Can you pass the citizenship test - answers

1. c: The printed copies distributed to state delegations and others originally bore just two signatures: those of Congress President John Hancock and Secretary Charles Thomson. The parchment copy most Americans know and revere wasn't engrossed until the following month, and some delegates never signed it.

2. b: The seven red stripes represent valor and "hardiness"; the six white stripes stand for purity and innocence.

3. d: James Madison, often called the "Father of the Constitution," initially opposed having an addendum to the document. But some states held off ratification until a "bill of rights" was added.

4. b: Madison's initial draft of the First Amendment did not include freedom of worship. It read: "The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, to write, or to publish their sentiments; and the freedom of the press, as one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable."

5. a: That number was first adopted in 1911. The House temporarily added two more seats following the admissions of Alaska and Hawaii as states in 1959.

6. d: Although George Washington was born in Virginia, the first president could have been foreign-born, so long as he was a U.S. citizen "at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution ..." Martin van Buren was the first president born after the United States broke away from Britain.

7. d: The framers hoped that staggered terms would promote stability and prevent senators from combining for "sinister purposes."

8. a: Before 1951 and the ratification of the 22nd Amendment, presidents could theoretically serve unlimited terms. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was elected four times but died in office, is the only chief executive to have served more than two terms.

9. b: Congress controls taxing and establishes an annual budget.

10. c: Those three words are the beginning of the preamble. That differs from the Articles of Confederation, adopted in November 1777, which focused on the sovereignty of the states.

Could you pass a citizenship test?

Immigrants seeking to become United States citizens have to show a working knowledge of the nation's history and how the federal government functions. And they don't get multiple choices.

Could YOU pass even a dumbed-down citizenship test? Let's find out!

1. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

a. July 4, 1775

b. Christmas, 1782

c. July 4, 1776

d. Oct. 19, 1781

2. What do the stripes on the U.S. flag stand for?

a. They hearken back to the British flag

b. The 13 original colonies

c. The blood shed in the American Revolution

d. No one knows for sure

3. How many amendments make up the Bill of Rights?

a. Five

b. Twenty

c. Thirteen

d. Ten

4. Name one right guaranteed by the First Amendment

a. The right to bear arms

b. Freedom of assembly

c. The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness

d. The right to privacy

5. How many members are there in the House of Representatives?

a. 435

b. 438

c. 450

d. It fluctuates

6. Which of these is NOT a requirement to be president of the United States?

a. Must be a natural-born citizen

b. Must be at least 35 years old

c. Must have lived at least 14 years in the U.S.

d. Must own property in the U.S.

7. How long do Senators serve?

a. Four years

b. Two years

c. Eight years

d. Six years

8. How many full terms can a president serve?

a. Two

b. Unlimited

c. Three

d. Four

9. Which branch of the federal government controls spending?

a. Executive

b. Legislative

c. Judiciary

d. The Internal Revenue Service

10. What are the first words of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution?

a. "We hold these truths to be self-evident ..."

b. "Four score and seven years ago ..."

c. "We the people ..."

d. "When in the course of human events ..."

— this is from 6ABC.com

Disneys expansion plans and the state …

Disney wants to change the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyers Island to be a cars themed land. 

But to do that, they need to change the water flow that was designed by Joe Potter, prior to park opening. 

Disney - until a few years ago - had autonomy over their water district, and could have easily approved such a a change. Actually there were 6 (at least I remember it being 6) distinct water management districts that could manage water flow as independent boards. 

But, the governor consolidated all water districts, and placed them under his control and made them political tools. 

So when Disney sought to change the Rivers of America, they submitted the proposal to the governing body… and they rejected it for reasons related to how water flows.

And now it requires more study and may impact Disneys proposed timelines for expansion. 

Ah yes, the intended consequences of the governor meddling in Disney politics.  

https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/cars-land-magic-kingdom/news/16sep2024-disney-worlds-cars-themed-expansion-faces-minor-roadblock-with-sfwmd-permit-request.htm

Do you see blue or green? This viral test plays with color perception | Well actually

I've often wondered if everyone sees colors the same way I do. I appreciate that there is science which shows that colors are refracted and thus are ostensibly the same. And the anatomy of our eyes means we all perceive it the same way. 

But how do we interpret that color?

This study seeks to look into that in a way. Read the article then follow the link to take the teat yourself. 

https://ismy.blue/

It's kind of interesting to see that we perceive it differently. 

Do you see blue or green? This viral test plays with color perception | Well actually | The Guardian


https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2024/sep/16/blue-green-viral-test-color-perception

Tua and concussions (again)

In 2022, Tua (the QB for the Dolphins) suffered a concussion one week and was held out for a time, then came back and suffered a severe concussion, which resulted in him displaying the "fencers pose" (which is NOT a good thing).

He played sparingly for the remainder of the season, and "came back strong" in 2023.  He credited weight training and judo for making his stronger.  And behold! While he was hit several times in way that probably would have caused a concussion, he was never diagnosed with one.  

Aside: I posit that there was also a change in the way concussions were evaluated, at least in part to keep players on the field.

He's a below-average to average QB in the league, but the Dolphins decided he was worth investing in (at least in part because the owner is an idiot, but that's a story for another day) and gave him the equivalent of about 20% of all the salary cap.  Most of the $50 million per year over 5 years, guaranteed.

Week 1, he has an average day and mostly underperforms. 

Week 2, he starts off very slow. Doesn't look "sharp" and throws three interceptions. 

And then in the 3rd quarter, he's diving for yardage - stupidly - and runs into a defender, his head gets bent sideways and he winds up on the ground with a severe concussion and the "fencers pose" once again.  

So now it's a question about health and safety.  Sure, it's been 2 years since his last diagnosed concussion (or at least severe one), but in between he's taken hits, and undoubtedly the trauma has built up.

And longer term, should he continue to play? Will he try and come back? And what of the significant amount of money he is owed? Will that hold the team back for a very long time?

On a more amusing side note, what if the no-name low-paid backup has success?  What does that say about the team and its decisions? 

Tyreek Hill gets (almost) arrested

I hadn't planned on talking about this situation, but it has made an extended news cycle, and has some aspects that are worth noting. 

The story is that Tyreek Hill, who plays for the Dolphins football team, was on his way to the game in his fancy sports car.  He was pulled over for speeding which we later learned was on the Turnpike, before he exited onto the roads around the stadium; we are told he was going 55 in a 40 MPH zone and they pulled him over what seems to be much later. 

The police exerted their authority over him, and pulled him out of the car, handcuffed him, and threw him onto the ground. All while (a) they were aware who he was and (b) he was cooperating reasonably well.  I've attached the body cam from one of the officers below so you can see how this played out.

Here's the thing that gets me: sometimes you'll see a video of someone else getting kind treatment by police, and no force is used. 

What's the difference you may ask?

In my humble opinion, this is often about race.  The pleasant white woman is helped along.  The black man in the expensive car gets roughed up because he wasn't OVERLY nice; he was merely acting just like anyone else might.

And therein is the summary of what the Black Lives Matter movement was/is about: being treated the same as everyone else.  Put away the rhetoric and the dumb politics of it and just think about it as being fair.

We can do better.  Having the authority to pull someone out of his car for speeding (but being decent), vs actually doing it, is something we need to discuss.

Maybe this story is the next chapter in that conversation.  We can hope, anyway.

And that, maybe, would have been the end of the story, except another detail emerged later.  A second player (Calais Campbell)  was on his way into the stadium, when he saw what was happening and pulled over “to help.”  The police took exception to that, and restrained him from getting involved. I have heard conflicting reports about whether he was handcuffed or not, but he was viewed as a threat. 

As the situation escalated because of the police action(!), the police made the decision to arrest both Hill and Campbell, and haul them off to jail. 

And that’s when the Dolphins organization stepped in. Remember that this was at the stadium, which the dolphins own. And the dolphins pay for the police to be there (at nearly every stadium, the police are paid overtime to be there as a kind of perk of the job, so essentially they are private security for the team). 

The dolphins learned about the situation, and asked the police to release the players so they could play in the game. 

This raises a whole bunch of other questions for me, and should concern all of us. The police overreached. But then relented because they were asked to by a sports team? Sigh 

Oh and one last thing:  the guy who first posted video of the incident on social media - the video was the impetus for the national attention - was interviewed.  In short, he was only concerned with his football star being able to play in the game! Which is another part of the problem...how about concern for the guy and how policing works?

Tyreek: https://youtu.be/ba9x9a3EGLI?si=A0SH8z6nYNwiBp04

Other case: https://youtu.be/iCrb01JVHCE

Hill made light of the situation on a touchdown celebration. 

Breaking down plastics

Here's an interesting bit of study into using iron trichloride along with sunlight to break down plastics. 

So far this inorganic and seemingly non toxic compound has shown some great success in achieving the goal. 

Science for the win!

https://interestingengineering.com/science/tough-plastics-sustainably-broken-down