Jaeger (1997), Werner Wilhelm, Aristotle: Fundamentals of the history of his development, Oxford University Press 1997 Jacket: '"Aristotle was the first thinker to set up along with his philosophy a conception of his own position in history; he thereby created a new kind of philosophical consciousness, more responsible and inwardly complex. He was the inventor of the notion of intellectual development in time . . . ." In this classic study, Professor Jaeger profoundly altered the general view of Aristotle among philosophers and classical scholars. He showed that Aristotle was not uncompromisingly opposed to Plato, that he developed gradually, applying step by step his particular genius to the problems of his age.' 
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Nicholls (2025), Jeffrey, Cognitive Cosmogenesis: a systematic integration of theology and physics, Austin Macauley 2025 ' The core idea of the top down theology devised by the Christian bishops for the Emperor Constantine is that the omnipotent and omniscient creator totally controls every moment of every event in the world. The imperial picture. Here we work from the bottom up. A key to the connection of physics and theology is symmetry with respect to complexity.
Although the difference in scale between fundamental particles and the people of an ideal democratic polity is immense, they are formally quite similar. Both democratic politics and quantum electrodynamics work in Hilbert space. Voting is linear, a form of superposition distributed by parties. Individuals and political parties are characterized by their directions in political space which may be modelled by vectors in a Hilbert space.
We may imagine a space with a basis vector for every person. Their sums in various combinations present us with a comprehensive picture of the political directions in an electorate. Such ideal democratic political systems have natural quantum mechanical support which gives us insight into the nature of the world.' 
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Nielsen (2016), Michael A., and Isaac L Chuang, Quantum Computation and Quantum Information, Cambridge University Press 2016 Review: A rigorous, comprehensive text on quantum information is timely. The study of quantum information and computation represents a particularly direct route to understanding quantum mechanics. Unlike the traditional route to quantum mechanics via Schroedinger's equation and the hydrogen atom, the study of quantum information requires no calculus, merely a knowledge of complex numbers and matrix multiplication. In addition, quantum information processing gives direct access to the traditionally advanced topics of measurement of quantum systems and decoherence.' Seth Lloyd, Department of Quantum Mechanical Engineering, MIT, Nature 6876: vol 416 page 19, 7 March 2002. 
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Streater (2000), Raymond F, and Arthur S Wightman, PCT, Spin, Statistics and All That, Princeton University Press 2000 Amazon product description: 'PCT, Spin and Statistics, and All That is the classic summary of and introduction to the achievements of Axiomatic Quantum Field Theory. This theory gives precise mathematical responses to questions like: What is a quantized field? What are the physically indispensable attributes of a quantized field? Furthermore, Axiomatic Field Theory shows that a number of physically important predictions of quantum field theory are mathematical consequences of the axioms. Here Raymond Streater and Arthur Wightman treat only results that can be rigorously proved, and these are presented in an elegant style that makes them available to a broad range of physics and theoretical mathematics.' 
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Veltman (1994), Martinus, Diagrammatica: The Path to the Feynman Rules, Cambridge University Press 1994 Jacket: 'This book provides an easily accessible introduction to quantum field theory via Feynman rules and calculations in particle physics. The aim is to make clear what the physical foundations of present-day field theory are, to clarify the physical content of Feynman rules, and to outline their domain of applicability. ... The book includes valuable appendices that review some essential mathematics, including complex spaces, matrices, the CBH equation, traces and dimensional regularization. . . .' 
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von Neumann (2018), John, and Nicholas A. Wheeler (editor), Robert T Beyer (translator), Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Princeton University Press 2018 ' Quantum mechanics was still in its infancy in 1932 when the young John von Neumann, who would go on to become one of the greatest mathematicians of the twentieth century, published Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics--a revolutionary book that for the first time provided a rigorous mathematical framework for the new science. Robert Beyer's 1955 English translation, which von Neumann reviewed and approved, is cited more frequently today than ever before. But its many treasures and insights were too often obscured by the limitations of the way the text and equations were set on the page. In this new edition of this classic work, mathematical physicist Nicholas Wheeler has completely reset the book in TeX, making the text and equations far easier to read. He has also corrected a handful of typographic errors, revised some sentences for clarity and readability, provided an index for the first time, and added prefatory remarks drawn from the writings of Léon Van Hove and Freeman Dyson. The result brings new life to an essential work in theoretical physics and mathematics.' 
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Albert Einstein (1905c), On a heuristic point of view concerning the production and transformation of light, ' The wave theory of light, which operates with continuous spatial functions, has proved itself splendidly in describing purely optical phenomena and will probably never be replaced by another theory. One should keep in mind, however, that optical observations apply to time averages and not to momentary values, and it is conceivable that despite the complete confirmation of the theories of diffraction, reflection, refraction, dispersion, etc., by experiment, the theory of light, which operates with continuous spatial functions, may lead to contradictions with experience when it is applied to the phenomena of production and transformation of light. Indeed, it seems to me that the observations regarding "black-body" light, and other groups of phenomena associated with the production or conversion of light can be understood better if one assumes that the energy of light is discontinuously distributed in space.' back

Alexander Kolyandr & Alexandra Prokopenko (2024_11_15), The Bell: Russian business leaders line up to attack Nabiullina, ' Executives at big Russian companies who are unhappy with interest rates at 21% have been angrily criticizing the Central Bank and its head, Elvira Nabiullina. Influential lobby group, the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), this week even suggested forcing the Central Bank to coordinate its monetary policy with the government. . . . Central Bank independence is one of the last barriers stopping the Russian economy from lurching into a full-blown crisis. With Putin apparently determined to continue the war in Ukraine regardless of the cost, that last line of defense could soon crumble. ' back

Aquinas, Summa I, 25, 3, Is God omnipotent?, '. . . God is called omnipotent because He can do all things that are possible absolutely; which is the second way of saying a thing is possible. For a thing is said to be possible or impossible absolutely, according to the relation in which the very terms stand to one another, possible if the predicate is not incompatible with the subject, as that Socrates sits; and absolutely impossible when the predicate is altogether incompatible with the subject, as, for instance, that a man is a donkey.' back

Aquinas, Summa, I, 3, 4, Are essence and existence the same in God?, ' I answer that, God is not only His own essence, as shown in the preceding article, but also His own existence. This may be shown in several ways. First, whatever a thing has besides its essence must be caused either by the constituent principles of that essence (like a property that necessarily accompanies the species — as the faculty of laughing is proper to a man — and is caused by the constituent principles of the species), or by some exterior agent — as heat is caused in water by fire. Therefore, if the existence of a thing differs from its essence, this existence must be caused either by some exterior agent or by its essential principles. Now it is impossible for a thing's existence to be caused by its essential constituent principles, for nothing can be the sufficient cause of its own existence, if its existence is caused. Therefore that thing, whose existence differs from its essence, must have its existence caused by another. But this cannot be true of God; because we call God the first efficient cause. Therefore it is impossible that in God His existence should differ from His essence.' back

Art Jipson (2024_11_09), New Apostolic Reformation evangelicals see Trump as God’s warrior in their battle to win America from satanic forces and Christianize it, ' A growing movement believes President-elect Donald Trump is fighting a spiritual war against demonic forces within the United States. Trump himself stated in his acceptance speech on Nov. 6, 2024, that the reason that “God spared my life” was to “restore America to greatness.” I have studied various religious movements that seek to shape and control American society. One of these is the New Apostolic Reformation, or NAR, whose followers believe that they are waging a spiritual battle for control of the United States. NAR is an offshoot of Protestant Christian evangelicalism. NAR advocates claim they receive divine guidance in reconstructing modern society based on Christian spiritual beliefs. In 2015, an estimated 3 million adult Americans attended churches that were openly part of NAR. . . . NAR emerged in the late 1990s when theologian C. Peter Wagner popularized the term “New Apostolic Reformation.” Wagner argued that God was creating modern-day apostles and prophets who would lead Christianity in remaking American society. . . . The roots of the New Apostolic Reformation can be traced to the broader charismatic movement that sees spiritual forces as an active part of everyday life. This view does not separate sacred experience from regular everyday life. For the much larger network of charismatic Christians and Pentecostal movements that emphasize a personal relationship with God, the world is full of the active presence of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts and direct divine experiences. . . . The New Apostolic Reformation represents a significant development, blending charismatic practices with a strong emphasis on politics and cultural transformation. However, a large majority of Americans disagree that society should be remade based on religious theology. Thus, for now, the NAR movement’s fundamental views about religion and government are starkly at odds with most Americans.' back

Astrud Gilberto, Joao Filberto, Stan Getz (1962), The Girl from Ipanema, , ' "The Girl from Ipanema" ("Garota de Ipanema") written in 1962 by Antonio Carlos Jobim with lyrics in Portuguese by Vinicius de Moraes and in English by Norman Gimbel was recorded by Astrud Gilberto, João Gilberto and Stan Getz, in March 1963 as part of the album Getz/Gilberto, released March 1964 on the Verve label. An abbreviated single version was released reaching number one on the Pop Standard chart and was named Record of the Year in 1965. The album won the 1965 Grammy Awards for Best Album of the Year, Best Jazz Instrumental Album - Individual or Group and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. The personel are Stan Getz - tenor saxophone, João Gilberto - guitar, vocals, Astrud Gilberto -- vocals, Antonio Carlos Jobim - piano, Sebastião Neto -- bass, and Milton Banana - drums. The version presented here is the long one from the album and is, in my opinion, superior to the shortened one which received a great deal of play on the radio during the summer of 1964. The album is available on CD on Verve. This sound recording is administered by UMG. No copyright infringement is intended. This purpose of this upload is for viewer enjoyment and education not for monetary gain.'

Olha que coisa mais linda
Mais cheia de graça
É ela, menina
Que vem e que passa
Num doce balanço
A caminho do mar

Moça do corpo dourado
Do sol de Ipanema
O seu balançado é mais que um poema
É a coisa mais linda que eu já vi passar

Ah, por que estou tão sozinho?
Ah, por que tudo é tão triste?
Ah, a beleza que existe
A beleza que não é só minha
Que também passa sozinha

Ah, se ela soubesse
Que quando ela passa
O mundo inteirinho se enche de graça
E fica mais lindo
Por causa do amor

Look, such a sight, so beautiful,
So filled with grace,
It's her, this girl who comes and who passes,
With a sweet swing, on her way to the sea.

Girl with body of gold
From the sun of Ipanema,
Her swing is more than a poem,
Is a sight more beautiful
Than I have ever seen pass by.

Ah, why am I so alone?
Why is there so much sadness?
This beauty that exists,
This beauty that is not only mine,
That also passes by alone.

Ah, if she but knew,
That when she passes by,
The world smiles,
Is filled with grace,
And becomes more beautiful,
Because of love.

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BBC - Two, BBC - Two: The Zelensky Story, , ' With unique access to Volodymyr Zelensky and Olena Zelenska, this episode charts Zelensky’s extraordinary journey from aspiring comedian to president of his country. Opening with the collapse of the Soviet Union – an event which had a profound effect on Zelensky and Vladimir Putin in very different ways – to the Maidan Revolution sparking a political awakening in Zelensky, this episode explores his role as the Ukrainian president in the hit TV show Servant of the People and his decision to run for president in real life. back

Born rule - Wikipedia, Born rule - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' The Born rule (also called the Born law, Born's rule, or Born's law) is a law of quantum mechanics which gives the probability that a measurement on a quantum system will yield a given result. It is named after its originator, the physicist Max Born. The Born rule is one of the key principles of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. There have been many attempts to derive the Born rule from the other assumptions of quantum mechanics, with inconclusive results. . . . The Born rule states that if an observable corresponding to a Hermitian operator A with discrete spectrum is measured in a system with normalized wave function (see bra-ket notation), then the measured result will be one of the eigenvalues λ of A, and the probability of measuring a given eigenvalue λ_i will equal <ψ|P_i|ψ> where P_i is the projection onto the eigenspace of A corresponding to λ_i'.' back

Cabadell, Le Quéré, Perters, Hauck, Pongratz, Friedlingstein & Andrew (2024_11_13), Global carbon emissions inch upwards in 2024 despite progress on EVs, renewables and deforestation, ' Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from fossil fuels continue to increase, year on year. This sobering reality will be presented to world leaders today at the international climate conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Our latest annual stocktake shows the world is on track to reach a new record: 37.4 billion tonnes of CO₂ emitted from fossil fuels in 2024. This is an increase of 0.8% from the previous year. Adopting renewable energy and electric vehicles is helping reduce emissions in 22 countries. But it’s not enough to compensate for ongoing global growth in fossil fuels. There were also signs in 2023 suggesting natural systems may struggle to capture and store as much CO₂ in the future as they have in the past. While humanity is tackling deforestation and the growth in fossil CO₂ emissions is slowing, the need to reach an immediate peak and decline in global emissions has never been so acute. . . . Our latest carbon budget shows global fossil fuel emissions continue to increase, further delaying the peak in emissions. Global CO₂ emissions continue to track in the middle of the range of scenarios developed by the Intergovenmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). We have yet to bend the emissions curve into the 1.5–2°C warming territory of the Paris Agreement. This comes at a time when it’s clear we need to be reducing emissions, to avoid worsening climate change. We also identified some positive signs, such as the rapid adoption of renewable energy and electric cars as they become cheaper and more accessible, supporting the march toward a net-zero emissions pathway. But turning these trends into global decarbonisation requires a far greater level of ambition and action.' back

Christopher Shields (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy b), The Active Mind of De Anima III 5 , ' After characterizingnous the mind (nous) and its activities in De Animaiii 4, Aristotle takes a surprising turn. In De Anima iii 5, he introduces an obscure and hotly disputed subject: the active mind or active intellect (nous poiêtikos). Controversy surrounds almost every aspect of De Anima iii 5, not least because in it Aristotle characterizes the active mind—a topic mentioned nowhere else in his entire corpus—as ‘separate and unaffected and unmixed, being in its essence actuality’ (chôristos kai apathês kai amigês, tê ousia energeia; DA iii 5, 430a17–18) and then also as ‘deathless and everlasting’ (athanaton kai aidion; DA iii 5, 430a23). This comes as no small surprise to readers of De Anima, because Aristotle had earlier in the same work treated the mind (nous) as but one faculty (dunamis) of the soul (psuchê), and he had contended that the soul as a whole is not separable from the body (DA ii 1, 413a3–5). back

D. Fernández Gil et al (2024_11_14), Detection of an orthogonal alignment between parsec-scale AGN jets and their host galaxies, ' Abstract The relationship between galaxies and their supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is an area of active research. One way to investigate this relationship is to compare parsec-scale jets formed by SMBHs to the projected shape of their kiloparsec-scale host galaxies. Here we analyse very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) images of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and optical images of their host galaxies by comparing the inner-jet position angle in VLBI-detected radio sources with the optical shapes of galaxies as measured by several large optical surveys. In total, 6,273 galaxy–AGN pairs were found. We carefully account for the systematics of the cross-matched sources and find that Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Legacy Imaging Surveys (DESI LS) data are significantly less affected by them. Using DESI LS data, with which 5,853 galaxy–AGN pairs were cross-matched, we find a weak but significant alignment signal (with P ≲ 0.01) between the parsec-scale AGN jet and the kiloparsec-scale projected minor axis of the optical host galaxy in sources with measured spectroscopic redshifts. Our results show that the observed source properties are connected over three orders of magnitude in scale. This finding points towards an intimate connection between a SMBH, its host galaxy and its subsequent evolution. back

Density matrix - Wikipedia, Density matrix - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'In quantum mechanics, a density matrix (or density operator) is a matrix that describes an ensemble[1] of physical systems as quantum states (even if the ensemble contains only one system). It allows for the calculation of the probabilities of the outcomes of any measurements performed upon the systems of the ensemble using the Born rule. It is a generalization of the more usual state vectors or wavefunctions: while those can only represent pure states, density matrices can also represent mixed ensembles (sometimes ambiguously called mixed states).' back

Ellie Martus & Fengshi Wu (2024_11_12), Authoritarian fossil fuel states keep hosting climate conferences – how do these regimes operate and what do they want?, ' For the third year in a row, the United Nations Climate Change Conference will be hosted by an authoritarian state that sells fossil fuels. This week the 29th “conference of the parties”, COP29, is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan. It follows COP28 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates last year and COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt the year before that. It’s concerning that a succession of authoritarian and fossil fuel-rich states have been selected to host international climate negotiations. It means we must pay extra attention to political influences on the talks and beware of greenwashing by the hosts. The domestic politics of these states also shapes global supply chains of fossil fuels and critical minerals. This in turn directly affects Australia’s trade, economy and foreign policies. There are now more authoritarian and hybrid regimes globally than there are democracies. So some basic understanding of how authoritarian states respond to climate change matters, for Australia and the rest of the world. . . . As far as China goes, the global superpower is extending its geopolitical influence by helping developing countries access cheap renewable energy technologies from non-Western sources. This challenges the leading role of the US and the West in the field of international cooperation on climate change. As COP29 gets underway, the potential for authoritarian states to shape the outcomes remains strong. Understanding how these regimes work, and what they want, is vital as they affect global cooperation on climate change.' back

Enayat Nasir (2024_11_12), How the Taliban are seeking to reshape Afghanistan’s schools to push their ideology , ' The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 was a blow for education across the country – but especially for girls and women. Since then, the Taliban’s leaders have outlawed education for girls after sixth grade, expanded religious seminaries known as madrasas ninefold and reintroduced corporal punishment in schools. Now, the Taliban are continuing their assault on education for both boys and girls by changing the curriculum in grades 1-12. They have already revised textbooks up to eighth grade, and they’re on track to finish the rest within months. After completion, the revised curriculum will go up for approval by the Taliban’s supreme leader and will likely be followed by swift implementation. The process is straightforward. The supreme leader of the Taliban controls education policy – including the curriculum. Once submitted to him, he has no reason to reject or delay the implementation. As an educational policy scholar who pushed for educational progress in Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover, I believe these changes echo the tactics of the Soviet-backed regime in the 1980s to impose an ideology through textbooks. They also reflect the stifling climate of the 1990s, which promoted violence and suppressed critical thinking in education. By controlling education, the Taliban aims to instill their totalitarian and extremist religious-based ideology in young minds, ensuring their grip on power for generations to come.' back

Eugene P. Wigner (1950_10_19), Invariance in Physical Theory, ' The principle of superposition renders possible the definition of states the transformation properties of which are particularly simple. It can in fact be shown that every state of any quantum mechanical system, no matter what type of interactions are present, can be considered as a superposition of states of elementary system.' back

Feynman diagram - Wikipedia, Feynman diagram - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' In theoretical physics, Feynman diagrams are pictorial representations of the mathematical expressions describing the behavior of subatomic particles. The scheme is named after its inventor, American physicist Richard Feynman, and was first introduced in 1948. The interaction of sub-atomic particles can be complex and difficult to understand intuitively. Feynman diagrams give a simple visualization of what would otherwise be an arcane and abstract formula. As David Kaiser writes, "since the middle of the 20th century, theoretical physicists have increasingly turned to this tool to help them undertake critical calculations", and so "Feynman diagrams have revolutionized nearly every aspect of theoretical physics".' back

Francesca Teltscher Taylor (2024_11_13), Germany’s post-Holocaust moral remaking is being challenged by the rise of the far-right – and wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Review: Out of the Darkness: The Germans 1942–2022 by Frank Trentmann (Allen Lane) ' Current conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza (now spreading across the Middle East), have placed Germany in a difficult position, forcing it to reconsider its role in the world. A uniquely German sense of guilt and shame for the Holocaust “inseparably” ties the Israel-Palestine conflict to “Germany’s unquestionable solidarity with Israel”, writes Frank Trentmann, in his new book on the legacy of World War II in Germany. Since Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7 2023, politicians have reiterated that Israel’s security is Germany’s “reason of state”. This makes criticism of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories “an extremely sensitive matter”. Even Jewish critics of Israel’s government have been cancelled and criticised as antisemitic. Following the second world war, Germany has focused on atoning for its role as perpetrator and collaborator and, while a NATO member, it has largely avoided playing a leading role in international conflicts. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced Germany to reevaluate its foreign policy and emerge from national introspection in what Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called a “Zeitenwende”, or historical turning point. Germany has been forced to consider the state of its army. Until last year, when it released its first comprehensive national security strategy, it had “no national security strategy, let alone a security council”. And at the end of 2022, it only had enough bullets for two weeks of fighting. Trentmann’s impressive book, Out of the Darkness: The Germans 1942–2022 shows: “Germans define themselves through a critical confrontation with their past”.' back

Hamiltonian mechanics - Wikipedia, Hamiltonian mechanics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' Hamiltonian mechanics is a mathematically sophisticated formulation of classical mechanics. Historically, it contributed to the formulation of statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics. Hamiltonian mechanics was first formulated by William Rowan Hamilton in 1833, starting from Lagrangian mechanics, a previous reformulation of classical mechanics introduced by Joseph Louis Lagrange in 1788. Like Lagrangian mechanics, Hamiltonian mechanics is equivalent to Newton's laws of motion in the framework of classical mechanics.' back

James M Tiedje et al (2022_04_19), Microbes and Climate Change: a Research Prospectus for the Future, ABSTRACT Climate change is the most serious challenge facing humanity. Microbes produce and consume three major greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—and some microbes cause human, animal, and plant diseases that can be exacerbated by climate change. Hence, microbial research is needed to help ameliorate the warming trajectory and cascading effects resulting from heat, drought, and severe storms. We present a brief summary of what is known about microbial responses to climate change in three major ecosystems: terrestrial, ocean, and urban. We also offer suggestions for new research directions to reduce microbial greenhouse gases and mitigate the pathogenic impacts of microbes. These include performing more controlled studies on the climate impact on microbial processes, system interdependencies, and responses to human interventions, using microbes and their carbon and nitrogen transformations for useful stable products, improving microbial process data for climate models, and taking the One Health approach to study microbes and climate change. back

John von Neumann (2014), Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, ' Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics by John von Neumann translated from the German by Robert T. Beyer (New Edition) edited by Nicholas A. Wheeler. Princeton UP Princeton & Oxford. Preface: ' This book is the realization of my long-held intention to someday use the resources of TEX to produce a more easily read version of Robert T. Beyer’s authorized English translation (Princeton University Press, 1955) of John von Neumann’s classic Mathematische Grundlagen der Quantenmechanik (Springer, 1932).'This content downloaded from 129.127.145.240 on Sat, 30 May 2020 22:38:31 UTC back

Justin Ellis (2024_11_12), How could Donald Trump target the LGBTQ+ community? Project 2025 is a ready blueprint for discrimination, ' Donald Trump’s victory in last week’s US election has sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ community, given the president-elect’s divisive rhetoric and demonisation of the trans community in particular. There are fears a second Trump administration will have devastating effects for millions of LGBTQ+ people in the United States and beyond. What could Trump do while in office? The Project 2025 policy manifesto provides some clues. A blueprint for discrimination Written by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, Project 2025 is a playbook for the next conservative president. Join 200,000 Australians who get their daily news from The Conversation. It contains input from more than 110 groups on key policy and personnel recommendations. The intention is to act quickly. It features a 180-day action plan that “includes a comprehensive, concrete transition plan for each federal agency”. Trump sought to distance himself from the manifesto during the campaign. However, many of the contributors played roles in Trump’s first term in office. This includes Stephen Miller, who is expected to be named deputy chief of staff for policy in his second term. Miller’s group, America First Legal, has backed Project 2025. In 2022, Trump also said of the Heritage Foundation plans: This is a great group, and they’re going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do and what your movement will do when the American people give us a colossal mandate to save America. The Project 2025 manifesto advocates the removal of anti-discrimination policies that protect the LGBTQ+ community. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), this means removing all federal regulations and rules prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Specifically, Project 2025 aims to limit the application of a Supreme Court ruling protecting people from workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and transgender status. back

Kate Scott (2024_11_12), The ‘Lost Boys’ of Gen Z: how Trump won the hearts of alienated young men, ' Generation Z was supposed to be a vanguard of progressive politics – more queer, ethnically diverse and environmentally conscious than previous generations. Spurred on by climate protests, racial equality campaigns and feminist movements, we were sold the vision that Gen Z could usher in a more progressive and equitable future. So, how is it that Donald Trump was elected to a second term despite this cohort now having reached voting age? And how did he secure a larger share of voters under 30 than any Republican presidential candidate since 2008? The answer may lie in Gen Z’s “Lost Boys”, as they’ve been dubbed by some in the media. . . . In Trump, they see an outlet for their grievances – a figure who promises to restore the old order and give them the recognition they believe they deserve. Despite the narrative that Gen Z is more progressive than previous cohorts, recent voting data tell a different story when it comes to young men. While the political leanings of Gen Z women have stayed steadily left of centre, Trump’s popularity among young men surged by 15 percentage points from 2020. . . . If the future belongs to Gen Z, it’s clear this particular subset of young men is not ready to follow the same path as their progressive peers. For many “Lost Boys”, Trump is more than just a political figure – he is a symbol of empowerment in a world that increasingly leaves them behind. As the political and cultural landscape continues to evolve, understanding this phenomenon isn’t just a matter of curiosity, but a key to addressing the needs of a generation still trying to find its place in a confusing world.' back

Lagrangian mechanics - Wikipedia, Lagrangian mechanics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' Introduced by the Italian-French mathematician and astronomer Joseph-Louis Lagrange in 1788, Lagrangian mechanics is a formulation of classical mechanics and is founded on the stationary action principle. Given a system of point masses and a pair, t₁ and t₂ Lagrangian mechanics postulates that the system's trajectory (describing evolution of the system over time) . . . must be a stationary point of the action functional S = ∫ L dt. By convention, L = T − V, where T and V are the kinetic and potential energy of the system, respectively.' back

Lara Jakes (2024-11_09), Trump Should Not Let Putin Claim Victory in Ukraine, Says NATO Official, 'A senior NATO military official suggested on Saturday that any peace deal negotiated by President-elect Donald J. Trump that allowed President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to claim victory in Ukraine would undermine the interests of the United States. In a wide-ranging interview on the sidelines of a European defense summit in Prague, Adm. Rob Bauer, the Dutch chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, said: “If you allow a nation like Russia to win, to come out of this as the victor, then what does it mean for other autocratic states in the world where the U.S. has also interests?” He added: “It’s important enough to talk about Ukraine on its own, but there is more at stake than just Ukraine.” Mr. Trump has said repeatedly that he could end the war in Ukraine in a day, without saying how. A settlement outlined by Vice President-elect JD Vance in September echoes what people close to the Kremlin say Mr. Putin wants: allowing Russia to keep the territory it has captured and guaranteeing that Ukraine will not join NATO.' back

Luke Munn (2024_11_15), Friday essay: it’s ‘the intelligence age’, say tech titans – but information will not save us, ' “We have entered the Intelligence Age,” proclaimed Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, in September. “Deep learning worked,” he explained, and this breakthrough in learning from data will unleash a smart era in which the more data becomes available, “the better it gets at helping people solve hard problems”. Altman joins other thought leaders, corporations like Google and Amazon, and organisations such as the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, in pinning humanity’s hopes on better information. The logic is enticing. By harvesting all the world’s knowledge, AI models can locate patterns, make correlations, and offer data-driven “insights”. The optimal solutions to our biggest problems are needles in a data haystack, so finding them exceeds the limited human mind. It is up to technology like deep learning to “capture it all”, analyse or train on it – and then offer up the brilliant game-changing idea or most rational response. . . . In the past five years, my research has explored how technologies construct knowledge – but also exploit emotion and amplify radicalisation. To understand the current political moment, we need to understand both the limits of reason and the power of unreason. . . . Gaza is Exhibit B. Law for Palestine, a not-for-profit, youth-led legal organisation, has meticulously compiled a database with more than 500 instances of incitements to genocide. Relatives pray in front of the bodies of their loved ones, after an Israeli airstrike near displaced people’s tents killed at least five people. Haitham Imad/AAP Last week, South Africa filed its Memorial to the International Court of Justice, a key document in its case against Israel. Its evidence is detailed in more than 750 pages of text, supported by exhibits and annexes of more than 4,000 pages. . . . And yet Israel’s assault on Gaza continues, with deaths mounting up. According to Al-Jazeera, some of the government’s kill lists are generated via big data analysis, a kind of AI-assisted genocide. . . . But history suggests our crises and responses have always been shot through with the “irrational”, a darker mélange of emotional power, bodily violence and political will. Intelligence — even scaled, automated and operationalised by artificial intelligence — will not save us.' back

Meinard Kuhlmann (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy), Quantum Field Theory, ' Quantum Field Theory (QFT) is the mathematical and conceptual framework for contemporary elementary particle physics. In a rather informal sense QFT is the extension of quantum mechanics (QM), dealing with particles, over to fields, i.e. systems with an infinite number of degrees of freedom. (See the entry on quantum mechanics.) In the last few years QFT has become a more widely discussed topic in philosophy of science, with questions ranging from methodology and semantics to ontology. QFT taken seriously in its metaphysical implications seems to give a picture of the world which is at variance with central classical conceptions of particles and fields, and even with some features of QM.' back

Michael Bordt (2011), Why Aristotle's God is not the Unmoved Mover, ' The aim of this essay is to show that the view—popular among certain philosophers and theologians—that Aristotle’s God is the unmoved mover is incorrect, or at least leads to serious misunderstanding. In a nutshell: among other things, the project of the twelfth book of the Metaphysics is to determine what the first ousia is. This first ousia is not identified with God in so far as it is an unmoved mover, but in so far as it is the actual activity (energeia) of thinking. To put matters differently, the actual activity of the first ousia does not consist in moving anything. Its activity rather consists in the exercise of reason, in thinking. Since, however, thinking is without qualification the best activity, and since God is that being who just does engage in the best activity, the first ousia, in so far as it is the same as the activity of thinking, must be God. Thus we perhaps expect that, at the summit of ontology, God himself will be the object of this first philosophy. Metaphysics Λ meets such an expectation only in a very limited way. The limitation is the following: that which, so to speak, stands at the summit of metaphysics is not God, but the activity of reason. While this activity is identified with God, it is not so identified directly or immediately, but only as mediated by way of the conception of the best possible life. The twelfth book of the Metaphysics thus provides to an even lesser extent than is usually assumed the outlines of a theology. By way of recompense, however, Aristotle offers us a truly breathtaking metaphysics.' back

Neometals - NMT (2024_11_12), Positive Results from ELi™ Pilot Trial, ' The increased confidence in major operating cost inputs supports the potential operating cost advantage of the ELi™ process in the conversion of lithium chloride brines and is a major milestone in the commercialisation of the technology under a low-capex, low-risk technology licensing business model to generate future royalty income. RAM holds 19 granted patents in the principal lithium producing jurisdictions and has a further 14 pending national phase patents at various stages of prosecution globally.' back

Nick Carter & Robyn Scott (2024_11_31), Victors in the race for emerging tech will determine future , ' It is often claimed that the birth of the printing press heralded the start of the modern era, allowing ideas from the scientific revolution to spread. But does that give us the whole picture? For writer Yuval Noah Harari, for example, the evolution is far more complicated, as he argues that the printing press unleashed two centuries of conspiracy theories and fake news as well, leading to grotesque behavior like witch trials. And when the revolution in scientific and philosophical thought did eventually take place some 200 years later, it was only after our institutions were able to earn the trust of populations. . . . The growing pace of technological change is making the challenge more dynamic every day. Meanwhile, generative AI has begun elevating technology to an “agent” that can be wielded without a human in the loop. Yet, the foundations of generative AI’s jaw-dropping capabilities remain shaky — it is, after all, trained on our colossal global stash of information, which is characterized by some reliable facts sitting atop a huge, unreliable core of bits and bytes. . . . A pressing example of this — perhaps less than a decade away — is quantum computing, which will enable us to solve impossible mathematical problems. However, it will also bestow decisive advantage to those seeking to undermine the values of the free world. In a post-encryption world, much of what was secret will no longer be so. . . . Collectively, emerging technologies are creating an unstable world, where we don’t clearly understand what national security looks like. Reform will require imagination and energy, as well as unpopular decisions. But the first duty of any government is to protect its population. And when our leaders confront these emerging technologies — which they must — it will be clear that they lie at the heart of national security, for better or worse.' back

Oren Cass (2024_11_09), Trump Is About to Face the Choice That Dooms Many Presidencies, ' Mr. Trump will hear a lot of counterarguments from the affluent and influential class that builds its business model on underpaid, undocumented labor, especially in industries such as construction and hospitality, where he has personal experience, as well as in agriculture. . . . Rebuilding the American industrial base is another issue that Mr. Trump has elevated to the top of the national agenda, but about which his instincts are sometimes torn. Policies including tariffs are one vital tool to encourage domestic investment. But so is giving a targeted boost to technologies or sectors that are of particular importance. The bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act has done just that for the manufacture of cutting-edge semiconductors ; since its passage in 2022, all five of the leading global chipmakers have committed to building advanced U.S. plants. . . . “That chip deal is so bad,” Mr. Trump told the podcaster Joe Rogan, prompting the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, to say he would pursue repeal. Many of Mr. Trump’s advisers will tell him to dispense with industrial policy and cut taxes instead. But CHIPS is overwhelmingly popular, so much so that Mr. Johnson quickly walked back his comment. . . . Perhaps most important, these policies work and are already spurring huge investments and the creation of high-quality jobs. When the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company announced last month that its first plant in Arizona is already achieving production yields better than those of factories in Taiwan, the free-market message began shifting from decrying the policy to denying that it deserved credit for the success. Real investment in factories has more than doubled since President Biden took office; for the electronics industry, it has nearly quadrupled since the beginning of 2022. By comparison, Mr. Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers tried to show that his 2017 tax cut spurred investment but instead found an effect of zero, though other research has since suggested some limited gains. What the tax cut did produce was lower corporate tax bills, and C.E.O.s will push for a repeat. A golden age for America does not depend upon high stock prices and C.E.O. bonuses. It depends upon real investment. If Mr. Trump wants to deliver for the average American, his policies must focus on the latter — including effective policies that were initiated by his political opponents.' back

Ousia - Wikipedia, Ousia - Wikipedia, the free enxcycxlopedia, 'Ousia (Ancient Greek: οὐσία) is a philosophical and theological term, originally used in ancient Greek philosophy, then later in Christian theology. It was used by various ancient Greek philosophers, like Plato and Aristotle, as a primary designation for philosophical concepts of essence or substance. In contemporary philosophy, it is analogous to English concepts of being, and ontic. In Christian theology, the concept of θεία ουσία (divine essence) is one of the most important doctrinal concepts, central to the development of trinitarian doctrine.] The Ancient Greek term θεία ουσία (theia ousia; divine essence) was translated in Latin as essentia or substantia, and hence in English as essence or substance. . . . Some modern authors also suggest that the Ancient Greek term οὐσία is properly translated as essentia (essence), while substantia has a wider spectrum of meanings.' back

Path integral formulation - Wikipedia, Path integral formulation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'The path integral formulation of quantum mechanics is a description of quantum theory which generalizes the action principle of classical mechanics. It replaces the classical notion of a single, unique trajectory for a system with a sum, or functional integral, over an infinity of possible trajectories to compute a quantum amplitude. . . . This formulation has proved crucial to the subsequent development of theoretical physics, since it provided the basis for the grand synthesis of the 1970s which unified quantum field theory with statistical mechanics. . . . ' back

Photoelectric effect - Wikipedia, Photoelectric effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons when electromagnetic radiation, such as light, hits a material. Electrons emitted in this manner are called photoelectrons. . . . The experimental results disagree with classical electromagnetism, which predicts that continuous light waves transfer energy to electrons, which would then be emitted when they accumulate enough energy. An alteration in the intensity of light would theoretically change the kinetic energy of the emitted electrons, with sufficiently dim light resulting in a delayed emission. The experimental results instead show that electrons are dislodged only when the light exceeds a certain frequency—regardless of the light's intensity or duration of exposure.' back

Riemannian geometry - Wikipedia, Riemannian geometry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' Riemannian geometry is the branch of differential geometry that studies Riemannian manifolds, smooth manifolds with a Riemannian metric, i.e. with an inner product on the tangent space at each point that varies smoothly from point to point. This gives, in particular, local notions of angle, length of curves, surface area, and volume. From those some other global quantities can be derived by integrating local contributions. . . . It enabled Einstein's general relativity theory, made profound impact on group theory and representation theory, as well as analysis, and spurred the development of algebraic and differential topology.' back

University of Dayton, University of Dayton, on the Conversation, ' Founded in 1850, the University of Dayton is a top-tier Catholic, Marianist research university deeply committed to the common good. Our faith is a beacon that guides us and leads us to act and build community by inviting people with diverse talents, interests and backgrounds to enrich and advance our common mission. With one billion dollars in sponsored research contracts underway, the University of Dayton is No. 9 nationally for sponsored research among private four-year U.S. universities that do not perform medical research. We are the No. 1 Catholic university for sponsored engineering research and development – and No. 1 in the nation for all sponsored materials research and development. We have partnered with some of the world’s largest Fortune 500 companies, helping us to become a more remarkably proactive, forward-thinking university. GE Aviation and Emerson built research facilities right on campus so students and faculty work side-by-side with professionals to create solutions to real-world problems. More than 8,000 full-time undergraduates and 2,800 graduate and law students from across the country and around the world pursue learning through more than 80 undergraduate and 50 graduate and doctoral programs. We are dedicated in the Marianist tradition, to educating the whole person and linking learning and scholarship with leadership and service.' back

Yang-Mills theory - Wikipedia, Yang-Mills theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'Yang–Mills theory is a gauge theory based on the SU(N) group, or more generally any compact, reductive Lie algebra. Yang–Mills theory seeks to describe the behavior of elementary particles using these non-Abelian Lie groups and is at the core of the unification of the electromagnetic force and weak forces (i.e. U(1) × SU(2)) as well as quantum chromodynamics, the theory of the strong force (based on SU(3)). Thus it forms the basis of our understanding of the Standard Model of particle physics.' back