hoist on their own petard

1a Topical Words: Black Hole
----------------------------
The death of the famous American physicist John Wheeler last Sunday raised an intriguing language question. Most of his obituaries say he invented the term "black hole" for the astronomical phenomenon; in most cases this was the headline or lead-in to the text.

For example, the New Scientist wrote about him, "With his flair for poetry, Wheeler coined the terms 'black hole' and 'wormhole', words that captured the imaginations of physicists and the public alike." The Daily Princetonian, at his old university of Princeton, said he was "a legendary physicist who coined the phrase 'black hole' and who left an indelible mark on the physics department in his four decades as a University professor". The Guardian's piece explained that, "in a talk at the Goddard Institute, New York, in 1967, [he] spontaneously came up with the name 'black hole' to describe it." The Oxford English Dictionary might seem to concur, as its first citation is from a 1968 article by John Wheeler in American Scientist.

But did he really invent it? Other obituaries said not.

The Scientific American noted: "Wheeler recalls discussing such 'completely collapsed gravitational objects' at a conference in 1967, when someone in the audience casually dropped the phrase 'black hole.' Wheeler immediately adopted the phrase for its brevity and 'advertising value,' and it caught on." The Daily Telegraph obituary differed only in one detail: "A student at the conference called out 'black hole' as a suggestion, and Dr Wheeler made the name stick." This, not incidentally, is over a subhead that says that he coined the term.

John Wheeler himself never claimed that he invented "black hole". Stephen Hall wrote in an article in the New York Times in October 1992 that "The term, Dr. Wheeler said in an interview, was actually suggested by someone else - he can't remember who - during a 1967 meeting at the [Goddard] Institute for Space Studies in New York and was intended as a substitute for 'gravitationally completely collapsed star.' 'After you get around to saying that about 10 times,' Dr. Wheeler recalled, 'you look desperately for something better.'"

So he didn't coin it - he popularised it. But the chances are high he will go down in history as its creator. It raises an intriguing question about the way in which a tale that's denied by its central figure can still be widely believed.

There's some doubt even that the unnamed person at the meeting had invented it on the spot. Fred Shapiro, the editor of the Yale Book of Quotations, this week found an earlier example in the issue of the Science News Letter for 18 January 1964, in a report by Ann Ewing on a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): "According to Einstein's general theory of relativity, as mass is added to a degenerate star a sudden collapse will take place and the intense gravitational field of the star will close in on itself. Such a star then forms a 'black hole' in the universe."

Whoever it was Ann Ewing heard use the term at the 1964 meeting might have been the one who suggested it to John Wheeler at the 1967 one. Or it may have been someone else who heard it or who had read the report. Or it could be a case of separate and unconnected inventions. The latter is certainly possible because of "black hole" having been at one time the official name for the lock-up in a barracks. The infamous appearance of the term in British history, the only reason the term in that sense is still remembered, is the incident in 1756 known as the Black Hole of Calcutta in which 146 Europeans were confined in a cell overnight, of whom only 23 survived until the morning.

Does it matter who invented "black hole" as a snappy alternative to the phrase "gravitationally completely collapsed star"? If we're happy to ascribe legends to our great men, probably not. If we prefer truth to fiction, then it's worth putting the record straight.

1b Feedback, notes and comments
-------------------------------
BLACK HOLE Emery Fletcher, who was one of John Wheeler's graduate students in 1962, commented on last week's discussion of the origin of this term. "Wheeler was indeed its popularizer. Furthermore, he learned that the literal French translation was obscene, and as one who strongly objected to what he regarded as French arrogance in expunging any hint of Anglicizing, he used 'black hole' at every opportunity. The phrase he did actually coin, to describe the fact that no light or material issues from a black hole, was 'a black hole has no hair'. That one is even more formidably obscene to the French. Throughout his life he claimed that he'd coined the phrase innocently, but the claim was always made with the famous Wheeler twinkle in his eye."

(I wonder if he was influenced in creating that phrase by "comet", whose name derives from the classical Greek "aster kometes", or long-haired star.)

John Wheeler, as he would wish, has the last laugh, since everybody links his name to "black hole", on a principle that Walter Meyer pointed out was promulgated by Ogden Nash in his poem Columbus:

He discovered America and they put him in jail for it,
And the fetters gave him welts,
And they named America after somebody else,
So the sad fate of Columbus ought to be pointed out
to every child and every voter,
Because it has a very important moral, which is,
Don't be a discoverer, be a promoter.

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check this out

and look for the pup's comment

Playing God

We sometimes refer to someone's actions as "playing God." By that, we usually mean that they are standing in judgment over another person in a way that only God can, or that they are making a decision regarding who will live or who will die. Most of the time, we use that term in a negative way. I heard a story recently, though, told by Mee Spousler that sheds a whole new light on the term "playing God."

Mee tells how she was trying to put her three-year-old son to bed for a nap. When she was unsuccessful, she put him in her bed and laid down with him to encourage him to rest. She fell asleep, but he didn't. When she woke up, she saw him sitting on a chair at the end of the bed, and asked,

Luke, what are you doing?

I'm playing God,

he replied.

Playing God?

she asked.

Yes,

he said.

I'm watching over you while you sleep.

What a beautiful thought, because that is what God does. David wrote:

I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. (Ps 3:4-5)

Wouldn't it be great if we could all, like that 3-year-old boy, learn to "play God" in ways that would impact this world for good?

We need to "play God" by looking at the hearts of people rather than the clothes they are wearing.

We need to "play God" by forgiving those who have offended us.

We need to "play God" by refusing to allow race or the color of a person's skin to create barriers.

We need to "play God" by being patient, kind, and loving to the the people we deal with throughout the day.

We need to "play God" by showing compassion to those who are suffering or in need.

We need to "play God" by keeping our promises and living lives of honesty and integrity.

We need to "play God" by living in such a way that we reflect the nature of our Heavenly Father.

I hope and pray that people around you will see you "playing God" this day.

- Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville NC

do you represent this story?

A property manager of an apartment complex was showing a unit to prospective tenants and asking the usual questions.

Professionally employed?

he asked.

We're a military family,

the wife answered.

Children?

Oh, yes, ages nine and twelve,

she answered proudly.

Animals?

Oh, no,

she said earnestly.

They're very well behaved.

- Bobby q.gcfl

the Green Hall of Fame

(for Earth Day)

Kermit the Frog

Jolly Green Giant

Incredible Hulk

Green Hornet

Gumby

Grinch

Anne of Green Gables

honorable mention

The Emerald City

"Fried Green Tomatoes"

Augusta National

"Green Acres"

American money

Ireland

Green Berets

"Behind the Green Door"

"The Green Mile"

little green men

envy

Haiku for today #92

Calendar's backward
in the southern hemisphere
Must be really strange.

- Sarah Goodyear & Ed Weissman Epsicopal Haiku The church, its ways, and its people, seventeen syllables at a time (Seabury Books NYNY 2007)

next>>>

out of the office

• I am currently out of the office at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Please be prepared for my mood.
  
  
• You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I were in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.
  
  
• Sorry to have missed you, but I'm at the doctor's having my brain and heart removed so I can be promoted to our management team.
  
  
• I will be unable to delete all the emails you send me until I return from vacation. Please be patient, and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
  
  
• Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.
  
  
• The email server is unable to verify your server connection. Your message has not been delivered. Please restart your computer and try sending again. (The beauty of this is that when you return, you can see who did this over and over and over....)
  
  
• Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.
  
  
• Hi, I'm thinking about what you've just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.
  
  
• I've run away to join a different circus.
  
  
• I will be out of the office for the next two weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as 'Lucille' instead of Steve.

in honor of the moment

Ah, spring and the month of April. The chirping of birds, the fresh smell of flowers, the sunny days ... and the time that taxes are due. Yes, it's that time of year, when you put sum 5A into slot 6B, subtract the lesser of 12Z or 11Q from 10C, check the number of boxes entered and enter the number of checkered boxes, and try to figure out of you weigh more than last year's tax return. I just did my taxes and when I was done I was happy to see that I'm getting a refund ... look at the money the government is giving to me ... until I thought, "Hey, it was MY money to begin with!" The difference between the short tax form and long tax form is simple. If you use the short form, the government gets your money. If you use the long form, the accountant gets your money. - Thomas Ellsworth

Haiku for today #94

Anglo-Catholic
walks into a bar and says,
"Just Roman around."

- Sarah Goodyear & Ed Weissman Epsicopal Haiku The church, its ways, and its people, seventeen syllables at a time (Seabury Books NYNY 2007)

next>>>

riddle

This thing all things devours,
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stone to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down.

1. What is the thing?

2. Whose riddle is it?

3. Where is the riddle from?

I will reply the answers to commenters.

sane action by police - they're German, of course

Man throws his computer out the window, police sympathize

on Remembrance

Speech by Richard von Weizsacker,
President of the Federal Republic of Germany,
in the Bundestag
during the Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the End of the War in Europe and of National Socialist Tyranny,
1985May8

Haiku for today #95

The Oxford Movement
One starts to expound on it
and eyes glaze over.

- Sarah Goodyear & Ed Weissman Epsicopal Haiku The church, its ways, and its people, seventeen syllables at a time (Seabury Books NYNY 2007)

next>>>

Haiku for today #96

Book of Common Prayer
needs a more modern label:
User's manual.

- Sarah Goodyear & Ed Weissman Epsicopal Haiku The church, its ways, and its people, seventeen syllables at a time (Seabury Books NYNY 2007)

next>>>

EXPECTATIONS OF JESUS

After being with his blind date all evening, the man couldn't take another minute with her. Earlier, he had secretly arranged to have a friend call him to the phone so he would have an excuse to leave if something like this happened.

When he returned to the table, he lowered his eyes, put on a grim expression and said, "I have some bad news. My grandfather just died."

"Thank goodness," his date replied. "If yours hadn't, mine would have had to!"

I am so glad that I don't have to deal with the "dating scene" -- worrying about making a good first impression so that I can meet her expectations and trying to deal with the awkwardness of the situation if she's doesn't meet my expectations. That's especially the problem with "blind dates", something I managed to avoid altogether in my dating years. You get an image in your mind of what your date is going to be like (or what you hope she's going to be like), and it often doesn't take much to shatter that misconception. Granted, your date could possibly turn out to be better than you expected, but it seldom seems to work out that way.

That was a problem that Jesus faced when he came to this earth. He should have been greeted with open arms -- after all, he was the long-awaited Messiah. The problem is that the Jews had expectations of what the Messiah would be like. For most of the Jews, that preconception involved an earthly king who would boot the Romans out of the land and assume control. In fact, they were quite prepared to make Jesus that king (Jn 6:15).

Even without that misconception, though, none of the Jews could imagine a Messiah hanging on a cross. So the cross became a "stumbling block" to the Jews and "foolishness" to the Greeks (1Cor 1:23). Jesus didn't meet their expectations and they hurried to find a way to end the relationship.

Philip Yancey deals with this topic in his book "The Jesus I Never Knew". He speaks of his own misconceptions of Jesus at an early age: "I recalled the Sunday school image of Jesus that I grew up with: someone kind and reassuring, with no sharp edges at all -- a Mister Rogers before the age of children's television." Certainly Jesus was kind and reassuring, but he was so much more than that -- he was a man who was strong (physically and emotionally) and passionate.

What's important is that we allow the Gospels to define who Jesus was, and not expect him to measure up to our preconceived ideas. I challenge you to read the Gospels in a fresh light. Remove all expectations and allow the Word of God to define and shape who Jesus was. I guarantee the Messiah will turn out to be better than you expected!

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (Jn 1:14)

I never thought of this - neither did my children

It was a hectic day of running errands with my wife and son. As if the stress weren't enough, four-year-old Christopher insisted on asking questions about everything, told me how to drive better, and sang every song he knew. Finally, fed up with the incessant chatter, I made him an offer: "Christopher, if you'll be quiet for just a few minutes, I'll give you a quarter." It worked. But when we stopped for lunch, I unknowingly began to harp on him. "Christopher, sit up straight ... don't spill your drink ... don't talk with your mouth full." Finally he said seriously, "Dad, if you'll be quiet for just a few minutes, I'll give you a quarter." - Pulpit Supply

relevant information

At the end of this article about IBM and government contracts, the following note appears, which explains just about everything.

IBM grew up out of a company founded by former U.S. Census bureau employee Herman Hollerith, who developed punch-card tabulation machines to automate counting of the 1890 census. The Computer-Tabulating-Recording Co was renamed IBM [International Business Machines] in 1924.

Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide!

The Invisible Killer

Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.

Dihydrogen monoxide:

• is also known as hydroxl acid, and is the major component of acid rain.
• contributes to the "greenhouse effect."
• may cause severe burns.
• contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
• accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
• may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
• has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.

Contamination Is Reaching Epidemic Proportions!

Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in almost every stream, lake, and reservoir in America today. But the pollution is global, and the contaminant has even been found in Antarctic ice. DHMO has caused millions of dollars of property damage in the midwest and New Orleans.

Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:

• as an industrial solvent and coolant.
• in nuclear power plants.
• in the production of styrofoam.
• as a fire retardant.
• in many forms of cruel animal research.
• in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical.
• as an additive in certain "junk-foods" and other food products.

Companies dump waste DHMO into rivers and the ocean, and nothing can
be done to stop them because this practice is still legal. The impact on
wildlife is extreme, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer!

The Horror Must Be Stopped!

The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution,
or use of this damaging chemical due to its "importance to the economic
health of this nation." In fact, the navy and other military organizations
are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing multi-billion dollar
devices to control and utilize it during warfare situations. Hundreds of
military research facilities receive tons of it through a highly
sophisticated underground distribution network. Many store large
quantities for later use.

It's Not Too Late!

Act NOW to prevent further contamination. Find out more about this
dangerous chemical. What you don't know can hurt you and others throughout
the world.

[Today's warning ranks right up with the Alar scare, depletion of the spotted owl, and global cooling 1975. TFTD-L@TAMU.EDU requests that you give this your FULL attention and accord it the amount of concern it is due. - 2008Apr1]

a horse of a different color, as it were

IBM See Blue, Think Green Technical Conference