Midterms Election 2018

The only thing I will say about this election is that we Americans may need to remember the lesson taught to King Croesus as written by the ancient Greek author Herodotus:

“None may escape his destined lot, not even a god. Croesus hath paid for the sin of his ancestor of the fifth generation: who, being of the guard of the Heraclidae, was led by the guile of a woman to slay his master, and took to himself the royal state of that master, whereto he had no right. And it was the desire of Loxias that the evil hap of Sardis should fall in the lifetime of Croesus’ sons, not his own, but he could not turn the Fates from their purpose; yet did he accomplish his will and favour Croesus in so far as they would yield to him: for he delayed the taking of Sardis for three years, and this let Croesus know, that though he be now taken it is by so many years later than the destined hour. And further, Loxias saved Croesus from the burning. But as to the oracle that was given him, Croesus doth not right to complain concerning it. For Loxias declared to him that if he should lead an army against the Persians he would destroy a great empire. Therefore it behoved him, if he would take right counsel, to send and ask whether the god spoke of Croesus’ or of Cyrus’ empire. But he understood not that which was spoken, nor made further inquiry: wherefore now let him blame himself. Nay, when he asked that last question of the oracle and Loxias gave him that answer concerning the mule, even that Croesus understood not. For that mule was in truth Cyrus; who was the son of two persons not of the same nation, of whom the mother was the nobler and the father of lesser estate; for she was a Median, daughter of Astyages king of the Medians: but he was a Persian and under the rule of the Medians, and was wedded, albeit in all regards lower than she, to one that should be his sovereign lady.” Such was the answer of the priestess to the Lydians; they carried it to Sardis and told it to Croesus; and when he heard it, he confessed that the sin was not the god’s, but his own. And this is the story of Croesus’ rule, and of the first overthrow of Ionia.
The Persian Wars, Book 1 - Herodotus

The lesson? Looking past the obscure names and archaic language the point King Croesus learned was that the fate of his kingdom was decided long before he was born as punishment for the crimes of his ancestor. There was little to nothing that could have been done to change his fate, or the fate of his kingdom - the sins and crimes of his ancestors needed to be answered.

A similar lesson is taught in the Christian Bible through the fall of the Kingdom of Judah in punishment for the sins of King Manasseh, son of Hezekiah.

Loyalty of the Elder Wand

I notice some people still do have a hard time figuring out the Elder Wand Paradox.... And with #FantasticBeasts2 coming out in a couple of weeks it's the perfect time to talk about the most powerful Wand ever made!

Now, supposedly the Elder Wand makes the wielder unbeatable, but it can only be inherited through victory over it's previous master (even if that wand is somehow not physically present) - but for a wand that grants is owner what is essentially absolute power, those masters are still defeated one after another; it's an absolute paradox and it's totally understandable why people get confused. Fortunately, I have an answer for y'all 😉

Traditionally, killing the owner of the Elder Wand was the primary method of transferring ownership but JK Rowling has proven that that isn't the only way to inherit its loyalty. Disarming the owner, and apparently beating the owner in wrestling also officially count as methods to force the wand's loyalty change...which is basically how Harry Potter himself supposedly gained the wand's loyalty. But why? What is the single unifying concept behind every instance where the Elder Wand has supposedly changed loyalty without murder? *Emotional Surrender*.

Grindelwald stole the Elder Wand from Gregorovitch, saddening the older wand maker who gave up because he believed he'd never see that wand again.
Draco inherited the Wand from Dumbledore because the great wizard felt dismayed for the plight Draco was put into by Voldemort and his family, as well as being afraid for the boy's future. Also Dumbledore completely surrendered to Draco without a fight.
Harry inherited the Wand from Draco when the two fought physically, leaving Draco afraid of Harry Potter and seemingly believe Harry was superior or stronger than him.

Whenever the Wand detects fear or surrender in its master is when it changes allegiance. In some ways, the Elder Wand works like a placebo - it only protects you and makes you victorious so long as you believe it will work for you (if you actually do own it). There's no doubt that the Wand is exceptionally powerful, but you can only rely on that power so long as you are confident in your strength and the strength of the wand itself. Once you start to doubt yourself or it, you have lost the wands' full power.

Now, the reason Voldemort did not inherit the Elder Wand when Harry surrendered himself, expecting to die, is because Harry never actually surrendered to Voldemort, nor did he believe Voldemort was his superior. Harry didn't give up and allowed himself to die, he willingly sacrificed himself so his allies could finish winning. This means Harry's surrender was a chess-like strategy towards' victory, not a White-Flag surrender to a superior opponent. Harry never believed Voldemort was unbeatable and Harry never really doubted that either he or his allies would defeat Voldemort. Because of that mindset and belief in himself, his strategy, and his allies, there was no "Emotional Surrender" for the Elder Wand to interpret as a signal to change loyalty.

However, if Voldemort indeed had become the master of the Elder Wand at some point, he would not have been able to keep its loyalty. Because Voldemort feared Harry Potter and eventually recognized that Harry could ultimately defeat him, the Wand would have sensed this extensive fear and panic and would have relinquished its loyalty to Voldemort in favor of the only wizard left alive that Voldemort feared. In fact, it's even possible that with Voldemort's intense fear of death itself he was completely incapable of ever earning the loyalty of the Elder Wand in the first place as it cannot properly serve a master that is consumed by fear.

I hope you all enjoy Fantastic Beasts this November!

Quora: Is Religion a problem for Science?

Someone recently asked the question "Is religion a problem for science?" on Quora - this was my answer....

To be honest, there are a few ways to address or interpret this question, so I’ll do the best that I can.

Nagini Confirmed for Fantastic Beasts 2

If you haven't yet seen the 3rd and Final trailer for Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald, I highly recommend you check it out before continuing with this article. It's right here so please don't go anywhere 😄

At 00:30 seconds into the trailer you see Credence Barebones seemingly whisper the word "Nagini" through a circus cage to the young woman dressed in a blue scaly outfit, at which point she literally turns into a snake. This woman is repeatedly shown in the movie's promotional material including several that indicate a close relationship with Credence, such as this one:

Now, to give you a quick summary of what is happening with this woman (played by Claudia Kim) and her character, let me explain:

Star Trek First Contact - Why only one Defiant?

The following article is an edited lengthy comment I wrote on YouTube in a thread discussing the Anti-Borg capabilities of Star Trek's Defiant class starship, specifically in regards to the Battle of Sector 001 in the movie "Star Trek: First Contact".

Earlier in the thread it was questioned why Starfleet did not field any additional Defiant class ships besides the USS Defiant in that battle. This comment focused on answering that question specifically.

I do know that history of the Defiant that you discussed - but no matter which way the discussion is sliced (when we ask why more Defiant class ships weren't seen at the Battle of Sector 001) it's important to remember the dates. Since the Battle of Sector 001 is definitely set in 2373, we have a somewhat clear picture to evaluate. We have two named ships confirmed to have been launched prior to the battle: the Defiant herself and

Fantastic Beasts - That Riddikulus Scene explained

The very first thing we see in the brand new Fantastic Beasts trailer is Dumbledore teaching Newt Scamander the very same lesson, dealing with a Boggart and the Riddikulus charm, that Remus Lupin teaches Harry Potter decades later.

While at first glance this appears to simply be a nod to the original Harry Potter series, I believe it represents a much deeper story that connects mentors and students across generations.

Avengers Infinity War - Connecting Iron Man, Vision, and Thanos

Some thoughts I had on Avengers Infinity War and the currently untitled Avengers 4:
PLEASE comment your thoughts in the comments section :)

The old Infinity War Infinity Stone poster had each of the 6 stones shown with the connected hero reflected inside it. Dr. Strange is reflected in the Time Stone, Star Lord in the Power Stone, Captain America in the Space Stone, etc. but they show Tony Stark reflected inside the Soul Stone. A lot of people chalked this up to simple merchandising since Iron Man is such a huge character, but I don't think Marvel was that cavalier about the choice.

Jarvis was created by Tony as a simple AI program,

Big Carlos Bridge Project

Recently, I went to a local library where there was this large information display explaining a proposed bridge reconstruction project in my county. Below are the pictures from the take home brochure or information packet and the letter I wrote to the company responsible for the project.

To give you some background, my home county has A LOT of wild nature, swamps and bays are really common, half the time you feel like you're in a fairly large city while the other half of the time you feel like you belong in Shrek's swamp. There is a lot of wild, untamed, nature right next door to large commercial properties which is really fun. One of these areas is in south side of Fort Myers Beach - you have a lot of hotels, condos, etc. surrounded by beaches and nature preserves in every direction, with a small drawbridge cutting through the preserves on the way to the next city. This bridge is

Free Rice

What is Free Rice?

Hello Reader! Let's start off with Free Rice's own answer to this question:

Screenshot from www.freerice.com/about

When it comes to the website "Free Rice" it's important to know just what it IS and what it IS NOT.

What it IS, is a website (www.freerice.com) run by the United Nations' World Food Programme that

Star Trek: The Powers that Be

This article is actually a forum post responding to an argument regarding the status of the Cardassian Union and how it compares, in terms of power, to other civilizations in the Star Trek universe. Since I went into so much detail, I figured I shouldn't waste the effort and decided to turn that forum post into a blog article. Enjoy. Please comment with any questions, and share this to your Trekkie or Trekker friends!

Since there is still confusion as to who qualifies as a Major Power in the Alpha Quadrant let's break it down a bit. There are several types of political/military powers and different types of influence are classified under different categories. Each category is rather broad and basic but also clarifies some distinction between power levels and power focuses. Power Level is about literally who is stronger, while Power Focus clarifies how a nation state might use their power if it is a defining attribute.

For example, in the real world we have Mega Power, Super Power, Major Power, Major Isolationist Power, Major Mercantile Power, and Minor Power (Isolationist and Mercantile Powers can have Minor Power versions as well). We can apply all of these to Star Trek. To be honest, no one really knows what to do with Raider States or Pirate based societies, so they tend

SPOILERS: A Rant About Luke Skywalker #TheLastJedi

To be honest I'm having a hard time with the people who are upset that Luke didn't do enough or have an explosive enough fight scene, etc. That desire, though a fantastic dream, misses out on the truth of Star Wars entirely. Luke courted

Connecting the Alt-Right and the O9A Cult

A lot of people are still unfamiliar with the O9A and their associates, so I can understand why many would be suspicious of my claims that the Alt-Right is deeply connected with a highly dangerous Satanic Cult. But the truth is that the Alt-Right movement is full of Satanist extremists who are so extreme even the Church of Satan itself has denounced them. The examples I describe in this article are only the tip of the iceberg that I was able to uncover within a couple of hours. There will be more information later. Also, I am leaving out specific links on purpose so that it isn't quite as easy to find terrorist how-to guides. I do not want that information accessible through my site.

A Special Experience

Story time:

I joined forces with 3 other strangers to rescue another stranger from suicide last night.

One of our group found that one of his Twitter followers had posted a suicide note and he started asking for help in locating him. We had literally nothing more to go on than an obscure twitter handle, a bird, a Walmart prescription bottle (no info visible), a face pic, and a possible state name.

Other than those 5 small details this guy was almost completely invisible online. Our group spent 6 hours combing through his tweets, forum posts and any other website on the internet showing his obscure username. Finally, we narrowed down part of his real name, his city, and a business he worked with - which also helped us narrow down the pharmacy he used for the prescription - and were able to contact his local police to do a wellness check.

The police were a bit suspicious of our call at first, they kept asking how we knew the guy at risk, and how we "knew" we were calling the right city. They definitely didn't know what to think of the fact that we were all strangers to each other, even to the guy we were trying to find, and that we were scattered all over the country.

We provided the police with the little information we had pulled together (it was awesome that they took our call seriously) and they actually managed to locate him and take him to the hospital!

The police were lucky enough to get there before he managed to follow through with his attempt.

As you can imagine, this was definitely an incredible experience for us!

There's more to say, and maybe soon I'll be able to take some to explain a little more.

Dear Boy Scouts of America

Dear Boy Scouts of America,

I am an Eagle Scout, I was raised in Scouting and made my childhood revolve around the Scouting program as best as what was available to me in my area. As such, I am deeply ashamed of the behavior portrayed by the Scouts in yesterday's political rally at the Boy Scout Jamboree. 

An invitation to the President of the United States to speak at a public Boy Scout function is not an issue. Behavior is the issue.

President Donald Trump acted inappropriately in his speech by transforming a Scouting event into a political campaign rally. We will never receive an apology from Donald Trump regarding his misuse of the time granted to him - however, it is your duty as the hosting organization to apologize for that misuse. 

A Scout is Reverent - it is part of the Scout Law, to be "Reverent" means to show a "deep and solemn respect", according to the dictionary, and that "deep and solemn respect" includes maintaining a respect for the rules and purpose of an non-political Scouting event. The Boy Scouts of America, leaders and youth alike, violated the Scout Law of Reverence in following the example of President Donald Trump by willingly participating in the degradation and public shaming of Trump's political opponents and rival political ideologies. It is your responsibility to apologize for that violation of the Scout Law - not to mention the violation of official BSA policy affecting political events.

A Scout is Courteous - this is also a part of the Scout Law, with Courteous meaning, according to the dictionary, "polite, respectful, or considerate in demeanor". There was nothing polite, or respectful, or considerate in the behavior of the Boy Scouts of America during that misused Jamboree speech. Is it courteous to angrily boo the name of the speaker's political rivals or competing political ideologies? No, it is not. Do others angrily boo or behave in inconsiderate manners in private or public events? Yes, yes they do. Is that an excuse for you? No, it is not. The Boy Scouts of America is supposed to teach boys to be BRAVE by being Courteous and Reverent even when other people don't want them to be. It is apparent in yesterday's Jamboree speech that your organization has failed to embody or teach that principle to any of those roughly 40,000 participants, and that failure has been displayed to the world.

A Scout is Loyal - this portion of the Scout Law was brought up specifically by Donald Trump as a very political reference to his desire to get whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. In truth, the principle of loyalty in Scouting has nothing to do with politics - instead it is a principle that teaches boys to be dependable, to not retreat when the going gets tough, and to be there for others when you are needed. 

A TRUE Scout would never be more loyal to a specific President of the United States than he would be to another President. A TRUE Scout would never be more loyal to any specific President more than he would be to the Constitution and the rule of Law in his country. A TRUE Scout would never betray his loyalty because he didn't get something he wanted, when he wanted it. A TRUE Scout is supposed to be loyal to both God and Country - that does not mean that a Scout is required to say (or that he requires others to say) "Merry Christmas" in order to truly be an American, or a Scout. A Scout can come from any background, and any religion, and as such a Scout is expected to be loyal to his God, no matter what religion he might willingly be a part of. To accept the statement made by Donald Trump that Scouts must say "Merry Christmas" is to deny the core principles of Scouting and require Scouts of other religions to be disloyal to their beliefs and religion. A TRUE Scout is loyal enough to apologize for his wrongdoing towards others, or towards himself.

It was disloyal to the United States, to the American people, to the principles of Scouting for the crowd of Scout youth and leaders to repeatedly chant "We Love Trump" while simultaneously booing to the names of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It was disloyal to affirm that a Scout must say "Merry Christmas". It was disloyal to encourage the idea that you are not American if you are not a Republican. It was disloyal to cheer and applaud the defamation and slander of journalists by a political figure.

A Scout is Trustworthy - I am an Eagle Scout. I trusted your organization to honor your principles and do the right thing. I trusted your organization to reason out decisions and eventually come to a morally upright conclusion. I waited for your organization to accept LGBT+ members as part of a moral decision that no one is superior or inferior to another human being - regardless of religious, political or moral beliefs - I waited because I trusted in the Scout Law, that you would eventually make the right decision. Now, my trust in your organization and your moral uprightness and connection to the Scout Law is once again in question. Will you honor the principles of Scouting and apologize for the inappropriate behavior of your guest and your members at the 2017 Boy Scout National Jamboree? Will you uphold the Scout Law and teach proper principles to your leaders and youth? Or, will you continue to abandon your oaths and fail to be a beacon of moral fiber in America?

Sincerely,

An Eagle Scout

So, Donald Trump has deleted #BlackHistoryMonth has he? Why is this a bad thing?

Darth Vader and Kylo Ren - The Same Mission?

What is the “Mission” of Kylo Ren?

 After watching “Rogue One” in theater I was again reminded of the awesome power of the Death Star, and its importance to the Empire. But what struck me the most is how little discussion there has been on the importance of the Death Star to the Emperor and Darth Vader on a personal level, especially to Darth Vader. Watching the Star Wars films again in chronological order is helping me to connect the dots, pinpointing what seems to be a very crucial axis mundi (central point) to the entire Saga, and especially the character of Kylo Ren. Just keep reading 😎.

LDS Resignation Update: It's DONE!

Well, it's DONE!

I received my letter stating that my membership has finally been removed from LDS Church records. I tried logging in to www.lds.org and was denied access, and I double checked the roster with the help of a friend; it's all 100% done.

To be honest, it's quite a relief knowing that I don't have to stress about whether or not they were going to let me leave without going through a bunch of meetings or extra hassle. For anyone who doesn't know, the LDS Church's resignation procedures are somewhat simplistic but also somewhat complicated. The short version is that the Church considers a

The True Facts of Standing Rock

Speak English! A Letter to Anti-Immigrant Americans

This is a HYPOTHETICAL conversation, not any actual conversation between myself and any particular Anti-Immigration American. This is a generalized response to the rise in White American Nationalism correlated and fueled by the Donald Trump campaign for the Presidency of the United States of America.

Governor Pence Criminalized Gay Marriage Applications

A few days ago I post the following image on Facebook:

A friend of mine asked for more information on this since this isn't a topic frequently discussed. In response I decided to write this review of the law's actual text so that everyone could see HOW the State of Indiana's Legislature and Governor Pence made gay couples APPLYING for Marriage Licenses criminals.

Indiana HB 1041 isk the law the image refers to. It's wording is very complicated and the bill's language jumps around a lot (plus it has been heavily edited and has had multiple sections repealed) so it is honestly hard to follow. In order for the information to make sense I will have to jump around and connect different passages from the bill together. The bill was signed in 2013 by Governor Pence who was elected to office in 2012.