Titan -The Orange Moon on Saturn

Recently I watched a program on the Science Channel, SciQ, called Titan – a place like home? This was a report of an exploration of a moon on Saturn to learn about the moon and life. The description for the program reads; Titan is believed to have an atmosphere very similar to that of Earth nearly four billion years ago, just as life began. Could Titan hold the key to the origins of life?

Don’t get too excited about Titan just yet or pack your bags for an excursion.

Titan is one of the moons on the planet Saturn, actually, the largest moon, according to the report. It has an orange glow which captured the interest of scientists for some years now, since 1980 when it was first discovered. As a result, scientists of the European Space Agency built the spacecraft Cassini and attached the Huygens that would land on the surface to report back the findings. The exploration, which costs multi millions of dollars, revealed pictures about the surface of the orange moon, Titan.


Titan - A Place Like Home?: Cassini - The Need for Speed -

The Cassini-Huygens was programmed to align with the planets to be able to get the bounce it needs to reach Saturn in the distance. This alignment is not expected to occur again for 600 years. The spacecraft accelerated with the gravitational pull of Venus and got two boosts via earth and ‘flung’ to Jupiter. The craft lined up with Jupiter and got a sling shot effect, to gain a final “almighty push towards Saturn.” Isn’t that cool!

The Huygens landed on Titan in January 2005, sniffed and tasted the atmosphere and took pictures and samples of the surface. Here is another outstanding happening. The Huygens could not send its report directly back to earth because it did not have a strong enough signal. It beamed the data to Cassini. The Cassini then sends the information to the European Space Agency center for analysis. Talk about a super highway relay!

The pictures revealed that Titan landscape have some similarities with the earth in terms of the landscape but has carbon-based chemicals throughout. It is said to have a bizarre form of water – ammonia based-, liquid methane, rocks made of ice, a lower freezing point and, a smoke like haze in the atmosphere and cryovolcanoes or ice volcanoes.

So we are still with the age old question and the challenge for scientists to figure out how life began. The finding here is that most things are there, similar to earth but no proof that life exist there.

Another challenge for the scientists is to figure out how to expand the amount of time humans can spend in space without sustaining the type of damage astronought get. At this point humans can not endure more than one year in space because of the significant and irreparable bone loss the astronauts suffer. This loss is attributable to lack of usage of the limbs.

For life as we know it, it seems earth still rules! I am not sure that Titan is like home but it is very interesting.

Maybe it’s not the big bang but creation?!

Check out the program on Discovery Science, SciQ.

The Cactus Pear Taste Test - Mystery Fruit

The Plaza Chronicles
As I took my stroll in The Plaza today, I observed these little purple and dark red and green things, in a box next to the oranges, mangoes, strawberries, plums, watermelons etc. I moved closer to the box to check them out. Oh, what is this?! Oh wow! I don’t think I’ve seen these before, or if I had, I never really paid much attention to them. Of course I had to buy it to try it. After all, I did promise to check out the various fruits, know to me and unknown, now, and let you know about it. So here goes!

Can you believe that this prickly plant with such beautiful flowers brings a very nice and delicious fruit? Well it does. First enjoy these pictures from Wikipedia and then I will tell you all about the product.


Cactus Plant with fruits

Cactus bloom



Bloom turns to fruit

Opuntia or Cactus fruit, is from the prickly cactus that looks like a paddle with spikes. The cactus grows in bunches of paddles with spikes and brings beautiful flowers that then turns into the fruit. The needles on the cactus and on the fruit can cause some damage although the ones on the fruit are not as long or hard. Fortunately when you buy them in the market the needles are usually gone or not as pronounced or dangerous and can be removed easily. Cactus pear is grown in the Northwest regions, Rockies, as well as Mexico. The fruit is also found in the Europe, Mediterranean countries as well as Italy, Australia and countries in the Middle East as the cactus grows well in that climate. There a few varieties and they are available from late spring into early fall and vary in color from green of course as they grow then to deep purple, wine or yellow orange color ready to eat.
This is a dynamite little plant that is used in several dishes; both parts are edible, the paddle and the pear.
The paddle like cactus or nopal, is used as a vegetable and can be cooked as a main or side dish. The fruit or the pear which has several names, I guess depending on where you are, is known as tuna, Indian fig or of course cactus pear. There are many cool dessert recipes that you can make with the fruit. Cactus pears are found to have many medicinal uses including treatment for diabetes, cholesterol, and support the immune system. It is also work as an antioxidant. It is also used in cosmetics, hair products, and for food coloring. This dynamo plant is often used as a fence to keep critters out, for example.

I bought a deep purple cactus pear.
I peeled it to reveal a real deep purple inside. I cut it into wedges and bit into a piece. It was slightly sweet, soft smooth with lots of little seeds. At first it reminded me of tapioca pudding, not the taste or color, but the consistency or texture. It also reminded me of pomegranate, again not the taste or the appearance, well maybe the color, but the seeds. It has lots of little seeds covered with a layer of pulp. The taste wasn’t otherwise distinct to me. It was easy to peel and to get at the meat of it. I enjoyed it but I didn’t find it memorable. The deep purple is said to be the sweetest variety, but this one wasn’t very sweet,but ok.

There are many cactus fruit recipes available for deserts and wines, jams and vegetable stew and other dishes.

Have you have cactus pears before?
What is your favorite one?
Do you have a favorite cactus fruit dish or recipe?
Please share with us your thoughts, ideas and recipes. any or all of the above that you have on cactus pear.

I think this had been the craziest and interesting mystery fruit yet on my excursion for The Plaza Chronicles.

Appreciation to 2bp.blogspot.com for creating the nutritional value chart above.

A Milestone in blogging

50+ Posts
Well, it may not be much or near as much as some of you or even most, but I have actually reached a milestone in blogging. I have made over 50 blog posts since I started. It is quite astonishing to me to see the number 50 on my blog summary. I still look at it with hesitation as if it is not really that many.

As you might have read in my welcome on the side bar, I started the blog in jest as a way to do my rants and share my daily events, even if I am by myself. It was sort of a daunting task as I hadn't had much exposure or interactions with blogs, per se. My interest was aroused after reading one of my regular magazine subscriptions and it made reference to blogging and the various platforms etc. I promptly got on line, typed in one of the URL they listed and it was quite inviting and seemed simple. I followed along and voila! Live, Love, Laugh was born. I had no clue what I was getting into or doing but I looked around and followed what I thought was good. I am sure that I still haven't scratched the surface of what blogging is or ought to be, and what I can still do with it for my fun, rant and prosperity.

I am still on the hunt for ways to change my template, very basic stuff, to understand what SEO is, building traffic, monetizing, links, page ranks etc., etc. All of the things that will make my blog take off, in the way some of you have experienced, are still illusive to me. I am still searching and trying to follow along but it is hard, if not tricky but I am diligent. I am open to hand holding and tutoring.

I am resolved to stay with it, to learn as much as I can and thereby get to the place where I think I belong in the blogosphere recognize and appreciate the effort. I have more than a long way to go, and I am going. I am quite encouraged by the recent turn of events. I received my very first award from Lilyarbee. It means a lot to me as it comes from a link friend. I was also acknowledged by another very good friend of her site, agentpx and I appreciate it as much. I therefore also made another friend. Looking all around and seeing the many awards on some sites, I was beginning to feel discouraged as no one was sharing. I realize that I am a relative newbie so I have to earn my wings. I am ok, now. Thanks Lilyarbee!

As I said, I am going to keep at it as I have lots of things to do, people to see and things to learn. I thank all of you who have visited, chosen to link and favor my blog. You have told me to stay so I will grow this milestone even bigger. I am a risk taker and love a good challenge so count on me. Keep coming back to Live, Love, Laugh, read, leave plenty of comments and feedback and link, link, link for the beauty of the bolgosphere.

Yay! 50+ and it doesn't feel old!! Any ideas for a celebration, guys?! Let me savor this milestone in blogging!

A special thanks to Life's free treats, chrysalis dreams , thoughts from along the broken road, Someday I'll Get There. They were my very first faves. I have learned a lot. Thanks for being trailblazers. You also get my Favorite Blog Award 2009!

Favorite Blogs Award 2009

Yippeeeeee! My first Blog Award! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
This Favorite Blog Award was awarded to me by one of my blogger friends Lilyabee at Theraphy Home Blog who graceously shared it with a few of us. This is a pass it on and it feels so good! This is the chain. Lil got the award from one of her frequent visitor and blogger friend. He recieved the award and passed it on to her. Check him out with me at http://dedeandro.blogspot.com%20/ This was awarded to DedeAndro by AgentPX and Code Of Blogging, both their URL indicated below and please try to visit them to get to know them too:http://agentpx.blogspot.com/andhttp://codeofblogging.blogspot.com/


Remember I said that this is a pass it on, so I will too! Read on.
~~~~Begin copy~~~~
This is the easiest and the fastest way to:
-Make your Authority Technorati explode.
- Increase your Google Page Rank.
- Get more traffic to your blog.
- Makes more new friends.

The rules is very simple as follows :
- Start copy from “Begin Copy” until “End Copy” to your blog.
- Put your own blog name and link.
- Tag your friends as much as you can.
My blog is "Live, Love, Laugh with philly5113" and my link url is:
http://philly5113.blogspot.com/

I would like to pass on this Award to my following favorite bloggers:

delightful caribbean recipes; buck creek fjords, midori-life, dr-funspace, the grarden fairies,breakingmindset, life's free treats, non traditional students, dragonflykisses butterflyzoo, molliehubenak, someday i'll get there and Yours next.

I do have some people on my link lists, and if I forget to mention some of you, please also feel free to grab this Award and pass it to anyone even if they've already received it.

~~End Copy~~


Congratulations to all. And thanks for being special and for making my blog a fave!

The By Passed Stations along the way

All board - not!
Have you ever stopped to think about or just wonder about the stations that some trains by pass along your route? Some trains go by at top speed, others not so fast; the so called express trains? Are you at one of those by passed station stops? You have to wait for the specially routed trains that stop every 8 to 10 minutes or less, like the local underground or subway. Well, I guess that is your subway, the rail mass transit for your commute.

My recent travels along the rail road Northeast Corridor on one of those express trains got me thinking about this. As we began our departure roll, our conductor announced that the train will not make a series of stop along the way to the end of the line. My first reaction was, ahhh geez, so many stops? I thought this was an express train!

As I thought about the announcement again, I wondered how the folks along the by-passed stops feel as they watch the trains go by, waiting for their turn to get on board. The by passed stops I guess are like being off the beaten path, the ‘tweens; in between the ‘notable’ or major stops. These riders must have some ill feeling against the by-passers and I guess the folks in the major stops might object to pulling up in the 'little town' stops, slowing down their ride.

I don’t ride the trains along the North East Corridor often; I actually haven’t in years, until this trip. I know that when my train has to make a lot of stops along the way, I see them as a burden. It is like slowing down because of traffic or at the stop light or change in speed as you move through the small towns or residential areas.

Taking the subway or the local bus can also be miserable but I understand that the mass transit has to serve everyone.

I often wonder why there aren’t more express trains and buses especially for folks who ride long distances on the same line. I am sure that the operators have a different take on this. Every person represents a fare to them so every rider is equally important to the operation.

I don’t care about the rest of the line most of the time, just my segment where I get on or off. I know that might not be lucrative enough to support the rail business or might not be sensible. But hey, I’m thinking about my travels separate from everything else, probably even reality! I want to do what is right for the community, the environment and my life so mass transit is good all around. I just want to get to my location quickly and safely too.

I have love for my fellow man. I can be in that off the main stop, the by passed location, at one time or another so I should be supportive. I guess there is no right or wrong or less important stop because of the location of your city along the railway. It is important that everyone gets to go where they want to and mass transit is available to make it happen.

So does your station matter? Maybe in some things of life stations matter but perhaps not the train station stops, as long as they stop!

A question for you.
For those of you, who usually get bypassed, please opine.

How do you feel or what is your comments or thoughts about the stations along your route, perhaps your by-passed station. Can you suggest a better alternative? Maybe we can start a petition to get something changed or improved.