Math is a language written primarily using equations – little sentences of letters and numbers that entirely govern our understanding of the universe. They can have a scary reputation, but really an equation is just a statement: it’s a math-y way of saying “These two things are equal to each other.” And each has a story behind it – a realization, a reaction, and consequences that literally change the world.Here are the stories of three equations that you may not have heard before.Pythagoras's Theorem: a2 + b2 = c2Describing the relationship between the lengths of sides in a right-angled triangle, the Pythagorean theorem was probably the first “proper” theorem most of us ever learned. And that’s fitting, actually – because it’s also one of the earliest formal theorems known to have been discovered at all, turning up as Proposition 47 of Book I of Euclid’s Elements – aka the oldest surviving and continuously used math textbook in the world.And when we say it’s an old theorem, we mean old. It had already been kicking about for around 1,500 years when Euclid put out his famous tome – which, yes, means it predates the guy it was named after by a good millennium.“Many thousands of clay tablets have been retrieved from the lost cities of ancient Babylon, in present-day Iraq,” explained Daniel Mansfield, a senior lecturer in mathematics at UNSW Sydney, in a 2021 article for The Conversation.“One example is the approximately 3,700-year-old cadastral survey Si.427, which […] is in fact one of the oldest examples of applied geometry from the ancient world,” he wrote. Why? Because it contains sets of Pythagorean triples: groups of three numbers that satisfy the Pythagorean theorem and therefore can form the sides of a right-angled triangle.Then there’s Plimpton 322: another ancient Babylonian tablet containing a list of Pythagorean triples, used for land surveying. But as impressive as this all is, it took the Greeks to turn “wow, neat and useful observation!” into a “formal theorem, with an actual proof.”That said, its ancient formulation might not look too familiar to most of us. “For the purposes of higher mathematics, the Greeks worked with lines and areas instead of numbers,” explained Ian Stewart, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick, UK, in his 2012 book Seventeen Equations that Changed the World. “So Pythagoras and his Greek successors would decode the theorem as an equality of areas: 'The area of a square constructed using the longest side of a right-angled triangle is the sum of the areas of the squares formed from the other two sides.'”Pythagoras's proof of the Pythagorean theorem.Image credit: William B. Faulk via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)When did this wordy geometry problem become the elegant equation we know and love? Well, this is where the Pythagorean theorem really shines: not only does it symbolize a break with trial-and-error numeracy and the beginning of deductive math, but it also represents a bridge between two major areas of the subject: geometry and algebra.“Pythagoras's theorem was […] vital to the invention of coordinate geometry,” Stewart explained, since it allows mathematicians to represent a circle in the form of an algebraic equation. It directly led to the development of trigonometry, and as math branched out past Euclidean space, it also inspired another big equation on the list: the theory of relativity.“Pythagoras's equation first came into being around 3500 years ago to measure a farmer's land,” Stewart wrote. “Its extension to triangles without right angles, and triangles on a sphere, allowed us to map our continents and measure our planet. And a remarkable generalization lets us measure the shape of the universe.” “Big ideas have small beginnings.”Euler's Identity: ei π + 1 = 0Often known as the “most beautiful equation in math”, Euler’s identity brings together five of the most important constants in math: the additive constant zero, the multiplicative constant one, the imaginary unit i, and the two best-known transcendental numbers pi (π) and e. It includes addition, multiplication, and exponentiation. And it can send mathematicians into raptures. “[It’s] like a Shakespearean sonnet that captures the very essence of love, or a painting that brings out the beauty of the human form that is far more than just skin deep,” Stanford University mathematics professor Keith Devlin wrote in Wabash Magazine in 2002. “Euler's equation reaches down into the very depths of existence.”Dramatic? Perhaps. But brain scans have shown that mathematicians really do react to Euler’s identity the same way most of us respond to great works of art or music. “It is simple to look at and yet incredibly profound,” mathematician David Percy told the BBC in 2014. “At first you don't realize the implications […] then suddenly it becomes amazing as you realize its full potential.”“Given that e, pi and i are incredibly complicated and seemingly unrelated numbers, it is amazing that they are linked by this concise formula,” he said.So how exactly are they linked? And who figured it out? Well, as abstract as it may seem, in fact the equation is just a very specific example of a more general rule, known as Euler’s equation (mathematicians aren’t always the most inventive at naming things). And that has a fairly boring application, all things considered: it “describes two equivalent ways to move in a circle,” explained Kalid Azad in an article for his Better Explained blog.      “We can understand it by building on a few analogies,” he wrote. “Starting at the number 1, see multiplication as a transformation that changes the number: 1eiπ.” Now, the base e means we’re dealing with exponential growth, but how do we deal with that rogue i? Well, Azad explained, while “regular exponential growth continuously increases 1 by some rate for some time period[,] imaginary exponential growth continuously rotates 1 for some time period.” In this case, π is the time period – and that’s just enough time to rotate halfway around a circle centered at the origin. In other words, you end up at -1. If all this looks a little familiar, by the way, that’s not a coincidence – this is very similar to what we were talking about with the Pythagorean theorem. But there’s a big conceptual difference: “Sine and cosine describe motion in terms of a grid, plotting out horizontal and vertical coordinates,” Azad notes, while “Euler's formula uses polar coordinates – what’s your angle and distance?”Of course, even if none of that makes sense to you, it’s fine to just sit back and appreciate the beauty of a good equation.“It is a real classic,” Percy said. “You can do no better than that.”Einstein's Special Theorem: E = mc2Speaking of classics – few equations roll off the tongue quite as nicely as E = mc2. It’s nothing short of iconic: neat, compact, and incredibly profound. But it probably doesn’t mean exactly what you think it does – and in fact, like Euler’s identity, it wasn’t originally formulated the way we know it today at all.“When Einstein first derived the physical idea that it represents, he didn't write it in the familiar way,” Stewart wrote. “It is perhaps typical of human culture that our most iconic equation is not, and was not, what it seems to be, and neither is the theory that gave birth to it.” Most of us have some idea of why this equation is important: it describes the equivalence between energy and mass. What you might not realize is that it’s incomplete – and while we often refer to it as “the” theory of relativity, it’s actually one of two equations that share that title.      “‘Relativity’ covers two distinct but related theories: special relativity and general relativity,” explained Stewart. “Special relativity is about space, time, and matter in the absence of gravity; general relativity takes gravity into account as well.”E = mc2 describes special relativity – and it’s the one Einstein figured out first. “[It] is known as special relativity because it applies only to frames of reference that are moving uniformly with respect to each other,” Stewart wrote. “Among its consequences are the Lorenz-FitzGerald contraction, now interpreted as a necessary feature of space-time.”It’s because of special relativity that we know what happens at velocities close to the speed of light: that time runs slower, masses increase, and lengths contract. It set lightspeed as a universal upper limit – a theoretical point at which time stops running, mass becomes infinite, and size becomes zero – and, on the more scary and apocalyptic side, it allowed us to figure out the atom bomb.So it’s probably not totally surprising that the theorem proved controversial when it started gaining publicity – and not only from cranks such as Philipp Lenard and Johannes Stark, whose main gripe with the discovery was that Einstein was Jewish. It “profoundly shocked scientists and the general public,” wrote historian of science and author Jimena Canales in a 2016 article for Nautilus, with its proponents arguing that some of the most basic, common sense concepts – things like “what does ‘simultaneous’ mean?” or “time and space are different things” – needed to be overhauled.And yet despite all this, Einstein was still unhappy with his equation. “It provided a unified theory of space, time, matter, and electromagnetism,” Stewart explained, “but it missed out one vital ingredient. Gravity.”It would take him another decade to figure out the missing piece of the puzzle, and the final result – a set of ten tensor equations linking such mind-melting quantities as the shape of spacetime, curvature, and the relationship between energy and momentum – is definitely not as snappy as our old friend E = mc2. But its consequences are massive (no pun intended): it rewrote the rules of gravity; explained phenomena that had previously seemed inexplicable; it even predicts the existence of black holes.And perhaps the most incredible aspect of all? “It all comes from… Pythagoras’s Theorem,” Stewart wrote. “One of the oldest equations in science leads to one of the newest.”

Juneau Icefield is one of North America’s largest, home to swathes of glaciers – but, according to new research, those glaciers are melting at a dramatically increased rate and the loss seen could reach an “irreversible” tipping point far earlier than previously thought.An international team of researchers analyzed records of the 3,885-square kilometer (1,500-square mile) icefield, all the way back from 1770 – a time when the planet underwent the “Little Ice Age” – through to 2020, looking at how the volume of the icefield had changed over that time.“Putting together this archive of photographs, collected 70 and 50 years ago, was a little like doing the world's hardest jigsaw puzzle but the quality of the imagery meant we were able to reconstruct the icefield elevation in the pre-satellite era for the first time,” said study author Dr Robert McNabb in a statement.Combining these photos with historical inventory records, mapping, and satellite imagery, the team found that over the course of those 250 years, just under a quarter of the icefield’s original ice volume was lost.However, the rate at which that ice was lost hasn’t always stayed the same. While glacier volume loss was relatively stable between 1770 to 1979, it began ramping up in the late 20th century and sharply accelerated between 2010 and 2020, with the rate of ice loss doubling in those 10 years.The result of all that loss is the disappearance of 108 glaciers since 1770 and for those that were still there when they were last mapped in 2019 – a total 1,050 – every single one had receded over 250 years.“It’s incredibly worrying that our research found a rapid acceleration since the early 21st century in the rate of glacier loss across the Juneau icefield,” said study lead Dr Bethan Davies, who attributed the increase to climate change.“Alaskan icefields – which are predominantly flat, plateau icefields – are particularly vulnerable to accelerated melt as the climate warms since ice loss happens across the whole surface, meaning a much greater area is affected. Additionally, flatter ice caps and icefields cannot retreat to higher elevations and find a new equilibrium.”With this in mind, what does the future hold for the Juneau Icefield? Prior to this study, estimates had suggested that the rate of ice volume loss wouldn’t increase anymore until after 2070 – but those estimates might now be in need of change. Not just for the Juneau Icefield, the team argues, but for others too, as Davies explained.“This work has shown that different processes can accelerate melt, which means that current glacier projections may be too small and underestimate glacier melt in the future.”And the predictions for the Juneau Icefield are concerning in light of the study’s findings. “As glacier thinning on the Juneau plateau continues and ice retreats to lower levels and warmer air, the feedback processes this sets in motion is likely to prevent future glacier regrowth,” said Davies, “potentially pushing glaciers beyond a tipping point into irreversible recession.”The study is published in Nature Communications.

Ronaldo the boa was believed to be a male who had happily spent the past nine years alone at a school in the UK. So, you can imagine the surprise when students came to class one day and found the 13-year-old snake had given birth to 14 babies.“One of the students discovered them during a routine vivarium check. At first, we thought she must have been mistaken. We couldn’t believe our eyes!” Amanda McLeod, an animal care technician at the City of Portsmouth College, said in a statement.Ronaldo, a 13-year-old Brazilian rainbow boa, was previously declared to be male by a veterinarian – but clearly, this isn’t the case. “Ronaldo had been looking slightly fatter than usual, like he’d eaten a big meal, but we never thought for a moment that he, or should we say she, was pregnant," added Pete Quinlan, a reptile specialist at the college.Despite not being in contact with another snake for almost a decade, the boa managed to reproduce through a rare process called parthenogenesis, stemming from the term “virgin birth” in Greek.               IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.It is a form of asexual reproduction whereby an embryo develops without the need for an egg's fertilization. Different species pull off this feat using a variety of mechanisms, but one of the more common ones in vertebrates involves the egg merging with cells called polar bodies, which contain genetic material left over from egg cell formation.“I’ve been breeding snakes for 50 years and I’ve never known this happen before. Effectively the babies are clones of their mother although their markings are all slightly different,” added Pete Quinlan, a reptile specialist at the college.Although rare, parthenogenesis has been documented in various species of insects, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and fish. City of Portsmouth College says this is only the third time it has been reported in a captive Brazilian rainbow boa.The rare reproduction method occurs in response to a lack of viable males. Scientists are not certain how the animal triggers the process, although environmental change may sometimes be a factor. For instance, in aphids, overcrowding and predation may cause females to opt for parthenogenesis, while high salinity sparks the process in some species of freshwater plankton.Snakes have a whole host of reproductive tactics to utilize in times of need. Another strategy used by female snakes is long-term sperm storage, which allows them to produce offspring after prolonged separation from males. In one instance, scientists documented a wild-collected female Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake that gave birth to two healthy litters around six years after it had contact with a male, marking the longest vertebrate sperm storage ever recorded.

The quest for human longevity seems to be working – people are now living longer than ever before. So what’s the secret? Living in the right place? Mythical elixirs? Nicking blood from your son? According to a new study, the answer may be rather more simple.In that paper, a team from Harvard University and the University of British Columbia posed the following question: “Do people who more frequently notice and feel grateful for positive experiences tend to live longer?”To find the answer, they looked at data from 49,275 people in the Nurses’ Health Study. Established in 1976, the study collects data from female nurses in the US who were aged between 30 to 55 at the time of enrollment, and every two years, fill out questionnaires on their health, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors, like support systems and quality of life.One of the questionnaires in 2016, when the average participant age was 79, was designed to measure gratitude. Participants had to rate how much they agreed, on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) with six statements, including the more positive “I have so much in life to be thankful for” to the rather more somber “When I look at the world, I don’t see much to be grateful for”.The team then followed up in 2019 to see how many deaths there had been – there were 4,608 – and combined this with the previous data from the gratitude questionnaire. In doing so, they found that experiencing more gratitude was associated with living longer, appearing to protect against every specific cause of death the team analyzed.  Although the study made “conservative” adjustments for other factors that can affect gratitude or mortality, like social life or health history, the findings don’t mean the two things are definitively linked – although previous research has built up to this kind of conclusion.“Prior research has shown an association between gratitude and lower risk of mental distress and greater emotional and social wellbeing. However, its association with physical health is less understood,” said lead author Ying Chen in a statement. “Our study provides the first empirical evidence on this topic, suggesting that experiencing grateful affect may increase longevity among older adults.”The key parts there are “may” and “older adults” – the former because the study doesn’t provide evidence of a definitive link, and the latter because, as the authors readily admit in the paper, one of the major limiting factors of the study is the nature of the cohort. All were in the same profession at one point, were mostly white, and were a fair bit older. “It would be worthwhile to replicate this study in other sociodemographic, religious, and cultural groups,” the authors write.If there does turn out to be a definite, widespread link, working on our gratitude could represent a much cheaper, simpler way of making our lives both higher quality and longer.“Prior research indicates that there are ways of intentionally fostering gratitude, such as writing down or discussing what you are grateful for a few times a week,” said Chen. “Promoting healthy aging is a public health priority, and we hope further studies will improve our understanding of gratitude as psychological resource for enhancing longevity.”The study is published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

This Independence Day weekend most Americans will be celebrating the freedoms and values that made this country so great. However, there are some in the Hollywood Left who would probably prefer to be partying, anywhere other than the USA.  For a class of people who owe their wealth and fame to the American way of life, it’s sad to see so many celebrities turning their back on their own country.  Over the years, the Media Research Center has caught celebrities attacking American symbols, traditions and blaming it for the world’s problems. The following is a countdown of the Hollywood Elite’s 13 Worst Anti-American Outbursts (as culled from the MRC’s archives):   13. Harvey Weinstein: America Is “Embarrassing”     “This is the only country in the world where we don’t have health care. Countries embarrass us around the world. And this is the only country in the world where we don’t have a gun law. I watched you, you know, talk about that. You know, quite frankly, it’s embarrassing. Obama is not embarrassing. The country is embarrassing.”— Movie producer Harvey Weinstein on CNN’s Piers Morgan Live, November 15, 2013.   12. If Americans Were Actually “Good,” They’d Drive Smaller Cars and Not Kill Iraqis for Oil Larry King: “We [Americans] try to do good, don’t we? I mean, we’re basically good.”Bill Maher: “No. Not for the rest of the world....Iraqis, I think, feel that if we drove smaller cars, maybe we wouldn’t have to kill them for their oil.”— Exchange on CNN’s Larry King Live, November 1, 2002.   11. Madonna Ponders Blowing Up the White House     “Yes, I am angry. Yes, I am outraged. Yes, I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House. But I know that this won’t change anything.”— Singer Madonna at the Women’s March as aired on C-SPAN, January 21, 2017.     10. America Already “Worst Abusers,” But “Twisted” Trump Has Made Us Worse  “We are already among the worst abusers of Human Rights on this earth. And we are inches away from being investigated by The Hague for our newly formed Fascist ways. All ths in the 510 days of his twisted regime.”— June 18, 2018 tweet by actor Ron Perlman.   9. American Flag Represents Racism and “Genocide” “It’s the same flag that flew over slavery and the genocide of the Native American population, the napalming of the Vietnamese children, the destruction of Afghanistan’s civilian hospitals and it’s on the uniform of every police officer who’s killed an innocent African-American person. It’s also a flag that’s in the courtroom of every judge who’s let those cops go free.”— Musician Tom Morello on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, September 29, 2017.   8. Time to Replace Old Glory  “The Confederate battle flag, which was crafted as a symbol of opposition to the abolishment of slavery, is just recently tired. We don’t see it much anymore. However, on [January] 6th, when the stormers rained on the nation’s most precious hut, waving Old Glory — the memo was received: the American flag is its replacement….Like the Confederate, it is tattered, dated, divisive, and incorrect. It no longer represents democracy and freedom. It no longer represents ALL of us. It’s not fair to be forced to honor it.”— Singer Macy Gray in a June 17, 2021 column for MarketWatch.   7. National Anthem Is “Tough to Take”       Co-host Sara Haines: “To Representative Crenshaw, who says, you know, this is the basic thing of an Olympian, to represent the country, Gwen Berry is representing the country. She’s questioning an American anthem that maybe doesn’t represent all people in the country.”Co-host Whoopi Goldberg: “In the upcoming days, we’ll play you the American anthem and let you see what you think of it. Because there’s some stuff in there that makes it a little bit tough to take.”— Discussion about Olympian Gwen Barry protesting the National Anthem, ABC’s The View, June 29, 2021.   6. National Anthem is a Scam “To Get Boys and Girls to Go Kill People”     “We’re North Korea and we need to stand at a pledge of allegiance as war machines fly overhead for military recruiting videos….This anthem thing is a scam. This is not actually part of football. This was invented in 2009 from the government paying the NFL to market military recruitment, to get more people to go off and fight wars to die. This has nothing to do with NFL or the American pastime or tradition. This is to get boys and girls to go fly overseas and go kill people.”— Actor Jesse Williams on MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts, September 24, 2017.   5. The United States of AmeriKKKa  “The so-called American cradle of democracy, that’s bullshit. The United States of America was built on the genocide of native people and slavery. That is the fabric of the United States of America. As my Brooklyn brother Jay-Z would say, facts.”— Film director Spike Lee discussing his new film BlacKkKlansman at the Cannes Film Festival, May 14, 2018 as reported by Vulture.   4. Singer’s Anti-American Remix of the National Anthem “Oh say can you see by the blood in the streets / That this place doesn’t smile on you colored child / Whose blood built this land with sweat and their hands / But we’ll die in this place and your memory erased / Oh say, does this truth hold any weight / This is not the land of the free, but the home of the slaves!”— Singer Jill Scott re-writing the lyrics to the National Anthem when she performed it at the Essence Festival, June 30, 2023.   Everyone please rise for the only National Anthem we will be recognizing from this day forward. Jill Scott, we thank you! #ESSENCEFest pic.twitter.com/WrYrP1nhTc — ESSENCE (@Essence) July 5, 2023   3. No More Pretending to “Support the Troops” “Stop saying, ‘I support the troops.’ I don’t. I used to....But at some point all individuals must answer for their actions, and now that we know our military leaders do things that have nothing to do with defending our lives, why would anyone sign up for this rogue organization?”— Leftwing filmmaker Michael Moore announcing his New Year’s resolutions in a December 31, 2012 article published by the Huffington Post.   2. Americans Are the Real “Terrorists” “I just want to say something: 655,000 Iraqi civilians are dead. Who are the terrorists?...If you were in Iraq, and the other country, the United States, the richest in the world, invaded your country and killed 655,000 of your citizens, what would you call us?”— Co-host Rosie O’Donnell on ABC’s The View, May 17, 2007.   1. “We Have Been the Cowards”  “We have been the cowards. Lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away, that’s cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, not cowardly.”— Bill Maher on ABC’s Politically Incorrect, September 17, 2001.

Surveying the vast realm of survival equipment, stockpiles, skills and knowledge, preparedness can feel daunting or even overwhelming … especially for those just getting started. The post Small Survival Goals appeared first on Survivopedia.

The Democratic Party is in panic mode over the near-universal acknowledgment of President Joe Biden's decrepitude. Internal Democratic polling recently indicated that Biden is set for a humiliating defeat in November following his June debate performance. House and Senate candidates fear he may drag them down as well. Biden was afforded an opportunity in an interview that aired Thursday on the black Philadelphia radio station 96.1FM to reassure his allies of his competence. It did not go well. In his rambling interview with host Andrew Lawful-Sanders, Biden doubled down twice on the false suggestion that former President Donald Trump threatened a violent "bloodbath" should he lose the election and suggested further that his opponent "questioned the humanity of George Floyd." Biden emphasized the frequency with which he has appointed black judges and argued that his "bad debate" should not erase what he believes he has accomplished so far in his presidency. What caught critics' attention, however, was not Biden's revisionism, his record of race-based hiring, or his desire to look past the debate, but rather his passing identification as a black woman. "By the way, I'm proud to be, as I said, the first vice president, first black woman to serve with a black president. Proud to be involved of the first black woman on the Supreme Court," said Biden. "There's so much that we can do because, together, there's nothing — look. This is the United States of America." Biden, who has previously adopted the life of another politician, appears to have conflated himself with his multiracial running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris. The New York Times indicated that Biden campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa was quick to lash out at the media for taking note of Biden's latest gaffe. 'It's just my brain.' "It was clear what President Biden meant when he was talking about his historic record, including a record number of appointments to the federal bench," said Moussa in reference to Biden's claim of being a black woman. "This is not news, and the media has passed the point of absurdity here." In the same radio interview, Biden also struggled to make the point that American youth need people of their same race or creed in positions of power to look up to, just as he, as a much younger man, found a role model in John F. Kennedy. "I'm the first president that got elected statewide in the state of Delaware when I was a kid," said Biden. The president's subsequent comments indicated he may have been referring to Kennedy's election as the country's first Catholic president, although he provided no such correction or clarification. Biden's disastrous interview aired the day after he met with around two dozen Democratic governors at the White House. According to the Times, when Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii, a doctor, asked the president about his well-being, Biden responded that his health was fine, "It's just my brain." In addition to to reportedly joking about his mental faculties, Biden made clear he is staying in the race but needed to work less and to get more sleep. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

American swimmer Regan Smith showed a tremendous amount of national pride after setting the world record for the 100-meter backstroke.The Olympic silver medalist set two personal bests at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials in Indianapolis en route to qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. She dominated the 100- and 200-meter backstroke, along with the 200-meter fly event.The 22-year-old, who said she wears her heart on her sleeve, may be one of the most prideful athletes heading into the summer games."I am such a patriotic girl. I love America so much. I am such an American girl to my core, seriously," she said in a recent interview.Looking ahead to wearing the team USA swimming cap and uniform, the swimmer described herself as "unbelievably" proud and said representing the country is special every time."It never gets old, truly. Each summer when I've gotten to put the American flag cap on my head and represent it, I am so unbelievably proud. And every time I'm able to stand on top of a podium and put my hand on my heart and hear the national anthem play over the entire aquatic center, it's very special. It never gets old."'I wasn't just swimming for me; I was swimming for the entire country behind me.'Smith has already had an incredible amount of success while representing the United States at such a young age.She won gold at the 2019 World Championships in the 200-meter backstroke and the 4x100-meter medley at just 17 years old.At the 2020 Olympics, Smith took home two silver medals and one bronze.She won another two gold medals at the 2022 World Championships and one gold, three silver, and one bronze at the 2023 World Championships. "I would say it kind of gains importance and value each time that it happens for me," she told Fox News. "This summer is going to be no different. I'm just going to be so unbelievably excited to put that cap on and go overseas and represent the best country in the history of the world, I'd say. And it's just — it's wonderful. It's really, really wonderful. And I'm so proud to be American every time that I compete for my country," Smith continued.The world champion recalled the first time she represented the country when she was 15 and said that the opportunity almost brought her to tears. "I had such a strong sense of pride, and I was getting up behind the blocks, and I wasn't just swimming for me; I was swimming for the entire country behind me, who had my back and who wanted me to succeed."The Lakeville, Minnesota, native said that she loves swimming for something "so much bigger than yourself," adding that the desire to make her country proud actually takes some of the pressure off of performing.Swimming competitions at the 2024 Paris Olympics begin on July 27.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Frederick Douglass is one of the few historical figures who is equally beloved by both the political left and right. He was an abolitionist and a statesman, a serious man who dealt with serious issues. He preached a message of liberation and self-determination. Unfortunately, the only time he is quoted by many people is on Independence Day, when they read his famous speech entitled, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” Black people in America are the most free and prosperous people of African descent in the entire world. This is why people from around the globe come here. The speech drew a sharp contrast between what American independence meant for the descendants of colonial settlers and what it meant for the millions still enslaved in a republic founded on freedom. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. It is a historical fact that African slaves were not free on July 4, 1776. It is easy to see why Frederick Douglass gave the speech he did in 1852, 76 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed and roughly two years after the Fugitive Slave Act became law. While some of the people who cite his speech do so for historical purposes, my sense is that many people read it every July 4 to suggest that America hasn’t really come that far on the issue of race over the last 170 years. Perhaps people in the second group should ask themselves a different question today, namely, “What to the free man is the Fourth of July?” The answer to this question is what will determine the future of black America for generations to come. It is hard to thrive in any environment where bitterness, envy, and hatred are the default emotions. America obviously has a complicated history when it comes to race. Our collective past has been used by race scribes, including Ibram X. Kendi and Nikole Hannah-Jones, to argue that the country is irredeemably corrupt and that we need a new founding date, a new anthem, and a new flag. This may feel cathartic to self-styled revolutionaries, but only a fool would destroy the ground he is standing on. It shouldn’t have to be said, but black people today are not slaves, despite the rantings of millionaire athletes and craven politicians. We are not in shackles, we are not bound to plantations, we do not need to fear the whip and the lash, and our families cannot be broken apart at the whim of our masters. I understand the importance of knowing history, but the ultimate sign of ignorance is promoting Colin Kaepernick’s silly view that the NFL combine is the modern-day slave auction. Black people in America are the most free and prosperous people of African descent in the entire world. This is why people from around the globe, including Africa and the Caribbean, come here. It’s why my parents left family and friends to move here in the 1980s. Sadly, one of the things I’ve noticed from my peers who grew up entirely in the United States is how quickly some take on the anti-American rhetoric and oppression narrative that is pushed on the black community by corporate media. Not only can this lead to a sense of resentment from people who should epitomize gratitude, but it is also absurd because all the countries our parents emigrated from have their own complicated history with race and slavery. The Caribbean was basically a chain of European slave colonies well into the 1800s. But that doesn’t stop Jamaicans, Trinidadians, Haitians, or Bajans from wearing and waving their flags at New York’s Labor Day parade, Toronto’s Caribana festival, or any other celebration of Caribbean heritage. Only black Americans are told to reject their homeland because of its complicated history. A reggae artist holding a Jamaican flag is expected, but Beyoncé waving an American flag on her album cover is seen as problematic by a certain subset of black leftists. This is self-destruction packaged as liberation. I care about the future of America. I’m invested in it. My wife was born here. My children were born here. It is the only home I have ever known. This is why I reject any attempt to use slavery rhetoric to make me hate the country or see myself as a perpetual victim. It’s time to end feigned helplessness and selective empowerment. Black people, like all humans, must be active agents of our own uplift. Anyone hanging his hopes of racial equality on bigger government and better white people needs to have his head examined. The year is 2024, not 1824. Previous generations didn’t fight for freedom so that millionaire athletes could act like they are oppressed because they play for teams owned by billionaires. We are not slaves. We are free. It’s time to act like it.

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