A weighty error in fine science article

Loved reading " The 10 ' most beautiful experiments of all time "
   
    in the Providence Sunday Journal, Sept.29, page A-17. But a weighty
   
    error that cannot be dismissed as a typo is right here : the eccentric
   
    Henry Cavendish had ingeniously weighed the earth. But the figure given
   
    in your article fails to  indicate EXPONENTIAL value. The approximate
   
    mass of the earth is 6.0 x 10 ( multiplied by itself 24 times ).
   
           NOT 6.0 x 1024 kilograms. A good banker knows what compound
   
    interest does to a sum of money. Tell him he is worth that in gold and
   
    he will smile. Give it as EXPONENTIAL and he will faint: He now owns
   
    the universe !
   
              Was a New York Times editor asleep on the job ? A while
   
    back this humble letter writer discovered them to be obtuse on
   
    the famous Periodic Table.
   
                 But THANKS for a very interesting story !

Sainthood for Evita Peron too ?

Being a Catholic by fate if not by piety, I keep up with

    Church affairs by reading " The Providence Visitor ". I do recommend

    reading this weekly for a balanced view on the sex scandals.

             Yesterday I was amused to read that the famous Catholic

    TV personality and Church scholar-or propagandist- Archbishop Fulton

    J. Sheen is being considered for sainthood. Catholic baby boomers-

    who experienced the golden age of The Church in America - will never

    forget that guy with his piercing, pious look - and that blackboard

    with short notes on it suggesting that for this mighty intellect

    Hell fire was as real as global warming is for the Greens today.

               I don't know what my opinion might be worth in the higher

    circles of the Church. But I think that Argentina's legendary " Evita "

    - Eva Peron - who did more for her poor people than Mother Teresa -

    is a more credible candidate for sainthood than  Fulton J. Sheen -

    whose fierce anti-communism at times made him seem more loyal to

    capitalism than Catholicism.

              " Evita " had the heart of the saint  -even if certain

    cynics would brand her as the patron saint of prostitutes.

              Next time I visit LaSallette, I will light a candle for

    my  kind and lovely " Evita ". Saint or no saint, the death of a

    beautiful woman is always the stuff of great poetry.

         "... Santa, Santa Evita ! "

" Buddy " again and my PROJO Horoscope

With reference to the " criminal " Mayor Cianci a letter to

    the editor today ( Sept.13 ) is fatuously titled : " Rhode Islanders

    like criminals ". I think we like justice a little more. The prosecution

    against our " Buddy " was so goofy that their case against him -known

    as Plunderdome - came one count away from being sarcastically renamed

    Blunderdome.

               Why could not the prosecution present a single witness of

    integrity to point a finger at the  prince of Providence: " You

    stole MY money.... YOU ruined my life "  ? The testimony of assorted

    bums should not  have sufficed to convict Cianci of anything.

                If he stole money from his beloved  city, HOW MUCH did he

    steal, WHAT did he spend this money on, WHERE is the rest of  it ?

                 The Cianci trial was a distraction from the far greater

    scandal of corporate corruption. Has George W. Bush disowned his

    Enron buddies ?   In general American capitalism has become a CRIMINAL

    ENTERPRISE.

                 If guilty, our " Buddy " is just a crooked shoe-shine boy !

            By the way my PROJO horoscope this morning reads :  "  Be careful

    - your words will be quoted far and wide ".

Big Brother was watching Miss TOO-GOOD !

It seems that a lot of wicked people nowadays - like Miss

    Too-Good whacking her kid in the back of a car - are being caught

    on camera. And if you say " bring it down " a little too loudly

    in a public place - and have that sinister Middle-Eastern look-

    almost certainly a virtuous busy body will drop a dime on you.

                It good to know that the nice people of the world

    are ever ready to stop the nasty people -even at the moment of

    conception , when the nasty deed is just a nasty thought.

                How many of us ordinary Americans - not overcome

    by the flatulent war rhetoric of George W. Bush - can identify

    with Winston Smith in George Orwell's " 1984 " ? Not until Winston

    was re-educated in the Ministry of Truth could he - finally - love

    Big Brother - who  was always WATCHING YOU !

              And Miss Too-good - perhaps - was trying too hard to

    be the perfect good mother. Observed Winston in " 1984 " : " Almost

    all kids were brats nowadays ". Often they reported their rotten

    parents to the Ministry of Love -where they could expect a punishment

    more severe than an old fashioned spanking. For Winston there was

    Room 101.

              The NICE PEOPLE want the rest of us to know this : " BIG

    BROTHER IS WATCHING " .

             Learn  the art of brainless conformity now. Or you will

    learn it in Room 101.

Channel 6 shooting itself in the foot

              Channel 6 is shooting itself in the foot by firing Robert

    Whitcomb - PROJO editorial page editor - from its Sunday morning

    public affairs program. I rarely watch TV and have no idea how

    he comes across on TV - ( as the boss of M. Charles Bakst ? ) .

                 The irony here is that Mr. Whitcomb must be familiar

    with " the treatment ".  FREE SPEECH in reality means freedom for

    the wealthy owners of the news media to say what they please, to

    show what they want to show, to tell the public what they want the

    public to hear. And where is the passion for TRUTH in all this ?

                 But I know that Robert Whitcomb never writes anything

    with his name under it that is stupid and uninformed. Can TV afford

    to be dominated by complete idiots ?

                  The economics of FREE SPEECH is, of course, modified

    and influenced by old fashioned American idealism: CENSORSHIP IS

    ODIOUS..... ALL OPINIONS SHOULD BE  HEARD. This is not just a

    patronizing indulgence but a practical necessity for making sound

    judgments in a most imperfect democracy.

              FREE SPEECH for plutocrats, too ! Love that " Buddy " !

Unfair to Michael Skakel

Rich or poor- a victim of injustice should arouse our

    sympathy. Kennedy clan member, Michael Skakel, accused of murdering

    Martha Moxley in 1975 " when they were 15-year old neighbors " ( " Skakel

    appeals murder conviction ",  Sept . 18 ) - is -I think - a victim of

    injustice. If a poor black man, Michael's age, were accused as an ADULT

    of  a murder that happened more than 25 years ago - guilty or not guilty,

    I'm sure every civil rights group in the country would be outraged: " Too

    much time has passed... a man is not the same person at 40 as he was at

    15. "

               The LAW is clearly punishing a 15 year old Michael Skakel -

    and using circumstantial evidence. Is Michael Skakel paying for Teddy

    Kennedy's sins, for  " The  Sins of the Father " . I'm sure a certain

    loathing for the Kennedy clan played  a role in the guilty verdict and

    the harsh sentence.  If he is guilty of that horrible crime, the law is

    still punishing a juvenile - and one with a troubled background.

                  Here in Rhode Island young Patrick Kennedy seems to be

    growing up - and he is now a GOOD Congressman and deserves re-election.

                 I hope Michael Skakel wins an appeal. And I would remind

    him that confession is good for the soul.

Shot Warwick man had hepatitis

Untreated hepatitis can derange your mind. I hear via

    a very reliable Warwick grapevine that the 35 year old knife wielding

    man shot by a Warwick cop in a nice , quiet neighborhood  indeed had

    hepatitis. They found that out at the hospital. And the hospital had

    to inform the cop.

             Assuming I got my facts right, I wonder if this was a case of

    another sick and mentally ill man " falling through the cracks " and

    seeing suicide as way out, a way to end the pain: just provoke a nervous

    cop to shoot you.

                 Preventive medicine is always CHEAPER !  How many

    mentally ill people opt for an instant death sentence ?

                And the criminal ruling class that owns America wants to

    save the world from terrorism ? What a joke !

In honor of J. Robert Oppenheimer

After reading the latest lying drivel about the father of

    the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer, being all but a card carrying

    member of the American Communist Party, I  have this thought : It is

    about time  our country honor him with a commemorative coin or a stamp.

                Did Oppenheimer have communist connections ? If so, what

    does that prove ?  Pragmatic American genius selected HIM to lead the

    team of scientists and engineers that developed the first atomic bombs.

               During the McCarthy era Oppenheimer gave voice to his own

    conscience in the matter of the ethical use of this horrible new

    weapon. I guess for the brainless RIGHT.... CONSCIENCE = Communism !

              A man of Oppenheimer 's genius could never be controlled by

    political hacks in Washington or  Moscow. If he sympathized with

    communism or socialism in theory, well so did Einstein, so did nearly

    every great writer in America  during the Great Depression.

              The World Book encyclopedia  ( 2002 ) says of J. Robert

    Oppenheimer :  ..." he was cleared of all charges of disloyalty ".

                 It is possible to be a good American and still loyal

    to HUMANITY.

                 I believe the Greeks have a coin honoring the father of

    the atomic theory, Democritus - whose free spirit made him unpopular

    in his own time.   We should issue a coin or a stamp honoring the

    father of the atomic bomb .  With these words : " Now scientists know

    sin ".

Emotional diarrhea of Sept.11

They say people with a tin ear have no gift for melody.

     And it seems that most Americans - made vapid by too much TV - have

    no gift for melancholy. Knowing what was coming, yesterday Sept.11,

    I avoided radio and TV as much as it is possible to avoid the ubiquitous

    media. Only the emotionally illiterate can invent the " grief counselor ".

                 Only a few minutes of radio and TV alerted me to the

    emotional diarrhea that will characterize  every Sept. 11 for many

    years to come.  How many of us have the emotional intelligence to

    smell unctuous words ?   I am so turned off by this army of professional

    preachy manipulators of public emotion !

              One does get sick of sobbing on cue. REAL grief is personal

    and avoids the public circus. The lugubrious sight of people who

    regret every penny claimed by Uncle Sam - who will not stop their

    cars at crosswalks for cripples ! - languishing with a longing for

    dead compatriots, heroes all !

                 There is something  admirable about the British way, the

    stiff upper lip. Or is that just emotional constipation ?

             And the more anybody - even a President - babbles about God,

    the less we should trust him. Osama also has daily meetings with

    the Almighty.

                 George W. Bush is a one act president. He is frozen

    in   caricature on Sept .11. And he is no Abe Lincoln - who had wit,

    wisdom, and a great sense of humor.

Ban illegals from our hospitals ?

Local TALK RADIO is the very antithesis of political correctness -

    and more often than not - when it is not war mongering - it is vociferously

    protesting common decency : No, I did not know that illegal immigrants -

    who should have sub-human status here ? - could just walk into Rhode

    Island Hospital and  get  FREE medical care on demand.

                  You would think that ANY hospital in the country would

    treat  ANY medical emergency without harassing the patient with

    bureaucratic formalities: " Do you have an adequate health plan ? "

    ..." What is your social security number ? "  ...... " are you a

    citizen of the United States or an illegal alien ?  "

                Let this simple idea sink into nitwit skulls : MEDICAL IS

    A HUMAN RIGHT !  The financial problem should be a secondary matter.

                 But how is this really practical - medical care as a

    human right - without a national health care plan ?

                Everyday capitalism is a greater threat to ordinary Americans

    in their everyday life than the dictator of Iraq - or  rare terrorist

    spectacles -like Sept 11, 2001.

               Did Saddam ever call  YOU a bum ?

Saves millions -ends messy handwriting !

              " Drugs errors occurring daily ", I read on page 2 of

    today's Providence Journal ( Sept.11 ) .  In hospitals -where loved

    ones - depend on the kindness....and the competence ... of strangers.

               One factor in these numerous drug errors : " pharmacists

    incorrectly reading a doctor's messy handwriting ".  I'll bet that

    messy handwriting is also costing  business dearly.

                Years ago the hand calculator came to the rescue of the

    math and science student ... and in fact made  everyday arithmetic

    quicker and easier for all of us.

            A similar convenient gadget must soon replace tedious and

    often illegible handwriting - and just printing out easy to read

    notes.

                    Along with his stethoscope, the good doctor will

    have his  compact digital note maker. As easy to read as a hospital

    bill !

                I 'm sure such gadgets  are now on the market. Some

    genius must make them more marketable.

                   In the future we will only have to handwrite our

    signature.

Which " Buddy " and a booze problem ?

I was downtown yesterday morning and could have

    witnessed " the prince of the city " coming out of the Biltmore

    Hotel to face his own  sad judgment day. But I spared myself

    the sadness of seeing " Buddy " come to this - jail bound in

    all probability. I just wanted him to be fairly judged by the

    people on election day. I don't like most judges in their robed

    arrogance: hearing YOUR HONOR too often goes to their head;and

    always LOOKING DOWN on common humanity. A character in a Camus

    novel steals a famous portrait - " The Just Judges "- and hides

    it in his basement for years. ( he himself was a liberal lawyer )

               Just a bit of advice for " Buddy ". I suspect that

    the good Buddy and the bad Buddy are connected to a booze problem.

     How many wrong decisions were made with the help of all those

    business lunch cocktails ?  Prison might at least detoxify you-

    from booze, cigarettes, and power.

                In many Rhode Island scandals  BOOZE plays an

    unrecognized role. I hope " Buddy " finds  some serenity in

    his later years. Adios to the toxic Buddy. A sad good bye to

    the good Buddy.

Marine nephew: " We're going to Iraq "

                  Close to a pacifist myself, I was worried about my

    nephew , Chris Covil, who is scheduled to graduate from Marine Corp

    Boot Camp this Friday in South Carolina. In an odd way I am glad he

    made it ( ??? ) as I questioned his willingness to accept authority:

    " Look kid you VOLUNTEERED for this hell ! "

                 My sister and her husband are going to drive to the

    ceremony. Why not fly ? I thought ? I guess Sept 11 did change our

    life style a little.

                  Chris, I hear, is all but certain that he 'll be sent

    to Iraq. If he personally kills Sadaam , I will only applaud the deed.

              But any war with Iraq  could - without a strong NATO and

    United Nations Alliance turn into a Vietnam type nightmare. Remember

    how much the  Russians loathed the tyrant, Joseph Stalin ?  But then

    remember the battle of Stalingrad !

              And no war against Iraq should be waged without the presence

    of thousands of Israeli combat troops - willing to go all the way to

    Baghdad.

               Let's see how brave they are against people who can shoot

    back !

                  For the Islamic fanatic all Americans are alike - all

    equally infidels - except out and out traitors.

                 Perhaps a terrible military defeat will make  Allah seem

    as unreal as  Mars, the old Roman god of war.

                  But in general whatever God exists has no personal preference

    among human types. There are no CHOSEN PEOPLE. But there is still Good vs.

    Evil as an approximate - pragmatic - TRUTH.

                When GOOD triumphs on earth, the asteroid will hit. We will

    all be CHOSEN to be hydrogen atoms again !

                 Semper Fidelis !