RenoVous

  Simone Biles is a force of nature, defying gravity as she flies through the air.  She has moves named after her and has the most World medals of any gymnast. But even the greatest can suffer. Expectations were high, so when she came off the vault doing less rotations than planned, there was immediate concern.  Shortly after, she withdrew from competition citing mental health. What happened is something gymnasts call "the twisties."  When you're spinning in the air, you have to be able to know where the ground is and where you are in rotation.  If you lose your sense of space and dimension, you can lose control of your body.  In that case, Simone is lucky to have landed safely at all. To recognize that danger and not push herself to compete further only proves that she is the GOAT.  Greatness is something to strive for, but not sacrifice yourself for. If you're not 100% physically and mentally well, gymnastics is an especially risky sport to engage in...

Just a few from the Neon Art Walk downtown that meets up with the Glow Plaza. From Burning Man From an old motel. And a stellar sky.

  Born Mary Eleanor Wheeler, she took the name Pearcey from a man she lived with but never married.  She carried on multiple affairs until he finally kicked her out. Then she met Frank Hogg, who also carried on multiple affairs.  When he got Phoebe Styles pregnant, he married her but kept his relationship with Mary.  Once the baby was born, Mary invited the new mom over for tea.  She slashed her throat (nearly decapitating her) and smothered the baby, throwing the body into the street. She didn't really try to hide the crime, she made poor excuses for the blood on her clothes and had taken Phoebe's wedding ring for her own.  She went on trial in December 1890 and was executed. "My sentence is a just one, but a good deal of the evidence against me was false."   All this occurred around the same time as Jack the Ripper, or Whitechapel murders.  The last victim, Mary Jane Kelly, died on November 9, 1888.  At the time, the police chief, Frederick...

  Seal Island, off the coast of Maine, is a Puffin breeding ground.  Here we can see them in their burrows with their chicks, although they might be out exploring. These young seabirds will be fledging in the next week or so, but for now they'll be honing their foraging skills and flight abilities. The Atlantic Puffin is the smallest of the four species and can be identified by the blue in its beak.  They belong to the Alcidae (Auk) family of seabirds.  60% of pairs breed in Iceland. The chicks are the puff that have given these birds their name. They typically only lay one egg per year, and their beaks only become so colorful for the mating season.  Once a pair lands, they may engage in "billing," a kind of beaky kissing that lets everyone know they're together.  Once the burrows are made, one will stand guard.  Others passing by will walk rapidly with head lowered to indicate they're not trying to start any trouble.  Puffins do get protective of...

  Angola Belgium Cameroon El Salvador Greece Kenya Latvia Netherlands Uganda United States Misia performed the Japanese National Anthem.

  The Xerces blue butterfly was last seen 80 years ago and has been presumed extinct, but it was unclear if it was in fact its own species or an isolated population of a more widespread species, the silvery blue. Researchers analyzed the DNA of a 93 year old specimen at the Field Museum in Chicago.  They were able to confirm the Xerces is a unique species, and that it was the first US insect extinction at the hands of humans. The butterfly was native to the San Francisco peninsula, identified and described in 1852, but last seen in the 1940's.  It is believed that growing urban development caused considerable disturbance and habitat loss. So the team wants to focus on conservation, "protecting what's there and learn from our past mistakes."  We need to protect insect populations now more than ever, for maintaining biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.   Insects "aerate the soil, which allows the plants to grow, and which then feeds the herbivores, which then...

 Free concerts at the Glow Plaza. Walks in the park. And a random find, rosebud down.

  Following up on yesterday's thread, I wanted to focus on the press brief today.  I set a reminder for myself but I haven't really stopped thinking about it. Feel free to add any commentary throughout the day! Thomas Zurbuchen - associate administrator for science, NASA headquarters Jennifer Trosper - Perseverance project manager, JPL Oliver Toupet - Perseverance enhanced navigation team lead, JPL Ken Farley - Perseverance project scientist, Caltech Vivian Sun - Perseverance science campaign co-lead, JPL Mission Page

On  Asteroid Day  it was mentioned that the Hubble Telescope had been reported down. As of yesterday, it is back in action! These images confirm Hubble's return to its mission, capturing galaxy MADORE2115-273 on the left, and ARP-MADORE0002-503, an unusual spiral galaxy with three arms. On June 13, Hubble's payload computer, which controls and coordinates the science instruments onboard, stopped working.  When the main computer failed to receive a signal, it shut down into safe mode. One thing to remember is the Hubble was built in the 1980's, so when the team on the ground had to figure out what was wrong with it, they had to look back on previous technology and the knowledge collected from the staff over the years.  Retired alumni did come in to assist, including those who had helped build it. "That's one of the benefits of a program that's been running for over 30 years: the incredible amount of experience and expertise," says Nzinga Tull, the Hubble Sy...

  Sharon Stone Natasha Poly Maty Fall Regina King Rachel Brosnahan Stella Maxwell Maria Bakalova Felice Noordhoff Jessica Wang Cindy Bruna

  "The ocean holds wonders and promises we haven't even imagined, much less discovered." Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of the Schmidt Ocean Institute. A recent expedition around the Phoenix Islands resulted in a sighing of the above Glass Octopus, which is rare indeed.  Prior to this, the animal had only been studied from remains found in the stomachs of predators. The team's ROV, named Subastian, obtained footage of a whale shark diving beyond 40 feet.  Scientists still don't know where these giants give birth, but this may be a clue that it happens in the deep. "How can you have an informed conservation plan for an animal if you don't know how, when, or where it breeds?" asks Alistair Dove, VP of Research and Conservation at the Georgia Aquarium. There has been video of a male engaging in some mating behavior, but the female was too young to breed. They also caught some interesting footage of a sea star eating live coral at a depth of 2004m.  This is a...

  This past weekend, Cuba erupted in protests as they've been dealing with food and medicine shortages throughout the pandemic, not to mention the hardships they've been struggling with for years.  While the Cuban government blames the US embargo, it is the government itself that is also responsible. Before Castro and Soviet-style communist rule, Cuba was a glamourous destination and was one of the most successful countries in Latin America.  They ranked fifth in the hemisphere in per capita income, second in per capita ownership of automobiles, and first in the number of televisions per inhabitant. I came across a gallery of those before times, and wanted to share. Havana, 1925 Santiago de Cuba, 1925 (Desi Arnaz, far left Soap Box) Havana-Guinea-Cienfuegos race, 1954 Celia Cruz at the Tropicana Night Club, 1954 Mariano Beach, 1956 Lina Salomé, 1956 Havana, 1957 Carnival in Santiago de Cuba, 1960 Che Guevara playing chess, 1964 Since 1965, Cuba has been governed by the Co...