Sunday, November 3

Somewhat Political





 

Blended Wing Body Horizon


Unlike the automotive industry, aviation still is stable in terms of who's doing what. In a nutshell, legacy makers of airplanes still own most of the market, even if at times their
products and methods fail miserably. 

But, just like the arrival of Tesla and Chinese carmakers upset the order in the automotive world, the same will likely happen in aviation in the coming years, thanks to the efforts made by the many startups that have come to be recently.

One such startup is called Natilus (like the Lincoln SUV, only misspelled), and it operates out of San Diego, California. It first came onto our radar a couple of years ago, when it announced plans to build a blended wing body (BWB) flying machine capable of carrying cargo.

A blended wing body design means the aircraft's design shows no clear distinction between its body and the wings, despite the fact that both elements are present there. Because of its layout, it offers significantly more interior space, making it ideal for use in cargo transport.     READ MORE...

Little Feat - Dixie Chicken

Saturday, November 2

Trying to Understand

 


The phrase "in the image of God" does not refer to physical appearance, but rather to our shared human nature and the divine nature we bear. The Bible teaches that all people are created in the image of God, regardless of race or ethnicity, and that all races and ethnicities are equally valuable.



I find it strange that image and likeness of God does not refer to a physical appearance...
The other issue that bothers me about the above statement is that it is made by a religious scholar who is interpreting what he/she THINKS is on God's mind.
Finally, if God was not referring to a physical appearance, then why did He not STATE THAT.
Why does God want to be confusing in His words, or is it that He does not want mankind to know what He really means?
Religious scholars ARE NOT going to speak negatively of God in their interpretations of his word.


After much inward debating, I finally except the reality that god is both good and evil. Not only are there scriptures that back up this idea, but it simply makes logical sense. Of course this is not a new idea. Many eastern religions have come to this conclusion long ago. Without out further ado, lets go through the bible verses that suggest that god is both good and evil.

"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things."      Isaiah 45:7

So, if God is both GOOD & EVIL, then that would explain why mankind is both good and evil.
It also explains why good will never triumph over evil because God does not want it to, since he himself is BOTH.
It also explains why evil is allowed to flourish on earth since good and evil are God's nature.

If God is both good and evil then why does God state that they only way that you can enter God's kingdom is through his son, who is PURE GOOD, with no signs of evil at all.

God gives you good and evil behaviors but only wants you to turn to God's good side for ever-lasting life.

Does that mean that God can only create good and evil people, not just good one or not just bad ones?
If that's the case, what about Jesus?

Something does not make sense here.

Groom

 

An Opinion

 

If you are a gambler, I wonder what the odds are for the Presidential Election on Tuesday.


Will the Dems win the white house and the congress or will the GOP?

Will it be a partial victory for either party that will split the struggle for power?

If there is still a struggle for power, then how will our country move forward positively?

  • Will there be gasoline flowing again?
  • Will we move towards green energy?
  • Will we move closer to WWIII?


I don't know who will win and I am not sure that I care because:

  1. we are a divided country
  2. we are a racist country
  3. we are a changing country
  4. we are a country of technology
  5. we are a country of the wealthy

BUT...  if I had to lean in one direction, I think I would lean towards Donald Trump.
WHY?
Because:
  1. The Dems have a candidate that was forced upon them by Obama, Pelosi, and Schumer, and not one they had a chance to nominate to represent them.
  2. Kamala's choice for VP is more liberal than her which again alienates a percentage of the party that still believe in being moderate.
  3. Robert Kennedy left the party and will take moms with him who want health and safety for their children.
  4. Kamala's message of Trump being a Nazi undermines her message of UNITY for the USA and Biden's comment about Trump supporters being garbage also undermines the message of unity.
  5. I also don't believe that many Americans care about Trump's felony charges and convictions as they see them as being manipulated.
  6. Trump has a proven track record of building a growing economy that he achieved in his first term in office.
  7. Trump, whether liked or not, is perceived as someone who can stand up to China and Russia and change global respect of the USA.

SO THE QUESTION IS WILL AMERICANS VOTE FOR OR AGAINST CANDIDATES OR VOTE FOR THE CANDIDATE WHO WILL BE THE BEST FOR THE USA, REGARDLESS OF THEIR PERSONAL FEELINGS?


In The NEWS


Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Rapper Young Thug changes his plea to guilty on trial related to involvement in a street gang; plea could end Georgia's longest-ever criminal trial (More) Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Costas to retire from calling play-by-play on MLB games after 44-year career (More)

> Comcast sees 36.5% year-over-year revenue growth for Q3, fueled by NBCUniversal's coverage of the Paris Olympics; NBC's streamer Peacock tops 36 million subscribers (More) | "Wicked" film adaptation projected for $85M box office opening weekend (More)

> NFL star Patrick Mahomes among ownership group looking to bring new WNBA franchise to Kansas City in 2028; Mahomes currently owns stakes in Kansas City's NWSL, MLS, and MLB franchises (More)


Science & Technology
> OpenAI releases SearchGPT for paid users, providing a search engine powered by its ChatGPT chatbot; product is viewed as a direct competitor to Google (More) | The history of OpenAI (More, w/video)

> Researchers discover defense mechanisms behind the bacteria known as MRSA, which causes antibiotic-resistant staph infection; may lead to new treatments for the bug, which kills 120,000 people worldwide each year (More) | What are superbugs? (More)

> New weight-loss drugs including Ozempic, Wegovy shown to significantly reduce arthritis; trial showed pain reduction on par with opioid treatments (More) | How semaglutides work (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -1.9%, Dow -0.9%, Nasdaq -2.8%), dragged by Microsoft and Meta; Microsoft's stock falls in worst day in two years after lower-than-expected forecast (More) | Amazon rises 6% in after-hours trading after beating revenue and earnings expectations (More)

> Peloton shares close up 28% after company names Apple Fitness+ cofounder and Ford executive Peter Stern as new CEO; Stern will be third CEO to lead Peloton since its founding in 2012 (More) | Uber shares close down 9% after company posts weaker-than-expected gross bookings for Q3 (More)

> Personal consumption expenditures price index rises 2.1% year-over-year in September, down from 2.2% in August (More) | US average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rises to 6.7%, up from 6.5% in the previous week (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Death toll from historic flash flooding in Spain surpasses 150 people as rescuers continue to search for bodies (More) | See previous write-up (More) | At least two people killed after Typhoon Kong-rey strikes Taiwan's east coast (More)

> North Korea fires new intercontinental ballistic missile in test launch, the first such launch in nearly a year; missile—reportedly designed to reach the US—flew for 86 minutes in longest flight recorded before falling into waters east of North Korea (More)

> More than 60 million ballots cast so far in the US election (More) | See national polls (More)


SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

US Constitution

 

When the Founding Fathers drafted the US Constitution in 1776 and it was ratified by all the states by 1779, it reflected the values, principles, morals, and values of a religious group of people from over 200 years ago.


At the time, blacks were not mentioned but referred to as persons held to service and were considered to be THREE FIFTHS of ONE PERSON for purposes of congressional representation.  Blacks (slaves) were made citizens in 1868.


Also, at the time, women did not have the right to vote.  A bill was introduced to change that in 1878 but was not ratified until 1920.


The Founding Fathers in 1776 were considered to be WASPS.  WHITE ANGLO SAXON PROTESTANTS.  AND the Founding Fathers all were considered to be EDUCATED and WEALTHY.


Between 1700 and 1775, approximately 52,200 convicts sailed for the colonies, more than 20,000 of them to Virginia. Most of these convicts landed and were settled along the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers. 
SOURCE:  The History Press

This is the main reason why NORTHERNERS look down their noses at SOUTHERNERS.


Do you think that our FOUNDING FATHERS really wanted to BRITISH CONVICTS as citizens of America...  and do you think our FOUNDING FATHERS wrote the US CONSTITUTION with CONVICTS in mind?


Personally, I think that our US CONSTITUTION needs to be RE-WRITTEN and not just revised with amendments so that it properly reflects the PEOPLE OF THE USA in 2024.

Times have changed.

Religion is no longer a fundamental aspect of our lives, and it certainly no longer has much influence over our lives even for those who are still religious.

Blacks are concerned, and rightly so, that the US Constitution is inherently prejudice and racial and favors the whites rather than Americans in general.

With all the illegal immigration that has been allowed into the USA, the US Constitution has absolutely NO BEARING on them at all!!!

Trump claims that he will send them all back home but that is easier said than done.  Maybe the gangs will be captured and deported, but a bunch of illegals will never be found.

THE CULTURE OF THE USA HAS CHANGE AND THE US CONSTITUTION NO LONGER REFLECTS THAT CULTURE...

Somewhat Political

 





Atmospheric Rivers


Scientists at UC Santa Barbara found that atmospheric rivers in both hemispheres have moved approximately 6° to 10° closer to the poles over the past 40 years. This means that the areas affected by atmospheric rivers are farther north in the Northern Hemisphere and farther south in the Southern Hemisphere than they used to be.

The researchers explain that an underlying cause of the shift is cooling in the eastern tropical Pacific over the past four decades, although they note that the chain of events “remains to be fully explored.”

Atmospheric rivers are flowing streams of water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere that have a major impact on levels of rain and snow. They can vary widely in size and intensity, but the average one can convey the same amount of water vapor as the water flow at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

One of the famous is known as the "Pineapple Express", a strong atmospheric river that delivers moisture from the tropical Pacific around Hawai'i towards the west coast of the US and Canada. When this band of balmy, moist air reaches the West Coast, it can cause significant downpours across California, as well as Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.         READ MORE...

Come Monday - Jimmy Buffett

Friday, November 1

Life in 2025

 

I remember when Trump lost the election in 2020. my brother sent my sister and I and email that was stated very simply:  OUR NATIONAL NIGHTMARE IS FINALLY OVER...


I did not respond to his email, but I have waited for four years so that I could respond by sending him a similar email.

Joe Biden has probably been one of the worst Presidents in our nation's history outside of Jimmy Carter.
  • Illegal Immigration
  • Inflation
  • National Debt
  • Global distrust of USA
  • WOKE, BLM, CRT
  • Racism
  • A divided country
  • Slow growing economy
  • Crime and violence
  • Increase in Illegal Drugs

However, sending my brother that email might be a TAD PREMATURE if Kamala Harris wins the election, especially since she is on record as having saying:  THAT SHE WOULD NOT CHANGE A THING...

This election, in my opinion, marks a crossroads in not just American Politics, but in the culture and quality of life here in America.

If Harris wins and she claims she will not change anything, then the following will happen:
  • Continued government spending
  • Continued inflation
  • Continued illegal immigration
  • Increased K-12 education cost
  • A divided country continues
  • A potential WWIII 
  • China taking over global leadership from USA
  • The huge cost of going green
  • The end of gasoline and natural gas
  • A enormous strain on our power grid
  • A really slow growing economy
  • Americans fighting illegal immigrants

I am not joking or speculating...  this is what will happen because Kamala Harris says she will not change anything from Biden's previous 4 years.

MORE OF THE SAME...


Perfect LIPS

 

Visit to SAMS


 Every other month, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, my wife and I travel to SAMS in Knoxville.  It takes about 45 minutes to get there, depending upon traffic of course.  Walmart is right besides, so we sometimes shop at both.


Today, it was just SAMS and what we look for are bulk items which at usually, but not always, cheaper.  Our trip consisted of toilet paper, paper towels, Kleenex, McCafe pods, Mountain Trail Mix, cans of chicken and tuna, Olive Oil spray, toothpaste, and some salads...  There were a few items that we could not find.


Once we finish shopping, we purchase two hotdogs and 32oz drinks for $1.25 each.  The hotdogs are all beef and remind me of the hotdogs I used to buy at baseball games when I went to see the Washington Senators.


So, we paid $2.50 plus tax for our lunch that was delicious and filling.


Some of the items were on sale and the $15 in savings was offset by the $15 in tax.


Each box of coffee pods lasts me about 30-33 days, I had just opened my last box, so I will be in need of a trip to SAMS in about 2 months.


BTW -  we pay attention to prices of bulk items and sometimes it is still cheaper to buy the individual items at WalMart.  I have no idea if other shoppers make those price comparisons or not or just assume bulk is always better.

Atlas Goes Hands On

Term Limits

 

Chocolate

 


Guns

 


Replacement

 

Reagan