NASA's mission to the Sun

NASA plans to launch a mission to the sun at the earliest in 2015. The project has sparked a great deal of interest at NASA as the sun's atmosphere is one of the most foreign and unknown to humankind. As program scientist Lika Guhathakurta of NASA Headquarters states, "This is an unexplored region of the solar system and the possibilities for discovery are off the charts." The probe, even at the closest point will only come within 7 million km of the sun where it will have to contend with heat and radiation levels never experienced by any spacecraft. The heat shield on the probe (which is solar-powered thank god, if it wasn't someone should be killed, it is afterall the sun) will have to tolerate temperatures above 1400 degrees celsius, and at the distance mentioned, the sun will appear 23 times wider than it does here on Earth. The depth of the sun's atmosphere of which the solar probe is to penetrate will supposedly answer two very prominent questions in astrophysics, so the project has good reason for such high-interest. Personally, I envision a slight miscalculation, sending the probe a few km too far into the sun's atmosphere where it will melt or explode (hopefully explode, since explosions are just better). Although, I hope this doesn't occur as this would render various people's hardwork for the better half of a decade useless.

We're going to tax ya... for da bearz kthx <3

Look at that polar bear! His home melted around him while he was sleeping because you drive your car too much, fly on planes too much, and buy from those nasty factories too much. Shame on you.

At least, that's what the politically-driven scientists and politicians want you to think. They want you to look at pictures like this and get all worked up, but why? So they can tax the hell out of us and get away with it. Some people are even asking them to tax us!

Take, for example, recent attempts at regulating air-traffic. Last year, the Chief of Treasury in the U.K. increased taxes on air travel in order to help fight global climate change. When asked what the money would be spent on, Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair, couldn't get an answer. It would seem the new tax is just another reason for government to reach inside people's pockets, a practice that's become a little more than habitual. After all, air-traffic adds up to only 2% of carbon dioxide emissions globally.

It's obvious that the politicians aren't really after saving our friend Mr. Polar Bear up there, but are instead after your pocket book. Consider good ol' Al Gore, the high priest of global warming hype, and his own energy consumption. Last year, his house used a shocking 213,210 kilowatt-hours of electricity, which, according to the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, is enough to power 232 average American households for a month. In fact, his personal energy consumption has INCREASED since the release of "The Inconvenient Truth." Whoopsie.

Soure material: Here and Here

Mar's Alien Life!

If you are unfortunate enough to not have seen this photo yet, well... here it is (taken from innocenenglish.com but originally from NASA). This is a photo taken by  the Mars Rover Spirit that was recovered awhile back. It sparked all kinds of theories and made Star Wars' fanboys go nuts. People basically went, as I like to say, ape shit. It looks a great deal like the blurred form of a Sandman from Episode 1 (I think that's what they're called, whatever those things are that wield snipers and have those gasmask... thingies, they're probably in other episodes as well). Just like all my disheartening posts of late, here's some bad news, it is not a life form. It is rather an oddly-shaped rock, that has eroded in a very unique way from the extreme wind on Mars. Quite a coincidence on the whole eroding shape though, huh? If you take a look at the original photograph (this is a part of the original though cut down) you can see the size measurement doesn't add up. I couldn't find the original image, but I'm sure if someone was interested enough they could. This rock in reality, is tiny compared to the Mars Rover Spirit. If only the Science-Fiction community could get a break =/.

Second Black Hole Misconception

Now on to the second misconception that black holes contain worm holes to outer reaches of space. Worm holes, unfortunately, are purely theory. A far-fetched theory at that. While it would be undoubtedly cool to enter a black hole and be transported to other parts of the universe, thus allowing us to even travel to other galaxies and solar systems (as this is recognized as an infeasible notion, even if we were allowed to travel around the speed of light which is seemingly impossible, the closest galaxy to ours is Andromeda, which is some 2 or 3 million light years away (note that one light year is about 5,878,625,373,183.61 regular miles), and at this speed would take us from earth approximately 2 million years), they simply don't exist to our knowledge. I recently watched Event Horizon, which plays somewhat with this idea. The core of a ship creates an imitation black hole to use for accelerated speed, although they don't know exactly "where" it travels to. It turns out that it has ripped open a whole in our dimension and has entered hell. This entire movie was based off an idea some crazy astronomer thought up, and has yet to be proved in any manner. Good one.

Black Hole Misconceptions

There are many older movies based upon black hole misconceptions and beliefs. Just recently I was browsing the internet and came across a great deal of information upon them and thought it interesting! Two of the largest misconceptions are that black holes are cosmic vacumm forces of death and that they contain worm holes to outer reaches of space. This, while very entertaining, is sadly untrue. Black holes are simply stars that have undergone a supernova (death of a star) and essentially, implode. While it does consume all light the star previous had (hence the title black hole), and does have "sucking power" it is not a sucking deathmachine. It does have a gravitational pull, just as any star or planet or moon, and to be pulled into this you would have to cross what is called the Schwarzschild Radius. To escape such you would have to be moving at the speed of light. Thus, if anyone has told you that if the sun was replaced with a black hole, or that if the sun turned into a black hole it would consume all the planets or perhaps even earth in its sovereign sucking-power, call them foolish. Earth's orbit would be unaffected by such. The Schwarzschild Radius, if this event did happen, would be approximately 3km. So the Earth would have to be very, very close to this newly-created black hole to be caught by it.

Nubians are an Awesome Kind of Caprine

Well the whole garden thing...my mom kinda took over, and claimed to sell most of the produce for the farmer's markets. So I had to cross-out that plan. Oh well I still have plenty of things to talk about in my blog entries. Like, my goats for example. The breed that I raise is called "Nubian" [noo-bee-an] for those with a sound it out kinda mind (hey just like mine!). I have been raising this breed since I was 12 years old. I purchased my first goat, Baliegh Sue when she was about 10 minutes old, along with her brother Barnabee. I bred "Sue" when she was 1 1/2 years old and 5 months later, she kidded triplets! Unfortunately they were all boys, but I still named them: Baysel, Bernaughrd, and Beau (yes I do spell their names weird). After I sold the triplets, and Barnabee, I purchased 2 more Nubians which I named, Natty-Gann and Nadiene. When those two were at the age to breed, I bred them, and they kidded (terminology for "giving birth) 5 kids (Natty-Gann had triplets, and Nadiene had twins) all of those were named: Normah Jean, Natalia, Nate, Noahle, and Nellie. Then just last year, when the girls out of that batch were old enough to breed, they kidded along with Nadiene and Baliegh Sue: Bella Sue, Nelson, Namelia, Nessie, Nella, and Nash (short for Nashton).

As you can tell I love my goats...alot! Nubians are awesome. They produce about 1 to 2 gallons of milk per milking, and personable and sweet/loving, and also yield the highest butter fat content as well. There are 7 breeds of dairy goats including: the Oberhasli, Alpine, Toggenburg, Sannen, Lamancha, and the Nigerian Dwarf, and of course the Nubian! Goat milk id lactose free, so it's easier to digest than cow's milk. All I have to say is Goats Rock!

The New In Flames

In Flames released their most recent album A Sense of Purpose on April 1st of 2008. Interesting enough that it was released on April fools day, this was not April fools joke. This album set records for the band. It hit 28th on the United States charts, 1st in Sweden, 7th in Canada, amongst many others. Overall the album is balanced very well with some heavy songs like The Mirror's Truth, Condemned, Disconnected and Sober and Irrelevant. They have less heavy songs such as Delight and Angers, Alias, Sleepless again. The cd is rock solid and I would say that it is their second best album right behind Come Clarity. In Flames sounds great in this album, and I can't wait for future albums to come.

Shark Attack tips

We've all thought about it. When we're at the ocean and in the water the thought of being attacked has always came to mind. The fact is that your more like to be killed by a bee sting than by a shark attack. You're even more likely to be struck by lightning when playing golf! The main cause of shark attacks are not because of the sharks...its because we act like prey when we are in the water. Humans are not made for the ocean: we cant see underwater without help, we cant breathe, and our swimming ability is poor compared to all the creatures of the deep. The plain and simple fact is If you act like prey, you're going to be prey. Here are some tips from national geographic to help reduce your risk of shark attack.

Stay away from the mouths of rivers after heavy rains, when freshwater fishes and other animals are swept out to sea.

• Swim clear of fishing boats. They often trail fish remains and blood, which can draw sharks.

• If you're bleeding, including menstruating, stay on the beach. Sharks can smell and taste even the smallest amount of blood from over a mile (1.6 kilometers) away and trace it back to its source.

• If you cut or injure yourself in the water, get out! Do not stay in the water with blood around you.

• Stay out of the water if fish blood or baitfish are present. In other words, steer clear of fishers.

• Avoid large groups of fish, seals, or sea lions. They all are prominent on the shark's menu.

• Stay away if you see large groups of dolphins and seabirds. They are attracted to the same food sharks eat. And don't make the mistake of thinking that if dolphins are present, there won't be any sharks around. Dolphins can be prey for large sharks.

• Stay away from dead animals in the water.

These last few seem logical as well...

Wearing shiny jewelry is discouraged because the reflected light resembles the sheen of fish scales.

Refrain from excess splashing and do not allow pets in the water because of their erratic movements.

Exercise caution when occupying the area between sandbars or near steep dropoffs - these are favorite hangouts for sharks.

Favara's "Soups"

We live in a world
Where we forget about Favara's "Soups"
Pen to paper, hand to forehead
Can I take it anymore?
Too many commas, too few students
Where do I go from here?

Chorus:
What can they learn from Favara's "Soups"?
To be what they can be?
Too many mistakes, I can't take it anymore!!

Persuasion, outlines and proposals
tools needed to succeed
All at their fingertips they choose not to use

Chorus:
What can they learn from Favara's "Soups"?
To be what they can be?
Too many mistakes, I can't take it anymore!!

Fragments and F.A.N.B.O.Y.S. in pursuit of perfection
i'm going insane because they ignore Favara's "Soups"
Should I follow the guidelines?
How much longer can I go?
Soup, is not in possession of the Day!!

Chorus:
What can they learn from Favara's "Soups"?
To be what they can be?
Too many mistakes, I can't take it anymore!!


There it is classmates. I tried my hardest to write this song as best as I could From Mrs. Favara's point of view. Enjoy, and i'll see all of you on Wednesday.

Deep Sea Creatures

Deep sea creatures are fish and other creatures that live down in the deepest part of the ocean. It is very cold down at the bottom and there is no sunlight only the light produced by the some of the creatures. Almost every deep sea creature has a cell in their body that makes a light. Frankly we know more about our solar system then we do about our own oceans. About 1-2% of the oceans have been fully researched, so who knows what could be out there.

Many species like the Giant Squid and Angker Fisher, have been found. But here are some other deep sea fish that are quite hideous and less known to many.

1. Gulper EelGulper eels have huge heads and tails to catch their prey. Gulper eels look like huge heads they have gaping wide jaws and an elastic stomach which allows them to swallow fish bigger than themselves.Gulper eels have little eyes and huge tails connected to them and they grow to be about 4 feet long. They live at about 10,000 feet beneath the sea.

more strange fish of the deep check out: http://www.who-sucks.com/animals/real-life-sea-monsters-24-bizarre-creatures-of-the-deep

This toad is ugly, but it is interesting because it is one of those frogs you can lick to hallucinate. I thought that was just a joke! I had heard people talk about it but I didn’t think it was real. This frog is carnivorous. It eats small rodents, small reptiles, and other toads. It lives mainly in desert areas, but can also live in water part time. They are nocturnal. They can grow to be up to 4-7 inches long. The frog’s defense is the venom it produces and is potent enough to kill a full grown dog. I guess you don’t really lick the frog, but you have to milk the frog and dry out its venom and then smoke it to get high, but wow the things people will do! The possession of this frog is illegal in some states and legal in others, but it is definitely illegal to have the venom in your possession and will land you with a charge of possession of a controlled substance. WOW!!!

I really like the looks of this frog, very colorful and pretty. They have the red eyes, bright green color and orange toes. These frogs are from the rain forest of Costa Rica. These frogs are nocturnal and that is why their eyes are red, because the color helps them to see better in the dark. People also believe their eyes are red so that if a predator wakes them during the day the bright color when their eyes open will startle the predator and give the red eyed tree frog time to escape.

I was going to do a blog today on one of the really colorful frogs, because I think they look really neat, but then I came across this frog and thought it was pretty cool, so I will do a blog later on some colorful frogs. This is a Gastric Brooding Frog. The picture to the left is a tiny frog coming out of the mommy frog’s mouth and that is a thumb behind the mommy frog’s head. It is sooooo tiny! The mommy frog actually keeps the baby frogs in her stomach until they grow legs and come hopping out, weird huh? This species of frog has baffled scientist, because they can’t figure out how the mommy frog turns off the production of hydrochloric acid while the baby frogs are growing in her actual stomach. This frog was found in Australia, but scientist think they are extinct, because they disappeared shortly after they were discovered. I think this is the strangest thing I have found on frogs so far.

Looking for a great family movie?

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian takes place centuries after Peter(William Moseley) , Susan(Anna Popplewell) , Edmund(Skandar Keynes), and Lucy‘s(Georgie Henley) first adventure to Narnia (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). The land that once belong to the Narnians is now ruled by the evil King Miraz. After King Miraz’s son was born, Miraz attempts to kill his nephew so his own son can have the thrown. Young Prince Caspian(Ben Barnes) escapes his uncles executioners and goes into hiding in the woods where he discovers the Narnians are just not a fairy tail. Prince Caspian, with the help from Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, Aslan, and the Narnians, plan to over throw King Miraz and claim back the land. It’s a great movie full of adventure and gets your imagination going with many fictional creatures. Good family movie although I don’t suggest it for very young children. I recommend seeing this movie.

The Grapes of Wrath

Brittney Hickman

The Grapes of Wrath is a classic novel published in 1939 and written by John Steinbeck. It is a story of greed, poverty, and a family that is torn apart. The Joad family lived in Oklahoma before they are forced from their homes/farmlands by the banks. During the great depression, the farmlands in that area became unprofitable due to years of over farming. The land had been sucked dry of all nutrients and nothing would grow. Farmers and families starve on their lands while the banks are pressured by the eastern companies to make money. In order to make the land profitable again, the banks flatten the farmer’s houses and give them handbills that advertise work picking grapes in California. But the desprate families were mislead, there was not enough work in California. Hundreds of thousands of people move there because they are kicked out of their homes. With no other choice the families desert their homes to move west, where the wages are low and the people are cruel.

This book is enjoyable because when reading the book you become part of the Joad family, wanting to learn more about the characters and wonder what is going to happen next. But while reading the story you learn much about America at that time. Even though the Joad family is fictional, the hardships endured actually happened to people who moved to California with the hope to pick grapes.

I recommend The Grapes of Wrath because it is fun to read and it makes you think about what it was like to be an “Okie” in California. Most starved, and anyone who demanded fair wages ended up as a “vagrant found dead” in the newspaper. Everywhere they turned they were underpaid, for work and items they sold, too little to feed a family. Many children died, it was impossible for parents to support them. Anyone who reads for entertainment would enjoy this fascinating tale.

Indiana Jones, a big disapointment!

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is set in the 1950s. Professor Jones is a teacher at Marshall College. When he looses his teaching job and tries to leave town. He is stopped by a young man named Mutt Williams. Mutt needed Indy’s help to get his mother back from the Soviets. But first they needed to find the Crystal Skull of Akator to keep it out of the hands of the Soviets who believe the skull can help the Soviets dominate the world if they can unlock its secrets. In the end, the soviet leader is destroyed and Indy discovers Mutt is his biological son. The movie was ok but a big disappointment. I expected more adventure and a storyline that was put together, not thrown together. I lost interest early on in the movie. The animation in this movie was to much and then to find out the skulls belong to aliens. Come on! Definitely not worth the money to go see. Save a few bucks and rent it comes out on DVD!!!

Giant Squid: Fact or Fiction?

For centuries many have wonder of what lurks in the depths of the ocean. One of the most famous creatures is the fabled giant squid. However in recent years we have come to discover that this fabled creature is more than that. The giant squid is real.

The shot above was taken from Tsunemi Kubodera from the National Science Museum of Japan. Back in 2004 he and several others had led an expedition to photograph this sea creature. This was aired on the Discovery Channel. They succeeded in retrieving a picture that was not as good as the one above, but were happy to finally have prove of its existence. The current picture is 2006 and there is now video taken from Tsunemi.

Here are some facts about giant squids: Giant squid are very widespread, occurring in all of the world's oceans. They are usually found near continental and island slopes from the North Atlantic Ocean. Recent studies show that giant squid feed on deep-sea fish and other squid species. They catch prey using the two tentacles, gripping it with serrated sucker rings on the ends. Then they bring it toward the powerful beak, and shred it with the radula (tongue with small, file-like teeth) before it reaches the esphogus . They are believed to be solitary hunters, as only individual giant squid have been caught in fishing nets. It is thought that they reach sexual maturity at about 3 years; males reach sexual maturity at a smaller size than females.

The rest of this and more facts about the giant squid see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_squid

thanks for reading.

My meet and greet with In Flames!

Since I am a member of In Flames fan site, www.Jesterhead.com, I had the opportunity of a lifetime. On May 17th 2008, I got to meet my favorite band at Gigantour in Salem at the Salem Armory. I arrive at the Armory at about 3:10pm and get a call from the guy that is setting it up telling me that we will meet at the merch booth at 6:20pm. So, that time arrives and he comes up to us and gives us our backstage passes and we go backstage. When we get to the tour buses there is the band just standing there. It was insane! They came up and introduced themselves, and once that was done we got to take pictures with them, and have so e of our stuff signed as well. I spoke with them for about an hour, mainly with the drummer. I spent about half an hour talking with him about just random stuff like video games, and other music as well. Long story short it was an unforgettable day. After the meet and greet was the show and that was amazing. It was my first time seeing them live and I lost my voice the next day. It was the best experience I have ever had.

summer's almost here...

Everyone likes a nice golden tan. In today's society it's a sign of health and beauty. But long term exposure to the UVA and UVB rays can cause wrinkles, age spots, change in texture and thickness due to the drying out of skin, and even skin cancer.
But sunlight exposure also gives us an important element-Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps keep bones, teeth, and joints healthy by giving you a higher bone mineral density. It also protects against heart disease, depression, cancer, strokes, and osteoporis.
Tanning beds seem to be very popular these days. They provide a beautiful tan in only minutes, and they've also been shown to make people feel better. However, when in the bed, your eyes are exposed to radiation levels of up to 100 times more than the sun.
Doctors say that "no tan is a good tan" and "any amount of exposure to the sun can lead to skin cancer". But this doesn't mean we should lock ourselves inside and fear the sun. It simply means to be smart. Here's a few tips:

1. use a bronzing cream or self-tanning spray
2. if you go to a tanning salon, do not go longer than the recommended time.
3. if you tan outside, use sunscreen-frequently.
4. it is best to avoid tanning in the sun between noon and 3pm when rays are strongest.
5. Protect your eyes! Wear sunglasses outside and goggles when tanning inside.
6. use an after-tan lotion to moisturize your skin.

Chickadees heart peanut butter

After getting an expensive bird bath and setting up a fancy feeder on a shepherd's hook to make my back yard amenable to birds, I have had no action attendant to either of these additions. However, the corny little pine cone feeders Ramona and I made together as a mommy and me project (smear peanut butter into a pine cone, roll it in bird seed, tie a piece of yarn on it, and hang it from the telephone wire) are attracting crowds of black capped chickadees, a lovely little bird. I love hearing their pips and "dee-dee-dee"s. So much for investing in infrastructure.

lock your doors....

for my second review i have decided to jump to a horror film that, to me at least, looks absolutely terrifying. "The Strangers", written and directed by Bryan Bertino, is a film about a couple who just got back from a friends wedding reception to a nice quiet vacation home. what they thought would be a night of romance soon turns into a terrifying struggle for survival after they become terrorized by three strangers. the film uses classic horror elements of lighting, sound, and a very creepy setting that makes you think anything can happen in an isolated area. The film is based on a true story that happened on February 11th, 2005, but no one really knows the true story of the violet murder that took place there. this film's experience is made possible by the two very good actors, Love Tyler, and Scott Speedman, who bring the terrifying feeling of being terrorized to life. if you are looking for a new terrifyingly good movie to see, i recommend seeing this film, for you should not be disappointed. it is not for the faint of heart though, if you don't like being scared, this movie may not be for you.

"The Strangers" opends everywhere may 30th 2008, be sure to see it!

Hen with Spurs!

While trimming my hens beak I noticed she had begun growing spurs. It’s very unusual for a hen to develop spurs but not unheard of. So I decided to look into it. I discovered that it depends on the breed of chicken. I also learned its also possible that females will develop male characteristics like spurs, crowing, and a large comb. When there isn’t a rooster around the dominate hen begins developing male characteristics. Once a rooster is put in with the flock of hens, she will loose the male characteristics and act like a normal hen again. I don’t think this what’s going on since I already have I rooster. I really don’t want to deal with anymore crowing. I guess just have to wait and see what happens.

If you're going to grow corn, go Native American

Well, I finally started pulling many of the weeds in my garden last week, and boy, there were ALOT of them! Once I had a small patch of earth to work with, I began thinking about what to plant in my garden. Hmmm...well I know that I want to try to go all organic this year, using only natural fertilizer, and compost materials. My garden is about a 20x15 spot...so it's not too big, nor too small. I was thinking about planting "Indian corn" which is some what similar to regular corn, only it has dark kernels that are a little hard...they're mostly used for decoration on tables for Thanksgiving and harvest time. Indian corn is my favorite type of corn because it is colorful, and is one of the easiest to grow. Many people ask why it is different colored? Actually nature intended corn to be those colors, to ward off certain fungi, and bugs, and also so it can be camouflaged too. The old wise tale is "Your corn should be knee-high at fourth of July." So I guess I'd better get to planting!

Bird week

This was an amazing week for a recent convert to bird watching. I saw a striking bird in a cherry tree in North Portland that I thought was a Western Tanager--checked with the Dean of Humanities, birding guru, and learned they're migrating through the region and are everywhere, and so plausible to see even in the city. Rechecked the picture in my bird guide, felt sure, then spotted two more on campus. Now I'll know it when I see it. Checked a Spotted Towhee on the ground near the daycare center at Clark. Black top, white spots on the wings, orange sides just under, and white belly. Also, we replaced our furnace with a new one and our old chimney is now non-functional, and a big family of swifts is living in it for the third summer in a row. One can sit at the back of our yard and watch them circle and swoop into the chimney; once they have babies, ca. early June, the cheeping of the young is audible from my pantry (behind which is the chimney) whenever the adults come home to feed the babies. It is pretty great to have a habitat house--and the swifts live on airborne insects, so we can barbecue without fear of mosquitoes.

Six Sea Lion Deaths Still a Mystery.

Here is an update upon the sea lion story. The sea lions were found Sunday in two traps. Each held three animals, and the doors to both were somehow closed. They were all dead. The traps are intended to confine them until they are relocated. At first the main cause of death was thought to have been from gunshot, however analysts are not to sure. They went and examined the bodies and found no metal slugs in the bodies. The next thought was that maybe they were poisoned. Here is an excerpt from The Seattle Times describing it in detail.

"An examination of the heads of six sea lions who died in traps at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River hasn't given federal investigators reason to pursue toxicology tests to see whether the animals were poisoned, an official of the National Marine Fisheries Service said today.

Beyond that, however, federal officials revealed little about the mystery surrounding the deaths of the six animals trapped in cages as part of an effort to keep them from feeding on endangered salmon.

Fisheries officials have ruled out their initial assumption the six sea lions were shot to death and say they are still puzzled about how the animals came to be trapped in the cages. The trap doors had been left open, so the sea lions would grow accustomed to them until it was time to send them to aquariums."

They have studied the heads of the sea lions but have not released anything to the public as of yet.

In Flames: Subterranean

Shortly after the release of Lunar Strain, In Flames started working Subterranean. The band though didn't have a committed singer because Mikael Stanne decided to leave and join Dark Tranquility. The band decided to "borrow" Henke Forss. When Subterranean was released, it helped In Flames to break from the underground scene and sign a deal with the record label, Nuclear Blast. In Flames finally got tired of not having committed members in the band, so Jesper asked Bjorn Gelotte to be the band's official drummer to which he agreed. 6 months later they asked Anders Friden to join the band and become the full tie vocalist. He is the current vocalist today. The band then started to produce their first album under Nuclear Blast; this album is known as The Jester Race. This would be the bands most popular album until their next release, Whoracle.

I think I saw a Western Tanager

I am pretty sure, but wonder if it's possible--I saw it in a North Portland cherry tree, right on a city street. Might one have been there?

REAL Online Dating Advice: The Intro

I've never done a blog before, so here it goes... I'm going to give my opinion on what I think about online dating coaches and how they're advice to either out dated or just not good at all. Granted, when you're in the world of being single(or single-ish...You know what I'm talking about!) and decide to start dating in hopes of meeting that special someone, there are risks and precautions that you have to take. This also pertains to 99.9% of other things that are going on in your life. The thing is, there's a lof of us out there who just have more of an understanding about things in life due to the fact that we've been through many different experiences, and we've experienced things at an earlier stage in life. In other words, WE GET IT. I find it funny that when I read the articles online, they never speak to the person that gets it already and just needs more advice. Well fear not, smart dater! I am that person, and over the next few weeks, I'll provide you with knowledge and insight that you'll need to reach the next level. How can I give dating advice, you ask? Simple. I'm a proven vet, and my track record speaks for its self(and to those willing to listen...). Thank you taking time to read my introduction, I'll get started for real on my next post. Stay tuned....

How to Fudge the Data: Shrinking the Sample

An important part of any study is in its ability to be applied on a large scale. Nobody can argue that it is thus important to take as large of a sample as possible in order to give any kind of accurate representation. The hype regarding global warming fails on this simple, yet important, aspect in their cries about global climate change.

Al Gore, the poster child for global warming, claimed in his movie "The Inconvenient Truth" that,

"If you look at the ten hottest years ever measured, they all occurred in the last fourteen years, and the hottest of all was 2005."

Although 2005 was a very hot year (this was the year Sin City came out after all), in terms of global temperature over all of measured history, Gore is sorely mistaken. In fact, the ten hottest years ever measured happened thousands of years ago and 2005 was not one of them, according to Professor Richard A. Muller and Gordon J. Macdonald in their book Ice Ages and Astronomical Causes. So how is Gore able to make such a ridiculous claim? Simple, he shrunk the sample.

It's true that in the last 125 years temperatures have been slowly wandering upwards, but 125 years is insignificantly small in comparison to the history of Earth or even in comparison to human history. In reality there have been several periods of time where the Earth has been significantly hotter than it is now, and in the past 11 thousand years there have been at least 5 spikes where temperatures got hotter than they are now or were in 2005. I'd say that eleven thousand years is a pretty significant sample size, wouldn't you?

For more information, visit this site. Chill out!

Flicker news!

Okay, so I am a geek, but I am really into the Northern flicker, my favorite woodpecker. I about had a breakdown when I noticed one poking for ants in my back yard. I live in the Mississippi neighborhood in North Portland, which is pretty urban. Walking to breakfast on Saturday, I heard the flicker's distinctive "wicka wicka wicka" call LOUD right on Mississippi Ave. I looked up and saw a male flicker (the boys have red spots on each cheek) ducking into a hole in a telephone pole. At the foot of the telephone pole was a scattered heap of wood fragments, clearly whittled out by the flicker, who had built himself a nest. I've seen and heard these beautiful birds all over the neighborhood, but I've never seen the place one calls home. The male excavates a cavity nest, then tries to woo a sweetie to live there with eggs. Ramona and I are walking by a couple of times a day to see if he's home, and shamelessly pointing him out to passersby when he is. I think he should be our neighborhood mascot, and he needs a name. Any ideas? I think this will be my summer project with Ramona--keeping track of this woodpecker, taking some pictures, and watching to see whether he finds a lady woodpecker to have a family with.

Solar System? Systems.

(It seems this post is getting cut off if you have your web browser's font size too low, Cntrl+Mouse-Scroll Up remedies this problem)
As one who takes severe interest in the unknown (which is quite vast considering Earth's approximate 4.6 billion year history, or 6000 years if you're Christian etc etc.) I find our Solar System, as well as every other Solar System recently discovered, to be at the top of the list. Recently
astronomers have found a "planetary system" that highly resembles our own, although it's a 
staggering 5000 light-years away.  The two planets found are comparable to Jupiter and Saturn 
in our Solar System, despite the star they orbit being half the size of our Sun. With similar orbiting periods and radii, these planets and Systems are beginning to prove our own planetary situation is no anomaly. Thus, the possiblity of alien-life existing elsewhere increases dramatically, as who can honestly put a maximum on the number of systems, stars,  planets that are to be found? Some may have refuted this possibility twenty or thirty years ago, but ever since the first discovery in 1995 by Mayor and Queloz of planets orbiting sun-comparable stars, that refutation has seem duller and duller. As technology advances at a lightning-
speed rate, we can only guess what is to be discovered in the years coming. A 2006 estimate 
placed astronomers at discovering 25 new planets every year, and it is still increasing. A congratulatory  pat-on-the-back to science and technology with anticipation for the future. 

The American Pit Bull Terrier

From my personal experiences I have come to find that many people really do not know much about today's Pit Bull, and that because a few of us have chosen to exploit this amazing breeds natural attributes, they have in turn acquired a notorious reputation for violence. These canines are not the monsters that the press has made them out to be, and in actuality are very intelligent, very trainable, and emotionally stable creatures. Pit Bulls are athletic, strong, and highly motivated to please their masters. These dogs require responsible owners who will regularly exercise them, and properly train them. Pits are extremely loving and loyal, and make great companions.


Today many breeds that are known as "bully dog breeds," are being target through "BSL,." also known as "breed specific legislation." Due to this legislation Pit Bulls are being banned in many places throughout the U.S.
The only thing this legislation is accomplishing is the dismemberment of families from their cherished pets.


Here is a really short video that was created in response to BSL.
http://technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DcJueekvhRDI

Plants of Pacific Northwest

I enjoy exploring outdoors and chose to blog about plants that we may come across while walking, hiking or just messing around in the yard.

Here is an example of one of the cool flowers I spotted while hiking at Multnomah Falls. They can be found in a variety of colors. I think the white and purple trillium is my favorite flower next to roses. According to my handy dandy plant guide you can also find them in Mt. Hood National Forest for anyone with some free time for plant watching!

Trillium ovatum

Habitat: Moist woods, shaded open areas
Bloom time: April to June
Range: British Columbia to central California.

Chickens

I decided to do my independent study on chickens. I recently had a hen who went broody (wants to hatch out eggs) on 3/30/08. It takes about 21 days for the chick to hatch. One night I candled (shined a light through the egg to examine the contents without breaking the shell) noticed the chick moving around, so I got my camera and recorded it. At the time it was about 7 days old. In the video you’ll see a dark spot appear and disappear. That spot is the chick. I can’t figure out how to add the video so I posted the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqsYWrDrTY8

Today was day 27, and unfortunately the chick didn’t hatch. I figured the chick had died because there has been no noise or movement from inside the shell. So I took and cracked the shell, I noticed it had stopped devolving. By looking at the chick, I estimate it died probably around 1 ½ weeks along. The hen is pretty upset that her egg is gone. She tore the nest apart looking for it. I’d be upset too if I had to sit there 27 days straight!

Frogs

I decided to do my independent study on frogs because I like them and think they are cute. Here are some facts about frogs. When frogs swallow their food, their eyes close and go down into their head to push the food down their throat. Frogs have very small shaped teeth on the upper edge of their jaw and also on the roof of their mouth. They don't have any on their bottom jaw. They don't use their teeth to chew, just to hold their prey in place until they can get a good enough grip to swallow. Frogs have very strong legs. They can jump over 20 times their own length. Frogs breath and drink through their skin. They absorb oxygen from the water through their skin in addition to what they breath in through their lungs. It is very important they keep their skin in good condition because they rely on the extra oxygen absorbed. Frogs secrete mucus through their skin so they stay moist. If their skin dries out they could suffocate. Frogs shed their skin pretty often, some as often as daily. They twist and turn and look like they have the hiccups to stretch their skin out. Then they pull their skin over their heads and eat it! Lots of frogs live between 5 and 12 years. Frogs largest protection from predators is how they camouflage themselves. Some frogs can change their color based on light, moisture, temperature and even mood.

ride the express

the first new movie i decided to review was definetley hard to find considering it has not been promoted yet on televiosion. but after long hours of searching i finally found it, and im glad i did. the movie "Pineapple Express" is a film about 2 "stoners" who find themselfs in huge amount of trouble when Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) witness a cop commit murder. Dale Denton finds out that the marijuana he purchased from his friend and dealer Saul Sulivan (James Franco) is linked backed to the crooked cop who in fact worked for the largest drug lord in America. once on the run Dale Denton and Saul Sulivan must find a way to end the mess and keep their lives. directed by David gordon Green, pineapple express displays huge amount's of comedy and action that will keep you entertained from begining to end. featuring seth Rogen "Superbad, Knocked up", and james Franco "Spiderman 3", Pineapple Express is filled with talent and character. this movie comes out Auguest 8, 2008, make sure not to miss it!

In Flames: The beginning of the Gothenberg sound part 1

It all started in 1990, all thanks to guitarist Jesper Stromblad. He began In Flames as a side project while he was in the band Ceremonial Oath. He wanted to make a band his own and take metal into a new direction so he figured the best way to do that would be to create his own band. He teamed up with Glenn Ljungstrom and Johan Larsson to form In Flames. The band needed a singer, so they re0cruited Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquility; He is no longer with the band. The band created their first studio Album "Lunar Strain" under Wrong again records. This album was the band's first breakthrough album that would get them from the underground scene.

Sea Lion Killing Authorized

The killing of sea lions that have been eating the salmon has been approved by the federal government. The sea lions at the base of the dam take up to 4 percent of the spring Chinook heading upriver to spawn. Many say that the problem lies in another form, mostly the hydroelectric dams which slow the salmon down when trying to head into the river. Other problems such as predator birds and pollution have also effect the successful spawning of the salmon. However in case of the sea lions many have been relocated to San Diego's Sea World for safe keeping. It is unlikely that they will be able to hold more however. When a sea lion is caught it must be held for 48 hours so that authorities can find a possible new home, rather than killing it. Both of these species are protected, but due to the sudden increase of these sea lions it is obvious what must be done. As sad as this story is I believe that this is the right choice in taking care of this predicament. I do not believe in unnecessary killing, but when most of our country depends on certain food sources its either us of them. And most would see it that way. I am sad to see these creatures being killed, but there is not much I can do. What they could do is get some of the inuit tribes to start hunting the lions so they could provide for their homes.

Geography of Croatia

My blog is going to be all about the country Croatia. About the history of the country, the geography, the language, interesting facts ect.
I will start off with a little bit of Geography about Croatia:
Croatia is located in south central Europe. To give a better picture in mind to the round abouts to where this country is located, it is by Serbia, Bosnia, and is North of Italy.
Croatia looks like a horseshoe, to also give the beautiful country a better picture in your mind.
Croatia is very famous for its Beautiful, breathtaking even, national parks. Full of amazingly green trees, fresh water, beautiful flowers, and many pretty flowers. It would be a wonderful place to vist if you love the outdoors, the air is fresh and every view is one for the camera and the eye.
The climate in Croatia varies: In the North and East parts, it is continental. Along the coast lines, it is Mediterranean, and highland climate is in the south central part of Croatia.
Offshore of Croatia consists of over one thousand islands.
Croatia is a very beautiful, geographically, country. The air is fresh, the grass is green. And, without a doubt, a place for those who LOVE the outdoors!!

What's hotter than the sun?

Here in the Northwest (rain capitol), everyone's seen a thunderstorm. They come as no surprise to us. But, believe it or not, thunderstorms are actually one of the most dangerous of all weather activity. Especially since 40,000 of them occur throughout the world everyday.
Thunderstorms are experienced everywhere; even in the polar regions-although they are very rare due to cold surface temperatures. They tend to be more frequent in tropical rainforest areas, where they occur almost everyday. A thunderstorm forms when "moist, unstable air is lifted vertically into the atmosphere". This results in condensation and the release of latent heat. During a thunderstorm you may experience hail, heavy rain, strong winds, thunder, lightning, and even tornadoes.
Tornadoes are very common in the Midwest and southern United States where warm air from the south collides with cold air from the north. This usually results in the formation of a mesocyclone. A mesocyclone is a strong "vertical updraft". Mesocyclones can form over a storm and produce a type of cloud dome. Half of these produce tornadoes.
We (being mostly me) seem to complain a lot about the rain here. We should be thankful, however, that we don't get worse weather. In some midwest and southern states, people experience hail the size of baseballs, wind gusts up to 97 kilometers per hour, and dangerous lightning. Did you know the temperature of a lightning bolt can be hotter than the sun?

IRAQ WAR

Over the last six months or so I’ve become really fascinated with the Iraq war.
I’m not for this war what so ever! I’ve come to finally realized that the United states is in the longest war involving U.S. soldiers since Vietnam, and the costliest since W.W.II. This is our generation going through this. Those are our brothers and boyfriends and pieces of our families over there fighting and everybody just wants to pretend that nothing’s going on.
I really don’t understand where all the flower children have gone? The Iraq war looks like the American experience in vietnam only no one wants to have a voice or rally against this war. One of the most obvious reasons to me why people aren’t marching against this was is because there hasn’t been a draft. Another reason i think may be because people aren’t really getting to see what’s going on over there. Unlike vietnam we don’t get to see the coffins arrive on the air-force base and the president doesn't attend military funerals and the television never shows the dead solders or the wounded ones. All these things combined kill the wars impact on our society.
It just hurts my heart see our country go through this and to see that people don’t want to stand up for it. Even people that are for this war aren’t standing out and showing there pride. It’s like America is numb to this whole thing. I feel like it going to come and bite us right in the butt and we are going to have no idea what to do or how to handle it.

On Global Warming and Human Narcissim

I've always been a skeptic of apocalyptic hysteria, as I'm sure all of us are to some extent, yet recently it seems people have worked themselves into a frenzy over the idea of global warming. We've got new emission laws popping up all over the place, politicians running around like maniacs (even a city commissioner who claims "Trees have rights"), and a new breed of activists, all claiming that if the human race doesn't stop poking at Mother Nature, she'll hit back, hard. Personally, I find it all a little ridiculous.

It's human nature to want to feel important and to feel in control, there's just no way of getting around it, and I think that explains a lot of the hysteria regarding global warming. We want to think we have a significant impact on the Earth's climate because it would make us important and give us some measure of control over our vast and ever-changing world. However, the numbers just simply don't add up. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, humans have emitted a total of only 3.298% of all the greenhouse gasses (aside from water vapor) in Earth's atmosphere. This means that 96.702% of emissions come from plants, animals, and other natural causes! I'm no mathematician, but I'd say that's pretty insignificant, at least not significant enough to cause such extreme damage as some would claim.

So what's the cause of temperature change then? Natural cycles, in my opinion. The Earth goes through hot and cold spells over time, it's to be expected. It's generally accepted that before human's time there were more than a few ice ages, yet somehow the Earth managed to heat itself back up into the state it's in today, right? We're just in another upper part of the cycle.

Do I really have a green thumb?

Gardening. I always thought it was the kind of thing that little old ladies did for fun after they had their morning tea, and went to church. But I guess I was wrong. Gardening is apparently fun for anyone who wants to get outside and do something with their unused plot of land. Since my family lives on a 5 acre farm, and there is an actual spot for a garden (the people who lived there before us made that area) I said, "Why not?" So here I am, just starting to wake up the garden from the hibernating winter weather which is apparently still lingering...(it actually snowed at my house today!) I haven't had a garden since like, 2 years ago, so I'm thinking I may be a little rusty. I wonder what I should plant? When do I start planting!? I'll probably begin planting after the last frost which is usually the last of April...lol. I just put a leaf mulch on top so hopefully most of the weeds will disintegrate, and I won't have to weed as much. Anyways, I am so ready to tackle this new project!

You Can't Put a Dead Bird on Your Life List

I became interested in birdwatching when I was pregnant with Ramona and had to give up my bad habits. I took a short hike in Oaks Bottom park and witnessed an osprey with a 4-foot wingspan (aka sea hawk) plucking a fish out of the marsh & taking it back to a nest that rested atop a power pole. I had never been aware that wild animals lived in Portland, and lived here well. I also saw a small owl perching in a tree just off the path, just about 20 yards off of Milwaukee, an extremely busy street. I got enamored of the idea of this whole secret wild life transpiring off the radar of our urban lives, and I bought a book about local birds. A few minutes with the book showed me that I had been blind for years to my surroundings: I used to think all birds in the city were sparrows or robins; I've since learned that some of the brown birds are sparrows, some are wrens, some are woodpeckers. Soon after buying the book I noticed an odd-shaped bird on the telephone pole outside my bedroom window just before it began hammering at the wood--it was a northern flicker, a beautiful, weird looking woodpecker that has sort of become my spirit animal. I am now on the watch for new birds everywhere I go. Let me explain the title of this post: when you become a birder, you start keeping a Life List, which is a list of all of the birds you have ever seen in person. The dean of my department is an avid and accomplished birder, and I learn a lot from talking with him about birds. I ran into him on campus today, and he told me that he had just disposed of the body of an orange-rumped warbler that ran into a window at Bauer Hall. I lamented that I had not seen it as I have never seen this bird before. Then it occurred to me: you have to see the bird out there doing its thing. You can't add a dead bird to your life list.

Now we start

Dear students:
You will pick your topics this weekend and begin blogging next week. I am very excited to learn with you.