The unimportant news thread

[Karl Henning]

A couple who dated in the 1950s and lost touch are reunited 63 years later.

[Karl Henning]

[Pohjolas Daughter]

A couple who dated in the 1950s and lost touch are reunited 63 years later.

Really, really sweet story! 

PD

[LKB]

Meanwhile...

https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/military-whistleblowe-us-ufo-retrieval-program/

One of those " looney UFO stories " which, on the face of it, may seem little different than other claims made in the past. But this man's credentials have been verified, meaning that he is potentially risking his job by speaking to the media.

I have a personal interest based on family history, so I'll keep track of this story as it develops ( or fails to... ).

[Spotted Horses]

Meanwhile...

https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/military-whistleblowe-us-ufo-retrieval-program/

One of those " looney UFO stories " which, on the face of it, may seem little different than other claims made in the past. But this man's credentials have been verified, meaning that he is potentially risking his job by speaking to the media.

I have a personal interest based on family history, so I'll keep track of this story as it develops ( or fails to... ).

Skimming the article, he indicates that he has not seen any of the data himself, but keeps hearing stories about it from others. Maybe he is a loonie magnet, maybe his colleagues are playing a practical joke on him. I don't know if he will loose his job, but I think he should.

[Karl Henning]

Casper the Rare White Dolphin — One of Only Three in the World— Appears in California

[Karl Henning]

New rule: If you heckle the umpire, you must become the umpire.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Who Is Jack Smith, the Special Counsel Who Indicted Trump?


https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/08/politics/jack-smith-classified-documents-special-counsel/index.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/08/us/politics/jack-smith-special-counsel-trump-indictment.html

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Casper the Rare White Dolphin — One of Only Three in the World— Appears in California

I'll have to look into it.  It's been interesting for me to learn about leucistic birds (which I understand to be partially-white birds, but they are not considered to be albinos).

"A much less common sighting (here or anywhere) is a leucistic Red-tailed Hawk. Leucism is a genetic condition in which parts or all of an animal's body surface lack cells capable of producing any type of pigment. (The word is derived from the Greek word leukos, meaning "white".) You may be familiar with Piebald horses, known for their splotchy "paint" pattern. These horses are actually leucistic!

Leucism is similar to albinism (and frequently mistaken for it), however, albinos lack the ability to create melanin, one specific type of pigment. Leucistic individuals usually have normal eye color, unlike albinos, which generally have red eyes.

Because the frequency of leucism in a given species is dependent on the population size, it's not surprising that there is a relatively high occurrence of leucistic Red-tailed Hawks. (Another frequently-seen leucistic bird is the American Robin.)"

Taken from here:  https://www.nps.gov/chat/blogs/thats-no-snowy-owl-its-a-leucistic-red-tailed-hawk.htm

PD

p.s I wonder how eye color shows anything in terms of the differences (if there are any) in dolphins?

p.p.s Sorry, I was trying to show you a video of a leucistic red-tailed hawk, but not viewable here.  Will try and find a picture.  Here's one (the eye color is normal--though looks to be a bit light to me in my inexpert opinion, but it's not red). 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

New rule: If you heckle the umpire, you must become the umpire.

I had heard about that school (or maybe it was a little league?) which was imposing that punishment.  Upon hearing that, I thought that it was a very clever and smart idea.  And you?

PD

[Karl Henning]

I had heard about that school (or maybe it was a little league?) which was imposing that punishment.  Upon hearing that, I thought that it was a very clever and smart idea.  And you?

PD

Very shrewd!

[Karl Henning]

I didn't even know that Wheel of Fortune was still on ....

Pat Sajak to retire in 2024 as host of "Wheel of Fortune" after 41 years; a replacement for Sajak has not yet been named

[Karl Henning]

Pokémon card crime spree hits Japan.

[Karl Henning]

What Earth would look like one year after human extinction.

[Karl Henning]

Four killer whales seen off coast of Nantucket a 'bucket list item' for researcher

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

What Earth would look like one year after human extinction.

Immanuel Kant indicated that the three dimensional space and unidimensional time is our cerebral, perceptual framework rather than real, physical entity. He suggested that when all humans- perceivers of this phenomenal world- went extinct, there won't be this world. Strictly speaking, he indicates that this world as we know based on time, space, sound, shapes, colors, etc., haven't been existent in the first place.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

How CNN broke the news from Trump's arraignment despite a courtroom ban on electronics:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/13/media/cnn-trump-arraignment-reliable-sources/index.html

Quite clever I thought.

PD

[Karl Henning]

How CNN broke the news from Trump's arraignment despite a courtroom ban on electronics:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/13/media/cnn-trump-arraignment-reliable-sources/index.html

Quite clever I thought.

PD

A much better look for CNN than a certain event in The Granite State.

[Spotted Horses]

Immanuel Kant indicated that the three dimensional space and unidimensional time is our cerebral, perceptual framework rather than real, physical entity. He suggested that when all humans- perceivers of this phenomenal world- went extinct, there won't be this world. Strictly speaking, he indicates that this world as we know based on time, space, sound, shapes, colors, etc., haven't been existent in the first place.

True to some extent, but goes way too far. Color is tied to human physiology, there seem to be three primary colors because our eyes have color receptors with three distinct absorption profiles. But you can measure wavelength of light with scientific instrument and predict what color will be perceived. Other animals have different color receptors, but we can't ask them what colors look like. We can predict what colors they would be able to distinguish, however. Sound, likewise does not manifest itself to our conscious mind without complex pre-processing. But three dimensional geometry (four dimensional if you include time) is an abstract system that was created to model physical reality. If I have vector, I can only reach points that lie along a line. If I have two vectors (North and East, say) I can get anywhere on a plane. But there are points I cannot reach. If I have a third independent vector (up) I can get to anywhere in space. I can't find a forth vector that is not a combination of the first three vectors, it doesn't open up any new space. The fact that everyone experiences this seems to lead to the conclusion that the model describes something that has an independent existence.

Of course, if there are no conscious beings to form mental models of physical reality, the physical reality will simply exist without anyone or anything being aware of it.

Not to long ago I was reading a book by Bertrand Russell (The Problems of Philosophy) in which he addresses the point of view that Kant espouses. I didn't get very far into the book because I've past the time of life where philosophical treatises seem worth reading.

[Karl Henning]

Massachusetts is the third most expensive state in the US to rent a home, new study says
You now need to earn more than $40 an hour to afford the typical two-bedroom apartment in Mass.