In The NEWS

Indiana man found guilty in Delphi murders sentenced to 130 years.

A now-52-year-old Indiana man was sentenced to a maximum of 130 years in prison for the 2017 murders of two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana. Richard Allen was convicted last month in the killings of Abigail "Abby" Williams, 13, and Liberty "Libby" German, 14. He has maintained his innocence and plans to appeal the verdict following a trial that captured national attention.



Swimming mouse among 27 new species discovered in Peru. (w/photos)

During an expedition in the Alto Mayo region of Peru—part of the Amazon rainforest, researchers identified 27 new species, including an amphibious mouse with webbed feet and a unique "blob-headed" fish. The findings, in collaboration with local Indigenous communities, suggest up to 48 additional species may also be new to science, highlighting the area's rich biodiversity.



Regulator sues three large US banks over Zelle payment fraud.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a lawsuit against Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Zelle's operator, Early Warning Services, alleging they failed to adequately protect consumers from fraud on the Zelle payment network. The CFPB claims customers of the three banks have lost over $870M due to insufficient fraud prevention and response measures since Zelle's launch in 2017.



Starbucks workers begin strike in three major US cities.

A union representing over 11,000 Starbucks baristas in the US announced a five-day strike starting Friday, protesting issues such as wages, working conditions, and staffing levels, with potential expansions to more stores unless an agreement is reached. The strike, affecting locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, comes amid broader labor disputes, including similar actions by Amazon delivery drivers.



Separately, Volkswagen announced it reached a deal with striking union workers in Germany, who had opposed the automaker's plans to shutter three plants in the country. Volkswagen said it wouldn't close any plants, though more than 35,000 job cuts will occur in the future.



Iconic Party City going out of business a year after exiting bankruptcy.

Party City is closing all of its stores, effectively ending nearly 40 years of operation, due to ongoing financial difficulties that have persisted since its previous bankruptcy filing in January 2023. CEO Barry Litwin announced the immediate wind-down of operations Friday, stating despite their best efforts, the company could not overcome its substantial debt and competitive pressures from larger retailers.



Malaysia to resume hunt for Flight MH370—10 years after it vanished.

The renewed effort comes after Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, carrying 239 people, mysteriously disappeared March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The aircraft's exact location remains unknown despite extensive international search efforts spanning multiple years (w/visuals). However, satellite data suggests it crashed in a remote area of the southern Indian Ocean, with everyone on board presumed dead. Malaysia is offering $70M if substantive wreckage is found.

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Life

 

Where is it stated that LIFE IS PERFECT IF YOU WANT IT TO BE...?

No matter how hard one works, life is never going to be perfect and never roll along to meet one's expectations...  it just does not work like that.

"LIFE HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE MAKING OTHER PLANS..." John Lennon

This quote hits the nail on the head.  Everyone has problems living in the life we are dealt; some of us fall apart while others pick themselves up and start all over again.

Yes, that is easier said than done...  but it does not make it incorrect.

It takes practice picking yourself up off the ground and it is even more difficult for people if they have lived half their lives before being knocked down.

The more experiences that one has, the better off one is, although, I would not encourage you to go off and start doing things to get you knocked down.

Sometimes it takes old age for one to see this and while that is unfortunate, old ages prepares you to better handle disappointments, simply because you are more patient and more at ease and no longer have the stress of employment.

Somewhat Political

 

Optimus Robot

Aiming to stay ahead in the robotics game, Tesla is constantly fine-tuning the new generation of its general-purpose, bi-pedal, humanoid robot Optimus.

The Optimus can now navigate uneven terrain with advanced neural nets, enabling precise control of its electric limbs for seamless movement.

In the new video shared by Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, Optimus is now seen autonomously climbing hills and walking on uneven terrain

Last month, the firm shared a video of how a new hand upgrade has enabled Tesla Optimus to catch tennis balls thrown at it.     READ MORE...

The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> 2024 College Football Playoff begins tonight with No. 7 Notre Dame taking on No. 10 Indiana (8 pm ET, ABC/ESPN); see first-round schedule and predictions (More)

> Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto to depart after 28 years; Cavuto was with the cable news network since its inception in 1996 (More)

> Slim Dunlap, singer-songwriter and The Replacements guitarist, dies at 73 (More) | Megan Thee Stallion files petition for a restraining order against rapper Tory Lanez, alleging harassment by Lanez from prison; Lanez is serving a 10-year sentence for shooting Megan in 2020 (More)


Science & Technology
> Google releases test version of its reasoning AI model; company says it displays high-level comprehension of complex problems in math, physics, coding, and more (More)

> James Webb Space Telescope detects supermassive black hole dating to 800 million years after the start of the universe; object is 400 million times the size of the Sun but has become nearly dormant (More)

> Bioengineers develop bacteria that eat carbon dioxide, can convert the carbon from common chimney smoke into precursors for new chemical products (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -0.1%, Dow +0.0%, Nasdaq -0.1%); Dow narrowly ends longest losing streak in 50 years (More) | Chipmaker Micron shares close down 16% on weaker-than-expected guidance in steepest drop since March 2020 (More)

> US economy grew at 3.1% annualized pace in Q3, stronger than previously estimated (More) | US existing home sales rose 6.1% year-over-year in November, the biggest annual gain since 2021; median home price is $406K, up 4.7% from a year ago (More)

> Amazon workers strike across seven US delivery facilities over labor contract; locations include four in California and one each in New York, Georgia, and Illinois (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Georgia appeals court removes District Attorney Fani Willis from state's stalled 2020 election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump; court cites "appearance of impropriety" given Willis' romantic relationship with the special prosecutor (More) | See timeline of the case (More)

> Federal Aviation Administration temporarily bans use of low-flying drones in 21 New Jersey towns, including near power substations, military installations, and airports; order authorizes use of government force to shoot down drones and is in effect until Jan. 17 (More) | See previous write-up (More)

> Food and Drug Administration updates 30-year definition of "healthy" packaged foods; rule sets limit on the amount of sugar that can be included, requires one or more of the following: fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy, or protein (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

One Party Rule

 

There is nothing in the US Constitution that states there must be two political parties.  According to our Founding Fathers, they just wanted a Democratic Republics where the people elected the officials who would be representing them.

Right now, we have basically four parties:

• Democrats
• Republicans
• Independents
• Socialists

Right now, Independents and Socialists typically identify with the Democratic party but not always.

Let's say that we did just have one political party, then that party would experience NO OPPOSITION at all.

It would be like a political dictatorship of like minds.

If there was a faction that no longer agreed with the one political party, then my default that opposition would be a second party.

In order to have one political party there can be NO DISAGREEMENTS on any issues.

Somewhat Political

 

Google Says: Multiple Dimensions Exist

Google on Monday announced Willow, its latest, greatest quantum computing chip. The speed and reliability performance claims Google's made about this chip were newsworthy in themselves, but what really caught the tech industry's attention was an even wilder claim tucked into the blog post about the chip.

Google Quantum AI founder Hartmut Neven wrote in his blog post that this chip was so mind-boggling fast that it must have borrowed computational power from other universes. Ergo the chip's performance indicates that parallel universes exist and "we live in a multiverse."

Here's the passage:

Willow’s performance on this benchmark is astonishing: It performed a computation in under five minutes that would take one of today’s fastest supercomputers 1025 or 10 septillion years. If you want to write it out, it’s 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years. This mind-boggling number exceeds known timescales in physics and vastly exceeds the age of the universe. It lends credence to the notion that quantum computation occurs in many parallel universes, in line with the idea that we live in a multiverse, a prediction first made by David Deutsch.   READ MORE...

MOUNTAIN - Mississippi Queen (Live on "The Show" 02-24-1970) - * RARE * ...

Money

 

Business

 

Cappuccino

 

Education

 

Miss

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Disney becomes only studio to top $2B at the 2024 domestic box office, including three of the top five grossing films (More) | Academy Awards release shortlist of top contenders in 10 categories (More)

> UK court rules police can seize $3.4M from social media influencer Andrew Tate amid dispute over alleged unpaid taxes on $26.5M in revenue from Tate's businesses (More)

> Milwaukee Bucks top Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 to win the second annual NBA Cup, the NBA's new mid-season tournament; Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo named tournament MVP (More)


Science & Technology
> OpenAI launches free phone service (1-800-CHATGPT), allowing anyone in the US to call and talk to its ChatGPT chatbot for up to 15 minutes at no cost (More)

> Popular 2020 paper suggesting the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine could treat COVID-19 retracted more than four years after publishing; work is the second most-cited paper ever to be withdrawn (More)

> Lithocholic acid, a type of bile acid produced in the liver, has been found to have anti-aging effects similar to caloric restriction (More)


Business & Markets
> Grubhub to pay $25M to settle Federal Trade Commission lawsuit over allegedly misleading customers about delivery costs and drivers about their earnings (More)

> Merck signs $2B licensing deal to develop weight loss pill with Chinese drugmaker Hansoh Pharma in bid to compete with other obesity drugs on the market (More)

> Cloud AI startup Vultr raises $333M, with chip giant AMD and hedge fund LuminArx Capital Management leading the round; Vultr now valued at $3.5B (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> House Ethics Committee votes in secret to release report on its investigation into ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R, FL-1); release expected in the coming days (More) | Senate passes $895B defense bill raising pay for Congress members and junior enlisted service members, cutting transgender care for children of service members (More)

> President-elect Donald Trump selects former Senate candidate and NFL star Herschel Walker as US ambassador to the Bahamas (More)

> Russia says it has detained a 29-year-old Uzbek man in relation to the killing of Igor Kirillov, head of Russia's biological and chemical weapons defense program (More) | See previous write-up (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Killing

 

When, if ever, is killing justified?

• in a time of war
• revenge
• act of insanity
• assisted suicide
• while on illegal drugs
• accidental
• involuntarily
• never

When our President send soldiers into a war zone, it is obvious that some will die.  However, we don't think about killing when we are driving on the highway or undergoing a serious surgery.  Nor do we think about killing when an insurance company denies a claim, and the client who made the claim dies.

If and when someone dies in the operating room during surgery, physicians usually take out malpractice insurance to protect them.

Nor do we ever assign blame when a homeless person dies on the street for whatever reason.  We just assume it was because he was homeless and never feel any shame because we had done nothing to help them.

Can a physician refuse to save another person's life because the patient has different political views or believes in a different form of religion?

Our country is changing, and it is becoming a country that many of us are not going to recognize.

Somewhat Political

 

Only Has Mass When It's Moving

For the first time, scientists have observed a collection of particles, also known as a quasiparticle, that's massless when moving one direction but has mass in the other direction.

The quasiparticle, called a semi-Dirac fermion, was first theorized 16 years ago, but was only recently spotted inside a crystal of semi-metal material called ZrSiS. 

The observation of the quasiparticle opens the door to future advances in a range of emerging technologies from batteries to sensors, according to the researchers.  READ MORE...

Paint It Black

Crook

 

Charlie

 

Carry

 

Cheaper

 

Christmas

 

In the NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> "Dirty Dancing" and "Beverly Hills Cop" are among 25 movies added to Library of Congress National Film Registry (More) | See complete list of 900 “culturally, historically, or aesthetically” significant films on the registry (More)

> Children's television series "Bluey" to get feature film in 2027 produced by BBC and Disney (More) | Diane Delano, actress known for roles on "Northern Exposure" and "Popular," dies at 67 (More)

> Vermont tops Marshall 2-1 to win their first-ever NCAA men's soccer national championship (More) | The European Super League relaunches as the Unify League, will feature 96 soccer clubs across Europe (More)


Science & Technology
> Alabama woman receives gene-edited pig kidney, becomes the fifth person to undergo animal-to-human gene-edited organ surgery (More) | What is xenotransplantation? (More)

> Study suggests brain cells mature faster in microgravity environments like space compared to Earth; research used organoids—lab-grown organ-like structures—to study the effects (More)

> Archaeologists discover evidence of systematic cannibalism in a Bronze Age burial site near Bristol, England (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.4%, Dow -0.6%, Nasdaq -0.3%); Dow falls for ninth straight day, its longest losing streak since 1978 (More)

> Grammarly, maker of AI-powered writing assistant, acquires productivity startup Coda; financial terms of the deal not disclosed (More) | Databricks raises $10B in financing, valuing the data analytics company at $62B (More)

> Japan's Honda and Nissan reportedly to begin merger talks; automakers are considering operating under a single holding company and eventually bringing in Mitsubishi (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is indicted in New York on 11 counts, including first-degree murder and murder as an act of terrorism (More) | Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann is charged with another murder, bringing number of alleged victims to seven (More)

> Federal Trade Commission announces rule banning junk fees—hidden charges—on hotel and event ticket prices (More) | Biden administration finalizes rule clarifying who can apply for H-1B work visas, including expanding definitions of specialty occupation positions (More)

> President-elect Donald Trump sues The Des Moines Register for a poll in the lead-up to Election Day showing him trailing Vice President Kamala Harris in Iowa by 3%; Trump ultimately won the state by 14% (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Christmas is Soon

 Christmas 2024 is only 5 days away, 4 days if you don't count today.

Are you ready?

What I mean to ask is:

• Are your decorations up, inside and outside?
• Is your tree up?
• Are all your presents purchased, cooked, or made?
• Are your Christmas card emails sent?
• Everything purchased for your Christmas meals.
• Are you ready for all the parties you will be asked to attend?

Being retired, there is not much for my wife and I to do.  My family is out of state and don't want to visit and we are either too poor to fly or too old to drive.  

My daughter is in Iceland and my wife's son is nearby and will visit us with his girlfriend. Our decorations are up, and all cards have been sent or delivered.

We stopped buying each other presents, so nowadays we just buy something for the house.  This year, we are putting new windows in our sunroom.

Usually, my wife wants to put everything away, the day after Christmas instead of leaving it all up until after New Year's Eve.  It does not matter to me at all, I have learned to just following instructions during these types of holidays.

Somewhat Political

 

China's Powerhouse Robot Factory

Chinese robotic startup MagicLab has introduced a fleet of collaborative humanoids at a factory for job training.

The humanoids also demonstrate small-scale collaborative operations, showcasing their ability to work efficiently together.

In January, MagicLab unveiled its third-generation humanoid robot, MagicBot, designed to rival Boston Dynamics’ Atlas. By February, a video update showcased the robot roasting marshmallows, performing magic tricks, and dancing.

The firm joins a growing wave of companies deploying robots in industrial settings as China aims to mass-produce humanoids by 2025 and dominate the market by 2027.   READ MORE...

Ozark Mountain Daredevils - If You Want To Get To Heaven - Lyrics in des...

Take a Break

 

Genders

 

Crimes

 

Months

 

Crack

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> "Wicked" sequel gets official title "Wicked: For Good" with film set for November 2025 release date (More) | Lionel Messi-inspired animated series tapped for Disney Channel and Disney+ (More)

> Jill Jacobson, actress known for roles on "Falcon Crest" and "Star Trek," dies at 70 (More) | Dick Van Arsdale, three-time NBA All-Star, dies at 81 (More)

> Documentary in the works by filmmaker Alex Gibney about the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson (More) | Jamie Lee Curtis in talks to play lead role in upcoming "Murder, She Wrote" film (More)


Science & Technology
> Google's DeepMind reveals Veo 2, the latest update to its AI-generated video platform; product is meant to compete with OpenAI's Sora (More) | Generative AI 101, from how it works to why it hallucinates (1440 Topics)

> James Webb Space Telescope confirms two-decade-old mystery, finds evidence planets bigger than Jupiter formed around stars much earlier in the universe than predicted by theory (More) | Explaining the JWST in four minutes (More, w/video)

> Researchers discover closest known relative to Psilocybe cubensis, also known as magic mushrooms; fungi potentially reached North America as much as a million years earlier than believed (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.4%, Dow -0.3%, Nasdaq +1.2%); Nasdaq notches record ahead of Federal Reserve's interest rate decision tomorrow (More) | Nvidia closes in correction territory, down roughly 11% from record close last month (More) | Bitcoin hits new record midday, briefly surpassing $107K (More)

> TikTok asks Supreme Court to block the US' divest-or-ban law pending an appeal of a lower-court ruling to uphold the law taking effect Jan. 19 (More) | Ken Leech, former co-chief investment officer at Western Asset Management Co., pleads not guilty to federal charges over improperly allocating trades to favored clients (More)

> Honeywell considers spin-off of lucrative aerospace business—a move backed by activist investor Elliott Investment Management, which took a $5B stake in the conglomerate last month (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Japanese tech giant SoftBank pledges to invest $100B into US companies over next four years and create 100,000 jobs; SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, who met with President-elect Donald Trump yesterday, made a similar pledge in 2016 (More)

> Former FBI informant pleads guilty to fabricating claim that President Joe Biden and his son Hunter accepted bribes from a Ukrainian energy company; false claim was used as part of evidence in GOP-led efforts to investigate Biden family (More)

> Canada's Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigns following dispute with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over tax policy and the country's response to Trump's tariff threats (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Education

 

I heard this morning that the auto industry is in need of 35,000 auto mechanics (automotive technician).  It takes no college at all to become an automotive technician.

The average college tuition is $30-$50,000/year or $120-$200,000 for a complete 4-year education.  However, since there are so many 4-year degree graduates out there, employers are recommending that if you want to advance, you need a master's degree - another 2 years.

To save money, one could go to a Community College for the first two years and then transfer to a college or university, but do you want to spend all that money on education when you will spend the majority of your career paying off that educational loan.

One should seriously consider going to a Community College and pursue a TECHNICAL degree in something like:

• auto mechanics
• heavy duty mechanics
• computers
• electronics
• electricity
• carpentry
• plumbing
• heating & air conditioning
• programming
• criminal justice
• construction
• physical therapy
• massage therapy
• nursing
• paralegal
• etc.

Another idea is to apply for a job in retailing, hospitality, restaurants, manufacturing, real estate, life insurance, and/or maintenance.

No matter what career that you pursue, you are going to have to PAY YOUR DUES anywhere from 10-20 years before you move up through the ranks and attain one of those few high paying management jobs. 

ALL CAREER LEVELS HAVE THEM...  it just takes time to get there.

Somewhat Political