A Great 500 Page Classic Comics Collection: DC Showcase Presents: Green Arrow, Vol. 1

 If you enjoy superhero comics like I do and / or enjoyed the (2012) Arrow CW TV show that ran 9 seasons, then you know who the Green Arrow is. The character was created in the early 1940s. Recently, I read a 500-plus page compilation of some of his early adventures from the 1950s,1960s and 1970s, which were great. I really enjoyed reading these adventures.  

FIRST APPEARANCE - Green Arrow first appeared in 1941 in issue 73 of More Fun Comics. He was created for DC Comics by writer Mort Weisinger and artist George Papp. In his early days, like Bruce Wayne's Batman was a multimillionaire (now billionaire), Green Arrow's alter ego, Oliver Queen was also a multi-millionaire. Also like Bruce took in ward Dick Grayson (Robin), Oliver took in ward Roy Harper (Speedy) in More Fun Comics issue 74. There were a lot more similarities between Batman and Green Arrow  in the 50s and 60s, like an "Arrowcar," Arrowplane" and "Arrowcave."  

ABOUT THE COLLECTION - DC Showcase presents the Green Arrow and contains over 500 pages of black-and-white Adventures starting in 1958. The book cover is Green Arrow and Speedy's adventures in Adventure Comics, World's finest comics, Justice League of America, and 3 issues of Brave and the Bold appearances as late as 1969. This is a fantastic collection of Green Arrow's earlier Adventures! You'll also read about Arrowette and her first appearance!

ALL THE STORY TITLES -  For the diehards, if you want to know the title of each story from the various issues in Adventure Comics, World's Finest Comics, Justice League of America (issue 4); and 3 issues of Brave and the Bold, here they are:

      : The Green Arrows of the World, Green Arrow vs. the Red Dart, The Case of the Super-Arrows, Five Clues to Danger, The Mystery of the Giant Arrows, Prisoners of Dimension Zero!, The Menace of the Mechanical Octopus, The Green Arrow's Last Stand, The War That Never Ended!, The Unmasked Archers!, The Green Arrow's First Case, The Arrows That Failed, Crimes under Glass, Superboy Meets the Young Green Arrow!, The Arrow Platoon!, The Case of the Green Error Clown, The Green Arrow's Mystery Pupil, Green Arrow's New Partner!, The Battle of the Useless Inventions, The Curse of the Wizard's Arrow!, The Case of the Camouflage King!, The World's Worst Archer!, Have Arrow -- Will Travel!, Challenge of the Phantom Bandit, The Green Arrow Robin Hood!, Alias Chief Magic Bow, The Amateur Arrows!, The Case of the Vanishing Arrows!, The Mighty Mr. Miniature, The Underwater Archers!, The Crimes of the Pneumatic Man, The Green Arrow in King Arthur's Court!, The Comic Book Archer!, The Menace of the Mole Men, The Creature from the Crater, Prisoners of the Giant Bubble, The Sinister Spectrum Man, The Crimes of the Clock King, The Spy in the Arrow-Cave, The Amazing Miss Arrowette, Green Arrow's Alien Ally, The Mighty Arrow Army, The Ape Archer, Doom of the Star Diamond, The Cartoon Archer, The Return of Miss Arrowette, The Man with the Magic Bow, The Deadly Trophy Hunt, The Cop Who Lost His Nerve, The Booby-Trap Bandits, The Man Who Foretold Disaster, The Case of the Crime Specialists, The Man Who Defied Death, Dupe of the Decoy Bandits, Green Arrow's Secret Partner, The Too-Old Hero, The Iron Archer!, The Human Sharks, A Cure for Billy Jones, The Green Arrow Dummy, The Thing in the Arrowcave, The Mystery of the Missing Inventors!, The Magician Boss of the Incas, Wanted -- the Capsule Master!, The Secret Face of Funny-Arrow!, The Land of No Return, The Wrath of the Thunderbird, The Senator's Been Shot!

Charles Dickens and Mesmerism!

Charles Dickens and mesmerism played a crucial role in 1849 when John Leech, the illustrator for A Christmas Carol, was injured. Dickens rushed to his aid, offering a unique form of help that the doctors couldn’t provide. Here's the fascinating story from CharlesDickensInfo: 

Charles Dickens and Mesmerism

Oct 10, 2024 CharlesDickensInfo.com

In 1849 John Leech, the illustrator for A Christmas Carol, was injured. The accident left Leech with concussion-like symptoms that wouldn’t disappear despite all the work of his doctors.

(Image: Charles Dickens, author and proponent of mesmerism photographed in 1858. Wikimedia)

Leech was in a great deal of pain and unable to rest. Dickens heard of the incident and rushed to his friend’s aid. Within a few days Leech’s condition had significantly improved. What could Dickens do that the doctors couldn’t?

Dickens helped his friend via the use of mesmerism.

What is Mesmerism?

The History of Mesmerism Mesmerism was developed by Franz Anton Mesmer. It used hypnotic trances to heal people.

Mesmerism attracted practitioners and audiences, with its peak between 1780 and 1850. The technique usually involved some social role-playing where the mesmerizer would make suggestions to his clients who eventually became absolutely “mesmerized” by him in some sort of hypnosis-like trance.

In 1838 Dickens attended several lectures on the subject including some by John Elliotson.

(Image right: John Leech John Leech was an illustrator who provided the images for “A Christmas Carol." Credit: Charles Dickens Info.com) 

Elliotson was the professor of clinical medicine who introduced the stethoscope to England. He also had campaigned against corrupt medical practices. Despite his many accomplishments Elliotson was forced to resign his teaching position in 1839 because of a scandal regarding mesmerism.

Despite the controversy Dickens was a believer in mesmerism. Elliotson taught Dickens the technique and it quickly became apparent that Dickens was skilled in this area.

Initially Dickens mesmerized family and friends just for fun or to help with minor illnesses. However, in late 1844 he took on a more serious case, that of Madame de la Rue.

Charles Dickens and Madame de la Rue 

Augusta de la Rue suffered from extreme anxiety. It was so profound that it caused noticeable facial tics or spasms. Dickens was eager to help and during the next few months he treated her frequently.

(Image left: A mesmerism session captured on a 1794 graphic print. Wikimedia) 

The treatments were effective. After a month Madame de la Rue showed much improvement. She was able to sleep and night and visibly looked more relaxed.

Once the physical symptoms of Madame de la Rue eased, Dickens became interested in their underlying causes.

Their sessions began to focus more on Madame de la Rue’s dreams, hallucinations and thoughts. She spoke of being pursued by a “phantom”. Their sessions became almost like those of a therapist and a patient.

Eventually Dickens’s wife, Catherine, became uncomfortable with the frequency of the sessions and Dickens’s fascination with Madame de la Rue’s condition.

What Really Happened? 

The exact workings of mesmerism remain a mystery. It might have functioned like a tranquilizer, promoting rest and relaxation. While we may never fully understand its mechanisms, the improvements in the health of both Leech and de la Rue after Dickens’s treatments suggest that there was indeed something beneficial at play.

MAINE Tornadoes in Maine? It happens more often than you might think

If you think there are no tornadoes in Maine, you would be wrong! Although there are not many each year, they do happen. Not only from severe thunderstorms, but any landfalling or near landfalling tropical storm or hurricane can generate them. Between 1950 and 1990, there were 74 tornadoes in Maine. You may also remember 2017, when several tornadoes touched down in Maine. On July 1, 2017, the National Weather Service in Gray issued 7 tornado warnings in New Hampshire and western Maine. Tornadoes happen more often in Maine than you might think. Here's the story from WGME-TV, Portland, Maine.

(Image of  7 Tornado warnings from  July 1, 2017. Credit: National Weather Service, Grey, Maine) 

Maine averages a couple of tornadoes every year

WGME , ABC -TV Channel 8, Portland, Maine

Maine is hardly tornado alley, but tornadoes are not uncommon in the state. In fact, Maine has, on average, two tornadoes every year.

In recent history, most of those tornadoes have been in the southwestern and central parts of the state

Peak tornado activity in northern New England is between June and August, but tornadoes have occurred as early as May and as late as November. Most tornadoes occur between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. and have an average forward speed of about 30 mph.

Between 1950 and 1990, there were 74 tornadoes in Maine. You may also remember 2017, when several tornadoes touched down in Maine.

On July 1, 2017, the National Weather Service in Gray issued 7 tornado warnings in New Hampshire and western Maine. At least five actual tornadoes were confirmed, causing significant property damage and minor injuries.

(Photo: NWS said  the Aug. 14, 2019 tornado was categorized as EF1, with winds whipping up to a maximum of 90 miles per hour. touched down in Kossuth Township in Washington County, near the New Brunswick border. Photo by David Coffin)

Until that day, the office had never issued more than 6 tornado warnings in an entire year. The Gray office issued 6 tornado warnings each in 2009, 2010 and 2014.

Until July 1, 2017 the most tornado warnings issued in a single day by the Gray office was 5 on June 1, 2011.

Due to the usual short life-span of tornadoes in northern New England, there is often little, if any, advance warning. Tornadoes in New England generally touch down and then lift off the ground very quickly.

Most tornadoes in Maine are also on the low end of the EF scale, but can still cause damage and be dangerous.

Idiots of the Week: Jan. 6 Rioter who attacked police & 55% of voters

People are still going to prison for their participation in the Insurrection of January 6, 2024. At least this idiot realized she was duped to follow a criminal to do criminal deeds. Of course, her prison stay and the others who killed police officers on Jan 6, will be wiped out because of the SPECIAL IDIOTS OF THE WEEK: 55% of Americans who just elected a Fascist Felon as President, and who calls these criminals "good people" and "Patriots." Here's the story of the one idiot.

Jan. 6 Rioter who attacked police: I was ‘duped’ by Trump’s lies

A Jan. 6 rioter put her trust in Donald Trump, but she was "duped." Now she's headed to a prison cell as he moves closer to the White House.

Oct. 22, 2024,By Steve Benen, NBC

Dana Jean Bell went to Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021, and assaulted countless police officers. We know this for certain because she was captured on camera committing her crimes, to which she ultimately pleaded guilty. Last week, a federal district court judge sentenced Bell to 17 months in prison.

What struck me as especially notable about these developments, however, was what the defendant and her lawyer said ahead of her sentencing. NBC News reported:

Bell, according to her defense team, believed it was “her civil and patriotic duty to answer Trump’s call” on Jan. 6. But they say she has now seen the light. In a psychiatric evaluation her lawyer filed in court, a doctor said Bell now realizes she was “duped” by “President Donald Trump’s lies and manipulation” and “has also come to realize former President Trump did lose the 2020 election and he has used all of his followers including herself for his own gain.”

“Dana regrets ever having responded to Trump’s call,” her lawyer added.

The timing of this story stood out for me. The former president — whose career seemingly ended on Jan. 6 — has spent years trying to rewrite the story of the insurrectionist riot, and those efforts are ongoing. As recently as last week, for example, the Republican candidate compared Jan. 6 criminals to victims of Japanese internment camps.

The same day, the GOP nominee also amplified a conspiracy theory that “the government staged a riot to cover up the fact that they certified a fraudulent election.”

A day earlier, Trump told a Univision town hall audience that there was “nothing done wrong” during the assault on the Capitol, while using the word “we” in reference to the insurrectionist rioters who attacked at his behest.

But as Trump moves closer to a possible return to the White House, it’s Dana Jean Bell who’s moving to a federal penitentiary. The man who lied will likely be rewarded with millions of votes, while the woman who was “duped” by those lies will be an inmate in a prison cell.

Over the weekend of Oct 19, 2024, after Trump defended Jan. 6 as a “day of love,” the Democratic campaign released an ad called, “The Oath I Took,” featuring former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell slamming the former president’s radical and dangerous tactics.

Hero of the Week: My Friend Rich the MD Fireman/EMT

 Yesterday I received a note from my friend Rich in Maryland, who has recently become a firefighter and EMT (after a lot of training). He's already been helping others in his first year.  He is my hero of the week. He used to be a barista at Starbucks and wanted to do something more for the world, so he went into training. What an incredible guy. Today's blog is about the message he sent, and and it is so incredibly moving and powerful.  

Rich said: "I had someone on my ambulance over the summer that was quite unwell. Saw them on Tuesday, at the grocery store, looking at soups. I didn’t say hi, but it was an amazing site to me- that my hands are starting to return people to their ordinary lives."

He's also humble, too. I told him he is a hero to me, and he replied, "Thanks, but I see it as another job, it just has powerful outcomes."

THAT is a HERO

My friend Brice in Kentucky does the same, and he's another personal hero of mine. You'll read about him in a future post.

Eye Opening Look at What's coming: How Project 2025 Will Work

Project 2025 will be the guidebook for the next Administration, and it's what 55% of Americans voted for.  Read the summaries below and see how you will be affected. This includes Medicaid, Medicare, Healthcare, and Prescription Drug Prices. Outlawing and criminalizing abortions, monitoring pregnancies, and banning birth control. Removing LGBTQ rights.  Drastic effects on the Justice Dept, Education Dept, Dept of Commerce and eliminating the National Weather Service. (I'm a meteorologist, and that's just asinine).  Replacing government employees with political loyalists. 

Project 2025 Is Here - What it Means 

The 920-page document lays out a detailed far-right vision for Trump’s return to the White House. Here is what Project 2025 says about major policy issues — and what it could mean for the next four years.

Weather Forecasting 

• Gut  NOAA, the parent agency of the  National Weather Service & National Hurricane Center.
• Dismantle NOAA and eliminate climate change information 
• Eliminate federal forecasting which is critical to emergency response operations.

Health Care -  The 2025 Purpose: to reduce the federal government’s role in healthcare  

• MEDICARE - In 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act gave the federal government power to negotiate directly with high-cost drug manufacturers for Medicare. Project 2025 will Remove that ability, so prices will rise.  
• MEDICAID (73 million low-income Americans rely on to pay medical expenses). Project 2025 would limit federal funding and ease rules for how states run their versions.
• LESS AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE - Adverse changes to the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. Millions of low-income Americans would have a harder time paying for medical care, if they could get it at all.
• ABORTION NOT ALLOWED- Denying all abortions, including preventing abortion medications.

PROJECT 2025 to create a national backdoor abortion ban by invoking the Comstock Act — a 150-year-old law.  Trump could circumvent Congress and enact a ban on abortion pills in all 50 states using this archaic law.

• Banning abortion pills by revoking the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone
• Allowing hospitals to deny emergency or life-saving abortion care
• Establishing an abortion surveillance system that monitors some pregnancies. Project 2025 would punish physicians
• women are criminalized for pregnancy outcomes like miscarriage and stillbirth.

NO SEX ED, CONTRACEPTION, BIRTH CONTROL, IVF - 

• Dismantle sex education, 
• ban emergency contraception, eliminate birth controls  
•  jeopardize access to fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization. 

REMOVAL OF LGBTQ+ RIGHTS

• Project 2025 undermines the rights of same-sex married couples, denies the existence of trans people, and makes it more difficult for LGBTQ+ Americans to access health care and other services. 
• Project 2025 says being transgender should be outlawed. 
• Under Project 2025, the newly named Department of Life would be required to take a “biblically based” stance that families consist of a married mother and father, and the agency would make it easier for religious adoption and foster care services to refuse to work with LGBTQ+ couples. 
• Project 2025 recommends reversing  LGBTQ+ workplace protections & discrimination. 

Executions 

• During the final six months of Trump’s presidency, his administration rushed to execute 13 people 
• Execute every prisoner on federal death row, currently 40 people.
• Expand use of the federal death penalty to non-homicide crimes, including violence and sexual abuse of children.  

Government Agencies 

• Purge the government of civil servants who aren’t loyal to him.
• In his first term, Trump signed executive order that would create a category called “Schedule F” in the federal workforce. The classification strips employment protections for civil servants  (It was repealed under Biden)
• Potentially leading to tens of thousands of federal workers losing their jobs — and being replaced by Trump loyalists 
• Censoring science 
• “We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected,” Vought said in a 2023 speech reported by ProPublica  

The Justice Department 

•  Allows federal prosecutors to intervene in local prosecutors’ cases, sidestepping district attorneys  
• Gutting regulatory powers and oversight by administrative government.
• Use the Dept of Justice to go after people who have prosecuted Trump. 
• Commute or pardon Jan. 6 rioters  
• Jail his adversaries.

Education 

• Eliminate the Department of Education 
• End funding for low-income schools and programs for students with disabilities. 
• End protections of students from discrimination based on race, sex and gender identity.  
• No longer provide funding for education programs.  

Public Lands 

• Granting extractive industries near unfettered access to federally managed acres  
• Dismantles existing protected landscapes
• Eliminates protecting endangered species. 
• Repeals the Antiquities Act, the landmark 1906 law that 18 presidents have used to designate more than 160 national monuments. 

VIDEO: Maine Man's close encounter with bull moose before it charges!

Since we've moved to Maine, people have asked if we've seen a moose yet. We haven't, and frankly, after seeing this video from a guy in the woods of north central Maine and his scary encounter, I'm in no hurry. Here's the story.

Video shows man's close encounter with bull moose in Maine before it charges at him

Sept 25, 2024 , WMTW-TV

AROOSTOOK COUNTY, Maine — A video shared with Maine's Total Coverage shows a bull moose get up close and personal with a man before the animal ultimately charged at him and knocked him down.

The man told Maine's Total Coverage that he walked into a large swamp in Aroostook County at about 8 a.m. Tuesday to set up a few game cameras when he heard the bellowing sound of a cow moose in heat.

The man said he then saw the cow, which was surrounded by three bulls that were competing for her attention.

According to the man, one of those bulls heard him coming and approached him. That's when the man pulled out his phone and started recording the video.

The moose wound up getting within 3 feet of the man, who can be heard in the video telling the bull it was "close enough" multiple times.

"Most moose that we have encountered are spooked by a human voice. Unfortunately, in his rut-crazed mind, I was still another bull trying to take his cow," the man wrote in a message to Maine's Total Coverage.

The man can then be heard telling the moose to "go" and "get out of here," but the bull would not budge.

According to the man, he was only able to back up for a couple of seconds before the moose suddenly charged.

Watch the video in the player below

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/DIsA-n8EHt8?si=7wCdBbNIt5l8OQUY

The man can be heard yelling "Hey! Hey!" as he ran away from the moose, and he said he turned his back and reached his left hand back in an effort to block the bull's antlers from hitting him.

The man said the moose knocked him to the ground, and he slid about 6 feet from the impact.

Thankfully, the man's yelling was enough to stop the moose from continually coming after him. The man said the bull ran in the other direction after the initial impact.

"I was on my hands and knees at this point and completely defenseless," the man wrote.

The man said he slowly crept out of the swamp once he was able to gather himself and check for injuries.

He said he only wound up with a few bumps and bruises to his legs, back and arms.

Taxpayers in 24 states will be able to file their returns directly with the IRS in 2025

 Here's some good news that may save you money during tax season!  Thanks to the Biden Administration, taxpayers in 24 states will be able to file their 2025 tax returns directly with the IRS  at NO Cost.  Today's blog explains which states are participating and provides a link to the program on-line. 

 Taxpayers in 24 states will be able to file their returns directly with the IRS in 2025

By FATIMA HUSSEIN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS is expanding its program that allows people to file their taxes directly with the agency for free.

The federal tax collector’s Direct File program, which allows taxpayers to calculate and submit their returns to the government directly without using commercial tax preparation software, will be open to more than 30 million people in 24 states in the 2025 filing season.

The program was rolled out as a pilot during the 2024 tax season in 12 states.

Now IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel says the program will be permanent and the IRS will expand eligibility opportunities for taxpayers.

“We’re announcing significant expansions of Direct File that will make the service available to millions more taxpayers in 2025,” Werfel said on a call Thursday with reporters. He said it is possible that additional states could still choose to join the program in 2025.

The pilot program in 2024 allowed people in certain states with very simple W-2s to calculate and submit their returns directly to the IRS. Those using the program claimed more than $90 million in refunds, the IRS said.

It was originally available to certain taxpayers in California, New York, Arizona, Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming and Massachusetts.

States to be added in 2025 include: Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

In addition, new eligibility standards will allow participation by taxpayers with 1099 income and credits including the Child and Dependent Care Credit, Retirement Savings Contributions Credit, and the deduction for Health Savings Accounts, among others.

“Other countries have been providing their citizens with the ability to do this type of thing for years,” Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said on the call with reporters. Several nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, including Germany and Japan, have similar systems with prepopulated tax forms.

The direct file idea is not viewed favorably by the commercial tax prep software firms that have made billions of dollars from charging people to use their software.

Additionally, an IRS inspector general report released this week notes that the IRS has not maintained sufficient safeguards over data protection related to the IRS Free File Alliance. The alliance is a longstanding agreement between the IRS and some commercial tax preparation companies to provide free tax prep services to low and middle-income taxpayers.

The Free File Alliance is separate from the Direct File program.

The IRS was tasked with looking into how to create a “direct file” system as part of the money it received from the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. It gave the IRS nine months and $15 million to report on how such a program would work.

Here's the LINK: https://www.irs.gov/filing/irs-direct-file

It's Election Day 2024- Tyler's Message

 Happy Tyler Tuesday! Tyler has a message for humans today since it's election day: "Vote to remove stubborn orange stains!" Tyler is wiser than 40% of Americans!

Alarming Findings: Antarctic ‘greening’ at dramatic rate

Any educated person knows that the Earth is warming faster than it normally would because of the excessive amount of pollutants we are putting into the atmosphere. We've seen powerful hurricanes this year, like the Category 5 Hurricane Milton, and Cat 4 Helene. Scientists have observed very warm sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. We've seen plants that only grew in the U.S. South thriving in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic. Now, using satellite data, scientists have seen a warming and "greening" in the Antarctic! If you thought it was all covered with ice and snow, think again. That's the story of today's blog.

 (Photo: A moss-covered slope, with the sea and ice chunks visible in the background Green Island. Credit Matt Amesbury)

Antarctic ‘greening’ at dramatic rate 

 Alex Morrison , University of Exeter, UK, Oct 8, 2024 

Vegetation cover across the Antarctic Peninsula has increased more than tenfold over the last four decades, new research shows.

The Antarctic Peninsula, like many polar regions, is warming faster than the global average, with extreme heat events in Antarctica becoming more common.

The new study – by the universities of Exeter and Hertfordshire, and the British Antarctic Survey – used satellite data to assess how much the Antarctic Peninsula has been “greening” in response to climate change.

It found that the area of vegetation cover across the Peninsula increased from less than one square kilometre in 1986 to almost 12 square kilometres by 2021.

Published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the study also found this greening trend accelerated by over 30% in recent years (2016-2021) relative to the full study period (1986-2021) – expanding by over 400,000 square metres per year in this period.

In a previous study, which examined core samples taken from moss-dominated ecosystems on the Antarctic Peninsula, the team found evidence that rates of plant growth had increased dramatically in recent decades.

This new study uses satellite imagery to confirm that a widespread greening trend, across the Antarctic Peninsula, is under way and accelerating.

“The plants we find on the Antarctic Peninsula – mostly mosses – grow in perhaps the harshest conditions on Earth,” said Dr Thomas Roland, from the University of Exeter.

“The landscape is still almost entirely dominated by snow, ice and rock, with only a tiny fraction colonised by plant life.

“But that tiny fraction has grown dramatically – showing that even this vast and isolated ‘wilderness’ is being affected by anthropogenic climate change.”

(Photo: Norsel Point. Credit Dan Charman)

Dr Olly Bartlett, from the University of Hertfordshire, added: “As these ecosystems become more established – and the climate continues to warm – it’s likely that the extent of greening will increase.

“Soil in Antarctica is mostly poor or non-existent, but this increase in plant life will add organic matter, and facilitate soil formation – potentially paving the way for other plants to grow.

“This raises the risk of non-native and invasive species arriving, possibly carried by eco-tourists, scientists or other visitors to the continent.”

The researchers emphasise the urgent need for further research to establish the specific climate and environmental mechanisms that are driving the “greening” trend.

“The sensitivity of the Antarctic Peninsula’s vegetation to climate change is now clear and, under future anthropogenic warming, we could see fundamental changes to the biology and landscape of this iconic and vulnerable region,” said Dr Roland.

He added: “Our findings raise serious concerns about the environmental future of the Antarctic Peninsula, and of the continent as a whole. In order to protect Antarctica, we must understand these changes and identify precisely what is causing them.”

The researchers are now investigating how recently deglaciated (ice-free) landscapes are colonised by plants, and how the process might proceed into the future.

The paper is entitled: “Satellites evidence sustained greening of the Antarctic Peninsula.”

My Package Mailing Debacle - Package Up and Down the East Coast 3 Times

I think the U.S. Post Office does an amazing job, but sometimes there are exceptions. I write and mail a lot of cards and postcards and mail a lot of books and packages. On occasion, there's been a delay in delivery, but the latest delay is for the books.  On October 9th, I sold 1 comic book from my collection to a buyer in Georgia and mailed it with an Ebay generated label (which has the address and a bar code). By October 29th, it hadn't arrived, and after checking the USPS tracking number on-line, I found it had been up and down the U.S. East coast 3 times. Today's blog shows you that scanning process based on package tracking on the USPS website and explains what the USPS clerk told me at the facility where it traveled 4 times!! 

(Photo: What a comic book mailer looks like- It's about 12" by 8" and 1" high: Credit: Etsy)

MY CALL TO USPS -  I called the USPS in Nashville, where it's now been 4 times!!!  A Nashville postal worker said "Apparently, the bar code is an issue, and instead of postal workers looking at the actual address, they scan it and toss it in an "outgoing bin that sends it back to the origin point, instead of directing it forward." Even the actual post office in the delivery destination apparently made the same error, and instead of delivering it in their town, they put in the "outgoing bin" sending it back to TN, CT, MA and NH, causing the NH post office to send it back south, over and over and over. 

THE ROUTING MADNESS FROM THE USPS TRACKING PAGE:

Oct 30- Finally Delivered 

Moving Through Network

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

CHATTANOOGA TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 29, 2024, 8:07 am

In Transit to Next Facility

October 29, 2024, 5:53 am

Departed USPS Regional Facility

NASHVILLE TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 29, 2024, 4:30 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

NASHVILLE TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 28, 2024, 5:50 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

MIDDLESEX-ESSEX MA DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 27, 2024, 5:30 am

In Transit to Next Facility

October 27, 2024, 5:28 am

In Transit to Next Facility

October 27, 2024, 4:41 am

Departed USPS Regional Facility

NASHUA NH DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 27, 2024, 4:27 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility

NASHUA NH DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 27, 2024, 12:35 am

In Transit to Next Facility

October 26, 2024

In Transit to Next Facility

October 24, 2024, 8:20 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

NASHVILLE TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 24, 2024, 7:26 am

Processing Exception, Regional Weather Delay

October 24, 2024, 1:25 am

In Transit to Next Facility

October 24, 2024, 1:10 am

In Transit to Next Facility

October 23, 2024, 6:45 pm

Departed USPS Regional Facility

SOUTHERN CT DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 23, 2024, 12:20 pm

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

SOUTHERN CT DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 23, 2024, 11:26 am

In Transit to Next Facility

October 23, 2024, 11:23 am

In Transit to Next Facility

October 23, 2024, 8:52 am

Departed USPS Regional Facility

MIDDLESEX-ESSEX MA DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 23, 2024, 7:36 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

MIDDLESEX-ESSEX MA DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 23, 2024, 5:12 am

In Transit to Next Facility

October 23, 2024, 4:08 am

Departed USPS Regional Facility

SOUTHERN ME DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 23, 2024, 3:20 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility

SOUTHERN ME DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 22, 2024, 11:50 pm

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

NASHVILLE TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 20, 2024, 2:15 am

Processing Exception, Regional Weather Delay

October 19, 2024, 10:39 pm

In Transit to Next Facility

October 19, 2024, 10:24 pm

In Transit to Next Facility

October 19, 2024, 4:42 pm

Departed USPS Regional Facility

SOUTHERN CT DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 19, 2024, 10:22 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

SOUTHERN CT DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 18, 2024, 2:47 am

Departed USPS Regional Facility

SPRINGFIELD MA DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 18, 2024, 12:13 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility

SPRINGFIELD MA DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 17, 2024, 6:23 pm

Out for Delivery

CHATSWORTH, GA 30705 

October 15, 2024, 6:10 am

Arrived at Hub

CHATSWORTH, GA 30705 

October 14, 2024, 4:29 pm

Departed USPS Regional Facility

CHATTANOOGA TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 14, 2024, 4:47 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

CHATTANOOGA TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 13, 2024, 12:51 pm

Departed USPS Regional Facility

NASHVILLE TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 13, 2024, 8:47 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

NASHVILLE TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 12, 2024, 8:39 am

In Transit to Next Facility

October 12, 2024, 12:16 am

In Transit to Next Facility

October 11, 2024, 5:42 pm

Departed USPS Regional Facility

SOUTHERN CT DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 11, 2024, 11:22 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

SOUTHERN CT DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 11, 2024, 10:36 am

In Transit to Next Facility

October 11, 2024, 8:45 am

Departed USPS Regional Facility

MIDDLESEX-ESSEX MA DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 11, 2024, 7:15 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

MIDDLESEX-ESSEX MA DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 11, 2024, 5:11 am

In Transit to Next Facility

October 11, 2024, 4:30 am

Departed USPS Regional Facility

SOUTHERN ME DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 11, 2024, 3:23 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility

SOUTHERN ME DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

October 10, 2024, 7:32 pm

Departed Post Office

(ORIGIN POINT), ME 

October 10, 2024, 5:02 pm