Happy Carl Sagan Day!

[LongTomH]

Phil Plait, at the Bad Astronomy Blog is celebrating Carl Sagan Day:

November 9 is the 76th anniversary of Carl Sagan’s birth, and is celebrated across the globe as Carl Sagan Day (in general, places that celebrate the day do so on the Saturday previous; so, today!). He did more to bring the wonders of the Universe to the world than any other human being, alive or otherwise, and this day should be a holiday.

In honor of that, I present to you my friend Sara Mayhew’s idea of what she plans to do:

Sounds like a good idea to me. If you’re curious about the apple pie thing, try here. It’s Sagan’s best quote, hands down.

Let's see: Sara's got Carl's birthday down as 6 Now; Phil Plait has it as the 9th. Oh well! Happy Birthday, or Happy Belated Birthday, Carl!|Bad Astronomy Blog] is celebrating Carl Sagan Day:

November 9 is the 76th anniversary of Carl Sagan’s birth, and is celebrated across the globe as Carl Sagan Day (in general, places that celebrate the day do so on the Saturday previous; so, today!). He did more to bring the wonders of the Universe to the world than any other human being, alive or otherwise, and this day should be a holiday.

In honor of that, I present to you my friend Sara Mayhew’s idea of what she plans to do:

Sounds like a good idea to me. If you’re curious about the apple pie thing, try here. It’s Sagan’s best quote, hands down.

Let's see: Sara's got Carl's birthday down as 6 Now; Phil Plait has it as the 9th. Oh well! Happy Birthday, or Happy Belated Birthday, Carl!

Edited to add: OK, Wikipedia confirms it! Carl's birthday is on the 9th of November.

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Carl was my neighbor at college

He was an eccentric fellow, but he did good stuff.

[Odin2005]

2. I miss him!

:cry:

[calimary]

11. I think we all miss him - more than we even know.

[arcane1]

3. "I celebrate by making apple pie from scratch"

Haha! Love it!!!!! :D

[LongTomH]

4. Follow the link to the YouTube video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc

[Blue_In_AK]

5. I loved that guy.

I wish he were still around.

[liberal N proud]

6. Billions and billions

[tom_paine]

7. I miss Carl very much, too. But in a way I am glad he didn't live to see the last 10 years.

He was so optimistic about the human species. So much potential. So many beautiful dreams, to paraphrase Contact.

But his last book, "The Demon Haunted World" I believe the reality of the situation, particularly regarding the ultimate nature of the human species, had begun to crack the walls of his seemingly endless, cheerful optimism of who we were as people and a species.

So while part of me would very much want him and his wisdom back, another part of me is glad he didn't live to see what would have undoubtedly been an assault to his senses and intelligence - The BushII Years.

Carl never had to debase himself by going on the Bill O'Liely or Insannity Show and be debased by a shameless bloviating huckster and carnival barker with not 1/10th of his knowledge or intellect, and not 1/10000th of his character and decency.

Carl never had to witness his worst fears come true, the antithesis of his "Baloney Detection Kit" and the triumph of reptile-brained demagougery.

Carl never had to witness reality twisted and bent like mozarella cheese by a Corporate Media trained into submissive obedience by the RW Lie Machine ultimately using the tactics of the 2nd grade playground (refined 1,000,000 times by marketing, advertising, and raw corporate and money POWER) to take over a nation.

How much has watching this last decade unfold broken all our hearts? How much more deeply would Carl have felt it, considering he was SUCH a sunny optimist for so long?

Wherever Carl is, an afterlife or wherever or even just dead and nothing more, I just hope he is in a place where he doesn't have to look at the unfolding future that almost certainly awaits the human species.

[LongTomH]

9. My feelings, exactly!

I do try to keep some optimism about our future; but, it's getting harder.

By the way, as to "Wherever Carl is:" After Carl died I kept thinking: "Somewhere Carl is giving God a hard time, making him prove he really exists!"

Also, my apologies that the bulk of the OP has somehow been duplicated. Everything is appearing twice! I don't know how that happened.

[pipi_k]

8. Cosmos...

One of the best science documentaries ever. IMO, anyway.

He took complex ideas and made them understandable to ordinary people like myself.


Miss him greatly.

[Odin2005]

12. I got the 10th Anniversary edition for my 8th birthday.

Still love it!

[TheKentuckian]

10. Wish you were here and close to in charge as you could stand to be.