The Victoria amazonica is the largest species of water lily in the world and is native to South America. An individual plant can produce up to 50 leaves in a single season, and it’s these leaves that make it so well known and prized as an ornamental plant.
The huge, circular leaves start off as spiny heads but then rapidly grow at a rate of half a square metre per day until eventually reaching more than 2.5 metres in diameter. The leaf is anchored by a long, submerged stalk, the stem of which is buried in the muddy waterbed below.
Not only are the leaves enormous, but they also have distinctive features that make them unique. The surface of the leaf has upturned rims and a layer of wax that repels water, while the underside of the leaf is purple-red in colour and consists of ribs covered in sharp spines.
It is the air that becomes trapped inside the spaces between the ribs that enable the leaf to float and even support heavy items – a mature leaf can hold 45 kilograms of weight. It’s also quite likely that the spines function as protection against any creatures that swim below.
Lily flowers -The Victoria amazonica produces incredible flowers, with each plant producing one flower at a time, each one lasting just 48 hours or so. On the first evening that it opens the flower is female, appearing white in colour and smelling of sweet pineapple.
A thermochemical reaction then occurs in the flower, which gives off heat. This scent and the heat attract beetles, which dispose of pollen that they’ve collected from other plants. While fertilisation takes place the beetles find themselves trapped inside the flower as it closes until the following evening.
The next day, the flower changes to male and, as the anthers mature, it starts producing its own pollen. By the time it opens up again that evening it has lost its scent and heat and appears purple-red in colour. No longer finding it attractive, the beetles escape and head towards white flowers on the other plants. Equipped with fresh pollen, the whole process starts again. Meanwhile, the flower left behind
closes and sinks below the water.
https://www.howitworksdaily.com/the-features-of-giant-water-lilies/
Species Nypa fruticans, commonly known as the nipa palm, is a species of palm native to the coastlines and estuarine habitats of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the only palm considered adapted to the mangrove biome. This species is the only member of its genus Nypa which is, in turn, the only member of the subfamily Nypoideae forming monotypic taxa.
Species Nipa palms has large, pinnate leaves. The fruit is unusual in that it floats, and the stem is dichotomously branched, also unusual in palms. It grows in soft mud and slow moving tidal and river waters that bring in nutrients.
The palm can be found as far inland as the tide can deposit the floating nuts. It is common on coasts and rivers flowing into the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from Bangladesh to thePacific Islands.
The plant will survive occasional short term drying of its environment. Nipa palms grow in soft mud and slow moving tidal and river waters that bring in nutrients. The palm can be found as far inland as the tide can deposit the floating nuts.
It is common on coasts and rivers flowing into the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from Bangladesh to thePacific Islands. The plant will survive occasional short term drying of its environment.
The origin of species Nipa palm is unknown. It is the only palm considered a mangrove in the Mangroves Biome. This species is a monotypic taxon, the only one in the genus Nypa, grows in southern Asia and northern Australia within the Indomalaya ecozone.
This species ranges from Sri Lanka and the Ganges Delta through to the west Pacific. In South and South-East Asia it is found in Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China (Hainan Island), India, Indonesia, Japan (the most northern distribution is Iriomote Island), Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka (where it also has a range extention due to planting), Thailand, and Viet Nam.
In Australasia, it is found in northwest and northeast Australia, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands. The species has been introduced to Cameroon and Nigeria in West Africa and to Panama in Central America and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.
In much of its native range it has been planted and exists in large or small-scale plantations. It is unknown if inclusion of plantations would be representative of the natural range.
Nipa palm (Nypa fruticans) differs from most palm tree in the lack of an upright stem, trunkless, developing inflorescences at 1 meter height. The trunk or stem of it is under the mud, it appears trunkless. Nipa palm is a monoecious palm, with stout, subterranean, trunkless and thornless rootstock.
The Nipa palm has a horizontal trunk that grows beneath the ground and only the leaves and flower stalk grow upwards above the surface. Thus, it is an unusual tree, and the leaves can extend up to 10 m (32 ft) in height.
Leaves are at the ends of the rootstocks, large, rosette and compound, 5 to 10 meters long, arising from the stout underground stem (rhizome). The leaves are divided into leaflets. Leaflets are numerous, rigid, lanceolate, up to 1 meter long, 2 to 7 cm centimeters wide.
A flowering head forms on a short erect stern that rises among the palm leaves. There are two types of inflorescences on a bundle of flowers: many male inflorescences and one female inflorescence.
The male inflorescence is brown, erect, up to 1 meter high with many male flowers. The female inflorescence is stout, 1 meter high or less with one head of female flowers.
A globular inflorescence of female flowers at the tip with catkin-like red or yellow male flowers on the lower branches. The female flower yields a woody nut, these arranged in a cluster compressed into a ball up to 25 cm (10 in) across on a single stalk.
The fruits (or nuts): Fruit is globose, nodding, up to 30 centimeters in diameter. Carpels are numerous, dark-brown, striate, smooth, 10 to 14 centimeters long, compressed, obovate. The ripe nuts separate from the ball and are floated away on the tide, occasionally germinating while still water-borne.
The seeds: The immature fruit has soft flesh, it can be used as fresh fruit. The ripe nuts separate from the cluster and float away. Seeds are hard, white, and as large as a hen's egg in central of a nut.
Nipa palms grow in soft mud and slow-moving tidal and river waters that bring in nutrients. The palm can be found as far inland as the tide can deposit the floating nuts. It is common on coasts and rivers flowing into the India and Pacific Oceans, from Bangladesh to the Pacific Islands. The plant will survive occasional short-term drying of its environment.
This species ranges from Sri Lanka and the Ganges Delta through to the west Pacific. In South and South-East Asia it is found in Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China (Hainan Island), India, Indonesia, Japan (the most northern distribution is Iriomote Island), Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka (where it also has a range extention due to planting), Thailand, and Viet Nam.
In Australasia, it is found in northwest and northeast Australia, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands. The species has been introduced to Cameroon and Nigeria in West Africa and to Panama in Central America and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.
In much of its native range it has been planted and exists in large or small-scale plantations. It is unknown if inclusion of plantations would be representative of the natural range.
Its horizontal creeping stem stabilises river banks preventing soil erosion. New fronds emerge quickly after damage and so quickly protect the land after storms and also continuously produce useful products for the locals.
The nipa palm is one of the most important economic crops. The leaves are commonly use for thatching. Leaflets are used for making hats, baskets, mats, raincoats, wrappings for suman. The midribs are used for making brooms; the petioles for fuel.
It forms extensive belts along brackish to tidal freshwater creeks and rivers. It is very fast growing, especially in fresh water, and is a competitive species.
It has a relatively high rate of sea-level rise, but this species is blocked from inland migration owing to coastal development, and its area and occurrence has been declining.
The young flower stalk and the seeds provide a good source of water and food. The immature fruits used as fresh fruits. Flesh of immature fruits will be soft and sweet jelly-like when it is young, it becomes harder when the fruit older.
Its kernel is used as flesh fruit along with its sweet juice or fresh hard meat. The seeds of mature fruits are hard but edible so can be used in cooking.
The Nipa palm fruits are popularly used in Vietnam but not in other countries while they use it by cut the flower stalk and collect the sweet juice liquid or sap of female inflorescence.
The uses of inflorescence sap - Only plants 5 years and older are tapped for inflorescence sap. The flowering stalk is cut and inserted into a pot or plastic bag, and the end sliced every day to stimulate new flow and prevent bacterial growth.
The base of the stalk is pounded with a mallet to keep the flow going. About half to one litre of sap can be collected per day. A flower stalk can be tapped in this way for 3 months. The juice of inflorescence of female flowers is rich in sugar.
The liquid can be drunk as is; boiled to produce a brown sugar (gula melaka); fermented to produce a strong liquor (toddy); or fermented further for several months to produce a cooking vinegar. These items were important trade goods in Southeast Asia in the past.
Nipa palm sap has a very high sugar-rich sap yield (NIRA). Fermented into Etanol/Butanol the palm's large amount of sap may allow for the production of 6,480-15,600 liters (per day) of Ethanol/Butanol per hectare. Sugarcane yields 5,000 - 8,000 liters per hectare (per year) and an equivalent area planted in corn would produce just 2000 liters (per year) per hectare.
In the Indonesian islands of Roti and Savu, the sap tapped from the palm is fed to pigs instead, allowing the pigs to fatten during the dry season when other fodder is scarce. The pigs are also fed the leftovers after sugar preparation. In this way, the Nipa Palm results in protein for the community.
Folk medicines
- Decoction of fresh leaves used for indolent ulcers.
- In Malaya, the juice of young shoots, with coconut milk, used as a drink for treating herpes.
- Ash of roots and leaves used for headaches and toothaches.
- Fresh leaves, in cataplasm or lotion form, used for treatment of ulcers.
- The fermented sap diluted with water used as eyewash in eyelid and conjunctival inflammations.
- In Bangladesh, used as a tonic and stimulant for debility.
Other uses of Nipa palm
- Nipa is a source of alcohol (sasa lambanog), vinegar and sugar.
- The petals of the flower can be brewed to make tea.
- The long, feathery leaves of the Nipa palm are used by local populations as roof material for thatched houses or dwellings.
- Young leaves are used to roll cigarettes.
- Leaflets are used for making hats, raincoats, baskets, bags, mats, suman wrappers.
- The large stems are buoyant and can be used as a semi-floatation device.
- Midribs used for making brooms.
- Petioles used for fuel.
Zinc Corrosion Inhibition: Study showed Nypa fruticans leaves extract and DPC (diphenyl carbazone) inhibit the corrosion of zinc comparatively, possibly through the protonation of the hydrogen evolution process or formation of a soluble complex on zinc surface by molecules of N. fruticans or DPC.
Antioxidant Capacity: Evaluation for antioxidant capacity showed total phenolic and flavonoid content of immature fruits were higher than mature fruits. The immature fruits showed a high DPPH radical scavenging activity and antioxidant capacity, even higher than BHT and mature fruits.
Ethanol Production from Sap: Study evaluated the production of ethanol from the sap. With its incredibly high sugar-rich sap yield, researchers estimated 15,000 to 20,000 liters of biofuel yield per hectare (compared with sugar cane at 5000-8000 liters, and corn at 2,000 liter), on a continuing basis, year-round, for up to 50 years.
Biology and Sap Yield Estimate: An April-May 2009 survey done in the Philippines to study the biology of nipa with emphasis on potential for alcohol production showed the estimates of sap yield to be much lower than the ones reported in literature.
Biofuel Energy: Study evaluated the optimum bacterial concentration for fermentation to produce high concentration of bio-fuel. Results showed the highest yield of bio-ethanol (8.98%) was produced with 7.5% of starter concentration and 6 days of incubation time.
It is the only palm considered adapted to the mangrove biome. There are no conservation measures specific to this species, but its range may include some marine and coastal protected areas. Continued monitoring and research is recommended, as well as the inclusion of mangrove areas in marine and coastal protected areas.
Sea level rise is a major threat, especially to back mangroves that have no area in which to expand. In addition, mangrove area is declining globally due to a number of localized threats. The main threat is habitat destruction and removal of mangrove areas.
Reasons for removal include cleared for shrimp farms, agriculture, fish ponds, rice production and salt pans, and for the development of urban and industrial areas, road construction, coconut plantations, ports, airports, and tourist resorts.
Other threats include pollution from sewage effluents, solid wastes, siltation, oil, and agricultural and urban runoff. Climate change is also thought to be a threat, particularly at the edges of a species range. Natural threats include cyclones, hurricane and tsunamis.
The Nipa palm in Vietnam - Nypa fruticans, commonly known as the nipa palm, is a species of palm native to the coastlines and estuarine habitats of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the only palm considered adapted to the mangrove biome.
Nipa palms grow in soft mud and slow-moving tidal and river waters that bring in nutrients. The palm can be found as far inland as the tide can deposit the floating nuts. It is common on coasts and rivers flowing into the India and Pacific Oceans, from Bangladesh to the Pacific Islands.
The plant will survive occasional short-term drying of its environment. In Vietnam, Nipa palm naturalized or is planted in the low areas of Mekong Delta and the coast of Central provinces where has soft mud and slow-moving tidal and river waters that bring in nutrients.
The nipa palm's trunk grows beneath the ground and only the leaves and flower stalk grow upwards above the surface. Thus, it is an unusual palm tree, and the leaves can extend up to 9 m (30 ft) in height. The flowers are a globular inflorescence of female flowers at the tip with catkin-like red or yellow male flowers on the lower branches.
The flower produces woody nuts arranged in a globular cluster up to 25 cm (10 in) across on a single stalk. The ripe nuts separate from the ball and are floated away on the tide, occasionally germinating while still water-borne.
In the Philippines and Malaysia, the flower cluster (inflorescence) can be tapped before it blooms to yield a sweet, edible sap collected to produce a local alcoholic beverage called tuba, bahal, or tuak.
In Vietnam, farmers only use Nipa palm fruits to eat and leaves for thatching or as firewood. The long, feathery leaves of the nipa palm are used as roof material for thatched houses or dwellings. The leaves are also used in many types of basketry and thatching.
Vietnamese people do not use engineering of it flower sap to produce sugar, fermented vinegar, distilled alcohol and some other valuable products while income is less effective of this plant.
https://sites.google.com/site/vietnamesefruits/vietnamese-fruits-from-family-palmae/vietnamese-nipa-palm-dua-nuoc
A new survey of sea life in the Pacific Ocean suggests that some endangered sea turtles are making a comeback. The survey showed that populations of green sea turtles along dozens of coral reefs in waters around Hawaii and other nearby regions either remained stable or increased from 2002 to 2015.
The scientists behind the survey, which was described April 24 in the journal Plos One, called the finding compelling evidence that conservation efforts like hunting bans are working.
“You often hear such bad and challenging news about the threats that our ocean faces,” said Kyle Van Houtan, chief scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California, and leader of the team of researchers that conducted the survey. “There are places where there are a lot of sea turtles very close to shore. And that’s good news.”
Once hunted for their meat, green sea turtles were designated an endangered species in 1978. They're now protected under U.S. law and international treaties. The same survey suggested that populations of hawksbill turtles, another protected species that is even more endangered, remain perilously low.
The survey effort began almost by accident, according to Van Houtan. On a research expedition to count fish living on reefs, divers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found themselves counting turtles, too.
As it turns out, counting turtles in the water is more reliable than counting them on land, where only egg-laying females and their hatchlings are visible.
“Really understanding the dynamics of turtle populations requires more attention to different age classes, and that means getting out on the water,” David Godfrey, executive director of the Sea Turtle Conservancy in Gainesville, Florida, told NBC News MACH in an email.
So Van Houtan and his colleagues decided to formalize the count. Over 13 years, divers trained to count green sea turtles and hawksbills visited 53 reefs across the Pacific, including spots in Hawaii, the Marshall Islands and American Samoa.
Towed along by a slow-moving boat for a total of more than 4,500 miles, the researchers tallied more than 3,400 turtles. The research represented a “Herculean effort,” Van Houtan said, adding, “This is the kind of data and the kind of study we’ve wanted for so long.”
Analysis showed that what the scientists call "turtle density" — the estimated number of animals per kilometer based on the survey counts — had increased by as much as 8 percent each year in some areas.
Turtle density increased the most in areas that tended to have few turtles at the start of the census period, including the Hawaiian Islands. The greatest turtle density was seen In the Pacific Remote Island Areas, uninhabited islands west of Hawaii, with an average of 3.62 green turtles per kilometer.
Hawksbill turtles, meanwhile, were outnumbered by green turtles by 11 to 1. “Their numbers have not really come back,” Van Houtan said of the hawksbills.
The highest turtle densities were seen in regions with plenty of seagrass and algae for the turtles to eat; minimal human presence; and, most important, water temperatures at 80 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sea turtles flourish in that "Goldilocks" environment, which is neither too hot nor too cold. But as the world's climate continues to warm, turtles and other marine species may be forced to relocate.
“As the ocean warms with climate change, that ideal temperature is going to move toward the poles and away from the equator,” Van Houtan said. “As the temperatures change, those distributions are going to change.”
While Van Houten is wary of the effects this move will have on the greater coral reef ecosystem, he’s optimistic about the turtles’ odds for survival. “They’re very resilient animals, and they’ve lived for millions of years,” he said. “The turtles aren’t going to roll over and die.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/sea-turtle-survey-shows-endangered-animals-are-making-comeback-ncna1000646
Can you eat the salt from the Bonneville Salt Flats? You can, yes. Historically salt was mined from there and used for food. Natives and early settlers would have used the salt for food preservation. These days most of the salt mined on the Flats is mined for Magnesium, the salt by-product is used as road salt for winter driving.
Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats have been one of America's most famous speedways for more than 100 years. The salt that stretches for miles and miles in northwest Utah makes the region look like a different planet — one that is uniquely suited to making vehicles race very fast.
But today, the salt that is essential to racing is going away — and a bitter debate is raging over how that loss should be handled. Amateur racers and their families have been coming to the Bonneville speedway for generations. Olivia Nish, 19, described racing at the flats as a "rush."
"It's godly, to be honest," she said. At the flats, racers drive amped-up trucks, motorcycles, streamliners, and more, sometimes at speeds of more than 500 mph.
That's because thousands of years ago, a body of water the size of Lake Michigan evaporated, boxed in by surrounding mountains. The salt that was left behind was moist and cool and allowed tires to grip without overheating.
But that salt is changing. "I don't think that the general public realizes that this place is being taken away," said Dennis Sullivan, president of the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association. "We blame the people that gave the leases. We think they were so poorly done that it took all the salt away."
Specifically, Sullivan blames the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the salt flats for the federal government. More than 50 years ago, the BLM made deals with mining companies that use the land to get potash, a fertilizer.
The process requires separating out the salt from the potash. But the racing association said the leases don't require companies to put the leftover salt back.
The racing association said the top layer of salt was once four feet thick, and is now in most places down to 1 inch. The Bureau of Land Management acknowledges a 7% decrease of the "crust package" over the last decade and a half – but Kevin Oliver, the Utah West manager for the BLM, said that Sullivan is exaggerating the damage done to the flats.
Brenda Bowen, a scientist who's been studying the salt flats, said that the amount of salt in the landscape has decreased over the past 30 years. The racing community said much of that lost salt sits just a thousand feet from the track, remnants of the mining – and they want $50 million to put it back.
"When I first came out here, you never saw any bumps. It was flat as a billiard table," said Louise Noeth. Noeth is a long-time automotive journalist who's now the spokesperson for Save the Salt, a nonprofit that wants the speedway replenished. She is also a former racer, which makes her mission personal.
"America was built on hopes and dreams, and they're killing the dreams," Noeth said through tears. "These are ordinary people doin' extraordinary things." Bowen, the scientist, said it's a combination of factors that has led to less salt on the track.
That includes the mining – but it also includes changes in environmental conditions and land use, including the racing. CBS News reached out to the mining company Intrepid Potash.
The company declined to be interviewed but said it is returning hundreds of thousands of tons of salt each year. The racing association said it's not enough – and that they believe that any effect the racers are having on the salt is negligible in comparison. But Bowen has a different answer.
"I would say leave it alone for a few years," she said. "Don't come out here. Don't drive on it when it's wet, give it a minute, and let's see where it gets to." "You know that's a non starter, no pun intended, for the racing community," said "CBS This Morning: Saturday" co-host Jeff Glor.
"I mean, it's not a racetrack in a warehouse. It's not an indoor environment. It's nature," Bowen responded. Olivia Nish, the first female driver in her family's three generations of racing at Bonneville, hit 155 mph on her first run, before spinning out while attempting to hit 180 mph on run number two.
She plans to be back for many more, despite the controversy. "It is disappointing to see," she said. "But we just make the best of what we have and drive, right?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/utah-bonneville-salt-flats-racing-debate-rages-over-its-future-2019-10-05/
In the body, resistant starch acts very similarly to some types of fiber. These starches pass through the small intestine without undergoing digestion, allowing them to feed the bacteria in the colon."Cooling for 12 hours will lead to formation of hydrogen bonds between the amylose molecules outside the rice grains which also turns it into a resistant starch."
He said reheating the cooled rice was fine too - it would not affect the resistant starch level. In the body, resistant starch acts very similarly to some types of fiber. These starches pass through the small intestine without undergoing digestion, allowing them to feed the bacteria in the colon.
As a young girl I lived in very small house with my parents and brother. This particular home had housed generation of families over time and it held so many wonderful energies of the past. It's here where I had my first encounter with the spiritual world. At the tender age of 6 I had an out of body experience.
Many of you may ask what is an outer body experience? This is when your soul temporarily moves out of your physical body, sometimes looking down at your own 'self'.
For me, I was above my bed looking down at myself while the room was spinning out of control. It was a very scary feeling of having no control at all, especially when I had no idea what was happening.
Being raised Roman Catholic, this kind of activity was never spoken of, so I had no idea why this had happened. At the time, I put it down to a bad dream but still to this day I remember like yesterday.
As the years went on I always felt like I was different, not really fitting in with crowds. I struggled with what society expected of me, and being raised in a strict Italian family there were lots of rules and restrictions.
I always said to my mumma "I'm different I'm creative". She would laugh at me and blow me a kiss bless her! As you can imagine, being the free spirt that I am, I continuously struggled with this feeling of restriction.
My family has always been so important to me. I was in a relationship for over 21 years in that time period I had 2 beautiful girls who are my world. Experienced 2 miscarriages which nearly broke me, My guides stopped me from working with a back injury to slow me down.
They had other plans for me, this is when my true journey began on ME. I joined a women's gym for the first time as I didn't have the confidence and began working on me I lost over 12kgs and start to feel really good about myself.
I spent alot of time investing in my mind. Spiritually I was evolving. Unfortunately my relationship ended and this was the opportunity for me to start fresh, really think about what I wanted and where was I going?
https://www.carmspiritualcorner.com.au/about-carm
Colleen McCann is a big proponent of something called “spiritual hygiene.” She’s an energy practitioner, a shaman who specializes in clearing energy at home, mainly inside of closets, a space she knows well after working for many years as a fashion stylist.
“I pass on sage or Palo Santo with every business card I hand out,” McCann says. “We take care of our bodies with exercise, good diets, and skin care, so why wouldn't we take care of our energetic body as well?” That’s where the aforementioned spiritual hygiene comes in.
One good way to clear and clean out bad energy is by burning sage, or in some cases, spraying it. As with a lot of holistic healing methods that have gone mass in recent years, sage is a common household tool. But many burners don’t exactly know what they’re doing with it, or what it’s really doing for them and their space.
“If you work with a lot of people, in a job where you’re interacting with various personalities a lot, shaking hands, traveling, then sageing off on a regular basis can help keep your energetic body in balance,” McCann explains.
She urges clients to be strategic with their sageing practice, focusing on the areas of homes or offices that are the most highly trafficked rooms. “This is where people’s energy is gathering, so you want to diffuse the space.”
McCann puts it simply: “Eat, sleep, workout, and sage!” To follow her lead, here’s McCann’s lowdown on bringing sage into your home and work space and keeping your spiritual hygiene on point. Bad vibes, be gone.
“Burning sage is one of the oldest and purest methods of cleansing a person, group of people, or space and of getting rid of unwanted spirits. The practice dates back to prehistoric times and it’s been documented as having been used in every corner of the world by our ancestors.”
Understand what sage to buy - “The type of sage you want to buy is called ‘California White Sage’ or ‘White Sage Smudge Stick.’ Do not use the regular old sage in your kitchen. You want to buy high-quality, ethically cultivated sage. Shamans Market or Taos Herb are both great places to shop.
I would advise avoiding mass-market retailers like Amazon when buying sage online. Large commercial vendors aren’t really concerned with buying a high-quality sacred and ceremonial product that has been ethically sourced. Remember, intention and cultivation of this product matter just like buying organic food.”
“Simply put, sage clears bacteria in the air. Sage smoke offers rapid delivery to the brain and efficient absorption to the body. Scientists have observed that sage can clear up to 94 percent of airborne bacteria in a space and disinfect the air.
When sage is burned, it releases negative ions, which is linked to putting people into a positive mood. The Latin word for sage salvia stems form the word heal. Other qualities believed to be associated with sage when burned are giving wisdom, clarity, and increasing spiritual awareness.”
“Before you light up, remember to open a door or window as the unwanted energy you are trying to clear must have a pathway to get out. Why do you need to do this?
Let's take a lesson from eight-grade science class: Imagine that you took a bunch of chemical compounds and put them in a jar, sealed the lid, and shook the jar.
You just created a chemical reaction, but the mixture has nowhere to go; so the jar could explode, crack, or not complete its chemical reaction because of the lack of oxygen, being compressed in a small space, and essentially not being able to change.
I use this example with my clients all the time because this experiment is the same as opening the doors and windows in the space you are trying to clear. If you are trying to get someone’s toxic energy out of your house post-cocktail party, after an intense meeting in a conference room at work, or you feel like there is a spirit hanging around your space, that energy needs somewhere to go.
When I get called by a client to come in and clear a space and I hear them tell me they have been sageing and it seems like the paranormal activity in the house only got stronger after they saged, I immediately ask about the windows and doors.
Rookie mistake! I also ask my clients, once they have the area ventilated and have lit the sage, to ask the unwanted energy to leave their space, in their mind’s eye as well as voicing out loud.
What I have them say is ‘Any energy that is not of my highest and greatest good get the f**k out, with love, but you are not welcome to stay here. Please leave through the open window/door.’ ”
“Traditionally, people use an abalone shell to hold the sage in and then use a feather to fan and spread the smoke around the space when burning sage. If you are just getting into working with sage you can find sage kits easily online or in your local metaphysical shop.
https://www.instagram.com/janeinternational
Abalone shells are great because of the shape, they are easy to hold when walking around the space, and they can take the heat created from the burning herbs. Remember, you are lighting something on fire so making sure you have the right container is important.”
“Once you're ready to light your sage, grab the sage as far from the end you are burning as possible. Hold the sage at a 45-degree angle, light the sage, let it burn for about 20 seconds and then gently blow out the flame so that you see orange embers on one end. Then you can start the process of clearing your space.
Clients sometimes complain that they can’t get their sage to stay lit. If the sage bundle was packed too tight when made, then the oxygen can't get in properly and the sage won't stay lit. Loosen the ribbon around the sage and take the tip you are lighting and smash it on to a surface to give it a little breathing room.
This helps to keep your sage smoking. If you also start to see the glow of the embers fading you can gently blow on the end that is lit up and remember to do this gently, otherwise you can send sage ash flying onto your outfit or carpet.”
"Sage spray is my favorite alternative when I am in a no-smoke zone. It’s easy to travel with and it smells great. I really like to use this spray when I am in hotels—think about how many people’s energy have been in just one hotel room. Eeek!
My favorite one to use is from Paper Crane Apothecary. It’s called ‘Clean Slate’ and it’s a smoke-free mist. It has sage oil, crystal essences, and Palo Santo oil in it, which is also another plant that helps to clear a space. If you’re not into the smell of sage, you can also use Palo Santo, sweetgrass, and copal.”
https://www.vogue.com/article/sage-how-to-cleanse-energy-home-office-smudging
For thousands of years, cultures around the world have believed that a person’s energy is like perfume—once you come in contact with someone else’s vibes, good or bad, they tend to linger for a while.
And just like a date’s overpowering cologne might require a hot shower to remove, the best way to rid your space of any negativity you’ve inadvertently tracked home is through a cleansing ritual called smudging or burning sage.
Even if you’re unfamiliar with the ancient practice, you’ve probably seen the fat, leafy bundles of sage—or smudge sticks. Many believe this potent plant has the power to shift energy into a calmer, happier state.
“When I’m in a space after it’s been cleansed, I feel at peace, joyful, safe, energized, creative, and able to deeply rest.” —Maggie Harrsen, founder of Puakai Healing.
One big fan of the practice is Maggie Harrsen, the Peru-based founder of Puakai Healing. “There’s a long history of Native Americans using sage to connect to the spirit world and cleanse the body and space of impurities before a ceremony,” she says.
“The life force energy of its smoke penetrates deep into the ether and alters the vibration of a space, or living being, by absorbing any heavy, dense energy.” (From a hard science perspective, sage’s been proven to absorb up to 94 percent of airborne bacteria.)
According to Harrsen, everyone’s home can benefit from regular smudging—and knowing how to sage your home correctly is key. “After smudging, your space will feel light and balanced,” she says. “When I’m in a space after it’s been cleansed, I feel at peace, joyful, safe, energized, creative, and able to deeply rest.”
In other words, it’s kind of like the metaphysical complement to your Marie Kondo obsession. Want to know how to sage your home correctly? Scroll down for a 3-step guide.
How to sage your home correctly for serious cleansing - First thing’s first: The sage you’ll use for smudging isn’t the kind you pick up in the produce section of Costco.
Instead, stock up on sticks or loose leaves of dried ceremonial white sage. (Palo santo, a sacred Peruvian wood, and copal resin incense also do the trick.)
If you really want to give your smudge session the full shamanic treatment, Harrsen says you can also create an altar for your supplies on any flat, elevated surface—like a dresser, a bookshelf, or a bedside table.
“Truly the only tools you need for smudging are you and the plant, but when I’m cleansing my home, I like to bring in a few additional elements such as a sea shell, feather, brass bell, and raw egg,” she says.
“The shell represents the element water and the energy of Mother Ocean; the feather represents the energy of the winged ones; the brass bell carries the energy of the cosmos; and the egg is a symbol of life.”
Oh, and if you’re sensitive to smoke—or want to sage in a no-smoking zone, like your office—Harrsen says you can create a cleansing mist instead. “Fill an amber glass spray bottle with spring water and add a few drops of organic, therapeutic-grade sage or palo santo oil,” she says. “Shake well to activate the life force of the plant in water and use it just as you would the smoking plant.”
Before lighting up, Harrsen says you should do a quick lap through your home and remove any excess clutter. (She likes to smudge at sunrise, but really, any time works.) “Open all windows, closets, and doors in your home,” she says. “Visit each room and ring a bell to awaken the energy present.”
Then, head to your altar (or another favorite space) and place your sage into a fireproof bowl or your shell. Burn a candle, set an intention, and then light the sage using the candle.
“Blow it out so the embers are glowing. With both hands, bring the smoke into your heart, over your head and down the front and back body to cleanse yourself,” says Harrsen.
Next, it’s time to get your smudge on. Starting on the lowest level of your space, move room to room and use your hand or a feather to waft the smoke into all four corners, where the ceiling and walls meet. Then, direct the smoke out through windows and doorways.
Once you’ve finished smudging, extinguish your sage by rubbing it in dirt or sand, on concrete, or stamping it out in a ceramic bowl. (Whatever you do, just don’t put sticks out in water—you won’t be able to use them again.)
“Return the shell and sage to your altar and give gratitude to the plant for its healing,” says Harrsen. “If there’s any ash, you may place this in the natural world on Mother Earth.”
“Once we’ve cleansed a space, the energy often neutralizes,” says Harrsen. “At this moment, it’s important to fill the space with the energy of love.” She recommends bringing in some fresh rose petals or spraying rose water. (One advanced tactic: mopping the floors with rose tea. Renters, proceed with caution.)
Harrsen says most people should sage once a week. But like any kind of wellness practice, the more frequently you do it, the better. “Every morning when I awake, I visit my altar to burn herbs or incense, and say a prayer to maintain the energy of my space,” she explains. Time to update that morning routine.
https://www.wellandgood.com/good-home/how-to-sage-your-home-correctly/
Isn't this type of topic racists? Do you want your kids to catch a disease? turn a blind eye on the consequences of extremely poor hygiene.
China has 1.4 billion people, you are stereotyping everyone under one category. There are rednecks in the USA who have a cultural differences from the rest of the population.
Find me a redneck that does this.Snails & bull testicles. Not even close, are you like a quarter Chinese or something? you seem very defensive?
No, Filipina here. I notice that you have a pattern of negative post about the Chinese. Filipinos and Chinese don't have a good relationship. but we don't make racist statement 24/7 or generalize a whole group of people.
https://www.amazians.com/forum/china/chinese-eating-bats-and-live-mice/#post-8196
Minh Kỳ (1930–1975) là nhạc sĩ trước năm 1975 nổi tiếng với ca khúc Xuân đã về. Ông là một trong ba thành viên của nhóm Lê Minh Bằng. Ông tên thật là Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Mỹ, gốc Huế nhưng sinh tại Nha Trang, Khánh Hòa. Theo gia phả hoàng tộc triều Nguyễn, Minh Kỳ là cháu 5 đời của Vua Minh Mạng.
Ông học nhạc từ năm 14 tuổi ở trường Gagelin (Quy Nhơn), sau đó được gửi đi du học ở Trường Bách khoa Paris (Pháp). Tác phẩm đầu tay của ông là bài Chị Hằng viết năm 1949.
Năm 1957, ông vào định cư tại Sài Gòn. Năm 1959, ông cùng với Anh Bằng, Lê Dinh lập nên nhóm Lê Minh Bằng. Chức vụ cuối cùng trước 30/4/1975 là đại uý cảnh sát Việt Nam Cộng Hoà.
Sau sự kiện 30 tháng 4 năm 1975, ông bị bắt đi học tập cải tạo ở trại An Dưỡng, Biên Hòa. Đêm khuya ngày 31 tháng 8 năm 1975, ông thiệt mạng vì lựu đạn nổ khi đang ngồi ăn cơm cùng bạn tù trong sân. Phần tro cốt thi hài ông hiện được lưu giữ tại nhà hài cốt thuộc Giáo xứ Tân Định.
https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minh_K%E1%BB%B3
Our ancestors in the Philippines are ebony Black, from the ancient pygmy tribes Aeta, Ati, Dumagat, Mamanwa, Tagbanua etc. We even share their facial features, even though most of the rest of us were mixed with Malayo-Polynesians, Chinese and Spanish and so our skin is now brown and so some of us have some Asian and European features too.
There is an old Philippine story we still tell among ourselves of how 10 Datus (chiefs) from Borneo arrived on the island of Panay in prehistory. They were running away from the expansion of Muslim kingdoms over their old Srivijaya kingdom in what is now our kin nations of Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia.
There, the 10 Datus met the paramount king of the original Black Ati people called Marikudo, who traded some of his coastal land with Datu Puti, the prime minister of Rajah (king) Makatunaw for a salakot (conical hat) made of pure gold, silk and other gifts; then honored the oath in a blood-oath ritual which we call “sandugo”.
He agreed that the Ati share the land with the many thousands of Malayan refugees called Visayans, and as the sandugo was already done, both groups (Visayan and Ati) were immidiately to be considered as kin, so of course we intermixed.
The Ati who returned to the hills had a terrible harvest many many years later, and famine ensued. They made their way down to the coast and their Malayan cousins (the Visayan people) remembered their sandugo with them, and provided their Black kin with food and provisions.
The Ati and Visayans feasted as a result of the end of the famine. To this day this feast still exists called “ati-atihan” (To blacken) in which the Malayan descendants of the 10 datus in panay island blacken their faces in gratitude and dance to the same rhythm they danced with to celebrate the sandugo of blacks and malayans (when the Spanish came, they forced the natives to dedicate it to the Child Jesus/Santo Nino, but we Filipinos know the 10 Datu story and know the real reason why it is still performed).
Our islands became rich, so much so that the other Asians called us Suvarnadvipa (land of gold). One group of Visayans moved north to become the Tagalog people, who are the people of Manila our capital city, and their language is the government language now of our country.
When the Spanish colonizers came in the 1500s, they changed this peaceful coexistence. This is how the Tagalog (main ethnic group of Manila) upper-classes looked when the Spanish first arrived in the 1500s: Note the black skinned chief with brown skinned queen, the two native groups in the Philippines, and all the gold and silk worn.
When the Spanish came, they force converted the mixed coastal Malayan population like the Tagalogs and Visayans to Catholicism, and the Aeta/Ati fled to the forests and island interiors to escape the Spanish.
The Spanish then indoctrinated the coastal people against their own dark brown skin and slowly, a self-denigrating culture appeared, along with a history in which they were put onto sugar and hemp plantations, the Spanish soldiers, priests and hacienda owners raped the serf women and stole from villages, and many uprisings were quelled with bloodshed.
In the 19th we won our freedom from the Spanish, albeit for a short while. We are now an independent nation, but we have so many scars from our past that as a result, so many of our women are caught up with whitening their skin nowadays to look “mestizo”, due to post-colonial mentality.
Shade-ism exists in full force in our media, and the poor in our country who do not finish their full education have no idea that they too are the descendants of Black people, and are quick to call on how different the Aeta are in their nappy hair, shorter stature and darker skin tones.
Despite this ignorance among some, there will always be Filipinos who will pass our ancient history down to our children, as those who came before us did. Hope this history shares light on the Black history of the Philippines from a Filipino person, which you will not find in Eurocentric history books.
This was a fascinating read! As an African American woman who is curious about my DNA since my Grandmothers on both sides indicated with have native American blood, I decided to go to Ancestry.com to get my DNA tested due to my mother also doing genealogy. I was shocked to see the same results as a couple of other posters here.
I have 66% African (Benin-Congo-Mali-Ghana) and 20% European and the other is Native or North, central and south Indian ( I hope they find out specifically which one since my Grandmother insists that we have Cherokee blood) and Philipino.
I decided to do a bit of research on Filipino culture and am glad I found this, it has whetted my appetite, therefore, I will be doing more. The comments on here are also interesting. Responding to one commentor: I HOPE that blacks are NOT the lost tribe of Judah or the Israelites, that is one MEAN god
https://www.amazians.com/forum/africa/the-black-roots-of-the-filipinos-moorish-history-by-filipino/
https://www.africaresource.com/rasta/sesostris-the-great-the-egyptian-hercules/the-black-roots-of-the-philipines-by-philipino/
Peregrine falcons dive from great heights and at extreme speeds when hunting to generate high aerodynamic forces that enable them to execute precise manoeuvres and catch agile prey.
Using a physics-based computer simulation, researchers in the Netherlands and the UK have explained why the raptors have evolved an attack strategy that puts extreme physical and cognitive demands on them.
The research could also help with the development of autonomous flapping-wing drones. The peregrine falcon is the fastest diving bird in the world and the fastest animal on the planet.
According to Guinness World Records, in 2005 one was recorded travelling at speeds of more than 380 km/h while stooping – diving after prey.
“Witnessing the high-speed stoop of a peregrine falcon is impressive: a falcon may first soar at altitudes of several hundred metres, up to several kilometres above their prey,” says Robin Mills, a biologist at the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands, and academic visitor at the University of Oxford.
“Then, within the blink of an eye, it dives down – first flapping forcefully and then folding its wings to decrease drag. It basically appears to drop out of the sky.
When the falcon nears its prey, it may knock it with a massive blow, or catch it with its talons.” Mills’ colleagues at the University of Oxford previously demonstrated – using onboard GPS loggers and cameras – that stooping peregrine falcons use the same steering laws as many man-made, guided missiles.
Using these “proportional navigation” rules, the falcons remain on a collision course with their prey by simply tracking changes in their line-of-sight on the target. If the angle of the line-of-sight changes the falcon turns at a rate proportional to the speed of that change.
With a constant of proportionality, known as the navigation constant, determining the falcon’s turn rate and how quickly it hits its target.
In the latest research, described in PLOS Computational Biology, the team built a physics-based simulation of falcon attacks on aerial prey to investigate why they stoop from great heights and at extreme speed.
The simulation modelled the aerodynamic forces on falcons during stoops, and how they target and react to prey using proportional navigation. It was run millions of times, with the researchers varying the falcon’s starting position, its navigation constant, and assumptions about errors and delays in its vision and control.
They also modelled different patterns of prey flight. Previously it had been suggested that falcons’ high-speed dives surprise prey, which then struggle to respond in time. But it had also been presumed that the speed of the attack would reduce precision, particularly if the prey turned sharply.
The researchers discovered, however, that when prey moves erratically the extreme speed of a falcon’s stoop maximizes aerodynamic forces that enable precise manoeuvring and increase catch success compared to slower, low-altitude attacks.
Intercepting prey - “By folding the wings appropriately, the stooping falcon is able to reach the lateral acceleration (of over 15 g), and roll acceleration – agility – required to meet its steering demands and by using the same mathematical steering rules as man-made missiles, the falcon is able to intercept sharply turning prey without turning sharply itself,” explains Mills.
According to the simulation, this only works if the falcon’s guidance law is precisely tuned, and if the birds have a high degree of steering control and visual precision.
The researchers say that this shows that the stoop is a highly specialized attack strategy, adding that the optimal navigation constant for the simulation was close to that observed in peregrine falcons. The team also found that high-speed stoops do not require faster reaction times than slower attacks.
“By increasing the falcon’s agility, the stoop compensates for the decrease in catch success otherwise resulting from a slow response,” explains Mills.
“If the falcon’s decision making was essentially instantaneous, it wouldn’t require a high-speed stoop to catch most prey.” Ultimately, Mills hopes to use the data to develop fully autonomous flapping-wing drones.
One practical application of such technology would be to replace the costly falconers and falcons currently used at airports to chase away birds, to prevent them flying into plane engines.
“What is great about our simulations is that it bridges the gap between artificial flying machines and biology: by uniquely combining theoretically derived optimal control laws with empirically verified aerodynamic modelling, attack behaviour and physiological constraints of real birds, we learn precisely learn what birds are doing and why – but also how to better control man-made flapping-wing drones,” Mills says.
https://physicsworld.com/a/falcons-high-speed-dive-generates-forces-needed-to-catch-agile-prey/
Just like people think UFC gloves are to protect opponent a lot of fighters actually started wearing them before they were mandatory cause it turned out you could really t off on somebody and not break your hand which was happening a lot in early UFC. And it was all tournaments so if you break you hand and got 2 fights left that sucks.
Roosters might, on occasion, crow right at dawn. But it’s just a coincidence. Roosters crow whenever they feel like it: morning, noon and night, not to mention afternoon, evening and the parts of the day that don’t have names.
Roosters crow because they hear other roosters crowing, to show that a certain place in the barnyard is their turf, to try and assert their authority over another rooster, or even to gloat when a hen cackles after laying an egg.
As a diurnal animal (one that is active during the day), the rooster starts his daily doings when the sun comes up. If you think about early morning, it’s almost always associated with bird song. Most birds seem to spend time shouting their messages to the world in the morning, and chickens are no different.
Janet Hinshaw of the Wilson Ornithological Society says, “Most of the crowing takes place in the morning, as does most singing, because that is when the birds are most active, and most of the territorial advertising takes place then.
Many of the other vocalizations heard throughout the day are for other types of communication, including flocking calls, which serve to keep members of a flock together and in touch if they are out of sight from one another.”
The reason that we associate a rooster’s crow with the dawn is most likely because that’s when it’s most noticeable to our sleepy selves. When the relative quiet of night is disturbed by the local rooster, we sit up, take notice, and maybe grumble a little.
Here's some more: He says “Cock-a-doodle-do” in English, “Kikeriki” in German, “Kuklooku” in Urdu, and “Ko-ke-kok-ko-o” in Japanese. Biblical scenes center around his call, and he takes top billing in the folklore of countless cultures.
Here is some folklore regarding a rooster crowing: In Southeast Asia, the Hmong tell this tale: A long time ago, when the world was new, the sky held nine suns. The land was hot, the river dried up, and crops began to die. The people decided to ask their best archer to shoot the suns out of the sky.
The next day, one by one, he shot the suns. Frightened, the last remaining sun hid behind a mountain where the archer could not reach her. Soon the people realized their mistake.
The world grew cold, and the crops did not grow. The people spoke gently to the hiding sun to coax her back. They also asked animals and songbirds to try, but none could convince her to return.
Finally, someone suggested the rooster, because he was fearless and would not give up. Agreeing to help, the rooster crowed three times, and the sun, believing she was safe, rose from behind the mountain. To show gratitude to the rooster, the sun placed a bit of the morning sky on top of his head.
Theories vary from it being a morning call so that the entire roost could wake and make most of the worms and grub that disappear into the ground come sunrise, also theorised to be a mating call on the premise that the louder the call, the stronger the rooster and hence attracting more mates. Another theory suggest that since it's just the rooster that crows, it could be a sign of territorial staking.
Well I’m not sure why they crow in the morning but they do, usually about the time they can see clearly. They get the hens up and moving. Then start their day searching for food. Roosters will also crow in alarm during the day. Although there have been stories of roosters crowing throughout the day for no apparent reason.
My rooster rarely crows even in the morning. Now my Tom turkey will go off all day long at just about any out of the ordinary noise. Strangers talking, dogs barking, or the door slamming.
He will go off when I call for either the horses or the cows. But my best guess as to why roosters crow in the morning is waking up the hens and getting them off the roost and down to the business of eating and laying eggs.
We have only 1 rooster with our 8 layers, and there are 4 other coops in the area with no other roosters. "Roger" crows all day long, he crows to say hello, he crows when "Ms Thing" (an adventurous hen of ours) escapes the yard.
He crows to the east, north, south and west. He crows when each of the girls lays an egg, but he has a special dance and crow for his favorite girl, "Beatrice".
He encourages the girls in other coops to lay, crowing when they have announced their fresh laid eggs. He crows when he thinks he's won a battle against myself or my husband, flying to the highest point in the barnyard.
He crows at the house if we're late with feed! Roger is quite a talker and it has taken me a long time to figure out what he's saying and to whom. He's the boss of the barnyard, yelling orders all day long.
As other writers have stated, roosters will crow any time of day to warn other males that they are in their territory. The early morning crowing though, is an intrinsic response to the change in light intensity.
If a rooster is asleep in an area with mild lumination, say a street-light polluted area, they will adapt to that intensity and sleep undisturbed. However, if a light were to go on and is visible through a window, that would trigger the crowing.
If they are startled in the night and wake-up and it's still dark, other sounds are made, but usually not crowing. During the day the crowing will solicit a response from other roosters who hear the warning, but at nights that is less so if the other roosters are not similarly photo-stimulated.
Not just roosters, most territorial birds (and animals) start the day with announcement of their presence in a given area. Often, the same is also repeated at dusk. Monkeys, like Howlers do it in most dramatic way. It is a proclamation of ownership of territory and warning to rivals and intruders.
I don't think anyone knows for sure, but the most popular theory is that they crow to announce their presence and establish their territory, akin to how dogs and wolves will go around marking with urine to (among other things) establish a claim, however tenuous, to territory.
This sounds plausible to me, because all the roosters in my neighborhood (including, until recently, my 4 roosters) crow at each other. They are very aware of the presence of other males and make sure to drown out any others.
If you've never seen a rooster crow, it's impressive to see how they totally throw themselves into it. It's full-body involvement. On another level, they crow because their instincts and hormones tell them to. Why do their instincts and hormones tell them to crow? Probably to assert their territorial claims over the ladies!
We have only 1 rooster with our 8 layers, and there are 4 other coops in the area with no other roosters. "Roger" crows all day long, he crows to say hello, he crows when "Ms Thing" (an adventurous hen of ours) escapes the yard.
He crows to the east, north, south and west. He crows when each of the girls lays an egg, but he has a special dance and crow for his favorite girl, "Beatrice".
He encourages the girls in other coops to lay, crowing when they have announced their fresh laid eggs. He crows when he thinks he's won a battle against myself or my husband, flying to the highest point in the barnyard. He crows at the house if we're late with feed!
Roger is quite a talker and it has taken me a long time to figure out what he's saying and to whom. He's the boss of the barnyard, yelling orders all day long.
A rooster crows early in the morning because he wants to wake up the hens and get down to business! Roosters evolved to watch out for the hens and to proclaim their own glories. You can see that when a youngster crows next to the boss rooster, he gets a whooping.
In my experience, they crow in the pre-dawn hours every morning, I think they have some kind of internal clock that tells them daylight will soon be here. They also crow when think there is danger around. A rooster is a protector of the flock. And will alert the others trouble might be near.
Actually, they do it all day long, starting when they wake up and only ending when they go to sleep. It is a myth that roosters only crow at daybreak. One of the first things that I learned about roosters was that they crow all the time.
Yes, they may crow in the morning, but that’s because they’ve just woken up. They’re alerting the world that they are awake. Then commences the all-day crowing.
There is no one reason why roosters crow. Roosters crow for many different reasons. They crow to establish their position in the flock, to scare away predators, that he has found food for the chickens, or when something new is happening around them. In addition, excessive rooster crowing is not uncommon. If you have a rooster, be prepared to hear crowing at any time.
Rooster Crowing in the Morning Mature male chickens less than one year old are called cockerels. The term "rooster" originates in the United States, and the term is widely used throughout North America, as well as Australia and New Zealand. The older terms "cock" or "cockerel", the latter denoting a young cock, are used in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-roosters-crow-in-the-early-morning
A fat rat which got stuck in a manhole cover has been saved by firefighters in Germany. The fire service were notified after the female rat was spotted trapped in the entrance to a sewer in the town of Bensheim, and they quickly enlisted the help of the local animal rescue team from Rhein Neckar.
Video shared on social media by the animal rescue team show almost a dozen firefighters joining the professional in helping get the rotund rodent free. According to the rescuers the rat had gained weight during the winter and this had caused its predicament, with the grate catching on her wide hips.
Once she was free, rescuer Andreas Steinbach told Sky News that the rat “looked back as if to say ‘thanks, and yes, I need to go on a diet!'” The rat escaped unharmed, running straight back into the sewer.
In Germany, a fat rat got trapped in a sewer grate, the BBC reported. It took several volunteer firefighters to rescue the animal. Animal rescuers said the rat likely got stuck because of its size.
Pictures and video of the rescue mission look intense. The rodent has returned to her glorious sewer home. On Sunday, animal rescuers in Germany sprung into action when they caught wind of a rat that was stuck in a manhole cover, the BBC reported.
So, one might ask, how does a rat get stuck in manhole cover? Well, animal rescuer Michael Sehr had some ideas, the BBC reported. "She had a lot of winter flab and was stuck fast at her hip — there was no going forward or back," Sehr explained to a German outlet.
And thus, she was trapped. Just look at her face! rat trapped Like a rat in a cage, but also not at all. The mission to rescue the animal was quite elaborate. Several volunteers were called to the scene. An album on the Berufstierrettung Rhein Neckar Facebook page details the experience.
From the looks — and sounds! — of it, things got hairy. A team, yes a whole team, were called in to lift up the manhole cover and pry out the distressed rodent, who squeaked throughout the entire ordeal.
But Sehr defended the course of action. After all, it was all in the name of the rat's wellbeing. "Even animals that are hated by many deserve respect," he told the BBC.
So after all of that effort what happened to the rat, you might wonder. Was it someone's pet? Did it go to an animal sanctuary? Well, it should go without saying that she went back into the sewer, presumably to be with her rat friends.
https://www.businessinsider.com/german-fire-fighters-rescued-rat-trapped-in-sewer-grate-2019-2/commerce-on-business-insider
My Ambonese Moluccan mothers Updated Ancestry DNA results.Whoa? why is the Philippines so ranked high on your mom's side? I guess your one of us then.
Moluccans are the Austronesian-speaking and Papuan-speaking ethnic groups indigenous to the Maluku Islands, also called the Moluccas, which have been part of Indonesia since 1950. As such, "Moluccans" is used as a blanket term for various ethnic and linguistic groups inhabiting the islands.
I wouldnt take that jump in logic.The Moluccas were settled no less than 40,000 years ago,much longer than The Phillipines present population and far longer than the Phillipines has actually been "The Phillipines".Phillipines in this case means Austronesians from Taiwan,so it means a large part of her Ancestry is Austronesian settlers from what is now the Phillipines.
In any case,the irony is that Western Indonesia has their own category thats quite distinct and closest to Thais and Khmers.And even funnier,is they have less "Phillipines" on average than Central and even Eastern Indonesians!
Also take note that Polynesians and Micronesians would also score "Phillipines" in both Ancestry and 23andme,but its more accurate to call it the Austronesian category. Interestingly, do you have the links for that study? I hope it's not too much hassle for you.
I almost thought that the malays, indonesians, filipinos & thais are similar to one another. Genetically speaking,Thais and Western Indonesians are of similar origins while Eastern Indonesia,Phillipines,and Polynesia and Micronesia share an origin.
But,Austronesians and Austro Asiatics like the former are distant cousins with some similarities ie. Tropical "Mongoloids". My people,the Ambonese,are a subgroup or sub ethnicity of the Moluccan umbrella.Ambon is the Capitol and largest urban area in the Moluccas or Maluku Islands in Eastern Indonesia.
Also known as South Moluccans,Ambonese are more admixed and less isolated than certain other sub groups in the Moluccas such as the Seramese or Kei or Aru Islanders,the latter of which have more pure Indigineous and Melanesian heritage also known as Alifuru peoples.
But on a side note,I as a Moluccan feel closer to Filipinos than I do say,Javanese,not just culturally but also genetically and linguistically that has proven to have some Merit.
Also in our behaviours,there is more overlap than with Javanese.Ie. love of song and dance and Sport.I used to feel midway between a Papuan and a Filipino,and genetically this has proven true.
Yeah I think Filipinos & Moluccans will get along, on average most Filipinos don't know much about moluccans. but it will change soon once most of us got exposed to the rest of the pacific nations like moluccan.
I notice you guys like karaoke & gospel songs like we do. our two people will eventually meet somewhere lol . Moluccans will fit perfectly in the Philippine society.
I'm sure you guys get will get persecuted for being christians by the rest of the Asians just like we do. ( communist chinese, muslims, sino-sphere). Whats interesting is how Moluccans and Filipinos share that love of song and dance with Polynesians and Micronesians,and also Papuans/Melanesians as well.
It could be either a Oceanian (Australoid) thing or an Austronesian one. Eastern Indonesia,the Moluccas and Nusa Tengarra specifically,is also the most linguistically diverse region in all of Southeast Asia.
We speak both Austronesian and Papuan languages.Phenotypically we are diverse as well,because of the Austronesian/Papuan mix has been added modern Indonesian,Chinese,Indian,Arab,and European admixtures.
Wow,I totally forget we also share the Christian background.Actually,I believe there are Timorese in the Phillipines,and the Phillipines also supported East Timor independence and see them as fellow Catholics.In that way,Timorese are even more similar to Pinoys than Moluccans.
Btw,I know a Papuan New Guinea -Australian mix,his tribe is Mekeo who are Austronesian admixed speaking Coastal peoples.He told me his people were actually converted to Catholicism by Filipino migrants,and he himself had a bit of Pinoy blood!
He said that many PNG people see themselves culturally closer to as well as behaviourally more like Filipinos than Indonesians (Javanese).
The last video has a Crocodile on it.Fun fact,many people in the Moluccas,Timor,and Papua worship Crocodiles and believe that Crocodiles are their ancestors.In Ambon,I went to a Museum dedicated solely to the skeletons of Crocodiles and Komodos,and the Museum guide confirmed this relationship.
https://www.amazians.com/forum/oceana-pacific-islands/my-moluccan-mothers-updated-ancestry-results/
Moluccans are the Austronesian-speaking and Papuan-speaking ethnic groups indigenous to the Maluku Islands, also called the Moluccas, which have been part of Indonesia since 1950. As such, "Moluccans" is used as a blanket term for various ethnic and linguistic groups inhabiting the islands.
The original inhabitants of the Maluku Islands were Melanesian, or Papuan, in origin. However, the migration of the Austronesian people changed the situation drastically.[3] Austronesian peoples displaced and partially assimilated the native Melanesian population around 2000 BCE.
Later added to were some Dutch, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabian and English genes due to colonization and marriage with foreign traders in the Middle Ages or with European soldiers during World War.
Small number of German descendants added to Moluccan population, especially in Ambon, along with arrival of Protestant Missionaries since 15th century.
A small population of Moluccans (~45000) live in the Netherlands. This group mainly consists of the descendants of KNIL soldiers who had originally planned to come the Netherlands only temporarily, but were eventually forced to stay. (See Moluccan diaspora.)
The remainder consists of Moluccans serving in the Dutch navy and their descendants, as well as some who came to the Netherlands from western New Guinea after it was handed over to Indonesia.
However, the vast majority of Moluccans still live in the Moluccas and the other surrounding regions such as Papua, West Timor, North Sulawesi, Bali and Java.
After the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies during World War II, the Netherlands wanted to restore the old colonial situation. The indigenous Indonesians were against it. However, led by rebels and Sukarno, a struggle for independence broke out between 1945 and 1949.
The reconstituted Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) was commissioned by the Dutch government to maintain order and to disarm the rebels. Moluccan professional soldiers formed an important part of this army.
The Moluccan community was thus regarded by the Dutch as allies and vice versa. The government of the Netherlands had promised them that they would get their own free state in return for assisting the Netherlands.
After international efforts could not support the Netherlands to maintain its colony, the Dutch government could no longer keep its promise to the Moluccans for a free state.
The Moluccans, who were seen by the Indonesians as collaborators, had to go to the Netherlands. Moluccans who served in the command of KNIL would reside temporarily in the Netherlands. The Moluccans were then housed in camps in the Netherlands, including the former Westerbork transit camp.
The Dutch Moluccans had repeatedly drawn the attention of the Dutch government to their claim for a free Republic of South Maluku (Republik Maluku Selatan or RMS) state of which the Dutch government had promised earlier. In the 1970s this escalated more and more.
One of the methods to gain attention on the matter was through the violent hijackings of 1975 Dutch train hostage crisis in De Punt, Wijster, where hostages were taken, and the train hijackers were killed. The Moluccans speak over a hundred different languages, with a majority of them belonging to the Central Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family.
An important exception is the North Moluccan island of Halmahera and its vicinity, where the majority of the population speak West Papuan languages (North Halmahera branch), possibly brought by migrants from the Bird's Head Peninsula of New Guinea.
Another exception are the Malay-based creoles such as the Ambonese language (also known as Ambonese Malay), spoken mainly on Ambon and the nearby Ceram; and North Moluccan Malay used on the islands of Ternate, Tidore, Halmahera and Sula Islands in North Maluku. Moluccans living in the Netherlands mostly speak Ambonese and Buru.
The Moluccans in the northern Moluccas (present province of North Maluku) are mainly Muslim and the Moluccans in the central and southern Moluccas (present day Maluku) are mainly Christians.
The religions that are most often espoused by Moluccans in the Netherlands are the Protestant faith and, to a lesser extent, Islam. There are significant number of native Hindu followers in Kei Islands although the region is predominately Catholic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moluccans
As our approach to food becomes more and more centered on nutrition and sustainability, we are inevitably going to look into new (and old) ways for filling our dinner plates.
When we think of greens, most likely, lettuce, cabbage, and kale come to mind. More adventurous diners might have delved into dandelion greens or stuffed grape leaves. However, very few of us have looked to the most abundant source of leaves: trees.
To be honest, most trees with edible leaves have dubious reputations. Tree leaves, like most wild sources of food, tend to be much more robust in flavor and often tougher in texture.
On the positive side, those with leaves that aren’t particular brutal on the taste buds will provide a lot more food per square foot than will Swiss chard or mustard greens (not to say we shouldn’t be growing these, too).
In permaculture, and more so nature, trees are integral to healthy eco-systems. They are perennial plants that provide habitats for animals, supply mulch material for soil (and soil life), prevent erosion, help with moderating temperatures, increase moisture in the atmosphere, and clean the air.
In other words, they have a lot of uses, with edible leaves being yet one more viable way to justify planting that forest garden in the backyard.
Linden -Many linden trees, those from the genus Tilia, are highly respected suppliers of edible leaves. They go by names like basswood and lime (but not the citrus), and we know them best as lining streets or acting as windbreaks.
They have lots of leaves, perfect for providing shade and slowing down winter gusts, which is why they work well for those other tasks, but it’s also why we are talking about them today as a source of food.
https://www.facebook.com/beccluminary
The leaves of linden trees are said to taste good, along the lines of salad but with a bit more mucilage in the texture. Nevertheless, those abundant leaves can be eaten throughout the spring, summer, and fall.
As with kale and other greens, young leaves are the most tender and pleasing to the pallet, but even mature leaves are edible. Not much is known about the nutritive value of linden leaves, but they are believed to be a good source of anti-oxidants.
Moringa - For super food fans, moringa is probably nothing new, but to catch others up on the situation, moringa is lovingly referred to as the “Tree of Life”.
Also known as the drumstick tree (due to its shape), it is native to India but is now being used around the world to combat malnutrition. It’s superbly drought-tolerant, fast-growing, and diverse in its uses. Almost every part of the tree is edible, but most people stick to the leaves.
Moringa leaves are packed with nutrition, specifically high levels of iron, protein, calcium, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C, garnering it recognition as nature’s multivitamin. Eaten fresh, the leaves have a nutty spice and can be tossed into salads or soups.
Moringa leaves, however, are often dehydrated and pulverized into powder form, and that provides a nutritional boost to just about anything: smoothies, soups, cookies, bread, etc.
Mulberry - Mulberries are very versatile, highly productive trees that grow in a wide-range of climates, and they provide a crazy amount of fruit to enjoy. We don’t find mulberries in stores very much because they don’t transport well, but they are delicious right of the tree, preserved in jams, or frozen/dehydrated for storage.
The berries do have a somewhat bad reputation for staining driveways and such, so that’s worth noting. Less heralded is the fact that mulberry leaves, when young, are also edible. However, the rub with this one is that older leaves have a bit of toxicity that can cause a stomachache.
So, look for unrolled leaves. They should be boiled before eaten (to get rid of anything questionable) and they can be dried to add to salads or stuffed as if a grape leaf. Mulberry leaves are thought to help with type 2 diabetes.
Hawthorn - Hawthorn trees, common in both the U.S. and Europe, are well-regarded for their medicinal value, particularly with cardiovascular issues. In addition to having leaves, hawthorns have some pretty impressive—you guessed it—thorns, as well as edible berries that are high in pectin, making them a good option for thickening up jams. Additionally, the flowers are used to make medicinal teas and tinctures.
As for the leaves, they are edible and reputed to hold many of the same health-promoting powers of the berries and flowers. By folksy old foragers in England, hawthorn leaves are referred to as “pepper and salt” and commonly tossed into salads. As with most leaves, the young, new leaves — found in spring — are the more agreeable.
By no means has this exhausted the list. Rather, we have just wetted the appetite. Other trees, like spruce and birch, have edible leaves. There are many shrubs to consider, such as katuk (common in Florida), different types of hibiscus, chaya (a superfood used by the Maya), and goji berries.
https://www.facebook.com/DK.Nguyen2
Sassafras, once the oomph behind root beer, was discredited some years ago, save for the gumbo aficionados in Louisiana, but many foragers aren’t afraid of the flavorful leaves. The point is that we have a lot more leaves are our disposal, wherever we are, when we start looking to trees as the source.
https://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/trees-with-edible-leaves/
My friend calls me over to where we are gardening, and she points out something extraordinary. Through last season’s ground leaves, new ferns grow.
I take a picture of this particular growth strategy. It’s amazing; this unfurling of the fern leaf–the scroll that slowly, slowly, unrolls–happens in order to protect the fronds. The structure itself is called a fiddlehead (I learned something new!).
Besides protecting the delicate leaves, the unrolling strategy (as opposed to shooting straight up or expanding from a bud), also gives the young frond the ability to successfully emerge from the soil and leaf covering.
I examine the strength of the leaf stalk (the petiole). It shelters the developing frond in a warm embrace, slowly unrolling the beautiful scroll.
I imagine God’s own growth strategy for what’s developing in us. It’s a slow and protected unrolling. When we think something should burst out, shoot far, or expand quickly, remember the strong hug that keeps the scroll rolled up so we survive the journey.
http://heatherholleman.com/2014/04/a-lesson-from-a-young-fern/
My first experience with a mulberry tree was nearly four years ago when I found the large specimen on h.e.a.r.t.’s campus covered with what looked like thousands of blackberries.
Someone informed me they were edible and I immediately fell in love with the tree that produced some of the most delicious berries I had ever tasted.
My initial love for a yummy berry slowly evolved into a deep appreciation for a plant with an incredible range of uses and potential to alleviate poverty in a wide range of climates. The excellent book Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture helped to solidify my affinity for the mulberry.
[The mulberry tree] has a reputation of fruiting so heavily that it stains sidewalks permanently and being a tree that is nearly impossible to kill. This is the kind of plant we want to have in our arsenal for fighting the looming issues of malnutrition, deforestation and climate change which are intimately interrelated.
https://www.facebook.com/beccluminary
The genus Morus contains the various mulberries of the world, at least 10 species. They come from a wide climactic range on different continents. This means there is a wide genetic base of strains that thrive in most climates of the world.
Further trials and selective breeding could extend this range even further. Mulberry is known for being a rugged survivor and is rumored to have been used to push back deserts in China.
It has a reputation of fruiting so heavily that it stains sidewalks permanently and being a tree that is nearly impossible to kill. This is the kind of plant we want to have in our arsenal for fighting the looming issues of malnutrition, deforestation and climate change which are intimately interrelated.
In the Sustainable Agriculture course at h.e.a.r.t. our professor Danny Blank teaches “the 5 Fs” for extending the growing season and improving food security in difficult climates.
I will frame the discussion of the mulberry tree around these concepts. The fact that one plant can be used for all 5 criteria speaks to it’s miraculous versatility.
Fruit: Mulberry is a prodigious producer of delicious and nutritious fruits. They are generally small and highly perishable but cultivars exist that are much larger and store better than others.
There is a surprising amount of excellent fruiting varieties with a range of colors and flavors. In the United States, most fruit in the Spring but some varieties are known to produce several crops throughout the year.
Of all of the incredible merits of the mulberry, the best is perhaps the look of joy that people express when they first taste the excellent sweet fruit. The fruits can be enjoyed fresh right from the tree (my favorite) or on salads.
They are great dehydrated like raisins or made into jams, jellies, pies and many other fruit based items. I suspect they can also make great fruit leather for long term, low-tech storage. We have nearly 10 select fruiting varieties at h.e.a.r.t. planted for fruit and are always gathering more.
Mulberry-fruit - The “Himilayan” mulberry at the Fruit and Spice Park in Homestead, Florida has very large and incredibly delicious raspberry flavored fruit with a long fruiting season. This variety thrives in the hot humid climate of South Florida and therefore likely has potential in tropical climates.
Foliage: I learned from edible plant extraordinaire, Eric Toensmeier, that some species have edible leaves that can be good tasting and are unusually high in protein for a leaf crop. Of all the uses of mulberry this is probably the one with the most potential to fight malnutrition.
Eric’s article on perennial staple foods of the world shows mulberry leaves to produce more protein per acre than soybeans in a system that only needs planted once and may outlive the person planting it.
This information led me to start collecting mulberry varieties and trialing them for flavor and texture. I have found a variety I think tastes very good after being steamed until soft.
I cooked a sample batch for some h.e.a.r.t. students and it was well received and some commented that it tasted like green beans. Dried white mulberry leaves are also sold as a tea and have long been used as a medicinal tonic in China.
Not long ago, an agricultural specialist was visiting h.e.a.r.t. and she commented that many people doing development work in cold climates write her seeking out “their moringa”, meaning a perennial cold hardy leaf crop that is rapidly growing on poor soil, highly nutritious and tolerates repeated cutting.
I believe that select edible leaf forms of mulberry just may fit this bill, playing a similar role to plants like moringa and chaya in warmer climates.
A system of mulberry leaf production would be managed through a technique called coppicing where closely spaced trees are cut often to encourage new growth and make continuous harvesting easy.
Mulberry-leaf - This variety of mulberry (Morus alba) has good tasting and nutritious foliage once cooked - Forage: With wise design mulberries can become milk, meat and eggs.
It is already widely known in many places that mulberry trees are very reliable producers of high quality animal fodder. At h.e.a.r.t. we have trees planted at 2 foot spacing that are cut often and leaves are taken to goats and rabbits.
It is an excellent fodder species because of it’s rapid growth, high nutritional profile and tolerance of cutting. A mulberry promotional document from FAO claims that the leaves range from 15-28% protein.
Mulberry is very easy to propagate from cuttings, making it feasible for anyone to establish many plants quickly with basic nursery techniques.
Chickens also love the fruit,meaning long season varieties could be planted in chicken runs to provide self harvesting feed that drops to the birds while also providing shade and wildlife habitat.
Mulberry leaves are also the premier food of silkworms which can be raised and used as chicken food. With wise design mulberries can become milk, meat and eggs. Mulberry-rabbit - This rabbit is pleased to eat nutritious mulberry leaves and produces useful manure as a byproduct.
Fencing: Live fences are planted to keep animals in or out and, in some cases, to deter humans. In many cases, a lack of fencing is the key element that keeps people hungry.
Roaming animals, such as goats, make keeping gardens nearly impossible. Often times, farmers let goats and cattle roam during the dry season under the assumption no one is trying to garden anyways.
This disincentives people from trying even though with a small amount of water they could still produce food. A fence that excludes those animals can dramatically change this situation but unfortunately fencing is very expensive.
Live fences, however, can be entirely free other than labor. Mulberry can be a great species to plant for this purpose. The trees establish quickly and can be pruned to the desired shape.
Barbed wire can be tacked to the trees or thorny sticks and bamboo can be woven between them. In some places people actually rub the bark off of the trees and tie them together and the trees fuse together permanently to make a woven fence.
Fuel wood: The need for cooking wood and the production of charcoal is one of the largest contributing factors to deforestation. Many trees die once they are cut and the demand is simply so high that forests are completely gutted. In order to combat this people must plant trees specifically for firewood so the forests can be left to regrow.
Mulberry has the special ability to regrow readily from coppicing so it can be cut annually, indefinitely. The wood is very dense and hard which means it has a lot of fuel energy.
I know from personal experience of cutting a fallen tree with a chainsaw that the wood is very tough. Small mulberry twigs are ideal fuel for efficient wood burning cooking implements like rocket stoves.
Rocket-stove - Small twigs from trees like mulberry make ideal fuel for a rocket stove. Not only is the tree so versatile, a number of these uses can be accomplished in one multi-functional system.
A live mulberry fence could be planted around a chicken run. Branches are cut. The young leaves are fed to humans and tough leaves fed to herbivorous animals.
All the while, twigs for burning in the rocket stove are produced. Any fruit that is produced on the trees will fall to the chickens that are being contained by the tightly planted trees.
A tree with such a diverse set of uses should be exploited more in a world of such dire need. I hope you are now inspired to plant a mulberry tree!
https://heartvillage.org/mulberry-a-plant-with-exceptional-potential/
There is an easy way to get above all that air – go to the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Here, in one of the driest, highest and clearest skies in the world is the small town of San Pedro de Atacama.
Managed by the Bureau of Land Management as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern and Special Recreation Management Area, the Bonneville Salt Flats are a 30,000 acre expanse of hard, white salt crust on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake basin in Utah.
The flats are about 12 miles long and 5 miles wide with total area coverage of just over 46 square miles. Near the center of the salt, the crust is almost 5 feet thick in places, with the depth tapering off to less than 1 inch as you get to the edges.
Total salt crust volume has been estimated at 147 million tons or 99 million cubic yards of salt! The Bonneville Salt Flats are comprised of approximately 90% common table salt.
Each summer, professional and amateur teams from around the world compete for landspeed records in different vehicle classes at annual events such as Speedweek, held each August since 1949. Racetracks are surveyed and prepared with heavy drag sleds that smooth out the surface of the salt.
In addition to landspeed racing, the Utah Rocket Club and the National Archery Association hold events each year. Beyond recreation, the Bonneville Salt Flats have become internationally renowned as a unique backdrop for filming major motion pictures, fashion layouts, and automobile commercials.
The BLM usually issues over 20 commercial film permits at Bonneville each year. The Bonneville Salt Flats are free and open to the public most of the year. During landspeed racing events and/or filming projects, special security restrictions may be required to maintain public safety. See below for details.
If you go out onto the salt flats on your own, let someone know where you are and when you plan to return. Getting stuck out alone on the flats is dangerous and has resulted in past fatalities. If you do decide to travel off the access road, please review and adhere to the Bonneville Salt Flats Travel Advisory.
Formation of the Bonneville Salt Flats - The formation of the Salt Flats began at the end of the last Ice Age, when the waters of ancient Lake Bonneville began to recede. Lake Bonneville covered approx. 2/3 of Utah and was almost 1000 feet deep in the area of the Salt Flats.
When this large amount of fresh water slowly disappeared over time, large concentrations of dissolved minerals were deposited in the soils that form the watershed for the Bonneville Salt Flats.
These minerals include gypsum (commercially used to make household wallboard) and halite (common table salt). Potassium and magnesium are also present in smaller concentrations.
Today, ground water slowly flows towards the Salt Flats from the surrounding watershed, picks up dissolved minerals along the way, and percolates up to the surface via a shallow brine aquifer.
When temperatures rise in the late spring and summer months, the salty water rapidly evaporates in the heat, and the minerals are left behind to form the salt crust.
During the cooler months of the year (November to May), evaporation slows down and the ground water floods the Salt Flats several inches deep. Wind, periodic rainstorms, and regional climate also play an important part in changing salt crust conditions throughout each year.
History of the Salt Flats - During the fur trapping era of the 1820- 30s, numerous fur trading companies operated in the area of Utah. In 1833, trapper, trader, explorer, and legendary frontiersman Joseph R.
Walker mapped and explored the area around the Great Salt Lake and crossed the northern perimeter of the Salt Flats while working for a fur trading company run by Captain Benjamin L. E. Bonneville.
In those days, it was common for fur trappers to name significant landmarks after their employers, perhaps in an effort to gain favor or better wages.
It is from Benjamin Bonneville that the Salt Flats and ancient lake derive their name, although there is no historical record to show that Bonneville himself ever saw the area that bears his name.
Before Joe Walker, fellow trapper and frontier explorer Jedediah Smith was perhaps the first white man to cross the Salt Flats in 1827 while returning from his first expedition to California.
Before then, Native Americans throughout the region were familiar with the desert region west of the Great Salt Lake and informed white explorers of what was there.
In 1845, John C. Fremont and his U.S. government-sponsored exploratory expedition crossed through the very heart of the Salt flats in an effort to find a shorter overland route to the Pacific.
In the following year, Fremont's route across the flats would come to be known as the Hastings Cutoff route along the California Trail. Promoted by Lansford Hastings as a faster and easier route to California, the Hastings Cuttoff proved to be just the opposite for the ill-fated Donner-Reed party of 1846.
A factor contributing to the Donner-Reed tragedy in the Sierra Nevadas was the delay the party experienced on the Salt Flats when their wagons became mired in the mud found just below the thin salt crust.
Abandoned wagon parts from the party were present on the flats well into the 1930s, and the wheel tracks from their wagons are still visible today at certain points along the trail.
The tragedy of the Donner-Reed Party limited extensive use of the Hastings Cutoff as an overland migration trail. However, today it is part of the federally protected California National Historic Trail.
Early attempts to promote automobile racing on the Salt Flats failed until the 1930s when Ab Jenkins, a Utah native driving a Studebaker dubbed the Mormon Meteor, began setting endurance speed records at Bonneville.
Jenkins was later instrumental in promoting landspeed racing and luring British racing legend Sir Malcolm Campbell to the Salt Flats in 1935.
Since that time the Bonneville Salt Flats have attracted racers from throughout the world and have become the site of numerous land speed records. Their attraction for these racers is due to the hard, flat surface that is continually renewed by nature each year.
Some of the astounding landspeed records established at Bonneville over the decades:
1914: Teddy Tetzlaff, Blitzen Benz, 141.73 mph (unofficial), piston
1935: Sir Malcolm Campbell, Bluebird, 301.126 mph, piston
1940: Ab Jenkins, Mormon Meteor III, 161.180 mph, 24 hr endurance run, piston
1947: John Cobb, Railton Mobil Special, 394.194 mph, piston
1964: Craig Breedlove, Spirit of America, 526.277 mph, jet
1965: Craig Breedlove, Spirit of America, 600.601 mph, jet
1967: Burt Munro, Munro Special, 183.586 mph, 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle
1970: Gary Gabolich, Blue Flame, 622.407 mph, rocket
2001: Don Vesco, Turbinator, 458.440 mph, turbine
2006: Chris Carr, BUB Streamliner, 350.884 mph, motorcycle
2006: Andy Green, JCB Dieselmax, 350.092 mph, diesel
The public can gain access to landspeed racing events by paying an entrance fee and following route markers onto the salt to designated viewing areas. Reservations for spectators are not required. If you are a racer, you must pre-register for the event. Racing commentary and results are broadcast over FM/AM radio.
Portable shade shelters, umbrellas, lawn chairs, wide-brimmed hats, sunscreen, and lots of water are recommended. Bicycles, motorcycles, and ATVs are permitted on the salt. For more information, please refer to the attached Schedule of Events and related websites.
The Bonneville Salt Flats are located just off of Exit 4 on Interstate 80 in Utah, just before reaching the Nevada state line. They are approximately 100 miles and 1.5 hours driving time due west of Salt Lake City.
After exiting the freeway, turn right and drive north past the truck stop. Stay on the paved road as it curves to the right away from the mountains and heads east out across the mud flats.
In just over 4 miles, you will come to a cul-de-sac at the end of the pavement where a BLM sign is located. You may park here or continue onto the Salt Flats. Travel on the Salt Flats is at your own risk. If you do decide to travel off the access road, please review and adhere to the Travel Advisory.
When the salt flats are dry, it is generally safe to drive on them. Try not to go within 100 yards of the edge of the salt crust as you may get stuck in the underlying mud. Salt residue will usually get onto the underside of your car but is easily washed off with fresh water.
You must make sure to thoroughly wash your car (especially the undercarriage) to avoid corrosion problems later. When the salt flats are flooded, you should not drive on them unless you are thoroughly familiar with the area and take special precautions.
Note: Some rental car companies will charge a cleaning and repair fee to vehicles driven on the salt flats because the salt corrodes the wheel bearings and requires extensive work to fully clean the salt out of the vehicle's drivetrain.
If your rental company prohibits off-roading, this includes the salt flats. Check with your rental company for more specific information. Toilets, food, beverages, and souvenirs are available at most recreation events.
At all other times of the year, there are no facilities available at Bonneville. Once you go from the access road onto the salt flats, there are no surface improvements or signs.
You are on your own. Food, fuel, lodging, and other services are available at the freeway exit truck stop or in the nearby town of Wendover. Hotel reservations for major racing events usually need to be made months in advance. See the attached Wendover Lodging and Services.
Cell phones will work in the area. Coverage is generally good closer to the access road and Wendover. Service becomes weaker the farther away from the freeway you travel.
To maintain public health & safety and protect natural resources, overnight camping is prohibited on the salt flats. There are no developed campground facilities. You may camp for free on adjacent public lands accessed via local roads.
During landspeed racing events, many participants choose to camp on the mud flats off of the access road to Bonneville or along the nearby Silver Island Mountains backcountry byway. Please refer to the enclosed map. RV camping facilities are available in nearby Wendover.
Visitors need to come prepared with protective clothing such as broad-brimmed hats, UV sunglasses, high-SPF sunscreen, shelter from the sun, and lots of water. Dehydration and heat exhaustion are real dangers in the summer.
Special permit fees will usually be required for organized group events or commercial filming. For more details, contact the BLM at 801-977-4300.
https://www.visitutah.com/places-to-go/parks-outdoors/bonneville-salt-flats/
"Recent African origin," or Out of Africa II, refers to the migration of anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) out of Africa after their emergence at c. 300,000 to 200,000 years ago, in contrast to "Out of Africa I", which refers to the migration of archaic humans from Africa to Eurasia roughly 1.8 to 0.5 millio.
The two most fundamental energies in our birth chart are the Sun and the Moon. While the Sun is the most yang, projective, giving us our sense of individual self and purpose, the Moon is the most yin, receptive, providing us with the application of our purpose.
The Sun is the light and life of our system. The Moon being the closest heavenly body to us controls the rhythm of the sea and all its creatures as well as the flow of blood in the human body.
As the Moon distributes the light of the Sun each night, we experience this partnership and are able to understand their relationship in forming the personality of the human being.
Each night a different amount of light is given off by the Moon according to its changing relationship with the Sun. Within an approximate twenty-eight day cycle the Moon will have passed through eight phases, each phase lasting about forty-five degrees or three and a half days.
These phases each have their own unique characteristics which influence all life on the planet. The first phase is the New Moon at which time no light is emanating from its surface. Beginning at zero degrees it will have completed its cycle at three hundred and sixty degrees.
One way to describe these phases is to use the analogy of the plant. At the New Moon the seed is in the ground preparing for germination. It is implanted in a new beginning.
In the early degrees of the Crescent Phase, the sprout is drawn up from the earth by the initial impulses of light. During the remaining stages of the Crescent Phase the plant goes through a strengthening process, mobilizing its energies against the elements of nature.
When the First Quarter comes about, the plant has passed the initial stages of survival and is now sending down roots. By firmly anchoring its life force, the plant is able to concentrate its energies in the growth of stems and leaves with the tiny buds appearing by the beginning of the Gibbous Phase.
During the Gibbous Phase the plant is focusing on the reason for its existence. By ridding itself of everything superfluous, the culmination of its entire past from its beginning is brought to the moment of its achievement by coming into bloom.
The phase of the Full Moon is the completion. The work has been done and the gardener can stand back and assess his efforts. As the Full Moon progresses through its forty-five degrees the flower becomes the fruit.
The Disseminating phase is the harvest. The purpose of the plant is to now give back to the earth, to those who brought it into being and to nurture others.
By the time the Third Quarter comes around, the harvest is over, the abundance has been shared and what is left in the fields begins to decompose. The cycle is beginning to end.
During the Balsamic Phase the seed capsule is buried underground. It is clear that what was, no longer exists in its original form. This is the time of transition.
The light of the Moon has grown very dim and by the end of this phase will have disappeared into darkness. Lunar Phases: When we are born we come in under the influence of one of the Moon’s phases. The degree will pinpoint its intensity.
NEW MOON - When a person is born under the influence of the New Moon it is thought that in terms of reincarnation, this person has been born into the first incarnation of an eight fold sequence. This person possesses a quality of spontaneity, thus, planning ahead is not always met with success.
They view life as a grand adventure with unlimited possibilities. Living in the moment, the past is not important to them. Being born when the Moon sheds no light, they have come to learn to respond instinctually and to act on intuition.
They are able to navigate without maps and arrive at their destination with time to spare. They are often criticized for being overly self involved, but there is a need for them to learn about who they are and to project it into the world.
CRESCENT - A key word for the Crescent Phase is breakthrough. It is a time when what was begun during the New Moon is carried forward. It is a time of struggle because it often has to wrestle with the ghosts of the past which were in effect before the new cycle began.
This new identity needs to overcome old standards, attitudes and structures in order to become fully functional as a whole and free individual. People born during a Crescent Moon often find themselves emotionally tied to the past.
They may be drawn to habitual behaviors, wanting to stay within their comfort zones, feeling the need for security. They can be vulnerable to emotional blackmail, falling victim to those who want to “keep them the way they are”, not supportive of their growth.
Crescent Moon types may find it difficult to leave home until well into adulthood. It is imperative that they establish their life force in independence.
It is important for them to understand that the first step is the hardest, but that once it is taken new opportunities will open up. Their final challenge is to take those opportunities and act on them.
FIRST QUARTER - The First Quarter Moon can be referred to as “crisis in action”. It is a time in which the challenge is to manage the energy which is released by crisis and then to restructure it into its new form.
People born during this phase are able to rise to the occasion of any emergency. They are able to make split second decisions and act on them. They have the ability to tear down old structures and to recreate new ones.
They are the pioneers, the trail blazers, the hero and the heroine. It is important not to unconsciously create havoc in their lives just for the sake of excitement even though the crazier it gets, the better they get.
It is likely they will create conflict in the lives of those entrenched in the status quo. You may find them working in emergency rooms and driving ambulances.
GIBBOUS - Those born during the Gibbous Phase have an innate desire for perfection. Having sharp, analytical minds, they have a need to understand.
blue calcite
Looking at a subject from all angles, they experience sheer joy when delving into the core of the matter. Bringing things to the essence of their being, the truth will be revealed.
They live their lives in anxious expectation augmented by the breath of the coming revelation. Children born at this time will not be happy with the answers, they will want to know why and how the answer came about. Gibbous Moon people make good apprentices as their goal is to learn all they can and become as good as they can get.
FULL MOON - The Full Moon brings about the completion of all the hard work that came before it. It is the time in which the structure having attained perfection experiences the urge to become infused with meaning and purpose, the breath of life.
It is time when all that was instinctual becomes deliberate action, all that was felt before will now be made visible. The ideals are to be realized, brought forth into the world for all to have.
It is the debut. People born under the Full Moon are idealists. They may spend a lot of time searching for belief systems that they can relate to. Relationships are important to them and they need to be fully conscious of the effects their words and actions have on others.
It is hard for them to find the ideal relationship in this material world and they will often turn to religion or an ideal cause. In looking for the right relationship, one needs to proceed through the clarity of the light of consciousness and not get caught up in the emotional bog of sheer desire.
DISSEMINATING - The Disseminating Phase of the Moon is the second phase of conscious operation. That which came into completion at the Full Moon is ready to be distributed now. People born during this phase are natural communicators. They are what they believe and their purpose is to spread it to the world.
They share and communicate information acquired from their own experience. They are the teachers and philosophers. If they have no message to share they can become despondent. It is their lesson to realize that they are not responsible as to whether the message is received or not.
It is not the role of everyone else to act on what they say, but it is the role of the person born in the Disseminating Phase to say it. They make good publicists and reporters as long as they believe in what they are saying. Keywords: Imparting; Convey Awareness.
LAST QUARTER - The key word for the Last Quarter is readjustment. It is the hardest to identify as many of its characteristics are hidden. As the First Quarter experiences “crisis in action”, the Third Quarter experiences “crisis in consciousness”.
Old systems and values are becoming useless. It is hard for people born at this time to relate to life in the here and now. They often appear to be living in a world of their own, when in actuality they are going through an internal process of reorientation.
They will present to the world an acceptable face as they are quietly developing on the inside. At the point when their own internal self has been completed, a brand new, fully developed person emerges. This butterfly is quite different from the caterpillar it had been, and is quite the surprise to those who thought they “knew” them.
These people need the time and space to find themselves. If pressured to conform, they may revolt causing others to regard them as uncooperative and rebellious.
As children, they require a lot of “alone” time and may need more rest than others as they process much in their sleep and in meditative states. Keywords: Readjustment; Correcting; Disillusionment; Elimination.
BALSAMIC - The Balsamic Phase is the last phase of the Moon’s cycle. This is the time of adjustment from one cycle to another. It is the bridge between the past and the future. People born at this time are finishing an eight phase cycle of lifetimes. Therefore, this lifetime is a very karmic one.
There is a pattern of very intense, all-consuming although short term relationships with people from the past including other lifetimes. These karmic ties are in need of resolution before continuing on into the next new cycle.
These people often have pronounced psychic abilities. They are the visionaries seeing years ahead of their times. As children they often feel apart from their peers; they are loners.
Balsamic Moon people are able to take the true meaning of a situation, distill it into its wisdom essence and plant it into the awareness of others. They are the gurus.
Their job is the transmission of essential knowledge which will germinate at the next level during the next Lunation Cycle. Keywords: Incubation; Preparation; Closure; Surrender.
Lunar Phase at Birth - NEW MOON NATAL PHASE 0 deg – 45 deg - If you were born into the New Moon Phase of the Lunar Cycle…You have been born to project yourself into humanity.
Because you respond to life more instinctually, you are one who truly lives in the moment, the past having little to do with the decisions you make today.
Your intuitive abilities will give you more direction as opposed to conscious, rational reasoning. Because you need total spontaneity, planning ahead is not your best method of operation and may meet with obstacles.
Working best without pre-thinking or an elaborate, organized approach, you can totally plunge into new experiences as long as you have the freedom to explore. You may become confused in complex situations where a specific technique or action is expected of you.
Because you were born when there was no light emanating from the Moon, your lesson is to learn your identity, who you are, and how to project it into the world. You may feel that you need to make your mark somewhere this lifetime.
Magnetic and shining with personality, many actors and actresses are New Moon people working to project themselves into the spotlight as a career, having the ability to act on impulse and meeting the challenge of the moment. Self centeredness is a necessity for self development.
Although the New Moon person needs a certain amount of attention, as the actor needs the audience to project to, the danger that might occur is that this projection is merely the ego bringing itself into view by casting a shadow over everything or everyone else around it.
This can cause the alienation of others. It is important to remember your associations are more than the drama or symbology in which that person is involved. In a more refined approach, this projection can take the form of a purpose, or goal, an involvement that is more far reaching than the personal ego.
CRESCENT NATAL PHASE, 45 deg – 90 deg - If you were born during the Crescent Moon Phase of the Lunar Cycle…Having passed through the darkness of the new Moon, a sliver of light has just begun to illuminate the path as the Moon embarks on it’s new cycle.
Your greatest challenge is to become independent of belief systems and concepts that are part of the past. This is necessary in order to fully realize selfhood and individuality.
Be aware of comfortable ruts and habitual behavior. They represent the chains of the past. As you break free, opportunities will open up to you. The first is the hardest. It may feel as though you are going against the grain. In many ways you are.
As you take the initiative to make changes you may find a lot of resistance in those who are used to relating to you in a certain way. They may feel threatened by your breaking from the status quo. By asserting your will and determination you will foster belief in yourself and develop creative new vision.
FIRST QUARTER NATAL PHASE 90 deg – 135 deg - If you were born during the First Quarter Phase of the Lunar Cycle…This is the third phase of Instinctive Action.
Action is the essence of this phase, whether it is to clear the way for the idea to manifest, or to bring the essence of the idea into actualized being.
You are the one that can always be expected to do the unexpected. Able to arise to the occasion, your innate impulsivity and creative ability thrive in situations that require, simultaneously, quick thinking and action.
You may feel your life is characterized by crises that you either find yourself in, or that become crises by the way you handle situations. Constant mental and/or physical movement is a natural state for you to be in as it is necessary in your instinctual approach to tearing down the old to make way for the new.
This energy can be applied to the physical world as well as to ideas and concepts i.e. antiquated ways of doing things. Getting the old out of the way is more important to you than the actual building of the new.
You know that progress cannot continue by living in or holding onto the past. Because you push in order to keep things moving, you may invite crisis. You can handle it. Survival is something you learn early on.
Managerial skills come naturally to you, because you handle crisis so well moment to moment, you can be trusted to manage the new into existence even if there is barely a vague outline of what the new actually is. Your lesson is to manage energy which has been released by crisis and then restructure it into new form in order to get on with business.
GIBBOUS NATAL PHASE 135 deg – 180 deg - If you were born during the Gibbous Moon Phase of the Lunar Cycle…The Gibbous Phase is a transitional Phase, with the first three phases before it operating at a more instinctual, projective and experiential approach.
During the Gibbous Phase, one is growing from instinctual, spontaneous movement, to conscious, deliberate action. This is why “Analysis” and “Growth” are key words describing this phase.
You have a continual urge to make your life something of “value”. Your constant analysis of how you are growing, where you are going and what you are doing helps you to create meaning in your life promoting a sense of purpose, thus, value.
Self growth is important for the purpose of having an efficient operating system with which to be able to contribute to something of a more universal nature. Self revelation is one of the results of your constant questioning and evaluation of your own growth.
As a personality, analyzing yourself helps to define yourself. This allows the perfecting and refining of techniques for projecting your identity into the world.
When you went into the “why” stage of childhood you felt right at home and decided to stay there. You are likely to stand out in any group as you will need to question and understand the structure of any operation you are a part of.
Functioning efficiently is of great importance to you, perfecting what has been created. By understanding the structure of how something works, you are able to identify its working elements and can then implement them into new working patterns, promoting growth for yourself and for others.
This is how you perform best. Once you have decided on some plan or course of action, it is hard for you to understand why everyone else doesn’t do the same.
FULL MOON NATAL PHASE 180 deg – 225 deg - If you were born during the Full Moon Phase of the Lunar Cycle…It is possible that in the development of your personality there may have been a pull between the mother and father functions in your life and that until you came to a “conscious realization” of what you were projecting as an individual, your identity could have been somewhat unstable.
It is apparent in your direct and concise manner of speech that you communicate clearly and openly with others. Your interest in astrology goes deeper than most people and this shows your need for meaning in your life.
“Anything in the Full Moon phase implies an inherent instability in that function UNTIL the person integrates the opposing pulls of the “parts” of his personality that make up that total function. He may be torn between two ways of handling things in that part of himself. This happens so that he can come to SOME NEW AWARENESS.
The phase also implies that the function is, of itself, perfected as a function. It merely needs a purpose, a meaning, a CONTENT, outside of itself, that the ILLUMINATION the opposing pulls can bring could provide.
Instability is the result of NOT integrating two polar forces. When one DOES integrate opposites he has reached a culmination of perfecting complimentary forces, ability to operate for a common goal”.
DISSEMINATING NATAL PHASE, 225 deg – 270 deg - If you were born during the Disseminating Phase of the Lunar Cycle…You are a person who will leave a lasting mental impression on those you make contact with.
Spreading ideas and information will be successful for you as long as you think before you act. Being born in the second stage of “conscious operation” you possess an innate objectivity with an ability to keep your eye on the big picture.
It is easy for you to bypass your own ego when communicating with others so that the true essence behind the subject is able to come through. You may have a tendency to get caught up in causes. You may also tend to feel responsible to those you are attempting to enlighten.
Remember , you can lead a horse to water, be careful you don’t end up drinking it for them also. Once you have given the message, let go and know that you have planted the seed and passed the torch. It is now up to the receiver to take the responsibility for the gift of knowledge that has been imparted to them.
LAST QUARTER NATAL PHASE 270 deg – 315 deg - If you were born during the Third, or the Last Quarter Phase of the Lunar Cycle…Just as it sounds, this is a time of endings, when the energy of the Moon is winding down towards the Balsamic Phase.
This Phase has been characterized as a “crisis in consciousness.” As the First Quarter Phase is described as a “crisis in action,” the external organization of energy, creating a strong foundation to build upon, the “crisis in consciousness” is an internalized re-organization of energy.
It is a time of turning away from what has been, reflecting feelings of discontent towards those passions characteristic of the times you found it hard to relate to the status quo as a child. Perhaps you found yourself responding to the enthusiasm of the status quo with a not enthusiastic “this is it?” attitude.
Always standing a little apart from your peers, you had your own internal processes at work guiding and directing you in life. You may have needed a lot of alone time. Perhaps you needed more rest as a child. Your way of processing is through the unconscious state.
Naps as a child would have helped you sort life out, and meditation as an adult will give you the internal clarity needed to separate from the day to day hectic-ness so prevalent in the physical world.
You can be a master of the game, wearing the appropriate mask of participation. But what others may see isn’t necessarily what they get. All the time, you are undergoing ideological transformation.
As the butterfly suddenly appears from its chrysalis, you to will emerge entirely new, much to the amazement of all who thought they new you quite well.
Dreams are a vehicle for understand your internal process. Keeping a dream journal and reading your story as it unfolds can bring what is unconscious, to the light of understanding.
BALSAMIC NATAL PHASE, 315 deg – 360 deg. If you were born during the Lunar Cycle of the Balsamic Phase…This is a very karmic lifetime in which you are meeting all those with which you have unfinished business from the previous seven lifetimes before this one.
Therefore, you may encounter many brief, but intense relationships. There is a need for completion, a sense of closure to occur concerning these individuals.
This can be confusing at times. It may be helpful to ask the question either to the person or to yourself, “Is there anything I’ve ever needed to say, do or give to you, let me do it now. If there is anything you’ve needed to say, do or give to me let’s not put it off any longer, let us complete it now.”
If you cannot finish something in person, you need to ask in meditation to be released, possibly to forgive or to be forgiven. Having a full past of prior lifetimes to reflect upon, you are a born visionary, a natural psychic with a bridge to the future.
You realized at an early age that you were different and may have pretended to be like everyone else to fend off alienation from peers. You may have been described as an unusual child, and may have even been regarded as the black sheep of the family.
Others will recognize your special-ness. One of your unique qualities is to be able to take the key meaning of all situations and distill it into its wisdom essence.
You can then transfer this awareness and consciousness in others to live beyond this physical life. Your commitment is to the future. By reckoning with the past, you can consciously make a break with it.
You sense that something larger than yourself can manifest through you if you make the commitment to allow it to do so. For one to understand you at all one needs to look at what is happening THROUGH you. The transmission of essential knowledge is your purpose.
https://cafeastrology.com/natal/lunarphases.html
The New Moon, also known as the Dark Moon, seems like the phase where the Moon is weakest. But even though the New Moon is invisible in the sky, it may still have a strong influence on children born under its darkness.
During the New Moon phase, both the Sun and Moon are lined up perfectly, which means your Sun sign is the same as your Moon sign. In other words, your mind and your heart are in perfect harmony.
As the exact opposite of a Full Moon child, you don’t let inner conflict trouble you too much. You are very in tune with what you want - and what you want is usually that next new shiny thing on the horizon.
Children of the New Moon love trying out new things, new trends, new places. To others, it seems like you are always overflowing with an abundance of exciting new ideas, to the point where it can be hard to keep up with your vitality and enthusiasm. You have that childlike innocence, wonder, and curiosity, which most people lose as they mature.
All of this means that you are extraordinarily creative - the quintessential “ideas person”. On top of that, since you’re always so certain about what you want, you’re someone with a strong personality and drive.
You tend to be quick about taking action in order to turn your desires into reality. That, however, doesn’t necessarily translate into productivity.
New Moon - While children of the New Moon are known for their boundless enthusiasm, it still remains a fact that you were born when the Moon’s energy is at its weakest. That means that while you’re good at aggressively going after what you want, you tend to have trouble sustaining that energy.
You usually have a strong burst of motivation and energy at the beginning, but it fizzles out quickly. You keep starting up new creative projects, but never finish them - because you keep getting distracted by newer and shinier ideas.
It’s a dangerous cycle to get trapped in, especially since you tend to lack self-awareness. Being born under the invisible Dark Moon means that your self is cloaked in darkness.
You can’t see the kind of person you are. Combined with your intense focus on what you want, you may be known for being selfish, callous, or unable to see things from other people’s perspectives.
You tend to have a bad habit of giving others advice that has worked for you personally, without considering that they might be in a different situation from you.
To truly develop as a person, you need to understand how to take advantage of the different Moon phases. The Half Moon phases - the First Quarter Moon and Third Quarter Moon - are great phases for you to evaluate your opinions and plans with a healthy level of self-doubt.
The Full Moon, on the other hand, is the perfect time for you to look inwards and engage in some personal reflection, since that’s when your heart’s grasp on your mind is weak.
On the flip side, the abundance of energy on a Full Moon also means that you’re going to be very distracted, so it isn’t the best time to work on projects that require focus. This is also true to a lesser extent when the Moon is in any high-energy phase, like the Waxing Gibbous and the Waning Gibbous Moons.
Unlike others, children of the New Moon are the most powerful and threatening during the New Moon, and low-energy phases like the Waxing Crescent and Waning Crescent Moons.
That’s when your mind and heart are in perfect alignment. Furthermore, low levels of energy mean that instead of being restless and distracted, you are capable of laser-sharp focus.
Creative, strong-willed, and with the focus to actually execute your plans - that is the key to an unstoppable New Moon child. Explore the other Moon Phase below and see how they relate to the phase you were born on. Try your friends and family to see if there personalities fit the Moon Phase they were born on.
https://www.moongiant.com/birthday-moon/born-on/new-moon/
The New Moon personality is fresh-faced and ready for action. You are impulsive, dynamic, forceful. Born at the New Moon, you embody the raw surge out of the primordial dark. You're the Fool in the Tarot, going out with just a knapsack and a dream.
On the Lunar Calendar: First days after Dark moon up to 3 ½ days. Degree: 0 to 45 degrees ahead of the Sun.Inner Directive: Acting on impulses; announcing your presence to the world.
Your lunar phase energy is similar to Aries, the first fire sign who rushes into situations in a good-natured way. That innocence gives you an optimistic outlook. Your enthusiasm is contagious, and you bring others along for the ride.
You might start many things at the same time, but will you finish them? You might learn that it's better to let others finish what you've started, when possible. Or, find projects that feel new from start to finish.
You want to test yourself in every situation. The way you emerge comes from your Sun-Moon signs, which can be exact or close degrees. It's an uncomplicated, initiating expression of your "Lights" into the world.
What is the Zodiac sign of your Sun and Moon? Are they the same? If so, that's a concentration of that particular sign, and it acts as one force. When the Sun is conjunct the Moon - in the same Zodiac sign - you're a "double" of that sign.
Your ego drives have a lot of emotional power behind them. You quickly know what you want, and go after it. You are a force to be reckoned with, can come across as having a strong sense of self.
You might be "full of yourself" from time to time and need to work on seeing others' perspectives. If your Sun and Moon signs are not exact, they are very close, even if one is in late degrees of one sign, and early degrees of another.
You may have the initiating part down, but often fail to take practicalities into account. You are the emerging being, but it may not fit with the circumstances at hand. In her book, "2012 and the Galactic Center", Christine Page writes that you can feel disconnected from the earth. On New Moon natives, she writes:
"They are helped by becoming more present and aware of their bodies and by making a mark upon the world without seeking the approval of others to give them security." Your persona is to be the initiating spark. Over time, you'll gain confidence in your timing, and an understanding of yourself in relation to the world.
A totem for you can be the crescent. And yet, you are also a part of those days before the Moon shows up again in the vulnerable dark. That's why this lunar phase is one of forging ahead, without being able to see what's ahead. It's about going on faith, and what's been received in the in-between stage of the Dark Moon.
You're acting on the guidance you've gotten from the Dark, and that's why what you do can see to come out of the blue. You were preparing to emerge, at the darkest time of the month. Perhaps you were waiting for the New Moon to arrive! You can waver between wanting to be cautious, and following that impulse to act on that inner knowing.
https://www.liveabout.com/new-moon-personality-moon-phases-206972
A teacher in the rural area of Mappi, Papua, has written an open letter to Education and Culture Minister Nadiem Makarim asking him to pay more attention to the quality of school facilities in the village where she teaches.
The letter, titled "Miss, we are Afraid that the Table will Collapse," was written by Diana Christiana Da Costa Ati, a member of Rural Area Activator Teacher (GPDT) in Mappi regency. She was assigned to be a teacher in Kaibusene village ─ located around nine hours by boat from Mappi’s Assue district.
In the letter, which she posted on her Facebook account last week, she said her school’s classrooms did not have proper chairs or tables for the students. The students also lacked school uniforms, as well as books and pencils of their own, she said.
Diana said she decided to write the letter after a chair in the classroom, which she described as more of a storage room than a classroom, suddenly broke when a student tried to sit on it.
The students tried to write on the tables, but they creaked and scared the students. “A student said to me, ‘Miss, we are afraid that the table will collapse.’ We no longer cared about the chairs and the tables;
All of us decided to sit on the floor while [the students] learned to write the alphabet,” Diana wrote in the letter. The school had only three classrooms to accommodate students from the first to the sixth grade. This meant students of two different grades had to share one classroom together.
Only two teachers were assigned to teach the approximately 50 students in the school. Diana has taught in the elementary school in Kaibusene since November of last year. She also asked whether the School Operational Assistance (BOS) funds allocated by the government had been properly disbursed.
In her letter, Diana asked Nadiem to listen to her aspirations and concerns about the state of educational institutions for children in remote areas of the country’s easternmost province.
“Indonesia is not just Java. We [Papua] are also Indonesia,” Diana said, “Indonesia is not just big and advanced cities where app-based education programs can be easily accessed through [smartphones]. Those in remote areas who are still learning the alphabet are also Indonesia.” (gis)
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/11/13/indonesia-is-not-just-java-teacher-in-rural-papua-pleads-with-nadiem-to-listen.html
Papua Indonesia: One People One Soul - Papua isn’t different like another provinces in Indonesia. We were established our country together with the same of act or equality rules.
The different one just based from race, the eastern of Indonesian inhabitant ( Papua, Maluku n Timor Islands) are Melanesian Negroid Race not like majority of Indonesian that Malayan Mongoloid Race.
But itsn’t a matter coz its nothing dominate supperior here, like Caucasoid to Aborigin in Australia, no..no itsn’t being in Papua. Papuan held their own govermential there. We’ve some Caucasoid Race too in Acehnese, North Sumatra.
Papua has special unique peoples and cultures, their rules are very strong. Many tribes still defended their lifestyles but some of them being modern people like us.
Its make a little hard to raise Papua so that State Government gave “Special Outonomy” for Papua to held their own administration. Papua Province is the Irian Jaya Province granted Special Autonomy in the framework of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
https://papuastory.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/papua-indonesia-one-people-one-soul/
“We highly recommend you wear tall boots and pull your socks up to avoid leeches on the way to Hang En Cave. But the leeches are likely unavoidable.”
“It has been raining lately so the mud may be very, very bad.”
“We offer dry bags because the river crossings may have a depth up to your hips.”
“If you survive day two there will be a cold beer at the end of the trail for you.”
These were all literal statements heard during the briefing session of my Oxalis Adventure Tours trekking trip into Hang En Cave. All delivered from my chipper twenty-something guide Kien between pointing out other critical details via slide show.
I was apprehensive about the physical endurance requirements of the two day, one night trek long before it started. Now the pressure was really on.
The basic plan of the Hang En Adventure Cave Camp trek with Oxalis is as follows:
– 25 kilometres through jungle and along rivers, plus four kilometres of boulder scrambling through multiple caves.
– Lunch on route to the cave in Ban Doong minority village, meeting the locals.
– A minimum of 30 river crossings, 5-30 meters across (depth ranges from your calf to hip or higher, depending on time of year).
– Camp overnight in Hang En Cave (Swift Cave), the world’s third largest cave.
– Visit Hang Lanh Cave (Cold Cave), in which you will have to swim within a pitch-black cave.
– A final 400m uphill climb out of the valley, described to me as “brutally intense” from the likes of two physically fit phys-ed teachers.
God what have I done, I wondered. Am I paying over $400 to torture myself? It turns out the Oxalis trek would become one of the most memorable travel experiences of my entire seven-month tenure in Southeast Asia.
I would be spellbound after sleeping in Hang En Cave. Without a doubt, beer enjoyed after two days and 25 kilometres through the jungle tastes pretty damn spectacular. Oh, and unlike several other trekkers, I didn’t even have to extract a single leech.
Now back to the beginning, or at least the briefing session. Besides joking around with and potentially scaring the 16 would be trekkers, guides Kien and Lam also share some spectacular news.
In addition to carrying all the required food and supplies for the trip, the porter team would also carry up to three kilograms of items for each guest. I was on my own for the rest, but thanks to the detailed pre-trip packing guide from Oxalis, I had successfully kept things light.
And by light I mean, my day pack is near full with my DSLR camera, GoPro, a few Cliff energy bars, bathing suit, rain jacket, extra pair of shoes, and a generous helping of bug spray. All things, by the way, that I recommend for future trekkers.
From my very first encounter with the Oxalis Adventure Tour website, the locally run organization presented itself with extreme polish and attentiveness. The guides and porters continued with this as we set off into Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park.
The mini bus drives 35km up the winding Highway 20, part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, through Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park. At 126,000 hectares, it’s Vietnam’s largest National Park and is adjacent to another 80,000 hectares of protected land in neighbouring Laos.
It protects 104km of caves and underground rivers (as well as more yet to be discovered). The photos from within Son Doong Cave below give you a sense of the level of epic I’m talking about when it comes to this cave system.
As we progress, my earlier panic subsides and all the trekkers begin to introduce themselves. Our group is made up of nearly equally males and females, 19 to mid 30 year olds. Despite varying levels of trekking experience, by all accounts we appear to be a relatively fit group.
We’re comprised of a few couples from Germany, Switzerland, Canada and the US. A pair of guys from India, four college students from Massachusetts on spring break, a world travelling teacher, and myself round things out.
We arrive at what appears to be a roadside bus station, a modest concrete platform with a roof. It turns out the trail down into the valley begins immediately behind the platform. Within minutes we naturally fall into line, as we descend what can only be described as steep mud steps carved into a cliff face.
As we navigate the thick mud I’m thankful for both the Oxalis provided trekking boots and gloves. Poison ivy quickly presents itself on the trail, along with thorny rattan branches and a myriad of other jungle ‘treasures’.
Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage recognized site, both for its exceptional cave system, awarded in 2003 and for its biodiversity, awarded in 2015. It is home to the world’s largest cave, Hang Son Doong, as well as Asia’s longest dry cave system spanning over 44km.
If that weren’t enough, this specific trek itinerary involves an overnight camping experience inside Hang En Cave, the world’s third largest cave. This is true unspoiled jungle, through and through. And we’re all loving it.
After about an hour, we reach the valley floor and our trail opens as we follow the river bed. When the website warns of 30+ river crossings, they are not exaggerating.
The chilly streams are impressively clear and carry with them unexpectedly strong currents. The porter team once again come to the rescue, offering a literal hand to help cross rivers.
Trekking in late March seems to have been perfect planning – though a bit of a fluke on my part. Trekking to the caves closes September to mid December due to high water levels brought on by the rainy season. Late December to February the water levels are high and temperatures very low.
But late March into April provides ideal 20-25 degree trekking weather and water levels never exceeded my upper thigh. Come May, water levels continue to drop but temperatures can exceed 42 degrees, making the journey a grueling one for trekkers and porters alike.
The small stream within the jungle gives way to a partially dry river bed of the Rao Thuong River. Stunning views of limestone karsts present themselves in the distance.
The discussion naturally turns to the long list of movies that have featured this magical land, the latest of which is the newest King Kong movie.
As I trek along with the group I half expect to see giant dinosaur footprints in the mud alongside the grazing water buffalo. For the first time in my life I feel I am literally in the midst of a Jurassic Park movie.
Lunch in a small village en route to Hang En is an impressive spread of do-it-yourself fresh pork spring rolls. By 3pm, after 12 kilometres and nearly six hours of trekking, the massive mouth of Hang En Cave presents itself.
It turns out Hang En Cave has many openings and we don’t actually enter through the iconic visual shown in most of the promotional shots of the cave. “Too dangerous” I’m told.
Instead we enter along a shorter wide opening, still an impressive five meters tall and at least 50 meters wide. Looking in from the outside, it’s a long narrow slit of black.
If it weren’t for our headlamps we would see nothing. The only thing we hear is the flow of water and the sound of thousands of swifts and bats who call the cave home.
We’re so close to our campsite for the night, I can feel it. But first, a formidable hike up sand dunes and boulder scramble through varying levels of utter darkness.
A few hundred meters, and perhaps 15 minutes later, the view of our campsite comes into sight. This is what I am paying $350 USD for. And it’s worth every penny.
Once again, the guides prove their immeasurable value, bringing each trekker one at a time to the edge for a mini photo shoot. They know just the rock to stand on and right angles to capture the perfect picture from.
Later on in the evening they would again out do themselves helping to orchestrate some extended exposure shots in a highly coordinated lighting effort with the rest of the porter team. As an amateur photographer, I’m in heaven.
I can’t help but think about the other packages Oxalis Adventure Tours offers including photography tours that include specialized lighting equipment. A reason to to come back, as if I didn’t already have enough.
After only a few minutes settling into camp and identifying our tents, guides whisk us away to explore the rest of the cave. Another few hundred meters, another boulder scramble, and another monumental cave opening.
The ‘exit’ of Hang En Cave measures over 120 meters high and 140 meters wide. None of my photos represent the scale of the surroundings in a meaningful way. It’s a massive place.
I’m in the presence of entire trees carried by river flow, massive truck sized boulders which have crashed down from the ceiling. Around me, what can only be described as hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of swifts that call the cave home. I can’t help but feel small. In no uncertain terms Hang En Cave reminds me of my place in the world.
The development of the cave system of Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng dates back over 400 million years. While Hang En Cave itself is a mere three million years old (given its position along a fault zone), it was only first explored by British caving experts in 1994.
Fewer than 2,000 trekkers get to camp overnight in it each year. I’m truly grateful to be part of a small blip on Hang En’s timeline.
For dinner we’re treated to a feast fit for royalty. The flavour and range of dishes, all prepared in the middle of a cave are astounding. Beef stew, multiple soups, grilled eggplant, spring rolls, morning glory with garlic, cabbage, stir fried chicken with pepper.
The gluttonous list goes on. And for those with a craving for more western dishes, out of this world fried chicken and thick cut french fries. If you have room, fruit and tea for dessert.
After a few rounds of ‘happy water’ (local homemade rice wine) to help ensure a sound night’s sleep, everyone retires shortly after 9pm. There is no ego, no late-night debauchery. We’re all tired and just thrilled to be here.
Temperature in Hang En Cave is always a bit cooler than outside. A comfortable 23 degrees during the day when we arrived dipped down to mid-teens overnight.
The tents are reasonably comfortable and sleeping bags sufficient given your surroundings, but midnight runs to the bathroom are inescapably brisk endeavors.
Any discomfort from the temperature is quickly forgotten as campers have to deal with the matter at hand – using headlamps to navigate themselves through an otherwise pitch black cave to find the bathroom facilities.
The facilities by the way are rather impressive. Two private tents are set up with ‘western style’ toilet seats and a slick compost system. Now you know.
Waking up and opening your tent to see sunbeams entering the cave and the of smell breakfast underway is nothing short of magic. A bit too cold and tired after yesterday’s journey, I declined swimming in the cave’s mini lake the evening before.
I told myself I would take a morning dip instead. Apparently, I lied. I was far too comfortable in my sweatpants to consider getting wet any sooner than was absolutely necessary. And I already knew there are plenty of opportunities to soak one’s self during the upcoming trek back.
Following breakfast we set off three kilometres down the trail to the Hang Lanh Cave (Cold Cave). Entering the cave involves swimming about 40 feet before one finds the ground and can stand again. It’s much narrower passageways and lack of light in contrast to Hang En Cave are not for the faint of heart.
I’m yet again thankful for the powerful headlamps provided by Oxalis. Swimming, fully clothed, with life jacket, helmet, gloves and the aforementioned head lamp isn’t the most glamourous feeling I’ve ever experienced.
However it’s a firm requirement given the environment of jagged rocks. The rocks vary from burnt orange to a dark red colour and the water is beautifully clear. Though both are of little consequence when your surroundings are so dark.
We enter a completely new world. The combination of walking, wading and swimming one kilometre through Hang Lanh lasts about an hour, after which we are all surprisingly ready for yet another meal. The Oxalis team presents us with giant steaming bowls of Pho. God bless those porters and chefs!
Before long we head back along a slightly different route towards humanity. If the trek doesn’t do it, the scenery will certainly take your breath away. The leech reminders increase in frequency, with brief personal checks recommended every 20 minutes or so along the route.
Truth be told, the walk through the valley and along the river bed isn’t overly strenuous. It’s a photographer’s dream. Camera or not, we all soak up the views as much as possible.
Alas, Kien and Lam announce we have reached the “hard part”. Before us lies a 400 meter vertical climb that at times feels like a mud stairmaster. They estimate it will take us 90 minutes.
The guides once again remind us that the porters, who are already carrying 30-45kg of goods, are available to carry our bags (or ourselves) as needed. It’s a solid climb that requires mini breaks for your burning legs. However, no one breaks down enough to need the porters.
I’m not going to lie, when presented with a ‘jungle fan’ made of palm leaf I happily take the offering to help keep cool for the remaining trek. It’s also a handy swatter for the massive hybrid wasp-deerfly-beetles along the route. In case you were wondering ‘wasp-deerfly-beetle’ is a new term I plan on trademarking.
Though I’m quite accurate in my description of the poisonous monsters who appear to have a particular affinity for Nike apparel wearing Canadian females. I digress.
Somewhere towards the back of the group (but not the last), I somehow find myself hiking alone for much of the final journey. The college kids a solid four or five minutes ahead of me, the porters about 200 meters behind me (and closing).
The jungle is thick and at times the path ahead seems anything but obvious. You follow your instincts as much as the sounds of others until the road finally presents itself. The trek ends with high fives from your guide who places a cold beer in your hands.
You’re sweaty, wet, covered in mud and haven’t seen a shower in two days. But you feel nothing short of marvelous. A group photo captures the emotion of the trip, and before you know it, you’re driving back towards civilization.
Ultimately, the Hang En Cave trip is nothing short of amazing for adventurous travellers willing to journey to Phong Nha. The Oxalis Adventure Tours team delivers on every hope their guests could possibly imagine.
And these words of praise are coming from a pretty experienced, selective, and at times pretentious traveler of Southeast Asia. If I’m ever in Vietnam again, I commit I will somehow find the time, and more importantly the money, to explore the largest cave in the world, Son Doong Cave, with this team.
The price tag of the 5 night Oxalis trip is a hefty $3,000 USD, so I better start saving now. Just as importantly, the wait list seems to be full one and a half seasons in advance. They are currently booking for 2018. Here’s to crossing paths somewhere in a cave in the middle of Vietnam. Happy trekking!
https://www.departful.com/2017/04/hang-en-cave-phong-nha-travel/
HÀ NỘI — Peach blossom farmers in Nhật Tân, a village famous for the flowers in Hà Nội, keep in contact with people who hire their trees for Tết and collect them after the Lunar New Year so they can get to work early for the following festival.
Many workers earn money from driving around the city to collect up the trees, and plantation owners are already busy planning for next year. Since January 30 (the sixth day of the new lunar year), the drivers have been scooting across the city to collect the peach blossom trees families hired just for the celebration.
They are mostly freelancers, and xe ôm (motorbike taxi) drivers jobs depend much on the Nhật Tân peach blossom gardens. Peach blossoms symbolise spring in the north, so people hire or buy peach blossom trees to decorate their houses or offices during the holiday.
Before Tết, the drivers delivered the trees to customers, and then did the rounds again to collect them after, earning millions of đồng each season, Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper reported. A man named Tuấn from Vĩnh Phúc Province said he had installed a frame on his motorbike to transport the trees.
Each day he transports four to six trees back to the gardens they came from and is paid VNĐ200,000 (US$8.7) to VNĐ300,000 ($13) per trip, depending on the distance.
Another man named Thông who owns a small-branched peach blossom garden in Nhật Tân Village hooked up a rickshaw to the back of his motorbike to carry big trees back to his garden.
Nguyên from Nhật Tân Village said he could earn about VNĐ300 million ($13,000) from his 3.6ha peach blossom garden this year. “I only collect trees from my garden which were loaned to customers before Tết; I don't take others. Each of them was rented out for VNĐ600,000 ($26) to VNĐ1million ($43.5).”
“Only 50 per cent of the ones we collect survive,” he said. To ensure adequate supplies for the festive season, Nguyên and other farmers in the village had to buy peach blossom roots from northern mountainous provinces like Lạng Sơn and Sơn La to graft with the trees in Nhật Tân.
Each mountainous root cost VNĐ600,000 to VNĐ1million. This year, Nguyên bought 50 to compensate for trees that did not grow. “You do not know if the grafts will survive until April. It is such a risk,” he told Tiền Phong. — VNS
https://vietnamnews.vn/society/591996/peach-blossom-farmers-back-to-work-after-tet.html
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