Shatter Me by Lindsey Stirling

Summary: Shatter Me was released April 29, 2014, as Lindsey Stirling's second studio album. Lindsey debuted as lyricist for Shatter Me single.

Lindsey Stirling, Shatter Me/Music Box 2014/2015 World Tour, Monday, Nov. 10, 2014, 23:55, Cenon, Aquitaine region, southwestern France: Michel Buze, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

On Sunday, March 23, 2014, American performance artist Lindsey Stirling (born Sept. 21, 1986) announced via Twitter that she would be releasing her second studio album, Shatter Me, on Tuesday, April 29, 2014.

The next day, on Monday, March 24, Lindsey directed fans to the iTunes Store, Apple Inc.'s online digital media store, where she opened pre-ordering of her album. She also offered an instant download of the album's first track, "Beyond the Veil."

On Wednesday, March 25, Lindsey released her official video of "Beyond the Veil" via her YouTube channel. Less than one year later, as of Saturday, February 28, 2015, "Beyond the Veil" has accumulated 11,549,291 views on Lindsey's YouTube channel.

The widely awaited album featured its same-named song, "Shatter Me," on its second track.

On Monday, April 21, 2014, Lindsey released "Shatter Me" as a single on iTunes. Two days later, on Wednesday, April 23, Lindsey twittered the debut of the single on her YouTube channel. On Friday, April 25, two days after its debut, Lindsey twittered the exciting tally of 1.3 million views of the shattering single within the first 24 hours of its release on her YouTube channel.

The YouTube video of "Shatter Me" was filmed at the YouTube Space LA. Located in the Playa Vista neighborhood in the Westside of the city of Los Angeles, YouTube Space LA formerly served as the headquarters of Hughes Aircraft Company. The major American aerospace, communications electronics and defense company was founded in 1932 by legendary American business tycoon and inventor Howard Hughes (Dec. 24, 1905-April 5, 1976).

Encompassing almost 41,000 square feet, the creative studio space features production equipment, resources, and staging. YouTube Space LA is available at no charge for channels with at least 10,000 subscribers.

As of Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015, Lindsey's channel tallies 6,227,847 subscribers. "Shatter Me" required one week of filming.

The single emerged as a collaborative composition. Lindsey co-wrote the single with American singer-songwriter Dia Leif Frampton (born Oct. 2, 1987) and the song's producer, Mark Maxwell, under SILAS, his production moniker.

"Shatter Me" served as Lindsey's debut as a lyricist. Lindsey's experiences with overcoming anorexia and tackling depression inspired her lyrics.

The song features dynamic vocals by Lzzy Hale (born Oct. 10, 1984).

On Monday, April 28, 2014, Lindsey twittered that her album, now available on iTunes, surged to number 1 on the iTunes Charts.

Both the album and the single of Shatter Me by Lindsey Stirling confirm the performance artist's surging career.

Lindsey Stirling and Lzzy Hale perform Shatter Me May 16, 2014, at Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, California: Lindsey Stirling @LindseyStirlingMusic, via Facebook May 17, 2014

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Lindsey Stirling, Shatter Me/Music Box 2014/2015 World Tour, Monday, Nov. 10, 2014, 23:55, Cenon, France: Michel Buze, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lindsey_Stirling_Cenon_near_Bordeaux_France_2014_119.JPG

Lindsey Stirling and Lzzy Hale perform Shatter Me May 16, 2014, at Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, California: Lindsey Stirling @LindseyStirlingMusic, via Facebook May 17, 2014, @ https://www.facebook.com/lindseystirlingmusic/photos/a.227761060589422/762448593787330/

For further information:

Lindsey Stirling. "Shatter Me Featuring Lzzy Hale - Lindsey Stirling." YouTube. April 23, 2014.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49tpIMDy9BE

Lindsey Stirling @LindseyStirlingMusic. "I had the most amazing performing experience ever last night when @officiallzzyhale joined me on stage to perform shatter me. She is absolutely electrifying." Facebook. May 17, 2014.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/lindseystirlingmusic/photos/a.227761060589422/762448593787330/

Marriner, Derdriu. "Song of the Caged Bird by Lindsey Stirling: Choosing to Live Fully." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/02/song-of-caged-bird-by-lindsey-stirling.html

Waxing Gibbous Moon: Fourth of Eight Phases in Monthly Lunar Cycle

Summary: As the fourth of the moon's eight phases, the waxing gibbous moon precedes the moon's brightest phase, the full moon.

waxing gibbous moon: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA Goddard Photo and Video), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

For Earthlings, a lunar cycle travels through eight phases, beginning with the new moon and ending with the last quarter moon. Waxing gibbous moon designates the fourth phase in the moon's eight-phase cycle. Waxing gibbous is preceded by the third phase, the first quarter moon, and followed by the fifth phase, the full moon.

The eight phases are further broken down into four primary phases and four intermediate phases. Waxing crescent moon initiates the first intermediate phase by serving as the transition from the first primary phase, the new moon, to the second primary phase, the first quarter moon.

Waxing gibbous moon is identified as the second intermediate phase. The waxing gibbous moon serves as the transition from the second primary phase, the first quarter moon, and the third primary phase, the full moon.

As an intermediary between the first quarter moon and the full moon, the waxing gibbous moon signals the passage from partial to full lunar illumination. The first quarter moon presents a view of 50 percent illumination of the lunar surface to Earthlings. The waxing gibbous moon presents a view of more than 50 percent -- but less than 100 percent -- illumination of the lunar surface to Earthlings. The full moon presents a view of complete illumination of the lunar surface to Earthlings.

Waxing gibbous moon is an accurate descriptive name. Waxing is a verb form ending in -ing that may be used as an adjective. One of the definitions of waxing is "increasing," which refers in the lunar cycle to increasing illumination of the Moon's surface as viewed by Earthlings.

In the lunar cycle, gibbous refers to the bulging curve of illumination, outlining a humpbacked shape, which covers more than half of the lunar surface viewable to Earthlings. Gibbous is a Middle English word derived from gibbus, the Latin word for "humped." Gibbous has the definition of "convex," which means "bowed or curved outward."

The waxing gibbous moon rises in the hours between noon and sunset and sets in the early morning hours after midnight. The waxing gibbous moon often may be seen in the afternoon, well before sunset, because of the moon's increasing distance from the Sun. The waxing gibbous moon's journey in the lunar orbit around the Earth traces the sector between the 90-degree angle formed by the first quarter moon with the sun and the 180-degree angle formed by the full moon with the sun.

Although skygazers are regaled by the difficult-to-miss full moon, other phases, such as the waxing gibbous moon, provide beauty and interest as well.

waxing gibbous moon over Roses, Catalonia, northeastern Spain; Tuesday, June 10, 2014, 19:00:56: Dennis van Zuijlekom (dvanzuijlekom), CC BY SA 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:

waxing gibbous moon: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA Goddard Photo and Video), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/15984099212/

waxing gibbous moon over Roses, Catalonia, northwestern Spain; Tuesday, June 10, 2014, 19:00:56: Dennis van Zuijlekom (dvanzuijlekom), CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/dvanzuijlekom/15419696882/

Rare Fallstreak Hole in Clouds: Freaky Phenomenon Often Mistaken for UFOs

Summary: A fallstreak hole occurs in clouds as a freaky, rare weather phenomenon. A fallstreak hole occurred in February 2015 over British Columbia.

This pair of images shows the hole-punch clouds captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite (top) and from the ground (bottom). The MODIS image shows a number of round holes in a blanket of cloud cover over Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas; NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center; Image of the Day for Jan. 31, 2007: "Hole Punch Clouds in Acadiana," Freely available for re-publication or re-use, including commercial purposes, via NASA Earth Observatory

Fallstreak hole refers to an unusual weather phenomenon in which gaps or holes develop at 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) above the ground.

Fallstreak holes appear in two types of clouds. Altocumulus, or middle-altitude, clouds occur at altitudes of 6,500 to 20,000 feet (1,981 to 6,096 meters) and form as layers and patches of dark, large globular masses. The second type, cirrocumulus, or high-altitude, clouds, develop at altitudes above 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) and appear as patches, ripples and tufts of small, white cloudlets, often organized into rows.

Fallstreak holes enjoy such other picturesque common names as canal cloud, cloud hole, crop circle cloud, hole punch cloud, punch hole cloud, sky holes, skypunch and UFO cloud.

Fallstreak holes are considered to be rarities and are not specific to any geographical location on Earth. Famous sightings have occurred across the globe in widely separated locations. In Central Europe, a fallstreak hole was observed south of Linz in north central Austria in August 2008. In Eastern Europe, a fallstreak hole formed over Moscow in northeastern Russia in August 2008. In Oceania, a fallstreak hole occurred over Melbourne in eastern Victoria state on Australia's southeastern coast in November 2014. In the southeastern United States, a fallstreak hole was seen over Jay in the Panhandle of northwestern Florida in December 2007.

A recent fallstreak hole has made two spectacular appearances over southern British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province. The rare phenomenon premiered Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015. An even rarer encore occurred the following day, Monday, Feb. 23.

Despite presenting a strange beauty reminiscent of other worlds and of science fiction and oftentimes suffering associations with aliens and UFOs (unidentified flying objects), fallstreak holes are not unsolved mysteries for meteorologists, scientists who study meteorological phenomena. Meteorologists aim to expand knowledge and understanding of the Earth's atmosphere and to refine the process of weather forecasting through the dual application of science and technology.

For its generation, the fantastic phenomenon of fallstreak hole requires supercooled clouds, with water droplets in liquid state despite below-freezing temperatures, and atmospheric disruption, usually in the form of air traffic. Supercooled droplets remain in their liquid state even at temperatures below water's normal freezing point of 32 degrees Fahrenheit (zero degrees Celsius) because of a lack of ice nucleation particles, which are essential for transition into crystallization, water's solid state.

Airplanes may trigger crystallization through contact between exhaust particles and supercooled water droplets. Large ice crystals formed in the wake of air traffic create the fallstreak hole as they drop from the cloud deck. Depending upon atmospheric conditions, the ice crystals may fall to the Earth's surface as rain or snow or may evaporate, forming water's gaseous phase as water vapor, also known as aqueous vapor.

Fallstreak holes exemplify weather phenomena of rare occurrence and with often awe-inspiring, fantastic appearances. Fortunately, these strange formations have fairly simple origins delineated by acceptable scientific explanations. The science, however, serves as the backdrop for the visible spectacle that rewards skygazers with its stunning rarity.

Fallstreak holes belong to the wish list of hoped-for sightings that skygazers may feel particularly blessed to view even once in a lifetime.

rare fallstreak cloud over Spokane, Spokane County, northeastern Washington; Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, image by Jonathan Fox, NOAA NWS (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service) meteorologist: StormHour @ StormHour, via Twitter Feb. 27, 2015

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

This pair of images shows the hole-punch clouds captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite (top) and from the ground (bottom). The MODIS image shows a number of round holes in a blanket of cloud cover over Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas; NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center; Image of the Day for Jan. 31, 2007: "Hole Punch Clouds in Acadiana," Freely available for re-publication or re-use, including commercial purposes, via NASA Earth Observatory @ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=7362

rare fallstreak cloud over Spokane, Spokane County, northeastern Washington; Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, image by Jonathan Fox, NOAA NWS (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service) meteorologist: StormHour @ StormHour, via Twitter Feb. 27, 2015, @ https://twitter.com/StormHour/status/571301763921395712

For further information:

NWS Spokane, WA. "More Hole Punch or fallstreak hole clouds...over British Columbia." YouTube. Feb. 23, 2015.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeVGik_r5os&feature=youtu.be

First Quarter Moon Arises Wednesday, Feb. 25: Second Appearance in 2015

Summary: The first quarter moon makes its second appearance in 2015 on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

first quarter moon portrait by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO): NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA Goddard Photo and Video), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Wednesday, Feb. 25, welcomes the second appearance of the first quarter moon in 2015. The first appearance for 2015 took place from Tuesday, Jan. 27, to Wednesday, Jan. 28.

In actuality, the first quarter moon counts as the moon's third phase in each lunar cycle. The new moon, which ushers in each lunar cycle, is followed by the first quarter's predecessor, the waxing crescent, in which less than half of the moon appears to be illuminated.

For Earthlings, phases of the moon represent the shape of the sunlit portion of the moon as viewed from observers on Earth. The moon travels through eight phases for a complete cycle, which averages 29.5 days. The first quarter moon is followed by five more phases: waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter and waning gibbous.

The first quarter moon is classed as the second of the four primary phases in the eight-phase lunar cycle. The new moon has precedence as the first primary phase. The two remaining primary phases, occurring subsequent to the first quarter, are fulfilled by the full moon and the third quarter moon.

The other four phases of the lunar cycle are considered to be intermediate as the moon transitions between primary phases. The waxing crescent moon serves as the transition from new moon to first quarter moon. The waxing gibbous moon serves as the transition from first quarter moon to full moon. The waning gibbous moon serves as the transition from full moon to last quarter moon. The waning crescent moon ends the lunar cycle, serving as the transition from last quarter moon to new moon.

The positions of the moon and of the sun in relation to the Earth determine the progression of lunar phases. The new moon opens the lunar cycle with the sun and moon in conjunction, with the moon's orbit at its closest distance from the sun, as perceived from Earth. The first quarter moon marks the quarter mark in its lunar orbit, at a 90-degree angle with the sun as compared to the Earth.

In its predictable journey through space, away from the sun, around the Earth, and back toward the sun, the moon traces an ellipse, a flattened oval that is astronomy's equivalent to earthly racetracks.

The first quarter moon is known popularly, although inaccurately, as the half moon. As viewed from Earth, the first quarter moon is characterized by 50 percent visibility of the day side of the lunar sphere, which amounts to a true quarter of the moon. For Earth's observers in the Northern Hemisphere, illumination occurs to the right of the terminator, the boundary between light and dark on the moon's near side. For Earth's observers in the Southern Hemisphere, illumination occurs to the left of the terminator.

First quarter moons arise before noon and set after midnight. On Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, the first quarter arises around 11 a.m. Its setting occurs around 2 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26.

After its setting in February, the first quarter phase of the moon's orderly cycle is scheduled for its third appearance in 2015 on Friday, March 27. The daily greetings of "Good morning, Moon" and of "Good night, Moon" become more meaningfully reassuring through familiarity with the phases of the moon, the Earth's nearest cosmic neighbor.

An illuminating New Year's resolution, possibly far easier to accomplish than some of the daunting projects often envisioned for a new year, would be to give at least a passing glance to the moon every day.

After all, the moon's glow, as gently reflected light, may be viewed directly without harming the viewer's vision.

"first quarter," advertising card issued ca. 1870-1900 in chromolithograph format; 19th Century Trade Cards Collection, Print Department, Boston Public Library, Suffolk County, eastern central Massachusetts: Boston Public 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:

first quarter moon portrait by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO): NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA Goddard Photo and Video), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/15982765351/

"first quarter," advertising card issued ca. 1870-1900 in chromolithograph format; 19th Century Trade Cards Collection, Print Department, Boston Public Library, Suffolk County, eastern central Massachusetts: Boston Public Library, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/9786544541/

Song of the Caged Bird by Lindsey Stirling: Choosing to Live Fully

Summary: Song of the Caged Bird celebrates the choice to live fully and appears on Lindsey Stirling's eponymous first studio album.

Lindsey Stirling, TEDxBerkeley, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, 16:57:11: Ira Serkes from Berkeley, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons

American performance artist Lindsey Stirling (born Sept. 21, 1986) titled her lyrical composition, "Song of the Caged Bird," in honor of "Caged Bird," a poem about freedom by American author and poet Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928-May 28, 2014).

"Caged Bird" appeared in Shaker, Why Don't You Sing?, published by New York City-headquartered Random House in 1983 as Maya's fourth volume of poetry. Maya's poem echoes the title of her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The autobiography was published by Random House in 1969 as the first installment in an eventual seven-volume autobiographical series.

Lindsey's "Song of the Caged Bird" conveys Maya's message of freedom. The composition celebrates living fully and following dreams, even in the midst of adversity, through belief in self potential, faith, and perseverance.

"Song of the Caged Bird" appeared as the fourth track on Lindsey's first album, Lindsey Stirling. On Sept. 18, 2012, Lindsey released her eponymous debut album via iTunes. The collection was released Sept. 25, 2012, as a CD via BridgeTone, an independent label.

Lindsey co-created "Song of the Caged Bird" with hip hop artist and EDM (electronic dance music) producer Marco G. Lindsey and Marco G blended their talents on 10 other compositions on the album: "Anti Gravity," "Crystallize," "Crystallize Mashup," "Electric Daisy Violin," "Elements," "Elements" (orchestral version), "Minimal Beat," "Shadows," "Spontaneous Me" and "Transcendence."

The music video for Lindsey's composition was directed by Nathan D. Lee, with a release date of Nov. 29, 2012. The video traces the emergence and journey of hope as Lindsey, awakening alone, surrounded by boxes, in a darkened room with barred and bricked windows, uncovers light bulbs and candles and, in the last box, a violin. She transforms her surroundings, with the room taking on a warm glow, as candles and light bulbs light up with her dancing and playing.

Arizona-based Gold Canyon Candles Company, an online and direct sales retailer founded in 1997, donated a plethora of photogenic candles for the video.

As of Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, YouTube views of "Song of the Caged Bird" total 8,363,641.

Nathan Lee, who graduated from Brigham Young University's Media Arts Studies Department in 2009, has directed other videos of Lindsey's music. "Transcendence" was released July 29, 2011, as an original video on Lindsey's YouTube channel. "Moon Trance" was released Oct. 23, 2012, as an original video on Lindsey's YouTube channel. "Stars Align" premiered Feb. 6, 2014, as a clip on Yahoo Music! prior to posting on Lindsey's wildly successful YouTube channel.

"Song of the Caged Bird" entertains and inspires as an affirmation of hope and a celebration of living freely, to the fullest, through discerning an individual's passionate interests and following dreams.

As with its namesake poem, "Caged Bird" by Maya Angelou, Lindsey's composition honors the natural desire for freedom, found within all living things, that nascently bubbles over into a full, impassioned life, be it as an author and poet, as in Maya's case, or as a performance artist, as in Lindsey's instance.

Song of the Caged Bird appears on Lindsey Stirling's self-titled first studio album: Lindsey Stirling @LindseyStirlingMusic, via Facebook Oct. 2, 2012

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Lindsey Stirling, TEDxBerkeley, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, 16:57:11: Ira Serkes from Berkeley, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lindsey_Stirling.jpg;
Ira Serkes (berkeleyhomes-dot-com), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/serkes/6827251291/

Song of the Caged Bird appears on Lindsey Stirling's self-titled first studio album: Lindsey Stirling @LindseyStirlingMusic, via Facebook Oct. 2, 2012, @ https://www.facebook.com/lindseystirlingmusic/photos/a.150997748265754/469679476397578/

For further information:

Angelou, Maya. “Caged Bird.” Poetry Foundation > Poems and Poets.
Available @ http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/178948

Bissonnette, Christine. “Lindsey Stirling Sings of Freedom.” Cella Magazine > Articles.
Available @ http://cellamagazine.com/lindsey-stirling.html

“Lindsey Stirling.” Apple > iTunes Preview.
Available @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lindsey-stirling/id719708098

Lindsey Stirling. "Song of the Caged Bird - Lindsey Stirling (Original Song)." YouTube. Nov. 29, 2012.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inb8MMZ-QmA

Lindsey Stirling @LindseyStirlingMusic. "Pre-order my new album now! www.pledgemusic.com/lindseystirling." Facebook. Oct. 2, 2012.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/lindseystirlingmusic/photos/a.150997748265754/469679476397578/

“Marco G.” No Requests Music > Bio.
Available @ http://www.norequestsmusic.com/index.php/marco-g-biography

“Music.” Lindsey Stirling.
Available @ http://www.lindseystirling.com/music/

Gray Residence in Los Angeles: Exterior as Home of Eppes Family in Numb3rs

Summary: The Gray Residence in the historic West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles lends its exterior for outdoor images of the Eppes family home in Numb3rs.

Gray Residence, popularly known in 21st century as Numb3rs home, 2515 4th Avenue, West Adams District, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Southern California; Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, 12:03:04: Raul (savemejebus), CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

For many reasons, it is understandable that mathematics genius Charlie Eppes, portrayed by David Krumholtz (born May 15, 1978), decides to buy his childhood home upon learning of his father Alan's intention to sell.

Exterior shots of the Eppes family home in the TV series, Numb3rs, which ran for six seasons from January 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010, reveal an attractive, comfortable architecture. The entrance projects a disarmingly welcome impression by way of the simple lines of its wide porch.

Although the Eppes home is fictionally placed in Pasadena, a rosy city with a resplendent architectural heritage in southern Los Angeles County, the actual location of the Gray Residence, now popularly known as the Numb3rs home, is over 15 miles (24 kilometers) to the southwest in the historic West Adams neighborhood of southern Los Angeles. The home's physical address is 2515 4th Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90018. Its GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates are given as 34°2'2" north, 118°19'17" west.

The home is known as the Gray Residence or, more fully, as the Lucian and Blanche Gray Residence. The carefully restored home has changed hands only three times.

The original owners, Lucian Gray, an attorney, and his philanthropist wife Blanche, had the house built in 1909 at a cost of $8,900.00 ($200,000.00+ in 2015). They lived in the Craftsman style home for five decades.

The second owner, Dr. Ruth Janetta Temple (Nov. 1, 1892-Feb. 8, 1984), purchased the Gray residence after the death of her husband, real estate developer Otis Lawrence Banks (Nov. 22, 1891-Aug. 14, 1959). Dr. Tempe was a a trailblazer whose achievements included graduating from Loma Linda Medical School in 1918 as the school's first black graduate, opening the first medical clinic in southeastern Los Angeles, and serving as the first public health officer for Los Angeles.

The third, and current, owners, David Raposa and Edward Trosper, have owned the house since David's purchase in 1986.

Online real estate database Zillow, founded in 2005 by two former Microsoft executives, gives a current zestimate, an estimate based on publicly available information, of over $750,000.00 for the house's value.

The home was designed by Arthur Seelman Heineman (Nov. 9, 1878-Feb. 4, 1972), an Illinois transplant who moved from Chicago to Pasadena in 1894. Arthur is credited with inventing the motel. On Dec. 12, 1925, he opened the first, the Milestone Motel, in San Luis Obispo, California.

interior views of American Craftsman-styled Gray Residence: Nicolas Falacci @NickFalacci, via Twitter May 18, 2016

The pleasing architecture of the Gray Residence exemplifies the American Craftsman style that developed from the British Arts and Crafts Movement founded in 1861 by textile designer and social activist William Morris (March 24, 1834-Oct. 3, 1896).

A group of architects, designers and educators in Boston, Massachusetts, succeeded in transplanting William Morris' design aesthetics onto American soil by holding the First American Arts and Crafts Exhibition in April 1897 at Boston's Copley Hall. The group formed The Society of Arts and Crafts in June 1897.

Known as the American Craftsman style, the name honors The Craftsman, an influential magazine founded in 1901 by furniture manufacturer Gustav Stickley (March 9, 1858-April 1, 1942), an early champion of the style. Stickley's home in Syracuse, New York, is considered the first exemplar of the American Craftsman style.

The Gray Residence appears on the Los Angeles Department of City Planning's List of Historic-Cultural Monuments in South Los Angeles as HCM #600, designated Sept. 27, 1994, by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission.

In addition to exterior shots of the Gray Residence, scenes for Numb3rs also have been shot in the back yard, with a lot size of 7,000 square feet, and in the interior, which includes 5 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms over a spacious area of 3,733 square feet.

The back yard's koi pond serves as a calming spot for Charlie and as a backdrop for family gatherings. In "When Worlds Collide," the 18th episode of season five, airing Friday, May 26, 2008, Charlie shares with his FBI agent older brother, Don, played by Rob Morrow (born Sept. 21, 1962), that the oldest koi in the pond is named Tombrello. The koi's namesake is Thomas Anthony Tombrello Jr. (Sept. 20, 1936-Sept. 23, 2014), Chair of the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, from 1998 to 2008, at California Technical Institute, the real-world inspiration for CalSci in Numb3rs.

Interior scenes benefit from David Raposa and Edward Trosper's careful collection of vintage furniture, including reclining chairs designed by Gustav Stickley. The impressive table at which Charlie and Don gather with their father Alan, played by Judd Hirsch (born March 15, 1935), is an antique burl-wood dining table.

As series co-creator Cheryl Heuton has observed, the Gray Residence imparts a textured atmosphere of age and grace to scenes played out in a real house instead of on a set. The quiet elegance of the Gray Residence facilitates the dynamics enjoyably conveyed by the Eppes trio as they bring their work home or leave cases at the door.

the Eppes brothers, FBI special agent Don (Rob Morrow) and math-genius Charlie (David Krumholtz), in CBS crime drama television series NUMB3RS (Jan. 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010): NUMB3RS @NUMB3RS, via Facebook Nov. 13, 2008

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Gray Residence, popularly known in 21st century as Numb3rs home, 2515 4th Avenue, West Adams District, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Southern California; Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, 12:03:04: Raul (savemejebus), CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/47266767@N00/4127844748/

interior views of American Craftsman-styled Gray Residence: Nicolas Falacci @NickFalacci, via Twitter May 18, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/NickFalacci/status/733037432120082433

the Eppes brothers, FBI special agent Don (Rob Morrow) and math-genius Charlie (David Krumholtz), in CBS crime drama television series Numb3rs (Jan. 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010): NUMB3RS @NUMB3RS, via Facebook Nov. 13, 2008, @ https://www.facebook.com/NUMB3RS/photos/a.56109232904/56109307904/

For further information:

City of Los Angeles. Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) List: City Declared Monuments. March 30, 2010.
Available @ https://web.archive.org/web/20100615144658/http://www.preservation.lacity.org/files/HCMDatabase032410.pdf

Hobart, Christy. "Arts and Crafts by the 'Numb3rs.'" Los Angeles Times > Collections > Houses. Feb. 17, 2005.
Available @ http://articles.latimes.com/2005/feb/17/home/hm-numbers17

Nicolas Falacci @NickFalacci. "#Numb3rs photo day. The Eppes house." Twitter. May 18, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/NickFalacci/status/733037432120082433

Marriner, Derdriu. "How Numb3rs Taught Me to Love Math and Friday Night TV." Earth and Space News. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/01/how-numb3rs-taught-me-to-love-math-and.html

NUMB3RS @NUMB3RS. "Added a new photo." Facebook. Nov. 13, 2008.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/NUMB3RS/photos/a.56109232904/56109307904/

Three-Toed, Gulf Coast, Florida, Eastern Box Turtles: Red or Yellow Eyes

Summary: Three-toed, Gulf coast, Florida and eastern North American box turtle habitats get brown-yellow-eyed females, red-eyed male brown-olive-orange-yellow shells.

A distinct pattern of bright yellow radiating stripes on the carapace distinguishes the Florida box turtle (Terrapene carolina bauri); Smyrna Dunes Park, New Smyrna Beach peninsula, Volusia County, east central Florida; Sunday, Sep. 18, 2011, 15:53: Andrea Westmoreland from DeLand, United States, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons

Three-toed, Gulf coast, Florida and eastern North American turtle habitats assemble in vegetated wetland distribution ranges from Maine through Florida, Delmarva through Missouri, the Gulf Coast through eastern Texas and everywhere in-between.

The three-toed, Gulf coast, Florida and eastern box turtle subspecies bear their common names because of biogeographical and physical configurations and the scientific name Terrapene carolina. They correlate taxonomically with Terrapene carolina triunguis (three-toed [hindfeet]), Terrapene carolina major, Terrapene carolina bauri ([Georg] Baur's, Jan. 4, 1859-June 25, 1898) and Terrapene carolina carolina. Carl Linnaeus's (May 23, 1707-Jan. 10, 1778), Jean Louis Agassiz's (May 28, 1807-Dec. 14, 1873) and W.E. Taylor's descriptions in 1758, 1857 and 1895 drive taxonomies.

Three-toed, Gulf coast, Florida and eastern box turtle life cycles expect flooded pastures, floodplains, marshy and swampy edges, moist forests, grasslands and woodlands and wet meadows.

March through May, May through July and August through October favor three-toed, Gulf coast, Florida and eastern box turtle breeding, egg incubation and hatchling emergence stages.

Three-toed, Gulf coast, Florida and eastern box turtles get about after rains and early in the day as Emydidae box, marsh and pond turtle family members. They have emydid habits of basking atop grasses, logs, rocks and stumps and consuming wild berries and wild mushrooms whose toxins they harbor in their flesh. Each elongated, flattened hindfoot is untortoise-like in webbing even though transverse hinges impelling forward and rearward lower-shell (plastron) lobes and upper-shell (carapace) margins together indicate terrestrialism.

Predatory crows, fire ants, foxes, leeches, millipedes, minks, muskrats, opossums, raccoons, skunks and snakes jeopardize three-toed, Gulf coast, Florida and eastern North American box turtle habitats.

Three-toed, Gulf coast, Florida and eastern box turtle males keep elongated foreclaws keen on elaborate courtships that Emydidae bog, musk and pond turtle family members know.

Females lay 3 to 8 elliptical, thin-shelled, 1.375-inch (3.49-centimeter) eggs in flask-shaped, 3- to 4-inch- (7.62- to 10.16-centimeter-) deep cavities where hatchlings sometimes linger until spring. Females maintain 2 to 3 years of annual clutches of fertilized eggs, whose hatchlings mature physically and sexually within 3 to 5 years, from one mating. Beetles, berries, carrion, crickets, grasshoppers, grasses, mosses, mushrooms, slugs, snails, vegetables and worms nourish omnivorous ("everything-eating") three-toed, Gulf coast, Florida and eastern North American box turtles.

North American box turtle habitats offer sub-1,000-foot (sub-304.8-meter) altitude, season-coldest temperatures, from northerly minus 45 to southerly 35 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 42.11 to 1.66 degrees Celsius).

Broadleaf, mixed, open bottomland forests, field-forest edges, marshy meadows, palmetto thickets, pastures, shrubby grasslands and stream valleys promote three-toed, Gulf coast, Florida and eastern box turtles.

Four to 8.5 inches (10.16 to 21.59 centimeters) queue up as total lengths for high-domed, rough-scuted, well-keeled (ridged) upper-shells on red-eyed males and on brown-yellow-eyed females. Florida versus eastern box turtles respectively reveal orange-yellow-marked, ray-patterned upper-shells, the sides of the heads double light-striped and three-toed hindfeet versus orange-yellow shells and four-toed hindfeet. Gulf coast versus three-toed box turtles respectively show big, brown-olive-tan, sparse-marked upper-shells flared rearward and four-toed hindlegs versus brown-olive-tan, dark-patterned upper-shells and spotted forelimbs and heads.

Day-active, high-domed, land-loving, rough-scuted, well-keeled brown-olive-orange-tan-yellow shells with red or yellow-brown eyes and three- or four-toed hindfeet turn up in North American eastern box turtle habitats.

Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina), also known as woodland box turtle, displays a highly variable pattern of orange to yellow lines and splotches on the carapace (upper shell); Woodbridge, southeastern Prince William County, Northern Virginia; Saturday, May 22, 2010: Judy Gallagher (Judy Gallagher), 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:

A distinct pattern of bright yellow radiating stripes on the carapace distinguishes the Florida box turtle (Terrapene carolina bauri); Smyrna Dunes Park, New Smyrna Beach peninsula, Volusia County, east central Florida; Sunday, Sep. 18, 2011, 15:53: Andrea Westmoreland from DeLand, United States, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Florida_box_turtle_(Terrapene_carolina_bauri)_-_Flickr_-_Andrea_Westmoreland.jpg

Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina), also known as woodland box turtle, displays a highly variable pattern of orange to yellow lines and splotches on the carapace (upper shell); Woodbridge, southeastern Prince William County, Northern Virginia; Saturday, May 22, 2010: Judy Gallagher (Judy Gallagher), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/52450054@N04/32501498043/

For further information:

Aardema, J.; S. Beam; J. Boner; J. Bussone; C. Ewart; I. Kaplan; K. Kiefer; S. Lindsay; E. Merrill; W. Moretz; J. Roberts; E. Rockwell; M. Reott; J. Willson; A. Pickens; W. Guthrie; A. Young; Y. Kornilev; W. Anderson; G. Connette; E. Eskew; E. Teague; M. Thomas; and A. Tutterow. "Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene carolina." Herps of NC > Amphibians and Reptiles of North Carolina > Turtles.
Available @ https://herpsofnc.org/eastern-box-turtle/

Agassiz, Louis. 1857. "Cistudo major, Ag." Contributions to the Natural History of the United States of America. Vol. I, Part II: 445. Boston MA: Little, Brown and Company; London, England: Trübner & Co.
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12852783

Agassiz, Louis. 1857. "Cistudo triunguis, Ag." Contributions to the Natural History of the United States of America. Vol. I, Part II: 445. Boston MA: Little, Brown and Company; London, England: Trübner & Co.
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12852783

Babcock, Harold L. (Lester). 1919. "Terrapene carolina (Linné). Box Tortoise. Plate 31." The Turtles of New England; With Sixteen Plates. Monographs on the Natural History of New England; Memoirs of the Boston Society of Natural History, vol. 8, no. 3: 411-418; Plate 31. Boston MA: Boston Society of Natural History.
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12636637
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/stream/turtlesofnewengl00babc#page/411/mode/1up

Baker, Patrick J., Ph.D. 2003. "Eastern box turtle Terrapene carolina." Pages 112-113. In: Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2nd edition. Volume 7, Reptiles, edited by Michael Hutchins, James B. Murphy, and Neil Schlager. Farmington Hills MI: Gale Group.

Beane, Jeffrey C.; Alvin L. Braswell; Joseph C. Mitchell; William M. Palmer; and Julian R. Harrison III. 2010. "Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene carolina." Page 173. In: Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia. With contributions by Bernard S. Martof and Joseph R. Bailey. Second Edition, Revised and Updated. Chapel Hill NC: The University of North Carolina.

"Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene carolina." Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency > Wildlife/Biodiversity > Reptiles > Turtles in Tennessee.
Available @ https://www.tn.gov/twra/wildlife/reptiles/turtle/eastern-box-turtle.html

"Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene carolina." Indiana Herp Atlas > Turtles.
Available @ https://inherpatlas.org/species/terrapene_carolina

Holbrook, John Edwards. 1838. "Cistuda Carolina -- Edwards." North American Herpetology; Or, A Description of the Reptiles Inhabiting the United States. Vol. III: 9-15. Philadelphia PA: J. Dobson.
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3682970

Linnaeus, Carl. 1758. "7. Testudo carolina." Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis, Tomus I, Editio Decima, Reformata: 198. Holmiae [Stockholm, Sweden]: Laurentii Salvii [Laurentius Salvius].
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727109

Taylor, W.E. 1895. "The Box Tortoises of North America: Terrapene Bauri, new species." Proceedings of the United States National Museum, vol. XVII (1894): 576-577. Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1895.
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15675608

Uetz, Peter. "Terrapene carolina (Linnaeus, 1758)." Reptile Database.
Available @ http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Terrapene&species=carolina&search_param=%28%28search%3D%27terrapene+carolina%27%29%29

Potatoes Love Beans and Eggplants: Potato Companion Plants

Summary: Potatoes love beans and eggplants as beneficial companion plants. Andean culture traditionally pairs potatoes with mashua, another New World tuber.

bean-and-potato patch; Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011, 03:26:31: Ciarán Mooney, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Companion planting is a gardening strategy for grouping beneficial plants and separating adversarial plants. Combinations are gleaned from such formal and informal resources and sources as experimentation, research, and tradition.

As with many popular garden plants, potatoes do not exhibit general bonhomie. Some plants perturb potatoes. Others protect potatoes from ravaging pests. Other plants vivify potatoes by encouraging well-being.

Beans, eggplants and potatoes form a beneficial trio, a blending of New World and Old World natives as well as of three different types of plant foods.

Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are New World legumes hailing primarily from Mexico.

Eggplants (Solanum melongena) are Old World fruits originating in cultivations in southern and eastern Asia.

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are New World tubers with native habitats mainly in South America's Andes Mountains, favoring Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

The beneficial trio pools the individual plants' sensitivities and strengths to overcome adversity and promote crop productivity.

The Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), with a boisterously bright orange yellow body and five brown lengthwise stripes on each elytron (forewing), is a New World pesky insect with presumed nativity in southwestern North America, especially Colorado and Mexico. Colorado potato beetle larvae and adults have a penchant for skeletonizing crops.

Although attracted to potatoes, these voracious beetles easily are lured away from the tuberous perennials by nearby eggplants. The diversion, however, is transformed into an exodus by the presence of beans, which are repugnant to Colorado potato beetles.

Potatoes, in turn, repel Mexican bean beetles (Epilachna varivestis). The New World species of lady beetle with presumed nativity in the plateau region of southern Mexico have a notorious reputation for devastating infestations of bean plants.

Other companion plants for potatoes include cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage (Brassica oleraceae) and horseradish (Armoracia rusticana, syn. Cochlearia armoracia); food and fiber plants such as flax (Linum usitatissimum); grain plants such as corn (Zea mays); and herbaceous plants such as marigolds (Tagetes).

A successful traditional strategy from the Andes Mountains pairs potatoes with mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum), a New World tuber sharing the Tropaeolum genus with nasturtiums. Mashua is effective especially as a border crop for protecting potato patches from pests. Outside of its native Andes Mountain habitats, mashua is finding favor as an introduced crop, particularly thriving in New Zealand and in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

Adversarial plants are detrimental to potato crops by way of such letdowns as stunting the tubers' growth and lowering resistance to Phytophthora infestans. The New World microorganisms were responsible for the potato famines in Europe during the Hungry Forties (1840s).

Plants disfavored by potatoes include global plants such as raspberries (Rubus) with New World and Old World varieties. New World natives disfavored by potatoes include pumpkins (Cucurbita), sunflowers (Helianthus) and tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum). Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) are Old World gourds that are adversarial to potatoes. Old World trees, such as apples (Malus domestica), increase potato susceptibility to phytophthora blight.

Potatoes enjoy global popularity as garden plants and as a versatile culinary ingredient.

Healthy potatoes reflect supportive gardening strategies such as companion planting.

A thriving potato crop promises success from garden to table.

"The potato is the vegetable of choice in the United States. On average, Americans devour about 142 pounds of it per year"; photo of colorful varieties of potatoes by Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service: 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:

bean-and-potato patch; Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011, 03:26:31: Ciarán Mooney, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/20156581@N03/6076206310/

"The potato is the vegetable of choice in the United States. On average, Americans devour about 142 pounds of it per year"; photo of colorful varieties of potatoes by Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Patates.jpg; Public Domain, via USDA Agricultural Research Service @ https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/images/photos/dec00/k9152-1/

For further information:

Marriner, Derdriu. "Mashua Tropaeolum tuberosum: Fresh or Cooked Delicacy of Andes Tuber." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/02/mashua-tropaeolum-tuberosum-fresh-or.html