Rosie O'Donnell and Ireland

I'm not upset about Rosie O'Donnell moving to Ireland. So many people are trying to get into the U.S.A. that will make just one fewer ungrateful person and more space for someone to succeed. I'm not sure I'd even blame her hatred for Trump. She hasn't had a happy life, always sarcastic and complaining, so maybe a change of scenery will help her.

We've visited Ireland in 2007 and loved it. The Irish have helped populate Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand, they contributed so much to their adopted countries and they did so in part because they were oppressed by England. My Irish beat the crowd and got here just in time to fight in the Revolution. I'm probably 8th generation thanks to my Irish.

A bit off topic, but as I look at this photo taken in Ireland, I remembered the shoes! Marti Alt and I went to a Christian Writers festival at Calvin College in Michigan and why I don't know, but we went shopping and I bought these shoes! They must have been comfortable enough to hike in Ireland's very rough terrain. The white rain jacket was "merch" picked up at a library convention probably in the 90s, and I still have it. I checked my blog and I'd written about the Festival in 2004. Looking through it, I found that in the same paragraph that I wrote about skipping meeting Joyce Carol Oates I included the shoe story. They were Naturalizers.   https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2004/04/308-festival-report-2there-were-some.html?

     

University of Illinois lobbyists object to eliminating waste and bloat

I got an email from The University of Illinois System (Chicago, Urbana, Springfield) warning me that "Cuts to federal research funding threaten the future of innovation at the University of Illinois System. " That's a bit of a stretch. The message came from the "lobbying for more money system." I had to wade through a lot of gobbledygook to find out where it came from and what was being threatened. I have no problem if colleges and universities want to lobby their own legislature for special perks, but they shouldn't be asking through our federal tax system for people living in New York and Nebraska to pay for Illinois lobbyists.

Music of the Fifties

I saw a meme yesterday when a 50-something was getting weepy over 80s music. I was shocked. But my generation got sappy over 50s music--I didn't like it when I was a teenager! I'm always out of step with music. I love me some Lady Gaga and Adele and Patsy Cline, Mahalia Jackson and Tammy Wynette. Eclectic. I didn't care much for Elvis in the 50s, didn't buy a lot of records (they were 78s then) but I did like Don and Phil Everly. Did you like "your" music?

YouTube Music  50s music

Egg-citing breakfast

I know eggs are expensive, but the dozen I have in the frig were about $3. So, I made a fried egg sandwich for breakfast rather than have them go bad. I'm not making desserts (sort of a sugar fast) right now which was about the only dish I used them for. A salute to my Dad--he wasn't much of a cook, but he could make a fried egg sandwich, and after Mom died, I think he ate a lot of them.

It's been a busy week and it's about to end. I have whip lash trying to keep track of what President Trump is doing. Yesterday I watched the bitcoin meeting. Clueless. Dinner out last night with friends, Joyce and Bill and Joan and Jerry. Our Friday night dates which had been a staple for us for 60 years ended with Covid, and now it's about once a month, if that. I've looked at the menu (Houlihan's) before we left and picked out a petite top sirloin 5 oz, with 2 sides, green beans and fresh fruit. And since I don't drink wine anymore because I take too many medications, I treated the table to appetizers, stuff mushrooms. 

Some policies of Trump I'm not enthusiastic about

There are some things in the Trump plan that I don't care for. I'd rather have Canada be a good neighbor than a sullen step-child always trying to run away. I'm not crazy about name changes--never understood why some of our bases were named for Confederate heroes, but the change back? Seems petty. But Department of Education? It's sort of a newcomer. Late Jimmy Carter idea. The main beneficiaries have been the office holders and those who received grants. (I think I may have had one.) "Crumbs," as Fancy Nancy called the money, was all that went to the children.

Transgender mice

I know everyone (except Democrats) is joking and laughing at transgender mice experiments--millions spent on this with our tax dollars. It was mentioned in the President's speech Tuesday night. You know the one--all the Democrats were glued to their seats and they wore pink put don't support women.

 
But better they experiment on mice than children! No one gets sexually aroused (well, maybe some do) mutilating a mouse. Yet there are those medical horror chambers called "affirmation centers" at almost all our major health centers like Ohio State where surgeons (I'm just guessing most are men) can experiment with vaginoplasty, orchiectomy, mastectomy, fat transfer, metoidioplasty, sex hormones and other ghoulish dreams on people not old enough to vote, or to understand their human rights.

 
It reminds me of the Kinsey sex experiments on children in the 1940s or how American medical researchers used African women to experiment with birth control pills back in the 60s to be sure contraceptives were safe to use on European and American women although many died or were left sterile for life. Or the experiments conducted by our government on southern black men from the 1930s to the 1970s who had syphilis. It was later strongly condemned, too late to help those men who were not told what was being done to them.

Last night Democrats just pouted and probably felt sorry for the mice. I'm sure they can throw a benefit to support PETA's program to live in harmony with mice and rats. But children? Why don't they care about children?

From Father Petkosek, a message about Ukraine

 A message from a Ukrainian American priest: Father Michael Petkosek, Catholic Diocese of Cleveland 

If you’re going to virtue signal with the flag of my heritage, please know this:
The Ukrainian people have long been caught between the imperialism of a neighbor and their own independence. Their history is one of being ethnically Ukrainian yet belonging politically—generally by force— to a stronger and more militant neighbor. They have long seen empires fight over their fertile soil and Black Sea coastline.

The twentieth century alone was quite brutal for the Ukrainian people. In the 1930’s, seven million Ukrainians died in Stalin’s artificially created famine, the Holodomor, in an attempt to simply get rid of the population and claim the land. During World War II, the Ukrainian people were caught between Nazi and Soviet invasions. The Communists never left and the people became citizens of the Soviet Union.

When the long-suffering Ukrainian people finally achieved independence with the fall of the USSR, they knew only one corrupt government after another. The influence of Communist evil ran deep and the KGB never really died.

Did you care about any of this, now or in the past?

My grandfather forsook serving in his national army because it was infiltrated by the Soviets. Instead, he fought with the real Ukrainian army, the Underground. He fought Nazis and hid from Communists. His friends were executed for attending a town dance while he slept under a dead horse for safety. This is the Ukrainian grit that has held off Russian aggression for three years, it is a grit that will continue to run headlong into a hopeless fight.

 
No one in their right mind likes the idea that Russia stands to get away with a great injustice. But, no one in their right mind wants this war to continue. The first step is to stop the bleeding. One must wonder just why Zelenskyy was willing to throw that chance away.

 
Understand that when you say, “I stand with Ukraine,” I know that what you really mean is, “I hate Donald Trump.” From where I’m sitting, “I stand with Ukraine,” first said on February 27, 2025, sounds as if you’re happy for the war to continue—for Ukrainians (and Russians) to keep dying…. because, hey, it’s a chance to troll Donald Trump.

See the expression of Ukraine’s ambassador during the infamous meeting, which if watched in its entirety, does not support an anti-Trump narrative. She sees what Zelenskyy did and she knows that Ukrainians will continue dying.

You stand with Ukraine? Spare me. Your virtue signaling is just tacit support for an ongoing war, one that Ukraine can’t win. You're just cheering on a slaughter.

St. Josaphat, pray for us!

The importance of congregational singing and reading the Bible

Congregational singing and reading the Bible, thoughts from Thaddeus Williams, author of "Revering God; how to marvel at your maker."

"And I think singing congregationally is huge. And if I get very practical with this, if I had a word of advice on congregational singing, it would be to the sound engineers and churches around the country, turn it down. Maybe this is the old man in me, like the curmudgeonly guy in his 40s. But the power of corporate worship is that I can hear my wife exalting God next to me. And I can hear Joe the plumber sitting in front of me. Whether he's on key or not, he's exalting God out loud, affirming the same truths about God. And I can hear the little kid behind me singing off-key and glorifying God with everything she's got. There's power to hearing the congregation, not just hearing a face-melting guitar solo and a wall of sound. So I'd say that's number one, corporate worship is important.

And number two, I'm just going to land where we started, just getting into the Word. There's a study that I cite in the opening of the book that people who read their Bibles once a week have no measurable difference, no positive outcomes relative to those who never read their Bibles. People who read their Bible twice a week, no measurable positive outcomes. Three times a week, you start to see a few little areas beginning to peak. But for some reason, it seems like at four, when people read their Bible four times, four times plus, then the study showed people become less lonely. They become less angry. They become less addicted to alcohol or pornography. They become less spiritually stagnant. They become more evangelistic. They become better disciples. So I would say if you want to tap into some of this reverence, try to push past that four threshold and see the difference." https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2024/revering-god

Save us, Oh God, for the waters have risen to our necks--Psalm 69

 Excuse, please, if I take some liberties with pronouns (everyone else is), because the filth is too awful to use a mild word like swamp or chat room for just one writer crying out.  The smut, slime and sin are engulfing us all. Anyone who votes and says I'm an American, is involved.

Recently, Doge has exposed what is going on in the NSA (and other agencies) and Tulsi Gabard has fired over 100 people who were involved in a sexual, gay porn cabal.  And in hearings it has been revealed our tax money has been funneled to our sworn enemies, even Hamas which has been exposed as killing Jewish babies after the October 7, 2023 raid with their bare hands. We bought and paid for that through our unelected bureaucracy which we allowed to grow in fetid slimy darkness. We should cry out to God collectively--we've not been careful--we've entrusted our country to evil people who intend to destroy us and God's plan for life.

New American Bible, slightly revised.

Psalm 69

2Save us, God,

for the waters* have reached our necks.a

3 We have sunk into the mire of the deep,

where there is no foothold.

We have gone down to the watery depths;

the flood overwhelms us.b

4 We are weary with crying out;

our throats are parched.

Our eyes fail,

from looking for our God.c

5More numerous than the hairs of my head

are those who hate us without cause.d

Those who would destroy us are mighty,

our enemies without reason.

Must we now restore

what we did not steal?*




and so forth and so on.

Psalm 69 New American Bible

Rare earth metals put there by God

Q. Why would God place rare earth metals mainly in China and Russia-occupied Ukraine for a time in world history when they had become essential to all our technology?

A. I don't know, but He somehow figured out how to get President Trump into the same time frame to make a deal.

". . . minerals such as titanium, cobalt, and various rare and rare earth metals have become critical components of green technologies, playing a pivotal role in the energy transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources in advanced economies. Ukraine possesses substantial reserves of rare and rare earth elements, including tungsten, tantalum, niobium, indium, and others. These elements exhibit unique physical and chemical properties that render them essential for industrial applications, including use as alloying additives in steels and alloys, in electronics, magnetic materials, catalysts, and nuclear technologies. Nearly all titanium and iron ore deposits in Ukraine are complex, containing valuable rare-metal impurities such as vanadium, scandium, tantalum, niobium, zirconium, hafnium, thorium, tungsten, tin, gallium, indium, and yttrium. the present study identifies three primary sources of rare earth elements in Ukraine . . . : This research is based in investigations of titanium-bearing minerals within the Ukrainian crystalline shield, as well as the review of over 200 production reports ( GEO&BIO • 2024 • том 26)

"The American Geosciences Institute’s list of critical minerals encompasses “rare earth metals and other metals such as lithium, indium, tellurium, gallium, and platinum group elements.” Their shared importance is that they are crucial in the manufacturing of various advanced technologies, including, notably, clean energy generation assets (solar photovoltaics and wind turbines, especially offshore ones), battery systems (utility scale, household scale, and batteries for electric vehicles), as well as various digital technologies (needed in the energy transition process but also in the broader global information technology and communications sector)." https://www.mei.edu/publications/ukraines-critical-minerals-and-europes-energy-transition-motivation-russian-aggression?

Watching movies on Hallmark

 I was bored with politics and Antiques Roadshow reruns so I found some good movies to watch.  From Wikipedia--Riding the Bus with My Sister is a 2005 television film that aired on CBS as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology series, based on the 2002 memoir of the same name by Rachel Simon. The film, like the book, is about the time Simon spent with her sister Beth, who has a developmental disability, and whose lifestyle revolves around riding buses in her home city of Reading, Pennsylvania. Andie MacDowell plays Rachel Simon, while Rosie O'Donnell plays Beth. It was directed by Anjelica Huston, with a screenplay by Joyce Eliason.

From Wikipedia--made for TV movie also on the Hallmark Channel: Brush with Fate is an American drama television film debuted on February 2, 2003, on CBS. It followed the life of an imaginary painting by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer as it passes through the hands of various people. The film was based on Girl In Hyacinth Blue, the 1999 novel by author Susan Vreeland, and starred Glenn Close and Ellen Burstyn. The imaginary painting Girl in Hyacinth Blue, the principal object in this film, is painted exactly in Vermeer's painting technique by the American master painter Jonathan Janson, author and webmaster of the world-known website about the life and work of Johannes Vermeer "Essential Vermeer".

Beautiful settings and costumes.  Interesting stories. Rosie O'Donnell did an outstanding job.

https://https://youtu.be/cYu_G1ekfQg

Learning from podcasts

Not to repeat myself, but I will. I benefit from the All-in podcast. Even the parts I don't understand. It's definitely a peek into the future. As near as I can tell of these four brilliant, successful men (besties), three are immigrants. And yesterday's edition had as guests 2 brothers, Patrick and John Collison, who started Stripe and Arc and are from Ireland. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxP55dZjqZs They look like teenagers, but I think were born in 1988 and 1990. Each are worth over $3 billion.

Somewhere I read a news story about how the besties got together originally, it was some sort of friendship group before it was a podcast, but I can't remember where. One of the interesting discussions on the 21st is corporate structure--given the lay-offs going on right now in government bureaucracy, it's similar in corporate bloat.

https://youtu.be/Oo3tPAjrI1c?si=SylT2I1ryEnrjpRj

Video about the brothers Collison

Two of my favorite podcasts

Two of my go-to podcasts are Megyn Kelly and All-In. Megyn can be a bit of a potty mouth--and that's definitely a negative and I'm not sure why she does it; it doesn't add anything. All-in is all men, and although that can be confusing (I don't watch, only listen) it's 1000x better than trying to listen to a group of women discuss something!

 
All-in is Chamath Palihapitiya, David Friedberg, Jason Calacanis, and David Sacks (created PayPal). Sacks has recently joined Trump as an "unelected" adviser, but I'm not sure what he does, and now there is a guest filling in for him. These guys are venture capitalists, business men, scientists, etc., and talk way over my head, but that's why I listen. They were really divided on Trump, but now at least on policy, are "all-in."

 
Kelly, too, was originally not a fan of Trump or MAGA , and in the first primary back in 2016, she made no bones about it. This time around she's definitely a fan, although it came gradually. Because she is no longer "owned" by a network she can say anything she pleases--and does. She's also a lawyer, a former network host, and a mom of 3, so she has plenty of opinions and expertise to share.

The most recent All-in podcast (weekly, Feb. 14) was Naval Ravikant an Indian-born American entrepreneur and investor. He is the co-founder, chairman and former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AngelList. He has invested early-stage in Uber, FourSquare, Twitter, Postmates, SnapLogic, and Yammer.

 
The most recent Kelly podcast (daily) was her interviewing the guys from All-In about Trump, Musk, their appeal to independents and moderates, media, technology and family issues, parenting, and celebrities. I'm always surprised how much the All-in guys talk about family issues.

It was fun to hear my favorites together although they have a somewhat rocky road in their past.

Beatitudes in Luke 6

 

ESV Luke 6:20-24  And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!  Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.  

Lectio Divina, Magnificat, February 2025, p. 247 "Everyone desires to be happy," teaches Saint Thomas Aquinas.  Here, Jesus lays out his program for happiness, as indicated by the recurring word makarios, which is Greek for "blessed" or simply "happy." (Strong's Greek: 3107. μακάριος (makarios) -- Blessed, happy, fortunate)  Yet the picture Jesus paints appears rather grotesque at first glance.  He endorses everything our instincts tell us to avoid at all costs:  poverty, hunger, tears, rejection.  Why? 

Is it because money, wealth, merriment, and esteem are bad in themselves? No: on the contrary, these are good things.  At the same time, there is a danger that we might become so distracted by the gifts that we forget the Giver.  Saint Gregory the Great warns that if the prosperous are not careful, they may "love their pilgrimage more than their homeland and . . . transform the supplies for their journey into an impediment for their arrival." Sufferings borne well, on the other hand, can increase our desire for heaven and help prepare us to receive the joy that is to come.

Saint John Paul II points out that the Beatitudes "are a sort of self-portrait of Christ and for this very reason are invitations to discipleship and to communion of life with Christ." In other words, Jesus practices what he preaches--or better, he preaches what he practices.  . . 

As Christians, we say that we want to follow Jesus and to be like him, but are we ready to embrace the difficult truth that imitating Christ means being acquainted with suffering?

If you are a Christian (or even a non-Christian) who wants to poke the hornet's nest of differences between the Luke version and Matthew's, there are many sermons and writings on that, although not the topic of Lectio Divina for this Sunday, The Beatitudes in Luke and Matthew | Psephizo

Catholic answers suggests two possibilities: Why Are There Eight Beatitudes in Matthew and Only Four in Luke? - Catholic Answers, Inc

St. Augustine provides two possible explanations for these differences. My preference is the second. 

Jesus gave 2 sermons.  My favorite verse is Psalm 37:3, and it essentially says the same thing in 7 words.

"One possibility is that although only one sermon was delivered, its location was described under different aspects by Matthew and St. Luke. For it is possible that the place was a level spot along the slope of the mountain, which at once was part of the mountain and might also be described as a plain in relation to the peak of the same mountain. According to this account, the sermon as related by Matthew included a number of our Lord’s words that Luke omitted and omitted some of the words that Luke included.

A second solution is that Jesus actually gave two sermons that were closely related: for his purpose was to promulgate the New Law, yet not all were prepared to receive that law in its most perfect form. Therefore, since the first promulgation was given only to his close disciples on the mountaintop, it was lengthier and more proportioned to the spiritual-minded; and since the second was given to the multitudes on the plain, it was shorter and more proportioned to the carnal-minded."

This is handy: a recent reading history (actually a skimming history)

My recent reading history--but mostly skimming

Way Out of the Tunnel? Three Hundred Years of Research on the Apocrypha: A Preliminary Approach, - Peter Toth

The Scope of the Old Testament Canon - Christopher Heard

The Question of Canon: Challenging the Status Quo in the New Testament Debate. By Michael J. Kruger. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013. Pp. 252. Paper, $24.00 - Michael W. Holmes

Book Review: Canon Formation: Tracing the Role of Sub-collections in the Biblical Canon - Clark R Bates

Septuagint, Sages, and Scripture Studies in Honour of Johann Cook Edited by - Markus Witte

The Canons of the New Testament - Leslie Baynes

The Canon and the Testaments - S. A. Wassen

Tradition, Scripture, and Interpretation: A Sourcebook of the Ancient Church  - Drake Williams

Deuterocanonical Books in Latin Tradition, in Houghton, ed., Oxford Handbook of the Latin Bible (2023)

Christian agencies and the USAID

Many small and large Christian organizations that have accepted contracts with USAID are going to be hurting. 

1) They've taken tainted money, 

2) the bulk of their supporters, the $10-$100 donors, will lose their trust, 

3) some good programs will come to a halt as the spigot turns to off. 

This means the organizations will have to do some soul searching and rely only on donors and not on tax dollars. Trust me, this is not just about trans dance festivals in Venezuela or other strange, vulgar events. USAID was set up in the 1960s by JFK to bring USA influence to other cultures, nations and people. It was never an aid organization. It became one if that benefited our own government's vision. This corrupted, ugly mess has now become our "values" and it ain't pretty. Much of it has turned against us using our own tax dollars which for the most part stay right here, particularly in the beltway. For now, some humanitarian relief agencies have waivers to continue until the wheat can be separated from the chaff.

Samaritan’s Purse Dodges Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze – MinistryWatch

World Vision, a Christian organization I supported for many years, received $491 million from US Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2022. Senator Grassley of Iowa reported on agency in 2020. Many were reporting on the shady, strange agency with more money than God with only a small percentage going for "aid." Why did it take Elon Musk showing us line by line the budget for the pieces to fall together? It was Trump. And now hundreds of news agencies are trying to cover it up, but they too have received the tainted money,

Senator Demands to Know if World Vision Is Funding Terrorism - Christianity Today

Do we need the White House in our faith journey?

"Trump said on Thursday he would create a White House faith office and direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead a task force on eradicating what he called anti-Christian bias within the federal government." (Glenn Beck website)

 
I'm not a fan of this idea. There was a fairly prominent faith office in the Bush Administration which as I recall Obama continued, but with much watering down. "President Bush created the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives and Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in eleven Federal agencies to lead a determined attack on need by strengthening and expanding the role of FBCOs in providing social services." (old White House document). In my opinion, this led to many truly service centered ministries accepting government money. I don't know if it was continued.

 
Let the First Amendment handle it--try enforcing it. When government interferes in religion in the name of help or protecting, especially Christianity, bad things happen. I don't mean wars or jail time, but general all around bad feelings. We have over 35,000 Protestant and non-denominational church organizations and most can't agree on the basic points of theology, they don't like each others worship services or social services, and most of them don't like Catholics, and probably haven't heard of all the varieties of Orthodox, or the African and Middle-eastern groups. They all "stand on the Bible," but not which translation of which canon. And the politics! Oh my.

The little people within the grant system

I woke up this morning thinking about the "little people" at the bottom rung of these government (USAID for instance) grants who have no idea what's behind the paycheck or where the program has gone. Government work is considered "secure" even if you are part time and temporary as I always was in the 80s. I think about the agricultural credit grant that paid me for 3 years, everyone above me, and a few below. I still see my publications pop up on the internet. 40 years. Later, I helped with grant writing workshops. We probably brought in coffee and bagels for the class. For years I know I worked on grants or attended meetings supported by grants--and there was always good food at our events.

 
Even when I was hired to work in a program (STEPS) to retool senior citizens who'd lost their jobs in the 1980s, we subcontracted out to building owners who supplied the spaces and the computers, and the food services, and probably the local senior organizations who supplied the clients. We travelled around the state--the money coming in was going out and helping the local economy. I'm not saying we didn't do any good or people didn't benefit, but it was mainly me who benefitted--the skills I learned, the publications that moved me ahead in my career path, the friends I made, the information I learned--I even wrote speeches on labor for a politician to give on the road (she was later killed in a plane crash). Mainly I'm talking about funding that had already had about 60% taken off the top by whatever state or local agency/organization had gotten from the federal agency. You can imagine all the people who are paid along the way. From file clerk to janitor to van driver to the lowly researcher who wrote and assembled the learning materials and arranged for it to happen.

It's difficult to track what became of USAID money--I went into the WayBack (?) archive and read the 2016 annual report. The photos are wonderful--lovely black faces beaming over experimental agricultural plots, or happy children in bright clothing raising their hands in class. You can see the model programs, and many did benefit. The report was so vague about actual costs, my eyes glazed over. Having worked in the system, I knew how to write like that. A few words about DEI goals, but minimal. Not like you would read today where each chapter seems to need a paragraph. USAID was established as an independent agency to infiltrate and influence the local culture, but probably not with drag queen shows and sex change operations. Its purpose is to maintain our interests over Russia and China's. Instead, we're creating chaos in the local culture which benefits our enemies.

And I also thought (at 6 a.m.) what $9 million to the Leftist media during the Biden years could have done for the people in North Carolina. Yesterday it was reported that "Politico received at least $8.2 million from the U.S. government in recent years, with $44,000 of that coming from USAID, according to USAspending.gov." The Department of Energy has given Politico $1.29 million, the Department of Agriculture has given $552,024 and the Department of Commerce has given $485,572.
Sigh. No wonder the Democrats are screaming and rioting. Someone is draining the gravy train.

Interesting Congressional hearing report on USAID reporting for 2011. USAID: Following The Money : Committee on Oversight and Government Reform : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive  from Internet Archive.  Obviously, Congress has known for many years what was going on with wasted tax money funneled through USAID.

I worked on a grant from USAID!

I do recognize the USAID because it helped me build my career and move to the next step, which was from agriculture credit, to OhioNet, to veterinary medicine by working part time with hours that were convenient for my primary job--being a mom--when I was in my 30s. Never thought I'd see protests about it--but then I never imagined it would be sending my tax money to foreign LGBT groups, either.

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5122676-usaid-shutdown-elon-musk-doge/

USAID Controversy Explained: Why Musk, Trump Is Attacking Foreign Aid Agency

Mike Benz: There Is No "Aid" In USAID, It's Not A Charity | Video | RealClearPolitics

Because I subscribe to Academia.com (on certain Bible canon topics like Ben Sira) I also receive notices about my own publications on agricultural credit. These I did for Dale Adams in the 1980s the professor who had the USAID grant. I think I had written at least 4 or 5 annotated bibliographies, and one has been completely scanned so I can actually read it without getting on my knees and dragging out dusty boxes and collapsing from exhaustion. The publications were assembled on the living room floor in our previous house, on lime green shag carpet, because everything was written on note cards which were then alphabetized and organized on the floor. No computers, no Chatgpt, no reference organizer and I don't recall I even had a fact checker or proof reader.

Bless my Mt. Morris high school typing class, because I also typed all the entries.

Trump's keeping his promises

I'm exhausted. Trump has been in office just shy of 2 weeks and I can't keep track of the wins, of the promises kept and the things we didn't know. And now he's going after ISIS again.

"These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies. The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians."

I think he's sending a strong message, and it's very different than Biden's which was "Y'all come."

The confirmation hearings

 I watched some of Kash Patel's Senate questioning this morning and was surprised to hear that at least one Senator, a Democrat of course, still believes that several police were killed in what the Senator still calls an insurrection by Trump supporters, yet he demanded that Patel use the words, "Biden won." No police died during that riot on January 6, 2021. One unarmed woman, Ashli Babbitt, a demonstrator and veteran, was shot by a capitol policeman. Policeman Brian Sicknick died of natural causes after the riot. But Pelosi put on a big funeral for him and held off releasing the name of the man who killed Ashli for months. Thousands of police were injured during the riots of 2020 and untold billions in property damage (including here in Columbus, OH) resulted in mostly blue cities and who knows how many citizens died from "defund police." Democrat Senators probably don't remember.

What's with DeepSeek?

The “Hard Fork” podcast released a bonus episode titled “Your Guide to the DeepSeek Freakout: an Emergency Pod” on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. In this episode, Kevin Roose and Casey Newton discuss the impact of a new AI model from a Chinese firm called DeepSeek. This model has caused significant disruption, including affecting global markets and pushing Nvidia’s stock down while simultaneously rising to the top of the iPhone app store. The hosts explore the implications of this development for the U.S. artificial intelligence industry and consider what it means for the broader AI landscape. (AI generated) 

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What do you think of the tech guys kissing the ring?

I don't like seeing the tech giants standing behind Trump at the inauguration, however, I suppose that's better than standing on his neck holding him down as they did for the Biden administration. They are after all, capitalists and that's what they do--go where the money trees grow. They are changing our media system, and what they are doing with their own technology is changing them. Millions now get their news from podcasts. I think conservatives are doing better than liberals, plus they talk about and expose the tech giants (oligarchs as Biden calls them). I have about 20 on my phone. I heard about "Girls Gone Bible" today--gave a prayer or blessing at the inauguration--Arielle Reitsma and Angela Halili. I've never heard of them, but they are number one in Religion and Spirituality podcast on Spotify according to them. Christians are very active on social media, especially podcasts. https://youtu.be/uievEEC88Ek?si=7ft9z2uDjHfP6Y7e

Home Warranty scam alert

We received a post card yesterday from Home Warranty Division County Deed Records. Lots of numbers and looking very official, ID # and pin # except no information on who/what it is from or what it is protecting. So I looked up warranty scams and it seems to fit the model. Looked up the phone number (888) and it is identified as associated with a scam. I'd never come across this one before. Have you?

This notice is from a Texas on-line media site: Live! Daily

"ABILENE, TX — Abilene Better Business Bureau President John Riggins is urging everyone to not be fooled by scammers. A postcard mailed by a fake company called the Home Warranty Division is claiming homeowner’s warranties are expiring.

The company is hoping people will blindly renew a home warranty they don’t have. “Be aware of the fact that just because you get something in the mail that says you owe some money because of a home warranty doesn’t mean that you do,” Riggins said.

“What we’re telling consumers is to be aware of the fact that this isn’t a company you’ve already signed a contract with. This is a solicitation. You’d never know it looking at the mailer.”

According to the Abilene Better Business Bureau’s president, there are things everyone can do to avoid being scammed. “Go look up the company name and see what other people are saying about it,” Riggins said. “Using a tool called the BBB Scam Tracker is also helpful.”

The BBB Scam Tracker tracks scams across the country, and some have even been reported locally. “There are a couple dozen reports in the scam tracker,” Riggins said.

Riggins cautions the Home Warranty Division scam is just one of many scams in circulation. The Abilene BBB president says if you’ve never heard of a company before most likely it’s a scam."

This scam alert is from Iowa--sounds almost word for word as the postcard I received.

FRAUDULENT POSTCARD FROM “COUNTY DEED RECORDS

” CIRCULATES AGAIN IN IOWA [Forest City, Iowa] On Wednesday, February 28, 2024 the Winnebago County Recorder’s Office assisted a resident with questions regarding a confusing postcard they received, which was quickly identified as fraudulent and reported to local law enforcement. The postcard claimed to be from “County Deed Records/ Home Warranty Division” with false information about the recipient’s home warranty replacement notice and advising them to call for uninterrupted protection. The postcard claims, “This is your Warranty Replacement notice advising you to contact our offices so you do not have a lapse in coverage…” They further request immediate action to contact them immediately or be “left vulnerable to expensive repairs and/or product replacement.” The Iowa County Recorders Association in partnership with Iowa Land Records confirmed that this information is not legitimate. Similar letters and postcards have been found across the country. Fortunately, in this case, the resident came into the Winnebago County Recorder’s office with questions before taking any action. If you or someone you know has received a postcard and/or letter claiming to be from the County Deed Records/Home Warranty Division, please DO NOT RESPOND to the request in any way. 

• Do not pay 

• Do not call 

• Do not go to the website 

• Do not return any mail request

The Bishop and the President

 About a year ago I signed up for a database of abstracts/pdf of articles on Ben Sira/Sirach of the deuterocanonical books of the Bible. It's called Academia.com. My own publications are also in there, but usually the only ones I see for which they notify me are on agricultural credit from the 1970s, and not the ones on library topics from the 1990s. And occasionally, the database is really fishing, like "The name "N. Bruce" is mentioned in "Enzyme-Based Electrochemical Biosensors for Microfluidic Platforms to Detect Pharmaceutical Residues in Wastewater" uploaded to Academia. Not only I didn't write it, can't even read it!

But with the Bible search on Ben Sira, if I see something that looks interesting and click on that title, then my own search gets expanded. So today, I receive a notice that "138,701 papers on Academia discuss "History Of The Bible/Biblical Canon." I also noticed a chart that showed the topic of Bible textual studies had soared in the last 5 years. Must have been the Covid effect--lots of grad students sitting at home with nothing to do but read, research and write. The title that arrived in my mailbox was from The Textual History of the Bible, vol.1B and discusses disagreements among Christians about the deuterocanonical books (7 books in the O.T. not in the Protestant canon but in the other canons).

Volume 1B provides detailed entries on the different primary translations (Greek, Aramaic, Syriac, Latin) and uniquely the secondary translations as well (Latin, Coptic, Ethiopic, Syriac, Armenian, Georgian, Christian Palestinian Aramaic, Old Slavonic, and Arabic) most of which were sourced from the Greek. No wonder we have over 35,000 different Protestant denominations--they all say their version of the Bible is right, and thus we get the dust up between the Bishop and the President about her sermon. She has a pulpit, and he has Truth Social.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-blasts-bishop-who-gave-sermon-at-inaugural-prayer-service/ar-AA1xDA7D?

Amazing immigrants

What an amazing rise and list of achievements for Indian Americans. Kamala Harris, daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants; Usha Chilukuri Vance, daughter of Indian immigrants; Kash Patel, son of Indian immigrant parents; Jay Bhattacharya, naturalized citizen born in India, Vivek Ramaswamy, son of Indian immigrants and Sundar Pichai (Google) born in India. And maybe more I don't know about. The USA definitely needs its immigrants. It doesn't need invasions. Trump, son of an immigrant and married to an immigrant, will take care of that.

"Indians in the US, with an average household earning of USD 123,700 and 79 per cent of college graduates, have surpassed the overall American population in terms of wealth and college education, according to a media report which cited the latest census data. The number of people who identify as Asian in the United States nearly tripled in the past three decades, and Asians are now the fastest-growing of the nation's four largest racial and ethnic groups, according to a New York Times analysis of .. "

Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/migrate/indians-in-us-wealthier-with-average-household-earning-of-123700-report/articleshow/85623601.cms?

What a week! January 20, 2025

What an incredible week. Hostages were released to the arms of their family and country. Donald J. Trump is inaugurated for a 2nd term with hundreds of orders ready to go. Martin Luther King, Jr. is honored with a national holiday. Common sense makes an historic return to our capital.

The hymn I read this morning from Magnificat, January 2025, does not seem to have a title except Church--Worship--Morning (1958 Red Service Book and Hymnal, p 202)

"All praise to thee, who safe has kept
And hast refreshed me while I slept:
Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake
I may of endless light partake.

Lord, I my vows to thee renew;
Disperse my sins as morning dew;
Guard my first springs of thought and will,
And with thyself my spirit fill." (Verses 3 & 4)

Good thoughts for anyone, but especially those taking on this heavy burden of wars, border invasion, inflation, devastation by fire in California and floods in North Carolina, dysfunctional government bureaucracy, party loyalties, divided families.

Verse 6 of this hymnal version (poem) is the "Doxology," so familiar to many Christians, and sung every Sunday by millions. If you ever need to sing a group hymn and don't know all the words, use this one--everyone knows the final verse. It was written by an Anglican Bishop, Thomas Ken. Bishop Ken had a great singing voice and used it to speak out against corruption in the British monarchy. He even spent some time in the Tower of London for treason. He wrote many volumes of poetry. This hymn is most often sung to the tune of "Old Hundredth" (for Ps. 100).

Weather for Inauguration Day 2025

The weather warnings were accurate. I think it's about 4 degrees in Columbus, and probably worse east of us. I'm glad they moved the festivities inside--you never know how many more Bidenights would need to be pardoned. Now why do you suppose Fauci needed a pardon? Not charged with anything. Finally, some transparency about all those lockdowns and lies.

That's a rhetorical question, of course. We know the Bidenights held Americans hostage for 4 years and they assume Republicans are as evil as they are. After all, Liz Cheney was their example.

Take the tree down day

 Actually, that was yesterday. We decorated it the last week in November when Martti and Riitta were here.  Today was take a box up to the closets day.  It worked out well.  The cleaners have changed to Friday, so they were able to vacuum all the needles.  Even artificial trees make a mess. I've changed the "dressing" on the dining room table, and all the Christmas decor is gone, A friend is cleaning out her home in preparation for a move since her two sisters have moved to the a near-by retirement/nursing home. Her tales have inspired me, so while I was putting away the Christmas boxes, I started taking out some things that need to go to the VOA or the Discovery shop.  If I recall, it was 3 pair of jeans I didn't take the last time I did this, some faded but loved table clothes--one of my mom's and one of mine, and some holey ones left from dad's Marine service days. Also, a lovely smokey blue knitting skein with needles I'd started to work on many years ago while we lived at Lakeside.  I just never got the hang of it no matter how often I tried. Four couch throw pillows made the cut--last time I looked at them I wasn't ready to pitch.  And bunches of artificial flowers and ivy, I think they've been in this house at least 20 year--at least the color theme seems to be late 90s or early 2000s. I can see why decluttering is a good thing--everyone says it's good, but my goodness, saying good-bye is difficult.  I just tossed in the trash about a ream of paper I'll never use.  It's from those fat political screeds printed on one side only.  It makes me think of my Grandmother (Mary) who did all her correspondence on used paper--a habit she kept after the Great Depression.  I also went through a batch of pencils to see how many worked. 

It's been a week since my pacemaker (dual chamber) was implanted and I think I'm taking fewer naps and staying awake in the evening later.  That's good. I'm tracking my blood pressure and it seems to be behaving.

My Saturday Bible class is starting a new session tomorrow, but I plan to skip it.  It's a Blackaby series, and I remember doing it in the 1990s.  Boring. In fact, our whole church also did it while the classes did it also.  Double boring.

Here's my 2017 efforts to declutter: Collecting My Thoughts: Monday Memories--moving the books out

Potter-mania

Potter-mania is still with us.

I never bought or read a Harry Potter book. My daughter used to stand in line to buy one when they came out, but I fell asleep during the movie. Now on the used book sale market, they can be very expensive. ABEBooks.com sold 4 Harry Potter first editions hardcover copies for $105,700. Each copy represents a different impression of the first UK edition, each with its own idiosyncrasies.

And to think J.K. Rowling was "cancelled" because she won't say men can be women.

https://www.abebooks.com/books/rarebooks/most-expensive-sales-2024?

J.K. Rowling - Books, Family & Facts

I doubt that any of my books are worth anything, but I still have trouble getting rid of them. I could probably convince myself let me pass this one along.

Low battery alert and very cold weather

Not a good mix. I decided (now that I can drive again) to go to Walmart after the gym and see if any of those snazzy CD/FM/AM clock radio players that I saw online were in stock, but they weren't so I bought a few items and went to the car. I have one of those automatic key fob thingies and it wouldn't let me in the car. I had seen a warning (but only one) on the dash a few days ago that the battery in the key fob was low, but had done nothing about it. It quit on what could be one of the coldest days this winter, and I'm standing in the parking lot with groceries. I figured out how to get the hidden key out, even with cold fingers. Then realized that after opening the door, there was no place to put it in the starter button. Then the dash told me it couldn't recognize the fob, so I got closer to it, and it started. And I took off for Auto-zone to buy a battery. They only come with 2, so I then went back with the other one and had the guy change that one, too.  It took several tools and his smacking it on the counter to get it replaced.

Tech was not my friend this week (old CD player was electrocuted and died). What I was looking for is one of these.  Mine was a 1998 model that fried when a light bulb blew.  Some of the new ones look like 1960s or 1950s radios.

Following a long family tradition

I got my dual chamber leadless pacemaker implants yesterday. Smaller than a AAA battery. Home from the hospital in time to see the Buckeyes win, although I was asleep by then. I think the smaller one goes in the lower chamber of the heart. No wires, no surgery.

Turning the page

I changed my "page a day" horse calendar to JAN 7 today and looked at the quote for the 6th, "It is the quality of our work which will please God and not the quantity," Mahatma Gandhi. I would sure be in trouble if that's what pleases God. And it's not very Biblical and would only apply to certain tasks. Just think of all you do where quantity matters; then which work needs the top quality. The best. Think about wiping a sick child's nose. Will you let that poor little snot covered face just fester because you can't do it perfectly and only once ? Or the 5" of snow I'm looking at outside my window. Individually the flakes might all be perfect, but frolicking together they surely are massively magnificent (as long as you don't need to go to the grocery store). I understand the thought behind the quote--do your best, merit matters, excel even in the smallest job, nothing is too small, etc.--but I know that God is pleased with the imperfect effort if done with a loving heart

New Year's changes in Social Security benefits for retirees

If you are retired and receiving a public pension (like STRS or PERS in Ohio) you couldn't "double dip" and also get your social security benefits. That has just changed. All the details are not worked out yet, and I have no idea how retroactive it will be. Retirees' associations have been battling this for over 40 years, but of course if Biden signed the bill he'll get the credit. To look it up check out government offset, or windfall--they are 2 different laws.

https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10045.pdf?

https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/program-explainers/windfall-elimination-provision.html?

Hugh Hewitt on Biden, the media, and the scandal of the year

I'm just catching up on some podcasts. Christmas Eve eve Hugh Hewitt (Dec. 23) was apoplectic over the news of Biden's clemency and pardon list including 37 on federal death row (3 remain). The 3 who still face the death penalty were obvious "DEI"/ political choices.

The three men on federal death row did not get a commutation were Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who along with his brother killed three people in 2013; Robert Bowers, who killed 11 at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, and Dylann Roof, who killed nine black Charleston churchgoers in 2015.

 
Among those getting some holiday cheer is Thomas Sanders, who in 2010 kidnapped and then shot 12-year-old Lexis Roberts four times and cut her throat in Louisiana — days after the girl watched as Sanders murdered her mother on a road trip near the Grand Canyon." (New York Post) 

I'm sure the families of the other 37 will be thrilled that Biden who claims to be against the death penalty due to his Catholic faith, makes exceptions for race and religion while supporting and advocating for death to the unborn which the Catholic Church definitely condemns.

This news came on top of the Wall St. Journal story on the incompetency and dementia of Biden the entire 4 years and how his family and staff protected him and the media lied. The WSJ story was solid journalism with many interviews with staff and observers and media who weren't allowed to tell what they knew. Conservatives who knew this had been silenced or cancelled or called conspiracy nuts. Because Hugh is a journalist, he was most upset with the media, but he's awfully mad at Jill Biden and the rest of his family. The Scandal of the Year - The Hugh Hewitt Show: Highly Concentrated - Apple Podcasts  

Every Democrat you know should listen to this.

Butternut Squash on a cold winter day

I'm baking a butternut squash today. Usually I peel it, but that's hard on the hands. "Winter squash are packed with lots of nutrients. Adding them to your meal rotation is a great way to get fiber, along with vitamins A and C, potassium and antioxidants. Consider that 1 cup of baked butternut squash, one of the most popular varieties of winter squash, provides 160% of your daily recommended value of vitamin A, along with 7 grams of fiber." (https://www.mccormick.com/articles/adam-dolge/can-you-eat-squash-skin?)

One cup (205 grams) of cooked butternut squash provides (1Trusted Source):
Calories: 82
Carbs: 22 grams
Protein: 2 grams
Fiber: 7 grams
Vitamin A: 457% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
Vitamin C: 52% of the RDI
Vitamin E: 13% of the RDI
Thiamine (B1): 10% of the RDI
Niacin (B3): 10% of the RDI
Pyridoxine (B6): 13% of the RDI
Folate (B9): 10% of the RDI
Magnesium: 15% of the RDI
Potassium: 17% of the RDI
Manganese: 18% of the RDI
Aside from the vitamins and minerals listed above, it’s also a good source of calcium, iron, phosphorus, and copper. (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/butternut-squash)

Update: Since I had about 3 cups of squash, 2 cups of mashed potatoes (made with lots of butter and cream) and a quart of chicken broth, I did make squash soup this morning because my friend Nancy planted the seed in my brain. Tossed in some cloves, cinnamon etc. tasted it--mighty fine--so I had a bowl for breakfast. Delicious. With a cinnamon bagel and cream cheese.

We enjoyed friends and events in 2024, looking back

January 2024

1. Looks like we were doing the same as this year--packing things up to take the VOA, Discovery Shop and library. Old clothes, clearing shelves, washed sweaters and table clothes,

2. Met with police and banks about a credit scan. New cards.

4. Campfire (conservative Christians) met at Kullbergs. Senior Bible Study, Philippians

5. OSUL luncheon at Morgan House on Glick Rd.

6. Rusty Bucket  with Bill and Joyce, Joan and Jerry

8. Book Club, Sisters of Sinai

10. Coffee with Adrienne

11. Campfire at Kullbergs.  Senior Bible Study, Mary Kate Hipp on Tabernacle.

12. Coffee with Joann and Jim at McDonald's.

13. Quilt show at MR.

25. Senior Bible Study, Tammy Schuster

26. dinner/dessert Jerry and Joan, Bill and Joyce at Rusty Bucket

27.  WOW bible study overview by Woodsen, Shopping at Macy's with Phoebe.

28,  Retirement party for Dave and Pam Mann, began in 1974 with middle school kids

February 2024

1 Senior Bible Study, in-between parables

2. OSUL retirees

3. WOW

5. Book Club, My first ladies (flowers)

8. Senior Bible Study

9. Stone kitchen, Bill and Joyce, Jerry and Joan dessert at Joan's. 

10. Sent Valentines cards

11. Dinner here with Bruce and Marty and Rod and Judi, Valentine theme

12., Coffee with Adrienne

22 Senior Bible Study Mark 7 Lenten worship and lunch

29. Senior Bible study Mark 9 Lenten worship and lunch

And I will need to update this--maybe

Take care of your heart

Your heart beats 100,000 times a day — that's roughly 35 million beats per year and 2.5 billion beats over the course of life.

With each beat, the heart pumps blood through a vast network of veins and arteries, delivering oxygen and essential nutrients to every cell while simultaneously removing carbon dioxide and waste.

In fact, your heart pumps so much blood that it travels about 12,000 miles (19,000 km) through your body in a single day, which is twice the diameter of Earth.

And this remarkable organ functions tirelessly, acting as the engine that keeps your body running year after year on end. The sheer number of heartbeats over a lifetime is a testament to the incredible durability and resilience of this small yet powerful organ.

What's more, from infancy through old age, the heart continuously adapts to our changing needs, whether we're exercising, resting, or experiencing stress. So remember: Taking care of your heart ensures that it can keep taking care of you. (from instagram, Hashem Al-Ghaili

Christmas 2024

 Bob will have enjoyment for many evenings with his stash of Christmas reading.  10 Louise Penny and 5 Susan Elia MacNeal.

Christmas Eve 2024, seven services

Our senior pastor at UALC, Steve Turnbull, has to give 7 sermons today, Christmas Eve.  This year an 11 a.m. service was added so that the people who like traditional with communion didn't have to go out at night, and that also provided an option for families with several generations, or who have to visit more than one home.  

11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship with Communion

2:00 p.m. Modern Worship with carol Choir

4:00 p.m. Modern Worship

5:30 p.m. Modern Worship

7:30 p.m. Modern Worship, live streamed

9:00 p.m. Traditional Worship with Communion, live streamed

10:30 p.m. Traditional Worship with Communion

And on Christmas Day there will be a 10 a.m. service and we'll be attending that, too.  All services are at the Mill Run campus this year because Lytham Road is a construction zone.

We attended the 11 a.m. service this morning and it was very nice.  We had all the traditional carols and communion and the organ. It was all congregational singing--no solos or choir, and everyone participated.   And also many children--so a little fussy and hyped up about Christmas but such fun to see.  The 2 little girls in front of us, maybe 5 and 9, wore lovely match green sequined dresses with cute bows in their hair.  Dad helped the little one with her lighted candled after careful instructions from Pastor Joe.

We're having carry-out-in from DaVinci's tonight.  The restaurant needed the pick up by 2 p.m. so our daughter brought everything over and it's been repackaged and ready to put in the oven around 5 p.m.  The table is set with good china and we're using Phil's Christmas tablecloth.

Merry Christmas to all.  Joy to the World and Hark the Herald Angels sing!

Christmas 1994, 30 years ago

 Is doesn't look like I'll be getting out my Christmas letter until maybe Valentine's day, but I found an old, old one from December 1994, so I'll re-post. We still have that tree--so it's held up well. Bob started his architectural business that year, and we'd bought a lot of equipment. We'd visited both Indianapolis and Mt. Morris family.

Christmas 1994

Phoebe and Mark invited us over to see their Christmas tree--an artificial model, and we liked it, thought it looked pretty good, so they went with us and we shopped for a tree for us, too. It's now standing in the living room and we don't have to worry about turning out lights, or getting too dry. However, the wonderful pine smell is definitely missing. I bought some spray, but it only makes the room smell like I've used an air freshener. There are some things that you just can't get out of a can!

We'll be going to visit our Indianapolis family on Dec. 17 and then on the 18th continue on to Mt. Morris for a 3 day visit with Mom and Dad. Bob has some special Christmas presents planned for his family members, but we'll actually miss the get-together which will be on the 24th. We'll be back here to have church, dinner and celebration with our family.

We got all our "toys" in November. We're upgrading Bob's office to the family room and bought a copier, a fax machine and a new computer for him, and a garage door opener, washing machine, garbage disposal and new Dodge Van for us.

Bob's first year (actually 10 months) of business is coming to a close, and it has been a good learning experience, and he's even made some money. Three of the jobs have been Lakeside cottages--something he originally thought he didn't want to do because then it would be "work" to go there instead of relaxation.

                                                            Christmas 1994

Advantages of physical activity for older people

 The new study, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, found that, on average, people aged 50 to 83 who did more moderate to vigorous physical activity than usual on a given day did better in memory tests the day after.

Associations of accelerometer-measured physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep with next-day cognitive performance in older adults: a micro-longitudinal study | International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity | Full Text

Guess I better go to the gym today.  When it's cold or raining, that's a tough haul for me.

Mangione's back looks fine to me

 Critics of the health insurance industry needs to be looking at Barack Obama and Obamacare, not at company CEOs. And those idiots idolizing Luigi! I've seen the video clips of the sappy women and gay men drooling over Luigi Mangione. In the 1970s we visited prisoners at the old Ohio Pen with a church group and saw with our own eyes how otherwise normal women quickly became suckers for convicts. It's the "misunderstood bad boy" attraction. They become 14 and stupid again, The guy didn't even need to look like a model--could be short, fat and ugly, and yet these women fell for the lies and sad story. It was shocking, so I'm not surprised that women still fall for it no matter how vile the crime. Also, I saw Mangione in a film clip racing his bike through the streets of NYC and it didn't look like a bad back to me.

I'm still the fashion police

A lot has changed since Trump won in 2016. He knew the deep state was a problem, but only now sees how deep and murky politics really is. He knows now it's much more cutthroat than business or entertainment, but loyalty and deals are still his strength. Ordinary words have flipped, and Democrats seized words like "democracy" and "woman" and stomped on and shredded them. In my opinion, Melania and Barron are hardly recognizable. She's dressing like a librarian, or the wardrobe we used to wear 30 years ago--gray suits, sensible shoes, subdued and blending in. Barron looks like he's grown about a foot and now towers above both parents and all his siblings Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany. Last I read he was 6'9" and still growing and advised his dad about the younger voters.

Dual-chamber leadless pacemaker system

I won't exactly be making medical history, but I might be moving quickly ahead of my dad and siblings, all of whom had/have a conventional pacemaker. I'll be meeting with Dr. Amin about a "revolutionary" dual-chamber leadless pacemaker system, which will coordinate i2i (implant to implant) devices (smaller than a AAA battery) between the heart's atrial and ventricular chambers without traditional leads. I've seen it likened to a "moonshot" or a least a Thomas Edison moment in heart regulation. It was approved by FDA in 2023. I'm a pace setter at age 85!

Of course, I've learned all this in a week, so I'm a little fuzzy on the details--I been reading blogs and product literature and listening to podcasts. It's like trying to learn Mandarin and then having a conversation. It's brand new even to the experts, IMO.

 
In September I was told I was not a candidate for a pacemaker (originally developed in the late 50s) and here I be, now ready for the moon! If you have one of these in your heart, let me know--I've yet to meet anyone who does. And if you're a direct descendant of Grandma Bessie, we might want to talk.

A Christian and an evolutionary biologist with no faith discuss the value of religion

 A non-religious evolutionary biologist is stumped about human dignity.  Only religion explains it.

https://youtu.be/gwQHLHNsKvw?si=4NEjlCLCo8Qf_fpY  full podcast

https://youtu.be/28AvAlU8FPs?si=ePq6yhIVsjhUFltq   critical clip

Dark Horse is one of my favorite podcasts.  I've never heard of John Papola and the Dad Saves America podcast before, but he sounds like a critical thinker and just a wee-bit over my head. He reminds me of Joe Rogan without the profanity. 

Federal employees and IRS

"Don’t expect to get any customer service from the IRS. Only two of the 76 local IRS offices picked up their phones to answer questions, according to a July 2024 report." This is from Daily Signal report on at home workers for the federal government.  https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/12/05/joni-ernst-report-highlights-federal-employee-outrages/?

That caught my eye because we've just received a letter from the IRS saying we had a refund for our 2021 taxes (I think it was due to their error) and needed to fill out a form immediately and return it in order to claim it because we hadn't responded. There was no previous notice. Someone probably had her coffee cup or romance novel sitting on it. Or maybe she was at the beach and just didn't meet her quota.

Why did so many women vote for Trump?

Although I haven't read it yet, First Things has an article "How Trump won over women voters."  How Trump Won Over Women Voters | Rachel Bovard | First Things I'll give my own opinion and read it later--usually you can read that excellent religion and culture journal free for one or two times.

 
My take. Although highly paid and over-educated women as a group do lean to the left and are easily led because they are too busy with career and kids to carefully research the issues of the day, most women care about their budget, their children's education, their neighborhood, the safety of their families and community, and they love being women. They may love men, but don't want to compete with them for restroom facilities or athletic scholarships. Also, they don't like wimpy, childish men. Really.

 
That would sum up a Trump voter, or at least a voter who realized Harris didn't align with their values no matter who was running against her. Women voters knew, because Harris said so, that she was the last person in the room when Joe signed off on the Afghanistan bug out, when he showed the world how weak and feckless he was throwing us into 2 wars with no vote from Congress, and how she went along with the country lock down mandates, how the churches closed without a whimper from fear, and how children were unnecessarily forced to get the jab or be locked out of their schools and athletic events. Women voters saw other women being cancelled for speaking out or deciding not to run for school board or city council out of fear of retaliation. Women voters saw their own grocery bills and housing costs soar while illegals were being housed and fed in hotels. https://nypost.com/.../nyc-now-using-14-hotels-to-house.../

"In the real world, where the vast majority of American women actually live, this shift was inevitable. Most American women are turning to the right because the elite left has turned against most American women.

According to exit polls, women voters’ top concerns in 2024 were the economy and “threats to our democracy.” By contrast, Democrats’ top campaign messages were “abortion-on-demand” and “Orange Man Bad.” 

Maybe their marching song instead of "I am woman hear me roar" (1972) became "I am woman respect my body and my vote" (2024).

Leadless Pacemakers

 My cardiologist's staff has contacted me about having a leadless pacemaker after getting some results on November 20 from the heart monitor loop which is showing bradycardia, tachycardia and atrial fibrillation. In fact, several times it had stopped.  So I thought I'd better be informed before I agreed to it since a few weeks ago I was told I was not going to have a pacemaker. There is not a lot of information.

"Traditional pacemakers have been the standard treatment option for patients with severe/symptomatic bradycardia, an arrhythmia indicating an unusually slow heart rate. While there have been significant advancements in pacemaker technology since its introduction in 1958, pacemaker devices have continued to require the creation of a surgical pocket under the skin on the upper portion of the chest wall in order to hold the power source, and the use of leads to reach the pacing site. Current leadless pacemaker devices are self-contained enclosed capsules that include the pacemaker electronics and battery, and are delivered via catheter to the right ventricle of the heart. Leadless pacemakers function similarly to traditional single-chamber ventricular pacemakers without requiring transvenous leads or the need for a surgical pocket. https://www.cms.gov/medicare/coverage/evidence/leadless-pacemakers

I wanted to know the background of the funding and approval. This was CHAT generated

"Based on the provided search results, here is a summary of the Aveir leadless pacemaker grants:

FDA Approval: The Aveir Leadless Pacemaker System received FDA approval on March 31, 2022, for the treatment of bradycardia (slow heart rate) or irregular heart rhythms.

Indications: The system is indicated for management of one or more of the following permanent conditions: syncope, pre-syncope, fatigue, disorientation. Rate-modulated pacing is indicated for patients with chronotropic incompetence, and for those who would benefit from increased stimulation rates concurrent with physical activity.

Retrievability: The Aveir leadless pacemaker has a high retrieval success rate, with a study demonstrating a rate of 88% over 9 years, making it a viable option for patients who may require future upgrades or removal.

Dual-Chamber Pacing: The Aveir DR system is the first dual-chamber leadless pacemaker approved by the FDA, allowing for simultaneous pacing of both the atrium and ventricle.

Battery Longevity: The Aveir VR leadless pacemaker has a projected battery longevity of up to 16 years, compared to the average 8-10 years for traditional transvenous pacemakers.

Clinical Trials: The LEADLESS II trial demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of the Aveir VR leadless pacemaker at 6 weeks post-implantation, with a high efficacy rate of over 98%.

Congenital Heart Disease: A retrospective review of three Aveir retrievable leadless pacemaker implants in adult patients with congenital heart disease showed successful implantation and short-term outcomes up to one year post-implant.

These grants and approvals demonstrate the Aveir leadless pacemaker’s potential as a safe and effective treatment option for patients with bradycardia or irregular heart rhythms, particularly those with congenital heart disease.


fda.gov
Aveir Leadless Pacing System – Aveir Leadless Pacemaker, Model LSP112V (Right Ventricular); Aveir Delivery Catheter, Model LSCD111; and Aveir Link Module, Module LSL02 – P150035 | FDA

abbott.com
AVEIR DR System: 3 Things to Know After FDA Approval | Abbott Newsroom
cardiovascular.abbott

What we're asking the loop recorder to do? video from a 2023 conference The Latest in Implantable Cardiac Monitor Technology: Dr. Ulrika Birgersdotter-Green at HRS 2023

Product information on Abbott dual chamber leadless pacing

https://www.cardiovascular.abbott/us/en/hcp/products/cardiac-rhythm-management/pacemakers/aveir-dr-dual-chamber-leadless-pacemaker-system.html?

Since 1996 I've been on medication to control heart rate. For most of my life I've had POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), but didn't know what it was. Had an ablation in January 2002, but it didn't work. POTS: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

Advent Sunday by Christina Rossetti

Advent Sunday
by Christina Georgina Rossetti

Behold, the Bridegroom cometh: go ye out
With lighted lamps and garlands round about
To meet Him in a rapture with a shout.

It may be at the midnight, black as pitch,
Earth shall cast up her poor, cast up her rich.

It may be at the crowing of the cock
Earth shall upheave her depth, uproot her rock.

For lo, the Bridegroom fetcheth home the Bride:
His Hands are Hands she knows, she knows His Side.

Like pure Rebekah at the appointed place,
Veiled, she unveils her face to meet His Face.

Like great Queen Esther in her triumphing,
She triumphs in the Presence of her King.

His Eyes are as a Dove's, and she's Dove-eyed;
He knows His lovely mirror, sister, Bride.

He speaks with Dove-voice of exceeding love,
And she with love-voice of an answering Dove.

Behold, the Bridegroom cometh: go we out
With lamps ablaze and garlands round about
To meet Him in a rapture with a shout.

Advent Sunday:Christina Rossetti | Malcolm Guite