OMG! I can't find the Kursk Incursion anymore. What happened to it? How did I lose it?

Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Kursk_offensive#/media/File:August_2024_Kursk_Oblast_incursion.svg

Canada and Mexico needn't fear US tariffs. America is now a socialist parliamentary democracy!

This year, American voters made their decision. They, marginally anyway, decided to fill the office of the Presidency, the Executive Branch, with a serial rapist and a pedophile, who has earned his living by systematically committing tax fraud of the grossest and most extreme type, for many, many decades. Donald Trump isn't merely grossly unqualified to fill the office of the Presidency, Donald Trump is a very poor excuse for a human being. So, accordingly, in their flexible, adaptable way, Americans are coming to terms with this situation, and dealing with it in an appropriate fashion. When Donald Trump attempts to appoint pedophile drug addicts to his cabinet, so that he can have people he can really comfortably relate to around him at all times, they are politely told by Senators that they would best withdraw from contention, or face sufficient public scrutiny that they will never get out of prison, alive. And, accordingly, they do, indeed, withdraw from contention. Isn't democracy wonderful? But, really, the implications go rather beyond this. While the motto of Trump supporters may be "Let's make America great for pedophiles again!", probably the majority of Americans do not entirely subscribe to this view. So, actually, what these Trump supporters really voted for, although they may not realize it, is to totally vacate the Executive Branch of office for the next few years, and leave all decision making up to Congress. Hence, what we have in Congress now, is a kind of joint Prime Ministership between the leader of the House of Representatives, and the leader of the Senate. As for the judiciary, the Supreme Court, and all other judges would be well advised not to trifle with the Congress, or they might find themselves impeached and locked up rather quickly. America is now a socialist parliamentary democracy! Why "socialist" you ask? Well, think about it. Sure, these members of Congress are all rich capitalists, that's true, but, they are also members of the government, and they like their jobs. Fact is, there's no such thing as a capitalist committee. The very concept of a "capitalist committee" is oxymoronic. Capitalism is individualism, it is money making as an end in itself, as the ultimate good, pursued by wildmen, by cowboys who will do anything whatsoever to make a buck. People like Elon Musk, for example. So, what exactly does government by committee have to do with capitalism? Nothing whatsoever! Zip-all, nada, zilch! Sure, you could have a President who was a capitalist, and that would influence the structure and behavior of the US government, but, you cannot possibly have a capitalist, all-powerful Congress. That is a psychological, political and sociological impossibility. Even most of the Republicans in Congress will act like socialists under these circumstances, they won't have any choice in the matter, they will be forced to think in terms of political control, long term social outcomes, revenue streams to achieve these goals. They simply won't have the time or opportunity for capitalist greed, corruption or initiative. We can see this already, as even the Republicans are saying among themselves now, that the Trump tax cuts from his last presidency will not be renewed for ten years. Maybe for four years, we can't afford to lose so much tax revenue. Once the Democrats get into the mix, they won't be renewed at all, and, instead, we'll have tax increases, including corporate tax increases. So, what about these proposed 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, that Trump says he will enact, on day one. Well, the problem here, is that Congress is given full control of all Commerce, including international Commerce, by the US Constitution. Now, that said, the President is supposed to have some expertise in national security, so, at times in the past, Congress has temporarily delegated some authority to Presidents to regulate some aspects of tariff decisions from the White House. However, Donald Trump has no expertise whatsoever in national security, so, really this doesn't apply in his case. In any case, the only law currently in place that authorizes the President to have any say in tariffs is one from 1974, which gives the President the right to authorize a 150 day 15% tariff on a specific country, if the President can prove national security issues are in play. Which, he certainly can't with Canada or Mexico. So, there will be no tariffs, at all. Fact is, we're not going to be deporting tens of millions of immigrants either, or federalizing state national guards just because Trump says so. He can only do that in the case of mass rioting, otherwise no. Fact is, Trump is just living in his rubber room in the Oval Office from now on, while the socialist congress runs the country, including foreign policy and the military. Know any soldier or NATO leader who would trust Donald Trump? I sure don't!

https://www.quora.com/profile/Myname-271/https-www-quora-com-Isnt-it-kind-of-obvious-that-all-existence-is-governed-by-infinitely-complex-interactions-of-energ Isn't it kind of obvious, that all existence is governed by infinitely complex interactions of energy systems that we don't understand, and that all science, mathematics, philosophy and religion are, basically, just total nonsense? https://www.quora.com/Isnt-it-kind-of-obvious-that-all-existence-is-governed-by-infinitely-complex-interactions-of-energy-systems-that-we-dont-understand-and-that-all-science-mathematics-philosophy-and-religion-are-basically-just-total https://www.quora.com/profile/Colin-Mathers https://www.quora.com/profile/Colin-Mathers PhD in Physics & Mathematics, University of SydneyJust now And yet you can post stupid questions on the internet using a computer which is designed and built using all that nonsense. Seems like its a you problem. Not everyone has a brain capable of understanding modern science and mathematics. There is nothing wrong with that, but you should at least be able to understand that the things you use to communicate with others through smartphones and computers were designed and built by people who do understand modern science and mathematics. My Comment: And, yet, you can post stupid answers on a system of questionable value, the internet, which was developed by businessmen, amateurs and the military. Oh, and there were a few silly technicians, people who wasted their time on science and mathematics, who were occasionally employed by them. Not everyone is so stupid as to waste their time on meaningless science and mathematics. There is nothing wrong with that, but, you should at least be able to understand that the things that we communicate with others through smartphones and computers, which are really no better than pencil and paper anyway, are claimed by arrogant , incompetent, and dishonest mathematicians and scientists to have been exclusively developed by them, when they actually were only peripheral players, anyway. 1 view

From a song by Franz Shubert

Gently flow my distant song, Through the nightfall's tender throng, Down through this sweet encumbrance, To my darling, my sweet romance. Tender treetops whispering softly, In the moonlight's chilly stream, So, my darling, fearful traitor hostily, Shall ne'er be seen. You hear the nightingale calling? My, how flees you, she! By my tones enthralling,  Sweetheart, flee to me! You understand my bosom's visions, You know the pains of love, Sweeten with silver tones My heart like a dove. Let your breast be set in motion, Hear me, sweetheart dear! Trembling I await thy vision! Come, reward my devotion!

Why we are ruled by pathological liars

Why we are ruled by pathological liars Deception is a very powerful technique for social manipulation. So, all professionals — doctors, lawyers, politicians, engineers, scientists, mathematicians, and, of course, businessmen — tend to be pathological liars. They have to be, to control people. In a sense, you could see all professional activity as being the direct lineal descendant of the priest/witch doctor who ruled tribal society. And, he was above all, a brilliant social manipulator. He probably was right sometimes. However, most of the time, he was wrong. But, he couldn’t ever admit that now, could he? Because then, nobody would trust or believe him now, would they? So, his greatest and most powerful skill, was lying systematically about everything, and anything, to try to convince people that only he truly understood reality, and could make everyone safe, and comfortable. These days, of course, we say that the priests of the past were pathological liars, but, now, we have the marvelous “scientific method” that guarantees progress and truth. This is total nonsense, of course. Christians thought the Bible guaranteed progress and truth, as do the religious leaders of all the world’s other religions, regarding their own sacred religious texts. Communists did, and do, think the works of Karl Marx guarantee progress and truth. Russians think a strong Russian leader guarantees progress and truth. Americans think the US Constitution guarantees progress and truth. Englishmen think their King guarantees progress and truth. The Japanese think their emperor guarantees progress and truth. etc. etc. etc. And, all of this, is complete and total nonsense. Actually, progress and truth are extremely rare indeed. You may never experience them at all, in your lifetime. There is trial and error, there is luck, and, unfortunately, that’s about it. All the bureaucracies and educational institutions guaranteeing progress and truth are lying their bloody heads off!

Our new commander-in-chief is a senile serial felon in diapers : Republicans cannot pass legislation with just a 221-214 majority in the House. There is no American government!

Many Republicans, particularly senile salesman Donald Trump, are claiming there is now a "mandate" for change. They are claiming that they will pass huge tax cuts, they are claiming that they will deport tens of millions of undocumented immigrants, they are claiming that they will "clean up the swamp" of the Federal government, they are claiming they will bring peace to the world through strength, they are claiming that they will grow the American economy, create jobs, and Americans will all be more prosperous. None of this can possibly happen, of course. The first thing to bear in mind, is that Donald Trump is a senile serial felon in diapers, the military cannot possibly trust him with state secrets, and, they won't. Trump will be systematically ignored by all military commanders, including, and perhaps especially, those he actually appoints, himself. Trump simply hasn't much of a knack for maintaining relationships, you see. And, the military knows, that with their lives on the line, they simply cannot trust a senile, cowardly, bully and loser like Donald Trump! So, effectively, Trump's impact on foreign policy will be minimal, other than the fact that the US will not be supporting Ukraine during his administration. That's OK, the EU has plenty of resources, and, they can certainly take up the slack. No problem! The Russo-Ukraine war will continue, as before, more or less, anyway. The conflicts in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas, and Israel and Iran, will continue more or less as before, effectively unchanged. Not surprisingly, given what a useless loser managed to win the US election by 4%, the voters didn't give him any congressional mandate, at all. Despite there being twice as many Democrats up for reelection, the Republicans managed only 4 pickups, giving them a rather modest 53-47 majority in the Senate. It takes 60 seats to break a filibuster, effectively meaning the Republicans in the Senate are rather limited in terms of what they can do. As for the House, with just a 221-214 majority, they can't do anything at all without Democratic assistance. Bear in mind, House members all have to go to the voters every two years, so, effectively, the leadership has no control over them at all, they're too beholden to the voters, and have to be campaigning, all the time. There's no possibility of every single Republican wanting to further increase the deficit with further tax cuts, let alone corporate tax cuts. So, further tax cuts are off the table. The Republican leadership will blame the Democrats, of course, but, further tax cuts will be off the table, and, that's fine with most of the Republicans. Even the renewal of the tax cuts from the first Trump Presidency are unlikely to be renewed, the deficit is just too big already. We need tax increases, and, we will get tax increases. Of course, the Republicans will blame the Democrats for that, but, who really cares? Since Republicans are rather a big part of the "swamp" of the federal government, they are very unlikely to cooperate at all with "cleaning it up". Trump is too senile to do much more than drool these days, so, don't expect him to be able to do much with the "bully pulpit", he'll simply be ignored, most of the time anyway. No significant changes are to be expected from the Republicans in the next few years with regard to the structure of the federal government. And, of course, there is the much touted deportation of tens of millions of undocumented immigrants, most of whom are gainfully employed as cheap labor throughout the American economy. Racist conservative Americans hate these people because, of course, they have to hate someone. Anyone! However, there has never been the slightest possibility that any US Congress, of any composition, would or could ever pay for the trillions of dollars required to do this, let alone risk the implied consequences of all out civil war involved. So, mass deportations are dead on arrival. Ain't a gonna happen! As for the US economy, who knows? It will have its ups and downs, as it always does. Americans have happily elected a non-government, with no mandate to do anything whatsoever. So be it! Most Americans are anarchists, anyway, aren't they?

Elon Musk has become a born again Christian! Isn't that comforting?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/once-atheist-hero-elon-musk-155640603.html