Waiting For a Friend

 

Earth's Largest Desert Sands

The age of one of Earth's largest and most complex types of sand dune has been calculated for the first time.

Star dunes - or pyramid dunes - are named after their distinctive shapes and reach hundreds of metres in height.

They are found in Africa, Asia and North America, as well as on Mars - but experts had never before been able to put a date on when they were formed.

Now scientists have discovered that a dune called Lala Lallia in Morocco formed 13,000 years ago.

Star dunes are created by opposing winds that change direction. Understanding their age helps scientists understand those winds and unpick the climate of that era, says Prof Geoff Duller at the University of Aberystwyth, who published the research with Prof Charles Bristow at Birkbeck University.   READ MORE...

Somewhat Political

 

Males and Females

At 76 years of age, I am sure that many people younger than me would consider my thoughts OLD FASHIONED, even if I told you that I used to be a Hippie with hair below my shoulders and attended the music festival at Woodstock...

One of my strongest beliefs is that our FEDERAL GOVERNMENT should not tell us what to do with our bodies, how we should think, or when we should act based upon our beliefs.  An example of this is that I believe a female has the right to have an abortion and if she does it is the business of no one else.

Consequently, I am not opposed to males wanting to be females nor am I opposed to females wanting to be males.

With that said, just because you make the transition from male to female does not make you a female and just because you make the transition from female to male does not make you a male.

THEREFORE...  and obviously this is my opinion, males who have become females should not be allowed to participate in female sports because their biological body is still a male and has a stronger muscle and bone structure than REAL females have.

A solution would be to a third category of competition in sports perhaps called TRANSGENDERED where those who have made the transformation would compete against only those who also had made the transformation.

Is this fair or equitable?

It seems like to me it is but I am only one person.

However, we all know that equity in athletics is damn near impossible to achieve since there will always be people like MICHAEL JORDAN who were born with special talents that very few, if any, will be able to match.

Whales

 

Rich Countries Use More Resources

The extraction of the Earth's natural resources tripled in the past five decades, related to the massive build-up of infrastructure in many parts of the world and the high levels of material consumption, especially in upper-middle and high-income countries.


Material extraction is expected to rise by 60% by 2060 and could derail efforts to achieve not only global climate, biodiversity, and pollution targets but also economic prosperity and human well-being, according to a report published today by the UN Environment Program (UNEP)-hosted International Resource Panel.

The 2024 Global Resource Outlook, developed by the International Resource Panel with authors from around the globe and launched during the sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly, calls for sweeping policy changes to bring humanity to live within its means and reduce this projected growth in resource use by one third while growing the economy, improving well-being, and minimizing environmental impacts.     READ MORE...

Hotel California

 

Nowhere Man

 

Russia & China to put Nuclear Plant on Moon

MOSCOW, March 5 (Reuters) - Russia and China are considering putting a nuclear power plant on the moon from 2033-35, Yuri Borisov, the head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos said on Tuesday, something he said could one day allow lunar settlements to be built.

Borisov, a former deputy defence minister, said that Russia and China had been jointly working on a lunar programme and that Moscow was able to contribute with its expertise on "nuclear space energy".

"Today we are seriously considering a project - somewhere at the turn of 2033-2035 - to deliver and install a power unit on the lunar surface together with our Chinese colleagues," Borisov said.

Solar panels would not be able to provide enough electricity to power future lunar settlements, he said, while nuclear power could.

"This is a very serious challenge...it should be done in automatic mode, without the presence of humans," he said of the possible plan.  READ MORE...

Somewhat Political

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> The 96th Academy Awards pull in 19.5 million TV viewers, the most since 2020 and a 4% increase over last year (More)

> Sports blog Deadspin's entire editorial staff laid off after sale to European startup Lineup Publishing (More)

> QB Kirk Cousins signs four-year, $180M deal with the Atlanta Falcons after six years with the Minnesota Vikings (More) | Nine-time Pro Bowl QB Russell Wilson to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers (More)



Science & Technology
In partnership with Knightscope

> Elon Musk says his artificial intelligence startup, xAI, will make its chatbot Grok open-source beginning this week; move would make all or part of the source code available to the public (More)

> New drugs used for weight loss, including Ozempic and Wegovy, show success in treating side-effects of HIV drugs, including fatty liver buildup (More) | How semaglutides work (More, w/video)

> Unusual study reveals cicadas urinate in streams similar to; findings disprove prevailing theory on how sap-eating insects excrete, may inform design of fluid channels in robotics applications (More, w/video)



Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -0.1%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq -0.4%) ahead of today's inflation data (More) | Consumer price index report expected to show monthly gains of 0.4% in February and up 3.1% year-over-year (More)

> Bitcoin price passes $72K, breaking record (More) | UK regulators accept applications for crypto-backed exchange-traded notes for Q2 of 2024, following US launch in January of crypto-backed exchange-traded funds (More)

> Japan avoids technical recession as adjusted Q4 GDP data indicate 0.4% annualized growth (revised from -0.4%); announcement raises expectations Bank of Japan could normalize interest rates in next week's meeting (More)



Politics & World Affairs
> Special Counsel Robert Hur to testify before Congress today on investigation of President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents; comes after Hur declined to press charges last month, in part citing memory lapses by Biden during interviews (More) | Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge to resign (More)

> Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) pleads not guilty to new obstruction, bribery charges in superseding indictment (More) | Former President Donald Trump adviser Peter Navarro ordered to report to Miami prison March 19 to serve four-month sentence on contempt charges (More)

> Settlement between state of Florida, plaintiffs clarifies students and teachers allowed to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms, provided it is not part of formal instruction; 2022 state law limited such discussions in elementary schools (More)

SOURCE:  1440 News

Staying Healthy

 Aside from having any predispositions or poor health due to heredity, there are a few things one can do to stay healthy and still enjoy life...

Sounds like an oxymoron but it is not, I assure you.  However, staying healthy does involve a lifestyle change...

One of the first things that I would suggest that you do is QUIT SMOKING.  Most diseases later in life can be traced back to the damage done to our bodies by smoking.  Quitting this habit is not easy but is necessary to begin one's lifestyle change.

The next step that I would suggest is to minimize your consumption of alcohol.  There is nothing wrong with having 1-2 drinks after work, one is preferrable but consuming lots of alcohol on the weekends is not the best way to spend your time.  If you must drink alcohol to be sociable then nurse your drink and spend time listening to the conversation or contributing to it.

The next step is not easy for most of us and that is daily exercise...  The exercise does not have to be vigorous or robust but it does have to be consistent and last for 20 minutes.  What I like to do is walk around the block once a day, listening to iheart radio ear buds connected to my phone.  Once around the block for me in 9/10ths of a mile and takes me about 20 minutes of normal walking up and down the roads.

The other hurdle that you must overcome is twofold with the first part limiting the amount of what you eat at each meal and the second part being making sure that meal is healthy.

When I turned 40 years of age, I gave up eating red meat, fried foods, and sugars, concentrating instead of chicken, turkey, fish, vegetables, fruit, and beans.  I also eat rice and pasta but in reduced amounts.  I avoid bread, especially white bread, but allow myself to eat low fat pita bread,  I also include cheese and yogurt into my healthy eating.

However, in order to maintain the healthy diet, I allow myself to each a cheeseburger 3-4 times a year as well as a pizza.  I might eat a steak once a year but after eating vege burgers and vege hotdogs, eating the real thing does not always taste as good.

What I have found that works best for me is to eat 5 relatively small meals each day that collectively are less than 2,000 calories, trying to stay in the range of 1,600 to 1.800.

The final piece of healthy living is once again twofold with the first part being getting 8 hours of sleep each night and the second part being finding a way to reduce or manage my stress.  One of the ways that I manage my stress is when I have to be somewhere at a specific time and I know that it will take me 30 minutes to drive there, I leave the house 45 minutes before so I don't have to worry about driving fast.

Yoga and meditation are good ways to manage stress and can easily be done at work, if you are clever, and want to avoid peer ridicule. 

REMEMBER:  don't base your self-confidence on what other people think of you.

Waves Against Rocks

 

Alone in the Universe

Are we alone in the universe?

It's a question that's been posed again and again. Carl Sagan posed it in the 1970s as a NASA mission scientist as the agency prepared to send its twin Viking landers to Mars.

And nearly 50 years after the first of two landers touched down on Mars, we're no closer to an answer as to whether there's life — out there.

Scientists haven't stopped looking. In fact, they've expanded their gaze to places like Saturn's largest moon, Titan and Jupiter's moon Europa.

The search for life beyond planet earth continues to captivate. And NASA has upcoming missions to both moons. Could we be closer to answering that question Carl Sagan asked some 50 years ago?     READ MORE...

Centerfield

 

The SPEECH

 

A Medieval Village Uncovered

During the intense and bloody French Revolution (1789-1799), Catholic churches and abbeys didn’t fare very well. In 1789, the National Constituent Assembly decided to seize all Catholic property and sell it off in an effort to fund the fledgling Revolutionary currency. 

The Beaumont Abbey, which had existed outside the city of Tours, France for nearly 800 years, was swept up in this nationwide land grab, its 46 nuns were expelled, and the abbey itself was eventually demolished.

But unknown at the time of its demolition, a treasure trove of medieval history rested underneath the abbey. The area contained some 1,000 burial sites—the graveyard of the centuries-old abbey—and remnants of the medieval town of Belmons, which the Beaumont Abbey effectively replaced.  READ MORE...

Equestrian

 

Vacation Planning

 As I have mentioned before, March is a transition month between winter and spring; it can exhibit both cold and warm temperatures with even a little bit of snow that may or may not stick to the ground; but, for all intents and purposes, winter is basically behind us; consequently, we turn our attention to the summer and making reservations for vacations.

With this in mind, my wife and I typically plan two vacations during the warm weather, one in April/May and the second one in September/October.  The first vacation is usually taken in Florida, typically no farther than Fort Lauderdale; the second vacation is without a second thought at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

We avoid June - July - August because those are the typically vacation months for the family and the prices are usually higher.  We also try to avoid weekends because prices are higher over the weekends as well.   As a result, we are looking at arriving Sunday and leaving Saturday.  At our age, 5 days in the sun or under an umbrella is enough for us.

This year, we are looking at spending a couple of days at a Vacation Village resort (Free) as part of a special owner's package and then spending another 3-4 days either at a rental in Clearwater or St. Agustine, both of which are in Florida.

If we go to Clearwater, we are on the Gulf of Mexico and the drive back is 10.5 hours and if we go to St. Augustine, we are on the Atlantic Ocean and the drive back is only 8.5 hours.

I wanted to go to Daytona, but my wife pointed out that we had already been there before and we should go somewhere new.  There are pros and cons with that suggestion, but I decided not to bring any of them up.  Thirty years of marriage teaches you when to talk and when not to talk.   LOL

By spending three nights and two days at the VV resort for owners, we get a $100 plus a free meal but pay nothing for the room.  We have to listen to a presentation of owner's benefits which is always a pain in the ass, but I guess that's why they are giving us a free meal and $100.

Out timeshare is in the Berkshires, and we have never been but only pay a maintenance fee once every 3 years.  We got the time share to trade but trading has never worked out for us.   We also tried to get out of it, but that did not work either.  If we hired a lawyer to get us out, it would cost us more for the legal fees than we paid for the damn time share.

At some point we will stop paying the maintenance fees and see if they want to take a couple in their 80s to court...

Future NEWS

NEWS FROM THE YEAR: 2059


Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions in the seventh largest country in the world, Mexifornia, formerly known as California.

White minorities still trying to have English recognized as the third language.

Couple petitions court to reinstate heterosexual marriage.

Iran still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least 100 more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels.

France pleads for global help after being taken over by Jamaica. No other country comes forward to help the beleaguered nation!

The Last Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking.

George Z. Bush says he will run for president in 2060.

Postal Service raises price of first-class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only.

Average weight of Americans drops to 250 lbs. and life expectancy is now at 57.2 yrs.

85-year and $375.8 billion study: Diet and exercise is the key to weight loss.

Global cooling blamed for citrus crop failure for third consecutive year in Mexifornia and Floruba.

Abortion clinics now available in every high school in the United States.

Senate still blocking drilling in ANWR, even though gas is selling for 4532 Pesos per liter and gas stations are only open Tuesdays and Fridays.

Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.

Supreme Court rules any punishment of criminals violates their civil rights.

A Couple finally Achieved Sexual Harmony. They had simultaneous headaches.

Average height of NBA players is now nine feet seven inches with only 5 illegitimate children.

New federal law requires that all assault weapons, ie; nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2060.

IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75 percent.

DOJ, FBI, CIA, NSA, IRS, DNC, NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, NPR are still searching for something that will posthumously convict Donald J. Trump.

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How the First Cells on Earth Formed

The story of how life started on Earth is one that scientists are eager to learn. Researchers may have uncovered an important detail in the plot of chapter one: an explanation of how bubbles of fat came to form the membranes of the very first cells.


A key part of the new findings, made by a team from The Scripps Research Institute in California, is that a chemical process called phosphorylation may have happened earlier than previously thought.


This process adds groups of atoms that include phosphorus to a molecule, bringing extra functions with it – functions that can turn spherical collections of fats called protocells into more advanced versions of themselves, able to be more versatile, stable, and chemically active.  READ MORE...

Revolution

 

Iron Butterfly

 

Toyota Wants Hydrogen Vehicles to Succeed

Who wants a nearly free car?

If you hurry, you can get $40,000 off a 2023 Toyota Mirai Limited, a fuel-cell vehicle that retails for $66,000. When you factor in the $15,000 in free hydrogen over six years and the available 0% interest loan, the new car would run you just $11,000. That’s how much it costs Toyota to make the vehicle’s fuel cell stack alone, according to the most recent estimate. You buy the fuel cell, Toyota pays for the rest of the car.

It would be a great deal, if you can find the hydrogen to power it.

Toyota’s discount comes on the heels of Shell’s announcement three weeks ago that it’s closing its hydrogen filling stations in California. Granted, the oil company only had seven to begin with (five of which had been out of order), but that still represents more than 10% of the Golden State’s stations, nearly all of which are clustered around Los Angeles and San Francisco. Of those that remain, about a quarter are offline, according to the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership.   TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE...

Somewhat Political

 

The Minimum Wage

The Federal minimum wage is $7.25/hour and has not changed since 2009; however, many states have set their minimum wage higher than the Federal Government and many companies have paid of minimum wage of $10 or higher for several years.

When companies pay a higher minimum wage is is part of their Strategic Plans to do so and is almost always high than the Federal minimum wage; however, when companies are forced to change the minimum wage because the Federal government of states have increased their minimum wage levels, then it is not incorporated into their Strategic Plans.

Consequently, when that happens, businesses have a choice of FIVE decisions to make:

1. Do nothing
2. Increase prices
3. Layoff workers
4. Pay stockholders less of a dividend
5. Relocate to another state

Unfortunately, the only two choices that businesses ever make is:

• layoff workers
• increase prices

Both of those decisions hurt the local economy as well as the company making the decision because those workers who are not laid off are asked to do more for the same pay and starting looking for another job.

In the LONG RUN, employee turnover will hurt the business but in the short run, it does not, and it is business as usual.

The irony of our capitalistic system is that workers who demand higher wages are always on the short end of the stick, no matter what they do.

• Higher wages could send the company to another state
• Higher wages could cause localized inflation
• Higher wages could result in a decrease of economic impact
• High wages could cause the company to start manufacturing overseas

Two of the biggest reasons that our COST OF LIVING pre-COVID was low was because:

• we had low wages in the US
• manufacturing was done overseas

BUT...  all of this will soon be water over the dam because by 2027 humanoid robots will start replacing workers by the thousands...  and there will be no need to have a higher minimum wage nor will there be a demand on business to pay EMPLOYEE BENEFITS...

YOU HAVE ABOUT TWO YEARS TO PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE NEXT REVOLUTION OF OUR COMMERCE...

We had the industrial revolution

We had the computer revolution

Next will be the AI revolution

Flamingos

 

Electric Cars Release Toxic Emissions

Electric vehicles release more toxic particles into the atmosphere and are worse for the environment than their gas-powered counterparts, according to a resurfaced study.

The study, published by emissions data firm Emission Analytics, was released in 2022 but has attracted a wave of attention this week after being cited in a Wall Street Journal op-ed Sunday.

It found that brakes and tires on EVs release 1,850 times more particle pollution compared to modern tailpipes, which have “efficient” exhaust filters, bringing gas-powered vehicles’ emissions to new lows.

Today, most vehicle-related pollution comes from tire wear.

As heavy cars drive on light-duty tires — most often made with synthetic rubber made from crude oil and other fillers and additives — they deteriorate and release harmful chemicals into the air, according to Emission Analytics.   READ MORE...

Tom Dooley

 

In The NEWS

US economy adds 275,000 jobs in February, exceeding expectations.
The latest figure marks the third straight month of job gains above 200,000 and is the 39th consecutive month of gains overall. Economists had estimated roughly 200,000 jobs for the month. The unemployment rate in February rose to 3.9% from 3.7% in the previous month. Average hourly earnings rose 0.1% month-over-month and 4.3% year-over-year.



US jury convicts ex-Honduran president on drug trafficking charges.
Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, 55, was found guilty of conspiring with drug traffickers and using his military and national police to import more than 1 million pounds of cocaine into the US since 2004. He was also found guilty of possessing and conspiring to possess weapons, including machine guns. Hernández, who faces up to life in prison, was the first elected Latin American leader to be tried in the US.



Pentagon report finds no evidence of UFO visits, hidden spacecraft.
The Defense Department released findings from a congressionally ordered review of decades of classified government programs related to unidentified anomalous phenomena, commonly known as UFOs. The report concluded there was no verifiable evidence of any sightings representing extraterrestrial activity, no extraterrestrial craft or bodies were recovered, and no program was authorized to reverse-engineer extraterrestrial technology. Read the report here.



FDA approves weight-loss drug Wegovy for reducing cardiovascular risks.
Adults with obesity and heart disease will now be able to use Novo Nordisk's Wegovy as a treatment for reducing cardiovascular risks. It is the first such approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a weight loss drug. The approval comes after a five-year study found Wegovy led to a 20% reduction in heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrest for obese patients over the age of 45 who have heart disease.



'Dragon Ball' creator and Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama dies.
Toriyama died March 1 of a blood clot in his brain, according to an announcement Friday. Toriyama created "Dragon Ball" in 1984, which follows main character Son Goku, a martial arts trainee who goes on a journey in search of magical dragon balls to protect Earth from aliens. It has been considered one of the greatest manga series ever made (manga are comics or graphic novels from Japan) and was turned into several animated series, films, and video games.



Former President Donald Trump posts $91.6M bond in defamation case.
The bond allows Trump to cover $83.3M in damages that a jury awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll last month as he seeks to appeal the case. Carroll had accused Trump of making comments damaging to her reputation after she alleged he sexually abused her in the 1990s. The bond, once approved, will prevent Carroll's attorneys from collecting the damages from Trump while the appeal process plays out.

SOURCE:  1440 News