Being Frugal

 

My wife and I have been debt free for twenty years and are thankful that we had the common sense to deny ourselves things while we paid that debt off.

We still use a credit card to buy stuff but we pay it off before we accrue any interest.  Our credit card is a Delta AmEx card so we get frequent flyer mileage as well.  To date, we have over 300,000 frequent flyer points.

We, as mentioned before, only buy what we need not what we want.  We buy, year old vehicles every ten years that have been leased for a huge reduction in price but still almost new.

We don't smoke nor do we drink alcohol which saves us a ton of money while maintaining good health.

We buy quality so that our purchases will last a long time rather than having to be replaced like computers every 3-5 years.

It is not difficult to live like we do and we deny ourselves very little because we have changed our lifestyle and simply do not need as much, but we do enjoy ourselves and are very content with what we have.

We live in East TN which helps with a lower cost of living.  While our location is not like NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, we are not missing the negative stuff that those larger cities provide like traffic congestion, smog, long lines, and crime.

Somewhat Political

 

Groundbreaking NASA Battery

In a groundbreaking development, NASA has unveiled a new solid-state sulfur selenium battery to revolutionize the aviation industry by replacing traditional gas-powered engines with electricity.


This innovative technology not only promises to significantly reduce harmful emissions but also opens up possibilities for faster and more efficient electric airplanes. In this article, we explore the implications of this breakthrough, its potential to transform air travel, and the challenges that lie ahead.


Air travel is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), commercial air travel in the United States alone accounts for 10% of transportation emissions and 3% of the nation's total greenhouse gas emissions.     READ MORE...

Crosby, Stills Nash - Southern Cross

GUNS

 

Insurection

 

Control

 

Slaves

 

Schiff

 

In The NEWS

Below are some important, interesting, or otherwise fun stories that moved 1440 staff in 2024. What was your favorite? Let us know here.



2024 total solar eclipse over North America.

"Witnessing this year's solar eclipse was especially memorable as I experienced it alongside my kids and saw their amazement firsthand." —Ashley L.



Why it's so hard to correctly predict the weather.

"Think I’m not alone in being occasionally frustrated by the weather forecast catching me either without my umbrella or leaving my sunglasses at home. I could never understand why the forecast could be so inaccurate sometimes! This was the perfect background explainer that left me feeling sympathy for my local weather team." —Mitchell K.



Boy born deaf can hear again thanks to novel gene therapy.

"There’s nothing sweeter to me in life than music and the voices of the people I love. So this incredible innovation bringing those gifts to this 11-year-old boy for the first time (and eventually, many others) made me happy and hopeful." —Teddy B.



100 small acts of love, told through stories by people in love.

"This heartwarming collection of stories showcases the beauty of everyday gestures and how love can be expressed in countless ways, reminding us that it's often the little things that make the biggest impact in our relationships." —Sony K.



Ohio twin sisters celebrate their 102nd birthday.

"I'm a sucker for our Humankind section, and as a mother of twins, I found this story to be so inspiring. It’s such a blessing that these twins have lived 102 years together and it brought me so much joy to see them share their celebration." —Kellie S.



10 funny vintage slang words people should start using again.

"I realized there’s no need to 'make fetch happen' when the vintage slang in this article already exists. I was grinning like a gigglemug thinking of these words coming out of my kids' sauce boxes. By the end, I felt arf’arf’an’arf from laughing so much." —Aaron E-L.



Do organ donors transfer memory?

"Such a refreshing read. Normally, I don’t always understand science-related articles but it was fascinating to think about the mini lives our organs hold and what that means for our souls." —Lauren R.



Wild orangutan self-treats wound.

"This story reminds us how much we still have to learn about the natural world and the incredible behaviors of the species we share it with. Rakus’ self-medicating act shows us that even in the modern age, nature continues to surprise us." —August M.



World's oldest cheese discovered.

"Sometimes you need to know how the stock market is doing, who won the election, and if we're putting people on Mars anytime soon. But sometimes you need to know about cheese. I loved the write-up on the 'World’s Oldest Cheese' being discovered in Xinjiang, China. Things like this can be endlessly fascinating." —Scott J.



Notre Dame Cathedral bells ring for first time since 2019 fire.

"Paris is one of my favorite cities, and seeing Notre Dame in 2018 was breathtaking. Knowing this historical cathedral was saved and restored makes me even more excited to visit again." —Erika B.



... and Paris hosts the 2024 Olympics.

"I was thrilled to attend my first Olympics in Paris, along with my parents. France did a fantastic job hosting the games, which saw Team USA lead all countries with 126 medals, including performances by some of my favorites like Simone Biles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Team USA men’s and women’s basketball." —Bobby A.

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Our New President

Do we think 2025 will be a good year, better than 2024 or not as good?

Obviously, we have changed Presidents and have gone from a Democratic one to a Republican one.  Democrats are fearful this new Republican president will destroy democracy.  They also think that this new President is a FASCIST and will completely change the political landscape in Washington DC.

Aside from the threat of World War III hanging over our heads, we have a National Debt that is growing wildly out of control, and our nation is more divided now than it was in the 1960s.

Our new president's first move will be to remove all illegal immigrants, starting with those who have committed crimes or are on the terrorists watch list.  His next move will be to shrink government by removing all the excesses and redundancies that have built up over the decades.

With that done, one of his first tasks is to open up the spickets for gasoline and natural gas by drilling for petroleum crude oil.  That flush of gasoline should have an impact on prices, but it may take a few months for it to filter throughout the economy.

I guess that only time will tell, however, I will tell you this that my wife and I have prepared ourselves so that whoever became our President, our finances would never change that we would continue living just like we have been living for the last decade.

 

Somewhat Political

 

China's Supersonic Jet

CHINA is vying to take on the 'Son of Concorde' with an even faster supersonic jet that could blast from London to New York City in less than two hours.

Beijing-based Space Transportation - also known as Lingkong Tianxing Technology - has been carrying out test flights and recently reached a speed of 3,106 mph which is four times the speed of sound, according to Chinese media.

The so-called Jindouyun engine, or JinDou400, could enable travel twice as fast as the iconic Concorde.  In the latest test it was able to reach altitudes over 65,600 feet, the company claims.

It achieved this by doing away with compressors and turbine parts you find in most rocket engines, relying on detonation combustion technology instead.  This tech uses a detonation ramjet to create essential thrust.     READ MORE...

Traffic - Dear Mr Fantasy - Live - 1972

 

 

Lying

 

Damages

 

Losers

 

Morality

 

The Plan

 

Hopping Around

 

Reflecting on 2024

 

I think the main things that immediately stick in my mind are the killing of the healthcare CEO and the burning of a sleeping woman on a subway by an illegal immigrant.

Sad that this is how most of us are going to remember 2024.

Obviously, Trump won the Presidential election in November and the GOP won the Senate and the House by a slim majority.  The GOP will once again be tested to see if they can govern rather than fight among themselves.

We also have wars continuing in Ukraine and Israel, but Assad was kicked out of Syria and now the rebels are in charge and while that hurts Iran, I am not sure if this new regime favors the USA.

Amazon and Starbucks called a worker strike right before Christmas and while their timing was perfect, I don't think it prevented Amazon from making their delivery commitments.  Perhaps the workers will get something out of this, but it will only raise prices which will result in some of them getting laid off.

I believe the biggest problem facing the USA in not any of what I just listed but the following:

• The National Debt
• A Divided America

Both of these items are critical, and it seems like the hate in America is so strong that neither side is ever going to take a step forward to compromise.  It is either my way or not way at all.

2024 was good for my wife and I because we achieved our savings goal and the money that we had in a CD is generating enough money for us to buy a year-old car in 2025.

All in all, it has been a good year.

Somewhat Political

 

Surprise Planet Discovery

New research reveals a fourth planet in the Kepler-51 system, altering our understanding of this unique system with three known ultra-low density “super-puff” planets.

Researchers utilized a range of telescopes, including NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, to detect unexpected transit timing variations that suggested the presence of an additional planet. This discovery adds complexity to the system’s dynamics and poses new questions about the formation and characteristics of these rare super-puff planets.

New Planet Discovered in Kepler-51 System
A team of researchers from Penn State and Osaka University has discovered that an unusual planetary system, known for its three ultra-low density “super-puff” planets, includes at least one more planet. While observing Kepler-51d, the third planet in the system, with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the team encountered a surprise: the planet transited its star two hours earlier than predicted by existing models.

To solve the mystery, the researchers analyzed both new and archival data from a range of space- and ground-based telescopes. Their investigation led to a compelling explanation: a previously undetected fourth planet, whose gravitational influence affects the orbits of the other planets in the system.

This groundbreaking discovery is detailed in a paper published on December 3 in the Astronomical Journal.     READ MORE...

THE ROLLING STONES - Honky Tonk Women

Jimmy Carter Dies

Former President Jimmy Carter, a man who redefined what a post-presidency could be, died Sunday. He was 100.  His son, Chip Carter confirmed that the former president died at his home in Plains about 3:45 p.m.

Explore:  Read the life story of former President Jimmy Carter, the man from Plains

Carter, who lived longer than any other U.S. president, entered home hospice care in Plains, Georgia in February 2023 after a series of short hospital stays.

The only Georgian ever elected to the White House, Carter left office after a single term that was highlighted by forging peace between Israel and Egypt, but was overshadowed by the Iran hostage crisis. In the decades after, his reputation grew through his and wife Rosalynn Carter’s work at the Carter Center in Atlanta and his philanthropic causes such as Habitat for Humanity.  

“People will be celebrating Jimmy Carter for hundreds of years. His reputation is only going to grow,” Rice University history professor Douglas Brinkley wrote in his book “The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter.”        READ MORE...

In The NEWS

Azerbaijani and US officials suggest plane crash caused by weapons fire.

Russia's aviation chief claimed a Ukrainian drone attack was occurring in Chechnya as the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed (see previous write-up) was attempting to land in Grozny. The aviation chief did not confirm if Russian air defenses accidentally shot it down. Azerbaijan Airlines attributed the crash to unspecified “physical and technical interference” and has suspended flights to several Russian airports.



Fallen cryptocurrency mogul Do Kwon to be extradited to the US.

Montenegro agreed to release Kwon, the cofounder of the collapsed cryptocurrency firm Terraform Labs, to face federal fraud and conspiracy charges in the US. The collapse of Terraform Labs, triggered by the 2022 crash of its TerraUSD stablecoin and its Luna sister token, caused investors to lose $40B. Kwon also faces charges in South Korea, which also sought to take custody of him.



Longtime CBS Sports broadcaster Greg Gumbel dies.

Gumbel died Friday at age 78 after a battle with cancer. His broadcasting career spanned over 50 years, during which time he became known for his work on major events like the Super Bowl and NCAA March Madness. He also served as an anchor for ESPN's "SportsCenter" and was an announcer and studio host for NBC Sports in the mid-1990s.



South Korea installs second acting president in two weeks.

Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok will take over as the country's next acting president after the National Assembly voted to impeach the previous acting president, Han Duck-soo. Lawmakers impeached Han for his refusal to fill three vacant seats on the high court; the appointments were needed for the court to rule on the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.



CDC says bird flu virus likely mutated within a Louisiana patient.

Genetic analysis of the bird flu virus in a Louisiana patient showed the virus had mutated during infection to become more transmissible to humans, similar to changes seen in a patient in British Columbia. The Louisiana patient is in critical condition after being exposed to sick and dead birds from backyard flocks. According to the CDC, the overall risk to the public remains low, and there's no evidence of human-to-human transmission.



NFL Christmas Day doubleheader sets streaming record on Netflix.

Netflix's doubleheader broke records as the most-streamed NFL games in US history, with an average of 24.3 million viewers for the Ravens-Texans game and 24.1 million for the Chiefs-Steelers game. Both figures outpaced the NBA's five-game Christmas Day lineup, which averaged about 5.25 million viewers per game across its platforms.



NASA's Parker Solar Probe survives closest-ever approach to sun.

The 1,510-pound Parker probe (see overview) successfully came within 3.8 million miles of the sun on Christmas Eve and confirmed its safe status by transmitting a beacon signal back to Earth ahead of schedule late Thursday night. The milestone marks a significant achievement in NASA's mission to study the sun's corona and solar wind, with more detailed data expected to be received Jan. 1.

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Ongoing Battle with Cancers

 At the end of this month, I will complete my 16th year of being treated for non-Hodgkin's small B cell Lymphoma and 14th of being treated for Melanoma.

I have had 365 infusions averaging right at 2 each month, even though some month during those years, I had 3 infusions each month.

My body has handled all those toxins pretty well although, my WBC & RBC & Platelets have remained consistently at the lower level or below the recommended range for males.

I never lost my hair but for 6 months my infusions made me so sick that my wife took me to the ER in order to get my vomiting to stop.  The vomiting was not normal to me as my body would sweat so much it was like I had just gotten out of shower.

When I vomited my body would arch up like an angry cat and retch for a minute or more until the green toxins came out of my mouth.  I could feel my body pulling it up from my groined it seemed.

When I stopped, I was so exhausted, I just laid on the cold tile floor for several minutes shivering so violently my entire body shook.

Sixteen years later, my treatments are immunotherapy, which is not so hard on my body, but I am still left with constant fatigue daily, blurred vision, loss of hearing, night sweats, and intermittent nausea.  I think it has ruined my teeth but there is no evidence for that other than anecdotal.  

My Oncologist tells me that I will be getting treatments for both cancers for the rest of my life.

I am thankful for each day.

Somewhat Political