Space, Killer Wheaties, GM food, Catagory 5

Where or When

Sometimes I put a link or three on my page. Sometimes you click on it, sometimes you feel you don't have time, so in this post I will show the link, and a sample of what you can expect to find there.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6955261/

Slide shows of planets, Gaxies, rockets and more.

Sometimes I bookmark a site that I may want to use in my blog. Like The Daily Show.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/index.jhtml

Jon Stewart reviews the news with a comic angle like showing the different members of the Bush administration all saying exactly the same words on the same day. Word for word on different news releases, they each say what Karl Rove has written for them to say. I guess they get an e-mail each morning with the days' sound bite. Anyway Jon Stewart makes it funny instead of frightening.

I went out today to get a box of Wheaties,
thinking that I could avoid Genetically modified food.
(Monsanto is still having trouble creating, "Frankenwheat.)
Wheaties contained corn, soy products, sugar, corn syrup, and host of other ingredients that had nothing to do with wheat.

I got this organic wheat cereal...

It looks safe at first glance.

I wanted to know if it contained any GM products, so I began going to the websites on the box. First stop, theorganicreport.org. Sounds wholesome, doesn't it. The website was all about how good these products are for your kids, but nothing about Genetic Modification. They did have an article about hormones in milk, but most products are rBST free. (Except for Baskin & Robbins and Starbucks.)

Organic milk for my organic cereal.

The organic report had a link to aginclassroom.org. The site was Mass. Agriculture in the classroom. Not one word about GMO's! So I checked their board of directors and sponsors. USDA, food and nutrition program! This is one of our government programs that is run by people from Monsanto. So much for my GM free breakfast. Back to the box. I tried the distributer, Kashi.com. I mean, "Kashi", sure sounds organic. On their web site I searched for Genetically modified products and got this;

“Genetic Modification” returned 0 results

There were two other ingredients;
"Organic Evaporated Cane Juice", and, "Natural Flavor."
Let's start with the cane juice...It comes from sugar cane. Nothing in the articles about it that I read, mentioned GMO's. Not one word about whether it is or isn't Frankencane. But it is certified organic by, (You guessed it.), the USDA. The last update to their list of what is and isn't "organic", was in 2002. This was to provide a "Sunset" period for things on their list that might be disputed as not certifiable. There has been no more action from them since 2002.

I knew this "organic" box looked too fancy!

Alright, certified organic by the USDA appears to be meaningless, so let's find out about,"natural flavor." It is listed as an ingredient in just about anything with a list of ingredients. What is it?

So-called natural flavor is produced in laboratories to give flavor to processed foods that lose almost all flavor through the processes of freezing, dehydrating, and canning. It is made from infinitesimal amounts of chemicals, or more so a collection of gases.

A little more research and, (no surprise here.), "natural flavor", almost always contains MSG.

Now what do I do, for food that wont kill me? I suppose that I will eat less processed/packaged food and hope that the stuff at the farmers market isn't from Monsanto seeds. This is next to impossible, since Monsanto owns all the big seed companies and has genetically modified heirloom tomatoes and back yard vegetable seeds. I guess I will have to find an outlaw farmer who still uses his great grandfathers, "saved seeds", and whos crops haven't been contaminated by nearby GM farms. "Seed Saving", is now a punishable offence in countries around the world, including parts of the United States!

What about organic, grass fed, range cattle?

I bought this grass fed organic meat for dinner
I am going to wait until after I eat it to find out if the,"grass", was natural or genetically modified.

"...then they just lost their minds!"*
It is hard to think of a more cynical and contemptuous political act this year than John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate. Having served as governor of Alaska for less than two years -- and as mayor of a small town before that -- her qualifications for national office are minimal.
But if Palin's résumé is limited, to put it politely, she possesses the only two qualities that McCain now seems to consider essential: She is a right-wing religious ideologue with female gender characteristics. Suddenly that is all anyone needs to qualify as a potential commander in chief of the world's most powerful military. We probably won't hear so much from now on about "experience" and "judgment," McCain's vaunted standard for the presidency until ... today.
___An exerpt from a Joe Conason article for Salon.com

*A thought from Happy Phil Seymour.

Dick Cheney and Karl Rove have been planning to go to war against Iran around election time so they can suspend the election and keep their simpleton monkey in office for a 3rd term. When Sara Palin gave her acceptance speech, she said that she and McCain are dedicated to stop the "new-que-lur", threat from Iran and Russia. Isn't this how Cheney got us into the Iraq mess?

Here is a video of Fox news reporters before the attack on Iraq, and now before the planned attack on Iran.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0japj2XWNwc

Why It's So Hard To Swat A Fly

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The brains of flies are wired to avoid the swatter, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

At the mere hint of a threat, the insects adjust their preflight stance to flee in the opposite direction, ensuring a clean getaway, they said in a finding that helps explain why flies so easily evade swipes from their human foes.

"These movements are made very rapidly, within about 200 milliseconds, but within that time the animal determines where the threat is coming from and activates an appropriate set of movements to position its legs and wings," Michael Dickinson of the California Institute of Technology said in a statement.

Today's relatively appropriate song;
Political Science, by Randy Newman

Sue's beach house on the Texas/Louisiana coast.
My sister sent me an e-mail to let me know they wouldn't be having the big yearly party at her place in Crystal Beach, this weekend. I should think not, the storm track for Gustav, is headed straight at her beach house. Chris and I went there a few years ago for a family reunion. We had a good time, I hope it survives the storm.

Also by Randy Newman, this song about the 1927 flood in Louisiana.
Louisiana 1927

We live in interesting times

Cats, Rats, and Silver Solutions

My Two Favorite Cats

In 1971, when Kathy and I had a Volkswagen and a tent, we somehow got a kitten. Kathy was my second wife, but I think the cat was before we married. It was a cute, ( aren't they all? ), black female that would come when called and enjoyed camping.

Kitty looked something like this.
Being young and clever, we came up with the name, "Kitty".
What made this cat special was how she would follow me. She would stay about two feet behind and stick to me like she was on a leash. On the Oakland sidewalks or high Sierra trails, she was always with me. Sometimes on a hike, I would stop to relieve myself and she would go to the same spot, relieve herself, cover it up, then catch-up to her place, 2 feet behind me.

Kitty would sleep on the pillow by our faces. I soon found myself sneezing and stuffed up. I enjoyed having the cat, so I drew upon my ability to convince myself that I had the power to not be allergic to cats. I called upon that, "Higher Power", and let myself be, "allergy free."

When we sold the Bug and bought a VW Van, we figured Kitty would love it. We even had a litter-box for her convenience, but one day in Orange county, she made a break for it in a parking lot. We could see her run under one of the cars and as we made our way to that car, a woman came up to it, opened the door, and got inside. Sensing a catastrophe was eminent, we began to yell, " DON'T START THE CAR! " This had no effect and the lady cranked it over. Bye bye Kitty.

In 1978, I was living in Oregon with Jan and her son Blu. Sometimes we would go to the laundromat next to Bi-Mart. To use the time waiting for the wash, we would go to the pet store nearby. It was there that Sebastian introduced himself to me. There were a bunch of kittens in a cage all trying to get peoples attention. That is, all but one. One kitten stayed back and seemed to be observing the people making cute sounds to entertain the kittens. He seemed to be sizing them up with a look of contempt, as though they would be unsuitable for his future needs.

Sebastian looked like this.

This is where it got interesting. He saw me standing over by the birds, looking at him. He looked me in the eye, and I heard a little voice say, "Hey you, come here." I had a few minutes left untill the clothes were ready, so I thought I would go over and find out what this "talking" cat wanted. I got up to the cage and he sauntered over and stuck out his paw and said, "Take me with you." We shook hand and paw to seal the bargan and I brought him home. I never trained Sebastian, nor did I ever, "call", him. We communicated completely with thought and empathy.

Sebastian was a Russian Blue.

I remember the time he let me know he had worms. We were eating dinner, ( Jan was a wonderful cook.), and Sebastian came up to me, sat by my feet, and proceeded to cough up a few inches of three wiggling, writhing, tapeworms. There was never any guesswork in our communication. When Jan, Blu and I left the little goat farm, Sebastian decided to stay. The people who moved in after us, said they would sometimes see Sebastian roaming near the goat barn.

I have had other cats in my life, but those two were my favorites.

And in a related story...

Rats in demand as inflation puts beef out of reach The price of rat meat has quadrupled in Cambodia this year as inflation has put other meat beyond the reach of poor people. With consumer price inflation at 37 percent according to the latest central bank estimate, demand has pushed a kilogram of rat meat up to around 5,000 riel (75p) from 1,200 riel last year. Spicy field rat dishes with garlic thrown in have become particularly popular at a time when beef costs 20,000 riel a kg. Officials said rats were fleeing to higher ground from flooded areas of the lower Mekong Delta, making it easier for villagers tocatch them. 'I feel like rat tonight'

"Good sex is like good Bridge... If you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand"

----Mae West

How I handle the various cold and flu bugs.

"Not your grandmother's colloidal silver."
The new silver is here, and boy is it expensive!
For a number of years I have found colloidal silver to be very effective in killing the bad germs, whether used topically, or ingested orally, but now the new nano-particle technology has vastly improved its efficacy. In this new age of, "super germs", I am sometimes exposed to some new strain of cold or flu virus. At the first sign of a sniffle or cough, I reach for the silver.

Chris and I used to have gallons of ionic colloidal silver that our friend, Todd, would make and give us. I would use it to disinfect kitchen counters, cutting boards, door knobs, and just any surface that might be growing any germs. It was good for cuts, scrapes, rashes, warts and other topical applications. It could knock out a cold in hours with a few swallows.

Things have changed, I no longer have gallons of ionic colloidal silver sitting around the house, so I have had to go out and buy it. The new silver solutions perform better and come in little bottles with a big price. Because the nano-particles are more efficient, one gets better results using less. At $25.00 a 4 ounce bottle, it better be good!

Tonight's, somewhat appropriate, song...
Merle Haggard, "Silver Wings."

Grace

Fire, Planes, Helicopters, Pentagon Lies, Sci-Fi Beauties

Planes, Helicopters buzz Apt.
While Phil tries to Sleep In.

Firefighting Retardant Plane 8/26/08
I have been getting to sleep around 6AM for the last month or so, and getting up around 8AM to deal with things that people do in the mornings. This has put my sleep sessions on a diet, so this morning I made plans to sleep-in. My phone started ringing around 8:30, and between my land line and cell phone, the phone calls kept coming until around 10:30, then I rolled over and gave it another shot. I managed to ignore the leaf blowers, lawnmowers, backup beepers, fire engines, and people who carry on conversations across vast distances, until the third or fourth plane buzzed the place. I got up to see what was going on and noticed a plume of smoke that appeared to be quite close.

As seen from my balcony 8/26/08

Fire burns just behind Dollar Store. 8/26/08
I drove over behind the Dollar store and saw that the hillside below was burning. Several other people were in their cars or standing on the edge of the hill looking down at the fire and the men and equipment fighting it. I stayed for awhile, taking pictures until it seemed that the various men and machines were making headway, then realizing that I had forgotten to bring my cell phone, I headed home to call a friend who lives in the area of the fire. He and his neighbors were in the news just yesterday trying to save their homes from a new landlord/developer. The new owner has big plans for the property that doesn't include the pesky, disabled, and poor senior citizens who currently live there. I toyed with the idea that the new owner may have had something to do with this conflagration, but unless it started there, it was highly unlikely.

Helicopter drops water 8/26/08
I got home and called my friend on his cell phone. He said they had been evacuated to a place nearby and could see that the fire had not reached their homes yet.

Chopper with bucket. Shot from my balcony 8/26/08
Later, while driving back from town, I took this picture where the fire jumped North Market street.

Re-opened Market street after fire. 8/26/08
Sometimes we can forget the power of a wildfire. This one jumped this wide 4 lane road. In the end, no structures were burned and no one was hurt. It could have been much worse having planes and helicopters buzzing your house. You could be living in Afghanistan.

UN: US kills civilians in Afghanistan
Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:19:42 GMT

Afghan civilians usually fall prey to attacks on insurgents

The United Nations has accused the US-led forces in Afghanistan of killing civilians after a US airstrike killed some 90 people earlier.

The UN said in a statement on Tuesday that its investigators "found convincing evidence, based on the testimony of eyewitnesses, and others, that some 90 civilians were killed, including 60 children, 15 women and 15 men" in the western province of Herat on Friday.

However, the US military stood by its account, saying that 25 militants and five civilians were killed in the operation.

The UN said that "residents were able to confirm the number of casualties, including names, age and gender of the victims," AP reported.
I sure hope our next administration is a bit more honest with the rest of the world.

Hurricane gives markets excuse to raise oil prices

Hurricane Gustav heads toward oil rigs 8/26/08

It's A Tie, in my opinion.
One of the "Gamer" websites had a
"50 sexiest women in Sci-Fi" poll.

I found that, even though I rarely
watch the new Star Trek spin offs,
number 7 of 9, seemed to be played
by a very attractive actress.

Since, "Gamers", tend to be fixed in
eternal puberty, ( Gamers is a term
used to describe those who play video
games.), my criteria is somewhat
different when it comes to sexy.

Classic Star Trek communication officer Uhura
Believe it or not, you can buy "Bluetooth" ear pieces that look like this 1960's, "future", communication device.

Today's appropriate music selection;
"Fire", by the Ohio Players.

I Believe

The Need For Tin Launches 1,000 Ships

Always More to Write.

The golden toad is one of many amphibian species to recently become extinct.

Sweet...

At least one of the primates cares.

Wind Turbines Kill Bats Without Impact

Hoary bat

Aug. 25, 2008 -- Researchers have found the cause behind mysterious bat deaths near wind turbines, in which many bat carcasses appeared uninjured.

The explanation to this puzzle is that the bats' lungs effectively blow up from the rapid pressure drop that occurs as air flows over the turbine blades.

This could be a problem for environmentalists.
"Save the bats protesters clash with wind power promoters"

Melting glaciers likely

sculpted Mars gullies

Evidence suggests Mars was once wetter than it is now

Mars ski vacation paradise lost.

Ice ages
James Head of Brown University and his team examined high-resolution images of the Newton Crater and its gullies taken by orbiting spacecraft and found evidence of features that suggested glaciers once covered the crater floor about 10 million to 20 million years ago.

"Doh!"
In one of my previous blogs I wrote about the studies that show how Mark used Homer's Odyssey, and Iliad as source material for the gospels. The parallels are compelling and extensive and help to explain the inconsistencies in The New Testament. Now I find that another line of scholars have determined that the Odyssey and the Iliad were Celtic tales of events that took place in England and the Atlantic ocean. In his book, "Where Troy Once Stood", Iman Wilkens traces the locations and names of cities, rivers, and ports to Great Brittan.

Troy?

Wilkens argues that Troy was located in England on the Gog Magog Downs in Cambridgeshire. He believes that Celts living there were attacked around 1200 BC by fellow Celts from the continent to battle over access to the tin mines in Cornwall as tin was a very important component for the production of bronze.

According to Wilkens, St Michael's Mount is the site of Scylla and Charybdis.

Is it a coincidence that I just happened to pick, Clive Cussler's, "Trojan Odyssey", from a bookshelf in the apartment community room library? If you have been following my blog from the beginning, you can follow the thread that strings together, coincidences, like pearls on a necklace of enlightenment. I love it.

Speaking of love, "Come on people now, smile on your brother. Everybody get together, try to love one another, right now."

Chocolate, Vanilla, and The Milky Way

Made for Each Other

Vanilla and chocolate together again
I have always loved vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, but am sort of medium about buying chocolate ice cream. It just tastes better when the two meet in my bowl. I now know that I can thank the vanilla orchid, cacao beans, and the Aztecs.

Vanilla orchid - Vanilla tahitens

Origins of Vanilla

Vanilla (Vanilla tahitensis), that wonderfully spicy and sweet flavoring, is created from the vanilla orchid, the only edible orchid known. This version of the vanilla orchid is only found in cultivated gardens and growing wild in French Polynesia.

However, it has long been recognized that vanilla is a New World cultivar, and that it was likely first cultivated by the Maya beginning at least in the 14th century AD. Recent genetic studies have identified the progenitors of V. tahitensis as Vanilla planifolia and V. odorata, both plants tended by the Maya.

Processing Vanilla

Vanilla is the second most expensive spice available today (right after saffron), because the curing process takes between 6-9 months, and involves several labor-intensive heating and drying episodes. The Maya word for vanilla is zizbic, and it was used with copal resin as incense, and to treat insect bites and heal wounds. The Aztecs are thought to be the first to use vanilla in conjunction with the cacao bean to make the chocolate drink.

It was the Spanish who took vanilla to the rest of the world, most likely during the 16th century and most likely on their trade routes through the Philippine Islands.

A Star, (actually many stars), is Born.

Stars young and old glitter in the W5 star-forming region of the Milky Way.

The team behind NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope is celebrating the orbiting observatory's fifth birthday. The view takes in an area of the sky equivalent to four full moons, 6,500 light-years from Earth, in one of our Milky Way's most picturesque stellar nurseries.

Coming to a roof near you.
In other scientific news; A quote from Schopenhauer, "All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident." This is displayed on the wall of Energy Innovations, a solar energy company that is using photovoltaic cells from space vehicles in down to earth applications. They have developed solar arrays that magnify the suns light onto the same kind of chips that are used to power satellites and Mars landers.
This will help eliminate coal fired energy plants that spew stuff out of their stacks, like the atmosphere is a sewer.

NASA destroys rocket after failed launch

Agency warned that debris from the explosion could be hazardous

WALLOPS ISLAND, Virginia. - NASA destroyed an unmanned experimental rocket carrying a pair of research satellites Friday when it veered off course shortly after an early morning liftoff.

There were no injuries or confirmed reports of property damage, according to NASA, but the agency warned that debris from the explosion could be hazardous. NASA believes most of the wreckage fell into the Atlantic Ocean off the Virginia coast.

Video of rocket blowing up and falling into Atlantic ocean.

Ah, no problem. The hazardous debris is in the ocean.

What, exactly, was in those research satellites?

Is it not hazardous to life in the sea?

We should be aware that the ocean is not a garbage dump.

My sister sent me Michael Phelps first childhood picture.

Gold medalist in early training.


Karl Rove never sleeps...
The text message announcing Biden was joining Obama's ticket went out around 3 a.m. Eastern, and by 6 a.m., McCain had a new attack ad.

"Please tell me who I am."
Another one of Chris' and my favorite traveling songs was, "The Logical Song", by Supertramp. Even though Chris couldn't talk, when the song got to the, "please tell me who I am", part, she would sing along at the top of her lungs.
Here is the video of Supertramp .

God gave you a front row seat in this beautiful universe, enjoy it.

Birds, Blues, and 13 Moons in a Year

Oh Happy Day

I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges?

Object of close affection

Budding astronauts, avert your eyes. NASA has posted photos of a failed test landing (read: crash) of a mock-up of the Orion crew exploration vehicle, part of the Constellation program to replace the shuttle in 2015.

NASA dropped the Orion mock-up from a C-17 aircraft flying 25,000 feet about the U.S. Army's Yuma Testing Grounds in Arizona on July 31. The good news: All but one of 18 parachutes inflated. The bad news: That 18th one was responsible for orienting the mock-up for a safe landing. The space agency said it was torn and didn't inflate properly.

Struggling to Shift
A Great Tit is shown holding an insect in its beak. New research suggests that many wild birds may be at risk as they struggle to adapt to global warming and their food sources, such as insects, adjust at different rates.

The jokes about that birds' name are just too easy. Make up your own.

Thursday night at The Shasta Blues Society Jam...

Havin' fun with the blues. 8/21/08
The time was right for a great set at the blues jam. Sammi' put together a good combination of players. Some of them have played with me before, so more emphasis was put on my simple arrangements. There were drums, bass, lead guitar, two tenor saxes, harmonica, keyboard, and me. We all had a great time.

Thunder Rolls...

Happy Phil at Thunder Rolls 8/22/08
12 Noon at the Tehama district fairgrounds saw me doing a solo performance. It was different than the 8 piece band the night before, but the sound system was good and I was glad to be part of the happiness that comes from heart felt music. Later, the drummer that played with me at the blues jam showed up to play along. Thanks Rocky.

Then there were two... 8/22/08
The music managed to touch most of the people who were there, and it was heartwarming to have people come up and tell me how much they enjoyed specific songs.

Technical support staff and assistants. 8/22/08

"Who knows where we shall meet again, if ever?"
Here is a nice slide show combined with "Time", by the Alan Parsons Project. It was one of Chris' and my favorite songs to play while traveling in the mountains or dessert. Alan Parsons helped in the creation of Pink Floyd's, Dark Side Of The Moon. Listen.

I am currently reading, "EARTH," The Sequel. It's seems some people have shown that there is money to be made in new technologies to help stop global warming. This is good news. Maybe the big energy companies will stop publishing, "anti-clean-air propaganda."
Now if we can only find a way to make money by teaching students something besides how to pass a test.

Chankillo: Americas' earliest solar observatory

Archaeologists have long debated the significance of a fortified hilltop structure at Chankillo in the coastal desert of Peru, but the provenance of a line of 13 towers along a nearby hill is no longer in doubt: It's a solar observatory. The towers span the arc of the rising and setting sun from the summer to winter solstice when viewed from observing points on the east and west sides, according to research published in March 2007. The observatory dates to the 4th century B.C.

You have to love these scientists that forget there are 13 moons in a year. The real meaning of the word, "Month."
I suppose we can thank Ptolemy or Gregory for the screwy idea of 12 months. They suspended reality to support some belief that 12 was a better number than the actual 13 months. One day some scientist will become famous for, "discovering", that the 13 towers represent full moons.

This just in....
Obama pick's the old guy with hair plugs for V.P.

I am thankful for the gift of music.

What You Project Is What You Attract

The Law of Attraction

Study: Earth's magnetic field is changing

Observing fluid motions in core could help scientists predict future changes.

By Jeremy Hsu

updated 1:49 p.m. PT, Mon., Aug. 18, 2008

Something beneath the surface is changing Earth's protective magnetic field, which may leave satellites and other space assets vulnerable to high-energy radiation.

The gradual weakening of the overall magnetic field can take hundreds and even thousands of years. But smaller, more rapid fluctuations within months may leave satellites unprotected and catch scientists off guard, new research finds.

Interesting Facts about the Common Pipistrelle:

• The population has declined over recent years, mainly due to farming chemicals in the intensification of agriculture.


• Cats also pose a severe threat to urban populations of Common Pipistrelle.


• The Pipistrelle emits a frequency of between 45-76 kHz, maintaining a medium of 47 kHz with each call lasting maybe 5.6ms.

What has a bat to do with a change in the earths magnetic field?
Bats, birds, bees, and butterflies have a tiny grain of metal/crystal in their brain that is sensitive to the earths magnetic field. This, along with their other senses. is used for navigation.

Worker mounts traffic cam 8/19/08
The city was sold a bunch of, "revenue generating", cameras to help people navigate our road system. The attraction here is, of course, the truck loads of $'s that will come pouring into city coffers from traffic tickets. @ $24,000.00 for each camera, I think it will be a very long time before the city see's a profit. The salesman and the company he represents, are doing quite well.

Not so attractive...

Deforestation accounts for 20 percent
of greenhouse gas emissions.

I have been observing how effective Karl Roves' disinformation and propaganda machine has been. There are people who now believe that the war in Iraq is the fault of the democrats! Bush was just doing what congress told him to do when he invaded Iraq! He is not to blame for the thousands of Americans killed in the war! Liberals are against America!

These people use the word, "liberal", like it's evil.
I'm guessing they don't have a dictionary.
No matter how you read it, "liberal", means; "open minded".

Iran launches satellite

It didn't make it

The high price of gas in California is artificially inflated.

A Chevron oil management team plots their next exploration at Chevron's Kern River Field in Bakersfield on one of several giant screens used at the site.

California was one of America's first oil patches.

Simply drilling a well and attaching a pump to it will recover just a fraction of the oil sitting in a field, perhaps 20 to 30 percent.

This means that with new extraction methods, we still have plenty of oil for California's future needs.

Unfortunately, the price at the pump is set by the world market, so we wont see relief there, even though it is California oil!

"Thank god for my Mac and OS X. I prefer getting work done on my computer, instead of working on my computer to get work done."

( Quote from Browser) I agree.

2012 theorists take note...

ScienceDaily (Aug. 19, 2008) — A "minor planet" with the prosaic name 2006 SQ372 is just over two billion miles from Earth, a bit closer than the planet Neptune. But this lump of ice and rock is beginning the return leg of a 22,500-year journey.

Question...
If the Bush administration lied about Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction, what measure of credibility should we give to any of their promulgations?

And finally;
In the late 1950's, my performing song list was made up of originals, Elvis, Ray Charles, and the Kingston Trio. One of my favorite Kingston trio songs is The Merry Minuet. It's as true today as it was back then. Click on it and give it a listen. It's the perfect finale for tonight's blog post.

Love is the answer