WHERE WERE YOU ALL MY LIFE in ALASKA?!!

'Star Wars' scientists create laser gun to kill mosquitoes


Scientists in the U.S. are developing a laser gun that could kill millions of mosquitoes in minutes.

The laser, which has been dubbed a "weapon of mosquito destruction" fires at mosquitoes once it detects the audio frequency created by the beating of its wings.

The laser beam then destroys the mosquito, burning it on the spot.
Developed by some of the astrophysicists involved in what was known as the "Star Wars" anti-missile programs during the Cold War, the project is meant to prevent the spread of malaria.

Lead scientist on the project, Dr. Jordin Kare, told CNN that the laser would be able to sweep an area and "toast millions of mosquitoes in a few minutes."
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people from the bites of female mosquitoes.

It is particularly prevalent in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world and kills an African child every 30 seconds, according to the World Health Organization.

There are an estimated 300 million acute cases of malaria each year globally, resulting in more than one million deaths, the WHO reports.

Responding to questions about any potential harm the laser could pose to the eco-system, Kare said: "There is no such thing as a good mosquito, there's nothing that feeds exclusively on them. No one would miss mosquitoes," he said.
"In any case," he added. "The laser is able to distinguish between mosquitoes that go after people and those that aren't dangerous."

He added that other insects would not be affected by the laser's beam.
The research was commissioned by Intellectual Ventures, a Washington, U.S.-based company that was founded by Nathan Myhrvold, a former Microsoft Corporation executive.

His previous boss, Bill Gates, who funded the research, asked Myhrvold to look into new ways of combating malaria.


AMEN NO ONE WOULD MISS MOSQUITOES!! ESPECIALLY ME!!

Dresden with friends...

So what was meant to be a 'temple trip' for our friend Milena, turned into a 'Happy Birthday Patrick' trip to Dresden (long story short: temple 'closed' let's say and instead of going straight home Patrick demanded that we spend his birthday in Dresden! (If you knew him you'd know that that is a HUGE LIE! :)



This is the Dresdner Frauenkirche ("Church of Our Lady") is a Lutheran church in Dresden, Germany.
The Dresden Frauenkirche survived the firebombing of Dresden during World War II but was totally burned out and collapsed the next day. It has been reconstructed as a landmark symbol of reconciliation between former warring enemies. The reconstruction of its exterior was completed in 2004, its interior in 2005 and after 13 years of rebuilding, the church was reconsecrated on 30 October 2005 with festive services lasting through the Protestant observance of Reformation Day on 31 October.

I remember watching a documentary in the States how they used computers, old photos, etc. to recreate the plans to rebuild it. I just think it's amazing - 'what once was lost now is found'....or something like that....

This is the 'Furstenzug' showing the Saxon kings, princes and people from centuries past....

This is Patrick 'enjoying' his time in Dresden, his American wife, Katie and our friend, Milena - I think we had fun, even though everyone complained how my '1-hour tour of Dresden' (I had been before) turned into 2.5 hours! Wahh!

Dresden was called 'Florence of the Elbe (river)' - doesn't it look more 'Italian' than 'German'?

The 'promenade'...it was nice for us, it would be even more beautiful in summer...

This is the Semper Opera house - named after the architect.

Semperoper view #2 - very, very famous opera...

Zwinger Palace, now treasure trove of art masterpieces....

The exit with the 'bells'...










Goodbye Zwinger Palace, Dresden and Saxony as a whole - you're a whole other world from Berlin and 'old Prussia'!

"Halluh!", I mean, Halle....

This entry is a bit out of order. I went to a city called Halle to do some interviews. It was a beautiful, sunny day when I was done and so I decided to go see the place.



The main market square with the Red Tower (1408-ish) and Market Church in the background.





And I'm glad I came to visit, because I didn't know/totally forgot that Handel ('Messiah') was born in Halle. So there he is striking a pose...

And this is the house where he was born - they were doing restoration work on it...

Front entrance to the Market Church...

'Odd' fountain piece in front of entrance to Church, more Chinesy instead of 'German'...

Up top, where the top painting is, is THE organ that Handel used to play on when he lived in Halle!

This Church's podium reminded me of the 'star' that Superman comes to Earth in as a baby...

At the other end where Handel played is a 'new' organ - BEAUTIFUL!

Au revoir, Marktkirche...

'Red Tower' and Halle - thanks for the memories...AND for the good weather! (Haven't seen much of it since! :*(

The Harz Mountain Region #2: Goslar

So before we begin, here is something I think is interesting. I used to see these 'spherical bunches of...' in trees all around here. I used to think they were nests, but then I was like, too 'thin' for a nest...



Then somebody told me that it is....

MISTLETOE! Interesante eh?

So Herbert took me to the 'West German' Harz town of Goslar (Wernigerode was in the 'East').

Here is a Botero couple greeting us as we enter Goslar (Botero, he's Colombian, so gotta include it, ya know?), Harz region!

This is a store/old house that is on the market square. It says 'when one chooses to build on the market, one must be willing to put up with envy and crazies!' I thought it was funny...

In German they call that 'wood-beam' architecture Fachwerk....

A Protestant Church in Goslar...

The details on the podium were amazing!

Gabriel bringing the good news to Mary...

I'm guessing, Elisabeth meeting Mary...

Just to show some of the hills - Harz mountains that is...

The term Kaiserpfalz or Königspfalz (Imperial Palace, literally "king's palace") refers to a number of castles across the Holy Roman Empire which served as temporary, secondary seats of power for the Holy Roman Emperor in the Early and High Middle Ages. It is a German word that is a combination of Kaiser, meaning "emperor", which is derived from "caesar"; and Pfalz, meaning "palace", and itself derived from the Latin palatium, meaning the same (see palace). Unlike the common conception of "palace", a pfalz is not a permanent residence but a place where the emperor stays for a certain time, usually less than a year. Also, before the end of the Middle Ages, the emperor had to be anointed by the pope, but could use the pfalzen in his function as the Holy German king. A remaining Imperial palace can be found in Goslar

This is all that is left of the cathedral from those days...

I still don't know what this is...maybe it's just the Bishop's seat/cathedra or maybe it's a throne...I don't know...

This is a little chapel inside of a 'charity house' built back in 1700's(?). It was built for poor men and women so they could have a place to stay.

On the right are the little 'compartments' that they people would live in....

'A river runs through it...' The itty-bitty bridge I was standing on to take this picture was built in 1180! Ay caramba!

Thanks Herbert and auf wieder-bye-bye, Goslar!

The Harz Mountain Region #1: Wernigerode

So, the next interviews were in the Harz mountain region. The Harz really stands out because it's pretty much the only mountain chain in northern Germany. I just loved being in 'mountains' again and REALLY enjoyed the buildings, etc. in Wernigerode (Ver-nee-guh-road-uh), which is one of the main cities of the region.



Here is the City Hall....




This is what most Americans think Germany looks like, but sadly enough not a lot of it does. I REALLY liked Wernigerode!



Town square...








A street, just so you can see....
















So here is the part that is creepy about the Harz, Wikipedia says:



In Germany, Walpurgisnacht (or Hexennacht, meaning Witches' Night), the night from April 30 to May 1, is the night when allegedly the witches hold a large celebration on the Blocksberg and await the arrival of Spring.
Walpurgis Night (in German folklore) the night of April 30 (May Day's eve), when witches meet on the Brocken mountain and hold revels with their gods..."
Brocken is the highest of the Harz Mountains of north central Germany. It is noted for the phenomenon of the Brocken spectre and for witches' revels which reputedly took place there on Walpurgis night.
The Brocken Spectre is a magnified shadow of an observer, typically surrounded by rainbow-like bands, thrown onto a bank of cloud in high mountain areas when the sun is low. The phenomenon was first reported on the Brocken.
—Taken from Oxford Phrase & Fable.
A scene in Goethe's Faust Part One is called "Walpurgisnacht", and one in Faust Part Two is called "Classical Walpurgisnacht".
In some parts of northern coastal regions of Germany, the custom of lighting huge Beltane fires is still kept alive, to celebrate the coming of May, while most parts of Germany have a derived Christianized custom around Easter called "Easter fires".
In rural parts of southern Germany it is part of popular youth culture to play pranks on Walpurgisnacht, e.g. tampering with neighbors' gardens, hiding possessions, or spraying graffiti on private property. These pranks occasionally result in serious damage to property or bodily injury.



(So there you have it, hence my picture with a witch ('She turned me into a newt!' A newt?' 'I got better...'). Witches are all over and apparently April 30, Wernigerode is FULL of thousands of 'witches' who make their up up to Brocken Mountain...)



This house and the detail was just amazing...it's a restaurant now, have no idea what it used to be...

Details...

'I'm not a witch, I'm your wife!' ;)

Wernigerode Schloss (castle) at night. I wish my camera could take better/non-blurry pix, but going along with the 'scary' theme...it works, doesn't it? ;)

'Storm the castle!'

I stole this pic from Wikipedia. It truly is 'romantic' Germany to the T! I mean G! ;)

Then the guy that I stayed with (his parents were refugees from today's Ukraine) drove me around all over. Here is our journey...

Into the Harz we go!

This is the old East-West German border. He told me how the whole place used to be mined, etc. It's literally 20 minutes from his house! Craziness...and for decades they couldn't go over the border....

And we just did! Now we're in Braunlage, 'old' West Germany! Crazy how everything was so close, but no getting closer....sad, but true...

We took a visit inside one of Braunlage's churches...

I really liked this photo with the glass-stained windows....

Wood, wood...very nice!

He was about to take me to what he said was always on postcards of Wernigerode the 'Sterinerne Renne', but then he stopped and showed me this. At the beginning of this 'famous' place was a concentration camp of sorts :( So much beauty and so much horror - craziness and I don't get it....hmm...

Some of the buildings of the old camp. Today it's part of a battery-making company.

This is on the trail to the Steinerne Renne where 'Hurricane' Kyrill slammed into Europe, especially Germany back in Jan. 2007. It just wiped the trees out!

Ok, let us now enter 'the Stony Run/Line'....

There are the rocks! ALL OVER THE PLACE!

Peaceful little creek...(I got in trouble for calling it a creek in German, but I'm like, sorry peeps, this isn't a RIVER ;)

Here you go Mom! I'm healthy and ok ;)

Very beautiful - it reminded me of canyons that I knew when I was little in Utah...I felt peaceful there...

And this is Herbert and Gabby who took care of me.

So, now we shall say 'auf wieder-byebye' to Wernigerode and hello to another town in the Harz that Herbert took me to.