dimanche 31 juillet 2022

TOBS, Updated

Here is an updated version of TOBs (The Theory of Body Signals), complete with a new introduction and updated material.

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/tobs-bodysignals

I hope it will serve you well.

Billy Baxter


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So when does global warming denial become mainstream partisan?

To clarify, I mean denied essentially out of spite and partisan fealty as is trendy today, the way people have created their own facts about vaccines and elections, digging up conspiracy theorist talking points that were considered odd niche subjects before and bringing them into the mainstream.

For instance, I never considered vaccine denialism/scaremongering a politically partisan phenomenon before recently. In fact my impression is the purveyors of vaccine denial were more socially liberal if anything. But they seemed relatively contained, with no sympathetic media coverage or ties to mainstream political figures. Then recently a flood of old CT tropes went mainstream and infected the public, with the biggest believers among Republicans, Trump supporters, and conservatives in general. Coincidence? I don't think so.

I'm afraid before long my neighbors will become armchair climate researchers with degrees from Prager University, invoking old talking points like solar output, the medieval warm period, and how on the bright side the UK may get to compete with France in the wine market. All crap that's been debunked/addressed for years and are probably still relatively unfamiliar to the general pubic.

Jim Inhofe brought a snowball to the Senate floor seven years ago. I can easily imagine that level of stupid in much greater frequency when this CT/denialist material gets disseminated through social media and millions of smug pricks start quoting Willie Soon or Bjorn Lomborg or worse.


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samedi 30 juillet 2022

If a fetus is a person, does it have the right to bear arms?

If a fetus is a person, it certainly has the right to defend itself. And there is no better defense than being armed! The God-given Second Amendment guarantees the right to bear arms, and it's time for the Supreme Court to rule that fetuses have that right! From the moment of conception, the fetus should be provided with a loaded gun, to be used if some filthy atheist abortionist tries to come after it. One good blast from the womb is all that's needed to stop these evil baby-killers!


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vendredi 29 juillet 2022

Prostitution

Laws on prostitution vary around the world, with New Zealand, as usual, leading the way in how to deal with the world's oldest profession.

We have carte blanche here, with prostitution legal, and the vast majority of it is carried out as taxable activity, and prostitutes have close relations with police - in a good way, that is. Crooks use hookers, cops know it, and the prostitutes themselves are nowadays entirely helpful to cops. Gang and criminal ownership of brothels has decreased to zero, and pimps are almost unknown.

Despite being an attractive target for sex trafficking, the practice here is rare, and usually caught - honest hookers have no truck with illegals taking money from them and there's little demand for illegal hookers anyway.

STD rates among prostitutes is very low, and harm to women has decreased. No non-religious conservative group in NZ is opposed to the law, and that group can go **** itself anyway.

Some countries have made the client a criminal, which is no less idiotic than making the prostitution itself illegal - it drives it underground and into danger.

We had the final confirmation of why legality is the only sensible answer a couple of months ago when a man who had been told not take his condom off went and did so.

He was given 3 years & 9 months in jail for rape.

Disclosure: I don't visit prostitutes, but I have a good [female] friend who owns a brothel.


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Insurance Anyone?

There are a number of threads on the subject of insurance but non just asking: "What do you think about insurance generally, or per se."

I have pondered this and questioned others for their opinion with little result, and would be interested to hear from others here.

Personally I don't like insurance in principal and think it just has to be overpriced. I mean if some company is prepared to sell you cover for a risk, then the cover just has to be overpriced, or the company will trade at a loss.

There seems to be a common attitude among many, that to be insured for all manner of things is mandatory, and it is even immoral to be uninsured.


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Forward Party

I'm surpised nothing is out on this forum but there is a new centrist party. Maybe I'm being overly hopeful but it seems it would impact the Republicans more. This an effort of Andrew Yang, Christine Todd Whitman and others.

Forward Party Website


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Why resort to nonsense in reporting?

There is a perfectly good palaeontology story around this week about the discovery of freshwater plesiosaurs in Cretaceous sediments in Morocco - https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0727110711.htm

This would be interesting and exciting in and of itself, even though not by any means the first such find, but does show that things were more complicated than had been thought.

However, note both the second and closing paragraphs of that piece: gratuitous references to the nonsense that is the Loch Ness monster.

FFS, this is Science Daily...Does its target audience need that sort of rubbish to draw them in?

What is worse is the SD piece is a copy/pasta from Bath University's pubilicity piece about the paper...

The blog of one of the authors - https://www.nicklongrich.com/blog/wh...year-old-river - does not contain such idiocy.

There are worse examples out there on this story: one on the Independent the other day (no, I'm not linking to it as it's too stupid) was especially bad.

I can see some need to try to make stories " accessible", but resorting to down right idiocy of that sort? Really? We can't discuss geology except in terms of some **** a couple of hoteliers in Drumnadrochit made up pretty much a century ago?


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jeudi 28 juillet 2022

The Jews Are Our Misfortune...

Apparenly the GOP candidate for Governor in PA. is refusing to cut lins with one of his major supporters and campaign advisors who posted an openly Anti Semetic rant on his website.
Fro some time I have predicted the MAGA movement would turn on the Jews, and I think it is beginning to happen. And Inote party leaders are ignoring it inhopes it will go away.
They are making the same mistake they made in the past. They embrace extremist, thinking they can use them and then control them. and it turns out they can't.


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The Line - genius, crazy, delusion, dystopia?

I... don't know.

Saudi Arabia want's to build a city: 170km long, 200m wide, 500m tall:
The Line, Neom City

[YT]fYqNOdMe8M8[/YT]


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Respect for Marriage Act

Apparently there is some "possibility that there could be a narrow bipartisan path for the legislation to move ahead in the Senate and make its way to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law."

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/20/u...ll-senate.html

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR...OWZjMDBl?ep=14

Worth keeping tabs on, since we rarely see bipartisan legislation go through, much less civil rights legislation.


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mercredi 27 juillet 2022

Living in the Moon

Yes in. NASA finds deep warm holes and caves.

NASA’S LRO Spacecraft Detects A Lunar Lava Pit That Promises Room Temperatures

Closer than Mars.


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One America News begging liberals to help them

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/s...92292537880576

Quote:

OAN host makes an urgent plea to liberals to help save the network after Verizon dropped them: “It is absolutely crucial that, for once, we defy the powers that be, we all come together, set aside our differences in a unified effort.”
:dl:


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mardi 26 juillet 2022

Vale David Warner

https://comicbook.com/irl/news/david...-time-bandits/

We have lost one of the great actors of our time... David Warner has died from complications related to cancer at age 80

There are four lights!


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DARPA Testing Rotation Detonation Engine (RTE). Game Changer?

DARPA's current missile program, GAMBIT is part of the hypersonic race, and it looks like they've made a heck of a breakthrough.

https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/darpas-...ng-technology/

Quote:

Rotating detonation engines have been the subject of theory and speculation for decades, but have yet to cross the barrier between theory and practical application.

In theory, a rotating detonation engine promises to be much more efficient than traditional jet engines, potentially providing missile applications a serious boost in range and speed. That could also mean fielding smaller weapons capable of achieving the same speeds and ranges as today’s missiles.

In aircraft applications like jet fighters, rotation detonation engines could offer similar benefits to missiles in terms of range and speed, while potentially reducing maintenance requirements. Fighters, in particular, rely on afterburners, which effectively firehose fuel into the engine’s exhaust stream for added thrust, which, you can imagine, rapidly depletes fuel stores and reduces the fighter’s range. RDEs could potentially allow for a similar boost in thrust with a dramatically reduced fuel penalty.

But where this technology could be the most useful is in powering the Navy’s future non-nuclear surface vessels, providing increased power production, range, and speed while having a seriously beneficial impact on the Navy’s budgetary bottom line.


Lighter, faster, cheaper, fuel efficient? And the DoD wants it anyway.

Quote:

According to a list of efforts supported by the Pentagon’s High-Performance Computing Modernization program in 2022, the Air Force Research Lab has begun development on at least three RDE weapons or demonstrators.

One aims to field a liquid-fueled rotating detonation scramjet that will power an air-to-surface missile that can be carried internally by 5th generation fighters. Another will leverage solid fuel for an air-to-air missile, and a third effort aims to develop a vehicle for freejet testing on the ground.

RDE technology could eventually also lead to smaller weapons that offer the same range and speed as today’s missiles, allowing stealth aircraft like the F-35 to carry more munitions inside their internal weapons bays. Likewise, missiles of the same size as today’s could fly further faster, which has far-reaching benefits in both air-to-air and air-to-surface operations.


As with all things, my excitement is tempered by reality, but this is a fascinating step forward.


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lundi 25 juillet 2022

New energy development and production is more important than anything else.

The biggest key to reducing poverty in the world is the production of cheaper energy. It is the foundation for a better tomorrow. But how do we accomplish this?

Drilling and burning of more fossil fuels
Solar
Wind
Tidal or wave energy
Geothermal
Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear Fission
Something else?


What do you think the solution is and why?


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Rant Mullens- Bigfoot's Creator

I think Rant may deserve his own Bigfoot thread.
Parcher has brought him up over the years, and I found a few posts that I tried to reply to , but the threads are closed.

I recently bought the Sept. 1982 Omni Magazine
And there was a short article about Rant Mullens creating the tracks over the years, and then selling some to another guy.

Here is the article, for educational purposes.


He also lived next to Ray Wallace, according to this Cool youtube video , called the Rant Mullens Tapes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJjTUdg4SD0


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Good Cop

Many threads and comments here criticizing police actions. Most are justified, and I have been a somewhat enthusiastic participant. Had a positive police encounter yesterday - Canadian RCMP - that warrants a mention.

Our daughter was sent home early from work yesterday following a serious asthma attack. An RCMP traffic patrol officer noticed her driving fast and erratically on the highway and pulled her over. As soon as he went to speak with her he noticed a medical emergency was occurring - another asthma attack causing confusion and disorientation due to lack of oxygen. He immediately called paramedics and used his personal experience with asthma with his own daughter to help her through the immediate emergency while waiting for paramedics. He assisted her to get out of the car and onto the stretcher because she was feeling very weak. Once she was safely in the hands of paramedics he called me with details and advised where they were located so that I could attend the scene before the paramedics left. Once she was all sorted out and on her way to hospital he offered to stay with her car at the side of the highway while I fetched her boyfriend to drive it home. He was very pleasant and informative during the entire process. His actions could well have prevented a serious devastating accident. This officer displayed the epitome of professionalism that should be inherent in, and expected of, all police. I have reported and commended his actions to his superiors.


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Is strong libertarianism plutocratic?

I am not committed to this conclusion, and I wanted some other heads besides mine on it.

Here is the form of libertarian government I am supposing:

1. Property is held sacrosanct.

2. Laws may only exist to protect against force or fraud.

more complicated,

3. The definition of force and fraud would be a high bar limited to direct situations. Managing risk would be left up to private organizations (who could be responsible in an incident) rather than government mandate. So the government would only step in if someone did actual harm, or committed provable fraud. As opposed to regulations that require disclosures or avoiding conflicts of interest to make fraud less likely even where it may not be occurring.

If there's a more concise way to say #3 I'm interested, but I hope my intention gets through.

I think this is in line with libertarians I have spoken to who want more than just our current system with more libertarian tendencies, that instead want to create a new system strongly aligned with the NDA or the "force-fraud" principles. I am willing to be corrected if I haven't gotten it quite right.

My hypothesis is, that if property is nearly inviolate from regulation, that in most circumstances the amount of wealth and property one has correlates directly to their political influence... de facto if not de jure.

As opposed to power adhering to voting constituencies, instead of a power vacuum it would go instead to property owners, with those having the most concentrated wealth having the most power, with very little to hold them in check.

While it's clear that wealth can influence voting, and we struggle to find reliable ways to avoid that, I wonder if extremes of libertarian philosophy simply make it more directly true instead of alleviating it.

Now fire away. I brought my thoughts here for people to throw rocks at, and gain a better understanding from that process.


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Equating/conflating two categories, because fringe

Is there a name for this (I guess informal) fallacy, where because there's some ambiguity about the fringe, about the demarcation between two categories, therefore someone equivocates/conflates between the categories themselves?

Like, I don't know, this would apply to anything really, but say there's times where there's some ambiguity over what's honest and what isn't, or what's immoral and what isn't --- or, hell, it doesn't have to be values necessarily, even what's day and what's night I guess --- therefore people conclude, or at least claim, that there's no such thing as honest and dishonest, moral and immoral, day and night? Or at least that those ideas are entirely subjective, and impossible to come to differentiate objectively --- specifically on account of the ambiguity around the demarcation/fringe?


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The systematic tolerance of trolls on this site

This is a quote of my soon to be removed post in the Ukraine War thread:

I guess this post will be removed, like the much less explicit ones: I find this thread partially slimy, partially disgusting. One is supposed to continue making good faith arguments with people who don't discuss in good faith, rationally. It's basically a free pass for trolling. Luckily this site doesn't merit many trolls at least. It is, not maybe moribund, but rather sedate at least

That is not nearly the only thread or subforum where constant and deliberate trolling, dishonest, irrational posting is tolerated as an established rule. Lots of cranks have a free pass of endless recycling and flaming of their obsessions - with no attempt to actually have an open and honest dialogue. Or rather attempting to sabotage all open and honest dialogue.

I guess this must be partly a cultural issue in a mostly American forum: anti-free speech flaming is seen as part of free speech whereas in reality it is very corrosive to any open and free discussion. Liberties have to be protected by rules, conventions and decency - not a very American notion these days (it was for the Founding Fathers, not a radical bunch them).

Anyway, them's the rules here - apparently not open for discussion or criticism. Rather, any criticisms are censured and removed.


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dimanche 24 juillet 2022

Apple customer service (still) sucks

Okay I'm far from a tech expert, and just yesterday I found that my "Magic Mouse" was not working. So my first thought was to call Apple Help. After being passed around a number of different staff I got on to someone who assured she could help. Okay, English was not her first language, but I got around explaining the problem to her.

Her first suggestion was that the mouse needed to be recharged. I've owned this iMac for years and know how to charge wireless devices. It was fully charged. So she went through a few possible solutions (like plugging the mouse into a USB socket) all to no avail. She then said I would need to make an appointment with my local Apple shop. She tried to do this unsuccessfully, so gave me the shop number.

Next I ring the shop, get an answering machine and am then transferred back to Apple Help!! So the process started all over again. after nearly 2 hours on the phone I hung up.

The solution, as all you guys would know, but which I had to find out myself, was to plug in a wired mouse, delete the Magic Mouse device, and reinstall it. Worked immediately (although the "caps lock" light on the keyboard doesn't work, no big issue).

This is not the first unsatisfactory experience I have had with Apple. I know if you stamp your feet hard enough and insist the issue be escalated you (sometimes but not always) get results. It shouldn't take this.


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Look out, Skynet next....

Chess robot breaks seven-year-old boy's finger during Moscow Open
Quote:

A robot broke a seven-year-old boy's finger during a chess match in Moscow last week, Russian news outlets report.

"The robot broke the child's finger," Sergey Lazarev, Moscow Chess Federation President, told Tass news agency. "This is of course bad."

A video shared on social media shows the robot taking one of the boy's pieces. The boy then makes his own move, and the robot grabs his finger.

Video on this link:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...pponent-moscow


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samedi 23 juillet 2022

Alzheimers Research Questioned

A neuroscience image sleuth finds signs of fabrication in scores of Alzheimer’s articles, threatening a reigning theory of the disease

https://www.science.org/content/arti...eimers-disease

Quote:

A 6-month investigation by Science provided strong support for Schrag’s suspicions and raised questions about Lesné’s research. A leading independent image analyst and several top Alzheimer’s researchers—including George Perry of the University of Texas, San Antonio, and John Forsayeth of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)—reviewed most of Schrag’s findings at Science’s request. They concurred with his overall conclusions, which cast doubt on hundreds of images, including more than 70 in Lesné’s papers. Some look like “shockingly blatant” examples of image tampering, says Donna Wilcock, an Alzheimer’s expert at the University of Kentucky.
Just wow.


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Electric Solar System Theory

I allot hesitate to post this at all and certainly in none of the current Electric threads but:

Scientists work out why the inner solar system seemed to break the laws of physics

Quote:

This motion makes the disk becoming akin to a giant battery – with a positive terminal near the centre and a negative terminal at the edge. This creates huge electric flow and powers astrophysical jets that shoot out in both directions; these have been observed by astronomers for over a century, without them ever knowing the force behind their origin.


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Novel use of a radio telescope?

The large Lovell disc at Jodrell Bank radio telescope observatory is to be used as the screen for a son et lumiere on new findings in Astronomy.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62269520

Looks like a great show for those near Manchester (UK).


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jeudi 21 juillet 2022

[Split Thread] The Trump-Clinton Campaign

I see Newsom is getting a lot of publicity.
As a California Democrat, one who lives in Sacramento yet, I am n ot that high on Newsom.
He is a very good campaigner, he is a lot of fun to watch, but as Governor he is simply not that great. He made a lot of dumb errors in the early days of the Covid epidemic, and the Franch Laundry episode was incredibly stupid. I don't have much confidence in his abilty to handle a crisis.
Oh, I will vote for him over just about any GOP candidate in 2024 but I think the Dems can find a better candidate.


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mercredi 20 juillet 2022

NDEs are now REDs

Hi,

If you are following the NDE scene you will notice that Sam Parnia has now changed NDEs into RED - Recalled Experiences of Death. Here are some youtube movies that explains it, a short video from his lab:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR_fYKYt-jg

It is also mentioned in the newest guidelines:

https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-...n-NYAS-2.1.pdf

From what I read it just muddies the water if he has no visual hits.


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mardi 19 juillet 2022

Raise your hand if you think the Secret Service "lost" the texts for January 5 & 6.

How many people believe that missing texts from the 5th and 6th was an honest mistake.


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How is Manchin a Democrat?

He resists climate change legislation, as we see Europe fry and the USA boil and drown.

He resists higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations.

How exactly is this man a Democrat? I mean yes its great that his seat gives the Democrats control in the Senate, but what else has he done? Anything?


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[Split From] What is a light-year

Why a lightyear is a measure of distance and time.

We all agree it is a measure of distance.

But when talking about things like how much time it takes someone/something to go a certain distance and we are using a lightyear scale, then lightyears can be a measure of time.

Eg: if we are traveling 10% the speed of light then it would take us 40 years to travel 4 lightyears. Provided I did the math right, doesn't that make lightyears a measure of time?

Mod Info. Split from James Webb Telescope
Posted By:jimbob


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lundi 18 juillet 2022

The results of a new political revolution in America

A major and fundamental political reform in the US could easily lead to calls and demands for a new Constitution as an essential element of ground-up infrastructure necessary to address the convoluted legislative bloat that is the anachronistic modern American Legislative and Judicial system. As a lead in to these considerations, I'd like to offer the National Constitution Center's efforts looking at several aspects of democracy and a variety of Constitutional documents they have generated from a variety of modern mainstream US political perspectives.

While I am most intrigued by the Center's Progressive Constitution ideas, it really should probably be looked at in comparison to their ideas regarding Libertarian and Conservative constitutional ideas1.

To be honest, there is much to like, and hate, in all of these perspectives but though I've always considered myself to be a primary proponent of democracy in the abstract, one of the more troubling issues of reading through these considerations is the questions they've raised in myself regarding how to balance the freedoms of as much democracy as we can tolerate with the personal and societal responsibilities that must be tied to such freedoms in a mature and sustainable society

A few teasers

-from the Libertarian Constitution
Quote:

- This was probably an easier project for us than for our conservative and progressive counterparts because the current United States Constitution is fundamentally a libertarian or, more precisely, classical liberal document. So much so that, at the outset, we joked that all we needed to do was to add “and we mean it” at the end of every clause.
- Unfortunately, many parts of our fundamentally libertarian constitution, particularly those that limit federal power, have been more often ignored or cleverly evaded, than honored, especially by court decisions that have perverted the actual meaning of the document’s text. Our task was therefore largely to clarify and sharpen those provisions— most notably the Commerce Clause, which has been transformed by legal interpretation into a charter of expansive federal power far beyond what the framers envisioned.
- Then there were some technical fixes. We updated capitalization and punctuation, and we incorporated today’s amendments into the text rather than appending them at the end. Of course, we didn’t include all of today’s amendments; libertarians generally agree that most Progressive Era changes were no good, so you’ll find no equivalents to the Sixteenth (income tax), Seventeenth (direct election of senators), or Eighteenth (alcohol prohibition) Amendments here.

From the Conservative Constitution
Quote:

- As conservatives, we were tempted to leave the Constitution largely unchanged, amending only those provisions most obviously in need of alteration. However, in the spirit of the NCC’s project, we attempted to think more boldly and propose changes that we believe would improve the Constitution to meet the exigencies of our era. Above all— and this is the real point of the exercise— we hope that our efforts will spur constructive discussion of the purposes of a constitution for a free people dedicated to the experiment in self-government.
- Today, we still confront the perennial conundrums of popular government, of which the problem of faction yet constitutes the disease “most incident to republican government,” as Madison warned. Simplistic adherence to pure democracy, unleavened by constitutional checks and balances, is therefore still undesirable. The good of the people is all too easily hijacked by self-interested and ideological factions that promote their own objectives at the expense of the long-term interest of the whole. In short, the goal of refining and enlarging the public views to achieve what Publius called “the reason of the public,” is not working as our Founders hoped it would.
- We also sought to revise or extend some provisions to accommodate modern practices where the Constitution does not speak clearly to such practices. Most radically, we sought numerous institutional and structural changes— to the Senate, to presidential selection, to judicial and executive appointments, to the legislative process, to the role of the states in national affairs, and to various provisions touching modern administrative government— where we thought the Constitution has not worked as well as it could be made to work. Such structural changes, however, were made in the spirit of advancing the Founders’ own principles. In many instances, we return to ideas (or variants of ideas) that were proposed but not adopted at the time of the Founding.

From the Progressive Constitution
Quote:

- When we were asked to draft the “progressive” Constitution, we recognized that the task came with baggage. Progressives’ relationship with the Constitution has long been fraught. At various points in history, progressives have loudly complained that the Constitution ratified in 1788 was designed for an agrarian society of slaveholding white males. It created sclerotic political institutions that are frightfully ill-equipped to meet the demands of a modern, global, and pluralistic society.
- With that in mind, as we embarked upon this exercise, we wanted to make clear our own view that the Constitution, as drafted in 1787, is not completely incompatible with progressive constitutionalism. Indeed, in our view, the original Constitution establishes a structure of divided government that is a necessary precondition for a constitutional democracy with robust protections for individual rights. Accordingly, we took this exercise as an opportunity to strengthen those structural protections for democratic government that we believe serve the exercise of individual rights. This draft progressive Constitution is written in the spirit of the Virginia Plan, with a recognition that debate and refinement must follow. And similar to the framers in 1787, we also are focusing on the structures of government over developing an exhaustive set of rights. We believe that embedding democracy more effectively in our Constitution will better protect rights than an explicit description of each and every right.
- But even as we have recognized that the democratic process will and should be the main determinant of policy outcomes, we have in some circumstances provided for explicit protections for equality, liberty, and democratic institutions that were not contemplated by the original document or its amendments.

All commentary and discussion is welcome, I have a personal perspective, and will unabashedly share it, but I'm interested in developing a more diverse feel for the takeaways and considerations of those who don't necessarily share my own outlook.

*1. CONSTITUTION DRAFTING PROJECT
https://constitutioncenter.org/debat...afting-project


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[Split Thread] The Religious Right and Politics of sexuality

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruto (Post 13856502)
Jesus H Christ on a crutch, aside from being a homophobic tubthumping bigoted [fill in blank], has this idiot actually not realized yet that heterosexuals can get AIDS too?

Not important if they can kill off the evil homos that God hates!




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dimanche 17 juillet 2022

Password rules stupid

Just worked out something amazing. When creating passwords you are often told that you need to use upper, lower case, special characters and numbers as part of the password. I have just worked out that this does NOT add much security at all. Much better to have a longer password.

Calculations.
Case 1. Use a random combination of all character keys (that is keys like enter do not count) on the keyboard plus the above holding the shift key for upper case. Have a length of 12 characters. This gives a combination of 94^12 = 4.7592E+23 possible passwords.
Case 2. Only use the lower case letters a-z. Have a password of 17 characters. This gives 26^17 = 1.13383E+24 possible passwords.

Just by making the password 5 extra characters longer, you can make the password even more secure. This does assume you are using random letters. Having a password of 123456 is an open invitation to be hacked.

Any thoughts on the issue?


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Shower thoughts and navel gazing

If you sell groceries, you must pay a tax.

If you sell ********, that's tax-exempt.


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vendredi 15 juillet 2022

Allah Did The Job Of Blowing Into His Girlfriend

There is one verse in the Quran that all by itself proves the Quran an abject turpitude.

Q66:12... it is invariably translated deceptively to obfuscate from the travesty it is.

The proper translation:
  • Q66:12 Mary daughter of Imran who guarded her فرج so we blew into it from our spirit and she believed the words of her god and his scriptures and was one of the submitters.
The verse is paralleled but with a slight difference in Q21:91
  • Q21:91 She who guarded her فرج so we blew into her from our spirit and made her and her son a remarkable sign to humanity.

Notice that in one verse it says "we blew into it"... and the other it says "we blew into her"

The deception comes by the mistranslation of the word فرج . It is translated Chastity... which alleviates (a little) from the actual meaning of the word and the implication of that.

[NSFW=Proper translation]
vulva.

[/NSFW]
I have repeatedly challenged Muslims with this ... and I get a similar reaction as when I call Jesus a liar even from atheists. Indignation and hostility and invectives towards me.

I wonder if any Muslims here can expound on why Allah saw it fit and proper to do this travesty.
  1. Why doing the job of blowing into anything... could he not just say be and it be??
  2. Why all this to make Jesus... couldn't Jesus have had a human mother and father just like Moses or David or Elijah or any other PROPHET in the Quran... what is so special about Mary and Jesus that Allah needed to do this sordid act in order to make a run of the mill prophet???


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jeudi 14 juillet 2022

Ivana Trump has died

Ivana Trump, ex-wife of former President Trump, dies at age 73

Quote:

Ivana Trump, the ex-wife of former President Donald Trump, has died at age 73, the family told ABC News.

Former president Donald Trump Sr, said she died at her home in New York City.

"Our mother was an incredible woman -- a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and caring mother and friend," the Trump family said in a statement.

"Ivana Trump was a survivor. She fled from communism and embraced this country. She taught her children about grit and toughness, compassion and determination," the family said. "She will be dearly missed by her mother, her three children and ten grandchildren."

Manhattan paramedics, responding to a call for cardiac arrest, found a 73-year-old woman in the Upper East Side apartment where Ivana Trump lived just after 12:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the FDNY.

In a statement on his platform Truth Social, the former president remembered Ivana as a "wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life."

"Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric," he wrote. "She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her."

Ivana Trump was Donald Trump's first wife. They had three children together: Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump.

Why couldn't it have been The Mad Ketchup Thrower?


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Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh indicted for murders of wife and son

I searched for a previous thread on this case, but surprisingly I couldn't find one, so here goes:

Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh indicted for murders of wife and son

Quote:

Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh has been indicted for the 2021 murders of his wife and son by a Colleton County grand jury.

The once prominent, now disbarred, attorney was indicted Thursday morning on two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, according to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel.

Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, 52, and their youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found shot to death on the family’s property in Islandton, about an hour north of Hilton Head Island, the night of June 7, 2021. Alex Murdaugh placed the 911 call reporting the shooting, saying he had just returned home and discovered their bodies.

Murdaugh, a pillar of the South Carolina legal community, has denied involvement in the deaths, saying he had been visiting his mother at the time.

The story is really bizarre. It also involves a previous death, millions of dollars stolen, and his suicide attempt.

Quote:

The alleged financial crimes are tied, in part, to allegations that Murdaugh stole millions in death settlement funds from the family of his late housekeeper Gloria Satterfield.

South Carolina authorities opened an investigation into Satterfield’s death last year. She died at the Murdaughs’ home in 2018, after what Murdaugh described as a “trip and fall” accident. Questions about her death and how it was handled emerged last year.

“Expected but still shocked,” Eric Bland and Ronnie Richt, attorneys for Satterfield’s family, said in a statement, referring to the new indictment. “Just another shameful chapter in the downfall of an evil man devoid of morality. What is sad is the amount of victims that are in his wake. Clients, family members, law partners, colleagues and friends. Alex was an equal opportunity victimizer.”

According to SLED, Murdaugh coordinated with her family to sue himself and reach an insurance settlement, saying he would give the family the proceeds. However, he secretly deposited about $3 million of that money into an account he owned, according to affidavits released by SLED.
Quote:

The investigation into those deaths has led to unexpected twists: the reopening of an investigation into a 19-year-old’s unsolved 2015 death; Murdaugh’s resignation as an attorney for a prominent legal group; an admission that he struggled with opioid abuse; and dozens of charges accusing him of stealing money from clients.

In one bizarre incident, Murdaugh in September called police to report he had been wounded by a gunshot to the head. He soon admitted that he had conspired with another man to fatally shoot him so that his surviving son would collect a $10 million life insurance payout, according to authorities.

The South Carolina Supreme Court issued an order Tuesday disbarring Murdaugh, having suspended his license to practice law in the state in 2021.

I must admit, I'm not surprised he's been indicted in the deaths of his wife and son, I thought of that angle almost immediately after they were killed.

Stay tuned.


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Mental health check to own a gun?

I see nothing wrong with a mental health check being mandatory to possess firearms.

If you are being successfully treated for mental illness, you should be allowed to possess a gun.

I think the only people who oppose this, are suffering from untreated mental illness and KNOW they may be considered a danger to themselves or others.

Simply belonging to a certain party or supporting a certain politician, should not be grounds for being declared mentally ill and unfit to own a gun.


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Who is History's Greatest Distance Runner?

Deerfoot - USA

Quote:

Deerfoot, also known as Lewis Bennett, was first recognized for his racing talent in 1856 when he won a five-mile race in Fredonia at the Chautauqua County Fair by running it in 25:00 flat, cashing in on a $50 purse.

<snip>

He went to England in 1861 under Martin to embark on a 20-month running tour, and was matched against the best long-distance runners in the world, defeating nearly all of them.

<snip>

Deerfoot set world records of 10 miles in 51:26 and 12 miles in 1:02:02 while on his tour.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deerfoot
Walter George

Walter George – England – ran the fastest mile in 1886, a record that was not beaten until 1931

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_George_(athlete)

He has nonetheless remained legendary and in 2010, he was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.

Alfie Shrubb

Quote:

was an English middle and long-distance runner. During an amateur career lasting from 1899 to 1905 (when he was barred from amateur competition for receiving payment for running) and a professional career from 1905 to 1912 he won over 1,000 races of about 1,800. At the peak of his career he was virtually unbeatable at distances up to 15 miles, often racing against relay teams so that the race would be more competitive. On 4 November 1904, at Ibrox Park, Glasgow, he broke the one hour run record as well as all amateur records from six to eleven miles, and all professional records from eight to eleven miles, running eleven miles, 1137 yards (18.742 km) in one hour. Altogether he set 28 world records.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Shrubb
Hannes Kolehmainen - Finnish

Quote:

His most memorable was the one in the 5000 m. In that event, he ran a heroic duel with Frenchman Jean Bouin. After leading the field together for most of the race, Bouin was only defeated by Kolehmainen in the final metres, in world record time. In addition, Kolehmainen won the 10,000 m and the now-discontinued cross country event. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannes_Kolehmainen
Kolehmainen, the first of the so-called ‘Flying Finns’ is considered by some to have been greater than Paavo Nurmi but because of the outbreak of WWI and the Finnish Civil War 1918, by the time he ran in Antwerp Olympics 1932, he was ‘past his peak’ but nonetheless won the marathon in style. Originally from Kuopio, he was gifted a ten-hectare farm in Piikkiö, near Turku, and my great uncle, Vihtori relates in his memoirs of how he and his cousins went running with him as young boys. Kolehmainen – who was based in the USA - was touted by the Finnish government during the prohibition years as a great example of clean living and temperance.

Paavo Nurmi - Finnish

Quote:

He was called the "Flying Finn" or the "Phantom Finn", as he dominated distance running in the early 20th century. Nurmi set 22 official world records at distances between 1500 metres and 20 kilometres, and won nine gold and three silver medals in his twelve events in the Summer Olympic Games. At his peak, Nurmi was undefeated for 121 races at distances from 800 m upwards. Throughout his 14-year career, he remained unbeaten in cross country events and the 10,000 metres.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paavo_Nurmi

From an improverished family of seven, the desperately poor family moved into a 40sq metre apartment, in his home town of Turku. His father died of a heart condition. The young Nurmi believes he developed strong leg and back muscles by carting heaving loads up a hill for delivery to a train station as work. He began running as a hobby and whilst in the army discovered during an army exercise which involved walking 20km with a 15kg sand bag kit that he could easily run the distance and arrived within 50 minutes. It was then he began to take running seriously. Despite his paucity of early education, when he attended Helsinki industrial college, he was found to be quite a mathematician. This is reflected in his training method in which he would meticulous time himself and prepare step be step every race. It is said that Nurmi was a ‘one-pace’ runner but he had been trained in pacing himself, although you would never guess this as from the start gun he would always run as fast as possible to leave his rivals behind. Whilst other runners n with their arms at their side just brushing their hips, he would have his elbows jutting out and his arms crossing his chest. This, together with holding his head back, instead of down, like the others, gave people the impression that he ran ‘like a madman’.

Emil Zatopek - Czech

Quote:

In 1954, Zátopek was the first runner to break the 29-minute barrier in the 10,000 metres. Three years earlier in 1951, he had broken the hour for running 20 km. He was considered one of the greatest runners of the 20th century and was also known for his brutally tough training methods. He was the originator of interval training and hypoventilation training.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Z%C3%A1topek
As of 1946 15 out of the 20 fastest in the world at 5,000m, were either Finnish or Swedish. Finns had won ten out of the twelve Olympic gold medals at 5,000m and 10,000m between 1912 – 1936 and who had set fourteen out of fifteen world records at these distances up to 1948.

Kipchoge Keino - Kenya

Quote:

A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Keino was among the first in a long line of successful middle and long distance runners to come from the country and has helped and inspired many of his fellow countrymen and women to become the athletics force that they are today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kipchoge_Keino
Kipchoge Keino was one of the first distance runners from Kenya to capture the running world’s imagination. Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia together with Kenya form the Horn of Africa, the world’s largest peninsula and on its easternmost shores, and consists largely of mountains. This high altitude has facilitated the emerging dominance of the sport amongst Africans from this part of the world.

Lasse Viren - Finnish

Quote:

is a Finnish former long-distance runner, winner of four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasse_Vir%C3%A9n
Another ‘Flying Finn’, and more recent for many of us to have had the pleasure of seeing him win live on television.

Haile Gebrselassie - Ethiopian

Quote:

He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Gebrselassie
One of the early outstanding East African names of now many.

Mo Farah - British / Somali

Still only 39. His astonishing tale of being allegedly trafficked to the UK as a child slave from wartorn Somalia make his sporting achievements even more remarkable.

Quote:

His ten global championship gold medals (four Olympic and six World titles) make him the most successful male track distance runner ever, and he is the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history.
Mo Farah and all of the aforesaid runners epitomise all that is great about long distance running. Nurmi used to run in his every day clothes and plimsolls. All you need is the will, the air, good luck, high altitude for good measure and perhaps a dash of the ‘twitch muscle’ phenotype. You don’t need to be rich or join an expensive club. From the Ancient Greeks to today, nothing quite captures the imagination and lights the literal and metaphoric Olympic flame more so than the long distance runner, IMV.

Who else should be included?


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mercredi 13 juillet 2022

One Weird Thing About Brushing Your Teeth

Quote:

Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia Is Killing Patients,
Yet There Is a Simple Way to Stop It by Brett Kelman


Hospital patients not getting their teeth brushed, or not brushing
their teeth themselves, is believed to be a leading cause of hundreds
of thousands of cases of pneumonia a year in patients who have not
been put on a ventilator. Pneumonia is among the most common
infections that occur in health care facilities, and a majority of cases
are non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia, or NVHAP, which
kills up to 30% of those infected, Giuliano and other experts said.

But unlike many infections that strike within hospitals, the federal
government doesn’t require hospitals to report cases of NVHAP.
As a result, few hospitals understand the origin of the illness, track
its occurrence, or actively work to prevent it, the experts said.

Many cases of NVHAP could be avoided if hospital staffers more dutifully
brushed the teeth of bedridden patients, according to a growing body of
peer-reviewed research papers. Instead, many hospitals often skip teeth
brushing to prioritize other tasks and provide only cheap, ineffective
toothbrushes, often unaware of the consequences, said Dian Baker,
a Sacramento State nursing professor who has spent more than
a decade studying NVHAP.

How do the bacteria know you're in the hospital?
Good thing this doesn't happen in the wild.
It's just like the five second rule.


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Recession?

Will we have a global recession? Several local recessions?

Thought it was worth a thread.

Wikipedia while I'm here:

"In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various events, such as a financial crisis, an external trade shock, an adverse supply shock, the bursting of an economic bubble, or a large-scale anthropogenic or natural disaster (e.g. a pandemic). In the United States, it is defined as "a significant decline in economic activity spread across the market, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales". In the United Kingdom, it is defined as a negative economic growth for two consecutive quarters.

"Governments usually respond to recessions by adopting expansionary macroeconomic policies, such as increasing money supply or increasing government spending and decreasing taxation."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recession?wprov=sfti1


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Strange bluetooth issue with laptop

Win10 laptops in both cases ...

I play music on this Asus laptop through a little Betron bluetooth speaker, as the laptop sound quality is poor. Worked fine for a year or 2 until yesterday, when the speaker spontaneously announced 'Bluetooth cancelled' while was over in the kitchen.

Bluetooth continues to work on the Asus in some ways, such as receiving photos from my phone.

I started up another laptop as an experiment and the speaker happily connects to that one and plays music.

I'm baffled. I wasn't even in the room when the connection dropped and I can see nothing in the system to explain it.

Any help gratefully received :)


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mardi 12 juillet 2022

Destiny and Free will

This world is not a world of testing "from Allah's point of view". Because He already knows what we will do. This world is a miniature - a sample life that "symbolizes what we would do if we lived forever". And since we don't know what will happen, it is a world of trial for us.

That is why some people's test is terminated by Allah "at the very moment of their disbelief". But if that man had lived two more years, perhaps he would have died a believer.

In the same way, another person is made to die by Allah "at the very moment of being a believer ". But perhaps if he had lived two more years, he would have died as a disbeliever.

"If we are eternally good or bad", we are made to live a representative short life accordingly. And this two-day life is a paper sample that summarizes what we would do if we lived forever in this world.

- They set off again. After a while they came upon a boy; he killed him. Moses said: "You have killed an innocent man, not even for a life? By Allah, you have done a very bad deed!" (Surat al-Kahf, verse 74)

"As for the boy: his parents were believers. We feared that he might lead them to disbelief. " (verse 80)


"We wished that their Lord would give them a child superior to him in purity and more advanced in mercy. " (verse 81)

Here the test is ended before the child grows up and commits his sins. So it is like it is clear from the beginning what a person deserves or does not deserve... Also, if the child had lived, he could have led his parents astray. But since they did not deserve to go astray, they are saved.

Again, some verses say that the unbelievers in hell will demand to return to earth, but they are told that even if they were sent to be tested again and again, they would still be among those who lose the test. So even in eternal trials it is already known what we will and will not do.

In the same way, another verse says that some people are created as the people of hell. That is, they are the ones who are wicked at heart and their destination is known from the beginning. They are made to live this brief life of testing so that in the hereafter they can see the filth in their hearts and have no right to object. Don't misunderstand, because those people will choose evil with their free will, and because Allah knows this, He created them for hell. Otherwise, He would not have created those who would go to hell at all, and there would only be those in paradise. But He allows them, the evil ones, to come into existence.

In short, you get what you deserve. This worldly life is nothing but an example that represents - summarizes - the virtue or vice in your heart. The righteous are always put on the path to paradise in one way or another, the wicked are always taken astray in one way or another, and their trials are terminated at the very moment of their hellishness. A person can be a believer all his life and become a disbeliever in his last days and lose, whereas another person can be a disbeliever all his life and become a believer and repent in his last days and end up in paradise. In other words, "the good ones are always won" and "the bad ones are always lost".

If Allah Almighty presents us with options A and B, He knows which one we will choose, so He ensures that we get the result we deserve by using our free will. In other words, we are not robots in this 2-day test, and the choices really belong to us. But as I said, since it is known what we will do if we are faced with choices, we are presented with choices (scenarios) that will help us get what we deserve so that we can face the good or evil in our hearts.

There is also another function of this world. It is to give us a taste of some small troubles and rewards. In short, if the first function of this world is to separate the good and the bad, the second function is to start giving small punishments and rewards in this world.

***
Let us give a few more examples for those who are in doubt about this:

Surah Al-Qasas 50 So if they cannot answer you, know that they are only following their own desires. Who is more astray than he who follows his own desires without guidance from Allah! Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.

Surat al-Tawbah: 85 Let not their wealth or their children envy you. Allah wants to torment them with these in this world. He will bring them out as disbelievers.

Surah Yunus Surah 70 Enjoy a little in this world, then they will return to Us. Then We will make them taste a severe torment for what they disbelieved.

9:55 Let not their money and their children impress you. Allah wants to punish them with them in the life of this world, and to make them die as disbelievers.

Surah A'raf: 179 By Allah, We have created many of mankind and jinn for Hell. They have hearts, by which they do not understand; they have eyes, by which they do not see; they have ears, by which they do not hear. They are like cattle. Perhaps even more confused. They are the heedless.

In short, since Allah knows before He creates a person whether that person will choose good or evil, He creates the person He knows will choose evil, knowing that he will go to hell. And He gives that evil person this brief example of 2 days. But again, completely free will is exercised.

27. Oh, if you could only see them standing by the Fire and saying: "What if we were sent back, and did not deny the verses of our Lord and were of the believers?"

28. The truth of the matter is that what they used to conceal has been brought against them, and if they were sent back, they would certainly repeat what they were forbidden. Indeed, they are liars.(Anam)

In other words, even if the wrongdoers are tested millions of times, they will still lose the test. Anyway, this 2-day scenario makes us face the goodness or treachery-evilness in our hearts. Otherwise Allah already knows what we deserve.

And in this representative test, since it is known which options we will choose, the scenario is brought to us exactly the options that we will face what is in our hearts. Then the moment of the end of our test is realized at a moment when we will be in paradise if we are among the good ones and in hell if we are among the bad ones.

Otherwise, a person's thoughts can change constantly, a person can have periods of faith and periods of disbelief throughout his life. Here, it is not a matter of chance and coincidence whether the moment of that person's death will coincide with a believing or unbelieving moment. The test of those who deserve paradise with faith and the test of those who do not deserve paradise ends in a moment of faithlessness by the Creator.


***
All the options (scenarios) that are presented to us allow us to face the good or evil in our hearts and also to get what we deserve.


Surah Ali Imran:


154-Then He sent down on you after that sorrow a security and a sleep that enveloped a group of you, while another group were in their own troubles, and they had an unrealistic opinion of Allah, like the opinion of the ignorant: "Is there anything for us to do?" Say: "Verily, all work is Allah's." They conceal something in their hearts which they do not reveal to you, saying: "Had we been consulted in this matter, we would not have been killed here." Say: "Even if you had been in your homes, those who were destined to be killed would have gone out to their deaths. Allah has brought this upon you to test what is in you and to reveal what is in your hearts. Allah knows what is in your hearts.


165-When a calamity befalls you which you brought twice as much upon your enemies, do you say: "Where is this from?" Say: "It is from your own side." For Allah is all-powerful.

166-And what befell you on the day when the two armies clashed is by Allah's permission. And He will make the believers known.

167-as well as that it may reveal the hypocrites, to whom it was said: "Come, fight in the way of Allah or defend yourselves!" They said: "If we knew how to fight, we would have followed you." On that day they were closer to disbelief than to faith, saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts, and Allah knows best what they conceal in their hearts.

178 - And let not those who disbelieve think that Our abandonment of them is good for them. We leave them only to increase their sins, and for them is a humiliating torment.

Muhammad

29. Or do those whose hearts are sick in their hearts think that Allah will never reveal their bitter hatreds?

30. And if We had willed, We could certainly have shown them to you, and you would certainly have recognized them by their faces. You would also recognize them by the manner of their words. Allah knows all that you do.

Surat al-Tawbah 64 The hypocrites fear lest a Surah should descend upon them which will inform them of what is in their hearts. Say: "You mock. Allah will reveal to you what you are afraid of."
***
There is also the side of the event that involves angels and jinns.

They too are confronted with what is in their hearts.

Iblis' confrontation with the treachery in his heart in the incident of prostration to Adam showed him that he could not actually be a high ranking angel.

Because Iblis was one of the wrongdoers who chose evil of his own free will. He just needed to be exposed on some occasion:

ARAF

11. We created you, then gave you form, then We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves to Adam"; they all prostrated, but Iblis did not, he was not of those who prostrated.

12. (Allah) said: "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?" (Iblis) said: "I am better than him, you created me from the fire and you created him from clay."

13. (Allah) said: "So come down from there; it is not for you to be arrogant therein. Get out, for you are of the despicable."

14. (Iblis) said: "(At least) give me time until the Day when they will be resurrected."

15. (Allah) said: "You are of those who have been given time."

16. So, he said: "I swear by Allah that I will sit on your right path to lead them astray, in return for your leading me astray.


Notice that Iblis realizes that Allah has revealed the evil in his heart through this event. That is, he realizes that Allah has led him astray. Of course, Iblis knows that all the blame here lies with him, because of his free will he has revealed what was in his heart. He faced the truth.

That is why he also made his request in anger:

HIJR

39. (Iblis): "My Lord," he said, "because You have tempted me, I will certainly adorn them on the earth and I will tempt them all.

40. Except the servants among them who have been given piety (My temptation will not affect them).

When his true identity is revealed and his mask is unmasked, Iblis gets very angry and wants to lead people astray himself.

But Iblis knows that his misleading people will only lead some evil people to confront the treachery in their hearts. That is why he expresses his helplessness by saying "except for the servants who are given ihlas".

In short, at least two birds are killed with one stone. Both the true face of Iblis has been revealed and he will be instrumental in unmasking evil people until the Day of Judgment.

Surah Al-Zuhruf 36 Whoever disregards the Reminder of the Most Merciful and turns away from it, We will cause a devil to haunt him, and he will be his companion.

Surat al-Maryam 83 Have you not seen that We have set the devils upon the disbelievers and they make them move and twist?

In short, in the life of this world-universe, servants attain what they deserve through their free will, and they see and experience the good or evil in their hearts.

***
As we said before, Allah makes everyone face what is in their hearts by taking advantage of their free will, and at the same time He makes sure that they get what they deserve in this 2-day test:

ENFAL

8:5 Indeed, your Lord took you out of your house for the fulfillment of a certain plan. A group of the believers did not like it.

8:6 They disputed with you about it as if they were being driven to their deaths, even though the truth had come to light.

8:7 Allah had promised you to defeat one of the two groups, but you wanted to meet the weaker of the two. But ALLAH wishes to realize the truth by His words and to cut off the pursuit of the disbelievers.

8:8 That He may realize the truth and remove injustice, even though the guilty dislike it.

8:11 He was lulling you into slumber as a security from Himself, and He was sending down on you water from the sky to cleanse you (from thirst), to drive away from you the filth of Satan (despair), to convince your hearts and to strengthen your feet.

8:17 You did not kill them, but God did. And when you threw, you did not throw, but ALLAH did. But thus He tested the believers with a good test. ALLAH is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Since the righteous deserved to do as they were commanded, and the wicked deserved to lose by fighting the Prophet, they were made to face each other so that each might get what he deserved:

8:42 You were on the far side of the valley and they were on the other side of the valley. And the caravan was lower than you. If you had decided on this encounter, you would have disagreed about it. But Allah was carrying out a pre-planned work. So that the destroyed may be destroyed with a clear proof, and the living may be kept alive with a clear proof. ALLAH is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

8:43 Allah made them seem small to you in your dream. If He had shown them to you many, you would have scattered and disputed about it. But ALLAH saved (you). He knows the essence of the breasts.

8:44 And when the time came and you met them, He made them little in your eyes, and He made you little in their eyes, so that ALLAH might accomplish what was planned beforehand. The affairs return to ALLAH in the end.

And Satan, after dragging the wicked after him, flees the scene in panic:

8:48 Satan embellished his deeds for them and said: "None of the people can defeat you this day, I am on your side." And when the two armies came face to face, he turned back on his heels and said, "I have nothing to do with you, I see what you do not see, and I fear Allah. Allah's punishment is severe."

8:51 "This is in recompense for what your hands have done. Surely God is not unjust to servants."

8:54 Like the followers of Pharaoh and those before them. They denied the signs of their Lord. So We destroyed them for their sins. We drowned the followers of Pharaoh. They were all wrongdoers.


Those who are working to send people to hell are in fact only enabling the truly wicked to confront what is in their hearts. Otherwise, they cannot roll any good person into hell.

Saffat

161. You and what you serve,

162. You shall not cause anyone to fall into temptation against Him.

163. except the one who will be released into Hell.

***
Let us continue to give evidence from the relevant verses:

Ta-Ha

110. He knows their past and their future, while none can comprehend Him in knowledge.
(Allah already knows who will do what in the future)


133. They said, "He should have at least brought us a sign (a miracle). Did not the evidence (proof) in the previous Books come to them?

134. And if We had destroyed them with a punishment before that, they would have said: "Our Lord, if You had sent us a messenger, we would have followed Your verses before we became so lowly and disgraced!"

(He knows what they would have done if they had been tried in another way)


Enam

109. They swore by Allah with all their oaths that if a miracle came to them, they would surely believe in it. Tell them: "Miracles are only with Allah." Do you not understand that they will not believe even when a miracle comes to them?

110. We turn their hearts and their eyes upside down, and We leave them as they did not believe the first time, and they wander blindly in their transgression.

111. And if We had sent down to them the angels, and the dead had spoken to them, and We had gathered all things and set them before them, they would not have believed except by Allah's will. But most of them show ignorance.
(He knows what they would do if different options were put before them)


Rum

51. By Allah, if We send a wind and they see that the earth has turned yellow, then they will be ungrateful.

52. So you cannot make the dead hear. Nor can you make the deaf hear the call if they turn away.

53. And you cannot enlighten the blind from their error. You can only make those who believe in Our verses to hear, and they become Muslims.


QASAS

56. You cannot guide whom you love. It is only Allah who guides whom He wills. He knows best those who deserve to be guided.


Almighty Allah knows very well that if people were tested in infinite variations for eternity, He knows which of them would be among the good ones and which would be among the bad ones. That is why He ends everyone's test as they deserve in this 2-day representative-miniature test. But again, he does this without touching free will. Since He knows what His servants will choose in this 2-day test, He brings them the choices that will allow them to face exactly what is in their hearts, and He takes the good ones to paradise and the bad ones to hell in a moment.

For example, Iblis was doing as he was told, but Allah knew that he was one of the wicked. And in order to reveal the treachery in his heart, He put the option of "prostrating to Adam" in front of him. He knew he would not do it. And then Iblis realizes that he was trapped and he says, "in response to your temptation".

***
Let us continue with the subject:

Our Lord knew what those people would choose before He created them. He created them to get what they deserve. So that those who would choose good would go to Paradise and those who would choose evil would go to Hell:

HUD

119 Except those whom your Lord has mercy on. For that He has created them. Your Lord's words, "By Allah, I will fill Hell with mankind and jinn" will be fulfilled.

He also knows from the very beginning who will have the best morals and who will be worthy of being chosen as prophets. This goes without saying.

In the story of Moses, this "2-day summary test, confrontation with what is in the heart" is also evident:

Surah 28 - Qasas

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful and the Most Gracious.

1. Ta, Sîn, Mîm.

2. These are the verses of the Book, which declare clearly to you.

3. We will recite to you a portion of the story of Moses and Pharaoh in truth for a people who will believe.

4. The truth is that Pharaoh had established himself in that place and divided its people into groups. He despised and oppressed a group of them: He slaughtered their male children and treated their women shamelessly/exploited their wombs/released their women into the world. He was indeed one of those who spread mischief.

5. And We desire that We may bestow mercy on those who are oppressed in the earth, and make them leaders, and make them heirs.

6. And give them means and power in the earth. And We will show Pharaoh and Haman and their armies what they feared.

(Since Allah knows how His servants will react to which option, He is implementing His plan to give their free will what they deserve)

7. And We revealed to the mother of Moses: breastfeed him! And when you feel fear against him, let him fall into the river. Do not fear, do not grieve! We will bring him back to you and make him one of the Messengers."

8. Finally, Pharaoh's family found him as a lost thing and took him. He was to be an enemy and a worry for them. The truth is that Pharaoh and Haman and their armies were on the wrong path.

9. Pharaoh's wife said: "He is a light in my eyes and in yours. Do not kill him, for he may be useful to us, or we may adopt him as a child." They did not realize it.

10. And the heart of the mother of Moses was empty in the morning. She was in a state that she would have revealed it if We had not given her a binding in her heart so that she might be among the believers.

11. His mother said to Moses' sister, "Watch him." So she watched him from the sidelines. They were not aware of it.

12. And We had forbidden him women who suckled before, so his sister said: "Shall I introduce to you a household who will take care of him for you, and take it upon themselves to educate and teach him?"

13. Finally We returned Moses to his mother so that she may be enlightened and not grieve and know that Allah's promise is true. But many do not know this.

14. And when Moses reached the age of valor, We gave him wisdom and knowledge. Thus do We reward those who think well and act well.

************************

(Then Pharaoh and his followers face the evil in their hearts and leave the land of testing in the middle of the closing sea)

41. We made them leaders calling to the Fire, and they will not be helped on the Day of Resurrection.

42. We put a curse on their backs in this worldly life. On the Day of Resurrection they will be among the disfigured.

***

In the story of Joseph, again we see that our Lord knows the future and that in this 2-day representative and summary test, He ensures that people get what they deserve with their free will:


YUSUF

4. Joseph once said to his father, "My father, I saw the eleven planets, the sun and the moon, and I saw them prostrating themselves to me."


5. (His father Jacob said:) "My child," he said, "do not tell your dream to your brothers, lest they plot against you. For Satan is a clear enemy to man.


6. "So your Lord chooses you, and teaches you the interpretation of dreams, and completes His favor upon you and the family of Jacob, as He completed His favor upon your fathers Abraham and Isaac before you. Your Lord is All-Knowing, All-Wise."

Since our Lord knows how people will react to whatever choice is put before them, He is giving Joseph and those around him the adventure that will enable them to confront themselves in this way.


21. The one who bought him in Egypt said to his wife, "Take good care of him, lest he be of use to us, or we adopt him as a son." So We established Joseph on the earth and taught him the interpretation of dreams. God is the One who accomplishes His work, but most of the people do not know it.

22. And when he grew up, We gave him wisdom and knowledge, and thus do We reward those who do good.

Again, with the free will of people, fate weaves its web and events follow one another in line with the plan of our Lord.

Even the fact that Joseph was shown the future through dreams, in itself, shows that it was already known what was going to happen. Our Lord knows who will do what in the face of which option, and He presents such options, representing what that person would do if he lived forever - if he were tested - that in this 2-day world, people are confronted with the good or evil in them with the option they choose.


47. He said: "What you have sown for seven years, leave it in its ears and store it up, except a little of it which you eat."

48. Then seven dry years will come after it, and it will devour what you have stored up for those years, except a little of what you have stored up

49. "And after that comes a year in which the people will be refreshed and in which they will press (fruit) and milk (animals)."

54. The king said: "Bring him, and I will appoint him to work for me." And when he had spoken to him, he said, "You are a trustworthy man who has a high position with us today."

55. He said: "Put me in charge of the country's finances. Surely I can guard well and know well."

56. So We established Joseph in that land, and he could move about as he pleased. We shower Our mercy on whom We will. We do not leave those who do good without reward.

Our Lord continues to carry out His plan.

After Joseph was reunited with his family, he witnessed the fulfillment of the dream he had told his father about:

100. He raised his parents on the throne. They all prostrated for him. He said: "My father, this is the fulfillment of the dream I had before. My Lord has fulfilled it, and He has done me good by bringing me out of prison and bringing you from the desert after Satan had driven a wedge between me and my brothers. Indeed, my Lord is very compassionate to whom He wills. He is All-Knowing, All-Wise."

101. "My Lord, You have given me sovereignty and taught me the interpretation of dreams. You are the Creator of heaven and earth. You are my Wali (owner) in this world and the Hereafter. Take my life as a Muslim and include me among the righteous."

***
There are also examples of even more accelerated trials that Allah uses to confront His servants with what is within themselves and to show them what they deserve.

In fact, these two days of brief trials are being prepared and finalized in a way that corresponds to what we would do if we were tested forever.

Our Lord sometimes tries the wrongdoers with requests outside of His ongoing law in order to confront them with the evil in them one last time. More precisely, He confronts them with this reality because He knows what they will do.

PROHIBITION OF TOUCHING THE CAMEL

ARAF

73. And We sent to Thamud their brother Salih. He said: "O my people! worship Allah. You have no god but Him. A clear proof has come to you from your Lord. This is the camel of Allah. A miracle for you. Leave it alone, let it graze on Allah's land. Do not touch it with evil intent. Otherwise a terrible torment will seize you."

77. Meanwhile they slaughtered the she-camel. And they departed from the command of their Lord and said: "O Salih! If you are of those sent from Allah, bring before us what you threatened us with."

78. Then they were seized by a violent tremor, so that they fell down in their own homes.

This is the opposite of the command to slaughter a cow that Moses' people were tested with, this time there is a command not to touch an animal. But when the wrongdoers slaughtered the camel, their cruelty was once again exposed and their trial was ended red-handed by the Creator.


PROHIBITION OF WORK ON SATURDAY

Surat al-Nahl: 124 Saturday has been made obligatory only for those who dispute about it. Your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection about what they disputed.

Surah A'raf
163 Ask them about the city by the sea; on Saturday they were wicked and unrestrained. On the Sabbath their fish would come to them in abundance, but when they did not keep the Sabbath they would not come to them. Thus did We test them because of their deviation from the way.

164. A group among them said: "Why do you advise a people whom Allah will destroy or torment with a severe torment?" They said: "So that it may be an excuse against your Lord and in the hope that they may be protected."

165. And when they forgot the advice given to them, We saved those who restrained them from evil, and We seized the wrong-doers with a painful torment for their apostasy.

166. When they became angry at what they had been forbidden and began to commit other excesses, We said to them: "Be despicable, mocking monkeys!"

This time a ban on Saturday work is imposed on a cruel people to make them face themselves one last time. And when they disobey this ban (after the good among them are saved), they face the bitter truth.

An example of such a different way of testing the wrongdoers is that for a period of time, some Jews were made unlawful things that were normally lawful:

Surah Al-Nisaa 160 And We made unlawful for the Jews that which was lawful for them before, because of their wrongdoing and because they kept many people from the way of Allah.

Enam Surah 146 We also forbade them the fat of cattle and sheep, except the fat of the backs and intestines of cattle and sheep and the fat mixed with the bones. We did this to them as a punishment for their transgression. Surely We are the keepers of Our word.

By the way, let us give an example of how our Lord knows what a person would do if he were tested with a different option:

ISRA

73 And they would almost have put you in mischief, that you might turn away from that which We have revealed to you and fabricate something other than it and attribute it to Us. Then they would have taken you as a friend.
74 And if We had not strengthened you, by Allah, you would have inclined to them a little.

76 They would have almost pressed you out of this land. In such a case they would have stayed there behind you for a little while.

If the prophet had been left there without support, he would have made the wrong choice. But because the prophet does not deserve it, he is saved from making that mistake.

Because what is important is what that person would do if they were tested for eternity. In this two-day sample-miniature life of trial, people are made to live a life in this direction, that is, in line with the outcome they deserve. Since it is known what each person will do with his free will in the face of which option, the options that will enable him to have the experience he deserves are put before him, so that he can be saved or deviate. Then, those who deserve heaven say goodbye to the world of trials in a moment of paradise and those who deserve hell say goodbye to the world of trials in a moment of hell.

In addition, what is done in this 2-day world is also instrumental in either solidifying or sealing hearts. But the real reason is what they would do if they lived forever in the world of trial, if they were tried in endless options...

***
Also, these verses explain very well that people are confronted with themselves in this world and are made to face what they deserve in the Hereafter:

HAJJ

53 This is that Allah may make what Satan throws a Fitnah for those whose hearts are diseased and whose hearts are hardened. The wrongdoers are in an irreversible separation and separation.

54 This has been done so that those who have been given knowledge may know that it is the truth from your Lord, and they may believe in it and their hearts may respect it. Verily, Allah is the All-Wise, and He will surely guide those who believe to the straight path.

55 And those who disbelieve will remain in doubt about the Qur'an until the Day of Resurrection suddenly bursts upon them, or until the torment of a barren day comes upon them.

------------------------------------------------------------ -----------

Our Lord already knows who will do what in the face of which choice, and accordingly, He provides them with the testing environment and options that will enable them to achieve what they deserve.

***

Another way of providing an insight into fate and free will is through the way the Qur'an was revealed. As is well known, the verses of the Qur'an were revealed in parts. Sometimes the verses even provided answers and explanations to the events and questions people asked.

Surah al-Ma'ida

101. O you who believe! Do not ask questions about things that will trouble you when they are revealed to you. If you ask about them while the Qur'an is being revealed, they will be explained to you. Allah has forsaken them. Allah is Oft-Forgiving, All-Merciful.

102. A people before you also asked about them, then they disbelieved.

Surah Al-Baqarah: 215 They ask you what they should spend and give. Say: "What you give in charity should be for parents, relatives, orphans, the poor and helpless and the wayfarer. Allah knows best what you do in charity. "

Surah Al-Ahzab Surah 63 People ask you about the Hour. Say: "The knowledge of it is with Allah. " What do you know, perhaps that hour is near!

And in the eyes of Allah, who is timeless and spaceless, the Qur'an was already prepared to answer these events and the questions of people. In other words, since our Lord already knows what people will do with their free will, what they will ask, what will happen, the Qur'an performs its mathematical and other miracles in a complete way, even though it came down in parts and with answers. This is because God does not travel in time or space and the Qur'an was already ready before Him in its entirety. In other words, He knew how it would be in its completed form.

For God, who is timeless, there is no question of being in states of time such as "forward, past, present". We, on the other hand, are traveling forward in time.

Since our Creator knows how each person will react to which choice, and even what they would do if they were tested with infinite choices for eternity, He gives them a two-day confrontation with themselves, an example of a life of testing. The sending of the Qur'an and the coming of the prophets are also part of this confrontation, this test. In this way, people see the good or evil in themselves and have no right to object in the Hereafter:

Surah Al-Ma'idah 19 O People of the Book! Our Messenger has come to you at a time when the messengers were cut off; he is making clear explanations. Do not say, "Neither a bearer of glad tidings nor a warner has come to us." Here has come to you the bearer of glad tidings and the warner. Allah is all-powerful.

Surah Al-Baqarah 26 It is a fact that Allah does not tire of giving the example of a mosquito or even a being above it. In such a case, the believers know that it is a truth from their Lord. But the disbelievers say: "What does Allah mean by giving this as an example?" Allah leads many astray by it, and guides many to the truth and the good by it. Allah leads astray with it none but the transgressors.

Surah Al-Muddatair 31 We have made the inhabitants of Hell angels. And We have made their number nothing but a trial for those who disbelieve, so that those who have been given the Book may know clearly and clearly. That the faith of those who have believed may increase. Let not those who have been given the Book and those who believe be in doubt. And let those in whose hearts is a disease and those who have disbelieved say: "What does Allah wish to illustrate by this?" Thus it is. Allah leads astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills to the truth and the good. Only He knows the armies of your Lord. This is nothing but an admonition and a reminder for man.

We said that this 2-day life of confrontation (test) with what is within oneself removes the right of the servants to object in the Hereafter. Let us continue to give examples from the relevant verses:

Nisa

165 And We sent messengers bringing glad tidings and warning, so that mankind may have no proof against Allah after the messengers have come. Allah is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

7:172 When your Lord brings forth the offspring from the loins of the sons of Adam, He makes them witnesses to themselves: "Am I not your Lord?" They say, "Yes, we bear witness." So you will not be able to say on the Day of Resurrection, "We were unaware of this".

7:173 Or you will not be able to say, "Our forefathers used to associate partners and we are their descendants after them; will you destroy us because of those who practiced innovations and superstitions?"

Human beings will have no excuse in the Hereafter for their deviations, such as disbelief, associating partners or following fabricated ancestral teachings. Both the revelations and proofs given at birth and the revelations and proofs we meet later on ensure this.

It is known what we would do with our free will if we were tried in infinite options for eternity, and accordingly we are made to face ourselves for 2 days (test). In this way, the evidence we deserve for or against us is collected.

Surat al-An'am: 123 In this way We have made the bigwigs in every city/every civilization the criminals of that city and civilization, so that they may plot and set traps therein. In fact, they do not play tricks on anyone other than their own selves, but they do not realize it.

Surat al-Anfal: 30 Those who disbelieved were plotting against you that they might bind you or kill you or drive you out of your land. They plot, and Allah also plots. But Allah is the best of plotters.

Surat al-Tur 42 Or do they wish to lay a trap? Verily, those who disbelieve are themselves caught in a trap.


***

Also pay attention to these verses:

ISRA

4. And We decreed in the Book to the Children of Israel: "Twice you will make mischief in that land and you will be very proud (you will be overbearing)!

5. And when the time came for the first time, We sent upon you Our servants who were very strong, and they went into the houses and searched you. This was a promise to be fulfilled.

6. Then again We enabled you to defeat them and We supported you with wealth and sons and multiplied your warriors.

7. If you do good, you do good to yourselves. And if you do evil, it is against yourselves. And when the time of your last transgression comes (We will send again such servants) that they may make your faces evil (cause your faces to fall in grief) and enter the Masjid (Jerusalem) as they entered it the first time, and destroy what they seized.

Again, our Lord says that He knows who will do what and what they deserve in the Hereafter.

Meanwhile, the fact that Allah knows who will go to heaven or hell before He even creates them, and that He created the people of heaven for heaven and the people of hell for hell, causes some people to falter philosophically for some reason.

That is to say, there are some people who raise strange objections such as, "If it is clear who will go where in the hereafter, why are we struggling?"

Nothing is certain from our point of view. Whatever we are going to do, we will do it with our own free will and then we will find out who goes where.

And this two-day representative test will take place in parallel with what we would do if we were tested forever. So no one goes to paradise or hell by accident. On the contrary, since it is clear what you would have been if you had lived forever, you will go to the eternal realm that you really deserve.

Otherwise, if Allah did not know what you would do if you lived forever, then everyone would be going to paradise and hell by chance. Whatever came out of the bingo, how you would come across in the world of 2 days, how you said goodbye, you would accidentally fall into paradise or hell.

But no, everyone is being brought to exactly what they deserve in a perfect way by our Almighty Lord.

Imagine a wounded person. You see him on the road and he needs urgent help. Now God knows whether this person will live or not. But you don't. That's why you immediately rush to that person's aid and work hard to save that person.

This is exactly the logic and reality of the test. We do not know whether we (and others) are going to paradise or hell. That is why we should run to the aid of both ourselves and all people. Both for the sake of worldly pleasure and for the sake of eternal happiness....

We should constantly produce good behaviors that will make people happy.


(My Turkish article translated with machine)

https://emre1974tr.blogspot.com/2011...gur-irade.html

Peace


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