A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it. Named after the legendary character "Crazy Eddie" in Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "The Mote in God's Eye." Expect news and views about culture, politics, economics, technology, and science fiction.
It's time to say goodbye to the Year of the Snake and hello to the Year of the Horse. What do you know about the Year of the Horse?
0:00 Kai Feng, reporter for ABC Chinese, explains the significance of the horse in Chinese culture and history, 0:49 why 2026 is a 'fire' year, 5:10 and how people across Asia celebrate Lunar New Year.
Not only did ABC News (Australia) explain Lunar New Year, it explained the importance of horses to humans. Bonus educational content!
In 2025, we stacked the Artemis II rocket, certified next-generation lunar spacesuits, celebrated 25 years on the International Space Station, and snapped the closest pictures ever taken of the Sun.
We’re not just going back to the Moon in 2026 – we’re paving the way to Mars, exploring the stars, and dominating the skies, setting the stage for a historic year ahead.
It’s going to be a busy year for space exploration with American Astronauts scheduled to make a return visit around the moon, traveling further than any human ever. NBC News’ Tom Costello spoke to the crew.
I wrote "I expected a space race between the U.S. and China over the U.S. returning to the Moon before the Chinese get there" five years ago, and that's exactly what's happening. This time, I'm glad I'm right, because it will get humans back on the Moon and working to get to Mars.
Starship is running behind schedule and holding up a lunar landing, so I'm rooting for Blue Origin to either win the contract or inspire SpaceX to get its act together in time.
The future of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center appears to be in jeopardy, according to a letter penned by a United States representative on Monday. In the letter, U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-California, a ranking member on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, brought forth concerns about "disturbing reports" of a potential imminent closure at the Greenbelt campus. The letter, written to Sean Duffy, the U.S. Transportation secretary and acting administrator of NASA, said the possible closure of labs and facilities at the campus "put essential hardware and capabilities at great risk."
This is not good news for space science, including research that would help with exploring the Moon and Mars. Add this to the examples of one of 2025's science breakdowns, "Trump roils U.S. science." Ugh.
*I almost didn't because of what's happening in Venezuela. I decided to go ahead and let the late-night talk show hosts do the work for me tomorrow. Stay tuned.
China dominates the world‘s production and processing of rare earth elements, which are used in all kinds of things: sports equipment, national defense, and each of the roughly 16 million cars sold in the US every year. Over the last few years, the Asian country has been tightening access and suddenly restricted exports in early April 2025. The move sent shockwaves through the auto industry which can’t build cars without these minerals. CNBC Dove in to see how we got here, and how the auto industry might find its way out.
I point out that the U.S. is 100% dependent on imports of 21 minerals, chief among them rare earths, and that many of the countries that we import them from are not our friends, especially China and Russia. Not only do I tell my students this, but I say that China in particular could cut off exports of rare earths, which would cripple our ability to make many products.
Thanks to Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump'stariffs, it looks like the day I've been warning my students about for more than a decade has arrived. Sometimes, I wish I weren't right.
That's the general driving situation. Follow over the jump for my personal driving update.
We are saying goodbye to the Year of the Dragon and welcoming the Year of the Snake! What do you know about the Year of the Snake? What is the significance of the snake in Chinese culture and history and how do people in Asian countries celebrate the festival?
This is a return to form for me after last year's drum corpsholiday. That written, the host's remarking that snakes are "dangerous and scary animals" that make him "run away screaming" inspires me to put a science spin on this entry with PBS Eons explaining How Snake Venom Sparked An Evolutionary Arms Race.
For some, the rise and spread of venomous elapids was just another challenge to adapt to. For others, it was a catastrophe of almost apocalyptic proportions. And we humans are no exception, because it seems that when elapids slithered onto the ecological scene, not even our ancestors were safe…
I observed "Eleven years ago, they had Kaa as their character for Year of the Snake" then asked "Anyone care to wager that Kaa repeats?" While Mushu repeated in the parade, Kaa still showed in the merchandise available in Shanghai Disneyland.
Disney's California Adventure opted for a snake coiled to form Mickey Mouse's head.
So, yes and no, but if anyone had taken me up on the bet, they'd have won. After all, I didn't ssspecify which park!
Enough of this year's fessstivities. It's time to conclude this post with the generic greetings I've recycled many times over.
Mandarin: Gong Xi Fa Cai/Xin Nian Kuai Le
Cantonese: Kung Hei Fat Choi
Hokkien (Fujian/Taiwanese): Kiong Hee Huat Tsai/Sin Ni khòai lok
A Boeing spacecraft carrying two NASA astronauts is on its historic maiden voyage. The landmark launch kicked off the first crewed test flight of the capsule and marked the culmination of a long and trying development process.
Boeing’s Starliner mission has safely docked with the International Space Station after navigating new issues that cropped up overnight en route to the orbiting laboratory. CNN's Kristin Fisher reports.
Not only am I happy that Starliner successfully docked with the ISS, I'm glad for the astronauts and cosmonauts on the station that they'll be able to recycle their water. I often jokingly gross out my environmental science students by calling water recycling "toilet-to-tap," but in this case it's not only justified, but necessary.
SpaceX achieved a new milestone with its mega Starship rocket, after both the booster and the spacecraft made controlled returns to Earth.
I watched the re-entry live and was amazed that Starship successfully splashed down after one of its flight control surfaces burned through but remained attached. Like the proverbial honey badger, the spaceship didn't seem to care!
China’s Chang’e lunar probe has taken off from the far side of the moon to return back to earth, according to China’s national space agency. If China successfully makes it back to earth, it will be the first country to have gathered samples from the far side of the moon. China’s previous lunar mission, Chang’e 5, gathered samples from the near side of the moon, but collecting samples from the far side has required additional technical know-how as well as operating on more challenging terrain. According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), Chang’e 6 “withstood the test of high temperature on the far side of the moon."
We have a space race!
I expect to report more on the return to the Moon on Moon Day and recap these missions in this year's edition of 2023 in space. In the meantime, stay tuned for WorldOceansDay.
Placing between the Devils and Vanguard were the Cadets of Bergen County with their production “Celebration,” based entirely on the music of British composer Philip Sparke. Originally, Sparke was mostly known in British brass band circles, resulting in a number of awards, honors, and commissions from brass band associations in western Europe, as well as Australia and New Zealand.
DCI has the rest of the description, written by the late Michael Boo, on its website.
Most of the show was devoted to the three movements of Sparke’s “Year of the Dragon,” originally a 1984 commission for a championship Welsh brass band, later arranged by the composer for concert band. Sparke conceived the work as a virtuosic piece to display the talents of each of the band’s instrumental sections.
2002 DCI Championships. Program: Year of the Dragon. Repertoire: Year of the Dragon, Montage, A London Overture, Diversions.
The Mandarins adopted it as the corps song and played it 20 years later in Year of the Dragon, again uploaded by the corps itself.
Mandarins Brass and Mandarins Alumni Brass perform the corps' anthem, Year of the Dragon at the 2022 DCI Capital Classic.
The Mandarins have definitely made the music their own.
Those are the official uploads. Follow over the jump for the unofficial uploads, previews of coming attractions, and my traditional salutations I use to end my Lunar New Year posts.
During the Cold War, competition between the the United States and the former USSR was fierce, as the two countries rallied for the chance to make history by getting to the moon first. In 1959, the Soviet Union beat the U.S. to become the first nation to reach the surface of the moon with its Luna 2 spacecraft. But, the United States was the first country to put man on the moon in 1969, and to this day is still the only nation to have landed people on the moon. To date, only five nations, the U.S., Russia, China, Japan and India, have completed a successful soft landing on the moon. But bolstered by evidence of the presence of water and other natural resources, many more nations and private companies are now seeking to get to the moon. And whoever is able to establish a significant lunar presence first could have big implications on Earth as well as the cosmos.
I'm glad that Joe Biden's Administration publicly supports the continuation of the Trump Administration's plans for space exploration. As I wrote five years ago and repeated the next year, "space policy is the one area where Trump might actually be good for the country" and "Trump's plan is actually not a bad idea." I was worried that the Biden Administration would dump the one Trump policy I supported along with all the ones I couldn't stand. I'm relieved that they didn't.
File this under "even a stuck clock is right twice a day" and Donald Trump is definitely a stuck clock.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour speaks with NASA deputy administrator Pamela Melroy about the potential that space could be the next platform for war between nations.
Fortunately, Pamela Melroy thinks the answer is no. However, I wonder if she would get the same answer from a high-ranking officer of Space Force. Now I'm tempted to leave that as a suggestion in a comment to the video.
That's it for today's space update. Stay tuned for the highlights of tonight's Saturday Night Live tomorrow.
President Joe Biden (Mikey Day) holds a press conference after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Watching the reporters being more interested in Bowen Yang's panda then Mikey Day's Biden using that interest to deflect from inconvenient questions reminds me of what my friend Nebris says is one of mygreat insights.
"America is quite clear about its screwed up priorities. My experience has convinced me that the surest way to get Americans to act is to mess with their entertainment" and "Americans want their entertainment, and will do just about anything to keep it going."
China taking its pandas back messed with a lot of Americans' entertainment and they want new pandas. The media are happy to cater to this desire, which draws clicks and views. Should the Chinese lend pandas back to U.S. zoos, it will make both China, if not Xi, and Biden more popular in the U.S. That's a win-win. Now to see if it actually happens.
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin challenging the Teamsters union president to a fistfight.
I agree with Biden; Xi's a dictator. Just the same, that's not helpful in getting what we want out of the U.S.-China relationship.
I haven't been at all diligent about coming up with drinks and memes for Republican candidates, let alone writing farewell posts when they drop out, so I'm relieved that Tim Scott dropped out. It saved me the trouble. Bye!
My wife used to work for the Teamsters and we live three miles away from the last place Jimmy Hoffa was seen alive, so we know anyone asking to fight that union's president is asking for trouble. I wonder if Senator Mullin has a clue about that.
Based on the way we bragged about it on right-wing televison outlets, I'd say Mullin either doesn't know or doesn't care.
I don't know if Senator Markwayne Mullin has a death wish or not, but I agree with Jost — never mess with the Teamsters!
Rep. George Santos (Bowen Yang) stops by Weekend Update to discuss the House Ethics Committee's report claiming he used campaign funds for personal spending.
One of my best and easiest predictions was that George Santos will be a great inspiration for comedy as long as he stays in the news. That's continuing to come true.
Follow over the jump for the rest of the highlight's from last night's episode.
GOP infighting has turned the halls of Congress into a fight club, the U.S. and China set low expectations for the Biden-Xi meeting, and the new House Speaker took heat from his own party after passing a government spending bill with help from Democrats.
Seth takes a closer look at Republicans turning the U.S. Capitol into the UFC Octagon after former House speaker Kevin McCarthy allegedly assaulted a congressman and a senator challenged a witness to a physical fight during a hearing.
Seth and his writers echoed my sentiments about the confrontation between Markwayne Mullin and Teamsters president Sean O'Brien, which I expressed in a comment on LONG BEFORE TRUMP, WE SHOULD NEVER HAVE NORMALIZED FOX NEWS at No More Mister Nice Blog.
My wife used to work for the Teamsters and we live three miles away from the last place Jimmy Hoffa was seen alive, so we know anyone asking to fight that union's president is asking for trouble. I wonder if Senator Mullin has a clue about that.
Based on the way we bragged about it on right-wing televison outlets, I'd say Mullin either doesn't know or doesn't care. I'm glad he's not my senator!
Leslie Jones covers San Francisco's problematic cleaning spree,...USPS's [$]6.5 billion loss, and Desi Lydic weighs in on the many fights erupting in Congress.
I'm glad California Governor Gavin Newsom is owning what's going on, even if it doesn't make him look good outside of San Francisco. Inside the city, it probably make him look great. I just wish it didn't take a meeting of heads of state to get it to happen. And, yes, it would be cheaper to house the homeless instead of leaving them on the streets. Too bad our screwed-up priorities don't allow that.
I'm sorry to read about the problems the USPS is having. It is still a government agency, even if it operates a lot like a government-owned corporation such as Amtrak, though it lost its status as a cabinet-level department more than 50 years ago.
While I'm looking forward to Mike Johnson losing his Speakership because of doing the wrong thing, I'm relieved that he hasn't lost it for doing the right thing, as Kevin McCarthy was. Speaking of whom, he's living down to my nickname for him as he got back into the news.
Finally, I'm not as sure as Jones that Lydic would lose to Cruz, punch line or not — pun intended.
I'm wondering what to write about tomorrow, as it's the real date of LifeDay, which falls on November 17th and was originally a stand-in for Thanksgiving, but over the years, it has turned into Star Wars Christmas, so many fans celebrate it then. Stay tuned.
RETROGRADE captures the final nine months of America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan from multiple perspectives: one of the last U.S. Special Forces units deployed there, a young Afghan general and his corps fighting to defend their homeland against all odds, and the civilians desperately attempting to flee as the country collapses and the Taliban take over. From rarely seen operational control rooms to the frontlines of battle to the chaotic Kabul airport during the final U.S. withdrawal, Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman’s latest film offers a cinematic and historic window onto the end of America’s longest war, and the costs endured for those most intimately involved. Rated R
Retrograde joins Escape from Kabul and In Her Hands as nominated documentaries about the final days of the U.S. operations in Afghanistan. It's the most nominated of the three, earning recognitions for Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary, Outstanding Direction: Documentary, Outstanding Cinematography: Documentary, Outstanding Editing: Documentary, Outstanding Sound, and Outstanding Promotional Announcement. Yes, the trailer earned its own nomination and it looks like it earned it. That ties it with Good Night Oppy at these awards, although the latter has a nomination for Best Documentary here and a seventh for Outstanding Narrator at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards to break the tie.
Follow over the jump for the trailers of the other nominees for Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary plus the nominees in the other five categories in which Retrograde is competing.
France celebrates Bastille Day, which marks the fall of the Bastille prison in 1789, seen as igniting the French Revolution. 'Le chant des partisans' was part of the celebrations. '"Le chant des partisans" is the perfect symbol of resistance during WWII', French Army Major Antoine explains.
I learned something new from this segment and it's always a good day when I learn something new.
The Indian military contingent marched to the beats of ‘Sare Jahan Se Accha’ even as a compliment of Rafale fighters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) participated in a flypast over the Champs-Elysees at the Bastille Day Parade. The Punjab Regiment led the march and was followed by the Indian Navy and then the Air Force as the left their mark at the annual parade to mark the historic fall of Bastille in 1789.
The Indian army, navy, and air force units formed the tricolor of the French flag as they marched down the parade route — nice touch!
India is the guest of honor at this year’s Bastille Day parade, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi watching in the VIP tribune alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. About 240 Indian troops led the march down the Champs-Elysees before thousands of French forces, and French-made Indian warplanes joined the traditional flyby above the event. France often showcases international partners on Bastille Day, and the choice of India comes as France looks to further strengthen cooperation on fighting climate change, military sales and the strategic Indo-Pacific region. But human rights were missing from the vast agenda, despite concerns raised by European lawmakers, rights groups and others. Joining FRANCE 24's William Hilderbrandt on Bastille Day is author, economist and commentator on geostrategic affairs Saurav Jha. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Delhi Defence Review.
Saurav Jha tried to downplay India as a counterweight to China, but he couldn't avoid the comparisons and contrasts. His point that consumption composes 60% of India's GDP to 30% of China's struck me. What that means is that India is a better market for exporters, which makes it attractive to other countries to not only invest in India to make things, but to sell them, too. That's a selling point.
Follow over the jump for videos about two other holidays that share today with Bastille Day.
The “Barbie” movie is one of the summer's most highly anticipated movies but it's sparking an unexpected controversy. A map, seen in the film, shows a jagged line off the coast of China that allegedly represents the country's disputed claim to the South China Sea. China claims that everything inside that jagged line is theirs but every other nation that borders the South China Sea disputes that. Now, Vietnam is banning the movie and the Philippines may follow suit. The movie’s producer says the map is only make-believe and was not intended to make any statement about the real world. Inside Edition's Alison Hall has more.
This seems like a tempest in a teapot, but the dispute between China and its neighbors, particularly Vietnam and the Philippines, is deadly serious, as DW News explains in Vietnam bans 'Barbie' movie over map of South China Sea.
Vietnam has banned the movie 'Barbie'. The Margot Robbie starrer was due to be released there on July 21, but won't be released now. State media reported this was because the film included a map showing unilateral Chinese claims in the South China Sea.
Yikes! This explains why the U.S. and Philippines announced four new bases in the country this April. That's quite the reversal of policy after the U.S. abandoned Clark Air Base in 1991 and Naval Base Subic Bay in 1992. That happened because the end of the Cold War and the Philippines' people and government's irritation at the bases becoming attractive nuisances because of the American servicemen's appetite for vice. The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, a story I tell my students, sped the process along. It looks like the rise of China as a world power and regional threat made the Philippines reconsider the advantages of a U.S. military presence. I don't know if that would ever happen in Vietnam, but stranger things have happened.
Speaking of stranger things, but unfortunately not the Netflix series, this has spilled over into domestic politics, as the Politico article shown in the "Inside Edition" video reported in GOP declares war on ... Barbie.
GOP lawmakers accuse filmmakers of pandering to Chinese censors. But Warner Bros. Film Group, which produced the movie, said Thursday the map is not intended to “make any type of statement.”
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), who leads a select House panel aimed at countering the influence of China, said the map “illustrates the pressure that Hollywood is under to please CCP censors.”
“While it may just be a Barbie map in a Barbie world, the fact that a cartoonish, crayon-scribbled map seems to go out of its way to depict the PRC’s unlawful territorial claims illustrates the pressure that Hollywood is under to please CCP censors,” Gallagher said in a statement to POLITICO. “I hope Warner Brothers clarifies that the map was not intended to endorse any territorial claims and was in fact, the work of a formerly plastic anthropomorphic doll.”
Warner Bros., in its own statement to POLITICO, said there were no geopolitics intended in “Barbie.”
“The map in Barbie Land is a child-like crayon drawing,” a spokesperson for the Warner Bros. Film Group said. “The doodles depict Barbie’s make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the ‘real world.’ It was not intended to make any type of statement.”
Oh, dear dog. Anything to generate outrage along with anti-China and anti-Hollywood sentiment.
"Barbie" beat "Oppenheimer," the runner-up, which it shares a release date with, along with "Dune: Part Two," "Killers of the Flower Moon," and "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One." That's a list of potentially great movies, all of which I expect to see nominated in future awards shows, including the Saturn Awards, which I vote for.
And why that’s a big deal.
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For the first time in six decades, China’s population is shrinking, and it’s predicted it could create a demographic crisis. That’s because China isn’t just shrinking, it’s also aging. And the majority of Chinese couples are not considering having more than one child. Because of this, China is predicted to lose nearly 50 percent of its population by 2100.
China’s population decline can be traced back to the restrictive family-planning policies launched in the 1970s and an impressive economic boom fueled by China’s huge labor force.
China’s modernization brought rapid urbanization, rising income levels, and better education to large parts of China. Combined, these policies and growth have given China one of the lowest birth rates in the world.
Today, China is trying to reverse its population decline. Not just because an aging population is hard to sustain economically, but because China’s impressive economic growth, until now, has relied on its people. As China’s population challenges deepen over time, it might have to rethink how to grow its economy and care for its citizens.
I am in the middle of lecturing about human population in my Environmental Science class and described China's one-child policy on Thursday and this video fits right in. I think I'll show this video to my class as an update tomorrow night and replace the video I embedded in China ends one child policy in my slideshow. Welcome to blogging as professional development.
China remains home to 1.4 billion people. But that number is getting smaller.
The country's National Bureau of Statistics reported China's population slipped to 1.412 billion last year from 1.413 billion in 2021. The last time China saw negative population growth was in the 1960s.
Many experts believe that China's one-child policy, introduced in the 1980s, is one of the main reasons for the population decline.
I've been worried about China passing the U.S. to become the dominant global power and have advocated for cooperation, which I labeled The CoDominion. My long-time commenters Nebris and Infidel753 have been skeptical of this happening for political, social, and cultural reasons. They didn't convince me because I'm a scientist and I need something more concrete. China's population decline provides that concrete support. Now I'm less worried about China passing the U.S. to become number one.
What about India? Frankly, I think I'd be happier with a world where India is in charge. It will also take longer, as India currently has the fifth largest GDP, passing the United Kingdom, and is projected to pass Germany by 2027 and Japan to reach third by 2030. The three most populous nations will then have the three largest economies, although in reverse order. I can live with that.
Enough serious news and analysis. Stay tuned for some comedy tomorrow.
And why the US and China are fighting over silicon in the first place.
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In October 2022, the Biden administration placed a large-scale ban on the sale of advanced semiconductor chips to China. They also implemented a series of other rules that prevents China from making these chips on their own. These chips are used in everyday technology, like our mobile phones and computers. They’re also crucial to military and intelligence systems, which is one of the main reasons they're at the center of a feud between the United States and China.
Microchips were first invented in the US in the 1950s, after which their use rapidly expanded worldwide. Since then, the supply chain for these chips has grown and spread to include countries in Europe and Asia. And while some countries have caught up to the US's edge in making these advanced chips, China still falls far behind despite multiple attempts to gain an advantage.
Watch the latest episode of Vox Atlas to understand why China is losing a new cold war with the US over microchips.
The chipshortage is not just about consumer goods. It's also about national security. To elaborate, I'm being a good environmentalist and recycling.
Seth takes a closer look at the incredibly dumb Chinese spy balloon melodrama that exposed just how vacuous and silly much of the right-wing media discourse is.
Chelsea Handler tackles the latest news including the Chinese spy balloon shot down in South Carolina, Marjorie Taylor Greene complaining about her job, George Santos accused of groping an aide, and Mt. Washington being reportedly colder than Mars.
Yes, Chelsea and her writers had the gas to get fresh clips and jokes about the balloon. I'm passing over Marjorie Taylor Greene complaining about her job to point out that while the latest thing George Santos did wasn't funny, he continues to make my prediction that he will be a great inspiration for comedy as long as he stays in the news true. Unlike Chelsea, I understand what Mt. Washington being colder than Mars means. Just the same, Chelsea is my first choice to replace Trevor, followed by Wanda Sykes. Let's see if that ranking holds. Stay tuned.
In addition to being popularposts, my Sunday highlights of the previous night's "Saturday Night Live" help me feature news stories I missed during the week. Last night's episode was no different, as it began with Spy Balloon Cold Open.
Katy Tur (Chloe Fineman) reports on the U.S. military shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon (Bowen Yang) with the help of a Pentagon official (Kenan Thompson).
On a more serious note, both Thompson and Yang made valid points in the skit about TikTok and Amazon already surveilling their users and being bigger security risks than a balloon. Remember, Big Data is watching you!
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like George Santos lying about producing Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark.
I'm going to have to return to some of these stories, like Florida loosening gun laws and pressuring the College Board to revise the AP African-American History course, which makes a great topic for Black History Month. In the meantime, Santos claiming to be a producer of a failed Broadway play makes me think he learned the wrong lesson from "TheProducers." Speaking of pathological liars, Jon Lovitz had a role in the remake. Santos continues to make my prediction that he will be a great inspiration for comedy as long as he stays in the news true.
Follow over the jump for the rest of Weekend Update, which included bits about animals and science, two topics I can't resist.
George Santos continues to live up to my prediction that he'll be a great inspiration for comedy as long as he stays in the news. Watch a NFL on Fox Cold Open as "Saturday Night Live" returns for the new year.
Fox Sports hosts (Kenan Thompson, Mikey Day, James Austin Johnson, Devon Walker, Molly Kearney) interview Rep. George Santos (Bowen Yang).
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like Biden and Trump's classified document scandals.
Weekend Update returned to Santos later, but in the meantime, it gave the Biden documents story about as much time as it deserved — not much. Ron DeSantis's comments about Florida being a refuge of sanity during the pandemic by refusing to go along with vaccine and mask mandates also got as much respect as they deserve by referencing Florida's reputation for craziness.
Well, this is Florida, which is known for the crazy news it produces. As an expatriate Californian, I'm perversely glad that it ha[s] the insane reputation that it does; it makes California, especially southern California, look good.
The Chinese Zodiac animal for this Lunar New Year is the rabbit. Here's what that means and some surprising facts about this Lunar New Year.
I knew that the Jewish calendar had leap months, but I didn't know that the east Asian lunar calendar had leap months as well. I should have figured it out, but it never occurred to me. As I've written many times before, it's a good day when I learn something new.
I'm being a good environmentalist by recycling my reaction to 2020's Happy Year of the Metal Rat! "I don't know how authentically Chinese it is, but it is authentically Disney, which makes it authentically American." I didn't make a prediction about which Disney animated character would portray this year's animal because Disney has a number of choices, many of whom appear in the following image.
Frankly, I wouldn't have picked Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, but I'm not surprised. "Lucky Rabbit" is very on-brand for this holiday.
Next year will be the Year of the Dragon, so Mushu will be the star. He's already in the parade.
Enough of this year's festivities. It's time to conclude this post with the generic greetings I've recycled many times over.
Mandarin: Gong Xi Fa Cai/Xin Nian Kuai Le
Cantonese: Kung Hei Fat Choi
Hokkien (Fujian/Taiwanese): Kiong Hee Huat Tsai/Sin Ni khòai lok
From Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
The Buhos Marching Band performing their musical selections at the 42nd Annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Bandfest on Friday, December 30, 2022.
The announcer mentioned that he enjoyed the Mexican bands at the Rose Parade because they are so colorful. They are that. Notice that the plumes are the colors of the Mexican flag and the band uses them to form a Mexican flag on the field for the finale. I'll return to that theme at the end of the entry. In the meantime, follow over the jump for the rest of the international units.
In 2022, we launched our mega Moon rocket for the first time – sending the uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the Moon, we kicked off a new era in astronomy with record-breaking new imagery from the Webb Space Telescope, we moved an asteroid in humanity’s first ever planetary defense demonstration and much more. Here’s a look back at those and other things we did, this year @NASA!
This video shows that some of NASA's most important, if less spectacular, work takes place on Earth, not up in space.
Follow over the jump for videos from ESA, Reuters, and SciShow Space.
