• History,  Science

    JoAnn Morgan, Aerospace Engineer

    JoAnn Hardin Morgan was born in 1940, during a time when women were expected to stay home, keep house and raise kids, while the husband was out in the world making a living. JoAnn loved math and science, and entered high school during the Cold War, when the United States and the Soviet Union were trying to outdo each other in rocket technology. JoAnn watched rocket launches from near her home in Florida. But it was when Explorer 1, the first United States satellite, was launched into space on January 31, 1958 that she became determined to be a part of the space program. It’s not the kind of career…

  • Politics

    Trump’s Troublesome Tariffs (Update Nov 10)

    Rather than make a new tariff post, I’m adding an update to my original post, which you can find below. I’m seeing an incredible amount of confusion, ignorance and misinformation about Trump’s proposed tariffs. He’s saying he wants a 60% tariff on everything imported from China, and 20% on anything imported from any other country. People are not understanding that this will cause higher prices across the board on everything, and I mean everything bought and sold in this country. That includes anything manufactured or grown here. Almost everything manufactured here requires imported components, materials and parts, because we are unable to produce/supply those components, materials and parts, or we…

  • Politics

    Fox News is Fake News [UPDATE OCT 31]

    TWO UPDATES OCT 31. Scroll down. They’re clearly marked. By now you’ve probably seen the meme going around on social media saying someone shouted Jesus is Lord at one of her rallies, and she told them they were at the wrong rally. Maybe you’ve also seen the Fox interview with those two hecklers. I watched the rally in question. I saw the part where the boys started shouting. What I heard was Lies! Lies! and something unintelligible as the crowd erupted. Following is the UNEDITED clip, exactly as I saw it while watching the rally. I don’t know how to get the Fox video on the page, but you can…

  • Social Issues,  Travel

    Iceland & Baby Names

    I’ve always been fascinated with other cultures. Some of them have traditions which seem strange to those who live in other parts of the world. But keep in mind, if somebody else’s custom seems strange to you, they probably find your customs just as strange. One that I find odd is the baby-naming rules in Iceland. Iceland has very strict laws concerning what you can name your baby. They have lists of approved and forbidden names for girls and boys. If you want to use a name which is not on one of those lists, you have to submit your request to the Icelandic Naming Committee (with a fee), and…

  • History,  Science

    Nature’s Light Show

    The year was 1859. Several astronomers around the world who had been studying the sun reported a massive, almost blinding burst of light ejecting from the sun’s surface, lasting for several long minutes before it subsided. The next day, the Carrington Event occurred, in which the sky in much of the world lit up like a gaudy Christmas lights display. It was bright enough at night to read a newspaper without an additional light source. Although several astronomers hypothesized a connection between the sun burst and the aurora, it was Richard Christopher Carrington who got his name attached to that incident. Science In 1619, Galileo Galilei coined the term “aurora…

  • Conspiracy Theories,  Politics

    Trump’s Hurricane Lies Continue

    This is the worst response to a storm or a catastrophe or a hurricane that we’ve ever seen ever. Trump said that. Of course it’s not true. I’ve watched countless press conferences given by both Republican and Democrat leaders in the affected Helene areas. I see a common theme. They are praising the Biden administration for the relief response, they are saying FEMA is doing their job, and they are angry at Trump for his lies about the situation. Yes, the Republican leaders are angry at Trump. The Biden administration announced 100% of reimbursement of local Helene response. This is typical of a presidential administration during a catastrophe, except when…

  • Conspiracy Theories,  Politics

    Hurricane Helene Hoaxes

    I wanted to write a post debunking all the conspiracies but there are so many, it’s impossible. So I’ll just make a few brief points. Authorities are keeping rescuers out of affected areas It is true that restrictions had to be imposed in some of the more accessible towns due to two reasons: [1] They had to run looters out and they are trying to keep those from coming back, and [2] Conditions are dangerous and they’re trying to make sure experienced (and legit) relief teams only are going in.. Helicopter woes: It’s apparently true that a Fire Chief prevented a pilot from his rescue efforts. I haven’t confirmed it,…

  • Politics

    Vance-Walz Debate

    I’ll keep this short by not doing any fact checking. This debate was relatively civil, which was a refreshing change. Compared to the Trump-Harris debate, both men spent more time discussing policies and less time tearing each other down. Walz I think he mostly did ok, but his response to the Hong Kong question bothered me. A lot. Vance My respect for him rose a notch in that he spoke strongly and decisively without lapsing into the incoherent ramblings that Trump is known for. However, I was annoyed no end that he spent so much time regurgitating the false information that Trump is always spewing. I was also irked by…

  • Ancient Western Civilization,  Biblical History

    📜Jesus vs. Rome📜

    Now and again, I come across some variation of this question: “If Jesus existed, why wasn’t he mentioned in the Roman records?” After all, just about everything that happened in Rome was written down, right? Well, not really. Romans were obsessed about record-keeping. The Senate kept an extensive law library. Merchants kept records of their inventory, dealings and expenses. Many wealthy individuals wanted to be remembered, so they would have stelae engraved with their accomplishments and placed in some prominent spot. Emperors and military generals and other important people had secretaries and chroniclers to write their life stories and record their great deeds (that’s why we know so much about…

  • Conspiracy Theories

    Mini Moon Madness

    You’ve probably heard about the Mini Moon that will be visiting Earth for a few weeks this fall. This is an tiny asteroid named 2024PT5. And boy howdy, the conspiracy theories are oozing out of the woodwork. Everything from, It signals the coming of the Anunnaki to “They” are planting it in the sky to divert our attention from some unnamed nefarious activity they will be engaging in. It’s probably no surprise that many who find 2024PT5 alarming are also believers in a Flat Earth There are more than 34,000 known near-Earth asteroids and another 120 known near-Earth comets. Now and again one gets too close to the Earth and…

  • Politics

    Harris vs. Trump: Debate + More

    I wanted to post this the day after the debate, but I didn’t have time. If you ever wonder why I take so long to publish the next blog post, it’s because life. It gets in the way a lot. What Annoyed Me Both candidates spent more time tearing each other down than saying what they would do to fix things. Harris was asked: Is the economy better than it was 4 years ago? She didn’t answer. She launched into a spiel about how she was raised middle class, and vaguely explained what she would do to fix the economy. Trump was asked about Jan 6. He initially evaded the…

  • Conspiracy Theories

    Flat Earth Conspiracy

    Most people who believe in the Flat Earth also believe in the Firmament. Flat Earthers also tend to be moon landing deniers. Since the Firmament and moon landing denials are such complicated subjects in themselves, I’ll be doing separate posts about them. What baffles me is why anyone thinks there’s some big coverup by scientists who don’t want the general populace to know the true shape of the earth. What would be the reason for that? It makes absolutely no sense. Artificial Satellite Theories Conspiracists have a variety of theories regarding satellites – ranging from “they don’t exist” to “they do exist, but…” Balloon Theory How do satellites not fall…