The Golden Question

You really wanted to quit your job.

After months of careful planning, you figured out how to turn your side hustle into a full-fledged business--and you built up the courage to do so. So, you handed in your resignation.

Immediately, your boss tries to convince you to stay, promising a huge raise.

• It's tempting.
• You start having second thoughts.
• What should you do?

Some years ago, I learned a practice that helps me to get control of my emotions in challenging situations like this one, so that I make better decisions.

It requires asking myself what I like to call, the 'golden question.'

The golden question
The golden question is actually five questions in one, and goes like this:  When you need to make a decision under emotional circumstances, ask yourself:

How will I feel about this in:

• a day?
• a week?
• a month?
• a year?
• 5 years?

The reason why this question is helpful has much to do with the way our brains process emotions.

When it comes to higher level executive functions (such as the capacity to plan, organize, and exercise self-control), we typically engage the frontal lobe(s), the largest part of the brain. But when we feel some type of emotional threat, another part of the brain known as the amygdala "hijacks" the brain, often resulting in a fight, flight, or freeze response.

Emotional hijacks can be useful in certain situations. But they can lead us to say or things we regret.

Here's where the golden question comes in.

By forcing yourself to see how this decision will affect your future, you switch back from using your amygdala and re-engage your frontal lobe.  READ MORE

Chasing Tail

 

Saturday Morning in the Valley

A Little History...

The Tennessee Valley is the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and is largely within the U.S. state of Tennessee. It stretches from southwest Kentucky to north Alabama and from northeast Mississippi to the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina. The border of the valley is known as the Tennessee Valley Divide. The Tennessee Valley contributes greatly to the formation of Tennessee's legally recognized Grand Divisions.

East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely Bledsoe, Cumberland, and Marion.

East Tennessee is entirely located within the Appalachian Mountains, although the landforms range from densely forested 6,000-foot (1,800 m) mountains to broad river valleys. The region contains the major cities of Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee's third and fourth largest cities, respectively, and the Tri-Cities, the state's sixth largest population center.

I have lived in East tn since 1990 when i left the piedmont of north carolina to move over here to pursue a career path with the community college system.  I soon discovered that my sinuses did not like this area and after 30 years they have never changed their mind; in fact, they are more pissed off now than ever before as my aging body excaserbates the situation.

However, the eastern part of the tennessee valley is almost an ideal place to live and play...  but not necessarilyy work as the wages and salaries are lower than the natioinal average...  but the cost of living is also lower than the national average as well...  so i all works out. 

Life in east tennessee is more than comfortable and the weather is more han moderate...  there is minimal violence, no BLM crap and if crt is around, then it is well hidden.  People still drive around with confederate flags on the back of their pickups and it is not uncommon to see people walking around with handguns in holsters on their hips.  baptists are all over the place trying to convince you to become born again whatever the hell that means...

Vaccinations

Backporch Reflections

This morning I awoke at 4:00 am and after lying in the bed for 30 minutes feeling wide awake decided to get up...  my thyroid pill came first, then a treat for our 3 cats, then a couple of pods of coffee, Cappuccino Mix and a YETI mug, then onto to the backporch with my Lenovo listening to the falling rain until it was was light enough to type.

The first day of the weekend starts on Saturday but some feel that the weekend for them begins as soon as they leave work friday afternoon...  and, I remember feeling like that a time or two myself...

Humidity lingers around my body like wet clothes, infiltrating my head and sinuses with congestion and yet I remain outside to get a little bit of fresh air no matter how unbearable it may be for me...  the sound of a train horn off in the distance...  the dripping of rain off the leaves of trees...  the muted chirping of birds sharing thoughts of the day...  a lone rabbit crouches in a shallow gully as a light blue sky (some people refer to as Carolina Blue) pushes the dingy clouds off to the side.

The smell of fresh cut grass is camoflauged by the humid rain and the puddles of rain unable to be perked by the hard ground.  Lights in nearby houses have all been extinguised, using only the light-of-day to navigate their movements inside.  Ripples of water from the pump push across the surface of our above ground pool that was just vacuumed out yesterday.

A five year old photograph was sent to me by email...  of my siblings and their spouses...  it's a keeper, I informed the sender, asking who had taken it...  as if that old memory was as recent as the email...  we live and die by our questions...  about that of which we do not know or remember...  it was a silly question at best.

Not a thought of politics has flowed through my mind in the last two hours...  I should feel blessed not to be disturbed by it all...  there is no light at the end of the tunnel because there is no tunnel through which we must pass...  unless we can assume that life is a tunnel of time so-to-speak but at the end of that tunnel is supposed darkness...  the darkness of not being alive...  and yet, our universe is full of darkness as well which has never been perceived or misconstrued as a tunnel.

 

Ocean Waves

 

Cancel Culture

The vast expansion of online learning forced by the coronavirus crisis has led to a high-tech crackdown on free speech by teachers and students, according to a groundbreaking review of America’s new classrooms.

The report by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni found that the rapid shift to Zoom-type learning preceded a new wave of bullying by participants who cut and paste comments they didn’t like into social media posts, in some cases leading to firings, bullying, and shaming.

In one noted case, a Georgetown University professor was fired for stating that black students tend to cluster near the bottom of her classes. In another, the report said that “Marquette University even threatened to rescind an admissions offer to a student because she posted a video to TikTok expressing support for President Trump.”

The report, shared with Secrets prior to its release later today, warned that free speech is being threatened by the new and selective social media shaming that comes with online learning.

“The lifeblood of the liberal arts is debate, dialectic, inquiry, and challenge,” said Michael Poliakoff, the president of ACTA, a nonprofit organization that promotes academic freedom.

“In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that has threatened the strength and even the survival of so many institutions, online education moved to the fore. We have seen that it can bless us with access to a vibrant exchange of ideas, but it also has the potential to eliminate the opportunity for growth of character and intellect,” he told us.

Over 44 pages, the report showed examples of the "canceling" of speech on campus and the muting of those who don’t want to be shamed for speaking their mind.

“Why is the crisis getting worse? Simple: Self-censorship is a perfectly reasonable reaction when students and faculty are being investigated, harassed, or punished for their speech,” it said in comparing the reactions to a “public stoning.”

What’s more, the report found that rules put in place to protect free speech are being junked because institutions are too afraid that their reputation might be hurt by a rogue comment.

The group also provided survey data to accompany its guide, titled “Building a Culture of Free Expression in the Online Classroom”  READ MORE

Cymbol

 

Our National Debt

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday warned congressional leaders that the U.S. is on track to default on the national debt in October if the White House and Congress are unable to raise the debt limit.

In a Wednesday letter, Yellen said that the Treasury Department would likely run out of cash and exhaust “extraordinary” measures to keep the federal government within its legal borrowing limit at some point next month.

"Once all available measures and cash on hand are fully exhausted, the United States of America would be unable to meet its obligations for the first time in our history," Yellen said.

“Given this uncertainty, the Treasury Department is not able to provide a specific estimate of how long the extraordinary measures will last. However, based on our best and most recent information, the most likely outcome is that cash and extraordinary measures will be exhausted during the month of October,” she continued.

Yellen wrote the letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

The Treasury Department has taken so-called extraordinary measures to prevent the U.S. from defaulting on the national debt since the federal debt limit was reimposed on Aug. 1. If the Treasury Department runs out of ways to stave off a default without borrowing more money, the inability of the U.S. to pay its debts could send debilitating shockwaves through the financial system.  READ MORE

Spacewalk

 

Pea and Ham Soup

Ingredients

6 - 8 servings

1 +1/2 Cups of Split yellow peas
1 lb Bacon miss shapes or 1 lb Gammon bits
4 Carrots chopped up into bite size pieces
2 Dried veg stock cubes
1/4 tsp Black pepper


Steps

1.  Soak the split peas for a couple of hours or overnight the night before cooking. Then rinse thoroughly.


2.  Add the split peas to a large pan also add 4 pints of Water bring to the boil and cook on low heat, also add the chopped bacon or Gammon, 2 veg cubes and carrots stir to mix.



3.  Add pepper, be careful with salt as the bacon misshapen maybe salty soak bacon in cold water before cooking to remove excess salt.



4.  Cook for 1 hour in pressure cooker. 2 - 3 hours on the hob simmering and stirring occasionally it will thicken as it cooks. Turn off leave it to thicken for a while then heat up when needed.



5.  When cooked the split peas turn mushy so it thickens. it is best after it cools to add to the fridge for the next day as it lays there the flavours come out better its also thicker. You can have it as soon as it cooks too, just nicer the next day.



6.  Serve hot with crusty Bread to dip in

NOTE:  

Recipe from Maureen Maureen in Liverpool, England - on September 2, 2021

I love this Cookpad Site, Recipes, friends, interesting people and outstanding recipes, and able to see and to taste food from all over the world. i have learned so much more here, spices , herbs and lovely recipes of different cultures. also experimenting mixing different herbs and spices and making my own creations

Skeletons

 

Against Big Government and Their Controls

 

There are basically two groups of people living here in the United States and each group has their little spinoffs...  these two groups are:

Those who favor BIG GOVERNMENT (50%)

Those who favor SMALL GOVERNMENT (50%)

It would appear that the United States is equally divided in what it believes and what it wants which in a way is damn near perfect because one side does not control more than the other side...

However,

our Federal Government SHOULD NOT TELL US what we should or should not do with our bodies...

that is to say:

1. if a woman wants to get an abortion she should be allowed to get an abortion
2. if a male/female does not want to get a COVID vaccine they should be allowed to do so
3. if a male/female want to take illegal drugs they should be allowed to do so
4. if a male/female wants to drink alcohol they should be allowed to do so
5. if a male/female wants to smoke cigarettes they should be allowed to do so
6. if a male/female wants to own a firearm they should be allowed to do so
7. if a male/female wants to become a terrorist they should be allowed to do so
8. if a male/female wants to sell illegal drugs they should be allowed to do so
9. if a male/female wants to speak out against the government they should be allowed to do so
10. if a male/female does not want to pursue an education they should be allowed to do so
11. if a male/female wants to get themselves into endless debt they should be allowed to do so
12. if a male/female does not want to pay higher taxes they should be allowed to do so
13. if a male/female wants to change genders they should be allowed to do so
14. if a male/female wants to believe in communism they should be allowed to do so
15. if a male/female wants to worship their God(s) they should be allowed to do so
16. if a male/female hates other races or ethnic groups they should be allowed to do so
17. if a male/female wants to organize a movement to defund the police they should be allowed to do so
18. if a male/female believes the US Constitution should be written they should be allowed to believe that way
19. if a male/female steals something from someone else they should be allowed to do so (but punished)
20. if a male/female wants to be homeless they should be allowed to do so

The United States...  IN ALL ITS GREATNESS...  has not been able to prevent the WEALTHY from CONTROLLING all of those individuals and couples that are NOT WEALTHY...

The BIGGEST PROBLEM in the United States is NOT politics, employment, education, or healthcare...  it is all the MILLIONAIRES AND BILLIONAIRES who invest their monies in CONTROLLING AMERICANS...

Saluting Biden's Leadership

 

The Supreme Leader of the United States and her military forces is President Joe Biden...  who has been accused of NOT BEING RIGHT ON FOREIGN POLICY FOR THE LAST FOUR DECADES...

Be that as it may, our President Biden has accomplished the following in less that 10 months in office:

• Opened our borders to non stop immigration
• Spent so much money that it has caused inflation
• Slowed down our economic recovery after COVID
• Mandated COVID Vaccines
• Botched the Afghanistan withdrawal
• Caused our global allies to lose respect
• Raised taxes on everyone
• Censored the conservative voices
• Promoted Critical Race Theory and being WOKE
• Caused Americans to be more divided
• Failed on climate change

We have 3 more years of this clown and there is no telling what he has yet to accomplish...  and, this comment in tongue-in-cheek and is more surreal than bestowing praise...  and, what bothers me more than anything else about this country, is the fact that so many people we against TRUMP and did everything they could to remove him from office...

We have gone from BAD TO WORSE...

The Second Amendment

The amendment itself contains 27 words: 

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” 

This provision references both the collective right of a militia and an individual right.

As a Vietnam Era Veteran, I defended the US Constitution and the freedoms contained therein...  two of which I am particularly keen about:  The First and Second Amendments indicating our:

• Freedom of Speech
• Right to bear arms

While I will never hold another gun in my hand as long as I live, I am NOT OPPOSED to everyone in the United States owning a firearm and going through a weapons safety class followed by firing range practice...  and, if they want to, apply for a carry permit.

Not only should law enforcement and criminals like drug dealers be armed with weapons, so too should our general public be armed with weapons.

Not only should white supremacist groups and black lives matter groups and ANTIFA be armed with weapons, so too should the general public be armed with weapons as well.

As we continue to promote DEFUND THE POLICE movements, we should also promote ARM YOURSELF WITH WEAPONS movements because it is necessary to meet force with an equal (but never greater) than the force being applied against us.

The GREAT CONCEPT about the United States is that we have the First and Second Amendments and as long as we have both those amendments and a willing general public to take advantage of those amendments, we SHALL NEVER BE CONTROLLED by either a foreign or domestic threat.

The General

 

Dog Noses

 

Triple Qubit Entanglement Achieved

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Researchers with the Riken Center for Emergent Matter Science in Japan have demonstrated a triple-qubit, silicon-based quantum computing mechanism - opening up the road for increased scalability beyond a mere increment in total qubits on a given system. Previously, qubits had only been shown working in entangled pairs -- and this research demonstrates that entanglement (and thus computation) can actually be divided between three qubits.

Quantum computing rests atop qubits - the quantum equivalent of the modern transistor. But while typical transistors can only represent one value at any point in time (with that value being either zero or one), qubits benefit from the superposition mechanic of quantum physics, meaning that they can represent both states at the same time.

Until now, quantum computing systems worked by entangling two distinct qubits, which allowed them work in tandem in solving any complex workload (entanglement meaning that the qubits perfectly mirror each other, and any changes to one qubit's state are instantly replicated in the other). 

If you think of each qubit as a single core, the research now increases the maximum amount of qubits ("cores") that can work in synchrony to be three, from its previous two-qubit maximum. Theoretically, you can now build multiple triple-core quantum computing subdivisions, instead of dual-core ones.  READ MORE

Dog Pulls Horse

 

The Color Blue is Rare in Nature

In poison dart frogs,
bright blue colors broadcast a warning to predators
that the animal is toxic.
(Image credit: Lillian King/Getty Images)

When you look up at the blue sky overhead or gaze across the seemingly endless expanse of a blue ocean, you might think that the color blue is common in nature.  But among all the hues found in rocks, plants and flowers, or in the fur, feathers, scales and skin of animals, blue is surprisingly scarce.  But why is the color blue so rare? The answer stems from the chemistry and physics of how colors are produced — and how we see them.

We're able to see color because each of our eyes contains between 6 million and 7 million light-sensitive cells called cones. There are three different types of cones in the eye of a person with normal color vision, and each cone type is most sensitive to a particular wavelength of light: red, green or blue. Information from millions of cones reaches our brains as electrical signals that communicate all the types of light reflected by what we see, which is then interpreted as different shades of color.

When we look at a colorful object, such as a sparkling sapphire or a vibrant hydrangea bloom, "the object is absorbing some of the white light that falls onto it; because it's absorbing some of the light, the rest of the light that's reflected has a color," science writer Kai Kupferschmidt, author of "Blue: In Search of Nature's Rarest Color" (The Experiment, 2021), told Live Science.

"When you see a blue flower — for instance, a cornflower — you see the cornflower as blue because it absorbs the red part of the spectrum," Kupferschmidt said. Or to put it another way, the flower appears blue because that color is the part of the spectrum that the blossom rejected, Kupferschmidt wrote in his book, which explores the science and nature of this popular hue.  READ MORE