The great planet show of May is underway. If you get up before sunrise and look in an eastward direction, you should be able to see the planetary alignments of Jupiter, Mars,Mercury and Venus.

Students of astrology will be interested to know that the combined energies of these planets confer a cosmic gift of excitement and success. (In some cases, too much excitement. ) Enjoy.

Visit http://science.nasa.gov/ for more!

Why Knowing Your “RealAge” Can Help You Stay Young Longer

When we’re young, it’s only natural to feel invincible.

Then, as we hit our 30’s and then our 40’s, we start to understand that the human body can’t go on forever. But, why is it that some people stay healthy and vigorous well into their 80’s and 90’s, while others don’t make it past their 60’s?  Part of the answer can be attributable to genetics, and of course, dangerous habits like smoking can also contribute to an early demise.

But, scientists are also discovering more and more factors that contribute to longevity.  And, the really exciting news is that most of these factors can be controlled.

Dr. Michael Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz, two world-class doctors, decided to tackle this issue head-on in their New York Times bestselling YOU book series.

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To figure out your RealAge, take the RealAge Test, a sophisticated, free, online quiz.

Links,we’ve got links.

UFO Links!

So grab a cup of tea and get comfy.

UFO Battles Captured on Video? Not Likely, Expert Says

E.T. Phones Thailand and Picks Up the Tab for the Call

Divinecosmos

Jayzus  in a bathtub!! If the dog isn’t shedding, he’s vomiting on the laundry pile.  Or burying his bone in the couch cushions. He has a talent for getting out and following his little puggy nose until he is hopelessly lost. (Which he better not do any time soon because he’s lost the license from his collar.) He steals the covers, chews the baby’s teddy bear, and rubs his snout on the newly washed floor after he’s had a drink.  Sigh. He greets me at the door with wild enthusiasm. Licks my hand when I’m sad. Acts like my stew is manna from heaven  when nobody else will touch it, and hypnotizes me to sleep with his gentle snoring.  He doesn’t care if my make up is done or if my hair is a mess. He’s just happy to walk the path of life with me. He’s an entertainer at heart and his clownish antics keep me in stitches. He’s a lotta dog in a small package.  And I love him dearly.

This video reminds me of puggy after he’s chewed the garbage. It’s priceless. No wonder dog is mans best friend.

https://www.facebook.com/guiltydog

http://www.youtube.com/artist/John_Carrie_and_Moor_Green?feature=watch_metadata

In The News Today

Who knows you best? Not you, say psychologists PhysOrg – May 5, 2011
Know thyself. That was Socrates’ advice, and it squares with conventional wisdom. “It’s a natural tendency to think we know ourselves better than others do,” says Washington University in St. Louis assistant professor Simine Vazire.

The benefits of meditation: Neuroscientists explain why the practice helps tune out distractions and relieve pain PhysOrg – May 5, 2011
Studies have shown that meditating regularly can help relieve symptoms in people who suffer from chronic pain, but the neural mechanisms underlying the relief were unclear. Now, MIT and Harvard researchers have found a possible explanation for this phenomenon.

May 4 is an “unofficial holiday by “Star Wars” fans … Live Science – May 4, 2011
… to celebrate Star Wars culture and remember the films,” according to Wikipedia. If you surf over to Wookieepedia, you’ll be told: “May the 4th be with you.”

Hubble Telescope Snaps Photo for 21st Birthday

A whirlpool-like spiral galaxy is being distorted by the gravitational pull of a neighbor in a new photo from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

The photo was released Wednesday (April 20) to mark the orbiting observatory’s upcoming 21st birthday. Hubble was launched into space April 24, 1990 aboard the space shuttle Discovery.

“For 21 years, Hubble has profoundly changed our view of the universe, allowing us to see deep into the past while opening our eyes to the majesty and wonders around us,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement.”I was privileged to pilot space shuttle Discovery as it deployed Hubble. After all this time, new Hubble images still inspire awe and are a testament to the extraordinary work of the many people behind the world’s most famous observatory.”

Click Here for more

If only my father was still alive. He wasn’t an engineer, but, he had an engineers mind and an appreciation of old gadgets. In his retirement years he worked with his local museum to identify obscure artifacts and their uses.

For more than a century, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have calibrated America’s measurements, setting common baselines for everything from weights to time to the fat content of milk.

The work has involved a gadgeteer’s fantasy of instruments — time standards and refractometers, galvanometers and magne-gages, thousands of tools that make measurement possible. Yet even as NIST became the world’s preeminent source of quantification, they simply lost track of what some of those old instruments did.

“Often a scientist retired or left NIST, and someone was cleaning out their office and found an instrument on the shelves and there was no documentation,” said NIST digital services librarian Regina Avila. “They would give them to our museum guy and say, ‘I found this. It looks important and we don’t want to toss it.’”

Read the rest and go through the pictures. Perhaps someone on the interwebs can help NIST identify their mystery tools

Iran is claiming that they’ve built a functioning flying saucer.(Complete with GPS). There are no photos and it has not been determined how fast or even how far the saucer can travel. Apparently it’s designed for aerial photography and is equipped with autopilot.

Seed balls are a fun and easy way for adults and children to get into the gardening spirit.  These clay balls mixed with compost and seeds are the perfect remedy for drab areas requiring a splash of colourful blooms.

Used for years by guerrilla gardeners to green up urban vacant lots, seed balls are perfect for the garden.  They don’t require planting. Just toss a few in an area and let the rain “melt” them.  The clay protects the seeds from predatory insects.  As the clay melts away, the compost nourishes the seed and small plant.

Seed balls can be made at anytime of the year and are easily stored. (Just don’t store them in plastic.) They’re perfect for gifts or for slipping into your pocket for your next walk.  The seeds should be native to the area to avoid introducing invasive plants. Wild flowers and grasses are perfect for seed balls.

Recipe For Seed Balls

5 parts dry red clay (Dry powder, not wet)

3 parts compost. (In the video a mixture of coco fibre and compost is used.)

1 part wild flower seeds

1 part water

Add the water after all of the ingredients are mixed. Roll into balls(about 1-2 inch) and let dry.

Masanobu Fukuoka is said to have reintroduced the ancient technique of seed balls.(Or at the very least to have invented the seed ball technique.)

More about Masanobu Fukuoka  click here.