Poetry Jam at The Estates?

I enjoy writing (but not publishing) poetry. There are at least 5 of us here at The Estates who have expressed an interest in having poetry events or Jams occasionally. We did have a gathering in April (poetry month) with readings in a variety of styles. I think 11 attended. Today I came across the story of Anne Channing Porter who published her first book of poetry at 83. Might become an inspiration or our guardian angel. If I were to average our age it's about 92.

Anne Porter's poetry highlights faith, suffering and the wisdom of age | National Catholic Reporter

Anne Porter | The Poetry Foundation

A Short Testament by Anne Porter - Poems | Academy of American Poets

Adam Weybright, 1974-2026

 I was shocked to learn yesterday of the death of the son of my college roommate, JoElla Masterson Weybright, Adam Weybright, of the Seattle area.  I couldn't find an obituary, but I think he died around April 19, 2026 based on a GoFundMe report. There is a TV report on his sudden death because he was a well known teacher and coach.  This is AI generated.

"Adam Weybright was a 51-year-old science teacher at Nathan Hale High School and Lacrosse coach at Shorecrest High School in the Shoreline and Seattle communities.

He died suddenly in April 2026 following complications from a routine medical procedure.

Weybright, who previously worked as a scientist before becoming a teacher, is remembered for his profound impact on students and athletes. His legacy is honored through a "Live Like Weybright" (LLW) campaign by his lacrosse team, an assembly at his school, and a GoFundMe established to support his widow, Elizabeth Weybright, and their three children."

JoElla and I were childhood friends, having met in first grade in Forreston, Illinois, where her father was the school superintendent.  Our parents also knew each other from college days and we attended the local Forreston Lutheran church and were also members of the Church of the Brethren. Her husband Myron (Mike) and I are distantly related--something like third cousins.  Our grandmothers, both Weybrights by marriage, used to correspond. JoElla and I usually corresponded around birthdays and Christmas, but had talked on the phone in the last year or two. I had kept up on her children's activities, education, marriages, children, etc. over the years.  I had only seen Adam as a toddler when JoElla and I were both visiting our parents in Mt. Morris.

Also: Shoreline Area News: Shorecrest lacrosse coach Adam Weybright dies unexpectedly

 

Trump vs. Smithsonian

President Trump didn't attack the Smithsonian; the Smithsonian attacked the United States, so being a patriot, President Trump is suggesting more fairness and honesty in a Report.

Smithsonian-Report-Saving-Americas-Story.pdf
The United States government legally owns the Smithsonian Institution, holding its land, buildings, and collections as a perpetual public trust. Congress created the Institution by statute in 1846 after accepting a private bequest from British scientist James Smithson, and its charter is codified at 20 U.S.C. Chapter 3.

The Board includes members drawn from all three branches of government and the private sector:
The Vice President of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States
Three Senators, appointed by the President of the Senate
Three Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House
Nine citizen members, appointed by joint resolution of Congress (two must reside in Washington, D.C., and no two of the remaining seven may be from the same state). Sounds like the Board needs a shakeup.

Who Owns the Smithsonian Museum? A Federal Trust - LegalClarity

Read through the report and the riots and attacks on police and the DEI in the classroom might become clearer. No surprise we're being taken over by Communists dressed up like Democrats

Bill Wilcox, architect and friend

 We were talking today about an architect friend and when I checked my blog I see I had not recorded his death--back in 2007.  Back in the 60s and 70s we were very close and knew him through professional and church organizations.

William Wilcox Obituary (2007) - Columbus, OH - The Columbus Dispatch

Victor Melaragno

 We've recently lost one of our residents at The Estates. Victor Melaragno. Victor J. Melaragno Obituary Jul 6, 2026 - Newcomer Columbus

President Trump prays in statement for USCCB for 250th birthday of nation

Considering how anti-Christian the Communists in the U.S. are (colluding with the Democrat Party who were booing God 3 decades ago) and how anti-Catholic the far Right and some Evangelicals in the U,S. are, I suppose I can understand how difficult this story was to find in the news, even with the help of AI. But here it is. A revolutionary action by the current President.

"Members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops — which is currently gathered in Orlando, Florida, for its spring assembly — came together for the consecration service on Thursday (June 11) in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The occasion, marked by a presidential statement, is seen as a high point in acceptance of the Catholic Church in the historically Protestant country.

"Today, Melania and I join in prayer with Catholic Bishops gathered in Orlando, Florida, as they consecrate the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the occasion of our 250th year of American Independence — a powerful moment in our national story and a poignant reminder that America has always been guided by the loving hand of God,” the president said in a statement from the White House."

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/world/4605151/catholic-bishops-consecrate-us-trump-melania-prayer/

Trump highlighted the role of faith in shaping the nation’s identity, from Christian missionaries and settlers to chaplains and churchgoers throughout history. He linked the consecration (by the Bishops) to the nation’s founding principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and noted that the Sacred Heart of Jesus would bless the U.S., protect families, strengthen the Church, and guide the nation for generations.

Even so, 8 states opted out of participating in the 16-day “Great American State Fair” in Washington, D.C., which celebrates the United States’ 250th birthday. They just wanted to thumb their noses at Trump. Those governors denied their own citizens the right to tell the others how great their people and products are (which is what state fairs have been doing since 1841).

I see it as just one more way President Trump has brought warring sides together--the far Left and the far Right--not since the Founding Fathers has a leader managed to so clearly make a shout out to our First Amendment--he didn't establish a religion and he didn't prohibit its exercise and he honored a religious group the right to peaceably assemble.

President Trump's speech on the National Mall

A powerful storm front postponed the speech and fireworks about 2 hours.  The Fox hosts did a valiant job of ad-libbing and singing and small talk, but eventually, a few minutes before midnight, the show went on.

https://www.youtube.com/live/6MgYQnkldTA?si=fjOsLF51lL85jCvK

The President honored many military--one even 107 years old. He spoke out against Communism, which is again rearing its ugly head.  100,000,000 dead in the 20th century, and most of its victims were its own citizens.  He honored Artemis II, with Astronaut Apollo 17 Jack Schmitt and Gold Star Families. 

Brilliant scientist and billionaires still can't figure out what to do with plastics

 36376.jpeg (1200×1200)

More than 52 million tons of plastic waste remain unmanaged every year around the world and developing countries bear the brunt of the crisis. This is according to a 2024 research article published in the academic journal Nature. ( A local-to-global emissions inventory of macroplastic pollution | Nature ) This means that an estimated fifth of all municipal plastic waste in the world ends up in the environment or is burned in an uncontrolled manner.

Looking at the data on a per-capita basis, many nations in Sub-Saharan Africa, but also in Central America, the Pacific, Asia and the Middle East let large amount of plastic waste go unmanaged, causing degradation, health hazards and air pollution (in the event of uncontrolled burning). The study found that the lower levels of plastic pollution in the global North were mostly caused by littering, while in developing countries, waste not being collected was the biggest issue.

In absolute terms, India was the biggest emitter of plastic waste identified in the study, with high absolute volumes also set free in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. China, often named as the major emitter in older studies, ranked fourth for absolute volumes, reflecting the progress the country has made, according to the authors. The makers of the report based on their findings suggest a multi-sectoral approach to reducing plastic waste, including reducing plastic use, improving waste collection and better recycling systems.

July 3 at the Estates

 

 

We had a wonderful buffet lunch and a great movie in the evening, Solo Mio with Kevin James.

Usually at The Estates we have old movies, but Friday the 3rd we had a 2026, "Solo Mio."

 Kevin James plays Matt, a groom left devastated when his fiancée, Heather, abandons him at the altar in Italy, leaving only a note explaining she is not ready for marriage. Determined to continue his planned group tour alone, Matt meets Gia, a charming local café owner, and forms a connection with her while navigating heartbreak and self-discovery. The story explores themes of love, resilience, and second chances, culminating in Matt returning to Gia after selling his engagement ring to buy a motorcycle (Wikipedia). What doesn't appear in the reviews are two performers Andrea Bocelli and Jonathan Roumie best known for portraying Jesus in the hit series The Chosen

1776 the musical (film) was our entertainment last night

At the Estates last night, a large group enjoyed the movie, "1776 The Musical" (1972), adapted from an earlier stage play, which was adapted from the history of the drafting and writing/approval of the Declaration of Independence. I hadn't seen it during the bicentennial, and really enjoyed it. I found it about as accurate as a film could be for something adapted from a book/play adapted from actual history. After all, one could fill a library with important books on this event and biographies of all the people of the Continental Congress. Some critics of the time complained the timeline was wrong--too condensed.

So, I checked this "wrong timeline" idea with the Library of Congress which noted there were numerous drafts then 5 men who worked on it, and then about a week when the whole group met. Considering what we get today as "news," I'd call this accurate.

"Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia behind a veil of Congressionally imposed secrecy in June 1776 for a country wracked by military and political uncertainties. In anticipation of a vote for independence, the Continental Congress on June 11 appointed Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston as a committee to draft a declaration of independence. The committee then delegated Thomas Jefferson to undertake the task. Jefferson worked diligently in private for days to compose a document. Proof of the arduous nature of the work can be seen in the fragment of the first known composition draft of the declaration, which is on public display here for the first time.

Jefferson then made a clean or "fair" copy of the composition declaration, which became the foundation of the document, labeled by Jefferson as the "original Rough draught." Revised first by Adams, then by Franklin, and then by the full committee, a total of forty-seven alterations including the insertion of three complete paragraphs was made on the text before it was presented to Congress on June 28. After voting for independence on July 2, the Congress then continued to refine the document, making thirty-nine additional revisions to the committee draft before its final adoption on the morning of July 4 . . ." https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/declara/declara3.html

We've been having a film series for the 250th anniversary celebration.

A prayer for our country from 1791 for our 250th celebration

This prayer was composed by John Carroll, the first American Archbishop, in November 1791 and is often used at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but is surely heartfelt as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation. Perhaps the wording sounds a bit formal given our modern-day church services, but it contains what many of us have heard and prayed for all our lives--pleading that the Gospel be spread throughout the world, for the church, for the President, The Congress, for the state governors, for our fellow citizens, our departed loved ones and those who have been the benefactors.

"We pray, O almighty and eternal God, who through Jesus Christ has revealed thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of your name.

We pray Thee, who alone are good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, the pope, the vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, all other bishops, prelates and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise among us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct your people into the ways of salvation.

We pray O God of might, wisdom and justice, through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with your Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the president of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness and be eminently useful to your people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality.

Let the light of your divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.

We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state, for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by your powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We recommend likewise, to your unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of your most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.

Finally, we pray to you, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of your servants departed, who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech you, a place of refreshment, light and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior."
Amen.

Note: The U.S. Constitution became the official framework of the federal government on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it, meeting the requirement under Article VII that nine of the thirteen states approve the document for it to take effect. The Constitution had been signed earlier on September 17, 1787, at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, but it required state ratification to become binding. After ratification, the Constitution officially replaced the Articles of Confederation, and the new federal government began operations on March 4, 1789. All states had ratified it by May 29, 1790. So, the country was still very young and fragile--one year old--when this prayer was written, And now it is welcoming Islamists and Communists into the Congress.

Interesting that NH is participating in the Great American State Fair, and it was the State that got the Constitution ratified, yet the Governor of Pennsylvania the state where it was signed is pouting and being disrespectful to its own citizens and all U,S. citizens.

Happy 10th class reunion class of 1957

            

I'm painfully trying to consolidate and sort through computer files moving from Works to Word. This photo didn't make the conversion, but I was able to copy and paste.  It's the 10th class reunion in 1967, and I'm not in the photo because in June, 1967, we moved from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, to Upper Arlington, Ohio. Seemed too soon to return to Illinois. It's probably somewhere here in the blog.

Soothing musical memories

This blog is from a January 1989 letter:

I've been using my New Year's resolution and my Prevention newsletter to do walking again. Last week I logged 10 miles in my little book--not up to my old records when I used to do about 4 miles a day. . .

I don't have anything exciting to tell about like the concerts, plays, and museums that my big sister goes to. I guess she'll have to get the culture for the rest of us. The other day I was listening to National Public Radio (which is about all I listen to these days) and I heard a lovely piano solo that I remembered Joanne playing way back when, and I thought what a blessing it was to the whole family that she studied piano for so many years. We grew up hearing the beautiful music of the masters and didn't even realize it.

1959 

1999

Blog on old films with links

 Melanie Novak blog on old films.  We've seen some of these at The Estates. I've starred them.

The Affairs of Susan (1945)
After the Thin Man (1936)
The African Queen (1951) *
All About Eve (1950)
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Anna Christie (1930)
The Awful Truth (1937)
Baby Face (1933)
Ball of Fire (1941)
The Big Sleep (1946)
Blowing Wild (1953)
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017)
Born to Be Bad (1950)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Bride Wore Red (1937)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Camille (1936)
Captain Blood (1935)
Casablanca (1942) *
Christmas In Connecticut (1945)
Christopher Strong (1933)
Cimarron (1931)
Come and Get It (1936)
The Constant Nymph (1943)
Craig’s Wife (1936)
Daisy Kenyon (1947)
A Damsel in Distress (1937)
Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)
Dark Victory (1939)
Designing Woman (1957)
Dial M For Murder (1954) *
Dinner at Eight (1933)
Dangerous (1935)
Dark Passage (1947)
A Day in the Country (1946)
Destry Rides Again (1939)
The Divorcée (1930)
Double Indemnity (1944) *
Dracula (1931)
East Side, West Side (1949)
Ex-Lady (1933)
Father of the Bride (1950) *
Father of the Bride (1991)  *
First Comes Courage (1943)
Frankenstein (1931)
A Free Soul (1931)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
From This Day Forward (1946)
Gaslight (1944)
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
Giant (1956)
Gilda (1946)
Gone With the Wind (1939)
Grand Hotel (1932)
The Great Lie (1941)
Gun Crazy (1950)
Hands Across the Table (1935)
Harriet Craig (1950)
Harvey (1950)
The Heiress (1949)
Hell’s Angels (1930)
High Society (1956) *
Hold Back the Dawn (1941)
Holiday Inn (1942)
Honor Among Lovers (1931)
House of Wax (1953)
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
I Married a Witch (1942)
In a Lonely Place (1950)
Indiscreet (1958)
In Name Only (1939)
In This Our Life (1942).
It Happened One Night (1934)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Jane Eyre (1944)  *
Jezebel (1938)  *
Key Largo (1948)*
King Kong (1933)
The Lady Eve (1941)
Laura (1944)
Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
Letter From An Unknown Woman (1948)
Little Caesar (1930)
Lonelyhearts (1958)
A Lost Lady (1934)
Made For Each Other (1939)
The Male Animal (1942)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
Mata Hari (1931)
Meet John Doe (1941)
Merrily We Go to Hell (1932)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935)
Mildred Pierce (1945)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Mogambo (1953) *
Mutiny On The Bounty (1935)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Mr. Skeffington (1944)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
My Cousin Rachel (1952)
My Favorite Wife (1940)
My Man Godfrey (1936)
Next Time We Love (1936)
No Man of Her Own (1932)
Notorious (1946)
Of Human Bondage (1935)
Old Acquaintance (1943)
The Old Maid (1939)
The Other Love (1947)
The Petrified Forest (1936)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)  *
A Place in the Sun (1951)
Possessed (1931)
The Princess Comes Across (1936)
Princess O’Rourke (1943)
The Public Enemy (1931)
Queen Christina (1933) *
The Razor’s Edge (1946)
Rear Window (1954)
Rebecca (1940)
Red Dust (1932)
Red-Headed Woman (1932)
The Red Shoes (1948)
Sabrina (1954)
Sabrina (1995)
Saratoga Trunk (1945)
Scarface (1932)
September Affair (1950)
She Done Him Wrong (1993)
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
The Shopworn Angel (1938)
Show Boat (1936)
The Snake Pit (1948)
So Big (1932)
Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
Stagecoach (1939)
Stage Door (1937)
Stella Dallas (1937)
The Stratton Story (1949)
The Strawberry Blonde (1941)
Sunrise (1927)
Suspicion (1941).
Swing High, Swing Low (1937)
Swing Time (1936)
Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)
Tarzan Escapes (1936)
Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939)
Tarzan and His Mate (1934)
Tarzan’s New York Adventure (1942)
Tarzan’s Secret Treasure (1941)
The Thin Man (1934)
This Above All (1942)
The Thorn Birds (1983)
To Catch A Thief (1955)
To Each His Own (1946)
To Have and Have Not (1944)
Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
True Confession (1937)
Twentieth Century (1934)
The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947)
Vertigo (1958)
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Waterloo Bridge (1931)
Waterloo Bridge (1940)
White Christmas (1954)
Wife Vs. Secretary (1936)
Winchester ’73 (1950)
The Wizard of Oz (1939) *
The Women (1939)
You Can’t Take It With You (1938)
Young Man with a Horn (1950)
You’ve Got Mail (1998) *

Movies shown at Estates not in the blog

On Moonlight Bay with Doris Day, Sept 4, 2025

You Gotta Believe, sports drama, Sept. 7, 2025

The Way We Were, Sept. 24, 2025

Tea for Two, Doris Day, Sept. 28, 2025

Overboard, Goldie Hawn, Oct. 2, 2025, our copy

Abby's List, ours, Mark Sutherland of our Campfire group, Oct. 8, 2025

Whales of August, Lilian Gish, Bette Davis, Oct. 16, 2015

Fried Green Tomatoes, Kathyy Bates, Oct. 26, 2015

Devil wears Prada

Mr. Blanding builds his dream home

Big fat Greek Wedding

Miracle worker

Elizabethtown

Where the crawdads sing

Auntie Mame

Home Sweet Alabama

Mrs Harris goes to Paris

Mystic pizza

First cow

Now, Voyager  Collecting My Thoughts: Now, Voyager (1942) with Bette Davis

To catch a thief

High noon

Notorius (1946)

Brigadoon  Collecting My Thoughts: Enjoying a night at the movies at The Estates

Carousel

Apollo 13

The Swan

Double Indemnity

Sound of Music

Second hand lions

Country girl

On the waterfront

Hello Dolly

Bicycle thieves

Oklahoma

October Sky

The King and I

Funny Girl

Little Foxes

Million Dollar Mermaid

The Letter

Seven brides for seven brothers

Lincoln

City Slickers

Stand by me

National Treasure

Ferris Bueller's Day Off   Collecting My Thoughts: Three out of four (movies) isn't too bad

Best Years of our Lives

Funny Face

April in Paris

Horse Whisperer

Bridge over the River Kwai

Phantom of the Opera

Milo and Otis

Six Triple eight

Tuskegee Airmen

A Man called Otto

Yentle

The Flags of our Fathers

The Good Liar with Helen Mirren (2019) The Good Liar review – Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen are irresistible | Thrillers | The Guardian

1776 The Musical (1972) Watch 1776 (1972) - Free Movies | Tubi

 

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The so-called Democratic Socialists are destroying the Democrat Party

Mamdani and fellow travelers are picking off Democrats, so why continue to call them "Democratic Socialists." They are Communists. They are anti-Semites. They hate the USA. They ruined Russia and Europe and killed millions of their own citizens. Democrats were already weakened by their abortion anti-life platform, illegal immigration and their DEI and energy failures, and I'm not sure they have any positive values. But they (Democrats) better kick them out of their party or they will lose it.

On not dining in tents

On June 17 President Trump had dinner with President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles. Democrats probably would have preferred a tent as we do it in Washington.

Trump and Macron to dine together at Versailles after G7 summit | AP News

Dinner at Versailles, alpine air and an Iran agreement: How Trump made it through another G7 | CNN Politics

They can't help it.

Brentwood Baptist Church of Middle Tennessee

Recently I was researching a topic in Isaiah 35 and came across a sermon from The Church at Station Hill, so I looked up the pastor and church affiliation. This is an AI generated description

"Brentwood Baptist Church is a multi-site, multicultural congregation located in Middle Tennessee, with its central campus in Brentwood, TN. Founded in 1968 as a mission of Woodmont Baptist and formally organized in 1969, the church has grown significantly under the leadership of founding pastor Dr. Charles Treadway, Bill Wilson, and later Mike Glenn.

As of 2026, the church is led by Senior Pastor Dr. Jay Strother, who assumed leadership in October 2023. The church operates under a multi-campus model, serving the greater Nashville area through nine regional campuses:

Brentwood (Central Campus) – Brentwood, TN
The Church at Station Hill – Spring Hill/Thompson’s Station, TN (launched 2010)
The Church at Avenue South – Nashville, TN (launched 2014)
The Church at West Franklin – Franklin, TN (launched 2014 via merger)
The Church at Woodbine – Nashville, TN (launched 2014 via merger)
The Church at Lockeland Springs – Nashville, TN (launched 2016 via merger)
The Church at Nolensville – Nolensville, TN (launched 2018)
The Church at Harpeth Heights – Pasquo/Fairview, TN (launched 2018 via merger)
The Church at West End – Columbia, TN (launched 2023)

In addition to its regional campuses, Brentwood Baptist Church includes specialized multicultural ministries such as the Brentwood Baptist Deaf Church, the Brentwood Baptist Chinese Church, and the Brentwood Baptist Hispanic Ministry. The church’s mission is to connect people to Jesus Christ through worship, discipleship, and service, both locally and globally."

https://youtu.be/B5wyrA3OMG4?si=LrD3fgHaXiIfE3XL  Why do people want to live in Brentwood 1) schools, 2) location for work, shopping, dining, airport 3) beautiful homes and lots 4) parks, greenway trails, (real estate agent video)

When I looked a little further, I see lots of people are moving there from Seattle, LA, Chicago--probably trying to get better real estate deals and more conservative values, but the longtime residents of Tennessee should be careful--they may bring the west coast blue state gulag values with them. Shirt-tail relatives of ours from Tustin, CA, moved to TN about 2 years ago and love it, but left all the children and grandchildren back in California.  We have friends in Columbus, who would like to move there to be near their children, but say they can't afford it. 

And back to Isaiah 35, the part I was identifying with was the feeble hands and weak knees. 

Alleged drone attack at UFC event

I've read a few reports of the recent "alleged" drones with bombs attack on the crowds in DC and the WH. I conclude you can't get a piece of dental floss between those wackos and the so-called Democratic Socialists now being supported by the Democrat Party running for office in major gulag-blue cities.

There are a few differences. 1) No Republican supports them. 2) The far-right extremists seem to know more about biology and have more respect for the unborn. 3) The Communists/aka Democratic Socialists are much wealthier and better funded. and are supported by many well-known Democrats like Bernie, the Squad, Ro Khanna, and Kamala Harris.

 
Both groups decry capitalism, oligarchs, police, ICE and the current war with Iran because it doesn't benefit their goals for chaos and their lies.

 
Both groups hate Jews, Israel, and Trump. Tread softly if you are a Democrat. You are losing your party, your values and your minds.

 
If you can obtain a history book published before 1980, you'll see that USSR and Nazi Germany were cooperating (also included Islamists) to take over the world, then they began attacking each other. The USSR/Communists were far more lethal and killed millions more than the Nazis. Particularly Christians. They are now coming in the back door to achieve what they didn't in the 1940s. History hasn't been taught in our schools for about 40 years, so that's several generations of impaired high school and college graduates.

Repression and executions under communist dictatorships – History of Communism

The plot to disrupt the UFC event

So, what are we to make of this? Will the Democrats cheer? They defend the leftists when they try to kill Trump, but if this had been successful many Democrats also would have been killed. Also, the perps appear to be far right wing nuts, evil to the core. Takes over that space of the far left success rate at being anarchists with the chatter about oligarchs and billionaires ruining our democracy. Has the far right been co-opted by the far left? Is Hollywood bankrolling them, too?

https://abcnews.com/US/fbi-disrupts-plot-targeting-ufc-event-sources/story?

Office of Public Affairs | Five Men Arrested and Charged in Plot to Attack and Kill Government Officials and Others Attending the Ultimate Fighting Championship at White House | United States Department of Justice

FBI foils plot to attack White House during UFC event

Rt. 66 playing cards--or why old people have memory problems

This morning I noticed something colorful on the kitchen shelf--in the cookie jar, which is not used for cookies but which I keep as a souvenir of my childhood. It was a pack of Route 66 playing cards which I must have bought at Phippen Museum near Prescott, Arizona, where Bob's brother Rick lives. 2026 is the 100th anniversary of that road on which millions have travelled. Including me in 1945. I suppose I should open it; the art looks memorable.

We need our daughter to help us keep track of our present and our future, the odds and ends of directions, cords that don't seem to match any appliance or computer, the stacks of bills, the confusing schedules of exercise classes, meetings on Zoom, Bible studies, social gatherings and medications. One of the reasons I struggle to remember is because there's just too much disconnected "stuff" up there crowding out what I need today, like travelling the old Lincoln Highway westward and the newer Rt. 66 going east, 15 states, from the backseat of a 1939 Ford during WWII.

Romans 3:9-20--a good confession

While Romans 3:9–20 is not a standalone hymn, it is a foundational text in Christian worship. It is read in liturgies, preached upon, and often followed by hymns that echo its message. Its frequent appearance in hymn collections and liturgical programs shows its enduring role in expressing the reality of human sin and the need for God’s grace. Bible Hub

"What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. Psalm 14:3 and Psalm 53:3

All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Psalms 14:3 and 53:3

“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” Psalm 5:9 and 140:3

“The poison of vipers is on their lips.” Psalm 140:3

“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” Psalm 10:7

“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” Isaiah 59:7–8

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Psalm 36:1

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.

Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

Testimony from our niece Kimberly

June 8th, 2025, I stood in the ocean (purposely waited for an ocean baptism as it’s always been my connection to God since I began surfing back in March of 2014) and made a public declaration to give my life to Christ.

I didn’t grow up in faith. I grew unaware, celebrating beautiful holidays and rituals but I didn’t have a relationship with God, let alone Jesus.

 
I denied anything and anyone that spoke of Jesus being real, the gospel, and organized religion. It was off putting and seemed hypocritical at times.

 
I was a very emotional kid and even through most of my life, allowing emotions to run the show. Then I spent years in Vedanta philosophy trying to logic my way through life, trying to make sense of every single thing before I could move forward. And while it gave me tools to sharpen my critical thinking skills and discernment, it also gave me a level of analysis paralysis and, eventually, an arrogance I didn’t even see coming. I thought I was getting smarter and was actually just getting stuck in 2 areas of my life (stories for another time).

 
My come-to-Jesus moment wasn’t graceful. It was July 2024. It was the kind of crying you see in movies — completely uncontrollable, hands in the air, snotting, sobbing myself to sleep. I told God if He was real, I needed Him to show me. Like yesterday. I’d surrendered before in my life, but not like this. Not with this kind of total release of control, opening myself to something I had never believed in and had barely even understood.

But I kept showing up. I said yes to churches, yes to life groups, yes to people, yes to questions, yes to the parts of the Bible that made me uncomfortable, yes to the parts I didn’t fully understand yet. And the more I said yes, the more I realized: I didn’t need to understand everything anymore. That was the shift. I didn’t need to lean on my own understanding. I just needed to trust. (Proverbs 3:5-7)

I got baptized as a public declaration. I tried to keep my expectations at bay because I didn’t really know what to expect. And honestly? Nothing dramatic happened that day. No lightning bolt. No revelation. But what happened a month later changed everything

.
On my birthday — July 6th — I woke up to an email from my church with Proverbs 3:5-6 in it. The same scripture that had been following me around for months. I got to church that morning and a guest pastor from Texas opened by talking about his severe anxiety, his panic disorder, his history with suicidal tendencies, and how his worth had become wrapped up in why God hadn’t healed him. Then he talked about watching a child drown in the ocean as a kid and never going past shin deep in the water again his entire life. There's a beautiful life and evolution to this pastor, and I could honestly listen to him talk for days and regardless of his anxiety, he still helps so many people. What a beautiful story.
That same morning, before I paddled out to surf, a man I didn’t know leaned over in the row behind me and said he felt called to pray for me that week.

A few hours later, I was in the ocean on my birthday, paddling in from a session, when a clean-up set came through. A surfer came charging down the line with no intention of moving regardless of my etiquette and his room to be able to do something different. His fin sliced clean through my left pointer finger. I came up out of the water and looked down at skin completely split open. White. I thought it was bone.

And instead of panic in the water, injured, still needing to get back to shore — I remembered the pastor’s words. I remembered Proverbs 3:5-7. I remembered the man who said he felt called to pray for me that week. Wave after wave, I made it in. A friend from the surf community I don’t even talk to regularly drove me to urgent care. A doctor was impressed with how calm I was despite telling him the remains of what he was probably going to endure with me passing out. I put one hand on my chest, one on my belly, closed my eyes, breathed, and just trusted.

No passing out. No panic. Just peace. Peace doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared or wanted some sort of certainty of what was to come. It’s means I trusted. I was safe. And it was ok that I didn’t know. It was a moment but it didn’t ruin the day. I still made it to my birthday dinner. Only two hours late.

I go to sleep every night saying “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and shun evil.”

There was no single lightning bolt moment the day I got baptized. But there has been, and continues to be, transformation — a slow, steady, unshakable kind — that started the moment I stopped needing to understand everything and started choosing to trust instead. That’s what baptism meant to me. Not a moment. A direction. A deep surrender to faith.

 
An ultimate trust in God. I never understood "my Lord and savior". Now I can't imagine my life without Him.

Enjoying the tree tops at Blacklick Woods

 Last week's trip by Estates residents to Columbus metro park Blacklick Woods was cancelled due to bad storms, but our hardy group had a gorgeous day of 80 degrees and beautiful sunshine June 3 to see the Canopy Walk through the tall trees rising 40 feet. It had an elevator and was ADA accessible. Don't miss this spectacular sight/site in Reynoldsburg, OH.

  

Ablation is not oblation

Sharing time. It's Sunday, June 7, and this item is related to that. I often hear OBLATION and ABLATION mixed up/confused. An OBLATION is a religious term--an act of praise or worship. An ABLATION is a surgical term--like a heart ablation when something is removed or corrected through surgery. You may not need to know this so scroll on, but I just needed to share.

AI data centers in central Ohio

I heard yet another story on Spectrum this morning (local news) about the central Ohio small towns concerned about AI data centers. Hearings, with passion on both (or more) sides. I have a simple answer. The data centers should cover the costs of the water and electricity not only their increase, but cover all the costs for everyone in the city boundaries/limits. Seems fair. If they are going to change the town/environment, then pay for it. If AI is that big a deal and all the venture capitalists are diving in, why not share?

Pope Leo on AI

Last night I looked through ENCYCLICAL LETTER MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV ON SAFEGUARDING THE HUMAN PERSON IN THE TIME OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. Full Text of ‘Magnifica Humanitas’: Read Pope Leo XIV’s First Encyclical| National Catholic Register  I do recommend it whether or not you are Catholic and whether or not you like this Pope. AI is mushrooming/exploding and will affect us no matter what the Pope, President or Prime Minister thinks or does. It's coming at us faster than anyone anticipated. And there are moral and spiritual implications. No other Christian institution has the power and authority to speak to the secular world. And in Christian parlance, "world" is the entity that constantly is opposing God's will, so who better to issue an Encyclical on the topic?

 
At first glance there are too many squishy words like discernment, process and transparency for my taste, and not to be too picky, but when was slavery abolished? There are probably over 50 million slaves in the world now, millions more than in the 18th century, so it seems a bit parochial to claim it was abolished. And I did stop long enough to read three paragraphs which proposed to explain "dignity" and was lulled to sleep. (51-53) The several paragraphs on the role of education made me wonder if Pope Leo knows in the U.S. education system basic biology is still a battle between our political parties.

By paragraph 184 he gets to the "therefore," one of St. Paul's favorite words.

https://youtu.be/vIQDs4enHmM?si=0v0F6MpL0fbZW0WQ

United States refining capacity

Why have no U.S. refineries been built in 50 years? Certainly, it's not Trump's fault. The short answer is extremists attached to the Democrat Party. At least, that's how I interpreted the co-pilot answer.

Co-pilot (AI) "The combination of STRICT ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS, high capital costs, uncertain future demand, and federal policies FAVORING REDUCED PETROLEUM USE has effectively halted the construction of new major oil refineries in the U.S. for nearly five decades. Existing refineries continue to be upgraded to meet demand, but new greenfield projects remain economically and politically challenging."

 
Between 2000- 2022, "the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has entered into 37 settlements covering 112 refineries across 32 states with companies that control more than 95% of total U.S. refining capacity, according to a database of EPA enforcement actions. ' https://www.insights-global.com/the-us-hasnt-built-a-major-oil-refinery-in-nearly-50-years-heres-why/?

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/25/iran-war-gas-prices-epa-waiver.html?

So, the next time a Democrat complains about the price of gasoline, remind her of all those clean air regs and the green new deal.

Psalm 122--Jerusalem and the U.S. during 1937

I enjoy reading "Meditations in the Book of Psalms" by Erling C. Olsen. He had a Sunday afternoon radio broadcast in the 1930s, later transcribed and published in 1939 which then went through several editions. Mine is c1967, 4th printing, 1985. He was not a preacher--just a businessman who studied the Bible and had the gift of talking plainly to people suffering during the Great Depression.

Here's what he said to his radio audience in Feb. 1937 about the current problems in Jerusalem as he commented on Psalm 122 [Pray for the peace of Jerusalem]. Keep in mind, there was no Israel nation at that time, and he was not a dispensationalist.

"If you wish to know how important that city [Jerusalem] is [to the world] consider that even in this present time one has but to read the current magazines and newspapers to discover that it is a city of trouble and disturbance, yet a place to which the eyes of the world are turned for salvation--I mean national salvation . . . " (p. 879)

He then digresses from Jerusalem and turns to the USA, his primary audience.

". . . For nearly ten years, here and there, men have raised their voices, calling attention to the dangers due to the inroads of the philosophy of communism in this country. Some of us have given them only a passive interest--we thought the situation was not serious, thought it never could be serious--it might develop in other countries, but NOT HERE. I am not so sure about that now! I repeat, conditions existing in our own land today are definite causes for deep concern (I think he is referring to FDR's policies, particularly the New Deal pt. 2, and the communists in his administration) and my earnest conviction is that there is only one possibility of our escaping serious trouble and that is by a return to the faith of our fathers, and to an earnest proclamation of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Unless this country returns to God, I frankly fear for it." (p. 883)

Do you need to move closer to Columbus--or are you already here?

 Roughly 138-147 million people live within 500 miles of Columbus. A 500‑mile radius from Columbus, Ohio covers a vast area — roughly 1.2 million square miles.

Major Cities Within 500 Miles

Some notable cities and towns within this radius include Miles of Me:

Toronto, Canada – ~319 miles
Chicago, IL – ~279 miles
Detroit, MI – ~164 miles
Indianapolis, IN – ~168 miles
Hamilton, Canada – ~281 miles
Mississauga, Canada – ~307 miles
Baltimore, MD – ~341 miles
Charlotte, NC – ~347 miles
Milwaukee, WI – ~336 miles
Washington, DC – ~324 miles
Nashville, TN – ~330 miles
Virginia Beach, VA – ~429 miles

Cleveland, OH – ~127 miles

Toledo, OH – ~120 miles

Cincinnati, OH – ~100 miles

Airports Within 500 Miles

Key airports within this range include Miles of Me:

Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport – ~443 miles

Chicago O’Hare International Airport – ~295 miles

Toronto Pearson International Airport – ~313 miles

Charlotte Douglas International Airport – ~346 miles

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport – ~156 miles

Washington Dulles International Airport – ~302 miles

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport – ~340 miles

Chicago Midway International Airport – ~282 miles

Nashville International Airport – ~329 miles

Cities within 50 miles of Columbus

32 miles: Newark, OH
44 miles: Marion, OH
27 miles: Lancaster, OH
11 miles: Dublin, OH
12 miles: Westerville, OH
10 miles: Reynoldsburg, OH
7 miles: Gahanna, OH
4 miles: Upper Arlington, OH
24 miles: Delaware, OH
8 miles: Grove City, OH
10 miles: Hilliard, OH
43 miles: Chillicothe, OH
6 miles: Whitehall, OH
40 miles: Mount Vernon, OH
27 miles: Marysville, OH

These are straight line distances in a radius around Columbus, Ohio. There are many towns within the total area, so if you're looking for closer places, try a smaller radius.

The War Letters--Memorial Day

 It's Memorial Day week-end and many of us here at the Estates (and here on FB) remember when it was Decoration Day because it first memorialized the war dead of our Civil War. Now we remember all our war dead, and also while at the cemeteries, we put floral arrangements and remember all.

The 20th century was the most bloody and devastating of any period in history. It's a good time to remember WWI, where 5 or 10 thousand could die in one battle, over a few yards of ground--and thousands of horses and farm animals. The U.S. entered the war late and the president at the time, Woodrow Wilson, promised to keep us out of it. He was a "progressive" the first president to send us down the messy road we're on now where our foundation didn't matter. The Constitution became plastic and changeable and our past became an object of shame.

You can review WWI by listening to The Public Square podcast which yesterday reran it's "The War Letters" by John Beckett (2015). The book itself can be downloaded pdf for free. content.libsyn.com/p/1/4/b/14bf916a1865d16f/TPS_052326_WEB.mp3?c_id=202229075&cs_id=202229075&destination_id=208554&response-content-type=audio%2Fmpeg&Expires=1779570930&Signature=ff0Ser4BoIV9yMF5PTd2fPutAscSZ4LHxuMQ3rXiaTLMW0SIyj~L~McdFQZ-OrfxLNq1vgONbRSQu3SeTf~6Em3n9DgtX8zdgafl5mXJFltXhu66y1kvSuEjAceHJf6TvIKf8dlY-vJSyuqW4NGdvcVRzyyHG0ufHEoRklCSypCHjyJaWymjWhB9A6~bed3A1JxL61Etfifjrb2isIbXIGZtzgP9ayZrjPDxRdi9PkHaeq1R4QUDVuvmftyejwh5uW2ANvKFaLyYvTYXVl7dWJPz39AKuanneaPvNM29KYjtO1KNn-RUkreLKf79m-i5KQFtOU6UKvcLL4DrE9FhVA__&Key-Pair-Id=K1YS7LZGUP96OI The letters are between John Beckett's father who served for Canada and his family. The podcast is about the war (then known as the Great War) but as Beckett talks with Zinotti, it's also about how we're losing our own history because it's not taught in our schools.

My parents were too young to actually serve in WWI but they remembered it, and told us stories. And in the little town where I grew up (Mt. Morris, IL) there was a public program where "In Flanders Fields" a poem by John McCrae, a Canadian soldier, was always presented by a high school senior. (Maybe they still do that?) I personally knew WWI veterans, and both my grandfathers were registered for the draft (although they didn't serve).

This collection of family letters is priceless, and a good teacher.

Link to The War Letters pdf: https://beckettpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/The-War-Letters.pdf

Link to Battle of the Somme  https://youtu.be/ZaBdBhK4XzQ?si=HqJIKtR67XcqRyKV

Congratulations graduates

We don't have church newsletter/bulletins (a Covid casualty?) anymore, but for special occasions we do have handouts on Sunday--and yesterday was a real blowout. A four page, color announcement of the UALC's high school and college graduates with a photo, brief bio and God's plans. There were 35! What a lovely group. Interesting college and job choices. Names we'd never heard when I was that age like Peyton, Gabriella and Parker. Career choices we women wouldn't have dreamed of like going to the South pole on an ice breaker or drug development. I was happy to see that some of our brightest and best are still choosing teaching. And two are marrying and moving to Cincinnati. A lot of young people drop out of church life when leaving home despite the love, prayers and efforts of their parents and church family. May they all take those years of nurturing and grow in their Christian life.

Three out of four (movies) isn't too bad

Here at the Estates this week-end (if Thursday counts) we had four movies; National Treasure with Nicholas Cage, Ferris Bueler's Day off with Matthew Broderick, Best years of our Lives with Myrna Loy, and Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn. I liked all but Funny Face.

National Treasure (2004) follows historian and code-breaker Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage) "as he uncovers clues tied to the legendary Knights Templar treasure, setting him in a high-stakes race against a ruthless rival to protect the Declaration of Independence. This globe-hopping, clue-solving adventure blends American history with fast-paced action, offering plenty of thrills and family-friendly fun. While its plot is improbable, reviewers praise its entertainment value, likening it to a modern-day Indiana Jones." 21 Years Later, Nic Cage's $347 Million Adventure Movie Is a Sleeper Streaming Hit

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) stars Matthew Broderick as "a charming high school senior who fakes illness to spend an unforgettable day exploring Chicago with his best friend and girlfriend, while evading his principal and suspicious sister. . . sharp humor, memorable characters, and moments of heart, making this a light, witty, and culturally iconic coming-of-age comedy that remains a must-watch for its rebellious spirit and timeless charm." Ferris Bueller couldn’t take his day off in 2026 - The Observer

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) follows three WWII veterans from different walks of life as they return to their hometown and face the challenges of reintegrating into civilian society. With themes of post-war trauma, disability, love, and shifting social roles, William Wyler’s moving drama blends realism with heartfelt storytelling. Acclaimed for its performances, human depth, and sensitive direction, it remains a timeless classic and one of cinema’s greatest portrayals of veterans’ experiences.

Best years of our Lives I'd seen before but even with its age it points to problems of veterans we've come to expect--alcoholism, disabilities, PTSD, and family break-ups. The home front is also not without its casualties movie review

Funny Face (1957) "follows a shy Greenwich Village book clerk whose unexpected discovery by a fashion photographer whisks her into the world of haute couture and Parisian romance. With dazzling musical numbers by George and Ira Gershwin, chic Givenchy costumes, and the charm of Audrey Hepburn alongside Fred Astaire, it’s a stylish, lighthearted satire of fashion and beatnik culture. Critics praise its elegance, wit, and visual flair, making it a timeless classic worth watching."

Although it had good reviews, by the end of the movie all of us had left Funny Face before it was over. But the clothes were gorgeous. I don't think it worked as a musical and the 30 year age difference between the stars were really off putting. 

I'm not sure the small reviews are AI generated or Wikipedia, but I didn't write them.

Microchimerism--again

In our Thursday Bible Study today at UALC, we are in chapter 7 of the Gospel of John. 

(NRSV)  7 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish[a] to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him. 2 Now the Jewish festival of Booths[b] was near. 3 So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; 4 for no one who wants[c] to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’ 5 (For not even his brothers believed in him.) 6 Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil. 8 Go to the festival yourselves. I am not[d] going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come.’ 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

10 But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were[e] in secret.

There were the usual comments (in a Protestant study) about Jesus' brothers being half brothers. Now the reason I say Protestant is that most of the Christian world believes Mary had no more children after Jesus and remained a virgin. Tradition holds that these are Joseph's sons from a previous marriage, or refers to a clan culture where close relatives (cousins) are called brothers or sisters,

I'd like to propose that God knew best. Our Creator God knows culture and he knows biology. If Jesus had half brothers and yet was the Messiah who was killed, there would be great demands placed on his brothers to take his place (particularly from those followers who didn't believe in the Resurrection). That would have been common in that culture. It still is today.

 But God also designed microchimerism--the passing of fetal cells between a pregnant woman and her babies.  Most of the studies in the last century have involved male offspring. Children leave behind their fetal cells in their mothers. There is strong biological evidence that these cells (particularly males) protect the mother for the rest of her life.  And those fetal cells can also appear in the bloodstreams of the woman's future children. Because of microchimerism there may also be the grandmother's cells passed to the children which the mother got from her mother.  Do you suppose God didn't have a plan to have only Jesus and not other men have Mary's cells in their blood stream?

Maternal Microchimerism: How A Mother's Cells Stay In Her Child Forever

Microchimerism: Lifelong Biological Connections Impacting Everyone

The Trump and Xi summit

Although I understand the economics of the deal and why Trump is chatting it up with Xi, I haven't forgotten the millions of Chinese citizens that were killed by Xi's party, and the millions of baby girls who were aborted for years in China's one child policy. The various popular Communist ideologies by our own leftists--climate extremism, trans-whatever, racist hate, Covid lockdowns, pro-Palestinian riots, worship of big tech and big pharma, anti-Christian bias, all in the name of chaos, not a better life for Americans. Although we can see through the virtue signaling and complain about it, their leaders too know that it causes long term chaos even when the poorly educated 20 somethings grow up or move on to the next big thing. Some people believe this took off in 2008 with the recession and the election of Obama, but I retired in 2000.  Wokeism and the leftist ideologies were firmly in place in academe even if it was called something else like political correctness or multiculturalism.   

Patron Saint of the Internet, Saint Isidore of Seville

I didn’t know the internet had a patron saint. Did you? He lived in the 7th century, and was known for being the first great Christian encyclopedist. St. Isidore of Seville, Bishop, died in 636. My kind of guy.

 According to Magnificat, Vo. 28, no. 3, May 13, "It was his curiosity about the world around him that made him the greatest scholar of his age. Not only did he write about Catholic theology--he collected information about music, medicine, geography, clothing, war, language, animals, plants, astronomy and physics. He compiled this information and carefully arranged it into textbooks that were used by scholars for generations to come."

I don't care much for Wikipedia, but it's getting harder NOT to use it since AI platforms use it and people grab the first thing that pops up. The phrase, "do your own research" is very hard to do unless you have a personal library pre-internet, and it won't help much with some of the current tech stuff like AI.

I used to have 7 sets of encyclopedias, but I think 3 were for children, so they left the house years ago. Although I own many "cyclopedic" type reference books, I don't call them that. But I do own the 11th, 12th and 13th editions of Encyclopaedia Britannica (inherited from my grandfather) and their history is fascinating although I don't necessarily agree with all that's said about it in the internet article.

The 12th was so focused on WWI (incredible maps) the editors soon had to publish the 13th to bring back some balance to scholarship about the world. Reminds me of the phenomenon we call Trump Derangement Syndrome and the Left/socialists believing the world of blame and evil only revolves around their own myopic viewpoint.

My new old jeans, Laurie Felt

It appears to me that the Laurie Felt brand was on QVC maybe a decade and then closed down sometime in 2023 saying she wanted more time with the family.  I looked through some old websites and found this.

The Laurie Felt jeans fabric is made of rayon, cotton, polyester and spandex and the various styles are extremely comfortable. It has a very nice feel.  They look very traditional, but there is no zipper behind the stitched fly, mine looks like 5 pocket, but in the front there ae no actual pockets (no bulk).  But the waist has a nice stretch for a pull on. Marc's which is an Ohio grocery and remainder store had a few on the rack and among the XXXXL and the XXXXXS I found a plain old L for $5, and it fit perfectly.  I'd never heard of the brand. 

"They pull-on — and stay on. We’re all about using technology to its maximum, creating special fibers that give a firm hold and an amazing recovery every single time. It’s all in the construction. The higher the construction, the tighter the weave, the softer the fabric, the higher the quality. All cars drive, but a Bentley drives better than a Volkswagen… same concept.

“There is so much stretch that just the slightest little shimmy gets you in. Once you’re in, everything looks lifted, shaped and great at the start of the day and when the day ends,” said QVC show host Jennifer Coffey, after rocking a pair of our Silky Slim Pull-On Jeans on air.

ICE agents going to 40 states

According to a USA Today article in the Columbus Dispatch the millions of illegal aliens who crossed the border and were not removed were "people who entered during the Biden administration." Because of tying the hands of ICE less than 1% were removed.

 
"Between January 20, 2021, and September 30, 2023, the Biden Administration removed from the United States only 10,522 illegal aliens who were encountered at the southwest border and who were placed in removal proceedings before an immigration judge during that time. In other words, of the at least 3.3 million illegal aliens released into the United States since January 20, 2021, the Biden Administration failed to remove, through immigration court removal proceedings, roughly 99.7 percent of those illegal aliens." GOVPUB-Y4_J89_1-PURL-gpo222127.pdf

The article goes on to say although Trump promised to remove 1 million in a year, he only deported 477,277 from Jan, 20, 2025 to April 4, 2026. Trump has stopped illegal immigration. But USA Today complains that the ICE agents were too extreme and half of all Americans object. (using far left Politico figures) because some weren't "worst of the worst," Biden allowed /encouraged 4 years of open borders, Trump fixes it. Blue cities violated the laws, and USA Today features 2 mentions of 2 people killed in riots in Minnesota. Riots and protests, but no mention of those killed or injured or displaced by the illegals, Thanks for nothing, USA Today/Columbus Dispatch. New wave of ICE deployments to impact 40 or more states  by Trevor Hughes

Why so few babies?

There's an opinion piece in the NYT about "Why so few people are having kids" by Anna Louie Sussman. She writes on gender, economics and reproduction. No shock here, but she doesn't answer the headline question. Low fertility rates are global, and she has one anecdotal example (a well educated financially secure Mexican American citizen who wants to buy a nice home in Minneapolis but is afraid of Trump). Most of her examples are academic research (no citations) on economic insecurity although they don't prove her point as it shows high education, good salaries in countries (mainly Nordic) with pronatalist government social policies don't increase fertility.

One of her claims is that economic insecurity causes a rise in radical-right parties and that anxiety causes infertility. Then comes a great line. People of faith aren't having the problem. She describes people who are not anxious (i.e. who are not wild-eyed rioters in the streets) as tradwife, homeschooling 10 kids. This gal has really swallowed the Kool-aid.

Even with her far leftist education that probably cost her parents $100,000 she has no reference, remembrance or research before 2008 and the "Great Recession." She has no knowledge of how families and marriage have been demonized since the 1960s. Remember "Population Explosion" by Paul Erlich? It had Americans afraid to have babies because the world could end in a decade and it was evil to increase the population. AOC probably used it to create the climate hoax. Although she now has a new enemy--THE RICH. And the pill, and abortion? The War on Poverty which chased men out of the home? Those don't only reduce fertility they demonize it. Remember the women's movement and the rush out of the home and into the government and corporate workplace so more women could pay more taxes? Remember the huge inflation of the 70s so no time to cook? Hire a sitter and go to work and then to the restaurant or carry out. Even the entertainment which the little ones consumed with the TV sitter featured divorced or single moms. No shock to me that maybe women like this writer got the message.

It was the culture, lady.