Another strange sign from across the pond . . . .

This was situated at a viewing point on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. No doubt they can be seen elsewhere in the States but this was the only one I noticed.

The First Amendment states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

I don't know exactly what the The National Park Service is afraid of but notice how it differs from the kind of sign that might be expected in  National Parks in England. These would be full of prohibitions; no litter, no picnicking, no barbecues etc.

I like the font they've used. Very 'Art Deco'.

Bear Advice

Last Lines 4

"I lingered round them under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth"

Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights
(This is a very well-known last line, but none the worse for that. In fact when one comes to search for notable, resonant or distinctive examples they are very hard to come by. I have looked, for example, through all Dickens's novels and short stories and only found the already well known one from 'Tale of Two Cities", which I shall no doubt be driven to use at some time. Any suggestions will be welcome.)

Climate Change Denying

The deposits of fossil fuels that we have been cheerfully consuming over the last 100 years or so, and at an ever-increasing rate,  were gradually laid down over many hundreds of thousands of years. Although aspects of  the present theories and predictions of climate change may still be open to be dispute or questioning, what climate change deniers, like Simon Heffer of the Telegraph, first need to tell us is; why should releasing this carbon in such a small fraction of the time in which it was laid down not produce some observable effects on the climate? If they can't, the sensible thing for the time being is to assume the worst and do what we can to get off this carbon jaunt.

Zippers

The modern zipper has been around since 1914 and its adoption really took off after WW2. It has been through numerous manifestations. Anyway, nearly 100 years is a good long time. Could some mechanical designer now invent a version, or expert tailor a seaming technique, in which the slider does NOT get caught and jammed in the edge of the garment material.

PLEASE!

Monkeys using tools

"Life", narrated by David Attenborough, makes one

wonder not only at the amazing scenes of the

natural world recorded, but also at the extraordinary

skills shown by the cameramen.

I found this particular extract particularly moving.

Science is Real