Humane...

 

In testimony before the Senate armed services committee, Kahl said it was still unclear whether the Taliban has the ability to fight Islamic State effectively following the US withdrawal in August. 

The US fought the Taliban as well as striking groups like Islamic State and al-Qaida.

The remarks are the latest reminder that Afghanistan could still pose serious national security concerns for the US even after it ended its two-decade war in defeat in August.

The Taliban, who won the war, are enemies of Islamic State and have seen its attempts to impose law and order after the US pullout thwarted by suicide bombings and other attacks claimed by Islamic State.

They include bombings targeting the minority Shia sect and even an Islamic State killing of a member of a Taliban militia force in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

Occupation vs assistance.  Which is much humane. Just a thought.

Florida...

 

During the past two months, Florida’s daily average of Covid-19 Cases has plummeted by more than 90 percent, to about 1,700 cases. That’s roughly half of California’s current COVID rate and less than a quarter of Vermont’s.  

Conservatives on Twitter and Fox News now claim that Florida’s turnaround vindicates the hands-off policies of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who spent his summer prohibiting local schools, businesses and governments from trying to minimize transmission by requiring masks or vaccination while emphasizing costly post-infection treatments such as monoclonal antibodies instead.

“DeSantis critics and the mainstream media remain quiet as Florida's COVID numbers drop.
One State Governor values being Free, while New York State is locked in for 8 months. 
There is a reason behind that.

One Governor, NewYork State, was forced to resign due to his sexual conduct,  mishandling the Nursing home residents, cover up the large death magnitude and shovel the data to hide the negligence.  

And another Governor in Florida who refused the lock down, the viscous control of people's lives, the discrimination of unvaccinated citizens..... and the outcome is clear.  Is it personality, Dictatorships, Democrat and Republican ideologies,  respect for personal liberty, ...etc
Just a thought.

Siituation...

 

Communicate

 Actively Listen

 Review Options

 End with a Win-Win Solution.

Happy...

 

In a recent study, more than 1,000 students graduating from the University of British Columbia completed an assessment measuring whether they tend to value time over money or money over time. The majority of students reported prioritizing time but not by much. Nearly 40% reported prioritizing money.

To find out how this choice correlated with their cognitive and emotional well-being, the students’ level of happiness was measured both prior to graduation and a year down the line.   Among other measures, they were asked to report on their life satisfaction by answering the question, “Taking all things together, how happy would you say you are?” on a scale from 0-10, with 0 = not at all and 10 = extremely.

The researchers found that the students who prioritized money ended up less happy a year after graduation, compared to their classmates who chose to prioritize time. The results remained the same even after controlling for their happiness before graduation and accounting for their various socioeconomic backgrounds.

Of course that doesn’t mean that you should turn down the next raise you’re offered. A mountain of evidence shows that, on average, wealthier people are happier. But making lots of money will not inevitably boost your happiness. How you spend, save, and think about money shapes how much joy you get from it.

Coupons...

 

Image is not related.

The FBI is revealing new details about a $31.8 million counterfeit coupon scheme that landed a Virginia Beach couple in prison for nearly 20 years, combined.

The agency said that investigators found fake coupons in "every crevice" of the house belonging to Lori Ann Talens and her husband. 

 The falsified savings were worth more than $1 million. They also found designs for coupons for more than 13,000 products on Lori Ann Talens' computer.

"She trained herself in the different techniques she needed to manipulate barcodes to make these coupons work," said Special Agent Shannon Brill in the FBI release. Talens, who is considered the mastermind of the scheme, would create fake coupons with discounts "near or even over" an item's retail value.

Talens was sentenced to 12 years in prison for "perpetrating a counterfeit coupon fraud scheme" that amounted to $32 million in losses for retailers and manufacturers, according to the Department of Justice. Her husband was sentenced to 7 years in prison because he was aware of and profited from the scheme.

Deviate...

 

Image may not be related.

A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique.

In modern usage the term "dictator" is generally used to describe a leader who holds or abuses an extraordinary amount of personal power. 

Dictatorships are often characterized by some of the following: suspension of elections and civil liberties; proclamation of a state of emergency; rule by decree; repression of political opponents; not abiding by the rule of law procedures, and cult of personality. 

Dictatorships are often one-party or dominant-party states.^[4][5]

A wide variety of leaders coming to power in different kinds of regimes, such as one-party states, dominant-party states, and civilian governments under a personal rule, have been described as dictators. 

Can Democracy looses it's direction.?

 Just a thought.

Looking...

 

Polls...

 

Proximity...

 

There is a saying that “you can choose your friends, but not your family.” However, it may be that your choice of friends isn’t totally within your conscious control either.

 In a classic study of friendship formation, researchers asked nearly 300 MIT dormitory residents to list their closest friends.  

The researchers then looked at where the listed friends lived in the dorms.² When someone lived one door away, there was a 41% likelihood they were listed as a close friend. 

As the number of doors increased, that likelihood decreased such that those living four doors away had only a 10% likelihood of being listed as a close friend. This study demonstrates the importance that proximity, or being physically near others, has on relationship formation. Just a thought.

Scrambling...

 

President Biden's public remarks Thursday that the United States would come to Taiwan's defense if it were attacked by China left White House officials scrambling to explain it did not represent a shift in U.S. policy.

The comments come amid historically high tensions with China over trade, human rights, technology, the coronavirus and the island-nation just 80 miles off its coast, which Beijing considers to be a part of its country.

Fears that China might invade Taiwan have been on the rise as Beijing has been flying military aircraft into Taiwan's airspace on a near-daily basis. The heavy military presence has left China watchers recalculating over what Beijing's aims might be with Taiwan.

"He wasn't announcing a change in policy nor have we changed our policy," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. "We are guided by the Taiwan Relations Act."