On our recent vacation, we were in San Diego’s Balboa Park. At one point, we passed the reflection pond where koi and water lilies abound. I got this shot of a water lily as we strolled past the pond.
A Real Shooting Star
Cal Tech Astronomers using the GALEX telescope, made a very interesting and unprecedented discovery of a massive tail being left in the trail of a well-known star, Mira. The faint tail, seen in ultraviolet light, spans more than 13 light years in the wake of Mira. The discovery of this phenomenon includes a ‘bow-shock’ ahead of the star, analogous to a vessel underway on the sea.
Mira, a late-sequence red-giant star, is shedding it’s outer layers as it hurtles through the universe at amazingly high speeds (relative to our Sun). As scientists study this interesting discovery, they are likely to learn more about the ultimate destiny of our own star, which, as we know, will be similar to Mira in about five billion years.
From Science@NASA:
August 15, 2007: Astronomers using a NASA space telescope, the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, have spotted an amazingly long comet-like tail behind a star streaking through space. The star, named Mira after the Latin word for “wonderful,” has been a favorite of astronomers for about 400 years, yet this is the first time the tail has been seen.
Galaxy Evolution Explorer–“GALEX” for short–scanned the popular star during its ongoing survey of the entire sky in ultraviolet light. Astronomers then noticed what looked like a comet with a gargantuan tail. In fact, material blowing off Mira is forming a wake 13 light-years long, or about 20,000 times the average distance of Pluto from the sun. Nothing like this has ever been seen before around a star.
NASA and JPL/Caltech prepared a half-minute animation which is an artist’s conception of Mira generating her tail. Be sure and watch this neat little video.
Where’s Greenpeace and PETA on this?
I read the blogs and listen to the news every day. Most of the time, when I see something that pisses me off, my reaction is that of mild disgust. Last night, however, I passed the level of outrage when I saw an article on Planet Gore that tells of the destruction of one of the more intelligent species of hominids in the name of producing biofuels.
The Indonesians are steadily clearing the rainforest habitat of the orangutan to make way for palm oil plantations at the behest of the European Union’s thirst for biofuels, bio-diesel, in particular. The result is that the apes are being slaughtered and displaced.
Where the hell is PETA? Where the hell is Greenpeace? My guess is they’re too busy scheming about their next assault on the ‘evil’ USA.
Read Iain Murray’s Planet Gore article, “Crucifying Apes on a Cross of Green“, for the outrageous details.
Newsweek Rebukes Newsweek
R. J. Samuelson, a Newsweek contributing editor, calls Sharon Begley, Eve Conant and Eleanor Clift’s “Denial Machine” article “Highly contrived.”
Samuelson goes on to put some reality in perspective by pointing out the prohibitive costs of ‘immediate and positive measures’ to control the ‘runaway greenhouse effect.’
The Senate EPW Minority Blog posted an article on Newsweek’s quasi-retraction:
Washington DC – Robert J. Samuelson, a contributing editor of Newsweek, slapped down his own Magazine for what he termed a “highly contrived story” about the global warming “denial machine.†Samuelson, writing in the August 20, 2007 issue of Newsweek, explains that the Magazine used “discredited” allegations in last week’s issue involving a supposed cash bounty to pay skeptics to dispute global warming science and he chided the Magazine for portraying global warming as a “morality tale.” (LINK) Samuelson’s article titled “Greenhouse Simplicities,” also characterized the “deniers” cover story as “fundamentally misleading.”
“Unfortunately, self-righteous indignation can undermine good journalism. Last week’s Newsweek cover story on global warming is a sobering reminder,” Samuelson wrote.
Who would have thought that Newsweek would debunk its own embarrassing cover story a week later in the very next issue? This kind of reversal does not happen very often in journalism. [Note: It previously took Newsweek 31 years to admit its 1970’s prediction of dire global cooling was completely wrong. See October 24, 2006 article: Senator Inhofe Credited For Prompting Newsweek Admission of Error on 70’s Predictions of Coming Ice Age – (LINK)]
Speaking of prohibitive costs, NRO’s Planet Gore notes that higher taxes such as those proposed by Greenbat Congressman John Dingell, D – Michigan, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, when he released his plan to fight global warming: a 50 cent gas tax increase and elimination of the mortgage deduction for homes over 3,000 square feet – the average American home is 2,400 sq. ft.
Dingell’s proposal was met by a deafening silence from the climate alarmists, since they know that reckless taxation damages their already weak chances of winning their arguments about climate change.
As for Dingell, he self-righteously wants to pass the costs on to consumers and in typical Democrat fashion, wants to punish success by laying more taxes on people who work hard to succeed. Why, you ask? Because Dingell represents Detroit’s automotive workers and manufacturers, and would rather that you and I pay for cleaning up their act.
Time To Thin Out The Herd
Drop your X-box and grab your sox – uh, no, wait . . . maybe you could grab your favorite fuzzy Ugs instead . . . it’s time to pimp your favorite whacko candidate.
Seen recently in Southern California, this pair of Ron Paul supporters gave up their super-sizers, X-boxes and the comfort of Mom’s basement to venture out among the masses and promote their candidate.
The results of Saturday’s Iowa straw poll would indicate that Paul, along with McCain, Tancredo, Cox and Hunter, ought to follow Tommy Thompson’s lead and remove some more of the ‘noise’ from the Republican campaign.
The Iowa results:
1. Mitt Romney – 4516 votes, 31%
2. Mike Huckabee – 2587 votes, 18.1%
3. Sam Brownback – 2192 votes, 15.3%
4. Tom Tancredo – 1961 votes, 13.7%
5. Ron Paul – 1305 votes, 9.1%
6. Tommy Thompson – 1,009 votes, 7.3%
7. Fred Thompson – 231 votes
8. Rudy Giuliani – 183 votes
9. Duncan Hunter – 174 votes
10. John McCain – 101 votes
11. John Cox – 41 votes
Photo credit Damsel – taken July 26, 2007 in Chula Vista, CA. Also credit Damsel with the ‘Mom’s Basement’ and ‘game-playing nerds’ observation.
Golden Butterfly
It’s been a weekend for butterflies in our back yard. Unlike yesterday’s yellow butterfly on purple petals, this golden butterfly among golden petals was a bit more difficult to spot. This is a good example of natural camouflage if I’ve ever seen it.
Butterfly
We worked in the back yard today before preparing our Saturday dinner. This little visitor fluttered into view and I just happened to have the camera ready.
