Today's digest is dedicated to one of my favorite topics, space exploration. Last week I attempted to focus on some uplifting stories because of the strife plaguing our country. The violence, anger, and angst sadden and trouble me. Like many, I have seen, read, and heard about the various tragedies of the last few weeks everywhere I go. In some future digest I hope to address these topics myself, but as we process these tragedies, and honor the victims of a senseless attack that occurred on this day not very long ago, I find myself needing to step back from the anger and pain for a bit. We must never forget and never stop fighting, but we must also focus on what can spur us forward.
As always, happy Wednesday and happy reading.
This Day in History
There are multiple important events that happened on July 20th, and although I have chose to theme today's digest around space, I am listing three events here.
1969 - Neil Armstrong takes one giant leap for mankind. Unless of course you're someone who thinks he really just took one giant bounce on a trampoline in a Disney studio. I have a strong sense of nostalgia for this era though I didn't live through it. In my historical imagination our quest to reach the moon represents our best selves pursuing something better.
1848 - The first American women's rights convention wraps up in Seneca Falls, NY. Women were not given the vote until 1920, so these women were generations ahead of their time, but with America poised to elect its first female president, it is worth remembering the hard work of suffragettes and others who fought for gender equality, and to stay focused on the barriers to equality that still exist.
2012 - A dozen people are killed and 70 injured when a gunman opens fire in a Colorado movie theater. This slaughter and multiple tragedies since then have sparked appropriate outrage and calls for reform, but alas, America is still a country that refuses to address the horrifying epidemic of gun violence. I find it appropriate to remember the victims of this, and to remain outraged on days when we are not subjected to the tragic news of more senseless deaths. Complacency will not bring change.
Fascination With The Beyond
Space fascinates me because we simply do not know what is out there. Our understanding of science and the laws of nature have grown as has our capacity to peer into space and analyze what we see, but the universe may literally be infinite, so there's room for all the dreams, excitement, and terror of the unknown.
I won't pretend to understand the complexities of physics, but one of my favorite - and I think scariest - objects in space is the black hole (from Medium). What we know about black holes is that they are so massive that once trapped within, not even light can move fast enough to escape. What happens after that is anyone's guess, and therefore you should treat yourself to the movie Interstellar for an interesting depiction.
Other Earths?
Are we alone? The question enthralls us, and depictions of alien life permeate are omnipresent in culture and entertainment. What are the odds? I don't know, but new technology means we are identifying other potential earths, planets that may be capable of hosting life (from the Guardian). If there is life somewhere out there - personally I believe there must be - it necessarily means there are planets that can sustain it, but finding those planets is an important first step if we want to go looking for possible galactic neighbors. Now we know the neighborhood is actually pretty full.
Wait, What Are The Odds?
I think there must be life somewhere else in the universe, but as evidence I submit...well mostly just a belief that the universe is too vast for us to be the biggest, baddest, and particularly the ONLY thing out there.
Using some models and reasoning a bit more complex than my logic, these scientist propose that not only is life a statistical certainty, but that countless civilizations have already existed and disappeared in cosmic history (from the NYTimes).
The claim seems staggering, and I read a very thorough rebuttal of it, but forgot to save the link to share, so the proposal is far from settled science, but if the idea of millions of civilizations across the universe already have come and gone seems staggering, it is, but still certainly less staggering than infinite other possibilities.
Mini Moon
Astronomy has gone crazy since I was a kid. In my younger years Pluto was still a planet, and the Earth only had one moon (from Medium). That's right, your favorite celestial body has a kinda, sorta, sometimes side kick, a lunar mini-me. This is why it's important to keep our eyes on the sky. If we fail to pursue knowledge in space not only will we stall our own development and future, but the moon will bring a friend home for dinner and we won't even know.
STELLLLLLLA!
Last Thursday I had a very special evening. Not only did I get to see Fiddler on the Roof for the first time (side note, it's excellent), but I had the best neighbor I could have asked for, Stella the Therapy Dog! Stella is not just any therapy dog, she's a celebrity, and she was sitting right in front of me!! Needless to say it was hard to focus on the show with her so close by, but she was quite friendly before the show began and during intermission. Stella was escorted to the show that evening by her human Marissa who was superbly friendly and let me photograph Stella, so big thank you to Marissa!
Will's Weekly Trivia!
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IF you choose to answer the question, respond to staton.will@gmail.com with your answer. Please note that by competing you are giving me permission to publish your first name in the trivia leader board each week.
TRIVIA UPDATE: LAST WEEK OF TRIVIA before the first ever Will's Weekly Digest Trivia champion is crowned, and the trivia leader board resets! There will be extra questions leading up to the 7/27 digest, in which the winner will be announced!
TRIVIA!
Last Week:
1. Live Aid was originally planned in response to famine in which African nation? ONE POINT
2. How much did Live Aid rasie for charity? ONE POINT
3. Which bloc of European countries are known for their generous social policies such as paid family leave (don't need to name individual countries, just the bloc)? ONE POINT
4. During the colonial period which European country controlled more of Africa than any other? Which European country controlled and administered the Congo? ONE POINT APIECE
Answer:
1. Live Aid was launched to help alleviate famine in Ethiopia, which you could have found by clicking on the TDIH link :)
2. Live Aid raised $127 million for famine relief, also from TDIH
3. The Scandinavian or Nordic countries have robust welfare states.
4. After much consideration and research I accepted either Britain or France as a correct answer for part one of this question. Belgium administered the Congo.
This Week:
1. Who is NASA's deep space telescope named after? ONE POINT
2. What is the shell of icy rocks and asteroids at the fringes of our galaxy known as? ONE POINT
3. Who was the first American woman in space? ONE POINT
4. After the USSR and the US which nation was third to launch a satellite? ONE POINT
LEADER BOARD The race for first is tightening! Check your spot on the leader board HERE on Willful Intent.
