Out of the Blue [Oct 14, 2024, 10:57 am ET] – Share – Viewing Comments
Today is Columbus Day here in the U.S., and apparently elsewhere, as the
Wikipedia explains this
is celebrated in a bunch of other countries under various names. But the name
of the occasion here is also in flux, as it is also now Indigenous Peoples' Day for
many as part of the backlash of what can at the very least be called the
excesses of the Age of Exploration that lead to the Age of Imperialism. This
might explain why I feel this snuck up on me this year, as it doesn't seem to be
as prominent as it once was, despite still being a Federal Holiday.
Also, happy Thanksgiving to Canada, where this is celebrated on the second Monday in October. I like how the U.S. version falls on Thursday, but mid-October is a much better time for a celebration of fall than late November, which is too close to the holiday season, not to mention my birthday. So good on you, Canada. I'll try and hunt down some pumpkin pie to celebrate.
Also, happy Thanksgiving to Canada, where this is celebrated on the second Monday in October. I like how the U.S. version falls on Thursday, but mid-October is a much better time for a celebration of fall than late November, which is too close to the holiday season, not to mention my birthday. So good on you, Canada. I'll try and hunt down some pumpkin pie to celebrate.
Celebratory Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.Story
Science
- ‘Phenomenal’ tool sequences DNA and tracks proteins — without cracking cells open - Nature.
- Colossal snake measuring over 50 feet long found in India - The Brighter Side of News.
- 'Islands' of regularity discovered in the famously chaotic three-body problem - Phys.org.
- Can a Supplement Really Help Control Your Pesky Eye Floaters? - ScienceAlert.
Media
- VFX Artists React to Bad & Great CGi 153. Thanks The Flying Penguin.
Follow-up
- Tea And Coffee May Affect Your Heart Health, New Study Says - HuffPost UK Life.
- SpaceX catches returning rocket in mid-air, turning a fanciful idea into reality - Ars Technica.
The Funnies
I've always wondered why people tie themselves into knots over historical facts that can never be changed--and it doesn't matter what you call a holiday, frankly. Columbus and the Spain that sired him are long dead, the Indian tribes in North America in 1776 and earlier, are also all deceased. Their descendants are not themselves "indigenous peoples". The slaves are all dead, as are the slave owners, as are the (D) politicians in the South who fought to keep their slaves until a (R) President in the North decided to free them. Yes, all long dead, including Lincoln. In fact, the entire world we see today was the result of wars and imperial designs by pretty much everyone in history, going all the way back to the Vikings, or the Egyptian Pharaohs. The point, I guess, is that no matter what you call a holiday, it doesn't change the fact that America was named after Amerigo Vespucci or that Columbus inadvertently discovered the "new world." If people want to add "Indigenous People's day" as a new Holiday, I have no problem with that. But this trend of trying to rewrite history because some half-wit politician claims to hate the very country she's asking to vote for her is really, really stupid. IMO, of course...;)
It is well known that I cannot err--and so, if you should happen across an error in anything I have written you can be absolutely sure that *I* did not write it!...;)
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