"if I only could I'd make a deal with god / get him to swap our places / be running up that hill"

One theory for the universal drop in USA crime rates since 1990: leaded gasoline. (via)

Map of all stars within 20 lightyears. My source, which is worth reading, comments:

I love the names of these nearby stars! Some I knew: Vega, Altair, Fomalhaut, Alpha Centauri, Sirius, Procyon, Denebola, Pollux, Castor, Mizar, Aldebaran, Algol. But many I didn’t: Rasalhague, Skat, Gaorux, Pherkad, Thuban, Phact, Alphard, Wazn, and Algieba! How come none of the science fiction I’ve read uses these great names?

Good question, Mr. Baez -- good question.

Maps of the plots of the first Star Wars trilogy. (via)

---L.