“Meteorology and Myth — Part II: A Fair Candlemas”

Welcome QR Code readers! If you have scanned the QR Code on my poster or conference presentation, it has brought you here. I am still compiling my full presentation for the SouthEastern Division of the American Association of Geographers Conference, to be held November 24-25, 2019. This post is just a placeholder for the presentation and reference list TBA. In the meantime, enjoy this preview.

I will be continuing my “Meteorology and Myth” Weather-and-Climate Education series this fall with another project on weather lore, this time titled “Meteorology and Myth – Part II: A Fair Candlemas”

This post is just a placeholder for now.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: I teach an introductory course in “Weather and Climate”.  Whenever February 2nd rolls around, a student will  ask if the “Groundhog Day” predictions are true. I used to always answer “NO!” The presence or absence of sunshine on any one particular day can not be used to determine either a shortened or a prolonged winter. Punxsutawney Phil’s predictions are just folksy nonsense.

However, I got to thinking about it … and began to hypothesize that there may be a teaching opportunity in this legend. Although the Groundhog’s prediction does not make meteorological sense in the short term, perhaps there are long-term climatological averages about prolonged-winters and early-springs, which may have allowed the folklore to survive and diffuse.

The purpose of the overall project is to develop general education teaching modules which bridge topics in geography, atmospheric science, history, art, culture and folklore. Students in the arts and humanities often struggle with physical science. Equally, students in Geoscience and other STEM fields often need a greater appreciation for the arts and humanities. The intent is not to have students “prove” whether or not Groundhog Day predictions are true.  Instead, the  goal is for students to have a better understanding of atmospheric circulations, global teleconnections and weather patterns. Secondarily, students should have a better appreciation for folklore, history, culture and environment.

SEE THIS REFERENCE LINK BELOW FOR IMAGES, ARTWORK AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL INFO:

REFERENCES FOR ALL GRAPHICS, IMAGES AND ARTWORK

Look for more updates and embellishments later in November!

A SPRITE IDEA

Welcome QR Code readers! This post is just a placeholder for another project in my Meteorology and Myth Science Education Series. This new project is titled “The Elusive and Ephemeral Sprites”.

Look for more updates and a re-post when I finish the poster presentation.

In the meantime, if you want to see a good introduction to Lightning Sprite research, please see the YouTube playlist below!

 

… what a sprite idea!

Art, Allegory and Geographic Education: Cultural and Meteorological Lessons from the Sky Deities of Japan

10-21-2019: This is an update and repost from May of this year. Please check out the YouTube video above. If you go to YouTube, put a “like” or comment if you have a question or compliment!  I will be presenting more about my investigation into the sky deities of Japan at the Applied Geography Conference in October. This presentation grew out of my “Meteorology and Myth” research. The abstract for my presentation: “Art, Allegory and Geographic Education: Cultural and Meteorological Lessons from the Sky Deities of Japan” has been accepted for a special session on Physical Geography. Here is a sample slide:

The following is a slideshow of some of the artwork to be discussed, TBD

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Credit goes to the original artists. No copyright infringement is intended. See the full presentation for all credits and references, TBD.

This year’s AGC will be held in Charlotte, NC October 23-25. See the link here for more information about the conference,

http://www.appgeogconf.org/

LINKS AND REFERENCES FOR ART AND IMAGES PDF HERE:

SUGGESTED REFERENCES AND LINKS FOR ART AND IMAGES

and more art …

More Refs and Links

IN JAPAN LIGHTNING IS RED!

Ino Hayata Hironao seizing the Nue as it falls to the ground amid clouds and lightning. From the series “One of the Eight Hundred Heroes of the Water Margin of Japan” (Honcho Suikoden goyu happyakunin no hitori). Woodblock print, signed Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga, published by Kagaya Kichiemon (Kichibei), circa 1830-1832. Vertical oban (39.6 x 26.7 cm.)

Welcome QR Code readers!

This post is a placeholder for REFERENCES and LINKS for a student research poster to be presented at the North Carolina Geographical Society annual meeting in Greensboro, NC on November 1, 2019. See these PDF files to download all weblinks:

SUGGESTED REFERENCES AND LINKS FOR ART AND IMAGES

More Refs and Links

ABSTRACT:  Lightning is a short-lived, but powerful part of nature. Although lightning photographs are often published,  lightning flashes have seldom been painted by landscape artists. Colorful skies are common in art history, but painted lightning is rare. Most lightning storms in western landscape art have depicted the flashes as either white, or yellowish. An interesting part of art history is the red lightning bolts depicted in the classic paintings of Japan’s Edo Period (1603 – 1868).  Edo’s Ukiyo-e artists almost always depicted lightning as red in color. Furthermore, the bolts are often painted in a nearly abstract, linear fashion, and not in lightning’s true dendritic shape. Is the red lightning of this famous period “artistic license”, or can the deep red colors be explained as something else? Are there some logical reasons why these artists painted lightning as red? Could the style reflect mythology rather than realism? Importantly, are there atmospheric science lessons to be learned, and teaching moments to be made in this discussion? The purpose of this educational project is to advance that dialog.

https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15324coll10/id/90981

https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/artist-woodblock-japanese-prints-online/utagawa-kuniyoshi-1797-1861-53/58101

https://waraie.com/en/thunder-god-raijin

https://www.fujiarts.com/japanese-prints/k355/186k355f.jpg

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/75299

https://www.theartstory.org/movement/ukiyo-e-japanese-woodblock-prints/

https://www.thingsjapanese.com/osaka-school-after-hokuei-kabuki-scene-lightning-dragon-demon.html

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For more Japan weather deities artwork, please see the presentation linked here.

Restaurant Review: Lunch at the “Double Happiness” Chinese Restaurant in Wilmington

I do not usually write restaurant reviews, but I had a great lunch last week at the “Double Happiness” Chinese Restaurant in Wilmington.

I was in Wilmington for the 2019 PCA/ACA South Region Conference (see my presentation post linked here). I was getting tired of conference snacks, and I had a hankering for some good Chinese food. Not a buffet — I wanted a sit-down meal. I searched Google, and saw that the Double Happiness restaurant was well-reviewed. Please visit their website linked here:

The business has two restaurant locations in Wilmington. I went to the one on Wrightsville Road. It was not too crowded at the time, but I arrived there just after it opened for lunch. As you can see from their website, they have a lot of great artwork within. Here are some photos posted to Google linked here. I even took a photo of the pretty menu cover!

Indeed, the menu is expressive of “double happiness”. I would have liked to have kept the menu through the whole meal, just to look at it.

I started off lunch with some Wonton Soup:

Next up, a double dose of happiness continues with double spring rolls:

The main dish was Beef with Broccoli, and I chose the brown rice:

I did not choose any desert, but I ate the fortune cookie, then saved the mint for later:

What was the fortune from the fortune cookie you ask?

Lunch was great. I would like to return sometime for a full dinner. Maybe next time I can get someone to drive me so I can drink a beer or two with dinner!

Seen at the PCA-ACA South Region Conference in Wilmington, NC September 26 – 28, 2019.

Who was seen at the PCA-ACA South Region Conference in Wilmington?

Dennis, Jesse and Sue: September 26, 2019

PCA-ACA South Region Conference in Wilmington, NC September 26 – 28, 2019.

Programs … get your programs …

PCA-ACA South Region Conference in Wilmington, NC September 26 – 28, 2019.

Dennis, Kent and Kit were on the panel.

PCA-ACA South Region Conference in Wilmington, NC September 26 – 28, 2019.

PCA-ACA South Region Conference in Wilmington, NC September 26 – 28, 2019.

I only found out that I was chair of this session when I received the program. We could have used AV, but it worked out for the best.

PCA-ACA South Region Conference in Wilmington, NC September 26 – 28, 2019.

This was a painting in my hotel room bathroom of the bridge in Wilmington.

PCA-ACA South Region Conference in Wilmington, NC September 26 – 28, 2019.

 

“The Five Themes of Geography Meet the National Football League”

I will be presenting a paper at the Popular Culture Association of the South / American Culture Association of the South conference this fall.

This year, the conference will be held in downtown Wilmington, NC on September 26-28, at the Hotel Ballast.

My abstract for the conference is below:

The Five Themes of Geography Meet the National Football League

ABSTRACT:

Sports references are one way to teach basic geographic concepts to K-12 and general education college students. There is a great interest in professional football (The NFL) although there is less interest in esoteric geographic concepts such as spatial diffusion, cultural landscape, altitudinal zonation, etc. Most college students only take one “general education” elective in college, and many remain uninformed as to how geography relates to their interests. This project presents several discussion topics which could be used to teach the classic “Five Themes of Geography”. The five themes of geography are 1) Location 2) Region 3) Movement 4) Human-Environment Interaction and 5) Place.

Geography as a natural science is discussed in such issues as environmental influences on franchise location, and how the atmosphere influences game physics. Geography as a social science is discussed in issues such as the controversy over team names, marketing problems, and ethnic or cultural identity. Teaching modules were developed for general education courses in geography, which were particularly aimed at education majors. The expected outcome is for these future educators to utilize and embellish these concepts further when teaching the five themes.

Keywords: Five Themes of Geography, Professional Football, K-12 Education, Geography of Popular Culture

For more on the PCA South Conference, see the link here:

PCAS/ACAS

All of the graphics I used are linked on the slide. Original graphics are the property of the original artists/photographers. No copyright infringement is attended.

View the slideshow in this gallery: