Awesome! Thanks for contacting the professor and posting the reply.

Ah, yes, I missed that. Thank you.

Good question. According to this article, the process going on with Betelgeuse does sound like the same or very similar to the process described in OP’s article.

The great dimming [of Betelgeuse] was caused by the star spitting out a lump of gas and dust, like chewing gum: or what scientists call a “surface mass ejection” caused by an “anomalously hot convective plume”.

OP’s article doesn’t say that the Old Smokers they found are red super-giants but since they called them old smokers, I’m inclined to think that they are. Also because they say that smoke contains much higher levels of heavy elements than is common in the region which would also be consistent with older stars. The article doesn’t say whether or not the stars puff out smoke on a regular schedule like Betelgeuse does, but then maybe they haven’t been watching them long enough to see a pattern yet.

It does seem like they found a bunch of older stars that are pre-supernova, just like Betelgeuse is, and burping out clouds of gas and dust.

People used to say that rugby players didn’t need to worry about potential brain injuries like American football players do. The theory was that American foot ball players slam into each other far harder than rugby players do because the Americans feel safer wrapped up in all the padding. I guess that theory doesn’t hold up after all.

Well, it is better than coal I suppose. Not enough to keep the planet from boiling but… baby steps?

Frankly, I suspect it’s the only way some of them can procreate at all.

Now the representatives are abandoning their structure and tradition because the other side did, too.

So the Democrats should just keep adhering to rules that allow the Republicans to block their every move despite the fact that the Republicans ignore those rules whenever they see an advantage to doing so?

That foolish mindset is why we now have the judicial cluster fuck which is putting our very Democracy is at risk. We are in a fight for our lives and freedoms and you don’t go into such a fight with your hands tied behind your back. It is long past time the Democrats should have come out swinging.

Nope. Same rules should apply for both. They should not be the least bit reluctant to use the same tools the Republicans do. If the Republicans are breaking rules then the Democrats need to break the same rules. If the Republicans don’t like it, they can stop breaking the rules whenever they feel like it.

Lots of folks are moving south. Yjey live up north where the decent jobs are until they can afford to retire where the cost of living is far lower.

That’s what we did. Gas, groceries, everything is cheaper here. We went from 1.5 acres in Northern Illinois to 160 acres in Southwest Virginia. Our property tax dropped from $12,000 per year to just over $1000.

Typical conservative victim mentality. It can’t be a result of his actions, no. It’s not his fault the company is crashing and burning. It’s those darn blackmailing advertisers!

To be fair, most of the reporting on both sides is probably rife with propaganda from the other. Good luck learning the truth about any of it.

Absolutely. Also, since Trump’s lies lowered the interest rate he paid for his loans, as intended, the bank made less than they would have if they’d been given accurate data.

So in your example, where you stole $20 and paid back $30, your friend only made $10. If you hadn’t stolen that money, though, he could have invested it and maybe made himself $40, so he’s still out $10.

You ever seen Marjorie Taylor Greene?

To quote someone else (apparently on her Facebook page), “In hindsight, crossing horse, demon and Nazi DNA was probably a bad idea.”

Okay, and the punchline is that after Trump agrees, drops out of the race, and accepts the Presidential pardon, they tell him that Biden can’t pardon him from state crimes. Assuming he’s convicted in Georgia, even the Governor there can’t do it. Pardons in GA are issued by the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles and they will not pardon him until he’s served his sentence (at least five years), paid all fines, and have no charges outstanding.

Wherever home-schoolers congregate, I imagine.

Don’t miss the rest of the passage.

…dazzled them with his Harvard degree and work as a research professor at New York University and UCLA.

They were equally impressed with his work at those elite New York and California schools.

Trump’s team are already appealing the ruling that he engaged in insurrection. The hearing is set for Dec 6th, so they will be re litigating that part.

“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement.” - Gandalf

Not surprising. I used to own a business and almost everyone who bounced a check or otherwise failed to pay their bill had, “have a blessed day” on their voice mail message. Now it just feels like anyone spouting Bible quotes or telling me to have a blessed day is just a scammer working an angle.

You are right, but maybe not for the reasons you think. If it ever reaches a point where Trump is convicted and believes he is going to go to prison, he will probably kill himself. Narcissists are prone to suicide.

Suicide risk is not rare in patients with narcissism, particularly in the context of severe narcissistic injury, where the patient feels shamed and/or vilified. In conclusion, narcissistic patients are difficult to treat, but the risk of suicide makes it imperative for clinicians to stay involved in the treatment and assist the patient in understanding their vulnerabilities.