Blogging the Mood

I’m not feeling newsy today, nor opinionated (at least anymore opinionated that usual). but I am in blogging frame of mind. Today, I’ll choose a scatergun technique.


Cool gray Mist / Blankets Van Dam Peak / Cries Dew on Leaf / Draws tear trails down glass / Morning – M. Frank Darbe 5.29.2009


Occassionally, I do listen to music in other languages. My wife, Eva, introduced me to this, and I am thinking of her…


This was sent by Kathy…


OK, Just a little opinion…
I grew up with the space race, with astronauts. In my Grandpa’s house, I sat on a small red stool (really just a foot stool) nearest the television. Through clouds of fragrant, swirling, Prince Alber tobaco smoke I wathed Armstrong, Aldrin, and others go up as Spam in a Can and visit a swirling chunk of rock that lovers kiss under on warm summer nights. The shuttle is going away and because our government went on a Capitalist Bender that did not recognize how important space is, the Shuttle is closing up shop and we are hiring the Russian Taxi Drivers to get us where we need to go.

Russia signs a $306 million deal with NASA to ferry astronauts to space station in 2012

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian space agency says it has signed a $306 million deal with NASA to ferry its astronauts to the international space station in 2012.

Roscosmos said Friday the agreement covers four launches aboard the three-person Soyuz capsules to swap out crews in the orbiting laboratory.

NASA said Russia would supply comprehensive support for six NASA crew members taking part in long-duration missions.


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Roundup…Information Dogies

News happens every day whether we want it or not. It’s been a while since I rounded up the information dogies. So without further ado about nothing…


The first story that caught my eye was this bit of reasearch into Autism. There has been a tendancy to blame autism on childhood inoculations. Parents have gone so far as to opt out of these for fear that their child will go autistic. Finding a genetic cause does not support the drug cause theory, but may open science to treatement.

A Genetic Clue to Why Autism Affects Boys More
Among the many mysteries that befuddle autism researchers: why the disorder affects boys four times more often than girls. But in new findings reported online today by the journal Molecular Psychiatry, researchers say they have found a genetic clue that may help explain the disparity.

The newly discovered autism-risk gene, identified by authors as CACNA1G, is more common in boys than in girls (why that’s so is still not clear), and the authors suggest it plays a role in boys’ increased risk of the developmental disorder. CACNA1G, which sits on chromosome 17, amid other genes that have been previously linked to autism, is responsible for regulating the flow of calcium into and out of cells. Nerve cells in the brain rely on calcium to become activated, and research suggests that imbalances in the mineral can result in the overstimulation of neural connections and create developmental problems, such as autism and even epilepsy, which is also a common feature of autism.


News on the nomination of a New Justice to the Supreme Court…

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