THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

“Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted …but to weigh and consider.”

— Francis Bacon

BIRTHDAYS:

1561 Francis Bacon, English philosopher, statesman, jurist, and author renowned for advancing empirical methods in natural philosophy and serving in high offices under King James I.

1649 Pascal Collasse, French Baroque theatre composer. Astrée, and “La Bourré d’ Achille”

1690 Nicolas Lancret, French Rococo painter.

1788 Lord Byron, English aristocrat and poet whose lyrical intensity, satirical wit, and embodiment of Romantic individualism made him one of the era’s most influential literary figures.

MISCELLANEOUS:

OPPORTUNITIES. The first commercial space station, Haven-1, is now undergoing assembly for launch

REMINDER:

In the future, before locking things down again (including free speech and the freedom to assemble), the authorities might want to reacquaint themselves with the following:

Nuremberg Code

Disease Mitigation Measures in the Control of Pandemic Influenza

Great Barrington declaration