Sunday, July 31, 2005
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Cameo Appearances of Common Sense
With the recent memorial tributes paid to Mr Chuck Cadman, the question arises Why is it these days that common decency and common sense make little more than cameo appearances in the halls of power? Like uninvited guests they show up agitating the status quo arguing for a simpler and more just society until old forces and the three-tongued mindsets of animated relics shoo them off, expelling their influence from the hallowed premises. Then its back to business as usual inventing more syllables for lawyer.speak to utterly confound and dazzle the masses.
I Elected him?
Many of us cringe in the knowing that we actually elected these slick gladhanders and were so foolish as to imagine that they might share our serious intent to get the important work done, work involving no less than the rescue of millions of people from starvation and the precarious ecological balance of our planet.
Pandemics are looming in the shadows of developing countries where issues of hygiene are eclipsed by the need to feed one’s family.
The messages of desperate scientists that we are all at risk of being exposed to drug resistant disease and more extreme weather from climate warming (and all the weird ramifications of that earth-battering phenomenon) are falling on deaf ears. These are major concerns which need real action and each country belonging to the civilized and more well-to-do columns (the G8 for example) must somehow be compelled to act. Clang. Clang. How loudly must we ring this bell?
What is missing from these elected bodies are enough people like Cadman with the will to take the bull by the horns.
Democracy, while clearly still the most representative means of constituting a government, has in its evolution become flawed. Corporate lobbyists find ways to circumvent the rules related to campaign financing; the candidates are progressively becoming puppets maneuvered into position by the old guard; and once elected, even if the individual is nobly intent on striking a humanistic chord among his new peers he is relegated to the backbenches where he proceeds to be educated as to the way things are done by the senior class, very similar to juniors arriving in private school university settings, and as juvenile.
I Elected him?
Many of us cringe in the knowing that we actually elected these slick gladhanders and were so foolish as to imagine that they might share our serious intent to get the important work done, work involving no less than the rescue of millions of people from starvation and the precarious ecological balance of our planet.
Pandemics are looming in the shadows of developing countries where issues of hygiene are eclipsed by the need to feed one’s family.
The messages of desperate scientists that we are all at risk of being exposed to drug resistant disease and more extreme weather from climate warming (and all the weird ramifications of that earth-battering phenomenon) are falling on deaf ears. These are major concerns which need real action and each country belonging to the civilized and more well-to-do columns (the G8 for example) must somehow be compelled to act. Clang. Clang. How loudly must we ring this bell?
What is missing from these elected bodies are enough people like Cadman with the will to take the bull by the horns.
Democracy, while clearly still the most representative means of constituting a government, has in its evolution become flawed. Corporate lobbyists find ways to circumvent the rules related to campaign financing; the candidates are progressively becoming puppets maneuvered into position by the old guard; and once elected, even if the individual is nobly intent on striking a humanistic chord among his new peers he is relegated to the backbenches where he proceeds to be educated as to the way things are done by the senior class, very similar to juniors arriving in private school university settings, and as juvenile.
Losing the Spirit of the Righteous Enthusiast
Our hero, the iconic Mr Smith in Washington or Cadman in Parliament, is muzzled and must kowtow to the regime’s modus operandus. His enthusiasm and dedication to the concept of public service is eroded and too often does he (not including Cadman) don the bib of apologist, then the vacuous grin of the greasy gladhander finally to graduate to the Machiavellian backroom tactician seasoned in empty speechifying.
Nowhere in this process is the innocent intent of the righteous enthusiast supported.
The confusion of this individual’s scenario is compounded by the party system. To create a new party each country has in place is own set of rules and in the United States for example it is virtually impossible now to introduce a new party into the intransigent mix despite how desperately one might be required to advance the radical agenda obviously needed to keep pace with tumultuous world-wide events. Ross Perot, despite multi-millionaire status and his willingness to bankroll his own political drive, was barley able to make a significant dent and his original ideals very few could now recall.
Party System Prevents Independents like Ross Perot.
In Canada, the Bloc Quebecois, rather than being designed to address the country’s concerns and fortify it as a nation to contend with the more tightly woven global affairs, is mandated to separate Quebec from the country. Quebeckers have been using the threat of separation for decades as its ruse to extort more money from the federal government for their province’s unique concerns. That the country’s lawmakers, leaders and thinkers have allowed this situation to have evolved thus shows a lack of political will and a total absence of common sense.
Only in a country of ditherers so preoccupied with their tactics would a party be allowed to exist in Parliament which has as its core interest the destruction of that country. This is tantamount to inviting the starving fox into the chicken coop and expecting tea to be served. This would all be quite hilarious and knock-down funny except that the 30 million people who live in this extraordinarily beautiful country of such vast natural (and much coveted) resources must all suffer for the lack of stable, hands-on good governance.
Nowhere in this process is the innocent intent of the righteous enthusiast supported.
The confusion of this individual’s scenario is compounded by the party system. To create a new party each country has in place is own set of rules and in the United States for example it is virtually impossible now to introduce a new party into the intransigent mix despite how desperately one might be required to advance the radical agenda obviously needed to keep pace with tumultuous world-wide events. Ross Perot, despite multi-millionaire status and his willingness to bankroll his own political drive, was barley able to make a significant dent and his original ideals very few could now recall.
Party System Prevents Independents like Ross Perot.
In Canada, the Bloc Quebecois, rather than being designed to address the country’s concerns and fortify it as a nation to contend with the more tightly woven global affairs, is mandated to separate Quebec from the country. Quebeckers have been using the threat of separation for decades as its ruse to extort more money from the federal government for their province’s unique concerns. That the country’s lawmakers, leaders and thinkers have allowed this situation to have evolved thus shows a lack of political will and a total absence of common sense.
Only in a country of ditherers so preoccupied with their tactics would a party be allowed to exist in Parliament which has as its core interest the destruction of that country. This is tantamount to inviting the starving fox into the chicken coop and expecting tea to be served. This would all be quite hilarious and knock-down funny except that the 30 million people who live in this extraordinarily beautiful country of such vast natural (and much coveted) resources must all suffer for the lack of stable, hands-on good governance.
Fat Worms in the Woodwork
Running as an independent is becoming an attractive means for a man committed to raising the banner for revolutionizing corrupt governments and the people are beginning to consider this option as being entirely acceptable now that they’ve had decades (most of their adult lives) witnessing the unseemly business going on in their houses of legislation and Parliament. But how many independents are going to be able to sustain their drive over the years required to win their points, and ultimately strike down the old guard? Even opposing parties would work in tandem against these independents if they were ever to mount a significant threat against their establishments.
The other fat worm in the political woodwork is the lack of voter turnout. Aside from the issues of voters being propagandized by darkly contrived campaigns, slanderous advertising, gossipy innuendoes and mudslinging, the absence of the voter at the ballot box can undermine the whole democratic process and result in Hitlers or Attilas being voted into office as the young people, isolated in their i.poddled states, who do manage to show up don’t bother to take note who is on the slate or what their politics really signify. And the more isolated we allow our young people to become by not engaging them in the political dialogues the more we can expect a kind of loosely advocated anarchy from them.
The other fat worm in the political woodwork is the lack of voter turnout. Aside from the issues of voters being propagandized by darkly contrived campaigns, slanderous advertising, gossipy innuendoes and mudslinging, the absence of the voter at the ballot box can undermine the whole democratic process and result in Hitlers or Attilas being voted into office as the young people, isolated in their i.poddled states, who do manage to show up don’t bother to take note who is on the slate or what their politics really signify. And the more isolated we allow our young people to become by not engaging them in the political dialogues the more we can expect a kind of loosely advocated anarchy from them.
Circus Clowns in Halls of Power
And as they view the current shenanigans of the circus clowns in those halls of power who is to cast the first stone of blame at them for having become conveniently disillusioned?
So while the elder, burger-faced statesmen are acting like juvenile brats in their name-calling and catty remarks in the House (for which they get paid seriously well with many perks on the side) how can they expect their sons and daughters to abandon their own brattishness and queue up to the polling booth with a mature choice in mind? The appeal of partying all night in this age of techno-wizardry is far outweighing any thought of joining in the dry debate of creepy old fogies.
These are only a few of the flaws of democracy but inherent in these imperfections is the rationale of the last few inspired people to just not bother trying to topple the culture of corruption, barefaced in its distinctiveness and shameless in its tedious power-mongering.
Given the self-protective measures each successive government imposes, any overhaul of this ship of state is absurd to imagine. It is at our peril that we have allowed this entrenchment.
So while the elder, burger-faced statesmen are acting like juvenile brats in their name-calling and catty remarks in the House (for which they get paid seriously well with many perks on the side) how can they expect their sons and daughters to abandon their own brattishness and queue up to the polling booth with a mature choice in mind? The appeal of partying all night in this age of techno-wizardry is far outweighing any thought of joining in the dry debate of creepy old fogies.
These are only a few of the flaws of democracy but inherent in these imperfections is the rationale of the last few inspired people to just not bother trying to topple the culture of corruption, barefaced in its distinctiveness and shameless in its tedious power-mongering.
Given the self-protective measures each successive government imposes, any overhaul of this ship of state is absurd to imagine. It is at our peril that we have allowed this entrenchment.
PUPPET MAN ACCOSTED BY FOUR POLICE FOR BUSKING
As a long time resident of the Commercial Drive Area, and a former member of the Local resident's association (GWAC) I wish to express my dismay at the actions I witnessed on Friday June 15th at approximately 6:30 PM.
A busker with disabilities (many of us on the Drive know him simply as the old man with the puppets) was accosted by no less than four police officers.
His crime? Busking near the liquor store under the "safe streets act".
When I asked one of the officers why? He said: "We had to come because they called us" (pointing to the Liquor Store).
In response, I called George Hayman - manager at the BC liquor store on the Drive. He did not care about the disabled man, didn't seem interested in my complaint and blamed the Commercial Drive Business Association's private security guards which now regularly patrol the Drive harassing panhandlers, buskers, and anyone who doesn't have that Kitsilano shopping and spending gaze.
The Drive has long been a tolerant community. Not any more, if you are poor, disabled, and doing your best to make ends meet through busking, the business community has a message for you: Get lost or we will sick the police on you. The Drive will be gentrified for the rich property owners and to hell with the marginalised.
Where is our so called "progressive" COPE City Hall members? And what about our so-called progressive MP and MLA?
We need action to stop the harassment of the marginalised and those who cannot afford $1500 + a month in rent.
Express your outrage, call and complain.
STOP THE SWEEPS
BC Liquour Store (DRIVE), George Hayman (Manager): 604-660-9088
Grandview Woodlands Community Policing Centre 604 717-2932
(The CPC supports sweeps of the Drive and is against poor people,
panhandlers and buskers)
COPE (your so called progressive City Hall members) 604-255-0400
-P Lyons
Copwatch mailing list Copwatch@lists.resist.ca
https://lists.resist.ca/mailman/listinfo/copwatch
A busker with disabilities (many of us on the Drive know him simply as the old man with the puppets) was accosted by no less than four police officers.
His crime? Busking near the liquor store under the "safe streets act".
When I asked one of the officers why? He said: "We had to come because they called us" (pointing to the Liquor Store).
In response, I called George Hayman - manager at the BC liquor store on the Drive. He did not care about the disabled man, didn't seem interested in my complaint and blamed the Commercial Drive Business Association's private security guards which now regularly patrol the Drive harassing panhandlers, buskers, and anyone who doesn't have that Kitsilano shopping and spending gaze.
The Drive has long been a tolerant community. Not any more, if you are poor, disabled, and doing your best to make ends meet through busking, the business community has a message for you: Get lost or we will sick the police on you. The Drive will be gentrified for the rich property owners and to hell with the marginalised.
Where is our so called "progressive" COPE City Hall members? And what about our so-called progressive MP and MLA?
We need action to stop the harassment of the marginalised and those who cannot afford $1500 + a month in rent.
Express your outrage, call and complain.
STOP THE SWEEPS
BC Liquour Store (DRIVE), George Hayman (Manager): 604-660-9088
Grandview Woodlands Community Policing Centre 604 717-2932
(The CPC supports sweeps of the Drive and is against poor people,
panhandlers and buskers)
COPE (your so called progressive City Hall members) 604-255-0400
-P Lyons
Copwatch mailing list Copwatch@lists.resist.ca
https://lists.resist.ca/mailman/listinfo/copwatch
Stranded in Space
-stories re space station derived from NASA site.
The two astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are eagerly anticipating the arrival of NASA’s space shuttle Discovery and their first human visitors in more than two months.
No Take-Off soon to bring relief to the men up there.
ISS Expedition 11 commander Sergei Krikalev and flight engineer John Phillips said they look forward to nightly dinners with Discovery’s STS-114 astronauts, and are planning something special to welcome the shuttle crew aboard.
“If I told you now, it wouldn’t be a surprise,” Phillips told reporters Friday during a space-to-ground news conference. “But I do have a surprise for them.”
Discovery’s STS-114 mission, commanded by veteran astronaut Eileen Collins, is slated to launch on July 13 at 3:51 p.m. EDT (1951 GMT) and dock at the ISS two days later. In addition to testing out new orbital tools and procedures to inspect and repair space shuttles, Collins and her crewmates will deliver a cargo pod full of much-needed supplies, experiments and replacement parts to the ISS.
“I’m looking forward to seeing my colleagues up here, and seeing another seven faces,” Phillips said, adding that he has been collecting his supply of Mexican food for a theme dinner with the shuttle astronauts.
Krikalev and Phillips have lived aboard the ISS since mid-April, and are expected to be the last two-person crew to maintain the orbital facility. A third crew member, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Reiter, is slated to join them during NASA’s STS-121 shuttle flight aboard Atlantis, which is currently set to launch no earlier than Sept. 9.
The two astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are eagerly anticipating the arrival of NASA’s space shuttle Discovery and their first human visitors in more than two months.
No Take-Off soon to bring relief to the men up there.
ISS Expedition 11 commander Sergei Krikalev and flight engineer John Phillips said they look forward to nightly dinners with Discovery’s STS-114 astronauts, and are planning something special to welcome the shuttle crew aboard.
“If I told you now, it wouldn’t be a surprise,” Phillips told reporters Friday during a space-to-ground news conference. “But I do have a surprise for them.”
Discovery’s STS-114 mission, commanded by veteran astronaut Eileen Collins, is slated to launch on July 13 at 3:51 p.m. EDT (1951 GMT) and dock at the ISS two days later. In addition to testing out new orbital tools and procedures to inspect and repair space shuttles, Collins and her crewmates will deliver a cargo pod full of much-needed supplies, experiments and replacement parts to the ISS.
“I’m looking forward to seeing my colleagues up here, and seeing another seven faces,” Phillips said, adding that he has been collecting his supply of Mexican food for a theme dinner with the shuttle astronauts.
Krikalev and Phillips have lived aboard the ISS since mid-April, and are expected to be the last two-person crew to maintain the orbital facility. A third crew member, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Reiter, is slated to join them during NASA’s STS-121 shuttle flight aboard Atlantis, which is currently set to launch no earlier than Sept. 9.
NASA report on Current Crew of Space Station
International Space Station Status Report #05-36
4:30 p.m. CDT, Friday, July 15, 2005
Expedition 11 Crew
The International Space Station Expedition 11 crew worked this week on final preparations for the arrival of the Space Shuttle Discovery on its STS-114 Return to Flight mission, now on hold.
Commander Sergei Krikalev and NASA Science Officer John Phillips worked to wrap up packing of items to be returned to Earth on Discovery, while continuing their scientific experiments, physical exercises and routine Station maintenance.
On Friday, the crew tested their Soyuz capsule's motion control system. The test was in preparation for a relocation of the Soyuz spacecraft. The Soyuz is the crew's lifeboat in the event an evacuation of the Station is needed and is the crew's ride home at the end of its six-month stay on the orbiting laboratory.
4:30 p.m. CDT, Friday, July 15, 2005
Expedition 11 Crew
The International Space Station Expedition 11 crew worked this week on final preparations for the arrival of the Space Shuttle Discovery on its STS-114 Return to Flight mission, now on hold.
Commander Sergei Krikalev and NASA Science Officer John Phillips worked to wrap up packing of items to be returned to Earth on Discovery, while continuing their scientific experiments, physical exercises and routine Station maintenance.
On Friday, the crew tested their Soyuz capsule's motion control system. The test was in preparation for a relocation of the Soyuz spacecraft. The Soyuz is the crew's lifeboat in the event an evacuation of the Station is needed and is the crew's ride home at the end of its six-month stay on the orbiting laboratory.
15 Dawns in Space
The concept of a "day" aboard an orbiting spacecraft is a little abstract: every 24 hours, astronauts on board the ISS will experience 15 dawns as the station speeds around the world. But human beings have been conditioned by millions of years of evolution to a 24-hour daily cycle, and so-called circadian rhythms of waking and sleeping are hard-wired into our brains and bodies. So astronauts work and sleep to fixed schedules that match these ancient rhythms. Any other arrangement would soon have crews living in a state of permanent jet lag.
24 hours lost in space
The crew are awoken by an alarm each "morning" - perhaps interrupting the dreams of weightlessness that many astronauts experience - and stir out of their beds to begin their day. Most astronauts would have hooked their sleeping bags to a wall the night before. Sleep spots need to be carefully chosen - somewhere in line with an ventilator fan is essential. The airflow may make for a draughty night's sleep but warm air does not rise in space so astronauts in badly-ventilated sections end up surrounded by a bubble of their own exhaled carbon dioxide. The result is oxygen starvation: at best, they will wake up with a splitting headache, gasping for air.
A few brave souls try floating free, but their sleep is likely to be interrupted by collision with an air filter that is trying to suck them into its grill. Along with other station equipment, all these fans and air filters make for a noisy night - some astronauts have compared duty on a space station to living inside a giant vacuum cleaner - so some of the crew prefer to sleep with earplugs. But most eventually acclimatise to the noise, just as people on Earth get used to living on a main road. The background sound of these systems dedicated to keeping them alive actually seems reassuring.
Once stirred, the astronauts tend to adopt a foetus-like posture as they move weightlessly about the station. Sometimes referred to unflatteringly as the "simian hunch", it seems to be the natural human attitude in microgravity; perhaps it really is an echo of the weightless months that every growing embryo spends floating in its mother's womb.
The crew dress as quickly as they can: no easy task when your limbs float out at odd angles. They wear disposable clothes, replacing them once every three days: there are no washing machines in space. But the ISS does have a shower. Water squirts out of the "top" to be sucked down by an air fan at the "bottom". The shower has to be used sparingly to conserve water, but it is a luxury item that earlier space pioneers would have envied. and today's astronauts cherish.
For the men on board, wet shaving remains a laborious task. Surface tension generally keeps water and shaving cream stuck to an astronaut's face, while cream and stubble stick to the razor blade until wiped on a towel which is then rolled up to prevent the deposits escaping. Electric shaving is also possible, although it has to be done next to a suction fan to ensure the hairs don't float away. Many male astronauts prefer to shave as little as possible, and all agree that it's one area in which their female colleagues have all the advantages.
A few brave souls try floating free, but their sleep is likely to be interrupted by collision with an air filter that is trying to suck them into its grill. Along with other station equipment, all these fans and air filters make for a noisy night - some astronauts have compared duty on a space station to living inside a giant vacuum cleaner - so some of the crew prefer to sleep with earplugs. But most eventually acclimatise to the noise, just as people on Earth get used to living on a main road. The background sound of these systems dedicated to keeping them alive actually seems reassuring.
Once stirred, the astronauts tend to adopt a foetus-like posture as they move weightlessly about the station. Sometimes referred to unflatteringly as the "simian hunch", it seems to be the natural human attitude in microgravity; perhaps it really is an echo of the weightless months that every growing embryo spends floating in its mother's womb.
The crew dress as quickly as they can: no easy task when your limbs float out at odd angles. They wear disposable clothes, replacing them once every three days: there are no washing machines in space. But the ISS does have a shower. Water squirts out of the "top" to be sucked down by an air fan at the "bottom". The shower has to be used sparingly to conserve water, but it is a luxury item that earlier space pioneers would have envied. and today's astronauts cherish.
For the men on board, wet shaving remains a laborious task. Surface tension generally keeps water and shaving cream stuck to an astronaut's face, while cream and stubble stick to the razor blade until wiped on a towel which is then rolled up to prevent the deposits escaping. Electric shaving is also possible, although it has to be done next to a suction fan to ensure the hairs don't float away. Many male astronauts prefer to shave as little as possible, and all agree that it's one area in which their female colleagues have all the advantages.
Space Meals
Then comes the day's first of three meals. Space food has vastly improved in taste and variety since the purely freeze-dried days of the Apollo missions. But space meals are prepared and eaten under the same basic restrictions: food and drink has to be somehow confined, or else it will wander off around the station. This is obviously messy and unhygienic; but if free-falling food gets into station equipment, it can also be dangerous. So drinks and soup are served in plastic bags and sipped with straws. But with a little care, astronauts can eat more solid dishes with a knife and fork - magnets keep the utensils from floating away from the dining table. Prolonged microgravity dulls tastebuds, so spicy food is usually a crew favourite.
After eating, astronauts settle down to the assigned tasks of the day, either supervising experiments or performing routine maintenance on station equipment. It takes a complex array of machinery to keep people alive and well in orbit. Daily, each human breathes the equivalent of 0.9 kg. of liquid oxygen - enough air to fill a 3.5 cubic metre room - and drinks a total of 2.7 kg of water. To minimize on resupply needs, the ISS life-support systems are designed to recycle as much as possible. Waste water from urine and moisture condensed from the air is either purified and reused direct, or broken down by electrolysis to provide fresh oxygen. Carbon dioxide 'scrubbers' chemically remove that toxic gas from the air.
One substance that is not recycled on ISS is solid human waste: it is collected, compressed and stored for disposal. The space toilet that does the collecting has a somewhat intimidating appearance. But it is a huge improvement on the sanitary arrangements that earlier astronauts had to endure. When power failures on Mir forced cosmonauts to fall back on emergency plastic bags, morale plummeted until their orbiting "convenience" was back on line.
After eating, astronauts settle down to the assigned tasks of the day, either supervising experiments or performing routine maintenance on station equipment. It takes a complex array of machinery to keep people alive and well in orbit. Daily, each human breathes the equivalent of 0.9 kg. of liquid oxygen - enough air to fill a 3.5 cubic metre room - and drinks a total of 2.7 kg of water. To minimize on resupply needs, the ISS life-support systems are designed to recycle as much as possible. Waste water from urine and moisture condensed from the air is either purified and reused direct, or broken down by electrolysis to provide fresh oxygen. Carbon dioxide 'scrubbers' chemically remove that toxic gas from the air.
One substance that is not recycled on ISS is solid human waste: it is collected, compressed and stored for disposal. The space toilet that does the collecting has a somewhat intimidating appearance. But it is a huge improvement on the sanitary arrangements that earlier astronauts had to endure. When power failures on Mir forced cosmonauts to fall back on emergency plastic bags, morale plummeted until their orbiting "convenience" was back on line.
Fastened to Space Toilets
Space toilets do not use water. Instead, astronauts must first fasten themselves to the toilet seat, which is equipped with spring-loaded restraining bars to ensure a good seal. A lever operates a powerful fan and a suction hole slides open: the air stream carries the waste neatly away. Some crew members find the toilet difficult to get used to. As well as the device itself, they have to accustom themselves to the disconcerting fact that their bowels actually float inside their bodies - like the rest of their internal organs and of course everything else on board.
A less stressful daily routine involves exercise. The human body loses muscle and bone in weightlessness; a few hours of daily exercise helps to keep some tone in muscles that would otherwise see little use. Exercise also helps relieve the so-called "space snuffles", caused when body fluids, no longer tugged downward by gravity, accumulate in the head. Like the old Russian Mir station, ISS has a treadmill; it also has an exercise bike. Astronauts have to strap themselves down to the exercise machines, of course: unrestrained, their own efforts would make them float away.
Generally, days in orbit are busy - and when heavy equipment has to be moved, they can be exhausting, too. Just because a crate of scientific gear is weightless doesn't mean that it has lost its mass. Astronauts have to pull and push against inertia, and they are often working in strange positions for which human muscles are not well adapted.
Still, the crew will normally have some free time before bed. These hours are precious: this is when they might write emails home, watch DVDs, or transmit just for fun on ham radio. People on Earth can do these things too, of course. But ground dwellers cannot hope to share the most popular leisure pursuit in space: just watching the Earth turning below. Astronauts swear that the view is never dull.
SURPRISE. SURPRISE.
Wouldn’t we all be just so surprised to learn that dna from the Hells Angels clubhouses matched some of the DNA found at the Pictin pig farm? Nah. Couldn’t be.
A less stressful daily routine involves exercise. The human body loses muscle and bone in weightlessness; a few hours of daily exercise helps to keep some tone in muscles that would otherwise see little use. Exercise also helps relieve the so-called "space snuffles", caused when body fluids, no longer tugged downward by gravity, accumulate in the head. Like the old Russian Mir station, ISS has a treadmill; it also has an exercise bike. Astronauts have to strap themselves down to the exercise machines, of course: unrestrained, their own efforts would make them float away.
Generally, days in orbit are busy - and when heavy equipment has to be moved, they can be exhausting, too. Just because a crate of scientific gear is weightless doesn't mean that it has lost its mass. Astronauts have to pull and push against inertia, and they are often working in strange positions for which human muscles are not well adapted.
Still, the crew will normally have some free time before bed. These hours are precious: this is when they might write emails home, watch DVDs, or transmit just for fun on ham radio. People on Earth can do these things too, of course. But ground dwellers cannot hope to share the most popular leisure pursuit in space: just watching the Earth turning below. Astronauts swear that the view is never dull.
SURPRISE. SURPRISE.
Wouldn’t we all be just so surprised to learn that dna from the Hells Angels clubhouses matched some of the DNA found at the Pictin pig farm? Nah. Couldn’t be.
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