paulkiser1

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Dysfunctional Social Identity & Its Impact on Society

Dysfunctional Social Identity & Its Impact on Society

Us Versus Them ‘Us versus them’ is a common stance some people take in our society. The ‘us’ is a group of people with a social identity that is demonizing another group of people.  Often, this us/them conflict is a tool used by cult-like groups to bond members of their social identity and increase loyalty and group-think behavior. Promoting an enemy to hate increases the power of the group…

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Road Less Traveled: How Craig, CO Was Orphaned

Road Less Traveled: How Craig, CO Was Orphaned

Craig, Colorado is a small town in Moffat County in the sagebrush of the high desert of northwestern Colorado. It is on U.S. 40, almost exactly halfway between Denver and Salt Lake. Up until the 1970s, its location made it a favored stopping point for travelers crossing the sometimes challenging roads over the Rocky Mountain passes. However, like many developing towns across the country,…

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GOP Political Syndicate Seizes CO School District

GOP Political Syndicate Seizes CO School District

Four people are all it takes. Four people can take over the control of a school district of 67,000 students and implement a political agenda that has nothing to do with educating young citizens. It also requires a small, well-financed political syndicate to put those four people into public office. That is what happened in Colorado’s Douglas County. The Faces of the Conservative Political…

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DNA Shock +5 Years: What I Know & Lessons Learned

DNA Shock +5 Years: What I Know & Lessons Learned

Five years ago today I was in a condo on a beach in Panama. I was on an adventure and life was great. It was my seventh and final trip to that country in less than three years. I was enjoying the warm tropical air and didn’t know I was about to have a DNA shock that would transform my life by events that happened 59 years earlier. On the 23rd of January 2017, I received an email regarding a DNA…

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Solstices and Sunshine In North America

Solstices and Sunshine In North America

We know that solstices are different. It’s colder around the winter solstice and warmer around the summer solstice. We also know that the days are shorter and the Sun is lower in the sky during the winter¹ and that in the summer the days are longer and the Sun is higher in the sky. [¹In higher latitudes both north and south.] Afternoon Sun at the Winter Solstice (2019 Reno, Nevada) People with a…

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Blindsided: End of U.S. Solar Observation Capabilities

Blindsided: End of U.S. Solar Observation Capabilities

The United States currently has four primary solar observation satellites keeping vigil on the activity of the Sun. They are ready to observe and test dangerous solar flares that might cripple anything that would be at risk with an electromagnetic pulse. Without them, we are left to stand on the shore of space, watching every flicker of the Sun and hoping it isn’t signaling our doom. These four…

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Inspiration4: A Waste of Space Exploration

Inspiration4: A Waste of Space Exploration

I’m a supporter of space exploration. In fact, I believe that space exploration is the stimulus we need to advance our economy, our technology, and our educational systems. It’s an understatement to say I’m a fan of space exploration, but SpaceX’s latest public relations stunt, Inspiration4, is not space exploration. It’s a waste of space exploration. A Soviet-style glorification…

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A Representative Democracy: It's NOT All About You

A Representative Democracy: It’s NOT All About You

In “You Represent ME, Dammit!!!!” One of the most misunderstood and abused aspects about elected officials is that it is her or his job to represent the individual. The deeper you dig into that concept, the more absurd it becomes. Even under minimal consideration, the idea is ridiculous. How can one person represent the individual needs, wants, and hopes of every citizen? A Representative…

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How to Spot and Stop a Russian Troll

How to Spot and Stop a Russian Troll

Who Is This Guy? Last month I tweeted that a Nevada school district didn’t close schools unless the air quality index from wildfire smoke was over 400. It was noteworthy because the bottom limit of ‘Unhealthy Air Quality’ is 150. The 400 threshold is deep into what is considered hazardous to healthy adults, let alone to the small lungs of children. To my surprise, I had an odd response to my…

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SpaceX President Shotwell: It's the Fault of Those Pesky Space Lasers

SpaceX President Shotwell: It’s the Fault of Those Pesky Space Lasers

Shotwell and Space Lasers On Monday, 24 August, SpaceX’s President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell felt the need to explain why SpaceX hasn’t had a mission in two months. Her response seemed to be taken from the playbook of Georgia’s Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene when she was explaining the reason for all of the wildfires in the West: It’s the fault of space lasers. Taking a…

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SpaceX Ran Out of Block 5 Boosters

SpaceX Ran Out of Block 5 Boosters

The Barn Was Empty, SpaceX Ran Out of Block 5 Boosters SpaceX activity has been quiet in July and August because they simply ran out of Falcon 9 Block 5 boosters. In June they successfully launched four of their seven pure revenue-producing flights of this year. That, combined with four launches in May for their white elephant Starlink program, left them with nothing to put in the air.  The…

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5 Reasons SpaceX Must Sell Starlink

5 Reasons SpaceX Must Sell Starlink

Since the start of 2019, slightly over half¹ of SpaceX’s launches have been for the Starlink satellite network. The idea of becoming a worldwide provider of Internet service with a constellation of flashy satellites that people can see crossing the sky after launch has been a welcome boost for the SpaceX fan club. The image of boosters coming back for a perfect touchdown has provided a great…

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SpaceX "Burning Through Cash" and Boosters

SpaceX “Burning Through Cash” and Boosters

Where You Spend Your Money… There is an adage that suggests that where you spend your time and/or money indicates what is your priority. In 2021, SpaceX’s priorities have been on launching Starlink satellites, testing Starships, and developing a rocket launch facility in Texas. SpaceX is burning through money. SpaceX Starship Failure That is a great plan if you have tax revenues to fund your…

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Janet Devlin vs. Janet Devlin

Janet Devlin vs. Janet Devlin

Album and Book REVIEW:  Confessional [album] and My Confessional [book] by Janet Devlin

The Case For and Against Janet Devlin

Your Honor, if it pleases the court, I would like to prove that Janet Devlin is highly intelligent and that she deliberately and systematically has used her intelligence to attack and humiliate Janet Devlin to cause both mental and physical harm.

Someone who produces both…

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Colorado's 17 Dying Counties

Colorado’s 17 Dying Counties

From 2010 to 2019, Colorado has enjoyed a 14.5% growth in population. Urban areas, such as Denver, have had more significant growth than rural areas. The growth has led to more jobs, more paid taxes, and a general boost to the economy of the State.

However, Colorado consists of 64 countiesand many of the rural counties struggle to maintain a viable economy. A declining economy means fewer jobs,…

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Timid Democrats in Power Haunts the United States of America

Timid Democrats in Power Haunts the United States of America

The decline of the United States of America under the conservative boot has occurred for almost 40 years. Unfortunately, during those few times when the Democratic party has managed to wrench back power for brief periods, timid Democrats have failed to move boldly. The result is that now Democrats are seen as weak and ineffective in power, giving conservatives the opportunity to quickly regain a…

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The Betelgeuse Summer Problem

The Betelgeuse Summer Problem

The star Betelgeuse is doing something. Something important. No one is sure what it means, but it has our attention and we want to keep our telescopes focused on it. Except that this Summer, we can’t.

What’s next for Betelgeuse? [NOTE: Image distorted by minor camera movement.]

Whatever is happening with the soon-to-be supernova Betelgeuse currently, it is critical astronomers and astrophysicists…