May all the spammers who have infiltrated this site find their ass aflame w/ the welted bites of a million fire ants.

Most of the pics are from Stonehenge. A couple are from other celebrations - Macedonia, Bolivia & New York.

Summer Solstice Observance

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37825112/ns/technology_and_science-picture_s...

This pic is a combo of the infrared pics from both NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope & the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) which combines data from telescopes in Arizona & Chile.

Brief article w/ reg size pic:
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/breakingorbit/2010/04/omg...

Superpic!
http://spitzer.caltech.edu/uploaded_files/images/0005/4754/sig10-004_Lrg...

Pollution rates rise as rulings hamper EPA
Some businesses declare law no longer applies to them, regulators say

By Charles Duhigg and Janet Robert
The New York Times
updated 2:46 a.m. PT, Mon., March. 1, 2010

Thousands of the nation’s largest water polluters are outside the Clean Water Act’s reach
because the Supreme Court has left uncertain which waterways are protected by that law,
according to interviews with regulators.
As a result, some businesses are declaring that the law no longer applies to them. And
pollution rates are rising.

Companies that have spilled oil, carcinogens and dangerous bacteria into lakes, rivers and
other waters are not being prosecuted, according to Environmental Protection Agency
regulators working on those cases, who estimate that more than 1,500 major pollution
investigations have been discontinued or shelved in the last four years.

Greetings.

Yeah, I haven't been on here much - not nearly as much as I used to in previous incarnations of this site. Regrettable, I know.

I will try more often to post things that I find of interest in the blog, at least. :) There's always something that needs to be shared.

Unfortunately, the rest of the site is just.. difficult, I guess? Hard to use, hard to post content, hard to find what you're looking for. A lot of the functionality isn't there. I also see things that are there but can't figure out how to use them - or in some cases can't find where it originates from on the site in order to even *try* to use it! For instance, I spent some time today trying to figure out how to change one's status. I have no clue where that is! I searched everywhere for it & I can't for the life of me find it. It's a little frustrating, I guess. So yeah, I haven't really been on for some time.

Haiti awash in Christian aid, evangelism

In quake crisis, there were sure to be some ungodly fumbles

By Kari Huus
Reporter
msnbc.com
updated 11:13 a.m. PT, Tues., Feb. 9, 2010

The horrific destruction and human suffering in Haiti exert an almost irresistible pull on U.S. Christian missionaries eager to help. But as the jailing last week of 10 missionaries from a small Baptist church in Idaho illustrates, best intentions don’t always translate into good deeds in the chaotic aftermath of the monster earthquake.

Many mission groups provide essential services for Haitians — indeed some have evolved into key service providers, working alongside nonprofit groups and the U.N. to fill gaps that the Haitian government can’t fill.

But other missions, even when well-meaning, risk running afoul of Haiti’s culture and laws.

Earth religions get worship area at AF Academy

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 1, 2010

Filed at 6:07 p.m. ET

DENVER (AP) -- The Air Force Academy has set aside an outdoor worship area for Pagans, Wiccans, Druids and other Earth-centered believers, school officials said Monday.

A double circle of stones atop a hill on the campus near Colorado Springs has been designated for the group, which previously met indoors.

''Being with nature and connecting with it is kind of the whole point,'' said Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier, who sponsors the group and describes himself as a Pagan. ''It will dramatically improve that atmosphere, the mindset and the actual connection.''

Lt. Col. William Ziegler, one of the academy's chaplains, said designating the space is part of the school's effort to foster religious tolerance and to defend the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.

Ever seen a Crescent Earth? It looks embroidered w/ the clouds over the Southern oceans & that sliver of Antarctica at the curve.

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/11/12/2125900.aspx

A boycott has been called for against Bath & Body Works following the filing of a lawsuit against them for religious discrimination. The employee, Gina Uberti, was fired after Samhain 2008 by her new manager after she was questioned regarding her need to take off work during Samhain, something that she had put in for & had an approval for a year in advance by a previous manager. She was employed w/ the company for eight years prior to the incident. She was told by her manager that, “that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard" and "let me ask you where your priorities should have been?” This was followed with, “Well, you will need a new career in your new year” and “I will be damned if I have a devil-worshiper on my team.” She was terminated less than a month later. Charges were filed w/ the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which granted her the right to sue just this September.

This is my blog.
It's a quiet place where not much has happened yet.