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The Royal Observatory as viewed from the Queen's House
Good morning firedogs! Today is Tuesday, February 5th.
On this day in history -
The Royal Greenwich Observatory began broadcasting the hourly time signals known as the Greenwich Time Signals, or the “BBC pips” (1924).
Pierpont Morgan formed US Steel Corp (1901).
It snowed in San Francisco (1887).
The very first moving picture peep show was patented by Samuel Goodale (1861).
30,000 were killed in earthquakes in Calabria (1783), which is part of Italy. Who knew? I didn’t. I should get to Europe more often.
The Prince of Wales became King Charles the II (1649).
The Yankees purchased 20 acres in the Bronx to build Yankee Stadium (1921).
Reader’s Digest was first published (1922). Nobody needs a link to that, right?
Peter Pan by Walt Disney opened at the Roxy Theater in New York (1953).
Know what else happened on this day in history? In 1940, to be exact? This was first recorded.
Yesterday was a slow news day. Sue me :)
Should I make this history thing a regular theme? I kind of liked researching this. Do you pupses like reading it?
As always, off topic IS the topic.
See you in the comments!
107 Comments
Good morning firedogs.
Morning Kris!
Hmmm…I am enjoying the history links a lot. Odd, since I spent a lot of time at war with my history teachers in school regarding assigned reading and due dates. I’d stay use history links enthusiastically, but don’t let them get in the way of the topic.
On the topic of Tuxedo’s, I don’t now nor have I ever owned one. Nor am I likely too. I’ve rented on a couple occasions, but I look at tux’s largely as women’s revenge for bras and girdles.
Boxturtle (Last time I rented, the fellow really wanted me to have a pink cumberbund)
Good morning, Kris! As usual, you have a feast for us to read!
Good morning BT. Tuxes are not for owning, unless you’re descendent of Pierpont or Andy Carnegie. Tuxes are for renting.
Good morning msmolly. Are you riding this morning?
Good morning Kris and other firepups.
This historian is liking those links.
Maybe history can be a frequent theme if it interests you, but I’m sorta enjoying the variety we’re evolving into here at Over Easy, posting whatever comes up any given week.
Off topic: I’m going cross-country skiing this morning, at Notre Dame’s old golf course. Haven’t skied for a couple of years, but today is perfect for it. We had several inches of snow over the past couple of days, and it’s not too cold (high of 30 predicted).
Nope, see #5. Not sure the bod can do bike and ski in the same morning! I iz old!
Good morning JC. Glad you’re enjoying them :)
I would totally cross-country ski if it was like river-rafting. If I only had to go one direction, then someone picked me up and drove me back to my car, that would be awesome.
I envy you today. I blew out a boot last time I skiied and haven’t yet gotten to Decorah for a new pair.
A favorite JP Morgan quote “Anything that isn’t nailed down belongs to me. Anything I can rip loose isn’t nailed down”
Boxturtle (He practiced what he preached)
If I was desperate, I might try cross country skiing. But you’d be more likely to find me in the lodge, drinking hot chocolate and watching the fools outside freeze.
Boxturtle (Would be a more successful skier if I strapped the skis to my butt)
The piece I linked to about him was a puff-piece. Portrayed him in a flattering light and even highlighted his two government bailouts. Very nice.
Dude was a monster. I’m sure he’d be proud of the people that run the bank that bears his name.
Thanks, Kris, especially pleased by the Greenwich time moment, we don’t often think about how dependent we are on having correct and uniform time to operate in. And Greenwich observatory is worth a visit too, wonderful view of London.
Good morning Ruth. I find the entire history of time’s (as a measure) identification, development, and use interesting.
The first watch to keep correct Greenwich time was on display too, think about what it took to calibrate exactly with the rotation of the earth.
This is an older small (maybe 9 holes) golf course in a corner of campus, and you can ski around in a big circle and wind up where you started, near your car. And it’s pretty flat, of course. I will still fall a couple of times, probably.
Good morning all. Thank you for the linkfest Kris. Great stuff.
Oh, JP’s dad was WAY worse than him.
We just take stuff like that for granted now, but it was a big deal in its time. Fascinating.
Thanks for the song Kris.
It’s history!
I like the symmetry of building(Is the the Naval observatory)
as you float down the Thames. Beautiful view is right.
RE J.P. Morgan:
What a surprising tidbit that is! Today the wealthy find other ways to avoid serving (since there’s no draft) and the poor still populate our military.
I do a lot of cross-country skiing.
I usually go alone through the woods along the lake and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature in winter.
Cross country skiing with the proper snow conditions can be great during the next couple weeks. A slight warm up followed by a good freeze can produce a strong enough surface layer to float a skier and one can explore just about anywhere without breaking a trail (sinking in) or needing to follow the often times crowded, prepared and packed trails. We have a state park golf course here that is awesome for spring skiing with a 200 foot height variation. One of the holes on the course is a 7-iron to the green from about 90 feet above it. Great skiing/sledding hill, too.
‘Purchase’ a substitute.
What a dick.
Back in 1909, they first postualted time as the 4th dimension. There was much discussion and it was probably 40 years before that was generally accepted.
An interesting point is that when looking at equations of time, there is no reason time cannot travel backward. The math allows it. The question of why time DOESN’T take advantage of this results in many drinks being consumed.
The smallest unit of time is guessed to be planck time, equal to about 5.3 x 10E-44 of a second. In theory, you could go faster than light by making sure that you passed through the speed of light in less than a Planck. Nothing says you can’t go faster than light, other than we don’t understand what negative mass is telling us.
Boxturtle (Does time move continuously or in discrete chunks?)
People who buy people are the luckiest people in the world…. or something like that.
In his defense, I believe President Lincoln purchased a substitute as well.(I’ll look it up) ;)
Some things never change (Most US legislators).
A 19 year old Pennsyvanian named Summerfield Staples.
Lincoln was too old for soldiering and did it to encourage enlistment.
Sounds lovely, but I’m a wuss when it comes to hills on skis. Since the university opens the course for skiing (they even rent skis to students and staff, I think), there are usually trails by the time I’ve gotten out.
I’ve also mostly gone at night, with neighbors. The course isn’t lighted, but there’s ambient light from the nearby streets and other campus lights. One night it was snowing big fat flakes and was simply ethereal!
Nice collection, Kris; thanks.
A couple of local pieces. My county in CenTex has just discovered that robo-signing cost them money. They’re ready to do something about it.
Judge John Dietz yesterday ruled that the current Texas State school funding system violates the State Constitution.
The tax ratification election I worked on last year was a stop-gap measure, meant to bridge the time between the beginning of the current school year and the outcome of this lawsuit. The outcome of this lawsuit should require that all schools are funded equally based on the number of students. The current system bases per-student state funding on how much the area around the school district kicks up to the state in property taxes.
Good Morning Kris and Firedogs,
given a certain theme:
a-hem ! released the week of February 5, 1974
Wow, TX school finance plan declared Unconstitutional….State will appeal…don’t want to put any more $$ into those public school…..
Ya know what I’ve always wondered? Would time be measured the same inside a black hole?
Lincoln was also a dick, then.
:)
It was probably more common then, and perhaps carried less “taint” than it would today. Not that it’s morally defensible, though.
Today a lot of men (and women) enlist because it’s a way to support themselves and perhaps get an education.
Depends on if Count Basie or Miles Davis arrainged it. Wait….what?
Wow ! Wow !, and more Wow !
excellent and huge news on both counts.
lengthy discussion with an “economic development” type a few years back about state of Wilco’s fraudclosure landscape
1. didn’t want to give so much as a rough estimate as to how much Hutto and Wilco had invested in the toxic shite
2. would have us all believe fraudclosure was on the up and up and the okey-doke – refused to respond to my questions about just how much “economic development” there could be with such a massive drain on property taxes
he’s recently moved on to sell his snake oil in another state -
Serious warm weather coming this afternoon, 70s -80s, Nice.
Its always rich man’s war poor man’s fight. (I wonder what SD would say about “substitutes”?)
Namaste
Thanks for the memories….nice.
The mills of the gods grind slow…
I see that the U.S. is about to sue over AAA bond ratings that were faked, and destroyed the economy.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/02/04/sp-to-face-justice-dept-suit/1891103/
socio-economic conscription
Lincoln did participate in the Black Hawk War that was fought not too far from your neck of the woods.
Never.Give.Up.
Our school funding in Ohio has been declared unconstitutional at least twice. YEARS AGO! Nothing has been done, as the courts have also held they have no real way to compel the legislature to do anything.
The solution is a tax increase. But we’re a GOP state.
Boxturtle (Expecting a solution based on “user fees”)
I attend the Fort Atkinson Rendezvous every fall since it was the only fort meant to keep the peace between Native groups forced into the “Neutral Territory” where I reside.( I apologize for all the history today. Kris’ theme today got me going) :)
Yes, because time is relative not absolute. define a frame of reference, and then compute black hole time based on differences between the black hole and the frame.
Boxturtle (then figure a way to measure elapsed time in the Hole and see if you’re correct!)
Oh, don’t apologize. It is interesting!!
Very healthy to do just that, if we don’t learn from the past we don’t ever go forward.
Now THIS is interesting and disturbing (and totally OT)
Will Democrats Sell Your Political Opinions to Credit Card Companies?
Apparently “we the people” are nothing but another marketing opportunity…
Here I am being a terrible host! Stupid work. I’m lurking, folks, and will respond when I can. Please, carry on!
x2. I’m learning things I didn’t know. I never knew you could buy yourself out of being drafted legally and openly. I thought you had to join the national guard or something.
I have this vision of people offering themselves as soldiers on Ebay, and seeing how much the rich would bid.
Boxturtle (The difference between that and prostitution as practiced in Nevada is…?)
Not to be contrary here but Lincoln did serve in the Illinois militia during the Blackhawk War of 1832. He arrived at Kellogg’s Grove in time to bury the dead from that battle. It was the last battle fought in Illinois. I believe Black Hawk then moved across the Mississippi into Iowa.
I do not want Kris thinking he was a “dick” for not serving. *g*
I see that oldgold has already posted upstream about that.
Kellogg’s Grove is located about 20 miles from where I live and there is a large monument at the site.
Grrr…I will no longer provide my opinions to the local Dem party or their pollsters.
Other than my opinion about selling the data. And they WON’T like that!
Boxturtle (if you are offered something for free, you’re the product not the customer)
The University of Over Easy means you will learn a diverse array of facts and get many perspectives.
Have to get going. Have a great day, one and all.
I am going to come visit you with the lunch, Seedsavers, and the Eagle’s nest.
You can come visit me and we can go to the monument and U.S. Grant’s home in Galena, Illinois.
I took out my land line a few years ago, and I don’t seem to get nuisance calls on my cell phone. Except from some credit card outfit in Texas, and I just hang up.
msmolly, getting rid of the land line might be the idea that I need.
We get calls in the evening, Saturdays AND Sundays.
You have a great time skiing today and stay safe.
I would be like BoxTurtle and have to wear the skiis on my butt.
A good laugh at that one BoxTurtle.
I only have a land lane for my work fax machine. When I set up the line, Time Warner Cable took the opportunity to sell all of my personal info to marketing companies. I take great satisfaction in watching the caller ID pop up on my TV, seeing a marketer, then listening to the fax machine pick up and screech in their ear :)
I need to really start my day….thanks for so much good info.
Have a good one…..Later.
Also ditched the land line, quite a relief to get rid of calls to sell stuff even to previous owners of that number. Pay to be harrassed? no thanks
When I get cold calls at home, I try my best to cost the caller as much as possible.
I’ll leave the phone off the hook to tie up their line for the full recorded message.
I’ll pretend great interest, tie up their rep for as long as possible, then disconnect without warning.
I’ll pretend great interest, ask the rep to hold while I let the dog in. My current record is 12 minutes before the caller hung up.
I have a referees whistle. I’ve found sometimes when you use it, the incoming phone system is smart enough to reduce volume or disconnect. I’ve never received a return call from any disconnect.
Boxturtle (I draw the line at mailing boxes of dog crap to their PO boxes. Currently)
Kris, two laughs in a row. What a great idea of the screeching in one’s ear.
I know the folks are only doing their job and I tell them that when I
do pick up the phone but usually look at caller ID and let the phone ring. Usually they let it ring twice and hang up so they do not have to pay for the connect.
Have a good day, everyone. I am off to ski!
Kris, Thank you for the postnhost as your Dad says to borrow his phrase.
Two good laughs to start the day is great.
Have a good day everyone.
I used to be nice like that.
Now I figure anyone who takes one of those jobs knows how aggravating it is to receive their call. And they deserve the same treatment as if they were being paid to graffiti garage doors with advertising slogans.
Boxturtle (Thinks cold callers should be kicked to death by little red ants)
My land line is the only option that gets me a reliable ISP connection. I am in a wireless reception, black hole, where I live. Wireless was double what this costs and wireless would immediately degrade in speed as more users logged on. The land line is constant speed, with no data limits, the other potentially very costly feature of the wireless services, which charged you a hefty fee per megabyte, for exceeding monthly data limits.
Oh…didn’t you know ? Military service is only for “little people“.
Have heard of that kind of connection, luckily we did get cable that gave good wireless. I was very happy to do without any landline, but it also requires being able to be out of touch in my experience.
Cable is available on the main roads. Rural areas were promised connection 2 decades ago, but the various cable providers have continually refused servicing any areas with less than 20 households per mile. 18 to go on my road, yet. Phone lines have been here forever and just recently the major phone provider offered this ISP service which I’ve had for almost a year.
Sorry to swing by late, good morning everyone. Great post and host, Kris. I am struggling a bit with tomorrow’s topic, but think it’s pretty much planned. It is just so hard to find good news these days! I love history- this was a great idea.
Morning,folks!
I have been up at the crack of dawn for a change – set three alarms, but basically, didn’t sleep, well woke up frequently, to make sure I’d be up in time for a court setting.
Got there a few minutes before setting time…glimpsed judge’s robe disappearing out of the courtroom.
Clerk tells me judge is all done – never mind that my case wasn’t set til nine, and he has reset mine!
Oh well. I was planning to ask for a week or two of prep time. And I saw variouspeople I know, felt like I was getting back in the groove.
Going to a detention center after lunch to visit several clients.
Maybe I can get a small office in a few months, if we can keep attracting clients.
Kris, I love history, too; history links are always good.
Msmolly, wow, cross-country skiing at night…sounds absolutely beautiful. I’m envying you, really. Warm weather is nice, but you can’t go skiing in it. ; )
Night skiing. God, this brings back some the the best memories ever. Mt. Hood, Timberline/Glade Trail. Mt. Hood Meadows yellow chair at night, back in the day.
Sigh.
Okay, this is good news
One more Nuke bites the dust. And this is one of the more dangerous ones.
Boxturtle (It’s been shutdown since 2009, though until today they were saying restart 2014)
…and should have chosen one of the many other career options currently available to the peole take “one of those jobs”?
So much for occassionally lurking this thread for the “be nice” vibes.
Hi Mary. Once, when I was still slumming at temps gigs, I worked for a week for a charity making cold calls. It wasn’t fun. Yes, people are totally rude. Funny thing was there were two guys there who were really great at it. They were both musicians. Totally laid back. Worked temp jobs here and there so they could do their music the rest of the time. It worked well for them.
Your point is well taken and I wish you would continue to lurk here because very often you show up with facts to turn a comment around.
PS, we can’t all Be Nice all the time. But, still, and the food fights are few and far between. :)
Tried being nice for years. If they’d just take me off their darn lists, I’d never behave this way. I don’t hunt them down, I don’t try to trap them into calling me. They’ll be fine if they just remove my number.
So because “mugger” or “hit man” are the only jobs available, we should forgive those who are only doing it to put food on the table?
Yes, extreme example. But that’s where that rationalization goes. Where do you draw the line? If it’s okay to telemarket someone by phone, it is okay to corner them on the street with the same message and block their car (phone line) until the script is done?
Sorry I’m not being nice wrt telemarketers, but I tried that for years, put my name on the DNC list, renewed my name on the DNC list and they still call.
Boxturtle (give me a way to stop them and I’ll stop being nasty to them)
we should forgive those who are only doing it to put food on the table?
Well, why not? People need to eat and some are willing to forgive a lot. You can choose to do what you want, but I hope you keep your blood pressure under control.
Thanks, marym ~ you nailed it ~ complex issue in a bad economy and an undesirable industry. I could go on and on but won’t. Got an earful last night already. Oy.
Thanks, demi: keeping on keeping on can be a challenge.
For commercial calls, I don’t think either being nice or being nasty will stop the calls. However, a pleasant “Thank you, I’m not interested. Please don’t call again” acknowledges the humanity of the caller, who doesn’t deserve to be compared to a hit man or a mugger, that’s ridiculous.
For political calls, as from the DNC, maybe it’s worthwhile to state some political positions to get the message across, and it’s possible asking not to be called again will work at least till they get your name from some other list. Even though I have less respect for someone who may volunteer for a political cause with which I disagree, than for someone who takes a crummy job to survive, I doubt that being nasty to a political caller accomplishes any political goal, so there isn’t even that as a justification.
It sure is! I find that when I start seeing the world with hyperbolic eyes, it’s time for me to step back and try for a new perspective. I’m not suggesting that anyone step anywhere, just saying that life certainly is a challenge and that it’s important to Find The Joy.
and @83
Thanks demi. I’m not always nice, often manage to put foot in mouth before I realize it. But if we can’t acknowledge that we’re all in this together as far as working and trying to get by, I don’t know how we can expect to fight back or build something better.
“Food fights” among friends, on a blog or elsewhere, are part of life. But understanding what we have in common with the marketing caller, check-out person, bus driver, etc. is really important, as you have often shown in examples from your own daily life.
Hear, hear!
I’m totally with you.
Even though we might need a bigger boat…we are still in one together.
And, just maybe with bigger hearts and more understanding, we’ll have a bigger boat. :)
Yes, yes, my dear, and you have helped me see some joy on many a grey day.
The specific “be nice,” vibes have been the requested forum etiquette for Saturday’s, Pull Up A Chair, threads. Not so much for this weekday morning feature here that is an attempt to retain the gathering place that was Richard’s Lakeside Diner, though we are generally a pretty civil and frequently non-politically chatty, bunch. Clucking hens was a criticism once rendered. ;^)
Not sure of your early morning schedule but do feel welcome to join in with whatever is on your mind any morning at Over Easy.
Well, this got interesting :)
FWIW, my wife is a telemarketer. She only calls warm leads, though. Businesses, never residences.
We’re all in this together. Stop by anytime!
FWIW, I normally just fax the FCC. I’m on the DNC list and I’ve got my computer set up to snag the last number off of caller id and zip off the form at the press of a button.
The ones who come in with munged numbers require other techniques.
Boxturtle (If they’d just respect the DNC list or remove me…)
Nothing wrong with a warm call telemarketer, if I’m understanding you correctly.
Right now the ones on my hate list are mainly the push poll political rat b*****ds who nearly melted my phone line here in Ohio over the last election.
Boxturtle (I hope every one of them one day has the pleasure of residing in THE swing state)
I don’t know the details of who are and all the ways you had to endure that. Sorry you had to.
I don’t experience any of the robo call – political or corporate or otherwise. On my land line. I have no cell phone.
But, I’ve had a land line all my life and have never experienced the terrible things you’ve talked about.
So, Sorry just can’t relate.
I am…
…
ONE HUNDRED.
Allons-y Alonso!
Might be that CA was not a swing state, iirc, in the last election. Four to five calls in a two hour period all day long for weeks leading up to the election last year. Most were pre-recorded messages so that it was impossible to tell most of them to remove this number from your list, which legally would obligate a caller to do so.
Non-profits and political position calls are exempt from no-call list registered phone numbers. I literally unplugged my phone except when I needed to place a call, for almost a month.
Thank you. I know that political discussion and disagreement among the diners are within the acceptable protocol on this thread. What struck me as un-diner-like about the comment which elicited my response was that it seemed more like dis-ing the waitress for something that wasn’t her fault
and @ 101
The issue was being rude to the caller, which wouldn’t be applicable to robocalls.
Hello marym,
Thanks, I understood your points earlier. Was just busy with two projects and that limited my participation at the time.
GOOD NEWS: Are you aware that former Madison progressive talk radio host John “Sly,” Sylvester is back on the air in southern WI and northern IL. I have a little bit of familiarity with northern IL. US Congressman Mark Pocan and John Nichols from the Nation each did a live half hour segment already today. They are still working on their web page, but 3:00 to 6:30 PM is a drive time alternative broadcasting and available on line. Archives and podcasts will be available as they get things arranged there.
Initially had trouble connecting today so I bugs are being addressed.
Hey, folks; checking back in muuuuch later.
A question: is it Facebook being weird, or is it me having a major senior moment: got a message “So and So accepted your friend request.”
But the name is not familiar (although her profile shows she went to IU, tho’ not the year, and we have a mutual friend.) Did I do that?
Does FB do random friend requests without our knowing? (I wouldn’t put it past them….)
Sigh.
Not important, really, just…feels odd.
Not that I know of. They do, however, present “potential” friends, in my case some of whom I’ve never heard of. But you usually have to initiate a friend request. Maybe long ago?
Not that I remember. The name rings no bells at all.
But, oh well. If she’s a friend of my other friend (who’s from South Bend! Took me around the Notre Dame campus on my visit) who is a very, very nice person, then she’s probably a nice person, too. ; )
So now that you are friends, why don’t you ask her? Send her a message on FB, confess to being mystified, and let her clarify!!