How Big Is The Universe?

How big is the universe? It's really big. It's really, REALLY big. There is a short (four minute) Youtube video that asks that question and then attempts to answer it. This little explanation is great forbright young children, curious teens, under-educated adults, and even for answer seeking Christians.



Watch video




Then there is a (physics?) video for nerds only;



Here is a curious and little known factoid: The opposite of a "euphemism" (a less offensive word) is a "dysphemism" (the use of a more offensive word).



After reading a brief statement from PZ Myers concerning the Zimmerman verdict, I read all of the 190-plus comments. Jeez! It never fails to amaze me at how closed-minded, ignorant, and absolutely stupid are so many blog commenters.



By the way, I have been reading the blogs of PZ, Taslima,Greta Christina, and some of the other atheists every day for a long time. But the ubiquitous (and truly mindless) advertising on the Freethought Blogs is getting so intrusive as to be more than merely annoying; it's getting to the point where I am considering ignoring the member blogs altogether. That is not a threat. After all those exalted rebble-rousers don't read my blog anyway. It's not a threat; it's a statement of fact. (It's almost as bad as the commercial-ridden programming of broadcast television.)



TRIVIA



John Wilkes Booth's brother once saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son.HISTORICAL EVENT



On this day, JULY 16 in 1790, the young American Congress declared that a swampy, humid, muddy and mosquito-infested site on the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia will be the nation's permanent capital. "Washington," in the newly designated federal "District of Columbia," was named after the leader of the American Revolution and the country's first president: George Washington.



THE WHITE HOUSEWASHINGTON, D.C.

The District is not a U.S. state and therefore has no voting representation in the Congress. D.C. residents elect a non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives, who may sit on committees, participate in debate, and introduce legislation, but cannot vote on the House floor. The District has no representation in the United States Senate.



NOTE: I inserted the White House image simply because it's such a grand picture.



WORD FOR TODAY



TRANSCENDENTAL

adjective

1. (Philosophy)

a. Concerned with the a priori or intuitive basis of knowledge as independent of experience.

b. Asserting a fundamental irrationality or supernatural element in experience.

2. Surpassing all others; superior.

3. Beyond common thought or experience; mystical or supernatural.

4. (Mathematics) Of or relating to a real or complex number that is not the root of any polynomial that has positive degree and rational coefficients.



CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS



(born July 16, 1967)WILL FERRELL is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Stranger than Fiction, Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro, Step Brothers, and The Other Guys. He is considered a member of the "Frat Pack", a generation of leading Hollywood comic actors who emerged in the late 1990s and the 2000s, including Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Vince Vaughn, and brothers Owen and Luke Wilson.



(born July 16, 1979)JAMIA MAYS is an American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Emma Pillsbury on the Fox musical series Glee. She also played roles in the films Paul Blart: Mall Cop and The Smurfs.



(July 16, 1907 - Sept. 19, 1995)ORVILLE REDENBACHER, born in Brazil, Indiana, was an American businessman most often associated with the brand of popcorn that bears his name.



(born July 16, 1963)PHOEBE CATES is an American film actress, model, and entrepreneur. She is known for her roles in several teen films, most notably Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Gremlins.



The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.

--Abraham Lincoln
Full Post