BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan - A Brazilian astronaut promised Wednesday to make his country proud with its first space flight, pledging to take both a flag and a soccer jersey into orbit in hopes it will bring his beloved national team victory in the World Cup.


Marcos C. Pontes beamed as he described his excitement on the eve of Thursday's scheduled launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome for a mission to the international space station. Marcos said he felt a deep responsibility to carry out the mission well, and wanted to take along things important to his Latin American nation.

Read it all here.

Simone's Artwork (post 2)

Well, move over Romero...Simone is mastering your technique and may become your female counterpart! Simone's latest art class took a look at that Brazilian born Miami Resident, Romero Britto. His works are everywhere..the Children's Museum's logo, buses, Publix (our grocery store chain) calendars. It is quite possibly reaching Britto overload but hey, good for him! I think for kids, it's a great style to mimic. So here comes another work of art for Simone's wall.

My friend Joyce is walking again, watch out world!

7 with 22 zeroes

There are 70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (70 sextillion, if you didn't know )known stars in the heavens. That's more than all the grains of sand on the beaches and deserts on earth. Amazing! I learned this, or heard this on Michael Feldman's "Whad'Ya Know?" Radio Quiz Show. I don't get to listen as much as I used to but this is one of npr's funniest shows. I also enjoy Wait, wait don't tell me

So here's an example of how little our senses reveal to us. Yet, with our intellect and intelligence, and curiosity and wonder(emotion) we may come to know so much more than what seems to be. The Isness! Infinite possibilities, yes?

Although my star gazing is limited I still enjoy seeing the old and new friends, (Constellations) I've made in the evening sky. Hope you enjoy them too.

P.S. Can you count up to a centillion? (No fair using your fingers and/or toes) That's one followed by 303 zeroes.( American )

Here's a link to all the shows at npr.

Blessed are the Merciful

Björling, Tebaldi, the singing of angels

My favorite tenor, Jussi Björling with Renata Tebaldi in Puccini's La Boheme, end of Act I. Here they admit their love for one another and Rodolfo wants to stay in but Mimi wants to accompany him to the Cafe Momus where they will meet Rodolfo's friends in Act II. A rare glimpse into the artistry of great artists.

Simone's Artwork

Simone is my niece. Her daddy is from Brasil and her mommy is my sister from the USA. She has a younger brother, Alex.

I hope she will keep up her art work as long as she enjoys it. She, like her mom, has a lot of ability. This is one of my favorite paintings. She is learning many styles of art, so she has a good background if she continues studying.

Simone, you are a very beautiful person and that shows in your work. I enjoyed seeing you in Wisconsin last month.

As we grow older may we also grow to be more childlike in our wonder of the Universe and our treatment of each other.

Illusions and Allusions and Isness

Our senses provide us with a means to experience the "world" around us. But how often are we perceiving what really IS. Allusions offer us glimpses to reality and what IS. Illusions trick us into believing in what is not there and never can be. If we are fooled by something by not understanding we may suffer the consequences. Seeing things as allusions is perhaps a better approach, always leaving ourselves open to new ideas about what IS.

Whether we see one thing or another does not change what is. What is is the Isness. Is that another way of saying truth changes not, or the only thing that stays the same is change?

May you enjoy your allusions, your illusions, brought to you by your perceptions and interpretations of what IS.

Watch All Begotten Right Here and Now, Cool!

Brasilia, Capital of Brazil

Brasilia's Cathedral, with its daring lines, has 16 columns in the shape of a crown of thorns, which support the whole building, with no other internal pillars. Guarding the underground entrance are the four evangelists - 3 statues on the left and 1 on the right. The carillon in first plane was donated by Spanish Government by the time of city foundation, in 1960.

Web page about Brasilia.


Thanks to my friend Marcelo for his beautiful picture of the Cathedral that I visited while there in 1996.

I think when I am thinkin'
I link when I am linkin'
I blink when I am blinkin'
I blog therefore I am


Hope you like my new site. My name is Uncle Michael. What shall we do? Have fun, music, art, poetry, philosophy, and other assorted and assundry things. Peace.

Mario DelMonaco as Canio in Leoncavallo's " Pagliacci"

Rare video of Mario del Monaco as Canio. Really great stuff.