During my lunchtime walk, I spotted this interesting-looking vehicle parked behind the mall. One side was an undersea scene and the other side was parrots in trees. I did not see or smell any hippies, however.
Culture
Vincent Van Gogh
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Vincent Van Gogh. We were fortunate enough to have been able to see many of his works a few years ago when “Van Gogh’s Van Goghs,” his paintings from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, were exhibited in Los Angeles.
From InfoPlease:
Born in 1853, Van Gogh’s works are perhaps better known generally than those of any other painter. His brief, turbulent, and tragic life is thought to epitomize the mad genius legend.
During his lifetime, Van Gogh’s work was represented in two very small exhibitions and two larger ones. Only one of Van Gogh’s paintings was sold while he lived. The great majority of the works by which he is remembered were produced in 29 months of frenzied activity and intermittent bouts with epileptoid seizures and profound despair that finally ended in suicide.
One of the most famous of Van Gogh’s works is “Starry Night.”
A Vendela Rose Valentine for our Wounded Warriors
This beautiful Vendela rose is dedicated to our fallen and wounded military worldwide. Without the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, we may not have anything to celebrate on Valentines Day. Show your support to those recovering from their injuries by supporting Wounded Warriors.
Also, check out the beautiful Cosmic Valentine Rose from Astronomy Picture of the Day.
St. Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine’s Day! And especially to our deployed troops and to their families at home who miss their sweeties! Have a candy heart!
Remember that you can help the United Service Organization to provide special services to our troops like Operation Phone Home and Operation Music Download. These and the many other services provide the means for the troops to have a nicer Valentine’s Day or a nicer any other day. Please show your support today.
WTC Memorials in South Bay
Several cities in southwestern Los Angeles County have erected memorials to the victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and to victims of Flight 93. Among them are the cities of Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Lomita and Torrance. Now, the city of Redondo Beach will be joining the list as they expect to receive a 300-pound beam fragment from the WTC as a gift from FDNY. The Redondo Beach Firefighters have established a strong relationship with the New York Firefighters. Read about how the beam fragment came to be delivered to the city and about the experiences of the firefighters in the South Bay Daily Breeze article below the fold.
Moonbat Miranda
The next time you encounter an individual bent upon believing the unbelievable, recite the following Miranda rights for Moonbats:
- You have the right to remain stupid.
- Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of public opinion.
- You have the right to become informed rather than believing false conclusions.
- If you cannot or will not become informed, nothing can be done for you.
- Do you understand these rights?
- Do you wish to become informed?
If, at the conclusion of the Moonbat Miranda, they do not wish to become informed, there is no need to cuff and transport them — they will usually remain arrested by their own stupidity.
Archeology from Space
Archeology is one of my favorite interests. I am always interested in what’s going on in the world of unearthing ancient artifacts. We will probably watch the segment on PBS’ Nova tomorrow evening that deals with satellite surveys of ancient ruins.
January 5, 2007: For many years, space archeology has been a favorite topic of Science@NASA readers: NASA scientists use Earth-orbiting satellites to find ancient ruins invisible from ground level. Prime real estate for this kind of discovery is Central America. In that part of the world, satellites are not only revealing long-held secrets of the Maya, but also improving the everyday lives of modern Central Americans by helping them monitor and manage their environment.
Image: a 2,000-year-old mural, one of the greatest discoveries of ancient Maya art ever found – NASA
For an update on this important work, we encourage you to tune in to a new PBS broadcast on Tuesday, Jan. 9th. It features pioneering space archaeologist Tom Sever (Marshall Space Flight Center) and colleague Bill Saturno (University of New Hampshire) discussing their latest discoveries.
- Channel: Your local PBS station
- Program: Nova scienceNow
- Date: Tuesday, Jan. 9th at 8 pm EST. Program times may vary. Check local listings for confirmation.
The 60 minute program features four 15-minute reports on various topics. “Mayan Ruins” is second in line and is narrated by astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson.