Day 5193: Monolith Discovered in Utah & Actress Converts Farm to Animal Rescue.

"Edward": ink brush, watercolor, junk paper collage, postcard.

 

  

Want music?

   Click: Switch, There Will Never Be.

2GN2S

 

Towering Monolith Discovered in Remote Utah

Image: Utah Department of Public Safety

The Utah Department of Public Safety has put itself to the fullest possible use by not only counting bighorn sheep roaming the region but also discovering an unusual fixture jutting out from the rocky landscape. Last week, state employees stumbled upon a nearly 12-foot-tall silver monolith while flying overhead. Mimicking the inexplicable structure in the opening scene of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, the lustrous object appears to be made of metal and is located in an undisclosed area.

In a statement about the discovery, the department offered a reminder to the mysterious entity responsible for the monolith: “It is illegal to install structures or art without authorization on federally managed public lands, no matter what planet you’re from.”

As of Tuesday morning, it’s still unknown who created the structure, although internet sleuths who located the object on Google Earth suggest it may have been in existence for more than five years. The department is urging folks not to attempt to locate the monolith following a California woman’s disappearance for nearly two weeks at Zion National Park.

(short video below)

Norm Besterling, me, Eliza Higuchi & Senpai Dwight Lomayesva

 

Temple, Yokohama, Japan 1980,

Photo taken by Demura Sensei

  

 

A  1+ minute video,  Mysterious Monolith, here.

 

 

Just because ...

American Kestrel

Thursday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you feel all the good things in your day.

  

 

 

   

Day 5192: Meditative Patterns & Japan's Emergency Privacy Shelters.

"Meditation": junk paper collage.

            

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    Click:  Michael Jackson, Butterflies.

 

2GN2S

Zen Gardens & Meditative Patterns

In this crazy world, the patterned zen gardens composed by Yuki Kawae are an antidote to today’s seemingly endless anxieties.The Bay Area designer records meditative footage of wide-toothed prongs and dense rakes that scrape across beds of white sand, creating intersecting loops, fractals, and other organic shapes. Each clip is evidence of Kawae’s steady hand a penchant for precision as he carefully plows the otherwise smooth grains to form clean lines.

His practice dates back to 2019 when gardening served as an escape from life pressures and the anxiety-provoking nature of social media. “I was quite overwhelmed with day-to-day tasks and what are the ‘expected’ next steps in life…One day, I realized all of those thoughts were completely gone when I was gardening, pruning, watering, and re-potting the soil. That process let me be clear-minded somehow, and it was very calming and refreshing,” he writes.  Because he didn’t have space for a larger outdoor plot, he shifted to a coffee-table-sized zen garden, an initial design provided a similar reprieve when it pops into the feeds of Kawae’s huge followings onYouTube  and Instagram.

Although Kawae’s works have been limited to digital platforms so far, he envisions a large-scale botanical space with greenery, zen gardens, and his abstract paintings, some of which form the backdrop for his videos. He also has a background in woodworking and shares detailed instructions for creating your own sand space, from building the enclosure to choosing rakes. 

 A 23 minute video, here. 

In a crowded shelter, a cardboard wall can mean dignity.

Since the great earthquake of 2011, shelters in Japan have turned to a humble material to help people through the hardest nights. Simple cardboard beds lift sleepers off cold floors, and light partitions carve out a little private space in a busy hall.

For someone who has lost a home, that small corner matters. It is a place to rest, to grieve quietly, and to gather strength without feeling watched by hundreds of strangers.

Yet after major disasters, supplies do not always stretch far enough, and some shelters still run short of beds and partitions when they are needed most.

Comfort in a crisis is not always grand. Sometimes it is just warmth, a little privacy, and the feeling of being treated as a person.

  

 

A  6+ minute video, Wizard of the Woods, here.

 

 

Just because ...

Keel-billed Toucan

Wednesday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you feel all the good things in your day.

  

 

 

   

Day 5191. Artist: IDRIS MURPHY & Rhinos with technology.

"Jill": ink brush, watercolor, collage. (2002)

  

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   Click: Rufus, Chaka Khan, Everlasting Love

2GN2S

 IDRIS MURPHY

"Living in a country where we find ourselves surrounded by the oldest living culture in the world . . . indigenous art . . . for me, it was an extraordinary reawakening of all those ways of looking at the land."

Instagram: here   Facebook: here

Rhinos are being equipped with technology designed to help protect them from poachers.

A conservation project in South Africa has used hidden cameras, GPS tracking collars, and other monitoring equipment to help authorities detect suspicious activity around protected rhinos.

The system is designed to monitor the animals and quickly alert a control center when unusual activity is detected. Rangers can then use the animal’s location data to respond to the area.

By combining wildlife conservation with modern tracking technology, researchers and conservation teams are exploring new ways to protect endangered rhinos and improve anti-poaching efforts.

#Rhino #Wildlife #Conservation #AntiPoaching #LivingEarth

  

 

A  4+ minute video,  Stubborn Spider, here.

 

Just because ...

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW 

Tuesday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you see all the good things in your day.