Making Burgers

 

If There is Meaning and Purpose... then what?

We tend not to notice all the things that we take for granted around us...  like the sunrise or sunset...  or, the air that we breathe...  or, thankful that we have arisen from our night of sleep.

Do we ever wonder why our nature is like that?

No, we do not.

We simply live the next day as if it was natural for us to do that.

Life is precious...

Life is brief...

Life moves by quickly...

We only notice how much time is left when there is not much of it...  and then, my friends, it is too late.

Few of us ever dwell for very long or ponder as to the purpose of our existence.  We simply live our lives as we perceive it was intended for us to live them...  sometimes, we succeed in that purpose and sometimes we fail, but we never think about the outcome until it has arrived.\

We are so smart by the time we have finished high school and college that we seldom think there is really anything left for us to learn.  How foolish were we back then, to be so arrogant?  In essence, we knew very little, if anything about life around us or the justification for or existence...  even towards the end of our live, we are not all that convinced that we fully understand and/or appreciate why we were even born...

And, to address that birth is of similar importance because we gave no such permission for it to happen...  yet, it did...  living a life that was forced upon us.

Were we to have:

become wealthy?

be a soldier?

an artist?

a criminal?

If we have no choice in our birth, what makes us think that we have a choice in our PURPOSE either?

If we don't...

then our lives are predetermined...  no matter what we want or think we want or try to make it any different than what it is already planned out to be...

What kind of a life is that?

Perhaps, this is why few us think about it and why few of us care so little about what happens to us from one day to the next...  especially, if it is all really out of our control.

These kinds of questions never have any answers so why even think about them at all?

Classic Sunday Morning Newspaper Cartoons

 

The Majority Always Prevails

Once upon a time, in a distant galaxy, inside a distant solar system, a planet called EARTH, had a country that decided to experiment with a democratic form of government called a Democratic Republic.  It was enormously successful for about 250 years or about 10 generations...

In a Democratic Republic, a majority of the PEOPLE decide what kind of government underwhich they want to live.  Once that majority has decided, the rest of the people either have to accept their decision, change their decision by changing the majority, or leave the country and live elsewhere.

Unfortunately, the majority of the PEOPLE can be persuaded towards a particular point of view by numerous outside influences such as:

1. Parents
2. Churches
3. Community
4. Social Media
5. Mainstream Media (print & broadcast)
6. Teachers
7. Employers
8. Other citizens
9. Foreign interference
10. Peer pressure

Misinformation, disinformation, lack of information, and censoring opposing views are one of the downsides to a Democratic Republic which EMPHASISES FREEDOM OF THE PRESS...

Most people in a Democratic Republic form of government DO NOT voice their opinions freely because of negative repercusions when they do...

CLEARLY THIS IS NOT A GOOD EXAMPLE OF FREEDOM...  but, this is exactly what happens.

This type of censorship can negatively slant the opinions of the MAJORITY and change the direction of the DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC.

One of the most HIDDEOUS ATTACKS on a Democratic Republic comes from the wealthy BIOLIONAIRES who live inside that society.  

• With their wealth, they can substantially influence elections
• With their wealth, they can buy companies, and influence their direction
• With their wealth, they can use the media to influence public opinions
• With their wealth, they can change the direction of technology while suppressing the technology they do not want to survive
• With their wealth, they can influence winners and losers in professional athletes
• With their wealth, they can influence what is being taught in colleges and universities
• With their wealth, they can influence the direction of healthcare and various pandemics

It is the majority in the Democratic Republic that has made the wealthy wealthy because of their purchases and their purchases were reflective of the advertising they saw, also paid for by the wealthy...  somewhat of a vicous circle that self-perpetuates itself.

On this distant planet called EARTH, the wealthy are trying to DESTROY the very DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC that made them wealthy...

Hard to believe, but true...

BUT,  WITH WHAT FORM OF GOVERNMENT DO THEY WANT TO REPLACE THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC???

Communism

Socialism

Dictatorship

POOF

 

Fate of US Dollar

For many weeks, speculation has been circulating about the decline of the dollar, the currency of world trade since the end of the Second World War.

The U.S. dollar is in decline -- or at least such is the speculation that has been circulating this year.

These rumors are fed by various articles, starting with headlines saying that Russia is now considering using China's yuan for its global trade. Then talk followed that Saudi Arabia, a major U.S. ally, was considering charging in yuan for its oil exports to China.

Things accelerated: France was reportedly considering buying gas from China with yuan, while Brazil and Beijing were considering no longer using the U.S. dollar in their bilateral trade relations.

The avalanche of rumors about the demise of the U.S. dollar was such that some headlines said that the Brics countries -- an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa -- were considering developing a new reserve currency, while India was in the process of settling some trades in rupees.

All this news had a common theme: The dedollarization of the world economic stage was under way.

The greenback had lost or was in the process of losing its place as the top choice in world trade and finance, this theme suggested. It was circulating mostly among conservatives and critics of the policies of President Joe Biden's administration. The death of the U.S. dollar on the global stage was inevitable, they predicted.

The Dedollarization Narrative
This narrative is based primarily on the fact that in the aftermath of World War II, the U.S. gross domestic product accounted for almost half the world's GDP, a situation that placed the U.S. dollar as the main currency of global exchange, store of value and unit of accounting.

But the U.S. economy is no longer as dominant as it was, these critics say, so the reign of the U.S. dollar is also nearing the end.

For Elon Musk, Tesla's (TSLA) - Get Free Report CEO and, in his view, the global CEO, dedollarization is inevitable and the result of the U.S. using the currency as a weapon on the world stage.

One way the greenback is weaponized is the economic sanctions the U.S. imposes on other countries. Consequently, the billionaire entrepreneur says, other countries at some point will no longer want to use the U.S. dollar, to free themselves from dependence on America and its diktats.  READ MORE...

ELP - Lucky Man

 

Being Alone

 

Next Gen Fuel Cell

Researchers develop a new ultra-high-density sulfonic acid polymer electrolyte membrane for fuel cells, which can be used for vehicles and combined heat and power systems. Credit: Atsushi Noro

Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan, under a project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), have created poly(styrenesulfonic acid)-based PEMs with a high density of sulfonic acid groups.


A crucial element in eco-friendly polymer electrolyte fuel cells is a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM), which produces electrical energy through the interaction of hydrogen and oxygen gases. Practical applications of fuel cells include fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) and fuel cell combined heat and power (CHP) systems.

The best-known PEM is a membrane based on a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer, such as Nafion, which was developed by DuPont in the 1960s. It has a good proton conductivity of 0.1 S/cm at 70-90 °C (158-194 °F) under humidified conditions. Under these conditions, protons can be released from sulfonic acid groups.

Proton conduction in such membranes typically depends on the proton transport mechanism between protons, sulfonic acid groups, and water molecules.  Typically, the higher the density of the sulfonic acid groups in the membrane, the higher the density of protons that can be released from the sulfonic acid groups; therefore, the higher density of the sulfonic acid groups usually results in higher proton conductivities.

However, using a conventional synthesis process, it is difficult to synthesize PEMs with a high density of sulfonic acid groups. For instance, to increase the density of sulfonic acid groups in a poly(styrenesulfonic acid)-based PEM, the sulfonation reaction must be carried out over long hours or under severe conditions. It usually uses highly oxidizing substances, such as fuming sulfuric acid and chlorosulfonic acid.

Unfortunately, this leads to undesirable side reactions, such as cleavage of the backbone chains of the polymer. Therefore, to avoid unwanted side reactions during polymer synthesis, commercially available PEMs are usually synthesized to have a low density of sulfonic acid groups.  READ MORE...

Philosopher

 

Opinion

 

Secrets of HAPPINESS

The man who makes everything that leads to happiness depends upon himself, and not upon other men, has adopted the very best plan for living happily — Plato

Happiness depends upon ourselves — Aristotle

True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not―Seneca

If you are depressed you are living in the past.
If you are anxious you are living in the future.
If you are at peace you are living in the present―Lao Tzu

It is not God’s will merely that we should be happy, but that we should make ourselves happy — Immanuel Kant

What is happiness? The feeling that power increases, that a resistance is overcome―Friedrich Nietzsche

I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than in attempting to satisfy them — Stuart Mill

What amazes me is that none of these great philosophers offers any advice that, in my opinion, is credible and when they do offer something, like Kant saying we should make ourselves happy, there is nothing in writing as to how to do that....  Just saying make yourself happy doesn't mean SHIT to me...

Happiness cannot be found in:

1. sadness
2. depression
3. melancholy
4. drugs
5. alcohol
6. money
7. power
8. ability
9. intelligence
10. assets

Happiness involves or relates to:

• peace of mind
• harmony
• joy
• contentment
• acceptance
• lack of wanting

Happiness does not exclude:

• anxiety
• frsutration
• anger
• disappointment

Those who say that they are happy and who still want more, regardless of the amount, are NOT REALLY HAPPY.

Trying to change your body because you are not satisfied with the way you look, means that you are not really happy.

Happiness is rarely found or discovered at a young age, even though there will be many times throughout your life where you admit to yourself that you are happy.  That just shows your lack of understanding.

Happiness is not always found or discovered at an older age or a retired age either as long as there is something in your life that you want to achieve.  For example, if you retire after 45 years of work and continue to work part-time, or pursue a hobby or want to write novels or paint landscapes, then you are not really happy.

Can you sit in a chair or cross-legged on the ground in your backyard for an hour or more with your eyes closed and listen to the sounds of nature?

1. wind through the grass
2. wind through the trees
3. wind through the bushes
4. squirrels scampering about
5. birds singing or flying by
6. sounds of motor vehicles passing
7. barkings of dogs
8. the sounds of crickets
9. wing flappings of hummingbirds
10. the sounds of silenc

Can you draw energy from this harmony?

Can you void your mind of all thoughts?

Can you astro-project yourself into a realm of nothingness?

Can you slow down your breathing?

Can you disappear from your own mind?

This is meditation, you say...  not happiness!!!  BUT...  I beg to differ with you...  as being able to truly meditate is the highest form of happiness because there is NOTHING YOU NEED OR WANT in those moments...  

You are completely content.

You are completely relaxed.

There is nothing inside you but harmony.

HAPPINESS IS COMPLETE WISDOM

Coffee

 

Strictly Political

 

Classc Rock Bands

The 1970s was a goldmine for classic rock music. There was a surplus of bands making a name for themselves, as acts like the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Fleetwood Mac were starting to rise and impact the sound of rock music for generations to come. Despite emerging in the ’70s, it’s clear these classic rock bands have eternal legacies, as four of these seven acts are in the rare position of having the best-selling albums in the United States.

Below, we look at seven classic rock bands that earned their place in history throughout the 1970s.

1. Eagles
It’s hard to think of ’70s rock music and not have the Eagles come to mind. Known for hits including “Hotel California,” “Take it Easy,” “Witchy Woman” and “Desperado,” Glenn Frey and Don Henley were leading the charge with their distinguishable voices that helped define a generation of classic rock music. After forming in 1971, it only took the Eagles four years to amass a collection of hits, as Their Greatest Hits Album (1971-1975) was released in 1976, becoming so popular with sales of more than a whopping 38 million copies. It’s currently the biggest-selling album of all time in the U.S., solidifying their legacy as a band with lasting appeal.

2. Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin took the world by storm when they formed in London in 1968, their electrifying sound quickly translating across the world. Fronted by Robert Plant, the band saw success right out of the gate with their 1969 self-titled debut album that set the stage for the next decade that saw them impacting music history with the release of Led Zeppelin IV in 1971, featuring “Stairway to Heaven,” one of the most revered and influential rock songs of all time. The album is one of the best-selling of all time, with more than 37 million sold worldwide.

3. Lynyrd Skynyrd
In less than a decade, Lynyrd Skynyrd established itself as one of the most iconic rock bands of all time. They ruled the ’70s with hits like “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Free Bird” and “Saturday Night Special,” serving as a voice for the South where they originated from that extended to fans across the world. But the band’s winning streak came to a tragic halt in 1977 when they were involved in a plane crash that killed frontman Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister and background singer Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick and pilots Walter McCreary and William John Gray. The crash left the remaining members with serious injuries and having to figure out the band’s future. Despite the tragedy and subsequent lineup changes over the years, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s legacy is still thriving through their classic hits.  READ MORE...

Superdeterministic

 

A Two Year Journey

 

BRICS Nations Buying Gold

A group of economically-aligned nations are purchasing massive amounts of gold as they prepare to end their reliance on the U.S. dollar.

According to a new report from U.S. Global Investors, the nations known collectively as BRICS are piling into the precious metal and will continue to be “huge buyers” of gold for the foreseeable future.


The firm’s CEO and chief investment officer, Frank Holmes, says the mass accumulation of gold led by China aligns with the theory that the world is on a long-term path to economic bifurcation.

“If you look back at the list of net buyers [of gold], you’ll notice that three are members of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries. I point this out because, as I’ve been sharing with you for a couple of weeks now, we may be seeing the emergence of a multipolar world, with a U.S.-centric world on one side and a China-centric world on the other.

For the first time ever, BRICS countries’ share of the global economy has surpassed that of the G7 nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and U.S.), on a purchasing parity basis.”

According to a report from World Gold Council, China has added 102 tons of gold to its stockpiles since the start of the year.

And gold is the key to this potential multipolar economic future, says Holmes, as it will likely be used to back the creation of a new currency that does not utilize USD.

“The BRICS need the precious metal to support their currencies and shift away from the U.S. dollar, which has served as the global foreign reserve currency for about a century.

More and more global trade is now being conducted in the Chinese yuan, and there are reports that the BRICS—which could eventually include other important emerging economies such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and more—are developing their own medium for payments.”

BRICS nations are reportedly in the early stages of designing a new currency that aims to end global dependence on the dollar.

It remains to be seen just how effective their efforts will be, with early critics like billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya stating the China will never effectively de-dollarize as long as the yuan remains pegged to the dollar.

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Tricked

 

Excellence

 

Espresso

 

Gaslighting Democrats

According to PSYCHOLOGY TODAY...


Gaslighters — people who try to control others through manipulation — will often accuse you of behaviors that they are engaged in themselves. This is a classic manipulation tactic.

Gaslighting tactics include:

• Blatantly lying
• Splitting — pitting you against a friend or family member
• Working to align others against you
• Telling others that you are crazy, unstable, or manipulative
• Lying about things they said and did, even though you swear those things happened
• Telling you they don’t like your family and friends — but for vague reasons

Many gaslighters:

• Cheat in relationships, yet accuse their victims of cheating
• Accuse their victims of being addicts, when they are the true addicts
• Accuse their victims of manipulation, when they are the ones who manipulate

Gaslighters will accuse others of these actions even when there is direct evidence that they are engaging in the same behaviors. 

Why do gaslighters do this? 

They are making pre-emptive strikes and/or projecting.

So, here's my point:

The Democrats are accusing the Republicans of doing what the Democrats are doing in the hopes that the mainstream media will continue to support their accusations and the general public is too stupid to realize what they are doing...

President Biden completely REVERSED everything Trump had set in motion...  but instead of taking the blame for his actions, he BLAMES TRUMP:

1. for his reckless Afghanistan withdrawal
2. for his shutdown of the XL Pipeline
3. for his reckless spending on COVID
4. for his policies that caused inflation
5. for his policies that increased illegal immigration

Two years later, Biden continues to say his actions are because of TRUMP.

How can anyone trust a political leader who will not take responsibility for his own actions.

When he refused to shoot down the Chinese Spy Balloon, he tried to blame his decision on Trump.

When he refused to send weapons to Ukraine and now to Taiwan, he continues to blame his actions on Trump.

When he decided to raise taxes to pay for his radical spending sprees, he blamed his actions on Trump.

When the story broke about Hunter Biden's laptop, he blamed all the disinformation on Trump, because he did not want to accept the fact that Russia was actually doing this...   THAT WAS A LIE...  but, he tried to blame it on Trump anyway.

WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET YOU TO SEE???

A Single Mother

 

The Originals

 

The Stare

 

Giant Particle Accelerator

A radio frequency particle accelerator is displayed in an exhibition during a press tour at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) on the Future Circular Collider (FCC) feasibility study, in Geneva, on April 19, 2023. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP)

GENEVA (AFP) — Europe’s CERN laboratory has taken its first steps toward building a huge new particle accelerator that would eclipse its Large Hadron Collider — and hopes to see light at the end of the tunnel.

The Future Circular Collider (FCC) particle smasher would be more than triple the length of the LHC, already the world’s largest and most powerful particle collider, constructed in the hope of revealing secrets about how the universe works.

The FCC would form a new circular tunnel under France and Switzerland, 91 kilometers (56.5 miles) long and about five meters (16 feet) in diameter.


“The goal of the FCC is to push the energy and intensity frontiers of particle colliders, with the aim of reaching collision energies of 100 tera electron volts, in the search for new physics,” CERN says.

The tunnel would pass under the Geneva region and its namesake lake in Switzerland, and loop around to the south near the picturesque French town of Annecy.

Eight technical and scientific sites would be built on the surface, with seven in France and one in Geneva, CERN engineer Antoine Mayoux told reporters this week.  READ MORE...

Quantum Computers

 

Discovery in Egypt

 

Fed Coin Tracks Everyone

Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki warns that George Orwell’s novel 1984 could quickly become a reality when the US goes ahead with launching a central bank digital currency (CBDC).

In a new episode of The Rich Dad Channel, Kiyosaki says that a “FedCoin,” or a Federal Reserve-issued CBDC, will allow the authorities to become omnipresent and surveil Americans’ every move to make sure they are behaving.

“The big concern with FedCoin, the CBDC, is that we lose our privacy. That they’ll track us, they’ll track every move because they’ll know everything we’re spending money on, what we spend it on, who we give it to and all these, so it becomes George Orwell’s 1984. Big Brother will watch you via our money and that’s the problem with the central bank digital currency, or the Fed Coin…

People like me panic. I said, ‘Oh my God, they’re gonna track me. I don’t want them to know how I’m spending my money. it’s none of their business.’

But now with blockchain and all this, they can track anything they want, so our privacy goes. That’s why when George Gammon says Orwellian, he’s talking about 1984. Big Brother’s going to watch you. That’s where we’re heading.”

Kiyosaki’s comments come as the Federal Reserve explores the benefits and risks of a CBDC. During a speech on Tuesday, Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman says the potential digital dollar should incorporate privacy considerations into its design. She says there should be proper measures to safeguard the privacy of businesses and individuals.

Says Bowman,
“In thinking about the implications of CBDC and privacy, we must also consider the central role that money plays in our daily lives, and the risk that a CBDC would provide not only a window into, but potentially an impediment to, the freedom Americans enjoy in choosing how money and resources are used and invested.”  READ MORE...

CHURCHILLISMS

NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU READ THE

THOUGHTFUL QUOTES OF THIS GREAT PERSON,

THEY SEEM TO BECOME MORE TRUE OVER TIME.

I HOPE OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN ARE LISTENING

Following Dreams

 

Snowflake

 

Love & Marriage... then Roommates

 After two marriages, I have come to the conclusion that more often than not, a male and a female have no business getting married, having children, or should live together and adopt children, UNLESS they are not in love and just see the arrangement as roommates.

Males and females are too different to marry and keep the flames of attraction burning for 30 years or more without having another reason to stay together, like children or finanial security, or health security.

Males and females tend to grow apart after a few years, let's say ten, as they begin to develop their own interests...  likes and dislikes...  and, when different likes and dislikes appear, then the two people have automatically stepped into the world of roommates.

It is interesting to note here that, a married couple may start out in the same room reading different books together but gradually over time, they end up reading those books in different locations.  Why do you think that is?  Because they still love each other?

Another issue to look for is the words that are being used when they talk to each other...   Or, pointing out things that were done wrong in an effort to help the other person become better...   but, it is only better in the eyes of the one who is criticising, never the other person.   Those comments may seem and sound trivial but over 5-10 years, the other person starts to believe that there just might be something wrong with them.  If there is something wrong, why does the other person remain?  Surely, it is not because of love, so what is it?

More often than not, these types of problems start with the male as they are constantly wanting to have sex with other females to prove they are still macho.  However, it is happening with more and more females...  not so much that they want another husband or roommate but simply they are dissatisfied with what they have.  Once you are dissatisfied, no effort is put forth to show you care about the other person, unless there is a health crisis...  then the guilt of feeling that way kicks in.

Most of the time this happens in retirement, when the couple finally has an opportunity to spend more time together only to find out they no longer have anything in common.

It is estimated that this happened to 80-90% of the married couples...  don't forget that our divorce rate among first time marriages is 50% and has remain that high for the last 10 years.  This divorce rate signifies that males and females do not have what it takes to stay together after they get married.

I feel like I should have already experienced my second divorce.

Taxes