Offensive Oscar outrage or odious objicients II...

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Indeed, the II in the blog-post title is because this is the second time. The second time on this particular subject but far from only the second time Oscar organisation is in the news. In 2019 I wrote "Another 'backlash', another hoo-ha; would anyone - apart from from those taking part and their guests - actually remember the Oscars was on if there wasn't this annual pre-event outrage at something?". Well, did you know/remember? Do you care? *

In 2016: the first time, I wrote "Once again the natives are getting restless. Oops, can I say that? Another whitewash; another blackout..." but not literally this time because two of my favourite actors are nominated. Not my favourite black actors, just favourite actors (by the way, they're not white). But like then, I again say look at the graph in the image (as always, click to enlarge); admittedly this is a few years ago now but it shows black actors (you know I mean male AND female when I say that, right?) are OVER represented in the winners**. 

What say YOU to that Mr. Frederick Gooding Jr. and Dr. Ronald E. Moore?  'The Oscars Are Still So White' [FFS]. And lucky the Latino, Asian and 'Other' ethnicities aren't so weak and paranoid as to want 'equality'. You'd hope so BUT the further we go down the woke rabbit hole the more you know the winners will probably not be there on merit. So sad, so stupid, so racist!

Bearing in mind that since 2020 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is bending over backwards (no word of a lie I read that linked site as 'Virtue' the first time I read it) to make sure it ticks as many boxes as possible. What happens with hot [update: ***] star talent like Ariana DeBose, do they get to tick three boxes? 

* Sadly, and the first time I can recall it being this bad, of the 12 films represented in the four 'bill-topping' categories (best actor, best supporting, best actress, best supporting) I have only heard of TWO of them!

**  Heaven forbid - maybe they deserved it! 

*** Very hot. Congrats

Overhead orbital oblectation...

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Tonight there will be a partial lunar eclipse "of a Lifetime!" ...in fact of many lifetimes! It will be the "longest partial eclipse of the Moon since the 15th century, and there won't be one this long until February 8, 2669"...only once in more than a millennium. This is an eclipse of the Micro Full Beaver Moon* and "will look like an 'almost' total lunar eclipse": unfortunately only "for those in North and South America, Australia, and parts of Asia." although judging by the eclipse map we may just get a peek in the UK if the skies are clear. 

You can watch it LIVE with timeanddate.com HERE. 

* that isn't a porno film, it's what the full moon in November is called.

Overhead orbital oblectation...

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Tonight there will be a partial lunar eclipse "of a Lifetime!" ...in fact of many lifetimes! It will be the "longest partial eclipse of the Moon since the 15th century, and there won't be one this long until February 8, 2669"...only once in more than a millennium. This is an eclipse of the Micro Full Beaver Moon* and "will look like an 'almost' total lunar eclipse": unfortunately only "for those in North and South America, Australia, and parts of Asia." although judging by the eclipse map we may just get a peek in the UK if the skies are clear. 

You can watch it LIVE with timeanddate.com HERE. 

* that isn't a porno film, it's what the full moon in November is called.

Orbs, orbits and orreries...

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Anyone with an orrey [edit: orrery FFS!] will see the two biggest planets in our solar system as close as they have seemed in December, "Jupiter and Saturn will appear closer in Earth's night sky than they have since 1226 A.D."; only about 1 degree apart for us looking up. OK, the close alignment of these two planets happens every 20 years or so.* "But it's not always in December and it's been nearly 800 years—we're talking Middle Ages—since they got this close. 

"Technically, the two largest planets in our solar system will still be hundreds of millions of miles apart. But Dec. 21, from our vantage point, they'll look like they're nearly touching, creating a radiant point of light that's being dubbed the Christmas Star, or Star of Bethlehem, for obvious reasons."

"The lousiest year in living memory will end with an offering of heavenly wonder: a Christmas Star."

Also, it is the winter solstice so I suppose of course this alignment could be a brighter Saturnalia than usual if that's your thing (plenty of Romans about!) or shining for Juul (even more pagans!) etc...

* ...actually 19.86 years for the average frequency of a great conjunction so the last one was on 10.2.01 and today is 21.12.20...ooooh. 

Orbs, orbits and orreries...

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Anyone with an orrey will see the two biggest planets in our solar system as close as they have seemed in Decemeber, "Jupiter and Saturn will appear closer in Earth's night sky than they have since 1226 A.D."; only about 1 degree apart for us looking up. OK, the close alignment of these two planets happens every 20 years or so.* "But it's not always in December and it's been nearly 800 years—we're talking Middle Ages—since they got this close. 

"Technically, the two largest planets in our solar system will still be hundreds of millions of miles apart. But Dec. 21, from our vantage point, they'll look like they're nearly touching, creating a radiant point of light that's being dubbed the Christmas Star, or Star of Bethlehem, for obvious reasons."

"The lousiest year in living memory will end with an offering of heavenly wonder: a Christmas Star."

Also, it is the winter solstice so I suppose of course this alignment could be a brighter Saturnalia than usual if that's your thing (plenty of Romans about!) or shining for Juul (even more pagans!) etc...

* ...actually 19.86 years for the average frequency of a great conjunction so the last one was on 10.2.01 and today is 21.12.20...ooooh. 

Outer obit...

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[Edited: 'dead' image/video removed]
Very sorry to read of the death of the 'fearlessly eccentric' Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS [Wiki]. Sir Patrick is amongst the very few 'scientific names' that most people could recognise, highlighting his valuable 'contribution to the popularisation of science over the past fifty years'; he was the presenter of the 'longest-running programme with the same presenter in television history' (24th April 1957 until today, 9th December 2012): The Sky at Night; he "was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter.
Moore was a former president of the British Astronomical Association, co-founder and former president of the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), author of over 70 books on astronomy...". What a shame; question now is - for those of you paying attention - will he become a black dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole?

Outer obit...

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[Edited: 'dead' image/video removed] Very sorry to read of the death of the 'fearlessly eccentric' Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS [Wiki]. Sir Patrick is amongst the very few 'scientific names' that most people could recognise, highlighting his valuable 'contribution to the popularisation of science over the past fifty years'; he was the presenter of the 'longest-running programme with the same presenter in television history' (24th April 1957 until today, 9th December 2012): The Sky at Night; he "was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter. Moore was a former president of the British Astronomical Association, co-founder and former president of the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), author of over 70 books on astronomy...". What a shame; question now is - for those of you paying attention - will he become a black dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole?

Outer obit...

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Very sorry to read of the death of the 'fearlessly eccentric' Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS [Wiki]. Sir Patrick is amongst the very few 'scientific names' that most people could recognise, highlighting his valuable 'contribution to the popularisation of science over the past fifty years'; he was the presenter of the 'longest-running programme with the same presenter in television history' (24th April 1957 until today, 9th December 2012): The Sky at Night; he "was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter. Moore was a former president of the British Astronomical Association, co-founder and former president of the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), author of over 70 books on astronomy...". What a shame; question now is - for those of you paying attention - will he become a black dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole?

Ows obambulation: orrery, odometers and origami...

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You may have noticed but this month is "is about as good as it gets for planet watching!" [EarthSky]. You've probably noticed the two most obvious: Venus and Jupiter that are bright - in the west - for nearly four hours after sunset. A very slight "alignment" but nothing like the planetary alignment that people say (they're totally wrong) will accompany the 2012 Doomsday Scare later this year when the Mayan calendar 'runs out' (on December 21st 2012 it will display the equivalent of a string of zeros, like an odometer clicking over from 999,999). Anyway, obambulation - a word I love and have used many time here - means 'wandering' and I'm all over the place here: a model of planetary alignment is called an orrery and I made one as a child from paper, it was a mess; today the Google Doodle was celebrating what would have been the 101st birthday of Akira Yoshizawa, probably the most famous origami master: an "Origami artist of stunning originality who became an ambassador for Japanese culture and his art", follow this link for the story of when he got his biggest break: Link: pdf.

Ows obambulation: orrery, odometers and origami...

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You may have noticed but this month is "is about as good as it gets for planet watching!" [EarthSky]. You've probably noticed the two most obvious: Venus and Jupiter that are bright - in the west - for nearly four hours after sunset. A very slight "alignment" but nothing like the planetary alignment that people say (they're totally wrong) will accompany the 2012 Doomsday Scare later this year when the Mayan calendar 'runs out' (on December 21st 2012 it will display the equivalent of a string of zeros, like an odometer clicking over from 999,999). Anyway, obambulation - a word I love and have used many time here - means 'wandering' and I'm all over the place here: a model of planetary alignment is called an orrery and I made one as a child from paper, it was a mess; today the Google Doodle was celebrating what would have been the 101st birthday of Akira Yoshizawa, probably the most famous origami master: an "Origami artist of stunning originality who became an ambassador for Japanese culture and his art", follow this link for the story of when he got his biggest break: Link: pdf.