Winter Solstice

The hiemal solstice or hibernal solstice, sometimes called midwinter or astronomical winter.  More commonly known as the winter solstice this event occurs when the Sun reaches its most southerly declination of -23.4 degrees. It is that point in time when the sun is exactly over the Tropic of Capricorn.  In other words - when the North Pole is tilted furthest away from the Sun.  If you are persnickety we will enjoy only 8 hours and 46 minutes of daylight today.

Meteorological winter is the three coldest months of the year which happen to be December, January and February in the northern hemisphere.  This system is used by meteorologists because it groups seasons into tidy 90 day temperature cycles convenient for tracking weather statistics. 

This is different from astronomical winter - which is based on the earth's position relative to the sun.  As a consequence, on this date for anyone residing in Antarctica (the South Pole)  - the opposite is true.  Today you would observe the Midnight Sun and enjoy 24 hours of sunlight.  For us living in the northern hemisphere tonight will be the longest night of the year.  This is to say that after this evening the daylight hours will begin to grow longer in the days and weeks to follow leading up to the Summer Solstice in June and the longest day of the year. 

If today is nice and sunny be sure to go outside at 9:03 AM to observe your shadow.  On the solstice your shadow is the longest it will be all year. 

Before bedtime you may want to go outside to observe the heavens and raise a toast to the winter solstice.  And maybe howl at the moon.

Fingers-crossed for cold, clear, winter night skies. 

Cheers!

December Night Sky

Most stargazers consider the reliably prolific Geminid meteor shower the final act for any given year.  Yet, there happens to be one more notable meteor shower on-deck that is frequently overlooked.  

The Ursids.

With 5 to 10 shooting stars per hour the peak of this meteor shower will occur during the overnight hours of December 21-22 as it passes thru the debris field of Comet 8P/Tuttle.   

The Ursids get their name as their radiant is located in the constellation Ursa Minor (Little Bear).  This constellation moves in a circle around Polaris - the North Star.  The New Moon is December 19 so we're assured of dark skies.  Activity can be viewed all night.

Fingers-crossed for cold, clear viewing conditions.

SRI and ESG Simplified

For some odd reason it occurred to me the other day that the movements in the title of this post have spanned a significant portion of my life and most of my career in the financial services business as a Registered Investment Advisor. 

The common acronym for socially responsible investing is SRI and the concept has been around for awhile.  SRI utilizes a screening process that excludes investments in industries or specific companies engaged in business or activities that an individual may consider undesirable.  Varying by individual investor, SRI popularly excluded companies engaged in the manufacturing or sale of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, gambling and the like.  

The movement has its roots in faith-based investing and the anti war movement during the Vietnam conflict.  In 1971 it led to the first ethical mutual fund - Pax Fund (renamed Impax Funds in 2022).  By the time I joined the fray in 1980 popular divestment campaigns in opposition to South African apartheid raised the profile of SRI and its potential for drawing attention to social change.  The movement achieved broader recognition with the adoption of the Domini Social Index in 1990 - recognizing the US Social Investment Forum and the growth of assets in this sector.

In 2004 the acronym ESG was coined. Named for a new emerging movement known as Environmental, Social and Governance; it introduced specific environmental, social and governance factors into traditional financial analysis to better assess a company's risks, opportunities and long term sustainability.  Financial considerations have continued to remain the primary focus of ESG.  In its nascent years ESG was a niche or boutique movement - a small frog in an enormous investment pond.  Notably, SRI didn't go away; as a matter of fact it persists to this day.   

By 2010, driven by global climate crises and events along with growing corporate support driven by evidence that sustainability improved returns; ESG entered the mainstream. 

ESG initiatives have boosted profitability by means of reducing waste and improving operating efficiencies.  They also enhance brand imaging which improves market position and attracts customers and talent. Stock prices benefit from enhanced stability as a consequence of managing risks associated with everything from labor issues, to brand loyalty to long term climate-smart resourcefulness.

For sure there are mixed results among specific industry sectors including emerging vs. mature markets; and there is not universal success in every single company. Nevertheless, there is strong evidence that ESG may provide a strategic advantage leading to long-term value creation over short-term gains.

click on image to enlarge

While the terms SRI and ESG are frequently used interchangeably there are nuanced differences.  SRI is values-driven (who you won't invest-in); while ESG is data-driven (evaluation of risks and opportunities).  

Why is this important?  When evaluating the application of the former vs. the latter in the drafting of an investment policy consider a very common misconception about the ownership of common stock.  Aside from an IPO (initial public offering) your purchase of a stock does not 'support' the company.  Nor does your divestment of a stock 'undermine' the company.  This is because it is not a transaction between you and the company; it is a transaction between you and the previous stock owner.

If you don't care to own shares of an armaments manufacturer because it is cross-ways with your value system that is perfectly OK.  The company will pay dividends to whomever owns the shares on the record date and it cares little for who that is unless you are amassing so much stock that you are approaching majority ownership. This is why companies are generally mum in response to divestment campaigns.  They're a welcome distraction from other, more potent, forms of activism such as a product boycotts.  A scenario altogether better managed by means of the latter vs. the former. 

Don't take my work for it, speak with your trusted financial advisor about how this may, or may not, impact you.

Cheers!  

*More background on the chart here:  https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/insights/sustainable-finance/are-esg-scores-relevant-for-portfolio-returns/

Friday Music

Composed by the songwriting duo Lou Adler and Herb Alpert (who knew?) this was released April 1960 by Keen Records.  It had been recorded during an impromptu session a year earlier during Sam Cooke's final recording session at Keen.  By the time 1960 rolled-around Cooke had signed with RCA Victor and the previously unreleased cut was released as a competitive single.  Cooke subsequently revised the lyrics to make it his own.

The song ended-up performing substantially better on the charts that several of his early RCA singles becoming Cooke's biggest single since You Send Me (1957).  The single peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number two on Billboard's Hot R&B chart. 

Nice cover of Wonderful World by Richie and the High Street Rockers.....

Whata Treat

Likely I haven’t enjoyed this since traveling somewhere. It’s been awhile. 

 
Clockwise from 6 o’clock:  Salade César, baked tater (butter, sour cream & scallions) and locally-sourced lamb. Medium to medium rare.

A special treat.

Cheers!

Winter Hunter Returns

Beginning last month and through February this constellation can be found traversing the southern night sky.  

Orion - a familiar image situated on the celestial equator - is one of the most recognizable constellations in the night sky.  Finding Orion's Belt is the easiest way to locate the Orion Constellation. Orion's Belt is formed by three bright stars; Alnilam, Mintaka and Alnitak. 

Named for Orion 'The Hunter' of Greek mythology the constellation's brightest stars are blue-white Rigel and red Betelgeuse. The most noticeable part of Orion is Orion’s Belt – with the alignment of three stars sure to catch your eye.  Hanging from The Hunter’s belt is a sword identified as three fainter stars. The central star of the sword is actually not a star at all – it is the Great Orion Nebula.

In the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere this time of year Orion appears to be lying on his side – with the Belt stars pointing upward – when he rises in the eastern sky.

click on the image for a closer look

This photo was taken a couple weeks ago with my iPhone 14 Pro at midnight, from the porch, looking south.  The unusual brightness is the timing of the photo with the December Cold Full Moon.  A larger and brighter Super Moon.

As the story goes - Orion hunted along the river Eridanus along with his ever-present dogs – Canis Major and Canis Minor.  With his dogs Orion stalked various celestial animals including Lepus the rabbit, and Taurus the bull. In the mythology of the ancient Greeks Orion was in love with Merope - one of the Seven Sisters forming the constellation Pleiades.  Alas, Merope spurned Orion’s advances. Tragically, the heartbroken Orion met his end when he was stung by Scorpious the scorpion.

Nevertheless, the gods were kind and they consequently fixed Orion permanently in the heavens with his two dogs. The creatures he hunted were placed in the sky as constellations as well. With foresight the gods exiled Scorpius to the opposite side of the heavens so that Orion would forever be safe from harm. 

Visibility peaks this month and January.  Raising a toast to cold, clear skies and star gazing.   

Cheers!

The Speech

I watched the president this evening and have two immediate takeaways.  Inflation is the low-hanging fruit.

That was singularly the longest run-on sentence I've ever heard.  Great discipline on the teleprompter however.

Recent inflation is not the worst ever in history.  The president is either uninformed, confused or a liar; you pick. 

 

Wiley Coyote

From time to time I have discussed the interactions of red fox and coyotes if their territories overlap and share the same turf.  It's generally not collegial.

I cannot speak to the nature of their coexistence around here inasmuch as I have no evidence of it being good, bad or inconsequential.

Here are some coyote trail camera images and video retrieved from the most recent batch.  This afternoon I'll publish fox imagery taken from the same batch and same time span. 

 

 

Between you and me Old Wiley has probably robbed that loose cat around here of a couple of her lives....

Repurpose

If you are on the receiving end of several inches of overnight snow and have a leftover stale baguette laying around; here's a tip for a snow day breakfast.  

 

Cut your baguette in half inch slices and soak in a batter of two beaten eggs, a splash of milk, and a couple dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg.

 

Fry in butter to make miniature French toasts.

 

 

I like mine with a drizzle of maple syrup and it occurred to me I should have added a dash of vanilla extract.  A FB friend suggested almond extract.  

 

If I hadn't done this that baguette might have gone to the birds. 

 

Either way it was repurposed..... 

Crossing The Line

 

I 've been thinking about this off and on for a couple of days and initially concluded that drawing any further attention to this perversity was a waste of valuable bandwidth.  But after 24 hours of observing a (thankfully) small number of my MAGA acquaintances using Face Book to ghoulishly bask in the reflected glory of the murder of an Hollywood  liberal this is my conclusion. 

I take no issue with satire, sarcasm or general snarkiness; I use it myself.  Nevertheless, I was raised to not gloat about murder or another family's very personal tragedy.  It is inconsistent with expectations of a Christian. Trump's Tweet is not tone deaf; it is wrong.  And while I personally consider this over the line and unpresidential; I fully expect more of the same from Donald Trump.  

  

Red Fox

Over the years this critter would show-up on a trail camera image sporadically and without any pattern.  Then beginning with the spring of 2024 this species of canine began showing-up on the trail cameras quite regularly and never stopped.  What is unusual is that coyotes persist and both species typically do not occupy the same neighborhood.  As a consequence of competition for similar prey choices it is generally one or the other.  Rarely both.

The Red Fox is distinguished from the Gray Fox by a white-tipped tail visible in the photos.  They’re omnivores that dine-upon everything from rabbits, small rodents, roadkill, fruits and nuts and insects.  They sometimes make their home in an enlarged woodchuck den, or hollow log, or underneath a log or rock in a stream bank or side of a hill.  A mated pair will defend their turf from other foxes but this canine frequently is prey to the resident coyotes and wolves.   

A female is called a vixen, a male is called a dog fox, newborns are called pups, kits or cubs.  And a group of foxes is called a skulk.  

Recent video and a photo.  If you want to checkout the library use the Label tool on the left margin of the homepage and click of Red Fox. 

 

 

That dang cat running around here is gonna get tangled-up with Mr. Red Fox one day and I won't be seeing the Ditch Tiger mooning for a photo-op anymore.

You Know Who

The holiday spirit would be somewhat diminished without this smiling sprite.... 

Big Night Stalker

Taking the dog out for a bedtime potty call nowadays it is not unusual to hear the call of the call of the Great Horned Owl as dusk has settled upon the forest.  The horned owl is common around here and it is quite distinctive.  

This is one of the earliest nesting birds in Wisconsin; laying eggs in January and February.  Mated pairs raise one brood per year in an abandoned cavity nest, nest of a great blue heron or crow or even in the stump end of a large broken branch.

The horned owl is particularly gutsy being one of the few birds of prey that will take porcupines and skunks.  Plucky bird the horned own is - which is why it is sometimes called the Flying Tiger.  This bird of prey sports silent wing feathers, hearing so acute it can hear a rodent beneath the snow, bright yellow eyes and cannot turn it's head completely around.  Notably, it has a wingspan of up to four feet.  Why is that important?  This trail is groomed with a Rhino Bush Hog and a five foot wide cutting deck - at ground level.  Tree branches make the actual trail a bit narrower.

Helping to identify the fleeting appearance and disappearance of this night stalker.

There and gone again; in a ghostly flash.....

 

December Night Sky

Before sunrise today.

View west, the constellation Gemini above, top center (two stars at top).  Jupiter (brightest object) upper left of center.

click on image for a closer look

 

Screen shop of star map from Night Sky app.

If you have clear and dark viewing conditions there is more meteor shower action on tap for tonight.

It was pretty cool (pardon the pun) last night. 

-3F around these parts... 

Ditch Tiger

I want to preface my remarks this morning with this:  I am an admirer of Felis catus - the genus name for the domestic cat and several other small wild cats. I've had a couple of cats in my life and they made for terrific companion animals.  Clever and playful they made a positive contribution to the household and our family.  

They were not allowed to roam freely outdoors.  They did wear a harness and clipped to an overhead line by a length of parachute cord they could enjoy sunshine, shade and the outdoors to the extent of the patio's edge.  

This was for their own safety, and knowing what I know about predator instincts.    

It is difficult to know if the cat in these photos is a feral (wild) cat, or someone's barn cat, or a house cat that is allowed to roam at will.  It is not wearing a collar and what is obvious is it has been showing-up frequently on the trail cameras lately.  And these photos are only a small sampling.

Colloquially known around here as ditch tigers, feral cats are not fuzzy, cuddly pets.  Hard-wired as predators they are stone-cold killers who kill solely for the thrill of killing.  Roaming cats are a scourge on ground-nesting game birds and song birds. 

Very few things get me grumpy as much as feral cats or cats that have been granted permission to roam freely at large.  Cats compete with other wild animals such as owls for small prey.  And cats introduce rabies, feline leukemia and other diseases to native wildlife.

In the United States alone, cats like the one pictured above, kill billions upon billions of wild mammals, reptiles and birds every year.  Many, many-fold more than are killed by human-related causes such as wind turbines, office building windows, power lines, farming practices, automobiles or habitat loss.  

Cats are predators of the highest order.  Not native to North America they are introduced and thus an invasive species.  And allowing them to roam is not doing native wildlife any favors.  If this cat is a member of a household or farmstead the risk to the cat itself is irresponsible.

I cannot think of a single socially redeeming element to tolerating feral and free-roaming domestic cats.  Can you?   

If you are interested in a balanced read there is this from National Geographic - To Save Birds, Should We Kill Off Cats?

Keep your cats indoors people.

Please. 

December Night Sky

One of the fun things about winter is the night sky.  Cold, clear, winter skies are characterized by a lack of humidity and if you live in the country there is very little urban light pollution creating some spectacular opportunities for star-gazing. 

December brings a couple of meteor showers to the night skies.  The more prolific of the two is the Geminids with as many as 120 shooting stars per hour.  Shooting stars are most often associated with the Earth’s passage thru the debris field of a comet.  Gritty debris burns-up as it collides with the upper atmosphere.  The Geminids are a bit of a mystery as they are related with an extinct comet which also happens to be a near-earth asteroid named 3200 Phaethon. 

The Geminid meteor shower began December 4th and will remain active thru the 17th.  It will be producing meteors at its peak rate this Saturday and Sunday evenings.

Each meteor shower is named after its radiant - that point where the shower appears to come from.  In this case the constellation Gemini - The Twins.  A meteor shower's radiant needs to be above the horizon before any of the action begins.  And you don't have to look directly at the radiant to see meteors;  shooting stars will be visible across the sky once the radiant has risen.  

Find the easily recognizable belt of the three bright stars in Orion the Hunter.  From Orion's belt (or from Rigel, his foot, through the belt), follow an imaginary line towards the northeast (up and left).  Continue this line until you see two bright stars close together - Castor and Pollux - the heads of Gemini.

For the duration there will be a chance of seeing Geminid meteors whenever the shower’s radiant point – found in the constellation Gemini – is above the horizon. The number of visible shooting stars increases as the radiant point rises to its highest point in the night sky.   

December also brings the Ursid meteor shower with 5  to 10 shooting stars per hour as the Earth passes thru the debris field of Comet 8P/Tuttle.   

Although not as spectacular as the Geminids peak action coincides with the solstice the evening of the 21^st and 22^nd.  This year the new moon occurs a few days before the Ursids peak, so you'll enjoy dark skies.  Best time is before dawn with 10-15 meteors per hour.  

Mark your calendar and if your catch a cold, clear, winter sky bundle-up and take some time to sit outside and observe the heavens. 

There’s no mosquitoes this time of year! 

Canadian Fly-In

From a brittle 6F morning yesterday there was this.

In a light dusting of snow on the porch I found these miniature dinosaur tracks.

These belong to one of Wisconsin's most common winter residents.  Yes, they come here for the winter weather.  

Junco hyemalis - the Dark-eyed Junco.  You're unlikely to confuse this species with another bird as this member of the sparrow family sports a slate-colored head and back, white belly and pink beak.  Quite distinctive.

These little birds migrate from Canada to winter here in the south.  We tend to observe larger numbers of males as I am told that females do not travel as far south as the boys do.   

They'll readily come to a feeder and it is not unusual to see a flock of them scratching-about on the ground.

They're commonly called Snowbirds.

Tough little bird the Junco is.....

Real or Fake?

At any given moment, there are approximately half a billion Christmas trees growing for future harvest that otherwise would not be there.

While they are growing, they’re absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, stabilizing soil and providing valuable wildlife habitat.

As trees are harvested, new trees are planted to take their place.

And unlike artificial trees, real trees can often be purchased from local farms.

And your house will smell nice too.

Raising a toast to sustainability.
 

Friday Music

John Prine passed away on April 7, 2020 due to complications from COVID. The outpouring of grief and love from his fan community was staggering. Over 500,000 viewers participated in an online memorial and tribute that raised more than half a million dollars for COVID-related community causes. In 2021, the Prine family created the Hello In There Foundation to honor John’s spirit of generosity towards those in need. Fiona Prine and her sons continue to operate and expand the reach of John’s independent record label, Oh Boy Records.

The work of the foundation will be inspired and guided by John's simple song title, Hello In There.  Their mission aims to identify and collaborate with individuals and communities to offer support for people who are marginalized, discriminated against or, for any reason, are otherwise forgotten.  

A beautiful tribute to John that premiered October 3, 2020 on, "Let The Music Play On": A Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Broadcast, featuring many of his friends. John's full sets from 2014 and 2017 are available to watch here.

Bruiser

I wonder where this guy was during the gun hunt?

 

Or if one of the neighbors has him at the taxidermy?

 

 

Or maybe he lives?

 

BTW - the stand shown in this photo is the one I hunted from. 

 

 

Probably a good reason to get out and sit with a bow.

 

Southern Door County grows some dandy bucks….

Highway Patrol

The police car in the image is a

1961 Plymouth Savoy used by the Chicago Police Department.   Additional trimlines that year included the Belvedere and Fury.

While we don't know what's lurking under the hood Plymouth models were available with a 225 Slant-Six and V8 options like the 318, 361, or 383 cubic inch engines.  These cars typically came with a 3-speed manual or a 3-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission, often with push-button controls for the automatic in Plymouths of that era.

Police versions featured a reinforced suspension, heavy-duty brakes (drum brakes were standard), and upgraded cooling systems to handle the demands of patrol work.  Police cruisers had basic interiors with vinyl upholstery and rubber floor mats for easy cleaning.  

This vehicle sports a single dome light and possibly an under-hood siren, like the Federal P-280 pulsator siren used by the Chicago Police Department around that time.

Fun Fact:  Car 54, Where Are You?, the classic American sitcom that aired from 1961 to 1963, featuring the misadventures of two mismatched New York City police officers, Gunther Toody and Francis Muldoon. 

The iconic patrol car in the show, Car 54, was primarily a 1961 Plymouth Fury 4-door sedan, though other Plymouth models like the Belvedere and even a 1962 or 1963 Plymouth Savoy were also used during the series' run.

 

One of my all-time favorite childhood shows..... 

 

Interdiction - Part 2

Recently a very reasonable question came-up in a discussion within a private Face Book group.

Does the Coast Guard have the authority to fire on a vessel suspected of running drugs or engaged in some other suspected illegal activity?

The short answer is yes.  Unremarkably, the rules of engagement are similar to those of any law enforcement organization.

The US Coast Guard may fire disabling shots at a suspected drug smuggling vessel as long as specific legal rules and operational conditions are met. 

Under the Coast Guard Use of Force Policy found in the Coast Guard Maritime Law Enforcement Manual (MLEM) paraphrased as follows:

1.  Legal authority (jurisdiction).  This requires probable cause or reasonable suspicion of drug smuggling.  Including, does the USCG have the legal authority to stop the vessel - is it in US waters, is it a US vessel, or has a foreign nation given permission?

2.  Issuance of warnings. This requires the use of visual and verbal signals.  The use of lights, sirens, radio calls, and hand signals. And frequently warning shots first; typically with an M240 or .50-caliber across the bow.

3. When the suspect vessel refuses to stop.  If the crew ignores repeated commands to stop - called a “non-compliant vessel” - disabling fire is permitted as the next step before any higher level of force.

4.  Only to disable the vessel, not harm the crew.  These are called “Disabling Fire” or “Engine Disabling Rounds.”  Shots are directed at the engines, not people.  Only trained Precision Marksmen/Surface (PMS) or helicopter gunners can do this.  These shots must be reasonably expected to stop the vessel safely.

5.  When the Coast Guard cannot fire.  They may not fire simply because the boat is suspected of drug running.  If it would create an unreasonable risk to innocent people.  Without proper maritime law enforcement authority.  Without exhausting lesser means (warnings, maneuvering, etc.)

6.  Helicopter Armed Interdiction.  The MH-65 “Hitron” helicopters are utilized for this.  Using a self-stabilizing weapon they fire warning shots.  Then fire precision .50-caliber disabling rounds into outboard motors.  This is a standard technique against go-fast boats.

7.  Deadly force.  Deadly force (shooting at people) is allowed only when the suspected crew poses an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.  It is unlawful if solely because of drug smuggling or fleeing.

Through Operation Pacific Viper, the Coast Guard has accelerated operations against cartels across the Eastern Pacific.   

During this surge, the crew of USCG Cutter Munro only last week delivered a massive win: 20,000+ pounds of cocaine seized in a single interdiction, the largest Coast Guard drug bust at sea in more than 18 years. 

USCG crews are bringing every capability to the fight, protecting the Homeland, and combating the flow of deadly drugs long before they can impact American communities.

Quote Of The Day

This relief will provide much-needed certainty to farmers as they get this year’s harvest to market and look ahead to next year’s crops.  We’re going to make them so strong it will indeed be a golden age for farmers.

-President Donald Trump 

 

*Speaking about the latest farm bailout resulting from White House tariff policy 

More Agricultural Surrealism

President Trump announced yesterday a $12 billion bailout for struggling farmers as he looks to shore up the finances of some of his most loyal supporters whose financial fortunes have been hurt by his trade war.

During his first term, Mr. Trump directed more than $20 billion in economic support to farmers after China boycotted U.S. products in response to Mr. Trump’s tariffs.  Everything Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is enumerating are higher in price today largely as a consequence of import taxes.  You know - tariffs. 

 

This bailout is not a rescue. It is the predictable outcome of a policy cycle that begins with tariffs, produces retaliation, and ends with federal money used to shield a loyal constituency from damage the administration created.  This is absolutely exhausting. 

 

Tariffs were sold as strength. They functioned as economic self-harm. China responded exactly as every trade economist predicted, and farmers absorbed the shock. Now public money is used to steady a group valued for its political loyalty while other sectors harmed by the same policies are left to navigate the fallout alone. 

 

This selective insulation needs to be called-out. When government protects one constituency from the costs of its own decisions while allowing others to bear the full impact, accountability collapses. Policy becomes performance. Consequences become optional for some and unavoidable for others. Neither an economy or a democracy can function for long on that kind of asymmetry.

Create a problem, then drop $12 billion on the people who voted for this problem. Then blame Biden.

After all the wailing and gnashing of teeth over NYC Mayor-Elect Zorhan Mamdani; Trump and MAGA are going full on socialist. 

Surreal.

 

Of course, we've been to this rodeo before....