Family Unity Gone

We put up our Christmas tree and decorations today...  outside we have 3 boxes with lights that represent Christmas presents.  In the past, we have had a family of deer in our front yard but after several years, there was not much left to them, so they were put into the trash and hauled away to the landfill.

I look around my house and I see the Christmas tree lights and all the little figurines we have purchased over the years to sit around the house to create the Christmas mood...  but today, there is no mood...  no Christmas spirit.

Before our parents died, no matter where we lived, the three children would descend on Chapel Hill, NC to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day with them.  My sister lived next door, so she would just walk across.  My brother would fly in and out on Christmas day with him family and I would drive over with mine.

While we seldom agreed on anything that we discussed around the dinner table, we were all still with our parents and we WERE A LARGE FAMILY...

It has been several years since their deaths.  Our father died in 2001 and our mother about 12 years later.  It has been over 5 years since our mother has died and the three children have yet to come together for CHRISTMAS...  no one has even brought it up that this is something that we should do to honor the legacy of our parents.

Not coming together at Christmas HAS NOT RUINED Christmas for any of us...  but we just don't have the family closeness anymore that we had when our parents were alive.

I am 76.  My sister is 79.  My brother is 68.  My sister and I have remarried while our brother remains married with one child and one adopted.  My sister had one child and I had one child.  For all intents and purposes, we only communicate with each other at Christmas...  the rest of the time, we live our lives as if we were an only child.

I have no idea what my brother or sister thinks about Christmas and our parents but I feel we have let them down with our failure to remain close or even remain in touch more often.
 

Somewhat Political

 

Theory Unites Gravity and Quantum Mechanics

A radical theory that consistently unifies gravity and quantum mechanics while preserving Einstein's classical concept of spacetime has been announced in two papers published simultaneously by UCL (University College London) physicists.

Modern physics is founded upon two pillars: quantum theory on the one hand, which governs the smallest particles in the universe, and Einstein's theory of general relativity on the other, which explains gravity through the bending of spacetime. But these two theories are in contradiction with each other and a reconciliation has remained elusive for over a century.

The prevailing assumption has been that Einstein's theory of gravity must be modified, or "quantized," in order to fit within quantum theory. This is the approach of two leading candidates for a quantum theory of gravity, string theory and loop quantum gravity.   READ MORE...

Life Lessons

 

Putting Up the Christmas Tree

Regardless of your ethnic or religious affiliations, most everyone puts up a Christmas tree.  I have been told that Sadam Hussein put up a Christmas tree for his two sons, Uday and Qusay.

It appears that putting up the Christmas tree is a family tradition in most every household in the USA.  It certainly was for me growing up.

I cannot remember too much about my first marriage and that's probably why I am no longer married but my second marriage is a Christmas Tree putting up marriage.

Our tree goes up a week or two after Thanksgiving and it is an all-day spectacle.

First, we pull out our WalMart plastic containers that are full of all sorts of Christmas people and items, placing them all over the living room.  Some sit on the floor, others sit on tables or on shelves, while some sit on the fireplace mantel with the Christmas stockings

By the time we are finished, our family room looks like a Christmas store, and we only used half the items.

Next, we go out to the front porch and set up a family of deer (with lights) in the front yard, with a multi-colored rotating spotlight in front of them.  Around these deer are Christmas presents with bows and bells on top and lights on the inside.  Lights are spread across the front porch as well,

Obviously, there are multiple extension cords that congregate as a central location where there are other devices for plugins, but the whole point of all these cords is so that we only end up with one or two connections to plug in and unplug each night.

We can never put the decorations up outside when the weather is nice, we always have to wait until the temperature drops and we are wearing heavy coats, toboggans and gloves, making it a lot easier to handle these small plugs.

Back inside, we assemble our three-part tree that we purchased from Big Lots or WalMart depending upon the price.  The trees come with lights, but we also put on all sorts of hanging decorations so that after the tree has been properly dressed, you hardly can tell it's a tree other than it triangle shape.

A snowman with a red tophat always sits on the very top...  even when the tree does not have the strength to hold it up.  PVC pipe is inserted inside it's head and tied to the tree's center with electrical ties.   It's in the back so it cannot be seen.

This all day tradition is executed by my wife and I with me getting down everything and her deciding where everything goes.   I assemble the tree but then she puts everything around.  She does this because I don't have the same creative eyes that she does.

She also decides where the family of deer are going to live which is fine but like the inside decorations, the deer get relocated at least six times before she decides their locations are satisfactory.

I wouldn't change a thing about my putting up the Christmas tree experiences.

Saturday Morning

It is raining in the valley this morning as it is along most of the east coast today.  According to the forecast, it is supposed to rain today and tomorrow with highs in the low 60s today and low 50s tomorrow.

We were going to put up some outside cameras today but it looks like that is going to have to wait.

FOX News reports SOS... (same ole shit)...  so, nothing has really changed.

• Trump faces 91 felony charges and is going to trial
• DOJ/FBI continue to protect President Biden
• Hunter Biden charged with tax evasion
• War continues in Ukraine
• War continues in Israels
• Global hatred of JEWS continues
• Prices are coming down a little
• American Families keeping heads above water
• War against fossil fuel continues
• Illegal Immigration continues to increase

Personally, I feel like the LEFT is trying to destroy the economy/culture that made them successful, and the LEFT believes that the RIGHT is also trying to destroy democracy...

• Both cannot be right
• Both cannot be wrong

My wife and I have been retired since 2015 and we do not feel the financial pinch that other Americans say they are experiencing...  and this is coming from people who are working... LEADS ME TO BELIEVE - they are living above their means, or they are in an area with an unusually high cost of living.

East TN has a low cost of living...  but my wife and I have no debt and do not purchase anything that we don't need.  We also don't smoke cigarettes, nor do we drink alcohol which saves us a lot each month.

It would appear, based upon the news, that life in America is not really going to change much, if at all, in the next few days, next few weeks, or next few months.

My concern is not so much about inflation, war on fossil fuels, the 2024 election, or the two wars that are going on...  no, my concern is about all the terrorists that have entered the US as a byproduct of our illegal immigration policies and the terrorism that they plan to conduct in the next few months.

I doubt very seriously that terrorists have entered the USA for a holiday.

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