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Well, the meteor landing craft is hanging on to the meteor with one leg and the President has just made his immigration speach. Was happy to hear that the comet has organic material and that the craft may send additional information when it gets closer to the sun. That information may not help get bills passed. There was an amazing story about a baby elephant was able to escape from a pride of fourteen lioness. I guess that from the lion’s view this was not such a good outcome. And what is the plural of lioness? Is it lionesses? By the way, the comet landing craft was named Philae.

There were several articles about the number of bacteria that are exchanged by french kissing. It’s about a gazillion or more. Could this be a factor in global warming? And speaking of globl warming it will probably bring on a doubling of lightning strikes. And they are still thinking of possibly cloning a woolly mammoth. Maybe then we could have a feel good story of a baby mammoth escaping from a pride of sabre-toothed cats. I hope we learn much from the Rosetta Mission and that if we clone a woolly mammoth it does not get struck by ligntning. Which brings us to barley. This crop allowed humans to live at higher altitudes. Which probably had nothing to do with anything else here written.

I am not sure if it is good or bad for the image of New York. A new report says that there are not 8 million rats in the city and perhaps as few as a little over two million. It seems that most people would be happy with the lessor number but no doubt there will be a few that this finding brings disappointment. I know that my hometown does not have 8 million rats nor does it have 8 million people. Population is closer to 800. Is it sad for stars that are just out there in space without the comfort of a galaxy? Over half of the planets may be galaxyless. If there are planets with intelligent beings do they really care? And what if they also have fewer rats than they thought? Maybe rats are the intelligent species and they have little humans all over their cities. It’s just something to think about.

The elections are over and the world goes on. Good news a new species of frog has been found in or near new York City. Hope it’s not endangered already. Could it be that this new species of frog has been eating the extra rats? We are getting close to landing on the comet that smells really bad. And I am sure there are no rats on it’s surface. Have a wonderful November.

Just read about the 50 foot shark that is extinct. We cannot see a live one but what about the spider that is the size of a puppy. Imagine someone breaking into your house to be confronted by a watch spider. Am not sure it would make a good pet. There was an article about when Western Europeans became lactose tolerant. I am sure the Megalodon was extinct by that time. Going back to the spiders I have seen far fewer spiders in my back yard this year. Is it the drought or my eyesight? More news about modern humans and neanderthals. The DNA of a 45,000 year old modern human contained about 4% neanderthal genes about the same as today. I do not think there is any connection to lactose tolerance or giant spiders.

Going way back a 200,000 year old human bone was found near Paris. And cave paintings about 40,000 years old were found in caves in Indonesia. I wonder what a scientist in the far future would make of the remains of an iPhone? It seems everyday there is a new discovery about dinosaurs. Finally there is the discovery of what must be ice on Mecury. It’s kind of hidden in deep caynons but could it be used for farming? Probably not and if there were giant spiders on Mercury they would really be tough.

I never expected to see such a statement. In fact, have never really thought too much about the age of water. Would not it be great if we could get this water and bottle it? What would trend seekers pay for such a beverage? And there was other news from the past. The relatively advanced method of flaking rocks to make tools was thought to have originated in Africa and then was exported. Now it seems that it also began in Eurasia. Will this discovery affect global warming No, but there is some good news concerning colony collapse disorder. Honey bees are more difficult to keep healthy but they are not going to disappear. That makes me feel better and I can probably do without a bottle of ancient water.

A lot going on in space. There was the amazing and inexpensive Indian Mar’s orbiter. And to be successful in the first attempt. Am waiting for the Rosetta space probe’s attempt to place an instrument package on the surface of a comet. And the Curiosity is drilling on the surface of Mars. Here on Earth learned that wind storms blowing sand from Africa to Brazil help fertilize the Amazon forest. It seems that particles of long dead fish contain phosphorous. Wow! I wonder what was in those sand storms that swept across the plains of eastern New Mexico contained? Maybe it shaped my way of thinking. Anyway have a wonderful October.

A litter of Mexican grey wolves was born in Mexico. There are at least 83 of the endangered wolves in Arizona and New Mexico. Am removing grass from my front yard and putting in low water native plants but do not think in would be a good habitat for these grey wolves. Brown rats, sika deer and muskrats top the invasive list in Europe. None of these creatures would really be a fit for my yard. Nor would I like a meteorite to strike it. One struck a wooded area in Nicarauga near the capital’s airport.No one was hurt. Also read that a Chinese company will build a canal across Nicaragua that it claims will be built in five years. That is almost as awesome as Apple’s new products. From what I read am not really sure what the Apple Watch can do. Do not think it can build a canal but you can pay bills with it. That would really help especially if it could earn the money. Maybe there could be a replicator app that would allow it to do stuff they did on the old Star Trek series.

It the Apple Watch had trash app that would actually allow the world to just do away with waste and trash and maybe even clean the air in the world’s most polluted cities. Or perhaps a world peace app. This will probably not happen. But I am trying to learn Spanish again. Not that I ever learned it but I am trying again. That will bring world peace or even help the Mexican grey wolf or help get rid of the brown rat. I wish all of you a wonderful Wednesday.

I am almost sure there was no formal games or maybe even cows but there must certainly have been wooly mammoth droppings. What a week for discovery.  The largest dinosaur ever is reported from Argentina’s Patagonia. It was really really big and still growing. I wonderful if dinosaur manure would be good fertilizer? Am going to rip up my lawn and plant low water use ones. Maybe I could make a mini dry lake and recreate the rolling rocks from the Mojave. There is a move to save the Mexican Wolf and the albino cobra was captured in Thousand Oaks. Do not think I want either in my new California Native front yard. The new iPhone will be out soon. No one will find me in a line to get the new phone nor will they find a nude photo of me on the cloud. Not unless someone posts one from the airport scanner things. 

Just read that they are trying to bring back the Mexican Wolf to the border region. And they have captured the albino cobra that was loose in the yards of Thousand Oaks, California. Don’t think I want either in my new front yard. Finally, just read that they have found what may be Neanderthal art on a cave wall. These are probably not nude paintings of neanderthal celebrities.

I have never been back to Lubbock, Texas at the reunion time. 1956? Isn’t that getting closer to the 100th than back to the 10 year reunion. Time really flies. It seems only yesterday that I was a little boy in Tatum, New Mexico. Tatum is not too far from Roswell. I’m pretty sure that we did not land in Roswell in 1947. It’s hard to believe that football season is almost here again. Just read another article and saw a short video of an elephant shrew. Of course it’s not a shrew but really more closley related to an elephant. Would it not be delightful if they discovered some little humans they rode on the little guys. We need some good news  with all the conflicts and spread of Ebola. The elephant shrews were found in a very dry part of Africa and not near my dry home town.  

Yesterday I came up with the theory that the Neanderthals may have disappeared by using interstellar travel to get away from the troublesome modern humans. That came after drinking an RC Cola10. Can we blame the soda? Also I read that TB probably came to the Americas about the same time it spread in the Old World. The new though is that it came by seals that were from Africa and then eaten by Native Americans. Then there was the crocodile attack in Flordia. It was a first ever such attack in the US. American Crocodiles are rare. We did not have them on the High Plains as there are few rivers. I would advise you not to swim in a canal in Florida at 2AM that has signs warning that there a crocodiles. No one was killed. Anyway have a great Thursday.

Is there ever a better time to write a blog than when being on hold with the Department of Water and Power? Maybe the long long wait was a sign that it was time to write. Was saddened to learn that a giant freshwater fish is rapidly disappearing from many areas along the Amazon River. It is a really big fish as large as 390 pounds or so. Being an air breathing fish itmust come to the surface and is more easily caught. In one article there was really great news about carbon dioxide stones and ants. It seems that CO2 is collected in certain rocks and if those rocks are full of ants they collect over 300 times as much CO2. So if you build a rock fence and get ants to live on the rocks youwill be really green. Now if these fences could only help  the big fish and perhaps find me a service representative. My  call will be answered in the order it was received .  Am actually trying to get a rebated for turning my front lawn into a California Native-low water usage place.

Rosetta, the European space probe that is now in orbit around a comet, is taking pictures of and studying the comet. They are even going to send a probe down to the surface. There may be so answers to life’s big questions. What if they discover that the comet is covered with ants and is mostly CO2? What if there are little tiny people on the comet and that’s how we got to earth? Maybe they are trying to contact us but are on hold as I am. May you have a great Monday and may I sometime in the not so distant future get a real person on the phone.

What good news pokes its head up amist the carnage of war, disease, and falling Dow? Last weekend was spent at the state beach at Pt. Mugu. It was 104 when we turned down Kanan Dube Road and 75 at the beach. It was so cool that we were in jackets before sundown. The coolocean breeze is one of the many good things. There was no tsunami with zombies riding on top of the wave. Breakfast was slowly cooked over the morning campfire. And top of those glad tidings a giant flea that can grow up to half an inch was found on a Mountain Bever. I don’t think they cover the bever like fleas on a dog. What if a solar flare changed there genes and they grew to 30 feet tall? At least that would make a good movie title, “Attack of the Giant Mountain Bever Fleas.” It would open in 3D.

There were a couple of articles about dinosaurs with feathers and how that some theropods had grow smaller and smaller and learned to glide and climb and to even fly . When the meteor hit they were able to survive. Is the chicken closely related to the TRex? Now that has nothing to do with the shape of the moon. Apparently when it was more liquid the tides of the Earth’s oceans caused it to be shaped a bit like a lemon. Now back to what came first the chicken or the dinosaur? If we continue to try to get bigger and bigger and more meaty chickens might we not wake up to man eating pre TRexes? Also there is a danger of extinction for the Pangolin. It seems that their meat is consider a real delicacy in China. By the way the Pangoin is also known as the Scaley Anteater. Finally could all these have combined to cause the DOW to drop a lot today?  

Have read about elephants having a keen sense of smell and that some bats navigate using polarized light. There was also an article about whether or not dogs were really jealous of other dogs. Now back to mammoths and mastodons. Just got back from the Mammoth region and did not see any of the creatures there. It seems that the two species had different eating habits.Mammoths were grazers eating more grass and mastodons ate branches and leaves. And it seems they didn’t roam around much. That made me feel a bit better. Also the San Diego Zoo announced the birth of a rare Black Rhino. I don’t think there has been a study of whether or not there was jealousy display among or between the mammoths and mastodons. And it’s good to know that all bats aren’t blind.

From the New York times comes an article that states that qcetaminophen is no better than a placebo for back pain. I was interested as for the first time in my 75+ years I tweaked my back a few weeks ago. The article did state that patients who thought it worked should keep taking it. Next week there may be a new study saying how great it is. Am not sure what “tweaked” means but it didn’t feel good. President Putin gave a 4 hour domestic speech or interview where he spoke of a Russia that included much of the Ukraine including Odessa. There is an Odessa in west Texas but I don’t think he meant that or the nearby Midland. Keep safe and have a great Wednesday evening or perhaps a great Thursday morning.