Tuesday, February 16
NEW ZEALAND: Cows and Cars
The changes are among a raft of recommendations presented to the government by the Climate Change Commission on steps New Zealand must take to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change.
Commission chairman Rod Carr acknowledged the advice was ambitious but said it was realistic and made a clear case for “immediate and decisive” action.
“As a country, we need transformational and lasting change to meet our targets,” he said.
“There are a few actions that are critical to meeting our targets: electric vehicles, accelerated renewable energy generation, climate-friendly farming practices and more permanent forests, predominantly natives.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the document, which will now go out for public consultation, showed the impact of the reforms would not be an economic burden.
“The cost of action on the economy is not as great as many have previously thought. In fact, action on climate change is an economic opportunity for New Zealand,” she said.
“Action on climate change is critical to our ongoing economic success. New Zealand exporters rely on our clean, green brand and there will be new opportunities for Kiwi businesses as we adapt to a zero-carbon economy.”
The commission found New Zealand’s current climate commitments were not compatible with global efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, but said change was achievable at little cost.
A switch from fossil fuels would see hundreds lose their jobs in the coal, oil and gas industries but the commission expected many workers to be re-employed “in the circular economy, development of biofuels and hydrogen, and in deploying and supporting new technologies”.
The commission wants to end imports of petrol-powered cars by 2032 and projects that more than half of all light vehicle travel would be in electric vehicles by 2035.
To reduce methane gas levels, the report said farmers needed to improve animal performance while reducing stock numbers by around 15 per cent from 2018 levels by 2030.
“If farmers can continue to achieve productivity improvements in line with historic trends, these outcomes could be achieved while maintaining total production at a similar level to today,” the report said.
Following the public consultation, the government is due to make a final decision by the end of 2021 on whether to adopt the measures.
Monday, February 15
New York City EXODUS
On East 60th street, patrons at the once buzzy Le Bilboquet were huddled in outdoor cubbies, wearing hats and scarves while nibbling on Cajun chicken and sipping Bordeaux. One block up, 10 tables at clubby La Goulue struggled to share four heaters while diners gripped bowls of onion soup for extra warmth.
CORONAVIRUS MASS EXODUS PUTS NYC IN 'VERY FRAGILE SITUATION': HOME DEPOT'S LANGONE
But just a short flight away — in tony Palm Beach, Fla., where La Goulue recently opened an outpost that’s a mirror image of its Manhattan mother ship — all inside tables and seats at the bar are full. Patrons are laughing and living it up, seemingly oblivious to the perils of fraternizing during a pandemic.
“I have escaped New York!’’ declared the bistro’s owner, Jean Denoyer. “We take everyone’s temperature when they arrive and keep the doors and windows open so fresh air circulates.’’
Le Bilboquet’s owner, Philippe Delgrange, is also in Palm Beach, where he premiered his famous boîte’s Southern sister this week.
“[Palm Beach] is really working with you, not trying to put wood in your wheels,’’ he said, no doubt referencing how New York City restaurants are just now, after two months of closure, allowed to seat indoor diners at 25 percent capacity. “I have seen so many friends of mine, I can’t believe it. And all our New York staff is asking to come work here.’’
Denoyer and Delgrange are among the hordes of New Yorkers now enjoying life in Palm Beach County, where the influx of energy is palpable. Although masks are required inside commercial establishments throughout the county, people are, of course, allowed to remove them while eating or drinking, and there are no specific spacing rules — so it’s not unusual to see bars full of closely packed mask-less patrons.
Some northerners feel as if they have landed in a parallel universe, with old friends and favorite gathering spots transported to a sunnier setting.
Upper East Sider Joe Wagner, 63, arrived in South Florida in late January with plans to stay for two weeks, but decided to remain through March. He’s been enjoying dinner indoors at La Goulue. “Sometimes I feel a little unsafe. In New York, I was housebound. But it seems that so many people here are more relaxed because they already had COVID,’’ the real-estate developer told The Post. “They say, ‘Don’t worry, I have the antibodies,’ and I say, ‘That’s great, but could you back up a little?’ ” To Read Entire Article, Click Here...
SWEDEN: Falling Crime
Police in the multicultural southern Swedish city of Malmö say that the murder rate has fallen since 2018 because many gang leaders are behind bars.
In 2020, the city saw five murders, a major drop from the 13 that took place in 2018 and eight in 2019.
Mattias Sigfridsson, deputy police area manager in Malmö, told broadcaster SVT that the hacking of an encrypted app used by criminals called EncroChat has helped police prevent murders and violent crimes.
“[W]e believe we have prevented murder and serious violent crimes. That has been our goal all along – to lock up those who are responsible for the violence. We have also received valuable information from EncroChat, the encrypted chat we have taken part in. This has, of course, affected our ability to prevent crime,” Sigfridsson said.
EncroChat was breached last year by investigators and led to the arrest of more than 700 organised criminals linked to drug trafficking, gun smuggling, and money laundering in the United Kingdom alone. As of December 2020, more than a thousand criminals who used the service had been arrested.
While Malmö has seen a reduction in murders last year, just one of the five cases has actually been solved. Two others await trial and the remaining two cases have no suspects at all. Several murders from previous years also remain unsolved.
2020 was also a high year for fatal shootings across Sweden, with 47 people killed in shootings compared to 42 in 2019 and 45 in 2018. The number of overall shootings also increased from 2019.
In Stockholm, 2020 saw a record number of explosions and bombings despite the Wuhan virus pandemic, but explosions and bombings across the entire country were down to 107 from 133 in 2019.
Robert Karlsson, deputy regional police chief in Stockholm, said that while he was not satisfied with the number of explosions last year, police had managed to develop tools to better investigate bombing cases. TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE...
Sunday, February 14
Saturday, February 13
Pelosi Calls Republicans COWARDS
She said these Republicans were more concerned about their political survival than protecting the constitution.
"What we saw in that Senate today was a cowardly group of Republicans who apparently have no options, because they were afraid to defend their job, respect the institution in which they serve," Pelosi said of the majority of the Senate GOP who found Trump "not guilty" of incitement of insurrection. SOURCE: Fox News
However, Pelosi said absolutely nothing regarding the constitutionality of the impeachment process after a President leaves office...
Just a minor detail intentionally overlooked by the Democrats and the Media...
Instead of trying to get our children back in the classroom, and our restaurants and businesses open, Capital Hill Democrats perceived that the TRUMP NARRATIVE was of paramount importance.
Personally, I don't give a rat's ass about what the Democrats think of Trump... I did not vote for him in 2016 nor did I vote for him in 2020.
At 73 years of age, I don't really care about the technology changes that will take place in 2030, nor do I care if China's economy becomes larger than ours by 2028... My future is pretty much fixed in terms of what I can or cannot do...
The rest of you who are apathetic regarding what our country does or does not do will have to live the the FALLOUT from making bad decisions... Oil and Gas are not going away in the next 10 years, even though more and more electric cars will be on the highways...
How much will it cost to build charging stations across the USA to accommodate the electric cars?
But, think about this...
Would you want to fly in an electric airplane?
How will AMERICANS travel outside the USA?
Airplanes
Cruise Ships
How will the military function if they cannot fly electric airplanes fast enough to destroy enemy aircraft who have not gone GREEN... and, have no plans to go GREEN...
FREEDOM... of speech...
Conservative Views are being suppressed on College Campuses...
Mainstream Media is censoring conservative views from the public...
Congress is trying to destroy conservative views forever...
According to the US Constitution and our Bill of Rights, the First Amendment protects our FREEDOM of SPEECH and FREEDOM of RELIGION... and, while that is true, there are still people and institutions that do not want to listen to opposing points-of-view especially when they do not agree with their point-of-view... and, that attitude defeats the original purpose of not just our First Amendment, but the FREEDOMS on which our country was founded...
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According to our online dictionary, freedom is defined as: the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
Yes... I can say whatever I want to my next door neighbor and to some stranger at WalMart without fear of being shot by a handgun or put in jail or losing my job... but, that is not true for SOCIAL MEDIA... I have been told by several people that they were KICKED OFF OF FACEBOOK because of their conservative views and claims that they were inciting violence.
Yes... I agree that violence should never be incited... even though the history of the United States is based entirely upon inciting violence against Great Britain.
Throughout my entire lifetime up until the Presidency of Donald Trump, I was allowed to voice my opinion... but, now conservatives are being censored and their voice suppressed and this is not the kind of freedom for which I stood when I was in the military.
Rugby Australia
The Lions are due to visit South Africa in July and August with a three-Test series against the world champ. But issues around Covid-19, including the emergence of a new variant in South Africa, has led to uncertainty over the viability of the tour.
"We're here to help," Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"What we learnt from the Tri Nations last year and the tennis that's happening now is that Australia can successfully stage global tournaments in a Covid world.
"It's particularly tough in the UK and South Africa at the moment and I believe the more international rugby that gets played here, the better."
McLennan says profits from the tour would be split between the Lions and South Africa, with Rugby Australia covering their costs.
The Lions board have been discussing contingency plans in the event the trip has to be abandoned, including the possibility of hosting games in the UK and Ireland.
Crowds have returned to watch live sport in Australia, with up to 30,000 fans allowed to watch next month's Australian Open in Melbourne.
Friday, February 12
East TN Snow
Starting early in 2021, we have had several snows so far and it is only half way through February, but these snows melted away the very next day... and in 1 or 2 cases, it was warm enough not to stick at all while it was falling, not on the road, ground, or trees which is rather unusual to say the least.
I cannot imagine any longer living in an area where the snow falls 1-2 feet deep or 3-5 feet deep and remains on the ground several days or even all winter. As a child, I faintly recall LOVING the snow and can still imagine going outside (all bundled up) to play all day with my friends in the neighborhood.
Keystone Pipeline OUT -- Trucks, Boats, and Trains IN
Running nearly 1,200 miles from Alberta, Canada, to Nebraska, the KXL (Keystone Pipeline) would be a sizable structure. But it would account for under 0.8 percent of the 150,000 miles of oil pipelines already spread throughout the country. In addition, there are 2.5 million miles of natural gas pipelines, along with more than 100 major refineries, further supporting the distribution of the nation’s various petroleum products.
A Web of Oil and Natural Gas Pipelines Already Crisscross America Linking Up Customers and Refineries
U.S. Shale Production Currently Dwarfs What the Keystone XL Could Ultimately Carry
A Web of Oil and Natural Gas Pipelines Already Crisscross America Linking Up Customers and Refineries
Railroads, in Particular, Are Increasingly Filling the Gap for Oil Movement
SOURCE: Brookings.Edu (2014 Data)
Never underestimate the power of old data to rear its ugly head and bite you in the ass because it was ignored... Also, look at all the byproducts of Petroleum Crude Oil. And, do you really think that Americans are willing to give up their cars and airplanes and plastic containers?
SOURCE: Brookings.Edu (2014 Data)
Never underestimate the power of old data to rear its ugly head and bite you in the ass because it was ignored... Also, look at all the byproducts of Petroleum Crude Oil. And, do you really think that Americans are willing to give up their cars and airplanes and plastic containers?
IRAN: Tehran's Nuclear Deal
Iran’s foreign ministry has rejected any new negotiations or changes to the participants of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers, after French President Emmanuel Macron said any new talks should include Saudi Arabia.
“The nuclear accord is a multilateral international agreement ratified by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which is non-negotiable and parties to it are clear and unchangeable,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh was quoted by state media as saying on Saturday.
President Joe Biden’s new administration has said it will rejoin the deal but only after Tehran resumes full compliance with its terms.
But Iran has rejected US demands to reverse its acceleration of the nuclear program before Washington lifts sanctions on Tehran.
Saudi Arabia and its ally the United Arab Emirates have said that Gulf Arab states should be involved this time in any talks, which they say should also address Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for proxies around the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia, which is locked in several proxy wars in the region with Tehran including in Yemen, supported Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.
Thursday, February 11
Kill or Murder
KILL is defined as
to cause the death of (a person, animal, or other living thing).
MURDER is defined as
MURDER is defined as
the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another.
King James Version of the Bible
Commandment #6 -- Thou shall not kill
Hebrew Version (Exodus) of the Bible
Commandment #6 -- You shall not murder
There is a BIG DIFFERENCE both the the Hebrew language and in the English language between the words: KILL and MURDER... and the KEY WORD that is absent in one definition but present in the other is the word: PREMEDITATED.
It would appear that in the original version of The Ten Commandments, the word MURDER was used instead of KILL... which means that one should not kill when that killing is done from the standpoint of being premeditated... as opposed let's say to being involuntary as in the case of an accident.
SO...
why would words be changed or different words be used when translating Hebrew into English unless it was the translator's premeditated intent to use different words thereby creating different outcomes for the reader and anyone who tries to put The Ten Commandments into action.
Wednesday, February 10
Education
Consequently, I earned not only a BA degree but an MBA as well... and while my grades were not ever below a "B", I did not make STRAIGHT "A's" as many students do today.
Bear in mind, that I think grades are important but making straight "A's" because one memorized for the test and retained very little knowledge is, in my opinion, rather STUPID.
Let me explain...
I worked for 45 years and worked for about 10 employers. My career for the most part, revolved in and around EDUCATION... and, on several occasions I was actually HIRED TO TEACH...
BUT...
not once did any of my employers ever make the decision to hire me based upon my GRADES. In fact, my transcript was only requested after I was hired... and that was done solely for accreditation purposes.
AND...
during my 45 year career, I went through several accreditation processes with SACS and ACICS and NEVER did those auditors look at GRADES to see what kind of intelligence was being hired. All they wanted to see was that there was a degree/transcript on file.
Employers don't give a rat's ass about grades. Employers want an employee who can perform and achieve appropriate outcomes and goals. Grades are meaningless. IN FACT, I have seen a straight "A" student fired and a "C" student kept because the former COULD NOT PERFORM.
Tuesday, February 9
Quantum Computing Concerns
A further 35 percent of experts claimed to be in the process of developing a quantum strategy, while just 16 percent said they were not yet thinking about it. This shift in focus comes as the vast majority (73 percent) of cyber security professionals expect advances in quantum computing to overcome legacy technologies, such as encryption, within the next five years. Almost all respondents (93 percent) believe the next-generation computers will overwhelm existing security technology, with just 7 percent under the impression that true ‘quantum supremacy’ will never happen.
Despite expressing concerns that other technologies will be overshadowed, an overwhelming number (87 percent) of CISOs, CSOs, CTOs and security directors are excited about the potential positive impact of quantum computing. The remaining 13 percent were more cautious and under the impression that the technology would create more harm than good.
“At the moment, we rely on encryption, which is possible to crack in theory, but impossible to crack in practice, precisely because it would take so long to do so, over timescales of trillions or even quadrillions of years,” said Rodney Joffe, Chairman of NISC and Security CTO at Neustar. “Without the protective shield of encryption, a quantum computer in the hands of a malicious actor could launch a cyber attack unlike anything we’ve ever seen.”
“For both today’s major attacks, and also the small-scale, targeted threats that we are seeing more frequently, it is vital that IT professionals begin responding to quantum immediately. The security community has already launched a research effort into quantum-proof cryptography, but information professionals at every organization holding sensitive data should have quantum on their radar. Quantum computing's ability to solve our great scientific and technological challenges will also be its ability to disrupt everything we know about computer security. Ultimately, IT experts of every stripe will need to work to rebuild the algorithms, strategies, and systems that form our approach to cyber security,” added Joffe. SOURCE: ContinuityCentral.com
Rockin' in East TN
And... while Medicare and Humana Supplement does not pay for everything, we are still in a pretty solid financial situation because of family and friends but especially because of where we live... here in East TN.
- There is no BLM movement in East TN
- There is no ANTIFA here in East TN
- There is no white supremacists here in East TN
- Schools are open here in East TN
- Businesses are open here in East TN
- Restaurants are open here in East TN
- Climate is moderate here in East TN
- Cost of living is lower here in East TN
My wife and I have been debt free for over 10 years now and it has had a dramatic influence on our finances and budget. We saved money for future cars with the understanding that we would soon go to having only one vehicle... Our last two vehicles were paid for in cash and were not bought new but were leased vehicles with low mileage.
My 2015 VENSA for example was a year old when purchased and had just a few miles over 5,000 miles when I purchased it.
I can have a perfectly cooked 8 ounce salmon with broccoli and a baked potato for $13 before taxes, right around $20 with taxes, unsweetened tea, and a tip... which is about what it costs for me to fill up my gas tank with gasoline.
When the third round of the stimulus checks are received via direct deposit, we will simply transfer the monies over to savings and continue with our lives as if nothing was received at all.
My wife and I feel fortunate that by the time our national debt grows to the point that our government will finally pay attention to it, that it will be future generates that will be forced to BITE THE BULLET, not US... And, while this may sound a little selfish... it is nonetheless true as neither political party wants to deal with the growing debt.
Stimulus Checks
vacation plans for a couple of reasons:
- we were in an older age bracket
- we had compromised immune systems
My wife and I had been retired for over 5 years and were living off of Social Security and a Trust Fund that would eventually end, putting us in a situation where we would have to start drawing down on our SAVINGS. However, and based upon our lifestyle, we had plenty of money to continue living exactly as we wanted to live and had been living for the last 5 years. Our needs were simple and we had no DEBT and we pretty much could do whatever we wanted to do... as long as we could drive there in a car... if air transportation was involved, it was a slightly different story, even with our Delta Frequent Flyer Point that we were receiving each month.
SO...
when the stimulus checks arrived... the first one was $2,400 and the second one was $1,200 we simply put that money into our savings account as we did not need it. We DID NOT SPEND that money to stimulate the economy and we did not use that money to pay for any vacation because we were not going anywhere anyway.
My wife and I both felt like OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOOLISHLY sent us money and while we had no problem accepting that money... it was not needed.
NOW...
the LIBERAL DEMOCRATS want to spend more money so that our Federal Government can grow larger and larger...
In my 73 years of life, I have NEVER SEEN OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT manage anything well regardless of political party. Governmental BUREAUCRACY simply MAKES EVERYTHING WORSE... and, when people know that they are not going to be fired from employment, then their quality of work DECLINES proportionately with their attitude.
Monday, February 8
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