Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Neil DeGrasse Tyson humorous about sewage but not thinking it through.

A while back I viewed a YouTube of Neil deGrasse Tyson giving the business to intelligent design types, by saying, "Who designed THAT?" He calls it a fast tirade. Correct: fast but sloppy. He has not thought it through.
What's this going on between our legs?
We have an entertainment complex in the middle of a sewage system.No engineer would design that at all.

No engineer and definitely not Neil deGrasse Tyson!

Therefore it is wrong to say it is part of a design, we are to infer.

Which is essentially an appeal to authority: unless Neil deGrasse Tyson can understand it, it cannot possibly be kosher.

That approach puts Neil deGrasse Tyson in a tight spot. If he were the smartest man in the world, not just the smartest man at the American Museum of Natural History, then, yes, it would be kosher to let him interpret the meaning of the universe for us. I hate to say it, but he's not up to it. He is not the smartest -- just ask his wife!!

SO... Just because Neil deGrasse Tyson does not comprehend something, that does not mean it cannot be true.

I once heard Neil deGrasse Tyson give a technical talk about his research, and he came across as a good guy, doubtless pretty smart. And he is amusing, with raucous humor peppering his talk. But if you want to win your argument, Neil deGrasse Tyson, use a better argument than "It doesn't make sense to me, so it cannot possibly be true."

Thursday, July 11, 2013

FOUND: Southern Jewel muscadine grapes? Where are they available?

I found a place to get Southern Jewel muscadine grape vines.

I ordered two Southern Jewel grapevines from the Grapes of Kath vineyard down in Sebring, Florida. Kathy Giller shipped them to me in the mail.

They are planted and growing nicely. Excellent!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Southern Jewel muscadine grapes? Where are they available?

I will open the contact form (right) for anyone who knows were one can obtain a vine of Southern Jewel muscadine grapes. Where are they available? They are SO hard to find.

Here are some info links,

  1. Dennis Gray's blurb sheet (PDF), "Southern Jewel: A Self-Fertile, Black Muscadine Grape with Fruit Produced on Bunches has been released by UF/IFAS"
  2. Dennis Gray's article in HortScience (PDF); cf. August 2009 issue.
  3. IFAS news article featuring disease resistance of Southern Jewel muscadine grapes
  4. Florida Grape Growers list of nurseries, but none of them have Southern Jewel yet!
  5. Univ. Georgia spec sheet on muscadine cultivars, including Southern Jewel, but notice that Southern Jewel's productivity and dry scar percentage are not listed!
  6. Article in Western Farm Press
  7. USDA Agricola database entry for Southern Jewel muscadine grape

But where can a civilian buy one or two Southern Jewel muscadine grape vines for his own garden!!!

Sorry to make you use the contact form; the comments feature does not seem to work! >:|