Monday, August 28
Our US Constitution
Article I Legislative Branch.
Article II Executive Branch.
Article III Judicial Branch.
Article IV Relationships Between the States.
Article V Amending the Constitution.
Article VI Supreme Law.
Article VII Ratification.
To read the full US Constitution which includes the various sections associated with each article, CLICK HERE...
Our Founding Fathers hoped that the Constitution would do the following:
- Establish Justice
- Ensure Domestic Tranquility
- Provide Defense
- Promote General Welfare
- Secure Liberty now and for our children
Here's the question...
Were they successful?
Justice - we have a system of justice but over the years we have discovered that the system of justice is different for different groups of people... for instance, wealthy and poor receive different types of justice. Democrats and Republicans receive different kinds of justice.
Tranquility - I would say that the US Government has fallen short of providing tranquility for its residents because there is still much hatred between the races and between the genders.
Defense - I would have to admit that the US Government has done an excellent to superior job of creating both a domestic as well as an international defense with the current quality of our military branches and law enforcement agencies. The key to defense is that the US has a nuclear stockpile of weapons that no nation in the world has come close to duplicating.
Welfare - The US Government has created a HUGE national debt because of all the welfare programs that it has provided to its residents. In fact, the national debt is so high that it will seriously impact the last point.
Liberty Now/Children - While we currently have some semblance of Liberty in that we have a Bill of Rights and numerous freedoms that other countries don't want their citizens to have, it is obvious that some of those liberties (freedom of speech and religion) are in the process of being destroyed. Also, the national debt could PREVENT future generations from enjoying the liberties that we have today.
It is also true that when the US Constitution was written and ratified by each state, it favored Caucasians but not blacks. In part, that has been remedied by various amendments but that does not negate the fact that they were not included.
For that matter, Native Americans were not included in the Constitution either but other compensations were made over time in an attempt to correct that flaw.
Today, Caucasians are still in the majority with 60% of the population being white. There has also been an attempt to separate us from Hispanics and Latinos.
Until we can solve this RACE ISSUE, the USA will never be fully united or see themselves as AMERICANS.
Our Founding Fathers did not take this into account and did not anticipate that it could be a problem.
Should the Constitution be rewritten to reflect a different USA... obviously, the country has changed since 1776. Some say that it should, while other say that is what the Amendments are for and that the original document should remain as it is.
Whatever we decide to do, I doubt it will end the HATRED and DIVISION that already exists here in the USA... I can guarantee that the Founding Fathers did not expect this to happen.
Turning Cells into Stem Cells
For decades, scientists have been able to create stems cells—known as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells—from somatic cells, such as those found in our skin.
However, these iPS cells still retain ghosts of their cellular pasts, which makes them less effective as a therapeutic tool.
A new study, using a method called transient-naïve-treatment (TNT) mimics the normal reprogramming process in early embryonic development to essentially wipe a cell’s memory, making these cells more similar to embryonic stem (ES) cells both molecularly and functionally.
Stem cells are the raw materials of the human body—they’re the original cells from which almost all other cells with specialized functions originate. So, the ability to use these cells in therapeutic treatments is immensely important. So important, in fact, that over the past couple of decades, scientists have devised ways to reprogram non-reproductive cells, also known as somatic cells, into embryonic stem (ES) cells known as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.
This process is central to the field of regenerative medicine, which replaces diseased cells with healthy ones derived from these iPS cells. But there was just one problem—these reprogrammed cells retained ghosts of their past lives, making these treatments less effective than they otherwise could be.
“A persistent problem with the conventional reprograming process is that iPS cells can retain an epigenetic memory of their original somatic state, as well as other epigenetic abnormalities,” Ryan Lister, from the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and The University of Western Australia, said in a press statement. “This can create functional differences between the iPS cells and the ES cells they’re supposed to imitate, and specialized cells subsequently derived from them, which limits their use.” READ MORE...
Sunday, August 27
My Novel Writing
Deception in Paris is #8 and is about a CIA spy who is actually a Russian double agent but has been in a coma for several years due to a car accident and is trying to remember his past.
Life Changed in 2039 is #9 (and the one I did not want to forget) and is about life has it is currently happening with a focus on the liberal party trying to silence the conservative party and how the southern states secede from the USA and form their own country. China and Russia are influencing the direction of the northern states. I got the idea from Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
The Ghost Dancer is #10 and is about drugs, prostitution, and human trafficking on Native American Reservations all over the USA. A deputy assistant FBI Director who is Cherokee has his family kidnapped and is trying to get them back as he uncovers all of this.
Each of my novels are over 100,000 words which is about 350-400 pages in a 5X7 paperback novel.
While I like to write, I am not good at editing my own stuff... also, my writing lacks the creative descriptions of what is around the main characters that you read in other novels... describing in detail the towns or landscapes or feelings that the characters might have about each other. If I had my novels professionally edited, all of that could be added.
I thought about self-publishing on Amazon via KDP publishing... but it is difficult to take the first step plus I don't have that much extra money to invest in something that has no guarantees of selling.
However, since we have moved, I have not had the motivation to return to my novel writing.
Sunday Afternoon
I had a half a cup of cappuccino mix in water before going to bed but even that does not cause me to pee that much. While it is odd, I was able to fall asleep quickly after getting back in bed.
FOX News was more of the same just a different day and I am getting tired of hearing all about Trump's legal issues and the corruption and influence peddling of the Biden family. I can just imagine what the rest of the world thinks about us as a nation... our image has been tarnished dramatically... almost as if it were part of some wild Hollywood movie plot.
I have two of our three cats sitting on the couch with me while the third one is outside on the deck with my wife... or at least was, the last time I looked. Both of the cats with me are sleeping and it seems that is all they do these days except chase each other up and down the hallway at night.
These two cats with me are PALS... when I was in Kentucky with the young Siamese, he was anti-social and hide from me unless I was sleeping, then I could feel him walking across my back. We decided to bring our other cat over to where I was to see if that cat could change the Siamese's behavior and attitude. IT WORKED... and these two are constantly together.
The Siamese is more dependent on upon the yellow cat than the yellow cat is dependent upon the Siamese. With that said, the Siamese is named Piper and the yellow cat is named Chazy. I named the Siamese, my wife named the yellow cat. Our other yellow cat, a few months younger is named Tippy, also my wife's idea and he is really her cat.
Watching the cats sleep makes me feel sleepy although I know that there is no way that I should feel sleepy after sleeping as long as I did.
Sundays are typically lazy days for us, especially after moving to this new location. Most of the moved items have been put away into their new proper place. What did not find a place was given away or thrown away. We don't miss anything...
We have a few more items to change but it will be a while before we do anything. We need to find a way to heat and cool the sunroom so it can be habitable all year long. We need to upgrade the cabinets in the kitchen and install a new walk-in shower. Everything else has been more than acceptable.
In the past we have spent Sundays going to brunch, visiting friends and family, watching movies on a DVD or my wife would read while I would write. As time passes, our habits have changed, and we mainly stay at home with my wife in one area and me in another area. It is not like we don't want to be around each other; it is we have different interests and don't want those interests (sounds mainly) to bother the other person.
A Sample of my Career
My professors assumed that I learned all my grammar and writing stuff in high school... which I did not. My first job after graduating was Director of Product Efficacy for a microbiological media manufacturer... because part of that job was writing package inserts that were submitted for FDA approval and my English degree was what they were looking for.
A few years later, I accepted a position as Executive Director of the Alamance County Arts Council and in 1979 decided I had no business skills so I enrolled in an MBA program to acquire those skills.
My MBA opened the door to many other jobs and places of employments that could have been done by a high school graduate or someone with an undergraduate degree. So, much of the knowledge retained from graduate school was never used.
During my 45-year career, I was asked to supply both my college and grad school transcripts for the files, but I was never hired based upon my grades or my GPA. This was true even when I was directed employed by universities to teach college classes.
In addition to not hiring me based upon my transcript, the people that recommended me being offered the job, never once visited my classroom so see what kind of teacher I was.
When I was Dean of two colleges, I spent a least 50 minutes in the classroom observing the teachers I hired to make sure I got my money's worth and had made the right hiring decisions. I did this for every instructor twice a year. There was nothing in my job description that stated I was required to do this.
I am constantly amazed by students who tell me that they need a high GPA in order to hired because they do not. They only need a high GPA if they are going to grad school immediately after receiving their undergraduate degree. They can also avoid the GPA issue by going to work for a few years and then applying to grad school.
This same logic hold true after high school. Many schools have high entrance requirements for first year students... but, if you go to a Community College your first two years, then you are transferring as a third year student and there are virtually NO ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS... plus a community college is cheaper so it is a great way to save money.
Sadly, it takes a career to learn all this stuff and by then it is too late... which is why I am sharing it now.
Getting Old is INEVITABLE
When I was younger, I lifted weights, played all kinds of sports: football, baseball, track & field, volleyball, and soccer. In my early 30s and 40s, I was running 1-2 miles a day during my lunch hour on M-F. That running damaged my knees, so I walked as fast as I could for 60-90 minutes 7 days a week.
At the age of 40, I stopped smoking cigarettes, stopped drinking alcohol, stopped eating sugar food, and stopped eating fried foods. I stopped eating red meat and focused on chicken, fish, beans, and veggies. But, at the age of 60, I had a severe heart attack and was diagnosed with Lymphoma. Five years later, I was diagnosed with Melanoma. In 2022, I had five lumbar disks fused together and currently I am undergoing physical therapy for a rotator cuff at my right shoulder.
WHAT'S THE POINT OF ALL OF THIS???
No matter what I did when I was younger, my body unfortunately AGED... and it aged regardless of all that I did to keep it young and youthful.
So, if you do not take care of your body when you are young, it will fall apart faster and worse than my body failed me. This, I suppose is a warning... unfortunately, few will heed my advice.
Another issue that many will refuse to believe until it happens is that LIFE FLIES BY QUICKLY... faster than you anticipate that it will. It is difficult to look in the future and painful to look back at what you did or did not do. I learned this lesson the hard way... and no doubt you will too. That fatal flaw is just who we are as human beings.
God is an Alien
A Harvard Professor of Astrophysicist believes... “...'A very advanced scientific civilization is a good approximation to God...'” said Loeb.
“'...Because just imagine a cave dweller visiting New York City and seeing all the gadgets in technology in terms of the lights appearing as a miracle to the cave dweller. So a higher level of intelligence may not be understandable to us...'
Professor Loeb then briefly discussed how advanced aliens could possibly create an entire universe.
'A superhuman civilization that understands how to unify quantum mechanics and gravity might actually be able to create a baby universe in a laboratory. A quality that we assign to God in religious texts...' he explained."
I am not a PhD in anything... just an ordinary citizen of the US of A... but what this Harvard Professor suggests, makes a lot of sense to me and seems incredibly logical.
It is ABSURD to think that human beings are the only living creatures in the universe... especially given how large the universe is.
"...In a scenario straight out of 'The Twilight Zone,' a group of NASA scientists working on an experiment in Antarctica have detected evidence of a parallel universe — where the rules of physics are the opposite of our own, according to a report.
The concept of a parallel universe has been around since the early 1960s, mostly in the minds of fans of sci-fi TV shows and comics, but now a cosmic ray detection experiment has found particles that could be from a parallel realm that also was born in the Big Bang, the Daily Star reported.
The experts used a giant balloon to carry NASA’s Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna, or ANITA, high above Antarctica, where the frigid, dry air provided the perfect environment with little to no radio noise to distort its findings.
A constant 'win' of high-energy particles constantly arrives on Earth from outer space..." Source: The NY Post
If we are dealing with a parallel universe or multiple universes, then it is entirely possible, as well as logical that aliens could have traveled into our universe from another universe where the laws of physics are different.
Just because we cannot prove the existence of either aliens or a multiple universe doesn't mean they don't exist. And therein lies the rub...
We only what to believe in that which we can see or scientifically prove... there is no faith... except in religion which is exactly where some of these theories have their origins... GO FIGURE???
Six Degrees of Separation
Researchers have mathematically explained the “six degrees of separation” phenomenon, indicating that individuals in a network aim for strategic connections, balancing costs and benefits of these ties. The original experiment by Stanley Milgram in 1967 showed that in the vast American society, it took only around six connections to link two random people, a finding that has since been reaffirmed through various studies.
Researchers from Bar-Ilan University prove there are just six degrees of separation in a social network.
Do you know someone who knows someone? We’ve all delved into this thought experiment, marveling at the idea that in the vast web of humanity, random people can be linked through very small chains of acquaintances — typically, around six.
Recently, a group of researchers from across the globe discovered that this magic of six degrees can be explained mathematically. The intriguing phenomenon, they show, is linked to another social experience we all know too well — the struggle of cost vs. benefit in establishing new social ties.
In 1967, a farmer in Omaha, Nebraska received a peculiar letter in his mailbox. The sender was Prof. Stanley Milgram, of Harvard University, and the intended recipient was one of his peers. “If you happen to know this person,” the message read, “please forward this letter to him.”
Of course, the chances of such a direct acquaintance across such a vast social and geographical distance – from Boston to Omaha — were extremely slim, and therefore, the letter further requested that if the recipient didn’t know the intended addressee, they should forward the letter to someone who might.
This letter was one of about 300 identical packages sent with similar instructions. The 300 independent letters began circulating across the United States in pursuit of a social pathway linking “Joe” from the farmlands of middle America with the academic hub of the East Coast.
In 1967, a farmer in Omaha, Nebraska received a peculiar letter in his mailbox. The sender was Prof. Stanley Milgram, of Harvard University, and the intended recipient was one of his peers. “If you happen to know this person,” the message read, “please forward this letter to him.”
Of course, the chances of such a direct acquaintance across such a vast social and geographical distance – from Boston to Omaha — were extremely slim, and therefore, the letter further requested that if the recipient didn’t know the intended addressee, they should forward the letter to someone who might.
This letter was one of about 300 identical packages sent with similar instructions. The 300 independent letters began circulating across the United States in pursuit of a social pathway linking “Joe” from the farmlands of middle America with the academic hub of the East Coast.
Not all letters made it through, but the ones that did recorded, for the first time experimentally, the familiar social paths – a friend of a friend of a friend – that connect American society.
Quite surprisingly, the paths were found to be extremely short. In a society of hundreds of millions of individuals, the experiment found that it only takes about six handshakes to bridge between two random people. Indeed, Milgram’s experiment confirmed what many of us sense intuitively, that we live in a small world, divided by a mere six degrees of separation. READ MORE...
Quite surprisingly, the paths were found to be extremely short. In a society of hundreds of millions of individuals, the experiment found that it only takes about six handshakes to bridge between two random people. Indeed, Milgram’s experiment confirmed what many of us sense intuitively, that we live in a small world, divided by a mere six degrees of separation. READ MORE...
Saturday, August 26
Capitalism and the USA
And yes, some of our Founding Fathers owned slaves but that does not make our US Constitution and Bill of Right INVALID. President Lincoln who freed the slaves, did not believe in slavery but his wife's family did own slaves. Did that make his freeing the slaves INVALID. No, it did not.
Capitalism, when performed correctly as stated in Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, is the best economic system in the world and will continue to be... however, the USA is not performing it correctly any longer.
Capitalists are entitled to a reasonable profit... which is how it started out... but USA businessmen and women, leaders of corporations, and entrepreneurs GOT GREEDY with their desire to make a profit.
ALL INCREASE IN COSTS ARE PASSED ALONG TO THE CONSUMER rather than decrease a company Net Income.
Employees are seen as commodities, expendable raw materials that come and go once they are used up, therefore increases in wages have been slow to happen while management's salaries have increased dramatically.
Because of this trend, everyone now want to go to college to be in management whether or not they have the mental skills to do so. Colleges and Universities have lowered their entrance standards and passed students through who did not deserve to pass so as not to lose any revenues. Consequently, college graduates are coming into management positions with little knowledge and limited mental capacity to teach themselves.
Business and Engineering Schools are teaching BUILT IN OBSELESCENCE... what does this mean? Design and build a product that will only last 3-5 years, so the company can make money on repeat business.
Marketing Agencies are designing advertisements that will encourage people to buy whether they need that item or not.
Restaurants are encouraging people to eat large meals and become obese so that the DIET INDUSTRY can sell them diet plans that do not really work. 80% of the time, one can lose weight simply by NOT EATING SO MUCH... or eat 5 small meals a day.
Television shows and series as well as movies from Hollywood are encouraging the viewer to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol often since that is what their main characters do.
Our brand of CAPITALISM is designed to shift wealth from the ordinary citizen, mainly a blue collar worker, to the titan of industry... in an effort to make them all billionaires. They do not care what happens to you as long as you BUY... BUY... BUY...
On My Back Porch
My Siamese cat of 10 years is sitting on the steps looking at the back yard as well... not sure what he is imagining other than it being nice to be able to be outside as opposed to being inside.
Perhaps Piper is looking for birds or squirrels, or chipmunks that have been visiting previously. Who knows... I am surprised that he is out in this humidity because none of our three cats like the humidity... they like the heat and direct sunlight but not the humidity.
Most of the direct sunlight this morning is being hidden by clouds as there is a good possibility of rain today. However, if it is like other August days, the humidity will remain most of the daylight hours and it will rain early evening.
There is very little sound out here on my back deck coming from the other houses or from a main 4 lane highway two blocks away. Sometimes, a bird squawks but then goes silent. The grass is too wet to mow since it rained last night, and I am reminded that two corners of our gutters are still leaking.
I am also seeing my wooded area between neighbors in need of a trim as soon as Fall arrives. Whenever I am using the riding lawn mower, I have to bend over during my first pass by those trees and bushes. It is a task that might take me an hour and if my wife helps even less.
Our back deck was poorly sized so one of the first things that we did was square it up and widen the stairs going down. Instead of using decking wood, the previous owner had used 2X6's as flooring so we had to keep with the same format. The squaring, even though it may have extended the deck out 12-18 inches has made its overall appearance look bigger. It will have to be stained in the spring.
There are two small trees in the backyard to the left of the deck and I am not sure why they were put there as they are a pain to mow around with the riding lawn mower. I am thinking that I will also cut them down before our next mowing season begins.
Before writing this post, I watched FOX News via my laptop (we have a ROKU and HULU but no cable) and was fed up listening to all the BS about what the Dems are doing to the GOP and their supporters, including their anti-Trump campaign. I wasn't planning on voting for Trump in 2024, but now I am just to say FY to the Dem Party.
They are in the process of destroying USA democracy and the billionaire SOROS is helping them with his money. It is very odd that he is doing that because he is trying to destroy the very system that made him a billionaire.
Up Early in East TN
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a pooled antibody, and a biological agent used to manage various immunodeficiency states and a plethora of other conditions, including autoimmune, infectious, and inflammatory states.
In my particular case, after over 14 years of chemo, radiation, and immunotherapy, my immune system has been defeated and in order boost my immune system IVIG is necessary or so my Oncologist believes.
With IVIG infusions, I received premeds, Benadryl and a steroid to prevent nausea. The steroid keeps me from sleeping that night, so I take two Benadryl tablets (not as powerful as the infusion) to fall asleep.
Sometimes, the Benadryl tablets don't work and I am up until 2-3 am before I can fall asleep. This was the case last night, but when I finally did fall asleep I slept without awakening.
This morning I awoke at 6:30 am and felt completely rested, just like I had slept 8 hours of unmolested sleep. GO FIGURE???
Regardless of what has happened, I feel better this morning than I have felt in the last several months.
On the other side of the coin, the Calquence that I am taking for my growing lymphoma may finally be working as it should work. That is to say that 3 months ago, a CT scan show fast growing lymphoma and a recent PET scan about 3 weeks ago showed no growth but metabolic activity.
Is it possible that the Calquence has managed to shrink the growth which is why I feel better this morning?
I will not be able to answer that question for another few weeks when I am scheduled for another CT scan.
With this good feeling and if the humidity remains low, I am pretty sure that I will be using the pressure washer to clean some windows from the outside.
Oddly enough, our pressure washer died just before our move, and we have borrowed a pressure washer until we can get settled in and buy one for ourselves. We are settled in but have been too lazy to go out and perform this task. All the work moving from one house to another has left us lazy for a while.
Today might just be the transition day that gets us back to normal...
Total Quality Management in TN
When I was a Total Quality Managment Consultant and taught team oriented problem solving classes to teams from industry, I would also make ZUCCHINI BREAD and take it on the last day for all the students as a thank you for their great participation. Typically, not everyone at the beginning of the class would be sold on the class but by the end of the class, 12 weeks later, they could not thank me enough for all I had taught them.
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 cups zucchini grated/shredded
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. This makes enough to fill 2-8x4 baking pans. Be sure to put flour on the bottom of each pan so it will not stick.
I usually had about 20-24 students, so I would make two batches or fill 4 baking pans. Each pan would be cut into 8 pieces, so I would have a total of 32 slices in case someone wanted two pieces.
As a Total Quality Management consultant, I would teach the following classes:
- Statistical Process Control
- Process Re-engineering
- Team Oriented Problem Solving
- Train the Trainer
- The Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Awards Auditing
- ISO9000 National Quality Standards
- QS9000 Quality Standard for the Auto Industry
- Quality Gap Analysis
- Strategic Planning
In addition to being a Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Awards Auditor and an ISO9000 National Quality Standards Certification Auditor, I would teach companies how to audit themselves in order to become CERTIFIED or win the National Award.
The Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award was patterned after the DEMING PRIZE in Japan.
Back in the 1990s before Dr. Edwards Deming died, I was fortunate enough to sit in a couple of his seminars given to the employees of Tennessee Eastman located in Kingsport, TN.
Today, Statistical Process Control is referred to as Six Sigma Training, and if you teach the class you must become certified as a BLACK BELT IN SIX SIGMA.
Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I was one of only two people who taught this in TN. I left NC for this opportunity because there were dozens of people like me, already trained and in the marketplace.
It was the best decision of my life.
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