Boys Level 5 Junior Olympic Gymnastics - Salt City Meet

My oldest son competed in the Salt City Invitational in Syracuse, NY at the beginning of February. He did very well with an All-Around score of 52.6 earning First Place in the All-Around and every event. He took home a trophy, 6 blue ribbons and a big smile. Enjoy :)

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Sky & Telescope Magazine

I recently purchased the March 2008 issue of “Sky & Telescope: The Essential Magazine of Astronomy.” As expected, this magazine is filled with advertisements for various telescopes and components. With my interest in photography, I found most of the ads very interesting and spent more time viewing and reading the ads than I would have previously thought. I do wonder if any of these telescope lenses fit on my camera. My oldest son has a student telescope that we cannot seem to get to work properly. After he viewed the advertisements in this magazine he has asked for a telescope “upgrade.”

In the middle of the magazine are various pull-out March 2008 star charts. I will admit that my first experience with the star chart was a bit intimidating and took several minutes to decipher. However, I have successfully used this chart to locate Ursa Major, Polaris, and Cassiopeia. Once our Upstate, NY skies clear again, I am looking forward to using this cart to help locate the Winter Circle and the accompanying constellations and stars.

This magazine features several articles each month. The featured articles of March 2008 include: “Cosmic Superparticle Mystery: Solved?” “Origin of the Elements of Life” “Where Did You Come From?” “Gaia’s Mission to the Milky Way” and “Polestars of the Future: A Journey in a Celestial Time Machine.” The second and third featured articles both interested me in this issue and both were also featured on the Cover of the magazine.

Within this magazine there are many “departments” that would appear every month including a monthly information regarding the sky in general (moon phases, planets that may be visible, and a celestial almanac), The Northern Hemisphere’s Sky chart, A Binocular Highlight (tips and what can be seen using binoculars), The Southern Hemisphere’s Sky chart, Sun Moon and Planets (what can be seen and expected by the various planets and our sun this month), Exploring the Moon (this month’s article highlights craters and lunar impacts), Celestial Calendar (the path of asteroid 7 Iris is highlighted this month), Deep-Sky Wonders (highlighting the stars of Gemini), S&T Test Report (various telescopes, lenses, and parts are evaluated with specifications given), Spectrum (a short note written by the Editor), Letters by readers, Skyscape (Images of the sky), News Notes (short blurbs about recent discoveries and notable news), Mission Update (concerning space telescopes and observations), 50 & 25 Years Ago (discoveries from the past), New Product Showcase (highlights new products, lenses and telescopes that have just been released for consumers), Rambling Through the Skies (an article giving the history and mythology of constellations), Star Trails (general articles about stars, our Sun, Moon and comets), Books & Beyond (recommendations for various astronomy and telescope books), Astronomy Online (reviews of various on-line reference and astronomy related websites), Telescope Workshop (building your own telescope), Hobby Q&A (questions and answers related to amateur astronomy), Gallery (reader’s images showcased), and Focal Point (a short, humorous article that closes that magazine).

Because of my dual interest in the Internet and Photography the “Astronomy Online” department and article really caught my attention with this headline “For pennies per night, you can take photos using a mountaintop telescope.” What is this all about? I needed to read this article to calm down my curious mind. On a mountain in the Canary Islands subscribers to www.slooh.com are allowed to not only access the view of the telescope, but are also able to drive the telescope themselves. Before purchasing a subscription, anyone can try it out for a week for free. This service is not cheap, as a year subscription with unlimited access will cost $100. For $20 a person can purchase limited access of 200 minutes. One added benefit is that you do not need to download software, but are able to use your browser for viewing. Two telescopes are available with one being driven by the Slooh editors. The other telescope can be reserved by subscribers in 5 minute intervals. Any image that you like can be captured and saved in JPEG format and then downloaded. If the weather and viewing is poor, subscribers and trial members are credited for “poor” conditions and terms are extended. In addition to the telescope portion, there is an entire community forum that an aspiring astronomer can participate in which include chat forums, radio personalities, discussion forums, sharing of pictures and blogs. In the works is also a Southern Hemisphere facility, located in Chile and a second telescope near Melbourne, Australia. This sounds like quite an exciting program and I plan to take advantage of the free trial week to check out the skies using the available professional grade telescopes.

Overall, I am highly impressed by the quality images and articles found in this magazine. There is such a range of information that any person looking at the night sky would be able to find an interesting article among this issue. The graphics and images that are included in this issue complement the articles and discussions that are presented. This is a highly informative magazine concerning technology and the night sky and I am already looking forward to the April 2008 issue next month.

Vote for Horton in AAU Sullivan Award

Vote for Horton in AAU Sullivan Award
Fans must vote before March 10

Jonathan Horton of Houston, who finished fourth in the all-around at the 2007 World Championships, is one of 11 finalists for the 2007 AAU James E. Sullivan Award. The winner will be chosen by a combination of votes cast by AAU officials, U.S. Olympic Committee members and college sports information directors and those cast by fans online or by text message. The online/text votes count one-third toward the final tally. Voting ends March 10, and the winner will be announced on April 1.

To vote online, go to VOTE - To vote via phone, text AAUVOTE3 to 44636 to vote for Horton.

A senior at the University of Oklahoma, Horton became just the fifth U.S. man to finish in the top four at an Olympic Games or a World Championships with his fourth-place finish at the 2007 World Championships. He also was a member of the U.S. Men's Team that finished fourth at the 2007 World Championships, which qualified the USA to compete in the 2008 Olympic Games. At 22 he is one of the younger athletes on the senior national team. Horton won his second straight Tyson American Cup earlier in 2007, as well as took top honors in the all-around at the USA/Ukraine/Russia meet in June. Horton competes on Oklahoma's men's gymnastics team under the leadership of Mark Williams. At the 2007 NCAA Championships, he won titles on floor and high bar. Horton also earned All-America honors in the all-around, high bar, floor, rings and vault. He broke Olympic champ Bart Conner's OU records for career NCAA titles at five and career All-America honors with 15.

In addition to Horton, the finalists are: Brian Duncan, Texas Tech, football; Thomas Finchum, Indianapolis, diving; Jeff Lerg, Michigan State, ice hockey; Jamie Lovemark, Southern California, golf; Katie Marano, Albany, N.Y., wrestling; Robert Pillow IV, Anchorage, Alaska, basketball; Philippa Raschker, Marietta, Ga., track and field; Tim Tebow, Florida, football; Brad Vering, Colorado Springs, Colo., wrestling; and Angela Tincher, Virginia Tech, softball.

What is the Sullivan Award?

Known as the "Oscar" of sports awards and older than The Heisman, the AAU Sullivan Award honors the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. It has been presented annually by the AAU since 1930 as a salute to founder and past president of the Amateur Athletic Union, and a pioneer in amateur sports, James E. Sullivan. Based on the qualities of leadership, character, sportsmanship, and the ideals of amateurism, the AAU Sullivan Award goes far beyond athletic accomplishments and honors those who have shown strong moral character. Kurt Thomas (1979) and Paul Hamm (2004) are the only gymnasts to have won this honor.

Lunar Eclipse - February 20, 2008

This is the first hours of yesterday's Lunar Eclipse (2/20/08) sped up 400 times from Upstate, NY.

Total Lunar Eclipse - Tomorrow - Feb 20th

Get out your Video Cameras and Cameras - A total lunar eclipse over North America's sky will occur in the evening of February 20th.

Partial Eclipse begins: 8:43 pm EST

Total Eclipse begins: 10:00 pm

Mid Eclipse: 10:26 pm

Total Eclipse ends: 10:52 pm

Partial Eclipse ends: 12:09 am on the 21st Feb

This lunar eclipse will be of a relative short duration of 52 minutes of totality. The eclipsed moon is predicted to be a bright orange - red color with a lighter yellow color edge on the Southern or bottom part of the Moon. The eclipsed moon will be flanked by Saturn on its upper left and the bright star Regulus on its upper right.

The entire event is visible from South America and most of North America (on Feb. 20) as well as Western Europe, Africa, and western Asia (on Feb. 21).

For those wondering about other time zones and accross the Atlantic Ocean I can't seem to get the chart to paste into this document - please visit the following link:

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEmono/TLE2008Feb21/TLE2008Feb21.html

Play Time

My youngest son matching animal noises on his ABC Animal Mat. He loves to sit and match letters and noises with this toy.

Level 5 - Boy's Gymnastics - Local Meet

Here is a video of My oldest son from the Upstate Local Meet on January 27, 2008. He did very well placing 2nd All-Around, First on Floor and Vault, Second on Pommels Rings, Parallel Bars and High Bar.

Netwinner Dreams– Is This a Good or Bad Sign?

I hate to admit this, but last night I had a Netwinner dream. I would say that it was a good dream in that I won the Jackpot on the Money Wheel. I can even remember hearing all five “pings” or “dings” whatever you call them from my dream. In fact, I still hear them and it is many hours later.

Now I will say that I have had premonitions before (actually quite often). However, my premonitions do not present in foreshadowing events. Usually, I have a feeling or very strong need to do something or call someone or go somewhere.

For example, a few years ago after I finished my teaching day, I needed to go to the grocery store and then pick up my son. However, I had this strong “need” to go home first. I was not sure why, but I went home. What I found was my front window pane (it was a double pane) filled with water and leaking down into the house over and into an electrical socket. Now, these types of strange occurrences happen all the time with me. I could give hundreds of examples.

So, I have four questions for my Netwinner friends.

1. Have you ever had dreams of Netwinner and the Jackpot?
2. If you did have dreams did you win anything big the next day?
3. What are your predictions for me today?
4. Will I take it all today and leave nothing for my friends?


Those of you that have no clue what I am talking about can follow this link to view the Money Wheel and Jackpot for yourself. netwinner

West Point Open

My son placed 1st in the All-Around for his level and age group at the West Point Open at the West Point Military Academy on January 19th of this year. As you will see at the end of the video, he received his awards from three time Olympian and Silver Medalist, Blaine Wilson. After the meet was over he had Blaine sign his score card - it was a meet he will remember for quite a long time.

Mens College Gymnastics at West Point Open

Clips from the Men's college team competition at the West Point Open on Jan 18, 08 at the West Point Military Academy, NY. My oldest son (who is a gymnast) and I enjoyed all the outstanding gymnastics during this meet :)

You Have Always Been Brilliant

Life changing, motivational books are only effective if a connection is made between the author and reader. The reader must believe what the author is sharing and then make changes in their own personal life. Through “Release Your Brilliance,” Simon Bailey has connected with the reader as a real person, sharing his own personal story and using symbolism that is understandable to all readers in order to share the knowledge he has gained through his own life experiences.

Throughout this journey, we are compared to magnificent diamonds that are already “Brilliant.” We are taught through the process of reflection and journaling exactly how to release the brilliance that is within each of us. Reflection is the key component and Simon helps the reader to reflect on many parts of their life in a new and inspiring way.

We are encouraged to examine all relationships, goals and “Facets” of our life. Once our “Facets” are polished and refined, our inner “Brilliance” will begin to shine and others will notice the positive changes we have made in our lives.

In addition, real-life “Brilliant” people share their stories with us which help to clarify, focus and motivate the reader to answer questions and develop plans to enhance the individual’s own life.

In addition to this book, Simon has many additional tips and resources available on his website and DVD.


“Release Your Brilliance”
By: Simon T. Bailey
Publisher: Collins
ISBN: 978-0-06-145187-4

My Twins Before Their 2nd Birthday (March 2007)

This video was taken about a year ago (March 2007), right before they turned 2 ... the first part is of the twins coloring their birthday invitations... the second part is of them reading a book together and the third part they are running and playing.