The moving moon went up the sky, And nowhere did abide: Softly she was going up, And a star or two beside -
(from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
The full moon tonight came with a special treat: just off the moon's left shoulder a bright "star", which is not a star at all, but the giant planet Jupiter. Jupiter is the largest planet and the fifth planet from the sun in our solar system. In the ancient Roman pantheon, Jupiter was the name of the putative "king" of the gods - his Greek equivalent was Zeus. Jupiter is the ruling planet of the astrological sign Sagittarius, bestowing upon those lucky individuals good fortune, nobility and lives of meaning and purpose. Jupiter is also associated with luck and happiness.
Perhaps Gustav Holtz was thinking about the good luck and positive influence attributed to Jupiter when he subtitled the movement dedicated to the giant planet, "Bringer of Jollity". Listen to the beautiful Jupiter movement of Holtz's orchestral suite, The Planets. You'll hear the parts which remind you of Jupiter's connection to the idea of higher purpose around the 3 minute mark. Turn up the volume and lose yourself in a 7 minute musical vacation which will be a tonic to body and soul.
Off to the right and slightly below the moon shines the red giant star, Aldebaran.
Apparently, tonight's full moon was the smallest one of 2012, because the moon is at its apogee - the farthest distance from earth in its orbit. Don't tell me or Carolyn Ann that it was small, however. Tonight's huge moonrise was as spectacular as many a Harvest or Hunter Moon. The huge buttermilk- coloured orb ascending in a deep azure sky that was pierced by the light of the moon's two brilliant celestial companions was truly captivating.
The November full moon is known as the "Beaver Moon" or the "Full Frost Moon" in Native American lore. There was also a lunar eclipse earlier today, but unless you were in Australia or at least in Alaska, you probably didn't have much of a view. Lucky for you, Nifty is here to save the day!
A little night-sky gazing for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
Stay tuned, NiftyReaders! I'm working on this week's Barmy Bible Study (delayed by Superstorm Sandy coverage) and it will be an important one. We will sweep away the lies and confusion once and for all and finally answer the burning question:
Does God intend for rape to happen? Meanwhile, to tide you over until Barmy Bible Study class is called into session, I am reprising one of my favorite videos for your listening/viewing pleasure. Here is your Thorsday Tonic:
"A scientific theory isn't just a hunch or guess - it's more like a question that's been put through a lot of tests and when a theory emerges consistent with the facts, the proof is with science; the truth is with science."
Lyrics:
You be my Princess and I'll be your Toad,
I'll follow behind you on Rainbow Road,
protect you from red shells wherever we go,
I promise.
No one will touch us if we pick up a star,
and if you spin out you can ride in my car,
When we slide together we generate sparks
in our wheels and our hearts.
Chorus:
And the finish line is just around the bend,
I'll pause this game so our love will never end,
let's go again
The blue shell is coming, so I'll go ahead,
if you hang behind it'll hit me instead,
but never look back cuz i'm down but not dead,
I'll catch up to you.
Don't worry about Bowser or DK,
Just eat this glowing mushroom and they'll all fade away
Chorus 2X:
and the finish line is just around the bend,
I'll pause this game so our love will never end
Oh, the finish line is just around the bend,
I'll pause this game so our love will never end,
let's go again
To the Mushroom Cup,
and the Flower Cup,
and the Star Cup,
and the Reverse Cup,
The artist is Jessica Latshaw, and this was an impromptu jam session on a New York subway.
This video illustrates what is one of the best things about the USA. Every day, millions of people move through the streets of American cities and towns; people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Our "melting pot" is more of a beautiful colorful swirl of amazing human potential.
When we look into each other's faces every day: on a bus or subway, at the corner gyro shop, over the counter at the neighborhood deli, across the aisle in a public school classroom, we begin to move out of our own little worlds and into the larger world of shared human experience. And we see that it can be awesome, that people are people even if they look or sound different from us. We can be citizens of this great country and we can enrich one another's lives.
Get to know your neighbors. Go out of your way to meet people of other cultures who have joined your community. That is the American spirit. It is what built this country and what still makes it great.
My favorite freethinking poet, Digital Cuttlefish posted a link to this amazing cartoon by (also my favorite!) always-thinking cartoonist, xkcd. The cartoon is called Click and Drag and that is exactly what you do - click on the image and drag your curser to open up a huge world of wonders. The artist presents landscapes, people, animals, intriguing mysteries, human innovations, surprises, funny quips, thoughtful moments and even Waldo™ all in his trademark black-and-white, silhouette technique.
It is, in a word, awesome.
One blogger (ComicMix) has mentioned that if you were to print this comic out large enough to read, it would cover the end zone in a football field. Another blogger (boingboing) mentioned that the comic pays tribute to the novel The House of Leaves, as the final panel expands to an enormous world far beyond what a normal cartoon panel could ever hold.
I just think the mountains and the valleys and the surprises and the cartoon people doing things all over this amazing hidden world inside a comic panel is really cool!
Do yourself a favour. Clear your calendar, have a friend hold your calls, and carve out a couple of free hours to enter xkcd's world of wonders. You'll be glad you did!
For those of us who just can't clear that much time at once, don't despair! You can click and drag at will using the permanent link above. I have it open in another tab and can just browse around when I have a few free moments...
OOOhh! I see a giant jellyfish! TTYL!
This is a still photo of the cartoon. Please use the permanent link for the full click and drag experience.
Sr. Simone Campbell speaks at the Democratic National Convention, September 5, 2012
Sr. Simone Campbell spoke yesterday at the Democratic National Convention and she nearly brought down the house. At times, she could hardly continue because of the applause. Please make time to watch her brief (6 minutes) and moving speech.
This is the best of Christian ideology. How did the Republican Party's faithful lose their way?
"I am my sister's keeper. I am my brother's keeper!" "Paul Ryan says his budget is in keeping with the values of our shared faith. I disagree."
Transcript of Sister Simone's remarks.
“Good evening, I’m Sister Simone Campbell, and I’m one of the ‘nuns on the bus.’ So, yes, we have nuns on the bus. And a nun on the podium!
Let me explain why I’m here. In June, I joined other Catholic sisters on a 2,700-mile bus journey through nine states to tell Americans about the budget Congressman Paul Ryan wrote and Governor Romney endorsed.
Paul Ryan claims his budget reflects the principles of our shared Catholic faith. But the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops stated that the Ryan budget failed a basic moral test, because it would harm families living in poverty.
We agree with our bishops, and that’s why we went on the road: to stand with struggling families and to lift up our Catholic sisters who serve them. Their work to alleviate suffering would be seriously harmed by the Romney-Ryan budget, and that is wrong.
During our journey, I rediscovered a few truths. First, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are correct when they say that each individual should be responsible. But their budget goes astray in not acknowledging that we are responsible not only for ourselves and our immediate families. Rather, our faith strongly affirms that we are all responsible for one another.
I am my sister’s keeper. I am my brother’s keeper. While we were in Toledo, I met 10-year-old twins Matt and Mark, who had gotten into trouble at school for fighting. Sister Virginia and the staff at the Padua Center took them in when they were suspended and discovered on a home visit that these 10-year-olds were trying to care for their bedridden mother who has MS and diabetes.
They were her only caregivers. The sisters got her medical help and are giving the boys some stability. Now the boys are free to claim much of the childhood they were losing. Clearly, we all share responsibility for the Matts and Marks in our nation.
This is part of my pro-life stance and the right thing to do... We care for the 100%!
In Milwaukee, I met Billy and his wife and two boys at St. Benedict’s dining room. Billy’s work hours were cut back in the recession. Billy is taking responsibility for himself and his family, but right now without food stamps, he and his wife could not put food on their family table.
We all share responsibility for creating an economy where parents with jobs earn enough to take care of their families. In order to cut taxes for the very wealthy, the Romney-Ryan budget would make it even tougher for hard-working Americans like Billy to feed their families. Paul Ryan says this budget is in keeping with the values of our shared faith. I disagree.
In Cincinnati, I met Jini, who had just come from her sister’s memorial service. When Jini’s sister Margaret lost her job, she lost her health insurance. She developed cancer and had no access to diagnosis or treatment. She died unnecessarily. That is tragic. And it is wrong.
The Affordable Care Act will cover people like Margaret. We all share responsibility to ensure that this vital health care reform law is properly implemented and that all governors expand Medicaid coverage so no more Margarets die from lack of care. This is part of my pro-life stance and the right thing to do.
I have so many other stories but will only tell one more. In Hershey, Pennsylvania, a woman in her late thirties approached us. She asked for the names of some people she could talk to, because she felt alone and isolated. Her neighbors have been polarized by politics masquerading as values. She cares about the well-being of the people in her community.
She wishes they, and the rest of the nation, would listen to one another with kindness and compassion. Listen to one another rather than yell at each other. I told her then, and I tell her now, that she is not alone.
Looking out at you tonight, I feel your presence combined with that of the thousands of caring people we met on our journey. Together, we understand that an immoral budget that hurts already struggling families does not reflect our nation’s values. We are better than that.
So I urge you to join us on the bus. Join us as together we stand with Matt and Mark, Billy and his family, the woman in Hershey and the Margarets of our nation.
This is what we nuns on the bus are all about: We care for the 100 percent, and that will secure the blessings of liberty for our nation. So join us as we nuns and all of us drive for faith, family and fairness.”
[Dallas Campbell]
Dinosaurs weren't just giant lizards
But a truly unique kind of reptile
[Narrator 1]
Dinosaurs roamed
For more than 150 million years
Dinosaurs roamed
In amazing shapes and sizes
Very few left evidence of their existence
And those bones never cease to fascinate us
[Roberts]
The more we find
The more complete our understanding
Utterly awe-inspiring
The world of the dinosaurs
[Campbell]
There are always new discoveries out there
Waiting to be found
[Narrator 2]
Tyrannosaurus, the largest flesh eater
The world has ever seen
Dinosaurs - all the dinosaurs-
Followed a well trod trail to oblivion
[Narrator 1]
Rock layers span the age of dinosaurs
The deeper the layer, the older the rock
At the top - rock from the Cretaceous
Below that, the Jurassic
And near the bottom, red Triassic badlands
When dinosaurs first appeared
(refrain)
(dino breakdown)
[Nye]
65 million years ago
[Nigel Marvin]
A meteorite smashed into the Earth
[Nye]
Hurtling toward our planet
At a hundred thousand kilometers a second
**correction: per hour, not second!
[Roberts]
If we'd never found their bones,
We wouldn't ever have known
These ancient animals ever existed
