Art and the Homeless

... expand on news headline "quantum computing would pose a risk not only to bitcoin, but also to the finance and defense industries that are dependent on traditional cryptography" Quantum Threat to Cryptography Quantum computing poses a significant and immediate threat to the cryptographic foundations underpinning Bitcoin, traditional finance, and national defense systems. While Bitcoin's decentralized architecture and immutability make it resilient to many attacks, its reliance on Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)—which secures digital signatures—makes it vulnerable to future quantum attacks. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could use Shor’s algorithm to derive private keys from public ones, compromising wallet security, especially for dormant or legacy Bitcoin addresses. The risk extends far beyond cryptocurrency. Traditional financial institutions are particularly exposed due to their heavy reliance on long-lived RSA and ECC keys for authentication, interbank ...

... is there a website portal through which anyone can search the Epstein files? Search Epstein Files Portal Yes, the official website portal to search the Epstein files is the Epstein Library hosted by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) at www.justice.gov/epstein . This is the only verified and legally authorized source for the released documents. The portal provides a search bar to look up names, organizations, or phrases across the 3.5 million pages, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images released on January 30, 2026, under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Key features: - Secure and official: Uses the .gov domain and HTTPS with a padlock icon for verified authenticity. - Age verification: Requires users to confirm they are 18 or older due to the graphic nature of the content. - Organized by data sets: Files are grouped into four pillars—DOJ Disclosures, Court Records (Giuffre v. Maxwell), FOIA Records, and House Committee Disclosures—each accessible via dedicated pages. - Se...

... synopsis of Puccini's opera Tosca Tosca Opera Synopsis Mario Cavaradossi, a painter and republican sympathizer, helps Cesare Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner and former consul of the Roman Republic, hide in the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle. His lover, the famous opera singer Floria Tosca, arrives, jealous upon seeing Cavaradossi’s painting of Mary Magdalene—inspired by Angelotti’s sister, the Marchesa d’Attavanti. She storms off after suspecting infidelity. Baron Scarpia, the sadistic chief of police, arrives searching for Angelotti. He uses a fan with the Attavanti crest to manipulate Tosca into believing Cavaradossi has betrayed her. Cavaradossi is arrested and tortured in front of her; under duress, Tosca reveals Angelotti’s hiding place. Scarpia then demands Tosca surrender herself to him in exchange for Cavaradossi’s life. She agrees, and Scarpia arranges a mock execution. In Act III, Cavaradossi awaits execution on the parapet of Castel Sant’Angelo. Tosca arr...

... info on Berger & Luckman "the social construct of reality" 1971 The book The Social Construction of Reality was originally published in 1966, not 1971, by sociologists Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann.  It is a foundational text in the sociology of knowledge, arguing that reality is not an objective given but is actively created and maintained through human interaction.  Berger and Luckmann propose that reality emerges through a three-step process: 1. Externalization – Individuals express their subjective experiences into the social world through action and communication.  2. Objectivation – These expressions become institutionalized and take on an independent existence, appearing as objective facts or social structures and, Internalization – Individuals absorb these social structures through socialization, accepting them as natural and real.   3. This cycle creates a stable social world that feels as real as the natural world, even though it is human-made...

... fact check medical claims in today's news story about Teddi Mellencamp's cancer -she maintains it is melanoma but her father John Mellencamp says it is “in her brain” Teddi Mellencamp was diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, in 2022. The cancer metastasized (spread) to her lungs and brain, leading to a stage 4 diagnosis in April 2025. This is consistent with medical facts: melanoma can spread to distant organs, including the brain and lungs, and when it does, it is classified as stage 4.  Her father, John Mellencamp, stated on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on January 14, 2026, that she has cancer in her brain and is “suffering right now.” Teddi Mellencamp clarified on her January 28, 2026, Two T’s in a Pod podcast that her father’s comment referred to her mental and emotional state, not a new physical deterioration.  She confirmed that there is still no trace of cancer, but she remains stage 4 and is still undergoing immunotherapy.  Medical e...

As a child, my mother chided me for speaking bluntly. She said I was tactless, a concept with which I was unfamiliar, and required explanation. This biographical detail has bearing on my critical thinking about semantics —as will become apparent. As a particular detail of my life-long inclination, the planet Mercury was transiting the fixed star Algol, the day I was born. Studying the symbolism of astrology, as an adult, I asked a seasoned interpreter what the significance of the dire transit might be to me. My take-away from the reading was that if I “ruled my stars,” the conjunction might signify (to me) a singular order of self-expression. Accordingly, my self-expression came to be ruled more by what I elect not to say, than what I say. The result which I aim for is to define a figure against a void background. As a student of art, and art history, I asked a lot of questions that teaching faculty was at a loss to answer. It wasn't meant to put the teacher “on the spot.” I was cl...