Curiosity Finds Evidence of Water on Mars

NASA/JCL-Caltech/MSSS

NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered evidence of an ancient, flowing stream on Mars at the rock outcrop pictured here, named 'Hottah' after Hottah Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories.  It appears to be an ancient streambed, suggesting that water once flowed massively across the planet.  The rover used its Mast Camera to examine rocks on its way to Glenelg Intrigue, a junction between three types of terrain.

The rocks Curiosity photographed are made of sandy rock interspersed with large pebbles and formed a large mass.  Detailed observation of the rock showed that it was a composite, essentially a rock made of other rocks. The tiny rocks, called clasts, were embedded in the overall structure and appeared rounded.  Scientists believe that the rocks bumped into each other on their arduous journey, smoothing the rough edges along the way.

Curiosity has now traveled to a location about two to four miles from an alluvial fan, a triangle-shaped network of channels on a slope that indicates water may have pushed material downward, spreading as it flowed.  Researchers believe the flow lasted over hundreds of millions of years.

This blogger has long wondered about life on other planets--not the little green spaceman variety--but other life forms that have civilization of some kind.  Thanks to Curiosity, we just might find that life existed on the Red Planet at some time.

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Donor Writes Heartfelt Letter to President Obama

Politico.com

Ham on Wry offers this letter to readers as an example of someone with an attitude we should  emulate.  This woman and her family have their "heads on straight" and values that hark back to a time when people had an ethic, which commanded them to share their bounty with others.  Read it, reflect on its contents, and see whether it touches you as it did this blogger when she discovered it earlier today.

Dear President Obama,

I'm writing to tell you about the $15 my family just donated to your 2012 campaign.

It was $15. That's really all we could give.

My husband Steve is currently a student at Temple University. Since starting his degree, three years ago, we've been living considerably below the poverty level (I keep forgetting which percent ... does it matter?). But we aren't complaining. Two healthy daughters; dusty, well-travelled backpacks in the basement; a house full of memories -- a future full of hope. We're the lucky ones.

So -- we're currently "poor on money -- rich in life" (as we like to say). It hasn't always been like this. My husband spent most of his life doing what he loved -- playing or coaching basketball. Born in SE Iowa, he was an Academic All-American and once-upon-two-good-knees-ago, the "local town hero" of his small town -- after bringing home the State Championship during high school, followed by NJCAA National Championship years later as a coach. He's a big a fan of yours by the way ... as a player, father and president ... not necessarily in that order.

But this really wasn't supposed to be a letter about him.

It's about this year's campaign. It's about wanting to say that $15 means something these days and deserves a moment of pause (and some words on paper) for this girl and her family of Obama fans.

-- $15 is a special pizza dinner at our local pizza stop.
-- It's 1 1/2 tickets to see the newest film at the old-school cinema we walk our daughters to.
-- It's getting fresh fruit, instead of frozen; fresh veg, instead of canned.
-- It's tickets to the Franklin Institute in the heart of Philly. (We've never been.)

It's all these things to a family like ours.

I've listened with curiosity, mostly frustration, as the nation debates Citizens' United and the string of new laws that now allow the bellowing voices of private interest to drown out the sounds of tiny voices (like ours/mine). Our pebble-in-the-ocean support feels almost pointless. "Leave the campaigns to the rich," I think to myself, "Get your daughters a pizza instead."

But I refuse to allow new laws to stop us/me from being A PART of this campaign. After all, I will never be a "player" (in the political sense), but I still want to believe I can play a part.

Then, out of the blue, there you are -- shooting a jumpshot on my (Facebook) wall -- and asking for "players" to join you on your home court. I had to smile, and then I couldn't resist. And so, I have relinquished those $15.

Please know that they count. To us. Please stay in Washington. Do, in this second term, what you were not assisted/supported to do during your first term. Get this country moving/working/hoping again.

Please continue being a champion for the middle class -- I'm hoping the next pizza will be on you.

Wishes to your brave wife and beautiful daughters from another brave wife with two beautiful daughters.

All good things,

Ham on Wry chose not to include her signature, even though it doesn't reveal the family name, or the name of their favorite pizza haunt.  Her humility and appreciation for what she has rather than bemoaning what she doesn't speaks volumes.  So many phrases in her letter could become aphorisms for life the way it could be and should be lived.  May we all find a way to do more with what we have that can benefit more than just ourselves.  This letter deserves to hang in an honored place to remind us all of what many of us have lost--a sense of dignity no matter what the circumstances.

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Beggar the Dolphin Found Dead in Sarasota, FL

freewebs.com photo of Beggar

Beggar, a well-loved bottlenose dolphin who frequented the waters of Sarasota Bay, was found dead near the Albee Road Bridge.  The dolphin approached boaters in that area for over 20 years and developed a local following as well as achieving star status as a tourist attraction.

All of that attention might have contributed to his demise, according to Gretchen Lovewell, Mote Marine Laboratory's manager of stranding investigations, who performed a necropsy on Beggar to determine the cause of death.


The results of her examination include the following:

Multiple broken ribs and vertebrae

Two stingray barbs. One reached the small intestine and one close to the lungs

Boat wounds on the dorsal fin, which appeared to have healed.

Healed puncture on right pectoral fin

Possible boat wound on right side

Healed puncture wound between blowhole and dorsal fin

Beggar had multiple broken ribs and vertebrae.

Three fishing hooks and bits of fishing line in his stomach

Two squid beaks, which aren't part of a normal dolphin's dining

Several ulcers in his third stomach

Dehydration

underwatertimes.com

People often succumbed to Beggar's cuteness and fed him food and beverages no water dweller can properly ingest---hot dogs, beer, and potato chips among them.  Thanks to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, anyone found guilty of feeding a wild dolphin will receive a fine of up to $100,000 and a year in jail.

Ham on Wry joins the mourners who were stunned by Beggar's death and hope it serves as a warning to those who think feeding dolphins people food poses no problems.  It does!

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66-year-old Man Rescues Dog from Alligator

 

Orlando Sentinel Photo

 

 

Steve Gustafson is no ordinary Florida retiree.  His extraordinary efforts to save his dog Bounce from an alligator's death grip made him a hero to not only Bounce, but to family, neighbors, and friends as well.

 

Gustafson, a retired corporate attorney, was trimming an oak tree in the back yard of his home in The Villages, a retirement community near Orlando, Florida, when he heard his dog yelp in pain.  He ran to the bank of the pond in time to see an alligator dragging the nine-year-old West Highland Terrier by her collar and shoulder into the water.

 

The Orland Sentinel quoted him as saying"I just knew that my best friend was going to be dead, and I took off. For whatever reason, I don’t know, I just yelled, ‘you’re not going to get her!’ and just leaped on the gator…just like you do some silly belly flop in a pool.. The only difference was I landed on top of a gator.”

 

He succeeded in wresting Bounce free from the seven-foot gator's grip and exited the water. Both Bounce and her owner sustained bite marks but escaped with minor injuries.

 

The gator swam away and was later killed by a trapper.  Gustafson decided to have the 130-pound gator stuffed as a reminder of his daring rescue.  He hopes it will serve as an heirloom to future generations of the Gustafson clan.

 

In honor of his heroic actions, neighbors presented him with a Superman cape and an alligator belt buckle. Ham on Wry thinks he's lucky to be alive and hopes this post doesn't spur anyone to try this at home.

 

 

 

 

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More on Romney's 47% Comment

 

ABC News Photo

 

 

Mitt Romney has attempted to explain away the comments he made at a private fundraiser in May, after a video of his response to a supporter was made public yesterday (see 9/18 blog post).  No matter how he changes his words, the denigration of those who pay no taxes as having a victim’s mentality still rings as sanctimonious and dismissive.

 

Fact checkers busied themselves on determining exactly what kind of people paid no taxes last year.  Readers can find several articles that detail the composition of that group using internet search engines.  This blogger will include a few that might surprise readers who thought only the poor paid nothing.

 

Some wealthy people paid $0 in taxes last year. About 1 percent of the top 1 percent of income earners, those making about $533,000 or more, did not pay income taxes, according to ABC News. That's roughly 13,000 tax filers.  Retirees living entirely on Social Security income figure into the category as well.  People who made no money in 2011 but have paid federal taxes other years belong to that group also.  Yes, some people living at poverty level paid no taxes, but that doesn’t mean all of them behave as victims.  Many work for a living but can't make ends meet on hourly wages.

 

Face it, Mitt, you blew it.  The fact that you were recorded at a private function doesn’t change the fact that you uttered the words.  You just don’t get it, and you probably never will.  You led a privileged life that included private school, college costs paid by your parents and help buying your first home.  

 

Jon Huntsman, who ran as a candidate for the Republican nomination, identified the biggest problem Republicans face in this election. "We're not expanding our demographics. We're not thinking in terms of big, bold, optimistic solutions for this nation, we're doing a little too much pandering. We're doing a little bit too much in the way of pledge signing," says Huntsman. "We've got to get back to the big, bold visionary stuff, where we're not going to pander, we're going to talk about trust deficit, just like we talk about our fiscal deficit."

Great idea, Jon.  Too bad you didn't win the nomination. You're a voice of reason in a sea of insanity.

 

 

 

 

 



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Mitt Romney Calls 47% of Americans Victims

Mitt Romney believes 47% of Americans consider themselves victims and feel entitled to government hand-outs. Ham on Wry will provide his exact words when he responded to a wealthy donor at a fundraiser in Boca Raton, Florida.

Before listing the quotes, this blogger takes Romney to task for making such a claim in the first place and then trying to excuse it by saying it wasn't "elegantly stated." Really, Mr. Romney?  How elegant can you make words like that?

"There are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47% who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That-- that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. ..."

Romney continued by saying, "My job is not to worry about these people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives ."

That about sums it up, readers.  Let's forget about anyone who has suffered mightily from the economic downturn and lost a home, a job, health care, etc. and needs some temporary help. Let them starve, live out of a suitcase, or die in the streets. This blogger has personal knowledge of several people who lost their jobs and health care at the same time.  One had to file bankruptcy because she developed brain cancer and used up all the money she had saved to pay medical expenses and still had a large balance. This should not happen to people who have worked all of their lives and lose everything due to circustances over which they have no control.

Clearly, this Republican candidate for President regards many Americans contemptuously, and he doesn't feel he must worry about them, if he's elected.  That message should scare more than 47% of Americans.  We should all shudder at the thought of someone who dismisses people who consider food, health care, and housing are basic necessities and not extras. 

Ham on Wry considers his comments a blessing to the voters because he reveals his true feelings about almost half the population.  He has never struggled for money or lost his home or wondered where his next meal would come from. He is not a man who understands those who lac the shield of great wealth and would deny the most basic necessities to those in need in favor of making the rich richer.

Voters have a choice between two sharply divided candidates.  Ham and Wry urges every one of them to study the issues and make informed choices.

 

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Giant Panda Gives Birth to Cub Surprising Zookeepers

New Mom Mei Ling/Getty Image

 

 

Mei Xiang, Smithsonian Zoo's giant panda females hid a secret from all who cared for her.  She was pregnant. Scientists at the zoo artificially inseminated 14-year-old Mei Xiang’s, giving her a last chance to conceive after many previous attempts failed. They believed there was a less than a 10 percent chance she would become pregnant, but she proved them wrong. 

 

Chief veterinarian Suzan Murray said the unnamed cub was born at about 10:46 p.m. Sunday night.

Newborn pandas, enter the word pink, hairless and tiny, about the size of a stick of butter. Chinese custom dictates waiting100 days to name a cub, and zoo officials will uphold that custom.

 

Born in China, Mei Xiang and her mate Tian Tian, are the second pair of pandas to live at the zoo. 

Mei Xiang's first cub, Tai Shan, was born in 2005 and gained instant star status before going to China in 2010 as part of the agreement for the loan of the giant panda pair.

 

Panda keepers were keeping a watch on Mei Xiang, in case the artificial insemination had worked. One of them reported hearing a sound that resembled a bird's shriek, so a small group accessed their computers to watch the zoo’s panda cam. They, too, heard the distinct cry of a newborn panda cub.

 

According the those who care for her, Mei Xiang fared well during the birth and is responding to the cub’s fussy grunt and high-pitched squeal.

 

Ham on Wry joins well wishers around the world who are rejoicing in the birth of another giant panda.

 

 

 

 

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