[NatureNS] phases of the moon

Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:10:06 -0400
From: "Paul S. Boyer" <psboyer@eastlink.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
References: <KGEBLAIFBKJFJMJFLCKPAEPMEPAA.dschlosb-g@ns.sympatico.ca>
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects

Index of Subjects

--Boundary_(ID_ULpSwHg9fzEFJsmpRgflIA)
Content-type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; format=flowed; delsp=yes
Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable

Hi Roland,

Yes, but did you do the same recipe without lunar synchronization, to =20=

see what would happen then?  That would be the test.

What you may be showing is merely that the pickle takes two weeks to =20
rise.

For a reasonable theory, you need not only apparent correlation, but =20
some sort of theoretically plausible causal explanation.  A pickle in =20=

an acid bath is not a model comparable in either scale or chemistry to =20=

the oceans.

About one thing you are perfectly right: I have never made sauerkraut, =20=

though I have consumed my share.  If I had the time, I would start a =20
few batches, maybe one every three days over a month, and chart the =20
progress of every batch.  Maybe some student should do that as a neat =20=

science project.

The batches should be number-coded, and the person who makes the daily =20=

observations should not know which one was started on which date.  =20
That would limit observer-bias.

=97 Paul

On Jun 8, 2008, at 10:09 AM, Roland McCormick wrote:

> Hello Paul -
>    You may not believe it happens, but we always made krout when I =20
> was a teen ager, and I have seen the pickle rise and fall =20
> consistently year after year the same way with the moon. What I see =20=

> I have to believe and can only assume that you have never had any =20
> experience working in this medium.
>
> Roland.
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul S. Boyer" =
<psboyer@eastlink.ca=20
> >
> To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
> Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2008 10:21 PM
> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] phases of the moon
>
>
>> This is folk-magic.  It is pretty neat folklore (the bit about the  =20=

>> pickle rising as the moon waxes is a nice parallelism), but it is =20
>> pure superstition.  Ask yourself, how in the world the moon can =20
>> effect the chemistry of what is going on in your picked kraut.  =20
>> There is the  vacuum of space between your mixture and the moon!
>>
>> On Jun 7, 2008, at 8:22 PM, Roland McCormick wrote:
>>
>>> Another place where the moon enters in to the farming picture is =20
>>> in  the making of saur krout. The cabbage is cut up and placed in =20=

>>> a  barrel, salted, and then pounded.  This should be done on the =20
>>> new  moon, and as the moon gets larger the pickle rises on the =20
>>> krout  until at the full moon the krout is swimming in pickle. =20
>>> After the  full moon it disappears, then rises again as the moon =20
>>> increases in  size. I presume that the process is the same as the =20=

>>> reason the moon  influences the tides.
>>>    What I never understood is why, after you had let the krout go =20=

>>> through this process for a couple of months you could put the =20
>>> barrel outdoors and let the krout freeze, and the pickle would =20
>>> never rise again.
>>>
>>> Roland
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "David & Alison Webster" =
<dwebster@glinx.com
>>> >
>>> To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
>>> Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2008 8:19 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] phases of the moon
>>>


--Boundary_(ID_ULpSwHg9fzEFJsmpRgflIA)
Content-type: text/html; charset=WINDOWS-1252
Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable

<html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi =
Roland,<div><br></div><div>Yes, but did you do the same recipe =
<i>without</i> lunar synchronization, to see what would happen then? =
&nbsp;That would be the test.</div><div><br></div><div>What you may be =
showing is merely that the pickle takes two weeks to =
rise.</div><div><br></div><div>For a reasonable theory, you need not =
only apparent correlation, but some sort of theoretically plausible =
causal explanation. &nbsp;A pickle in an acid bath is not a model =
comparable in either scale or chemistry to the =
oceans.</div><div><br></div><div>About one thing you are perfectly =
right: I have never made sauerkraut, though I have consumed my share. =
&nbsp;If I had the time, I would start a few batches, maybe one every =
three days over a month, and chart the progress of every batch. =
&nbsp;Maybe some student should do that as a neat science =
project.</div><div><br></div><div>The batches should be number-coded, =
and the person who makes the daily observations should not know which =
one was started on which date. &nbsp;That would limit =
observer-bias.</div><div><br></div><div>=97 =
Paul<br><div><br><div><div>On Jun 8, 2008, at 10:09 AM, Roland McCormick =
wrote:</div><br class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><div>Hello Paul -<br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;You may not =
believe it happens, but we always made krout when I was a teen ager, and =
I have seen the pickle rise and fall consistently year after year the =
same way with the moon. What I see I have to believe and can only assume =
that you have never had any experience working in this =
medium.<br><br>Roland.<br>----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul S. =
Boyer" &lt;<a =
href=3D"mailto:psboyer@eastlink.ca">psboyer@eastlink.ca</a>><br>To: =
&lt;<a =
href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a>><br>Se=
nt: Saturday, June 07, 2008 10:21 PM<br>Subject: Re: [NatureNS] phases =
of the moon<br><br><br><blockquote type=3D"cite">This is folk-magic. =
&nbsp;It is pretty neat folklore (the bit about the &nbsp;pickle rising =
as the moon waxes is a nice parallelism), but it is pure superstition. =
&nbsp;Ask yourself, how in the world the moon can effect the chemistry =
of what is going on in your picked kraut. &nbsp;There is the =
&nbsp;vacuum of space between your mixture and the =
moon!<br></blockquote><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type=3D"cite">On Jun 7, 2008, =
at 8:22 PM, Roland McCormick wrote:<br></blockquote><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type=3D"cite"><blockquote =
type=3D"cite">Another place where the moon enters in to the farming =
picture is in &nbsp;the making of saur krout. The cabbage is cut up and =
placed in a &nbsp;barrel, salted, and then pounded. &nbsp;This should be =
done on the new &nbsp;moon, and as the moon gets larger the pickle rises =
on the krout &nbsp;until at the full moon the krout is swimming in =
pickle. After the &nbsp;full moon it disappears, then rises again as the =
moon increases in &nbsp;size. I presume that the process is the same as =
the reason the moon &nbsp;influences the =
tides.<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type=3D"cite"><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What I never understood is why, after =
you had let the krout go through this process for a couple of months you =
could put the barrel outdoors and let the krout freeze, and the pickle =
would never rise again.<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><blockquote =
type=3D"cite">Roland<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><blockquote type=3D"cite">----- Original Message ----- =
From: "David &amp; Alison Webster" &lt;<a =
href=3D"mailto:dwebster@glinx.com">dwebster@glinx.com</a><br></blockquote>=
</blockquote><blockquote type=3D"cite"><blockquote =
type=3D"cite">><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><blockquote type=3D"cite">To: &lt;<a =
href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a>><br></=
blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type=3D"cite"><blockquote =
type=3D"cite">Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2008 8:19 =
PM<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type=3D"cite"><blockquote =
type=3D"cite">Subject: Re: [NatureNS] phases of the =
moon<br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type=3D"cite"><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><br></blockquote></blockquote></div></blockquote></div><br><=
/div></div></body></html>=

--Boundary_(ID_ULpSwHg9fzEFJsmpRgflIA)--

next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects