Notes From All Over, Part 1 -- July 22, 2019

The Royal Navy: unable to stand up to a third-rate navy, the Iranian Navy, or whatever they call themselves. 

Ice cream day: In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. In 2019, National Ice Cream Day was yesterday, Sunday, July 21. But various outlets will continue to celebrate during this week. Sophia celebrates ice cream day as often as she can. LOL. 

Ronald Reagan: wow. Also appointed first woman to the US Supreme Court. GOP.

Fact checking, from Ther Burlington Free Press -- Did you miss out on National Ice Cream Day this past Sunday? Don't worry, the whole month of July is National Ice Cream Month, thanks to President Ronald Reagan. In 1984 there were two joint resolutions, one in the House of Representatives and one in the Senate, asking Reagan to proclaim July as National Ice Cream month and July 15 as National Ice Cream day.

Reagan signed a presidential proclamation on July 9, 1984, citing that ice cream was an important food to the American people and that the sweet frozen treat be celebrated in July.

Lutefisk? Celebrated throughout America during the autumn and winter.

Electoral College: needs to be free -- Bernie Sanders.

Apollo 11: I watched a lot of documentaries on the "moon landing" last week on "public television." The constant theme when they concluded the documentaries: "we" need to save the earth. LOL. George Carlin was right. I was not "moved" by the theme that "we" need to save the earth. What incredible hubris. Two things jumped out at me.

First: after decades of looking for extra-terrestrial intelligence, none has been found. In fact, the best "we've" been able to do it identify possible candidates where there may be intelligent life -- and yet "we" have found none.

Second: there is nothing "in the middle." At the far end of the continuum an incredibly brilliant, diverse Earth. Everything else: grey and black rocks (a lot of the universe reminds me of the burned out embers I clean out of the Weber grill every week) and/or gaseous orbs (e.g., Jupiter and the stars, including "our own" star). But that's it: the entire universe appears to be a) empty; b) black and grey rocks; c) gaseous orbs; d) one earth. Truly, truly awe-inspiring. Scientists, in general, do not like going down that road.

One exception: Privileged Planet. 

One of my favorite books is The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos is Designed for Discovery, Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards, c. 2004.