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urth inhumation and unwanted change

Charles Reed · 26 Nov 2002, 15:43 · from urth-v0211.mbox · original

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From: "Charles Reed" <cmreed at link.com>
Subject: Re: (urth) urth inhumation and unwanted change
Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 09:43:43 -0600
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Several things, including an argument for why Green is not Lune:

maa32 wrote:

>A lot of discussion on whether or not inhumi were hinted at on Urth - keep=
 in=20
>mind that they would be on Lune in a simplistic state at that time period,=20
>with perhaps a few that had become humanoid due to Lune's settlers and the=20
>closeness of the moon to Urth.
>

You're assuming, of course, that Lune =3D Green, which I don't believe to=20
be the case.

But even if that were the case, why would the inhumi be in a simplistic=20
state?  How much evolution is going to occur in 1000 or 2000 years?  How=20
much have humans evolved over the last 2000 years?  We're certainly=20
bigger than we used to be, largely attributable to better diet and=20
better living conditions, but a human living 2000 (or 10,000) years ago=20
certainly wouldn't be physiologically "simplistic" compared to us. =20

There's another thing that's always bugged me about the Urth =3D Blue,=20
Lune =3D Green theory, and that is this:  From my reading, Green is not in=20
orbit around Blue.  It's a separate planet, necessarily closer to the=20
"short sun" than Blue, due to its noticeably warmer weather.  [This is=20
speculation, of course, but I believe it to be sound.  We may infer=20
Green's warmer weather is because of its closer proximity to the sun and=20
NOT some kind of Venus-like greenhouse effect because there is a=20
relatively light cloud cover on Green.  After all, Green is noticeably,=20
prominently, and dominantly green -- not largely white with spots of=20
green peeping through the clouds.]  Either Blue or Green, or perhaps=20
both Blue and Green, have noticeably eccentric orbits, which brings the=20
planets relatively close together every six years (is that right?=20
 conjunctions are six years apart?). =20

If Green orbited Blue, which has markedly cooler global temperatures=20
than Green, in such a way that it only got "close" to Blue every six=20
years, the orbital picture would necessarily have to look something like=20
this:

           .
         . B .
        .     .
       .       .
        .     .
          .G.
          =20


         [vast
         amount
           of
         space]



         SHORT
          SUN


And for Green to swing so far toward the sun that its climate is=20
noticeably warmer -- and relatively stable, to boot! -- it seems to me=20
that it would have to travel so far away that the gravitational pull of=20
Blue would be lost. =20

So.  The only orbital pattern that makes sense to me is, as I've already=20
said, for Green and Blue to be separate planets, neither being a=20
satellite of the other.

If Green is Lune, though, then something drastic had to have happened to=20
get it out of it's nice, stable orbit around Urth.  This is true EVEN IF=20
YOU BELIEVE that Green is a Blue's satellite.

But recall that the Green of the SS books and the Lune of the NS books=20
exist concurrently.  CONCURRENTLY.  That is, at the _same_time_ Green is=20
approaching and receding from Blue, Lune is making its regular, steady,=20
non-varying orbit around Urth.

So how can Green possibly be Lune?  It can't.

So how can Blue possibly be Urth/Ushas?  It can't.


>  Juganu does seem to say that "We are=20
>everywhere" when he is back on Urth (or was that Jahlee?).  I think Wolfe =
is=20
>trying to pull a literary joke: let me hide the setting of my text
>

I don't think it's hidden.  I think Urth is Urth and Blue is Blue and=20
never the twain shall meet.

>, let me=20
>hide the identity of the first narrator in a hus,
>

What that?  Who's the narrator hiding in a hus?

> and let me give enough=20
>evidence that can be ALMOST explained away
>

I think it can all be explained away.

> - I don't see why he would feel=20
>compelled to give us a clear glimpse of inhumu on earth at all - HE DOESN'=
T=20
>WANT TO PLAY FAIR IN SHORT SUN.=20
>

I think Wolfe is subtle, demanding, and sometimes frustrating.  But I=20
also think he plays fair with his readers.

Charles





--=20




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