THE UNIVERSE: MIND BOGGLING NUMBERS

by | Jun 6, 2024 | Science

THE UNIVERSE: MIND BOGGLING NUMBERS

Thanks to the amazing James Webb Space Telescope, we continue to learn new and majestic lessons about the Universe. Believe me, it never ends.

My son sent me an online article yesterday about the latest discovery by the James Webb Telescope and the dedicated team of scientists who use it to study the universe. It was an article about one of the earliest galaxies formed after the big bang. That new discovery ignited this article.

When I was ten years old, our 5TH grade teacher, Mrs. Seligson, took us on a trip to the incredible Hayden Planetarium. That school trip changed my life.

I always loved to read and learn, but after that trip, I was almost in a state of shock. At the age of 10, I thought the planet earth and the stars I saw in the sky were it. But thanks to Mrs. Seligson, and the fabulous Hayden Planetarium, for the rest of my life, I would never cease to be amazed by the staggering numbers our brilliant scientists have computed over the years.

On that trip to the Hayden Planetarium, I learned the earth is just a small part of something called the Solar System. We have a star called the Sun, and 9 planets. Then I learned, our solar system is located in a much larger environment called the UNIVERSE.  Wow! What is the Universe?

I’m a long way from being a ten-year-old elementary school student, but I’ll never forget the impact of seeing a model of the solar system and the universe at the Hayden Planetarium. What I’ve learned about the Universe since that elementary school trip has never ceased to amaze me. Thanks to the James Webb Telescope, we’ve learned some incredible lessons, which go way beyond what I learned during that school trip.

We can talk about the size of the Milky Way Galaxy and the Universe, but humans cannot possibly grasp the enormity of the dimensions we now have reference where we live, and how our tiny planet fits into the entire scheme of reality.

The planet Earth, and our solar system, are part of the Milky Way Galaxy. I am going to present a series of numbers that are fascinating. Humans can comprehend the first few sets of numbers, while the big ones, which I’ll present later, are literally impossible to grasp.

  • NASA rocket ships travel close to 25,000 mph.
  • It takes between 7-8 months, traveling in a rocket ship @ 25,000 mph, to travel from earth to the planet Mars. The time frame depends on where we are in our respective orbits around the sun.
  • It took the Voyager II Rocketship about 12 years to arrive at the planet Neptune. That’s right, the solar system is so big, it took a rocket ship, traveling almost 25,000 mph, about 12 years to reach the planet Neptune.

Now we’re going to move onto a series of numbers that are incomprehensible to humans. They continue to amaze and stun me each time I examine them or learn about new ones.

  • Just in our Milky Way galaxy alone, it is estimated there are approximately 100 thousand million stars [suns].
  • There are between 100 and 200 BILLION PLANETS in the Milky Way. That is billion, not millions. We know for sure, there must be plenty of human life somewhere else in our galaxy.
  • How big is the Milky Way? It is approximately 100,000 Light Years across.
  • What is a light year? Light travels at the speed of 186,000 miles per second. A light year is the distance light travels in one earth calendar year. Remember, that is 186,000 miles per second, not per hour.
  • How long would it take to travel in a rocket ship from one end of the Milky Way to the opposite end? It would take about 1.9 Billion Years.

Hopefully, that will give you some understanding of how incredibly large our Milky Way Galaxy is. With at least some understanding of how gigantic our galaxy is, the following numbers go beyond mind boggling. Human beings cannot possibly put them in any frame of reference, which they can understand.

  • As mentioned above several times, the size of the Milky Way galaxy alone, is mind boggling, A big as that number is, we know there are probably between 200 and one trillion other galaxies in the Universe.

Thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope, we now know the Milky Way, despite its enormous size, makes up just tiny portion of the Universe. As I’ve repeatedly stated, there is no way we can comprehend the size of a universe which contains between 200 and One Trillion massive galaxies.

American Democracy is in Serious Danger

by | Mar 25, 2024 | Politics

AMERICAN DEMOCRACY IS IN SERIOUS DANGER

Did you ever imagine the Republican Party would support, swear obedience to, and nominate someone for President who:

  • Is a Pathological Liar
  • Idolizes and Worships Vladimir Putin
  • Tells his cult members in the House to block aid to Ukraine so Vladimir can win the war.
  • Tells Vladimir it’s OK to invade certain NATO countries.
  • Trump wants to destroy NATO for Vladimir.
  • Trump is telling America he’s a FASCIST and he wants to become America’s first dictator.
  • Trump told America, that after he gets elected, he’s going to use the Justice Department to imprison his political opponents.
  • He told America he’s going to replace the Civil Service System with a Trump Loyalty program.
  • He will make his cabinet members swear loyalty to him instead of the Constitution.
  • He stole hundreds of Top Secret – Classified documents, probably so he can sell them to Vladimir.
  • He has 91 Criminal Felony Indictments.
  • Nazis and KKK members love him and the Republican Party. They go to Trump rallies with their swastikas and confederate flags. Despite this, there are Jewish and Black cult members who are so stupid, they are going to vote for Trump. What are they thinking? Obviously, they are not using logic or facts.

If this was a Hollywood movie it’s so absurd, you might walk out of the theater. But you must realize, this isn’t a movie. The danger is very real and it’s happening right before our eyes.

American Democracy, and our Constitution, will be demolished if Trump becomes our next President. We are essentially in the same place Germany was during the early 1930s when Hitler was trying to become the leader of Germany,

How can this possibly happen in America? The reason is obvious. The Alternate Reality of Trump World has become the largest cult since Hitler took power in the early 1930s.

In a cult, the primary job of cult members is to always protect and defend their supreme leader. He is never wrong, he is never held accountable for any wrongdoing, it’s always somebody else’s fault. Only members of a cult could possibly worship a thug, a liar, a crime boss, a criminal, a traitor, and the number one ally of Vladimir Putin.

It’s very important to understand that facts, logic, and the truth play no role in a cult. In the alternate reality of Trump World, research, facts, proof, evidence, and science are all classified as FAKE NEWS!

You have no idea how scary that is. That means you can never use facts, logic, science, or the truth when debating with a Trump Cult member. Their view of the world is so radically different from reality, you cannot believe how stupid and brainwashed they are. Here are some examples I know of because I deal with several Trump Cult members on a regular basis.

Trump Cult members believe:

  • The FBI is corrupt.
  • The Justice Department is corrupt.
  • Federal prosecutors are corrupt.
  • Federal judges are corrupt.

In their world, the only honest person is Comrade Trump. Incredibly, they believe Trump was sent here to save America. Yes, they say that despite the fact that Trump is Vladimir’s number one ally and he’s a big-time traitor and a criminal. But in their alternate reality, their view of Comrade Trump bears no resemblance to the real world.

In their alternate reality, Trump and white Christians are victims of a corrupt federal government, which targets white people.  Please keep in mind that the majority of people in the federal government are white Christians. But remember what I told you earlier, the use of logic is never part of cult behavior.

In essence, members of the cult believe Trump is their savior. They worship the man and will do anything he tells them.  Even though he’s a pathological liar, they believe every word he utters. For example, despite zero evidence produced in 3.5 years, over 2/3 of Republicans believe Trump won the 2020 election. How scary is that?

They are people who take pride in being a good Christian. Does anyone with an IQ over 50 believe Trump is a good Christian? Donald Trump is the complete opposite of their definition of a good Christian. He is a pathological liar, a traitor, a crime boss, a criminal, and the number one ally of Vladimir. Yes, all those so-called good Christians worship the man. Remember what I said about logic, it plays no role in a cult.

Trump’s base also perceive themselves as loyal Americans and call their group MAGA. But they support and worship a man who a traitor and the number one ally of Vladimir Putin. He wants Putin to win the Ukraine War and then invade several NATO countries. Is that going to make America great again? I don’t think so! They really should change their name to MRG [Make Russia Great].

In Germany, millions of decent people never took the threat of Hitler gaining power seriously, and we saw what happened to the world. I think millions of decent Americans are in a very similar state of mind. They don’t understand how much danger our country, and our democracy, is facing. They must do everything in their power to get people they know, out to vote.
President Biden must understand the threat Comrade Trump and the Republican Party poses. Today’s version of the Republican Party is nothing like the old party, where conservative principles guided their political philosophy.

Today’s Republican Party has abandoned all conservative principles and instead, they follow the direction and orders of Comrade Trump. It doesn’t matter what he tells them, they click their heels and obey. If that means abandoning Ukraine and NATO, they will do it.

Sounds just like Germany in the early 1930s, doesn’t it?

Questions for those who believe in a God?

by | Sep 14, 2023 | Life, Religion and God

Questions for those who believe in a God?

I find it mind boggling that even intelligent people in the 21st Century, still believe there’s a god, a place called heaven, a devil, and a place called hell. They never require one shred of evidence or proof, and they totally ignore logic, as they cling to that cultural myth.

This illustrates the immense power of cultural brainwashing, which pounds these concepts into people, starting when they are a small child. Very few individuals can step outside of cultural norms and analyze what is happening and realize they were fed a series of lies. In America, the individuals who can step outside the boundaries of cultural norms and utilize proof, evidence, and logic, are known as atheists.

Atheists are often the target of immense hate in American culture. If they aren’t hated, they are often mocked by people who look at them and say, they don’t believe in a god. What’s wrong with them?

I’ve been asking a series of questions about god and religion for decades and never once received what I consider an intelligent reply. Here are some of the questions I always ask and never get an intelligent answer.

  • Where did god come from?
  • Where does god live?
  • Where is heaven?
  • Where is hell?
  • Do you really believe god can simultaneously monitor the thoughts and actions of almost 8 billion people on the planet?
  • Do you really believe your god can understand hundreds of languages?
  • If you claim your god has immense power we can’t even imagine, why doesn’t god eliminate the devil?
  • Where does the devil live? Does he live under Hawaii, under Japan, under Bermuda? Under Australia? Please tell me.
  • If you’re Jewish, what was your all-powerful god doing while the Nazis spent over a decade killing more than 6 million people simply because they were Jewish? How can a Jewish person possibly believe in such a pathetic god, who did nothing to protect those innocent people?
  • Every year, hundreds of thousands (possibly more) of innocent women around the world are raped and/or murdered. What is your all-powerful god doing while this is happening?
  • If you’re Catholic, how do you feel about those hundreds of priests, over the years, who sexually abused and/or raped children?

BIG TIME QUESTION for those who believe in God, Heaven, and Hell

Background

When growing up in America, you are told as a child that on Christmas Eve, Santa travels the globe, carrying millions of presents on his sled, which he delivers to the people by going down a chimney. Of course, when you get a little older, you LOL when you think that at one time, as a child, you somehow incredibly believed that absurd story. You eventually realize is is nothing more than a cultural myth.

But I find it amazing that the overwhelming majority of people never apply the same kind of logic and thinking when it comes to the existence of a god, a place called heaven, a devil, and a place called hell. Why are those concepts immune to logic and proof for most people?

QUESTIONS for BELIEVERS

In most modern cultures, when someone dies, they are locked in a coffin, and buried 6 feet underground.

  • How does a dead person get out of a locked coffin, and then plow his or her way through 6 feet of solid earth?
  • When they reach the surface, how does this dead person somehow travel to heaven or hell? Oh by the way, where is heaven and hell?
  • Why has nobody, in the history of mankind, ever witnessed any of the above happening at a cemetery?
  • When homicide detectives have a case where they must exhume a dead body several years later, the body is still in the casket. I thought that person already traveled to heaven or hell?

I don ‘t know about you, but I think the cultural story of Santa delivering millions of presents on Christmas Eve makes a lot more sense than a dead person getting out of their locked coffin, plowing their way through 6 feet of solid earth, and mystically traveling to a place called heaven or hell. And, nobody can tell you where that is.

One Final Thought

Here’s just one example of what amazes me on almost a daily basis. I regularly watch real life Homicide stories because I’m fascinated by human nature and the level of evil in the world.

I never ceased to be amazed by the reaction of parents whose daughter was kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and/or murdered. They pray to their god for the safe return of their daughter.

My question to them is the following. What was your all-mighty god doing while your innocent daughter was kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and/or murdered? How can you pray to such a useless, pathetic god?

You can apply the above example in numerous other incidents which happen every day of the year.

Interesting Use of the English Language

by | Sep 6, 2023 | Life

Interesting Use of the English Language

I copied some of the examples cited below from others, but many of them are originals thoughts, coming from me.

I often wonder why we use certain expressions, or words, which have a different meaning in the same sentence. We also use words which are unnecessary. Hopefully, you’ll get a kick out of the following. For whatever it’s worth, this brief article will make you more aware of the words and/or expressions used by others and/or yourself.

  • Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?
  • Why does “slow down” and “slow up” mean the same thing? 
  • Why does “fat chance” and “slim chance” mean the same thing?
  • Why is it called “after dark” when it really is “after light”?
  • Why do we sing “Take me out to the ball game” when we are already there?
  • Why are they called “stands” when they are made for sitting? 
  • Why are a “wise man” and a “wise guy” opposites? 
  • If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular? 
  • He was shot in “Broad Daylight”! Is there something called “Narrow Daylight”?
  • Why do people say she gave birth to a “Baby” Boy? Is it possible to give birth to an Adult boy?
  • Why do we say the food in this restaurant is “awfully” good?
  • She spoke in a “Loud” Whisper.
  • The company had “Negative” Growth last year.
  • His girlfriend is “Pretty” ugly.
  • The comedian was “Seriously” Funny.
  • I’m on a “Working” Vacation.
  • Did you ever order “Jumbo” Shrimp in a seafood restaurant?
  • There was “Deafening” Silence in the room.
  • Who is that woman? She’s an “Uninvited” Guest.
  • The performer was a “One Man” Band.
  • How many people were at the show? There was a “Small” crowd.
  • It was so wet and cold, I was driving on “Frozen” ICE.
  • Do you still have the “Original” copies?
  • They have “Zero” Tolerance for people of color.
  • What did you think of those two communities? “Same Difference”
  • After the show, we were “Alone” Together
  • After dinner, I had “DIET” Ice Cream.
  • The psychiatrist said she has a “Passive” Aggressive personality.
  • How would you describe Johnny? He is a “dead man” walking.
  • How would you describe Johnny? He is an “honest” thief.
  • That was a “deceptively” honest presentation.
  • What is your ultimate goal in life? I want to “Go Back to the Future”.
  • I’m sorry, but that is your “only” choice?
  • Your actions placed us in a “fine” mess.
  • What kind of utensils do they use in that restaurant? “Plastic” Silverware.
  • How would you describe your husband? He’s a “BIG” Baby
  • The Homicide Detective asked, did you kill your husband? I definitely remember
  • The Homicide Detective asked, do you know who killed your husband? Only TIME will tell.
  • The Homicide Detective asked, do you know who killed your husband? The writing is on the wall!
  • The Homicide Detective asked, did you love your husband. I was “head over heels” in love with him.
  • The Homicide Detective said to the wife, “Your answers to my questions, opens up “a can of worms.”
  • I spent the last two weeks preparing for my “impromptu” speech.
  • I ate an 8-ounce slice of “pound cake”.
  • I paid too much for the sofa, but it was worth it.
  • How would you describe your boyfriend? He’s dumb as a doorknob.
  • How will you solve this problem? We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
  • The woman told her girlfriend, please stop “airing your dirty laundry”.
  • Have you recovered from your illness? Yes, “I’m Back in the Saddle”.
  • Did you make a decision yet? No, I’m between a rock and a hard place.”
  • Are you and Gloria still fighting” No, “we buried the hatchet.”
  • How did you like your blind date? Not very much, he is “older than dirt”.
  • Finally, I love this one. May I ask you a question?