Bright Spiral Galaxy M81

By: vivian on sábado, setembro 16, 2017

One of the brightest galaxies in planet Earth's sky is similar in size to our Milky Way Galaxy: big, beautiful M81. This grand spiral galaxy can be found toward the northern constellation of the Great Bear (Ursa Major). This superbly detailed view reveals M81's bright yellow nucleus, blue spiral arms, and sweeping cosmic dust lanes with a scale comparable to the Milky Way. Hinting at a disorderly past, a remarkable dust lane actually runs straight through the disk, to the left of the galactic center, contrary to M81's other prominent spiral features. The errant dust lane may be the lingering result of a close encounter between M81 and its smaller companion galaxy, M82. Scrutiny of variable stars in M81 has yielded one of the best determined distances for an external galaxy -- 11.8 million light-years.

from NASA http://ift.tt/2x9X8bS
via IFTTT

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How Humans Came To Be, According To The Sonjo

By: vivian on sábado, setembro 16, 2017

Naka and Nebele are the creator-deities of the Sonjo people of Tanzania. Nebele came first and created his sister, Nebele.  Nebele then created all things – except human beings. Naka was jealous of her accomplishments, and said she was but a woman, and therefore was his property. He attempted to brand Nebele like an animal, but she understandably became angry and frightened, and fled to another world. According to the Sonjo she has yet to return.

Now alone in the world, Naka then created a man and a woman. Eventually, their children filled the earth with the people we know today.

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jessrine: historical-nonfiction: Kiwifruit, shortened as kiwi,...

By: vivian on sábado, setembro 16, 2017

jessrine:

historical-nonfiction:

Kiwifruit, shortened as kiwi, was named after the bird of the same name due to its fuzzy brown resemblance. The curiously shaped birds live only in New Zealand, so that’s where the fruit is from, right? Wrong! Kiwis – the fruits– come from China. The Chinese name is actually a different animal, because “macaque peaches” are so popular with … macaques.

Anyway, how did kiwi fruit get named for kiwi birds? At the turn of the 1900s, the principle of a New Zealand college brought some seeds from China to New Zealand, and after a few decades, New Zealand began exporting them to the United States as “Chinese gooseberries.” Unfortunately they started this exporting business right around the Cold War. And at the time, nothing associated with Red China would sell well in the US.

So what to do? Rename them (again). First, New Zealand tried “melonettes,” but high American tariffs placed on melons and berries killed that idea. Someone hit on the idea of changing the name from “goose” to the New Zealand national bird, “kiwis.” And they changed “berries” to “fruits,” which had lower tariffs. And thus the modern kiwi that you know and love was named.

And then New Zealanders don’t even call THEMSELVES New Zealanders…

They call themselves Kiwi.

Kiwi = bird, fruit, people

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Question: My teenage children are mad about rock ‘n’ roll. I don’t mind, but between them they have socks, pullovers and slacks which are fluorescent, and I am worried in case these are harmful to their health. Surely things that are luminous in the dark are usually radioactive, which, I take it, could be dangerous.

By: vivian on sábado, setembro 16, 2017

Question: My teenage children are mad about rock ‘n’ roll. I don’t mind, but between them they have socks, pullovers and slacks which are fluorescent, and I am worried in case these are harmful to their health. Surely things that are luminous in the dark are usually radioactive, which, I take it, could be dangerous.
Answer:You’ll be relieved to know that these clothes, so popular with teenagers (particularly the rock ‘n’ rollers), have been tested for radioactivity, and there is none. So there should be no danger at all, except to anyone who is sensitive to the kinds of colours they select!

quoted from Woman’s Realm, a British magazine. April 12, 1958

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Simpatias para acabar com os ciúmes e desconfiança. Para casos de marido ciumento ou seus próprios ciúmes

By: vivian on sábado, setembro 16, 2017

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