f/k/a archives . . . real opinions & real haiku

Even more than usual, my attention seems to be blown from

place to place lately by the slightest changes in atmospheric

pressure.  It’s no surprise, then, that the august RiskProf’s

allusion yesterday to Wilma Flintstone sent me way off course

this morning.

 

As you know, Martin Grace’s expertise is insurance risk, so he’s 

supposed to be worrying about Hurricane Wilma.  Our expertise

is a bit less focused around here.  Please don’t think, though, that

my clicking through to A Flintstones World was a complete waste

of time. Besides re-acquainting myself with some of my favorite

cartoon characters, I was inspired to learn more about hurricane

names at National Hurricane Center‘s website (plus a FEMA page

for kids).

 

Here are some of my discoveries [you can find the original Flintstones’

images, and many more, here]:

The cumbersome latitude-longitude identification

method for Atlantic tropical storms was changed in 1953

to a system using names.  Originally organized by the U.S. 

National Hurricane Center, the lists are now maintained 

and updated — in a nice example of bureaucracy-creep

and/or global political correctness — by an international

committee of the World Meteorological Organization.

 

  There are six rotating lists of names, with 21 names

each. Wilma is the 21st storm of the year, so any additional

tropical storms this season will “take names from the Greek

alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and so on.”

 

In 1979, there was one gigantic step for gender equality

(I remember it well), when male names were added to lists

that had previously been solely female names.

 

The 6th named Atlantic storm in 2009 will be Fred. 

The list used in 2004 will start the next cycle in 2010.

 

The names of hurricanes can be English, Spanish or French,

the major languages in the regions where the storms occur.

“The only time that there is a change in the list is if a storm is

so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different

storm would be inappropriate for reasons of sensitivity.”

 

  I am very happy to say that neither Betty

nor Barney are on the six lists of assigned names — eliminating

Rubble jokes.  Rubble isn’t very funny this year.

 

Warning: Silliness and Bad Pun Alert.  The following

may not be suitable for those prone to queasiness or

stuffiness.

 

While checking out the Flintstones World site, I freshed my recollection

of some of their guest characters and inventions, and cool cars.  It got me

thinking: Although the term Bouldersphere hadn’t been coined in the Flintstones’

era, it seems to be populated by people who remind me quite a bit of some

prominent members of the Blawgisphere.  For example:

 

It was RiskProf Martin F. Grace (photo above), who started us on 

this tangent to Bedrock.   Don’t you think he favors the lovable Mr. Slate?  (What

does that “F” stand for?) update: Martin informs me the “F” stands for neither Fred

nor Flintstone, but Francis.

 

“spacelyG” orig.

 

update update (Oct. 21, 2005): Prof. Grace(ly) confesses

over at RiskProf that he’s really a Spacely Jetsonian — I don’t

know whether or not that makes him Supreme Court material,

but Prof. Barneybridge probably has an opinion on that subject. 

(Of course, a goatee did not help Juge Bork any.)  Did Slate and

Spacely meet in the 1987 movie The Jetsons Meet the Flinstones?

To be honest, Your Editor can’t quite image the fun-loving RisqueProf

being as irritable and Scrooge-like as Mr. Spacely — or Mr. Slate. 

 

  Have you noticed how much Prof. Barneybridge loves his cars,

and his pets?

 

What about that very artsy weblogging lawyer in Pasadino, CA.? 

 

  And, who is the Ann, who so bewitched Fred and Barney? Could

she be that siren from Bed & Bedrock who can also be found Between Layers?

 

Don’t forget the many gadgets so beloved by the Hanna-Blawgbera Gang. 

Could the arm in that picture belong to Iron Svenstone?  Evan Stoner?

 

Finally, maybe we should all be a bit suspicious of the crusty haijin blawgger,

who so loves fireflies — and hangs out with Prof. Yabba-dag-adieu.   As Arsenio

Hallstone, Wilma’s favorite nighttime host, likes to say, It makes you go, hmmmm.

“fredlight”

 

too cold for fireflies — 

campfire sparks

float over the rocks

 

 

dagosan

 

the old days . . .
autumn colors
black and white

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

his headstone

rises with the moon

above the silence

 

 

 

 

crows—
hard to tell if they are
laughing or not

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oh joy!
kidney stones
skipping across the water

 

 

Andrew Riutta

“crows–” and “oh joy!” from Simply Haiku (Autumn 2005)

“the old days” – for Linda Chambers

“his headstone” – Full Moon Magazine (2005)

 

• 
  
  by dagosan:   

Kashmir’s children

atop the rubble

under the rubble

[Oct. 20, 2005]  

 

 

 

 

  from Morden Haiku (Oct. 18, 2005):

strategy planning
crows disappear
into the slates

 

         Matt Morden

            

  Don’t forget to get your free download

of David G. Lanoue’s new haiku novel Dewdrop World.                    

 

                                                                                                                    orig.