Just read that Andre Norton passed away. She was 93.

Her site: http://www.andre-norton.org/

I'm in love...http://www.sundog.clara.co.uk/atoptics/phenom.htm

CNN's Health Library. Great reference source.

The Mars Rover Opportunity hit its one-year mark on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2005. (The Mars Rover, Spirit, celebrated its one-year anniversary, Jan. 3, 2005.)

Ya know what I think? I think we need a taarradhin in the Middle East! Thanks NPR Morning Edition! Check out 'In Other Words': Translating the Untranslatable

I can't believe you just DID that . . .

From BBC Science: Astronomers have identified the three biggest stars known to science. ..."If they were located in the same place as our own Sun - at the centre of the Solar System - the stars would stretch out further than the orbit of Jupiter."...

Okay, THAT'S big.

From Space News.com: The first detection of magnetic fields in the central stars of four planetary nebulae.

WINTER SOLSTICE: Northern winter begins on December 21st when the sun dips to its southernmost altitude of the year. Astronomers call this the "winter solstice" and it happens at precisely 12:42 GMT (7:42 a.m. EST).
from Spaceweather.com

I have discovered Yerba Mate'! Yum!! Picked up several packages of the tea at the local Trader Joes. Here's the supplier's site: Guayaki' Yerba Mate'

BBC NEWS | Technology: A team of US researchers has shown that controlling devices with the brain is a step closer.

"Free Your Mind..."

Looks like LOTR artist, Alan Lee's Book Tour kicked up yesterday. Here's his schedule on theonering.net I'll plan on popping by to see Alan when he stops by San Francisco, on the 10th.

Just viewed the new six-minute teaser for "The Return of the King Special Extended DVD Edition." Fantastic!

Okay...I've heard of Cyber Punk and Steampunk. Now there's Pop-Gothic, as illustrated in the new Dreamworks movie, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Very disturbing. In theaters 12/17. Must see.

Top Headlines:
- (LOTR Update) The Fellowship has just entered The Mines of Moria.
- Saw Megan Slankard at the Stockton Border's Books. Awesome!
- Need to finish up writing requirements for the KnowledgeTree folks.

So many things going on recently.
- Wrapping up EIGHT birthdays celebrated over the course of the past two weeks: Sis, Judy, Lisa, Mary, Matt, Harley, Eric, and Joseph!
- Also started rereading Lord of the Rings for the fourth year in a row. Frodo and his companions have just arrived at his new home in Crickhollow and he's preparing to announce to his friends that he must leave the Shire that night.
- Fall is particularly beautiful this year here in Northern California.

"In times of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists."

- Al Rogers

(from: Seb's Open Research)

Advice for the aspiring: 'Write the truth'
A dramatic weekend with screenwriting instructor Robert McKee

Nice write-up.

Follow-up on Hurricane Ivan news:

Spoke with a friend in Pensacola, FL earlier today. She works at a downtown property management firm, and she shares some disturbing if not very somber news about the destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Ivan.

She shares President Bush visited the area and stated portions of the city looked like it had come under aerial bombardment. There are some very large buildings downtown that are no more, just very large piles of brick and debris.

To the west of Pensacola, somewhat closer to the Mobile Bay area where Ivan stormed through, there where sightings of up to 17 twisters at a time moving here and there during Ivan's passing. Reports have also come through that Interstate Hwy 10 was "taken out" in one or two parts. CNN has an aftermath photo of an interstate-trailer truck, hanging off a broken segment of I-10. Looks like it is on the eastbound lane, which is the south portion of the roadway.

Some parts of Pensacola will get electricity back in an estimated three weeks.

Out nearer to the Gulf of Mexico coast part of Pensacola, on the island, some land areas and houses are totally submerged.

Luckily there are no reports of deaths. The most severe property loss appears mostly due to Ivan's category-3 wind strength, tornadoes and coastal wave activity.

--Bennie

Hurricane Ivan.

After spending a lot of time tracking Ivan, by checking the latest posts at the National Weather Service, I stumbled upon the archive section (see below). This saves me mucho time in checking updates, scribbling out the numbers, and then adding them to my blog site. So for all your Hurricane info mojo, check out the links.

See Information from National Weather Service, Tropical Prediction Center.

Also see 2004 Tropical Cyclone Archive for historical information.

Outta-here.

Updated: 6:46 AM (PDT) 9/16/04