An Earth-like, rocky planet (five times larger than the one from which I write,) was recently discovered by astronomers. The thing that fascinated me was the method scientists use to discover these new planets, billions of miles away…

“It was discovered using a technique called ‘gravitational microlensing,’ whereby light from a distant star is bent and magnified by the gravitational field of a foreground star. The presence of a planet around the foreground star causes light from the distant star to become momentarily brighter.” — Space.com

This makes absolutely no sense to me, but I’m thrilled that humans are smart enough to figure out what it is, and how it works.

Detroit is hosting the Superbowl this year, and decided they need more parking. So today, they tore down the long-abandoned Motown Records headquarters.

Nobody checked the building first to see if anything important could be saved, and as a result filing cabinets, desks and closets gave up their dusty contents as the wrecking balls set them free. Hundreds of pieces of paper blew across the industrial wasteland including recording schedules for the Supremes, business reports for Gladys Knight and the Pips, an envelope addressed to Stevie Wonder, and who knows what else.

How surreal, to imagine those papers – items that many would consider treasures – blowing through the empty lots and burned out buildings of chilly Detroit.

Evanston has a family of jet black squirrels. Year after year, as I drive up Sheridan Road, I see them running around the yard of one giant, old building on the Northwestern campus. I don’t know why, but it makes me smile to think about these little guys – generations of them – all living in the same few trees.