I have eaten your bread and salt. I have drunk your water and wine. The deaths ye died I have watched beside, And the lives ye led were mine. Was there aught that I did not share In vigil or toil or ease - One joy or woe that I did not know, Dear hearts across the seas ? I have written the tale of our life For a sheltered people's mirth, In jesting guise - but ye are wise, And ye know what the jest is worth. -R. Kipling
Category: Guest Contributors
Guest Contributor – ArthurinCali – 07MAR2024 – Civic Myths
People do not understand just how extreme the demographic changes to America have been since the 1960s and what this will mean for the future of American politics, policy, and culture. Although we are told constantly that the shift in population groups was inevitable, this is just not the case.
1960s were the start of the decline.
The majority Anglo-Saxon culture had a massive influence on the expected behaviors and standards in America from the beginning. It’s what shaped our politics, laws, and entire society. Many cannot imagine how much impact this had on the nation in the areas of social, political, and cultural mores.
was roughly 180 million, with the breakdown being 158.8M White, 18.9M Black, and 1.6M all other groups. For perspective, the entire population in the US of neither White or Black would only fill up the city of Phoenix, Arizona today. *
*A simplification for illustrative purposes notwithstanding the multitude of different ethnic and religious factions.
The US population is now at 330 million
(with estimates even higher when including illegal immigration.), and shows no sign of decreasing or leveling off anytime soon.
Would a lack of the massive global immigration ushered in by the 1965 Hart-Cellar Act have given us a utopian society? Of course not. There still would be challenges and obstacles to face, but I tend to believe it would have had a less stratified result we see in society today if a firm majority were still in place.
I used to believe in civic nationalism and the idea of the global populace buying a ticket to the (American) story and ideals. Funnily enough, around the time I held these beliefs was 30+ years ago in an America that had a firmly entrenched demographic majority of Heritage Americans. (Roughly 75% IIRC) See, that’s kind of the paradox of the idea of a successful nation operating under civic nationalism in that you still need a majority ethnic population who puts their full faith in the mythos of said nation’s founding, institutions, and ideals. Once it hits a certain fracturing of population and becomes majority-minority, with no one group asserting dominance – this gives rise to overt tribal tendencies.
Guest Contributor – Chemist – 07MAR2024 – International Women’s Day
Friday is International Women’s Day.
My company has asked us all to:
1) Be Inclusive.
2) Wear Purple. (Apparently the color of IWD. It is said to signify justice, dignity and honor.)
3) Write appreciation cards to our female coworkers.
4) Post “Heart hands pictures”
Now, I am all for recognizing people who do good work, but why limit it to women?
In fact, point three seems to be in direct conflict with point one above.
As for point 4, I am not a teenaged girl.
Update
(Editorial Comment)
Chemist, thank you bringing this important cultural occasion to our attention. But some of these suggestions are problematic. Purple is a problem for me. Since I’m never sure if something is purple or blue I just call it “other blue.” So maybe they can allow me to wear blue? Of course sometimes something that looks red to me turns out to be purple which is why I sometimes call it “other red” Would it be alright if I could also wear red?
I don’t think I should write appreciation cards to women. I don’t think Camera Girl would like that very much. Also I’m afraid if I got too specific about what I appreciate about them it could be taken the wrong way. In fact I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t be a right way to take it.
As far as being inclusive can I include men in the International Women’s Day? I’d like to appreciate Charlton Heston and Dwight D Eisenhower. I don’t think either of them get enough appreciation for their understated efforts. Heston’s work in Planet of the Apes and Soylent Green is somewhat underrated. And Eisenhower did get things going on the whole interstate highway thing which I really appreciate when I cross state lines. So can I include these two men?
Ah, heart hands! You really shouldn’t miss out on that. That really looks like fun.
So let’s all try to embrace International Women’s Day. Although be careful embracing women. I know Camera Girl frowns on me embracing many women either international or domestic. She’s made this very clear.
Guest Contributor – TomD – 28FEB2024 – Gun Hobby Stuff (Updated 29/FEB)
A picture of pistol extremes. Guess which is more often concealed carried.
The large pistol allows barrels of various calibers to be easily swapped. I’ve got five barrels for this from .357 Mag pistol to 30-30 Winchester. There are 45-70 barrels available but not for me. Those recoil so hard that I’ve seen them rip out of the hands of the shooter and almost literally brain him.
Or here is a target rifle chambered in 6.5 Grendel. This rifle is optimized at up to 600 yards. I’ve got other bolt action rifles that work up past 1000 yards. I used to compete regularly.
Or, for someone looking for a little more Omph, here’s a twin 40MM WWII era Borfors. By acclaim, the most effective anti-aircraft weapon of the entire war, all sides. The Germans, Brits and probably Italians also used it extensively. Examples are still in active duty in AC 130 gunships. Not bad for a 1930 design.
On the other end of the spectrum, here my all-time favorite .22 pistol, and I’ve own or owned an number. This is the target version, has an adjustable trigger and NEVER fails to feed. I’ve had this one for at least 25 years. That’s a red dot sight.
It is nice living in states that allow such hobbies as this.
WAR PIG
As an older sniper I preferred the 300 WinMag. I am also prejudiced in favor of the good, old, 45ACP, M1911A1. The .50 sniper rifles are ok but too darned heavy. As for a backup I preferred the Walther PPK in 380 ACP with an external thread suppressor. For up close, the KA BAR or Applegate-Fairbairn.
I know a guy who has a D20 Soviet 152mm howitzer. Still works but pricey to shoot.
TOM D (in reply to War Pig)
There are some newer rounds common today that are more accurate and much better ballistic coefficients than the old Win Mag, but a lot of them lack the punch. I like the 338 Lapua.
I was Marine, but with the Air Wing, not in the muck with you guys.
Here’s one of my .45’s, from S&W Custom. There are differences, principally the extractor.
Guest Contributor – War Pig – 28FEB2024 – AI Thoughts
AI will be used mostly for crime, pornography and politics.
In the hands of criminals and unfriendly or thug governments it will be used to steal to fund them. Such activities will become far more efficient with AI. N Korea is already making millions with counterfeiting other nations currencies. Counterfeiting currencies will be like robbing vending machines compared to what AI theft can do.
As for pornography, it may actually have a perverted good side. AI images will be so good that there will be no reason to use real children. Also no women need be trafficked for such films. However it can then become so over the top that people become desensitized and even more addicted. It begs the question; if it is an artificial image can it be considered child pornography? Right now Hentai is covered by the 1st Amendment, no matter how heinous. Just as the crucifix in a jar of urine was protected. Now, an author who writes the most perverted, degrading, violent and vomit-inducing stories of child abuse, rape, torture, etc. Is covered by the 1st Amendment. It is the written word. It is not real. It is fiction, amorphous. I am glad i am not a judge who has to decide those cases.
As for politics, we already have fraud. It can be used to fake voices and even make it look like Trump ripped the blouse off a woman and called her a shut. Or Biden with his hand up some little girl’s skirt. Then it has to be proven to be false. Let alone the violation of voting systems. Electronic voting should be abandoned. AI can make Big Brother look simplistic. Computer and internet companies know too much about us already.
AI has the potential to make us distrust virtually everything, and that is quite dangerous.
Guest Contributor – ArthurinCali – 28FEB2024 – AI: Promise versus Reality
Many of us recall the excitement and possibilities that surrounded new technologies growing up, especially tech that involved artificial intelligence. Old Sci-Fi and even more current ideas as we approached the 21st century envisioned a world where AI not only enhanced daily life, but would be the paradigm shift that would lead to solving a lot of humanity’s vexing issues. For example, a childhood trip to Disney World in the early 90’s showcased what the future of AI could bring about. Epcot Center had entire attractions centered around how AI would one day catapult humanity into Space colonization, while others touted the medical advances that would be achieved. Science programs on TV and magazine publications were always highlighting how computer speeds continued to double every year or so, thus bringing us closer to being able to operate advanced AI systems. Obviously, this did not occur, and does not look likely for the near future if Google Gemini and others are our examples. Instead we get warped and distorted historical images, as well as AI chatbots who cannot tell the truth due to being crammed with so much progressive-leftist ideological bias.
Guest Contributor – TomD – 27FEB2024 – The Best Camera is the One You Carry
That looks to be a fossilized “rolly polly” insect. The ones that roll up into small armored balls. I ate one one, thinking it to be a chocolate chip fallen from my cookie. I won’t repeat that mistake, ever.
BTW: Below is a side by side photo of my new “carry around” Sony A6600 next to my “main camera” Sony A7IV.
Down here in Florida where self defense is considered to be a right, there is a maxim among the people who commonly carry weapons. That the best weapon for self defense is the weapon which you are most likely to have with you.
The same principle applies to cameras. If I’m going somewhere on a photo shoot, I’ll very probably have the larger camera with me. It is the more capable but not to the degree you may suspect. But the other 99.999% of the time, the bulk and cost precludes it as a constant companion as I travel about. But the smaller camera fits in my console or even a pocket with a smaller lens. And I constantly find photo subjects for which I wish I had a more capable camera than a cell, even my capable (for a phone) Pixel.
I used to get really good early dawn shots while going to work, when I worked.
At one point, I had an earlier version of the A6600 but I gave it to my wife when she dropped and destroyed her camera. I asked for it back but was cursed at.
Guest Contributor – TomD – 26FEB2024 – Cosmological Cannibalism
Just stumbled on this, from Popular Mechanics:
A Theory Says Our Universe Keeps Expanding Because It’s Eating Baby UniversesDarren Orf
Mon, February 26, 2024 at 7:00 AM CST
Theory Says Our Universe Is Eating Baby Universes Javier Zaya
The cosmological constant, which explains how and why the universe is expanding, has been previously described by astrophysicists as “the worst prediction in the history of physics” due to its deviation from observations.
- This has led astrophysicists to explore other avenues for explaining why the universe’s expansion is accelerating.
- A new paper published in December of 2023 suggests a novel idea that our universe is absorbing baby universes—and was even absorbed itself in its early years.
The biggest mystery in the Standard Cosmological Model is dark energy—the stuff that is “presumably” the engine behind the acceleration of the universe and which makes up 65 to 70 percent of the entire universe. Dark energy forms the backbone of the idea of the “cosmological constant”—first conceived by Albert Einstein in his General Theory of Relativity to refute the conception that the universe was actually static and not expanding or contracting.
When researchers in the 1990s discovered that the universe was not only expanding, but accelerating in its expansion, Einstein’s “universal constant” (which he labeled lambda, or Λ) became surprisingly relevant again. When plugged into equations used to understand the growth of the universe after the Big Bang (known as the Friedmann equations), scientists arrived at the modern “cosmological constant.” However, there’s a couple problems—scientists have never actually observed dark energy (hence the “dark” moniker) and the cosmological constant is pretty lousy at explaining observed phenomena.
Because science abhors a epistemological vacuum, astrophysicists have instead explored other theories that could explain what’s happening in the universe. In one of those theories, published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics in December of 2023, University of Copenhagen astrophysicist Jan Ambjørn and Yoshiyuki Watabiki at the Tokyo Institute of Technology explore a novel idea that doesn’t require the yet-undiscovered dark energy to explain the acceleration of the universe, and negates the need for a cosmological constant as well.
Instead, this new paper argues, our universe is actually swallowing up ‘baby universes’ as it expands.
“The main finding of our work is that the accelerated expansion of our universe, caused by the mysterious dark energy, might have a simple intuitive explanation,” Ambjørn tells LiveScience, “the merging with so-called baby universes, and that a model for this might fit the data better than the standard cosmological model.”
The idea is deceptively simple—as our universe grows, it absorbs other universes in its path, thereby “accelerating” its boundaries. Perceived by our telescopes, this would look like an increased acceleration of universal expansion. When Ambjørn and Watabiki ran the calculations for this ‘baby universe’ theory, the calculations fit more closely with real-life observations than those using the Standard Cosmological Model, the researchers claim.
The paper also attempts to answer another mystery of the early universe called “cosmological inflation,” wherein the early universe rapidly expanded for some unknown reason. A current theory suggests that a hypothetical field, called the “inflation field,” drove this expansion, but this new paper suggests another mechanism could have been at work.
“The fact that the universe has expanded…in a very short time, invites the suggestion that this expansion was caused by a collision with a larger universe, i.e. that it was really our Universe which was absorbed in another ‘parent’ universe,” the paper reads. “It is difficult to judge if such a scenario could take place in a way that would actually solve the problems inflation was designed to solve, but one interesting aspect of such a scenario is that there is no need for an inflation field.”
This isn’t the only theory that boldly eschews the need for a cosmological constant. In July of 2023, another paper argued that the expansion of the universe could simply be a mirage caused by the evolution of electrons and protons over immensely long time scales.
For now, no alternative theory has dethroned dark energy and the cosmological constant as the best explanation of the universal acceleration. But it’s always important to keep a cautiously open mind—especially in science as cutting-edge as universal expansion. Sometimes interesting and helpful ideas can come from very odd place. Never say never.
Guest Contributor – Milo Mindbender – 25FEB2024 – Higher Mis-Education
“in the same way that the government puts a brake on the cost of drugs by acting as the largest provider of medical insurance through Medicaid and Medicare they can put a brake on the costs of college tuition”
The rise in tuition cost is caused by government intervention. Every year they back loans to 17-20 year old students, and increase the amount they front. These loans wouldn’t be available to buy hard goods, real estate, or stocks but they will purchase a seat in the university. The terms of the loans are predatory, but voluntary with almost no forethought regarding getting out from under them. Without the influx of wide eyed government sponsored students the higher education system wouldn’t be offering doctorate degrees in “The Tao of Harry Potter”, “medieval Russian Literature”, or “Social Responsibilities of Porn” because nobody would purchase said degrees for a real world application.
I believe this got started 60 years ago in an effort to level the playing field in pursuit of equality. When the IQ test became no longer usable as a entry to the job market, a substitute had to be procured, and a college degree, in any subject became the new standard. It wasn’t immediately viewed as just any degree, but slowly morphed into the pursuit of the sheepskin, vs receiving an education.
Guest Contributor – War Pig – 25FEB2024 – FISA Expiration
FISA should never have been enacted so yes it should expire. There are no “loopholes” in the Constitution for government to exploit and if We, the People, do not jealously guard our rights the cancer which is government will kill our Republic.
Having said that I doubt much will happen. Used to be I thought our own government would never use false flag attacks against us. I was wrong. It has been a standard tactic by the left ever since KKKlinton.