Marilyn's Photos - Dec 17 2025 - Bad Bunny vs Coast-to-Coast Clipper

 

I listen to CBC radio when in the car and they said the most-streamed artist on Spotify is again Bad Bunny in 2025, with over 8 billion streams on Spotify alone.  They played a Bad Bunny song and I wondered how an Hispanic singer can be the number 1 artist in the world.  The Guardian has an answer.  Before Spotify there was no way to tally the listening habits of the planet in a single chart - and Latin America, Bad Bunny’s biggest market, is becoming more influential in the global headcount. One article says “his pleasure-inducing sounds trigger dopamine and foster community.”  I somehow get  satisfaction when European (includes colonial North America - that is, U.S. and Canada) dominance gets toppled.  The dominance is rooted in the historical global spread and subsequent “canonization” of Western classical music during the colonial era, and then the “whitewashing” of Black American innovations of the 20th century.  I read that European/white sounds have traditionally been seen as the default or inherently superior.  Seems to me that Bad Bunny is doing a good thing.   Doesn’t the weather interrupt all our intellectual musings?  I turn to the news that a coast-to-coast storm is coming - it is coming here given we are in the middle of the coast to coast.  The headline lets you know this is big:  “Massive, 4,000-km cross country low brings alerts from coast to coast” - this kind of storm has a formal name - a clipper.  It is a  fast-moving, low pressure system that forms in western Canada and races southeast across the northern U.S. named for their speed, like old clipper ships.  This is a Chihuly glass globe at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens.  This was a long time ago, but I couldn’t resist the water reflections so thought I’d crop it to showcase them.  Looks so calm.

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Jan 26 2025 - This is the American Dream

 

Things come up in the MSN feed that aren't news, but are noticeable.  They likely save things like this for specific kinds of news so there's something to distract oneself.  So this was a record set on March 1st 2022 for the longest "car" at mjust over 100 feet long.  It broke a record set in 1986 for a slightly shorter version.   "First built in Burbank, California in 1986 by famed car customiser Jay Ohrberg, "The American Dream" originally measured 18.28 meters (60 feet), rolled on 26 wheels, and had a pair of V8 engines at the front and rear.  Ohrberg later extended the limo to an astounding 30.5 meters (100 feet) long. To put its immense size into perspective, most cars measure between 12 to 16 feet (3.6 to 4.2 meters).  Based on the 1976 Cadillac Eldorado limousines, the record-breaking automobile can be driven from both ends and can also operate as a rigid vehicle. The car was built in two sections, joined in the middle by a hinge for turning tight corners. Its large size and extravagant features mean passengers can ride in the lap of luxury.  The American Dream includes material pleasures fit for a king; a large waterbed, a swimming pool complete with a diving board, jacuzzi, bathtub, mini-golf course, a helipad, and can fit more than 75 people!" The original fell into disrepair with decreased demand and need for maintenance.  It has been restored and now sits at the Dezerland Park Orlando's Auto Museum in Orlando.  So go take a look at the images of the American Dream Car -I've done just a snapshot from the many.  I guess, in perceptive, maybe this was the golden period when American wealth was a bit more distributed - not just a few oligarchs - and that's the sort of  stuff people did with their money to have fun. I guess there's nothing quite like the love of cars.

Here's a reflection picture from a few years ago.

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Dec 2 2024 - It's Genius

 

"It's genius!"  There are complaints about the overuse of this expression.  A description says that it is just like "It's ingenious" Why would the two be the same?  Dictionary.com says this:  "Genius refers to a high level of intelligence, while ingenious refers to being clever or inventive. Another key difference is that genius is a noun, while ingenious is an adjective. One source of confusion is the prefix in-, which often negates the word it precedes. For example, the word incapable means not capable." On to "It's genius."  Maybe Little Women with the subtitle "Conceit spoils the finest genius." started the trend: "It's genius simmering, perhaps". Little Women By Louisa May Alcott This is an often-repeated quote.  And the novel has many occurrences of the word genius. I can't find out how many for the word genius.  The novel word count is 195,624 (verified) vs Great Expectations  at 187,596. Compare these two to Marcel Proust's 1.5 million words in In Search of Lost Time.  I guess it is inevitable that the word continues in the reviews - the author and book are described over and over as genius.   I arrive at the Oxford English Dictionary and it shows me the quotes where the word genius is used in classical works. It starts with genius as a pagan god.  It continues and continues with the variations of definitions  This is fascinating . Here is the OECD link.  I don't hear the expression It's Genius very often. Will it start to appear? Isn't this a strange water reflection?  It is a white sculpture at the Minneapolis Botanic Garden a few years ago.

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Nov 18 2024 - How does a hot dog get to be gourmet?

 

Didn't I read about a Michelin restaurant with gourmet hot dogs?  Or did I dream it?  I am cynical about hot dogs.   Even the google questions in People also ask contribute to cynicism:  Is there such a thing as a gourmet hot dog? Why do Costco hotdogs taste so good? How to upscale a hotdog? What are the most expensive hot dogs? Let's answer the last question:  "This $169 haute dog now holds the "world's most expensive" title. This hot dog from Tokyo Dog in Seattle rings up at $169.00 -- That's one haute dog. It's the most expensive, in fact, according to Guinness World Records, which crowned Tokyo Dog with the world title.  Here's the description:" It is a 12-inch smoked cheese bratwurst topped wit butter-teriyaki grilled onions, maitake mushrooms, wagyu beef, foie gras, shaved black truffles, caviar and Japanese mayo on a brioche bun." I remain skeptical.  The descriptions focus on the toppings and not the bratwurst sausage. We could just eat the yummy toppings and have a wonderful dish.   I go in search of the most famous gourmet bratwurst by looking for the Michelin Guide recommendations. There's Bratwursthäusle in Nuremberg, with the label "best in the world."  Besides the Michelin Guide our own PBS travel host Rick Steves recommends it.  The second is Zum Gulden Stern, again with a Michelin Guide recommendation.  One still wonders as the pictures show a rather boring plate of bare sausages and sauerkraut.  Not the sort of Michelin dish one would expect. Where are those yummy toppings?   We did get an answer to how hot dogs achieve gourmet, didn't we?  Make them expensive. Here's a picture that matches the topic.  This was at the Hawk Watch quite a few years ago and this is a picture of the reflections in the side of the french fry wagon.  I bet some hot dogs came along with the fries that day!

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Nov 1 2024 - Ocean Blobs

 

The news today tells us there are things besides waterfalls and rivers under the surface of our seas.  There are "blobs".  They stretch thousands of miles - scientists have found one in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.  it extends from the tip of Brazil to the Gulf of Guinea. Its name is the Atlantic equatorial water.  Would there be rivers, waterfalls and blogs in Lake Ontario?  It is deep with a maximum depth of 802 feet and average of 283.  But finding out about rivers and waterfalls below Lake Ontario doesn't seem to be a top priority on the internet. I would likely need to contact the experts.   Could the Niagara River have such water formations?  The depth of the water below the falls is the same height as the falls - 170 feet.  And the depth of the Niagara River gorge is 300 feet deep and 7 miles long.  The depth at the Whirlpool is 125 feet.   There is a "ledge" in the Whirlpool - a rock formation. But finding out about the ledge is difficult.  I've been told that retrieving bodies at the Whirlpool Rapids (that's where everything ends up) can be difficult as things lodge under the ledge.  So I wondered if there could be a waterfall at the Whirlpool Rapids.  I wonder if there can be rivers within the river with such depth.  There aren't any articles on water formations below the River.  It may be there are none, or that these are highly technical sorts of articles. So while I haven't found anything out about rivers below the river, it has been a journey into curiosity.  And I did find this amazing aerial view.

Isn't this aerial view stunning?  Look ag the ledges all along the way.  And there's another Victoria Harbour picture - such a contrast.

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July 12 2024 - Swept Out to Sea

 

That's the headline.  My first thought is to wonder if it was one of those "stories" that gets you to look at advertisements.   It turns out to be an actual news story from yesterday with the introduction "Yes, it's quite an incredible story!" That's because a woman was swept out to sea at a beach in Japan and found alive 37 hours later, having drifted more than 50 miles in the Pacific Ocean.   How did she survive?  Did she float?  Did she swim all that time?  I think she had a floatation device on - "a swim ring".    She was spotted by a cargo ship and rescued by the crew rather than the coast guard.  I appreciate that a cargo ship would be a "life-saving" moment, but to me the vast size of a  cargo ship would scare me,  On the other hand, it might be that the ocean waves would scare me more - they were 6.5 feet high.  Two of the crew members jumped into the water and tied a rope around her and then pulled her up to the tanker. The dangers of being out there that long?  Heat stroke in the day, hypothermia at night, and being hit by a ship in the dark.  So a headline that is circling around the globe celebrating an "incredible story". Aren't these great colours in this water reflection?  It was at the Nathan Phillips Square a few years ago.  It is the TO Sign reflecting in the water pool. Here's what you can do in Photoshop with this kind of image - lots of fun.

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Sep 22 2023 - This Day in History

 

It is 22 years since the catastrophic event of 9/11.  It had a lasting emotional toll in America and was catastrophic for Afghanistan and Iraq.   The role of media expanded to transmitting and amplifying tragic events live.  Airplane travel wasn't so safe anymore, and Muslims became the target of discrimination which has lasted for decades.  I wondered why there are no reflections this year in the Google retrievals. Google has become so aggressive in shaping and deciding what is retrieved that I have come to downgrade its integrity rating.  I hopped over to DuckDuckGo.com and find quite the list of reflections.  There was breaking news from CNN in which two more victims were identified through advanced DNA testing. That article says that 40% of the victims - 1,100 people remain unidentified.  So one would expect the timing of the identification was done to coincide with the anniversary.  That tells us a lot about how news is made for the media today.  I came upon this November image.  I expect this is along John Street in Vineland.  The sun was reflecting up into the sky and the road shone brilliantly with the reflections.  I think this vertical extension of light is called a sun pillar.

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May 29 2023 - Venice Canals Gone Green

 

Isn't this the start of tourist season in Venice? The National Post had the "waters turned green" story yesterday.  And the pictures show the water to be fluorescent green.  The Post says that environmental groups have been colouring monuments, including vegetable charcoal to turn the waters of Rome's Trevi fountain black in a protest against fossil fuels.  It started as a patch - a "verdant blob" according to CNN. So far it has been identified as a type of dye that is used to trace water leaks. This is the Vogalonga boat event, so there are lots of spectators to observe the spectacle.  No one has come forward so far.  The last time Venice's water got a lot of press was during the pandemic when the waters cleared up and dolphins were swimming in the harbour.   Here's one of my coloured water pictures.  These are reflections of flowers at the Kaufmann Botanical Garden in Kansas City.  Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

May 15 2023 - Solo Marriage

 

A travel agency in Japan offers bridal ceremonies for single women.    Cerca Travel's two-day "solo wedding" package includes choosing your own special gown, bouquet and hairstyle, a limousine service, a stay at a hotel and a commemorative photo album. "This package boosted my sense of self-esteem… the effect was equal to a more extraordinary experience, such as visiting a World Heritage castle," says Tomoe Sawano, one of the first to try out a "solo wedding". About 30 women from across Japan have become "solo brides" since the service was launched in May. Almost half of them were married women who either did not have a wedding ceremony or were not satisfied with that experience, according to Cerca Travel. What if you think this is an adult dress-up game?  Sologamy or autogamy is marriage by a person to themselves.  Supporters of the practice argue that it affirms one's own value and leads to a happier life.   In June 2022, Kshama Bindu, an Indian woman from Gujarat, married herself, following all rituals and customs of a traditional Hindu wedding. This was noted as India's first sologamy. She identified herself as bisexual and her reason for marrying herself is that she always wanted to be a bride but not a wife. The prismatic wave reflections in a swimming pool on the garden tour in Niagara-on-the-Lake last summer. The floating white balls are reflected against the blue of the pool. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Apr 3 2023 - Rainbows

 

Hawaii has the most rainbows in the world. The Secrets of the Best Rainbows on Earth, has declared Hawaii the rainbow capital of the world. It has rainbow arcs on the license plates. The islands of Kauai, Maui and Oahu are the best places and the Moa Valley is known as the Valley of the Rainbows. Alaska and Yosemite National Park are the next two and then the fourth is Niagara Falls. A triple rainbow is possible there and also a 360-degree rainbow. The rainbow is seen in a circular formation instead of semicircular.  The Skyline Tower deck is the place to see a circular rainbow.  Australia and Ireland complete the list of top places to see rainbows.  What are the world records for rainbows?  The longest lasting rainbow was almost 9 hours in Taipei in 2017.  The most rainbows at once is covered in an article by Country Living and it was 5 rainbows.  That's a Supernumerary Rainbow.  This one was verified by NASA.  But the photo of 8 rainbows in 2014 was investigated by SNOPES and is false.   Which record would you prefer?  To see the longest lasting rainbow or to catch the biggest rainbow trout?  Or perhaps to see the smallest rainbow in the world.  This occurs on the butt of the peacock spider in Australia.   Here's an image retrieved from Pinterest. But it looks more photoshop than photo.  The second one comes with a blog post and appears authentic.    "After being up at Niagara Falls back in 14 I had to come back for more and wanted to be there when the lights on the Canadian side light up the falls. The night we arrived the light were turned up and got to see some amazing rainbows. The lights would change color and it was a sight to see a rainbow being different colors along its length. In addition to the floodlight bows I also got nice rainbows from natural sunlight and using the super wide angle field of view with my GoPro camera I got nice full circle rainbows. For anyone who is a waterfall or rainbow chaser. Niagara Falls is the place to go and falls are BEST on the Canadian side and this is the perfect bucket list item." Author: Michael Ellestad, Ohio, USA This reflection image comes from a few years ago in First Canadian Place.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Feb 9 2023 - Ask Me Anything

 

Bing popped up today with Ask me anything... and a message that this is all new AI searching, give it a try.  I can't seem to be able to bring up the message again to find out more.  So I searched for "What's the new bing?" The timesofindia website has answered that question first.  "Microsoft has described the new Bing as “a research assistant, personal planner, and creative partner at your side whenever you search the web”. Bing can now answer real-world questions with human-like detailed answers." Windows Central has the story on this:  Microsoft just announced a new version of its Bing search engine. The new Bing uses ChatGPT technology to understand questions and generate answers. The search engine runs on the next generation of OpenAI's language model, which is significantly more capable than the version of ChatGPT that has been available since November 2022. A new version of Microsoft Edge will launch alongside the new Bing. That was yesterday, so we are experiencing the new search engine today.  The articles say you can ask anything - how to plan a dinner party, for example.  So I did that search, and I see the answer from paperless post.com looking visually pleasant.  I wonder if this is what they mean by Artificial Intelligence.  I asked what is the best way to see Niagara Ontario, and I get Niagara Falls, Ontario results.  I changed the search to: what are the best attractions in Niagara region, Ontario.  It is slightly enlarged, but still entirely focused on Niagara Falls.   We'll have lots of time to find out about it.   I wonder if Bing is more an illusion - like this Koi swimming into the reflections of the bridge railing.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca