How Elementary Particles Die | Science 2.0– www.science20.com Source Link Excerpt:
A preamble
Subnuclear physics obeys the laws of quantum mechanics,
which are quite a far cry from those of classical mechanics we are accustomed
to. For that reason, one might be inclined to believe that analogies based on
everyday life cannot come close to explaining the behavior of elementary
particles. But that is not true – in fact, many properties of elementary
particles are understandable in analogy with the behavior of classical systems,
without the need to delve into the intricacies of the quantum world. And if you
have been reading this blog for a while, you know what I think – the analogy is
a powerful didactical instrument, and it is indeed at the very core of our
learning processes.
The above has a relevance here because in this post I wish
to try and explain in as simple terms as possible how subnuclear particles
decay. I took inspiration for this from a recent conversation I had with my
son, who was asking explanations on a non-trivial rule that forbids some
quantum mechanical decay processes. The rule, called OZI (from the names of the
three theorists who proposed it in the 1970ies, Okubo, Zweig, and Iizuka),
applies to hadrons (particles made of quarks) disintegrating into other
hadrons. I will get to it later in this article, but first I want to clarify a
few more fundamental concepts about particle decays.
Jasmine Crockett Refuses To Apologize For Speaking The Truth About Trump– www.politicususa.com Source Link Excerpt:
The mainstream media has been bending the knee to Trump since before he returned to the White House, so they seem surprised when brave voices continue to stand their ground and tell the truth about Donald Trump.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) showed that the president’s censorship campaign will not silence her.
CNN’s Dana Bash asked Rep. Crockett, “Do you have a responsibility as an elected official not to raise the temperature, but rather lower the temperature, particularly when there are people out there who listen to elected officials all over the place who are not well who use that as a way to instigate the political violence that you are calling out?”
The Texas Democrat replied:
I think that my responsibility is to be transparent and to be honest.
And the reality is that we are living in a time in which this administration and this regime is not interested in making sure that people understand history. We need to understand why they are so problematic. And so I am using that language because it is accurate language when we see the consolidation of power, when we see them trying to chill speech of jokesters, when we’re seeing all of this.
That is a playbook out of Hitler. And I won’t deny it. Like, these are the facts. But one of the things that I have never done that the president has done consistently is called specifically for violence. He has said, oh, beat that one up. He has said those types of things.
Venezuelan president’s YouTube account offline as tensions with US escalate– abcnews.go.com Source Link Excerpt:
BOGOTA, Colombia — The YouTube account of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was offline Saturday, with Venezuelan state-run channel Telesur claiming in a message on X that it was “eliminated” late the previous night without justification.
YouTube’s parent company Google did not immediately respond to questions on the apparent termination of the Venezuelan president’s account. It comes amid rising tensions between Venezuela and the United States over the deployment of American warships and fighter jets in the southern Caribbean.
Maduro’s YouTube account had more than 200,000 followers before it became unavailable Friday and was used to publish the Venezuelan president’s speeches, as well as clips from his weekly show on Venezuelan state TV.
On its website, YouTube says it eliminates accounts that commit “repeated violations of community guidelines” that include publishing misinformation, hate speech and content that “interferes with democratic processes.”
Maduro has been widely accused of stealing last year’s presidential election in Venezuela, which he lost by a landslide according to tally sheets gathered by hundreds of Venezuelan opposition activists. Venezuela’s elections agency, which is controlled by the ruling socialist party, never published tally sheets to support its claim that Maduro won the vote.
Student Suspended After Wearing MAGA Hat and Getting Into Dispute at School– www.louderwithcrowder.com Source Link Excerpt:
This is America, where freedom of speech is central to the foundation of our republic. You would think that means the public school system fosters a culture where diversity of thought is respected and encouraged—but that’s not always the case, especially at Laguna Beach High School.
On Sept. 11, a student wore a MAGA hat to school in honor of Charlie Kirk, less than 24 hours after his death. Wearing that hat is his God-given right. But because the school has failed to instill the importance of that right, another student decided to throw the hat on the floor.
The first student had the perfect response: ‘If you hate this country, move to Canada—they’ve got open borders anyway.’
Rumors quickly spread, with some accusing him of being xenophobic and falsely claiming he told the other student to ‘go back where you came from’—which he never did. And the worst part? The school chose to suspend him, treating the victim as if he were the aggressor.
Can you believe that happened at a public school in America? I can—because nowadays, so-called ‘educators’ not only fail to teach students the importance of political discourse, they actively disdain it. And there’s no better evidence for that than this story.
I don’t have to tell you why freedom of speech and upholding our constitutional rights are more important now than ever, but the school should—and must—do better. His mother believes the school acted against him because of his political beliefs, and I couldn’t agree more. Yet just because this outcome was expected doesn’t make it any less troubling. These are supposed to be places where political discussions happen the most, yet students are not apprehensive about expressing their opinions for fear of retaliation. That is something that should never be tolerated in this great nation.
At Charlie Kirk’s Funeral, “The Power of Martyrdom” and “a Righteous Fury” Were on Display– www.vanityfair.com Source Link Excerpt:
As the procession of speakers made its way up the chain of conservative command, the service turned further towards setting a political agenda for the aftermath of Kirk’s murder. The goal now is “achieving victory in his name,” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said.
Miller also made appeals to faith, reflecting in his speech on how the angels wept for Kirk. But the tears had turned into fire, he said, and “that fire burns with a righteous fury that our enemies cannot comprehend or understand.”
Democratic NJ governor candidate claims Charlie Kirk wanted to ‘roll back rights of women and black people’– www.washingtonexaminer.com Source Link Excerpt:
Sherrill, who is running against Republican Jack Ciattarelli for New Jersey governor in 2025, said Kirk wanted “to roll back the rights of women and black people.”
“I believe in free speech. And that the First Amendment wouldn’t be necessary if it were only meant to cover language we agreed with. It is meant to protect people like Charlie Kirk who present vile dissenting views. But it is also meant to protect teachers, doctors, and TV comedians who may express views the president doesn’t like,” she said.
“Charlie Kirk was advocating for a Christian nationalist government and to roll back the rights of women and black people — this flies in the face of every value I hold dear and that I fight for. But the Constitution protects free speech, even for those I vehemently oppose,” she added.
Sherrill later said Kirk had “racist, anti-American views” but that his murder was “horrific.”
The House measure was passed on Friday, 310-58, with 58 Democrats voting against it, 38 voting “present,” and 22 not voting.
House Democratic leadership including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), and Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) voted for the resolution.
Was Kirk ‘Divisive’—or Did He Simply Say What Millions Believe? › American Greatness– amgreatness.com Source Link Excerpt:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is exercised that Charlie Kirk once said that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was “a mistake.”
Rep. Bennie Thompson sees AOC’s charge and raises it: “The fact is,” he said in an official statement, “Charlie Kirk’s rhetoric was divisive, disparaging, and too often rooted in grievance. The beliefs he evangelized normalized fringe views on race, sex, and immigration. Unfortunately, his rhetoric resurrected dangerous prejudices of a dark past.”
Gosh. Here’s a question, Congressman. What sort of grievance would someone have to entertain in order to be moved to describe someone who simply sought to engage young people in conversation as “divisive” and “disparaging?” Follow-up question: Did Charlie Kirk try to “normalize” fringe ideas about “race, sex, and immigration?” Or were the ideas he espoused, in fact (you see that two people can deploy the “in fact™” gambit), perfectly normal ideas that reflected the beliefs of millions of Americans, even if those ideas departed from the Washington consensus?
As for the Civil Rights Act, Charlie Kirk did say its expansion was “a huge mistake.” Here’s the context. A student asked Charlie whether he wanted to get rid of the Civil Rights Act. He replied that he thought we should have a one-page bill that outlawed racial discrimination and left it at that. Most Americans, he went on to note, don’t support forcing women’s sports teams to allow men pretending to be women to compete. But the Civil Rights Act has been interpreted to say just that.
Undeniable Evidence That MAGA Has Entered Its Death Spiral– www.politicususa.com Source Link Excerpt:
The reality of American politics is that all political movements have a life cycle. It is debatable whether MAGA is a political movement or a Trump political brand extension that is centered heavily around the cult of personality that Donald Trump has cultivated.
PoliticusUSA is not beholden to any party, billionaire, or special interest. Our only concern is you, the reader. Please support our work by becoming a subscriber.
The latest AP Poll contains some jarring data about how large parts of the Republican Party now believe that the country is going in the wrong direction under Trump.
The AP found that nearly 75% of respondents feel that the country is going in the wrong direction, including 50% of Republicans.
Among Republicans younger than 45, the decline is particularly glaring: 61% say the country is headed in the wrong direction, a spike of 30 percentage points since June, the last time the question was asked.
Thousands evacuated in Hong Kong after 1,000-pound WWII bomb discovered– www.foxnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
Thousands of people were forced to evacuate a bustling neighborhood of Hong Kong overnight while experts sweated through the delicate work of defusing an undetonated nearly 5-foot, 1,000-pound bomb left over from World War II.
The U.S.-made bomb was found at a construction site in Quarry Bay on Hong Kong’s west side overnight Friday, and it isn’t the first bomb from the war to be found on the island.
“We have confirmed this object to be a bomb dating back to World War II,” Andy Chan Tin-Chu, a police official, told reporters. He said because of “the exceptionally high risks associated with its disposal,” approximately 1,900 households involving 6,000 individuals were “urged to evacuate swiftly.”
Media’s Appeal To ‘Free Speech’ Over Jimmy Kimmel Is Fake– thefederalist.com Source Link Excerpt:
Panel after panel Wednesday night on CNN pretended to have a debate over “free speech,” with every anchor and Democrat talking head asking whichever present right-winger or Republican guest why the principle didn’t apply to ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel. Yeah, going forward, they can miss me with the “free speech” and other appeals to American principles that I and everyone else know they only fake concern for when their money and power are threatened.
ABC announced Wednesday evening it was yanking Kimmel’s late-night talk therapy sessions — known by some as Jimmy Kimmel Live! — for an indefinite period from the airwaves. That move came after Kimmel delivered what he intended to be a comedic monologue centered on the public execution of Charlie Kirk, an innocent man, less than a week prior. It also came after, as Democrats on CNN hysterically repeated over and over, the Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said on a podcast in relation to that monologue that TV stations relying on broadcast licenses should recommit themselves to the public interest, as required by existing law, or otherwise potentially face government action.
Because Carr, a Trump appointee, suggested his agencies might do their job and ensure compliance with public broadcasting rules, Democrats are calling the Kimmel suspension a violation of the First Amendment. There’s no reason to take them seriously for it. That party has done nothing in the past five years to hint it cares about the Bill of Rights or any other American ideal. They don’t. It’s the opposite.
ICE offers big bucks — but California cops prove tough to poach– www.latimes.com Source Link Excerpt:
In the push to expand as quickly as possible, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is aggressively wooing recruits with experience slapping handcuffs on suspects: sheriff’s deputies, state troopers and local cops.
The agency even shelled out for airtime during an NFL game with an ad explicitly targeting officers.
“In sanctuary cities, dangerous illegals walk free as police are forced to stand down,” the August recruitment ad warned over a sunset panorama of the Los Angeles skyline. “Join ICE and help us catch the worst of the worst.”
To meet its hiring goal, the Trump administration is offering hefty signing bonuses, student loan forgiveness and six-figure salaries to would-be deportation officers.
ICE has also broadened its pool of potential applicants by dropping age requirements, eliminating Spanish-language proficiency requirements and cutting back on training for new hires with law enforcement experience.
Pentagon official denies report of Charlie Kirk military recruitment drive | Gun Violence News– www.aljazeera.com Source Link Excerpt:
An NBC news report said the military planned to invoke the activist’s memory to recruit a ‘generation of warriors’.
The United States Department of Defense has denied reports that it plans to launch a recruiting drive to honour the legacy of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed at a Utah university event.
US network NBC first reported the news on Thursday, citing two officials familiar with the matter, but a Pentagon spokesperson quickly dispelled the report to Fox News.
NBC said the Pentagon was debating slogans such as “Charlie has awakened a generation of warriors” as part of its campaign drive, although Kirk himself was not a military veteran.
The military also hoped to work with Kirk’s political organisation, Turning Point USA, as part of its recruitment drive, the story said.
Turning Point was credited with helping US President Donald Trump win at the polls in 2024 through its work with young voters on high school and university campuses.
“This is not happening,” Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told Fox News later on Thursday.
Wilson blasted NBC for using anonymous sources to publish “false claims” that were “100 percent wrong”, according to the Fox News report.
The two unnamed Pentagon officials in the NBC report said the recruitment plan had been met with resistance from “some Pentagon leaders” who feared they would be seen as capitalising on Kirk’s murder.
Chaos on the streets of France as ‘900k’ refuse to go to work | World | News– www.express.co.uk Source Link Excerpt:
France has been rocked by day of chaos and disruption, with hundreds of thousands of people joining a nationwide strike. Trade unions in the country called for a day of protests against budget cuts, as France continues to be plagued by political turmoil.
Between 600,000 and 900,000 people are thought to have attended the anti-government demonstrations, according to France’s Interior Ministry. Officials said they deployed 80,000 police officers across the country in response to the protests. Police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators in Lyon and Nantes, as tensions reached boiling point.
Roads and streets have reportedly been blocked by protesters in other major cities across France.
Major disruptions to public transport have been reported, with many metro lines in Paris said to be closed.
Students also gathered in front of their schools and universities in the capital and beyond, chanting slogans and blocking entrances. Around a third of teachers joined their students in taking strike action, boycotting classes.
Stefanik urges Bondi to investigate MSF over alleged Hamas propaganda ties– www.foxnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., requested that Attorney General Pam Bondi undertake an investigation into Doctors Without Borders under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
In a copy of Stefanik’s letter reviewed by Fox News Digital, she accuses Doctors Without Borders, often known by its French acronym MSF, of having gone on a media offensive against U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, accusing the organization of “orchestrated killing.”
Stefanik claimed the attacks “mirror propaganda continuously pushed by Hamas and threaten to undermine the only large-scale humanitarian food operation currently working in Gaza.”
Together For Palestine: ‘How can we live with ourselves and stand by and do nothing?’– www.glamourmagazine.co.uk Source Link Excerpt:
It was exactly 11 years ago that I first joined a protest in support of Palestine. In 2014, tens of thousands of ordinary people took to the streets of London to protest the Gaza War – a 50-day conflict during which 2,251 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians and 551 children, as well as 66 Israeli soldiers and five civilians, including one child, were killed (per the UN).
Where many might not remember the 2014 conflict, few can escape the current horror in Gaza. Since the Hamas attack on Israel, on October 7th 2023, the Israeli military response has killed nearly 65,000 Palestinians (per the Palestinian Ministry of Health), although real figures could be much higher. Many human rights organisations, charities and genocide scholars have described the situation as a genocide.
But while there were politicians such as Diane Abbott speaking out at that first rally I attended back in 2014, many celebrities stayed silent. Those who did show support, such as Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Selena Gomez and Rihanna, were lambasted or ordered to backtrack by industry peers. Speaking out against the injustices in Palestine has always come at a price, but finally, more and more artists are stepping away from silence.
EXPLICIT DANGER: America Has Been Here Before, Right Before the Civil War– gellerreport.com Source Link Excerpt:
In the days since Charlie Kirk’s murder, many have expressed incredulity about the condition of the country. Our circumstances may be unique but the movements of political societies follow clear patterns. We have been deeply polarized before and the cause, now and then, is the same. Disagreement about the fundamental type of country we believe that we should be is what divides us.
In May, 1856 Charles Sumner of Massachusetts took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to denounce the use of force and fraud to plant slavery and its inevitable offspring, oligarchy, in the territory of Kansas. Southern statesmen who composed the inter-state oligarchy in the slave states sought to admit Kansas with slavery into the Union, expanding their power.
Since at least 1854 Sumner was among a few who had recognized that the fight over slavery had taken on a new character. Not only did the fate of slavery depend on the outcome of that fight, but also the future form of American government – whether all America would be republican, as the Founders intended and as the northern states were, or whether America would be converted to an oligarchy, the prevalent form of government in the South.
Sumner’s “Crime Against Kansas” speech was long, direct, and forceful. A few days later, Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina entered the Senate chamber with his lieutenants, Representatives Laurence Keitt of South Carolina and Henry Edmundson of Virginia, and commenced caning Sumner, who was sitting, his legs locked beneath his desk.
Hollywood Star John Cusack Reacts to Charlie Kirk Assassination by Calling Him ‘A Fascist’– conservativeroof.com Source Link Excerpt:
Actor John Cusack reacted to the horrific and gruesome assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk by continuing to spread the very hateful rhetoric that likely got him murdered by a deranged lunatic, calling the 31-year-old husband and father or two a “fascist.”
“He was a demagogue — and a fascist,” Cusack wrote of Kirk on the left-wing echo chamber social media platform BlueSky.
As reported, Kirk assassin suspect Tyler Robinson, left behind a message for his transgender roommate and partner, in which he admitted shooting the Turning Point USA founder and said, “I had enough of his hatred.”
Utah County District Attorney Jeff Gray read the entire message during a live television broadcast.
Kirk, like many in the conservative space, has been falsely labeled a “fascist,” among other pejoratives, fueling the hate that more than likely led to his murder, resulting in what appears to be a targeted political assassination of a man who was only trying to have a conversation.
Some in society have reacted to Kirk’s assassination by doubling down on their hateful and violent rhetoric, celebrating the Turning Point USA founder’s murder and continuing to smear him.
Meta AI Dings Kirk for Supposed Misinformation, Citing ‘Neutral’ Wikipedia– www.newsbusters.org Source Link Excerpt:
Meta AI went after Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk by relying on none other than Wikipedia, exposing the disturbing influence of the online encyclopedia on artificial intelligence.
On Wednesday, the chatbot was quick to accuse Kirk of promoting conspiracy theories and other purportedly false claims when asked, “Who is Charlie Kirk?” Worse still, Meta AI identified Wikipedia as its sole source, justifying its choice by stating it offers a “neutral point of view and comprehensive coverage of current events.”
The Download: AI-designed viruses, and bad news for the hydrogen industry– www.technologyreview.com Source Link Excerpt:
Artificial intelligence can draw cat pictures and write emails. Now the same technology can compose a working genome.
A research team in California says it used AI to propose new genetic codes for viruses—and managed to get several of them to replicate and kill bacteria.
The work, described in a preprint paper, has the potential to create new treatments and accelerate research into artificially engineered cells. But experts believe it is also an “impressive first step” toward AI-designed life forms. Read the full story.
—Antonio Regalado
Clean hydrogen is facing a big reality check
Hydrogen is sometimes held up as a master key for the energy transition. It can be made using several low-emissions methods and could play a role in cleaning up industries ranging from agriculture to aviation to shipping.
This moment is a complicated one for the green fuel, though, as a new report from the International Energy Agency lays out. A number of major projects face cancellations and delays. The US in particular is seeing a slowdown after changes to key tax credits and cuts in support for renewable energy.
Are GMOs Safe? A Molecular Geneticist Speaks Out– www.truthdig.com Source Link Excerpt:
Are genetically engineered foods safe? In an interview with a leading molecular genetics expert, we discuss the scientific evidence behind health concerns tied to genetically modified corn and pesticides, how genetically modified organisms are changing in ways that increase health risks and how regulatory systems have failed to keep pace with modern genetics.
Professor Michael Antoniou, head of the Gene Expression and Therapy Group at King’s College London, has studied for more than 35 years how genes function and how they are disrupted. His decades of rigorous independent research into the risks of GM foods and glyphosate-based herbicides have raised serious concerns about the safety of these technologies.
In a report he prepared for the Mexican government, as the country attempted to restrict GMO corn imports for health reasons, Antoniou cited “a large body of evidence from well-controlled laboratory animal toxicity studies that show evidence of harm to multiple physiological systems” from toxic agents found in GM corn.
Spiders Will Hunt in Groups and Share Meals if They Have Enlarged Brain Structures– www.discovermagazine.com Source Link Excerpt:
Most spiders are known for being loners that keep to themselves. But in rare instances, some close-knit spider communities rely on strength in numbers. From a young age, the spiders in these groups show selfless behaviors such as joining forces on hunts or sharing meals with one another.
A new study published in Integrative Zoology suggests that these spiders get along so well partly because of what’s inside of their brains. Researchers found that certain brain regions of social huntsman spiders and social crab spiders — both of which live in groups — display slight variations compared to spiders that live alone. The distinct structure of these regions may be the reason why some spiders develop strong social skills while others have a preference for privacy.
If you ever find yourself peeling back the bark of a eucalyptus tree or a dead acacia tree in Australia, you could be in for a surprise that’ll make you jump out of your shoes. Chances are, you’ll come across a hidden conclave of social huntsman spiders, which live in groups containing potentially hundreds of individuals.
Not all spiders have grand get-togethers like this. In fact, the behavior is extremely rare among spider species — only 0.1 percent of the world’s 53,000 spider species live in groups.
Most spiders are territorial and become aggressive toward others of their kind, even resorting to cannibalism at times. Social spiders, on the other hand, usually get along well with their kin.
Post-Kimmel, Dems could change the cancel culture narrative– www.politico.com Source Link Excerpt:
Democrats opened investigations, filed motions to subpoena and demandedthe resignation of the Federal Communications Commission chair Thursday — a response to the suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel that represented unusually swift pushback from a party struggling to find its footing.
But it’s not clear how Democrats will translate this relatively united front into an electoral strategy, as the party remains divided over how and how much to talk about threats to democracy ahead of next year’s pivotal midterm elections.
That tension began playing out in their descriptions of Kimmel’s suspension, as some Democrats urged their party to retool its messaging.
At a press conference on Capitol Hill to announce legislation to protect free speech, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) attacked President Donald Trump for “trying to destroy our democracy” and acting like “many would-be despots.” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) cautioned “fascism is not on the way, it is here.” But Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who is running for the U.S. Senate in a high-profile primary, warned that language may be “too abstract for people” and urged Democrats to “distill it down to something people get in their everyday life.”
“This is what we saw in 2024: When you talk about ‘fascism’ and ‘democracy’ and ‘oligarchy,’ it’s too big a concept,” McMorrow said. “People are so overwhelmed and when it’s too big, people just wonder, ‘well, what can I possibly do about it?’”
Maps: 7.8-Magnitude Earthquake Off Russia Prompts Brief Tsunami Advisory in Alaska– www.nytimes.com Source Link Excerpt:
A major, 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean on Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey. The earthquake prompted a brief tsunami advisory, the second-highest alert level, for some coastal portions of western Alaska, which was lifted about two hours later.
The temblor happened at 6:58 a.m. Kamchatka time about 80 miles east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, data from the agency shows.
Tsunamis are a series of long waves caused by a large and sudden displacement of water in the ocean, usually from a large earthquake on or below the ocean floor. Tsunamis radiate in all directions from the epicenter and can cause dangerous coastal flooding and powerful currents that can last for hours or days.
The tsunami advisory had been in place for parts of the Alaskan coast that were closest to the earthquake. Farther away, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said there was no threat to Hawaii. “Based on all available data, a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected,” it said.
In late July, the same region was hit by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake. That quake, one of the strongest ever recorded, set off tsunami waves that reached as far away as Hawaii and California.