In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> WNBA regular season wraps up tonight with the playoffs set to begin Sunday; see complete postseason bracket and schedule (More) | WNBA history (1440 Topics)

> Eight Detroit Tigers employees accused of sexual misconduct in the past two years, report reveals (More) | NCAA permanently bans three men's basketball players for betting on their own games (More)

> Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, and Ava DuVernay among 3,900 people from the film and TV industry to sign pledge to boycott Israeli film institutions they deem complicit in alleged war crimes (More)


Science & Technology
> Amazon launches electric robotaxi Zoox with free rides in Las Vegas; the Waymo and Tesla rival plans to enter the Austin and Miami markets next (More)

> Advanced instruments enable clearest-ever detection of gravitational waves emitted by black hole merger, confirming Stephen Hawking's black hole area theorem (More) | How Hawking shaped our understanding of black holes (1440 Topics)

> Neuroscientists link rare gene variant to the development of Alzheimer's and find treating mutated neurons with choline—an essential nutrient found in foods like eggs, meat, and legumes—reduces disease risk (More)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.3%, Dow -0.5%, Nasdaq +0.0%) (More) | Oracle, OpenAI sign $300B, five-year cloud computing deal; Oracle shares rise nearly 36% in best day since 1992, founder Larry Ellison tops Elon Musk as world's richest person (More)

> Fintech startup Klarna shares close up over 14% after debuting at $52 per share on the New York Stock Exchange, valuing the Swedish firm at roughly $17B (More)

> Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk to cut 9,000 jobs, or about 11% of global workforce, as part of restructuring (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Former FBI leaders sue Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleging their firings were motivated by their involvement in investigations into President Donald Trump (More)

> NATO holds talks after Poland and allies shoot down suspected Russian drones that entered Polish airspace; incident marks first time NATO planes have engaged potential threats in allied airspace (More)

> Cuba's electrical grid collapses for the fourth time in less than a year, leading to second nationwide blackout this year; outages reportedly caused by aging infrastructure and fuel shortages (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

What's the Point?

What is the point of our life?

That question can be asked in a macro sense as well as a micro sense.  The macro sense being seen as a collection evolution and the micro sense can be seen as an individual evolution.

Both approaches are simply conjecture and one's opinion.

From a macro sense, I would suggest that our life should evolve towards perfection, from the standpoint of what perfection means to you.

Is that perfection intellectual or technical and scientific and would it include knowing everything there is to know and becoming disease free, thereby living forever.

From a micro sense, I would suggest that one's life should revolve around being the best that you can be relative to your own standards, not the standards of others or by comparing yourself to others.

I would also suggest that one should ALWAYS treat others as they want to be treated, meaning an end to competition and jealousy.

A start to make this happen, would be to stop being greedy, or grow with inflation so that you never fall behind or never get ahead...  you simply remain constant while improving yourself in other areas:

• Respect for life
• Respect for nature
• Respect for all animals
• Respect for people regardless of class, culture, gender, race, beliefs, or education
• Desire to learn one new thing a day
• Desire to have an open mind
• Desire to live a healthy life
• Measure twice, cut once
• Be grateful for life daily

Somewhat Political

 

The Race Is On To Simulate Our Quantum Universe

Faithful simulations of the world are impossible to create using ordinary computers. Simulating physical reality is, however, the original, express purpose of quantum computers.

In 1981, long before quantum computers gained notoriety as potential tools for breaking encryption, the physicist Richard Feynman planted the seed for what is now a multibillion-dollar effort to build them, famously quipping “Nature isn’t classical, dammit, and if you want to make a simulation of nature, you’d better make it quantum mechanical.”

Quantum computers, though still small and rudimentary, have now grown sufficiently advanced that physicists are using them to simulate tiny pieces of nature.

READ MORE...

The Doors - The End (Edit Version From The Film Apocalypse Now)

Free Will

 

Do we have FREE WILL?

What is FREE WILL?

Free will is the philosophical concept that humans have the ability to make choices and determine their own actions, independent of prior causes or external constraints like fate or divine intervention. The existence and nature of free will are debated, with determinism suggesting all actions are predetermined, while libertarian views emphasize self-determination.

What are our choices, determinism or self-Determination?

IF we look at our choices through a RELIGIOUS LENS, what do we see?

God gave us free will while on the other side of the coin, we know it is God's Will that needs to be obeyed, not our own.  So, if we believe in God's Will, do we forfeit our own.  Is that what Jesus did on the cross when he allowed himself to die because it was God's Will not his own will?

If we look at our choices through another lens...  what do we see?

Let's suppose we have a CREATOR, not a GOD but a creator and this creator lives on the edge of our universe and sees everything:  past - present - future, if our lives have already been observed womb to tomb, were the choices made really a result of free will?

Now...   here is another scenario...

We have free will to make any choice in the world that we want to make, as long as we are willing to pay the price (consequences - intended or otherwise) for those choices.  That makes a lot of sense to me.

Free Will = Choices = Consequences

However, what if we do not want to pay the consequences of our choices, so we are manipulated into making another choice which really wasn't the choice we wanted to make...

Did we still exercise FREE WILL?

Some will say yes while others will say no.

Making choices is making choices regardless of outside influences, right?

Can one live one's entire life without making choices?

Deciding not to make a choice, is, in fact, making a choice not to act.

Never Forget!!!

 

The Embrace

 

VINCE

 

Bongino Report

 

Diamond & Silk

 

The Crooked Tree

 

Lara Trump

 

Dinesh D'Souza

 

Sarah Westall

 

The Eye

 

The Amber May Show

 

Russell Brand

 

TimcastIRL

 

Private Cottage

 

Brookings Brief

Who decides? Courts, Congress, and the shifting boundaries of tax authority

The Big THINK

Use the “Johari Window Model” to improve your conversations

Beauty

 

Headlines

Joe Raedle/Getty Images




Conservative activist Charlie Kirk fatally shot at Utah college event. Kirk, 31, died yesterday after being shot while speaking onstage at an event at Utah Valley University. He hosted a popular podcast, was a staunch ally of President Trump, and, as a teenager in 2012, founded Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization now active at over 3,500 college campuses. The assassination was the latest in a recent wave of political violence and was condemned by lawmakers from both parties. An initial suspect in the shooting was released from custody last night after being interrogated by law enforcement, according to FBI Director Kash Patel. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump, who ordered flags to be flown at half mast through Sunday, wrote on social media.

NATO held talks after Russian drones shot down in Poland. After Polish and Dutch jets shot down Russian drones over Poland amid Russia’s aerial bombardment of neighboring Ukraine, NATO members held talks yesterday to discuss the implications. Article 5 of the treaty that created the defense alliance, which calls on members to guarantee each other’s security, is the best known, but the talks were held under Article 4, which allows members to raise their security concerns for discussion—without automatically prompting a response. Russia said it did not intend to attack targets in Poland after EU leaders condemned the incursion. Poland’s prime minister said, “This situation brings us the closest we have been to open conflict since World War II.”

Judge says Lisa Cook can stay at Fed for now; Trump appeals. With the Federal Reserve’s interest rate-setting meeting scheduled for next week, we’re starting to get a better sense of who will be there. Late Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the removal of Fed Governor Lisa Cook while her lawsuit challenging President Trump’s decision to fire her over allegations of mortgage fraud plays out, leaving her free to participate in the upcoming meeting. However, President Trump filed an appeal yesterday. Meanwhile, the Senate Banking Committee voted to recommend that the full Senate approve Trump’s nominee Stephen Miran for the Fed governor’s seat left vacant when Adriana Kugler abruptly resigned last month. The Fed is expected to cut rates at the meeting, as the president has urged in his bid for greater control.—AR

READ MORE...

Robert Reich

The Future of the Democratic Party (if it has a future)
A new day is dawning if the Democrats are able to see the sunrise.






Friends,

If it’s to have a future, the Democratic Party must not only condemn Trumpism but explain why so many Americans are struggling and provide a credible way for most people to share in the nation’s prosperity.

That means forgetting about moving to the so-called “center” and instead embracing the passion, energy, youth, and big ideas of young Democratic candidates like Zohran Mamdani in New York and Senate candidates Graham Platner in Maine, Dan Osborn in Nebraska, Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, and Nathan Sage in Iowa.

Most Americans are justifiably angry that our political-economic system is in the hands of a bevy of billionaires and multimillionaires who have rigged it for their own benefit.

READ MORE...

At A Glance

Ranking the happiest states in the US.

The 86-year-old movie pulling in about $2M a day.

Helicopter rides are coming to Uber.

Photographer captures the quiet beauty of everyday life.

M&M's introduces honey roasted peanut flavor.

Does AI affect how we learn?

The gruesome reason psychiatrists are called “shrinks.”

Average estimated tax change by state for 2026.

Clickbait: Zookeepers hail iguana as a one-lizard wonder.

Historybook: College football coach Bear Bryant born (1913); Chilean President Salvador Allende dies by suicide in midst of coup d'état (1973); Pete Rose breaks baseball’s all-time hits record (1985); Coordinated terrorist attacks in the US kill 2,977, injure over 6,000 others (2001); US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, attacked resulting in death of four Americans (2012).

Lentil Rainbow Salad Healthy Vegan Lunch Recipe High Protein Easy

Quick Clips

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Sabrina Carpenter and Karol G tapped to headline 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (More) | Singer D4vd cooperating with authorities after decomposed body found inside car belonging to him at Los Angeles impound lot (More)

> Miles Davis' publishing catalog acquired by Reservoir Media ahead of 2026 events celebrating the 100th anniversary of Davis' birth; Reservoir also owns catalogs for Snoop Dogg, Joni Mitchell, De La Soul, and others (More)

> Mural by street artist Banksy to be removed outside of London's Royal Courts of Justice; the artwork depicts a judge attacking a protester (More)


Science & Technology
> Health and Human Services releases report on addressing childhood chronic diseases; focuses on poor diet, environmental exposures, and overmedication (More) | Read report (More)

> Engineers develop bottlebrush-shaped nanoparticles that deliver large chemotherapy payloads directly to cancer cells; standard approach carries eight drug molecules per particle, new technology transports hundreds (More)

> Archaeologists uncover first direct evidence of brown bears being forced to fight gladiators in ancient Rome (More) | Explore the best resources we've found on ancient Rome (1440 Topics)


Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +0.3%, Dow +0.4%, Nasdaq +0.4%) (More) | Bureau of Labor Statistics revises jobs growth down by 911,000 for 12-month period ending in March; preliminary data will be finalized in February (More)

> Anglo American and Teck Resources to merge into $53B copper company; metal increasingly in demand for electric vehicles, AI data centers (More) | Nebius Group, a spinoff from Russian internet giant Yandex, sees shares surge nearly 50% after securing $19.4B cloud computing deal with Microsoft (More)

> Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments in November on whether President Donald Trump has the power to impose sweeping tariffs under federal law (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Justice Department charges man accused of killing a 23-year-old Ukrainian woman on Charlotte, North Carolina, transit system; suspect had 14 prior criminal cases, raising questions about his release from prison this year (More)

> French President Emmanuel Macron appoints outgoing defense minister as new prime minister ahead of widespread "Block Everything" protests expected today (More) | See previous write-up (More)

> Nation's Report Card, a test of over 65,000 US students in eighth and 12th grades, reveals reading, math, and science scores dropped to new low last year (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Alien Life

 

The scientific community DOES NOT SUPPORT the idea that aliens visited earth and altered our DNA so that our evolution would take place at a faster rate than otherwise predicted.

Yet, there is multiple evidence on earth in different parts of the earth where similar structures were built but these different people had no way of communicating with each other unless it had been through aliens sharing technology in two separate locations.

We also have witnessed over the past few years that governments all over the world ARE NOT DENYING any longer that alien aircrafts have been spotted all over the world and that the possibility of alien life is HIGH.

We also have recorded evidence of technology that was invented by individuals before their time and that it cannot be attributed to just their keen imaginations.

I would also submit to you that given the immense size of the universe why is there only ONE HUMAN RACE???

Was this entire universe just created for US??? 

Many of us believe in GOD and that He is the Creator of our Universe - Do you think God created this vast universe for just human beings to live on planet earth???

We cannot even cross from side of our solar system to the other side in ONE LIFETIME...  and there are trillions upon trillions of solar systems in our KNOWN UNIVERSE.

So, there may not be any scientific evidence of aliens but logic tells us there must be otherwise creating this vast universe was a childish, silly, and irresponsible idea that our Creator had.