Not a Sports Fan

I grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, just 8 miles outside of Washington, DC going south towards Mount Vernon.  From a very early age, I was exposed to the Washington Redskins and the Washington Senators who later moved to Baltimore and changed their name.

The Washington Redskins were always being watched in our household, even after we moved to North Carolina in 1966, so much so that I became disinterested with sports.  It wasn't just football, but we watched baseball, basketball, and tennis.  It was not just professional sports but also college sports as well.

When I got married, it was a mandate to have some sort of sports activity playing on the television when those relatives came to visit whether it was Thanksgiving or Christmas.  And if we were lucky and had to visit their homes, then sports activities were playing on the television screen in their homes as well.

When I was in high school, I played football, basketball, baseball, and was on the track team.  I guess that I just got so inundated with sports that I just lost my interest in playing as well as watching.

I never really got into tennis or golf and as I got older, baseball was the first sports activity over which I lost interest - mainly because it was so damn slow.  When I did play the game, my position was first base.

The second sport that fell off my radar was football and while I really enjoyed playing the game, I just got tired watching.  My position was right defensive linebacker, and I was on the the kicking and receiving teams.  I had tried out for fullback but could not hold onto the ball like I needed to.

My interest in basketball lasted the longest which I believe was due to going to college and being part of the ACC conference.  There were always some exciting teams in that conference, especially when Michael Jordon played for UNC at Chapel Hill.  My wife and I continued to follow his career with the Bulls, but once he retired, our interest in that sport died as well.

Today I hardly ever watch any kind of sports activity on the television, unless it is the Super Bowl or the NBA playoffs.  To tell you the truth, I am not sure why I lost interest in sports, unless it was because I was so immersed in sports most of my life.

The last thing I want to do when I am bored and wanting something to do these days is watch something that has to do with sports.  I'm not even interested in watching the Ninja Warrior competitions.

 

Somewhat Political

 

ANTS Perform Life Saving Operations

 

Florida carpenter ants perform amuptations on nestmates when their legs are injured. 

(Image credit: Bart Zijlstra)



Ants in Florida perform life-saving surgery on their peers, scientists have discovered. They are only the second animal in the world known to do this — along with humans.


The researchers found that Florida carpenter ants (Camponotus floridanus) identify limb wounds on their nestmates, then treat them with either cleaning or amputation.


The team published its findings Tuesday (July 2) in the journal Current Biology.            READ MORE...

Best Vegetables

 

LIFE

 

Flag

 

Public Servant

 

Dirty Dems

 

Neighborhoods

 

Message From the KING

To the citizens of the United States of America from His Majesty King Charles III:

In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. (You should look up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

His Majesty King Charles III will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which he does not fancy).

We will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections. It will of course be someone of proper English lineage, such as Dame Judi Dench or Michael Caine, but most certainly not Simon Cowell.

Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

1. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour,' 'favour,' 'labour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut'
without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise.' Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (Look up 'vocabulary.')

3. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as 'like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S. English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter 'u'' and the elimination of '-ize.'

4. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you're not ready to shoot grouse.

5. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

6. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

7. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

8. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable, as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

9. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie MacDowell attempt English dialect in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

10. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full Kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).

11. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.

12. An internal revenue agent (i.e., tax collector) from His Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

13. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.

God Save The King!

US Medicare Part G

Say you are an older senior citizen and can no longer take care of yourself and need Long-Term Care, but the government says there is no Nursing Home care available for you. So, what do you do? You opt for Medicare Part G.

The plan gives anyone 75 or older a gun (Part G) and one bullet. You are allowed to shoot one worthless politician*. This means you will be sent to prison for the rest of your life where you will receive three meals a day, a roof over your head, central heating and air conditioning, cable TV, a library, and all the health care you need. Need new teeth? No problem. Need glasses? That's great. Need a hearing aid, new hip, knees, kidney, lungs, sex change, or heart? They are all covered!

As an added bonus, your kids can come and visit you at least as often as they do now!

And, who will be paying for all of this? The same government that just told you they can't afford for you to go into a nursing home.

And you will get rid of a useless politician while you are at it. And now, because you are a prisoner, you don't have to pay any more income taxes!

Is this a great country or what?

Now that you have solved your senior Long-Term Care problem, enjoy the rest of your week.

*FYI: Some folks are already complaining that you are limited to only one US politician.

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Jon Landau, Oscar-winning producer best known for "Titanic" and "Avatar," dies at age 63 (More) | Khyree Jackson, Minnesota Vikings rookie cornerback, dies in car crash at age 24 along with two former college football players (More)

> Professional wrestler and actor John Cena announces he will retire from the WWE in 2025 after over 20 years with the company (More)

> Emma Navarro upsets fellow American No. 2 seed Coco Gauff to advance to Wimbledon quarterfinals (More) | Spain, France, Netherlands, and England reach UEFA European Championship semifinals (More)


Science & Technology
> The UK releases first-ever guidelines for use and generation of stem cell-based embryo structures; biological models allow researchers to study early fetal development and potentially develop treatments for congenital disorders (More)

> Analysis suggests the Antikythera mechanism—a 2,000-year-old mechanical device found on a Greek shipwreck—was built to align with the lunar calendar (More) | The Antikythera mechanism, explained (More) | Everything you need to know about ancient Greece (More)

> Second-known living species of vampire squid discovered in the South China Sea; the first type of the animal was formally described in 1903 (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher Friday (S&P 500 +0.5%, Dow +0.2%, Nasdaq +0.9%) with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closing at record highs as latest jobs report raises hopes for interest rate cuts (More) | See previous write-up (More)

> Paramount's board approves Skydance's merger proposal after months of negotiation, paving the way for a formal announcement expected today (More)

> Meme stock influencer Keith Gill (also known as Roaring Kitty) posts indicating possible interest in headphone maker Koss, sending shares up 25% Friday (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Rival Sudanese factions meet in Egypt for reconciliation talks as war approaches 15-month mark, with a reported death toll of over 16,000 people (More) | See background on the war (More)

> Israel-Hamas cease-fire talks set to resume after Hamas reportedly drops demand that Israel commit to ending war, clearing hurdle for US-proposed cease-fire plan (More)

> House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D, NY-8) holds a virtual meeting with committee members to discuss calls for President Joe Biden to step aside from the 2024 race amid concerns over his mental fitness (More)

SOURCE:  1440 News

Electric Vehicles

 

When Joe Biden took over the office of POTUS, one of the first acts he did was cancel the XL Pipeline, wage a war on gasoline, pushed for climate change and for everyone to buy electric vehicles or hybrids.  His war on gasoline caused him to reduce the emergency gasoline reserves and to buy dirtier petroleum from foreign countries, increasing the cost of gasoline at the pump.

But more importantly, his push for electric vehicles was just as much of a disaster as his withdrawal from Afghanistan.  The general public did not want electric cars and when EVs were purchased, the driver found out that there were not enough charging stations around the USA the support EVs.  Other experts have warned the US power grid is simply not strong enough to support the EV push by the administration.

Those loyal Americans who wanted to support the President by buying hybrids, found out that replacement batteries were $8-$10,000 as the original battery only lasted a little over five years.  Of course, hybrid car salespersons failed to share that piece of information unless the buyer was sharp enough to ask the right questions.

As a result, Biden destroyed the American economy when he and his staff misinterpreted the EV industry and market.  And, instead of taking the responsibility for his actions, he BLAMED DONALD TRUMP.

What kind of a righteous leader blames his predecessors?  Not the kind of leader we want as President, I'll tell you that.

The EV and Hybrid auto market has declined tremendously as Americans refuse to buy either kind of vehicle.

Obviously, the hybrid market is the way to go if the industry can solve the problem with the cost of the battery and the time it takes to charge the battery.  

One of my neighbors said that a battery needs to be developed that can be easily swapped out like a tank of butane gas for a grill.  The old battery is taken out, a new battery is put in that has been fully charged, and the car is on its way in about 10 minutes.  The buyer pays a small fee for the service.

What is important to remember here is that there is nothing wrong with changes as long as it has been properly planned out.  It is obvious, at least to me, that Biden and his team had not properly planned.

Somewhat Political

 

Denisovans on the Tibetan Plateau

Excavations at Baishiya Karst Cave on the Tibetan plateau are revealing details about the 

lives of Denisovans, a group of ancient humans about which little is known. Dongju Zhang’s group/Lanzhou University

Denisovans survived and thrived on the high-altitude Tibetan plateau for more than 100,000 years, according to a new study that deepens scientific understanding of the enigmatic ancient humans first identified in 2010.

Researchers analyzed thousands of animal bone fragments unearthed at Baishiya Karst Cave, 3,280 meters above sea level near the city of Xiahe in China’s Gansu province — one of only three places the extinct humans were known to have lived. Their work revealed that Denisovans could hunt, butcher and process a range of different large and small animals, including woolly rhinos, blue sheep, wild yaks, marmots and birds.

The team of archaeologists working at the cave also uncovered a rib bone fragment in a layer of sediment that dates back between 48,000 and 32,000 years, making it the youngest of the handful of known Denisovan fossils — a clue that the species was around more recently than scientists previously thought.          READ MORE...

Tuesday Vid

Return to Sender

 

Democrat

 

Great Britain

 

Reparation