Light is Weird

 

Benefits of SOCIALISM???

1. 
   Free healthcare
   
2. Reduction of poverty
3. A more equal society
4. Selflessness versus Selfishness
5. Government ownership of everything
6. A government for the people
7. A better environment
8. Relatively free housing
9. Free education
10. A potential for full employment

While it may seem like these 10 items (and quite possibly more) are positive, one must also look at the downsides.

First and foremost is that the government does not spend its money on a military and defense, rather it spends its money on the people.

Second, there is more corruption in SOCIALISM than there is in a DEMOCRACY although many would argue that point of view.

Third, there is no incentive to get better...  for instance, in socialism, being a teacher, I would take away A and B grades and give them to students with D and F grades so that everyone got a C regardless of effort.

Fourth, employees would get paid regardless of their productivity.  Therefore, there would be no incentive to increase productivity.  That mindset would lead to SHORTAGES.

Fifth, none of the people would have a voice in how the government was being managed.

Is this the kind of society in which you would like to live? 

If it is, then you are in the right place, because the US government is moving in this direction. However, I suggest that you investigate further what it is like to live under socialism...  and, then see if this is what you really want.

Is Democracy the Best Form of Government?

 If you look at the great philosophers and read their opinions, you get the idea that a democracy is not the best form of government.

Socrates and Plato were AGAINST DEMOCRACY as being the best form of government.  Instead, they preferred to be ruled by a totalitarian form of government where the rulers had been educated in ruling before they assume absolute power.

On the other side of the coin, freedoms like freedom of speech and freedom of religion DO NOT EXIST in a totalitarian form of government.

SO...

should government be for the people or for themselves?

In a democracy, people not only have freedoms but they decide on who will be leading them...  oftentimes, the person they chose to lead them has no idea how to lead or even how to manage all the various agencies of government, let alone interface effectively with all the states and their local governments.

THEREFORE...

we have a trade off...

good leadership and no freedoms

OR

mediocre leadership and freedoms

Personally, I do not believe that I would be willing to give up my freedoms for the sake of good leadership...  knowing that the leadership that we currently have does not give a rat's ass about the people.

Following that train of thought...  I strongly believe that OUR CONGRESS, both Democrats and Republicans, don't really care about the people.  All they care about is getting re-elected.  So, they vote for policies and laws that we get them re-elected rather than what is good for the people who put them into office.

Over the years, those qualities in politicians have lead to a HUGE APATHY among American Voters...  many of whom refuse to vote at all since it makes little difference.

Our Global Economy

1.  What is in our future regarding the Global Economy?
2. China wants to be the global economic leader replacing the USA...
3. India and China will have the two large populations in the world in the next couple of years...
4. AI/Robots will replace global workers and global militaries...
5. Medical advancements will enable global people to live longer...
6. Classroom education will change to online education as the internets expands into rural areas globally...
7. The global middle class will continue to decline as robots replace human workers...
8. Social Media will be more regulated by global governments...
9. Renewable Energy will experiences numerous technological changes as we experiment with different natural resources...
10. There will be a substantial change in global religions and their influence...
11. UFOs and Extraterrestrials will take a more prominent influence as more information about them is discovered...
12. Global Billionaires will compete for sending the first spaceship to Mars to colonize...
13. Credit Cards and Cash will no longer be used to purchases goods and services globally...
14. Laptops and cell phones will be replaced by digital implants to communicate...

Some of these items sound like what you might see in a SCIFI movie and also seem surreal...  but, there is no telling where technology will take us...  or how much it will cost us...  and, who will be paying for these changes?

• Will it be us via our taxes???
• Will it be us paying for it via higher prices???
• Will it be us via a loss of rights and free programs???

I remember my professor in grad school telling me that there is not such thing as a FREE LUNCH...  someone has to pay for it...

Retired and Cooking

In 2015 when my wife and I retired, she declared that she was no longer cooking meals, except for maybe at Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Therefore, if I wanted to eat, I needed to start cooking myself.

It would have been easy to buy TV Dinners from the grocery store and would not have cost that much more money to do so...  but, after a while, one is going to get tired of those kinds of meals.

My first direction into my cooking journey revolved around making breakfast.  Those early breakfasts included omelets, quiche, and casseroles.  I don't include scrambled eggs, pancakes, or waffles in that journey.

My next direction took me into cooking meals that I would eat for lunch and dinner and were usually composed of some kind of soup.  I played around will all kinds of meats and veggies, and this sometimes included a submersible blender.

Most of my cooking starts with the following:

• onions
• bell peppers
• mushrooms
• celery
• garlic
• leeks

To this I will add olive oil, black pepper, sea salt, and other herbs and spices that harmonize with the meats and veggies I will be using.

I have also limited my protein intake to chicken, fish, turkey, and beans.  I have found that dried beans are cheaper than cans of beans.  They can easily be cooked in an INSTAPOT in 13-15 minutes without soaking them in water overnight.

My starch comes from potatoes, rice, and angel hair pasta.

Very seldom do I use a recipe...  I usually look at recipes to see what is included but pay no attention to the amounts.

My veggies include:

• peas
• limas
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• squash
• lentils
• zucchini
• carrots
• kale
• cabbage

Recently, I have found an AMISH store about 30-40 miles north of my location that has SOUP STARTERS.  Every once in a while, we will drive up there and I will buy 5-6 containers of different kinds of starters.

I don't mind cooking but sometimes it is a hassle what I try to do is minimize the number of pots and pans I use, so that I don't have to spend time cleaning them.  I am particularly fond of ONE POT MEALS.

 

Only 1%

 

A Mediterranean Lifestyle

Having a Mediterranean lifestyle — even if you don't live in the Mediterranean — could reduce your chances of dying, including from cancer and cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.

The Mediterranean diet has long been lauded as the "gold standard" of healthy eating. It emphasizes vegetables, fruit, whole grains, olive oil, fish, and legumes, as well as wine in moderation, and minimal amounts of red meat, highly processed and fried foods, refined grains, sugar, and saturated fat.

A Mediterranean lifestyle is more than just the diet, though. It involves eating with loved ones and taking the time to savor food, resting and sleeping enough, maintaining strong social connections, and exercising regularly, according to the authors of the study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Researchers found that adults in the UK who lived a Mediterranean lifestyle had a 29% lower risk of dying from any cause, and a 28% lower risk of dying from cancer, than those who didn't. People who adhered to the lifestyle's emphasis on rest, exercise, and socializing with friends in particular had a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.     READ MORE...

Trump Troubles

 

COVID and Beyond

 COVID hit the USA about 2018, two years into President Trump term of office.  He lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, mainly because of COVID.

COVID turn the USA and the rest of the world upside down, shutting down the economies of many countries to keep the virus from spreading.  We later found out that shutting the economy down did not really stop the spread of the virus, but that knowledge was too late.

Because of COVID, the USA experienced supply chain problems, people wanting to work problems, and increased prices because of all the cleaning that had to be done to make sure the virus did not spread.

The COVID relief packages that were spent by the Trump and Biden administrations increased the supply of money in the economy but did not increase the supply of goods and services creating a huge surge in inflation.  When Biden closed down the pipeline trying to get away from fossil fuels and move towards green energy, further strain on the economy was created.

Today, we are left with higher prices than expected due to the inflation, higher gasoline prices because we have to buy oil from OPEC, supply chain problems still exist, and because many people do not want to work, there is a labor shortage in almost every industry.

COVID is no longer directly responsible for these problems but it is indirectly responsible because many retailers are using COVID as an excuse for higher prices.

1. Food at restaurants are higher
2. Services provided are higher
3. Poor customer service is rampant
4. Shelves are empty at some stores
5. Wages have not increased
6. Job vacancies are increasing

We, as a nation, are still using COVID as an excuse for not getting better.   There are reports that COVID is becoming a national problem again as people stopped maintaining social distance and stopped washing their hands.

The illegal immigrants coming across the border from Mexico ARE NOT CHECKED FOR COVID or for any other disease for that matter.  There is no telling what they are, unintentionally, bringing into the USA.

Can the USA stand another COVID like virus?

Let It Be

 

Enamel Regeneration

Scientists have developed organoids from stem cells capable of producing dental enamel proteins. The research aims to use these advancements for dental treatments, including repairing damaged teeth or entirely regenerating lost ones.

This advance is viewed as a pivotal initial step toward innovative therapies for the repair and regeneration of teeth.

Stem cells have been used to produce organoids that release the proteins responsible for forming dental enamel, a substance that shields teeth from harm and decay. This initiative was led by a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle.

“This is a critical first step to our long-term goal to develop stem cell-based treatments to repair damaged teeth and regenerate those that are lost,” said Hai Zhang, professor of restorative dentistry at the UW School of Dentistry and one of the co–authors of the paper describing the research.

The findings are published today in the journal Developmental Cell. Ammar Alghadeer, a graduate student in Hannele Ruohola-Baker’s laboratory in the Department of Biochemistry at the UW School of Medicine was the lead author on the paper. The lab is affiliated with the UW Medicine Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine.

The researchers explained that tooth enamel protects teeth from the mechanical stresses incurred by chewing and helps them resist decay. It is the hardest tissue in the human body.

Enamel is made during tooth formation by specialized cells called ameloblasts. When tooth formation is complete, these cells die off. Consequently, the body has no way to repair or regenerate damaged enamel, and teeth can become prone to fractures or be subject to loss.     READ MORE...

The Dentist

 

SOS Again in the News

The morning news was, in my opinion, SOS...  just as it always is...

1. Fires and destruction in Hawaii
2. Rain and destruction in California
3. Something or other and destruction in Europe
4. Ukranians continue to defend themselves against Russia
5. China declares they will take over the world
6. North Korea and Iran want nuclear weapons
7. BRICS continues to push hating the USA
8. The Liberals want Trump in prison
9. Joe Biden and his family are corrupt
10. The DOJ and FBI have been weaponized by the DEMS
11. Trump leads the GOP as a candidate but is unelectable over Joe Biden
12. America's status globally is declining rapidly
13. American education is declining rapidly
14. AI/Robots will displace 80% of American workers
15. Illegal Immigrants discover the USA is not what they expected to find
16. Inflation continues to destroy the Middle Class

As an American, born in this country 75 years ago, I have silently watched as she has changed.  I was part of that change in the 1960s but only a witness in the decades following.

Am I glad I was born in the USA?

YES!!!

Do I like what I am now seeing?

NO!!!

Can I do anything about it?

NO...

Why not?

The liberals, progressives, and the Democratic Party has the mainstream media behind them, the large tech companies behind them, and at least 50% of Americans want the Federal Government to take care of them, regardless of the cost.

What about the Billionaires?

Most of the millionaires and billionaires are behind this direction as long as the money does not come out of their pockets.  They are looking to expand their wealth in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

 

New Home - Same Mornings

We moved around the corner from our old house, about 8 houses away...  similar to a dogleg in golf.  We are closer to our neighbors but both are friendly.  We have not met the ones across the street.

We are off a main side street, so there is not much traffic at all.  While our new home is 200 square feet larger, it is on one floor and better laid out.  Our yard can be mowed, trimmed, and weed eaten in about an hour or so.

Our back deck is smaller but sufficient for our needs...  as a matter of fact, I am out on the deck right now.

Up at 8:30 am, took a thyroid pill, visited the bathroom, made coffee, then watched  FOX News for a couple of hours.  Ate the other half of my Perkin's Restaurant everything omelet and 1/2 of an Hawaiian muffin with pineapple.  My wife ate the other half.

Sitting on my back porch is not a privilege but a luxury that is only provided to those who live in the suburbs of a city.  There are not many intentional back porches in the country as they are landowners more than homeowners.

It is nearing noon, so the humidity has started to increase, so drinking my second cup of coffee is now heating me up more than I had intended.  My second cup of coffee does not sound like much, but I use a large YETI cup which actually holds 2 cups of coffee, so I am finishing my fourth cup of coffee.  Typically, this will be all that I have until the evening.  NO...  coffee does not keep me from sleeping.

On my back porch it is eerily quiet.  No sounds of traffic or lawn mowers.  I hear crickets and birds and the gentle breeze blowing through trees and bushes.  These bushes will need to be trimmed soon, I tell myself...  but not today...  perhaps in 6 weeks when it is cooler.

Our three cats were out here with me but it got too hot for them so they went back inside.  My umbrella blocks the sun but not the humidity.  I also have a couple of large trees in the backyard that act as umbrellas as well.  The grass was mowed a few days ago, but I am thinking of mowing it again later today before it gets too tall.

It is not supposed to rain for several days but if I had a roof over the back deck, I could sit out here when it was raining; instead, I will be sitting in the sunroom which is right beside me.  The sunroom is cool until about 10 am and then it starts to heat up.  We are looking at a portable heating/ac unit to put in there.

Yesterday, we visited Lowes and Home Depot to see one of those units and ask questions, but they do not carry them in the store any longer...  the only way to get them is online.   Sometimes, it is difficult to buy online when you cannot get your questions answered.  It seems like online is where we will be doing all our purchasing soon as brick and mortar buildings are costly to maintain along with the cost of labor.

Peace and quiet in East TN...  just like it has been for the last 33 years...  just a different day, a different home with different neighbors, but the morning always remain the same...

 

My Love Affair with Poetry Writing

Myrtle Beach Fall 2016 Vacation Series #9

Reassurances
clouds have replaced the sun
dark blues and grays
beach chairs and umbrellas
highlighted spots on the sand
from the sixteenth floor;
seagulls fly at eye level
down drafts of wind
pushed to the ground rebound
far beneath my balcony
seen through an open door;
Astill waters like a lake move
steadily towards an unseen shore
anchored boats roll gently over waves
as do three jet ski buoys
and the horizon draws ever closer;
darkened days delight the sunburned
while fees are paid for the week,
we continue with our plans to
lounge in chairs on the beach
reading what we can while there;.
clouds have replaced the sun
but we all know it is still there
and inside this light of each day
we find many sound reassurances.
27Sept16

As I recall, I wrote my first poem in high school using green ink.  I had a refillable cartridge ink pen and could only find green ink.  The poem was inspired by the song TIRED OF WAITING by the Kinks.

When I graduated and went to college, I did not write at all.  After 3 years, I dropped out, got married, joined the military for 2 years, and returned to college in 1972.  It was then that I began writing poems every day.

I would got to McDonalds or Hardees and buy a large cup of coffee (free refills) and write for an hour before going to class.  I went to classes in the mornings and worked in the afternoons.  When I graduated from college, I continued to write each morning for an hour before going to work.

This practice of writing early in the morning continued from 1972 until 1990 when I relocated from NC to TN...  I got a divorce in 1993, married a second time in 1998.  While I did not continue to write each day, I found time to write several times a week.

My second wife and I liked to got to Myrtle Beach, SC each summer for a week and while we sat under the umbrellas and watched the Atlantic Ocean, she would read and I would write.

The above poem is from one of those Myrtle Beach visits and was more than likely published on my blog Reflectionsinthoughts.blogspot.com.

I created that blog to publish all the poems that I have written over the years...  since I am still in possession of all of them.  However, instead of going back into my files, finding the poems, and then typing them up on the blog, I have found it much easier to think up an idea every other day or so.

Usually, I will write two poems at one time...  wait a couple of days, then write two more.  I have no idea if the poems are any good or not, but the thoughts just seem to pop into my head.  Sometimes, they make sense and sometimes they don't.

I was looking though my files today (for some reason) and found the above poem from 2016 and decided to post it on my JOURNAL blog along with a short explanation of my poetry writing history.

YOUR THOUGHTS ARE WELCOMED AND ENCOURAGED...

Two Justice Systems in America

Here is an interesting situation.  Donald Trump has been indicted 4 times and faces 91 felony charges, most of which are simply bullshit and an attempt to keep him out of the 2024 election.  However, the more he is indicted, the stronger his candidacy becomes...

This is not what the DEMS expected!  However, it is what they are getting.

The Georgia charges are federal charges and revolve around the RICO statute which cannot be erased by a Presidential pardon.  These charges are the ones that might send the former President to a federal prison for about 5 years or more.

Now, here's the ODD PART.  Because he is a former USA President the Secret Service MUST protect him, EVEN IN PRISON.

Think about this?

Trump goes to prison and so does his Secret Service Detail.

• They must guard him during the day
• They must guard him at night
• They must guard him when taking a shower
• They must guard him when eating

Guess who pays for this secret service detail for Trump?

You the tax payer...

Now, here's the real FUNNY PART.

President Biden via his son Hunter has been receiving bribes from Ukraine and China and the Department of Justice and the FBI have been looking the other way...  and, sometimes covering up what is going on so the general public will never find out about it.

What is this called?

TWO KINDS OF JUSTICE

We already know that there is a different justice system for the wealthy than there is for the middle class or poor.

Now, we are finding out that there is a different justice system for the Democrats than there is for the Republicans.

And, to make matters worse, the mainstream media is also being used and told not to write or publish anything on Hunter and the Bidens...

Is this the kind of Democracy under which you would like to live?

 

Hold Fast to Your Beliefs

We have always been told by our parents, peers, teachers, and leaders that marriage should only be between a male and a female.

Does this mean this norm cannot be changed?

No...  it does not...  but, when is changed, society as a whole is not ready to accept that change.

What I find interesting is that ever since this country was created in 1776 and no doubt long before,  there has been same sex relationships all of which were known but kept hidden.

So, what does it matter that these same sex couples cannot or should not be allowed to marry?

Personally, I don't think it matters.

If the truth be known, most of today's male/female marriages have experience same sex relationships either before they were married or after they were married, but kept it secret.

Regardless of how strict society tries to be, there will always be those who want to not just bend the rules but break the rules to see what that experience is all about.

Is there a benefit from same sex marriages?

There can be...  I would think.

• Less babies being born for one.
• An increase in babies being adopted.

Just because our religious leaders preach that same sex relationships and marriages are not accepted does not mean THAT IT IS WRONG...  it just means that most religious groups do not accept it.

Most religious groups don't accept drinking alcohol or partaking in the use of marijuana even though in some states it is entirely legal to do so for recreational purposes.

Is the state more or less correct than religion?

Religions don't like males and females living together and not getting married but over the years that has come to be entirely acceptable.

What is interesting here is that neither God nor Jesus are human beings like we are...  they are extraterrestrials who came to this planet.  Jesus is often quoted as saying (from the Bible):  ...MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD...

If it is not of this world then where is it?

I would think outer space somewhere...  wouldn't you?

The point here is that religions have their rules and countries have their rules...

Which rule is the correct rule to follow?

You follow that rule which best suits your lifestyle and beliefs.  And, if you truly believe then you will not change your beliefs because someone else wants you to.

Georgia DA Speaks

 

AI Chip That Works Like a Human Brain

Tech corporation IBM has unveiled a new "prototype" of an analog AI chip that works like a human brain and performs complex computations in various deep neural networks (DNN) tasks.

The chip promises more. IBM says the state-of-the-art chip can make artificial intelligence remarkably efficient and less battery-draining for computers and smartphones.

Introducing the chip in a paper published by IBM Research, the company said: “The fully integrated chip features 64 AIMC cores interconnected via an on-chip communication network. It also implements the digital activation functions and additional processing involved in individual convolutional layers and long short-term memory units.”

Reinventing ways in which AI is computed
The new AI chip is developed in IBM’s Albany NanoTech Complex and comprises 64 analog in-memory compute cores. By borrowing key features of how neural networks run in biological brains, IBM explains that it has embedded the chip with compact, time-based analog-to-digital converters in each tile or core to transition between the analog and digital worlds.

Each tile (or core) is also integrated with lightweight digital processing units that perform simple nonlinear neuronal activation functions and scaling operations, explained IBM in a blog published on August 10.

A replacement for current digital chips?
In the future, IBM's prototype chip could replace the current chips powering heavy AI applications in computers and phones. “A global digital processing unit is integrated into the middle of the chip that implements more complex operations that are critical for the execution of certain types of neural networks,” further said the blog.  READ MORE...

How I Operate