The Human Condition is Solved!

The expression "the Human Condition" has been with us a long time.  Religions have definitive beliefs about the human condition.  Philosophers have provided perspectives, authors have written eloquently about it.  Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage" is the poetic masterpiece on the seven stages of living. There is a humancondition.com website.  Jeremy Griffith is an Australian biologist who has presented an explanation of the human condition in his 2016 book, FREEDOM:  The End of The Human Condition.  He founded the World Transformation Movement in the 1980's.  His thesis is that humans act angrily because of a battle between instinct and intellect.  The summary of his book is dramatic: The fastest growing realization everywhere is that humanity can't go on the way it is going. Indeed, the great fear is we are entering endgame where we appear to have lost the race between self-destruction and self-discovery the race to find the psychologically relieving understanding of our good and evil-afflicted human condition.  One can read a review of it HERE.   There is a next generation of writing.  In the New Atlantis article Artificial Intelligence and Human Nature, the article starts with: "The cutting edge of modern science and technology has moved, in its aim, beyond the relief of man’s estate to the elimination of human beings." So the human condition would conclude. In the google search world, things fall apart very quickly for relevant articles.  "What is the Human Condition" goes to the website homeandgardenideas.com - an answer that would seem targeted to my interests.  Then there is the human condition at Amazon, at Habitat for Humanity, or the tour dates and concerts of the group "This Human Condition".  There are many art events on this topic. And there's the 2018 online catalog available for rock auto.com as a result of searching on the human condition.   The state of Wisteria this year is less than ideal.  With our cool then warm temperatures, the leaves and flowers are out at the same time, reducing the impact of the purple clusters.

Thunderstorms 101

Winter thunderstorms do happen, but they are rare because the air is more stable. Strong updrafts cannot form because the surface temperatures during the winter are colder.  Did you know that a winter thunderstorm is called a thundersnow? That's my Severe Weather 101 learning for today.  Or is it?  What about summer thunderstorms? There is a lot to learn there. We had rain last night with lightning and a little thunder, and it has started again just now.  That signals summer for me - that's when we get our thunderstorms.  Lightning is generated in clouds with strong vertical updrafts. Thunder is the acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere.  Thunderstorms can line up in a series and become what's known as a trainband or squall line.  Where would we live in the world to experience the most thunder? Venezuela, Zulia is the world leader in thunderstorms; "The most persistent and most spectacular thunderstorm in the world is Catatumbo Lightning. This is nearly continuous thunderstorm with up to 20,000 flashes of lightning per night, seen 140 - 160 nights per year and lasting approximately 10 hours long. It produces approximately 10% of tropospheric ozone in the world." Located along the Andes Mountains, it is the largest lake in South America and is situated in such a way that mountain breezes tangle with warm lake air. treehugger.com lists the top ten hotspots ranked and listed by average lightning flashes per square kilometre per year.  It looks like the Republic of Congo is the dominant location for this weather phenomenon: 1. Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela: 232.52 2. Kabare, Democratic Republic of Congo: 205.31 3. Kampene, Democratic Republic of Congo: 176.71 4. Caceres, Colombia: 172.29 5. Sake, Democratic Republic of Congo: 143.21 6. Dagar, Pakistan: 143.11 7. El Tarra, Colombia: 138.61 8. Nguti, Cameroon: 129.58 9. Butembo, Democratic Republic of Congo: 129.50 10. Boende, Democratic Republic of Congo: 127.52 Our weather highlights say that showers and thunderstorms are skimming through southern Ontario Monday night and Tuesday.  Then we're on to a warm weekend. Our Niagara orchards on on display today.

What Every Mother Wants

I often find funny jokes in Boys' Life Magazine.  They seem to get all the jokes.  Girls' Life Magazine is an American teen magazine similar to other magazines directed to women - advice about friends and familiars, stories on popular culture, fashion, and celebrities.  Boys' Life is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America for boys from 7 - 17. It began in 1911 and when it started was edited by 18-year-old Joe Lane.  Fast forward to today and Boys' Life is targeted towards older boys and features buying guides, video games, things to do, sports,  and still features scouting activities.  It still contains jokes in every issue.  I looked through the Boys' Life Mother's Day jokes.  And then I found this one - it is NOT in the Boys' Life Compendium of Mother's Day Jokes. Boys' Life Magazine remains a general interest and wholesome magazine - it describes its style as crisp, punchy writing in relatively short, straight-forward sentences.  So as you read this joke, it would clearly not appear in Boys' Life Magazine. Three sons left home, went out on their own and prospered. Getting back together, they discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly mother.  The first said, "I built a big house for our mother."  The second said," I sent her a Mercedes with a driver."  The third smiled and said, "I've got you, both beat. You know how Mom enjoys the Bible, and you know she can't see very well. I sent her a brown parrot that can recite the entire Bible. It took 20 monks in a monastery 12 years to teach him. I had to pledge to contribute $100,000.00 a year for 10 years, but it was worth it. Mom just has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot will recite it."  Soon thereafter, Mom sent out her letters of thanks: "Milton," she wrote the first son, "The house you built is so huge. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house."  "Marvin," she wrote to another, "I am too old to travel. I stay home all the time, so I never use the Mercedes. And the driver is so rude!"  "Dearest Melvin," she wrote to her third son, "You were the only son to have the good sense to know what your mother likes. That chicken was delicious." I stopped at Sunnybrook Winery on the Lakeshore in NOTL, and took this picture of the orchard on Lake Ontario. Our second picture is the Weeping Cherry tree on Niagara Street.

Gardener's Jokes

I visited Niagara-on-the-Lake yesterday to Valleybrook - they are growers of perennial plants in the blue pots.  Being the largest perennial grower in Canada, there were millions of plants - as far as one can see.  There was lots of activity moving them out to be transported to garden centres for the launch of summer gardening this weekend. They donate plants to the Grimsby Garden Club's Plant Sale each year.  They allow walk-ins on two days a week, so I can check everything out and take pictures. They give you a map to find things, and at the bottom are many rules - you can only purchase plants with silver stakes, beginning with certain numbers, and nothing at the ends of aisles, as these are plants moving out.  I was able to find something to purchase that was new this year - a miniature Clematis.  Today we celebrate gardeners with garden jokes. There are lots of garden jokes. Some topics seem to accumulate more jokes than others. Along the way I found this surprising fact: Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than for the US Treasury. Here are the gardening jokes selected for today: Q: How excited was the gardener about spring? A: So excited he wet his plants. Q: What do you call a grumpy and short-tempered gardener? A: A Snap Dragon. The manager of the garden centre overhears one of his nurserymen talking to a customer.  'No, we haven't had any of that in ages,' says the nurseryman. 'And I don't know when we'll be getting any more.'  The customer leaves and the manager walks over to give him a telling off. 'Never tell a customer we can't get them something,' he says. 'Whatever they want we can always get it on order and deliver it. D'you understand?'  The nurseryman nods. 'So what did he want?' asks the manager. 'Rain,' replies the nurseryman.   Michael O'Leary was waiting at the bus stop with his friend, Paddy Maguire, when a lorry went by loaded up with rolls of turf.  O'Leary opined, 'I'm gonna do that when I win de lottery, Maguire.' 'What's that, Michael?' responds his mate. 'Send me lawn away to be cut,' concludes O'Leary   For more silly gardening jokes, go to Frankie Flowers website HERE. Here's a joke for Mother's Day this Sunday: A mother mouse and a baby mouse are walking along when suddenly a cat attacks them. The mother mouse shouts “BARK!” and the cat runs away. “See?” the mother mouse says to her baby. “Now do you see why it’s important to learn a foreign language.”

Chinese Moon Moth Nearby

Doug Tallamy is an entomologist and his book Brining Nature Home shows the relationship between native species in plants and animals.  His work shows that moth and butterfly caterpillars live on very specific plants.  Some trees support hundreds of varieties.  Foreign trees imported from other places support few to none.  Chinese Moon Moth caterpillars normally live in the mountainous cloud forests in Southern Cina around 1000 m - 3000 m, They eat Pinus massoniana.  A good replacement is Pinus sylvestris.  This Chinese Moon Moth is being raised here in Toronto at Brian's place.  You can see the gold highlights on the body mimicking pine needles, along with the hairs and polka dot markings. The care of these caterpillars is considered difficult.  The full instructions are here at breedingbutterflies.com - you can see pictures of the moths.  This species is considered to be one of the most beautiful species of moon moths. Here in Ontario, there's a market for monarch butterflies for release at special events such as weddings, graduation, memorials, etc.  One can buy a dozen Painted Lady Butterflies on sale right now for $84.99.  Take a look at what's available HERE.   One can buy Monarch butterfly raising kits from them.  Alternately, we can plant our native Milkweed Asclepias syrica - and they will come naturally.

Mother Teresa Smiling

Mother Teresa lived from 1910 - 1997.  During her lifetime, she was a world figure.  She felt destined to be a nun, and left home at age 18 for Ireland to join the Sisters of Loreto Abbey. She then went to India where she taught school for nearly twenty years.  She remained in India for her entire life.  One one website, her occupation is listed as "Saint". She experienced what she termed "the call within the call" on September 10th, 1946, and began missionary work with the poor two years later.  She begged for food and supplies and lived among the poor. She received Vatican permission for the diocesan congregation which became the Missionaries of Charity.  This  grew to 450 brothers and 5,000 sisters worldwide, operating 600 missions, school and shelters in 120 countries.  The charity work was focused on hospices, orphanages and leper houses throughout India.  She was first recognized by the Indian government in 1962 and received numerous awards from the government.  She received international Peace Awards and other recognitions.  She received the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize.  Her great contributions have received criticisms and there is controversy over her missions. There is also controversy about the miracle and canonization. What is remarkable is the number of amazing quotes attributed to her.  There are hundreds, probably a thousand.  So many quotes show up when I research topics. Here are few about 'smiles': Let us always meet each other with smile, for the small is the beginning of love. Peace begins with a smile. We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. Let us make one point, that we meet each other with a smile, when it is difficult to smile.  Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family. I found this emerging fern at the garden centre earlier in the week.

Mother Teresa

April Coldest Month

We're past the last day of April and major Canadian cities are "on track for historic April cold."  April has been about 5 degrees below seasonal temperatures in Toronto.  In addition, there has yet to be a day above 20 degrees.  That last happened in 1999. And the prediction is that "persistent warmth will be a struggle into May".   If we wanted to find out about the most extreme weather, the list of weather records is in wikipedia.  What goes into a weather record?  The top two are highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded. And then there are records for rain, snow, wind speed, tornadoes, cyclones, hail, lightning, ultraviolet index, and air pressure.  What a lot of things for the weather to be extreme at! It is all HERE.   I thought the antidote to this difficult spring might be a revisit to the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls.