Book Review
Mars Buzz
April 28, 2014
Dr. Buzz Aldrin, 84, was in St. Paul on Saturday. Aldrin was
the
second man on the moon, the first astronaut to say “Tang sucks,”
and he was the mirror for Neil Armstrong's first selfie on the moon.
Neil
Armstrong's First Selfie
on the Moon (with mirror provided by Buzz Aldrin)
In a short book by Dr. Buzz Aldrin with
Leonard David, Mission To
Mars, Aldrin plays space salesman, cheerleading the idea
that people need to go to Mars.
Aldrin's 2013 book says, “Nowadays,
my dedication, indeed my passion, is focused on forging America's
future in space, guided by two principles: a continuously expanding
human presence in space & global leadership in space.”
His book also has high praise for the Obama administration's plans and
is padded with presidential speeches from Kennedy to Obama.
Dr. Buzz Aldrin (and his turquoise bracelet) described the benefits of
Mars on April 26, 2014
In St. Paul on Saturday, Aldrin suggested that maybe China could
provide the leadership needed for the trip to Mars, as if disillusioned
by the U.S. space program or trying to incite the Minnesota crowd into
nationalist competition reminiscent of the cold war space race.
What wasn't said -- the pages missing from his book and his
teleprompter -- was any mention of climate change.
Aldrin doesn't believe in it, at least not that recent climate change
has been caused by people.
Here's what Aldrin said about climate change in 2011:
“I think the
climate has been
changing for billions of years. If it's warming now, it may
cool
off later. I'm not in favor of just taking short-term isolated
situations and depleting our resources to keep our climate just the way
it is today. I'm not necessarily of the school that we are
causing
it all, I think the world is causing it.”
And here's what Aldrin said in 2009:
“Climate
change on a vast scale has reshaped Mars. With Earth in the throes of
its own climate evolution, human outposts on Mars could be a virtual
laboratory to study these vast planetary changes.”
So Buzz, you want to... increase emission of greenhouse gases for
multiple rockets and use vast resources to go to a completely different
planet to study how we are destroying our planet?
Is this really about Mars?
Or is it about the Moon being a stepping-stone to something farther,
instead of becoming a footnote in history?
Music Association: David Bowie -
Space Oddity
Park Services
Lost & Found
April 20, 2014
“Hey, I just
want to let you
people know that our lost and found box is overflowing today. If you've
lost something or left behind a couple dozen colorful eggs, you might
want to stop by the park office.”
Music Association: John Newton -
Amazing Grace
“I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I
see.”
Music Association: Jefferson
Airplane - Somebunny To Love
Hello, I'm glad to see--
Oh, You Need A Hug!
April 11, 2014
Beverage Review
What I'm Drinking Now
March 28, 2014
I drink a lot of water. Water is good.
That, plus my memory, means I can think of a part of the country and
remember what the water tastes like. Sometime I'll bore you with that
description.
Today I bought a bottle of flavored water. It's new. It's called bai5.
Imagine watching yeast munching on glucose and (let's say) spitting
out
a liquid. Then you lick it. What you licked was erythritol,
a sugar alcohol. What does it taste like? Kind of like bai5, I think,
because there is a sweetness without being sweet.
Erythritol is the second ingredient in bai5 after filtered
water.
I'm not a fan of artificial sweeteners. Don't get me started on HFCS.
Erythritol
was discovered in 1848. It occurs naturally in some fruits (grapes,
pears) and fermented foods. It doesn't cause tooth decay. It doesn't
affect blood sugar, and it is only partially absorbed by the body.
Not that it can really be called natural. A recent Cargill
case drew a line in the granulated erythritol about how
natural it is.
Look at the bottle on the right. See where it says 100% Natural? My
bottle doesn't say that. It says, "Naturally
sweetened."
Still, it tastes pretty good, except that's not my memory talking.
I'm still tasting it.
Music Associations: Bob Seger -
Still The Same & The Archies - Sugar
TV Review
Marvelous Advertising
March 22, 2014
ABC is owned by Disney which owns Marvel. So last Thursday night there
was this hour long advertisement for Marvel Studios on ABC instead of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD.
Normally I don't watch TV or commercials, but I watched
ridiculed the show.
Here were the
messages:
1. We are a little studio with big plans. Yes, you are a mouse-sized
studio, and the mouse's name is Mickey.
2. Avengers is the center of the Marvel Studios plans. Iron
Man
is big. But people should really see our Captain America and Thor
movies too because they are all tied together like comic book
crossovers.
3. Never mind that Marvel licensed away the movie rights to
big chunks of their universe:
• X-Men,
Fantastic 4, Daredevil, and related characters are at Fox.
•
Spider-man and related characters are at Sony.
• Hulk
had previously been at Universal, but Hulk movies tanked big
time, so Universal was happy to sell him back.
4. That's why you should see our movies but wouldn't it be
cool if a really good Justice League movie were made?
Music Association:
Five For Fighting - It's Not Easy