Baby Boomer

 I belong to a group of people referred to as BABY BOOMERS...  Those who were born after WWII...  in my case it was 1947.

I am not sure if the BABY BOOMERS did anything more than start the ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT movement and then when we became middle-aged, became part of the establishment.

I remember saying when I was 50 years old...  "let's stick it to the man...  Wait a minute, I am the man..."

Some BABY BOOMERS became very wealthy, but I was not that concerned with building my wealth as I was with maintaining a simple lifestyle.

Consequently, I stayed in the South where low wages were prevalent and in 2,000 became debt free and maintained that status ever since.

My wives (two marriages) and I have always owned our homes with the first purchase being 1970.

I have never worked with an organization long enough to have a retirement program, so my current wife and I are living on social security and what we have saved.  Not sure if it will be enough but somehow, we will make it work.

I don't regret anything that I have done or not done in my life so far and I would not change anything if I had it to do over again.

Somewhat Political

 

Hydrogen Teleported for the First Time

There is decarbonization that the world seems to be racing toward; hydrogen is seen to be one of the players in the clean energy revolution. Storage and transport remain big challenges in hydrogen, but innovations such as Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers or LOHC are remolding the face of hydrogen, making it more affordable and efficient in distributing it. 

Recently, pioneering projects that prove the high-demand and transformative use of this technology in the UK and Scotland are occurring for global implications about greener tomorrow.

Green hydrogen transport utilizing oil infrastructure is a pioneering effort by Exolum

In a historic first, Exolum has created the world’s first commercial-size project that uses existing oil infrastructure to transport and store green hydrogen. It is based at the largest freight port in England, Immingham, and the project depends on organic hydrogen carriers, compounds that can store hydrogen in liquid form in a safe manner.     READ MORE...

Deep Purple - Smoke On the Water (Official Music Video)

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Los Angeles Galaxy take on New York Red Bulls in 2024 MLS Cup Final tomorrow (4 pm ET, Fox) (More) | 2025 FIFA Club World Cup draw revealed; see full preview for the 32-team tournament (More)

> "Scrubs" television series reboot in the works at ABC (More) | HBO's "Harry Potter" television series to begin filming in mid-summer 2025 (More)

> Art Basel, thought to be North America's largest art fair, begins today from Miami Beach; see full preview of events and exhibitions (More)


Science & Technology
> NASA delays mission returning humans to the moon from 2026 to mid-2027, citing a flaw in the heat shield of the crewed landing module (More) | The history of NASA in four minutes (More, w/video)

> OpenAI releases its new o1 large language model; company says it can perform complex reasoning tasks and has 34% lower error rates on advanced problems (More) | Everything you need to know about OpenAI, from its failed coup to becoming the industry leader (More)

> Dietary fructose can promote tumor growth, with the liver breaking down the substance into nutrients used by cancer cells for fuel; estimates suggest fructose consumption has increased 15-fold over the past century (More)

Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.2%, Dow -0.6%, Nasdaq -0.2%) ahead of latest jobs report to be released today (More) | Bitcoin retreats from $100K record (More) | Heard about bitcoin but don't know how it works? Click here (More)

> US judge rejects Boeing's guilty plea deal over 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people; judge says appointment of an independent legal compliance monitor should focus solely on competency, not diversity requirements (More)

> Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield announces, quickly reverses plan to limit length of time anesthesia can be covered during medical procedures in Connecticut, New York, and Missouri following backlash (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Bullet casings discovered at scene of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's shooting were inscribed with the words "deny," "defend," and "depose"; police have released additional photos of the suspect as search for shooter continues (More)

> 7.0-magnitude earthquake off of the coast of Northern California prompts temporary tsunami warnings, evacuation orders (More)

> Democratic Republic of Congo investigates suspected respiratory illness behind at least 71 deaths last month; government says it is on high alert as it awaits laboratory results (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Life Happens

 

"Life happens when you are making other plans."  John Lennon

Such a simple statement but obviously full of total truth.

How many times has this happened to you?  It seems to happen to me quite often.  Earlier I might have said, it happens every 3-5 years, but now, I think it happens quarterly.

Maybe when one is younger one is better equipped to handle the unexpected, so when it happens it is hardly ever noticed unless it is really traumatic.

Who knows...

Some say that it is the unexpected that makes life rich and fulfilling, but I am sure that Yoko did not think that when her husband, John Lennon, was murdered.

Of course, that is an extreme situation and most of the time, we are dealing with:

• vehicle issues
• house issues
• children's issues
• health issues
• family issues
• work issues

Some of which can be mild, while others not so mild, like getting laid off unexpectedly.

The main part of life is, not worrying that much about all the downturns but making sure that you pick yourself back up and deal with it and not letting it deal with you.

One must have the right mindset to deal with life like that. Most people feel bad about themselves when setbacks happen...  as if it was something they did wrong.  That is usually not true.

Be proactive and turn a negative into a positive...  and, believe me, that trait only comes with practice.

Somewhat Political

 

BLACKBIRD - A Flying Taxi

A new type of flying car could soon be ferrying passengers through the skies using a novel propulsion technology, engineers say.

On Nov. 5, CycloTech, an Austrian company that builds flying car components, unveiled blueprints for its new "BlackBird" demonstrator aircraft — a flying car that uses a custom-made alternative to propellers.

Dubbed the "CycloRotor," this all-electric propulsion system is based on the principle of the Voith Schneider propeller (VSP) — which is frequently used on tug boats and ferries, CycloTech chief technology officer Tahsin Kart said in a promotional video. 

It's a circular rotor with small propeller blades inside, which spin around and can be used for both propulsion and steering.   READ MORE...

THE ROLLING STONES - Honky Tonk Women

Living in Reality

BE A DREAMER

reach out boldly child

into the heavens 

grab a star 

let it roll around 

in the palm of

your hand a little... 

smile

laugh 

giggle some 

let it energize you 

inspire 

mesmerizing too... 

when it disappears 

you are left grasping 

for its memories.

 

December 6, 2024

When we are young, this is easy to imagine, spending one's almost entire day in this fantasy...

In high school, it begins to fade, even more in college (if one attends), and gone completely before one is thirty.

Oftentimes, it returns in one's seventies or eighties but hardly ever before unless you are creative, an artist, or a writer of sorts.

WHY?

• We live in the reality of the moment, the way our culture and society demand that it be lived...
• We have rules and protocols, methods, procedures, and laws.
• We are respected and well to do, trying not to draw too much attention to ourselves.
• We are told not to out of line or out of step with our own kinds of people.

What a shame that we live in that kind of a reality. What a shame it is how much of life that we are missing, because we no longer dream or fantasize.

?????

 

Table

 

A Simple Than YOU

 

The Storm is Upon Us

 

Evidence

 

American Democracy

 

This is an interesting time of the year as one party gradually gives up control and the other party gradually assumes control...

The party that is leaving is saying that all of Trump's cabinet appointment suggestions are bad...

I have learned over the last eight years that whatever the Democrats say, one should believe the opposite.

But whatever the issues that arise, these liberals and democrats will always blame Trump and his team no matter what happens.

My gut feeling is that they will not stop until 2029 when Trump is out of office and the court of appeals has overturned his felony charges.

This is how democracy in America operates and why the rest of the world is looking at us with amusement.

Somewhat Political

 

All Electromagnetic Waves Absorbed

A new composite material developed by KIMS researchers absorbs over 99% of electromagnetic waves from different frequencies, improving the performance of devices like smartphones and wearables.

A team of scientists from the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) has developed the world’s first ultra-thin film composite material capable of absorbing over 99% of electromagnetic waves from various frequency bands, including 5G/6G, WiFi, and autonomous driving radar, using a single material.

This novel electromagnetic wave absorption and shielding material is less than 0.5mm thick and is characterized by its low reflectance of less than 1% and high absorbance of over 99% across three different frequency bands.     READ MORE...

Led Zeppelin Stairway To Heaven

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Disney+ integrates ESPN live sports and other select content into its offering, including two new Disney+ exclusive sports studio shows (More)

> Texas, Georgia, and Alabama highlight top 2025 recruiting classes for college football's national signing day (More) | Sports streamer DAZN signs roughly $1B deal for broadcast rights to all 63 matches for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (More)

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Science & Technology
> Drugmaker Eli Lilly reports its weightloss drug Zepbound showed more than 20% reduction in body weight, roughly 50% more effective than rival Wegovy in randomized control trials (More) | See comparison between the two (More)

> Researchers discover brain circuit linked to resilience against stress in mice; findings may lead to new treatments for chronic depression (More)

> Engineers develop new catalyst that efficiently turns methane gas into useful polymers; reaction produces formaldehyde, which can be combined with urea to create a resin found in common consumer goods (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow +0.7%, Nasdaq +1.3%), with all three indexes reaching all-time session highs and closing at records (More) | Bitcoin surpasses $100K in value for the first time; the cryptocurrency has jumped over 45% in value since the US presidential election last month (More)

> Amazon sued by Washington, DC, Attorney General Brian Schwalb (D) for allegedly excluding two historically underserved communities from access to Prime's expedited two-day delivery (More)

> General Motors to record over $5B hit to Q4 profit as it aims to restructure an unprofitable joint venture in Shanghai that has lost market share to Chinese manufacturers in recent years (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> South Korea's opposition parties submit motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol following martial law declaration this week; vote could come as early as tomorrow (More) | See previous write-up (More)

> President-elect Donald Trump to nominate cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (More) | Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) selected to lead Small Business Administration (More) | Peter Navarro selected as top trade adviser (More) | Jared Isaacman—first billionaire to conduct private spacewalk—chosen to lead NASA (More) | Army veteran Dan Driscoll selected for Army secretary (More) | See list of key appointments and nominations (More)

> Final House race called as Democrat Adam Gray is declared winner of California's 13th District; Republicans to hold five-seat majority (220-215) (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS