Time Marches On

poor georgie’s 15-second science almanack:

There never has been agreement on how to measure dates and time. 

Lunar vs Solar months…when was Day One?  

For humans, historically, one thing has seemed to be consistent. 

Time always moves in a straight line forward.  

Why?

The political sweet spot

poor georgie’s almanack: 

Types of capitalism and socialism are as varied as types of milk. 

Like 100% raw capitalism milk (where the good stuff rises to the top), and homogenized socialism milk (everything is evenly distributed). 

To me, the sweet spot for America 2020 probably would be 4%.

Ugly? It depends.

poor georgie’s 30-second science almanack:   

Their name sounds like a school report card … “Tardigrades.”  

They are very tiny micro-organisms that can survive the freezing vacuum of outer space, the heat of Hades, will outlive us all … and probably think we are ugly. 

7-seconds of science humor

poor georgie’s 7-second science almanack:

It is proven that cells communicate.  

If only we could read their lip-ids.

(Lipid can be part of a basic cell structure.)

This is how it works

poor georgie’s almanack:

CAUCUS … A GROUP OF ADVISORS.

In 1865 a man who called himself Lewis Carroll  published “Alice in Wonderland.”  It is book about a little girl who fell into a rabbit hole and entered an illogically logical world.  

In the following excerpt I discovered today, Carroll explains how the advisory committees of modern legislative, parliamentary and congressional systems actually work.  

The “explainer in chief” is a Dodo bird … now extinct … but his wisdom (of sorts) lives on in the form of a Caucus Race.

————————

'What is a Caucus-race?' said Alice …

'Why,' said the Dodo, 'the best way to explain it is to do it.' (And, as you might like to try the thing yourself, some winter day, I will tell you how the Dodo managed it.)

First it marked out a race-course, in a sort of circle, ('the exact shape doesn't matter,' it said,) and then all the party were placed along the course, here and there. 

There was no 'One, two, three, and away,' but they began running when they liked, and left off when they liked, so that it was not easy to know when the race was over. 

However, when they had been running half an hour or so … the Dodo suddenly called out 'The race is over!' and they all crowded round it, panting, and asking, 'But who has won?’

This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of thought, and it sat for a long time with one finger pressed upon its forehead … At last the Dodo said, 'everybody has won, and all must have prizes.’

'But who is to give the prizes?' quite a chorus of voices asked.

'Why, she, of course,' said the Dodo, pointing to Alice with one finger; and the whole party at once crowded round her, calling out in a confused way, 'Prizes! Prizes!’

Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair she put her hand in her pocket, and pulled out a box of (candies) … and handed them round as prizes. There was exactly one a-piece all round.

'But she must have a prize herself, you know,' said the Mouse.

'Of course,' the Dodo replied very gravely. 'What else have you got in your pocket?' he went on, turning to Alice.

'Only a thimble,' said Alice sadly.

'Hand it over here,' said the Dodo.

Then they all crowded round her once more, while the Dodo solemnly presented the thimble, saying 'We beg your acceptance of this elegant thimble'; and, when it had finished this short speech, they all cheered.

Alice thought the whole thing very absurd, but they all looked so grave that she did not dare to laugh …

——————————————

Prayers attract Preyers

poor georgie’s almanack:

Mass shootings in churches, mosques, temples, synagogues. 

The sad truth is obvious.  

Prayers attract preyers.  

It takes their breath away

poor georgie’s almanack: 

Many older people see the Green New Deal as an attack on their portfolios, and for some an attack on their livelihoods.  

More younger people see it as an attack on their lives.

poor georgie’s almanack

After two weeks of trying inept internet solutions for flu-like symptoms I went to my family doctor who immediately diagnosed the problem.  

I am Autodidactic.

Clogged Arteries

poor georgie’s 30-second science almanack.

“Nature’s Metropolis,” by William Cronon, clearly shows how persons and cities grow, communicate, eat up resources (the fat of the land), and expel waste the same ways. 

And when their arteries get clogged, the heart of each city dies.

SIC EM

poor georgie’s 30-second science almanack:  

In your guts, bones and your skins, billions of complicated cells are communicating with their neighbors. 

If could listen to them, you'd would hear things like, “Hey, let's get together and destroy those disease cells over there.” 

Congressional static?

poor poor georgie’s 60-second science almanack.

Your radio’s static wasn’t today’s congressional hearing. 

Some of it is ‘cosmic background radiation’ and is older than the committee members. 

It’s about the oldest and coldest stuff left over from The Big Bang 14 billion years ago.

At your service

poor georgie’s almanack

This almanack service lets you judge my puns for yourself.  

It is not outside the box to think that, through no fault of their own, tennis players and tech have furiously slammed forward. 

I judge that is what produced grand net gains in TV revenues. 

FYI: Let – a serve is called a let when the ball hits the net cord but still lands in the service court. 

Such a serve is not considered a fault and the server may repeat the service attempt. 

A ball that hits the net cord but lands outside the service box is still a fault.

My on the air “hick-up.”

poor georgie’s almanack 

I had to work my way through the U of Iowa Journalism School. 

All newscasts on school’s AM and FM stations were done by Radio-TV majors just for the experience.  But, the late night news shows paid a few precious dollars.  The neophyte broadcasters couldn't care less and the powers-that-be didn't care that I was not taking broadcasting courses.  They had air time to fill.

So, with no training, I suddenly was reading news on-air two or three times a week.  Alas, I quickly made two really big boo-boos.  One was relevant to today’s announcement that John Hickenlooper, the former Colorado Governor is running for President.  

I proved that you could take the boy out of the big city and put him into farm country, but you can’t take the big city out of the boy.  At that time, the senior US Senator from Iowa was named Bourke Hickenlooper.  

I was reading newswire copy and heard myself saying Hick Burkenlooper.  “HICK” in rural Iowa!  I figured I was toast.  

Apparently none of the real broadcasters were listening and I wasn’t canned. 

Then, a few nights later I read an item about a new space port at a Florida Cape that, unbelievably, I called “Can Of Venereal.”  Still no reactions from people who were supposed to be monitoring me.  

The news gig lasted for many months.  Maybe the on-the-job training worked.  More likely, the managers continued to be desperate.