On a drive back into Chicago tonight, I saw - and tried to photograph - a very strange visual phenomenon near the outskirts of town. I'll try and figure it out when I have more time. I thought it might be my glasses or car window at first, but after taking off the glasses and lowering the window it still looked just as weird. The crescent moon was hanging very low in the sky, and near it along the horizon, at ground level, was some kind of baleful yellow glow. It reminded me of a massive halogen lamp or something similar...a cross between a fallen star and a streetlamp. Both light sources, probably due to the moisture in the air, were displaying both vertical and horizontal shafts of light. The ground-level source looked for all the world like a huge jet engine, pluming exhaust straight up, and the moon's glow gave it the look of some kind of religious icon. I couldn't get a photo to turn out, so I drew it quickly when I got in the house. Here it is:

These are wonderful: a father apparently does these on his lunch break, for his kids to take to school the next day as lunch bags. Thanks to Scott Kurtz of PVP for letting people know about this great stuff.

Link: lunchbagart.tumblr.com/

First, read this Wired News article: Ravenous Clock Runs Backward, Scares Children.