idiot?

What's the first word that I think of when I think of Trump? traitor

What’s the first word that comes to mind when you think of Donald Trump?

A new poll from Quinnipiac University on recent Trump antics shows exactly what you’d expect. It contained a quick breakdown of his approval ratings — down to a whopping near-record negative 36 – 58 percent —  and a round up of people’s feelings on honesty (61 – 33 percent say he’s not), his leadership skills (56 – 41 percent say he doesn’t have them) and whether or not he’s level-headed (66 – 29 percent say he can’t).

But honestly, it’s a question nestled in the middle of the poll, in a scroll-and-you'll-miss-it spot that takes the cake.

Question nine of the poll asks the question: “What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of Donald Trump?”

39 people said: “Idiot.”

And it just gets worse from there. The second most named word? “Incompetent.” In third place? “Liar.”

Some other crowd favorites down the list were “disaster,” “bigot,” “narcissist,” “racist” and my personal favorite, “buffoon.”

Of the 46 words listed (the only words listed were ones that were mentioned over 5 separate times), only four were clearly positive — “good” “great,” “smart” and “strong.” All of the others were negative, or didn’t lean one way or the other (“president” and “American” don’t really tell us how you feel do they?)

By a 54-38 margin, American voters want the Democratic Party to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives, the report says. The poll is reflective of the fact that voters tend to dislike the Democratic party less than the Republican party.

“There is no way to spin or sugarcoat these sagging numbers,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

“The erosion of white men, white voters without college degrees and independent voters, the declaration by voters that President Donald Trump’s first 100 days were mainly a failure and deepening concerns about Trump’s honesty, intelligence and level headedness are red flags that the administration simply can’t brush away,” he added.

Original.

Eugene Robinson

There will not be true peace on earth until we have banished the demons and dragons of religion to the dustbin of history.

Trump’s dangerous thirst for a clash of civilizations

by Eugene Robinson

“A little learning is a dangerous thing,” wrote the poet Alexander Pope. Three centuries later, Pope’s aphorism perfectly — and dangerously — describes President Trump’s understanding of history as a zero-sum clash of civilizations in which “the West” can triumph by imposing its will.

The speech Trump delivered Thursday in Warsaw’s Krasinski Square might have been appropriate when Britannia ruled the waves and Europe’s great powers held dominion over “lesser” peoples around the globe. It had nothing useful to say about today’s interconnected world in which goods, people and ideas have contempt for borders.

“The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive,” the president said. “Do we have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost? Do we have enough respect for our citizens to protect our borders? Do we have the desire and the courage to preserve our civilization in the face of those who would subvert and destroy it?”

Trump added what he probably thought of as a Churchillian flourish: “I declare today for the world to hear that the West will never, ever be broken. Our values will prevail. Our people will thrive. And our civilization will triumph.”

Triumph over whom? Trump mentioned “radical Islamic terrorism” as one of the enemies posing “dire threats to our security and to our way of life,” but he didn’t stop there. He went on to add Russia and — weirdly — “the steady creep of government bureaucracy” to the list. It is appalling that the president would describe patriotic public servants as a kind of fifth column that “drains the vitality and wealth of the people,” and I guess some precious bodily fluids as well.

But what does Trump mean when he speaks of “the West” and its civilization? “Americans, Poles and the nations of Europe value individual freedom and sovereignty,” he said. “We must work together to confront forces, whether they come from inside or out, from the South or the East, that threaten over time to undermine these values and to erase the bonds of culture, faith and tradition that make us who we are. . . . We write symphonies. We pursue innovation. We celebrate our ancient heroes, embrace our timeless traditions and customs, and always seek to explore and discover brand-new frontiers.”

That’s what I mean about a little learning. If the president read a few history books, he’d know that for most of the past 2,000 years, China and India were the world’s leading economic powers and Europe was a relatively primitive backwater. He’d know that Europe rose to dominance not by erecting walls but by opening itself to the rest of the world — its resources, products and people.

There is nothing pure about Western civilization. Its ability to absorb and incorporate outside influences has proved a great strength, not a weakness. Imagine Italy without tomato sauce, a gift from the New World — or the United States without the high-tech companies founded by immigrants, gifts from the Old.

Of course Trump is right to call for a united front against terrorism. But the solution, in a globalized world, cannot be to hunker behind walls, however big and beautiful those walls might be. Industrial supply chains cross borders and span oceans. Words and images flash around the globe at the speed of light. Global issues, such as nuclear proliferation and climate change, demand global solutions. Like it or not, we are all in this together.

The correct response to the terrorism threat, which is real, is to isolate it as an abomination that is as much a grievous insult to Islam as to any other faith — and that has taken the lives of far more Muslims than non-Muslims. The wrong response is to posit that “the West” is besieged by, and therefore at war with, a hostile civilization. That’s a fight in which everyone loses.

Trump did finally make clear that the United States remains fully committed to Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which states that an attack on one member of the alliance is tantamount to an attack on all. He was tougher on Russia than in the past, and he cited “propaganda, financial crimes and cyberwarfare” as “new forms of aggression” that must be countered.

But viewing the fight against terrorism as some kind of civilizational Armageddon is wrong. Trump seems to view himself as the West’s defender against 1.6 billion Muslims, almost all of whom want only to live in peace. We need a capable president, not a crusader in chief.

Read more from Eugene Robinson’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A.

Original, but I feel compelled to add that Muslims, IMHO, are just as wrong-headed, if not moreso, than Christians. Both start from a faulty premise and try to impose much of it on the world. Both teachings are faulty, even dangerous. Most Muslims and Christians surely do want peace, but both also expect most of society to conform to their views, and to grant them special favors. Fuck that. It's too late.

Bishop Museum

On our recent trip to Hawaii, we visited the Bishop Museum, a repository of Hawaiian history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu. It's officially called the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, the Hawai'i State Museum of Natural and Cultural History.

The main building is Hawaiian Hall.

Sadly, there was not enough time to see everything in the museum, as often happens. Fish played a big role in ancient Hawaiian culture, as you might expect.

I was struck by the stark disparity between the intricate description of all of the ancient Hawaiian gods in the Hawaiian Hall and the detailed scientific information in the Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center just across the well-manicured lawn.

Ancient Hawaii had its own pantheon of gods, like most primitive cultures on earth did. While it is mildly interesting, to me, it's just another version of primitive ignorance. The ancient Hawaiians were probably not stupid, just ignorant of nature and science.

they did amazing things
 with Koa wood

Then again, the Hawaiians pride themselves on their relationship to nature and all living things. This is a good thing.

It is understandable that ancient civilizations attributed events that they did not understand, like erupting volcanoes, to a god-like entity. But at some point, we must realize they were simply superstitions and move on. I don't think we really learn that much about current-day Hawaiians by analyzing their ancient superstitious beliefs.

SCIENCE!

Over here in the Hawaiian Hall is what people used to believe about nature. Over here in the Science Adventure Center are facts about nature. Good contrast.

One other interesting contrast I picked up is the fact that women played large roles in Hawaiian society. It wasn't until those "enlightened", "civilized", Europeans stumbled along that women were subjugated to inferior roles in society. It has taken us a long time to correct that error.

inside the Science
Adventure Center

Still, it was enjoyable to explore the Bishop Museum. I love museums, and a museum in a tropical paradise, even better.

Independence Day

I, for one, took no special pride or pleasure in celebrating Independence Day, July 4, this year. Our government has been taken over by a batch of no-nothings that seem intent on destroying our democracy. They are consciously, but mindlessly, reversing everything that President Obama tried to put in place.

We are being "led" by a narcissistic autocrat who seems to have never even read the Constitution. He slams the media endlessly with crude unPresidential remarks. He hasn't even bothered to fill hundreds of government posts, perhaps to better mask what he is up to. They seem intent on taking health insurance away from millions of citizens. 

This year, I feel no pride in the United States of America. I feel only shame. And that shame and disgust was intensified when we learned that NPR started tweeting the Declaration of Independence, and a bunch of 45 supporters took it as fomenting revolution against 45. 

Ignorance is running deep in America today, and it goes all the way to the top.

Some Trump supporters thought NPR tweeted 'propaganda'. It was the Declaration of Independence.

For about 20 minutes Tuesday, NPR traveled back to 1776.

To echo its 29-year on-air tradition, the public radio network’s main Twitter account tweeted out the Declaration of Independence, line by line.

There — in 113 consecutive posts, in 140-character increments — was the text of the treasured founding document of the United States, from its soaring opening to its searing indictments of King George III’s “absolute tyranny” to its very last signature.

Who could have taken issue with such a patriotic exercise, done in honor of the nation’s birthday?

Quite a few people, it turned out.

Perhaps it was the Founding Fathers’ capitalization of random words or the sentence fragments into which some of the Declaration’s most recognizable lines were broken. But plenty of Twitter users reacted angrily to the thread, accusing NPR of spamming them — or, worse, trying to push an agenda.

“Seriously, this is the dumbest idea I have ever seen on twitter,” a Twitter user named Darren Mills said after NPR had only gotten as far as the Declaration’s dateline. “Literally no one is going to read 5000 tweets about this trash.”

more absurd BS here.

concrete pyramids

So, the "Friends of the RGV Reef" are in the process of building a new reef off of the coast of Texas about eight miles east of South Padre Island. It will be about 10 miles north of our house. The idea is to provide more habitat for the red snapper fish population, considered one of the best fish to catch in the area.

50 Concrete Pyramids Sunk in Gulf for Texas Artificial Reef

Officials say 50 concrete pyramids have been sunk in the Gulf of Mexico off South Texas as part of an artificial reef to increase fish habitat.

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — Officials say 50 concrete pyramids have been sunk in the Gulf of Mexico off South Texas as part of an artificial reef to increase fish habitat.

The project, backed by the group Friends of RGV Reef, involves marine scientists in the state's Rio Grande Valley and elsewhere studying reefs and red snapper populations, the Brownsville Herald reported Friday.

The RGV Reef project features 3-ton (2.7-metric ton) concrete pyramids placed in the water Tuesday, about 8 miles (12 kilometers) off South Padre Island.

The structures, each up to 10 feet (3 meters) tall, were transported and sunk by the landing craft Lil' Mo, owned by Lil' Mo Marine Services , which donated its time and the pyramids. The structures, made by Atlantis Marine Habitats LLC, have cavities to shelter adult snapper.

Friends president Gary Glick said 42 of the pyramids were placed in groups of four to form a "trolling trail." Cinderblocks will be sunk around some of the pyramids and limestone rip-rap around others to determine which is more effective at boosting snapper productivity.

Lil' Mo has sunk about 6,000 Atlantis-built pyramids for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, and other entities such as the Coastal Conservation Association, which helped fund the RGV Reef project, according to Glick.

"We talk about snapper because that's where all the research is, and it's all snapper in the scientific literature," Glick said. "But we know that when we make things right for snapper, we make things right for all of the less-studied species."

Original.

http://rgvreef.com/

progressive pastor?

The GOP still paints the Obama presidency as horrible, terrible, awful, and embarrassing. They've been lying for years and years and years.

Pastor Explains: When White Folks Say Obama Was an "Embarrassment", Here is Your Response

One of the common responses to criticism of Donald Trump by his mostly white voters is something along the lines “we were embarrassed by Obama for 8 years.”  One pastor is calling out that nonsense.

Progressive pastor John Pavlovitz has penned an open letter to those white Trump voters, informing them that no, in fact, they weren’t embarrassed by the former President. Here it is:

I remember the day after the Election, a friend of mine who happens to be white, remarked on social media that he “finally wasn’t embarrassed of America and our President.”

I sprained my eyes rolling them and they have never fully recovered.

Since then I’ve heard this sentiment echoed by more white folks than I can count, especially in recent months; supposed relief at once again having a leader who instills pride.

Since I don’t have the time to ask each of the individually, I’ll ask here:

So, you were embarrassed for the past 8 years, huh? 

Really?

What exactly were you embarrassed by?

Were you embarrassed by his lone and enduring twenty-five year marriage to a strong woman he’s never ceased to publicly praise, respect, or cherish?

Were you embarrassed by the way he lovingly and sweetly parented and protected his daughters?

Were you embarrassed by his Columbia University degree in Political Science or his graduating magna cum laude from Harvard Law School?

Maybe you were embarrassed by his white American and Black Kenyan parents, or the diversity he was raised in as normal?

Were you embarrassed by his eloquence, his quick wit, his easy humor, his seeming comfort meeting with both world leaders and street cleaners; by his bright smile or his sense of empathy or his steadiness—perhaps by his lack of personal scandals or verbal gaffes or impulsive tirades?

No. Of course you weren’t.

Honestly, I don’t believe you were ever embarrassed. That word implies an association that brings ridicule, one that makes you ashamed by association, and if that’s something you claim to have experienced over the past eight years by having Barack Obama representing you in the world—I’m going to suggest you rethink your word choice.

You weren’t “embarrassed” by Barack Obama.

You were threatened by him.
You were offended by him.
You were challenged by him.
You were enraged by him.

But I don’t believe it had anything to do with his resume or his experience or his character or his conduct in office—because you seem fully proud right now to be associated with a three-time married, serial adulterer and confessed predator; a man whose election and business dealings and relationships are riddled with controversy and malfeasance. You’re perfectly fine being represented by a bullying, obnoxious, genitalia-grabbing, Tweet-ranting, Prime Minister-shoving charlatan who’s managed to offended all our allies in a few short months. And you’re okay with him putting on religious faith like a rented, dusty, ill-fitting tuxedo and immediately tossing it in the garbage when he’s finished with it.

None of that you’re embarrassed of? I wonder how that works.

Actually, I’m afraid I have an idea. I hope I’m wrong.

Listen, you’re perfectly within your rights to have disagreed with Barack Obama’s policies or to have taken issue with his tactics. No one’s claiming he was a flawless politician or a perfect human being. But somehow I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here. I think the thing President Obama did that really upset you, white friend—was having a complexion that was far darker than you were ever comfortable with. I think the President we have now feels much better.

Because objectively speaking, if what’s happening in our country right now doesn’t cause you great shame and doesn’t induce the continual meeting of your palm to your face—I don’t believe embarrassment is ever something you struggle with.

No, if you claimed to be “embarrassed” by Barack Obama but you’re not embarrassed by Donald Trump—I’m going to strongly suggest it was largely a pigmentation issue.

And as an American and a Christian committed to diversity and equality and to the liberty at the heart of this nation—that, embarrasses me.

Original.

July stargazing

As one of my heroes, Neil DeGrasse Tyson puts it...

This Month in StarDate Magazine
In our current issue of StarDate magazine will focus on the Great American Eclipse. On August 21, a total solar eclipse will be visible across a wide swath of the United States, with a partial eclipse in store for the rest of country. We tell you how to make the most of it.

Stargazing Summary

With summer blazing across the northern hemisphere, the season's well-known celestial markers blaze low across the southern sky. Scorpius stands low in the south as night falls, marked by its bright orange "heart," the star Antares. Sagittarius follows it across with the sky. Its brightest stars form the outline of a teapot. And the three points of the Summer Triangle pose high in the east at nightfall and climb across the crown of the sky later on.

More stargazing information »

Radio Program Highlights

If you want to start hearing the StarDate program in your area, you can request a station to carry our program by emailing the request to stations@stardate.org.

July 3-9: Zapped! A star in the scorpion is zapping a companion with a powerful particle beam. And a star in the wolf is getting ready to zap everything around it when it blows up. Join us for these powerful stars and much more.

July 10-16: The Scorpion. From its three-star head to its two-star stinger, Scorpius is one of the brightest denizens of summer's evening skies. And we'll tell you all about it, including why so many of its stars are so bright. Join us for the scorpion and more.

The second half of July had not been recorded when this email was sent. Check the program schedulefor the latest updates.

Hear StarDate every day on about 400 radio stations in the United States. Find an affiliate »

News from the Observatory

Astronomers Prove What Separates True Stars from Wannabes
Astronomer Trent Dupuy of The University of Texas at Austin has shown what separates true stars from wannabes. Not in Hollywood, but in the whole universe. He presented his research recently in a news conference at the semi-annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Austin.

About SkyTips

SkyTips is a monthly email newsletter for visitors to McDonald Observatory and StarDate Online. Each issue features stargazing highlights, upcoming StarDate radio program descriptions, and other news. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and family.

SkyTips is a publication of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory Education and Outreach Office, 2515 Speedway C1402, Austin, TX 78712. Reproduction of SkyTips content is permitted with proper credit given to McDonald Observatory.