Iran Increases Its Nuclear Program

VIENNA (AP) — Iran has increased the rate at which it is producing near weapons grade uranium in recent weeks, reversing a previous slowdown that started in the middle of this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report to member states.

Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in the report that Iran “in recent weeks had increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023,” according to an IAEA spokesperson Sunday.

Iran had previously slowed down the rate at which it was enriching uranium to 60% purity. Uranium enriched at 60% purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.  READ MORE...

Somewhat Political

 

In The Year 2023

In the year 2023, I had my 76th birthday with a celebration meal at Cheddars where I ordered blackened salmon, baked potato, and broccoli.  My wife ordered a salad.  We both had water with lemon to drink.  We added an 18% tip to the check.  We paid $20 more than we did last year for the same meal.

What did the year 2023 provide us with?

1. Higher food and gasoline prices
2. War on Fossil Fuels
3. Our National Debt is increasing
4. Our Global respect is declining
5. Government mandate of EVs
6. Increased Illegal Immigration
7. Increased in Illegal Drugs
8. War in Ukraine
9. War in Israel/Gaza strip
10. Iran's proxies attacking USA
11. Double Standards of US Justice
12. Global Anti-Israel Sentiments
13. A weakened US military
14. China threatening global dominance
15. Higher taxes
16. Decay of US Democracy
17. An Ineffective Congress/President
18. Destruction of American Dream

While that might bother some Americans...  it does not bother me...

It does not bother me because:

• I own my home
• I am debt free
• I have saved money for retirement
• I live in East Tennessee
• I'm not bothered by crime
• I'm not bothered by illegal immigrants
• I'm not bothered by illegal drugs
• I purchase only what I need

I am part of the BABY BOOMER generation.  We protested against the Vietnam War and against large government TELLING US WHAT TO DO.  We were the generation of some of the best rock and roll music that the world has ever heard.  We were the generation that gave you WOODSTOCK and MUSCLE CARS.  We were the generation that made it COOL to have long hair and beards, jeans, t-shirts, and cowboy boots.  We were the generation of ENDLESS LOVE without the fear of AIDS or SEXUAL HARRASSMENT.

Whenever I experience a year like 2023, I just think back to 1966 when:

1. cigarettes were $0.20 a pack ($0.25 in a machine)
2. gasoline was $0.18 cents a gallon
3. a six pack of beer was $1.25
4. Hamburgers were $0.15
5. French fries were $0.10
6. Movie tickets were $0.25

When I experience a year like 2023, I just think back to 1967 when:

• I purchased a 1967 Plymouth Barracuda convertible with a 383 and 4 on the floor for $2,500.
• I remember all the beer I drank in that car and all the women that went to the drive in movies with me in that car.
• I remember racing that car on the city streets of Alexandria, turning down side roads to escape the police.

You may be younger than me, but 

YOU WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE 

WHAT I EXPERIENCED...

That's why I don't care about the crap that has taken place in 2023 and will continue to take place in 2024.

Black Swans

 

Sterile Neutrinos Unlocking Secrets

The neutrino is perhaps the most fascinating inhabitant of the subatomic world. Nearly massless, this fundamental particle experiences only the weak nuclear force and the much fainter force of gravity. With no more than these feeble connections to other forms of matter, a neutrino can pass through the entire Earth with just a tiny chance of hitting an atom. Ghosts, who are said to be able to pass through walls, have nothing on neutrinos.

The neutrinos’ phantom properties are not the only thing that sets them apart from other fundamental particles. They are unique in that they don’t have a fixed identity. The three known forms of neutrinos are able to transform into one another through a cyclical process called neutrino oscillation. In addition to being subatomic specters, they are also quantum chameleons.  READ MORE...

Vanilla Fudge

 

In The NEWS

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas traveled to Mexico City yesterday, meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador over a record number of migrants flowing through Mexico toward the US border.


The New York Times sued Microsoft and OpenAI yesterday for mass copyright infringement, estimating damages to be worth billions of dollars. The Times, the first major media company to file a lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI, accuses them of using its articles to train artificial intelligence chatbots without permission.


South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun was found dead Wednesday of an apparent suicide in central Seoul. His death came amid a national investigation into his alleged drug use, reports he denied and characterized as extortion. He was 48.


NBA approves majority stake sale of Dallas Mavericks from Mark Cuban to casino magnate Miriam Adelson for a reported $3.5B (More) | Detroit Pistons' losing streak reaches NBA single-season record 27 games (More)


US domestic box office hauls in $8.58B in 2023, the highest since the pandemic and a 15% jump from 2022; see year-end box office numbers for each studio (More)


Tom Smothers, comedian best known as half of the Smothers Brothers musical comedy duo, dies of cancer at 86 (More)


Apple Watch ban paused by US appeals court as regulators consider whether proposed software updates are sufficient to end ongoing patent dispute (More) | Series 9, Ultra 2 watches were banned for US sale Tuesday; see previous write-up (More)


Researchers demonstrate glucose-responsive insulin, capable of regulating blood sugar for up to a week; may eventually provide an alternative to daily injections for patients with Type 1 diabetes (More)


The Small Magellanic Cloud is likely made up of two separate dwarf galaxies, with one situated behind the other (More) | The galaxies are viewable from the Southern Hemisphere and played a role in the lore of ancient societies; see overview (More)


Pizza Hut franchises in California to lay off 1,200 in-house delivery drivers in February ahead of new state law boosting fast-food minimum wage to $20 an hour (More)


At least five people killed in Ukraine's southern city of Kherson after Russia fires nearly 50 drones, knocking out power for 70% of households (More) | The US to deliver $250M military aid package to Ukraine amid congressional stalemate over future assistance (More)

SOURCE:  1440 News

Bodybuilders

 

Second North Korea Nuclear Reactor Active

Somewhat Political

 

The Basics of Our Government

The United States of America is comprised of 48 contiguous states plus Alaska and Hawaii.  We are a Democratic Republic governed by a constitution and various amendments.  The first ten amendments to that constitution is called THE BILL OF RIGHTS which no other country in the world has.  Consequently, people from all corners of the world want to immigrate to the USA to participate in and enjoy or Bill of Rights.

Our constitution gave us three branches of government:  Judicial, legislative, and Administrative and provided laws to the States that were not exclusively reserved by the federal government. 

States Rights versus Federal Rights has always been a bone of contention as evidenced by some states legalizing marijuana while the Federal government still sees it as being illegal.

Nowhere else will something like that (above) exist in the world today.  That makes the USA incredibly unique while at the same time separates from the rest of the world, that is controlled by dictators, socialists, and communists.  While the UK and the EU are forms of democracy as well, they still don't have all the freedoms that we have here in the USA.

Our two party system, Democrats (liberals) and Republicans (conservative) is what perpetuates our democracy by providing the people with TWO POINTS OF VIEW.

Liberal want:

• Large government
• High taxes
• Small military
• Social welfare programs 

Conservatives want:

• Small government
• Low taxes
• Large military
• limited social welfare programs

Note:  there are several other issues, but these are the main points.

Take for instance ABORTION.

Republican don't think the federal government should pay for abortions and the decision to make abortions legal or not, rests with STATES not the federal government.

Democrats believe just the opposite.

Currently, the USA is leaning heavily in the direction of SOCIALISM that has been approved by both parties over the years.  Here are some examples of socialism:

• public education
• public parks/recreation
• social security
• unemployment insurance
• medicare/medicaid
• public transportation

Here's the question that also separates the two parties:  Should our Federal Government go into debt to pay for all the social programs given to its citizens, knowing that the wealthy hide their money from taxes?

Republicans say no

Democrats say yes

Let me leave you with this thought...

The most effective form or government, maybe not the most efficient, is COMMUNISM, not DEMOCRACY.

• People who argue with a Communistic government go to jail
• People do not strike for higher wages in a communistic government
• People are not exposed to all the news or all the truth in a communistic government
• People do not protest in a communistic government
• There is no private ownership in a communistic government
• There is no freedom of speech or religion in a communistic government
• The government easily controls the people in a communistic government

Attacked by Car Door

 

America's New Oil & Gas Boom

Last week I pointed out in a TikTok video that the U.S. is poised to set a new oil production record. In response, someone took exception to my claim by stating that he works in the industry, and drilling rigs are stacking up.

It is correct that the rig count has fallen. According to data from Baker HughesBHI, the number of rigs drilling for oil and gas has fallen by about 20% in the past year.

This decline reversed a steady increase that began after the rig count bottomed out below 300 in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The rig count recovered back to nearly 800 rigs by the end of 2022 but has since declined back to about 620.

Nevertheless, U.S. oil and natural gas production are both poised to set new annual production records, after monthly production has risen steadily all year. How can that be if the rig count is falling?  READ MORE...

Bill O'Reilly on Claudine Gay

 

Odds and Ends

In 1969, I enlisted in the US Navy Reserves in what was called back then a 2X4 program.  Two years active duty and 4 years in the active reserves.  I actually spent 21 months on active duty because I got out 3 months early to return to college.  The GI Bill paid for my last two years in college and the entire two years of graduate school.  I WAS LEFT WITH NO STUDENT DEBT.

My professional career lasted 45 years and in 1990 I formed and incorporated a consulting company through which I flowed all my money, and which afforded me a reduction on my taxes.  I was also able to purchase three homes when I was unemployed by using my company's income tax returns.

I am not wealthy, nor am I well off financially but I have saved just enough money to pay for my wife and my expenses until we are both age 95.  At which point, I will have no money at all.  We will both die broke.  Both our children have told us that never counted on receiving an inheritance from us so they have prepared for their own retirement accordingly.

During the course of my lifetime so far, I have struggled with understanding mankind's purpose on earth.  Some believe there is going to be a spiritual afterlife, but I cannot imagine what it would be like to live life as a SPIRIT.  Having awareness but no physical form.  The evidence is strong that there is no spiritual life but not conclusive.

Which brings me back to PURPOSE.

Why live just 80-100 or so years and then one's life is over.

What's the point of making tons of money when all you do is leave it behind to family or give it to charity?

Whatever one has achieved will be forgotten 5-10 years after their death.

Do you still think about Reagan, Nixon, or Kennedy?

How many dead celebrities do you think about?

So, if it is not about money or accomplishments, what is our PURPOSE?

• To endure life's struggles
• To give to those that don't have
• To achieve global peace
• To learn as much as we can
• To enjoy and be thankful for what we have

At 76, I no longer want for anything.  I don't need a fancy car or house or expensive clothes.  I don't care if you like me or not.  I don't care if you don't approve of how I live.  I expect very little, but I am grateful for waking up each morning.

After I retired, 90% of my stress was gone.  The other 8-10% comes from tying to understand my wife and this new technology in which we all must live now.  For me the technology is frustrating and difficult to understand, while at the same time incredibly convenient.  I cannot imagine my life without a tablet and a cell phone.

I have split it up between 8-10% because I think at least 2% is me trying to deal with myself, my internal criticism and lack of motivation, compared to what it used to be like.

Still, none of this resolves my PURPOSE...

In The NEWS

Top Israeli officials are reviewing a draft peace proposal crafted by neighboring Egypt to end fighting in the Gaza Strip, focusing on initial steps including renewed hostage and prisoner swaps, according to reports yesterday. The role of Hamas in a postwar governing structure—a nonstarter for Israel, say experts—remains a key hurdle. Hamas and partner militant group Islamic Jihad were said to have quickly dismissed Egypt's plan.


A ban on the sale of two of Apple's flagship smartwatches will continue for the foreseeable future after a ruling by US trade regulators over a patent dispute went into effect yesterday. The Biden administration declined to veto the decision, which affects US sales of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches, early yesterday morning.


Temperatures across much of China rose above freezing for the first time in weeks Sunday, capping the most severe cold snap in the country in seven decades. Thermometers in Beijing had remained below 0 degrees Celsius since Dec. 11, with some parts of northeastern China reaching minus 40 degrees (in both Celsius and Fahrenheit; see here).


Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" breaks Spotify record for most streams in a day, bringing in nearly 24 million streams on Christmas Eve (More)


Taylor Swift's "1989 (Taylor's Version)" returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200, tying Swift with Elvis Presley for most weeks by a solo artist spent atop the album charts (More)


"The Color Purple" musical film adaptation leads domestic box office with $18M on opening day, the second largest Christmas Day opening ever (More) | Kamar de los Reyes, "One Life to Live" star, dies of cancer at 56 (More)


Apple expects to ship an estimated 500,000 Vision Pro headsets in 2024, going on sale in the first two months of 2024; $3,500 device is Apple's first big step into virtual reality (More)


Study suggests reindeer can go to sleep while eating, allowing the animals to maximize energy conservation during Arctic winters (More)


Engineers develop fiber offering similar warmth to down jackets despite being 80% less thick; material mimics polar bear fur, with each strand possessing a porous core and a waterproof outer layer (More)

SOURCE:  1440 Hews

String Theory Requires Extra Dimensions

String theory found its origins in an attempt to understand the nascent experiments revealing the strong nuclear force. Eventually another theory, one based on particles called quarks and force carriers called gluons, would supplant it, but in the deep mathematical bones of the young string theory physicists would find curious structures, half-glimpsed ghosts, that would point to something more. Something deeper.


String theory claims that what we call particles—the point-like entities that wander freely, interact, and bind together to make up the bulk of material existence—are nothing but. Instead, there is but a single kind of fundamental object: the string. These strings, each one existing at the smallest possible limit of existence itself, vibrate. And the way those strings vibrate dictates how they manifest themselves in the larger universe. Like notes on a strummed guitar, a string vibrating with one mode will appear to us as an electron, while another vibrating at a different frequency will appear as a photon, and so on.  READ MORE...

Simply Embarrassing

 

Learning From History is MEANINGLESS and IRRELEVANT

WHAT DID YOU LEARN DURING THE CHRISTMAS OF 2023?

1. The Democrats HATE Trump with a passion
2. Joe Biden is probably corrupt and his sone Hunter will probably go to jail
3. Russia CANNOT defeat Ukraine which makes them a third rate power
4. Iran is using is OIL MONEY to try and destroy Israels and its allies via proxies
5. China is a GLOBAL VOYEUR thinking it can gain power by watching other countries destroy each other
6. You piss Israel off and they will KICK YOUR ASS
7. The USA is more divided than it was during the Civil War
8. The US Congress has not done a damn thing to help the citizens of the USA
9. Illegal Immigration will forever change the dynamics of this country
10. You cannot buy love with money or presents

You are asking yourself what do any of these points have to do with Christmas???

I suppose that is a valid question...

And the answer is simple...  

The TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS did not change any of the TEN items.

They were there before Christmas and they are still there after Christmas.

The Christmas Holiday and its so called Christmas Spirit was not even around....

In a few days, we will CELEBRATE the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024...   and, while we make all sorts of individual  New Year's Resolutions that none of us intend to keep, the world around us will NOT CHANGE.

It will not change because a majority of the people not just living in the USA but throughout the world do not want it to change.

AND...  while that does not make much sense, that is exactly what is going to happen because that is exactly what has happened for the last 20 years.

A majority of the world DOES NOT BELIEVE that climate control (change) and Green Energy is necessary...

A majority of the world does not give a damn how many people are killed in the Ukraine or in Israel or in Gaza...

A majority of the world ONLY CARES ABOUT THEMSELVES and could care less how their desires and wants negatively impact other people...

This is the real world we are living in and this is the real world THAT WE MADE...

 

Spintronics

A recent study has identified the “orbital Hall effect,” a phenomenon that could significantly improve data storage in future computer devices. This discovery, involving the generation of electricity by electron’s orbital movement, offers potential advancements in the field of spintronics, leading to more efficient, faster, and reliable magnetic materials. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Research suggests a novel approach to enhance spintronics, paving the way for advancements in future technology.

In a new breakthrough, researchers have used a novel technique to confirm a previously undetected physics phenomenon that could be used to improve data storage in the next generation of computer devices.

Spintronic memories, utilized in advanced computers and satellites, leverage the magnetic states produced by the intrinsic angular momentum of electrons for data storage and retrieval. Depending on its physical motion, an electron’s spin produces a magnetic current. Known as the “spin Hall effect,” this has key applications for magnetic materials across many different fields, ranging from low-power electronics to fundamental quantum mechanics.

More recently, scientists have found that electrons are also capable of generating electricity through a second kind of movement: orbital angular momentum, similar to how Earth revolves around the sun. 

This is known as the “orbital Hall effect,” said Roland Kawakami, co-author of the study and a professor in physics at The Ohio State University.    READ MORE...