Somewhat Political

 

Feeling One's Age

It is relatively easy for people like Chuck Norris or Arnold Schwarzenegger to be active and full of energy well up into their 70s...

Reason:  they have not been sick nor experienced any serious illnesses.  That is a HUGE reason why you see stories about senior citizens who have the physical behavior of those 20 years their junior.

On the other hand, at age 60, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and experienced a heart attack that was serious enough for the surgeons to recommend triple by-pass surgery.  I had 5 stents inserted into my heart arteries instead.

Five years later, I was diagnosed with Melanoma, so now I am being treated for two cancers.  

Side effects of cancer and cancer treatments:

1. Nausea
2. Extreme Fatigue
3. Loss of Appetite
4. Anemia
5. Loss of Immunity
6. Thyroid damage

At 75 years of age, I am in my 15th year of treatment and have survived (so far) two cancers.  This has only made my symptoms worse.

I have experienced:

• surgery
• chemo
• radiation
• immunotherapy

all of which has left my body physically weaker than I was at age 60 before all this started.

In addition to my cancer treatments, last year I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and had 5 disks fused together:  L2-L3-L4-L5-S1...  it has taken me a good year to get back to the place I was at physically before back surgery...  which was again not the best place to be.

My wife is 6 years younger than me and has also had cancer but after 3 years she went into REMISSION (Mine will never go away). She also has back problems but takes shots to avoid surgery.  She believes that I should be as active as she is...  I love her dearly but she is completely out of touch when it comes to that reality.  I am anxious (somewhat) to see how active she is when she turn 75...  the problem with that is that I will be 80 which is why I said somewhat.

Younger people typically never feel the age of older people therefore it is difficult for them to understand what we are going through...   at the same time, it is difficult for me to understand what my wife is going through with her pain(s) as well...

My back surgery was not performed because I was in pain, it was performed because one morning when I got out of bed my knees gave way...  and, I could no longer walk without a limp...  plus walking was a struggle instead of a pleasure as it used to be.  I never experienced the pain she is experiencing.

Kayak

 

The Murmuration of Being

Art by Lia Halloran for The Universe in Verse. (Available as a print.)

“This life of yours which you are living is not merely a piece of the entire existence, but is in a certain sense the whole,” quantum pioneer Erwin Schrödinger wrote as he bridged his young science with ancient Eastern philosophy to reckon with the ongoing mystery of what we are.

A century later — a century in the course of which we unraveled the double helix, detected the Higgs boson, decoded the human genome, heard a gravitational wave and saw a black hole for the first time, and discovered thousands of other possible worlds beyond our Solar System — the mystery has only deepened for us “atoms with consciousness,” capable of music and of murder. 

Each day, we eat food that becomes us, its molecules metabolized into our own as we move through the world with the illusion of a self. Each day, we live with the puzzlement of what makes us and our childhood self the “same” person, even though most of our cells and our dreams have been replaced. Each day, we find ourselves restless miniatures of a vast universe we are only just beginning to fathom.

In Notes on Complexity: A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, and Being (public library), the Buddhist scientist Neil Theise endeavors to bridge the mystery out there with the mystery of us, bringing together our three primary instruments of investigating reality.  

These are empirical science (with a focus on complexity theory), philosophy (with a focus on Western idealism), and metaphysics (with a focus on Buddhism, Vedanta, Kabbalah, and Saivism) — to paint a picture of the universe and all of its minutest parts “as nothing but a vast, self-organizing, complex system, the emergent properties of which are… everything.”  READ MORE...

Bird & Dog

 

Being Home Owners

We purchased our first home in 1969 after getting married.  Since then, my wife (second wife) and I have purchased half a dozen more homes, including this last home where we downsized homes due to age and health concerns.  I have never not owned a home.

Owning homes can easily be accomplished if you are willing to buy a home that is within your capability to make the mortgage payments.

It does not matter where you live, a home is affordable, regardless of how high or low the cost to borrow money...  but not for those homes that are out of your price range, especially when you have a mortgage for 30 years.

I think the problem comes in because these people who are wanting homes that are above their capability to make payments are being denied by the bank.

NO ONE WANTS TO START SMALL AND BUILD UP...

Your first home cannot be a condo or a 5,000 square foot home in an exclusive neighborhood.  Anyone who thinks that is possible is not living in reality and will be turned down by the banks.

I have known people who purchased a $100,000 home that did not meet their immediate needs but they made do.  In 5 years they sold it for $125,000 and purchased a $150,000 home.  In 5 years they sold that home for $200,000 and purchased a $250,000 home. Twenty years later, they had a home in an exclusive neighborhood worth almost $500,000.

Young people have the same issue with homes as they have with vehicles and jobs.  They want to start out on top from the getgo...  and, when that does not happen, then society has been designed to suppress them.

With this attitude they will be disappointed for the rest of their lives.

BTW -  being a homeowner is not all that great because of all the time and money that must be spent to keep your house and yard looking good.  I believe if I had to do it all over again, I might have gone the condo route where there is minimal maintenance costs or just rented an apartment.  The only real advantage to home owning is waiting until you retire, sell your home and use the profits to help supplement your retirement income.  In that regard, home ownership is nothing more than an investment.

If you cannot own a home, there are other investments that you can afford...  like saving $2.50 each day...  if that money is put into a mutual fund each month and you do this for 40 years, you will have $500,000....  that is way easier than maintaining a home!

America: The Beautiful

 There are places throughout Europe, Africa, Russia, China, Australia, South and Central America, and Canada that are incredibly beautiful...  so much so that they take one's breath away.

However, nothing can compare to the magnificence of the United States of America...  as it appears that we have it all.

1. The massive Mississippi River
2. The Grand Canyon
3. The Rocky Mountains
4. The Mountains of Alaska
5. The beaches of Hawaii, the west and east coasts
6. Hawaiian Surfing
7. The Smoky Mountains
8. The American farmlands
9. The Great Lakes
10. The Intercoastal Waterways
11. The Finger Lakes
12. The Wine Vineyards
13. Outer Banks NC Fishing
14. All our National Parks
15. The Tennessee Valley Lakes

Additionally, we are sitting on top of a massive amount of petroleum crude oil as well as an abundance of other materials.  We have more colleges, universities, community colleges, and trade schools than any other country in the world.

BUT, our crowning achievement is not our people and all their talents, but the FREEDOMS that we give our people!!!

Nowhere in the world, does a group of people enjoy the FREEDOMS that we have here in this country.

It is our FREEDOMS that allow and enable us to pursue happiness and a high quality of life.

Think about all the WILD ANIMALS that live throughout AFRICA...  animals that are found nowhere else in the world...  These animals are more FREE than the people who live in that country.

There is a movement underway here in the US of A to eliminate some of these FREEDOMS but I do not think that the people will ever allow that to happen...  certainly not the SUPREME COURT whose job it is to define and interpret the US CONSTITUTION from which our FREEDOMS are derived.

America is beautiful and will continue to be beautiful because of what is found here and because of the FREEDOMS that exist here.

COME AND SEE FOR YOURSELF

Our New Sunroom

Our new house has a sunroom that measures 10 feet by 15 feet with a vaulted ceiling.  There is a ceiling fan and a light that does not give off much illumination.  Not sure if there is any insulation in the walls and the windows are single pane so the room is not very efficient when it comes to cooling and heating.

Early morning and late afternoon are good times to come out here but tonight is the first time for me.  The room is comfortable and the humidity seems low...  so, it is an ideal space to remove one's self from the noise that one does not want to hear inside.

My wife purchased a recliner just for the sunroom and it is that recliner in which I am sitting now.

Sometime this week, our portable heating/AC unit will arrive, and we will see just how that unit might work for us.   Because of the windows and the potential of no insulation, this room will NEVER HOLD its cooling or heating.  However, if the unit keeps it comfortable to use, then it saves us $20,000+ in renovation expenses.

If I am coming out here in the early evening after the sun goes down, then I will want more illumination...  during the day there is plenty of light.

When we purchased this house, its condition was that we did not really have to do anything...  however, we wanted different floors in the house and bathrooms.  We wanted different toilets in both bathrooms.  

Additionally, we sold our living room furniture and our kitchen appliance, so we had to replace all of those as well.  About $30,000 is what we have estimated.  Fortunately, we made $32,000 profit when we sold our house to a northerner from Chicago.

This house gives us exactly what we want and we were damn lucky to find it one street over from where we were living at the time.  For us, it is an IDEAL RETIREMENT HOME.

Saturday Night Live

 

TWENTY-TWO People Needed to Colonize Mars

Researchers estimated that as few as 22 people would be needed to sustain a colony on Mars. But there are lots of caveats, and the new study largely misses the point of colonizing the Red Planet in the first place, experts say.

Only 22 people are needed to create a colony on Mars, an optimistic new study suggests. However, not everyone agrees, and some experts think many more people would be needed to create a lasting human presence on the Red Planet.

In the study, which was uploaded to the pre-print database arXiv on Aug. 11 and has not been peer-reviewed, researchers used a computer program, known as an agent-based model (ABM), to predict how many people would be needed to sustain a colony on Mars. ABMs simulate how well groups react to challenging scenarios based on their personality types.

The model looked at four personality types: agreeables, who are not very competitive or aggressive; socials, who are extroverted and do well in social settings; reactives, who struggle to deal with changes to routine; and neurotics, who are highly competitive and aggressive. The model then varied the number of each type when doing key tasks such as Martian mining and farming.

The researchers found that iIf most people were agreeables or socials, just 22 people could sustain a colony. With more neurotics and reactives, larger groups were needed to succeed.

Limiting the size of the first Martian colonies will be very important, because the more people and equipment that are needed, the more expensive it will be.    READ MORE...

Duck Landing On Pond

 

Buy American... REALLY?

 Most all my life, I have heard BUY AMERICAN in order for us to have a healthy economy and grow...  while that may be a good thing for the USA, it is not a good thing for the average American.

WHY?

Because, the American Worker get paid more than any other worker in the world.  Not only do we have higher wages, but the American Workers have demanded TONS OF BENEFITS as well.

Therefore, if you were to buy American, you would be spending more money on these items than if they were made in China, India, or Indonesia.

By having other countries manufacture at a lower cost, we, HERE IN THE USA, are able to have a lower cost of living.

Being an American Worker all my life, I wanted the highest salary or wage that I could possible get...  Yes...  TRUE... but, my higher wage caused my employer to charge the consumer more for the item than they needed to if my wages were lower.

This is the problem that AMERICAN COMPANIES face everyday.  Do I pay higher wages and charge higher prices or do I import these items from another country where wages are lower???

Back in the 1990s, I worked for a company that moved part of their operations to Mexico because the wage was very low.  At the time this move took place, they could pay $1/day to Mexican workers and they were content.

In the next couple of years, these Mexican workers wanted a $1/hour...  then they went to $2/hour, then they demanded $5/hour and the company moved their operations out of Mexico because the wages got too high.  They could not pass those expenses to the company that had hired them to manufacture.

Whether we want to believe it or not...  prices to the consumer cause the company to make decisions that are unpopular with the public.  Most of these companies are publicly traded companies and it is the SHAREHOLDERS or STOCKHOLDERS that dictate to the company CEOs the dividends that they want to receive each year.

In order to pay those dividends, the company either reduces expenses or raise prices...

1. If you piss the workers off, very little will happen...
2. If you piss the consumer off, they may switch products...
3. If you piss the SHAREHOLDER off, then they will sell their shares and the value of the company will decline and the CEO will be terminated...

Magic

 

Quantum Squeezing

Lee McCuller, a physics professor and quantum squeezing expert, is developing innovative techniques to enhance the sensitivity of LIGO, the world’s most advanced gravitational wave detector. His future ambition is to broaden the application of these techniques beyond LIGO.



New Caltech professor Lee McCuller is making quantum measurements even more precise.

From a young age, new Assistant Professor of Physics, Lee McCuller, enjoyed the hands-on process of building things. This interest was fostered by his uncle, who created a power supply for him. McCuller used this in conjunction with electronic hobby kits from RadioShack, performing simple tasks such as operating analog circuits to switch lights and motors on and off. 

Today, McCuller’s engineering prowess is applied to an exceptionally advanced device, what some would call the most advanced measurement device in the world: the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, or LIGO.


McCuller is a recognized expert in a field known as quantum squeezing, a technique utilized at LIGO to achieve extremely precise measurements of gravitational waves. that travel millions and billions of light-years across space to reach us. When black holes and collapsed stars, called neutron stars, collide, they generate ripples in space-time, or gravitational waves. 

LIGO’s detectors—located in Washington and Louisiana—specialize in picking up these waves but are limited by quantum noise, an inherent property of quantum mechanics that results in photons popping in and out of existence in empty space. Quantum squeezing is a complex method for reducing this unwanted noise.  READ MORE...

Middle Class

 

A Political Opinion

 Part of me wants Donald Trump to win the GOP nomination for President (which he probably will) and then win the general election and become President again.  

His first order of business would be to dismiss the US DA and the Director of the FBI.  

His second order of business would be to re-instate the XL Pipeline and become energy independent. 

Next, he should close the borders by whatever means is necessary, including finish building the wall.  

Next, he should slow down all rapid movements towards green energy.  

Next, he should build up the military.

Next, he should do whatever is in his power AND LEGAL to bring Joe Biden and his family to justice.

Next, he should lower corporate income tax.

Next, he should pardon himself if necessary.

ON THE OTHER HAND...

part of me believes that Donald Trump should never be President again and not because he did not do good things for Americans and this country but because his actions, comments, personality, and behaviors ARE NOT PRESIDENTIAL...

He may appeal to the blue collar workers of this country but he lacks PRESIDENTIAL DECORUM...  consequently, it would be embarrassing to have him as President again.

Donald Trump is a BILLIONAIRE who believes because he is wealthy that he can do any damn thing he wants to do...  and while this the EXACT ATTITUDE of most billionaires (and I personal know one) and might work in the business world, it has no place in POLITICS.

You simply cannot be a billionaire and be FOR THE PEOPLE at the same time.  The two are not just mutually exclusive but they are incongruent.

MOST POLITICIANS become wealthy after being in Congress for numerous years...  but, they are not billionaires.  These political leaders are CORRUPT otherwise they would not become wealthy. 

Congress gets insider information on stocks because of their jobs, and then use that information to invest in those stocks and make thousands.  People in congress take bribes from LOBBYISTS in order to make sure legislation gets passed.

This is the nature of politics, and NO ONE wants to put an end to it...  especially the people who are in Congress and responsible for passing laws that would limit their terms and age.  Our system is self-perpetuating and will one day, turn around and bite us in the ass.

Bull in Car

 

A DNA Time Capsule

For the first time, researchers have been able to extract DNA fragments from an ancient clay brick, demonstrating how these building blocks from times long past could be used to catalog flora found in the environment at the time.


When this brick was made some 2,900 years ago in what is now northern Iraq, the process would have involved mixing mud from the banks of the Tigris river, with materials such as chaff, straw, or animal dung.


Small plant particles amid the animal waste and straw can remain protected inside the brick for millennia – as has now been demonstrated by the team from the University of Oxford in the UK and the National Museum of Denmark and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.


Having extracted a sample of the brick, the researchers used an analytical technique previously used on other forms of porous material, such as bone. This gave them the ability to sequence (or decode) the DNA in the plant matter, identifying 34 distinct taxonomic groups of plants.


"We were absolutely thrilled to discover that ancient DNA, effectively protected from contamination inside a mass of clay, can successfully be extracted from a 2,900-year-old brick," says biologist Sophie Lund Rasmussen from the University of Oxford.


The brick analyzed in this study was found in the palace of the Neo-Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II, located in the ancient city of Kalhu. Dating it to some time between 879 and 869 BCE – the years the palace was under construction – was made easier by an inscription in the clay that specifically mentioned the palace.


Plant families with the most abundant DNA in the brick included Brassicaceae (the cabbage and mustard family) and Ericaceae (heather), while genetic material from Betulaceae (birch), Lauraceae (laurels), Selineae (the family containing carrots and parsley), and Triticeae (cultivated grasses) was also present.


"The brick serves as a biodiversity time capsule of information regarding a single site and its surroundings," says Assyriologist Troels Arbøll, from the University of Copenhagen.


"In this case, it provides researchers with a unique access to the ancient Assyrians."  READ MORE...

Somewhat Political

Race to Space

The following countries have space programs:

1. United States
2. Russia
3. China
4. Japan
5. European Union
6. India

The following countries have manned space flights:

• United States
• China 
• Russia

In the USA, we have a few billionaires that are entering the space race along with the government, these are:

• Elon Musk --  Space X
• Jeff Bezos --  Blue Origin
• Richard Branson --  Virgin Galactic/Virgin Orbit

OPINION:  Personally, I believe that these billionaires will not just move faster than then government but will surpass whatever it is that the US government tries to do.

As far as other countries are concerned:

>>>Russia is pretty much out of the picture with a recent crash in the moon's atmosphere and their expenditures of money on the war in Ukraine.

>>>China wants to beat the USA and be the leader in space, but they are also trying to be leader of the world as they pump money into their militaries.

>>>India's recent landing on the moon was accomplished at a less of  cost than any other country.  How did they manage to do that?

THEREFORE...

Our billionaires (Musk, Bezos, and Branson) will be the ones that lead the world into space.  At some point in time, instead of competing with each other, they should form a consortium, and work together.

Regardless of what you personally believe, we will be colonizing a planet in space by 2030...  that is only 6 years away...  in 6 years, there could be so many AI/Robots that they could possibly be the crew and workers that build the first colony...

These billionaires want to build this colony on Mars but I suppose there are other planets that have yet to be targeted.

When this happens, our life on EARTH will change dramatically.

Moon

 

Wanting to Join BRICS

WHAT IS BRICS?

The acronym BRIC, which did not initially include South Africa, was coined in 2001 by then Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O'Neill in a research paper that underlined the growth potential of Brazil, Russia, India and China.

The bloc was founded as an informal club in 2009 to provide a platform for its members to challenge a world order dominated by the United States and its Western allies.

Its creation was initiated by Russia.

The group is not a formal multilateral organisation like the United Nations, World Bank or the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The heads of state and government of the member nations convene annually with each nation taking up a one-year rotating chairmanship of the group.

WHO ARE THE MEMBERS?

Brazil, Russia, India and China are the founding members.

South Africa, the smallest member in terms of economic clout and population, was the first beneficiary of an expansion of the bloc in 2010 when the grouping became known as BRICS.

Together the countries account for more than 40% of the world population and a quarter of the global economy.

Apart from geopolitics, the group's focus includes economic cooperation and increasing multilateral trade and development.

The bloc operates by consensus. All the BRICS countries are part of the Group of 20 (G20) of major economies.

WHICH NATIONS WANT TO JOIN BRICS AND WHY?
Over 40 countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Algeria, Bolivia, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Comoros, Gabon, and Kazakhstan have expressed interest in joining the forum, according to 2023 summit chair South Africa.

They view BRICS as an alternative to global bodies viewed as dominated by the traditional Western powers and hope membership will unlock benefits including development finance, and increased trade and investment.

Dissatisfaction with the global order among developing nations was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic when life-saving vaccines were hoarded by the rich countries.

Iran, home to around a quarter of the Middle East's oil reserves, has said it hopes the mechanism for new membership would be decided "at the earliest."

Oil heavyweight Saudi Arabia was among more than a dozen countries that participated in "Friends of BRICS" talks in Cape Town in June. It has received backing from Russia and Brazil to join the BRICS.

Argentina said in July 2022 it had received China's formal support in its bid to join the group.  READ MORE...

Home Construction

 

My Working Career in a Nutshell

 During my working career (both part-time and full time), I have held the following jobs/positions:

1. Gardener/lawn care
2. door-to-door salesman
3. Lifeguard
4. Babysitter
5. Waiter
6. Construction Worker
7. Chemical Packer
8. Military man
9. Military Reservist
10. Associate Director
11. Technical writer
12. Executive Director
13. Corporate Director
14. Director
15. Manager
16. Customer Service Rep
17. Textile worker
18. Driver/Messenger
19. Unemployed
20. Computer Technician
21. Instructor/Teacher
22. Program Chair
23. Assistant Dean
24. Dean
25. Owner/CEO/President
26. Consultant
27. Course writer
28. Insurance Salesperson
29. Vice President
30. Auditor
31. Professor
32. Adjunct

My career has spanned 50 years, I have been laid off or fired 10 times, and have had numerous employers...  too many to count or even remember.  I worked while I was attending college and graduate school.

Consciously, I made a decision to remain in the south where there was less income possibilities than could have been achieved up north.  Not sure why I made that decision at the time but I am sure it revolved around traffic, climate, people, and cost of living.

I had visited NYC several times before graduating from college and found it to be OVERWHELMING to say the least.

• No countryside
• Not much grass 
• Not much fresh air
• Extremely tall buildings
• Congested public transportation
• Extremely rude people
• Too many people
• Too much traffic
• Too many distractions

On the other side of the coin, NYC was a fascinating place to be and the nightlife was incredible.  I remember when my family was there in 1962 before boarding a cruise ship to Egypt to live, I was walking around and saw Gene Krupa playing drums in a dive bar.  It was hot and the door was open.

I watched him for as long as I could before someone from the inside came out and told me to leave.

One could say that I have had my fair share of different types of work that provided me with different types of experiences, but I am not sure where all that experience got me...  I mean in terms of a successful career.

I suppose my career was successful, better than most, but not a good as others...  but in terms of leaving behind a legacy, I did not...  except for a handful of students that I helped shape their lives.

Retirement is a time for reflection and while I do that from time to time, I do not like to, because it makes me question myself and what I have accomplished.

I would say surviving cancer for 15 years and knowing I will continue to fight this cancer for the rest of my life...  well, that seems more like an accomplishment than my career.

Labor Day Driving

 Like most Americans, I am enjoying my day off from work...  even though I stopped working in 2015, eight years ago.

I suppose one could say that I am still working around the house, like mowing the yard, weed eating, and trimming bushes and trees...  although, I am not being paid to do this...  I am, however, NOT PAYING someone else to do it for me.

LABOR DAY is a federal holiday to thank people for busting their asses for management the rest of the year.  A day off is cheaper than increasing wages.

This morning on FOX News, it was reported that the WORST TIME TO TRAVEL (in a vehicle) was between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm...  WTF???   That would mean that you should drive during the night when others were sleeping.  That only makes sense to me, if someone else is driving the vehicle so you can sleep...  like a bus...  but then in a bus you cannot completely recline your seat.

Of course, and this would depend on the length of your drive, but you could leave at 4/5:00 am in the morning.  For instance, all of our travels are to Myrtle Beach, SC and back and it takes 6.5 hours.  If we left at 5:00 am, we would get home just before noon and experience minimal traffic problems.

If we left at 4:00 am we would experience even less, but who wants to get up at 3:00 am to leave at 4:00 am just to beat a little traffic?   The answer is young people who don't need much sleep would be willing to do that.

What I have discovered over the years is that speeding over the posted limits, does two things:

• It burns more gasoline
• You arrive 15-20 minutes earlier than expected
• It increases your stress
• It increase the potential of making a mistake

These days, I drive the speed limit or maybe 5 miles more (why 5 miles I do not know) and when I can I set the cruise control to maximize fuel efficiency.

These days, I make sure that I keep more than the normal distance between me and the car in front of me, because my reaction time is slower.

These days, I stop every two hours to walk around for 5 minutes.

These days, I allow 8 hours to make a 6.5 hour trip and 30-60 minutes to make a 3-4 hour trip, to reduce my stress caused by unexpected delays.

I am in NO HURRY to get where I am going.

A Day Off From Work

A Career in the Military

 My  father was in the military during WWII and remained in the reserves for 30 years.  He also worked for the Federal Government for 30 and received retirement pensions from both.  The government stopped paying pension after his generation retired.  Both pensions provided him with the same level of income that he had received while working.  A smart move on his part.

I was in the military for 6 years, 2 years active and 4 years reserve and did not continue...  hindsight:  I am sure this was he wrong move to make, but I cannot say that for sure.

IF TODAY WAS YESTERDAY...

I would have made a career out of the military and I will tell you why.

• They provide you with uniforms.
• They provide you free housing.
• They provide you with free food.
• They provide you with retirement.

If you decide to get married they provide you with a special allowance and if you have children, there is another special allowance awarded to you...  plus the cost of birth is free.

On base EXCHANGES called PXs have all sorts of goods available at cheaper prices than outside the base.

There is an enormous amount of money that can be saved by letting the military pay for most everything.  

Plus, if you joined at 18 after high school or at 22 after college, you could retire with a 20 year pension at age 38 or 42...  that would still give you an opportunity to receive the pension while working another job for 20 years, retiring a second time 58 or 62...

ADDITIONIONALLY, if your second job last longer than 40 quarters (10 years) then you are also eligible for Social Security.

Several people that I have known, worked in the military for 20 years and got their BA and MA degrees.  Then, they went to work for a Community College while getting their PhDs.  When they finally retired for good at 62-65-67, they received 3 retirement checks.

• Military
• Community College
• Social Security

NOTE: after twenty years with the military, you are eligible for military healthcare for the rest of your life...  big savings in the long run.

CONCERN:  the possibility of being sent to a foreign war and dying...

A valid concern!!!

To offset that concern, DO NOT JOIN the Army or the Marines...

Your first choice should be Air Force, then Navy depending upon your specialization.

Regardless of specialization, the Air Force is the best choice.

It's Just a Cat... really!

 

Fossil Millions of Years Old

Graecopithecus freybergi lived 7.2 million years ago in the dust-laden savannah of the Athens Basin. Image credit: Velizar Simeonovski.

The origin of the hominines (African apes and humans) is among the most hotly debated topics in paleoanthropology.

The traditional view, ever since Charles Darwin, holds that hominines and hominins (humans and fossil relatives) originate in Africa, where the earliest hominins are found and where all living non-human hominines live.

More recently a European origin has been proposed, based on the analysis of Late Miocene apes from Europe and Central Anatolia.

Anadoluvius turkae attests to a lengthy history of hominines in Europe, with multiple species in the eastern Mediterranean known for at least 2.3 million years.

“Our findings further suggest that hominines not only evolved in western and central Europe but spent over 5 million years evolving there and spreading to the eastern Mediterranean before eventually dispersing into Africa, probably as a consequence of changing environments and diminishing forests,” said Professor David Begun, a paleontologist at the University of Toronto.

“The members of this radiation to which Anadoluvius turkae belongs are currently only identified in Europe and Anatolia.”  READ MORE...

Horse in the Ocean