I will be on live on their 5pm newscast and via tape at 6 and 10 o'clock. I'll be talking about Warnings  and how a volcano warning system could be set up in the United States.

The red line is the Arctic ice in 2010. It is now the greatest extent since this particular record began being kept in 2002. I guess we can "cool" the overheated rhetoric about the ice "disappearing."

While Andrew and I were shooting photos in the Flint Hills yesterday, 50 mi. to the west a celebration was taking place: The 40th anniversary of the successful conclusion Apollo 13 mission at the Kansas Cosmosphere .  The Wichita Eagle and Hutchinson News have complete coverage, just clock on the colored links. The Eagle  has additional photos here .  You'll recall that Apollo 13 was the mission to the moon that suffered an in-flight explosion on the way. The mission had to be aborted and the astronauts barely made it back alive. It was the subject of the wonderful Tom Hanks' movie Apollo 13 .  Yesterday's event featured the astronauts, Gene Kranz the flight director (memorably played by Ed Harris in the movie), and the behind-the-scenes people who made the safe return possible.  The Eagle  reported it was the first time astronaut Haise (played by Bill Paxton in the movie) saw the restored capsule since climbing out of it exactly 40 years before.  ...

Warnings  is now being sold at the Gallery at Cottonwood Falls.  Details here .

My nephew, Andrew Vogliardo, is going to study photography at Kansas State University in the fall.  Like me, he also enjoys trains. So, we met in Cottonwood Falls and spent the day taking pictures in the Flint Hills . The following photographs are Andrew's. Click to enlarge any of them. The colors of the Flint Hills. Kansas 177 - The Flint Hills Scenic Byway. The Flint Hills are the summer home of literally hundreds of thousands of head of cattle where they graze on the rich prairie grass and roam the wide open spaces.  Don't think cattle can gallop? Just watch them when they are being released from the cattle truck into the wide open Flint Hills! We'll have more from Andrew later.  Thanks, Nephew!

On the way back from the Flint Hills, I heard on the radio news that more than three-quarters of Europe's flights will be grounded tomorrow due to volcanic ash and that the problem may continue for "days or weeks." The newscast also said that "travel chaos" existed due to the groundings. And, that chaos exists even with  Europe's enviable network of high speed passenger trains. I wonder how many Americans realize exactly the same thing will (not "could," given enough time "will") happen here. A map of potentially active volcanoes in the U.S. is here . California's is below. Alaska has the greatest number of volcanoes. Will travel chaos reign in the U.S. when one of these erupts? You betcha! Remember, the winds blow from west to east. So, the ash from any of these will cover most of the rest of the the U.S. (and, perhaps, parts of Canada and Mexico), grounding a tremendous number of flights. While the U.S. has a great network of ...

After a day in the wonderful Flint Hills and Cottonwood Falls (my favorite Kansas small town), Kathleen and I enjoyed dinner at Red Rock Canyon Restaurant . I'll be posting more about the trip later tonight or in the morning. Red Rock this evening seemed to be "prom central" -- the place was packed with beautiful young women and handsome young men enjoying or, attempting to enjoy, the evening. But, both of us noticed a number of young men who looked very awkward and didn't seem to be enjoying themselves. Now, I know what you young men are thinking about:  What does this old guy have to say that could affect my image as a studly young man? Without recounting my history, certain things are timeless!  Here is Mike's guide to being a successful prom date: 1.  Make sure your clothes fit. This may be the first suit you wear or the first tux you rent.  Some of what I saw this evening looked 3 sizes too large. Don't buy a suit to "grow into." Here is ...