Blowing Rings

 

Social Media

 

Social Media Platforms are part of our lives today...  if you go to a restaurant, no matter who is sitting at the table, age, gender, amount, none of those matters, they are all playing with their smart phones, and most of them are on some sort of social media forum.

I have been on:

• Twitter/"X"
• BLUESKY
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

and they all are about the same.  Profiles that are trying to sell you something, or share something...  profiles that want to tell you what they are doing and why and profiles that just want to bitch about everything.

Age limits does not matter but it is obvious when you are talking with an adult or a teenager, a young adult or a senior citizen.  Everyone has an opinion, and everyone believes that their opinion is absolutely correct.

What I believe that is wrong with social media is that it prevents social interactions one to one which limits the development of interpersonal skills, not always fully developed in public schools.

This is our future and if anything, it is going to get worse before it gets any better...  but of course, this is MY OPINION...  so, I guess I fit in...

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees' Aaron Judge both unanimously win MLB's 2024 NL and AL MVP award (More) | UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma becomes NCAA's all-time leader in coaching victories with 1,217 wins (More)

> "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett's December 2021 conviction for an alleged hate crime hoax is overturned by Illinois Supreme Court (More)

> Percival Everett's novel "James" among five winners of the National Book Awards (More) | Morgan Wallen wins top prize of entertainer of the year at Country Music Association Awards (More)


Science & Technology
> NASA begins stacking the first stage of the Artemis II Space Launch System; mission is the second step in returning humans to the moon, target launch window is late 2025 (More) | Astronomers capture highest-detailed image of a star outside the Milky Way (More)

> Researchers demonstrate genetically altered version of malaria-causing bacteria, potentially paving the way for mosquitoes to spread vaccination against malaria via bites (More)

> Scientists create the world's thinnest spaghetti, roughly 400 nanometers in diameter; demonstration validates a technique to create tiny fibers with use in medical and electronic applications (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +0.5%, Dow +1.0%, Nasdaq +0.0%) (More) | Bitcoin notches another record intraday, reaches $99K (More) | Gary Gensler, chair of Securities and Exchange Commission, to step down Jan. 20 (More)

> Alphabet shares close down over 4% after Justice Department asks judge overseeing Google antitrust case to force the tech giant to divest its Chrome browser (More)

> Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI raises $5B in funding round, valuing the company at $50B (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Brazilian police indict former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others for an alleged coup attempt on Jan. 8, 2023, following Bolsonaro's election loss in 2022 (More) | Russia strikes Ukraine with new intermediate-range missile in response to Ukraine sending US-supplied short-range ballistic missiles into Russia (More)

> Parts of eastern US and Great Lakes region see this winter's first snowfall, with more than 23 million people under winter weather advisories; up to a foot of snow expected in some areas (More)

> Father of 14-year-old suspect in September mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, pleads not guilty to charges including second-degree murder (More) | See previous write-up (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Robots Replacing Humans

 

It is a fact of life that robots are on their way into the marketplace... and that they may be replacing the following jobs:

• textile workers
• manufacturing workers
• retail workers
• construction workers
• assembly line workers
• fast food workers
• farm workers and pickers
• clerk and stock workers
• online workers
• customer service rep workers

And since we will soon be looking at autonomous vehicles, then we have:

• taxi drivers
• truck drivers
• bus drivers

BULLSHIT!!!   I hear several people saying...  that won't happen at least until 2030...

China and Elon Musk and no doubt others will start MASS PRODUCING robots in 2025...  that is only a little over a month away.

ROBOTS DON'T:

• need vacations
• need raises
• need breaks
• need health insurance
• need sick leave
• complain about the work
• sabotage the product
• vote for a union

If this transition does postpone itself until 2030, that is only five years away...  so, I guess one might say that one is protected if one is 60-65 years of age right now...  Possibly?

QUESTION:  Do you believe humans will be hired to build/repair robots or that robots will be programmed to build/repair themselves?

Somewhat Political

 

America's Lost Colony

More than five centuries ago, a group of English colonists living at a settlement on North Carolina’s Roanoke Island disappeared without a trace. Since then, the mystery of the “Lost Colony” has gripped the imagination of historians, archaeologists, and amateur sleuths alike. Now, researchers have made leeway in unraveling what may have happened to this ill-fated group.

chilling history of the Roanoke Island settlement explained
In 1585, the first Roanoke Island colony—situated off the east coast of North Carolina—was founded by famed English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh. After it failed to get off the ground, the colony was reestablished by Raleigh’s compatriot, an explorer and artist named John White. In 1587, a second group of 115 settlers arrived on the island, with White serving as the governor. Unfortunately, the settlement struggled to strike an accord with local indigenous tribes.

Compelled to return to England for provisions and support, White departed the colony. However, the Anglo-Spanish War delayed his return to North America for three years. When he finally arrived at Roanoke Island, White was shocked to find the colony abandoned. Everyone, including his daughter, his son-in-law, and his infant granddaughter, had vanished.

The only clues that White found were the letters “CRO” carved into a tree and the word “CROATOAN” etched into a gatepost. White assumed that the colonists may have relocated to Croatoan Island, approximately 50 miles south and home of the Croatoan people. He returned to England before he could conduct a thorough search.       READ MORE...

Pink Floyd - "Another Brick in The Wall " PULSE Remastered 2019

Change is Coming

 

Pardon me if i seem a little cocky...  but the republican party won the presidency, the house, the senate, and the supreme court...

It may only last two years...

a lot can be done in two years...

CAVEAT...

Now that Trump has experience in Washington, DC, he will no longer be fooled by its politics and backstabbing.

FIRST....   

Musk/Ramaswamy are going to downsize government for the first time in a long time.

SECOND...

Trump's cabinet members (his secretaries if you will and others) have been hired for competence, having like minds, and eliminating positions.

THIRD...

Trump's NO SHIT ATTITUDE will be a breath of fresh air as he puts Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and their proxies in their place.

DRAWBACKS...

#1>>>The Republican Party has a tendency to fight among themselves for power, control, and egos which could prevent them from accomplishing too much of anything.

#2>>>The Democratic Party is planning to do anything and everything in their power to delay, postpone, and stop whatever it is that the Republicans are trying to accomplish regardless of the consequences or impact on americans

FOURTH...

The Border Czar has a KICK ASS ATTITUDE and will do everything in his power to REMOVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS from US soil.

New USAG Candidate

 

Hooked

 

USA Land

 

ART

 

Anger

 

Freedom

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Green Day, Lady Gaga, Travis Scott, and Post Malone tapped to headline 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (April 11-13, 18-20) (More)

> "Rust" film debuts in Poland just over three years after on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (More)

> Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal and Atlanta Braves' Chris Sale win AL and NL Cy Young Awards for MLB's best pitchers; MVP announced tonight (6 pm ET, MLB Network) (More) | LPGA announces $131M in prize money for 2025 season, a 90% increase from 2021 (More)


Science & Technology
> The gut microbiome is shaped in part by social networks in localized areas, study finds, suggesting such microbes can be passed from person to person (More) | What is the gut microbiome (More, w/video)

> Researchers release updated Human Cell Atlas, cataloging 62 million cells across 18 biological networks; dubbed the "Wikipedia of cells," project seeks to map 37 trillion cells from birth to old age (More)

> Squid-inspired device allows doctors to deliver drugs orally that would otherwise require needles; design uses tiny jets to shoot drugs into tissue lining once in the digestive tract (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.0%, Dow +0.3%, Nasdaq -0.1%) (More) | Target shares close down 21% after retailer posts weaker-than-expected quarterly earnings, lowers forecast for holiday quarter (More) | Nvidia beats Q3 revenue and earnings expectations (More)

> Billionaire Gautam Adani indicted in US on federal charges of securities fraud, including for allegedly lying to US investors over $250M in bribe payments to Indian government officials (More) | Archegos Capital founder Bill Hwang sentenced to 18 years in prison for fraud, market manipulation tied to his firm's 2021 collapse (More)

> Vertical farming startup Oishii raises $150M in funding; company is best known for growing strawberries in its New Jersey vertical farm (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> House Speaker Mike Johnson (R, LA-4) announces policy requiring people to use Capitol bathrooms aligned with their biological sex; decision follows election of first openly transgender Congress member (More) | Senate Judiciary Committee requests FBI files on since-dropped investigation into attorney general pick Matt Gaetz (R); House Ethics Committee defers decision on releasing their report (More)

> President-elect Donald Trump selects former acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker to serve as ambassador to NATO (More) | See running list of Trump appointments (More)

> Board denies parole to Susan Smith, convicted in the 1994 murders of her children; case gained worldwide attention alongside OJ Simpson trial, with Smith originally pinning the murders on a Black gunman (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Life - Part II

 

It is obvious, at least to me, that the Democrats are still pointing fingers and assigning blame rather than performing the ritualistic introspection that losers always do.

It is not easy for AMERICANS to lose.  We like to win, and we have no time at all for losers.  As a result, children learn at an early age, that WINNING IS EVERYTHING.

However, when children grow up, that is to say, leave high school and get a job, they find out very quicky that winning in high school sports is not going to do a damn thing for them.

College is the same way.  It is true that college graduates can earn more than high school graduates but that only applies in the early stages of one's career, say for the first 3-5 years.

Usually, but not always, between 25-30, high school graduates can SURPASS college graduates.

I knew someone that started as a cook at a restaurant after high school.  Became a waiter, then an assistant manager, then a manager at age thirty, making more than college graduates at that same age.  Before, he was 40, he became a franchise owner and was earning twice what a college grad was earning.

BUT...  he had to pay his dues for a while...

Is this what he had planned?

I don't know, but he stayed with it hoping for the best and wanting to grow, I believe.

My high school graduate franchise owner did not experience the winning or losing mentality in high school.  Therefore, he did not consider himself to be a loser, when after he graduated from high school, he became a cook.

I would have seen myself as a loser if I had become restaurant cook after high school, instead of going to college.

Somewhat Political

 

Death Might be an Illusion

What happens after we die? While many believe that death is the end, quantum physics suggests that it might not be as simple as we think.

In fact, it could be an illusion. This idea challenges everything we know about life and death. By looking at concepts like the interconnectedness of all things and the nature of consciousness, here’s to a whole new perspective on life after death.

Dr. Robert Lanza, a leading expert in biotechnology, plays a major role in this idea. He’s the Chief Scientific Officer at the Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine, where he studies stem cells and how they can be used to treat diseases.

Before this, Dr. Lanza focused on researching embryonic stem cells and cloning, working with both animals and humans. He is also an adjunct professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina.     READ MORE...

THE DOORS (break on through live )

Life in the FAST LANE

 

Gaetz is out, Hegseth is having issue that could cause him to withdraw...  Trump is used to failure and may have even picked these two to make sure their replacements would get confirmed...  who knows?

What I do know is this:

• Trump is going to push gasoline into the economy and make the USA energy independent once again.
• Musk and Ramaswamy are going to SHRINK GOVERNMENT.
• Tom Holman is going to DEPORT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS and legally go away anyone that tries to stand in his way.
• Unless the Republicans try to fight for power and position, they control the house and senate for at least two years.
• Trump is going to lower the corporate tax rate and put tariffs on the imports of foreign goods.
• Trump will find some way of removing generals and taking WOKE out of the military.
• MOST ALL of Trump's cabinet picks are PISSED OFF at the Democrats for the 91 felony charges against him.
• Most, if not all, of the global leaders fear Trump because they are uncertain of his behavior, including Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
• The Democrats and Mainstream Media are going to do everything in their power to STOP TRUMP FROM DOING EVERYTHING HE WANTS TO DO.
• 76,000,000 million Americans voted for Trump because they were tired of lack of action by the Democrats, but the Democrats don't believe they did anything wrong.

The next two years are going to be exciting to say the least.

Why do I think that?

First - the Democrats fighting Trump

Second - the Mainstream Media fighting Trump

Third - the USA is on the brink of a civil war

Fourth - the world is on the brink of a WWIII

Fifth - the interest payments on our National Debt are greater than the nation's Gross Domestic Product and China owns ONE THIRD of our DEBTS

Sixth - the BILLIONAIRES are in control of everything

Proudly Signed

US Aircraft

 

The World

 

How Many Turtles

 

Truth

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano boxing match brought in 74 million live viewers; the match was the co-main event to the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight and is now the most-watched professional women's sporting event in US history (More)

> Bob Love, three-time NBA All-Star, dies at age 81 (More) | Colin Petersen, founding member and drummer for the Bee Gees, dies at age 78 just four days after another Bee Gees drummer, Dennis Bryon, passed away (More)

> Tennis great Rafael Nadal plays in last match of his more than 20 year career as Spain loses to the Netherlands in the Davis Cup quarterfinals (More)


Science & Technology
> SpaceX makes sixth test launch of its massive Starship space vehicle; skips second attempt at a "chopstick" catch of the Super Heavy rocket booster using giant mechanical arms (More) | SpaceX's "chopstick" method explained (More, w/video)

> Embattled physicist Ranga Dias ousted from the University of Rochester following retractions of controversial papers claiming room-temperature superconductivity (More) | Breaking down the scandal (More)

> Octopuses expend significant amounts of energy to change color, new study finds; amount is roughly equal to what is needed to maintain all bodily functions while at rest (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.4%, Dow -0.3%, Nasdaq +1.0%) (More) | Nvidia stock rises over 4% ahead of third-quarter earnings report today (More)

> Justice Department will reportedly ask federal judge to force Google to sell Chrome—the world's most popular internet browser—today; expected proposal follows August ruling the company operates an illegal search monopoly (More)

> President-elect Donald Trump nominates Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick for commerce secretary, pending Senate confirmation (More) | Dr. Mehmet Oz nominated to oversee Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (More) | Linda McMahon nominated to lead Education Department (More) | See list of Trump appointees so far (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Major storm expected this week in Northern California and Pacific Northwest as plumes of moisture known as atmospheric rivers are expected to combine with bomb cyclone to bring heavy rainfall, flash flooding (More) | Bomb cyclone 101 (More) | See live updates (More)

> Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) agrees to postpone sentencing in Trump hush money case (More) | Hacker accesses depositions in since-dropped investigations on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R); includes remarks from woman who says she had sex with the attorney general nominee when she was 17 (More)

> Two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea have been damaged, per European officials, raising suspicions of foul play; one connected Finland and Germany, the other connected Sweden and Lithuania (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Life

 
Life is different for all of us.

Different if you live in the USA or some other country in the world.

Different in the USA if you live in the north or in the south.

Different in the USA if you are wealthy or poor, white or black or of another minority.

Why is the USA divided like that?

We are divided because we are not equal other that equal in being alive.

A test of this life is how we accept this life and how we try to change this life to make it better for ourselves and our family.

This is a basic desire of human beings - to make life better for us and our families...  we spend the rest of our lives trying to achieve that goal, some of us achieve that goal but a majority of us do not.

In other parts of the world, like India for example, there is a vast majority of the people in that country who just accept what they have and have no desire to make it better.

In that acceptance, they find contentment and happiness and peace of mind.

Who is right about the way life is meant to be lived?

Somewhat Political

 

New Physics Through BOSONS

Since the launch of the Large Hadron Collider, researchers have been studying Higgs bosons and searching for signs of physics beyond the current model of elementary particles. 

Scientists working with the ATLAS detector have combined these two goals: their latest analysis has not only deepened our understanding of how Higgs bosons interact with each other but also placed stronger limits on potential “new physics” phenomena.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) achieved a major success with the discovery of the Higgs boson, the final missing piece of the Standard Model and a key to understanding the origin of mass in elementary particles. 

However, despite this breakthrough, researchers have yet to find any evidence of physics beyond the Standard Model, which has been a source of ongoing frustration. Scientists at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Geneva are now working to address this by improving the precision of Higgs boson measurements while actively searching for signs of “new physics.”     READ MORE...

The Who - Who Are You (Promo Video)