Sunday, July 9
Singapore
Singapore, city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, about 85 miles (137 kilometres) north of the Equator. It consists of the diamond-shaped Singapore Island and some 60 small islets; the main island occupies all but about 18 square miles of this combined area. The main island is separated from Peninsular Malaysia to the north by Johor Strait, a narrow channel crossed by a road and rail causeway that is more than half a mile long. The southern limits of the state run through Singapore Strait, where outliers of the Riau-Lingga Archipelago—which forms a part of Indonesia—extend to within 10 miles of the main island.
Singapore
Take a tour of Singapore, a city with a multicultural heritage See all videos for this article
A sculpture of the Merlion, Singapore.
Singapore is the largest port in Southeast Asia and one of the busiest in the world. It owes its growth and prosperity to its focal position at the southern extremity of the Malay Peninsula, where it dominates the Strait of Malacca, which connects the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. Once a British colony and now a member of the Commonwealth, Singapore first joined the Federation of Malaysia on its formation in 1963 but seceded to become an independent state on August 9, 1965. READ MORE...
Singapore is the largest port in Southeast Asia and one of the busiest in the world. It owes its growth and prosperity to its focal position at the southern extremity of the Malay Peninsula, where it dominates the Strait of Malacca, which connects the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. Once a British colony and now a member of the Commonwealth, Singapore first joined the Federation of Malaysia on its formation in 1963 but seceded to become an independent state on August 9, 1965. READ MORE...
Saturday, July 8
Starting a Business
My company was official from 1990 until 2015 when I retired.
One of the benefits of having a sub chapter S corporation is that I could flow all my income through my company, including expenses and that enabled me to substantially reduce my taxes. The reason I was able to reduce my taxes was that every 3 out of 5 years, I showed a loss and that loss transferred over to my personal taxes by reducing them.
However, in order to play that game, I had to pay a CPA $2,000 each year to file my company and personal taxes as well as quarterly income and expense statements.
I never really calculated how much money I saw but my CPA during those 25 years that I only went in the hole on my taxes twice. The rest of the time I was able to pay less taxes that I would have paid had I not had the company. And, there were a half dozen years or more where I got money back because of company losses.
All I had to do was show at least one consulting contract each year in order to make my company a viable option for taxes.
For about 10 years, I worked for NIIT in New Delhi, India writing courses in business and project management for American Schools. NIIT paid me directly and required that I maintain a home office as well. All those expenses were deductible, including any and all computer devices, cell phones, and internet connections.
My company would lease a car and after 3 years, I would buy that car and lease it to my company. Whenever we went on vacation, I would check out a couple of places for potential consulting work and reserve a meeting room at the resort to hold an annual meeting for my company, allowing the entire vacation to be written off as a business expense.
For those of you interested in starting a business, I thought you might enjoy reading my story. I never did get a business license. But, it cost me $500 in attorney fees to incorporate.
Good Luck!!!
CIA's Experiments with Mind Control
ON APRIL 10, 1953, ALLEN DULLES, THE NEWLY APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF THE CIA, delivered a speech to a gathering of Princeton alumni. Though the event was mundane, global tensions were running high. The Korean War was coming to an end, and earlier that week, The New York Times had published a startling story asserting that American POWs returning from the country may have been “converted” by “Communist brain-washers.”
Some GI’s were confessing to war crimes, like carrying out germ warfare against the Communists–a charge the U.S. categorically denied. Others were reportedly so brainwashed that they had refused to return to the United States at all. As if that weren’t enough, the U.S. was weeks away from secretly sponsoring the overthrow of a democratically elected leader in Iran.
WATCH: FULL EPISODES OF AMERICA'S BOOK OF SECRETS ONLINE NOW.
Dulles had just become the first civilian director of an agency growing more powerful by the day, and the speech provided an early glimpse into his priorities for the CIA. “In the past few years we have become accustomed to hearing much about the battle for men’s minds–the war of ideologies,” he told the attendees. “I wonder, however, whether we clearly perceive the magnitude of the problem, whether we realize how sinister the battle for men’s minds has become in Soviet hands,” he continued. “We might call it, in its new form, ‘brain warfare.’”
Dulles proceeded to describe the “Soviet brain perversion techniques” as effective, but “abhorrent” and “nefarious.” He gestured to the American POWs returning from Korea, shells of the men they once were, parroting the Communist propaganda they had heard cycled for weeks on end. He expressed fears and uncertainty–were they using chemical agents? Hypnosis? Something else entirely? “We in the West,” the CIA Director conceded, “are somewhat handicapped in brain warfare.” This sort of non-consensual experiment, even on one’s enemies, was antithetical to American values, Dulles insisted, as well as antithetical to what should be human values. READ MORE...
Friday, July 7
Another Technology Wave
Amid all the hype, hope, and handwringing about artificial intelligence (AI), another technology tide has quietly been rising, and attracting massive amounts of investment.
It's all around us and keeps proliferating unabated -- in sensors, trackers, production machines, appliances, wearables, vehicles, and buildings. Welcome to the edge, which is likely to shape and shift our jobs and businesses before AI makes its mark. Many of the devices and products seen here at ZDNET represent the edge wave.
The edge and Internet of Things (IoT) are big business. At least 23% of respondents to a survey from the Eclipse Foundation say they spent between $100,000 to $1m on IoT and edge in 2022, and 33% expect to spend this much in 2023.
One in 10 anticipate spending more than $10m in 2023. More than half (53%) of enterprises currently deploy IoT solutions, with an additional 24% planning to introduce them within the next 12 to 24 months.
Hybrid cloud is the vehicle on which edge projects are riding. At least 42% of respondents suggest that edge deployments are made possible by hybrid cloud. The intersection of edge and the cloud -- typically seen as polar opposites in technology landscapes -- has not been lost on cloud vendors, especially Amazon Web Services (AWS).
"More and more new use cases and customer requirements have increased the need to have edge computing on top of cloud," says Yasser Alsaied, vice president of IoT for AWS, in a discussion with ZDNET. "Edge infrastructure is important for companies that want their applications closer to their users." READ MORE...
Hybrid cloud is the vehicle on which edge projects are riding. At least 42% of respondents suggest that edge deployments are made possible by hybrid cloud. The intersection of edge and the cloud -- typically seen as polar opposites in technology landscapes -- has not been lost on cloud vendors, especially Amazon Web Services (AWS).
"More and more new use cases and customer requirements have increased the need to have edge computing on top of cloud," says Yasser Alsaied, vice president of IoT for AWS, in a discussion with ZDNET. "Edge infrastructure is important for companies that want their applications closer to their users." READ MORE...
Medical Update
So, since it is the lymphoma, there are two possibilities that the lymphoma is growing or that it is mutating into a large cell lymphoma (from a small cell) that is more aggressive and requires me returning to STRONGER DRUGS.
Stronger drugs have more serious side effects that could adversely impact my body which now older.
One of these drugs is CYCTOXIN which I have taken before and could be the reason why I got melanoma and that is one of its side effects.
Could this drug start my melanoma growing?
My oncologist sent samples of my biopsy out to a lab to look for MARKERS. He will use these markers to target with the immunotherapy drugs. There will be no radiation nor surgery, only the infusion of these drugs. I will find out on July 21, what my new treatment protocols will be.
My current fatigue and nausea is coming from the growing cancer, not the drugs... but, taking these new drugs could increase the intensity of the fatigue and nausea as well as a loss of appetite, a lowering of immunity, and increasing my anemia. It could also negatively impact other organs. So far, no other organs except my thyroid have been damaged.
AND I AM STILL ABOVE GROUND...
Why Go To College???
My father was a handyman with a college degree and could fix ANYTHING around the house from plumbing, electrical, carpentry, masonry, and had a technical mind as well. He was good at reading and understanding the confusing directions. HE TAUGHT ME NOTHING!!! So, about the only thing I can do is change a light bulb. LOL
So, if I had it to do over again, I would want to know about the TRADES rather than paying someone to fix my house.
My 6 years of college was paid for by the GI bill because I was a Vietnam Veteran. I doubt very seriously if I would pay $20,000 to $40,000 a year for a college education. It ain't worth it knowing what I know and I damn sure would not borrow the money from the government.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a career in the military. BUT, you have to be careful which branch of the military you want to join. I would NEVER encourage anyone to join the Army or the Marines unless you have a death wish. The Navy is not bad but you have to spend 6 months at sea every four years. Unless you like being away from your family, stay away from the Navy.
The branch therefore to join is the AIR FORCE. There are plenty of oustanding jobs in the Air Force that after 20 years of service, you can use the training for a civilian job and have TWO - TWENTY YEAR CAREERS...
NO COLLEGE DEBT...
COMPLETE HEALTHCARE...
PROVIDE MILITARY HOUSING...
Space-Time Distortions
Observing time distortions could show whether Einstein's theory of general relativity accounts for the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy.
Scientists could soon test Einstein's theory of general relativity by measuring the distortion of time.
According to new research published June 22 in the journal Nature Astronomy, the newly proposed method turns the edge of space and time into a vast cosmic lab to investigate if general relativity can account for dark matter - a mysterious, invisible form of matter that can only be inferred by its gravitational influence on the universe's visible matter and energy - as well as the accelerating expansion of the universe due to dark energy. The method is ready to be tested on future surveys of the deep universe, according to the study authors.
General relativity states that gravity is the result of mass warping the fabric of space and time, which Einstein lumped into a four-dimensional entity called space-time. According to relativity, time passes more slowly close to a massive object than it does in a mass-less vacuum. This change in the passing of time is called time distortion.
Since its introduction in 1915, general relativity has been tested extensively and has become our best description of gravity on tremendous scales. But scientists aren't yet sure if it can explain invisible dark matter and dark energy, which together account for around 95% of the energy and matter in the universe. READ MORE...
Thursday, July 6
Early Universe Had Slower Time
A phenomenon called cosmological time dilation means that events taking place in the early universe seem to evolve slower than those today.
Time seems to have ticked more slowly when the universe was young, according to observations of ancient astronomical objects that appear to evolve at a fifth of the rate we see today.
The idea that time appears to be slower in the past sounds odd, but it is a direct consequence of the expansion of the universe since the big bang. This expansion means that light from ancient cosmic events must travel increasingly longer distances to reach Earth, and therefore takes more time to arrive.
As a result, cosmic events that are extremely distant or far back in time appear to unfold more slowly compared to the same event happening nearby, right now.
That isn’t to say the early universe was in slow motion, however – anyone present billions of years ago would have seen time evolving normally. Source: New Scientist (for registered users) TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE...
Looking Into the Future
Right away, we know that our WAR ON FOSSIL FUELS WILL END in the first day of office.
We also know that something drastic will be done to close our borders.
We can also assume that CHINA will no longer be dealt with like they were under Biden.
We can also assume that inflation, crime & violence, and a weaponized DOJ and FBI will be dealt with as well.
More than likely, efforts will be taken to curb government spending and to lower our national debt.
Because of China's claim to replace the USA as the global leader, our military will receive a boost as well.
Looking ahead...
1. Our national debt is our biggest enemy with which we must deal. We must REDUCE spending if we are going to have a bright future for our children and grandchildren.
2. Social Security will never survive unless we raise the maximum retirement age and quite possibly reduce allotments by 10-20%.
CAVEATS:
If we are to reduce allotments, then we MUST FORCE the workforce to create their own retirement accounts. This training should be done in high school.
For example, if someone saved $2.50/day and at the end of the month put that money into a Mutual Fund, at the end of 40 years, they would have $500,000+/-. They would be 58 years old...
Social Security would just be a back-up plat to supplement their own retirement account.
3. Serious steps will need to be taken over the next 3-5 years dealing with employment as AI/ROBOTS are expected to replace 80% of the current jobs.
4. If we are planning to commit ourselves 100% to green energy and electric vehicles, then we will need to substantially increase our energy grid as well as find ways to build EV cheaper so the average person can afford them.
CAVEATS:
Currently, replacement batteries for EVs are $6,000-$10,000 and they only last 8-10 years.
Also, a fully charged battery will only take the EV 300+ miles which eliminate trips that are over 300 miles as the time to recharge is rather long.
Additionally, there are not enough charging stations to accommodate a large amount of EVs, so there will be lines of EVs waiting to charge.
If you haven't started yet, you need to seriously think about your future and the needs of you and your family and see if we are currently on the right track to meet your expectations.
Not doing this will have serious consequences.
Magical Material
A seemingly magical material can block microwaves, infrared (IR) heat, and light and then magically shift to a transparent state that also allows IR and microwaves to pass through simply by being stretched or contracted.
Inspired by the properties of squid skin, which can shift from translucent to opaque due to the presence of iridocytes and chromatophores, the new material could help create stealth materials, safeguard electronic devices, dramatically improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings, and even protect against microwave weapons.
In the last few decades, researchers have developed a number of different seemingly magical materials. Some can shift from transparent or translucent states to more opaque states, with common applications including use in external office windows to improve energy usage or for internal windows that shift between public (transparent) and private (opaque) modes.
This ability was first noted in cephalopods like squids, which can shift the iridocytes and chromatophores embedded in their skin cells to alter their appearance, just one of the unique traits about these animals that have had some biologists asking if they are actually alien creatures. READ MORE...
Wednesday, July 5
Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Promising new hydrogen fuel cell technology has up to 50% higher performance than current state-of-the-art technology, with improved durability.
The grooved electrode design advance may help optimize next-generation fuel cell technology to power emission-free medium- and heavy-duty transportation.
"We had a theory that by reimagining the way electrodes are designed we could achieve improved performance," said Jacob Spendelow, materials scientist with the Los Alamos National Laboratory team that described its results in the journal Nature Energy.
"We had a theory that by reimagining the way electrodes are designed we could achieve improved performance," said Jacob Spendelow, materials scientist with the Los Alamos National Laboratory team that described its results in the journal Nature Energy.
"One of our biggest takeaways is that novel materials are not the only route to improve performance. The way the materials are put together can be equally important.
"All we did was take conventional commercially available materials and change the way we put them together to change the microscale architecture, and that resulted in substantially higher performance."
Hydrogen fuel cells—and specifically a version of the technology called proton exchange membrane fuel cells—represent an emission-free engine design that uses hydrogen as a fuel. Fuel cells could transform the medium- and heavy-duty transportation sector, which has been difficult to decarbonize. READ MORE...
"All we did was take conventional commercially available materials and change the way we put them together to change the microscale architecture, and that resulted in substantially higher performance."
Hydrogen fuel cells—and specifically a version of the technology called proton exchange membrane fuel cells—represent an emission-free engine design that uses hydrogen as a fuel. Fuel cells could transform the medium- and heavy-duty transportation sector, which has been difficult to decarbonize. READ MORE...
The Arrogant USA
The United States of America was settled by WHITE ANGLOSAXON PROTESTANT who valued their religious freedoms so much so that they wanted EVERYONE to be like them in their beliefs.
What a bunch of arrogant assholes we were...
The United States of America was loaded with natural resources and rich farmland that was not always available in places throughout the rest of the world. Consequently, tradespeople from Europe immigrated to the USA and created the dominate economy that was admired by the rest of the world.
However, since we were a bunch of arrogant assholes, we attempted to force our way of life on the rest of the world, completely ignoring their cultures and lifestyles. The result was that the rest of the world developed a strong animosity against the USA and its citizens.
That global dominance is about to be destroyed... YES... by our arrogance but also because the rest of the world got tired of our bullshit, especially CHINA, RUSSIA, and the MIDDLE EAST. Along with this push against the USA from the rest of the global community, American Blacks have also decided that they have had enough of WHITE SUPREMACY and are rebelling all across the country.
American Blacks face one huge obstacle and that is that there are simply MORE WHITES than BLACKS, therefore whites will always be seen as supreme. There are simply not enough blacks around to level the playing field no matter how many laws they try to pass with their bitching.
Whites represent 60%
Blacks represent 12%
Additionally, Blacks have more abortions than whites which suppresses their population and with all this immigration coming into the USA, Hispanics and Asians will both have larger populations than Blacks... and will begin to occupy more and more positions of power, further pushing the blacks down on the socioeconomic ladder.
While all of this internal shit is going on, the general population of the USA is moving closer and closer to SOCIALISM that will only offer a temporary equalization of power and money. In order to make SOCIALISM work, money must be taken from the wealthy or from other programs like the military, education, social security, and healthcare.
I doubt many MILLIONAIRES and BILLIONAIRES will be voluntarily sharing the money that they worked hard to acquire.
I also doubt that many businesses and corporations would let themselves be nationalized by the Federal Government and give up control... but, one never knows...
In the meantime, CHINA has declared that they want to take the global leadership position away from the United States of America.
Are you ready to learn MANDARIN?
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