https://newslit.org/ Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link). How to Debunk: 1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories. 2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information. 3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help. 4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers. 5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.
"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news. "Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive." "Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda." Sander van der Linden Social Psychologist University of Cambridge Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021
(I had before, during and after photos that I was hoping to share today, but no such luck.)
The Deck 5 Lounge has become activity central since we left South Georgia. It is near the stern of the ship and lower than the Deck 7 prime presentation room. The Deck 7 room is near the bow and subject to the biggest swing in ups and downs in rough seas. Deck 5 is where the Library is and where the Bar is also located. Now, presentations are also being made there as well. This brings up a story about an artificial plant, but I’ll save that tale for another day.
It is also where we have done wildlife (pelagic birds and whales) watching for fun and for citizen science. There is a covered area on the bow complete with heat lamps and deck furniture when the seas are calmer and the temperatures are warmer. Right now, all the deck furniture is strapped down.
Hannah made the wakeup call at 0300 this morning and, despite grey overcast skies and fog, a hail and hearty group of Umbraphiles gathered in the Deck 5 Lounge area proudly exhibiting there artfully made solar filter-based eclipse viewing creations. There were some cameras out as well. Those of us shutterbugs came modestly equipped to photograph whatever we could. Look below to see the best shots that I could get on this particular day. And, everyone that came to Deck 5 this morning had on their official Wilderness Travel Eclipse T-shirts.
Here was the Eclipse Schedule:
0316 Eclipse start
0403:42 Totality start
0495:17 Totally ends
O415 Eclipse ends.
So, just before the Eclipse started several people went outside to focus energy on parting the cloud cover. We turned to the starboard side of the ship. Joseph shared a real time image of what was happening somewhere over the rainbow and I snapped a few additional photos of the changing light conditions pointing in the direction that the Sun and Moon were putting on their show.
Alex was broadcasting from up on the bridge. Despite the fact that we were missing most of the show, Alex pointed out what was happening at certain phases of the Eclipse including Totality. A large group cheer went up when he announced this phase. This was the most dramatic visual event of the eclipse for us. It grew noticeably darker for the approximately 1:32 seconds that the Totality lasted. And as the Moon began to leave the Sun, as you might expect, more light returned to the Earth’s atmosphere and the fog filed skies began to brighten up again. Brighten for us meant a return to the low visibility, foggy conditions that were present at 0315:59. It was the visual highlight of the morning.
The announcement came that the deck was being closed, so we retreated inside from the reported 2 degree Celsius temperatures outside. The Seaventure then turned back to the South destined for the Antarctic Peninsula. For some reason, I didn’t feel like it was that cold. Maybe it was an adrenaline rush, but I thought it would feel much colder than it actually was. Some folks enjoyed an early morning beer, Corona, of course and a passing group of whales added to the festivities.
For us wannabe Umbraphiles, it could have been a big let down to not actually see all of the amazing features of the clear sky version of a full-on solar eclipse, But that simply didn’t happen today. This group of adventurous, well-travelled people took it in stride, enjoyed the camaraderie of each other and then went on with the day whether that be on to an earlier than usual breakfast or a return to bed.
Later this afternoon Alex will host a “How Was it For You?” event in, wherelse but the Deck 5 Lounge. This evening after dinner is scheduled an Eclipse Party. That figures to be a festive, musical, well lubricated event.
The ride has been bumpy at times, but as I look out at the sea and the relative smoothness of the ride, I marvel at the maritime skills of Captain Tino and his crew. They are doing a marvelous job of getting us to our designated destinations.
Cheers!
Bruce
Navigation at sea is amazing to me and especially at night in proximity to land.