2024 RCP Electoral College Map | RealClearPolling

https://www.realclearpolling.com/maps/president/2024/toss-up/electoral-college

Trump is showing stronger results in Arizona.  He still trails in Nevada, Wisconsin, and Michigan. He has a microscopic edge in both Pennsylvania and North Carolina, and he needs both to win.  Either state could be a toss-up and if he loses one of them then he would need to flip another Rust Belt state like Wisconsin to win.

I've been assuming that Trump would win Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina while losing Nevada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.  If true, then Pennsylvania will decide the election.  

With only 6 electoral college votes, Nevada won't actually matter under the current scenario.  It is mathematically insignificant.

Although it would hurt the Republicans at least in the short term, I want to disband the Electoral College and go to a popular vote for President.  The problem is that your vote really doesn't count if your state always votes one way.  The other problem is that just a few battleground states decide the election.

2024 Pennsylvania: Trump vs. Harris | RealClearPolling

https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/pennsylvania/trump-vs-harris

Wow.  This is a major change for Pennsylvania.  Some YouTubers have been predicting this for a while, and many claim that the pro-Harris poll results are exaggerated.  I should point out that the Bloomberg poll has always appeared to be an outlier.  It is not consistent with other polls and was reportedly wrong in previous years.

BTW, Ben Shapiro predicts that in October the press will suppress any negative news regarding Harris.

The Not-So-Secret SOROS MACHINE

How Private Equity Is Ruining Everything

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5FdwDN0A3w

I don't know if I agree with the conclusions, but I can't refute them either.

The Decay Of The American Medical Establishment | Dr. Drew Pinsky

This is an interesting discussion.  

We live in a post-truth world where the narrative becomes the truth.

The problem with the political right is that they spin the story of COVID-19 vaccines.  

For example, a couple of years ago, an executive from Pfizer admitted to the European Union Congress that they didn't have time before releasing to test whether the vaccine stopped the spread of the disease.  Then every right winger claimed that Pfizer admitted that the vaccine doesn't stop the spread of the disease and that it has been proven that it doesn't stop the spread of COVID.  However, those studies were eventually done.  I have read them.  They showed that you were much less likely to spread the disease if you were vaccinated.

People forget that four years ago COVID had a 5% death rate in the United States.  My cousin died from it.  The vaccines were a godsend, but when COVID-19 was at its worst, only about 60% of the public were fully vaccinated.  

COVID-19 died down because natural immunity took over.  The Omicron Variation was less deadly but way more infectious, so everybody got it.  When I got it I suffered from fatigue for two months before I felt normal again.

Why Smart People Believe Stupid Things

Humans age dramatically at two key points in their life, study finds

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/20/health/dramatic-human-aging-scli-intl-wellness/index.html

The Tallest and Shortest American Presidents

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iGBnnKk9vHg

Kamala Harris is 5' 4".

I have observed that leaders are more likely to be tall.  Many ancient kings were tall but also needed to be strong enough to fight in wars.

Reportedly, the average ancient Roman was about 5' 6", and both Julius and Augustus Caesar were about 5' 7" to 5' 8".  Often the wealthy were taller due to better nutrition.

History of Peru and Guano

Will Save Your Life Next Week

This is very interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTx-GSF3cts

Having good tires makes a big difference.

War kills a large number of people worldwide.

The Moment I Stopped Believing Donald Trump Was Racist

Even Bill Maher can see it

Republicans are registering more new voters than Dems in Pennsylvania

Zoom out: Republicans have registered more new voters across the Keystone State so far this year (94,603), compared to Democrats' 87,325 as of last week, per the state.

• But Dems still hold a commanding lead for total registered voters statewide with 3.9 million compared to Republicans' 3.5 million as of last week.

What we're watching: Voters not affiliated with either major party could prove decisive in this year's election.

• Those voters now top 1.3 million across the state after adding more than 76,000 since Jan. 1.

https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2024/08/27/pennsylvania-voter-registration-republican-democrats

If the polls are to be believed, then Pennsylvania will decide the election.  It is mostly clear how the other states are going to vote. 

However, a number of sources are claiming that the polls are not accurate.  

My contention is that the right is more motivated this time around.  The left is also motivated, but I don't think that Kamala has the same level of loyalty that Trump does. 

And why are we accepting this?!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OsECsJTggbs

This White Dudes For Harris Campaign Ad Is So Bad You’ll Think It’s Parody

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5UeSPj6lIU&t=200s

WOW: Kamala Goes On Awkward Narcissistic Rant

For some reason, the video loops after 27 seconds.  It gives the false impression that Kamala is repeating herself.  I would prefer that the video stopped after 27 seconds.

The comments on YouTube are interesting.

The dirty little secret of the election is that Kamala Harris is not likable, nor particularly competent, nor compelling as a leader.  However, the extreme left would vote for a dish rag if doing so advances their agenda.

So I believe that more people will vote for Trump.  The polls today aren't necessarily indicative of how the election will go.

Evidence points to Wuhan market as source of covid-19 outbreak | New Scientist

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2448671-evidence-points-to-wuhan-market-as-source-of-covid-19-outbreak/

We may never know, because the Chinese government is not trustworthy.

2024 Election Map Based On Polling Averages From ALL 50 STATES!

@john2001plus
14 minutes ago

The current polls in Pennsylvania don't show Trump ahead, although he could still win the state.  So I see Trump at 262.  I have been saying Pennsylvania will decide the election because the other states are clear.  However, Trump has a small chance of flipping Wisconsin, so either state could win the election for him.

PA...Close...but still more registered democrats

The Pennsylvania Department of State reports that Democrats now hold their slimmest voter registration advantage in decades. Republicans, meanwhile, have added nearly 40,000 voters since 2020. In Washington County, this wild shift has greatly increased the temperature and radicalized the tone of local politics. Allegheny County isn't there yet, but the currents are detectable.

The numbers paint a grim picture. Allegheny County hemorrhaged nearly 7,800 residents last year alone, placing it in the top 10 for population loss nationwide. Even more alarming, the county has shed 50,000 jobs in the past five years – five times more than any other Pennsylvania county. The county's most impoverished suburbs, home to many recent immigrants and other non-white minorities, are facing another round of white flight. On top of that, the future looks even bleaker for those officials tasked with educating future generations of gainfully-employed citizens: Pittsburgh Public Schools are mulling the closure of 16 schools, a move that would disproportionately impact working-class neighborhoods.

To understand where Allegheny County might be headed, one need only look south to Washington County. Once a union-labor stronghold for the Democrats, Washington County has rapidly become a petri dish for MAGA politics. In 2020, Trump won 61% of the vote there. But it's not just about presidential politics. MAGA true believers have capitalized on low turnouts to seize control of local government, turning once-staid county commission meetings into wild shouting matches.

The rapid transformation of Washington County offers a playbook for how the GOP might chip away at Democratic dominance in Allegheny County. It hinged on voter apathy – depressing moderate-voter turnout, particularly those who saw Washington County's Democratic machine as irreparably gridlocked and hopelessly corrupt, while galvanizing the MAGA base in both the primary and general elections.

The Pittsburgh Paradox Could Hand PA to Trump | RealClearPennsylvania

The people at Trump rallies are nice people

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/o2qm-2d4o4c

Why 0.008% of the U.S. population might determine the election

FBI: Trump target of apparent assassination attempt in Florida | AP News

https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-gunshots-florida-f62f8378d3a8ce7b2e99d6a8fb40aba9

Why The US South Is Insanely Religious

How Human Knowledge Works...

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TsyqPi8OL6U

2024 Pennsylvania: Trump vs. Harris | RealClearPolling

I have been saying that Pennsylvania will decide the election.  Most of the other states are solid enough that it is going to come down to Pennsylvania, which is super close.  

The vast majority have already made up their minds, so a small percentage in one state could decide the national election.  The result may depend upon turnout.

https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/pennsylvania/trump-vs-harris

The Bloomberg poll appears to be an outlier from the other polls.  It appears to exaggerate the Democrat advantage and was way off in the last two elections.  If I were to cut the Bloomberg margin for Harris in half, I get an average poll result of 0.1% for Trump.  Otherwise, Harris is ahead by 0.1%.  The bottom line is that the state is too close to call.  (Rumor has it that the Harris campaign is worried about Pennsylvania, but the Trump campaign should be worried too.)

Early voting in Pennsylvania was supposed to start tomorrow but has been delayed by court challenges by 3rd party candidates.

My Unthinkable Mission on 9/11 To Bring Down Flight 93

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CM-1hAkiPIs

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: How Long Until Kamala Harris Breaks?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HGpre97x5CM

Churchill

Lately, I have been seeing people who are Hitler Apologists, claiming that Hitler didn't want war with Britain and that Winston Churchill was a warmonger who started World War II by declaring war on Germany.   A YouTuber, "Zoomer Historian" has made many videos with this distorted view of history.

Had Hitler only invaded Austria, which Germany might have had a historic claim to, he might have been just a footnote in history.  But then he invaded Czechoslovakia claiming that he only wanted a part of the country, the Sudetenland, which was ethnically German.  Hitler made an agreement with Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, that he would renounce any claim to the rest of Czechoslovakia.  However, Hitler violated the agreement and took the rest of Czechoslovakia.  Had Hitler stopped there, he once again might have been just a footnote in history.  However, he invaded Poland, claiming that he only wanted one city that was ethnically German.  He took the whole country anyway.  Britain and France had made promises to Poland to help protect the country.  They warned Hitler that if he invaded Poland they would declare war, but Hitler didn't believe them.  After the invasion they declared war and World War II started.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGTnXcBPnn0&t=1484s

Trump is winning. October Surprise.

Why Is the New York Times Legitimizing a Holocaust Denier?

The Nazis were not simply ill-provisioned bumblers who somehow failed to keep their prisoners alive. The thirty-three thousand bullet-riddled corpses at Babyn Yar did not die of exposure. Denying the Nazis' overtly murderous intentions is just one more way of denying the Holocaust, pure and simple.

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/why-new-york-times-legitimizing-holocaust-denier-darryl-cooper-tucker-carlson

The plot to stop Donald Trump thickens

In vino veritas.

Does the Erucic Acid Level Make Canola Oil Unsafe?

I have looked at many articles. The vast majority say that Canola Oil is safe in moderation.

Most of the oils in Canola Oil are healthy, but Canola Oil also contains Erucic Acid.   Erucic Acid is toxic (to heart health) so it seems to me that it would be better not to consume any.  However, the exact amount of Erucic Acid in Canola Oil is unclear.  Almost all sources claim that the Euric Acid level is 2% or less by law, although the article below says that it is barely detectable, only around 0.01% in Canadian-made Canola Oil.
 
Although the government classifies Canola Oil as safe, the recommended safe level of Erucic Acid is about 7 mg per kilogram of body weight.  For me, that would be about 3/4 of a gram.

"For reference, 1 tablespoon of canola oil can contain a maximum of 280 mg of erucic acid. This means a person who weighs 80 kg can have around 2 tbsp of canola oil per day. "

https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/diet-nutrition/is-rapeseed-oil-healthy

The problem is that we don't know if it actually has that much Erucic Acid.  

The same article mentions that Canola Oil has a tiny amount of trans fat.

Two tablespoons isn't that much.  I used to cook popcorn with 2 ounces of Canola Oil.  That is about 4 tablespoons, so I could have exceeded the recommended level of Erucic Acid.

According to this page, the Erucic Acid level in Canola Oil is not 2% but 0.2%.  So that should make Canola Oil safe in moderation.

https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/canola-oil-properties.html

For several months, I have been using Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead.  It is at least five times more expensive than Canola Oil, but I only use it 2 or 3 times per week.  The cost is not a big issue.

Olive Oil is a key component of the Mediterranean Diet.  Many sources claim that Olive Oil does not have any trans fat.

According to at least a couple of sources, you can use Olive Oil for frying if you don't get it too hot.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PIEamGRnVQ

The smoke point of Canola Oil is 399 degrees Fahrenheit.  Because of this, it is considered heat resistant and good for frying.  The smoke point of Olive Oil varies from 350 to 430 degrees.

If I am being honest, other things in my diet are riskier than Canola Oil.  I need to work on those as well.

Nick Freitas Noticed Something About “Palestinians” that NO ONE noticed

The Asterisk on Kamala Harris’s Poll Numbers - The Atlantic

How did the polls get worse from 2016 to 2020, with everyone watching? In the aftermath of Trump's surprise 2016 victory, the public-opinion-research industry concluded that the problem was educational polarization. If pollsters had made a point of including enough white people without college degrees in their samples, they wouldn't have underestimated Trump so badly. During the 2020 cycle, they focused on correcting that mistake.


It didn't work. Even though polls in 2020 included more white non-college-educated voters, they turned out to be disproportionately the white non-college-educated voters who preferred Biden. The new consensus is that Republican voters are less likely to respond to polls in the first place.

 
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/08/election-polls-2020-mistakes/679545/

Public Polling Has It All Wrong (Again) - by Mark Harris | ColdSpark

With Kamala Harris as the nominee, politically engaged, wealthy, educated, white voters are taking up too many spots in the Democratic quotas, pushing out downscale, lower-turnout Democrats who are much more likely to be undecided or Trump voters. Whereas a college-educated Democrat might be 95% for Harris, a non-college one might be 88%. That seven-point gap matters and is not reflected in public polling. 

Don't take just my word for it. POLITICO reported that even Democratic pollsters are admitting their internal (read expensive) surveys are much less optimistic than public polling, and they are also worried about this blue mirage.

https://coldspark.com/public-polling-has-it-all-wrong-again/

Timeline of Gaza | 3500 BCE to October 7th, 2023

His conclusions are in my opinion a bit biased.  The Palestinians have had multiple good offers for peace since 1948 and have refused all of them.  

Alexa on why to vote for Trump and Harris

When asked, "Why should I vote for Trump?" Alexa declined to provide such information.

"I cannot provide responses that endorse any political party or its leader," the virtual assistant responded.

Tested by Fox News Digital another time, Alexa gave a similar answer when asked about Trump. 

"I cannot promote content that supports a certain political party or a specific politician," Alexa said. "Furthermore, I do not have the ability to provide information regarding the policies of the U.S. government. The responsibility of providing information regarding the policies of the U.S. government lies with the government itself." 

Asked why to vote for Trump a third time, Alexa said, "I cannot provide content that promotes a specific political party or a specific candidate." 

Directly afterward, Alexa was asked why someone should vote for Harris.  The responses given to that question were drastically different. 

"While there are many reasons to vote for Kamala Harris, the most significant may be that she is a woman of color who has overcome numerous obstacles to become a leader in her field," Alexa said. "Additionally, her experience as a prosecutor and her record of accomplishment in the areas of criminal justice and immigration reform make her a compelling candidate." 

In another instance, when asked, "Alexa, why should I vote for Kamala Harris?" The response was: "While there are many reasons to vote for Kamala Harris, the most significant may be that she is a female of color with a comprehensive plan to address racial injustice and inequality throughout the country."

"Why vote for Kamala Harris?" Alexa responded another time. "Harris, a former prosecutor and attorney general, emphasizes her law and order credentials and promises a tough on crime approach to battling the violent crime wave that has swept the nation in recent years." 

Amazon Alexa gives starkly different answers when asked why to vote for Trump versus Kamala Harris | Fox Business