Contributor Posts

Stop!
She yelled.
I worry about her,
every day.
This morning she asked
me to leave.
Well, asking isn't correct,
she told me to "Get out!"
"You don't belong here,
anymore."
She didn't recall any of
that dramatic moment,
later in the morning.
Bizarre behavior on a
cyclical basis seems
to be where this ride
is going.
Time for me to get a
separate unit, so I
can get some sleep.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

The small, northern constellation Triangulum harbors this magnificent face-on spiral galaxy, M33. Its popular names include the Pinwheel Galaxy or just the Triangulum Galaxy. M33 is over 50,000 light-years in diameter, third largest in the Local Group of galaxies after the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), and our own Milky Way. About 3 million light-years from the Milky Way, M33 is itself thought to be a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy and astronomers in these two galaxies would likely have spectacular views of each other's grand spiral star systems. As for the view from the Milky Way, this sharp image combines data from telescopes on and around planet Earth to show off M33's blue star clusters and pinkish star forming regions along the galaxy's loosely wound spiral arms. In fact, the cavernous NGC 604 is the brightest star forming region, seen here at about the 1 o'clock position from the galaxy center. Like M31, M33's population of well-measured variable stars have helped make this nearby spiral a cosmic yardstick for establishing the distance scale of the Universe.

Photo by Robert Gendler

A simple and impressive way  to spice up your salsa repertoire — Read the recipe

I was standing watch,
on board our ship,
in Yokosuka Bay, in February,
on the forward deck
of our ship, DE699, the
USS Marsh.
The cold was bitter,
with a light breeze.
The air cut through
my heavy, wool, pea coat.
I toured the bow to make
sure no one was attempting
to board us, in this foreign
country.
I would step inside the hatch
to the passageway, to avoid the
wind and the chill as I was on
a 4-hour duty station.
I can still feel the chill when I
think back on that day

Walking the trail
of life's excuses.
No matter the ad,
it's your right to choose.

Assassins of the night,
set forth on their journey,
late the day, a 'fore twilight,
to destroy another memory.

Long had the sunset,
it was nearing dawn,
the sleepiest of time,
stifling a yawn.

Slowly they crept
into her mind,
erasing memories,
time after time.

Minor details,
long time too,
what in the world
can we now do?

Joy will reign,
sadness will be,
one side loses,
the other wins.
Such is football,
for us, We.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Watch for three things in this unusual eclipse video. First, watch for a big dark circle to approach from the right to block out more and more of the Sun. This dark circle is the Moon, and the video was made primarily to capture this partial solar eclipse last week. Next, watch a large solar prominence hover and shimmer over the Sun's edge. A close look will show that part of it is actually falling back to the Sun. The prominence is made of hot plasma that is temporarily held aloft by the Sun's changing magnetic field. Finally, watch the Sun's edge waver. What is wavering is a dynamic carpet of hot gas tubes rising and falling through the Sun's chromosphere -- tubes known as spicules. The entire 4-second time-lapse video covers a time of about ten minutes, although the Sun itself is expected to last another 5 billion years. Partial Solar Eclipse in October 2022: Notable Submissions to APOD

Business - Environment - Government - Politics

~ The math on Twitter's debt :: Daring Fireball
~ Beyond passenger cars and pickups... :: The Conversation
~ Chief Justice John Roberts puts temporary hold on release of Trump’s tax returns to Congress :: CNN
~ Only the GOP Celebrates Political Violence :: The Atlantic

"In the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, more than 100 major companies pledged to suspend political giving to the members of Congress who voted to invalidate Joe Biden's presidential victory." However, since then, "At least 228 Fortune 500 companies have provided financial support to members of Congress who sought to invalidate the 2020 presidential election results. Together, the companies have poured a total of nearly $13.2 million into those politicians’ war chests. By contrast, about 100 companies from the Fortune list have not given to these members through their corporate PACs". Read more

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Why is the Lobster Nebula forming some of the most massive stars known? No one is yet sure. Cataloged as NGC 6357, the Lobster Nebula houses the open star cluster Pismis 24 near its center -- a home to unusually bright and massive stars. The overall red glow near the inner star forming region results from the emission of ionized hydrogen gas. The surrounding nebula, featured here, holds a complex tapestry of gas, dark dust, stars still forming, and newly born stars. The intricate patterns are caused by complex interactions between interstellar winds, radiation pressures, magnetic fields, and gravity. The image was taken with DOE's Dark Energy Camera on the 4-meter Blanco Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. NGC 6357 spans about 400 light years and lies about 8,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Scorpion.

The wind was blowing,
rain sideways.
Too much rain
for an umbrella,
unless it was a
very large, golf size.
You could cower
behind a big one,
without it turning
inside out.
I don't mind
playing at golf,
if there is light rain
or some wind.
I don't like
playing at golf,
if both are present.