Walker88

Maybe you couldn't do it, but plenty of older civilizations did do it, especiallly those with no OSHA workplace safety laws and almost unlimited slaves. Advanced civilizations maybe would have left a cellphone or piece of kevlar behind. They didn't, because they were never here.

Oh, I think it will, and be explained in the lifetime of most people alive now, at least those under 70. A great many aspects of existence discovered purely from mathematics have now been proven via the use of the Large Hadron Collider. The Higgs Boson was a mathematical construct, but the LHC found it. Physicists and astrophysicists such as Nima Arkadi-Hamad are at work uncovering the absolute basics of existence, and are on the brink of developing a theory for everything. No deity required, but the concept is as difficult to understand for most people as gravity was to those who absolutely knew the Earth had to be flat. Even when science can fully explain everything, there will still be those who need to believe in deities. They need to believe their collection of atoms has some special meaning and a special friend to watch over them.

Good for you that you've found something to make you happy. That you buy into it is great, but don't be surprised if others are skeptical. I took just the opposite path to happiness: I realized when I was a teen that it was all just nonsense to make some people feel better, while allowing others control over weaker personalities. My pursuit of science and things that are real made me appreciate my finite existence much more, so that I endeavor to enjoy the here and now, and try to make those around me enjoy their here and now. I think any faith, which folks are free to believe, should be required by law to have an omnipotent god, not a psychopathic or incompetent god like all faiths currently have. For one thing, an omnipotent god wouldn't need anyone to pray, since it would already know what you want. Second, it would not have all the worst features of Narcissists, like demanding praise for everything from food to one's kid passing a math exam, but get excused for its eff-ups, and getting all vindictive and vengeful when folks don't praise enough. It wouldn't need its followers to do its wet work, such as executing infidels or removing love buds on females. It would have better quality control, so that post-birth modifications like clitoris removal are not necessary. If it was "all loving" it wouldn't put kids in horrific pain from cancer. It wouldn't wipe out millions with earthquakes and tsunamis. It would have a much better 'master plan'. Also, it would deliver more than parlor tricks like feeding many with a few bread and fish (while historically letting millions starve to death) or walking on water (where I grew up we call that 'skating'). Nobody's deity or deities would have to knock up a Earthgirl, then play deadbeat dad until sitting back and watching the kid get nailed...all supposedly as some bizarre initiation ceremony so others can get in his celestial country club. As for the kid, he had 33 years to say outright that owning other humans is wrong. He never did. In fact, through a couple of his followers he supposedly just made rules for treating owned humans well. That makes him a bad guy and a useless deity. Science has provided most of the answers to existence, and especially since the Renaissance has chipped away at all deities' supposed powers. Science is now on the verge of ending the discussion once and for all, both by uncovering the very nature of existence via quantum field theory and gravity, and also explaining the purely physical nature of consciousness. No 'souls' needed, except in poetry or love songs. People will still be free to arrogantly believe that in a Universe of 200 billion galaxies each with an average of 1 trillion stars, most of which have planets, that a single person among 8 billion on one planet orbiting one star in one galaxy are somehow of significance to a deity. Such people won't understand the science of consciousness or quantum fields anyway, anymore than Flat Earthers never could comprehend a force called gravity. The Earth absolutely HAD TO BE flat, lest we all fall off. If that made them happy, good for them, just as it comforts people to think they are significant in ways other than what they make of themselves in their interactions with those with whom they share time and space.

I think this lends too much credence to faiths made up by folks who knew nothing, but did know reality must be complex. Nothing scientific comes from meditation, but rather---per Francis Bacon---only from a method of test, repetition, and peer review. Insights are possible, but without testing and repetition, they mean nothing. They are merely superstitions or conjectures. Folks who started most ancient religions began with an assumption that is increasingly suspect, which is that human consciousness is anything but material. Then most dressed it up with hopes, opinions or outright delusions about continued existence or repeat existences of something that looks like nothing more than chemistry and electromagnetism. The brain was just a pile of mush to them, unaware of its microscopic structure, electric charges, hormones and other chemicals, etc. Their 'insights' were at best, dumb luck, and more likely meaningless. Those who believe human consciousness is more than material must get baffled by dementia and other forms of cognitive decline, or things like brain injury, lobotomies, brain tumors, etc., where often an entire personality changes as a result of physical destruction of neural pathways. Some people would believe that a person in severe cognitive decline, who forgets names, daily activities....eventually even how to swallow, instantly becomes fully cognizant again at the second the neurons stop firing.

I understand Bill Maher does not appeal to everybody. He is quite intelligent, so the lesser IQs out there might find his brand of comedy over their heads. He also is a true moderate, taking shots at both extremes in right-left ideology. That upsets some on the left, hence he is partially 'cancelled'. He appeals to those of higher intellect and higher levels of education. He loses that demographic who occupy space a standard deviation or two left of the mean on the IQ Bell Curve, the area now known as trumpistan.

There's a famous quote from the Nobel physicist Steven Weinberg, which goes: "With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil – that takes religion."

BTW, Feynman was a promising grad student who was seconded to Los Alamos to work on the bomb. He wasn't at the level (at that time) of Hans Bethe or Fermi or Teller or von Neumann or Lawrence or Rabi, but apparently worked out a lot of the complex math. In the new movie Oppenheimer, I suspect the director made passing reference to Feynman by one or two short scenes where someone is playing the bongos. In this photo, Feynman is behind Fermi, and to Oppenheimer's left.

Personally, I think the Universe consists of teams, like the Premier League, or the NFL. Every few billion years another team gets a chance to create a Universe, then every other team gets to sit back and watch how it works. When each team has had its shot, one winner emerges. One team decides to make Planck's Constant this: 6.62607015×10−34 J⋅Hz−1......then see what happens. Some other team 'jiggles' (a favorite Feynman word) the digits, sets Planck's constant at a different level, then everyone gets to see what happens anew. Then the teams vote on who made the best Universe. The season ends with one winner, then rinse and repeat. Oh, and my teams always existed, so nobody has to ask where they came from. Now some of you might be agnostic to this team system, or heaven forbid, even atheist to it. There is equal proof (none) to my system as any of your gods, so at best you can only be agnostic to it. Don't buy into my Team System? Oh, ye of little faith!

So I guess you think Moses came off the mountain with his stone tablets, gathered the guys around, and said: "Bad news, guys...we can't steal, murder, or goof around" ????? "Morality" arises when people choose to live together. Civilization. It requires no belief system, such as sacrificing virgins, dressing women like giant eggplants, not eating pork or shrimp, etc.

There's a ton of new research in the last few years that indicate the best way to maintain healthspan. According to Dr. Peter Attia. the absolute #1 factor is limiting all cause mortality (ACM) is a high VO2 Max. In terms of exercise, sleep and diet, the order of importance is exercise (specifically weight training), then sleep, then diet. Lots of research that has been peer reviewed has gone into the various diet fads, and the major correlation is not keto nor time restricted feeding nor intermittent fasting, but just caloric restriction. Keto seems to have its own set of problems, which research is now suggesting. Re weights...it helps to vary the workout. Many reps with low to medium weight is good for conditioning and definition. Low reps with near max weight makes the body produce more testosterone and HGH, as well as strengthening bones and ligaments. It also maximizes strength. If one lifts properly, balance and pliability come naturally, though it doesn't hurt to do additional balance exercises and some stretching. Exercise also helps with insulin resistance. Balance deteriorates for 2 reasons. One is that all of the small muscles involved in balance, when not used regularly, atrophy. The 2nd reason is that the hairs in the semicircular canals harden or break, so the signals generated by fluid moving over the hairs in the canals are not as clearly read in the brain. Running can do more harm than good. When running, the knees absorb 12x the body weight with each stride. That is going to lead to issues over time. For reasons of vanity, one should know running also stresses the collagen in one's face, which leads to drooping skin. With age, collagen production drops dramatically anyway, so adding running to the mix just ages a face even faster. Strength is also a function of protein utilization. After about age 25, the body's ability to utilize protein diminishes, so as one ages, one needs to consume more protein. After age 50 one should shoot for as much as 2 gm/kg of body weight per day, spread out over several meals. Amino acids remain in the blood for about an hour after consumption, so no one should worry about activating mTOR continuously, as when one sleeps, mTOR is deactivated. Two last things to help with cognition and brain health....it seems creatine not only has benefits in terms of muscular endurance, but also has brain benefits. Creatine is a first source of energy, so it makes sense that the organ that is 2% of body weight but consumes 25% of one's energy (brain) benefits from creatine supplementation. The second thing is making sure one gets plenty of Omega-3. As one ages, the blood-brain barrier develops leaks which allow toxins in the blood (such as from breathing Bangkok air) to get into the brain. Omega-3 helps repair the blood-brain barrier. Not everyone can, or will, follow all of the recommendations all this new research is uncovering, but for those who can and do, the benefits are substantial.

Actually, he is 100% correct. Mental health professionals agree almost unanimously that he is a self-serving, insecure Narcissist. His corruption is evidenced by his conviction for running a scam "university" and another conviction for running a scam 'charity'. He was found guilty of sexual assault and told to pay damages of $5 million. He is under indictment for bank and insurance fraud in NY State, based on wildly different 'valuations' of assets. He even lied about the size of his condo, claiming it was 30,000 sf when in reality it is 11000 sf. He is under indictment for stealing classified documents and lying about returning them. He is likely to be indicted for election interference in Georgia, where he was caught on tape pressuring the SecState to 'find me 11,780 votes'. He will likely be indicted for trying to fraudulently overturn the 2020 election and fomenting the terrorist attack on the US Capitol. He could well be charged with Sedition for that, which is a capital offense than can carry the death penalty. He is a serial philanderer and a pathological liar, as the documented >20,000 lies while POTUS, along with his affairs with Stormy and Karen McDougal evidence. Oh, and he got a doctor to claim he had bone spurs, which did not prevent him from playing tennis, but kept him out of being drafted. To falsely claim something in order to avoid the draft was called a "dodger".

You might want to check some official govt statistical and data sites, because Biden inherited a mess. Obama worked through the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, had to address a failing banking system and 10% UE. Obama forced banks to recapitalize, sell off bad debt, and lower leverage. UE fell to 4.8% and millions of jobs came back. trump inherited a growing economy and that 4.8% UE. He ran up $7,800,000,000,000 in new debt, messed up Covid, left Biden 6.8% UE and a Recession. It was the worst economic performance under any POTUS since Hoover. Biden now has UE down to a 55 year low of 3.4%, has manufacturing growing in the US again, got a bipartisan infrastructure Bill passed, mobilized NATO against russian aggression......and believes in democracy. trump was an abject failure as POTUS, as a businessman, as a husband and as man.

He certainly gave it his best shot.... -Organizing and fomenting a terrorist attack on the Capitol during the official certification process -Helping arrange the selection of fake electors -Pressuring the SecState of GA to 'find me 11,780 votes' All of that constitutes Sedition, a capital offense and the worst crime ever committed by a sitting POTUS in 250 years. For that alone, execution if convicted is a must. Rid the planet of that vermin.

Well, I think the repubs will find Jimmy Hoffa long before they find the Israeli who made unsubstantiated claims against Biden. Turns out the Israeli was not only an unregistered agent of China, but he is being sought by law enforcement for trying to sell sanctioned Iranian oil and for trying to broker arms deals with Iran. My guess is he is more worried about be found by Mossad than any US LE agency, as Mossad often acts as judge, jury and executioner. No walls are closing in on Biden, but no sane person would choose to be trump right now, with the stolen docs indictment, the NY indictment, E Jean Carroll likely going to a new criminal trial, Georgia election interference, and 6 January. The wall closing in on trump is made of steel bars...and that only if he's lucky. If SC Smith opts to charge trump with Sedition, that's a capital offense and could see trump sizzle like Sunday morning bacon in the electric chair.

Good News for you! Apparently his brain trust in Hyannisport is considering changing Parties, as he is much more popular with repubs than dems. His endless conspiracy theory drivel seems to resonate. If he does decide to make the switch, it will be fun to see who captures the QAnon demographic among trump, DeSantis, Haley, Scott and Junior.

The only thing holding repubs back is coming up with an actual crime Biden has committed. So far they can't find one. Maybe he owns shares in that Jewish Space Laser company that has MTG all worked up. For those unaware, MTG is the woman whose previous job---before being a 'star' repub in the US House---was putting equipment away at a CrossFit studio. She recently decided that it was a good thing to put in the Congressional Record nude photos of Biden's son. She never felt the same compulsion to post nude photos of the former FL---that's First Lady, not Freelancer---melania, when such photos are instantly available with a Google or Duckduckgo search.

Sad, but true. I was a bit surprised recently, however, to see that the US is supplying aid to the people of Myanmar. There are some who want to arm the resistance, believing that a few general-carrying helicopters shot down and a few coup leader family members taken out might 'encourage' the fake govt to take their ill gotten gains and go to Singapore.

A corrupt and self-serving system so deeply entrenched requires a Ceaucescu Moment to sweep it away. I do not think that exists in Thailand. I also think Thai Ceaucescus know that.

Clearly there has been an insufficient number of drunk expats throwing TVs from their apartment or hotel room balconies. Got to juice the GDP. Crony-nomics is based squarely on the Broken Window Fallacy.

Sometimes I feel for those expats who cannot go a day without a drink. They had to abstain from 6pm on 2 successive Saturdays for an election that was going to be ignored anyway?

At least some things are available on YouTube. Here is a 1978 BBC production with the late Julian Bream teaching a Masterclass on playing Sevilla. Watch the last few minutes to fully appreciate what skill and passion are. It was in the 1980s that BBC had Reilly: Ace of Spies and Rumpole of the Bailey, both of which occasionally appear on some cable channel in the US. The actor playing Felix Dzerzhinsky in Reilly is riveting, while Leo McKern shines in both productions.

Holding shares in a media company that hasn't operated for 15 years is a crime punishable by prison and---because of guilt by association---can lead to the banning of the Party you led. Overthrowing a democratically elected PM in a coup, then manufacturing a new Constitution that guarantees your cronies remain in power, plus tosses in a law prohibiting ownership in media companies, is an act of grace that even allows you to be a PM and take your ill-gotten gains into retirement. When the act aimed squarely at Taksin serendipitously is used as a cudgel to stop the old guard from losing power, the old guard must think their previous life earned them enormous merit. Farces, farces everywhere.

When you cannot even use the adjective 'fledgling' in front of democracy and keep a straight face.........

I guess if you think the majority of them satisfied her more than you, your comment is understandable. I guess I'm just more confident in my manhood. I'm not a virgin, having lost that moniker at age 15. If I expected that from a potential spouse, the moniker I would pick up is hypocrite. If I dallied with women with whom I have no intention of getting serious, I'm 'exploiting' them at least as much as someone who contracts for the services of a woman working an agogo. I really don't see you occupying any higher moral ground.

In my opinion, 72 virgins is a punishment, not a reward. Perhaps that explains why I'm agnostic.