AOC

 

Setup

 

Rape

 

Problem

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> YouTube influencer MrBeast and Amazon sued by five contestants in the upcoming "Beast Games" reality show over alleged unsafe working conditions and sexual harassment (More)

> JD Souther, singer-songwriter known for penning hit songs for artists like the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt, dies at age 78 (More)

> Portland selected as home of WNBA's 15th franchise, will begin play in 2026 (More) | Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson breaks WNBA single-season record for rebounds; Wilson also set the record earlier this year for most points in a season (More)


Science & Technology
> Researchers link obesity with fatty buildup around neurons in the brain's appetite control center; substance may be responsible for insulin resistance in diabetic patients (More) | Blood sugar, insulin, and diabetes explained (More, w/video)

> Quantum entanglement demonstrated for the first time in quarks, the fundamental subatomic units of matter; experiment carried out at the Large Hadron Collider, which straddles the France-Switzerland border (More) | What is entanglement, or "spooky action-at-a-distance"? (More)

> Largest-ever black hole jets observed by astronomers, stretching 23 million light-years in length; structure is equivalent to 140 Milky Ways lined back to back (More, w/video)


Business & Markets
> Boeing temporarily furloughs tens of thousands of employees to cut costs amid ongoing strike from its largest union; affected employees will be furloughed for one out of every four weeks until the walkout ends (More)

> Tupperware Brands files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy following recent slump in sales; company intends to continue operations and will launch 30-day bidding process to find a buyer (More) | 23andMe independent board directors resign over CEO's plans to take the genetic testing company private (More)

> Google wins court challenge to overturn $1.7B antitrust fine imposed by the European Union in 2019 related to tech giant's digital advertising business (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> The House votes 220-202, with some Republicans joining Democrats to reject a stopgap government funding bill brought by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R, LA-4); bill included measure to require proof of citizenship to register to vote (More)

> New analysis shows national, year-over-year drop in overdose drug deaths, in some states by as much as 20% or 30%; marks the first decrease since 2020 (More) | How opioids affect the body (More, w/video)

> Armenian prosecutors accuse Russia of paying six Armenians almost $2,400 each in monthly salaries for military training in preparation for an armed coup (More) | Ukrainian drones hit large missile depot in Russia (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

2023 Taxes

 

Every year, my wife and I file for an extension on paying our taxes from April 15 until October 15...   there is no restrictions to do this but we do this because some of the tax docs that we need, we do not receive until August each year.

This SIX-MONTH extension allows us to collect another 6 months of interest from our investments.  As a result, the interest earned more than covers the taxes owed, so we NEVER reduce our PRINCIPLE, and our finances are always growing.

What baffles me is that our friends, both Democrats and Republicans, Liberals and Conservatives, Capitalists and Socialists, ALL COMPLAIN about having to pay TAXES.  AND YET...  if you are not a capitalist, a republican, or a conservative, you are voting for candidates who want to INCREASE YOUR TAXES.

This attitude simply makes no sense to me.

Either you want higher taxes or...

You do not want higher taxes...

Now, for the wealthy folks here in the US of A, they don't give a shit about higher taxes, because their money is sheltered and when taxes go up, they only pay the increase on what they claim, not what is sheltered.

It is perfectly legal to do this but what the wealthy people are causing is for the US govt to always have a shortfall in taxes.  The middle class pays the burden for the wealthy being able to shelter their money.

CONGRESS WILL NOT CHANGE THIS LAW...  mainly because most of Congress is also sheltering their money away from taxes.

AMERICANS ARE TYPICALLY NOT VERY SMART WHEN IT COMES TO PAYING TAXES OR TRYING TO AVOID PAYING TAXES...

Somewhat Political

 

BlockChain and Quantum Computing Warning

Insider Brief

• Quantum computers could potentially break current blockchain encryption, risking billions in cryptocurrency assets, according to a quantum policy expert.
• Quantum-resistant cryptography and quantum random-number generators are emerging as vital solutions to protect blockchain networks from quantum attacks.
• Companies are already developing quantum-secure blockchain technologies to counter these future threats.

Cryptocurrencies are maturing.

Quantum computing is maturing.

Both crypto and quantum are earning attention from Presidential candidates and global policymakers, eager to tap into both the power of these new technologies, as well as the extensive communities of advocates.

Taken separately, practitioners of those fields may be excited about this developments. However, the two deep techs are on a collision course.

Quantum computing is poised to disrupt a wide range of industries, and the world of cryptocurrencies is no exception, points out Arthur Herman in a recent op-ed in the Korea Herald. Herman, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and Director of the Quantum Alliance Initiative, writes that the same technology that could unlock immense computational power might also render existing cryptographic systems, including those that secure blockchain networks, vulnerable to attacks.

This alarming possibility, he argues, should be a wake-up call for the cryptocurrency industry and for anyone relying on blockchain technology.   READ MORE...

Paul McCartney - SGT Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/The End (Live)

Border

 

Excuse ME

 

Half

 

Republicans

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> The 2024 Primetime Emmys bring in 6.9 million viewers, a 54% jump over the previous broadcast (More) | California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs law aimed at protecting actors from AI digital clones being used without their consent (More)

> Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles files appeal with Swiss court in effort to overturn decision to take away an individual bronze medal she won at the Paris Olympics (More)

> Shortlist of six novels selected for prestigious Booker Prize for fiction, including a record five female authors; winner set to be announced Nov. 12 (More)


Science & Technology
> New estimates project deaths from drug-resistant infections to rise by 70% by 2050, claiming roughly 2 million lives per year (More) | What are superbugs, and where do they come from? (More)

> Astronomers propose measuring the wobble of Mars along its rotational axis to test whether dark matter—an unknown substance making up about 26% of the universe's matter—could be made of tiny black holes (More) | Black holes 101 (More, w/video)

> Social messaging platform Snap unveils new operating system for its fifth generation smart glasses; debut signals a renewed push by the company into augmented reality (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -0.0%, Dow -0.0%, Nasdaq +0.2%) ahead of anticipated Federal Reserve decision to lower benchmark interest rates at end of two-day policy meeting today (More) | What is the Fed, anyway? (More, w/video)

> BlackRock and Microsoft to launch $30B investment fund to build data centers and secure energy sources to power resource-heavy AI systems (More) | Why does AI require so much energy? (More)

> AT&T to pay $13M to settle Federal Communications Commission investigation tied to 2023 cloud data hack; issue is separate from hack revealed this year to have compromised 73 million customers' Social Security numbers and passwords (More)

Politics & World Affairs
> House Speaker Mike Johnson (R, LA-4) to hold vote today on stopgap bill ahead of Sept. 30 government shutdown deadline; bill includes provision requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote (More) | Democratic-led bill to establish nationwide right to in-vitro fertilization falls short of 60 votes needed to advance in Senate (More)

> Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to launch investigation into assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, parallel to FBI investigation (More) | See updates (More)

> Canada's ruling Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, loses Montreal parliamentary seat in special election; defeat is the second recent upset for Liberals following loss of long-held Toronto seat in June (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Fixin' the Economy

Since I am not an ECONOMIC EXPERT, I can offer my views on how to fix our FAILING ECONOMY...

First of all, I would say that the government has to STOP ITS SPENDING.  Not only does government spending increase INFLATION but it also increases the NATIONAL DEBT which is going to bite us in the ASS one day.

With that said, the government SHOULD (but it will not) REDUCE SPENDING.

So, what area(s) of the budget would you reduce?

• Social Programs
• Education
• Unemployment insurance
• Healthcare
• Social Security
• Military
• Green Energy
• Other

Secondly, the government needs to reduce corporate taxes so that companies will invest in the future and grow their companies.

This one is difficult to understand because the mentality is that companies want to make profits at the expense of the workers and the consumers.

Thirdly, the government needs to convince CONGRESS that we need to pass a law that states the wealthy CAN NO LONGER shelter their money away from taxes in offshore bank accounts.

Millionaires can afford to pay several hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes and Billionaires can afford to pay several millions of dollars in taxes.

This one is not going to be easy to pass or swallow but it needs to be done.  And the sooner we realize this the sooner we will begin to be better off.

Fourthly, the government needs to STOP PUSHING the GREEN ECONOMY...

WHY?

Because:

1. of its initial cost
2. of our weakened economy
3. the rest of the world is not going there
4. oil/gasoline keeps our economy strong

Somewhat Political

 

Earth's Inner Core

Deep beneath our feet, at a staggering depth of over 5,100km, lies Earth's inner core — a solid ball of iron and nickel that plays a crucial role in shaping the conditions we experience on the surface. In fact, without it we'd be unlikely to even exist.


But despite its significance, it's a bit of a puzzle how it formed and developed. We don't even know how old it is. Luckily, mineral physics is bringing us closer to solving the mystery.


The inner core is responsible for Earth's magnetic field, which acts like a shield, protecting us from harmful solar radiation. This magnetic field might have been important for creating the conditions that allowed life to thrive billions of years ago. 


The Earth's inner core was once liquid, but has turned solid over time. As the Earth gradually cools, the inner core expands outwards at the surrounding iron-rich liquid "freezes". That said, it is still extremely hot, at least 5,000 Kelvin (K) (4726.85°C).   READ MORE...

Taking Responsibility

In the past two decades, China has reemerged as a major power, with the world’s second largest economy and a world-class military. It increasingly asserts itself, seeking to regain its centrality in the international system and over global governance institutions that include:  the World Bank,  the International Monetary Fund,  and the United Nations...  SOURCE:  Council on Foreign Relations

IF...  WE as a country...  DO NOT see the THREAT that CHINA presents then the USA is DOOMED to be subservient to CHINA.

Just because I, personally, am not an expert on Foreign Relations, China, or any of these institutions listed above, does not mean that my CONCERNS ARE NOT VALID.'

Right now, the USA is controlled by the DEMOCRATIC PARTY, and all they are concerned about is:

• Maintaining power and control
• Destroying Donald Trump
• Controlling the flow of information
• Weaponizing the DOJ & FBI
• Continuing illegal immigration
• Stop the use of Petroleum Crude Oil
• Becoming a Green Energy Nation
• Increasing our Welfare and Social Programs
• Rasing our TAXES
• Creating Govt controlled abortions, not States

If you allow the DEMOCRATS to remain in power, including the CONGRESS, then you are indirectly, perhaps directly, handing GLOBAL CONTROL over to CHINA.

In so doing, you will turn the USA into a THIRD WORLD CONTRY, no different than the countries from which these ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS fled.

Open your eyes people and look at what these ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS are already doing in ALL of our BIG CITIES.

The USA will become the country that the VOTERS want it to become...  and this is the way our DEMOCRACY works...  but, when the DEMOCRATS keep their power and control in November, HALF OF THE USA...  HALF OF AMERICANS...  will still be against what happened...  and that opposition will not be easily SILENCED.

YOU THE VOTERS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHATEVER HAPPENS...  not the GOVERNMENT...  because the government was created by YOU...  and don't you forget that!!!

Humanoid Robot Coming

 

The following companies/countries are mass producing humanoid robots in 2025:

1. Agility Robotics
2. Fourier Intelligence
3. Kepler
4. Tesla

What does that mean for AMERICANS?

Mass production of robots means that there is a very high likelihood and probability that robots will be in the mainstream of the American/global economy sooner than expected.

Companies DO NOT mass produce unless they have consumers or other companies willing to purchase the mass-produced product.

If I OWNED A COMPANY, I would be looking to invest in robots as soon as possible.

Why?

Several Reasons:

1. Robots don't get sick
2. Robots don't get pregnant
3. Robots don't need vacations
4. Robots don't need benefits
5. Robots don't ask for wage increases
6. Robots don't go on strike
7. Robots don't take their knowledge another company

There is a huge UP FRONT cost to purchase the robots, along with maintenance, and software upgrades...  BUT in the long run, it is cheaper to buy robots than invest in human labor capital.

The larger companies along with the wealthy will invest in robots first.  The wealthy will use these robots like SOUTHERNERS USED SLAVES which has negative connotations while at the same time, robots offer a huge number of incentives for the wealthy, like:

• a good return on investment
• house-keeping duties
• grounds maintenance
• chauffeur

We will begin to see humanoid robots working in warehouses, loading docks, fast food restaurants, taxi cab drivers, food servers, bank tellers, lawncare, maintenance, stock handlers, truck drivers, traffic and crowd control, etc.

If mass production is starting in 2025, then jobs will start to be replaced the following year and will start to escalate the years after that.

NOW IS THE TIME TO START PREPARING YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY

DOMESTIC TERRORISTS

 

While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Taken from Concert For George)

Illegals

 

Fixing Things

 

 

Choices

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Sean "Diddy" Combs arrested in New York by federal prosecutors after grand jury indictment (More) | Longtime BBC presenter Huw Edwards avoids jail time after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children (More) | Former MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe pleads guilty to securities fraud charges (More)

> Shaboozey’s "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" tops Billboard Hot 100 for 10th consecutive week as well as the Hot Country Songs chart for the 14th week (More)

> Independent hearing on Manchester City's alleged finance breaches begin; the soccer club is alleged to have breached 115 Premier League financial regulations between 2009 and 2018 (More)


Science & Technology
> Researchers produce first-ever map of brain changes occurring during pregnancy; effects include a long-lasting decrease in gray matter and a temporary increase in white matter (More) | Gray versus white brain matter, explained (More)

> US health regulators approve sleep apnea detection feature on new Apple watches, the company's latest step into health; the decision follows approval for hearing aid function on AirPods Pro 2 (More)

> Engineers develop cheap, biocompatible fabric-like filter to remove microplastics and lead from drinking water (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.1%, Dow +0.6%, Nasdaq -0.5%); Dow closes at an all-time high (More) | Intel shares rise nearly 8% in after-hours trading on plans to turn foundry business into subsidiary; unit offers semiconductor manufacturing services to customers (More) | Oracle shares close up 5%; chairman Larry Ellison becomes world's second-richest person (More)

> Boeing freezes hiring, considers temporary furloughs to cut costs as more than 33,000 union workers strike for fourth day (More) | See previous write-up (More) | Amazon orders workers to return to office five days a week in 2025 (More)

> AI startup World Labs raises $230M from backers including Andreessen Horowitz and Nvidia's venture capital arm; aims to build AI models that interact with 3D world (More) | See other US AI startups that have raised $100M or more this year (More)

Politics & World Affairs
> Two former chiefs of the New York City Fire Department charged for allegedly soliciting, accepting bribes to expedite fire safety approvals of large building projects; unclear if case is related to corruption investigation around Mayor Eric Adams' (D) administration (More)

> Coast Guard's Marine Board of Investigation begins hearing two weeks of testimony from former employees of OceanGate as part of probe into Titan submersible, which imploded in June 2023 and killed five people (More, w/photo)

> Death toll from flooding in central Europe rises to 18 after Storm Boris brings unusually heavy rainfall to Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia (More) | See photos (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Retirement

 

For many people in the USA, retirement is a nightmare and many of these people have made the claim that they cannot live just on Social Security and therefore must continue working.

What's wrong with that statement or claim?

• Well, for one, maybe they also have a lot of debt that needs to be serviced each month.
• Well, for two, maybe they did not have a plan to saving money to supplement Social Security.
• Well, for three, maybe they are living in an area of the USA that has a high cost of living.
• Well, for four, maybe these individuals/couples want to continue living high on the hog lifestyle.

The average SS claim is about $1,500/month.  If it is a couple that is retired and both drawing SS, then that would be $3,000/month.

My wife and I retired together in 2015 and our monthly expenses were only $3.500/month which has gone up to $4,500/month in 2024...  mainly because of the Biden-Harris administration whose policies have cause extraordinary INFLATION.

So, if you retired with SS of $3,000 and your expenses are $5,000 then you need to withdraw $2,000/month from savings...  that is to say if you put money into savings.

If you retired at 67 and you live for 20 years, that would be 87 and you would need $480,000 in savings to cover those two decades.

If you have little to no savings, then you are SOL and will need to continue working.

Also, it is going to be more expensive to live in Chicago or NYC than it is to live in Atlanta or Knoxville.

My wife and I live just as comfortably retired as we did when we were both working...  and it is because we:

• have no debt
• saved money
• live simply
• live in a low-cost area

What is also interesting her is that my wife and I have given up NOTHING to live as we do retired.

Somewhat Political

Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough

Two of the key barriers to producing power from nuclear fusion have been overcome, in what scientists say is a major advance towards producing near-limitless clean energy.


A team at US energy firm General Atomics achieved a “sweet spot” for operating the next-generation power source within a donut-shaped tokamak reactor.


Nuclear fusion replicates the same natural processes found within the Sun in order to produce vast amounts of energy, however harnessing the superhot plasma within the reactor in order for it to work in a meaningful way has proved elusive.             READ MORE...

Tommy James and Joan Jett - "Crimson and Clover"

A Truthful Observation... Or is it?

 

I have some limited experience with LINKEDIN, FACEBOOK, TWITTER/X and I can tell you from that experience, it is very easy to get caught up inside the pages of social media platforms.

It is easy to respond to the idiotic posts that other people make.  Some people like what you write, others do not.  But who cares?  No one knows each other.

You don't have any idea if you are really taking to the person whose photo is posted on the profile.  Many female profiles are actually males posing as females trying to get your attention.

It is easy to get mesmerized and lost, spending an entire day, accomplishing nothing other than posting your pitiful thoughts and comments.

It is really easy to see how naive children and adults can get lured into online predators.

These social media platforms CLAIM to be in search of the truth and swear that truth is all that is being posted.  In my experience, maybe and this is a slim maybe, there is 20% truth being posted on these social media accounts.  80% of it is FALSE or misleading.

AMERICANS love it... making us gullible, stupid, and ignorant because we believe what we read and are not smart enough to research it out, to see if there is any truth to what we read.

DEMOCRATS and REPUBLICANS are guilty of posting misinformation and/or disinformation on a regular basis in the hopes of swaying public opinion.

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT TO BELIEVE OR DISBELIEF...

Unfortunately, this is the world in which we live.

WOKE Teachers

White Dudes for Kamala

 

Owning Guns

 

Democracy

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> "Shōgun" breaks records at 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy; "Hacks" wins best comedy (More) | See other highlights from the night (More)

> Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has no plans to retire after concussion in Thursday night's game against the Buffalo Bills; this was Tagovailoa's third concussion in two years (More) | Texas jumps Georgia to lead college football's AP poll for first time in 16 years (More) | How college football rankings work (More)

> "The Life of Chuck" wins top prize at 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (More) | "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" leads domestic box office again, hauling in $51.6M in its second weekend (More)


Science & Technology
> Stranded Starliner astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore give first news conference from the International Space Station; pair will return aboard a SpaceX craft in February (More) | See previous write-up (More)

> New approach helps prevent distortions in AI-generated images like extra limbs and distorted facial symmetry (More) | How does generative AI work? (More, w/video)

> Poor performance under pressure, or "choking," linked to a drop in activity from the neurons helping to prepare the body for movement (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher Friday (S&P 500 +0.5%, Dow +0.7%, Nasdaq +0.7%) with Nasdaq closing out its best week of the year (More)

> DirecTV and Disney reach deal to end 13-day blackout that had blocked ESPN, ABC, and other Disney-owned TV networks for DirecTV's 11 million customers (More)

> Air Canada and pilots union reach tentative agreement to avoid strike this week; $1.5B deal will increase compensation by 46% over four years, with union members set to vote in the coming weeks (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Venezuela detains six foreigners, including three US citizens, accusing them of CIA plot to assassinate Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and others; the US denies allegations (More)

> Houthi missile reaches Israel from Yemen for first time, wounding nine people in country's center, per Israeli officials (More) | See war updates (More)

> Eight migrants die in English Channel crossing from France to England; boat carried people from Eritrea, Sudan, Syria, and Iran (More) | Flooding in Central and Eastern Europe kills at least eight people after heaviest rain in decades (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Tax the WEALTHY

 

This is the battle cry of the DEMOCRATS because they claim that the wealthy are not paying their fair share of taxes.

THE DEMOCRATS ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.

However, the reason why the wealthy do not pay their fair share of taxes is that they have their money SHELTERED AWAY FROM TAXES IN OFF-SHORE BANK ACCOUNTS WHERE THEIR MONEY CANNOT BE TAXED.

THEREFORE... the Democrats cannot increase taxes on the wealthy except on the small amount of money that they make available to be taxed.  Consequently, even if their taxes were raised, they would still PAY LESS than the average American...  making the comment about taxing the wealthy RATHER STUPID!!!

When taxes are raised the Middle Class is the group that typically has to bear the brunt of extra taxes.

THE DEMOCRATS DON'T SHARE THAT REALITY WITH YOU.

If the Democrats want to increase the CORPORATE TAX, the can and will but the only problem there is that those increases will be passed along to the consumer in higher prices.

This is how CAPITALISM WORKS...

The Democrats need capitalism to pay for their SOCIALISTIC PROGRAMS...  which puts them right square between a rock and a hard place.

A little inflation is necessary to create economic growth...  basic economics 101...  anytime you try to rebalance the scales in favor of supply or demand, it must be done simultaneously...  I am not sure that the Democrats understand or want to understand this basic concept.

Somewhat Political