NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Rounding the Sun on July 3rd and currently headed for the outer Solar System, Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) has been growing brighter in the predawn skies of planet Earth. From low Earth orbit it also rises before the Sun, captured above the approaching glow along the eastern horizon in this snapshot from the International Space Station on July 5. Venus, now Earth's morning star is the brilliant celestial beacon on the right in the field of view. Above Venus you can spot the sister stars of the more compact Pleiades cluster. Earthbound skygazers can spot this comet with the unaided eye, but should look for awesome views with binoculars. Comet NEOWISE from Earth's Surface: Notable Images Submitted to APOD

Will Durant  (1885 - 1981) was an American writer, philosopher and historian. He became best known  for the work "The Story of Civilization", 11 volumes written in collaboration with his wife, Ariel Durant.

The ultimate comfort food! Ready in the time it takes to cook the spaghetti. Click the image below to see Sally Vargas' recipe at Simply Recipes

The randomness of words,
lay on my plate.
Too many words may come
and they will suffocate.
The thoughts that are now
running through my head,
wishing they were happy,
but No; fearful instead
The words have become hateful;
not what they should be,
for I care for my own
and for strangers too,
as life has given pause
of what one can do.
A scary situation. It's been hard,
for if you are not diligent
and let your down your guard
you could be the victim
of Co-vid nineteen.

I do not like
the words that I write,
for some are cruel
and others quite trite.
Has the hate of one person
ruined my one good trait,
or must I rethink the words
and I can write and wait?

I pray to the heavens.
I utter no sound,
For my prayer in
Words, cannot be found.
I pray for the souls
Of those struck down,
By the virus, Pro-vid 19;
One of the words pandemic
The World has ever seen.
What do we do?
Where do we stand
When it has been months
And there still is no Plan.
No plan from the current regime,
Who doesn't care one little ounce,
But looks only at the Stock market bounce.
A terrible choice, at least to me
As the decisions made, lives in infamy.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

These silvery blue waves washing over a tree-lined horizon in the eastern French Alps are noctilucent clouds. From high in planet Earth's mesosphere, they reflect sunlight in this predawn skyscape taken on July 8. This summer, the night-shining clouds are not new to the northern high-latitudes. Comet NEOWISE is though. Also known as C/2020 F3, the comet was discovered in March by the Earth-orbiting Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) satellite. It's now emerging in morning twilight only just visible to the unaided eye from a clear location above the northeastern horizon.

Photo by Emmanuel Paoly

Blow ye hard, wind of mine.
Rid this nation of hate entwine.
Flee from here, you shameful man,
Inciting divisions as only you can.

Accept not the blame for your act.
Keep up your lies, untruth and fact.
Run this Fall, if you must.
How to do when there is no trust?

Let all the citizens; let them see
The full extent of your own hypocrisy.
Run for re-election and when you fail,
Perhaps the next place is Federal jail.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

What is that fuzzy streak extending from Mercury? Long exposures of our Solar System's innermost planet may reveal something unexpected: a tail. Mercury's thin atmosphere contains small amounts of sodium that glow when excited by light from the Sun. Sunlight also liberates these molecules from Mercury's surface and pushes them away. The yellow glow from sodium, in particular, is relatively bright. Pictured, Mercury and its sodium tail are visible in a deep image taken in late May from Italy through a filter that primarily transmits yellow light emitted by sodium. First predicted in the 1980s, Mercury's tail was first discovered in 2001. Many tail details were revealed in multiple observations by NASA's robotic MESSENGER spacecraft that orbited Mercury between 2011 and 2015. Tails are usually associated with comets. The tails of Comet NEOWISE are currently visible with the unaided eye in the morning sky. Comet NEOWISE from Around the Globe: Notable Images Submitted to APOD

Photo by Andrea Alessandrini

Down the path, like a runaway car,
the lives now lost, near and far.
You care not; that's easy to see,
as your lies will live an eternity.
As a president you are the worst,
when your lies cause your World to burst.
Citizens both far and near,
want to know when you'll disappear,
in the coming months, it will do
for next November, please vote Blue.

The words are dead,
and they shall remain
dead forever
in life's stupid game.

I cannot say these
words to thee
nor write them
for you to see.

You get more bored
when watching TV,
as you now say,
telling it to me.

The ache in my back,
the words in my head,
have caused me to leave
my warm, toasty bed.

Why is that? Oh, I don't suppose
any one will answer the question,
or throw up your hands. Heaven knows.

Words are peculiar; some need to soften
for when I write them down,
I may use them quite often.
I write until my pen runs dry
and grab another, giving it a try.
It writes so faintly I utter a cry.
"For Pete's sake, leave me alone."
So into the trash it must go.
Two pens in one sitting, kind of absurd
as the last pen is sticking.
I like to write, using a pen,
for if I err, I must write it again.

http://www.davelaneastrophotography.com/

Three airline industry companies slated to receive $338 million in public money designed to preserve jobs in the hard-hit industry have laid off thousands of workers anyway, according to Treasury disclosure filings and public layoff data.....Read more

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

A comet has suddenly become visible to the unaided eye. Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) was discovered in late March and brightened as it reached its closest approach to the Sun, inside the orbit of Mercury, late last week. The interplanetary iceberg survived solar heating, so far, and is now becoming closer to the Earth as it starts its long trek back to the outer Solar System. As Comet NEOWISE became one of the few naked-eye comets of the 21st Century, word spread quickly, and the comet has already been photographed behind many famous sites and cities around the globe. Featured, Comet NEOWISE was captured over Lebanon two days ago just before sunrise. The future brightness of Comet NEOWISE remains somewhat uncertain but the comet will likely continue to be findable not only in the early morning sky, but also next week in the early evening sky. Comet NEOWISE from Around the Globe: Notable Images Submitted to APOD

Photo by Moophz

I sit here, with pen in hand,
wracking my brain. I do not understand,
why the words won't come again; flow free
and pop into my head so willingly.

A far away land
at distance to thee,
is where I will wander,
when I search for me.
Travel today
is not the best choice,
unless sitting in a tube
is cause to rejoice.
Crammed into the can
of a cabin of size,
leaves no space to breathe
or to optimize,
the safety you need.
Lord please help me,
complete my next deed.

I don't understand
and I can't see,
why there is a sudden
interest in me.

Have I done something
to make your life worse
or is it because you don't
like the words in my verse?

I wish I knew.
I hope that now,
the next time I see you
you will allow
a virtual hug.

Can you go home again,
when you're sixty-five
and none of you parents,
are still alive?