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Four decades or, in geological terms, really nothing at all

Four decades or, in geological terms, really nothing at all

Last updated on: May 18, 2020 at 6:20 pm by Dan Peterson

Four decades or, in geological terms, really nothing at all 2020-05-18T18:20:23-06:00 Dan Peterson

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“Mount St. Helens Erupting by Night” (Paul Kane, 1847)
Wikimedia Commons public domain image

It was forty years ago today Mount St. Helens made a night from day. So may I introduce to you the boom you’ve known for all these years – 1980’s Cascade Mountains blast:

“40 years ago today, Mount St. Helens erupted”

“‘It Seemed Apocalyptic’ 40 Years Ago When Mount St. Helens Erupted”

In reading some of these accounts, you may be reminded, as I have been powerfully reminded, of the reactions of some people to the coronavirus pandemic:

Back on 24 April 2020: “Meet the ICU nurse who silently stood in protest at a rally to reopen Arizona”

8 May 2020: “Nurse who stood up to armed lockdown protesters in Arizona says they thought she was a paid actor ‘in costume’ – as her colleague warns demonstrators she could be the last person they see ‘when they catch covid'”

I’ve been especially impressed by the folks who come to these events armed with semi-automatic weapons. Are they imagining that they might need to shoot a few policemen? Maybe half a dozen nurses? Or are they simply engaging in pre-adolescent warrior fantasies and imagining themselves to be Real Men?

In honor of some of the more extreme among these folks, I propose the creation of an annual Harry R. Truman Memorial Prize for the most egregious act of disregarding scientific warnings in the year prior to its awarding. The balancing act between saving livelihoods and saving lives is an extraordinarily difficult one in times such as this — and in times such as the days leading up to the eruption of Mount St. Helens — and there are no simple or clear cut rules for getting that balance right. There is no perfect solutions without costs. But it simply won’t do to ignore the science, let alone to vilify scientists.

“40 years ago, last moments before Mount St. Helens eruption caught on camera”

“WATCH: 1980 coverage of Mount St. Helens eruption: We dug into the archives for ‘The Mountain Erupts,’ a KING 5 documentary on the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption.”

“Looking back at the Mount St. Helens eruption”

“40 Years After Mount St. Helens, Sounds Of Past Government Response Echo Today”

***

But there’s excellent news on the COVID-19 front:

This one’s from way back on 30 April — eons ago by current coronavirus-science standards — when it was kindly brought to my attention by Sam LeFevre. I haven’t heard anything about it since then, but we can hope:

“Coronavirus vaccine developed by UK researchers could prove effective by July, executive says”

This one appeared just this morning:

“Early results from Moderna coronavirus vaccine trial show participants developed antibodies against the virus”

Of course, it’s likely that anti-coronavirus vaccines will be completely unnecessary by the morning of 4 November 2020, since COVID-19 (aka “fake news”) will have essentially disappeared overnight:

“Eric Trump says lockdowns about hurting his dad, coronavirus fears will disappear after election”

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May 17, 2020

Near-Death Experiences among Muslims?

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May 18, 2020 A Biblical Pattern and a Chemical Engineer

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