Jan 24
Crazy Mountains in Montana
This astounding image captured above the mountains of Montana looks like the first sign of an alien invasion.
In fact, it is a lenticular cloud, which often forms in a UFO-like saucer shape, triggering reports of extraterrestrial sightings.
The apocalyptic sky appeared over the jagged peaks of the Crazy Mountains just as the new year began.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082443/Apocalypse-cloud-Extraordinary-sight-appears-Montanas-Crazy-Mountains-New-Years-Day.html#ixzz1kLxt1bbu
Jan 18
Living Cathedral of Trees
The Italian artist Giuliano Mauri was known for creating "natural architecture" by blending organic materials such as branches into large-scale outdoor works of environmental art that were, because of the nature of the pieces he worked with, temporary. Building on his love of wood and nature, Mauri conceived of forming outdoor living cathedrals with trees grown in such a way as to form the walls and roof.
Mauri's first attempt to create a living cathedral in 2001 laid the groundwork for the new Tree Cathedral installed near the northern Italian city of Bergamo in late 2010. With the artist's death in 2009, this Tree Cathedral will serve as a memorial to his work and life.
The Tree Cathedral consists of 42 columns forming a basilica of five aisles. Fir poles and branches from hazels and chestnuts have been woven together to create a supporting structure for the 42 beeches planted to eventually grow and form the columns. As planned, the surrounding support structure will deteriorate as the beeches grow, creating a seamless transition from the man-made to the natural.
Standing at the foot of Mount Arera, the Tree Cathedral's man-made structure includes 1,800 fir poles, 600 chestnut branches, and 6,000 meters of hazel branches joined together with wood, nails, and string. The Cathedral takes up 650 square meters and took months to construct. It is more than 90 feet long, nearly 80 feet wide, and ranges in height from about 16 feet to nearly 70 feet.
This project is both a tribute to the artist and Bergamo's contribution to the International Year of Biodiversity.
Jan 18
Andrew Sullivan in Newsweek - Obama
“To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle,” George Orwell once wrote. What I see in front of my nose is a president whose character, record, and promise remain as grotesquely underappreciated now as they were absurdly hyped in 2008.
This article is must-reading for anyone who wants to get a clear picture of what Obama has been up to. I highly recommend it.
Jan 11
December 1900 “What May Happen in the Next Hundred Years”.
This is a fascinating article of predictiions by top minds of the day. A great deal of the 29 predictions have come to pass, but we still cannot store cantaloupes through the winter like potatoes.
