Taking Up Space In Time

I have always found it odd sometimes how in a high school graduating class of 250, less than 10% are relatively successful as defined by national median income and less than 1% actually become super wealthy and this takes into consideration professional athletics which has, for years, skewed the results...  but now science is beginning to discover that some people are simply born with a different personality and character that simply provides them with whatever they need both mentally and physically to become incredibly successful.

MOST OF US ARE NOT BORN WITH THIS CHARACTER and it is not something that can be acquired or developed, it is just there inside some of us at birth.

Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson are perfect examples of this phenomenon and no matter how hard we try we will never be their equals when it comes to the skills and abilities they possessed.

Throughout history we have seen these people as well, like:

1. Wolfgang Mozart
2. William Shakespeare
3. Genghis Khan
4. Marco Polo
5. Isaac Newton
6. Leonardo da Vinci
7. Michelangelo 
8. Pablo Picasso
9. Thomas Jefferson
10. Albert Einstein
11. Bill Gates
12. Steve Jobs

AND...  I suppose that there are many more...  but, you get the point...  some of us will be successful and wealthy while most of us will not and all of this depends quite honestly on the moment of birth and the character with which the baby is blessed.

SO...  what does this mean for the vast majority of us?  Nothing much other than we will be quite ordinary and live a meaningful but ordinary life and die an ordinary death accomplishing little while we were alive other than taking up space in time.

Something In Their Character

ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS THAT AMONG THESE ARE LIFE LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS...

Fine and beautiful words to live by but... are they ACCURATE?

We might be equal in the eyes of GOD which is now questionable among many in the United States that there even is a GOD...  yet, the reality is that we are TOTALLY UNEQUAL in most everything including but not limited to LIFE, LIBERTY, and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS...

Why would I suggest such a stupid comment?

Well...  because it is something in their character that causes people to be successful whether or not that something was put there by God or by someone or something else, it is still nonetheless there...   AND, one SOME OF US HAVE IT...

CHARACTER is one of the attributes or features that make up an individual...

FOR EXAMPLE

Here is the sentence by Martin Luther King Jr

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character.”

What is the exact meaning of ‘the content of their character’?

THE RESPONSE

"Content" in this context means "Contents"; in other words, what is "held within" or, simply "inside".
"Character" is what makes someone what he (or she) is. It includes what they believe in, but also - and most importantly) -how they behave: for example, whether or not they are honest, kind, friendly, loving, respectful and so on. It is similar to "personality", but tends to be used when considering whether someone is good or bad, and focuses on their actions. So, one could have a violent gangster who has a thoroughly bad character, but a "lively" personality!

So, Martin Luther King was really asking that people be judged by their behavior rather than their appearance.

NEITHER DEMOCRATS NOR REPUBLICANDS, LIBERALS OR CONSERVATIVES, DEMOCRACIES OR SOCIALISTIC STATES CAN LEGISLATE CHARACTER...   AS IT IS UNIQUELY DIFFERENT FOR ALL OF US AND WHAT WILL ALWAY SEPARATE THE WEALTHY FROM THE POOR AND MANAGEMENT FROM LABOR.

Sunday Recollections

My acre lot is narrow and long so I can, for the most part, see my east and west neighbors, although on my western side, I have transplanted 12 Magnolia trees from my parents house in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and several years later they are a good 15 feet tall and wide and since I planted them close together, they make a excellent privacy fence.  On my eastern side, my neighbor I can see but he seldom leaves his dwelling and it is his garage that is next to me which acts as an excellent buffer.  On my northern side there is nothing but an open field where deer stroll and a wooded area where our cats like to roam.  My southern side is my front lawn of sorts since outside on the back deck is where much time is spent.  My neighbors are at a good distance and while I can see them when they are out and about, a good spyglass I need to distinguish their features.

I perform my own lawncare during the fall, summer, and spring, sow my own grass when needed, and trim back all the shrubbery that we planted ever fall which gets a little more daunting the older I get.  So...  instead of doing all this maintenance in a day or two as was typically the case over the Thanksgiving Holiday, I now spend a leisurely week or two preparing my landscape for winter...  and while these winters have recently been very mild there are still COLD days which bother me tremendously as does the humidity of summers.

The pace in the SOUTH is somewhat slower than the NORTH although one can find several exceptions to this generality in our larger cities like Atlanta and even Knoxville has become more frantic as the years roll by which is why I remain out of the city as often as I can and if I do have to venture into that despair, I always time my visits  before or after rush hours.

My front porch has two rockers and a swing and parallels the entire length of the house but is seldom used; in fact, I don't recall a time when we ever sat out there and watch the traffic pass by as so many of my neighbors do and have done for hundreds of years.  It seems that front porch sitting is something indicative to the SOUTH and I cannot imagine why because whenever I have done this at other house I find myself getting incredible bored just looking out and about.

COVID-19 has completely retarded our travels this year and no doubt beyond and I fear that we will do little travel elsewhere until a vaccine has been found and even when that is done, my Oncologist may or may not let me take it depending upon whether the virus used is dead or alive.

Rain just blew in and has forced me off the back porch but it will soon blow out and I will return as the warm days will soon become few and far between and inside this house I will remain until it warms up again since some 5 months hence.

Simple Pleasures

I have an acquaintance who is a multi millionaire and about who it was said made his money honestly and with a most abundant infusion of hard work and persistence that was tempered and mellowed by intelligence and clever decisions.  And, of this person was said often that he enjoyed his millions and spent it well on himself and family with personal flying machines and multiple home and travels that took him all across the globe and back several times. 

He wore the finest of clothes, dined at the finest of restaurants, and when he slept it was inside the finest of establishments.  He was well respected and revered and he never count all the friends he had as they were by his side everywhere.  And, what made this all the more perfect was that his health was perfect in all respects and not just because he ate healthy and exercised but because he had been blessed with a fine body as well as a fine mind both of which his entire life served him well.

I could continue his story well into the night but I should not bore you with anymore details of his life because the majority of us here in America will never live like this and if we tried it would only be in our dreams and in our vivid imaginations.

Most of us live simple lives and while some of us are considered Middle Class we will be of the poor one when we retire unfortunately...  unless, we deem it necessary to work until we die or are physically unable.

WEALTH is only for a few.Si

I has been that way forever...  and, while there are new people poking their heads into the ranks of the wealthy all the time, still relatively speaking they are a small minority.

The rest of us are left to enjoy what simple pleasures might still be available to us like the INTERNET and all that it provides both educationally and in the way of entertainment.  And, if we cannot travel to places all around the world we can still see them in pictures...   and while some may say that is not good enough...  I will tell you it is better than nothing.

It was not too long ago that Delta asked us to postpone our trip for a fee and when all was said and done, we had two free tickets to HAWAII...  and, all these years later, all I remember is that I went and try as I may, I cannot remember exactly what I saw even though I spent several days traveling to all these destinations including a live volcano.   Yet, I know all these vivid memories are still inside my head.  I just cannot bring them to the forefront.

I also went to high school in Cairo, Egypt and spent much time at the pyramids but those vivid memories are gone as well even though I know that I was there and experienced it first hand.  And, when I look at photos of the pyramids, I remember not what it was like to stand there and touch it.

TODAY...  I watch the sunrise and sunset every day if there is visibility and walk on paths in all sorts of wooded areas, and paddle a kayak around and around nearby manmade lakes and watch nature swimming in the water and flying in the air or scurrying around the foliage.

TODAY...  I spend my time letting cats lie on my lap while I write comments on my laptop and post them on blogs on the internet for those who want to read or not.  I watch historical dramas or documentaries on cable or read from articles easily discovered on the net.

TODAY...   I sleep as late as I want to in the mornings and eat whatever I desire from a grocery store but have no desire for wines or other alcohols or expensive bottled waters.

TODAY...  I sit on my screened in back porch and while drinking coffee put my thoughts down on paper and when I look up I hear birds and all else is quiet and I see green grass, colorful trees and flowers and a pool covered with a tarp for the winter and the sky which changes little from one day to the next.

TODAY...  I lead a simple life and harbor no regrets inside because each of those memories like what I remember seeing years ago has all but disappeared from my mental points-of-view.

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

Just Another Fall Saturday Morning in the Valley

I am sure that I have mentioned before how pleasant living in the Tennessee Valley has been for me these last 30 years, relocating here when I was a middle-aged man of 43 from the Piedmont of North Carolina another State in my beloved SOUTH.  And...  I refer to this geographical area that way because I have been up North, out West, and even to our western most coast and I find all those areas rather unattractive in their general appearances and personalities.

Yes...  it is true, we don't have:

• the great educational institutions
• the great medical facilities
• all the great restaurants
• all the wonderful cultural activities
• all the expensive shopping areas
• all the insane pollution in the air
• all the people and the congestion of traffic

What we do have is SIMPLISCITY in its finest form and that is not to say what you might find in a suburban community anywhere but it is found in the cultural mentality of all the people who occupy these lands...  with the exception of large urban areas like Atlanta...

Tennessee is divided into 3 distinct areas:  Eastern, Middle and Western and only the former holds the simplistic beauty and sublime way of life, especially in the valley.  While the valley was a natural travel way up into the north, it remains intact with all its beauties that were there hundreds of years ago.

The valley is protected from inclement weather by the Great Smokey Mountains on its right and the Cumberland Plateau on its left making it an ideal place to live according to the weather year round or at least that has been my experience.  The Public Works Projects of the 1920's created the TVA which built all the wonderous lakes that we use for reactional boating, fishing, camping, and everyday family outings and picnics with an over abundance of walking trails.

While we do not have the reputation of the best medical facilities in the land, let me share that my Urologist was educated and trained at the MAYO clinic for 20 years, so I cannot help but feel that I am in good hands whenever I go to see him.  And, this is indicative of this area where many skilled and well educated and experienced doctors, physicians, and surgeons have decided to relocate to the SOUTH,

The Knoxville airport is only 45 minutes away in heavy traffic which is probably the typical travel time to an airport if you lived in New York City and after a 30 minute flight to Atlanta, my family and I can fly ANYWHERE as long as we have a boarding pass and ticket.

In 45 minutes I am in the Great Smokey Mountains and in an additional 45 minutes I will arrive at a Native American Gambling Casino if I ever have a mind to gamble and loose my money...  at least the drive to that location is beautiful.

We have easy access to cable, dish, and high speed internet and with google as our search engine have access to data and information that a few years ago I could only imagine.

BUT...  the most attractive feature of this area despite the acre of land on which I live and neighbors that are not too close is the fact that there is not STATE INCOME TAX and our cost of living is substantial less on average than anywhere else in the country.  This feature allows retirement monies to last longer than in other areas and this benefit is all mine to enjoy.

So... on this fall Saturday in this glorious valley after spending a few hours updating my blogs, I will close our above ground pool in weather that will be in the 60's...  and, while an above ground pool is not as fine as one that is in the ground, it is much easier and less expensive to maintain and with the water 4-5 feet in depth, it provides all the water relief for our bodies that one might find at a fancy Caribbean Resort.  And, off to the side is a 10 year old hot tub that when treated well will last a long time and it is used throughout the year by meThe Tr to simply relax and tune out.

THIS and THAT

 

Social Security is SOCIALISM

SOCIALISM is a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

Examples:  anything public that is owned by the government like: public transportation, public education, public healthcare, public social security

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC is a form of government operating on principles adopted from a republic and a democracy. Rather than being a cross between two entirely separate systems, democratic republics may function on principles shared by both republics and democracies.

• Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
• Republic is a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch

Example:  people governing themselves like the United States

DEMOCRATIC CAPITALISM also referred to as market democracy, is a political and economic system that combines capitalism and a strong welfare state curbing the excesses of individual freedom. It integrates resource allocation by marginal productivity, with policies of resource allocation by social entitlement

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM is defined as having a socialist economy in which the means of production are socially and collectively owned or controlled, alongside a democratic political system of government.

Social Security is a form of social welfare that ensures the elderly have some minimum level of income...   and, social welfare is nothing more than socialism as it is controlled and offered by the government on behalf of the people.

Without Social Security many of America's Elderly would not be able to survive...  and, with this statement I am reminded of a television commercial about the elderly Jews in Russia and how difficult it has been for them to survive and that many of them are living on $2/day and are barely surviving...  Russia has no social security programs for their elderly which is why they are living like they are and why people are asking Americans to donate money to them...

The same issue would happen here in America if it were not for SOCIAL SECURITY unless families stepped up to the plate and took care of their parents, brothers and sisters, and other relatives that might be in need.

WHY DO WE NEED SOCIAL SECURITY IN THE USA?

Many people like myself did not earn enough money during their careers so that they could save some of that money for retirement.  Many people who are in similar situations are forced to continue working until they cannot do so physically or mentally.  Others, like myself, live in areas where the cost of living is low and not that much money is needed to pay one's bills.

Consequently, the fact that America has social welfare for the elderly is the main reason why I stopped working once I reached the full retirement age of 67.  Not only was working somewhat counterproductive for me and my employer but employers don't take kindly to the elderly because they do not have the physical endurance or the mental agility of the younger generation.  

In short, they are not treated very well at work and are rather encouraged to leave.  Now, bear in mind that this is my personal opinion and may not be applicable to everyone...  it was however, the foundation and impetus for my retirement.

IF ONE'S FAMILY HAS NO DESIRE OR WILLINGNESS TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR ELDERLY THEN OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BECAUSE WE ARE AMERICANS SHOULD WILLINGLY ADOPT THAT RESPONSIBILITY WHICH THEY HAVE FOR THE MOST PART DONE....  at least at this point-in-time...  but funding social security is a huge drain on the tax payers and it would not surprise me if they resist paying for it one day.

Friday the 13th

<::::FROM HISTORY.COM::::>

                                                                                

Long considered a harbinger of bad luck, Friday the 13th has inspired a late 19th-century secret society, an early 20th-century novel, a horror film franchise and not one but two unwieldy terms—paraskavedekatriaphobia and friggatriskaidekaphobia—that describe fear of this supposedly unlucky day.

The Fear of 13
Just like walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat or breaking a mirror, many people hold fast to the belief that Friday the 13th brings bad luck. Though it’s uncertain exactly when this particular tradition began, negative superstitions have swirled around the number 13 for centuries.

While Western cultures have historically associated the number 12 with completeness (there are 12 days of Christmas, 12 months and zodiac signs, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 gods of Olympus and 12 tribes of Israel, just to name a few examples), its successor 13 has a long history as a sign of bad luck.

The ancient Code of Hammurabi, for example, reportedly omitted a 13th law from its list of legal rules. Though this was probably a clerical error, superstitious people sometimes point to this as proof of 13’s longstanding negative associations.

Fear of the number 13 has even earned a psychological term: triskaidekaphobia.

Why is Friday the 13th Unlucky?

According to biblical tradition, 13 guests attended the Last Supper, held on Maundy Thursday, including Jesus and his 12 apostles (one of whom, Judas, betrayed him). The next day, of course, was Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.

The seating arrangement at the Last Supper is believed to have given rise to a longstanding Christian superstition that having 13 guests at a table was a bad omen—specifically, that it was courting death.

Though Friday’s negative associations are weaker, some have suggested they also have roots in Christian tradition: Just as Jesus was crucified on a Friday, Friday was also said to be the day Eve gave Adam the fateful apple from the Tree of Knowledge, as well as the day Cain killed his brother, Abel.

READ MORE: Why Friday the 13th Spelled Doom for the Knights Templar

My YETI Cup

 Not too long ago I decided to purchase a YETI cup to use as a large coffee cup and because of its large size, it holds 3 - 8 oz cups of coffee and it seems to hold the heat in pretty well or even better but so far I have only used this methodology at home and never traveling.  Yesterday, I decided to take my YETI with me but leave it in the car while undergoing my monthly IVIG infusion which usually takes about two and a half hours.

I left the house at 6:30, arriving at 7:30 at the hospital and did not return back to the car until 10:30 which means the coffee had been supposedly cooling for a good 4 hours.  Once past the gate to pay my fee, I decided to take a drink to see how cool my coffee had become and while it was not as hot as it would have been from the pot, it was still pretty warm and never really cooled down while driving home to the point that I was drinking it cold or cool even.

I used that same process today when I went for another doctor's appointment except this time I was in and out in 30 minutes and the coffee inside the YETI was almost too hot to drink.  I knew the YETI was really good at keeping drinks cold/cool but I never knew that it would actually be that good for hot drinks and discovering this was a pleasant surprise.

I oftentimes drink hot coffee on my way to an appointment and if I want any coffee to drink while driving home, I have always had to stop at a gas station...  but, that inconvenience does not need to happen anymore.

Daily Enlightenment

At 73 years of age, I would not say that I wise or ignorant but learning more each day now that I am retired and there is no pressure on me to perform or make a grade...  life is very pleasant in that regard.  After 7 decades of life, I have become very much away of the following when it comes to Americans:

AMERICANS WILL HAVE THEIR:

1. abortions regardless of the law
2. guns and firearms even when outlawed
3. alcohol and illegal drugs for entertainment
4. youthful rebellions against parents and authority
5. racism on all sides and their divided mentalities
6. professional sports, musicians, singers
7. anti law enforcement and highway patrol behavior
8. stealing, crime, and petty theft at work
9. hypocritical behavior whenever it pleases them
10. extramarital affairs regardless of the consequence

I became aware of my political environment in the 1960's and have observed quite honestly over the last 50 years that nothing has changed in the American Way of Life, except for wages, cost of living, and technological advances in all areas of society.  THE ABOVE 10 ITEMS REMAIN INTACT.

At first I thought it was the politicians who did not want anything to change and then I realized that the very same politicians were and have been always elected by the people, even when the people basically have remained political ignorant and oblivious to the nature of it all...  or, at least that is true for a majority.

So, the reason for this lack of change regarding these 10 items is that a vast majority of the American people don't want anything of them to change, improve, or get better.  They enjoy and prefer to be exactly where they are.

Quantum Physics: Light and Matter

                                                                             

QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter is an adaptation for the general reader of four lectures on quantum electrodynamics (QED) published in 1985 by American physicist and Nobel laureate Richard Feynman.

In 2006, Princeton University Press published a new edition with a new introduction by Anthony Zee. He introduces Feynman's peculiar take at explaining physics, and cites: "According to Feynman, to learn QED you have two choices: you can go through seven years of physics education or read this book".

The four lectures

1. Photons - Corpuscles of LightIn the first lecture, which acts as a gentle lead-in to the subject of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman describes the basic properties of photons. He discusses how to measure the probability that a photon will reflect or transmit through a partially reflective piece of glass.

2. Fits of Reflection and Transmission - Quantum BehaviourIn the second lecture, Feynman looks at the different paths a photon can take as it travels from one point to another and how this affects phenomena like reflection and diffraction.

3. Electrons and Their interactions - The third lecture describes quantum phenomena such as the famous double-slit experiment and Werner Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, thus describing the transmission and reflection of photons. It also introduces his famous "Feynman diagrams" and how quantum electrodynamics describes the interactions of subatomic particles.

4. New Queries - In the fourth lecture, Feynman discusses the meaning of quantum electrodynamics and some of its problems. He then describes "the rest of physics", giving a brief look at quantum chromodynamics, the weak interaction and gravity, and how they relate to quantum electrodynamics.

Cosmic Consciousness

 FROM THE CHOPRA FOUNDATION

What is Cosmic Consciousness?   

The question at hand is whether there is such a thing as higher consciousness? We are using the term “cosmic consciousness” to denote a state of awareness that knows itself completely, a state of inner silence that is in direct contact with existence. Such a state would be free, without suffering or limitation. If there is such a state, then human evolution has a goal to aim for one that is natural and credible rather than supernatural and faith-based.

As scientific evidence, we began with the quantum vacuum, which is the source of everything that’s deemed “material,” from atoms to galaxies. In everyday usage a vacuum implies total emptiness, but the quantum vacuum is the origin and the end place of our universe, and possibly countless others. In fact, standard quantum field theory gives us an estimate of the mass-energy density of the quantum vacuum: a cubic centimeter of empty space (about the size of the tip of your finger) contains about 10 32 more mass energy-density than all visible matter in the universe! (That’s 1 followed by 32 zeroes, which more energy than all the trillion or so of all luminous galaxies in the observable universe.)

At the source, “quantum foam” is constantly bubbling up to produce everything in creation, here and now. Which means that the quantum revolution that began more than a century ago has effectively overthrown the common-sense notion of matter as something solid, tangible, and reliable. By implication, everything we associate with matter – the sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell of “material” things – has also been overthrown. If that seems radical, quantum theory goes further and dispatches time and space as constant, reliable aspects of reality. They, too, emerge from the “nothingness” of the quantum vacuum.

Why should this matter in everyday life? Because mystics have pointed to a reality that transcends this world, and so does modern physics. It is tantalizing that two worldviews are compatible, both contending that the source of time, space, matter, and energy doesn’t contain time, space, matter, and energy. It lies beyond them, in an inconceivable somewhere that has no location; it’s not a “place” in any common-sense use of the word.  

TO READ THE FULL CHOPRA FOUNDATION ARTICLE, CLICK HERE...

The AKASA

                                                                                    

What is The AKASIC RECORD?

When you hear the term Akashic Records, what comes to mind? When I first heard it, my first thought was of a giant filing cabinet of information. Some people think of the Akashic Records as a library, or a book. Some think of it as a database.

But according to the Records themselves, they are another dimension called the Akasha. The Akasha is a higher dimension than the dimension we live in.

In the Akasha, every thought, idea, and action from the past, present, and future is stored ad infinitum. If you’re familiar with String Theory, the Akashic Records is basically like a database of what’s happening in all the universes that are co-existing together.

The Akashic Records are basically a record of what will happen, is happening, or has happened. Because they are a higher dimension, the rules of time don’t really apply. Time is a flat circle to the Akashic Records, so information from 2,000 years ago is as accessible as what happened to you yesterday. And what happened to you yesterday is as available as what could happen to you — if you stay on the same destiny trajectory — in 10 years.
how experts describe the akashic records

Interestingly, everything has its own Akashic Record. Your soul has an Akashic Record, your house has an Akashic Record, your dog, even your relationship! You can open the specific Records of things to ask questions that pertain to them.                                                                                                                                                                                       TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE...


Here’s how Edgar Cayce, the psychic medium who popularized the Records, describes them:
The Akashic Records, or “The Book of Life,” can be equated to the Universe’s super-computer system. It is this system that acts as the central storehouse of all information for every individual who has ever lived upon the earth. More than just a reservoir of events, the Akashic Records contain every deed, word, feeling, thought, and intent that has ever occurred at any time in the history of the world. Much more than simply a memory storehouse, however, these Akashic Records are interactive in that they have a tremendous influence upon our everyday lives, our relationships, our feelings and belief systems, and the potential realities we draw toward us … The Akashic Records contain the entire history of every soul since the dawn of Creation. These records connect each one of us to one another.

TIME: Past - Present - Future

Time is a commodity that is limited in its nature especially for all living things but time is also conceptualized with a PAST, PRESENT, and a FUTURE; although, we never see the past living in the present that always seems to lean more directly into the future...  since time moves forward not backward; and, we accept the past as what has been simply because we can read the records.  BUT, time is somewhat elusive in that we can never see what just happened and what just happened is never behind us even when we are walking backwards into our future...  so where did our immediate past go?

The breeze that blows by...  comes and goes but as it touches our bodies is all we know of its existence other than what we may observe but where it came from has disappeared into our past never to be seen again so we do not know for sure if the conditions that brought the breeze to us still there...  or perhaps the past goes into some kind of holding dimension.

Using telescopes we can see where space came from and where it is going but that ability stops as we observe the life we are living.  There will always be cars behind us on the interstate but we are all moving forward at the same relative time and even though we see a landscape behind us as we drive by, the conditions of that landscape are different than when we were just there...  just as every millisecond of our present is different so too is every millisecond of our past.

SO...  again...  where does our past go and that it goes so fast we cannot return?

A jet stream is a visual reminder and the actual past of a fast moving aircraft as it moves into its future pausing less than a nanosecond in its present; however, the physical aircraft's past is never seen as if it never been there in the first place yet we see its reminder as it floats behind eventually dissipating.    

Grave Stones are a reminder of someone's past but that is not exactly what I am talking about...  I want to know where our immediate past goes when we are still alive always moving into our future...  this is the question that bothers me and to which there is no easy reply and only speculative proof and our existence in our future that it actually happened at all or why we can never return.

President Elect Biden Wants To Unite America While AOC Wants To Deny Trump Supporters Everything

 

"...As far as I'm concerned, any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against their own voice," Mrs. Obama said recently during a question-and-answer session at Inbound, a marketing and sales conference in Boston.

Obviously, our First Amendment allows her to say whatever she pleases within reason but what really bothers me is that she is encouraging voters to vote their gender or their race regardless if they think the candidate is qualified or if they disagree with their political beliefs...

And, if that were so then no female or black would ever be elected in America... which she should remember is not how her husband WON...

ON THE OTHER HAND,
President Elect Joe Biden has one hell of a difficult task ahead of him because 71 million voters cast their ballots for Donald Trump and are not easily going to forget what ALL THE DEMOCRATS did to President for 4 years after he WON.


AND...
it is not just the general public with whom Biden must contend but a REPUBLICAN controlled SENATE that could possibly kill most every BILL that the House sends over...
SO...
Biden will be left with Executive Orders.


MEANWHILE,
The Global Communities of Russia, China, North Korea, the Middle East will take advantage of Biden's non-HAWKISH attitude for wars and military action and start shifting the global balance of power in their direction...

This Global Change will be further exacerbated with the DEMOCRATIC Party's redirection of funds away from the military and into SOCIAL PROGRAMS while attempting to fund these efforts by increasing taxes on the wealthy that will impact business and industry.


It will be an interesting first two years because if nothing is improving then the mid-term elections could prove very favorable to the Republicans...


ON THE SIDELINES is AOC and her Progressive Democrats and Socialists who want to PUNISH all Trump Supporters with BANISHMENT... and, isn't it interesting how a member of Congress (The House) would make such a comment in our Democratic Republic unless she really did not believe in Democracy from the getgo...


Yes... Biden may have won because American wanted Trump OUT, but he is facing the most difficult battle of his entire political life at age 77 and counting and if something happens to his health a COMPLETELY UNQUALIFIED VICE PRESIDENT will take his place.

Consumer Protection Laws

WHAT IS CONSUMER PROTECTION LAW?

Consumer Protection Law is an area of law managed by the Bureau of Consumer Protection and overseen by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It protects you and me, consumers, from unethical and careless actions taken by businesses.

The Consumer Protection Bureau achieves this by setting and enforcing rules and regulations for every commercial transaction.

Plus by placing restrictions on how businesses may handle the transfer and security management of consumers’ personal information.          TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE...

The eight basic consumer rights are:

The right to satisfaction of basic needs – to have access to basic, essential goods and services such as adequate food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, public utilities, water and sanitation.

The right to safety – to be protected against products, production processes and services that are hazardous to health or life.

The right to be informed – to be given the facts needed to make an informed choice, and to be protected against dishonest or misleading advertising and labelling.

The right to choose – to be able to select from a range of products and services, offered at competitive prices with an assurance of satisfactory quality.

The right to be heard – to have consumer interests represented in the making and execution of government policy, and in the development of products and services.

The right to redress – to receive a fair settlement of just claims, including compensation for misrepresentation, shoddy goods or unsatisfactory services.

The right to consumer education – to acquire knowledge and skills needed to make informed, confident choices about goods and services, while being aware of basic consumer rights and responsibilities and how to act on them.

The right to a healthy environment – to live and work in an environment that is non-threatening to the well-being of present and future generations.

Ending Systemic Racism

 On June 9, 2020, THE WASHINGTON POST Newspaper that I used to deliver to homes in our local neighborhood as a boy, published an article written by columnist Katrina vanden Heuvel entitled, How Can We Start Dismantling Systemic Racism...  and, if you were to read the article you would discover that she is talking about the United States of America...  just to be clear since it must be assumed that Systemic Racism only exists in America.

"Throughout the pandemic," she writes, "black people have been infected and lost their jobs at a higher rate than white people."

I want to stop right here and I know that this is a minor point, but this author immediately differentiates between whites and blacks which is a backdoor racist comment and is just as volatile as black people not wanting to attend white people's churches.

This author makes the claim that in order to stop systemic racism, we must dismantle system by restructuring those systems that allow it to perpetuate...   and again, this is eloquently written...  but is this author proposing that we dismantle our churches?

Heavens no...  I must presume as there should be a separation between church and state.

This author, through the words of an expert economist, makes the following statement: "...the United States spends twice as much on “law and order” — prisons, courts and police forces — as we do on cash welfare programs such as food stamps and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. The events of this year highlight the urgency of fixing that imbalance."

This author goes on the explain that monies could be shifted away from police department and be used on reconstruction efforts in black communities so they are not as susceptible to the health and economic issues of living in the United States...

And...  many people will willingly tell you that while my elevator does not stop at all the floors that redirecting police monies into black communities will do precious little to end systemic racism in white communities....  unless they are going to be receiving allocations as well.

AGAIN...  I go back to my first comment, how are you going to make black people go to white churches or vice versa...  because in many places especially in the south this is precisely where the systemic racism starts and manifests itself until it explodes out in society.

I am not smart enough nor is anyone else to come up with a PLAN OF ACTION that will actually change people's minds about what they believe and/or perceive and stop them from sharing this with their families, relatives, and friends.

Incidentally, there is systemic racism within the black communities where LIGHT SKINNED BLACKS look down upon DARK SKINNED BLACKS...  but, I don't suppose any monies will be spent on dismantling those systems.

Giving Black Communities:

• better homes
• better healthcare
• better education
• more money

is simply going to result in the white communities becoming MORE PISSED OFF with Black People and the government that allowed this to happen...  especially when, law enforcement efforts are hampered because they did not have enough money to prevent a crime.  Not only will this PISS OFF THE WHITE RESIDENTS but it will piss off the white store owners who are losing income due to all this violence...  and decide to close their doors and move their business out-of-town.

I believe that this approach is going to create more problems than it will solve, but I suppose that the DEMOCRATS will do it anyway in order to get the black vote on election day.

BTW -  we had a BLACK PRESIDENT FOR 8 YEARS and systemic racism was never a topic nor did that BLACK PRESIDENT really do anything to help his own RACE...

Can Joe Biden Do It?

The real question that Americans need to ask themselves now that they have voted Joe Biden into the Presidency is:  CAN HE DO IT?

"Do what," you might ask?

Well... for starters consider this:

1.  Use Trump's COVID Vaccine Push to stop the Pandemic

2.  Correct the economic ills that the Pandemic has caused

3.  Bring racial peace to this nation

4.  Return to Trump's full employment

5.  Raise taxes on the wealthy

6.  Negotiate favorable trade deals

7.  Create an economy that will compete with China

8.  Create a military that will compete with China

9. Create police departments that are unbiased

10.  Neutralize North Korea

11.  Stop anti-American sentiment/hate in the Middle East

12.  Keep Russia under control

13.  Stop foreign cyber crime

14.  Not keeping secrets from the American Public

15.  Stop political hatred among Americans

16.  Not allow Medicare for All to be passed

17.  Not allow the Constitution to be rewritten

18.  Not increase the number of Supreme Court Justices

19.  Not return the government regulations on business that Trump removed

20.  End our dependence on fossil fuels

Donald Trump was an arrogant, self-indulgent, inflammatory pompous ass, but he accomplished an economic society the likes of which no other American President has ever done...  and, it is highly unlikely that Biden will do much to return to that point-in-time...

Biden and Harris want to GIVE MORE TO THE PEOPLE so that THE PEOPLE will continue to elect DEMOCRATS...  the more they give, the less our economy will grow because it is NOT WE THE PEOPLE who create companies and hire people but THOSE WITH MONEY...

There is a HIDDEN CRISIS in America that was exacerbated by the Pandemic and that is our NATIONAL DEBT.  The more that we give to the people, the more we tax the wealthy, and the less money the wealthy have to create companies that provide jobs.  Plus, the wealthy will not be able to pay it all so we will BORROW...  and BORROW...  and BORROW...

And, when our borrowing capabilities end, we will devalue our dollar and most people do not understand what that means...  but, instead of spending one dollar for something you will have to spend two, cutting your purchasing power in half.

IN POINT OF FACT...   Politicians do not solve problems they work towards re-elections, trying to keep their party in control so that the future will hold their ideas not the ideas of the opposing party....  It is our FREE MARKET ENTERPRISE SYSTEM that grows the economy that supports innovations and technology advances...  if you have a reasonable doubt...   look at:

• Google
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Microsoft
• Apple
• Samsung
• Hollywood
• Stoke Market
• Banks and Credit Unions
• Airlines
• Trains
• Automobiles
• Resorts

These were not created by our Governments, by our Presidents, by our Congresses, nor by our Supreme Court Justices...   they were created by NON POLITICIANS who were clever people, using the government in such a way that allowed them to grow and provide jobs.

1. The Democrats believe that our Government should give the people FREE SERVICES
2. The Republicans believe that our Government should allow Economic Markets to grow

And, it is these two opposite opinion that have fought each other so much that since 1960 our society and culture has changed very little.  I am 73 and the social problems we have in 2020 were the same social problems we had in 1960....  60 YEARS AGO...

You tell me...  who caused this to happen?  And, if you don't yet believe do a GOOGLE search on social condition in America in 1960 and see for yourself.

Too Late to Sleep

It is odd how some days I am tired as hell and have no problems falling asleep even after waking up 2-3 times during the night to urinate and other days, once I wake up the first time I cannot fall back asleep no matter what I do and I feel kind of stupid just laying there.

So...  here I am...  been up since 1:30 am or so and it is now almost 3:30 and I am on my second cup of coffee as I sit here in my recliner typing my thoughts instead of writing them down on paper and I don't really understand why I want to do this since hardly anyone reads these blogs of mine...  but, since I am retired with no hobbies and no travel plans due to COVID there is little else for someone like me to do.

• I do not like playing golf
• I do not like watching sports although I used to
• I do not want a part-time job although I do a little teaching
• I am not good with my hands
• I have no interest in oil painting
• I never have bowled so why start now
• I am not into having fun losing money at poker
• I am not into other forms of gambling
• I don't like watching TV or movies

To say that I am peculiar is an understatement, but this is who I am or who I have turned out to be for one reason or another and it is not practical to change nor is it easy.  My cat begs me not to change because he enjoys my lap whenever he gets a notion to and wants me simply to be available.

Too much coffee makes my stomach feel weird so I must lay back for a while...   later...