JamesSavik

Strange Hollows Discovered on Mercury NASA/JPL Press Release Oct 24, 2011: NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft has discovered strange hollows on the surface of Mercury. Images taken from orbit reveal thousands of peculiar depressions at a variety of longitudes and latitudes, ranging in size from 60 feet to over a mile across and 60 to 120 feet deep. No one knows how they got there. "These hollows were a major surprise," says David Blewett, science team member from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. "We've been thinking of Mercury as a relic – a place that's really not changing much anymore, except by impact cratering. But the hollows appear to be younger than the craters in which they are found, and that means Mercury's surface is still evolving in a surprising way." Hollows inside the Raditladi impact basin. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted similar depressions in the carbon dioxide ice at Mars' south pole, giving that surface a "swiss cheese" appearance. But on Mercury they're found in rock and often have bright interiors and halos. "We've never seen anything quite like this on a rocky surface." If you could stand in one of these "sleepy" hollows on Mercury's surface, you'd find yourself, like Ichabod Crane, in a quiet, still, haunting place, with a black sky above your head. Another example of hollows in Tyagaraja, a crater 97 km in diameter. Courtesy of Science/AAAS "There's essentially no atmosphere on Mercury," explains Blewett. "And with no atmosphere, wind doesn't blow and rain doesn't fall. So the hollows weren't carved by wind or water. Other forces must be at work." As the planet closest to the Sun, Mercury is exposed to fierce heat and extreme space weather. Blewett believes these factors play a role. A key clue, he says, is that many of the hollows are associated with central mounds or mountains inside Mercury's impact craters. These so-called “peak rings” are thought to be made of material forced up from the depths by the impact that formed the crater. Excavated material could be unstable when it finds itself suddenly exposed at Mercury's surface. "Certain minerals, for example those that contain sulfur and other volatiles, would be easily vaporized by the onslaught of heat, solar wind, and micrometeoroids that Mercury experiences on a daily basis," he says. "Perhaps sulfur is vaporizing, leaving just the other minerals, and therefore weakening the rock and making it spongier. Then the rock would crumble and erode more readily, forming these depressions." A fresh 15-km-diameter impact crater. Hollows are present on a section of the crater wall that has slid partway down toward the floor. Courtesy of Science/AAAS [larger image] MESSENGER has indeed proven Mercury unexpectedly rich in sulfur. That in itself is a surprise that's forcing scientists to rethink how Mercury was formed. The prevailing models suggest that either (1) very early in Solar System history, during the final sweep-up of the large planetesimals that formed the planets, a colossal impact tore off much of Mercury's rocky outer layering; or (2) a hot phase of the early Sun heated up the surface enough to scorch off the outer layers. In either case, the elements with a low boiling point – volatiles like sulfur and potassium – would have been driven off. But they're still there. "The old models just don't fit with the new data, so we'll have to look at other hypotheses." To figure out how the planets and Solar System came to be, scientists must understand Mercury. "It's the anchor at one end of the Solar System. Learning how Mercury formed will have major implications for the rest of the planets. And MESSENGER is showing that, up to now, we've been completely wrong about this little world in so many ways!" What other surprises does Mercury hold? The sleepy hollows of the innermost planet may be just the beginning. _______________________________ Every time we visit a world that thought to be dead, we have found some dynamic process at work. Nature is a great teacher and in this case, its how much more that we have to learn.

I Know nothing about the case but I caution everyone against jumping to conclusions. There are many possible motives for murder. The young mans sexuality may not have been the issue. For instance: if he was friends with a girl who had a husband or boyfriend, it's possible that he was perceived as a rival and killed out of jealously. It's sad that he was murdered for any reason. Let the investigation proceed and lets see if it was indeed a hate crime.

Nope. Not at all. At least not on the list.

Wolverine (your score: 20) Characters: Lycas, Nilo, Sirin, and Drenis in the Aspect of Crow trilogy; Marcus in "The Wild's Call" Powers: Fighting ability—strength, speed, and toughness Nobody messes with Wolverines. You're fearless, assertive (okay, aggressive), and tenacious. You might be a Marine, or a middle linebacker. You're the best at whatever you choose to do, because you give yourself no alternative. Best matches: Bears, Cougars, Wolves Watch out for: Crows, Owls, Swans Was there ever any doubt!?

I'm frightening enough as it is. No need for a costume.

I'm glad to see anyone who feels secure enough to come out as long as they don't think they are the chosen spokesperson for all gay people on earth or act like a douche-bucket. Welcome to the party Mr. Quinto.

Louisiana Hot Sauce is great. It's made with cayenne peppers that gives it a mild sweet hot flavor. Try some at http://www.cajungrocer.com/original-louisiana-hot-sauce-2-p-744.html ___________________________________________ tell us about good stuff that's regional to your area that people 1000 miles away may never have heard of.

It's B-ACK Tonight 8:00 CST A&E Channel

In this economy, the wise move may be to keep what you have until you KNOW that you will land on your feet. That may mean going slow- keeping the job while working on the new enterprise on the side for a while. I don't know all that there is to know about your situation. It's up to you to do your due diligence: market research, planning and financing. My best advice: look carefully before you leap. All the best of luck. At this point I'd like a gig that I hated for a stable 50K/year.

OOPS! Wrong comedian! I loved it when he worked with Sam Kinnison

Don't get me started on Alphas. God that's a suck-fest. Everything they do now turns into a shitty soap opera. Craprica was the Sy-Fried Network trying desperately to get some extra cash out of the Battlestar Galactica franchise and creating another puke-fest of a soap opera. I didn't leave the Sci-Fi network. They left me. Now they have the ghost-hunters garbage and professional wrestling.

I'm sorry but I hate that show. Compared to the stuff that the Sy-Fried network has canceled, it sucks balls. They canceled Eureka and SGU because of their production costs- not because they had low ratings. Whorehouse 13 has shitty ratings and stayed because its cheap to make. That's how we get must puke TV.

Sounds to me like the author needs to do a few hail-mary's and take a cold shower.

happy birthday Chase. For some reason I see you as a West Coast Jay Gatsby. I hope to see more of your writing.

The Athlete OK. You can stand the competitiveness to get next to those pecs and abs. It's not that he looks like a Greek god chiseled out of marble that turns you on about him. It's that dreamy look in his eye. It takes about a month to figure out that when he gets that dreamy look, he's thinking of somebody else. Mr. Perfect No. He's not a wrestler except in the sack. Mr. Perfect is everything you always wanted... except for the cheating and the clap. The Hipster Like anyone that has ever fed a tom-cat, you gave him sex once and now you own him. Unlike the tom-cat, you can't drop him off at the pound. The Cute Dumb One You can't help but fall in love with the cute dumb one. His vulnerability is so appealing. It takes dating him a while to figure out that he'll be a high maintenance life long project. Trade in on a red neck or a geek. At least they can fix your car/computer. The Buddy It's inevitable. Everybody makes the mistake of sleeping with one of their buddies. Problem is that weirdness factor afterwards. So... do you want to play video games or blow me? You can see how this will get complicated. The Pretty, Pretty EMO Boy This is a mistake of epic proportions. EMO boys are like crack: they are highly addictive and hard to get. They will only find you sexually attractive until you turn 20 and then you immediately become a sad old troll that they are embarrassed to be seen talking to. Sure the sex is amazing but the early troll-hood just ain't worth it. The Geek OK- he's not very sexy or attractive but he'll love you like it the first time- because for him, it probably is. Sure he tends to be socially awkward and might need coaching to shower and brush his teeth every day but dammit, he's reliable. He can either fix your computer or build you a new one that would make the NSA jealous. The Drunk No. Just no. The Redneck Kid Whether he is from Kansas or Louisiana or Texas, he's polite and has some old fashioned ways but you can always count on him to be true. He can fix your car and shoot burglars between the eyes. He's a keeper.

You're still a sweet kid to me. JS

I've got a lot of respect for you Mark. You've grown a whole lot in a very short time. You handle reality better than most 30-40 year olds that I know. JS

Yikes! It's been THAT long???

It beats foul smelling hair every time.

My older brother calls it cat-soup

Key Lime Pie Ingredients 5 egg yolks, beaten 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1/2 cup key lime juice 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Combine the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lime juice. Mix well. Pour into unbaked graham cracker shell. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool. Top with whipped topping and garnish with lime slices if desired.

Why don't they just get some illegal aliens to play gay roles? They'll sure do it cheaper and you can bounce them to the other side of the border when you are done with them.