He's an academic work.a.holic

A physicist who has published some groundbreaking journal papers. But I do often send links to DU threads, saying "Read"! Sometimes he actually does.

But thank you for the invitation. I'll tell him.

Little story...
We once entertained a Russian physicist back during cold war era and I mention it to my neighbor who was a reporter. Well, we were interviewed and not just by the reporter - the Secret Service gave us a little look-see after the news article appeared. Big black car pulled up when I was out on the balcony 3 floors up. I said to myself, "can't be" but it was. Nearly spoiled myself because I had baby cannabis plants on that balcony!! They never went out there, tg. I transplanted them out in the country soon afterwards. Hubby didn't smoke and never approved. Although hubs is very liberal, we otherwise have a yin/yang thing that's lasted 50yrs this Sept. 2.

Good point about the GOP's growth.

Still not at all convinced that Americans will curb their wasteful lifestyles in time to make ANY difference. We've fought wars, spent our blood and treasure to control oil supplies and Americans approved. And most still do not believe in anthropogenic CC according to Pew. I see this as a most urgent issue but most Americans disagree.

Last week had someone tell me...

"US needs more kids, not fewer...we'd be much better off reducing cars and roads than reducing people. The US faces a low growth rate. We face economic decline if we cut...fertility."

I stopped even trying with her. Don't confuse them with facts. Facts are real whether or not people believe them.


Every child born has a MASSIVE CARBON FOOTPRINT, despite all reasonable measures to conserve.





We need these many cattle? Sadly, yes, to feed the growing population. Most people are not vegetarian, nor do they exclude red meat.

More about today...

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck, and "Hidden Figures" author Margot Lee Shetterly were among the dignitaries who were on hand to honor Johnson.
Governor McAuliffe said, "Thank goodness for the movie and the book that actually came out and people got to understand what this woman meant to our county. I mean she really broke down the barriers."

The Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility (CRF) is a $23 million, 37,000-square-foot energy efficient structure that consolidates five Langley data centers and more than 30 server rooms.
One NASA astronaut, Doctor Yvonne Cagle said Katherine is the reason she is an astronaut today.



http://www.11alive.com/mobile/article/news/nasa-legend-katherine-johnson-honored-in-hampton/477893024?scroll=0



I attended the ceremony today for two reasons. One, that I wanted to see Katherine in person and two, I wanted to make pictures for my friend's daughter who wrote the following on FB some months ago:

"We just saw this excellent movie and we took our girls who are dreamers and thinkers so they would be encouraged. I also took another little girl...a little girl who dreamed of being an astronaut when she was in second grade. A little girl who grew up just a couple miles from NASA and Langley. A little girl who proudly stood in front of class on "career day" and proclaimed her intention to go into space...but hung her embarrassed and shy head and returned to her seat when her teacher told her, "There aren't any girls like you there, but maybe you could be a secretary or something". A little girl who believed that teacher and let that dream fade into just an avid interest in the world of astronomy. I took that little girl and told her, finally, that teacher was WRONG. That little girl inside me finally smiled and I know I'll see her every time I look at the night sky. There was a place for her, just as these ladies and many after proved. And one of the best parts was learning one of their names is Katherine. It isn't spelled the same but the feeling of pride was just the same. Now go, see this movie, and encourage a little girl to be ANYTHING she DAMN. WELL. PLEASES. 🚀"

"Any girls like YOU!!!" Katie, whom I've known since she was in elementary school, is now in her early 40's. She's a beautiful AA woman who has two lovely little girls of her own.
DAMN it, misogynistic racists kill me! I cried when I read her fb post. I did not know at the time that a teacher had treated her like that. Her mom still feels guilty for not standing up to that horrible, soul-crushing teacher.

I made a small poster today saying "For Katie _____" and one of Katherine Johnson's family members held it beside her when I made the pictures. I'm going to send the pics to Katie and to her mom. Wish I had gotten there early enough to have purchased the book for Katie. Ms. Shetterly, the author, was autographing them, but, darn it, they ran out of books!

I was THERE!!

And I got pics of my hubs with Katherine and a few of her family members! She celebrated her 99th birthday a few weeks ago and is just as beautiful in person as in Annie Leibovitz's portrait of her.



My hubs has worked for NASA Langley for 38 years and had seen Katherine on "the field" as the huge facility is called. We have a mutual friend, astronaut Leland Melvin.

Here's Mrs. Johnson and Leland...




Katherine got a standing ovation today, as she should have. And Terry McAuliffe, our Gov., gave a fan.frickin.tastic speech! He also got a rousing applause from the big room.

Margot Shetterly, the author of Hidden Figures and a Hampton native, also gave a wonderful speech.

It was such an enjoyable day! I was so happy to be there. And there was cake!

Round 3 of Jimmy Kimmels Health Care Battle

Jimmy Kimmel on Bill Cassidys Health Care Bill

Touchy subject but there are facts...

1. The current U.S. population growth rate is .7%.
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.GROW

2. Growth should be negative if 98% of climate and environmental scientists are to be believed - apparently you don't believe them. And they agree that the growth rate of the world's human population and its current rate of consumption are unsustainable. "Current Population is Three Times the Sustainable Level"
http://www.worldpopulationbalance.org/3_times_sustainable

3. The U.S. Is the Biggest Carbon Polluter in History.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/01/climate/us-biggest-carbon-polluter-in-history-will-it-walk-away-from-the-paris-climate-deal.html

4. "Even a pandemic wouldn't create a sustainable population, study says."
http://www.newsweek.com/even-pandemic-wouldnt-create-sustainable-population-study-says-280338


BUT of course, what do all these scientists know? It would be nice if you spent some time reading DU's Environmental & Energy Group.




Edited to say I know this is a very touchy subject but I have been reading about this for decades (ever since Stanford U. Prof. Paul Ehrlich wrote about it in 1968) and I have been most distraught, even to the point of tears.
My only child, my 30yo son, has decided to never have children because of the world's situation. I will never become a grandmother. That's how seriously we take this.

So sorry.

My 92yo mother is now more child like yet retains her delusional thinking and anger. She does rage but not too much these days.

I've told my family I'm making plans to end myself before becoming so self-centered.

http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/news/metro/dead+noon+woman+ends+life+rather+than+suffer+indignity/10132068/story.html

And...
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/magazine/the-last-day-of-her-life.html

Brave women I admire.

It all comes down to too many people.

But let's just keep congratulating all the parents on their newborns, especially if it's their second, third, fourth...