Be Prepared

We had more snow earlier this week than we have had in East TN for the last five years, including temperatures that were at or below ZERO.

What does this mean?

Does it mean that global warming is bullshit, or does it mean that this year is just an anomaly?

Or does it mean something else altogether?

I would say that it means something else...  so, what is that something else?

Well...  for me, it means BE PREPARED...  Hope for the best but expect the worst.

• This is another example of why individuals and/or couples should be debt free.
• This is another example of why one's pantry should always be stocked with canned and dried foods.
• This is another example of why you should have good tires on your vehicle and make sure your vehicle has been properly maintained.

And I completely understand that you cannot be prepared for everything, so you have to pick and choose which events you want to be prepared for.

There are lots of people around me who have invested in generators in case the power goes out.  That investment can be $5-$10,000 and you have to make sure what you buy is quality and is capable of providing all the power you need.

We do not have a generator because the power has only been out for a day or two in our area.  If power is gone in the summer, we have ways of staying cool (cold showers is one of them).  In the winter, it is putting on more clothes.

If we had a medical issue, then that would change our plans.

Wherever you live, you need to plan for unexpected events to happen.  It is easy to buy a couple extra cans of food each week, rather than purchase items all at once.

 

Somewhat Political

 

Chip Price Wars Unfold

To ensure the maximum utilization of their fabs today and in the future, Chinese chipmakers have already started cutting tape-out prices to retain existing customers and attract business from Taiwanese IC design companies, reports IJIWEI (via TrendForce). This trend comes as China is expanding its mature node production dramatically as it appears to plan to flood the market with chips to push out competitors. Chinese contract chipmakers have yet to increase their output considerably, but gaining customers will be important as it increases production throughout the coming quarters.


Mainland China-based SMIC, Hua Hong Semiconductor, and Nexchip reduced their tape-out service prices last year for Taiwanese chip design companies to secure orders for new capacity. As a result, some customers of GlobalFoundries, PSMC, Samsung Foundry, and UMC canceled their orders with their regular production partners as they geared up to move them to Mainland China's wafer fabs, according to the report.  READ MORE...

Selling EVs

 

In The NEWS

The fallout from the ongoing Israel-Hamas war continued to roil the Middle East over the weekend. Israeli airstrikes near a Lebanese army checkpoint in south Lebanon killed a Hezbollah member Sunday, while five senior members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps were killed Saturday in Syria. Iran vowed to retaliate against Israel, which it claims was behind the attack in Syria; Israel hasn't confirmed or denied involvement. In western Iraq, US and Iraqi troops were wounded after Iranian-backed militants known as the Islamic Resistance fired at an air base.


Over 80 people died amid a nationwide cold snap over the past week as arctic air pushed south as far as Texas and Florida. Frigid temperatures and ice storms are expected in much of the eastern two-thirds of the country today before a rapid rise in temperatures later in the week, a weather seesaw likely to prompt flooding.


Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, and Detroit Lions advance to NFL conference championships; Lions reach NFC Championship for first time since 1991 season (More)


Mary Weiss, the Shangri-Las lead singer best known for hit song "Leader of the Pack," dies at 75 (More)


Stanford women's coach Tara VanDerveer wins 1,203rd game, passing Duke's Mike Krzyzewski for most coaching wins in NCAA basketball history (More) | Novak Djokovic advances to Australian Open quarterfinals, matching Roger Federer's record in reaching 58 Grand Slam quarterfinals (More)


OpenAI suspends maker of a ChatGPT-based bot mimicking Democratic presidential nominee Dean Phillips, its first action against politically oriented applications on its platform (More)


Engineers fold DNA into the equivalent of a tiny electrical motor; first-of-its-kind structure is powered by liquid flowing through pores roughly one-billionth of a meter in size (More)


Researchers discover molecular sensor telling tardigrades—also known as "water bears"—to enter a nearly indestructible dormant state (More) | What are water bears, the world's toughest known organisms? (More)


At least 27 killed, 25 wounded after missile strikes a market in Russian-held Donetsk city in Ukraine Sunday, according to local authorities; source of strike unclear, Russia blames Ukraine (More) | See war updates (More)


Hundreds of thousands protest across Germany in response to reports members of far-right party Alternative for Germany participated in event where mass deportation plans were discussed (More) | Germans debate ban of Alternative for Germany (More)


Indian officials to inaugurate Hindu Ram Mandir temple today in northern city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh; 5-acre, $217M "Hindu Vatican" built on contested holy site significant to both Muslims and Hindus (More) | See photos (More)

SOURCE:   1440 News

Humiliation

 

Russia's Elite Paratroopers Refusing Orders

Russian marines and paratroopers are refusing to launch certain types of assaults due to concerns over the huge losses other troops are suffering, a Ukrainian official said, the Kyiv Post reported.

Nataliya Humenyuk, a press secretary for the Armed Forces of Ukraine's Joint Command South, said that the soldiers considered "themselves 'elite troops'" and did not "want to go into frontal assaults" that former felons and reservists typically carry out, the outlet reported.

Throughout the Russian invasion, Russia has become increasingly reliant on high-risk frontal assaults involving waves of attacks that probe Ukrainian positions and seize small portions of territory at the cost of substantial casualties.

The leader of the mercenary Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in a plane crash last August after leading a failed mutiny in June, described the tactic as a "meat grinder."  READ MORE...

Girl on BIke

 

Liberal Global Elitists

Who are these people?

They are the LEADERS and the BILLIONAIRES and the social media outlets that support them.

What do they want?

Besides CONTROL, they want all the residents of the world to NEED the government more than the government NEEDS them...

How are they going to do this?

By creating GLOBAL SOCIALISM...

The problem with SOCIALISM is that the government cannot collect enough taxes from the people in order to pay for all their social programs needed to keep the people dependent upon the government.

What stands in their way?

Conservative Government because it allows the people to take care of themselves rather than depending upon the government.  This means that people will have to work rather than get handouts from the government.

Another issue is CAPITALISM which is intended to grow a strong economy.  Right now, our free market enterprise system is providing the financial resources necessary to allow socialism to grow and flourish.  At some point in time, capitalism will no longer be able to provide these resources and socialism will implode.  

Another issue is our NATIONAL DEBT.  Right now the government is borrowing money to pay for all our social programs because they do not collect enough in taxes.  If we cannot service the debt or pay down the debt, it limits our ability to offer programs and limits our ability to borrow money.

One way to eliminate the debt is for the billionaires to collectively pay off our debt...  but, it is doubtful that they will be willing to do that, even though Bill Gates has suggested a wealth tax be imposed on the billionaires.

A wealth tax is not the same as paying off the National Debt and Gates knows this...  so, he is just playing games with a general public that does not realize he is playing games.

A final issue are the COMMUNIST COUNTRIES like Russia, China, and India as well as the dictatorships of North Korea and the Middle East.

Why are they a problem?

Because they do not care about socialism because they know that socialism leads to communism...  Also, if the USA focuses on socialism they will not focus on the military which means, other countries will soon be able to over-power us....  their strategy is to accomplish the over-powering economically so there is no military conflict necessary. 

Clever

 

Chinese EV Makers

LONDON/DETROIT, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The rise of inexpensive Chinese electric vehicles has upped the pressure on legacy automakers who have turned to suppliers, from battery materials makers to chipmakers, to squeeze out costs and develop affordable EVs quicker than previously planned.

"Automakers are really now only turning to affordable vehicles, knowing they've got to or they will lose out to Chinese manufacturers," said Andy Palmer, chairman of UK startup Brill Power, which has developed hardware and software to boost EV battery management system performance.

Palmer, formerly Aston Martin's CEO, said Brill Power's products could boost EV range by 60% and enable smaller batteries. The battery is an EV's most costly component.

Fears of slowing demand because EVs are expensive has increased urgency to reduce costs.  That urgency can be seen everywhere. Renault (RENA.PA), opens new tab said last month it plans 40% cost reductions for its EVs to reach price parity with fossil-fuel models.  READ MORE...

Stunned by Ignorance

 

Fats Domino

 

Saudi Arabia Wants to be AI Hub in Middle East

DAVOS, Switzerland — For years, the United Arab Emirates has been the Middle East’s go-to tech hub, thanks partly to its lack of personal income tax, flexible visa policies, and competitive incentives for international businesses and workers.

But Saudi Arabia is keen to capture some of the limelight, and talent, from its neighbor on the Arabian Peninsula — an ambition laid bare on the Davos Promenade this year.

The Saudi delegation staged a splashy presence on the city’s main street, including an expansive storefront dedicated to promoting Neom, a new urban development in northwestern Saudi Arabia; a space dedicated to the AlUla project, an initiative that’s part of the kingdom’s push to make the heritage city a global destination for tourists; a pop-up for the Saudi crown prince’s Foundation, MiSK, and its youth ambassadors called “majlis” — as well as two more Saudi chalets. It’s all part of the country’s Vision 2030 strategy of economic diversification.     READ MORE...

Displacement

World Economic Forum 2024: REBUILDING TRUST

 The World Economic Forum (WEF) convened its 54th Annual Meeting in Davos - Klosters, Switzerland, from January 15-19, 2024, on the theme ‘Rebuilding Trust,’ emphasizing the need for global cooperation and shared solutions in a world undergoing critical challenges like climate change, geopolitical issues, and more.

The Forum provided a crucial space to step back and focus on the fundamental principles driving trust, including transparency, consistency, and accountability at three fundamental levels: into the future, within societies, and among nations.

TO THIS I SAY BULLSHIT...

• TRUST
• TRANSPARANCY
• CONSISTENCY
• ACCOUNTABILITY

Anybody who does not have their heads up their asses knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that countries like:

1. The United States of America
2. China
3. Russia
4. The United Kingdom
5. The European Union
6. OPEC and
7. The Middle East will never be TRANSPARENT to their own citizens much less other countries in the world.  

There is also a problem with TRUST in that the Democrats and the Republicans or the whites and blacks or management and labor are not about to drop their guard and believe TRUST is possible.

Further, we all know from past experience that if you have power and/or wealth there is NO ACCOUNTABILITY.

For the WEF to have that as their theme must mean the leaders of the WEF and those attending are high on drugs or smoked a little opium before coming up with this idea.

Can you imagine all the pollution that was created from private jets for all to ASSHOLES to fly over to Davos to discuss something they know will never take place.

Newscast

 

Stealth Submarine

T

he Navy Has Big Plans for a New Stealth Submarine.  Designated as the SSN(X), the service’s next-gen attack submarine is expected to blow competitors out of the water once introduced. The upcoming program is a critical component of the Navy’s submarine force and will help the U.S. retain naval superiority in the forthcoming decades.

While the U.S. Air Force’s Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program has gained media attention recently, the Navy’s future Virginia-class submarine replacement needs its place in the analysis 'sun' as well.

Designated as the SSN(X), the service’s next-gen attack submarine is expected to blow competitors out of the water once introduced. The upcoming program is considered a critical component of the Navy’s submarine force and will help the U.S. retain naval superiority in the upcoming decades.

As China and Russia simultaneously work to develop their respective sixth-generation platforms, the race to produce the SSN(X) is on.      READ MORE...

No More EVs

 

Sunday Misc

 

Wealthy Americans

I read somewhere recently that the Average American needs FOUR MILLION DOLLARS in the bank to make sure they are financially protected against all potential negative situations.

The only people that I know that have the capability to achieving that goal, besides the entrepreneurs, bankers, brokers, and CEOs are:

• College Sports Coaches
• Professional Sports Coaches
• Professional Athletes
• Musicians and Singers
• Hollywood Actors and Actresses

 80% of the individuals in the USA earn, on average, less than $75,000/year and 80% of the families (both spouses working) earn collectively less than $120,000/year.

Oftentimes, 75% of their income is spent each month on the BASICS and if they have children that percentage increases.

It is damn near impossible for the typical American family to save any money at all.

In fact, individual credit card debt is the highest it has ever been...

What does that tell you???

What do you think is going to happen to individual and family incomes WHEN Humanoid Robots REPLACE:

• 10% of the jobs?
• 25% of the jobs?
• 50% of the jobs?
• 80% of the jobs

If you think this will not happen until 5-10 years from now, you are mistaken.

Elon Musk and several other companies, including China have plans to start mass producing humanoid robots in 2024...

These robots will start hitting the market in 2025.

That gives you 12 months to start planning.

ONE THING IS FOR SURE, MOST PRICES WILL NOT DECREASE...  GASOLINE IS DECREASING BECAUSE WE ARE NO LONGER IMPORTING OIL...  BUT THE OTHER FOOD PRICES ARE GOING TO REMAIN HIGH...

PLUS THE HOUTIE REBELS ARE FORCING CONTAINER SHIPS TO GO AROUND AFRICA TO DELIVER THEIR CARGO...  THAT WILL RESULT IN ADDITIONAL PRICE INCREASE...

IF YOU KEPT UP WITH THE NEWS YOU WOULD KNOW THIS...

 

Following Mom

 

In The NEWS

J

apan became the fifth nation to reach the moon after its robotic spacecraft, named the Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon, or SLIM, made a soft lunar landing at 10:20 am ET Friday. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency joins the US, the Soviet Union, China, and India as the countries to have landed a spacecraft on the lunar surface.



Russian oil depot hit in Ukrainian drone attack.
Four oil tanks with a total capacity of 1.6 million gallons caught fire after munitions from a Ukrainian drone struck the depot in the Russian city of Klintsy, located about 40 miles from Ukraine's border. Russian forces had brought down two other drones over other parts of the region. The Russia-Ukraine war hits two years Feb. 24.



S&P 500 closes at an all-time high Friday.
The S&P 500 rose 1.2% to 4839.81, surpassing both a previous intraday record and closing high from January 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.1% and the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.7%. Optimism around artificial intelligence has helped drive gains in technology stocks, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Nvidia, and AMD.



Sports Illustrated to lay off most of its staff.
Arena Group, which bought the publishing rights to the 70-year-old sports publication from Authentic Brands Group, said Friday it would be laying off staff that work on the Sports Illustrated brand because it had failed to make a $3.75M licensing payment to ABG. It is unclear if ABG will allow the Arena Group to renegotiate its licensing deal.



Alec Baldwin charged again with involuntary manslaughter.
A grand jury in New Mexico indicted the actor Friday on one charge of involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while on the set of the film "Rust." An involuntary manslaughter conviction in New Mexico carries a sentence of up to 18 months in prison.



March for Life demonstration returns to the US Capitol.
Tens of thousands of people attended the annual March for Life in Washington, DC, Friday. The event is the country's largest pro-life demonstration and is the second one since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, returning the issue of abortion to state legislatures.



North Korea claims to test underwater nuclear drone.
North Korean state media said the test of the nuclear-capable underwater weapons system was in response to this week's joint military drills between the US, Japan, and South Korea. The new test of the drone, dubbed "Haeil," or tsunami, was conducted off in the country's eastern waters.



Home sales in 2023 drop to lowest level in 28 years.
Sales of previously owned homes in 2023 dropped 19% year-over-year to 4.09 million, the lowest full-year level since 1995, according to new data from the National Association of Realtors. The median price of a home sold in 2023 was $389,800 (a record high), while the median price of a home sold in December was $382,600, a year-over-year increase of 4.4%.



Shawn Barber, world champion pole vaulter, dies at 29.
Barber died this week from medical complications after being ill for some time. He finished 10th while competing for Canada at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and won three NCAA Division I pole vault championships while at the University of Akron.

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Lots of Snow

 

In The NEWS

NFL postseason continues this weekend with the divisional round; see full preview and schedule for all four matchups (More) | Country star Reba McEntire tapped to perform the national anthem at the Super Bowl (More)

Atlanta's Spelman College receives $100M donation, the largest-ever single donation to a historically Black college or university (More)


"Oppenheimer" leads all film nominees for the 2024 British Academy Film Awards, or BAFTA Awards (More) | See full list of nominations (More)


Apple confirms it will drop blood oxygen sensing technology from flagship Apple Watch models to avoid import ban following IP battle loss (More) | See previous write-up (More)


Researchers recreate the life travels of a woolly mammoth that lived roughly 14,000 years ago by analyzing the composition of its tusk; study suggests hunter-gathers established settlements along known mammoth routes (More)


Engineers demonstrate a robot that grows like a vine in response to light and pressure, may have applications in disaster response and rescue missions (More)


US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.9%, Dow +0.5%, Nasdaq +1.4%), shaking off three-day slump as technology shares drive rebound; shares of world's largest chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. rise nearly 10% (More)


US weekly jobless claims drop to 187,000; figure from last week is lowest since September 2022 (More) | US average 30-year fixed mortgage rate drops to 6.6% per Freddie Mac’s weekly reading, lowest level since May 2023 (More)

Macy's to cut 2,350 jobs, or about 3.5% of workforce, amid slowing sales (More) | Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei establishes new smart car unit (More)


Georgia judge to hold Feb. 15 hearing on claims Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is engaged in an improper relationship with a top prosecutor in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump (More)


At least nine people killed after Pakistani airstrikes in Iran targeting a militant separatist group pushing for independence in Pakistan's Balochistan region (More) | Follows Iranian strikes in Pakistan Tuesday targeting Jaish Al-Adl, a militant Islamist group operating near the two countries' border (More)


Congress passes short-term extension ahead of Saturday's federal funding deadline, sends bill to White House for signature; legislation punts deadlines on the two-tiered package to March 1 and March 8 (More)

SOURCE:  1440 News

Somewhat Political

 

Fear of TRUMP

 The Democrats and their Liberal Media conspirators are AFRAID OF DONALD TRUMP, so much so that not only do they HATE HIM, but they will do anything they can to STOP HIM even it if means violating their own integrity and ethics.

MSNBC failed to broadcast Trump's victory speech in IOWA because he LIES...

OMG and WTF...  how many politicians that you know TELL THE TRUTH.  Most all politicians LIE, or MISLEAD or WITHHOLD THE TRUTH.

Now, all of sudden, MSNBC want to censor becaue of lies...

NINETY ONE FELONY CHARGES have been leveled against Donald Trump in the hopes that it will change people's opinion about voting for him in 2024.

HOWEVER, the stupid Dems and Liberal Media did not count on the felony charges PISSING PEOPLE OFF because of the DOUBLE STANDARDS of our judicial system.

I didn't want to vote for Donald Trump in 2024 but if he is the GOP nominee then by golly damn that is exactly what I am going to do because of the DEMS and the LIBERAL MEDIA.

What is going on in the US of A is exactly what I would have expected to have happened in CUBA, RUSSIA, CHINA, IRAN, and NORTH KOREA just to name a few places that are either communist countries or dictatorship.

The United States of America is not supposed to be like them...  WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BETTER.

Elephants

 

Searching for the Universe's Missing Pieces

Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider are probing new particles beyond the Standard Model of Particle Physics, aiming to unravel its limitations and foster advancements in technology.

It seemed like the Standard Model of Particle Physics was complete with the discovery of the Higgs boson particle in 2012. The Standard Model is physicists’ current best explanation of the major building blocks of the universe and three out of four of the major forces. 

But there are still a number of mysteries that the Standard Model simply can’t explain. These include dark matter and dark energy. Physicists supported by the Department of Energy (DOE) are trying to figure out if there are particles and forces beyond those in the Standard Model, and if so, what they are.   READ MORE...

The Yardbirds