Wednesday, September 7
Rethinking our Behaviors
Sebastian Vettel talks to the media in the paddock during previews
ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
(CNN) Sebastian Vettel has never been afraid to speak his mind.
Vettel -- who announced he will retire from Formula One at the end of the season following a stellar career -- spoke to CNN Sport's Amanda Davies ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix about how he's planning to adjust to life at home with his family.
But the 35-year-old expressed how, as he's grown older and been more receptive of issues away from the track, he is more willing to take steps to tackle them.
"It sounds a bit stereotype, but you turn 30 and I mean, I have kids, so things change," he explained. "And as much as I'm the same as I used to be 10 years ago, I'm not the same and a lot of things have changed.
"So also, when it comes to interests or how you see the world and how you understand the world and I think I've always been trying to see things, but maybe I didn't see as many things when I was young compared to today.
Some things, I'm thinking: 'What? How could you miss them?'" READ MORE...
Japanese Military Leader
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) was a Japanese military leader who reunified Japan at the beginning of the 17th century after a long period of civil war, known as the Warring States or Sengoku period. He created a new government controlled by the Tokugawa family that ruled Japan until 1868.
Rise to Power
Ieyasu, whose real name was Matsudaira Takechiyo, was born in 1543 in Okazaki Castle near the modern city of Nagoya. The Matsudaira were a warrior family that claimed ancestry back to the Minamoto clan that had ruled Japan in the Kamakura period (1185-1333).
Ieyasu, whose real name was Matsudaira Takechiyo, was born in 1543 in Okazaki Castle near the modern city of Nagoya. The Matsudaira were a warrior family that claimed ancestry back to the Minamoto clan that had ruled Japan in the Kamakura period (1185-1333).
The 16th century is referred to as the Warring States or Sengoku period, as it was a time of civil war in which local warrior leaders called daimyo competed for power and control of land. Treachery was common not only between families but even within them.
To cement alliances, families would often swap hostages, and for that reason, Ieyasu spent many years away from his family as a child.
Following his first battle in 1558, he gradually strengthened his family's position through an alliance with Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), a powerful warrior who was taking the first steps to reunify Japan.
Following his first battle in 1558, he gradually strengthened his family's position through an alliance with Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), a powerful warrior who was taking the first steps to reunify Japan.
Ieyasu engaged in a long series of campaigns against the rival Takeda family, and this led to their eventual defeat in 1582. In the same year, Oda Nobunaga was murdered by one of his own retainers and, in the confusion that followed, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) emerged as the strongest military leader in Japan.
Although initially hostile to Hideyoshi, in 1590, Ieyasu formed an alliance with him in order to attack the Hojo family, a powerful clan that controlled a lot of land in the Kanto area in eastern Japan. READ MORE...
One Thousand Year Old Paintings
A TEAM OF RESEARCHERS FROM CARDINAL STEFAN WYSZYŃSKI UNIVERSITY IN WARSAW HAVE DOCUMENTED 1,000-YEAR-OLD PAINTINGS IN THE REMAINS OF A CHURCH, LOCATED SOUTHWEST OF THE 3RD CATARACT ON THE WEST BANK OF THE NILE IN SUDAN.
The paintings were found in 2021 by the University of Khartoum, University of the Nile Valley (NVU) and Sudanese archaeologists.
The church has a primary nave and two small side naves, constructed from dried mud brick and a lining layer of burnt bricks. Several Greek inscriptions have been identified on some of the surviving walls, while within the sanctuary several paintings have survived despite considerable damage to the structure.
At the time of the initial discovery, the team lacked the conservators and experts to preserve the paintings, so the decision was made to rebury the church ruins in order protect the paintings from the elements.
In the latest study, the researchers found that one of the better-preserved paintings on the eastern wall of the sanctuary shows the bust of Christ Emmanuel against the background of a standing figure, believed to be Icon of ‘Our Lady of the Sign’ showing the Virgin Mary. READ MORE...
Tuesday, September 6
Becoming A Submissive Husband
It’s the small, unspoken things that tell the difference between an egalitarian marriage and a female-led marriage. While my wife and I don’t go out of our way to advertise the D/s nature of our marriage, there are certain constant truths that set us (and other D/s couples) apart.
My wife has certain expectations of me that would be completely out of the realm of possibility in an egalitarian marriage. When “we” make plans, she’s actually just telling me what we’re doing. If she doesn’t care, she delegates that part of the plan to me to figure out. When she is planning, she assumes–quite rightly–that I am constantly available for her, and that her desires trump mine.
It’s the typical things you find when the husband is subservient and obedient to his wife:
When she needs to be driven somewhere or picked up, I am expected to drop everything and prioritize this. When I need to be somewhere, if she is busy I am expected to drive myself or take public transportation.
When we have a lazy weekend day, the assumption is that I’m going to be doing housework, and she’s going to watch Netflix. I’ll happily dance the morning away (in my apron, if she wishes), and she’ll text my phone if she wants anything delivered to her in the living room.
When she is ready to play her role (managing the money, planning what to eat that week), I’m supposed to stop what I’m doing and assist her. When she’s done, she’ll give me a to-do list to execute (like moving money between accounts, or going to the grocery store)
These are common elements of a D/s marriage. The thing is that we’re not conscious of these things anymore. My wife never says, “you’ll go to the grocery store while I watch TV, because I’m in charge and you are obedient.” She just assumes that I’m going to the store, and she’s correct. She assumes I’m going to have the laundry done, and she’s right. If I’m not done with the laundry, she doesn’t say “I thought you were my submissive bitch husband and you’d better get the laundry done or you’ll get a spanking.” She says “wow, you’re going to be up late tonight if you’re not done with the laundry.”
These expectations are the result of both of us learning our new roles. Both of us work hard in our marriage, and there’s no resentment on either side. I spend more time doing work around our house, but my wife makes the important decisions that, if she’s wrong, could have consequences for our financial lives. I have more obvious impact on the state of the house, but she leads our marriage. Over time, we’ve grown to find that these assumptions about her authority and my obedience have become automatic for both of us.
They key is that this is a way of working that fits us both. This feels natural to us, and we are happier when each of us plays our role. Spouses are taught that both partners should be equally invested in all parts of marriage, but that’s not works for many couples. We’re taught egalitarianism is better because the “traditional” marriage determined who took on the subservient role and dominant role arbitrarily, often with disastrous results.
It’s not a lack of equality that made these marriages dysfunctional, but the fact that this inequality was based on outdated gender stereotypes, rather than the partner’s personality. Some of these relationships turned out quite well, because the couple had the happy luck to find that the male was suited to leadership and the female was suited to domestic duties.
My wife and I are proof OK for one member of a couple to take on a subservient role, as long as that person does so willingly, and his or her partner is likewise capable of exercising competent leadership. We’re constantly aware of our dynamic, and discuss it honestly and openly. She uses our time in the bedroom to reinforce our dynamic, and so sex brings us not just closer to each other, but also anchors us in our respective roles.
As couples grow their D/s dynamic, I’d encourage the submissive partner to do their best to establish expectations on your dominant partner’s part that ask more of you, and less of them. Do this without topping from the bottom by waiting until your partner has directed you to do something and expresses a doubt, and reassuring them. Don’t preemptively guess at what they want, but make sure that they only need to ask once for something. Another way to avoid topping from the bottom is to call out what you’re doing, and to get their feedback on what you think might make a good expectation. SOURCE: lovecherishobey.wordpress.com
Becoming A Dominant Wife
Traditional spousal roles include a dominant husband and a submissive wife. These roles have been changing so that men and women have a more egalitarian relationship. However, some couples enjoy a relationship in which the woman is more dominant than the husband. In order for this to work, both parties need to agree it's what they want. The dominant wife differs from a dominatrix as the role is expanded to include all areas of the relationship, not just the sexual aspects.
Talk to your husband about the role you want to take as a dominant wife. Some men suggest this role because they find it more alluring or comfortable; others are open to it as a way to add some spice to the marriage or on a part-time basis. Find out what you both want from the relationship and what the comfort zones are as far as dominance.
Make a list of the areas you want to dominate. This can include things like household chores, sexual relations or controlling how free time is spent. Approach your husband with the list to see if these areas are agreeable to him.
Take the initiative in these areas. Tell your husband what chores to do and when to do them, how he will spend time on his days off and what you expect in the bedroom. Some dominant wives expand the dominance in the bedroom to include submissive positions and things like bondage equipment, but this up to the comfort level of both parities. SOURCE: OurEveryDayLife.com - Shara JJ Cooper
Stents Do Not Prevent Heart Failure
Every year, 60,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with heart failure, and many are treated with stents. In a large new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, my colleagues and I discovered that these procedures are unnecessary.
Heart failure is where the heart muscle becomes weakened, leading to symptoms of severe breathlessness that may cause premature death. The commonest cause is blocked blood vessels that reduce blood supply to the heart muscle. This is known as coronary artery disease.
A person with heart failure is treated with medication and sometimes with specialised pacemakers. Despite this treatment, many patients die prematurely or are admitted to hospital with wor sening symptoms.
People with heart failure also sometimes have a procedure to insert a stent – a small metal tube that is used to unblock a coronary artery. Stents are placed into the heart arteries by a cardiologist through tubes inserted either into the wrist or the groin and guided by X-rays.
Trials have shown that stents are a very effective treatment for people with heart attacks and angina, but their effects in patients with heart failure have remained uncertain. READ MORE...
An Appetite and Sun Connection
According to recent research from Tel Aviv University, exposure to the sun makes men more hungry but not women. The research, which was conducted using lab models, reveals how the metabolic mechanism is activated differently in men and women.
According to the researchers, sun exposure in males of both animal species and humans triggers a protein called p53 to repair any DNA damage that may have been done to the skin as a result of the exposure.
Ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger, is produced by the body in response to the activation of p53. The hormone estrogen prevents the interaction of p53 with ghrelin in females, which prevents the urge to eat after exposure to the sun.
Professor Carmit Levy and Ph.D. student Shivang Parikh of the Department of Human Genetics and Biochemistry at TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine led the groundbreaking study.
Ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger, is produced by the body in response to the activation of p53. The hormone estrogen prevents the interaction of p53 with ghrelin in females, which prevents the urge to eat after exposure to the sun.
Professor Carmit Levy and Ph.D. student Shivang Parikh of the Department of Human Genetics and Biochemistry at TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine led the groundbreaking study.
It was carried out in partnership with numerous Israeli and international researchers, including Tel Aviv Sourasky (Ichilov), Assuta, Meir, and Sheba Medical Centers, as well as Dr. Yiftach Gepner and Dr. Lior Bikovski from TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Professor Aron Weller from Bar-Ilan University.
The study was published in the renowned journal Nature Metabolism. READ MORE...
Mysterious Rings in Space
The James Webb Space Telescope captured the star WR 140 surrounded by strange concentric shells. (Image credit: NASA/ESA /CSA /Ryan Lau /JWST ERS Team /Judy Schmidt)
The James Webb Space Telescope captured mysterious concentric rings around a distant star that astronomers are still working to explain.
The image, taken in July, was released on Twitter by citizen scientist Judy Schmidt, prompting a torrent of comments and head-scratching. It shows a star known as WR140 surrounded by regular ripple-like circles that gradually fade away. The circles, however, are not perfectly round, but have a somewhat square-like feel to them, prompting speculations about possible alien origins.
"I think it's just nature doing something that is simple, but when we look at it from only one viewpoint it seems impossible, at first, to understand that it is a natural phenomenon," Schmidt told Space.com in an email. "Why is it shaped the way it is? Why is it so regular?"
Mark McCaughrean, an interdisciplinary scientist in the James Webb Space Telescope Science Working Group and a science advisor to the European Space Agency, called the feature "bonkers" in a Twitter thread.
"The six-pointed blue structure is an artifact due to optical diffraction from the bright star WR140 in this #JWST MIRI image," he wrote. "But red curvy-yet-boxy stuff is real, a series of shells around WR140. Actually in space. Around a star."
He noted that WR140 is what astronomers call a Wolf-Rayet star, which have spat much of their hydrogen into space. These objects are also surrounded by dust, he added, which a companion star is sculpting into the strange shells.
Astronomers will know more soon thanks to a scientific paper currently under review about this mysterious phenomenon. READ MORE...
Monday, September 5
S O S -- Just Another Day
There will be no labor day cookouts for us today as the forecast claims a 90% chance of rain... but, we had nothing really planned anyway so no big loss for us if the rain comes in buckets.
Since my wife and I are retired, we had no idea it was labor day until Friday when we heard someone talking about it while we were out. Sunday, we went to our local Perkins Restaurant for brunch and I ordered my usual of an everything omelet with breakfast potatoes and pancakes. My wife got the magnificent 7 which is 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon and 3 pancakes. She eats 1 pancake and gives me the other 2. I eat half of my omelet and bring the other half and 5 pancakes home.
This morning, I had the other half of the omelet and breakfast potatoes and will then eat 1 pancake a day for the next 5 days for breakfast. I will put sugar free jelly on a pancake and eat it before I walk.
After walking, I always make another cup of coffee and watch FOX News for a while as I cool down. This morning the news casters focused on Biden's divisive speech, illegal immigration, the increase of crime and violence in big cities, the increase of illegal drugs and fentanyl, and how inflation is going to negatively impact the Liberals in November.
I listen to the same thing everyday and not only am I tired of hearing it, but I am tired of the liberals doing nothing about it. Hell, they will not even talk about it as if it is of no concern to them at all.
When I was in business school, we learned that DOING NOTHING is actually a business strategy but in all case studies we discovered that DOING NOTHING was the worst strategy that you could take... TAKING ACTION is always the best course forward.
One of these days, the people are simply going to get tired of this happening to them and their families and are going to do something about it with their votes.
Labor Day Weekend
When I was a lad, I remember our summers began and ended on holidays - on one side was Memorial Day and on the other side was Labor Day... for some reason that is no longer what happens... I suppose the teachers bitched to get more money and the school year was lengthened... whatever happened, school now resumes before Labor Day.
Most people who don't go on a vacation this weekend, have cookouts either in their backyards or at a local park & recreation area... some go camping, while others just stay at home and do nothing special.
For us (my wife and I), we are planning to stay at home as we do not want to be around a bunch of people regardless of the location... it ain't nothing personal, it's just how we are in retirement...
But, with an above ground pool in the back yard, a large gazebo, and hot tub, there is very little that we are missing by not going on vacation. We will probably cook some chicken or burgers on the grill... but, more importantly, think of all the money that we are saving not to mention the aggravation we would experience with a bunch of assholes drivers on the interstate.
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