The Age of Uncertainty

Subatomic particles traveling faster than the speed of light, the changing atomic weight of elements, dinosaur feathers and non carbon based life forms ensure the inaccuracy of 5th grade science text book across the globe.  Imagine an electronic text book on a reader type device for a kids, eliminating exorbitant text book costs and schlepping thirty pounds of books around in a backpack.  The concept has the makings for a great sci-fi-post-apocalyptic story in which all knowledge is lost, proving when children are taught how to learn instead of what to learn, they will be able to better navigate a Truth that is fluid.  Also there should be robots and explosions in the story and perhaps a super heroine teacher type person played by Milla Jovovich.

Like an Oliver Stone Movie Only More Horrid

Randy was a friend of the family. He knew my parents and all my uncles and all their friends, was always at cook outs and family parties, he was also a hemophiliac. He passed away in the 80s from AIDS. I was too young to learn much of the details of his situation and he’s the only person I’ve ever known who had AIDS or hemophilia. Today, in light of this article in today’s NYT I realize he joins the ranks of people I know who may have been directly harmed by the pharmaceutical/medical industry. I am aghast at the lack of scruples companies display in an attempt to turn a profit.

"The Bayer unit, Cutter Biological, introduced its safer medicine in late February 1984 as evidence mounted that the earlier version was infecting hemophiliacs with H.I.V. Yet for over a year, the company continued to sell the old medicine overseas, prompting a United States regulator to accuse Cutter of breaking its promise to stop selling the product.

By continuing to sell the old version of the life-saving medicine, the records show, Cutter officials were trying to avoid being stuck with large stores of a product that was proving increasingly unmarketable in the United States and Europe."

How can this company still be in business? I mean really... HOW?!

Thanks to IBTP for directing my attention to the NYT and this story today.

3 Million Dollars

Who in the hell thinks wasting money on education when you could be giving tax breaks to rich people is a good idea? I mean a projector at the planetarium... get real. It might make kids want to be scientists or astronauts instead of stock brokers and pimps. When I was a kid we had commies to inspire us to go to the moon and that was good enough! Besides learning about the universe just leads to understanding the big bang theory and we all know what a crack pot idea that is.

Amazing Orionids

On the way home from practice last night I was blessed to witness the closest shooting star I’ve ever seen in my life. Its tail was a bright three inches long trailing across the sky with a green sparkle flinging off to the East rapidly turning yellow and then orange. From the time it came into sight to when it rocketed behind the line of trees about three seconds passed. Pretty slow for a shooting star. I said to DD who was driving but still maganed to also see the spectacular display, that it could’ve been fireworks but she assured me fireworks don’t really look like that on the way to the ground and it was much farther away than a bottle rocket. I had to agree and then later on the way home after much discussion about UFOs and other unexplained phenomenon I saw another shooting star off in the dark distance over a field. This one was more the very far away white streak accross the sky kind, not the previously seen in the middle of a city filled with light pollution and looking like fireworks kind. But it still confirmed that indeed we had not seen a crash alien landing. Dang.


What was it actually? According to Mediatrix P. Cristobal in Bits of Halley's comet spark up October sky

"The Orionids meteor shower is capable of producing interesting activity from October 17-25," the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), in its monthly astronomical diary, said.

The Orionids are fast meteors and can produce fireballs. At maximum rates, the shower may reach 10 meteors per hour that may be observed at favorable sky condition, but sometimes there are lulls even during the traditional maximum peak nights of October 21-22.”

Warm Part II

Ella and I were in the bathroom, she was soaking in the tub when the first clap of thunder made her dunk low in the water and whine "I'm scaaaaarrred". The dog came to lay at my feet and I wondered if I had ever heard thunder in January before. If I had, I couldn't remember. The sky darkened and I flipped on the bathroom light despite it being the middle of the afternoon. More thunder persuaded Ella to end her soak early. 30 miles East and already far past us a tornado was ripping through the countryside.

Rare Jan. twister blasts Boone homes, orchard

The Touch Me Not - Mimosa pudica

Why they 'lay down'

Gardener's Notes

Flowers

Medicinal Properties