READING THE TEA LEAVES 9B

LIFE IS A GAME OF CONNECT THE DOTS, IF YOU DON'T CONNECT ALL THE DOTS OR DON'T CONNECT THEM IN THE RIGHT ORDER YOU NEVER GET THE PICTURE READING THE TEA LEAVES 9B Well ofcourse, it is that time of the morning again. That means it is past any reasonable bed time. I have never been the one to go to bed early. Not in my teens, not in my twenties. Up until year and half ago, when I retired, it meant a four or five hours of sleep a night, in my 20s to my mid fifties that meant 2-4 hours. Not so bad now, I get 6-7, I am good. So we will take Greenland, and Panama, we will take Canada and Mexico. Maybe UK, they owe that to us for ruling us unfairly a couple of centuries ago. Things don't always work out the way we like, this will be a some kind of consolation prize that way. It was probably six weeks before the election when I made some predictions. Trump will win the election, I had said. The markets show a Trump win. Media disagreed, pundits disagreed, but I don't have a reputation so I didn't care, wrong, so what. I also said that the inflation will be up, that the interest rates will not come down, the deficits will not come down, the federal debt will keep growing. Food prices will probably double over the next three years. ( You may want to copy this and shove it in my face when this does not happen). Not that we were deliberately lied to. Atleast now we have Musk in charge. He is good for a couple of great policy ideas, but he is focused elsewhere, like on things he doesn't know about. The British monarch can not dissolve the parliament. And like it or not, American and German public do not support actual (known) Nazis, not openly anyway. So he has got us in a pickle. Maybe he has brilliant ideas about fighting California fires, you think? Or the rich people should be required to have private fire fighters, like their private security guards and private police units, just thinking. Anyway, what do you think will happen with inflation and the food prices? Or you are focused on invading Greenland and Panama. What are you thinking about? Let's talk. I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 10 JANUARY 2025

READING THE TEA LEAVES 9A

LIFE IS A GAME OF CONNECT THE DOTS, IF YOU DON'T CONNECT ALL THE DOTS OR DON'T CONNECT THEM IN THE RIGHT ORDER YOU NEVER GET THE PICTURE READING THE TEA LEAVES 9A I've been slow(er). Actually started to write on the 2d and got distracted. Not by events in my personal life, but the world around me, the neighborhood, town, state, world. Why not? I am retired, my kids are out of the house, I have few things of any import. Do you also watch the world events? Obsessively? Like I do. I watch the world. It is hard to admit that life is meaningless and without value. Yes it means a lot to you as a person, to your loved ones, maybe even your friends and colleagues, but in the "greater" scheme of things you, I or anyone else, NO! If it really did then those in power would care. They don't. Look around you, how many "important" people die, yet the world goes on, and it will just go on, till it doesn't. Sad to think that way, but that's the it is, it always has been, it always will. The Kings, presidents, philosophers, the scientists, business leaders, all die, have died, will die. What's the point of all this. Bear with me. We live in a democracy, we have freedom, we have rights, really? How? We are watching a puppet show, and we don't know who the puppeteers are, we don't even care. The puppeteers don't want us to know, they don't want us to revolt. And we are comfortable. Because we like it this way. We are told that we like/want it this way. I have used the example of " The Matrix", and I have used the example of "Inception", but we are living the reality of " Truman show". For the past 50 years, we have been programmed as predicted in "1984" but we still believe our "betters". Left, right or center we are constantly being programmed, and we willingly take our "Soma". We have confusing aims. How is it that no matter what side we are on, what direction we take, we end up at the same dead-end? Ask yourself, I need answers. I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 06 JANUARY 2025

IT'S ONLY WORDS 2A

LIFE IS A GAME OF CONNECT THE DOTS, IF YOU DON'T CONNECT ALL THE DOTS OR DON'T CONNECT THEM IN THE RIGHT ORDER YOU NEVER GET THE PICTURE IT'S ONLY WORDS 2A HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE AND IF YOU HAVE JOINED RECENTLY, WELCOME AND THANK YOU, PLEASE SHARE THE PAGE, POSTS, WHATEVER! I used to write almost daily, been lazier than usual recently. Over the last 18 years of blogging, I have written some 3000 posts, (articles, dissertations, or diatribes). I have written on politics, the economy, psychology, culture, education, healthcare, death, and more. I even wrote about immigration, euthanasia, law enforcement, and yes prostitution. So I am probably not shy. Many, if not most of us, are not "confrontational" in the ordinary course of our daily lives, but the internet makes us feel freeer. It also makes us able to lie, to insult to even dehumanize others without the fear of consequences. Maybe I fit that category myself. But I do keep it honest. If you and / or someone else are in a discussion, best to keep it civil and to provide evidence to back up the claim. Also, like grown-ups, we should accept the factual evidence if provided. If I make a statement, I always make sure that I have the background knowledge and information. Even when I share a post, I try my best to make sure it is truthful, some are pure parody or satire, hoping we are all adults and discerning. Meanwhile, I'll keep posting, and hope you will stay a while. Keep me on my toes. Stay blessed M. N. R. 04 JANUARY 2025

IT IS JUST A STATISTIC!

LIFE IS A GAME OF CONNECT THE DOTS, IF YOU DON'T CONNECT ALL THE DOTS OR DON'T CONNECT THEM IN THE RIGHT ORDER YOU NEVER GET THE PICTURE IT IS JUST A STATISTIC! End of the year statistics released by Mapping Police Violence, a non-profit research group that has been tracking police killings in the US since 2013, found that police in the United States killed over 1,250 people in 2024. This grim figure marks the deadliest year ever recorded by the organization, which tracks police killings by government records and news reports. Police killings have risen at a steady pace over the last decade in the United States, from just over 1,000 in 2014, to over 1,200 in each of the last two years. Overall the research group found that there were only 13 days in 2024 in which police did not kill someone. On average, Mapping Police Violence found that someone in the US succumbs to police violence roughly every 7 hours. While the vast majority of those deaths were the results of police shootings, cops also deployed tasers, batons and their vehicles with deadly force. Notably only 31 percent of police killings, 387 people, began with an alleged violent crime taking place. On the other hand, 18 percent of those killed by police—over 200 people—were killed after being pulled over for an alleged traffic violation or after police were called to conduct a welfare check. Another 8 percent were killed in situations in which the victim was not alleged to have committed any crime, while 17 percent were killed in situations in which police alleged the victims were perpetrating “other non-violent offenses.