Feb 20 2025 - The King of Congestion

 

Donald Trump declared himself KING recently - in relation to ordering New York to stop its congestion fee system.  It doesn't seem possible to have two kings in the congestion world.  And that is not even considering Elon Musk. The real king of congestion and parking is Donald Shoup.  He is the author of The High Cost of Free Parking - 20 years ago - and he changed the urban parking landscape significantly.   He was a PhD and research economist at UCLA. He was inspired by a master's thesis that found that Los Angeles County employees were almost twice as likely to drive alone than federal employees in the Los Angeles Civic Centre.  Why?  It was free parking. Shoup had estimated that 700 million rot 2 billion parking spots existed in the U.S. - a ratio of 2.5 to 7 times as many parking spaces as registered vehicles.     His investigation and studies resulted in his theory that an 85% occupancy rate of on-street -parking spaces would be the most efficient use of public parking.  The expression "cruising for parking" was one of his findings - driving around to find the closest parking spot. Congestion was the result.  Parking cash-out was a solution he advocated.  As parking spaces are subsidized at work, he devised options for the employee the choice to keep the parking space, use the money to pay for transit or vanpool fares, or sae the money by carpooling, bicycling, etc.  He also advocated removing parking minimums for condos, etc.  These resulted in a bias towards owning cars and driving.  It was found that parking minimums failed to reduce or eliminate curb congestion and increased it. The expression of being the king of congestion comes with the full sentence that Donald Trump used.    "Long live the king" no longer can apply to Donald Shoup as he died a few weeks ago.   The declaration that Donald Trump actually made was:  LONG LIVE THE KING!   All upper case.  I looked it up and there's a name for that:  language intensity.  Surprise that this is meant to signal that something is important here and that there's intense emotion with the words.

This is the road to the Peninsula Ridge Winery restaurant.  The Kitchen House - a heritage site - is the actual focal point everyone knows.   The second picture shows  a different perspective with the road diagonally in front - and of course a spring view with the fruit trees in bloom.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Feb 2 2025 - Freeman Patterson

 

Freeman Patterson is one of Canada's foremost photographers.  He's still active in his late 80s, and sends out a regular newsletter.  This one had a startling story.  I have reproduced the introduction below:   "When you are reading this letter, you can safely assume that I’ve just celebrated an anniversary I never expected to celebrate – my 25th. On the last day of January 2000 Dr. Vivian McAlister O.C., his team, and a donor somewhere in Canada gave me a new liver. It was my second new liver in five days, the first having been rejected by my body immediately. Of course, I knew nothing about the events at the time nor for a long while after, as I was kept in an induced coma until well into March. When I was finally permitted to emerge from my long sleep, Dr. McAlister dropped by my bedside to tell me what all my family and friends had known for weeks. “You’ve had two liver transplants,” he told me, “not one,” adding these arresting words, “You’ve won the 649 national lottery five weeks in a row, you had less than one percent chance of surviving, you shouldn’t be here.” Sobering, incredibly challenging words to begin a new life, yet my odds of being born in the first place had been much greater. On the day I was conceived something approaching a trillion of my father’s sperm rushed to meet my mother’s egg. One sperm won the race; all its competitors died and were discarded by nature. That was the first lottery I won, the big lottery we all won – and the prize was the gift of life. So, celebrate with me. Celebrate your big win!" Read more HERE. And this is my Freeman Patterson tree image.  He's well-known for this placement of the tree in the lower part of the image.

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Sep 18 2024 - Seasonal Songs

 

Choir season has started and the music is handed out.  It may only be September but Christmas music has begun.  I seem to have forgotten this.  I seem to remember some other songs in the mix of the Christmas concert.   At least that isn't as onerous as filming Hallmark Christmas movies in the summer.  Where they have to wear cozy sweaters and winter coats.  But what about all the trees with leaves, the grass and flowers?  So I turn to BBC news whose article from 2006 describes David Tennant as Dr. Who, filming a Christmas special in 30 degrees Celsius heat.   "Extras milled about in scarves and woolly coats as shoppers in sunglasses looked on in sympathy. Asked by fans how he was coping, the Time Lord shouted back, "It's blinking boiling." "If it's summer, filming at night avoids the problem of each scene being in blazing sunshine. Although, with sunset so late, you have to work quite long days. If you do film during the day, there's the problem of the actors peering into the sun. We screen the area with a silk - much like a stretched-out parachute - to diffuse the sunlight."  And my answer to the foliage?  "There are tales - "perhaps not entirely apocryphal" - of crew spending several days picking leaves off trees." Here I am thinking about Christmas music when the headline is how many Burmese pythons have been caught in the Florida Python Challenge.  Now that gives invasive species a new meaning for us.

This is the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh.  Quite the wonderful botanic collection of tropical plants.

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Jan 10 20242 - Random Life hacks

 

Life Hacks.  This is a topic area all over the internet.  Generally hacks refer to doing things cheaper, easier, more efficient, and are not obvious.  For example: "If the gum is stuck on your hair, use peanut butter to remove it"  - that comes from the website with this table of contents:   100 Amazing Life Hacks (in Images!) 100 More Practical Life Hacks to Try Some Good Life Hacks Life Hacks To Do At Home Real Life Hacks Daily Life Hacks Life Hacks To Make Life Easier Everyday Life Hacks Life Hack Examples Helpful Hacks For Making Life Easier Final Thoughts I scrolled through the list and they fascinate me.  I did stop at this one: "Doritos are great for kindling if you can't find any" - I find this hilarious.  There are many fun ideas this very long list HERE.  They are inventive, silly things for one's every day.  There are  odd and unexplainable life hacks for which full instructions are needed.   One can just scroll down to the conclusion of Final Thoughts. Our author says that doing everyday errands again and again can get disappointing.  Easy life hacks handles this.  The author explains that they are stunts to make everyday work simpler.   And wouldn't that make us happier, too.  Who would guess that Life Hacks could be so impactful!  Now to get some gum.   Here's a crab apple tree that hadn't yet suffered from a freeze.  So far, we've had mostly rain, but I'm looking ahead to see what the next "Winter Wallop" forecast will be.  Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Dec 19 2023 - Everything Chocolate

 

What is the movie where everything is made of chocolate?  It is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - the 2005 version directed by Tim Burton.  The latest version has real chocolate - so won't that river be  chocolate? f And everything is edible, so they say, in this version compared to earlier versions.  But I read that it isn't a chocolate river this time.  It seems to be a scenic blue-and-white candy river where a chocolate boat floats on top.  We will have to find out for ourselves.   Do you want to know the names of the candies in the original movie?  They are HERE.  The article capitalizes every single letter of every chocolate/candy name: SQUELCHY SNORTER (1971) GOO-FILLED GOURD KICKED BY MIKE TEAVEE (2005) CHOCOLATE BIRD HATCHING FROM AN EGG IN GRANDPA JOE’S MOUTH (2005) HAIR TOFFEE (2005) HOVER CHOC (2023) PRINCE PONDICHERRY’S CHOCOLATE CASTLE (2005) HAIR REPAIR ECLAIR (2023) WONKA WHIPPLE-SCRUMPTIOUS FUDGEMALLOW DELIGHT (2005) There's a lot to a Wonka Chocolate Factory.

The old versions versus the new - everything is edible in the new version.  The Niagara Parks winter garden, or perhaps the winter blizzard garden. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Nov 30 2023 - A Cannibal Solar Storm

 

What might a cannibal solar storm be?  It is called a "Cannibal CME" in the Weather Network article. It results in a colourful aurora.   The article is about a G3 geomagnetic storm overnight Thursday into Friday.  You can read the scientific explanation HERE.  Why is it called a cannibal? The CME sparked by Tuesday's solar flare could catch up to a few other CMEs out ahead of it, potentially combining into a “cannibal” CME that could produce a G3 geomagnetic storm, SpaceWeather.com said. When the headline initially popped up and disappeared, I read it as a cannibal snowstorm.  That's a different story altogether.  The Donner Party is the story that comes up.  This occurred in 1846 when a part of migrants travelled across the U.S. to California and got stuck in a snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada mountains.   When food ran out, some members of the group reportedly resorted to cannibalism of those already dead. Their journey started on July 31st. They reached the Sierra Foothills in October.  Donner Lake is where camp was made. They endured an eight day continuous snowstorm.  Over the winter, various groups left, and people remaining died of starvation/malnutrition. Some were rescued in February.  At the end of the ordeal there were 42 dead and 47 survivors.  The story of cannibalism was well-known through the stories and accounts of the members of the rescue parties .  In 2010 researchers looked for human bones as physical evidence of the story.  But none were found.  An interesting cautionary tale for those travelling to the West.    If only the journey were so straight-forward as this trail.

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Aug 2 2023 - Zombie Fires

 

There already are forest fires in winter.  “Zombie” fires burn under snow-covered forests in the Arctic.  They smolder and stay alive under extreme cold conditions then come back to life as temperatures warm - that’s how they got the zombie name. It is that tundra, isn’t it? It is several metres thick and full of old organic matter and carbon. Those peaty thick soils keep the fires going.    This is a current topic as we start to consider forest fires in a climate change world.  Who would imagine that fire season is every season? The top wildfire locations are 1 - California, Washington, Oregon, then 2 -  the Amazon Rainforest, then 3 - Siberia and the Arctic,  4 - Indonesia and 5 - Australia. In 2023, Canada may be the top location. It is way ahead of the rest so far this year. And then to add winter fires into the mix.     There’s a nice winter forest scene up at Beamer Park on the brow of the escarpment.

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JAN 28 2023 - Leave Well Enough Alone

 

Make things worse...that's the caution of the "Leave Well Enough Alone" expression.  It is a curious set of words in English.   "Do not try to improve matters lest you make them worse. This idea was stated in ancient Greek times. In Aesop’s fable, the fox refused the hedgehog’s offer to remove its ticks, “lest by removing these, which are full, other hungry ones will come.” There is a medieval French version of the saying, Assez est bone, lessez ester (It is good enough, let it be). An English proverb for many centuries, the phrase became the motto of Sir Robert Walpole, prime minister from 1715 to 1717 and again from 1721 to 1742. " "A slangy twentieth-century Americanism meaning the same thing is "if it ain’t broke don’t fix it." Reporting on a meeting between West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and President George H.W. Bush concerning the future of NATO in view of German unification, Strobe Talbott wrote, “They both believe in the old adage, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. ’NATO has kept the peace for 40 years, and there’s no reason to believe it can’t do so for another 40.” (Time, July 2, 1990).  I think the American slang expression is different.   This seems to me to have an Americanism at its heart - the saving of money and effort and a confidence in that approach.  It does not seem to have any implication of marking something worse or ruining something.   The Free Dictionary has an entry for "ain't broke".  It is: "this folksy and deliberately ungrammatical expression dates from the mid-1900s.   The Phrase Finder says that there are reports of it existing much earlier, but was unable to find any print record before 1976.   It is Bert Lance, Jimmy Carter's advisor who gave this expression life in a 1977 issue of Nation's Business: Bert Lance believes he can save Uncle Sam billions if he can get the government to adopt a simple motto: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." He explains: "That's the trouble with government: Fixing things that aren't broken and not fixing things that are broken." And here's the "ain't broke" joke:  Normal people believe that "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Engineers believe that "If it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet." Today's picture is a great winter scene from a few years ago.  Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Jan 20 2023 - Winter Golfing

 

This is a beautiful aerial view of the golf course in Niagara along the Niagara River located at the Whirlpool Rapids.  What a beautiful view.  No worries there about the water engulfing the golfers.  What caught my attention is their advertisement that they  have an all-year plan.  Does the course have snow golf?  Seems like the advertisement vs reality differ - it is open April 1 to October 30th on its website, rather than "golf in all the seasons". Winter golf is an official sport. The tips for winter golf include spending more time warming up.  Winter golf rules include allowing you to lift, clean and place your ball.  There can be so much mud on a golf ball that it would be difficult to play.  When it is cold or raining, the ball just isn't going to go as far.  The air is heavier when it is cold, so the advice is to take the club that's needed.   Southwestern British Columbia claims to be the only region in Canada that offers year-round golf.   But it isn't winter golf there - not Victoria or Vancouver.  I find that Hamilton Ontario offers winter golf at Cherokee on the Martin Course. There can't be any large accumulations of snow or rain and no freezing rain or icy conditions. It wouldn't be snow golf today, but I wonder if people will be out there golfing.  Their tips - winter mitts or pocket warmers, carry your bag, keep a ball in your pocket, winter golf gloves, waterproofs, don't layer too much, wear spikes, and so on. What about changing your expectations?  That's an obvious one.     This is more of what you are likely to find in the Niagara Falls area - it is colder and has a lot of  moisture in the air, so there is ice everywhere.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Dec 27 2022 - FIFA vs Summer Olympics

 

Did FIFA overrun the Olympics in 2022?  It seems to be the headline for what major events happened this year.  It looks like Queen Elizabeth's death and funeral  is far behind the FIFA World Cup.  And even though the Tour de France has 3.5 billion viewers, so would be the biggest sporting event in the world, it only shows up in one article.  It is the World Cup and the Olympics that are compared.     So which is it?  FIFA or the Summer Olympics? Here are  Quora  answers:   1.  "Due to the fact that last Olympics Games and last FIFA World Cup were in the same country, it will be easier to compare both. During the Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro received 1.2 millions visitors.  According to Rio’s city hall, 410 thousands of those were not from Brazil During FIFA world cup Rio received 886 thousands tourists, 471 thousands of those were foreign tourists." Of course FIFA world cup have more than one host city, so there were much more tourists than this. Also, Rio received less tourists from Brazil because there were lots of other cities hosting FIFA World Cup." 2. "If you talk about audience, both events are watched for about half of the Earth. Fifa World Cup reached 3.2 billions viewers, while Olympic Games 3.5 billions." Quora has many more answers, but most are opinion-based.  Here are more analytical articles' answers. 1. The number of countries participating: in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, 208+1 countries participated in qualifying events which narrowed down to 32 in the main event. Meanwhile, a total of 206 nations participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics. 2. Younger audiences show a preference for FIFA 3. Differences are observed based on gender.  The World Cup is the favourite event of men globally (55%) with the Summer Olympics at 52%.  For women it is Summery Olympics 47% and World Cup 35%. 4. Gamers are markedly more drawn to the World Cup than the overall population Finding out how many watched the 2022 series will likely take some time.  My bet is that FIFA wins. The expectation was over 5 billion people.  What do you think?

A swan at Charles Daley Park pond.

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Dec 25 2022 - Charles' First Christmas

 

Silly me!  Of course there is a Royal Family Channel.  And what was on it yesterday?  King Charles' First Christmas Speech.  That was a long time in coming.   Last year's speech with the queen spoke of  "passing the baton" to the next generation.  Gone are the colourful dresses and pretty (expensive) jewels, replaced by a sombre suit.   The BBC gave its view: "In terms of changes in style, the King delivered his first message standing up, rather than a formal address from behind a desk, and his themes addressed more current social issues. But there was much that was traditional. This was a Christmas Day message delivered in a chapel with a choir singing, touching on themes of faith, hope and the importance of serving others. The choir finished, as it had last year for the Queen's last message, singing the carol O Little Town of Bethlehem, with the King highlighting its message of "light overcoming darkness". And what about that Royal Channel?  Are two of them.  One says that the Royal Family Channel is a British YouTube channel that uploads daily videos that are related to the news revolved around the British royal family.  It says it was launched in 2010 and has 2 million subscribers.  Then there's another statement saying that the  Queen launched it in 2007, with her Christmas message .  Vanity Fair says they launched their channel in 2021 with "better late than never."   Do William and Kate want more press - have they been squeezed out by the "new" Royal Family? It seems very busy on the RoyalTube front.  The "Harry & Meghan" docudrama on Netflix just came out.  Is this their offering of what a Christmas special is now?  Thegardian.com website has  the synopsis - a blow by blow of the milestone moments - or more accurately "complaints and grievances."   I wondered if Harry and Meghan had launched their own Youtube channel, and find out instead that Anti-Meghan Markle Youtube channels  were deranked earlier in 2022. That was around the Oprah Winfrey  interview time.   And back to us "common folk" on Boxing Day.  This used to be a buying day for North Americans.  But we had our Boxing Day, Boxing Week and Boxing Month Sales all through December already.  So we will have a day not so dissimilar from the  Royals.  It is a private day for them.  Mind you, it is full of  fancy food and shooting pheasants.  Like the servants of the original boxing day, they all work on Christmas Day attending Church and giving the famous speech.  They get to take the day off on Boxing Day.  I wonder if they give the presents filled with gifts, money and Christmas leftovers to each other.    We are the snowiest Christmas Day country in the world.  Niagara's blossom orchards are dormant right now.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Dec 3 2022 - Sleeping at Walmart

 

There's a difference between RVing and Van living.  The Globe and Mail had an article yesterday on Van living, and the approach to parking overnight on the street.  There is a growing community of people who have converted vans into living spaces, but where do they reside?  I got to wondering about how many people have slept in Walmart parking lots in their RVs and campers.    Walmart has been known as RV-friendly for years.  Campers and RV's on average are allowed to park and sleep overnight.  There are over 4,700 Walmart parking lots. But there is no number of how many people over the years have taken advantage of the Walmart offer.   In the mean time, I find an article with this information:  "even RV enthusiasts Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, conservative activist Ginni Thomas, have been known to stay at Walmart. " "In fact, the Washington power couple spends each summer touring the United States in a mobile home, she said. The justice and his wife have cruised through 27 states since buying their used recreation vehicle in 1999. "We have found it's a wonderful life," Ginni Thomas told National Public Radio from upstate New York on Wednesday. "We have been in dozens of Wal-Mart parking lots throughout the country," she added. "It's one of our favorite things to do if we're not having to plug in and we've got enough electricity." Mrs. Thomas said that their joy in traveling has only been slightly tempered by the overwhelming to-do they occasionally get when other campers identify the high court justice. "Clarence gets recognized every once in a while and that sort of puts a damper on things because when we're out, we kind of like to be in cognito, if you know what I mean," she said, noting they stopped traveling to one camp site because 20 or 30 people would greet them each year. Should I be looking up how many celebrities live the RV life and park at Walmart?  Looks like Kristin Bell and Jimmy Kimmel are fans of parking overnight at Walmart.   There's a long list of celebrities with million dollar behemoths - Will Smith, Vin Diesel, Mariah Carey, and so on. Guelph's arboretum is the setting of this picture. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca