Feeling rejected? You’re not alone.

The Old Testament lesson in church today was from Isaiah 53. We have pew Bibles at UALC, but I also have one in my purse, which I opened. "He was despised and rejected by men," and in the margin I had written from some previous sermon or Bible study, "Reject or its root appears 120 times in the Bible." So if you're feeling rejected, you're in good company. I checked online and found a list of 100 verses about rejection.

 https://www.openbible.info/topics/rejection

Misinformation and disinformation on social media

I wonder who has been analyzing the Russian social media interference in the 2016 election, and just how retweeting disinformation or misinformation is determined. How reliable is that source that has caused so much angst and terror among supporters of Hillary Clinton and our own media?

I've been looking at other topics in Twitter, and one study done in the Arabic language on medical topics had 51.2% false and 48.8% true information. Another on STDs and medical information also had a number of bad jokes about sex from avatar and anonymous sources. Does this mean that Arabic speaking medical people have been duped by spies and foreigners or that people who joke about STDs are somehow a threat to security? What do we actually know about all kinds of misinformation on Twitter, FB, Snapchat, etc. whether nutrition, HIV or Hillary Clinton?

Irish-American Month

March is Irish-American month. I'm guessing that's about 25% of the U.S. and Canadian population. My Irish settled in Tennessee (which was part of N. Carolina) after Pennsylvania and arrived before the rush and decades before the Revolution, so I don't particularly identify as Irish. It was fun to visit Ireland about 12 years ago.

https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2018/03/irish-american-heritage-month-new-resources/?loclr=ealocb

1890 census data on population density of Irish.

The current census says about 11% of Americans report Irish ancestry, but that's because so many people don't know their heritage. Irish were very poor, spread out all over, and many immigrants did their best to forget their past. According to Wikipedia, the population of Ireland is about 6.3 million, but it is estimated that 50 to 80 million people around the world have Irish forebears, making the Irish diaspora one of the biggest of any nation. Historically, emigration from Ireland has been the result of conflict, famine and economic issues.

Subscription databases for finding Irish American heritage. https://www.loc.gov/rr/main/irishamerican/databases.html

http://www.electricscotland.com/history/world/tennessee.htm

If you go online and check Irish immigration/slavery, you'll see the liberals and academics poo-pooing the research that the Irish were ever real slaves. Yes, bought and sold for their labor by England so their land could be confiscated, but not REAL systemic slaves like the Africans. Well, tell that today to the millions and millions of sex slaves, child labor slaves, domestic slaves and agricultural slaves in numbers greater than the transatlantic 18th c. slavery. Yes, tell them that they aren't REAL slaves.

The trouble with excuses. . .

If there were 1) no NRA, 2) a perfect screening database for legal gun ownership, and 3) no high capacity gun magazine [and there actually wasn't one], the Parkland shooter would still have killed 17 people, or more if all his plans and gun had worked properly [it jammed].

The failures, the reasons he was not stopped, and those people are dead, are
1) Sheriff Israel and his "leadership,"
2) the school board,
3) the superintendent,
4) the federal government "Promise" program,
5) the officer who guarded the perimeter instead of going into the school,
6) the FBI,
7) security guard who hid.

No matter how much you want it to be so, the anti-gun people can't blame the President, the NRA, the shooter's age, or even legal rifles. The result would have been the same if H. Clinton were the president. The difference would have been in the news media coverage and the social media memes whipping up the hate and hysteria.

9 easy stretches for back and hip pain

I think I’ve done all of these at various times.  It’s been a long time since my horse fell on me, but all I have to do is bend over to tie my shoe to remember.

https://blog.paleohacks.com/stretches-lower-back-and-hip-pain/#

Remembering Srebrenica

Mick Wenlock writes:  “Every once in a while I find myself getting mad and irritated enough to want to dust off a subject I have written about many times. Every time some tight ass smug European opines that wanting to have firearms to resist government oppression is old fashioned, out of touch, ridiculous I grit my teeth. And then I just have to bring this out.

Nearly 23 years ago, in mainland Europe 8,000 men and boys were marched out by their government and massacred. This happened 400 miles from Rome, 990 miles from London, 700 miles from Berlin. 8,000 men and boys marched out, lined up and shot.

It was in Srebrenica a part of Serbia.

If those 8,000 men and boys had all been armed - even with shotguns, the Serbs could not have done it.

It's not 'ancient history" nor is it something that only happens in places like Rwanda or Syria. it happened right under the noses of the so called 'enlightened" European governments who did less than nothing. Despite having a Dutch Battalion of soldiers in the area posted to safeguard the civilians no less, they did NOTHING.

The next time some pompous twat speaks about how not trusting the government is stupid, paranoid or silly ask them to explain this to you.

The UN promised to protect those men and boys, western Europe sent troops and they all did nothing while the local government massacred them.

Sorry - just once in a while i have to remind myself of how close it all is.”

The sheriff, the superintendent and the school board

According to an agreement Sheriff Israel had with the school board and superintendent, juvenile arrests were cut in half--those 17 deaths could have been prevented. Cruz was never arrested for his clearly illegal behavior. If the Sheriff and the school had done their jobs, Cruz could have never bought those guns. Because of a November 2013 agreement, he had no criminal record.

http://jjie.org/2013/11/05/south-florida-squeezes-school-to-prison-pipeline/

Here's how you cut juvenile arrests in half in just 3 years--long enough for Nikolas Cruz to carry out his threats:

*Sheriff Israel said that he instructed BSO deputies to issue juvenile civil citations, not arrests;
*The BCSD’s own written policy encouraged handling even criminal activity “outside the criminal justice system”;
*The BCSD’s own written policy did not actually require arrests, even for felonies and serious threats to school safety;
*Cruz’s behavior included repeated disruptive behavior, violent outbursts, threats, and physical assaults on other students; and
*Cruz was never expelled or apparently arrested for this behavior.

https://www.redstate.com/sarah-rumpf/2018/02/27/the-broward-sheriffs-juvenile-arrest-conspiracy-might-actually-be-true/

Racism and white privilege

Let's have a "conversation" about white privilege and racism on the Left. It's obvious that when suburban white teens are mowed down by a classmate, the left springs into action calling for more gun control. Their non-profits and think tanks even help organize the traumatized teens into a movement to march on DC (and btw, the President). Ironically, one of the organizations helping with this mobilization plan is Planned Parenthood, which has already facilitated the elimination of about 1/3 of those teens' generation and over 40% of black pregnancies! Another poke in the eye is the same organization which marched against Trump screaming for violence dressed like women's genitals was demanding more abortions.

The Left didn't organize any marches against guns during the Obama years when black teens were being killed in Baltimore, Chicago, St. Louis or Detroit--maybe because those cities are all controlled by Democrats, or maybe because blacks are already pulling the D lever, so they are really looking for a fresh group of voters, and soon these kids will be 18 and voting. I'm calling out their racism and their white privilege as they all have security guards protecting their homes, businesses and government offices.

Timeline for the Parkland shooter

February 5, 2016 – The Broward County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous call reporting that the shooter had threatened on Instagram to shoot up the school.

He also posted picture of himself with guns and knives. The information was forwarded to the school deputy who didn’t follow up.

September 23, 2016 – A counselor reported to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office that the shooter had possibly attempted suicide attempt, was cutting himself, and had expressed interest in buying a gun. It was reported to his school who said they would conduct an assessment.

September 28, 2016 – Florida Department of Children and Families, who had formerly been alerted to posts on Snapchat of the shooter cutting his arms and saying he wanted to buy a gun, were called to the Cruz home to investigate a disturbance. They ruled that he was “at low risk of harming himself or others.”

September 24, 2017 – A YouTube user sent a tip to the FBI, via tips@fbi.gov, reporting that a commenter named “Nikolas Cruz,” wrote “I’m going to be a professional school shooter” on his YouTube channel. The FBI responded that they could not “positively identify” the person who posted this comment.

November 1, 2017 – A family member called the Broward County Sheriff’s Office to report that the shooter had weapons and asked the police to come take them. The weapons were not collected by police.

November 30, 2017 – A caller from Massachusetts calls the Broward County Sheriff’s Office to report that the shooter was collecting guns and knives and could be a “school shooter in the making.” No report was filed.

January 5, 2018 – Call to FBI tip line, a person close to the shooter reported that “has a desire to kill people” and could “conduct a school shooting.”

This tip was never passed on the local Florida FBI office.
Source: http://www.glennbeck.com/2018/02/27/glenn-breaks-down-the-parkland-shooting-timeline-this-was-a-massive-failure-of-the-system/?

Retired school security officer has protection

"Reporters who attempted to approach the West Palm Beach home of ex-Broward County Sheriff's Office Deputy Scot Peterson were reportedly met with resistance from at least six police officers who were standing guard outside." Fox News.

What if there had been 6 armed police officers protecting Parkland school kids?

To the mayor of Oakland. . .

8 U.S. Code § 1324 (a) (1) (A) (iii)

Any person who, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals, harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation shall be punished as provided in subparagraph (B).

8 U.S. Code § 1324 (a) (1) (B) (ii)

A person who violates subparagraph (A) shall, for each alien in respect to whom such a violation occurs in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(ii), (iii), (iv), or (v)(II), be fined under title 18, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.

What are malacidins? Drugs from dirt

"Recently, NIH-funded researchers discovered a new class of antibiotics, called malacidins, by analyzing the DNA of the bacteria living in more than 2,000 soil samples, including many sent by citizen scientists living all across the United States [1]. While more work is needed before malacidins can be tried in humans, the compounds successfully killed several types of multidrug-resistant bacteria in laboratory tests. Most impressive was the ability of malacidins to wipe out methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) skin infections in rats. Often referred to as a “super bug,” MRSA threatens the lives of tens of thousands of Americans each year [2]."

https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2018/02/20/powerful-antibiotics-found-in-dirt/

http://www.drugsfromdirt.org/DrugsFromDirt/news/

When Melissa called the benefits office

The mother of my friend Melissa (I met her 13 years ago through blogging and now we're friends on Facebook) died recently. She. . .

"Called the benefits office to report my mother’s passing.

'Push 5 to report a death.

Please accept our condolences. I need to pass you on to...

Health and Wellness.' "

Shooter Nikolas Cruz himself asked for help

"Just weeks before the call to the FBI tipline, Mr. Cruz himself called 911 after a violent episode at the house where he was living. Punches had been thrown, household items broken, and he fled to a nearby park.

“I kind of got mad and I started punching walls and stuff,” Mr. Cruz told the dispatcher, his voice trembling during a 5½ minute call in late November, according to police records released this week. “The thing is I lost my mother a couple weeks ago, so like, I’m dealing with a bunch of [inaudible] right now.”"

Wall Street Journal report
https://www.redstate.com/slee/2018/02/26/parkland-failures-shooter-called-police/?

And more on the failures of the Boward County Sheriff's Department including the airport shooting in 2017.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fort-lauderdale-hollywood-airport-shooting/fl-airport-shooting-draft-reports-20170602-story.html

“Don’t do bad stuff,” Leviticus 19, God.

Leviticus 19

12

You shall not swear falsely by my name, thus profaning the name of your God. I am the LORD.

13

You shall not exploit your neighbor. You shall not commit robbery. You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your laborer.j

14

You shall not insult the deaf, or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the LORD.

15

You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment. Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty, but judge your neighbor justly.

16

You shall not go about spreading slander among your people; nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor’s life is at stake. I am the LORD.

17

You shall not hate any of your kindred in your heart. Reprove your neighbor openly so that you do not incur sin because of that person.

18

Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

Hello Fresh vs. Blue Apron vs. Home Chef

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SW_545NjPQ

I don’t like her sing-songy voice (a problem with young people) and I don’t think you should stand in front of something that makes you look like you have antlers while filming, but the information is good.

She didn’t like Blue Apron, and thought Home Chef had more choices.  Just a report—doesn’t show any cooking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=20&v=9r7b2RThXbg

And this one was a TV show evaluation showing the end result for Home Chef.  Shows the  preparation with the taste test with costs. It was cheaper than going out and buying the ingredients. Six day delivery, 44 minutes to prepare.

And now add in Amazon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2kFHh9CWYk

Amazon got in on this fad a little late, but this clip features Amazon (only in Seattle at that time) comparing Hello Fresh and Blue Apron.  Amazon’s package was for 2—others for 4.  Amazon was better for speed and not so much chopping, but I thought they said Blue Apron had best flavor—probably more fresh since it required more prep. But all were rated good by the family panel. Prices were comparable, but with Amazon you had to be a member and if less than $40, you paid a delivery charge.

I know someone who has tried the Martha Stewart plan, and has been very happy with it. We eat a lot of left overs—I assume most plans would have a little something for lunch the next day since our portions are usually smaller.

Chatting about spelling on the treadmill

I took "How to teach English spelling" with me to the gym today and walked slowly enough on the treadmill so I could read the first chapter. Also chatted with the people on either side of me and asked them how they learned to read and spell--phonics or "look and say" (whole word) method. The man on my left (maybe 80s) grew up in North Dakota and said he'd learned phonics and cursive. The woman on my right was maybe 15 years younger than me, and had learned whole word, but admitted to being a poor reader all through school (private schools, plus finished college) until learning a method (which I'd never heard of) when she began teaching learning disabled kids. She observed that was a "burn out" career, and after 16 years moved to guidance counseling.

My parents moved to Forreston, IL when I was in first grade, so I had phonics and my older siblings learned whole word in Mt. Morris, IL. Phonics was going out, so I suppose Mt. Morris was more progressive. So that shift was already taking place in the 1940s and it's still debated today. Reading through a history of reading instruction shows the debate going back to the 1700s.

(Talking and walking definitely increases the heart rate, no argument there.)

Fulford, the author, says about 50% of English words are spelled the way they sound--are phonemic. The other 50% are weird, but there are rules we can learn. Since I don't know most of the rules, I've memorized them over the years or at least knew when it didn't look right and looked them up.

He has his opinions-- "English has too many silent letters" like debt, island and pneumonia and too many "old Germanic spellings" like cough, through and laugh that should have been abandoned many years ago. Texting is probably taking care of that.

Lori says she learned phonics and SRA, so I had to look that up.  A box of cards with reading selections arranged by color and difficulty.  She swear by it. http://hackeducation.com/2015/03/19/sra   Sue says,  “I learned phonics. It was reinforced with specific lessons on the “trick” words. I remember the spelling lessons where we wrote each word a few times. The words were reinforced by using them in the proper context in sentences. I love phonics.”

The author, in the first chapter, further notes, "Small children will print the words, but older students should write them in cursive. While the youngest children enjoy writing, the older students are not so enthusiastic. The main reason for this is that many of them cannot write. That is, they cannot write cursive. The print each letter slowly and individually in an ugly mixture of lower and uppercase letters. Cursive, sometimes called longhand or roundhand, was introduced during the 17th century to make it possible to write much faster than printing."

(John J. Fulford, How to teach English spelling, Astoria Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9963799-2-2)

Kalanga Bible ready to be issued

Today I was reading the Lutheran Bible Translator's Messenger newsletter. The Kalanga (Botswana) full Bible is just about ready--finalizing notes, glossary and undergoing final checks. Kalanga is spoken by about 500,000 people in southwestern Zimbabwe, 150,000 people in northeastern Botswana, and a smaller number in the diaspora. Dialects include: Lilima (Botswana), Nyai, and Kalanga of the Plumtree area. Having God's word in your own heart language is very important, but first someone had to tell them about Jesus. That's what Jesus told his disciples--they didn't have a Bible, and Jesus never mentioned it. You can witness even without putting a Bible in someone's hand or trying to translate into the language of your neighbor.

https://lbt.org/our-work/the-translation-process/

They still can’t accept the election results

Of all the names you hear in connection with the Parkland shooting--Trump bears no responsibility, in fact within the last few weeks he's been called Hitler and crazy, and now there are demands he become a dictator. Yet Democrats are trying one more thing to bring him down--brand him with this school shooting by organizing hate groups of children. GW Bush was President in 1999 (Columbine) and Obama in 2009 (Ft. Hood), 2012 (Sandy Hook), in 2015 (Dylann Roof killing members of a church group),  2016 (Pulse Nightclub), in 2016 (San Bernadino massacre). Those presidents sprinkled no fairy dust, made no federal changes in laws, nor did the left expect them to. And the left didn't organize a march to the White House when a man who slipped through all the laws and protections already in place, shot up a church recently. The only difference is the hatred for Trump. Just one more effort to undo the election of 2016.

http://bucksexton.com/liberal-disgrace-media-turning-gun-control-into-part-of-anti-trump-resistance/

Violence on TV

I don't watch a lot of TV--my tolerance for violence and inane "journalists" is low. However, I can hear from the living room, reruns of “Law and Order” tonight, which begins every show with formulaic laughter/fun chatter then horror as the shooting starts or the body is discovered in the park, and for years our favorite series was “The Closer.” (I almost never watched “Major Crimes,” which was a spin off the “The Closer.”) Just those two shows exposed us to hundreds of violent deaths, crooked cops, greedy CEOs, philandering husbands and evil religious people. It's enough to make you look forward to the weight loss commercials. And if millions are spent on 3 minute commercials because they influence the public, then doesn't millions spent on 20 minutes of violence achieve the same influence?