Tags
airport security, astronomy, dark matter, environmentalism, feminism, GOP, Mike Huckabee, money laundering, religious right, Sarah Palin, science, terrorism, Tom Delay
At last, perhaps I can get a good night’s sleep again! I haven’t had one since that dark (pun) day in 1998, when I learned the awful truth: the universe seemed to be expanding at a faster and faster rate! My once cozy pulsing home was threatening to shred itself and leave me forlorn in an ever darkening sky as old friends rapidly flew off into a cold inky black.
Well, no more worries. It appears not to be happening. That demon “dark matter” is a truth we must accept, but it appears that the Alcock-Paczynski test may well prove that our universe is “flat” or what we used to call steady state or static. Just enough gravity, just enough dark matter to keep it in a comfortable rocking to and fro.
I know we just finished Thanksgiving, but this is a whole-nother-level of thanksgiving. I will never not see my beloved Orion, my dippers, my Pleiades. Oh sweet God, I knew you would come through. Let’s have a party!
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Speaking of Thanksgiving, hope your’s was a good one. Mine turned out most excellently. The meal was sublime, and we feasted until we could force in no more. We liked it so much, we are gonna do it all over again today! And Saturday, and Sunday. You see the method to my madness?
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I confess! I really do, or did, and am going to continue. I was simply delighted when I learned that “the Hammer” got hammered and may be heading for the slammer! Tom DeLay was convicted in that old state of Texas (good for something!) for money laundering. I don’t think they execute for that, money is God in Texas along with football you recall. But here’s lookin’ for some good old time for the man who thought he ruled the world when he was in Congress. Oh let the sentence be fair: LONG. (H/T to Crooks and Liars for the link)
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I have to give it to WordPress. The new linkage system is up and running, and they have added a few new features that don’t concern readers, but are certainly nice. One of which I think is not so new, but I just found out how to do it, and it sure speeds up my game. I can now reply to comments through e-mail which is soooo much faster than publishing replies again and again and waiting for it to refresh. Hurrah!
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Again from Crooks and Liars we get a link to Whiskey Fire and a post on our Sarah. It’s not what you might expect, but it’s an interesting take. I’m not sure how I feel about it. Are Dems the ones who have missed the chance to have a salacious babe mouthing their talking points? I would hate to think so. Yet the point is made, much of Sarah’s following has zero to do with policy or politics, it’s pure sexy appeal and the “it” factor.
AlterNet also has a nice piece on Sarah about her brand of “feminism” which amounts to nothing more than narcissism-namely hers. If it affects her, then it matters, if it doesn’t, than as the article says, “women suck it up and be strong”. Which explains why women don’t cotton to the Moosilla Maven so much.
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Speaking of snake-oil sales persons, I’ve decided that the “know what we are doing” crowd consists of Palin, Beck, O’Reilly, Coulter and probably most of the house and senate wacko-heads. Those that are seriously stupid include Hannity, Bachmann, O’Donnell. The aforementioned know they are bilking the US for as much as they can for as long as they can. The give not a rip about anyone. Bank accounts matter. Your list?
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Ahab at Republic of Gilead has a great post of a lecture he attended on Christian escatologies and environmental issues. It is really an eye-opener if you are puzzled why some sects of Christianity continue to literally ignore the damage we are doing. These don’t deny it’s happening so much as they don’t care and believe that we should not waste our time to help the planet heal. It’s an amazingly good read.
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And 180° it is. I’m going back to my original position on the airport patdowns. After watching Fox and jerks like Huckabee all malign the administration for this “outrage” I can but conclude that this is nothing much more than “any way at all to make Obama look bad.” Huck has demanded that Obama submit his family for this search if it’s all that good.
I guess Mikey was just trying to protect his son who got caught carrying a GUN in his luggage at Little Rock National Airport. What his son needs a concealed weapon for, (being a son of a preacher man) is beyond me, but we see where Mike is coming from.
While I conclude that there may be legitimate reasons why these searches aren’t as useful as they might be assumed, I’ll stick with support as long as the idiots at Foxy are trying to take down a President via this means. And something like 70+% of the public is behind the TSA on this. It was higher, but the rightwing (those bastions of security) has done its thing again.
Enough for now. Time to hit those leftovers again and watch a little more football.
Related Articles
- Dark energy on firmer footing (nature.com)
- Dark Energy Theory Gets a Boost From New Galactic Measurements | 80beats (blogs.discovermagazine.com)
Nice roundup. The Sarah Palin stuff is fascinating to me. I think it’s true that the Dems don’t have a “hot babe” of their own – Palin vs. say, Hillary, will always be the cheerleader vs. the nerd who got straight As. I personally would rather be led by someone who got straight As but then that’s me.
I agree on the TSA issue – the right will just use it as one more thing to beat on Obama with. And of course if he told the TSA to lighten up and then something happened, they’d be all over him about being lax on security. No matter what, he can’t win with them.
Maui, so very true, It’s a no-win for Obama. I am so sick of this GOP and their tactics. Even the newspapers are lambasting the GOP on the START treaty, and still they sit on their thumbs. Nasty bastards!
Thanks for the shout-out! Here’s to awesome Thanksgiving dinners, environmental awareness, and the Pleiades.
:: raises glass ::
Indeed Ahab, indeed!
may you have a wonderful holiday season – of course it would be more wonderful if Palin would go away – but we take solace in having each other.
as for the TSA – well i have a whole post about that – basically if you dont like the rules, dont fly
DC, that’s been my general feeling–nobody is making anybody fly. I’m not sure if it’s actually protecting us, but that’s really another question.
You too have a wonderful holiday.
Let’s hope Palin Is the Republican Nomineee. Even Republicans think she is too bizarre to be president; And she Resigned from the Alaska Governorship. Nothing like a Quiter.
Hillatry wacx The Ideal Democratic Progressuve, with her ideas, Healthcare Plan modeled on the Catholic Healthcare system, in 1993.
But now, she is a Radical Right GOP Agenda completely, as is the Obama Administration. Clinton got North Korea to follow Red Chiona, in Privatizing it’s economy, Open Highways and Rail Lines for Free Travel Between North and South., which is still done.
But Non-Veteran GOP Leaders, like Condalice Rice, Decided USA 21st Century Policy: Focus on our World Military Superiority. That’s why GW Bush n Created, Literally Falselly, 3 new Enemieds to Conquer: North Korea, Iran and Iraq.
Politiscian, GOP Agenda Hillaruy even Hated the North Korean Ambassador to the UN, NO TALKS Republican Agenda with all 3 Countriews who WANTEDF t Negotiate, Insisted on Negotiation..
But We are Ijhn the ENTIRELY GOP Policy of War, Public Subsidy of BIGGEST PROFITS (Exxon Mobil was The Mosdt Profitable Organization in the World, but Chaney Policy PAID ZERO FEDERAL TAXES, Was PAID Many Millions of Our Tax dollars Welfare!
Thanksgiving Cookin good for a couple weeks Sandwiches, etc. Our house is eating Turkey for Breakfast Now!.
Thanks for Provoking Thought, Sherry.
Tony, as always, you are dead right on these issues. Hope you are enjoying all the good eats! We sure are.
I forgot The Most Important Point: Steady Stae was Proven Wrong by Hbble’s Red Shift discovery Before 1950 that that Everythiong in the Universe is Moving Rapidly Further apart from everything else. And Dark Matter was discovered as The Reason the Expansion of the Universe is Not ‘steady’, but Accelerating. Enistein admitted that the Biggest Mistake in his Life was the Constant of Steady State Universe.
And the Speed of Expansion of trhe Universe was Greatly NET OUTWARD, Expanding, proven 1980’s. There is NO Chance for Implosion of the Universe.
The Marseilles 2 scientists will Fail in their New Hypothesis: Things moving around each other Don’t change Shape! Not all new ideas are valid. No one will hear that Their studies will resulty in Failure, except maybe a One-Liner bussried in Scientific Journals. Only takes One One-liner in Science to Formally Document one’s Wrongness.
Too Bad Obama and Democratic Leaders NEVER ONECE announced that Tea-Baggers-GOP were Campaigningg on the SAME POLICIES that CREATED All Problems in the USA.
No doubt further research and testing will determine who has the better theory here! That’s what you gotta love about science!
That picture you have posted looks like two eyes in a wrinkled up mad face. 😀
Shhh, Liberlity. That’s a Universal Secret. Has not been studied yet..
lol Lib, it’s actually two galaxies!