Alexander Stuart

This absolutely hilarious P-P-P-Paul Ryan music video gives us a little taste of the America of the 1950s - or is it the 1850s? - that Paul Ryan would love to take us back to, in terms of limiting welfare, women's rights, worker's rights...you name it. Written by the extremely talented  Anna Callegari and Doug Widick , the video was directed by Dan De Lorenzo. Here's hoping Ayn Rand...sorry, Paul Ryan BOMBS in the debate tonight.

Nebula IC 1396 by  space photographer  J-P Metsävainio . This stunning 3D GIF animation of Nebula IC 1396 in the Cepheus Constellation was created by " Astro Anarchy " space photographer  J-P Metsävainio . It is truly mesmerizing and beautiful to look at. For more of  Metsävainio 's remarkable images of space, please visit his blog, Astro Anarchy.   With NASA's valiant Voyager 1 spacecraft, originally launched in 1977, about to leave the solar system and enter a new zone of outer space and the Milky Way, who knows what we will learn? Our cosmos is an astounding and humbling place - and our lives unfold within it (most likely in more dimensions than we know), although many of us rarely stop to think about that.

I love this Deadmau5 electro track, CLOSER , which riffs on the alien landing from Steven Spielberg's magical Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It brings back the fun and wonder of seeing that movie for the first time. If you've never seen it, watch it - and in the meantime here is the YouTube link for the alien landing sequence that inspired Deadmau5. Note that there were no FEMALE scientists in evidence back in 1977! I recently saw that Deadmau5 is one of the world's highest paid deejays - with earnings around $11 million per year, I believe!

Today is not only President Obama's first - and hopefully decisive - debate with Mitt Romney, but also his 20th Wedding Anniversary with First Lady Michelle Obama. No doubt she will be wondering why their special dinner is delayed. Aside from wishing them both a very happy anniversary, I also hope that, with the debate, President Obama opens up his lead in the national and swing state polls by as wide a margin as possible. They say that debates can only account for a 3 or 4 point swing - but that would double Barack Obama's lead over Mitt Romney to 8 points, which would be fine for now. I'm looking for a landslide Democratic win on November 6, not just for President Obama but for a powerful Democratic Congress for him to work with.  Barack Obama has endured four years of abuse and obstruction from the Republican Party (the ridiculous "birther" controversy - racism in sheep's clothing - to name but one). November 6 is the day to correct that. May

Copyright 2012 Alexander Chow-Stuart. A particularly stunning sunset over Phoenix Lake. It makes life that much more wonderful.