Treading Water

From the MAYO Clinic

Some people wonder if walking offers enough health benefits to be worthwhile when considering exercise options. 

Walking can, indeed, be beneficial for both fitness and weight loss, as long as you walk at a moderate pace and get out and walk consistently!

One of the significant benefits of walking is that you don’t need any special equipment other than a good pair of shoes, and you don’t have to go to a gym!

Let’s start today! Here are some tricks to getting in those extra steps:

1. Take the dog out for an extra walk
2. Park far away from the entrance of the store when shopping
3. Call a friend and catch up while walking
4. Walk around the block while your kid is taking dance class/playing soccer
5. Skip the drive-thru at the bank, pharmacy or restaurant and walk inside instead

Changing your lifestyle does not have to be overwhelming.

Adopt healthy habits and lose weight without being miserable.

Today

 

SOUTHERN BORN

Several years ago, my mother gave birth to me in a hospital that was located in Raleigh, NC and while we live briefly in Alexandria, VA, I returned to NC for college and remained there until 1990 when I relocated to TN, another southern state...

Not only am I a Southerner, I am also a Caucasian Male who was raised in a lower middle class environment.  I have never lived in a city.  Instead, I have always lived just outside of the city, in the country per se...  but, not until TN was a fully emersed in country living...  and, I would not trade that for anything.

I also prefer the SOUTH to the NORTH, and not just because the south typically has a warmer climate but because of the PEOPLE who are more compassionate than those in the north...  also, there is less vehicular traffic in the south, less smog and polution, and a slower life-style.

While some might think that the south is relatively backwards compared to the modern city of New York, we have respected universities, respected hospitals and healthcare, respected recreation areas, and a respected law enforcement where crime and violence is at a minimum.

What I like about it, is that the cost of living is less than most everywhere else in the US and while the income levels are also less, it is very easy to live very well and only spend about $3,500 to $4,000 on monthly expenses...  of course, my wife and I have no debt which helps and have been debt free for over 15 years.

Being retired, I don't have to pay any attention to CRT or becoming WOKE...  nor do I have to feel bad about the fact that I am WHITE...  and, being white does not mean I feel guilty about my ancestors practicing slavery...  the fact remains that I don't practice slavery today nor anyday during my life and that's what matters to me.

If you want to play the race card...  that is your right...  but I will not support you nor will I stand in your way...  because of the freedoms that our slavery believing founding fathers gave us.

Did I live a good life?

I did exactly what I wanted to do throughout the 74 years that I have lived on this earth.

Did I make mistakes?

Of course I made mistakes...  and sometimes, I actually learned from those mistakes.

Would I do anything different?

I have seriously thought about that, and I don't think that I would because I am the person I am today because of what I did before.

What have I learned?

Live and let live.

From the Back Porch

 

Thank god...  it's the weekend...

Somewhat funny from someone who is retired...  but after 45 years of working, the power of the weekends are engrained in me just as deeply as my religious upbringing in the United Methodist Church...

It was in the church that I first learned about being hypocritical...  that is to say, acting one way in church and around religious and acting another way when you were not around these kinds of people...

Being retired basically means that you are OLD...  and this holds true for people who keep working after they reach retirement age...  this is done for two reasons:  

(1) because you have to    

(2) because you cannot stand the thought of not making as much money as you can before you die

I suppose this is somewhat logical just as my opening line was somewhat funny.

For me, each day is S O S...

Same Ole Shit or SOS was taught to me in the Navy...   just like SNAFU although that term started in the Army but eventually extended out to all branches of the armed forces.

7:00/7:30 - I am awake and out of bed

10 minutes later I have my first cup of coffee made from a Keurig Coffee Pod Machine

7:45 - I am watching FOX News

7:45-8:45 - I write in my journal

8:45-10:30 - I prepare my blog for the next day and have pretty much consumed 2-3 YETI containers of coffee

10:30-11:00 - The consumed coffee causes me to have my morning bowel movement that most people refer to as "taking a shit"

11:00 - I typically decide it is time to eat breakfast

12:00 - 2:00/3:00 - I work on one of my novels

2:00/3:00 - I have a small meal

3:00 - 5:00 - I watch a couple of hours of some kind of multiple seasons series that is usually a mystery, scifi, espionage, or detective stuff

5:00-6:00 - I usually eat another small meal

6:00 - 9:00 - is pretty much free time which I can use to work on my novel or watch some sort of series or type previously written poems into my poetry blog

9:00 - I answer email

10:00 - I am usually in bed

This is why I refer to it as SOS...

BUT, a few weeks ago my routine was upset because when I awoke, I had a insideous pain in both butt cheeks that came and went.  A few days later, this pain descended down into the back of my thighs which made it very difficult to walk.  Obviously, after a month of this nonsense, I went to see an orthopedic doctor who, based upon the way I was walking, said I had a problem with disks L6, L5, or L4 in my lower spine...  could be a pinched nerve...  but, it was not from anything I had done and not done...  it was just from age.  I told him that I exercised, walked, ran, and was very physical most of my life until retirement...  He smiled and said...  if you had not have done that, your situation today would be WORSE...  HOLY SHIT...  I kinda said to myself...

An MRI will confirm his diagnosis but I cannot have that MRI until the end of April so I will have to live with this shit for almost 2 months.  If the MRI confirms his diagnosis, then there will either be steroid shots directly into the spine at those "L" locations or surgery.

Ironically, this would have happened to me whether I retired or not...  so, it is a good thing that I retired, because limping around like this, I would not have been worth a shit at work...  and, that is something my bosses would have given a shit about and probably would have asked me to "go to the house".

Thank god...  it's the weekend...

Interaction

 

Google to Pay French Publishers

Google has signed a new agreement to pay French publishers for the right to display their news content online.  The deal means that media organisations in France will be fairly renumerated when their news articles appear on the search engine's results pages.

A new agreement was unveiled on Thursday by Google and the Alliance for the General Information Press (Apig), which brings together nearly 300 national, regional and local news groups.  The deal replaces a previous agreement that was announced last January.

Facebook reached a similar agreement with Agip in October to pay French publishers over the copyright of their content.

The dispute over so-called "neighbouring rights" has soured relations between French news organisations and the US tech giant for more than two years.  Google and Facebook have long argued against the principle, stating that French publishers are already exposed on their platforms and promoted to customers.

But in 2019, a European Union Directive entrenched "neighbouring rights" into law, a move that France swiftly adopted.  Although Google and Agip reached an agreement last year, the US company was fined €500 million for not having negotiated with French publishers "in good faith".

A French watchdog had asked Google to resume negotiations and propose a new compensation offer.

Google and Agip said in a joint statement that the new agreement on "neighbouring rights" was a "historic step". The exact amount of compensation offered to French news organisations has not been made public.

Google also hopes to sign a similar deal with another French media group, SEPM, in the future.

Hot Tub

 

Snowflake

NEW YORK, March 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Snowflake’s (SNOW.N) melting market capitalization reflects investors’ overly lofty expectations. Its share price fell by nearly a fifth on Thursday even though the $65 billion data warehouse firm said fourth-quarter revenue doubled. 

A solid business, with cash from operations easily covering capital expenditures, means slight missteps present a valuation conundrum, not an existential threat.

Fast growing firms are hard to value, but the market’s ardor read more is cooling. Snowflake thinks revenue will rise by two-thirds next year, to $1.9 billion. 

Now assume sales grow 50% annually for five years and the company will enjoy a net margin of 35%, like Microsoft (MSFT.O). On the same earnings multiple, the company would eventually be worth around $140 billion. 

That’s exuberant, but Snowflake was worth about this much in December. If growth is 20%, it will eventually be worth only a third as much on the same multiples.

Snowflake will continue to thrive. The same might not be true of other highfliers, such as electric-car makers like Lucid (LCID.O), which are burning cash. Without highly valued stock to issue, missteps could prove deadlier. (By Robert Cyran)

Snowbound

 

China's SAIC Motor

NEW DELHI, March 3 (Reuters) - MG Motor India, which is owned by China's SAIC Motor, plans to raise funds to develop its Indian electric mobility business, three sources told Reuters, as Chinese investments face increased scrutiny by the government in New Delhi.

MG Motor India may try to sell a stake of between 10% and 30% and is looking at options including issuing new shares or diluting SAIC's holding, one of the sources familiar with the plans said, adding that it may even create a separate unit for its electric vehicle (EV) business in India.

The company is talking to private equity funds which are increasingly interested in investing in the fast-growing electric vehicle market, two of the sources said, as countries shift their economies away from fossil fuels.

"Everyone is buying into the EV story because it gives investors an ESG bet, and MG is trying to pitch itself as an EV play," the first source told Reuters.

MG Motor India has yet to finalise how much money it plans to raise, which will depend on the valuation of the Indian business and its growth plans, the sources, who asked to remain anonymous because the talks are private.  READ MORE...

Snoopy

From the Back Porch

 It has been several weeks since I have actually been able to sit on my back porch and ponder the realities of my existence as it relates and interrelates with your existence as well as the existence of everyone in close proximity to me......

So, what the hell does that actually mean?

It means that I think about the world around me that includes my home and yard, my community, my city, my county, my state, my country, my hemisphere, my world....  in short, everything that life has to offer.

Specifically, it means, I think about gasoline prices, food prices, energy prices, healthcare, weather, politics, history, psychology, war, honesty, integrity, faith and belief, the future, and technology...  I added in technology because technology changes so fast and influences every aspect of our lives and if you don't keep up with technology, it will run over you and leave you behind.

BUT THIS MORNING...  I am thinking about the war in Ukraine and how Russia and in particular Putin, believes that he has the natural ability to take over territory...  just as we have the right, I suppose, to destroy him for his right once he acts upon it.

WAR reminds me of how people drive their vehicles in East TN...  and, while that may seem an odd comparison to you, it is perfectly logical to me.  Let me explain:

Whenever I get on the interstate, I drive the speed limit and sometimes 5 mph faster just because I can...  other cars pass me by as if I am standing still...  and, the demographics of such action includes everyone:  males, females, old, young, clergy, police, all races, all colors, all income levels, all educational levels...

WHY do they need to do this?

HOW much time do they save?

HOW much extra gasoline do they burn?

HoW many accidents do they cause?

WHAT examples do they set for their children?

In the city, these drivers speed as well...  even when there are several traffic lights.  I will be with several cars at a traffic light and the light turns and they speed away...  then, at the next traffic light, we are together again...  the light changes and they speed away...  then at the next traffic light, we are together again...

WHAT have they accomplished?

PUTIN takes over land that eventually the people will take back in the future because he can...  and drivers drive fast even though they gain very little in the proicess...  both actions are illogical, pointless, and stupid...  yet, everyone still does it...

WHY EVEN THINK ABOUT THIS?

Well, I suppose, because I can...  just like you driving your vehicle fast and/or deciding that you want to take someone else's land...

I think about other things as well...  and, I will get to those thoughts later...  maybe one of these will attract your attention and cause YOU TO THINK...

Downpour

What is DeFi?

DeFi (or “decentralized finance”) is an umbrella term for financial services on public blockchains, primarily Ethereum. With DeFi, you can do most of the things that banks support — earn interest, borrow, lend, buy insurance, trade derivatives, trade assets, and more — but it’s faster and doesn’t require paperwork or a third party. As with crypto generally, DeFi is global, peer-to-peer (meaning directly between two people, not routed through a centralized system), pseudonymous, and open to all.

Why is DeFi important?
DeFi takes the basic premise of Bitcoin — digital money — and expands on it, creating an entire digital alternative to Wall Street, but without all the associated costs (think office towers, trading floors, banker salaries). This has the potential to create more open, free, and fair financial markets that are accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

What are the benefits?

• Open: You don’t need to apply for anything or “open” an account. You just get access by creating a wallet.
• Pseudonymous: You don’t need to provide your name, email address, or any personal information.
• Flexible: You can move your assets anywhere at any time, without asking for permission, waiting for long transfers to finish, and paying expensive fees.
• Fast: Interest Rates and rewards often update rapidly (as quickly as every 15 seconds), and can be significantly higher than traditional Wall Street.
• Transparent: Everyone involved can see the full set of transactions (private corporations rarely grant that kind of transparency)

How does it work?
Users typically engage with DeFi via software called dapps (“decentralized apps”), most of which currently run on the Ethereum blockchain. Unlike a conventional bank, there is no application to fill out or account to open.

Here are some of the ways people are engaging with DeFi today:

• Lending: Lend out your crypto and earn interest and rewards every minute - not once per month.
• Getting a loan: Obtain a loan instantly without filling in paperwork, including extremely short-term “flash loans” that traditional financial institutions don’t offer.
• Trading: Make peer-to-peer trades of certain crypto assets — as if you could buy and sell stocks without any kind of brokerage.
• Saving for the future: Put some of your crypto into savings account alternatives and earn better interest rates than you’d typically get from a bank.
• Buying derivatives: Make long or short bets on certain assets. Think of these as the crypto version of stock options or futures contracts.

What are the downsides?
Fluctuating transaction rates on the Ethereum blockchain mean that active trading can get expensive.

Depending on which dapps you use and how you use them, your investment could experience high volatility – this is, after all, new tech.

You have to maintain your own records for tax purposes. Regulations can vary from region to region.

Wheelchair Dancers

 

Russia Uses Vacuum Bombs in Ukraine

Russia has been accused of planning to use thermobaric weapons - also known as vacuum bombs - in its invasion of Ukraine.  These are controversial because they are much more devastating than conventional explosives of similar size, and have a terrible impact on anyone caught in their blast radius.

How does a vacuum bomb work?
A vacuum bomb, also called an aerosol bomb or fuel air explosive, consists of a fuel container with two separate explosive charges.  This can be launched as a rocket or dropped as a bomb from aircraft. When it hits its target, the first explosive charge opens the container and widely scatters fuel mixture as a cloud.

This cloud can penetrate any building openings or defences that are not totally sealed. A second charge then detonates the cloud, resulting in a huge fireball, a massive blast wave and a vacuum which sucks up all surrounding oxygen. The weapon can destroy reinforced buildings, equipment and kill or injure people.


They are used for a variety of purposes and come in a range of sizes - including weapons for use by individual soldiers such as grenades and hand-held rocket launchers.  Huge air-launched versions have also been designed, specifically to kill defenders in caves and tunnel complexes - the effects of this weapon are at their most severe in enclosed spaces.

In 2003, the US tested a 9,800kg bomb, nicknamed the "Mother of all bombs". Four years later, Russia developed a similar device, the Father of all bombs". This created an explosion equivalent to a 44-tonne conventional bomb - making it the biggest non-nuclear explosive device in the world.   READ MORE...

Cat Tongue

 

Oil Prices Rise

The cost of oil surged on Wednesday, as traders snapped up non-Russian oil, increasing the chance of further price rises at UK forecourts.  Brent crude - the global benchmark for oil prices - passed $113 a barrel, its highest level since June 2014.  Traders are struggling to sell Russian oil, even at a discount, because of the new difficulties in shipping and payments amid its invasion of Ukraine.

Gas prices also doubled, which could feed through to energy bills.  Almost 70% of Russian crude oil exports do not have a buyer according to UK-based research consultancy, Energy Aspects.  On Tuesday, oil trader Trafigura offered a cargo load of Russian crude oil at a record discount of $18.60 per barrel below the market rate for Brent, but could not find a buyer willing to take the risk.

Amrita Sen, its founding partner told the BBC World Service that buyers are concerned that they could run afoul of Western sanctions and "lawyers are poring through the language" of the new rules.  The RAC said if the higher oil price is sustained, the cost of filling up a car in the UK will increase with it.

"The sudden $10 jump in the oil price is likely to take the average price of petrol towards 155p a litre and diesel to 160p, particularly as it's looking like this price isn't just a market blip caused by the US and allies deciding to dip into the strategic oil reserve.  "If oil does stay at this level, the journey to an average unleaded price of 155p may be far too quick." said RAC fuel spokesperson Simon Williams.

The average price of petrol across UK forecourts on Tuesday was 151.6p per litre, according to the RAC.

Energy price cap
Household gas and electricity bills are set to rise after the annual energy price cap increases to £1,971 in April, but the rise in wholesale prices amid the war in Ukraine may mean the price cap ratchets up to £3,000 by the end of the year, according to one energy analyst.

"Wholesale prices make up between 40-50% of household bills," said independent energy analyst David Cox. "If these high prices stay around 400p per therm we may see the price cap head closer to £3,000 per year, which is terrifying."

Energy analysts at Cornwall Insights also predicted a jump in the energy price cap in October, based on turmoil in the European wholesale gas prices, to over £2,900.  READ MORE...

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