SPECTACULAR and really far away and a little Avatar

I've always loved this picture. I remember in 1767 when it was first discovered. That was quite a year for those of us stranded on the planet Earth.

The Sombrero Galaxy

Wikipedia information on The Sombrero Galaxy

Distance

At least two methods have been used to measure the distance to the Sombrero Galaxy.

The first method relies on comparing the measured fluxes from planetary nebulae in the Sombrero Galaxy to the known luminosities of planetary nebulae in the Milky Way. This method gave the distance to the Sombrero Galaxy as 29.0 ± 2.0 Mly (8.9 ± 0.6 Mpc).^[1]

The other method used is the surface brightness fluctuations method. This method uses the grainy appearance of the galaxy's bulge to estimate the distance to it. Nearby galaxy bulges will appear very grainy, while more distant bulges will appear smooth. Early measurements using this technique gave distances of 30.6 ± 1.3 Mly (9.4 ± 0.4 Mpc).^[25] Later, after some refinement of the technique, a distance of 32 ± 3Mly (9.8 ± 0.8 Mpc) was measured.^[26] This was even further refined in 2003 to be 29.6 ± 2.5 Mly (9.1 ± 0.8 Mpc).^[2]

The average distance measured through these two techniques is 29.3 Mly (9.0 Mpc) with an uncertainty of 1.6 Mly (0.5 Mpc).^[a]

IT'S SO INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT ACTUAL DISTANCE ISN'T STATED BUT TRUST ME WHEN I SAY THAT IT IS REALLY REALLY FAR AWAY

MORE INFO FROM WIKIPEDIA

Nucleus

The nucleus of the Sombrero galaxy is classified as a low ionization nuclear emission region (LINER).^[12] These are nuclear regions where ionized gas is present, but the ions are only weakly ionized (i.e. the atoms are missing relatively few electrons). The source of energy for ionizing the gas in LINERs has been debated extensively. Some LINER nuclei may be powered by hot, young stars found in star formation regions, whereas other LINER nuclei may be powered by active galactic nuclei (highly energetic regions that contain supermassive black holes). Infrared spectroscopyobservations have demonstrated that the nucleus of the Sombrero Galaxy is probably devoid of any significant star formation activity. However, a supermassive black hole has been identified in the nucleus (as discussed in the subsection below), so thisactive galactic nucleus is probably the energy source that weakly ionizes the gas in the Sombrero Galaxy.^[8]

[edit]Central supermassive black hole

In the 1990s, a research group led by John Kormendy demonstrated that asupermassive black hole is present within the Sombrero Galaxy.^[13] Usingspectroscopy data from both the CFHT and the Hubble Space Telescope, the group showed that the speed of rotation of the stars within the center of the galaxy could not be maintained unless a mass 1 billion times the mass of the Sun, or 10⁹M_☉, is present in the center.^[13] This is among the most massive black holes measured in any nearby galaxies.

THE MOST MASSIVE BLACK HOLE MEASURED IN ANY NEARBY GALAXY. SO FUNNY HOW THEY USE THE TERM NEARBY.

Discovery

The Sombrero Galaxy was discovered in March of 1767 by Pierre Méchain, who described the object in a May 1767 letter to J. Bernoulli that was later published in theBerliner Astronomisches Jahrbuch.^[5][6] Charles Messier made a hand-written note about this and five other objects (now collectively recognized as M104 - M109) to his personal list of objects now known as the Messier Catalogue, but it was not "officially" included until 1921.^[6] William Herschel independently discovered the object in 1784 and additionally noted the presence of a "dark stratum" in the galaxy's disc, what is now called a dust lane.^[5][6] Later astronomers were able to connect Méchain's and Herschel's observations.^[6]

HOW WERE THESE GUYS DISCOVERING ANYTHING? HOW BIG WERE THEIR TELESCOPES COMPARED TO PRESENT EQUIPMENT?

SO MANY QUESTIONS

SO MUCH SPACE TO OBSERVE

And in Copenhagen nobody can agree on how to solve our own personal problems regarding the environment.

That's why looking into Space is so cool.......

Discovery after discovery!

It's nice to know that someone like James Cameron,who is a fellow human being, can create his own world and somehow bring that vision to the screen.

AVATAR is a spectacular visual experience

Something akin to the Sombrero Galaxy and a lot closer to home......like just down the street and around the corner.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Telling a story

Clint Eastwood tells a story on film as well as anyone working in the biz.

INVICTUS

recaptures a moment in time that many of us in America just have overlooked or ignored. Recalling the early 90's in South Africa all I remember is the constant threat that civil war was going to break out any day and that the black majority would be attempting to remove the white minority from all aspects of running South Africa.

A blood bath was apparently on the agenda.

It didn't happen, and for Clint to make a movie showing how Nelson Mandela conducted his life through the experiences of a Rugby team is truly amazing. The Rugby World Cup in 1995 was very small part of the reunification process when you look at the overall situation. I'm sure Mr. Mandela's personality was the actual peace pipe in the process and his actions allowed for both sides to step toward the middle of calmness and solutions.

But having a single moment where all people can look to one thing and cheer is truly an amazing moment.

And a moment that does not happen on a regular basis in any country.

Add the tension that had to be present at that time in that country and one can truly understand how important it was for South Africa to win that event.

I don't think 99% of us who will see this film have any idea what the rules of Rugby are but that does not matter one tiny bit.

What we do know is that certain people come along at certain times and things just seem to work out. Clint uses a film to remind us how important those people and those times can be.

Nelson Mandella was born to play an incredible role in the modern history of our planet.

Morgan Freeman was born to play Nelson Mandela.

And Clint was born to capture the whole deal on film.

Check it out!

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Conflicts of interest

RARE EARTH MATERIALS

IMPORTANT BUT......OUCH

FROM WIKIPEDIA

Technological applications

These rare-earth oxides are used as tracers to determine which parts of a watershed are eroding. Clockwise from top center: praseodymium, cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, samarium, and gadolinium.^[4]

Rare earth elements are incorporated into many modern technological devices, including superconductors, samarium-cobalt and neodymium-iron-boron high-flux rare-earth magnets, electronic polishers, refining catalysts and hybrid car components (primarily batteries and magnets).^[5] Rare earth ions are used as the active ions in luminescent materials used in optoelectronics applications, most notably the Nd:YAG laser. Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers are significant devices in optical-fiber communication systems. Phosphorswith rare earth dopants are also widely used in cathode ray tube technology such as television sets. The earliest color television CRTs had a poor-quality red; europium as a phosphor dopant made good red phosphors possible. Yttrium iron garnet (YIG) spheres have been useful as tunable microwave resonators. Rare earth oxides are mixed with tungsten to improve its high temperature properties for welding, replacing thorium, which was mildly hazardous to work with.

[edit]Global rare earth production

Global production 1950-2000

Until 1948, most of the world's rare earths were sourced from placersand deposits in India and Brazil.^[6] Through the 1950s, South Africa took the status as the world's rare earth source, after large rare earth bearing veins were discovered in Monazite.^[6] Today, those Indian and South African deposits still produce some rare earth concentrates, but they are dwarfed by the scale of Chinese production. China now produces over 95% of the world's rare earth supply.^[5]

The use of rare earth elements in modern technology has increased dramatically over the past years. For example, dysprosium has gained significant importance for its use in the construction of hybrid carmotors.^[7] Unfortunately, this new demand has strained supply, and there is growing concern that the world may soon face a shortage of the materials.^[8] In several years, worldwide demand for rare earth elements is expected to exceed supply by 40,000 tonnes annually unless major new sources are developed.^[9] All of the world's heavy rare earths (such as dysprosium) are sourced from Chinese rare earth sources such as the polymetallic Bayan Obo deposit.^[10] Illegal rare earth mines are common in rural China and are often known to release toxic wastes into the general water supply.^[11] A rare earth element mine in California is set to reopen by 2012. A site at Thor Lake in the Northwest Territories is also under development. Locations in Vietnam have also been considered.^[9]

Chinese export quotas have also resulted in a dramatic shift in the world's rare earth knowledge base. For example, the division of General Motors which deals with miniaturized magnet research shut down its US office and moved all of its staff to China in 2006.^[12]

On Sept. 1, 2009, China announced plans to reduce its quota to 35,000 tons per year in 2010-2015, supposedly to conserve scarce resources and protect the environment.^[13] Other sources of rare earth has been searched to avoid shortages and China's monopoly, mainly in South Africa, Brazil and the United States.^[14]

ON THE ONE HAND

AND THEN THE OTHER

WHAT TO DO

MY SISTER AND BROTHER

I WANT THE GOODS

BUT NOT THE PAIN

WHAT TO DO?????

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Simply the one Bill we need

Today in the LA TIMES Neal Gabler offers a perspective on Bill Moyers who recently announced he will be leaving his PBS show in April.

I highly recommend reading the entire article which appears on the first page of the Calender section.

I'm pretty sure that Bill Moyers interviews will be historically important to anyone interested in what the planet Earth was like during our current time period.

100 years from now people will be able to watch Bill interview Jane Goodall, Oliver Stone, James Galbraith, Bill Clinton, George Lucas and get a calm perspective on the late 20th Century and the beginning of the 21st Century

His six hour interview with Joseph Campbell will insure him a unique place in journalistic history and once the human race calms down regarding the total obsession with man made religions and figures out how mythology really shapes our environments, then he will be even more highly respected as a person who asked the right questions and asked them in a manner which was dignified and respected by all.........well almost all.

The infamous right wing commentators, who seem to be dominating the current atmosphere make Mr. Moyers a target of their nonsense. Bill O'Reilly made a statement that he drove Bill Moyers into retirement.

The absurdity of that type of statement completely shows the parallel universes that exist in the world of media personalities.

Imagine an interview program with Bill Moyers, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann. Imagine that you are being interviewed for something you did that was either extremely important or extremely stupid.

WHICH ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WOULD YOU WANT ASKING YOU QUESTIONS?

Bill Moyers might be the best interviewer who has ever lived.

His style and his grace are so unique and so relaxing that one often forgets the importance of the subject matter.

I perhaps love his style so much because it is the exact opposite of how I roll.

When something pisses me off I have a tendency to raise my voice and

CAPITALIZE MY WORDS.

I suspect that Bill Moyers has been able to maintain total control of his vocal cords since he was a very young man. Obviously it has something to do with increased intelligence and parental upbringing.

The world has multiple millions of people who are much smarter than I. It is so rewarding to know that one of those people has spent a lifetime keeping me informed of things that are happening all around me as I move forward in my small orbit.

I know there are things I do that make me unique and I know there are things you do that make you unique.

As individuals we make statements and we leave footprints and hopefully some of those remain relevant to the broader map known as human development.

I just have to figure out how to get Bill Moyers to interview me so that I can be part of his remarkable resume.

I honestly believe in my heart that he would get the NEO-ILLUMINATION period of my life and would find it interesting.

I guess I should send him a copy of my book.

He will have plenty of reading time available after April.

How cool would it be to have Bill Moyers as a pen pal?

Please read the article by Neal Gabler and then go to Bill's website and enjoy and elevated sense of dignity on this beautiful Sunday morning.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Hubble's Deepest View of Universe Unveils Never-Before-Seen Galaxies

Hubble's Deepest View of Universe Unveils Never-Before-Seen Galaxies

TRIP AROUND ON THIS SITE

http://climate.nasa.gov/Eyes/eyes.html

http://www.nasa.gov/

I wish I had done this painting

This is a failed rocket explosion from the folks in Russia.

The design is exact and the flow is perfect which is my intention every time I do a design.

I'll never get this precise but I will keep trying.

By the way....David Letterman, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Bill Clinton and every other well known HOUND DOG are sending a special Christmas greeting to a famous golfer in Florida.

DEAR TIGER....

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE PRESSURE OFF. WE LOOK FORWARD TO WATCHING YOU SQUIRM JUST LIKE WE DID. KOBE KNOWS A GOOD JEWELER .

BUT ALWAYS KEEP ONE THING IN MIND.

THIS WASN'T AN OJ MOMENT.

YOU WILL BE OK and after everything is said and done you still might be the greatest golfer who ever lived. And if things don't work out with Elin, there's always her twin sister.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

"THE BOYS"

Michael Timothy McAlevey

FIX THE FREAKIN STREET and check out Walgrens

On Wilshire Blvd directly in front of the Los Angeles Country Club is the single most screwed up street in Los Angles county.

Now the first thing you might say is....."have I been on every screwed up street in Los Angeles County?" Of course my answer is no but when one considers the circumstances involved then one can easily understand how I can make such an outlandish statement.

First off, the street in question is only about a quarter of a mile long. On either side is one of the most exclusive golf courses in the western United States. Once you drive east past the golf course you enter Beverly Hills. Once you drive west past the golf course you enter a stretch of high rise dwellings that have no ceiling as far as price and then you enter Westwood.

The street could be repaired in one night.

The street has been messed up for many many years.

Every time I have to go to Beverly Hills, which is a reduced location destination since my pharmacy got in the Michael Jackson story because of multiple prescriptions for Michael being dispensed from their business, I notice the condition of the street.

Mickey Fine pharmacy made the news big time and then I discovered that they were charging THREE TIMES MORE than Walgrens for the same medication.

I was caught in the familiar bubble of convenience because my Thyroid doctor, whom I had been seeing since 1976, was in the same building as Mickey Fine.

A sidebar to this story is 20 years after my Thyroid was removed I asked my doctor how many thyroids he removed recently and he said...."oh, we don't do that anymore." I discovered that I was in a time period of experimentation regarding the repair of hypothyroidism.

Lucky me!

I now recommend Mickey Fine if you want to end up like Michael Jackson; which is fairly mean spirited but after 34 years of buying Thyroid medication I figured out that Mickey Fine overcharged me around $6000.00.

Back to the street issue. I find it hard to believe that some one or multiple some ones who enter the Los Angeles Country club on a regular basis, to either play golf or have lunch or just hang out, HAVEN'T INSISTED ON FIXING THE STREET.

The Los Angles Country Club is one of those clubs that normal openings are created for membership when someone passes away.

I'm surprised someone older who goes to the club hasn't jarred themselves into a heart attack while traveling from their home in Beverly Hills.

THE CONDITION OF WILSHIRE BLVD IN FRONT OF ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE PIECES OF PROPERTY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR?

LOS ANGELES?

BEVERLY HILLS?

THE LA COUNTRY CLUB?

By the way the newly repaired Hubble telescope recently found a galaxy that is around 13 billion years old.

http://hubblesite.org/

I really believe deep down in my heart if they can repair the Hubble Telescope while floating around in space then it can't be that much of a stretch to lay a little asphalt down on Wilshire Blvd in front of the LA COUNTRY CLUB.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

WAR...what is it good for? Absolutely nothing....say it again.....WAR

On Tuesday the Nobel Peace Prize President announced that 30,000 more troops would be sent to Afghanistan.

I'm wondering if the Nobel voters are considering the retraction of their prestigious award.

I realize that the current environment within the United States is pro-military. Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration but if the environment is not pro-military then at the very least it is military acceptance on a level that hasn't been seen since WWII.

A few things are responsible for this acceptance.

First and foremost of course is September 11, 2001

Second is the remembrance of how soldiers were treated when they came home from Viet-Nam.

Americans that protested the Viet-Nam fiasco also made it extremely hard on young men who were either drafted or felt compelled to be involved in one of the low points of American history.

The negative treatment of those troops coming home, and the attitude toward them afterwards

was purely unacceptable to the infamous silent majority....which now constitutes a very large portion of our population.

Somehow the anti-war movement of the late 60's and early 70's has simply faded into the background and while there are pockets of peaceniks here and there.....it really seems to be a movement that has diminished to a mere whisper.

SHHHHH! Someone might wake the consciousness of multiple generations that appear to sleeping under the umbrella of ???????

Is it patriotism?

Is it my way or the highway?

Is is fear?

Whatever it is IT has spread to the Nobel Peace Prize President and now 30,000 more troops will be affected.

Afghanistan has proved to be a problem throughout recorded history, dating back to Alexander the Great.

If our agenda is to wipe out poppy growth then I would say....go for it!

But that hasn't been mentioned so it must not be part of the plan.

If our agenda is to wipe out militant Islamic extremists then I say....good freakin luck with that plan. Our agenda would have to extend a lot further than Afghanistan.

Our agenda would have to extend into the very heart of radical Islamic belief.

That is a deep penetration and one that wouldn't be solved in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is not a version of Viet-Nam because I don't think we had drones in South-East Asia....and those little f..kers represent an entirely different mode of

operation.

Hopefully the drones will eliminate foot soldiers traveling into places of no-return.

I'm surprised that the magic word DOMINO hasn't entered the arena.

In this case it would be Islamic extremists as opposed to Viet-Nam and Communism.

The idea that there is a time table is also a difference maker. Of course when a politician promises something, history has shown that they can change their mind and because he is now listening to leaders of the military complex then anything is possible.

Listening to the military is necessary when one is involved in a war. I don't remember war being declared against Afghanistan and I don't think we've declared war on Pakistan....yet.

Listening to the military when one is trying to convert a nation from Warlord supremacy and religious fanatics is probably not a good idea.

Warlords, on the other hand, should be brought into the fold and paid to hunt down the Taliban and Al-Qaida

I don't think Warlords like the Taliban so we should utilize them at all cost.

I realize the problem might be in determining who is who and who might be supporting who but from what I've read Warlords don't like anybody who lives outside of their prescribed territory.

I do know one thing from a personal point of view.

I DON'T BELIEVE IN THE CONCEPT OF SOLVING PROBLEMS WITH PHYSICAL VIOLENCE AND THAT'S JUST THE WAY I ROLL

I FELT THAT WAY IN 1968 AND I FEEL THAT WAY TODAY

WAR is the ultimate expression of physical violence and I simply ask

WAR.....WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING

SAY IT AGAIN

WAR

WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?

Of course everybody who was there or studies history claims that WWII was absolutely necessary.

The 72 million people who died might have a different opinion but they are forever quiet.

72 Million!

WAR......what is it good for? Other then generating billions of dollars for munitions manufacturers....I have no idea.

The current conflicts that we are involved in don't appear to be helping the unemployment problems.

Go ahead and tell me to grow up and quit being so idealistic.

I simply say that a world where differences are solved by discussion and compromise is a better world than one where differences are solved by war and aggression.

Of course we've yet to have a world

with that form of behavior

but wishing and hoping and dreaming of the way it could be

or should be

is just

me

Don't mess with my dreams!

Michael Timothy McAlevey

PRETTY CLEAR if you are listening

This is from a novel, The Sign, by Raymond Khoury.

On page 455 of 458

"You don't need anyone to tell you what to believe or who to worship," Father Jerome was telling the crowd. "You don't need to follow any set of rituals. You don't need to worry about an angry God not allowing you into heaven. You don't need to march onto these great temples of intolerance and be told what is God's inerrant and infallible word, because the simple truth is nobody really knows that. I don't. All I know is that you are not slaves and you are not part of any grand master plan. If there is a God, and I believe there is one, then you are all God's children. Each and every one of you. You create your own destiny. You need to accept the responsibility and put aside your egocentricity and stop looking for excuses in tired old myths. You make your own fate every single day. You need to look after each other. You need to look after the land that feeds you and gives you the air to breathe. You need to assume your duty toward all of God's creation. And you need to accept the credit for the good and take the blame for the bad."

He looked across the stunned crowd and smiled. "Enjoy your lives. Look after your loved ones. Help those less fortunate. Make the world a better place for all. And allow me one last humble request. Please don't allow my words to you here today to be used and abused in the same way."

I think that organized religions that have been created by human beings are important because they obviously aren't going anywhere and therefore are part of the sociological mainframe.

But when one wants to love God in a single direct line then one should never be told that joining a religious cult is the only way to display that love.

Human beings really do want to control everything.

I say it very emphatically.............don't touch my faith

God and I have a relationship.....

.....and it's entirely different than yours or anyone else who has ever lived on this planet.

Maybe someday we can sit down and talk about the uniqueness and similarities of our relationship with the

PERFECT MOMENT NOW

Michael Timothy McAlevey