Somewhat Political

 

China's Supersonic Jet

CHINA is vying to take on the 'Son of Concorde' with an even faster supersonic jet that could blast from London to New York City in less than two hours.

Beijing-based Space Transportation - also known as Lingkong Tianxing Technology - has been carrying out test flights and recently reached a speed of 3,106 mph which is four times the speed of sound, according to Chinese media.

The so-called Jindouyun engine, or JinDou400, could enable travel twice as fast as the iconic Concorde.  In the latest test it was able to reach altitudes over 65,600 feet, the company claims.

It achieved this by doing away with compressors and turbine parts you find in most rocket engines, relying on detonation combustion technology instead.  This tech uses a detonation ramjet to create essential thrust.     READ MORE...

Traffic - Dear Mr Fantasy - Live - 1972

 

 

Lying

 

Damages

 

Losers

 

Morality

 

The Plan

 

Hopping Around

 

Reflecting on 2024

 

I think the main things that immediately stick in my mind are the killing of the healthcare CEO and the burning of a sleeping woman on a subway by an illegal immigrant.

Sad that this is how most of us are going to remember 2024.

Obviously, Trump won the Presidential election in November and the GOP won the Senate and the House by a slim majority.  The GOP will once again be tested to see if they can govern rather than fight among themselves.

We also have wars continuing in Ukraine and Israel, but Assad was kicked out of Syria and now the rebels are in charge and while that hurts Iran, I am not sure if this new regime favors the USA.

Amazon and Starbucks called a worker strike right before Christmas and while their timing was perfect, I don't think it prevented Amazon from making their delivery commitments.  Perhaps the workers will get something out of this, but it will only raise prices which will result in some of them getting laid off.

I believe the biggest problem facing the USA in not any of what I just listed but the following:

• The National Debt
• A Divided America

Both of these items are critical, and it seems like the hate in America is so strong that neither side is ever going to take a step forward to compromise.  It is either my way or not way at all.

2024 was good for my wife and I because we achieved our savings goal and the money that we had in a CD is generating enough money for us to buy a year-old car in 2025.

All in all, it has been a good year.

Somewhat Political

 

Surprise Planet Discovery

New research reveals a fourth planet in the Kepler-51 system, altering our understanding of this unique system with three known ultra-low density “super-puff” planets.

Researchers utilized a range of telescopes, including NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, to detect unexpected transit timing variations that suggested the presence of an additional planet. This discovery adds complexity to the system’s dynamics and poses new questions about the formation and characteristics of these rare super-puff planets.

New Planet Discovered in Kepler-51 System
A team of researchers from Penn State and Osaka University has discovered that an unusual planetary system, known for its three ultra-low density “super-puff” planets, includes at least one more planet. While observing Kepler-51d, the third planet in the system, with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the team encountered a surprise: the planet transited its star two hours earlier than predicted by existing models.

To solve the mystery, the researchers analyzed both new and archival data from a range of space- and ground-based telescopes. Their investigation led to a compelling explanation: a previously undetected fourth planet, whose gravitational influence affects the orbits of the other planets in the system.

This groundbreaking discovery is detailed in a paper published on December 3 in the Astronomical Journal.     READ MORE...

THE ROLLING STONES - Honky Tonk Women

Jimmy Carter Dies

Former President Jimmy Carter, a man who redefined what a post-presidency could be, died Sunday. He was 100.  His son, Chip Carter confirmed that the former president died at his home in Plains about 3:45 p.m.

Explore:  Read the life story of former President Jimmy Carter, the man from Plains

Carter, who lived longer than any other U.S. president, entered home hospice care in Plains, Georgia in February 2023 after a series of short hospital stays.

The only Georgian ever elected to the White House, Carter left office after a single term that was highlighted by forging peace between Israel and Egypt, but was overshadowed by the Iran hostage crisis. In the decades after, his reputation grew through his and wife Rosalynn Carter’s work at the Carter Center in Atlanta and his philanthropic causes such as Habitat for Humanity.  

“People will be celebrating Jimmy Carter for hundreds of years. His reputation is only going to grow,” Rice University history professor Douglas Brinkley wrote in his book “The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter.”        READ MORE...

In The NEWS

Azerbaijani and US officials suggest plane crash caused by weapons fire.

Russia's aviation chief claimed a Ukrainian drone attack was occurring in Chechnya as the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed (see previous write-up) was attempting to land in Grozny. The aviation chief did not confirm if Russian air defenses accidentally shot it down. Azerbaijan Airlines attributed the crash to unspecified “physical and technical interference” and has suspended flights to several Russian airports.



Fallen cryptocurrency mogul Do Kwon to be extradited to the US.

Montenegro agreed to release Kwon, the cofounder of the collapsed cryptocurrency firm Terraform Labs, to face federal fraud and conspiracy charges in the US. The collapse of Terraform Labs, triggered by the 2022 crash of its TerraUSD stablecoin and its Luna sister token, caused investors to lose $40B. Kwon also faces charges in South Korea, which also sought to take custody of him.



Longtime CBS Sports broadcaster Greg Gumbel dies.

Gumbel died Friday at age 78 after a battle with cancer. His broadcasting career spanned over 50 years, during which time he became known for his work on major events like the Super Bowl and NCAA March Madness. He also served as an anchor for ESPN's "SportsCenter" and was an announcer and studio host for NBC Sports in the mid-1990s.



South Korea installs second acting president in two weeks.

Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok will take over as the country's next acting president after the National Assembly voted to impeach the previous acting president, Han Duck-soo. Lawmakers impeached Han for his refusal to fill three vacant seats on the high court; the appointments were needed for the court to rule on the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.



CDC says bird flu virus likely mutated within a Louisiana patient.

Genetic analysis of the bird flu virus in a Louisiana patient showed the virus had mutated during infection to become more transmissible to humans, similar to changes seen in a patient in British Columbia. The Louisiana patient is in critical condition after being exposed to sick and dead birds from backyard flocks. According to the CDC, the overall risk to the public remains low, and there's no evidence of human-to-human transmission.



NFL Christmas Day doubleheader sets streaming record on Netflix.

Netflix's doubleheader broke records as the most-streamed NFL games in US history, with an average of 24.3 million viewers for the Ravens-Texans game and 24.1 million for the Chiefs-Steelers game. Both figures outpaced the NBA's five-game Christmas Day lineup, which averaged about 5.25 million viewers per game across its platforms.



NASA's Parker Solar Probe survives closest-ever approach to sun.

The 1,510-pound Parker probe (see overview) successfully came within 3.8 million miles of the sun on Christmas Eve and confirmed its safe status by transmitting a beacon signal back to Earth ahead of schedule late Thursday night. The milestone marks a significant achievement in NASA's mission to study the sun's corona and solar wind, with more detailed data expected to be received Jan. 1.

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Ongoing Battle with Cancers

 At the end of this month, I will complete my 16th year of being treated for non-Hodgkin's small B cell Lymphoma and 14th of being treated for Melanoma.

I have had 365 infusions averaging right at 2 each month, even though some month during those years, I had 3 infusions each month.

My body has handled all those toxins pretty well although, my WBC & RBC & Platelets have remained consistently at the lower level or below the recommended range for males.

I never lost my hair but for 6 months my infusions made me so sick that my wife took me to the ER in order to get my vomiting to stop.  The vomiting was not normal to me as my body would sweat so much it was like I had just gotten out of shower.

When I vomited my body would arch up like an angry cat and retch for a minute or more until the green toxins came out of my mouth.  I could feel my body pulling it up from my groined it seemed.

When I stopped, I was so exhausted, I just laid on the cold tile floor for several minutes shivering so violently my entire body shook.

Sixteen years later, my treatments are immunotherapy, which is not so hard on my body, but I am still left with constant fatigue daily, blurred vision, loss of hearing, night sweats, and intermittent nausea.  I think it has ruined my teeth but there is no evidence for that other than anecdotal.  

My Oncologist tells me that I will be getting treatments for both cancers for the rest of my life.

I am thankful for each day.

Somewhat Political

 

BRICS Controls 41% of the Global Economy

BRICS keeps expanding, adding 9 partner countries in January 2025, after admitting 4 new members in 2024. It now makes up roughly half of the global population and more than 41% of world GDP (PPP). It’s an economic powerhouse, with top producers of key commodities like oil, gas, grains, meat, and minerals.

BRICS, the Global South-led forum for economic cooperation, continues to grow in influence, as its seeks to de-dollarize and transform the international monetary and financial system.

After admitting four new members in 2024, BRICS officially welcomes nine new nations as partner countries on January 1, 2025. 

They are:

• Belarus
• Bolivia
• Cuba
• Indonesia
• Kazakhstan
• Malaysia
• Thailand
• Uganda
• Uzbekistan

With its nine members and nine partners, BRICS now makes up roughly half of the global population and more than 41% of world GDP (PPP).     READ MORE...