On this day in 1971, on the second day of the Apollo 15 lunar mission, astronauts dug up a really old rock which, of course, they named “The Genesis Rock”

Details here.

Two years ago today, on a weekday afternoon during rush our, the Interstate 35W bridge, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapsed into the Mississippi river. Thirteen people died and about 145 people suffered injuries.

At the time this happened, Amanda, Julia and I were in the Green Kalahari in South Africa, at Augrabies Falls.
Continue reading Anniversary of the Collapse of the I 35W Bridge →

And then things went rather badly…

Berry Go Round, the blog carnival about plants, is up an running here at quiche moraine

“Here,” dad to girl, “Get your ID out and have it with your ticket.”

“Excuse me, sir,” said the TSA officer, pointing to the young female, “She does not need to have her ID out, she’s a minor.”

Dad: “How do you know she’s a minor if you don’t look at her ID?”

…. (silence as everyone waits for answer)….

Dad again: “Kind of a hole in the system, isn’t it?”

TSA Officer, voice lowered … “There are a LOT of holes in the system, sir.” … walks away.

Young girl, “Good one, dad. Now tell her our name is LADEN and see what happens!”

Yes! And one of the top staff of that department just sent PZ Myers and the Secular Student Alliance a letter warning them to behave on their upcoming trip to the Creation Museum.

I hope every single one of those overtly homosexual visiting heathens is armed. With a Flip. I have one I can loan you if you are a local, just let me know.

Armbands will not be tolerated!!!!

Hey man. I confess that did not groove to it, that I did not feel the beat and sense the vibes. But now I do. Hidden. Hidden deep in her sorry salty subtle soul all this time and I did not sense the vibes.

Because I could not do the transformation like William.

Before (watch between 1 minute and 1 minute and 45 seconds):

After:

Sorry, you will have to click here to feel the vibes.

And you can totally step on it and it’s OK. Read all about it here.

Or, more accurately, of their book Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future … will be found here, in Stephanie Zvan’s latest post at Quiche Moraine.

.. the Anthropology Blog Carnival, is at A Hot Cup of Joe

Europeans laughing at each other:

A Swedish couple in search of the isle of Capri drove to Carpi, an industrial town in northern Italy, because they misspelt the name in their car’s GPS.

Italian officials say the couple asked at Carpi’s tourist office where they could find Capri’s famous Blue Grotto.

…

“Capri is an island. They did not even wonder why they didn’t cross any bridge or take any boat,” said a bemused tourism official in Carpi.

bbc

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday voted to approve Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice over nearly solid Republican opposition, paving the way for a historic confirmation vote.

source

Only one Republican voted in favor of Sotomayor (Linsey Graham). What bunch of morons.

Hi everyone; this morning at 8:00am, July 14/09, I proceeded to the Denny Island aerodrome, located on Denny Island in the midst of the BC Central Coast archipelago, aka “The Great Bear Rainforest” where I broke open the welded steel cover and dismantled and destroyed a large seismic shot which was slated for blasting in the early morning hours of July 17th, 2009. I took this action alone, without the participation or knowledge of any other person, association or organization. I accept full and sole responsibilty for my action and look forward to the consequences.

And so reads the on line confession of Ingmar Lee, a self professed Earth Warrior operating in Canada. In disarming this explosive device, Lee carried out an act of unmitigated bravery, as well as an act of utter stupidity.
Continue reading Earth Warrior Saves Canada from Geologists! →