Believe it or Not

 

COVID America -- East TN

 TODAY...  was the end of a two week wait after my 2rd COVID vaccine shot...  so, now I am 96% protected against all forms of the virus...

How does that make me feel?

Well...  when others have asked me that same question, I typically answer by saying "I FEEL WITH MY FINGERS."  And...  that response usually elicits some mild form of laughter...  not wanting to give me the impression that I have said anything that was really too funny.

BUT...  knowing that I am protected is a good feeling especially because of my on going battles with:  heart disease, lymphoma, melanoma, and hypothyroidism all of which has contributed to my constant fatigue, low immunity and anemia.

HOWEVER...  I will continue to wear my facemask in public and I will continue to wash my hands often especially when I am in public or going to a doctor's appointment...  and, since I am currently teaching a night class for a local university, I will be protecting myself there as well.

My concern about COVID will for the most part end once we develop herd immunity in the US and once we get control over the COVID that is being brought into the US as a result of our current immigration policies...  and while it does not really impact me, living in East TN, immigration could have a negative impact on our country in the months to come.

MEANWHILE...  my wife and I are planning several trips down to the Gulf Coast and to the East Coast, specifically Myrtle Beach, SC (above).  Myrtle Beach is not a place that attracts millionaires and billionaires but it is a place where my wife and I can stay in an efficiency apartment for a week for $1,200 and sit in lounge chairs with umbrellas for under $150 for that same week and spend $50 a night (or less - including tips) on dinner for a total of $250...  Our round trip visit usually involves 3 tanks of gasoline for about $100.  Our total visit cost is $1,800 +/- and since we received $6,400 in total stimulus checks as a result of this pandemic, we will be able to use the stimulus to pay for 3.5 visits before needing to use our own money...

As far as I am concerned, the Democrats can keep the money flowing, especially since it will not be me that will be responsible for our National Debt nor will it be me that suffers should the FED print up a bunch of money to pay off the debt resulting in a severe dilution of the value of the US dollar.  That dilution will not be necessary until after I am dead.

PERFECT TIMING FOR ME...

Do We Need Religious Institutions?

 TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. You shall have no other Gods before me
2. You shall not make for yourselves an idol
3. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
5. Honor your father and your mother
6. You shall not murder
7. You shall not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal
9. You shall not give false testimony
10. You shall not covet

Religious institutions put the ten commandment in their sermons that the clergy deliver to congregations over and over again in a variety of lessons and proverbs, etc. in the hopes that their congregations will finally follow Jesus' teachings...

But, why do we make the assumption that our congregations are intellectual void and cannot manage their own feelings and follow the ten commandments on their own without constant reminders?

I am an adult.

I am an educated adult.

I am a well educated adult.

I am a retired adult after working for 45 years.

I have read the Bible cover to cover.

Do I need to be constantly reminded by clergy that I should follow the Ten Commandments or do I think that I can remind myself and use my own personality to make sure that I adhere to the Ten Commandments?

If I can do this on my own...  why do I need to attend Church on Sundays?

It is said that there is fellowship going on in Church with like minded people...  and, while that may be true to some extent, my experience is that most of these people in Church that I saw behave in a completely different manner Monday through Saturday when not in Church...  consequently, I have no desire to fellowship with hypocrites...

My fellowship is completed with NATURE...  animals, the environment, rain showers, snow falls, spring flowers, birds of all shapes and sizes, sunsets and sunrises...  and all the fresh air that I can breathe into my lungs by living in the country.

I fellowship with God and His creations everyday...

It don't no better than that...

WHITE PRIVILEGE

 Most of the wealthy people in the USA are white and became wealthy because of WHITE PRIVILEGE...

I am a white person

I am not wealthy

BUT...  I am still being accused of receiving my life's success because of WHITE PRIVILEGE...

Absurd...

because I have never earned an annual salary of over $50,000 during my 45 year career...

compare that to WHITES

who

earned millions and billions

and their careers are not even half over...

WHITE PRIVILEGE pertains to the WHITE WEALTHY not the WHITE POOR...

The Rest of US

 THE WEALTHY SHOULD FINANCIALLY TAKE CARE OF THE REST 

OF US...  IN AMERICA...

Share your money with the rest of us

Share your success with the rest of us

Share your special skills with the rest of us

America is financially DIVIDED...

Wealthy versus the poor

Wealthy versus the middle class

Billionaires versus Millionaires

Our government should not force the Wealthy to pay higher taxes, the wealthy should want to help the rest of us simply because we don't have the skills and/or ability to acquire the wealth like you did.

If we had those same skills, we would be as wealthy as you are but we don't have those skills so why should be penalized because you were BLESSED...

We all need to be successful.

You got your wealth because of WHITE PRIVILEGE and the rest of us have not had an opportunity to enjoy WHITE PRIVILEGE...

April Fool's Day

History of April Fool's Day...

On April 1, 1700, English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools’ Day by playing practical jokes on each other.

Although the day, also called All Fools’ Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery.

Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes.

These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as poisson d’avril (April fish), said to symbolize a young, “easily hooked” fish and a gullible person.

April Fools’ Day spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. In Scotland, the tradition became a two-day event, starting with “hunting the gowk,” in which people were sent on phony errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which involved pranks played on people’s derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or “kick me” signs on them.  SOURCE:  History.com

Global Concerns

The USA has the following serious ENEMIES...

1. Russia
2. China
3. North Korea
4. Iran 
5. Syria
6. Afghanistan

BUT, the liberals, the progressives, and the Democrats do not see these 6 countries as enemies to the US of A...

Oddly enough,

China, Russia, and North Korea just formed a coalition against the USA

Russia and Iran just formed a coalition against the USA

AND,

the Biden Administration is considering reducing the MILITARY BUDGET to help pay for his spending increase...

It has been reported by reliable sources that:

• China has a bigger Army than the USA
• China has a bigger Navy than the USA
• China has a bigger Air Forces than the USA
• China has more missiles than the USA
• China has more fiber optic cable laid than the USA
• China's economy is growing faster than the USA

The Middle East has SWORN JIHAD against America and to America's DEATH...  and, terrorists continue to plan attacks against the USA and/or it allies.

The moment we reduce our military we are letting the rest of the world know that AMERICA is VULNERABLE...

BIDEN's focus is on:

1. Increasing government spending
2. Increasing immigration
3. Increasing taxes on corporations
4. Censoring the conservative voice
5. Making sure conservatives never have a majority

Online Instruction Versus Classroom Instruction

I have taught college/university classes in the classroom and online and have designed both classroom and online curriculum for other instructors who have been asked to teach either of these outcomes are both...

AND,

I have taught class at this level for over 20 years in my 45 year Educational Career...

In my opinion (and opinions are like buttholes since everyone has one) in the classroom is much preferred over online classes...  especially since, online classes have been designed with BUSY WORK in mind...  for example:

it is estimated that a student reads ONE PAGE in three minutes...  so, it is then estimated that 10 pages of reading would take 30 minutes and 20 pages of reading would take an hour...  so, 20 pages is always selected.

There are ONE to TWO Discussion Questions that are always asked each week...  the students are required to visit the Forum 3 times for each questions, making a comment and responding to 2 other comments.  Each response must be OF SUBSTANCE...  not just "I agree."

There is always a research project where 1-3 sites must be visited and a 2-3 page paper 10 point font or 250-300 words per page) written that is hardly ever graded for grammar and punctuation mistakes.

There is always a weekly quiz that has T/F, Multiple Choice, Fill in the Blank, and Essay questions...  and oftentimes, the quizzes are not timed, can stop and begin later if needed, and no oversight to see if the student is using the textbook or has another person answering the questions on behalf of the registered student.

There may or may not be a team project because if there is a team project, there has to be an agreed upon time for all the students on that team to meet and sometimes that is difficult to arrange when students are working various shifts at work.

Others things can take place like watching videos or slide shows to get the material across in addition to the Chapter Readings.

VERY LITTLE KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER TAKES PLACE IN ONLINE CLASSES.

Online classes are preferred by teachers because there is less work involved that teaching in a classroom plus instructors teach from home and can work on these classes a little bit at a time throughout the day and throughout the week. 

For the Student, much more time is spent in an online class than is spent in a classroom class plus the student typically finds it difficult to get the instructor to respond to emails in a timely manner which is frustrating as well...  and, there is no time set aside for tutoring by the instructor which is available in the classroom.

Discussion Forums do not adequately replace in person discussions that can develop into respectful debates and learning opportunities.

OWL Technology in the Classroom

Shippensburg University has implemented the Meeting Owl Pro in the majority of its classrooms in order to accommodate students who elect to participate in classes remotely.

The Meeting Owl Pro is an all-in-one tracking camera/microphone system that connects to Zoom on the classroom instructor’s station. The camera is designed to track one or more active speakers by tracking the location of their voice(s) in the room. The camera then focuses on and tracks their movement, providing a clear image of in-room participants to those who are remotely connected to Zoom.

The microphone in Meeting Owl Pro is designed to capture speech and audio from 15+ feet away, making it a robust solution to streaming classes and capturing both student and faculty input.
How it works

The video below outlines how classrooms will look for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021, including a demo and description of the Meeting Owl Pro.

Faculty training/support
Faculty wishing to learn more about using the Meeting Owl Pro in their assigned classrooms can view the recording of the Meeting Owl & Classroom Technology Demo/Training held in late July 2020.

Those interested in using a secondary device, such as a tablet or laptop, to help moderate Zoom sessions and/or share content wirelessly can view the walkthrough video below created by Dr. Kimberly Presser from the Mathematics department.

Sharing content
Faculty who are utilizing classrooms that have students participating remotely are encouraged to use the Share Screen function in Zoom. This ensures that students who are attending in-person can see content being shared from the computer via the projection screen, and that remote participants in Zoom can also see the screen.

This is particularly important when using the whiteboard. Rather than using the traditional whiteboard or chalkboard in a room, consider alternative digital whiteboarding programs. One example is the whiteboard built into Zoom – just click on Share Screen and choose the Whiteboard option.

All classrooms have been outfitted with a touchscreen display, so faculty have the option to use their finger or any capacitive stylus to write or draw on the screen. This works in any whiteboard software as well as in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and a variety of other applications.

Photography

 

Thoughts of an Ordinary Kind

Very few people read my blogs, especially this one so I do not really care about what I write nor do I care if you like what I write or not...  but, the sad truth is that I am going to continue to do this because I am retired and writing articles that no one is going to read gives me something to do each day.  Besides, if I did have a large following and wrote something that offended someone, the WOKE Mob would do every thing in their power to cancel me out.  Of course, I would still write until they actually convinced BLOGGER to shut me down...  and if that happened, I would go to another free blog site and start another blog that no one would read...  So, I really don't have anything to lose.

Interestingly, having nothing to lose reminds me of a serial killer who believes that if s/he kills more than one person, then the State can only kill them once.  So, the killer has nothing to lose by killing more than one person.  I thought that was a concept with a little irony since most killers would like to stay in prison all their lives rather than be put to death...  but, this one killer had a different outlook.

Today's society is screwed up and the more screwed up it becomes the more people seem to like the way the county is heading.  Personally, I don't really care one way or another.  I am tired of the roller coaster that Politicians create...  like Dems put this into place and then the GOP does the opposite and then the Dems put back into place and the GOP does the opposite.  Nothing ever gets done.

We need ONE PARTY to control America like a DEMOCRATIC DICTATORSHIP where the Democrats are elected but then they have complete authority and power because there is NO PARTY to oppose them.  The media would like that as well because it would be totally clear who to BLAME if something goes wrong, since they would no longer be able to blame the previous party.

BUT...  I do like the Dems spending money...  and the more money they spend the better I like it.  It is like having a wealthy family member who wants to share some of their wealth with the rest of the family.

Oh well...  what does it matter since no one is going to read this anyway...  Gotta run folks...  but I will be here tomorrow for a little while post more thoughts that no one will read...   Damn, you gotta love being retired.

Teaching Illegal Immigrants

I think that it is a great idea that teachers in California are teaching illegal immigrant children in person and are refusing to teach American students in person...

This is a great idea because it shows me and hopefully others just how hypocritical teachers are in their comments and in their actions.  The Democrats seem to be supporting the TEACHER'S UNIONS for some reason and don't mind harming our children and not listening to the science that President Biden promised he would do.

Illegal Immigrant children are being tested for COVID and 10% of these children are testing positive which further amazes me when it comes to teachers who want to teach these children in person.

I hope that PARENTS are PISSED OFF and start doing something about this...

AMERICA... is no longer a great country

America is moving towards Socialism and away from Capitalism that is currently being used to finance a socialistic agenda.

America is ranked 15th in the world in public education K-12.

America is racist, full of white supremacists, and white Americans have been living on white privilege since 1776.

America's Constitution does not reflect minority values...  only white privilege values.

America is controlled by whites with money where 10% of the population has 80% of the wealth.

America leads the world in the purchase of illegal drugs.

America's military is smaller than China's military:  Army, Navy, Air Force

America's National Debt is increasing and China owns ONE THIRD of that debt.

America's colleges and universities are DUMBING DOWN knowledge so that less qualified students can pass courses.

America's democratic form of government is being rejected by most of the other global countries.

America's military is forcing themselves on people in the Middle East who don't want them there.

Everybody Must Get Stoned

As reported by R. Schraer of BBC News:

A powerful hallucinogenic drug known for its part in shamanic rituals is being tried as a potential cure for depression for the first time.

Participants will be given the drug DMT, followed by talking therapy.

It is hoped this could offer an alternative for the significant number of people who don't respond to conventional pills for depression.

Psychedelic-assisted therapy might offer longer-term relief from symptoms, some researchers believe.

A growing body of evidence indicates other psychedelic drugs, particularly alongside talking therapy, are safe and can be effective for treating a range of mental illnesses.

This will be the first time DMT is given to people with moderate to severe depression in a clinical trial.

Carol Routledge, the chief scientific officer of Small Pharma, the company running the trial said: "We believe the impact will be almost immediate, and longer lasting than conventional antidepressants."
'Spirit molecule'

The drug is known as the "spirit molecule" because of the way it alters the human consciousness and produces hallucinations that have been likened to a near-death experience.

It is also the active ingredient in ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian plant medicine used to bring spiritual enlightenment.

Researchers believe the drug might help loosen the brain's fixed pathways, which can then be "reset" with talking therapy afterwards.

Ms Routledge likened the drug to "shaking a snow globe" - throwing entrenched negative thought patterns up in the air which the therapy allows to be resettled into a more functional form.

But this hypothesis still needs to be proven.

The team is consulting Imperial College London, which runs the pioneering Centre for Psychedelic Research.

As part of the study, they hope to investigate whether the drug can be administered as a one-off or as part of a course.

Subjects will be followed up for at least six months to see how long the effects of the treatment last.

Meanwhile, a ketamine-assisted therapy clinic is set to open in Bristol next week.

While the drug is already used for depression in clinics like the ketamine treatment service in Oxford, it is not accompanied by psychotherapy.

Rather, it is used to provide temporary relief from symptoms for people who have very serious, treatment-resistant depression.

So-far unpublished researched presented at a conference by professor of psychopharmacology at the University of Exeter, Celia Morgan, suggests ketamine accompanied by therapy has much longer-lasting effects.

Prof Morgan said there was mounting evidence that drugs, including psilocybin, LSD, ketamine and MDMA (Ecstasy), were safe and could play a role in the treatment of mental health disorders.

And there was some early evidence they could have longer-term effects than the medicines conventionally prescribed as antidepressants, known as SSRIs, but more research was needed.

They also worked using a completely different mechanism, Prof Morgan explained.  READ MORE

Democrats FOREVER

I like the idea of making Washington DC and Puerto Rico states especially since those two areas are 90% Democrats and will give the Senate 4 more Senators which will mean that the ODDS are AGAINST the Republicans that they will ever control the Senate again...  What a great IDEA...

I also like the idea of increasing the size of the SUPREME COURT so that the Conservatives WILL NEVER AGAIN GAIN CONTROL of the highest court in the land...

I also like the idea of CENSORING CONSERVATIVE IDEAS so that the American Public NEVER HEARS the conservative side of the ALL ARGUMENTS...

AMERICANS NO LONGER NEED to have a two party system.  Americans deserve to have just the Democrats deciding what is going to happen in this country, like:

• Racism
• Taxes
• Employment
• Healthcare
• Wages
• Wealth
• Immigration
• Wars
• Terrorism
• Defunding police
• Reparations

I don't like the police telling me how fast I can drive

I don't like the idea of Americans owning firearms

I believe females should always abort babies

I don't fear the Russians

I don't fear the Chinese

I don't fear the North Koreans

I don't like Americans fighting overseas

I think the Feds should legalize marijuana

I want to receive an guaranteed income

I want immigrants to work so Americans don't have to

Everyone regardless of mental ability should attend college

We should take money away from the wealthy

Positive Affirmations

 Dinsa Sachan of Discover Magazine writes:

“Do you see this?” my dentist said, pointing a scaler to a section of my gums that was popping out between two teeth. “Yeah,” I said nonchalantly, looking into the mirror he handed me. My gums had been bleeding severely in March of last year, but before I could get them checked, India went into total lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It took me until the first week of November to walk into a dental clinic. The gum infection had understandably worsened.

The dentist said I might need a surgical procedure to fix the problem. To begin with, he recommended a rigorous oral hygiene routine — massaging my gums with an ointment and rinsing my teeth with a prescription mouthwash — that I diligently followed. When I returned for my follow up three weeks later, my gums had healed so well the dentist ruled out surgery.

I wondered if an intervention that my therapist had introduced me to played a role in my astonishing recovery. At her behest, I had reluctantly started using affirmations in 2019. But, frankly, I found it too woo-woo at the time — and gave up. Lying to myself, “I remain healthy,” when I clearly wasn’t, seemed appalling.

During the pandemic lockdown, my interest in affirmations was renewed when I started doing creativity exercises in Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, with an online group. Cameron’s a huge champion of affirmations. I restarted my affirmation practice a few weeks before my first dental appointment. Initially, I tried writing out affirmations and combining them with my “morning pages” — a journaling practice that's essential to Cameron’s program. For me, this involved examining my emotional struggles before veering into more uplifting topics, such as things I was grateful for and plans for achieving various goals. Later, I switched to a verbal style.

As I began my dental treatment, I added some gum-related statements for fun: “My gums are healing quickly.” And to my surprise, that's exactly what happened.  READ MORE

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

African Americans: Spring Breakers

Several news outlets have reported that Springer Breakers have invaded Florida and are not wearing facemasks, not social distancing, drinking alcohol in copious amounts, and in some cases are destroying property because they are drunk, high on drugs, or just don't give a shit about someone else's property.

One news outlet interviewed a young African American who was PISSED OFF because she was paying $185 each night and was not allowed to PARTY in a way that she wanted to PARTY...  In essence, she was pissed off at local authorities that were preventing her from doing whatever it was that she was doing simply because she paid money to be there.

It is funny in a way how young adults FEEL ENTITLED...

And...  once these children graduate and enter the marketplace as employees of some organization they are going to be even further surprised.

Being white and living my entire life (at least the black people think so) under white privilege, I have always seen SPRING BREAK even when I was a college student myself, as a justification for people to drink more than they should and ignore rules.

College students don't need SPRING BREAK to raise hell and drunk...  they can do that anytime they want...

And to see a student who is THAT STUPID to go on NATIONAL NEWS and say that because she spend so much money a night that she should be allowed to do whatever she wants...  makes her naive and foolish...  especially since the WHOLE COUNTRY knows who she is...  That recognition will not bode well for her in the future.

Crisis At The Border

According to President Biden and further promoted by Biden's Press Secretary as well as most all the Democratic Leaders in Congress, the problem at the border is a DIRECT RESULT of former President Trump's initiatives and actions...

Aside from the fact that pointing the finger is not very Presidential, does it really matter who caused the problem???  The problem is in the lap of the current President and right now the crisis at the border is getting worse not better...

FIX THE PROBLEM PRESIDENT BIDEN...  

IT IS NOW YOUR PROBLEM... 

SO FIX IT...

Blaming one's predecessor is a chicken shit move to make...  each President has to deal with what their predecessor has done.  What is REAL here with Biden is the fact that in the first few days of his administration, President Biden completely reversed just about everything that former President Trump put into place...  That reversal makes it HIS PROBLEM...  not his predecessor...

America's Greatest FLAW

From the moment that I understood what my parents were trying to tell me even though I did very little about it, I found it hard to believe that the most important aspect of one's life was the quest for money or GREED.  And, those who were incredibly more greedy than others, were praised because they were so financially successful.

All my classes in high school were specifically designed not for me to go out and get a job after graduation but to matriculate to a college or university because the pursuit of education would, in fact, allow me to earn more money during my career.  GREED.

The advice of my mentors during the years I was beginning my career was to do those things that would promote me through the ranks with the sole purpose of eventually getting to the top of the organization so that I could have more POWER and MONEY or GREED.

Immigrants come to the United States so that they can earn more money...   GREED

Problem:

As more and more Americans pursue GREED, it is obvious that 80% of Americans (or more) will be left behind and never acquire the GREED for which they have pursued all of their lives.  

So...  how does that work actually?

Well, if you have superior athletic skills then you can become a PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE in the areas of"

• football
• baseball
• basketball
• tennis
• gold
• soccer

OR... 

if you have artistic skills, you can become a:L

• professional musician
• professional singer
• professional artist
• actor or actress

If you do not have the SPECIAL SKILLS and most Americans do not have those SPECIAL SKILLS then your pursuit of GREED goes nowhere...  And, as you try harder and harder to pursue GREED, all it does is allow the WEATHY TO GET WEALTHIER...

Racism is not going to change this

BLM is not going to change this

White Privilege is not going to change this

White Supremacists are not going to change this

Black reparations is not going to change this

Socialism is not going to change this

Censoring conservatives is not going to change this