Look What The Cat Dragged In!

HA HA HA HA!!! I got this in an email this AM and just had to share!

"One week after being born, six baby skunks were abandoned by their mother. Luckily, we had just weaned five kittens off of our resident farm cat a day before and hoped that perhaps she might take them on as her own. She was reluctant at first, but she let them nurse – a positive sign. Two weeks have gone by and the six little "Stinkers" are thriving and their new mom couldn't be happier. She has become quite devoted to them and even carries them around to show them off to visitors."

Thank You To All Our Troops!

Hat tip My Republican Blog for the cool picture!

It's a good time to send the troops a card: http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1280.html

Infiltration ~ Paul Sperry

This is another book I've had in the "to read" pile, which I finally got to. It covers in great detail all the little loopholes through which jihadists have infiltrated our free society, and it's pretty scary. For example, foreign nationals from terrorist sponsoring states frequently tour our nuclear laboratories and power plants to 'learn about' our security measures. Can you imagine? Crazy. Almost nobody in government has even bothered to read the koran! Incredible. No wonder they're so clueless. Anyhow, here's the Sperry suggestions to combat islamic terrorism:

1. Citizens should examine and protest building of mosques in their backyard.
2. Enforce the oath of allegiance (no dual citizenship with terror nations).
3. Profile muslim travelers.
4. Audit muslim charities and mosques.
5. Break all government ties with CAIR.
6. Expose the Saudi embassy (due to its connection and prior knowledge of 911).
7. Deny secuity clearance to muslim activists.
8. Offer scholarships in arabic language studies.
9. Fight muslim activism in public schools.
10. Step up counterterrorism training at Quantico.

and... here's his website: http://www.sperryfiles.com/

Giant Alabama Pig

In this photo released by Melynne Stone, Jamison Stone, 11, poses with a wild pig he killed near Delta, Ala., May 3, 2007. Stone’s father says the hog weighed a staggering 1,051 pounds and measured 9-feet-4 from the tip of its snout to the base of its tail. If claims of the animal’s size are true, it would be larger than “Hogzilla,” the huge hog killed in Georgia in 2004. (AP Photo/Melynne Stone).

Hat tip LGF

The Moon's Saturn

Credit & Copyright: Jens Hackmann
Explanation: On May 22nd, just days after sharing the western evening sky with Venus, the Moon moved on to Saturn - actually passing in front of the ringed planet when viewed in skies over Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. Because the Moon and bright planets wander through the sky near the ecliptic plane, such occultation events are not uncommon, but they are dramatic, especially in telescopic views. For example, in this sharp image Saturn is captured emerging from behind the Moon, giving the illusion that it lies just beyond the Moon's bright edge. Of course, the Moon is a mere 400 thousand kilometers away, compared to Saturn's distance of 1.4 billion kilometers. Taken with a digital camera and 20 inch diameter telescope at the Weikersheim Observatory in southern Germany, the picture is a single exposure adjusted to reduce the difference in brightness between Saturn and the cratered lunar surface.

Hijab Avatar

"Because They Hate"

Just finished Brigitte Gabriel's book "Because They Hate". I like collecting 'recommendations' which are usually at the back of the book. Here's hers:

"1. Close Our Borders

2. Reform the Immigration and Naturalization Process

3. Increase Human Intelligence

4. Profile

5. Control Education of Foreign Students of Hostile Countries (no science courses).

6. Develop Alternative Energy Sources

7. Silence Any Teaching of Hate and Intolerance Against Our Country

8. Contact Elected Officials:
- Pass laws that will publicly disclose which countries sponsor terror.
- Support the Patriot Act.
- Ensure wide presidential powers to protect us during this time of war.
- Restrict visas granted to Islamic foreign nationals each year.
- Provide for US energy security and reduce oil imports.
- Create legislation that will lead to alternative fuel sources.
- Pass laws that promote Western values and ideals, and dismiss PC.
- Secure the borders
- Fight legislation that empowers all tax-exempt religious organizations with increased abilities for political influence.
- Enact laws to discourage excessive foreign funding for religious groups in the US.
- With Islamic countries, insist on reciprocation or no deal. If they want to build a mosque here, we build a church there.
- Pursue all means available to uncover the plots of terror cell members.

9. Monitor Your Local College or Universities Middle Eastern studies programs for anti-semitic, anti-western proclivities.

10. Report Suspicious Activity or Behavior.

11. Join an Activist Organization Against Terror

12. Lobby for patriotic Education in America’s Schools

13. Stay Informed and Speak Out

14. Promote Western Values in Your Home

15. Important Things You Can Do:
- Divest your own portfolio of investments in companies that do business with terrorist-sponsoring states. Go to www.divestTerror.org.
- Learn which Muslim organizations have ties to terror.
- Learn about the electromagnetic pulse attacks and the EMP Threat Commission.
- Defend and support all movements toward personal freedom in the Middle East.
- Reduce your own fuel consumption.
- Support our troops."

An Old Indian Legend ~ by Klea V. Stilwell

There is an old, old legend,
Of how it came to be,
That dog forsook the wild to dwell,
With folks like you and me.

Now man and beast they lived on,
A common bit of earth.
Each specie thought the other,
Of very little worth.

One day there was a rumble,
The earth began to quake,
It gave a mighty shudder,
And then began to break.

A crack began to widen,
Between the beasts and man.
Some watched the crevasse deepen,
But most just turned and ran.

Now the dog surveyed the distance,
And Man beheld it too.
Between them sprang a yearning,
A feeling strange and new.

Then each one begged the other
To make the fateful leap,
Yet each one dreaded jumping
A crack so wide and deep.

So Dog compelled his courage
And told Man he would try.
He eyed the fatal distance,
For if he failed, he'd die.

Then Dog prepared to jump across
His courage had decided.
That if he could but make the jump,
They'd no more be divided.

His muscles bunched beneath him;
His body left the ground.
The wind raced past his muzzle;
His heart began to pound.

His senses sought the purchase
Of land beneath his feet.
At last his forepaws met the ground.
His mission was complete!

NO! His hind feet have slipped and
He's falling off the side!
His gallant farewell look said,
"At least, New Friend, I tried."

With disbelieving glance, Man
Beheld his falling friend.
He wouldn't let it happen;
It couldn't be the end!

Then flesh smote air in searching,
And hand met paw and fur.
Then Man pulled Dog to safety
As heart to heart they were.

Man called and Dog responded,
And though the gulf was wide,
Man gained the loyal canine
Forever by his side.

Middle Eastern Moms

Moms in Palestine pose for a group photo in Gaza. Lovely huh? While moms in America ponder their kids SAT scores, Palestinian moms ponder how to kill and be killed.

Hat tip LGF:

"Female Palestinian militants from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, who claim they are willing to be suicide bombers, hold weapons during a news conference in Jebaliya, northern Gaza Strip, Monday, May 21, 2007.‘ (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)"

The Lost World ~ Michael Crichton

This is sort of a sequel to "Jurassic Park". People go to a nearby island to find the original dinosaur factory which provided the animals for Jurassic Park before it was destroyed. It was very similar to Jurassic Park. I did find this quote interesting though:

"But even more important, is the way complex systems seem to strike a balance between the need for order and the imperative to change. Complex systems tend to locate themselves at a place we call "the edge of chaos." We imagine the edge of chaos as a place where there is enough innovation to keep a living system vibrant, and enough stability to keep it from collapsing into anarchy. It is a zone of conflict and upheaval, where the old and the new are constantly at war. Finding the balance point must be a delicate matter - if a living system drifts too close, it risks falling over into incoherence and dissolution; but if the system moves too far away from the edge, it becomes rigid, frozen, totalitarian. Both conditions lead to extinction. Too much change is as destructive as too little. Only at the edge of chaos can complex systems flourish. And, by implication, extinction is the inevitable result of one or the other strategy - too much change, or too little."

My guess is this applies to political systems as well.

In the Center of Reflection Nebula NGC 1333

Credit & Copyright: T. Rector (U. Alaska Anchorage), H. Schweiker, WIYN, NOAO, AURA, NSF
Explanation: The dust is so thick in the center of NGC 1333 that you can hardly see the stars forming. Conversely, the very dust clouds that hide the stars also reflects their optical light, giving NGC 1333's predominantly blue glow the general designation of a reflection nebula. A highly detailed image of the nebula, shown above, was taken recently by the Mayall 4-meter telescope on Kitt Peak in Arizona, USA and released to honor astronomer Stephen Strom on his retirement. Visible near the image top are vast blue regions of dust predominantly reflecting the light from bright massive stars. Visible in the thick central dust are not only newly formed stars but red jets and red-glowing gas energized by the light and winds from recently formed young stars. The NGC 1333 nebula contains hundreds of newly formed stars that are less than one million years old. Reflection nebula NGC 1333 lies about 1,000 light years away toward the constellation of Perseus.

Matthew 7:15-23

" "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'""


Hat tip: Farmer's Letters for the cool picture:>D

Dark Matter Ring Modeled around Galaxy Cluster CL0024+17

Credit: NASA, ESA, M. J. Jee & H. Ford et al. (Johns Hopkins U.)
Explanation: How do we know that dark matter isn't just normal matter exhibiting strange gravity? A new observation of gravitationally magnified faint galaxies far in the distance behind a massive cluster of galaxies is shedding new dark on the subject. The above detailed image from the Hubble Space Telescope indicates that a huge ring of dark matter likely exists surrounding the center of CL0024+17 that has no normal matter counterpart. What is visible in the above image, first and foremost, are many spectacular galaxies that are part of CL0024+17 itself, typically appearing tan in color. Next, a close inspection of the cluster center shows several unusual and repeated galaxy shapes, typically more blue. These are multiple images of a few distant galaxies, showing that the cluster is a strong gravitational lens. It is the relatively weak distortions of the many distant faint blue galaxies all over the image, however, that indicates the existence of the dark matter ring. The computationally modeled dark matter ring spans about five million light years and been digitally superimposed to the image in diffuse blue. A hypothesis for the formation of the huge dark matter ring holds that it is a transient feature formed when galaxy cluster CL0024+17 collided with another cluster of galaxies about one billion years ago, leaving a ring similar to when a rock is thrown in a pond.

I'm Back!

Had a great time visiting my family in Canada:>) Picked up the dogs at the kennel, and poor Avatar woke me up every hour last night wanting out with 'the trots'. The Avatars brother has some sort of gagging thing going on, so we're going to the vet in about 15 minutes to see what's up with him. I'm thinking 'Day Play' is not such a good idea afterall. Good grief.

The Snowflake Cluster versus the Cone Nebula

I'm going to be visiting my parents for a few days. See ya next Monday!

Butterfly

A visitor to our backyard:)

Psalm 118

The most quoted Psalms in the New Testament are 69, 110 and 118:

Psalm 118
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

2 Let Israel say:
"His love endures forever."

3 Let the house of Aaron say:
"His love endures forever."

4 Let those who fear the LORD say:
"His love endures forever."

5 In my anguish I cried to the LORD,
and he answered by setting me free.

6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

7 The LORD is with me; he is my helper.
I will look in triumph on my enemies.

8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.

9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.

10 All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

11 They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

12 They swarmed around me like bees,
but they died out as quickly as burning thorns;
in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

13 I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the LORD helped me.

14 The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.

15 Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
"The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!

16 The LORD's right hand is lifted high;
the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!"

17 I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

18 The LORD has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.

19 Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.

20 This is the gate of the LORD
through which the righteous may enter.

21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.

22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;

23 the LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25 O LORD, save us;
O LORD, grant us success.

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
From the house of the LORD we bless you. [a]

27 The LORD is God,
and he has made his light shine upon us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up [b] to the horns of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.

29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

Psalm 110

Psalm 110
Of David. A psalm.
1 The LORD says to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet."
2 The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;
you will rule in the midst of your enemies.

3 Your troops will be willing
on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy majesty,
from the womb of the dawn
you will receive the dew of your youth. [a]

4 The LORD has sworn
and will not change his mind:
"You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek."

5 The Lord is at your right hand;
he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.

6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.

7 He will drink from a brook beside the way [b] ;
therefore he will lift up his head.

Psalm 69

Psalm 69
For the director of music. To the tune of "Lilies." Of David.
1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.

3 I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.

4 Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.

5 You know my folly, O God;
my guilt is not hidden from you.

6 May those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me,
O Lord, the LORD Almighty;
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me,
O God of Israel.

7 For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.

8 I am a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my own mother's sons;

9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

10 When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;

11 when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.

12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.

13 But I pray to you, O LORD,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.

14 Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.

15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.

16 Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.

17 Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.

18 Come near and rescue me;
redeem me because of my foes.

19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;
all my enemies are before you.

20 Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none.

21 They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and [a] a trap.

23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.

24 Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.

25 May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.

26 For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.

27 Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation.

28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.

29 I am in pain and distress;
may your salvation, O God, protect me.

30 I will praise God's name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.

31 This will please the LORD more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.

32 The poor will see and be glad—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!

33 The LORD hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people.

34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,

35 for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;

36 the children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there.

Global Incident Map

This is pretty cool: http://www.globalincidentmap.com:80/home.php Especially since the media seems to be "stuck on stupid".