Macaw Teaches Autistic Boy to Speak

Some of the twists and turns and surprises of life are so amazing.  I wonder if other autistic children would benefit from a talking macaw or parrot.  Most children love and respond to animals very quickly.

We have a hearing ear dog here who alerts people to many sounds they would not hear otherwise because of hearing loss.  The thing is, he alerts everyone whether their hearing is good or not!

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0%2C%2C2-2007180324%2C00.html

The Living Sky

Last Sunday we were at Outlook Farm on top of the mountain, sitting at a picnic table, eating lunch and listening to some down home music being performed by local folks who play there every Sunday afternoon.  It was a gorgeous day. 

My buddy pointed to the sky and said, “Look!  Can you see that bird way up there?  I think it is an eagle.”  Well, the bird was so high up it was hard to locate it but yes, it appeared to be an eagle spiraling upward higher and higher on the warm thermal currents.  It was just a speck but when the sun hit it just right the head area appeared white.  Oh, how I envied that bird in flight.  And with its razor sharp eyesight, it could scan the terrain below.  I watched it for a long time until it was beyond my sight.  Come to find out, my buddy and I were looking at different birds so there must have been a pair up there.  Lol!

Aside from this, as I was gazing at the sky, I saw this etheric ball of energy zipping around near me  This was cool.  My peripheral vision picked it up as I was looking for the eagle.  It seemed the atmosphere was alive with activity that day.

Sometimes when I look at a blue sky I lose my sense of depth perception.  It seems there is no linear space and that the sense of depth is a deception.  I half expect the sky screen to peel away and I will be able to truly see what is there.

Noctilucent Clouds of Beauty

I want to preserve this info from the Space Weather website in my weblog.  These noctilucent clouds are very interesting and someone at NASA wants to study them using the AIM spacecraft sent up into orbit yesterday.  Why do they really want to study these clouds and what is the true origin of these clouds?  I’ve always been interested in clouds and I always scan the sky when I am outdoors, or indoors through a window.  My gaze is naturally drawn upwards to the sky.

Thanks, Space Weather!   http://www.spaceweather.com/

AIM TAKES OFF: NASA’s AIM spacecraft is in Earth orbit today following a flawless Wednesday afternoon launch aboard an Pegasus XL rocket. AIM is on a mission to study mysterious noctilucent clouds, such as these photographed by Jan Koeman from his home in the Netherlands in June 2005:

Noctilucent clouds (“NLCs” for short) were first noticed in the 19th century following the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano. After sunset, electric-blue tendrils would spread across the western sky, mesmerizing onlookers. At first scientists thought the clouds were a side-effect of the eruption, but long after Krakatoa’s dust has settled, the clouds are still here. Indeed, they are becoming more widespread. Originally confined to high latitudes such as Canada and Scandinavia, NLCs have been seen in recent years as far south as Viriginia and Colorado.

What causes NLCs? Theories range from space dust to global warming. For the next two years, AIM will scrutinize these clouds from Earth orbit to learn what they may be telling us about our planet.

Gallery of photos:

http://www.spaceweather.com/nlcs/gallery2006_page1.htm