Not Promise... Prove

The title was taken from a line in a recent mattress commercial that I have been seeing on the television...  and, each time I see it, this phrase bothers me because I believe it is misleading the consumer and the buying public.

Let's look at our two definitions, shall we?

Promise  --   means to assure someone that one will definitely do, give, or arrange something; undertake or declare that something will happen.

Prove   --   means to demonstrate the truth or existence of (something) by evidence or argument.

So, what they are saying is that they cannot promise you a good night's sleep but that they can prove you should/might be getting a good night's sleep with their mattress.

Don't you think the lawyers had something to do with how this commercial was worded?

Marketing/Advertising is all about getting the consumer to buy something that they do not really need while at the same time, getting them to pay more for that item than they should or can afford by using a credit card.

Another aspect of Marketing/Advertising falls on the design department and the production department along with the philosophy of UPPER MANAGEMENT by making sure we increase sales through REPEAT BUSINESS.  Therefore, most products built in the good ole US of A are designed and manufactured to be replaced in 3-5 years.

Our lack of due diligence is allowing our companies to increase their profits substantially each year making it a good investment for their shareholders if they are a publicly traded company.

What Goes Around Comes Around

Valuing Employees

According to INC.COM, there are 9 ways to show employees you value them:

1. Show Appreciation
2. Create New Employees
3. Make it Personal and Specific
4. Show You Trust Them
5. Make Internal Improvements
6. Make Time to Connect
7. Make Mentorship  Part of the Culture
8. Give Employees Ownership
9. Be Honest and Transparent

What is interesting here is that nothing is mentioned about pay/salary increases and yet most of the claims that the media makes or that politicians are making revolves around giving employees more money...

Increasing the salary creates a temporary boost in the minds of the employees...

WHY?

If an employer gives me a pay/salary increase but still demonstrates a lack of trust or does not take time to talk to me or continues not being honest with me, then the raise means very little in terms of me wanting to be more productive for my employer.  My loyalty for the company and my employer does not improve and I am highly likely to be looking around for a better job...  not necessarily more money.

UNFORTUNATELY,

Many employers view employees as expendable supplies.  Just like raw materials needed to make a product, employees are hire in such a way that they company has just enough to make a product and sometimes a little less in an effort to cut costs.

How often do you try to get to know your

• plumber?
• auto mechanic?
• electrician?
• heating and air technician?

ANOTHER EXAMPLE:  I have been under treatment for cancer for over 12 years and my Oncologist during all that time has never really become my friend nor do we discuss spouses or children or talk about our vacations.  He is simply my Oncologist.

2020 ELECTION: Just the Beginning...

Devine: Dems have no intention of accepting second Trump term

'If you think that they were sore losers in 2016, you ain't seen anything yet,' columnist says

By Caleb Parke | Fox News

Democrats are threatening violence if Joe Biden does not defeat President Trump in November, New York Post columnist Miranda Devine said Saturday.

"If you think that they were sore losers in 2016, you ain't seen anything yet. ... Democrats have no intention of accepting defeat at the ballot box," Devine said on "Fox & Friends Weekend."

Devine called it "information warfare" to benefit the Biden campaign, citing a Washington Post op-ed by Georgetown law professor Rosa Brooks, who says Americans should prepare for war if the election result is anything short of a Biden landslide.

"It's just a variation on the theme ... when [Biden] said if you don't vote for him, you ain't safe," Devine said. "It's pretty despicable, but that is everything you need to know."

The columnist called the op-ed dishonest.

"Because the scenarios they put together show that actually the Democrat proxies in the street are supposedly peaceful protesters, we've heard that before," she said. "And yet the Republicans are supposed to send in a whole bunch of violent agitators, which is exactly the opposite of what's been happening."

The law professor's comments come amid violence in Democrat-run cities and after Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and others who attended Trump's Republic National Convention acceptance speech at the White House and afterward were surrounded by angry people.

Pelosi Leads the Controversy

PERSONAL COMMENT:  It is entirely possible that our 2020 Presidential Election is so controversial that the results could tear this country apart politically as well as racially...

• Liberals versus Conservatives
• Blacks versus Whites

BLM will push an agenda a violence in the streets controlled by Democrats as they try to get recognized as having an unfair life in a country that is predominately white controlled.  The black population in America represents 13% of the overall population and they are clearly a MINORITY but are they a suppressed minority because of that 13%, there are thousands of wealthy blacks who have yet to come out and support their radical agendas.

The Liberals, depending upon their seats in the House and Senate will continue to wage war against Trump and possible move towards another impeachment regarding his handling of COVID...

AMERICA WILL BECOME WEAKENED BY DIVISION IN THE EYES OF ITS GLOBAL ALLIES AND THE REST OF THE WORLD AND FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN A NEGATIVE WAY...

Politicians

Labor Day

Summer’s final fling has arrived in the form of Labor Day. Most of us get the day off, but this holiday triggers mixed emotions. While summer still has 21 calendar days left, it’s time to get serious. School’s starting and there’s a sense that summer vacation is over. So what’s behind Labor Day — and how did it earn a place as a federal holiday?




WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LABOR DAY?
Do you get weekends off work? Lunch breaks? Paid vacation? An eight-hour work day? Social security? If you said “yes” to any of these questions, you can thank labor unions and the U.S. labor movement for it. Years of hard-fought battles (and the ensuing legislation they inspired) resulted in many of the most basic benefits we enjoy at our jobs today . On the first Monday in September, we take the day off to celebrate Labor Day and reflect on the American worker’s contributions to our country.

WHEN IS LABOR DAY?
Labor Day always falls on the first Monday in September, which means anywhere from September 1 through September 7. This year it’s September 7 in the U.S. and Canada — where it’s known as Labour Day. However, this is not the case for most countries — the majority of which celebrate on May 1.

HISTORY OF LABOR DAY
There’s disagreement over how the holiday began. One versions is set in September 1882 with the Knights of Labor, the largest and one of the most important American labor organizations at the time. The Knights in New York City held a public parade featuring various labor organizations on September 5 — with the aid of the fledgling Central Labor Union (CLU) of New York. Subsequently, CLU Secretary Matthew Maguire proposed that a national Labor Day holiday be held on the first Monday of each September to mark this successful public demonstration.

In another version, Labor Day in September was proposed by Peter J. McGuire, a vice president of the American Federation of Labor. In spring 1882, McGuire reportedly proposed a “general holiday for the laboring classes” to the CLU, which would begin with a street parade of organized labor solidarity and end with a picnic fundraiser for local unions. McGuire suggested the first Monday in September as an ideal date for Labor Day because the weather is great at that time of year, and it falls in between July 4th and Thanksgiving. Oregon became the first U.S. state to make it an official public holiday. Twenty-nine other states had joined by the time the federal government declared in a federal holiday in 1894.

Komic Korner Kartoons

Stay Positive and Stay Safe

What Bothers Me...

Waylon Jennings, What Bothers Me Most

First and foremost is the biased treatment of the media towards President Trump and that it has been this way for over 4 years.  The reason why this bothers me so much is not because I like Trump but because it is insulting that the media perceives that they know what is best for me to know.  Mainstream Media is censoring the news which in the long run can be very dangerous to our Republic form of Democracy.

Second and probably equally important is the concept of LAW AND ORDER that appears to be absent in numerous Democratically controlled cities across the country all of whom are blaming Trump for this violence...  when acts of violence can only be blamed on the perpetrators of that violence not on those who supposedly caused it to happen by their actions or comments, unless they are intentionally inciting riots.

For instance:  I robbed a convenience store because my wife said she needed more money than I could provide to her...  Is my wife to blame for what I did?

Third is the economy and the fact that the Democrats and Mainstream Media Outlets are blaming the shutdown on the fact that President Trump did not move fast enough against COVID...  this is simply NOT TRUE because Trump moved exactly like the EXPERTS suggested that he should move and the last thing a government wants to do is shut down the economy.  The issue lies on the shoulder of AMERICANS who because of their independent nature and the freedoms that they perceive they have REFUSED TO WEAR FACE MASKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCE.

Fourth is really broken down into two areas:  the stock market and taxes.  My retirement monies are in the stock market so it is imperative, at least for me, that the stock market continues to grow...  a decline in the stock market would result in a shortfall of financial income for me.  Additionally, any increases in taxes, especially since I am retired would also be difficult financially for me.

Fifth is safety.  I want to feel safe in my home, in my community, in my city, in my region, in my State, and in my country.  And, while I do not plan to travel overseas any time soon, I want to feel safe from foreign aggression both seen and unseen...  the unseen being cyber.

PERSONALLY, I do not think Joe Biden as President will adequately address the LAW AND ORDER ISSUE or the safety issue both at home and against foreign aggression. 

JOE BIDEN has stated emphatically that he is going to RAISE TAXES and return the GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS ON BUSINESSES.  This will negatively impact the stock market as well as my monthly income.

JOE BIDEN will continue to do exactly what Trump has done as far as COVID is concerned and the shutdown of the economy.  In fact, he will be forced to open the economy otherwise the Democratic Party will suffer the consequences of very slow economic growth no matter how desperately they believe in SOCIALISM....

ECONOMIC GROWTH DRIVES OUR ECONOMIC WELL BEING AND GREATNESS

JOE BIDEN will be forced to restore law and order to numerous Democratic cities or again his party will suffer the voting consequences of his lack of actions two years later.  In short, he will be forced to do exactly what Trump is presently doing.

AMERICA IS DIVIDED

1. Politically
2. Racially
3. Economically
4. Educationally
5. Religiously
6. Skills and Abilities

GOVERNMENTS CANNOT CHANGE THIS

THIS and THAT

All Creatures Great and Small

A Divided Country

I want to start by saying that America is a great country...  but, that could cause some confusion since
there are THREE AMERICAS...

• United States of America
• Central America
• South America

And...  the reality that people living in all three of these countries call themselves Americans.

So...  the United States of America is a great country but she might not ALWAYS BE A GREAT COUNTRY.

Why is that a possibility?

Because of the threat of China which many of us don't see as a problem because they do not appear to be as great a threat as Russia and perhaps the Middle East or North Korea.

HOWEVER...
China is only as strong as we are divided...

Yes, we are divided politically but we have always been divided politically and sometimes we work together very well and sometimes we don't...  but, that is not the division that is going to hurt us the most...  and, while the wealth gap seems to be the most prominent issue as to why we are divided is SUBORDINATE to whites versus blacks.

BLM or Black Lives Matter is causing a divide in this country that like the CIVIL WAR will be slow to heal.  80% of the USA is white and while that percentage could change over the years ahead it is likely to remain the strongest percentage as long as the USA exists, even under another name if that ever happens.

Among the wealthy there might be black/white unity but below that financial level is a hatred that has been building in the hearts of the black race that will not be satisfied by just passing laws and forcing companies to treat them differently or at least better than they had been treating them.

This hatred in the hearts of the black race in America can be found:

• in the lyrics of their rap songs
• in their anger in the streets
• in the way they respect the flag
• in the way they respect the National Anthem
• in the way they talk to and about white
• in the sermons from their churches
• in the rhetoric from their leaders
• in the displays in their cultural center
• in the way they honor their anti-white heroes
• in the way they blame today's whites for slavery

ETHNIC WHITES individually and collectively will reject the way the blacks will try to force them to accept Black Equality...   just like they have rejected WHITE EQUALITY because ETHIC WHITES know that in America there can never be equality except in birth and death.

SOME WILL ALWAYS BE BETTER THAN OTHERS

Remembering Obama's Presidency

OBAMA PRESIDENT 2009-2017

Barack Obama was President of the United States from 2009 to 2017 or 8 years.

Barack Hussein Obama II is an American politician and attorney who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the United States. Wikipedia

What did Obama do for the Economy?
The economic policy of the Barack Obama administration was characterized by moderate tax increases on higher income Americans, designed to fund health care reform, reduce the federal budget deficit, and decrease income inequality. His first term (2009–2013) included measures designed to address the Great Recession and Subprime mortgage crisis, which began in 2007. These included a major stimulus package, banking regulation, and comprehensive healthcare reform. As the economy improved and job creation continued during his second term (2013–2017), the Bush tax cuts were allowed to expire for the highest income taxpayers and a spending sequester (cap) was implemented, to further reduce the deficit back to typical historical levels. The number of persons without health insurance was reduced by 20 million, reaching a record low level as a percent of the population. By the end of his second term, the number of persons with jobs, real median household income, stock market, and real household net worth were all at record levels, while the unemployment rate was well below historical average.  SOURCE:  Wikipedia

ATTENTION:  Look at the above chart and you will see that Obama did nothing to help improve higher positions among blacks from 2009-2017 while Asians and Hispanics were increasing substantially...  why do you think that was?

AND...  wasn't Joe Biden part of that decision making process?

BTW, the above chart was used in an article in July 2020 about Systemic Racism in America...  And so, if racism is systemic then it cannot be blamed on President Trump.  It must be blamed on the Presidents going back to 2004 (according to this chart) that PERPETUATED SYSTEMIC RACISM IN AMERICA AND OBAMA WAS PART OF THAT PROCESS...

Conceptualizing Infinity

Infinity – often denoted by the symbol, ∞ represents something that is boundless or endless, or else something that is larger than any real or natural number. Since the time of the ancient Greeks, the philosophical nature of infinity was the subject of many discussions among philosophers. Wikipedia

Can you imagine BOUNDLESS?  ...  what about ENDLESS?

Before we go any further, let me introduce Entropy into the situation.

What is entropy?

Entropy is a lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder.

So, can you have INFINITY and ENTROPY at the same time?
And, if that is possible then infinity will gradually decline into disorder... and what then?

According to Quora.com:   A microstate is a particular way particles that make up the system can have different positions and momenta and still yield the same macroscopic measurements such as temperature and pressure. Since no finite system can have an infinite number of microstates, it's impossible for the entropy of the system to be infinite.

In short, INFINITY is something that NEVER ENDS...

Yet, mankind is predicated upon the fact that there is a BEGINNING and that there is an END.  But, infinity and entropy cannot exist at the same time and yet entropy is a scientific fact whereas infinity is not.

Another contradiction is the notion that OUR UNIVERSE is ENDLESS and what we know now is that our UNIVERSE is still EXPANDING...  but, what is it expanding into?  And, because it is still expanding does this now confirm an ENDLESS UNIVERSE?

Additionally, religious scholars believe that there is an ENDLESS LIFE after death in HEAVEN...  but, there is not proof of that either.

SYSTEMIC RACISM IN AMERICA

PROTESTERS IN HARLEM 30 MAY 2020

YES...  we have systemic racism in this country (the United States of America) but it did not start with President Trump being elected in 2016...   it started many years ago...  before WWII and before WWI and before the 1900's...  long before any of us were ever born or conceived in the eyes of our parents before they were married.

AND...  guess what???

BOTH THE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS TOGETHER, IN COLLABORATION, HAVE ALLOWED IT TO CONTINUE... 

Racism in America is both institutional and structural (see below)...


BUSINESS INSIDER
July 8, 2020

26 simple charts to show friends and family who aren't convinced racism is still a problem in America

Nationwide protests in recent weeks have rekindled a roaring public discourse about racial inequality in America.

George Floyd's death in police custody on May 25 let loose a groundswell of public rage about the way Black Americans are policed. But it also sparked a deeper conversation about the way they experience all aspects of modern life, whether it's underrepresentation in college attainment rates, or over-representation in COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Extensive academic research and data collected by the federal government and researchers has documented numerous ways that Black Americans experience life in the United States differently from their white counterparts.

It's called "systemic" racism because it's ingrained in nearly every way people move through society in the policies and practices at institutions like banks, schools, companies, government agencies, and law enforcement.

Systemic Racism includes the policies and practices entrenched in established institutions, which result in the exclusion or promotion of designated groups. It differs from overt discrimination in that no individual intent is necessary. (Toronto Mayor's Committee on Community and Race Relations. Race Relations: Myths and Facts)

It manifests itself in two ways:

• institutional racism: racial discrimination that derives from individuals carrying out the dictates of others who are prejudiced or of a prejudiced society
• structural racism: inequalities rooted in the system-wide operation of a society that excludes substantial numbers of members of particular groups from significant participation in major social institutions. (Henry & Tator, 2006, p. 352)

Sun Like Stars for Earth Like Planets

An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. The first possible evidence of an exoplanet was noted in 1917, but was not recognized as such. The first confirmation of detection occurred in 1992. This was followed by the confirmation of a different planet, originally detected in 1988. Wikipedia

It is an exoplanet that might offers life and if that is the case then mankind might be able to inhabit an exoplanet like they inhabit the earth...

Kepler-452b is an exoplanet orbiting the Sun-like star Kepler-452 about 1,402 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. It was identified by the Kepler space telescope, and its discovery was announced by NASA on 23 July 2015. Wikipedia

It was first thought that Kepler-452b might be livable but that was later decided not to be the case because of the atmosphere in part but mainly because of the gravity which was twice as strong as earth's gravity. We could get down to the planet but it would be almost impossible for us to leave or two live since all objects would weigh twice as much as they weigh on earth.

But, instead of looking for earth-like planets, we should be looking for Sun-like stars.

Why?

Because, the sun is the most critical aspect.  If a planet is too close to the sun, it will be too hot.  If it is far away, it will be too cold.  PLUS, if the sun-like star is too big or too small, conditions on earth-like planets will not be livable either.

Therefore, we should look for the sun-like star first.

An international team of astronomers has discovered that Tau Ceti, one of the closest and most Sun-like stars, may host five planets, including one in the star's habitable zone. So far, this is our best shot at finding an earth-like planet and may prove that life can and is possible on planets other than earth.

Biden's Silence

Are You Superstitious?

Another Morning in East TN

When I was a boy growing up in Alexandria, VA, Labor Day Weekend marked the end of summer because as soon as the weekend was over, we returned to public education and while the weekend was always enjoyable, the threat of going back to school was hanging over everyone's head even though most of the kids my age never gave that reality much thought until it actually happened.  Today, in most States, public education returns in the middle of August and because of the Corona Virus, those schools that do have students in their classrooms will be totally different than when I was a boy.

STINK BUGS ARE LIKE POLITICIANS

It is easy to remember things like this because being retired and having few hobbies or friends that I see regularly, I have nothing much else to do but remember.

However, for some of us here in East TN, the end of summer does not just mark the return of public education and a gradual decline of the heat, but the return of STINK BUGS.

According to TN State University, brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is a invasive pest of fruits, nuts, vegetables and ornamentals. The bug was first detected in Allentown, PA in 1998 and has since spread across the United States. The bug was found in Tennessee during 2008 and has since become an agricultural and nuisance pest in parts of the state.  Seasonal cues trigger stink bugs' search for winter quarters; the shortening days and falling temperatures sending them scuttling for cover. If they sheltered beneath tree bark or mulch, it would be one thing. But they prefer sharing your home over winter, piling into cracks and crevices by the thousands.

What got me to thinking about stink bugs was finding one in the kitchen sink on my way out to the back porch to sit, drink coffee, and write.

And...  while I like watching FOX NEWS as opposed to the biased news of ABC, MSNBC, CBS, and CNN, I got tired of them repeating over and over and over again how misleading mainstream media is, how screwed up the Democrats are, and how the 2020 election could have negative consequences for the US as a whole.

After 72 years of life and 45 years of working in a career, I have witnessed very little change in this country and very little meaningful action by either house of Congress.

• So what, if America goes Socialistic...  America already has Socialism
• So what, if America's wealthy gets higher and higher taxes...  that will never apply to me
• So what, if Democrats increase Medicare/Social Security...  that will simply benefit me
• So what, if the Stock Market goes down and down...  I have enough money in savings

I will be dead or dying if and when CAPITALISM starts to die out

I will be dead or dying if and when CHINA takes over America

I will be dead or dying if and when RUSSIA becomes a global leader economically

One of the criticisms of JOE BIDEN is that he has been an elected official for 47 years and has done nothing to change:

1. the wealth gap
2. gender equality
3. racism
4. education
5. illegal drugs
6. immigration
7. crime

HELL FIRE PEOPLE...  this is not just JOE BIDEN but ALL DEMOCRATS and ALL REPUBLICANS...  the only difference now is that the mainstream media instead of being fair and balanced are BIASED FOR  THE DEMOCRATS...

WHO Owns Our Future?

'Black Panther' star Chadwick Boseman 

dead of cancer at 43

Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago, his family said in a statement...

Instead of mourning the loss of this AMERICAN, Americans are bitterly fighting each other in a vicious struggle to determine the direction of this country for the next four years.

...Biden versus Trump...

Actually, it is not as simple as that because it is really not about our President but about the direction in which each POLITICAL PARTY is moving.  That is to say LIBERAL versus CONSERVATIVE where the liberals have redefined themselves as Progressives and in some cases Socialists.

SOCIALISM has failed miserably in several countries but it has also been relatively workable in other countries.  However, the drawback is the fact that Socialism can only serve one master...  the people as master or the economy as master...

The United States of America already has incorporated socialism in its policies and programs to some degree of which we speak very little.

Socialism Present in America

• Unemployment
• Public Education
• Public Transportation
• Public Parks
• Public Restrooms
• Social Security
• Medicare
• ANYTHING PUBLIC

So, the division in America, currently being viewed on media networks, some of which is not being portrayed accurately, is about:

THE PEOPLE versus THE ECONOMY

Currently, our Free Market Enterprise System or Capitalism, is PAYING FOR our Socialistic Programs listed above...

AND, you, the general public must decide do you want our government to focus on giving more to the people which in turn will not help the economy or giving more to the economy which in turn will help the help..

BUT...  this is only part of the story...  we also have to deal with the rest of the world...

If we give more to the people, we may not have the financial resources to help our ALLIES against the aggression of COMMUNISM and DICTATORSHIPS that want to destroy America...

What about:

1. China
2. Russia
3. North Korea
4. Middle East
5. Terrorism
6. Trade Deals
7. NATO
8. Nuclear Weapons
9. Space Exploration
10. Stolen Technology
11. Our National Debt
12. Our Environment
13. Global Population
14. Global Hunger
15. Global Poverty
16. The US Government admitting that there are UFO's