Christmas Joke

Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the pearly gates.

'In honor of this holy season' Saint Peter said, 'You must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven.'

The man from Nova Scotia fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on. 'It represents a candle', he said.

'You may pass through the pearly gates' Saint Peter said.

The man from Saskatchewan reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys he shook them and said, 'They're bells.'

Saint Peter said 'You may pass through the pearly gates'.

The Newfoundlander started searching desperately through his pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women's panties.

St. Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and asked, 'And just what do those symbolize?'

The Newfie replied, 'These are Carols.'

And So The Christmas Season Begins......

Our Upcoming Holiday Season

At the end of each year, we always celebrate TWO EVENTS:  Christmas and New Years Eve.  At one point in time, we referred to these days as the Christmas Holidays, but that offended people who were not religious, and it was referred to as THE HOLIDAY PERIOD...  in which some of us were off from work while most schools closed down to celebrate the NON-RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY SEASON. 

What I have always thought as interesting was the fact that these people who claimed to be non-religious still put-up Christmas Trees and still purchased presents and pretended to their young ones they were brought by Santa Claus from the North Pole.

These non-religious people want the Christmas Celebration they just don't want the religious aspect of the Christmas celebration.

Gift-giving has its roots in pagan rituals held during the winter. When Christianity folded these rituals into Christmas, the justification for bearing gifts was redirected to the Three Wise Men, the Magi, who gave gifts to the infant Jesus. But in early modern Europe, it also had its roots in Christmas begging.   Source: Weston Nurseries

It really is a wonder that the RELIGIOUS CHRISTMAS has lasted as long as it has...  especially with students in school learning science that completely contradicts most of the teachings of the Bible.

It is also surprising because of all the UFO sightings that we have had, further indicating that there is life out there in the universe other than human beings....   and, if that is the case which it seems to be, why didn't the BIBLE speak about that???

More questions than answers but clearly RELIGION as we knew it or know it to be is in error with reporting TRUTH.   And, if religion is our truth, and we are wrong, then the creator and his son must be extraterrestrials...  not HUMANS.

• If that is the case, do we still have religion?
• Do we still have a creator?
• Do we still have his son who died on the cross for our sins?
• How does an extraterrestrial know about our sins?

Somewhat Political

 

Individual Molecules Entangled

For the first time, a team of Princeton physicists have been able to link together individual molecules into special states that are quantum mechanically "entangled." In these bizarre states, the molecules remain correlated with each other—and can interact simultaneously—even if they are miles apart, or indeed, even if they occupy opposite ends of the universe. This research was recently published in the journal Science.  READ MORE...

Walk the Line

 

A Retirement Story

I have a friend who lives in Canada and who worked for P&G for 25 years and was offered early retirement at the age of 47.  The retirement package was so beneficial to him that he accepted.  When I retired at 67, he had already been retired for 20 years.  P&G gave him a lump sum that he invested along with a month allowance similar to our Social Security that included 100% medical benefits.

Who would not have wanted to retire, especially when one could be paid in retirement what you were making by working full time.  However, he got no raises in retirement and position increases which could have jumped his annual salary up tremendously.

Like me, he is 76 years old (or almost) and is enjoying the life of retirement...  being retired almost as long as he had worked.   And, all he had was a Bachelor's degree from a small 4 year university in NYC.

The home he purchased 30 years ago for $250,000 is now worth 1.5 million...  So, he could always sell his home and move into an apartment if he ever needed money.

He never had any student debt because his parents paid for his education...  however, he went to college from 1966-1970, so the tuition was about $1,500/year... His entire tuition was about $6,000...  and, he did not pay room and board because he lived with his parents, so my guess is that his entire tuition was closer to just $5,000.

Nowadays, it is about $40,000 per year to attend college which does not always include room and board.   And, there is a question if the education today is as good as the education in 1966...

Of course, living in Canada is not always all smiles especially as we get older.  The cost of living in Canada is more than in the USA.  The quality of life is about the same as living in the USA.  However, in the winter it is colder than a witch's tit in a brass bra...   age does not do well in the cold.

You might be saying to yourself that life in the 1960s is not the same as life in the 2020s and I would agree with you.  The options to a successful life are still there...  one just has to look around and not wait on the government to take care of them all the time.
 

Landed on the Moon

There are FOUR COUNTRIES that have successfully landed spacecrafts on the MOON:

• USA
• Russia
• China 
• India

Interestingly, three of these countries, DO NOT LIKE THE UNITED STATES... and are members of BRICS, the consortium that wants to end the global dominance of the US dollar.

The USA stands alone against TWO POWERHOUSES...  and, if this was a street fight, which it is not, the USA would LOSE.

Unfortunately, the USA has burned its bridges, when it tried to FORCE USA DEMOCRACY on the rest of the world...  The USA did this especially in South America and is one of the reasons why Brazil is a member of BRICS...  The USA also did this in the Middle East which is one of the reasons why most of the Middle Eastern countries are against the USA.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, the USA had tried to dominate the world and in so doing, has tried to spread American Arrogance throughout the world.  It is this arrogance, similar to wealthy arrogance, that the rest of the world (which is not financially well off) that angers the world against the USA.

NOW... WE ARE IN SPACE...  and are competing against THREE ENEMIES:  Russia, China, & India.  While Russia is struggling in Ukraine, and India is struggling with economic growth and global acceptance, CHINA is second to us globally and could pass us in the next few years.

The reason China could pass us economically, is that we are pushing a green energy agenda and in so doing, has weakened our economy.  Our national debt does not help either.  And, the wealthy shelter their money away from taxes, so the government always falls short of their financial expectations.

Whoever controls the MOON, will control SPACE EXPLORATION, especially if China weaponizes a space station before we do...

Hiding the Truth

Each morning, after taking my thyroid pill, feeding the cats, and making coffee, I sit down and watch FOX News for 2 hours.  My preferred segment is Bill Hemmer from 9-11:00 am.  

I started watching FOX News after going to the gym and walking on the treadmill where there are several television monitors were hung on the wall.  FOX News was always on.

I was watching CNN or CBS for my news because I liked the anchors....  but, when I returned home, I discovered that CNN and CBS were not broadcasting the same stories as FOX News.  In fact, I soon learned that FOX News was more inclusive with the news than were the other stations.

Instead of worrying and wondering why this was taking place, I simply switched to FOX News...

When you think about it, anyone who is not getting the full news cannot make an intelligent decision as to what to support or what not to support.  When this happens, it also undermines our Democracy which supposedly prides itself on FREEDOM OF SPEECH and not CENSORSHIP OF SPEECH.

Countries like Russia, China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, and countries like these countries DO NOT WANT their residents to know the truth because it will UNDERMINE their POWER.

I believe that some AMERICANS are wondering if FREE SPEECH is really the right way to go...  I am beginning to believe that these Americans want to be like communist countries where is truth is hidden or censored.

THINK ABOUT IT...

Wondering and Pondering

 One of the things that I do more often than not, is think about what may or may not happen based upon what I have heard, bearing in mind that much of what I have heard might just be slanted in a different direction from the actual truth or from reality...

Hard to believe?

Well, not only do some of our broadcast stations that report the news, NOT PRESENT all the news, but foreign countries like Russia and China have bloggers and hackers that post FALSE INFORMATION on the internet.

ABC, CNN, NBC, and CBS have decided NOT TO REPORT some stories that make the Democrats look bad or that exposes the Biden's corruption.  These stations have also not spent much time reporting on the ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT situation.

SO, they are simply withholding the TRUTH in the hopes that it favors the Democratic Party.

This leads me to wonder, ponder, and speculate on just how much information is being withheld from the general public in the hopes of slanting the TRUTH...

Do Americans want to know the truth or do they prefer to just live their lives in harmonious ignorance?

There is actually nothing wrong with ignorance because one exists as if there are no problems at all...  and, if there are no problems, then life is peaceful and calm...

• We go to work
• We eat our meals
• We raise children
• We drink our alcohol
• We enjoy our recreation
• We socialize with neighbors
• We have no fears and no concerns

The Blues Bros

 

Internet On Moon

NASA is indeed bringing a celestial internet of sorts to the moon, but it is not the same internet we know on Earth. The technology employs a “protocol suite” of new networking technologies for transmitting information between astronauts in space and those on Earth.

Additionally, Nokia announced plans to bring LTE/4G to the moon to support communication between the lunar lander and rover.  In March 2023, NASA took to Instagram to share the space agency’s plans to install an internet-like network in space that will connect astronauts with researchers on Earth.

Got the Scent

 

What High School Learned Me

"When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it's a wonder I can think at all.  And though my lack of education hasn't hurt me none,
I can read the writing on the wall..."  Kodachrome by Paul Simon

When I was in high school, 1962-1966, I took French classes (2), Math classes (4), English classes (4), Science classes (4), Social Studies classes (4), Humanities classes (2), Physical Education classes (2)...  for a total of 22 credits.

PERSONALLY:

• I never used my French classes
• I never used 3 of my Math classes
• I never used my Science classes
• I never used my Social Studies classes
• I never used my Humanities classes
• I have used my Algebra class
• I have used my English classes

WHAT I WISH HIGH SCHOOL TAUGHT ME

1. Personal Finance and Investing (college)
2. Carpentry
3. Plumbing
4. Electricity
5. Auto Mechanics
6. Preparing a resume (college)
7. Cooking 
8. Interpersonal skills

 

High School has been designed to prepare ALL STUDENTS for COLLEGE and nothing else...

College has been designed to prepare ALL STUDENTS for GRADUATE SCHOOL and nothing else...

PROBLEM:  80-90% of the jobs out there require no college

Are our educators STUPID OR WHAT?

 

Backyard Train

 

Gemini Unveiled

Google this morning announced the rollout of Gemini, its largest and most capable large language model to date. Starting today, the company’s Bard chatbot will be powered by a version of Gemini, and will be available in English in more than 170 countries and territories. Developers and enterprise customers will get access to Gemini via API next week, with a more advanced version set to become available next year.

How good is Gemini? Google says the performance of its most capable model “exceeds current state-of-the-art results on 30 of the 32 widely-used academic benchmarks used in LLM research and development.” Gemini also scored 90.0% on a test known as “Massive Multitask Language Understanding,” or MMLU, which assesses capabilities across 57 subjects including math, physics, history and medicine. It is the first LLM to perform better than human experts on the test, Google said.    READ MORE...

Joan Baez

 

Illegal Drugs Are Winning

What do you think about illegal drugs?

Are you in favor of them?

Are you against them?

Do you think the government has the right to prohibit us from taking illegal drugs by making it a crime?

Think about this...

There are several STATES that have made smoking marijuana legal and yet according to the Federal Government, it is still a crime...  Yet, no arrests are made in those states by the Feds.

This type of contradiction by the Federal Government does not put the Federal Government in a positive light.  Either it is legal or it is not legal...

Personally, I think people should be allowed to take whatever drug trips their triggers...  unfortunately, these drug addicts or drug experimenters don't have the money to pay for their drugs so they commit crimes.

We are allowed to kill ourselves by drinking too much alcohol and by eating too much food, but we cannot kill ourselves with illegal drugs...  does not make much sense to me.

Another issue related to these illegal drugs is law enforcement.  I don't think law enforcement really wants to stop the flow of illegal drugs in the USA or its usage because if they did, they would have to layoff a TON OF WORKERS...  and, that would hurt the economy.

Consequently, the use of illegal drugs is tolerated...

Why do I think this way?

Because in 1966, this government was saying the same thing about how harmful illegal drugs were and that they were going to crack down and stop it.

That was over 50 years ago and if anything illegal drugs has gotten worse not better....  GO FIGURE?

Our IDIOT CONGRESS

There are some Democratic members of Congress who believe Israel's claim that Hamas killed women, children, the elderly, and raped women IS A LIE PERPETUATED BY ISRAEL AND THE REPUBLICANS TO JUSTIFY ATTACKING GAZA...

This belief is still prevalent even after HAMAS posted videos of them doing exactly that on the internet as a form of bragging...

This belief is still prevalent even after some of the hostages that were recently released confirmed that they also saw this happening...

These are esteem members of Congress that we elected to pass laws on our behalf who BELIEVE THIS WAY...

Do you think they might be a tad biased?

Do you think they might have a few pre-conceived ideas that are negative towards Israel? 

Do you think they still have the ability to govern us?

I don't really care about Israel nor do I really care about Hamas or any other terrorist organization...

For your information, AMERICAN SOLDIERS killed women, children, the elderly, and raped women in VIETNAM...  and, what did we do to them as a nation?  NOTHING!!!

When you fight WARS, then you must accept that children, women, and the elderly are going to get killed whether it is intentional or not.  And, you might as well expect THAT BOTH SIDES ARE GOING TO RAPE WOMEN.

To think otherwise is foolish, ignorant, and stupid.

Most of you have not been in a war zone and been right beside one of your friends who just had his head blown off because of an RPG...  That anger that builds up inside of soldiers (on both sides) is tremendous and when it is finally allowed to escape, those soldiers are no longer human...  they become animals.

War documentaries do not and will never show that side of war...

Money Talks

Not all millionaires are Democrats...

Not all billionaires are Democrats...

I am not sure how many billionaires or millionaires are DEMOCRATS and I guess it does not really matter...  However, we all know that George SOROS is a billionaire and a Democrat and likes to fund projects and organizations that are not pro-American...he also funds District Attorneys who think that more white people should be in jail because at the present time, there are more blacks incarcerated than whites.  The law be damned...

But, this is not about SOROS and his idiotic beliefs but it is about Americans who may or may not be Democrats but who believe in BEING FAIR...  hard to believe that some people still believe that.

Ever since MIT, UPenn, and Harvard testified in Congress about allowing anti-Jewish sentiments to flourish while claiming to believe in free speech, there has been a mass exodus of money withdrawn from those schools.  Presidents from these three schools straddled the fence when answering questions about Pro-Palestine protests and claims that they were not protecting their Jewish students.

It seems that these prestigious universities had made the assumption that pro Jewish beliefs were only in the ranks of the Republicans...  therefore, they could allow this to happen on their composes and nothing would happen to them.

Looks like these PHDs weren't as smart as their degrees made them appear.  One Board is now talking with one of the Presidents because there are calls for her to resign or get fired.

Tenured faculty cannot help these Presidents because MONEY TRUMPS EVERYTHING...

Suspicious Minds