Once again, Why Now? is pleased to present the link to the webcam of Gävlebocken, The biggest Christmas Goat in the world [now with a blog].

From Steve Bates of Yellow Something Something in the comments from 2006:

Why build a giant goat of straw,
Which most of us would scarcely note?
Some, though, defy the very law,
To vandalize the Gävle Goat.

In some years, they used wayward cars;
In others, flaming arrows smote.
This year’s survives, although with scars…
A fact that gets some people’s goat.

A webcam and some watchful eyes,
A flame-retardant second coat,
Should save it… unless Dubya spies
The thing, and claims it’s his pet goat!

- SB the YSS

Yes, it’s the time of year when the Sun dies and must be re-born through an elaborate ceremony that involves some form or type of sacrifice, such as finding gifts for people you can’t stand and smiling brightly as you receive yet another gift based on an urban legend that you actually like truly stomach-wrenching color combinations.

Of course there was a time when the Solstice sacrifices were more visceral and the evergreen was covered in things that pleased only ravens and such, but we have put all that behind us by opting for the possibility of electrocuting one another and causing chaos on the power grid.

What a brilliant idea: moving a large supply of pre-kindling soaked with highly flammable resins into your house, loading it down with petrochemical-based ornaments, lacing it with heat-producing electrical devices, and surrounding the base with cardboard boxes and tissue paper. You just can’t have a traditional celebration without a proto-bonfire in your living room.

I do think that followers of Mithras might want to curtail their typical birthday service in light of Mad-Cow Disease, but global warming will certainly make the services in the oak wood in traditional druidic robes more comfortable.

When you put up your stocking on the mantel and put out the turnips for Gouger, Rooter, Tusker, and Snouter as well as the pork pie and sherry for the Hogfather, you can rest assured the Sun will come up, because it just slipped around back to return the lager it rented.

Enjoy! You have nothing to fear, except that sniveling little creep with the camera/phone at the office party or the eggnog that was put out rather early causing you to suspect that the bits on top aren’t nutmeg. [The pictures probably won't appear on the 'Net and the brandy will surely take care of the salmonella.]

A Calendar of Coming Events

December 6^th

Feast of Saint Nicholas

December 11^th

First day of Hanukkah [begins at sundown which is the night of the 12^th on Jewish calenders]

December 13^th

Feast of St. Lucia

December 21^st

Winter Solstice [11:47AM Central Standard Time]
HogWatch

December 23^rd

Festivus

December 25^th

Christmas
Birth of Mithras

December 26^th

Boxing Day
Feast of Saint Stephan
First day of Kwanzaa

January 6^th

Feast of the Epiphany
Día de los Reyes

January 7^th

Orthodox Christmas

[When the Julian solar calendar replaced the old lunar calendar the Winter Solstice was December 25^th. When Pope Gregory corrected the calendar he only corrected it by 10 days and not the full two weeks it was out of synch with the sun, so the date of the Solstice is now the 21^st. Most Orthodox Churches continue to use the Julian calendar which is why their Christmas is on January 7^th.]

Oh, this is the explanation of NODWISH coined by Mercury X23

Position: 11.3 N 35.2 W [ 4 PM CDT 2100 UTC].
Movement: West [265°] near 16 mph [26 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 40 mph [65 kph].
Wind Gusts: 50 mph [80 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 30 miles [45 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1004 mb ↓.

It is 820 miles [1320 km] West-Southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. This was Tropical Depression Three this morning.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

Position: 14.4 N 50.0 W [ 4 PM CDT 2100 UTC].
Movement: West [270°] near 17 mph [28 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 40 mph [65 kph].
Wind Gusts: 50 mph [80 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 70 miles [110 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1005 mb ↓.

It is 805 miles [1300 km] East-Southeast of the Leeward Islands. A tropical storm watch has been issued for the Dutch Leeward Islands of St. Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

Position: 14.2 N 38.3 W [ 4 PM CDT 2100 UTC].
Movement: West [275°] near 8 mph [13 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 30 mph [50 kph].
Wind Gusts: 40 mph [65 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1008 mb ↑.

It is 930 miles [1500 km] West of the Cape Verde Islands. Dry air and wind shear are weakening the system.

This is the last advisory as the system has decayed into a remnant low pressure area.

Position: 14.0 N 36.3 W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West [260°] near 14 mph [22 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 35 mph [55 kph].
Wind Gusts: 45 mph [70 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1006 mb.

It is 800 miles [1285 km] West of the Cape Verde Islands.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select "Hurricanes" for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 14.8 N 31.5 W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West [275°] near 13 mph [20 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 35 mph [55 kph].
Wind Gusts: 40 mph [65 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1006 mb.

It is 475 miles [765 km] West of the Cape Verde Islands.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

This evening I will be upgrading the main site [Why Now?] to the latest version of WordPress, so everything could go away.

I have back-ups, but the only way you can be sure they are good is to use them.

Hopefully you won’t even notice, but I thought I’d mention it.

Position: 38.1 N 67.8 W. [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC]
Movement: East-Northeast [055°] near 16 mph [25 kph]
Maximum sustained winds: 35 mph [55 kph]
Wind Gusts: 45 mph [70 kph]
Minimum central pressure: 1006 mb

The Depression is in the Atlantic 255 miles [405 km] South-southeast of Providence, Rhode Island. If it becomes a Tropical Storm it will be named Ana. Coastal shipping and fish seem to be those threatened.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

It’s Groundhog Day and some of the militant marmots object to being disturbed.