Contributor Posts

"......once melting glaciers shut down the Gulf Stream, we would see extreme climate change within decades, study shows" More at The Conversation ➜

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 1055 is a dominant member of a small galaxy group a mere 60 million light-years away toward the aquatically intimidating constellation Cetus. Seen edge-on, the island universe spans over 100,000 light-years, a little larger than our own Milky Way galaxy. The colorful, spiky stars decorating this cosmic portrait of NGC 1055 are in the foreground, well within the Milky Way. But the telltale pinkish star forming regions are scattered through winding dust lanes along the distant galaxy's thin disk. With a smattering of even more distant background galaxies, the deep image also reveals a boxy halo that extends far above and below the central bulge and disk of NGC 1055. The halo itself is laced with faint, narrow structures, and could represent the mixed and spread out debris from a satellite galaxy disrupted by the larger spiral some 10 billion years ago.

Photo by Dave Doctor

"Dietary supplements are a big business. The industry made almost US$39 billion in revenue in 2022, and has very little regulation and oversight...Supplements are regulated as food instead of drugs, even though they can interact with medications and may be laced with hidden drugs not included on the label....The FDA’s website states that “many dietary supplements contain ingredients that have strong biological effects which may conflict with a medicine you are taking or a medical condition you may have." More at The Conversation ➜

"Chances of getting records from a federal agency drop. An analysis of 37,000 Freedom of Information Act requests submitted to federal agencies through MuckRock.com shows that in 2010, barely more than half of requests yielded the records sought. But by 2022, barely more than 10% of requests met with success". More at The Conversation ➜

My beloved,
now in my past,
is having a
birthday, March 15th

I never thought,
I'd spend this time,
on her birthday,
after she's gone away.

I miss you my love,
after these many years.
No special dinner,
just a menu of tears.

I loved you more,
than I had a right to do.
Understandable to me,
for I still love you.

Happy heavenly birthday, Mrs. Fischer

You were my light,
You were my dream.
You were everything,
Happiness became our scene.

Memory loss,
quite possibly so,
knowing not where you're going,
How do you know?

My head was spinning,
in circles, I went.
I wasn't prepared,
had only a tent.

A tent, is good,
if you don't have a place,
or you want to avoid,
leaving a physical trace.

I'll work harder,
is what I said,
to get ahead in the World,
prior to being declared dead.

I didn't ask you to love me.
I never asked you to stay.
My inconsiderate attitude,
is driving you away.

No illusions of grandeur,
thinking I could be with you,
for it wouldn't be fair, anytime,
if you chose old vs. new.

I enjoyed being near you,
as you made me feel good,
but it was as one sided,
as I thought it would.

I ruined a relationship,
in a most selfish way,
while the person I loved,
has left, gone away.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

What phase of the Moon is 3.14 radians from the Sun? The Full Moon, of course. Even though the Moon might look full for several days, the Moon is truly at its full phase when it is Pi radians (aka 180 degrees) from the Sun in ecliptic longitude. That's opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. Rising as the Sun set on March 9, 2020, only an hour or so after the moment of its full phase, this orange tinted and slightly flattened Moon still looked full. It was photographed opposite the setting Sun from Teide National Park on the Canary Island of Tenerife. Also opposite the setting Sun, seen from near the Teide volcano peak about 3,500 meters above sea level, is the mountain's rising triangular shadow extending into Earth's dense atmosphere. Below the distant ridge line on the left are the white telescope domes of Teide Observatory. Again Pi radians from the Sun, on March 25 the Full Moon will dim slightly as it glides through Earth's outer shadow in a penumbral lunar eclipse.

Photo by El Cielo de Canarias

Pi Day π (pi) is observed on March 14 (3/14 in the month/day format) since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π. Pi (π) Day has become an international holiday, celebrated live and online all around the world. 

What is π anyway? Divide any circle’s circumference by its diameter; the answer (whether for a plate or a planet) is always approximately 3.14, a number represented with the Greek letter π. Mathematicians have been calculating π’s digits with more and more accuracy and have discover they go on literally forever, with no pattern.

A brightness,
A light,
An open door,
to a right,

to love once more.
Someone to love,
we'll be friends,
divined from above.

I have no interest,
at this moment in time,
to date her or stay with me,
in this life of mine.

Someone I can talk with,
someone who cares.
A lovely person,
who I'm now aware.

Does she love me,
that I don't know.
She does care for me,
so, I won't pursue or go.

If love develops,
it will be good for me
and hopefully provide a benefit,
to this person, she.