A Fool's Fool

 

If you think that advertising really wants to do something special for you, help you out, or give you something you thought you could never have, the YOU ARE A FOOL...

Advertising is done for the sole purpose of selling a product and making money.  It has very little if anything to do with you except take your money away.

Investment houses will invest your money for a fee and that fee is designed to make more money that you are earning.  These houses make 12-15% and pay you maybe 5%.

Insurance Companies want you to take out life insurance so you can protect your wife and children but the only way you benefit is by dying early or right after you probation period.  You are better off investing the money yourself.

In the 1950s, kitchen appliances were made to last 25-30 years.  Today, they are made to last only 3-5 years so that companies will earn more REPEAT BUSINESS.

I remember buying a tool from SEARS in the 1980s and was asked if I wanted to buy a protection warranty designed to repair if something went wrong.  I asked the salesperson if the item was not made correctly because I never needed to do that before.

It was designed to bring in more money convincing the buyer he was protecting himself and saving money.  Maybe 1 in a 1000 had a problem.

The bottom line here is that whenever you see a commercial advertising something, more often than not, they are trying to sell you something you don't really need.

Somewhat Political

 

All Life on EARTH has One Ancestor

Life on Earth had to begin somewhere, and scientists think that “somewhere” is LUCA—or the Last Universal Common Ancestor. True to its name, this prokaryote-like organism represents the ancestor of every living thing, from the tiniest of bacteria to the grandest of blue whales.

While the Cambrian Explosion kickstarted complex life in a major way some 530 million years, the true timeline of life on Earth is much longer. For years, scientists have estimated that LUCA likely arrived on the scene some 4 billion years, which is only 600 million years after the planet’s formation. 

But a new study from an international team of scientists pushes that timeline back even further to some 4.2 billion years ago, while also discovering some fascinating details about what life for LUCA might’ve been like. The results of the study were published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.       READ MORE...

Santana

 

Amish

 

LEAVING the USA

 

Do You BELIEVE???

 

Median INCOME in USA

 

Cheesecake

 

Water

 

Bologna

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> The 152nd British Open kicks off today from Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland; see preview and opening round tee times (More)

> "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed requests her March conviction be tossed after Alec Baldwin's case dismissal (More) | Naomi Pomeroy, James Beard Award-winning chef and "Top Chef Masters" star, dies at 49 in tubing accident (More)

> Angel City FC becomes world's most valuable woman's sports franchise after Willow Bay and her husband, Disney CEO Bob Iger, buy majority stake, valuing the soccer club at $250M (More)


Science & Technology
> The hallucinogen psilocybin temporarily resets entire brain circuits that govern a person's sense of space and time when taken at high enough doses; study sheds light on the mechanism behind "tripping" on the drug (More)

> Engineers unveil smallest, lightest solar-powered drone to date; vehicle is roughly 8 inches in size and can fly indefinitely in the sun (More)

> Crown-of-thorns starfish larvae, a prolific eater of coral reefs, thrive on toxic blue-green algae; discovery suggests increased presence of the bacteria could drive the starfish population, further threatening reefs (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -1.4%, Dow +0.6%, Nasdaq -2.8%); Nasdaq records worst day since December 2022 as tech stocks fall on report of Biden administration considering trade restrictions against China (More)

> Ray Ban-maker EssilorLuxottica to buy streetwear brand Supreme from VF Corporation for $1.5B; deal represents the eyewear maker's first venture into apparel (More)

> United Airlines reports 23% year-over-year rise in Q2 profits, partly due to demand for international travel (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Department of Homeland Security's inspector general announces an investigation into Secret Service's handling of Saturday assassination attempt (More) | House Oversight Committee subpoenas Secret Service director (More)

> US military to dismantle Gaza pier designed to carry aid to Palestinians via Cyprus after being damaged by weather; future aid will be delivered to Ashdod, Israel, and transported by truck (More) | See latest updates on the war (More)

> Former CIA analyst Sue Mi Terry charged with espionage, accused of spying for South Korea in exchange for $37K and gifts including luxury goods, bags, and meals (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

It's Just Politics

 

For most of us, we see politics as a NECESSARY EVIL...  but for politicians, at least at the beginning, they believe they can change the world.  After one term in Congress, either the House or the Senate, they soon learn that politics is about what the leaders say it is about, raising money for re-election, and doing what is necessary to get the party behind you so that you can get re-elected.

For the average American, we feel like we cannot change this political behavior and that our best chance is HOPE FOR THE BEST.

In part, this is/is not what our Founding Fathers wanted.  Our Founding Fathers were the elite, the educated, the intellectual, and all of them thought they knew what was best for America.

They wanted the public to think that there were involved with controlling government through their VOTE, but in reality, our Founding Fathers, did not trust the general public at all.

This is exactly why they created the ELECTORAL COLLEGE...  don't take my word for it, do research on this and see for yourself.

Its just politics is what most of us feel along with feeling powerless to change the concept of it being just politics.

For example, one way to solve our political problems and concerns is to have term limits for all politicians...  however, it is the elected politicians who have to create and pass a bill that would RUIN THEIR GRAVY TRAIN.

What are the odds that they will limit their own terms of OFFICE?

1000 to 1?

1,000,000 to 1?

The general public has to accept what these wealthy, and privileged ELITES think or perceive what is best for the rest of us.

Personally, I think this is BULLSHIT...

Somewhat Political

 

Einstein Ring Seen by James Webb Telescope

A massive galaxy (blue dot) warps the light emitted by an active black hole (orange dots) in a phenomenon called gravitational lensing. | Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA

A beautiful, "bejeweled" halo of warped light generated by a monster black hole takes center stage in one of the latest James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) images. The luminous loop, which is strikingly similar to an "Einstein ring," is adorned by four bright spots — but not all of them are real.

The star-studded halo in the new image is made up of light from a quasar — a supermassive black hole at the heart of a young galaxy that shoots out powerful energy jets as it gobbles up enormous amounts of matter. This quasar, previously known to scientists, is named RX J1131-1231 and is located around 6 billion light-years from Earth in the constellation Crater, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).

Deep Purple

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> "Hillbilly Elegy" tops Amazon's bestseller list one day after its author Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) is tapped as former President Donald Trump's vice presidential candidate (More)

> Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, former NBA player and father of Kobe Bryant, dies at age 69 (More) | Evan Wright, journalist and author known for "Generation Kill," dies at age 59 (More)

> Los Angeles Police Department investigating Richard Simmons' death; the TV fitness icon was found dead at his home Saturday at age 76 (More)


Science & Technology
> Electric vehicle maker Lucid says its new Air Pure sedan is the most efficient ever made; car reportedly achieves 5 miles per kilowatt-hour, the equivalent of 146 miles per gallon of fuel, with a range of 420 miles (More)

> Neuroscientists reveal how propofol, a common anesthetic, knocks out patients; drug prevents the brain from controlling overly excited neurons, forcing it into an unconscious state (More)

> Astronomers discover 21 separate pairs of neutron stars—the ultradense cores of dead stars too small to form black holes—orbiting stars similar to the sun (More, w/video)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow +1.9%, Nasdaq +0.2%) with the Dow seeing its best day in a year (More) | Gold price jumps to record high of over $2,460 an ounce on expectations of September interest rate cuts (More)

> Elon Musk to move SpaceX and X headquarters from California to Texas, citing new law; California's first-in-the-country law forbids school districts from requiring staff to notify parents if a child changes their gender identification (More)

> Ozy Media cofounder and CEO Carlos Watson is convicted of fraud for lying to investors about the now-defunct company's finances and touting fake deals with Google and Oprah Winfrey; Watson faces up to 37 years in prison (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Secret Service officials reveal former President Donald Trump's security detail had been increased in recent weeks due to an Iranian assassination threat; threat believed to be unrelated to Saturday's attempt (More) | Investigators continue to search for motive in Saturday's attack; see latest details (More)

> Israeli airstrikes kill more than 60 people in southern and central Gaza, per Hamas-run Health Ministry, including areas Israel had declared safe zones (More) | See latest updates on the war (More)

> Student protests in Bangladesh erupt into clashes, leaving at least five people dead; university students have been protesting quotas reserving 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans in the country's 1971 war for independence (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Right Things or Things Right

 

A few years ago, Steven Covey published a self-help book entitled SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFEDTIVE PEOPLE...

One of his habits was doing right things or doing things right...

Most of the people will tell you that doing right things is what all leaders should be focused on...  and while that makes sense, if you don't do those right things in the right way, then doing right things will be a meaningless task.

Let me give you an example.

The right thing to do is to mow your grass when it needs mowing rather than letting it grow until it tassels.  Everybody would readily agree with that. 

However, if you mow your grass on such a low level that the mower sends out grass clippings that smothers the remaining grass then it is again easy to see that this right thing was not done right.

A supervisor should delegate tasks to their subordinates so that they are not put in a position to do the work themselves.  However, if they do not delegate those tasks appropriately, then more than likely the tasks will need to be redone.  That is to say, you delegate tasks to those employees that have the skills and abilities to do those tasks.

Right Things versus Things Right

 

The problem that many of us face is that we sometimes cannot distinguish between doing right things versus things right.  If that is one of our problems and are willing to admit that flaw, then we no longer needed to be a supervisor until we can differentiate between the two comcepts.

Somewhat Political

 

A Very Ancient Temple and Theater

Field Museum scientist Luis Muro Ynoñán with the carving of a mythological bird creature in La Otra Banda, Cerro Las Animas. Ucupe Cultural Landscape Archaeological Project
CNN —




Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed the remains of what they believe are a 4,000-year-old temple and theater, shining a new light on the origins of complex religions in the region.

The team began studying the new archaeological site of La Otra Banda, Cerro Las Animas, in June. Last year, the local government alerted them to looting that had been taking place near the northern Peruvian town of Zaña, according to a press release from the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, Wednesday.

They excavated a plot roughly 33 feet long and 33 feet wide, finding signs of ancient walls made of mud and clay at just six feet deep.      READ MORE...