Komic Korner Kartoons

 

What's New?

SOMEONE, who gets a kick out of hacking accounts or perhaps SOMEONE who is pissed off at me for some reason, has hacked my account on my Samsung Tablet and not only setup a new access password but also has set up a password so that the tablet cannot be shut down and therefor has prevented me from setting up factory defaults that would by definition eliminate all passwords.

How clever is that???

And, while my initial reaction was to get pissed...  I have easily decided that I will just shit can this old tablet especially since it is about 5 years old anyway, and use my NEWLY APPROVED BY THE HOUSE COVID Stimulus Package of $1,400 per person to buy another one....  which is good actually because it is my taxes that have already been paid in to the IRS which will be used...

IRONICALLY, I am retired and DON'T NEED any kind of stimulus money but our Democratic Congress says that I do need this money...  so...  I will not argue with them.

BUT... I am really concerned that ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHILDREN are receiving face-to-face education when our own AMERICAN CHILDREN are being forced to stay at home and learn remotely in many States...

ALSO...   I am concerned that the Biden administration is TOO FOCUSED on Russia when it should be FOCUSED ON CHINA...  In my research, CHINA has a larger military as well as a larger Navy than the USA...  and, in the next few years will have a larger economy than the USA.  The fact that CHINA allowed the COVID virus to leave their borders does not bother me near as much as their economy and their military.

FINALLY...  I am extremely pleased that females are still allowed to have abortions, especially since most of the abortions performed are being performed on the financially lower class whose offspring if delivered would have entertained a life of crime 12-15 years down the road.

That is not to say that wealthy children do not get involved with crime BECAUSE THEY DO...  it is just that wealthy parents are able to use their financial influence to minimize the penalty or eliminate the penalty completely...  and, poor people cannot do this...  so they end up going to jail...

Increasing the minimum wage will not help that much either because as the wage increases so do prices and those people receiving a higher wage are really no better off than before....

I've Got My Eye On You

 

Freakonomics

Freakonomics applies the tools of economics to explain real-world phenomena that are not conventionally thought of as “economic.” Authored by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics argues that data analysis and incentives can explain a lot about human behavior, and that a great deal of what experts and conventional wisdom tell us is wrong. As they explore these themes, the authors give us some powerful—and highly counterintuitive—insights into why the world is the way it is.

The thesis of the book is not explicitly outlined, but it's there: things are not always as they seem, and conventional wisdom is often full of misinterpretations, which leads to the spread of false "common knowledge," because one often does not look into the motivations or incentives behind a situation to find the truth...

Most Americans are not aware of how incentives influence their behavior and other Americans who are aware, don't really care because caring has no bearing on how they live their lives and/or will continue to live their lives.

But,  when I read this book years ago...  I was influenced by the knowledge I had just acquired however, I did nothing about that new knowledge other than hold it inside my head...  sometimes, I shared it with others and they either did not want to believe the knowledge or did not want to believe me, thinking that I was just bullshitting them because of my previous behaviors...

Apathy or being apathetic is a terrible disease to have...

Blue State Bailout

It is no secret that States that have DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS are in financial difficulties because of their liberal fiscal policies...  in other words, these States spend more money than they receive in tax revenues from individuals, corporations, and businesses.  To any first year business student those types of policies are nothing less than IRRESPONSIBLE and STUPID...  and yet, these Democratic Managed States perceive themselves to be on the right side of humanity...  because, the Federal Government will bail them out.

HOWEVER, it is the Republicans who believe that this BAILOUT of STATES should not happen...  and, while that is a partisan view, it is also a view that is irresponsible in that what will these States do if they are not BAILED OUT by Mommy and Daddy...

Mommy and Daddy (our Federal Government) has no choice but to do this...  because if it were not done, there would be economic chaos throughout the entire United States for several years into the future...

BUT...  since we know that Mommy and Daddy must do this, we also believe that Mommy and Daddy should put controls on these Democratic Governors so that this does not happen again.  And...  while this said, I am reminded of parents who have a son or daughter that is a drug addict and no matter how often the child is sent to counseling or rehabilitation, the child always returns to being a drug addict.

I am also reminded of another example in the business community where a company has several cross-functional teams operating on a variety of critical projects for the company's long range plans and short term goals and each team consists of 8-10 members, but because they are cross-functional and each team member has other responsibilities in their respective departments, some of the team members do not do the work that the team is expecting them to do for the team.  Consequently, the other members of the team have to BAIL OUT these workers by doing their work for them otherwise the team will be ineffective and will not accomplish their goals and objectives.

This is exactly what is happening in the USA with these Democratic Governors.

Covid Relief

 

What I Learned From My Parents

First and foremost, my parents taught me to save money...  and, not just whenever possible but to put savings in the budget as a line item so to speak.

Second...  my parents taught me to eat everything on my plate, only order in restaurants that food which you are going to eat...  and, make sure leftovers are eaten before new food is prepared.

Third...  to put my faith in God and to live my life with my Christian Faith in my mind at all times.

Fourth...  never ask anyone to do anything that you could not do better yourself.

Fifth...  give 110% in everything that is done.

Sixth...  follow the Golden Rule:  do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Seventh...  stand by my convictions/integrity regardless of the outcomes and costs.

Eighth...   stay active in that the idle mind is the devil's workshop.

Ninth...  always have an appreciation for THE ARTS.

Tenth...  the knowledge gained from education is power.

My parents raised all of their children with a Democratic Party Focus and for most of my life, I was in fact, a Democrat in my beliefs and with my vote...  but, even since 1990 after I had been able  to use my MBA education for a decade, I was beginning to realize that the Democratic Party was violating many of the TEN POINTS by which we should live our lives.

On the other side of the coin, I did not agree with all of the politics of the Republican Party either and found myself seeing myself as a Conservative Liberal...

I believe the following:

• every woman has the right to choose if she wants an abortion or not
• every citizen has the right to own and bear as many firearms as s/he wants
• every citizen has to right of free speech and/or freedom to worship
• Every American has the right to have our borders protected from immigration
• Our government should pay off its debt and not increase it
• Our government should maintain a globally strong military
• Our government should unnecessarily tax our corporations and businesses
• Our government should regulate BIG TECH
• Our government maintain a TWO PARTY SYSTEM

My parents were Democrats but I am not....  and, I will stand by my convictions and my integrity...  However, our biggest problem in America is the number of wealthy people that we have and the number of poor people that we have and that this gap is getting wider not smaller...  and, as our markets turn global, this divide will worsen...

Our country should have a quality of life for everyone...  BUT...  it is not our FEDERAL GOVERNMENT's responsibility to make sure that this happens...  that is not the role of government...  it is the responsibility of those who control and build our economy...

These leaders of our economy are the ones who LACK COMPASSION and EMPATHY and at the moment don't give a damn about doing anything about it...  They are more interested in profits than in people.

Ignorance is BLISS

 

Conservative Versus Liberal

Which live represents LIBERALS?

When I was in college in the 1960's (1966-1970), I was as liberal as one could get with long hair, into a variety of illegal drugs, wearing mainly jeans and a t-shirt to my classes, and a leather jacket when cold and I had several professors lower my grades because I did not dress like a college student should dress although I never cared about proving my point-of-views back then.  I went to college in the Piedmont of NC and was surrounded by the campuses of Duke, UNC, Wake Forest, NC State and a variety of lesser known 4-year colleges like Elon College (the one I attended) which is now a University and ranks as one of the top schools in NC.

Students on the campus of Elon College were exposed to all sorts of FORUMS that included both liberal and conservative viewpoints and opinions...  In the 1990's when my daughter attended UNC, the conservative viewpoint and opinion was being over-shadowed by the liberal viewpoints and opinions...  this took only 3 decades to change and in 2010 and 2020, it has only gotten worse...  and, not only has it gotten worse, but if you have a different viewpoint, you are now my ENEMY and I don't want to have anything to do with do...  in public or in private.

There are 4 definitions of BEING LIBERAL:

1. willing to respect or accept behavior or opinions different from one's own; open to new ideas.
2. relating to or denoting a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.
3. a supporter of policies that are socially progressive and promote social welfare.
4. a supporter of a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.

TODAY...

being a Liberal only means #3 and all the others are ignored...

These are 4 definitions of BEING CONSERVATIVE

1. averse to change or innovation and holding traditional values.
2. (in a political context) favoring free enterprise, private ownership, and socially traditional ideas.
3. a person who is averse to change and holds traditional values.
4. a person favoring free enterprise, private ownership, and socially traditional ideas.

TODAY...

being a conservative means all of these except being adverse to change...

Manipulating the Masses

 

Technology Trends for 2021

According to Rohit Sharma of UpGrad.com, there are 8 Technological Trends for 2021 of which we should be or become aware...  

These are:

1. Artificial Intelligence
2. Data Science
3. Networking Devices
4. Electronic Ledger Blockchain
5. Robotic Process Automation
6. Virtual Reality
7. Edge Computing
8. Intelligence Applications

Of course...  UpGrad is offering courses in each one of these areas, in case you want to move towards a career in any of these areas...  however, Community College and Technical Institutes are offering the same courses and probably for a substantial reduction of enrollment fees...   I'm just saying...

With this said...  most if not all of these 8 areas are predicated upon cloud computing or storing data in the cloud so that the proximity to the user is closer thus reducing time...

Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage and computing power, without direct active management by the user. The term is generally used to describe data centers available to many users over the Internet.

A WOKE Mentality

Woke  is a term that originated in the United States, referring to a perceived awareness of issues that concern social justice and racial justice. 

It derives from the African-American Vernacular English expression stay woke, whose grammatical aspect refers to a continuing awareness of these issues.

First used in the 1940s, the term has resurfaced in recent years as a concept that symbolizes perceived awareness of social issues and movement. 

By the late 2010s, woke had been adopted as a more generic slang term associated with left-wing politics, progressive or socially liberal causes such as anti-racism, LGBT rights, feminism and environmentalism. 

It has also been the subject of memes, ironic usage and criticism for its methods and consequences.  

Its widespread use since 2014 is a result of the Black Lives Matter movement.  SOURCE:  Wikipedia

Here's the deal Jake from State Farm...

Americans who happen to the BLACK only represent 14% of the American population in 2021...  and WHITES represent about 60% of the American population in 2021...

What this means Jake from State Farm...

 is that there are 4 times as many whites as there are blacks...  and, those white are here to stay in America and they are not going to give up their positions and resources just because blacks perceive that they want or need more...

America has had BLACK PRESIDENT for 8 years and America currently has a BLACK FEMALE VICE PRESIDENT...

• There are more BLACKS in professional sports than whites
• There are more BLACKS in professional music than whites
• There are just as many BLACK actors/actresses as whites
• There are more BLACKS selling illegal drugs than whites
• There are more BLACKS in prison than whites

This is an example of your WOKE Grammatical Aspect of life in America...  If BLACKS want something they tend to get what they want...  but, neither whites nor blacks (outside of the wealthy) are given anything...

Hump Day Humor

 

Special People

 

Game Based Learning

FROM THE LEARNING COUNCIL...

What Is Game-Based Learning?
Games have been used as a learning tool for centuries. Chess was used to teach strategic thinking as far back as the Middle Ages, and the game of Kreigsspiel was invented in 1812 specifically to teach Prussian officers strategy. Beyond military strategy, the genesis of Kindergarten in the mid-1800s was Friedrich Fröbel’s ideas of learning through play.

The core concept behind game-based learning is teaching through repetition, failure and the accomplishment of goals. Video games are built on this principle. The player starts off slow and gains in skill until they’re able to skillfully navigate the most difficult levels. Games that are planned and designed well will offer enough difficulty to keep it challenging while still being easy enough for the player to win.

Game-based learning takes this same concept and applies it to teaching a curriculum. Students work toward a goal, choosing actions and experiencing the consequences of those actions. They actively learn and practice the right way to do things. The result is active learning instead of passive learning.

Flight simulators are a perfect example of the effectiveness of game-based learning. Pilots commonly use flight simulators during their training. They’re given very specific goals and practice until they can accomplish them. The result is much more effective than sitting through lectures and theory.

Game-Based Learning vs. Textbook Learning
The educational system has always been slow to change. On one hand, the fact that change is slow is a good thing, since it helps avoid the pitfalls of adopting education fads before they’re fully tested. On the reverse side, it leads to a system that is sluggish to respond to the rapidly changing technological world. The only way to increase that response rate is to drastically change the systemic approach to curriculum, which is no small task.

Keith Bockwoldt of Township HSD 214 outside Chicago talked recently with the Learning Counsel about the overall shift to digital curriculum that is happening. “Even the most advanced schools and districts implementing digital tools still have a long ways to go to achieve real transformation—it will be years,” he said. “When stepping into this arena and realizing just how many publishers and vendors are out there selling you curriculum and devices, with multiple logins and standards, it’s a huge challenge. But it’s a challenge we all must confront, understand and embrace.”

A big reason why change takes so long? Textbooks themselves. When a textbook is released, it contains all of the current information, educational methods, and theories as of when the textbook was sent to print, which is often at least a year before it arrives in schools. Since textbooks are meant to be used for years, there’s a substantial delay before curriculum can be changed and information updated.

Game-based learning is built to be adaptive from the beginning. During the production process the game is tested and adjusted to be a more effective learning tool. As new information comes out in the field or educational approaches are adjusted, the game can be changed to suit them. After the game is released, it can be updated with new information, approaches, and more. Games even have student-monitoring analysis tools which allow teachers to monitor the students so the game can be adjusted in future updates.

Snoopy Sails Away

 

Three Times More Contagious

A coronavirus variant identified in the Brazilian Amazon may be three times more contagious but early analysis suggests vaccines are still effective against it, the country’s health minister said on Thursday, without providing evidence for the claims.

Under pressure as the variant hammers the jungle city of Manaus with a devastating second wave of infections, Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello sought to reassure legislators that the surge of recent months was unexpected but coming under control.

He also told a Senate hearing that Brazil would vaccinate half its eligible population by June and the rest by the end of the year – an ambitious target as the country has barely guaranteed doses for half the population.

Brazil began immunisations with vaccines made by China’s Sinovac Biotech and Britain’s AstraZeneca about three weeks ago. Pazuello did not explain how their effectiveness against the Manaus variant was analysed.

“Thank God, we had clear news from the analysis that the vaccines still have an effect against this variant,” Pazuello said. “But it is more contagious. By our analysis, it is three time more contagious.”

The Health Ministry, which has not provided information about any such analysis, did not immediately respond to a request for more information.

The Butantan Institute in Sao Paulo, which has partnered with Sinovac to test and produce the Chinese vaccine, said in a statement that it had begun studies regarding the Manaus variant but would not have a conclusion for two weeks.

The Fiocruz biomedical centre in Rio de Janeiro, which has paired up with AstraZeneca to fill and finish doses of its vaccine developed with Oxford University, said it is studying its efficacy against the Amazon variant, sent samples to Oxford and is awaiting results.

Located deep in the Amazon rainforest, Manaus has been hit hard by a brutal second wave of cases that has stretched emergency services to breaking point.  SOURCE:  ALJAZEERA

Approaching Conclusions

🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞

As we begin this week, we are also approaching the end of another month...  the month of February...  and, the reason why that is important, at least to me, is the fact that once the month of February has passed, cold weather in East TN is all but gone; in fact, according to a forecast for the month of March, weather in East TN will ONLY IN THE MID TO UPPER 50'S AND LOWER 60'S...

While this may not be important to others...  it is important to me because the older I get the less I enjoy cold weather.  And, the interesting part here is that while I cannot stay out in the sunlight because of health concerns, warm weather (even in the shade) is preferable to cold weather in a heated house.

As we approach the conclusion of the month of February, my age has put me in the category where I was able to get the first of two COVID VACCINE shots at my local health department.  My second one is a couple of weeks away and my vaccine is the Moderna Vaccine which has a good reliability factor.

However, that does not mean that I will stop wearing my face mask in public because I believe face masks and limited capacity at restaurants is now part of our future and is here to stay...  especially in doctor's offices, hospitals, and many public places were people congregate in numbers...  and, not just to prevent variations of COVID from spreading but to prevent all sorts of flu type viruses from spreading.

As we approach the beginning of a new Presidential Administration, we have an opportunity to explore the following:

• Distribution of COVID Vaccines
• Deal with potential increases in immigration
• Deal with increases in taxes
• Deal with the end of oil and gas as energy sources
• Deal with an increase in our national debt
• Deal with China as an economic and military adversary
• Deal with an increase in terrorism
• Deal with defunded police departments
• Deal with the effects/affects of going GREEN

As the approach the beginning of a new political era/climate and the conclusion of the old political climate, I constantly remind myself that I am RETIRED and whatever happens in the United States, actually impacts my life very little...

First 3-D Steak

By Janine Puhak | Fox News

The steak was produced using 3D bioprinting technology and real cow tissue, the food-tech startup explained in a news release. From there, scientists incubated the cells to grow, differentiate, and interact, ultimately replicating a real rib-eye.

With muscle and fat similar to a traditionally slaughtered steak, the futuristic food features "the same organoleptic attributes of a delicious tender, juicy rib-eye steak you'd buy from the butcher." Aleph Farms says it can produce any cut of meat with this method, as the company sets its sights on expanding its meat portfolio.

"With the realization of this milestone, we have broken the barriers to introducing new levels of variety into the cultivated meat cuts we can now produce," said Shulamit Levenberg, a professor at Technion and Aleph’s co-founder. "As we look into the future of 3D bioprinting, the opportunities are endless."

A price point has not yet been announced for the sizzling steak, but the Daily Mail reports it will take a few years to hit shelves.

"We are executing a clear plan to achieve cost-parity for cultivation of meat products at scale," said Didier Toubia, co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, in a statement obtained by the outlet. "We expect to achieve this goal within five years from our 2022 soft launch, which is faster than the new generation of plant-based meat substitutes."

Komic Korner Kartoons