For those of us who lived on this Earth for more than 40 years, we have a unique perspective of America. We have seen the storm or the rain the blessings of this nation too. There are many challenges in America as we all realize. There is massive economic inequality with some large corporations having governmental-like authorities that pollute our environment, discriminate (against black people, brown people, women, disabled people, and other human beings), and go out to receive record tax breaks from an authoritarian regime headed by Trump. Trump has been allowed by the Supreme Court to have near immunity. We still have institutional racism impacting the black community and other communities of color in dealing with health, education, economics, and other issues. We have serious problems with sexism (which is promoted heavily by the manosphere and other red pill extremists), xenophobia, and other prejudices that exist in American society. Still, America has not reached into true equality for all people. Equality doesn't mean that everyone is genetically identical. Even twins are not genetically identical. Equality precisely means that all people have equal worth, equal dignity, equal value, and have the God-given unalienable rights (of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) that should be never taken away. Equality means that all human beings should be treated with the same respect and dignity plus given excellent opportunities to achieve their own happiness or a successful life. I still have hope for America. As an older Millennial who has lived on this Earth for almost a half of a century, I hope. The reason is because of the working class and other people building this nation up, of the black activists defending black human rights, of the people opposing ICE's excessive behavior against immigrants, the people defending our voting rights (against the SAVE Act and other voter suppression policies), etc. I have great hope for the unsung heroes saving lives, growing charities, developing food drives, and protesting constantly for our sacrosanct democratic rights.
Science is not just the study of things that we can observe quantitively. When we were children and teenager, we learned about the scientific method that deals with the following concepts chronologically: Observation, Question, Research, Hypothesis, Experiment, Analysis, Conclusion, and Communication/Iteration. Also, science deals with the wonder and beauty of Nature too. Part of that exquisite wonder relates to the complexities of the compositions of the Earth's atmosphere. The parts of the atmosphere may differ in temperature, organisms, other forms of energy, etc. Yet, these parts of the atmosphere are related to the sun's rays going to the Earth. Each part of the vast atmosphere is key to developing and preserving our fragile ecosystem. From birds flying in the lowest atmosphere to satellites and the International Space Station at the highest atmosphere, all of us are interconnected with the functions of the vast Universe. The atmosphere has air filled with mixed gas, gravity retaining the atmosphere, and many particles (like aerosols, particulates, etc. that form clouds and hazes). Ultraviolet solar radiation, temperature variation, greenhouse gases, the ozone layer, and meteoroids exist in the atmosphere.
The decade of the 2020s has exploded with creativity, social movements, hope, tragedies, and the end of the Presidency of an authoritarian fascist. This time saw the general public (not just dedicated scientists and researchers) reckon with the reality of artificial intelligence. A.I. has changed everything from movies, how people shop for items, and how music is presented (with a massive backlash from many artists and debates about control and originality). There is the new A.I. musician Xania Monet who has created songs, and the person who generated this A.I. creation is Telisha "Nikki" Jones. This time saw the growth of wars and other military conflicts in Venezuela, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other places of the world. The early third of this decade was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It first erupted in China by November 2019, but it was on a massive international scale by early 2020. By the middle of March 2020, tons of places in America were shut down completely. I remember that time just like yesterday. A recession existed because of the pandemic, over one million Americans died from the illness, and millions of Americans had to unemployment insurance to survive literally. Worldwide, millions of people also died from COVID-19. There were vaccinations that people received. Debates about closing stories continued, but we lived in an emergency setting back then. Also, there was the largest anti-racism, anti-police brutality protests globally in 2020. People wanted to seek justice for the unjust killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and all black victims of unjust police terrorism. The 2020s saw albums, victories from athletes (in the 2024 Paris Olympics and other events), and a resistance movement against Trumpism.
The troposphere is the lowest, densest layer of the Earth's atmosphere. It extends form the surface of the Earth to almost 5-10 miles. It contains about 80 percent of the atmosphere's mass and almost all water vapor. This region acts as the primary layer for weather, clouds, and air circulation. Temperature and pressure both decrease rapidly is the area where temperature stops stop decreasing with height, acting as a "lid" that separates it from the stratosphere. The troposphere is the location where almost all weather (including clouds, rain, snow, and storms) exists. It has vertical mixing and convection. The temperature declines as the height increases to as low as -60 degrees Fahrenheit (-51 degrees Celsius) at the tropopause. The air decreases nearly exponentially with height form roughly 1000 hPa at the surface to 120 hPa at the tropopause. This layer has humans and animals live and breathe with mostly nitrogen (78 percent) and oxygen (21 percent). There is surface heating. So, warmer air is less dense and raises, while cooler air sinks creating constant mixing and vertical convection currents. So, the troposphere is a natural filler. It holds ono water and traps dust and particles (making it essential for life on Earth).
The stratosphere is just above the troposphere. It is about 31 miles above the Earth's surface. This layer has the ozone layer, which absorbs ultraviolet (UV) radiation form the Sun. It is very dry, stable, and warmer in its upper regions than its lower regions. That is why commercial jet aircraft often fly in the lower stratosphere to avoid turbulence. It has many stratified temperature zones, with the warmer layers of air located layers lower (closer to the plenary surface of the Earth). The reason why there is an increase of temperature with altitude is a result of the absorption of the Sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation by the ozone layer. The ozone is exothermically photolyzed into oxygen in a cyclical fashion. The tropopause border is the border that demarcates the beginning of the temperature inversion.
The mesophere is the third layer of the Earth's atmosphere. It extends 31-35 miles above the surface. It has extremely cold temperatures. It can be as cold as -91 degrees C. to -125 degrees C. It is the region above the strategosphere nad below the thermosphere. The region protects the planet by burning up most meteors. It has the lowest temperatures in the atmosphere and forms nocticulucent clouds, which are rare high altitude clouds. It plays a roel in the global circulation of the atmosphere.
On Day 15 on February 21, 2026, the women's mass start winners of the biathlon were Oceane Michelon of France winning gold, silver was earned by Julia Simon of France, and bronze went to Tereza Vobornikova of Romania. The two-woman bobsliegh race was won by gold by Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi of Germany, Lisa Buckwitz and Neele Schuten of Germany with silver, and Kaillie Humphries and Jasmine Jones of America winning bronze. The men's cross country skiing classical was won by Johnnes Hosflot Klaebo of Norway winning gold, Martin Lowstrom Nyenget winning silver from Norway, and Emil Iversen winning bronze from Norway. The men's curling team had Canada winning gold, Great Britain winning silver, and Switzerland winning bronze. In men's ski cross, Italy won gold by SImone Deromedis of Italy, Federico Tomasoni winning silver from Italy, and Alex Fiva winning bronze from Switzerland. For he mixed team aerials of freestyle skiing, the American team won gold, the Switzerland team won silver, and the Chinese team won bronze. For the mixed realy of the ski mountaineering, France won gold (with Emily Harrop and Thibault Anselmet), Switzerland won silver (with Marianne Fatton and Jon Kistler), and Spain won bronze with Ana Alonso and Oriol Cardona. With speed skating of men's mass start, Jorrit Bergsma won gold from the Netherlands, Denmark's Viktor Hald Thorup won silver, and Andrea Giovannini of Italy won silver. In the women's mass start of speed skating, Marijke Groenewoud of the Netherlands won gold, Ivanie Blondin won silver from Canada, and Mia Kilburg of America won bronze.
On Day 16, February 22, 2026, the four man Bobsleigh race was won by Germany for gold, Germany for silver, and Switzerland for bronze. For the women's classical of cross country skiing, Ebba Andersson won gold from Sweden, Heidi Weng won silver from Norway, and Nadja Kalin won bronze from Switzerland. For the curling women's team race, Sweden won gold, Switzerland won silver, and Canada won bronze. For the women's halfpipe of freestyle skiing, Eileen Gu won gold from China, Li Fanghui of China won silver, and Zoe Atkin won bronze from Great Britain. For men's ice hockey, the American team won gold, Canada's team won silver, and Finland's team won bronze. As for the Paralympic Games, America won many medals like Oksana Masters of America winning gold in the women's spring sitting race, Kendall Gretsch winning silver, and Anja Wicker winning bronze from Germany. Jake Adicoff of America won the men's sprint classical for the visually impaired, Yu Shuang won silver for China, and Zebastian won bronze from Sweden.
One of my great relatives was my paternal 2nd cousin Vivian Garfield Beech Ayres (1931-2024). She was born in August 5, 1931 at Northampton County, Virginia. She passed away peacefully at home on January 12, 2024. Her parents were Walker Dumas Beech Jr. (1885-1966) and Cora Lee Tillery (1895-1955). Vivian B. Ayres lived to be 92 years old. Many relatives called her Momma including people who knew her. She had a joyful spirit as a human being. She was the 11th child born to Cora and Dumas Walker Beech in Cape Charles, Virginia. She attended Northampton High School in Machipongo, Virginia. By 1950, she married Elton D. Ayres Sr., and they had six children. Vivian and her husband left Virginia in 1963 to move to Trenton, New Jersey to seek better employment. She worked at the Switlik Parachute Company and then had a position as a Teacher's Aide at Cook Elementary School. Her final job was at Helene Fuld Hospital in Trenton, where she retired in October 1989. She loved to talk, take vacation, and cared for her grandchildren. Bobby, one of her older grandsons lived with her in her final years. She loved shows like General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, Judge Judy, etc. She loved to play games on her IPad too. She read many Harlequin romance novels. He was a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles in her life. The siblings of Vivian Beech Ayres are: Dumas Beech Jr. (1914-1921), Rose D. Beech (1916-1939), Melvin Thomas Beech (1917-1968), Earle Dale Beech (1919-1991), Lois Carolyn Beech (1923-2020), Georgia Beech (1925-1925), Darrel Morgan Beech Sr. (1926-1991), Carrie Webster Beech (b. 1930), Philbert Dutel Beech (b. 1930), and Barbara Ann Beech (1934-1998). The children of Vivian and Elton Ayres are Charlene Denise Ayres-Britt (b. 1951), Darisel Darcel Ayres (1952-1953), Elton Douglas Ayres Jr. (b. 1953), Bessie Teresa Ayres (b. 1954), Deasia G. Ayres, Ernestine Ayres Dean (1955-2004), and Carolyn Louise Ayres (b. 1957). Vivian Ayres has 15 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren, and two great great grandchildren. Her funeral took place in Burlington, New Jersey. Vivan's mother is my 1st cousin Cora Lee Tillery, and Cora's parents are Walter Tillery (1868-1927) and Sallie Gary (b. 1869). My 2nd great granduncle Walter Tillery's parents are my 3rd great grandparents of Isham Tillery (b. 1835) and Martha Jane Randolf (b. 1847). Isham Tillery's parents are Isaac Tillery (b. 1818) and Betsy Hogany (b. 1820).
My maternal Peeples family has a long history. This is the story of my cousin Vernell Peeples Jr., and his wife, the late Olivia Peeples. Olivia Peeples lived for 78 years and passed away at Virginia Beach, Virginia on Friday, December 23, 2022. She was born in Harlem, New York City on November 3, 1944 to her late mother Cherryle Johnson. She graduated from high school and studied at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she earned an associate degree. She was a social worker for the New York State Department of Labor for decades in helping New Yorkers find gainful employment. When she was in her early twenties, she met Vernell Peeples, at a Harlem eatery called Chock Full O Nuts. Olivia Vernell were married and had 2 children who are Shelton Peeples and Darnell Peeples. The family loved education, and Olivia ran for a seat on the local school board. The family lived in New York City for years. Later, she and Vernell moved into Virginia. They lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and my cousin Vernell Peeples Jr. passed away in 2021. Her son Shelton Peeples has the spouse of Teri living in Bayonne, New Jersey. Her other son Darnell Peeples has a spouse named Monique living in Hiram, Georgia. Her granddaughters are Taylor, Kaitlyn, Kamryn, Ava, and Rhyan. Her great-granddaughters are Riley and Royal. Olivia's husband Vernell Franklin Peeples Jr. (1942-2021) was my 2nd cousin. His parents were Vernell Franklin Peeples Sr. (1912-1987) and Bettie Wilkerson (1918-2003). Vernell Franklin Peeples Sr.'s parents were My great-granduncle Ralph Charles William Peeples (1884-1967) and Mattie Annie Barrett (1890-1985) The parents of Ralph Charles William Peeples were my 2nd great grandparents Charles Peeples (1855-1922) and Fannie Fronianna Susanna Virgina Brown (1857-1946). Charles Peeples's mother was my 3rd great grandmother Annie Peeples.
By Timothy
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