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George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950), was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and in 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Read more

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

How does a total solar eclipse end? Yes, the Moon moves out from fully blocking the Sun, but in the first few seconds of transition, interesting things appear. The first is called a diamond ring. Light might stream between mountains or through relative lowlands around the Moon's edge, as seen from your location, making this sudden first light, when combined with the corona that surrounds the Moon, look like a diamond ring. Within seconds other light streams appear that are called, collectively, Bailey's beads. In the featured video, it may seem that the pink triangular prominence on the Sun is somehow related to where the Sun begins to reappear, but it is not. Observers from other locations saw Bailey's beads emerge from different places around the Moon, away from the iconic triangular solar prominence visible to all. The video was captured with specialized equipment from New Boston, Texas, USA on April 8, 2024. Solar Eclipse Imagery: Notable Submissions to APOD

Video by David Duarte

Many, many years ago,
Twas when I went to sea,
when I enlisted in the
United States Navy.

Nineteen years of age,
still wet behind the ears.
Away from home, first time,
battling youthful fears.

Stationed in San Diego,
aboard a Destroyer Escort, DE.
Chipping paint and repainting,
then I went to sea.

Many years have gone by
and if the need was as then,
I would re-enlist,
once more, once again.

Have we become,
home to The Great Unwashed?
A society of lies and madness,
no matter what the cost.

Do enjoy your life,
which you have today
or are their times when,
you want to run away.

Should I retreat
and simply run away,
for there is nothing special,
to cause me to stay.

Sometimes, we are invited,
but we fail to see the note.
Sometimes, we applaud,
or actually have a vote.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Only those along the narrow track of the Moon's shadow on April 8 saw a total solar eclipse. But most of North America still saw a partial eclipse of the Sun. From Clearwater, Florida, USA this single snapshot captured multiple images of that more widely viewed celestial event without observing the Sun directly. In the shade of a palm tree, criss-crossing fronds are projecting recognizable eclipse images on the ground, pinhole camera style. In Clearwater the maximum eclipse phase was about 53 percent. Solar Eclipse Imagery: Notable Submissions to APOD

Photo by Lori Haffelt

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Baily's beads often appear at the boundaries of the total phase of an eclipse of the Sun. Pearls of sunlight still beaming through gaps in the rugged terrain along the lunar limb silhouette, their appearance is recorded in this dramatic timelapse composite. The series of images follows the Moon's edge from beginning through the end of totality during April 8's solar eclipse from Durango, Mexico. They also capture pinkish prominences of plasma arcing high above the edge of the active Sun. One of the first places in North America visited by the Moon's shadow on April 8, totality in Durango lasted about 3 minutes and 46 seconds. Solar Eclipse Imagery: Notable Submissions to APOD

Photo by Daniel Korona

Green was the grass,
near somewhere I'd be,
down by the river,
where you could find me.

Were you ever lonely?
Did you think you'd see,
a black and white caterpillar?
I ask, for that was me.

I have changed,
now I can go up high,
pretty I am, as,
a black and white butterfly.

There was a little bit of nothing,
sitting in the road.
A small voice said, "Hey! I'm something,
My name is Alqaisis Toad."

"I'm a very small amphibian,
not much of a load,
but I know I'm something,
when I'm sitting on the road."

"Would you ever stop for me,
a stumpy amphibian, that tiptoed,
for this small amphibian,
who was sitting in the road?"

Remember to drive slowly,
when going to your abode,
for you may see small amphibians,
who like to sit on the road.