Tour of the Solar System: Saturn

On April 8, 2024October 23, 2025 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Science2 Comments

The cost of living crisis is rampaging around the planet, celebrity rappers are on the run, Associate Education Ministers want to send sick children to school, Israel and Russia need a time-out, rainbow pedestrian crossings are now dangerous, and the former most powerful person in the world is now selling bibles for US$59.99 to pay legal bills. What a mess.

I wonder if there is a blog out there that can heal the divisions in our societies, and bring people to the negotiation table. If you’re looking for that blog, then you need to keep on looking, because you won’t find it here.

What you will find is an appalling awkward attempt at astronomical alliteration, because the worst tour in all of science is back! Some Geek Told Me’s Tour of the Solar System is here once again, but be warned, a statement about the Tour from The New Zealand Sour Cream and Chives Preservation Society said:

“The so-called Tour of the Solar System is an embarrassment to all science-loving people, but especially to the hard-working people of New Zealand. The author needs to be arrested and charged with gross negligence towards New Zealand’s scientific community. He’s a moron.”

If I didn’t know any better, I’m starting to think that The New Zealand Sour Cream and Chives Preservation Society are getting a little personal, don’t you?

Anyway, if you’re lucky enough to have dodged the last 12 stops, well…you’re in for a shock. The 12 stops of the Tour of the Solar System are as follows:

1.) Meet the Family

2.) The Sun

3.) Planets vs. Dwarf planets

4.) Mercury

5.) Venus

6.) Earth

7.) The Moon

8.) Mars

9.) The Asteroid Belt

10.) Ceres

11.) Jupiter

12.) The Galilean moons

Since you’re a person who eats carrots and goes to bed before midnight, you would have guessed that this tour stop is all about Saturn, so let’s stop gasbagging and get on with it.

Image: NASA, ESA and Erich Karkoschka (University of Arizona)

Ask any number of people to name their favourite planet, and the chances are it’s going to be Earth, Vulcan, or Saturn. The main reason people like Saturn is because it’s so gorgeous, but just like the mysterious hot person at the party, there is a lot more to them than just their looks.

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second of the gas giants or Outer Planets. If Saturn needed to purchase some alcohol, its ID would show that they are about 4.6 billion years old, which still makes it slightly older than the terrestrial planets or Inner Planets.

Continuing along the good ideas of naming planets after deities from Roman Mythology, Saturn was the god of wealth and agriculture. His Ancient Greek equivalent was Cronus, the father of Zeus (Jupiter).

Being a gas giant, Saturn is massive. It’s the second largest planet in the Solar System, obviously following Jupiter, though Saturn is still smaller than the Sun.

It has a diameter of 120,536 km, which compared to Earth, means that Saturn could fit 700 Earths inside it. You’ve heard of the very old saying, “Inside every gas giant, an Earth is trying to break out.” In Saturn’s case, it’s 699 more. Saturn also has 95 times the mass of Earth, and that’s even without the help of a personal trainer.

The eight siblings of the Solar System share many things in common with each other, and having an elliptical orbit is one of them. Saturn’s perihelion is about 1.35255 billion km, and its aphelion is 1.51450 billion km. Another way to look at it is Saturn’s average distance from our local star is 1.4 billion km, with 9.68 km/s being its orbital speed.

And speaking of speed, Saturn has the second-shortest day in the solar system. 10.7 hours is the time it takes Saturn to rotate once, with Saturn taking 29.4 Earth years or 10,756 Earth days to complete one orbit of the Sun. What were you doing 29.4 years ago? The world was watching Heat, Twelve Monkeys, and Sense and Sensibility, along with the biggest movie of December 1994 and of all time, Cutthroat Island.

We’ve finally arrived at the point of the blog, that would make the Mandarin jealous: the rings. Saturn is famous for its rings because they are so obvious and beautiful; like a bowl of Salt and Vinegar chips at a pub. This ring system is one of the most complicated in the Solar System and was first discovered by our old mate, Galileo Galilei in 1610 CE.

There are eight main rings, some smaller rings, along with some gaps. Some of the rings and gaps have some amazing and original names like A, B, C, and D, as well as names like Pallene Ring and the Roche Division.

The rings are made up of different materials like ice, rock, and dust of various sizes; numbering in their billions. As for the origin of the rings, it’s believed they are from broken pieces of moons, asteroids, or comets, that have been ripped apart by Saturn’s gravity.

Another idea is that cryovolcanoes from one of Saturn’s moons are also helping to create and maintain the rings. Their age is believed to be about 400 million years old, and it’s interesting to note that each of the rings orbits Saturn at a different speed.

Saturn is like a sibling that’s an annoying overachiever because it also has another claim to fame; it has 146 recognised moons, making it the planet with the most moons in the Solar System. That’s more moons than Trump has court cases! There are some truly fascinating moons like Titan, Rhea, Iapetus, Dione, Tethys, Enceladus, and Mimas, along with hundreds of others.

I’m not spending too much time talking about these moons today because I’m going to discuss them next time on the Tour. In saying that, scientists believe life could exist on several of Saturn’s moons, so let’s watch this space, shall we?

Just like how Sour Cream and Chives is similar to Demon’s Arse Breath, Saturn is similar to Jupiter in certain areas. Because Saturn is a gas giant like Jupiter, it doesn’t have a true surface. Saturn’s atmospheric pressure is over 1000 times the atmospheric pressure on Earth’s surface. The pressure is so strong, it can squeeze gas into a liquid.

To put it another way, the further down into Saturn’s atmosphere you go, the stronger the pressure becomes, so if you were on board a spacecraft, you’ve purchased a one-way ticket.

And speaking of Saturn’s atmosphere, it consists of about 75% hydrogen and 25% helium, the two main elements in Jupiter and the Sun. Saturn also has trace amounts of water ice, propane, acetylene, phosphine, ammonia, ethane, and methane.

Here’s another fun fact about Saturn; it has an average density that’s less than water. This means if it was ever possible to build one larger enough, Saturn could float in a bathtub of water.

The weather on Saturn makes it another reason it’s an overachiever. The cloud formations come in faint stripes, jet streams, and storms. Within the upper atmosphere, winds can reach 500 m per second, and compared this with Earth, where hurricane winds can reach 110 m per second.

At Saturn’s north pole, there is a crazy thing happening. There’s a hexagon-shaped pattern, which is a six-sided jet stream. After observations from Voyager 1 and Cassini, the hexagon was measured to be 30,000 km across, with winds reaching 322 km per hour. To me, that’s Ludicrous Speed, and I’m sure Dark Helmet would agree.

There are so many more amazing things I would love to discuss about Saturn, but I’m out of time. I’ve been distracted by world events and the fact that I need more sleep. However, I’m going to leave you with this; although Saturn’s magnetic field is not as large as Jupiter’s, it’s still 578 times more powerful than Earth’s. Sucks to be us, I guess.

And with that, this week’s rant has finished. What is your favourite fact about Saturn? As always, please let me know. I hope you’re enjoying the Tour because, with inflation, it’s still pretty affordable. Terrible, but still affordable.

Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. I’m also on Twitter/X and Mastodon, spitting out useless daily information.

Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, keep pushing for a ceasefire in Palestine, check out the Solar eclipse, and I’ll see you next week.

Because of its size, Jupiter has the largest and strongest magnetic field of any planet in the Solar System, however, the Sun’s magnetic field is stronger. Jupiter’s magnetic field is 16-54 times stronger than Earth’s, and it extends 1-3 million km, in the direction of the Sun, as well as 1 billion km towards Saturn. This works out to about 7-21 times Jupiter’s diameter; which is larger than Rishi Sunak’s ego.

In addition to this, Jupiter acts as a bodyguard for the rest of the Solar System. Jupiter’s gravity well is so massive, that it attracts and diverts comets and asteroids into the Jovian System. This accounts for the extremely high rate of impacts in the Jovian System, and some scientists speculate, that this is why life on Earth has survived, because Jupiter keeps taking bullets for us.

Well, that’s it for another week. What’s your favourite fact about Jupiter? As always, please let me know. Some Geek Told Me’s Tour of the Solar System will return next month, so please keep your tickets, as there are no refunds.

My wife likes to quit TV shows

On April 1, 2024April 8, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People, Television

I noticed that I haven’t written about my wife recently. Since she’s the main person I try to impress, I thought I’d better rectify that small oversight. Some of my previous posts involving her are her favourite books, our age gap, Les Misérables, King Charles III, and the entertainment differences between us.

For those of you who have read about our entertainment differences, you know how brave my wife would have to be to try out a new TV show; especially if she knows next to nothing about it. Having said that, my wife is like any other person because she has books, music, and movies that she enjoys, along with some TV shows.

The opposite is also true because just like other people, there are books, music and movies that she dislikes, as well as TV shows. And this darling little cupcake of displeasure is what we will be discussing today.

My wife will watch a new TV show for several reasons. It could be because the show has been recommended to her by myself, friends, or the internet community. Another is that it’s connected or linked to something that she is familiar with; like an adaption of something she already likes, or similar to an already existing TV show.

The reasons for her to start watching a TV show are small, and yet, they can actually be measured against the TV shows she doesn’t like. This is because she has quit them, and once that’s done, they don’t get to come back. Ever.

Image by Tomasz Mikołajczyk from Pixabay

To be fair to her, she never sets out to dislike a TV show. She always has the intention of liking and following the show, through season after season. But yet, and just like relationships, not all of them can last.

When I start watching a new TV show, there would need to be some major problems with it, for me to quit watching. Whether this is a positive or negative trait, I’m not smart enough or cool enough to answer that foreboding question.

With my wife on the other hand, the reason to stop watching a TV show doesn’t have to be complicated, because she has a lot of reasons to quit watching a TV show. Some are very fair, honest and reasonable, while others make me ask, “You can’t be serious?!”

Having discussed this blog post with her, I’ve created a list of 12 TV shows that my wife started watching, but quit for multiple reasons; though some are quite similar. A TV show doesn’t have to do much to lose my wife’s interest, so I had better take close and personal attention to this.

Anyway, let’s see what these poor TV shows did, for my wife to leave them. I’ve also added the episode that made her quit. Enjoy!

The Tick (Remake): Episode 3

When Arthur was being interrogated by the police, it gave her the “ick”, which to her is second-hand embarrassment. She hates watching people embarrass themselves.

The Tudors: Episode 1

She just thought it was really boring, and she said, “Life is too short for this.”

Ghosts (American remake): Episode 4

She saw clips of the British show on YouTube, and she thought it seemed funny. She couldn’t find it on any streaming service, so she tried the American version instead. She said, “It just wasn’t funny and I was super disappointed.”

Supergirl: Episode 4

She really wanted to like Supergirl, but I’ll let my wife explain this one: “Calista Flockhart was too distracting for me. I can only see her as Ally McBeal.“

I Hate Suzie: Episode 1

She loves Billie Piper, but she couldn’t stand the second-hand embarrassment. Please see the Tick.

The Office (American remake): Episode 2

She thought the show wasn’t funny and kind of boring. Similar to The Tudors, she mentioned that, “Life is too short to wait around for it to get good.”

The Tourist: Episode 3

This is a weird one, even for her. Since we live in New Zealand, we receive a lot of Australian TV shows. However, she believed that actors having Australian accents in a drama situation like The Tourist was just wrong; very, very wrong.

Supernatural: Episode 2

She really wanted to like it, because she thought the memes were funny. After watching two episodes, she just wasn’t interested anymore.

Invincible: Episode 3

I’m a fan of Invincible, having read and collected the comics, so I thought she might have liked it. She didn’t, because whenever J. K. Simmons was talking as Nolan Grayson, aka Omni-Man, she could only hear J. K. Simmons’ Tenzin from The Legend of Korra.

Battlestar Galactica (Remake): First episode of the Mini-series

I had seen the remake before, and I had loved it. I missed the final season, so I talked my wife into watching the entire series with me. She lasted until Number Six killed a baby, by snapping their neck in the first episode. Once that was done, she was out of the show. She said that she wasn’t prepared to watch a TV show, that murdered babies.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Episode 2

My wife watched it with me because we are both fans of Middle-earth. Like many other people, she thought the dialogue sounded like a school play, so she just couldn’t get into it.

House of the Dragon: Episode 3

Even though she was a fan of Game of Thrones, and we watched that show together, she wasn’t too interested in House of the Dragon. This was because she knew what was going to happen to the main characters. She used the “Life is too short” quote again for this show.

Do you agree with any of my wife’s TV-watching decisions? As always, please let me know.

This list will be updated, but in the meantime, I’ll have to make a list of movies that my wife has quit; and I promise you there are many.

That’s it for another week. Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, call for a ceasefire in Palestine, and I’ll see you next week, for the return of the Tour of the Solar System!

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1948-1949

On March 25, 2024June 2, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn History, Music, People, Politics

There have been numerous terrible ideas throughout the history of our planet, and unfortunately, many of them have originated from this account. Despite this, we will carry on the tradition and introduce the latest addition to the family of bad ideas, which is Some Geek Told Me.

Last month, I ranted on about my love for We Didn’t Start the Fire, by Billy Joel. In that hot mess of literary foolishness, I explained that I was going to cover all of the historical references in the song; or at least try to, but also relate them to contemporary time. I’ll do this by producing one blog per month. Maybe.

The aim is to cover the 119 references from 1948-1989, so how long will this take me? You tell me and we’ll both know. The lyrics will be in bold and italics because we’re really fancy on this account!

Right, I’m not here to shag spiders, so without too much fanfare, let’s crack on and do this!

1948

Harry Truman:

Harry S. Truman was the Vice-President of the United States of America from January-April 1945, then became President after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Truman is a divisive figure in US and world history, much like Elon Musk or George W. Bush.

On one hand, he helped steer the United States through to the end of the Second World War; authorised the Berlin Airlift; recognised the State of Israel; won re-election in 1948; and promoted civil rights. On the other hand, Truman deployed troops into the Korean War and authorised the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In saying that, George W. Bush would be the modern version of Truman.

Portrait of Harry S. Truman.
Image by WikiImages from Pixabay

Doris Day:

Born Doris Mary Kappelhoff, Doris Day was a major entertainment star in the United States. She was already a successful singer before she turned to acting. Over the years, she became a huge attraction to the television and movie industry.

Billy Joel mentioned her in the song, became her first feature film, Romance on the High Seas, was released in 1948. If you’re still unsure about her impact on pop culture, just think of Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, or Rihanna.

Doris Day in Romance on the High Seas (1948). Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

1949

Red China:

In 1949, the Chinese Civil War came to a close after causing the deaths of millions of people. Mao Zedong, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, succeeded in defeating the government led by Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang. As a result, the People’s Republic of China was established.

The Kuomintang, also known as Nationalists, fled mainland China to Taiwan, where they settled and took control. The geo-politics of 2024 concerning China and Taiwan, have their origins in the end of the Chinese Civil War.

The Chinese Civil War, 1949.
(Source: diverse-travel.com)

Johnnie Ray:

Johnnie Ray, a singer, songwriter, and pianist, was born in Oregon, USA. He was widely recognised as the Father of Rock and Roll due to his significant contributions to the genre. During the late 1940s and 1950s, he was one of the most famous singers in the world.

His music and dance moves reinvented the method singers could perform, and paved the way for others to follow him; notably Elvis Presley. When Ray signed to Okeh Records, music was going to be changed forever. For contemporary equivalents, the best people I can think of would be Michael Jackson and Madonna.

South Pacific:

Not only is it the name of my location, but South Pacific was a Broadway musical, that opened in 1949. The musical was based on the World War Two book, Tales of the South Pacific, and the musical also inspired the 1958 film.

South Pacific is famous; at least to me, for mainly two reasons. The Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein production became one of the best musicals of all time since it was extremely financially and critically successful.

The other reason was that the musical was progressive for its time, as it tackled racism and prejudice. This was important because the United States was still in its segregation phase. If South Pacific opened in 2024, and not in 1949, you can bet your Black Lives Matter flag, that the musical would be labelled as woke. Very, very woke.

Original poster of *South Pacific*. Credit: Majestic Theatre

Walter Winchell:

We’re going back to another US icon in the form of Walter Winchell. Winchell was primarily a radio news commentator and newspaper columnist, through the 1930’s-1950’s. His notoriety is that he had outspoken views on a variety of subjects, which included attacking the Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan; as well as denouncing communism.

This led Winchell to join the “McCarthyism” movement, in spreading misinformation about the Second Red Scare, supporting the idea that communists had infiltrated the US Government; in addition to destroying people’s careers and reputations.

If you’re having trouble understanding what I’m talking about with Winchell, just picture Alex Jones from InfoWars and you’re there.

Joe DiMaggio:

Born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, Joe DiMaggio was a famous US baseball player. He held multiple batting records and mainly played for the New York Yankees, during the 1940s-1950s. In the world of team sports, DiMaggio would have been Michael Jordan or Lionel Messi. DiMaggio was a star and hero to millions of people.

In 1949, DiMaggio signed a contract with the Yankees worth $100,000. This was a record-breaking contract for a professional sportsman at the time and helped to usher in a new wave of extremely well-paid players.

And with that, we have covered 1948-1949, in the form of a US President, a singer/actor, a civil war, another singer, a musical, a gossip columnist, and a baseball player.

My We Didn’t Start the Fire project is going to take some time, but we’ll get there. Eventually.

Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, eat a raw lemon, and I’ll see you next week, because we’re going to check in with my wife and her television shows. It’s going to be riveting.

100 Days of Chaos

On March 18, 2024March 25, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Politics

Allow me to take a momentary pause from my typical geek-related content to discuss the current status of the Coalition of Chaos in New Zealand. It has been well over 100 days since the ex-Air New Zealand CEO was elected to lead the country by 38.08% of the voting population. Furthermore, 8.64% of voters supported a party that believes National is not hardcore enough, while 6.08% voted for a party that’s notorious for its frequent changes in allegiances.

To my non-New Zealand followers and subscribers, this blog may be awkward and unrelatable, so I’m very sorry. Please give it a chance, because you probably know of similar politicians in your country.

As for my New Zealand followers and subscribers, I’m a box of birds, and we’re going to have a chin wag about some ginormous eggs.

After the 2023 New Zealand General Election, the parties of National, ACT, and NZ First formed an alliance, centred on a conservative coalition. They go by many names, like the Government, Lupesey, The Three-Headed Taniwha, the enemy of Maori, and my favourite, the Coalition of Chaos.

It’s been over 100 days since the Coalition of Chaos took the steering wheel of the 52nd-largest national economy in the world. In that time, they have been quite busy, because they have been dropping some brain-melting quotes.

In honour of the first 100 days of the Coalition of Chaos, may I present some awful quotes, from their finest members.

The Honourable Chris Bishop MP: Minister for Sport and Recreation, Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Minister for Infrastructure, and Minister for Housing.

10th March 2024

When asked by a reporter about the government and Bishop’s accountability towards environmental damage in New Zealand because of new fast-tracked energy projects legislation, Bishop replied:

“Ultimately, the public will be able to judge the performance of the Government in late 2026.”

{Bishop means that the next New Zealand General Election is in late 2026, so that’s when the Government can face accountability, but not before that time}

In the same interview, when asked on whether fast-tracked consents incentivised lobbying, Bishop said:

“But you know, lobbying is not illegal and it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

{Bishop is a former tobacco lobbyist for Phillip Morris, now known as Altria. This tobacco company is one of world’s largest producers and promoters of cigarettes, tobacco, and related products}

The Honourable David Seymour MP: Leader of ACT New Zealand Party, Minister for Regulation, Associate Minister of Education, Associate Minister of Finance, and Associate Minister of Health.

9th March 2024

Seymour made a post on X concerning the Hurricanes Poua rugby team’s haka, that criticised the government.

“More time practicing, less time on politics.”

{Seymour is a free speech advocate and opposes hate speech laws}

The Right Honourable Winston Peters MP: Leader of New Zealand First Party, Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister for Racing.

24th November 2023

At the press conference discussing the coalition agreement, Peters was pressed by reporters about the length of time it took for negotiations to happen. Peters responded by saying:

“Please don’t be mathematical morons…”

{Peters had a fragile relationship with the New Zealand Media}

17th March 2024

During his State of the Nation speech, Peters talked about co-governance.

“Some people’s DNA made them, sadly, according to these people and condoned by their cultural fellow travellers, their DNA made them somehow better than others. I’ve seen that sort of philosophy before. I saw it in Nazi Germany. We all did. We’ve seen it elsewhere around the world in the horrors of history.”

{Peters was born in April 1945, so he was still a baby when the Second World War was being fought. Also his comparison of Nazi Germany to co-governance in New Zealand has been criticised by Holocaust survivors}

The Right Honourable Christopher Luxon MP: Leader of the National Party, Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Minister for National Security and Intelligence.

18th December 2023

When speaking to reporters about scrapping the bonuses civil servants were receiving for being fluent in Te Reo Maori, Luxon said:

“In the real world outside of Wellington and outside the bubble of MPs, people who want to learn te reo or want to learn any other education actually pay for it themselves.”

{The irony is that Luxon used taxpayers money to pay for his Te Reo lessons. Luxon is the second wealthiest person to become Prime Minister of New Zealand, valued at over $21 million}

18th February 2024

During his State of the Nation speech, Luxon said:

“A justice system which had a deliberate strategy to empty New Zealand’s prisons, even as violent crime soared.

{Luxon was implying that Labour had a policy of releasing all of the prisoners in New Zealand. This was not true}

20th February 2024

On X, Luxon said:

“The days of taxpayers being treated like a bottomless ATM are over.“

{Just over a week later, Luxon was at the centre of the accommodation supplement scandal, where he was claiming the supplement of $1,000 per week, to live in his mortgage free apartment in Wellington}

I can’t forget to include Luxon’s 1st March interview about his accommodation supplement, where he repeated several times: “I’m entitled.”

I do realise Simeon Brown, Nicola Willis, and Brooke van Velden have said some awful quotes as well, but they are light-weights compared to Bishop, Seymour, Peters, and Luxon.

So, let’s look forward to the next 100 days of chaos, though my Spider-Sense is telling me that we need to buckle up because they’re probably going to be worse.

Did I miss any cringe-worthy or clueless quotes from the Coalition of Chaos? As always, please let me know. That’s it for another week because I’m off to watch Last Week Tonight for my weekly 30-minute lecture.

Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Don’t forget to walk your dog; read a banned book; and praise Putin, since he won six more years. What a shock. I’ll see you next week because we’re going to revisit We Didn’t Start the Fire. Good times.

Where would we be without Akira Toriyama?

On March 11, 2024March 18, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Comics, People, Television

I had a completely different blog lined up for this week, but after the media announcement on Friday, I changed my mind and wrote this instead. Akira Toriyama, the legendary manga creator, died on 1st March from an acute subdural hematoma, aged 68 years old.

Toriyama had created and worked on many different projects and video games over the years, like Dr. Slump, the Dragon Quest series, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. However, his most famous creation was Dragon Ball, which showcased his talents to Japan and the world.

So what’s the point of this blog?

I’m crying about the death of a man I had never met.

Akira Toriyama. Credit: Dragon Ball Wiki

It won’t come as a shock, but I’m a fan of Dragon Ball because I’m a fan of Toriyama’s work. His art was outrageous, explosive, and detailed, whether it was manga or anime. It was unreal. I mentioned this before, but I loved the way he drew ears, for some strange reason. You could see a character and judging by their ears, you could tell whether they belonged to Toriyama or not.

As for his vehicles, they were so well designed, that you could see yourself driving one of them, whether they travelled by air, land, or sea. They were so good!

The plots were just as fantastic. People will talk about his art, but Toriyama was an amazing storyteller. His characters went on huge quests, and fought powerful foes, but also went through massive personal growth, so his characters were always evolving.

I’m sad about his passing for many reasons. Even not personally, Toriyama introduced me to manga, anime, and other parts of Japanese culture. For a geek living in New Zealand, his characters and art were extraordinary. My love of manga and anime can be traced back to him.

It’s been astonishing to see the outpouring of tributes to Toriyama from fans around the world. He was beloved by so many people. It made me think of all of the hundreds of artists, writers, singers, actors, directors, scientists, athletes, and anybody else, whose work has indirectly shaped our lives. They’re in the background of our subconscious.

It’s not until one of them dies, that you reflect and realise how influential they were to you and your life. That’s how I feel about Toriyama. His influence on pop culture has changed the world; the word Saiyan, is now part of the world’s lexicon, regardless of language or culture.

I read how many different manga and anime creators have come out and cited Toriyama as their source of inspiration. I find this amazing because even Toriyama was inspired to pursue a career in illustration. I find the creation and history of entertainment, similar to the history of science, where all creators are standing on the shoulders of giants. And make no mistake, Toriyama was a giant.

Imagine if Toriyama was never inspired to draw and create? It’s in the realms of possibility that maybe someone down the road would have drawn characters with energy beams, have awesome names for attack styles, teleportation, explosive fights, cities being destroyed, and badass vehicles.

But where would we be without Toriyama and powering/levelling-up sequences? Think about it. We would be lost in the abyss. For me, the powering/levelling-up sequences in Dragon Ball represented the brilliance and glorious scope of Toriyama’s skills.

I don’t know what Toriyama’s legacy will be for the world, but I feel it will be eternal. As for me, the biggest praise I can give Toriyama is that when UMC1 and UMC2 are ready, I’ll be showing them Dragon Ball. I can’t wait to sit down with them both, and let them experience the crazy and beautiful nature of Toriyama’s work; along with practising their own Kamehameha waves.

Like I said before, I can never thank Toriyama enough for his work, so all I can do is let the next generation live it and breathe it. Right, I need to control my crying, so that’s it for this week. What’s your favourite art drawn by Akira Toriyama? Please let me know.

Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Don’t forget to walk your dog; watch a banned movie; go read some manga, and I’ll see you next week because we’re going to check in on the Coalition of Chaos.

Tour of the Solar System: The Galilean moons

On March 4, 2024October 23, 2025 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn History, Science

Welcome back to the most basic and cost-effective Tour of the Solar System you will ever see! It’s cheap and nasty, but it won’t make you visit the doctor. We’ve been on this tour for over a year now, so if you’re just joining us, here are the previous stops:

1.) Meet the Family

2.) The Sun

3.) Planets vs. Dwarf planets

4.) Mercury

5.) Venus

6.) Earth

7.) The Moon

8.) Mars

9.) The Asteroid Belt

10.) Ceres

11.) Jupiter

Because you’re observant, you would have noticed the title of this blog, but let’s clear some things up first. The Galilean moons are not a cosmic STI, nor are they a new punk band from Berlin.

Jupiter has 95 officially recognised moons, but for this work of literary incompetency, I’m only going to be discussing four of them; Io, Callisto, Europa and Ganymede, the Galilean moons. If you remember from our last tour stop, I briefly mentioned them; and for me, briefly means five paragraphs. They’re gorgeous too!

Jupiter’s four largest satellites, the Galilean moons, are named after consorts of the Roman god Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Credit: NASA/JPL/DLR

Let’s step into our TARDIS of the mind, and travel back through time to Italy, around late 1609 and early 1610. Telescopes were a new invention, and a certain jack of all trades named Galileo Galilei decided to make his own version.

Not long after this, Galileo used his telescope to peer into the void and reveal things behind the curtain. He made some stunning discoveries and observed things like the Moon’s craters and mountains, the phases of Venus, sunspots, Saturn, and stars within the Milky Way. These discoveries have helped move humanity forward, in our understanding of space and our place in it.

However, Galileo’s biggest contribution to astronomy was the revelation that Jupiter had moons. That doesn’t sound like much, but I promise you, it was a colossal discovery. At the time, one of the main models explaining the nature of the universe was the Geocentric model; also known as the Ptolemaic world system.

Basically, this model suggested that the Earth was at the centre of the universe, and everything including the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets, would be orbiting the Earth. Sounds reasonable, right?

That all changed when Galileo observed something strange, using his new telescope. He noticed what he believed to be some fixed stars near Jupiter, but after weeks of detailed observations, Galileo concluded that these fixed stars were not fixed stars at all, because they were orbiting Jupiter.

Galileo had discovered moons orbiting a planet, just like the Earth and the Moon. This revelation supported the recent Copernican heliocentrism model, explaining that the Sun was at the centre of the universe, and planets like Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and even Earth, revolved around it. The Galilean moons were also confirmed and discovered by Simon Marius, a German astronomer, around the same time.

In 17th-century Europe, this was a major scandal, and even heresy to support such an idea. But as you know, the Copernican heliocentrism model was proven correct. The Sun does not orbit the Earth; the Earth orbits the Sun.

As for the moons, they’re just like a team of rugby players; similar, yet different.

Let’s start with Ganymede, because you know, why not? Not only is Ganymede the largest of the Galilean moons, or the rest of Jupiter’s moons, but it’s also the largest moon in the Solar System. It’s even larger than Mercury.

Ganymede has a diameter of 5,270 km, and orbits Jupiter roughly at 1,070,400 kilometres; which is the third of the Galilean moons in distance from Jupiter. Ganymede also has a magnetic field, possibly due to its liquid iron core, and it takes roughly seven days to orbit Jupiter.

One of the most interesting discoveries about Ganymede is that it has a subsurface ocean. This is exciting because of the possibility of scientists finding life in the ocean. Granted if life exists on Ganymede, it would be in the form of microorganisms, but a win is a win!

Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, the largest moon in our Solar System.
Image: NASA

The next largest moon is Callisto, with a diameter of 4,821 km, and an orbital distance from Jupiter of 1,883,000 km. This makes Callisto the furthest of the Galilean moons to orbit Jupiter. Callisto is also one of the most heavily impacted objects in the Solar System, as it is riddled with very extremely old craters.

Because of its location from Jupiter, Callisto takes about 16 days to orbit the planet. Subsurface oceans seem to be the trend with the Galilean moons because Callisto is suspected of having one, but that has not been confirmed. Yet.

Photograph of the Callisto moon captured from NASA Galileo spacecraft. (Image credit: NASA/JPL/DLR)

Our third-largest Galilean moon is so cool, it only has two letters in its name. Io has a diameter of 3,643 km, which makes it slightly bigger than our Moon at 3,475 km. Io orbits Jupiter at a distance of 421,700 km, which makes it the closest of the Galilean moons to Jupiter. Given its close distance, Io orbits Jupiter in just under two days.

Io can also take the title of having the strongest surface gravity of any moon and the highest density of any moon in the Solar System. Io is also quite odd because it has over 400 active volcanoes, in addition to having over 100 mountains; with several mountains reaching heights that are taller than Mount Everest.

Jupiter’s moon Io is the most volcanically active world in the solar system. This high-resolution image of Jupiter’s fifth moon was captured by NASA’s Galileo spacecraft and was published on 18, Dec. 1997. (Image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

Europa is our fourth and final stop on this tour today. Orbiting at a distance of 670,900 km means Europa is the second closest of the Galilean moons to Jupiter, between Io and Ganymede. However, Europa is the smallest of the four, with a diameter of 3,121km.

Considering its close proximity to Jupiter, Europa orbits Jupiter in about 3.5 days, and it also appears to have an extremely smooth surface. In saying that, Europa is covered in dark lines called lineae. These are believed to be caused by interior processes, which has led to the theory that Europa could have a subsurface ocean as well.

There’s a lot more to the moons than what we have discussed, but I can’t do everything. Maybe. So, that’s it for today. The next stop on the tour will be a popular one for many people: Saturn. Just remember that the tickets for the tour are non-refundable.

Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. I’m also on X and Mastodon because that’s where the cool people are. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, eat some lemons, and I’ll see you next week.

My dog is 12 years old

On February 26, 2024March 4, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Animals

This is a short blog today, folks. However, it’s still important, because my dog celebrated his 12th birthday last week. And when I say he celebrated, I mean we did.

Indy did find the time to relax on his birthday, thankfully, because the day was packed full of naps, snacks, and snoozes, along with a walk and car rides. UMC2 made him a birthday card, so on Indy’s birthday, UMC2 presented it and explained the features of the card to him.

Indy did receive some new dog treats, and I was quite surprised that he actually liked them because he’s still hassling us to give him more.

It’s hard work being this awesome all the time.

As much as I would like to talk about Indy’s birthday, there’s one thing I can’t avoid and don’t like discussing: his age. He’s now 12 years old, and because dogs age at a different rate than humans; along with their size, he is roughly 65 human years old. Indy is basically a pensioner now, so if he were human, he would probably vote for NZ First and that young Winston Peters.

I’m starting to cry as I write this, because jokes aside, I have to face the reality that we have a senior dog. The warning signs have been there for awhile now. He tried jumping up onto the bed and knocked his front left leg, a few months ago. We’re quite conscious of the height of the bed, so we’re trying to teach him to walk up a ramp, so he can sleep on the bed. He’s not a fan of the ramp.

He still enjoys walks, but he gets tired a lot faster than he used to. Because of this, we try and go for shorter walks with him. Even when Indy is running around in circles, whether he’s inside or outside, he doesn’t go for very long before he needs a rest. We have even changed his dog food to senior dog food.

My previous dog died when he was 10 years old, and it broke my heart. Because of that, I didn’t allow myself to get close to dogs again, even though I love them. That worked until I met my future wife and her dog. Dammit.

Strangely, Indy gave me therapy sessions, when I didn’t even realise I needed them. And now he sleeps on my pillow and clothes. It’s a good reason to put my clothes away, otherwise I’ll just be walking around smelling like a Bichon.

Anyway, we have a senior dog now, and his birthday has just made us appreciate him even more. Even when he is blitzing around the house at 3 am.

Does anybody have a senior pet? How has it changed the way you care for them? As always, please let me know.

Like I said before, I’m sorry, but this blog was shorter this week. Having said that, the Tour of the Solar System returns next week, so prepare yourself! Thank you once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. My advice for this week is simple: go and spend some extra time with your pets and I’ll see you next week.

We Didn’t Start the Fire: The Beginning

On February 19, 2024February 26, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn History, Music, People

I love history, so please remember that I’m a geek. I remember my family owned an extremely outdated encyclopedia set that I would read through; mainly for the history sections, though I’ve never read Grays Sports Almanac: Complete Sports Statistics 1950-2000.

I love trying to understand why certain historical events have happened, when they happened, who was involved, what actually happened, how they are connected to the present, and of course, whether the Doctor was involved or not.

I’ve just stopped and read what I’ve written, and I couldn’t have sounded more of a geek, than if I had actually tried. Anyway, this is why I have developed a useless ability to remember the dates of historical events. This ability doesn’t help me socially or professionally, but it does keep me at home and prevents me from trading comic books in dark alleys.

The point of this ramble is that my love of history led me to love We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel. If I ever produce a soundtrack to my life, We Didn’t Start the Fire will be on it.

If you have no idea about the song or have never heard it, then sit down, relax, and prepare yourself.

We Didn’t Start the Fire was released in the much more innocent time of 1989, when Bill Cosby was the king of sitcoms, Donald Trump was still married to Ivana, Harvey Weinstein had started as an executive producer, Vladimir Putin was still in the KGB, and Kim Jong Un was five years old.

The song reached number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100 in 1989 and has become part of pop culture with various themes. Over the years, critics of the song have trashed it, along with Billy Joel himself, coming out and stating his dislike for it.

So what is the song about? Well, I’m not intelligent enough to break the song down into its musical components, but what I am going to do is gush over the lyrics.

To me, it’s like rap, because the words are rapid-fire, and they are about events and people from the 20th century, circa 1948-1989. The historical references have influenced the United States, but also the world, both positively and negatively, which makes them extremely important; well, at least to me.

As for the chorus, several people could give you different explanations for the meaning behind the lyrics, but for what it’s worth, I’m probably wrong. However, I’ll let you know what it means to me.

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it, but we tried to fight it

The fire could represent multiple things like violence, hatred, war, bigotry, racism, sexism, and capitalism. It could be all of them or none of them; though the point is that the fire has existed and been burning since we descended from the trees and spread out across Eastern and Southern Africa.

The world of 2024 didn’t start the fire, nor did the world of 1989. Events and people have compounded and added to national and international problems over the centuries; and in the case of the song, decades. This means the next generation has to fight and solve the issues created by previous generations; even though they have been trying to stop the spread of the fire. At least to me, it does.

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
But when we are gone
It will still burn on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on

After every single person who is alive at this moment in time has died, the world will still continue to turn, and the fire will still be burning, awaiting the next generation of people to meet it. In 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, or 250 years, the fire will continue to burn, just as it always has.

Some of the best messages; again, at least to me, in the song are these:

If we don’t understand the past, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.
You are not personally guilty, along with your generation, for the condition of the world, whether its politically, socially, physically, etc.
What you can be guilty of, is what you are going to do about the condition of the world.

And the coolest message in the song is this:

People have the capacity for tremendous evil, just as they have the capacity for amazing good. As a species, we will never stop the fire from burning, we just can’t. But what we can do is fight the spread of the fire, through our own actions, along with our children and grandchildren, by teaching them to care. If we can restrict and limit the spread of the fire, the damage will be least destructive for us, and for future generations. I feel we can do this through information, knowledge and education; you know, that old chestnut.

In a small way, and in the greatest example of my hubris, the vanity project that is Some Geek Told Me, is an ode to We Didn’t Start the Fire. One of the factors for Some Geek Told Me’s creation, was feeling I wasn’t doing enough to fight the spread of the fire.

We Didn’t Start the Fire is one of my favourite songs, so I decided to try and back up my big mouth and actually do something. I know it’s hubris, I really do, and I know Billy Joel would deem this quite sad, but I’m ok with that.

Having said all of this, I’m starting a new project within Some Geek Told Me. I realise many other people have already done this, but I’m going to take a crack at it. Just like the Tour of the Solar System, I’m going to have a monthly blog post about We Didn’t Start the Fire, looking at the historical references.

I’m going to talk about them in groups, like 1955-1957, or 1958-1961, rather than in decades or simply as years. There are 118 historical references in the song, so this poorly constructed idea will take some time. You have been warned. The music video is quite outstanding as well. Again, to my geeky arse, it is.

Well, that’s it for another week. Thank you once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, paint a rainbow, and I’ll see you next week.

Food and Prejudice: Volume 1

On February 12, 2024December 1, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Food, People

If you’re a long-time reader of this wildly inconsistent blog, then you must have known that this post was coming. At some point, this blog was going to appear; and just like Thanos, it was inevitable.

I try to write about entertaining things on New Zealand’s 5th least favourite website, but also things that interest me, as well as world events; whether they’re positive or negative. Since you would have already used your amazing powers of observational deduction; that would have impressed the residents of 221B Baker Street, that this post will not exactly be positive.

I enjoy eating food, mainly because it helps me to live, but also because of the fantastic tastes and flavours. However, as you can imagine, I don’t love everything. There are some foods that I dislike so much, that I’m prejudiced against them.

I know, I’m not a perfect person, because I’m not Chuck Norris. This was because I was participating in a very dangerous activity the other day; I was having an independent thought. This strange event caused me to decide to talk about some of my food grievances. There are only three foods that have made the list for this volume, but I promise you, there will be more volumes.

Without dragging this out like a villain’s monologue, let’s dive into Food and Prejudice: Volume 1!

Sour Cream and Chives

I have been waffling on about this for some time now, but for anybody new, I’ll explain: I hate Sour Cream and Chives. I hate it. This covers chips, crisps, sauces, crackers, dips, rice cakes, and anything else that this abomination of humanity has spread to. It’s disgusting and I’m positive that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, wear it as cologne.

I just don’t understand the point of this flavour existing, when someone could have Salt and Vinegar, Barbeque, or Chicken instead. It’s like some company had a focus group, and they discovered that the public disliked certain flavours. Then the overpaid executives started talking:

“Hey, instead of never using chives or sour cream with any of our products, let’s add them together!”

“That would be amazing!”

“I have a good feeling that some guy in New Zealand would love it.”

“Instead of calling it, “Demon’s Arse Breath”, let’s call it “Sour Cream and Chives!”

After reading this, I’m pretty confident that’s how it actually happened. In my experience, smelling Sour Cream and Chives, makes my face look like I had witnessed the All Blacks losing to Japan, 75-0. Tasting Sour Cream and Chives is like if I was one of the All Blacks that had lost 75-0 to Japan.

People adding awful things like Sour Cream and Chives together is like adding climate change data to tax forms. They both suck independently, but now, you have just made things worse. That flavour really is awful.¹

I hate Sour Cream and Chives.

Corn

Because we’ve been together for some time now, I’ll make a confession. As you know, I hate Sour Cream and Chives. I loathe it. However, whatever I feel about Sour Cream and Chives, falls at the altar of despair over what I feel about Corn.

It’s like I’m the hero, and Sour Cream and Chives is Lex Luthor, The Joker, Doctor Doom, or the Green Goblin; aka your greatest enemy or arch nemesis. You deal with your arch nemesis quite often; even daily sometimes. They are your enemy like you are theirs. You are doomed to dance together forever, and even in death, you will never be free of them.

But not all villains or enemies can be your greatest. Some villains don’t just desire your demise, they want to destroy everything. This is because they are your most dangerous enemy. Think of Doomsday, Ra’s al Ghul, Galactus, or Carnage; basically if one of these villains turns up, you need to stop what you’re doing, because shit just got real.

As for me, my most dangerous enemy is Corn. If Corn turns up, things have escalated extremely quickly. Corn wrecks everything it touches, apart from corn chips.

I’m serious about Corn so much, that I spell it with an uppercase letter. It’s not corn, but Corn!! If I’m eating a pie and Corn reveals itself, I will stop eating and ask one simple question, “Why in the nine levels of Dante’s Hell, is there Corn in my pie?!”

If I’m eating a particular soup and Corn ambushes me, my response is clear. “Who is the smooth-brained mouth breather, that put Corn in this?!”

I’m not ashamed to admit this, I can’t handle Corn. I just can’t do it. Corn chips are easy, and I love them; but Corn…

I can’t even handle the smell of it, let alone the taste. As soon as I smell that yellow putrid odour, I start gagging. As for the taste; if Sour Cream and Chives taste like Demon’s Arse Breath, then Corn tastes like regurgitated Zombie Dung Beetle vomit.

Even as a boy, I knew the dangers of Corn. Growing up, my family had fallen under its repulsive influence, but not me. I’m a survivor. I spent my life checking foods and beverages for Corn, but also visiting other countries and discovering that Corn can hide itself in things you had never heard or thought of.

Whether it’s tragic irony or poetic justice, my wife loves Corn. I knew this about her before we married, but I married her anyway. Nobody is perfect, although I do have a rule with her though; the lips that have immediately touched Corn, will not touch mine.

I hate Corn.

Beetroot

I don’t want to give people the impression that I don’t eat vegetables, because that’s not true. I just don’t eat all vegetables. Case in point, may I present beetroot. It’s a stupid name for a stupid vegetable.

I’m not prejudiced against beetroot to the same extent as Sour Cream and Chives or Corn, but I still hate it. Yes, I know beetroot have many health benefits, as well as being part of a staple diet in many countries, but like I said before, I still hate it.

For me, I find beetroot’s taste and texture to be quite slimy, so I’m not sure whether anybody agrees with me on this. If I find beetroot in or on my food, I treat it with a mild level of disdain and remove it as quickly as possible, without drawing too much attention to it.

This of course is a mote point, if the beetroot has stained the surrounding food with that reddish/purplish colour. It’s like the beetroot has bled everywhere on purpose, just to make you go hungry, knowing you won’t eat that food now. In my humble opinion, that’s quite petty and vindictive.

Beetroot is not dangerous, it’s just gross, sad, and annoying.

I hate beetroot.

Do you agree with any of my food prejudices? What are yours? As always, please let me know.

It’s been a busy week. Qatar won the Asian Cup for the second time, Ivory Coast won the African Cup of Nations for the third time, and the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl for the fourth time. Nice.

That’s it for another blog and another week. Thank you once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. I’m also on X and Mastodon if you want to complain about me. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch out for dodgy cats, and I’ll see you next week.

^1.)My wife walked in and read this, so she asked me to include the fact that she, the dog, UMC1 and UMC2 all love Sour Cream and Chives. Apparently, I’m the only sensible one in the family.

What can you buy with US$88.3 million?

On February 5, 2024February 12, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People

For this week’s rant, I would like to talk about money; in particular, US$88.3 million. You may be asking yourself, “Scott, that’s a precise amount of money you’re mentioning, what’s going on?”

That’s very perceptive of you to notice, ka pai! If you haven’t already heard, you may need to sit down for this. Donald J. Trump, everybody’s favourite ex-president, was involved in a second defamation lawsuit brought against him by E. Jean Carroll.

Trump had previously been found guilty, of defaming and sexually abusing Carroll, in May 2023. This resulted in Trump having to pay $5 million to Carroll in damages.

Fast forward to the second defamation lawsuit, where on 26th January 2024, a jury of his peers assessed the trial and handed him two fines, $18.3 million in compensatory damages and $65 million in punitive damages, to be paid to Carroll. There are a lot of other factors in these two cases, but the crux of it is this: the court had awarded Carroll $88.3 million in damages, and Trump is legally required to pay it.

I’m aware that Trump is appealling the decision, but I really want to talk that figure: $88.3 million. To me, that number is an astronomical amount for a single person to pay. It’s more money than a huge percentage of the world’s population would ever see or earn.

Which brings us to the question; what can you buy with $88.3 million?

I realise that the US currency is not the only currency that exists in the world, I mean New Zealand uses polymer Monopoly-type bank notes. That being the case, the fines were in US currency, so that’s the currency I’ll be using.

Before I start, I need to add three points:

1.) Any conversion of foreign currency will be accurate at the time of writing this blog.

2.) The price of any shares will be accurate at the time of writing this blog.

3.) Some suggestions will have a price tag, others will be donating to charities or organisations.

Awesome, let’s put on our imagination hats and on behalf of E. Jean Carroll, let’s spend $88.3 million on things that Trump would love.

Price Tag:

Diamond Life Membership to the NAACP: $2,500

Membership to the AAPIP: $300 per year

100,000 Pfizer shares at $26.93: $2,693,000

World Vision: To fund 1,000 community mini-savings banks at $591: $591,000

Oxfam: 10,000 Hygiene kits at $36.38: $363,800

Annual Washington Post Premium Digital subscription: $39 first year, then $100

Curator membership to American Museum of Natural History: $10,000 per year

Tractors for Africa: 50 x 75 HP tractors in Ghana at $35,000: $1,750,000

Frontline Membership to the Anti-Defamation League: $1,000 per year

Global Giving: Literacy Classes & Books for Afghan Women & Girls: Two reference books for a school or public library for $24: 2,500 books for $60,000.

Babbel: Learning Spanish-Lifetime membership: $299.50 (current sale)

Unicef USA: To fully vaccinate 500,000 children at $58: $29,000,000

Annual New York Times digital subscription: $20 first year, then $90

Becoming a Clinton Foundation Ambassador: starting at $1,500 per year

Lifetime member of Pride at Work: $1,000

Michelle Obama: The Light We Carry at Amazon: $20.99 paperback

100,000 NextEra Energy (solar and wind energy) shares at $58.15: $5,815,000

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Poster: $30.00

Donations:

The Water Project

Sandy Hook Promise

Welcome Corps

Open Society Foundations

World Health Organization (WHO)

Galck+(Formerly known as The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya)

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network

United Way

Planned Parenthood

United Hands for Relief and Development (UHR)

Obama Foundation

Amnesty International

Everytown for Gun Safety

I’m sure Trump would approve of every single one of these wonderful selections, for Carroll to spend his money on.

This is all fun and games, but if we are allowed to be serious, there are thousands of worthwhile charities, NGOs, and groups in the world; which cover every possible theme or cause. $88.3 million could go a long way in helping a vast amount of people, in a short amount of time.

$88.3 million. That figure still staggers me, all because a 77-year-old man, could not stop insulting an 80-year-old woman. I wonder what a third defamation lawsuit would look like? Damages over $100 million? $125 million? Higher?

If the court awarded you $88.3 million of Trump’s money, what would you do? As always, please let me know.

That’s it for another blog and another week. Thank you so much for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch the African Cup of Nations and Asian Cup Finals, and I’ll see you next week.

SOME GEEK TOLD ME

Author: somegeektoldme@gmail.com