“All my life, people had told me about the dolmen,” says Angel Castaño, a resident of Peraleda de la Mata, a village just a couple miles from the reservoir, and president of the local cultural association. “I had seen parts of it peeking out from the water before, but this is the first time I’ve seen it in full. It’s spectacular because you can appreciate the entire complex for the first time in decades.”
The dolmen he’s talking about is known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal, the remains of a 7,000-year old megalithic monument consisting of around 100 standing stones—some up to six feet tall—arranged around an oval open space. It takes hours of hiking to get to the dolmen, which is now a few dozen yards away from the edge of the tranquil blue water. Visitors today are more likely to see deer than guards. Traces of aquatic plant life in the sand show that the site is dry and accessible only temporarily.
“When we saw it, we were completely thrilled,” Castaño says. “It felt like we had discovered a megalithic monument ourselves.”
Archaeologists believe the dolmen was likely erected on the banks of the Tagus River in the fifth millennium BC, as a completely enclosed space, like a stone house with a massive cap stone on top. And though it had been known, perhaps even damaged, by the Romans, it had faded beyond memory until German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier led an excavation of the site in the mid-1920s. Obermaier’s work wasn’t published until 1960, but by then the tide of the 20th century was on its way to the ancient site.
Saturday, August 29, 2020
Spain's Submerged Stonehenge Resurfaces
Old, old stuff:
Damned Sunny In The Valley Of The Sun
Place just keeps getting warmer:
Friday marked the 50th day to reach 110 degrees or higher in the Valley this year, setting a record nobody wanted.
Before 2020, the previous record for most days in a calendar year to reach 110 degrees was 33 days set in 2011. Phoenix surpassed that on Aug. 9 and has beat it almost every day since then.
Phoenix passed the scorching milestone on Friday afternoon when the temperature at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport hit 111 degrees.
"It's not like we barely broke this record," said National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Hirsch. "We sort of obliterated it."
The heat, Hirsch explained, is largely a result of persistent high pressure this summer. High pressure normally produces warmer than average temperatures. Those conditions were exacerbated by an uncharacteristically dry summer. Phoenix experienced less than 4 inches of rainfall since the beginning of the year.
"When you don't have moisture to cool it down, excessive heat can persist," Hirsch said. "Essentially, we didn't get any relief from monsoon storms."
Some Mayhem In Downtown Sacramento Tonight
The rioting has started again. I hope they can keep it low-key, because stupid Sheriff Jones wants to crack some Antifa heads:
After protests on Thursday that turned destructive, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones promised a strong response from law enforcement. Speaking outside of the downtown jail earlier in the day, Jones told reporters that he had asked for National Guard personnel to quell the riots.
A large crowd gather in downtown Sacramento on Thursday afternoon for a peaceful demonstration that ended around 7 p.m. A second group arrived at 8 p.m., and about 200 people – some wearing all black clothing and carrying shields – tromped through the downtown area, smashing windows and defacing government buildings and private property. One news crew was threatened with physical violence for recording in public.
“It’s been one day and I’m already done with this,” Jones said. “We will end this. ... We have plenty of room in this building behind me,” Jones said, alluding to the jailhouse.
Sheriff Jones acknowledged the presence of the peaceful protest earlier on Thursday, but identified the second, later demonstration as the main cause of mayhem downtown. The latter, he said, was not a protest but an “attempted insurrection,” led by people equipped with body armor and riot gear.
Friday, August 28, 2020
Rattlesnakes In Trees
John sends this really cool article:
A growing number of Facebook posts this summer show rattlesnakes not only climb trees when the mood strikes them, but they’re good at it.
Among the earliest of the posts was on July 4, when Jerome Perez of New Mexico shared video of a nearly 6-foot rattlesnake in the top of a mesquite tree, east of San Antonio, New Mexico.
Perez told McClatchy News he was hiking with his 11-year-old son Joshua and girlfriend, Gabby, when she noticed something odd in a tree 100 feet away. His video of the sight had been viewed 177,000 times on Facebook as of Aug. 18.
“Yes, it was crazy!” he said. “I was amazed we were seeing such an unheard of occurrence. The snake was up high, soaking up the early morning sun, but his rattler was going at high speed. A small sparrow was flapping frantically in front of the snake, trying to keep it from a nest likely hidden in the tree.”
Perez said they did to not intervene and left the rattlesnake “unharmed” after 5 minutes of watching to see what happened next.
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Making Too Many Mistakes
Exxon loses an important perch:
For decades, ExxonMobil was an unstoppable machine. It made gobs of money, spent that cash wisely and rewarded shareholders lavishly.
As recently as 2013, Exxon (XOM) was the the most valuable company on the planet. Its market value topped out at $446 billion in mid-2014, the last time crude prices traded above $100 a barrel.
...A series of strategic decisions backfired badly, from betting on natural gas at the top of the market to being late to America's shale boom.
Exxon is now losing money for the first time in decades. Its long track record of raising the dividend is in doubt. Exxon is the poster child for the fossil fuels industry at a time of deep concern about the climate crisis. And the company's market value has crumbled by a staggering $267 billion from the peak.
The latest humiliation for Exxon: It's being kicked out of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the exclusive index it's been a part of for 92 years.
Remembering Some Of The Interesting People I'm Meeting at My New Job 3
Sunday August 30, 2020: Clusters in Oak Park
Pretty quiet day, but did interview two large families: one with 9 people and one with six people.
Saturday August 29, 2020: MLK Blvd. Corridor from Highway 99 South to 47th Avenue
Back in the 'hood again! I'm meeting almost no one I'd describe as a crazy patriot, which surprises me.
Little houses with quite a few people with Mexican heritage inside!
Caught a single worker on his day off.
I was trying to establish whether an apartment was vacant, but everyone in the area was enjoying themselves sitting in what looked like an old school bus.
I was talking to a Salvadoran housewife today. I was trying to ask her about her race in my butchered Spanglish. She misunderstood my question and used Siri to translate "brunette" into English from Spanish. Pretty funny. We managed to get her information in, though.
Had a run of interviews in one neighborhood. That's what it's all about!
Talked to a Laotian who has a girl friend who lives part-time in his house.
Interrupted some car repair to talk to a lady who lives there with her dad with Alzheimers, plus a roommate she doesn't know well.
Friday August 28, 2020: Land Park and Near Sacramento City College
Few people at home in Land Park in the afternoon. I'm kind-of surprised. I figured in a neighborhood of professionals that everyone would be in Zoom meetings. A sign at one house warned visitors against knocking. The sign said: "In Quarantine." I didn't knock.
Some missed opportunities on Freeport Blvd.
South of City College I managed to interview some people who clearly had been giving the census enumerators some trouble. Maybe I have a knack for this! One fellow had a 2-year-old son with the most-amazing Roman name - better than any Emperor! Cute Chihuahua too!
They are weary of seeing me and other interviewers at one house on 4th Avenue. Can't say I blame them!
Thursday August 27, 2020: Curtis Park and Edge of Land Park
I finally got Unit 1 of the house on the corner, but didn't get Unit 2. The folks in the tall house by the park were having a back yard get-together, and I could have interviewed them if I yelled over their tall fence, but I didn't have the heart to do that.
Starting to use more proxies. More time-consuming, definitely.
Finally met my supervisor for the first time. Thin wiry guy. Gave me some extra forms. Said my completion rate was suspiciously high: 30% instead of the usual 20%. Don't know what to make of that. Not really sure how a completion rate is even defined.
Interviewed my two next-door neighbors on the east side. Still need to locate 2 of the other neighbors.
Wednesday August 26, 2020: MLK Blvd. Corridor from Highway 99 South to Cuny Blvd.
A bit of the 'hood. Some language problems: Vietnamese and Spanish. Big barking dogs. The day started nice, talking to a mother and her kids in Section 8 housing. She seemed so placid and calm.
There was a desert of single-person apartments in the afternoon where either no one was at home, or the people refused to cooperate. Folks divided into these small apartments seem much more suspicious that folks in the leafy-green neighborhoods closer to the city center. Amused by speaking with a Guatemalan fellow, though. He may have been sleeping in the afternoon. Spoke Spanish in a sing-song way I now recognize as a Guatemalan accent.
One highlight was a battered old apartment building - Section 8 housing again - but where the people I talked to seemed so nice. They had had a fire there recently, so some of the inhabitants had recently moved to other apartments. They warned me that a lady in one apartment had Covid-19, but fortunately her apartment wasn't on my list. (The manager announced to some of the other residents that the woman's test wasn't available yet, so it's not yet certain if she has the virus).
Big apartment complex at the end of the day (near Gabe's house), with lots and lots of little kids playing games and speaking Spanish. Interviewed a Honduran. I handed him my iphone to enter birth date information, because there were just too many dates. Big family in that apartment! I also interviewed new in-movers from LA. I could tell I made them nervous.
Tuesday August 25, 2020: Luxury Apartments and a Scattering in Oak Park.
For being resistant to an interview, the man seemed nice enough. "Be sure to vote in the coming election! We need new leadership!"
The first time I've knowingly run into a likely Covid case. Surprised me that it was in the luxury apartments. The fellow cracked open the door and explained the respondent had a fever. He had tattoos on his chest and there was some kind of plastic sheeting hanging just inside the front door. With big eyes, he whispered "I don't want the illness to spread." I stopped any effort to interview. I just wish the fellow had worn a mask.
Monday August 24, 2020: Curtis Park.
A little luck today using proxies to fill in gaps, like the New Hampshire in-mover.
Pretty quiet day, but did interview two large families: one with 9 people and one with six people.
Saturday August 29, 2020: MLK Blvd. Corridor from Highway 99 South to 47th Avenue
Back in the 'hood again! I'm meeting almost no one I'd describe as a crazy patriot, which surprises me.
Little houses with quite a few people with Mexican heritage inside!
Caught a single worker on his day off.
I was trying to establish whether an apartment was vacant, but everyone in the area was enjoying themselves sitting in what looked like an old school bus.
I was talking to a Salvadoran housewife today. I was trying to ask her about her race in my butchered Spanglish. She misunderstood my question and used Siri to translate "brunette" into English from Spanish. Pretty funny. We managed to get her information in, though.
Had a run of interviews in one neighborhood. That's what it's all about!
Talked to a Laotian who has a girl friend who lives part-time in his house.
Interrupted some car repair to talk to a lady who lives there with her dad with Alzheimers, plus a roommate she doesn't know well.
Friday August 28, 2020: Land Park and Near Sacramento City College
Few people at home in Land Park in the afternoon. I'm kind-of surprised. I figured in a neighborhood of professionals that everyone would be in Zoom meetings. A sign at one house warned visitors against knocking. The sign said: "In Quarantine." I didn't knock.
Some missed opportunities on Freeport Blvd.
South of City College I managed to interview some people who clearly had been giving the census enumerators some trouble. Maybe I have a knack for this! One fellow had a 2-year-old son with the most-amazing Roman name - better than any Emperor! Cute Chihuahua too!
They are weary of seeing me and other interviewers at one house on 4th Avenue. Can't say I blame them!
Thursday August 27, 2020: Curtis Park and Edge of Land Park
I finally got Unit 1 of the house on the corner, but didn't get Unit 2. The folks in the tall house by the park were having a back yard get-together, and I could have interviewed them if I yelled over their tall fence, but I didn't have the heart to do that.
Starting to use more proxies. More time-consuming, definitely.
Finally met my supervisor for the first time. Thin wiry guy. Gave me some extra forms. Said my completion rate was suspiciously high: 30% instead of the usual 20%. Don't know what to make of that. Not really sure how a completion rate is even defined.
Interviewed my two next-door neighbors on the east side. Still need to locate 2 of the other neighbors.
Wednesday August 26, 2020: MLK Blvd. Corridor from Highway 99 South to Cuny Blvd.
A bit of the 'hood. Some language problems: Vietnamese and Spanish. Big barking dogs. The day started nice, talking to a mother and her kids in Section 8 housing. She seemed so placid and calm.
There was a desert of single-person apartments in the afternoon where either no one was at home, or the people refused to cooperate. Folks divided into these small apartments seem much more suspicious that folks in the leafy-green neighborhoods closer to the city center. Amused by speaking with a Guatemalan fellow, though. He may have been sleeping in the afternoon. Spoke Spanish in a sing-song way I now recognize as a Guatemalan accent.
One highlight was a battered old apartment building - Section 8 housing again - but where the people I talked to seemed so nice. They had had a fire there recently, so some of the inhabitants had recently moved to other apartments. They warned me that a lady in one apartment had Covid-19, but fortunately her apartment wasn't on my list. (The manager announced to some of the other residents that the woman's test wasn't available yet, so it's not yet certain if she has the virus).
Big apartment complex at the end of the day (near Gabe's house), with lots and lots of little kids playing games and speaking Spanish. Interviewed a Honduran. I handed him my iphone to enter birth date information, because there were just too many dates. Big family in that apartment! I also interviewed new in-movers from LA. I could tell I made them nervous.
Tuesday August 25, 2020: Luxury Apartments and a Scattering in Oak Park.
For being resistant to an interview, the man seemed nice enough. "Be sure to vote in the coming election! We need new leadership!"
The first time I've knowingly run into a likely Covid case. Surprised me that it was in the luxury apartments. The fellow cracked open the door and explained the respondent had a fever. He had tattoos on his chest and there was some kind of plastic sheeting hanging just inside the front door. With big eyes, he whispered "I don't want the illness to spread." I stopped any effort to interview. I just wish the fellow had worn a mask.
Monday August 24, 2020: Curtis Park.
A little luck today using proxies to fill in gaps, like the New Hampshire in-mover.
Sunday, August 23, 2020
Unbelievable Monday Air Quality
Appalled at all the smoke. Half-mile visibility in places: a mile in ‘cleaner’ air. People turning on headlights in mid-afternoon.
Loose Dog
One a.m. I had forgotten to turn on the lights on the front porch. My dog Jasper was sitting quietly on the front lawn as I watered plants. All was calm.
Suddenly, Jasper started growling. A man with two large dogs was coming down the street. Since I had let go of his leash in order to water plants, small Jasper was able to jump to the sidewalk and menace the approaching trio with loud barks. Despite the protection of his two large dogs, the man became hysterical. He started screaming at me that Jasper was a threat. The panicked man dropped a sack of belongings on the street as his dogs positioned themselves to defend against Jasper's attack.
I retrieved Jasper's leash and told the man, "Don't worry, you are safe." The man screamed that I was misrepresenting the harrowing situation and that by not having Jasper continually on a leash all along that I was a very inconsiderate man. Very inconsiderate. The worried trio moved away into the darkness.
I let go of Jasper's leash and continued watering.
Suddenly, Jasper started growling. A man with two large dogs was coming down the street. Since I had let go of his leash in order to water plants, small Jasper was able to jump to the sidewalk and menace the approaching trio with loud barks. Despite the protection of his two large dogs, the man became hysterical. He started screaming at me that Jasper was a threat. The panicked man dropped a sack of belongings on the street as his dogs positioned themselves to defend against Jasper's attack.
I retrieved Jasper's leash and told the man, "Don't worry, you are safe." The man screamed that I was misrepresenting the harrowing situation and that by not having Jasper continually on a leash all along that I was a very inconsiderate man. Very inconsiderate. The worried trio moved away into the darkness.
I let go of Jasper's leash and continued watering.
Last Week Was Way Hot
National Weather Service reported:
RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO, CA
235 AM PDT SUN AUG 16 2020
...A VARIETY OF RECORD TEMPERATURES WERE BROKEN SATURDAY (AUGUST 15TH) ACROSS INTERIOR NORCAL...
IN DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 111 BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH FOR THE DATE OF 108 FROM 1920.
THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 76 EXCEEDED THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH MINIMUM FOR THE DATE OF 74 FROM 1983.
AT THE SACRAMENTO EXECUTIVE AIRPORT...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 109 BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH FOR THE DATE OF 105 FROM LAST YEAR.
THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 72 TIED THE RECORD HIGH MINIMUM FOR THE DATE PREVIOUSLY SET IN 1983.
IN STOCKTON...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 109 BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH FOR THE DATE OF 107 FROM LAST YEAR.
IM MODESTO...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 105 TIED THE RECORD HIGH FOR THE DATE PREVIOUSLY SET IN 2008.
RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO, CA
235 AM PDT SUN AUG 16 2020
...A VARIETY OF RECORD TEMPERATURES WERE BROKEN SATURDAY (AUGUST 15TH) ACROSS INTERIOR NORCAL...
IN DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 111 BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH FOR THE DATE OF 108 FROM 1920.
THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 76 EXCEEDED THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH MINIMUM FOR THE DATE OF 74 FROM 1983.
AT THE SACRAMENTO EXECUTIVE AIRPORT...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 109 BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH FOR THE DATE OF 105 FROM LAST YEAR.
THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 72 TIED THE RECORD HIGH MINIMUM FOR THE DATE PREVIOUSLY SET IN 1983.
IN STOCKTON...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 109 BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH FOR THE DATE OF 107 FROM LAST YEAR.
IM MODESTO...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 105 TIED THE RECORD HIGH FOR THE DATE PREVIOUSLY SET IN 2008.
Community Theater Nightmare
Lucky to be out of it just now:
A Nebraska community theatre decided to go on with their summer production of ‘Mamma Mia’ despite the current health crisis and now more than 20 of the show’s cast and crew have tested positive for COVID-19.
According to local news, of the 38 total cast members tested, 63.2% are positive. Nine of the 24 positive cases are teenage members of the cast.
North Platte Community Playhouse finished its run of the ABBA jukebox musical on Aug 2nd. Local news reported the positive tests among the cast just days later. The outbreak has now shut down the playhouse and theater until February 1, 2021.
It’s unknown how exactly the cast and crew contracted the coronavirus but it should be noted that despite being socially distanced, audiences were not required to wear protective masks during performances.
"One of the things that we're saying as directors is to hopefully have people keep that six-foot distance away. If they feel comfortable wearing those masks, we want them to be wearing masks if they feel inclined to," said director Tyler Cronin told local news.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)