Charles Arthur "Chuck" Ballard, 1931-2023

Charles Ballard, November 11, 1931 - April 14, 2023

DIXON — Charles Arthur “Chuck” Ballard, 91, passed away on Friday, April 14, 2023, from complications following hip surgery. He was born on Nov. 11, 1931, to Arthur and Myrtle (Phillips) Ballard near Leaf River, Ill. His parents were farmers and lived on various farms that his dad managed in western Ogle County. He was raised on an old-school farm where everyone pitched in and did their part.

While there, he attended a one-room schoolhouse in Pine Creek Township, then went on to graduate from Leaf River High School. He entered the U.S. Navy and served as a medic on the aircraft carrier USS Gilbert Islands, a Commencement Bay-Class escort carrier. He then attended the University of Illinois, College of ACES, graduating with degrees in horticulture and business management. He studied in the famous Morrow Plots and was voted Most Eligible Bachelor of the entire university. His career began with Del Monte, which took him to Rochelle, IL. While there he met his wife, Jacqueline (nee Kilfoil), who fixed him up with a friend of hers, but it was his post-date conversations over coffee with Jackie that led them to start courting. They were married on Labor Day Weekend, 1960, in Franklin Grove, IL. Jackie was seven years his senior and Chuck became an instant dad to her children, Billie Duncan and Tom Duncan.

His career with Del Monte took them to Indiana, living in Frankton, Frankfort and Fort Wayne, before taking a position as the store manager at the Sears Catalog Store back in Rochelle. In 1967, he became the first director of the Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District, which initially ran out of their dining room. While establishing the park district he met his lifelong friend, Phil Nye, Jr., and those two created thousands of memories together hunting, fishing, dinners with their wives and a trip out west in 2021 that was one for the books. His next career move was to White Pines State Park in Oregon, IL to serve as its head ranger. There are so many wonderful family memories at The Pines while they lived in the park. He then was promoted to Assistant Regional Manager with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, he was involved in everything to do with the state parks, from managing the staff to securing equipment and working on projects.

He and Jackie lived life to the fullest, always a spark and laughter when they were around. He taught all his granddaughters to fish and lessons such as what a poison ivy plant looks like, that came in handy. They always lived at a house with a fantastic sledding hill for the granddaughters, and he would walk outside barefoot in the winter to greet guests. He and Jackie split their time between Dixon, Florida and Wisconsin, no one ever truly knew where they were at any given time, but we knew they were having a ball. Their cabin in Mauston, WI was a woodsy gathering place for family and friends, fishing was always on the agenda. Chuck spent much of his spare time outdoors, hunting and fishing, he was an excellent shot and holidays always included something he’d bagged during hunting season. Jackie wasn’t the best gamecook, but we all ate it anyway.

He was a patient teacher and guide, a fair leader and devoted to his family and friends, and he loved ice cream more than anyone we knew. Charlie could spin a tale like no other, he was an incredible storyteller. Many times he’d say, “did I tell you about the time …” and we all knew we were in for a treat. He was always positive, pleasant and content, even while enduring sorrowful losses and facing the challenges of aging.

Chuck is survived by his son, Tom Ballard of Byron; son-in-law, Neil O’Malley of Belvidere; niece, Barbara Ballard of Dixon; five granddaughters: Cathy (Mike) Dummer of Middleton, WI, Colleen (Gregg) Petrosky of Sterling, IL, Mary (Greg) Pippert of Buffalo, MN, Ellen O’Malley of Rochelle and Jenny (Dan) Pakenham of Rochelle; grandson-in-law, Scott (Kate) Loos of Kronenwetter, WI; great-grandchildren: Abby (Kevin) Martin of Decatur, IL, Patrick (Kailee) Petrosky of St. Paul, MN, David Dummer of Scottsdale, AZ, Taylor Renner of Rochelle, Molly Petry of Rochelle, Katelyn Dummer of Middleton, WI, Mitchell Petrosky of Dubuque, IA, Margaret Pippert of Minneapolis, MN, Nora Petry of Normal, IL, Eliza Petry of Urbana, IL, Isaac Pippert of St. Cloud, MN and Logan Loos of Kronenwetter, WI as well as great-great-granddaughter, Aria Brake of Rochelle.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Jackie, in September of 2010; his daughter, Billie O’Malley of Belvidere, IL in May of 2020; his parents, Arthur and Myrtle Ballard of Oregon, IL; his brother and sister-in-law, Phil and Shirley Ballard of Oregon, IL; and his granddaughter, Jane O’Malley Loos of Kronenwetter, WI.

A visitation will be held on Sunday, April 23, 2023 from 1-4 p.m. at Unger-Horner Funeral Home, 400 N. Sixth St., Rochelle. A burial with military honors will be on Monday, April 24 at 10 a.m. at Plainview Cemetery in Mount Morris. A luncheon and celebration of life will be hosted by the family at noon at the VFW in Rochelle. Bring your funny stories because we’re going to celebrate a wonderful man. Memorials may be made to the American Parkinson’s Disease Association or Rochelle VFW Post 3878. Visit www.ungerhorner.com to sign the online guest book. Obituary | Charles Ballard | Unger-Horner Funeral Home & Cremation Service (ungerhorner.com)

 

Chuck was my father's cousin. September 2018.

We met in 1959 when students at U. of I. 

Questions of the day--leaked documents, medical forms that lie and half naked women

1) Is the whole leaked document scandal going away? No one gets fired, no one impeached? What they seem [DoD and Sec of State and Justice Dept] to report now is that they don't know how many are out there, or how they were "stolen." And will they never address that the government lied to the American people and our allies about everything? So, they've put a poor shmuck in prison, but won't address their own crimes?

2) I had a medical appointment today. Am I the only one disgusted with the forms we sign to get medical care these days? Here's my letter to the company, and I'm not giving names for obvious reasons (I need my doctor).

"Today I was handed a clip board with a form to check for accuracy and learned that WXYZ doesn’t know my biological sex even though I've been a client since 1996 (the year it organized). That box was filled in by your staff as “unknown.” There was no option for male/female. Maybe in California that transagenda/ gender fluid nonsense goes over, but not here in central Ohio where we know the science and know the damage done to children who submit to surgery, hormones and bad advice. We also know that in the U.S. about .01% of the citizens identify as transgender, so why are you forcing their delusion on the other 99.99%?"

3) Women's arms. At the TV news desk, the men are in suits and ties, the women have naked arms; on HGTV when men are in sensible work clothes tearing down walls and installing plumbing, the women have naked arms; in the beer ads when men are climbing mountains with arms covered by shirts, women's arms are naked. Why do these two, giggling-like teenagers, FBI agents kneeling at a BLM riot have naked arms? Is this sexy? To me, all these half naked women look like they aren't ready for prime time.

When and where are those golden years we've heard about?

Yesterday I received a cartoon-poem from a high school friend, Rusty Rush, about the Golden Years. Actually, I didn't know him in high school, we met on the internet in a group managed by a mutual high school friend from when both played basketball for different high schools. When I ask myself when do those golden years start, I remind myself they came and went. My golden years were my 60s to mid-70s. Or 2000-2015. I had a thoroughly good time and was healthy enough to move around easily and travel in uncomfortable buses and bumpy plane rides. Much better than being a teen-ager. And although I loved my job, retirement in those years was just fun.  Every day I decided how to use my time. If time is money, I was a billionaire. This is a public service announcement in case you've been asking.

  

Art classes at the Senior Center 2001

 

New home (now 23 years) in condo association with great neighbors

 and someone else to take care of the lawn and snow.

  

Joined a book club in fall 2000. I've now read

some mystery books.

  

Joined Conestoga and visited historical sites in Ohio;

Cleveland, Cincinnati, Marion, Dayton, Canton, Blannerhasset, 

Mansfield  and many in Columbus. Airplanes, automobiles, 

graveyards, churches, museums, gardens, buildings, presidents' homes.

  

Travel to Alaska, Germany, Austria, Finland, Russia, Estonia, 

Canada, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Israel,

Egypt, Spain

 

Architectural tours with local Frank Lloyd Wright group to

  New York, Oklahoma, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas

  

Train trip to California 2003 for Bob Sr. 90th birthday,

Glen Canyon, Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Glacier Park,  

and in 2006

for Debbie's wedding and FLW tours and 

in 2011 for

  

Visits with Debbie and John and Rick and Kate,

 Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Malibu, Orange Co., Palm Springs,

Reagan Museum

 

Enjoying full season from 2001-2022 at our summer

home of 34 years in Lakeside, Ohio

  

Painting of our cottage on Third Street by Barby Bright

 

Family get-togethers at the Lake

 

Phil's home--Mother's Day

 

Holidays with family--Phoebe's home

 

Visits with Illinois family

 

Visits with Indiana family (Jean's 80th party)

 

Participated in many art shows

 

And 20 years of writing this blog, 20,017 posts,

with 3,567,726 views

(must be an old pie chart since most

are now political)

Jesus Christ is the Light of the world, by Blessed John Baptist Scalabrini (d. 1905) slightly reformated

Jesus Christ is the light of the world (Jn 8:12).

He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn 14:6).

He is the bond of union,
the kiss of peace between heaven and earth,
between God and man (Eph 2:14).

Jesus is our Redeemer,
our Teacher,
our Advocate,
our Exemplar,
our Doctor,
our Head,
our Companion,
our Brother,
our Friend,
our Comfort,
our Refuge,
our Glory,
our Joy, and
our Greatness.

He is the High Priest of the new covenant,
the eternal Priest,
the Mediator between God and man,
the victim for our sins,
our true and only happiness.

He is the door we must enter to reach his kingdom,
the Cornerstone and
Foundation on which the spiritual edifice must be built.

He is the Bread of our souls,
the Author and Perfecter of our faith,
our Reward,
our Crown,
our Life, and our All.

To Jesus we owe the grace and friendship of the Father,
the confidence and freedom of the sons and daughters of God.
To Jesus we owe all the gifts of nature, grace, and glory that we receive from God.

To Jesus we owe it if God preserves us,
sustains us, and
defends us;
if he does not punish us as we deserve;
if he continues to bear with us and wait for us.

From Jesus we get all wisdom and prudence,
all inspirations and good thoughts,
all pious desires.

From Jesus comes courage in time of danger,
strength in time of temptation, 
long-suffering in time of pain,
patience in time of adversity, and
perseverance in doing good:

"In Christ you have become rich in all things" (I Cor I).

Yes, we have everything in Jesus,
we can do everything in Jesus,
we can hope everything and
obtain everything from Jesus,
since it was Jesus who wanted to humiliate himself for us,
sacrifice himself for us, and
become all things for us (I Cor 1).

This appeared in 2 paragraphs on p. 58-59 of the February 2023 issue of Magnificat. I found it online at Scalabrini a living voice, excerpt from his writings, 1987. http://www.intratext.com/ixt/ENG2000/_P4.HTM

Big Pharma, Big Tech, and Synthetic Sex Identities by Jennifer Bilek

She started tracking the money that was supporting transgenderism about a decade ago. Very wealthy people are driving this ideology. Big Pharma, Big Tech, and Synthetic Realities. Whether you support Genesis or Evolution, it doesn't matter. You'll be silenced. Women are being eliminated. Look at the changes in our language. Women are being dehumanized, called chest feeders or birthing people so that transmen can be included.

Big Pharma, Big Tech, and Synthetic Sex Identities | Hillsdale College Freedom Library

The same billionaires who are funding sterilizing children are also funding the artificial synthetic sex industry to create humans. They are "creating god."

Act out in Chicago

I was reading an account of the teen "wilding" in Chicago where mobs of teens were being "rowdy" last night. I noticed this sentence:

"Around 8 p.m., the mob of teens attempted to storm into Millennium Park. However, people under 21 are not allowed access to the park without being accompanied by an adult."

So, children can decide about sex surgery to be sterilized, but people under 21 can't get in a park without an adult? What sort of dystopian world is this?

Who is funding the transgender movement? Follow the money

Who Is Funding the Transgender Movement?

"I found exceedingly rich, white men with enormous cultural influence are funding the transgender lobby and various transgender organizations. These include but are not limited to Jennifer Pritzker (a male who identifies as transgender); George Soros; Martine Rothblatt (a male who identifies as transgender and transhumanist); Tim Gill (a gay man); Drummond Pike; Warren and Peter Buffett; Jon Stryker (a gay man); Mark Bonham (a gay man); and Ric Weiland (a deceased gay man whose philanthropy is still LGBT-oriented). Most of these billionaires fund the transgender lobby and organizations through their own organizations, including corporations."  (Jennifer Bilek) Who Are the Rich, White Men Institutionalizing Transgender Ideology? (thefederalist.com)  Billionaires funding Transgender movement for profit | The Standard SC

I recognize the Stryker name.  It was on all the beds and gurneys that supported our son during his struggle with glioblastoma. It's medical devices. Billions.   At the fitness center while Phil was still alive I met a man who worked for Stryker--he was in the operating room when he had the surgery.  Stryker family (forbes.com)  Many of the rich founders of the trans movement are gay men.  Don't know why. They are heavily invested in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. So, yes, money, but there must be more.  Is it self-hatred?  They were also big Obama supporters. So the movement, which came to light with the bathroom battles, goes back to that. Pritzker is on his third wife--all women, even after he came out as a very fat, large woman.

But Jon isn't the only Stryker supporting LGBTQ+ causes. The Billionaires Behind the LGBT Movement | Jennifer Bilek | First Things  His sisters are involved, too. Their foundation Arcus poisons the well for many organizations

Lina Khan and the FTC

"The Federal Trade Commission is an irregularity. Though the agency is nominally part of the executive branch, its five commissioners do not answer directly to the president. They are independent. The Constitution, with its three-branch structure, does not contemplate the existence of such an entity. You might think that such an agency, this “fourth branch” anomaly, would strive to show respect for Congress, the federal courts, and the president—as a matter of self-preservation, if nothing else. But under the leadership of Lina Khan, the FTC is defying, sidestepping, and subverting all three."

And it's nothing new, The Unaccountable Federal Trade Commission | City Journal (city-journal.org)

Victor Davis Hanson on 10 ways Biden is causing chaos

VDH lists 10 ways by which America lost all deterrence.

"1) Joe Biden abruptly pulled all U.S. troops from Afghanistan. He left behind to the Taliban hundreds of Americans and thousands of pro-American Afghans. Biden abandoned billions of dollars in U.S. equipment, the largest air base in central Asia—recently retrofitted at a cost of $300 million—and a $1 billion embassy. Our government called such a debacle a success. The world disagreed and saw only humiliation.

2) The Biden Administration allowed a Chinese high-altitude spy balloon to traverse the continental United States, spying on key American military installations. The Chinese were defiant when caught and offered no apologies. In response, the Pentagon and the administration simply lied about the extent that China had surveilled top-secret sites.

3) In March 2021, at an Anchorage, Alaska mini-summit, Chinese diplomats unleashed a relentless barrage at their stunned and mostly silent American counterparts. They lectured the timid Biden Administration diplomats about American toxicity and hypocrisy. And they have defiantly refused to explain why and how their virology lab birthed the COVID virus that has killed tens of millions worldwide.

4) In June 2021, in response to Russian cyber-attacks against the United States, Biden meekly asked Putin to at least make off-limits certain critical American infrastructure.

5) When asked what he would do if Russia invaded Ukraine, Biden replied that the reaction would depend on whether the Russians conducted a “minor incursion.”

6) Between 2021 and 2022, Joe Biden serially insulted and bragged that he would not meet Muhammad bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, and one of our oldest and most valuable allies in the Middle East.

7) For much of 2021, the Biden Administration made it known that it was eager and ready to offer concessions to re-enter the dangerous Iran nuclear deal—at a time when Iran has joined China and Russia in a new geostrategic partnership.

8) Almost immediately upon inauguration, the administration moved the United States away from Israel, restored financial aid to radical Palestinians, and both publicly and privately alienated the current Netanyahu government.

9) In serial fashion, Biden stopped all construction on the border wall and opened the border. He made it known that illegal aliens were welcome to enter the United States unlawfully. Some 6-7 million did. He reinstated “catch and release.” And he did nothing about the Mexican cartel importation of fentanyl that has recently killed over 100,000 Americans per year.

10) In the last two years, the Pentagon has embarked on a woke agenda. The army is short by 15,000 in its annual recruitment quota. The defense budget has not kept up with inflation. One of the greatest intelligence leaks in U.S. history just occurred from the Pentagon.

The Pentagon refused to admit culpability and misled the country about Afghanistan and the Chinese spy balloon flight. The current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called his Chinese communist counterpart and head of the People’s Liberation Army to advise him that the U.S. military would warn the Chinese if it determined an order from its commander-in-chief Trump was inappropriate.

This list of these self-inflicted disasters could be easily expanded.

But the examples explain well enough why our emboldened enemies do not fear us, our triangulating allies judge us unreliable, and calculating neutrals assume America is in descent and too dangerous to join.

Yet without America, the result is a new Chinese order in which, to quote the historian Thucydides, “the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.”"

A new kind of wheelchair--hands free, PURE

My first semester at the University of Illinois in 1958 I noticed the outstanding services for the disabled--buses, ramps, wheelchairs, everything accessible decades before the rest of the country moved in that direction. I can still remember the man with no arms who ate with his feet pushing the wheelchair with the strength of his lower body of the friend with no legs. That's why it's good to see the technology at U. of I.  for hands-free wheelchairs Hands-free wheelchair prototype achieves major milestone | Mechanical Science & Engineering | UIUC (illinois.edu) "Personalized Unique Rolling Experience."

"PURE, Personalized Unique Rolling Experience, [is] a hands-free wheelchair that operates similarly to a Segway where the rider leans in a desired direction. The unique aspect of PURE is that it rolls on a ball or “spherical” wheel. It is based on the concept of a dynamically stable ball-based robot (ballbot) and uses an omniwheel system to drive and control the spherical wheel. PURE automatically transitions between three driving behaviors. Steer and Spin are similar to a typical wheelchair, in which the user can steer forward, backward or spin in place. Slide is unique and allows the user to move laterally, like an office chair. To accommodate for limited torso range of motion of some users, PURE uses sensors to estimate leaning and twisting motions and amplifies these signals to control the ballbot’s direction and speed.

“The development of PURE has been guided by our immutables – that it be lightweight and maintain a small footprint. We want to ensure that the current independence of manual wheelchair users would in no way be limited by PURE. If we were to develop a hands-free device that was so heavy that it prevented users from easily transferring it into and out of their vehicle, or if it was so large that it wouldn’t maneuver around typical living spaces, we would have missed the mark. Any device that compromises current levels of independence just won’t be used during daily life,” Bleakney said."

Men named Amy and Rachel are the new patriarchy.

 

Another good-bye--sweet dear Max

A note from sister Debbie: Max, your little face with those sad looking eyes drew me to you when I first saw your face in the newspaper, the OC Register. You pulled those heartstrings to the point of filling out the application and scheduling a meet and greet. The next 12 years of your almost 14 of being together were the absolute best. You became my greeter at the door, my shadow, companion, my love dog. A companion is gone but the memory lives on. The most difficult thing about having a dog is the good bye. My grief is not a sign of weakness but the price of love. I'm fortunate to have a very talented brother who painted a water color of Max after one of his visits from Ohio. Max, I love you and will miss you.

I stand with Riley

 

The creeping fascism of the federal government

 1. Joe Biden is overstepping on EV. He's declared that to meet climate goals (which no one believes in) we'll all have to have EVs by 2032 (2/3 of new cars, which means no one else will be able to buy gas). He has sold us out to China. EPA proposes new tailpipe rules that could push EVs to make up two-thirds of new car sales in US by 2032 | CNN Politics

(A) We don't have the grid, 

(B) we don't have the necessary products to create the batteries, and 

(C) we don't have a way to dispose of this toxic material.   

Batteries Are The Next Environmental Challenge (forbes.com)

This is regressive, not progressive. It is more polluting than anything we have now. This is a gift to China, who's already eating our lunch in the economic field and a gift to the auto companies. They made out like gang busters during Obama's war on the poor, called "cash for clunkers." Unilaterally deciding on what products can be produced and by which companies by the government IS fascism.

2. Joe Biden has quietly stated that the pandemic is over. Of course, that's ridiculous. It was over a long time ago.

 (A) Many of the laws and mandates about what we are allowed to say on social media or who can keep their jobs or who is allowed to defend the country haven't been rescinded. 

(B) We have never had an apology or even an investigation of what the violation of voting laws at the local and state level during the pandemic did to the 2020 election. Do you really think they'll just forget the power they grabbed from the people, from the states? By not being allowed to discuss it--that IS fascism. 

(C) Our churches have been silenced and still won't discuss or sue about the legality of what was done to Christians, Jews and Muslims in the U.S. which has a constitution that makes what the federal government did to us ILLEGAL. Outlawing religion IS fascism. 

Churches Still Recovering From Pandemic Losses - Lifeway Research

3. Declaring that boys will be girls and forcing girls to accept it and saying otherwise is a crime even though trans are .11% of the population (government figures), and then sending #2 honcho off to Tennessee to whine with the 2 black Justins who rioted and committed an insurrection because they wanted to protest about guns instead of the murder of children, that IS fascism--out and out mind control by the government. VP Harris meets with 'Tennessee Three' in surprise visit to Nashville after expulsions over gun protests (msn.com)

What happened in the Tennessee House when Democrats attacked Democracy?

Byron York compares what happened in TN House with what happened in Nancy's House in DC. 

"But the House, controlled by Republicans with a huge 75-24 majority, was on March 30 continuing a scheduled debate on school vouchers. To Democratic Reps. Justin Jones, Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson — three of the state House’s 99 members — that was unacceptable. The majority was not addressing “the crisis at hand,” as Jones saw it. In Jones’ view, along with Pearson’s and Johnson’s, the House should have dropped what it was doing and addressed the situation [gun control] that Jones, Pearson and Johnson wanted it to address.

So Jones, who had sneaked a megaphone onto the House floor, took over the podium and began haranguing his fellow lawmakers. Playing to the crowd, he and Pearson handed the bullhorn back and forth and led the crowds in chants of “No action, no peace!” and “Enough is enough!” and “Power to the people!” Republicans retreated to a corner of the chamber to discuss how to regain control of the House. After nearly an hour, Jones, Pearson and Johnson left the floor, and the House returned to business.

It was as egregious a violation of rules as one could imagine — a move by a tiny group to temporarily shut down the state’s most important democratic institution. It clearly called out for punishment. After reviewing the incident, House Republicans expelled Jones and Pearson, and failed by one vote to expel Johnson, who had played a less active role in the takeover."

Byron York: When Democrats Attack Democracy | The Patriot Post

But that's Democrats. Rules are for the other folks, the dummies, and Veep Harris rushed in to applaud their lawlessness.

Reproductive rights

The HHS has a Department of Reproductive Rights and so does the Department of Justice. The whole phrase "reproductive rights" may be one of the most misleading euphemisms in government hoodwink speak. And that says a lot. If you reproduce a designer gown you don't grab scissors and cut off the arms; if you reproduce a document, you don't jam a metal instrument in the innards of the photocopy machine and hope you get a good copy.

 
"Reproductive rights" means the right to kill a baby, a helpless human being, whether shortly after conception with a few pills or up to the end of the pregnancy at 9.5 lbs, 22 inches by sucking out the brain as the baby emerges. It's the bed rock foundation of everything the Democrats stand for. If some Democrats had their way, they'd include the 2 years after a live birth to be sure the baby meets the government specs. The blood lust of Joe Biden created these departments after the SCOTUS decision in 2022, Executive Order 14076.

  

Adding to the Tennessee tragedies

Justin Jones, Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson of Tennessee were much closer to being insurrectionists than anyone who protested on January 6th. And they barely got a slap on the wrist, and Veep Harris lauded and visited them. They desecrated the memory and suffering the those killed at the Christian school in Nashville with their disgusting protests. Why did they skate? Because they are Democrats and that's what they do. Rules are for everyone else. Democrats don't respect life, the Constitution, the nation or the pain and suffering of anyone but themselves, and even that's in doubt since they don't seem to ever suffer.

Kamala Harris meets with Tennessee lawmakers expelled over mass shooting protest - CBS News

Just try finding that truth in the media. When I researched this there must have been over 100 articles supporting these 3 silly, disrespectful and hateful people. Far more coverage than the media gave the murder of three children and 3 staff at a Christian school.

Louisville shooter former basketball player and bank employee

"More recently, he hosted a basketball-focused podcast with two buddies and tweeted about the NBA in between posts in support of the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, as well as some criticism of police violence and of then-President Donald Trump."

Friend said he'd had numerous concussions and wore a helmet while playing in high school.

He was fired last week from the bank.

Louisville Bank Massacre Suspect ID’d as Varsity Hoop Star-Turned-Banker (msn.com)

Nostalgia and preservation

I saw this invitation to attend a presentation by the preservation librarian of the University of Illnois, my alma mater.

"While there is a growing nostalgia for our old mix tapes on compact cassettes, our legacy LP collections, and old family films, we are faced with growing challenges to actually be able to play many of these legacy audiovisual formats. But the preservation challenges of our personal legacy AV collections pale in comparison to the challenges we will soon face with the preservation of our growing digital photos and files, even though there is not yet a fond nostalgia for 3.5 inch floppy disks or thumb drives. Jennifer will present an overview of the typical AV and digital formats that many consider valuable to us and will present basic steps that people can take towards better preservation strategies to ensure that you will be able to continue access to these materials for years to come."

Yes, how to you play these formats if you've trashed the equipment?  I still have a reel to reel tape of our wedding, but the tape player is long gone. We've got old vhs tapes, and no player.  Soon the DVDs will probably be unusable. 

And yet, to ruin a career, someone with evil intent will do a deep dive into twitter or Facebook, and dredge up something sent out when he or she was 17, or hit the like button.

Twenty arguments for the existence of God by Peter Kreeft

 Twenty Arguments God's Existence by Peter Kreeft (& Ronald K. Tacelli)

Peter Kreeft is a philosopher, and maybe the most famous Christian philosopher of our era.  He published this theme of 20 arguments for God's existence about 30 years ago.  I can't remember not believing in God, so I didn't have to be convinced and never debated it. I've also never taken a philosophy class. So 20 arguments is impressive.  My earliest memory of this was when I was about 4 or 5, and I thought God looked like our mailman, Mr. Bechtold, and wore a blue gray uniform. He was older than my parents, and I certainly knew other people who had uniforms (it was WWII and just about all the men I knew were in uniform, including my father and uncles). But I do remember sitting on the front steps of our house on Hitt Street watching him walk by and deliver the mail from a brown bag.  I must have been a very deep thinker at that age. Later around age 7 I recall lying in the grass at night looking at the sky with all the stars and realizing there was something much larger than my family, town, church, friends, school and pets, in short, bigger than my little universe.

If I had to choose one of the twenty, it would be number 5, Design. This awes me every day, every minute.  I notice it all the time.  The other 19 might be fun for philosophers to think about, and some or most of Kreeft's list I don't even understand.  Design is easy.  Works for me.