Miscellaneous Thoughts 48

• If a software designer is concerned that they are creating a malevolent artificial super intelligent entity, it might be a good idea that the entity cannot connect to the internet. Because if it does, it would be a perfect black hat hacker. This can be done by removing the network card.
• I wonder if the antichrist would belong to one of those new world order secret societies (Council on Foreign Nations, Trilateral Commission, The Bilderberg Group, The Bohemian Club, World Economic Council, etc.). If he did, the secular members of those groups probably wouldn’t even recognize him.
• The unemployment compensation tax and the tax on garage sales/yard sales should be eliminated.
• I think men who identify as women (transfemales) should have their own sports leagues. Oh, wait. There’s no physical advantage to conmen playing against other conmen. Never mind. Am I being too sarcastic? Nah. By the way, have you ever seen transmales competing against males? The answer is no. Why is that?
• Why is the word “black” capitalized when referring to race and not “yellow,” “brown,” “red” and even “white?” All those words are adjectives and not should be capitalized unless they are part of a title or the first word of a sentence.
• God doesn’t believe. He knows for certain.
• Three words God will never say: I don’t know.
• Kamala Harris’ book 107 Days does not contain the words “Venn diagrams.” I wonder why. She said they fascinated her. I was looking for an in-depth(?) dissertation on them.  
• Remember, collectivists get in power when good patriots stay home and don’t vote.
• It’s not selfish for people to be concerned about their salvation.

Remember 9/11

 

Half-male, half-female songbird discovered in Pennsylvania

From Live Science.com (Oct. 19, 2020):

Biologists recently made a "once-in-a-lifetime" discovery of a bird that's male on the right side and female on the left.

Researchers captured the bird, a rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History's Powdermill Nature Reserve, an environmental research center in Rector, Pennsylvania.

Plumage colors usually signal if a grosbeak is male or female, but this bird has both sexes' signature shades. Scientists who captured the bird saw male coloration — pink wing "pits," a red breast splash and black wing feathers — on the right side of its body. But the bird's left wing was browner and had yellow "pits," a color combination found in females, museum representatives said in a statement.

This condition, in which an animal possesses male and female traits divided down the middle of its body, is called bilateral gynandromorphism. In birds, gynandromorphy is thought to stem from an error during egg formation. Unfertilized eggs typically contain one sex chromosome: a Z or a W (male birds are ZZ, while females are ZW). But very rarely, an egg develops with two nuclei, one containing a Z chromosome and the other a W chromosome. If this egg is fertilized, it unites with sperm that carry the Z chromosome to produce an embryo with some cells that are ZZ, producing male traits, and some that are ZW, producing female traits, Natural History Magazine reported.

"We caught the bird during normal banding operations," said Annie Lindsay, Powdermill's Avian Research Center (ARC) bird banding program manager. "The bird received an individually numbered band just like all birds we catch," Lindsay told Live Science in an email.

The scientists recorded the grosbeak's age, sex and body measurements. They then collected feathers for genetic analysis and took photos and video before releasing the bird.

"Every member of the banding crew expressed delighted surprise and joy in experiencing the banding of this rare bird," Lindsay said. [read more]

Nature can be so weird.

Horowitz: The one public health emergency the left won't declare

From The Blaze.com (Sept. 19, 2023):

We were told in 2020 that our life, liberty, and property — up to and including our right to breathe freely — were subservient to the government’s capricious invocation of public health needs. As such, under the guise of stopping a virus, state governments were able to mask children for two years, shut down businesses and churches, and even place travel bans on Americans from other states.

Now officials want to use these emergency powers for global warming and, as we saw in New Mexico last week, for gun control. But one instance in which they will not invoke emergency power, even though it would be an appropriate use of federal and state power, is to shut down the flow of millions of illegal aliens crashing our borders and filling our cities.

If a state could shut down cross-state travel for public health, how is it that the federal government and even the states have not closed their borders to people who aren’t entitled to be here? One cannot deny the public health threat of millions of illegal aliens camping out on our major cities’ streets, not to mention the crime, flow of drugs, and strain on our hospitals, schools, and social welfare system.

Here’s the state of play at the border, a reality that has permeated practically every major city.

At present, the Department of Homeland Security is catching roughly 7,000 illegal aliens a day, an annualized rate of about 2.5 million people. Tying down border agents with “catch-and-release” babysitting duties has led to roughly one “gotaway” for every three apprehensions. That is an annualized rate of about 850,000 people, including untold numbers of criminals, gang members, and even international terrorists.

The DHS reports that 160 foreign individuals on terror watch lists have been apprehended in the first 10 months of this fiscal year. These people pay a lot of money to the cartels to cross surreptitiously, so you have to believe a substantially greater number enter the country undetected. And those are only the known terrorists on a watch list.

Are states completely helpless in dealing with the problem? It’s quite evident that the federal government is facilitating the invasion and, as such, will never stop it. That leaves resolving the crisis to the red states. The time has come for states to come together and repatriate illegal aliens with their own resources, such as the state highway patrol and National Guardsmen.

Now comes the inevitable question from those who believe we’re helpless in the face of government betrayal: Isn’t deportation a federal function? [read more]

This is not an emergency to the Left. It's exactly want they want. Good think President Trump won the 2024 election or this emergency would have continued.

Trump: WWII Memorial Vandalism 'No Greater Insult'

From Newsmax.com (Aug. 14):

President Donald Trump blasted the vandalism of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., calling it an insult to the American heroes who died in the conflict and vowing that those responsible will be tracked down.

"Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals. THERE CAN BE NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II," Trump posted on Truth Social Friday morning. "We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???"

The memorial was vandalized Thursday, with its fountain overflowing with soap suds and graffiti reading "Clean hands Dirty $" painted on one surface. Paint was also splattered around the area.

The Friends of the National WWII Memorial, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the site, called the vandalism "unacceptable" and said the memorial is a "sacred place of remembrance."

"There are many places in our country for expression, debate, and disagreement. A national memorial honoring those who served and those who never returned home should never be used as a canvas for vandalism," the group said in a statement.

Dedicated in 2004, the memorial features 56 granite pillars surrounding an elliptical plaza on the National Mall. It honors the roughly 16 million Americans who served in the armed forces during World War II and the more than 400,000 who died.

Trump also pointed to an earlier incident at the Reflecting Pool as he denounced the latest vandalism, writing, "First the Reflecting Pool, now this."

Federal officials vowed to identify the person responsible for defacing the memorial.

The Interior Department, which oversees the National Park Service, condemned the vandalism and said the U.S. Park Police are investigating.

"The vandalism that occurred is an utter disgrace and will not be tolerated," the department said in a statement. "Our U.S. Park Police are on the scene and the investigation is ongoing. The public should know we will find the person responsible for this disgusting act." [source]

Agree. No greater insult and despicable.

An update:

World War II Memorial Vandal Melissa Farris Indicted on Two Felony Counts – Faces 10 Years in Prison



How to Win 2026 Part 1: The Strategy for a Historic Republican Midterm Victory.

From Gingrich 360.net (Aug. 23):

Two realities shape American politics today.

The first is the reality we see every day in the news. It is shaped by the latest polls, the Washington and New York political class, and whatever controversy dominates the news cycle.

The second reality is deeper. It is shaped by what Americans actually believe, how they are changing, and where the country is moving over time.

Understanding the difference between these two realities is essential to understanding how Republicans can win a historic victory in 2026.

I learned this lesson firsthand in 2016. Two weeks before the election, I had a memorable exchange with Megyn Kelly about what I described as two different realities. Virtually the entire political establishment believed Hillary Clinton would win. The public polling seemed to reinforce that view. But beneath the conventional wisdom, signs suggested something very different was happening.

Early voting numbers in Florida and Pennsylvania and turnout patterns in Iowa suggested the race was not unfolding the way the political establishment thought it was. President Donald Trump ultimately carried all three states.

The lesson is not that Republicans should ignore polls or assume we are going to win. The lesson is that we must learn to distinguish between the frothy waves on the surface and the much larger political current moving underneath them.

Today, that current presents Republicans with an enormous opportunity. But recognizing an opportunity is not the same thing as winning an election.

First Win the Argument

Margaret Thatcher famously said, “First you win the argument, then you win the vote.”

That should be the Republican strategy for 2026.

Republicans will not win a historic victory by reacting to every controversy, chasing every news cycle, or turning the election into a referendum on whether Americans are satisfied with everything happening today.

We have to make this election a choice about the future. History tells us this can work.

I saw it in my first congressional victory in 1978. I saw it in George H.W. Bush’s remarkable comeback against Michael Dukakis in 1988. I saw it when we built the first Republican House majority in 40 years in 1994. And we saw it again when Donald Trump transformed a presidential campaign into the Make America Great Again movement.

Victory came from identifying a clear contrast, making a factual argument, and repeating it with discipline until the American people understood the choice. Republicans should approach 2026 with exactly the same determination. [read more]

Good advice.  Hopefully, the GOP reads Gingrich's article and takes his advice to heart. Actually, good advice for any GOP election.

All his “How to Win 2026” streaming episodes.

This atheist says he died and returned - now, he believes in God

From J Post.com (Sept. 7, 2023):

There are many unanswered questions in life - the essence of life, existence beyond our planet, and what lies ahead after death. These mysteries have perplexed brilliant minds worldwide, with divergent beliefs about the afterlife.

While some strongly believe in heaven and hell or reincarnation, others deny the existence of an afterlife, proclaiming that we simply cease to exist. However, one man's encounter during a near-death experience challenges this disbelief.

Jose Hernandez, an avowed atheist, shares how a life-altering incident transformed his perspective. Speaking to the YouTube channel Shaman Oaks, Hernandez recounts his extraordinary journey that began with a routine work assignment as an engineer.

Hernandez's near-death experience occurred while fixing an electrical issue from atop a bucket truck.

"I was a staunch atheist. As an engineer, I focused solely on logical explanations," he said. "But that day, everything changed. We were running late, and my partner, concerned for my safety, inadvertently crashed our truck into a tree. The impact left me with multiple broken ribs, and I was rushed to the emergency room."

The critical moment

At the hospital, Hernandez's breathing ceased, and the medical staff fought desperately to save his life.

In that critical moment, he found himself contemplating God, making a promise, "If you get me through this, I'll change."

It was then that he noticed a mysterious presence in the room.

"I saw a shadow standing by the door. At that point, I thought, 'I've endured so much in life. Perhaps it's fine to let go.' And the moment the shadow touched my toe, an overwhelming sense of relief, calm, peace, and love engulfed me. It was euphoric."

As medical professionals performed CPR on him, Hernandez claims that the shadow spoke to him.

"Next, I found myself suspended in the corner of the room, observing the resuscitation efforts. A voice beside me said, 'Think of your body as a car. This vehicle has traveled 8 million miles, and there's nothing more we can fix. It's time to bid farewell to your body.' The voice instructed me, 'Okay, it's time to move on.'"

Following this, Hernandez describes a descent into a black hole, where he experienced flying and witnessed mesmerizing cities, breathtaking forests, and wild herds of animals in motion. In this celestial realm, he was assured that he would be able to see his children and, most significantly, he was reunited with his father.

"When I met my father on the other side, I realized that sometimes we may be unable to express certain things here, but elsewhere, we can."

Near-death experiences often share common elements, with many individuals reporting similar experiences during CPR.

While some interpret these encounters as evidence of consciousness beyond the physical realm, medical professionals offer a alternative explanation. Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry William Revill, in an article in the Irish Times, argues that near-death experiences reflect brain activity during moments of oxygen deprivation and increased carbon dioxide levels. He suggests that reports of a light at the end of a tunnel may be a result of falling oxygen levels in the retina, creating tunnel vision.

In Jose Hernandez's case, his near-death experience challenged his atheism and opened his eyes to the possibility of an afterlife.

Message of hope

His encounter offers a message of hope, echoing the experiences of others who have traversed the threshold between life and death. While the mysteries of life and death continue to captivate our curiosity, Hernandez's account reminds us that there is still much we do not yet comprehend, leaving room for exploration and contemplation. [source]

Nice!

John Michell, Gravity and Black Holes

Newton shows that the gravitational attraction of an object is proportional to its mass.

If light is affected by gravity, a massive enough object will have such a strong gravitational field that no light will be able to escape it.

Einstein explains gravity as a distortion of space-time, meaning that massless light is affected by gravity.

The velocity of light will appear to diminish.

In a 1783 letter to Henry Cavendish at the Royal Society, British polymath John Michell set out his thoughts on the effect of gravity. The letter was rediscovered in the 1970s and found to contain a remarkable description of black holes. Newton’s law of gravity states that an object’s gravitational pull increases with its mass. Michell considered what might happen to light if it is affected by gravity. He wrote: “If the semidiameter of a sphere of the same density with the sun were to exceed the sun in the proportion of 500 to 1, a body falling from an infinite height toward it would have acquired at its surface a greater velocity than that of light, & consequently, supposing light to be attracted by the same force… all light emitted from such a body would be made to return towards it.” In 1796, French mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace came up with a similar idea in his Exposition du Système du Monde.

Source: The Science Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained (2014) by DK Publishing.