You might have to know something about chess to understand this quote I'm adding to my list of favorite quotes.

"...pry open the h-file, sac, sac, ... mate!"

 Romania

Johnson & Johnson vaccine, only one shot required.

News Alert Feb. 28, 3:17 p.m. EST

CDC advisory panel recommends easier-to-use Johnson & Johnson vaccine, enabling inoculations to start this week Meeting in an emergency session Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel endorsed the first coronavirus vaccine authorized in the United States that doesn’t need to be kept frozen or be followed by a second shot. Clinical trial data showed it completely protected against hospitalization and death. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is expected to approve the panel’s action, making it an official CDC recommendation to health providers. The nation’s third authorized vaccine is expected to start shipping as early as Monday to sites already receiving the shots made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Read more

I asked this question: A question for atheists who were theists. What made you decide to throw out your religious brainwashing? Here are some of the answers.

When I was around 40, my faith was wavering so I decided to look at the evidence for the Bible. I looked at the science behind both creationism and evolution and initially I had to force myself to be very objective and through with both -- I tend to just accept any creationist claim and reject evolution. The more I learned, the more that switched to accepting evolution and dismissing creationist claims. It didn't take too long to see that creationist authors were blatantly ripping off Christians.

I did further research into other Biblical events that should have left lasting evidence. For example, while I would not expect the Noah's ark would have lasted, clearly a world wide flood would have left massive evidence both in geology and in genetics, but nothing remotely similar was to be found.

Now there is some supporting evidence for parts of the Bible, but none of it directly or indirectly suggests that God exist, it just suggests that the Bible does contain some history and geography.

I know that many people claim that the earlier events in the Bible are "metaphorical" or "allegorical", but they are not written that way, other writers in the Bible refer to them as real events rather than metaphors and it was not until relatively recently that more than a handful of people started to claim that they were metaphors or allegories

I think the last straw was asking a question about the Star of Bethlehem on R&S, but when you might actually get some serious answers. The answers I got confirmed what I had already found out, i.e. the herald of the most important event in history had not been noticed by anyone but the wise men, even though it led them for up to two years.

-- Pirate AM™

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Fighting in a series of several religious wars did it for me. In all truth.

-- Veschengro

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I was raised/indoctrinated into Protestant Christianity. But once I learned about other religions, I realized the chances were small that I had happened to be born into the correct religion. Then I learned about mythologies, that they were religions that people stopped believing in. It seemed obvious that all religions were simply myths people still believed in.

This was about 35 years ago, and nothing I've seen or heard or read since has changed my mind or even made me doubt that all religions are just man-made myths.

-- Anonymous

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When I was about 17 I decided that I wanted to be a better Christian by thoroughly studying the Bible and learning the historical context. It didn't have the result I expected.

-- God of Thunder

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There is nothing true about the Judeo-Christian teachings. I simply couldn't believe a pack of lies any longer. The supposed messianic prophecies were the nail in the coffin for me.

-- Troll

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I was raised Christian, spent over 20 years believing in God, loving Jesus, going to church, and reading the Bible.

I wanted to get closer to God so I started studying the Bible in-depth. But that study showed me there is no proof God exists.

-- Anonymous

Another Doonesbury comic strip about the stupid fucking asshole who used to be the President of the United States.

I recommend this post I wrote on December 14, 2018.

8 hours of terror

Another chess opponent. Google Translate is my friend.

Иван Поликарпов
Руководитель шахматного клуба 1950г рождения
Цимлянск Russia

Ivan Polikarpov
Head of the chess club born in 1950
Tsimlyansk Russia

I just played chess with someone in Cergy France which is a suburb of Paris. I found this in his profile. I'm adding it to my list of favorite chess quotes.

L'Echiquier de Cergy a été fondé en 1987. Enseigner les échecs n'est pas une fin en soi et ne se résume pas à former des joueurs plus performants. Depuis sa création, l'association a de plus en plus utilisée le jeu d'échecs pour ses vertus éducatives offrant le parfait dispositif pour enseigner grâce à la combinaison d’esprit critique et de la pensée créative qu’il propose.
Cergy France

L'Echiquier de Cergy was founded in 1987. Teaching chess is not an end in itself and is not just about training more efficient players. Since its creation, the association has increasingly used the game of chess for its educational virtues, offering the perfect device for teaching thanks to the combination of critical thinking and creative thinking it offers.
Cergy France

Google and Wikipedia are my friends.

Today I played an interesting chess game which I won with the black pieces. My opponent lives in Vaikom, India. As usual, I used google to explore his city in India. And this is how I found this American music which I like very much.

Wikipedia:

"Memories" is a song by the American pop band Maroon 5. It was released as a lead single from their upcoming seventh studio album through 222 and Interscope Records on September 20, 2019.

Lyrically, the song pays homage to the memories of a loved one who has since passed. The song is a simplified version of "Canon in D Major" by German composer Johann Pachelbel. It was produced by lead vocalist Adam Levine and production team the Monsters and the Strangerz, and written by Levine, Stefan Johnson, Jordan Johnson, Michael Pollack, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Jon Bellion, and Vincent Ford. The single peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

I wrote this at the Wall Street Journal for the Christian morons who infest that newspaper.

Here we are in the 21st century and there are still people who think their god thing listens to them talk to themselves, also known as praying.

I wrote this question somewhere else. The answers were both ridiculous and interesting.

"If many planets were populated with intelligent creatures requiring salvation, would the Magic Jeebus Man have to die for all of them?"

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That would be called Intergalactic Salvation, and the fiction writers did not think about that. They were more focused on things like talking snakes, and a man living in a fish for 3 days.

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Anyone else picturing Star Trek style energy beings, Jesus appearing as one, and trying to figure out how to make crucifixion work?

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According to principles of the Christian faith, when Jesus was crucified, this was a blood sacrifice that applied to all humans living at the time, already deceased and future humans yet to be born.

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There are no "aliens". If there were, the Lord would have warned us to beware of them. They don't exist. There are devils and people that want to deceive you into thinking there are "aliens" for other destructive goals. So forget all that. Here is what you need to believe: The Lord Jesus Christ is God, and He loves you. Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ means being forgiven all sins past and future, and means going to heaven and not hell. Death leads to immediate heaven or hell, and it is too late to be saved, after death. All believers still sin. See 1 John 1:8. To be in heaven and not hell, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is God and who died on the cross and shed His blood to pay for all of our sins in full, and who was buried, and who resurrected from the dead. The only way to avoid hell is by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, without adding any of your own works. See Romans 4:5, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, and John 3:16.

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No big deal! Three-day job at most!

Christianity is the most ridiculous cult ever invented.

Tic-tac-toe

Every question about religious bullshit requires someone to make stuff up.

"When a dead person goes to heaven, do they remember what life was like on earth?"

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Anyone can answer this question. They just have to make stuff up and then call their idea a fact. Every religious fantasy requires someone to make stuff up.

The entire bible required people to make stuff up. Same thing for every other holy book.

Mister Boffo

Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau. This is about the moron who used to be the President of the United States.

I found this in the profile of an American who lives in Florida in a city called Saint Augustine. As usual for Idiot Florida, the chess player is a god soaked moron. He's probably a bible thumper.

Mark Biernat

See the light of God in each person

Saint Augustine United States 

Something from nothing. The Magic Man didn't do it.

A Study About Nothing

Scientists find new ways to measure the infinitesimally small fluctuations that exist in a vacuum.

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A Mathematical Proof That The Universe Could Have Formed Spontaneously From Nothing

Cosmologists assume that natural quantum fluctuations allowed the Big Bang to happen spontaneously. Now they have a mathematical proof

Vaccines are a good thing.

I'm adding this to my list of favorite chess quotes.

Vyankatesh Pagare

🔝 UNSTOPPABLE PAWN 🔥

Satana,nasik, maharashtra India

https://lichess.org/@/vyankatesh09

My last chess opponent lives in New Brunswick, Canada. As usual I was killed. I'm adding this to my list of favorite chess quotes.

Randy Maillet

favorite chess quote..."In chess you must take your opponent into a deep dark forest, where 2 plus 2 equals 5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one." M. Tal. 

I have been playing tournaments over 35 years, Canadian rating 2050.

New Brunswick Canada

https://lichess.org/@/rgm48

I'm adding this to my list of favorite chess quotes.

Jimmy

I play soccer, baseball, basketball, and chess

Missouri United States

https://lichess.org/@/ChickenDinner1

I'm adding this to my list of favorite chess quotes.

MilAbraham N. P.

Me gusta el ajedrez es mi juego favorito y mi hobby... He participado en los Torneos que he tenido aquí en caracas y algunas zonas del país... He ganado varias trofeos y medallas en las 3 posiciones posiciones. Tengo muchos años que no he vuelto a participar en los torneos los extraños... Ahora solo juego en línea cuando me conecto en varias paginas de ajedrez "Chess" y en Lichess. org desde que m…

La Gran Caracas Venezuela

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A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) that has earned either a Master's of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Nurse Practitioners have more authority than Registered Nurses and have similar responsibilities to that of a doctor.

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I like chess, it is my favorite game and my hobby ... I have participated in the tournaments that I have had here in Caracas and some areas of the country ... I have won several trophies and medals in the 3 positions. I have not participated in the strangers tournaments for many years ... Now I only play online when I log on to various chess pages "Chess" and Lichess. org since m ...

https://lichess.org/@/CaballoTorre

Nobody cares.

My Lichess.org profile

https://lichess.org

FEB 17, 2021

6 wins2 draws5 losses

Played 13 Rapid games20949

FEB 16, 2021

4 wins2 draws1 loss

Played 7 Rapid games208523

FEB 15, 2021

7 wins4 draws12 losses

Played 23 Rapid games206226

FEB 14, 2021

4 wins7 losses

Played 11 Rapid games208823

FEB 13, 2021

Supported lichess.org for 1 month as a Patron

8 wins2 draws8 losses

Played 18 Rapid games21115

FEB 12, 2021

3 wins

Played 3 Rapid games210619

FEB 11, 2021

10 wins11 losses

Played 21 Rapid games20874 

Thank goodness Fucktard Trump lost the election.

        New York Times

BREAKING NEWS

Two female generals will be nominated for elite, four-star commands. A top official said the moves were delayed to avoid Donald Trump’s interference.

Wednesday, February 17, 2021 11:15 AM EST

The promotions were discussed and agreed upon last fall. But the defense secretary at the time, Mark T. Esper, and General Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, worried that if they even raised their names — Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost of the Air Force and Lt. Gen. Laura J. Richardson of the Army — the Trump White House would replace them with their own candidates before leaving office.

Read the latest

Someone else wrote this stuff about the gullible morons who suck up to a magic god fairy.

Why do people believe in their religion even though it's all based on faith and not concrete evidence?

It always made me curious as to why people believe in supernatural beings (god, jesus, allah, etc) and magic (healing powers, water into wine, etc) when there is literally no proof or evidence that supports their existence besides a book written hundreds of years ago that is also baseless in terms of it being legitimate.

I answered a question about atheism.

"How is being an atheist working for you?"

Atheism is an acceptance of reality. It has the advantage of being real. I can't imagine throwing out reality and replacing reality with insane religious fantasies.

Why are there still theists in the 21st century? It's an incurable stupidity problem.

I'm adding this to my list of favorite chess quotes.

Masud Rana

I like chess.

Jamalpur  Bangladesh

Some stuff from the New York Times about President Biden. The only thing I care about is the free $1,400.00 I don't need.

Biden barrels ahead

With Donald Trump’s impeachment trial over, President Biden plans to quickly push his agenda, allies say, starting with the passage of a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan before moving on to an even bigger agenda that includes infrastructure, immigration, criminal justice reform, climate change and health care.

To kick off the new era in Washington, Mr. Biden is escaping it — embarking on trips to Wisconsin and Michigan to rally support for his agenda.

Tonight in Milwaukee, at 9 Eastern, he will participate in a CNN town hall in which he is expected to tout his proposal to send $1,400 checks to individuals struggling during the pandemic. On Thursday, Mr. Biden will travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., to tour a Pfizer plant and meet workers producing the company’s coronavirus vaccine.

Mr. Biden’s first official trips as president are meant to focus on the coronavirus and the economy. Without the spectacle of a constitutional clash, the new president “takes center stage now in a way that the first few weeks didn’t allow,” said Jennifer Palmieri, who served as communications director for President Barack Obama. She said the end of the impeachment trial means that “2021 can finally start.”

I'm adding this to my list of favorite chess quotes. Google translate is my friend.

I played a chess game with someone in Montevideo Uruguay.

Soy médico y militar, tengo 39 años, el ajedrez además de brindar la alegría del juego en si mismo, me genera satisfacción de conocer mucha gente.

I am a doctor and a military man, I am 39 years old, chess, in addition to providing the joy of the game itself, gives me satisfaction from meeting many people.

This blog has 5 posts about Uruguay at Uruguay.

At northwestern Illinois where I live there will soon be tons of snow and extreme cold. Nobody cares.

News Alert Feb. 15, 11:28 a.m. EST

Power outages widespread in Texas, Oklahoma amid winter storms, with coldest temperatures yet to come More than 2.7 million customers are without power in Texas as frigid air sends electricity demands soaring, while power generation from wind turbines and natural gas plants drops. Snow has fallen all the way to the Mexican border, and many spots are seeing their coldest weather in at least 30 years. Read more

February 15, 2021 - The New York Times - some stuff

February 15, 2021 Continue reading the main story SUPPORTED BY

By David Leonhardt

Good morning. We explain why Senate Republicans bucked public opinion to acquit Trump.

A digital billboard of Donald Trump outside the Capitol last week.Doug Mills/The New York Times

Public opinion isn’t political power

Purely as a matter of political self-interest, congressional Republicans had some good reasons to abandon Donald Trump as the de facto leader of their party.

Trump is unpopular with most Americans, and he has been for his entire political career. He was able to win the presidency in 2016 only with help from some unusual factors — including an unpopular opponent, intervention from both Russia and the F.B.I. director and razor-thin wins in three swing states.

Today, Trump is a defeated one-term president who never cracked 47 percent of the vote, and political parties are usually happy to move on from presidents who lose re-election.

That would have been true even before Trump’s reaction to his defeat. He became the first president in U.S. history to try to overturn an election result, and he incited a crowd of supporters that violently attacked Congress while it was meeting to certify the results. (Here’s the latest about what he knew during the riot.) On the Senate floor this weekend, Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, said that Trump was “practically and morally responsible” for the attack and accused him of “a disgraceful dereliction of duty.”

Partly because of the riot, Trump left office with just a 39 percent approval rating, according to FiveThirtyEight. Multiple recent polls showed that a majority of Americans thought that the Senate should convict him and disqualify him from holding future office.

So why didn’t Senate Republicans do so?

Senator Mitch McConnell arriving at the Capitol on Saturday.Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg

The G.O.P. is doing just fine

There are two important parts to the answer.

The more obvious one is the short-term political danger for individual Republicans. Roughly 70 percent of Republican voters continue to support Trump strongly, polls suggest. A similar share say they would be less likely to vote for a Republican senator who voted to convict Trump, according to Li Zhou of Vox.

For Republican politicians, turning on Trump still brings a significant risk of being a career-ending move, as it was for Jeff Flake, the former Arizona senator, and Jeff Sessions, the former attorney general. Of the seven Republican senators who voted for conviction, only one — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — faces re-election next year, Burgess Everett of Politico noted. And the seven are already facing blowback in their home states.

The second part of the answer is more subtle but no less important. Today’s Republican Party is less concerned with national public opinion than it used to be — or than today’s Democratic Party is.

The Republican Party of the past won elections by persuading most Americans that it would do a better job than Democrats of running the country. Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and Dwight Eisenhower each won at least 57 percent of the vote in their re-election campaigns. George W. Bush won 51 percent, largely by appealing to swing voters on national security, education, immigration and other issues. A party focused on rebuilding a national majority probably could not stay tethered to Trump.

But the modern Republican Party has found ways other than majority support to achieve its goals.

It benefits from a large built-in advantage in the Senate, which gives more power to rural and heavily white states. The filibuster also helps Republicans more than it does Democrats. In the House and state legislatures, both parties have gerrymandered, but Republicans have done more of it. In the courts, Republicans have been more aggressive about putting judges on the bench and blocking Democratic presidents from doing so. In the Electoral College, Democrats currently waste more votes than Republicans by running up large state-level victories.

All of this helps explain Trump’s second acquittal. The Republican Party is in the midst of the worst run that any party has endured — across American history — in the popular vote of presidential elections, having lost seven of the past eight. Yet the party has had a pretty good few decades, policy-wise. It has figured out how to succeed with minority support.

Republican-appointed justices dominate the Supreme Court. Republicans are optimistic they can retake control of both the House and the Senate next year (even if they win fewer votes nationwide). Taxes on the wealthy are near their lowest level in a century. Democrats have failed to enact many of their biggest priorities — on climate change, Medicare, the minimum wage, preschool, gun control, immigration and more.

Yes, Trump’s acquittal bucks public opinion. But it still might not cost the Republicans political power.

More on impeachment:

McConnell’s actions — voting for acquittal while upbraiding Trump — was an attempt “to both satisfy Trump supporters and appeal to Republicans who are repulsed by Trump,” Carl Hulse, The Times’s chief Washington correspondent, says. President Biden wanted Trump to be convicted, but the quick trial at least allows Biden to get moving on his agenda, starting with a virus-relief bill. At least six people who worked as security guards for Roger Stone, a Trump ally, stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, a Times investigation found. The acquittal revived speculation about the electoral prospects of Trump’s daughter-in-law.

THE LATEST NEWS

A tank rolling through Yangon, Myanmar, yesterday.The New York Times

Myanmar’s military sent soldiers into the streets to shut down anti-coup protests and surround the houses of government workers who had joined the demonstrations. A winter storm is bringing heavy snow, perilous ice and dangerously low temperatures to much of the U.S. The pandemic is taking a toll on the mental health of young people. “The pandemic feels like a big stop in our lives,” a 22-year-old student said. An Ebola outbreak in Guinea has killed at least three people. In 2014, the country was the starting point for an epidemic of the disease that left more than 11,000 dead in 10 countries. “Jeopardy!” fans mourned the death of Brayden Smith, a five-time champion who was 24. Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, are expecting their second child.

MORNING READS

A Morning Read: What would a $15 minimum wage mean for both workers and business owners? Look to Fresno, Calif., for answers.

From Opinion: The most loved small businesses do more than sell products. Here are four grateful customers, in their own words.

Lives Lived: Reggie Jones began his lifeguard career at Jones Beach on Long Island in 1944. He stuck with the job for the next 64 summers, saving swimmers well into his 70s. Jones died at 93.

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