Continued to be Amazed

I am surprised but should not be surprised by the stupidity of half of this country.  It would be easy to say that the stupid half are the Democrats but that is not always true.

I am surprised by the illegal immigration that still continues to flood into the USA like a tidal wave and we cannot see the unintended consequences that are right around the corner.

I am surprised that the current administration and its advisors do not see CHINA as a threat but see Russia as a threat when Russia cannot even defeat the small country of Ukraine.

I am surprised by the current administration that does not see or wants to admit that it is only the wealthy people that are buying electric vehicles.

I am surprised by the ANTI-ISRAEL hatred that has not only permeated the USA but the rest of the world from the standpoint that this has been festering for decades and we did not see it.

I am surprised by all the crime and violence that continues to take place in our large cities because district attorneys don't want to put more blacks than whites in our prisons.

I am surprised as well as amazed that the ILLEGAL DRUG problem is getting worse instead of better and our LAW ENFORCEMENT has no clue as to how they are going to stop it.

I am surprised that our EDUCATIONAL LEADERS are allowing biological males to compete in female sports and set records that the biological females will never be able to reach.

I am surprised that our Congressional Leaders do not see the problem that our continually increasing NATIONAL DEBT is going to cause the next generation.

I am surprised that the VOTING AMERICAN PUBLIC continues to want to vote for Presidents that represent the baby boomer generation.

Somewhat Political

 

Dancing Humanoid Robots

While the Fourier's GR-1 humanoid robot's primary focus is aiding older people, a recent video highlights the robot's potential for entertainment. Despite not reaching the dance prowess of competitors, the GR-1 exhibits dynamic camera moves, finger wiggles, arm waves, air punches, shallow half-squats, waist twists, and a bit of stiff-legged walking.

The engineers at Fourier Intelligence have successfully combined functionality with a touch of creativity, making the GR-1 more than just a caregiver. The 300-Nm hip actuators, equivalent to 221 pound-feet (lb-ft), empower the GR-1 to lift a remarkable 110 lb (50 kilograms, kg) – an impressive feat for a robot of its stature. This capability positions the GR-1 as valuable in assisting patients with various activities, from getting up from a bed or toilet to navigating a wheelchair.  READ MORE...

Dancers

 

16 Tons

 

BLACK FRIDAY

HISTORY

The first recorded use of the term “Black Friday” was applied not to post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping but to financial crisis: specifically, the crash of the U.S. gold market on September 24, 1869.


Two notoriously ruthless Wall Street financiers, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk, worked together to buy up as much as they could of the nation’s gold, hoping to drive the price sky-high and sell it for astonishing profits.


On that Friday in September, the conspiracy finally unraveled, sending the stock market into free-fall and bankrupting everyone from Wall Street barons to farmers.

The most commonly repeated story behind the Thanksgiving shopping-related Black Friday tradition links it to retailers. As the story goes, after an entire year of operating at a loss (“in the red”) stores would supposedly earn a profit (“went into the black”) on the day after Thanksgiving, because holiday shoppers blew so much money on discounted merchandise. 

Though it’s true that retail companies used to record losses in red and profits in black when doing their accounting, this version of Black Friday’s origin is the officially sanctioned—but inaccurate—story behind the tradition.

In recent years, another myth has surfaced that gives a particularly ugly twist to the tradition, claiming that back in the 1800s Southern plantation owners could buy enslaved workers at a discount on the day after Thanksgiving. 

Though this version of Black Friday’s roots has understandably led some to call for a boycott of the retail holiday, it has no basis in fact.

THANKSGIVING DAY

Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and the Philippines. It is also observed in the Dutch town of Leiden and the Australian territory of Norfolk Island.

WHY DOES THE USA CELBRATE THANKSGIVING?

The annual feast is in honor of the “first” Thanksgivings in America, in 1619 in Virginia, and in 1621, when colonists in Plymouth, Massachusetts, later known as the Pilgrims, shared a meal with the Wampanoag Indians, who were native to the land.

The later feast was in honor of the help the Pilgrims received from the Native Americans in cultivating crops and surviving their first harsh winter and it lasted three days.

Medical

Researchers at University of Texas at Austin discover E. coli bacteria use iron levels to store information, such as resistance to antibiotics, and pass them down to later generations (More)

Rock and Roll

The Rolling Stones announce 16 city tour across the US and Canada beginning in April 2024 (More)

JFK Assasination

Today marks the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination, as his motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas.

His presidency witnessed initiatives like raising the minimum wage, establishing the Peace Corps, and advancing civil rights—eventually catalyzing the Civil Rights Act under Lyndon B. Johnson. He also navigated the Cuban Missile Crisis, averting potential nuclear conflict. Beyond political milestones, Kennedy advocated for African decolonization and condemned apartheid, prompting a UN arms embargo on South Africa until 1998. Recent polls reveal a 90% retrospective approval rate of the 35th president.

Hostage Deal Reached

The Israeli government approved a deal with Hamas overnight to temporarily halt fighting for at least four days in exchange for the release of roughly 50 Israeli women and children who have been held hostage in Gaza by the militant group. In return, Israel will release roughly 150 Palestinian women and children held in its prisons and will allow around 300 aid trucks per day to enter into Gaza from Egypt. The pause in fighting will be extended by an extra day for every 10 additional hostages released.

Somewhat Political

 

WAR

MAKE NO MISTAKE...

WARS KILL WOMEN

                           CHILDREN

                                  BABIES

                                          ELDERLY...

What is it good for?

• The Arab/Muslims believe wars will eliminate the Jews forever from the face of the earth...
• Russia believes wars will help them acquire land in Ukraine...
• China believes war will help them conquer the lesser country of Taiwan...
• Mexican Drug Cartels believe wars will help them sell more illegal drugs in the USA...
• Criminals in the USA believe wars with law enforcement will help them become wealthier...
• US Engineering firms believe wars will help them make money when they rebuild afterwards...

With all our education and enlightenment, we are still basically IGNORANT CHILDREN when it comes to thinking WARS will somehow make life on earth better.

It is true that each sovereign nation has the right to defend itself...  but, why does it need to think it has to defend itself anyway?  Because there are other sovereign nations who believe it is their right to conquer other sovereign nations, thereby ignoring the concept of sovereign.

For me, that is not PROGRESS.

Wars do not create progress.  Wars create economic growth because of the money spent to rebuild...  but, when we rebuild, it will only be destroyed by future wars.  

HOW IS THAT PROGRESS?

Memorizing for the GRADE

 On Monday of this week, I re-published a article that at FOX News online about employers not wanting to hire college grads.

For three years prior to y retirement in 2015, I taught business classes at a university here in TN.  My students told me they remembered nothing from the previous class because all they did was memorize for the grade.

This incorrect thought process started back in the 1980s/1990s, I believe, when school officials wanted to increase test scores in high school.  The teachers taught the students only what was going to be on the test in the hopes of improving scores.

Students got smart and realized that HIGH GRADES would get them into the best colleges and LOW GRADES would get them into the least desirable colleges.

SO THEY BEGAN MEMORIZING.

IT WORKED...

SO THEY MEMORIZED IN COLLEGE.

When one forces oneself to memorize, then before anything else can be memorized, the student must do a BRAIN DUMP...

I experienced this first hand when I was studying for my NETWORK + exam at CompTIA.  I only missed one question... but, I remembered very little which was the whole point because I took the exam so I could teach another class at ITT Technical Institute.

I earned an MBA in 1981 and taught business classes from 2011 to 2014 and remembered so much that I hardly ever had to open the textbook to prepare for class.  I HAD RETAINED THE DAMN INFORMATION...

I am also sure that you realize that because employers were hot to trot for college grads, they put them in jobs that high school graduates were formally doing.  And if you got a Masters then you would be put into a job that formally was done by bachelor degreed employes.

The thinking was that if you were more education you had better people skills, better communications skills, better writing skills, better team work skills, better problem solving skills, and could see the forest instead of the trees.

EMPLOYERS SOON DISCOVERED THAT COLLEGE GRADUATES DID NOT POSSESS THOSE SKILLS...

I taught juniors and seniors.  They had very minor problem solving skills, they had entry level high school communication skills, they had piss poor presentation skills and they wanted to be told exactly what to do instead of having the ability to figure it out themselves.

They never read the textbook.  Never did their homework.  I know because I gave them pop quizzes and they all failed.  They did not know how to present a business paper nor did they know how to write a business letter.

I WOULD HAVE HIRED NONE OF MY STUDENTS WHEN THEY GRADUATED and I used to do lots of hiring and firing throughout my 45 year career.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

 

Walking Backwards is Good for One's Health

During the 19th Century, the activity of "retro-walking" was little more than an eccentric hobby, but today research is revealing it can have real benefits for your health and brain.

On an apparent wager to win $20,000 (about £4,250 at the time), a 50-year-old cigar-shop owner called Patrick Harmon embarked on a curious challenge in the summer of 1915 – he planned to walk backwards from San Francisco to New York City.

With the aid of a friend and a small car mirror attached to his chest to help him see where he was going, Harmon made the 3,900 miles (6,300km) journey in 290 days, apparently walking every step backwards. Harmon claimed the journey made his ankles so strong that "it would take a sledge hammer blow to sprain them".  READ MORE...

Truth

Get Yourself Ready

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving 2024 where some of us will celebrate our gratitude for still being alive and living in the land of freedoms.

Some of us will stand in long lines the day after tomorrow as after Thanksgiving sells draws in hordes of people looking for bargains.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas is pretty much a dead time for businesses as they wrap up FOURTH QUARTER ACTIVITIES, pay out end of the quarter dividends, and bonuses for some staff members.

New Year's Eve is just another reason to get drunk and smoke a few joints of marijuana as we welcome in 2024 in a mental maze of being HIGH.

And...  ALL THE SHIT STARTS ALL OVER AGAIN...

Marketing Wizards look for new ways to convince the general public to waste their money buying something that they don't need to justify the bonus for 2023 for doing the same thing.

Many of us make more money than we really need, live in multiple houses that we don't really need, have a plethora of expensive vehicles that we don't need as we try to spend the money we have and in turn justify the need to earn MORE money.

None of us who are in this kind of financial situation give a rat's ass about all the families and individuals living at or below the poverty line because we believe in our HEARTS that if we can do it, so can they...

What a frigging stupid and imbecilic thing to think.  Do you think they actually want to live at or below the poverty line?  What do you not understand about some people being mentally challenged, making it physically impossible to achieve the same results that you have.

When you put a rat in a cage and electrify all six side of the cage, the rat will simply give up, lay down on the floor of the cage and DIE.

The rest of the Americans are treated like Pavlov's Dogs and no matter how many time they hit the lever, they will never get anything to eat, even though the lever worked before.

You're saying these people are like you?

Do you think everyone is like MICHAEL JORDAN? And can be like him if they just spend more time practicing...

People may be stupid as shit, but they are not that stupid.

TransWoman

 

Russia Against LGBT Movement

Russia's justice ministry has filed a motion with the country's Supreme Court to ban the activities of what it calls the "international LGBT public movement" as extremist.

It is unclear whether the ministry's statement refers to the LGBT community as a whole or specific organisations.

It said the movement had shown signs of "extremist activity", including inciting "social and religious strife".

The ban could leave any LGBT activist vulnerable to criminal prosecution.  The extremist label has been used in the past by Russian authorities against rights organizations and opposition groups such as Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation.  READ MORE...