Here comes the Sun!

So I took a brief break here since classes started and my life turned crazy, but, I had to share this. Super cool. In collaboration with scientists at the NASA Space Science lab at UC Berkeley,Britis artists Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt have turned the sun's "hot spots" into soundwaves, creating a 10 minute video that is - well -very cool. Take it for what it's worth - a video of sun flares leaping off the sun with sound attached - not a BlockBuster from MGM. But for any astronomy nuts like myself out there - the video footage alone is wicked. :) Yes - I am in fact a super nerd.

http://www.veryshortlist.com/science/daily.cfm/review/637/Web_video/brilliant-noise/?vp

Preacher with 86 wives gets court reprieve

ODDLY ENOUGH from Reuters makes me laugh daily. This is just another such instance.

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LAGOS (Reuters) -A Nigerian court has granted temporary reprieve to an 84-year-old Muslim preacher with 86 wives after local leaders threatened to force him to leave the area unless he divorced all but four of them.

Mohammed Bello launched a legal challenge after local chiefs and Muslim leaders in Bida, a town in central Niger state where he lives with his wives and some 170 children, gave him until Sept 7 to comply with Islamic sharia law, which allows a man to have no more than four wives at a time.

The Islamic preacher said in his petition that the threats violated his right to life and personal liberty.

"Leave is hereby granted to the applicant to enforce his fundamental human right to personal liberty, life and to freedom of movement," state news agency NAN quoted Abuja High Court judge G. Kolawole as saying.

The ruling gives Bello temporary protection from banishment while the court decides whether his rights have indeed been violated. The judge adjourned the case to September 18.

Bello has received a number of death threats in the last few weeks after the Nigerian media began reporting on his unusual marital situation, his spokesman said.

Some newspapers said last week that Bello had agreed at a meeting with local officials to divorce all but four of the women and had asked for time to return them to their families.

But his spokesman denied the reports and said the preacher intended to marry more wives instead.

His case has stirred controversy in Africa's most populous nation of 140 million people, roughly half of whom are Muslim. Many Muslim scholars say Islam allows men to have up to four wives at any given time who must be treated equally.

(Writing by Tume Ahemba; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Sami Aboudi)

Out of touch.

Took a quick break from reality to visit with friends from the other side of the world. Had a Spaniard and a Kiwi sharing my living space for the past 4 days - what a fantastically fun experience. Good food, lots of wine, site-seeing all of the places I feel like a local, great conversation and tears from laughter. Claire and Emma - you were wonderful guests. I will miss you dearly. Good luck on the rest of your travels.

That said - I have many posts to catch up on and many links to pass along. In honor of Claire and Emma though, I do want to pass this along as I find it a great way to travel and a wonderful idea. Perhaps I am an idealist, but if we all took some time to talk to people from other countries, did some global networking and even gave people who needed a couch a place to sleep for a night, this world could in fact be a better place.

http://www.couchsurfing.com/