I almost missed this one in the news. Bet you did too.

Astronomers find Earth-like planet

Here are the details: Why wasn't this front page worthy?

Name: Gliese 581c or G-581c
Description: Gliese 581c [ˈgliːzə] is an extrasolar planet orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 581. The 'c ' identifies it as the third planet out from the star/sun Gliese. It appears that Gliese 581c is in the "habitable zone" of a star, where the surface temperatures might maintain liquid water and therefore be suitable for life as we know it. Gliese 581 c has an orbital period ("year") of 13 Earth days. The planet is astronomically close to earth, at 20.5 light years (193,812,226,587,504 kilometres/ 120,429,334,304,850 miles) in the direction of the constellation of Libra. This would make it the 87th closest star system.

Because of its temperature and relative proximity, this planet will most probably be a very important target of the future space missions dedicated to the search for extra-terrestrial life. One scientist said, "On the treasure map of the universe, one would be tempted to mark this planet with an X". Several astronomers have suggested that Gliese 581c's earthlike properties and its closeness (20.5 light-years away) would make it a potential target for any future interstellar probe project.

The discovery of the planet by a team of the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland was announced on April 24, 2007. And published in the Anderson paper on the 27th.

Where do I sign up to visit. Trouble is that at 60 mph it would take you what...12,007,105,570,247 1/2 hours. or more or less 500,296,065,427 days that's 1,370,674,151 years and 8 1/2 months non-stop. 1.3 Million Years !!!!! Well that is close by.

Better get started

If you care :
Parent star Star Gliese 581
Constellation Libra
Right ascension (α) 15h 19m 26s
Declination (δ) −07° 43′ 20″
Spectral type M2.5V
Orbital elements
Semimajor axis (a) 0.073[1] AU
Eccentricity (e) 0.16±0.07[1]
Orbital period (P) 12.93[1] d
Inclination (i) ?°
Longitude of
periastron (ω) ?°
Time of periastron (τ) ? JD
Physical characteristics
Mass (m) > 5 ME
Radius (r) ~1.5[2] RE
Density (ρ) ? kg/m3
Temperature (T) ~290 K

Yesterday I was operating camera at NewSpring. Kudos to all of A-control during the first service when the system went black. Out in the auditorium no one knew the drama, because you never missed a beat. I am proud of how quickly things were restored to normal and how smoothly the issue was dealt with. NewSpring and the teams there are tops.

Speaking of NewSpring. Didn't Clayton King rock Sunday? Man he spoke to me. And thanks Perry for the notes on your blog. I heard the message several times but couldn't take notes while running camera.


We had a cool visitor today at the airport. The Ginn Resorts blimp out of Orlando, stopped off for fuel. N154ZP a Virgin Lightship ( s/n 104 ) twin engine helium blimp with a crew of two and having seating for up to 10, was heading north to cover another sports event.

Kristie and I wanted to take our friends Paula & Jeremy flying again. We called and they could go but had to be back early to go to a party. So we stuck to the local area around town, the lake and Central where we found and photographed their house . We had a good time and got some nice pictures.
After we got back we thought hey lets call Tim & Tessa from our homegroup and fly out to Atlanta for dinner at the Flying Machine. Tim, like me loves planes. While there we enjoyed music by a young singer Moriah Martin . At only 13 she is amazing. Good food, good friends, good times.
$100 dollar hamburgers.

The weather was perfect for the Anderson Soiree which kicked off tonight with entertainment, music, pottery, arts & crafts, children's rides, and delicious food. The two day street festival is held downtown around the city square and draws over 30,000 visitors. So Kristie and I got there early and "scoped out" the food action. We ran into a lot of friends who all had opinions about what was best. I finally gave in before total starvation struck ( after about 5 minutes ) and stopped at the Tanner's booth. Ken Wilson was there in line and he recommended the Chicken Lip basket. It is kinda like and eggroll type wrap filled with chicken cheese and special sauce. Served with seasoned fries and Iced Tea. You were right Ken. It was great.
We listened to the music and the fantastic SugarBees with Ceaser were a highlight. Ceaser was like a young James Brown. He had the voice and the moves ( oh yeah ) and the SugarBees played killer Rhythm & Blues. I dubbed him the "Godson of Soul".

After we drove over to Bruster's and made ice cream vanish right before our eyes. Yum!

I was a guest at lunch with Ms Ashely today at her school. We had Pizza and corn. ?? What is up with that? Some things never change. But I don't remember ever having someone come to school and eating with me. Hmmm!!

Is it just my warped humor or does everyone think this is hysterical ?

There is always room for coffee... (read this)

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 Hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large
and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if t he jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of marbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The marbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full.. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table And poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the Empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, friends, and Favorite passions -- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The marbles are the other things that matter
like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.




So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play With your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

"Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled.
"I'm glad you asked".

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."I did not write it but I love it and am trying to live it. Are you?

Just six more days

The last couple days I have been reading about volunteerism. Pudge on volunteers
Pudge Huckabee is the Elementary School Pastor, at my church NewSpring and his thoughts on volunteers mirror mine. They should be a MUST read for every leader and volunteer, in churches and everwhere else in life.
You should checkout the Majestic youth area and see what is going on. You'll be blown away.

Kristie always meets with her friends one night a month. They get together right after work to eat, laugh, talk about old times and generally just have a good time. The fun time usually doesn't break-up until 10:30 -11. Sometimes I am a bit jealous because she has known these girls since they were all three. I never had that chance. Coming from a military family I never lived in the same state more than a couple of years. But then I had traveled to 47 states and 12 counties by age 15. So I guess it all equals out. Tonight was her girls night out, but with a twist. The guys were invited along for tonight only. We met at Olive Garden and were seated by around 5:45. Though we came straight home it was 10:30 before we got in. I never heard so many funny stories and tales. Found out who dated who in school, who was most popular and who had the coolest parents.
It was fun. But I'll bet our poor waitress was glad to see us all eight of us leave. (We did tip big ..she deserved it )

I was on the way home in a silly mood I guess when I saw a funny sign. On a gas station / store marque. It said Grizzly Rolls $ 6.99 . Now I know what they meant but I got to thinking what would a Grizzly roll look like and who would want one? And HOW DOES ONE get that? Maybe it was because of the weekends Pig Pickin' that got me thinking along these lines. Gotta be tough to BBQ a Grizzly.

* BTW .. Next time you go try the NEW Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara. It is chicken and shrimp with bucatini pasta in a pancetta and parmesan cream sauce, baked and topped with seasoned breadcrumbs. ( at least that's what the menu says... I just know it is good. )

After the great NewSpring Production Team Pig BBQ, Kris and I hit the shoe stores. According to her it was sale time and new summer shoes are ALWAYS needed. Then off to the movies. We missed our chance at AmStar so we hit Regal and saw Firehouse Dog. I know it a kids movie but it was cute. Checkin' it out BEFORE taking Ashley. Surprise !! I actually laughed.

The production team at NewSpring held their annual Pig Roast at Ken's today. A little ball, horse shoes, frisbee We had a good time just sitting and chatting, and there was Tons of fantastic delicious BBQ Swine.

Thanks go out to new team member Jeff Spearman one of the owners of
Charlies Bar B Que in Greenville. The food was totally perfect.

Major thanks to Ken and his wife Meg for letting all of us take-over their home and for being so gracious. You guys are fantastic. We can't wait until the 1st Annual August Homemade Ice Cream social.

Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (May 2, 1892 – April 21, 1918) also known as "le Baron Rouge",or the "Red Baron" was shot down killed just after 11 a.m. on April 21, 1918, at the height of WWI. He died after being struck by a single .303 bullet, while flying Somme River.

But who fired the fatal shot?

At the time the Baron had been pursuing a young allied pilot ( Lt May ) at very low altitude. They were twisting and turning and even flew so low that one plane almost hit a church steeple. He was spotted and chased by Captain "Roy" Brown who had to dive steeply at very high speed to intervene, and then had to climb steeply to avoid hitting the ground giving him only two or three seconds to aim fire and shoot. The Baron continued to chase Lt May for several more moments. Brown was at the time credited with shooting down the Red Baron - although now it seems unlikely. Richthofen received a single but fatal chest wound - it seems almost impossible that, if this was from Brown's guns, he should then have flown on after May for as long as he did.

Who fired the fatal shot?

The identity of the person who shot the Red Baron remains unknown. The .303 was the standard calibre for all machine guns and rifles used by Allied forces during World War I. There were several ground based gunners also shooting at him.

The most likely theory is that the shot came from Sergeant Cedric Popkin, an anti-aircraft (AA) machine gunner with the Australian 24th Machine Gun Company, however there is evidence W.J. "Snowy" Evans, a Lewis machine gunner with the 53rd Battery, Royal Australian Artillery may have fired the fatal shot.

It was 89 years ago today and has been an enduring mystery. One that has intruged me ( and many others ) for years.

BTW The British Royal Flying Corps rendered full military honours at the von Richthofen's funeral

A movie is due late summer.







Read the book Richthofen's own autobiography is titled Der Rote Kampfflieger ("The Red Battle Flier")..

Chef Boyardee came to my house tonight. It has been a while, but tonight I whipped-up a couple pizza's for supper. We had cheese, pepperoni, more cheese, back-bacon **
( Canadian Bacon ) mushrooms, peppers and still more cheese. The secret to a great hommade pizza is lots of cheese. Please never compare this to the frozen cardboard types most people buy.

** For those who never saw Bob & Doug McKenzie, or never lived in the Great White North ( Canada )

TAKE OFF.......... Hoser's

Last week we went to the play "Last Train to Nibroc"at Anderson University. Actually it was the first part of the Nibroc Trilogy. We saw part two entitled "See Rock City" tonight. The love story continues as the couple plans a honeymoon to Rock City, Tennessee in 1943. Then after the victory, May and Raleigh are forced find solutions to the challenges of a new, postwar America. It's a funny play yet laced with a dose of rural 1940's hardships.

Once again the drama department of the University does a wonderful job. Honestly going to plays are fun, and you should really try to go next season. The Playhouse will be presenting, " Annie Get Your Gun", "Steel Magnolias", and "Hamlet", along with "Senior Follies" next season.

TAX DAY IS HERE !!!! Did you mail your return yet? How much did you make in 2007? Send it in !



"Give to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's." Mark 12:17 [ (BBE) Bible in Basic English Edition]

Uncle Sam thanks you !

You may keep what is left over

After our social night break, our movie night, a night where several families were out of town and then the Easter holidays it's finally back to a normal schedule for our homegroup. We have been in a study series on having an "Extraordinary Marriage". I already feel I have more than just an extraordinary marriage. I also have an extraordinary friend in my spouse. Kristie is a blessing to me every moment. Still I have found a few things I can put into practice. While at times the whole series seems a little cheezy there are also issues that are hard to talk about together. Thankfully I am part of a group of wonderful friends who like to have a little crazy fun, but who all love Jesus with their whole hearts. Otherwise this series would be pushing the edges of our comfort zone too often. Thank you God for a homegroup like this one.

You have got to see the Little People . Our friend AVClub found and pointed these out. Thanks Ken.

We attended a play " Last Train to Nibroc " at Anderson University tonight.


It is a story about the return to innocence, an old fashion love story. And Funny too.


David Larson, his students, and staff do an outstanding job with the drama program. You really should check this one out. Go saturday and get the bonus of two productions ("See Rock City ") plus free BBQ dinner .

Today's Garfield

Subject: Mosquitoes (rumor) Put some water in a white dinner plate and add just a couple of drops of Lemon Fresh Joy dishwashing soap. Set the dish on a porch or patio. Mosquitoes flock to it, and drop dead, or fall into the water, or on the floor within about 10 ft. ( like production pig BBQ's )

Mosquitoes ( FACT )
Everyone knows that those pesky 'skeeters just hate to feel dirty. Something about a free bath that drives them to forget they are not little fishies.

I know early native American tribal leaders used to teach that "clean 'skeeters are happy 'skeeters".

Algore used to pride himself on his public stance against dirty blood suckers. Using millions in leftover Whitewater funds he personally fought to establish mosquitoe bathing areas.

The early French explorers learned to always eat lemon drops (Citron de baisses )to ward off the pesky "Moustiques". And the German settlers often told tales of the
"Moskitozitrone" or 'Tiny Lemon-flavored winged-demons of Amerika'.
So to sum up this over wrought authors saga... Eat a lemon flavored jelly bean before hiking in the woods. Or you may become victim of of what the Italians called,(and the reason Columbus came back home as fast as he could), The 'Demons Limone-conditi volo molto piccolo.