Winter Bytes

Winter sunrise 

Mid-February, and the chocolate rush is over. No more tacky heart-shaped red cardboard boxes,  thank goodness. The 76%  bitter chocolate in squares tasted just fine.

Commercialization of sweet ideas should not be allowed.  Bah humbug.  Wait, that sounds like Scrooge at Christmas.  It wasn't.  It was Scrooge at Valentine's Day;   the crusty old goat doesn't like the commercialization of sweet occasions,  the retailing of sweet traditions, or red-heart-shaped-cardboard-boxifying  romance.  Love ignored the rest of the year. Scrooge loves his sweetheart all year round. Imagine that, a  real winter byte.

I have to agree with him. My relationship with my beloved is worth far more than a $39.99  heart-shaped cardboard box that will end up in the landfill the next day.
   
  Never mind,  it's winter and we are now free to smile happily and  contemplate winter bytes, --even if winter bites. There is always something beautiful to behold, see this?   It is natural wind-blown snow art  offered by Mother Nature herself. It seems to appear magically every winter without fail.  It sparkles in the moonlight too.  How cool is that!

Windblown Snow Art

 So all is not lost in winter after all,  whether we end up getting cabin fever and the winter blahs or not. Where shall we wander?  Out into the great outdoors, like this!

Winter tracks

At Incoming Bytes we note and appreciate all kinds of beauty, outdoors or in, whether made by nature, man, woman, or child.  Back indoors after that wonderful walkabout in the great outdoors, nature is providing her own showy, special beauty this mild winter day:

Carnation and Chrysanthemums 

 How about those bytes by Mother Nature? Carnations and chrysanthemums  sure look good to me! Way to go, Momma! 
 Man-made art shows up in winter too. Especially around birthdays.

 Oh oh...is that child genius artist at it again?   See for yourself...

Child Genius Art 

Oh, my...what a relief.  It's just the wrapping paper.  There's no rice, lentils, assorted beans or macaroni on it, attached, detached, or anywhere near. Artistic, isn't it? Macaroni-free too!

 Maybe I'll close up the paper chute on the printer just in case.   After all, we don't want any more macaroni in the printer.    Winter bytes -- al dente.   Hey, we learn fast around here.


Is that incoming I hear? 



* photos (c) 2012  wlk photography

Short Story: The Orchestra

'the flautist' (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Every once in a while at Incoming Bytes we yield  to distraction from serious issues and progress from fact to fiction.   I like fiction.  Why not?  It is winter, after all, close to -20C out in the snow and wind, so what better day to dawdle about and offer a short story?   Grab a cup of coffee, sit down, and enjoy  "the Orchestra".





                                     



                                                      The Orchestra  

"Double dog dare 'ya, Orchie! "  Arthur yelled.

 " 'Ya won't go higher !" 

 The five boys stood back, each secretly admiring the courage shown by the lithe blonde 11-year-old  in blue-jean shorts.  She came  equipped.  A silver-coloured trumpet dangled on a piece of twine from her belt.

"Will so! " she shouted  from high above them in the huge white oak tree. 

"No watching either!" she shouted. She stretched for the next branch. The trumpet swung, banging against the trunk.  

"You gotta  be where I carved my initials!" Arthur yelled.

"She's already higher,  she's braver than you, stupid!

" Is not!"

" Is too!"   

Orchie stopped climbing and sat on a branch. 

 "I'm higher already,  Dewie!"  She pointed below her.

  She pulled out a red-handled jackknife and quickly carved a heart in the bark.  She traced her initials with the small blade, chips of bark and wood sifting down in the mottled sunlight.  

"There!" That proves it, if you're brave enough to come see it!" she giggled.

"You're not finished yet, double dog dare, remember?"  Big Bob shouted.

 " 'Ya gotta play "The Yellow Rose of Texas" hanging upside down! " Arthur yelled.

"Are you kidding?"  I already climbed higher than you did!  "Have  you no honour?" she shouted down at them .

" You promised you would join music class if  I got here, every one of you!"

Middle Bob looked up and nodded. "She's right, we said 'scout's honour, hope to die if we lie', remember, scout's honour ? "

Arthur smirked. " It would still be funny to see".

"If she falls it's your fault" Little Bob,  the smallest kid said. "I'll tell my mom".  

"Them branches aren't too big"  Middle Bob agreed, squinting up into the sunlight.

"I know what we'll  do,"  Arthur offered.  "We'll compromise".

"Hey, Orchie! " he shouted. |"We'll let you off the hook!" 

"You can hang upside down and play "She'll be Comin' 'Round the Mountain", -- two lines!"

"Suit yourself! " Orchie laughed.  "That's easy!".

She wrapped her legs around the narrow trunk, locking her feet together  and hung, backwards, head down, looking at them.

"Wow, she's so brave!" Little Bob said. "Braver than us!"

"Poor boys!" Orchie laughed. "Anyone can do this!"   She reached down and grabbed her trumpet and began to play.  Arthur sang along:

"She'll be comin' 'round the mountain when she comes!"

"She'll be drivin' six white horses when she comes!" -----

Five jaws dropped in dead silence.

The white blouse separated from  blue jeans, exposed a pale midriff but little else. They stared.  

"Whooot whooooooot !"  "See that?"  Arthur shouted. 

"That's it!" Orchie said,  her face bright red, dropping the trumpet to the end of it's cord.

She quickly righted herself and swung down, branch to branch, lightly dropping  to the ground in front of them with the grace of a cat.  She blared a few notes loudly at them.

 It sounded dangerous,  like a cavalry charge.

 "Get a good look boys?" she challenged, nose to nose.  Dewie shook his head violently, looking at the others.  Arthur  backed away.

Silence.  Faces were red. She laughed.  "You'll need more courage than that!"  

" Now you have to sign up, ---so you'll be playing, um.... violin,  boys?"  she laughed. "Our new orchestra needs a trombone player and a flautist too."

She laughed. "Last one showing up will be the flautist".  She smirked.

 The boys  cringed.   

"--By the way, boys," Orchie added, " three o'clock.  Be brave. Mrs. Veinerschlappen  is waiting for you!"

 She laughed and turned away. Her determined, crabby aunt would be delighted with the new recruits.

 The boys began arguing, wrestling, and punching one another.

"You be the flautist, dummy!" 

"It was your idea to challenge Orchie, so you gotta be the flautist!" Dewie argued.
"What's a 'flautist' anyway?"  Little Bob asked. 

"Ask Arthur,--he's  it !  Dewie laughed, shrugging. 

    

##

 Is that incoming I hear?

Unbelievable: MORE Nukes to be Built in the USA

Say "NO ! "  to Nuclear Plants

                                " No comment !!! ". 

Leadership in the United States of America has chosen to continue with the program of  nuclear madness. The nuclear industry has clearly been given the green light by President Barack Obama.

Perhaps the subsequent  February 9, 2012  approval of two new nuclear reactors by the  U.S.  Nuclear Regulatory Commission  is the damning evidence  so unbelievable and  outrageous  it raises the question of whether 'ordinary' citizens should even bother trying to address the issue in a reasonable manner.  


  It seems the horrific nuclear disaster at Fukushima, Japan already been  forgotten or is being totally ignored even though the  effects of the  melt-down, explosions, fires in the nuclear facilities and wide-spread, dangerously high radioactive contamination at Fukushima  are  not resolved, and will not be for  many centuries. 
The nuclear elite in North America have decided they can magically address those safety concerns'  therefore nuclear will become "safe".
 Approval for two new nuclear reactors to be built  by 2016 in Vogtle, Georgia has been given.
These 'brilliant people' have decided an earthquake can never happen in Vogtle, Georgia.  A nuclear meltdown can never happen in Vogtle, Georgia. A major leak of radioactive material can never happen in Vogtle, Georgia.    
The trouble is, clearly all of the above CAN happen.

  A tsunami could NEVER damage the nuclear reactors at Fukushima.  Cleverly-designed backup cooling systems AND SHUTDOWN SYSTEMS  can NEVER fail.   Three Mile Island could not OCCUR.  "IMPOSSIBLE! "     The horrific meltdown at Chernobyl  apparently could not happen either. 
We all know "THESE CATASTROPHES  can't happen" according to the nuclear industry,  but DID. 

 

Is this small, self-entitled pro-nuclear segment of humanity SO arrogant that it matters not WHAT happens to THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMANITY ITSELF? 

CLEARLY The question of competence must be brought to bear.  Read the comments in this news article and decide for yourselves.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/us-approves-first-nuclear-plant-since-1986-175023774.html

 Shall we now sit in silence and apathy,  and say " NO COMMENT ! "? 
Quite to the contrary.
 
We  believe this  decision to be irresponsible,  outrageous and unacceptable by any standards.

Clean, environmentally safe methods are already available to develop power. Nuclear plants are not necessary. The threat to the environment and humanity itself is not necessary.  
 With reasoning, authority, and leadership itself thoughtlessly  tossed to rabid nuclear dogs who delight in pushing their own greedy agenda for profit,  and are also clearly out of control,  ignoring the most basic tenets of common sense,  why should anyone express concern?

In fact, pushing logic even farther,  does the United States of America need the expense of governance and  "leadership"   that fails to act or understand the need for a major change of energy policy NOW ?

In jest:
  "Let us maintain silence, cast our embarrassed  gaze at our navels,  pretend ignorance,  fade into the sunset, and allow greedy corporate fools to run North America entirely so humanity can be irradiated for profit". 

Nuclear madness designed and perpetrated by greedy corporate interests must be addressed and halted.

The fact is, if a highly industrial country like Germany can go nuclear-free and use alternative, clean methods of production, so can the United States of America. It is time to recognize fact and have common sense prevail.

At Incoming Bytes we find it difficult to understand why these outrageous plans have so thoughtlessly been approved. To maintain and ensure a healthy environment for all of humanity is far more important than corporate greed.    This course of action is totally irresponsible. The blighted record of the nuclear industry is already more than apparent. It is deadly.  

Readers of Incoming Bytes are encouraged to think and decide for themselves.  

Is that incoming I hear?