Sunday, February 14
Saturday, February 13
Pelosi Calls Republicans COWARDS
She said these Republicans were more concerned about their political survival than protecting the constitution.
"What we saw in that Senate today was a cowardly group of Republicans who apparently have no options, because they were afraid to defend their job, respect the institution in which they serve," Pelosi said of the majority of the Senate GOP who found Trump "not guilty" of incitement of insurrection. SOURCE: Fox News
FREEDOM... of speech...
Conservative Views are being suppressed on College Campuses...
Mainstream Media is censoring conservative views from the public...
Congress is trying to destroy conservative views forever...
According to the US Constitution and our Bill of Rights, the First Amendment protects our FREEDOM of SPEECH and FREEDOM of RELIGION... and, while that is true, there are still people and institutions that do not want to listen to opposing points-of-view especially when they do not agree with their point-of-view... and, that attitude defeats the original purpose of not just our First Amendment, but the FREEDOMS on which our country was founded...
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According to our online dictionary, freedom is defined as: the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
Yes... I can say whatever I want to my next door neighbor and to some stranger at WalMart without fear of being shot by a handgun or put in jail or losing my job... but, that is not true for SOCIAL MEDIA... I have been told by several people that they were KICKED OFF OF FACEBOOK because of their conservative views and claims that they were inciting violence.
Yes... I agree that violence should never be incited... even though the history of the United States is based entirely upon inciting violence against Great Britain.
Throughout my entire lifetime up until the Presidency of Donald Trump, I was allowed to voice my opinion... but, now conservatives are being censored and their voice suppressed and this is not the kind of freedom for which I stood when I was in the military.
Rugby Australia
The Lions are due to visit South Africa in July and August with a three-Test series against the world champ. But issues around Covid-19, including the emergence of a new variant in South Africa, has led to uncertainty over the viability of the tour.
"We're here to help," Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"What we learnt from the Tri Nations last year and the tennis that's happening now is that Australia can successfully stage global tournaments in a Covid world.
"It's particularly tough in the UK and South Africa at the moment and I believe the more international rugby that gets played here, the better."
McLennan says profits from the tour would be split between the Lions and South Africa, with Rugby Australia covering their costs.
The Lions board have been discussing contingency plans in the event the trip has to be abandoned, including the possibility of hosting games in the UK and Ireland.
Crowds have returned to watch live sport in Australia, with up to 30,000 fans allowed to watch next month's Australian Open in Melbourne.
Friday, February 12
East TN Snow
Starting early in 2021, we have had several snows so far and it is only half way through February, but these snows melted away the very next day... and in 1 or 2 cases, it was warm enough not to stick at all while it was falling, not on the road, ground, or trees which is rather unusual to say the least.
I cannot imagine any longer living in an area where the snow falls 1-2 feet deep or 3-5 feet deep and remains on the ground several days or even all winter. As a child, I faintly recall LOVING the snow and can still imagine going outside (all bundled up) to play all day with my friends in the neighborhood.
Keystone Pipeline OUT -- Trucks, Boats, and Trains IN
A Web of Oil and Natural Gas Pipelines Already Crisscross America Linking Up Customers and RefineriesU.S. Shale Production Currently Dwarfs What the Keystone XL Could Ultimately Carry
SOURCE: Brookings.Edu (2014 Data)
Never underestimate the power of old data to rear its ugly head and bite you in the ass because it was ignored... Also, look at all the byproducts of Petroleum Crude Oil. And, do you really think that Americans are willing to give up their cars and airplanes and plastic containers?
IRAN: Tehran's Nuclear Deal
Iran’s foreign ministry has rejected any new negotiations or changes to the participants of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers, after French President Emmanuel Macron said any new talks should include Saudi Arabia.
“The nuclear accord is a multilateral international agreement ratified by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which is non-negotiable and parties to it are clear and unchangeable,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh was quoted by state media as saying on Saturday.
President Joe Biden’s new administration has said it will rejoin the deal but only after Tehran resumes full compliance with its terms.
But Iran has rejected US demands to reverse its acceleration of the nuclear program before Washington lifts sanctions on Tehran.
Saudi Arabia and its ally the United Arab Emirates have said that Gulf Arab states should be involved this time in any talks, which they say should also address Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for proxies around the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia, which is locked in several proxy wars in the region with Tehran including in Yemen, supported Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.
Thursday, February 11
Kill or Murder
KILL is defined as
MURDER is defined as
Wednesday, February 10
Education
Consequently, I earned not only a BA degree but an MBA as well... and while my grades were not ever below a "B", I did not make STRAIGHT "A's" as many students do today.
Bear in mind, that I think grades are important but making straight "A's" because one memorized for the test and retained very little knowledge is, in my opinion, rather STUPID.
Let me explain...
I worked for 45 years and worked for about 10 employers. My career for the most part, revolved in and around EDUCATION... and, on several occasions I was actually HIRED TO TEACH...
Tuesday, February 9
Quantum Computing Concerns
A further 35 percent of experts claimed to be in the process of developing a quantum strategy, while just 16 percent said they were not yet thinking about it. This shift in focus comes as the vast majority (73 percent) of cyber security professionals expect advances in quantum computing to overcome legacy technologies, such as encryption, within the next five years. Almost all respondents (93 percent) believe the next-generation computers will overwhelm existing security technology, with just 7 percent under the impression that true ‘quantum supremacy’ will never happen.
Despite expressing concerns that other technologies will be overshadowed, an overwhelming number (87 percent) of CISOs, CSOs, CTOs and security directors are excited about the potential positive impact of quantum computing. The remaining 13 percent were more cautious and under the impression that the technology would create more harm than good.
“At the moment, we rely on encryption, which is possible to crack in theory, but impossible to crack in practice, precisely because it would take so long to do so, over timescales of trillions or even quadrillions of years,” said Rodney Joffe, Chairman of NISC and Security CTO at Neustar. “Without the protective shield of encryption, a quantum computer in the hands of a malicious actor could launch a cyber attack unlike anything we’ve ever seen.”
“For both today’s major attacks, and also the small-scale, targeted threats that we are seeing more frequently, it is vital that IT professionals begin responding to quantum immediately. The security community has already launched a research effort into quantum-proof cryptography, but information professionals at every organization holding sensitive data should have quantum on their radar. Quantum computing's ability to solve our great scientific and technological challenges will also be its ability to disrupt everything we know about computer security. Ultimately, IT experts of every stripe will need to work to rebuild the algorithms, strategies, and systems that form our approach to cyber security,” added Joffe. SOURCE: ContinuityCentral.com
Rockin' in East TN
And... while Medicare and Humana Supplement does not pay for everything, we are still in a pretty solid financial situation because of family and friends but especially because of where we live... here in East TN.
- There is no BLM movement in East TN
- There is no ANTIFA here in East TN
- There is no white supremacists here in East TN
- Schools are open here in East TN
- Businesses are open here in East TN
- Restaurants are open here in East TN
- Climate is moderate here in East TN
- Cost of living is lower here in East TN
I can have a perfectly cooked 8 ounce salmon with broccoli and a baked potato for $13 before taxes, right around $20 with taxes, unsweetened tea, and a tip... which is about what it costs for me to fill up my gas tank with gasoline.
When the third round of the stimulus checks are received via direct deposit, we will simply transfer the monies over to savings and continue with our lives as if nothing was received at all.
My wife and I feel fortunate that by the time our national debt grows to the point that our government will finally pay attention to it, that it will be future generates that will be forced to BITE THE BULLET, not US... And, while this may sound a little selfish... it is nonetheless true as neither political party wants to deal with the growing debt.
Stimulus Checks
vacation plans for a couple of reasons:
- we were in an older age bracket
- we had compromised immune systems
Monday, February 8
The First RAP MUSIC LYRICS Song
Bob Dylan NOT DYLAN THOMAS wrote and sung the below song... and, if you were to listen to this song, you would have no choice but to agree with me that BOB DYLAN actually released the FIRST SONG with RAP MUSIC LYRICS...
Released 1965
SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK BLUES by Bob DylanJohnny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
Look out kid
It's somethin' you did
God knows when
But you're doing it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin' for a new friend
A man in the coonskin cap, in the pig pen
Wants eleven dollar bills, you only got ten
Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin' that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone's tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May
Orders from the D.A. Look out kid
Don't matter what you did
Walk on your tip toes
Don't tie no bows
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plain clothes
You don't need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows
Oh, get sick, get well
Hang around a ink well
Hang bail, hard to tell
If anything is goin' to sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write braille
Get jailed, jump bail
Join the army, if you fail
Look out kid
You're gonna get hit
But losers, cheaters
Six-time users
Hang around the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool
Lookin' for a new fool
Don't follow leaders, watch the parkin' meters
Oh, get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance
Learn to dance, get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don't steal, don't lift
Twenty years of schoolin'
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don't wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don't want to be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don't work
'Cause the vandals took the handles
Sunday, February 7
Saturday, February 6
Counting Calories -- Weight Loss
I was not concerned about my weight until right around 1990. Prior to that year, I ate whatever I wanted to eat, I ate as much as I wanted to eat, and I did not care about sugars, fried foods, or the consumption of alcohol. However, prior to 1990, I was extremely active in my daily life. I was exercising regularly and very physical in everything that I did... For example, I would travel down to the Outer Banks of NC and spend 4-6 hours body surfing without stopping.
In 1990, I was 43 years old and had stopped smoking cigarettes (cold turkey) at the age of 40 and had gained 30 pounds which was starting to bother me. To stop the weight gain, I started counting my FAT GRAMS each day and after 3 months realized that if I ate above my AVERAGE INTAKE, I gained weight and if I ate below my AVERAGE INTAKE, I lost weight.
While this was going on, I was also running 5 miles a day, 7 days a week, until my knees started to hurt, then I continued the exercising by walking as fast as I could. My weight went up and down and never really stabilized... After a year or two, my weight loss concerned were all but ignored and I ate whatever I wanted to and in whatever amounts.
At the age of 60, my weight loss concerns resurfaced and I tried all sorts of diet plans, some of which were very restrictive, while others were not really enjoyable due to what it was that they wanted me to eat. My exercising at the gym was off again/on again as well... and, my weight went up and down but more up than it went down.
A nurse told me during one of my chemo treatments that exercising was not really responsible for weight loss... that the only way to lose weight was to simple EAT LESS whether or not that food was healthy did not really matter; however, eating healthy would lay the foundation to prevent diseases and help me live longer.... and, that diets were, for all intents and purposes, a waste of money.
It took a couple of years for that to sink in, but today, I follow NO DIET PLAN(S)... and while I do exercise when I can, my main focus is COUNTING CALORIES with the intent of eating LESS... and my food intake is HEALTHY.
- No sugars.
- No friend foods.
- No processed foods.
- No alcohol.
Friday, February 5
Random Thoughts on a Friday
FRIDAY MORNING HERE IN EAST TENNESSEE
One would say that I am a North Carolinian by birth but I have only spent about 35 years in that State and the other 38 years outside of that State. Tennessee is the next longest place in which I have lived with 30 years, going on 31 and it would appear that my life will end in this State as well.Unlike the rest of the State, East TN, is a different place to live... not really similar to Chattanooga, Nashville, or Memphis. One might say or make the claim that we are closer to Western NC than the rest of Tennessee. We are mainly a rural area with people who love to hunt, drive muscle cars, make moonshine, and smoke a little weed when the mood to do is upon us.
We don't much care for Government interference in our lives or telling us what to do and we have had very little respect for law enforcement, especially the highway patrol ever since I moved here in 1990. But, what we do care about around here is our faith... of which I am very supportive other than the concept of "BEING BORN AGAIN."
I have been Baptized twice in my life... once by my parents when I was less than a year old and once by ME when I was in my 60's... and, neither time, did I actually feel "born again," even though I BELIEVE... and, have living examples of that belief by the shear fact that I have lived with CANCER for over 12 years... actually, two cancers: Lymphoma and Melanoma.
I am not a Democrat nor am I am Republican.
I am not a Conservative nor am I a Liberal.
However, I am a conservative liberal... who supports both 1st and 2nd Amendments to the US Constitution... and who does not believe that he was raised on WHITE PRIVILEGE... I do not support the white supremacist movement nor do I support the black lives matter movements... as both are an insult to our DEMOCRACY.
I BELIEVE ALL LIVES MATTER...
I am AGAINST illegal immigration
I am in favor of LOW TAXES
I am in favor of a STRONG MILITARY
I am in favor of STATES RIGHTS
I am in favor of a small federal government
AND... while the northern states are up to their butts in snow and cold weather, East TN is in the high 40's low 50's today... and, this area has everything open for business... restaurants, schools, malls, stores... etc.
We have no burning of our cities... and, probably never will... we are different than the rest of the country which is one reason why I am here.
Robots Are Here
Provided by learningEnglish.VOANews.com
A Hong Kong-based robotics company says it plans to mass produce thousands of humanoid robots in 2021.
Hanson Robotics says four different humanoid models will start leaving factories during the first half of the year. One of the four is a robot named Sophia, which has received worldwide attention in recent years for looking and speaking in a very human-like way.
The company’s founder and CEO, David Hanson, told Reuters the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for robots designed to assist and engage with humans. “The world of COVID-19 is going to need more and more automation to keep people safe.”
He noted that in the past, many of the company’s robots were built by hand. But now, Hanson Robotics is beginning to expand its manufacturing operations.
Hanson said there are currently 24 models of Sophia, which will be used as a basis for creating “many other kinds” of models. While not providing an exact number, Hanson said the company aims to sell “thousands” of robots by the end of 2021.
The company says it plans to market its humanoid robots as helpful assistants in the healthcare field. For example, they can be used to take temperature readings to identify possible sickness or perform physical exercises with older people.
Such “social robots” are powered by machine learning methods and artificial intelligence (AI). They use cameras and sensors to recognize human faces and activities. The robots are built with tools to help them develop their own form of social and emotional intelligence over time..
PANDEMIC Heats Up Earth
Earth heats up due to pandemic’s cleaner air, study finds
by: The Associated Press, Nexstar Media Wire, Darcie Loreno
Earth spiked a bit of a fever in 2020, partly because of cleaner air from the pandemic lockdown, a new study found.
For a short time, temperatures in some places in the eastern United States, Russia and China were as much as half to two-thirds of a degree (.3 to .37 degrees Celsius) warmer. That’s due to less soot and sulfate particles from car exhaust and burning coal, which normally cool the atmosphere temporarily by reflecting the sun’s heat, Tuesday’s study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters reported.
The study states:
“The COVID-19 pandemic changed emissions of gases and particulates. These gases and particulates affect climate. In general, human emissions of particles cool the planet by scattering away sunlight in the clear sky and by making clouds brighter to reflect sunlight away from the earth. This paper focuses on understanding how changes to emissions of particulates (aerosols) affect climate. We use estimates of emissions changes for 2020 in two climate models to simulate the impacts of the COVID-19 induced emission changes. We tightly constrain the models by forcing the winds to match observed winds for 2020. COVID-19 induced lockdowns led to reductions in aerosol and precursor emissions, chiefly soot or black carbon and sulfate (SO4). This is found to reduce the human caused aerosol cooling: creating a small net warming effect on the earth in spring 2020. Changes in cloud properties are smaller than observed changes during 2020. The impact of these changes on regional land surface temperature is small (maximum +0.3K). The impact of aerosol changes on global surface temperature is very small and lasts over several years. However, the aerosol changes are the largest contribution to COVID-19 affected emissions induced radiative forcing and temperature changes, larger than ozone, CO2 and contrail effects.”
Overall, the planet was about .05 degrees (.03 degrees Celsius) warmer for the year because the air had fewer cooling aerosols, which, unlike carbon dioxide, is pollution you can see, the study found.
“Cleaning up the air can actually warm the planet because that (soot and sulfate) pollution results in cooling” which climate scientists have long known, said study lead author Andrew Gettelman, an atmospheric scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. His calculations come from comparing 2020 weather to computer models that simulated a 2020 without the pollution reductions from pandemic lockdowns.
This temporary warming effect from fewer particles was stronger in 2020 than the effect of reduced heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions, Gettelman said. That’s because carbon stays in the atmosphere for more than a century with long-term effects, while aerosols remain in the air about a week. TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE, Click Here...





















































