J.C.MacSwell

1 hour ago, geordief said:

The universe?

Turtles all the way down!

Good News? Haley got more votes from the GOP than her counterpart did from the Dems...

Her counterpart being "uncommitted".

1 hour ago, TheVat said:

Not difficult to imagine comedy sketches featuring a White House with Trump strolling around in an electronic ankle bracelet.

LOL.  can see a otherwise serious West Wing with everyone ignoring the fact that everytime he gets up he drags around a ball and chain version of the ankle bracelet...

1 hour ago, StringJunky said:

LOL! When I put the title up, it reminded me of that film.  For those not familiar, Heston in science fiction film Soylent Green says the food they are eating is made from people.

When you think about it...it's brave of those in Alabama to speak up...with so many remaining soylent!

37 minutes ago, npts2020 said:

I'd say god is pretty ugly if it looks like any blastocyst....

Cue Monty Python version of "All things Bright and Beautiful":

On 2/23/2024 at 1:52 PM, Janus said:

Approval ratings in today's political climate are a bit meaningless.  How many disapprove because they think he's "too far to the Left?" and how many because they think he's "too far to the Right" How many give him a poor rating based on just one single issue? etc.

This is fairly recent, Feb 4: (my bold to emphasize an example in a key areawhere Biden is not getting as much credit as he might deserve)

"Despite a growing economy and little opposition for his party’s nomination, President Joe Biden confronts a dissatisfied electorate and a challenging political climate nine months before he faces re-election, according to a new national NBC News poll.

Biden trails GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump on major policy and personal comparisons, including by more than 20 points on which candidate would better handle the economy. And Biden’s deficit versus Trump on handling immigration and the border is greater than 30 points.

The poll also shows Trump holding a 16-point advantage over Biden on being competent and effective, a reversal from 2020, when Biden was ahead of Trump on this quality by 9 points before defeating him in that election.

And Biden’s approval rating has declined to the lowest level of his presidency in NBC News polling — to 37% — while fewer than 3 in 10 voters approve of his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

All together, these numbers explain why the poll shows Trump leading Biden by 5 points among registered voters in a hypothetical 2024 general-election matchup, 47% to 42%. While the result is within the poll’s margin of error, the last year of polling shows a clear shift."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/poll-biden-trump-economy-presidential-race-rcna136834

On 2/18/2024 at 12:13 AM, J.C.MacSwell said:

I don't think the fallout, if there will be any, from Putin doing in Navalny would have registered on any polls yet.

On 2/18/2024 at 10:18 AM, iNow said:

Yeah, valid point ✌️

 

I watched the SC polls and really didn't see the bump I hoped to see, but then in the actual primary Haley seemed to go up by 5% and Trump down by about 2. Those were around the numbers I hoped to see going into the primary which I would have then hoped they'd go a little higher for Haley, and a little lower indicating trouble for Trump.

Not sure what to make of it other than though disappointed I'm glad to see Haley seem upbeat and remaining in the race and continuing to campaign at least toward Super Tuesday.

6 minutes ago, Genady said:

A light that is produced by hot infalling matter between the photon sphere and the event horizon can still escape radially, right?

Yes. Depending on angle it can escape. Radially right down to the EH, where it would almost escape but approach infinite wavelength trying to get out if I understand it correctly.

16 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

Pfft, he's no Navalny. People like that are as rare as rocking horse droppings.

Seems though, like Obi-Wan Kenobi, some think he's our only hope...

15 hours ago, iNow said:

Perhaps Biden can benefit from all the AI deepfake-ery and position himself as the 900 year old Master Yoda just training the padawans 

 

Or...like Obi-Wan Kenobi he should sacrifice himself for the greater good?

3 hours ago, Genady said:

No, I don't call approximations, myths. They are different things. Is it an approximation to say that all life forms were created at once from scratch?

It depends on the time scale you're comparing it to...it's well known that it took the better part of a week...😀

6 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

I read about this recently. Profiteering from what is basically systemic slavery is beyond the pale in a civilized society. What better way to reinforce loathing of 'civil society' and resist personal change, given that many prisoners have trod such shitty life paths all their lives already.

In principle it should be reasonable to have inmates contribute to part of their costs of any just incarceration. From what I've seen in a few documentaries it can be pretty despicable in practice.

7 hours ago, npts2020 said:

What happens if scientists bring an individual to life using only an egg or sperm? Will females then be required to attempt pregnancy every time they ovulate? Will it be a serious crime for a male to ejaculate anywhere other than a fertile womb? Seems to me, the whole notion of when life "begins" (I look at as more of a continuum) or when you become a person leaves plenty of room for interpretation or debate and therefore should be up to individuals to decide for themselves. It is interesting that the supposedly "small government" types seem to be the ones most eager to have the government settle the question so they can enforce their (often hypocritical) views on everyone.

I can see it now..."High sperm count men in the lifeboats first!"

16 minutes ago, iNow said:

Please tell me how I personally can place a better presidential candidate on the ballot. Do I need to save up my UPC codes from Betty Crocker products and mail them in perhaps? Maybe dance a little jig while singing a sea shanty? 

 

Exactly. Not the most democratic process.

But I guess 36th place isn't bad:

https://www.democracymatrix.com/ranking

At least at this point it's still a democracy.

But as Swansont correctly pointed out, that's the expected process.

47 minutes ago, swansont said:

But what about his cognitive issues. Do they get as much coverage as Biden's alleged issues?

No. Not that I can tell. Just the odd bit. 

How will we even know if or when he's in decline?

They do point out his constant contradictions, from stretching the truth to outright lies, but since he's done that forever no one associates it with anything but Trump being Trump...except in some circumstances the Law...

Back in the day even a small fraction of the type of things he says on a regular basis would kill a political career...we need those days back.

4 minutes ago, swansont said:

That’s a good question - ratings, perhaps - but it doesn’t change the facts. e.g. the economy is doing great, with unemployment numbers not seen in 50 years, real wage increases and a record high stock market, but it’s not reported that way. Perhaps you should ask the media/punditry why.

Trump’s very real issues are not being discussed much at all. Why is that?

I'm hearing a fair bit about Trump having issues on a number of fronts. Unwillingness to comment on Navalny, asking Senate and House members to work against the border deal, very significant legal issues including rape and business fraud charges with very high negative monetary outcomes, age related concerns of his own, Zelensky calling him out on his unexplained "solution",  etc.

Also hear a lot about the US economy doing better than expected, inflation reasonable compared to much of the World and better than predicted, etc. I know Biden didn't defeat US Covid singlehandedly with hydroxychloroquine, but we can't expect him to do everything....

12 minutes ago, swansont said:

You’re citing the media’s framing and GOP talking points, not his record. There have been plenty of people who note that Biden is sharp and engaged, which won’t be the conclusion you draw from video clips edited to give a different impression.

I really don't have an issue with his overall record the last 3 years, especially given the hand he was dealt and continues to be dealt. But he has aged 3 years and wants to continue for another 5 rather than the one left in his mandate.

Why is the media, right left and centre, focused on GOP talking points? With regard to age and mental decline they are not the only ones bringing it up. Maybe they're not just GOP talking points?

I've known a number of people with dementia that on good days seem sharp and engaged, though even then they tend to tire easily. Now I don't know that Biden has dementia, but we do know he has had 2  brain aneurysms requiring surgery and we do know that brain trauma increases risk of mental decline with age, beyond that of a significant association with aging itself.

And we've heard him tell untrue stories that could medically be described as confabulation (as opposed to alternatively... intentionally lying)

But yeah, I'd still take him over Trump.

6 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

I agree, it was definitely a missed opportunity,

Not sure I would agree. She had lost a lot of popularity and hiding in the weeds while working in the background may have been best for her. I see at least a possibility of a come back.

Currently she's still your Nation's plan B...compare with Plan C...House Speaker Mike Johnson

13 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

We're almost there in the US wrt electing a woman president, but it's our conservatives who stand in the way. They still revel in their misogyny and love to pound their chests, but they're also having daughters and the dim recesses of their ape brains are telling them there's a problem with the way they've been behaving.

But the age of the candidates, that's what we should be focused on...

Agree. Haley would be much better than either Biden or Trump, regardless of the fact she's younger and sharper.

20 hours ago, swansont said:

But you cast this in terms of “democratic process” and “checks and balances” and it seems to me that this is the expected process. 

 

Granted it's the expected process, which makes advanced age more of an issue, not less.

20 hours ago, swansont said:

But given that both candidates are old, this should be a non-issue for choosing on that particular metric.

Given that both candidates are old leads to no choice on that particular metric. It hardly makes it a non-issue.

20 hours ago, swansont said:

Biden has a great record to run on, so there’s no reason to expect a serious primary challenge, and it’s not like there’s someone waiting in the wings that could beat TFG. So any objection along these lines would seem to be moot.

17 hours ago, iNow said:

 He’s been a good President during hard times with a solid team. 

 

Unfortunately that hasn't lead to a very strong approval rating. The appearance to even among those that might agree with you both is often of that of a good team lead by a man in mental decline.

Besides the increased likelihood of mental decline with age, longevity is a factor. Quite a significant percentage of 81 and 77 year olds today are expected to die before January 2029, the end of the next term.

17 hours ago, iNow said:

 

The age attack just doesn’t work for me given our candidate set since Biden had only just turned 3 when Trump was born. Biden’s old, but Trump is old and crazy and a dangerous asshole. 

Wouldn't you prefer Warren up against this old, crazy and a dangerous asshole?

1 hour ago, Phi for All said:

Did you put stronger in quotes because their best candidates are women? I think that's how many people think of Harris, Whitmer, Klobuchar, and Warren: they can't beat TFG because they're women, and TFG has already beaten a woman. 

I also think the DNC thinks this way. Despite being more liberal towards women, they'd still rather have Biden or Newsome or Cooper because they're men, and men appear "strong" when they're confident, whereas the perception is usually that confident women are "pushy" or "troublesome" or even "nasty".

More important to me than age is rejecting corporate PAC donations. It would be great to have citizen representation in this country again. It's been so long.

Kind of a "deplorable" assumption don't you think? The type of assumption that probably more lead to Trump winning in 2016 than the fact that the leading proponent of those assumptions was a woman. (not claiming it wasn't a factor either plus or minus, but I think the US has been ready for a woman POTUS for some time...they just tired enough of H Clinton to allow Trump to squeak out a win)

3 hours ago, swansont said:

Is this somehow unusual?

Incumbent? No.

Eighty year old incumbent as per context for this thread? First time ever.

Until Biden, Reagan was the oldest President ever when he left office. Trump will be older than that before the election in November and Biden was already older than that on day one of the present term.

It's extremely problematic getting those past their prime to give up driving their vehicles, even at ages that the majority should not be behind the wheel. Yet here we have very arguably the most important job in the World being left to either a late seventies Trump, who at least has to compete for his ticket, or an eighty year old incumbent who seems to be getting his ticket uncontested.

Not the greatest democratic process.

The checks and balances seem a little off balance.

So if I have a charged particle on my desk emitting a photon due to constraint against gravity alone, that I can detect with my photon detector with the detector in free fall, there will be no detection whatsoever if it's not in freefall? Or no detection only if the detector is comoving and similarly constrained against gravity?

Or I guess detectable or not in other frames dependant on how there movement is with regard to the Rindler horizon? (Does the wavelength of the photon approach infinite with respect to a frame coincident (somehow?) with the Rindler horizon?

8 hours ago, Markus Hanke said:

What is present in every frame and for all observers is the electromagnetic field due to the presence of the charge (which is what you refer to as “event” above). This is a tensorial quantity, so all observers agree on it being non-zero. However, observers do not necessarily agree on the value of the individual components of the tensor, since these will be functions of space and time, which are observer-dependent concepts. 

Physically speaking this means that everyone agrees there’s an electromagnetic field, but not everyone agrees what this field “looks like” in terms of its decomposition into E and B components in a given frame, since this decomposition is again observer-dependent. For the field to look like radiation, E and B must be periodic functions of space and time of a specific form, and they must be related in specific ways; this may not be the case in all reference frames.

When you do the maths, what you find is that the radiation emitted by a charge supported in a gravitational field is in fact present even for a comoving (=accelerated) observer, but it is located in a region of spacetime that is inaccessible to him (it is beyond the Rindler horizon). On the other hand, the freely falling observer is locally inertial, so there’s no Rindler horizon, and he can detect the radiation. There’s no contradiction, it’s just that one must be careful about frames and their particular conceptions of space and time.

Thanks Marcus I'll check out Rindler horizon and see if I can make sense of it.

1 hour ago, StringJunky said:

He's having Mein Trumpf ghost-written as we speak.  

Where does Putin find the time?