New Sub Atomic Particles

Physicists Just Found 4 New Subatomic Particles That May Test The Laws of Nature

PATRICK KOPPENBURG, THE CONVERSATION  --  5 MARCH 2021

This month is a time to celebrate. CERN has just announced the discovery of four brand new particles at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva.

This means that the LHC has now found a total of 59 new particles, in addition to the Nobel prize-winning Higgs boson, since it started colliding protons – particles that make up the atomic nucleus along with neutrons – in 2009.


Excitingly, while some of these new particles were expected based on our established theories, some were altogether more surprising.

The LHC's goal is to explore the structure of matter at the shortest distances and highest energies ever probed in the lab – testing our current best theory of nature: the Standard Model of Particle Physics. And the LHC has delivered the goods – it enabled scientists to discover the Higgs boson, the last missing piece of the model. That said, the theory is still far from being fully understood.

One of its most troublesome features is its description of the strong force which holds the atomic nucleus together. The nucleus is made up of protons and neutrons, which are in turn each composed of three tiny particles called quarks (there are six different kinds of quarks: up, down, charm, strange, top and bottom).



If we switched the strong force off for a second, all matter would immediately disintegrate into a soup of loose quarks – a state that existed for a fleeting instant at the beginning of the universe.

Don't get us wrong: the theory of the strong interaction, pretentiously called "quantum chromodynamics", is on very solid footing. It describes how quarks interact through the strong force by exchanging particles called gluons. You can think of gluons as analogues of the more familiar photon, the particle of light and carrier of the electromagnetic force.  SOURCE:  ScienceAlert.com

"Twenty Four"

Using a ROKU device purchased a while back, we purchased subscriptions to NETFLIX and HULU to access a variety of extra services that were not available on CABLE without paying very high monthly fees...  and, while we still have to pay fees for these additional services, they are not as high as CABLE.

It would appear at least from my perspective that HULU offers a better variety of choices than NETFLIX...  one of these choices is the HULU offered series "24," which has a total of nine seasons which is a long time for any kind of recent series.  Among other well known actors, the main actor is Kiefer Sutherland who I never much cared for as a young actor and who has seemed to have improved as he has gotten older.  His father, Donald Sutherland, always played weird roles and his facial expressions made him perfect for those roles.  Kiefer does not have those facial expressions but he does seem to be a better overall actor than his father...  at least as far as this series is concerned.

HOWEVER...

the series is flawed and season after season they have perpetuated those same flaws so it would appear that neither the writers or the Director saw them as flaws, rendering my comments constructive but without support from Hollywood.

Here are my reasons:

1.  While the overall series is interested and each episode of each season is unpredictable, the same basic premise is played out each of the nine seasons, making it rather predictable  in general with unexpected twists and turns resulting in an inevitable outcome or conclusion.

2.  Every season and every episode relies on workplace incompetence and workplace egos which really is difficult to believe would take place in a COUNTER TERRORIST UNIT.  Maybe it could happen once, but this incompetence manifests itself in every single episode in every season as if these people have never learned anything from previous experiences.

3.  It is believable that spies could have penetrated a government organization, but the foundation of this series is that SPIES are at ALL LEVELS of our Military and Federal Government which is highly unlikely which causes the series to lose some credibility with the assumptions that have been made.  Not only are there SPIES in the government but there are spies in high levels of business organizations that have contracts with the government.

4.  Like Raiders of the Lost Ark, each episode of each season is filled will unbelievable twists and turns that could never take place and the reason that they continue to take place in this series is that many of the characters involved MAKE STUPID MISTAKES over and over again, which again is not that realistic.

5.  While the plots are PLAUSIBLE they always involve terrorists from a foreign country, usually in the Middle East, who wants to get revenge on the USA because of something the USA did to the people of their country, even though the USA had been invited to take military action in their country.  Also, each of the nine seasons involve some sort of nuclear device and the terrorist always seem to get the codes to make these nuclear devices active.  Again, the USA never seems to learn from previous experiences even though some characters continue to play role in subsequent seasons.

6.  Kiefer Sutherland plays the main character in all nine seasons and goes by the name of JACK BAUER.  Jack Bauer seems to have RAMBO like characteristics and no matter how often JB gets shot, stabbed, or suffers broken ribs from a brutal fight, he always seems to get back into the action without resting or recuperating as would be the case of a normal man.  Not only does he have the ability to recuperating fast, he seems to be impervious to ALL TYPES of torture both mentally, physically, and psychologically.

The Norwegian Krone

Why the Norwegian krone could be the 

world’s first global currency

The value of Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, fed on its oil and gas receipts, is growing so much faster than the country’s GDP that the Norwegian krone may well become the world’s first global currency. Not the world’s most important currency or a reserve currency like the US dollar, but the first currency whose value is determined largely by the movement of global markets and only minimally by its country’s economic activity.

This won’t make the krone itself a target for investors overseas. It isn’t liquid enough for that; there aren’t enough krone to go around. Nor will it become a bellwether; observing the krone and deducing which aspect of the world’s financial markets is influencing its fluctuations won’t be easy. But the expansion of the fund will make it into an investor of immense means, with a singular capacity to transform green energy, infrastructure, and other causes Norway cares about.

Since 1996, Norway’s oil fund—formally called the Government Pension Fund Global—has been investing fossil fuel revenues in fixed-income assets, equities, and real estate overseas, trying to build a financial reserve for its citizens in a post-oil future. On its website, the fund hosts a live ticker of its value, which now hovers around $1.3 trillion—making it the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund.

The oil fund owns more than 1.5% of all the listed stocks worldwide, and its returns alone were worth a third of Norway’s GDP in 2020—even amidst the pandemic. “It’s as if every Norwegian has a personal offshore investment portfolio of $240,000,” said Tor Vollalokken, a senior advisor at the New York-based investment analysis firm Exante Data.

Vollalokken, who has tracked the krone for decades, recently extrapolated both the oil fund and Norway’s GDP forward over 30 years, using past rates of growth as a guide. At the moment, the fund’s value is roughly three times that of the GDP. By 2030, the fund will near $9 trillion—more than 14 times the value of the GDP. By that point, the krone will undergo a dramatic shift.  SOURCE:  QZ.com

WOKENESS

 

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

$1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Bill Passed by Senate

THE DEMOCRATS ARE ON A ROLL...

AND...

the wealthy are going to pay for it all...  that is to say those wealthy individuals and families that DO NOT have their monies sheltered away from taxes in off shore bank accounts.

AND...

what money our government cannot get from the wealthy, they will either BORROW from CHINA or they will simply print up more money.

AND...

if they print up more money, the the value of the dollar will DECREASE.

AND...

if they borrow from CHINA, then future generations will be the ones that will be forced to pay off our debt.

AND...

retired people like my wife and I will BENEFIT from all of this.

PERSONALLY, 

I don't care if California and New York get bailed out by our Federal Government or not because our government should REWARD those States who have mismanaged their tax dollars...  the more these States screw up the more our Federal Government should be in a position to financially control them.

These States are like children who have not yet learned how to manage their money because they want to give their residents everything they can in the hopes of getting re-elected.

The bureaucracy of any government, by default, is INEFFECIENT and INEFFECTIVE in the way that they conduct business.  When one has a guarantee of employment, one has little desire to improve one's production or output...

What The People Want

The Democrats are passing bills because they make the CLAIM that this is what the people want...

The Republicans were passing bill because they made the CLAIM that this is what the people want...

BUT...

is this really what the people want?

The 2015 election showed us that the United States of America was basically divided politically between Democrats and Republicans...

The 2020 election showed us that the United States of America was STILL DIVIDED between Democrats and Republicans again...

Therefore...

neither party can really make the claim that this is what the people want because that is simply not true...

However...

each political party can make the claim that this is what HALF THE PEOPLE WANT...  and, I doubt that either party will actually promote that TRUTH.

The fact remains...  that each political party makes the FALSE CLAIM that this is what the People Want and consequently how can THE PEOPLE actually believe either political party...

Cancel Culture

 [ [ [  [  Cancel Culture  ]  ] ] ]

We live in a society that for all intents and purposes has been turned upside down and the mainstream media seems to be supporting this approach without researching to see what the downside of this approach might be...

If I do not agree with you, then I am cancelled...

Opposing views are not being allowed...

Is this democratic? ? ?

I have spent my entire life opposing those people who want me to believe like they believe or wanting to believe like they want me to believe...  consequently, I have lost my job 10 times during a 45 year career...  because I refused to do this...  and, I would suspect that there are many other people out there who are like me...  perhaps, a little more diplomatic but they are there nonetheless...

The United States is quickly becoming a country that is losing the respect of other countries throughout the world.  The United State used to be a country where opposing views were encouraged and no other country in the world had the freedom of speech like we had...  that is changing...

WAKE UP AMERICA...

The Debate Continues

Americans have complicated feelings about their relationship with big technology companies. While they have appreciated the impact of technology over recent decades and rely on these companies’ products to communicate, shop and get news, many have also grown critical of the industry and have expressed concerns about the executives who run them.

This has become a particularly pointed issue in politics – with critics accusing tech firms of political bias and stifling open discussion. Amid these concerns, a Pew Research Center survey conducted in June finds that roughly three-quarters of U.S. adults say it is very (37%) or somewhat (36%) likely that social media sites intentionally censor political viewpoints that they find objectionable. Just 25% believe this is not likely the case.

Majorities in both major parties believe censorship is likely occurring, but this belief is especially common – and growing – among Republicans. Nine-in-ten Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party say it’s at least somewhat likely that social media platforms censor political viewpoints they find objectionable, up slightly from 85% in 2018, when the Center last asked this question.

At the same time, the idea that major technology companies back liberal views over conservative ones is far more widespread among Republicans. Today, 69% of Republicans and Republican leaners say major technology companies generally support the views of liberals over conservatives, compared with 25% of Democrats and Democratic leaners. Again, these sentiments among Republicans have risen slightly over the past two years.  

Countries that Censor Freedom of Speech

TOP COUNTRIES that censor Freedom of Speech

1. Eritrea
2. North Korea
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Ethiopia
5. Azerbaijan
6. Vietnam
7. Iran
8. China
9. Myanmar
10. Cuba

AND...

all I can say here is aren't you glad that you live in the US of A...  where censorship does not happen...  and, opposing views are allowed to ripen on the vine like grapes and be harvested...

BUT...

have I spoken too quickly?

Do we really have FREEDOM OF SPEECH here in the US of A where all views are tolerated...  Twenty years ago, I would have said yes!!!

Ten years ago, I would have said yes!!!

2015 changed everything here in the US of A...

LIBERAL VOICES, THOUGHTS, and OPINIONS are the only ones that are being tolerated these days...  and conservative voices, thoughts, and opinions are trying to be suppressed...

We are living in the years of the CANCEL CULTURE...

We are living in the years of the WOKE MOB...

It is these two groups who do not want opposing views...

It is these two groups who want only their voices to be heard...

WAKE UP AMERICA...

Eliminate The Republican Party

America's two-party system is based on laws, party rules and custom, not specifically outlined in the US Constitution. Several third parties also operate in the U.S., and from time to time elect someone to local office. The modern two-party system consists of the "Democratic" Party and the "Republican" Party.

The US has a two-party political system because of two structural features in American politics: single-member districts and winner-take-all elections. Both features encourage the existence of 2 major parties, as smaller parties face great difficulty in winning elective office.

There can be no doubt that the Electoral College has encouraged and helps to maintain a two- party system in the United States. This is true simply because it is extremely difficult for a new or minor party to win enough popular votes in enough States to have a chance of winning the presidency.

The Second Party System increased American political engagement by democratizing politics when previously elected officials were chosen primarily by the wealthy elite.  Supporters of the system's two dominant parties were divided along philosophical and socio-economic lines.

What would happen in the USA if the Republican Party was destroyed or eliminated by voting and only the Democratic Party remained to decide how the government was operated?

We cannot consider one party system as a good option because this is not a democratic option. Any democratic system must allow at least two parties to compete in elections and provide a fair chance for the competing parties to come to power. Moreover people do not get any choice in this system.

China and North Korea have a one party government...  even Russia does not have a one party government...

Cancel Culture

 

If you do not agree with me I will simply cancel you out as if you never existed at all...  

The last time something like this took place was in NAZI Germany and their specific target was the JEWS and all those who sympathized with the Jews...  the Jews were taken to concentration camps and medically experimented upon and subsequently killed in gas chambers.

Cancel Culture in America wants to do away with the conservative voice and all those who support or sympathize with the conservative voice.  Cancel Culture in America has teamed up with Black Lives Matter and ANTIFA basically because they believe that they will NEVER BE SUCCESSFUL unless the white race is destroyed...  specifically, the conservative white race because the liberal white race is sympathetic to their cause...

Cancel Culture in America wants to defund with police and take those monies and set up programs for blacks so that they have a better chance of being successful.  

Cancel Culture in America wants to do away with the CONSTITUTION and write a new constitution that is partial to the black man instead of all Americans.

Cancel Culture in America wants to rewrite the history books and remove all connections to slavery as if it never existed and those references to slavery will state HOW EVIL THE WHITE MAN IS and continues to be against the blacks.

Is America really willing to let something like this happen???

Transgendered Soldier Dead

South Korea's first transgender soldier, who was discharged from the military for undergoing gender reassignment surgery, has been found dead at her home.

The cause of death of Byun Hee-soo, a transgender rights campaigner, is not yet known.

She launched a landmark legal challenge against the military in January last year over her dismissal.

Her petition for reinstatement was rejected in July.

South Korea remains conservative on matters of sexual identity.

The 23-year-old had been receiving counselling from a mental health centre in her home province of Gyeonggi, north of Seoul. Her counsellor became concerned after not hearing from her since 28 February and called emergency services.

Ms Byun's case triggered debate about the treatment of transgender troops and soldiers from the LGBTQ community in the country.

She previously told reporters that apart from her gender identity, she wanted to show everyone that she could also be one of the great soldiers who protect the country.

All able-bodied South Korean men are required to carry out military service for nearly two years.

In December, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea said the decision not to allow her to continue to serve in the military had no legal grounds.  SOURCE:  BBC

New Covid Relief Bill -- $1.9 Trillion

PERSONALLY...  I like the fact that OUR CONGRESS is going to pass this huge bill because it is going to benefit me and my wife who don't really need the money because we are retired, but more importantly, it is going to be paid for by the WEALTHY...  who typically DO NOT WANT TO SHARE their money with anyone else unless it is a charity for a tax deduction...

I also like the fact that in order to pay for this Relief Bill, the US Government will go deeper in debt but that this debt will not be paid for by us but by our grandchildren and their children...

If this seems selfish...  then you are missing the HEART and SOUL of my SARCASM...

On May 1, 2021, the first 100 days of the Biden Administration will be over and it is my belief that the mainstream media as well as the general public will finally see and understand that LIBERAL POLITICS is not good for our country, its economy, its military, its education, and its culture.

CENSORSHIP undermines our FREEDOMS OF SPEECH and sends our country dangerous close to becoming a one party communist country who controls its citizens by controlling their livelihoods and wellbeing.   Once freedom is lost, it is difficult to get it back...

BUT AGAIN...  we always get what we deserve...

Hump Day Humor

 

Keep The Faith

"Keep the faith," was a phrase that we used in the 1960's so that our fellow classmates would continue to believe and continue to display behavior that reflected our attitudes, thoughts, and behavior...  we were liberals and had liberal values, but mainly we did not want nor did we believe that THE MAN should tell us what to do and how to live our lives.  THE MAN, at that point-in-time, was our FEDERAL GOVERNMENT...  We want a smaller government not a stronger government.  

AND...  most importantly was our DESIRE TO BE HEARD...  and in order to be heard, we MUST have our FREEDOM OF SPEECH rights....  and yet, mainstream media wants to suppress our freedom of speech...  unless that freedom of speech agrees with them...  Suppressing one's freedom of speech is what happens in THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES, Dictatorships, Communist countries, and countries that are afraid that the opposition will remove them from office.

Keep the faith also has religious undertones...  that is to say, no matter how difficult times get, no matter how much our lives are turned upside down, we can, always maintain our faith in GOD and understand that it is GOD  who will ultimately take care of us, even though we may not always understand why HE does what HE does...  "...God's will be done on earth as it is in Heaven..."

In addition to one's religious beliefs and keeping the faith there, there are one's political beliefs and keeping the faith there as well...  for people who are similar to this author's beliefs, one cannot make the claim that one is LIBERAL or CONSERVATIVE because one shares beliefs that are both liberal as well as conservative.  For example, I believe in the 2nd Amendment but I also believe that a female has the right to choose what she wants to do to her own body and that this right should not be control by the government.

Our government is be as small as possible in order to fulfil its roles and should stay out of our lives...  Our government should open doors for us, like a LEADER does, and not tell us how to live our lives or tell us what we can or cannot do.

I want to hear both side of the argument...  the liberal side as well as the conservative side, and then I want to be given some time to decide what it is that I want to believe without one side trying to push their agenda and convince me to see things their way...  It is not that simple...

Another example:  I believe that our Government should do as much as it can for its citizens as long as it does not have to borrow money to provide those services...  I also think that we should maintain a strong military presence while STAYING OUT OF THE WARS of other countries even when they request our help.  These countries should have the government that they deserve and not the government that the USA wants them to have.

KEEP THE FAITH...

What We Deserve

Joseph de Maistre, a French Diplomat and Philosopher (1790), said, "every country has the government it deserves..."

Thomas Jefferson, years later (1800) said, "the government you elect is the government you deserve..."

H. L.  Mencken, American Journalist (1940) said, "people deserve the government they get..."

So...  what does this quote mean?

It means that every group of people, a nation of people let's say, is ultimately responsible for what happens to the nation IN TOTAL but not necessarily individually...

For example, when the PEOPLE elected Donald Trump, whatever he did the people deserved because they elected him to the office of the Presidency...  the same hold true now for Joe Biden...  whatever he does we deserve because we put him in power as well...

The problem with this logic is that if the vote is 51% to 49%, then WE THE PEOPLE did not really put anyone in power  because...   WE THE MAJORITY did...  therefore, almost 50% of the the people DO NOT DESERVE THE GOVERNMENT THEY GET...

DEMOCRACY is based upon a MAJORITY and may or may not reflect the WILL of all the people.

A Rainy Monday Morning

 

Woke up this morning and the rain was pouring down in East TN...  sometimes, one might get tired of rain, but the alternative of snow or freezing rain, makes just rain a lot easier to accept, especially when the temperatures are in the 50's.

Another morning begins with FOX NEWS...  the only news media outlet that presents ALL THE NEWS not just the news that they want to public to hear...

• Cuomo is in trouble
• Immigrants at the Border
• Covid Relief that's not Covid Relief
• An end of jobs
• Higher Gasoline Prices
• Iran wants sanctions removed before negotiations
• Russians blamed for our problems
• China gets a free pass
• Children not in schools
• Teachers Unions wants COVID shots first
• Some States still locked down
• Restaurants still not open in some cities
• Criminal Felony charges removed on heroin and cocaine 

Elections has consequences...  and, it is true that the Democrats won the election...  but, will this Democratic Party with its progressive agendas be good or bad for the general public.  Only time will tell...  and, once we discover that these progressive agendas are not working will we do anything?

WAKE UP AMERICA...

Trying to Stay Healthy

Balance of Nature - fruits & vegetables in pills  --  $100/month

Prevagen - helping one's memory in pills --  $30/m0nth

                                                                                       $130/month or $1560/year or $15,600/decade

Here's the deal...

I never used Balance of Nature but during my lifetime, I WAS NEVER SICK WITH A COLD OR THE FLU and this was the case because I exercised, slept, ate what I wanted and still never got sick.   So, in my mind, this is a scam on the America getting them to spend their money on something they don't really need.

Another example of the this is Prevagen and how it helps one's memory...  In all my education and experience, I have discovered that one can TRAIN ONESELF to learn and memorize FOR FREE...  all it takes is practice and all practice takes is time.  I learned to speed read on my own and without taking a pill to help me improve that skill.

DON"T BE FOOLED AMERICA...

If you want or think you want more fruits and veges, then use the money ($1200 annually) and invest in a JUICER...  You can juice these fruits and veges and get the same benefits if you think you need them at a much less cost to you and spend that money on something else that you think you need or want.

Managing Stress

 Stress Relivers

Meditation brings short-term stress relief as well as lasting stress management benefits. There are many different forms of meditation to try–each one is unique and brings its own appeal.

Progressive muscle relaxation involves relaxing all the muscles in your body, group by group.  To practice, you can start with a few deep breaths.

Just focusing on your breath or changing the way you breathe can make a big difference to your overall stress level. Breathing techniques can calm your body and your brain in just a few minutes.

Exercise is a fantastic stress reliever that can work in minutes. Taking a walk allows you to enjoy a change of scenery, which can get you into a different frame of mind, and brings the benefits of exercise as well.

Physical touch can do a lot to relieve your stress. Hugging a loved one can be especially beneficial.

Aromatherapy has real benefits for stress relief—it can help you to feel energized, more relaxed, or more present in the moment.

Getting in touch with your creative side may have been easy for you during childhood, but if you’ve lost touch with your penchant for artwork, it’s not too late to pick it up again.

A poor diet can bring greater reactivity toward stress.  Emotional eating and reaching for high-fat, high-sugar foods can provide a temporary sense of relief that adds to your long-term stress.

Leisure activities can be a wonderful way to relieve stress - many people feel as though their lives are too busy for hobbies, games, or extra fun.

The way you talk to yourself matters. Harsh self-criticism, self-doubt, and catastrophic predictions aren't helpful.

Yoga combines physical movement, meditation, light exercise, and controlled breathing—all of which provide excellent stress relief

Gratitude helps you recognize all the things you have to be thankful for. Whether you're grateful for a sunny day or thankful you arrived at work safely, think about all the good things you have in life.

Physical activity is key to managing stress and improving mental health - there are many different kinds of activities that can reduce your stress.

If you're trying to squeeze 20 hours worth of work into 16 hours, you're going to feel stressed. Reducing your workload could be key to helping you get through the day feeling better.

Having supportive people in your life is the key to stress management. If you lack emotional support and friendship, it's important to get it.

Sometimes, the best way to reduce your stress is to cut something out of your life. Get rid of the things that are adding to your stress so you can experience more peace.