32immanuel-velikovsky-1New evidence and interpretation at the intersection of planetary science and religion can help us better understand the history of the Ancient Near East and of the origins of Islam.

A Revised Venus Theory corrects Immanuel Velikovsky’s original theory that the planet Venus first entered the inner solar system as a comet with a bifurcated tail around 1500 BC (new evidence indicates around 2525 BC).  Now we have a much better explanation of the origin of Venus (rather than fissioning off of Jupiter, it was pulled from the outer solar system by Jupiter’s gravity and, via tidal heating, became a comet with a long tail).  Venus interacted with the Earth on a 52-year cycle during the Late Bronze Age, causing catastrophes worldwide.  And we now have a framework theory of the terrestrial planets into which these phenomena neatly fit and for which there is telling evidence.  For Comet Venus, there is also newly interpreted, compelling iconographic and linguistic evidence.  The names of both Athena (A Fena, the Phoenician) and Poseidon (Bos eidon, the Bull of Heaven), for instance, referred to the double-tailed Venus.

So with new-found confidence that the Ancients and Velikovsky were right about Venus, we can ask how can we use this to decipher aspects of the culture of the Ancient Near East and of the background of Islam.

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Serpent Mound

411-meter long Great Serpent Mound in Ohio is the world’s longest effigy monument.  Archaeological investigations have yielded conflicting results about its initial construction date, and various theories regarding its meaning have failed to gain traction.  But a Revised Venus Theory–one that modifies Immanuel Velikovsky’s theory that the planet Venus was originally a comet that approached the Earth and caused great devastation–neatly matches key characteristics of the Great Serpent Mound.

Recently, this Revised Venus Theory has gained additional credibility from a commonsensical explanation of how a comet-like Venus could have seemed to emerge from Jupiter as in ancient Hindu and Greek myths (Jupiter’s gravity pulled it from the outer solar system), including a simple, obvious reinterpretation of the Metis myth.  Much new evidence has also emerged.  And the theory has found powerful substantiation from a reinterpretation of the headdress of Queen Nefertari of Egypt, consort of Pharaoh Ramses II, in this image from Abu Simbel (Ramses II’s headdress appears to contain Mars with two moons and a tail, either borrowed from Venus in an encounter or from Martian dust stirred up by an encounter).

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Crete Snake goddessThe famous Snake Goddess of ancient Crete has long attracted students of history and art. Elegant, risquée, enigmatic, she embodies the mystery and allure of Minoan civilization.

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Ocean

Sea-based approaches to the disposal of nuclear waste make it hard for terrorists, rebels, or criminals to steal for use in radiological weapons or in nuclear bombs. The world’s oceans have a vastly greater dilutive capacity than any single land site in the event of unintended leaks (though by the same token the effects of a leak could travel farther). And seawater itself contains a variety of radionuclides, so treating it as a domain in which there is no natural radioactivity runs counter to fact. Meanwhile, without a great deal of additional investment and endless political arguments, land-based geological storage sites will not have the capacity to store all the waste that will be generated in future decades.

The most important rationale, though, is that siting, constructing, and operating land-based long-term storage sites constitute major, difficult technological and political problems.  It is wrongheaded and irresponsible to assume that many relatively poor, unstable, and technologically lagging countries with nuclear reactors will deal successfully with these challenges.  Too many things can go wrong, with disastrous outcomes.

So a shared international solution to the problems of the long-term storage of nuclear waste should represent a high priority.  And investigating sea-based solutions makes eminent sense because they are peculiarly suited to international cooperation.  When considering solutions that require significant noise generation, we need to consider potential damage to sea creatures, similar to the damage caused by undersea mining.1

Four sea-based approaches recommend themselves.

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On November 12, 2001 American Airlines Flight #587 crashed in Queens, New York shortly after take off, killing 265. Some observers were quick to suggest that al Qaeda terrorists had brought the aircraft down. But the October 26, 2004 official report by the National Transportation Safety Board blamed the crash on the co-pilot, who jerked the rudder back and forth in an effort to correct for turbulence from a preceding jet.

The crash was soon eclipsed by the repercussions of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the anthrax mailings, and the war in Afghanistan. Yet suspicions lingered. Many eyewitness accounts, for instance, seemed consistent with an on-board explosion, yet the report brushed them aside as contradicting each other and generally unreliable.

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speleotherapyHalotherapy (HT, from Greek halos=salt) uses dry aerosol microparticles of salt and, in one version, minerals to treat respiratory diseases. HT seeks to replicate the conditions of speleotherapy (from Greek speleos=cave), a treatment that has been practiced in old salt mines of Eastern Europe since the early 19th Century.

Halotherapy belongs to the category of the physical therapies–non-drug treatments of diseases, many associated with the spa treatments of Eastern Europe. In the former Soviet Union, medical researchers engaged in a concerted effort to develop physical therapies in order to avoid the costs and side effects of drug therapy as well as microbial and tumor resistance. Russia has become a world leader in developing and testing new and increasingly effective physical therapies.

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choosing_a_mouthwash_or_rinse_thats_right_for_you_lg

Slipping endlessly through the crack between oral and respiratory medicine, the humble mouthwash has slowly won more respect among savvy practitioners and patients as a solution for a range of indications.1 In Japan many millions of people gargle three times a day with green tea extracts or other mouthwashes to ward off upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), and Japanese clinical studies have confirmed the value of this approach (Furushima D et al. Molecules. 2018 Jul 20;23(7)). Worldwide, medical practitioners recommend gargling to patients.  Many people on their own have decided that gargling makes sense, while millions swish with mouthwash to protect teeth and gums as well as to combat halitosis.

Still, for curious reasons, this formidable method of suppressing infections remains in medical limbo. Not because there is no need. The average American suffers 2.5 episodes of URTI per year, with high costs for treatment, lost days of work, and morbidity. URTIs also exacerbate asthma, and they can enter the lungs and prove fatal.  As a generic adjuvant therapy, gargling can help reduce viral load during epidemics while remaining hard for mutating viruses to outflank.

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User  Kenneth J. Dillon

ChatGPT and I discussed how Ukraine could best deploy its drones and those donated by allies.  I asked:

What are the weapons and munitions most urgently needed on the battlefield? How are Ukraine and its allies striving to produce them? Are there suitable substitutes, e.g., drones to replace at least some artillery fire?
ChatGPT
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The failure of the US to fund Ukraine puts it at risk of a disastrous defeat at the hands of a merciless Russia.  ChatGPT and I discussed several options for Ukraine in finding financing.

 

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[December 13, 2023]  If Congress rejects further U.S. military and financial support, the valiant Ukrainians and their democratic allies face a disastrous defeat.

To find other options, this writer brainstormed with Chat GPT.  Our discussion led to a plan to form a U.S.- and EU-backed Coalition of the Willing, including Canada, the UK, Scandinavia, Germany, Poland, Baltic countries, and perhaps France as well as Japan, Korea, and Australia.  While positioning troops, weapons, and materiel in Western Ukraine is not a realistic option at present, it might become a serious possibility if Russia advances and appears poised to conquer all of Ukraine.  The U.S. would be a non-paying member that would supply intelligence, diplomacy, and coordination until such time as Congress might vote for funding.

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User Kenneth J. Dillon

 

ChatGPT and I discussed how Ukraine could deal with a drop-off in allied funding.  I wrote:

 

One way Ukraine can respond to a diminution of Western aid is by shifting, even more than now, to relatively inexpensive asymmetrical warfare approaches. It could request that allies support this by providing optimal training and moderately priced state-of-the-art technology for cyber warfare, electronic warfare, and cutting-edge applications of AI.

 

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If neither the US nor the EU will fund Ukraine, ChatGPT and I discussed how American corporations could find it in their interest to collaborate deeply with Ukraine in the area of AI.

 

User Kenneth J. Dillon
Would it make sense for Ukraine to seek outsourcing from US AI companies? As a replacement for Russian companies and individuals? Could this be done in an organized way, or simply ad hoc?
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