Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Whitehouse Press Secretary – Tony Snow

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.

25 Apr 2006 by Media People

The Alaskan Interior by Rail

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:





25 Apr 2006 by Photography Travel

ACE in the Sky

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.

25 Apr 2006 by Astronomy Rocket Science

Botanic Cactus Garden

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)

23 Apr 2006 by California Home & Garden Photography

Another Phalaenopsis Orchid

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.

22 Apr 2006 by California Home & Garden

We’re Doomed (Again)

This article from Science Blog suggests that “human-induced climate changes” will affect tectonic plate activity. In the excerpt below, the authors frantically suggest that we will be experiencing unprecedented plate movement as a result of the evils of men:

The erosion caused by rainfall directly affects the movement of continental plates beneath mountain ranges, says a University of Toronto geophysicist — the first time science has raised the possibility that human-induced climate change could affect the deep workings of the planet.

From that description, one might expect that Earth may soon experience alternating earthquakes and hurricanes as mankind continues to cause devastation to the planet.

The article continues with more about the professor conducting the computer models:

“In geology, we have this idea that erosion’s going to affect merely the surface,” says Russell Pysklywec, a professor of geology who creates computer models where he can control how a range of natural processes can create and modify mountains over millions of years. Pysklywec conducts field research in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, where the mountains are high and geologically “young.” He found that when mountains are exposed to New Zealand-type rainfall (which causes one centimetre of erosion per year) compared to southern California-type rainfall (which erodes one-tenth of a centimetre or less), it profoundly changes the behaviour of the tectonic plates beneath the mountains. “These are tiny, tiny changes on the surface, but integrating them over geologic time scales affects the roots of the mountains, as opposed to just the top of them,” says Pysklywec. “It goes right down to the mantle thermal engine — the thing that’s actually driving plate tectonics. It’s fairly surprising — it hasn’t been shown before.”

Wait! Did he say “geologic time scales?” You mean this is going to take some time?

“As a concept, imagine blanketing the European Alps with a huge network of ordinary garden sprinklers. The results suggest that the subtle surface weathering caused by the light watering have the potential to shift the tectonic plates, although you would have to keep the water on for several million years.”

At this rate, we’re doomed to destroy our planet just in time for the Sun to blow up.

You may read the entire article: Climate change could affect tectonic plates

Also see Science Daily and the University of Toronto

21 Apr 2006 by Environment Global Warming Science

Categories

Archives