inDECATUR

This week at the Brick Store and LEONs

Here's what's coming up in the next week.

Monday November 30, 2009 ( Tonight)
LEONs Flight Night * 5pm - til we're out (2 - 1/2 pour glasses in each flight)
2 "Micro Flights" of Beer
2 "Micro Flights" of Wine
1 "Micro Flight" of Beer vs. Wine

....plus we'll have food pairings available for 3 of the above. It's available
whenever you arrive at the bar or at a table. Make it an addition to your meal or make an evening of Flights!
.....Flight Night happens every Monday night at LEONS (www.leonsfullservice.com)

Saturday December 5th * Repeal of Prohibition Celebration
LEONs Full Service
* $4 shots of Old Overholt Rye Whisky
* $6 Pre-Prohibition Martini's, Manhattan's, Hemingway Daquiris
All Day Long - Come Celebrate a VERY Important Day with us.

Monday December 7th * 6pm -
Brick Store Pub Beer & Cheese * Special Winter Ales
5 beers, 5 cheese, $30 per guest
...this is always one of our most popular Beer & Cheese Nights

Cheers,
Mike

Good viewing of ISS flyover Saturday starting 5:52P

Many of those at the Corner Pub last evening (Saturday) gathered on the deck to see a clear view of the International Space Station fly out of the NNW, over the deck (at 77 degrees elevation), and on toward the SSE.

It was not as dramatic as the flyover with the shuttle trailing on Thanksgiving evening, when the sky was a bit darker, but it gave those who missed that another opportunity.  There will be more opportunities to see it pass over high in the sky on a clear night, but they are rare. Monitor this NASA site for future Atlanta viewing opportunities.

Many were surprised at how quickly it crossed the horizon, in about 5 minutes. The ISS circles the globe every 90 minutes at an elevation of about 220 miles.

I took a video, but it's harder to see the ISS on it than it was to the nakid eye.

Here's a video somebody somewhere else took.

First US attempt to launch a satellite after Sputnik

Russia launched Sputnik on 10/4/1957.  While the US had announced similar plans, the fact that Russia did it first shook up the US belief that we were the world leaders in science.

I remember seeing this first attempt to launch our own satellite, on 12/6/1957, fail miserably. Several others also failed.

The US finally put Explorer I into orbit on 1/31/1958. We ultimately were the first and only country to land man on the moon.

The Congo has a space program? Who knew>

This YouTube video (posted on Facebook by Rodney) shows a $50K space launch. It's in French. Can you tell us what is being said? I suppose it's viewed as a point of pride for a country to have its own program.

In this freeze frame, the rocket appears to have taken off low to the side in an arcing motion. But, the speakers after the launch seems pleased.

Every program has to start meagerly. I'm old enough to remember the first US attempt to launch a satellite the size of a grapefruit into orbit after Sputnik. It likewise fell over.

Goldman not exactly hog wild about the Iberian Pig

Meredith Ford Goldman of Access Atlanta gave the Iberian Pig only two out of five little piggies, saying (among other things):

"While there is a pleasing attention to detail here, often the kitchen fumbles by trying too hard. It’s okay to serve fewer dishes, better. And it’s okay to have only three ingredients in a dish. The menu, with almost 20 tapas plates and nearly 10 entrees, would satisfy more with less. Desserts are Latin-influenced, with churros crowning a blessedly short list. Deep-fried, served hot and not too sweet, they are scrumptious when dipped into a rich ganache laced with chile and cinnamon.

The Iberian Pig may not beam you over to Spain or Portugal, but it will certainly conjure the image."

DeKalb greenspace forum 12/10/09

By Ty Tagami, AJC

DeKalb County officials will update the public about the county greenspace program at a forum next week.

The county has used bond money to buy and improve land for parks and recreation, acquiring more than 3,000 acres since 2001, according to the office of county CEO Burrell Ellis.

Officials will discuss the program at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 10 at the Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Dr. in Decatur. For more information, call the county Parks Bond and Greenspace Office at 404-371-2082.

More on the "ClimateGate" dustup

Here's a collection of articles regarding what has come to be called "Climategate." It needs cleaning up, but I'm having some issues with Typepad right now. 

 From the Examiner:

Charles Kruthammer: "The global warming science is not junk science, but it's speculative. It's based on incomplete data. It's based on computer models that rest on assumptions — that, in turn, rest on an understanding of how the globe’s climate controls itself — that [are] extremely incomplete."

Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing explains scientists are only human, like the rest of us.

"There's this myth in wide circulation: rational, emotionless Vulcans in white coats, plumbing the secrets of the universe, their Scientific Methods unsullied by bias or emotionalism. Most people know it's a myth, of course; they subscribe to a more nuanced view in which scientists are as petty and vain and human as anyone (and as egotistical as any therapist or financier), people who use scientific methodology to tamp down their human imperfections and manage some approximation of objectivity.

But that's a myth too. The fact is, we are all humans; and humans come with dogma as standard equipment. We can no more shake off our biases than Liz Cheney could pay a compliment to Barack Obama. The best we can do-- the best science can do-- is make sure that at least, we get to choose among competing biases."

With that in mind, this article at Sodahead notes there's not a concensus among ALL scientists on climate change:

A team of scientists has sent a letter to all U.S. senators warning that a claim there is "consensus" in the scientific community on the climate change issue is false.

The letter dated Oct. 29 reads in part: "You have recently received a letter from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), purporting to convey a 'consensus' of the scientific community that immediate and drastic action is needed to avert a climatic catastrophe. . .

"The claim of consensus is fake, designed to stampede you into actions that will cripple our economy, and which you will regret for many years. There is no consensus, and even if there were, consensus is not the test of scientific validity. Theories that disagree with the facts are wrong, consensus or no."

Not there's not entertainment value in all the conspiracy talk. Jib Jab has produced a spoof YouTube video including the phrase "hid the decline" which appeared in one of the hacked e-mails.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEiLgbBGKVk

Here's the WSJ editorial take:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703499404574559630382048494.html?mod=djemEditorialPage

"The response from the defenders of Mr. Mann and his circle has been that even if they did disparage doubters and exclude contrary points of view, theirs is still the best climate science. The proof for this is circular. It's the best, we're told, because it's the most-published and most-cited—in that same peer-reviewed literature. The public has every reason to ask why they felt the need to rig the game if their science is as indisputable as they claim."

---

My test is simpler. Al Gore made some dire predictions of what would happen to Earth if we didn't make drastic changes in ten years. About half that time has already passed, with few substantial changes having been made. If I can live five more years, I can see if his predictions come to pass. If not, I'll have to assume he was at least exaggerating.

I do hope mankind will try to avoid things which harm the Earth. But, the US cannot afford to agree to things countries like China will not agree to.

Another chance to see the ISS fly high over Decatur tonight

If you didn't see the International Space Station  which Shuttle trailer fly over high in the sky Thursday night, you have another golden opportunity to see the the space station fly over this evening at 5:52pm. Just get to the most open area convenient to you by 5:52pm and look low in the NW sky. The ISS will pass over at a high of 77 degrees and exit low in the SE sky five minutes later.  You can't be "sociably late" for this event, or you'll miss it.

This image I took of the ISS and Shuttle (which landed yesterday morning) on Thanksgiving evening will give you an idea of what to expect, except the ISS will appear much brighter than the image shows.

Let the River Run through Grand Central Station

Sorry. This doesn't have anything to do directly with Decatur, Georgia, but I needed a little pick-me-up this afternoon, so I played this 1995 live version of Carly Simon's "Let the River Run." It's not my favorite, but it's a good one. I particularly like seeing the keyboard playing.

I dedicate this post to my relatively new friend, Andrea Berry, editor of Decatur eLife and Decatur EDtv, who is just one of the sweetest persons I've ever met, and says this is her favorite song.

Notice the single key playing:

 
 

Sydney Rhame featured in the Champion

By Gale Horton Gay, Champion

Taylor Swift had better watch her back. Sydney Rhame of Decatur has her sights set on the spotlight and musical success that Swift is now enjoying. And if Rhame’s body of work and performance schedule keep growing, she may well reach her goal.

That goal is pretty simple.

“In a perfect world I would have a record deal in L.A. or Nashville before I turn 12,” said Sydney.