Social Studies 4.10.2017
The connection between Passover and Easter
The Christian holiday of Easter and the Jewish holiday of Passover occur almost at the same time every year. Why is that you may wonder?
Here’s a link to help you understand their connection and their differences.
http://www.identitynetwork.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=54200&columnid=
Reason No. 436 why we should start over on another planet
According to new estimates from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, there will be more than 3.6 million drones flown by hobbyists over American soil. That would be more than triple the number flown today.
There have been 770,000 new drone registrations in the U.S. in just the last 15 months.
Also, a post on a Facebook group page for a particular tropical beach community. “I’m thinking of visiting. Can a drone be flown over the beach?” Privacy? Relaxing holiday? Forget it.
The Trump Newsletter
A new poll why Quinnipiac University shows that 52 percent of American voters find Trump embarrassing. Only 27 percent are proud of the president. Trump’s latest approval rating of minus-22 percent is based on the percentage of voters approving of his job as president (35) and disapproving (57).
Ignorant politicians keep trying to find alternate reasons for global warming
The latest absurd attempt to explain climate change that excuses burning fossil fuels and other human-related causes comes from a Republican (what a surprise!) running for governor of Pennsylvania. Scott Wagner, a sitting state senator, acknowledges global warming but attributes it to the Earth’s “rotation” moving closer to the sun, and also human body heat as a result of population growth.
First, the good news. He recognizes the Earth is warming and that population growth on an overly-populated planet is not a good thing.
But physics experts say the energy from the sun surpasses the energy from body heat by at least a million times. So the claim is absurd.
Also, the Earth “rotates” every 24 hours, but its revolution does take it closer to the sun twice every year, and then further from the sun twice. That’s because our orbit is elliptical, not circular. But there’s no evidence the revolution is changing.
Obituary: Tom Amberry
The Decafnation doesn’t usually publish obituaries, but this one is special.
Tom Amberry, who died recently at age 94, was a North Dakota native and California podiatrist. But about 50 years ago, the 6-foot seven-inch WWII Navy veteran was offered a lucrative contract to play professional basketball for the Minneapolis Lakers (which incomprehensibly moved to Los Angeles). He turned it down to study podiatry.
But, his basketball skills never left him. He stepped up to the free-throw line at a gym near his home on Nov. 15, 1993, at age 71, and, in front of 10 loyal (but probably bored) witnesses, spent the next 12 continuous hours draining 2,750 shots in a row. (Check out the video.)
At the time, he was quoted as saying, “I could have made a bunch more. I was in the zone, as the kids say.” Unfortunately, the janitor wanted to go home.
That’s a guy worth writing an obituary about.