VIEW FROM THE MOON

Is there intelligent life on Earth?

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SPRINGTIME IN ITALY

Oh, God. The weather forecast is predicting snow again...snow! We've already been dumped with more snow than I can ever remember in one year in the Pacific Northwest, and now it's a week into March and we're in for more snow! We can't wait for springtime when we'll be traveling in Italy.

We'll be leaving our rain barrels and snow shovels behind. We'll be visiting the lakes, the mountains...climbing the goat trails of Cinque Terre, getting lost in Venice, sipping wine in Tuscany, dodging Vespas in Rome.


The history of Rome is fascinating. If you've watched the HBO mini-series you know it was filled with empire and intrigue and conquest and bare breasts. Plenty of bare breasts. But that wasn't the entire story.

To help us navigate the labyrinth of Roman History, we've enlisted the help of an old friend, Terry Jones. Terry is an historian, actor, screenwriter, comedian, director--and probably best known for being a member of the British comedy troupe Monty Python's Flying Circus. Here he gives is a little Roman history lesson.

THE SURPRISING HISTORY OF ROME

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART & HIS MAGIC BAND

This Saturday night is Music Movie Night, when we hang out with friends and screen classic and rare musical performances -- everything from old hophead blues to music from the distant future delivered by space aliens.

One such space alien is Captain Beefheart, recorded here at Cannes in 1968 (that year again!), playing some tripped-out avant blues from Alpha Centauri.

Although it appears as a single point to the naked eye, Alpha Centauri is actually a system of three stars, one of which is the fourth brightest star in the night sky.

The Captain and His Magic Band

SPACE TRAVEL

These bleak winter months in the Northwest I can't help think of travel -- trips I've taken, trips I plan to take -- and space travel comes to mind. "UFOs at the Zoo" is a record of space travelers, in a sense, but not the high-and-tight NASA jocks manning deathstars -- more like space gypsies. Here is a clip of a documentary about the Flaming Lips, which I got for my birthday.