Palm Sunday entrance

Tuesday night in our Bible study (on Zoom) we were discussing the colt/donkey that Jesus road into Jerusalem as king, which fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy. As our group is "older," we do get a little off track, and I mentioned that as a little child I knew about the cross on the donkey's back before I ever understood Palm Sunday because of "donkey basketball" which was popular entertainment in small towns. So I had seen donkeys and ridden one, plus I loved horses and donkeys are equines. Only one person had heard of donkey basketball (also grew up in a small town), and about half had never noticed the markings of a donkey (it fades as the animal ages, and Jesus rode a colt).

Bishop Barron's sermon for Palm Sunday (Luke 19:28-40) is on the passage "The Master has need of it" and he says every baptized person has a gift the Master has need of. Whether you are gifted with music, or art, or math, or hospitality, or financial acumen, or teaching, or a heart for the poor, or any other gift, he says, you are liberated to be of service to Christ and his people. That's an easy phrase to remember or memorize. So the next time you see a donkey, look for the sign of the cross. There is a legend that the donkey followed Jesus to the cross.

https://youtu.be/Jvi9Hmvki0k

Joint Statement Regarding Ohio House Bill 616--A parents' rights bill

 

Interview with Scott Atlas about the BA2 variant

"Since Russia invaded Ukraine, news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic magically disappeared among mainstream media outlets.

But in the last few days, fears surrounding the new BA.2 variant are coming back to certain cable news channels.

Statistics says the BA.2 variant is now responsible for more than 70% of COVID-19 cases in the United States, but Dr. Scott Atlas asserts the variant is nothing to be concerned about.

Study after study has come out proving Dr. Atlas’ to be correct about his outlook of the COVID-19 pandemic since it began in early 2020, but certain health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci have yet to give up, and are once again in the beginning stages of calling for more mask mandates.

Dr. Scott Atlas has always supported protecting the elderly and at-risk individuals, as everyone else has very little risk to the coronavirus, and that assessment is even more true with the BA.2 variant, which is weaker than the original." https://www.kusi.com/dr-scott-atlas-explains-why-the-ba-2-variant-is-nothing-to-be-worried-about/

Includes the video of the interview.

Critical theory, the importance of children

I just watched on TV one of those disgusting "lesson plans" to sexualize American children in kindergarten. I think it was for Ohio, but not sure. If you think this doesn't exist, you're dreaming. The school administrators and state boards of education are flat out lying to you. You can get rid of your Disney stock, but you may have to run for school board. There are many teachers left with good values who are sick about it, but they need their jobs, and unions certainly won't help them.

Critical theory has been in the college classes and faculty publications for over 40 years. Now with so much intersectionality where race and sex, or gender and ethnicity and sexual preference link arms (or other body parts), it is a massive political movement. The children are even more essential today to the cause than they were in the 19th century where this all began.

Carl R. Trueman in his book "The rise and triumph of the modern self," ch. 7, calls it the shotgun marriage between Freud and Marx with Erich Fromm performing the nuptials and many in the bridal party like Max Horkheimer, Wilhelm Reich, Herbert Marcuse, Friedrich Engels, Antonio Gramsci, Vladimir Lenin and other lesser know academics and behaviorists.

Karl Marx thought the working class would triumph over the middle class and replace capitalism with communism and all could be controlled by the state. Sigmund Freud always was about the individual and sex drive. "For Freud civilization was impossible except for a society that was prepared to repress the most fundamental of human instincts, the desire for sexual satisfaction via unhindered sexual activity." It was up to others mentioned above to bring the shotgun wedding to the current left wing ideology (Trueman has articles on the internet which you can check, and many are critical of his ideas). But you can see Freud's belief in sexual expression, especially in children, as front and center of this anti-family 21st century curriculum. To simplify, all the critical theory branches whether feminism, LGBTQxyz, or critical race theory are anti-western civilization, anti-patriarchy, and anti-family. You will get no points for "traditional values" or the traditional family as a societal good. That's hateful in their eyes. This messy cabal see the family as the vehicle to pass down wealth and property, and marriage as the oppression of women. Incidentally, these European and American scholars and "professionals" all had low opinions of women and some abandoned wives and children for mistresses and lovers.

 
As far back as 1936 Wilhelm Reich stressed the importance of childhood sexuality and sexual identity for the "struggle" to destroy capitalism and civilization. That's why their education can't be left up to their parents. All sexual taboos must be lifted. Sex is no longer considered a private activity -- it is social, public and political.

 
There's quite an uproar going on within the Christian "community" these days, and most of the crazies are in the seminaries and universities. But be advised, your church may be on the wrong side.

It's too bad we have such a weak resident in the White House

 Someone else might have known how to get arms to President Zelenskyy so the Ukrainians could fight and farm.

From an investment newsletter: "

There is going to be a worldwide food crisis, but Wall St is just not recognizing it even though it has been very clearly forecast for weeks. There is no avoiding it. Fertilizer is simply not sufficiently available, or costs far too much, and Ukrainian and Russian wheat and corn and sunflower oil are not going to be available. Many less developed nations like Egypt and others in that region and southeast Asia are already having to spend subsidies they cannot afford. There are already some disturbances in Peru, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe that will grow to be riots as food prices climb and shortages become apparent. These countries do not have the ability to continue the subsides for as long as they will be required. Trouble ahead. Other commodities are also headed up. There is no avoiding higher inflation for the next couple of months.

Russia, Ukraine and Ivan the Terrible

It's been 61 years since I graduated from College and I've forgotten most of my Russian language and history. However, today I've been listening to a fabulous podcast on "The Third Rome," which is a term for the history of Christianity through the eyes of Moscow, the Third Rome. Rome fell apart sometime after the 5th c. I think through corruption, mismanagement and invasions by barbarians, and Constantinople (the 2nd Rome) was taken over by the Muslims, so the Russian Christians see the Moscovy empire as the seat of Christianity (the 3d Rome) in the 16th century. I managed 5 miles on the exercycle learning about Ivan the Terrible and Muscovite Russia. Its name is “Paradise and Utopia,” and the speaker, Fr. John Strickland serves as priest at St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church in Poulsbo, Washington, and he is part of "Ancient Faith Ministries." I've only begun to explore the web site and its riches, but the podcast on Ivan reminded me so much of Vladimir Putin. He was a defender of the faith, yet was so bloodthirsty he killed his own son in a fit of rage, had his own priests and boyars (nobles) murdered. He was really paranoid, but believed he was saving the church. If you want to know the symbolic roots of Putin's craziness in attacking another Orthodox Christian nation, listen to this. It was recorded several years ago, before the current invasion, but somehow it all makes sense now. https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/paradiseutopia/the_third_rome_i_ivan_the_terrible_and_the_murder_of_saint_philip

Some things don't make sense

Why are the Ls and Gs in LGBT+ supporting the Ts? Do they really believe there are no women, no men and they are interchangeable and that children should be sexually abused? If they aren't women, are they Lesbians? If they aren't men, why call them Gay? Seems awfully insecure.  If so many of the young girls decide they are boys, where are the partners for the aging Lesbians who decided  to stay women?

No Joke, Jimmy Kimmel

 No Joke by Mike Huckabee (his column of April 8, 2022

Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene said she reported former comedian-turned-DNC mouthpiece Jimmy Kimmel to the Capitol Police for using his monologue to attack her for criticizing the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. He called her “Klan mom” and said, “Wow, where is Will Smith when you need him?”

https://nypost.com/2022/04/07/marjorie-taylor-greene-reports-jimmy-kimmel-over-will-smith-joke/

Kimmel dismissed her complaint, saying it was a joke (I’m glad he pointed that out; it’s often hard to tell with his monologues.) But Greene said it’s no joke, and she’d already had some of his “fans” who were incited by him call her office and threaten violence against a Congress member.

This gets into a grey area of determining what’s protected free speech and what’s an illegal threat or incitement. I doubt anything will happen to Kimmel, not even second thoughts about how “amusing” it is to endorse violence against someone for holding a different political opinion (I’ll also note that he was suggesting a large man attack a woman, something that he may have no problem with, but I’m apparently one of the last people left who remembers what a “woman” is and that men aren’t supposed to hit them.)

This sort of openly expressed wish to physically assault or even murder anyone who holds non-“woke” political views has become a hallmark of the tolerant, diversity-loving left. I wish they had as much self-awareness as they do arrogance. If so, maybe they’d realize how dangerous and unfunny that is.

Also how hypocritical. Remember when they tried to blame the Gabrielle Giffords’ shooting on a Sarah Palin ad with a “crosshairs” logo in it that the shooter never even saw? Or how they continue to claim that Trump is directly responsible for any violence other people committed on January 6th, even after he told his supporters to protest “peacefully and patriotically”? Yet they gleefully cheer on the idea of violence against anyone they disagree with, even though they know plenty of deranged leftists are listening, from the guy who shot up the office of the Family Research Council to the Bernie Bro who nearly murdered Rep. Steve Scalise.

I tell plenty of jokes about Democrats on my show, but whether you like them or not, it’s obvious that they’re jokes and never calls for violence. See if you can say the same thing about the left after reading through this list of very unfunny reminders of the consequences of this kind of violent rhetoric, compiled by Ed Driscoll at Instapundit.

https://instapundit.com/514001/

Who's zoomin' who

The latest news about intelligence (spies) failure only confirms why there is constant misinformation on the internet, and conservatives/the right should NOT be punished for it. It's often the deep state who is to blame, no matter which party is in charge.

The latest is the fake DHS workers (from names appear to be Muslims, but who knows if that isn't fake) infiltrating the real (I think) Secret Service, even one who guarded Jill Biden. The real Secret Service was actually accepting gifts from the fake DHS.

Then we find out the WH has been lying about the chemical weapons in Russia story, so Biden could fool Putin, but instead just alarmed millions of Americans. And that was done with the complicity and perhaps knowledge of the media.

We know it was intelligence failures that warned President Bush of WMD, and when he acted on it, the Democrats blamed him and abandoned his leadership in Afghanistan and Iraq which they had voted for. But the intelligence failures were from the Clinton years.

We were finally told that yes, Obama's staff had been "spying" on Trump before his inauguration, but meanwhile Trump was blamed for being paranoid.

 
The NYT and WaPo have finally come out with the truth about Hunter Biden and his connections with Burisma (Ukraine) and CCP through his lap top. Even though they knew well ahead of the election they shut down the truth and ridiculed on the MSM any reports about the laptop.

 
After the dirty deed was done and the economy and personal lives destroyed the research finally appeared on what a failure the Covid lockdowns were in stopping the virus, and continue to be.

 
Even after we finally learn that yes, CDC was taking its "science" advice from the leftist teachers' unions, not actual research, the masking continues.

 
Even after we have ongoing warnings from Fauci (NIH and Satan) that Americans have to be more cautious, Biden lets millions of unvaccinated border jumpers cross the border and get on busses to your communities where your children are still masked for school and you need a mask to get on an airplane.

In the words of dear departed Aretha in 1985: "Who's zoomin' who" which has various meanings, the cleanest of which means who is checking out who, or who's going to score when both are playing around.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/08/white-house-secret-service-personnel-duped-by-fake-dhs-agents.html

https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/ASPJ/journals/Chronicles/tracey.pdf

https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/wmd/about.html

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/351495-it-looks-like-obama-did-spy-on-trump-just-as-he-did-to-me/

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/psaki-dismisses-abbott-texas-plan-bus-illegal-immigrants-u-s-capitol-publicity-stunt

Recommended podcast--Honestly with Bari Weiss

I often repost a link to Bari Weiss' material. She's started a new source for information and opinion, Common Sense (on Substack), after resigning from New York Times. She's also started a podcast, Honestly. This one, an interview with a Big Tech whistleblower, David Sacks, is well worth your time. How they are controlling private companies and free speech with their threats and power policies and coercion. And we're about to be hit with the social credit system. Maybe you thought shutting down Alex Jones or Donald Trump was just fine, but they are coming after YOU. If you are shut out of the digital town square, you have no free speech or the right to assemble. They are acting as a cartel.

https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/honestly-with-bari-weiss-1971579/episodes/how-big-tech-is-strangling-you-132356030

Reaping the whirlwind

Ohio is now considering a parental rights bill similar to Florida's. One of the best reasons for schools NOT to indoctrinate small children about sex--how, why, when, and who--is what the schools have done with ordinary, tried and true, historical meaning and traditional instruction on biology, i.e. how babies are made. It's called grooming. If you look at the statistics, when serious sex instruction took hold (with parental objection) in the 1960s and 70s, the teen pregnancy rate and subsequently the abortion rate, really took off. It did the opposite of what was intended. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the U.S. teen pregnancy rates rose. They remained steady through the 1980s, even as sexual activity among teens increased, due to improved contraceptive use among those teenagers who are sexually active. (Guttmacher, arm of Planned Parenthood statistics). When overall birthrates declined, unmarried teen pregnancies soared. The conservative and religious push to link marriage and sex was just too old fashioned for the age of easy contraception. Just wasn't "progressive," but Uncle Sam made a very bad step father for generations of Americans.

People have such faith in "education." Why, I don't know. All the bad political and financial policy ideas are sowed in academe and fertilized in Washington DC. We the people reap the whirlwind. Prove me wrong.

"They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. The stalks of grain wither and produce nothing to eat. And even if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it." Hosea 8:7

Succession--some things are just too terrifying to think about

 

Anniversary of my baptism--72 years ago

Baptism and catechism for converts to Christianity in the 4th century.

"The candidate for baptism is to present himself before God in true repentance and humility, making sincere confession of his sins, and in the knowledge that there is one God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, who together with the Holy Spirit, is the rewarder of those who diligently seek. Him. At baptism the sins of the believer are remitted; he receives the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, and symbolically he shares in the burial and Resurrection of the Lord."

That's a brief summary of 28 lectures given by Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, titled "Catechetical Lectures." Eighteen of the lectures are addressed to persons desiring baptism, and 5 are addressed to the newly baptized. Our own baptism and confirmation were not that challenging, but they do have a history, and God does the heavy lifting. This is from the 4th century.

 
It seems the candidate also had an exorcism to be cleaned of evil spirits and it involved some nakedness to symbolize Christ who was naked on the cross. The candidate also went into the pool 3 times as a symbol of Christ's death, burial and Resurrection. He was then anointed with oil as Christ's gift of grace and the soul was sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Then the new believer was ready for the Eucharist which is no longer bread and wine, but the real body and blood of Christ. That was topped off by commemoration of the patriarchs, prophets, Apostles, and martyrs and the Lord's Prayer with a benediction.

 
There is very little agreement among Christians on anything--certainly not baptism or communion. But most of us can find elements of our own baptism in this ancient description. I was baptized on Palm Sunday of 1950 (April 2), and still find elements in that service and the baptisms I see at our Lutheran church in the 21st century.

This information about Cyril's baptismal instructions is from p. 93-95 of Magill's Masterpieces of Christian Literature in Summary Form (1963).

Ketogenic and low carb diets and cognition in the elderly

This article is really complicated with lots of tabs to open so you can review the results of the research, so I'm just providing the abstract and the conclusions, however, from my limited knowledge of nutrition and chemistry, I'd say it's worth a try.

To Keto or Not to Keto? A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials Assessing the Effects of Ketogenic Therapy on Alzheimer Disease

Advances in Nutrition, Volume 11, Issue 6, November 2020, Pages 1583–1602, https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmaa073
Published: 29 June 2020

ABSTRACT

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a global health concern with the majority of pharmacotherapy choices consisting of symptomatic treatment. Recently, ketogenic therapies have been tested in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), focusing on delaying disease progression and ameliorating cognitive function. The present systematic review aimed to aggregate the results of trials examining the effects of ketogenic therapy on patients with AD/mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, CENTRAL, clinicaltrials.gov, and gray literature for RCTs performed on adults, published in English until 1 April, 2019, assessing the effects of ketogenic therapy on MCI and/or AD compared against placebo, usual diet, or meals lacking ketogenic agents. Two researchers independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias with the Cochrane tool. A total of 10 RCTs were identified, fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Interventions were heterogeneous, acute or long term (45–180 d), including adherence to a ketogenic diet, intake of ready-to-consume drinks, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) powder for drinks preparation, yoghurt enriched with MCTs, MCT capsules, and ketogenic formulas/meals. The use of ketoneurotherapeutics proved effective in improving general cognition using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive, in interventions of either duration. In addition, long-term ketogenic therapy improved episodic and secondary memory. Psychological health, executive ability, and attention were not improved. Increases in blood ketone concentrations were unanimous and correlated to the neurocognitive battery based on various tests. Cerebral ketone uptake and utilization were improved, as indicated by the global brain cerebral metabolic rate for ketones and [11C] acetoacetate. Ketone concentrations and cognitive performance differed between APOE ε4(+) and APOE ε4(−) participants, indicating a delayed response among the former and an improved response among the latter. Although research on the subject is still in the early stages and highly heterogeneous in terms of study design, interventions, and outcome measures, ketogenic therapy appears promising in improving both acute and long-term cognition among patients with AD/MCI.

Conclusions

Currently, there are no approved drugs to delay or halt the progress of cognitive decline in AD (124). Although faith in the therapeutic effects of the KD was initially attributed to Hippocrates (136), research on ketoneurotherapeutics for AD appears young. The results underline that, collectively, the efficacy of ketogenic therapy in MCI/AD appears promising, indicating that it is more than a symptomatic remedy (137). Nevertheless, research is still scattered and heterogeneous in terms of study design, intervention, participants, and outcomes of interest. Predefining a set of important outcomes for relevant RCTs would add weight to the evidence and aid toward the development of recommendations advocating for the usefulness of ketogenic therapy in AD. Thus, apart from reviewing the available RCTs assessing the efficacy of ketoneurotherapeutics on AD, the present study can also serve as a primer for the design of future clinical trials, to support public health translation and promote the KD as an evidence-based AD prescription remedy.

A second review: probably a lot of duplication.

Ketogenic Diet for the Treatment and Prevention of Dementia: A Review. 

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology 2021, Vol. 34(1) 3-10  (excerpt) 

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0891988720901785

Ketogenic Diet

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat and low carbohydrate-based diet. It is thought to simulate the metabolic effects of starvation by forcing the body away from its traditional fuel source, glucose, to primarily use fats. Fats are converted by the body to various ketone bodies (eg, acetoacetate, b-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone) used by the cells for fuel. This diet was originally described in the 1920s after the observation of the beneficial effects of starvation on seizure frequency in children with epilepsy.18 The keys to a ketogenic diet are to limit total caloric intake and, more importantly, carbohydrate intake. In this diet, total daily carbohydrate intake is typically limited to 10 to 50 grams or 5% to 10% of total caloric intake.19,21,22 It is important to note that a ketogenic diet differs from other low-carbohydrate diets. The level of carbohydrates in a ketogenic diet is drastically lower than that of most traditional “low-carbohydrate” diets used for weight loss. One form of the various ketogenic diet protocols uses large amounts of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) as part of the diet to help enhance ketone production.23 Shorter than traditional triglyceride chains, MCTs are transported more directly to the liver and enter without the assistance of carnitine, a metabolic compound responsible for the transport of fatty acid chains that are broken down for energy. The MCTs are more rapidly broken down into ketones and energy. Regardless of specific carbohydrate consumption levels, the essential goal of the ketogenic diet is the production of ketone bodies. The degree of ketone body production will vary by individual and diet factors. Some people using this diet will even test themselves for ketones using either blood or urine to ensure the adequacy of their regimen.

Basics of Low Carb

Low-Carb Eating — The Basics

Your food choices depend on a few things, including how healthy you are, how much you exercise and how much weight you have to lose.

Consider this meal plan as a general guideline, not something written in stone.

Eat: Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, high-fat dairy, fats, healthy oils and maybe even some tubers and non-gluten grains.

Don’t eat: Sugar, HFCS, wheat, seed oils, trans fats, “diet” and low-fat products and highly processed foods.

Foods to Avoid

You should avoid these six food groups and nutrients, in order of importance:

• Sugar: Soft drinks, fruit juices, agave, candy, ice cream and many other products that contain added sugar.
• Refined grains: Wheat, rice, barley and rye, as well as bread, cereal and pasta.
• Trans fats: Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.
• Diet and low-fat products: Many dairy products, cereals or crackers are fat-reduced, but contain added sugar.
• Highly processed foods: If it looks like it was made in a factory, don’t eat it.
• Starchy vegetables: It’s best to limit starchy vegetables in your diet if you’re following a very low-carb diet.

You must read ingredient lists even on foods labelled as health foods.

For more details, check out this article on 14 foods to avoid on a low-carb diet.

Low-Carb Food List — Foods to Eat

You should base your diet on these real, unprocessed, low-carb foods.

• Meat: Beef, lamb, pork, chicken and others; grass-fed is best.
• Fish: Salmon, trout, haddock and many others; wild-caught fish is best.
• Eggs: Omega-3-enriched or pastured eggs are best.
• Vegetables: Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and many others.
• Fruits: Apples, oranges, pears, blueberries, strawberries.
• Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
• High-fat dairy: Cheese, butter, heavy cream, yogurt.
• Fats and oils: Coconut oil, butter, lard, olive oil and fish oil.

If you need to lose weight, be careful with cheese and nuts, as it’s easy to overeat on them. Don’t eat more than one piece of fruit per day.

Foods to Maybe Include

If you’re healthy, active and don’t need to lose weight, you can afford to eat a few more carbs.

• Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes and some others.
• Unrefined grains: Brown rice, oats, quinoa and many others.
• Legumes: Lentils, black beans, pinto beans, etc. (if you can tolerate them).

What’s more, you can have the following in moderation, if you want:

• Dark chocolate: Choose organic brands with at least 70% of cocoa.
• Wine: Choose dry wines with no added sugar or carbs.

Dark chocolate is high in antioxidants and may provide health benefits if you eat it in moderation. However, be aware that both dark chocolate and alcohol will hinder your progress if you eat/drink too much.

Beverages

• Coffee
• Tea
• Water
• Sugar-free carbonated beverages, like sparkling water.

A Sample Low-Carb Menu for One Week

This is a sample menu for one week on a low-carb diet plan.

It provides less than 50 grams of total carbs per day. However, if you’re healthy and active you can eat slightly more carbs.

Monday

• Breakfast: Omelet with various vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil.
• Lunch: Grass-fed yogurt with blueberries and a handful of almonds.
• Dinner: Bunless cheeseburger, served with vegetables and salsa sauce.

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Bacon and eggs.
• Lunch: Leftover burgers and veggies from the previous night.
• Dinner: Salmon with butter and vegetables.

Wednesday

• Breakfast: Eggs and vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil.
• Lunch: Shrimp salad with some olive oil.
• Dinner: Grilled chicken with vegetables.

Thursday

• Breakfast: Omelet with various vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil.
• Lunch: Smoothie with coconut milk, berries, almonds and protein powder.
• Dinner: Steak and veggies.

Friday

• Breakfast: Bacon and eggs.
• Lunch: Chicken salad with some olive oil.
• Dinner: Pork chops with vegetables.

Saturday

• Breakfast: Omelet with various veggies.
• Lunch: Grass-fed yogurt with berries, coconut flakes and a handful of walnuts.
• Dinner: Meatballs with vegetables.

Sunday

• Breakfast: Bacon and eggs.
• Lunch: Smoothie with coconut milk, a dash of heavy cream, chocolate-flavored protein powder and berries.
• Dinner: Grilled chicken wings with some raw spinach on the side.

Include plenty of low-carb vegetables in your diet. If your goal is to remain under 50 grams of carbs per day, there is room for plenty of veggies and one fruit per day.

If you want to see more examples of go-to meals, check out this article on 7 healthy low-carb meals in under 10 minutes.

Again, if you’re healthy, lean and active, you can add some tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes, as well as some healthy grains like oats.

Healthy, Low-Carb Snacks

There is no health reason to eat more than three meals per day, but if you get hungry between meals, here are some healthy, easy-to-prepare, low-carb snacks that can fill you up:

• A piece of fruit
• Full-fat yogurt
• One or two hard-boiled eggs
• Baby carrots
• Leftovers from the previous night
• A handful of nuts
• Some cheese and meat

Eating at Restaurants

At most restaurants, it’s fairly easy to make your meals low-carb friendly.

1. Order a meat- or fish-based main dish.
2. Drink plain water instead of sugary soda or fruit juice.
3. Get extra vegetables instead of bread, potatoes or rice.

A Simple Low-Carb Shopping List

A good rule is to shop at the perimeter of the store, where the whole foods are more likely to be found.

Focusing on whole foods will make your diet a thousand times better than the standard Western diet.

Organic and grass-fed foods are also popular choices and often considered healthier, but they’re typically more expensive.

Try to choose the least processed option that still fits into your price range.

• Meat (beef, lamb, pork, chicken, bacon)
• Fish (fatty fish like salmon is best)
• Eggs (choose omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs if you can)
• Butter
• Coconut oil
• Lard
• Olive oil
• Cheese
• Heavy cream
• Sour cream
• Yogurt (full-fat, unsweetened)
• Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• Nuts
• Olives
• Fresh vegetables (greens, peppers, onions, etc.)
• Frozen vegetables (broccoli, carrots, various mixes)
• Condiments (sea salt, pepper, garlic, mustard, etc.)

Clear your pantry of all unhealthy temptations if you can, such as chips, candy, ice cream, sodas, juices, breads, cereals and baking ingredients like refined flour and sugar.

The Bottom Line

Low-carb diets restrict carbs, such as those found in sugary and processed foods, pasta and bread. They’re high in protein, fat and healthy vegetables.

Studies show that they can cause weight loss and improve health.

The above meal plan gives you the basics of healthy, low-carb eating.

If you need a comprehensive list of low-carb recipes that are both simple and delicious, check out this article on 101 healthy low-carb recipes that taste incredible.

Of course, you can also browse the Internet for even more low carb or paleo recipes.

From: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/low-carb-diet-meal-plan-and-menu#bottom-line

I'm a little teapot, short and stout

The second set of every day china that I purchased was a Franciscan set in 1969. Franciscan Cantata is from their Whitestone Line. It was produced from 1965 to 1972. It has a white background with olive colored leaves and blue and turquoise flowers. I just loved it. My most vivid memory about this pattern is I had set the table and was ready waiting for my mother-in-law and sister-in-law Jean and her two daughters Julie and Joan to arrive for a visit from Indianapolis. They had a terrible time finding our home on Abington Road because there is another Abington on the northeast side of Columbus, and ours was on the northwest side. They spent hours driving around the city looking for us. All I have left of the large set is a little tea pot, and I keep it on the counter next to the coffee pot. I looked at some china resale sites, and tea pots must be fairly rare, because I didn't see any. It must have been overlooked when I gave this set away (when or where I don't remember), so it is still with us.

 https://gmcb.com/franciscan_archive/index.php/library/franciscan-dinnerware-and-art-ware/

Franciscan Ware, or Franciscan Pottery as it was first named in 1934, was manufactured by Gladding-McBean and Company of Glendale, CA. Scores of different styles and patterns were produced. In 1962 Gladding McBean and Company merged with the Lock Joint Pipe Company and became Interpace. Franciscanware was produced in California until 1984 when the facility at Glendale was closed and all production moved to England. Johnson Brothers of England then produced some of the patterns in England (later some patterns/pieces were produced in Japan, China and Portugal). It is important to note that not all pieces carry a “Franciscan” mark. Unless you are familiar with a particular pattern, you may not recognize it as “Franciscan.” (Hill House Wares)

  

“I’m a Little Teapot” Lyrics (1939)
I’m a little teapot
Short and stout
Here is my handle
(one hand on hip)
Here is my spout
(other arm out straight)

When I get all steamed up
Hear me shout
“Tip me over
and pour me out!”
(lean over toward spout)

I’m a clever teapot,
Yes it’s true
Here let me show you
What I can do
I can change my handle
And my spout
(switch arm positions)
Just tip me over and pour me out!
(lean over toward spout)

Bless their hearts, they care. . .

Isn't it wonderful that leftist academics want to save us from "doom scrolling" when they are the ones who elected the current deadbeat in the White House, who thought Trump was terrible for talking to the president of Ukraine who is now fighting for his life, who refused to listen to the well researched information about Hunter Biden being on the payroll of the CCP and Ukrainian Oligarchs, who just loved working from home when little kids were being masked and forced to loose 2 years of schooling. It's just so sweet of them to be concerned about our foul mood now that Biden has been proven even to die hard greengoes that he's a disaster. Well, thanks for nothing! I tried to go to the original publication, but is was so littered with trans, BLM and covid articles, I had to stop doom scrolling.

https://www.llrx.com/2022/03/ukraine-doomscrolling-can-harm-your-cognition-as-well-as-your-mood-heres-what-to-do-about-it/

"Doomscrolling can promote feelings of anxiety and depression. For example, consider how sad and exhausted you may feel when watching a drama with tragic events and sad music in the background. In contrast, if you watch a funny film or romantic comedy with lively music, you may feel upbeat and energised. This is due to two psychological phenomena: “mood induction” (an intervention that can change our mood) and empathy.

Serotonin is an important brain chemical for regulating mood, and it can drop when we are chronically stressed or saddened by bad news for extended periods of time. Studies show that it is even possible to exacerbate the effects of reducing serotonin in healthy people through mood induction by playing sad music. Pharmacological treatments which increase serotonin are used to treat depression and anxiety.

Empathy is a good trait which helps us live successfully with others and promotes a flourishing society. However, excessive empathy, when viewing tragic world events on the news, may lead to ruminating on negative thoughts, which have an impact on our mental health and wellbeing. Constantly thinking negative thoughts can lead to depression or anxiety."

Catching up on crime

I was reading about the Yale director who stole $40 million in electronics equipment from her employer and spent it on lavish living. She's out on bond. Piker. That made me think of the trusted Dixon, IL employee who stole $54 million from the little town of Dixon, with a population of only 15,000. She was into horses, not computers. The largest heist of municipal funds in history. She was released from prison early last year after serving half her 20 year sentence. Made her case for early release on risk of Covid in prison. https://wgntv.com/news/wgn-investigates/rita-crundwell-stole-54-million-then-returned-to-the-scene-of-the-crime/

The architecture and ambiance of Ukraine

It seems American architects are boycotting doing work in Russia. That's probably a good idea, but does Russia really need them? I've seen a few videos of cities in Ukraine, both before and after the war, and it looks to me like it was a very beautiful country before the invasion, with lovely thoroughfares, graceful trees and parks, and grand public spaces.

One tourist site states (and it's their job to be over the top): "Ukraine is possibly one of the most overlooked countries in Europe. Although it might stay under the radar when it comes to Eastern European travel, this just makes visiting Ukraine even more of a hidden gem and a true travel treasure. From powerful architecture to sandy beaches and lush vegetation, Ukraine has it all."  https://expatexplore.com/blog/ukraine-best-places-to-visit/

This female tourist guide assures you it is quite safe to travel in Ukraine, but that was February 24, which I believe was the day of the invasion. She stressed the reasonable prices.  Still you can see the photos. https://www.mywanderlust.pl/best-places-to-visit-in-ukraine/ 

However, she does praise some Soviet era architecture, which I don't care for at all.

The U.S. public architecture is very ugly.  Even if it's barely 40 years, when it is torn down.  I shudder when I drive by or have to visit the "brutalism" style of our Ohio History Connection (the historical society) building which resembles either a square mushroom or a box without wheels.  It's even worse insides--a perpetual basement no matter where you stand.

How Big Tech stifles free speech and encourages evil