Contributor Posts

When the cool ground fog,
rises on a summer morn.
It projects an image
of being reborn.

A coolness descends,
on the morning light,
shadows shrink,
dawn replaces night.

A pleasant place,
a life to be,
as we age,
our memories flee.

When love returns,
to your heart,
it will bring,
recommitting of life's part,

which will elude us,
everyday,
before you know it,
love has gone away.

There are no thoughts,
in this old head,
about the rites of Spring,
just I'm no longer dead.

Times were bad,
nothing to be said,
when you're not here,
I won't be afraid.

You're a beacon,
in the life of this man.
I value our friendship,
as I always can.

Americans’ views on free speech change directions every so often. One of those times was during the protests at U.S. universities about the Israel-Hamas war. As scholars of free speech and public opinion, we set out to find out what happened and why. More at The Conversation ➜

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

One of the most spectacular solar sights is an erupting prominence. In 2011, NASA's Sun-orbiting Solar Dynamic Observatory spacecraft imaged an impressively large prominence erupting from the surface. The dramatic explosion was captured in ultraviolet light in the featured time lapse video covering 90 minutes, where a new frame was taken every 24 seconds. The scale of the prominence is huge -- the entire Earth would easily fit under the flowing curtain of hot gas. A solar prominence is channeled and sometimes held above the Sun's surface by the Sun's magnetic field. A quiescent prominence typically lasts about a month and may erupt in a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) expelling hot gas into the Solar System. The energy mechanism that creates a solar prominence is a continuing topic of research. Our Sun is again near solar maximum and so very active, featuring numerous erupting prominences and CMEs, one of which resulted in picturesque auroras just over the past week.

No wishful thinking,
by this aged man,
just a realization that
I still can,

look forward to
a seasons change,
and not worry about,
if I need tire chains.

When idiocy, reigns supreme,
it's not a breath of Spring.
It's the gasping for air,
when they take away everything.

You may not believe this, but
I know it is true,
the only losers we will have,
is you, you and you.

Wake up America!
This is your land,
others will take your freedom.
I hope you understand.

What happens tomorrow,
when we open up the door,
and find our beloved country,
isn't here, anymore?

A small stream,
flowing through hills and trees.
A Summer outing,
with a cooling breeze.

Such was the scene,
when I was a boy.
A family picnic,
a summer joy.

Rippling waters, cascade,
over rock and clay.
Oh the memories,
of that summer day.

The smell of cold fried chicken,
potato salad and baked beans,
are my memories of,
the summer picnic scenes.

There are time when,
we should reflect on life.
This is one of those times,
when faced with strife,

you find there are outside,
influences effecting your way
of thinking. How you view,
what once was a safe day.

It is unfortunate, when life,
doesn't remain the same,
and we revert to calling it,
by another name.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

On August 11 a Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched from a rotating planet. With a small satellite on board its mission was dubbed A Sky Full of SARs (Synthetic Aperture Radar satellites), departing for low Earth orbit from Mahia Peninsula on New Zealand's north island. The fiery trace of the Electron's graceful launch arc is toward the east in this southern sea and skyscape, a composite of 50 consecutive frames taken over 2.5 hours. Fixed to a tripod, the camera was pointing directly at the South Celestial Pole, the extension of planet Earth's axis of rotation in to space. But no bright star marks that location in the southern hemisphere's night sky. Still, the South Celestial Pole is easy to spot. It lies at the center of the concentric star trail arcs that fill the skyward field of view. Gallery: Perseid Meteor Shower 2024 and Aurorae

Photo by Rory Gannaway