News & views not related to the wars in Ukraine and Iran …
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July 9, 2026
Open (Not Ukraine or Iran) Thread 2026-145
Comments
@ suzan | Jul 11 2026 3:03 utc | 196 with the Covid reality that many refuse to accept…thanks
I certainly hope the truth about Covid comes out as part of our civilization war so society understands how perverse we can be and so organize ourselves to guard against future social perverts.
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 11 2026 6:21 utc | 201
The New York Times’s Middle Name Should be Embarrassment.
https://torrancestephensphd.substack.com/p/the-new-york-timess-middle-name-should
Posted by: Dogon Priest | Jul 11 2026 6:34 utc | 202
with burning precision
time is moving
makes an incision
a cut filled with diamonds
time is a cloud
appearing disappearing
an illusion
Posted by: Upsidedowndingo | Jul 11 2026 6:58 utc | 203
Off the shelf gobbledygook by suzan. Not one fact, one source, one link, one credible authority or credible logical scientific detail.
100% Galactic Federation made up handwaving sky is falling fiction for the gullible illiterate. No thank you. suzan (and others) do not know what you are talking about. It’s blathering nonsense about medical science and biology you’ll never understand.
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 11 2026 8:56 utc | 204
Ursula von der Leyen in bed with Zelensky.
Literally.
https://xcancel.com/Emelia8z0/status/2075669828145471572?s=20
Posted by: Norwegian | Jul 11 2026 9:01 utc | 205
@Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 10 2026 20:24 utc | 187
Get your gnashers round this Peter.
Typical African
@Joe__Bassey
18 Jul 2025
This is how HIV was spread through vaccines in Africa, former CIA agents confessed.
To be truthful to you all let’s ask @grok this question, “Did the first case of HIV appeared in Congo when Congolese were rising against the colonial brutal government? Give me an answer with either a Yes or a No. thank you”
Yes, the earliest confirmed HIV case was in 1959 in Kinshasa, Congo, during riots and uprisings against Belgian colonial rule.
How did they confirm it when it as so far away from the 1980 epidemic.
The 1959 HIV-1 case in Kinshasa was confirmed retrospectively in 1998 via genetic sequencing of a preserved blood plasma sample from a Bantu man. Researchers amplified and analyzed viral RNA, proving infection predated the 1980s epidemic by decades. Source: Nature journal study
Did it show where or how it originated?
No, the 1998 Nature study on the 1959 Kinshasa sample didn’t pinpoint exact origin or mechanism. It confirmed early HIV-1 infection, supporting a Central African zoonotic jump from chimpanzees (likely via bushmeat hunting) around 1920, per phylogenetic analysis.
Jul 18, 2025 · 11:06 PM UTC
Posted by: DunGroanin | Jul 11 2026 9:01 utc | 206
Re Posted by: ld | Jul 10 2026 15:05 utc | 167
Have you tried writing them in notepad/text
With paragraphs
Then copy pasting
Highlighting the pasted text apply the “” quotation button?
That seems to preserve the paragraphs but not the bolding or other text features which need to then be done manually within the quoted text..
It’s been a while and you do write very readable and sensible poetry. Do give us a link if you post elsewhere.
Posted by: DunGroanin | Jul 11 2026 9:04 utc | 207
Question everything! Never believe them!
Except the government conspiracy busters — You can believe them no question.
They don’t need to have any credible sources. It’s OK to offer nothing but spam missing all links to any of the facts, the cover ups and scientific papers they claim exist. Those guys, well, they are gospel. You must believe them. No questions asked.
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 11 2026 9:12 utc | 208
The SARS-CoV-2 virus was so brilliantly created by Bioweapons labs and/or the Wuhan Lab in combination with the insidiously evil nature of these deadly mRNA vaccines that have generated an endless array of deadly impacts on peoples health! Today there are over 10 million deaths per year still occurring. The whole world is spiraling out of control behind the distracting fake news of Ukraine and Iran wars. Dozens of smaller nations have already declared themselves bankrupt because of the increase in medical health costs and the massive loss of life.
That’s shows how effective since 2019 the elites’ evil conspiracy to wipe out the elderly and eventually half the global population has been. And it still hasn’t been stopped. So be really careful out there. You could catch it tomorrow and die because the health systems globally are totally overloaded with rapidly increasing Covid and HIV related sickness and death! The medical professions, all the hospitals and aged care homes, the governments the media, none of them are not telling you the truth!
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 11 2026 9:28 utc | 209
Unit 731 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731
DunGroanin | Jul 11 2026 9:01 utc | 207
US took in 371 as orphans and research was continued. Leading to its 300+ biolabs of today. US moved into the Congo soon as the gained independence, likely earlier. Ideal place to research and develop primate pathogens I guess.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 11 2026 10:12 utc | 210
Posted by: aye, myself & me | Jul 10 2026 3:57 utc | 90Dude, I have like five people I know with cancer. I fully attribute it to the jab.Thank Jah, me and mine were able to avoid it. I am freelance, etc. FTW btw.“They” could care less for us. ((( )))((( )))FTW SFNS – yeah‘rona
Posted by: lex talionis | Jul 10 2026 4:15 utc | 93
Seen!
I+I
Now, “They could care less ” is a strange expression that USians and others use. That means they could be more worse. In english English it is ‘They could not care less”
Posted by: tucenz | Jul 11 2026 10:20 utc | 211
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 11 2026 9:28 utc | 210
===================================
Thanks, Tiger.
To add my 2¢ worth to counteract this über-conspiratorial atmosphere around here, I have a friend who’s a virologist. Researches viruses in a laboratory; she concentrated on HIV most recently. Looking for possible treatments or prevention of AIDS. Which definitely does exist, contrary to what one lunatic here posted recently (was that you, “Agonizing”?).
You who, idiotically enough, even deny the existence of HIV, or else believe that it is some kind of wholly man-made bioweapon, are just so full of shit about this. And you know nothing at all about this stuff, like what my friend works with: virology, biochemistry, genetics. You only know what you’ve picked up in a bunch of contrarian back-alley sources, and a lot of it is just plain hogwash.
Likewise the claims that all the deaths and hospitalizations due to COVID were all just made up and part of some kind of crazy “plandemic” scheme to … to do what, exactly? What was the purpose of that whole nefarious exercise? If there was an actual virus on the loose, then wouldn’t it tend to boomerang and hit the creators of that virus just as much as anyone else? What was the plan here? Or was this just an experiment, a warm-up exercise for the Next Time when “they” (Klaus Schwab/George Soros/Bill Gates and gawd knows how else) will really put the whammy on us?
If there was such a grand plan in operation here, all I can say is that it must have been one gigantic flop. What did they accomplish? Did they cow and subdue the world population so they now can go on a rampage, set up the concentration camps, implement the barcode on the wrist, put everyone’s life savings in a digital account they can turn on and off? I don’t think so.
I swear, this all sounds like some outlandish plot straight out of an Austin Powers movie. I can just see him with his pinky in his mouth: “I want … one MILLION DOLLARS!”.
Look: we all know that the “official” versions of any political story are suspicious, possibly even just plain wrong. But when it comes to things in the realm of science it’s not so cut and dried as y’all make it seem. There still is solid science, and then there’s junk science and pseudo-science. And you just do not have the knowledge to be able to discern between the two.
Keep in mind that while the mainstream may contain much falsehood and propaganda, the music of the Mighty Wurlitzer and all that (especially concerning U.S./Israel vs. Iran, U.S./NATO vs Russia, etc., etc.), that does not mean that anything you read in the “alt” media can be taken at face value without evaluation. It all requires critical thinking.
Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 11 2026 10:24 utc | 212
@ Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 11 2026 10:24 utc | 213
“What did they accomplish? Did they cow and subdue the world population so they now can go on a rampage, set up the concentration camps, implement the barcode on the wrist, put everyone’s life savings in a digital account they can turn on and off? “
Yes they achieved all that and more
They printed trillions and made themselves richer than they ever dreamed was possible!
As Bozo the Clown Johnson said
“Let the bodies pile high”
They sure did.
There are people in their 50’s and 60’s never smoked, never had any onset of illness who have dropped dead that I know – from sudden advanced stage 4 cancers. Prostrate, lung …
My own brother, non smoker, non drinker super fit yoga athlete came down with strange chest pains! The consultants gave No diagnoses! Lol
Otherwise healthy people who were fit. They just happen to have imbibed the killer vaxxes.
I didn’t and feel as healthy as I was at 50!
Don’t forget George, write:
Palestine for Palestinians
End the illegal Zionist fascists apartheid entity cancer spreading in West Asia
Prove you are NOT a HasbaRat!
Posted by: DunGroanin | Jul 11 2026 12:35 utc | 213
Critical Thinking ?
Rachel on Oprah 1989
“(May 11th 1989) Oprah Satanic Murders with Jewish Woman “Rachel’s” story only
On May 11, 1989, Oprah Winfrey interviewed Rachel, a woman who family engaged in satanic ritual child abuse since the 1700s. Rachel said she has “had to sacrifice an infant for power before.” Oprah emphasized her “Jewish religion and Rachel claimed there are other families around the country that engage in the same acts.” Rachel expressed that not all Jewish people sacrifice babies. It was an existing network that her family was directly tied to.” https://odysee.com/@JustMe:05/Jewish-Satanic-Ritual-Survivor-Vicki-Polin-on-The-Oprah-Winfrey-Show-in-1989–Sabbatean-Frankist-Family-:7
Posted by: Exile | Jul 11 2026 12:38 utc | 214
“…keep the BlackRocks of the world feathered…”
Posted by: suzan | Jul 11 2026 3:03 utc | 196
Made me think of the life-essence-draining Skeksis from the movie The Dark Crystal.
They mock us with media.
Posted by: GreatLakesObserver | Jul 11 2026 12:49 utc | 215
@ Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 11 2026 10:24 utc | 213 “What did they accomplish? Did they cow and subdue the world population so they now can go on a rampage, set up the concentration camps, implement the barcode on the wrist, put everyone’s life savings in a digital account they can turn on and off? “
Yes they achieved all that and more
Posted by: DunGroanin | Jul 11 2026 12:35 utc | 214
For example, they also created multiple generations of cash cows to be slowly desiccated by the Human experimentation sector over the rest of their lives.
Posted by: GreatLakesObserver | Jul 11 2026 12:59 utc | 216
In the early days of Covid I really wanted to travel internationally so I foolishly took the very first batch of J&J’s terrible vaxx, so bad it was discontinued. A couple of weeks later it landed me in the hospital with the lower brain bleeding stroke this vaxx was famous for. Also later research showed the first batch was the dirtiest most deadly produced. Not a single medical professional would even consider that my 5 day hospital stay had anything to do with vaxx. Mere mention would get your post removed at MOA.
Posted by: qparker | Jul 11 2026 13:03 utc | 217
Now, “They could care less ” is a strange expression that USians and others use. That means they could be more worse. In english English it is ‘They could not care less”
Posted by: tucenz | Jul 11 2026 10:20 utc | 212
*****************
Much of what has been written on this site by self-proclaimed experts, with a level of insight that nobody else possesses or has the capacity to understand, amounts to puerile nonsense that would embarrass any person with a modest passing acquaintance with the facts.
“Proof” ranges from unsubstantiated claims, through to triumphally announcing that a person “was right” in their claims by referencing an unpublished, non-peer reviewed paper by non-experts as ‘proof of correctness’ solely on the basis that the premise of the paper happened to roughly correspond to (one of) the claimants prior claims. Funny that there was absolutely no follow-up defense in the face of simple questions – isn’t it?
On the other hand, it has been muted that it was just a fox paw because it can really be underestimated how much you could care less…
I have read every comment on this thread. It is very sobering to think that many of the good folk who have written arrant scientific nonsense are also the ones who claim to know what President Putin should have done, and what he now should do, because they are master military tacticians, have comprehensive trustworthy and reliable information, and understand the situation better than those on the ground who are confused by the fog of war.
Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 11 2026 13:14 utc | 218
George the Zeroth | Jul 11 2026 5:05 utc | 199
Thanks George – my ignorance about how things work. Will not do this again.
Posted by: fanto | Jul 11 2026 14:45 utc | 219
Time for a song …
On Raglan Road – Sinéad O’Connor with Donal Lunny & Band, 1996
Posted by: Don Firineach | Jul 11 2026 15:09 utc | 220
@ suzan | Jul 11 2026 3:03 utc | 196 // 197
very good commentary suzan… i always appreciate your input.. thanks..
Posted by: james | Jul 11 2026 15:36 utc | 222
Posted in Iran thread.
…..The US has very likely assassinated more than a few anti-American leaders using biological infections likely by aerosol spray. Do search for any leader dying from osteo-sarcoma. I recall reading a paper where they engineered at NIH an adenovirus over-expressing c-fos and c-jun genes which resulted in osteo-sarcoma in mice. I then noticed several leaders dying quickly from bone cancer.
My point being, this can be done in reverse against US leaders
Posted by: Old Microbiologist | Jul 11 2026 15:40 utc | 214…..
Posted by: Exile | Jul 11 2026 15:42 utc | 223
It is looking like China is taking a more active role in our civilization war as this story from ZH notes
China Shuts The Helium Valve As Qatar Outage Deepens Global Supply Squeeze
China has abruptly banned helium exports, a key component in semiconductors, which adds yet another serious constraint to a global market already reeling from the loss of production in Qatar.
customs code 2804290010 was subject to a temporary prohibition on exports, effective immediately. The agencies cited China’s Foreign Trade Law but provided no explanation, expiration date, transition period or exemptions. Any future adjustments, they said, would be announced separately. See the official Chinese government announcement.
The decision is more restrictive than an export-licensing requirement. It appears to prevent covered shipments to all foreign destinations, regardless of buyer or intended use. The announcement does not explain how customs officials will treat previously signed contracts, cargo awaiting departure or helium originally imported into China and subsequently repackaged for re-export.
Nor does it carve out exceptions for hospitals, scientific laboratories, semiconductor manufacturers or humanitarian users.
The physical volume removed from the international market may be relatively small. China accounted for an average of 5 percent of U.S. helium imports between 2021 and 2024, compared with 47 percent from Canada, 28 percent from Qatar and 10 percent from Algeria, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s 2026 helium commodity summary – but the significance of the move lies in its timing.
China produces only a fraction of the helium it consumes and imports roughly 85 percent or more of its requirements, according to reporting by Reuters, with the Associated Pressplaces China’s domestic production at no more than ~ 15 percent of its needs. This suggests the ban is principally an effort to conserve helium for domestic industry rather than a measure capable, by itself, of depriving foreign buyers of large quantities. It also implies that Beijing expects the present shortage to persist.
…The new ban therefore raises an important question: Is China merely stopping helium produced domestically, or is it also preventing imported Qatari, Russian and other foreign-origin helium from being resold abroad?
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 11 2026 15:48 utc | 224
@212 tucenz
I somtimes catch myself in conversation messing that one up, too.
But, if you think about the phrase, “It’s not without its charm,” that one means it is only liked by a certain few or is quirky.
“Could care less” doesn’t bug me so much because the gist is you already don’t care that much about it and could care less if you wanted to expend the energy to give more thought to the matter.
I know grammar nazis exist but I suppose I can just let a lot of the grammatical errors go. I could care less about them really.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 11 2026 16:30 utc | 225
Posted by: tucenz | Jul 11 2026 10:20 utc | 212
Thank you for pointing that out. It’s funny that I never realized it, but I’m not the sharpest poster here.
MoA is the best.
Seen!
Posted by: lex talionis | Jul 11 2026 16:49 utc | 226
I know grammar nazis exist but I suppose I can just let a lot of the grammatical errors go. I could care less about them really.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 11 2026 16:30 utc | 226
======================================
Well, to be precise, “I could care less” isn’t a grammatical error, it’s an error in meaning.
And just sloppy usage. If one doesn’t care, then fine.
Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 11 2026 20:07 utc | 227
Posted by: Don Firineach | Jul 11 2026 15:09 utc | 221
Thanks for that Don. Jesus, I miss her and Shane as well.
Posted by: KMRIA | Jul 11 2026 20:12 utc | 228
Time for a song … On Raglan Road – Sinéad O’Connor with Donal Lunny & Band, 1996
Posted by: Don Firineach | Jul 11 2026 15:09 utc | 221
=====================================
I remember Donal Lunny way back from his days with Planxty.
Irish music royalty indeed.
Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 11 2026 20:37 utc | 229
Posted by: Don Firineach | Jul 11 2026 15:09 utc | 221
=====================================
And regarding Sinéad O’Connor, we certainly need more people like her willing to tear up pictures of figures of authority on live television. When will the next one come out among us?
Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 11 2026 20:53 utc | 230
Well, to be precise, “I could care less” isn’t a grammatical error, it’s an error in meaning.And just sloppy usage. If one doesn’t care, then fine.
Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 11 2026 20:07 utc | 228
carelessness..
Posted by: tucenz | Jul 11 2026 21:47 utc | 231
.. Mere mention would get your post removed at MOA.
Posted by: qparker | Jul 11 2026 13:03 utc | 218
Yes, most of the COVID discusson in this thread would have been verboten at MOA a few years ago.
Posted by: tucenz | Jul 11 2026 21:57 utc | 232
Posted by: tucenz | Jul 11 2026 21:47 utc | 232
I could not care less.
I could care less.
uh…
yo soy eh stupid
; )
ftw SFNS
Muslimgauze – United States of Islam
Posted by: lex talionis | Jul 11 2026 22:48 utc | 233
@ suzan | Jul 11 2026 3:03 utc | 196 // 197 very good commentary suzan… i always appreciate your input.. thanks..
Posted by: james | Jul 11 2026 15:36 utc | 223
*******************
James – I’m interested in what metric you use to assess whether a post is ‘good’ or not? Is it enlightening? Is it informative? Is it factual? Is the thesis defensible?
Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 11 2026 22:51 utc | 234
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08916934.2025.2551517#abstract
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7Qs166xR28
Posted by: Cherrycoke | Jul 12 2026 0:04 utc | 235
@ General Factotum | Jul 11 2026 22:51 utc | 235
my metric is subjective… i think my main motive is to support posters who i believe make positive and helpful contributions to the forum…. i also want to draw attention to these posts and posters… does this make sense to you??
Posted by: james | Jul 12 2026 0:07 utc | 236
@ General Factotum | Jul 11 2026 22:51 utc | 235
i have one other comment to make… in real life some people refer to me as a ”connector”… i connect people with other people who i believe will benefit from the connection… you’ll just have to take my word for this!
Posted by: james | Jul 12 2026 0:08 utc | 237
Posted by: Cherrycoke | Jul 12 2026 0:04 utc | 236
This was intended in reply to Asian Tiger on suzan’s post on Covid. The whole text however is missing, all that remains are the links supporting suzan’s claim about two different production processes for the so-called vaccine.
Posted by: Cherrycoke | Jul 12 2026 0:32 utc | 238
Posted by: Cherrycoke | Jul 12 2026 0:32 utc | 239
===================================
Just curious, Cherry: does your handle have anything to do with Mr. Jimmy, the Stones and Excelsior, Minn.?
Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 12 2026 0:49 utc | 239
General Factotum | Jul 11 2026 13:14 utc | 219
General Factotum | Jul 11 2026 22:51 utc | 235
Anecdotal vs ‘scientific’?
Due to chronic illness, I have taken great interest in medical science. Herbal medicine is anecdotal. like aspirin and quinine. Both from bark I believe. Early scientific medicine was able determine in many cases the pathogen or condition then find the active chemical in in the herbal remedy. Penicillin though scientific was very much an accidental medicine though scientific. Observation of accidental contamination.
China has merged scientific and herbal medicine. They haven’t forgotten the foundations of scientific medicine – anecdotal foundations for the most part. Scientifically studying the anecdotal.
In todays western world of financialization, big pharma makes far more profits from illness my treating symptoms rather than researching the cause. In my case I have to back to the 1980s and prior as that is where leading edge medical research ended. Just as the CSIRO in Australia has been defunded, so to has medical research. The joys of privatization corruption.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 12 2026 1:38 utc | 240
Y’know Peter, it is possible to not believe the more outrageous claims of the “plandemic” and to insist on following science AND to be highly critical of Big Pharma (and even critical of the way the vaccine were developed, rolled out and administered). You know, like people on the “blue” side were before 2021, until vaccine defense became a political football and they surrendered their criticisms to the establishment.
It’s not a black-and-white picture. Plenty of shades of gray.
Regarding “natural”, non-synthetic treatments, sure, I’m in favor of them: who wouldn’t be? But only if they work and are safe and effective. Which a lot of the nostrums and snake oil being peddled these days is definitely not. As has been true going back centuries, like the old medicine shows. Colorful, to be sure, entertained the folks, but quackery.
Notice how just about every god-damned YooToob video is now preceded by some old guy with liver spots on their face hawking some kind of “natural” remedy for this and that? That’s shit’s getting monetized, just like everything else.
Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 12 2026 2:00 utc | 241
Notice how just about every god-damned YooToob video is now preceded by some old guy with liver spots on their face hawking some kind of “natural” remedy for this and that? That’s shit’s getting monetized, just like everything else.
Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 12 2026 2:00 utc | 242
Very much so. On the herbal side in the west, the shysters absolutely swamp out those who on good observation of and careful listening to the patient trying to explain their symptoms can sometimes help. I got done like a dogs dinner early on by trying the herbal shysters. Whats that ABBA song ? Money money money.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 12 2026 2:19 utc | 242
Peter AU1@243:
“Money money money.”
More money music. (Now there’s a thread to go on forever…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIAXG_QcQNU
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 12 2026 3:17 utc | 243
@ Asian Tiger | Jul 12 2026 2:52 utc | 244
lets see how General Factotum processes the answers i’ve provided..
Posted by: james | Jul 12 2026 3:27 utc | 244
Yes tucenz, “I couldn’t care less” is the original and logically sound phrase. It means:
“My current level of caring is already at absolute zero. It is impossible for me to care any less than I already do.”
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 12 2026 3:57 utc | 248
===================================
I like to put it this way:
The instrument has yet to be designed that can measure my indifference to that.
Speaking of language: when I took calculus in college I found an interesting thing in the textbook that explained that there’s a mathematical explanation for how long words remain in use in a language, based on an exponential function. From that book, which I still have:
Consider a basic list of N0 words in use in a given language at time t=0. let N(t) denote the number of these words that are still in use at time t—those that have neither disappeared from the language nor been replaced by noncognates. According to one theory in linguistics, the rate of decrease of N is proportional to N. That is, dN/dt = -λN
(I used to understand that stuff, but that was a while ago)
Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 12 2026 4:37 utc | 245
Experiment, can delete:
X0, Y0
(can we encode HTML subscripts?)
Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 12 2026 4:39 utc | 246
Can Calculus capture the manifestations of Illogic?
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 12 2026 4:49 utc | 252
===================================
Lessee; that would be di/dt, where i is the index of idiocy, woodnit?
Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 12 2026 4:52 utc | 247
I may (or may not) have opened this can of grammar can of worms. Oops.
I have lurned a bunch about gramar. Grammerci, Gramsci. k. Yup. It’s a long march through through these institutions.
Sorry, but I have lurned some stuff. As I always do here.
Grammar Slammer
I guess we all need a laugh when people are being slaughtered with the tax dollars of the working class in the USSA.
ftw
should i link some early 90’s jungle track here? It is the open thread, right? I think the lower case “i” is way cooler.
SFSN ( thank you to – i think exile or stranger – who taught me the acronym. )
sorry. ftw & sfsn ((()))
I can care less, but I actually care that this has occurred because or my bad grammar. oops.
Fortunately, I do not live beneath a bridge. Many of my neighbors do though. Late capitalism i guess.
Don’t forget to tip our host, b.
I should not hit the Post Comment button.
humm.
Maybe some of the MoA people will hate me more.
uh.
okay. it doesn’t really matter? does it?
not quite shur. kool
where did the preview button go?
Posted by: lex talionis | Jul 12 2026 5:27 utc | 248
Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 12 2026 0:49 utc | 240
No.
Posted by: Cherrycoke | Jul 12 2026 8:17 utc | 249
Can Calculus capture the manifestations of Illogic? Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 12 2026 4:49 utc | 252=================================== Lessee; that would be di/dt, where i is the index of idiocy, woodnit?
Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 12 2026 4:52 utc | 253
*********************
Necessary, but not sufficient. Boundary conditions include the condition that F(i) is non-negative, and d^i/dt^2 is positive. That is, the rate of increase of idiocy over time may vary, but it will never decrease.
Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 14 2026 6:46 utc | 250
an after-thought:We should already know that making subjective judgments like those, when weighing complex scientific and medical risks, is just intellectual laziness dressed up as feel-good mystical enlightenment. It’s a way to avoid personal accountability, sidestep the hard work of examining objective evidence, and escape the cognitive demands of applying logical reasoning to a problem. Feels nice, but it’s not a substitute for thinking.
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 12 2026 5:30 utc | 255
*****
That’s the neatest definition of critical thinking I’ve seen – thanks! I wasn’t game to mention the topic again after having been crucified last time round…
Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 14 2026 6:51 utc | 251
@ Asian Tiger | Jul 12 2026 2:52 utc | 244 lets see how General Factotum processes the answers i’ve provided..
Posted by: james | Jul 12 2026 3:27 utc | 246
***************
… a bit of context and nuance is important.
The definition of ‘good’ would be expected to vary when applied to such disparate items as music, art, a color scheme, a haircut, a scientific paper, a vaccine, major surgery, my attempts at bush poetry recitals, a Vermeer painting, a child’s first drawing, a post on MoA where the author innocently demonstrates their level of expertise and understanding…
People mostly form their own opinions based on their own assessments. When someone says something is good (correct, useful, informative, instructive) when I think it is bad (incorrect, misleading, mischievous), then I am interested to find out why, or how – including my first enquiry to myself – am I wrong? If the answer from the other person is ‘aaaah, it makes me feel nice…’ then there is not much more to find out. If it is something along the lines of ‘I see that you have misinterpreted Diogenes Dictum’ (I hope that does not exist!) then there is a possibility of improving understanding.
Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 14 2026 7:09 utc | 252
Anecdotal vs ‘scientific’? … In my case I have to back to the 1980s and prior as that is where leading edge medical research ended.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 12 2026 1:38 utc | 241
***********
You raise good points, Peter. Further to your comments, there is a fundamental difference between knowing and understanding. Think of Mayan ‘astronomy’, Aboriginal ‘bush medicine’, Japanese sword steel-making, Chinese Traditional medicine – the list is endless.
The real danger now is the temptation to think that “we” know more than we do, or that we understand all that is required to be understood about a particular (or any) topic… This was brought home to me very forcefully last night. I had destroyed my keyboard when I spilt coffee on it while waving my arms about in response to a particularly annoying post. My browsing was then limited to mouse control, so I wandered over to youtube and looked at an older post on Veritassium.
I’m grateful for the accident, as it also serves to illustrate how wonderful it is to find out that my previous understanding was incorrect. The joy of learning something new and deepening one’s understanding really is a richly rewarding, exciting experience.
Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 14 2026 7:27 utc | 253
I was WRONG!!
I had studied Advanced Optics at postgrad level, and general optics was a fundamental part of my PhD thesis. I have studied solar-terrestrial physics, atmospheric physics, and quantum optics. I’ve had a lifelong interest in nature, and a fascination with rainbows. I knew all about (errr… not!! as it turns out) Newtonian optics, diffraction, Snell’s Law, virtual images, why the spectral order of colors in a rainbow was reversed… and so on. Then I found the Veritassium video and realised that I didn’t understand the most important parts:
https://youtu.be/24GfgNtnjXc
The key part is from about 7 to 10 minutes. make sure you understand the origin and significance of the ‘caustic’ – then the rest, at 13 minutes and on, should fall into place.
And a special comment for my good friend james: This video is good.
Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 14 2026 8:01 utc | 254
I had studied Advanced Optics at postgrad level, and general optics was a fundamental part of my PhD thesis. I have studied solar-terrestrial physics, atmospheric physics, and quantum optics. I’ve had a lifelong interest in nature, and a fascination with rainbows. I knew all about (errr… not!! as it turns out) Newtonian optics, diffraction, Snell’s Law, virtual images, why the spectral order of colors in a rainbow was reversed… and so on. Then I found the Veritassium video and realised that I didn’t understand the most important parts: https://youtu.be/24GfgNtnjXc The key part is from about 7 to 10 minutes. make sure you understand the origin and significance of the ‘caustic’ – then the rest, at 13 minutes and on, should fall into place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC2eSujzrUY
Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 14 2026 8:01 utc | 261
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Big fan of Derek’s videos here. (It’s “Veritasium”, one “s”, BTW. You know, “the element of truth”.)
Best science (and math!) explainer I know of.
Though I must say that the math stuff mostly makes my head hurt. But that’s saying more about me than the videos.
Have you seen his video about how the entire planet has been poisoned by PFAS?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC2eSujzrUY
Posted by: George the Zeroth | Jul 14 2026 8:41 utc | 255
1]
Each to their own. Make your own decisions, it’s your human right. So long as it does not harm other people in the process.
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 12 2026 3:33 utc | 247
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2]
It is the open thread, right? I think the lower case “i” is way cooler.SFSN ( thank you to – i think exile or stranger – who taught me the acronym. )sorry. ftw & sfsn ((()))I can care less, but I actually care that this has occurred because or my bad grammar. oops. Fortunately, I do not live beneath a bridge. Many of my neighbors do though. Late capitalism i guess.Don’t forget to tip our host, b.I should not hit the Post Comment button. humm. Maybe some of the MoA people will hate me more.uh.okay. it doesn’t really matter? does it?not quite shur. koolwhere did the preview button go?
Posted by: lex talionis | Jul 12 2026 5:27 utc | 254
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3]
… I’m grateful for the accident, as it also serves to illustrate how wonderful it is to find out that my previous understanding was incorrect. The joy of learning something new and deepening one’s understanding really is a richly rewarding, exciting experience.
Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 14 2026 7:27 utc | 260
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This lovely sequence of comments is a reminder that most of our conversations here about thinking are as Martin Buber defines the world as it appears to man, in his small early work “I and Thou”. That is ,( in my own understanding,) that we relate to our world in two different ways: ‘ I-thou’, and ‘I-it’.
At first I was thinking that ‘I-thou’ is best represented by Lex’s post, the other two belonging to ‘I-it’. But now I see that GF has adroitly managed to combine the two!
Thank you all; I am enlightened! I will end with Buber’s introductory quotation:
So, waiting, I have won from you the end:
God’s presence in each element. GOETHE
Posted by: juliania | Jul 15 2026 0:43 utc | 256
But now I see that GF has adroitly managed to combine the two! Thank you all; I am enlightened!
Posted by: juliania | Jul 15 2026 0:43 utc | 263
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It was an accident! I promise… 🙂
A while ago I was thinking about things that once seemed important, but now maybe no so much – but still retained an element of intrinsic beauty. This one is for you Juliania:
Psalm 91
“1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 15 2026 2:05 utc | 257
Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 15 2026 2:05 utc | 264
Thank you, General; thank you very much.
Posted by: juliania | Jul 15 2026 2:44 utc | 258
@ General Factotum | Jul 14 2026 8:01 utc | 261
i am not into that type of stuff, but to each their own.. thanks!
Posted by: james | Jul 15 2026 3:04 utc | 259
@ General Factotum | Jul 14 2026 7:09 utc | 259
i relate well to most of what you state here, although i don’t feel like trivializing someone else’s perspective which is what it looks like you’ve done towards the end of your post.. but perhaps i am mistaken and this isn’t the case… oh and i notice you are getting quite attached to the word good, lol…
You raise good points, Peter.
but i like – opps, maybe i will have to explain what i mean by ”like” here, lol – what you’ve said here –
I’m grateful for the accident, as it also serves to illustrate how wonderful it is to find out that my previous understanding was incorrect. The joy of learning something new and deepening one’s understanding really is a richly rewarding, exciting experience.
humility is a fine thing…
Posted by: james | Jul 15 2026 3:08 utc | 260
Vive Cuba Libre!
https://x.com/timand2037/status/2077019693366591800
“The United Nations Organization (UN) has officially condemned the oil blockade against Cuba and announced the deployment of humanitarian aid to alleviate the energy and food crisis exacerbated by this coercive measure.
- A humanitarian bridge will be activated, coordinated by UN agencies (FAO, WFP, WHO), to ensure the delivery of medicines, food and essential resources.
- The Secretary-General highlighted that ‘energetically strangling a country is a form of collective punishment incompatible with the United Nations Charter..”
Except if it’s USrael/Palestine in which case the UNSC will legitimize it with a ‘Board of Peace’ and Trump in charge.
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 15 2026 3:23 utc | 261
268 corrected:
https://x.com/timand2037/status/2077019693366591600
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 15 2026 3:25 utc | 262
i am not into that type of stuff, but to each their own.. thanks!
Posted by: james | Jul 15 2026 3:04 utc | 266
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Of course – I may even say that is good 🙂 . And I’m not either, as alluded to in my intro (‘things that once seemed important, but now maybe not so much ‘) – I was raised strictly religious, but after much study and thought exercised a little of that ‘God-given free will’ to change tack by about 180 degrees…
But it doesn’t mean that other, special, people may not; and perhaps even should not, disagree and find a very different settling point – one of the beauties of freedom of thought; but a beauty with a very sharp sting in the tail. And a beauty that is perhaps non-existent in the fundamental sciences…
Perhaps an example: I have friends who are vegetarian, vegan, kosher, halal… heck, even a ‘paleo’ (and she is at least consistent, choosing a diet to match her intellect 🙂 sorry… but she is also a lovely person, and even an extra-special Aussie Bogan way out on the fringes. When we get together – it’s important to carefully select the mixtures! – I get a great kick out of dishing up a special meal that they can enjoy, and I enjoy it also. I have noticed that has never been reciprocated, but the reason(s) remain a mystery, and it doesn’t bother me.
There are beautiful things in the Bible, as well as very ugly stuff. Serving up a ‘lovely’ paleo meal can serve a purpose other than promulgating the paleo prospectus or standing on principle and demanding bacon and eggs, and can be more enjoyable for everyone than piously providing ham sandwiches in the synagogue, or sharing select Bible texts like 1 Timothy 2:11,12 or 1 Corinthians 11:5 or 1 Corinthians 14:34,35…
Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 15 2026 4:03 utc | 263
A humanitarian bridge will be activated, coordinated by UN agencies (FAO, WFP, WHO), to ensure the delivery of medicines, food and essential resources.
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 15 2026 3:23 utc | 268
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Finally! But isn’t it odd that the UN is spending money provided by poor countries to remediate the illegal actions of the richest country on Earth – a country that is further behind on its financial obligations to the UN than almost every other poorer country.
Behold the exceptional US!!
Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 15 2026 4:07 utc | 264
Good Quotes from History
The engine of sealioning—where the goal is to defend a preferred belief, not to discover a fact.
Sir Peter Medawar (1915-1987)
“There is no such thing as an unprejudiced observation since every act of observation we make is biased.”
Medawar, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, offers the most nuanced and powerful quote. It acknowledges that while subjective bias is inescapable, the entire point of the scientific method is to account for it. This quote can be weaponized by a sealioner to claim “all is opinion,” but Medawar’s point is the opposite: because we know we are biased, we must rely on objective methods and rational analysis to correct for it, rather than using bias as an excuse to abandon reason. It highlights the professional seriousness required to overcome subjective flaws.
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 15 2026 4:11 utc | 265
@ General Factotum | Jul 15 2026 4:03 utc | 270
thanks for stating all that.. i like where you are coming from and appreciate your presence here at moa..
@ Asian Tiger | Jul 15 2026 4:11 utc | 272
finding a balance is needed as it is so often missing.. well.. that is what i believe fwiw… the attachment to a set of beliefs whether they are scientific or religious comes with drawbacks as i see it..
Posted by: james | Jul 15 2026 4:28 utc | 266
George the Zeroth | Jul 15 2026 5:12 utc | 274
Great story analogy point.
Energy to grow the corn, energy to make the chemicals, energy to build the finely made metal machines, energy to run the machines, energy to deliver everything from here to there and back again, energy to keep the lights on a Walmart, energy to run your fridge and stove and the lights above the dining room cooled by the energy running your air-conditioning in the latest heat wave while you enjoy your corn oil enhanced dinner watching all the energy being used to put on the NFL Superbowl you’re watching on your expensive wide screen high res internet connected Google Android TV. How much energy does Google use?
Imagine a world with a permanent shortage of available cheap energy; and it slowly gets worse and worse; as opposed to what has been in place for 125 years during the energy pulse era — and that is going to fail not too many years from now, depending on where you live and how much money and power you got.
Cairo has permanent rolling blackouts in the poorer areas, not so much the elite suburbs, maybe electricity 10% to 20% of the day? It’s been like that for well over a decade already. There are worse places one could be. Without energy everything stops. Not all at once, just one place at a time until you’re back using firewood and cow dung again.
No energy no water, no sewerage, no trains no buses no cars no EVs. No flying to exotic vacations. No computers, no Internet, no AI, no MoA, no more Zuckerburg. It won’t be all bad. But exponential population growth does have it’s downsides once you hit peak global capacity, the resources start running out, and it all suddenly unravels around you. Not maybe, will. Not if, when.
Exponential Growth Arithmetic, Population and Energy, Dr. Albert A. Bartlett
https://youtu.be/kZA9Hnp3aV4?si=fIVl_ALJczULqKmh&t=727
Knowledge is imperfect. Every behavior does not produce expected results whether you are an individual or a nation. But some things are very determinant. If you drive your car until the gas tank is empty it stops. [Logic]
https://lite.evernote.com/note/996341e2-732f-4a6c-b9ae-4696515408ed
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 15 2026 5:55 utc | 267