Green River

 

Piano Playing

 

Reparations

The United States of America has wrong treated Native Americans, Japanese Americans, African Americans, and Middle Class Americans with their tax burdens...

In addition to Americans, the United States of America has wrongly treated Europeans, Muslims, Africans, and South Americans with their globalization policies, bribes, payoffs, and black operations by the CIA...

Consequently, the United States of America is pretty much hated by the rest of the world as well as the black people that live inside the borders of the USA...

To compensate our Native Americans, we gave them the ability to build, operate, and profit from gambling.

In order to compensate the black Americans, I propose that we give them the right to build, operate, and profit from gambling.

I am opposed to using tax dollars to benefit the blacks, especially because I was not responsible for slavery nor am I responsible for what my ancestors may or may not have done.  I am only responsible for what I do or don't do.

GIVE THE BLACKS GAMBLING CASINOS...

Somewhat Political

 

Consciousness

Even among non-neuroscientists, determining the origin and purpose of consciousness is widely known as “the hard problem.” Since its coinage by philosopher David Chalmers thirty years ago, that label has worked its way into a variety of contexts; about a decade ago, Tom Stoppard even used it for the title of a play. Unsurprisingly, it’s also referenced in the episode of Big Think’s Dispatches from the Well above, which presents discussions of the nature of consciousness with neuroscientist Christof Koch, Vedanta Society of New York minister Swami Sarvapriyananda, technology entrepreneur Reid Hoffman, Santa Fe Institute Davis Professor of Complexity Melanie Mitchell, and mathematical physicist Roger Penrose.

Koch describes consciousness as “what you see, it’s what you hear, it’s the pains you have, the love you have, the fear, the passion.” It is, in other words, “the experience of anything,” and for all their sophistication, our modern inquiries into it descend from René Descartes’ proposition, “Cogito, ergo sum.” Sarvapriyananda, too, makes reference to Descartes in explaining his own conception of consciousness as “the light of lights,” by which “everything here is lit up.”  READ MORE...

Born to be Wild

 

Andromeda Galaxy

 

In The NEWS

Kansas City Shooting
At least one person was killed and 21 others were wounded after a shooting broke out near Kansas City's Union Station following the conclusion of the Chiefs' celebratory Super Bowl parade. As of this writing, 15 victims had life-threatening injuries, with two in critical condition; eight of those wounded were children.


Israel Strikes Hezbollah
Israeli forces launched a series of strikes across parts of neighboring Lebanon yesterday in retaliation for cross-border fire from Hezbollah fighters that killed one Israeli soldier and wounded eight others (including seven civilians). At least three Lebanese civilians and one militant were killed in the strikes.


Lyft's Bot Bump
Lyft shares rose over 60% in after-hours trading Tuesday following the rideshare company's fourth-quarter earnings report that featured a typo in its 2024 forecast. The swing was said to be largely driven after hours by algorithms trained to analyze data and automatically execute the selling or buying of shares without human intervention (read more).


Science & Technology

• Scientists develop "meat rice," where grains of rice act as scaffolding for cultured meat; high-protein dish can be prepared like traditional rice, may find use in food insecure communities, military deployments, and more (More)
• Researchers discover oldest known cave art in Argentina's Patagonia region, with drawings of humans and animals dating to roughly 8,200 years ago (More)
• Long-term effects of smoking on the immune system persist for up to 15 years after quitting; study finds heightened inflammatory response, dampened cellular response in ex-smokers (More)

Business & Markets

• US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +1.0%, Dow +0.4%, Nasdaq +1.3%), lifted by Uber, Lyft, and Nvidia shares (More) | Bitcoin's market capitalization surpasses $1T for the first time since 2021 (More)
• Uber shares rise 15% to record high after company announces first-ever $7B share buyback plan (More) | What is a share buyback? (More) | Tech giant Cisco to lay off 5% of workforce, or roughly 4,250 employees (More)
• Colorado's attorney general sues to block Kroger's proposed $25B acquisition of rival grocer Albertsons (More) | William Post, credited with playing a role in the development of the iconic Pop-Tarts snack, dies at 96 (More)

Source:  1440 News

Somewhat Political

 

US Politics

When the founding fathers designed our political system, it was predicated on the fact that our two political parties would always do what they thought was in the best interest of the people...  It was ok with the founding fathers that our two parties would approach that task differently because, they perceived that politicians would always see the need to compromise.

Unfortunately, that is not the case, even though it was the case just a few years ago.

Today's politician is not influenced by the constituents they represent but by the lobbyists that are constantly influencing their decisions and contributing to their campaigns.  Large donors expect that their donations buy them to right to tell the Senator or the Congress person what to do, and when to do it. 

Those kinds of decisions have nothing to do with the general public, except the general public does not really know that it is happening, nor do they think they can do anything about it if they knew.

If you are following what is happening in Congress, you know that a few weeks ago Speaker McCarthy was ousted from the speakership because a small majority did not like the deals, he was making with the Democrats...

The concept is that this is exactly what our founding fathers wanted to have happen.  Make deals with the other party to advance the country.

Now, I am reading that the donations by wealthy republicans to those republicans who kicked McCarthy out, are being withdrawn as a form of retaliation for what they did.  Those funds were to have been used in a re-election campaign and without those funds, there is a good chance these republicans will lose the race.

I understand the concept of payback but this payback is going to result in taking a seat away from a Republican and giving it to a Democrat so the Republicans lose control of the House...

That kind of retaliation is just plain stupid and results in this country not getting ahead because when the Dems take over, they will undo everything that the Republicans put into place.

HOW IS THAT GOOD FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC???

Animal Lover

 

Artificial Intelligence and Cancer

Artificially intelligent software has been developed to enhance medical treatments that use jets of electrified gas known as plasma. The computer code predicts the chemicals emitted by plasma devices, which can be used to treat cancer, promote healthy tissue growth and sterilize surfaces.


The software learned to predict the cocktail of chemicals coming out of the jet based on data gathered during real-world experiments and using the laws of physics for guidance. This type of artificial intelligence (AI) is known as machine learning because the system learns based on the information provided. The researchers involved in the project published a paper about their code in the Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics.     READ MORE...

Gimme Shelter

 

In The NEWS

The gory origins of Valentine's Day.

... including the ancient Roman festival of the Lupercalia. (w/video)

Uncovering the earliest account of smooching.

Scroll through a history of valentine cards.

Visualizing America's favorite rom-coms.

The top 50 love songs of all time.

Ranking the best state capitals to live in.

Dictionary.com adds 327 new entries, including "girl dinner."

Clickbait: Cupid's Undie Run hits the streets (for charity).

Historybook: Saint Valentine dies (269); Abolitionist Frederick Douglass born (1818); Pale Blue Dot photo taken by Voyager 1 (1990); Dolly the sheep dies; was first cloned mammal (2003); Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting; 17 killed and 17 injured (2018).

SOURCE: 1440 News

Bachman Turner Overdrive

 

Global Markets Moving Apart

The world's biggest economies are seeing a "decoupling," Bank of America says.
The US is showing surprising resilience, European growth is weak, and China is faltering.
Global stocks have reflected the shifting tides in trade and supply chains.

The biggest players in the global economy are on different trajectories, and markets around the world are reflecting the shifting landscape.

In Bank of America's view, the US economy continues to show remarkable resilience, European growth has faltered, and China faces the most challenging outlook amid real estate woes, deflation, and demographic headwinds.

"Signs of decoupling are present in global growth, trade, and equity markets," Bank of America strategists wrote in a Friday note.  READ MORE...

Golfers

Staying Healthy

I see my family doctor twice a year and from what I recall it was only once a year so maybe it's twice now because of my age.

My doctor spent a lot of time discussing all the health issues that I was currently experiencing, even though for many of those health issues I was seeing a specialist, like an Oncologist, a Cardiologist, a Urologist, a Dermatologist, and a Orthopedic Surgeon.

However, it made me feel fairly comfortable that she had taken this kind of interest with her patients as I know her behavior was not just for me.

In our conversations, we discussed recent blood work I had a week before and all the medications that I was taking.  It is this blood work that is the focus of this posting.

My cholesterol level (both bad and good) was a total of 70...  the last time I had blood work, my cholesterol level was 84...  so, there is very little difference of levels during those six months.

My low cholesterol level is by design.  When I was 40 years of age, I stopped smoking, I stopped eating red meat, fried foods, and sugars (sweets).  My focus was on chicken, turkey, fish (cod, salmon, flounder, orange Ruffy), vegetables, and beans.  Along with my diet, I add in pita bread, English muffins, rice, and noodles.

Now, that is not to say that I am completely off red meat.  About three or four times a year, I will eat a hamburger or an all-meat hotdog or a fully loaded pizza...  and the fact that I do this SELDOM is the key to my success.  By eating read me a few times a year, it keeps me from eating red meat all the time.

I will put strawberry preserves on English Muffins once in a while as well and eat a cake doughnut from Dunkin Donuts.

However, I am pretty strick with the alcohol and seldom ever break that rule.  The older I get the less that I find the need to drink alcohol.

THE POINT HERE IS THAT IF I CAN DO THIS SO CAN YOU...

 

Somewhat Political

 

Fusion Breakthrough to Create Computing Boom

NIF researchers achieved a nuclear fusion reaction that created more energy output than input, a historic first in energy research.

Peer review confirms the breakthrough, opening the door for developing practical fusion reactors capable of providing near-unlimited energy.

The availability of fusion energy could significantly accelerate progress in energy-intensive technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, potentially overcoming current energy bottlenecks.

A recent physics breakthrough that could serve as a proof-of-concept for the development of nuclear fusion reactors capable of producing near-unlimited energy has finally passed its official peer-review successfully.

On Dec. 5, 2022, a team of researchers at the United States National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California recorded data indicating that it had achieved a nuclear fusion reaction that created more energy than it took to produce. The reported results were the first of their kind.

In physics, this is sometimes colloquially referred to as a “free lunch,” meaning a nuclear fusion reactor could one day be scaled to the point where it is capable of producing near-unlimited energy.   READ MORE...

FREE

 

Credence Clearwater Revival

 

Hydrogen Combustion Engine

Hydrogen Production for Combustion Motors and Fuel Cells

Salisbury, Maryland Feb 10, 2024 (Issuewire.com) - Hydrogen internal combustion engines are very similar to traditional spark-ignition engines. Hydrocarbon refueling is a major reason behind today's extremely polluted world. To reduce the further impact, hydrogen combustion engines are the next best option. 

To make this earth a better place, companies would need to start being interested in owning their hydrogen fuel production technology. It is not only environmentally sustainable but driving a car, truck, etc. that never needs hydrocarbon refueling would just be exactly like the old driving felt. 

Helping this idea come to life, a unique Green Hydrogen Patent Pending Technology (Patent app 17/803,946 02/01/2023) was developed by the Thomas Institute for Technology Research.  READ MORE...

Surfing

Super Bowl 2024

 I am not a fan of the NFL Super Bowl because it is not really a legitimate test to see which team is better...  I like the NBA's championship because there are playoffs in each region and then the two teams that make it through have to play several games as well.

By playing several games, it allows all of the competing teams to have bad performances throughout the competition while still ultimately winning or losing.  Whereas the NFL Super Bowl is one game and you either play well or you don't.

Super Bowl 2024 was just such a game, at least in my opinion, where the better overall playing team in this game, actually lost.

The 49's outplayed the Chiefs in all four quarters and the quarterback of the 49's outplayed the quarterback of the Chiefs.  For those of you who watched the game, this statement is an obvious one.

The game went into overtime and the new rules state, that overtime is a brand-new game that continues with two possessions.  If after two possessions, no one has a higher score, another two possessions are conducted, until one team has more points.

THEREFORE, the entire Super Bowl could be decided in only two possessions and not just two fresh possessions but after each team has played an entire game and it incredibly tired.

When one team finally wins, does that really mean they were superior to the other team?   NO...

It means they were superior to the other team in two possessions.

Two nights ago, after performing horribly for four quarters, the Chiefs won the super bowl because 4 downs when their way.  And now that are consider not just the champions, but they are the beginning of a dynasty.

Both the 49's and the Chiefs have great teams otherwise they would not have gotten as far as they did, but this super bowl contest was hardly the test to determine who is really the better team.

Golfer

Fastest Lava Flow Recorder

The flow of magma into a 15-kilometre-long crack ahead of the recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland occurred at the highest rate observed anywhere in the world for this kind of event.


“We can have higher rates in very large eruptions,” says Freysteinn Sigmundsson at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik. “But I am not aware of higher estimates of magma flowing into a crack in the surface.”


Sigmundsson is part of a team that has been using ground-based sensors and satellites to monitor recent volcanic activity under the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland. This began with magma accumulating several kilometres beneath the Svartsengi region, the site of a geothermal power plant that supplies warm water to the Blue Lagoon spa, a tourist attraction.  READ MORE...

Tough To Be A Teacher

 

Healthy Diet

 

A Society Too Complex to Survive

Homo sapiens evolved as a separate species about 300,000 years ago. Measured in generations (with each generation lasting 20 years), that means there are about 15,000 great-great-etc. grandparents separating you from the earliest human ancestors. 

While that’s a remarkable fact in itself, what’s really remarkable is how the world each of those generations experienced was remarkably static. Of course, there were natural disasters and wars. In general, however, the “techno-social” universe your 9,045th great-grandparent lived in was not very different from the one your 9,046th one inhabited. The same holds true for the vast majority of generations after them.  READ MORE...