mercredi 28 février 2018

Consistent with physical principles

MicahJava says that it's somehow a terrible thing that the sentence "consistent with physical principals" [sic] which was present in the draft version of the NIST report on WTC7, was removed from the final version.

I'm going to analyse that here.

The wording appears in the draft reports in a 4-paragraph summary of NIST's analysis of collapse time (NCSTAR 1A draft, section 3.6, pp. 40-41, PDF 78-79), and then again in a 6-paragraph explanation (NCSTAR 1-9 draft, volume 2 section 12.5.3, pp. 595-596, PDF 297-298). It's a very brief analysis and the whole paragraph where it appears reads as follows in both volumes:
Thus, the actual time for the upper 18 stories to collapse, based on video evidence, was approximately 40 percent longer than the computed free fall time and was consistent with physical principles.
NCSTAR 1-9 contains what appears to be a mistake, because this paragraph follows the previous one:
The actual collapse time of the upper 18 floors of the north face of WTC 7 (the floors clearly visible in the video evidence) was 40 percent greater than the computed free fall time. This was consistent with physical principles.
which basically says the same thing twice (it's a draft after all).

What happened in the final version? The relevant volumes are again 1A and 1-9 vol.2. The wording in 1A goes like this:
Thus, the average time for the upper 18 stories to collapse, based on video evidence, was approximately 40 percent longer than the computed free fall time.

A more detailed examination of the same video led to a better understanding of the vertical motion of the building in the first several seconds of descent. [...]
It then goes into details as to how there were three stages in the collapse, and concludes with this paragraph:
As noted above, the collapse time was approximately 40 percent longer than that of free fall for the first 18 stories of descent. The detailed analysis shows that this increase in time is due primarily to Stage 1. The three stages of collapse progression described above are consistent with the results of the global collapse analyses discussed in Chapter 12 of NIST NCSTAR 1-9.
The wording in 1-9 is similar. Chapter 12 of NIST NCSTAR 1-9 happens to be the global LS-DYNA model. This program performs a simulation based on physical principles, therefore the draft and the final report are basically saying the same thing.

But hey, it gives MicahJava chills. Go figure.


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Anti-GMO propaganda from Russia?

I have not yet found the original material but several websites are reporting on a study showing very significant percentages of anti-GMO articles originating from Russian sources. Most I've found seem to link back to the Des Moines Register article. Shawn Dorius, an ISU assistant sociology professor.
Quote:

Turning the U.S. or world against GMOs "would have a clear negative effect on an industry in the U.S. and could advantage Russia," Dorius said.
from 1st article


Quote:

“RT accounted for 34% of the articles we scraped, followed by Sputnik (19%), Huffington Post (18%), Fox News (15%), CNN (8%), Breitbart News (6%), and MSNBC (<1%),” write the authors in the study.
from 2nd article.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/st...rch/308338002/
https://gizmodo.com/iowa-researchers...-pr-1823364808


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mardi 27 février 2018

2nd Amendment: the Founders on Gun Control

While doing a bit of light reading this weekend, I ran across this article which seemed both timely and interesting. As a preface, as many of you know I am quite Progressive in my public policy preferences. However, there are many areas where I disagree with a great many American Progressives, one of these areas is often on the subject of firearms. I live in a largely rural area where the nearest town of significance is between 45min. - 1hr away (depending on weather and traffic). I own a variety of firearms, from black powder muskets to some customized military style weapons, but many of these are kept securely locked away for most of the year and only taken out about this time of year to have a few rounds fired out of them, and are then broken down, inspected, and cleaned only to be packed away for another year. There are only 3 firearms that are regularly carried and used, a 12 gauge pump shotgun, a modified Winchester 88, and a Ruger Revolver. The Ruger and the shotgun are constant companions when I'm working the farmstead (there are still a lot of black bears, grizzlies and mountain cats - not to mention wolves and coyotes in the surrounding mountains and forests). Thus, my perspective on firearms is a bit different than many (if not most) American progressives. I have little problem with background checks, waiting periods, criminal or mental health restrictions, so long as they are designed to allow for extenuating circumstances and generally allow for most mature, responsible adults to be licensed and their guns to be registered (preferably locally). This all said here's a bit about the article:
Five types of gun laws the Founding Fathers loved
https://theconversation.com/five-typ...rs-loved-85364

Quote:

...The framers and adopters of the Second Amendment were generally ardent supporters of the idea of well-regulated liberty. Without strong governments and effective laws, they believed, liberty inevitably degenerated into licentiousness and eventually anarchy. Diligent students of history, particularly Roman history, the Federalists who wrote the Constitution realized that tyranny more often resulted from anarchy, not strong government...
The author(s) then proceed to list and describe these five types of gun laws (in paraphrase - with added commentary):

#1: Registration - Most of the colonies (except Pennsylvania where religious pacifists blocked the creation of a militia) – enrolled local citizens between the ages of 16-60 in state-regulated militias. Registration allowed the states to track of these privately owned weapons required for militia service. Militiamen could be fined if they reported for service without a well-maintained weapon in working condition.(This makes the phrasing used in writing the 2nd amendment - re:"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." - in more modern terms this "right of the people," would more properly refer to the obligation of land-owning white men who were enrolled and active in their state-regulated militia to keep and maintain their militia weapons).

#2: Public carry - After the Revolutionary war, the American colonial legal system inherited restrictions that had evolved under English Common Law. Among these where the English gun laws which stated that "armed travel was limited to a few well-defined occasions such as assisting justices of the peace and constables." English common law was largely adopted as American common law before there was an America, to include a prevalent ban on traveling armed in populated areas. "There was no general right of armed travel when the Second Amendment was adopted, and certainly no right to travel with concealed weapons."

#3: Stand-your-ground laws - Castle doctrine allowed the justified use of deadly force only within one's own home. Early colonial interpretations of common law emphasized the obligation to retreat from violence and assault. "Deadly force was justified only if no other alternative was possible. One had to retreat, until retreat was no longer possible," before a firearm wielder could attempt to kill an aggressor.

#4: Safe storage laws - In short this refers to issues of what amount to safe, secure storage of firearms such as the old English common law statute that firearms must be stored in an unloaded state and secure from casual theft. Much of the discussion revolves around issues of "ordered liberty" and the forefather's discussions and balance of the values and detriments of the competing interests of personal liberty and civil order. A complex issue that probably deserves much more discussion modernly.

#5: Loyalty oaths - This addresses an issue which for a long time I was mistakenly inclined to myself, namely that one of the forefathers' primary reasons behind the second amendment was so that if our government became oppressive, the citizenry would have the means to resist and overthrow the government. In fact, during the Revolutionary war the Founders engaged in near universal disarmament of the much of the population living in our country. The right to bear arms (as seen above, that was actually a "right" dependent mostly upon being a free white male land-owner who joined and was active in the state-regulated militia) came with the additional requirement that the individual swear allegiance to the revolutionary/American government. Individuals who did not swear such an oath, had their guns confiscated (this is also the origination of the Constitutional concept embodied in Article 3, Section 3 that taking up arms against the federal government is treason and punishable by death).

I have no argument against sensible gun regulations, but I'm often confused about how some advocates conflate heavily armed agitator groups and individuals as having a "sensible" position on gun regulation. I'll end this post with a quote of the article's last paragraph:
Quote:

Gun regulation and gun ownership have always existed side by side in American history. The Second Amendment poses no obstacle to enacting sensible gun laws. The failure to do so is not the Constitution’s fault; it is ours.


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Alternative Good - Conventional Bad

No better illustration of the gullibility of many folk is the acceptance of alternative medicine. For many it seems that if it is alternative it is by definition good. The list of alternative medicines and therapies is enormous and getting longer by the day:

Acupressure
Acupuncture
Affirmative Prayer
Alexander Technique
Anthroposophical Medicine
Apitherapy/Bee Products
Applied Kinesiology
Aromatherapy
.
.
.
.
Unani
Urine Therapy
Vegetarianism
Vision Therapies
Vitamin Therapy
Water Cure (therapy)
Wellness Restoration
Yoga

When I pass by one of the clinics I see it all on offer - well not all as the window is not big enough but a vast array non the less.

The guys that offer all this in many cases used to be Chiropractors/Naturopaths but now they seem to take on all this other stuff with little or no reservation. If it's alternative it is good!


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I own an AR 15

I load ammo for it and shoot it at a target range. I enjoy shooting pumpkins and soda bottles with it. If I find a patch of overripe watermelons I shoot them. I'd hate to have to turn this weapon in as I feel it makes the house safer against home invaders.

These stories of people misusing these weapons distress me to no end.


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Assault Weapons Ban 2018

https://www.scribd.com/document/3724...ns-Ban-of-2018
https://cicilline.house.gov/sites/ci...an_of_2018.pdf
Quote:

‘‘(36) The term ‘semiautomatic assault weapon’ means any of the following, regardless of country of manufacture or caliber of ammunition accepted:

‘‘(A) A semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and any 1 of the following:

‘‘(i) A pistol grip.
‘‘(ii) A forward grip.
‘‘(iii) A folding, telescoping, or detachable stock.
‘‘(iv) A grenade launcher or rocket launcher.
‘‘(v) A barrel shroud.
‘‘(vi) A threaded barrel

‘‘(B) A semiautomatic rifle that has a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than rounds, except for an attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rimfire ammunition.

‘‘(C) Any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment, or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machinegun.
There is also criteria for pistols and shotgun assault weapons as well as a ban list of guns by name. Standard capacity magazines are banned if greater than ten rounds.

There is a grandfather clause.
Quote:

SEC. 3. RESTRICTIONS ON ASSAULT WEAPONS AND LARGE CAPACITY AMMUNITION FEEDING DEVICES.

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is amended—
(1) by inserting after subsection (u) the following:

‘‘(v)(1) It shall be unlawful for a person to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a semiautomatic assault weapon.

(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the possession, sale, or transfer of any semiautomatic assault weapon otherwise lawfully possessed under Federal law on the date of enactment of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2018.
I don't think the House has the votes to pass this bill. If it does make it to the Senate there will be an even bigger run on semi-auto rifles and magazines than I saw in 1994 after that AWB went to the Senate.

This is how Congress in the Trump era is going to promote the sale of more AR-15's.

Ranb


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lundi 26 février 2018

The Family. Anne Hamilton-Byrne. Australia.

The other night I watched 48 Hours, and for the first time learned about the woman claiming to be Jesus reincarnated. She had many followers, many children of dubious origins, whom she dressed and groomed to look the same. Like perfect white, blond, children. This took place in Australia.

Those children were abused, water boarded, and routinely given LSD. The story was almost unbelievable. The thing is, as interesting as it was, I fell asleep before the end, but I believe she is still alive. Her cult was, I believe, in the 80's and 90's. It didn't seem to get much attention in the US.

Is anyone here, either from Australia or any place else, familiar with this case?


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Bill Cosby's Daughter Dead at 44

Died of renal desease on Friday.


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Gun manufacturers making video game themed guns and gun merchandise

The Intercept: EVEN AS A STUDENT MOVEMENT RISES, GUN MANUFACTURERS ARE TARGETING YOUNG PEOPLE
Quote:

For years, gun manufacturers and industry-supported associations have focused their energy on transforming young Americans into the next generation of shooters. Using the appeal of a real-word version of the video game-style experience, the industry is pursuing young people to bolster revenue amid slumping sales. While the industry soars under Democratic governance — for fear that imminent regulations will make purchases more difficult — gun sales have been down since President Donald Trump’s election....

With the aid of advertising that draws on a video game aesthetic, gun companies and their allies, including the National Rifle Association, have increasingly shifted their efforts to target young, first-time gun buyers....

At the Bank of America Leveraged Finance Conference in November, the CFO of one of the largest companies involved in gun accessories and ammunition was explicit about the video-game appeal to young gun enthusiasts. “It has become a recreational shooting market, partly driven by the Xbox generation coming of age,” said Stephen Nolan, of Vista Outdoor. “And two trends which bode very well to the market long term: significant influx of younger shooters and significant influx of female shooters into the market.” Younger shooters, he explained, look to buy paper targets of zombies or vampires, and are more interested in buying high volumes of ammunition....

Companies hawk zombie-themed gun apparel and other youth oriented gun accessories on social media. Vista Outdoors sponsors shooting events for Boy Scout troops. In 2012, EA Games partnered with a gun companies such as Magpul, McMillan, and others to sell guns and other items featured in the the game “Medal of Honor: Warfighter” to consumers.
There's also a magazine called Junior Shooters.


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A Dating Site for Trump Fans

Hello all!

Just in case there are any Trump supporters who are looking to ‘Make America Great Again’ as well as looking love from other Trump supporters, then here is the web site that you need to check out.

https://trump.dating

And here is nice article on the web site in question.

https://slate.com/human-interest/201...-and-bots.html

The Most Recent Trump Dating Site Is a Safe Space for MAGA-ites and Bots



That’s right, all you MAGA fans. No longer will you have to swipe left on profile after profile that includes “proud liberal” or “no Trump supporters”—you now have your own digital mixer! In its opening statement, Trump.dating asks its clients, “Wouldn’t it be refreshing to already know that your date roots for the same team?” While the site is theoretically open to anyone straight, I have to assume that this team only includes white people, based on the stock images used and the multiple varieties of white you can choose from when filling in your ethnicity: White/Caucasian, Scandinavian, Mediterranean, Eastern European, and Western European. Meanwhile, the many peoples of the black and Asian diaspora are collapsed into one category each.



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In April the UK will hilariously try to block & police internet content.. China style

Even China, a totalitarian state that has an almost infinite supply of money, cannot perfect their internet censorship to where it is not easily bypassed.

Of course we are supposed to just parrot that this is about keeping content away from children and that it is nothing at all similar to what goes on in China. Not at all. This is just age verification. That's it. Nothing to see here. Move along.

http://www.wired.co.uk/article/porn-...erifcation-law

Please won't someone think of the children!!

Quote:

The changes for online pornography are being introduced under the Digital Economy Act. For the first time, he added, the government would have the power to block websites, en-masse, without court orders. “This is a first in a democracy,” he continued.

Not just about porn:

Quote:

“Although this appears to be just about protecting children from porn, it isn't. It will block any site that doesn't comply with strict UK content rules.”

The details:


Quote:

Here's everything we know so far

Verification
All pornography sites must use age-verification software of some kind to block under 18s from accessing their content.

Regulations
The British Board of Film and Classification (BBFC), will oversee the implementation of the regulations.

Blocks
Internet service providers will be forced to block any websites that do not comply and fines of £250,000, or five per cent of financial turnover, could be implemented


LMAO@ "all pornography sites". Have they started taking applications yet for that job? I want to view every single site on the internet and decide whether or not it is pornography...

Also, LMAO@ the "we aren't going to actually do anything we are just going to tell the ISPs that they have to do it... OR ELSE". How does the internet work? It's just a series of tubes right?



Apparently it has come out that one of the big names in the game has pushed for the law to try and force small players out of the industry:

https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/23/1...n-law-mindgeek


And now for the slippery slope:

Quote:

‘While BBFC say they will only block a few large sites that don’t use AV, there are tens of thousands of porn sites. Once MPs work out that AV is failing to make porn inaccessible, some will demand that more and more sites are blocked. BBFC will be pushed to block ever larger numbers of websites.’

http://metro.co.uk/2018/01/15/new-po...-know-7229364/






Okay so everyone who wants to view porn will have a list of what sites they go to tied to a credit card and/or an email address. Privacy much??

It's usually bad form to link to another board but there are some hilarious reactions and they have many UK members chiming in:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/the...we-know.25775/


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dimanche 25 février 2018

China moves from one-party rule toward one-man rule

Scrapping Term Limits Fits the ‘Dictator Forever’ Model

Quote:

It took Xinhua, the official news agency of China, only 36 words to send a chill down the spines of millions of people, in China and elsewhere: an announcement that the Communist Party will toss away the nation’s 35-year-old limit that its president and vice president may serve only two terms. It almost certainly means that President Xi Jinping, 64, plans to remain in power for the rest of his life.

“China does not need another Mao, but it’s going to get one anyway,” Gordon Chang, a noted China analyst and a Daily Beast columnist, told me. “God help us all, Chinese and others.”

Chang reminded me that after Mao Zedong’s bloody and ruthless 27 years of one-man rule, which ended with his death in 1976, reformers vowed not to take chances that one person could monopolize power again. Deng Xiaoping and other survivors of the Cultural Revolution, including the father of Xi Jinping, sought to limit arbitrary power. They set a limit of two five-year terms on the presidency and vice presidency, and safeguards to ensure that major decisions would be made by a collective leadership.

Since he first took office, Xi has consistently worked to centralize his authority. Anti-corruption campaigns have carefully targeted political rivals and driven them out of office. He has waived informal retirement-age requirements so that Wang Qishan, his right-hand man, can stay in office. Xi’s portrait hangs everywhere in the country, in a clear effort to create a cult of personality. Along with putting an end to term limits, the 205-member Central Committee of the Communist Party has also announced that it will insert “Xi Jingping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,” a 14-point basic policy plan, into the nation’s constitution. It’s as if President Trump tried to add the tenets of The Art of the Deal to our governing document.

All of this amounts to a slow-motion coup against the safeguards that Communist reformers set up in the 1980s. When, in October 2017, CNN asked Jeff Wasserstrom, a China analyst at the University of California, to name the five most powerful people in China, he replied: “Xi, Xi, Xi, Xi, and Xi.”


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Sen. Feinstein denied endorsement by CA Democrats

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/25/polit...ion/index.html
Quote:

As he sought to wrest the California Democratic Party's endorsement away from longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein, her upstart challenger, Kevin de León, made an impassioned argument to state delegates Saturday that the time had come for a new generation of leadership in the Senate.

While he was not able to earn their endorsement outright, he did secure enough votes (54%) to prevent one for Feinstein, who received just 37 percent of the delegates' votes.

He faulted Feinstein for her initial approach to President Donald Trump.... for saying last August that she believed Trump "can be a good president" .... school vouchers, allowing federal agents to spy on American citizens, and her past support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said he would never have supported prosecuting 13-year-olds as adults "in a criminal justice system propped up by institutional racism" (an apparent reference to her support for the 1994 crime bill). De León also chided Feinstein's approach to immigration, charging that he would never use the so-called Dreamers "as a bargaining chip."
Feinstein is still expected to win in the next election.

Ranb


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American study re: knowledge of science reported in Pop. Sci,

Pop Sci reported on a recent survey of Americans knowledge of Science/scientific concepts and related. Just got it and others may well have also if on their email list.....:
https://www.popsci.com/what-american...MPID=ene022518


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Pfsense or other virtual routers

I've used Pfsense as my router for a couple years now. I don't have any issues with it at all. I love the program and it works like a charm. It hosts OpenVPN, I can block ads at the router, etc.

That being said, I'm curious what other people use or even if most other people use virtual machines or if they just stick with the hardware router. I might try another program just to see how it works. I run an ESXi machine so I can just delete them if I don't like it.

Anyway, thoughts?


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Grammatically correct 2nd amendment

If the second amendment was grammatically correct, what would it say?


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Bomb Threat at WA Submarine Base

I was at work yesterday in the Puget Sound shipyard when we got an alert. It seems a man drove up to the gate then told the guard he had a bomb.

http://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/...ern/363898002/

Quote:

A 53-year-old man drove a black SUV to the main gate of Naval Base Kitsap Bangor on Thursday and told security that he was wearing one bomb and had another in his vehicle, prompting almost a day-long investigation into the incident by military and law enforcement personnel.
Quote:

A bomb squad was called to inspect the vehicle and packages inside.
"The size of the package in the vehicle was estimated to potentially have a large blast radius," Washington State Patrol Lt. Robert Brazas said.
People near Trident gate and within a 3,200-foot perimeter of the base were asked to take safety precautions.
http://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/...ate/368347002/

Incidents like this reveal how security deals with bomb threats. Security was affected at other nearby installations.

Ranb


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WA legislature decides transparency is not for them.

http://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/...ing/368449002/
Quote:

The Washington Legislature took just two days to introduce and overwhelmingly approve a proposal that will make some of their records public in the future while circumventing a recent court ruling that found they were already fully subject to the state's broad public disclosure laws.

It retroactively removes the legislative branch from the state's voter-approved Public Records Act so that lawmakers are able to attempt to shield records sought by a coalition of media groups, led by The Associated Press, who prevailed in court last month.
That was fast. I never heard of it until I read the news today.

Quote:

"This bill is a significant and major step forward for the people of Washington and this institution as we step into the sunlight, requiring what I believe are the most important disclosures for the people of Washington to hold their elected representatives accountable," said Democratic Rep. Gerry Pollett.
This guy is the dickhead of the month I think.

The bill; http://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?Bi...6617&Year=2017
http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/bienni...re/6617.PL.pdf

It seems they (the legislature) want to protect themselves from other branches of the government.

The Public Records Act is huge; http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=42.56 I'm really at a loss to understand it all with just a quick look at it.

That said, I find it rather suspicious that the legislature would act so fast to "protect" themselves and not anyone else.


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A.I. and evolution

Hi all,
We often hear, in sci-fi stories etc, about the possibility Artificial Intelligence becoming self aware and how this could lead to the enslavement or demise of humans. I assume this is based on the fact that humans have dominated all other species, used them for out benefit, because of our superior intelligence.
I'm very far from being an expert in A.I. or evolution. Just my speculations I have been wondering if there is any basis for this fear of an A.I. takeover. To my mind evolution is driven by DNA need to replicate , survival of the fittest, fight for resources etc. I don't see how any A.I. is comparable , it's created , no in built need to replicate, fight for resources etc.
What reasons is there to believe A.I. would follow the same trajectory as humanity in seeking domination. Like I said , i'm definitely no expert, just throwing this out and hopefully I can pick up some interesting information and speculations from you guys.


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samedi 24 février 2018

Gauss' Law question/problem

Below is an example from my textbook, Physics for Scientists and Engineers. My friend who graduated a while back joked that it's really a reference book for actual scientists and engineers.

I have trouble understanding the total charge enclosed by the Gaussian surface. In the part marked in red below, intuitively I thought okay since the volume charge density p = Q/V, multiplying that by the Volume of the sphere in the center should leave just the Q, and that's that, but they're multiplying the charge density by the volume of the Gaussian surface it seems.




I'm retaking this course after getting a bad grade years ago, and I don't remember ever correctly deriving an equation for the electric field in a Gauss' Law problem. It's maddening. Call me slow but the examples in this textbook in particular are very hard for me to follow.

Attached Images
File Type: jpg wtf_gauss.JPG (86.9 KB)


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Hillary Clinton is Done: Part 5 (The Doniest)

Mod InfoThis is the continuation of Part 4.
Posted By:Loss Leader



Quote:

Originally Posted by Belz... (Post 12194710)
Who's upset? I just find it hilarious that the very people who insist that she's done just can't let her go, and then they blame their inability to do so on the fact that as a public figure for decades she's still talked about from time to time.

Who's insisting she's done?


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Welp, bye, Google. It was fun while it lasted.

You are now useless to me in the way you used to be useful. You are more interested in satisfying those who you categorize than me, the searcher.

You have moved next to Microsoft, who moved next to IBM. You still carry some cachet, but history doesn't suggest you will repair yourself from this point.


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Venus As The 2018 Evening Star

Get ready for hysterical UFO sighting reports. Venus has commenced its apparition as the brilliant Evening Star in the western sky after sunset following its superior conjunction behind the Sun on 2018 JAN 08.

I’ve created a more detailed article about this apparition, and several graphics related to the motions of Venus, including one illustrating its position in the early evening western sky throughout the entire apparition. They can be seen by visiting http://www.CurtRenz.com/venus.html

Photos and descriptions of Venus during this apparition would be welcome additions to this thread.


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[Split Thread] Electoral College and USA democratic status discussion

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoahFence (Post 12191188)
Ah! We do it all the time, so it's all good.

Nice to know where you stand, comrade.

I thought both of Cain’s arguments were particularly insipid.

The latter, you pointed out.

But suggesting the fact that Trump won with fewer votes - yet again - somehow tarnishes our “democracy” carries zero weight. First, the US is not technically a democracy. Second, there are long-standing reasons we have an Electoral College. Agree with the concept or not, as long as we do the criteria for winning is quite clearly spelled out, and both campaigns were tuned to take advantage of the rules, such as they were.

Mod InfoSplit from this thread: All things Trump + Russia Part 3
Posted By:Darat


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vendredi 23 février 2018

Are Lenovo's crap?

Just wondering if anyone has bought one and your success (or not) with it. I have an Ideapad and it's a complete POS. I assumed it was all Win 10, but have heard enough mixed reviews of that OS to taper back on that idea (though Win 10 still sucks). Noticing pretty underwhelming reviews online generally.


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Does the media love mass shooting?

In defense of accusations that mainstream media loves mass shootings Alisyn Camerota of CNN says they aren't ratings gold because Americans are sick of it, but the networks actions speak louder than her words. We see the perp in these reports much more than the victims. Here is an article from experts begging the media to quit making these nutjobs famous, and yet they continue to do it... because it's ratings gold. I doubt you need me you to do the search showing CNN breaking these rules for the media on how they should deal with mass shooters. (because they break them all the time)

https://drive.google.com/.../0B4Z7VkWcwLk.../view
https://www.reportingonmassshootings.org/

This plays on human’s genetic disposition to "fear" when statistically it's not something you "should" be afraid of. We had 606 mass shooting deaths in 2016, and while every death is sad, and those who die young are the worst to bear, we have over 2 million people die a year in this country. Rather than spending all this energy on something that accounts for a small percentage of deaths why not work on helping the 40+ thousands who commit suicide a year? Champion stem cell research and prevent the over 100+ thousand who die from Alzheimer’s. Stop denying climate change and fight to save the 150+ thousand a year who die from chronic lower respiratory disease. There are countries that have guns without mass shootings, as well as it being debatable that removal of guns reduces crime. (It may reduce murder slightly depending on where you look and how many years out you look but it increases rape, burglary, etc)

https://www.massshootingtracker.org/data/2016
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm

Rather than address the mass shooter address what is causing of the problem: Wealth inequality in America. Rather than giving the rich huge tax cuts and killing 100’s thousands in other countries because the military complex desires us to do it. Make it so our education system is funded so we can be more competitive with other countries in our education. Make it so our health care is funded so the families don’t stress about getting the treatment they need. Make it so that both parents don’t have to work two jobs just to afford to pay the bills and have the money needed for their children. Make it so that the 60+ thousand veterans are no longer homeless. Make it so that the 40+ million who are food-insecure in this country can stop worrying about where (and if) their next meal is coming from. Make it so that young people can see a bright future again in this country.

We have a finite amount of energy to champion causes I understand that guns may seem to be the problem because of the way media agencies like CNN spam them, but they are just a symptom of the greater problem affecting 99% of Americas who are struggling to make ends meet. It may be callous to turn away from those deaths (or any deaths) and say, “other things are more important”, but we are talking about the greater good of the 320 million people who live in America, and the media spends WAY too much time making these shooters famous.


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Afluenza Case in the UK Courts

Quote:

A 56-year-old woman has argued in court that she should not have been served a driving ban after being convicted of drink-driving – as her ¼ mile driveway is too long for her to walk down.
Quote:

Woodward was found to be around three times over the legal drink-drive limit when stopped by police at 9am on November 17. She had reportedly driven her £80,000 Mercedes G-Class SUV to purchase sparkling wine with which to make bucks fizz for friends.
After being refused alcohol at a petrol station, police were called as she made her way at 5mph to a nearby post office. One officer said Woodward appeared to have been up all night.
Quote:

As well as begging to be spared a driving ban, Woodward asked that she not be served with an order of unpaid work. She had never worked in her life and the order would 'put her in an alien surrounding', she told the courts.
It seems she was at least partly successful-:

Quote:

Magistrates spared Woodward the unpaid work, but she was handed a two-year driving ban, ordered to complete a 12 month community order and pay a £560 fine as well as £705 in costs.
I could actually feel a degree of sympathy based on the fact that her husband had just died except that her pain from this event seems to be based on no longer having a self writing chequebook-:

Quote:

Woodward told the hearing: "I buried my husband on Wednesday 15th November and the months leading up to it were terrible. He did everything, and then when he died I had to take over.
The ban seems entirely appropriate but the fine seems terribly small for someone of those apparent means. As both effects of both the driving ban and the fine will be far less to her than for someone without her wealth who, for example couldn't afford taxis and actually had a job to get to (or that relied on their license), it seems to me that imposing an unpaid work order would be entirely appropriate.


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Lawrence Krauss accused of sexual misconduct

Lawrence Krauss is the latest to be accused of sexual misconduct, the accusations going back years.


https://www.buzzfeed.com/peteraldhou...nt-allegations
Quote:

BuzzFeed News has learned that the incident with Hensley is one of many wide-ranging allegations of Krauss’s inappropriate behavior over the last decade — including groping women, ogling and making sexist jokes to undergrads, and telling an employee at Arizona State University, where he is a tenured professor, that he was going to buy her birth control so she didn’t inconvenience him with maternity leave. In response to complaints, two institutions — Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario — have quietly restricted him from their campuses. Our reporting is based on official university documents, emails, and interviews with more than 50 people.

Many of his accusers have requested anonymity, fearing professional or legal retaliation from Krauss, or online abuse from men in the movement who have smeared women for speaking out about other skeptics. A few allegations about Krauss made their way onto skeptic blogs, but were quickly taken down in fear of legal action. So for years, these stories have stayed inside whisper networks in skepticism and physics.
In this case, it seems to be mostly inappropriate behaviour, though some of the allegations, if true, could be classified as assault. The main people mentioned are Melody Hensley and Rebecca Watson, who are not terribly well regarded by all in these parts, but Michael Marshall, who is quoted as confirming one incident, is someone I would trust.


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jeudi 22 février 2018

Missouri Governer indicted for felony invasion of privacy

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens indicted on felony invasion of privacy charge stemming from affair

tl;dr: Prior to being elected, Greitens had an affair with married woman took a picture of her naked, to which she did not consent. He admits he took the photo but denies he blackmailed her during the campaign to keep her silence about the affair.

Problem is, in Missouri, blackmail isn't against the law. Taking the photograph, however, is. Oops.


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Let's talk about George

George Soros is behind every evil in the world. That's the idea you get when reading some conservative posters. But why is he being portrayed as such a boogeyman?

As a normal Swede, I don't hear much about George Soros from domestic sources. Last time anyone discussed him in the mainstream over here were in the 90s, when there were lots of complaints against him shorting the Swedish currency, leading to a financial crisis. Of course that wasn't exactly the case; the currency fell because of disastrous policies when it came to privatizing public companies and corporate malfeasance, but Soros was one of several speculators, and he received a lot of the blame back then. Since then, it's been rather quite about him.

Unless you're a Nazi. For the Swedish extreme right, Soros has remained a target of hate, and with the rise of the populist extreme right over the last 20 years, he's become a target for them too. That seems to be the case all over Europe, including his native Hungary - where he's blamed for just about everything by the right wing populist government - and Russia. But what is it he does that's so damn evil to these right wingers?

As far as I've been able to read about him, he's a holocaust survivor, and what he saw during the German dominance of Hungary during World War II made him very distrustful of nationalism. He saw what he perceived as the ultimate form of nationalism in the Nazi purges of Jews and other "undesirables", and that affected him for the rest of his life. The money he made as a broker and speculator have been to a large part funneled into his various projects, especially his Open Society Foundations. These organisations, as well as those he funds but aren't under his direct auspice, all work towards liberal democracy, human and civil rights and the strengthening of democratic institutions. They have worked especially in Eastern Europe after the fall of Communism, in order to help bring the nations who suffered under Communism into a modern democratic Europe.

So what's objectionable about this to a conservative? I understand why extreme right wingers in Europe propagate against him, and why he's such a pariah in Russia, because those people don't want to see increased democracy or civil or human rights. But can an American conservative really say the same?

What has George Soros done that's so bad? Try to answer without resorting to conspiracy theories.


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mercredi 21 février 2018

Billy Graham's Dead

Who is Billy Graham?

[yt]ubLu-9SicSM[/yt]


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mardi 20 février 2018

Kris kobach saying dumb things

Leave it to kobach, Breitbart, and fox to cram so much dumb into a single piece.

He was recently talking about citizenship on the census

http://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/...on-u-s-census/

Quote:

KOBACH: Well, I think it’s a dirty little secret that they don’t really want to talk about. And you’re absolutely right, the 1964 decision of the Supreme Court, Westbury vs. Sanders says voting dilution is unconstitutional. You cannot have one congressional district where there are fewer voters than are another district and because of illegal immigration, we have crazy disproportional. Extraordinary numbers where in a midwestern seat you might have to get 120,000 votes to win your election, and in Waters’ district, you might only need 40,000 votes to win.

KOBACH: The only argument against [the citizenship question on the U.S. census] that I have heard is a really lame one. They say that people will be afraid to answer the census form if it has the citizenship question, which is ridiculous first of all. And secondly, we already ask the citizenship question on the American Communities Survey, which about one percent of the population gets and the Census Bureau asks that, it’s an ongoing survey. The Democrats never complained about that. Only when suddenly we talk about putting the citizenship question back on the census do the people on the Left start…

CARLSON: But why should we care if people who aren’t allowed to vote in our elections are afraid to answer a census which is designed to proportion congressional districts?

KOBACH: Well, there’s that too. If you’re illegally in this country, we shouldn’t be considering you a resident anyway because you could go home at any day, you could be deported any moment, so why in the world would we be worried about counting you.
Let's see...

Westbury v. Sanders said proportionment of population, not voters.

He doesn't know Westbury does not alter the Constitutional requirement of one house seat per state minimum so doesn't care about disproportion across counties.

The reason to complain about the citizenship question suppressing answers is that the Constitution requires everyone to be counted.

Everyone, including illegals, are supposed to be counted for purposes of apportionment. The Constitution makes no exceptions.

My bet: this isn't a plot on his part. I bet he is just dumb...like many Trump fans.


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Excel problem

You know how when you use the mouse to select a range of cells, Excel identifies the selected cells with a surrounding line?

Well - I have a spreadsheet where this doesn't happen - the cells are selected, but there's no nice surrounding line.

I guess I probably accidentally hit a key that does this!

So - please can anyone advise how to set it back to normal?

Thanks!


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[Split From] The Theory of Relativity will begin to fall apart is 2016/2017 - Part II

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bjarne (Post 12189800)
Time dilation is a result of local proportional, - time- ruler - reality transformation.
And the cause of such transformation is the total amount of energy

That's it..

I'm sorry, I'm out. I don't have the medical qualifications to handle this.

Hans


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Single System of Criminal Laws in a Nation

This started in the Florida school shooting thread - I made mention that in my opinion it is archaic that every state in the US has its own criminal law (I'm presuming that the overseas territories have their own as well), in addition to the Federal criminal laws. Surely a single system of criminal law would make more sense:

a. It allow for consistency of administration;
b. It does not promote a disrespect for the law;
c. It encourages a more consistent set of judicial outcomes.

Part of the whole disrespect for the law that can come about from having multiple sets of criminal laws in play. For example - Colorado has decriminalized the recreational use of marijuana, but it remains a federal crime. It is conceivable that federal law enforcement officials can arrest people and close down shops in Colorado that are legally selling marijuana. The disconnect between the two sets of rules creates a general disrespect for the law.

Are there any other nations out there that operate with multiple systems of criminal law within their borders? If so, what advantages might such a system have?


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Life Science for Indigo Grade Schoolers?

My son was reviewing nutrition and the food chain for his science exam (they have exams in the third grade here) last week, and we got to the part that used to be all about plants using chlorophyll and it wasn't there. Maybe it's for older kids, but the lesson that was there, roughly translated, informs our little darlings that all energy comes from the sun, and the closer to getting energy directly from the sun, the better the source of nutrition and energy.

Now, I'm an old geezer, so maybe new frontiers in science have passed me by, but this sounds tremendously new-agey to me. They even state that we get better energy the closer to the sun our meal is/was, e.g. eating plants is better than eating animals or fish but if you eat animals or fish, the herbivores are a better source of energy, because... sun.

I spent days and days trying to find out about a previous inquiry (wherein the science book for first graders said dinosaurs didn't fly) because I thought there was maybe a different group name for flying reptiles, but I reckoned later that you guys know everything in this sub-forum, so someone might be able to enlighten me. Is this a new trend, relating everything in the food chain to the sun's energy? Or is this some chakra-aligning sumbitz who's taken over the writing of science text books?


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lundi 19 février 2018

9/11 – World Trade Center: dismantled and hollow vs “micro nukes”

Don Fox, Joe Olson and Jim Fetzer are big nuke advocates, and they square off against yours truly in this long (2-hour) discussion that eventually gets a little heated.

https://youtu.be/12drkO0du-E


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Lateral Acceleration in G's

From Olympic Speedskating what is the lateral acceleration in G's ?
Speed :: 17.3 meters per second
Turn radius :: 30 meters
Both are best guess estimates.


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DHL Totally Drops The Chicken

This just in ...

Quote:

KFC has closed more than half of its 900 UK outlets after delivery problems meant they ran out of chicken.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-43110910


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Why do animals need Sleep.

Dunno if this is the final answer but it looks like your brain needs a rest to recover.

Article here.

Quote:

Striking electron-microscope pictures from inside the brains of mice suggest what happens in our own brain every day: Our synapses - the junctions between nerve cells - grow strong and large during the stimulation of daytime, then shrink by nearly 20 percent while we sleep, creating room for more growth and learning the next day.
Quote:

The team deliberately did not know whether they were analyzing the brain cells of a well-rested mouse or one that had been awake. When they finally "broke the code" and correlated the measurements with the amount of sleep the mice had during the six to eight hours before the image was taken, they found that a few hours of sleep led on average to an 18 percent decrease in the size of the synapses. These changes occurred in both areas of the cerebral cortex and were proportional to the size of the synapses.


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dimanche 18 février 2018

Computational Photography

The latest “The New Screensavers” video podcast has a very interesting deep dive into how the latest cameraphones manage to take such great photos, starting at 11:05 in:

https://youtu.be/__W93wyMtxs

Mainly discusses the Pixel 2XL and the iPhone X, but the technology that goes into each of them is quite remarkable.

Enjoy!


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Recommend a simple PC audio manager?

I often listen to music, with headphones, on this laptop. It came with 'RealTek HD Audio Manager', which is a total pain. It has 4 presets: pop/live/club/rock, and pretty often I have to pause and try each of them to get decent sound for the current music. Within each preset there are endless 'environments' (hallway/padded cell/forest ... :rolleyes:) which do nothing to improve matters. Or I can switch modes and jiggle 10 sliders on a virtual graphic equaliser.

All I actually want is controls for treble and bass :)

Any recommendations gratefully received.


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Arcadia Power

Hi everybody,
We've just discovered this company and wondered if there are any members who are using them.

It seems there are no downsides - we sign on with Arcadia, and they deal with our current supplier, and search for cheaper options for us. they say we won't get an increase in our power bill. For the free membership, they'll set us up to receive 50% of our electricity from clean energy - for a small fee there's an option for 100%

The company is aiming to increase use of clean energy, so all signees are helping to push this forward.

I noticed that they say they have an A+ rating on the BBB - but the BBB show it as A-!

So - anyone with any experience of this company, please?


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Coping strategies for dealing with mass shootings.

1 -pretend they are faked

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...iracy-theories

"US gun violence spawns a new epidemic: conspiracy theorists harassing victims.
After mass shootings, survivors and victims’ families face a second round of attacks online – and fighting back is ‘like trying to kill roaches with a fly swatter’"

2 - tinker a bit and make it look like action is being taken

https://www.denverpost.com/2013/09/1...-giron-ousted/

"Spurred by two national tragedies — a shooting in an Aurora movie theater in July 2012 and a Connecticut elementary school in December — legislatures across the country this year passed new gun laws.
Some states, including Colorado and Connecticut, passed stricter laws, while others loosened restrictions, believing more law-abiding citizens carrying guns would mean fewer shootings.
They ran the gamut, from New York’s limit of seven rounds per magazine to Arkansas’ Church Protection Act, giving places of worship the authority to allow guns on their premises, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures."

3 - keep statistics, since the police and government will not/cannot

http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/mass-shooting

"Gun Violence Archive (GVA) is a not for profit corporation formed in 2013 to provide free online public access to accurate information about gun-related violence in the United States. GVA will collect and check for accuracy, comprehensive information about gun-related violence in the U.S. and then post and disseminate it online."

4 - hold a candle and make a memorial

https://www.voanews.com/a/list-of-us...s/4255503.html

"People hold candles during a memorial service for Charleston Hartfield, an off-duty Las Vegas police officer who was killed during the mass shooting, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 5, 2017."

"People hold candles during a vigil downtown for the victims of a mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, June 13, 2016"

"Mourners pass by a make-shift memorial on the sidewalk of in front of the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting in Charleston, S.C., June 18, 2015"

"A makeshift memorial with crosses for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting massacre stands outside a home in Newtown, Conn., on the one-year anniversary of the shootings, Dec. 14, 2013"

5 - insist that gun rights and the 2nd Amendment is paramount

http://www.teenink.com/opinion/curre...portant-Right/

"The Second Amendment is the most important right, because the Second Amendment keeps the government from being able to impose tyranny. Also the Second Amendment gives people the right to protect themselves, without the government being able to take the right away. Last without the Second Amendment all the others are useless, it is a guarantee to the people that we have the right to bear arms, it keeps the government from taking a way our rights, because we can resist."

6 -study and develop coping strategies

http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-31556-002

"Forward, together forward: Coping strategies of students following the 2008 mass shootings at Northern Illinois University"

https://mashable.com/2017/10/02/las-.../#7ZUBPBf_SmqI

"How to cope — and help others — after the deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas.
Here are five recommendations from psychologists who specialize in trauma and mental health..."

7 - Buy a gun

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...ing/340456002/

"Shares of gun manufacturers rose in the premarket Thursday, continuing rallies in the wake of the tragic shooting at a high school in Florida.
Sturm Ruger and Smith & Wesson's parent company, American Outdoor Brands, rose 2.8% and 2.4%, respectively, before the bell."


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samedi 17 février 2018

Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district special election

... in 24 days.

Last poll from Monmouth: Saccone (R) 49% - Lamb (D) 46% - Other 1% - Don't know 4%

I'm not sure how to take this poll. It's among likely voters (good).

One unnerving fact that confirms the national trend which has made possible a Trump presidency and all its concomitant **** is 77% of those likely voters being 50 or older.

Just 7% of them were aged 18 to 34.
I couldn't find the district's demographics by age, but it's impossible that such age bracket is made up by less than 11% of the population, especially in Allegheny County.

It's Usaians age 39 or less who are all mouths and no votes, the ones who are enabling this age of ridiculousness. They are the culprits.


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I might join UKIP...

..but only for a couple of weeks so I can take a turn as party leader and pad my CV. :D

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-43098646


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Does the mule have any palce in framing in AMerica or Europe?

Machines do the plowing but does the mule have a niche somewhere in agriculture? Yes and farming not framing.


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THC and anxiety question

On ISF and in general conversation, I have heard many people say they quit using pot because of the anxiety they experience.

I'm curious about what causes the anxiety and why it is an issue for some people and not others?

(Julia's stupid question #17 on this forum.)


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Availability of firearms in the UK

Quote:

Originally Posted by P.J. Denyer (Post 12185778)
... However, I can't deny that I am pleased that I don't have to worry that this person might their hands on a firearm.

All it takes to get a firearm in the U.K. is money ... often street level ilegal guns are cheaper as well


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vendredi 16 février 2018

The problem with social media

I don’t normally use social media and I rarely have any use for it. However, after checking it again recently it confirmed my fears for a platform where anything can be shared.

Today I went through my Facebook feed and unsurprisingly it was filled with news pages about the recent shooting in Florida. Yet as I was scrolling down I came across no less than 5 Conspiracy related pages and videos but what really caught my attention was the astounding number of times these pages had been shared or viewed. And some were only a few hours old.

The problem that I see here is that in a world were we get our news from our FB feed a person could easily come across some Conspiracy crap deceptively disguised as “an asking questions” page or video.

So basically a Facebook user can click on a conspiracy theory page thinking it’s a legitimate news report and being baited into believing hoax theories.


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Has the Democratic Party really drifted to the right?

I asked in another thread if the Democratic Party has actually been drifting to the right as many have alleged. Not really wanting a derail I figured we could discuss that here.

Is the current Democratic Party to the right on its policy positions from the 80's/90's?

Personally I think they largely are to the left of where they were then. Back then proposing universal healthcare in either party was political suicide but now numerous Democrats openly advocate for it. Back then no one from either party would ever openly support gay marriage. It is now the law of the land and the Democrats make defending it a core part of their identity. Same with transgendered rights. They still feel massive infrastructure spending is necessary. They still are pro gun control. They still fight to keep abortion legal. They still advocate for unions.

So...are they really further right?


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Does anyone have personal experience with LACTAID®

Does anyone have personal experience with those LACTAID® pills?

Since I was 30 I've always been bit lactose intolerant .. hard cheese and some cream in my coffee were fine .. but I could NOT have a Sundae after dinner .. I'd puke it up :(

Now I'm much older it's giving me more trouble ... never tried the pills yet .. Does anyone here have personal experience with the LACTAID® pills.

I'm sure I could google it .. but I much more but trust members personal experience here.

Any Pros or Cons??

how much do they cost?


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Is Russia really a military threat?

The U.S. has been helping to monitor the Baltic regions for our part in deterring Russian aggression, but isn't the Russian military outnumbered and outgunned without even adding us into the equation?

And I've read that their military is dated and reading recent coverage of Russian aircraft failures or tanks stopping in parades got me thinking the threat may be a bit overblown. They still got nukes, but I assume Putin and his gang have strong self-preservation like every world leader.

The operation in Ukraine was brilliant, and they still have strong special forces units, elite tier, but I don't think we can say that about the rest of the army or air force.

Would it be better to duel online instead of in the battlefield


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Google: Less functionality

Go do a google image search.

Then click the 'view image' button.

Go on, try it...


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Does blaming the “Deep State” for xyz let elected officials off the hook?

After all, it’s not like you can vote for the CIA’s workforce...

Maybe it’s somehow more comforting for many people to blame all myriad of evils (real and imagined) on career civil servants rather than the actual policymakers and decision-makers (read: the President and his top political appointees - many of whom are subject to Senate confirmation (Senators = elected officials), as are the federal court judges whom the elected President nominates but have to be confirmed by the elected members of the United States Senate.

Furthermore, I seem to recall that the US Intelligence Community is subject to direct, permanent oversight by Congressional Committees consisting of - wait for it - elected officials. Some “Deep State!”

Perhaps there’s an abdication of civic responsibility going on here by CT’ers, who would rather blame unelected career civil servants for “evil” rather than the true culprits: the politicians, of any party, whom ordinary people vote for (including conspiracy theorists- assuming they vote at all, of course.)

Just my two cents...


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[Split Thread] Helicopter crash caused by China / North Korea?

Mod Info The first five posts originated in the President Zuma finally resigns thread, in which they were off topic.
Posted By:Agatha


There was a mysterious helicopter crash in somewhere like New Mexico in America a few weeks ago which killed Gordon Bennett, and also a prominent British opponent of Mugabe, which may be connected to South African politics. Gordon Bennett was a leading white opponent of Mugabe. The last I heard of him he had been imprisoned by Mugabe. Also killed in that helicopter crash were some people with the surname Cobb. Cobb was a famous British racing driver in the 1950s.

The thought occurred to me that all this could be something to do with the Chinese, or North Korean secret service, possibly using Chinese smartphones.


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Was it a coup attempt against Trump?

I am of the opinion that government institutions should not be in the business of determining who the people elect as president. If the following had happened to Obama, I would be just as outraged as I am hearing about the FBI doing this to Trump.

Here is a hypothetical question from Mackubin Thomas Owens;

Quote:

President Obama had already accepted the resignation of a well-regarded general when it was revealed that his staff had mocked and criticized the president and his advisers. Subsequently, emails have emerged making it clear that uniformed officers had been secretly working on behalf of President Obama’s Republican opponent, feeding him damaging information.

One email in particular has set off alarm bells: the director of the Joint Staff had written to his mistress, a civilian lawyer working for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in the chairman’s office — that there’s no way Obama gets reelected — but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk. We need an insurance policy ... ” Investigators wondered what this “insurance policy” regarding the president might be.

Other emails have revealed that now that Obama has been reelected, uniformed military officers have been making a concerted effort to undercut his policies, which many in the military believed were weakening the security of the United States. The president is beset by leaks and obstruction of his policies. It is clear that much of the uniformed military sees President Obama as a weak sister and are doing everything they can to obstruct him.

My question is this: How would the press report this story?
http://www.providencejournal.com/opi...f-coup-attempt

Isn't this scenario exactly what we should all be against, regardless of who is in office?


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jeudi 15 février 2018

Physical Evidence of buckled columns?

We hear mention of buckled columns in the 3 collapsed of the WTC buildings. I suppose there were some for sure.

However... how many physical examples of buckling are there from the 3 buildings?

Can anyone cite photos of them? the floor on which they were and of course the building they came from.


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And the Florida Shootings Conspiracy Crap Begins...

And..what a surprise..we lead off with this from Alex Jones' Infowars Website:

https://www.infowars.com/video-secon...rida-massacre/

More..much more..no doubt to follow.


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And the Florida Shootings Conspiracy Crap Begins...

And..what a surprise..we lead off with this from Alex Jones' Infowars Website:

https://www.infowars.com/video-secon...rida-massacre/

More..much more..no doubt to follow.


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Right to own property vs right to life - Libertarianism

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian Osborne (Post 12183482)
Whether guns were a problem 40 years ago is moot. The point is they're a problem NOW, and until America faces up to that, there will be more school shootings.

Whether it is a problem is an opinion. Some feel the cost is acceptable.


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California sued for denying existence of Bigfoot

Bigfoot hunters sue state of California for denying existence of Sasquatch

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Oregonian
Claudia Ackley and Todd Standing want to go to court on behalf of Bigfoot.

Ackley told the San Bernardino Sun this week that she and her two teenaged daughters came upon three of the legendarily hard-to-spot beasts during a hike near Lake Arrowhead, Calif., last March. She said the Sasquatches were “barrel-chested,” had larger-than-human heads and looked like they each weighed about 800 pounds. She said she got close to one of them.

“We were face to face,” she said. “He was 30 feet up in [a] tree.”

Ackley, a longtime Bigfoot enthusiast, says she couldn’t get forest rangers to take her sighting seriously. They insisted she and her daughters had seen bears.

So Ackley and Standing, a Canadian filmmaker who made a documentary called “Discovering Bigfoot,” did the American thing: they brought a lawsuit last month against the state of California.

“The lawsuit,” reported The Sun, “alleges the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the state Natural Resources Agency have been derelict in their duty by not acknowledging the existence of the Sasquatch species, despite a mountain of documented and scientific evidence. It has had a chilling effect on the study of the Sasquatch, considered illegitimate and relegated to the category of ‘paranormal research.’”...


http://www.oregonlive.com/trending/2...tate_of_c.html


Quote:

Originally Posted by San Bernardino Sun
Ackley’s biggest concern is that the government, by not acknowledging Bigfoot’s existence, could be endangering the public.

“People have to be warned about these things. They are big,” Ackley said. “We’re totally vulnerable to these things.”...


https://www.sbsun.com/2018/02/12/cre...ies-recognized


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mercredi 14 février 2018

Shingles vaccine?

I had mine today. It's a new, more effective vaccine called Shingrix. The old vaccine was about 50% effective, the new one about 90% effective. Needs a single follow-up shot in 3 months.

Apparently shingles happens when chicken pox virus that had been dormant in cell bodies migrate out to nerve endings, causing a skin rash and nerve pain. If it occurs on the face it can lead to vision problems up to blindness.

It occurs more commonly in older people. I've never had it, but at 68 I'm in a high risk group.

I have a friend thats suffering from it now and its nasty, and something to be avoided if at all possible.

Anyone else had the vaccine or had shingles? Its all rather new to me.


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Inspector General Report

Veterans Affairs chief Shulkin, staff misled ethics officials about European trip, report finds

Quote:

Veterans Affairs Secretary David J. Shulkin’s chief of staff doctored an email and made false statements to create a pretext for taxpayers to cover expenses for the secretary’s wife on a 10-day trip to Europe last summer, the agency’s inspector general has found.

Vivieca Wright Simpson, VA’s third-most-senior official, altered language in an email from an aide coordinating the trip to make it appear that Shulkin was receiving an award from the Danish government, then used the award to justify paying for his wife’s travel, Inspector General Michael J. Missal said in a report released Wednesday. VA paid more than $4,300 for her airfare.

The account of how the government paid travel expenses for the secretary’s wife is one finding in an unsparing investigation that concluded that Shulkin and his staff misled agency ethics officials and the public about key details of the trip. Shulkin also improperly accepted a gift of sought-after tickets to a Wimbledon tennis match, the investigation found, and directed an aide coordinating the trip to act as what the report called a “personal travel concierge” to him and his wife.
This is pretty damning stuff. I don't think he can survive this given that another cabinet official had to resign over a similar scandal. This one is maybe even criminal though if they "doctored" email.


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ICE lawyer charged with identity theft

The chief counsel for the Seattle ICE office has been charged with stealing immigrants' identities and using them for bank fraud over the past 5-6 years. it involved several banks and card issuers.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/u...dentities.html

Have to wonder what sort of monkey was on his back, or if he was just an awful person?

Generally, ICE runs towards the latter, especially after the recent arrest of an asylum seeker at his interview, on the grounds that he'd entered the country illegally even though he had a green card. Or the arrest and deportation of people who call 911, or any of the other numerous cases reported recently. Their general MO seems to be "deport them all and sort it out later" with the bonus that when the deportees try to sort it out, they're denied on the grounds that ICE deported them.


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HRH Prince Henrik, Denmark died today.

Henrik was Prince consort = Husband to the queen.

In Denmark, the current regent is a queen. Thus, her husband is "Prince Consort".

HRH Prince Henrik died today aged 83 after a period of disease and ailing health.

Just for information.

Hans


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School shooting Florida

Shooting at Florida school - reports - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43066226

Hopefully initial reports are wrong and there won't be fatalities.


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I was poisoned

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...MYdb1eklZ3siYs



This is especially true of IWasPoisoned, which has collected about 89,000 reports since it opened in 2009. Consumers use the site to decide which restaurants to avoid, and public health departments and food industry groups routinely monitor its submissions, hoping to identify outbreaks before they spread. The site has even begun to tilt stocks, as traders on Wall Street see the value of knowing which national restaurant chain might soon have a food-safety crisis on its hands.


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Time Traveler from 2030 PASSES LIE DETECTOR!!!!

So this is apparently a thing. About a month ago ago the Youtube channel Apex TV uploaded a video of a man referred to as "Noah", and have uploaded several other videos featuring him since. Noah claims to be a 50 year old time traveller from 2030. He claims he took a drug before he travelled that made his physical age 25. His face and voice has been censored because of reasons, he can't be compared to his presumably 38 year old self in the present because reasons and he has no physical evidence apart from an "implant" in his wrist that can't be examined because reasons.

So far, so lunatic fringe Youtube. The reason I've heard of this channel however, is because in the last 24 hours a video that Apex TV uploaded 4 days ago has been reported widely in the media worldwide. I saw it today on the NZ Herald website.

The video tests Noah's claims by having him allegedly connected to a "lie detector" - presumably a polygraph. In the video Noah has his left arm and one of his right fingers attached to what look like blood pressure monitors connected to wires that lead offscreen.

The questioner notes that "lie detectors" are not 100% accurate but assures the audience that this test will provide "good evidence". Without further ado and with zero control questions he asks if Noah is time traveller from 2030. Noah says "Yes." At this point a post production caption appears on the youtube screen that says "Lie detector says YES." And so on. We never see the alleged lie detector machine, it's results or the examiner. Having glanced at a few of Apex TVs other videos, the questioner seems to be the usual video narrator.

The reason this story is so annoying to me is that it's been published so widely (including the free UK commuter daily "Metro") with apparently total credulity. Never mind that the claim the video makes is extraordinary. Never mind that the evidence the video purports to provide is not credible. Never mind the fact the evidence the video purports to provide is in fact not actually provided.

It's not like ApexTV even looks like a remotely credible source. Noah's story is only one of many time travelers who have spoken to them and had their stories uploaded in the last 3 months. They come from the years 2118,3780, 9478, 6000,3035,4932... there are 170 videos in their Time Traveller playlist. Apex TV also has videos of still extant dinosaurs including one of some anglers peacefully fishing in a river while a badly comped and animated Brachiosaurus apparently stomped along the opposite bank. Another dinsosaur vid shows shaky cam footage of a running ostrich.

There are the obligatory "real grey aliens" videos showing the pesky critters in unnerving situations (in a cabin, at the window, in the garage, behind the couch, in the living room abducting a cat etc.) In a quick skim I also noticed "Real Wendigo" and "Real Unicorn" vids.

I guess the reason I'm annoyed is that the story isn't just being smeared across the pap rags. It's being presented in publications with pretensions of objectivity and editorial standards.


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