“Here is one of the largest objects that anyone will ever see on the sky. Each of these fuzzy blobs is a galaxy, together making up the Perseus Cluster, one of the closest clusters of galaxies. The cluster is seen through a foreground of faint stars in our own Milky Way Galaxy.
Near the cluster center, roughly 250 million light-years away, is the cluster's dominant galaxy NGC 1275, seen above as a large galaxy on the image left. A prodigious source of x-rays and radio emission, NGC 1275 accretes matter as gas and galaxies fall into it. The Perseus Cluster of Galaxies, also cataloged as Abell 426, is part of the Pisces-Perseus supercluster spanning over 15 degrees and containing over 1,000 galaxies. At the distance of NGC 1275, this view covers about 15 million light-years.”
“They are questions that bedeviled thinkers for thousands of years: Is the universe infinite or finite, eternal or of a finite age? It is certainly hard to imagine a universe that extends without limit in every direction, or a universe without a beginning or end. It is equally difficult to imagine a finite universe; what is beyond the edge? Or a beginning or end in time; how can something come from nothing? How can what is cease to be?
The problems are so intractable philosophically that their resolution has generally been left to the theologians, which from a philosophical (or scientific) perspective offers no solution at all. Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for proposing a philosophical resolution (an infinite universe) that offended theology.
An escape from befuddlement is provided by Einstein's theory of general relativity, which- for example- can describe a finite universe without a boundary, as the "two-dimensional" surface of a sphere is finite and without an edge. Unfortunately, multi-dimensional curved space-time is so counterintuitive that it is difficult to get one's head around it without mastery of the mathematics. Given a choice between the ancient myths of your local preacher and the obtuse mathematics of the physics professor, it's not hard to guess what most folks will opt for.
Meanwhile, I'm reading a meditation on infinity by physics professor Anthony Aguirre, in a collection of essays called "Future Science." He discusses contemporary cosmological theories based on general relativity, and in particular the rehabilitation of the idea of an infinite and eternal universe, or, more precisely, that our universe might be just one of an infinity of infinite universes. He writes in conclusion: “What seems clear, however, is that infinity can no longer be safely ignored; beautifully constructed, empirically supported, self-consistent theories have brought infinity from idle curiosity to central player in contemporary cosmology. And if correct, the worldview these theories represent constitutes a perspective shift unlike any other: in comparison to the universe, we would be not just small but strictly zero. Well, I can't imagine many folks racing to embrace that conclusion.
Oh, but wait. Aguirre adds one final sentence: "Yet here we are, contemplating - if not quite understanding - it all.”
“The acceptance of ambiguity implies more than the commonplace understanding that some good things and some bad things happen to us. It means that we know that good and evil are inextricably intermixed in human affairs; that they contain, and sometimes embrace, their opposites; that success may involve failure of a different kind, and failure may be a kind of triumph.” - Sydney J. Harris
And, of course, the universal and inevitable excuse…
“A person who is going to commit an inhuman act invariably
excuses himself to himself by saying, “I’m only human, after all.”
"We discuss the massive recall of these different meat products. We discuss the different options on what to do if you're affected and how we need to prepare for the future accordingly."
“This is the magical moment a dying chimpanzee recognizes her old friend and gives him an emotional farewell. Mama, the 59-year-old former matriarch at Royal Burgers Zoo in the Netherlands, was curled up in a ball and refusing food until the arrival of Professor Jan van Hooff, who she had known since 1972. At first she did not realize that her old friend had come to see her and remained on the floor as he stroked her. But her bond with Professor van Hooff – who co-founded her chimp colony at the Arnhem zoo – was deep enough to shake her from her gloom. The terminally ill chimp, who was fast approaching the end of her life, can be seen reacting with pure joy when she realizes who has come to see her. Mama screeched with delight and beamed with a smile while greeting the professor. Screeching with pleasure and smiling in delight, Mama can be seen stretching out her hand and stroking Professor van Hooff’s head in greeting. The video was filmed in April 2016. Mama died just a week after giving her old friend a heartfelt farewell.”
"Henry Louis Mencken, The “Sage of Baltimore”, (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, and contemporary movements. His satirical reporting on the Scopes Trial, which he dubbed the "Monkey Trial," also gained him attention."
'The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.'
"The demagogue is one who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots."
"When a candidate for public office faces the voters he does not face men of sense; he faces a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is the fact that they are quite incapable of weighing ideas, or even of comprehending any save the most elemental - men whose whole thinking is done in terms of emotion, and whose dominant emotion is dread of what they cannot understand. So confronted, the candidate must either bark with the pack or be lost... All the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre."
"When somebody says it’s not about the money, it’s about the money."
"A professional politician is a professionally dishonorable man. In order to get anywhere near high office he has to make so many compromises and submit to so many humiliations that he becomes indistinguishable from a streetwalker."
"The average man never really thinks from end to end of his life. The mental activity of such people is only a mouthing of cliches. What they mistake for thought is simply a repetition of what they have heard. My guess is that well over 80 percent of the human race goes through life without having a single original thought."
"I have little belief in human progress. The human race is incurably idiotic. It will never be happy."
"In this video, we'll discuss the groundbreaking news that has taken the world by storm: Turkey's decision to send troops into Gaza, Palestine, in a show of support for the Palestinian people amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The world has taken notice of Turkey's audacious decision because it represents a dramatic change in the dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This involvement could change the Middle East's geopolitical environment and ignite heated discussions and debates around the world.
This in-depth video will examine the reasons for Turkey's historic decision, the background that led to it, and the ramifications it has for the Middle East as a whole as well as the Israeli-Palestinian issue. To give you a complete picture of the situation, we'll also examine the responses from other parties, such as Israel, the international community, and regional powers.
Turkey's ambitions to become a regional force again, its emotional and historical ties to the Palestinian cause, and the possibility of a conflict escalation because of the involvement of many parties are some of the important subjects discussed. We'll talk about the varied response from around the world, with some expressing support for Turkey's position and others voicing worries about tensions rising. We'll also examine how regional dynamics and alliances are changing, as well as the possibility of proxy wars in the Middle East. The video will also discuss the significance of coordinated efforts amongst global parties, the difficulties in involving Turkey in peace negotiations, and the crucial role that international diplomacy plays in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian problem peacefully.
Our goal is to give you a thorough and informative rundown of this intricate and often changing issue. To make sure you fully comprehend this momentous occurrence, we'll go through the terms and subjects linked to Israel, Gaza, Palestine, Turkey, international diplomacy, regional dynamics, and more."
The Israeli Capital In Support Of Gaza Palestine!"
"We dive into the frightening and unique event in which Turkey fired airplanes on Tel Aviv, the Israeli capital, in a spectacular show of support for Gaza, Palestine, in this riveting video. The complex and long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has once again taken centre stage in the Middle East, with Turkey's bold actions sending shockwaves throughout the international community. The video then digs into Turkey's startling aerial assault on Tel Aviv, which targeted military installations and infrastructure. We look at the quick reactions of the international community, including condemnations from the United States and European nations, as well as calls for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. The possibility of greater regional confrontations in the Middle East as tensions rise is also mentioned."
Comments: I'm seeking additional sources and confirmation of these reports. Some valid factual contextual observations:
Game over!
• Turkey has a 2 million man totally modern and equipped professional military, whom Scott Ritter describes as "ferocious fighters" which includes a powerful air force and navy, and huge missile stockpiles.They could very rapidly eliminate the IDF.
• Syria can and will retake the occupied Golan Heights. The IDF has neither the troops or the resources to stop this.
• Hezzbollah has 100,000 very well trained and equipped professional soldiers, battle hardened by 10 years of involvement in the Syrian civil war. Doug Macgregor states they have 140,000 missiles which can reach anywhere in Israel.
• Hamas in Gaza has fought the IDF to a standstill and withdraw while only using a fraction of their reported 30,000 fighters.
• The entry of Iran into a wider regional war is a distinct probability, adding it's huge military and missile stockpiles to the mix.
• The Yemeni Houthis will close the Red Sea to all shipping causing enormous financial losses not only to Israel but the global economy. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates dare not attempt to intervene under threat of Houthis completely destroying their petroleum facilities.
• The Egyptian government, while reluctant, may be forced into the conflict by the political pressure of thier absolutely enraged population which is demanding action.
• Israel's only ally is the United States, which is totally impotent to assist them, lacking the troops and ability to intervene. The US Navy fleet are useless sitting ducks, targets for precise missile strikes, and will very rapidly be destroyed, including the aircraft carriers.
"Things are starting to crack in the system. We are seeing people that overextended themselves and put their money into investments that they thought would never go down. Now we’re seeing things like the watch industry and the high end vehicles drop dramatically."
"Will the spider ever catch the fly? Not if both are large emission nebulas toward the constellation of the Charioteer (Auriga). The spider-shaped gas cloud on the left is actually an emission nebula labelled IC 417, while the smaller fly-shaped cloud on the right is dubbed NGC 1931 and is both an emission nebula and a reflection nebula.
About 10,000 light-years distant, both nebulas harbor young, open star clusters. For scale, the more compact NGC 1931 (Fly) is about 10 light-years across.”
• Interest payments on the debt increased by $177 billion or 33%.
• Medicare spending increased by $126 billion or 18%.
• Medicaid spending increased by $24 billion or 4%.
• Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation spending increased by $38 billion.
• FDIC spending amounted to $92 billion as the agency dealt with bank failures—an increase of $101 billion.
What This Means: Let’s be clear about the danger America is facing. The US has an unprecedented, almost incomprehensible, $33.5 trillion national debt that has eclipsed the size of the economy. Every person in America today owes more than $100,000. They are forced to borrow over $75,000 every second just to cover expenses. The budget deficit of $1.7 trillion shows how this burden grows yearly.
Families will be decimated by record-high inflation and access to capital. Today, the average family of four is paying $14,700 yearly or $1,224 more per month to purchase the same goods and services compared to the day sleepy Joe took office.
But it’s not just the US. Global sovereign debt is the world’s most glamorous pyramid scheme. Move over, Amway; there’s a new player in town, and it’s got countries across the globe wrapped around its debt-laden finger. We live in a world where countries engage in a high-stakes game of financial Jenga, each one desperately trying to avoid being the next to topple over. It’s a spectacular sight, really, like a global circus where the acrobats juggle debt instead of flaming torches.
Now, let’s talk about the architects of this financial circus – the political class themselves. These financial virtuosos have mastered the art of spending money they don’t have, all while smiling for the cameras and assuring their citizens that everything is under control. It’s the ultimate magic trick: turning debt into the illusion of prosperity.
Now, let’s talk about the debt enthusiasts - the bondholders. These financial daredevils willingly lend money to countries, fully aware that repayment is a distant dream. It’s a game of financial chicken, with both parties hurtling towards a collision course, but who cares when it’s someone else’s money right? Pension funds I’m looking at you.
Credit Agencies: Let’s not forget the credit rating agencies, those purveyors of financial wisdom who assign grades like teachers handing out gold stars. Somehow, they manage to maintain a straight face while giving top marks to countries drowning in debt. It’s as if they believe that, with enough positive reinforcement, the debt will magically disappear.
In the grand scheme of things, global sovereign debt is the ultimate soap opera, with each country playing its role in the never-ending drama of fiscal irresponsibility. It’s a thrilling spectacle of financial acrobatics, where countries balance on the precipice of economic disaster, hoping that the safety net of international goodwill will catch them if they fall. So, there you have it - the state of global sovereign debt, a glittering, high-wire act that defies the laws of financial gravity, as the world continues to teeter on the edge of fiscal insanity."
"There are so many grant programs available. 2024 is going to be a banner year to get money to start a business, pay your bills, grow your business or promote your social programs. Use these references to get the information to get some free money."
appalling politics and the road to Buenos Aires...
by Bill Bonner
Baltimore, Maryland - "A long-held guess here at BPR is that the US would eventually follow Argentina on the road to ruin…with high levels of corruption and inflation. Amid all the noise and to-do of 2023, it was hard to follow the tune. But in the deep background, the tango beat grew stronger.
Stocks hit a high note; wars and massacres continued; US politics degenerated into buffoonery; inflation eased off. Over the course of the last two administrations, 2017-2024, US debt increased from $19.9 trillion to $33.9 trillion – or at the rate of $2 trillion per year.
Last October and November set a new debt record – with a deficit of $383 billion for the first two months of the fiscal year, or $2.3 trillion annualized. No attack on the US. No depression. No emergency…not even a bad hair day…and yet, US politicians spent money as if they were Argentines! What to make of it?
Not a Care in the World: The most remarkable thing about it is that no one thinks it is very remarkable at all. Things that we once considered criminal are now respectable. Sins are now considered virtues. Rank stupidity, incompetence, and corruption are now prerequisites for public office. Stocks are near all-time highs, as if investors had not a care in the world. Federal budgets are no longer considered or approved; no attempt is made to get outflow to line up with income. Instead, in a form of budget improv, spending bills are passed…with hardly any real discussion or dissension. Congress is like a car full of drunks speeding down the highway…arguing over what to listen to on the radio.
Even more remarkable, people still lend money to the US government…fully aware that the Fed will begin to re-inflate the currency (inevitably leading to lower dollar values) this year. And believe it or not, there was a time when people thought mass murder and mass destruction were beneath contempt. The UN solemnly outlawed them both. But today, they are respectable features of US foreign policy.
After living through 2023, we wonder: how can 2024 top that? What goofy, malign, and appalling thing will happen this year? Rather than pretend we can know the future, let’s look at what kind of surprises might be worth preparing for.
Default Dominos: First, a stock market crash would be unwelcome. We went into last year recommending cash, fearing that another shoe was bound to drop. Came the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th largest bank failures in history; still, by the end of the year, the shelves were full of loafers and hobnailed boots that had yet to fall. A decent bet: some will hit the ground this year.
The Daily Mail: "US office buildings face $117BN debt time bomb: Mortgages due this year threaten to sink US economy as thousands of workplaces remain empty Billions of dollars in loans on office buildings that are about to come due could play havoc with the US economy after interest rates soared. About $117 billion worth is expected to be due this year and needs to be repaid or refinanced, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. A big chunk of it is at risk of defaulting and costing banks and developers huge sums, sending some into insolvency.
Yahoo Finance adds: "More big firms are likely to go bust next year amid the “double whammy” of high borrowing costs and pressure on consumer budgets, according to insolvency experts. Administrators and restructuring specialists also warned that high-growth companies such as tech firms could be among those facing financial turbulence. It comes after another year of tough economic conditions resulted in increased business failures during the year.
A second nasty surprise would be this: higher interest rates. In addition to the current deficits – now running about $2 trillion per year – the federal government has trillions more that now need to be refinanced – at much higher interest rates. Large, institutional bond buyers are going to want protection from the obvious crises ahead. Defaults, inflation…or simply higher rates themselves – all are good reasons to demand higher yields.
Strike Three: A third unpleasant surprise: recession. The mainstream media is telling investors that there will be no hard landing, no soft landing…nor any landing at all. Prices will stay aloft…presumably, forever. But the combination of higher interest rates, business failures, and consumers running out of money is likely to finally bring the recession we’ve been waiting for.
And one more thing to worry about – a larger, more dangerous war. War begets war. Sending fighting men into a war zone is dangerous….and pretty soon you might have more fight than you wanted. What, where, when? We don’t know. But supply brings forth demand. The US firepower industry is so large, so rich, and so politically powerful, there is no stopping it. And after seeing so much devastation, wrought by US bombs and missiles, the rest of the world is surely preparing a riposte.
The prominent risks, dear reader, whether in the stock market, the bond market, the economy, or in geopolitics…are on the downside. Any of them, alone or together, would result in a financial crisis, with reduced tax revenues to the government and increased expenses. Deficits would grow larger. Interest rates would go up. Companies would fail. Stocks would crash. And the clamor – probably a panic, to cut interest rates and to begin buying US debt with fake money – would be irresistible.
Inflate or Die. The refrain remains the same. In the coming months, we’ll probably see more low notes than high ones…more dying than inflating. But that will be only a prelude…a warm-up, while the orchestra tunes up…gets the rhythm of a tango…and begins its Rhapsodia de la Pampa."
"When I see the blind and wretched state of men, when I survey the whole universe in its deadness, and man left to himself with no light, as though lost in this corner of the universe without knowing who put him there, what he has to do, or what will become of him when he dies, incapable of knowing anything, I am moved to terror, like a man transported in his sleep to some terrifying desert island, who wakes up quite lost, with no means of escape. Then I marvel that so wretched a state does not drive people to despair."
- Blaise Pascal
o
Ahh, but it does...
“When the pain of leaving behind what we know outweighs the pain of embracing it, or when the power we face is overwhelming and neither flight nor fight will save us, there may be salvation in sitting still. And if salvation is impossible, then at least before perishing we may gain a clearer vision of where we are. By sitting still I do not mean the paralysis of dread, like that of a rabbit frozen beneath the dive of a hawk. I mean something like reverence, a respectful waiting, a deep attentiveness to forces much greater than our own.”
- Scott Russell Sanders
Folks, I fear our time for such reverence is here...
But perhaps there's something that transcends "no why..."
"If there is meaning in life at all, then there must be meaning in suffering. The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity - even under the most difficult circumstances - to add a deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, dignified and unselfish. Or in the bitter fight for self-preservation he may forget his human dignity and become no more than an animal. Here lies the chance for a man either to make use of or to forgo the opportunities of attaining the moral values that a difficult situation may afford him. And this decides whether he is worthy of his sufferings or not."
"Hezbollah's 10 Attacks In 14 Hours On Day Of Arouri's Killing:
'IDF Troops Dead, Hurt' Claim"
"On the day that senior Hamas leader Saleh Al Arouri was killed in a Beirut suburb considered a stronghold of Hezbollah, the Lebanese group announced as many as 10 airstrikes on north Israel. Hezbollah claimed to have hit a new command headquarters of the IDF, and new spy equipment placed on cranes near the border. Hezbollah also said that it had "killed" and "injured" some IDF troops."
Behind Their Warning to Burn Tel Aviv and Target IDF?"
"On New Year's, Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades delivered a menacing threat to Israel, unveiling new weapons in their arsenal. The Iran-backed group released a video with the caption 'Tel-Aviv will be burned, Jerusalem will be liberated.' The undated footage showcases multiple rocket launchers in an undisclosed location within the besieged Gaza Strip. In the purported video, Hamas fighters are seen preparing M90 rockets, reportedly aimed at Israeli cities."
The earliest evidence of prehistoric warfare is a Mesolithic cemetery in Jebel Sahaba, which has been determined to be about 13,400 years old. About forty-five percent of the skeletons there displayed signs of violent death, specifically traumatic bone lesions.
Since the rise of the state some 5,000 years ago, military activity has occurred over much of the globe. Estimates for total deaths due to war vary wildly. For the period 3000 BCE until 1991, estimates range from 145 million to 2 billion. In one estimate, primitive warfare prior to 3000 BCE has been thought to have claimed 400 million victims based on the assumption that it accounted for the 15.1% of all deaths. For comparison, an estimated 1,680,000,000 people died from infectious diseases in the 20th century."
"I wrote earlier this month about the “final class” of Marine Corps Scout Snipers. The Marine Corps is in process of discontinuing its infantry Scout Sniper platoons in favor of something called “scout platoons.” Undoubtedly, many meetings and opinions went into the final decision, including consideration of an incident that occurred in Afghanistan in 2011, when a few Scout Snipers from Third Battalion, Second Marines (3/2) were videotaped urinating on Taliban corpses in Helmand Province. The Marines identified in that video were swiftly condemned, punished and made outcasts by the press, politicians and senior military officers. Among the foot soldiers, however, those same Marines were highly regarded for courage demonstrated on many, many combat missions. I pick up my conversation about the Iliad with classicist Emily Wilson on this particular episode from the War on Terror. You can find part one of our conversation here.
After the video became public, one of the Marines who participated was questioned about why he did it. “[Because] killing these assholes was not enough,” he said. Can you situate this story of the 3/2 Scout Snipers into an ancient context?
There is a focus on honoring the dead. It’s a clear line that is constantly crossed even in the first lines of the poem, when we find that, after their death, men become food for dogs and birds, and are eaten off the battlefield. Later, Hector begs Achilles that if he is killed, Hector’s body will at least be returned to his parents, but Achilles says “no,” that Hector is an idiot to think he will return the body. Achilles wants only to punish Hector more and more and even more. I can see how you can be in that mindset, how you want not to treat the enemy as human and not allow for these rituals or humane treatments across boundaries. What happens at the end of The Iliad, when Priam crosses over to the camp of Achilles and both men grieve, is that we recognize we need the common rituals, that we all lose something in war.
Those Scout Snipers believed they had killed Taliban fighters who laid IEDs against their brothers. They sought vengeance, in other words. Once, in the months and years after 9/11, we all had sought vengeance. A combat veteran who won the Medal of Honor told me “Nothing flips a man’s dial back to ready like telling him, ‘This one took our boy.’” Why do we need vengeance?
Vengeance, in a way, is proof that people love each other. People love each other so much that they become so close, like second selves, and when your person dies, it's understandable to want payback for that terrible loss. We see that kind of intimate love most obviously between Achilles and Patroclus. They’ve been fighting together for almost 10 years. Achilles refuses to fight, when his honor is violated by Agamemnon, but all that changes when Hector takes Achilles’ boy, so to speak. That flips his switch. Achilles mutates and no longer cares about his grievance against Agamemnon; he cares only about obliterating Hector and obliterating the whole city because he has infinite rage and grief. The most special person in the world has been killed.
Michael Monsoor was killed in Ramadi in 2006. He was given the Medal of Honor for sacrificing himself when he smothered a grenade and saved the lives of his teammates. His father wanted only the truth about his death. He wanted to know the facts. Many parents want to know if we killed the one who did it to their boy. Michael’s father only wanted to know the truth. Can you reconcile those interests?
That’s such a difficult story. I don’t know exactly where to go in The Iliad. It’s making me think about particular characters who want to be the subject of song, the subject of a song by a person who sings about glory and heroics. Is The Iliad focused on telling everything that happened or just the heroic things that happened? Clearly, it’s not a literal telling. And yet it is focused on telling you more than just Achilles was great and this is why he was great.
When Hector is dead, we have three different laments. One comes from his mother, Hecuba. She wants that version of him that many people want, which is how glorious Hector had been. She wants people to tell her the story about how her son never flinched in combat, even though the reader of the poem knows that’s not true and in fact, he ran from Achilles. Her grief inspires her need to idealize her son in death. Hector’s wife, Andromache, thinks of his courage but also his rashness, how his decision to leave the city has caused her son to be killed. She sees his sacrifice as debatable. Finally, there is Helen. She gives a narrative about how Hector was a kind man when nobody else was kind to her. The poem gives us all these alternative ways of grieving and remembering.
I have read Homer’s poems at different points in my life, and my reading has raised a personal question that I explore in a novel called "River City One". The question is whether a soldier ever comes home from war. What do you think?
Yes, whether the nostos (home-coming journey) is ever fully complete. Both The Iliad and The Odyssey show soldiers coming home from war. Odysseus comes home geographically but is he home just because he is in that same physical space? No - that happens halfway through the poem and the story isn't over. Is he home once he reestablishes relationships with Telemachus and Penelope? Many people including in antiquity thought the story should end right there in Book 23, after he kills the suitors and makes love to his wife – but the poem continues, and the story actually ends when Odysseus keeps slaughtering people before he is stopped by Athena. So, has he really come home? The poem seems to show that he has several selves and several homes to come back to – and one of them, paradoxically, is the battlefield, and the warrior self that he might seem to have left behind.
In The Iliad, Hector feels compelled to leave home. Family members are repeatedly begging him not to leave the city, but he leaves and comes home only when he's dead, to be wept over by the women. We know Achilles will never go home geographically; he knows he'll die if he stays to fight at Troy, so once he rejoins the battle, we know that's a choice not to go home again. One can say there is a kind of homecoming in the moment he has with Priam at the end of the poem, such that there is a moment to mourn and eat and not perform in his role as killer and avenger. Is that a kind of temporary “home”? I don't know. Both of the Homeric poems wrestle with the question, whether warriors ever go home again. The answer is uncertain."
"The Trends Journal is a weekly magazine analyzing global current events forming future trends. Our mission is to present facts and truth over fear and propaganda to help subscribers prepare for what’s next in these increasingly turbulent times."
“To some, the outline of the open cluster of stars M6 resembles a butterfly. M6, also known as NGC 6405, spans about 20 light-years and lies about 2,000 light years distant. M6 can best be seen in a dark sky with binoculars towards the constellation of Scorpius, coving about as much of the sky as the full moon.
Like other open clusters, M6 is composed predominantly of young blue stars, although the brightest star is nearly orange. M6 is estimated to be about 100 million years old. Determining the distance to clusters like M6 helps astronomers calibrate the distance scale of the universe.”
