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In the Beginning There Were Weapons

In the Beginning There Were Weapons

Marc Grey In previous articles, we have covered nuclear reactor designs, accidents and the mechanics of nuclear reaction physics. However, the way the nuclear industry got started was in the manufacture of nuclear weapons, not to provide nuclear power! In this article, we look at how the first nuclear weapons

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… resilience (noun) – 1 : the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress 2 : an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In physics, resilience is the ability

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The Construction Materials Shortage: The Story So Far

conexboxes.com Due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, more people want to build a new home, move somewhere larger, or renovate than ever before. As a result, there is a huge demand for homes and building materials. However, there is also a shortage of various construction materials, as you

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The Life and Loves of Freddie Mercury

Peter May mercatornet.com Peter May is a retired family doctor in the UK. A new book by Lesley-Ann Jonesasks, “Who was the love of Freddie Mercury’s life?” Thirty years after his death, this question has increasing relevance. Sexuality has become a cultural nightmare and the life of the

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… fief (noun) – 1 : a feudal estate 2 : something over which one has rights or exercises control Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Never accuse The BFD Word of the Day of being incomplete. Today’s word is a follow up to yesterday’s – just to dot the

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

vassal (noun) – 1 : a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he has vowed homage and fealty : a feudal tenant 2 : one in a subservient or subordinate position Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin vassallus “serf of the manor house,

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… arrive (verb) – 1a : to reach a destination b : to make an appearance : to come upon the scene 2 : to be near in time : 3 informal : to achieve success 4 archaic : happen Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Middle English ariven, arriven “to reach the end of a

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… compel (verb) – 1 : to drive or urge forcefully or irresistibly 2 : to cause to do or occur by overwhelming pressure 3 archaic : to drive together Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The prefix com- acts as a strengthener in this word; thus, to compel is to drive

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… moot (adjective, verb, noun) – adjective 1a : open to question b : subjected to discussion 2 : deprived of practical significance : made abstract or purely academic verb 1a : to bring up for discussion  b : debate 2 archaic : to discuss from a legal standpoint noun 1 : a deliberative assembly

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Computer Models: Garbage In = Garbage Out.

Computer Models: Garbage In = Garbage Out.

Angus Aardvark Computer modelling is very useful: I developed models and used them for many years of commercial prediction work. They are a really powerful tool. But ONLY if you have plenty of feedback and constantly update the model so it can tweak itself to match the real world. Essentially

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… infix (noun) – a derivational or inflectional affix appearing in the body of a word Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : A word for the etymology purists today. Like prefixes and suffixes, infixes are part of the general class of affixes (“sounds or letters attached to or inserted

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black laptop computer on brown wooden table

Online Church = Online Sex

Paul Steinbrueck ourchurch.com The debate over online church has been going on for years now.  In fact, I first blogged about it more than 3 years ago.  But as more and more churches launch Internet campuses, the debate continues to grow.  A few days ago John Piper shared his

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Abortion ‘A Radical Act of Self-Love’ Says UN Special Rapporteur

Abortion ‘A Radical Act of Self-Love’ Says UN Special Rapporteur

righttolife.org.uk A Special Rapporteur for the United Nation’s Human Rights Council has described abortion as “a radical act of self-love”. Last year, the Special Rapporteur, Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng from South Africa, released a statement in relation to President Trump’s ‘gag rule’ that prevented American taxpayers’ money

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… genuflect (verb) – 1a : to bend the knee b : to touch the knee to the floor or ground especially in worship 2 : to be humbly obedient or respectful Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Genuflect is derived from Late Latin genuflectere, formed from the noun “genu” (“knee”) and

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… berate (verb) – to scold or condemn vehemently and at length Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Berate and rate can both mean “to scold angrily or violently.” This sense of rate was first recorded in the 14th century, roughly two centuries before the now more familiar (and

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