Blog

  • The Heart

    In this description, oxygen-rich blood means blood filled with oxygen, and oxygen-poor blood means blood lacking oxygen.

    The heart is divided into four chambers. The upper chamber of the right side of the heart – that is the right as one can imagine looking down on one’s own heart – is known as the right atrium and it receives oxygen-poor blood from the body. The blood travels to the lower right chamber – the right ventricle – and when the heart beats, the blood is squeezed into the lungs, where it is reloaded with oxygen and carries on its way up to the upper left chamber of the heart..

    When the heart relaxes, the oxygen-rich blood flows into the upper left chamber – the left atrium – of the heart. From there is moves down into the left ventricle and when the heart beats the oxygen-rich blood is pumped to the organs throughout the body, including to the muscle of the heart itself because it too needs oxygen-rich blood to keep functioning.

  • Mobile Video Tools

    Video editing apps:
    InShot on mobile, Wondershare Filmora on mobile or desktop, iMovie for Mac

    Captioning:
    automatic captions of Facebook, rev.com, Quicc.io, Clips or Clipomatic apps on iOS

  • Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

    I made a note of the following on 26 August 2016

    The White House says that President Barack Obama will expand by proclamation a national monument off the coast of Hawaii, creating the world’s largest marine protected area.
    It will quadruple the monument created by President George W. Bush in 2006. The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument will be 582,578 square miles, more than twice the size of Texas or nearly five times area of the British Isles

  • Branch Drop

    Several areas of the Botanic Garden are roped off. A sign explains that is to protect visitors from the risk of falling branches as a result of Summer Branch Drop. That can occur when trees are drought stressed, and when they take up water after a period of drought. It is unpredictable, and not related to other indicators of tree health.

    The Drought FAQ page of the Botanic Garden website mentions that branch drop can affect any tree but is particularly known to affect cedars, pines, oaks, beeches, chestnuts and poplars, as well as old trees.

    Rain taken up by branches after drought can weaken them to the point that branch drop can occur – usually six to eight hours after heavy rain.

    While some trees are sacrificing branches, others such as this Yoshino cherry, are curling up their leaves to limit transpiration.

    Meanwhile, no real rain for almost a month.

  • Fire Of Love

    This rocked me back; reported in the Guardian ‘Out’ section 30 July, 2022

    Fire of Love: For two decades, Katia and Maurice Krafft documented volcanoes together, until in 1991 they lost their lives in a volcanic explosion. This documentary from film-maker Sara Dosa explores their work, relationship and legacy.

  • Mule and Hinny

    A hinny is a domestic equine hybrid, the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey. It is the reciprocal cross to the more common mule, which is the product of a male donkey and a female horse. The hinny is distinct from the mule both in physiology and temperament as a consequence of genomic imprinting