On Being Born Again

 

I have lived for more than 10 years in Virginia (specifically 8 miles south of Washington, DC), North Carolina (specifically the piedmont), and Tennessee (specifically East TN)...  

While I am sure that NC and TN are considered to be in the BIBLE BELT, I am not that sure about Virginia.

It was not until I moved to East TN, I came into contact with the term BORN-AGAIN.   It was odd at first as people around me began asking me if I had been born again.  At first, I just shook my head no, then I started mentioning that my parents had me baptized at a very early age in the Methodist Church.

It appeared quite clear to me that Baptists, especially Southern Baptists, did not think much of other religions, especially Methodists since they said Methodists were religiously and spiritually liberal in their think and behaving.

I found it best to ignore those comments.

Later on, in my tenure with the great state of TN, I discovered that many adults who had become BORN-AGAIN, returned to the way they were before they were BORN-AGAIN, which including consuming alcohol like it was rainwater, and fornicating with married women as if they only had 72 hours to live.

In 1990, I moved from NC to TN and in 2010, my research led me to discover that the divorce rate in the USA was 50% and the divorce rate in the BIBLE BELT of TN was also 50%.

This just goes to show that BORN-AGAIN BAPTISTS did not do any better with their marriages than NON BORN-AGAIN AMERICANS.

In The NEWS

Japanese voters head to polls tomorrow in Japan's snap elections.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling Liberal Democratic Party faces its most significant electoral challenge for the first time since 2009 amid corruption scandals and declining public support. Analysts predict the opposition, particularly the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, may gain ground. Ishiba called the parliamentary elections after taking office Oct. 1 following the resignation of Japan's former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.



Robotaxi developer Waymo raises record $5.6B in funding.

The funding round is the largest for Alphabet's autonomous vehicle division, Waymo, as it looks to expand its robotaxi services across more cities. The round—led by Alphabet and joined by venture firms including Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity, and T. Rowe Price—brings Waymo's total capital raised to more than $11B. Waymo operates in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, and plans to expand to Austin and Atlanta as part of a partnership with Uber.



Grateful Dead cofounder and bassist Phil Lesh dies at 84.

Lesh played for the Grateful Dead for its entire 30-year history and also cowrote some of the band’s most noteworthy songs, including “St. Stephen," “Dark Star,” “Cumberland Blues,” and “Box of Rain.” The Grateful Dead was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and disbanded in 1995 after the death of the group's leader, Jerry Garcia. Lesh had faced health challenges later in life, including battles with prostate and bladder cancer. No cause of death was made public.



'Well Man' identified from 800-year-old Norse saga.

Researchers have linked ancient DNA from skeletal remains found in a well at Sverresborg Castle in Norway to the "well man" mentioned in the medieval Sverris Saga. The research indicates the remains likely belong to a man who died during a 1197 raid and was thrown into the well to poison the water supply, corroborating the historical narrative. The finding represents the first instance of physically identifying an individual described in historical texts through genomic analysis.



India, China begin implementing Himalayan border pact.

India and China have begun withdrawing their troops from an undefined 2,100-mile-long disputed Himalayan border, marking a step toward deescalating a four-year military standoff (see background). The withdrawal follows a recent agreement between the two nations to resume military patrols along the border, which had been a source of tension since deadly clashes in July 2020 that killed 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers.



Boeing reportedly exploring sale of parts of it space business.

The aerospace company's space business up for sale includes its troubled Starliner vehicle and operations that support the International Space Station. The sale exploration is reportedly at an early stage and may not result in a deal. The report comes after a SpaceX capsule carried four astronauts from the space station back to Earth after their return was delayed due to problems with Boeing's capsule and Hurricane Milton.

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

In Our Likeness & Image

 

Genesis 1:26-27
New International Version

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

This is creation according to the Bible.  The verses before Genesis 1:26 address what God created on each of the days before He created mankind.

But right now, let's just stay with mankind and the fact that mankind was created IN THEIR IMAGE AND IN THEIR LIKENESS.

I use the word THEIR, because the verse uses the word OUR and that word implies more than one.

Have you ever stopped to think the word OUR is used?

Is there more than one God?

<or>

Are the writers speaking of God-Jesus-the Holy Ghost?

And if it is the latter, then why has that not been made clear, or was it just meant to be ASSUMED?

When God (THEM) created mankind, they created both male and female, not just male and certainly not just female.

Therefore, is God male or female?

<or>

Is God both male and female?

The latter cannot be true because if you make people in one's image, then why make both male and female, why not just make an individual that is both male and female?

Now, I believe this is explained later when God realizes man needs a companion and taking a rib from Adam, creates Eve.

But, if this was really the case, why was not that clarification pointed out in Genesis?

<or>

Did someone try to fix that mistake later with the Garden of Eden story?

What I am pointing out are some inconsistencies that are later corrected in later books of the Bible.  Why was there correction needed anyway, if the Bible had truly been inspired by God through the hand of man?

All along my spiritual growth from 8 years old to 18, I was told not to question, just accept the faith as it had been presented to me.  This is what faith is all about.  Belief without proof.

That just leads me to more questions.

Somewhat Political

 

Forging of Stars & Planets

New insights into the formation of gas streams that propel the growth of infant stars have been unveiled by astronomers with help from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, revealing deeper insights into how they feed on material from their surrounding disks.

The new findings are offering astronomers unprecedented new details about young stars and planets, and the processes that give rise to their formation and evolution over time.

The new research focused on investigations into the structure of gas flows in protoplanetary disks, which are the massive, dusty clouds of gas surrounding newly formed stars. Based on recent Webb telescope data, researchers involved were able to confirm the existence of a previously “hidden” mechanism that astronomers have long suspected to be behind what allows stars to gain mass as they grow.

Revealing a Magnetic Mystery
Detailed in a new paper in Nature Astronomy, the new research, led by scientists from the University of Arizona and supported by the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, reveals that magnetic winds play a key role in transporting material that helps stars grow, along with shaping the mass present in their surrounding disk into a planetary system.     READ MORE...

Lynyrd Skynyrd 'Sweet Home Alabama' (Live In Atlantic City)

Good for Me

 

I have been giving a lot of thought to this presidential election, more than it really deserves.  I have convinced myself that this election represents a turning point for the USA, maybe the world, but that just might be an exaggeration because, no one really wants a nuclear war.

The USA is on the verge of perhaps the biggest change it has ever made since 1776 when it became a sovereign nation.  That is to say, it might be changing from a Democratic Republic to a Socialistic Democracy that depends on CAPITALISM to pay its bills.

But is that ALL BAD?

If you look at our economy, it is slow growing and on the verge of having problems as it tries to transition to green energy.  Initially, I thought that was bad because the rest of the world IS NOT REALLY GOING GREEN due to the expense of doing so...  

BUT...  a slow growing economy means that the banks and credit unions will be offering CDs with a higher-than-normal interest rate.  For those of us who have saved money, we can invest in those CDs and generate about $4,000-$5,000 each month on interest alone.

My wife and I could just about double our income without putting forth any additional effort or work...  and while others are struggling to get by, we would be in good shape financially.

Going green is not going to happen overnight and since there are so many people in the middle and lower classes in the USA, the odds are this transition might take a decade or more.

20% of the American population is financially in GOOD SHAPE and can pretty much weather any financial storm, but 80% of the population is NOT SO LUCKY.

When labor strikes for higher wages and gets those higher wages, all that means is that prices will continue to go up which mean INFLATION will continue.  

While inflation is bad for 80% of Americans, it is good for me and my wife because CD interest rates will remain high.

IF TRUMP WINS THE WHITE HOUSE, there is a good possibility he will reduce inflation and build a strong economy...  when that happens, CD interest rates WILL GO DOWN.

It is nothing personal, but I have to think about what is right for my wife and I and not really care what happens to this country.  Of course, you must understand that I am 77 years old, my wife is 72 and neither one of us have a long future ahead of us.

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Los Angeles district attorney recommends resentencing for Erik and Lyle Menendez due to new evidence related to their conviction for the 1989 murder of their parents (More)

> Ron Ely, actor best known for starring in titular 1960s TV role on "Tarzan," dies at age 86 (More) | Jack Jones, two-time Grammy-winning singer and actor, dies at age 86 (More)

> TKO, parent company of the WWE and UFC, purchases Professional Bull Riders, On Location, and IMG for $3.25B (More)


Science & Technology
> Group of cable companies, advertisers, and news outlets sue the Federal Trade Commission over "click-to-cancel" rules, which would simplify canceling contracts from a variety of businesses (More)

> Study finds the human brain can parse and process single sentences as quickly as 125 milliseconds, roughly equal to the blink of an eye (More)

> Astronomers discover first black hole in a triple star system; findings raise questions about how black holes form and their resulting gravitational pull on nearby objects (More) | Explaining black holes, one of the universe's biggest mysteries (More, w/video)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.2%, Dow -0.3%, Nasdaq +0.8%); Tesla stock lifts Nasdaq, closing up 22% in best day since May 2013 (More) | Lilium shares close down 61% after air taxi startup says main subsidiaries will file for insolvency (More) | Insolvency 101 (More)

> Keurig Dr Pepper to buy energy-drink maker Ghost for over $1B, with initial cash investment of $990M in exchange for 60% ownership stake; Keurig Dr Pepper will acquire remaining 40% stake in 2028 (More) | Judge blocks Coach owner Tapestry's $8.5B acquisition of Michael Kors owner Capri (More)

> Southwest Airlines and activist investor Elliott Investment Management strike deal on Southwest's leadership, including keeping CEO Bob Jordan; deal averts proxy fight (More) | Proxy fight 101 (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Owner of Dali container ship that crashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge earlier this year and killed six people agrees to pay $102M in settlement with Justice Department (More)

> Three Georgia men convicted in 2022 for federal hate crime in the killing of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery seek new trial; the three men had confronted and shot Arbery, who was out on a run (More)

> India's east coast braces for Cyclone Dana as more than 1 million people are evacuated (More) | Hurricane Kristy strengthens into Category 5 storm in Pacific Ocean southwest of the southern tip of Baja, California; Kristy is expected to remain away from land (More, w/tracker)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Gasoline & EVs

 

My last gasoline fill-up of 13 gallons was $2.50/gallon which is obviously down from $3.66/gallon I was paying several weeks ago...  however, it is still up from the $1.60 I was paying four years ago.

I also know that the USA has enough petroleum crude oil under the ground to last us for over 50 years which includes selling our over production for foreign countries.

Right now, we are buying petroleum crude oil from other countries because we do not have enough domestic crude oil to fill our needs.

WHOSE FAULT IS THAT???

I also understand that the current administration wants to go GREEN and have electric vehicles but there are some fundamental problems with that INITIATIVE:

First - we do not have to power grid to accommodate our electric vehicles, since we are currently experiencing brown-outs in certain areas of the country.

And what happens when the power is out due to hurricanes or other bad weather?

What then?

Do people just park their EVs and not go to work?

Second - Electric Vehicles are expensive and the Middle Class and Poor Class simply cannot afford EVs.  

Are you going to force Americans to buy EVs with what little money they have?

Are you going to tell the car companies to hire ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS to make our cars because they represent cheap labor?

Third - currently, it takes a long time to charge an EV and in addition to the time, there are not enough charging stations to accommodate a higher level of EVs even if the price were to come down and people started to buy them.

Fourth - the transition from gasoline to EVs if forced upon the American public would keep our weakened economy from growing as a sustainable rate in order to achieve full employment.  That weakened economy would make us vulnerable to our enemies...  to say the least.

Our current administration is not doing a very good job of PLANNING FOR OUR FUTURE...  outside of making a lot of free stuff available which is going to raise taxes.

Somewhat Political

 

China's Cargo Drone

An unmanned cargo aircraft developed by Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co. takes part in a maiden flight at an airport in Zigong, Sichuan province, China August 11, 2024. 

BEIJING, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Engineers sent China's biggest-yet cargo drone on a test run over the weekend while a helicopter taxi took to the skies on a soon-to-open 100-km (62-mile) route to Shanghai, laying new milestones for the country's expanding low-altitude economy.

Packing a payload capacity of 2 metric tons, the twin-engine cargo drone developed by state-funded Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co took off in southwestern Sichuan province on Sunday for its inaugural flight that lasted approximately 20 minutes, state media reported.     READ MORE...

SANTANA - Black Magic Woman / Oye Como Va

Abortion

 

Insurrection

 

The Band

 

Thinking

 

Updates

Slow Learners

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball sells for $4.4M at auction, a record price for a sports ball of any kind (More) | Fernando Valenzuela, Dodgers pitching legend, dies at age 63 (More)

> Actresses Julianne Moore and Rosario Dawson, Radiohead's Thom Yorke, and author James Patterson among at least 15,000 creatives signing on to statement warning against unauthorized use of their work to train generative AI (More)

> Director Roman Polanski won't face trial for alleged rape of a minor in 1973 after settling out of court (More) | Harvey Weinstein's retrial on an overturned 2020 rape conviction to be pushed back to 2025 (More)


Science & Technology
> Google's DeepMind deploys invisible watermark for AI-generated text; approach alters words used in a formulaic but indistinguishable way that can be decoded with a key (More) | How generative AI works (More, w/video)

> Researchers discover how ovarian cancer shuts down immune cells, promoting tumor growth; cancer cells effectively block the energy source T cells rely on to function (More) | What are T cells? (More)

> Archaeologists uncover the most extensive medieval urban sites discovered to date in Central Asia; cities of Tashbulak and Tugunbulak, located along the Silk Road, date back to 550 CE to 1050 CE (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.9%, Dow -1.0%, Nasdaq -1.6%) (More) | US existing home sales drop 1% month-over-month in September to the slowest annual pace since October 2010; median home price topping $404K is up 3% year-over-year (More)

> Tesla shares rise 12% in after-hours trading on better-than-expected profits (More) | Peloton shares close up 11% after hedge fund founder says stock is undervalued (More) | McDonald's shares close down 5% after CDC announces E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounder burgers across 10 states; total of 49 cases reported, with one person dead and 10 hospitalized (More)

> Apple and Goldman Sachs ordered to pay over $89M in penalties and refunds after US regulator finds they misled Apple Card holders (More) | American Airlines to pay record $50M fine over treatment of passengers with disabilities (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> The Pentagon confirms reports of North Korean soldiers in Russia but says purpose is unclear; South Korea says 3,000 troops are there, part of a planned 10,000-person deployment, with Ukraine saying they are joining Russia's war in Kursk (More) | G-7 finalizes $50B loan to Ukraine, backed by Russian assets (More)

> Florida mother files wrongful death lawsuit against Character.AI—a company allowing users to interface with AI chatbots—after her 14-year-old son, active on the site, dies by suicide (More)

> Mexican soldiers kill 19 suspected members of Sinaloa cartel in shootout in the northwestern state; attack comes months after arrest in the US of cartel cofounder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

About the WEALTHY

 

From time immemorial, societies HAVE ALWAYS been separated into the WEALTHY and the POOR...  It is only in the USA, that society has managed to develop into three categories:  Wealthy - Middle Class - Poor.

Once you understand that, then the rest of my comments will be easier to understand.

The American Government MUST COLLECT TAXES in order to pay for all the services they provide, such as:

• public education
• public transportation
• public parks and recreation
• public healthcare
• military and law enforcement
• retirement benefits
• unemployment insurance

Anything and everything that is made available to the public COMES FROM TAX DOLLARS.

The WEALTHY HIDE THEIR INCOME in TAX FREE offshore banks accounts typically in the Caymans in the Caribbean.

In short, WEALTHY PEOPLE DON'T PAY TAXES or the fair share of taxes.

Congress makes the tax laws and the WEALTHY give the people money for their re-elections to keep the tax laws from changing.

Neither the middle class nor the poor class has the ability to influence congress.  The only thing that these two classes can do is pay their taxes and/or refuse to pay their taxes and go to prison.

The more services that the government wants to provide the people so that the people will keep their party in power, the more taxes increase.  When the politicians say taxes will not increase on you, but they will on the wealthy, THEY ARE LYING.

Until you believe what I just wrote, the government will continue to give you programs, continue to raise your taxes, and continue to lie to you saying the wealthy will pay for it all.

THIS WILL SIMPLY NOT HAPPEN...

EVERTIME YOU PUT THESE ASSHOLES BACK INTO POWER, THE MORE FOOLISH AND STUPID AMERICANS LOOK BECAUSE THEY JUST CANNOT SEEM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THEM...

YOU ARE GETTING EXACTLY WHAT YOU DESERVE...

Somewhat Political

 

China's Humanoid Robot Race

Robot Era, a rising name in the humanoid robot space, has captured the attention of tech enthusiasts again with a new stunt.

After showcasing its XBot-L humanoid strolling along the Great Wall of China a few months ago, the company has now released footage of two Star1 models racing through the Gobi Desert.

Racing humanoids in the Gobi Desert
The video (below), shot late last month, shows two Star1 humanoid robots racing through diverse terrain in the Gobi Desert. The robots are seen navigating rocky paths, grassy areas, and winding roads.

One of the robots runs “bare-footed,” while the other sports a pair of sneakers, which, as it turns out, played a significant role in the outcome of the race.     READ MORE...

Dire Straits - Sultans Of Swing 1979 Live Video

A Female President

 

Is the US of A ready for a female president?

When Hillary Clinton was challenging Trump for the position of POTUS, she lost.

Just like Trump complained for 4 years of not really losing in 2020 to Joe Biden, Hillary has also complained for four years about unfairly losing to Donald Trump in 2016.

Aside from the bitching of both these candidates, the US of A is again faced with an opportunity to elect their first female president.

A very big step for the leader of the FREE WORLD.

Will Kamala Harris...

1. stop illegal immigration?
2. make the USA energy independent again?
3. reduce inflation?
4. stop crime and violence?
5. stop illegal drugs?
6. repair our divided country?
7. stand tall against our enemies?
8. grow our economy?
9. fix our deteriorating education system?
10. reduce or increase taxes?
11. reduce or increase our national debt?
12. build up or military and space force?
13. Prevent WWIII from taking place?

Will Trump be able to achieve these 13 items?

2024 is a crossroads, a turning point if you will for the future of the USA.

• Will she again take her rightful role of leader of the FREE WORLD?
• <or>
• Will she succumb to the influences of SOCIALISM and become no better than any other country in the world?
• Will she allow CHINA to become leader of the world?
• Will she allow nuclear proliferation again?
• Will she allow global wars of aggression to take place again?
• Will she allow illegal immigration to change the culture of the USA?
• Will she allow shrinkage of the middle class?
• Will she allow BILLIONAIRES to dictate policy and our future?
• Will she allow humanoid robots to take our jobs?

Tolerance

 

Chemo Day

 

Twice a month, I have infusions, one is for the continued suppression of my Melanoma and the second one is to boost my immune system because the infusion for my Melanoma has destroyed it.

Every four weeks I have an infusion of OPDIVO and the next day, I have an infusion for IVIG.  The former lasts 30 minutes, the latter lasts 2.5 hours.  The former I have a UT Medical Cancer Center, the latter I have at UT Medical Satellite facility in Morristown.

I have been having infusions over 15 years, and with my December 2024 infusion, I will have completed my 16th year.  I have had over 150 chemo infusions for my two cancers and over 60 infusions of IVIG to try and repair the damage my chemo infusions have caused.

At the age of 60, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's B Cell Lymphoma and I the age of 65 and as a result of my Lymphoma treatments, I was diagnosed with Melanoma.

My Melanoma diagnosis caused me to have a few surgeries as the cancer moved from my foot to my groin to my neck before finally being killed by radiation treatments.

My treatments now (Opdivo infusions for Melanoma - daily Venclexta pills for Lymphoma) are simply to keep my cancers from growing at all.  I will have these treatments for the rest of my life.

I typically awake at 6:00 am on Chemo Day, shower and arrive at UT Medical Cancer Center by 7:30 am for labs, doctor visit, and treatment.  If the flow of patients is smooth, I am on my way home by 10:00/10:30 am.

However, some mornings, like this one, I cannot sleep and was up at 3:30 am drinking decaf coffee with sugar free Cappuccino Mix and working on my two blogs.

On my IVIG days, like tomorrow, I will be up at 6:00 am and will finish at 10:30/11:00 am but trip home will take only 15 minutes as opposed to 40/45 minutes when traveling to Knoxville.

I consider myself to be lucky that I am still ABOVE GROUND.

Evidence

 

Loyalty

 

True Americans?

 

Private Jet