Contributor Posts

"The first step in a fascist movement is the combination under an energetic leader of a number of men who possess more than the average share of leisure, brutality, and stupidity. The next step is to fascinate fools and muzzle the intelligent, by emotional excitement on the one hand and terrorism on the other" (1940)

Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) British philosopher, writer, mathematician, logician, historian, social critic, political activist, and Nobel Laureate. More

The last time, you talked to me,
I swore, you wanted to fight.
Uncertain as to what you wanted,
I left and stayed out of sight.

Now, many months have passed,
and I'm no longer, in this plight.
If you would like to talk again,
it will be after; we flee or fight.

I love the day.
I love the night.
I don't love the reason,
my life, has changed to fright.

As the end of life,
draws nye and near,
where are the hidden,
suppressed feelings of fear?

Never been the sharpest blade,
in this drawer of life,
but hey! let that slide,
I said I wasn't the sharpest knife

There are many times
in the crazy life we lead,
we will receive clues,
of what may lay ahead.

We have options,
but we may not see,
or anticipate,
what they mean, to thee.

We must take action,
reviewing the facts,
if we are to succeed,
in our life's acts.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

What would it look like to return home from outside our galaxy? Although designed to answer greater questions, data from ESA's robotic Gaia mission is helping to provide a uniquely modern perspective on humanity's place in the universe. Gaia orbits the Sun near the Earth and resolves stars' positions so precisely that it can determine a slight shift from its changing vantage point over the course of a year, a shift that is proportionately smaller for more distant stars -- and so determines distance. In the first sequence of the video, an illustration of the Milky Way is shown that soon resolves into a three-dimensional visualization of Gaia star data. A few notable stars are labelled with their common names, while others stars are labelled with numbers from a Gaia catalog. Eventually, the viewer arrives in our stellar neighborhood where many stars were tracked by Gaia, and soon at our home star Sol, the Sun. At the video's end, the reflective glow of Sol's third planet becomes visible: Earth.

I see myself,
wanting to return,
to the days when,
I was an introvert.

Have I been in this
life too many years?
Have I developed a feeling,
with innate fears?

Fear of not being loved,
by others, my friends.
Do I need to apologize
and make amends,

for being a person,
a personality facade.
Don't care to read about
that big fraud.

When the small hand,
is half past six,
and I'm still lazing
under a price fixe,

is it time to pledge,
bidding adieu,
when I haven't yet,
seen the lovely you?

Words which echo,
never leaving the fray,
will remain in my head,
until the end of day.

What happens when,
the life you led,
goes from routine,
to a hidden dread?

I've accepted the life,
God has set for me
and know at any moment,
I may cease to be.

A father, a grandpa,
or just simply me.
I'm ok with what happens,
if my soul needs to flee.

Do I like it?
Of course not, who would,
but I must deal with it.
My role is understood.

I will enjoy, my special place,
in this, my current life,
but realize it may be soon,
when I see my lovely wife.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

On a road trip up Mount Uludağ in Bursa province, Turkey these motorcyclists found themselves above low clouds and fog in late June. With the bright Sun directly behind them, the view down the side of the great mountain revealed a beautiful, atmospheric glory and fog bow. Known to some as the heiligenschein or the Specter of the Brocken, a glory can also sometimes be seen from airplanes or even high buildings. It often appears to be a dark giant surrounded by a bright halo. Of course the dark giant is just the shadow of the observer (90MB video) cast opposite the Sun. The clouds and fog are composed of very small water droplets, smaller than rain drops, that refract and reflect sunlight to create the glory's colorful halo and this more extensive fog bow.

Photo by Cem Özkeser