Growing Up

 

It is difficult to say where I actually grew up because I was born in Raleigh, NC, and in less than a year moved to Alexandria, VA where I remained until the 8th grade when we moved to Cairo, Egypt where I attended and graduated from High School.  After high school, I attended college in NC, got married, but left in 1990 to relocate in TN after a long divorce.

So, did I grow up in Alexandria, VA or Cairo, Egypt or both?  I would say both...

While I liked Alexandria, Cairo, and Burlington, NC, I fell in love with the Tennessee Valley of East TN and prefer this location to all the others.

However, each location has its advantages and disadvantages, and I think liking the place where one lives is directly related to one's age.

We lived in the country in Alexandria during the 1050s and early 1960s and there were wooded areas on both sides of our community.  This was perfect for young boys, like me...  these wooded areas are no longer there.

Also, on either side of us about a mile in either direction, were two shopping centers that had drug stores.  The boys with which I hung out would either walk to the drug stores or thumb a ride (before that got dangerous) that underscored a positive childhood.

Cairo, Egypt was a perfect place for teenagers going to high school with the Arabian Horses, desert hikes and excursions, everyone living in one community, foreign students, and things to do at night that were not based upon age but on the ability to pay.

The Piedmont of North Carolina offered a tremendous number of activities for college students including other schools like Elon College, UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, NC State, Guilford, High Point, and UNC-G but was not the best place to live for someone like me after college.

I preferred being in an area that was not so crowded with people and vehicles and which cost less to live, and which had no state income tax like Tennessee.

So, I grew up in areas that were perfect for me based upon my age level which was very fortunate now that I think about it.  From that standpoint, I have had an IDEAL LOCATION OPPORTUNITY...

Somewhat Political

 

How physicists’ clever bookkeeping trick could underlie reality

A clever mathematical tool known as virtual particles unlocks the strange and mysterious inner workings of subatomic particles. What happens to these particles within atoms would stay unexplained without this tool. 

The calculations using virtual particles predict the bizarre behavior of subatomic particles with such uncanny accuracy that some scientists think “they must really exist.”

Virtual particles are not real – it says so right in their name – but if you want to understand how real particles interact with each other, they are unavoidable. They are essential tools to describe three of the forces found in nature: electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces.

READ MORE...

Linda Ronstadt - You're No Good (Official Live Performance)

Wonderings 10

 

Death

What is death?

the end of life, I suppose...

although, some believe it is the beginning of life because there is an afterlife.

If there is an afterlife, is it different from Heaven because the only way into Heaven is through Jesu?

The afterlife is not conditional upon Jesus...

So, what is the afterlife?

No one knows...  so, all we can do is speculate or make educated guesses...  depending upon one's level of education...  or is there another meaning for making educated guesses?

Personally...  I believe, if there is an afterlife, then:

• we will not have bodies
• we will be spirits holding the essence of who we were
• so, we could have intelligence, knowledge, memories
• we will experience no illnesses, except maybe space sickness
• we will have no need for food or reproduction
• we will have no need for shelter or security
• we will be aware of our surroundings
• we should be able to communicate somehow
• we should be mobile
• we will have no need for spacetime
• we will have no need for gravity

But without confirmation of our afterlife speculations, death frightens us...  it is an end to our life as we know it...  and consequently, we are not really expecting anything after death, unless we truly believe in Christianity.

Again, Christianity presupposes all the other ELEVEN MAJOR RELIGIONS ARE WRONG!!!

Feelings

 

Sarah Westall

 

Snake Bite

 

Dinesh D'Souza

 

ICE

The Alex Jones Show

 

Cottage

 

TimcastIRL

 

Pathway

 

Robert Reich

They’re calling it a “Hate America” Rally
Rubbish. We’re rallying on Saturday because we LOVE America





Friends,

You know Trump Republicans are worried when they slam a planned protest — more than a week before it occurs.

Last Friday, Speaker Mike Johnson described this coming Saturday’s No Kings rally as the “hate-America” rally that would draw “the pro-Hamas wing” and “the antifa people.”

I’m sure these phrases have been distributed to senior Republicans by the White House. They’re all delivering the same lines.

Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) claims Democrats are refusing to vote to fund the government “to score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold ... a hate-America rally” on Saturday.

So what is the White House worried about? Why are they trying to discredit the rally before it’s even occurred?

READ MORE...

At A Glance

Exploring the top food and drink trends of the past 25 years.

The funniest one-star reviews for national parks.

Blame British royalty for the extra 0.2 miles in a marathon.

See where you fall in the newly released 2026 tax brackets.

Vintage Halloween postcards from the early 20th century.

One illustrator explores AI-generated art, in comic strip form.

A brief guide on how to be miserable with your money.

Scientists examine toenails to gauge lung cancer risk.

Clickbait: Can you run 31 miles while eating Taco Bell?

Historybook: Continental Navy established (1775); UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher born (1925); Italy declares war on Germany (1943); Television host Ed Sullivan dies (1974); 33 Chilean miners rescued after 69 days underground (2010).

High Protein Vegan Meatballs You Need to Try! (IKEA Copycat)

Quick Clips

 

In The NEWS

Global Tensions
An explainer on the Cold War
The Cold War was a global competition (watch animated map) for power and influence between the United States, a capitalist democracy, and the Soviet Union, a state-controlled socialist system, from 1945 to 1991, sparked by tensions over how to shape the post-World War II order.

The conflict was defined by ideological rivalry, massive military spending, and a nuclear arms race that brought the world to the brink of thermonuclear war. Though the two superpowers never engaged in direct combat—hence, the war remained “cold”—they waged proxy wars on nearly every continent.

The Cold War concluded in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union after losing control of much of its territory in the preceding years. However, its legacy is still visible today in renewed great-power rivalries, ongoing nuclear tensions, and the resurgence of strongly centralized governance.

... Read our full explainer on the conflict here.

Also, check out ...
> Watch Churchill's 1946 speech recognizing an "Iron Curtain" across Europe. (More)
> ... and watch Reagan demand that Gorbachev tear down the Berlin Wall. (More)
> A 1983 NATO simulation provoked the Soviets to arm for war. (More)


Household Leverage
Mortgages, 101
Mortgages are a type of property loan that financial institutions, such as banks and credit unions, can offer when a prospective buyer decides against paying a property’s full cost in cash. In 2024, 74% of homebuyers took out a mortgage. Debt owed on mortgages made up about 70% of US consumer debt as of 2025.

People have been formally lending money in exchange for interest and collateral since the fifth century BCE. But the term “mortgage” wasn’t adopted until around the 11th century in Britain.

In the US, individuals loaned money to each other to buy property before institutional private financing was popularized in the 1800s. Mortgage banks were created in the 1870s to provide loans financed by mortgage-backed bonds.

... Read our full write-up on mortgages here.

Also, check out ...
> Construction of small, affordable "starter homes" has decreased 75% since 1976. (More)
> Charting the history of interest rates on 30-year fixed home loans. (More)
> Housing costs have more than doubled since 1965, adjusting for inflation. (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Peace Initiatives

 

Russia began fighting with Ukraine in 2014 escalating the conflict in 2022, so, it is in its third year...

Hamas, proxy for Iran, invaded Israel, two years ago, so they are in their second year.

China and North Korea have been supporting both Russia and Iran while the US, the Uk, and Europe have been supporting Ukraine and Israel.

Both these conflicts could erupt into WWIII with just the slightest provocation.

While I am not an expert in global politics or global military strategy, I believe that our world and our present leaders, even though some of them questionable, would not trigger a nuclear war.

WWIII will be a conventional war with the exception of extensive reliance on DRONES and ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.  We will, no doubt, be incorporating robots into our army sooner than later to save lives.  It would not surprise me at all that our Army and other branches are already experimenting with robot personnel.

However, it would appear that Hamas is much more interested in pursuing peace than Russia.  At least, as far as phase I of the current peace accords are concerned.  Phase II is an entirely different story and there is a very good possibility that Israel will be returning to war soon.

What is very risky about what is happening in Ukraine is the closest proximity of NATO Nations and if they feel they are being attacked by Russia, they could respond in such a way that WWIII is upon us before the world understanding why or how it happened.

NATO countries are currently in a posture of PREPARING FOR IMMINENT WAR...  and Russia does like pushing the boundaries of common sense.

The bottom line is that whatever happens with Ukraine/Russia and/or Hamas/Israel will be a direct result of President Trump's commitment of military support to both Ukraine and Israel.

Somewhat Political

 

Engineers Found Evidence of Hydraulics in an Ancient Pyramid

Hydraulic mechanics may have indeed been the driving force behind the construction of ancient Egyptian pyramids.

In a preprint paper, scientists concluded that the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, Egypt—believed to be the oldest of the seven monumental pyramids and potentially constructed about 4,500 years ago—offers a remarkable blueprint for hydraulic engineering.

The hydraulic-powered mechanism could have maneuvered the oversized stone blocks forming the pyramid, starting from the ground up. The research team says the Step Pyramid’s internal architecture is consistent with a hydraulic elevation mechanism, something that’s never been reported before at that place or in that time.

READ MORE...

John Lennon - imagine (live 1975)

Wonderings 9

 

Proof of Life

As I mentioned earlier, understanding philosophy goes a long way to understanding WHO I AM...

The philosopher Descartes said: I THINK THEREFORE I AM

For many centuries this statement was all we needed to prove that the human race or human beings existed.

But what if your thinking is in the capacity of being a doubter, then you would doubt your own existence.

So, how can we prove our thinking is not being conducting in the capacity of a doubt, when most of our thinking revolves around playing the devil's advocate, which is doubting.

Now, we have a real dilemma.

Assuming, the human race exists, what is the point of LIFE?

That is to say, why are we even alive?

This ties with WHAT IS OUR PURPOSE AND WHO AM I?

So, we are alive and live approximately 80-100+ years nd then we die.  Some believe in reincarnation, therefore experience a second life.  But normally, we just DIE...  However, there is the belief that we continue existence in an afterlife, which has traditionally been described as HEAVEN.

But what is life like in Heaven...  we know it will not be overpopulated because not everyone is going.

Will we have a physical body in heaven?

Will we have a spirit shape in heaven?

If spirit, then that life will never be like the physical life we left behind...4

NOW...

here's an interesting question.

What's the point of living on earth 80-100+ years if we live as a spirit FOREVER in heaven?

This ties back into the question of PURPOSE.

SO...

part of our answer to purpose is predicated upon whether or not we believe in an afterlife and if in that afterlife, we live as a spirit.

Since we will not know the answer to our DEATH question, then trying to develop a purpose for life while on earth seems, on the surface, to be rather pointless. 

I still propose that one needs a purpose regardless of what happens after death, because purpose gives us motivation.  Without motivation, there is no reason to do anything.

Harmony

 

VINCE

 

Lara Logan

 

The Shannon Joy Show

 

Mystic

 

Sarah Westall