Water Bears are now on the Moon

I recognized the microscopic 'water bears' right away.  They are also known as 'moss piglets'.  Both are excellent names.  However, the Israel spacecraft crash landed on the moon with thousands of water bears on board. They are considered practically indestructible. From CNN: "In an attempt to create a "Noah's ark" or a "back-up" for the Earth, non-profit organization The Arch Mission sent a lunar library -- a stack of DVD-sized disks that acts as an archive of 30 million pages of information about the planet -- to the moon. Along with the library, Arch Mission sent human DNA samples and a payload of tardigrades, which had been dehydrated, into space. Researchers hope that along with the tardigrades, the majority of the information from the lunar library survived the impact of the crash -- and could be used to regenerate human life in millions of years." From Mashable India: "Now in case you’re wondering, if it’s actually legal to carry and spew around the DNA and water bears on the moon, it totally is. In fact, Spivack wants to incorporate more DNA into the future lunar libraries on the moon surface. Arch Mission Foundation would also be launching a campaign to take DNA samples from human volunteers and endangered species." Aren't you fascinated by this activity and organization? You can find out about the Arch Mission Foundation HERE.  I haven't seen a 'mission' like this:  Humanity's backup Plan - a non-profit organization that archives the knowledge and species of Earth for future generations.  The solar system wide project is called The Billion Year Archive - that's trademarked.  They have another project named Moonhug. Nova Spivack is the voice behind the project.  Here's his website.  Who is he the grandson of?  Legendary management theorist Peter F. Drucker (on his mother's side).  He must have this first name genuinely.  His parents are poet Kathleen Spivack and inventor Mayer Spivack. On Nova's site is a memoir of his father who passed away in 2011.  Here is a hilarious excerpt: "When we were children in the 1970’s in Boston, my father got a great deal on a World War One field ambulance. That was our family “car”... My poor brother and I would have to be dropped off every morning at elementary school this way: We would pull up in an an antique white ambulance — a big man in an orange emergency jumpsuit, sunglasses, and silver moon boots would get out, tromp through the snow, and open the rear doors (where the stretcher would normally be) and then my younger brother and I would pop out, much to the shock and awe of our fellow schoolmates. Thus were the origins of my own life as an alien and outsider. While these experiences were a source of horror and embarrassment for us growing up, today we laugh hysterically when we remember them — they are what we are made of and I wouldn’t trade them back for anything." I am always so amazed at the things that exist - I could never make this up - it is so bizarre and wildly entertaining. Our Gazania flower looks like a star today.

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Dreaming of a Burlington Skyway View

I took this picture of the Stelco view from the Burlington Skyway from the bus while commuting a few winters ago. It is a different story this weekend.  A dump truck with its truck bed raised hit the bridge last week on the Toronto-bound side.  There were workers on the scaffolding so it could have been a tragic event.  The truck was massive and the impact significant so the bridge will be closed all weekend.  It is currently being assessed for structural damage.  

This is pretty big news for us here in the Niagara region.  It is a holiday weekend here in Ontario.  There aren't that many easy alternatives to getting around that corner of Lake Ontario.  It is one of the major routes to the US border crossings at Queenston, Niagara Falls and Buffalo.  Here's the CBC coverage of the traffic routes around the Lake for those of you in distant places.  Grimsby is the next stop after Stoney Creek.