Stars are some of the most massive bodies in the universe. The mass of the Sun, our closest star, is about 1/3 of a million the mass of the Earth. Think about that. That is huge. Stars, however, are nothing when compared to the mass of a black hole. It's important to separate size and mass. Size refers to the physical dimensions of something. Mass refers to the gravitational force a body effects on another. While the mass of the Sun is 333,000 the mass of the Earth,...

A few months back, when the impeachment rhetoric was loudest ('till that point), one of my colleagues wrote about how the whole process worked. In the article, Impeachment is heating up, but it is not the silver bullet folks think, Doug discussed the long and arduous process that impeachment is, and how being impeached is really just the first step. Trump and his advisers know this. They know the process is long, and riddled with opportunities for Trump and his surrogates to exploit it to their advantage. The...

#snowden #privacy #newera Edward Snowden is back in the news. Snowden is promoting a new book, Permanent Record. In the book, a memoir, he goes on to provide a more in-depth record of what happened. This is not a book review, rather a look at how things have changed, if at all, since his revelations, back in 2013. I have been working in technology for a long time, circa 2001. I got my first computer back in the early 90s, during the Prodigy and AOL days. I still...

#amazon #shopping #freemoney Until the end of this year, Amazon is offering up to $10 off your next purchase through their Gift Card Reload Program. The gift-card reload program is basically a credit to your Amazon account which you can later (or soon thereafter) use to purchase products through Amazon, of course. It works like a gift-card you would normally give to a friend, but you give to yourself. You can then use the balance of this gift-card to purchase items as you normally would. The current offer...

@joerogan #jre The JRE podcast has, in recent years, become a touchstone for anyone trying to reach the "unreachables". Those adults that do not get their news through the so-called, main-stream media. Until the JRE and other shows like it, caught on, these unreachables remained just that. This is why it's no surprise our 2020 Presidential candidates and politicians often visit the show. I began listening to Joe Rogan a few years back. Back then he'd do shows with other comics and fighters, and sometimes, he'd have some...

Even in a house of worship, while praying, there are thieves and criminals stalking you. Take a look at this video for proof that "you can walk a horse to water, but you can't make him drink".

#welfare #subsidy This week, the Trump administration got into hot waters about a plan they have to deny citizenship to people that have relied on public welfare. Like all things, on the surface this seems like a good thing. After all, we are America, the land of the free and self-starters. Welfare, like socialism, is a dirty-word in the American lexicon. People on welfare are undesirable. Welfare is for those who didn't try hard enough. Certainly, welfare is not for immigrants. Again, on the surface, you'd be hard-pressed...

The blue bin is for recycling. We all know that. Plastics are bad, paper is good. Recycling saves the environment. Right? But have you ever wondered where it came from? In other words, why do we recycle vs. the landfill? The answer to this question may surprise you as it is less scientific that you would imagine. While recycling is a good thing and something we should do, it began as the dream of an industrial Southerner from Alabama. The story goes that in the 80s, Lowell Harrelson...

#bordercrisis #asylum #concentrationcamp Most of us think of a concentration camp as a place where Jews, Poles, Gypsies, Serbs, and general undesirables, were sent during World War II. We picture (or try not to) the horrendous conditions in which these humans were placed during these trying times. We also tend to think of them as a holding point for what the Nazis referred as the "final solution". However, few of us realize those were not the first camps of human concentration mankind created. That award would go to...

#fico #creditreport #debt Recently I was looking at my FICO score. We've all been taught since childhood that a good citizen pays their debts on time and is responsible with their credit. This is the reason the following negatives in my recent FICO score came as a surprise to me: Few accounts paid on time You have few accounts that are in good standing.Number of your accounts currently being paid as agreed1 accountThe FICO® Score considers the number of accounts showing on time payments. In your case this...