“We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert.” –J. Robert Oppenheimer
U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to board Marine One with first lady Melania Trump en route to his Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida following the release of the Mueller report at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 18, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria – RC1F20A769B0
AND our beautiful REALFLOTUS.
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
Please forgive us, Wheatie, we did not know That you had left us with armor in tow We had no idea with what you dealt We did not know the pain you felt And now we can only imagine With you what really did happen Cause rarely did you complain And/or share your personal pain Of one thing we are most certain You are flying high behind the curtain Watching over us above the crowds Our Warrior Angel above the clouds Thank You, Wheatie, for caring for us While you were here among the fuss We miss you dear you have no idea Since time began in the pangaea With you there was no time In your wisdom you would chime To clarify and magnify The what where how and why We did not question when you left We were not slightly bereft But over time we wondered why You did not at least stop by Now we know where you have gone With the break of this new dawn We could be angry but are not Tho with an arrow we’ve been shot Rest peacefully Warrior Angel dear Send us a sign that you are near A butterfly a flower a kiss of rain From your love do not refrain God sends Angels to watch over us And now we have an Angel Plus A Warrior Angel of Magnificence From today and forward hence
Boilerplate, more or less, but worth reading again and again, if only for the minor changes, and to stay out of moderation.
MINOR CHANGE NUMBER 1
Never talk about committing violence in a reply to Wolf or in response to anything Wolf has said, or you may get put into moderation so that your comments can be screened. This is ONLY because DHS is now playing door-knock Gestapo with people who have spoken at school board meetings, made public comments, etc. DHS regime jackboots are knocking on doors of school board mama bears and stupidly insinuating potential violence from things people say or don’t say on social media. A guy in Ohio pointed his FINGER at the school board, and they went after him, armed with pictures of the pointing, and screen captures of online comments. Yeah.
SO – give the Nazis ZERO ammo. Keep any mention of violence, even joking, away from Wolf, so that he doesn’t have to “explain” humor to humorless jackboots who pretend not to know things.
As for discussion of “violent humor” among yourselves (e.g., “#TeamHeadsOnPikes”), just use whatever discretion you think is appropriate for yourselves. I will only put you in moderation if your comments create problems for ME or THIS SITE, but not if they only impact you.
YOU are responsible for your own comments, if they come knocking. YOUR choice. Just remember this…..
OTHER THAN THAT…….
The bottom line is Free Speech. Theories and ideas you don’t agree with must be WELCOME here, and you must be part of that welcoming. But you do NOT need to be part of any agreement.
Bottom line – respect other people’s FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
Our only additional requirement is that you do so NICELY. Or at least try to make some effort in that direction.
SO….. [ENGAGE BOILERPLATE…..]
We must endeavor to persevere to love our frenemies – even here.
Those who cannot deal with this easy requirement will be forced to jump the hoops of moderation, so that specific comments impugning other posters and violating the minimal rules can be sorted out and tossed in the trash.
In Wheatie’s words, “We’re on the same side here so let’s not engage in friendly fire.”
That includes the life skill of just ignoring certain other posters.
We do have a site – The U Tree – where civility is not a requirement. Interestingly, people don’t really go there much. Nevertheless, if you find yourself in an “argument” that can’t really stay civil, please feel free to “take it to the U Tree”. The U Tree is also a good place to report any technical difficulties, if you’re unable to report them here. Please post your comment there on one of Wolf’s posts, or in reply to one of Wolf’s comments, to make sure he sees it (though it may take a few hours).
We also have a backup site, called The Q Tree as well, which is really The Q Tree 579486807. You might call it “Second Tree”. The URL for that site is https://theqtree579486807.wordpress.com/. If this site (theqtree.com) ever goes down, please reassemble at the Second Tree.
If the Second Tree goes down, please go to The U Tree, or to our Gab Group, which is located at https://gab.com/groups/4178.
We also have some “old rules” and important guidelines, outlined here, in a very early post, on our first New Year’s Day, in 2019. The main point is not to make violent threats against people, which then have to be taken seriously by law enforcement, and which can be used as a PRETEXT by enemies of this site.
In the words of Wheatie, “Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.”
A Moment of Prayer
Our policy on extreme religious freedom on this site is discussed HERE. Please feel free to pray and praise God anytime and anywhere.
Thus, please pray for our real President, the one who actually won the election.
You may also pray for our nation, our world, and even our enemies.
Musical Interlude
In honor of dear Wheatie, we now present some music to soothe, inspire, invigorate, or relax.
Here are three “placeholder” videos, selected from old Wheatie posts.
Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces.
Daily outrage and epic phuckery abound.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has assigned John Lausch, the U.S. attorney in Chicago, to review the classified papers and determine how they ended up at the Penn Biden Center.https://t.co/ADRJf3Cxch
U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to board Marine One with first lady Melania Trump en route to his Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida following the release of the Mueller report at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 18, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria – RC1F20A769B0
AND our beautiful REALFLOTUS.
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
Please forgive us, Wheatie, we did not know That you had left us with armor in tow We had no idea with what you dealt We did not know the pain you felt And now we can only imagine With you what really did happen Cause rarely did you complain And/or share your personal pain Of one thing we are most certain You are flying high behind the curtain Watching over us above the crowds Our Warrior Angel above the clouds Thank You, Wheatie, for caring for us While you were here among the fuss We miss you dear you have no idea Since time began in the pangaea With you there was no time In your wisdom you would chime To clarify and magnify The what where how and why We did not question when you left We were not slightly bereft But over time we wondered why You did not at least stop by Now we know where you have gone With the break of this new dawn We could be angry but are not Tho with an arrow we’ve been shot Rest peacefully Warrior Angel dear Send us a sign that you are near A butterfly a flower a kiss of rain From your love do not refrain God sends Angels to watch over us And now we have an Angel Plus A Warrior Angel of Magnificence From today and forward hence
Boilerplate, more or less, but worth reading again and again, if only for the minor changes, and to stay out of moderation.
MINOR CHANGE NUMBER 1
Never talk about committing violence in a reply to Wolf or in response to anything Wolf has said, or you may get put into moderation so that your comments can be screened. This is ONLY because DHS is now playing door-knock Gestapo with people who have spoken at school board meetings, made public comments, etc. DHS regime jackboots are knocking on doors of school board mama bears and stupidly insinuating potential violence from things people say or don’t say on social media. A guy in Ohio pointed his FINGER at the school board, and they went after him, armed with pictures of the pointing, and screen captures of online comments. Yeah.
SO – give the Nazis ZERO ammo. Keep any mention of violence, even joking, away from Wolf, so that he doesn’t have to “explain” humor to humorless jackboots who pretend not to know things.
As for discussion of “violent humor” among yourselves (e.g., “#TeamHeadsOnPikes”), just use whatever discretion you think is appropriate for yourselves. I will only put you in moderation if your comments create problems for ME or THIS SITE, but not if they only impact you.
YOU are responsible for your own comments, if they come knocking. YOUR choice. Just remember this…..
OTHER THAN THAT…….
The bottom line is Free Speech. Theories and ideas you don’t agree with must be WELCOME here, and you must be part of that welcoming. But you do NOT need to be part of any agreement.
Bottom line – respect other people’s FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
Our only additional requirement is that you do so NICELY. Or at least try to make some effort in that direction.
SO….. [ENGAGE BOILERPLATE…..]
We must endeavor to persevere to love our frenemies – even here.
Those who cannot deal with this easy requirement will be forced to jump the hoops of moderation, so that specific comments impugning other posters and violating the minimal rules can be sorted out and tossed in the trash.
In Wheatie’s words, “We’re on the same side here so let’s not engage in friendly fire.”
That includes the life skill of just ignoring certain other posters.
We do have a site – The U Tree – where civility is not a requirement. Interestingly, people don’t really go there much. Nevertheless, if you find yourself in an “argument” that can’t really stay civil, please feel free to “take it to the U Tree”. The U Tree is also a good place to report any technical difficulties, if you’re unable to report them here. Please post your comment there on one of Wolf’s posts, or in reply to one of Wolf’s comments, to make sure he sees it (though it may take a few hours).
We also have a backup site, called The Q Tree as well, which is really The Q Tree 579486807. You might call it “Second Tree”. The URL for that site is https://theqtree579486807.wordpress.com/. If this site (theqtree.com) ever goes down, please reassemble at the Second Tree.
If the Second Tree goes down, please go to The U Tree, or to our Gab Group, which is located at https://gab.com/groups/4178.
We also have some “old rules” and important guidelines, outlined here, in a very early post, on our first New Year’s Day, in 2019. The main point is not to make violent threats against people, which then have to be taken seriously by law enforcement, and which can be used as a PRETEXT by enemies of this site.
In the words of Wheatie, “Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.”
A Moment of Prayer
Our policy on extreme religious freedom on this site is discussed HERE. Please feel free to pray and praise God anytime and anywhere.
Thus, please pray for our real President, the one who actually won the election.
You may also pray for our nation, our world, and even our enemies.
Musical Interlude
In honor of dear Wheatie, we now present some music to soothe, inspire, invigorate, or relax.
Here are three “placeholder” videos, selected from old Wheatie posts.
Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces.
Daily outrage and epic phuckery abound.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has assigned John Lausch, the U.S. attorney in Chicago, to review the classified papers and determine how they ended up at the Penn Biden Center.https://t.co/ADRJf3Cxch
Just remember…we might replace the RINO candidates. (Or we might not. The record is mixed even though there is more MAGA than there used to be.) But that will make no difference in the long run if the party officials, basically the Rhonna McDaniels (or however that’s spelled–I suspect it’s RINO), don’t get replaced.
State party chairs, vice chairs, secretaries and so on, and the same at county levels, have huge influence on who ultimately gets nominated, and if these party wheelhorses are RINOs, they will work tirelessly to put their own pukey people on the ballot. In fact I’d not be surprised if some of our “MAGA” candidates are in fact, RINO plants, encouraged to run by the RINO party leadership when they realized that Lyn Cheney (and her ilk) were hopelessly compromised as effective candidates. The best way for them to deal with the opposition, of course, is to run it themselves.
Running good candidates is only HALF of the battle!
SPECIAL SECTION: Message For Our “Friends” In The Middle Kingdom
I normally save this for near the end, but…basically…up your shit-kicking barbarian asses. Yes, barbarian! It took a bunch of sailors in Western Asia to invent a real alphabet instead of badly drawn cartoons to write with. So much for your “civilization.”
Yeah, the WORLD noticed you had to borrow the Latin alphabet to make Pinyin. Like with every other idea you had to steal from us “Foreign Devils” since you rammed your heads up your asses five centuries ago, you sure managed to bastardize it badly in the process.
Have you stopped eating bats yet? Are you shit-kickers still sleeping with farm animals?
Or maybe even just had the slightest inkling of treating lives as something you don’t just casually dispose of?
中国是个混蛋 !!! Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!! China is asshoe !!!
And here’s my response to barbarian “asshoes” like you:
OK, with that rant out of my system…
Biden Gives Us Too Much Credit
…we can move on to the next one.
Apparently Biden (or his puppeteer) has decided we’re to blame for all of the fail in the United States today.
Sorry to disappoint you Joe (or whoever), but you managed to do that all on your own; not only that, you wouldn’t let us NOT give you the chance because you insisted on cheating your way into power.
Yep, you-all are incompetent, and so proud of it you expect our applause for your sincerity. Fuck that!!
It wouldn’t be so bad, but you insist that everyone else have to share in your misery. Nope, can’t have anyone get out from under it. Somehow your grand vision only works if every single other person on earth is forced to go along. So much as ONE PERSON not going along is enough to make it all fail, apparently.
In engineering school we’re taught that a design that has seven to eight billion single points of failure…sucks.
Actually, we weren’t taught that. Because it would never have occurred to the professors to use such a ridiculous example.
Justice Must Be Done.
The prior election must be acknowledged as fraudulent, and steps must be taken to prosecute the fraudsters and restore integrity to the system.
Nothing else matters at this point. Talking about trying again in 2022 or 2024 is hopeless otherwise. Which is not to say one must never talk about this, but rather that one must account for this in ones planning; if fixing the fraud is not part of the plan, you have no plan.
Kamala Harris has a new nickname since she finally went west from DC to El Paso Texas: Westward Hoe.
Lawyer Appeasement Section
OK now for the fine print.
This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Poltical correctness, but civility is a requirement. There are Important Guidelines, here, with an addendum on 20191110.
We have a new board – called The U Tree – where people can take each other to the woodshed without fear of censorship or moderation.
And remember Wheatie’s Rules:
1. No food fights 2. No running with scissors. 3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone. 4. Zeroth rule of gun safety: Don’t let the government get your guns. 5. Rule one of gun safety: The gun is always loaded. 5a. If you actually want the gun to be loaded, like because you’re checking out a bump in the night, then it’s empty. 6. Rule two of gun safety: Never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy. 7. Rule three: Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. 8. Rule the fourth: Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
(Hmm a few extras seem to have crept in.)
Spot Prices
All prices are Kitco Ask, 3PM MT Friday (at that time the markets close for the weekend).
After dropping substantially earlier this week, gold reversed course by Thursday and spent most of Friday getting close to $2,000 but not over, then dropping down again. It ended up net down -15.20 for the day, which means it was over 1990 at close yesterday. I can’t see it going down much, honestly; the dollar is circulating the drain, and to keep it from going down the drain they would have to crater the economy. Because our “betters” play stupid games with the currency…we all win stupid prizes.
Galilean Relativity
Well, let’s give this a go, on short notice.
I like to write a first draft of science posts a couple of days beforehand. I’ll then come back in a couple of days and see a much better way of organizing it, or perhaps a more useful analogy, or other things like that.
I don’t have that luxury today; it’s 8PM mountain time already. So here’s hoping I’m organized from the get-go, because I am going to give it a go.
I’ve been planning to cover “gravitational slingshots” (the click-baity name) or “gravity assists” since much of what NASA has been doing is utterly dependent on them. That’s going to be a big topic, but I realized I can at least lay some groundwork tonight.
Consider a typical two body problem: some small satellite or even a space probe, and a big honkin’ planet.
I’ve been talking as if the probe orbits a point at the center of the planet. Technically that’s not true. The two bodies both orbit the “barycenter.” That’s basically the center of gravity of the system. Imagine the planet and the satellite on a seesaw, at whatever their “current” distance is. A million miles? five thousand? Ten billion? Whatever.
The barycenter is the point at which you’d want to put the fulcrum of the seesaw.
Now when it’s Earth and, say, a GPS satellite, that point turns out to be so close to the center of the earth that it’s likely immeasurable, because the earth is about 1.5 septillion times more massive than the satellite (6×1024 kilograms versus 4 kilograms; a one with 24 zeros after it is a septillion). And the GPS satellite orbit is about 20,000 km in radius (it’s a circular orbit so we can speak of a radius here).
So the “balance point” between Earth and the satellite is 1/1,500,000,000,000,000,000,000,000th of the way in from one of the ends. Which works out to 13 and a third femtometers. Recall that a femtometer is roughly the size of a proton or neutron; much much much smaller than an atom, and you’ll see the difference between the barycenter and the center of the earth Just. Doesn’t. Matter.
It can matter, though when the two bodies are closer to each other in mass. The sun-Jupiter barycenter is significantly far from the center of the sun (the mass ratio is almost exactly a thousand to one, the sun is almost half a million miles in radius, Jupiter’s orbit is a bit over half a billion miles in radius). In fact the barycenter is actually outside of the sun. Earth and Moon are closer together in mass, but much closer together, so the Earth/Moon barycenter is still a thousand miles or so down below the surface. Pluto and Charon are more nearly the same mass…they’d be a double planet if they were planets. The barycenter of that system is out in space.
When New Horizons was still far out from Pluto it took the pictures that were assembled into the GIF above of Pluto and Charon. The white x marks the barycenter.
OK, so now that I’ve set the record straight and planet and satellite both orbit a barycenter, I’ll now pose a question that is going to sound like it comes completely out of left field.
What if the barycenter is moving?
Take a space probe doing a flyby of a planet. It’s an escape orbit…it’s flying by never to return, so we are talking about a hyperbola. Under the circumstances the barycenter is effectively at the center of the planet.
So what if the planet is moving? They do move you know.
It turns out that this makes absolutely not a shred of difference. The spacecraft will move along a neat hyperbola as seen from the planet, no matter how fast the planet is moving.
The deep reason for this is that one level, it’s meaningless to talk about a planet or a star moving.
Einstein didn’t quite invent the concept of relativity; rather he refined it. Galileo truly originated it, to cover cases where (for instance) you’re in a moving railroad car tossing a ball in the air, and you have no way to tell the railroad car is moving. In fact, you could claim the railroad car is stationary, and the world is moving. As long as the train isn’t accelerating, you will feel like you aren’t moving.
It turns out that all of the mathematics of speed, velocity, and so on, is exactly equivalent no matter whether you regard the train car as stationary and the earth moving, or vice versa. The signs (plus or minus) on all the numbers are different, but the moving objects behave the same way either way. Galileo realized that there’s no absolute motion, only relative motion. The train is moving? Relative to what? The earth? Or the passengers on the train? Or the bug flying into the locomotive’s windshield?
It’s even more true out in space. Who’s moving, and who’s stationary. Is anything stationary?
You pick a frame of reference and go from there. Since they’re all equivalent, pick a convenient one. And it turns out in the case of the spacecraft flying by a planet, the convenient frame of reference is the center of the planet (I mean the barycenter of the planet/spacecraft system…here let me find my atom-sized measuring stick to correct it). In that frame of reference, draw a hyperbola, that’s what the spacecraft does.
Even though the planet is moving in orbit around the sun. Well, from the planet’s point of view the sun is going in circles around the planet.
[I remember in a college class discussing the sun as seen from Earth; the professor described the sun’s apparent path through the sky as if it were in a one year orbit around the earth. He gave us orbital elements just like I discussed a few weeks ago. And it worked, because…Galileo. We could compute where the sun would appear on any particular day. Of course some satellite in a 150,000,000 kilometer orbit around Earth is not going to complete that orbit in a year…not even in a thousand years. So we had to pretend the sun was closer than it is. The reason why is that in analyzing an orbit we need the combined gravitational parameters of the planet and the satellite…but again the satellite’s contribution is twenty or so digits past where you round off, so we don’t bother adding them together. Similarly, with the sun-earth system, the gravitational parameter that matters is the sun’s, not the earth’s; our gravitational parameter is a rounding error. So we can either put the sun closer to the earth for this analysis…or use the sun’s gravitational parameter in place of our own. The prof went with putting the sun closer.]
OK, we’re halfway to understanding the “slingshot.” I can’t say “see you next week” with a perfectly straight face, so I’ll settle for “see you next time.”
[PS: So what did Einstein add? He added that the rules change when the relative velocity between two objects gets close to the speed of light, and later on he incorporated accelerations into the mix–Galileo specifically excluded them.]
Obligatory PSAs and Reminders
China is Lower than Whale Shit
Remember Hong Kong!!!
中国是个混蛋 !!! Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!! China is asshoe !!!
China is in the White House
Since Wednesday, January 20 at Noon EST, the bought-and-paid for His Fraudulency Joseph Biden has been in the White House. It’s as good as having China in the Oval Office.
Joe Biden is Asshoe
China is in the White House, because Joe Biden is in the White House, and Joe Biden is identically equal to China. China is Asshoe. Therefore, Joe Biden is Asshoe.
But of course the much more important thing to realize:
Joe Biden Didn’t Win
乔*拜登没赢 !!! Qiáo Bài dēng méi yíng !!! Joe Biden didn’t win !!!
U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to board Marine One with first lady Melania Trump en route to his Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida following the release of the Mueller report at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 18, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria – RC1F20A769B0
AND our beautiful REALFLOTUS.
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
Please forgive us, Wheatie, we did not know That you had left us with armor in tow We had no idea with what you dealt We did not know the pain you felt And now we can only imagine With you what really did happen Cause rarely did you complain And/or share your personal pain Of one thing we are most certain You are flying high behind the curtain Watching over us above the crowds Our Warrior Angel above the clouds Thank You, Wheatie, for caring for us While you were here among the fuss We miss you dear you have no idea Since time began in the pangaea With you there was no time In your wisdom you would chime To clarify and magnify The what where how and why We did not question when you left We were not slightly bereft But over time we wondered why You did not at least stop by Now we know where you have gone With the break of this new dawn We could be angry but are not Tho with an arrow we’ve been shot Rest peacefully Warrior Angel dear Send us a sign that you are near A butterfly a flower a kiss of rain From your love do not refrain God sends Angels to watch over us And now we have an Angel Plus A Warrior Angel of Magnificence From today and forward hence
Boilerplate, more or less, but worth reading again and again, if only for the minor changes, and to stay out of moderation.
MINOR CHANGE NUMBER 1
Never talk about committing violence in a reply to Wolf or in response to anything Wolf has said, or you may get put into moderation so that your comments can be screened. This is ONLY because DHS is now playing door-knock Gestapo with people who have spoken at school board meetings, made public comments, etc. DHS regime jackboots are knocking on doors of school board mama bears and stupidly insinuating potential violence from things people say or don’t say on social media. A guy in Ohio pointed his FINGER at the school board, and they went after him, armed with pictures of the pointing, and screen captures of online comments. Yeah.
SO – give the Nazis ZERO ammo. Keep any mention of violence, even joking, away from Wolf, so that he doesn’t have to “explain” humor to humorless jackboots who pretend not to know things.
As for discussion of “violent humor” among yourselves (e.g., “#TeamHeadsOnPikes”), just use whatever discretion you think is appropriate for yourselves. I will only put you in moderation if your comments create problems for ME or THIS SITE, but not if they only impact you.
YOU are responsible for your own comments, if they come knocking. YOUR choice. Just remember this…..
OTHER THAN THAT…….
The bottom line is Free Speech. Theories and ideas you don’t agree with must be WELCOME here, and you must be part of that welcoming. But you do NOT need to be part of any agreement.
Bottom line – respect other people’s FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
Our only additional requirement is that you do so NICELY. Or at least try to make some effort in that direction.
SO….. [ENGAGE BOILERPLATE…..]
We must endeavor to persevere to love our frenemies – even here.
Those who cannot deal with this easy requirement will be forced to jump the hoops of moderation, so that specific comments impugning other posters and violating the minimal rules can be sorted out and tossed in the trash.
In Wheatie’s words, “We’re on the same side here so let’s not engage in friendly fire.”
That includes the life skill of just ignoring certain other posters.
We do have a site – The U Tree – where civility is not a requirement. Interestingly, people don’t really go there much. Nevertheless, if you find yourself in an “argument” that can’t really stay civil, please feel free to “take it to the U Tree”. The U Tree is also a good place to report any technical difficulties, if you’re unable to report them here. Please post your comment there on one of Wolf’s posts, or in reply to one of Wolf’s comments, to make sure he sees it (though it may take a few hours).
We also have a backup site, called The Q Tree as well, which is really The Q Tree 579486807. You might call it “Second Tree”. The URL for that site is https://theqtree579486807.wordpress.com/. If this site (theqtree.com) ever goes down, please reassemble at the Second Tree.
If the Second Tree goes down, please go to The U Tree, or to our Gab Group, which is located at https://gab.com/groups/4178.
We also have some “old rules” and important guidelines, outlined here, in a very early post, on our first New Year’s Day, in 2019. The main point is not to make violent threats against people, which then have to be taken seriously by law enforcement, and which can be used as a PRETEXT by enemies of this site.
In the words of Wheatie, “Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.”
A Moment of Prayer
Our policy on extreme religious freedom on this site is discussed HERE. Please feel free to pray and praise God anytime and anywhere.
Thus, please pray for our real President, the one who actually won the election.
You may also pray for our nation, our world, and even our enemies.
Musical Interlude
In honor of dear Wheatie, we now present some music to soothe, inspire, invigorate, or relax.
Here are three “placeholder” videos, selected from old Wheatie posts.
Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces.
Daily outrage and epic phuckery abound.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has assigned John Lausch, the U.S. attorney in Chicago, to review the classified papers and determine how they ended up at the Penn Biden Center.https://t.co/ADRJf3Cxch
U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to board Marine One with first lady Melania Trump en route to his Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida following the release of the Mueller report at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 18, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria – RC1F20A769B0
AND our beautiful REALFLOTUS.
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
Please forgive us, Wheatie, we did not know That you had left us with armor in tow We had no idea with what you dealt We did not know the pain you felt And now we can only imagine With you what really did happen Cause rarely did you complain And/or share your personal pain Of one thing we are most certain You are flying high behind the curtain Watching over us above the crowds Our Warrior Angel above the clouds Thank You, Wheatie, for caring for us While you were here among the fuss We miss you dear you have no idea Since time began in the pangaea With you there was no time In your wisdom you would chime To clarify and magnify The what where how and why We did not question when you left We were not slightly bereft But over time we wondered why You did not at least stop by Now we know where you have gone With the break of this new dawn We could be angry but are not Tho with an arrow we’ve been shot Rest peacefully Warrior Angel dear Send us a sign that you are near A butterfly a flower a kiss of rain From your love do not refrain God sends Angels to watch over us And now we have an Angel Plus A Warrior Angel of Magnificence From today and forward hence
Boilerplate, more or less, but worth reading again and again, if only for the minor changes, and to stay out of moderation.
MINOR CHANGE NUMBER 1
Never talk about committing violence in a reply to Wolf or in response to anything Wolf has said, or you may get put into moderation so that your comments can be screened. This is ONLY because DHS is now playing door-knock Gestapo with people who have spoken at school board meetings, made public comments, etc. DHS regime jackboots are knocking on doors of school board mama bears and stupidly insinuating potential violence from things people say or don’t say on social media. A guy in Ohio pointed his FINGER at the school board, and they went after him, armed with pictures of the pointing, and screen captures of online comments. Yeah.
SO – give the Nazis ZERO ammo. Keep any mention of violence, even joking, away from Wolf, so that he doesn’t have to “explain” humor to humorless jackboots who pretend not to know things.
As for discussion of “violent humor” among yourselves (e.g., “#TeamHeadsOnPikes”), just use whatever discretion you think is appropriate for yourselves. I will only put you in moderation if your comments create problems for ME or THIS SITE, but not if they only impact you.
YOU are responsible for your own comments, if they come knocking. YOUR choice. Just remember this…..
OTHER THAN THAT…….
The bottom line is Free Speech. Theories and ideas you don’t agree with must be WELCOME here, and you must be part of that welcoming. But you do NOT need to be part of any agreement.
Bottom line – respect other people’s FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
Our only additional requirement is that you do so NICELY. Or at least try to make some effort in that direction.
SO….. [ENGAGE BOILERPLATE…..]
We must endeavor to persevere to love our frenemies – even here.
Those who cannot deal with this easy requirement will be forced to jump the hoops of moderation, so that specific comments impugning other posters and violating the minimal rules can be sorted out and tossed in the trash.
In Wheatie’s words, “We’re on the same side here so let’s not engage in friendly fire.”
That includes the life skill of just ignoring certain other posters.
We do have a site – The U Tree – where civility is not a requirement. Interestingly, people don’t really go there much. Nevertheless, if you find yourself in an “argument” that can’t really stay civil, please feel free to “take it to the U Tree”. The U Tree is also a good place to report any technical difficulties, if you’re unable to report them here. Please post your comment there on one of Wolf’s posts, or in reply to one of Wolf’s comments, to make sure he sees it (though it may take a few hours).
We also have a backup site, called The Q Tree as well, which is really The Q Tree 579486807. You might call it “Second Tree”. The URL for that site is https://theqtree579486807.wordpress.com/. If this site (theqtree.com) ever goes down, please reassemble at the Second Tree.
If the Second Tree goes down, please go to The U Tree, or to our Gab Group, which is located at https://gab.com/groups/4178.
We also have some “old rules” and important guidelines, outlined here, in a very early post, on our first New Year’s Day, in 2019. The main point is not to make violent threats against people, which then have to be taken seriously by law enforcement, and which can be used as a PRETEXT by enemies of this site.
In the words of Wheatie, “Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.”
A Moment of Prayer
Our policy on extreme religious freedom on this site is discussed HERE. Please feel free to pray and praise God anytime and anywhere.
Thus, please pray for our real President, the one who actually won the election.
You may also pray for our nation, our world, and even our enemies.
Musical Interlude
In honor of dear Wheatie, we now present some music to soothe, inspire, invigorate, or relax.
Here are three “placeholder” videos, selected from old Wheatie posts.
Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces.
Daily outrage and epic phuckery abound.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has assigned John Lausch, the U.S. attorney in Chicago, to review the classified papers and determine how they ended up at the Penn Biden Center.https://t.co/ADRJf3Cxch
U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to board Marine One with first lady Melania Trump en route to his Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida following the release of the Mueller report at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 18, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria – RC1F20A769B0
AND our beautiful REALFLOTUS.
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
Please forgive us, Wheatie, we did not know That you had left us with armor in tow We had no idea with what you dealt We did not know the pain you felt And now we can only imagine With you what really did happen Cause rarely did you complain And/or share your personal pain Of one thing we are most certain You are flying high behind the curtain Watching over us above the crowds Our Warrior Angel above the clouds Thank You, Wheatie, for caring for us While you were here among the fuss We miss you dear you have no idea Since time began in the pangaea With you there was no time In your wisdom you would chime To clarify and magnify The what where how and why We did not question when you left We were not slightly bereft But over time we wondered why You did not at least stop by Now we know where you have gone With the break of this new dawn We could be angry but are not Tho with an arrow we’ve been shot Rest peacefully Warrior Angel dear Send us a sign that you are near A butterfly a flower a kiss of rain From your love do not refrain God sends Angels to watch over us And now we have an Angel Plus A Warrior Angel of Magnificence From today and forward hence
Boilerplate, more or less, but worth reading again and again, if only for the minor changes, and to stay out of moderation.
MINOR CHANGE NUMBER 1
Never talk about committing violence in a reply to Wolf or in response to anything Wolf has said, or you may get put into moderation so that your comments can be screened. This is ONLY because DHS is now playing door-knock Gestapo with people who have spoken at school board meetings, made public comments, etc. DHS regime jackboots are knocking on doors of school board mama bears and stupidly insinuating potential violence from things people say or don’t say on social media. A guy in Ohio pointed his FINGER at the school board, and they went after him, armed with pictures of the pointing, and screen captures of online comments. Yeah.
SO – give the Nazis ZERO ammo. Keep any mention of violence, even joking, away from Wolf, so that he doesn’t have to “explain” humor to humorless jackboots who pretend not to know things.
As for discussion of “violent humor” among yourselves (e.g., “#TeamHeadsOnPikes”), just use whatever discretion you think is appropriate for yourselves. I will only put you in moderation if your comments create problems for ME or THIS SITE, but not if they only impact you.
YOU are responsible for your own comments, if they come knocking. YOUR choice. Just remember this…..
OTHER THAN THAT…….
The bottom line is Free Speech. Theories and ideas you don’t agree with must be WELCOME here, and you must be part of that welcoming. But you do NOT need to be part of any agreement.
Bottom line – respect other people’s FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
Our only additional requirement is that you do so NICELY. Or at least try to make some effort in that direction.
SO….. [ENGAGE BOILERPLATE…..]
We must endeavor to persevere to love our frenemies – even here.
Those who cannot deal with this easy requirement will be forced to jump the hoops of moderation, so that specific comments impugning other posters and violating the minimal rules can be sorted out and tossed in the trash.
In Wheatie’s words, “We’re on the same side here so let’s not engage in friendly fire.”
That includes the life skill of just ignoring certain other posters.
We do have a site – The U Tree – where civility is not a requirement. Interestingly, people don’t really go there much. Nevertheless, if you find yourself in an “argument” that can’t really stay civil, please feel free to “take it to the U Tree”. The U Tree is also a good place to report any technical difficulties, if you’re unable to report them here. Please post your comment there on one of Wolf’s posts, or in reply to one of Wolf’s comments, to make sure he sees it (though it may take a few hours).
We also have a backup site, called The Q Tree as well, which is really The Q Tree 579486807. You might call it “Second Tree”. The URL for that site is https://theqtree579486807.wordpress.com/. If this site (theqtree.com) ever goes down, please reassemble at the Second Tree.
If the Second Tree goes down, please go to The U Tree, or to our Gab Group, which is located at https://gab.com/groups/4178.
We also have some “old rules” and important guidelines, outlined here, in a very early post, on our first New Year’s Day, in 2019. The main point is not to make violent threats against people, which then have to be taken seriously by law enforcement, and which can be used as a PRETEXT by enemies of this site.
In the words of Wheatie, “Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.”
A Moment of Prayer
Our policy on extreme religious freedom on this site is discussed HERE. Please feel free to pray and praise God anytime and anywhere.
Thus, please pray for our real President, the one who actually won the election.
You may also pray for our nation, our world, and even our enemies.
Musical Interlude
In honor of dear Wheatie, we now present some music to soothe, inspire, invigorate, or relax.
Here are three “placeholder” videos, selected from old Wheatie posts.
Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces.
Daily outrage and epic phuckery abound.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has assigned John Lausch, the U.S. attorney in Chicago, to review the classified papers and determine how they ended up at the Penn Biden Center.https://t.co/ADRJf3Cxch
Spring 2023 is Now a “GO” – Expect Da Woof to be Gone for Weeks at a Time
I have for you all, what is likely both good news and bad news.
The good news is that we are prepared for periods of my extended absence from this place.
The bad news is that there are no more “dry runs” – the time is here.
I waited to deliver this message until the first of March, to make sure that everything was a “go” for my spring plans, and as of now, it’s all a go.
I anticipated needing to take off from here for multiple reasons on multiple occasions, but all of that really depended on certain things happening, and they did, and there will not be any backing out of those things now, so….
HERE WE GO.
For the next four months, I will be checking in here FOR SURE every week or two – at most THREE WEEKS – and I will try to check in more often if I can. However, it is better for various reasons if I don’t check in under some circumstances. Thus, if I’m away for a while, and not checking in, it’s a good thing. It means things are going as expected. If I’m gone for a month, you are officially allowed to worry. Three weeks will be unlikely. The Nervous Nellies can start worrying at 3 weeks.
This is going to go on for March, April, May and June. Possibly July, but probably not. You’re just not going to see much of me for much of the time.
Because of the way notifications work, and the way important things can get buried under newer notifications, the easiest way to contact me (and me alone) is to do a PRIVATE MESSAGE TO WOLF (using underscores instead of spaces) on one of MY posts, such as the Monday Open.
Even Mona Lisa had to get through Mondays.
Contacting me is explained in more depth on the Contact Page.
If you want Deplorable Patriot, Bakocarl, SteveInCO, or another author to ALSO see your message (say it’s some kind of emergency, particularly on THEIR thread), then do a PMTW reply on one of THEIR threads. That private message will be seen by BOTH OF US, but not by other authors.
I ask authors to leave any moderated messages (including PMTW) up, and don’t delete them. I’ll deal with them the next time I’m back on the site.
In Case of Disaster
There is a possibility that the site will go down completely – particularly during troubled times like we are currently in. Dementia Joe and KlauSS SSchwab are not making things easy for this site. I can’t go into all the details, but we’ve already had to deal with their crap at several junctures, in part due to “global” concerns, and there could easily be new junctures.
Just add mushroom clouds.
In the event of disaster, there are multiple options.
You should note, however, that most of these options are on WORDPRESS DOT COM, and are dependent on that site being both UP and allowing our discussion. If wordpress-dot-com is brought down, for any reason foreign or domestic, then ALL of these options except GAB go down with it.
So if you’re looking for another denizen from here, look in all of these places.
For continuity of this site, the backup site is most likely to find new daily threads.
When I next return to the site, I’ll do whatever fixes are needed. Until then, you are allowed to enjoy your vacation elsewhere!
Suggestions (Not Orders) During My Absence
So what can you all do to make things easier?
Be civil to each other, and even better, KIND
Be especially civil in REPLYING to each other
Avoid picking sides in personal disputes
Yet never refraining from speaking the truth
Take a breather on another site if things get hot
Send me a “bat signal” if things are getting out of hand
Yet try to solve things socially – try to “work things out”
Remember that this site is for sharing information
Nobody is required to be “balanced” – YOU provide balance – with a civil tongue
Bad information is subject to correction, which is encouraged
Be careful in discussing violence, as we have always stated
Yet don’t shy away from discussing the need for crimes to be punished, and for good people to stop tolerating criminality in government, and in government-protected criminal groups, organizations, and classes of people.
BE FEARLESS IN TRUTH.
Other than that, I wish you GODSPEED, Vaya con Dios, and GOD BLESS.
I will see you the next time!
W
All images except Monday Lisa and the Drew family crest composed by Gabby, the Gab image AI located at https://gab.com/ai
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
Please forgive us, Wheatie, we did not know That you had left us with armor in tow We had no idea with what you dealt We did not know the pain you felt And now we can only imagine With you what really did happen Cause rarely did you complain And/or share your personal pain Of one thing we are most certain You are flying high behind the curtain Watching over us above the crowds Our Warrior Angel above the clouds Thank You, Wheatie, for caring for us While you were here among the fuss We miss you dear you have no idea Since time began in the pangaea With you there was no time In your wisdom you would chime To clarify and magnify The what where how and why We did not question when you left We were not slightly bereft But over time we wondered why You did not at least stop by Now we know where you have gone With the break of this new dawn We could be angry but are not Tho with an arrow we’ve been shot Rest peacefully Warrior Angel dear Send us a sign that you are near A butterfly a flower a kiss of rain From your love do not refrain God sends Angels to watch over us And now we have an Angel Plus A Warrior Angel of Magnificence From today and forward hence
Boilerplate, more or less, but worth reading again and again, if only for the minor changes, and to stay out of moderation.
MINOR CHANGE NUMBER 1
Never talk about committing violence in a reply to Wolf or in response to anything Wolf has said, or you may get put into moderation so that your comments can be screened. This is ONLY because DHS is now playing door-knock Gestapo with people who have spoken at school board meetings, made public comments, etc. DHS regime jackboots are knocking on doors of school board mama bears and stupidly insinuating potential violence from things people say or don’t say on social media. A guy in Ohio pointed his FINGER at the school board, and they went after him, armed with pictures of the pointing, and screen captures of online comments. Yeah.
SO – give the Nazis ZERO ammo. Keep any mention of violence, even joking, away from Wolf, so that he doesn’t have to “explain” humor to humorless jackboots who pretend not to know things.
As for discussion of “violent humor” among yourselves (e.g., “#TeamHeadsOnPikes”), just use whatever discretion you think is appropriate for yourselves. I will only put you in moderation if your comments create problems for ME or THIS SITE, but not if they only impact you.
YOU are responsible for your own comments, if they come knocking. YOUR choice. Just remember this…..
OTHER THAN THAT…….
The bottom line is Free Speech. Theories and ideas you don’t agree with must be WELCOME here, and you must be part of that welcoming. But you do NOT need to be part of any agreement.
Bottom line – respect other people’s FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
Our only additional requirement is that you do so NICELY. Or at least try to make some effort in that direction.
SO….. [ENGAGE BOILERPLATE…..]
We must endeavor to persevere to love our frenemies – even here.
Those who cannot deal with this easy requirement will be forced to jump the hoops of moderation, so that specific comments impugning other posters and violating the minimal rules can be sorted out and tossed in the trash.
In Wheatie’s words, “We’re on the same side here so let’s not engage in friendly fire.”
That includes the life skill of just ignoring certain other posters.
We do have a site – The U Tree – where civility is not a requirement. Interestingly, people don’t really go there much. Nevertheless, if you find yourself in an “argument” that can’t really stay civil, please feel free to “take it to the U Tree”. The U Tree is also a good place to report any technical difficulties, if you’re unable to report them here. Please post your comment there on one of Wolf’s posts, or in reply to one of Wolf’s comments, to make sure he sees it (though it may take a few hours).
We also have a backup site, called The Q Tree as well, which is really The Q Tree 579486807. You might call it “Second Tree”. The URL for that site is https://theqtree579486807.wordpress.com/. If this site (theqtree.com) ever goes down, please reassemble at the Second Tree.
If the Second Tree goes down, please go to The U Tree, or to our Gab Group, which is located at https://gab.com/groups/4178.
We also have some “old rules” and important guidelines, outlined here, in a very early post, on our first New Year’s Day, in 2019. The main point is not to make violent threats against people, which then have to be taken seriously by law enforcement, and which can be used as a PRETEXT by enemies of this site.
In the words of Wheatie, “Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.”
A Moment of Prayer
Our policy on extreme religious freedom on this site is discussed HERE. Please feel free to pray and praise God anytime and anywhere.
Thus, please pray for our real President, the one who actually won the election.
You may also pray for our nation, our world, and even our enemies.
Musical Interlude
In honor of dear Wheatie, we now present some music to soothe, inspire, invigorate, or relax.
First, some “epic orchestral steampunk adventure music”!
OK – now for an awesome mix of ACID ROCK and GEEZER ROCK!
And if you want some rock history which pays brief tribute to Blue Cheer, check this out…..
But after that, I’ve gotta do a deep cleanse!
And here’s one for Litenmaus, Tradebait, and our dearly departed sister from Indian Territory!
OK – gotta do JUST ONE MORE…..
Call To Battle
Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces.
If you noticed your iPhone is charging a little slower recently it may be due to a new setting Apple added in iOS 16.1 — Clean Energy Charging
With it turned on, iOS will only recharge the iPhone's battery when the electrical grid uses cleaner energy sources like solar or wind… pic.twitter.com/ANW3GZwYSd
And we will keep saying Joe Biden didn’t win until we get His Fraudulency out of our White House.
Wolfie’s Wheatie’s Word of the DayYear Week:
cartel
noun
A combination of independent business organizations formed to regulate production, pricing, and marketing of goods by the members.
A combination of independent commercial or industrial enterprises designed to limit competition or fix prices.
A group of independent market participants who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market.
An official agreement between governments at war, especially one concerning the exchange of prisoners.
A written agreement between belligerent nations.
A group of parties, factions, or nations united in a common cause; a bloc.
A combination of political groups for common action.
A group of individuals united in a common cause.
Used in a Sentence:
“I want to be crystal clear. The drugs in this room and the drugs that are flooding Arizona every single day are sourced primarily by one evil entity, the Sinaloa drug cartel,” said Cheri Oz, DEA special agent in charge.
Wait till you find out that @Adrian_Fontes, the man in charge of the 2024 Presidential Election in Arizona, literally did legal work with the Sinaloa Cartel. https://t.co/AIouZPLpZS
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
And yes, it’s Monday…again.
But we WILL get through it!!!
Possibly with some minor philosophical discussions…..
Please forgive us, Wheatie, we did not know That you had left us with armor in tow We had no idea with what you dealt We did not know the pain you felt And now we can only imagine With you what really did happen Cause rarely did you complain And/or share your personal pain Of one thing we are most certain You are flying high behind the curtain Watching over us above the crowds Our Warrior Angel above the clouds Thank You, Wheatie, for caring for us While you were here among the fuss We miss you dear you have no idea Since time began in the pangaea With you there was no time In your wisdom you would chime To clarify and magnify The what where how and why We did not question when you left We were not slightly bereft But over time we wondered why You did not at least stop by Now we know where you have gone With the break of this new dawn We could be angry but are not Tho with an arrow we’ve been shot Rest peacefully Warrior Angel dear Send us a sign that you are near A butterfly a flower a kiss of rain From your love do not refrain God sends Angels to watch over us And now we have an Angel Plus A Warrior Angel of Magnificence From today and forward hence
Boilerplate, more or less, but worth reading again and again, if only for the minor changes, and to stay out of moderation.
MINOR CHANGE NUMBER 1
Never talk about committing violence in a reply to Wolf or in response to anything Wolf has said, or you may get put into moderation so that your comments can be screened. This is ONLY because DHS is now playing door-knock Gestapo with people who have spoken at school board meetings, made public comments, etc. DHS regime jackboots are knocking on doors of school board mama bears and stupidly insinuating potential violence from things people say or don’t say on social media. A guy in Ohio pointed his FINGER at the school board, and they went after him, armed with pictures of the pointing, and screen captures of online comments. Yeah.
SO – give the Nazis ZERO ammo. Keep any mention of violence, even joking, away from Wolf, so that he doesn’t have to “explain” humor to humorless jackboots who pretend not to know things.
As for discussion of “violent humor” among yourselves (e.g., “#TeamHeadsOnPikes”), just use whatever discretion you think is appropriate for yourselves. I will only put you in moderation if your comments create problems for ME or THIS SITE, but not if they only impact you.
YOU are responsible for your own comments, if they come knocking. YOUR choice. Just remember this…..
OTHER THAN THAT…….
The bottom line is Free Speech. Theories and ideas you don’t agree with must be WELCOME here, and you must be part of that welcoming. But you do NOT need to be part of any agreement.
Bottom line – respect other people’s FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
Our only additional requirement is that you do so NICELY. Or at least try to make some effort in that direction.
SO….. [ENGAGE BOILERPLATE…..]
We must endeavor to persevere to love our frenemies – even here.
Those who cannot deal with this easy requirement will be forced to jump the hoops of moderation, so that specific comments impugning other posters and violating the minimal rules can be sorted out and tossed in the trash.
In Wheatie’s words, “We’re on the same side here so let’s not engage in friendly fire.”
That includes the life skill of just ignoring certain other posters.
We do have a site – The U Tree – where civility is not a requirement. Interestingly, people don’t really go there much. Nevertheless, if you find yourself in an “argument” that can’t really stay civil, please feel free to “take it to the U Tree”. The U Tree is also a good place to report any technical difficulties, if you’re unable to report them here. Please post your comment there on one of Wolf’s posts, or in reply to one of Wolf’s comments, to make sure he sees it (though it may take a few hours).
We also have a backup site, called The Q Tree as well, which is really The Q Tree 579486807. You might call it “Second Tree”. The URL for that site is https://theqtree579486807.wordpress.com/. If this site (theqtree.com) ever goes down, please reassemble at the Second Tree.
If the Second Tree goes down, please go to The U Tree, or to our Gab Group, which is located at https://gab.com/groups/4178.
We also have some “old rules” and important guidelines, outlined here, in a very early post, on our first New Year’s Day, in 2019. The main point is not to make violent threats against people, which then have to be taken seriously by law enforcement, and which can be used as a PRETEXT by enemies of this site.
In the words of Wheatie, “Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.”
A Moment of Prayer
Our policy on extreme religious freedom on this site is discussed HERE. Please feel free to pray and praise God anytime and anywhere.
Thus, please pray for our real President, the one who actually won the election.
You may also pray for our nation, our world, and even our enemies.
Musical Interlude
In honor of dear Wheatie, we now present some music to soothe, inspire, invigorate, or relax.
Bringing back some more old tunes from two years ago!
And we will keep saying Joe Biden didn’t win until we get His Fraudulency out of our White House.
Wolfie’s Wheatie’s Word of the DayYear Week:
binary
adjective
Characterized by or consisting of two parts or components; twofold.
Of or relating to a system of numeration having 2 as its base.
Of or relating to a system of encoding data using only 0’s and 1’s.
Perl 5 Definition:
Having to do with numbers represented in base 2. That means there’s basically two numbers: 0 and 1. Also used to describe a file of “nontext”, presumably because such a file makes full use of all the binary bits in its bytes. With the advent of Unicode, this distinction, already suspect, loses even more of its meaning. https://perldoc.perl.org/perlglossary#binary
Woke Definition:
[Gender] Binary – This is the idea that people are born either male or female, with no other ways to identify – a viewpoint that excludes non-binary and transgender people. How can you dismantle this? Add your preferred pronouns to your email signature. That way, you’re helping to normalise gender discussions while signalling that you aren’t making assumptions about how other people identify. Which could potentially be seen as a sort of clicktivism, but we won’t go into that here.
Just remember…we might replace the RINO candidates. (Or we might not. The record is mixed even though there is more MAGA than there used to be.) But that will make no difference in the long run if the party officials, basically the Rhonna McDaniels (or however that’s spelled–I suspect it’s RINO), don’t get replaced.
State party chairs, vice chairs, secretaries and so on, and the same at county levels, have huge influence on who ultimately gets nominated, and if these party wheelhorses are RINOs, they will work tirelessly to put their own pukey people on the ballot. In fact I’d not be surprised if some of our “MAGA” candidates are in fact, RINO plants, encouraged to run by the RINO party leadership when they realized that Lyn Cheney (and her ilk) were hopelessly compromised as effective candidates. The best way for them to deal with the opposition, of course, is to run it themselves.
Running good candidates is only HALF of the battle!
SPECIAL SECTION: Message For Our “Friends” In The Middle Kingdom
I normally save this for near the end, but…basically…up your shit-kicking barbarian asses. Yes, barbarian! It took a bunch of sailors in Western Asia to invent a real alphabet instead of badly drawn cartoons to write with. So much for your “civilization.”
Yeah, the WORLD noticed you had to borrow the Latin alphabet to make Pinyin. Like with every other idea you had to steal from us “Foreign Devils” since you rammed your heads up your asses five centuries ago, you sure managed to bastardize it badly in the process.
Have you stopped eating bats yet? Are you shit-kickers still sleeping with farm animals?
Or maybe even just had the slightest inkling of treating lives as something you don’t just casually dispose of?
中国是个混蛋 !!! Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!! China is asshoe !!!
And here’s my response to barbarian “asshoes” like you:
OK, with that rant out of my system…
Biden Gives Us Too Much Credit
…we can move on to the next one.
Apparently Biden (or his puppeteer) has decided we’re to blame for all of the fail in the United States today.
Sorry to disappoint you Joe (or whoever), but you managed to do that all on your own; not only that, you wouldn’t let us NOT give you the chance because you insisted on cheating your way into power.
Yep, you-all are incompetent, and so proud of it you expect our applause for your sincerity. Fuck that!!
It wouldn’t be so bad, but you insist that everyone else have to share in your misery. Nope, can’t have anyone get out from under it. Somehow your grand vision only works if every single other person on earth is forced to go along. So much as ONE PERSON not going along is enough to make it all fail, apparently.
In engineering school we’re taught that a design that has seven to eight billion single points of failure…sucks.
Actually, we weren’t taught that. Because it would never have occurred to the professors to use such a ridiculous example.
Justice Must Be Done.
The prior election must be acknowledged as fraudulent, and steps must be taken to prosecute the fraudsters and restore integrity to the system.
Nothing else matters at this point. Talking about trying again in 2022 or 2024 is hopeless otherwise. Which is not to say one must never talk about this, but rather that one must account for this in ones planning; if fixing the fraud is not part of the plan, you have no plan.
Kamala Harris has a new nickname since she finally went west from DC to El Paso Texas: Westward Hoe.
Lawyer Appeasement Section
OK now for the fine print.
This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Poltical correctness, but civility is a requirement. There are Important Guidelines, here, with an addendum on 20191110.
We have a new board – called The U Tree – where people can take each other to the woodshed without fear of censorship or moderation.
And remember Wheatie’s Rules:
1. No food fights 2. No running with scissors. 3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone. 4. Zeroth rule of gun safety: Don’t let the government get your guns. 5. Rule one of gun safety: The gun is always loaded. 5a. If you actually want the gun to be loaded, like because you’re checking out a bump in the night, then it’s empty. 6. Rule two of gun safety: Never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy. 7. Rule three: Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. 8. Rule the fourth: Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
(Hmm a few extras seem to have crept in.)
Spot Prices
All prices are Kitco Ask, 3PM MT Friday (at that time the markets close for the weekend).
Everything trending down. I don’t think I’ve seen palladium or rhodium this low in a long, long time. And those are likely to be good economic indicators as their uses are industrial.
Hyperbolic Orbits
We now turn to the remaining two-body case, the hyperbolic orbit. This is the sort of orbit an object is in whenever it is moving at above escape velocity.
You get a hyperbola whenever you slice through both “halves” of a cone. It doesn’t have to be vertically as shown in this diagram, the plane just has to be “vertical” enough in the diagram to not miss one of the two “halves” of the cone.
More formally, it’s going to look like this:
Note that this curve has two parts. An orbit will only be one of these two lines–the other is physically meaningless–and the focus for that line (F1 if it’s the right line, F2 if it’s the left) will be where the primary is. You can sketch a hyperbola by crossing two lines (the asymptotes) as in the diagram, then drawing a curve that never quite reaches the asymptotes (it gets closer and closer without ever reaching it, which is where the term “asymptotic” appears, as in “Trump’s administration asymptotically approached being able to actually arrest one of the people in the Deep State”) on either the left or right side of the X. Actually a not-uncommon trick is to draw a rectangle, make the crossed lines the diagonals of the rectangle, then sketch the hyperbola, with the vertex touching the middle of the sides of the rectangle. That point where it touches (and is closest to the focus) is the vertex and of course corresponds to periapsis. Apoapsis is at the ends of the line…which is infinitely far away. Mathematically speaking one end of the line is infinitely far in the past, the other infinitely far in the future, but of course in reality the object has to have come into being more recently than that, and closer than infinity, too.
Another way to draw a hyperbola is to graph the function 1/x. At 0, it’s undefined (or infinite, if you want to stretch a point), the line drops down from infinity until it reaches x=1, y=1, then zooms off to the right…but never reaches y=0. Though it can get so close you’d never be able to tell it wasn’t straight there. The asymptotes are the X and Y axes, and of course the thing is tilted at a 45 degree angle counterclockwise to the one in the diagram above.
And yet another way is to plot all of the points, whose distance from F1 minus their distance from F2 is some constant…and that constant is the distance between the vertices, or 2a. (And a here functions in many ways identically to the a in an elliptical orbit.) This is weirdly analogous to an ellipse, where the sum of the distances from any point on the ellipse to both foci is 2a.
The net effect of a “flyby” on a hyperbola is the object’s direction of travel is bent at some angle (the angle between the two asymptotes). To try to make this visualizable, imagine you are that object, just zipping along through space. If not interfered with, you’ll go in a straight line, at a constant speed (no friction to slow you down). But as it happens some large object (a star, say) is almost in your path. As you get closer and closer, it is pulling you towards it, so you speed up, and you pull off your path a bit; as you get closer and closer, you move faster and are pulled more and more off that straight line you were moving along. Then you fly past it. At that moment you’ve been bent pretty far off your former straight line path, and you are moving really, really fast. But now the process runs in reverse; the object pulling at you almost from behind slows you down and bends your path even more…but once you’re far away, you’re back to traveling a straight line, and nearly constant speed. But it’s a new straight line; the star bent your path.
You can determine whether or not you are in a hyperbolic orbit by measuring your speed and distance from the primary; just plug that distance into the escape velocity formula from last week; if your speed with respect to the primary is higher than that, you’re in a hyperbolic orbit, and you will escape from that primary. And furthermore, this is the only time you’ll encounter it. (To know the exact trajectory an object will follow, of course we will need its direction at that time, best determined with multiple measurements.)
This was famously demonstrated by ‘Oumuamua, an object that zipped through our solar system in a hyperbolic orbit back in 2017. It came from some other star, or maybe from the interstellar void. It was the first time we detected anything like that. It was discovered by the Pan-STARRS telescope on Maui (which spends a lot of time searching for comets and asteroids). ‘Oumuamua is the Hawai’ian word for “scout,” which was a perfect choice.
Here is a video AND a static diagram.
And here is another view…zoomed out quite a bit, Neptune’s orbit at about 30 AU is visible, whereas before Mars at 1.52 AU is the outer orbit in the diagram above. Mars is red in both diagrams. In the diagram below ‘Oumuamua is about to leave the upper left side of the picture. Also note the vertical lines which help give you a sense of ‘depth’ looking at the picture. The lines end at the plane of the planets’ orbits.
Here, from Wikipedia, are the orbital elements plus a few other things. The “epoch” for this is the 23rd of November 2017. (Other objects will pull on ‘Oumuamua and alter its orbit…I’ll have more to say about that sort of thing in future posts.)
An AU is the average distance between the Earth and the sun, so basically this thing got four times closer to the sun than Earth does; this was inside the orbit of Mercury. Note the inclination, the longitude of the ascening node, the argument of perihelion, all explained in past posts. And the eccentricity is greater than 1, just like for any hyperbola. The kicker, though, is the average orbital speed…26.33 kilometers per second. But that was its speed “way out there” (‘Oumuamua will spend 99.99999999999% of its existence out there) not its speed as it flew by the sun! Its maximum speed was 87.71 kilometers every second. To put that in perspective, earth’s orbital speed is about 29.7 kilometers per second. When it was the same distance from the sun as Earth is, it was moving at 49.67 km/sec–comfortably above the escape velocity here which is about 40 km/sec.
This encounter bent ‘Oumuamua’s straight line trajectory by 66 degrees.
Even at its interstellar speed of 26.33 kilometers per second, it covers 5.5 AU in a year, which means it covers the distance from the Sun to Jupiter (5.2 au) in less than a year.
The MOID numbers are how close the line of the orbit of ‘Oumuamua comes to the line of orbit of Earth and Jupiter. This is not how close the asteroid came to either planet though, because when ‘Oumuamua was closest to those orbits, those planets were nowhere near that point in their orbits. (MOID is used to assess the possible future risk of a collision. When both objects are in elliptical orbits and keep coming back to the same place time after time, they could, sometime perhaps millions of years from now, be at the points nearest each other’s orbits at the same time.)
‘Oumuamua turns out to be quite a puzzler. They’re not sure what it is made of; it didn’t outgas much like a comet would, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t made largely of ices; nitrogen ice is a candidate. And we simply don’t know whether it formed near some other star and got ejected from that star’s planetary system, or whether it might have coalesced deep in the interstellar void far from any star. (Wikipedia has more info than I have time this evening to read, much less relate.)
And that touches on a topic. I’ve described these orbits as if they will persist forever. They would, actually, if only there were just two bodies–primary and satellite–involved (there would be a minuscule amount of energy slowly radiated away by gravity waves, an effect not accounted for in Kepler’s and Newton’s work, but that is immeasurable over billions of years for planets and the like).
So how do things get ‘ejected’ from planetary systems? How do comets get kicked into the central part of the solar system where they get to play pinball with planets? How do comets’ orbits get altered so they are short period comets that come back again and again every few years or decades?
One answer, that applies mainly to comets is that as they heat up and outgas, the jet of gas acts like a rocket and nudges the comet into a slightly different orbit.
But that’s not the full explanation, nor even one that applies in all but a minority of cases (though it did affect ‘Oumuamua).
Satellites in orbit around Earth will be affected by the equatorial bulge; this effect can sometimes make 500 miles’ difference after one day of orbiting. The bulge affects, and is very definitely acted on by, the moon. But those effects are small for large orbits, like those of the planets around the sun.
No the real explanation is that there are more than two bodies in the universe, and sometimes that can make a big difference. And, just to make life interesting, those calculations are very time-intensive to do. (As the joke goes, “This is why God made computers.”)
We’ll take that up next time.
Obligatory PSAs and Reminders
China is Lower than Whale Shit
Remember Hong Kong!!!
中国是个混蛋 !!! Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!! China is asshoe !!!
China is in the White House
Since Wednesday, January 20 at Noon EST, the bought-and-paid for His Fraudulency Joseph Biden has been in the White House. It’s as good as having China in the Oval Office.
Joe Biden is Asshoe
China is in the White House, because Joe Biden is in the White House, and Joe Biden is identically equal to China. China is Asshoe. Therefore, Joe Biden is Asshoe.
But of course the much more important thing to realize:
Joe Biden Didn’t Win
乔*拜登没赢 !!! Qiáo Bài dēng méi yíng !!! Joe Biden didn’t win !!!
