RE: [Texascavers] Guanoslide Etymology
Gil, That is one talented linguist, I'm not sure I can pronounce most of these but maybe we'll have a contest at the Bexar Grotto Party on Saturday to see who does the best job - especially after a couple of Joe R's margaritas and some hot wings. We'll use the criteria for what sounds best to the ear and with the least amount of spray. Geary -Original Message- From: Gill Ediger [mailto:gi...@worldnet.att.net] Sent: Sunday, December 07, 2008 7:53 AM To: Texascavers@texascavers.com Subject: [Texascavers] Guanoslide Etymology Occupying a room in one of my houses is a cunning linguist of some renown. In addition to having studied Greek, Latin, French, German, Russian he has become fluent enough in Spanish to have translated a couple of Mexican books of historical importance. He also seems to have at least a minimal command of several North American Indian languages. With this fountain of knowledge at my disposal I enlisted him to tackle the problem. Here are his offerings: coproballomenon--(from the Greek) literally: excrement being thrown down (in a passive sense--sorta like falling). (Not exactly guano specific, but a damned neat word I'll have to admit. --GE) lapsus stercoris--(Latin) dung slide. (I'd suggest a combining form such as lapstercor. --GE) Fledermausmistrutsch--(German) literally: bat manure slide. Fledermaus being the bat, of course. Mist is dung or manure. Rutsch being a slide (Erdrutsch = landslide; Schlammrutsch = mudslide, etc) (Perhaps this could be shortened to something like FMR--as the Germans themselves are wont to do--for casual references. --GE) Has anybody been keeping a tab on this? Maybe David or somebody with time on their hands can compile the entire list of submissions and we can take a vote on our favorites sometime this week. Geary should appreciate everyone's help with his philosophical question. --Ediger - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
[ot_caving] Huge flat screen TV
David: It looks as if some in that prophetic film Blade Runner, and its huge TV billboards draped around buildings is coming true. Now if we could only make those nifty flying cars to work! --ernieG - Give this to a friend: ot-subscr...@texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: ot-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: ot-h...@texascavers.com
[Texascavers] Name That Bat!
Would you like to name a bat species for a family member or friend this holiday season, and help support important environmental research and conservation efforts? Purdue University is offering the naming rights to a newly discovered species in honor of a donor to the Center for the Environment. This unique species is a rare family member of the little yellow bat, the smallest known bats in the New World. They weigh less than a tablespoon of water, and are sensitive environmental sentinels of their habitat. http://www.purdue.edu/dp/environment/species/ - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
[ot_caving] Concerns voiced over new border-crossing rules
Concerns voiced over new border-crossing rules By Chris Strohm CongressDaily December 5, 2008 The Homeland Security Department is on track to implement new border crossing requirements in June, but concerns persist that not enough U.S. citizens will have valid identity documents and that border crossing stations do not have adequate infrastructure to process tourists and business travelers quickly. Beginning June 1, citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda must have a passport or other U.S.-approved document to enter the United States from countries within the Western Hemisphere. The new requirement, established by Congress, is part of the so-called Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative aimed at verifying the identity of travelers coming into the country. Colleen Manaher, WHTI director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, expressed confidence Thursday at a forum hosted by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars that the deadline will be met. They said it couldn't be done. They said we're going to fight you every step of the way, she said about critics of the initiative. Well, all the pieces are in place -- documents, technology and infrastructure -- to meet the June 1, 2009, WHTI implementation date. But others, especially Canadian officials, have doubts the new requirement will be implemented without problems. I would like to say that we have indeed moved beyond the what and the why of WHTI to now evaluating the how, said Marianne Rude, Washington representative for the Canadian province of Manitoba. Rude said she was especially concerned that not enough U.S. citizens will have proper documentation to travel to and from Canada. The U.S. government is allowing states to issue enhanced driver's licenses to comply with the new requirement. Additionally, the State Department is issuing U.S. citizens new, wallet-sized passport cards to meet the requirement. Both documents contain a radio frequency identification chip. I think the document possession rate is really key. I can't stress enough how much Canadian communities, in particular, are concerned about that, Rude said. Since the year 2000, U.S. visits to Canada have dropped by 41 percent. A lot of factors have played a part in that but enhanced border procedures and unclear document requirements have certainly played a role. Another concern is that CBP does not have adequate infrastructure and enough personnel at border crossing stations to process travelers, said Angelo Amador, director of immigration policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He said CBP needs billions of dollars in additional funding, adding that the Chamber is lobbying Congress for such spending. He said the agency should also study wait times at border crossing stations and evaluate how many U.S. citizens have canceled, or will cancel, visits to Canada. We continue to believe that more cost analysis and more studies should be done, he said. Manaher acknowledged that CBP faces challenges in making physical improvements to border crossing stations, mainly because they are locked in often crowded locations. But she said the agency is opening lanes at border posts with technology to read documents with RFID chips. The lanes are expected to expedite the processing of travelers who have those documents. Once you see it I think you might change your mind about the true benefits of WHTI, she said.
[NMCAVER] Name That Bat!
Forwarded from Texascavers Mark Minton Would you like to name a bat species for a family member or friend this holiday season, and help support important environmental research and conservation efforts? Purdue University is offering the naming rights to a newly discovered species in honor of a donor to the Center for the Environment. This unique species is a rare family member of the little yellow bat, the smallest known bats in the New World. They weigh less than a tablespoon of water, and are sensitive environmental sentinels of their habitat. http://www.purdue.edu/dp/environment/species/ ___ NMCAVER mailing list nmca...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/nmcaver_caver.net
[NMCAVER] Winter Tech
To all who attended Winter Tech, PBSS thanks you all for getting to the far eastern reaches of the Southwest region and for making the regional such a good time! The presentations were all well-planned and informative, we had the opportunity to buy cool things, and you all were great guests. Hopefully you all got home safely and uneventfully. Happy Holidays, all! Jacqui for PBSS ___ NMCAVER mailing list nmca...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/nmcaver_caver.net
Re: [NMCAVER] Winter Tech
Jacqui, Many thanks to the hosts for this gathering! We think the facilities and arrangements made it a very enjoyable experience. Regards, John and Dorothy Corcoran -Original Message- From: nmcaver-boun...@caver.net [mailto:nmcaver-boun...@caver.net] On Behalf Of J. LaRue Thomas Sent: Monday, December 08, 2008 4:12 AM To: nmca...@caver.net Subject: [NMCAVER] Winter Tech To all who attended Winter Tech, PBSS thanks you all for getting to the far eastern reaches of the Southwest region and for making the regional such a good time! The presentations were all well-planned and informative, we had the opportunity to buy cool things, and you all were great guests. Hopefully you all got home safely and uneventfully. Happy Holidays, all! Jacqui for PBSS ___ NMCAVER mailing list nmca...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/nmcaver_caver.net ___ NMCAVER mailing list nmca...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/nmcaver_caver.net
[NMCAVER] SWR success
It was a fine SWR winter tech meeting, and thanks for putting us up and putting up with us. Good food in your town too! And gasolene prices in Andrews, amazing $1.49. Jon and I forgot to check the gauge in Vaughn and found that Encino doesn't sell fuel anymore. We limped into Clines Corners, with half gallon to spare out of 18 gal tank. It was $2.19 there John ___ NMCAVER mailing list nmca...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/nmcaver_caver.net
Re: [NMCAVER] SWR success
We all enjoyed having everyone...Hope we can do it again in 2013... Bill ---on behalf of the entire PBSS Jacqui, Many thanks to the hosts for this gathering! We think the facilities and arrangements made it a very enjoyable experience. Regards, John and Dorothy Corcoran --- It was a fine SWR winter tech meeting, and thanks for putting us up and putting up with us. Good food in your town too! And gasolene prices in Andrews, amazing $1.49. Jon and I forgot to check the gauge in Vaughn and found that Encino doesn't sell fuel anymore. We limped into Clines Corners, with half gallon to spare out of 18 gal tank. It was $2.19 there John ___ NMCAVER mailing list nmca...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/nmcaver_caver.net
[Texascavers] the Witch’s Well of Tuhala
An interesting place in Estonia. I wonder if there is a local caving community? http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/world/europe/09witches.html?ref=world -Marvin Miller - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
[ot_caving] Hybrid car news.
I saw a Hybrid Chevy Malibu driving down the road in Houston today. I am pretty sure this car isn't yet available in Texas. My best guess is that it was a 2009 model because the license plate said MANUFACTURER, instead of DEALER. Although I poke fun at American made cars, I do hope this car is successful. I rented a 2007 Malibu and it was a nice ride. There are still a few hybrids that I have not yet seen at the dealer. 1.Saturn Aura 2.Nissan Altima 3.Cadillac Escalade And there are several that I have only seen in dealer show rooms and never actually on the road. 1.2007 Chevy Silverado Truck 2.Lexus GS 450 sedan. 3.Lexus LS 600 sedan. Honda claims it is bringing back the Insight next year in a 4 door model: http://automobiles.honda.com/content/zulu/phase2/photos/PR.jpg It looks too much like a Prius. Based on my years of experience with my 2002 Insight, I don't think I would recommend the new one to people who need inexpensive transportation. However, I bet it is going to be a good car for a small family that does a lot of commuting, and probably more practical than my 2007 Honda Fit. Ford is claiming that the 2009 model of the Escape Hybrid is better than the 2008. It will go 40 miles per hour on just electricity instead of 30.It has much better brakes, and a tiny bit more power. http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autobloggreen.com/media/2008/05/2009-escape-hybrid-1280-7.jpg If you already own a Prius, how about modifying its aerodynamics for better MPG on the highway: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autobloggreen.com/media/2008/12/179-9583-1.jpg - Give this to a friend: ot-subscr...@texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: ot-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: ot-h...@texascavers.com
[Texascavers] Shaping Sound
Title: Shaping Sound thought the Maya references might be of interest. The link to the entire article is provided. Along these lines, I watched of a video of some friends climbing out of Golondrinas last night. One of them was singing Amazing Grace around the midpoint and the reverb was astonishing.. Two observers on the surface had distincly different experiences - the one at the lip where the rope was rigged heard each word of the song distinctly. The other, on the low side, heard only a long swelling mmm for the duration of the song. Nancy Shaping Sound Structures can be designed to create auditory effects ByAlan Hall http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=shaping-sound SACRED ECHOES One speaker at the conference who was not at all surprised by Meseguer's findings was acoustical consultant David Lubman of Westminster, Calif. Lubman is one of a small but growing number of researchers who are pioneering a new discipline that might be called paleoacoustics or archaeoacoustics. These investigators are intrigued by the curious sound phenomena reported at many ancient sites. And, unlike many archaeologists, they do not believe they are accidental but proof that some ancient people had a sophisticated knowledge of acoustics and built it into their structures. Lubman first became intrigued by reports of a curious echo from the Mayan pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza, in Mexico's Yucatan region. The odd chirped echo resounds from the pyramid's staircases in response to hand claps of people standing near its base. To hear for himself, Lubman packed up his recording gear and traveled to Chichen Itza last January. After studying the staircases and analyzing his recordings and sonograms of the echoes, Lubman came back convinced that this was no architectural freak. In his paper, Lubman argued that the design of the staircases was deliberate and that the echo is an ancient recording, coded in stone, of the call of the Maya's sacred bird, the quetzal. Like the tubes in Sempere's sculpture, the treads of the stairs at Kukulkan consist of elements that are repeated at regular intervals, or are spatially periodic. When periodic design elements are composed of sound reflective materials [such as stone], and if certain other conditions are met, odd echoes or other strange acoustical effects may result, says Lubman. He contends that the oddly narrow steps with abnormally high risers (an illogical configuration for people whose descendants are of short stature) were built to voice the call of the sacred bird. Other investigators have noticed the relationship between structure and sound in many ancient sites. Steven Waller, for one, made a seminal observation while admiring Neolithic cave art in Spain--the paintings seemed to be placed at locations where there were strong acoustical resonances. He and others have since identified hundreds of such sites around the world. Human uses for sound, no less than the other perceptual modalities, must surely have shaped human habitations in many ways not yet considered, says Lubman. Unfortunately, in the modern world such acoustical effects are unusually considered unwanted artifacts caused by an architect's failure to consider acoustics. Even when acoustics are considered to be paramount, there have been glitches--such as the concert hall in New York's Lincoln Center that raised an outcry in 1962 and was eventually gutted and reconstructed at great expense. So maybe modern architects, who are mainly concerned with the visual impact of their work, should borrow a page from the artists and ancients to create environments that apprehend an equally important human sense--hearing. The next time you are in the lobby of a building or facing a grand staircase, clap your hands. - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
[Texascavers] Re: [Allcavers] 2008 DFWG Holiday Party
I am going to try to drive back frm Colorado Bend and make it to the party on time. If I dont show then it must have been to late. From: John P. Brooks jpbrook...@sbcglobal.net To: Butch Fralia bfra...@maverickgrotto.org; allcav...@metroplexcavers.org; Texas Cavers texascavers@texascavers.com; Mark Alman texascav...@yahoo.com Sent: Friday, November 28, 2008 6:33:09 AM Subject: [Allcavers] 2008 DFWG Holiday Party Metroplex Cavers, Its that time of year again.dig those white elelphant gifts out of the closetand plan on attending the DFWG Holiday Party. The details: December 13, 2008 7:30 pm until 1:00 am 6879 Avalon Avenue Dallas, Texas 75214 214.320.0166 What to bring ? BYOB. Potluck food ( wouldn’t it be nice if everyone cooked their favorite holiday dish?) Pictures of of your latest caving adventures ( we will have a slide projector and digital projector ) Tales of daring, heroic trips and don’t forgetbring a white elephant gift to recycle through the grotto THE RULES: 1. All white elephant gifts brought or received must be removed from the premises after the party. We will keep a list of who is naughty and nice 2. Please do not park in the yard. 3. Friends or relatives recently released from prison or mental hospitals are encouraged to attend the Bexar Grotto Holiday party. 4. All Metroplex and Texas cavers are invited; however the formation of new Grottoes at the party is strictly prohibited. 5. Please drink responsibly and designate a driver. 6. Objects with large steel wheels should not be rolled around inside of the house.
[Texascavers] NO DECEMBER PBSS Meeting
There will be no meeting of the PBSS for December 2008 Stay tuned for January 2009 meeting notice...
[Texascavers] Rock painting reveals unknown bat
(reply-to g...@io.com or list) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7765136.stm Rock painting reveals unknown bat By Paul Rincon Science reporter, BBC News An ancient cave painting from northern Australia depicts a previously unknown species of large bat, researchers say. The team thinks the rock art from Australia's Kimberley region could date to the height of the last Ice Age - about 20-25,000 years ago. The painting depicts eight roosting fruit bats - also called flying foxes. They have features that do not match any Australian bats alive today, suggesting the art depicts a species that is now extinct. The findings have been published online in the scholarly journal Antiquity. The bats would not have lived in the same cave as the painting; they are depicted hanging on a vine, which indicates a lowland forest habitat. Jack Pettigrew, from the University of Queensland, and colleagues report that the eight bats in the painting have white markings on their faces. No present day Australian flying foxes possess these features. Megabats Dr Pettigrew and his team then considered whether the bat matched any living megabats from other parts of the world. Worldwide there are six such species, two in Africa and four living in islands off South-East Asia. The two African species have irregular white markings, unlike the depiction. One of the Asian species has a white patch above the eyes - which is inconsistent with the rock art; the other lacks the pale belly shown in the Kimberley painting. This left Styloctenium wallacei , from the island of Sulawesi, Stylocteniummindorensis from Mindoro in the Philippines. All are medium-sized with the distinctive white facial stripe shown in the cave art. All are fruit eaters living in lowland forest. Although Styloctenium have small white markings just above the eyes, these would not have been visible in profile, say the researchers. On balance, say the researchers, Styloctenium is the closest living genus to the ancient species in the painting. No fossil bats that could fit the bill are known from the local area. Fossilisation is notoriously poor in the rocky tropical environment of the Kimberley, Dr Pettigrew told BBC News. Small fossil bats are known from Queensland's Riversleigh rocks, from which they can be extracted using acetic acid. But no flying fox remains have been found. The Queensland fossils are 30 million years older than the Kimberley flying fox. Stripey face The bat depictions were found on a sandstone wall protected by overhangs, near Kalumburu. They belong to a type of rock art known as
[Texascavers] Re: NSS Business pages
Phillip and all -- Even if other organizations don't put their budget, agenda, and minutes online for the public to see, that is no reason for us not to do so. They don't, and we shouldn't, for the same reason, as exemplified by this recent incident reported by former OVP Cheryl Jones to the BOG, which has now gotten all stirred up (again) about this issue: A couple years ago, the NSS was offered a lot to purchase in the Shelta neighborhood. The owner called and told me about having read the minutes, officer reports, and financial information, and thus that he knew we were interested in purchasing property, how much we were prepared to spend on another lot we'd considered buying, how much money the NSS had, what various restricted funds we had and what they were used for, and some other tidbits from minutes, officer reports, and the Board Manual. Some information didn't even relate to purchasing property. I felt as if someone had broken in our house, rummaged in our drawers and files, and spied upon us. He was snooping for information to leverage his position and use against us. No good came of his visits to the business page. Our cards were pretty much exposed and our bargaining position compromised. That incident is what got me thinking about the risks and ramifications of allowing anyone to view our business affairs, and questioning the need to do so. I know of no other organization, or certainly no other large, successful organizations/corporations, that have their operational directives posted on the Web for the world to see, or even their Board meeting minutes, officer reports, and/or detailed fiscal information. And I have looked. It just could be that they know something -- that they are aware of the risks of exposing their business to the world and hanging out their laundry for all to see. It is important for any corporation or organization to control the information that is available to the public. Aside from fulfilling legal requirements, our responsibility for providing information is to our members, not to the general public. The Members Manual and the annual/biennial reports contain the audited fiscal reports, and the reports are freely available online to the world. They are our business and corporate face to the public, and pretty much all that an agency, potential grantor, other organization, or non-member needs to see to see about corporate NSS. Other information about the NSS is on the public area of the Web site. Individual pages of the Board Manual are linked from Web pages to provide additional information, such as IO policies, Definitions and Policies for Society Activities, and Organization Structure. Also linked for public view are the Bylaws, Constitution, and Current Personnel pages. The Conservation Policy has its own page. Any member may send a link to a page from the Board Manual to anyone. (The rest of the Manual cannot then be accessed via that page.) There are no benefits to the NSS of posting operational directives, minutes, officer reports, fiscal information, and other business details on the Web for the world to see. Instead, there is risk to the Society. Our responsibility is to do what is best for the Society and limit risk, not to do what is best for non- members. We've made it very simple for members to access the Business page. The lock isn't secure of course, but keeps out casual non-member visitors. So there you have it, the reason why the protection of most of the BOG Manual by a firewall was directed. I'm sure that will get your blood-pressure up, Phillip, but all three of your 'good reasons' are specious. Alex -- Alex Sproul NSS 8086RL/FE NSS Webmaster - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
Re: [Texascavers] Re: NSS Business pages
Alex and all: Yes, this kind of ass-backwards thinking does get my blood pressure up. First, we would not be giving much away if the NSS Board followed it Acts and Policies (it would be nice if the Board was familiar with the same; they were not during my tenure). From Appendix L of the Board Manual (http://www.caves.org/nss-business/bog/Append-L.pdf): The NSS, as a guideline, shall not pay more than 10% over fair market value as documented by a credible appraisal. This is an IRS recommendation for non-profit corporations. If an organization is only willing to pay appraised value, then a negotiating position is not given away by having such in the public record. Secondly and more importantly, most of the NSS Business is not sensitive. However, the sensitive business is supposed to be conducted in closed session for which there are no minutes, published or otherwise. I tried to get a closed session policy adopted that included acquisition discussion and authorization as closed session business. However, the Board voted it down twice. Just because there is a perceived problem in one area, does not mean that it is to the NSS' advantage to hide all of our business. Doug Medville had a motion authorizing the NSS to spend up to $220,000 for an entrance to Great Ex (see http://www.caves.org/nss-business/minutes/oct02bog.html) and that was done without an appraisal. That certainly had a great deal of potential to undermine any potential negotiating potion. What if the property had been appraised and had come in at $45,000. Kind of hard for a landowner to walk away from that kind of money. Hiding our business pages is no substitute for good business practices or the ability to think critically. Philip L. Moss philipm...@juno.com Click here to find experienced pros to help with your home improvement project. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/PnY6rw2eRIsJ8umxR8A1OKvcoqa7Jn9dFN8nUuulvi7Lhf6U4KeT9/
Re: [ot_caving] huge flat screen TV
I imagine there will be one in all the major cities within a year or so. I wonder if this could bring back the drive-in movie? My understanding is that they cannot have flashing items and they must keep the same photo for at least a minute. I saw it on the news and not sure if it was over the rules for our city or not. I am pretty sure it was on our local news.I was as usual heating up a cup of tea at the time. Quinta
Re: [ot_caving] huge flat screen TV
There are some similar on I71between my house and work. I hate them! The one close to Manchaca is so f*in bright, that at night it makes it hard to see anything else near the road!!! -WaV On Mon, Dec 8, 2008 at 5:30 AM, Quinta Wilkinson qui...@clearwire.netwrote: I imagine there will be one in all the major cities within a year or so. I wonder if this could bring back the drive-in movie? My understanding is that they cannot have flashing items and they must keep the same photo for at least a minute. I saw it on the news and not sure if it was over the rules for our city or not. I am pretty sure it was on our local news.I was as usual heating up a cup of tea at the time. Quinta
Re: [ot_caving] movie reviews - Bond Australia
David said: \The Bond movie was a waste of film media or digital bytes. There is one scene I will mention. Bond jumps out of a plane at 20,000 feet without a parachute, links up with someone who is struggling The Green movements are talking of it as a statement about oil. I have not seen the movie so not sure of any of that. Quinta
