Friday, September 13
Boeing Goes on STRIKE
So... what I heard on FOX News this morning was that Boeing employees went on strike because they wanted a 40% wage increase and management only agreed to a 25% increase...
Well now...
Do I think that was a good idea?
No, not at all.
Why?
These employees want more money because of INFLATION...
We should bring inflation down, not raise wages.
Raising wages will cause more inflation because the wage increase will be passed along to the public in the COST OF GOODS SOLD.
Higher Prices = inflation
When more money is put into the economy and the demand does not increase (because the wages are too high) then shortages are created, and prices increase.
The public should know this because of the fluctuating gasoline prices.
I understand that the worker wants a higher salary/wage but if the prices go up, there will be a bunch of us who STOP BUYING AMERICAN MADE PRODUCTS... because they are too expensive.
Americans are shooting themselves in the foot and are too ignorant of economics to fully understand what they are doing to themselves.
This is ONE REASON why education is so important.
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by rapper Megan Thee Stallion, return for award show's 40th anniversary; see awards list and takeaways (More) | Frankie Beverly, frontman and founder of soul and funk band Maze, dies at age 77 (More)
>NFL hauls in 21 million viewers per game in Week 1, the most-ever for opening week and a 12% increase over last year (More) | See Week 2 preview (More)
> Justin Timberlake agrees to plea deal in drunken driving case; driving while intoxicated charges will be dropped (More) | Sean "Diddy" Combs accused of sexual battery by former Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard (More)
Science & Technology
> Meta admits to scraping data from every adult Australian Facebook user to train its AI models; says Australian law did not require it to provide an opt-out option for users (More)
> The lateral fabella, a tiny bone in the knee the size of a sesame seed, may have played a key evolutionary role in helping ancient humans walk upright; also linked to arthritis, only two in five modern humans have the structure (More)
> Researchers discover a new species of parasitoid wasp targeting adult flies; the wasp lays eggs inside other insects, ultimately killing the host (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +1.1%, Dow +0.3%, Nasdaq +2.2%) as investors weigh latest US inflation data and buy chipmaker stocks, including Nvidia and AMD, whose shares rose 8% and nearly 5%, respectively (More)
> TD Bank to pay $28M fine to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for sharing inaccurate and negative data about the bank's customers with credit reporting agencies since 2015 (More)
> PwC's US unit to lay off roughly 1,800 workers amid broader restructuring; marks accounting firm's first formal layoffs since 2009 (More) | Restaurant chain BurgerFi files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Mexico's Senate approves anticorruption overhaul requiring country's 7,000 judges run for election; constitutional revision—an initiative driven by the governing, left-leaning Morena party—came despite weeks of protests and strikes, with judicial workers saying the move will politicize the judiciary (More)
> Death toll from Typhoon Yagi and its aftermath rises to more than 155 people amid flash flooding and landslides; the typhoon is the strongest to hit Vietnam in decades (More)
> A man was arrested for arson over the Line Fire in San Bernardino, California (More) | Airport and Bridge Fires threaten Southern California, two of more than 60 wildfires burning in the US as of this writing (More)
Who Won the Debate?
What debate???
Just joking...
By now, you have heard from both sides claiming that their candidate won the debate based upon this or that.
Can you imagine either side actually admitting that their candidate lost the debate?
They would try and spin it to make their candidate look good regardless.
Does this debate really matter?
I don't think so...
Why?
A couple of reasons.
FIRST - both candidates lied. Who lied more or told bigger lies does not matter... a lie is a lie... and if they told lies during the debate, they will continue.
SECOND - regardless of what was said during the debate, people will vote for that person whose policies they support... or the party whose policies they support.
FOR EXAMPLE...
If you want to stop illegal immigrants from entering the USA, you will vote for Trump not Harris and that feeling has nothing to do with the debate.
If you think the government is going to take away your right to have an abortion, you will vote for Harris.
If you believe that Biden/Harris caused the inflation problem we have, you will vote for Trump.
If you think Harris can stand up belly to belly with Russia, China, Iran, and Horth Korea, then you will vote for Harris.
Consequently, the debate is irrelevant.
For EIGHT YEARS, the Democrats, and mainstream media have been against Trump... wouldn't you suspect that the public will finally believe that Trump is a bad person and should not be President.
Do you know another person who had the courage and discipline to stand up under all that pressure?
What will happen to Kamala when the pressure builds up against her that the media cannot spin or keep away from her?
Electromagnetic Wave Technology
In the ETH experiment, self-oscillations (blue-red) cause sound waves (green, orange, violet) to travel through the circulator only in one direction. Credit: Xin Zou
Water, light and sound waves usually propagate in the same way forward as in a backward direction. As a consequence, when we are speaking to someone standing some distance away from us, that person can hear us as well as we can hear them. This is useful when having a conversation, but in some technical applications one would prefer the waves to be able to travel only in one direction—for instance, in order to avoid unwanted reflections of light or microwaves.
Ten years ago, researchers succeeded in suppressing sound wave propagation in the backward direction; however, this also attenuated the waves traveling forwards. READ MORE...
Thursday, September 12
Mrytle Beach: Day Five
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Mauricio Pochettino, former manager of Chelsea and Tottenham, named coach of US men's national soccer team; former coach Gregg Berhalter was fired in June after leading Team USA for nearly six years (More)
> Sean "Diddy" Combs ordered to pay $100M over alleged sexual assault at a 1997 party (More) | NFL reviewing allegations of sexual assault against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, which were filed in a civil lawsuit Monday (More)
> Tiger Woods and PGA Tour officials meet with members of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund over potential $1B investment from the PIF (More)
Science & Technology
> NASA greenlights launch of mission to search for signs of life on Jupiter's moon Europa; the largest spacecraft ever built for a planetary mission, the Europa Clipper could launch as early as Oct. 10 (More) | NASA 101 (More, w/video)
> Microsoft demonstrates logical operations using the highest number of error-corrected quantum computing bits to date (More) | How quantum computing works (More, w/video)
> Researchers discover multiple species of fungi, bacteria, and viruses floating in the air at altitudes close to 10,000 feet; may represent a new pathway for the regional spread of pathogens (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.5%, Dow -0.2%, Nasdaq +0.8%) (More) | Oil prices drop more than 3% to lowest levels since 2021 following OPEC monthly report lowering growth forecast for 2024, 2025 (More) | What is OPEC? (More)
> Federal Reserve proposes rules reducing by about half the amount of extra capital banks will be required to have on hand following threat of litigation; updated rules will be finalized in coming months, were developed in response to 2008 financial crisis (More) | EU's highest court upholds 2016 tax fines for Apple, Google (More)
> Southwest Airlines chairman, six board directors to exit following pressure from Elliott Investment Management, which holds 10% stake; Elliott blames board for stock dropping over 50% in three years (More) | FAA investigates Delta Air Lines ground collision in Atlanta; no injuries reported (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Tropical Storm Francine turns into Category 1 hurricane, expected to strike Louisiana today as Category 2 hurricane; storm surge warnings also in effect for Texas (More) | See live updates (More)
> Israeli airstrikes hit humanitarian zone in Gaza, killing at least 19 people and wounding at least 60 others, per Hamas-run Health Ministry; Israel says it targeted senior militants culpable in Oct. 7 attacks (More) | Ukraine targets inland Russia, including Moscow with 140 drones, killing one woman and sparking building fires in largest attack of its kind (More)
> Artillery attack in southeastern Sudan market kills 21 people, wounds over 70 others, per doctors' union; attack comes after US- and Saudi-brokered peace talks fail to end civil war, government rejects international peacekeeping force (More)
Oil & Natural Gas
Oil and natural gas are an integral part of our everyday lives, and it’s not only the gasoline we put in our cars or the natural gas that heats our homes or businesses. Oil and natural gas are used in everyday products such as lipstick and deodorant and life-saving medical devices, such as MRI machines and pacemakers.
Byproducts from oil refining is used to produce plastics, as well as lubricants, waxes, tars and even asphalt for our roads. Nylon, polyester, and many types of fabrics we use that allow us to camp, recreate, and enjoy the outdoors are all made possible by oil and natural gas. In fact, all forms of transportation including the manufacturing of planes, trains, cars, boats, bikes, scooters, skateboards, and even electric cars require oil and natural gas products and components. SOURCE: COGA
So, why are the Democrats wanting to END Oil and Natural Gas?
ANSWER: Climate Change
That's all fine and good but most of the WORLD has no desire to stop CLIMATE CHANGE because it is TOO EXPENSIVE...
Makes the USA not just look foolish in the eyes of the rest of the world but as we move in that direction, that movement slows down our economy, which in the short run HURTS AMERICANS.
Plus...
pressure is being put of car manufacturers to produce electric and hybrid vehicles... BUT the public (both democrats and republicans) are refusing to buy them. That puts car manufacturers between a rock and a hard place.
Since we no longer produce enough refined oil for gasoline, we have to buy oil from other countries. Prior to 2020, we were producing more than enough oil where we could see our excess to other countries... which helped our economy.
It just does not make any sense to do what we are doing and have been doing these last four years.
Beyond Hydrogen and EVs
This grand vision reflects Sweden’s dense interest in decarbonizing the transport sector and puts the country on the cutting edge of green technology advancement. As Volvo pushes the boundaries of what is possible, Sweden is gaining recognition as a pioneer in environmentally friendly transportation.
Thus, not a single segment of the Volvo Group is passive in developing and using hydrogen fuel cell technology. FCEVs store hydrogen gas in tanks and generate electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen. This operation is fast and clean, except for water vapor, which is the only discharge given out. Some advantages of FCEVs over BEVs are refueling times and a more extended driving range. READ MORE...
Wednesday, September 11
Myrtle Beach: Day 4
For some it was a beautiful day but for others like my wife and I, it was a HORRIBLY COLD DAY...
Only one person got into the water and that was a young boy maybe 12-13 years old, and his chubby little body kept getting knocked over by the waves.
While the wind was not blowing as strongly as it had been on Monday, the temperatures were cooler which made the entire day feel like it was in the high 50s or low 60s.
Aside from an early morning walk along the shoreline and a trip back up to the room on the 6th floor for lunch, the day was spent sitting in a chair, listening to iHeart radio, an audiobook, or writing in my journal.
Instead of leaving at 4/4:30 when the lifeguard collects the chairs and umbrellas, we left at 3:00pm as we both were chilly and uncomfortable.
9/11 ANNIVERSARY
I am a Vietnam Era Veteran, serving from 1969 through 1974... and I was amazed that this country, THE USA, was so arrogant and egotistical that they allowed terrorists into this country and consequently allowed THE TWIN TOWERS in NYC to be completely destroyed.
NOW...
for the last 4 years we have allowed millions of illegal immigrants into this country, many of which are MUSLIM TERRORISTS, and no doubt will start implementing terrorist activities once the election in November 2024.
WHAT BOTHERS ME THE MOST IS...
the American people, after 20+ years, have completely forgotten that the USA was attacked over 20 years ago.
Out of sight... Out of mind...
Americans get emotionally alarmed only when an event is happening or has happened and then a FEW YEARS later, we are completely over it and go about our business as if it never happened...
And while there is some merit to that approach, it negates the fact that we should maintain an awareness it may happen again.
Now from 2020-2024, millions of illegal immigrants have come into this country, many seek a better life but there are also many who are criminals and/or terrorists...
QUESTION: Why have the alleged terrorists not taken action so far, if they are really here?
The answer is very simple, these terrorists, in my opinion, are waiting to see who wins the election in November. If Kamala Harris wins, then they will go into action because these terrorists and their sponsors don't see Harris as a strong leader who will take any kind of aggressive action.
DUMB ASSED AMERICANS have to wait until it actually happens again before they get upset and ask our government to PROTECT THEM...
STATES that have gun carry permits will initiate action immediately and start protecting themselves and their families.
Unless you believe that your LGBQT+ will protect you... then you might have to screw up your courage and start protecting yourself.