The Biggest Event...Ever

I'll bet that not many of you have heard of Manson, Iowa, (pop. 2000) but not to worry...that's why I'm here. A while back - 50 million years or so, a rock weighing 10 billion tons, about 11/2 miles across and traveling at 150,000 mph, smashed into the area around Manson, Iowa. According to my good buddy Bill Bryson [A Short History of Nearly Everything] this was the biggest event to occur on the mainland U.S. - ever!!! It left a hole 3 miles deep and 20 miles across. It seems that 2.5 million years of glacial activity has completely filled in the crater. The impact site is now flat as a pancake.
In the 1980s it was briefly considered to be the impact site causing the extinction of the dinosaurs. That honor now goes to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. It has a crater 170 miles wide and 35 miles deep. That's a big hole.

Not Just for Kids

C.S. Lewis (Ireland, 1898-1963)

I'm not talking about The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe, or any of the Chronicles of Narnia, but his Cosmic Series... Out of The Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. This is science fiction at its very best.

The Ides of March

Sorry, I got nothin' - Aio, quantitas magna frumentorum est!

Snakes

Did you know that Iowa has 26 species of snake? Well, we do. I wouldn't lie about something like that. After all, I was born in the year of the snake. A couple of note...

The Northern Water Snake - remember, they will strike repeatedly and bite viciously!

The Bull Snake - Iowa's largest, just one thing...the majority react badly when disturbed.

Horror

H.P. Lovecraft

If you are a fan of Stephen King, you'll love this guy. You might say he started it all. For more information on his work, visit Fantasticfiction.com.

Suggested Reading

For those who think reading fiction is a complete waste of time, I have a few suggestions. (don't worry, they don't include sticking something up your ass, but they probably should) and for people who consider reading non-fiction a crime, maybe these books will change your mind...

A short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson

A Briefer History of Time, by Stephen Hawking with Leonard Mlodinow

The Universe in a Nutshell, by Stephen Hawking

Warning!!! Possession of these books may be a felony in Kansas, Alabama and parts of Florida.

I just finished Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff. It's a funny off beat thriller and I strongly recommend it. I would like to be a Bad Monkey, but I'm not qualified. What a shame.

Coming Soon

The Tail of Two Dogs and a Snake.

Wasteland

Sorry, nothing to report today. Iowa is still a frozen wasteland, but soon the shit will fly, and all will be as it should be.