A Quiet Revolution May Be Starting

     Let us talk about something uplifting. Part of my military career was US Navy intelligence. You learned to look past the obvious. The goal was to notice something subtle that everyone else misses. Please keep a close eye on what is happening as votes are counted in the Kentucky Democratic primary for US senate. My ancestors came from Kentucky. This state is not a liberal and left-leaning state. In many ways, it is very conservative. Amy McGrath, a retired US Marine Corps Lt. Colonel and fighter pilot, decided to run against Mitch McConnell. Amy is a great person and candidate. She got off to a great start and raised some $41 million dollars (all from small donors.) She looked like "a shoe in" to get the Democratic Party nomination. She had a good chance of defeating Mitch McConnell.

      Then George Floyd died due to callous police brutality. An upstart black Kentucky state representative named Charles Booker entered the race against Amy. He raised all of $285,000. His eloquent and calm voice called for major changes. He shot up quickly in the polls. Even in this age of coronavirus, a massive voter turnout followed.

      We will not know until Tuesday if he defeats Amy. If this upset happens, it will be a message that a quiet revolution has started in this country. What will follow is energized voters who will resist Donald Trump's efforts at voter suppression. They will come out despite coronavirus and vote in huge numbers to change this country. Many incumbents will be swept out of office. As of January, 2021, the US will be a far different country.

BREAKING: Progressive Charles Booker pulls ahead of Amy McGrath in Kentu...

A Light Bulb Can Be Hacked To Listen To Conversations

Lights Out

Forget complicated passwords or top-of-the-line security systems: Scientists have found that a common lightbulb can be “hacked” to hear confidential conversations held in a room 80 feet away, the Evening Standard reported.

In a recent study, they wrote that a new technique known as Lamphone can pick up small vibrations in a lightbulb exposed to soundwaves.

All a person needs to eavesdrop on a conversation is a laptop and a telescope connected to a remote electro-optical sensor – all which can be easily purchased.

In their experiment, the researchers tested the method by placing the telescope’s eyepiece in front of the sensor, which was connected to a laptop to process the files into audible sound.

The eavesdropper was able to extract two songs and a spoken sentence being played inside a room that was 80 feet away, where a 12-watt bulb was hanging.

“We show that an electro-optical sensor that outputs information at a lower resolution is sufficient to recover sound,” said co-author Ben Nassi.

Nassi’s team said that spies only need to have a clear sight of a hanging bulb. Even so, they haven’t yet determined if the method works with desk lamps or wall-mounted lighting.

While it’s a serious cause for concern for those handling sensitive data, at least simply turning off the light or closing the blinds will do the trick – for now.

Should We Start A New Political Party?

Should we start a new political party? Seriously. I'm sick of it. My sons’ futures are being mortgaged at a record rate and no one is talking about it. Trump has added far more debt than Obama, and not a word about it from Republicans. Democrat’s are similarly proposing crazy new levels of spending. Both are the party of more. Just a question of which group they cater to, but it's all coming on the backs of me and you so pick your poison. Media in this case has been a co-conspirator too. I’m a big fan of the fourth branch of government and normally don't throw out lines like that, but this week has been a remarkable one for what's not been talked about. There has been wall to wall coverage of the demonstrations, coronavirus and more - but it's eerily silent on what's going to get us...our national debt. We topped $26 trillion in National debt this week, and that's a number that means nothing to any of us. It's just some really big number, so consider putting a context to it to make it real. The debt’s growth has been mind numbing, and far outpaced growth in the economy which is a key indicator in our ability to pay for its cost. Treasury department numbers show the national debt hit $24 trillion on April 7th and $25 trillion on May 5th….and now $26 trillion on June 10th. Its growth comes with the deficits our federal government now runs and the Congressional Budget Office forecasts that this year’s deficit will hit $3.7 trillion, which would be more than two times the record $1.4 trillion deficit set in 2009. Our federal government recorded a budget deficit of $1.88 trillion for the first eight months of this budget year, and this is larger than any annual shortfall in U.S. history. In short, this is financial insanity. We are going to get so burned by this. Remember to think of this as a way of getting your arms around these big numbers…. Equate trillions to the 60 seconds that make up a minute: 1000 seconds would equal 17 minutes. 1 million seconds would equal 12 days 1 billion seconds would equal 32 years. ..and... 1 trillion seconds would equal 32,000 years..... Sincerely,

Surviving In The New World Of Coronavirus

     Now let us get down to some serious business. Political leaders worldwide have decided that lock downs are too destructive to the economy and the fabric of society. They are reopening and willing to accept higher death rates to keep society going. This is not a Trump, Jair, and a politically-conservative thing. Political ideology has nothing to do with it.

   How do we survive in this new and dangerous world? My dear readers it all starts with personal responsibility. You continue to wear your mask, your gloves, and you practice social distancing. You can venture out of your home. You can have a restaurant meal in an outdoor setting. You can carefully go shopping. Just be aware and be careful. You are going to see a lot of people doing stupid things. Elena has a pearl of wisdom about people doing stupid things. I shall end today with her words of wisdom:

"If you're stupid, you die."

Holy Smoke

Holy Smoke

Cannabis might still hold a sketchy reputation but pot has played an important role in the rites of ancient civilizations.

Recently, researchers found evidence that cannabis and frankincense were used in cult ritual ceremonies back in the eighth century BC in what is now Israel, Newsweek reported.

More than 50 years ago, archaeologists discovered a shrine at the Tel Arad archaeological site in Israel’s Beersheba Valley.

The ancient place of worship had two limestone altars at the entrance to the shrine’s “Holy of Holies” – the most sacred area.

Both altars contained heaps of black, solidified material but researchers then were unable to determine what it was.

In a recent study, researchers used chemical analysis to discover that the material had traces of cannabis and frankincense – an aromatic resin used in fragrances and perfumes.

They also noted that the cannabis was mixed with animal dung to facilitate heating, while animal fat was combined with frankincense to promote evaporation.

The finding sheds new light on the ritual practices in the ancient Kingdom of Judah. It also marks “the first time that cannabis has been identified in the Ancient Near East.”

“We can assume that the fragrance of the frankincense gave a special ambiance to the cult in the shrine, while the cannabis burning brought at least some of the priests and worshippers to a religious state of consciousness, or ecstasy,” wrote Eran Arie, co-author of the study. “We can assume that the religious altered state of consciousness in this shrine was an important part of the ceremonies that took place here.”

Plants have been used in religion for fragrance or psychoactive purposes in ancient Near Eastern and Aegean cultures since prehistory, the authors noted.

The Color Of Snow

The Colors of Snow

Climate change is melting parts of Antarctica but now it’s also turning snow green, CBS News reported.

Green snow – which is actually green algae blooming across snowy surfaces – is not a completely unusual phenomenon, but a new study found it’s beginning to spread across the icy continent.

A research team used satellite data and fieldwork observations to create the first large-scale map of green algae in Antarctica.

The team spotted more than 1,600 separate algal blooms, and predicted that it will spread to other parts of the continent as the snow melts due to rising global temperatures.

They explained that the growth of algae was heavily influenced by marine birds and animal droppings, which act as good fertilizers for the microscopic organisms.

“This is a significant advance in our understanding of land-based life on Antarctica, and how it might change in the coming years as the climate warms,” said co-author Matt Davey.

The authors haven’t determined how exactly the blooming algae will affect the planet.

Algae play an important role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. The algae blooms found by the team absorb about 500 tons of carbon each year.

However, they also darken the snow and absorb more heat from the sun – which impacts already rising sea levels.

Regardless, the amount of algae found is actually a conservative estimate, because the satellite was only capable of picking up green algae, missing its red and orange counterparts, the broadcaster wrote.

“The snow is multi-colored in places, with a palette of reds, oranges and greens,” said Davey. “It’s quite an amazing sight.”

F 101 Voodoo Early development

Sweden: The Unfinished Experiment

WEDEN An Unfinished Experiment Phelan Chatterjee has been keeping a diary about his experience living under Sweden’s unique coronavirus response. “Official advice tells anyone not ‘vulnerable’ to stay home only if symptomatic, and to socially distance when out,” wrote Chatterjee, a video producer for the Associated Press who is normally based in London. “We’re not actively seeking herd immunity, they say. But equally, we don’t want to suppress the virus by locking down, testing and tracing.” Scholars writing in Foreign Affairs magazine praised the Scandinavian country’s strategy, which asked seniors and Swedes with preexisting conditions to remain in lockdown to avoid infection while allowing everyone else to follow the relatively laissez-faire precautions that Chatterjee described. “To visit Sweden now is to enter a strange land where people can just hang out together,” a CNN correspondent said in a video. But the Independent reported that Sweden now has the highest death rate in the world from Covid-19, almost 10 percent, and four times as much as its Nordic neighbors. Defenders of the Swedish policy said the country’s relatively homogenous demographics, high levels of social trust, excellent healthcare system, strong sense of personal responsibility and similar characteristics would help the country weather the crisis. Those arguments were bunk, countered Wired magazine. That’s why Denmark and Norway, whose Nordic cultures resemble Sweden’s, and have deep ties to their neighbors, have opted to restrict Swedes from visiting their countries when they open their borders to outsiders on June 15, the BBC wrote. They’ll likely remain unwelcome through August. In making that rule, the Danes and Norwegians were following European Union guidance: It suggested countries with similar rates of coronavirus infections should open their borders first before a continent-wide reopening lets citizens travel without restrictions between numerous countries, Politico wrote. Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde viewed the prohibitions as politically motivated rather than based on sound health advice, according to Reuters. Alternatively, Norwegian officials, who have done an excellent job of curbing the spread of the virus, have publicly wondered whether they went too far in shutting down and should have been more like Sweden, wrote the Telegraph. The Norwegian economy has lost billions while few citizens have immunity to the virus. Sooner or later, Norway will need to open up. Nobody knows what’s going to happen. Meanwhile, many Swedes weren’t on board with their country’s relaxed policy, either. Under pressure from opposition parties, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven recently announced an inquiry into his response to the coronavirus. On the inquiry’s agenda will be questions about why half of the country’s deaths have occurred in nursing homes, Reuters reported. Sweden’s experiment is scary. And it’s not over yet.

A Beautiful Lady

https://thephuonganh.tumblr.com/post/620438816474398720/makinginfinity-margot-vdmc

Meet the McDonnell F2H Banshee US Navy Jet Fighter - 1948

In Praise Of Honey Bees

The Influence

Bumblebees are known to be excellent pollinators and a new study has found they can also be very persuasive: They can trick plants into flowering early when deprived of pollen, the BBC reported.

The hairy bees will begin nibbling distinctively-shaped holes on the leaves of flowerless plants, which trigger the plants to blossom sometimes up to 30 days earlier than normal.

Researchers were perplexed by this behavior and failed to achieve the same results when they replicated the damage done to the plants.

The findings showed that the bees also didn’t eat or use the bit-off material, nor did they damage plants that provided pollen.

“It’s possible that the bees also have some cue that they are providing to the plants that is specific to the bee,” suggested co-author Consuelo De Moraes. “And that could be secretions that we don’t know about but it’s something that we plan to investigate.”

Meanwhile, researchers are also considering the idea that plants are driving the behavior.

It is vital for plants that depend on pollination to have their flowers on display when the pollinators are buzzing around, wrote the broadcaster. It could be that some plants have developed a strategy to bloom when they recognize that the bee is nibbling on its leaves.

Scientists say that regardless, it’s important to understand the relationship between the plants and the bumblebees to help the creatures survive in the face of climate change.

“I think it’s fascinating how much we still don’t know about organisms that we think we know really well,” said De Moraes. “It absolutely increases our sense of wonder at the cleverness of nature in all its many forms.”

Bush And Gory 30 Years Ago-We Have Regressed

https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/russia-programs/2020-06-02/washington-camp-david-summit-30-years-ago?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=dc5759f2-89be-446b-954e-520b00fd68e9

The Military And The Police-A Brilliant Pearl Of Wisdom From Captain Adama

Holland-Our Cities-Ourselves

THE NETHERLANDS

Our Cities, Ourselves

The canal-lined city of Amsterdam typifies “gezellig,” a Dutch word that’s hard to translate but generally means “cozy,” “convivial,” or “relaxed.”

These days, however, the city, despite the pandemic, is more gezellig than usual, residents say. That’s because tourists aren’t the ones enjoying it.

That’s especially true in Wallen, the so-called red-light district, where prostitution and marijuana are sold freely and where litter and urine on the streets are the usual order of the day. Instead, locals, who usually have to navigate around intoxicated tourists, are savoring their neighborhood.

“It’s just lovely,” Charlotte Schenk, who lives in Wallen, which dates back to medieval times and is a UNESCO world heritage site, told the Washington Post. “I’ve lived here five years and I’m now getting to know neighbors I didn’t know I had. Now, when the sun is out, people take a chair and sit out front. It’s so gezellig.”

“It’s like the city is ours again,” she added, echoing a common refrain among locals who feel they come second to tourists when it comes to city planning.

Those sentiments are echoed around tourist hotspots across Europe.

Last weekend in Paris’ Montmartre district, Parisians filled the park on the hill that houses the famed Basilique du Sacré-Coeur, listening to music played by street performers, sipping wine, and enjoying the now peaceful neighborhood – usually overrun by tourists.

The locals were out in force, chatting to shop owners, neighbors, walking their pups.

“Amélie was the worst thing that ever happened to us,” said Catherine, who has lived in the neighborhood for 45 years, referring to the hit 2001 film set in the district that dramatically increased visitors.

Now, the question is, when and how will this respite for Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin and Venice residents end? Amsterdam, the Venice of the North, is a test case for reopening European tourism after the coronavirus pandemic. Many are hoping cities take the opportunity to rethink how they manage the sector.

In Amsterdam, that effort is underway. Geerte Udo, chief executive of the city’s marketing department told DutchNews.nl that the city will aim to build a new industry that is socially, economically and ecologically “sustainable,” forgoing the budget tourism that destroys neighborhoods and promotes low-income employment.

“Amsterdam has always been an open and international city, and we would love to welcome visitors as soon as possible,” she said. “But the right visitors.”

That’s the future. At present, officials aren’t welcoming newcomers. Non-essential travel is banned until June 15. “The Dutch government is discouraging travel of any kind and calling on everyone to stay at home as much as possible,” said a press release, repeating that phrase four times.

Dutch officials were serious about abiding by lockdown restrictions. Rather than flout the rules, Prime Minister Mark Rutte, for example, didn’t visit his mother as she lay dying in a nursing home, Agence France-Presse wrote.

Europe, which accounts for 50 percent of the global tourism market, is opening up, however, reported CNN. The European Union and national leaders are working on plans to reopen borders and institute guidance for hoteliers, restaurateurs, tour operators and others. Doing so is crucial to reinvigorating the continent’s flagging economy.

But Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema is worried. Amsterdam has lost 90 percent of its hotel bookings, according to the Guardian. Halsema recently warned that hoteliers must be “extremely cautious,” however, because the city lacks sufficient space to keep up social distancing among its 800,000 residents and the 9 million overnight visitors who typically stay in the city at the height of the tourist season. She warned of a second COVID-19 outbreak triggering a second lockdown that might be more devastating than the current one.

Folks in the tourism business are understandably anxious. The situation won’t last forever. That doesn’t make it any less bearable, though, for the industry and those who work in it.

Even so, some are happy for the brief respite.

“The cause of this crisis is very sad, but for us it’s a blessing in disguise,” Aart Jaeger, 74, who lives on the canals near the Anne Frank House, another major landmark, told the Washington Post. “Tourism here has become too much. We are sick of it.”

A Very Bad Fall Coming In 2020

       Elena came in from work a bit early last night. She told me that a curfew was in effect. We could not leave the house between 8:30 in the evening and six the following morning. I looked at my cell phone and the alert was there. This is because of social unrest.

        Today a number of US states were holding primary elections. A dilemma was pointed out. What if you are standing in line to vote at 8:30 in the evening. A law enforcement officer comes up to you and tells you that you are violating curfew rules. You are ordered to go home immediately or face a big fine or a trip to county jail. What happens to your right to vote? This could happen this fall in many states when the presidential election is held.

       We all have watched sporting events at some time in our lives. In a futbol or baseball game, there are pregame activities. The players come on the field with a lot of fanfare. They kick around or throw around the ball. A lot of this is done to entertain the crowds in the stadium and watching on television. Sometime later the actual game begins in earnest.

         I am beginning to see what is going on now is like the pregame show. The actual game will begin in the northern hemisphere fall when the second wave of coronavirus hits. You have this massive unemployment here of over 41 million. Most of these people are getting generous unemployment benefits now. They are protected from eviction and foreclosure in most jurisdictions. Economists say that 12% of those people will not have a job to return to. This is roughly 4,900,000 people. What happens when their eviction/foreclosure protection runs out and the unemployment checks stop? This is an ideal formula for social unrest on a grander scale than we are seeing now. In California, you will have another problem this fall; fire season returns.

    I will leave you to ponder on my words. Give your imagination a free reign.

A Stunning Picture From Tumblr

https://automaticsuitcasebonkturkey.tumblr.com/post/619816659241353216/wildpepboy

A Pearl Of Wisdom From 50 Years Ago

My best friend during my undergrad days at Tulane was a graduate student in social work named Ken Jaye. He once gave me a pearl of wisdom as follows:

"Society is a thin veneer of civilization above a sea of barbarism."
         The rioting and looting that we are seeing now has proved Ken right once more. Beware, more social unrest is coming!

Television Journalist Veronica de la Cruz Is Recovering From Coronavirus

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/19/kpix-tv-mystery-where-is-veronica-de-la-cruz/

Comments On Rioting And Social Unrest

Dear:

      June begins and here is your morning newspaper. I am sadly watching the riots tearing apart American cites. There are some lessons here. First, when social unrest happens, you need to be away from big cities. This is not going to be the last social unrest that we see this year. Second, I made a cryptic comment on Face book that I will repeat here. Thousands of more coronavirus cases will come as a result of these riots. Broke cities will be pushed into bankruptcy. Cities are already fiscally challenged due to a loss of a big part of their tax revenue due to stay at home orders. Add to this the cost of all the police overtime, loss of equipment that must be replaced, public buildings that must be repaired, new criminal cases as a result of the unrest, and the millions of dollars that will be paid out to the victims of police brutality. Public services will drop. Pensions will be at risk. Lawyers will make a fortune.

   Be careful out there!