Friday Poem

Environmental & Science Education, Poetry, Art and Environment

Ed Hessler

Good morning from St. Paul on October 9, day 283 of 2020 (77.32% of the year gone). There will be 11h 15 m 55s of daylight.

It is National Moldy Cheese Day--not the kind you pitch out but the kind you gladly eat-- Roquefort, bleu, Brie and World Post Day, the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern. It was declared World Post Day by the UPU Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969.

Potent quote: The first thing is doubt. (Symmetry On-Line Magazine about Particle Physics, Originally published by Reuters. That article has more information about the prize and video.) 

This was the response of Nobel awardee for physics (2020) Andrea Ghez when asked about the moment she discovered the supermassive compact object at the center of our galaxy which governs the orbit of stars. Dr. Ghez followed it with, "You have to prove to yourself that what you are really seeing is what you think you are seeing. So, both doubt and excitement." The statements beautifully encapsulate how scientists think...of how science works. Look for more evidence, re-examine data, check, recheck and check again always with evidence in mind that supports or doesn't.

Today's poem is by Wendell Berry.