Harvested

[The Troll]

Amazing douche bag of a man.   

   I got to say he was a Con Man of first rate.   He made millions of dollars by shearing the sheep.  Somebody say A-men.   

[Exterminator]

Mounds Mall...to be harvested April 1.

[Palehorse]

Mounds Mall...to be harvested April 1.

[Palehorse]

David Ogden Stiers  HARVESTED @ 75.

(Major Charles Emerson Winchester III in the TV comedy series "M*A*S*H".)

[Anne]

Oh, I had not seen that. I really liked him.

[Palehorse]

Stephen Hawking. . . Harvested . . .

I just . . . 😢

[libby]

Stephen Hawking. . . Harvested . . .

I just . . . 😢

Yes. Sometimes there are no words .... I have his book, A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME. My son gave it to me years ago.

[Henry Hawk]

Bozo the Clown ---- Harvested at 89.

[Locutus]

Yes. Sometimes there are no words .... I have his book, A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME. My son gave it to me years ago.

Have you read Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson?

[libby]

Have you read Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson?

No. I am way behind in my reading, especially recently. That sounds like something I need to have at hand (add to the stack beside my easy chair). I'm a fan of Tyson but didn't know about the book. I'll look for it the next time I go to Barnes and Noble, which may be tomorrow.  Thanks.

[libby]

More about Stephen Hawking, from The Washington Post:

March 17, 2018
RELIGION

Acts of Faith

'I'm not afraid': What Stephen Hawking said about God, his atheism and his own death.

by Lori Johnston  March 14

British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking schmoozed with popes during his lifetime, even though he was an avowed atheist. The famous scientist, who died Wednesday in England at 76, was often asked to explain his views on faith and God. During interviews, he explained his belief that there was no need for a creator.

He said during an interview with El Mundo in 2014: "Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe. But now science offers a more convincing explanation. What I meant by 'we would know the mind of God' is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God, which there isn't. I'm an atheist."

That followed comments made to Reuters in 2007 in which Hawking, who had lived with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease or ALS) since 1963, described himself as "not religious in the normal sense."

"I believe the universe is governed by the laws of science," he said. "The laws may have been decreed by God, but God does not intervene to break the laws."

[ I was raised an Orthodox Jew. Then someone from Reddit sent me Stephen Hawking's book. ]

Because of his involvement in the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which fosters "interaction between faith and reason and encouraging dialogue between science and spiritual, cultural, philosophical and religious values," he visited the Vatican over the years. Hawking gave a talk on "The Origin of the Universe" during the group's 2016 conference at the Vatican.

During those visits, he met with religious leaders, including Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI. In his comments to the Academy in 2010, Benedict XVI seemed to refer to Hawking, saying, "Scientists do not create the world; they learn about it and attempt to imitate it."
In Hawking's writings about the universe's origin, he and co-author Leonard Mlodinow posited in the 2010 book, "The Grand Design," that the big bang was inevitable.

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing," the book states. "Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."

In discussing the book, he told ABC News: "One can't prove that God doesn't exist. But science makes God unnecessary. ... The laws of physics can explain the universe without the need for a creator."

Hawking's earlier best-selling cosmology book, "A Brief History of Time," also discussed black holes and the big bang. The 1988 book offered his "theory of everything" that understanding the universe offers a glimpse of "the mind of God."

[ Stephen Hawking, physicist who came to symbolize the power of the human mind, dies at 76 ]

He also explained throughout his life his thoughts on a possible afterlife, saying, "I believe the simplest explanation is, there is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization that there probably is no heaven and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe and for that, I am extremely grateful."

In 2011, his comments to the Guardian explained his stance further: "There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

Hawking, who was born Jan. 8, 1942, and lived with his disease for much longer than expected, also said during the interview: "I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first."

Correction: An earlier version of this report stated the incorrect date for when "A Brief History of Time" was published. The date was 1988. It also stated that Stephen Hawking had a condition much like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The condition, in fact, was ALS.

www/washingtonpost.com

[Locutus]

Looks like former first lady and Katrina ice woman Barbara Bush will be hitting this thread soon.  She's on oxygen, at home, surrounded by family, and has declined further medical treatment.   

[Palehorse]

R. Lee Ermy harvested at 74.

"What is your major malfunction numbnuts? "

[Palehorse]

Bernie Mac, Richard Pryor, James Brown, R. Lee Emery; besides being dead what do they all have in common?

Pneumonia as the cause of death; in combination with underlying health issues.

[Anne]

Pneumonia used to be called the old peoples friend.