Planet Earth and the Universe

by | Apr 26, 2021 | Science

Planet Earth and The Universe

When I was in elementary school, a school trip to the Hayden Planetarium in Manhattan changed me forever. For the first time in my young life, I realized the planet earth was not the beginning and end of reality. I learned the Earth is part of something called a Solar System, which is part of a vast, mysterious Universe. What’s a Universe? Wow! That experience blew my mind, while totally changing my perspective of reality. To this day, thanks to the Hubble Telescope and NASA, the rapidly evolving state of knowledge reference our Universe has been stone cold fascinating. But it gets even better because our current perception of reality is about to change big time, starting later this year.

Our world is on the cusp of what could be an array of startling discoveries, which will modify, or radically change our perceptions in a very dramatic manner.  Why am I saying that? Because in late 2021, when the James Webb Space Telescope launches, it will hopefully unlock many of the secrets we could only discuss in abstract or theoretical terms. As amazing as the Hubble Telescope has been, it was just the beginning. I can’t wait until the JWST is revealing the secrets of our existence, which started around 13 billion years ago.

If you think like me, you often ask yourself many questions about the earth and how we fit into that universe I first heard about as a 10-year-old boy. Here are some of the questions I asked and couldn’t answer for many years.

  • When was the earth formed? [around 4.5 Billion Years Ago]
  • Where did it come from?
  • How was it formed?
  • What is a Solar System?
  • How does the earth fit into the solar system?
  • What is a Universe? When and how did the universe come into existence?
  • What existed before our universe?
  • How large is the Universe?
  • What is a Galaxy?
  • What is our relationship, not only with our solar system, but our galaxy and the Universe?

Thanks to the Hubble Telescope, we have a much better perspective in terms of where and how we fit into our Galaxy and the Universe. The numbers, distances, and speeds are so incredibly huge, they are mind boggling. In my opinion, humans cannot comprehend the numbers in real terms with which we can identify. Yes, we know the number 100 Billion is incredibly large, but we have no real reference point which gives that concrete meaning.  Can you envision seeing 100 Billion stars or planets? I certainly cannot.

Although the Hubble Telescope brought us incredible discoveries, and answered many of my questions above, the James Webb Space Telescope is 100 times more powerful. Can you believe that? Wow! When it launches in late October of 2021, unlike Hubble, it will orbit our planet outside of the earth’s atmosphere. It will also be much further away, (approximately 1 Million miles) from the planet. In addition, it will utilize Infrared Technology. That means scientists will see so much more than we did via the Hubble Telescope. Therefore, many of the numbers, cited below, will probably change.  The telescope will go back in time approximately 13.5 billion years, to see the formation of the first galaxies after the Big Bang created the Universe.

Before we get started, here is a disclaimer. I am not a scientist. I’m just a regular guy who is fascinated by our rapidly growing knowledge of the Universe. I have no idea how scientists manage to accumulate such a vast wealth of information, and that probably helps explain why I’m not a scientist. But I will do my best to simplify the numbers and concepts, so that anyone (just like me) can derive meaning from them. Let’s get started with an array of questions, and hopefully, relatively decent, easy to understand answers to those questions. Occasionally, I will throw in some of my thoughts.

What is the name of the Galaxy we live in? The Milky Way

How big is the Milky Way? It is so large that humans cannot comprehend its actual size. It is about 100,000 light years across.  Does that mean anything to you? Probably not, so let’s try to put that in perspective with the following questions.

How long would it take to travel the entire length of the Milky Way Galaxy? At 17.3 km/s (the speed of a NASA spaceship), it would take that spaceship around 700,000,000 years to traverse the entire length of the Milky Way. Even if it was possible to travel at the speed of light (many scientists don’t believe this is possible), it would take  a hundred thousand years!

Hopefully you realize our sun is actually a star. What is the name of the closest star to earth? Proxima Centauri

How far away is Proxima Centauri from the Planet Earth? 4.2 light years

Why do we care? Because it’s the closest solar system to earth. Once you realize how far away the nearest solar system is, you should realize, that aliens never visited our planet. Yes, I know there’s a theory, which I do not believe, which states that aliens repeatedly visited the earth and somehow impacted human culture. Another theory is aliens can travel at speeds we cannot imagine, so the numbers I posted below are meaningless. Once again, I believe that kind of mystical thinking is part of our Hollywood imagination.

How long would it take for a rocket ship, traveling at the fastest rate possible, using today’s technology, to make the trip to Proxima Centauri? Here’s an approximate number, around 4,600 years. There are so many variables, such as acceleration, deceleration, mass of the spaceship, friction, etc. But most physicists agree, it would take thousands of years for the journey. If it takes so long to travel here from another solar system, ask yourself this question. Why would anyone want to start that journey, knowing they would die in the early stages of the trip, long before they reached their destination? I can’t speak for you, but I know the answer to that question.

What is the largest star in the Milky Way Galaxy? Pistol Star

The largest known star (in terms of mass and brightness) is called the Pistol Star. It is 100 times larger than the Sun, and 10,000,000 brighter!

How many stars are in the Milky Way Galaxy? Between 100 and 400 Billion stars

How many planets are in the Milky Way Galaxy? The Milky Way contains at least 100 billion planets, probably many more. Our galactic neighborhood may be bustling with other worlds, but a new study estimates that only a small percentage, approximately 300 million of those 100 billion planets, may have the right ingredients for life.

As you can see, the size of our Galaxy is so large, humans cannot comprehend it in any meaningful way. In other words, there is no way to reference those incredible numbers with something we could identify with. Please keep in mind, the Milky Way Galaxy, as incredibly large as it is, with over 100 billion planets, only encompasses a tiny fraction of the Universe. Here are numbers which should blow your mind. Scientists estimate there are at least 100 to 200 BILLION GALAXIES in the Universe. Are you kidding? That number could be even larger, and we’ll learn much more after the James Webb Space Telescope is in service.

Mass Shootings in America

by | Mar 24, 2021 | Politics

Mass Shootings in America

America is unique in the world in terms of how many mass shootings we experience compared to the rest of the globe. No other country comes close to the volume we have. In the past week, America was hurt by two more mass shootings. Don’t kid yourself into believing these incidents will mobilize America to act. If the shootings at Sandy Hook, Parkland, and Columbine failed to motivate Congress, nothing will change how we deal with this issue. One must understand that millions of Americans are far more focused on their second Amendment rights than they are on saving lives. Having said that, this is a very complex issue, with no simple solution. Please don’t operate on the fantasy that gun control will stop mass shootings. Gun control will help, and probably prevent some, or several, mass shootings, but they will not go away. You may not want to acknowledge this, but they are part of our culture.

Having said that, think about the following. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could cut the number of mass shooting in half?  Gun Control won’t magically eradicate mass shootings, but it could save a significant number of lives, by reducing the volume.

Let’s start by establishing some basic information. Contrary to what many Americans believe, an American President cannot abolish the second amendment. That is a virtual impossibility. Next, get real on this issue, because Congress cannot find enough votes to establish Universal Background checks, so how could anyone believe somebody is coming to your home to take away your weapons. Therefore, the second Amendment and the right to arm yourself isn’t going away. And with the current members of the Supreme Court, it may possibly be strengthened.

Next, the author of this article does not want to do away with our second amendment rights. I support the right for law abiding citizens to arm and protect themselves. However, if I was in charge, when a citizen  wants to purchase a weapon, there should be a law requiring them to take a firearms safety course. Many people accidentally shoot family members, or themselves, because they have no idea how to properly and safely handle a weapon.

The next common-sense prohibition would be the elimination of military weapons, such as an AR-15, which is often used in mass shootings. Obviously, those kind of weapons increase the volume and type of carnage we’ve witnessed so often. Keep in mind, that even if we banned military style weapons tomorrow, there are so many already in circulation, it would be years before this could turn into a major change. But we have to at least start the proves. We already restrict ownership of machine guns, so we can also restrict ownership of an AR-15, or similar weapons, using the same logic. Keep mind the goal is to make it harder, not easy, to gain access to these type of deadly weapons, which are used so often in mass shootings.

Another positive change would be Universal Background Checks, eliminating the gun show exception. Do you know that surveys reveal over 85% of Americans support Universal Background Checks? Despite that overwhelming support for them, NRA sycophants in Congress repeatedly block this commonsense regulation.  Does any decent American want convicted felons, mentally ill people, and, juveniles having easy access to legal purchases of weapons? In addition, I would include a mandatory 24-hour waiting period for gun purchases. Once again, do you want someone who is emotionally aroused and angry, to walk into a gun shop and purchase a weapon on the spot? Let’s mandate a cooling off period.

Let’s examine another flawed argument offered by right wing NRA representatives. One hears them constantly use a city, such as Chicago, as an example, which in their minds, illustrates why gun control doesn’t work. Despite very strong gun laws in the city of Chicago, everyone acknowledges they are awash with weapons. What NRA advocates and right-wing radicals fail to include in their argument is the fact that anyone can leave the city limits of Chicago and buy all the weapons they want in nearby jurisdictions. This is also true in a city such as Washington, DC where thugs drive across the Arlington Memorial Bridge, into Virginia, and buy all the weapons they want. However, if we implement FEDERAL GUN CONTROL LAWS, the examples of Chicago and DC, cited above, would disappear. Then we would actually find out if gun control eliminates, or at least helps prevent, some or many mass shootings.

The one option America cannot afford is to do nothing in the face of non-stop mass shootings. Let’s try to finally do something about this unnecessary carnage of our citizens. Maybe it will help, maybe it wont. But one thing we know for sure, what we are doing now has been a total failure.

Trumpism Is Not Going Away

by | Mar 18, 2021 | Life

Although Donald Trump is under assault from an array of civil and criminal court cases, and it’s very possible he may wind up in prison, Trumpism is here to stay. When Trump first became President, I asked myself how he managed to con so many rural Americans, who perceive themselves as honest, decent people. Why do they worship a pathological liar who insults people every day of the week, while surrounding himself with an array of convicted felons?

Donald Trump is also admired by millions of uneducated blue-collar workers. It took me awhile, but I finally figured out the dynamics of Donald Trump and why he became the cult leader for millions of Americans. Before I get into this subject and explain my theory, let me make it clear that I am not talking about all Trump voters. Many people voted for Trump because they liked the direction of the stock market, they thought he was good for business, they don’t like the Democrats and their policies, they didn’t like Joe Biden, or for whatever reason. That doesn’t make them all cult members. However, I believe the majority of Trump voters are in fact members of the cult. Therefore, Trump can do nothing wrong in their world and they will never hold him accountable for his pathological lying, horrible behavior, assaults on our democracy, and/or his policies.

Let’s get back to my theory. Trump didn’t con rural and blue-collar America into following his leadership. No, Trump is worshipped  because he represents them and how they think. Over the past 4 years, we learned how scary that is. They are people who are terrified by the demographic changes in America and will do anything they can to prevent that from happening. They perceive themselves as victims of the liberal elite. In their view of the world, the so-called liberal elite only cares about minorities, which makes liberals their mortal enemies. They are also people who never do research, do not read, and  believe one bizarre, radical right wing conspiracy theory after another. Facts and logic mean nothing in a cult.

Even if Trump goes to prison, loses hundreds of millions of dollars in civil court cases, or if his obese, Covid-19 health deteriorates, their view of the world isn’t going to change any time soon. We saw how they think on January 6th,  when Trump supporters assaulted the symbol of American democracy, the Capitol building in Washington, DC. The intent of many was to kill Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and VP Pence. And they didn’t allow the Capitol Police to stand in their way. So much for their love of law enforcement.

There’s no doubt in my mind those people are so stupid, they believe Trump won the election and it was stolen from him by massive fraud. Although there is zero evidence of significant fraud and Trump supporters lost over 62 cases in the court system (including Trump’s Supreme Court, plus cases decided by many judges he appointed), they still incredibly believe his massive lie reference the election. Back in November, surveys revealed about 2/3 of Republicans believed Trump won the election. Even though Sydney Powell, Trump’s attorney, told the judge in a court of law the systematic fraud allegations was a big LIE, it has no impact on what they believe happened. Remember, cult members never allow facts and/or logic to interfere with what they believe. I often wonder if they realize Trump is a pathological liar, because they believe everything he tells them.

Why would any rational, intelligent person believe this dynamic will change if Trump goes to prison or disappears because of failing health issues? They are people who easily fall prey to propaganda, conspiracy theories, and massive lies spread by Fox and social media. Even without Trump, none of that is going away. They will find another person to take over the leadership role, possibly even a white nationalist. Don’t believe that? Come on, the GOP just censored many of their own members in several different states because they followed their conscious and the evidence, by voting to impeach Trump.

What happened to thinking for yourself and doing what you believe is right? Recently, the Trump cult members in the GOP, who are dumb enough to believe there was massive election fraud, are trying to suppress voter’s rights in a large number of states.

Members of the party haven’t figured out that supporting Trump and Trumpism is a losing proposition because Trump’s base is only approximately 40% of America, possibly a little less, The majority of Americans are appalled by Trump, his behavior, and his policies.  In 4 years under Trump, the Republicans lost the House, the Senate, and the Presidency. But in a cult, they will never hold the leader accountable and/or responsible for negative results. They always come up with a scapegoat. In this case, Trump didn’t lose the election, it was stolen by the incompetent Democrats.

We really need two strong political parties to create balance, but they are unfortunately turning the Republican Party into a third world banana republic, authoritarian party. This is scary. Most people want to see members of Congress working together to do what’s right for our country. They do not want to see cult behavior, where everyone in the party must adhere to and follow the party line or they will be punished.  And right now, that party line is following whatever Trump says or does, instead of what’s best for America.

Tragic: 74 Million Americans Voted for Trump

by | Dec 19, 2020 | Life, Politics

President Elect Biden: 81,283,094  /  President Trump: 74,222,017

Joe Biden won a landslide election in both the popular vote and in the idiotic Electoral College. Biden had over 81 million votes while Trump had slightly more than 74 million votes. In the Electoral College, Biden has 306, while Trump has 232. Let’s temporarily ignore the KKK, Nazis, and White Nationalists who love Trump. When some moderate Trump supporters are asked why they voted for such a despicable human being, they go into super rationalization mode. He isn’t a very nice man, but …….. Hello! There is no but. If you don’t like the Dems, then don’t vote. But how can you vote for a man who is human trash and should have never been president of the United States? First, we’ll examine what kind of man Trump is and then we’ll look at his failed policies. Obviously one cannot completely separate these two, but we’ll make a mild effort at doing such.

  • Trump is the head of an ALL WHITE REPUBLICAN PARTY which thrives on bigotry, hate, fear, dividing America, and falling for every right wing conspiracy theory known to man.
  • Trump is a PATHOLOGICAL LIAR. This attribute by itself should disqualify him from the Presidency.
  • He’s been accused of SEXAUAL ASSAULT by 24 different women.
  • Trump surrounded himself with an array of CONVICTED FELONS whom he subsequently pardoned.
  • He repeatedly called the FREE PRESS “An Enemy of the People“
  • He makes cabinet members swear loyalty to him instead of the Constitution.
  • Trump never makes America First, it’s always Trump First
  • He spent 4 years repeatedly attacking our elite law enforcement agency, the FBI
  • He turned the Justice Department into his political law firm
  • Trump was impeached for breaking the law. He had a Senate Trial where the prosecution (The Democrats) was not allowed to introduce evidence or call witnesses
  • Nobody in the Republican Party is allowed to disagree with him or criticize him
  • Trump has been Vladimir’s Puppet for the past 4 years
  • Trump admires dictators. He sent LOVE LETTERS to brutal North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un
  • Incredibly, Trump somehow convinced more than 74million Americans that he cares about them.  Trump doesn’t care about anyone except himself.

Now let’s examine his polices. I’m always bewildered when Trump supporters talk about what he’s done for our country when he’s been a horrible President.

  • Despite numerous promises, there was NO HEALTH CARE PLAN. That is the most important issue for many Americans.
  • Trump did nothing about Covid-19. While over 350,000 Americans died, he turned it into a political issue. Trump made the most important preventive measure, wearing masks, into a phony constitutional issue. Unfortunately, that resonated big time in Trump World.
  • Despite numerous promises, there was no INFRASTRUCTRUE UPGRADE
  • Trump signed the 3 largest budgets in U.S. History. What happened to smaller government?
  • Under Trump, our Budget Deficit set a record
  • Under Trump, our Trade Deficit set a record
  • Trump thoroughly alienated our NATO allies
  • Trump dropped out of the all important TPP, which was an economic powerhouse set up to counter the economic power of China
  • He started a trade war with China, which did serious damage to many of our farmers and all consumers. He implemented TARIFFS, which always fail. What happened to Free Trade and No Tariffs, which were basic core tenets of the Republican Party for decades?
  • Trump fanned the flames of racial injustice in America
  • As for Covid-19, Trump was a national disgrace. So far, over 350,000 Americans died and there are over 20 million Covid-19 cases. Here’s what Trump did for this national pandemic, while totally ignoring science.
    • The virus is a Democratic hoax
    • The virus is under “Tremendous Control”
    • Everything will return to normal by Easter Sunday
    • Inject BLEACH as a prevention measure for Covid-19
    • If you get the virus, take hydroxychloroquine
    • Instead of being a common sense, health & safety logical approach to the pandemic, Trump turned wearing a mask into a constitutional personal freedom issue
    • COVID-19 will disappear the day after the election