A Little Science

UK-based Oxford Quantum Circuits announces the world's first cloud-based quantum computing platform for use in commercial enterprise applications (More) | Quantum computing 101 (More)

Researchers find a distinct set of stem cells in the adult mouse brain activated during pregnancy, which develop into olfactory neurons; may play a role in helping parents identify offspring by their scent (More)

LODI

 

Running For Senate

 

New Science

Scientists identify almost 200 new CRISPR molecules after searching through databases of rare and unusual bacterial systems; may open new types of gene editing applications in mammals (More) |CRISPR 101 (More)

Study finds bladder-like cells on resilient plants like quinoa fend off insects and disease, are not used to store water for droughts; findings overturn a century-old theory in plant biology (More)



Astronomers detect second-most energetic cosmic ray on record; origins of the subatomic particle traveling near the speed of light remain a mystery (More)

Baby in Box

 

Just About Me

• Born in 1947
• Begin working in 1969
• Married twice
• One child - daughter
• Lived:  Virginia, Cairo, Egypt, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky
• Played football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, and track (discus, shot put, javelin) in high school
• I am spiritual but not religious
• Hobbies:  Writing, Oil/Acrylic Painting, Photography, listening to books on tape
• Banned from LinkedIn and Facebook
• President of Quest Training, Inc.
• Became debt free in 2000
• Retired in 2015
• Education:  BA, MBA, MCSE, Certifications
• Worked:  45 years - not including part-time work
• Positions:  waiter, construction worker, textile worker, customer service rep, sailor, reservist, computer technician, instructor, professor, department chair, assist dean, dean, salesperson, director, executive director, corporate director, adjunct, consultant, course writer, curriculum developer, auditor, and company president.

If I had the chance to live my life all over again, I would not change a frigging thing that I did.

WHY???

Because everything I did was specifically and carefully designed by someone greater than me to have me become the person I am today and will be tomorrow as my life keeps evolving.

Changing any of that would change who I am, and I like who I am today.

I possess no technical skills like auto mechanics, electrical, carpentry, plumbing, brick mason, or house building.

My driving skills are less now than they were when I retired.

I have lost part of my hearing, and my eyesight is worsening.

I am not a democrat nor a republican, but I am a liberal conservative who is not in favor of socialism or a high national debt.

I will never buy an electric vehicle nor a hybrid until the cost of battery replacement declines.

I have traveled all over the world, before I retired but much more since I retired and I like going to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina the best.

My wife and I have been on twelve 7–10-day cruises, including the Mediterranean, Hawaii, and Alaska.

I am very fond of Salmon, Cod, and Tuna.

I have not eaten red meat for over twenty years except an occasional hamburger once or twice a year or a steak once a year.  I prefer chicken and turkey.

I stopped smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol at the age of 40...  and did so COLD TURKEY with no aids except my own personal discipline and determination.

I am NOT WEALTHY and glad of it because I would not know what to spend all that money on because I believe in buying only what you need not what you want.

I am opinionated and sarcastic and not very diplomatic when it comes to telling the truth.

It is not easy getting to know me or becoming my friend.

 

Somewhat Political

 

World's Largest Iceberg

The world's largest iceberg is drifting from the Antarctic Circle toward the Southern Ocean, scientists confirmed late last week. The floating mass sheared from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in 1986 but became stuck on the floor of the Weddell Sea.

Labeled A23a, the iceberg is roughly 1,500 square miles in size (five times the land area of New York City) and about 1,300 feet thick (taller than the Empire State Building). Satellite imagery suggested the block had begun moving in 2020 before becoming fully adrift in recent months.

As A23a melts, its effect on sea level increase will be minimal—floating objects displace their own weight in water (see 101), with small differences due to salinity—though researchers say it may threaten wildlife if it runs aground at the nearby island of South Georgia.

Read more about the iceberg's trajectory here.

The Doors

 

Released Hostages

 Unless you are living under a rock, there has been a war in the Gaza Strip because Hamas, a terrorist organization, invaded Israel, killed a bunch of people and took women, children, and the elderly hostage.

Some news organizations blame Israel for Hamas attacking them and also claim that there were no hostages taken by Hamas.

So, over the last couple of days, Hamas is releasing the hostages they took in exchange for prisoners in Israeli prisons for committing crimes.

Hamas said they will release 50 hostages for 150 prisoners.

These same stations that said Hamas took no hostages are only airing the return of the Hamas prisoners and giving no coverage to the Jews being released because if they did, it would mean they had been lying all along.

Is this the kind of country that you want to live in where the truth is hidden from the general if it disagrees with your idea and/or ideals?

I think not...  BUT, this is the kind of country that the USA is turning into and the more this is done, the more the USA becomes divided...  not to mention the fact that no one really knows the truth.

Tambourine Man

 

New York City

New York's Adult Survivors Act deadline prompts slew of sexual assault suits.  The Adult Survivors Act created a one-year window (which expired Friday) for New Yorkers to sue those they claim sexually assaulted them, free from statutes of limitations. Under the act, New York Mayor Eric Adams was accused this week of sexual assault in 1993. Celebrities Jamie Foxx, Axl Rose, and Sean "Diddy" Combs, are also among those who were sued this week. All four have denied the allegations.

Competition

My Healthcare

 I pay $500/month for Medicare and a supplemental policy through Humana, totaling $6,000 each year.  My co pays for medicines throughout the year, dental and vision expenses brings my annual out of pocket expenses to somewhere between $6,000 and $10,000 with the understanding that this amount is closer to 10 than to 6.

My healthcare annual costs including chemo, IVIG, daily immunotherapy pills, CT and PET along with doctor visits with Oncologist, Cardiologist, Urologist, Dermatologist, Orthopedics, and Optometrist has been AVERAGING $500,000 each year.

This means that I pay about 2% of my overall healthcare costs each year...  for me, that seems to be a real bargain.

Of course, I need to factor in the cost of gasoline going to and from doctors' appointments, wear and tear on the vehicle, and value that I place on my time.

My immunotherapy pills are $1,000 each month

My Chemo treatments are $25,000 each month

My IVIG treatments are $15,000 each month

My CT scans are $500 (2 per year)

My PET scans are $2,000 (2 per year)

My doctor visits are $1,500 for each visit for Oncology and around $1,000 for all the others except my family doctor.

My 6 radiation treatments were $50,000

My 3 cancer surgeries were $60,000

I have been receiving CANCER TREATMENTS FOR 15 YEARS that has included the above...

$7,500,000 is approximately what has been paid so far on my cancer treatment.  Part of this high cost is that fact that I am fighting TWO CANCERS simultaneously...

• Non Hodgkins Lymphoma
• Melanoma

My only out of pocket costs have been $4 every 90 for 6 different medications and $790/each month for my immunotherapy pills.  The real cost is $1,500 each month.

NOTE:  Fortunately, I am getting a grant that pays for my immunotherapy pills.

HERE's A KICKER - If I was getting an infusion each month for my Lymphoma instead of pills, my insurance would pay 100% of the cost.

January 2024 begins my 16th year of fighting cancer(s).

Unless you are in my shoes, you have no idea how lucky I feel to still be alive!!!

Bird and Ball

 

More Hostages Freed

A four-day pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip began Friday as Hamas  released 24 hostages (13 Israeli women and children, 10 Thai nationals, and one Filipino citizen) while Israel released 39 Palestinian women and children detainees. The exchange is part of a short-term cease-fire deal brokered by Qatar and marks the first time fighting has temporarily halted between the two sides since Hamas captured more than 240

people during a surprise cross-border attack seven weeks ago.

During the duration of the pause, Hamas is set to free at least 50 hostages in exchange for the release of at least 150 Palestinians held in Israel's prisons. Israel has said the truce could be extended for an extra day for every 10 hostages released. At least 137 trucks carrying aid and fuel also entered Gaza Friday through the Rafah crossing as part of the agreement, with UN officials calling the humanitarian convoy the biggest since Hamas' Oct. 7 raid.

Cold, Flu, or Whatever

The day before the day before Thanksgiving, I woke up with a scratchy throat.  At the same time, I noticed that my sinuses had been draining more than normal for the last two weeks.  Neither symptom, I paid any attention to.

The day before Thanksgiving, I again woke up with a scratchy throat and draining sinuses.  Thanksgiving Day, again the same thing and maybe a TAD (whatever that means) worse.  I ignored the symptoms and enjoyed my Thanksgiving meal and play in Sevierville that we went to.

The day after Thanksgiving, my sore throat was much worse as was my draining nose and I felt like I had the flu or was getting over the flu.  I drank hot vanilla cappuccino drinks that seemed to ease my hurting throat but my nose was like a water faucet.

Saturday, the symptoms were worse and I did the same thing that I had done the day before which seemed to work.  However, on Sunday (today) it was much worse and I went through a box of tissue and my flu like symptoms were worse.  I did not have a headache but I did not get off the couch unless I absolutely had to because that caused me to cough even more.

I began taking cough medicine and have decided that I am going to the CLINIC tomorrow when it opens at 1:00pm.  The clinic is in the same building as my family physician, but you do not need an appointment.

I am hoping for a shot and then a prednisone pack which means by the middle of the week I should be back to my normal self.

CONCERN:  With my history of cancer treatments and since I am currently without an immune system and have anemia, I get fairly concerned any time something like this happens.  I don't think I waited too long.

Animal Lover

Growing up in Alexandria, Virginia we had animals in our home all the time.  Our favorite dog was a dachshund and at one time we had 3-4 of them.  Rebel was the name of the first one and lived to be 21 years old before my father had to put him down from old age pain the Vet said he was experiencing.

Since dachshunds, I have had labs, goats, and cats as pets.  My wife and I treat these animals as if they are members of the family and will spend whatever money it takes (within reason) to take care of them.  One cat needed shoulder surgery which was not cheap.  Another cat needed to have a cancer removed.  And still another cat went through several tests to determine they had a respiratory infection and would need steroids for the rest of their lives.

Cats are easier to take care of than dogs, especially since you can no longer let a dog loose without being on a leash.  Cats don't need leashes and don't need to be walked so they can go potty outside.  Cats have a litter box.

However, cats shed their hair more than dogs do and cats of all ages scratch furniture with their claws despite having cat trees and scratching boxes all around the house.

Dogs bite and chew furniture when they are young and grow out of that annoying behavior.

On the other side of the coin, cats like to jump around on furniture and are oftentimes careless when they jump up on things, making all sorts of messes.

Neither cats nor dogs know when they have made q mess even when they see the mess they have made; therefore, we as ADULTS have no business getting mad at animals when they misbehave.  We need to overlook that behavior or calmly try to break them of that behavior, similar to housebreaking a dog.

If you mistreat an animal, you have no business having an animal as a pet.  

If you want to keep the dog outside, then make sure he has a warm place to sleep during the winter, like a heated doghouse and make sure he has a fenced in back yard so s/he can run around an exercise.  Just putting a dog outside on a chain leash anchored to something is cruel treatment for your animal.

We had cats that like to go in and outside whenever they wanted so we had a cat door put into our garage door in the basement.  There was another cat door in the door going down to the basement which we kept locked at night so strange animals could not get inside the house.

Our basement had several places, up high where the cats could go with blankets to keep warm.  Inside the garage was 20 degrees warmer inside than outside in the heart of winter.  So, if it was 20 degrees outside, which it seldom was and if it did get that low, it did not last long, and 40 degrees inside the garage.

Bear in mind that their garage beds were up high and heat rises, so it was warmer up there than down on the garage floor.

They were always sitting by the door down to the garage in the mornings waiting for us to open the door and let them in.

We replaced those two cats when they died with three others and neither of them like spending too much time outside, especially our Siamese who goes outside for 10 minutes, then wants back in and back on his heating pad.

 

Romping Horse

 

Artificial Intelligence

We are living in an ever-changing world and some of us believe that we are changing faster than we should.

Artificial Intelligence is being used to write college term papers, medical research, create songs from deceased musicians and Israel is using AI in their war with Hamas.

Some people say there is an ethical issue using AI in the military, but if it is, it will take our congress a decade or more to pass legislation.

We have a humanoid AI Robot as a CEO of a company.  We have humanoid robots working in warehouses and factories.  We have robots assembling our vehicles and robots controlled by doctors performing operations.  We have robots serving food to customers and robots performing simple maintenance routines in some of companies.

Humanoid Robots with Artificial Intelligence are here and there is no stopping the progress of these THINGS.

The genie has been released from the lamp.

Our experts say that robots will replace 80% of our jobs by 2030...  That is only 6 years from now in a month.  China has declared it will start mass producing robots in 2025.  

If the US passes laws against robots and it is doubtful, they will move that fast.  Or if the UN passes laws against robots and that does not seem likely either...  CHINA will not obey those laws or rules, but they will expect the USA to obey and in so doing that will give CHINA the strategic advantage...

What do I mean?

• CHINA WILL BE THE FIRST TO BUILD A ROBOT ARMY
• CHINA WILL BE THE FIRST TO SEND A ROBOT CREW INTO SPACE
• CHINA WILL BE THE FIRST TO USE ROBOT CREWS IN SPACE TO BUILD COLONIES FOR HUMANS

All this will be done while the USA is fighting over electric vehicles, climate change, trying to end the use of fossil fuels, and making sure that transwomen can compete with real women...  not to mention, coming up with some kind of solution on how to deal with all the illegal immigrants that have come into the country with skills, without immunizations, and without speaking English...

SEEMS LIKE WE GOT OUR PRIORITIES WRONG...