In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Satire news outlet The Onion purchases Alex Jones' InfoWars with backing from Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting families, owed nearly $1.5B by Jones following defamation lawsuits (More)

> Craig Melvin tapped to replace Hoda Kotb as "Today" show coanchor; Kotb announced in September she'd be stepping down after more than two decades (More)

> Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn to come out of retirement at age 40, more than five years since her last competition (More) | Tampa Bay Rays to play 2025 home games at New York Yankees' spring-training field in Tampa after Hurricane Milton tore roof off Tropicana Field (More)


Science & Technology
> OpenAI to launch AI-powered agent capable of independently carrying out tasks, such as booking travel and sending emails; "Operator" to launch in January, compete with similar products from Anthropic and Microsoft (More) | The rapid rise of OpenAI (More, w/video)

> Researchers develop algorithm to predict when lithium-ion batteries are about to catch fire by analyzing sounds from inside the devices; batteries can briefly emit flames almost as hot as a blowtorch during failure (More) | Why Li-ion batteries combust (More)

> Skull's bone marrow continues to grow and expand over time, study finds, allowing production of healthy new blood cells as we age (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.6%, Dow -0.5%, Nasdaq -0.6%) as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signals caution on further rate cuts (More) | Disney shares close up 6% after company reports growth in profits and customers, forecasts stronger-than-expected earnings outlook (More)

> European Union fines Meta $841M for violating antitrust laws by tying its Marketplace online classified ads business to its Facebook social network (More) | US regulators reportedly seeking to put Google under federal supervision similar to how banks are overseen (More)

> Coach owner Tapestry ends bid for $8.5B acquisition of Michael Kors owner Capri following regulatory hurdles (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> President-elect Donald Trump taps Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head Department of Health and Human Services; role requires Senate confirmation (More) | See background on Kennedy Jr. (More) | See all picks announced so far (More)

> NY Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) unveils revised New York City congestion pricing plan, the first such plan in the US; plan would charge a daily $9 toll on most vehicles entering Manhattan's central business district during peak hours (More)

> Tropical Storm Sara forms in Caribbean Sea, expected to bring life-threatening flash-flooding and mudslides across Central America, including Honduras (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Family

 

I have a brother and a sister; my brother lives just outside NYC; my sister lives just outside the research triangle park in NC.  My location is east TN and while we are all mobile, we seldom see each other once both our parents died.

It was our parents who kept the family together, mainly our father even though he did not demand our presence, we all showed up anyway just to make sure that we did not disappoint.  We made time for that to happen - we no longer have the time to make time for that to happen,

Several articles have been written, some of which I have read stating how important family is, especially when we become senior citizens and eventually retire.   Both my sister and I have retired, our brother is still working albeit more pleasure than work.

I wonder sometimes if these people who write these articles know what they are talking about after thinking about how my family performs.  These thoughts are supported by my neighbors who, are my age, and who are also estranged from their brothers and sisters as well.

THEN...  I look at my wife's family and her brother lives in VA, her sister just outside Washington, DC and all of them stay in touch almost every week or so, sharing what is happening to them and asking about what is happening to us.  Their ages are similar to our ages 85, 78, and 72.

NOW...  don't get me wrong, I don't have to have my brother and sister in my life...  but it would be nice if they were.  My wife and I are perfectly content enjoying our neighbors and friends here or when necessary, not enjoying anybody at all except each other.

My father died in 2001 and my mother in 2016; my wife and I have been living just fine without them but miss both of them, just as she misses her mother and father.  Her father died before we met, and her mother died in between the death of my father and mother.

In the past, I believe that families were important but in 2024, I don't believe families are that important anymore...  at least not for me...  and, if that happens to you, don't let it bother you...  as it is just the way it is these days...

Somewhat Political

 

Tiny Earth Light Years Away

The nearest single star to the Solar System has just yielded up a rare and wonderful treasure.

Around a red dwarf known as Barnard's star, which lies just 5.96 light-years away, astronomers have found evidence of an exoplanet.


And not just any exoplanet. This fascinating world, known as Barnard b, is tiny, clocking in with a minimum mass of 37 percent of the mass of Earth. That's a little shy of half a Venus, and about 3.5 Marses.


The reason it's so marvelous is that tiny exoplanets are really, really hard to find. Although Barnard b is not habitable to life as we know it, its discovery is leading us closer to the identification of Earth-sized worlds that may be scattered elsewhere throughout the galaxy.  READ MORE...

Barry McGuire - Eve Of Destruction

Acrobats

 

POWER to the PEOPLE

 

It has long been established that PEOPLE when UNITED have an enormous amount of POWER...  Moreso, than WEALTH and POSITION.

This was proven in the 2024 election when AMERICANS in overwhelming numbers voted for the Republicans versus the Democrats to run our government.

According to NBC News, Trump leads the popular vote count with 74,672,841 votes to Harris' 71,144,667 votes as of Friday (November 8) afternoon.

What does this really tell you?

SEVENTY ONE MILLION Americans will be AGAINST our new president and SEVENTY FOUR MILLION Americans will support our new president.

• The Electoral Votes don't matter
• The States for Trump don't matter
• The Trifecta does not matter

Mainstream Media - CNN, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, NPR - will all be AGAINST TRUMP and will report and distort every negative issue that they can.

MEANWHILE...

Since the Republicans control the Presidency, the House, and the Senate (at least for two years), they will need to move as fast as they can for the next two years to get as much done as possible that will favor their agenda.

The odds are that in 2026, they will LOSE the power of the people.

SEVENTY ONE MILLION people is enough people to rock the boat over and over again and cast negativity around the Trump administration...  especially if ALL his cabinet choices are approved by the SENATE...

What the Democrats have going for them is that the REPUBLICANS typically have never been able to handle complete power so the odds are they will ARGUE AMONG THEMSELVES and get very little accomplished.

1. Trump will be able to achieve energy independence again
2. Trump will be able to reduce the size of government via DOGE
3. Trump will be able to improve the economy
4. Trump will be able to restore global respect back to American
5. Trump will be able to install judges

But, I doubt Trump will be able to do much of anything else...

In the end, power to the people was short lived and just postponed a little the liberal agenda.

I have been told that I need to be more positive...  but I have lived in America for 77 years and I have witnessed what the liberals can do, and the ongoing power that they continue to wield...  The BILLIONAIRES like RAPISTS will always have their way with AMERICA.

Fearless

 

Change

 

Most of us, who are tuned into life, understand that change is part of what we must live through...  that is not to say that we embrace all change or that we look forward to change, especially in the areas in which our lives are lived.

That is to say that WE LIKE THE STATUS QUO...

We can live with higher prices and we can live with lying and deceitful politicians...  BUT, when change is FORCED UPON US, we have a tendency to REBEL.

REBELLION to us is not violent but PASSIVE RESISTANCE...  similar to Ghandi's philosophy.

For instance, when our Federal Government orders us to BUY ELECTRIC VEHICLES...  then our first reaction is WHY???

• There are not enough charging stations
• Our energy is not adequate to support EVs
• EVs cost more than gasoline vehicles
• EV batteries are expensive
• EV batteries last 8-10 years
• Resale value of EV is very low

AND WHAT TYPICALLY FOLLOWS... is a bunch of Americans refuse to buy EVs thinking that we will only buy them when there is nothing left to buy.

Contrary to POLITICAL BELIEF, most Americans do not like BEING FORCED and do not like SPENDING MONEY unless they have to.

If you cannot understand why we feel this way, let me explain it this way...

• Average Annual Salary in 2024 is $60,000
• Average Family spends about $7,500/month
• Average Family spends about $90,000/year

NOTE:  this takes into consideration singles, married with and without children

THEREFORE:  If both couples in a marriage work, we can assume their income is $120,000....  minus the annual expenses leaves $30,000 or less because a female does not typically earn as much as a male...

From this $30,000, we subtract:

• extraordinary expenses
• vacations
• savings
• car purchases
• children in college

CAVEAT:  according to USA TODAY, the average family income in 2023 was about $75,000

Using this calculation, the average family in 2024 was IN DEBT ABOUT ($15,000) 

Therefore,

No money was actually available to purchase EVs....

More than likely this is the real reason why AMERICANS DON'T LIKE GOVERNMENTAL CHANGE...

Not in the USA Yet

 

Politics

 

Reality

 

Misunderstanding or Not Knowing?

 

Dem's Philosophy

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Actor and filmmaker John Krasinski named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive for 2024 (More)

> Timothy West, British stage and screen actor, dies at age 90 (More) | "Full House" actor Dave Coulier reveals stage 3 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer diagnosis (More)

> Disney settles class-action lawsuit with 9,000 female workers alleging they were paid less than their male counterparts in comparable roles (More)


Science & Technology
> Researchers use data from millions of smartphones across the globe to map Earth's ionosphere, the layer of charged particles in the upper atmosphere (More)

> Scientists identify the gene controlling tomato sweetness, genetically modify the plant to control sugar levels without affecting size (More)

> Well-preserved fossil allows scientists to reconstruct the brain of a bird living 80 million years ago, during the Mesozoic era; discovery sheds light on the evolution of avian intelligence (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close near flatline (S&P 500 +0.0%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq -0.3%) after consumer price index rose 2.6% year-over-year in October, in line with expectations (More) | Netherlands-based Just Eat Takeaway sells Grubhub for $650M four years after buying it for $7.3B (More)

> Spirit Airlines shares close down 59% on reports company is preparing to file for bankruptcy after failed merger talks with Frontier Airlines (More) | Rivian shares close up nearly 14% after Volkswagen boosts investment in the EV company to $5.8B as part of new joint venture (More)

> Swedish payments giant Klarna files for US initial public offering, though number of shares and price range of offering are yet to be determined; analysts value Klarna around $15B (More) | Want to learn about IPOs, and tons of other topics? Join 1440 Business & Finance (Sign up here)


Politics & World Affairs
> CIA official Asif William Rahman is arrested in Cambodia, charged with violating the Espionage Act by leaking top-secret classified documents on Israel's retaliation plans against Iran last month (More)

> Pakistan reveals plans to add hospital beds to treat the nearly 70,000 people suffering respiratory issues on average each day amid record levels of smog in eastern Punjab province (More) | See photos of smog, visible from space (More)

> National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration releases US snowfall predictions, expected to be lower this year due to La Niña weather pattern, with some northwestern and Great Lakes states experiencing higher snowfall (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Education

 

In 1966, I graduated from high school and enrolled in college in North Carolina.  It cost $500 each semester and my parents paid for my first semester.  After that, I worked full time while I attended college, and paid my own tuition, books, fees, housing, and food.

At the end of 5 semesters, I was not enjoying college, so I dropped out and enlisted in the US Navy.  After two years in the Navy, I returned to college and the GI Bill (of which I contributed nothing but my time in the military) paid for my last two years of college but two years of graduate school.

I also worked full time while I was attending college and graduate school.

Before leaving school (1966-1968) I worked in a Hosiery Mill dying socks during the afternoon from 3-11pm.  When I returned to school (1972-1974), I worked at a biological supply house.  When I went to grad school (1979-1981) I directed a non-profit.

My two years in the military was completed during the Vietnam War and as such I qualified for ALL GI BILL benefits...  that in my case, happened to be 4 years of higher education.

It was a small price to pay for the EDUCATION that the GI BILL paid for.

During my 45-year career, my BA degree and my MBA degree OPENED DOORS that would have otherwise been closed...  however, I very seldom used any of my education during my career.  Not only, was the knowledge acquired seldom used, MY GRADES or GPA was NEVER a deciding factor for my employment even when I was hired by colleges to teach classes.

If by some chance, I had an opportunity to live my life over again, I would have never gone to college in the first place.

I would have enlisted into the military right out of high school and retired twenty years later at 38 years of age.  I would have done this because my military pre-testing scores were high enough to keep me from being in the infantry.

At 38 years of age, I could have saved my retirement money and used my technical training to work a second career, where I could have retired at 58 or longer.  If I was smart, I would have found a company that had a retirement programs, so that at age 67, I would have been entitled to THREE RETIREMENT INCOMES...  plus, my medical would be completely covered for the rest of my life.

Going to college is not always the best course of action to take...

Somewhat Political

 

Interstellar Tunnel

Our solar system resides in a unique low-density bubble called the Local Hot Bubble (LHB). Stretching at least 1,000 light-years, this region glows in X-rays due to its million-degree temperature. However, because its atoms are so sparse, this extreme heat barely affects the matter inside. It’s fortunate for life on Earth, but this enigmatic bubble has long puzzled astronomers.


Theories suggest that the LHB was carved out millions of years ago by supernova explosions. A chain of these stellar detonations likely blew away the interstellar medium, creating this expansive cavity. Recent breakthroughs from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) have shed light on the LHB's true nature and its intricate structure.     READ MORE...

Simon & Garfunkel @ The 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall 2009

White Bear

 

A Life Lived Fast

 

I turned 77 last month but I do not feel a year older... I feel like it was only last month that I retired at 67 but it appears now...  that was 10 years ago...  ten years is a frigging decade.

My life has passed by so fast, and I am not the only one who thinks that way - everyone I have talked with who is in their 70s thinks that their life passed by quickly - even those who were in Vietnam and thought it was FOREVER before they got out of there.

Since I am still above ground, it would be easy to say that life has been good to me...   it is difficult for me to admit it has always been that way because it has not.

My life...  because of my personality...  has been not so pleasant for me and/or those around me...  I am out-spoken, opinionated, oftentimes rude, and do not think before I speak...  Many bridges have been burned behind me and the path I have taken.

But...  the passing years have made it difficult to make amends...  either I am unwilling to accept those conditions, or the other people are unwilling to give me any conditions...  therefore, it is just me, my wife, a friend in Canada, and a few people who live around me that don't care about my past.

I am unapologetic for how I was because that is how I was, and I cannot take back how I was...  even if I were to apologize for it...  many people do not understand my logic and perhaps, it is not logic but stubbornness.

At this point in my life, I can no longer worry about those who dislike me or who do not want to be friends....  I can only worry about how my life is lived going forward for the few years that I have remaining.

This is the life that is now the most precious for me.

Celebrity Admission

 

Defeat

 

What Argentina Was Before Socialism

 

Real Life

 

Second Amendment

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> English author Samantha Harvey's novel "Orbital" wins prestigious 2024 Booker Prize for best English-language novel published in the UK or Ireland (More)

> Frank Auerbach, iconic British-German painter, dies at age 93 (More) | John Robinson, former head football coach for Southern Cal and the Los Angeles Rams, dies at age 89 (More) | Gerry Faust, former Notre Dame head football coach, dies at age 89 (More)

> Film about former FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in the works at Apple and A24 (More) | Denzel Washington tapped for role in upcoming "Black Panther 3" film (More)


Science & Technology
> Alphabet's Waymo makes its driverless robotaxis available to the general public in Los Angeles; company now logs 1 million autonomous miles per week (More)

> Physical exercise can help stimulate the growth of nerve cells, study suggests; muscle contraction releases myokines, molecules shown to facilitate neural growth in lab experiments (More)

> Ice core sample study suggests average global temperatures have risen 1.49 degrees Celsius (2.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels; current estimates are about 1.3 degrees Celsius (More) | Explaining the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold from the Paris Agreement (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow -0.9%, Nasdaq -0.1%) for first time since Election Day (More) | Bitcoin briefly hits $90K for first time (More)

> Justice Department sues to block UnitedHealth Group's $3.3B acquisition of home and hospice care provider Amedisys (More) | Elliott Management pushes Honeywell to separate into two businesses after taking $5B stake (More) | 23andMe reports 12% year-over-year revenue decline in second quarter; report comes one day after company said it is laying off 40% of its workforce (More)

> Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella top Fortune's annual list of 100 most powerful people in business (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> President-elect Donald Trump selects South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) to lead Department of Homeland Security, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) to serve as US ambassador to Israel, Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense, former Texas congressman John Ratcliffe (R) as CIA director; see all Trump picks here (More)

> Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, head of the Church of England, resigns following review indicating he failed to report a barrister's serial sexual abuse of boys in the 1980s; Welby is the first Anglican archbishop to resign over a sexual abuse scandal (More) | Read last week's report (More)

> Federal Aviation Administration pauses US flights to Haiti for 30 days after gangs in Port-au-Prince open fire on Spirit Airlines flight from Florida to Haiti and separate JetBlue flight from Haiti to New York City; violence follows Haiti leadership shake-up (More) | Who is Haiti's new prime minister? (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

A Rat's Rear End

Personally, I don't give a rat's ass who won the election because my life as a retiree will continue the same way I have lived since 2015...

• My wife and I are not in debt and have been debt free for about 20 years.
• We buy what we NEED not what we WANT and we make sure that our money is being wisely spent.
• We have a simple lifestyle has not and will not change due to an election.
• We have money saved that will supplement our social security income and pay our bills until we are both 95 years of age - if we live that long.
• We live in east TN where is crime and violence are minimal and very few illegal immigrants want to come here because of our handgun carry permits.
• The cost of living in east TN is substantially less than many other parts of the country including three hours away in Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta.

Many young people in east TN are able to buy houses even though salaries and wages are lower than most of the other states.  A $150,000 home here would be almost twice as much or more in other places.

I have lived in east TN since 1990 - 34 years - and my salary has never been over $50,000 a year.  With that salary, I have purchased homes, vehicles, clothes, meals at restaurants, vacations, etc.  and have never NOT BEEN ABLE TO BUY WHAT I NEEDED due to my annual income.

HOWEVER. I save money because:

• I never had any college debt
• I don't smoke cigarettes
• I don't drink alcohol
• I don't participate in illegal drugs

I had one daughter from a previous marriage and as soon as she was born, I set up a trust fund for her college.  I put money into that trust fund until she graduated from college.  The trust fund paid for four years of college plus gave her $10,000 when she graduated.

ABOVE ALL ELSE I CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE LOWER MIDDLE CLASS...

Somewhat Political

 

Humanoid Robots will Transform Manufacturing

The global workforce is on the brink of transformation, driven by a new wave of humanoid robots that bring human-like adaptability and intelligence to warehouses, restaurants, homes and even factory floors. The surge of innovation isn’t just confined to a single company; it spans a diverse group of leading robotics firms, each contributing uniquely to this exciting evolution. 

Argon Mechatronics, Boston Dynamics, Apptronik, Figure.AI, Unitree, Agility Robotics, and Tesla are reshaping what’s possible for the next wave of intelligent automation. This is the story of how these advanced humanoid systems are transforming the workforce.

Boston Dynamics, well-known for the viral videos of its dancing, jumping and parkour-savvy robotic creations like Atlas, is now extending its influence to industry. Spot, their quadruped robot, is already being used for industrial inspections, construction site monitoring, and safety operations, showcasing the versatility of robots in challenging environments. 

Spot can be equipped with a variety of accessories, such as the Spot CAM+ for panoramic views and Spot Core for integrating custom applications, making it a useful tool for inspection and automation. The humanoid Atlas, meanwhile, can take these abilities to the next level, extending them to search and rescue and plant and equipment operations.    READ MORE...