It’s hard to dance with the devil on your back So shake him off…
I’m always dragging that horse around Tonight I’m gonna bury that horse in the ground…
It’s always darkest before the dawn
Shake It Out, Florence + The Machine
Apologies to the creators of this track. The context of the song is personal, and you can find it helpful that way. But like all good art, you may make of it what in good faith you will. In our case, we may be dragging some horse around and we may know the devil. Bury that horse. Shake the devil off.
Long before AI and the “thinking machines” that preceded it, others wanted to do our thinking for us.
It has always been important to consider what others, people or machines, are offering to think, and to make considered use when it is good and beneficial or to think otherwise for ourselves when it is not.
When we lose the will and power to think for ourselves, we may be lost. When IBM or Apple or the now thousands of others are telling us what to think, how to think and offering to do the thinking for us, we may be lost.
We are not lost when we learn to think for ourselves. Think for yourself.
Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon where two or more particles become correlated such that measuring one instantly determines the state of the other, regardless of the distance between them.
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy [science]” Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5
Quantum physicists at ANU have observed atoms entangled in motion. “It’s really weird for us to think that this is how the universe works,” says Dr. Sean Hodgman from the ANU Research School of Physics. “You can read about it in a textbook, but it’s really weird to think that a particle can be in two places at once.”
Their experiment using helium atoms represents a major advancement over similar experiments using photons, which are particles of light. Unlike photons, helium atoms are massive particles that can be held, cooled, and manipulated in gravitational fields. The research is published in Nature Communications.
“Experimentally, it’s extremely hard to demonstrate this,” says lead author and Ph.D. researcher, Yogesh Sridhar Arthreya. “Several people have tried in the past to show these effects, and they have always come short.”
The development enables new ways to examine one of the biggest unanswered questions about the universe: How does the small-scale physics of quantum mechanics interact with gravity and general relativity at the universal scale?
“This result confirms the predictions of over a century ago that matter can be in two locations at once, and it can interfere with itself even in those locations,” says Dr. Sean Hodgman.
By observing quantum entanglement in atoms for the first time, are we one small step closer to finding out whether the “theory of everything” is not just hot air?
You may be familiar with the concept of interdependence represented by Indra’s Net:
“In the heaven of the great god Indra is said to be a vast and shimmering net, finer than a spider’s web, stretching to the outermost reaches of space. Strung at each intersection of its diaphanous threads is a reflecting pearl. Since the net is infinite in extent, the pearls are infinite in number. In the glistening surface of each pearl are reflected all the other pearls, even those in the furthest corners of the heavens. In each reflection, again are reflected all the infinitely many other pearls, so that by this process, reflections of reflections continue without end.”
Is everything possible, such that the answer to every claim can be yes or no or possibly? Is a Buddhist claim that everything is empty of existence and is also existent unreasonable? Can we be open to everything without endorsing everything?
The claim “that matter can be in two locations at once, and it can interfere with itself even in those locations” would for most of history have been categorized as metaphysics, not physics, yet here we are.
Fulton County Georgia Sheriff’s Office, August 24, 2023
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH. Praise be to Allah.” President of the United States, Easter, April 5, 2026
We are not surprised by the crude language of a crazy mob boss (see mug shot above). Gangsters are not role models.
What is confounding is the closing “Praise be to Allah.”. This comes after recent posts closed with “All glory to God.”
Aside from pointing out the expletives in the Easter post, no media are focusing on the Allah reference. Is he mocking Iran? Has he become a supporter of interfaith initiatives? Or, as with his glory to God sentiment, maybe he is covering his bases. He seems to be interested in his mortality and the afterlife. Maybe, just to be sure, he is looking for help from any and every deity.
In any case, this is an Easter message for the ages.
Last Supper – Gaza (2008) is the most celebrated piece by Indian artist Vivek Vilasini. The large photographic print (52 × 144 inches) is based on Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, substituting thirteen widows from Gaza for Jesus Christ and his apostles.
Something is wrong with our president. Not absolutely—a lot of people have problems—but relative to the scope of his job and power.
It can be characterized different ways: a matter of morals, competence, knowledge, psychological health and stability. When it comes to people, the regular and the special, deficiencies can remain hidden or can be detected. In some cases, it is obvious.
Some openly remark on his problems, but often that is attributed to antipathy to his policies. A striking number stay silent or even excuse the most extreme examples, almost certainly driven by fear, ambition or personal gain. He may be Daffy Duck, but he is also a golden goose. A gold-loving goose.
History tries to be objective and can be harsh. It will evaluate those who are standing by him, enabling him or encouraging him. History will ask, as it has for all time in extreme circumstances: “Why didn’t you say something, why didn’t you do something?”
Bringing it into the present, not waiting for history, it is fair to ask those who can see with their eyes and hear with their ears: “Why don’t you say something, why don’t you do something?”
The wise men of Chelm published a decree that if the nasty carp had refused to be drowned and was caught again, a special jail should be built for him, a pool where he would be kept prisoner for the rest of his life. The decree was printed in capital letters in the official gazette of Chelm and signed by Gronam Ox and his five sages—Treitel Fool, Sender Donkey, Shmendrick Numskull, Zeinvel Ninny, and Dopey Lekisch. –Isaac Bashevis Singer
It is April Fools’ Day. Hard to remember, because every headline every day seems to be a joke, though it’s not.
Tonight is also the first evening of Passover.
Let us combine these by featuring again the legendary Fools of Chelm, a town of unprecedented idiots who thought themselves the wisest men ever.
Any similarity to any of those in power who think themselves wise but are actually fools is not a coincidence. Maybe you’ve seen the Executive Orders signed by Gronam Ox, Treitel Fool, Sender Donkey, Shmendrick Numskull, Zeinvel Ninny, and Dopey Lekisch.
Happy Passover. Happy April Fools’ Day.
Fools of Chelm & the Stupid Carp
In Chelm, a city of fools, every housewife bought fish for the Sabbath. The rich bought large fish, the poor small ones. They were bought on Thursday, cut up, chopped, and made into gefilte fish on Friday, and eaten on the Sabbath.
One Thursday morning the door opened at the house of the community leader of Chelm, Gronam Ox, and Zeinvel Ninny entered, carrying a trough full of water. Inside was a large, live carp.
“What is this?” Gronam asked.
“A gift to you from the wise men of Chelm,” Zeinvel said. “This is the largest carp ever caught in the Lake of Chelm, and we all decided to give it to you as a token of appreciation for your great wisdom.”
“Thank you very much,” Gronam Ox replied. “My wife, Yente Pesha, will be delighted. She and I both love carp. I read in a book that eating the brain of a carp increases wisdom, and even though we in Chelm are immensely clever, a little improvement never hurts. But let me have a close look at him. I was told that a carp’s tail shows the size of his brain.”
Gronam Ox was known to be nearsighted, and when he bent down to the trough to better observe the carp’s tail, the carp did something that proved he was not as wise as Gronam thought. He lifted his tail and smacked Gronam across the face.
Gronam Ox was flabbergasted. “Something like this never happened to me before,” he exclaimed. “I cannot believe this carp was caught in the Chelm lake. A Chelm carp would know better.”
“He’s the meanest fish I ever saw in my life,” agreed Zeinvel Ninny.
Even though Chelm is a big city, news traveled quickly there. In no time at all the other wise men of Chelm arrived at the house of their leader, Gronam Ox. Treitel Fool came, and Sender Donkey, Shmendrick Numskull, and Dopey Lekisch. Gronam Ox was saying, “I’m not going to eat this fish on the Sabbath. This carp is a fool, and malicious to boot. If I eat him, I could become foolish instead of cleverer.”
“Then what shall I do with him?” asked Zeinvel Ninny.
Gronam Ox put a finger to his head as a sign that he was thinking hard. After a while he cried out, “No man or animal in Chelm should slap Gronam Ox. This fish should be punished.”
“What kind of punishment shall we give him?” asked Treitel Fool. “All fish are killed anyhow, and one cannot kill a fish twice.”
“He shouldn’t be killed like other fish,” Sender Donkey said. “He should die in a different way to show that no one can smack our beloved sage, Gronam Ox, and get away with it.”
“What kind of death?” wondered Shmendrick Numskull. “Shall we perhaps just imprison him?”
“There is no prison in Chelm for fish,” said Zeinvel Ninny. “And to build such a prison would take too long.”
“Maybe he should be hanged,” suggested Dopey Lekisch.
“How do you hang a carp?” Sender Donkey wanted to know. “A creature can be hanged only by its neck, but since a carp has no neck, how will you hang him?”
“My advice is that he should be thrown to the dogs alive,” said Treitel Fool.
“It’s no good,” Gronam Ox answered. “Our Chelm dogs are both smart and modest, but if they eat this carp, they may become as stupid and mean as he is.”
“So what should we do?” all the wise men asked.
“This case needs lengthy consideration,” Gronam Ox decided. “Let’s leave the carp in the trough and ponder the matter as long as is necessary. Being the wisest man in Chelm, I cannot afford to pass a sentence that will not be admired by all the Chelmites.”
“If the carp stays in the trough a long time, he may die,” Zeinvel Ninny, a former fish dealer, explained. “To keep him alive we must put him into a large tub, and the water has to be changed often. He must also be fed properly.”
“You are right, Zeinvel,” Gronam Ox told him. “Go and find the largest tub in Chelm and see to it that the carp is kept alive and healthy until the day of judgment. When I reach a decision, you will hear about it.”
Of course Gronam’s words were the law in Chelm. The five wise men went and found a large tub, filled it with fresh water, and put the criminal carp in it, together with some crumbs of bread, challah, and other tidbits a carp might like to eat. Shlemiel, Gronam’s bodyguard, was stationed at the tub to make sure that no greedy Chelmite wife would use the imprisoned carp for gefilte fish.
It just so happened that Gronam Ox had many other decisions to make and he kept postponing the sentence. The carp seemed not to be impatient. He ate, swam in the tub, became even fatter than he had been, not realizing that a severe sentence hung over his head. Shlemiel changed the water frequently, because he was told that if the carp died, this would be an act of contempt for Gronam Ox and for the Chelm Court of Justice. Yukel the water carrier made a few extra pennies every day by bringing water for the carp. Some of the Chelmites who were in opposition to Gronam Ox spread the gossip that Gronam just couldn’t find the right type of punishment for the carp and that he was waiting for the carp to die a natural death. But, as always, a great disappointment awaited them. One morning about half a year later, the sentence became known, and when it was known, Chelm was stunned. The carp had to be drowned.
Gronam Ox had thought up many clever sentences before, but never one as brilliant as this one. Even his enemies were amazed at this shrewd verdict. Drowning is just the kind of death suited to a spiteful carp with a large tail and a small brain.
That day the entire Chelm community gathered at the lake to see the sentence executed. The carp, which had become almost twice as big as he had been before, was brought to the lake in the wagon that carried the worst criminals to their death. The drummers drummed. Trumpets blared. The Chelmite executioner raised the heavy carp and threw it into the lake with a mighty splash.
A great cry rose from the Chelmites: “Down with the treacherous carp! Long live Gronam Ox! Hurrah!”
Gronam was lifted by his admirers and carried home with songs of praise. Some Chelmite girls showered him with flowers. Even Yente Pesha, his wife, who was often critical of Gronam and dared to call him fool, seemed impressed by Gronam’s high intelligence.
In Chelm, as everywhere else, there were envious people who found fault with everyone, and they began to say that there was no proof whatsoever that the carp really drowned. Why should a carp drown in lake water? they asked. While hundreds of innocent fish were killed every Friday, they said, that stupid carp lived in comfort for months on the taxpayers’ money and then was returned sound and healthy to the lake, where he is laughing at Chelm justice.
But only a few listened to these malicious words. They pointed out that months passed and the carp was never caught again, a sure sign that he was dead. It is true that the carp just might have decided to be careful and to avoid the fisherman’s net. But how can a foolish carp who slaps Gronam Ox have such wisdom?
Just the same, to be on the safe side, the wise men of Chelm published a decree that if the nasty carp had refused to be drowned and was caught again, a special jail should be built for him, a pool where he would be kept prisoner for the rest of his life.
The decree was printed in capital letters in the official gazette of Chelm and signed by Gronam Ox and his five sages—Treitel Fool, Sender Donkey, Shmendrick Numskull, Zeinvel Ninny, and Dopey Lekisch.
Above is the Penn Quaker mascot. That isn’t Trump in that costume, though we don’t know what other cosplay he dabbles in. You can tell it isn’t him because however silly this costume is, that Quaker is in good shape.
Trump brags about his successful student career at the Wharton School, claiming to have finished first in his class, though the University of Pennsylvania will neither confirm nor deny anything about his time there. What we know is that he arrived at Penn for his junior year, after two undistinguished years at Fordham, and is remembered for not being engaged in class and leaving for New York every weekend.
He is, however, a Quaker, as in the nickname for Penn students. William Penn was famously a Quaker, while Benjamin Franklin, credited as founder of the university, was famously not. The curious thing is that Trump loves Ben Franklin, recently putting up a statue of him in the former Rose Garden, probably because it is supposed to remind us that he is a stellar Penn grad (“the best student ever at Wharton”) and because Franklin is pictured on the $100 bill. However, Trump never mentions that he is a Quaker, perhaps because he doesn’t actually know that is the Penn nickname or because he really, really doesn’t like oatmeal. Or peace.
Bob Schwartz 