Magic

 

BRICS Consider Exxpansion

(Bloomberg) -- The BRICS group of nations plans to decide this year whether to admit new members and what criteria they would have to meet, with Iran and Saudi Arabia among those who’ve formally asked to join, according to South Africa’s ambassador to the bloc.

Enlarging the group that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa would benefit Beijing, as the world’s second-biggest economy tries to build diplomatic clout to counter the dominance of developed nations in the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank and other institutions.

China initiated the conversation about expansion when it was chair last year, triggering concern among other members that their influence will be diluted, especially if Beijing’s close allies are admitted. China’s gross domestic product is more than twice the size of all four other BRICS members combined.

The proposal to expand BRICS will be one of the economic bloc’s main focuses this year, said Ambassador Anil Sooklal. South Africa is the group’s current chair.

“There are over a dozen countries that have knocked on the door,” Sooklal said in an interview in Johannesburg last week. “We are quite advanced at looking at a further group of new members.”

Vote Imbalance
The potential repositioning of BRICS comes as developed nations in Europe and North America seek to bolster alliances to push back against the influence of an increasingly dominant and assertive China by forming new blocs and signing trade and security pacts. The so-called Quad, an alliance between the US, Japan, India and Australia, has gained in prominence since being resurrected in 2017 after standing dormant for almost a decade. And in 2021, Australia, the UK and the US entered into a security alliance known as AUKUS.

We are living in “the world between orders. We don’t know what the new order is going to be,” Sooklal said. “We believe we need to play a role in ensuring that we have a more equitable, inclusive, transparent, global architecture.”  READ MORE...

Basketball Dog

 

The American Public

Almost everyday I cringe when I hear politicians, Republican or Democratic, use the phrase THE AMERICAN PUBLIC...  because they use this phrase implying that their AMERICAN PUBLIC represents a majority of the American people.  

THAT IMPLICATION IS INCORRECT AND FALSE....

Our politicians cannot really use the phrase A MAJORITRY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE...  because that is incoorrect and false as well...

50% of Americans are Liberal (Democrats)

50% of Americans are Conservative (Republicans)

There is NO MAJORITY IN THE US OF A...

It just really bothers me when I hear politicians talk like this because they are misleading the people, but neither side wants to be truthful because if they are truthful they will lose VOTES...

It just makes the American Public see ALL POLITICIANS as LIARS...

Seeing most or all politicians as a bunch of liars is not a good impression to have of your government...  our enemies will find a way to take advantage of this weakness and our division...
 

Advice From the Frog

 

 Jeremiah was a bullfrog 

Was a good friend of mine

I never understood a single word he said

But I helped him a drink his wine

And he always had some mighty fine wine...

Advice From The Frog

Depending upon your age right now, the odds are that by the time you reach retirement age, Social Security will still be available but will be substantially reduced.  Neither the Republicans or Democrats will remove Social Security from the budget so that they can get re-elected but, they will cut back on what is made available.

Currently, the average monthly check from Social Security it $1.500 a month.  If you have 20-30 more years to work, that means you are about 40 years old and the experts are saying that over the next 20-30 years the average Social Security check will reduce down to between $1,000-$1,200 per month.

Today's BABY BOOMERS will be the last generation who can use Social Security to pay all their monthly expenses...  of course, that too depends on where you are living.  In East TN, a couple can live fairly well on $3,500/month providing neither of them are in any debt.

You cannot live on $3,500/month in Atlanta for instance...  at least not well...  that is to say, you could live in a trailer park for that amount of money but you couldn't go out to dinner each week, nor could you spend a couple of weeks at Myrtle Beach.

I am talking about a farily good quality of life.  Living in a $300,000 home, going on week long vacation 3-4 times a week, going out to dinner twice a week, and not worrying about having anough money to pay one's monthly bills without having to go into savings.

Speaking of savings...  this is the only way to survive in retirement...  to save as much as you can while working and making sure all your debt is paid off.  Spend money, but spend it frugally not foolishly.  If you don't need it don't but it.  If you need it, spend the money to make sure you are buying quality so it will last.

Most people are not planning for their future and one day the will wake up sometime int he future and tell themselve they made a mistake but it will be too late...  which means...   THIS CHOICE IS YOURS...

What Do Our Enemies Think of US???

 I wonder what our enemies are thinking about us right now...  I see our enemies as being:

• China
• Russia
• Iran
• North Korea

I realize there are many others, but right now those are the most vocal with China being considered as #1.

What do you think our enemies see?

1. A lot of government spending
2. A piss poor economy
3. Growing inflation
4. An outdated military
5. Push toward Green Energy
6. A divided nation
7. A congress that gets nothing done
8. Internal investigations
9. Keeping information from the public
10. Too many freedoms to be controlled
11. A majority of Americans are obese
12. A majority of Americans are deep in debt
13. A national debt thats growing
14. A country about to go bankrupt 

Our country will never go bankrupt because we will print more money or we will refuse to pay our debt and challenge our creditors (CHINA) to come after us...

Our fallback position is that we have enough NUCLEAR WEAPONS to destroy the entire world...  which includes ourselves...  will the understanding that a select few will survive underground to help rebuild the population...  because there will be nothing else left to rebuild.

• No farmland
• No cell phones
• No communications
• No vehicles
• No animals

Everything above ground will have been vaporized...

We won't do this until China or Russia strikes with nuclear first.  Then we will retaliate with balls to the wall...  total destruction.

BTW - China and Russia have no plans to go GREEN ENERGY because it costs too much to get there...   They would rather put their money into the military, space flight, and technology.

From an American standpoint...  no one ever thinks about what our enemies think of us...   I guess because we don't give a shit what they think.

Smoking Bird

 

Unday Classic Sunday Morning Newspaper Cartoons

 

Reflecting Upon One's Reflections

 My personality type is INTJ...

INTJ (introversion, intuitive, thinking, judging) is a four-letter code acronym used to represent one of the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types. People with the INTJ personality type tend to be highly independent, confident, and self-sufficient individuals. They are analytical, creative, and driven.

Key Words

1. highly independent
2. confident
3. self-sufficient
4. analytical
5. creative
6. driven

Some say they make good Engineers and some refer their personalilty as the ARCHITECT...

Guess What?

All of my writings exactly reflect my personality.

I am a cocky, sonnofabitch, who sees himself as most always right.  I am very critical of incompetence and those who have houses large enough to fit their egos into.

My ego is always in check because of am very much aware of what i can or cannot do.

I'm not...

• good at math
• a good speller
• that athletic
• that much of an artist
• that much of a musician
• a good lover
• very thoughtful
• that smart

What I am is logical and analytical.  I can plan things out.  I can see the details but don't like to work with details.  I will bust my ass 24/7 if there is something that I want to do.   

Why people don't like me is because I am straight forward.  I don't beat around the bush.  If I don't like you I will tell you to your face that I don't like you.

All of these traits are reflected in my writing and opinions...  and, my opinions lead to my forecasting and my forecasting is not always positive.

I don't really care if you like what I have to say or not because I am going to say it regardless of your thoughts and fears and innocence.

I don't need friends...   just a laptop and an internet connection.

Former Self

 

Using Artificial Intelligence in WAR

Countries including the United States and China called Thursday for urgent action to regulate the development and growing use of artificial intelligence in warfare, warning that the technology "could have unintended consequences".

A two-day meet in The Hague involving more than 60 countries took the first steps towards establishing international rules on use of AI on the battlefield, aimed at establishing an agreement similar to those on chemical and nuclear weapons.

"AI offers great opportunities and has extraordinary potential as an enabling technology, enabling us among other benefits to make powerful use of previously unimaginable quantities of data and improving decision-making," the countries said in a joint call to action after the meeting.

But they warned: "There are concerns worldwide around the use of AI in the military domain and about the potential unreliability of AI systems, the issue of human involvement, the lack of clarity with regards to liability and potential unintended consequences."

The roughly 2,000 delegates, from governments, tech firms and civil society, also agreed to launch a global commission to give clarity on its uses of AI in warfare and set down certain guidelines.

Militarily, AI is already used for reconnaissance and surveillance as well as analysis, and could eventually be used for autonomous choosing of targets—for example by "swarms" of drones sent into enemy territory.

China was invited to the conference as a key player in tech and AI, Dutch officials said, but Russia was not because of its invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago.

"We've clearly established the urgent nature of this subject. We now need to take further steps," Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said at the conference's end.

Although experts say a treaty regulating the use of AI in war may still be a long way off, attendees agreed that guidelines urgently needed to be established.

"In the end it's always the human who needs to make the decision" on the battlefield, General Joerg Vollmer, a former senior NATO commander, told delegates.

"Whatever we're talking about, AI can be helpful, can be supportive, but never let the human out of the responsibility they have to bear—never, ever hand it over to AI," Vollmer said in a panel discussion.

Amalfi Coast

 

Trust Me... I'm From the Government...

 I have heard that statement all of my life...  and, the one thing that I have learned after 75 years is that you can never trust anyone from the government, regardless of their political party affiliations.

Democrats are equally as bad as Republicans...  which means Libertarians, Socialists, and Progressive ALL CANNOT BE TRUSTED...

One of the reasons why I think this way is that in the 1960, I experienced the same problems and the same promises from politicians that I am experiencing in 2023...   over 50 years later...

IF POLITICIANS REALLY MEANT WHAT THEY SAY, THINGS WOULD CHANGE AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED...  ERGO...  

Don't trust politicians...

Advice From the Frog

 

 Jeremiah was a bullfrog 

Was a good friend of mine

I never understood a single word he said

But I helped him a drink his wine

And he always had some mighty fine wine...

Advice From The Frog

I have both black and white friends.  These friends are both educated and uneducted, married and not married, veterans and not veterans, and range in age from 40 to 80.  None of these people want to live in the communities where the other race lives and none of these people want to attend the churches that the other race attends.  None of these races want to party with each other nor do they want to vacation with each other.

Both of these races consider themselves not to be RACIST...

They consider hemselves to be AMERICANS who don't care to be around each other...

They tolerate each other's right to live in the USA...  as long as they don't interfere with their lifestyles...

The blacks and whites that I know see themselves as MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE...

America is a country that is full of diversity.  America is proud of that diversity.  America does not force that diversity to like each other, except for the diversity between whites and blacks.

You cannot force blacks to like whites

You cannot force whites to like blacks

The more you push, the more they will resist...

LIVE AND LET LIVE is the way it should be here in the USA...

It is MY RIGHT to decide with whom I want to be friends...  not the government's...

Memorizing for the Grade

 Judi Dench, British actress who appeared in many James Bond movies, revealed recently that she can no longer read lines and memorize...  she says she used to have a photographic memory...

Memorizing lines, I suppose is neccessary for an actor or an actress and is probably a useful tool to have in other professions as well, but for college students it is not the approach to learning that they should be taking.   Unfortunately, memorizing is exactly what they are doing.

The last 3 years of full time employment was spent teaching classes at a local university.  I taught 5 classes a semester and a couple of classes during the summer semesters.  When I retired in 2015, I continued to teach classes on a parttime basis for 5 years at another local university.

In both those situations, I would ask my students what they remembered from the classes they just finished the previous semester and they replied NOTHING...   when I asked why, they replied that they memorized for the test, then forgot.  They all got "As" and "Bs".

These classes they were talking about were not electives but their businesses classes which information they would need after graduation in their business degree related jobs and profession.

These students who have GPAs of 3.5 and 4.0 will obviously get jobs but it is doubtful that they will be able to use the knowledge that they did not learn.  However, most of the business world does not rely on college business classes to run their businesses.  And therein lies the other problem.  If they actually used the knowledge from college, their businesses would operate better and more efficiently and effectively...  BUT THEY DON'T...  and, these new graduates are not bothered by what they have not learned.

How far do you think our businesses are going to go with that as their basic operating principles?

I would suspect not far...  but if they did manage to survive, it would be just marginally.

Climbing Up The Mountain

 

Strictly Political

 

Enlightenment

 

Intelligence of an Artificial Nature

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE is defined as the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.

All of that pretty much seems straight forward or so it would seem on the surface of things...

Visual Perception - Visual perception refers to the brain's ability to make sense of what the eyes see. This is not the same as visual acuity which refers to how clearly a person sees (for example “20/20 vision”). A person can have 20/20 vision and still have problems with visual perceptual processing.


Speech Recognition - Speech recognition, also known as automatic speech recognition (ASR), computer speech recognition, or speech-to-text, is a capability which enables a program to process human speech into a written format.


Decision Making - Essentially, decision-making is all about choosing from the available options. The better choices you make, the better decision-maker you'll become. You have many decision-making examples in daily life such as: Deciding what to wear.


Language Translation - Translation is the process of reworking text from one language into another to maintain the original message and communication. the difference between interpretation and translation is that interpretation deals with spoken language in real time while translation focuses on written content

About the only thing that makes sense our of these sub definitions is SPEECH RECOGNITION...  For languarge translation, a computer could translate easily but could it interpret.  I suppose over time it could provided that it is capable of learning,,,   (Machine Learning).  If we look at decision making, that too could be easily broken down so that the option with the highest probability of success is chosen...  but sometimes that is not the right choice with respect to other variables such as chosing the right mate.  Or deciding if Russia or China is bluffing as one might do in poker.  Making sense of what we see is another potential problem as a computer might see a mirage but not interpret that sight as an illusion but real.  Of course, this could be eventually avoided with learning.

Can a ROBOT WITH AI make the right choice when deciding if a person should receive the death penalty for the crimes they have committed.  Or, if a person should be promoted because what separates him from the others is that he does a better job of kissing ass.

EXPERTS say that ROBOTS WITH AI will be here in our society big time in 2030 or earlier.

Think about this...  Elon Musk wants to send a spaceship to Mars before 2030 as well...

Does he know something that we do not???

Invasion

 

Well Balanced

 

Deep Reinforcement Learning

Scientists have taken a key step toward harnessing a form of artificial intelligence known as deep reinforcement learning, or DRL, to protect computer networks.

When faced with sophisticated cyberattacks in a rigorous simulation setting, deep reinforcement learning was effective at stopping adversaries from reaching their goals up to 95 percent of the time. The outcome offers promise for a role for autonomous AI in proactive cyber defense.

Scientists from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory documented their findings in a research paper and presented their work Feb. 14 at a workshop on AI for Cybersecurity during the annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence in Washington, D.C.

The starting point was the development of a simulation environment to test multistage attack scenarios involving distinct types of adversaries. Creation of such a dynamic attack-defense simulation environment for experimentation itself is a win. The environment offers researchers a way to compare the effectiveness of different AI-based defensive methods under controlled test settings.

Such tools are essential for evaluating the performance of deep reinforcement learning algorithms. The method is emerging as a powerful decision-support tool for cybersecurity experts—a defense agent with the ability to learn, adapt to quickly changing circumstances, and make decisions autonomously. While other forms of AI are standard to detect intrusions or filter spam messages, deep reinforcement learning expands defenders' abilities to orchestrate sequential decision-making plans in their daily face-off with adversaries.

Deep reinforcement learning offers smarter cybersecurity, the ability to detect changes in the cyber landscape earlier, and the opportunity to take preemptive steps to scuttle a cyberattack.  READ MORE...

NBA

 

Advice From the Frog

 

 Jeremiah was a bullfrog 

Was a good friend of mine

I never understood a single word he said

But I helped him a drink his wine

And he always had some mighty fine wine...

Advice From The Frog

OLA...  comrades...    I am Jeremiah and while there are Biblical implications, my comments today have nothing to do with one's religious beliefs...

I used to be a liberal frog and was closely aligned with the philospohies of the Kennedys...  but, over the years, those philosophies changed and so did I...  I am now a conservative frog, but not a Republican...  mainly because Republicans support big business and big business has a habit of RAPING ITS EMPLOYEES...  Metaphorically of course.

I worked in Middle Management for over 20 years and I can tell you for a fact that this is what I witnessed every single day that I was there.

Management VERSUS Labor

With the idea that labor was expendable and was seen as a commodity that could easily be replaced...  Labor was a dime a dozen and management used them accordingly.

So...

screw the Republican party

screw the Democratic party

screw the Libertarian party

screw the Progressives

screw the Socialists

We need to return this country to a DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC that has a strict interpretation of the US Constitution, that is a law abiding country, that stops all illegal immigration, and that builds up the military defensively so that it can KICK THE ASS of the Russians or Chinese should they ever want to go to war with us.

It is appalling that we have so much NATIONAL DEBT

It is appalling that we try to censor the conservative points of view

Countries only censor that which they do not want to hear for some reason...   maybe in case it influences public opinion against them....

IS THIS ANYWAY TO GOVERN???

Walmart Shoppers

 

Federal Government Social Media Surveillance

Social media has become a significant source of information for U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies for purposes ranging from conducting investigations to screening travelers. This raises a host of civil rights and civil liberties concerns. Someone’s social media presence can reveal an astounding amount of personal information: beliefs, professional and personal networks, health conditions, sexuality, and more.

With that in mind, this growing — and largely unregulated — use of social media by the government is rife with risks for freedom of speech, assembly, and religion, particularly for Black, Latino, and Muslim communities, who are already targeted the most by law enforcement and intelligence efforts. Many of the agencies currently conducting social media surveillance today have a history of using this and other types of monitoring to target minorities and social movements.

Which federal agencies are conducting surveillance on social media platforms?
The three agencies that use social media the most for monitoring, targeting and information collection are the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the State Department.

However, many other federal agencies monitor social media, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Service, the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Why do federal agencies monitor social media?
Federal agencies use social media for four main purposes.

Investigations: Law enforcement agencies monitor social media to assist with criminal and civil investigations, some of which may not require a prior showing of criminal activity. Without any factual basis, FBI agents can open a type of inquiry called an “assessment” if they have an “authorized purpose” like preventing crime or terrorism, during which they can carry out searches of publicly available online information. Subsequent investigative stages, which require some factual basis, open the door for more invasive surveillance tactics, such as the monitoring and recording of chats, direct messages, and other private online communications in real time. ICE agents can look at public social media content as well as operate undercover online to monitor private online communications, but the circumstances under which the latter is permitted are not publicly known.

Threat detection: FBI agents can monitor public social media postings even without opening an assessment or other investigation. Various components within DHS, including its Office of Intelligence & Analysis, also monitor social media, aiming to identify potential threats of violence or terrorism.

Situational awareness: The federal government also uses social media to provide an “ear to the ground” when coordinating a response to breaking events. A range of DHS offices — including the Office of Operations Coordination and Planning, Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Emergency Management Agency — keep tabs on a broad list of websites and keywords being discussed on social media platforms. Such monitoring can help keep people informed about developments during a crisis, identify those in need of help, and determine “threats or dangers” to DHS personnel and facilities. However, privacy impact assessments of these programs suggest there are few limits on the content that can be reviewed.

Immigration and travel screening: The social media accounts of travelers and immigrants coming into the United States are used to vet them upon entry, as well as to monitor them while they live here. Those applying for a range of immigration benefits also undergo social media checks to verify their information and determine if they pose a security risk.  READ MORE...

My Soul Dance

 

Evolving

 

Bad Spirit

 

A New Civil War in US of A

Our last CIVIL WAR was in 1861 or 162 years ago...  The north won the war and claims that the war was fought over slavery...  and, while that certainly was an issue, the main reason was that the south wanted to succeed from the Union and the north did not want to lose those taxes.  Of course, very few liberal historians will admit to that...

There is no doubt in my mind that slavery was wrong and should never have happened but it did and now we as a nation need to get beyond that...  HoWEvER, the blacks do not want to let it go...  thinking they can milk the system and get more than they are presently receiving...

AND... therein lies our problem...

The US of A is no longer a NORTH/SOUTH country...  We are a North - South - East - West - and Central country which is comprised of 60% Whites and 12% blacks, spread out all over the US of A.  Only 55% of the black population live in the south.

White cops kill a black man and the blacks say it is white supremacy...

Black cops kill a black man and the blacks say it is white supremacy...

This kind of mentality is beginning to PISS OFF the 60% of the population that is white.

NOW...  if one adds to that white supremacy push, the following:

• BLM
• CRT
• woke
• CANCEL CULTURE

Then, I believe you are going to see 60% of the population start pushing back.

That PUSHBACK will ultimately result in violence...  which will be similar to all the violence that took place in Philadelphia because the Eagles lost the SUPER BOWL...

Violence is our new norm.

White parents are pushing back on the school boards that want to teach CRT in the public schools...  and when these white parents are not listened to, then they will take their children out of public schools, put them in private schools, and let these public school turn 100% black.

If and when that happens, the future of blacks will decline even further...  but no one wants to see that unintended consequence...  at least not yet.

Will whites be willing to teach these blacks or will they go elsewhere?

Is the black community preparing for the need of black teachers in K-12?

This new CIVIL WAR, will evolve into many smaller battles, like:

• Private White Schools
• Private White Communities
• Private White Churches
• Whites may stop attending Professional sports because of so many black players
• Private White Beaches
• Smaller companies that dont have to follow Federal employment guidelines
• Private White Colleges

1. HOW MANY BLACKS WILL BE ABLE TO PURCHASE ELECTRIC VEHICLES???
2. HOW MAN BLACKS WILL BE ABLE TO AFFORD SOLAR PANEL HOMES???
3. HOW MANY BLACK WILL WANT TO ENROLL IN STEM EDUCATION???
4. HOW MANY BLACKS WILL BE WILLING TO GIVE UP SELLING ILLEGAL DRUGS???

This new civil war will be one for the history books...  and, it will be interesting to see who wins...

On top of this, what do you think will happen in this country if China decides to go to war with the US of A?  

You say that will never happen, but China says they plan to take over the world in the next two years...  China spends money on the military while we spend money on Green, WOKE, CRT, Defunding Police, and anti white supremacy policies...

CCR said it best:  Time to get your shit together