28: Autumn Splendor
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GEORGIA and NEW MEXICO
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Yesterday was the first day to vote in California; I am waiting for my mail-in ballot; ought to be here tomorrow or the next day.
ReplyDelete--alan
Minus two points for punctuation. Head still full of my Art homework of the day, which went well.
DeleteAlan
Well, first things first. 😊
DeleteI spent our very cool (low 50's) Monday afternoon digging dirt out of a garden, to make a 4" trench there (4' wide by 13.75' long) ahead of our heat pump system going in. We are going to put in pavers, and crushed stone where the condenser will be set.
ReplyDeleteIt's supposed to hit 77F and get humid here today. Argh!!
Incase you haven’t seen this:
ReplyDeleteWelch and other House Dems vow Kavanaugh investigation
https://vtdigger.org/2018/10/07/welch-house-dems-vow-kavanaugh-investigation/?utm_source=Seven+Days+Email+Newsletters&utm_campaign=57b28dc622-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_10_08_03_03&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_24eb556688-57b28dc622-308366733
Kavanaugh will be on the US supreme court for life. Here's how we fight back [Click] “We are in, it seems, for decades of misery for labor unions, voting rights and regulation of businesses. Or are we?”
ReplyDelete—Alan
Anonymous10/09/2018 12:58:00 AM
ReplyDeleteBill— Re Ceres vs. Pluto:
For one thing, when we were growing up, Ceres was classified as an asteroid, and Pluto as a planet. Ceres has gone through multiple designations and redesignations; for an exhaustive exposition, vide Wikipedia. And there is no reason it can't be a dwarf planet (the definition of which has not been constant) AND at the same time an asteroid! I guess the favoritism for Pluto is a matter of old times' sake. We were taught that Ceres is an asteroid and Pluto is a planet, and by gum that's the way it ought to be!
Exactly!
If memory serves (without checking Wikipedia), the four largest asteroids are all named for female deities. I myself would have no problem whatsoever with their being dwarf planets or indeed full fledged planets. Just return Pluto's status. There's no reason it can't be a planet and at the same time the gateway to the Kuyper Belt.
And slightly off topic, I understand that the old theory that there was a planet between Mars and Jupiter that was torn apart to form the asteroid belt is no longer considered credible, but I don't know what the current theory of the asteroids' formation might be. I had better go to Wikipedia and find out.
I'll have to dig it out, but there's a chapter in Asimov on Astronomy where he discusses an application of math to the solar system such that the position of planets can be predicted. Ceres and the outer planets fit the theory remarkably well. There might have been a bit of bother about Pluto not quite fitting the pattern, but I'll have to read the chapter again. And I think a chapter in another of his collections discusses this pattern theory as well. I shall investigate and report back
Catreona said:
DeleteIf memory serves (without checking Wikipedia), the four largest asteroids are all named for female deities. I myself would have no problem whatsoever with their being dwarf planets or indeed full fledged planets. Just return Pluto's status. There's no reason it can't be a planet and at the same time the gateway to the Kuyper Belt.
Checking Wikipedia to be sure my memory is correct, Ceres and Pluto are the only objects inside the Kuiper Belt that are recognized a dwarf planets and indeed the only two that have been observed in enough detail to be sure they meet the definition. (The Astronomical Union recognizes three Kuiper Belt objects as dwarf planets on the basis of their apparent size.) Now, it is by no means unreasonable to argue that dwarf planets should simply be considered planets, eliminating the second part of the definition. There are a number of reputable astronomers who take this position. But if you do, then Pluto is the tenth planet, not the ninth. And I consider that an important point.
I understand what Alan says about people wanting what they learned in school to be true forever. But I have lived long enough not to expect that to happen. (IIRC, there are now more than 48 stars in the US flag. And the words "under God" appear in the Pledge of Allegiance.)
All reasonable, Bill--but the words "under God" don't appear in my Pledge of Allegiance--they are an undeniable slap in the face for those non-Christians and their descendants who died fighting for their country--no small numbers of whom are buried under Christian grave markers. And I like Pluto.
DeleteAlan
That should read "...buried in our national cemeteries under Christian grave markers."
DeleteAlan
I was surprised to discover that "under God" was a late addition to the pledge of Allegiance, IIRC due in no small part to the efforts of the Knights of Columbus. It was due to those words that Phil refused to have anything to do with the Pledge of Allegiance. I grew up saying it that way, but can certainly see where the phrase is non-inclusive and offensive. Don't remember what the quarrel was all about, though it seems to me groups a whole lot more radical than the Knights of Columbus were also involved.
DeleteCat, they added it back in the 50's when I was around 11. Same time they put it on our money. It was because of the "Red Scare". People saw "Commies" under every bush.
DeleteAlan: So the Pledge of Allegiance has changed again? I didn't know that. But it's been a very long time since I had any reason to pay attention to it. (I agree, of course, that Eisenhower's change was a bad idea.)
DeleteI'm thinking he meant his personal version. . . .
DeleteYep. I remember when Mrs. Logan made the announcement on the first day of 8th grade Social Studies class. I wasn't old enough to understand at the time. I think one must cut the Knights of Columbus some slack, though; in those days many people still did not consider Italians to be white, let alone law abiding or patriotic. But at least they were not legally classified as unassimilable aliens, and could legally own real property.
DeleteAlan
Sis has me set up with what to read on finishing the Swallows and Amazons books, Green Nowe. Didn't read those books as a kid either. Considering what a voracious reader I've always been, it seems like I missed a whole lot. Well, better late than never.
ReplyDeleteBeware of the Kavanaugh Narratives [Click] "Traditionally, anger, frustration, disappointment and fear are stronger motivators than satisfaction, relief and euphoria. Democrats and liberals simply are more desperate than are conservatives and Republicans, which is one reason I doubt GOP turnout will match Democratic turnout.” About what I have been thinking; it has seemed to me that the stories about Republicans doing betters is simply good old pre-election horserace reporting.
ReplyDeleteDemocrats Maintain Strong Lead for Congress [Click]
Avenatti Taunts Donald Trump Jr. [Click] Avenatti DOES have a way with words…[chortle]
The House GOP Majority Is Crumbling [Click]
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"A new Democracy Corps survey [Click] in 12 battleground states finds President Trump has pushed up his job approval among his Evangelical and Tea Party base to 97%, but he’s down 13 points among the moderate, secular and Catholic conservatives… The results show that the Republican party is more divided than most think."
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Alan
It totally boggles my mind that Evangelicals approve of that whited, er, oranged sepulcher. Heartening that Catholics are backing away.
Delete=====================
ReplyDeleteFrom talkingpointsmemo.com
Nope. Still Makes No Sense.
Josh Marshall
"The most repeated explanations of Nikki Haley’s departure today are that she wanted to make money in the private sector or she wanted a ‘breather’. I just wanted to reiterate that this makes absolutely no sense. People do sometimes leave high profile positions for those reasons. But not without warning and not four weeks before an election. President Trump claims she gave him a heads up six months ago. But he’s a notorious liar. Various reports claim that neither John Bolton nor Secretary of State Pompeo knew anything about it. Apparently nobody did.
I’m not saying there’s some big scandal lurking here. But these explanations do not hold up. There’s certainly some as yet unknown driver of this decision."
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We’re now watching the President’s impromptu appearance with outgoing Ambassador Nikki Haley. The closest they’ve come to an answer is Haley saying she believes in rotating top officials with some regularity. She decided that four weeks before the election made sense. Meanwhile, CNN reports that both John Bolton and Mike Pompeo were taken by surprise by Haley’s announcement. Haley was effusive, going so far as to laud Jared Kushner as a “hidden genius.”
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Hurricane Michael upgraded to Category 3, voter registration deadline extended. Hmmm….. Is't the Florida Panhandle the more Republican part of the state?
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2020 CANDIDATES
Yep, they’re already running — especially two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who had visible roles during the Kavanaugh hearings.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., made a beeline from the Senate confirmation vote on Saturday for Iowa and the Democrats’ big fall fundraiser there.
“We’re not defined by a president who mocks a hero, Dr. (Christine) Blasey Ford. We’re not defined by a president who doesn’t believe women,” Booker told about 1,000 activists.
The next day, Sen. Kamala Harris turned up in politically important Ohio, where she reminded more than 1,000 of the party faithful at the Ohio Democratic Party’s fall fundraising dinner that she walked out of the Kavanaugh proceedings at one point because they had become “a sham and a disgrace.”
She said she doesn’t believe the Kavanaugh story is over.
“Truth is like the sun: It always comes up in the morning,” she said. “And on these issues that were presented during those hearings, I believe the truth will eventually reveal itself.”
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Hey, that's a good line, Sen. Harris!
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And now for a little more experimenting on my Art homework.
--Alan
God, please don't make me have to vote for either Cory Booker or Kamala Harris! I see them both as opportunists strictly in it for themselves.
ReplyDeleteSusan--I don't mind either of them in supporting roles...and here's another tidbit:
ReplyDeleteNikki Haley: the latest Trump enabler to ruin her shot at redemption [Click] By Richard Wolffe. Oh, boy, oh boy—he gives Trump and his hangers-on (and the GOP’s chances this November) both barrels, then reloads and gives them another dose. I had to look up his Wikipedia entry; here it is.[Click]
Alan
Roger Stone aide hopes Kavanaugh will support his case against Mueller
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cnn.com/2018/10/09/politics/roger-stone-aide-andrew-miller-radio-interview/
The NHK evening news is on now; they had a bit about Hurricane Michael--and pointed out that it is headed toward Trump voter country.
ReplyDelete--Alan
I stand corrected; here is a map of voter registration percentages across Florida [Click] Although it doesn't reflect total numbers of registered voters.
ReplyDelete—Alan
Hurricanes seem always to hit Democrats disproportionately. Just an impression. I have no data to back it up.
DeleteDems line up to take on Collins after Kavanaugh vote - Click
ReplyDeleteHere are a couple of reports:
ReplyDeleteHurricane Michael Threatens to Upend Florida Elections [Click]
A hurricane alarmingly late in the year is disrupting Florida’s midterm elections [Click]
—Alan