world cup - game 29

saudia arabia vs ukraine.

saudia arabia is an underdog for this match and the ukraine lost badly to spain.

football & soccer - the difference is in the ball

hey FIFA! and all those looking at the world cup on big screen tv's: this is what a real football looks like.

it's got proper seams, looks like a football, every player in the world knows the weight of the ball and how it responds. it also won't keep sailing over the crossbar and reach 3/4 of the way into the opponents half when kicked by a goalkeeper.

this of course is very different to the ugly offering presented to the 2006 world cup. you change the ball just so adidas can sell it? FIFA are selling out to make football a commodity. the new ball is faster and less easy to control; just to make it more visually appealing for television. how many passes, crosses, and shots on goal seem to completely miss their mark....doesn't anyone notice this?

anyone looking at the games can tell that this ball is completely inferior to the one above. the future of world cup football looks very american. sadly.

typicall bullshit, this is being touted as the most accurate football made. it's also selling for $130.00... from adidas.com

world cup - game 28...

togo vs switzerland.

i'm picking and rooting for togo.

yodelers be damned!

referee love - wait a minute! is that biesch?

from bbc sport:

harry kewell could miss australia's crucial group f game against croatia after being charged by fifa for insulting a referee....it was reported in the referee's report that he insulted the referee several times.

what do you reckon he was saying? was it:

"you make the strawberry daiquiris, and me and the mates will provide the tofu fondue. it'll be fun. and cheesy!"

what i want to know is; what is the minister doing playing for australia?

rossi wins

nice power slide on the back tyre at the end of the race before hoisting the front.

world cup

france vs south korea.

france

world cup

brazil vs australia

no contest. this won't be a usa vs italy type game. forget australia's win over japan. this is brazil.

brazil. easily.

world cup - japan vs croatia

judging by the refereeing and standard of play of yesterday's debacle, there will be 8 players left on the field, 4 own goals, 57 dives, 16 yellow cards, and some truly terrible commentating (i think there ought to be a commentators world cup, and we get to vote like american idol).

the ball will also be lighter with different seams. oh i'm sorry; they've already done that.

i'm picking japan, purely because of the shame factor if they lose again.

rossi faces some stiff competition in sunday's motogp race

nutty's BOINC Projects

my world rankings are as follows:

seti@home = 79,462 out of 465,921

einstein@home = 20,563 out of 124,928

climateprediction.net = 15,029 out of 93,015

amongst all those participating in boinc projects, my world ranking is 43,386 out of 720,018

usa vs italy

espn's commentary of the world cup matches sucks.

first off, no disrespect, but what the hell is a woman doing in the studio commentating on the performences of the men's game? i doubt you'll find that in any other country that is playing in this year's tournament. it's got nothing to do with equality, but everything to do with world cup football. this of course works both ways.

the guy running up and down the field, calling offsides and throw-ins is a linesman, not a 'referee's assistant.'

when a ball is kicked onto another player and it comes off that player, it is called a deflection, not a 'rebound'; this isn't basketball.

how come i can count an entire play, with the ball being touched by some 10 players, before one of the commentators actually informs us of who has the ball, instead of reading off their very carefully prepared scripts. 'it's called play by play', or 'running commentary'

how come whaen iran take to the field, they always mention the political issues, but when angola play, there's nothing about cholera and the mind-numbing appalling living conditions experienced by many citizens, living on piles of rotting rubbish and sewage of an oil-rich nation?

i heard whilst watching the portugal game that if you were a new soccer fan, you should "watch the czech republic vs ghana game, because it has huge implications on the usa team".

how pathetic! how about"you should try and watch as many of the games being played as possible"? i guess if it doesn't directly involve america, there's no 'need' to watch the other games.

the world cup. every four years americans suddenly seem to get very enthusiastic about football...or have no idea about the game whatsoever.

italy :)

world cup - a huge game for the usa

czech republic vs ghana

have to go with the czech's here. they look very strong.

i wonder what percentage of americans watching the game against italy will watch this critical game that can affect the usa's fate. i reckon less than half.

portugal vs iran

whatever happened to mexico yesterday?

i'm picking portugal for this one.

world cup - angolan shame

mexico vs angola

anyone rooting for angola here ought perhaps to take a look at the new york times front page.

holland vs ivory coast

if holland lose this match, they had better not team up with serbia for the next tournament...what an ugly game.

world cup - game 21

argentina vs serbia & montenegro.

impossible for any englishman to ever root for argentina, but they will advance easily.

how sweet would a serbia victory be against those utterly despicable, cheese-eating argies.

world cup - game er...

sweden vs. paraguay

got to root for sweden here.

this country deserves more recognition than volvo, saab, and abba, although check this old saab out.

england!

as much as i like trinidad & tobago...

check this out.

go to

http://www.bbc.co.uk/isleofman/tt/index.shtml

then scroll down to

* take an on-board lap of the tt circuit

* get closer to the action with an on-board view

it's a lap on a motorcycle of the isle of man tt races. trust me, there is absolutely no other reason to go to the isle of man other than for this race or a special event.

world cup - game 18

ecuador vs costa rica.

should be a good match to watch. i going with ecuador, but i'd like to see costa rica do well.

world cup - a big game

germany vs poland.

hard to see how poland can win this game or stay alive to get through to the second round.

world cup - games 15 & 16

spain vs ukraine.

spain. easily

tunisia vs saudia arabia

tunisia

i'm not going to be able to watch either of these games, but i'll be back for germany vs poland this afternoon.

world cup - at last a good match-up game

brazil vs croatia.




this game will not be a 0-0 draw. should be a good one to watch.

brazil.

well done switzerland!

"it's a choice..." - whose? your family and friends?...

he wears a helmet on grass, but not on the road.

a few things don't sit right with ben roethlisberger's motorcycle accident.

1. pennsylvania had a mandatory helmet law, but repealed it in 2003.

you repealed a mandatory helmet law?!!! the state of pennsylvania must have had the fullest support of police, local hospitals and doctors, along with the motorcycle safety foundation.

2. he was riding a hayabusa at the time of the accident.

this is a big, heavy, very fast motorcycle capable of 190mph. ben must be one of a very select few individuals that feel it's o.k to pilot such a potent bike with no head protection.

3. "it's a choice." roethlisberger added, referring to his riding without a helmet. "i just get out there and relax, i don't try to take too many risks. i just go out and enjoy myself."

"i just get out there and relax!!!"
i think ben has just had a crash course in the realities involved with motorcycling. here's one for ya ben to chew over while you're waiting for your broken jaw to heal: while 20 % of car crashes result in injury or death, an astounding 80% of motorcycle crashes result in injury or death.

wearing a helmet whether required by law or not, is a reflection of your attitude toward riding motorcycles. you think ben and his family and friends feel the same way now he's just had a very painful demonstration of the importance of wearing a crash helmet?

riding a motorcycle is an immensely rewarding experience. successfully piloting a motorcycle is however a much more involved task than driving a car. this may come as a shock to some, but riding a motorcycle, especially a top sports bike demands constant vision and concentration. it is anything but relaxing.

i know, because i had an accident that resulted in concussion, amnesia, a dislocated hip, multiple fractures in my pelvis and back, internal bleeding, and i have spent a total of 4 years on crutches. i was riding with full protective gear, and had completed an advanced rider training course. was the accident my fault; no. could it have been avoided; absolutely yes.

sober up, ben, and take this opportunity to promote the wearing of crash helmets and personally campaign for their mandatory use in all states. you're a public figure that guys will listen to. you have a golden opportunity to do some real good with your life; actually saving some real lives. what you do off the field can have a huge impact on attitudes to motorcycling. become its champion, now you've joined the club as one if it's countless victims.

get well. heal up. forget about whose fault it was; it doesn't matter. you're the one in hospital. she got out of the car, shocked, but unscathed...a lawyer can campaign for compensation. no one can ever take away that awful sound of the huge BANG! you heard and felt, at the slow-mo moment of impact.

world cup - game 13

france vs switzerland.

being english, i have to root for anyone that plays against france.

the french are going to win easily.

world cup - game 12

south korea vs togo.

i'm rooting for togo, even though they have less chance of winning than usa does of going through to the second round.

i'm stupid!

hi,

my name is big ben. in case you didn't know, i'm a superbowl quarterback with the pittsburgh steelers. i also ride a big heavy motorcycle without wearing a crash helmet (he he).

you know, it's the nfl rule that makes me wear a protective helmet on the field. wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle isn't against the law in pennsylvania. look at me; i'd look ridiculous wearing something that might save my life. totally not cool! the nfl is right to make us wear safety helmets; no professional would consider going into the game without one.

heck, i'm much more likely to get hurt on a football field, playing a game with medical attendents on the sidelines of lovingly-maintained grass, being hit by another highly paid professional football player, travelling at a breathtaking 8 mph, than i ever am on gentle asphalt-soft and friendly, danger-free public roads, that are full of highly trained and educated, considerate drivers, carefully in command of their lightweight environmentally-friendly vehicles, who are always paying attention, never talking on their cell 'phones, and always travelling well under the posted speed limit...i mean, if that wasn't he case, you'ld have to be absolutely barking to go out on a 700lb motorcycle. i've talked it over with my head coach and he's completely happy.

i'm ben roethlisberger; i'm stupid! (and in hospital!) gotta go. swab time.

world cup - game 10

italy vs ghana.

no, this isn't a typo. these two teams will actually play.

italy need at least 3 goals to match czech's beating of usa.

nutty loses his body while dj'ing in georgetown!

for anyone thinking of dj'ing at mate (accent on e), in georgetown, my advice is very simple: don't...

i'm still looking for my soul...

usa vs czech republic

12 of the 24 man usa squad play for european teams. that's a pretty telling statistic, countries that have half or more of it's squad playing in foreign leagues define just how strong their home competitions are when compared with the world standard.

i think the americans are capable of pulling off an upset here against the czechs, but it certainly won't be easy. the czechs are capable of beating anyone, anytime.

i give this one to the czechs, but it should be a very interesting and fast-paced game to watch. the ridiculous fifa ranking given to the usa will be severely put to the test here against a very strong european national team. then comes italy...

japan vs australia

i'm going with japan.

world cup - game 7

iran vs mexico.

i'm rooting for iran here, given all the negative publicity this country's been getting.

should be an easy win for mexico.

world cup - game 6

netherlands vs serbia & montenegro.

is this really fair, first thing on a sunday morning?

if holland lose this, i know even less about football than i do...

world cup - game 5

i am so rooting for the ivory coast squad against the hated argies, here.

they have no chance, but if only the 'hand of god' would interven...

world cup - game 4

as much as i'd like to see trinidad & tobago win this game, i'm picking sweden.

england crush paraguay

that would make my 9 o'clock tomorrow morning cup of rosy extra special.

world cup - game 2

poland vs ecuador.

i'm going with poland on this one.

world cup - game 1

germany vs costa rica.

hm, that's a toughie. i'm taking germany...

the catholic church - still oppressing freedom

China Bans 'Code' After Warning From Catholics

BEIJING, June 9 — Chinese authorities ordered theaters nationwide to stop showing "The Da Vinci Code" today after Chinese Catholics warned that the film could threaten social stability.

republican christian conservatives

between them, they want to:

repeal the estate tax. because the super rich are really suffering.

ban same-sex marriages. (definitely the most pressing problem in america. why defend so strongly an institution that has a divorce rate of 50%?)

view any immigration reform as an amnesty for law breakers (now, where exactly did you say your great, great grandparents come from...?)
oppose separation of church and state. (i mean, christianity is the law)

want to make it a federal crime for a woman to choose, with no exceptions, even for rape. (wisdom of solomon?)

temporarily suspend the gas tax because of high prices and an election looming. (no way is this a quick fix. the best thing for everyone)

want to teach 'intelligent design' to children in public schools. (try going to europe and tell someone that the earth is 6,000 years old...)

what a sorry bunch. i wonder just how many of these champions of humanity and common sense actually live in major cities...

supergirl music - a letter to alienware

dear alienware, (businessdev@alienware.com)

i opened up my e-mail to see an ad for your new 'superman' edition notebook and desktop limited edition models. how sad that you managed to make a dog's dinner of the soundtrack to accompany this marketing association. the original superman music?

talk about cheese! for a minute, i thought that biesch, the notorious minister of cheese, was having a cheddar-filled laugh at my expense. are you guys so out of touch with music that you think the original score is the best way to sell your computer systems to your intended marketing base?

i would have been well impressed had you chosen something altogether more 'blokey'.
i suggest, if possible, you get a hold of this record and play it very LOUD!

vinyl syndicate
man of steal (superman track) - written & produced by dj slip
urbtake8a

urban takeover

you'll see what i mean after you've listened to the track.

please spare us the cheese; here in washington, d.c. we are all too aware that the minister grows stronger with every passing cheesy moment...

cheers,

nutty

get ready for some evil...it's the sixth day of the six month of the sixth year

The fear of the number 666 is known as:

hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia.

the creationists must be literally terrified; i would be if i feared something with 29 letters.

- how come it takes 29 letters to describe a fear of 3 numbers anyway?

the doctor is back. rossi wins the italian motogp

motorcycle racing at the very highest level and of the highest calibre.

amazing.

ama superbike and motogp; easily the best racing on' speed channel'

biesch is back!

this will no doubt be a sadly familiar sight, now that the minister has returned from his scandalously cheesy, venezuelan conquests.

world cup dreams

i see the united states is ranked 5th in this world cup. no disrespect, but 5th!!?

until the united states beats the top european and international teams, no one in football is going to take that rank seriously.

when the nation's women team outperforms the men's, that alone should tell you something.

hey, good luck against the czech republic on june 12th and italy on june 17th...

did you know that:

HEAVEN IS HOTTER THAN HELL

The temperature of Heaven can be rather accurately computed.

Our authority is Isaiah 30:26, "Moreover, the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days." Thus Heaven receives from the Moon as much radiation as we do from the Sun, and in addition 7*7 (49) times as much as the Earth does from the Sun, or 50 times in all.

The light we receive from the Moon is one 1/10,000 of the light we receive from the Sun, so we can ignore that ... The radiation falling on Heaven will heat it to the point where the heat lost by radiation is just equal to the heat received by radiation, i.e., Heaven loses 50 times as much heat as the Earth by radiation.

Using the Stefan-Boltzmann law for radiation, (H/E)^4 = 50, where E is the absolute temperature of the earth (300K), gives H as 798K (525C). The exact temperature of Hell cannot be computed ...

However, Revelations 21:8 says "But the fearful, and unbelieving...

shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." A lake of molten brimstone means that its temperature must be at or below the boiling point,
444.6C.

We have, then, that Heaven, at 525C is hotter than Hell at 445C.

-- From "Applied Optics" vol. 11, A14, 1972

great round 1 race of ama superbike

road america at lake elkhart, WI looks a great track.

ben spies almost pulled off the impossible, but mat mladin just had his number today. 7 wins in a row isn't too shabby, though.

these two riders have been putting on a great show over ther first 5 rounds. it's how racing should be. mental.

"you can never have too many telescopes" - memorial day weekend

We walked out of our apartment building around 11:30am and crossed the road to pick up the Zip Car for our Memorial Day weekend, a Toyota Prius. Loading up the hybrid was surprisingly easy and we headed out of Dodge, off to Spruce Knob and the mountains of West Virginia.

Motorcycles; lots of 'em. Harley, Harley, Harley, Harley, you get the idea, Harley; "there's one!" No, it's a Harley….must have seen 180 or so of them by the time we reached half way to TMI, with the occasional Japanese outcast touring bike spotted every once in a while standing out (or is that outstanding…) among the American iron, bruiser heavyweights. Then we saw a huge flank on the opposite side of Route 66 heading towards D.C. Rolling Thunder! I reckon there must have been 300 motorcycles, all together, with a State Trooper on a bike, leading the way, while traffic was being held to allow them all to get onto 66 together.

We stopped for gas, munchies and coffee before reaching the mountains, and saw a couple of ducks with their 5 very cute 'ducklets'. The Prius was surprisingly capable getting up, down, and through the mountain twisties. Electric motors have very good torque, and by around 4:45pm, we reached TMI and loaded all the non-scope related gear into our dorm. Since we were the first to arrive, we had first pick.

It's 5pm and it starts to pour, just like the forecast had predicted. Looks like it means business. Dinner's at six. It feels great to be here again, despite the crappy weather. I think the last time we were there was Labour Day weekend. Here's hoping that tomorrow night and Sunday will be clear for us.

It's so quiet, here. All I can hear is the heavy splats of rain hitting the window. Since I've done absolutely no planning, I decide to have a look at my books and charts after a nap. Rebecca wakes me up by returning to the dorm with "It is chucking it".

Dinner is great. 3 helpings!... Everyone at the Institute is very friendly, all new faces. There are (I think) 3 others from Novac. No one's setting anything up until tomorrow. We return to the dorm well fed. In minutes, I'm asleep. At some point, I wake up. I haven't got a clue what time it is, all I know that it's very dark, as I make my way over to the showers. I can't see a thing, as I creep very slowly towards the light, remembering to unpack a torch tomorrow, already knowing that I'll forget.

Saturday. It's very grey and cloudy, but not raining. After breakfast, the weather begins to look more promising and we chuck off the 'scope and tripod, etc. on the observing field and go for a drive. What great roads, all bends, curves, hardly a straight in sight. We're getting hungry and stop off at 'Kroger' store in Elkins, to pick up some supplies. It has a weird self-pay system that still requires two attendants at each checkout…

Spicy Chicken sandwiches to go from McDonald's serve as our late afternoon gourmet feast, and we head back to Spruce Knob around 5pm. We take a different route that looks quicker. Twenty minutes later, we realize that this is a mistake, as the normal road begins to disappear and the number of potholes increases (my lower back really appreciated all the kangarooing of the short wheelbase Prius). But by now, the weather has completely cleared, and after dinner we head off to the field to set 'Uhuru' our 8" LX200GPS up.

As darkness begins to fall, I can already see more stars in the twilight than I have in the past six months of looking up at the downtown D.C night sky. It's not long before everyone there for the Saturday night is waiting for some Spruce Knob darkness. Carole and Martha set up nearby.

Don't you just love dew? It can't be more than a couple of hours in and almost everyone is complaining about the dew. I only have one heater on my corrector plate and lose the viewfinder in about 2 hours. Rob, the 11 year-old announces that he lasted about 30 mins, with no heaters. Well at least the sky is clear, which affords Rob plenty of time to do the rounds, talking to everyone, and counting shooting stars. There are a lot of them tonight, and like always, never fail to impress.

Without my finder scope, this rookie is in big trouble and I decide to cover Uhuru and let the dew win for the night. I walk over to Lyle in the soaking wet grass, who has pretty much all bases covered with 4 heaters on his Celestron 9.25. Rebecca and I are floored at his ability to find and view deep sky objects in the sky without assistance, using only his charts and hands. I reckon it would be a tough battle between Lyle and Ralph on a deep sky Spruce Knob shootout contest. Rob joins us, pointing out shooting stars that I'm too slow to see. Together, we reckon he's spotted about 60.

Have you read John Carpenter's 'The Fog'? Late night, Spruce Knob did a very good impression of it (without the tortured souls), as all around us, you could hardly see a thing, while up above, the sky looked incredible. With only a few of us left, we all saw a mighty flash, as the brightest of the shooting stars sliced a colored slit in the sky. We just stood there, still seeing the remainder of the streak some 30 seconds after the flash. Incredible. I guess it was around 3am when even Lyle had to call it quits.

Sunday. What a beautiful day. I felt sorry for those, especially Rob and his father, who only could make the one night. And it's warm! Everyone is in good spirits and looking forward to the evening. We met Yassu and Yumi from Michigan (apologies for the very likely incorrect spelling) at lunchtime. Ralph is talking about how he acquired his telescopes. Yassu gets everyone's roar of approval by stating that "you can never have too many telescopes!" After lunch, Rebecca decides to do some yoga while I decide to come up a dew prevention device for the finder scope, attacking a large, empty water bottle with a borrowed pair of TMI's kitchen scissors, and a yoghurt carton that would serve as a handy aid against dew at the eyepiece. I see Lyle walking his marine deep cycle 140ah battery to the car. Seeing that it can run four heaters all night, I name it the 'Dew-minator'. I retire to the dorm and construct an observing plan for this evening. After last night's rinsing, I'm determined to have a good night observing and bag a good number of Messier objects. It promises to be a great night observing by the look of things.

The late afternoon Sun hangs low in the Western sky as a much more optimistic group of observers get themselves and their equipment ready for the hours ahead. A beautiful crescent moon appears as a sliver in the Southeastern sky, offering us a happy opportunity to enjoy our closest planetary neighbour. Jupiter soon appears in the East, and last night's triumphs, frustrations and limitations are soon forgotten as we wait. Joe and his wife walk past, and I mention that I would like a look through the big dob. "Yes Sir!" is the very welcome response.

I have my 3 sheets of graph paper of Messier objects by constellation and explain my plan to Ralph. Part of the huge reward of observing is the confidence that achieving steps on the learning curve ladder inspires. I'm not too happy with the collimation and decide that against despite my reluctance to have a go at this in the field, it has to be done. Twenty minutes later I'm much happier, after more than a couple of moments when I was sure that I was making it much worse. Thank goodness for 'Bob's Knobs'. I can't imagine how disconcerting it must be to be groping about with an Allen key next to corrector plate in the dark. Come on Meade and Celestron!

With Rebecca in charge of writing down times, we begin in Ursa Major, 'bagging' M81 & M82 before 10:15pm. 2 hours later, I'm very happy not to have to turn the dew heater on at all. The sky looks wonderful and together, Rebecca and I munch our way into the list. It's so much easier viewing by sticking to one constellation at a time. I didn't feel bad about rushing through my list of objects. After over six months of not observing at all, I wanted to see as many objects as I could. Rebecca lasted until 1:30am and headed to the car to warm up and get some sleep. It was me, Uhuru, my lists, a great bunch of like-minded enthusiasts and a great night sky above as company.

At some point, Joe calls me over to let me have a look at a transit of Jupiter. Sure enough, despite the seeing not being particularly helpful, and Jupiter lowish in the sky, I could easily make out a sharp, black dot on Jupiter. The coloured cloud belts and the sight more than make up for the seeing. Hot coffee and warm soup helped. I reckon it was sometime after 3am, when only a few of us remained. Lloyd came over, as did Eric. The pesky dew returned, but at least it was manageable by turning up the heater to full. At around 5am, I hear bleeping from the battery complaining that she'd had enough. I can't protest, as I'm tired, yet very happy that I had just experienced my best ever night observing.

It's just hinting at daylight as I slowly make my way back to the dorms. I get some sleep but still manage to make breakfast at 9am. Everyone is very pleased about last night. My total of Messier objects observed is 34. Sadly most people have to leave. Yassu and Yumi are staying the extra night. We can't make up our minds and agree to make a decision shortly. With reluctance we choose to head back to the car and pack up our things. It's been a great weekend. I felt that everyone in the group had really enjoyed their stay at TMI, and enjoyed a great camaraderie amongst all there, including the great staff who really make everyone feel welcome.

It's getting hot as we walk our up to the observing field. Others are packing away their equipment as we reach the very dusty Prius. The door's locked…I try again. I look at Rebecca who returns a 'Wallace and Gromit' look at me, and together, we both have that same look on our faces as we stare back at the car. Zip Cars have a magnetic swipe that enables entry via a strip at the top of the windscreen. All you have to do is pass your membership card over this patch and the door unlocks. This is great, except that Rebecca had left her card inside the car and the car had locked itself between the time I left the vehicle at around 5am and our return after breakfast…

This isn't normally a problem, because Zip Car can send a signal via cell 'phone towers and unlock the car from their headquarters. The problem is that we're in a radio quiet area; Cell 'phones don't work here. It's also Memorial Day…With the hot Sun beating down on the rear window, with my cheap Orion eyepieces and more expensive Lumicon filters in the back, I cover the back window up using our tarp and some very handy logs laying close by to prevent the heat from building quickly in the car.

Yassu decides it's photo time, as we pose in front of the %&#@! Prius, capturing the moment for prosperity. Eric, very graciously offers Rebecca a drive down to the Earth Shelter, where she telephones Zip Car to explain the situation. About 20 minutes later, they return. It appears that Rebecca hasn't quite gotten the days of the rental period correct, and has forgotten to add the extra day for the weekend. The car should have already been returned. However, the good news is that Zip Car tells her that they will send a signal and unlock the vehicle. It doesn't work.

By now, almost everyone has left, leaving us to ponder our next move. It's some protracted telephone time with Zip Car back at the main yurt, as Rebecca spends a few hours of returning phone calls in the TMI office, Eric (we really appreciate all the help, mate) drives me back to Uhuru and then back to the dorm so I can recharge the dead battery. It looks like we'll be staying the extra night. I get some sleep and Rebecca finally walks in announcing that in a very convoluted arrangement, a local company has come out and 'obtained entry' into the car. This is great, except that an hour later, the same company telephones TMI to say that the credit card provided by Zip Car hasn't gone through and so Rebecca has to spend another half hour on the 'phone clearing that up.

TMI isn't providing meals on Monday, but we have soups, etc. so not a problem. I can't say I'm sorry for the opportunity to stay another night under these skies. I make another observing plan, deciding that it would be fun to see just how many objects I could bag over the two nights. It's definitely cooler and their's a slight breeze as we return to Uhuru with a mostly charged battery. Armed with a compliant goto and my plan, and no dew forming, we begin going through our list. By the time we're all done in the early hours of dawn, I haven't turned the dew heater on at all, and my total number of Messier objects is 50 for the night and 36 for the night before, making 86 Messier objects in total for the Sunday and Monday. Despite the dew, fog, and lock-out, it's truly been a great weekend.

By the time we get back to D.C., the Prius has averaged 46mpg for the whole journey!

Thank you to everyone that made it special!