posted 05-05-2002 11:19 AM               

"Is this the part of wise men
engaged in a great and ardous struggle
for Liberty?
Are we disposed to be of the numbers
of those who
having eyes

see not
and having ears
hear not the things which so nearly
concern their temporal salvation?
For my part
whatever anquish of spirit it may cost
I am willing to know the whole Truth
to know the worst
and to provide for it."

Patrick Henry
Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death

posted 05-05-2002 01:08 PM               

I want to know if you can see beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day

and if you can source your own life
from its presence

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine

and still stand on the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon
"Yes!"

I want to know if you can disappoint another
to be true to yourself
if you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul

if you can be faithless
and therefore be trustworthy

I want to know what sustains you from the inside
when all else falls away

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself

and if you truly like the company
you keep
in the empty moments

posted 06-01-2002 11:47 AM               

Strange Cloud in area near Mt. Baker
Photo by ~ Doug Bender

Another tornado descending on a sleepy town?
one eye open wide while the world dozes
as not to miss the ice dance
of mere contrails

Photo by ~ Jeff Reifman

Amass we will FLKook
bytes and breath and a leg to stand upon
while ring-like clouds play
name me, I dare you
games

Photo by ~ Gary Windast

posted 06-18-2002 01:50 PM               

The cirrus clouds show that ice crystals high in the atmosphere ahead of an approaching front will have allowed odd optical phenomena to occur, but Mark’s photos do not show a common halo around the sun, but of something more akin to a ‘projected halo’. This is certainly unusual, and is not listed in meteorological books as amongst the common optical effects that are generated by the sun. Then again, according to experts, a triple halo is impossible – but I’ve certainly seen one!

It is worth noting that modern airliners can leave curious trails, I have noticed Boeing’s, and Airbuse’s etc leaving a normal contrail which then ‘loop back’ across themselves some distance behind the plane [A letter on this was published in UFO Magazine in 1996]. I suspect this sort of vortexing is down to the winglets that most modern aircraft how have, and must cause considerable worry of turbulence for any following aircraft. Recently I have noticed that Boeing have indicated they are developing methods to cut out all of this wingtip turbulence – presumably with some new design of wing fences.

Two of Mark’s photos are included here for your own analysis, and for you to reach your own conclusions. Figure 1 is one such contrail taken on an APS camera, while Figure 2 is the same trial with his 35mm SLR and 600mm lens.

Photos By Mark Barton

http://www.apra.org.uk/strange_trails.htm

posted 06-18-2002 02:02 PM               

Blue and yellow are the Air Force colors. Blue alludes to the sky, the primary theater of Air Force operations. Yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required of Air Force personnel. The globe with its orbiting contrails and flight symbol alludes to the squadron's mission to support the Space and Missile Systems Center. The nebuly configuration denotes the rapid, reliable and secure audiovisual, communications and computer services provided to the unit's infrastructure.

posted 06-18-2002 02:06 PM               

quote:

---

Emblem

On a Blue disc edged with a narrow Red border a White undulating aerodynamic shape fesswise throughout between in base a Yellow sun emitting seven Yellow rays and in the top of the disc a constellation of ten White stars palewise four, three, two and one, overall five contrails bendwise, Red, White, Blue, White, Red, terminating at a White aircraft ascending bendwise garnished Black. Approved on 10 Jun 1982 (DFSC 82-05845); replaced emblem approved on 19 Dec 1942 (29396 A.C.).

---

1942?
http://www.au.af.mil/au/afhra/wwwroot/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0459as.html

posted 06-18-2002 02:45 PM               

And the winner is...

posted 06-18-2002 04:55 PM            

quote:

---

The cirrus clouds show that ice crystals high in the atmosphere ahead of an approaching front will have allowed odd optical phenomena to occur, but Mark’s photos do not show a common halo around the sun, but of something more akin to a ‘projected halo’. This is certainly unusual, and is not listed in meteorological books as amongst the common optical effects that are generated by the sun. Then again, according to experts, a triple halo is impossible – but I’ve certainly seen one!

---

Optical phenomena? certainly unusual? Not around here.

posted 06-21-2002 09:19 AM               

but being one to break all the rules I implored
the soul of my child-to-be to break the
first-breath rule

a meditative state while four months along
put the call out to the Universe

the spirits of gulf war soilders
carried the message

behold

I felt a soul descend upon me like a blanket
and take refuge in the growing fetus

home schooling began then
nothing like getting an early start

corona round the moon