History of Periodic Table

Mother In Law would like a book about the history of the periodic table for Christmas. She's not a scientist (is a preacher, but not mad), and was looking for something that was an interesting read in this area.

I've found two possibilities:
Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, from Arsenic to Zinc

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Rivalry, Adventure, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements

Which, in your opinion is best (or is there a better alternative?)

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Three women accuse Neil deGrasse Tyson of sexual misconduct

https://www-m.cnn.com/2018/12/02/us/...os-allegations


(CNN) — Astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson has denied allegations of sexual misconduct made against him by three women.
Last month, three women told Patheos, a religion and spirituality website, that Tyson harassed them and made inappropriate sexual advances as early as 1984 and in recent years.
"Accusations can damage a reputation and a marriage. Sometimes irreversibly. I see myself as loving husband and as a public servant -- a scientist and educator who serves at the will of the public. I am grateful for the support I've received from those who continue to respect and value me and my work," he wrote in a lengthy Facebook post titled "On Being Accused."

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Homosexuality is unacceptable

Says the Pope. It is "worrying" and "there is no place for this kind of affection".

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...cid=spartandhp


Why does religion get a free pass on bigotry?

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What would you give up to try to save your child?

The answer for me is easy. But I recently saw a news report where parents were seeking financial support to get lifesaving medical treatment for their child. I was watching this with my sister in law and said “sell your house you idiots”. She (childless) said “I wouldn’t”.

I left it there, but was shocked. It seems people will put property before the well being of their children. I would not only give up my property, but my life. What say you?

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Afghanistan war "disappeared" by USA politicians?

It has struck me that (1) the situation in Afghanistan has continued to relentlessly deteriorate over the past year (2) but it has become less and less an issue ever mentioned by USA politicians and (3) less and less frequently covered by the USA news media and political blogs.

The Taliban ever more rapidly has been regaining territory and power. They now control more territory (~55%!) than at any other time since 2001, civilians deaths are rising quickly, the Afghan Defense Forces are struggling to maintain their numbers and morale, and the Taliban attacks have become more audacious (https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/01/middl...ntl/index.html). One example of the last: the recent attack that killed the powerful police chief of Kandahar province and wounded Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Smiley, the overseer of the NATO military advisory mission in Afghanistan. The commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Gen. Scott Miller narrowly escaped without serious injuries. This is quite amazing to me - a successful Taliban strike at the very highest levels of the USA/Afghanistan command structure within what was thought to be a highly secure area.

Although from time to time a "human interest" connection results in an event in Afghanistan making the USA news (such as the killing of Brett Taylor, a popular Utah mayor who deployed to Afghanistan as part of the National Guard), for the most part the events in Afghanistan just are no longer spoken of much, either in the news or by USA politicians.

This is in contrast to prior to and ramping up to the 2016 election, during which there was a relentless use of the bad news coming from Afghanistan by leading Republicans and the right wing media to attack the Obama administration/Democrats as weak and unable to protect the USA from "the Islamic terror threat."

Now that Trump is in power I guess this is no longer a problem and as far as the Republicans as concerned it has all gone away I add that I believe the silence from the Democrats is that they too simply want it to all go away. Neither side has a solution and neither now see this issue as anything but a political nightmare for them, so the best strategy is to not bring it up.

Too bad if you are Afghanistani, right? And how long until the Taliban become powerful and confident enough to directly threaten USA interests again?

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Mueller Investigation pt4

This article breaks down the alleged draft Corsi Statement of Offence and how it provides more evidence of collusion

Thread continued from here; you may quote or reply to any post from that or previous portions of this thread.

Posted By:zooterkin

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The peasant: hero or villain?

They have had a seminal role in modern history - the French Revolution, the Bolshevik Uprising in Russia - both of which countries abolished its monarch -and the Peasants' Revolt in England that saw the end of feudalism.

So why does the word 'peasant' have such a bad connotation? Once regarded as heroes, the sans culotte is now a term of insult.

Quote:

A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or farmer, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord.[1][2] In Europe, peasants were divided into three classes according to their personal status: slave, serf, and free tenant. Peasants either hold title to land in fee simple, or hold land by any of several forms of land tenure, among them socage, quit-rent, leasehold, and copyhold.[3] The word "peasant" is—and long has been—often used pejoratively to refer to poor or landless farmers and agricultural workers, especially in the poorer countries of the world in which the agricultural labor force makes up a large percentage of the population. The implication of the term is that the "peasant" is uneducated, ignorant, and unfamiliar with the more sophisticated mannerisms of the urban population.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peasant

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