Playing The Race Card

 

Russian Hackers

 When the Colonial Pipeline was hacked by RUSSIA, and our gasoline flow was delayed causing gas lines at

stations for several days...  that directly impacted me...  and, I was annoyed and somewhat pissed off...  BUT NOW...  these RUSSIAN HACKERS, maybe the same ones, maybe new ones, have attacked our MEAT SUPPLIER which will cause red meat prices to increase...

HOWEVER...  this time, it is of little concern to me because I stopped eating red meat over a decade ago and while I like to eat GREASY CHEESEBURGERS, I have mentally convinced myself that this eating habit is unhealthy...

My diet nowadays consists of chicken, turkey, beans, and fish...

Maybe it is finally time for the USA to use this as an excuse to change out diets.

the Quantum Revolution

As you read these words the world around you seems pretty solid, pretty stable: The device you're using seems to exist on its own, with its own properties of shape and weight and color. So does the chair you're sitting in, the table your coffee cup is resting on and the coffee cup itself.

But that solidity and independence is a kind illusion or, at least, so says the very physics that lets these words appear on the screen of your computer, smart phone or tablet.

That physics, called quantum mechanics, represents the most powerful theory human beings have ever developed. And while we scientists know how to use it to make all those digital devices, we do not know what it means. We don't know what it's telling us about the fundamental nature of reality. It is into that chasm that acclaimed theoretical physicist and author Carlo Rovelli leaps with his new book Helgoland. Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution.

It's a leap you will want to take with him.

Quantum mechanics is now more than 100 years old. It was born at the turn of the 20th century as physicists probed the atomic and subatomic realms. Much to their chagrin, reality turned out to be a lot weirder at those scales than in the "classical" realm of ordinary experience. The theory they developed to control the objects of their experiments was an intellectual triumph. Almost all of the technological miracles we live with now — from CAT scans to computers — can be traced to that achievement. But quantum mechanics never really "explained" the strangeness of the microworld. It just gave us a method for making incredibly accurate predictions and building stuff.  TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE...

Raising Taxes

PERSONALLY...  I really really really really really really like the idea of the WEALTHY paying more in taxes so the rest of us lazy slobs can continue to be lazy; BUT, unless you are like Bezos, Gates, or Zuckerberg who are actually thrilled at the prospect of pay more taxes to an inefficient, incompetent, depressed Federal Government, then you are going to find some way to HIDE your frigging money away from the prying eyes of the IRS, typically in offshore bank accounts or relocating your operations to a jurisdiction that has less taxes, so that you can in turn sell your lower cost goods to an unsuspecting American public at a substantially higher profit than you were earning before...

Come to think of it, you might be the ones who are encouraging the Democrats to raise taxes...

It does my heart good to see wealthy people, especially those who are arrogant and egotistical and look down their noses on the rest of us to finally be backed into a corner by a halfwit Democratic President and a Vice President who thanks the good Lord that she WAS NOT born white.  But, I have no idea is she really believes in a higher power or not, so I cannot say that this comment has any merit to it or not.

All I can say now is that it is a good thing that Forrest Gump was released in 1994 and not 2021 because if it were the latter then it would have been cancelled before the first seat ticket was sold.

Slaves

Racial Intermingling

 

When I was in high school in Cairo, Egypt, Americans and Foreigners regardless of color and ethnicity would spend time together...  that is to say we would date, attend parties and other gathering together, and vacation with each other without the slightest bit of concern.

When I was in college in North Carolina, there were very few minorities attending that college other than females and a handful of foreign students and that difference did not prevent us from socializing outside of attending our classes.

When I was in the military, our ship, the USS Recovery, was a salvage and rescue vessel with a crew of 86 which included officers.  Since officers and enlisted personnel did not fraternize with each other, there were virtually no minorities on our vessel with which to intermingle.

When I was working and during my career of 45 years, I very seldom socialized or intermingled with co-workers unless it was at a company sponsored event; therefore, there was never an opportunity for me to socialize or intermingle with any minorities other than females.

Now that I am retired, I live in a small community, and while there is no community restraints from allowing blacks or foreigners into our community, no blacks or foreigners have ever elected to live here except an new friend of mine called Daniel and his wife, who is Mexican and his wife an American Caucasian.  We talk when we find ourselves outside mowing our lawns at the same time.

During my monthly chemo visits to the hospital, every once in a while, I am attended by a black nurse who treats me the exact same way that she treats all her other patients and I respond in kind.  My Oncologist is Egyptian and I trust him implicitly with my health and have never once questioned his judgement as to how I should be treated.

SYSTEMATIC RACISM DOES NOT REACH OUT TO ME NOR DO I REACH OUJ TO IT...  and, it bothers me when I hear the mainstream media claim how prevalent racism is in the USA...  because I do not see it and I have have never seen it...  although I have heard people talk about it and make racist comments.

Five Hundred Thousand Dollars

 How long would this amount of money last if a couple retired in East TN?

ASSUMPTIONS:

1.  both receive $1,200 in social security ($2,400)

2.  both have no other source(s) of income

3.  both are debt free

4.  couple own their home valued at $200,000

5.  both have a medicare  supplement

6.  both are 67 years of age

7.  both are in relative good health

8.  both have conservative lifestyles

9.  expenses are less than $4,000/month

10.  both have inexpensive hobbies

This means that each month they will deplete their savings of $1,500 or $18,000 which equates to $180,000 every 10 years or $540,000 after 3 decades with both individuals now being at the age of 97 years old with a deficit value in savings (not including any interest earned) of ($60,000); however, with their home valued at $200,000, the couple still has a net worth of $140,000 using the equity in their home to guarantee any loan they would need to create...  or, decide to create a reverse mortgage with a local bank or credit union.

NOTE:  The couple would still have enough money saved to live to age 97 even if inflation maintained a constant rate of 2-3% increase each year.

HOWEVER, these financial consideration would not be realized if this couple were living in other part of the United States and are related to the East TN area only.

OBVIOUSLY...  $500,000 is not much money considering the vast amount of wealthy people living in the USA today, but there are still some areas of the US that are still conducive living rather well for less...  and, East TN is one of those areas.  Once the assumption has been made of no debt and a simple lifestyle...

I should know because my wife and I have been retired in East TN for over five years.

A Complete Life

 

At 73 years of age and easily looking down the road and seeing the end of my journey, it is confidentially easy for someone like me to look back on their life and state with complete certainty that my life has been complete...

Obviously, I was raised WHITE which to many blacks is a sign of automatic privilege but that was not the case with me, although, I was raised to have solid religious beliefs and a propensity towards the Democratic Party as it relates to the general public.

But, outside of being WHITE all my life, I graduated high school as well as college and graduate school and spent a few years in the military.  I have been married twice, owned all my homes, achieved a debt free status and maintained it, travel throughout Europe and the Caribbean, as well as the US, Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, and Canada.

I am the father of exceptional daughter who would be exceptional even if I was not her father.  I have experienced the pain of two dying parents and have owned several vehicles, stereo equipment, electronics, and home theater systems.

I am a survivor of two still on-going cancers (Melanoma and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma) and have also survived a lethal heart attack because I had kept my body healthy earlier.  No other internal organ damage done as a result of over 12 years of chemo, radiation, surgery, chemo, and immunotherapies.

I have had the mental determination and ability to stop smoking without any other aids, loose weight, and complete a 45 year career reporting pseudo intellectual assholes who by the grace of God had superior positions to my own and could therefore direct me according to their imbecilic plans.

Rather astoundingly, I have managed to actually save enough squirreled away monies to pay the living expenses of our current lifestyles for my wife and I to extend out lives to 95+ plus years should the occasion arise for us to live that long.

All my life, I have maintain the desire to have either cats or dogs live in my house with me, although have pleasantly discovered that cats are easier to take care of than dogs, but in some cases, are not as friendly as dogs or perhaps as stupid in some cases.

I have never been wealthy and never really wanted to be wealthy although I have fantasized about wealth and what all it could do for me, but even if I was in possession of wealth, I doubt that I would change my current lifestyle, except maybe fly first class more often.

I don't play golf and never wanted to and while I was an avid JOCK in high school and college have very little desire to watch, attend, or follow professional or college athletics.  Therefore, all the sports channels on CABLE are irrelevant to me.

My brother and sister and I do not get along and as my brother has told me who is 8 years younger than me, we have nothing in common; although, I believe our parents, if they were still alive, would disagree with him.  The 3 of us have different lifestyles that do not mess when together and the reality of any family reunion results in not have much to share with each other, especially since I am the only cancer/heart attack victim in the family.

If I were to die today, would I have wished for a more complete life than the one I have had...   I don't think so...  but then again, we don't know for sure how that will be until we get there, do we?

Social Dominance

Mental health symptoms appear to influence how people respond to being placed in dominant and subordinate positions, according to new research published in PLOS One. The study indicates that manic symptoms and depressive symptoms in particular are related to psychological and physiological responses to social dominance.

“A couple years ago, I worked with colleagues to review the literature on social dominance and psychopathology,” said study author Sheri Johnson, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley and the director of the CALM Program.

“I was amazed by the rich number of studies suggesting how important social dominance is to many different forms of psychopathology — anxiety, depression, mania, psychopathy, among others. Moreover, there was human and animal literature, and researchers had tested biological, social and psychological facets of the dominance system.”

“Still, though, the literature was fragmented because researchers were not using the same measures to study the various psychopathologies,” Johnson explained. “I wanted to fill that gap, and to do so using careful methods chosen from social psychology, where researchers had done so much work to think about how we can test reactivity to social dominance cues.”

The researchers conducted a laboratory experiment with 81 undergraduate students, who had previously completed psychological measures of depression, social anxiety, manic tendencies, and psychopathic traits.  TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE...

CATS... Cats... cats...

 We are the proud but not always so happy owners of three male cats...  two are yellow, and the third one is original Siamese...  and, believe it or not, all three are completely different.

One of the yellow cats cries out an annoying whine when he wants something.

When the other yellow cat wants something, he just struts over to me, sits down and stares at me until I feel guilty enough to get up and see to his needs.

The Siamese never really tells me what he actually wants, he just jumps up into my lay, lays down and expects to be rubbed until I finally figure out on my own what he wants.

Since these cats were acquired about the same time, they are all about 10 years old and we anticipate that they will live another 10 years...  after which my wife and I will probably sell this house and move into an apartment.

We are not always happy with these cats because of all the fur that they shed and the fact that one of them always seems to be getting sick because of rapid eating...  so, we are constantly having to watch carefully where we step especially in the night.

Emptying out the litter box everyday does not really bother either one of us...  and, when go off on vacation, we have always been able to find someone to take care of them.  However, when we finally return 6, 7, 10 days later, the two yellow cats are pleased to see us return, but the Siamese continues to remain pissed off that we left in the first place and will not come out of his hiding place to let us see him for 3-4 hours...  and sometimes, he won't come out until the next day.

All three cats are house cats, except one of the yellow cats can be trusted enough to go outside, spend 20-30 minutes doing whatever, and return to the back door to be let back in.  We have installed a motion sensor outside that plays music inside when he is back at the door waiting for us to let him in.

End of a Month

There are not many certainties in life like birth, death, paying taxes, spacetime, quantum physics, and the notion that time can only move forward and that each day we got older not younger.  With that change in age comes the notion that we live through the beginnings and endings of twelve months each year which is again repeated each and every subsequent year until we die or end ourselves.  To that point, today, represents the last day of May which is always followed by June.  May is blessed with 31 days, representing one of the longest of the twelve months...  and I am really not sure why May got 31 days and June only received 30, but I am sure that it has something to do with the stars.

In case you did not know, the stars guide, form, and shape our daily lives and for some, who worship the stars, it is believed that  our existence came from beings who came from the stars...  and that conceptual logic is not far off, especially when one relates it to Christianity and Jesus saying "My kingdom is not of this world."  However, I have never heard any religious leader referring to Jesus as being an extraterrestrial, even though that is basically what he is or was...  but, we have not yet accepted the fact that our Creator could have been or might have been an extraterrestrial as well.

BUT...  what do we know about May other than it having 31 days?  It is a transitional month as is April between the cold months of winter and the warmer months of summer...  referred to as springtime since the spring season is always between winter and summer just as the fall season is always between summer and winter.  Yet, the fall season is or has become not as cool always as the spring.

The last Monday of May is always the day we celebrate Memorial Day and this day is more than just another Federal Holiday but a day that we remember and honor all those Veterans who died protecting  the freedom that this country has stood for since 1776., although many people just see it as another holiday or another long weekend but not necessarily a 4 day weekend, unless the previous Friday was taken as a vacation day. which many people do as a way of extending time off without eating into vacation days.

I used that same logic in the military.  I would take leave between two weekend in which I had to stand duty.  So, I would get 9 days in a row off and would only use 5 of my 30 vacation days..  If one could manage this 6 years each year, then they would have 54 vacation days instead of 30, since the military owns you 24/7.

But, I digress...

Consciousness

The history of science includes numerous challenging problems, including the “hard problem” of consciousness: Why does an assembly of neurons—no matter how complex, such as the human brain—give rise to perceptions and feelings that are consciously experienced, such as the sweetness of chocolate or the tenderness of a loving caress on one's cheek? Beyond satisfying this millennia-old existential curiosity, understanding consciousness bears substantial medical and ethical implications, from evaluating whether someone is conscious after brain injury to determining whether nonhuman animals, fetuses, cell organoids, or even advanced machines are conscious.

A comprehensive and agreed-upon theory of consciousness is necessary to answer the question of which systems—biologically evolved or artificially designed—experience anything and to define the ethical boundaries of our actions toward them. The research projects described here will hopefully point the way and indicate whether some of today's major theories hold water or not.

After prosperous decades of focused scientific investigation zeroing in on the neural correlates of consciousness, a number of candidate theories of consciousness have emerged. These have independently gained substantial empirical support, led to empirically testable predictions, and resulted in major improvements in the evaluation of consciousness at the bedside.

Notwithstanding this progress, the conjectures being put forward by the different theories make diverging claims and predictions that cannot all be simultaneously true. Moreover, the theories evolve and continue to adapt as further data accumulates, with hardly any cross-talk between them. How can we then narrow down on which theory better explains conscious experience?

The road to a possible solution may be paved by means of a new form of cooperation among scientific adversaries. Championed by Daniel Kahneman in the field of behavioral economics and predated by Arthur Eddington's observational study to test Einstein's theory of general relativity against Newton's theory of gravitation, adversarial collaboration rests on identifying the most diagnostic points of divergence between competing theories, reaching agreement on precisely what they predict, and then designing experiments that directly test those diverging predictions.

During the past 2 years, several groups have adopted this approach, following an initiative that aims to accelerate research in consciousness. So far, several theories of consciousness are being evaluated in this manner to test competing explanations for where and when neural activity gives rise to subjective experience.  TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE...

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

Mental Attributes of an Old Man

According to our online dictionary an attribute is...       a quality or feature regarded as a characteristic or inherent part of someone or something.

So...  a quality or feature which is actually a characteristic that has ALWAYS been a part of that person...  well... the only thing that really comes to mind here is the fact that I am always been an ASSHOLE more or less...  but would assume that it is more than less...

I have always been:

• self-determined
• stubborn
• opinionated
• sarcastic
• withdrawn
• introspective
• carefree
• reflective
• lacking common sense

However, I am sure there are some positive attributes that I must possess otherwise how would I have ever lived as long as I have so far?  And, I am sure that my ex-wife would have something priceless to say about all of this...  which is why she is an ex-wife I suppose...  still, at one point-in-time I must have said and/or done something right to have gotten married in the first place.

It is odd sometimes, looking back on one's life and trying to interpret why it went this way or that way when it should have gone another way altogether...  but, one thing is solid about one's life, especially mine, and that is that it was not supposed to have evolved or unfolded any other way...  outside of the way it actually unfolded and evolved.

Sounds kind of silly in a way, but it is true.  I have become exactly what I was supposed to have become from the moment I was conceived without my permission.  And, because of that I am here and no one asked me if I wanted to be here...  which I think is completely unfair and perhaps unethical as well.

However, this life could always be an alternate reality and in the real reality of my life, I am someone similar but different, in how I became...  or worse I suppose...  but, I cannot really imagine how it could be worse...

Obviously, I don't think about this too often.

Commode Sitting

Sitting on the commode can, for most of us, be both a refreshing as well as a humiliating experience, not to mention a religious experience as we wait for our normal biological functions to take place or kick in with the assistance of other substances that have by themselves have created a multi million dollar industry.

Fortunately, some of us or quite possibly many of us, have discovered that being as natural as we can be, is the best source to achieve daily satisfaction....  and, over the years, I have discovered that this process is best facilitated by the consumption of grains and vegetables but not necessarily fruits as some would contend...  unless those fruits fall into the PRUNE category.

I have also discovered to my personal satisfaction that coffee works remarkably well which is why my first course of action each morning is to consume at least two YETI mugs of coffee each morning although I hardly get through the second mug before nature comes a callin' and I fast-walk to the nearest water closet.

My current source of caffeine comes from McCafe Coffee Pods that I usually buy in the decaf variety but if none are available then I water-down regular coffee and am able to achieve the same results.  so.............

HAPPY COMMODE SITTING...

White is White and Will Always Be White

We are SO WHITE in the US of A...  and, it would appear that there is a group of people who will remain confidential that want us to not be SO WHITE...  instead, they want us to be OH SO of another color that I will not mention except to say that it is white's opposite.

There is a problem in this country because it is mainly populated by WHITES and consequently, there appears to be a white advantage in most every aspect of our lives...  and, the biggest reason for that is NOT RACISM, but revolves around the fact that 60% of the population is WHITE...  imagine that...

AND...  I would have to say that in some African Countries, the major population is undoubtedly BLACK and not white...  and yet, I would also suggest that whites live there as well...  but, do not claim racism as the justification for their lower population numbers...

Am I fortunate to be living in the US of A?

Yes...

Am I fortunate to be white?

Yes...

Am I going to subordinate myself to another race simply because I am white?

NO...

Should other races subordinate themselves to whites because they are not white?

NO...

SO...  WHAT THE HELL IS THEIR PROBLEM???

 

A Rainy Valley Day

Rain symbolizes multiple things depending on the context in which it appears, but most commonly connotes sadness, rejection or despair... Because rain is a common natural occurrence vital for life, rainfall can also represent rebirth and emotional cleansing.

Today, in the Valley...  that is to say the TN Valley...  it has been raining for two days...  so, do I need to invest in some treated lumber and build an Ark?  Or, am I just being factious? 

Being an English Major in College, I spent a lot of time reading a variety of literary works and analyzing their content using a variety of methodologies, one of which was symbolism...  and the author's use of rain or some kind of flowing water.

Interestingly, The Bible uses rain as well in the form of a GREAT FLOOD that covered the land supposedly to rid the world of evil people, so that the descendants of Noah could repopulate the world.  Supporting the Great Flood Biblical Story is the fact that IN ALL OTHER GLOBAL MYTHOLOGIES, there is mention of a Great Flood that explained a variety of justifications.  Needless to say, all of them in one way or another depicted a CLEANSING of the WORLD so that a new and better society could be rebuilt.

MEANWHILE...

my porch door is open to allow the cool weather to enter the house rather than use electricity to power our air conditioning unit.  There is no need to actually need electricity when there is not a need to do so.

Taking advantage of this rainy day, we have decided to drive to the big city of Knoxville and do a little shopping since we cannot spent anytime outside today.

People Will One Day Just Have Enough

RIGHT NOW AMERICA IS FULL OF...

Black Lives Matter

Defund the Police

Cancel Culture

WOKE Mob

Critical Race Theory

Liberalism

Socialism

A tinge of Maxism

White Privilege

How long do you think this shit is gonna last when a majority of the white population in the USA that represents 60% of the overall population has finally had enough?

Black Mayors that won't give interviews to white journalists

Black Restaurant Owners that won't serve white customers

Black teachers who teach that whites are evil people

Black groups that condemn white groups

We were at one time AMERICANS and now we are a conglomeration of ethnic and racial Americans who have no desire to co-exist with each other unless it is mandated by the government.

How does this make our country better?

And, at some point-in-time, a bunch of white crackers are going to wake up and say enough of this shit and start to fight back...  but not with protests but legally in the courts and by electing officials who are of like minds and when that happens, this country will experience a new kind of race riot and race war that will literally tear this country apart, worse than was ever seen or experienced during our previous CIVIL WAR...  leaving a scarred and embittered country that has no desire to ever unite again or seek out common cause or compromise, but instead decides to live as separate entities within the United States, interfacing only when the law demands...  two of everything...  and interracial marriage will start to decline.

• We will have a black police force and a white police force
• We will have a black military and a while military
• We will have a black public school and a white public school
• We will have black universities and white universities
• We will have black hotels/motels and white hotels/motels
• We will have black resorts and white resorts
• We will have black sports and white sports
• We will have black movies and white movies
• We will have black only concerts and while only concerts

The United States of America will finally become that which it has always intended to become and will be able to finally realize its destiny.

The United States of America will not longer be the greatest country in the world nor will it have the greatest economy or the greatest desire among other peoples to immigrate here.

We will have a United States of Black Americans and a United States of White Americans and a United States of Non-White/Non-Black Americans.

ALL BECAUSE OF THE FOCUS ON SYSTEMIC RACISM WHICH WAS ONLY PRECEIVED BY A FEW BLACKS TO HAVE REALLY EXISTED IN THE USA THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO BLAME FOR THEIR OWN LACK OF MOTIVATION TO SUCCEED AND MAKE SOMETHING OF THEMSELVES...

Gravitational Waves

As in history, revolutions are the lifeblood of science. Bubbling undercurrents of disquiet boil over until a new regime emerges to seize power. Then everyone's attention turns to toppling their new ruler. The king is dead, long live the king.

This has happened many times in the history of physics and astronomy. First, we thought Earth was at the center of the solar system — an idea that stood for over 1,000 years. Then Copernicus stuck his neck out to say that the whole system would be a lot simpler if we are just another planet orbiting the sun. Despite much initial opposition, the old geocentric picture eventually buckled under the weight of evidence from the newly invented telescope.

Then Newton came along to explain that gravity is why the planets orbit the sun. He said all objects with mass have a gravitational attraction towards each other. According to his ideas we orbit the sun because it is pulling on us, the moon orbits Earth because we are pulling on it. Newton ruled for two-and-a-half centuries before Albert Einstein turned up in 1915 to usurp him with his General Theory of Relativity. This new picture neatly explained inconsistencies in Mercury's orbit, and was famously confirmed by observations of a solar eclipse off the coast of Africa in 1919.

Instead of a pull, Einstein saw gravity as the result of curved space. He said that all objects in the universe sit in a smooth, four-dimensional fabric called space-time. Massive objects such as the sun warp the space-time around them, and so Earth's orbit is simply the result of our planet following this curvature. To us that looks like a Newtonian gravitational pull. This space-time picture has now been on the throne for over 100 years, and has so far vanquished all pretenders to its crown. The discovery of gravitational waves in 2015 was a decisive victory, but, like its predecessors, it too might be about to fall. That's because it is fundamentally incompatible with the other big beast in the physics zoo: Quantum theory.

The quantum world is notoriously weird. Single particles can be in two places at once, for example. Only by making an observation do we force it to 'choose'. Before an observation we can only assign probabilities to the likely outcomes. In the 1930s, Erwin Schrödinger devised a famous way to expose how perverse this idea is. He imagined a cat in a sealed box accompanied by a vial of poison attached to a hammer. The hammer is hooked up to a device that measures the quantum state of a particle. Whether or not the hammer smashes the vial and kills the cat hinges on that measurement, but quantum physics says that until such a measurement is made, the particle is simultaneously in both states, which means the vial is both broken and unbroken and the cat is alive and dead.  TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE...

2030 Global Economies

The top 10 Global Economics in 2030 are/or will be:

1. China
2. India
3. USA
4. Indonesia
5. Turkey
6. Brail
7. Egypt
8. Russia
9. Japan
10. Germany

Source:  Medium.com/predict

What is interesting here is that:

            4 of 10 countries are in the East

            4 of 10 are in Europe/Middle East

            2 of 10 are in the West

Alert!!!  alert!!!  alert!!!

People...  it does not take a brain surgeon here to realize that the GLOBAL ECONOMY is shifting away from the United States not towards the United States and that FACT should have a lot of our US citizens worried...   to say the least...

And yet, no one is talking about this...  and, it is only 9 years away.  In 9 years, I will be in my 80's and it will not really matter for us senior citizens and retirees, but for those of you who still want to work and not rely on the Government for handouts, this transition will substantially impact you.

WAKE UP AMERICA...