Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 in D minor: Ode to Joy

Chess

Very interesting chess game which I won. Here is the game. I had the black pieces.

https://lichess.org/sUHaAiYz/black

Good luck Russia. I hope you can get rid of your asshole dictator.

World Alert Jan. 31, 2:33 p.m. EST

Russia detains 5,000 in crackdown on growing Navalny protests, rights group says A week after tens of thousands of Russians joined demonstrations in more than 100 cities throughout the country, authorities moved to stem Sunday’s rallies before they started, using more aggressive tactics. But thousands came out despite the threat of arrest — the turnout in some Russian cities was believed to be higher than a week ago — boosting the opposition’s hope of a sustained movement. The number arrested was the most since the Russian rights group OVD-Info began monitoring protester detentions a decade ago. Read more

I wrote this question for some Christian retards.

How does God make people live after they die? Two people die every second. He must be waving his magic wand nonstop forever.

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Good answer:

And thousands of people die in the worst disasters. It follows that God, whoever he is, must have thousands of...appendages, for want of a better word.

Today is Sunday, January 31, 2021. For Americans the world is a much better place than it was before we threw the moron president out the window.

Hell awaits atheists but do they care or even realize they're in hell when in hell?

Are they immune and indifferent to hell? Are they vaccinated against hell and the devil? What can we do to make atheists realize hell awaits them and they should transfer all their money and loyalty to the Methodists.

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The hell fantasy has a big problem. It's impossible to torture someone who is dead. This is a basic fact of reality.

One more thing: The question was well done. Especially the Methodists stuff.

Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809, 212 years ago. This New York Times article was published on February 11, 2009. Click the link to see the whole thing.

The Origin of Darwin By OLIVIA JUDSON February 11, 2009

Some paragraphs from Olivia Judson's article:

MY fellow primates, 200 years ago today, Charles Darwin was born. Please join me in wishing him a happy birthday!

Unlike many members of the human species, Darwin makes an easy hero. His achievements were prodigious; his science, meticulous. His work transformed our understanding of the planet and of ourselves.

He was not right about everything. How could he have been? Famously, he didn’t know how genetics works; as for DNA — well, the structure of the molecule wasn’t discovered until 1953. So today’s view of evolution is much more nuanced than his. We have incorporated genetics, and expanded and refined our understanding of natural selection, and of the other forces in evolution.

But what is astonishing is how much Darwin did know, and how far he saw. His imagination told him, for example, that many female animals have a sense of beauty — that they like to mate with the most beautiful males. For this he was ridiculed. But we know that he was right. Still more impressive: he was not afraid to apply his ideas to humans. He thought that natural selection had operated on us, just as it had on fruit flies and centipedes.

As we delve into DNA sequences, we can see natural selection acting at the level of genes. Our genes hold evidence of our intimate associations with other beings, from cows to malaria parasites and grains. The latest research allows us to trace the genetic changes that differentiate us from our primate cousins, and shows that large parts of the human genome bear the stamp of evolution by means of natural selection.

He published important work on subjects as diverse as the biology of carnivorous plants, barnacles, earthworms and the formation of coral reefs. He wrote a travelogue, “The Voyage of the Beagle,” that was an immediate best seller and remains a classic of its kind. And as if that was not enough, he discovered two major forces in evolution — natural selection and sexual selection — and wrote three radical scientific masterpieces, “On the Origin of Species” (1859), “The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex” (1871) and “The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals” (1872).

Thank goodness for President Biden

Some people are able to throw out their religious brainwashing. This is one of them.

Evolution has been an accepted fact for 200 years. Why are there still evolution deniers in the 21st century?

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People who tend to take the Bible as literal understand that evolution invalidates the creation stories and rather than objectively examine their beliefs and the facts, believe that evolution is wrong without ever trying to actually understand the facts. Even some like Ken Ham, who do try somewhat, maintain a large amount of cognitive dissonance

Personally, I grew up in an Evangelical-Fundamentalist background (with some other stuff thrown in) and I never tried to learn what evolution was or the evidence that supports it. I just assumed that it was wrong and that if one were to look at the evidence, it would be quite plain that evolution was wrong. It wasn't until I heard a news piece about a Ph.D. who specialized in the effect of natural disasters on evolution that I began to suspect that I did not have a full picture (I was in my late 30's). I eventually sat down and forced myself to objectively research claims that I thought showed creation to be true and claims about why evolution is true. At first it was really hard to objectively consider the science behind evolution, but as I learned more, it became hard to objectively look at creationist claims and not just dismiss them out of hand.

Edit:

By the way, it has only been 70 to 90 years that evolution has been fully accepted, i.e. since the last anti-evolution paper was accepted and in the 1930s, evolution had a major overhaul from Darwin's original proposal due to the resurfacing of genetics -- at least as I understand it, but I'm not a science historian.

-- Pirate AM™

This Doonesbury comic strip about vaccines was well done.

Assholes love Trump.

Must-read stories around major news events

Trending Now Jan. 30, 2:14 p.m. EST

‘Be ready to fight.’ FBI probe of U.S. Capitol riot finds evidence detailing coordination of an assault. FBI agents around the country are working to unravel the various motives, relationships, goals and actions of the hundreds of Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6. Some inside the bureau have described the investigation as the biggest case since the 9/11 attacks. A top priority of the agents’ work is to determine the extent to which that the violence and chaos was preplanned and coordinated. Read more

Wikipedia news

In the news

Kaja Kallas

• A coordinated short squeeze targeting American hedge funds causes GameStop's stock price to spike.
• Kaja Kallas (pictured) becomes the first female prime minister of Estonia, following the resignation of Jüri Ratas.
• In Russia, protests against the arrest of Alexei Navalny occur in more than 120 towns and cities.

Ongoing: 

• COVID-19 pandemic 
• Indian farmers' protest

Recent deaths: 

• Maxine Cheshire - 
• John Chaney - 
• Flavio Alfaro - 
• Sibongile Khumalo - 
• Shaibal Gupta - 
• Luton Shelton
• 
  

When Muslim scum get killed that's always a good thing.

New York Times

American airstrikes killed the top Islamic State leader in Iraq.

Jabbar Salman Ali Farhan al-Issawi, 43, also known as Abu Yasser, was killed Wednesday near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, American-led military coalition and Iraqi officials said Friday. A coalition spokesman called Mr. al-Issawi’s death “a significant blow” to the Islamic State’s efforts to regroup. Above, Iraqi federal police forces in Baghdad today.

The Islamic State no longer holds territory in Iraq but has continued to carry out deadly attacks, including a double-suicide bomb in Baghdad last week. This week’s joint operation with Iraqi forces illustrates Iraq’s continued reliance on the U.S. military even as the two countries negotiate reducing the American troop presence.

Some coronavirus stuff.

Important developments in the pandemic.

By Ben Guarino  Email The Post's coronavirus coverage linked in this newsletter is free to access from this email.   The latest Johnson & Johnson's vaccine provides a robust defense against severe disease and protects against fatal illness, according to the results of a giant worldwide trial released Friday by the drugmaker.  Unlike the two vaccines already authorized in the United States, the J&J vaccine requires only a single dose. If the Food and Drug Administration gives the go-ahead, having a third option could greatly increase the speed at which vaccinations are distributed across the country. Overall, the vaccine was 85 percent effective at stopping severe illness. In South Africa, though, the protection against illness was somewhat muted, perhaps because of variants there.  A Maryland biotechnology company, Novavax, also said its vaccine was less effective at preventing illness against the variant first identified in South Africa, per data the company provided in a news release Thursday. The European Union's regulatory committee has authorized Oxford-AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine, making it the third vaccine available for use in adults. The United States will await further trial data – available study information included few patients over 65 -- before considering authorization.  If protection from a potentially deadly virus weren't enough motivation, some grocery store chains are offering incentives to get the vaccine. Workers at Dollar General, Trader Joe's, Aldi and Lidl can get bonuses in exchange for shots. The sweeteners include money, paid time off or flexible schedules. It remains to be seen whether this practice will spread to other companies who employ essential workers. In the early days of the pandemic, officials worried about the global stock of ventilators. The United States sent 8,700 machines to other countries. Where many of those ventilators ended up is a mystery, per a new Government Accountability Office report describing the Trump administration's scattershot approach to foreign donations. Other important news A yet-unreleased HBO documentary, “In The Same Breath,” claims the Chinese government responded to the early outbreak with blunders and propaganda. Our reporter who has seen the film called it “scathing.” One-in-4 football fans told pollsters they plan to attend Super Bowl parties in the midst of a pandemic that has killed 432,000 Americans. Federal watchdog reports say the United States botched the evacuation of Americans from Wuhan, China, increasing transmission risk to the public. A 26-year-old reporter in Florida became the unofficial guide to helping her community's seniors get vaccinated. A Georgia medical center defied state eligibility rules and gave vaccines to teachers. Georgia canceled the center's vaccine shipments for six months.    Guide to the pandemic Track confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. and the spread around the world. U.S. vaccine distribution and delivery, tracked by state. FAQ: How do Biden’s new mask orders work? What you need to know about the virus variants Submit a question and we may answer it in a future story or newsletter.    Your questions, answered “With the vaccine rollout now underway, we are bombarded with images in the media of countless patients with arms bared, staring stoically straight ahead as a health-care worker jabs a 1.5 inch hypodermic needle into their upper arm muscle. This is quite harrowing because it seems barbaric to me. This is the 21st century. Has there been any thought amongst vaccine makers as to a different delivery system — like a patch, or a liquid you can take by mouth? Long needles have got to go.” — Judith in New York I hear you: Needles bite. But syringes remain the simplest way to get vaccines – and, in particular, the fragile genetic information contained within – where they need to go. Our bodies aren't particularly welcoming places. They throw up lots of barriers, from the hairs in our noses to the wax in our ears. Sticky mucus membranes line our guts and passages. There's acid in our bellies. Destructive chemicals and cells in the immune system are microscopic protectors. Inoculations need to bypass all these barriers while keeping the vaccines' delicate components intact. The ones distributed around the United States contain RNA so sensitive the vials need to be deep-chilled, in some cases to temperatures below winter in Antarctica. A swift injection to the upper arm ensures our cells can respond to the RNA before that genetic material degrades. You might wonder why that arm muscle, the deltoid, has long been the most popular spot for vaccination. It's something of a Goldilocks zone, where an immune response occurs not too slowly, but not too fast, as the vaccine agent trickles into the blood supporting the muscle.  Fatty areas don't have enough blood supply. An injection into a vein, on the other hand, would spread the vaccine too rapidly through the coursing bloodstream. (Plus it's a little more socially acceptable to expose an arm muscle than some other prime spots, and it doesn’t take too much training to get the arm-jab down pat.) A wider-bore needle helps the vaccine dissipate while reducing chances of swelling, as this medical review notes. Scientists are working on other ways to slip coronavirus vaccines past our body's defensive line. It's not simple. Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, for instance, are developing a nasal spray that uses bioengineered bacteria to deposit vaccine in mucosal tissues. But that and similar efforts will require more time to refine and test. Until then, we'll have to roll up our sleeves and take those shots.

I wrote this for the god-soaked assholes who infest the Wall Street Journal.

It would be so nice to have an atheist president. Religious stuff doesn't belong in the 21st century. We know things these days.

UPDATE:

A Christian fucktard asked this stupid question: "Please, tell us just what you know."

This is what I wrote for the moron:

Here in the 21st century, thanks to something called science, we know your god-of-the-gaps has run out of hiding places. A god fairy who never had anything to do is a fairy that doesn't exist.

Even without the science, the idea there's a magical god thing hiding somewhere in the universe is a ridiculous fantasy.

Throw out the vaccines. The Magic Man will protect you.

DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - President John Magufuli said on Wednesday that Tanzania did not need a coronavirus lockdown because God would protect his people and homespun precautions such as steam inhalation were better than dangerous foreign vaccines.

This is a good thing.

News Alert Jan. 28, 1:09 p.m. EST

General Motors to stop making gas-powered passenger cars and SUVs by 2035 The maker of Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac vehicles said Thursday that all of its passenger cars and sport utility vehicles will be electric starting in 2035, which would make it the first major U.S. carmaker to sunset the internal combustion engine. GM's medium and heavy trucks would still be gas powered. Read more

Religious fucktards use the word "faith" to justify their bullshit.

"Is faith a belief without evidence?"

That's the correct definition.

Scientists require evidence.

Religious people use the word "faith" to justify their moronic ridiculous fantasies. No evidence required.

Thank goodness for President Biden.

        New York Times

President Biden signed a series of executive orders that will fight climate change at every level of the federal government.

“We’ve already waited too long to deal with this climate crisis,” Mr. Biden said. “We can’t wait any longer.”

Looking to counteract Republican claims that his climate policies would hurt an economy already weakened by the coronavirus pandemic, the president cast many of his orders as an economic boon that would create millions of jobs.

The orders include a pause on new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and offshore waters, and eliminating fossil fuel subsidies. Mr. Biden also pledged to announce specific targets detailing how the U.S. would lower its carbon dioxide emissions under the Paris accord.

The orders also specified that climate change, for the first time, will be a core part of all foreign policy and national security decisions. That will most likely bring big changes for America’s role in the world. Here’s what to watch for in the coming months.

These lunatics are Trump's friends.

        New York Times

BREAKING NEWS

The U.S. will face heightened threats for weeks from violent domestic extremists emboldened by the assault on the Capitol, the D.H.S. said.

Wednesday, January 27, 2021 3:37 PM EST

The breach may have encouraged domestic extremists to target elected officials and government facilities, according to a rare national terrorism warning released by the Department of Homeland Security.

Read the latest

Another chess opponent. Where he lives is probably an interesting place.

Anas LAHLOU

Casablanca Morocco

Casablanca

City in Morocco

Description

Description

Casablanca is a port city and commercial hub in western Morocco, fronting the Atlantic Ocean. The city's French colonial legacy is seen in its downtown Mauresque architecture, a blend of Moorish style and European art deco. Standing partly over the water, the enormous Hassan II Mosque, completed in 1993, has a 210m minaret topped with lasers directed toward Mecca. ― Google

Area: 84.94 mi²

Metropolitan area: 7,786 mi²

Local time: Wednesday 9:43 PM

Weather: 61°F (16°C), Wind NE at 9 mph (14 km/h), 98% Humidity

Population: 3.36 million (2014)

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Our chess game. The endgame was interesting. Here it is. I won with the white pieces.

https://lichess.org/uFstbSSW/white#0

This chess player lives in Nigeria. I think he is a poet.

Trueblood Enod

Instincts and aggressive play are flavours, I can't take away from my chess games... We fall but in all we spring up with burning 💥FLAMES💥 enough to light up your chess study rooms. I am your board, give me your respect otherwise you have no King. I WIN, I LOSE, I WIN; So, I keep on WINNING ON WINGS!

Lekki, Lagos & Port Harcourt city, Rivers Nigeria

Member since Oct 18, 2018

President Biden is getting stuff done.

Environment Alert Jan. 26, 9:43 p.m. EST

Biden to place environmental justice at the center of sweeping climate plan The president plans far-reaching actions to cut carbon emissions, aid polluted communities and shift the nation away from fossil fuels. Biden will create a White House interagency council on environmental justice, an office of health and climate equity at the Health and Human Services Department, and an environmental justice office at the Justice Department, according to two people briefed on the plan who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it had not been formally announced. Read more

Biden and Putin had a phone conversation. My comment about this: I like Russians. I play chess with them every day. But their dictator is a stupid fucking asshole. For example, "reports of Russian bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan." What a fucking asshole.

News Alert Jan. 26, 2:15 p.m. EST

In first call with Putin, Biden pressed Russian president on arms control, Navalny arrest, White House official says White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden called Vladimir Putin and discussed a number of topics, including Ukrainian sovereignty, the poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, reports of Russian bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan and interference in the 2020 election. “His intention was also to make clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of our national interests in response to malign actions by Russia,” Psaki said. Read more