Roto-Rooter

Again, I have had the unwelcome but necessary opportunity to drink of the substance that facilitates the Big Porcelain Fountain Flush.  

A cocktail taken straight-up with a chaser of several bottles of Gatorade.

You know; The Purge.

If you know; you know.

Give thanks I am not sharing the digital imagery from my Roto-Rooter experience.

See ya in five years! 

 

Fools and Lapdogs

The U.S. merchandise trade deficit hit a record $1.2 trillion last year, despite President Donald Trump’s promise to eliminate it by imposing the highest tariffs in eight decades on foreign-made products.

Thursday’s Commerce Department report represents the first full-year assessment of the president’s ambitious reordering of global trade. The persistence of the deficit in the face of steep new taxes on imports from China, the European Union and scores of other nations reflects the limits of Trump’s blunt policy tool.

As expected, the Supreme Court today nullified Donald Trump's signature economic policy this morning in a ruling that invalidated the president's arbitrary and capricious imposition of trillions of dollars of import taxes on our trading partners around the world.  

Naturally, the President's response was to be presidential and call the justices fools and lapdogs for ruling against him on tariffs.    

 

Back in August the president threatened the court stating that this ruling would: Literally destroy the United States of America. 

Well, it's happened and in the long term we're all likely to be better-off for the ruling.  Tariffs, on their own, are not likely to raise-up or destroy the country inasmuch as imported goods account for only about ten percent of our total economy.  Because we are largely a service economy tariffs don't have much direct impact on things like education and healthcare.  Manufacturing constitutes less than ten percent of the US economy.

Nevertheless, the imposition of import taxes at the sky-high levels the administration imposed are a tax on all consumers, business and manufacturers shrinking the country's Gross Domestic Product by an estimated .3 percent per year. If you put a number on that it amounts to roughly $90 billion a year in losses. That isn't insignificant but nowhere close enough to destroy America.  It just raises everyone's cost of living, jeopardizes farmers, ranchers, small business and contributes to inflation.

So where is this all going to lead us?  Too early to tell but I suppose there are companies for whom imports are a necessary part of doing business; and they're going to want a tax refund. 

Meanwhile, I guess none of us are getting the tariff dividend we were promised and the income tax isn't going to be replaced by tariff revenue.  Of course the DOGE dividend never showed-up in my checking account either.  

Money talks, baloney walks.....

Friday Music

This is a gospel-influenced track composed by Curtis Mayfield and released by the Impressions as a the title track from their People Get Ready album.  Released as a single it became the group's best-known hit reaching number three on the Billboard R&B chart and Number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.  

In 1965, the date of the song's release, Mayfield was beginning to manifest a growing sense of social and political awareness in his writing.  Martin Luther King shared that this song was the 'unofficial' anthem of the Civil Rights movement.

Rolling Stone magazine names it the 24th greatest song of all time and also placed itt at number 20 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.  It's also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.  Whew!

It has been covered by everyone from Jeff Beck, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Bob Marley, Al Greene, Aretha Franklin, The Chambers Brothers, Eva Cassidy, Everly Brothers, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, the Staple Singers and way too many more to count.  Whew!!

In my view Curtis Mayfield is one of the greatest soul singer/composers of all time.

To provide for contrast and for a sense of the timelessness of this song and how it has  transcended boundaries over multiple generations, social, political and religious movements I am posting a 1987 soulful Live In Montreaux performance by Mayfield followed by a contemporary white evangelical cover by Lindy Cofer and Matt Redman.

Good stuff. 

People Get Ready...

The Dear Leader

click on the image to enhance your worship experience

Yup.  Another massive banner bearing the image of Donald Trump was hung from another federal building today; above the main entrance to the Department of Justice Headquarters in Washington, DC

Further evidence of the vast improvement of your and my prosperity and general lot in life.  Along with making the world a safer place. 

All Hail The Dear Leader! 

Trail Camera Update

A funny thing happened to the trail camera supply chain this winter.  There wasn't a Moultrie trail camera to be had.  Nothing in stock locally.  Nothing on Amazon Prime.  Nada.  Was it a chip shortage?  A consequence of tariffs?  A shipping container that fell from a ship and is bobbing-around somewhere between China and a California port?  I have no clue.  What I know for sure is I've been wanting to acquire two more cams and I'm not used to being denied for 3 months.

Since they don't need to be cellular-equipped I know I should be able to snag them for under a $100 apiece; only they've been unavailable.  Other brands and models, yes.  Moultrie. no.  Pardon me for brand loyalty but it is what it is.  It's a boomer thing.

Anyway, after waiting for months, the Missus announced they were back on Amazon and that I should check-out the selection so she could include them on our order.  In short order they arrived - a couple of A-900 bundles including SD card and batteries - free shipping too. Set me back about $90 a camera.

I deployed the first, replacing the last of two A-25i models deployed April 24, 2020.  Its twin succumbed in 2025 and after five years of continuous use this cam was nearing the end of its useful life and will be held in reserve or maybe finish its tour of duty as the 2026 Oriole Cam this year.  We'll see.  Bottom line is I have one new camera still in the box and one old cam in reserve for the present.

Here are the last two pics from the old trail camera... 

Prepping and deploying the new camera...

Stay-tuned for some new photos before too long....

Don't Kiss The Frog

You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your handsome prince.  So goes the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm about the frog prince.  

The version ending with the Princess kissing the frog, who transforms to a handsome prince, is unfaithful to the original in both spirit and content. In the original tale it is the abject rejection of the frog that culminates in the princess violently hurling the hapless amphibian against a wall that transforms him.  The Brothers Grimm sometimes dispensed with nuance.

The version with the kissing is more about doing what you are told - and for women anyway - compliantly accepting their fate.  The original fairy tale is edgier, much more about societal status, the traditional role of women in general and the assertion of free will.  The tale is dripping in allegory and bears little resemblance to a Disney production.  Naturally, all things Disney become fantasized.  Besides, I have the book and have read the tale.  You can fight me over interpretation any time you care.

If only Russian dissident and opposition leader Alexei Navalny had an opportunity to toss his assassins against a wall. 

According to five European governments, recent forensic testing reveals that Navalny was likely murdered with epibatidine, a potent neurotoxin found in South American poison dart frogs.  This finding has resurrected scrutiny over the circumstances of Navalny's 2024 death barely two years ago. 

France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK have reported that independent laboratory analysis detected the rare toxin in preserved tissue samples from Navalny's body.  They argue that inasmuch as there is no credible natural explanation for its presence they have reported the findings to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons as a possible violation of international law.

I am not a biologist, but even I know that poison frogs are not native to Russian Gulags situated above the Arctic circle.  What I do know is that even small amounts of this toxin can disrupt the human nervous system, causing paralysis, respiratory failure and death. 

Navalny died February 16, 2024 imprisoned in a remote and frozen Soviet-era penal colony.  Naturally, the Putin regime denies any involvement insisting that their problematic citizen passed away of natural causes.  

Six years ago I had the opportunity to learn more about South American poison dart frogs on a museum tour.  You can see them here in captivity - duplicating their tropical environment.

 

Got to hand it to Vlad.  It used to be Sudden Russian Death Syndrome; the accidental falling from hotel windows phenomena that has claimed the lives of a mind boggling number of businessmen, bureaucrats, oligarchs and journalists as a mechanism to silence opponents would suffice.  Having dispensed with the messiness of Polonium-210 as the poison of choice the play list now includes a toxin from South American poison frogs. 

If only the Brothers Grimm were alive today to spin a fairy tale with this material.....

Fake Spring

Three days in a row of spring-like weather with sunshine, melting snow and outdoor temps venturing into the mid-50s.  There is even rain in the forecast.

Hmmm.... 

Sure feels like spring; but I've been to this rodeo before and I am no fool.  We're gonna see a drop in temps, a return to snow and maybe even a blizzard or two with possibilities of such nonsense extending into April.

This ephemeral meteorological phenomenon is what is known as Fake Spring.

For the present what we know for sure is paw prints covering the porch confirm that Mud Season has commenced.  Consequently, a freshly-laundered supply of dog towels are on the rack above the janitor slop sink in the garage.

  

Fat Tuesday

On the first of several trips to Paris over the years we stumbled-upon Carnivale.

 

Jill had sleuthed the parade routes which converged at the Place de la République, a famous square located between the 3rd, 10th, and 11th arrondissements. 

 

Naturally, we took the subway to the famous square and situated ourselves at a cafe from where we could observe the arrival of the revelers. 

 

By the time the masses had assembled we joined the festivities for some Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. 

 

Raising a toast to travel spontaneity and Lenten tradition…..

 

(Apologies for the glitchy autofocus)

Ice Drinking

 

 Sturgeon season thru the ice opened on Valentines Day. 

The season is scheduled to last 16 days, closing on March 1, 2026, or earlier if the predetermined harvest caps are reached.  

Great weather Sunday to catch some rays and maybe spear a really big fish….

 

Carnivale

Mardi Gras in the United States originated in Mobile, Alabama, in 1703, over a decade before New Orleans was founded. French settlers established the Boeuf Gras (Fatted Ox) society in 1704, initiating the oldest family-friendly Carnival celebration in the Americas. 

Unlike the adults-only debauchery featured in New Orleans, Mobile hosts masked balls, parades, and mystic societies, with modern celebrations such as the Murphy High School marching band. 

That is Grandson, the Tuba Dude, on the far side of the street. 

Raising a toast to family values and Lenten tradition…..

 

 

 

Crime Plunges

Marking the largest single-year drop on record and possibly the lowest murder rate since 1900, murders in major US urban centers  plummeted by over 20% last year.

Crimes in nearly all categories fell with 36% fewer robberies, 29% fewer carjackings and 25% fewer homicides compared to 2019.  

27 out of 35 cities surveyed saw declines in homicides chalking-up a year over year 20% decline nationwide compared to 2024.   At -60% Baltimore was witness to the largest drop while Los Angeles saw a 39% drop. 

According to the Council on Criminal Justice, burglaries fell by 45% and larceny by 20% compared to 2019. Despite remaining higher than 2019 levels, motor vehicle thefts fell by 27% last year compared to 2024.

The extent to which President Trump's policies are responsible is the subject of considerable debate between the administration and independent researchers.

The White House and Department of Justice (DOJ) cite several factors including the deployment of federal resources and army national guard personnel to major cities - specifically targeting Democrat-led Blue Cities characterized as war zones.  Surging ICE operations which targeted and removed thousands of criminal aliens from US streets.  And lastly encouraging stricter federal prosecutions and promoting a positive image of law enforcement to boost morale among rank and file police and recruitment.

In contrast, criminologists and organizations such as the Council on Criminal Justice and the Vera Institute argue that the 2025 drop is a continuation of a "virtuous cycle" that began in 2023.   Significant is as the social, economic, and psychological stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic receded, crime rates naturally began to revert to pre-2020 levels.  Experts credit the 2021 American Rescue Plan and the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which funded community violence intervention programs that reached peak effectiveness in 2024–2025.  Finally, policy changes typically take more than a few months to manifest in national statistics. Critics argue that Trump's 2025 cuts to DOJ grants for community safety may actually risk reversing these gains in 2026.  

On one hand factors contributing to this statistical avalanche include technology advances leading to precision policing and a reduction in court backlogs.  On the other hand, community-based programs implementing violence interrupters and even a generational shift in the data suggesting Gen Z committing fewer violent crimes are responsible.  

While the Trump administration's aggressive enforcement coincided with the record-breaking drop, the decline was already well underway by 2024. Most analysts believe the 2025 figures are too complex to parse and I'm disinterested in burning valuable bandwidth on someone's confirmation bias, selective cherry-picking or group-think.

Either way you slice it, crime in many cities has been falling since former President Biden's final two years in office.  The decline witnessed last year is a sharp reversal of the outlier pandemic-era surge that commenced during Trump's first term.   

For most of the last year I've been witness to more than enough reality television drama recently punctuated by the slaying of a couple of my countrymen; a singularly Trumpian Kent State moment. These deaths have had a profound impact upon my psyche; mostly a consequence of a small handful of acquaintances reveling and basking in the reflected glory of the slaying of Americans - for all the world to see on social media.  Absorb that readers; and allow it to register.  I don't care if it is Renee Good , Alex Pretti or Charlie Kirk; don't behave like a bloodthirsty damn ghoul.  Rejoicing in the gunning-down of other Americans reflects poorly.  

Drama-aside, there hasn't been much if any permanent progress on anything that will improve your and my prosperity and general lot in life. The budget and deficit have exploded to record levels and tariffs have increased the cost of living on all Americans. Nevertheless, this news from the crime blotter might just be evidence of our immediate world becoming a safer place.  Considering most everyone around here leave their keys in their vehicles I'm gonna embrace the drop.  Time will tell if it is lasting.  I'm a patient sort.....

On This Day In History

On Valentine's Day 1990, thirteen years after leaving earth, Voyager 1 directed its cameras back towards the sun and took a series of images of the planets, creating the first ever 'family portrait' of our solar system.

Image credit: NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory-Cal tech

Famed astronomer Carl Sagan spent years trying to convince NASA to have Voyager 1 turn around and take this picture on the way out. The picture is actually a mosaic that combines sixty frames.

Patron Saint

In the Roman Catholic tradition of the Christian Faith St. Valentine is the Patron Saint of betrothed couples, happy marriages, love, lovers, bee keepers, fainting, epilepsy, plague, travelers, and young people.  His feast day is today.   

As a consequence of so little being known about the man the Church removed St. Valentine from the General Roman Calendar in 1969.  Nevertheless, he remains recognized as a saint.  

One of many stories is that Valentine was imprisoned for committing the most heinous of crimes - marrying Christian couples and aiding Christians being persecuted by Emperor Claudius of Rome.  Angered to the point of rage Claudius commanded Valentine to renounce his faith or be beaten with clubs and beheaded.  Refusing the emperor - Valentine was martyred outside the Flaminian Gate on February 14, 269.  

In case you’re wondering if Valentine was a real person - archaeological excavations have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to him.  In 496 Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration honoring his martyrdom.   

Today his relics can be found throughout the world – including his skull at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Rome.  

 

click on the relics for a closer look

Happy Valentines Day.

 

Friday Music

Composed by Sly Stone in 1968 this was the first single by his band to shoot to the number one slot on the Soul Singles Chart and the US Hot 100 Chart. The single occupied the hot 100 spot for an entire month making it one of the most popular songs of the 1960s.  Billboard ranked it as the Number 5 song of 1969.

As one of the first racially integrated bands in the history of rock and roll the message of the band Sly and the Family Stone was reflected in the song lyrics.

Turn-up the volume for Everyday People....   

February Night Sky

One of the benefits of viewing the night sky during the winter months is the lack of humidity - a contributor to light pollution clutter and general impediment to star-gazing.

In any event this time of the month there is a waning crescent moon and if you are fortunate-enough to live with generally dark skies there is limited competition from the moon this evening.  Which is an opportunity to become familiar with a popular and easy to locate constellation.  Cassiopeia - The Queen.

You will locate Cassiopeia in the northwest in the evening during the month of February.  In the shape of an M or W it is one of the easiest constellations to spot.

Radioactive

Speaking of radioactive stuff there is this.

A couple of decades ago a free radon detection kit came into my possession.  Some of my readers may know that radon is an odorless, colorless, naturally-occurring radioactive gas that is produced as a consequence of the decay of uranium and radium in soil, bedrock and groundwater.  It enters buildings primarily through foundations, footings, construction supports and plumbing.  

And like all things radioactive, radon is hazardous.  Prolonged exposure to the stuff is a major contributor to lung cancer.

Pondering the detection kit I figured I would use it on our newly-constructed house as opposed to our almost one hundred year old house.  The foundation of the new house was close to bedrock along with a high water table and the logic was that it was tightly-constructed and therefore more likely to trap or retain dangerous gases. I didn't give much thought to the fact that a certified Energy Star dwelling was also equipped with a whole-house fresh air exchange system.  I wasn't thinking.  I digress.   

As for the old house, it was constructed upon a shallow hand-dug basement, poorly insulated, generally leaky and drafty and to my mind if it was capable of allowing mice to come and go freely it was unlikely to retain any gas for very long; radioactive or not.  I wasn't going to test it for radon even if it was free.  

So I tested the new house.

Wouldn't you know it, the dwelling tested positive for radon.  A more sophisticated follow-up test conducted by a HVAC contractor revealed sufficient radon contamination to warrant remediation. 

So we had the contractor install a sub-slab depressurization system which uses a pipe and fan to draw radon from beneath the basement, via the sump-pump crock, and vent it safely outside.  

After installation a follow-up test resulted in no detectable radon.  And the basement smelled remarkably fresh from there-on.

Anyway, while outside and playing with the dog recently I happened to look up for some reason and absolutely had to take a picture of the stack from which our radioactive radon is vented.

To be clear this has happened before, yet is exceedingly rare and unusual; likely the result of a week of negative Fahrenheit temperatures.

Nevertheless, a passing thought occurred to me that if a person mixed a cocktail and used the ice from the stack would the libation have radioactive properties?  Glow in the dark perhaps?  In my lifetime all things nuclear enjoyed some popular culture notoriety after all....  

Leave Sleeping Dogs Lie

When our doggo has her On/Off switch in the Off position she is most certainly off.

Whether it is at the end of the day sprawled on the couch getting toasted in front of the fire; 

or basking in the warmth of an early morning sunbeam. 

That big yawn says she's all business.

Don't poke sleeping dogs.

At this age if you go out of your way to wake them from a nap they think you'll want to go outside and play. 

Reflections

This year the NFL is expanding its international series to a record eight regular-season games across five countries: Spain (Madrid), Germany (Munich), Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), the UK (three games in London), France (Paris), and Australia (Melbourne). These games will feature match-ups in new cities, including the first-ever game in France and Australia.​ 

It is no secret the NFL wants to make their product a global brand.  People from other countries who might not even use English as a primary language are going to figure significantly in NFL marketing.  Old white guys like me need to get over it because we're not a target market. 

The NFL brand is a business and I don't think they care what the current occupant of the White House thinks about their business model. 

Why?   

The NFL wants to expand their brand beyond our borders. The NFL wants to grow profits.  The NFL is bigger than Trump. The NFL will be around long after Trump is gone.

​If I were a fly on the wall of the NFL's boardroom I'd likely learn they're tickled-silly that everyone's jabbering this week about record viewership of a halftime performance interrupted by a thoroughly forgettable game.

The Urban Coyote

From time to time I've had an opportunity to attend a woodland owner conference, compare notes with neighbors, chat with a wildlife biologist or simply ponder my own personal observations and encounters with the top predator in our neighborhood.  Sure, we may occasionally encounter a gray wolf or a black bear around these parts but they're generally dispersing males and not found as breeding populations.  And since we don't have large breeding populations of humans close to where I live; wildlife encounters around here are strictly from a rural perspective. 

The purpose of this post is to draw attention to how Wiley Coyote has adapted to urban life and what, if anything, you might want to know about it or do about it.   

The frantic animal in the photo below was photographed on a motion-activated trail camera while being pursued by a pack of trailing hounds belonging to some neighbors of mine a couple of years ago.  Around here, coyotes are universally wary of humans.  This is a consequence of being hunted.   

Meet Canis latrans.... 

The translation from Latin - barking dog.  Coyotes are wild dogs and depending upon their location sport a grayish-brown coat that can vary from silver-gray to black.  The tail uniformly has a black tip.  Unlike the brown eyes of a domestic dog a coyote's eyes are yellow.  Adults can tip the scales at roughly 25-35 pounds and occasionally a healthy, well-fed specimen might grow to 40-45 pounds. 

Native to the Great Plains and deserts of Mexico coyotes have dispersed over the last several hundred years and now range from the arctic to Central America.  An exceedingly adaptable predator its numbers have grown as settlement reduced the numbers of larger predators such as cougars, wolves and grizzly bears.

Coyotes are opportunistic hunters feeding mainly upon small rodents, fruit, rabbits and deer - all found in bountiful abundance in a city.  Regrettably, a small dog or cat is the same as any other smaller prey animal that a coyote might seek as a food source. 

In Wisconsin coyote numbers have steadily increased and their remarkable adaptability to the urban environment has given rise to coyote, pet and human conflicts. 

Most of these encounters arise because coyotes become habituated to the presence of people and lose their natural fear of humans.  It is the abundance of food resources at the root of this.  If you have a bird feeder coyotes will both eat from the feeder and eat the animals attracted to the feeder.  Feeding the family dog or cat from a pet bowl on the patio or deck is a singularly bad idea.  And the common denominator found in coyote attacks upon family pets is typically a lack of supervision while outdoors.  If you have to let your dog out to do their business stay outside with it - especially during the periods of dawn and dusk.  Finally, don't let your cats wander.  It is dangerous for the cat on too many levels to count and outdoor cats are the single largest predator of wild song birds.

Sure, I know someone reading this is going to think this is nonsense and a huge inconvenience.  They're likely thinking:  Why not trap the coyote and release it somewhere else?  of kill the varmint? 

While it may be legal to trap and relocate the animal doing so simply makes your nuisance coyote someone else's nuisance coyote.  Besides, in the absence of altering the conditions of wildlife feeding and corralling your pets you may most assuredly rely-upon another coyote moving-in to claim the territory of the prior occupant.

Counterintuitively, if a community expects to solve the problem by employing large scale lethal means to reduce coyote numbers the Town Fathers are going to run-up against the Law of Unintended Consequences.  The complex biological response of coyotes to large scale lethal control efforts is to have larger litters with more females per litter.  They are adaptable after all.

So what to do? 

Take steps to discourage coyotes.  In addition to removing food and being vigilant about your pets if you see a coyote you should haze it relentlessly.  If a coyote approaches you or a pet respond by throwing things at it, yelling at it, spray it with a garden hose, a super soaker or (with some restrictions) pepper spray.  Make the encounter miserable for the animal.  Be fearless.  You are bigger and coyotes naturally avoid people.  Moreover, there is not a single documented case of an attack upon a human by a coyote in the Midwest.  If your response is to pick-up Fluffy the Dog and run in the opposite direction you've reinforced the message to the animal that he is Top Dog.

This time of year is breeding time for coyotes and as a consequence activity will increase with the arrival of pups in the months of May and June.  If a person is attacked or you encounter an animal acting aggressively contact the Department of Natural Resources or local law enforcement.

A word about the Coywolf.  A coywolf - the eastern coyote - is a hybrid wolf coyote species that emerged a long time ago after coyotes dispersed from the central plains and colonized the northeast United States and southeastern Canada.  Contrary to any breathless report you might see on Facebook coywolves may possibly be found in the northernmost reaches of Wisconsin; but evidence is sketchy and sightings scarce.  Furthermore, to an untrained eye coywolves look and behave no differently than the coyotes we know to be around here.  So I suppose none of us would know one if we saw one.  You may relax.  

In closing, if you live in a city environment and care to engage in some citizen science you might want to check out websites like iNaturalist.org - Milwaukee County Coyote Watch. 

Chicago is not just home to the Bears it is also home to a resident population of several thousand coyotes.  Chicago coyotes have been participants in a longitudinal study for more than two and a half decades.  Started in 2000 this is the longest-running comprehensive study of its kind.  Remarkably, researchers have documented den site locations near Soldier Field and Navy Pier.  You can learn more about the Cook County Coyote Project here.

Meanwhile if you want to learn how to haze a coyote there is this... 

Halftime

It is Super Bowl Sunday and naturally, halftime fare around here is highly likely to feature venison brats. 

Pan-seared much like they’re done on a flattop in the Fatherland.  Slowly finished in white wine and imported, barrel-cured kraut. 

Kaiser roll and chips.

Pretty good chow if you can get it….

February Night Sky

On the subject of dogs today if we have clear night skies this evening there is this.

click on image for a closer look

The constellation Orion (the hunter) is a prominent, easily-identifiable object in the southern night sky.

If conditions warrant take the opportunity to venture out most anytime this entire month and locate this constellation.  His belt of three stars (Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka)have an unmistakable tilt upward and the bright stars representing his shoulder and knee - red-colored Betelgeuse and blue-white Rigel.  

If you draw an imaginary line down and slightly left from Orion's belt you will land on Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, which locates the heart of Canis Major (the big dog).  Above Sirius and to the left you will locate Procyon in Canis Minor (the little dog).  As the story goes - Orion accompanies by his two canine companions - strides across the night sky from east to west.

Fingers-crossed for cold, clear viewing conditions.

PU-238 On The Summit

A couple of months ago I read an article that caught my interest.  Having been raised during the cold war along with the accompanying promise and threat of nuclear technology, secret agent espionage and as an avid reader of National Geographic Magazine for almost six and a half decades you would understand.

In response to Communist Red China's nuclear ambitions and tensions between India and China - in 1965 a joint US-India mission conceived by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) launched Operation Blue Mountain.  The objective was to monitor telemetry collected from Chinese missile tests conducted from the Xinjiang region. 

To do so, it was proposed to install a surveillance (listening) device on the summit of Nanda Devi, India's second-highest peak with a commanding view of China from India's northern border.  Expert mountaineers from the US, India and Nepal would carry a long-range listening antenna powered by a SNAP-19C radioisotope thermoelectric generator.  The generator was fueled with seven capsules of plutonium-238, roughly one-third the amount used in the Nagasaki bomb.

Nuclear-powered device that was installed by CIA climbers on another mountain near Nanda Devi. It’s the same as the model that is still missing.

Rob Schaller, via Pete Takeda collection

It is useful to note that in the mid 1960s compact nuclear power generation had proven itself in space and undersea exploration and in the absence of readily available and robust solar technology a portable nuclear power generation set-up that could power the station remotely for years was considered a near perfect solution.

Arriving in mid September it was already the close of climbing season yet the CIA rushed to complete deployment of the listening station.  Without sufficient time to acclimate the team of climbers and Sherpas were already suffering from altitude sickness at 15,000 feet.  They faced a climb of an additional 10,000 vertical feet requiring the establishment of four camps along a dangerous ridge line.  The mission was led by Indian Captain, and expert climber, M.S. Kohli.  High winds, near constant snow, a shortage of food and frostbite hampered progress as the team struggled to attain the summit.  Finally, out of water and out of food, on October 16 a sudden and violent blizzard near the summit forced the small expedition to withdraw.  Abandoning the mission the team secured the heavy equipment, including the nuclear power generator, to an ice ledge and descended the mountain.  The plan was to retrieve it in the spring.

Returning in May 1966, the team discovered that the entire ledge where everything was cached had been swept-away by an avalanche.  

The nuclear device was gone.

Subsequent searches using heat detectors, metal detectors, infrared detectors and radiation detectors failed to locate it.  Presumably, it had been buried somewhere within the Nanda Devi glaciers.  

For decades both the US and Indian governments had an official policy of neither confirming or denying the mission citing intelligence security.  But that did not deny the reality of the device being out there, possibly sinking deeper into the ice from heat generated by plutonium decay, in a melting, shifting glacier that supplied the headwaters of the Ganges River.  Millions of people down stream could be impacted by contamination risks.

Whoa!

This is excellent journalism on the part of the Times revealing the CIA's loss of a nuclear device sixty years ago.  I unblocked the paywall as it's a terrific read.  I wonder how many more US Government and CIA misadventures/debacles remain to be discovered?  Probably enough to keep investigative journalists busy for decades.

If they're found out.

Read the article in its entirety here.

And, by the way, I'm still reading National Geographic Magazine each and every month... 

CSI Door County

Under ordinary circumstances our yard is a busy location if you enjoy bird watching. Five different feeders attracting juncos, finches, nuthatches, jays, cardinals, chickadees and every variety of year round woodpecker known to these parts. 

 

Anyway, before I took doggo out for a romp it occurred to me that the yard had gone vacant and silent. 

 

Not a bird in the neighborhood. 

 

Once we were outside and inspected the snow in the yard there was this.

 

Forensic evidence….