Friday, August 16
Thursday, August 15
Most, if not all of us, go through phases that many would classify as: adolescence, teenager, young adult, adult, middle age, senior citizen, retired... all of which takes us towards and into DEATH... with death being our final phase which is pretty much instantaneously. That is to say that while some of us slowing die, when we finally die the actual occurrence takes less than a second.
We know what happens before death but what happens after death?
- Nothing?
- Something, but we don't know what yet?
- We turn into a spirit
- We are born again into someone or something else
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> The 2024 Paris Olympics brought in over 30 million viewers a day across NBC platforms, an 82% increase from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics (More) | Gymnast Jordan Chiles forced to return bronze medal in women's floor exercise final after arbitration panel denies Team USA's appeal (More)
> Dallas Cowboys become first sports franchise worldwide to top $10B valuation (More) | Frank Selvy, two-time NBA All-Star who once scored an NCAA Division 1- record 100 points in a game, dies at 91 (More)
> Fans won't be allowed outside Wembley Stadium for Taylor Swift's five-night concert stint in London in wake of Vienna terrorist threat (More) | MTV Video Music Awards shifted to Sept. 11 due to recently scheduled presidential debate (More)
> Google begins rolling out AI-powered voice chatbot Gemini Live to Android users, rivaling ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode; latest feature was announced at Google's Pixel 9 launch event (More) | See all updates (More)
> Researchers develop first-ever thermally insulated, "smart" breathable clothing that can adapt to fluctuating temperatures; technology could help safeguard workers in hot environments (More)
> Extinct walrus-like species discovered in the UK and Belgium; fossil of mandible, dating from 1.7 million to 2.2 million years ago, sheds light on evolution of modern walruses (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +1.7%, Dow +1.0%, Nasdaq +2.4%) following news wholesale prices rose 0.1% last month, below expected 0.2%; consumer price index report due this morning (More)
> Avon files for bankruptcy to offload about $1.3B in debt amid hundreds of lawsuits alleging cancer links to the talc found in company's eye shadows, other makeup products (More)
> Paramount to shut down 11-year-old TV studio by end of week in cost-cutting effort in advance of merger with Skydance Media (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Tropical Storm Ernesto expected to strengthen into a hurricane by tomorrow after moving through the Caribbean, north of Puerto Rico, as of this writing (More)
> Arizona and Missouri to vote on proposed amendments codifying the right to an abortion in state constitutions in November ballot initiatives (More)
> Iran reportedly willing to refrain from vowed attack on Israel in the event of a Gaza cease-fire (More) | Talks to restart tomorrow; Hamas reiterates conditions reportedly agreed upon in July (More) | The US approves $20B in weapons sales to Israel including fighter jets, air-to-air missiles (More)
Our Flip-Flopping Government
Liberals versus Conservatives
<OR>
Democrats versus Republicans
<OR>
Socialists versus Capitalists
WE, the PEOPLE...
have put ourselves in an unbelievable LOSE/LOSE situation with our Federal Government and our elections every four years.
BUT...
if and when our situation changes then we will NO LONGER be a DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC...
Here is our DILEMMA...
First, Donald Trump was president and sets all sorts of programs in place that changed our culture and society...
Second, four years later, Joe Biden becomes president and sets all sorts of programs in place, most of which were completely opposite to those of his predecessor...
Third, during these eight years, the house went from Republican control to Democratic control and back to Republican control.
GUESS WHAT?
The HOUSE went off in one direction with the Republicans then went off in an opposite direction with the Democrats, then when the Republicans took back control, it went in the opposite direction of the Democrats.
Fourth, also during these eight years, the Senate went in the exact same direction from Republican to Democrat and may or may not change in this next Presidential cycle.
By now, you should be getting the idea. The American people because of our flip-flopping political system rarely ever gets anything accomplished other than passing a temporary budget that is short term at best.
What the Democrats are going to try to do with all this illegal immigration is make these illegals citizens of the USA in the hopes that they will vote the DEMOCRATIC TICKET.
If that happens, there is a very good possibility that the Republicans WILL NEVER HAVE any control of the House or Senate ever again. It could also be that same way for the Presidency. If and when this happens, the USA will no longer be a DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC that embraces a two-party political system.
This will fundamentally change our country and there is no telling how that change will alter the future of the USA domestically and internationally.
Transforming MARS Could be Easier
neighbor so it could support human civilization. The idea might not be so far-fetched, research published today in Science Advances suggests.
Injecting tiny particles into Mars’s atmosphere could warm the planet by more than 10°C in a matter of months, researchers find—enough to sustain liquid water. Although the scheme would require about 2 million tons of particles per year, they could be manufactured from readily available ingredients found in martian dust.
“It’s not that often you get some really quite new, innovative idea for terraforming,” says Colin McInnes, a space engineer at the University of Glasgow not involved with the work. “The gap between where Mars is and where Mars could be for habitability is narrower than we might think.” READ MORE...
Wednesday, August 14
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Georgia, Ohio State, and Oregon are Nos. 1, 2, and 3 in college football's AP Top 25 preseason poll; the 2024 season kicks off Aug. 24 (More)
> Rachael Lillis, "Pokémon" voice acting star, dies at age 46 of breast cancer (More) | Ángel Salazar, actor best known for role in "Scarface," dies at age 68 (More)
> Universal Music Group and Meta sign multiyear agreement to expand licensing and monetization opportunities for Universal artists on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp (More)
Science & Technology
> High levels of an enzyme associated with lipid production correlated with higher risk of severe illness and death from flu, COVID-19, and RSV, per new study; may be indicative of overactive immune response (More)
> New mechanism for bacterial cell division discovered; when filaments in the center of a cell bump into obstacles, they begin to dissolve, forming a ring-like structure to kick-start the division process (More)
> Psychopharmacology journal retracts three papers on MDMA's potential for post-traumatic stress disorder following the Food and Drug Administration's rejection of drug application; retraction is attributed to unethical conduct during clinical trial (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.0%, Dow -0.4%, Nasdaq +0.2%) ahead of latest batch of inflation data this week, including July's consumer price index report (More)
> KeyCorp shares close up 9% after the Cleveland-based regional bank announces $2.8B minority stake sale to Canada's Bank of Nova Scotia (More)
> Equinox-owned Blink Fitness files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; the low-cost gym has over 100 locations across seven US states, which will remain open (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Former President Donald Trump interviewed live by Elon Musk on X platform after 40-minute delay; see key takeaways (More) | Trump seeks $100M in damages over 2022 Justice Department raid of his Palm Beach, Florida, residence (More) | New York judge rules Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can't appear on state's ballot because he falsely claimed New York residency (More)
> Ukraine reportedly seizes at least 386 square miles of Russian territory and at least 28 settlements, following Ukrainian force's incursion last week into Russia's southwestern Kursk Oblast (More) | See maps (More) | See war updates (More)
> Trial begins for former Las Vegas, Nevada, official Robert Telles, accused of murdering a local journalist in 2022 who was investigating alleged mismanagement in Telles' office (More) | See previous write-up (More)
ALL POLITICIANS ARE CORRUPT
One of these days, Americans will wake up to the fact that all politicians are corrupt.
While the extent of their corruption varies from one individual to the next all of them will eventually fall into the corrupt category as long as they serve more than ONE TERM.
Why do I say this?
Because, the wealthy corporations, lobbyists, PACS, and individuals that fund the campaigns of politicians, ONLY DO SO in order to receive what they have asked for.
In other words, I will fund your campaign only and only if you give me what I have asked for.
- It could be voting a certain for a bill.
- It could be hiring a relative.
- It could be pushing a specific piece of legislation.
- It could be to receive special permits.
- It could be to vote against Jews.
Every politician is guilty of this even though they will deny it when asked because your question is not a threat to them, and they do not have to tell the truth.
However, if CONGRESS asks them, then Congress is a threat, and they will tell the truth in order to avoid jail time. The problem with Congress is that they are comprised of corrupt politicians as well.
The general public will always be forced to accept corrupt politicians as a way of life, here in America even though it is WRONG. We, the PEOPLE, can do nothing to stop it except to vote in someone new.
I am not sure if our FOUNDING FATHERS realized this would happen or not... part of me believes that they did know but that they just wanted to turn their back on this problem, since they were probably all corrupt as well.
This is why other countries look at us and laugh because we claim to be something that we are not, and they know it. We are seen as FOOLISH for not seeing it ourselves. In other words, we are no better than they are, even though we perceive ourselves as being better.
"A FOOL IS BORN EVERY MINUTE IN THE USA..." PT Barnum
Magnetic Levitation for Cars
Nowadays, cars use batteries and motors to move, however, this way of movement is very inefficient because overcoming friction and gravity takes most of the energy. But Japan presents a very innovative solution which is magnetic levitation and will be the (supposed) end of hydrogen engines.
A group of Japanese researchers attached to the Quantum Machine Unit of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) report having created a track that provides magnetic levitation, which does not need external maintenance power.
By the latter, we mean that it does need power, but only at start-up for the generation of the magnetic field it initially requires. After that, objects, including cars, will operate by moving on it without using any other type of thrust energy such as batteries or motors. READ MORE...