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Walking the Horse

 

East Tennessee Living

 

My wife and I are living in a state with no state income tax and the first two years of college are free when you go to a Community College.

My wife and I are living in East Tennessee where the cost of living is somewhere between 15-21% cheaper ON AVERAGE that most other places in the USA.

My wife and I just purchased a $400,000 house (1500 square feet) that is close to double that price in most other states in the same type of suburban community in which we live.  In 2015, this house would have only been $250K.

Outside of our savings account, my wife and I live off of Social Security with a monthly expense of between $4-$5,000.

We do not live in the city but we do not live in the country either.

We are: 

• 8 miles from the interstate
• 1 mile from a gas station
• 1.5 miles from a Walmart super center & our bank
• 60 minutes from Gatlinburg, Dollywood, and Sevierville for shopping and entertainment
• 60 minutes from NASCAR Bristol Motor Speedway
• 60 minutes from Asheville, NC
• 30 minutes from Knoxville
• 40 minutes from UT Medical Center
• 50 minutes from Tyson-McGhee Airport
• 3 hours from Nashville
• 4 hours from Atlanta

We have two recreational lakes on either side of our location about 10 miles from where we live.  The lakes are several miles long and are good for boating, fishing, skiing, kayaking, and swimming.  Around these lakes are hiking trials several miles long and numerous camping areas and picnic areas as well as open fields.

Most everyone in our community have backyard gardens, including us, where the following is grown corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, bell peppers, lettuce, cabbage, potatoes, strawberries, watermelon, and eggplant.

At our house, we have high speed, fiber optic cable connections for WIFI and use ROKU to connect to Hulu, Netflix, and Prime.  We eliminated cable several years ago.

There are not many illegal immigrants in our area but we do have a lot of Mexican migrants working with our local farmers.  The crime and violence in our area is very low.  There is no movement to defund the police, nor do we have a huge problem with illegal drugs, although drugs are prevalent all around us.

Since TN is a right to carry firearms state, we have very little personal property crime which may involve breaking and entering and theft.  It typical to see many males and females carrying guns on their hips.

We have plenty of restaurants if we ever want to go out and eat which my wife and I do about once a week, maybe twice.

My wife and I became debt free about twenty years ago and have remained that way.  We use credit cards all the time, but pay off that debt at the end of each month before any interest has accrued.

It takes me about an hour to mow the grass and weed eat.

We have two irobots to clean the floors of our house and run them at least twice a day, sometimes three times.

My wife does a little mopping and dusting but very little else.

We have heard that there are lots of people moving into TN but thankfully it is mainly Nashville and not East TN.  It is slow and smooth living here and we have everything we need and want for nothing.

It is a great way to live, especially if you are retired. 

Somewhat Political

 

Hydrogen-Electric Hybrid Engine

The future is not hydrogen: This new fuel is 700 times more powerful, but is “burning cold”

This is “the impossible engine”, created centuries after its prediction: Two fused fuels and 900 hp

The Sci-Fi transport everyone was looking for is a reality in the US: this vehicle will take you to your destination in minutes


As the world shifts its focus towards looking for sustainable alternatives in the automotive industry, REVO ZERO, a Northern Virginia-based startup company, has shown the world a car that could revolutionize the zero-emission engine. The new ENERGY The concept car is the SUV type with a fantastic estimated range of 700 miles (1,127 km).

The vehicle combines hydrogen fuel cells with electric power to formulate what the company refers to as a plug-in fuel cell (pFC) powertrain. This groundbreaking concept seeks to eliminate the range anxiety phenomenon and the time required to refuel, all of which places REVO ZERO at the head of the clean energy vehicles segment.

Pioneering sustainable automotive technology: Towards a new generation of combustion engines
The pFC Drivetrain is a parallel combination of the I-FS Drivetrain and the J-JS Drivetrain. The pFC technology of REVO ZERO combines a hydrogen fuel cell with a hybrid electric system to provide a highly superior powertrain. The ENERGY SUV employs a battery as the main power source, and a hydrogen fuel cell is an auxiliary power source in driving and power. management.            READ MORE...

Wise People

 

Haunted

 

Poverty

 

In The NEWS

Hurricane Beryl reaches Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

The hurricane made landfall Friday near the resort town of Tulum as a Category 2 storm after causing damage in Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados earlier in the week. At least 11 people have been killed so far across the Caribbean. Beryl is expected to reach South Texas by Monday. Track Beryl here.



President Joe Biden appears in first televised post-debate interview.

Biden sat down with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos Friday in his first televised interview since his CNN debate with former President Donald Trump last month. Biden dismissed concerns about his cognitive abilities and rejected calls to withdraw from the presidential race. He attributed his debate performance to feeling sick and exhausted after overseas travel. Read the transcript of the interview here.



Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian wins Iran’s presidential runoff election.

Pezeshkian—a heart surgeon and lawmaker—beat out hard-liner Saeed Jalili in the race to replace former President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. Pezeshkian secured roughly 16.3 million votes in Friday's runoff election, while Jalili—Iran's former nuclear negotiator—garnered roughly 13.5 million votes. Voter turnout was nearly 50%.



UK's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer appoints cabinet members.

Starmer defeated former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after his center-left Labour Party won a parliamentary majority (see results) in the UK's national elections. As part of Starmer's cabinet appointments, Rachel Reeves became the UK's first female chancellor to lead the country's treasury.



Kansas Supreme Court overturns laws limiting abortion access.

The high court rejected a pair of state laws Friday, one that created special licensing requirements for abortion providers and another that banned a second-trimester abortion procedure known as dilation and evacuation. The court said the first law exceeded requirements for comparable medical professionals. In rejecting the second law, the court said the state's constitution protects personal autonomy.



Volunteer crew to exit NASA's simulated Mars habitat after 378 days.

The four volunteers were the first crew to have lived inside the simulated Mars habitat at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for over a year. The 3D-printed habitat, spanning 1,700 square feet, simulates the conditions and challenges of the red planet, including harvesting vegetables and conducting "Marswalks." The crew is set to emerge at 5 pm ET today. View a livestream here.



Mouse study offers clues into cause of migraines.

Researchers have discovered an unknown route between the brain and peripheral nerves where altered cerebrospinal fluid travels through, activating pain and inflammatory receptors and triggering headaches. Cerebrospinal fluid surrounds the brain and spinal cord, and its contents can temporarily change when neural activity shuts down.

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Life After Death

 

The question has puzzled scholars and the general public for thousands of years, at least going back to the time of Christ, six thousand years ago.

Most every single culture has had some sort of belief that there is a life after death in some form or another.  

Some believe that we actually have a second life in the same physical form that we have while alive on earth.

Some believe that this after life is in the form of a spirit which is why after death, there is no more sickness and pain.

Whatever life that we have after death, you can pretty much believe that it WILL NOT be like one's life here on earth...  and it is doubtful that you will be any more aware of anything than what is immediately around you, if that.

If in fact, we are transformed from a human body to a spirit form, there will be no dressing, no eating, no sleeping, none of the bodily functions, no shaking of hands, no body surfing of ocean waves at the beach, no watching of athletic competitions, no getting too cold or too hot, and definitely no illness of any kind.

We will just float around like an invisible cloud, without eyes, ears, or a mouth.  Our mind may function to some degree, but the actual brain stays with the body.  All that is left is the spirit of our essence.

When ministers, priests, or pastors tells us will be come in contact with our dead relatives, it is their opinion based upon no facts something like that will happen.  It is like wishful thinking.

Some religious leaders tell us we will be in heaven with God and there is no proof of that either other than what is written in the Bible.   Maybe there is a God, maybe not.  Maybe there is a creator.  But out of this vast universe, why would this God, just create of race of human beings on earth?

AND...  how do we explain the evolution of man where there is scientific evidence that our human DNA mutated from the DNA of Chimpanzees.  This scientific TRUTH conflicts with God making us in his own image...  unless our concept of that statement is wrong.

How do we explain UFOs and the extraterrestrials that must be inside flying them?  Have they been created by God too?  If so, why is that not mentioned in the Bible, especially since God knew that earth would eventually evolve to the point where it is today.

He knew that a controversy like this was going to happen.

Somewhat Political

 

Contract for ROGOTS

GXO Logistics, one of the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider, and Agility Robotics, creator of the bipedal Mobile Manipulation Robot (MMR) Digit, have signed a multi-year agreement to begin deploying Digit in GXO’s logistics operations.

This agreement, which follows a proof-of-concept pilot in late 2023, is both the industry’s first formal commercial deployment of humanoid robots and first Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) deployment of humanoid robots.

Adrian Stoch, Chief Automation Officer, GXO, says: “We’re building on the success of last year’s groundbreaking pilot with Agility by deploying fully operational Digit humanoids into a live warehouse environment.

“Our R&D approach is to partner with developers all over the world to help them build and validate practical use cases that improve the working environment for our employees while optimizing operations for our customers.           READ MORE...

Signals

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> LeBron James signs two-year, $104M deal to remain with Los Angeles Lakers; James' son Bronny was selected by the Lakers at last week's NBA Draft (More)

> Robert Towne, Oscar-winning screenwriter best known for "Chinatown" and "Mission: Impossible," dies at 89 (More)

> Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Bryce Harper headline list of starters for 2024 MLB All-Star Game (July 16) (More) | British cyclist Mark Cavendish breaks Tour de France record with 35 career stage wins (More)


Science & Technology
> Three new species of plants related to cacao trees discovered in South American rainforests; scientists say finding sheds light on the species' biodiversity, may lead to climate-resilient chocolate (More)

> Mysterious Denisovan population—ancient human relatives whose remains have only been found in a few locations—subsisted by hunting animals on the Tibetan plateau (More) | Who were the Denisovans? (More)

> Researchers create most detailed map to date of the brain cells associated with language processing, identifying neurons that encode the meaning of individual words (More)


Business & Markets
> US markets end Wednesday mixed (S&P 500 +0.5%, Dow -0.1%, Nasdaq +0.9%), with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting new highs (More) | Monthly jobs report to be released today; 200,000 jobs expected to have been added in June (More)

> Saks Fifth Avenue parent company to acquire luxury retailer Neiman Marcus in nearly $2.7B deal (More)

> European Union raises tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, citing unfair subsidies by China; additional duties range from around 18% to almost 38% depending on manufacturer (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Israel reportedly approves largest land expansion in the West Bank in three decades; move opens roughly 5 square miles for Israeli settlements in the territory (More) | The West Bank explained (More)

> Hurricane Beryl to pass over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula today, on track to reach southern Texas early next week; hurricane left at least two people dead in Jamaica (More) | See trajectory (More)

> Runoff elections in Iran to be held today to replace former President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a May helicopter crash; reformist Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian faces hard-liner Saeed Jalili (More)

SOURCE:  1440 News

Gymnastics

 

Cartoons

 

A Democratic Party Conundrum

Ever since Biden's debate with Trump, the Democratic Party has been in somewhat of a meltdown, especially in the mainstream liberal media.

It seems the liberal media has been covering for Biden and now that their secret is out, they are trying to figure out ways to defend their actions or lack thereof.

One of their ideas is to say Biden won on SUBSTANCE...

There have been several high ranking Democrats who have suggested that Biden step down from the race while others continue to support him.

There is also speculation that Kamala Harris will be the candidate when Biden steps down since she will have access to Biden's war chest.  But, if Biden steps down from the race, then he might as well step down from office since the reasons he will give for stepping down will also impact his job as President.

However, with his son Hunter getting ready from his second trial, Joe Biden needs to remain in office so he can commute his son's sentence.  If he steps down as President, he will not be able to do that.

Kamala Harris is the only viable option to take his place but her credibility as VICE PRESIDENT is that she does not do anything.  None of the assignments that Joe Biden assigned her, has she done anything about.

And, does the general public, at least on the Democratic side of the population, BELIEVE and/or PERCEIVE that she has the ability to stand up to Russia, China, Iran, or North Korea?  My answer to this question is NO.  It is no, because she was the first Democratic Party candidate to drop out of the primaries because there was hardly any support for her.

I have also heard that Hillary Clinton or Gavin Newsome, or Michele Obama are also being considered by the movers and shakers of the Democratic Party...  but, the problem with these people is that there is not enough time to fundraise as none of them can use Biden's war chest.

On the other side of the coin, Biden's weaponized DOJ will continue to go after Trump, even more now since Biden's poor debate performance.   There is a sentencing coming up and Trump could very well be sent to prison.  Sending him to prison would just churn up his base.

This Presidential Election is certainly going to be remembered in the history books regardless of who wins.