Cannot Wait

 

Coffee Anyone?

 

Preparing For Tomorrow

Tomorrow, I go to the hospital for a Colonoscopy/Upper GI and I have to be there at 6:30 am and my procedure is at 7:30 am and it should be done 2 hours later and in recovery and home before NOON, I would suspect.  Depending upon how I feel, I may go out for breakfast.

Today, all I could eat was a liquid diet along with black coffee if so desired.  I had one cup of coffee, went to the Hospital for my COVID test and came home and slept for another couple of hours since there may not be much sleep for me tonight.

My cleansing prep started at 3:00 pm with a couple of pills and the "down and dirty" stuff started at 5:00.  I should be sitting on the commode in an hour or so for the next couple of hours before I take a second dose to supercharge the process and a third does a midnight.

Two years ago, I did fairly well with this process even though it has changed a little...  The ingredients are the same, but it is spread out more...  I suppose to make sure one receives a better flushing out.  I believe that a colonoscopy is only every 10 years and then every 5 years after a certain age...  but, I am now on a 2 year schedule because of my cancer history and because I had several polyps last time.

I really didn't have anything better to do today or tomorrow...

Civil Disobedience

 

Absolute Power

 I stopped watching CNN, CBS, MSNBC, and ABC because I discovered that they were not posting ALL THE NEWS but FOX NEWS was reporting MOST ALL OF THE NEWS.  As an American, a Veteran, and a College Graduate, media censorship is abhorrent to me in all variations...   I should have the right to hear the news in FULL and then decide what it means to me.   Anything less, is not FREEDOM OF THE PRESS.

I began watching FOX but would go back and forth to those other networks during key periods of news like the Kavanaugh Hearing, Impeachment Hearings, and I again confirmed that the other networks were simply not reporting the TRUTH.

When Trump lost the election, I stopped watching FOX NEWS because if the American People did not want to know the truth then neither did I.  I decided, right or wrong, just to pay attention to my retirement and enjoy what little life I have left...

I did not know our Capital has been stormed nor did I know that Impeachment Hearings for Trump were being considered by the House again, even though there were only days left of his administration.  I also heard from this same neighbor that the Senate was now controlled by the Democrats.

ONE PERSON...   a man called TRUMP...   has forever changed the politics of America...  and the way that the rest of the world views AMERICANS.....  now that this change has taken place...

The Democrats now have the ABILITY to create two new States creating a Democratic TILT in the Senate that will NEVER be undone.  The Democrats also have the ABILIY to increase the size of the SUPREME COURT, so that the Democrats have a clear majority but also leaving the door open for a LIBERAL TILT on the court.

This is POWER.

This is ABSOLUTE POWER...

With the House and the Senate under the control of the DEMOCRATS, the following shifts will take place QUICKLY...

FIRST --  Trump's tax cuts will be abolished

SECOND  --  Medicare for All will be approved

THIRD  --  Open Borders will be approved...  Trump's wall will be torn down

FOURTH  --  Policies will be put into place ending the gasoline engine

FIFTH  --  Trade deals with China will be revised giving CHINA the advantage over trade

SIXTH  --  A new deal will be negotiated with IRAN and all sanctions ended

IN SHIORT....

Everything Trump DID will be UNDONE

This will take place even though what Trump did might have been in the best interest of the USA...  These actions will set a very dangerous precedent...   that only the historians will want to talk about.

UNREST in America

We spent the last six month or more watching BLM and ANTIFA stage riots all across the USA because a WHITE COP KILLED A BLACK MAN...  and, the mainstream media said that these were peaceful riots even when building were burning behind their "live" reporting....  Hypocrisy at its worst....   now, we have TRUMP SUPPORTERS who stormed and entered the US Capital bldg. and they are called DOMESTIC TERRORISTS even though there was no burning of buildings, but there was rioting and looting and some occupation of offices...   DOUBLE STANDARDS...

Even when this latest activity comes under control and the perpetrators are taken to courts, sentenced, and jailed, the part of the USA that voted for TRUMP will still see DOUBLE STANDARDS and will not let this go away.

It is entirely possible that due to DECREASED POLICE FUNDING in certain cities, BLM, ANTIFA, and Trump Supporters will travel to those cities to continue their protests against the government...

CIVIL DISOBEDIANCE is what it is called and it is one of the few tools available to the general public to use against a CORRUPT GOVERNMENT outside of voting...

Thoreau's Civil Disobedience espouses the need to prioritize one's conscience over the dictates of laws. It criticizes American social institutions and policies, most prominently slavery and the Mexican-American War.

Thoreau begins his essay by arguing that government rarely proves itself useful and that it derives its power from the majority because they are the strongest group, not because they hold the most legitimate viewpoint. 

He contends that people's first obligation is to do what they believe is right and not to follow the law dictated by the majority. When a government is unjust, people should refuse to follow the law and distance themselves from the government in general. 

A person is not obligated to devote his life to eliminating evils from the world, but he is obligated not to participate in such evils. This includes not being a member of an unjust institution (like the government). 

Thoreau further argues that the United States fits his criteria for an unjust government, given its support of slavery and its practice of aggressive war.  SOURCE: SparkNotes.com

Since African American Blacks still perceive that the USA in general support SLAVERY in a variety of ways and since the USA military is still fighting an unnecessary war in the MIDDLE EAST, one could easily make the case for an UNJUST GOVERNMENT still existing in the USA as defined by THOREAU...

DEMOCRATS and REPUBLICANS should UNITE..

The enemy of my enemy is my FRIEND...

Stand up against an UNJUST US GOVERNMENT...

UNITED in CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE...

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

BLAMING OTHERS

From 2016 through 2021, President Trump was BLAMED for everything NEGATIVE that happened
in America to Americans or by Americans...  President Trump was never given credit for the healthy economy, tax cuts, reduced Federal Regulations, and FULL EMPLOYMENT because everyone said it was because of former President Obama that this was allowed to happen....  and, that Trump had nothing to do with it...

For FOUR YEARS, I personally watched HATRED for President Trump being UNLEASED by the Democrats and the mainstream media outlets and felt like I was living in a THIRD WORLD COUNTRY where the news was CENSORED and the people were being told only what the leaders wanted them to know...  for fear of the people not being able to handle the TRUTH....  like in the movie, A FEW GOOD MEN...

Now that Biden has been elected our new President and will start his term of office in the next couple of weeks, my new fear is that for the NEXT FOUR YEARS, everything that is NEGATIVE happening to America either to or from Americans will be BLAMED ON TRUMP as well...  with Joe Biden and the Democrats taking no responsibility for anything.

And, if that is the way that they want America to be perceived that is fine...  especially since there is not a damn thing that any of us can really do about it.

• I am retired...
• I am a Veteran...
• I live on Social Security...
• I am cared for by Medicare and a Humana Supplement...
• I have managed to save a modest amount of money...
• I am not wealthy...
• I am not middle class...
• I am not poor...

Whatever the Democrats decide to do with our TAX DOLLARS will do nothing but help me financially...

• WHAT I DO NOT DO IS...  blame others for my current situation...
• My current life is a direct result of my actions throughout my life so far...
• Whatever I did or did not do, put me in the situation that I am in...

WHY DO OUR LEADERS ALWAYS HAVE TO BLAME SOMEONE ELSE FOR OUR PROBLEMS, NEVER TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN INCOMPETENCE...

a rhetorical question...

Globally Perceived American Stereotypes

Stereotypes of American people (here meaning citizens of the United States) can today be found in virtually all cultures.  They often manifest in America's own television and in the media's portrayal of the United States as seen in other countries, but can also be spread by literature, art, and public opinion.  Not all of the listed stereotypes are equally popular, nor are they all restricted towards Americans; and although most can be considered negative, a few actually assign neutral or even positive or admiring qualities to the stereotypical US citizen. Many of the ethnic stereotypes collide with otherwise unrelated political anti-Americanism.  SOURCE:  Wikipedia

POSITIVE STEREOTYPES OF AMERICANS

• Generous
• Optimistic
• Hardworking

NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES OF AMERICANS

1. Obsession with guns
2. Materialistic
3. Over Consumption
4. Extreme Capitalism
5. Lack of cultural awareness
6. Racists (on both sides)
7. Environmentally Ignorant
8. Arrogant
9. Nationalistic
10. Military Zeal
11. Workaholic Culture

COMMENT:  If someone were to ask me whether or not I felt Americans were concerned as to how they were being perceived by the rest of the world...   I would have to reply by saying "I believe that 98% of all AMERICANS don't really give a shit what the rest of the world thinks of them...  and that Americans generally perceive the rest of the world thinks what they do because they are JEALOUS and ENVIOUS..."

As a retired American Worker (45 years) who is also a Vietnam Veteran and who is educated with a BA and an MBA and who spent most of his career in and around EDUCATION both public and private, I would have to say that I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE with the world's opinion of Americans...  and, while it saddens me to see this happening, it is the direct result of our inability or lack of desire to control our own GREED.

When I turned 40 years of age, I realized how evil the control of greed was on people and spent the rest of my career and lifetime so far making sure that I was not infected with the disease of GREED.

I don't think that I have missed too much of anything actually...  even being careful spending and buying only that which one needs.

COVID has helped us reduce our greed but I fear that once we have that under control, greed will skyrocket as people will again want what they perceive they have missed out on...

Breaking Down Capitalism

What the Wealthy Control                              What the Wealthy Do Not Control

Employment                                                                    Education

Wages                                                                              Art

Taxes                                                                               Writers and Writing

Wars                                                                                Recreation

Healthcare                                                                       Fishing/Hunting

Government/Congress                                                    Buying Habits

Freedoms                                                                        Who to Marry

Logistics/Transportation                                                 Having Children

Resorts                                                                            Religion

Automotive Production                                                  Voting Decisions

Hollywood                                                                      Our Free Wills

Music Industry                                                                Our Hate/Love

Marketing Influence                                                       Passive Resistance

Professional Sports                                                         Our Minds/Thoughts

News Media                                                                    Our Drug Use

Law Enforcement                                                           Our Alcohol Use

Military                                                                           Our Breaking Laws

Money Supply                                                                Social Media

                                                                                        Bill of Rights

                                                                                        Socialism                            

NOTE:  CAPITALISM is what gives the WEALTHY their POWER...   SOCIALISM takes power away from the wealthy and gives it to the POOR and those that are RICH but not wealthy.  SOCIALISM increases the size of government but REDISTRIBUTES the wealth...  and in time, the wealthy and their control will begin to disappear...

LET'S ASK THE WEALTHY TO GIVE HALF OF THEIR WEALTH BACK TO THE PEOPLE... JUST HALF OF THEIR WEALTH...  AND, IN SO DOING THEY WILL STILL BE WEALTHY BUT THE REST OF AMERICANS WILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT BETTER LIFE...

Another Perspective

I have been told by my Oncologist to get the COVID VACCINE since it is a dead virus that they have used in its creation.  My NP at my Oncologist's office has already gotten the vaccine and says she is still going to wear a face mask and limit her time in public anyway as a new norm....  and, I suppose that my wife and I will also do the same or something similar but I doubt that we ever return to a Cruise Ship.

At the end of March and after having stopped for a year, I agreed to teach a College Class and the requirement is to wear a face mask and stay 6 feet away from students...   Interestingly, I have a couple of team assignments which I am curious to see how they play out.  The class is one that I have taught several times before, but I have changed things around a little, and added a couple of exercises to take the place of other exercises.

However, I am not sure if my wife and I will go on vacation this summer or any other summer even with a COVID VACCINE in hand as there are just still too many ways that disease and viruses can be spread by an ignorant public who think they know best and can do what they want because they are living in a free country.

Those expressions of freedoms will be used to curtail their freedoms... and then what will they do?

12 Month Weather Forecast

For some reason, I decided to look at a year long (2021) weather forecast for this area of East TN and was rather surprised by what I found...   even though the forecast was referring to averages which obviously means that the temps could go up or down.

• 3 months the temps will be below 60 degrees --  2 months the temps will be below 50 degrees but by no more than 1-2 degrees
• 3 months the temps will be in the 60 degrees
• 2 months the temps will be in the 70 degrees
• 4 months the temps will be in the 80 degrees of which 2 months will be high 80's

Now...

We all know that there will be a few days in this area where the temps will be in the 30's and quite possibly even below that...  just as we all know that for a few days the temps will be in the 90's and quite possibly higher  than that...  but, on the average, these are the temps for the next 12 months here in the Tennessee Valley.

Advantages:

1.  It does not take much effort to cool down

2.  It does not take much effort to warm up

3.  It will not be that cold for 104 degrees hot tub temps once out of the water

4.  Flowers will grow great in this weather

5.  There will be less of a need for heavy clothes

6.  Easier to stay out of the sun

Disadvantages:

1.  In ground and above ground pools will have colder water

2.  There will be more bees and insects

3.  Grass will need to be mowed more often

4.  Extreme weather conditions possible

5.  Allergies tend to worsen in warm weather

6.  Potential for higher humidity 

WHO DOESN'T???

According to Niles Deneen of Deneen Pottery that makes personalized coffee mugs and cups with logos...

In case you didn’t know, Americans love coffee. And while we still lag behind our European friends in coffee consumption (the U.S. ranks 25th in coffee consumption at 4.2 kg of coffee consumed per person per year, Finland ranks 1st at 12 kg per person per year – according to World Atlas), the U.S. consumption has increased by an entire kilogram in the last five years, and there is no sign of that trend stopping.

The National Coffee Association produced a study this year and found that 64% of Americans drink coffee. Furthermore, 79% of people drinking coffee within the past day brewed coffee at home, compared to 75% in 2017 and 84% in 2012. It seems as though more people are starting to move towards making their coffee at home as opposed to going and purchasing it at a coffee shop (sorry Starbucks, but people are starting to opt for being their own baristas at home).

In fact, past day consumption of coffee prepared outside the home dropped from 40% in 2017 to 36% in 2018, though it remains at higher levels than found in 2012-2017.

It may have surprised you...  using the data from the National Coffee Association that 36% of Americans DO NOT DRINK COFFEE...  those numbers work out to ONE IN THREE DO NOT DRINK COFFEE...  and, I am wondering how many couple have only one coffee drinker in the home and of those couples, how many have fights or arguments over the mess in the kitchen as a result of those damn coffee makers...  especially when one wants to grind up their own coffee beans.

Do you drink your coffee black or do you add cream and sugar?  Opps...  more of a mess now...  more cleaning...  and, if you stir, how strong is your stirring and does coffee find its way out onto the counter...  or does it drop down onto the floor as you walk into the living room to sit on the couch?

Wives who don't drink coffee SEEM TO HATE COFFEE DRINKERS unless they are guests and then they are forced to keep their opinions to themselves which pisses them off even more.

Enjoy your coffee!!! 

BACK TO WORK

The Holiday (Christmas or Seasonal) is over...   and now that most of us no longer refer to this holiday as Christmas, what the hell are we celebrating for?  Of course...  I forgot...   it was NEW YEARS EVE and then NEW YEARS DAY..  and, all those presents that we bought and wrapped and shared was just to celebrate the approach of the new year.  What a fickle group of people to spend so much time and money celebrating the new year as if it were our own private birthday...

WELL...  anyway, it is gone...  over...  say goodbye...   because it ain't coming back for another 12 months and in the meantime, it is time for us to return to work...  and make some damn money...

But, some of us are still out-of-work because of COVID and there are others who cannot go back to work because they ignored all the warnings and now they are home with COVID...  and if they are in relatively good health will live to WORK another day.

Then...  there are some of us...  who...  have decided we have earned enough money and need no more and now call themselves RETIRED...  however, many people simply NEED to work and earn money like it was some sort of COVID Disease where they can only get better if and when they earn another dollar, and then another, and then another.

In a way, I feel sorry for those who are addicted to money and greed like those addicted to drugs...  and, must live the rest of their lives with that as their only motivator other than spending the money they earn with is the other side and equally as harmful.

Some of retired folk understand that money is not happiness nor is money success no matter how the media and advertisers try to spin it.

Life is a GIFT and work is a necessary evil nowadays in order to enjoy that GIFT...  but, life did not always used to be that way and I doubt if it was ever that way for Native Americans before the rest of us arrived and stole everything from them because we out-numbered them and were stronger.

But, what we did to the Native American was not LIFE AS A GIFT either...

So, since progress ruined the concept of life as a GIFT, we must now work and pretend that we are working to enjoy LIFE AS A GIFT...  retirees see life as a gift and are thankful for that insight and feel rather sorry for all of those who cannot see it or can never see it because they do not know how to enjoy life unless they are earning money by convincing others to spend their money...  in other words, give it to them...

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

Coffee Preferences

The last time my wife and I went to Hawaii...  it was complements of DELTA AIRLINES because we gave up our seats to Las Vegas and agreed to catch a much later flight and when all was said and done, we had each received 1600 Delta Dollars or Points which just happen to cover the cost of a round trip ticket to Hawaii from Atlanta, so we decided to drive which took about 3 hours but saved us about $500 in tickets after paying gasoline and the cost to park the car.

Returning from Hawaii, we had shipped 10 pounds of KONA Coffee which has long since been used but needless to say, not only was it delicious but inexpensive when purchased at the factory wholesale.  But, if I was to rate coffees based upon my taste preference first and cost second, then I would have to say that Dunkin Donuts has my preferred taste, even though it is a blend of several coffees.

Starbucks would come in second or third followed by McDonalds and/or Hardees since both of them are very similar in taste although both have their own special blends.  After that would be just about any local restaurant coffee followed by Cruise Ship Coffee which actually isn't that bad but a bit too strong for my older taste buds.

However, any coffee is difficult to taste good since I have shifted to decaf and KONA still ranks the best in decaf as well followed by Dunkin Donuts and if there is a third place, it would go to Weigles Convenience Stores who has changed their blends and who are now very competitive with Kona and Dunkin Donuts...

For me, I don't want to taste the bitterness nor do I want to taste the sweetness in the coffee...   I want it split right down the middle...  and, I know that is possible.

Best Global Coffees

1. Koa Coffee – Hawaiian Kona Coffee
Beans (Hawaii)

2. Organic Medium Roast Coffee By LifeBoost Coffee

3. Blue Mountain Coffee From Jamaica

4. Volcanica Coffee Kenyan AA Coffee Beans

5. Peaberry Beans From Tanzania

6. Sumatra Mandheling Beans From Indonesia

7. Indonesian Sulawesi Toraja Coffee Beans

8. Central American Geisha Coffee Beans

9. Yirgacheffe Beans From Ethiopia

10.  Death Wish Coffee Beans

What do these 10 best coffees have in common?

They use arabica coffee...

Arabica coffee comes from the beans of a Coffea arabica plant, which originated in Ethiopia. Arabica is the world's most popular coffee type, equating to over 60% of cups drank.

There are 3 basic kinds of coffee beans:

• Arabica
• Robusta
• Columbian

even though all three come from the same plant.

Columbian Arabica beans are only grown in the tropical climates of South America and involve a little more processing than the other two varieties.  Columbian plants do not grow as tall as the other varieties and the beans are washed after processing.

Robusta arabica plants can survive at lower altitudes, typically have more beans per plant, are not affected by climate changes, and possess a lot more caffeine.

Arabica plants grow taller and have longer branches and different leaves.

Processing is what changes the taste of the coffee beans.  Wet processing involves washing the bean and removing the fruit from around the beans before they are dried.

Dry processing involves drying the bean and fruit and then removing the fruit from around the bean.

While dry processing can result in a stronger coffee flavor with more caffeine, wet processing can result in the coffee taste being a little more acidy.

2021: Reminded of SLAVERY

I slept through New Year's Eve as I have done so many years before this one and when I woke up the next day, just like this morning, I found myself not only participating in a new year but in a new decade as well...  having said goodbye (in my own way) to the previous year and to the previous decade as well...  I suppose it was not much of a decade for most of us really when you consider it ended with a devastating GLOBAL PANDEMIC of which and for which CHINA is completely responsible...  and yet, I would suspect just like everything else that nothing will happen to them for fear of hurting our economy...

2021 will still be loaded with GREED...  of this fact, you can be absolutely sure...  and, the wealthy will become wealthier despite their best efforts at continuing to act STUPID as if it is ever so inconsequential.  the poor people will no doubt remain poor as they never had the mental capacity (motivation) to do anything else.  The blacks will receive better opportunities through a new kind of education and be afforded better police protection in that less will be killed by whites... BUT OVERALL, systemic racism will continue as it festers underneath a mountain of government rules and regulations.

Black will still hate whites for slavery no matter what the government does or does not do for them...  it is something that happened to THEM and they want to make damn sure that NO WHITE FORGETS IT...  and...  all that will do will serve to perpetuate the racism in different albeit unexpected ways...  as racism restructures and rebuilds underground.  Rap Music Lyrics will continue to preach KILL WHITEY just as BLACK CHURCHES will continue to preach that Blacks are Blacks and not White Americans...

How do I know this since I am no expert?

My answer is simple:  HUMAN NATURE

If Black discriminate against other blacks because they are either a darker black or a lighter black then they are damn sure going to continue to perpetuate hating whites...   and the only thing left to hate now that all the statues have come down is SLAVERY...  SLAVERY...  SLAVERY...  and it is that fact that will never be denied...  nor will slavery ever disappear....  because it is not the confederate statues that really remind blacks of slavery but the DAMN WHITES... As long as blacks continue to live in the USA and are confronted with the fact that they will just about always see WHITES, then they will always be REMINDED OF SLAVERY...  there is just no way around it...

Life Without Family

RECTIFY is a Netflix series that scheduled to last 4 seasons or 26 episodes in order to completely tell the story of this 18 year old boy who without the benefit of legal counsel was put into prison for 20 years and subsequently released because DNA evidence proved that he was not involved in the raped and therefore not the one who murdered a 16 year of female.  The boy in question was high on an hallucinogenic drug at the time and had been convinced by law enforcement that he was the murderer finally confessed after 18 hours on interrogations.

The small Georgia town to which he returned was not convinced of his innocence and wanted to try him again as it set about collecting evidence.  And, the story unwinds as the people in the town take sides forming their opinions of innocence or guilt and taking action.  The new sheriff is collecting evidence but the old prosecuted convinces the released prisoner to take a plea deal in lieu of a new trial that includes another confession and banishment from the State.  He agrees and moves to Tennessee where he tries to begin a new life WITHOUT his family and friends...  which I suppose was the whole point of the deal and series...  living without family and friends for the rest of one's life.

The movie also gradually revealed what life was like in prison for this 18 year old boy/man and how he withdrew inside himself to hide from the reality of his new life and the barbaric conditions he had to endure from other inmates as well as from the prison guards.  There was very little left of him when his family tried to reclaim him and help him return to becoming whole and have a proper future at which to look forward...  that process was difficult and finally happened in the last scene as he lay dreaming on his bed.

BUT...  how many of us today...  not being just released from prison are living without family and friends because something was said that offended the other person and the sibling relationship ended or that because there was a decade difference in age between siblings there was no need to have any kind of a relationship at all.

PERHAPS...  some families just were not meant to be families at all once both parents died and the reason to come together died with the parents.

Does this make life SAD...  or, just predictable?

NEW YEARS DAY 2021