Thursday, September 16
Fall Allergies
As summer comes to a close, millions of Americans can reportedly expect the fall allergy season to be in "full force" this year.
According to AccuWeather meteorologists, fall allergies are often triggered by ragweed and the presence of mold.
"Fall allergies are typically triggered by ragweed, and the pollen from these types of plants that are common in North America can travel as far as the wind carries it," AccuWeather wrote. "Another cause of fall allergies is mold, which can grow in piles of damp leaves."
The Philadelphia Inquirer said Monday that ragweed plants are expected to produce pollen to torment residents over the next couple of weeks.
"In purely coincidental sync with the hurricane season, this is the peak period for the ragweeds," the paper wrote, noting that the impact of climate change – and drought in the West – has extended pollen season by pushing back first-frost dates.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says shifts in precipitation patterns, more frost-free days, warmer seasonal air temperatures and more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can affect the length of pollen season, how pollen impacts human health and how much pollen plants create. READ MORE
According to AccuWeather meteorologists, fall allergies are often triggered by ragweed and the presence of mold.
"Fall allergies are typically triggered by ragweed, and the pollen from these types of plants that are common in North America can travel as far as the wind carries it," AccuWeather wrote. "Another cause of fall allergies is mold, which can grow in piles of damp leaves."
The Philadelphia Inquirer said Monday that ragweed plants are expected to produce pollen to torment residents over the next couple of weeks.
"In purely coincidental sync with the hurricane season, this is the peak period for the ragweeds," the paper wrote, noting that the impact of climate change – and drought in the West – has extended pollen season by pushing back first-frost dates.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says shifts in precipitation patterns, more frost-free days, warmer seasonal air temperatures and more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can affect the length of pollen season, how pollen impacts human health and how much pollen plants create. READ MORE
Interesting Read
The Benefit of Flour (Worth The Read)
Interesting! Who knew?
Some time ago, I was cooking some corn and stuck my fork in the boiling water to see if the corn was ready. I missed and my hand went into the boiling water!
A friend of mine, who was a Vietnam vet, came into the house, as I was screaming, & asked me if I had some plain old flour... I pulled out a bag and he stuck my hand in it. He told me to keep my hand in the flour for 10 minutes.
He said, in Vietnam , there was a guy on fire and in their panic, they threw a bag of flour all over him to put the fire out... Well, it not only put the fire out, but he never even had a blister!!!!
Long story short, I put my hand in the bag of flour for 10 mins, pulled it out and did not even have a red mark or a blister & absolutely NO PAIN.
Now, I keep a bag of flour in the fridge and every time I burn myself. *Cold flour feels even better than room temperature flour. I use the flour and have never ever had even a red spot/burn mark, or a blister! I even burnt my tongue once, put the flour on it for about 10 minutes .... The pain was gone and no burn.
Try it . . . Experience a miracle! Keep a bag of flour in your fridge and you will be happy you did!
Flour has heat absorbent property and also has a strong antioxidant property, thus it helps in burn patients if applied within 15 minutes.
Have a Blessed Day!!
"When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you should share it with others"
Wednesday, September 15
Fifty Percent Versus Fifty Percent
I am 73 years old, born in 1947 and this is the first time that I have ever seen this country SO DIVIDED outside of the HIPPIE PROTESTS of the 1960's... which was not really a 50/50 division at all but more of a ONE GROUP DISAGREEMENT... however, the only positive thing that came out of the 1960's was the lyrics of the rock and roll music.
I have been retired since 2015 and to be quite honest with you (implying I have not been honest before) I have not voted in an election here in the USA for over 20 years. The original reason was so that I would not be called for JURY DUTY but then over the years, I have not been able to support either the Democrats or the Republicans.
WHY? This is an easy answer: Nothing has changed in this country since the 1960's as we basically have the same problems today (2021) that we had back then... and that is the fault of BOTH PARTIES.
BUT... it seems that we have a bigger problem here in the US of A and that is that we are divided RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE... half are liberal and democrat and half are conservative and republican with a handful of socialists and libertarians who bitch the loudest but who are in essence ignored behind the scenes... as if they are spoiled children.
This division in the US of A while a natural by product of DEMOCRACY and our Democratic Republic form of government and is more or less a healthy expression of one's beliefs... is a source of pleasure for our enemies because it is much easier to take over a country if that country is divided.
The other issue with a equally divided country is that neither party who has governmental control really has a mandate from all of the people to do whatever it is that they want to do... This lack of support causes an upheaval in direction every 4 years and keeps the residents of the country angry at each other rather than divided.
However, what remains constant is that THE WEALTHY will continue to get WEALTHIER as we ignore them and fight among each other. The second issue here is that TECHNOLOGY will continue to advance and the general public will be caught off guard when AI ROBOTS replace 50% of their jobs in just a few years.
These advances in TECHOLOGY will change our lives forever... some for the better and some for the worst as we adapt, change, and modify our behaviors.
What is even more hideous is the fact that while our Federal Government spends money (that it does not have) to give the people (you and I) more benefits, this same government will NOT BE PUTTING INCREASES OF MONEY INTO THE MILITARY while China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea will be ignoring their citizens and beefing up their militaries.
What does this mean?
This means that while you will have FREE EDUCATION, FREE DAY CARE, and a FREE GUARANTEED INCOME, the global economy will shift away from the USA and move east towards Russia, China, India, Asia, Japan, and parts of Europe and the Middle East... rendering your free education WORTHLESS for all intents and purposes.
How will this happen?
Our Federal Government COUNTS on your short term focus rather than on your long term focus of 10 years or more.
One of the facts-of-life, that I realize after living for 73 years is that TIME MOVES QUICKLY by us all and the older we become, the quicker time seems to move. In no time at all, I am in my 70's when my last really congnizant thoughts about all of this, I was in my 50's... and, while you may just think it is just me and my behavior... but, this is a comment you hear for ALL OLDER PEOPLE which is why they encourage you to live for the day and pursue your dreams.
Shapeshifting Animals
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| IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGESimage captionAustralian parrots' beaks are getting bigger as temperatures rise |
When you hear the word "shapeshifting" you probably think of a sci-fi or horror film, and not the climate. But that's what scientists say is happening to some animals in response to climate change. Warm-blooded species are evolving to have larger beaks, legs and ears to regulate body temperature as the planet warms up, a new study suggests.
The scientists behind the study warn the physiological changes do not mean animals are coping with climate change. "A lot of the time when climate change is discussed, people are asking 'can humans overcome this?' or 'what technology can solve this?'" says the study's author, Sara Ryding, from Deakin University. "It's high-time we recognised that animals also have to adapt to these changes."
Climate report is 'code red for humanity'
A really simple guide to climate change
Wildlife forced to move or adapt by climate change
If animals fail to control their body temperature, they can overheat and die. Some animals in warmer climates have historically evolved to have larger beaks or ears to get rid of heat more easily. A larger wing, ear or beak relative to body size gives smaller animals a greater surface area from which to lose excess heat. READ MORE
The scientists behind the study warn the physiological changes do not mean animals are coping with climate change. "A lot of the time when climate change is discussed, people are asking 'can humans overcome this?' or 'what technology can solve this?'" says the study's author, Sara Ryding, from Deakin University. "It's high-time we recognised that animals also have to adapt to these changes."
Climate report is 'code red for humanity'
A really simple guide to climate change
Wildlife forced to move or adapt by climate change
If animals fail to control their body temperature, they can overheat and die. Some animals in warmer climates have historically evolved to have larger beaks or ears to get rid of heat more easily. A larger wing, ear or beak relative to body size gives smaller animals a greater surface area from which to lose excess heat. READ MORE
Zodiac Personality Disorders
Every person has a distinct personality and is capable of great things in life. Who they are, where they come from, where they wish to go are some of the factors that shape a person's character and determine what they become.
However, sometimes the things that meet the eye may differ from what actually is. This is when astrology comes in handy. Zodiac signs can reveal a lot about a person's nature and temperament. It can decipher and bring to the forefront the hidden aspects of a person, the traits that are good as well as bad.
That said, given that every person has a positive personality trait, there are certain negative qualities that can cause distinct personality disorders in each person. In respect to that, here are the kind of personality disorders one may experience, according to their zodiac signs.
Besides being impulsive, Aries can also be aggressive. People belonging to this zodiac sign may have sudden bouts of anger and explosive aggression, which may prove disadvantageous for them. Such behaviour can be characteristic of Intermittent Explosive Disorder, where a person has terrifying bursts of anger and aggression, often leading to worst scenarios. READ MORE
However, sometimes the things that meet the eye may differ from what actually is. This is when astrology comes in handy. Zodiac signs can reveal a lot about a person's nature and temperament. It can decipher and bring to the forefront the hidden aspects of a person, the traits that are good as well as bad.
That said, given that every person has a positive personality trait, there are certain negative qualities that can cause distinct personality disorders in each person. In respect to that, here are the kind of personality disorders one may experience, according to their zodiac signs.
Besides being impulsive, Aries can also be aggressive. People belonging to this zodiac sign may have sudden bouts of anger and explosive aggression, which may prove disadvantageous for them. Such behaviour can be characteristic of Intermittent Explosive Disorder, where a person has terrifying bursts of anger and aggression, often leading to worst scenarios. READ MORE
Martian Caves Offer Protection
There are very good reasons why Mars is such a desolate, barren landscape. With no thick atmosphere nor a magnetic field, the Red Planet’s surface is bombarded daily by radiation up to 900 times higher than seen on Earth. However, some places are sheltered. New research has found that cave entrances are shielded from the harmful radiation that normally hits Mars. This may make them ideal as both sites for future settlements and robotic missions meant to scour for signs of alien life.
Cave Entrance
Despite amazing advances in space exploration in the last decade, if we’re going to take the idea of settling Mars sometime during this century seriously, there are many challenges that need to be overcome. That’s unless we’re content with one-way suicide missions.
There’s no shortage of environmental hazards out to kill any astronaut bold enough to dare set foot on Mars. For one, the planet only has 0.7% of Earth’s sea-level pressure, meaning any human on Mars must wear a full pressure suit or stay barricaded inside a pressure-controlled chamber, otherwise oxygen wouldn’t flow through the bloodstream and the body could swell and bleed out.
Then there’s the issue of radiation. Mars is farther away from the Sun than Earth, receiving roughly 60% of the power per square meter seen on a similar site on Earth. But since Mars doesn’t have a magnetic field to deflect energetic particles, coupled with the paper-thin atmosphere, its surface is exposed to much higher levels of radiation than Earth. Furthermore, besides regular exposure to cosmic rays and solar wind, it receives occasional, lethal radiation blasts due to strong solar flares.
Measurements performed by the Mars Odyssey probe suggest that ongoing radiation levels on Mars are at least 2.5 times higher than what astronauts experience on the International Space Station. That’s about 22 millirads per day, which works out to 8000 millirads (8 rads) per year. For comparison, the people in the U.S. are exposed to roughly 0.62 rads/year on average. READ MORE
Tuesday, September 14
Unexpected Yet Anticipated
Most of us realize that we need to anticipate maintenance costs of our vehicles will happen sooner or later, but when they do, they are always unexpected as we hoped that we might have lasted a few months more.
This week I spent an easy $1,200 on my 2015 Toyota Venza... I purchased the Venza used (it was leased by a company) and it only had 5,000 on it so it was practically brand new. Today (2021), it has 70,000 mile on it... so, in about 5-6 years, I put 65,000 miles on it... or roughly just under 1,000 miles each month which is not bad.
On Monday, I purchased 4 new tires and today, I had a tune-up, oil change, and replace the back wheel brake pads and brakes all of which cost me about $2,000 but, $600 was spent in 2017 when I purchased 4 tires but only used 2....
These new tires are good for 60,000 mile (or at my current rate about another 5.5 years) and my brake shoes will last much longer... so, I suppose one can prorate these monies over the next 5.5 years... which means I will be spending about $350/year or about $30/month in future driving...
After another 60,000 miles, I will have a total of 130,000 and the year will be 2026/27 and the Venza will be 11/12 years old... Most Toyotas last for a good 200,000 miles which means I should be able to drive the damn car for another 5-56 years or 60,000 miles. In which case it will be 15/16 years old... and, I will be in my 80's and will not really have much of a need to drive.
Japanese cars are much better than American cars...
I wonder why?
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