Best in the world. So proud of you! Thank you for all you do. (Never enough said!)
The Hand of God ?
Red represents low-energy X-rays, the medium range is green, and the most energetic ones are colored blue. The blue hand-like structure was created by energy emanating from the nebula around they dying star PSR B1509-58. The red areas are from a neighboring gas cloud called RCW 89. Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/P.Slane, et al.

Lost Treasures in Cologne, Germany
On one of my trips to Germany, we visted the beautiful city of Cologne. I was saddened to see the following news:
The city without a memory: treasures lost under collapsed Cologne archives
(Federico Gambarini)
The six-story building (shown above) was supposed to be a model for similar archives around the world. But it collapsed in minutes.

The Eye of God
The Eye of God
Only 450 light years away in the constellation Aquarius, this long-observed planetary nebula, created from outgassing of a dying star has been imaged in glorious detail and color by Hubble.
Nicknamed “The Eye of God” it spans an area half the size of the moon. Read more from hubblesite.org.
(NASA, ESA, C.R. O’Dell (Vanderbilt University), and M. Meixner, P. McCullough)
~
This is the one that freaks me out… this could just as easily happen in our Milky Way Galaxy. A true “star wars” event! Makes one feel pretty small and insignificant, doesn’t it? So, forget your troubles today! If we get zapped like this, none of it will matter!
“Death Star” Galaxy Black Hole Fires at Neighboring Galaxy
Even galaxies get bullied. Here, a so-called “death star galaxy” blasts a nearby galaxy with a jet of energy. Scientists said that if this happened in the Milky Way, it would likely destroy all life on Earth.
Dec. 17, 2007
RELEASE : 07-280
‘Death Star’ Galaxy Black Hole Fires at Neighboring Galaxy
WASHINGTON – A powerful jet from a super massive black hole is blasting a nearby galaxy, according to new findings from NASA observatories. This never-before witnessed galactic violence may have a profound effect on planets in the jet’s path and trigger a burst of star formation in its destructive wake.
Known as 3C321, the system contains two galaxies in orbit around each other. Data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory show both galaxies contain super massive black holes at their centers, but the larger galaxy has a jet emanating from the vicinity of its black hole. The smaller galaxy apparently has swung into the path of this jet.
This “death star” galaxy was discovered through the combined efforts of both space and ground-based telescopes. NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, and Spitzer Space Telescope were part of the effort. The Very Large Array telescope, Socorro, N.M., and the Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) telescopes in the United Kingdom also were needed for the finding.
“We’ve seen many jets produced by black holes, but this is the first time we’ve seen one punch into another galaxy like we’re seeing here,” said Dan Evans, a scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and leader of the study. “This jet could be causing all sorts of problems for the smaller galaxy it is pummeling.”
Jets from super massive black holes produce high amounts of radiation, especially high-energy X-rays and gamma-rays, which can be lethal in large quantities. The combined effects of this radiation and particles traveling at almost the speed of light could severely damage the atmospheres of planets lying in the path of the jet. For example, protective layers of ozone in the upper atmosphere of planets could be destroyed.
Jets produced by super massive black holes transport enormous amounts of energy far from black holes and enable them to affect matter on scales vastly larger than the size of the black hole. Learning more about jets is a key goal for astrophysical research.
“We see jets all over the universe, but we’re still struggling to understand some of their basic properties,” said co-investigator Martin Hardcastle of the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. “This system of 3C321 gives us a chance to learn how they’re affected when they slam into something like a galaxy and what they do after that.”
The effect of the jet on the companion galaxy is likely to be substantial, because the galaxies in 3C321 are extremely close at a distance of only about 20,000 light years apart. They lie approximately the same distance as Earth is from the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
A bright spot in the Very Large Array and MERLIN images shows where the jet has struck the side of the galaxy, dissipating some of the jet’s energy. The collision disrupted and deflected the jet.
Another unique aspect of the discovery in 3C321 is how relatively short-lived this event is on a cosmic time scale. Features seen in the Very Large Array and Chandra images indicate that the jet began impacting the galaxy about one million years ago, a small fraction of the system’s lifetime. This means such an alignment is quite rare in the nearby universe, making 3C321 an important opportunity to study such a phenomenon.
It is possible the event is not all bad news for the galaxy being struck by the jet. The massive influx of energy and radiation from the jet could induce the formation of large numbers of stars and planets after its initial wake of destruction is complete.
The results from Evans and his colleagues will appear in The Astrophysical Journal. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra program for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations from the Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, Mass. Additional information and images are available at: http://chandra.nasa.gov

Doc Tate Nevaquaya’s 1st print?
I thought you might be interested to see what has been said to be the first print Doc ever produced. It was made around 1978.
The title of the work is “Sand Storm.”
Very interesting piece, don’t you think?

.
Yigaquv osaniyu adanvto adadoligi naqvv utlogasdi nihi
(May The Great Spirit’s Blessings always be with you)
.
Oh, Father Time… slow down, please!
What’s the big hurry?

A 2008 Merry Christmas to Everyone!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_06dC-qqT0
Remember the Reason for the Season. I pray that it is a blessed holiday for you and yours. May the New Year bring you all an abundance of God’s love and grace.
Be Blessed.
Cheryl
GO SOONERS!
G00d Luck in the Championship Game!
Sooner Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l01VR6m5o08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k59hCnuMcoQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6THZEaZ89NY

Veterans Day 2008 Salute to a Father and Son: Richard and Hugh Vertrees; and To All Our Military Troops
This Veterans Day, I want to say a big “THANK YOU” to all the top-notch men & women who serve or have served and sacrificed for this great Nation. Your military service makes it possible for us to live the very blessed lives that we live. I also send up a special prayer for America as we begin the “Obama Era” in America’s history.
Today, I ask for two “special blessings:” One for my nephew, Richard “Vercules” Vertrees, who honorably served with the 204th Military Police, Bladerunners in Baghdad, Iraq for a one year tour as an MP. Richard was there during the period of time Saddam was captured: an extremely violent time to be there. Another for Richard’s father, my dear brother-in-law Hugh Vertrees, who served honorably in Phi Bui, Vietnam with the 101st Airborne. Both men saw combat during their time in service. They served their country well. I am incredibly proud of both of them, for the many blessings they bring to my life and will forever be grateful to them for their service and great sacrifice. Words are, as always, so insufficient to express my gratitude for all that “they and hundreds of thousands of others” have given.
Hugh Vertrees (Above Photo: Right) was stationed in Phi Bui, Vietnam with the 101st Airborne. His treacherous job was to patrol the jungles, rivers, and deny the enemy access into Phi Bui. This duty was a result of the successful capturing of Phi Bui in 1968. Hugh honorably served his country in Vietnam from January 1971 to December, 1971.
“Welcome Home Soldier! Thank you for your service!”
Richard “Vercules” Vertrees (Above Photo, Right)
(Richard: Front Row, Far Left Side)
204th Military Police, Bladerunners: Baghdad, Iraq 2003
Richard, “Home for Christmas“
To Richard and Hugh, and to all who are
currently serving or who have served in years past.
You make me proud! THANK YOU!
Yigaquv osaniyu adanvto adadoligi naqvv utlogasdi nihi
(May The Great Spirit’s Blessings always be with you)
“AND HERE’S A SALUTE TO AMERICA’S FUTURE SOLDIERS!”
Adrian says, “Go Army!”
Links:
http://www.fortpolkguardian.com/articles/2005/12/16/fort_polk_news/16deploy.txt
Hugh’s unit:
101st Airborne Veterans
http://www.vetfriends.com/units/?unit=238104&gclid=CNy3rs248JYCFQRkswodwVdrrA
The Vietnam Center & Archive: Virtual Archive
http://www.virtualarchive.vietnam.ttu.edu/starweb/virtual/virtual/servlet.starweb?path=virtual/virtual/fa_new.web&search1=ONUM%3D2130000000

Community of Veterans (Support for Iraq and Afghanistan Soldiers)
http://communityofveterans.org/
MILITARY.COM: A Veteran’s Day Slide Show
http://www.military.com/veterans-day/veterans-day-slideshow.html?ESRC=army.nl

Tommie Harris To Prove He Can Dominate? You Can Count On It!
Cheryl says,”Tommie told me he’s feeling good!
He’s ready for a great year and I know it ‘absolutely… positively’ will be a major clutch year for him!”
Tear it up, Tommie! You are in our prayers, as always!
We love you.
Psalm 18:1-2, 20-42
In this July 30, 2006 file photo, Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris waves to fans during the team’s evening practice at football training camp in Bourbonnais, Ill. Harris says the talks that led to his four-year, $40 million contract with the Chicago Bears were businesslike and “classy.” Speaking at a news conference Friday June 20, 2008 at Halas Hall, the defensive tackle said he and Bears management kept negotiations private in reaching a deal that will keep him with Chicago through 2012. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
Article below can be found at:
http://www.nwherald.com/bears/story.php?id=493
By NICK HUT – nhut@nwnewsgroup.com
BOURBONNAIS – With Tommie Harris, it can be hard to pick which trait stands out the most.
Harris is earnest and passionate. After several of the Bears’ most disappointing losses last season, he was the one who went around the locker room telling various teammates to stay positive.
Harris is playful and witty. He knows when not to take his job too seriously, a rare trait indeed in the NFL.
Someone recently asked Harris about training camp, for example, probably expecting a stock answer about how it helps forge toughness and solidarity.
“You go from a nice big ol’ house to sharing showers and having stalls and having to see dudes’ feet underneath while you’re trying to handle your business,” Harris said. “Training camp is an amazing place to be, man.”
Harris is rich. He signed a $40 million contract extension last month that runs through 2012. The $10 million annual average of the deal is an NFL record for his position.
Most importantly to the Bears, Harris is a dominant defensive tackle. He merely needs to put together an entire season to prove it beyond any doubt.
“He’s healthy now, and he’s got a lot of things behind him,” coach Lovie Smith said. “He can just really concentrate on being the best defensive tackle in football. Who knows exactly how good he can be when he plays in a complete season? We’re expecting him to do that.”
Harris, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, was lights-out at the start of the past two seasons. Combine the first eight games of 2006 and 2007, and Harris had 30 solo tackles, 12 sacks and three tackles for a loss.
Those are premier numbers for a defensive tackle, a position where players usually settle for occupying blockers so the defensive ends and linebackers can make plays. Harris’ singular athleticism allows him to do that and more.
“He’s probably as good as there is in this league at his position,” defensive line coach Brick Haley said. “You just expect the guy to be good. We’re happy to have him.”
Harris has had a harder time during the second half of the past two seasons.
A severe hamstring tear knocked him out for the final four games and the playoffs in 2006. He was slowing down a bit even before the injury, going seven games without a sack.
In 2007, Harris said, an early-season sprained knee ligament caught up with him as the games progressed. He had only one of his eight sacks in the final eight games.
But Harris takes issue with the notion that he wears down as a season goes along.
“I get cheap-shotted” by opposing blockers, he said, which takes a toll on his lower body.
Harris said he feels as good now as he has since the ’06 preseason. He expects to start fast and, this time, stay that way.
“We’re very proud of Tommie,” general manager Jerry Angelo said. “He is one of our signature players – somebody who represents us very well not only on the football field, but off the football field.”
Psalm 91
CHICAGO – DECEMBER 02, 2007: Tommie Harris #91 of the Chicago Bears prepares to face the New York Giants during warm-ups on December 2, 2007 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Roy Ramirez on Jerome’s Gift of Creativity
Roy asks: “What is it with gifted and talented people? What an amazing gift they have, to be able to visually express their ‘minds’ interpretations of life.’ A gift that is so amazing to us mortals who are not creative in this way! To think that anything a gifted artist creates is ‘less than acceptable genius,’ doesn’t register with me.
There were a number of times, when I’d visit Jerome at his home in El Reno, Oklahoma, that I’d find him in his ‘designated studio space.’ He’d be sitting there… just staring at a piece of artwork ‘that I found to be awesome!’ I’d ask what he was up to and he’d answer with something like “wasting time, from what I can see.
Another time, as I walked up the steps of his porch, I noticed an absolutely powerful painting he’d finished and left on the porch. I was guessing that he’d left it out to dry or something. So, I asked Jerome what the deal was with the painting he had left outside. Without so much as a slight hesitation he said, “Oh, that’s just junk, I was experimenting with a new medium, and I tried painting on a piece of Masonite.” Well, being the junk collector that I am, I quickly asked if I could claim what I thought to be a beautifully created piece of art. He said, “Sure, bring it in and I’ll sign it for you”. That ‘piece of junk’ became my treasure.
Today, many are awed when they enter the Thunderbird Casino at Concho and see the painted ceiling by my friend, the great Jerome Bushyhead. Artists like Jerome are such a strong part of our world.

MacArthur on Being a Soldier and a Father
I recently bought a book called “Wisdom of Our Fathers” written by the late Tim Russert. I admired him a lot & the book is not disappointing me. I want to share part of a letter from the book with you. Beginning on Page 37, Tim wrote: “President Harry Truman & General Douglas MacArthur were bitter rivals, to the point where Truman relieved MacArthur of his command during the Korean war. And yet both men – the common man who found himself in a position of great power, where he had to make uncommonly hard decisions, & the feisty and brilliant military leader – were heroes to my dad.
When I was twelve, General MacArthur gave a speech at West Point that became an instant classic, especially in our neighborhood. Dad referred to it often, and to this day whenever I hear the word ‘honor ‘ I think of MacArthur. His subject that day was “Duty, Honor, Country” – the motto of the United States Military Academy. To some people, MacArthur told the cadets, those words were just a slogan. “But these are some of the things they do,” MacArthur said. “They build your basic character. They mold you for your future roles as the custodians of the nation’s defense. They make you strong enough to know when you are weak, & brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid.” It was a great speech, & I’m sorry it isn’t better known today.
~
After ‘Big Russ & Me’ (his first book) was published, one of my readers sent me a quote from General MacArthur that he thought I might enjoy. “By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact,” MacArthur said. “But I am prouder – infinitely prouder – to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build, the father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentiality of death; the other embodies creation and life. And while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still. It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember me not from the battlefield but in the home, repeating with him our simple daily prayer, Our Father Who Art in Heaven…”
A soldier destroys in order to build…
…the father only builds, never destroys.
–General Douglas MacArthur, Advice:
I realize that advice is worth what it costs — that is, NOTHING!
~
–General Douglas MacArthur, Age:
I promise to keep on living as though I expected to live forever. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul.
~
–General Douglas MacArthur, on Age:
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.
~
–General Douglas MacArthur, on Parenting:
A Prayer For My Son Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory…Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the meekness of true strength. Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain..
~
–General Douglas MacArthur, on Propaganda:
Our government has kept us in a perpetual state of fear — kept us in a continuous stampede of patriotic fervor — with the cry of grave national emergency. Always there has been some terrible evil at home or some monstrous foreign power that was going to gobble us up if we did not blindly rally behind it by furnishing the exorbitant funds demanded. Yet, in retrospect, these disasters seem never to have happened, seem never to have been quite real.
~
–General Douglas MacArthur, A Soldier Speaks: Public Papers and Speeches of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, 1965 – Surrender:
There is not one incident in the history of humanity in which defeatism led to peace which was anything other than a complete fraud.
~
–General Douglas MacArthur, Reminiscences, pp. 216–17 (1964), [speech to the people of the Philippines, on Leyte], October 17, 1944:
People of the Philippines: I have returned. By the grace of the Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine soil…. The hour of your redemption is here…. Rally to me…. As the lines of battle roll forward to bring you within the zone of operations, rise and strike. Strike at every favorable opportunity. For your homes and hearths, strike! For future generations of your sons and daughters, strike! In the name of your sacred dead, strike! Let no heart be faint. Let every arm be steeled. The guidance of Divine God points the way. Follow in His name to the Holy Grail of righteous victory.
~
–General Douglas MacArthur, In his speech to the Republican Party Convention, October, 1962 – WAR:
“In war there is no substitute for victory.”
http://www.unitednativeamerica.com/veterans.html

Four Gifted Sons: Doc’s Legacy Lives On…
Cheryl writes: “No finer people were there than the likes of Doc and Charlotte. And I say the same for their sons, featured in this great article below, published May 5, 2001. Doc’s sons carry the gifts of their father – each with their own unique styles and interests – each carving out their own place. But their father and mother’s influences are apparent in all that they do. I have a special place in my heart for Tim and his family, as we have gotten to know each other at different events through the years. Their kindness and friendship has been something I place great value on. And what a fine man Tim is – he has his father’s gentleness and his talent continues to amaze me, as does the talent of all the brothers. I’ve also had the pleasure of doing past events with Sonny and getting to know him. I just cannot say enough good things about this family. If one could bottle up all the talent that this family has been blessed with, there would not be enough warehouses in the universe to store it all.” (Below: Doc, working on one of his masterfully-made flutes in his workshop.)
Cheryl states,”It has been a blessing and great honor to be acquainted with this fine and talented family.”
Peyote Singer by Tim Nevaquaya
Canku Ota (Many Paths)
http://turtletrack.org/Issues01/Co05052001/CO_05052001_Brothers.htm
An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
May 5, 2001 – Issue 35
Four brothers raised in Apache, Ok. are following in their father’s footsteps — and emerging from his shadow.
Above: Calvert Nevaquaya displays some of his three-dimensional art in March 2001 in Apache, Okla.
Each of the sons of the late Doc Tate Nevaquaya, renowned Native American artist and flutist, has traveled the broad trail their father pioneered.
The journey began in the 1950s as they were exposed on a daily basis, to his paintings depicting Indian history and music he played on the flutes he carved.
Each of the brothers — Tim, Lean ‘Sonny’, Edmond and Calvert — has chosen a path down the trail cleared for them 50 years ago.
With their own unique talents in oil paintings, watercolors, acrylics and flute carving, they’re still developing their places in the art world which is slowing drawing them out of their father’s silhouette.
“All of our children grew up surrounded by their dad’s paintings. They sat down at the dinner table and they looked at his work,” recalled their mother Charlotte Nevaquaya.
Crystal Gayle with two of Doc’s sons at the Native American Music Awards
“Doc knew all the Native American stories from the 1800s and he painted them their entire lives. There was no way they couldn’t have been influenced by the stories he told them.”
Tim was the first of the Nevaquaya brothers to set off on the art trail.
“When I was 3, in 1969, I remember seeing a television announcing the astronauts had walked on the moon,” said Tim. “I ran to my room and grabbed a pencil and paper and never stopped drawing.”
Tim recalled how painting came to him through a nightly ritual with Doc Tate.
“When my father painted in his studio, I would fall asleep at his feet watching him,” Tim said. “He would tell me stories as he painted free people, beautiful sunsets, land and horses.”
In the beginning, at age 13, Tim received his first oil set — he’s the only one of the four brothers who use oils — from his father and painted several items with him, Doc Tate painted people and Tim painted sunsets.
“My father was my teacher, I was his apprentice with flutes and silhouettes,” said Tim. “He taught me that the only way to do a silhouette is to explore it and advance it. This is something I will carry with me throughout my art career.”
Later, he developed his own talent for making his paintings come to life.
“I’d put on tapes of Indian music and I would become the dancer and flute player I was painting. At other times, I became the warrior,” Tim explained.
“This is what came out on my canvas.”
In other art his favorite subject — thunderstorms.
“If he could be a storm-chaser, he would,” said his wife Sandra. “He’ll say to me, ‘let’s go and see the sunset or follow that storm.’ He thinks thunderstorms are beautiful. He creates a beautiful painting depicting it after he sees it.”
Tim’s flute making also is inspired by his father.
“When I make my flutes I use cedar because it gets you fired up. You see designs form in the wood. I can’t go to sleep because I’m thinking about it,” Tim said.
Like his brother Tim, Edmond also began art at 13 but started at the opposite end of the trail from Tim. He was playing the flute with his father long before he started painting with watercolors in 1995.
Edmond didn’t paint with his father; rather he asked his father to critique his work after it was completed and before he sold it.
“I’d see my dad with my piece and I was amazed at how he’d grab a rush and go along and add one small touch and it would make a difference in the world,” said Edmond.
Edmond realized that his father knew best.
“I decided early on that the best thing I could do was follow in the footsteps of the path my father had already paved for me,” Edmond said. “Even today I get stuck on an idea and I look at photos of my dad and his prints and they always inspire me to go on.”
Calvert, the youngest of the brothers didn’t being his journey down the trail until after Doc Tate’s death. “I never sat with Dad or had his assistance with my art. I just learned from his work. He had movement and motion in his art,” Calvert said.
Though Doc Tate is known for a traditional flat base style, Calvert is trying a three-dimensional style.
“My art is detail-oriented and my colors are different than what dad would have done,” Calvert said. “I want people to recognize me as Calvert Nevaquaya when they think of my art, not as Doc Tate’s son. I’m proud of my dad, but I want to prove myself based on my talent, not his.”
Sonny, the oldest of the four sons, lives in Hollywood, Florida. He painted in the 70’s, but his primary focus today is flute music.
“I was always astonished with my father’s music. It magnetized me to him. All the sudden I’d hear his music and it did something to me,” Sonny said.
“Whenever I speak about music, I always tell people that if it weren’t for my father I wouldn’t be where I was,” Sonny said. “I carry this with me wherever I go.”
“Whenever I speak about music, I always tell people that if it weren’t for my father I wouldn’t be where I was,” Sonny said. “I carry this with me wherever I go.”
” Comanche Buffalo “ 18″ x 24″ oil on canvas
” Dance With The Wind “ 28″ X 22″ oil on canvas
Tim Nevaquaya is a full-blood Comanche Indian living in southwest Oklahoma. Tim’s art provides you with a visual opportunity to experience the uniqueness of his Native environment and painting style – ethereal and spiritual with inherently traditional imagery.
Michael McCormick Gallery
106C Paseo del Pueblo Norte
Taos, New Mexico 87571
(800) 279-0879 – (575) 758-1372
asm2002 SPIRIT OF THE FLUTE – Lean “Sonny” Nevaquaya
Textural Native American flute music from the eldest son of the late Commanche artist and musician Doc Tate Nevaquaya. Lean’s handcrafted traditional instruments and evocative melodies fill vast reverberant spaces with power and grace as he infuses every note with an honest, contemplative quality.
Order asm2002CD from amazon.com
Native American Tube: Tim Nevequaya
natube.magnify.net/item/J9XW9M0ZT4TF9K9J – 72k – Cached – Similar pages
Sonny Nevaquaya – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Flute Players
http://www.geocities.com/wagnuka/playerswav.htm – 13k
