How Time Passes By

Nice.



One year in 40 seconds from Eirik Solheim on Vimeo.

Resistance Is Still Futile

I'm A Pepper

LOS ANGELES—Dr Pepper is making good on its promise of free soda now that the release of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is a reality.

The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to
everyone in America if the album dropped in 2008. "Chinese Democracy," infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday.

"We never thought this day would come," Tony Jacobs, Dr Pepper's vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "But now that it's here, all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us."

Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28.

Dr Pepper is owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.

Why I Get So Much Done At Work & Home

Relaxation

Tonight while my wife takes the kiddos out looking for little treats, I'm going to turn the porch light off, grab a cold beer and a bag of Corn Nuts, and watch the World Series. Can it get any better?

Come Get Some!

I received an email yesterday inviting me to be part of the public beta testing for 8-player online co-op and up-to-60-player competitive multiplayer for Resistance 2 on the PS3. Awesome! It was a little over 2GB to download so no playing last night. Hopefully time will allow this weekend for me to give some thirteen year old the pleasure of using me for target practice. Toto, I've a feeling we're not in DOOM or Duke anymore. So when are you joining me??

Damn That Hurts!

I'm sitting at my desk opening some junk mail from yesterday and not really paying much attention to what I'm doing. As I pull the medium stock paper out of the envelope...slice! Paper cut in the webbing between my thumb and index finger. After applying some Kleenex to stop the bleeding the pain sets in. And the cut is in a location that I know from past experience will continue to bother me the rest of the day because every time I use my hand the cut will reopen. I shrug it off and start to open the next envelope and...slice! Paper cut within a paper cut. I think I will call it a day. I wonder if I could get workman's comp?

Surrender Michigan?!?

Artwork by Zina Saunders

Death Magnetic

Metallica rocks!

Or is it just because I wanted something better than St. Anger? Seriously, I think it's on par with ReLoad but not the Black Album.

What The Hell Is That?

Last night we watched an episode of Destination Truth the DVR recorded on Wednesday night. After the debate of course. I've never watched the show before but this episode had a piece about Aokigahara, the haunted forest in Japan, which tweaked my interest.

So these "researchers" go to the forest and at nightfall take off in different directions to look for ghosts. Of course they all get lost but after the commercial break all is fine. One of them did find what appeared to be an abandoned camp site so the group returns there under the premise that whoever was there must have died or killed them self there. The scientific method is hard at work here, friends.

Strange things occur and their instruments detect anomalies. That's when one of them calls out for the ghost to appear before them...in English. Granted, a lot of Japanese speak a little English but I thought the chances were pretty slim that the ghost was fluent in English. Unless all things including language become known once you pass into the next world. Chuckle.

The group did record some video of something that looked like a ghost and they did think they encountered ghosts on the trail but the jury is still out. They then went to the Philippines in search of some shape-shifting, hairy, ghoul.

A Tangled Mess

It took me over an hour to untangle The Little One's Slinky® yesterday. I was almost tempted to take a pair of wire cutters to it. I can still hear the sound in my head.

Steven Curtis Chapman On CBS The Early Show

My DVR is on the blink so I'm embedding the video here for easy access for my family. I read that CBS didn't edit anything out like ABC and CNN did.


Watch CBS Videos Online

http://members.shaohannahshope.org/site/PageServer?pagename=maria_remembering
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It's The End Of The World As We Know It

Google's banner today...





Here come the black holes to swallow us up.

Where Am I?

Since I was early for a doctors appointment I experimented with my location services on my phone yesterday. I had tried it at home before but since my subdivision is new and not on any of the internet maps yet, I really couldn't say if it was accurate. It looked pretty darned close but hard to tell when the dot on the map is in terrain. Anyway, it took about six seconds to zero in on my location and it was accurate. Very accurate. I was surprised to see that it was accurate up to which parking space I was in.

Donkey Kong 2

The Hateful Thing

I was flipping channels the other night and came across an episode of Night Gallery that included a short at the end titled "The Doll." This one has frightened me since I originally saw it in the 70s. I do not like dolls in real life and have had a couple of recurring nightmares involving dolls throughtout my life. I recorded the short on the DVR so my wife could enjoy the episode the next day. She didn't enjoy it all.

Talking On The Typewriter

My Oldest One started school back on July 18 and is attending a new middle school. Obviously she's made some new friends by the amount of time she spends texting on her cell phone. Last night after dinner, she kept receiving messages and in turn sent replies back. I asked if the messages were coming from multiple persons and she said no, just one person. Since they had already sent about twenty messages in a span of fifteen minutes I asked wouldn't it be easier to just call them and talk on the phone? Her reply was no, they don't like talking. I don't get it.

Asylums

Creepy but beautiful facades here.

N.

New episodes daily every weekday thru August 29th.

Breakout

Miley Cyrus is rocking on this one. Um, so says my daughter. Yeah, that's it.

OMG, check this out while it's still going on.

The Visitor

I was putting the Little One in her car seat this morning when the Oldest One opened the door and said "Mom needs you right away! Hurry!" So I take the Little One out of the seat and we both go into the house while I'm wondering what is going on. Maybe there's a water leak? Or maybe a window was broken? I get to the entry way and my wife is standing by the front door which is in large part glass and pointing outside. She says "look." I don't see anything. She repeats her command. I still don't see anything. She remains pointing and I follow the direction of her index finger and I see it. A tarantula is crawling up the wall of our porch.

It was actually a juvenile...about the size of a saucer. My wife says "kill it." I immediately said "no way." Besides, it's outside and can't get in unless we let it in. I told her some stuff I think I saw on the Discovery Channel about how roaches and rodents can flatten their bodies to get into small crevices and that tarantulas can't do that. I don't know if that's correct but it sounded good at the time. I also said that tarantulas eat pests and are normally docile towards people and that it would go away on its own. She insisted that I go out and kill it and I told her that it would make a really big mess if I stepped on it and that it would probably only get mad if I sprayed it with bug spray or water. The Little One, who usually wants to keep every wild thing she sees (like roadrunners and toads) didn't want anything to do with the tarantula.

So after a few more minutes of discussion we left the tarantula to do its own thing outside and hopefully go away before we get home. And I just hope that it doesn't get into the house, because if it does and my wife finds it, I'm in big trouble. Now that the excitement is over I wish I had thought to at least take a picture or grab the video camera. Oh well, maybe next time.

Your Sister Did What?!

It's been a while since I've posted and I'm taking the easy way out today by just embedding a video. I wish this video had sound.



http://view.break.com/536276 - Watch more free videos

To Russia With Goldfinger

Wow, a new post. I've been slacking in the blogging everyday thing. It's almost like a job and I don't want another one of those. But I've got to say that I'm glad Jen is finally gone from Hell's Kitchen. I predict that Corey will walk away with the spatula this year. I've become addicted to jalapeno stuffed olives. And I've been spending way too much time late at night playing RFoM death matches online thru my PS3. Oh, and it's way too hot around here. I could use a Bomb Pop right about now. Make it so.

Who Turned Out The Lights?

I'm torn. Use less energy or pollute the environment with mercury?

Street View

I keep forgetting to mention this...I was driving on the interstate a couple of weeks ago when a strangely outfitted car passed me. There was equipment on the roof of the car highlighted by a long pole with something mounted on the end. I was curious so I sped up and noticed the Google logo on the door. I realized then that it must be one of their cameras that captures the images for Street View. I can't wait until that option goes live in my area so I can see myself in the view. Then I'll sue Google for oogles of dinero for violating my privacy (I may have been dislodging a popcorn kernel from my teeth when it passed me.)

Visible Magnetic Fields

Cinderella

This song, Cinderella, is from Steven Curtis Chapman's latest album and was written with his youngest daughter in mind. The song becomes emotionally devastating with the tragic death of Maria last week but still remains a beautiful one. It will remind me to hold on to my daughters a little bit longer each day and to cherish those moments.

Speaking of Phil Keaggy

Tragic Accident

I didn't find out until this morning that Steven Curtis Chapman lost his youngest daughter. For someone who inspired me years ago and taught me a few things about life, the least I can do is post my condolences. News like this just pulls at the heart strings and especially so when you are a parent also.

Speak Up

El camino del Rey

I could do this...if I weren't afraid of heights.

Where's The Creature?

I just came across Yahoo! Movies' 20 Great Movie Creatures and I'm not impressed. I'll give them the benefit because it wasn't titled the "Top 20" but come on. The Gill Man not mentioned but a baby Lochness monster is? Although, they are right about the flying monkees.

Jediism...All Hail George Lucas

Or should it be Obi Wan? No, Luke Skywalker? Now I've heard it all. I'm not knocking religion or the "accepted" belief systems and doctrines but I think this is kooky. I do have a question, though. If I join, when do I get my light sabre?

From My Inbox

Written across the wall of a cave were the following symbols:
It was considered a unique find and the writings were said to be at least three thousand years old! The piece of stone was removed, brought to the museum, and archaeologists from around the world came to study the ancient symbols. They held a huge meeting after months of conferences to discuss the meaning of the markings.

The President of the society pointed to first drawing and said: 'This is a woman. We can see these people held women in high esteem. You can also tell they were intelligent, as the next symbol is a donkey, so they were smart enough to have animals help them till the soil. The next drawing is a shovel, which means they had tools to help them.' Even further proof of their high intelligence is the fish which means that if a famine hit the earth and food didn't grow, they seek food from the sea. The last symbol appears to be the Star of David which means they were evidently Hebrews.

The audience applauded enthusiastically. Then a little old Jewish man stood up in the back of the room and said, 'Idiots! Hebrew is read from right to left...... It says: 'Holy Mackerel, Dig The Ass On That Chick.'

It's Been Around But Still Cool

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Solar System Visualizer

This is really neat. Saturn and Jupiter are awesome.

Thought

My fave on American Idol left last week. Yes, I liked Brooke. But my second fave, David Cook (who I think is going to win this competition), now has my complete attention. Oops, maybe I shouldn't have said that because I thought the same about Chris Daughtry. Well, I hope this is the last time we see Jason. I can't stand that guy. I really can't. Adios, Jason.

Something Wicked

So, what's the deal with all the recent earthquakes around the country? Lately the news has been centered around Reno but there have been temblors occurring all over. Has this been happening all the time but I just missed the news or is this something new that could portend something unpleasant? I can still remember while living in Japan what earthquakes felt like. Some were really scary. Especially the large ones that occurred during the middle of the night. Maybe something is about to awaken.

I Think I'm Going To Be Sick

We now have Dish Network since cable isn't available in our subdivision because there aren't enough houses built to warrant Time Warner to lay the network. "It's not cost effective at this time" was their answer to me. Jerks (because the guy was snippy on the phone when I said I needed to cancel my service.) Well that's alright because I have other options and at a lower price than cable.

So, we got to watch Verminators on Discovery Channel yesterday. It was a first for us and we were thoroughly grossed out. Me not so much with the rodent infestations but with the roaches. Ugh, my whole body just tingled with disgust. I can't understand how people can live like that.

SWA 737-700

The Carbon Footprint of the U.S.

The Vulcan Project has released the most detailed map of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. You can read the entire story here.

Michael McDowell Wreck

This is unbelievable footage of his crash during last Friday's final qualifying session at Texas Motor Speedway. I believe NASCAR's safety measures are working.

Meet Chibi

My parents have a new puppy to take care of. He's a toy chihuahua and does not like Teletubbies.

Accelerate

R.E.M. rocks again!

Our House At Night

Lights in the darkness.

We're Flying

Somewhere 34,000 feet over the great state of Texas.

Militarizing the City

2,000 troops patrol Juárez to stem drug violence

This is going to be interesting. I wonder if I can get hazard pay?

Banana Splits

The Little One has discovered a show I used to watch. I used to dream of going to the theme park in the intro. She does to (because she doesn't remember going a couple of years back).

33 Bodies

A total of 33 bodies have been unearthed so far from the backyard of a Juarez house. Read the CNN story here. Scary.

Happy 20th

A naked blonde walks into a bar with a poodle under one arm and a two foot salami under the other. She lays the poodle on the table. Bartender says, 'I suppose you won't be needing a drink.' Naked lady says...

Story Reader Video Plus

This was something The Little One's grandparents bought her for Christmas last year. It's a neat little electronic book that helps her read and follow along and has educational video games. The problem started one evening last week when she wanted to play a game and she was getting frustrated that the Scooby would only move to the left. I checked the connector of the controller and sure enough a data pin was bent. As I tried to unbend it, it broke off.

The next day I started searching for a replacement controller on the Internet but couldn't find anything. My last hope was Obi-Wan, err, the manufacturer of the system. I found their site and called their customer service department and explained what had happened. A pleasant woman took my shipping address and said that she would be sending out a replacement shortly. I told her that she had forgotten my billing info and she said it wasn't necessary. She would send me the controller at no charge.

Wow. Another great customer service moment. I will definitely go and buy some more books for the reader because of their attitude and commitment to the buyer.

Hexapus

How interesting. I never really gave such a thing any thought before I read this article. I wonder if the brain works differently because the leg issue is a genetic mutation and not from an accident? Yes, very interesting.

Puny Humans

The Earth and moon seen from Mars 88 million miles away. Read and see more amazing photographs here.

Tigger

With many political quizes showing up in blogs and in my inbox I thought it would be sort of relaxing to "play" for a while. Now I can concentrate on Tigger instead of thinking about why I should vote for Obama. Go figure.

Your Score: Tigger

You scored 16 Ego, 13 Anxiety, and 16 Agency!

And as they went, Tigger told Roo (who wanted to know) all about the things that Tiggers could do.

"Can they fly?" asked Roo.

"Yes," said Tigger, "they're very good flyers, Tiggers are. Strornry good flyers."

"Oo!" said Roo. "Can they fly as well as Owl?"

"Yes," said Tigger. "Only they don't want to."

"Why don't they want to?" well, they just don't like it somehow."

Roo couldn't understand this, because he thought it would be lovely to be able to fly, but Tigger said it was difficult to explain to anybody who wasn't a Tigger himself.

You scored as Tigger!

ABOUT TIGGER: Tigger is the newest addition to the Hundred Acre Wood, and he lives with Kanga and Roo, because Roo's strengthening medicine turned out to be the thing that Tiggers like best. Tigger is bouncy and confident -some of his friends think he is a little TOO bouncy and confident, but attempts to unbounce him tend to be fruitless.

WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are a positive and confident person. You feel capable of dealing with anything and everything, and funnily enough, you usually ARE. You don't worry about much, and you love to go out and find new adventures.

Your friends and family might sometimes be a little exasperated by your boundless enthusiasm. You don't like to admit your mistakes, and when you find yourself in over you head, you tend to bluff your way out of things. You would be surprised, however, at how happy the people around you would be if you would actually admit to a mistake. It would make you seem more human, somehow.

Link: The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test written by wolfcaroling on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(wolfcaroling)

89 Homicides Since January 1st

Juárez violence keeps up as 7 are killed in 3 days
By Daniel Borunda and Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 03/04/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

A wave of violence engulfing Juárez continued Monday night when three men were shot to death in a vehicle strafed by gunfire in a supermarket parking lot.

The unidentified men were found inside a bullet-riddled Nissan Altima at 8:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Soriana San Lorenzo on Avenida Paseo del Triunfo de la Republica, state police said. Two of the men died at the scene. The third man was taken to a hospital where he died.

Over the weekend, four men, including a state police officer and an army officer, were killed, Juárez police reported.

On Sunday, Ricardo Fuentes Garcia, 38, possibly a Mexican army officer, was found fatally shot in the chest in a Dodge Neon at Paseo del Triunfo de la Republica and Fray Junipero. Fuentes had identification stating he was a Mexican army captain.

On Saturday, Luis Alonso Marrufo Armendariz, a 38-year-old officer with the Chihuahua state investigative agency, was shot in his police vehicle by people in a gray sports car on Manuel Cloutier Avenue. He died and another police officer traveling with him was wounded.

The slaying was the latest in a recent rash of killings aimed at law enforcement officers in Juárez. In January, a hit list was posted on a memorial to fallen police officers.

The body of Raymundo Martinez Alcantara, in his 30s, was found in a pickup truck Saturday on Tecnologico Avenue and Nayarit Street. He had been shot to death.

Jose de la Luz Arreola Garcia, 42, was pronounced dead from stab wounds
Saturday at Santa Maria clinic.

More mass graves and more homicides aimed at law enforcement. That's scary. Read more here.

Gruesome News From The Front

Mexican federal police guard the home where authorities discovered five bodies, two heads and three human torsos buried beneath a patio. The tallest building stands on the same property where the remains were found. (Adriane Jaeckle / El Paso Times)

Home heavily guarded
5 bodies, 2 heads and 3 torsos dug up
By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 02/28/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

JUAREZ -- Excavators could still be heard Wednesday digging up the Juárez patio where five bodies, two heads and three torsos were unearthed in the past few days.

The white house with pink window trimming, on a small residential street off Tecnologico Avenue, was guarded by heavily armed federal police officers.

Behind the house on the property are a paved patio, which was hidden from sight Wednesday by blue and black tarp, and a conspicuous three-story concrete warehouse.

Andres Rodriguez, who works at a grocery store on an adjacent street, said that more police and forensic technicians had been going to the house every day.

"I didn't really realize what was going on. It's a sad world we're living in," he said.

On Jan. 25, about 1,500 pounds of marijuana were found during a police raid on the house.

On Feb. 21, police were back and uncovered one body in a grave. The next day, they found three bodies in another grave.

On Feb. 23, they found a body in a third grave.

Last Monday, they made a gruesome discovery in a fourth grave -- two heads and three torsos.

The identities of the victims were not released Wednesday.

Authorities said Tuesday they still had half the patio to tear up.

You can read the whole story here.

Triumph - Magic Power

Man, the clothes...the hair. Still one of my favorite songs of long ago that I'd forgotten about.

Down The Rabbit Hole

Bullseye

This AP photo shows a modified tactical SM-3 missile fired from the USS Lake Erie yesterday to destroy a non-functioning spy satellite 247 kilometers over the Pacific Ocean. Oh, and the satellite was traveling more than 17,000 mph. The Feds say they destroyed the satellite because they were afraid after impact it may release a hazardous gas. Yeah, I'll buy that but I think they were probably more afraid that maybe some top secret spy cameras or lenses might survive reentry and impact in a bad guy's back yard. Of course it was also a way to allow President Bush to allow our military to flex its muscles a bit. Apparently nothing bigger than a football is entering the atmosphere after the direct hit.

Cool

This is really clever.

Number 30

According to Lilja's Library...

A bit of Trivia for you that you may or may not know... with Duma Key King has notched up 30 number ones on the New York Times best seller list... more than any other author in the history of the list.

1 The Dead Zone Viking October 14, 1979
2 Firestarters Viking September 28, 1980
3 Cujo Viking August 23, 1981
4 Different Seasons Viking August 15, 1982
5 Pet Sematary Doubleday November 13, 1983
6 The Talisman (with Peter Straub) Viking October 28, 1984
7 Thinner (as Richard Bachman) NAL Books April 28, 1985
8 Skeleton Crew Putnam June 23, 1985
9 It Viking September 14, 1986
10 The Eyes of the Dragon Viking February 1, 1987
11 Misery Viking June 7, 1987
12 The Tommyknockers Putnam November 29, 1987
13 The Dark Half Viking November 5, 1989
14 The Stand Doubleday May 13, 1990
15 Four Past Midnight Viking September 16, 1990
16 Gerald's Game Viking July 19, 1992
17 Dolores Claiborne Viking December 6, 1992
18 Insomnia Viking October 23, 1994
19 Desperation Viking October 13, 1996
20 Bag of Bones Scribner October 11, 1998
21 The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Scribner May 2, 1999
22 Dreamcatcher Scribner April 8, 2001
23 Black House (with Peter Straub) Random House September 30, 2001
24 Everything's Eventual Scribner April 7, 2002
25 From a Buick 8 Scribner October 13, 2002
26 Song of Susannah Donald M. Grant/Scribner June 27, 2004
27 The Dark Tower Donald M. Grant/Scribner October 10, 2004
28 Cell Scribner February 12, 2006
29 Lisey's Story Scribner November 12, 2006
30 Duma Key Scribner February 10, 2008

I'm Cool

The Cool Person Test is based on how cool you were in high school. You know, who you hung out with and such. It's fairly accurate.

Word Roundup™

This game has been keeping me way too busy at work lately. :-)

Word Roundup™
Play Games
at Shockwave

Isn't That The Truth?

News From Behind The Front

It's not unusual for "hitmen" to go to a hospital to finish the job when someone is only wounded and survives the assassination attempt. When the military arrived in Juarez they were protecting the hospital that was treating the wounded police commander. Now that he has been transferred to a U.S. level 1 trauma center, law enforcement here has gone on alert and are guarding the commander.

Thomason Hospital was placed on "lockdown" Wednesday by El Paso and federal law enforcement authorities guarding a Chihuahua police commander who survived an assassination attempt.

El Paso police and sheriff's deputies stood guard outside the hospital with assault rifles. Doors were locked, and all visitors went through a metal detector in unusually tight security for the county hospital.

Cmdr. Fernando Lozano Sandoval of the Chihuahua State Investigations Agency is being treated at Thomason after surviving a mob-style ambush that occurred Monday night while he drove on a Juárez street.

Lozano, 51, had been in critical but stable condition in a Juárez hospital, where he was guarded by heavily armed Mexican soldiers. Tuesday evening, at the request of his family, he was transferred by ambulance to Thomason, Juárez authorities said.

The lockdown, which will continue for an undetermined amount of time, was ordered early Wednesday by officials with the El Paso Police Department, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

You can read the entire story here. I think I'll watch Traffic tonight.

Dilbert Fans Rejoice

This is a great widget for Dilbert lovers. Plus it's "official" and the strips are in full color. This will replace my "unofficial" widget.

More News From The Front

Not an uncommon occurrence but also not just a coincidence.

Slaying of Juárez police official is 2nd in two days
Article Launched: 01/22/2008 12:12:13 AM MST

A Juárez police commander was gunned down and killed Monday morning when more than 35 shots were fired during a mob-style shooting outside his home, police said.

Francisco Ledezma Salazar was the second municipal police official killed in Juárez in two days. On Sunday morning, Lt. Julian Chairez Hernandez was fatally shot by men who strafed his patrol car.

Late Monday, another police commander was hospitalized after being shot, Channel 26-KINT (cable Channel 2) reported.

At 7:44 a.m., Ledezma Salazar had gotten into the driver seat of a Ford Expedition to go to work when shooters in a minivan opened fire with a "cuerno de chivo" -- the nickname for an AK-47, Chihuahua state investigators said in news release. He died at the scene. Police said Ledezma Salazar's wife, who was inside the home, was shot in a foot.

Juárez police spokesman Jaime Torres said that Ledezma Salazar was in uniform and on his way to a morning meeting of police commanders. Ledezma Salazar was director of operations for the city public safety office.

"Unfortunately, it's a situation where working as part of the police force is a constant danger," Torres said.

Torres said it was unknown if there is a link between the shootings of Ledezma Salazar and Chairez Hernandez. The homicides come a week after U.S. federal agents arrested former Juárez police director Saulo Reyes Gamboa on drug-trafficking charges in El Paso.

The killings have Juárez police being asked to take "extreme precautions," including reporting any threats, suspicious vehicles and making sure no officers patrol alone.

Resistance

This is what I've been doing when everyone else goes to bed for the evening. No wonder I'm tired.

Blue Harvest

Since I missed this last year, I may have to break down and buy this DVD.

Rudy 0 Pundits 1

From Mercury

As MESSENGER approached Mercury on January 14, 2008, the spacecraft’s Narrow-Angle Camera on the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) instrument captured this view of the planet’s rugged, cratered landscape illuminated obliquely by the Sun. The large, shadow-filled, double ringed crater to the upper right was glimpsed by Mariner 10 more than three decades ago and named Vivaldi, after the Italian composer. Its outer ring has a diameter of about 200 kilometers (about 125 miles). MESSENGER’s modern camera has revealed detail that was not well seen by Mariner 10, including the broad ancient depression overlapped by the lower-left part of the Vivaldi crater. The MESSENGER science team is in the process of evaluating later images snapped from even closer range showing features on the side of Mercury never seen by Mariner 10. It is already clear that MESSENGER’s superior camera will tell us much that could not be resolved even on the side of Mercury viewed by Mariner’s vidicon camera in the mid-1970s.

This MESSENGER image was taken from a distance of about 18,000 kilometers (11,000 miles), about 56 minutes before the spacecraft's closest encounter with Mercury. It shows a region roughly 500 kilometers (300 miles) across, and craters as small as 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) can be seen in this image.

I wish I could snap my fingers and be able to actually jump to any location such as another planet to take in the sites. Kind of like in Contact but without the machine.

News From The Front

Sometimes I think no news is good news.

Juárez's Homicide Rate Doubles In New Year
El Paso Times
Article Launched: 01/15/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

Four men were killed in Juárez early Monday, continuing what has been a particularly bloody beginning of the year in Juárez.

With the shootings, there have been 24 homicides in Juárez in the first 14 days of 2008 -- or 1.7 homicide per day, double the average of 0.8 homicides per day last year. In comparison, there has only been one homicide in El Paso since Jan. 1.

Many of the victims in Juárez were young men and died in what appeared to be drug- and gang-related incidents.

"These problems between organized groups of criminals are very difficult to prevent. It's something going on between them," said Juárez municipal police spokesman Jaime Torres.

The last four homicides stem from two separate incidents Monday.

In the first, Juárez police said that they were called to the scene of a gun fight on Zafra and Cruz streets at about 4:40 a.m. They said they found the bodies of three unidentified men next to a blue, 1991 Plymouth Voyager. The men ranged in age from about 17 to about 30. Police said they think two of the three men were brothers. They died of bullet wounds.

At about 5 a.m., police went to the scene of another reported gun fight and found the body of a 30- to 35-year-old man wrapped in a brown blanket at the corner of Cotija and Caracuaro streets. The man, also unidentified Monday afternoon, died of gunshot wounds.

And this sounds like a Clint Eastwood or Akira Kurosawa movie hero should intervene since it seems the police or government aren't doing anything.

Juarenses Protest Neighborhood's Treatment
El Paso Times
Article Launched: 01/15/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

Four years after Juarenses and a Mexican industrialist squared off over a patch of land called Lomas de Poleo, little has changed, residents and supporters said Monday at a protest in front of the Mexican Consulate in El Paso.

The neighborhood on a mesa in west Juárez is still topped by a guard tower, surrounded by barbed wire, guarded by hired men and left without electricity. Residents and media reports blamed Juárez industrialist Pedro Zaragoza for harassing the residents, with whom he has a legal battle over the land.

Petra Medrano, who has been living in Lomas de Poleo for 15 years, said she lives in fear of the volatile young men who are acting as guards, denying entry to the neighborhood to anyone they please.

"We are afraid to leave Lomas de Poleo because nobody would be looking after our house. Recently, they have been robbing us," she said. "When we leave, they let in some young men who take everything from our houses."

About 35 people protested in El Paso, while a similar protest took place at the U.S. Consulate in Juárez. In El Paso, protesters gave a letter to Mexican consular officials who said they would pass it on to the federal agency in charge of land deals.

You can read an older story about Lomas de Poleo here.

Time To Go Back To Work

After an extended vacation, it has been difficult getting back into the correct mindset for work. Read "I really don't want to be here." But there are bills to be paid and mouths to be fed, and since I still haven't struck it rich on the Lotto, it's back to the grindstone and blogging of course.

This just in...how about taking your next vacation here?