Moonhowlings

Albert Einstein warned  of two approaching apocalypses: nuclear annihilation and the disappearance of  bees. He said:

“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left.”

Vanishing of the Bees – Trailer from Bee The Change on Vimeo.

For about the past 5 years there has been an occasional alarm raised about the disappearance of what is commonly known as the honey bee. This reduction in the bee populations has sent an alarm through the scientific community that something is wrong. The condition of the vanishing bees is known as Colony Collapse Disorder.

At least 1/3rd of every bite that goes into our mouths is made possible by bees because of pollination. This simply isn’t something we can do for ourselves.

What is causing CCD? Pesticides? Emissions? Just a normal bee cycle?
Do we just blow this off as liberal BS? Is it worth the risk? Many people worry about what debt will do to their children and grandchildren. What will no food do to them?

Just something to think about.

Read more…

An article was published March 10, 2011 about astrologers thinking that the super large moon on March 19 would trigger natural disasters.  March 10th was the day before the horrible 9.1 earthquake that set of the chain of events that has crippled the nation of Japan. 

According to Yahoo. com:

On March 19, the moon will swing around Earth more closely than it has in the past 18 years, lighting up the night sky from just 221,567 miles (356,577 kilometers) away. On top of that, it will be full. And one astrologer believes it could inflict massive damage on the planet.

Richard Nolle, a noted astrologer who runs the website astropro.com, has famously termed the upcoming full moon at lunar perigee (the closest approach during its orbit) an “extreme supermoon.”

When the moon goes super-extreme, Nolle says, chaos will ensue: Huge storms, earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural disasters can be expected to wreak havoc on Earth. (It should be noted that astrology is not a real science, but merely makes connections between astronomical and mystical events.)

But do we really need to start stocking survival shelters in preparation for the supermoon?

Judging from the past week, the answer must be YES.  We have had  earthquakes, tsunamis,  nuclear disasters, and volcanic eruptions.  Read more…

An 8.9 earthquake hit Japan near Tokyo during the night.   It was around 2 in the afternoon in Japan when the earthquake hit.  The epicenter was right off the coast.  Tsunamis have hit Japan.  Hawaii and the entire Pacific Basin are under tsunami warning meaning imminent danger.  Our entire west coast line, Canada and Alaska are under this warning. 

Pictures coming in of the tsunamis already hitting Japan have been in TV all night.  This earthquake is the largest in Japan since such data has been recorded. 

We will use this thread for updates. 

Since when was ‘human life begins at conception’ implanted into the Virginia curriculum? Didn’t see that one coming.

More to the point, Bob ‘Sideshow’ Marshall is shown comparing scientists who conduct and study stem cell research to Nazi war criminals during WWII. Bobby, that is just too cultural warrior for the floor of the General Assembly. No, he didn’t say the words but he painted the picture. You might want to ask your local, state and national legislators if they support Sideshow’s proposed ban on stem cell research.

Stem Cell Information from NIH

Today is Mardi Gras which signals Lent begins tomorrow.  And if Lent begins tomorrow, then Palm Sunday  is a long 40 days away and Easter is another week past Palm Sunday.  Usually Mardi Gras is in February.

Easter is usually calculated by astrological full moon and spring equinox.  Easter traditionally falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after spring equinox.  This year, spring equinox falls on March 20.  The next full moon is March 19th.  Ooops, not soon enough.  The next full moon is on April 18th, which is on a Monday.  The next Sunday is April 24, which is Easter.  Easter hasn’t been this late in 68 years. 

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Easter falls on April 24, the latest it has arrived in 68 years, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington.

Easter hasn’t come this late since 1943 and won’t be this late again until 2038.

“In both 1943 and 2038 Easter occurs on April 25, which is as late as it can theoretically be,” said Geoff Chester, an astronomer and public relations officer with the observatory.

Easter last occurred on April 24 in 1859, and it will not fall again on the 24th until 2095.

“The earliest possible date for Easter is March 22,” Chester said.

On a slightly different note, Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, March 13,  at 2 a.m.  We get to spring forward and lose an hour of sleep. 

Any special fat cat plans tonight?

The Space Shuttle Program is 3 decades old.  This launch is final one for Discover  before retirement.

Virginia scientists have discovered dead bats in Hamilton Cave in southwest Virginia.  The bats have died of white-nose syndrome which makes the dead bats look like they stuck their noses in a vat of flour.

According to the Richmond Times Dispatch:

That white gunk was a fungus believed to cause a torturous disease in bats called white-nose syndrome.

In 2009, when scientists last checked Hamilton Cave in far Southwest Virginia, all the bats looked fine. But the mysterious fungus, new to science when it appeared in New York in 2006, is spreading quickly.

White-nose has killed more than 1 million bats from New Hampshire to Tennessee, including thousands in Virginia. At some Northeast caves, it has wiped out more than 90 percent of the bats, leaving behind little brown bones like pine needles.

Read more…

Beebe, Arkansas:

Around 11 that night, thousands of red-winged blackbirds began falling out of the sky over this small city about 35 miles northeast of Little Rock. They landed on roofs, roads, front lawns and backyards, turning the ground nearly black and terrifying anyone who happened to be outside.

“One of them almost hit my best friend in the head,” said Christy Stephens, who was standing outside among the smoking crowd at a party. “We went inside after that.”

The cause is still being determined, but preliminary lab results from the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission revealed “acute physical trauma” in samples of the dead birds. There were no indications of disease, though tests were still being done for the presence of toxic chemicals.

Other birds have been dying in other locations, although nothing quite as dramatic as what happened in Beebe.  TV reports that regular black birds and starlings have fallen from the sky.  Totally bizarre.  Where is Alfred Hitchcock? 

Obviously if birds are falling from the sky in large numbers, something isn’t right.  It will be important for scientists to discover why the birds died.  It will be even more important to fix whatever it was that caused the bird deaths.  Something is horribly wrong. 

Starlings dying might not be a bad thing.  Red wing blackbirds –different.  That shouldn’t be happening.  Am I prejudice against starlings?  Absolutely.  They are loud, smelly, and they will foul any area where they roost.  Long time residents of this area will remember the efforts to rid the Signal Hill area of millions of roosting starlings.  When those ‘buzzards’ went to bed the sky darkened as they all flew in.  Trees where they roosted actually died. 

The  hypothesis now is that loud fireworks literally frightened the birds to death in Beebe, Arkansas.  That really is sad.

The Winter Solstice has been observed in most cultures since time began.  It signaled the shortest day of the year.  The growing season had stopped in the northern latitudes.  Early people looked on winter as a time of dread.  In ancient times, many people didn’t make it through the winter.  They died or their loved ones died.  They battled the elements, faced starvation, ran out of fuel, and were often ravaged by disease.  Winter was deadly to early people.  Even as late as last century, winter could spell destruction  for people.  Depending on where you live and your circumstances, winter can be deadly even in our modern culture. 

Today we know that the solstice is caused by the tilt of the earth’s axis.  For the unscientific, we say that solstice is the shortest day and the longest night  of the year.  The ancients celebrated.  They knew something was up celestially.  They knew that the days had been getting shorter since what we know think of as June 21.  And they knew that now they had hard months ahead but that the days were going to get longer and there would be more sunlight. 

Non-pagan peoples also have their roots in this seasonal event.  Jews, Christians and Muslims all have festival days associated with the Winter Solstice.  Hanukkah and Christmas nearly always occur around the same time.  Perhaps early Christians used this time to convert pagans to Christianity.  After all, they were celebrating hope. 

It was critical to early man to renew.  That fear that the sun might never reappear gave way to great joy near the Solstice that the sun would come back and life would begin anew.  Meanwhile, the ancients prayed to their gods to make it happen. 

The ancients underwent Herculean efforts to mark and observe the Solstices.  Stonehenge, Maeshowe in Scotland and Newgrange in Ireland all align special light during  the equinoxes and solstices.  Each structure highlights an important aspect of astronomical light.  The fairly new field of archaeo-astronomy has thousands of examples of ancient man observing these celestial turning points.  North America has its own sites, the most famous being the Sun Dagger of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. 

Generally we think of solar and lunar architecture as being druid or celtic.  However, there are examples all over the world and on every continent except Antarctica.   In America many people incorporate the ancient symbols of the Winter Solstice in Christmas or Hanakah.  Observers of pagan based religions practice the old ways.

While most cultures celebrated the Winter Solstice, one might ask, why celebrate?   Good question.  All sorts of superstitions and rituals were performed for good luck and to ward off bad things and evil that could happen.  Of all early people, the Celts are probably the group many of us are most familiar with who celebrated Winter Solstice.

In Celtic myth, the Holly king and the Oak king, twins,  were in a continual struggle for  domination.  At the Winter Solstice, the Holly King is overpowered and the Oak King rules until he is overthrown at the Summer Solstice.  Winter Solstice is a time for celebration because it marks the beginning of the days getting longer.  The cycle of the year is represented by this turmoil of continual struggle.  Neither can exist without the other.

Many of our Christmas traditions include pagan ritual involving Winter Solstice.  Yule logs, Christmas trees, Santa Claus, Mistletoe,  the date of Christmas,  holly, the colors red and green, wreaths, and ivy all have roots in pagan culture or in other religions.  Religions do not just spring up in isolation.  They merge and infuse and often take the old beliefs and remodel them into newer ones. 

So regardless of your religion or culture, you are sure to find a fit somewhere in the winter holiday season around the Winter Solstice.  Most of us are fortunate enough to be able to throw another log on the fire and sit back and let the winds howl outside.

Winter Solstice Information

Music Tributes under the fold

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This Tuesday brings a special treat for Winter Solstice.  Not only is it Solstice but also there will be a full moon.  And it just gets better.  There will be a full eclipse of the full moon.  The eclipse starts  on Tuesday morning, Dec. 21st, at 1:33 am. As it begins, the earth’s shadow will appear as a dark-red bite at the edge of the moon.  It takes about an hour for the “bite” to swallow the entire Moon. Total eclipse is  at 02:41 am  and lasts for 72 minutes.

If you aren’t planning to enjoy the entire eclipse in the dead of winter in the middle of the night, choose this moment: 03:17 am.  That’s when the moon will be  displaying  the most vivid  shades of coppery red.  The next full eclipse of a full moon on Solstice will be December 21, 2094.  I expect to miss that one.  This Solstice is a very special celestial treat, if the weather holds out.

Interactive charts and maps

From The Prince William Conservation Alliance:

PWC Comprehensive Plan Environment Chapter 2010 Update – Developers propose 11th hour changes that will force higher taxes this spring
Supervisors vote on December 14, 7:30 pm at McCoart Government Center. Click here for the staff report and here to read about the original draft policies.

Supervisors adopted most but not all the positive changes to the County’s Environment Chapter on December 7. This consensus document, as recommended by County staff, includes input from citizens, environmental organizations, civic groups, businesses and developers.

However, after the public hearing was closed, the Chairman put forward 11th hour revisions at the request of developers. Supervisors deferred these items to to this Tuesday’s Board meeting, 2:00 pm, at McCoart Government Center.

  Read more…

Tonight the normally bright harvest moon goes on steroids. Not only is tonight full moon but it also is the autumnal equinox. According to the Washington Post:

Get ready for a night show. It’s tough to come to grips with the end of summer. Luckily, autumn will enter with a bang this year.

Not only will Northern America witness the beginning of autumn at 11:09 Eastern tonight, there will be a full moon in the sky. Put those two occurrences together and you’ll get the rare “super harvest moon.”

“The two sources of light will mix together to create a kind of 360-degree, summer-autumn twilight glow,” NASA Science writes.

When farmers relied on moonlight to extend harvesting hours, they started calling the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox the harvest moon. If the full moon fell on the first actual day of autumn, it became “super harvest,” or the “harvestest.”

The event has not occurred for 20 years, and probably will not reoccur until 2029.

As an added bonus, Jupiter will appear very close to the moon tonight. NASA’s Tony Phillips writes: “A Super Harvest Moon, a rare twilight glow, a midnight conjunction–rarely does autumn begin with such celestial fanfare.”

Celestial events are always fun. They are more fun when there is a little folk lore to go along with them. We celebrate with our new phases of the moon tracker right under the moonhowlings icon. Thanks Alanna for planting the moon phases for us.

Many, many myths and old wives’s tales are associated with full moon. Science tells us that the tides are affected by the moon, but is that all? Lunar Lore tells us the following:

The Moon and Birth
Female reproductive cycles respond to the lunar cycle.
Medical staff report that women who have already had children are significantly more likely to give birth on the day of the full moon.

Health around the Full Moon
A research team8 at Leeds university found a significant increase in visits to medical practices for consultations after the full moon.
Doctors report an increase in epileptic seizures and bleeding ulcers at the time of the full moon.

I am one of those weird people who is affected by the full moon. I have 2 biological children. In both of their cases, I went into labor on the full moon. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

The Moon and Accidents
Alcohol consumption rises at the start and end of the lunar cycle. More drunk drivers, more crashes and more hangovers occur at this critical time. It’s hard to know if the astrological connection between the Moon and liquids or the Moon and emotions is the root cause.
At the time of the full moon, hospital accident and emergency units see about 10% more patients13. 80% of casualty nurses and 64% of doctors believe the moon adversely affects patient behavior.
Crimes of violence increase at the full moon.

 

Many religions center around the lunar calendar. Jjudiasm is one such religion. Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Check it out.

So Carpe Nox. Enjoy the light and the night. Happy Howling! This thread is dedicated to Elena who told me Moonhowler hadn’t done enough to celebrate the Super Harvest Moon and to our friend, Charlotte.

The autumnal equinox occurs on September 22 at 11:09 pm. The sun will be directly over the equator. Day and night will be equal. Starting then, we will lose about 2 minutes of light per day until the winter solstice. Then we start to gain, until the summer solstice. On November 7, we will fall back and go on regular time.

Changing leaves, apple picking, football, soccer games with the kids, chilly evenings and warm days are all symbols of fall. Its time to plant flowers that survive the winter like ornamental kale, cabbage and pansies. Watch out for squirrels. They are suicidal this time of year.

And let’s not forget election day, the first Tuesday in November.

What’s your favorite season and month?

Some space dates from space.com

The full moon (Harvest Moon) and the equinox fall on the same day.

Wed., September 22, evening
Jupiter, Uranus, and the Moon
Just after sunset, if you look to the east you will see the Full Moon rising. Soon it will be joined by brilliant Jupiter, just below it, one day past opposition with the Sun. Look closely with binoculars or a small telescope, and you will see the tiny planet Uranus, also just past opposition, a degree above Jupiter and its moons.

Thu., September 23, evening twilight
Venus at greatest brilliancy
As Venus draws closer to the Earth, it looms larger in size, but its crescent grows narrower in as it moves in front of the Sun. Tonight it reaches its greatest illuminated extent, and hence is at its most brilliant, magnitude – 4.8

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Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.

‘Jaws Beach’ in the Bahamas was the site of where part of Jaws the Revenge was filmed back in 1987. Now it seems that Jaws has had his revenge. On August 29, Judson Newton and friends developed engine trouble. They called for help. Before it arrived, Newton and a friend tried to swim ashore, leaving 3 of their crew with the disabled boat. Newton and friend were never seen again, despite a massive search effort by officials.

Well, never seen again in one piece. An local investment banker hauled in a 12 foot tiger shark who still had part of a leg in its mouth. Upon further inspection, other parts of limbs were found in its stomach. Finger prints matched those of Judson Newton. Officials are awaiting DNA tests before declaring this New-Jaws the killer. It is unknown if Judson was alive at the time he was eaten.

Jaws Beach might have a tourist problem after this grizzly discover. 

Tiger Shark

Batten down the hatches, here comes Earl. And if Earl doesn’t get us there is Fiora out there and then some unnamed menace behind her. Yes, the hurricane season is upon us.

Right now, the most eminent danger is Earl who is classified as a category 4 hurricane at present. The Outer Banks and coastal North Carolina are right in his path. The weird thing about hurricanes is that they have a mind of their own. Earl could slam North Carolina or it could veer right abruptly and head on out to sea, to die a slow death as it reaches colder waters. No one totally understand hurricanes.

A century ago, before weather instruments were as exact, people didn’t have much warning about hurricanes. Huge killer storms  were right on top of people before they knew what hit them.  Hundreds, even thousands were killed.  I am sure people felt the air, the fallen barometeric pressure , and saw extra mushrooms coming up in unexpected places. But they didn’t always heed what little warning they did have.  Folks in Texas, along the Gulf Coast and Florida probably have been beaten up the most from these killer monster storms. They are not alone, however.

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