World Records of 2022 and Beyond

Zoë Sharp

The year just past seems to have been one of extremes, so I thought I'd compile a few record-breaking facts and figures for your entertainment here.

Temperatures

The coldest temperature during 2022 was recorded at the Vostock Station in Antarctica, which is 3420m or 11,220ft above sea level. Temperatures dropped to -76deg C or -106.2deg F in mid-April.

 

The coldest surface temperature ever recorded on earth was done by remote sensing via satellite, which reported -93deg C (-135.8deg F) between Dome Argus and Dome Fuji in Antarctica in December 2013.

 

Records for the hottest temperature are supposed to be recorded 1.5m (4ft 11in) above ground level, and shielded from direct sunlight. I struggled to find a report for 2022, but in May 2021 an unverified figure of 80.8deg C (177.4deg F) was recorded via satellite in both the Lut Desert in Iran and the Sonoran Desert in Mexico.

 

The hottest temperature ever recorded anywhere on earth was in July 1972, at Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley, California, measuring 93.9deg C or 201deg F.

 

Rainfall – or lack of it

The largest recorded rainfall in 2022 was in Mawsynram, a town in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya in northeast India. A series of geographical features mean that Mawsynram has the reputation as the wettest place on earth, and receives the highest rainfall in India. On June 17 2022, 1003.6mm (39.5in) fell in 24 hours.

 

It would seem that the highest rainfall in 24 hours ever recorded was in October 2005, when 1633.98mm (64.33in) fell on Isla Mujeres, an island off the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico.

 

The least rainfall occurs in an area of Antarctica known as the Dry Valleys, which have seen no rain for nearly 2 million years. After that comes the Atacama Desert in Chile and Peru, which can occasionally see an average of 1mm (0.039in) rainfall per year.

 

Wind speed

The highest recorded wind speed in the UK in 2022 was at The Needles, just off the Isle of Wight, where Hurricane Eunice was responsible for winds of 122mph, or 196kph. The highest-ever wind speed recorded was at Barrow Island, Australia, of 253mph (407kph) in 1996 during Tropical Cyclone Olivia.

 

Stormy

The place on earth that receives the most lightning strikes is the area surrounding the Catatumbo river, feeding Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. Lightning occurs here up to 300 nights a year, followed by the mountains near Kifuka in the Democratic Republice of the Congo, with over 400 strikes per square mile (230+ per square kilometre).

 

The largest hailstone ever to fall was on Gopalganj district in Bangladesh in April 1986, when a single piece measuring 1.02kg (2.25lb) fell as part of a hailstorm that killed 92 people.

 

Fires

The largest ever wildfire was in eastern Siberia in 2003. It destroyed over 55 million acres (22 million hectares) of the taiga forests. But the longest-burning fire is at Mount Wingen, known as Burning Mountain in New South Wales, Australia, where a coal seam is reckoned to have been smouldering for the last 6000 years.

 

Human Records Broken in 2022
Age

The oldest human still living is a French nun called Sister André, who was born on February 11 1904, and will thus be 119 next month. Sister André took over the twin titles as both the oldest living female and the oldest living person when Japanese citizen Kane Tanaka died in April 2022 at the age of 119. Ms Tanaka was born on January 2 1903. The oldest person ever recorded was another French citizen, Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived from February 1875 until August 1997, reaching 122 years and 164 days.

 

Height
The Tallest Man

Sultan Kösen from Turkey is the tallest living man at 8ft 2.82in (251cm) in height. He also has the largest hands, measuring 11.22in (28.5cm) from wrist to the end of his middle finger. Born in 1982 and originally a farmer, Mr Kösen has now moved to Hollywood. The tallest man ever was American Robert Wardlow, who grew to 8ft 11in (272cm) but lived only 22 years, from 1918 to 1940.

 

The Tallest Woman

The official tallest living woman in 2022 is also from Turkey. She is Rumeysa Gelgi, who not only holds the tallest woman record at 7ft 0.7in (215.16cm), but who also held the tallest teenager record, confirmed in 2014, as well as the largest hands on a living female 9.81in (24.93cm), the longest finger (female) at 4.4in (11.2cm) and the longest back (female) at 23.58in (59.9cm). These latter three world records were confirmed in February 2022.

 

The tallest ever woman was claimed to be a Dutch woman who died aged just 17 in 1633, Trijntje Keever, although her height of 8ft 4.5in (255cm) was unverified. The only female who was verified to have exceeded 8ft tall was Zeng Jinlian from China, at 8ft 1.75in (248cm). She also lived only 17 years, passing away in 1982.

 

Shortest

A new record holder for the title of shortest man living was decided in December 2022. Afshin Esmaeil Ghaderzadeh, from northern Iran, is 2ft 1.6in (65.24cm) tall. He was born in July 2002, and is officially the fourth shortest man ever recorded.

 

The shortest woman still living is an Indian actress, Jyoti Amge, born in 1993. She is 2ft 0.7in (62.8cm) tall.

 

The shortest man ever recorded was Chandra Bahadur Dangi from Nepal, at 21.5in (54.6cm), who was born in 1939 and died in 2015. The shortest woman was Pauline Musters from the Netherlands (1876-1895) who was 2ft (61cm) in height.

 

This week’s Word of the Week is minuscule, which is derived from Latin minusculus, meaning rather small. It is often spelled miniscule, probably in error at first but frequently enough for this to have become a recognised alternative spelling, especially in America. In French, minuscule signifies lower case, as opposed to majuscule (Latin, majusculus, rather large) denoting capital letters.

 

My Epiphany on Epiphany

 

According to Wikipedia (yes, I admit to being an unabashed fan), “An epiphany (from the ancient Greek ἐπιφάνεια, epiphaneia, ‘manifestation, striking appearance’) is an experience of sudden and striking realization.”

 

Well, I just had one.  No, not of the religious sort celebrated yesterday (January 6). I described that observance here a few weeks back, but don't worry, no need to search it out because I repeat the relevant portions below.  I'm talking about an epiphany brought on by my last four days glued to the TV watching the US House of Representative's produce a real-life version of Bill Murray's film "Groundhog Day." 

 

Through twelve separate but virtually identical vote results, the House failed to elect Kevin McCarthy as Speaker. Yet he and his backers stayed the course, and through an amalgam of yet to be disclosed deals made with opponents among his own party, on the 13th vote he substantially reduced the number of his own party members voting against him––but still lost.  Late tonight (Friday) he lost again––by one vote––for the 14th time.  Will he try again––after midnight––for a 15th, 16th, 17th....  We'll see.  

 

Without an elected Speaker there are no rules governing the House, including those carefully limiting what real time video may be shown to the public of its representatives in action on the floor of the House.  For the past four days we've been privileged to see in action the villains and the virtuous, the hustlers and the hustled, the pugnacious and the pugilists, the nose-pickers and the pocket pickers. 

 

My epiphany came in the form of an observation attributed to many (including Albert Einstein)...one most likely shared by many who've watched the unfolding madness in Washington.

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

 

So, with that in mind, let's move on to yesterday's holiday of the epiphany––which has the identical root in Greek—that for most Christians generally falls on January 6th and concludes the Twelve Days of Christmas.  The Greeks usually refer to it as the “Feast of Theophany” (“God shining forth” or “divine manifestation”) or “Ta Fota” (“The Lights”) as it celebrates the baptism of Christ in what is one of the three Great Feast days of the year, ranking only behind Easter (Paska) and Pentecost.  Understandably, it is also a big day for baptisms.

 

In many parts of the world a Greek Orthodox priest performs the “Blessing of the Waters.”  Traditionally, it’s done twice: Once, on the eve of the Feast (generally at a baptismal font inside the church), and the next day at a river, sea, or lake, where at the end of the service a priest tosses the blessed cross into the water—launching a host of young men in after it in hopes of retrieving the cross and receiving a special blessing from the priest that will bring a year of good luck to the successful diver.

 

Epiphany is also the day for expelling kallikantzari from your home through a blessing from the priest and the sprinkling of Theophany blessed holy water. Kallikantzari are half-beast, half human, bad-spirited gremlins that try to slip into your house through a chimney to wreak havoc and mischief amid your home, livestock, and food between Christmas and Epiphany.  

During that twelve-day period virtually every Greek in one way or another engages in some superstitious practice—like wrapping a sprig of basil around a small wooden cross and suspending it over a bowl of water—and seeks a blessing from a priest.  Ultimately, the goal is to expel the kallikantzari before they can do serious damage, like saw through the huge tree on which rests the foundations of the world. 

Where the kallikantzari go for the rest of the year to do their harm is anybody’s guess.  Though from the way things are going in Washington these days, perhaps someone should think about checking out the House of Representatives.

—Jeff

And the Word is....

 

It’s the time of year when clever people make lists of words that should be banned from the mouths of those that live on planet earth. I may not be the cleverest, but I would like to get in early with a vote that the word ‘Megxit’ is banned.

Totally. As would be Ginger Whinger. Let’s just not hear any of it in 2023. Family business, keep it to yourself.

So what other words?

Well the word of the year seemingly is…”woman”.

Which I thought was a tad insulting. We are more than 50% of the planet and have 95% of the brains so why is that word of the year? To tell you the truth, I might not be quite sure what it means any more. It’s confusing.

Some more words on the list. “Irregardless” isn’t really a word and shouldn’t be on the list at all. I know that language must develop, but seriously?

“Absolutely” does not mean yes. These people should be fined.

“Amazing” There was a great program on TV on Hogmanay about how good Scottish people are at swearing. We swear par excellence. It is said, by non-Scottish people, that swearing shows a lack of vocabulary. This is not true. The constant use of the word ‘amazing’ and the word ‘like’ is what really shows a lack of vocabulary.

“quiet quit” I actually blogged about this, I am a trend setter, I am a with it dude. Pure, like amazeballs!

 “moving forward.” Please go away, and take your ‘circling back’ with you.

“tongue-in-cheek” I think we will be holding onto that one, as without that, I am nothing.

“banished” no idea why this is on the list. Although I could think of a few folk who could do with being banished. See comment above.

“GOAT.” Just say greatest of all time, it doesn’t take much longer, a goat is… a goat. Pele deserved to be called, the greatest of all time.

“inflection point,” mathematical term seemingly. I thought it was a type of speech pattern,

“gaslighting” On the list again. As my journalist friend says, it’ll stop being used when people stop gaslighting.

“Does that make sense?” I’m afraid I use this all the time, especially in emails when I’m trying to explain to a patient how to negotiate our collapsing NHS. It’s a way of making sure that they have understood what I’m waffling on about, so they can’t come back and say there was no informed consent as I hadn’t explained it to them. If it’s written down I’m not gaslighting them and they can’t gaslight me, even if they have to circle back to revisit the email in an effort to move forward.

“It is what it is” I think people who say this should be subject to a mandatory jail term.

‘Karen’ and ‘woke’  I’m sure these words started off with the best of intentions and with a relatively defined meaning. Now they seem to be banded about because A doesn’t suit B’s personal agenda which kind of hampers the whole discussion. I liked the comment that the biggest barrier to meaningful debate is the fact that people like to get offended early on just to prove that they are more offended than anybody else.

“hygge!” I’m sure you all know what it means. And weirdly there is a homeopathic remedy, the constitutional remedy or people who are/or enjoy hygge. They are described as liking to close the curtains, switch off the TV, light the fire, snuggle in with good friends, read books and generally don’t text people. One of the homeopathic traits of this is drinking hot soup from a mug using the mug to warm your hands.

Cryptocurrency Don’t understand it. Don’t want to.

Cycle logistics. To my dad that would be about power to weight ratios and how steep the hill was. Now it means that cyclists can negotiate city centres quicker than vans to do deliveries. I think a lot of that depends on the city, the cyclist and what’s been delivered.

De-consumerism. See last weeks blog re Prime, maybe we all need a bit of de-consumerism. The cost of the heating bill might necessitate it. This leads to frugalism. And those FIRE (financial independence, retire early” types. They seems to rely on cadging off other people. And anyway it maybe a racist comment, but being a Scot frugalism tends to go with the territory.

Infodemic. Too much information about something we couldn’t care less about. See Ginger Whinger above.

JOMO. Really is the same as hygge – the joy of missing out. Is that an oxymoron? Do we care?

What’s your word of the year. I think mine might be Deadline!

C

Circumnavigating Tasmania

 Michael - Thursday

Scarlet Robin in the Rain
Photo: Ian Wilson

In December Pat and I spent two and a half weeks touring Tasmania. The two main objectives were to see areas we hadn’t explored before and to spend time with our good friends and expert bird photographers Ian and Jill Wilson. The Scarlet Robin was one of what Ian called “holiday snaps” that he took outside the house we shared with them on Bruny Island.

The plan was to start in the north from Launceston, travel down the east side of the island to Hobart, spend time on Bruny Island and then head north-west eventually ending back in Launceston – more or less circumnavigating the island, but on shore rather than on the high seas.

Abel Janszoon Tasman has credit as the first European to discover the island, claiming the island for the Dutch in December 1642. (The local aboriginal people had been living there already for tens of thousands of years at that time, of course, but that didn't bother him.)  Tasman was on a voyage of exploration for the VOC (Dutch East India Company). In fact, he was looking for the legendary Terra Australis with its islands of gold, which Marco Polo had invented for his list of travel accomplishments. Instead, he found Tasmania (he named it van Dieman’s Land after the governor General of the Dutch East Indies), New Zealand, Tonga, and sighted Fiji. His bosses were disappointed with the trip — no gold and no rich people to trade with for spices and the like. Whenever groups of aboriginal people spotted the Dutch, they took off and disappeared. A very sensible strategy as it later turned out once the British took a hand in the proceedings.

Tasman's voyages - looks like he almost missed Tasmania!
Courtesy Wikipedia

What Tasman didn’t know was that he'd missed a whole continent between Tasmania and New Guinea. Most of his discoveries were based on how the wind was blowing and what was in the way of his ships. No GoogleMaps or reliable maps of any sort in those days. That Tasmania was an island, had to wait 150 years for Matthew Flinders to make his way through the Bass Strait. Although it's an overnight ferry crossing from Melbourne now, only twelve thousand years ago there was still a land connection between Tasmania and the rest of Australia, so many of the plants and animals are pretty much the same. Nevertheless, some have survived only on Tasmania, and some have adapted to the cooler and wetter climate.

Tasmanian variant of the Echidna - far more fur for the cold and fewer spines

Our trip started on the east coast.

Tasman's Arch carved by the sea

Tasman Peninsular

The narrow link to the Tasman Peninsular - Eaglehawk Neck:

Eaglehawk Neck, Wikipedia

And the neck joining North and South Bruny Island where Tasman took on water and timber.

Looking South:
the Roaring Forties to the East and quiet Simpson's Bay to the West 

The cool, wet forests of South Bruny Island

Plenty of moss...

Moving on to Cradle Mountain National Park with its glacial lakes and moraine screes:

Across Dove Lake to Cradle Mountain

What the glacier left behind

Wonderful tree ferns and forest with 100m trees

Lighthouse at Gates of Hell entry to Macquarie Bay
(More on that another time)

Beautifully symmetric Russell Falls

Tasmania may have some issues with weather because it's so far south, but for wonderful sights and fascinating wildlife it takes quite a bit to beat. And we haven't even mentioned the superb pinot noirs, chardonnays, oysters, crayfish, artisanal cheeses...

Small Growing Steps

 Ovidia--every other Tuesday

I was playing around with my tarot cards and I'd like to share my first reading of the year with you.

My tarot reading for January: (from left to right)

Card of the Month: Act of Wands:

This signifies a fresh start, new ventures, a sense of wonder, potential and possibilities, originality and adventure.

(very accurate for this time of year!)

Since wands are about taking action, this is also about getting out and taking steps rather than just thinking and making plans, which I have a tendency to do.

I'll take this as a reminder to try new things, allow myself to get excited about rather than scared of the unfamiliar. 

It's also a time to look at what I'm carrying forward with me--are there things that would be better left behind?

Focus Card / What to pay attention to this month: Arcanum 13: Death

  This isn't a negative card at all--like the first card it signifies change, endings and new beginnings and the endless cycle. 

(again, very accurate for the here and now!)

Most of all this card is a reminder to accept and even embrace change. Unless I let myself let go of what I have outgrown, there won't be room in my life for new things.

It's also about accepting in inevitable and remembering that nothing (including my time here) lasts forever.

Possibilities Card/ What might arise: King of Wands

Power, Energy, Inspiration, Mastery and Authority.

This card points to vibrant vital energy and charisma. It points to learning from your mistakes and being willing to work towards mastery. 

The King of Wands is also about going out and doing what needs to be done, regardless of how you might feel about it.

The King of Wands suggests you may be able to succeed in managing the projects you undertake. But that wand in hid hand means this success will only come with action. Even if yout direction isn't clear at the start, gather all the knowledge you can, use your insight to identify possible and helpful actions and get on with it. 

The King of Wands is often seen as boldly confident. Sometimes it's hard to feel confident, but we can at least be confident about who we want to be, what we value and most of all we can be confident about our willingness to take the each step into this new year with grace and courage.

And I've got a follow up on a previous post--remember the almost dead plant I scavenged from the dumpster? 

Just look at her now! I think she's decided she's going to make it!

Happy 2023 and Happy January everyone!

 

 

Welcoming 2023!

 Annamaria on Monday

It’s 1/2/23 or 2/1/23, depending on what continent you are on!  

On Saturday night, like many others I think, I was grateful to 2022 for its beautiful moments, a few of which were outstandingly gorgeous!  But it also seems to have doled out more than a year’s fair share of hard developments, both personally, nationally, and internationally.  I was glad to say good-bye to all that!

Standing on my terrace in Florence on New Year’s Eve gives one a best possible viewing  of the festivities in the Piazza della Signoria, without the discomfort of the packed streets (to say nothing of the possible bacterial variants that we have all learned to abhor).

The show was entrancing: aerialists dancing on the façade, stunning projections turning the stone in to moving things… It looked like nothing short of magic.   

\

One of the aerialists seemed to be floating without apparent controls.

 At midnight, there was - of course- a countdown.

But then, the projections continued.

And there were fireworks and floodlights.  

For me, 2023 is off to a good start.  I hope it keeps that promise for all of us.

Auguri di Buon Anno!!

Hatsuhinode: The First Sunrise of the Year

 -- Susan, every other Sunday

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's rare that January 1 and my week here at MIE converge, so it seemed like the perfect time to share one of Japan's most important New Year traditions: hatsuhinode (初日の出)  the first sunrise of the year.

The first sunrise I ever saw from the top of Mt. Fuji

Seeing the sun rise can be a powerful experience at any time. The rising sun is a symbol of strength and power, but also hope and a new beginning.

Dawn from the summit of Mt. Fuji

The very name of Japan - 日本  - means "origin of the sun" - a fact reflected in the country's long standing nickname: land of the rising sun. That nickname dates to at least the seventh century, when the Emperor of Japan sent emissaries to China bearing a message from "the emperor of the land where the sun rises to the emperor of the land where the sun sets."

At that time, Japan was known as Wa or Yamato. The country's name was changed to Nihon (later romanized "Nippon" or "Japan") in the 8th century--a reflection of the Imperial nickname (and the fact that from the perspective of the Chinese empire--in the 7th century, one of the greatest powers in the world--the sun rose in the direction of Japan).

The moment the rising sun crests the crater rim of Fuji

The tradition of hatsuhinode goes back many centuries, too. In Japan, it's traditional--and considered very good luck--to rise before dawn on New Year's Day and watch the sun rise over the horizon.

Dawn in Kii-Katsuura, on the Kii Peninsula

The custom has its origins in Japan's indigenous Shintō faith, in which Toshigami (a New Year deity known for bringing good fortune) must be greeted, and honored, precisely at dawn on New Year's Day to ensure good fortune and blessings in the year to come.

Another Kii-Katsuura Dawn 

Many people in Japan try to combine hatsuhinode with another New Year tradition: hatsumode, the first Shintō shrine visit of the year. Visiting a shrine on New Year's Day is also deemed to bring good luck, good health, and happiness in the year to come - and many people also bring home a hamaya--a traditional wooden arrow that's supposed to protect the family from all kinds of harm and illness throughout the year.

Dawn on the Nakasendo

As you're reading this after dawn on New Year's Day--or possibly later--you've technically "missed" the first sunrise of 2023. No worries...I've got you covered...  

Sunrise on Japan's inland sea

As a hiker, I'm used to getting up before dawn to head to the trail. The pictures in this blog are some of my favorite Japanese sunrises, seen throughout the years.

Sunrise near Tokushima on the island of Shikoku

Although they're not the first sunrises of the year, it's the first time you've seen them--and for many of you, they also may be the first sunrises you've seen in 2023.

Which, technically speaking, makes them your first sunrise of the year.

Sunrise At Lake Shikotsu, Hokkaido

See what we did there?

In Japan, the most coveted hatsuhinode is one that involves Mt. Fuji--so I've saved the best for last. I took the photo below in late November, at Lake Kawaguchi (Kawaguchiko), precisely at dawn.

It may not be the first, but it's absolutely the most beautiful sunrise I saw all year. 

And now you've seen it too.

Mt. Fuji at Dawn, November 2022

Wishing each and every one of you a happy, healthy, prosperous, and blessed 2023.