Trump

[wmw999 2,641]

1 hour ago, gowlerk said:

The US government has never lacked for an excuse when it has decided an invasion was it wanted. No matter who the leader was.

Yep. The recently-late, always-great, Tom Lehrer said it best:

When someone makes a move 
Of which we don't approve, 
Who is it that always intervenes? 
U.N. and O.A.S., 
They have their place, I guess, 
But first - send the Marines!

We'll send them all we've got, 
John Wayne and Randolph Scott; 
Remember those exciting fighting scenes? 
To the shores of Tripoli, 
But not to Mississippoli, 
What do we do? We send the Marines!

For might makes right, 
And till they've seen the light, 
They've got to be protected, 
All their rights respected, 
Till somebody we like can be elected.

Members of the corps 
All hate the thought of war; 
They'd rather kill them off by peaceful means. 
Stop calling it aggression, 
Ooh, we hate that expression! 
We only want the world to know 
That we support the status quo. 
They love us everywhere we go, 
So when in doubt, 
Send the Marines!

[nigel99 684]

7 hours ago, jakee said:

It'll probably kick off the invasion of Greenland because he doesn't know the difference between Norway and Denmark.

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/rjc-nobel-peace-prize-trump/2025/10/09/id/1229677/

I thought this was satire, but it’s not. Some republicans aren’t just calling for Trump to win the peace prize, but for him to have it named after him. 

 

 

[dogyks 30]

Given that it was awarded to Obama and Gore, it is basically meaningless.

Hitchens' take on Obama's Nobel is that it was rather like giving an Oscar to a director in the hope that it would motivate him to make a good motion picture.

[wmw999 2,641]

Obama, I agree. Gore, I don’t, it just doesn’t align with your “whatever they want is the road to ruin” values. And a bad award doesn’t make it meaningless, think of Rosalind Franklin being left off the Nobel for DNA. And don’t forget Johannes Spiriger winning for an incorrect conclusion (roundworm causes cancer). And the Peace prize, by its very nature, is going to be political, because peace is always a relative thing, and by its own nature political  

Wendy P. 

[gowlerk 2,303]

3 hours ago, dogyks said:

Given that it was awarded to Obama and Gore, it is basically meaningless.

As I recall, even Obama commented that he really did not understand why he should receive it. It clearly is a politically driven selection committee. The lobbying going on is even more outrageous that the selection process and an argument can be made that the pressure on them is well deserved.

[kallend 2,217]

6 hours ago, wmw999 said:

  And a bad award doesn’t make it meaningless, think of Rosalind Franklin being left off the Nobel for DNA.  

Wendy P. 

Franklin wasn't left off, she was ineligible since it's never awarded posthumously.

If you look up the actual contributions (rather than the revisionist version pushed by feminists) you'll see her contribution was limited to making the diffractometer used for the experiment.  Wilkens prepared and supplied the sample.  The famous Photo 51 was not taken by Franklin, it was taken by Ray Gosling** (who gets almost no credit whatsoever).  Franklin was unable to interpret the photo despite having it on her desk for weeks.  Crick figured it out despite only having a verbal description of it.  Franklin did not figure out how the base pairs fitted together, Watson did that.  And Lawrence Bragg invented the X-Ray crystallography and Astbury developed the particular method  used to take the photo.  So who was left out?

If you want to whine about misattributed credit, choose Jocelyn Bell*** instead (now Bell-Burnell).

 

**https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_51

***https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jocelyn_Bell_Burnell

Edited Friday at 05:38 PM by kallend

[JerryBaumchen 1,489]

6 hours ago, gowlerk said:

As I recall, even Obama commented that he really did not understand why he should receive it. It clearly is a politically driven selection committee. The lobbying going on is even more outrageous that the selection process and an argument can be made that the pressure on them is well deserved.

Hi Ken,

I have just heard that Trump did not get it.

Anyone measuring the Richter Scale in DC?

Jerry Baumchen

PS)  The chair of the Nobel Peace Prize committee . . . the deliberation process for choosing the awardee prioritizes courage and integrity.

Nobel committee chair responds to Trump's lobbying for peace prize

Two things Trump lacks:  courage and integrity

 

Edited Friday at 08:03 PM by JerryBaumchen

[JerryBaumchen 1,489]

On 10/8/2025 at 3:06 PM, JerryBaumchen said:

Hi John,

And, the 'guy at the top' just lost another one:  Oregon National Guard troops can remain under Trump’s control but cannot deploy to Portland: appeals court - oregonlive.com

Plus, Sec Noem was here yesterday for a first-hand look.  I do not know what universe she lives in:  “( Noem said ) my concern, is that you’ve got so many people here in Portland playing politics. They don’t realize they’re up against professional terrorists”

Kristi Noem Levels Ominous Threat At Portland Mayor | HuffPost Latest News

And, after meeting with the Oregon governor, the Portland Mayor, and the Portland Chief of Police, she said:   “One of the things I’ve been dealing with all day here in Portland is a bunch of pansies that are elected into political office who won’t make a decision to keep their citizens safe,”

She also said:  “Listen, this mayor is going to wait until somebody gets violently hurt or killed,” she said. “He’s going to have blood on his hands . . .

Kristi Noem came to Portland, and people protested with dogs, dancing: Get caught up

The only thing that I know of any blood being shed is due to the ICE agents assaulting law-abiding protesters; including one couple in their 80's.

I'm am not going to tell anyone that Portland is all milk & honey; it is like any other large, major city.  It has its dark side [ IMO not much ] and it has its very nice side.  This area is a great place to live & raise a family; ask me how I know.

Jerry Baumchen

PS)  This website lets you know if Portland is currently burning - oregonlive.com - Trump should give it a look.

 

Hi folks,

A little update on life here in PDX:  Trump says Portland is 'burning' but people who live in the city disagree - oregonlive.com

If Trump thinks PDX is burning, he should schedule an eye test.

Jerry Baumchen

PS)  And, more:  #ShowMeYourHellhole: Jimmy Kimmel is looking for videos of ‘war-torn’ Portland - oregonlive.com

 

Edited Friday at 07:40 PM by JerryBaumchen

[GeorgiaDon 405]

2 hours ago, kallend said:

Franklin wasn't left off, she was ineligible since it's never awarded posthumously.

If you look up the actual contributions (rather than the revisionist version pushed by feminists) you'll see her contribution was limited to making the diffractometer used for the experiment.  Wilkens prepared and supplied the sample.  The famous Photo 51 was not taken by Franklin, it was taken by Ray Gosling** (who gets almost no credit whatsoever).  Franklin was unable to interpret the photo despite having it on her desk for weeks.  Crick figured it out despite only having a verbal description of it.  Franklin did not figure out how the base pairs fitted together, Watson did that.  And Lawrence Bragg invented the X-Ray crystallography and Astbury developed the particular method  used to take the photo.  So who was left out?

If you want to whine about misattributed credit, choose Jocelyn Bell*** instead (now Bell-Burnell).

 

**https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_51

***https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jocelyn_Bell_Burnell

I'm pretty much in agreement, with only a couple of quibbles.  I think it's a little harsh to say Franklin "wasn't able to figure it out", rather she was focused on solving the A form of crystalized DNA and the photo was of the B (hydrated) form.  She wouldn't be the first or the last scientist to be unlucky in choosing where to direct their immediate attention when confronted with competing experimental directions.  Hindsight is always 20/20 as we all know.

I appreciate that you edited your comment about Crick; it was actually Alex Stokes who predicted the X-ray diffraction pattern generated by a helical structure.   Stokes was also a coauthor on one of the three Nature articles that described the structure of DNA, and he is probably the person who is today least recognized for their contribution.

There are certainly numerous problems with the way the Nobel Prizes are awarded, but I think a big one that persists to today is that there can only be up to three winners.  Any major discovery (at least these days) involves a lot of people collaborating, yet credit is only given to a very few.  Often this is the head of the lab, who is sometimes intimately involved in the discovery but often is more a facilitator, providing the environment (lab, funding, organization) in which the discovery is made.  Not a trivial role (at least I hope not, as the head of a research lab myself).  Still, limiting the award to three people guarantees that equally or even more deserving people are left out.  Expanding the number of people who can share the award would be a more honest reflection of how science is done.  Also people who are unlucky enough to have passed away (relatively recently at least) shouldn't be stripped of recognition I think, although there probably has to be some limit there.

Thanks for the link to the info about Jocelyn Bell.  She's a great example of the systematic barriers women used to have to overcome to get credit for their work.  I do think it's a lot better these days, at least in my field(s), but it's not perfect by any means.

[JoeWeber 3,023]

45 minutes ago, JerryBaumchen said:

Hi Ken,

I have just heard that Trump did not get it.

Anyone measuring the Richter Scale in DC?

Jerry Baumchen

PS)  The chair of the Nobel Peace Prize committee . . . the deliberation process for choosing the awardee prioritizes courage and integrity.

Nobel committee chair responds to Trump's lobbying for peace prize

Two things Trump lacks:  courage and integrity

 

Maybe he should have demanded the Economics Prize.

[billvon 3,172]

4 hours ago, JerryBaumchen said:

Two things Trump lacks:  courage and integrity

 

Borowitz: Trump Rallies Angry Supporters Outside Nobel HQ in Oslo

“If you want to win the Nobel Peace Prize, you’ve got to fight like hell.”

[JerryBaumchen 1,489]

59 minutes ago, billvon said:

Borowitz: Trump Rallies Angry Supporters Outside Nobel HQ in Oslo

“If you want to win the Nobel Peace Prize, you’ve got to fight like hell.”

Hi Bill,

Of course, there is this:  The White House called him "the peace president."

White House slams Nobel Committee for not awarding Peace Prize to Trump

They need to get the water supply at the White House fixed.

Well, he wanted lackies working for him; that's what he has.

Jerry Baumchen

 

[billvon 3,172]

6 minutes ago, JerryBaumchen said:

Hi Bill,

Of course, there is this:  The White House called him "the peace president."

White House slams Nobel Committee for not awarding Peace Prize to Trump

 

Well, he did bring peace to Aberbaijan and Albania. Or was it Aberbujun and Albany?  Abercrombie and Albuquerque?  Look, it doesn't matter.  The important thing is that those two countries or states or cities, whoever they are, aren't fighting any more, and it's all Trump's doing.

[Phil1111 1,260]

Or another prize

[kallend 2,217]

On 10/10/2025 at 3:05 PM, GeorgiaDon said:

I'm pretty much in agreement, with only a couple of quibbles.  I think it's a little harsh to say Franklin "wasn't able to figure it out", rather she was focused on solving the A form of crystalized DNA and the photo was of the B (hydrated) form.  She wouldn't be the first or the last scientist to be unlucky in choosing where to direct their immediate attention when confronted with competing experimental directions.  Hindsight is always 20/20 as we all know.

I appreciate that you edited your comment about Crick; it was actually Alex Stokes who predicted the X-ray diffraction pattern generated by a helical structure.   Stokes was also a coauthor on one of the three Nature articles that described the structure of DNA, and he is probably the person who is today least recognized for their contribution.

There are certainly numerous problems with the way the Nobel Prizes are awarded, but I think a big one that persists to today is that there can only be up to three winners.  Any major discovery (at least these days) involves a lot of people collaborating, yet credit is only given to a very few.  Often this is the head of the lab, who is sometimes intimately involved in the discovery but often is more a facilitator, providing the environment (lab, funding, organization) in which the discovery is made.  Not a trivial role (at least I hope not, as the head of a research lab myself).  Still, limiting the award to three people guarantees that equally or even more deserving people are left out.  Expanding the number of people who can share the award would be a more honest reflection of how science is done.  Also people who are unlucky enough to have passed away (relatively recently at least) shouldn't be stripped of recognition I think, although there probably has to be some limit there.

Thanks for the link to the info about Jocelyn Bell.  She's a great example of the systematic barriers women used to have to overcome to get credit for their work.  I do think it's a lot better these days, at least in my field(s), but it's not perfect by any means.

Posthumous prizes would present a major problem.  Archimedes, Galileo, Newton, Maxwell, Gauss, Joule . . .  etc.

If heads of labs are considered, Franklin was working in Randall's lab.  Rather like Bell was working for Hewish (who did get the award!)

 

It was Crick who figured out that there are 10 "rungs" to the helix and the two helices are not evenly spaced (obvious now we know the answer just from looking at the photo, but not at the time).  Pauling had proposed a triple helix.

I knew Bell in Grad school.  Rather strange young woman but very pleasant.  But nothing like as weird as Brian Josephson who was very odd.

Edited Saturday at 09:34 PM by kallend

[JerryBaumchen 1,489]

Hi folks,

A little update on the 'terrorists' in PDX:  ‘I’ve definitely had spicier tamales,’ says Portland ICE protest frog that got pepper sprayed by federal agents

I would guess that the only 'burning' in PDX is from tamales.

Jerry Baumchen

[JerryBaumchen 1,489]

Hi folks,

An editorial today:  The truth about what’s happening in Portland doesn’t matter to the Trump administration.

Editorial: Hello, world. An open letter from ‘war-ravaged’ Portland - oregonlive.com

Nothing, other than his own ego, matter to the Trump administration.

Jerry Baumchen

PS)  And more:  Letter from the Editor: Inside Portland’s ICE protests. Answering your questions - oregonlive.com

Edited 3 hours ago by JerryBaumchen