Public Posts Stanwood, WA Stanwood, WA (zoom)

...“A society that spends so much on health care that it cannot or will not spend adequately on other health enhancing activities may actually be reducing the health of its population. No nation is as guilty of this practice as the United States, with its extremely high health expenditures alongside abysmal population-level health outcomes" Read more at Stat News

"As the body’s primary communication superhighway, the vagus nerve extends into every major organ in the body, including the heart, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. Injury to this nerve, therefore, can disrupt the systems we rely on to breath, digest, and simply function on a daily basis" More at Forbes ➜

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

When stars form, pandemonium reigns. A textbook case is the star forming region NGC 6559. Visible in the featured image are red glowing emission nebulas of hydrogen, blue reflection nebulas of dust, dark absorption nebulas of dust, and the stars that formed from them. The first massive stars formed from the dense gas will emit energetic light and winds that erode, fragment, and sculpt their birthplace. And then they explode. The resulting morass can be as beautiful as it is complex. After tens of millions of years, the dust boils away, the gas gets swept away, and all that is left is a bare open cluster of stars.

Photo by Adam Block, Telescope Live

"Now that summer is in full swing, mosquitoes have come out across the United States. The use of mosquito repellents can protect both your health and sanity this summer" More at The Conversation ➜

Theodore Roosevelt, (1858-1919) - He became the 26th American President when he was not quite 43, as the result of the assassination of President McKinley. He served from 1901 to 1909 bringing new excitement and power to the Presidency, as he vigorously led Congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy. He took the view that the President as a “steward of the people” should take whatever action necessary for the public good unless expressly forbidden by law or the Constitution.”

It is the weekend and residents
in memory care are experiencing
the joy of seeing family and friends.
Visits may be short or can be long,
and soon people will start to say their
Goodbyes. Little white lies are said,
"See you soon" when it really means
I must go and may see you in a while.
A sense of sadness when leaving your
loved one. It is for me, and I am a floor
above her. My heart aches, for this woman
who has been the pillar of my life for so
many years.

The setting Sun,
burnt a hole
in the horizon,
so, I was told.

My mind blew open,
sanity has fled,
if I didn't know better,
I would be brain dead.

Locked in a rut
and to my dismay,
emotions lost,
won't return today.

Southbound on the Interstate,
I am running hard,
if I don't get some sleep
I'll be in the graveyard.

Radio is silent,
all my gas is gone.
Slap, slap of the tires
lyrics to a Song?

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Carinae may be about to explode. But no one knows when - it may be next year, it may be one million years from now. Eta Carinae's mass - about 100 times greater than our Sun - makes it an excellent candidate for a full blown supernova. Historical records do show that about 170 years ago Eta Carinae underwent an unusual outburst that made it one of the brightest stars in the southern sky. Eta Carinae, in the Keyhole Nebula, is the only star currently thought to emit natural LASER light. This featured image brings out details in the unusual nebula that surrounds this rogue star. Diffraction spikes, caused by the telescope, are visible as bright multi-colored streaks emanating from Eta Carinae's center. Two distinct lobes of the Homunculus Nebula encompass the hot central region, while some strange radial streaks are visible in red extending toward the image right. The lobes are filled with lanes of gas and dust which absorb the blue and ultraviolet light emitted near the center. The streaks, however, remain unexplained.

Photo by NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & License: Judy Schmidt