Stars- How big are they?

For decades astronomers have been plagued with the burning question, just how big are stars? From our perspective, here on earth it can be hard to gauge their enormity. But, by training the Hubble Space Telescope on the densest known cluster of stars in our galaxy, experts at the Space Telescope Science Institute have put many of those questions to rest. Determining star size has been difficult due to the lack of direct observations. In previous studies it was determined that the smallest stars are approximately one-twelfth the size of our sun. To put that into perspective, the sun is 300,000 times the size of the Earth.

The stars researched were estimated to be 2.5 millions years old which is imperative because stars any younger than that are shrouded in dust, making them difficult to see. On the other hand, stars older than that would have exploded or died off by that point. Researchers spent several years analyzing and measuring stars in the “Arches Cluster,” a star formation that lies 25,000 light years away, where huge clouds of gas collide forming some of the largest stars known. After measuring about 1,000 stars researchers found they ranged in size from six to 130 times the size of the sun. Scientists have also been able to establish a limit on how big stars are, which is; up to 150 time the size of our sun. These findings are expected to help astronomers understand how stars are formed, how they age and how they die. 

The universe's biggest stars have been of particular interest in recent years because of what happens when they die. Both “black holes” (a region of space resulting from the collapse of a star) and “gamma ray bursts” (brief bursts of highly energetic electromagnetic radiation emitted by radioactive decay) are thought to be created when the most massive stars collapse. According to astronomers, bigger stars are thought to die faster than smaller stars. Experts say it is possible that future observations will detect stars larger than 150 times the size of the sun. Who knows what other amazing discovers will be uncovered in the following decades about space? But, one thing is certain, the more we learn about the real unknown the more unbelievable it seems to be. So when you wish upon a star remember how vast they really are and how many wishes they have the capacity to hold. 

What’s up… Doc? - Bugs Bunny vs. Bugs Bunny

The Television station the WB, has recently announced a new cartoon series titled “The Loonatics” scheduled to begin airing Saturday mornings starting this fall 2004. To the dismay of many cartoon lovers, “The Loonatics” gives many of our most beloved cartoon characters including Daffy Duck, The Tasmanian Devil, Lola Bunny, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, and Bugs Bunny an edgy makeover. 

Although all of the characters have a new look, the majority of the controversy is surrounding Bugs Bunny who is arguably the most notable character in the bunch. The new and questionably improved Bugs, is a far cry from the lovable character that rocketed to stardom in the 1940s. Renamed Buzz, this “new” character is a dark superhero, adorned with frightening eyes void of pupils. The new Bugs Bunny aka “Buzz” utters the same infamous phrase as the original but with seemingly different connotations in a slowed down, lower tone with a snoot pause after “what’s up” suggesting attitude and sarcasm. 

Industry insiders echo the concerns of the average cartoon fan. Harry Shearer the voice of Principal Skinner on “The Simpsons” said: "These characters don't look like they belong on a cartoon. They look like they belong on stage with Kiss." Jimmy Kimmel called “The Loonatics" one of the worst things I've ever seen." "Tweety Bird looks like a hooker from space."

Betsy McGowen, a senior executive of children’s programming at the WB welcomes the naysayers: "It's great we're getting all this attention." Still, many continue to protest, going as far as creating websites in an attempt to save the classic characters from this image overhaul. Some have said that these changes would have Ben Hardaway the pioneer of Bugs Bunny, rolling in his grave. Perhaps this new cartoon is just another reflection of the ever-changing world of television programming where the viewers voice is the sound of the channel changing. 

• Bugs was created in 1938 by Ben (Bugs) Hardaway, but later developed
by Tex Avery.

• The carrot-munching star was modeled after cigar-chomping
Groucho Marx.

• Bugs debuted in the 1938 short "Porky's Hare Hunt."

• Bugs first asked, "What's up, Doc?" in the 1940 short "A Wild Hare."

• More than 150 Bugs Bunny cartoons have been made.

• Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs, claimed to be allergic to raw carrots,
and would chomp on them when a scene called for it and then spit it
out into a trash can.

Daylight Savings Time, Why?

“Daylight Saving Time” (DST) is a method of changing clocks twice a year to make better use of daylight. This year Daylight Saving Time begins on April 3rd, as it is the first Sunday of the April. The term Daylight Saving Time is used in North America, while in Europe, Russia, and South America the name "Summer Time" is used. The official spelling is Daylight Saving Time, not Daylight Savings Time as it is commonly pronounced. 

Benjamin Franklin first proposed Daylight Saving Time in 1784, but it wasn’t until 1916 that several counties in Europe adopted the method. On March 19, 1918 the United States put forth an act to set standard time zones and set summer DST. The new method of time proved to be unpopular, and soon it became a local choice. From 1945 to 1966, there was no federal law for Daylight Saving Time. This caused mass confusion and forced broadcast stations, railways and airlines to publish new schedules every time a town or state decided to end or begin DST. 

The DST controversy was even prevalent in the Twin Cites. In the sixties, St. Paul decided to start DST at the same time the majority of the nation did, while Minneapolis chose to should follow state law, which stipulated a later start date. This left a one-hour time-difference between St. Paul, and Minneapolis until later resolved with a unilateral time change. 

Soon, the inconsistencies with time throughout the U.S. grew unbearable, and congress decided to establish one pattern across the country. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 was signed stating that Daylight Saving Time began on the last Sunday of April and ended on the last Sunday of October. If a state wanted to be exempt from DST they would have to pass state law stating such.

In fact some parts of the U.S. did just that. Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, most of the Eastern Time Zone portion of the State of Indiana, and the state of Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Indian Reservation) do not change their clocks. 

At nearly every session of Congress, a bill is proposed to extend DST through Halloween making it safer for the trick-or-treaters to be out at night. The period of DST has been challenged for political reasons as well. DST usually ends a week before Election Day, and more than once an extension has been proposed as a way to encourage greater voter participation. The logic being that more people would go to the polls in the evening if it was still daylight when they returned home from work.

Whatever your opinion of Daylight Saving Time is, for most people in the Midwest it is perhaps a sign that the winter is over, and summer is one the way. The bare white landscapes will soon be lush and green; the sun will be out when you wake up, and for a while longer when you get home from work. For midwest Daylight Saving Time could just be the cure for the winter blues many of us are in search of.

Levar Buton - Reading Rainbow

Levar Burton was an impressionable eleven-year-old when “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” first aired back in the late sixties. Little did he know that a few decades later he would follow in Fred Rogers’ footsteps and host his own popular children’s show. Levar’s mother was an English teacher so it seemed he had no choice, but to develop a passion for literature, or as he put it "reading was mandatory, not optional" in his household. 

Inspired by Fred Rogers’ ability to entertain, and educate children all at once, Lever jumped at the chance to host the educational children’s show “Reading Rainbow.” The show was created to address the "summer loss phenomenon" where children spend their summer vacation in front of the television wasting brainpower. This concept was right up Lever’s alley knowing how the fervor he had for literature at a young age impacted his life.

Now some twenty years later, with a slew of Emmy wins, and nominations under belt, “Reading Rainbow” continues to be one of the most popular children’s show. With generations of fans “Reading Rainbow” has become synonymous with childhood nostalgia. Just hearing the theme song could evoke warm feelings of comfort, and reveries of that great time when you could do anything.

Like “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” “Reading Rainbow” encourages children to think, read, and learn. To show them that it’s cool to be smart, and creative. For several years now “Reading Rainbow” has held an annual contest for young writers and illustrators. Kids kindergarten through third grade are challenged to create original picture books. Levar has proclaimed on several occasions that what he is most proud of in terms of the show, is that they have had the ability to produce "human beings who are passionate about literature.” He also makes the point that there aren’t many shows that cover real world events, at an age appropriate level. The show has covered many current events such as September 11th, homelessness, and war.

Levar Burton had this to say about his friend Fred Rogers after his passing, “I loved Fred very deeply, and I’m not ashamed, nor am I embarrassed, to say that. Fred was a great teacher and a mentor to me, and I miss him an awful lot.” “The physical aspect of Fred is no longer here, but his spirit, as strong as it is, is here.” It has often been said that children watch too much TV. But, with the high standards Fred Rogers, and Levar Burton set for children’s programming, perhaps these icons have paved the way for a new view of children’s shows. 

Bela Lugosi - I Vant to Drink Your Blood

Bela Lugosi was the actor infamous for his role as the original Dracula. Be’la Ferenc Dezso Blasko was born October 29th, 1882 in Lugos, Hungary (now Romania.) He was the youngest of four children brought up in an upper middle-class home. At a young age Bela became fascinated with acting, and at twelve ran away from his childhood home in hopes of becoming a famous actor. At first, Lugosi found little work acting, and resorted to working at railroads and mines. Nevertheless, his dream of becoming an actor ceased to die, and began studying acting theory diligently. Soon, Lugosi changed his name to Bela Lugosi, which means “one from the town of Lugos.”

In 1921, Lugosi moved to New York. He struggled to find roles handicapped by his nonexistent understanding of English. Lugosi learned his lines phonetically, and made his American film debut in 1923's “The Silent Command.” Then, in 1927 he was cast as Dracula in the Broadway production that ran for nearly three years. It wasn’t until 1930 that Dracula was brought to the silver screen. To everyone’s surprise, the film was a smash success. In 1931 Bela married 20 year-old Lillian Arch. This was Lugosi’s fourth marriage, which lasted 20 years, and produced a son Bela Lugosi Jr.

Dracula rocketed Lugosi to international fame, and he was immediately offered the role of Frankenstein, which he turned down to star in another film. This move has been deemed the biggest mistake of his professional life. From that point on Lugosi’s career began to fade. He was eternally type cast as the villain in horror films. To continue working he made a string of b-movies. As his career dwindled Lugosi endured several financial problems, and a battle with addiction. He became increasingly eccentric as well, being seen around town sporting his Dracula costume.

By 1953, Lugosi was aligned with filmmaker Ed Wood, who is notorious as the worst director in movie history. He played the lead role only once, in 1955's “Bride of the Monster” as Dr. Eric Vornoff. The pair also made the film “Glen or Glenda?”

In April of 1955 Lugosi committed himself to the Los Angeles County General Hospital to help him recover from a morphine addiction. He had been taking the drug for a rumored twenty years to ease shooting pains in his legs. He was released later that year, and married Hope Lininger, a fan who had written him letters every day he was in hospital. She would be his fifth and final wife. Lugosi died of a heart attack on August 15th, 1956 at the age of 73, and was buried in his Dracula cape as he wished.

Decades after his death, Lugosi continues to be a cult figure. In 1994 the acclaimed filmmaker Tim Burton directed the screen biography of director Ed Wood, and cast veteran actor Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi. Landau went on to win the Oscar that year for his portal. Over the course of his career Bela appeared in over one hundred movies, but none would ever mimic the success, of Dracula, which remains one of the most well-known characters in cinema today, and most people know Dracula as; Bela Lugosi.

The History of Middle Names

Your first name defines you before you have a chance to define yourself. While knowing someone’s first name seems like trivial information, knowing someone’s middle name is a different story. Middle names are mysterious, and intriguing. It’s as though you need a special pass to know what someone’s middle name is, and once you do, there is a new view of this person, a secret that has been uncovered. 

When someone is asked what their middle name is, a glow of anticipation comes across their face, because posing that question is an invitation to a private knowledge that we hold tightly between two public names. Often, there is a story of why they were given that name, who they were named after, what that person meant to their family, and what it has meant for them to carry that name. 

Middle names are as common as Apple Pie in America, but they are not native to this country. Middle names are actually a modern custom in America. In Germany during the fifteenth century, nobility used middle names as a status symbol. They played such a key role in Germany that children were known solely by their middle name. 

In other parts of the world middle names were used to give siblings separate identities. When infant mortality was high, children commonly shared their parent’s name in an effort to keep the family names alive. For example, if the father’s name was John, the first son might be named John Joseph, and the second son John Patrick. The same would be true for the daughters. This explains why there were so many Rose Marys, and Rose Anns.

In America; however, parents gave their children only two names. It wasn’t until the early 19th century several hundred years after German immigrants introduced the tradition to America that giving a child a middle name became commonplace. Even some of the most infamous icons in American History were without middle names. Figures such as; George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson did not have middle names. 

By World War I, it was safe to assume that everyone in America had a middle name. One of the first trends was to use the mother's maiden name as a middle name to avoid the loss of her family surname. In religious families another trend was to give a string of middle names to a child to honor ancestors, godparents, and loved ones. Often, one of the middle names would correspond to the name of the Saint whose feast day corresponded to the individual's birthday.

Nowadays in America there is no clear trend for middle names. There are no rules, anything goes. Some children are born with one middle name of no ancestral significance while other children have two or three middle names. Perhaps one of the most interesting naming trends is found in the world of celebrity. 

Since a name can make or break you in Hollywood, stars have a long history of manipulating their names. For instance; everyone is familiar with actress Meg Ryan, but not everyone is familiar with her birth name, Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra. Who knows whether Meg Ryan would have experienced as much success had she stuck with her birth name? John Denver is another example of a celebrity who tampered with his name. John was born Henry John Deutschendorf Junior but, chose to go by his middle name, and who knows where Denver came from? Reese Witherspoon, born Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon also foresaw the negative impact her birth name could potentially have had on her career and opted to use a portion of her middle name as her alias instead.

Take the time to learn about your names, and inquire about the middle names of people you love. You’ll learn something new about them, and if nothing else you’ll hear a good story. If you are one of the poor souls whose parents got it all wrong, and you despise your first name, middle name, or your entire name itself, rest assured that with a few clicks of the mouse and a mere hundred and forty bucks you can go online and legally change your name to anything your heart desires. If that all seems like too much work, change the spelling of your name, or start going by your middle name. Be who you are in every sense. If your name doesn’t capture who that is go for it, all you have to lose is a name that doesn’t suit you.

Cats, From Egypt to your Couch

Cats are considered one of the most popular pets in the world. They were first domesticated in Egypt around 4000 BC, to keep rodents away from supplies of grain. The Egyptians quickly fell in love with cats, and started letting the cats into their homes. Before long cats were treated as gods by the Egyptians. Cats played a large role in the representation of many Egyptian Goddesses. Mafdet is thought to be the first Egyptian goddesses depicted as a feline. She is shown as a cat killing a snake with her claws.

The love Egyptians had for cats was also used to their detriment. When at war with Persia, a Persian general strategically used cats to play on the Egyptian’s emotions. The general ordered all his men to capture as many cats as possible, and then when the Persian’s lined up for battle they released all the cats onto the battlefield. The Egyptians were so horrified by the number of terrified cats they surrendered to the Persians. Cats were even protected by law. If someone were to kill a cat, accidentally, or otherwise, they would be condemned to death. In Egypt cats were held to such a high regard that when they died they were mummified, and buried with mice, rats, and saucers with food. Cat cemeteries line the Nile River and cat mummies can be found in many of the Egyptian tombs.

The spread of domestic cats to other parts of the globe was delayed due to the law Egypt set forth banning the exportation of cats. From time to time armies were deployed to recapture cats from foreign lands. In spite of this law, many people took the risk and smuggled cats to Europe and Asia. Eventually cats were almost everywhere.

Cats have come a long way since 4000 BC. They are now doted on by many cat lovers willing to do anything for their furry friend. Nowadays adopting a cat is easy, but if being a cat owner isn’t your cup of tea maybe now you can at least appreciate what intelligent and mysterious little creatures they are.

The Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle is a region of the Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda, Miami, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico where several planes have unexplainably disappeared over the last fifty years. A plethora of theories ranging from aliens, and warp-holes in time, to a link to the mythical lost continent of Atlantis have been used to explain the deaths and disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle.

Theoretical Physicist Stephen Hawking once facetiously commented that the “Giant Turtle Theory” was to blame for the mysterious disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle. This theory suggested that the Earth is a flat plain on the backs of gigantic turtles, and people who disappear in the triangle may actually have fallen off the edge of the earth. Scientists have yet to agree upon the three points that form the triangle, which fuels skeptic’s argument that it is nearly impossible to compare the number of accidents within the triangle to other areas of the ocean.

Perhaps the most infamous tragedy of the Bermuda Triangle was “Flight 19.” On December 5th, 1945 five Navy Avenger bombers and crewmen left the Fort Lauderdale Naval Station for a routine training exercise. The weather wasn’t perfect with light rain and a few clouds but was deemed safe enough for a simulated bombing run. Around 4pm that afternoon the instructor radioed headquarters panicked saying he had lost track of the Florida coast, and his compasses weren’t working. Soon, other pilots reported malfunctioning compasses, and a feeling of disorientation as well. Although the pilots did radio for help, contact was lost after some time, and the pilots of Flight 19 were never heard from again. To this day, the remains of the avengers have not been discovered.

Scientists now believe they have an explanation for the mysterious phenomena caused within the Bermuda Triangle. In 1981 geochemist, Richard McIver, announced that he had discovered a possible link between methane gas blowouts in the ocean and the Bermuda Triangle incidents. McIver believed that massive landslides in the ocean near Bermuda bring down huge boulders that rupture the layer of gas beneath the sea floor. When a methane gas pocket ruptures an immense reservoir of gas surges from the seabed, suddenly erupting onto the surface. The theory is that this explosion of methane gas makes the air lighter than normal in turn causing planes that fly overhead to lose engine function, explode, or descend into the ocean.

For now some skeptics have been quieted by the methane gas theory, but still others search for a more exciting, and intriguing explanation. In the end, it seems the truths behind the Bermuda Triangle mysteries are subjective, and will never convince all the skeptics keeping the mystery alive for years to come.