Super Moon? Malarky!

Alright, it's time to vent! I've been thinking about this all summer long. It occurred to me that when I was a kid, we called all the hype today about super moons, simply: "a harvest moon". Technically, it's not a harvest moon but our grandparents didn't have social media either.

This morning, I read a blog post by U.S. Naval Observatory astronomer, Geoff Chester. "For the most part it is a 'non-event' that is almost purely hype" he said in that post. What caught my eye and sparked this post was his earlier statement (which I fully agree with) when he said, "This is being touted as yet another 'Super-Moon' by popular and social media for reasons that I still can't fathom."

Well, Geoff, I can't fathom it either. In fact, I am so totally disappointed by what is coming out of  journalism schools today. The graduated level of understanding has flat-lined. Sure, there is all the hype about how smart kids are today and how tech savvy they are or have become. Really. What is happening is that the wheel is not trying to be reinvented with the new generations--just renamed. Not only is it confusing. It's total disrespect. But, that seems to be a whole different topic while still being in the same category.

The moon is not 14% bigger. It is just closer to earth. Every one wants to put numbers to everything. And the number game is just that, a game. Numbers in percentages can be twisted so many ways, it even makes a rope get knots. A typical moon orbit is 238,885 miles from earth. At its closest perigee, it's 221,765 miles from earth. Another thing: it's not a super moon or a harvest moon, it's just a plain ole perigee moon. Pure and simple. It may LOOK 14 percent bigger, but it's purely an eye's perception. It's NOT 14 percent bigger.

If one wants too speak of the moon in Folk Lure, then use the terms set down by Daniel Carter Beard. He published in 1918 The American Boy's Book of Signs, Signals, Symbols. Also to be included in the reading list should be The Maine Farmer's Almanac. It was first published in the 1930s. It should not be confused with other Farmer's Almanacs that appear today.

Adapted from the Algonquin languages  came the original list of moon names by months. Because the Algonquin languages include several tribes, the names will vary somewhat. The romantics of the languages can be seen in the list and should be cherished, not renamed by some disrespectful person who thinks the tech savvy world needs new names to get more hits on their social media page.

 ALGONQUIN TRIBES NAMES OF MOONS

January      Wolf Moon, Old Moon, Difficult Moon, Black Smoke Moon
February    Snow Moon, Hunger Moon, Raccoon Moon, Bare Spot on the Ground Moon
March        Worm Moon, Crow Moon, Sap Moon, Lenten Moon, Wind Moon, Little Grass Moon,
                    Sore Eye Moon
April          Seed Moon, Pink Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, Fish Moon
May            Milk Moon, Flower Moon, Corn Planting Moon, Green Grass Moon, Root Food Moon
June            Mead Moon, Strawberry Moon, Rose Moon, Thunder Moon ,Corn Planting Moon
July             Hay Moon, Buck Moon, Thunder Moon, Buffalo (bull) Moon, Hot Sun Moon
August        Harvest Moon, Buffalo (cow) Moon,Corn Moon, Sturgeon Moon, Red Moon, Green
                    Corn Moon, Grain Moon
September   Harvest Moon, Field Corn Moon, Wild Rice Moon, Red Plum Moon
October       Leaf-Falling Moon, Nuts Moon, Hunter's Moon, Blood Moon, Sanguine Moon
November   Beaver Moon, Frosty Moon, Deer Mating Moon, Fur Pelts Moon
December   Oak Moon, Cold Moon, Long Night's Moon, Wolves Moon, Big Moon

There seems to be some effort to remove all American Indian Folk Lure from the printed page. This is another disturbing element of modern day social media and Journalism Schools, Political Correct Pundits or all combined.  

So, come September 9th, another almost perigee moon will occur. It's the last one of 2014. Already, the name changers are hyping that we won't have another one until 2034. WOW! Since the moon is on a 18-year cycle, if you add 18 to 2014 you get 2032. I guess this next cycle has been changed to 20 years by some social media because 20 years looks better than 18 in the numbers game. Or, they just like 20 better than 18 because it looks good albeit they can't tell you why 18 is the actual cycle based on calculations by the U.S. Naval Observatory. Bet they didn't even know that  the U.S. has a Naval Observatory or that the Vice-President's House is on the grounds of the Naval Observatory or that it's located in Maryland and not Virginia or D.C.


 

Harry James, Beatles, Greatful Dead

A sharpie discarded outside The Door. Signing autographs is common from the rock bands

Deep Ellum on the east end of Elm Street.

"Once I knew a preacher

Preached the Bible through and through,

But he went down in Deep Ellum

Now his preachin days are through.

Oh, Sweet Mama, Daddy's got them Deep Ellum Blues."

Recorded in 1935 by the Lone Star Cowboys and featuring Joe and Bob Shelton, the song has been recorded by trumpet player, Harry James, recorded by the Beatles and  recorded by that awesome band, The Grateful Dead.

People tend to forget that Dallas has a Blues culture that equals Memphis or New Orleans. Deep Ellum is the kettle were it still gets stirred, especially at The Door or Trees and others.

Sunday, I revisited Deep Ellum for its fantastic architecture, long history lines that included the days when Bonnie and Clyde hung out in Deep Ellum to the current rock bands that visit The Door and Trees with their tricked out  tour buses and loads of customer ticket purchases just to get inside to see the groups. The atmosphere is eclectic and electric all rolled up in one. It's the culture of Deep Ellum that I enjoy and how it has evolved over the years.

A decade ago I did a marketing survey of Deep Ellum for a Fortune 200. It lead to a grant for the Deep Ellum Association, the funding arm of the Deep Ellum Foundation.  It was a six month task that turned every rock, went down every alley, into every business, and noted trends from  old posters and signs and window displays including broken beer bottles in lots, alleys and streets. Broken glass in the alleys and parking lots on a Monday morning told the story of the past week end. Good or Bad. 

 Deep Ellum has always been like a magnet for me,culturally. I love Blues and Jazz and Heavy Metal. Deep Ellum is the elixir of all that. The tattoo parlors, their indelible inks and art are a current trend, although tattoos are tens of hundreds of years old. I've noticed more bikers than in the past twelve years. To me, the kettle is brewing again. Brewing like it did in the old days. It's not just the kids that want to get wild on a weekend like it was for a while. Older people are coming back to Deep Ellum with their families. The lines for tables on Sunday were out the door and down the block. That is with the heavy street construction going on down the Elm Street section were everything from new storm sewers to new pavement is beginning to look more complete. It is still a mess but Dallas let a few things go way to long.

Cultural districts have a way of working around that. Especially the ones that Main Stream feels is a bit uncouth, when it was the uncouthness that made Main Stream what it became.  You have to learn to mix with it all. Nothing is more fun than seeing an old neighbor in jeans and a tee on a Friday night then at the Meyerson or Wyle all gussied up the next night. It's meant to be that way. Cross overs in culture thrives. Grows. It becomes a great experience. People who can not do that miss out on the experience of life.Mom missed out on more than she should have, but at least, she was aware that the "country club" boy and the "farm boy" could be both, like my old neighbor. Even needed to be both at times. She loved the old song that sang of the soldier," how you gonna keep them down on the farm after they've seen Pariee?"

Historical irony. The box is located across the street from the old Union Bankers Bank. Romantic thought of the 30's, Bonnie and Clyde might have noticed at one time.

Now, DART Rail has two stations in Deep Ellum on the Green Line. Some of the old charm is fading unfortunately. Still, one can find the unusual and see past history just by walking down the streets of Deep Ellum. The old newspapers covered the windows of one business on  Elm Street.

edited to remove Long and add Lone from Long Star to Lone Star 09/09/14

Eerie seeing this 100-year old history on display.

Albert: My Hero

Credit: Albert Einstein/Arthur Sasse/AFP/Getty Images
















This picture of Albert Einstein was taken on his 72nd birthday. Sticking his tongue out at the photographer was his ideal. Frankly, that was his privilege.

Currently, I am in the midst of re-reading Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson. I'm at the point of Summer Vacation,1900. Chapter Four. Fifty pages down. Five Hundred and one to go. A second time, mind you. My summer reading has slowed down some only because I don't pack a book with me when I carry my camera case. I'm up to 40-pounds already and that is quiet enough walking, riding or lugging in and out of the car. Plus, I just took a stack of books back to Half-Price Book's Headquarters at North Park and haven't been to the bookstore for my winter's list of reading.

 I know, there are those techs that load up their Kindle. Frankly, I don't own one and I don't plan to buy one. When I read, I like the comfort and romance of a hard-cover book! Remember those? We have allowed Amazon dot com to cause our cherished book stores to fall like trees in the forest. I know, it saves trees. Well, trees were made to produce pulp and convert it into papers were inks could be married to the paper for hundreds of years. We even built buildings called libraries to house those beautiful hard-bounds. Just the other day, I went into one and they gave me a new fancy digital id card. The method of checking out is modern as most every one knows. Even self check outs. But, the basic reason people go to libraries is for books, Even though the libraries have digital editions, too.

Albert, I hope that  more of your letters and papers are discovered and some one writes about you again.

Peaceful Turtle Creek: It's National Hot Dog Day

While I make fun of myself for visiting White Rock Lake as much as I do, I go there as a photographer because there is always something going on. I've seen a fire department pumper run into the lake. I've seen divers pull a stolen car out of the lake. I've seen a sail boater flip in the middle of the lake and watched a water rescue that ended in success. I've also seen paddle board accidents and just plain stupidity end with tragic consequences.

I've seen a steam-powered boat on the lake; dogs on sail boats having as much fun as their owners, wildlife, snakes, monk parrots, American bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, pelicans, seagulls, ducks, swans, geese, coyote, horses, etc.,etc.

There is no question that White Rock is also a very pretty place and a crown jewel of the city park system. Bikers, runners meet regularly to bike and run alike. Visitors come and take pictures from the docks. Several rowing clubs hold meets on the lake and sailing clubs give lessons as well as hold regattas. The city put several million dollars into the dam and spillway a couple of years back so people can safely watch the waters cascade after a heavy rain. People fish. People picnic; even eat Hot Dogs the year round and not just on National Hot Dog Day, which is today, in fact. The culture center offers many events during the course of the year. All-in-all, White Rock is worth the trip to exercise with a cardio-walk and a place where one can meet professional photographers and hobbyist. It's a direct path to the Gulf of Mexico via its confluence with the Trinity River down stream past the dam. That's always an awesome feeling when you see water flow past your position in stream or on shore.

Having said that, when I want to think and reflect (especially during this time of year remembering my son and mom ) it's done along this stretch of paths on Turtle Creek in Uptown. Everyone has that special place for such personal reflection and thought. Mine is here.

While the traffic sounds are around you, they fade into the background as you walk. The heavily traveled  Katy Trail carries most of the bikers and runners along  and upon the ridge to the left. At White Rock, you would be getting "ON YOUR LEFT" over your shoulder as bikers zipped past. The solitude here is priceless. Across the street at Lee Park, provides areas where you can bring back the tempo of the day with statues, benches and rose walks that Jerry Jones and wife made possible. It's not that far from Jerry's house either as Highland Park, Uptown and Turtle Creek all overlap like a lotus bloom on  a lily pad.

Turtle Creek, Uptown Dallas

Today Is National Ice Cream Day In A Month Of Refletions.

Every July, for a whole lot of years, I reflect back on the past year. What I reflect upon bears the weight of past mistakes as well as decisions from everything from finances and services that I purchase to answering questions like," am I driving enough miles to even keep and maintain an automobile"; especially, being in a city with a rail service as nice as Dallas'.

Overall, each year, my goal is to be a better person than the year before. Seldom, do victories get celebrated. It's just not in my makeup. Mom would tell me over the years that ,"there are those who will vigorously try to claim as their doings the things you do that others like, but they will also be the first to cast stones on you when you celebrate a victory or accomplishment." She was right.

There was a story today about Anderson Cooper selling not one, but both properties on St. George in Quioque, L.I., New York; one with an island, the other without. It glimmers with the words of my mother that I just described. Here's the comparison.

First, there is a "-ish" question of whether he actually lives in the Hampton's. So here you go. If you come in by the front door route he's on Moriches Bay. If you come in by the back door route, he's on Shinnecock Bay. Who actually cares. It's the tip of Long Island and it really doesn't matter one bit. People are so jealous they split hairs. The people with the money don't really care one way or the other and don't split hairs. Frankly, I like their way better. And, Anderson has three plums in his hat straight out the gate! He's a Vanderbilt by blood. His mother is a world renown fashion Queen, He's a Yale grad. Even if the rumors are true that he is a CIA operative in training as a news reporter, He looks like a CIA operative so what?

Many years ago I had a group of friends that lived on Long Island from the easterly borders of Queens to Southampton. The Syosset connection was a steel importer that I purchased from and sold to over the years. The Westbury connection was a warehouse operation, The Levittown connection was a 30 Rock Gems Dealer that taught me how to play cribbage and the Southampton connection was a Contractor Supply guy that shored up all the big-money houses in the Hampton's with steel beams into bedrock! The houses will still blow away in a Nor'easter or Hurricane but at least the foundation will still be there! The Riverhead connection trains dogs. All make up a composit of good as steel New York People over all.

Second, giving up the properties for  nearly 7 million would be hard especially if you loved the water and the trade currents that bring cool summer breezes. On the other hand, moving into the mountains into a Manse that while stately, isn't any thing close to what his grand father's father, railroad magnet Mr. Vanderbilt, built in the mountains in North Carolina. It still remains the largest house ever built in this country. The fact that his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, has a fashion empire in addition to being an heiress, really does not factor into the debate. Anderson has a degree from one of the Ivy League schools. Yale, in fact. I've flow into New Haven, via Bridgeport via Boston Logan . In fact, I still buy my hats from a hat shop in New Haven that has been selling hats from the same store front for over 100 years. Then, I wake up and find myself down in the hold of a ship inspecting my shipment of steel from a European mill. It's all relative. But being in a house c.1906 in the mountains of Connecticut just east of the Appalachian Trail, appeal more to me than being at sea level or slightly above. It's still 100-miles from the city plus a few. You just trade one for the other. The point is, some would trade the other way. As it happens in Anderson's choice, I would have to go along with the mountain property over the sea shore. The crashing of waves gets old after a while. Wind blowing through the trees is music of the Austrian Philharmonic wind section.


Finally, I don't begrudge Anderson Cooper one thing. I see him as another human being that will now be voting in Connecticut or maybe still New York. After all, he lives in a fire house in the City, too! He simply has a few more options than most people and options are a good thing. So in between  here and the last paragraph, I scooped up a big bowl of  Death by Chocolate ice cream. It is National Ice Cream Day, don't forget, and I reflect on that every year as well. It makes no different if it's a Friendly's Ice Cream in New Haven or a Braum's Ice cream in Dallas. I like to reflect back on why I like ice cream every year, too.

Walgreens for Kilowatts Anyone?

Retail Electric Deregulation is the wild west 10 years later.

Yesterday, I went into my favorite Walgreen's to talk to the pharmacist and to pick up prescriptions. As I went in, "Welcome to Walgreen's, Be  Well" came the sound waves of a human voice from behind. Since Walgreen's started that Be Well campaign I don't even turn to look any longer, I just wave over my shoulder as I continue to walk toward the pharmacy. Always, however, I stop to thank the person at the table that wished me to be well as I leave. It turned out to be two young ladies on this trip  from Green Mountain Energy. The thing about Green Mountain is that, one, I like the concept; two, I know a little something about the company and three, I like to see how much the person on the other side of the table knows about the company that they are representing. After all, this is an old marketing guy.

Later in the afternoon while the cat was sunning herself on her favorite towel on the floor where the sun comes through the glass, I got to thinking. That's always good for a couple or three days before my brain settles down to normal again. What came across my mind was the thought about the California Energy Crisis of 2000-2001. So I sat down at the computer to look it up. That led to the deregulation of retail electricity in Texas the following year and from there on, it would take a Philadelphia lawyer to sort it out. Just so happens, I know a Philadelphia lawyer. I picked up the phone and called an old friend, Dave. When he answered the phone, I ask him, "who's your electric supplier?" He shocked me when he said, "the same as yours if the bankruptcy judge okays the sale". Dave was making reference to the parent company of TXU Energy, which is now  Energy Future Holdings. The Delivery System is Oncor but NextEra wants to purchase Oncor because they have invested 7 billion dollars in transmission, power generation and other operations in Texas, but the main reason is,[" they plan to pursue a once-rebuffed bid to take control of bankrupt Energy Future Holding Corp's profitable Oncor unit and that it has the balance sheet to do it." Linda Sandler, Bloomberg.net.]

To make a long story short, I have been following the money for two days now and frankly, it's blowing my mind. So at some point, I say to my self, that I will continue until chasing the money  comes back on the circle. Well, it got to be so interesting that the circle came back on itself about three times over and the suspense was still keeping me going.

There are two things that just freaked me out about business practices.These are always the same.

1]When you start to see companies that have dual headquarters--one for financial and the other for operations-- your are into a good ENRON-type mystery: who made way with the biggest pile of money?
2] Then a company merges with another company and quickly retires the previous logo, but keep doing business in the just purchased companies headquarters, generally you know you have already been had  as a consumer.

So, here is the shortest tale of what  we know. First, a couple of facts. The largest wind farm in Texas is owned by Florida Power and Light, except, it's not called Florida Power and Light anymore. It's now NextEra Energy Resources, but still based in Juno Beach, Florida. Adding to that fact, the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in Seabrook, New Hampshire, is also owned by NextEra Energy Resources. There are others in nuclear, solar,  wind and gas/steam generation, including the gas
/steam generating plant in Forney, Texas, just outside Dallas that uses 14 million gallons of reclaimed water from the city of Garland, Texas daily just to keep the lights on. NextEra also owns Gexa Energy. NRG also owns Cirro Energy. Bounce Energy is owned by Oncor the company being targeted by NextEra.

Now, a couple of final facts. In 2003,  Houston Light and Power, or (HL&P) was forced to split into three companies; Reliant Energy, Texas Genco and CenterPoint Energy. But in February of 1999, Houston Industries had changed it's name to Reliant Energy and in 2005, NRG bought Texas Genco.
Watch closely here. In 2009 NRG had acquired the retail operations of Reliant Energy, which became RRI. In 2012, Genco was acquired by NRG, the RRIs name was retired and NRG moved in to Genco's offices.

Now, the fun part. The Brits formed a company named Green Mountain Wind Energy Center. It was developed by National Wind Power of the UK which is now part of N Power Renewables. Neither NRG or Green Mountain own Green Mountain Wind Energy Center. It is run by [LOL] NextEra Energy Resources based in, yep, Juno Beach, Florida, home of Florida Power and Lights parent, NextEra. But, it gets even more comical, Green Mountain Energy that is based here in Texas, purchases and sells the energy generated by Green Mountain Wind Energy Center. Green Mountain Energy, Texas, calls it the first commercial wind farm of Green Mountain Energy. So Green Mountain is selling energy generated by a company with Green Mountain in their name but not owned by NRG, but is run by NextEra and Green Mountain calls it their first wind farm.

The next time someone says, "welcome to Walgreen's. Be Well"  to me won't be getting just the hand in a friendly wave over my shoulder. The hand that waves over my shoulder might  be short three fingers and a thumb as I walk on down the isle.

What Do You Do In A Traffic Jam ?

This guy knows how to wait out a traffic jam on a hot summer day.

This past Wednesday, President Obama (with the help of Governor Rick Perry) created a traffic jam on the Dallas North Tollway that lasted more than an hour while the president's motorcade moved from Love Field to a prominent Dallas Attorney's home in North Dallas. The arrival of Air Force One at DFW International was a first for Obama, making him only the third sitting President to land at DFW.  Air Force One had not landed at DFW since 1992. From DFW, the president took Marine One, along with it's decoy look-alike and three Osprey's that carried the press corp to Love Field.  The reason for the switch: Love Field has been undergoing a major renovation of both terminals and runway/taxiways. The last time Air Force One landed at Love, the flight deck at DalFort Fueling was cramped, to say the least, but dodging yellow cones and barrels from the left hand seat of Air Force One, some seven stories up in the air, was like watching some test driver move in and out between cones in a zig-zag pattern along a test track that only a professional could handle.

The work that Love Field was undergoing on Wednesday was due to be finished in time for the arrival of Air Force One ( SAM 29000 ran late arriving as Air Force One anyway) and the work was finished, but at the time the schedule was put into place, the White House Staff for Schedule Making decided to land at DFW to error on the safe side. After all, it was  POTUS that was being juggled around in the schedule. As it ended up, the meeting with Governor Perry and others was held in one of the conference rooms at DalFort Fueling where Air Force One usually parks anyway.

The old neighborhood where mom had lived has changed a lot since she passed over. It's more youthful now. Many of the wonderful 1950-60 era sprawling one floor ranch-styles have been purchased up, torn down and rebuilt with McMansions, the process of reclaiming perfectly good neighborhoods and putting two story and still sprawling houses with both double and a single garage doors and roof lines that make Edgar Allen Poe's House of Seven Gables easy to count by today's standards.

On Wednesday, the neighborhood's  neighbors were all out in force to catch a glimpse of POTUS. I can recall doing the same thing when Carter, Nixon and Johnson had come to my neighborhood after I had left the nest and started my own family. Nothing in life really changes much, just the GPS points and neighborhood names and a little architecture meddling hear and there.

This was the first time out of the last six trips to the Metroplex that I have failed to go watch Air Force One arrive. Actually, I had planned to go over to the old neighborhood and do what all the old neighbors were doing--wait to catch a glimpse of the president. But, that would be worse than getting caught up in traffic snarls at either of the two airports, the tollway etc.,etc.

St. Michael Drive runs from Forest Lane near Medical City Hospital  to Royal Lane between US 75 Central Expressway to Hillcrest Avenue. At Royal Lane, St. Michael becomes Boedecker, continues to run south and ends in the new parking lot of the George W. Bush Presidential Library on the campus of Southern Methodist University. When ever I cross Boedecker to this day, I sing the word to the tune of "Gold-Finger!" by saying, Boe--Decker!-- is a street. It's just one of those things that I like to do. The area is just west and behind the JCC (Jewish Community Center) on Northhaven Road. Midbury runs one street north of Northhaven.


The part of the street were the president would be attending is  east of St. Michael on a cul-de-sac. I'm sure the Secret Service were pulling out their hair again because it is such a "dead end" type- area. It's one of the things mom liked about the neighborhood. She liked driving the back roads and she knew every angle of that neighborhood like the back of her hand. You never wanted to race her on the expressways. Just when you thought you had won--you looked up and saw the baby blue Buick  coming at you. She would park having gotten the right-of-way and all you could do was to pull in next to her (and laugh to yourself in defeat).

For now, there will be a count down to to the retirement of this SAM-29000 and the back-up. The bigger and more modern and upgraded 747-800 with the elongated second deck will await a new President in 2016. There has been talk of  a new Marine One and others in the detail. Most people get excited over a new car. I get excited over a new presidential plane. After all, it is the most visible source for our American Democracy on display where ever it flies. So make the best of presidential motorcade traffic jams!!