Friday, November 15
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Actor and filmmaker John Krasinski named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive for 2024 (More)
> Timothy West, British stage and screen actor, dies at age 90 (More) | "Full House" actor Dave Coulier reveals stage 3 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer diagnosis (More)
> Disney settles class-action lawsuit with 9,000 female workers alleging they were paid less than their male counterparts in comparable roles (More)
Science & Technology
> Researchers use data from millions of smartphones across the globe to map Earth's ionosphere, the layer of charged particles in the upper atmosphere (More)
> Scientists identify the gene controlling tomato sweetness, genetically modify the plant to control sugar levels without affecting size (More)
> Well-preserved fossil allows scientists to reconstruct the brain of a bird living 80 million years ago, during the Mesozoic era; discovery sheds light on the evolution of avian intelligence (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close near flatline (S&P 500 +0.0%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq -0.3%) after consumer price index rose 2.6% year-over-year in October, in line with expectations (More) | Netherlands-based Just Eat Takeaway sells Grubhub for $650M four years after buying it for $7.3B (More)
> Spirit Airlines shares close down 59% on reports company is preparing to file for bankruptcy after failed merger talks with Frontier Airlines (More) | Rivian shares close up nearly 14% after Volkswagen boosts investment in the EV company to $5.8B as part of new joint venture (More)
> Swedish payments giant Klarna files for US initial public offering, though number of shares and price range of offering are yet to be determined; analysts value Klarna around $15B (More) | Want to learn about IPOs, and tons of other topics? Join 1440 Business & Finance (Sign up here)
Politics & World Affairs
> CIA official Asif William Rahman is arrested in Cambodia, charged with violating the Espionage Act by leaking top-secret classified documents on Israel's retaliation plans against Iran last month (More)
> Pakistan reveals plans to add hospital beds to treat the nearly 70,000 people suffering respiratory issues on average each day amid record levels of smog in eastern Punjab province (More) | See photos of smog, visible from space (More)
> National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration releases US snowfall predictions, expected to be lower this year due to La Niña weather pattern, with some northwestern and Great Lakes states experiencing higher snowfall (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Education
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In 1966, I graduated from high school and enrolled in college in North Carolina. It cost $500 each semester and my parents paid for my first semester. After that, I worked full time while I attended college, and paid my own tuition, books, fees, housing, and food.
At the end of 5 semesters, I was not enjoying college, so I dropped out and enlisted in the US Navy. After two years in the Navy, I returned to college and the GI Bill (of which I contributed nothing but my time in the military) paid for my last two years of college but two years of graduate school.
I also worked full time while I was attending college and graduate school.
Before leaving school (1966-1968) I worked in a Hosiery Mill dying socks during the afternoon from 3-11pm. When I returned to school (1972-1974), I worked at a biological supply house. When I went to grad school (1979-1981) I directed a non-profit.
My two years in the military was completed during the Vietnam War and as such I qualified for ALL GI BILL benefits... that in my case, happened to be 4 years of higher education.
It was a small price to pay for the EDUCATION that the GI BILL paid for.
During my 45-year career, my BA degree and my MBA degree OPENED DOORS that would have otherwise been closed... however, I very seldom used any of my education during my career. Not only, was the knowledge acquired seldom used, MY GRADES or GPA was NEVER a deciding factor for my employment even when I was hired by colleges to teach classes.
If by some chance, I had an opportunity to live my life over again, I would have never gone to college in the first place.
I would have enlisted into the military right out of high school and retired twenty years later at 38 years of age. I would have done this because my military pre-testing scores were high enough to keep me from being in the infantry.
At 38 years of age, I could have saved my retirement money and used my technical training to work a second career, where I could have retired at 58 or longer. If I was smart, I would have found a company that had a retirement programs, so that at age 67, I would have been entitled to THREE RETIREMENT INCOMES... plus, my medical would be completely covered for the rest of my life.
Going to college is not always the best course of action to take...
Interstellar Tunnel
Our solar system resides in a unique low-density bubble called the Local Hot Bubble (LHB). Stretching at least 1,000 light-years, this region glows in X-rays due to its million-degree temperature. However, because its atoms are so sparse, this extreme heat barely affects the matter inside. It’s fortunate for life on Earth, but this enigmatic bubble has long puzzled astronomers.
Theories suggest that the LHB was carved out millions of years ago by supernova explosions. A chain of these stellar detonations likely blew away the interstellar medium, creating this expansive cavity. Recent breakthroughs from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) have shed light on the LHB's true nature and its intricate structure. READ MORE...
Thursday, November 14
A Life Lived Fast
I turned 77 last month but I do not feel a year older... I feel like it was only last month that I retired at 67 but it appears now... that was 10 years ago... ten years is a frigging decade.
My life has passed by so fast, and I am not the only one who thinks that way - everyone I have talked with who is in their 70s thinks that their life passed by quickly - even those who were in Vietnam and thought it was FOREVER before they got out of there.
Since I am still above ground, it would be easy to say that life has been good to me... it is difficult for me to admit it has always been that way because it has not.
My life... because of my personality... has been not so pleasant for me and/or those around me... I am out-spoken, opinionated, oftentimes rude, and do not think before I speak... Many bridges have been burned behind me and the path I have taken.
But... the passing years have made it difficult to make amends... either I am unwilling to accept those conditions, or the other people are unwilling to give me any conditions... therefore, it is just me, my wife, a friend in Canada, and a few people who live around me that don't care about my past.
I am unapologetic for how I was because that is how I was, and I cannot take back how I was... even if I were to apologize for it... many people do not understand my logic and perhaps, it is not logic but stubbornness.
At this point in my life, I can no longer worry about those who dislike me or who do not want to be friends.... I can only worry about how my life is lived going forward for the few years that I have remaining.
This is the life that is now the most precious for me.
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> English author Samantha Harvey's novel "Orbital" wins prestigious 2024 Booker Prize for best English-language novel published in the UK or Ireland (More)
> Frank Auerbach, iconic British-German painter, dies at age 93 (More) | John Robinson, former head football coach for Southern Cal and the Los Angeles Rams, dies at age 89 (More) | Gerry Faust, former Notre Dame head football coach, dies at age 89 (More)
> Film about former FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in the works at Apple and A24 (More) | Denzel Washington tapped for role in upcoming "Black Panther 3" film (More)
Science & Technology
> Alphabet's Waymo makes its driverless robotaxis available to the general public in Los Angeles; company now logs 1 million autonomous miles per week (More)
> Physical exercise can help stimulate the growth of nerve cells, study suggests; muscle contraction releases myokines, molecules shown to facilitate neural growth in lab experiments (More)
> Ice core sample study suggests average global temperatures have risen 1.49 degrees Celsius (2.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels; current estimates are about 1.3 degrees Celsius (More) | Explaining the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold from the Paris Agreement (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow -0.9%, Nasdaq -0.1%) for first time since Election Day (More) | Bitcoin briefly hits $90K for first time (More)
> Justice Department sues to block UnitedHealth Group's $3.3B acquisition of home and hospice care provider Amedisys (More) | Elliott Management pushes Honeywell to separate into two businesses after taking $5B stake (More) | 23andMe reports 12% year-over-year revenue decline in second quarter; report comes one day after company said it is laying off 40% of its workforce (More)
> Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella top Fortune's annual list of 100 most powerful people in business (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> President-elect Donald Trump selects South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) to lead Department of Homeland Security, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) to serve as US ambassador to Israel, Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense, former Texas congressman John Ratcliffe (R) as CIA director; see all Trump picks here (More)
> Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, head of the Church of England, resigns following review indicating he failed to report a barrister's serial sexual abuse of boys in the 1980s; Welby is the first Anglican archbishop to resign over a sexual abuse scandal (More) | Read last week's report (More)
> Federal Aviation Administration pauses US flights to Haiti for 30 days after gangs in Port-au-Prince open fire on Spirit Airlines flight from Florida to Haiti and separate JetBlue flight from Haiti to New York City; violence follows Haiti leadership shake-up (More) | Who is Haiti's new prime minister? (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
A Rat's Rear End
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Personally, I don't give a rat's ass who won the election because my life as a retiree will continue the same way I have lived since 2015...
- My wife and I are not in debt and have been debt free for about 20 years.
- We buy what we NEED not what we WANT and we make sure that our money is being wisely spent.
- We have a simple lifestyle has not and will not change due to an election.
- We have money saved that will supplement our social security income and pay our bills until we are both 95 years of age - if we live that long.
- We live in east TN where is crime and violence are minimal and very few illegal immigrants want to come here because of our handgun carry permits.
- The cost of living in east TN is substantially less than many other parts of the country including three hours away in Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta.
Many young people in east TN are able to buy houses even though salaries and wages are lower than most of the other states. A $150,000 home here would be almost twice as much or more in other places.
I have lived in east TN since 1990 - 34 years - and my salary has never been over $50,000 a year. With that salary, I have purchased homes, vehicles, clothes, meals at restaurants, vacations, etc. and have never NOT BEEN ABLE TO BUY WHAT I NEEDED due to my annual income.
HOWEVER. I save money because:
- I never had any college debt
- I don't smoke cigarettes
- I don't drink alcohol
- I don't participate in illegal drugs
I had one daughter from a previous marriage and as soon as she was born, I set up a trust fund for her college. I put money into that trust fund until she graduated from college. The trust fund paid for four years of college plus gave her $10,000 when she graduated.
ABOVE ALL ELSE I CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE LOWER MIDDLE CLASS...
Humanoid Robots will Transform Manufacturing
The global workforce is on the brink of transformation, driven by a new wave of humanoid robots that bring human-like adaptability and intelligence to warehouses, restaurants, homes and even factory floors. The surge of innovation isn’t just confined to a single company; it spans a diverse group of leading robotics firms, each contributing uniquely to this exciting evolution.
Argon Mechatronics, Boston Dynamics, Apptronik, Figure.AI, Unitree, Agility Robotics, and Tesla are reshaping what’s possible for the next wave of intelligent automation. This is the story of how these advanced humanoid systems are transforming the workforce.
Boston Dynamics, well-known for the viral videos of its dancing, jumping and parkour-savvy robotic creations like Atlas, is now extending its influence to industry. Spot, their quadruped robot, is already being used for industrial inspections, construction site monitoring, and safety operations, showcasing the versatility of robots in challenging environments.
Boston Dynamics, well-known for the viral videos of its dancing, jumping and parkour-savvy robotic creations like Atlas, is now extending its influence to industry. Spot, their quadruped robot, is already being used for industrial inspections, construction site monitoring, and safety operations, showcasing the versatility of robots in challenging environments.
Spot can be equipped with a variety of accessories, such as the Spot CAM+ for panoramic views and Spot Core for integrating custom applications, making it a useful tool for inspection and automation. The humanoid Atlas, meanwhile, can take these abilities to the next level, extending them to search and rescue and plant and equipment operations. READ MORE...
Wednesday, November 13
January 20, 2025
The election of Trump by so many Americans HAS and WILL CONTINUE to baffle Democrats for many months to come.
It is obvious, that the Democratic Party no long represents Average Americans or the Working Class but the CULTURAL ELITE who feel they know what is best for everyone else.
The cultural elite brought us:
- high gas prices
- inflation
- illegal immigration
- crime and violence
- fentanyl
- CRT, WOKE, DEI
- Cancel Culture
- Trans in Female Sports
Trump has, more than two months away from inauguration, has already demonstrated that his next administration will be dramatically different than his first four years.
Using Musk and Ramaswamy, through the dept of govt efficiency, the existing swamp will be drained... govt employees are part of a UNION, so it is difficult to FIRE PEOPLE but restructuring govt is not FIRING.
The new Sec of Defense, Pete Hegseth will turn the PENTAGON upside down as well, getting rid of many high-ranking military personnel who cared more about being WOKE than building a strong military.
The USAG, Matt Gaetz, will make sure that those DAs who tried to put Trump in jail with bogus charges will be investigated for any wrongdoing and abuse of power.
At least for TWO YEARS, Trump will have a Republican House and Senate which is why on JAN 20, 2025 his cabinet will be in place and his administration can hit th ground running.
He will not make the same mistakes he made during his first administration.
The USA will experience a huge shake-up in the govt, as it shrinks and depts are eliminated like the Dept of Education, which probably will be one of the first depts to go, turning it over to the private sector.
If Trump can accomplish what he wants to accomplish, much of the EXCESS in GOVT will be removed and in so doing will shrink the Govt budget.
Services will not be reduced, they will be privatized and still offered, they will just be offered with more efficiency and effectiveness.
GAS PRICES WILL DROP
INFLATION WILL DECREASE
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WILL BE GONE
POLICE DEPTS WILL BE FUNDED
CRIME AND VIOLENCE WILL DECREASE
OUR ECONOMY WILL GROW
EMPLOYMENT WILL INCREASE
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