Star Wars archaeology not so far far away
After a recent discovery by archaeologists, people are left wondering if Jurassic Park and Star Wars are really just mindless entertainment. Scientists recently uncovered the fossilized remains of two ancient creatures which roamed the earth long long ago. To their surprise these fossils bear remarkable resemblance to certain critters still visible today. Science loves to name its discoveries with Latin names, and based on inscriptions found on the artifacts they have dubbed these relics as "Receptis 2 Dumpi 2" (R2D2) and "Receptis Rubbi 4 Usus" (RR4U).
Today these creatures can be found in parks all across our nation. They urge you to get up close and feed these creatures to help preserve them for future generations to enjoy. R2D2 Units amid the plains of west Texas. These units were far more mobile than their cousins, the RR4U units. RR4U Units among the headlands of Oregon. More stationary than their plains counterparts they are often seen lounging under trees.
The trashy side of the Oregon coast
Each year Oregonians volunteer to clean up the tons of trash which finds its way onto the beaches of this beautiful state. Known as the "Spring Beach Cleanup" this years' annual event was held on March 29. Quoting from their website (http://www.solv.org; SOLV means, Stop Oregon Litter & Vandalism), here's a sampling of what happened: "Despite, wind, snow, rain, hail and slick streets almost 3,700 brave and hearty volunteers turned out to do their part to make the 24th Great Oregon Spring Beach Cleanup a success. The entire Oregon coastline, 362 miles, was cleaned of debris that had accumulated during the stormy winter months. Volunteers removed an estimated 111,000 pounds of trash from Oregon's coastline. ...cleaning an odd assortment of items including a bathtub drain, freezer door, pesticide applicator, plastic children’s toys... a live Humpback whale tangled in fishing line... large amounts of Styrofoam and thousands of plastic bottles." Oregon has its trashy side, but thank God for the volunteers who show up to clean up.