Every breath you take

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Strange Couple - Ravinder Kumar Soni

‘Anxious I am
To know
To whom do I belong? '
Asked the exhaled breath
Damp, warm and smelly,
‘I am always thrown out.'
‘Not to me.'
Said the inhaled breath
Cool, fresh and fragrant,
As the two crossed path
A little distance away from the nose.
‘I do not notice any difference
Between you two and therefore,
You must belong to me, '
Said the meddling nose.
Upon hearing these words
The two breaths collided
As only pockets of air can
The difference was quite obvious
They did not lean towards each other
Because only one of the two
Could feed and fan the fire,
The inhaled breath,
Soon to be exhaled.

 

Paintings of mountain men

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Mountain men were fur trappers who worked in the Rocky Mountains from 1820 to 1880 with the peak in 1840. After the Lewis and Clark Expedition the mountain men moved west into the newly revealed wilderness. Their main occupation was the then lucrative beaver fur trade. Fur trapping was a difficult occupation. They worked, frequently alone although there were trapping companies, in the wilderness. 

They hunted for their food, and if injured had to provide their own medical self-care. The weather, particularly in the winters, could be severe. The wildlife, from the bears down to biting insects with their diseases, were dangerous. They also had to deal with the Indians, who weren't always happy to see the mountain men in their hunting grounds.  

They performed an important part in opening up the American west. Along with exploring the Rocky Mountains, they created trails for their mule trains to haul out furs. These trails were to become the routes for the migration from the east to the west.

Once the fur trade dried up a lot of mountain men settled down (they generally only lasted 2 or 3 years in the trade anyway), became guides for the wagon trains, or served as army scouts. To say they were manly men is to put it mildly, to this day they capture our imagination because of their toughness and self-sufficiency.

Shine On, Harvest Moon

Get ready for a coruscating weekend with Whitaker and Me.

 

The engineering of retention ponds

The above video discusses the engineering needed for retention ponds. Basically, the ponds don't just capture and store excessive rainfall, rather they exist to regulate water runoff during storms. Regulating the flow of water to prevent, or at least minimize, flooding. 

I live in Florida which has enormous amounts of water areas coexisting with the land. There are retention ponds everywhere, in fact there is one a couple of hundred yards away from my humble abode. I've never given much thought to them and how they function -- they were just ponds plopped down in new developments. It is interesting to see what purpose they actually serve and how they function.    

  

Lucy Willis paintings

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Lucy Willis (1954 - today) is a contemporary English artist who works as a painter and printmaker. She is best known for her watercolors. She uses somewhat subdued colors and captures the play of light and shadow. She has travelled through southern Europe, the Middle East, and India and frequently portrays scenes from them.

Lucy Willis self-portrait

Good Vibrations

Get ready for a juddering weekend with the REO Brothers.

 

Cooking in the Amazon

This video takes place in a small settlement somewhere in the Amazon basin. The houses are  rather ramshackle looking, but there is power brought into it so it may be less remote than one would first expect. In one scene you see a TV playing in a back room, and there are satellite dishes on some of the houses. 

It starts with a man and his son going out to gather fruits and greens. They return to their home via a boat. It looks like it is setup as tour boat, so perhaps this settlement is somewhere around Manaus? 

When they return the women cook a meal -- fish covered with onions and greens wrapped in a leaf cooked over a fire, as well as some sort of a flour, perhaps casava, as a side dish. They also have fruit drinks.

The video ends with several shots of the settlement.