What is a Sun Dog?

Sun dog close up 

Yesterday we blogged about cirrus clouds, and today we're going to explain sun dogs,

because they're caused by cirrus clouds! 

WHAT ARE SUN DOGS? Sun dogs are basically reflections of the sun on ice crystal clouds or cirrus clouds. Sun dogs can appear to look like a second sun.ntal system or a tropical cyclone. They are composed of ice and are thin, wispy cloud, blown in high winds into long streamers.

2 Sun dogs

A PATCH OF SUNLIGHT 22 DEGREES LEFT OR RIGHT OF THE SUN - Sky and Telescope says: A sundog is a concentrated patch of sunlight occasionally seen about 22° to the left or right of the Sun. Sundogs often form in pairs on either side of our daytime star when sunlight refracts through icy clouds containing hexagonal platecrystals aligned with their large, flat faces parallel to the ground. Technically known as parhelia (singular parhelion) they are often white but sometimes quite colorful, looking like detached pieces of rainbow, with red on the inside, toward the Sun, and blue on the outside.

What's a Cirrus Cloud?

Last month we spotlighted 2 different types of clouds, so we thought we'd continue in that tradition with cirrus clouds. Cirrus Clouds are high clouds that are thin and wispy and they foretell the coming of a froLast month we spotlighted 2 different types of clouds, so we thought we'd continue in that tradition with cirrus clouds. Cirrus Clouds are high clouds that are thin and wispy and they foretell the coming of a frontal system or a tropical cyclone. They are composed of ice and are thin, wispy cloud, blown in high winds into long streamers.

WHAT DO THEY INDICATE?  Fair weather at the time you see them. However, they indicate weather conditions may soon deteriorate. While they indicate coming precipitation (rain), cirrus clouds don't generate rain. Because they are made up of ice crystals there are falling ice crystals that evaporate before landing on the ground.

NICKNAME - Because Cirrus clouds are usually wispy, they've been called "mare's tails."

HOW HIGH ARE THEY?  Typically cirrus clouds are found at heights greater than 20,000 feet (6,000 meters). They are composed of ice crystals that originate from freezing of supercooled water droplets.

NEXT: What is a Sun Dog? 

A Classic Batman Comic Collection - DC Showcase Batman Vol. 6

Batman is one of my favorite characters, and has been since I first saw him on the Batman TV show
in the 1960s. Back in the early 1970s my dad bought me my first comic books, and I've been reading them ever since. Comics inspired me to read and write my own stories, and I learned how to draw superheroes, too. One of the best times in all of Batman comics was in the 1970s, when Neal Adams was drawing Batman (he still does today on occasion) and Volume 6 of the DC Showcase Batman collection features a lot of his artwork and great stories by Denny O'Neill and others.

Batman 237 in this collection

Detective 414 in this collection

   It was a time when DC Comics moved away from the almost campy Batman of the 1960s and made Batman more of a shadowy figure. The early 1970s was also a time when writers made Batman much of the detective character he's supposed to be (and didn't have him fighting aliens and weird stuff). He solved mysteries and was sometimes even in circumstances that lent themselves to the paranormal.
   Truly the best collection of Batman stories on the shelf, and it's over 500 pages (in black and white). It's a shame DC Comics isn't publishing it anymore and you have to look on-line, or you may be lucky enough to find it in a comics shop. I will be re-reading this collection over and over again.
- Rob
 

In the News; Ships Lost and Found

This month, the Baltimore Sun reported a couple of stories about one ship still lost after 100

USS Cyclops: Cr: Naval Historical Foundation

years and another recently found after sinking during World War 2. We thought we'd share those stories.

MISSING FOR 100 YEARS, FATE OF SHIP REMAINS A MYSTERY

The coal carrier USS Cyclops vanished en route from Barbados to Baltimore 100 years ago this month with 309 men, the worst noncombat loss in the U.S. Navy’s history. 

   USS Cyclops (AC-4) was one of four Proteus-class colliers built for the United States Navy several years before World War I. Named for the Cyclops, a primordial race of giants from Greek mythology, she was the second U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.

  The USS Cyclops was due to steam up the Chesapeake Bay and dock in Baltimore at what is now Port Covington. Launched in May 1910, the ship was designed to refuel the Navy fleet. The sailors steamed out of Norfolk, Va., and down the Atlantic Coast to U.S. bases in Cuba, Haiti and Puerto Rico.

FOUND USS LEXINGTON IN THE CORAL SEA

U.S.S. Lexington Attacked 

  

ow and Then: The USS Lexington has been discovered with many of its contents in excellent condition

The first torpedo hit the USS Lexington’s port side about 11 a.m. on the last day of the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942 -  a crucial point in the United States’ war against Japan. 

   A little more than 200 crew members died — part of the price the United States paid to help protect its ally, Australia, from Japan during World War II.  

   About 2,770 survived, including Wags, the captain’s dog. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in March 2018 announced the discovery of the USS Lexington about 500 miles off the eastern coast of Australia, 2 miles below the surface of the Coral Sea.

Fun Mystery: Groomed for Murder (A Pet Boutique Mystery) by Annie Knox

I love reading mysteries with pets in them, and recently enjoyed "Groomed for Murder" (A Pet Boutique Mystery) by Annie Knox. Previously I read the first book in the series called "Paws for Murder" and it was equally as enjoyable. The lead character, Izzy McHale owns and manages a pet boutique in a small Minnesota town. She's surrounded by great characters, her  co-worker Rena, her Aunt Dolly, a next door shop owner that wants to close her down, a rival pet store owner, 2 possible romantic interests and many others. 
   The characters make the mystery, and this will keep you guessing. Izzy defies Jack, the detective, and conducts her own investigation. It's a fun read!
 
ABOUT THE BOOK: 
Izzy McHale wants her new Trendy Tails Pet Boutique in Merryville, Minnesota, to be the height of canine couture and feline fashions. But in a week of wedding bells, someone is about to hold their peace…

forever. Love is in the air, and Izzy is hard at work coordinating two special weddings at Trendy Tails. First, Izzy’s friend and mentor, Ingrid, will be tying the knot with her old flame. And a week later, Izzy will host “pupptials” for two lovable dogs.

But even with the hullabaloo, the Trendy Tails crew is intrigued by Daniel, an enigmatic writer boarding above the shop who’s caught the attention of Izzy’s zany aunt Dolly, who gossips like most people breathe.

Unfortunately, it’s Daniel who stops breathing when he drops dead at the altar on Ingrid’s wedding day. Then Dolly is found at the scene with the murder weapon, and it’s up to Izzy, her Trendy Tails pals, and her scrappy pets, Packer and Jinx, to find a killer before the two affianced doggies bark down the aisle 

Idiots of the Week: A Pothole Threat and Pumpkin Attack Fraud

There are 2 idiots of week this week- one who threatened to kill someone because of potholes and the other who paid a mask-wearing pumpkin man to attack him to collect worker's comp!

1) GOING TO POT OVER POTHOLES

In February, 2018, Police say a Massachusetts man has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill a town administrator over potholes in the road near his home.  Court records show 57-year-old Paul Keddy, of Douglas, called Highway Superintendent John Furno last week to complain about the road. When Furno suggested Keddy take his concerns to the town administrator, Keddy allegedly responded saying he would kill him. Keddy was arraigned Wednesday on a charge of threatening to commit a crime.  

2) THE PUMPKIN MAN BOSTON TROLLEY DRIVER PAID MAN $2,000 TO ATTACK HIM ON JOB

BOSTON (AP) — Authorities say a Massachusetts trolley driver paid a man $2,000 to attack him while wearing a Halloween mask so the driver could fraudulently collect workers’ compensation and disability insurance.

  A Suffolk County grand jury on Wednesday indicted Thomas Lucey on charges of insurance fraud, workers’ compensation fraud, misleading a police investigation and perjury.

  Prosecutors say the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority driver reported the man pulled him out of a trolley shortly after midnight on Oct. 30, 2016, and punched him repeatedly. The attacker wore a mask and carried a plastic pumpkin.

This Affects YOU: If you Receive Food Stamps or Assistance

If you receive food stamps, there's a new plan in the works that changes the program in addition to cut benefits. The Republican Congress and President Trump want to cut food stamps and replace some food stamp benefits with canned goods.
WHAT THEY PROPOSE  -

   In a  proposal unveiled on Feb. 12, 2018, the Trump administration called for sharp spending reductions in a variety of anti-poverty programs. In addition to a steep 25 percent cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, Trump would fundamentally alter how the program works.

   Currently, SNAP gives 42 million Americans a food voucher worth $125 per person that can be redeemed for almost any food product in a grocery store. It’s one of the most important safety net programs in the U.S.

THEY TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN EAT - The  budget document says, “households receiving $90 or more per month in SNAP benefits will receive a portion of their benefits in the form of a USDA Foods package, which would include items such as shelf-stable milk, ready to eat cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans and canned fruit, vegetables, and meat, poultry or fish.”

 Expensive "Blue Apron' gourmet meals GOP members use

WHITE HOUSE LIKENS IT TO GOURMET MEAL DELIVERIES - (wow, are they out of touch). White House budget director Mick Mulvaney likened the proposal to a “Blue Apron-type program where you actually receive the food instead of receive the cash.” 

But Blue Apron delivers ingredients for gourmet meals, not boxes of canned goods and shelf-stable milk. And the food would not necessarily be delivered to people’s homes, according to a fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees food stamps. 

   Republicans, and even some Democrats, have long complained that poor people allegedly use their food stamps for foods that are unhealthy or too expensive, such as steak, lobster or soda. (The truth is that according to the best available data, food stamp recipients eat basically the same food as everyone else.)

"(NOT) DELIVERING" AMERICA'S "HARVEST BOX" PROGRAM
The USDA said the program would be called America’s Harvest Box: States would have flexibility to work out distribution, which could include home delivery or existing partnerships. The Commodity Supplemental Food Program works with local agencies which in turn partner with nonprofits to give out the food, often from distribution sites rather than by delivery.

Fantastic Mystery: Downfall by J.A. Jance (a Brady Novel)

Truly one of the best mystery/suspense series on the market are the Joanna Brady mysteries by J.A. Jance. I just finished the latest book in the series called "Down Fall."  It's the 17th in the series, and it has an extra novella at the end called "Random Acts" that was as great as the main novel. 
   It begins with the deaths of two women who appear to have fallen from a mountain, who seem un-connected, and takes you into the investigation as Joanna and her deputies join with another county sheriff's department to solve the mystery of why these women were killed (yes, they were killed, it wasn't an accident). The story will keep you guessing, and the characters really come to life. 
  
ABOUT THE BOOK: A puzzling new case has just hit Sheriff Joanna Brady’s department, demanding every resource she has at her disposal—as well as help from neighboring law enforcement agencies and the Feds. The bodies of two women have been found at the base of a nearby peak, known to Bisbee locals as Geronimo. Is this a terrible accident, a case of murder/suicide, or a double homicide?

The investigation takes a puzzling twist when Joanna discovers that one victim was a local teacher and minister’s wife, while the other was a brilliant microbiologist working toward her Ph.D.—two vastly different women with seemingly no connections to link them.

Bisbee, Arizona

As Joanna and her team methodically hunt down answers, they begin to uncover a knotty web of sordid secrets and evil lies—clues that take the valiant sheriff down a winding and dangerous road that leads shockingly close to home . . . and close to a desperate and determined killer.

WHO IS SHERIFF JOANNA BRADY?  Joanna Brady is a county Sheriff  who lives in  the small desert town of Bisbee, Arizona.

Joanna starts out as a mother of a nine-year-old Jenny and the wife of Andy Brady, who runs for Sheriff of Cochise County but is killed before the election and is then accused of being dirty. Joanna runs in his stead, clears his name, and wins the election to become Sheriff, even though she does not have much background in law enforcement. On the one hand, many of the community are not used to having a woman be in a position of power, which makes her job as Sheriff somewhat more difficult, but, on the other hand, her relative independence from the old-boy network of local law enforcement makes it easier for her to clean house there as needed.

Pondering Mary I (from "The Private Lives of the Tudors" book)

  I'm currently reading this book about the Tudors called " The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain’s Greatest Dynasty" - a very thoughtful gift from a friend (thank you Ronda).

  Last night I read the chapter on the death of Mary I. Although the book totally omits how truly horrific the 5 years of her reign really were, in the end, history records that she died a slow painful death, had two very public and humiliating false pregnancies, and was totally abandoned by her husband who went back to live in Spain.

   The final paragraph attempts to elicit just a tad bit of empathy from readers: Mary's prayer book survives to this day (some 450 years later), and the pages with prayers for expecting mothers are stained with her tears.

I know, a weird post, but something I couldn't stop thinking about while trying to fall asleep last night.  - Tom 

Mary 1 of England

WHO WAS MARY I? 

Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558) was the Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death. She is best known for her aggressive attempt to reverse the English Reformation, which had begun during the reign of her father, Henry VIII. The executions that marked her pursuit of the restoration of Roman Catholicism in England and Ireland led to her denunciation as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents.

Mary was the only child of Henry VIII by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, to survive to adulthood. During her five-year reign, Mary had over 280 religious dissenters burned at the stakein the Marian persecutions. 

ABOUT THE BOOK: England’s Tudor monarchs—Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I—are perhaps the most celebrated and fascinating of all royal families in history. Their love affairs, their political triumphs, and their overturning of the religious order are the subject of countless works of popular scholarship. But for all we know about Henry’s quest for male heirs, or Elizabeth’s purported virginity, the private lives of the Tudors remain largely beyond our grasp.

  In The Private Lives of the Tudors, Tracy Borman delves deep behind the public face of the monarchs, showing us what their lives were like beyond the stage of court. Drawing on the accounts of those closest to them, Borman examines Tudor life in fine detail. What did the monarchs eat? What clothes did they wear, and how were they designed, bought, and cared for? How did they practice their faith? And in earthlier moments, who did they love, and how did they give birth to the all-important heirs?
   Delving into their education, upbringing, sexual lives, and into the kitchens, bathrooms, schoolrooms, and bedrooms of court, Borman charts out the course of the entire Tudor dynasty, surfacing new and fascinating insights into these celebrated figures.

FOR YOU: If you Like Scooby Doo, and the TV show: "Supernatural"

If you grew up watching Scooby Doo cartoons, and now watch the TV show "Supernatural" about 2

brothers who deal with supernatural things, you may like the March 29th episode that combines them in a cartoon!  - We loved Scooby Doo, and we've watched Supernatural a couple of times over the 13 years of episodes,  so we will likely watch this one. Below is a video promo for it! 

'SUPERNATURAL' AND 'SCOOBY DOO' JOIN FORCES IN "SCOOBYNATURAL" PREVIEW

On March 29, Scoobynatural is a pairing you never thought you'd see, but it's really happening and now fans have their first look. The part live-action part animated adventure features Supernatural's Dean and Sam crossing over into the animated Scooby-Doo universe. 

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Season 13 Episode 16 Promo - JINKIES! “SUPERNATURAL” GETS ANIMATED WHEN SAM, DEAN AND CASTIEL ARE TRANSPORTED INTO THE WORLD OF SCOOBY DOO – Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Castiel (Misha Collins) are transported into the animated world of Scooby Doo where they join forces with the Scooby gang to solve a ghostly mystery. Robert Singer directed the episode written by Jim Krieg & Jeremy Adams (#1316). Original airdate 3/29/2018.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy4Jvbnolg8