Man in Pajamas at the Library: Reality Is Funnier Than Fiction

Summary: Reality is funnier than fiction as a man in pajamas nonchalantly patronizes a county's new, large headquarters library.

Sometimes an outfit may appear pajama-styled but really isn't a PJ: "Mr. Pajama Man" at New York Public Library for Manhattan Cocktail Classic Gala Friday, May 14, 2010, 23:48:56: Ciprian Tutu, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

This new year of 2015 may be off to a strange start. A funny thing happened last week -- the third week in January -- in the library.

Apparently last Saturday, Jan. 24, a man in pajamas patronized the county's new headquarters library.

My sister and I had been planning to spend the day there but instead had opted for a shorter day at the small neighborhood library that is open only for half a day on Saturdays. One of my sister's friends was bubbling with news at headquarters library a few days ago on Wednesday, talking happily about the Chinese crested dog she may be bringing home soon, and so she almost forgot to share the astounding news of last Saturday's unusual patron.

The friend had arrived a few minutes early at the library last Saturday. In the few minutes before staff opened the library's sliding doors to the public, a man joined her. She guessed his age as falling within the range of thirties to forties. He had an unexpectedly casual air because of his apparel. He was wearing a bathrobe over pajamas, and his feet sported bedroom slippers.

They chatted casually, as patrons often do as they cluster at the entrance awaiting the library's opening.

Pajama man shared that he had come to the library to renew a book. It is possible to renew online or by phone, so did he not own those electronic devices? Or was he a retro person preferring in-person interactions to the anonymity of electronic transactions?

He shared that he worked at the area's mental hospital! Considering his apparel, my sister's friend wondered to herself if he were indeed an employee or, rather, an escapee. On the other hand, there was nothing institutional about his pajamas, robe and slippers.

To the friend's relief, staff then unlocked the doors. My sister's friend headed for the stairway leading to the second floor computers. As she ascended the stairs, she realized that pajama man was behind her. Was he following her? He was choosing to walk past patron computers conspicuously and conveniently placed near the entrance on the first floor.

As she reached the stairway's top steps and came into view of the reference desk, she was greeted by one of the reference librarians. She told my sister that the expression on the librarian's face was absolutely priceless as her gaze fell upon the shadow: her eyes literally seemed to grow as big as saucers!

The friend settled into her favorite place toward the end of the first table of computers located to the right of the reference desk. Fortunately, her shadow did not follow her to the available computers on either side of her.

Instead, availing himself of a guest pass, he settled at the station closest to the reference librarian. Why did he use a guest pass? Ownership of a library card was implied by his stated intention of renewing a book. Sometimes, though, patrons seem to prefer anonymous signage via guest passes over identifiability via personal library cards.

Pajama man remained for the full hour of time available to patrons with their first access of the day. (Subsequent renewals are available at 30-minute intervals thereafter.) Then he betook himself back down the stairway and apparently exited the library without incident.

I wish that I had been there. Such a sight to see!

No pajama party was on the library's schedule for that day. Plus, story time pajama parties are a feature of the children's room and take place in the late afternoon or early evening.

Was it a dare? Was it some kind of fetish? Years ago I worked briefly with a young man who seemed to like marking places in his life with nightwear. He had attended a university class in pajamas, and he also wore them one day at the dour insurance company where we were employed.

The library's pajama man was allowed to come and go, without confrontation, without questions. Presumably he was left in peace because, apart from his startlingly unusual wardrobe choice, the man in pajamas at the library did not disturb the peace.

And to think that it happened at the library!

But then again, in the 21st century, libraries are becoming increasingly casual and give off home vibes, with in-library coffee shops and with no restrictions on patrons bringing in comestibles such as drinks, snacks, and even meals.

Storytime Pyjama Party display, Mosman Library, Sydney, New South Wales, southeastern Australia; Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011, 18:12:11: Mosman Library, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Sometimes an outfit may appear pajama-styled but really isn't a PJ: "Mr. Pajama Man" at New York Public Library for Manhattan Cocktail Classic Gala Friday, May 14, 2010, 23:48:56: Ciprian Tutu, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/tzutzanu/4616043751/

Storytime Pyjama Party display, Mosman Library, Sydney, New South Wales, southeastern Australia; Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011, 18:12:11: Mosman Library, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/mosmanlibrary/5353210133/

Story in a Story: Legend of the Gold Carp in Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima

Summary: The legend of the gold carp in Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima exemplifies a story within a story.

illustration of gold carp (Cyprinus carpio) by Irish-born British natural history and landscape watercolour artist, illustrator and engraver Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-March 20, 1917); Rev. William Houghton, British Fresh-Water Fishes (1879), opposite page 15: Not in copyright, via Internet Archive

Hearing sad music from remote waters is life-threatening

Arid landscapes assume predominance in New Mexico's bio-geography. And yet the 47th state boasts gallery forests of shrubs and trees and lush gardens of flowers, fruits and vegetables. The explanation cannot be found in flood-prone, muddy-watered rivers.

In the case of such apparently arid-surfaced lands as those around and in the small town of Guadalupe, the reason for abundant outputs from sparser inputs derives from clean, clear, local creeks, lakes, reservoirs and springs. Locals fish much of Guadalupe's area water bodies. Hidden Lakes even go under Guadalupe. But they have to be avoided as the haunts of the Lord of all Valley Waters and of the sad mermaid who drowns fishers with hypnotizing beauty and mesmerizing songs.

Insisting upon shared fates may be a life-saver

A gold carp long as a seven-year-old boy is the River of the Carp's protector. He joins brown carp in his role as one of The People's (El Pueblo) kindest gods. He knows the carp from their human lives as believers and practitioners despite stressed nomadism between wild grasslands, as keepers of fresh waters, maize fields, strong animals and sweet fruits, as sufferers through 40 rain-deprived, sun-scorched years and as violators of proscriptions against consuming sacred fish.

He laments all other gods contemplating the way to kill The People. He makes them turn The People into brown carp and him into their golden leader. He navigates all valley waters to protect the brown carp-shifted People from fish, fishers and floods.

Living without thought of reckoning means no tomorrows

The successors to The People object to the perceived doormat robotics of respecting ancient laws and contemporary life-forms. The gold carp predicts catastrophic death by sink-holing into the town's rampaging sub-surface waters. Only the privileged few locals who get to see the gold carp qualify for protection when the geologic event occurs, be it in the imminent or remote future.

Complications unfortunately result from famines and floods. In both scenarios, people snatch bass, carp and catfish from the river. In times of plenty, they sometimes torment carp by tossing them to die on sand banks and to get eaten by crows. They oftentimes undertake to earn blood money by grabbing and selling schools at a nickel per carp.

Summarizing one story within another nudges more story-telling

Book-lovers and movie-goers value Pastura's most famous son's coming of age story, Bless Me, Ultima, as a compelling novel and as a faithful film. Both formats work to communicate the deep truths of divine will as community, empathy, generosity, harmony, sustainability and tolerance.

Separate, similar treatments of the legend of the gold carp, embedded within Rudolfo Anaya's wartime drama, undoubtedly Xerox similarly dramatic images and messages onto film rolls and illustrated pages. The legend of the gold carp, preserved from Aztec mythology in New Mexican culture, yields hours of agelessly appealing cultural enrichment and educational entertainment. Its imaginative vision zeroes in on the Bible's and Ultima's deep truths in ways timeless for comprehension and timely to children's book and movie formats.

In the Legend of the Gold Carp, the People (El Pueblo) fish for carp in times of famine as well as in times of flooding; riverbed in Guadalupe County, east central New Mexico; Saturday, July 12, 2008, 12:44:13: frank drewett, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

illustration of gold carp (Cyprinus carpio) by Irish-born British natural history and landscape watercolour artist, illustrator and engraver Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-March 20, 1917); Rev. William Houghton, British Fresh-Water Fishes (1879), opposite page 15: Not in copyright, via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/stream/britishfreshwate01houg#page/n51/mode/1up;
Biodiversity Heritage Library (BioDivLibrary), Public Domain, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/61021753@N02/8552033358/;
Not in copyright, via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6177592

In the Legend of the Gold Carp, the People (El Pueblo) fish for carp in times of famine as well as in times of flooding; riverbed in Guadalupe County, east central New Mexico; Saturday, July 12, 2008, 12:44:13: frank drewett, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/fdrewett/2669323113/

For further information:

"Aztec Mythology in Bless Me, Ultima." GrAdeSaver.com > Study Guides > Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya.
Available @ http://www.gradesaver.com/bless-me-ultima/study-guide/aztec-mythology-in-bless-me-ultima

Marriner, Derdriu. "Film Review of Bless Me Ultima: The Ultimate Movie Version of the Novel by Rudolfo Anaya." Wizzley > Entertainment & Media > Movies > Drama. Jan. 13, 2015.
Available @ https://wizzley.com/film-review-of-bless-me-ultima-the-ultimate-movie-version-of-the-novel-by-rudolfo-anaya/

Marriner, Derdriu. "Hierba mansa, Yerba del manso: Healing Medicine Bag Herb in Bless Me, Ultima." Earth and Space News. Friday, Jan. 30, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/01/hierba-mansa-yerba-del-manso-healing.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Osha Root, Raiz del Cochino: Healing Herb Bag Powder in Bless Me Ultima." Earth and Space News. Friday, Jan. 30, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/01/osha-root-raiz-del-cochino-healing-herb.html

Christy Walton: The Richest Woman in the World in 2014 and Again in 2015

Summary: Wal-Mart heiress Christy Walton is the richest woman in the world in 2014 and again in 2015, according to Forbes magazine's billionaire listings.

Christy Walton during 2013 interview for "Bless Me, Ultima"; Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012, 00:23:24: Aneo, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, native Christy Ruth Tallant Walton claims the title as the richest woman in the world for 2014 and again for 2015. Forbes' 2015 ranking of world billionaires lists Christy's fortune at $41.7 billion ($41,700,000.00). Forbes' 2014 ranking of world billionaires lists Christy's fortune at $36.7 billion ($36,700,000,000.00).

Christy's birthdate is variously given as Jan. 1, 1955, or as Feb. 8, 1949. Her place of birth is Jackson Hole in northwestern Wyoming.

Christy has described herself as a homemaker and a philanthropist.

Christy's wealth is inherited from her late husband, John Thomas Walton. John was born Oct. 8, 1946, as the second son and also second child of Wal-Mart retail giant founder Samuel "Sam" Walton (March 29, 1918-April 6, 1992) and his wife Helen Robson Kemper Walton (Dec. 3, 1919-April 19, 2007).

In 1973, John married Mary Ann Gunn, who, after their divorce three years later, attended law school at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Mary Ann practiced privately, with a primary focus on domestic relations, for 17 years before being elected to the bench in 1998. Mary Ann then served as Circuit Judge for Arkansas' Madison and Washington Counties for 13 years until resigning in 2011 to return to private practice, with a primary focus on drug rehabilitation.

Christy is John's second wife. The couple chose Christy's scenic hometown of Jackson Hole as their home base for raising their son Lukas (born 1986).

In 2005, Lukas graduated from Journeys School, which blends ecology, culture and community in their pre-kindergarten through 12th grade curriculum. Journeys School was established in 2001 as an independent, college preparatory school under the umbrella of Teton Science Schools. Founded in 1967, Teton Science Schools operate year-round as an innovative environmental education center in partnership with Grand Teton National Park.

In 2010, Lukas received a bachelor's degree in environmentally sustainable business from Colorado College. Founded in 1874, the private liberal arts college is sited in the Rocky Mountains' foothills at Colorado Springs in east central Colorado.

On June 27, 2005, two weeks after attending their son's high school graduation, Christy Walton was widowed by John's death in a plane crash. At 12:20 p.m. MT (Mountain Time), the CGS Hawk Arrow home-built aircraft that John was piloting crashed shortly after takeoff from Jackson Hole Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board later determined that the crash was caused by John's improper re-installation of the rear locking collar on the elevator control torque tube. The improper re-installation fatally prevented John from controlling the aluminum and canvas experimental aircraft's altitude.

Through John's estate, Christy's wealth derives from sharing 50.8 percent ownership of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., with her in-laws, Samuel Robson "Rob" Walton (born Oct. 28, 1944), Alice Louise Walton (born Oct. 7, 1949) and James "Jim" Carr Walton (born June 7, 1948).

Christy shares with in-laws Rob and Jim 96 percent ownership of the Walton family's Arvest Bank, with reported assets of approximately $14.3 billion ($14,300,000,000.00) as of March 2013.

Christy's inherited wealth also reflects holding of 30 percent ownership of solar energy company First Solar, an investment valued at $1 billion ($1,000,000,000.00).

Christy's philanthropic interests include co-chair of Children's Scholarship Fund (CSF), a charity that funds private school educations for low-income children. CSF was co-founded in 1998 by John with Republican financier Theodore "Ted" Joseph Forstmann (Feb. 13, 1940-Nov. 20, 2011).

Other philanthropic commitments entail serving as Emeritus Member of Teton Science Schools' Board of Directors and also, as of Oct. 14, 2014, as one of 10 Connoisseurs dedicated to building the collection of the Mingei International Museum. The folk art museum was established in San Diego, southern California, in 1978.

A constellation of events over several decades, beginning with receiving a copy of Rudolfo Anaya's 1972 novel, Bless Me, Ultima, from a friend in the late 1980s, inspired Christy to make her favorite novel into a film, an important item on her bucket list.

Diagnosed at age 3 with a rare form of kidney cancer that, defying chemotherapy treatments, spread to his lungs, Lukas was healed completely after five months on a plant- and herb-based diet supplied by food harvested from the family's home in National City, in southern California's San Diego County. In July 2006, Christy gave back to the community by donating her former home and its healing garden to the International Community Foundation to further the foundation's mission of promoting healthy communities in the San Diego-Baja California border region.

Christy underwent a near-death experience during a lethal bout of pneumonia.

John's unexpected death at the young age of 58 also emphasized the fragility of life.

Christy describes Bless Me, Ultima as the first, last and only film on her resumé as Executive Producer. She hopes that the legacy of the film, the fulfillment of a dream not only for her but also for the novel's author, Rudolfo Anaya, will be appreciation as a classic film, one to watch again and again, always with enjoyment and recognition of the story's appeal to the heart. Christy perceives America as a fear-based society, which she would like to see changed into a faith-based society.

Now, at the comparatively vigorous age of around 60, Christy enjoys the benefits of great wealth, epitomized by her title as the world's richest woman, and of the legendary closeness of the Walton clan.

Of interest in the scheme of her life is her decision in September 2013 to place her longtime home in Jackson Hole on the market, at a price tage of $12.5 million ($12,500,000,000.00), in favor of settling into her cliff-side mansion in La Jolla, California, as her main residence.

The unfolding of Christy Walton's billionaire life remains to be seen, with heart-based decisions easily expected.

Ultima (Míriam Colón), a curandera (traditional healer), shares her wisdom with Antonio (Luke Ganalon) in scene from Bless Me, Ultima: Bless Me, Ultima Movie @BlessMeUltimaMovie, via Facebook Sep. 12, 2012

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Christy Walton during 2013 interview for "Bless Me, Ultima"; Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012, 00:23:24: Aneo, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/50668519@N00/13583984844/

Ultima (Míriam Colón), a curandera (traditional healer), shares her wisdom with Antonio (Luke Ganalon) in scene from Bless Me, Ultima: Bless Me, Ultima Movie @BlessMeUltimaMovie, via Facebook Sep. 12, 2012, @ https://www.facebook.com/BlessMeUltimaMovie/photos/a.485257424831478/485290978161456/

For further information:

Arenas Entertainment. "Christy Walton interview, Bless Me, Ultima Movie." YouTube. Feb. 26, 2016.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42wxB7_UekQ

Ultima (Míriam Colón), a curandera (traditional healer), shares her wisdom with Antonio (Luke Ganalon) in scene from Bless Me, Ultima: Bless Me, Ultima Movie @BlessMeUltimaMovie via Facebook Sept. 12, 2012, @ https://www.facebook.com/BlessMeUltimaMovie/photos/a.485257424831478/485290978161456/

Bless Me, Ultima Movie @BlessMeUltimaMovie. 12 September 2012. "Updated their cover photo." Facebook.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/BlessMeUltimaMovie/photos/a.485257424831478/485290978161456/

Johnson, Reed. "'Bless Me, Ultima's' journey to the big screen." Los Angeles Times > Collections > Movies. March 11, 2013.
Available @ http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/11/local/la-et-mn-bless-me-ultima-20130311

Marriner, Derdriu. "Film Review of Bless Me Ultima: The Ultimate Movie Version of the Novel by Rudolfo Anaya." Wizzley > Entertainment & Media > Movies > Drama. Jan. 13, 2015.
Available @ https://wizzley.com/film-review-of-bless-me-ultima-the-ultimate-movie-version-of-the-novel-by-rudolfo-anaya/

The Space Window in Washington National Cathedral: Moon Rock in Stained Glass

Summary: The Space Window in the Washington National Cathedral commemorates Apollo 11's moon landing and moon walk with a slice of moon rock in stained glass.

The Space Window, with moon rock (upper center), south nave, Warren Bay; Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, 14:16:41: Tim Evenson, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Washington National Cathedral, officially known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, decorates the impressive landscape of Washington, D.C., federal capital of the United States, as a Neo-Gothic structure reminiscent of English Gothic architecture of the late 14th century.

Built on Mount Saint Albans, commandingly high ground at 400 feet (120 meters) above sea level, the Cathedral stands as the highest structure in the capital city.

The cathedral's construction was authorized Jan. 6, 1893, by a charter granted to the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation by the U.S. Congress. Construction began Sept. 29, 1907, with the laying of the foundation stone during the second term of 26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. Construction continued for 83 years. The cathedral was finished Sept. 29, 1990, with the placement of the capstone atop the St. Paul Tower during the term of 41st U.S. President George H.W. Bush.

Carvings, statuary and other decorative work comprise ongoing projects for embellishing the Cathedral.

The Cathedral's more than 200 stained glass windows honor Christian themes, reflective of the structure's roots in the Episcopal Church of the United States, as well as national events and figures. The Scientists and Technicians Window, popularly known as The Space Window, commemorates the momentous events of the moon landing July 20, 1969, by Apollo 11 and the pioneer moon walk July 21, 1969, by astronaut Neil Armstrong. The Space Window is located in the Warren Bay in the Cathedral's south nave, just west of the tomb of 28th U.S. President Woodrow Wilson.

American designer, artist and stained glass artist Rodney Marshall Winfield (-Dec. 13, 2017) created Washington National Cathedral's Space Window; undated portrait of Rodney Winfield, Maryville University Archives: CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication, via Wikimedia Commons

Rodney M. Winfield designed the space-themed stained glass window. Born in New York City in 1925, Rodney studied at Cooper Union School of Art. In his twenties, he migrated southwestward to St. Louis, Missouri. There he honed his career in liturgical and fine art as a designer for Emil Frei Stained Glass Company and as Professor of Art at Maryville University.

Rodney's design symbolizes the microcosm of humans, by way of a manned spaceship, in the macrocosm of space, symbolized by planets and stars. For his design and color palette, Rodney referred to photographs from the Apollo 11 mission. Planets and stars cast orange, red and white sparkles against a dramatic backdrop of deep blue and green.

The Space Window was dedicated Sunday, July 21, 1974, to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Apollo 11's lunar landing. All three astronauts -- moon walkers Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Neil Armstrong as well as command spacecraft pilot Michael Collins -- participated in the dedication and presented a unique gift: a slice of 3.6 billion-year-old lunar rock from the Sea of Tranquility (Mare Tranquillitatis).

The slice of the moon, 2.5 inches in diameter, comes from the center section of Lunar Sample 10057. The basaltic rock, weighing 7.18 grams, contains pyroxferroite, one of the trio of minerals, along with armalcolite and tranquillityite, discovered on the moon.

The lunar slice now reposes in the center of the window's upper dark sphere. Two pieces of tempered glass, filled with nitrogen to prevent deterioration and encircled by a stainless steel band, shelter the priceless symbol of human achievement in extreme exploration.

Washington National Cathedral is located in the capital city's northwestern quadrant, at the intersection of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues. The Washington Monument lies about 4 miles to the southeast. The National Zoo, home of giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, is housed about 1.5 miles to the east of the Cathedral.

Contact Washington National Cathedral

address: 3101 Wisconsin Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20016

email: info@cathedral.org

fax: (202) 364-6600

telephone: (202) 537-6200

The Space Window was dedicated in Washington National Cathedral Sunday, July 21, 1974, in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of Apollo 11's lunar landing: Pgmark at en.wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

The Space Window, with moon rock (upper center), south nave, Warren Bay; Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, 14:16:41: Tim Evenson, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/23165290@N00/6623010807/

American designer, artist and stained glass artist Rodney Marshall Winfield (-Dec. 13, 2017) created Washington National Cathedral's Space Window; undated portrait of Rodney Winfield, Maryville University Archives: CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Rodney_Winfield.jpg;
Maryville University Archives (Maryville University Archives), Public Domain, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/136030208@N03/49833776853/

The Space Window was dedicated in Washington National Cathedral Sunday, July 21, 1974, in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of Apollo 11's lunar landing: Pgmark at en.wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Space_Window.jpg

For further information:
"The Space Window at National Cathedral." National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) > News & Features > News Topics > NASA History and People > Features.
Available @ https://www.nasa.gov/topics/history/features/spacewindow.html

Frilled Shark: Elusive Living Fossil Caught Near Southeast Australian Coast

Summary: A frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus), an elusive living fossil, was caught near the southeast Australian coast in December 2014.

first known video footage of frilled shark in habitat, at depth of 2,866 feet (873.5 meters), Thursday, Aug. 26, 2004: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Public Domain, via NOAA Ocean Explorer

In December 2014 David Guillot, skipper of the trawler Western Alliance, pulled in a surprise catch.

Skipper Guillot was fishing for dory and sea perch in shallow waters, with a depth of 0.6 miles (1.1 kilometers), near Lakes Entrance, a fishing port and tourist resort in eastern Victoria state on Australia's southeastern coast. In his net was a scarily strange fish unlike any shark the experienced skipper had ever seen during 30 years at sea. The elongated fish, almost 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length, had a head "like something out of a horror movie."

Skipper Guillot's surprise catch was identified as a frilled shark. The rarely sighted fish is called a "living fossil" because of primitive features, such as multiple-pointed teeth, and through its ancient lineage dating back about 95 million years ago (mya) to the Late Cretaceous period and possibly even about 150 mya to the Late Jurassic.

American ichthyologist Samuel Walton Garman (June 5, 1843-September 30, 1927) is credited with the official zoological description of the extraordinary, eel-like shark. Professor Garman's description, entitled "An Extraordinary Shark," was published in the January-March 1884 issue of the Bulletin of the Essex Institute, a literary, historical and scientific society founded in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1848. As assistant director of Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology, Professor Garman based his description upon the museum's female specimen, collected in Japan and presented to Harvard by American collector and naturalist Henry Augustus Ward (March 9, 1834-July 4, 1906).

The frilled shark's common name comes from its six wraparound gill slits. The first pair forms a collar across the throat. The remaining five form succeeding flanks along the throat but do not join completely in front.

Professor Garman gave his specimen the scientific name of Chlamydoselachus anguineus. Greek words chlamus and selachos mean "cloak" and "cartilaginous fish," respectively. The Latin word anguineus means "eel-like."

Although frilled sharks dot both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, they usually are associated coastally near the British Isles; Japan; New Zealand; North Africa; and Spain.

Frilled sharks favor the stealth of the deep sea, dwelling from the outer continental shelf to the upper and middle continental slope. Although their depth zone ranges from 160 to 3,300 feet (50 to 1,000 meters), they have been found as far down as 5,150 feet (1,570 meters). Frilled sharks engage in vertical migrations, rising up through the water column to near the surface for nighttime feedings.

frilled shark front view of head with open mouth: S. (Samuel Walton) Garman, "No. 1 -- Chlamydoselachus anguineus Garm. -- A Living Species of Cladodont Shark," Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Vol. XII (1885-1886), Plate II: Not in copyright, via Biodiversity Heritage Library

The most ferocious aspect of frilled sharks is their teeth, which total about 300. Each tooth consists of three backward-directed, needle-like, sharp cusps that are reminiscent of serpents' teeth. The upper jaw sports about 14 rows of teeth on each side. The lower jaw sprouts about 13 rows of teeth on each side.

The frilled shark's preference for swallowing its prey whole is encouraged by its highly distensible, widely gaping jaws. Undaunted by larger prey, frilled sharks favor squid and octopus in their diet. Professor Garman suggested that any prey in the vicinity would be incapable of escaping frilled sharks' formidably grasping teeth and their eel-like flexible body.

Professor Garman suggested that some sea serpent sightings may well be attributed to frilled sharks, with their scattered distribution across the Atlantic and the Pacific, and also with their fierce-looking heads, scary teeth and slithering bodies.

Skipper Guillot's offer of his frightening find to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation was declined because CSIRO, headquartered in the Land Down Under's capital, Canberra, already holds a specimen in its collection.

closeup of frilled shark specimen in Kaikyoukan Aquarium, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, southwestern Honshu island, Japan; Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009, 15:05: OpenCage, CC BY SA 2.5 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

first known video footage of frilled shark in habitat, at depth of 2,866 feet (873.5 meters), Thursday, Aug. 26, 2004: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Public Domain, via NOAA Ocean Explorer @ http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/04etta/logs/aug27/media/frilled_shark.html

frilled shark front view of head with open mouth: S. (Samuel Walton) Garman, "No. 1 -- Chlamydoselachus anguineus Garm. -- A Living Species of Cladodont Shark," Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Vol. XII (1885-1886), Plate II: University of Toronto - Gerstein Science Information Centre, Not in copyright, via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30396956;
Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library, Not in copyright, via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/4060043;
via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/stream/bulletinofmuseu12harv#page/n48/mode/1up

closeup of frilled shark specimen in Kaikyoukan Aquarium, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, southwestern Honshu island, Japan; Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009, 15:05: OpenCage, CC BY SA 2.5 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frilled_shark_head2.jpg

For further information:

Cormack, Lucy. "'Horrific' frilled shark pulled from the depths of the ocean." The Sydney Morning Herald>Conservation/Environment. Jan. 15, 2015.
Available @ http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/horrific-frilled-shark-pulled-from-the-depths-of-the-ocean-20150121-12uuhb.html

Garman, S. (Samuel). "Chlamydoselachus anguineus Garm. -- A Living Species of Cladodont Shark." Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, vol. XII (1885-1886): 1-35.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/bulletinofmuseu12harv

Garman, Samuel. "An Extraordinary Shark." Bulletin of the Essex Institute, vol. XVI, Nos. 1-3 (January-March 1884): 47-55.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/bulletinofess161884unse

100 Millionth Sun Image by NASA in January 2015

Summary: NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured its 100 millionth sun image on Monday, Jan. 19, 2015, at 12:49 Eastern Standard Time.

100 millionth sun image on Monday, Jan. 19, 2015; credit NASA/SDO/AIA/LMSAL: Generally not subject to copyright in the United States, via NASA

The sun has been posing for photos for NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) ever since the mission's launch Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010, by an Ares rocket from Cape Canaveral on east central Florida's Space Coast.

Developed at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, SDO is the first satellite under NASA's Living With a Star program. SDO is designed for five years of flight, though a longer lifespan is possible.

SDO traces an elliptical figure-8 orbit above the Earth at an altitude of about 22,000 miles (35,405.6 kilometers). With an inclination of 28.5 degrees, SDO homesteads at 102 degrees west longitude.

SDO is entrusted with demystifying the sun, as the source of energy, life and weather, by studying solar activities and by measuring such components as the solar core, corona, irradiance and magnetic field. Earthlings perceive solar irradiance, a form of electromagnetic radiation, as precious sunlight.

The sun constantly expresses change, especially by way of its dynamic surface where magnetic forces play tug-of-war and where energy outputs specialize in variability. Sunspots, which are linked to intensely strong magnetic fields, undergo an 11-year cycle that has assumed even more significance due to the 21st century's emphasis on technology. Sunspots are integral to solar flares and to coronal mass eruptions, which are disruptive to satellite-based technologies such as GPS communications.

Four specially built telescopes, known as the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), always face the sun. SDO downlinks data from its two onboard directional antennas to its dedicated ground station, located in White Sands Missile Range, in southwestern New Mexico. Every 12 seconds AIA's four parallel telescopes capture eight solar images. AIA's images cycle through 10 wavelengths, which represent seven Extreme Ultra Violet (EUV), one Ultra Violet (UV) and two visible bands. AIA captures 57,600 solar images every day. SDO's images have super-high display resolutions of 4096 x 4096 pixels.

Two other onboard instruments, the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment and the Helioseismic Magnetic Imager, collaborate with AIA in transmitting 1.5 terabytes (1,500,000,000,000 bytes) of data every day. AIA's contributions account for about 50 percent of the daily data stream.

On Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2015, at 12:49 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), the sun posed for its 100 millionth image for the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The dynamic portrait features dark areas at the bottom and top that represent coronal holes, areas with less dense gas due to outflows of solar material away from the sun. The image, a mosaic from AIA's four telescopes, captures extreme ultraviolet light at a wavelength of 193 angstroms, the channel that visualizes the darkness of coronal holes as well as the hotness of solar flares.

From the earliest stunning solar images beamed down by AIA in March 2010 to AIA's landmark 100 millionth sun image in mid-January 2015, the sun never fails to enchant with its photogenic mysteries.

Fortunately, there is no limit for amount of time spent in admiring AIA's spectacular solar portraits. Earthlings may be discouraged from looking directly at the sun, but they may gaze to their heart's content at AIA's plentiful images.

full-disk multi-wavelength extreme ultraviolet image of sun on Tuesday, March 30, 2010; credit NASA/Goddard/SDO AIA Team: Generally not subject to copyright in the United States, via NASA

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

100 millionth sun image on Monday, Jan. 19, 2015; credit NASA/SDO/AIA/LMSAL: Generally not subject to copyright in the United States, via NASA @ http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/sdo-telescope-collects-its-100-millionth-image/#.VMadPP7F8mO

full-disk multi-wavelength extreme ultraviolet image of sun on Tuesday, March 30, 2010; credit NASA/Goddard/SDO AIA Team: Generally not subject to copyright in the United States, via NASA @ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/news/first-light.html#.VMbBgP7F8mP

For further information:

Fox, Karen C. "Telescope on NASA's SDO Collects its 100-Millionth Image -- January 20, 2015."
Available @ https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/sdo-telescope-collects-its-100-millionth-image/#.VMadPP7F8mO

Hierba mansa, Yerba del manso: Healing Medicine Bag Herb in Bless Me, Ultima

Summary: Hierba mansa (Anemopsis californica), known in New Mexico as yerba del manso, is a healing medicine bag herb in Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya.

field of Yerba del manso (Anemopsis californica), San Dieguito River Park, Escondido, southern California; Friday, June 15, 2012, 16:23: Downtowngal, CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication, via Wikimedia Commonse

Lizard’s tail, swamp root: fair by any name

The herb called lizard’s tail and swamp root in English appears as yerba del manso within the Land of Enchantment and as hierba mansa outside the 47th state.

The herb belongs to the Saururaceae family whose flower-clustered cones droop like lizard (sauros) tails (oura). It communicates musty spiciness through beige, camphor- and eucalyptus-scented, woody rhizomes (below-ground stems) and stolons (above-ground runners) with nodes mass-producing sponge-like roots, dense cones flowering in tiny white clusters from May to August and growing 8 inches (20.32 centimeters) upward, five to 10 petal-like, white bracts, green elliptic to oblong leaves, each growing 3 to 6 inches (7.62 to 15.24 centimeters) from the root crown in early spring, pepper-like seeds, single, tough fruits and 12-plus-inch (30.48-plus-centimeter) stalks.

Multi-tasking medicinal and non-medicinal uses: hard-working anytime, anywhere

Taxonomists describe Ultima’s herb scientifically as Anemopsis (anemone-like) californica (Californian). Morphological (form- and function-related) studies expose anemone-like forms and coneflower-like functions. Plant-lovers find prescient all above-ground parts turning purple and silver-red in autumn. Thanks to the active ingredient methyleugenol, Ultima’s herb gives circulation and immunity a boost through treatments of arthritis and rheumatism; athlete’s foot and diaper rash; bleeding, bruises, inflammations, strains and swellings; burns; colds, coughs, sinus infections, sore throats and toothaches; cuts, hemorrhoids, sores and ulcers; diabetes; gout and kidney stones; pleurisy and tuberculosis; and stomach disorders.

Ultima's herb has additionally helpful non-medicinal uses. It is useful in agriculture as organic-grown cash crops, in crafts as Apache bead necklaces carved from dried root-stock, dried flowers and potpourri and in horticulture as garden ground covers and public park turfs.

Pretty in alkaline seeps, full sun, heavy clay

Agro-economists judge Ultima's herb a native plant of interest. They know of Ultima’s herbs as drought-tolerant water-lovers. Experts and non-specialists like the common name swamp root because of the perennial forb’s relishing clay soils and sodden, sun-scorched alkaline seeps. They mention as conducive to successful cultivation application of organic mulches during winters, establishment of soil pH between neutral 6.5 and alkaline 8 and maintenance of temperatures no lower than 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 12.22 degrees Celsius) or higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.78 degrees Celsius).

Ultima’s herb needs to be germinated as seeds in flats in three months, or four weeks with bottom heat, in summer greenhouses, to get planted as seedlings, 12 weeks after germination, spaced 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) apart and to grow roots two to three weeks after cutting.

Resistant to all but salt-marsh and woolly-bear caterpillars

Cultivated or wild, Ultima's herb operates in pest-resistant ways even in pest-stressed environments. One pest prevents Ultima's root from completing life cycles and natural histories. Scientists quibble over another pest's predatory yet preventive roles.

Salt-marsh (Estigmene acrea) and woolly-bear (Pyrrharctia isabella) caterpillars equally relish Ultima’s herb's scrumptious shoots. Ultima's herb suffers more from woolly-bear infestations than from salt-marsh invasions. It turns out that salt-marsh caterpillars may reduce boll rot incidences in alfalfa, cotton and lettuce and in neighboring crops.

Cultivators value Ultima's herb as easy to grow. Consumers welcome Ultima's herb in capsules, infusions, poultices, powders, teas and tinctures. Per Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima, Ultima's herb yields benefits accessible to household gardeners and to trained healers.

closeup of Anemopsis californica floral cones: Calibas, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

field of Yerba del manso (Anemopsis californica), San Dieguito River Park, Escondido, southern California; Friday, June 15, 2012, 16:23: Downtowngal, CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Field_of_Anemopsis_californica.jpg

closeup of Anemopsis californica floral cones: Calibas, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yerba_mansa.jpg

For further information:

Marriner, Derdriu. "Film Review of Bless Me Ultima: The Ultimate Movie Version of the Novel by Rudolfo Anaya." Wizzley > Entertainment & Media > Movies > Drama. Jan. 13, 2015.
Available @ https://wizzley.com/film-review-of-bless-me-ultima-the-ultimate-movie-version-of-the-novel-by-rudolfo-anaya/

Marriner, Derdriu. "Osha Root, Raiz del Cochino: Healing Herb Bag Powder in Bless Me Ultima." Earth and Space News. Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/01/osha-root-raiz-del-cochino-healing-herb.html

Carrots Love Tomatoes: Carrot Companion Planting

Summary: Carrot companion planting finds that carrots love tomatoes and calls for other helpful companions, such as beans and leaf lettuce as neighbors.

carrots and tomatoes, Farmers Market haul; Saturday, July 30, 2011, 09:18:42: Melissa Bube (mlcbube), CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Companion planting works, even though science is still demystifying the hows and whys of plant antipathetic and sympathetic interactions. Certain plants thrive in proximity to certain plants and weaken in the presence of other plants. Carrots, for example, love tomatoes but dislike dill.

Carrot companion planting emphasizes the orange root vegetable's popularity with such garden staples as herbs, legumes and vegetables and shuns a small number of antipathetic flora such as apple trees and dill. Complete edibility, from leafy top to orange root, endears carrots to gardeners. Plentiful growth does not have to be coddled or enticed, for carrots sprout readily in garden environments, from in-ground settings to container plantings to greenhouses.

A concern, however, for carrots is its namesake nemesis, the carrot fly (Chamaepsila rosae), whose larvae, or maggots, feed on the rootlets of young carrots. Fortunately, an abundance of companion plants excels at repelling carrot flies. Bulb vegetables, such as leeks and onions, are protective neighbors for carrots. Herbs, such as rosemary and sage, also repel carrot flies.

Black salsify (Scorzonera hispanica), an Old World native of Southern Europe and the Near East, effectively repels carrot flies from European gardens.

Despite amiability in adjusting to whimsical gardening placements, carrots have special preferences for their floral neighbors. Favorite companions include: beans (Phaseolus and Vicia); chives (Allium schoenoprasum); leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa); leeks (Allium porum); onions (Allium cepa); peas (Pisum sativum); rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis); sage (Salvia officinalis); and tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum).

Failure or success as neighbors comprises the mysterious realm of companion planting. Below-ground exudates, such as emissions of cellular waste, may account for dislikes and likes in plant neighbors. For instance, peas benefit from carrot exudates and therefore make good neighbors. Despite carrot congeniality, the popular root vegetable definitely disfavors a popular fruit and a popular herb as floral neighbors.

Carrot amiability does not extend to dill (Anethum graveolens). The annual herb in the celery family is not a desirable neighbor for carrots. 

Carrots suffer from close storage with apples (Malus domestica). The cheery orange vegetable becomes embittered, literally, from proximity to the sweet fruit. Distance from apples during storage assures carrot deliciousness.

A fun aspect of gardening centers on designing and planning them. An interesting factor in creating and maintaining attractive and healthy gardens is the recognition of companion plants whose life cycles are mutually beneficial. The overall attractiveness of the garden is enhanced by plants living and growing in happy harmony.

Familiarity with plant preferences may be gleaned from personal experiences. Identification of floral friendships, such as carrot companion planting, also is available through such classic reference sources as Louise Riotte's Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening, first published in 1975 by Garden Way Publishing in Charlotte, Vermont. Gardeners in fact may access a total of 12 gardening books -- on the subject of such natural principles as companion planting -- by author Louise Riotte (1909-1998).

Good floral neighbors make for good gardens!

plant companionability: carrots, jalapeño peppers, oregano, and tomatoes; Friday, July 17, 2009, 13:58:04: roman.petruniak, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

carrots and tomatoes, Farmers Market haul; Saturday, July 30, 2011, 09:18:42: Melissa Bube (mlcbube), CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/bubem/5994185319

plant companionability: carrots, jalapeño peppers, oregano, and tomatoes; Friday, July 17, 2009, 13:58:04: roman.petruniak, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/petruniak/3736204274

For further information:

Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Charlotte VT: Garden Way Publishing, 1981.