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First, the good news. Folks in Florida knew that another major hurricane was heading their way. That, and some out-of-the-box thinking, helped them get ready. Now, the bad news. Folks in Florida were still cleaning up after Hurricane Helene, when Hurricane Milton hit. Cleaning up after this double-header disaster won't be easy. But there are a few bright spots, which I'll eventually get around to. Topical Twaddle The Usual Doom, Gloom, and Politics "Up, Up and Away": Weather Modification and the Montgolfier Brothers Tenants of Tampa Bay This May Be the End of Civilization As We Know It Customary Protocols, Private Citizens, and Pinellas County Flamingos and Being Human Making Sense: It's an Option Wednesday Evening: Hurricane Milton Arrives Milton in Context: Numbers and a Little History A Handy Hurricane Wind Scale Just How Bad Was It? Memorable Hurricanes Now What? Something I Can Do More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Tw

Headlines about an "eyeball planet" got my attention last month. Then I got distracted by what I thought were more time-sensitive topics — and remembered what two scientists learned when they simulated ocean currents and winds on a tidally-locked exoplanet. That last item was from 2013. It's still the best discussion I've seen of what an "eyeball planet" might actually look like. Turns out that a patch of open ocean on a tidally locked exoplanet's ocean wouldn't necessarily be circular. But I'll admit that "eyeball planet" is a cool description. And may be easier to remember than terms like "lobster-like spatial pattern". So this week I'll be talking about LHS 1140 b, which may not be an "eyeball planet" after all, ocean planet simulations; and — briefly, for me — how I see extraterrestrial life. LHS 1140 b: Water, With Nitrogen in the Atmosphere — Maybe Tidally Locked Ocean Planets: Simple, and Not-So-Si

Folks living in the Caribbean, Yucatan Peninsula, and south Texas are cleaning up after Hurricane Beryl. Some are also mourning those who didn't survive the storm. I haven't been personally affected by Beryl, although my in-laws are in Louisiana, next state over. They seem to have been away from the worst weather, for which I'm grateful. This week I'll take a quick look at what happened, what the storm doesn't mean, and — as usual — whatever else comes to mind. Death, Destruction, and a Power Outage Disasters and Focused Wrath: No Noticeable Correlation The Siloam Reminder Perspectives It's a Changing World Days, Millennia, and Planning Ahead More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Beryl stopped being a hurricane July 8, 2024. By then it had broken several records. I look at Beryl, and what we are learning about tropical cyclones.)

...That's not the only place in Minnesota with flooding problems this week. This spring was the first time in two years that no place in Minnesota was experiencing a drought. That’s good news, but the flooding isn't.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Mankato-area Rapidan Dam is missing a substation, and may fail. Two years we've had drought, now flooding. A very quick look at a Minnesota Monday.)

There's a winter weather advisory in effect until 2:00 p.m. — but most of the snow has already fallen and/or gotten blown around. I gather that three to five inches came down here. That's three to five inches more than we had before. This has been an unusually warm and dry winter, so this snow is welcome. I hope it changes our status from "moderate drought" to merely "abnormally dry". I haven't heard anything about my brother-in-law (February 7, 2024) — so I'll assume that no news is good news, and that he can walk again. Number-two daughter started radiation therapy March 11, so this is her third week of taking maybe three hours out of each weekday.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A side-effect of radiation therapy. Winter storm and drought. Getting a leaking pipe fixed. Weather, and the week before Easter.)

Monday, I wondered what I was going to write about this week. Then I read that scientists found methane and carbon dioxide in a not-really-Earth-like planet's atmosphere — and saw a silly headline or two.... ...Anyway, K2-18's atmosphere is mostly on hold for now. Instead, I'll talk about (alleged) space alien bodies, Nazca Lines and (human) mummies. And I'll take a look at NASA's UAP report. A quick look. It's been one of those weeks. Nice Weather, a Drought, and Me "Two mummified alien corpses..." ??? "Experts", Extraterrestrials, and Exclamation Marks "Nazca Mummies" and — — The Skull of Doom Speculation and the Nazca Lines K2-18b: Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and — Plankton?! Existing UAP Reports: Acknowledging Possibilities Attitudes Questions More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (My take on science news this week: allegedly alien mummies, K2-18b and organic gasses, a NASA UAP report. Unwarranted ass

These days, the first Monday in September is Labor Day. Officially, it's when we "honor the energy and innovation of working Americans": and, maybe, unions.... ...Unofficially, it's the last day of summer: when many Americans take vacations and/or pull out of their lake places. I expect to see a familiar boat or two parked in back yards next week.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Why I am staying home Labor Day weekend. Plus a quick look at official and unofficial reasons for celebrating, and a very little history.)

Folks living in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, are not having a good time. The last I checked, the Northwest Territories capital was being evacuated. Understandably, since there’s less than a mile of open water between Yellowknife and one of Canada’s wildfires. Since Yellowknife has been in the news, and I knew next to nothing about the place, I did a little checking and took a quick virtual trip to the Northwest Territories’ capital. I'll be talking about something else for next week's post, so what I found gets a once-over-lightly treatment.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Canadian wildfires and folks living in Yellowknife, capital of Northwest Territories: and a remarkable house. Also a cursory glance at crazy rumors.)

It's been a year since I wrote about the Mars 2020 mission. This seemed like a good time to catch up on what the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter have been up to in Jezero Crater. The Ingenuity helicopter has been scouting ahead, giving folks back on Earth up-close aerial views of places the Perseverance rover will be visiting. It was a test vehicle for powered flight on Mars, so it wasn't loaded with a great many sensors.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . Studying Mars: Ancient Egypt, Schiaparelli and Lowell. Perseverance in Jezero Crater. Martian weather and climate: and maybe ice ages.

Monday afternoon was sunny and warm. For central Minnesota in January. The high was around 32° Fahrenheit, 0° Celsius. Our sidewalk and driveway were free(ish) of snow, with a bit over a half-foot covering the yard. The weather station at Sauk Centre Municipal Airport was back online Thursday afternoon, and then the National Weather Service posted a Winter Weather Advisory for this area. Sauk Centre Municipal Airport isn't in the Chicago O'Hare class. But with two runways, hangar space for 11 private aircraft, a fuel pump and a private airplane maintenance facility, it meets our needs. Granted, one of the runways is a grass surface marked with yellow cones. I don't know if it's usable in winter. And that's another topic.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

The 2020 Summer Olympics and Stearns County Fair are both in progress this weekend. One is an annual agricultural and commerce show, the other is half of a four-year Olympiad; but they're not entirely different. The COVID-19 pandemic shut both down last year, for example.... ...Can't say that I blame Tokyo officials for saying that they could keep athletes and visitors safe, though. My culture has variations on 'the show must go on' — and sometimes it makes sense. But the International Olympic Committee said 'not now, maybe next year.' Can't say that I blame them, either. I had quite a bit to say this week, mostly about Olympic history .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

CANADA BURNS AS SMOKE SHROUDS MINNESOTA!!! Well, no. Not really. Although that'd make a dandy headline. On the other hand, maybe it's too obviously overblown. Maybe there's a fine line between headlines that grab attention without inspiring thought and those destined for supermarket checkout lines. Or maybe it's more a matter of style and content. And that's another topic, for another day. At any rate, wildfires in two Canadian provinces, Ontario and Manitoba, triggered an Air Quality Alert for my part of Minnesota. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(Drought conditions in Minnesota. (July 13, 2021)) There's more to life than drought and disease, but that's mostly what I'll talk about today. Partly because discussing what I've seen in headlines would mean more research and effort than I have time for this week. Besides, apart from a Hubble update and the Pope's liturgical fine-tuning, 1 it's mostly routine. Take this sample from yesterday and today, for example.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I've been enjoying this week's bright blue skies and sunshine. I'd have been enjoying them more, if I hadn't been recovering from my second COVID-19 shot. And if our skies hadn't been quite so consistently clear. Sunshine's fine, but we need rain. On the 'up' side, my body's response to the mRNA vaccine could have been much worse. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I haven't been wearing a face mask when I go to Mass, the Adoration chapel or Walmart. But I do carry one in my pocket when I go out, just in case the rules have changed. Again. Most folks I've been seeing stopped wearing face masks when pandemic-related restrictions eased up. If I see someone with a face mask in Walmart, the odds are that the person works there. As a rule, non-employee mask wearers seem to be young, old, somewhere between, and either men or women. I figure it depends on the individual's general health and willingness to put up with slightly-used air. And maybe willingness to believe that face masks make sense. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

This week hasn't been a good time for India. Statistics say Tuesday was their worst day yet for COVID-19 pandemic deaths. It's also when the worst cyclone of recorded so far hit India's west coast. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

A winter storm was moving across North America a couple weeks back. By February 15, when The Texas Tribune posted Miguel Gutierrez Jr.'s photo of Austin's Interstate 35 near Stassney Lane, we were dealing with sub-zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures and serious windchill. And, for the most part, dealing successfully. I live in central Minnesota. The mid-February storm included temperatures that were unusually cold, compared to the last 50 years. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

This will be my 31st daily 'journal' entry. I hadn't been planning on a daily posting schedule. But Sauk Centre's weather gave me something to write about three days in a row.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

It's a sunny Tuesday afternoon here in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. It's 8°F outside, -13°C. At that temperature, water is a mineral. Which is normal for this time of year here in central Minnesota. The sun is setting, which again is normal for this time of place, day and year.... ...And my news feed is clogged with headlines about today's American president, and the chap who will become president tomorrow. Which may or may not be normal. But it's pretty much what I expected.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(Looking across the street last Saturday. (January 2, 2021)) This week's weather has included, for the most part, dense or patchy freezing fog. I figure the weather, and Washington news, have been affecting my mood. Or should that be "has been affecting?"... ...I'd planned on getting a picture of the same twigs this afternoon. But something's removed an identifiable curvy twig. Maybe the night's and morning's frost hid it. Or maybe I just didn't notice it. So I took a picture of another part of the same set of bushes.... ...Sound and Fury, News and Opinion "2021 storming of the United States Capitol" may or may not stick as a name for whatever happened last Wednesday. I'm even less certain about what actually happened. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .