Thursday, July 31, 2008

Faryl Smith 12 Year Old - Britain's Got Talent

An amazing voice for a young 12 year old. Here is Faryl Smith singing Ave Maria on the live final Britain's Got Talent - May 31, 2008.

Pitt Professor Looking for Power in Polymers




Family Connection
Dr. Lisa MauckWeiland is married to my nephew. It is so encouraging to see this generation taking the lead towards energy independence.

There are 3 1/2 million miles of rivers in the United States.

In Lisa Mauck Weiland's dreams, they could be the next great clean energy source for the world, but not the old-fashioned way, with dams and hydroelectric power plants.

Instead, Dr. Weiland, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Pittsburgh, hopes to use tiny strips of plastic, undulating in the current of rivers and streams, to produce electricity.

An expert in "smart materials," Dr. Weiland and her team at Pitt are working on a project in which they hope to use plastics known as ionic polymers to help generate electricity for the town of Vandergrift in Westmoreland County, 25 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

If her plans work out, the borough's historic downtown could one day get 20 percent or more of its electrical power from a mile-long array of tiny plastic devices wiggling away on the bottom of the Kiskiminetas River as it sweeps around the town.

Ionic polymers, already used as sensors, have the ability to dynamically generate current when they move, and Dr. Weiland and her engineering students are now trying to figure out the best size, shape and array of the plastics to put in the Kiski River sometime in the next five years.

Once the array goes in on the riverbed, she said, "if you were able to look at it, you would just see a bunch of little things wiggling. It wouldn't look that different from a bunch of plant life." Cables from the array might then connect to the town's power grid at different spots along the bank.

The power generation project is just one part of the Vandergrift Improvement Program, in which the borough, designed in 1894 as a model steelmaking community, now hopes to revitalize itself as a model "green" community, with the help of Pitt, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation and the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

Dr. Weiland is Pitt's key liaison to the project, and she plans to put as much energy into community education work on environmental sustainability as she does on the power experiment.

By working with Vandergrift's citizens on conserving energy and developing clean technologies like solar power, she said it's conceivable Downtown could one day function without using any fossil fuels.

The residents' creativity and ideas will be crucial to the effort, she said, because even though "technology is going to have a very important role to play, technology alone is not going to come to the rescue. It took all of us to make this mess and it will take all of us to clean it up."

While the Vandergrift project has become Dr. Weiland's personal mission, it is not her professional passion.

That is planes, and specifically, changing the shape of military aircraft in midflight, a process known as morphing.

The idea behind this experimental work is to develop an aircraft that can perform more than one function. Right now, for instance, if a fixed-wing military surveillance plane spots some trouble from high altitude, it has to signal for other planes to investigate, and by that time, it might be too late.

But what if the surveillance plane could change the shape and angle of its wings and go down to eyeball the situation itself? That's the idea behind morphing, she said.

Engineers have made great strides in figuring out how to change the shape and angle of the wings in midair, she said, but haven't licked the problem of how to get the craft's skin to alter itself. "The skin is one of the last hurdles to developing an airplane that can morph in flight, just like a bird does," Dr. Weiland said.

The trick is to find a material that can soften when the wings are changing shape and then harden again. There is one class of materials that can be softened with heat and then regain its rigidity, but that process is too slow and could give off a "heat signature" that the enemy could detect, she said.

As an alternative, her lab is investigating materials that could soften and reharden after exposure to different wavelengths of light, or different electrical frequencies.

That work has also led her down another pathway, exploring materials that incorporate the same energy packets that are used by human cells -- ATP, or adenosine triphosphate.

The ATP can drive microscopic pumping action in a material, and one possible use of that might be to deliver vaccines or medications to target cells that would activate the pumps and release the substances in the body, she said.

If the ionic polymers she is working with in Vandergrift don't end up being the best material for generating power, they still hold great promise as self-powered sensors, especially for spots that are too remote or dangerous for regular human inspection, such as deep mine shafts or nuclear plants, she said.

There might even be medical uses, Dr. Weiland said. One experiment has used an ionic polymer patch on the arm to detect the subtle turbulence in the bloodstream that might indicate clots are forming near the heart.

Dr. Weiland grew up in the Baltimore area and can remember being so fascinated by planes at a young age that she would climb out of her crib if she heard one flying overhead.

After earning an associate degree at a community college, she got her bachelor's in mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland. Eventually, her airplane mania lured her to graduate school at Purdue University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she earned her Ph.D. in 2002 and did her first airplane morphing.

"One day it hit me like a ton of bricks -- why in the world am I not taking my technology training and applying at least a little of my time to [helping the environment]?"

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08210/899996-298.stm

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Goddess Crop Circle Reported on July 27, 2008

Goddess Crop Circle

Tonight I opened a web site and noticed that another crop circle had been reported on July 27, 2008. The location was at Allington Down, nr Devizes, Wiltshire.

What a beauty!
http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2008/honeystreet3/honeystreet2008c.html

Monday, July 28, 2008

Crop Circle July 27, 2008


This morning I was pleasantly surprised to see a new crop circle formation that appeared on my birthday in the UK. The diamond pattern or rectangle (depending on which way you view it) with the "X" has spoken to me for many years.
Thank you Spirit! :-)

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Words to Reflect On


This morning I opened an email from Jean Hudon who has dedicated countless hours compiling articles of personal, national and global interest sent to him from many concerned and aware individuals throughout the world. The words that he shared with us today in his opening message were powerful, and for me today it will become my center of thought.

Quote from Jean.........

"The first and foremost thing one should keep in mind is that whatever happens in the world and whomever is responsible for what happens, the only person one can influence and whose behavior can be controlled for the benefit of the whole is oneself. Each one of us is the most important actor in the human drama now unfolding on a planetary scale and each one of us can choose to be part of the solution, instead of being part of the problem. In addition to contributing by all our personal choices in life through what we buy, who we decide to vote for and how we respond to the global crisis, we must never underestimate the power of one determined individual guided by a clear vision and motivated by high ideals, an uncompromising ethic and an unconditional compassion for others and all life forms in bringing the whole world a little bit closer to sanity, peace and harmony. This is the only force that has always been the catalyst for any change occurring on Earth. Be it for the protection of human rights, for the prevention of nuclear war or for the achievement of a better world for all, individual will and action shall remain forever the unique rampart against blind violence, sheer destruction and stupidity erected as a system.

Justice for all, respect for all expressions of nature and love for all that lives may sometime appear like a distant dream. Yet this dream is growing in every human being ever since we have started to walk on this gorgeous planet and look up in the sky at night to gaze at the starry vault embracing our awakening consciousness with rays of dim light, echoing unseen marvels and prodigious wisdom. We are the living flesh of this huge body of life whose throbbing heart beats in our chest and whose crystalline and lucid awareness flickers in our brains. Like all other life forms in this mighty, unfathomable universe, we have been given a mission, not to have dominion over other life forms and conquer natural habitats for our sole benefit, but to open new skies of co-creative ingenuity with the other beings and civilizations inhabiting this planet and, undoubtedly, countless other planets, as far as the mind can imagine.

We must close our eyes, from time to time, calm our thoughts and go deep within to feel, sense, touch this growing awareness that expands its gentle arms and fingers to hold the whole of humanity in one single self-conscious being, a being so full of Love, Compassion and Serenity as to be like a divine expression of God, the true Reality now being expressed on this land, as it was in the Beginning that never was, as it will be in the End that will never be... and as it is Now more than ever."


- Jean Hudon - Taken from http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/WhatFuture.htm

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

These Boots are Made for Walking



Sunday's Sermon on the Pavement

Life has a way of giving us those small twists and turns that take us to our knees! What started out as a beautiful sunny day, ended with a six hour stint in the local ER room of our hospital.

The morning began with a comment from my mouth, that perhaps I needed a new car as the one I was driving didn't feel safe. I got the look from family like, "What's your problem?" Somewhere deep inside me though, the feeling that makes one's stomach contract, the message to this scribe was trying it's best to give me heads up on the red flag or 911 alert. Sunday while being left alone to my own devices for entertainment, I decided to hop into my car and take a short drive.

Everything was going fine until I headed the car back home. I had just crossed over the Cumberland Bridge that recently had some repair work done to it, as the landslides that occur frequently put stress on it. When crossing it, the "Sign of the Cross" often comes to mind with a short prayer for protection, as the thought of a long plunge into the cold waters below often makes me cringe. :-)

I was heading back up the hill when the power seemed to be giving out and the car was slowing down to a crawl. I managed to get it off the road but in a very dangerous place to park as the cars were whizzing by me. This dream I was dreaming up, was now turning into a nightmare. It was nearly 15 years ago when my last car gave out at nearly this exact spot during an electrical storm. I now believe that spot needs some energy clearing! It not only put my car out of commission, but took me down with it!

Back to the story........I called AAA and they sent me a tow truck. Not feeling safe sitting in the car thinking a rear end collision wouldn't feel very good, I decided to get out and wait at a safer place out of harms way. It was then the flip-flops on my feet did not support the soft shoulder of the road, and down I went turning my left foot and creating a most unbecoming pavement rash tattoo to my right leg. The tow truck driver was so apologetic for not getting to me sooner and offered to drive me to the hospital. I declined as we got back to my house and hobbled then to another vehicle and drove myself to the hospital.

Now having been to the ER several times recently while taking a family member in, I knew what I was heading into. One often feels like they must have landed on another planet! We won't go into the perceptions that came to mind concerning animalistic behavior of others, but when the ER doctor came into my room, closed the curtain and sat on the bed saying, "He was hiding," I knew how he felt. A few minutes earlier he encountered the same mean bruiser drunk I had witnessed yelling at his wife earlier. If I hadn't been sitting in a wheelchair and unable to walk, I might have given him a few sermon on the pavement words that were coming to mind. Instead I called in the white light to surround and protect all of us!

Six hours later after x-ray's and bandaged up, with new boot on foot and recently tanned leg now minus the brown skin clothed in white gauze, I am on my way back home! For those of you who may not have a nice walk in shower with seat to sit on, I am viewing the ice chest recently purchased as a make shift stool to sit on. Hopefully today I will be able to put it to use as I can smell myself. The mini clean yesterday just didn't cut it. These episodes usually assist us in thinking of others who have physical problems that are life long and helps us to give thanks when ours are short-term.

When viewing the video of Matt dancing that I posted earlier today, I realized my feet may not be moving, but my arms and heart were dancing with the rhythm of the beat. One of the last things I remember looking at while in the hospital was the phone that was in the room. When I got up my eyes went to the little numbers that were posted and the first thing I saw was 911. I saw those numbers the other day on the clock and knew something was coming in......a little message to be prepared, but never an inkling as to how it's going to show up.

I am now grounded for a while and will do my best to go with the flow. My friend who is a nurse on the East Coast sent me this quote today that she had just read, "You will instead begin to recognize Alpha, Theta, and even Delta, brainwaves as your normal state of consciousness, and your Multidimensional SELF will feel like YOU! When this occurs, you will have to pay special attention to your physical earth vessel. If it is not strengthened to fit your expanding mind you will suffer symptoms of transformation in whichever area of your body is your weakest link." Now that was an interesting message and seemed to fit - the physical is always the last to come on board!

The next time the Firemen are out holding the boot for $$$ for those 911 calls, I will remember how important the ankle support is to all of our foundation. A big thank you to all the Earth Angels who came to my rescue!

(Follow up 2 hours later....my daughter came over to help me and she picked up the discharge papers from the hospital. I glanced at them and then my eye went to the bottom of the page and it said, "Printed at 9:11.10." Yup - another synchronicity.)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Astronomy Picture of the Day ... July 22, 2008

Happy People Dancing on Planet Earth
Credit: Matt Harding & Melissa Nixon

Explanation: What are these humans doing? Dancing. Many humans on Earth exhibit periods of happiness, and one method of displaying happiness is dancing. Happiness and dancing transcend political boundaries and occur in practically every human society. Above, MattHarding traveled through many nations on Earth, started dancing, and filmed the result. The video is perhaps a dramatic example that humans from all over planet Earth feel a common bond as part of a single species. Happiness is frequently contagious -- few people are able to watch th video below without smiling.
If the link doesn't work above try this: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080722.html

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Galley Gossip: Flight Attendant Pet Peeve #3 - You want me to do what?


To all my flight attendant friends ..... I dedicate today's blog to you. Thank you Heather Poole for your great insights, sense of humor, and most importantly the message for today on responsibility.

I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did. :-)

http://www.gadling.com/2008/07/15/galley-gossip-flight-attendant-pet-peeve-3-you-want-me-to-d/?icid=200100397x1205615653x1200284134

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Blind Piano Prodigy From South Korea Only 5 Years Old, Can Play Any Song "After Just One Listen"

You Were Born To Be Loved!

Tonight I watched this video on YouTube an amazing performance by a young 5 year old South Korean girl. It was towards the end of the performance when she sang that it was evident of what her mission in life is.... to remind us of our purpose.

May she touch your heart as she has touched mine so deeply.

(A blind five-year-old pianist from South Korea has stunned the music world after a video of her performance received more than 27 million hits.
Yoo Ye-eun, who was born blind and adopted in 2002, has never had a formal piano lesson but can play any song after just one listen.

And now her remarkable talent is set to propel her to stardom as clips of her amazing performance have attracted millions of viewers to Korean website Pandora TV. A similar clip on YouTube has so far received two million hits.

Her display on 'Star King', a Korean talent show, earned the youngster £500 in prize money and moved the studio audience to tears.)