Politics and Science

               The White House Correspondent Association’s (WHCA) Dinner is a testament to political freedom in America. In more authoritarian governments, satire and political comedy is monitored, discouraged, or suppressed. That President Biden is willing to sit through jokes about him, his opponent, and politics shows that the political system can face its imperfections with good nature, and its shortcomings aren’t so serious that they can’t be joked about. (Also, there is a difference between jokes and bullying. Some but not all jokes are bullying, and not all bullying is joking.) Authoritarians find themselves too serious and important to be the target of a joke. As President Biden toasted at the dinner, to a free press and an informed citizenry! Since 1924, only one President hasn't attended  any  WHCA Dinners. See below. P.S. The image of a goldfish is from Open AI's algorithm, Dall-e. It's not a real goldfish.  Edit: P.P.S. In my haste to comment on US politics, I d

            Ukraine fights Russia, not just for itself, but for the preservation of political and economic freedom everywhere. Sometimes after a country has an increase in democracy, and then later there may be democratic backsliding. For example, this is what has happened in Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Today in Russia, dissidents and protestors are arrested, discredited, or silenced. Barriers creating checks and balances between branches of government are removed.             Both democracy and capitalism require the rule of law, and the rule of law requires justice. Without justice, democracy and capitalism may devolve into dishonesty and exploitation. Ukrainians fight to preserve their freedom to dissent and protest, because Russians do not have those freedoms. If the United States does not continue to support Ukraine, that responsibility falls to the Republican Party, especially those in the House of Representatives.

I was reading articles about the solar eclipse, and one said that there would be another eclipse in Montana and the Dakotas in 2044. And then I wondered, what if instead of measuring time compared to the number of times required to revolve around the sun, what if I measured time compared to the amount of times I could flow down the Mississippi river? According to the National Park Service, the Mississippi river flows at about 1.2 miles per hour, and is about 2,340 miles long. 2,340 miles times (1hour/ 1.2 miles) =   1,950 hours. So a water molecule, if it traveled at a constant speed and never left the river, would take about 1,950 hours to travel the entire length of the river. I turn 33 years old next month. 24hours * 365 days *33 years= 288,288 hours in my lifetime. 288,288/ 1,950 is about 145. So I will be about 145 Mississippi’s next month! Edit: I fixed a typo.

I have a small poster of the quote from Teddy Roosevelt about the man in the arena in my hallway. This poem was partly inspired by it. The Man in the Arena   One. Where am I? What happened?   Two. I see the canvas. The lights turn on.   Three. Hands to the mat. Blood.   Four. Get up! Someone shouts, “Stay down!”   Five. There’s noise- Shouting and cheering.   Six. On my hands and knees, I look at the ground.   Seven. I tell myself, “Get up!” And stand.