Mr. Rogers personally shaped the minds of millions of kids during the 70s, 80s and 90s with his show "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" - a show dealing with life from a child's point of view. It was an extremely popular show on PBS (still is).
If you have never seen a show, I would suggest trying to. It explains a great deal of the culture we have come to know and love. Joe Latrell P.S. It's still a beautiful day in the neighborhood, even though Mr. Rogers has moved on. On Thu, 2003-02-27 at 16:25, Keira McKenzie wrote: > Who is Mister Rogers & why is he a dark portent? > I agree with everything else, & will be sad to see Galileo go as well. But Mister > Rogers? > -----Original Message----- > From: LARRY KLAES <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: europa <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Thursday, 27 February 2003 3:14 > Subject: Our long-term future on Earth and beyond > > > My personal recommendation for a space-rock-threatens > to-wipe-out-Earth film is 1998's Deep Impact. While not > perfect, it was far more realistic in showing how a comet > could destroy humanity and our potential reaction to having > some advance notice of the news. > > http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/movies/di.html > > Of course Armageddon might resonate better with a public > that is not very discriminatory when it comes to science > accuracy in films - or bad acting and plotting: > > http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/movies/armageddon.html > > > But I heartily agree with Robert about the need to preserve > humanity in some form beyond Earth. With the way we are > going now, who needs a giant space rock to destroy us. > > I don't care what the masses think of the idea. Their > thoughts are too narrowly focused in space and time to > see the big picture and know what is truly good for them. > If I worried about public opinion, I never would have > suggested Icepick or dealt with space all my life at all. > > http://www.longnow.org/ > > Columbia tears apart in space, Pioneer 10 stops transmitting > to Earth, and now Mister Rogers dies. You tell me these > aren't the signs of something bad coming (said only half > facetiously). > > Larry > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Gary McMurtry > Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2003 1:30 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Columbia analysis and space exploration > > > Robert, et al., > > I am among the billions of Earthlings that have not yet seen the movie > "Armageddon", but I know from previews that it stars Bruce Willis and the > Space Shuttle (I think). However, I know what you are referring to as NEO > impacts are indeed nasty events, with devastating consequences for our > civilization, or at least parts of it, depending on the size and location > of the impact. I believe the small ones typically hit Earth on the order > of every 100,000 years, on average. Big ones, like the K-T Impactor, on > the order of every 30 million years or so. Just look at a Geologic Time > Scale--about every Period boundary has probably recorded a major impact > event, with sudden and significant changes in the flora and fauna--the > boundary catastrophies that Georges Cuvier first noted about 200 years ago. > > Anyway, as some of you who have seen the Discovery Channel program "Mega > Tsunami" may know (co-starring Yours Truly--blush), we also have "a little > problem" right here on Earth, namely the flank collapse of oceanic island > volcanoes. They also occur on the order of every 100,000 years, on > average. We can predict where, but presently not exactly when or how, > future collapses will occur. Like the NEO threat, it has been difficult to > obtain sufficient funds to study this problem, although the threat is > clearly there, and the consequences severe. > > Anyway, I tend to agree with the trend that we will all look foolish > indeed, if once we establish the cure for cancer or that bacterial life > flourishes and even octopuses swim in the Europan Ocean, one day the sky > goes bright and suddenly our home in Kansas is awash in seawater. > > Gary > > At 08:35 PM 2/26/2003 -0800, you wrote: > > > >(I wrote much of this first to Bruce and John offlist, > >but I realized upon re-reading that it might have general > >list significance.) > > > >I would tend to agree with John that we may want to simply > >let the investigation run its course. > > > >Unfortunately the news media seem to be turning up revealing > >details. > > > >In Intense Debate, Engineers Predicted Extent of Liftoff Damage > >Matthew L. Wald and William J. Broad. > >NY Times, Feb. 27, 2003: > > >http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/27/national/nationalspecial/27SHUT.html?pagewanted=print > > > >To NASA's credit, they are being very open and quick about > >revealing details of internal discussions. > > > >But it would appear that before the shuttles can fly again > >some significant refinement is going to be required to both > >the external tank bipod attachment as well as the wheel well > >areas. Not trivial upgrades. > > > >(Yes, Bruce, I know you would probably like to scratch the > >whole mess (shuttles, ISS, etc.) but being realistic, I > >really doubt that is likely to occur.) > > > >To really push that concept you (Bruce) need to present a really > >good alternative to not "how do we explore the solar system?" > >but "how do we save humanity?". There are people who inherently > >grasp the priorities. The "exploration" part is pointless without > >the "saving" part. > > > >There are just *too* many people that have seen Armageddon and > >the very best argument one could make in the world (peer reviewed, > >signed and stamped by numerous experts, etc.) doesn't carry *any* > >weight against Liv Tyler's tears. > > > >It doesn't matter that the risks (to humanity) are low, and perhaps > >going lower (cite many of Larry Klaes's recent msgs). What matters > >is that every single human being knows that if they end up on the wrong > >side of the dice roll that everything that they have ever done, > >worked for, hoped for, desired, etc. would be pointless. > > > >I'll freely admit that probably billions of humans are not up > >to that level of awareness (perhaps all those that haven't > >seen Armageddon) -- but they would all appreciate the concept. > >Hope & desire seem likely to be key aspects of what gets us > >out of bed in the morning. Remove those (say through the discovery > >of an incoming NEO that we cannot prevent) and it seems probable > >that one destroys key aspects of humanity if not humanity itself. > > > >Robert > > > > > >== > >You are subscribed to the Europa Icepick mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Project information and list (un)subscribe info: http://klx.com/europa/ > > > == > You are subscribed to the Europa Icepick mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Project information and list (un)subscribe info: http://klx.com/europa/ > == You are subscribed to the Europa Icepick mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Project information and list (un)subscribe info: http://klx.com/europa/
