrive on such things. The video features their shorn-headed lead singer in full form, accompanied by her band mates. Directed by Evelyn Del Carmen and Ebba Sylvan, you can check it out above. [via Clash]

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It’s been a decade since we’ve heard from multi-hyphenate musician and producer The Angel, who last made a splash as a musician in 2009 with her single 'Ultra Light,' which featured the singer/producer Jhelisa on vocals. Focusing more on her career in film/TV composition and music production in recent years, she’s planning to return to recording her own music later this year with a new LP entitled Xtra Sensory Goodness. Now we’re getting the first taste of this project, which is yet another collaboration with the vocalist Jhelisa. “Jhelisa and I have become close friends over the years,” she explains. “There’s a lot of sisterly love and mutual respect between us, so Jhelisa already understood the mournful weight of the track before I asked to feature her. I’m always grateful that she’s willing to experiment with me because it’s not something she does lightly. Jhelisa beautifully channels the essence of whatever emotion needs to come through in the most evocative and visceral way.” The song arrives beautifully packaged with an entrancing video directed by none other than Mark Pellington (along with co-directors Sergio Pinheiro and Sweeten), known for his concert docs for Pearl Jam, INXS, and The Flaming Lips, as well as an extensive music-videography including iconic visuals for Public Enemy, Nine Inch Nails, and plenty more artists. “I wanted the song to sound like a memory, like you’ve entered someone else’s dream space,” The Angel continues, noting how the video perfectly syncs to the song’s mood. “The emotion is contained, very internal, so I juxtaposed a vocal vulnerability against a driving, incessant rhythm, where you can feel the underlying tension at the same time as experiencing the gentle plea, ‘Where’s my shelter…?’” [via Flood]

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A few weeks ago, Ciara gave birth to her son Win. Last night, she shared a video that she evidently recorded while she was very, very pregnant. Ciara’s new song 'Rooted' is a statement of Black pride, a clear statement of solidarity with the protest movement that’s swept across America and the rest of the world these past few months. It’s a hard, kinetic track with vocals from the songwriter Esther Dean. But the song, at least right now, feels more like a vehicle for the video. Like a lot of Ciara videos, the 'Rooted'” clip is built around bodies dancing. In this one, though, one of those bodies belongs to Ciara, who dances with her belly exposed and who looks like she’s about to give birth any second. To watch someone dance this hard while that pregnant is an actual marvel, a near-superhuman feat. The 'Rooted' video is full of Black iconography, and it features the faces of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. All throughout, Ciara presents an image of motherly strength. Annie Bercy directs. [via Stereogum]

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Hazel English releases the new video for her single ‘Five And Dime’ taken from her debut album Wake UP! which is out now on Marathon Artists. ‘Five and Dime’ is a woozy, idyllic view into Hazel’s world, which is built on timeless-sounding melodies, retro-tinged soundscapes and a knack for resonant lyrics. The mid-tempo number is reminiscent of the playful love songs of ’60s pop, as Hazel frustratedly muses on a love interest who is consuming her thoughts and detracting from her focus, “Gotta get away cause you’re taking up all of my time / You know I need my space so I’m heading to the Five and Dime.” Speaking about the new video, Hazel says: “'Five and Dime' is about longing for escape and freedom so I thought it would be fun to create an idyllic beach vacation, constructed from a set with cardboard cut out waves and fake palm trees. The idea behind it is that while I'm fantasizing about escaping to a tropical place, it's clear I'm just kind of stuck in this pretend version of it. I wanted to evoke the nostalgia of Hollywood musicals from the '50s and '60s, complete with dance choreography and bright colourful costumes.”

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Katy Perry has released her second video for 'Smile,' featuring the pop star playing a video game version of herself as she battles giant spiders, circus trapeze acts and more while dressed as a clown. Much of the video is in CGI, with a live-action Perry playing the video game in her house (while also dressed as a clown). [via Rolling Stone]

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Global superstar, Miley Cyrus has unveiled 'Midnight Sky,' a track that showcases a new direction for the always evolving artist. The song, which was inspired by the past year of her life, is accompanied by a video that Miley self-directed. In creating the song and video, Miley drew from strong female musical icons, like Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, and Debbie Harry, who have always been so generous, and have been her greatest allies and inspiration. The video showcases Miley as her true self: unapologetic, diverse, sexy, confident, experimental, and strong. The video takes viewers through Miley’s creative vision which displays her complete control of the narrative often told through the mouths of the media. Miley is at peace with who she is and has nothing to prove. As a musician she continues to push boundaries and experiment with her sound and look. Miley has proven to be many things, but boring is not one of them.

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Chelsea Collins is nonconformist pop singer with a vision. For the captivating new 'Water Run Dry,' a collaboration with rapper, singer and fellow Bay Area-native 24kGoldn, Collins's infectious pop melodies glide over a hypnotic beat. Relatable lyrics about a faltering relationship reveal a depth of experience for the 21-year-old, with a wistful chorus lamenting, "there's no good in goodbye." The Roxana Baldovin-directed visuals for the track are an eyeful — Collins and 24kGoldn play house in an oversized, colorful California dollhouse, interspersed with images of a little girl playing with literal Barbies. The message? "I wanted this song and video to execute the world that's inside of my head — somewhat similar to a weird vintage rom com where at first the drama of love is so toxic, passionate and thrilling but eventually my lover and I have a happy ending," Collins tells NYLON. "Unfortunately reality isn't as fun and it kinda feels like some cranky dude is controlling your path, who's lowkey salty whenever something feels too amazing," she continues. "My intuition will tell me to run, but I'm notorious for acting like a Stepford wife, trying to recreate my past feelings yet they're all super robotic. Maybe one day I'll get lucky and love won't have to be so bittersweet, but until then I'll learn to smile even when things blow up in my face." [via NYLON]

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Kali Uchis shared the visuals for her latest single 'Aquí Yo Mando' on Monday. Featuring a verse in Spanglish by Rico Nasty, the single is Kali's first release since her TO FEEL ALIVE EP from earlier this year. The Phillipa Price-directed clip finds the pair on a weapons-filled rampage, dropping bodies in underground parking lots and filming each other along the way. With co-production by reggaeton hitmaker Tainy, the booming track sees Uchis assertively laying some ground rules over trappy 808s. "Haces todo lo que diga (You do everything that I say)," she raps. “Si estás conmigo solo mando yo (If you’re with me, only I call the shots).” [via The FADER]

#videos of the week #jorja smith #slow pulp #soap detox #the angel #jhelisa #ciara #hazel english #katy perry #miley cyrus #chelsea collins #kali uchis #rico nasty

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dweemeister · 5 years ago

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McFarland, USA (2015)

In Hollywood, certain sports have dominated the sports genre. The proportions reflect their popularity as Hollywood’s Studio System reached its zenith. America’s national pastime, baseball, is well represented. As is boxing, which was once arguably one of the United States’ favorite sports alongside horse racing. American football and basketball had been underrepresented until the last few decades; soccer and ice hockey – perhaps given the demographics of the average Hollywood executive past and present – have not gained much traction among major movie studios (how I hope that changes soon for soccer, but among all the sports I have mentioned, it is the hardest to “fake”). Track and field and distance running occasionally have their moments, like Chariots of Fire (1981) and Race (2016). Simulating amateur or professional running comes down to correcting an actors’ running form – a far cry from teaching someone how to kick a soccer ball properly and strenuous boxing training.

McFarland, USA, directed by New Zealander Niki Caro (2002’s Whale Rider, the pandemic-delayed live-action adaptation of Disney’s Mulan), is the first Disney live-action film on a track and field/distance running story since The World’s Greatest Athlete (1973) – a film that slathers on the slapstick and the cultural stereotypes. Set in the small town of McFarland in California’s Central Valley, McFarland, USA looks at a community glanced over by Hollywood and independent filmmakers. A few hours’ drive from Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean, McFarland is an agricultural community that is heavily Latino, with limited economic opportunities for its residents. That, of course, makes McFarland and places like it the butt of derision from some of its residents and those who do not know any better. It can be a difficult place to live, but even here, the film says, Americana thrives and the American Dream abides.

In the late summer/early fall of 1987, football coach Jim White (Kevin Costner) loses his job at an Idaho high school after losing his temper, accidentally injuring a smack-talking player. He and his family – wife Cheryl (Maria Bello), elder daughter Julie (Morgan Saylor), and younger daughter Jamie White (Elsie Fisher from 2018’s Eighth Grade) – pack their belongings and settle in McFarland, California. Even on their first day, the Whites are frightened of their new home. The place is unkempt, and it is difficult for the daughters to believe they are in America. Jim takes his new job as assistant football coach and PE teacher at McFarland High School, but is soon stripped of assistant coaching duties after a dispute with the head coach. Noticing how many of McFarland’s boys are excellent runners, he convinces the high school principal to support boys’ cross country running – the first year it is sanctioned by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF, the governing body of California high school sports).

The team, some more skeptical than others, assemble: Thomas Valles (Carlos Pratts), Jose Cardenas (Johnny Ortiz), Johnny Sameniego (Hector Duran), Victor Puentes (Sergio Avelar), and brothers David (Rafael Martinez) and Danny Diaz (Ramiro Rodriguez).

When one thinks of the word “Americana”, certain things come to mind. Small towns with everybody knows your name and white picket fences, children playing baseball in the park, and the corner store/malt shop are elements of Americana, exported to the world via films and television shows made in the United States. But these images are specific to an America of an earlier, more monochromatic time and is arguably geographically specific (not reflecting the diverse Southwest, let alone Alaska and Hawai’i). The country, no matter the time period, is too large to distill into a single idea.

McFarland, California of the late 1980s looks a lot like what it is today. Instead of burger joints, there are taquerías. Quinceañeras are celebrated; there’s a group of men who get together to cruise their classic cars through town (they are mistaken by the White family as “gangbangers” their first night there); and much of the population works throughout the week picking fruits and vegetables in the fields – work that is backbreaking, sweltering, honest, essential.

What makes McFarland, USA most appealing is its normalization and celebration of life in McFarland. Though dramatized, the cinematic reality of this film’s McFarland, California is largely the reality for small agricultural towns up and down California’s Central Valley. The narratives of McFarland deserve to be considered as “American” as equally those from Bedford Falls (1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life), the middle of nowhere in Iowa (1989’s Field of Dreams); and Greenbow, Alabama (1994’s Forrest Gump). Conflict and personal discontent always simmered in these places, despite the idyllic community in Bedford Falls (minus Mr. Potter) and the natural beauty of the middle of nowhere in Iowa and Greenbow, Alabama.

Those things exist, too, in McFarland, California. Jim White, in his first days at McFarland High, obviously does not want to be there nor does he plan on staying longer than he needs to. In forming and coaching cross country, he contends with the familial, economic, and other cultural factors facing his student-athletes’ lives in addition to learning how to coach a sport he has no experience in. As the film reaches the end of its first act, the screenplay by Christopher Cleveland (2006’s Glory Road), Bettina Gilois (Glory Road), and Grant Thompson (his screenwriting debut for a feature film) strays from the White family to show us the familial and peer pressures the student-athletes face. Here, McFarland, USA captures the vulnerability, confusion, friendship (or lack of it), and desire to forge one’s own fate that high schoolers can easily identify with. Many sports movies focusing on a team rather than a single person would allow those individuals to be dramatically indistinguishable (a major problem in 1986’s Hoosiers, a personal favorite). That is not the case in McFarland, USA, which allows its young Latino characters to occupy their unique niche in this film. Thus, in conjunction with its normalization of McFarland’s heavily Latino culture, the film becomes a rousing slice of Americana. Certain people who might be defensive over what “Americana” entails might find issue with what I just wrote, but their definition is exclusionary by default.

With a white coach named White (if this was a professional sport, headline writers for sports sections might be having a field day) training and mentoring seven Latino cross country runners, some people might dismiss McFarland, USA outright as a “white savior” movie even though it avoids such trappings. The “white savior” narrative is one where a white character enters a difficult situation created or exacerbated by the personal/sociopolitical/cultural qualities of a non-white character(s) – the former, by exemplifying traits unlike the latter’s, rescues the non-white characters from that situation. The term “white savior” originated from academic analyses of narrative art and has passed into the political liberal vernacular. Too often among political liberals, the label of a “white savior” narrative is enough to dissuade certain individuals from even considering to consume such a narrative – this reviewer is guilty of using that term in a dismissive fashion.

McFarland, USA circumvents the tropes of white savior narratives by framing Jim White as a flawed character, its post-first act glimpses at life among the boys’ families, and White’s attempts to understand the lives of his student-athletes and neighbors. White, who comes off as an impersonal and stubborn ass with a short-fused temper at first, is played wonderfully by Costner. His character learns, through cultural and neighborly diffusion, how those qualities fail to resonant with his student-athletes, their elders, his wife, and two daughters. Over time, he learns more about the boys’ lives and – on his own volition – the difficult work their families tend to. He acknowledges their personal and familial sacrifices, acknowledging that his hardscrabble life is fundamentally different than theirs. In a final pep talk before the inaugural CIF state championships for cross country, White says:

Every team that’s here deserves to be, including you. But they haven’t got what you got. All right? They don’t get up at dawn like you and go to work in the fields… They don’t go to school all day and then go back to those same fields… These kids don’t do what you do. They can’t even imagine it… What you endure just to be here, to get a shot at this, the kind of privilege that someone like me takes for granted? There’s nothing you can’t do with that kind of strength, with that kind of heart.

It is a beautiful moment made possible by the acting from all involved. That though someone like Jim White may never understand the poverty or the anguish that comes with these boys’ lives, their dedication and work ethic is equal to, if not surpassing, that of their affluent counterparts. To whom much is given, much is required. Jim White has given the boys his dedication to themselves as athletes, students, and human beings; the boys of McFarland’s cross country team have given to their coach lifelong respect and the embrace of community.

As a sports film, McFarland, USA is neither innovative nor does it shake off the coil of predictability that almost every sports film is plagued with. Quite a few of its elements are simplified and sanitized (White revived a cross country program that had been dropped rather than establishing it, he also revived the girls’ cross country team that is not depicted at all here, among other things) but that might be expected given the studio (Disney) behind it. But this film is based on a real story and hews as closely as it can to the spirit of the actual story when it can. If I saw the pitch for this film without any prior knowledge, I might have dismissed it as fantasy. McFarland High School’s boys’ cross country team won nine state championships under White until his retirement in the early 2000s, and qualified for consecutive state championships from 1987 to 2013.

Prior to Jim White’s pre-meet speech, there is a montage set to “The Star-Spangled Banner” – commemorating the boys’ brotherhood now linked inextricably with their coach. The attendees’ and athletes’ singing gives way to a solo guitar, showing the audience scenes of that brotherhood. We see the team on a late afternoon run just outside the barbed wire fencing surrounding the prison located near their school. After that run, we see them, talking with their coach amid the crepuscular Central Valley sun, taking a moment to catch their breath. They are all sitting and relaxing atop a tarp-covered mound of almonds ready for market. If that isn’t an example of Americana at its finest, I don’t know what is.

My rating: 7/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found here.

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, click here.

#McFarland USA #Niki Caro #Kevin Costner #Maria Bello #Morgan Saylor #Carlos Pratts #Elsie Fisher #Johnny Ortiz #Hector Duran #Sergio Avelar #Michael Aguero #Rafael Martinez #Ramiro Rodriguez #Christopher Cleveland #Bettina Gilois #Grant Thompson #My Movie Odyssey

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kmtam · 6 years ago

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Some of my thoughts on the thing.

I’m feeling mostly good about the election. Not great, but not bad, and nothing like The Day After in 2016. Regardless of how you slice it, we’re in a better position today than we were yesterday, even if some of our preferred candidates lost, or our preferred narratives didn’t fully pan out.

I’ll start with the bad. Apparently my moving to a GOP district did not magically flip it blue, which is a bit surprising but OK, whatever. Katie Porter lost, and this is the biggest disappointment of the night for me (I think?) because this district was actually winnable. Mimi Walters, the incumbent, is an uncharismatic, do-nothing who rubber-stamps her party line without fanfare. This county, if not the district, is now majority Democrat, and this election was a chance to rebuke the past two years of Republican governance. But Katie Porter lost, and I think she lost because she ran a bad campaign. I saw very few Porter signs on the streets (and the streets here are FILLED with signs around election time); I knew nothing about what Porter actually stood for (I just found out this morning she supported repealing the gas tax!); and she cancelled on multiple in-person events during the primaries and general. Now, maybe all of her resources were spent in more conservative parts of the district, I don’t know, but I do know that I got multiple people knocking at my door over the past few days, in an ivory tower neighborhood literally filled with liberal professors, asking me to vote for Katie Porter, which seems like misspent energy to me.

Oh well, there’s always 2020.

The senate is a tough loss, especially Heitkamp and very especially McCaskill. But despite media narratives to the contrary, the senate was always an extreme long-shot for the Democrats. The map and schedule were historically difficult, and the fact that Beto actually got within a few points in a race that started out with about a 20 point difference is extraordinary. Sure, it would have been great to take the senate, and it sucks that there are now fewer Dems in the senate than before, but in terms of actual legislative power etc., there’s not really any difference from the status quo. Now the Dems will lose by a slightly higher margin. But at least there’s a check in the House.

Florida and Georgia are bad. And in both cases there’s some electoral irregularities, along with outright vote suppression. Democrats absolutely must make voting access — and gerrymandering and voting machines — a top priority in their agenda, at all levels of government.

The defeat of Prop 10 -- which would have allowed the expansion of rent control in California -- is bad. The margin by which it was defeated is baffling. Who the hell are all these people who really don’t like rent control? And who are all these people voting to force EMTs to remain on call while they take their breaks? And why does California legislate so many stupid things through ballot initiatives?! At least the greedy boomer home-owners didn’t get their tax break.

There’s more bad stuff. Like that everyone I gave money to lost, except one person, and she’s not even in my state (Jacky Rosen in NV). And my longtime nemesis Diane Feinstein took her race handily. And literal white supremacist Steve King narrowly won back his seat in Iowa.

But there’s plenty of good stuff, too.

More women, and especially more women of color, will now be serving in Congress than ever before. Two of them are Muslim American, two of them are Native American. My home state of Massachusetts elected its first Black woman to Congress (uh, why’d it take so long?), and Boston elected a Black woman as District Attorney.

Medicaid expansion passed in Utah, Idaho, and Nebraska.

Scott Walker lost in Wisconsin (which I assume is due to the presence of @tnelms and @suchasuperlady), and Kris Kobach lost in Kansas (!).

Voter turnout was massive, in comparison with previous midterm elections.

Kim Davis, whom none of us should ever have heard of in the first place, was booted from office.

Massachusetts re-affirmed trans rights.

And lots more.

Here’s the thing. The “blue wave” thing was a media construction that was designed to either work or fail spectacularly — that is, there either would be a wave or there wouldn’t. There’s no in-between, mostly because there’s no room in the metaphor for in-betweenness. Focusing on and thinking through stupid metaphors like this -- and then trying to work within those metaphors, like referring to the “blue trickle” or the “blue particles” (har har) -- distracts us from seeing what has actually happened.

And what actually happened is that the Democrats took a lot of seats in the House, despite what is, according to traditional measures (if not direct experience), a really good economy. One of the only tried-and-true metrics that has held over the decades is that the relative health of the economy dictates whether the incumbent party gains or loses seats in an election. If the economy is doing well, the incumbents tend to hold seats or gain some, but if it’s doing badly, they lose. It’s virtually unheard of for incumbents to lose seats when the economy is doing well, but that’s exactly what happened last night, at least in the House.

And look at those Medicaid expansions in very conservative states. Republicans began the campaign by running on only three issues: healthcare, tax cuts, and racism. They basically gave up talking about the tax cuts they passed, because they were very unpopular, and they ended up outright lying about their position on healthcare since, as it turns out, even in red states, people overwhelmingly want affordable healthcare. So all they’re left with is racism. Now I’m not saying this is a good thing, of course. Obviously not. But it demonstrates that the “issues” that the GOP touts are all smoke and mirrors, and the Democratic positions on those are in fact widely preferred. Plainly, all the GOP has at this point is racism. Once we all understand that, and stop pretending like the GOP is a legitimate, issues-based political party, the better equipped we are to organize around them in the future. Which is to say, anti-racism needs to be a basic building block of everything the left, including the Democratic party, puts forward from now on.

Remember, this is all about power, not just aesthetics or feelings (those matter, too, but only really in relation to power). And the medium and long games are just as important, if not more important, than the short ones. The short game played from 2016-2018 wasn’t perfect, but it was a good step forward because the unfettered power of the GOP now has a few more checks on it. There’s another short game to play starting today, and this one is even more important than the one we just finished. As I’ve said before, I have no love for the Democratic party, but for better or worse, they’re the only force we have right now for stopping a political cult from destroying our fragile democracy, so the best thing to do, from point of view, is help them win this game. I really hope they can do it.

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serveandfolly · 6 years ago

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Be still my beating heart: My longtime partner, Brian Libby, wrote this OR Arts Watch article twinning the stories of two of my favorite artists, actor River Phoenix and musician Elliott Smith, and relating them through their time in our hometown of Portland, Oregon. The original story (link above) shows photos of some of Elliott’s Portland homes and the road with “the fucked-up face” from My Own Private Idaho, but I’ve pasted all the copy below. Hope some of my fellow River and Elliott fans enjoy this as much as I did.

River and Elliott: Remembering two troubled princes of 1990s Portland

River Phoenix and Elliott Smith brushed Portland and maybe Portland brushed them

NOVEMBER 27, 2018 // CULTURE, FILM, MUSIC // BRIAN LIBBY

There’s a name you keep repeating You’ve got nothing better to do

— Elliott Smith, “Alphabet Town”

From James Dean to Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain to Heath Ledger, we have immortalized a constellation of famous artists—especially musicians and actors—who died young and, then, through a combination of their talent and the public’s grief, lived on. Robbed of the futures we imagined for them, yet frozen in time and thus never to suffer the indignities of aging or late-career artistic mediocrity, their luminosity—and our love for them—intensifies as if in proportion to the tragedy.

Portland and Oregon haven’t traditionally produced a lot of bold-type names that have endured in the international pop zeitgeist. Far from America’s entertainment capitols, this is arguably a place where talents are nurtured, not where one becomes a full-fledged star. The most high-profile artists, such as the great abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko or Simpsons creator Matt Groening, have tended to move on and live their career-defining creative moments elsewhere. Yet even if their time here is fleeting, sometimes these artists don’t just remain culturally relevant long after their deaths but also come to represent something essential about a particular time in the city.

Last month brought reminders of two such one-time Oregonians and what they left behind. October 21 was the 15th anniversary of musician Elliott Smith’s death, at the age of 34 in 2003, while Halloween brought the 25th anniversary of actor River Phoenix’s death, at the age of 23 in 1993. They died a decade apart, but each moment of mortality came in Los Angeles, and the two sites are less than nine miles away from each other: Phoenix outside West Hollywood’s Viper Room club after an accidental overdose, and Smith by stabbing at his home in Silver Lake (a presumed suicide but never officially determined).

The coincidences don’t end there. River Phoenix and Elliott Smith were born within a year of each other: Smith in Nebraska (he was raised until age 14 in Texas) and Phoenix in Madras, Oregon (raised mostly in Florida). Each arguably made his most famous work in collaboration with director Gus Van Sant. Phoenix co-starred (along with Keanu Reeves) in Van Sant’s 1991 film My Own Private Idaho and Smith was nominated for an Academy Award for the song “Miss Misery,” on the soundtrack to Van Sant’s 1998 film Good Will Hunting. Each struggled with drug abuse, which in different ways led to each artist’s untimely death. River Phoenix and Elliott Smith presumably never met, yet each is a kind of fleeting prince of ’90s Portland, and their work acts as time capsule and talisman for the days many locals now look to longingly: a grittier, more affordable and off-the-radar city that predated Portlandia, a succession of swooning New York Times stories, and an ensuing wave of tourism and gentrification.

Like Rothko, neither stayed here for good. But also like Rothko and many of the city’s other most famous sons and daughters, Phoenix and Smith were transplants to the city who saw Portland with fresh eyes. Like rain clouds that give way to bright sunlight almost daily for much of the year, each artist’s Portland-based work is personal and often deeply melancholic, yet also joyful, lyrical and instinctual. It’s not always pretty, yet we are drawn to their work again and again.

By the time Phoenix signed on to star in My Own Private Idaho, he had long since become a star, thanks to such minor Hollywood classics as 1986’s Oregon-filmed Stand by Me and 1988’s Running on Empty, the latter of which brought him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. But Idaho, the third in Van Sant’s trilogy of Portland-set films (preceded by 1986’s Mala Noche and 1989’s Drugstore Cowboy), would become the role of Phoenix’s career and the standout classic in its director’s now decades-long portfolio.

While Drugstore was initially a greater critical success for Van Sant, winning Best Film and Best Director from the National Society of Film Critics in 1989, Idaho is somehow the film that endures in public imagination and as a lasting artistic achievement. Besides being a landmark of gay cinema, casting two young Hollywood heartthrobs as lovers, it also turned out to be Van Sant’s most cinematically ambitious effort.

The premise of My Own Private Idaho is audacious if not a little crazy. The film is a loose interpretation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part I and Part II—the story of a delinquent, debauchery-loving prince planning to shed his skin and embrace his more virtuous monarchical destiny—transposed to the realm of contemporary Portland street hustlers. As legend has it, Phoenix and Reeves spent nights on the streets of Old Town researching their roles by hanging out with the city’s young street denizens, some of whom would enjoy supporting roles in the film.

Phoenix plays a hustler named Mike with a handicap—narcolepsy drops him off to sleep in any moment of stress. We first watch him collapse in sleep by the side of a rural highway, his possessions and even his shoes stripped from him as he slumbers; then he collapses in the middle of turning a trick, carried out of a rich woman’s house by his fellow hustlers and left slumped against a tree. Reeves’s young Prince Hal figure, Scott (in this case a Portland mayor’s son), is along for the ride as part brotherly companion, part lover. Yet this quirky Shakespearean tale is also bookended by and interwoven with a larger quest, played out under the limitless skies and golden hues of the eastern Oregon landscape, as Phoenix’s Mike searches fruitlessly for his long-lost mother: to the Idaho of his youth, to Italy, and finally back to Portland.

Part of what makes My Own Private Idaho so great is how Van Sant conjures indelible cinematic moments: time-lapse footage of clouds rolling over the Oregon landscape; symbolic slow-motion shots of salmon (Mike’s spirit-animal; Phoenix even wears a salmon-colored jacket) fighting their way upstream; and even an entire house falling from the sky onto the highway. It’s dazzling cinema that makes both rural and urban Oregon its muse like perhaps no other movie. That Van Sant has gone on to make several Hollywood movies that overdose on schmaltz and are short on cinematic eye candy, and few if any great works of art (the Cannes winner Elephant and the Matt Damon/Casey Affleck vehicle Gerry perhaps being exceptions) only makes Idaho all the more special in his oeuvre. In fact, it’s as if Van Sant refuses to enter Idaho-like territory. Consider, for example, that his last film, Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot—a profile of cartoonist John Callahan starring River Phoenix’s brother, Joaquin, which is set in Portland and another story of a lonely man’s longing for his mother—was shot in Los Angeles. Suffice to say, there are no houses falling onto the highway.

At least unofficially, My Own Private Idaho owes as much to Phoenix as Van Sant—and not just as it relates to the acting. After all, River Phoenix didn’t just act in Idaho; he reportedly was able to alter the script and his character. The draft that Van Sant brought to the actors didn’t include romance between their two lead characters, but by the time production was complete, Idaho’s most touching moment was a campfire embrace wherein Mike declares his love for Reeves’s Scott. Phoenix is at his zenith here as an actor, a marvel of delicacy, communicating a blend of easy cool and endearing vulnerability.

Both Phoenix and Reeves came to the Idaho cast with something to prove: that they could be serious dramatic actors. To a large extent it worked for both. While Reeves has never been considered a master thespian, his roles in blockbuster franchises like The Matrix and even the more recent John Wick movies have cemented his place in movie history. And for Phoenix, post-Idaho there was no longer any doubt that the child actor we’d seen in Explorers and the angst-ridden teen of The Mosquito Coast (not to mention a memorable “Family Ties” guest-starring turn) had graduated to leading roles with the charisma, looks and vulnerability of a budding superstar. Would it be going too far to say he was the James Dean of his time? Maybe. But the comparison is not ludicrous.

Of course longevity was not to be for Phoenix. Within 25 months of Idaho’s release, his story ended, just like Mike’s, collapsed on the pavement—in this case on a Hollywood sidewalk rather than Highway 216, and sadly, not simply asleep for a few minutes. The brother with him that night, Joachin Phoenix, would go on to enjoy the long acting career River never got.

The year of Idaho’s release was also a turning point for Elliott Smith. In 1991 he had just returned to Portland after four years at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, and promptly formed the band Heatmiser with three musician friends. Over the ensuing years, Heatmiser would become a fixture at celebrated indie-rock clubs like the X-Ray Café and La Luna, while also recording albums like 1993’s Dead Air and 1994’s Cop and Speeder that infused punk energy with melodicism. The band was part of a broader indie rock scene that included Pond, Crackerbash, The Spinanes, The Dandy Warhols and Quasi.

After Nirvana’s breakout success, both indie and major labels began combing Portland clubs looking for the next grunge sensation. And what was grunge but punk with a little more melody and a flannel shirt? Heatmiser received enough attention that a major label, Virgin Records, eventually came calling. But by that time Smith was ready to venture out on his own, breaking up Heatmiser just as they’d made the big time. As the singer-songwriter explained in a later interview, he had grown tired of screaming all the time as a member of a loud rock band. And besides, by that time Smith was gaining notice for a series of stripped-down solo albums with little more than voice and an acoustic guitar. To the astonishment of many, they sounded less like punk or grunge and more like Simon & Garfunkel or Nick Drake. Smith’s solo debut, 1994’s Roman Candle, was released at the height of the grunge era but also just nine months before Kurt Cobain’s suicide, essentially prefiguring (and perhaps even giving birth to) the emo-core wave that would in time follow grunge.

In the four years between Roman Candle’s release and Smith’s leap to international fame with the Oscar nomination for “Miss Misery,” local audiences who had feasted on loud guitars and pounding punk rhythms filled Portland clubs for his solo acoustic shows, trading chaotic mosh pits for stillness and pin-drop quiet. Not only was there the wistful simplicity of Smith’s voice and acoustic guitar. It was also how the singer-songwriter bared his soul in his lyrics. Though some songs were inspired by others’ lives, it was clear that for the sensitive, often-depressed Smith, music was a confessional and a lifeline. Yet in his almost Lennon-McCartney like gift for melody, even his sad songs feel uplifting.

In those early Elliott Smith albums recorded here, through his 1997 masterwork Either/Or (his last for indie label Kill Rock Stars before signing with the mammoth Dreamworks and leaving Portland for New York), the singer-songwriter also painted a cinematic if melancholy picture of the city. You can almost feel the gray wintertime skies in songs like “Alameda,” as he sings:

You walk down Alameda Looking at the cracks in the sidewalk Thinking about your friends How you maintain all them in A constant state of suspense

For your own protection Over their affection Nobody broke your heart You broke your own because you can’t Finish what you start

When the Oscar nomination for “Miss Misery” came, Smith’s life changed overnight. If that new audience and international media attention meant exponentially greater album sales and the end of his penny-pinching way of life—staying in nice hotels on tour instead of sleeping in the van or on some stranger’s floor, not to mention no longer moonlighting as a drywall contractor by day—it also isolated Elliott from his community of not-so-affluent friends and musicians still sleeping on those floors. This time in his life was also accompanied by increasing drug abuse and greater depressions. Perhaps Smith new that despite overwhelmingly positive reviews for albums like XO and Figure 8 as well as a worldwide audience of admirers (he was particularly smitten when a musical hero, Elvis Costello, attended a London show), DreamWorks saw its Smith signing as essentially an investment that didn’t quite pay off because he wasn’t the megastar they envisioned.

Like Cobain, Smith also retained that nagging Gen X rocker’s worry that he’d sold out. Maybe today a young fan who falls in love with Figure 8 doesn’t care that it was recorded for DreamWorks instead of Kill Rock Stars. After all, going to a major label gave Smith a bigger palette of instruments and fellow musicians to work and record with. Yet for Smith, the decision wasn’t without impact. In “King’s Crossing,” one of Smith’s best posthumously-released songs, he sings, “The method acting that pays my bills/keeps the fat man feeding in Beverly Hills.”

Particularly in the couple of years before his 2003 death, Smith was a shell of his former self, consuming cocktails of heroin, crack and prescription drugs. At times onstage, he even had to abort songs halfway through because he couldn’t remember his own lyrics. Yet Smith was also in those final months showing signs of recovery and renewal, which enabled the superlative album he was working on when he died. Songs on the magnificent From a Basement on the Hill (including “King’s Crossing”) exhibit a layered richness of sound that goes beyond what he recorded in Portland a few years earlier. Yet it all screeched to a halt in Silver Lake—whether inevitably, as some observers maintained, or out of the blue.

Today I can’t look at certain places in Portland and Oregon without thinking of them.

For River Phoenix and My Own Private Idaho, there is the Elk statue downtown on Southwest Main Street between Chapman and Lownsdale squares, where early in the film Scott cradles a sleeping Mike in his arms. There is also the stretch of Broadway downtown near the Benson Hotel where the duo cruise the street on Scott’s motorcycle, handsomely and heroically, like cinema’s sunglasses-masked successors to The Wild One and Easy Rider. And perhaps most of all, there is a lonely stretch of Highway 216, east of the Cascades and not far from the tiny town of Tygh Valley, where River Phoenix begins and ends the movie, succumbing to narcoleptic seizure. Last year my partner and I found the coordinates online and made a pilgrimage. To get there you drive white-knuckled through a series of hairpin turns through a small Deschutes River gorge, and then suddenly you come onto a plateau where the road seems to unfold forever.

If one seeks vestiges of Elliott Smith’s Portland, it’s not just the venues where he took the stage (one of which, La Luna, is now a café of the same name), but also, if you know where to look, one of the many Southeast Portland houses where he lived and recorded. Roman Candle, for instance, was recorded in a home on Southeast Taylor Street that recently was listed for rent. (And yes, I admittedly took a tour.) Smith also lived in another Southeast Portland house, off Division Street, that prompted him to sometimes spend late nights hanging out on a bench in the rose gardens of Ladd’s Addition; the documentary Heaven Adores You includes a long shot looking down over the neighborhood. In “St. Ides Heaven,” he writes

Everything is exactly right When I walk around here drunk every night With an open container from 7-11

Division Street itself also wound up inspiring a lyric in “Punch and Judy” (on Either/Or), albeit not exactly an ideal marketing tagline:

Driving around up and down Division Street I used to like it here It just bums me out to remember

Every time I listen to “Punch and Judy,” that line makes me wonder what Smith would have made of gentrified Division Street now, with its canyon of condos and string of popular restaurants. It’s a phenomenon that has swept most close-in east side neighborhoods—precisely the formerly cheap old houses he and his friends used to inhabit.

Even so, to absorb the work of Smith (especially his early records) and Phoenix (particularly My Own Private Idaho) is to make a nostalgic return to ‘90s Portland. And yet, through the power of these works and these two princes’ immense talent, their work also transcends that time capsule. Even if their tragically early deaths don’t guarantee them true artistic immortality, the more Portland changes, the more their works resonate.

#river phoenix #riverphoenix #my own private idaho #mopi #elliott smith #elliottsmith #portland

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newstfionline · 6 years ago

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The Homeless Crisis Is Getting Worse in America’s Richest Cities

Bloomberg, November 20, 2018

It was just after 10 p.m. on an overcast September night in Los Angeles, and L. was tired from a long day of class prep, teaching, and grading papers. So the 57-year-old anthropology professor fed her Chihuahua-dachshund mix a freeze-dried chicken strip, swapped her cigarette trousers for stretchy black yoga pants, and began to unfold a set of white sheets and a beige cotton blanket to make up her bed.

But first she had to recline the passenger seat of her 2015 Nissan Leaf as far as it would go--that being her bed in the parking lot she’d called home for almost three months. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was playing on her iPad as she drifted off for another night. “Like sleeping on an airplane--but not in first class,” she said. That was in part by design. “I don’t want to get more comfortable. I want to get out of here.”

L., who asked to go by her middle initial for fear of losing her job, couldn’t afford her apartment earlier this year after failing to cobble together enough teaching assignments at two community colleges. By July she’d exhausted her savings and turned to a local nonprofit called Safe Parking L.A., which outfits a handful of lots around the city with security guards, port-a-potties, Wi-Fi, and solar-powered electrical chargers. Sleeping in her car would allow her to save for a deposit on an apartment. On that night in late September, under basketball hoops owned by an Episcopal church in Koreatown, she was one of 16 people in 12 vehicles. Ten of them were female, two were children, and half were employed.

The headline of the press release announcing the results of the county’s latest homeless census strikes a note of progress: “2018 Homeless Count Shows First Decrease in Four Years.” In some ways that’s true. The figure for people experiencing homelessness dropped 4 percent, a record number got placed in housing, and chronic and veteran homelessness fell by double digits. But troubling figures lurk. The homeless population is still high, at 52,765--up 47 percent from 2012. Those who’d become homeless for the first time jumped 16 percent from last year, to 9,322 people, and the county provided shelter for roughly 5,000 fewer people than in 2011.

All this in a year when the economy in L.A., as in the rest of California and the U.S., is booming. That’s part of the problem. Federal statistics show homelessness overall has been trending down over the past decade as the U.S. climbed back from the Great Recession, the stock market reached all-time highs, and unemployment sank to a generational low. Yet in many cities, homelessness has spiked.

It’s most stark and visible out West, where shortages of shelter beds force people to sleep in their vehicles or on the street. In Seattle, the number of “unsheltered” homeless counted on a single night in January jumped 15 percent this year from 2017--a period when the value of Amazon.com Inc., one of the city’s dominant employers, rose 68 percent, to $675 billion. In California, home to Apple, Facebook, and Google, some 134,000 people were homeless during the annual census for the Department of Housing and Urban Development in January last year, a 14 percent jump from 2016. About two-thirds of them were unsheltered, the highest rate in the nation.

At least 10 cities on the West Coast have declared states of emergency in recent years. San Diego and Tacoma, Wash., recently responded by erecting tents fit for disaster relief areas to provide shelter for their homeless. Seattle and Sacramento may be next.

The reason the situation has gotten worse is simple enough to understand, even if it defies easy solution: A toxic combo of slow wage growth and skyrocketing rents has put housing out of reach for a greater number of people. According to Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored housing giant, the portion of rental units affordable to low earners plummeted 62 percent from 2010 to 2016.

Rising housing costs don’t predestine people to homelessness. But without the right interventions, the connection can become malignant. Research by Zillow Group Inc. last year found that a 5 percent increase in rents in L.A. translates into about 2,000 more homeless people, among the highest correlations in the U.S. The median rent for a one-bedroom in the city was $2,371 in September, up 43 percent from 2010. Similarly, consultant McKinsey & Co. recently concluded that the runup in housing costs was 96 percent correlated with Seattle’s soaring homeless population. Even skeptics have come around to accepting the relationship. “I argued for a long time that the homelessness issue wasn’t due to rents,” says Joel Singer, chief executive officer of the California Association of Realtors. “I can’t argue that anymore.”

Homelessness first gained national attention in the 1980s, when declining incomes, cutbacks to social safety net programs, and a shrinking pool of affordable housing began tipping people into crisis. President Ronald Reagan dubiously argued that homelessness was a lifestyle choice. By the mid-2000s, though, the federal government was taking a more productive approach. George W. Bush’s administration pushed for a “housing first” model that prioritized getting people permanent shelter before helping them with drug addiction or mental illness. Barack Obama furthered the effort in his first term and, in 2010, vowed to end chronic and veteran homelessness in five years and child and family homelessness by 2020.

Rising housing costs are part of the reason some of those deadlines were missed. The Trump administration’s proposal to hike rents on people receiving federal housing vouchers, and require they work, would only make the goals more elusive. Demand for rental assistance has long outstripped supply, leading to yearslong waits for people who want help. But even folks who are lucky enough to have vouchers are increasingly struggling to use them in hot housing markets. A survey by the Urban Institute this year found that more than three-quarters of L.A. landlords rejected tenants receiving rental assistance.

It’s not bad everywhere. Houston, the fourth-most-populous city in the nation, has cut its homeless population in half since 2011, in part by creating more housing for them. That’s dampened the effect of rising rents, Zillow found. Meanwhile, the nonprofit Community Solutions has worked with Chicago, Phoenix, and other cities to gather quality, real-time data about their homeless populations so they can better coordinate their interventions and prioritize spending. The approach has effectively ended veterans’ homelessness in eight communities, including Riverside County in California.

Efficiency can go only so far. More resources are needed in the places struggling the most with homelessness. McKinsey calculated that to shelter people adequately, Seattle would have to increase its outlay to as much as $410 million a year, double what it spends now. Still, that’s less than the $1.1 billion the consultants estimate it costs “as a result of extra policing, lost tourism and business, and the frequent hospitalization of those living on the streets.” Study after study, from California to New York, has drawn similar conclusions. “Doing nothing isn’t doing nothing,” says Sara Rankin, a professor at Seattle University’s School of Law and the director of the Homeless Rights Advocacy Project. “Doing nothing costs more money.”

Then there’s the moral argument for action. “It’s outrageous to me that in a country with so much wealth--and certainly enough for everybody--that there are people who lack even the basics for survival,” says Maria Foscarinis, founder and executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. Appeals to humanity were part of the strategy in the 1980s, when she and other activists helped push through the first major federal legislation to fight homelessness. Her organization has led a charge against laws that make it a crime to sleep outside in public places, one of the more insidious ways politicians have addressed the crisis. In July the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the unconstitutionality of such bans in a case that Foscarinis’s group--along with Idaho Legal Aid Services and Latham & Watkins--brought against two such ordinances in Boise. “As long as there is no option of sleeping indoors, the government cannot criminalize indigent, homeless people for sleeping outdoors, on public property, on the false premise they had a choice in the matter,” the court wrote. The ruling has led cities, including Portland, Ore., and Berkeley, Calif., to change their policies.

To placate angry constituents, officials too often settle for temporary solutions, such as sweeps of tent encampments and street cleaning. San Francisco Mayor London Breed recently scored some publicity, carrying a broom out to the “dirtiest” block in the city for a photo op with the New York Times. In other places, there’s simply a vacuum of leadership coordinating the patchwork of agencies, nonprofits, and religious organizations trying to help. After reporting intensively for a year on homelessness in the Puget Sound region, the Seattle Times put it bluntly: “No one is in charge.”

Meanwhile, the businesses responsible for much of the area’s economic fortunes, as well as rising housing costs, have been slow to throw their weight behind solutions. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos recently earmarked a portion of his $2 billion philanthropic pledge for homeless services--only months after his company fought aggressively to beat back a modest tax on large employers in Seattle that would have raised less than $50 million a year for the same.

Blaming people who are trying to get back on their feet is probably the least productive way to solve the crisis. Consider Mindy Woods, a single mother and U.S. Navy veteran who lives in a Seattle suburb. In 2010 she developed autoimmune diseases that made her chronically tired and caused so much pain she struggled to work at the insurance company where she’d been selling disability policies. “I was just a mess,” she says. “I had to quit my job.” To help pay rent for the apartment where she lived with her son, she babysat, watched neighbors’ pets, and led a Camp Fire youth group. Still, she and her son ended up having to leave the apartment because of a serious mold infestation, kicking off an eight-month period when they couch-surfed and spent time in a motel and shelter. It was a challenge just to refrigerate her son’s diabetes medicine.

They eventually were accepted into a transitional apartment, where they stayed for 3½ years. But in 2015 her landlord stopped accepting vouchers. Woods had to race to find another apartment owner who’d take her voucher before it lapsed. Application after application got rejected. “The discrimination was alive and well,” she says. Another eight months passed. When she finally found an apartment, there wasn’t room for her son. They had no choice but to separate, and he now lives nearby. Woods bristles when people blame the homeless for their predicament. “This is not about drugs, this is not about mental illness, this is not about lazy people,” she says. “We were doing everything we could to stay in houses.”

#homelessness

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architectnews · 3 years ago

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Sun Valley Compound, Idaho

Sun Valley Compound, Idaho, American Rural Retreat Architecture Images, Architect

Sun Valley Compound For Sale in Idaho

Jan 24, 2022

Stunning Sun Valley Compound Where Marilyn Monroe Starred In Bus Stop is now on the market priced at $15.99 Million

Location: Sun Valley, Idaho, USA

Source: TopTenRealEstateDeals

Sun Valley Compound For Sale

Blonde Bombshell Marilyn Monroe was one of Hollywood’s greatest sex symbols, still a beauty icon decades after her 1962 suicide. Her career as a top-billed star lasted just ten years, but her films grossed over $200 million (equivalent to $2 billion today) and she took home the Golden Globe for Best Actress for her performance in Some Like it Hot. She was known for playing “dumb blondes” for comedic effect, but the woman behind the character was a far more nuanced individual.

In 1956’s Bus Stop, directed by Pulitzer Prize-winner Joshua Logan, Monroe got her first chance to step outside the stereotype with a dramatic role. She studied at The Actor’s Studio to prepare for the film, which became both a critical and commercial success.

A sprawling Idaho estate that served as one of Bus Stop’s main locations has now been listed for sale at $15.99 Million. Located in Sun Valley, Idaho, the twelve-acre property includes the main house, a guest house, and a barn set up for entertaining. It is the guesthouse that once played host to Marilyn Monroe, portrayed as “Grace’s Diner” as well as the location for several other films.

The 2000-square-foot guesthouse features two beds, two-and-a-half baths, and lots of old Hollywood history. The nearby “party barn” is a 3000-square-foot event space that features a magnificent dormitory, a fully fitted kitchen, a living area, one-and-a-half baths, a terrace, a conservatory, and several heated garages.

The main house is a beautifully designed 6000-square-foot modern craftsman with five bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, a study, and a spacious open floor plan that connects the living and dining areas. The home’s two levels and prominent windows showcase the spectacular mountain views. The home features warm mahogany wood accents and multiple stone fireplaces, a three-car garage, an outdoor hot tub, a huge fire pit, and several terraces with water features.

Breathtaking views of Bald Mountain, as well as the Smokey and Boulder Mountains, are visible from all three of the estate’s units. An artificial lake complete’s the property’s serene look and feel. Private and secluded, the estate is located far from the hustle and bustle of the city but close to the famous ski slopes of Sun Valley.

Sun Valley, Idaho is a resort town best known for its alpine ski area at Bald Mountain. The challenging slopes, substantial vertical drop, and lack of wind make “Baldy” one of the world’s best ski mountains, while nearby Dollar Mountain provides gentler slopes for novices and was the site of the world’s first chair lift.

The region has been a seasonal haven for celebrities since the days of Hollywood’s Golden Age, hosting Ernest Hemmingway (who wrote For Whom the Bells Tolls while staying at the Sun Valley Lodge), Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Lucille Ball, and, of course, Marilyn Monroe. It continues to draw notables to this day, with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Ashton Kutcher, Clint Eastwood, Demi Moore, and Tom Hanks owning vacation homes in the area.

The listing is held by Engel & Völkers Sun Valley in Ketchum, Idaho.

Source: sunvalley.evrealestate.com

Photo Credit: Engel & Völkers Sun Valley

Sun Valley Compound, Idaho images / information received 240122

Location: Sun Valley, Idaho, United States of America

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New Residence, Driggs, Teton County Architects: RO|ROCKETT DESIGN photograph : Gabe Border Photography Teton County Residence

Ashtree Passive House, Boise Design: Vaughn Yribar Architecture photo : Gabe Border Photography House in Boise, Idaho

1619 Phillippi Passive House Offices, Boise, Idaho Design: Vaughn Yribar Architecture photo : Gabe Border Photography Passive House Offices in Boise

Bigwood Residence, Ketchum Architects: Olson Kundig picture from architect studio New Residence in Ketchum

Sun Valley Center for the Arts building, Ketchum Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects Sun Valley Center for the Arts

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primortravel · 3 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://primortravel.com/mars-and-moon-landscapes-on-earth-the-travel-tester/

Mars and Moon Landscapes on Earth || The Travel Tester

Most of us will probably never set foot on the actual moon landscape, but did you know that you can visit mars and moon landscapes on earth?

Let’s be real: while most of us will probably never set foot on the actual moon landscape, there is a solution that will have you second-guess if you’re still on our home planet.

And that is to visit these Moon- or Mars landscapes right here on Earth!

Through NASA’s Curiosity Rover, we got a close look at the surface of our neighbouring planet Mars and after doing a bit of research, I found plenty of bizarre terrains on Earth that actually are quite similar to what you might find on the surface of our neighbouring moons and planets.

In the “Catalogue of Planetary Analogues” by ESA, the European Space Agency, you can find all locations that show resemblance to some of the planets and moons in our solar system.

From impact craters to tundra, deserts and volcanic areas, these destinations have similar microbial habitats along with the land formations that make them a good comparison to what’s out there.

You can read more about the Catalogue of Planetary Analogues (and download it whole for free) on the website of ESA >

But if you’re not so much a reader, or want to skip the difficult science parts of the document, here is a visual guide to the best moon-like landscapes you can find (and often easily visit) right here on our own planet Earth.

There are many surreal places not yet on the list below, but I’m keep adding to it, so make sure to come back soon for more!

MARS & MOON LANDSCAPES ON EARTH

MOON LANDSCAPES IN NORTH AMERICA

Kīlauea & Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA

Kīlauea is a volcano part of the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain, and one of five shield volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. It is the youngest and most active volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii.

This type of volcano is great to learn more about both Mars as the Moon, since it’s possible to study basaltic lavas, caves, lava tubes, collapse pits, skylights, life in the subsurface and in basalt and extremophiles (an organism with optimal growth in environmental conditions considered extreme).

Kīlauea also features volcanic deserts, gullies, alluvial plains and Mars-like outwash channels.

By studying Kīlauea, NASA scientists are also getting a better sense of the causes of volcanism on Io, one of Jupiter’s moons. They are finding that a tidal process, similar to what we see here on Earth, could be at play.

There is a visitors centre at the main vent of Kīlauea, but there are no huts or stations on the lava fields itself.

Kīlauea, Hawaii, USA

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano and also often used by NASA for observation and training of their astronauts. No wonder it has gotten the nickname “Apollo Valley”!

You might be surprised to learn that a large part of astronaut training actually consists of geology lessons, teaching them all about volcanic and fiberglass-like formations, rock distribution, lava flows, lava tubes and soil composition. No better place to test drive your lunar rover, too!

At the peak of the Mauna Kea, there is a cluster of world-class observatories providing important astronomical observations. More information here >

If you are an experienced hiker, you can climb to the summit during the day on an eight-hour round-trip trek. Or go at night with your four-wheel drive, from the visitors center to the volcano’s summit to watch the sunset and gaze at the stars… while dreaming of stepping foot on the moon.

Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA

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Utah Desert, USA

Hanksville in the US State of Utah is home to the Mars Desert Research Station. This two-story station was launched by the Mars Society and is a stand-in for the potential research station they are looking to build on Mars.

Although much warmer than Mars, the desert location was selected because of its Mars-like terrain and appearance. The programme allows extensive long-duration geology and biology field exploration operations to be conducted in the same style and under many of the same constraints as they would be on Mars.

Over 1000 people have been here since 2001, to participate in missions of about two to three weeks.

Want to volunteer? Head over to The Mars Society, which advocates for sending humans to Mars as soon as possible and is actively recruiting.

According to Elon Musk we could be living on Mars as soon as 2060 (Dutch organization Mars One seems to believe 2027 is doable…) and even Barack Obama is excited about this!

The Utah Desert is large, so there are plenty of locations to visit to get a bit of an off-planet feel. How about:

Rainbow Bridge

Rainbow Bridge is one of the world’s largest known natural bridges and located in the red desert landscape of southern Utah, you can really get a good feel of the colours, geology and even the isolation you might feel when visiting another planet, such as Mars.

Walk through red canyons made of red-brown Kayenta sandstone and admire the pinnacles… almost like you’re standing in Mars’ own version of the Grand Canyon: Valles Marineris.

Rainbow Bridge, Utah, USA

Goblin Valley State Park

I had never even heard of the term “hoodoo” before, but apparently, that’s what the shape of Goblin Valley’s rock formations are known as. They are the result of the varying hardness of the park’s sandstone.

The park, together with Bryce Canyon National Park, also in Utah, contain some of the largest occurrences of hoodoos in the world.

You can probably see why businessman Arthur Chaffin called the area “Mushroom Valley”, when he stumbled across them in the 1920s.

Do you remember the sci-fi comedy movie “Galaxy Quest”? It was filmed here!

Goblin Valley State Park, Utah, USA

Bryce Canyon National Park

Situated along a high plateau at the top of the Grand Staircase, Bryce Canyon’s high elevations include numerous life communities, fantastic dark skies, and geological wonders that defy description.

Bryce is not a single canyon, but a series of natural amphitheaters or bowls, carved into the edge of a high plateau. The most famous of these is the Bryce Amphitheater (that you can see on the photo below), which is filled with irregularly eroded hoodoos.

They have a special astronomy program where you can learn about and enjoy the splendor of the night sky, or you can go on a unique full moon hike!

There are two campground sites (one in winter) and lodging is available at the Bryce Canyon Lodge during the summer season. Hotel rooms are available in the park at Best Western PLUS Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel (see best prices here >).

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA

Fly Geyser, Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA

Did you know that Fly Geyser was created by accident in 1964 when scalding water began erupting through a man-made well? The dissolved minerals developed the mount and terraces that now surround the geyser.

It continues to grow and release water up to five feet (1.5 meters) into the air. The algae provide the outer-worldly colours on the geyser.

The appearance of the geyser keeps changing and the site has only recently been opened to the public, since it is located on a plot of private land.

In June 2016, the non-profit Burning Man Project purchased the 3800 acres (1500 ha) Fly Ranch, including the geyser, for a mere $6,5 million US dollars.

The geyser can be seen from State Route 34 north of the town Gerlach and on location, you can participate in weekend Nature Walks, where you get to see a portion of the area. You cannot take photos during the walk itself, so you can connect with the land and each other, but you can do this afterwards.

Fly Geyser, Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA

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Death Valley, California, USA

Researchers have been coming to Death Valley for decades to study the desert’s many ancient yet accessible rock layers in this below-sea-level basin that is one of the hottest places on earth.

Despite its name, a great diversity of life survives in Death Valley!

Death Valley was used by NASA as a test location for Curiosity Rover, that landed on Mars in 2012.

The craters and below-sea-level basin of this national park in Southern California were used to test the 10 scientific instruments the rover would use on Mars.

For the results of the actual mission, please check the website of NASA.

For directions to Death Valley, please refer to the park’s own website. Note that there is NO cellphone reception in the park and GPS Navigation has proven to be unreliable. Always carry up-to-date road maps to check the accuracy of GPS directions!

Death Valley, California, USA

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Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho, USA

If we ever make it to Mars, we already know that due to its hostile environment, we will have to dive straight under the surface of the planet.

That is exactly the reason why a team of NASA researchers gathered in 2017 at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho: to create the first complete 3D scan of Indian Tunnel, one of the largest and most accessible lava tubes at the monument.

Through their hard work, we will understand more about our own planet’s geologic past and it will also allow scientists to learn more about potential subterranean living on other planets, such as Mars.

Craters of the Moon’s visitor center is located 18 miles southwest of Arco, Idaho on U.S. Highway 20/26/93.

There are five caves you can explore within the Monument. Before entering any cave in the park, you must be “screened” for white-nose syndrome, a deadly fungal bat disease.

Plan your visit through the website of the park >

Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho, USA Credit: Photo by Matthew Dillon, CC BY 2.0 (cropped)

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Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA

The North American Plate has moved over the last 17 million years by plate tectonics across a stationary mantle hotspot. The landscape of present-day Yellowstone National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is the most recent manifestation of this hotspot below the crust of the Earth.

The features of this area, such as hot springs and mineral deposits such as silica sinters are related to giant calderas and super volcanoes that have have existed on Mars.

Also the extremophilic microorganisms that thrive in the hot springs and geothermal areas of Yellowstone are astrobiological analogues to those that might have existed with martian geothermal features in the past.

Make sure to check out the “Chocolate Pots”, these are 42+ vents on and under the Gibbon river, 8 of which have formed small cones. The major cones spout up to 2 feet due to hydrostatic pressure.

Also the Grand Prismatic Springs are a sight of their own. This is the largest hot spring in the United States (diameter of 100m, and depth of 50m) with rings of colourful heat tolerant (thermophile) bacteria that ring the lake and produce the characteristic ‘prism’ effect.

Immediately adjacent is the Excelsior Geyser Crater, a hot spring and dormant geyser, with a large outflow channel leading directly into Firehole river.

Grand Prismatic Springs, Yellowstone National Park, USA

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Arizona, USA

There are several surreal locations in the state of Arizona that are very similar to the conditions you would find on for example the moon. No wonder it’s a prima spot for astronauts to do their training!

Have a look at some of the wonderful places you can find here:

Black Point Lava Flow

The alien-like black basaltic lava flow is part of Arizona’s San Francisco Volcanic Field. This is a group of geologically young (about 6 million to less than 1000 years old) volcanoes, lava flows and cinder cones located just north of Flagstaff in the state of Arizona.

This site is perfect for training and systems testing for future exploration missions to the moon, according to NASA.

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Cinder Lake

This is the site where in 1967, the United States Geological Survey turned an old volcano (that exploded around 1064) into a lunar training ground for astronauts. They did this by using 1153 pounds of dynamite and 28.650 pounds of nitro-carbo-nitrate to blast themselves over a hundred ‘lunar craters’.

The area was already covered in basaltic cinders from the volcanic eruption, which is much of the same material as the Mare Tranquillitatis, which was chosen as the landing site for the Apollo 11 mission on the moon. With the newly shaped landscape, they could test their equipment, knowledge and skills while still on Earth!

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Meteor Crater

In the northern Arizona desert you can find an imposing-looking crater. It wasn’t until the 1960s that they understood this was no volcanic crater, but an ancient meteor crash site.

Although this is a very important geological site, the crater is not protected as a national monument, because it is privately owned.

The crater is about 1200 meters / 3900 feet in diameter and about 170 meters / 560 feet deep. The rim rises 45 meters / 148 feet above the surrounding plains.

At the site, you there is an interactive educational experience for the entire family at the Meteor Crater Visitor Center. From here, you can visit the Widescreen theater, the indoor crater viewing area, you get Crater Trail access and can also visit the Interactive Discovery Center, the 4D Experience Room, or see Artifacts and Exhibits and browse the Gift & Mineral Shop.

For more information, visit the Meteor Crater website >>

Meteor Crater Arizona, USA

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Sunset Crater

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when the earth cracks open and hot cinders and poisonous gases get spewed high into the air, you need to head over to Sunset Crater Volcano!

Just 1000 years old, Sunset Crater is the youngest in a string of the San Francisco volcanic field volcanoes.

There is a Visitor Center, which is open from 9AM to 5PM and there is a 34 mile scenic loop you can drive, winding from Highway 89 and the high Ponderosa Pine forests at Sunset Crater Volcano down nearly 2000 feet in elevation to the red rocks of Wupatki National Monuments.

Plan your visit to Sunset Crater >>

Sunset Crater Arizona, USA

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Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Venus is an inhabitable planet with a volcanic surface and clouds that rain sulfuric acid that bake the crust to about 471 degrees Celsius / 880 degrees Fahrenheit. It seems like we’re never able to land here!

For the hypothetical High Altitude Venus Operational Concept (HAVOC) mission, NASA envisions solar-powered cloud cities that float above the surface, where the temperature and other conditions are a bit less hostile.

Want to experience what that would be like? Going up in a hot-air balloon seems to currently be the only way to do it!

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque in New Mexico is the epi-center of balloons filled with hot-air, so head over in October for this 9-day festival to witness over 500 balloons launch in a spectacle you won’t soon forget!

I did a hot-air balloon ride in India, check the blog to read more about this bucket list experience >>

Albuquerque International Balloon Festival, USA

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The Spotted Lake (Kliluk), Osoyoos, Canada

This almost alien-like lake in British Colombia’s desert contains large amounts of minerals, including calcium and sodium sulfates, that have seeped in from the surrounding rock.

In Summer, the water evaporates and the minerals are revealed in more than 300 separate pools, varying in colour from yellow to green and blue. They look like “spots”, hence the name of the lake.

Spotted Lake has been considered a sacred place for centuries by the indigenous people of the Okanagan Nation. They call it “Kliluk” and believe the lake has healing properties.

If you want to see the lake, you can’t get too close due to a fence that has been erected to protect the culturally and ecologically sensitive area. But from the highway there are plenty of good vantage spots.

Read more on the website of the British Columbia tourist board >>

The Spotted Lake, Osoyoos, Canada

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Greenland

On the 31st January of 2011, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft passed by several of Saturn’s moons, and shot images of Enceladus showing jets of water vapor and ice erupting from the south polar terrain of the moon.

That suggested that there was a reservoir of water below the frozen surface of the moon, but researches discovered something even more interesting: calculations showed there is a global ocean under the icy crust!

Curious to experience what it would be like to take a swim here? Head over to Greenland, where you can dive below icebergs, but be aware: dives with melting icebergs all around you can be very dangerous!

If you’re looking for something a little bit less risky, maybe the SCUBA training site at Morrison’s Quarry in Canada is an option for you.

Kulusuk, Greenland

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MOON LANDSCAPES IN SOUTH AMERICA

The Atacama Desert, Chile

Years of erosion have turned the Atcama desert in Northern Chile and Southern Peru into one of the driest places on Earth.

Annual rainfall averaging less than one inch (25.4 mm) and the dramatic landscape consists of dry riverbeds, wind-sculpted rocks, salt-dusted mountains and jagged peaks. You can understand why they call one of the valleys in the desert “El Valle de la Luna” (Moon Valley)!

In a region about 100 km south of the port city of Antofagasta, which averages 3000 meters height, the soil has been compared to that of Mars.

You can expect almost void-of-life desert pavement (a surface covered with closely packed rock fragments), volcanic, impact and hydrothermal deposits, playas (dry lakes), channels, alluvial fans (triangular-shaped deposits of water-transported material), among other Mars-like features.

It might come as no surprise that scientists have tested several rover prototypes here (but also not that the movie “A Space Odyssey” was filmed here)

While you don’t need a permit to get into the desert, you absolutely need a 4-wheel drive, a GPS and make sure to plan your routes ahead of time using satellite imagery.

There is no infrastructure here, so camping is essential and you need to carry everything with you into the desert – and of course out of it again. Be aware though that the desert is not empty – there are many active mining operations and there are people traveling throughout,so do not leave anything unattended. Best time to visit is the Autumn or spring in the U.S.

Atacama Desert, South America

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MOON LANDSCAPES IN OCEANIA

Central Australia

If you have ever visited Central “Outback” Australia, you have probably already felt like you walked on Mars.

With the deep red and rocky landscape, the ancient terrains and arid regions of this part of the world, there are large parts where scientists can perform research.

Here, you can find mound springs (natural outlets where pressure forces underground water to the surface), barchan dunes (crescent-shaped dunes), impact craters, a variety of volcanic fields, so-called “Martian soils” and more features all analogous to those on the Moon and Mars.

Hydrothermal deposits (accumulations of valuable minerals) and hot springs are also observed with extremophiles (like we saw already in Hawaii), micro-fossils and stromatolites (read more about them further along in the section about Pilbara in Australia!).

Southern hemisphere Winter is the best time to visit, and to get anywhere in the desert areas a 4WD is a necessity. The nearest airport is in Alice Springs.

Kings Canyon, Australia

Uluru (Ayers Rock), Australia

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Hamelin Pool, Pilbara, Australia

One of the most unique places I ever visited on my travels has to be Hamelin Pool in the state of Western Australia. Here, you can get up close with some of the Earth’s oldest micro-fossils, and something called “Stromatolites”.

Stromatolites are layered mounds, columns, and sheet-like sedimentary rocks that were originally formed by the growth of layer upon layer of cyanobacteria, a single-celled photosynthesizing microbe. They are considered ‘living fossils’ and play an important part in the Earth’s evolutionary history.

Hamelin Pool is one of only four places on earth where living marine stromatolites exist and the location contains by far the biggest colony on earth. They are believed to grow at a maximum of 0.3 mm per year!

This location can provide insights into the origins of life on both Earth as Mars and the preservation potential for life in general.

To visit, Hamelin Pool is about 1,5 hours drive from Denham and one hour 45 mins drive from Monkey Mia. Best time to visit is in the southern winter as summers can get very hot.

Stromatolites at Hamelin Pool, Pilbara, Australia

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The Pinnacles, Nambung National Park, Western Australia

The yellow Pinnacle Desert in the Nambung National Park in Western Australia can really make you feel like you’re walking on the moon and makes for a great day trip.

The geological formations were formed about 25.000 years ago, after the sea receded this area and left deposits of sea shells. Coastal winds removed all of the surrounding sand over the years and left nothing but the exposed limestone pillars.

Make sure to also visit The Pinnacles Desert Discovery Centre, open daily, just like the rest of the park. The Pinnacle Lookout is located just behind the visitor center.

From the center’s car park, you can also step onto the “Desert View Trail”, which is an easy, 1.5 kilometer, 45 minutes return walk through the desert. Or just drive around the Pinnacles in your own car! You don’t need a 4-wheel drive here as the roads are sealed.

The best time of the year to visit is July, August, September and October.

Read our full article about The Pinnacles in Australia on the blog >

The Pinnacles, Nambung National Park, Western Australia

Glow Worm Caves, Waitomo, New Zealand

While it might not quite resemble the surface of the Moon or Mars, these unique caves in New Zealand are definitely otherworldly. It’s not every day that you can see such a unique phosphorescent glow in nature!

Glow worms aren’t actually worms, but fly larvae that emit the glow, through their waste and snot… Yum! But that aside, it’s actually really clever: the larvae make their prey believe they’re outside (the glow looking like a starry night sky) and trick them into their sticky threads inside the caves as they fly upward.

The caves were discovered by a local Maori chief in the late 19th century and since then, over half a million people visit the caves yearly. There are various options when it comes to tours, for example with Black Water Rafting, Spellbound or Caveworld.

Glow Worm Caves, Waitomo, New Zealand

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MOON LANDSCAPES IN EUROPE

Iceland

I am pretty sure that you didn’t know Iceland was the training ground of the Apollo astronauts back in the 1960s! And no, they didn’t train their moonwalks there, but in fact they did a lot of geological research.

In recent investigations, NASA has determined the Icelandic landscape is pretty similar to Mars due to the extreme size of the island’s volcanic eruptions (there are 30 active volcanic systems with associated geothermal activity), turning Iceland into a natural laboratory for analogue studies of Mars and the Moon.

The terrain has also proven helpful in deciding the best landing sites for spacecrafts for when humans finally make it to Mars.

Rugged Iceland provides a fantastic playground for planetary surface activities: there are basaltic lavas, lava tubes, caves, ridges, cones, hydrothermal deposits, Mars-like soils and pyroclastics, pillow lavas, hot springs and geysers and volcanic Aeolian (surfaces shaped by the wind) features such as dunes.

Satisfy your Interplanetary Wanderlust by visiting for example:

Iceland is easily reached via air and the main international airport is Keflavík located in the southwest of the country about 40 km from Reykjavík. Many sites can be driven to (in winter you need a 4WD – read all about driving in Iceland on the website of the tourist board >) with a short hike at the end. Any sites in the higher volcanic areas will require extensive hiking.

On the volcanoes there are many marked hiking trails and huts leading to the summits. The weather can change here without warning, so be prepared and if possible have a GPS and/or sat phone.

Mid-June to August is high season, but accessibility can be limited until as late as July because of snow. Many facilities outside Reykjavík are closed from September to May.

Námafjall Hverir Geothermal Area

Hverfjall Crater

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Piramidi di Segonzano, Trento, Italy

In the region of Trentino in Northern Italy, you can visit the “Piramidi di Segonzano”, one of the most studied geological phenomena in the world. But chances are that you’ve never heard of them, am I right?

I know I hadn’t before I visited this otherworldly place recently.

At an altitude of 875 meters (2870 ft) in the Cembra Valley, the “pyramids of Segonzano” reach up to 40 meters (131 ft). They were formed about 50.000 years ago, when the movement of the Avisio glaciers and the consequent disintegration of the mountain sides produced enormous moraine deposits.

These deposits, consisting of earth and small pebbles, were covered by a landslide of large porphyry boulders. Under the weight of the boulder, that almost look like hats these days, the soil becomes more compact (almost like cement) and actually protects the pillars from rain erosion. Just like a giant stone umbrella!

It’s an amazing place to visit and makes for a great day out with the whole family. The site is open to visitors all year round and you can reach different viewing platforms by a specially equipped, clearly marked path.

Read our full article about Piramidi di Segonzano on the blog and make sure to check out our video below >

Piramidi di Segonzano, Trento, Italy

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The Ries Impact Crater, Nördlinger, Germany

Several asteroid and comet collisions have shaped the surface of our planet Earth throughout history. One of them occurred about 14.5 million years ago.

A projectile of 1.5 km in diameter slammed into the Earth in the area we now know as Bavaria in Germany, leaving a 24 km in diameter, round shaped crater.

Of course you can imagine that this is a unique place to study the products of impact cratering, and some of the Apollo astronauts trained here prior to their missions to the Moon.

The medieval town of Nördlingen, that also hosts the Rieskrater Museum (Ries Crater Museum), is not just a great visit because it’s actually build inside the crater, but also because the buildings here are embedded with millions of microscopic diamonds, all a result of the asteroid impact.

The area is a registered Geopark, run and maintained by the Rieskrater Museum.

The impact structure is easily accessible along the “Romantische Strasse”, the Romantic Road that winds through Bavaria from Frankfurt to Munich. Stuttgart International Airport is about 150 km to the East, this is an easy drive and is the recommended route.

Ries Impact Crater (Google Maps) with the town of Nördlinger enlarged at the top right

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Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Volcanism helped shape Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. The summit of the Teide stratovolcano reaches 3718 meters (12.198 feet) above sea level. But much of the volcano’s impressive height is unseen. If you include what’s below the water line, the volcano rises 7500 meters (24.606 feet) from the ocean floor! This makes it the third tallest volcanic structure on Earth.

About 190 square kilometers (73 square miles) of land around the summit are protected as part of Teide National Park. In 2007, the park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Las Cañadas caldera on top of Teide is used by space agencies to test planetary rovers, since the environmental conditions and geological formations are also similar to those on Mars.

Since 1964, you can observe the stars from the Teide Observatory (Observatorio del Teide). It became one of the first major international observatories with telescopes from different countries.

The Teide national park is open for public and accessible by road. Find out everything about guided (stargazing) tours on the visitor information website >>

Teide National Park at Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

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Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy

The stratovolcano Mount Etna in Sicily has never really stopped erupting, and with altering volcanic topographies, it’s a great place to do scientific and robotic studies for both Moon and Mars missions.

In 2017 tests with robots have been conducted by the German Aerospace Centre on the “Piano del Lago” area of the volcano, a desolate stretch of terrain buffeted by strong winds. Aim of the research was to improve robotic equipment that will be used in space.

Etna is one of the rare volcanoes in the world where it is possible to observe the birth of new eruptive mouths. There are no less than 300 lateral craters and 250 lava tubes.

When you visit, there are several options to do (hiking) tours for all levels of fitness. More information can be found on the website of the tourist board >

Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy

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Svalbard, Norway

Scientists have been using the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard since 2003 as a testing ground for technology destined for Mars.

Because of its location near the Arctic circle, you will not only find harsh cold temperatures, but rocky outcrops, permafrost and volcanic geology in the area, mirroring several Martian environments, including the poles and equatorial craters of the Red Planet.

This place on Earth is a great place for testing Mars rover vehicles and sensors that have been tested here as prototypes are now being used aboard Curiosity on Mars and future instruments for the ExoMars mission.

You can read more about this research on the website of the European Space Agency (ESA) >>

Svalbard, Norway

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Aurora Borealis, Norway / Iceland / Sweden / Finland

During solar storms, the sun ejects particles that only planets with magnetic fields and an atmosphere turn into amazing light shows.

Our lucky planet for example, is able to show dancing ribbons of green, blue, red and purple shades in the night sky (near our North and South Poles), because the particles interact with our atmosphere’s gases.

A similar phenomenon has been witnessed around the poles of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. We call them “Aurora Borealis” in the North (Northern Lights) and “Aurora Australis” in the South.

You need a bit of good luck to witness this phenomenon however, but there are many tours offering you a chance to see it with your own eyes.

The best time for these tours is between September and April (in Northern Scandinavia), because the skies are the most dark and the nights the longest at this moment.

In the United States, visit the website of the Geophysical Institute in Fairbanks, Alaska, as they keep an eye on the current state of the aurora and offer an aurora forecast.

Aurora Borealis, Norway / Iceland / Sweden / Finland

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MOON LANDSCAPES IN AFRICA

The Namib Desert, South Africa / Angola / Namibia

The Namib Desert extends about 2000 km from the Olifants River in South Africa to the Carunjamba River in Angola and is the oldest desert in the world.

The desert provides analogues for both the Moon and Martian features such as deserts, sand and gravel, sand seas and dunes.

The sand dunes, some of which are 300 meters high and span 32 kilometers long, are the second largest in the world and are closest in size to those on Mars.

As for testing ground, this is the perfect place to study life in conditions of low water availability and high temperatures. A lot of studies are done at the Gobabeb Namib Research Institute.

Chemically, the Namib Desert is almost completely lacking water bodies on the surface as most rivers flow underground and/or are dry for most of the year, mimicking conditions proposed for Mars today and in the past.

Windhoek is the nearest airport. There is limited fuel away from the main cities and roads, so bring your own supplies and drinking water. The nearest town, Walvis Bay, is 120 kilometres away.

The best time to travel is in the southern hemisphere winter. However, it’s also high tourist season so accommodation and vehicles may have limited availability. Book well ahead of time.

The Namib Desert

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Bahariya and Farafra Depressions, Egypt

The “White Desert” in Egypt is known for its wind-shaped chalk rock formations made of white limestone, some of the rarest landscapes and geological formations in Egypt, covering less than 1% of the Egyptian Sahara.

Here, you can find dinosaurs fossils and remnants of other species that have been left here after an ice age that occurred 30 million years ago.

About 126 km northeast of the White Desert, you’ll find the “Black Desert”, where hundreds of black powder-covered hills form the Alien landscape. The black powder is due to volcanic activity during the Jurassic Period.

In 2002, the desert was recognised as a Natural Protectorate by the Egyptian government and since then, all human development in or near the desert has been banned to preserve the area.

This also means that there are no tourism facilities in the area, but with a local Bedouin guide you can go on a camping trip where you stay warm by the camp fire and dream of distant planets in the night sky above you.

Farafra, Egypt

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Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

If you’re looking for an inhospitable landscape, here you go. The sunken volcanic landscape of the northern part of the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia is full of acidic hot springs, bubbling lavas, salty sands and toxic vapors.

The Danakil Depression is the hottest place on Earth and also one of the lowest places on the planet (100 m below sea level). There is no rain for most of the year. The wet environments of the hot springs are being investigated to help understand how life might arise on other planets and moons.

Even though it seems nothing could survive here, microorganisms thrive among the region’s sulfuric pools and mineral chimneys!

You might also know this location where in 1974, archaeologists found the famous Australopithecus fossil Lucy, which has been dated 3.2 million years old. Or maybe you don’t. My dad is an archaeologist, so that’s why this facts was exciting to me, haha!

Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

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MOON LANDSCAPES IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Wadi Rum, Jordan

The UNESCO World Heritage site of Wadi Rum in Southern Jordan has an incredible landscape of cliffs, gorges, caverns, natural arches, and Mars-like red sand.

This valley (“wadi” in Arabic) is cut into the sandstone and granite rock. Wadi Rum has been inhabited by many human cultures since prehistoric times. The combination of 25,000 rock carvings with 20,000 inscriptions trace the evolution of human thought and the early development of the alphabet.

Also known also as “Wādī al-Qamar”, or the “Valley of the Moon”, this is the place were space movies such as “Star Wars episode 9 – Rise of Skywalker” and “The Martian” starring Matt Damon were shot.

Spend the night at Sun City Camp in a real Martian Dome! Check best prizes on booking.com >

Wadi Rum, Jordan

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MOON LANDSCAPES IN ASIA

Dongchuan Red Land of Kunming, Yunnan, China

The Dongchuan District is one of seven districts of the city of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province in China.

The area has become famous through photographers who discovered the unique local landscape and its Red Earth scenery. The soil is rich in iron and aluminum, with little organic matter, strong acidity and heavy clay.

You can capture the red fields just after ploughing and before the crops grow in Summer, or in Autumn.

Dongchuan Red Soil, China

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The Stone Forest of Kunming, Yunnan, China

Another sight you don’t want to miss in the Yunnan region is the Stone Forest of Kunming, a notable set of limestone formations of about 500 square kilometers.

Since 2007, two parts of the site, the Naigu Stone Forest and Suogeyi Village have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Stone Forest area was a shallow sea some 270 million years ago, but extensive deposits of sandstone overlain by limestone accumulated over time in the basin. Exposure to wind and running water shaped these limestone pillars into their current form.

The Stone Forest Scenic Region is open all year round. Try and avoid days with heavy rain (mostly between May and October).

The Stone Forest of Kunming, China

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Yehliu Geopark, Taipei, Taiwan

Yehliu Geopark, part of the Daliao Miaocene Formation in Northern Taiwan, is home to a number of unique geological formations.

The cape stretches around for 1700 meters and was formed as thousands of years of geological movement forced the Datun Mountains to change their shape, jutting out into the ocean.

A distinctive feature of the cape is the hoodoo stones that dot its surface. Many of them have been given distinct names, such as “Queen’s Head”, “Sea Candles”, “Fairy Shoe”, “Ginger Rocks”, “Elephant Rock”, “Ice Cream Rock”, “Kissing Rock” and “The Beehive”.

Have a close-up look at the hoodoos on the website of the geo park >>

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MOON LANDSCAPES ON ANTARCTICA

The Antarctic Dry Valleys

The Antarctic Peninsula was formed by uplift and metamorphism of sea-bed sediments during the late Palaeozoic and the early Mesozoic eras. This was accompanied by igneous intrusions and volcanism during the Jurassic Period.

East Antarctica is geologically very old, dating from the Precambrian era, with some rocks formed more than 3 billion years ago!

The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of valleys west of McMurdo Sound and got their name because of their extremely low humidity and lack of snow and ice cover. They are considered to be the most ‘Mars-like’ environment on Earth and contain a range of features found on Mars in the past and today.

These include: a cold dry desert, sublimation polygons, gullies, cold-based glaciers like those observed on Arsia Mons on Mars, crypto-endoliths (an organism that lives inside rock) and extremophiles (like we saw in Hawai and Australia already), high concentration of salts in soils and waters.

Antarctica is also useful for human mission testing and mission scenarios as carried out at the Concordia Research Station. Here studies are also conducted into glaciology, astronomy, human biology and medicine, habitat and Large Space Simulation (LSS) in extreme conditions, surface Extravehicular activity (EVA) in terrestrial gravity and confinement tests.

This site has been used by the NASA from January 2008 to February 2009 to test an inflatable habitat in an extreme environment.

Gaining access to Antarctica is, as you might expect, very difficult and achievable mainly by military aircraft or research vessels.

Antarctic Dry Valleys – Credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS/ASTER

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patriotsnet · 3 years ago

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Why Did Republicans Vote Against Equal Pay

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/why-did-republicans-vote-against-equal-pay/

Why Did Republicans Vote Against Equal Pay

Playing Politics With Violence Against Women

An ad from Alison Lundergan Grimes knocks Sen. Mitch McConnell for voting two times against the Violence Against Women Act evidence, Grimes concludes, that McConnell has forgotten that over half the voters in Kentucky are women.

But McConnell has never opposed the central purpose of the Violence Against Women Act. In fact, he was a cosponsor of the original bill in 1991, and he has twice supported its reauthorization.

McConnell did vote against a massive crime bill that included the VAWA because it also contained a ban on assault weapons. And he more recently voted against reauthorization of VAWA in 2012 and 2013 because he opposed Democratic expansions of the bill that included provisions for same-sex couples and immigrants, and one that would have allowed Native American tribal courts to try non-Native Americans accused of domestic violence on reservations. In both cases, McConnell supported Republican alternatives to those bills that he claimed would have strengthened the Violence Against Women Act.

Throughout her campaign, Grimes has highlighted womens issues, and her campaign website says that the contrast between her and McConnell on that front could not be starker. Drawing that contrast is the aim of this latest ad, the third in a series that features a Kentucky resident sitting beside Grimes and posing a rhetorical question to McConnell. We previously reviewed the first two installments, one on Medicare, the other on jobs.

McConnells History on VAWA

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

In the 2007 case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the Supreme Court upended longstanding precedent and held that employees could not sue for pay discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 if their employers original discriminatory pay decision occurred more than 180 days before they initiated a claim.

Congress acted swiftly to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to overturn the Courts decision. The Act made it clear that each discriminatory paycheck not just an employers original decision to engage in pay discrimination resets the period of time during which a worker may file a claim of pay discrimination on the basis of sex, race, national origin, age, religion and disability.

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Its another delay in a decades-long effort to close the wage gap, which has the potential of widening after this recession. According to a study by economists at Northwestern University, past recessions have typically narrowed the gender pay gap because men were more likely to lose their jobs and return to work in lower positions after being out for an extended period of time. But the pandemic recession will have the opposite effect, widening the gap because its women, this time, who will be out of work longer than men.

The Paycheck Fairness Act sought to build on past legislation the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 to eliminate the gap. The bill would require employers to prove why a pay disparity exists, bar them from asking employees about their salary history and build in more transparency and avenues for recourse if workers feel their employers are paying them unfairly.

One of the other reasons for the persisting gender wage gap is the jobs workers are concentrated in. Women work in two-thirds of the 40 lowest paid jobs in the country, and men are concentrated in the highest earning fields, driving the gap in earnings.

Murray said that argument is offensive.

Economists who have studied the gender pay gap have said unequivocally that the issue goes beyond personal choice.