DARE TO THINK

Say Goodbye To You Tube - REALLY

2012-01-19T18:06:00.004-05:00

It may already be too late. SOPA and PIPA are moving FAST through the House and Senate on their way to Congress, and if you've ever downloaded music, used Twitter, You Tube, ANY entertainment site, THIS AFFECTS YOU.

These bills will CENSOR the rights of advertisers who buy space on sites that are now free because of those adverts. Please READ these links, SIGN and click "SEND TO CONGRESS" and your outrage will be counted among the hundreds of thousands of artists, musicians and free people who are disgusted with this infringement on our rights - once again.

My website has blacked out in protest for 24 hours. We're following the lead of many many others. If you like the idea of government and private corporations deciding what you watch on the net, ignore this. Otherwise..:

WATCH and READ THIS SO YOU UNDERSTAND
http://vimeo.com/31100268

THEN SIGN THIS::::

http://www.fightforthefuture.org/pipa

If you don't become involved NOW you will lose your favorite entertainment sites, they will be under the control of the government and private corporations with separate interests other than YOU. Do you TRUST the government enough to run free and open communication between citizens????

Are you an ARTIST or MUSICIAN? Here's a special separate letter you can sign and instantly click to Congress:

http://www.fightforthefuture.org/pipa/artists

PLEASE get involved, DON'T STAY SILENT!!! It's the information age, it's more than important, it's VITAL to our FREEDOM of EXPRESSION.

'Tis The Season Whatever The Reason

2011-12-22T21:00:00.003-05:00

(repost of Dec 2009)
Well I can't keep pretending I don't notice the decorations on the traffic lights and the chubby Santas leering at me from every store window. Want to discuss a bit about the history of this season? Good!

A friend chastised me saying there'd be no Christmas without Christ. I beg to remind her of the thousands of years B.C. ("before Christ") man has celebrated the Winter Solstice, and in many a differing tradition. By any other name, a time of celebration and worship. But so many other celebrations take place this time of year, some became mixed up, mingled and now people become confused. Read on!

As families gather round the mummified tree with gifts asunder, merriment galore, sooner or later someone will whisper:

"Let's not forget what this day is really about!"

And with duly bowed heads, we meditate on the birth of a babe who, some believe, grew up and changed the world. He had alot of unusual ideas (like loving your worst nightmare of an enemy) Very evolved guy. Made alot of powerful folks angry. But it's also time for other celebrations mankind has kept through time - like Saturnalia. Or Mistlemas. Or Dies Natalis Invicti Solis (Birth of the Unconquered Sun). And others. All in keeping with our wondrous, beautiful pagan rituals of renewal.

Would you like more information about these holidays? Good!

We celebrate many things during this time of year. We have for millennia.

I'd like to offer that man has celebrated the Winter Solstice for ages unrecorded. Every country celebrates differently, and going back into history I'll just use one little example, the ancient Roman holiday of the Sun, "Saturnalia", also celebrated at this time. We still celebrate the Winter Solstice on the 22nd, the longest night of the year - the shortest day. With the sun at lowest, it's the turning point of the year. The Romans called it Dies Natalis Invicti Solis or "The Birthday of the Unconquered Sun." For many a modern year we've called it "The Birthday of the Son of God." Whatever his Aramaic name really was, I believe he existed, was a radical thinker and troublemaker for the high Rabbinical priests, was murdered, and we call him Jesus.

All the traditions of Roman midwinter's Saturnalia are still performed today, depending on your country: it's a huge festival of hearth and home. The Romans took to making merry, halls of their homes decked with the boughs of laurel and evergreen trees, oil lamps were kept burning (we light our candles, in some ages directly on the tree), all meant to ward off the spirits of darkness.

Schools were closed, the army rested, and no man was executed.

Friends visited each other, bringing gifts of good luck such as incense, fruits, candles, cakes.

In each Temple stood an evergreen, symbolizing the continuity of life, and all of this we continue to do. Did you know your Christmas tree has that meaning? Isn't this symbolism nice to know? And there are myriad other traditions for as many countries, but where amongst all this is the place set aside for Jesus, and why now?

In the 3rd century, many dates between December and April were celebrated by Christians as Mistlemas, now called Christmas (roughly translated as "blessed time") and meant to honor Christ's birth. The 6th of January was the most favored as it was thought to be the baptismal day of Our Lord.

It is still a widely held belief that indeed, it was not the Winter Solstice when Jesus came into the world but October, as Julius Caesar did add two months during harvest to the 10-month calendar. Either or. I think anyday is a good day to remember the birth of someone as decent and kind as Jesus (or whatever His true name was)

So, on with the history:

It was c. 350 a.d. that December 25th was adopted in Rome and gradually almost the entire Christian Church agreed to it. The Greek Orthodox Church still celebrates Christmas on January 6th, however. But the 25th coincided with the Winter Solstice, The Yule, and the Saturnalia. All the merriment of Saturnalia was adopted into the observance of the birth of Christ. The mixings are now becoming soup. The tree and the manger are coalescing.

By 1100 a.d. Christmas was the peak celebration of the year for all of Europe. Although it went through many changes, especially during Reformation, such as the banning of mistletoe for its pagan connotations (still held by today's Christian church) the mix held fast to this day - the combination of Saturnalia's merrymaking with the celebrations of the Winter Solstice, and the agreed-upon day of Christ's birth (with no historical basis and none really needed).

So Christmas is truly not really one or another, but a combination of many. Merriment, joy, and respectful honor. A most important time of the year.

In 1647 England, Parliament passed a law abolishing Christmas altogether, how bout that?! Even though Charles 2 revived it, the feasting and merrymaking were more worldly than religious. Bit of a dark time.

It's clear our Christmas traditions arose from what some would call "pagan" ceremonies but which we all still perform and take great joy in following. To be "pagan" is actually a very natural good thing. We "deck the halls" and set up a tree as in Saturnalia , having family gather, friends visit, exchange gifts, all the favors this greatly evolved time brings.

It's the Winter Solstice. A duly recognized time of year.

It's Saturnalia, the time to get a little nutty and just live to the fullest with those you love.

It's Dies Natalis Invictis Solis, birth of the Unconquered Sun.

It's Mistlemas, the time the Roman Catholic Church founded to honor the Son of God, recognized and honored as a Savior and King.

It's Christmas, the time to pause and savor our family and friends, exchange gifts, as in the Yule Tide Feast for children, so similar to Saturnalia.

By the by, this Savior and King, humble, loving, 100% human, 100% divine, was considered the anointed One, whose destiny was the foundation of the Christian faith. Why not celebrate anytime we want? you may ask. Why can't we chose another date? Well who knows what the next few centuries will bring. We change so much.

When you celebrate with joyous merrymaking your Saturnalia feast, or meditate on the mysteries of the Winter Solstice, or pay homage to the birth of the Unconquered Sun to keep man warm through the coming cold, or Yule Tide, to gather round a fire with family and exchange gifts, take a moment at the creche, the manger we all know so well, and pay your respects to what may have been the birth of a true King of all mankind, who can say with complete certainty this couldn't have happened?

If you don't believe it means anything, it can't hurt you I promise. Whether the concept of such a Man is within your ethic or not, the way I see it and in my humblest of opinions, God requires no one's belief in Him to exist.

SWEET SATURNALIA!

WARM WINTER SOLSTICE!

PRAISE TO THE UNCONQUERED SUN!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HAPPY MISTLEMAS!

CHERISHED YULE TIDE!

and just because it can't hurt,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

Thank you for taking in this history lesson, I think I covered it all!

Rain Cannot Hide Tears

2011-12-08T18:00:00.002-05:00

( Repost of 12/30/2008 )

How unusual, this odd fact - that even in storms of great rainfall, as you run to hurry home, face wet with rain, passbersby can tell with certainly that you've been crying. Is it the downcast red eyes? the quiet sobs?

How is it complete strangers can detect our most personal expression of both grief and joy? When a stranger cries, why is our first second of response a slight discomfort?

We humans are completely frustrating illogical animals with both generosity and greed living in the same soul, we have hearts that can be broken then go off to break another's. Life to us can hold value, worth and mystery, while at the same time we seek to find a way to "kill the day". Just ... killing time.

We enjoy our place of honor as the only animal with self-awareness; we know when looking in a mirror that it's not another person, it's ourselves. And we enjoy knowing that. What are we? The stuff of stars?
Deep quests for deeper posts . . . .

Time To Practice Smiling

2011-11-09T02:06:00.001-05:00

Frankly I never thought “Thanksgiving” as we celebrate it was a “good” holiday, considering what we’re reminded to be grateful for: why be grateful for the slaughter of so many hundreds of thousands of people by incoming Europeans who wanted the land and resources for themselves? Not to share but to steal. “Native Americans” are ancestors of those Mongolians, Russians and Chinese peoples who WALKED onto the North American Continent across the Bering Land Bridge (now under water) and honored the land they lived on, they cherished and cared for it. The animals they hunted for food and clothing were never wasted and always given thanks. So on our “thanks-giving” who are WE thanking, and for what? I’m sorry, this may anger some but I feel strongly that it’s morally wrong to celebrate the murderous time when “pilgrims” from Europe came to the newly discovered world (as if it were uninhabited) and forced the tribes further and further into small places, killing them along the way. Many defended themselves, their families, and mostly the land they had cared for so well. When they saw the ruinous way of farming the Europeans had, of re-planting the same crops year after year, these good natives tried to help, to teach, to pass on years of knowledge about the land and her bounty. No one cared, no one listened, no one was interested in anything but what they could get for THEIR families. They didn’t realize you didn’t have to despoil everything to survive. They didn’t follow the fine example of the many tribes already living all over the continent. So what is this holiday for?

A fake smile, a huge table groaning with more food than a community of homeless could eat, a gathering of family who most times haven’t seen each other since the last “holiday”, no doubt there will be alot of unspoken thoughts and resentments, but we smile on like idiots who just want peace. I think that’s what the native tribes wanted too? Just to live in peace and harmony with their surroundings. They were willing to share.

Did you know there is no word in most Native tribal languages for “landowner”? The concept of OWNING the Good Mother earth was completely alien, just inconceivable to them. How they must’ve been shocked and outraged at the European way of wasting everything.

I chose to celebrate nothing, but as on other days we remember fallen innocents, I’ll remember the thousands and thousands of men, women and children who died needlessly so the greed of others could be satisfied. I’ll remember with shame.

But I'll remember.

Why Can't We Find Traces or Fossil Remains of Non-Complex Life Even in Places It Should Be?

2011-10-27T15:40:00.000-04:00

Our species has reached far out into the nether-regions of this galaxy and so many others, but to stay in our own backyard for a moment, I have to wonder … we’ve sent satellites with intricate probes to map out tomography of planets and their moons, especially Saturn with my favorite, the Cassini-Heugens probe, which went to Titan – the most early earth-like moon of Saturn.

First look at Mars. ESA and NASA discovered proof that liquid water once flowed in canali or canals, combined with mineral compounds, carbon-hydrogen gases, and other life-building substances. Yet no fossil remains of bacterial pads or microscopic animals have been found. I expected our Martian probes Spirit and Opportunity to bring back some kind of fossil showing the simple, amoeba or paramecium-like remains in the calcified rock, but there were none.

Back to Titan. This great moon is surrounded by orange-tinted gas clouds, but we’ve discovered through Cassini-Heugens that the carbon-hydrogen gases in the atmosphere combined with the evidence of liquid methane rivers, would lead us to find those fossil remains of the non-complex life that must’ve existed, in micro form. Then again, if the ingredients, the amino acids, the building blocks for life exist somewhere suitable, it appears it’s not wise to make a lateral jump of conclusion that life must’ve evolved there.

Which is my point. Life seems incredibly rare, we can’t even find evidence of its being in places we should’ve found it. What does this mean, what does this say about life itself? Look how it evolved here – a complete accident of a combination of elements coming together: non-nucleated cells, electricity from continual lightening hitting young earth, liquid water brought by comets, hit at just the “right” angle, and you have a nucleus which replicates over and over becoming the complex life after a few hundred millions years, onto what we now see 4.6 billion years later. We KNOW simple one-celled creatures existed for millions of year before becoming more complex. We see them perfectly intact in the oceans and places they lived, now rock.

All these ingredients are present on places like Titan, also Enceledus, Europa, moons with the most suitable ground for proto-life to evolve. Yet it hasn’t, or at least, we can’t find evidence of its existence, ever.

Why is life so rare? Whether simple-celled or the complexity of bacteria, or the evolution of marine life to land creatures, follow it all back in time and you find the same situation existing on post proto-earth that now exists on these satellites of other planets.

I have to wonder … really. This is an area I love staying up to date on, and the one thing all our global work has shown us about life is, we can’t find evidence of it anywhere but here. Perhaps technology isn’t evolving fast enough? No, I think it’s something more. ESA and NASA are as thorough as mankind can be – we can certainly find fossils on earth yet we haven’t on Mars, where life is very much thought to have existed in bacterial form perhaps anywhere from hundred of thousands to millions of years ago.

Everything in this galaxy is approximately the same age as the sun, 4.6 billion years, having started from the birth of that sun. Is earth just so perfectly in place that evolution of life happened here by the vagaries of some fluke? Why here? It’s too neat, too fiercely assured.

Life is rare. That in itself is a serious statement.

Pakistan Is An American Target

2011-06-03T23:00:00.009-04:00

Disagree if you wish. You'll want to know more details about the Pakistani and American relationship.

The strategy towards Pakistan has changed, especially since the recent assassination of Usama bin Laden - this was also a true propaganda ploy aimed at targeting Pakistan, I believe. As for bin Laden, he's left to the criminal history he created.

To understand why American looks to this land, just examine the growing military and strategic ties between Pakistan and China - our primary global rival. It makes sense to me. We've written this land down for destabilization. It is likely to continue until full collapse.What is not mentioned in any discussion on this topic is the role of of the military and intelligence communities in making it all a reality. We'll see increasing military excursions into Pakistan and very direct action to fulfill our own future goals.

This is a Muslim nation. When will we keep out of sovereign countries who only want to work out their differences without "help" from two-faced Western alliances?

We don't belong there.

RETURN MY HUMANS!!

2011-05-28T01:44:00.004-04:00

OKAY who likes unexplained, unexpected, annoyingly unreasonable surprises? ME NEITHER! Yet I see the pictures of my "Very Special Humans" have all disappeared. Poof! Just....gone. Aliens? Devils? Perplexing indeed. Have a look, do you see even one?

Discounting that everyone didn't simply click off the page, I must assume blogspot is angry at me for my lengthy absence I've been favoring the ever-handy FACEBOOK. Yes, I have the bug....RETURN MY HUMANS o spot of blog! I'll give you until the world ends (again) on 12-21-12.

Actually, it may not matter will it LOL ... Many wacky folks were embarrassed and shocked this 5/22 when the world stayed put. Yet if they're right about 2012 we may not have an earth, no blogs, NO Book of Faces. Scary, eh?
Note to self.........I'm bouncing for joy..... THEM not you.....

September Brings A Sparkling Comet

2011-03-28T20:06:00.012-04:00

This tiny dot is Comet Elenin, on its way to earth's orbit and the sun. You may've heard that it's due to pass earth by September, making its way at supersonic speeds through space, and easy-to-spot-with binocs then later with naked eyes. It'll have an especially glowing tail - even though it's just dirty ice and gas emissions. If it sounds special, t'is. It has to do with the sun-comet-earth alignment.

It's only a blob right now, BELOW IS THE LATEST SHOT. Click on this LINK to see Elenin in its various stages, (and other beautiful comets) just scroll down almost to the bottom of the list and look for "C2010X1 (Elenin)" Look at them full-size! Great pictures of it changing. It's still more than 300 million miles from the sun, headed inbound - early in the game - the calculated orbit is certain to change in coming months but right now it appears that its perihelion (time closest to the sun) will happen well inside earth's orbit around September 5th.

You'll see it with the naked eye as its orbit changes while in our vicinity. However the best thing about Elenin is its gases and melting speckled ice (tail) because Sol, Elenin and Earth will be in alignment. We can expect a pretty decent show. Patience .....

Many More Earths To Visit

2011-02-03T15:17:00.007-05:00

So is this not wonderful news? A NEW STAR - KEPPLER!! In a galaxy very close to ours.

Yet that's not the best, we've discovered 1200 NEW PLANETS and 6 of them are IN ORBIT around Keppler. Meaning they are perhaps, earth-like.

Any star that "blinks" like Sol (ours) and Keppler, is doing that because "something" is circling it, in orbit around it, that's how they determine which planets are worth a closer look. Hope they keep looking! Imagine what kind of life might be hanging out on one of those six planets. Non-complex, like algae? Or....
Perhaps something more advanced.........

Conversation

2011-01-16T03:28:00.002-05:00

Between me (Cathy) and my brother (Chris)

First posted April 26, 2007 - some of you will remember this - just for laughs.

```````````````````````````````````````````````

Chris looked at me. "I just had a cup of that new de-caffinated stuff." he said.

"No", I retorted, "that's the condition of a cow who just gave birth. De-CALF-inated. See?"

Silence.

"What...?" Chris said. "And I suppose Russians get their milk from MosCOWS?! Cathy, you're nuts."

"Yeah", I concurred.

Chris started walking away.

"Awwww, don't be so cow-towed, Chris!" I yelled. He walked faster.

"So where ya going, huh? The mooo-vies?"

Now he kicked into a full run, stiffling giggles. I couldn't resist.

"Gee Chris, you're so mooo-dy." I shouted. "Come on, wait up! I can't mooo-ve as fast as you!"

Distinct sounds of laughter coming from Chris now. He started to slow down, finally stopping with his hands on his knees, head bent down, trying to catch his breath.

"You're an idiot, Cath," he managed.

"Yeah, I know."

Chris looked pensive. "Hey, write those down, and any more you can think of, I have a friend who loves stuff like that."

I thought about it. "Is he a COWboy?" I asked

Moans from Chris. "No, he's a park supervisor."

"Does he look for moose? You know, MOO-se?" I asked with the devil's own smirk.

Chris turned from me, cupping his mouth.

"You think your COWboy friend herds MOO-se? What do they call guys like that, Mooseboys?" Chris's eyes were starting to water.

"Why would anyone need to herd Moose anyway? Why not owls? Say! If an owl got hit with an awl, would it hurt more?" I pondered. "What about a trowel?" I mused. "Why do owls hoot and wolves howl, do you think?" I looked straight at Chris.

He couldn't speak, his speech center was choked off by laughter.

"Howling owls, imagine ...." I said slowly, rubbing my chin.

Last I saw Chris, he was sitting at the table, writing something down.

Martian Life Once Very Much Like Early Earth

2010-12-05T22:32:00.025-05:00

Are we the aliens we've been looking for?

When one looks to the history of Mars we see that long ago, liquid, standing water, plus flowing streams, did exist. We found many starling facts: Atmosphere - meaning climate! the planet warmed the more impacts it absorbed - which makes perfect sense. Those impacts were most likely what melted the surface and underground ice, and that warmth also helped cut valleys that rival the Grand Canyon. Impacts by the way, are significant for other reasons. A comet for instance, bringing water, as they did for Earth, asteroids and meteors containing minerals, ores, helped form the planet. Everything we have, we are, came from somewhere else. Out there.

Back to Mars, above, some offer that it didn't have enough time to develop those features we now see on the Marscape. Still, they also concede that solar output was only 75% of what it is today, billions of years later.

The Hubble photo you recognize of Mars on the left, and the infrared photo showing the places on Mars where mineral life contains water - over half.

By "early" Earth I refer to a chaotic time, still the time when life already took hold in the form of bacteria, which produce methane. An interesting side-fact is the bacteria we know today from fossil record required warm temperatures.

Methane can also occur during asteroid collisions - such as those endured by early Mars. And Earth.

This Hubble photo is of a methane cloud on Mars. Very odd, yes? Reminds me of bigfoot. Anyway...

The planet Mars once looked entirely different, very much like this. So when Mars was a living, thriving place, why did it look so much like today's Earth? The correlation between how similar our two planets are cannot be ignored. It begs the question:

Did life in this galaxy start on Mars?

Draw out that premise. Simple bacterial, methane gaseous water life becoming endangered on Mars because of, say, an environmental catastrophe like a meteor hit, throwing Martian soil rich in nutrients out into space. Eventually it would wander into the orbit of another celestial body - where would it land? The closest place: EARTH.

It would be one of two explanations for how life started here, billions of years ago. It also would've been non-complex life, as we know our own was.

Below is a Martian soil sample.

Soil samples retrieved from Mars show the presence of nutrients for plants to grow! This is exciting to me. Could the plants we see now on Earth have originated in Martian soil, as nutrients?

This image is considered evidence of early life on Mars, with its ancient craters from impacts bringing water and valleys cut into the Martian ground through warming as explained above.

Just let your mind examine the premise.
Haven't we always felt life was everywhere, it seemed to almost be the definition of life itself - something that thrives wherever it can, replicating itself over and over.

Dare to think: Could life on Earth have started from the remnants of another galaxy, or a dying planet? Like...Mars?

Picture these bacterial floating particles full of nutrients finding a purchase on Earth, larger by half than Mars, and starting the process of microbial into complex life. Why isn't this possible? Hasn't it ever bothered you that when people say "life" they always mean something complex and visible? Amino acids are the building blocks of life through their proteins, yet we can't see them.

Our Rover Mission to Mars has been delayed till February. Its robotic vehicles will take further soil samples which will surely contain fossil remains containing evidence of this early life.

Yes! FASSScinating.

Still Searching For "God"

2010-11-10T22:07:00.019-05:00

Remember THIS? Click to remind yourself about the "Large Hadron Collider". Back in 2008 at CERN scientists prepared to use it to smash particles together and get a look at the Universe less than a second after the "big bang". They were looking for the reason matter IS matter. They've been smashing these protons together almost 7 months now.
The particle that hides from us and could explain why we are what we are, is the Higgs boson, as you might remember from the post link, above. It was dubbed the "God particle" and I remember people fearing if we attempted to re-create our Universe, we'd open black holes and the known world would ... disappear? Explode? Go to hell? There were all kinds of theories a few years ago.

Our Universe is 14.5 billion years old.

You're now looking at the most remarkable picture ever taken. It is 14 billions years old, a blink of an eye after the Big Bang. Created by WMAP, which measures the radiant heat from the BB, it shows the universe as it looked then - no stars, no galaxies. This is the farthest reaches of the universe we can reach using any source of light. The bright areas are clumps of matter which will become stars and galaxies by the hundreds of billions. DID YOU CATCH THAT???

It's the oldest because it took 14 billion years to reach us, and the youngest because it is a snapshot of the newborn universe. Many believe there could even be OTHER universes, more than this one, that at the edge of space is another dimension of another space!

What limits our view is TIME not space - beyond this distance, light just hasn't had enough time to reach us yet.

THIS IS AMAZING. It shows areas where no galaxies exist - what's out there? The COBE Project used backround microwave radiation left from the "big bang" to map it. It is our baby picture!! If you haven't clicked the opening link, please let me remind you of why we're doing this: (the ho-hum part)

Take a glass of water - it's liquid. Freeze it, it's solid. Heat it up, it's a gas. It's all the same matter, but in different states. And if you took any material into a lab and tear off the electrons from the atoms, you have another state of matter called plasma, or dark matter/dark energy, and 98% of the Universe is made up of it. Here's WMAP's model of our known universe:
Physicists theorize that before the creation of space/time there was another form of matter entirely. In fact, there's a theory that TIME may have existed even before space, in another dimension. GOT THAT ONE???

The only way to obtain this "creation" matter is to melt the nucleus of an atom, releasing what's inside. If it can be created, scientists at LHC will have darn good information as to how this matter evolved into what is now a Universe. Not to mention you and me. (ok the ho-hum part is over)

Everything had to start somewhere, from something. We're still trying to find that "something". The reason matter IS matter: The Higgs particle. (If you need a refresher about the Higgs-boson, click the link at the start of this thing - it's called the "God particle" because even scientists realize all this started from an unknown)

You know how the universe is expanding, and that excites people? It shouldn't, the expansion is actually the BIG BANG still throwing out particles from what existed before all this did - the farther away from our galaxy. the farther they move. We know that before the "big bang" something existed that was extremely small yet incredibly dense, and when it exploded, it created the cosmos we know today. Yes, even after 14.5 billion years, it's still expanding outward from whatever it was, WHERE ever it was. And it could be only one universe of so so many more. Billions of trillions of universi. WHAT IS OUT THERE?? Since it's so distant from our own universe, this might be a very empty area of space/time. So far, so empty....

Back to work at the LHC - what scientists are doing is, instead of protons they're smashing lead ions together, in an experiment dubbed "ALICE". These tiny fireballs will exist for less than a millionth of a trillionth of a second - and generate temperatures of over ten million degrees - that's a million times hotter than the center of our star, "Sol" - the sun.

The search continues.........but hey - we got pictures!!
================================================
Some details courtesy of Brian Cox, Physics World, NASA, CERN updates

Tonight a Harvest Moon

2010-10-23T02:02:00.005-04:00

How much do you want to see this, I mean no matter how much pollution if the sun is shining, the moon can be seen and at this time it's a wondrous Harvest Moon. So much has happened this month, especially with Jupiter, still happening and yet to happen. I'm hopeful about our full moon, the aptly named "harvest moon" and what it'll bring to the eye. It will "tug" at your body, you can feel the changes - have you felt oddly depressed or moody or at least kind of introspective lately? Yeah, it's her it's Luna.

Some feel out of step or "in the wrong body" you can try this to see if you're being affected:

Simply walk on a hard surface and try to concentrate on your body's central gravitational core. Just walk slowly in your most "balanced" and customary state. If your central core feels slightly higher or lower, you're one of those millions who are very effected by the moon's phases. (It's Luna's phases, not her brilliance, which cause these oddities). Cancerians are ruled by the moon and experience great physical changes.

The Harvest Moon is was so named to give people more time to bring in the harvest, more light. And there's a few odd things that happen. For instance, the higher fertility rate amongst all life during this time has a basis in science. The photic or light signals sent by the retina and lens of the eye are converted into hormonal signals by the pineal gland. This gland signals the onset of puberty in humans and plays a large part in the fertility rhythms of all species. In other animals (which reproduce seasonally) it is the changing light patterns which trigger the fertility cycle.

Of course the human animal reproduces monthly, and the one natural light source which has a monthly periodic table is, of course, the moon. (An interesting note for the ladies: The menstrual cycle is actually a shedding process as you know. Just as the average cycle is 28 days in length, the human body sheds a layer of skin approximately every 28 days. We're connected to the moon. Fascinating!)

These pictures above are actual shots of the Harvest Moon.

~~~~~ and ~~~~~~~

The ORIONIDS METEOR SHOWER WE JUST HAD:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTNOmMJHqbM

And just because it's stunning, watch this meteor fall to earth from 2006, it reminds me how complex life is. THAT is part of ME which is part of YOU and we're part of EVERYTHING.
WE ARE THE STUFF OF STARS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mbA606ZRWI&feature=related

Most Curious .....

2010-09-27T20:32:00.004-04:00

Why hello. This has nothing to do with froggies. Have you noticed a drop-off in blogger-use since Facebook slammed into the e-universe? I certainly have, and damn I truly feel guilty for not blog-surfing my friends posts just to stay a part of their lives, keep the circle unbroken as a poet once said. Shamelessly uninterested in my usual habits, please excuse me while I find the right motivation.

A galactic alignment might be nice ....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2010-09-11T21:48:00.002-04:00

TO THE OVER 10,000 HUMANS BORN 9-11-01, CONGRATULATIONS. LIVE FULLY AND WITH LOVE, DON'T BE AFRAID OF DOING WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. WE'VE BEEN FEARFUL TOO LONG. BLESSINGS .....

The Perseids of August - Meteors!!

2010-08-08T12:39:00.009-04:00

Surely you remember our pals the Perseids, a meteor shower which comes this time every August.

What can we expect in a few days? The promise of wishing upon that falling "star" and knowing our dreams are heard - somewhere in the vastness of space/time. Yes I'm a romantic.

Here's a few seconds of an actual Perseid shower.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XTBrYWrey0

Peak viewing is from the 11th-12th to the 14th, under a moonless night sky would've been best (new moon on the 10th, full moon on the 24th). They'll appear to be coming directly toward you. It would help if you're not in a city. Pick the darkest space around you and just observe - you should have no trouble seeing a great light shooting across the sky at least every 20 minutes, with stragglers continually. Take pictures!!

Baby Stars Found in Center of Our Galaxy

2010-08-01T12:59:00.016-04:00

Look at this infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope of an area in our Milky Way Galaxy. In the center you'll see 3 bustling little baby stars - the first to be discovered in this region - because all previous attempts met with too much dust at the core. Spitzer caught it because it uses sharp infrared eyes which can cut through dust like butter.

The center of our Galaxy is hectic - packed with starstuff, gas, dust - and we've always wondered how complex stars formed in such places. So we've known stars - like our star "Sol" - are born in such a nebula, but never able to see them actually forming - UNTIL NOW.
Eyes in space will be watching for a good while.More beauty: Two nebulae and a giant flare on Sol, the star keeping us in its orbit.

Glaciers Doing What All Life Does - Change

2010-07-14T13:47:00.014-04:00

Researchers funded by NASA have been monitoring what you may've heard things about - Greenland's J-Isbrae glacier, and their latest report tells us a 7-square kilometer (that's 2.7 miles!) section has been broken to pieces as seen in above images.

We've been monitoring changes in the arctic glacial sheets for some time, and while this new one isn't unusual, the amount of ice lost is roughly 1/8th the size of Manhattan. Gives you a different outlook.

What makes this noteworthy is because it occurs on the heels of a warm winter which saw no ice forming. Also, it lends credence to the theory that the warming of the oceans is responsible for ice-loss. This is not unnatural for the planet as it's happened long before life got a foothold here. Heating and cooling, over and over. Complex life was billions of years in the future. But it exists now, so consider: When sheet ice from snow, or fresh water, mixes with salted sea water, ocean fish exposed to this mixture swell up and die.
Yet it's actually a good/bad condition. Some marine life will benefit for awhile from the thick pad of phytoplankton (food for whales among others) and animals from all over the globe feast on the salad bar. Yet it's out of natural order, which has handled the cycles of life and death in its perfect geological time for eons. Our marine life will be the first to be effected by the dangers of this imbalance in life and its food. Watching the seas is a wise predictor of what lies ahead for earth.

Life also exists because predators do. They exist because of prey, keeping herds healthy, numbers in balance. No life should have to starve because there's too many of them and not enough natural predation. Worse, when there is more life because of an over-abundance of a food source, a harmonious balance is disturbed. It will, of course, affect humans, for a very long time.

Somebody Bless America Damn It!!

2010-07-03T21:50:00.008-04:00

The next time I find myself whining and whimpering about all the crapola that's wrong with this country, purposefully spelling it Amerika and poking jive remarks about immigration and who should be speaking English if they live here, and on and on...when that happens again, and it will, I'm going to kick myself. And that's not easy. But here's why:

Whether the 4th of July is the birth of Columbia as this land was first named, whether it's been stripped and straddled and broken and bruised, whether people come here for a free lunch or not, THIS IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE THE LAND OF MY BIRTH AND THAT'S GOT TO MEAN SOMETHING.

Every God Bless America, Land of the Potential in us All.

What Are You Watching?

2010-06-05T18:08:00.010-04:00

All my life I've seen and experienced the big guy cheating the little guy, the bully crushing the weak, the rich getting richer off the poor. I've been that little weak poor guy many times, and found out one thing: If I don't try to change it, why should you?
To complain about "them" and what "they" do feels right, but isn't enough. Once, when I had youth and immortality, I acted. I put my body on the line, with many others of the Days of Rage, and so-called Peace and Love. Peace never came and love lasted a hot five minutes. Who the hell are we fooling anyway?

The only action that made a difference happened during the Days of Rage and unless you were willing to get arrested and beaten, nothing much happened - day after day. I don't see any changes on the horizon do you? But that's no reason to just lay down and watch TV.

Just take a second glance at my friends here and if all you can do is register your name, you've done more than you did yesterday. Thank you for caring about humanity.

The Flowers of St. Claire

2010-05-31T20:03:00.007-04:00

"I am sorry Captain, but we sisters of the Convent of Sainte Claire do not recognize your authority - only that of God. I must ask that you take your soldiers and leave us in peace."

Even as she spoke, Sister Eva was shuddering in fear as she spoke into the ice blue eyes of the Nazi enemy.

"My men and I will take this place of refuge and use it against the Americans, who are but an hour away. This will be our ambush! Gather everyone and meet in the back gardens, so I can speak to your Sisters. We will find a place you can go, but you cannot stay here. My orders are final!"

This Captain did not rise in the ranks of his fascist party just to listen to some French nun.

As the frightened Sisters rushed into the garden, holding each others hands in fear, Sister Eva begged them to be brave.

"God will protect us. Pray, pray silently."

The Nazi Captain shouted for six of his men to follow him to the gardens. As they arrived, they stood in formation, silently awaiting orders.

Then he spoke: "You have all been found guilty of conspiracy against the leader of the Nazi party, our Fuhrer Adolph Hitler. The punishment for this is death."

When the guns were finally still, small bodies in white linen cloth were covered in blood, like the flowers that lay beneath them. The soldiers turned and without thought, continued about the further business of war.

These too, were soldiers.

NOBILITY OF SACRIFICE

2010-05-29T15:32:00.006-04:00

What matters more than personal sacrifice? And what should matter least of all is whether or not a war is "good or evil" - ALL war is unjust and unworthy of claiming young, vibrant, noble lives. This has naught to do with patriotism or heroics. Few soldiers rush into battle thinking how wondrous to be a hero, then charge into the fire. No, this is about sacrifice. AND WE REMEMBER.

"Prayer Before Being Born"

2010-05-21T19:52:00.005-04:00

I am not yet born; I beg you pause to hear me.
Let not the greedy or guilty come near me.

I am not yet born; I beg you, console me.
I fear the human race may build high walls
to hold me - or keep me out,
and with lying calls
lure me to danger about.

I am not yet born; I ask of you
a white light in my mind
to guide me.
with water and flowers each day
provide me.

I am not yet born; look close and forgive me.
Forgive me for the sins that in me, the world will commit.
Forgive my words when they speak me,
my thoughts when they think me,
my life when they live me,
my death when they kill
using my hands
in unholy lands
to keep hearts still.

I am not yet born; I beg you, teach me.
Teach me in the ways of the parts I must play
when old men scold me
in the hour of the day
when mountains will turn from me
and all lovers spurn me,
when the sea foam seeks to churn me
conspiring to drown and
disown me.

I am not yet born; watch for me
when ugliness would steal me
from anything as grand as my gift to a beggar
who refuses it from my hand.
when the desert calls me to doom
too soon, and I stand
with my own children.
Help and rehearse me,
as they ready themselves to now curse me.

I am not yet born; I beg you, hear me.
Let not the beast who thinks himself God
come near me.

I am not yet born; O fill me
with strength against those
who would freeze my humanity
rage against my sanity,
making me a mere face, a thing,
and like water in a hand,
spill me.

Otherwise - kill me.
******************************************************

This is a fetus speaking to the disconnected living. It's a very deeply philosophical poem, and I used the basic framework idea after reading a poem by Louis MacNeice. I kept his ideation of the unprotected life which knows it will soon enter fierce, strange, harsh, gray violently miraculous waters of life, and we who are still asking WHAT IS IT? If people could define it, they'd understand when it starts, an unborn human would be considered true life, untouchable and sacrosanct if only because it exists. Anything, to my mind, which acts alive, IS. A cell that makes its first division, is living. It acts and moves on its own genetic instructions. And when life is removed, it's our biggest crime against ourselves, in my humble opinion. Many might counter with tales of how some babies would enter the world - products of rape or incest, disease, true horrors. I would only ask one thing:

How does that make them any less a life?

Thank you in advance for your honest personal views.

The Secret is EARTH

2010-05-14T15:09:00.004-04:00

The answer is there, if you know where to look. It's under your feet. Turn up the volume!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_urxI9L5Ak

Ólafur Arnalds - 3055 Official Music Video

2010-05-08T05:48:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6u5D-5LWSg This must be the sound track to the best part of being human. Listen to it all and you'll see.

Pushy Parasites and Suicidal Bugs

2010-05-02T18:39:00.006-04:00

I was searching for something on Mother's Day, which made me think of roses which brought thoughts of bugs which dared me to ponder unusual facts about parasites which inject themselves into said creatures. Ready?

A grasshopper infected with the parasite hairworm (spinochondodes telinii) will seek out water and toss itself in, a clear suicidal behavior. This action insures the hairworm will reproduce. Spooky.

Rodents infected with toxiplasma gondi exhibit strange behaviors. They lose their instinctual aversion to cats. This is beneficial to the parasite because it sexually reproduces in cats that have eaten infected mice or rats. Then the cats spread toxi through their droppings. But wait:

People infected with toxiplasma gondi act a little nutty too. If you're infected with this parasite through cat droppings, you're likely to act neurotic and uncertain. They've even studied the correlation between countries with a high rate of toxi infections and mental illness. Holy moses, they need to study my relatives!

Some crustaceans, once infected by tremotodes, will shy away from light, another suicidal or evasive behavior, as it makes them crawl around in the open looking for shade, hence more likely to be eaten by birds - who in turn, are now infected with the trematode parasite. Pretty sneaky.

Ah - plasmodium! The cause of malaria, affecting both mosquitoes and animals. Once infected, a mosquito is more likely to bite more than once in a night, spending far more time drinking blood. In turn, if a human is infected with plasmodium he becomes more attractive to mosquitoes, thus continuing the life cycle of the parasite. Astonishingly brilliant.

Of course, all this makes fertile ground for science fiction, with parasites invading the brain and taking control of the human. Ewww!

The truth is, retroviral infection from parasites and microbes have had quite an effect on human evolution. Over millions of years, they have been incorporated into our genomes. It is estimated by biologists and other high-thinking persons that as much as a third of our genome consists of bits and pieces of old retroviruses - remnants of ancient virual infections.

So what the heck are you talking about, Cathy?

Fair enough. It basically means that these very old microbes, with us for quite awhile, may be part of the reason humans evolved their intellect quicker and on the scale we have. These living viruses cannot leave the host cell and infect other cells, so you'd think it would die when the host does. But by evolving mutations in their own genetic code, now get this - it can use the host cell - US - to make copies of itself including a protective protein which allows it to leave the cell and go infect other cells. To travel! Parasitic life forms have evolved with us, and made us...smarter?

It's something to dare think about.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Note: I have not posted any pictures to help keep you from losing your lunch.

Calling ALL Humans

2010-04-22T07:34:00.006-04:00

Celebrate our 40th Earth Day on this, our only home. Love EARTH!!! Love love love love.

Ancient Galactic Black Holes

2010-03-22T11:57:00.013-04:00

You're no doubt aware of how powerful the Spitzer Space Scope is. NASA can take alot of credit here. Astronomers have discovered what seem to be the earliest, most supermassive black holes known to mankind. Whew....

What they've basically found - and what it means to understanding our own origins - are ancient quasars born in a dust-free universe - the earliest stages of evolution. (A quasar is what you get when matter interacts with massive black holes. It gives off radiation and more light than any star) The universe didn't have any dust at its inception which tells astronomers that quasars from that time should also be dust-free. But no one has seen one - UNTIL NOW! Spitzer has identified two, the smallest on record, about 13 billion light years from earth. O yea. Here's a quasar over 3 billion light years from earth; isn't it beautiful?
Below is an image caught of a supermassive massive black hole as it eclipses in its galaxy NGC1365 (NGC=New Galactic Cataloge)So think about it: these supermassive black holes existed around the time the early universe did not yet have the ability to form dust, about a billion years post Big Bang. The picture below is of a system containing two quasars about 4.6 billion years away. Now that's pretty amazing since the scientific age of earth is 4.6 billion years old. You're looking at something just as it appeared when earth was still forming out of colliding asteroids, comets, etc.
We're gazing back at the beginnings of time and space - nothing less.
*************************************************
Now for your jaw-dropping viewing pleasure, this is the image taken by Hubble of "The Veiled Black Hole". The left is the x-ray image and the right shows the galaxy it is interacting with. That's right - black holes are not black.

Re-tickling Your Brain

2010-03-13T00:39:00.006-05:00

Yes I realize I've put this to you before, but humor me. I dare you to furrow your brow and really think about your answer:

``````````````````````````````````````````````

l. STATEMENT #2 BELOW IS FALSE.

2. STATEMENT #1 ABOVE IS TRUE.

WHICH STATEMENT IS TRUE?

``````````````````````````````````````````````

If you've thought awhile, by now you're in a quandary. I'll make up an example of what the statement is asking:

`````````````````````````````````````````````

JACK CANNOT LIE. JACK SAYS JILL IS A HOOKER.

JILL CANNOT TELL THE TRUTH. JILL AGREES WITH JACK.

SO IS JILL A HOOKER?

`````````````````````````````````````````````

Like, something that can only tell the truth says "You are red". And something that can only lie says "I agree" then is the 2nd something red? Remember, it lies.

Hope I've tickled your brain a bit. Have a good think! Not everything is either true or false is it lol. In fact here's a little science (ho hum but what the heck it's cool): What you're doing when using your brain to work out these statements, is exercising it the best way possible - not by repetitive acts but by giving the brain something NEW to use. You know how people say "I do a crossword puzzle everyday to keep my brain sharp!"? Well they're actually stagnating that brain, this organ which can literally contemplate itself, this incredible mass of tissue which only learns by getting new input, new stimuli. It already KNOWS how to do a crossword, that person is just wasting time and getting old doing it. If you want to keep your thinking ability sharp and in tune, do things you've never done before - like finding if there's a reality behind these statements and if so, what. I'm having a great time reading your answers! Clever. =========================

A Memory of Paradize

2010-03-12T21:20:00.018-05:00

I've been so sick,
So really wretched - but I'm finally able to sit up at this machine and talk to you, my long-neglected Constant Reader.

Back a few weeks ago, 2 of my insanely sweet sisters and I went to the Dominican Republic for a week. It couldn't have been more memorable right from the get-go. We'd never been anywhere before, just us 3, and our other sibs placed bets on who would be the first to get arrested for sibling-cide. Surprise surprise, we had a hellova time!

Probably because of my cane, security put me in a wheelchair and with the sibs in tow, wheeled us to the front of every line we encountered. They swore from now on they'd take me everywhere they go to bypass those intolerable lines. I concur.What amazed me first was how no one talked about Haiti, the human suffering going on only miles across our border. It's understandable for the tourist industry but even the sunbathing tourists wouldn't mention the "H" word, it was so surreal. Almost as if talking about it would mean we might have to actually HELP those people anyway we could - like using gift money to put in a fund or something - but lo and alas, there WASN'T any such thing.
In the meantime, I was swept away by the unnameable shade of turquoise the Caribe was, and the sky which changed by the hour. Many English-speaking folks, alot of Canadians, some Germans, but mostly pampered Americans. Friendly, but had a kind of "I'm entitled" attitude. It was ok though. Everyone was open and easy to engage.You might remember my old "Thelma and Louise" post a few years back where I had my first experience walking on sand with this nutty neuropathy. So I was expecting to fall softly which was actually fun, but it was the Caribbean Sea that put me in paradise. For the first time in over 15 years I wasn't aware of my legs, no pain, no weight, no fear of falling, no nothing - the lack of gravity took all that away and with the help of a sister I just floated on my back with no sensation of that damn left leg. It's so difficult to explain unless you've felt it, but suffice to say I ascended to heaven escorted by angels.

We bought our requisite postcards but when we got to the door for stamps they wanted $3 each, so we mailed them from home LOL kinda takes the thrill out of getting a postcard but what the heck I wasn't going for that little rip-off.And I noticed alot of them, but it was easy to find bargains if you looked. Most of the place was set-up to pamper and please, which they did - I sometimes wondered how the "help" really felt about tourists though they seemed very genuine and happy to just have a job. We went deluxe all the way - why not, this kind of thing doesn't happen often, in fact NEVER till now.
I never flew before (except when 3 and don't remember it) and never been out of the country (except when 14 to Canada and definitely don't remember that lol) so there were alot of firsts.
I'm planning our next excursion before we get too old. Maybe the mountains? I already have my "walking stick" LOL.
Note: These stock photos are very close to the real thing, my sister is uploading all the pix, she took close to 700 - and the other sister's camera broke the first day lol o unpredictable life!

A True Perspective

2010-02-13T18:14:00.004-05:00

Watch this then tell me how you feel about being alive...turn up volume please :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U

Spirit to Remain on Mars

2010-01-26T22:32:00.007-05:00

No doubt you recall NASA's "Spirit" and "Opportunity" rovers launched to Mars 6 years ago. And you may recall that hardy little Spirit recently got caught in a sand trap, where it remains after several months of trying to free it.

The information we've received about the red planet is unlike anything we've ever discovered. Now NASA must decide what Spirit is capable of, sitting in the sand.
A wonderful decision: Spirit will become a permanent stationary platform and continue conducting new scientific experiments. But this only if it survives the Martian winter.

A hardy 'good luck' to the "Spirit" of our Martian exploration!

My Life in 5 Easy Chapters

2010-01-12T15:16:00.012-05:00

1.) I walk down the street.
There's a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost...I am helpless.
it isn't my fault.
It takes a long time to find a way out.

2.) I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend not to see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place.
but it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

3.) I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in...it's a habit.

my eyes are open
I know where I am.

It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

4.) I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I walk around it, and....

5.) I walk down a different street.

Blue Over The Moon

2009-12-31T19:17:00.009-05:00

This is a special New Year's, we have a blue moon - which I can't see at all - because of time zones only the Western hemisphere will see it - but it's just fantastic knowing it's up there. It's not truly blue of course, but at times appears to be as a result of the bluish halo caused by ice particles high up in earth's atmosphere. After Krakatoa erupted in 1883 it stayed a deep blue for months - smoke and dust can tint objects in the sky. Who cares, we're addicted to the idea!You probably remember the reason: if a month has two full moons, the second is considered a blue moon. It happens pretty rarely, once in a blue moon you might say (o geez) but actually, it comes out to about 41 months in each century. Not that often, so very special - and when we have one seeing in a new year like this, it all ties in nicely with predictions of every kind. Here's some interesting facts:

Our concept of the blue moon began with a mistake in a magazine article. Of all publications, Sky & Telescope in 1946 published a story that described it as the second of two full moons in one month - they based their decision on the 1937 Maine Farmers Almanac but misinterpreted its meaning. Instead of being counted as an extra full moon in a month, it was counted as an extra one in a season! It was finally corrected when someone noticed the gaffe in "Trivial Pursuit" now who'd have guessed?The phrase "blue moon" however, is much older than this astronomical definition and originally had nothing to do with the rarity of two full moons in a month. 400 years ago, a blue moon meant something absurd and clearly untrue, and the average 16th century human would argue "Never in a blue moon" if he thought something was impossible.

Another famous superstition is that it's the only time a woman can ask a man for his hand in marriage. How sweet! Give the guys a break now and then.

About, say - once in a blue moon?

'Tis The Season Whatever The Reason

2009-12-06T22:17:00.011-05:00

Well I can't keep pretending I don't notice the decorations on the traffic lights and the chubby Santas leering at me from every store window. Want to discuss a bit about the history of this season? Good!

As families gather round the mummified tree with gifts asunder, merriment galore, sooner or later someone will whisper:

"Let's not forget what this day is really about!"

Would you like more information about these holidays? Good!

We celebrate many things during this time of year. We have for millennia.

Schools were closed, the army rested, and no man was executed.

Friends visited each other, bringing gifts of good luck such as incense, fruits, candles, cakes.

So, on with the history:

So Christmas is truly not really one or another, but a combination of many. Merriment, joy, and respectful honor. A most important time of the year.

It's the Winter Solstice. A duly recognized time of year.

It's Saturnalia, the time to get a little nutty and just live to the fullest with those you love.

It's Dies Natalis Invictis Solis, birth of the Unconquered Sun.

It's Mistlemas, the time the Roman Catholic Church founded to honor the Son of God, recognized and honored as a Savior and King.

It's Christmas, the time to pause and savor our family and friends, exchange gifts, as in the Yule Tide Feast for children, so similar to Saturnalia.

SWEET SATURNALIA!

WARM WINTER SOLSTICE!

PRAISE TO THE UNCONQUERED SUN!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HAPPY MISTLEMAS!

CHERISHED YULE TIDE!

and just because it can't hurt,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

Thank you for taking in this history lesson, I think I covered it all!

The Milky Way Mentality (And Other Human Oddities)

2009-11-29T16:21:00.003-05:00

These human traits first came to me years ago having nothing to do with Milky Ways, but that seemed the best analogy. Goes something like this: If one Milky Way is good, then two must be better which makes three best and that's why I'm going to eat four.

Small Example: Two ladies shopping for hubby's new fancy handkerchief.

"Oh look Mildred, this one's nice. I'll get one."

"Yes, I agree Fran. But get two."

"Two?"

"Oh yes, Fran, one for show, one for blow."

Fran looks pensive. "Well..."

"You know what, Fran?" chirps Mildred. "Just get three. One for show, one for blow and one for you-never-know. Best be sure!"

The Milky Way Mentality means: If a little is good, a bit more must be better and the whole lot must be best.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There's another one, The Trump in a Teapot. Very common. A guy has exactly what he needs - not alot, not a little, just what he needs to live. Pay rent, food. His "oldish" clothes still look just fine and he has friends he can trust. Wants for nothing more.

Then he wins a million bucks. First thing he does is look for a way to MAKE MORE!! He's got more but somehow feels he now needs to increase it, now that he HAS more. Yeah! More than more! He can't even imagine spending a million bucks so he surrounds himself with "people who know" what? Why? Yet the human impulse says, "Make it work for you, invest, diversify, expand, etc."

The Trump in a Teapot means: You may think you're happy with "just enough" but what you really want is more more more.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's another: Porcupine Promises. At some time you find a need to elicit a favor from a friend, let's say a promise to help you move in two weeks time. "No problem!" you get. Two weeks go by, you call your friend. He starts:

"Oh no, you mean to DAY??"

"Well, I did say in two weeks, and its...."

"You meant this COMING two weeks?? Oh no I thought you meant, well I didn't think you meant two weeks from that exact DAY now, I mean...O dear..."

"I was counting on you, pal."

"Yes, but something sticky has come up, very prickly situation here, I misunderstood what you meant, oh this is really a mess, I have so much to DO!" (Here comes the transfer of guilt): "What am I going to do NOW?? O no, this is awful...." making you feel somehow it's your fault.

The Procupine Promise means: Always made with "barbs" attached, surely meant well at the time, but get too close and they start shooting darts..

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's a good one: The Narcissistic Navigator. This is the guy who steers his life-ship through those rough seas we all do, meeting other "sailors" in this great and glorious adventure we're on, but whose basic philosophy is: If I don't agree with it, it can't be right. Smug sob.

This one is crafty, they disguise their words in platitudes of "That's a good point" or "Oh yes, I can see how that could happen" or "maybe so, maybe so..." but inside, silently, and with unattractive smugness, they are convinced the only answers that count are the ones they've arrived at, however the method.

The Narcissistic Navigator means: He will never learn anything of import in life, as he believes he already knows it all. And should he pick up a bit of sound wisdom, he can't digest it because he's too full of himself.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now we have The "I Paid For It Anyway" Shoplifter. I'm shamefully familiar with this thinking. This is an adult who'll polish off a bag of candy while shopping, or pop in a few grapes (which ends up being a dozen) or eat something from a package already opened, etc. When they look at the bill they feel perfectly justified having that can of salmon in each pocket (or a few Milky Ways) Anyway it's pretty much the same mode of thought: I really paid for this over and over with these high prices, so I don't feel bad.

The "I Paid For It Anyway" Shoplifter means: It's a feeling of entitlement, since we all pay now for things that used to cost half as much. We're told we're making more, it should even out. "Trickle down" theory was a deceitful sham we all fell for. This type makes it seem fair.

Aren't we humans wonderful? We find ways to deal with life's incongruities, judgments, unfair tactics, and all the general everyday mess we're forced to confront. It's heartening to see how diverse our choices are in dealing with this, the Great Experiment of Life!

Repost of 9-18-07

"Her Lover Is Dead"

2009-11-29T15:03:00.008-05:00

TWO LOVERS. A man and a woman.

He loves her but it's not enough, he is just too sad.

He takes a gun and shoots himself as she lies sleeping.

This leaves her to deal with feelings of guilt and emptiness.

She is crushed - is it my fault? What made him so sad?

Wasn't I enough for him?

IT BECOMES POETRY

"Gonna put my tender

heart in a blender..."

Now she's broken,

he can't mend her.

Comes too soon

and gone too fast ...

sounds like tomorrow

cannot last.

Look to shadows

in the corner,

what's that shape?

another mourner.

At the grave

a plea to save

what's come undone

with one small gun.

He took a chance

and took a shot

and now she's lost

what he forgot.

Her love, his life,

his hand did take

is it her fault?

was she awake?

Why such a sadness

in his heart?

And now she cries

she's torn apart.

Comes the grief

in disbelief

that he would leave

with no reprieve

for her.....

by Cathy S. Rapicano

Repost of 3/27/08 (not based on personal experience)

Fear Not, Turkey Lovers

2009-11-23T02:04:00.005-05:00

Why do we love Thanksgiving so much? Why do we gather to mend fences, hug family and friends, everyone smiling and dancing like we just met?
TRYPTOPHAN!!

Truth: Foods high in tryp regulate your appetite, elevate your mood and help you sleep better.

Source: (if you don't believe me) http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=103

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL YOU BLOGTOWN TURKEYS!! LOVE YA!

What Did They Do And Who Let Them?

2009-11-21T10:38:00.007-05:00

As most of you know, on 11-10 NASA held a news conference on what was found back in mid-October after they launched a lunar satellite to obtain valuable information about the content of the water on our only moon. We've always suspected ancient lakes or rivers flowed freely, liquid water, from the many canali or obvious canals for water transport discovered long ago. Now we know it's a fact. Luna was made, after all, from impacting comets, meteors and asteroids which eventually coalesced to form earth then the excess debris made up what we now see as our moon. How could it NOT possess some form of liquid water at one time? And so....

O, wait - Just for slight backround, the experiment was called LCROSS for "Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite", here's a picture. It was (literally) a smashing success, landing smack into the crater called Cabeus. Upon impact cameras were able to detect positively the plumes of vapor and faint debris, created by the now-expanded crater, made upon impact, called Centaur. Brand new crater. It's 5 miles deep. To bomb Luna we used a 2-ton kenetic weapon. For shame NASA! Above is the image taken 15 seconds after impact. You can see the plume of vapor/debris in blue, and just as important, the impact crater gouged out. And that's illegal. Read why:

DOESN'T THIS VIOLATE SPACE LAW? Resolution 2222.(XX1) adapted by the U.N. General Assembly forbids "..the modification in any way of celestial bodies, including the moon." No matter how much we could learn from LCROSS, it doesn't balance with the environmental damage we are legally bound to PREVENT. Yet we plunged a giant crater into Luna on a water-seeking and colonization experiment. Hell we're damaging it before we even get there, is this not insane?? And don't forget as always, follow the money and you'll see the true agenda.

Why? Because as I say, cosmologists have known for some time about the moon's ancient waterways, so what was this, a distraction from some other agenda planned for the moon? Its topography is not suited to farming - EARTH farming as we know it NOW. But certainly a giant colony on Lunar Base 1 would grow what they needed - and what would they need? WATER. For farming and to drink. And if the water's already there someone will make a king's ransom.

Just on a happier note, I wonder why a satellite like the moon would NOT use the advantages of liquid water so very long ago in it's history... by (very) simple deduction, life may've flourished there in ways very foreign to our thinking. Nothing humanoid or reptilian - but bacterial - living in many pools of ooze, deep bogs maybe - just as it happened here on earth.

NASA is missing the point, and very well have gotten in too deep with the monied lobbyists who fund these projects our shruken budget can't cover. Well, I don't want another John Rothschild or Rockefeller as Emperor Elite of the Colony of Luna. He'd probably rename it anyway - Rothsmoon? Or how does Rockeluna sound to you?
In every way definable, like crapola.

"In Flanders Fields"

2009-11-11T16:08:00.003-05:00

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
between the crosses, row on row, that mark our place;
and in the sky, the larks - still bravely singing - fly
scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
loved and were loved, and now we lie
in Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you, from failing hands, we throw
the torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die,
we shall not sleep, though poppies grow
in Flanders Fields.

Lt. Col. John McCrae, MD
( 1872 - 1918 )

"No Casket For Me Please"

2009-11-05T13:55:00.006-05:00

Lay me down in a bed of grass

when my body dies, that it may pass

deep into the essence of

this glorious earth I do so love.

But until that time:

My heart gives rise to the high places,

how transcendent is God in these spaces!

Where trickster breezes weave through my hair

and the miracles of life are everywhere.

Then soon:

As a falling leaf, my cheek it doth kiss

this life I know I'll sorely miss;

so when you note my long, last nod,

just place me in the soft, green sod.

By Cathy S. Rapicano - June 4, 2006

Day Of The Beloved Dead

2009-11-02T15:04:00.003-05:00

Celebrating and recalling our dead is a proclamation to LIFE would you not agree? Don't we speak to our loved ones, departed from their earthly shackles and shame, now on another plane, a dimension far beyond our comprehension? Deep in your secret heart, are you not happy for their victory?
I know I talk to those I've lost to the next life.
Not lost to death.
To the NEXT LIFE.
The next step.
And today 11-2 is All Soul's Day, a time to celebrate the glory of the lives gone on ahead of us. Not death. It is not for a fool's use, not for a religious scheme.

Although it has its origins in the catholic faith, many varied ways of celebrating this feast have long departed from the standard religious "prayerful" tradition.
Today people gather to make skulls from candy, bring baskets of fruit to the cemetery in offering and joy as they remember those they love, they dress up and in some places special caves are kept where the skulls of ancestors are kept, in proper decorum. A far cry from the Western view of a dead body, eh?
I like this one better.
My loved ones were not the sum of their bodily parts. They had emotions and ideas. They had LOVE. They had LIFE. And this is the day I intend to honor what stays alive long after we're dust again.

Hitler's Hallowe'en

2009-10-28T20:25:00.016-04:00

I'd like to share something I posted in 2006 and get your input.

On the morning's news I heard how a high school across the river in New York allowed its students to come to school in costume yesterday. Mostly pirates, a few Gene Simmons' and one in particular which gave the principal another 100 gray hairs. A senior came as Hitler. The whole get-up, Chaplin moustache swastikas all over his sharply pressed uniform, riding crop in hand, high leather boots ... the teachers were in cardiac hyper-mode, many fellow students duly outraged and of course, it made the news. Adults weren't sure to look at him or not. It raised a visceral disgust we all understand. The young man explained he was a "parody" of a famous person from history, what's the problem? And indeed, after pow-wowing this matter a bit, the principal could not get the boy to please either change or leave, he was being "offensive and disruptive".

They asked if his parents knew; he proudly exclaimed they DID and supported his "courage" in exercising his right to free speech, freedom of expression, all those good "frees". So basically they were raising their son to ignore everything they saw and heard unless it adhered to his right to freedom of expression. Pretty shallow. We don't live in a vacuum.

But I heard something at the end of the broadcast which made me think (I dared myself). At the end of the day, the young man took off his gear, put on a large coat and made his way to the subway which he used to get home. Isn't that odd?

Every other kid went home in costume, since that's how they arrived. But this one didn't, something inside him KNEW he couldn't get on that subway, with adults instead of teens, with real people he didn't know, dressed as "a person of history" responsible for so much anguish and blood-letting and pain that it hurts just to think about. He KNEW someone on that train might even be one of the slowly dying-out survivors of the holocaust, exactly what would he say to THAT person? So he KNEW. He knew something his parents forgot.

And I lay this at their feet. Do you think this teen will ever understand the difference between an indecent act and just plain cruelty? Not if his home environment tells him the First Amendment is more important than abusing those same rights. It's ludicrous. We have rights to be decent people.

When a teen does something outrageous like this, I think he's really just acting with the arrogance of his youth, doesn't see the hideousness of parading as Hitler for a laugh.

He knew he'd cause a stir, he did, and I really think that's all he wanted, nothing about the First Amendment was on his mind at all. That was his parents, and therein lies the blame, and hopefully instill shame, that the people responsible for the formation of a decent human being could get things so mixed up and permit such a caustic, cruel act - worse, using their own son to do it. He, of course, was happy to oblige as most teens are where causing a mess among order is concerned. That's nothing.

I really would want to hear how these Constitutionally-minded parents would explain it all to just one Jewish person, just one. But talk about scary, I pulled this thread out further and found a monster I couldn't talk away: the monster of the future. Right now, a kid could dress up as Alexander the Great and gets kudos and candy, no one would think twice and in fact cheer on his or her originality. The millions who died at the orders of Alexander, a true killer, a soldier in his time which again were times of war. I know there's no comparison to the two men, yet both were adored in their time by the people they killed for, those who demanded the death of others.

My real point is that no one would take offense today at a "parody" of Alexander the Great. So it will happen, then, that someday in the future another kid would look forward to Hallowe'en with his HITLER costume, go out in public, get candy and kudos and no one is offended or outraged. THAT'S the monster that would keep me awake at night.

It's happened already and will happen again - where humans allow the healing balm of time to dull memory, even historical fact, and on we go none the wiser for the lessons of the past.

"Autumn Occurs To Me"

2009-10-28T19:28:00.003-04:00

How can you but chose the explosion of color

at the beginning of the end of summer?

Nothing could be duller

than a season with no change,

and as the Good God does arrange,

all aglow and seeming without reason,

is this verge we are on, of the merging of

brown and red and gold, yellow from green

mellowing from the unseen cold.

Mountains are dressed

in bursts of shimmering trees,

all ablaze in their best, meant for you,

meant to please - which they do - as they glimmer.

I have come to believe that too much Autumn

might put one in a craze, for you cannot leave;

Who, from the sight, would turn from it?

In a daze, you listen to silent thunder,

you stand in wonder as you gaze -

This is what God, for us, did commit.

I stand to offer highest praise.

Cathy Rapicano - posted 9/7/06

Remember when, Jupiter?

2009-10-19T16:01:00.017-04:00

Side by side, one of these is a comet, the other an asteroid. Similar aren't they. It's not till the sun heats the comet that we see the familiar tail of dusty ice. Don't you love asteroids and comets? Speaking of asteroids in a minute.

These images of Jupiter are shown in true color on left, and enhanced for detailed on right. Exact same area.

It's been almost 20 years this Sunday since humans launched Galileo into the realms of Jupiter.

What we've learned and seen since the 1990s is incalculable.

But the craft was making discoveries long before it arrived.

(Just for show: Look at the poles of Jupiter below, via infrared. It spins faster than any other body in our sol-system)

So here's what else Galileo brought us:
BELOW is the huge asteroid GASPRA (color-enhanced.)
BELOW is the amazing asteroid, IDA, with its moon DACTYL. The tiny dot to the right, middle, is the actual picture and size of Dactyl. The upper right shot is to show a better view. Imagine a moon orbiting an asteroid. If IDA left its asteroid belt, we're have nowhere to hide. Yikes.

And here's a few seconds of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact in Jovian space. Don't know why you have to copy & paste, sorry. But it's worth it. (For some reason, Blogger doesn't seem to like moving shots.) Watch this fragment impact Jovian space:

Watch this

It's a reminder that it was our special emmisary Galileo who brought us those unforgettable images. You see those 3 dark comet parts? They're not impacting Jupiter actually, they're exploding in the gaseous atmosphere of Jupiter. Just like it would happen here on Earth. It would break up into many, smaller parts. By the time a piece reached the planet, it would leave a just small crater. But we know that's not how it always happens - look at the Moon for instance, or Mars. They have no atmosphere; a "small" piece of comet could reach 10 miles long. Fascinating!

This Might Be Too Much

2009-10-19T11:26:00.008-04:00

Now that we can congratulate ourselves on how much we love our children - more than anything - anyone - would kill for them if we had to - here's the part of the issue we always shrink away from. It's just too painful. Too far beyond our everyday experience. If you have a strong, caring heart, watch these 2 videos. The truth is, all children are everybody's children, and the next time you see someone hitting a child on the rear in the supermarket, or screaming at a toddler on the sidewalk, I implore you - don't hesitate to wonder if it's your business - go up to that adult and defend that child! Your child. My child. Everyone's child.

Remember, these videos are rough. This is the subject we don't like to think exists, that grown adults can be so cruel, so utterly without care for our helpless little ones. But it's all too common.

http://media.causes.com/564357?p_id=47419758

http://media.causes.com/556422?p_id=47419758

COPY PASTE WATCH. Then hug your child, any child, and cry. But if you can't watch, just ignore it, who could blame you.

Been so SICK And Tired

2009-10-13T13:14:00.021-04:00

Yes, I'm afraid I've been sicker than I thought possible for several weeks now, hence my long absence. I even hallucinated a bit that I was inside a giant clam, very much like Venus here, but instead of a robe I was being handed a tiny box of Kleenex. Yikes. Today seems more manageable so I eagerly want to get back to this little psychological journey you took with me.

Selfishly I do hope you read every word, and consider carefully a comment - or not - but could you please read it all. Thank you! It makes a difference.

All of you responded so passionately about an act performed in the tens of thousands each day, but just not by you or to your beloved ones. Someone else's not-so-beloved ones. Surely they count to someone? I'm afraid that's not a given. Real flesh and blood parents throw out their kids daily, they beat them, starve them, sell them, and worst of all, ignore them. Is it as simple as people who keep journals make good parents?? It would seem they certainly make eager ones! While it gladdened my heart it made me think - of honesty for one.

"I'd die for my child."
"I'd kill for my child."
"I'd kill you then myself for my child."

I know you mean this.

"I'd give up all future personal happiness for my child."

That's the other half of what you're saying, isn't it?

I notice DB and Mt. Dora took special note of the "no exit clause" when I quantified this question with "if you had no choice" which of course means, you would have to kill someone. And I saw immediately and not surprisingly that women (between the sexes, the majority keep journals) react with fierce almost defensive protective instincts, opting not to address the scenario by stating they'd not kill anyone at all, or kill themselves which is the same thing, seeing life as precious in all forms now that they've given birth to something living. And I believe men feel the same paternal tug, just sans a uterus. But again, that wasn't the scenario. As DB wisely notes, someone will have to die - and you'll have to kill them. Can you? It's easy to play it safe.

I think you're thinking, no parent could kill their own child what a ridiculous question. Maybe those parents who suffocate infants just don't keep blogs, but I know they're out there and they're not all psychologically challenged. They're part of the body human - not Satan's seed.
So we'd basically choose our progeny over the needs of our heart. We'd sacrifice personal emotional fulfillment as long as we could keep our children, is this what we're saying? (For Christian folk, in the bible God sort of did the opposite didn't He) Anyway it's noble, human, not surprising, but for some reason I thought a few folks skirted around the whole issue - if there's no other way, your partner would die, your child would live. And you'd live with...what? Well your child for one, and all that entails, all the joys and sorrows, the surprises and headaches, the moments you want to freeze in time.

Then I wonder - what kind of parent would you be? You were forced to kill your most beloved partner to keep your child. There's nothing absolute here, it can't be either right or wrong because deep inside we all want personal gratification from another human, yes? Not a child either, that's another form of satisfaction.

I also notice age played a part in this - if someone lived a long life you wouldn't have as much of a problem killing them off. Notice at a funeral people are not as sad if the deceased is over 75? If they're young, it's "They had their whole life" if they're old it's "They had a full life." I think we really go to great lengths using so many of these rituals and mantras.

But when WE cause the death? And it's not a crime but a proposal, a decision?

What makes one person more important to you? For parents, you've known your child it's whole life, I'm assuming - and know your partner alot less - and in your answers I hear "My child needs me more than my husband" ...... how do you mean that?

Is it "My child needs me more than my husband needs me" or even "My child needs me more than I need my husband" Could it be that it's not someone else being less "valuable" but a child being SO MUCH MORE PRECIOUS as to surpass any value we can assign to it? DO you need your child more than you need an emotionally fulfilling partner, a beloved, a soul mate, a help mate? Okay most of you are thinking, what's the difference without a child. Why have a life mate if I have no one to pass on my happiness and love to. But alot of people do it, they don't want or NEED a child. Don't we always see them as a bit selfish? Come on, be honest - DON'T WE?

Or just put ANY word in place of "husband" it's a matter of the NEW LIFE we place into the world and our reaction to it - our responsibility maybe? Well since when did it become incumbent upon people to be automatically responsible because they're parents? Let's be real. It's just something that should happen and makes us feel better when it does. But it just isn't so.

Does it have to be connected to love? Oh yes. But truly unself-ish love. If you love a child but are not responsible, not the best possible person to raise it, it's difficult but self-less to let a "better" person do it. Like it or not, our children represent something we believe is "ours" something we own, surely something we have rights to. In our heart of hearts, can ANYone ever be as good a parent as we believe we are? (Of course, but we'll never admit it, we'll rant and rave about how we're the only possible perfect person to raise our child - there's that instant "ours" possessiveness. What about a good child, were our parents happy with us as children? Did we fulfill their lives? More importantly, why should it be someone's responsibility to complete us, especially a child?

(Note: In another post I'll go into how we are the possessions of our parents legally from the instant they turn us into the government by filing a birth certificate - not that involved and absolutely true: check yours, is your name in caps?)

And even now in life, I think we're still trying not to disappoint our parents. It's nothing to do with love. It's more basic. Is your child at this moment trying to be the happy center of your existence, and weren't you, and me? I wonder how we, so young and untried, knew there were certain people we should always please, even without understanding the vocabulary. Could it have been something as basic as "I won't have a full stomach if I don't"?

If I were emotionally starved for affection because I chose my child over my partner, (and don't forget, I killed him/her) how would my child react to my sadness? Daily. What would I be silently teaching it? The nobility of parenthood? The need for a killing instinct? Or that it's their fault Mom's always crying.

For those whose parents are still living, now that you're no longer a child do you still feel beholden to them, feel obliged, to listen, obey, respect etc? More than likely. We learn to feel these things, I don't think they're part of the "human package" when we're born. So, as an older person now, and a parent yourself, you would kill your parents to save your child, you certainly as much as said so. I suspect your parents would've reacted very similarly to save you. We become what we're given as we grow, I'd say. There's really no set answer here, only passions. And most are "cop-outs". It's not "I'd do anything for my child" or "I don't like killing but my kid comes first" etc. It's a direct situation of choice where you will either kill your lover to save your child, or vice versa. That you love your child was a given in this scenario. In the real world, it never is - many can't rise to the emotion of even liking their progeny, they never bond and can't understand parental instincts to foster and protect. Still, look how much feeling most put into defending our unbreakable bond to our little ones! Incredibly human and perfect -- in a perfect world.

To the dear friend who decided she had to answer for both men AND women :-) your comment made me smile, I could sense the power behind those words, and to all else I think you were as honest as you could be in the moment, not needing a scripted second's worth of thought to form your answer. That says something in itself - "My child comes first". But what? Well, something very human to my mind. We seem hard-wired and almost programmed to "need" to care for small, helpless things, and surely our children arouse a unique, undeniable urge to cover them with our bodies if we must, to shelter them from life's unfair rules. Bringing life to bear changes you, men and women alike. Would anyone disagree?

Remember that little boy who fell down into the gorilla enclosure at the zoo, and the ape, our 99.9% genetically identical cousin, held him gently, understood something basic about how frail he was, took him out of the rain, etc. Yes, we're hard-wired alright.

An old story goes that a man was fully prepared to kill his son when asked to do it by someone he desperately loved.

Fortunately, I know of no deity demanding we sacrifice our children on a mountaintop to show our devotion.

Thank you all for explaining how you feel and why. I learned from this, as I hoped to.

A Question Of Honesty

2009-09-17T18:49:00.005-04:00

Greetings, Constant Reader!

I'd like to put a question out, gender specific. Think about it and if you dare, comment accordingly. Take all the space you need, I'd really appreciate details.

TO WOMEN WITH CHILDREN AND A PARTNER THEY LOVE:

If you had no choice: Would you kill your child to save your beloved lover's life?

TO MEN WITH A LIVING MOTHER AND A PARTNER THEY LOVE:

If you had no choice: Would you kill your mother to save your beloved lover's life?

For those without children or lovers, pretend.

Thank you for anyone answering this, I know it's painfully honest but that's what I'm asking for.