Eilene Galloway
In 1958 President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law. NASA came into being soon afterwards. Dr. Eilene Galloway was instrumental in crafting the philosophy and approach to America’s space program, turning a reaction born of fear from the threat of Sputnik towards a focus on peaceful exploration. Galloway died on May 2nd. She was 102. Her government work in space policy is well documented, being public record, but it took a little digging to find out more about how she got there. There are transcripts online of oral histories she has given and scattered information in obituaries.

Galloway was born on May 4, 1906 (so she was practically 103!) in Kansas City, Missouri. Her father was in the Marine Corps and she had no siblings so her mother raised her alone. She was captain of the high school debate team and attended Washington University in St. Louis, transferring to Swarthmore College and graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1928 with a political science degree. She credits a Swarthmore honors program with providing the background in indisciplinary research that gave her the skills to determine how to organize the government to form a successful space program. She taught at Swarthmore after graduation. She and her husband, George Barnes Galloway, moved to D.C. in 1931 where she worked for Federal Emergency Relief Administration during the Great Depression.

Galloway was working as the National Defense Analyst in the Library of Congress when she wrote “Guided Missiles in Foreign Countries” shortly before Sputnik launched. Senator Lyndon B. Johnson asked her to consult for and then serve on the committees formed to discuss the country’s readiness for the space race. From there, Galloway, born only a few years after the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, became “The Grand Matriarch of Space Law” authoring legislation that propelled the country into that new frontier. She consistently argued for the continuation of peace in space, opposing the idea of occupation or sovereignty claims by nations. Swarthmore awarded her an honorary doctorate in 1992. Galloway attributed her longevity to good genes, but also quipped “I drank a lot of milk and I didn’t smoke.” She consulted Marcus Aurelius‘ The Meditations when in need of guidance. (Sources: oral history transcripts 1, 2 SpaceRef obituary 100th birthday inteview Aviation Week obituary)

The N.Y. Times’ Room for Debate blog had four experts express their views on China’s shift from traditional to simplified Chinese characters which began in the 1950s and is now being furthered by a government movement to simplify names that use characters that don’t exist in the official database. The more interesting discussion is of course in the reader comments, 121 and counting, including views from those brought up in Taiwan and Hong Kong where traditional characters are used.

Finding sea glass is my favorite part of beachcombing. My small collection has white, green, brown, and blue frosty pieces from east and west coasts. Many these little beauties originate from garbage piles, from a time when the ocean was the town dump (this behavior persists: in one day last year, volunteers collected 168,849 glass bottles from American beaches). Expert sea glass collectors often keep their favorite locations secret, but there are characteristics and times of year to look out for. Old seaport towns and resorts, very low tides. One collector has her husband look up historical records for old dumping sites. My favorite, and one of the more famous locations, Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, CA is now a State Park and gathering is no longer permitted, though I will venture a guess that it is still practiced.

It’s a “Ring” cycle year at the Seattle Opera and they’re seeking an opera novice to attend all four operas (that’s 15 hours of Wagner) and share the experience in an online video. “Love of social networking—whether it’s through blogging, Facebook, or Twitter—and a desire to share his or her experiences through those media is essential.” Applicants can send in a short video before Wagner’s birthday (May 22nd) or attend the casting call on May 15th. Only those aged 18 – 30 need apply. I wonder if they’ll let the person rudely send tweets during the performance (“OMG that guy is totally in love with his sister! oops! spoiler, sorry!”). (pdf press release)

The last incandescent lightbulbs are now gone from Grand Central Station with the switchover to compact flourescents in the 10 Beaux-Arts chandeliers in the main concourse. Those lights stay on 24/7 with six “wiremen” employed make sure they’re lit, even after the flourescent changeover.

This elegant foosball table is made of stainless steel, aluminum, and safety glass. Only $17,790! You get a selection of different metal colors for your players. (similarly: Teckell’s see-thru tables)

Michelle Rosen and David Zornitsky had a candyland wedding at Dylan’s Candy Bar in New York under a canopy of balloons and enormous Whirly Pops. The bride carried a bouquet of sweets and wore the dress designed for Project Runway’s Hershey’s challenge by contestant Kit. (By the way, Paula Abdul owns the winning dress from that Project Runway episode).

From Time magazine’s Obama’s 100 Days Behind the Scenes photos: “All who enter the Oval Office, Roosevelt Room and Cabinet Room are asked to leave their mobile devices in baskets like these, stationed around the West Wing.”

Blackberry vines clog the empty lots and roadsides of the Pacific Northwest. When I moved here I thought they were a native feature. I enjoy the berry season, picking ’em for free on walks, eating ’em raw and making cobbler. On Wednesday as an Earth Day gesture, my co-workers and I spent half the day clearing blackberry thickets from alongside the Sammamish River. These blackberries that have taken over the region are actually not native. The Himalayan and evergreen blackberry were brought to the U.S. in the late 1800s to cultivate for fruit. The plants spread aggressively and are difficult to control. The canes reach rapidly over fences, even roofs. Any bit that touches the ground can take root and spread further. The dense tangle of branches block sunlight and choke other plants. After searching in our own yard a few years ago for the Mother Plant that all our blackberry vines branched from, I theorized that there is one true Mother Plant somewhere in the U.S., still sending out shoots.

If you’re determined to call CitiField, new home of the N.Y. Mets, Shea, then you’ve got plenty of company and opportunity to purchase an “I’m Calling It Shea” t-shirt.