Over the past couple of days, our Internet Service Provider has been experiencing problems with content delivery speed. I’m not sure if it’s an attack or if the ISP is at fault. Bear with us while we resolve the issue. Since it’s a weekend, the technical service folks are not available.

These are just so pretty! I took this picture sitting on the kitchen floor with the flowers there on the floor in front of me with our back window curtain in the background. Pretty good, huh?

I love the subtile backlighting of the flowers with the dark background.

Note: there is a great disturbance in the force today and our blog post could not be presented as originally intended; Cox and Forkum (and many others) were down today. We will blog it later.

Meanwhile, I read this terrific speech today, given by the eminently clever and intelligent Michael Crichton:

Aliens Cause Global Warming (PDF file)

Just read this in it’s entirety! It’s well worth the investment in time!

I was very fortunate to have been on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards AFB on the day that Crippen and Young arrived on the lakebed in STS-1. The landing happened so quickly that I was astonished. From the twin sonic booms overhead to the touchdown on the lake seemed almost instantaneous — but I shall never forget it. I purchased a button from a lakebed entrepreneur that said “I SAW A SPACESHIP LAND ON EARTH.”I attached the button to my old cowboy hat that I wore in the desert sun. I still have that button somewhere . . .

Commander John Young received his award in 1981, and Crippen’s award was overdue in my opinion. Congratulations Bob Crippen!

NASA — First Shuttle Pilot Crippen Gets Congressional Space Medal of Honor

Former NASA astronaut Bob Crippen, pilot on the first space shuttle mission in 1981, has been honored with the nation’s highest award for spaceflight achievement, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Yesterday evening, at a gala celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first Space Shuttle mission, Robert Crippen became the 28th astronaut in history to be awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

The surprise presentation by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin was made before the gathered audience at the National Air and Space Museum, including Crippen’s STS-1 commander and 1981 medal recipient John Young.

“This medal, awarded by the Congress of the United States, commemorates publicly what all of us who know Bob Crippen already understood: he is an authentic American hero,” said Griffin.

“It was such a surprise. I am totally overwhelmed,” said Crippen in a statement released after the ceremony. “Just look at the names of the people who are on the list. They are heroes in the truest sense of the word and I can’t believe someone would think to include me in such distinguished company. I’m so honored.”

The award commends astronauts whose efforts in space exemplify actions of tremendous benefit to mankind. The medal, which has also been given to astronauts who died in the line of duty, was last presented in 2004 to the crew of STS-107. The award was first given in 1978 to astronauts Neil Armstrong, Frank Borman, Pete Conrad, John Glenn, Alan Shepard, and posthumously to Virgil “Gus” Grissom.

I went on-line to find illustrated instructions on how to use an electric hair clipper for men’s haircutting. As often happens in internet searches, I found something I didn’t expect, but found it to be — well — very interesting. From the Wahl Clipper website (emphasis mine):

NOT SO FAST, JOHN KERRY

Survey Says President Bush Has Best Hair

Sterling , IL ( July 8, 2004 ) – May the best candidate win, but when it comes to the most presidential hair, George W. Bush has America’s vote, according to Wahl Clipper Corporation’s 2004 Grooming Survey and First Ever “Index” on men’s grooming habits.

Despite John Kerry’s recent claim that the Kerry-Edwards ticket has the best hair, Wahl’s survey found that the majority of Americans overwhelmingly voted for Bush’s hair over Kerry’s (Bush - 51 percent; Kerry - 30 percent; neither-10 percent; don’t know- 9 percent.)

Although the President’s poll numbers are sagging, I must agree that President Bush usually has better hair days than Kerry — assuming one would notice Kerry’s hair with all that blithering rhetoric constantly spewing from his mouth. Like, for instance, yesterday, Kerry indicated he was still proud to be anti-war, anti-military and would repeat his 1970’s lies all over again. (And, he has had bad hair the whole time since then.)

US Central Command (CENTCOM) released information on their website regarding the recent video from terrorist Abu-Mus’ab al-Zarqawi and his mob. The CENTCOM article points out a number of key assumptions that can be made from this new video, including the desperation of the terrorists in their losing cause in Iraq.

Image: Abu-Mus’ab al-Zarqawi rants in terrorist propaganda video.

From CENTCOM:

On 25 April, The Global News Network posted a statement issued by The Mujahidin Shura Council in Iraq [Majlis Shura al-Mujahidin fial-Iraq] announcing a new message from Abu-Mus’ab al-Zarqawi, leader of the Al-Qa’ida Organization in the Land of the Two Rivers (I.E. Iraq), and provided links to a 34-minute 4-second video statement titled, “This is a Declaration to the People.” In it, al-Zarqawi rages against the democratically-elected Iraqi government, encouraging Iraqis and foreign fighters to wage war within the country.

[read more from CENTCOM]

In view of this nonsense and the rantings the other day from Usama bin-Laden, my observation is that terrorists rant and lie in their political infomercials almost as much as Democrats!

Congratulations to Tony Snow for being selected to be the new White House Press Secretary.

From WikiPedia: Career information about Tony Snow:

Snow began his journalism career in 1979 in newspapers as an editorial writer for The Greensboro Record in North Carolina. Next as an editorial writer at The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia (1981-82), editorial page editor of The Daily Press in Newport News (1982-84), deputy editorial page editor of The Detroit News (1984-87) and editorial page editor of The Washington Times (1987-91). Also The Detroit News published his commentary from 1993 to 2000, and he was a Counterpoint Columnist for USA Today from 1994 to 2000.

Image: Tony Snow

Snow also wrote a syndicated column for Creators Syndicate between 1993 and 2000. As a nationally syndicated columnist, his commentaries appeared in more than 200 newspapers nationwide. Snow won numerous awards during his print career, including citations from the Virginia Press Association, the Detroit Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, the American Society of Newspaper Editors, The Associated Press and Gannett.

He has appeared on radio and television programs worldwide including The McLaughlin Group, the McNeil-Lehrer News Hour, Face The Nation, Crossfire, and Good Morning America. Prior to the 1994 elections, Snow was the writer, correspondent and host of a PBS news special, The New Militant Center, which anticipated some of the upsets that shook the political establishment.

In 1991, Snow took a sabbatical from journalism to work in the White House for President George H.W. Bush, first as chief speechwriter (Deputy Assistant to the President for Communications and Director of Speechwriting) and later as Deputy Assistant to the President for Media Affairs (1992-93).

From 1996 to 2003 he served as the host of FOX News Sunday. Before being given his own radio show, Snow frequently served as a commentator on National Public Radio and guest host on the Rush Limbaugh program.

In February 2005, Snow revealed that he had been diagnosed with colon cancer. He returned to work in April 2005. In 1973 his mother died of colon cancer.

In 2006, he was appointed to the position of White House Press Secretary to replace Scott McClellan.

Last summer, I took this shot of the Nenana River somewhere along the route from Talkeetna to Denali National Park. We boarded the train in the morning at Anchorage and rode up top of an observation car where this and other scenery was beautiful. Later, when we pulled into the McKinley Village, we checked into our hotel cabin on the banks of the Nenana where we could hear the murmur of the river all night long - well punctuated with a few loud bangs and booms since it was on the 4th of July!

The next day, we rode the train up to Fairbanks and had an overnight visit there. Alaska is interesting and certainly beautiful.

Update by Cap’n Bob: Since FIX4RSO is also a train enthusiast, I thought I would post some pix I took of the train we rode to Fairbanks — if it looks like it was pouring rain that’s because it was pouring rain:

Although extremely rare, auroras are occasionally seen in Southern California. I can recall a time when I saw the red glow in the northern sky from Palos Verdes Peninsula.

A space probe called Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), measures attributes of the solar wind. ACE is useful to forecast (short term - an hour or so) fluctuations in the solar wind that may cause power-grid outages and extraordinary auroras under the right conditions. SpaceWeather.com points out that there are no plans to replace this resource when it ceases to function. From SpaceWeather.com:

COMMENTS, PLEASE: NASA’s ACE spacecraft is almost four years past its intended lifetime. Although ACE measurements of the solar wind flowing past Earth are crucial to space weather forecasts, there is no plan to replace ACE when the craft ceases to function. NOAA is seeking public comment on this state of affairs. If you enjoy auroras, please let them know that ACE needs a successor.

The ACE Caltech Website has this additional information about ACE:

From a vantage point approximately 1/100 of the distance from the Earth to the Sun ACE performs measurements over a wide range of energy and nuclear mass, under all solar wind flow conditions and during both large and small particle events including solar flares. ACE provides near-real-time solar wind information over short time periods. When reporting space weather ACE can provide an advance warning (about one hour) of geomagnetic storms that can overload power grids, disrupt communications on Earth, and present a hazard to astronauts.

ACE orbits the [Lagrange] L1 libration point which is a point of Earth-Sun gravitational equilibrium about 1.5 million km from Earth and 148.5 million km from the Sun. With a semi-major axis of approximately 200,000 km the elliptical orbit affords ACE a prime view of the Sun and the galactic regions beyond. The spacecraft has enough propellant on board to maintain an orbit at L1 until ~2019.

This red rosebud, that is. One of several in a bouquet I got this weekend. We have things that need to be blogged, but working on other stuff today. Meanwhile, enjoy this beautiful red rosebud!

Last weekend we visited the South Coast Botanic Garden, Located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles County, California. One section of the garden is completely dedicated to various and sundry cactii. I took this shot of some hairy-looking cactus with blossoms.

Cap’n Bob also took a picture of the garden in 3D:

(Click for a larger image - you will need a pair of red/cyan anaglyphic 3D glasses to view in 3D)

I last sent you a picture of this orchid plant on March 4th. Since then, the orchid plant produced several beautiful flowers which just seem to last and last.

Phalaenopsis

Known as the “moth orchid” due to its resemblance to some tropical moths, the phalaenopsis is native to the Asiatic tropics, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. This lovely and delicate plant is now a welcome adornment to our kitchen counter under the skylight.