Not quite a Sermonette.
Just because humans discovered something, like math, doesn’t mean they invented its objective reality. Belief in such an objective existence independent of the minds of men leads one to be able to “feel that they are merely explorers in a world that lies far beyond themselves–a world which possesses an objectivity that transcends mere opinion.” A world, as Penrose describes later, that seems to transcend time and this mortal sphere as it seems to be vastly larger than what is needed to describe this physical world and in fact would be largely unknown if we tried to limit math to that which does seem applicable to this mortal sphere. As Penrose alludes to in the first quote, if the existence of objective mathematics beyond the minds of men actually exists, what other such objective frameworks may exist in reality? I will let the readers decide for themselves but the possibility of exploring such timeless and objective “worlds that [lie] beyond ourselves” to me is fascinating.
The most crowded collision of galaxy clusters has been identified by combining information from three different telescopes. This result gives scientists a chance to learn what happens when some of the largest objects in the universe go at each other in a cosmic free-for-all.
Using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, and the Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, astronomers were able to determine the three-dimensional geometry and motion in the system MACSJ0717.5+3745 (or MACSJ0717 for short) located about 5.4 billion light-years from Earth.
The researchers found that four separate galaxy clusters are involved in a triple merger, the first time such a phenomenon has been documented. Galaxy clusters are the largest objects bound by gravity in the universe.
In MACSJ0717, a 13-million-light-year-long stream of galaxies, gas, and dark matter — known as a filament — is pouring into a region already full of galaxies. Like a freeway of cars emptying into a full parking lot, this flow of galaxies has caused one collision after another.
If you look at the image you will see several galaxies and a few foreground stars. I should point out that if you look closely enough you will notice that many, and as a matter of fact most of those spots and smudges are galaxies. Of the several hundred points of light in the image only a small fraction are foreground stars in our own galaxy. From my count, there are only ~26 foreground stars in the image. The rest are galaxies. (I should say that it is hard to differentiate some galaxies from foreground stars by sight, but foreground stars in images like this typically have diffraction lines.)
Think about the number of galaxies in the picture and then think that the Milky Way has ~100-200 billion stars in it, and the Milky Way is only a medium or even a small galaxy. Now look at the picture and consider how many galaxies there are and that every smudge, every discoloration, and point of light is a galaxy. And each galaxy has as many or more stars than the Milky Way. That is just how small you are. At the same time, in all the universe there is only one “you”.
Bullet Points:
** GEN Nathan Forrest, CSA, to GEN Braxton Bragg, CSA: “I am not here to pass civilities or compliments with you but on other business. I have stood your meanness as long as I intend to. You have played the part of a damned scoundrel and are a coward, and if you were any part of a man, I would slap your jaws and force you to resent it. You may as well not issue any more orders to me, for I will not follow them… and as I say to you, if you ever again try to interfere with me or cross my path, it will be at the peril of your life.”
** Are American journalists merely stenographers for terrorists? The question is asked and answered below.
This was the week our press corps was revealed for what they truly are: the stenographers of terrorists. pic.twitter.com/Zk9pkOfviC
— Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungarsargon) October 20, 2023
** You made it to Sunday. Take a victory lap. Treat yourself to bacon. Enjoy the small achievements. Then try making chile verde. The recipe is killer. It’s like crack (even though none is suggested for the recipe).
** The Bee – Biden offers $100 billion for none of the hostages.
TEL AVIV — In a stunning move sure to be taught at universities in politics and diplomacy classes for generations to come, President Joe Biden has brokered a deal to send $100 million of U.S. taxpayer money to the Palestinian Authority in exchange for none of the hostages currently being held by Hamas.
“Here’s the deal,” Biden mumbled to the gathered media. “Nobody’s ever done anything like this. We’re going to send 100 million…billion trillion…100 thousand…all of the…the…100 million dollars to…to the…to the folks that…those folks there. Philistines. Planetfiends. Palestines. Palestinians. And in return, I have asked for none of the people being held hostage by Hamas to be released. I worked hard on this deal and held firm until they agreed to take it. I showed them who’s boss. Marginzarfinabit…”
The deal, which was quickly agreed to by the Palestinian Authority, is believed to provide much-needed humanitarian relief to the Palestinian people by funding the purchase and assembly of more rockets, bombs, and small arms.
** Jules returns with a discussion of chains. Originally I thought that whips might be optional, but no, it’s a good story with fantastic art and — life.
Identify the Aircraft
1
2
3
4
Identify the Aircraft:
1. Hawker Hunter two-seater
2. Douglas A2D Skyshark
3. Douglas B-66 Destroyer
4. Hawker Hart
IDA:
1. HAWKER HUNTER
2. DOUGLAS A2D SKYSHARK
3. DOUGLAS B-66 DESTROYER
4. HAWKER HART
No, Snoopy can’t land a commercial-airline job these days. He’s a white (mostly) male. Sorry, Snoopy, but them’s the rules.
I think on Sunday’s he identifies as a black.
Snoopy might as well self-identify as one of the OTHER 32 genders that aren’t burdened with inescapable privilege.
General question: the syntax in that “Rene Labre” spam is neither standard American nor UK English. Stuff like “she prescribed for me to attempt it simply” ain’t normal. And it’s not bad enough to be Chinglish. Sounds to me like it came from a country that bitches endlessly about “colonialism” — but which one? I’m thinking some sub-Saharan origin, because “never imagined that it was honest to goodness” doesn’t sound like it’s from the Subcontinent.
Speaking of sub-Saharan, already this morning rude Nigerian Uber driver (unintentionally, he seemed to be trying to be friendly; couldn’t help being an ass) and deliberately obtuse Dominican guy at the Dunkin Donuts counter. Ah, the glamor of air travel. TSA was a off its game today: both the ID check guy and the baggage scan guy were professional and efficient. One was even fit and squared away. It was weird. I was starting to think I’d fallen into an alternate, slightly less crappy timeline. Then the post-rapeyscan agent (a short white woman with low-quality arm tattoos and a truly unfortunate resemblance to Caroline Ellison) yelled at a middle aged white guy for daring to touch his own bag while it was coming out of the scanner. And I was reassured that the world is much as it was.
“Post rapeyscan”
A perfect description because some Brit put Semtex in his shoe once…so the 99.99999999% of us have to be accosted (no, not that reporter idiot but similar in affect) by a bunch of uniformed half asleep made up Homeland Security “officers” just to fly on someone else’s plane with people who look like they just rolled out of bed…with the added benefit one of them might go ape on the plane at any minute.
No flying for us until America gets back on track, assuming ever.
Oh, it’s “Rapiscan”. My mistake.
https://www.rapiscansystems.com/en/
It will never quite work until they offer a warm, moist towel for clean-up afterward.
The problem is even sucking in one’s gut, as us middle-aged males tend to do after eating too many desserts, won’t hide the truth from the RapeMeScan image. Now, who’d want that job, looking at weird semi-xray scan images? Couldn’t pay me enough.
The towel feature is brilliant LL, should be added…like First Class on long flights, a little touch of warm and fuzzy would go a long way. And look at all those jobs created in the laundry…TSA-L.
“My name Rene, I have deal…”
From an AI generated otherworld. I mean, besides clogging the electron pipes what is the point? Can’t be because someone would actually click on the link thinking they’re going to make 5X what an unskilled Mickey D’s employee in California earns shuffling fries into little paper holders.
Mike_C – the Sub-Saharans are too distant to deal with in person. More’s the pity. There was a situation in Kent, Washington, where the Watch Commander was a personal friend and dealt with said annoying character with the due care one hopes to find in an old friend. I have dealt with inner-city computer people personally in Cleveland. That was fun. Nothing recently as I get older and more wicked.
I’m thrilled that your faith in rude, incompetent, bullying TSA people has been restored. Flying in and out of places like Reno, where volume is light and the demographic isn’t the local paroled population, I’ve found that my TSA experience is better than Detroit or Los Angeles.
The oddest thing about FEDERAL TSA regulations is that they’re airport-specific. In some airports, it’s nearly a strip search; I keep my belt and shoes in others. You’d think that the depredations would be evenly distributed.
PaulM, sending your personal information to a Nigerian doesn’t work, but sending a BLM leader’s or Antifa backer’s personal information down the information superhighway to places like Nigeria or Cambodia can be sporty.
My name Rene, please submit data for we can reduce your bank money, please thank you so much include Swiss accounting numbers.
Yep. Manchester, NH is better than PVD which is better than BOS. Colorado Springs beats Denver all hollow. I’ve never tried Ontario nor Long Beach. Always with LAX, more’s the pity.
In the last year I’ve actually grown to appreciate Amtrak. (I’ll take “things I never thought I’d say” for $300, Alex.)
Long Beach is good. I flew from there when I could. Orange Co. John Wayne was good, but I parked in the terminal in the law enforcement employee’s section when I traveled and hung a placard. There was a lot of security around personal cars. Ontario is easy. I never had a problem there and flew from there a lot.
Now that I fly from Sky Harbor – not bad once you understand how it all works. Picking up somebody from Sky Harbor is like a Twilight Zone adventure. The best thing to do is Uber yourself out of the airport and meet elsewhere.
I’ve been in-and-out of LGB so many times I’ve lost count. First with Jet America in the late 70’s, and then on others. *IF* you can get a flight to where you want to go from Long Beach, GRAB IT!
LAX sucks, and I’ve only been through ONT once or twice.
My favorite thing about Manchester NH, is that it’s in Manchester.
It’s like the State did a careful study, and determined the part of New Hampshire that the fewest people were likely to ever want to visit, and then put the airport there.
Although there did used to be a good Poutine joint in Manchester.
– Kle.
Chez Vachon over on the west side. Still there as far as I know.
I had to look up “Poutine”. Sounds good, but I think you have to have a “just right” gravy, similar to Biscuits and Gravy, where poor gravy just doesn’t cut it.
I had to look up “galaxy cluster”.
>>What is a galaxy cluster?
Galaxy Clusters | Center for Astrophysics
Galaxy clusters are the largest objects in the universe that are held together by their own gravity. They contain hundreds or thousands of galaxies, lots of hot plasma, and a large amount of invisible dark matter.<<
Milky Way (galaxy, not the candy bar), Andromeda (galaxy, not Greek chick), and the Magellanic Clouds form a local group that is a subset of a galactic cluster bound by gravity. The spacetime and size involved in these massive objects make them difficult to study. Note the piece on protons tomorrow (going down in size a bit). It’s fascinating stuff.
I look forward to tomorrow!
What I’m really hoping for is a discussion of the beta particle, oftimes also called an electron, and beta emitters, possibly used for energy sources.
We know that electrons exist and seem to fill layers in a “shell” because of how elements combine. (Heisenberg) Nailing them down much beyond that is a challenge. All fundamental particles interact as shapeless points when acting like particles…but are there subcomponents to electrons, or are they truly fundamental particles? You’re more of a scientist than I am, Boron. I’m just one of those people they tell to parachute here and lay a demo train there.
Please excuse my confusion. Can Pedo SloJo just write checks? I’ve always thought the House of Representatives must clear those checks.
As someone who will join him in the octogenarian ranks next year, I must bear the embarrassment. He gives Seniors a bad name.
My same thoughts as well, $100B for this or that is absolutely required by law and our Constitution to have oversight and a vote for [what they term] appropriation…but that would thwart The Handlers efforts to fund Hamas and Hezbollah by the back door (albeit not exactly hiding it anymore)…Pedo Joe has a pen, like the Magical Mr O stated (Pretty sure Joe doesn’t operate a cell phone).
Not for incitement, but how much more does it take to start a “French” revolution?
When can I start building my guillotine?
We aren’t the equivalent of the revolutionary “Republicans” who were a throughly nasty lot led by extremely bad people who have many parallels to our leftist politicians and agitators today. We’re the people of the Vendée who revolted against the appalling cruelty and lunacy of the “Revolutionaries”. The Vendée was savagely put down. Let us hope we don’t meet the same fate.
The French Revolution was an appalling mess led by appalling people. I think that I’ll raise a glass to Charlotte Corday tonight.
The promise of the Zinfandel festival is getting to you. You’re getting giddy. (Mike e-mailed me back channel while in flight) Maybe it’s the euphoria brought on by reading Broken Toys?
No zin festival, alas. Work. I don’t fully know what’s on my dance card yet. Stepped back a bit this year, so fewer dinners scheduled. Whew.
Kindle tells me I’m 78% through Broken Toys.
The Vendee were not armed to the teeth.
Vast realms in the night,
Galaxies in cosmic dance,
Stars twinkle with grace.
There are 10,000 stars for each grain of sand on all the beaches in the world. That’s about the size of the American debt, right?
YOU might be the prototype or may be a replica. Perhaps when you die you go back to team YOU and work out how to do it better next time in a different galaxy.
All those questions will be answered in book 4 of the Broken Toys series, the mysteries of the universe will unfold, and then you’ll all be bored moving forward—everyone except Boron, who will construct a guillotine for Rene, the spammer. (Thanks, Boron).
“Galaxies Like Grains of Sand”…..
“…these are the Days of Our Lives.”
:)
Now Mike_C had me spending time analyzing the word structure in “Rene’s” missive and finding it entertaining. My mind is a strange place to wonder sometimes.
There is nothing else that puts me in my place like looking up at the night sky. Here, the air is crisp and crystal clear in the fall and it is easy to pick out the Andromeda galaxy with the naked eye. The thought that gravity can actually affect things over these distances is fascinating. Need to get a better chair though, maybe a zero grav chair or something like that. I get entranced and end up with a stiff neck.
Air travel I seldom travel but when I do I avoid SeaTac like the plague even if other airfare is a couple of hundred dollars higher. I have never made it through there without being pulled aside for “additional screening”. In my limited experience the local airport (GEG) is pretty good and so is SLC and ATL.
Oh, don’t know if it is happening to anyone else but several of my recent posts have been rejected as spam. Hmm, what does that say about me?
Re. Forrest:
I once read that more officers died as a result of duels in the Civil War / War of Northern Aggression than in combat. I find that assertion to be unlikely, however, I have not done the research, if it exists, to refute the claim.
I recall an incident wherein Forrest was in conflict with a junior officer who shot Forrest when things got dynamic. There was was some wresting around until Forrest managed to get out a pocket knife and kill the junior officer.
Forrest eventually ordered sabers removed from his command and his men carried multiple pistols.
He recounted the incident where he was engaged by a Union captain who was determined to kill him with his saber. Forrest blocked the repeated slashes of the captain’s saber by holding his forearm over his head. He stated that he was nearly blinded by the blood in his eyes from the wounds he finally got a pistol out and shot the captain out of the saddle.
Forrest was a true bad ass.
Ft.Pillow is controversial and he stated he did not order the killings of the troops captured after the battle.
Due to his actions before and after the war I am prone to take him at his word.
Forrest’s cavalry also carried shotguns in scabbards instead of sabers, which Forrest considered useless. Forrest reportedly had 30 horses shot out from under him in combat…not a man to be trifled with.
The Fort Pillow incident (for the benefit of other readers) involved the surrender of Federal troops from both black and white units. Forrest reportedly said, “Take the white man, kill the nigger.”
Given that Forrest was almost always short on ammunition and that the captured troops outnumbered his small force, I’m tempted to agree with waepnedmann, above. Forrest captured a LOT of Federal troops during the War of Northern Aggression, and he was not known as a butcher of the surrendered of either race in other circumstances.
It’s been said that soldiers kill guys on the other side, while duelists kill guys on your side.
Re. Chili Verde:
My MIL owned a Mexican Restaurant in AZ.
We took her chili verde recipe and tweaked it so that it had more of a gravy consistency.
She always used pork (con puerco) as do we.
We use a LITTLE Sandia green chili from The Hatch Chili Store for an extra heat and flavor. The Sandia provided a lot more flavor than one gets from the typical canned (Ortega) or bottled Hatch Chili from Walmart.
Try it.
You’ll like it!
Sound advice.
Our press corps are not merely Stenographers of Terrorists; that would imply that they are just honestly doing their jobs.
What they are is Supporters and Propagandists of Terrorists.
– Kle.
Objective reality.
Yes, yes and yes again. Let’s hear it for first principles of practical reasonabless or the “Tau” as CS Lewis confusingly calls it in The Abolition of Man.
I say all this as a Thomist realist, albeit rusty.
I’m going to go burn ants with a magnifying glass… Shit it’s EENT oh well.
And that ‘collision’ of galaxies has already occured long before the light gets to us. Re the B-66, the original was built off the Navy A3D, and never did drop bombs, being immediately converted to an electronics snooper and jammer bird.
Nothing in the night sky is today as we see it beyond the immediate Solar System. The mechanics and creation and distribution of new matter through stellar explosions is something that we very weakly comprehend at the moment.
You have a meme… https://westernrifleshooters.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/923b62766148315b.jpeg
Wow, excellent. I’ll have to keep it posted here.
You have arrived!
I took the time to look up “Duels in the Southern States during the Civil War” on Wiki.
From the numbers, I am guessing MANY more officers died in battle than as result of dueling.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Confederate_duels
Many more died of disease – #1 killer in that war.
I’m tempted to do a traceroute on it and see where it came from…..
Galaxies too tight because of missing “dark” energy or matter? Maybe it’s not an internally-consistent set of physics laws, maybe it’s just a pretty screensaver, movie background scenery you aren’t supposed to look too closely at. When you watch a movie, do you check that the shadows match the purported time of day and location? Maybe those billion times billion stars are all empty, because it’s the backdrop on the zoo cage wall.