With my recent slump in posting threatening to extend to a full month (gotta keep that moon theme going), I have been receiving quite a few questions about what I am thinking about the most important topics of the summer:

1. what do I think of the Beijing Olympics?

2. what do I think of Joe Biden?

3. what happened to the pics of Hugh Jackman in his Speedo?

I will address these issues in ascending order of cultural importance:

First, Hugh Jackman never was a regular contibutor to this site. Although in X-Men he played Wolverine, which looked like Wolfman, which depends on the full moon, his actual connection to this site derived from a SINGLE IMAGE contributed by a faithful member of the readerboat, in an attempt to forever burn this photo into our collective visual memory. Apparently she succeeded, because searchers are still arriving weekly lifting up the corners of my virtual doormat hoping to find Hugh around somewhere. However Jackman has been given his unconditional release.

Second, Beijing. Awesome. I have been watching almost every evening. Go Michael! Go Nastia! Go Usain "Lightning" Bolt. And relay-team members everywhere, "Work on those exchanges!" because like the NBA star who misses a free throw during Game Seven of the finals, or a MLB pitcher who fails to lay down a bunt that could a World Series game, fundamentals still matter. No matter how world-recordy you are, if you drop the baton or step into the adjacent lane, you're not going to medal. And if Shawn Johnson from West Des Moines, Iowa, (asked by Bob Costas, if she would be trying for the London 2012 Games she replied that participating in the Beijing Olympics has been the most wonderful feelings she has ever experienced and that if she had a chance to feel that way again she would be willing to work very, very hard to get there) is not the poster child for what is right with America, we haven't been paying attention.

Third, Joe Biden. Stand-up guy. Lots of experience. Career politician in DC. What's it all mean? I think it just means that Barack wants to win. But I like Biden and think he's a good pick. (I was pulling for Janet Napolitano, Gov. of Arizona, but she was never seriously mentioned).

Got a request for the list of all the moon names.

Click on my Links (on the left, below the Gord favorites list). It's a link to Farmer's Almanac page listing this year's moon names. They're all there for this year. The only thing to be careful about is the dates are sometimes one night off of what it looks like. For example, if the full moon occurs at 5 a.m. on the 15th of the month, then that is actually the night of the 14th. Unless you get up REAL early. That will be the case with next month's Harvest Moon.

Look for full moon tonight if it's clear: Sturgeon Moon. No caviar, just lake sturgeon, a fish plentiful and easy to catch for Native Americans back in the day. Not sure if they still go after them or not these days.

A friend was telling me a story of seeing Native Americans harvesting fish with "unsportsmanlike" methods on some of the lakes which he frequents in Minnesota. They don't have to follow the hunting and fishing rules or restrict their catches. He didn't think that was fair unless they also restrict themselves to the technology of the olden days. No explosives in the water and things like that.

I don't fish, though I do canoe up there whenever I can get there (hint: not this year), so it doesn't bother me. I usually side with Native American rights on things like this, figuring if they got all their land taken away and all they got was hunting and fishing rights (and ability to build casinos) we shouldn't complain when they exercise them.

Anyway, nice moon tonight and tomorrow.

Enjoy.