One Step At A Time

Personally...  I am glad that Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all counts yesterday by the jury because the jury really had no other choice if they wanted to keep black people from revolting, rioting, burning, and looting...  and, we must always remember what one of the BLM leaders said when being interviewed by the media:

"...PEACEFUL PROTESTS DON'T WORK HERE IN AMERICA...  VIOLENCE IS THE ONLY WAY THAT WHITES WILL LISTEN..."

Perhaps...  he is right...  who knows?

But...  one thing is for sure and that is that the BLACKS will not stop here with their demands and requests...  they will not stop until they perceive that they have gotten all that they can from the white majority in this country...  Blacks are only 13% of the population in the United States and right now, the whites are listening...  and, making an effort to APPEASE...  but, at some point-in-time, this appeasement will STOP and the whites will retaliate in the only way that they know how and that is through their MAJORITY STATUS.

What is curiously interesting and absent in these debates about what the blacks demand is the fact that WEALTHY BLACKS are not making any comments at all...  or, if they do make comments they are DIPLOMATIC in nature and try not to take sides.

BUT... the real question here is:  IF WE EDUCATE BLACKS AND/OR GIVE THEM MORE MONEY WILL THEY STOP JOINING STREET GANGS...  STOP SELLING ILLEGAL DRUGS...  AND STOP COMMITING CRIMES?

Ever since I was a teenager in the 1960's everyone knew that one could earn more money selling illegal drugs than one could earn with a COLLEGE DEGREE.  And, that fact-of-life has not changed...

WHY?

AMERICANS BUY MORE ILLEGAL DRUGS THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW...

and, until you stop Americans from buying illegal drugs our government and our law enforcement agencies will not be able to stop illegal drugs from being sold here...

BUT...  more importantly what will be the FATE OF BLACKS IN AMERICA...  now that BLM and ANTIFA have decided that only violent protests are being recognized and addressed...

AND...  what will happen in AMERICA if police departments are defunded, restructured, and no longer permitted to use DEADLY FORCE???

WAKE UP AMERICA...

How True

 

Filthy Paris Streets

Paris officials have blamed a "political smear campaign" after angry comments and pictures of filthy streets spread on social media criticising a "trashed Paris".  The hashtag "saccage Paris" went viral over Easter, with many of the messages accusing the city's Socialist leadership of ruining the capital.  They complained of uncollected rubbish, damaged pavements and graffiti.  The Paris deputy mayor said keeping the city clean had always been a problem.

However, the social media campaign was a "travesty of reality", Emmanuel Grégoire insisted. Paris was densely populated and cleaners were doing all they could, he told RTL Radio, but he said the French capital was no different from London, whose mayor Sadiq Khan faced exactly the same issues.

Among the thousands of tweets, Cyrille Capuano said that for years Paris had not lived up to its reputation as the city of light, and he accused Mayor Anne Hidalgo of turning it into a public dump.  READ MORE

COMMENT:  My wife and I visited Paris last summer for 4 days and 4 nights and while we enjoyed being tourists and seeing all the sights that everyone has read about, we decided that we would never visit Paris again because of:

• the unfriendly rude people
• the poor street directions and signage
• the dirty streets

And, while it may not have bothered the seasoned traveler, I found the Paris Airport and its facilities to be a pain in the ass to find one's way around.  Very few employees at the airport spoke English  nor were they helpful with their directions.  This airport was HUGE and there was a lot of WASTED SPACE.

Hot Tub Fiasco

For several weeks I was unable to use my hot tub because of a heart monitor I was wearing as it was water resistant but not water proof...  Now that the 30 days are over, I am once again able to use the hot tub.  Typically, after a long day whether tired from working or not, I like to relax my body is the hot water of about 103/104 degrees...  and, getting into that hotness has to be done slowly and carefully but once in, I am usually in the water for about 30-45 minutes and run the jets about12-15 minutes as it makes one's body super hot.

Every other week or so, I pour into the hot tub about 1-2 cups of non concentrated bleach to purify the water as best as I can...  knowing that I am going to replace the water about every 3-4 months.  This last time of pouring in the bleach and setting the jets to CLEAN, I noticed that foam was being created and since there was nothing I could do about it at the time, I just went back upstairs.

The next day, I wanted to get into the hot tub and once I lifted up the cover, noticed that there was still some remaining foam but lowered my body into the hot water anyway.  And, once I turned on the jets, foam was created quite easily.  After a few minutes with the jets on and pushing away the foam, I decided to turn off the jets...  the foam gradually dissipated 

Tonight, I will get into the hot tub again and I wonder what will happen and how long this foaming condition will last...  I also wonder why the bleach I poured in caused this to happen...  but, since I am going to drain the water and refill the tub in a couple of weeks, I am not that concerned...  it is just a minor aggravation and/or annoyance with which I can easily deal.

The George Floyd Trial

Black Lives Matter and ANTIFA might have just given themselves a fatal blow with the recent comments of Congress Woman Maxine Waters about protesting until you get the verdict you want...

As soon as the Judge in the Trial was made aware of those comments, he told the Defense Attorney that he now had grounds for an APPEAL regardless of the verdict reached by the JURY.

How stupid can one person be?

Derek Chauvin will more than likely be found guilty of something...  at the very least MANSLAUGHTER but could have that verdict overturned as a result of Maxine Water's comments and the influence that could have had on the JURY.

This is worse that anything former President Trump might have done or said and the Democrats and BLM are finally going to realize that they have gone too far in a country where only 13% of the population are black.

It would appear that Maxine Water's comments will be the first step in the white majority taking back control or at least undoing what the BLM movement has tried to or actually has accomplished.

This is NOT GOOD for America...

WHY?

• Because it further DIVIDES our country
• It demonstrates nothing really is ever going to change

NAZI Police Chief

Franz Josef Huber ran the Gestapo secret police in Vienna

A Nazi SS general responsible for deporting tens of thousands of Jews to death camps worked for West German intelligence after World War Two, shielded from prosecution.  The protection given to Franz Josef Huber was revealed by the German spy service BND, in archives seen by German public broadcaster ARD.

Huber ran the Gestapo in Vienna, the Nazis' second-biggest secret police HQ after Berlin.  The US military knew about his crimes.  Huber took charge of the Gestapo in Vienna immediately after Adolf Hitler annexed Austria in March 1938 and held that post until late 1944.

Adapt and survive
When the Allies occupied the disintegrating Nazi Reich, Huber was on a US wanted list and was arrested by US forces in May 1945.  He was detained for nearly three years, but the US military found him to be co-operative and released him in 1948, so he escaped prosecution for war crimes, the New York Times reports. The paper was given access to ARD's material.

BND historian Bodo Hechelhammer told ARD that at that time "the Cold War was looming, so above all they were of course looking for hardline anti-communists.  "Unfortunately all too often they searched for, and found, such types among former Nazis."

From 1955 to 1967 Huber was employed by West German intelligence, the BND. Originally it was the Gehlen Organisation, headed by ex-Nazi officer Reinhard Gehlen, who had run agents on the Eastern Front.

Huber was pensioned off in 1967, as the BND had concluded that he could not be kept on, lest his role "endanger the service". He drew a German civil service pension, but also worked for an office equipment company, living under his own name in Munich until his death aged 73.

Among Nazi elite
In Nazi-run Austria Huber worked hand-in-hand with Adolf Eichmann, who set up the Central Agency for Jewish Emigration in Vienna. It handled the mass deportation of Jews.  SOURCE:  BBC News         READ MORE

 

 INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE SUPREME COURT...

MAKE WASHINGTON DC A STATE...

MAKE PUERTO RICO A STATE...

END THE FILABUSTER...

ALLOW ALL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN...

CENSOR CONSERVATIVE VOICES...

DEFUND THE POLICE...

IF YOU ARE WHITE YOU ARE A RACIST...

WHITE PRIVILEGE MUST END...

This is no longer the country in which I was born and I really don't recognize her anymore...  These changes will not really impact me that much since I am retired and really do not have to play these games anymore...  and, as long as the Stock Market continues to grow, my retirement income will grow as well...  If the Stock Market stops growing and declines, I have money in straight saving accounts and can simply use that money as is needed and there is enough money to pay my wife's and my expenses until we are both 95 years of age...  What could impact us negatively is INFLATION and if that happens we will just have to reduce our expenses as we have already done and can continue to do...

Governmental changes will not really impact us...  but, they will impact YOU...  and your future unless you do something about it.  If you decide to ignore, then down the road you will pay the price...  and, down the road, I will be dead and will not care...

Our American Pickers

 FROM LIVING MAGAZINE...

One of the most successful TV shows right now is American Pickers. It has been on the air for almost 10 years now and helped the History Channel receive some of its highest ratings. The show basically focuses on two guys, going around the country picking antiques. They go through attics, basements, garages and even storage sheds to find anything from that past.

However, in addition to Mike and Frank, there is one person on the show who is a fan favorite. Viewers fell in love with Danielle Colby, the talented and creative store manager. The Iowa girl is filled with spunk, confidence, and an incredible assortment of tattoos. Still, it’s her sense of humor and positive attitude that draws people towards her. But who is she? Where is she from? And how did she get the coolest job ever? Here’s everything you need to know about Danielle Colby.

American Pickers
American Pickers is a show that practically took over the world recently. It follows Mike and Frank, two guys traveling the country looking for cool historical items in old junkyards.  Danielle Colby is the female force behind all of the sales. She finds everything and sets them up. Colby has a story way more interesting than any of the items she has ever picked.   READ MORE

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

An East TN Saturday

On the weekends, I awake and begin my day about the same time that I awake and begin my day during the week...  there is no differentiation between the work week and the weekend for me as there used to be when I was working.  I suppose that is the real benefit of being retired although and this is just supposition but I believe the wealthy people pretty much have the same schedule during those 7 days as well...  even it they are still working and earning millions.

As always my day(s) begin with feeding our three cats, taking my thyroid pill, filling up my YETI cup with coffee and Cappuccino Mix, and watching FOX NEWS....  and as I have explained before, I do no get ALL THE NEWS or the TRUTH OF THE NEWS if I were to watch:  CNN, CBS, ABC, or NBC and that bothers me because I used to watch CBS and CNN all the time...  but those days are over.

As with all news shows, the same news is broadcasted over and over again throughout the day and the only additions to that news is when something unexpected happens...  so, after a while this redundancy causes me to change channels.  I then turn to shows about animals, cooking, history, scifi, or living in Alaska and/or living off the grid.  Somewhat entertaining these shows are but I oftentimes wonder about the drama that they try to create especially when the CAMERA CREW IS ALSO PRESENT TO FILM THIS SO CALLED DRAMA...

After a couple of hours of watching, I get bored and begin posting articles to my blog which I will do for the rest of the day unless I decide to cook something like I plan to do today and I am not sure what you would call this other than Turkey Burgers, Peas, and Noodles.  I will make a fairly large pot of this concoction and divide it up into 3-4-5 bowls depending upon how far it will go...  ranging from 300 calories/bowl to over 500 calories/bowl.

My meals will go in the frig and I will eat them for the next several days until I have to cook again.  I would rather cook like that than cook daily.

Chocolate Success

There is a lot of money in chocolate but the producers of the raw material see very little of it.

Last year the retail industry was worth $107bn (£78bn), according to one projection, but Ghana - the world's second largest cocoa producer - earned just around $2bn.

This is a familiar pattern for many African countries where the economy is still shaped by a colonial relationship in which they export commodities to be processed elsewhere.

Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo, served notice on this last year when he told an audience in Switzerland that "there can be no future prosperity for the Ghanaian people" if this way of doing things continues.

The country currently processes about 30% of its cocoa crop, but despite plans for growing the domestic chocolate industry there are still many obstacles in the way.

Ambitious cocoa farmer Nana Aduna II - a traditional ruler, who inherited his 80-acre plantation two decades ago - is well aware of the difficulties.  READ MORE

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-56687427

Mrs. Sri Lanka

FROM BBC NEWS...

The winner of a major Sri Lankan beauty prize has suffered head injuries after a brawl broke out on stage.  Beauty queen Pushpika De Silva won the "Mrs Sri Lanka" title at a ceremony on national TV on Sunday.

Moments later, the 2019 winner seized Mrs De Silva's crown, claiming she could not be awarded the title because she was divorced.  The prize has now been returned to Mrs De Silva, after pageant organisers confirmed she is not a divorcee.

Judges named Ms De Silva the 2021 winner at the Mrs Sri Lanka final in a theatre in Colombo on Sunday night.  But the 2019 winner, Caroline Jurie, stripped Mrs De Silva of her crown, citing a pageant rule that competitors must be married and not divorced.

"There is a rule that prevents women who have already been married and are divorced, so I am taking steps to make the crown go to second place," Mrs Jurie told the audience.  She placed the crown on the runner-up, prompting a tearful Mrs De Silva to walk off stage, a video of the incident showed.  READ MORE

Saving Turtles

A little known island plays a very important role in the survival of green sea turtles. Sir David Attenborough: “A marine paradise that plays host to one of the most spectacular ocean migrations on the planet. This is Raine Island…”

Raine Island (situated on the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef, North Queensland), is a unique and important nesting site for green turtles. As many as 60,000 female green turtles make the journey from their feeding grounds to lay their eggs on this tiny island. During the nesting season it is one of the world’s largest populations of green turtles. They swim from as far afield as Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Torres Strait and the West Pacific.

Unfortunately this annual event is under threat. Both adults and eggs are dying. Rising sea levels have caused tidal inundation, killing the newly laid eggs that cannot survive underwater. The island’s landscape has also changed resulting in as many as 2,000 adult deaths annually from falls and entrapment in rocks. This situation has added to the other threats, such as pollution, habitat loss, boat strikes and over harvesting, which contribute to them being endangered.

A five year project to protect and restore the island’s critical habitat began 18 months ago. The Queensland Government, BHP Billiton, the Traditional Owners and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation are collaborating on the AUS$7.95M project. The project aims to ensure the future of key marine species, including green turtles and seabirds. To achieve this their efforts will be focused on beach engineering, sand replenishment, fencing, turtle tagging, remote sensing including video recording and weather stations, tide and sea level monitoring and 3D modelling using GPS survey technology.

The project has been making use of drones to monitor the turtle activity and the initial results are very positive. It is estimated that in the 2015-2016 nesting season at least 400 adults and many hatchlings have been saved by the initial efforts of the project. This number is expected to increase as more of the island is reshaped and pool fencing is extended. This investment will help the survival of the species and allow for more green sea turtle hatchings to swim to some of your favourite diving destinations!




https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56690950

Giving Feedback

If you need to give critical feedback, it pays to let the other person speak first. This gives them a degree of control, so that you're having a conversation, instead of just speaking to them (or worse, at them).

So, how do you start? Ask them questions like the following:

• How do you feel about (how things are going at work, your presentation, this situation, etc.)?
• What are your biggest challenges right now?
• How can I help?

These questions disarm your communication partner, giving them permission to be vulnerable.

At the same time, you learn how to see things through their eyes. That information will help you contribute to solving problems, instead of adding to them.

Admit your own failures
Everyone hates a "know-it-all." But we love "learn-it-alls"--those who can admit they don't know everything and the lessons they've learned.

When you share a struggle you've had in the past, or a blind spot someone pointed out to you, along with how they helped you improve, you put yourself on the same level as your communication partner. Then, ask if you can pay it forward, by sharing something that you think can help.

By seeing that you're willing to make yourself just as vulnerable as them, they'll be willing to learn from your experience.

Thank the other person
It's not easy to take constructive feedback--even if you deliver it well. So thank the person for being open to listening and improving.

Of course, you shouldn't view these steps as a one-size-fits-all template or formula. It's just a start, to help you on your way.

But whatever you do, remind yourself to focus on making feedback constructive, instead of critical.  SOURCE:  INC. com

A New Perspective

For over 12 years I have been battling with non-Hodgkin's "B" cell Lymphoma or SLL (see my blog My Cancer Pilgrimage) and after 5-6 years of receiving monthly chemo infusions, my body contracted Melanoma that started on the bottom of my left foot, spread to the left area of my groin, then to the left area of my neck.  So, for 6-7 years I have been fighting off two cancers simultaneously.  Also about 12 years ago, I had a heart attack (not associated with my cancer treatments) that resulted in the recommendation to have a triple bypass but I went to NYC and had my arteries cleaned out and stents inserted...  5 stents in all.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have lived with cancer(s) for over a decade and I am still alive...  it must not be my time...  or someone or something is looking out for me...  it cannot just be coincidence...  that's too simplistic and melodramatic.

Each morning when I wake up and before I go to the bathroom, I sit on the side of the bed and just appreciate the fact that I actually woke up again.  This may not seem so special to you, the reader, but to me it is very special.  

In 2018, I had radiation treatments to slow down the spread of melanoma along with Opdivo infusions because the radiation was supposed to supercharge the Odivo...  which it did...  working perfectly...  and, several months later my Oncologist let it slip out that my cancer(s) had turned very aggressive and he was not sure if he was going to be to get them both under control...

I never knew this...  and, I am glad that I did not because my whole attitude would have changed and no doubt I would have gotten depressed, perhaps very depressed...  and, when one is fighting cancer, depression seems to make things worse.  ODD...  but a positive attitude actually helps fight the cancer sometimes.

But, each day is a blessing for me.

An appreciation of life.

A chance to see the beauty of life FREE OF CHARGE.

Just A Footnote

Paul Simon will be a forgotten name in the history books when scholars look back on 20th-century music and see only Bob Dylan and The Beatles standing tall -- that's the polarizing take of one NBC writer, anyway.

Jeff Slate -- a NYC-based songwriter and journalist -- penned a controversial piece for NBC Think ... titled, "Paul Simon sold his catalog to Sony for millions. He'll still end up a historical footnote to Dylan." Indeed ... it is triggering.

His subheading reads, "He was a prolific songwriter with a lucrative catalog any corporation would happily monetize. But there are only a few names our descendants will ever learn."

We know, we know ... you're fuming already. That's exactly what the internet is doing as well as it jumps to PS's defense.

You can read Slate's take in full for the big picture -- which is all about how Dylan recently sold his catalog of music and the rights to it to UMG for a reported $400 million, and how Simon followed in his footsteps by doing the same with Sony for his rights -- but the gist here is ... Paul Simon will be an "also-ran" compared to BD when it's all said and done.

In Slate's view, Dylan will perhaps be alone with John, Paul, George and Ringo and as the standout folk/rock acts of the '60s/'70s -- and that artists like Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and others will fall by the wayside, especially among younger, average-Joe listeners.

That seems to be what Slate's getting at -- and of course, A LOT of people disagree ... with some arguing Simon is just as prolific and culturally impactful as Dylan ever was. We don't have to get into a pissing contest ... both guys have scores of songwriting credits and hits under their belts. Of course, you could argue Dylan is perhaps the better-known of the two.  READ MORE

The Killing of George Floyd Trial

DEREK CHAUVIN is on trial for killing George Floyd and unless you got your head up your ass, you are aware of this trial and the circumstances of George Floyd's death that caused race riots all over the United States...  There is no doubt or little doubt in the minds of the general public that extraordinary measures were taken by the police officer as George Floyd was being detained...  and that because of these extraordinary circumstance, his unnecessary death resulted.  The police officer in question was charged with several counts of murder...  and now a jury will decide his fate.

It is entirely likely that when this police officer goes to jail and no matter how long his sentence is, the fact remains that BLACK INMATES at his location are going to find some way to KILL HIM...  or execute him as he executed George Floyd.

If the sentence of Derek Chauvin (this killing policeman) IS NOT what the BLACK COMMUNITY WANTS then ALL HELL is going to break loose all over the US as blacks take to the streets, burning, rioting, and looting...  I don't know this for sure, but one can easily guess that this will happen, especially since it happened right after the killing.

JUSTICE IN AMERICA is biased in this case in order to achieve a greater purpose to ease racial tensions...  but, is this the underlying intent of JUSTICE...  ignoring the TRUTH in favor of future convenience?

What I have heard on the TV News and/or read, this policeman IS GUILTY of taking this man's life...  but, did he do this intentionally or with premeditation.  He was obviously racially biased and should have never been in law enforcement to begin with...  the vetting process should be evaluated and modified to prevent people like this from being employed...

Robo Calls

These days, my wife and I no longer answer the telephone unless it is a number that we recognize or an ID that we recognize.  Our Spectrum cable/phone connection offers free caller ID...  that is one item that is worth the money.  However, sometimes when I am feeling particularly frisky, I answer these calls and play games with them in the hope that I can get them to HANG UP ON ME...

I am sympathetic to these callers because they need to earn a living, but their employers have abused their rights to contact the general public at large in order to sell a product.  I am TURNED OFF to sales people no matter who they are...  and, when they call my home, it pisses me off even more.

You can block numbers, and you can put your number on the NO CALL list, but these assholes have ways to circumvent the rules and call your number anyway.

SO...  don't answer or, answer and play games in the hopes that it will stop them...  don't be fished in... 

Death to Democracy

"The word democracy itself means rule by the people. A democracy is a system where people can change their rulers in a peaceful manner and the government is given the right to rule because the people say it may."

Because we live in a Democracy, we are FREE to dissolve that Democracy as long as we have a majority of the people who want to do that...

Another way to eliminate or destroy our Democracy is to change the underlying rules that govern the Democracy like:

• Ending the Rule of Law
• Changing the Constitution
• Censoring Opposing Views
• Revolting and Rioting
• Defunding the Police
• Canceling the Culture

Personally, I don't give a damn what happens to this Democracy nor do I care about defunding the police, changing the Constitution, ending the rule of law...  because the only winners in this transformation will be the WEALTHY...  and, since this country is totally controlled by the WEALTHY, then nothing really is going to change at all other than more WEALTH.

The BLACKS population is only about 13-14% of the overall population in the US and I doubt if there was a physical revolt that resulted in violence that the BLACK population would be controlled by the National Guard...  however, I doubt there will be that kind of a revolution.

INSTEAD...  a gradual tearing down of our Democratic System is what is taking place and will continue, so the change will happen over time and will virtually be unnoticed and we will have no idea what happened until it is over.

Investing Basics

Introduction to Investing

Many people just like you turn to the markets to help buy a home, send children to college, or build a retirement nest egg. But unlike the banking world, where deposits are guaranteed by federal deposit insurance, the value of stocks, bonds, and other securities fluctuates with market conditions. No one can guarantee that you’ll make money from your investments, and they may lose value.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforces the laws on how investments are offered and sold to you. Protecting investors is an important part of our mission. We cannot tell you what investments to make, but this website provides unbiased information to help you evaluate your choices and protect yourself against fraud.  READ MORE

Vaccine No Worky

FROM THE TIMES OF ISRAEL...


The South African variant of the coronavirus is notably more adept at “breaking through” the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine than other variants are, Israeli scientists have found, in a first-of-its-kind real-world study.

Israel has used the Pfizer vaccine almost exclusively to vaccinate millions of citizens, with a version by Moderna, based on similar innovative mRNA technology, used minimally.

A team from Tel Aviv University and the Clalit healthcare organization sequenced the swabs of 150 Israelis who tested positive for COVID-19 despite having been vaccinated.

In their study, the prevalence of the South African strain among vaccinated individuals who were infected despite their inoculation was eight times higher than its prevalence in the unvaccinated infected population. Though the number of such infections among the vaccinated was relatively small, the findings indicated that this variant was far more successful in getting through vaccinated individuals’ defenses than other strains.

“Based on patterns in the general population, we would have expected just one case of the South African variant, but we saw eight,” Prof. Adi Stern, who headed the research, told The Times of Israel. “Obviously, this result didn’t make me happy.”  READ MORE

https://www.timesofisrael.com/real-world-israeli-data-shows-south-african-variant-better-at-bypassing-vaccine/

An Angry Octopus

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A swim on holiday at a Western Australia beach has resulted in a painful octopus “whipping” - and a video of the encounter that has gone viral.

Geologist and author Lance Karlson was about to take a dip near the resort he and his family were staying at in Geographe Bay, on Australia’s southwest coast, when he spotted what he thought was the tail of a stingray emerging from the water and striking a seagull.

Upon walking closer with his two-year-old daughter, he discovered it was an octopus, and took a video, which shows the animal in shallow water take a sudden strike in Karlson’s direction with its tentacles.

“The octopus lashed out at us, which was a real shock,” Karlson said in emailed comments to Reuters.

After setting up a sun protection tent for his family on the beach, Karlston put on goggles and went in the water alone to explore a collection of crab shells, which he believed were left by dead sea creatures.

As he was swimming, he felt another whip across his arm - followed by a more forceful sting across his neck and upper back.

“My goggles became fogged, the water was suddenly murky and I remember being shocked and confused,” Karlson added in the email.

Karlson said he raced back to shore and saw raised imprints of tentacles across his arm, neck and upper back. Since he did not have vinegar, his preferred treatment for sea animal stings, he poured cola over the affected area, which worked well to stop the stinging.  READ MORE

We've Been Visited

I have taped and now watching the ANCIENT ALIENS series on cable and I find the evidence rather compelling that EARTH has been visited by extraterrestrials during our early existence by understanding that all of the buildings that were constructed thousands of years ago, could not have been built by the people who lived in those areas across the world because they just did not possess the technological abilities to do so...

For example:

1. How did they move 10 ton stone objects to a height 100 times their height?
2. How did they cut hard stone with precise angles, squared, and cut?
3. How did they come up with the ideas to draw and paint on stone walls?
4. Why do similar structures exist 10,000 miles away?
5. Why do similar stories/myths exist 10,000 miles away?

Today, we still have UFO's flying around that have been acknowledged do exist by our Governments across the world but no explanation can be derived as to why they are here...  yet, we know UFO's can only come here from another planet.

In all mythologies around the world there are stories of gods coming to earth and providing humans with knowledge and technology.

In all mythologies there is are stories of CREATION by gods or by a single entity including our own Christian God...  all these mythologies speak of a great floor that covered the earth and killed all living creatures.

How could all mythologies be so similar unless it were true?

GENESIS 1:26   26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So...   why use us in the sentence?  Especially if and when we are talking about only 1 God...  For a long time, I thought that this was reference to the TRINITY...  but now...  I am not so sure.

Wouldn't it be nice to finally get the real answer to these questions?

Some believe that our DNA was altered by aliens and as a result we are the creatures we are today...  and, there is a lot of truth to that belief or so it seems to me because I never really subscribed to the belief that HUMANS were products of EVOLUTION...  and, the reason I have never bought into this notion is the fact that HUMANS are simply too damn complicated on the inside to be mere byproducts of evolution...  does not make sense nor is it logical...  not when you look around and see the complexities of all life.

Since evolution is out the window...  that leaves us with CREATION...  and, this makes more sense to me...  and, if we were created by aliens from another planet in another solar system in another galaxy...  well...  that makes even more sense.

Why have we had some simply brilliant people, like:

• Da Vince
• Einstein
• Tesla
• von Braun

if it were not for aliens messing around with our DNA and/or visiting these people and giving them special abilities...

Changing Forecast

In just a day or two since last I looked, the weather forecast has changed from sunny all week to rain today and tomorrow and sunny for the rest of the week...  and, on the surface of it all...  that really does not bother me because all I want to do (especially before it gets too humid to do so) is sit on my screened-in back porch and write articles for my blogs and perhaps write down a poem or two as the mood strikes me...

Rain...  and depending upon how it falls will cause me to return to the insides of our home...  and, I know the commercials on television recently make a big deal about home...  being inside one's home is not the same as being outside in the fresh air...  I guess because we have been inside the home all winter and need to get outside.

The weather station is reporting a temperature of 65 degrees for our area and while that is good for T-shirts and sandals, I am sitting on my deck with a T-shirt covered with a sweatshirt hoody...  as it feels a lot damn colder than 65.

I was planning to mow the lawn later tonight but with the rain and the cool temps for the next 2 days, I doubt if I'll be able to mow it by late Thursday night...  which is not good because then I have a bunch of grass clippings that need to be disposed and that is extra work...  I don't mind work...  but extra work is BS.

I am on my second YETI mug of coffee...  each mug holds 3 cups, so when this one is gone, I will have consumed 6 cups of coffee and ordinarily, I would be wired...  but, my coffee intake these days is DECAF...  which takes like piss or what I might imagine piss to take like since I have not really tasted piss myself...  but, after several years of drinking DECAF, one gets used to it and now regular coffee does not taste right.

Here Comes The Drug Cartels...

 

Struggling with Covid

South Africa's once-thriving cultural scene is under threat because coronavirus restrictions have made it difficult to stage public events but some artists have found new ways to show off their creativity, as Mohammed Allie reports from Cape Town.

News of the closure of Cape Town's Fugard Theatre last month was greeted like the demise of an old friend.

"Another icon has fallen to Covid 19," John Kani, one of the country's most famous actors, tweeted.

In just a decade of existence the theatre, named after world-renowned playwright Athol Fugard, had become a much-loved venue that put on work by local writers as well as internationally known plays and musicals.

For the artist community, its closure came to symbolise the struggle that it is now facing more than a year after coronavirus measures came into place.  READ MORE

Psychological Torture

The project is called Deep Time. Right now, 15 people are sealed in a pitch-black cave in the south of France. They have zero access to watches, phones or any other means to monitor the passing of time. Forcibly cut off from the outside world, the volunteers have signed up for what will no doubt prove an extreme psychological challenge. The reason these eight men and seven women have subjected themselves to this bizarre ordeal is all part of a scientific experiment. The aim: to investigate the effects that losing all sense of time has on the human body and mind.

“Losing time is the greatest disorientation there is,” the group’s website explains. “It is this aspect that the mission Deep Time wants to understand better.”

The group entered the Lombrives cave in Ariège on March 15, and will remain entombed for 40 days, until they taste sunlight again on April 22. They have four tons of supplies to physically sustain them and access to a pedal-powered dynamo to provide light in cases of emergency. Each volunteer is also wired up with sensors so that scientists can chart how they physically adapt to life underground.  READ MORE

Crime Data in the USA

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention  whites commit more crime than any other ethnic group.  Of the approximately 10,000 crimes committed in 2019, 7,000 were committed by whites, 2,500  by blacks, 250 by Native Americans, and 150 by Asians.  This data reflects both juvenile and adult offenders...

According to the HAMILTON PROJECT:  Black and white Americans sell and use drugs at similar rates, but black Americans are 2.7 times as likely to be arrested for drug-related offenses.

The article goes on to say...  The disparate criminal justice experience of black Americans has played an important role in reform discussions. Differences in incarceration rates are stark: in 2007 a black man between the ages of 18 and 25 without a high school diploma was more than three times more likely to be incarcerated than a non-Hispanic white man of the same age and education level (Raphael 2011).

However, it is challenging to relate rates of criminal activity to differences in punishment. Data limitations make it helpful to focus on one type of criminal activity—drug-related crimes—and to allow for comparison by race between reported rates of selling and using illicit drugs to drug-related arrests, sentences, and incarceration.

Being a white male, I have a problem with this data because it clearly denotes an ARREST BIAS in law enforcement...  and all arrests should be made equally or else the law abandons it purpose to serve and protect the people...  and, if I was a black person and came in contact with this information, I would be OFFENDED.

WAKE UP AMERICA...

On Opposite Sides We Stand... or sit...

For as many years as I can remember, citizens of the United States have divided on just about every issue that one can imagine...  from race to education to wealth to religion to sports teams concerning which team should win and why...  oftentimes relying on personal opinions rather than on actual facts.  It did not matter if who was right as long as both sides had an equal opportunity to express their opinions...  and, it got to the point where the following was stated:  "opinions are like assholes...  everybody's got one."

TODAY... that is not being allowed to play out unfortunately as our CANCEL CULTURE friends and neighbors only want their opinions to be heard and believed as actual fact...  If you disagree we (the CC) will destroy you and quite possibly your family members as well like a HIT SQUAD for the Mafia.

Needless to say...  this closed minded opinion PISSES ME OFF and should PISS OFF most Americans who take pride in and honor our FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS...

HOWEVER...  if you want to rewrite our US Constitution and eliminate our FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS then since we live in a Democracy you are free and welcome to do so...  although, I strongly believe that you are going to encounter some resistance from many Americans.

RACISM is one of those issues that DIVIDES AMERICANS...  right now, Racism mainly pertains to the ethnic struggles between  whites and blacks as a result of SLAVERY and the fact that most of people who settled and founded the United States of America owned slaves...  and, many blacks today believe that our country is still controlled by whites who have found a new and different way to enslave blacks....

This enslavement happens in the following areas:

• black communities in the cities
• black educational opportunities
• black work opportunities
• black wealth opportunities
• black political opportunities

What I personally find amusing is the fact that there are many blacks who have been successful and become wealthy in spite of all the whites that are supposedly working against them...  even though they had to work harder than whites in order to get where they got...

The government cannot really change people's opinions and beliefs but what they can do is force people to do what they do not want to do...  that is to say...

• hire blacks whether they want to or not
• educate blacks whether they want to or not
• promote blacks whether they want to or not

But, that practice will not stop the question of:  HOW'D YOU GET YOUR JOB?

But, there is also racism between the:

• light blacks and dark blacks
• African blacks and European blacks
• American blacks and Jamaican blacks
• blacks/whites and Mexicans
• blacks/whites and Hispanics
• blacks/whites and Asians

And...  this racism had nothing to do with slavery and everything to do with immigration and their ability to want to work and not receive handouts and welfare from the Federal Government.

UNFORTUNATELY, no government will be able to stop or suppress differences of opinions...

NOR WILL THEY BE ABLE TO STOP

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