Universe

Universe

Need a gateway plan? We've got a club for that!

 … still quite young when I realized that there was something wrong with Einstein’s Theory of Gravitation. In particular, there seemed to be a fallacy underlying the Principle of Equivalence. According to this, there is no way of distinguishing between the effects produced by gravitation and those of acceleration.

But this is clearly false. One can create a uniform acceleration; but a uniform gravitational field is impossible, since it obeys an inverse square law, and therefore must vary even over quite short distances. So tests can easily be devised to distinguish between the two cases, and this made me wonder if…

How often we have all heard arguments about the size of the universe, and whether it has any boundaries! We can imagine no ending to space, yet our minds rebel at the idea of infinity. Some philosophers have imagined that space is limited by curvature in a higher dimension – I suppose you know the theory. It may be true of other universes, if they exist, but for ours the answer is more subtle. (Unknown author)

All the pictures have been taken by Elena.

Earth's Landscape.

High Park, landscape.

A Cat and his man, a sculpture in Yorkville.

Dynamic Girls, ambassadors of Earth in the Universe.

Orion Nebula.

A Faberge duchess.

Flowers in spring, Rosedale.

Pusha, just Pusha.

Red Galaxy.

Rain forest.

Red Bird.

Our World.

The Dragon in the Sea

The Dragon in the Sea

By Frank Herbert

The Ram bore southwest toward home waters, and the timelog reeled off the days. A monotonous succession of watches amidst the cold pipes, dials, wheels, levers, blinking lights, and telltale buzzers. The same faces and the same danger.

Even peril can grow boring.

A distant sound of propellers in an area where all such sounds mean hunter.

Wait and listen. Creep ahead a few knots. Wait and listen. The distant sound is gone, The Ram picks up speed while red-rimmed eyes watch the ranging and sonar gear.

Garcia was up and about on the fourth day – a man grown strangely morose and sullen when Ramsey was present. Still the subtug moved steadily nearer to safety, towing the turgid slug: a prize wrested from death itself.

And a special tension – a new pressure – crept into the actions of the Ram's crew. It was a tension that said: “We're going to make it... We're going to make it... we're going to make it...

“Aren't we?”

Ramsey, asleep in his bunk, wrestled with a silent night-mare in which Sparrow, Garcia and Bonnett suddenly turned to face him – all with the features of mad Heppner.

Slowly, the nightmare lifted and left him peaceful in the womb-like stillness of the boat.

Dragon in the sea. Photo by Elena.

Stillness!

Ramsey sat bolt upright in his bunk, wide awake, every sense crying out against the strange new element: quite. He reached behind him and snapped on his bunk light. It was dim – showing that they were on emergency batteries.

“Johnny!” It was Sparrow's voice over the wall speaker.

“Here, Skipper.”

“Get up to your shack on the double. We're having pile trouble.”

“I'm on my way!”

His feet hit the deck, fumbled into shoes. He snapped off his bunk light, ran out the door, up the ladder two steps at a time, down the companionway and into his shack station, talk switch open. “On station, Skipper. It is serious?”

Bonnett's voice came back. “Full-scale flare-up.”

“Where's the skipper?”

“Forward with Joe.”

“Joe shouldn't be anywhere near that! He's still on the hot lost!”

“It was Joe's watch. You know how - “

“Johnny!” Sparrow's voice over the intercom.

“Here.”

“Secure the shack for minimum power drain and come forward.”

“Right.” Ramsey found that his hands knew automatically which switches to hit. He blessed the long hours of patience with the mock-up board. This was what Reed had meant: “There is no such thing as a minor emergency aboard a submarine.” He made the conventional glance-around double check: standby light glowing amber, jacks out, main switch up, relay circuit to control room plugged in and green. He thumbed his chest mike: “Les, she's all yours.”

“On your way.”

He ran out the door, turned right up the companionway, through the control room without glancing at Bonnett, and out onto the central catwalk. The laboring hum of one engine turning slowly on battery power to give them headway permeated the engine room.

Garcia stood beside the tunnel hatch down forward to the left, his hands fumbling with the zipper of an ABG suit.

The Dragon hidden deep in the sea. Illustration by Elena.

How to Obtain Certification for Diving

Where to Learn to Blow Bubbles

Four ways to get yourself certified

Most countries require that you be certified before you strap on your tanks and dive in, and for good reason – mishandled equipment or an error in judgement in the lower depth can lead to a life-threatening case of the bends. Here are three ways to get certified, and a fourth way to dip your toe into diving without making a three-week commitment.

Certification classes: They are usually offered at the local dive shop or YMCA> The three to six week programs combine classroom instruction, pool-time, and open-water dives in an ocean or other body of water with currents and waves. Look for programs certified by one of the two largest American diving associations, the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI), or the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), Both set clear standards for everything from equipment to instructor credentials. Also, try to meet your instructor before committing to the class. Diving is a high-risk activity; a novice needs to feel comfortable with the instructor. Tuition, equipment, and textbook should run about $500.

Resorts: Most resorts that offer diving also offer on-premise certification classes. They usually last three to four days and cost hundreds of dollars. You should make sure that the program is certified bu NAUI or PADI before signing on. 

At-home Instruction with On-site Dive: A combination program for those who live in cold-weather climates. You do all your instruction at home in an indoor pool, and then do you open-water test at a resort. With a referral program. Costs vary widely.

Passport program: For people who want to try diving but don't want to commit the time or money to getting certified, these half- or one-day programs review the basics and conclude with an open-water or shore-dive accompanied by the instructor. The cost is usually about $100.

Learning to blow bubbles. Photograph by Elena.

Best Places to Take a Plunge

Best Places to Take a Plunge

Whether you're a novice or expert, here are some spots not to miss:

Diving has gone mainstream. These days, wet suits are so fashionable that women's swimsuit designers often take their cues from the fluorescent colors and slick shapes of diving wear. That means more outfitters, schools, and resorts than ever before. We asked the executive editor of Scuba Diving magazine, for his recommendations of the half-dozen best-spots for divers of varying abilities to take the plunge.

Novice Divers

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Florida Keys. Best time to go: May through September.

Clear, calm, and warm water; rich, varied animal life, plentiful reefs that are mostly protected by state parks and marine sanctuaries make the Florida Keys the most popular dive destination in the world. Par officials estimate that 1.5 million tourists visit John Pennekamp State Park; most of them are divers. Dive operators and lodging: The park's in-house dive operator is Coral Reef Park Rental Company.

Washington-Slagbaii National Park, Bonaire. Best time to go: October through April.: A part of the Netherlands Antilles just off the North Coast of South America, Bonaire has one of the first and most successful marine parks in the Caribbean. There are dozens of dive sites that slope gently from down, 60 feet or more and are covered with a psychedelic array of mounding corals and purple and yellow, human- sized tube sponges. Dive operators and lodging: Most hotels operate their own diving operation or have an agreement with one. The dive center at the Sand Dollar Condominiuem and Beach Club, was given five stars by the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI).

Paradise Sea. Photo by Elena.

Intermediate Divers

The Cayman Islands, Best time to go: October through April. The three islands of this British dependency make up the tip of a submarine ridge that plunges more than a mile into the Caribbean. The best dives are at depths of 60 to 90 feet. Sights include huge basket sponges, sheet coral, and plenty of big fish. Dive operators and lodging: One-week dive packages at the Grand Bay Club Condominiums on Grand Cayman can be reserved through Sea Safaris Travel, Inc. Divers also can consult the PADI Travel Network for other dive operators and lodging on the Caymans.

Cozumel, Mexico. Best time to go: December through August: Cozumel is particularly popular with Americans. Intermediate or experienced divers are drawn to a deep wall that starts at about 60 feet below sea level and is a sheer drop as far as the eye can see – and lateral visibility in this clear water ranges 150 feet or more. Big fish abound and evolving coral can be seen in huge spirals and pinnacles. Divers should be careful of the powerful current along the wall, though. Dive operators and lodging: Dive Paradise in Cozumel offers half-day dives. The Galapagos Inn is popular with divers and offers one-week diving packages.

Advanced Divers

Chu'uk Lagoon, Micronesia, Best time to go: Good all year: Most people know this Pacific lagoon as Truk. In 1993, though, the state legislature changed the name to its native roots, Chu'uk. In 1944, the U.S. Navy caught a huge fleet of Japanese merchant ships at anchor in the lagoon and sank them. Divers who are comfortable with depths of a hundred feet and more can see airplanes, trucks, tanks, and other war remnants. Dive operators and lodging: The Truk Continental Hotel and the Micronesia Aquatic Dive Shop offer seven-day lodging and dive packages. For reservations call Sea Safaris Travel.

The Galapagos Islands, best time to go: October through May: The Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador, located off the west coast of South America. The warm Humboldt current named for the German explorer who discovered it in 1800, collides with colder Pacific waters all around the Galapagos, making for a mélange of wildlife. Divers can see tropical parrotfish, penguins and one-of-a-kind sea-diving iguanas. The islands a national parks. As to the hotels, divers must live on specially designed live-aboard boats. Dive operators and accommodations: See and Sea Travel in San Francisco specializes in live-aboard diving trips. It offers trips to Galapagos Islands. Divers looking for other life-aboard outfitters should consult the PADI Travel Network.

Scuba-diving waters. Photo by Elena.

Homes on the Range

Homes on the Range

Dude ranches offer everything from luxury living to cattle herding

In the move City Slickers, Billy Crystal plays a thoroughly urbanized man who transcends a midlife crisis by spending a week in a working castle ranch. The movie was a fantasy, but the idea is catching on; aging baby boomers have been rushing west with an abandon not seen since the Gold Rush of 1849.

Dudes (those not ranchers or descended from ranchers) searching for  traditional ranch activities like horseback riding and cattle driving have plenty of ranches to choose from. Frontier outposts, they're not  - many offer hot tubs, gourmet cooking, and professional massages after a long (or short) day in the saddle.

Following are some of the outstanding ranches highlighted in Gene Kilgor's Ranch Vacations, the most comprehensive guide to America's ranches currently available and which lists over 200 ranches.

Dude ranches

Bakers Bar M, Adams, Ore:  Teddy Roosevelt fished here. Later guests can still enjoy the river and a hot springs pool on this 2500-acre ranch on the Umatilla River in the Blue Mountains of Northeastern Oregon.

Crossed Sabres ranch, Wapiti, Wyo: Established in 1898 as a stagecoach stop, Crossed Sabres exudes Old West ambiance. The ranch requires a minimum stay of one week.

Klicks' K Bar Ranch, Augusta, Mont: One of the best and oldest ranches in the West. Getting to this high country hideaway requires a half-hour float plane ride across Gibson Lake or a ride by saddle horse on a mountain trail.

North Land Ranch Resort, Kodiak, Ala: Located in the emerald green Kalsin Valley with the Pacific Ocean on one side and mountains on the other, North Land is a 31,000-acre cattle and horse ranch with spectacular Alaskan scenery. The mood is low key and the wildlife is first rate. Excellent fishing and riding.

Skyline Guest Ranch, Telluride, Colo.: The owners have deeded this ranch nestled in the high meadows ans aspen-rich peaks of the San Juan Mountains to the Nature Conservancy.

A wild space. Photo by Elena.

Pack Trips

Rimrock Ranch, Cody, Wyo.: Five- to 10-day pack trips into nearby Yellowstone National Park and Shoshone National Forest. Also great fishing in the North Fork of the Shoshone River and on Buffalo Bill Lake. Guides cook the trout you catch on an open fire.

Old Glendevy Ranch, Glendavey, Colo: Glendevy combines pack trips with a stay at the ranch. There's excellent fishing as well on 3 miles of private shoreline at Mclintire Creek.

Seven Lazy P, Choteau, Mont.: A low-key, family-owned ranch specializing in pack trips and located on the North Fork on the Teton River.

Working Cattle Ranches

Bar H Bar, Soda Springs, Idaho: Bar H. Bar has 2,000 head of beef cattle on 9,000 acres in the Bear Range of the Wasatch Mountains, bordering the Caribou Cache National Forest. Guests participate in calving, branding, fence mending, cattle drives, and salting and doctoring beef for market.

Cheyenne River, Douglas, Wyoming: A working cattle and sheep ranch with over 8,000 acres in the wide-open prairie of eastern Wyoming. Usually only one family or couple at a time stay at the ranch and participate in cattle drives, changing pastures, calving and sheep sharing (in April), and branding and lambing (in May).

Ponderosa Cattle Company and Guest Ranch, Seneca, Ore: A historic 120,000-acre cattle ranch located in a magnificent valley in eastern Oregon. Dudes can herd, change pastures, check fences, and practice roping.

Spanish Springs, Rovendale, Calif: A working cattle ranch, Spanish Springs boasts 5,000 cows and 20 horses and 70,000 acres in Northern California's rugged high-desert country near Nevada. Wild horses also are seen on occasion.

Fly-Flashing Ranches

Big Hole River Outfitter, Wise River, Mont: One of the best fly-fishing outfits in North America. A maximum of 10 guests receive personal attention and instruction suited to their ability, with one guide to no more than two guests.

Crescent H Ranch, Wilson, Wyo.: An upscale ranch with an international fly-fishing reputation. Guides take guests to the ranch's private spring creeks, the nearby South Fork in Idaho, or the Firehole and Yellowstone rivers in Yellowstone National Park.

Crystal Creek Lodge, Dillingham, Alaska: For people who like to fish, like to fly, and who don't like to rough it, this is the place. A premier lodge with upscale amenities, and daily fly-in/fly out fishing in five planes and two helicopters at remote site.

Elk Creek Lodge, Meeker, Colo: Offers extensive private land and fishing water in northwestern Colorado – over 100 log-dammed pools in Elk Creek, on six private miles of the White River, and on Trapper Lake, the second largest natural lake in Colorado.

Cross Country/Snowmobile

Fraying Pan River Ranch, Meredith, Colo: Thousands of acres of untracked snow in the Rockies. Excellent but challenging back country skiing as well as a winter fly-fishing program. There's an outdoor hot tub, too.

One Mountain Ranch, Big Sky, Mont: Seventy five kilometers of meticulously prepared trails for every ability level. High-level tours include all-day ski trips into the Yellowstone Park.

Vista Verde Guest and Ski Touring Ranch, Steamboat Springs, Colo: A romantic winter getway with indoor-outdoor hot tube, sauna, and exercise equipment.

Luxury

Alisal Guest Ranch, Solvang, Calif: A secluded 10,000 acres, 40 miles northwest of Santa Barbara. Thirty miles of riding trails, a par 72 championship golf course, and seven tennis courts.

  

Rancho de las Caballeros, Wickenburg, Ariz: One of the premier ranch resorts with an 18-hole championship golf course First-rate service.

Triple Creek, Darby, Mont: A luxurious, adults-only mountainstop guest ranch with a romantic atmosphere and gourmet cuisine.

Family and Kids

Cherokee Park Ranch, Livermore, Colo: Offers a tremendous diversity of activities for all ages and three full-time counselors for ages 3 through 12.

Paradise guest ranch, Buffalo, Wyo: A traditional dude ranch full of children's programs. Kids under 6 will be completely supervised if parents desire.

Peaceful Valley Lodge and Ranch Resort, Lyons, Colo: A two-to-one staff to guest ratio and an extensive program for kids three and up, with a nursery and supervised children's program in the summer.

White stallion ranch, Tucson, Ariz: Some 3,000 acres surrounded by rugged desert mountains. Kids will enjoy the ranch's petting zoo.

Don't forget that rodeo, the circus of the west, has its roots in the hard work of everyday ranching; those rodeo clowns don't just entertain the kids, they also keep the rodeo pit safe by distracting unruly broncos when the stars hit the ground. Rodeo organizers try to make the danger worth it by competing to offer the biggest purses and draw the biggest stars.

A big tree. Photo by Elena.