Caldera closeup

"Arsia Mons is the southernmost of the Tharsis volcanoes. It is 270 miles in diameter, almost 12 miles high, and the summit caldera is 72 miles wide. For comparison, the largest volcano on Earth is Mauna Loa. From its base on the sea floor, Mauna Loa measures only 6.3 miles high and 75 miles in diameter."

Monument Valley on Mars

"Northern Terra Meridiani, near the intersection of the martian equator and prime meridian, is a region of vast exposures of layered rock. A thermal image from the Phobos 2 orbiter in 1989 showed these materials to be anomalously cool during the daytime, an observation very suggestive of dense, hardened materials like rock. Mars Global Surveyor's Mars Orbiter Camera images of this region show layered material exposed in cliffs, buttes, and mesas that in some ways resemble the rock outcrops of northern Arizona and southeastern Utah (e.g., Monument Valley, Canyonlands, Zion National Park, Four Corners)."

Same scene,different wavelengths

The Tofte Project:Sustainable Design+ Architecture

"The key to designing a sustainable dwelling lies in the unique connection between the inhabitant, the land, all who have lived on the site, and all who will be impacted by its construction and existence. This immersive tour will allow you to discover the principles of sustainable architecture through exploration of the cabin's design and construction, as well as take an in-depth look at its natural surroundings. The story of the Tofte cabin is told in the voices of those who were involved in its creation, so for the full experience please ensure your speakers are functioning."

A sunset on Mars

"On May 19th, 2005, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured this stunning view as the Sun sank below the rim of Gusev crater on Mars. This Panoramic Camera mosaic was taken around 6:07 in the evening of the rover's 489th martian day."

Solstice sunset

A flock of birds flies home as the sun sets,
ending the longest day of the year
in Lahore, Pakistan. (AFP/Arif Ali)

Scratch that solar sail[but do try again]

Solar Sail Launch Attempt Fails in Russia

An attempt to launch the world's first solar sail spacecraft fizzled when a booster rocket failed less than two minutes after liftoff, showering debris over the Arctic Ocean, the Russian space agency said Wednesday.

The Cosmos 1 vehicle, a joint Russian-American project, was intended to show that a so-called solar sail can make a controlled flight. Solar sails are envisioned as a potential means for achieving interstellar flight, allowing spacecraft to gradually build up great velocity and cover large distances.

But the Volna booster rocket failed 83 seconds after its Tuesday launch from a Russian nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea, the Russian space agency said.

Several hours before the announcement in Russia, U.S. scientists at the California-based Planetary Society said they believed they had detected signals from the $4 million spacecraft and that it was in orbit.

Later, however, the Planetary Society conceded that if the rocket failed during first-stage firing, then "this would mean that Cosmos 1 is lost."

The society, which organized the mission, said earlier signals received from three ground tracking stations seemed to indicate the craft could have made it into orbit, but "the project team now considers this to be a very small probability."

Solar sail up in smoke?

First Solar Sail Mission Remains Out Of Contact

The first spacecraft to be powered by a solar sail was launched today from a Russian submarine using the refitted ICBM launcher known as the Volna. Mission control is still awaiting confirmation the spacecraft is in orbit.

However, with two overpasses now complete with no contact, the situation is looking grim with Russian media reporting a failure during the first stage burn.

Well-known satellite watcher Bob Christy posted to FPspace newslist "No signals detected from my location in the UK, 2117-2135 UTC". Another keen listener to the satellites, Max White, also posted to FPspace "Same goes for tracking outside Cheltenham. Nil heard between passes of Akebono and Cosmos 2414 navsat - both [of which] giving out decent signals."

According to one source, radio contact was lost during a rocket firing, using a poorly tested "kick stage" assembled by Russia using "Soviet army surplus." {Eeehh. Check out what the next item on SpaceDaily was: Russian Rocket Carrying Military Satellite Crashes In Siberia}

The Planetary Society, which is overseeing the mission, further reported that the next contact opportunity is at 0423 GMT. (12:23am EDT).

Setting sail to explore space

Cosmos 1, a solar sail vehicle funded by The Planetary Society and other private interests in order to develop an alternative to rocket-propelled spacecraft, launched less than an hour ago.

"Four days after launch, the spacecraft will deploy its eight silver sails and become one of the brightest objects crossing the night sky... With Solar Sail Watch, people around the world can watch this history-making spacecraft streak through space. This program is designed to help the general public spot Cosmos 1.

"Solar Sail Watch works in conjunction with the Heavens Above website to provide data about when Cosmos 1 will be visible and the best way to observe the spacecraft. Visitors to the site will simply enter their location to receive updates on when the solar sail's orbit will make it visible in their vicinity. Once its sails unfurl, Cosmos 1 should be bright enough to be easily seen by the naked eye."

And now, the Michelangelo Code

"Two Brazilian doctors and amateur art lovers believe they have uncovered a secret lesson on human anatomy hidden by Renaissance artist Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel's ceiling.

"Completed nearly 500 years ago, the brightly colored frescoes painted on the Vatican's famous sanctuary are considered some of the world's greatest works of art. They depict Biblical scenes such as the "Creation of Adam" in which God reaches out to touch Adam's finger.

"But Gilson Barreto and Marcelo de Oliveira believe Michelangelo also scattered his detailed knowledge of internal anatomy across 34 of the ceiling's 38 panels. The way they see it, a tree trunk is not just a tree trunk, but also a bronchial tube. And a green bag in one scene is really a human heart.

"The key to finding the numerous organs, bones and other human insides is to first crack a 'code' that they believe was left behind by the Florentine artist. Essentially, it is a set of sometimes subtle, sometimes overt clues, like the way a figure is pointing."

"Barreto and his friend Oliveira are not the first physicians to see depictions of human organs in the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican church where popes are elected.

"Fifteen years ago, U.S. doctor Frank Meshberger pointed out the figure of God and his surrounding angels in the 'Creation of Adam' panel resembled a cross-section of the human brain. He believes Michelangelo was equating God's gift of a soul for Adam with the divine gift of intelligence for mankind. Packing up his desk as he prepared to move houses, Barreto came across Meshberger's theory.

"'I said to myself, 'If there's a brain, he surely didn't just paint a brain. There have to be others,' Barreto said.

"Thumbing through books and pictures of the chapel all night, Barreto said he found five or six other anatomical depictions. He presented his findings to Oliveira the next day and the two probed further for three months.

"The project culminated with their book 'The Secret Art of Michelangelo,' which was published in Brazil last year and has so far sold 50,000 copies, a very high number for Brazil. It is being negotiated for U.S., Spanish and Portuguese publication."

Passiflora

Aya, Aya, everywhere

I was down the street, browsing at the newsstand, when I spied a recent issue of Beautiful Decay. My hands shot up toward my face and I actually exclaimed "Oooh!" when I saw that they had Aya Kato's Samurai Girl on the cover.

Among other things related in the interview with her, Kato mentioned that she will have a solo exhibition in Vancouver, British Columbia, in August. Now I just need to find out which gallery...

From a feature in Computer Arts:
"Born in Aichi, Japan, in 1982, Aya Kato learned painting by self-study, and she undertook graphic design study at the Aichi University of Education. She graduated in 2004 and started work as an illustrator in 2005.

"'The picture is a place of meeting for me,' she said. 'I draw inspiration from my Japanese roots and traditions and became interested in the print process having studied the work of Hokusai and the world of ukiyo-e.'

"'For me, the beauty of Japanese art is in its two dimensions -- its deepness and the beauty of the outlines. I often find inspiration from books or poetic language and my pieces extend from there. I like to think the passion I have for my work is expressed through the images I produce and would love to collaborate with people all over the world -- in music, illustration and fashion.'"

One can also read through an exchange between Drakulita and Aya Kato, though you'll have to forgive the former, who refers to Kato as "he" throughout.

Noctilucent cloudscape, part two

[This is part one.]

"As night fell over Europe on June 14th, electric blue clouds materialized in the darkening sky. It happened again on June 15th. Jan Koeman took this picture from Kloetinge in The Netherlands.

"Noctilucent clouds are a mystery. They hover near the edge of space, far above ordinary clouds. Some researchers believe they're seeded by space dust. Others say they're a sign of global warming. Whatever they are, they're beautiful, and this week's sightings in Europe mark the beginning of the 2005 noctilucent cloud season. Northern summer is the best time to spot them."

[SW]

Asian tsunami helped to spread alien species[plant species, that is]

The Indian Ocean tsunami's devastating waves brought more than death to this island nation — they upset some of Sri Lanka's key ecosystems, the U.N. environmental agency warned Friday.

Nearly six months after the disaster that killed more than 31,000 people in Sri Lanka, studies have found that the tsunami waves have pushed seeds of so-called alien invasive species from their coasts farther inland on the tropical island, the United Nations Environment Program said.

"In some areas, including important national parks, the wave has encouraged the spread of alien invasive species, such as prickly pears and salt-tolerant mesquite," the agency said in a statement.

Neither species is native to Sri Lanka, but they existed in small numbers in limited coastal areas, said Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, the country's best-known nature expert. He did not say how the species first arrived in Sri Lanka.

"Now they can pose a threat to our ecosystem," he said. "Our local plants and animals have not co-evolved with these alien plants so when alien plants dominate in the ecosystem they will reduce the diversity of the local fauna and flora."

These are among the findings into the environmental impacts of the tsunami done by the U.N. agency and Sri Lankan Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. The report confirms that in those areas with healthy coral reefs and mangroves, the impact of the devastating events the tsunami were significantly reduced.

"The tsunami in the Indian Ocean taught the world some hard, shocking but important lessons which we ignore at our peril," said Klaus Toepfer, UNEP's Executive Director.

"We learned in graphic and horrific detail that the ecosystems, such as coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses which we have so casually destroyed are not a luxury. They are lifesavers capable of helping to defend our homes, our loved ones and our livelihoods from some of nature's more aggressive acts," he added. "It is therefore vital, that during the reconstruction of shattered coastlines and settlements, the environment is taken into account along with the economic and social factors."

Ancient glassmaking site uncovered in Egypt

What may be one of the earliest glassmaking sites in ancient Egypt has been uncovered in the eastern Nile Delta.

Evidence at Qantir-Piramesses indicates that glass was made there out of raw materials as early as 1250 B.C., researchers from England and Germany report in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

The reworking of already made glass into finished goods has been documented at ancient sites in the Middle East and Egypt, but the new report adds evidence for primary glass production at this location.

Thilo Rehren of University College, London, and Edgar B. Pusch of Pelizaeus Museum in Hildesheim, Germany, report finding a large number of crucibles with remains of glass inside.

Glass was made using finely crushed quartz powder which was melted with other materials inside the ceramic crucibles, which then were broken to get the glass out, the researchers reported. The glass ingots "would then have been transported to other, artistic workshops where they were re-melted and worked into objects," they said.

Much of the glass produced at Qantir-Piramesses was red, produced using copper in a complex process, and some of it was blue or colorless. A large shipment of glass ingots has been found in an ancient shipwreck off the coast of Turkey. The wreck predates the materials found at Qantir-Piramesses, but the ingots are similar in size and shape to the crucibles found at the Egyptian site.

Kodak to discontinue black-and-white photo paper

"Ending a century-old tradition, Eastman Kodak Co. will soon stop making black-and-white photographic paper, a niche product for fine-art photographers and hobbyists that is rapidly being supplanted by digital-imaging systems.

"Kodak said Wednesday it will discontinue production of the paper, specially designed for black-and-white film, at the end of this year. But the world's biggest film manufacturer will continue to make black-and-white film and chemicals for processing.

"As the industry shifts rapidly from chemical-based to digital imaging, demand for black-and-white paper is declining about 25 percent annually, Kodak spokesman David Lanzillo said.

"John Eoff, owner of Photo-Lab Inc., said his 91-year-old shop in Schenectady, N.Y., still sells 'a fair amount' of black-and-white paper to photography students and enthusiasts, while professional photographers have mostly gone to digital printing systems already.

"'What we assumed was going to happen is the traditional black-and-white paper processing was going to remain more an art form than a commodity,' Eoff said. Other companies, led by Ilford Imaging of Britain, still make paper and there will be demand for it, he predicted."

This is a scan of my first print
taken for the Ohio State
photography program,
14 years ago.

An alternate Earth

"Astronomers believe they have discovered 'Earth's bigger cousin' orbiting a star that is 15 light years away. The planet could be the first rocky, terrestrial world to be found circling a normal star outside the solar system.

"The new planet orbits the star Gliese 876, located 15 light years away in the direction of the constellation Aquarius. Astronomers have calculated that the planet is about six times more massive than the Earth, making it small enough to be rocky.

"Like other extrasolar planets [refer to earlier post], it was not observed directly but detected by measuring the way its gravity causes the parent star to 'wobble...'

"A slight 'wobble' of Gliese 876 had already revealed that it is being tugged by the gravity of two gas giants as they orbit around the star with periods of 30 and 61 days, respectively.

"But careful monitoring of the star over three years has now confirmed that there is also a small planet six to nine times as massive as the Earth whipping around the star every 1.94 days.

"Unlike the Earth, the planet orbits at a distance of only two million miles from its star. It is so close that its day-side temperature could reach between 200C and 400C -- far too hot for any kind of Earth-like life."

"'In a two-day orbit , it's about 200 degrees Celsius too hot for liquid water,' said Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. 'That tends to lead us to the conclusion that >the most probable composition of this thing is like the inner planets of this solar system--a nickel-iron rock, a rocky planet, a terrestrial planet.'"

Today's quarter moon in Virgo

First Quarter occurs at 6:24 pm PDT, June 14, at 24° Virgo

"The Sun and the Moon are in a 90-degree relationship to each other. The resulting squared-off energy compels you to take action to support the emergence of your New Moon vision.

"This energy pushes you to take decisive action. If you don't take action that positively nurtures and cultivates your vision, the Full Moon could be an enormous negative wake-up call!

"Both quarter phases are symbols of crises: The First Quarter having to do with action, the Last Quarter having to with consciousness.

"Whatever you set up during this critical phase of the lunar cycle keeps on developing, for better or worse."

via Moonsurfing

Infrared Saturn

You are not alone.

Dagaz/Day

The rune stone featured at the bottom of this image is Dagaz.

"Phonetically, Dagaz has remained throughout the evolution of human language very similar to the pronunciation of 'day.' It is therefore, fairly easy to relate the ancient meaning of this rune to its present day correspondences. Dagaz refers to the a day, a period of darkness and light, since the Norse counted their days from evening to evening, with the midpoint being dawn and the rising of the sun. It is the rune of awakening and, metaphorically, rebirth.

"Symbolically, this rune represents the first rays of the sun rising over the horizon, and is therefore associated with the dawn and dawnings. Dagaz is a rune of paradox, the balancing of opposites and movement, not as contradictions and opposition, but as counterbalances and compliments. It represents light. It is the rune of 'clear vision' and 'enlightenment.' It represents time and space, and the weaving movement of the loom of life.

"The pictogram is very similar to the upper portion of the runic depiction for Mannaz, which will lend meanings of new opportunities, insight or understandings on an individual basis."


Another rune-inspired image by Svetlana Bakushina is featured here.

Milan by Aya Kato

An earlier post about Aya Kato's illustrations
A collection of Aya Kato's work

Howl's Moving Castle

To be really brief: I thought Howl's Moving Castle might be Hayao Miyazaki's best film, and that's coming from a diehard Nausicaä devotee.

Resonance, waveforms and what I thoughtfor a second was a wormhole.

"The basic building blocks of the universe seem to be either waves or vibrating strings, and most of the things they make up move in bigger waves and vibrations. If we hope to understand much about the physical workings of the universe, then we need to have some idea about the way that waves and vibrations work. The details of wave motion vary, but many of the principles are universal."

...from Fergus Murray's homepage

Andromeda, look how you've grown!

"The lovely Andromeda galaxy appeared as a warm, fuzzy blob to the ancients. To modern astronomers, millennia later, it [offers] an excellent opportunity to better understand the universe. In the latter regard, our nearest galactic neighbor is a gift that keeps on giving.

"Scott Chapman from the California Institute of Technology and Rodrigo Ibata from the Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg in France have led a team of astronomers in a project to map out the detailed motions of stars in the outskirts of the Andromeda galaxy. Their recent observations with the Keck telescopes show that the tenuous sprinkle of stars that extend outward from the galaxy are actually part of the main disk itself. This means that the spiral disk of stars in Andromeda is three times larger in diameter than previously estimated."

The Moon in June

"Pete Lawrence of West Sussex
took this picture of Venus
and the crescent Moon
on June 8, 2005."
[SW]

Another of Mimas' stunning, silent transits

"This spectacular and disorienting maze of lines is a Cassini portrait of the gas giant Saturn, its rings and its small, icy moon Mimas. The rings cast dark shadows across Saturn's northern hemisphere, creating a photonegative effect: dark sections are dense and block the Sun, while bright sections are less dense areas or gaps in the rings, which are more transparent to sunlight.

"Saturn's moon Mimas (397 km across) is seen here against the backdrop created by the shadow of the dense B ring. Above Mimas and the B ring shadow can be seen the broad gap of the Cassini Division. The actual Cassini Division, which divides the A and B rings, is visible about one-third of the way up from the bottom of the image.

"This view was obtained in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Oct. 15, 2004, at a distance of approximately 4.7 million kilometers from Saturn. The image scale is 28 kilometers per pixel."

[Another profile of Mimas (in color)... and yet another (in black and white)]


As a lil' bonus:

"Appearances can be deceiving in two-dimensional images like this one, where it is difficult to tell which objects are in the foreground and which are farther away. In this scene, Tethys is the closest object to Cassini, at 1.2 million kilometers away. Epimetheus is on the near side of the rings and is 1.4 million kilometers distant. The giant moon Titan is 2.7 million kilometers away, more than twice as far from Cassini as Tethys.

"This view is a mosaic of two images taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 19, 2005. The image scale in the scene ranges from 16 kilometers per pixel on Titan to 7 kilometers per pixel on Tethys."

Fire and Ice [volcanoes]

"Colima, the Volcano of Fire, has rumbled back to life with its strongest eruptions in 20 years, spewing lava and ash clouds that had some residents who remained in their homes Wednesday casting nervous glances at the peak.

"The volcano, which straddles the line between Colima and Jalisco states 430 miles west of Mexico City, has had six spectacular eruptions in the past three weeks. The largest, late Monday, shot glowing lava three miles above the crater of the 12,533-foot volcano and showered ash over the nearby city of Colima."


"The international Cassini spacecraft has spotted what appears to be an ice volcano on Saturn's planet-size moon Titan, a finding that may help explain the source of the moon's thick atmosphere.

"Infrared images snapped by the orbiting Cassini reveal a 20-mile-wide dome that appears to be a cryovolcano, a volcanic-like vent that spews forth ice instead of lava. Scientists theorize the volcano at one time spat out icy plumes that released methane into Titan's atmosphere."

Profile of a dragonfly

"The dragonfly enjoys late afternoons, when other insects come out in search of food. Frequent rainstorms in central Florida have helped the mosquito population to rise. Mosquitos are a favorite food for the dragonfly or, as it is sometimes called, the mosquito hawk."

Promethean orbit [magnified]

"N00034908.jpg was taken on June 03, 2005, and received on Earth on June 03, 2005. The camera was pointing toward PROMETHEUS at approximately 1,963,447 km away."

Organic Lawn Care for The Cheap and Lazy

"With these methods, you will mow less, water less, never buy pesticides and have the best looking lawn on your block...

"Before my Master Gardener training, I thought that herbicide use had a time and place. The training covered not only the time and place, but also covered the details of toxicity. 2-4D is considered one of the safest herbicides. If a quantity of 2-4D that was about the volume of a roll of Lifesavers was rubbed on the skin of four kindergarten children, two of them would be killed. This does not mean getting it in their mouths, just rubbed on their skin. My reading on this subject has exposed far too many nightmares than I care to share.

"My opinion is that I can see no time and no place to ever use herbicides. Especially not for anything as frivolous as a lawn. I would rather have weeds."

via richsoil.com

Today's new moon in Gemini

GEMINI LUNAR CYCLE|June 6 - July 5, 2005

"The Gemini New Moon [2:55 PM PDT June 6] ushers in the last days of spring and a time for change! This cycle brings opportunities to improve your communication skills, to forge new alliances, and to learn something nnew. People and information provide a network of support and help you to take last month's resources to the next level.

"Mental pursuits and multi-tasking are supported by this energy [Though I will remind you: "No one really multitasks." --Ed.] The challenge is to focus, stay in the present, and feel your feelings. Unconscious motivations that no longer serve your life will be exposed. This increases your potential for personal healing.

"This month's Full Moon in Capricorn [9:14 PM PDT June 21] occurs less than 12 hours after the Summer Solstice [11:34 PM PDT June 20], amplifying the Full Moon's theme of culmination, revelation and manifestation.

"The pressure cooker that might have developed by that time [since the Gemini New Moon] pops not only as a result of this month's progress, but can bring you face-to-face with what you've created during the last six months. The grip of the past is loosened as old perceptions shift. Inner needs and external obligations must be balanced.

"Mercury, known as the Divine Messenger, rules Gemini. Remember that your consciousness creates your reality. Think positively and cultivate the wisdom that comes from connecting your mind with your heart."

Shh... the canyon's trying to rest.

{The photo's from Glen Canyon, not El Grande}

"Mounted at about ear level on tripods, microphones are capturing the sound of quiet at the Grand Canyon.

"The four microphones are attached to sound level meters and computers that will later screen out all manmade sounds, such as the chatter of hikers, the rumble of cars and the buzz of sightseeing planes and helicopters. All that will be left will be the sounds of nature: the wind in the trees, the chirping of birds, for example.

"Park officials are doing this because they need to establish the natural decibel level at the Grand Canyon before policymakers can decide whether the current noise-reduction regulations governing flights over America's most breathtaking natural wonder are adequate."

To listen to some ambient audio adventures, please refer to Quiet American.

Galactic panorama

"This panorama of a northern band of the Milky Way's disk covers 90 degrees. [The image] is a digitally created mosaic of several independent exposures... Visible are many bright stars, dark dust lanes, red emission nebulae, blue reflection nebulae, and clusters of stars."


By John P. Gleason

Talking Toure

I first heard Ali Farka Toure play in 1998, by way of a CD that I dredged up from the cheapo bin at a video 'n' music store in Gallup, New Mexico. "Oh, some African music. That'll be nice," was my only thought at the time. Little did I know...

As I played the disc, I was soon drawn in by the utter familiarity of the rhythms and lyrics -- despite the fact that the songs are sung in regional West African dialects.* This was music that I'd heard before, and which was being drawn up from deep within the mnemonic archive.

I found a few more of Toure's recordings, as well as other traditional music on the kora and balafon, over the subsequent months. I signed on to travel with Afropop Worldwide on a tour of Mali in February 2000. One of the highlights of the trip was to be a stay at Ali Farka Toure's compound in Niafunke, near Tombouctou (Timbuktu).

Some time later, word came that Ali had to have emergency eye surgery in France, and he would not be able to participate in the tour. This was disappointing of course, since his presence was the main reason I'd signed on... but I chose to stay registered (despite some paperwork and payment snafus that had occured).

When the time came to depart, I was caught up in some high anxiety (mostly about flying). I had to stave off intense panic during the flight to New York. On the evening that I was to depart from JFK, I was told that my Mali visa had alreay expired and that I wouldn't be allowed to board the flight to Brussels. Confused and worn down from anxiety and tension since my arrival, I simply got on a Greyhound and went home.

Several months passed. I signed on to work with AmeriCorps in an afterschool program in Columbus, Ohio. On occasion, the site staff would play the wide-ranging music we owned for the children in the program (most of whom were African-American). When I played Ali Farka Toure's eponymous recording from the 80s (with a red cover and a photo from his compound; the same disc I bought in NM), it was roundly criticized by some of the older kids as my "African country music," which I found hilarious [and which is pretty much spot-on, when one considers the connections between West African music and Mississippi Delta blues**].

Anyhow, a week or so later, one of my teammates asked me about the African musician whose CD I'd played before. She couldn't quite recall the name, and I guessed Toure.

"Yeah, that's him. He's playing at the Southern Theatre tonight."

Stiff pause, slack jaw. "What?"

And then she showed me the ad for WCBE's world music concert series, and there was Ali's face and the date and time for that evening. I was struck silent and then began to nut up, worried that there would be no tickets left. i ran to the office, dialed up the theatre and got two tickets for my lovely Leo companion at the time.

We had dinner before the show and I explained the whole saga mentioned above. Then we went to the performance hall. At the appointed time, out comes the deejay who hosted the world music program. He related the main bits of Ali Farka Toure's career, and then winds up his intro by mentioning, for those [like me] who didn't know, that Ali was about to retire from touring, and that that night's show was to be his last in the US.

Head jerks, jaw drops. And then the show began. And it was fantastic. And all throughout, as I quietly sang along and blissedly beamed, I kept going back to how I hadn't been able to get to Mali from Ohio... and six months later, there was Ali Farka Toure, 200 feet in front of me, playing in downtown Columbus.

Destiny?

Well, who can say? I only went into this retelling because I just bought the recent reissue of Ali Farka Toure's "Red" album, along with the simply titled "Green." So now, with translations in the liner notes, I can find out what I've been listening to for all these years.


* One of the dialects is Peul, or Fula, the language of the nomadic people from whom my father's side of the family is descended, according to my father many years before I even thought to listen to African music.

** See Martin Scorcese's "Feel Like Going Home" from the PBS series The Blues.

See Saturn for yourself

Jera/Year

The runestone featured at the top of the image is Jera.

"Jera is the rune representing completion of a cycle, a season, or a year. Representing dymanic rotation and a changes in cycles, this rune is symbolized by the whirling of a threshing stave used to harvest grain. Because harvest time traditionally comes at the fruitful completion of a cycle, this rune is symbolic of the eternal contrast of opposites found in all cycles, birth and death, sowing and reaping, and the seasonal cycles which provide a whole. This rune can be a representation of an annual period, or a year, but it is also symbolic of correct action leading to longer term success through harmony with nature."

Another rune-inspired image by Svetlana Bakushina is featured here.

Message to Earth people:Take a deeper view.

"The MESSENGER spacecraft – less than three months from the Earth flyby that will slingshot it toward the inner solar system – successfully tested its main camera by snapping distant approach shots of Earth and the Moon."


"Taken May 11, 2005, this processed image comes from the narrow-angle camera of the Mercury Dual Imaging System on NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft. Earth was about 18.4 million miles (29.6 million kilometers) from MESSENGER at the time, but the image clearly shows bands of clouds between North and South America on Earth’s sunlit side. The Moon was 248,898 miles (400,563 kilometers) from Earth at the time of the image. The contrast was adjusted to bring out the Moon. The Moon is actually much darker than the Earth – click here for an image showing true relative brightness.

"The photo session was just part of the preparations for MESSENGER’s gravity-assisted flyby of Earth on Aug. 2 – the first major adjustment to MESSENGER’s flight path toward Mercury since the spacecraft was launched on Aug. 3, 2004. After one flyby of Earth, two flybys of Venus, and three of Mercury, MESSENGER will begin an unprecedented, yearlong science orbit around the innermost planet in March 2011.

via robot wisdom

Red rainbow rising

"Sunset light making up this rainbow is highly reddened by its long travel through the lower atmosphere where air and dust preferentially scatter away blues and greens. Jerry Xiaojin Zhu's rainbow shows something more: that rainbows are disks with colored rims. When you next see a rainbow, look for the contrast between the bright sky inside and the dark of Alexander's dark band immediately outside."

via Spaceweather