China’s newest nuclear-powered submarine sank pierside in the spring and the Chinese Navy tried to conceal the loss, according to two US defense officials.

The attack submarine was the first of its new Zhou-class line of vessels, the official said, under construction at a shipyard near the city of Wuhan.

The Zhou-class submarines have a distinctive X-shaped stern, designed to improve maneuverability underwater.

A satellite image from March 10, taken by Maxar Technologies, shows the Zhou-class sub, with its signature x-shape tail, docked at the port.

Additional Maxar imagery reviewed by CNN from later in June shows that the sub did not return to the pier. (CNN)

How outrageous is that?

Well, maybe it’s justified.

If a person owns a Gulf of Mexico waterfront home and refuses to evacuate with a huge hurricane bearing down, authorities are making a reasonable request.

After the storm has past, those wonderful “first responders” will either rescue the owner or claim the remains.

Is that fair to those who risk their lives to save another?

I understand the desire to save the house.

But, not if the storm is so strong that you need to write on your leg!

Non-alcohol drinks, as shown above, are being consumed by younger kids.

Statistics show that those younger people who drink the non-alcoholic versions are more likely to move into the alcoholic versions when they become of age.

It’s a good thing for the brewers’ profits because they can reach a whole new audience at ages below the adult years.

Alcohol seems to make people of all ages feel that they “fit in” and are more socially acceptable.

It is a habit that unfortunately usually catches up with drinkers in their later years with kidney and liver problems that can be fatal.

However, those of age who can’t drink alcohol for health reasons find the non-alcoholic versions socially acceptable.

Maybe it would be a good idea to make the non-alcoholic versions permanent and save ourselves from ourselves.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation on Monday giving California school districts two years to ban cellphones during school hours.

The new law is intended to address rising concerns over social media.

It is also targeting children’s mental health.

The Phone-Free Schools Act will take affect July 1, 2026.

More than a dozen states have already passed similar restrictions. (NYT)

I saw a family having dinner in a local restaurant recently.

One of the family members, a young 10 year old girl, was going through her cell looking for news.

I don’t know why the parents allowed her to avoid family conversation.

Cells are an addiction for adults & children alike.

I applaud the banning of cell phones during school hours!

Cranes at our ports and software in our cars are essential to run our economy.

Because of the current adversarial relationship between the two countries, the cranes and software are being replaced with American Made.

Are there other essential products that come from China?

Is China dependent on U.S. products as much?

I was born 3 months and 3 days before Pearl Harbor.

Now we drive Japanese-built cars.

Now Vietnam is building an auto plant in California.

The futility of war speaks volumes!

Can’t we all get along?

If not today, when?

Yep, I was a crewman on the 70′ racing yacht “Wind Dancer.”

It was the annual Muskegon MI to Milwaukee WI night yacht race.

I was 64 and the oldest guy on our boat.

Our biggest competitor was a 100′ racing yacht.

That night, there was a very strong wind from the north pushing us at top speed.

As I sat on the rail, I thought of my family all asleep while I was having the time of my life with a bunch of strangers.

We finished the 66 mile trip just at sunrise.

Even though the 100′ boat beat us to the entrance of Milwaukee harbor…

We beat them by less than a minute on corrected time.

Memories!

Twice a year, the sun doesn’t play favorites.

Everyone on Earth is seemingly on equal status – at least when it comes to the amount of light and dark that they get.

On Sunday, we enter our second and final equinox of 2024.

If you reside in the Northern Hemisphere, you know it as the fall equinox (or autumnal equinox).

For people south of the equator, this equinox actually heralds the coming of spring.

Technically, your location on the globe also determines the local time and even the date you experience the fall equinox.

The vast bulk of the world’s population will mark it this year on Sunday, September 22.

if your kids don’t stand for something, they’ll fall for anything.

This crazy world is becoming more difficult for parents and youngsters.

That’s why parents must provide guidelines to live by.

Don’t assume your kids know the values they should live by.

Tel them your values and why they should live by them too.

If not today, when?

In some corners of society, there appears to be a shift in the way people talk about kids.

There was the guy who proudly posed outside of an establishment that declared itself “dog friendly” and “child free,”

And there was the person who defended him by proclaiming that it was “fine and normal to dislike children.”

The implication (joking or otherwise) is that children are a nuisance and adults shouldn’t have to endure them if they don’t want to. (CNN)

There are two problems here:

Our society isn’t encouraging parents to teach their kids “RIGHT & WRONG.”

Most kids get too much praise and not enough discipline.

This gives us a spoiled bunch of kids unprepared for the “UPS” & “DOWNS” of life.

The other problem is that these kids are our future and should not be disliked as a group.

Our society is becoming less tolerant of everything.

Let’s give the next generation a break.

It is indispensable!

If not today, when?

A morning cup of coffee may do more than just perk you up, according to new research.

Moderate amounts of caffeine intake — defined as about three cups of coffee or tea a day — were associated with a lower risk of developing cardiometabolic multimorbidity, said the study’s lead author.

Cardiometabolic multimorbidity, or CM, is the coexistence of at least two cardiometabolic diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

Moderate caffeine consumers had a reduced risk of new onset cardiometabolic multimorbidity.

The risk was reduced by 48.1% if they had three cups a day, or 40.7% if they had 200 to 300 milligrams of caffeine daily, compared with people who didn’t drink or drank less than one cup. (CNN)