In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> MLB regular season wraps with postseason kicking off tomorrow; see playoff bracket (More) | Chicago White Sox set modern record for most losses in a season with 121 (More)

> YouTube blocks content by Adele, Green Day, Bob Dylan, and more amid legal dispute with a performing rights organization (More)

> Kris Kristofferson, Grammy- and Golden Globe-winning country music legend and actor, dies at age 88 (More) | Drake Hogestyn, longtime "Days of Our Lives" star, dies at age 70 (More) | John Ashton, actor best known for "Beverly Hills Cop" franchise, dies at age 76 (More)


Science & Technology
> California passes law expanding its consumer privacy laws to give users of brain-computer interface devices ownership over their neurological data (More) | California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) vetoes AI safety bill, siding with tech execs (More)

> Geologists discover new subduction zone—an area where one tectonic plate slides underneath another—in the Eastern Pacific (More)

> SpaceX launches mission that will eventually return pair of astronauts stranded on the International Space Station following malfunction of their Boeing vehicle; return trip slated for February (More) | See previous write-up (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed Friday (S&P 500 -0.1%, Dow +0.3%, Nasdaq -0.4%), with the Dow closing at a record high; key inflation data from August gives traders hope for additional interest cuts this year (More)

> Government-facilitated talks between Boeing and union workers collapse, with no dates scheduled for further discussions; total US gross domestic product estimated to have dropped by $1B since walkout of 33,000 production workers began this month (More)

> WeightWatchers CEO Sima Sistani departs amid 90% drop in share value over the past year; Sistani had spearheaded $106M acquisition of telehealth company prescribing weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Austria's nationalist-populist Freedom Party leads in yesterday's parliamentary elections with nearly 30% of the vote, the first win of its kind since WWII; remaining parties are in negotiations to form a coalition without it (More)

> Nepal flooding and landslides leave at least 148 people dead, with capital of Kathmandu hardest hit (More)

> The US says its airstrikes in Syria this month killed 37 al-Qaeda- and ISIS-affiliated militants, including two senior operatives (More)

SOURE:  1440 NEWS

OCTOBER FIRST, 2024

 

We have made the transition into another month, this time, we are putting the month of September behind us.

September was a particularly boring month with nothing special to remind us of it, at least, not me and my family.

October plunges us into Fall marked by decreasing temperatures, leaves turning colors and falling, Halloween, and the decorating (carving) of pumpkins.

I've always had good memories of October but maybe because this is my birthday month.  However, with that aside, I really like the weather that is typically associated with October, and fondly remember unpacking all my flannel shirts.

Of course, many others see October as being well into College and Professional football and all the tailgating that is going to be done all across the USA.  The rest of the world does not quite understand the mania that is associated with football.

Growing up in Alexandria, VA which is located 4 miles south of Washington, DC, my family was focused on the WASHINGTON REDSKINS every time they played.  My family always enjoyed watching the Redskins whether they won or lost but I never attended one of their games.

I was highly disappointed when they changed their name.

The downside for me with Fall/OCTOBER is the raking of leaves.

Our house had lots of trees in the front yard, so we had lots of leaves to rake.  I would rake them, and my dad would burn them in a drainage gulley that separated our yard from the road.  It was an all-afternoon affair and was accomplished over a period of 2-3 Saturdays, since we never did yard work on Sundays.

My mother would always make a big pot of GOULASH while we were raking to be eaten for dinner.

Somewhat Political

 

Technology Trends for 2025

Unbelievable as it seems, we’re rapidly approaching 2025. This means it’s time for me to once again pick the trends that I believe will be most important over the coming year.


The biggest trends go beyond mere buzzwords. They identify the direction of travel of the most transformative technologies, set to drive significant change in the way we live and work, as well as how we understand and interact with the world around us.


These are the “big picture” ideas that I believe every individual and business that wants to be ahead of the curve should have on their radar. Each of them presents significant opportunities but also creates risks and ethical challenges that can’t be ignored.


So, we’ll start with my high-level overview of the most important trends, which I’ll then dive more deeply into and explore at a more granular level as we count off the months, weeks and days to the new year!     READ MORE...

CROSBY, STILLS, NASH Woodstock 1971

I Support the JEWS

Personally, I hope ISRAEL kicks the dog crap out of HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, HOUTHIES, and IRAN in the hopes of sending them a message not to mess with the JEWS.

And I don't really care what anyone thinks about me or my message at this point in time as I am fed up with the Democrats, the liberals, and the socialists who got this country into this predicament in the first place.

I can just imagine what MUSLIMS think of all the rights we give the gays and trans in this country, and it is funny in a way how many of these weirdos support the Palestinians.  It just goes to show you how stupid they really are.

The Jews have a FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT to destroy those who want to destroy them.  SURVIVAL is what keeps this world of ours moving from one decade to the next and from one century to the next.

What the world does not really understand yet about the JEWS is that they don't care what the rest of the world thinks of them.  All they care about is their own survival...  which makes perfectly good sense to me.

HAMAS started this war, back by IRAN who was allowed to support HAMAS because BIDEN gave IRAN their frozen money back.  Talk about being stupid.

Now the conservatives have to clean up the mess that the Dems started in order for ISRAEL to do what it needs to do to survive.

I hope Israel gets to finish what the other side started, letting IRAN know that the JEWS ain't like cowardly American Democrats.

Waiting

Standards

 

Ruined

 

Racist

 

Animals

 

Going GREEN

 

Yesterday, I was at a UT Medical Center facility near my home getting my monthly infusion of IVIG.  While I was there, there was an enormous amount of wind and the power in the facility went out.  Seconds later, the lights came back on because of the back-up generator.

Another client in infusion area asked the question:  Don't generators operate on gasoline?

That got me thinking and since I had already written and posted my Saturday and Sunday articles, I was left with no choice but to schedule this posting for Monday, today.

So, here was what I was thinking about.  There are literally, I would assume, THOUSANDS of medical facilities, many of which are critical care facilities...  and many of which are located in environments where solar energy is not always available.

THEREFORE...  would we not need gasoline powered generators when the power goes out, especially since we may not have access to BATTERIES???

ANYWAY...  how many back-up batteries do we currently have out there that customers have purchased or need to purchase?

I would think that there are some but not that many.  Especially not that many to cover the ENTIRE USA, Alaska, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rice.

STRANGE...  how these GREEN enthusiasts have not mentioned the need to BATTERIES...

Somewhat Political

 

Quantum Basis for Conciousness

A groundbreaking study has provided experimental evidence suggesting a quantum basis for consciousness.

By demonstrating that drugs affecting microtubules within neurons delay the onset of unconsciousness caused by anesthetic gases, the study supports the quantum model over traditional classical physics theories. 

This quantum perspective could revolutionize our understanding of consciousness and its broader implications, potentially impacting the treatment of mental illnesses and our understanding of human connection to the universe.

Exploring the Quantum Basis of Consciousness
For decades, one of the most fundamental and vexing questions in neuroscience has been: what is the physical basis of consciousness in the brain? Most researchers favor classical models, based on classical physics, while a minority have argued that consciousness must be quantum in nature, and that its brain basis is a collective quantum vibration of “microtubule” proteins inside neurons.

New research by Wellesley College professor Mike Wiest and a group of Wellesley College undergraduate students has yielded important experimental results relevant to this debate, by examining how anesthesia affects the brain. 

Wiest and his research team found that when they gave rats a drug that binds to microtubules, it took the rats significantly longer to fall unconscious under an anesthetic gas. 

The research team’s microtubule-binding drug interfered with the anesthetic action, thus supporting the idea that the anesthetic acts on microtubules to cause unconsciousness.      READ MORE...

Brooks & Dunn - Boot Scootin' Boogie (Live at Cain's Ballroom)

I'm An American

 

As far as my heritage is concerned and according to the historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. there is a paper trail of my family's heritage that can be linked to Charlemagne.

BFD, is my comment.

The point here is that I am from Europe, plain and simple and my ancestors settled here and gave birth to people who eventually gave birth to me and my siblings.

We are original Americans so to speak...  and I AM NOT REPONSIBLE for slavery, nor is my daughter responsible for anything that I might have done.

I have lived through several presidents going back to Eisenhower who I barely knew but remember his name being thrown around at the dinner table.

Some of these presidents were good, others not, most were just mediocre, since the Congress is really what gets the work done, up until the presidents realized they could sign Executive Orders and bypass the Congress.

Wonder why they needed to do that; I wonder???  LOL

Since 2016, I have heard people say that if a certain person gets elected president that they are going to leave the USA out of disrespect for that president.

I cannot understand why any American would feel that way and continue to seriously refer to themselves as American.  Americans support this country regardless of what she does or does not do because they are Americans.

I did not support the Vietnam War, but I still enlisted in the military in 1969 and served until 1974.  Because of that enlistment, my entire college education was paid for, no student loans.

I am not a liberal, a democrat, or a socialist but I will remain in this country and support her even if one of them gets elected in November.

Why?

Because I am an American!!!

Sunday Blues

 

It has been a long-standing tradition for Americans not to work on Sunday since it is considered to be a HOLY DAY.

However, these days don't matter, if you work in healthcare, law enforcement, news media, retail, entertainment, sports, or the military.  In short, pretty much everyone works on a Sunday.

For me and others like me, who are retired, every day is a Sunday so to speak.  Each day that we wake up alive is a special day and a day for which we should be grateful, whether we are 8 or 80.

Most of us don't think about each day as being special or that we should be grateful for it, we just think it is another day.  I'm sure this is true for people in prison or those who only have a few days or hours left to live.

However, it should not be that way for the rest of us.

Some of us are alone and have no one with whom to share our life and for them, every day is not so special.  It is true that having a companion is better but altogether not necessary.  It is up to you to find your own joy; a companion cannot find that joy for you.

I find joy in writing.  I can write whether I am with someone or if I am alone and become absorbed in that writing.  Being out and around nature also provides me with a similar degree of joy.  I don't need a companion to walk through a wooded area and appreciate what is around me.

Find your own joy and graciously accept what life has given you.

Our House

 

We have been in this new house of ours for 15 months now, after living in our last one for 22 years.

We downsized the house and yard and have been very satisfied with our decision to do that.  It now takes me an hour to do lawn maintenance that before took three hours, which included mowing, trimming, and weed eating.  We are also on one level.

What I miss most is my HOT TUB.  I would get into that hot tub about 2-3 times a week, all year long, and relax in the 102/103 temperatures for about 20 minutes.  You would still be so warm in the winter once you got out, dried off, and put on a robe, that you would not really notice the cold, except maybe on your face.

This new house of ours is well laid out, better than our previous one, and we are really enjoying the difference.  My wife, spends her days out on the sunroom while I remain in the living room.

We have two spare bedrooms, both of which have been designated to our three cats.  One bedroom with the bed, is used for them to sleep and the other one is where their food and litter box resides.  They spend most of their time on the bed that was put there for guests, although, we never expected to have guests.

Every room has a fan except for the laundry room and bathrooms and garage.  Our garage is big enough for two cars and some storage against the walls and there is a small 20X20 foot area underneath the house for storage that also has a crawl space.  The yard is slopped so that you can gradually walk down to it.

There are trees on two sides of the house, a road in front of the house, so we only see the house of one neighbor.  The cats like the layout of the yard because it makes them feel surrounded and protected.

The house is very easy to cool in the summer and very easy to heat in the winter - well insulated, except for the sunroom which we are gradually working on.

Our neighbors are better than the ones we had before, and we are really pleased that we decided to move here.

In The NEWS

At least 39 killed, millions without power from Hurricane Helene.

Helene ripped through Florida and Georgia Friday after reaching Florida's Gulf Coast Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane. By Friday morning, Helene downgraded to a tropical storm. Helene triggered floods across the Southeast and knocked out power for roughly 4.5 million people. See photos from the aftermath here.



Israel says it struck Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut.

At least six people were killed and at least 90 wounded, according to Lebanon's health ministry. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was reportedly the target of Israel's airstrike, which was aimed at Hezbollah's central headquarters in Lebanon's capital, Beirut. It is unclear if Nasrallah was killed. The news of the attack came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly, vowing to continue fighting against Hezbollah.



New York Mayor Eric Adams (R) pleads not guilty to federal charges.

Adams entered the plea Friday in a Manhattan courtroom a day after prosecutors unsealed charges against him. Adams allegedly accepted illegal campaign donations and undisclosed gifts in exchange for favors for Turkey’s government and Turkish business owners. Adams is the first New York City mayor (of 110 total) to be charged with a federal crime while in office. See our previous write-up here.



FDA approves first novel schizophrenia drug in over 70 years.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Cobenfy, a twice-daily pill from Bristol Myers Squibb that influences dopamine levels in the brain by changing levels of another neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. Schizophrenia affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves; symptoms include hallucinations and difficulty in organizing thoughts (watch overview). About 3.7 million US adults live with schizophrenia.



Kentucky sues Express Scripts for alleged role in fatal opioid crisis.

Kentucky accused the pharmacy benefits manager of contributing to the opioid epidemic by failing to properly monitor and report suspicious opioid prescriptions. Express Scripts allegedly placed opioids on preferred tiers and neglected to impose limits in exchange for rebates and other payments from opioid manufacturers. Visualize the opioid crisis here. Watch 1440's overview of opioids here.



Japan's ex-defense minister to become next PM after five tries.

Japan's governing group, the Liberal Democratic Party, elected 67-year-old Shigeru Ishiba to become the nation's next prime minister beginning next Tuesday. Ishiba defeated opposing candidate Sanae Takaichi by a party vote of 215 to 194. Ishiba will replace outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who announced last month he would step down amid record-low approval ratings.



Fed's key inflation gauge rises as expected in August.

The core personal consumption expenditures price index, which measures costs consumers pay across a wide swath of items, excluding food and energy, rose 2.7% year-over-year and 0.1% month-over-month. Both figures were mostly in line with analyst estimates. The index is the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation measure; the central bank targets 2% annual inflation. Learn more about the index here.

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Amazed by JOURNALISTS

 

The first time I remember hearing about a journalist who had not executed their job properly was DAN RATHER at CBS who did not verify sources.  CBS removed him from his news anchor slot after that SNAFU.

Since then, there has been a gradual transition from journalists like Dan Rather to journalist who don't give a shit what they publish and if it is accurate or not.

For example:

• Russia Hoax
• Hunter Biden's laptop

It seems like misinformation is the norm but only conservatives, the Democrats say are responsible for publishing disinformation.  That in and of itself is misinformation.

But we also have a problem with journalist making something out of nothing just so they might be able to increase their readership.

Case in point:

I recently saw an article entitled, "Where did it go wrong for Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever?"

Basically, one could say, it went wrong when the Indiana Fever played a superior team.

As I understand it, the Indiana Fever were lucky they got into the playoffs as the last team selected so unlike MARCH MADNESS in college basketball, the WNBA was pretty much not expecting any upsets.

NOT EXPECTING are the key words here.

But Caitlin Clark who is the Rookie of the Year, was expected by the media no doubt, to pull sometime out of her bag of tricks and take the Indiana Fever to number one.

It ain't gonna happen folks.

So, this ambitious writer had to make a big deal out of the loss by direction the reader's attention to where it might have gone wrong.

IT'S ALL ABOUT BEING A SUPERIOR TEAM...

and damned if it isn't just that simple.