Mars Greenhouse

Mars greenhouse, as imagined by artist
Daniel Freeman of Kaleidoclasm Art. Commissioned by Jennifer Lewter.

   It may not be possible to have a functional greenhouse on Mars. The Martian dust storms, which can last for months, may be too much of an interference with the already less-than-what-Earth-gets amount of sunlight reaching the Red Planet. But it is hard not to imagine, mon cheri. I dream of greenhouses on Mars. 

Happy Mother's Day!!!

   Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Today, I visited my favorite winery in Altus, Arkansas, and I met an interesting pair of twin ladies from Alabama. They had driven to Oklahoma to see their mom for Mother's Day, and they just happened to stop by that same winery on their way home to Alabama. They tried many different wines, and between sips they chatted with me about their kids. One of the ladies openly discussed her daughter's mental health problems and her temporary stay in a mental institute. There was a time in my younger life when I would have been horrified and probably repulsed to hear this, but now I know better. These ladies loved this girl, and they saw no reason to hide her faults. She was on their minds, so they talked about her. I told the ladies I saw an interview with Michelle Obama recently, and in the interview Mrs. Obama commented that our kids "are ALL we have." I knew what she meant. Our children are the future. They are important. We should do everything we can to ensure their health and survival. 
   Both ladies looked at me with screwed-up faces. "What about US?" one of them said. The winery owner (who is my friend) looked over at me with her face kind of screwed-up as well. "That's not really true," she said. Her opinion holds a lot of water, err, wine, since she is a successful business owner AND she has two children of her own. Important take-aways from smart, tough women who know better: DRINK MORE WINE and YOU ARE MORE THAN YOUR CHILDREN! 
   

America Has A New Hero

Sally Yates finally testified before a Senate subcommittee on May 8, 2017. This was the third time a date had been set for her to share her concerns about the disgraced Michael Flynn, who served as National Security Advisor under Donald Trump for just 24 days before being forced to resign. James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, also testified. Yates and Clapper declined to share many details that they claimed were "classified," but it was clear that Yates believed Flynn was compromised by the Russians. She repeatedly stated that it appeared he had lied to Vice President Pence, and Pence was then sharing false information with the American public. Clapper stated boldly that the Russians had successfully interfered with our 2016 Presidential election, and that they would certainly try to manipulate our future elections. What remains unclear, however, is why it took the Trump administration 18 days to get rid of Flynn after Yates had delivered repeated warnings of his potential to be blackmailed by the Russians. 
"You don't want your National Security Advisor compromised by the Russians," she said.