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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.

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.

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Wednesday/ a postcard from Palestine 🌴

I spend a lot of time scrolling through the listings of stamps and postcards online.
Here is a postcard with a photo from Tel Aviv, Israel (circa 1942) that I find very interesting.

King George Street (named after King George V) is an iconic road in central Tel Aviv.
In 1942, Tel Aviv was part of Mandatory Palestine, a territory administered by the British under a League of Nations mandate from 1920 to 1948. During this period, Tel Aviv was a rapidly growing Jewish city adjacent to Jaffa. The entire region was known as Palestine, not as the state of Israel, until 1948.
King George Steet—a July 2022 image from Google Streetview.
There are still Palestinians living in Tel Aviv, specifically in the municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo, with most residing in Jaffa (Yaffo). Palestinians make up 4 to 5% of the city’s population. These are largely Palestinian citizens of Israel (or Arab-Israelis) who remained after 1948, rather than residents from the occupied West Bank or Gaza.
Palestinian citizens of Israel possess legal rights such as voting and holding office, but do not have the same, equal rights as Jewish citizens in practice or law. While holding citizenship, they face systemic inequalities, discrimination in housing, land access, and education, and are governed by laws privileging Jewish citizens, such as the controversial 2018 Nation-State Law. Palestinian citizens of Israel (Arab citizens of Israel) hold Israeli passports, which allow them to travel internationally and access the same rights as other Israeli citizens. Their rights are distinct from Palestinians in East Jerusalem, who are generally permanent residents without Israeli citizenship or passports.
The stamp on the postcard was first issued in 1927, and still in use in 1942. It depicts Rachel’s Tomb— a site revered as the burial place of the Biblical matriarch Rachel. The site is also referred to as the Bilal bin Rabah mosque. The tomb is held in esteem by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It is located at the northern entrance to the West Bank city of Bethlehem, next to the Rachel’s Tomb checkpoint.
This stamp’s denomination is 10 mil, 10/1000ths of a Palestine pound (£P) which was pegged 1:1 to the British pound at the time. So one penny’s worth of postage was good for sending the postcard down to South Africa.
The number 39 is a unique identifier for the individual censor from the Royal Air Force or the specific censorship unit that examined and approved the message.

The sender was a Harold McMaster, on active duty in the British Army.
(The British Army controlled Palestine in 1942 as part of the British Mandate, which lasted from 1920 to 1948.)
It certainly seems that Mrs. McMaster that resided in Vereeniging, South Africa, was his mom, or at least a close family member.
At the time there were lots of South Africans of British descent, and of Jewish descent, residing in South Africa (and there still are, to this day).

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Tuesday/ a joint issue of stamps 📮

I bought this set of stamps in Singapore.
It is a 2024 joint issue of stamps from ten ASEAN* countries. (Different stamps for each country but issued on the same day).

*Not, not Asian— ASEAN: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
It is a regional intergovernmental organization established on August 8, 1967, to promote economic growth, social progress, cultural development, and regional peace. It comprises 11 member countries—Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste.

The theme for the joint issue is not super-exciting: general post office buildings.
Some of the stamps have cool security features, though.
And I was reminded where in the world the Brunei is.

Here’s tiny Brunei (pop. 462,000), on the island of Borneo. It is a fabulously rich country,  wealthy from oil and gas.
From Google: Brunei is a tiny nation on the island of Borneo, in 2 distinct sections surrounded by Malaysia and the South China Sea. It’s known for its beaches and biodiverse rainforest, much of it protected within reserves. The capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, is home to the opulent Jame’Asr Hassanil Bolkiah mosque and its 29 golden domes. The capital’s massive Istana Nurul Iman palace is the residence of Brunei’s ruling sultan.
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Shining a UV light on the stamp from Brunei reveals the logo from Brunei Postal Services on the stamp.
The paper used for the stamp from Indonesia has fibers in that lights up under UV light.
The image of the Grand Postal Building in Bangkok is embossed on the stamp ..
.. and the paper also has fibers in that lights up under UV light.
The stamp from Malaysia has a watermark that shows up only under UV light.
The SPM lettering is an abbreviation for Security Printer of Malaysia. The SPM watermark has been applied a long time on stamps from Malaysia, and is found on stamps as early as 1986.
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Monday/ a break in the rain ☔

It has been raining a little every day for ten days, and it looks like it will continue for several more.

It was 5:39 p.m. and 54°F (12°C) this afternoon when I walked over to the Safeway grocery store.

The blue sky was filled with both high and low clouds. I boosted the blues in the photo below using the iPhone’s “Vivid Cool” filter, and I really like the result. You can see the outline of the Olympic Mountains, and if you look closely, you can see an airplane in the photo as well.

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Sunday/ the 98th Oscars 🎞️

I didn’t watch the Oscars tonight.
I didn’t know anything about any of the movies that had been nominated.
(It has been years since I have been in a movie theater. I believe it was in 2023 for Barbie— which turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment, after all the ballyhoo that preceded its release.)

These days there is an AI bot to query about what you had missed, though, or to provide you with a quick update!

See?

Answer from Google’s Gemini.
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Saturday/ it’s Pi Day 🥧

Happy Pi Day.

I found this image at peteespie.com.
Their full pie line-up include: lavish chocolate cream pie, banana cream pie, classic lemon chess pie, Hudson Valley heirloom apple pie, Hudson Valley apple pecan crumb, New York sour cherry pie, sour cherry pecan crumb, wild Maine blueberry pie, coconut custard pie, salty chocolate chess pie, black bottom almond chess pie, brown butter honey pecan pie, key lime meringue and classic New York cheesecake. 🤗