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Tuesday/ Earthset 🌏

Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. ET on April 6 during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the moon.
A muted blue Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface. The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime.
In the foreground, Ohm crater has terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks. Central peaks form in complex craters when the lunar surface, liquefied on impact, splashes upward during the crater’s formation.
[Image and caption supplied by NASA, and was posted at npr.org]
Reported by the staff from National Public Radio at npr.org:

The Artemis II astronauts are making their way back to Earth after the lunar flyby.

The crew became the first astronauts in over 50 years to fly around the far side of the moon. They also experienced a solar eclipse.

During the mission’s loop around the moon, the crew took geological observations of places of interest on the lunar surface with their own eyes and snapping thousands of photos of the surface.

The crew will return to Earth on Friday and splash down off the coast of California. NASA says a landing on the lunar surface won’t happen until 2028, at the earliest.

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Monday/ the monorail, and flags 🚝

Here is my final installment of the flags for World Cup 2026 on the monorail pillars in downtown Seattle.

It seems as if all the flag images on the monorail have now been installed, and I found South Africa’s flag.
(Hint: the other two are from countries that are part of the United Kingdom. Do you know which ones?)

Here comes the train from the Space Needle— I’m looking north from the 11th floor of a building on Olive Way.
And this time I am standing by the Westin Hotel on 5th Avenue.

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On Easter Sunday

I was very relieved late last night, to learn that the US airman whose fighter jet had been shot down* had been rescued out of Iran.
*We subsequently learned he is an Air Force colonel, actually.

But then Sunday morning came, and here is what Greg Jaffe, Helene Cooper, Eric Schmitt and Julian E. Barnes reports for the New York Times:

The moment of celebration seemed to pass quickly for Mr. Trump, who on Easter Sunday morning returned to the reality of an unpopular war for which he seemed to have no clear exit strategy. The airman was safe, but the Strait of Hormuz was still in Iranian control, imperiling as much as 20 percent of the world’s oil supply and the global economy.

Mr. Trump had tried bullying America’s allies in Europe and Asia to come to his aid, but his entreaties were ignored.

So he threatened Iran’s leaders in an angry and profane social media message.

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.

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Friday/ our blue planet 🌍

NASA posted this image of Earth on X, taken yesterday from the Orion spacecraft by Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman.

The large brown mass visible on the left side is Africa (the Sahara Desert), with the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and the Mediterranean Sea in the lower-left quadrant of Earth’s disk.

The South Pole is oriented toward the top of the frame, so the prominent green glow at the top of the atmosphere is aurora australis (the southern lights). A second, fainter aurora (aurora borealis, the northern lights) is visible near the bottom-left edge of the planet’s image.

The image also captures zodiacal light (a faint glow from sunlight scattering off interplanetary dust) in the bottom-right corner, appearing as Earth partially eclipses the Sun from the perspective of the Orion spacecraft.

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Thursday/ Day 2 of the Artemis II mission 🚀

From Google AI Overview:
The main event on Day 2 of the Artemis II* mission (April 2, 2026) was the successful Translunar Injection (TLI) burn, which sent the Orion spacecraft and its four-person crew out of Earth orbit and onto a trajectory toward the Moon.

*In Greek mythology, Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo.
Artemis I was launched on November 16, 2022, at 1:47:44 a.m. EST. The uncrewed mission lifted off from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the first integrated flight test of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft.

Key Details of Day 2:
The Burn: The Orion spacecraft ignited its main engine for 5 minutes and 50 seconds, beginning at 7:49 p.m. EDT, 25 hours after launch.
Significance: This maneuver marked the first time humans have left Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Trajectory: The burn placed Orion on a free-return trajectory, ensuring the spacecraft would loop around the Moon and return to Earth.
Other Activities: The crew also worked on preparing the spacecraft, initiated early space-to-ground video communication, and began adapting to the space environment.

The Artemis II crew during a video-conference call today. 
The crew consists of four astronauts (from left to right)—NASA’s Reid Wiseman (Commander), the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist), Christina Koch (Mission Specialist), and Victor Glover (Pilot). 
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Wednesday/ a sunbreak, and a full moon 🌕

It is a soggy start to April here in the Emerald City.
There was a beautiful sunbreak at 6.50 pm, as I stood on the corner of Thomas St and 13th Avenue East on Capitol Hill.

Tonight, there is a full moon in the sky.
Very appropriate— with the Artemis II mission to the moon launch that happened just a few hours earlier from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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Tuesday/ shorter drives, lights out 🕯️

The gas price (petrol price and diesel price) increases for April in South Africa have been announced.

Gas (petrol) prices will increase by 15% (not 30%, as was feared).
The South African government reduced the general levy on gas for April and May to make this possible. Gas prices are regulated and adjusted once per month. Diesel prices are not as strictly regulated, and follow a government-issued guideline.
In Johannesburg, gas will now cost ZAR 23.36/ liter ($ 5.24/ gallon).

Diesel prices will increase by 40%.
In Johannesburg, 50 ppm diesel will now cost ZAR 26.11/ liter ($ 5.89/ gallon).

Two million of the poorest South Africans (3.6% of households)— that live off the electrical grid in rural areas— use paraffin for cooking, for heating during winter, and to illuminate their homes.
The illuminating paraffin price increase is set to increase by more than double, so more than 100%.

Dad to kids: Sorry, but we only have enough gas for Easter weekend to drive down the street to go visit Uncle Gert and Aunt Gertrude. (Sidebar in the corner: Does not sound like a high-octane getaway.)
[Cartoon from South African newspaper ‘Die Burger’ (The Citizen) by cartoonist Dr. Jack Swanepoel]
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Monday/ a month at war 💣

The four weeks of war with Iran have now turned into a month.
So now we have started to count the war time with Iran in months.

Catastrophic miscalculation when it comes to Iran goes back all the way to the 1978–1979 Iranian Revolution*, argues Scott Anderson in his book published a few months ago.

*The 1978–1979 Iranian Revolution was a populist uprising that toppled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s absolute monarchy, ending 2,500 years of imperial rule and establishing an Islamic Republic.

This book by veteran war journalist Scott Anderson came out in August 2025 (so after the June 2025 bombing by the U.S. of Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan).

Scott Anderson’s take of the current situation, during an interview with him on CNN today, were more or less as follows:
“(Members of) The Revolutionary Guard are not going to negotiate.
They have nowhere to go.
They are hated by the people.
Their backs are to the wall.
I feel there is a huge element of wishful thinking in this (by the Trump Administration):
‘Maybe if we talk to moderate people, maybe that empowers them somehow.’
I am not even convinced that they’re taking to many people at all.
Five days ago Trump was saying we’re very close to a deal, and then the Iranian foreign minister said ‘We’re not talking to the Americans at all.’
Time is on the Iranians’ side.
Who has to cut a deal here quickly?
I think it’s Trump.
He’s seeing his favorability ratings go down by the day.
That’s going to increase, the longer the oil crunch happens, and as inflation spreads through the whole economy. They can wait this out.
Trump is the guy who needs a settlement soon.”

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Sunday/ little feather ball 🪶

It was a coldish, rainy Sunday here in the city today with a high of only 46°F (8°C).

These pictures of a little dark-eyed junco in my backyard are from Friday.
The little feather ball of a bird bounce-bounce-bounced on the pavers, flitted up to the fence just for a second or two, and then it was gone.

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Saturday/ another protest 🪧

It was time for another ‘No Kings’ protest today.

Here in Seattle, we gathered at Cal Anderson Park at noon.
There were a few speeches, and then the crowd made its way along Pine Street,  past the Seattle Convention Center and on to Seattle Center.

My two amigos and I made it to the Convention Center, from where we surveyed the long parade of protesters and their signs that kept on coming.

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Friday/ bird of prey 🦅

Happy Friday.

Look what was in the fir tree in my backyard today, prey and all.
It is a juvenile Cooper’s hawk* (Astur cooperii).
It’s hard to tell if it’s a squirrel that the bird had caught, but that would be my guess.

*Identified with the help of Google AI, and matching the sound it had made, with its record on audubon.org.

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Thursday/ found it 🇺🇸

I had to go back to downtown today retrieve my watch that has had its band adjusted, and a new battery.

On the way back to the car I discovered the monorail pillar that has the American flag on: the one at the intersection of Olive Way and Fifth Avenue.

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Wednesday/ flags for the World Cup ⚽

I was downtown this morning and parked by the monorail.
These flag images on the monorail pillars are part of a major public art installation by SeattleFWC26, the local organizing committee, to celebrate Seattle’s role as a host city for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The project should be completed in early April.
I will definitely have to go back and look for the Stars and Stripes— and for South Africa’s flag as well.
Iran’s flag is already up, and there is a picture of it below.
Of course: it is an open question if the Iranian team will actually come out to the United States and play.

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Monday/ gas prices 🚀

Below is a graphic from the South African newspaper Die Burger (‘The Citizen’) that shows the recent increase in the price of diesel in major countries around the world.

Looks like Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Russia, are sitting pretty on 0%.

Each other country’s situation is different.
In South Africa gas prices are adjusted only once per month, and then stays at that price for the entire month.
Diesel prices are not as regulated, but have not immediately skyrocketed because of secured inventory, regulated price lags, and the state-controlled fuel levy structure. The current price reflects a significant “under-recovery” (nearly R7 per liter in some projections) and suggests a massive, delayed price jump is imminent for April 2026.
This initial lack of increase is temporary.

I asked Google AI about the impact of a 30% gas price increase:

Q: What impact will an increase of 30% in the price of gas and the price of diesel for the next 6 months have on inflation in the United States?
A: A 30% increase in gas and diesel prices sustained over 6 months would significantly increase headline inflation in the short term while having a more delayed, indirect effect on core inflation.

Summary of Projected Shifts (March 2026 Context)
Current headline inflation (as of early 2026) is approximately 2.4%.
A sustained energy shock of this magnitude could push headline CPI toward 3.5% to 6%, depending on the breadth of the pass-through to other goods.

This is how diesel prices increased worldwide
Diesel prices in economies have increased worldwide since the start of the war in the Middle East.
Vertical axis: % INCREASE IN PRICE OF DIESEL FROM 23 FEB TO 16 MAR 2026
Horizontal axis: AVERAGE PRICE OF DIESEL FOR 1 LITRE ON 16 MAR (US$)
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Friday/ happy Equinox 😊

Happy Friday.
Happy vernal equinox and happy autumn equinox (for those in the southern hemisphere), as well.

The rain brought on by the atmospheric river from the Pacific Ocean has finally stopped here in Seattle.
Several rivers and low-lying areas are under flood conditions today, which will continue into the weekend.

The vernal (spring) equinox in 2026 occurred this morning at 7.46 am Pacific Daylight Saving Time (PDT) here in the United States.
It marks the official astronomical start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.
Today, the Sun passes directly over Earth’s equator, creating nearly equal lengths of day and night everywhere.
[Graphic from USA Today online]
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Thursday/ Day 20 💥

From the New York Times, with reporting by Tony Romm, Isabel Kershner, David E. Sanger, Javier C. Hernández and Johnatan Reiss:

Oil prices surged to $119 a barrel on Thursday, an increase of nearly 10 percent, before settling at $108.65.
Ground troops: During a meeting with the Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, in the Oval Office on Thursday, Mr. Trump was asked about using ground troops in Iran. He said: “I’m not putting troops anywhere. If I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”
Missile attacks: Strikes on Wednesday and Thursday hit the Ras Laffan energy hub in Qatar, reducing the country’s natural gas export capacity by 17 percent and causing an estimated loss of $20 billion in annual revenue, according to Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, the country’s energy minister and head of QatarEnergy, the state-owned energy company. He said damage from missiles would take three to five years to repair and would affect supply to markets in Europe and Asia.
Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said that the country reserved the right “to take military actions if deemed necessary” to protect itself from Iranian attacks.
Death tolls: Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said last week that at least 1,348 civilians had been killed since the start of the war. On Wednesday, a Washington-based human rights group, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, reported that at least 1,369 civilians had been killed. The number of Lebanese killed rose to more than 1,000, Lebanon’s health ministry said on Thursday. At least 14 people have been killed in Iranian attacks on Israel, officials have said. The American death toll stood at 13.