Category Archives: Of Interest

Comet Elenin—Who Knows?

Posted on by

Comet Elenin is breaking apart, according to observations

Published on August 29, 2011 10:45 pm PT
– By Jim Duran – Writer
– Article Editor and Approved – Warren Miller


No larger image

(TheWeatherSpace.com) — Observations are in, Comet Elenin is breaking up!

A new report is in at TheWeatherSpace.com and the report states that Comet Elenin is dimming and falling apart.

“I can confirm with many other astronomers that Elenin will not make perihelion this Fall,” Art Powell from Florida says. “Elenin’s coma is becoming elongated and this means it is falling apart.”

Comets are fragile ice rocks that can; and do break apart.

“I call BS!” yelled Jill Costner of Arizona. “They want to take it off the mainstream and it is still coming!”

fr/http://www.theweatherspace.com/news/TWS-08_29_2011_elenin.html

Wine & Waistlines

Posted on by

How a glass of wine a day could help you lose weight

Jessica Laurence

By Jessica Laurence, Aug 18, 2011

How a glass of wine a day could help you lose weight

Giving up alcohol in order to lose weight is one of the most annoying parts of being on a diet.

Dieters are usually advised to cut out wine, cocktails and beer, all of which are high in sugar and empty calories.

However the results of a new study have suggested that drinking a moderate amount of alcohol every day could actually stop us putting on weight.

According to scientists at the Navarro University in Spain, people who drink wine and diet could lose weight more easily than people who abstain, or those who drink other types of alcohol.

A spokesperson for the researchers explained: “Light-to-moderate alcohol intake, especially of wine, may be more likely to protect against, rather than promote, weight gain.”

“As positive associations between alcohol and weight gain were mainly found in studies with data on higher levels of drinking, it is possible an effect on weight gain or abdominal adiposity [fat around the middle] may only be experienced by heavy drinkers.”

The researchers said they analysed the results of 31 studies and did not find a link between moderate drinking and weight gain.

Ab-Fab…. What Else Can I Say… Bring on the Bubbly

Posted on by

 

‘Absolutely Fabulous’ To Make Anniversary Return To BBC

Absolutely Fabulous

First Posted: 29/8/11 15:00 GMT Updated: 29/8/11 20:54 GMT

RESS ASSOCIATION — International PR “guru” Eddy Monsoon and inebriated magazine editor Patsy Stone are to return to our screens in three new episodes of Absolutely Fabulous, the BBC has confirmed.

The award-winning comedy series will celebrate its 20th anniversary with the trio of 30-minute specials.

Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley will reprise their celebrated roles as Edina and Patsy, and will be joined by other original cast members. Julia Sawalha will resume the role of Edina’s daughter Saffy, June Whitfield as her mother and Jane Horrocks as Bubble.

The original series aired from 1992 to 2003 with a special in 2004. The new collection of specials picks up in the present day, with fashion follower Eddy still working in PR and sex-mad Patsy still employed in the magazine industry.

In the first episode, fans will rejoin the ensemble in the midst of a life-changing experience for one – which affects them all, while in the concluding episode Eddy and Patsy play their own very special part in the London 2012 Olympics.

Saunders said: “Its great that we are able to celebrate our 20th birthday with all the original cast. Like a good bottle of champagne we hope that we have got better with time without losing any of our sparkle.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/08/29/absolutely-fabulous-return_n_940199.html?ir=Culture

The Moon and its Lore

Posted on by

 

Urban shaman, eco-ceremonialist, ritual expert and consultant

 The Moon: Our Cosmic Mother

Posted: 8/23/11 11:25 AM ET

Avid moon watcher that I am, I must confess that I never could recognize the face of the man in the moon. How could anyone conceivably mistake that face — that round, profoundly gentle face, jolly and eternally indulgent, that unconditionally comforting countenance — for male?

The dark marks that define her features are in reality the bodies of water on her surface: the sea of tranquility, the ocean of storms and the sea of fertility. Sounds like a woman to me! My version of the ma’am in the moon will always be Aunt Jemima. The ultimate maternal perfection fantasy figure: purveyor of affection, protection and pancakes.

Women are inextricably connected to the moon, to her rhythms and waves. A woman’s blood waxes and wanes with the moon. Her urges and juices ebb and flow. And the moon, as she grows from crescent to full every month, mimics the pregnant swell of a woman’s belly, or a bunny’s, or a dog’s.

The moon as mother is a prevalent, primal mythological theme. The West African Nigeriens believe that the great moon mother sends the moon bird to Earth to deliver babies. The Baganda of Central Africa bathe their newborns by the light of the first full moon following birth. In Ashanti tradition, the moon Akua’ba, is a fertility figure. Women carry effigies of her tucked into their skirts at the small of their backs as an aid to conception and a guarantee of sturdy children.

Moon, O Mother Moon, O Mother Moon,
Mother of living things,
Hear our voice, O Mother Moon!
O Mother Moon! O Mother Moon!
– Gabon Pygmy Song

Women in Europe did the same. During the Renaissance, long after the mass acceptance of Christianity, it was understood that if a woman wanted anything, she should pray not to God, but to the moon mother for succor. Saint Augustine denounced women for dancing “impudently and filthily all the day long upon the days of the new moon,” even as their Hebrew sisters were scorned for wearing lunar amulets by the biblical prophets in Isaiah 3:18.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/donna-henes/goddess-of-the-moon_b_934353.html

Man’s Best Friend

Posted on by

Dog of Fallen Navy SEAL, Officer Jon Tumilson, Refuses To Leave Casket (VIDEO)

The dog of fallen Navy SEAL Officer Jon Tumilsonrefused to leave his owner’s casket at the officer’s funeral earlier this week, Animal Planet reported.

Tumilson’s cousin Lisa Pembleton captured the loyal pup, Hawkeye, resting alongside Tumilson’s casket at the Rockford, Iowa ceremony.

KPBS reported that the former San Diego residentwas killed in the Aug. 6th Chinook helicopter crash with 29 other American service members.

Pembleton contacted KPBS’s Home Post publication with this statement:

“Hawkeye is/was his loyal “son”. To say that he was an amazing man doesn’t do him justice. The loss of Jon to his family, military family and friends is immeasurable. I hadn’t planned on taking any pictures other than with family. However, from my seat at the funeral, I felt compelled to take one photo to share with family members that couldn’t make it or couldn’t see what I could from the aisle. This is that photo.”

to see the picture and the video, go to:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/24/dog-of-fallen-navy-seal-refuses-to-leave-casket_n_935707.html

What a Rock!

Posted on by

Surprise! Alien Planet Made of Diamond Discovered

by Nola Taylor Redd, SPACE.com Contributor
Date: 25 August 2011 Time: 02:01 PM ET
This illustration shows the alien planet PSR J1719-1438, where ultra-high pressures caused carbon to crystallize in the remnant of a dead star, forming the extrasolar world. .
This illustration shows the alien planet around pulsar PSR J1719-1438, where ultra-high pressures caused carbon to crystallize in the remnant of a dead star. The planet is made of diamond and orbits a dense pulsing star with a radius smaller than that of our sun.
CREDIT: Swinburne Astronomy Productions

A newly discovered alien planet that formed from a dead star is a real diamond in the rough.

The super-high pressure of the planet, which orbits a rapidly pulsing neutron star, has likely caused the carbon within it to crystallize into an actual diamond, a new study suggests.

The composition of the planet, which is about five times the size of Earth, is not its only outstanding feature.

to read more and see the video, go to:

Comets in the Night Sky

Posted on by

Comet Double Feature: Comets Elenin & Garradd Now Showing in Night Sky

by Geoff Gaherty, Starry Night Education
Date: 26 August 2011 Time: 10:00 AM ET
Comet Garradd can be seen right now with binoculars in the constellation Sagitta
Comet Garradd can be seen right now with binoculars in the constellation Sagitta

Skywatchers often ask “When’s the next comet?” In fact, if you’re prepared to do a bit of searching, there are always several comets visible in the night sky, including two right now.

Some comets are like old friends, they keep coming back at regular intervals to visit. These are called periodic comets; Comet Halley was the first such comet to be identified, by Edmond Halley back in 1705. It returns to the inner solar system every 75 to 76 years; its last appearance was in 1986 and its next will be in 2061. At present Halley is out just beyond Neptune;s orbit.

Other comets are one-time visitors: they come in to visit us from the Oort Cloud, warm themselves for a few months by the sun, and then head back out to the farthest reaches of the solar system.

to read more, go to: http://www.space.com/12746-comet-elenin-comet-garradd-night-sky-observing-tips.html

History Channel: Increase in UFO Sightings

Posted on by

UFO Sightings Increase 67 Percent In 3 Years, History Channel Investigates Unexplained Aerial Phenomena

by Lee Speigel, Huffington Post

First Posted: 8/26/11 08:11 AM ET Updated: 8/26/11 10:14 AM ET

Unemployment, gas prices, and fear over global warming aren’t the only things skyrocketing — so are mysterious objects rocketing through the sky.

The Mutual UFO Network — the largest privately funded UFO research organisation in the world — tells The Huffington Post that more people than ever are reporting unidentified flying objects, mostly in the United States and Canada.

“Over the past year, we’ve been averaging 500 sighting reports a month, compared to about 300 three years ago [67 percent],” MUFON international director Clifford Clift said.

“And I get one or two production companies contacting me every week, wanting to do stories on UFOs.”

So far this week, mysterious aerial lights in Laredo, Texas, and Kansas City, MO., lived up to, at least initially, the strict definition of UFOs, namely “Unidentified” Flying Objects.

That, of course, doesn’t mean that little green men are watching us. It’s generally accepted that 95 percent of all sightings are easily dismissed. Some turn out to be conventional aircraft, others are satellites or weather balloons — and then there are the hoaxers with Photoshopped concoctions.

In the case of the Kansas City sighting, the UFOs turned out to be the Army Golden Knights parachuting team, performing a nighttime jump. But the explanation for the blinking light over Laredo is still up for grabs.

However, the remaining 5 percent of all UFO reports aren’t as easily explained. And many of them are reported by commercial and military pilots. These were examined on “Secret Access: UFOs On The Record,” a new History Channel documentary that premiered on Thursday.

WATCH: UFOs OVER KANSAS CITY:

for more and the video, go to:    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/26/ufos-pilots-history-channel_n_935847.html

10 Year Old Takes on Pipe Line with A Song

Posted on by

What a 10-Year-Old Did for the Tar Sands

Why a First Nations student from British Columbia is taking on a controversial trans-Canadian pipeline project—through song.

posted Aug 15, 2011

 

Ta'Kaiya photo by Carol Carson

Photo by Carol Carson.

Ta’Kaiya Blaney’s song, “Shallow Waters,” co-written with her music teacher, was among B.C.’s top five finalists for the David Suzuki 2010 Songwriting Contest.

Ten-year-old Ta’Kaiya Blaney stood outside Enbridge Northern Gateway’s office on July 6, waiting for officials to grant her access to the building. She thought she could hand deliver an envelope containing an important message about the company’s pipeline construction. But the doors remained locked.

“I don’t know what they find so scary about me,” she said, as she was ushered off the property by security guards. “I just want them to hear what I have to say.”

The Sliammon First Nation youth put in a great effort learning about environmental issues and the pipeline in particular, and hoped to share her knowledge and carefully crafted words. Enbridge officials said they were unable to provide Ta’Kaiya space or time and failed to comment because the Vancouver office is staffed by a limited number of technical personnel. Their headquarters are located in Calgary.

So Ta’Kaiya stood outside, accompanied by three members of Greenpeace, her mother, and a number of reporters and sang her song “Shallow Waters.” The song’s video has hit YouTube and been viewed more than 53,000 times

to read more and see Ta’Kaiya Blaney sing her song, go to:   http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/what-a-10-year-old-did-for-the-tar-sands