A Saturday night scare, courtesy of space

There is a comet in the Western sky tonight. That’s not the scary part.

The scary part is this: An asteroid, only discovered six days ago, is passing relatively close to earth. And it’s as big as a city block—something that would have done a bit of hardcore damage on this planet should it have been heading this way. Luckily for us it’s not, as the Saturday night beer is still cold at your local watering hole.

But this Reuters story is worth reading, and thinking about.. and worrying about.. 
The money quote:

An asteroid as big as a city block shot relatively close by the Earth on Saturday, the latest in a series of visiting celestial objects including an asteroid the size of a bus that exploded over Russia last month, injuring 1,500.

Discovered just six days ago, the 140-metre long Asteroid 2013 ET passed about 950,000 km from Earth at 3:30 p.m. ET. That’s about 21/2 times as far as the moon, fairly close on a cosmic yardstick.

“The scary part of this one is that it’s something we didn’t even know about,” Patrick Paolucci, president of Slooh Space Camera, said during a webcast featuring live images of the asteroid from a telescope in the Canary Islands.

Moving at a speed of about 41,843 km/h, the asteroid could have wiped out a large city if it had impacted the Earth, added Slooh telescope engineer Paul Cox.

It could have wiped out a city.

And even more alarming, it’s something no one knew about until only a few days ago.. hours, really.

This seems to be the year of the asteroid, the comet, and the ‘disaster.’ So the Mayan were wrong. December 21 ended nothing. But.. what if it began everything?

Professionals are getting ready.. The white smoke will announce a pope. But before that happens, firefighters are getting pieces in order:
The AP reports:

Firefighters on Saturday installed the top of the Sistine Chapel chimney that will signal to the world that a new pope has been elected, as the Vatican took measures to definitively end Benedict XVI’s pontificate.
While construction workers prepared the interior of the frescoed Sistine Chapel for Tuesday’s start of the conclave, officials elsewhere in the Apostolic Palace destroyed Benedict’s fisherman’s ring and the personal seals and stamps for official papers.
The act, coupled with Benedict’s public resignation and pledge of obedience to the future pope, is designed to signal a definitive end of his papacy so there is nodoubt in the church that a new pope is in charge.

It all begins Tuesday.

And call me misinformed, but I never knew they took the chimney away.. I thought it was just always there.. ready to billow out black and white smoke whenever the good Lord called on it to do so..

They all float down there, too, right? Next you’ll tell me that’s not true either..

Terrible or just so-so 2s

Well we are here. That stage of parenting when things either get magical or …deplorable. The time when the potty training goes spot on, or you gets spots on everything.. when your child learns to eat new food or just learns to hide it. It’s the dreaded age. Ayden has been two now for several weeks. And funny enough, he’s beginning to act like it.

I am actually impressed with how ‘not terrible’ his terrible 2s have been thus far.. I mean, sure, he did throw a temper fit when Mommy picked him up at day care, as parents and fellow students watched in horror. And yes, he did dart away from Daddy at Crackerbarrel, and almost storm into the kitchen at the same time almost knocking over a waitress with food. But you expect this.. right? 

Ayden is a wonderful child. Who is hellbent on being inquisitive, inventive, and, often, terrible. Terrible in a way, of course, that is humorous and wonderful, all the same. He tests the limits. He is beginning to know that Daddy gives in quicker than Mommy. He also knows Grammy and Pop will pretty much do anything for him.. Ayden is acting his age. And despite a few extra stressful moments, it’s wonderful beyond belief. 

Watching Ayden grow, learn, and become a toddler is amazing. 

I cannot believe how fast two years went by, and sometimes desire to go back in time to a simpler period of life.. when he was learning to crawl, and then walk.. learning to bump his head the right way so it wouldn’t hit.. But seeing him now, as he learns letters and numbers, days of the week, and months of the year, there is something so much better about 2 than 1 and below. NO matter how terrible they will go..

So thanks for humoring me and allowing me to have  Saturday night parenting post. 

Now it’s time to set the clock ahead. 
Thankfully Ayden skipped his nap today in lieu of playing Super Mario Bros on the Wii (or watching Daddy play it).. so he should be just fine..

Spring into action. Sunday funday await.

The Rand Paul filibuster of drones sure made for some strange bedfellows on Bill Maher

The Rand Paul filibuster of drones sure made for some strange bedfellows on Bill Maher

New information shows why the brain is able to hear one voice at a noisy party and ignore the rest

For some men, even the voice of the woman being spoken to is ignored in favor of the more visual senses..

New information shows why the brain is able to hear one voice at a noisy party and ignore the rest

Hey maybe it’s time we send Dennis Rodman back to North Korea.... Lil Kim isn’t too happy..

Here is a highly disturbing story from New York City: 80% Of the recent high school graduates cannot read!!

Here is a highly disturbing story from New York City: 80% Of the recent high school graduates cannot read!!

I took this photo today as i drove by my long gone high school..

With another cold winter ending, the rebirth of spring beginning, Cardinal Brennan sits there vacant.. On a hill in Fountain Springs, PA..
My alma mater now has simply become a relic.. A closed down school in the distance. Memories are fading.. Lives moved on. But what secrets, I often ponder, does that cold building still hold?
Do bells still ring, and do poets still sing? Does an echo survive of time gone?

It’s been 6 years since Cardinal Brennan began the process of shutting down.. That’s six graduating classes that never finished there and two that never even started..

Last century, when times seemed simpler and I was a high school student, I went to this building.. Now it’s empty and desolate.. It’s simply a aging piece of brick and mortar..

But I suspect, in the stillness of the night, the building’s spirits and past somehow lives. At least I’d like to believe that..

Bieber fever? Justin collapses

From the worst birthday ever to this, according to PEOPLE MAG:

Justin Bieber’s bad week just got worse.

The singer, 19, collapsed on stage at London’s O2 arena on Thursday night after complaining of breathing problems throughout the performance.

“He got oxygen from emergency personnel. He insisted on finishing the show,” his rep tells E!. “He is on the way to the hospital right now.” >

Bieber fever? Justin collapses

This is the kind of sunset that says winter is almost over

….another day.. another world conflict..

The ides of March.. as North Korea threatens to turn Washington D.C. into a ‘sea of fire’

Snoory.. Toast to toast..

Late night radio shaking up..
First rumors were wild that Art Bell would return.. those have been squashed by Bell himself, who said he didn’t want to jump into the ‘pit of boiling sewage’ for the wrong reasons..
But now the late night world of radio will be shaken up again like a Japanese earthquake..

According to the St. Louis DISPATCH, George Noory’s Coast to Coast AM will be taken off of the air—in his home city of St. Louis!!! Joe Hollerman reports,

Lauren Ryan, program director at KTRS-AM (“The Big 550”) confirmed that Noory’s late-night show would be off the station in early May. Ryan declined to comment at this time on what show would replace it.

Noory also declined to comment, saying he would address the issue in late April

Amazing news..
Radio sources tell the reporter that the landing spot will be KFTK-FM, a conservative talk station.. but the program director at that station would not comment on the situation either..

Long before Noory took over for Art Bell as the host of Coast, he was the ‘Nighthawk’ on KTRS..

We will follow this situation…
But it may be yet more proof that COAST TO COAST AM is drying up without the voice and direction of Bell at the helm..

I’d like to break Strom’s record, but I have discovered there are limits to filibustering, and I have to go take care of one of those

Senator Rand Paul who officially yielded the floor at 12:39 AM est (via antigovernmentextremist)

Living through political and filibuster history

I think is just exciting!

NBC news reported this tonight:

Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn of Texas, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Marco Rubio of Florida - as well as Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon — participated.
Over six hours after beginning the filibuster, a visibly tired Paul could be seen eating what appeared to be several pieces of candy in between sentences. At one point, Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., set a thermos and an apple on his desk.

For those who don't know, a very cool and historic thing is occurring on the Senate floor.. Rand Paul is filibustering the John Brennan nomination ..

The Kentucky Sen. has been filibustering the nomination since around 11 o’clock this morning, he is now going into our number nine and was joined by some Republicans and one Democrat.. Paul Is being very critical of the Obama administration and their policy that may allow for the use of drones to kill Americans on US soil..

I always had a special place in my heart for a filibuster, ever since I watch the show Highway to Heaven in the 1980s when one episode starred John Forsythe Filibustering an issue and dying of a heart attack on the Senate floor..

At this point mainstream media is going to have to start paying attention to what’s happening on the Senate floor.. For those who thought that Rand Paul just looks like a Confederate Muppet, they may get a different perspective of him as a power player on the political scene in Washington DC after this event

Seriously folks, when someone can filibuster for nine hours plus you know he’s dedicated to an issue, regardless of what you think about him or that issue

For those who don't know, a very cool and historic thing is occurring on the Senate floor.. Rand Paul is filibustering the John Brennan nomination ..

William Moody is dead. Wrestling fans may not know that name, but they would Paul Bearer—the character Moody is known  for.. 

For year, he was the manager of the Undertaker on WWF wrestling, now WWE. 

He died Tuesday evening.. he was only 58

I am pretty sad by this one.. childhood has another nail in the coffin, I guess you could say. I grew up being amazed with the faces that Moody was able to make..

The WWE official site is also recognizing 20 years of entertainment fans..

And no tackiness or pun intended.. but hopefully William Moody will rest in peace.

Google says the FBI is spying on Google

Google says that the FBI is spying on Google users.. Google on Tuesday published a “range” of times it received National Security Letters demanding it divulge account information to the authorities without warrants..

And if the FBI even DARES try to spy on Tumblr users, they will undoubtedly be shocked at the amount of moving GIFs and kittens that exist..

Missed chances

The storm … Ugh
It just never came far enough north ..

The 'cannibal cop' searched for human meat recipes on Google

And I bet all he found was how to cook horse…

Sick story nonetheless..

The 'cannibal cop' searched for human meat recipes on Google

Ayden had all his friends over tonight.. And yes that’s virtually every character from SUPER MARIO BROA in the background…
It was a fun night.