Debby Diehl, obituary

Debra Lynn (Nall) Diehl, 67, of Mt. Morris, Illinois, passed away peacefully on July 5, 2023, after suffering from some heart issues earlier last month.

Debby was born to the late Buddy Roger & Marjorie (McCue) Nall, on December 8, 1955, in Beloit, Wisconsin. Debby married Brian Diehl on February 11, 2005. He was the love of her life.

https://www.finchfuneral.com/obituary/Debra-Diehl?

I'd never met Debby--she was married to my father's cousin, Brian, who was 11 years younger than me, so I'd only seen her Facebook page.  Brian is the son my aunt Ada, so he is my first cousin, once removed.

Cheri Lynn Hooker O'Mathuna, 1959-2023

Cheri Lynn O’Mathuna, 64,  daughter of our good friends Ron and Jane Hooker "went home to be with the Lord on July 2, 2023. She died at home looking out on her flowers with her husband Dónal by her side, surrounded by her children Catrina (married to Andrew Bogart), Conor (married to Sinéad) and Peter (married to Emily), along with her best friend and sister-in-law. She is also deeply missed by her father, Ronald Hooker, her brothers, Jeff and Greg (married to Cheryl), several nieces and nephews, and many cousins.

Last year Cheri had the joy of meeting her two grandchildren, Killian Bogart and Orla O’Mathuna, whom she quickly spoiled in every way she could. She is now enjoying a heavenly reunion with her mother, Jane Hooker. Cheri graduated from Upper Arlington High School (1977) and The Ohio State University (1982). She was actively involved in home churches and Bible studies for many years through Dwell Community Church and in Ireland.

Cheri was an amazingly tender, caring and beautiful person. Her eye for color and coordination allowed her to adorn everything she touched with beauty. Her gift of hospitality led her to host events that perfectly celebrated those she loved. Many people in Columbus, Dunboyne, Belfast and elsewhere will be laughing and crying as they remember the great times that Cheri helped create.

She loved the Lord and was passionate to help others know Jesus and the grace and forgiveness he extends to all who will accept his gift. This gave her a strength and fortitude that might not have been obvious under her soft skin and warm smile. Her dependence on God helped her face thirteen years of cancer with dignity, determination and courage. She was very grateful to the wonderful staff at St. James’s Hospital, Dublin, The James Cancer Center, Columbus, and the hospice nurses who helped her through her last few days.

Cheri touched everyone she met with love and grace. She could bring laughter and fun to any event (even if the laughs were at her own expense). Now she is being showered with God’s love as he shows her around the mansion he has been preparing for her (John 14:2-3). We know she will be busy giving Jesus some decorating ideas. While we who remain are deeply saddened by her passing, we are grateful that she is truly, deeply at peace, and that we have had the privilege of knowing Cheri.

In lieu of flowers, as an expression of sympathy, memorial gifts may be sent to The James Cancer Hospital “Leukemia, Lymphoma and Post-Transplant Research Fund.” Gifts can be made online or sent to The OSU Foundation, PO Box 710811, Columbus OH 43271.

Cards may be mailed to 3999 Wynding Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43214, USA.

Cheri Lynn O'Mathuna Obituary 2023 - Shaw-Davis Funeral Homes & Cremation Services

Do masks stop the spread of viruses?

I don't see a lot of masks these days--occasionally at the grocery store, and even a woman driving alone on a nice day wearing a mask this week. This evening we went to a visitation, and one woman was wearing a mask. Perhaps she had a cold and didn't want to expose anyone, but masks don't stop the spread, according to all the studies done. Perhaps the best study hasn't yet been designed, but it's zero, zilch, nada. Of course, I said that in 2020, but I was shut down or blocked. https://www.city-journal.org/article/approximately-zero Don't expect die/dei hard government supporters to change--I looked at some of their explanations for this study, and they go by feels rather than facts. We've already given them so much power, I doubt they will give it back.

Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College

Democrats are not getting the memo. They are rubbing their hands with glee even though the majority of Americans agree they shouldn't be discriminating against Asian Americans, who [shock and awe] are not "one" group. Harvard has always had quotas for certain groups and it always will. It's been women, or Jews, or Asians. They look for work arounds, like the word "diversity" in Powell's opinion in the Bakke decision 45 years ago. That one word which now means the opposite of what it meant opened the door to sneak in DEI at every level from kindergarten to grad school as a "positive." They claimed to end quotas and affirmative action with "diversity." Then among themselves they agreed to not look at cello or violin accomplishments or nerdy computer hobbies so they could eliminate students with immigrant parents who work for Google in favor of one who produced hip hop videos with a millionaire dad.

 
I'd give you a good link, except this crazy AI Chat-gpt keeps trying to write my argument. So this will remain an opinion, mine and thousands of others.

Tip:  Save anything you have in print.  It is lost forever on the internet, especially with the AI and as we librarians say, To the victor belong the archives.

St. Maria Goretti and Alessandro Serenelli

I'm not one who has visions or dreams* about Jesus or spiritual events. I just plod along reading one of my 10 Bibles, 20 reference books, or miscellaneous articles in magazines for insight. However, occasionally God puts before me the story of Saint Maria Goretti to remind me of his command to forgive others as we have been forgiven (Lord's prayer). I've come across this story numerous times. Today there she was again on p. 81 of the July issue of Magnificat. Maria was a young Italian girl sexually assaulted and stabbed to death by Alessandro Serenelli. He was arrested, tried and jailed, all the while blaming others and society for his sins. Maria appeared to him years later in a dream in prison, and she forgave him. Although he was still denying he was to blame for his deeds, his life changed. He was released from prison after 27 years (probably in part because of his changed life) and was also forgiven in person by Maria's mother, who was still alive. Unlike the 5th century or 10th century martyr stories, this all happened in the 20th century, so there are accurate reports, even photographs. Alessandro lived out his life as a Capuchin lay brother serving others, and lived long enough to attended Maria's canonization in 1950. There are churches and parishes named for her, and I'm always moved by this story of forgiveness.

 I have such a struggle forgiving Joe Biden that I hope someday I can be as forgiving as Maria and her mother. I'm not there yet.

* I did have one dream, very special, in 1974 when Jesus appeared, but it's been so long I'll need to go back and look for my notes. I've noticed (and you have too) that people my age either forget or embellish important events. I have 20 years of blogs and a lot of notebooks, so somewhere I probably have it recorded.

The algorithm game in the search engines

It's no secret. I'm a one issue voter. After I check off the pro-life issues, I can go from there--conservative candidates, environment, education, local issues, etc. But I also use the internet to research these issues because there aren't just 2 sides--there may be 10, and I also use the ballot funding record as a guide. Deep pockets, dark money, bad dudes like Soros and Son. You've heard that Google, Bing, Duck duck go, and Brave have algorithms which push the Democrat/Progressive/Socialist media and organizations to the top, and most people will only look at the top 3 or 4 (which will all agree).

So here's my last search. I was looking through the articles written by Suzanne Bell, quoted in JAMA, about the nearly 9,800 lives saved with the TX heartbeat bill. (She was against it and has done a lot of research in developing countries.) Since it's almost impossible to do any political issue without Trump's name popping up, I started following the term, Global Gag Rule. This refers to a 1984 bill preventing U.S. tax dollars from going to foreign NGOs if they offer abortion services used in foreign countries. It's the "Mexico City" rule, and it was used under Reagan, GHW Bush, GWBush and Trump; it was rescinded for Clinton, part of Obama terms, and Joe Biden. Of course, it was referred to as Trump's Gag Rule by angry pro-aborts. Anyway. That's not the point.

 
I went through perhaps 15 pages with 10-15 articles on each page, and found the same articles all the way through: The Guardian; Guttmacher; NPR; Reproductive rights; NCAC; Center for American Progress; Planned Parenthood; KFF; ACLU; Salon.com; Democracy now; Huffington Post; Open Society; Vogue; and so forth. In other words, it's not just a few swings to the left, it was ALL pro-abort arguments, with inflammatory words, data, medical articles, NGOs, politicians, sad stories, opinions, etc.

 
Not a single word defending a policy that keeps American colonial invasion dollars out of the wombs and families of third world women.

 
There are lots of issues here if you look closer. Why can't foreign NGOs survive without that small piece of American aid? What else is U.S. dollars controlling in their "aid." Is this tied to military bases in that country? Are there any journalists coming out of U.S. colleges and universities, or grad schools that are conservative, or are they eliminated before they ever get into the job market? If one or two slip through are there any corporations or businesses that would hire them if their ESG score isn't desirable. There is no diversity of thought or values now in the education system or job market. DEI is DIE.

So you see, an algorithm isn't just an algorithm. It's life from the beginning to end affecting thousands.

Just say No

Being able to say "No it's against my religion" is part of the First Amendment.

Should a vegan restaurant be required to serve meat?

Should a Muslim fashion mall kiosk be required to stock lascivious outfits for non-Muslims?

Should a Wiccan bookstore be required to stock "I found Jesus" books?

 
Should a MAGA political merch store be required to distribute pamphlets advocating mutilating children?

The "Bake that cake or else. . ." nonsense will continue. They are not "real" customers--the issue (pizza, flowers, bakery, web designer) is shopped until a small conservative Christian entrepreneur who can't afford the legal costs is found. Then all the coffers are opened with the money left over from the marriage campaign. This is not about fairness, it's about destroying the Constitution.

Supreme Court sides with Colorado web designer in blow to LGBTQ protections : NPR

Mass shooting around the 4th

Some sources say four shootings some twelve.

That term gets sort of loose these days. Shootings at neighborhood parties or festivals (Baltimore, Philadelphia, Ft. Worth, Highland Park) are called "mass" but I didn't see that term used for a Korean American, her unborn baby and husband, two weeks ago in Seattle and the shooter is known.

 
I suspect race sensitivities have something to do with how shootings are reported. Reporters want to keep their jobs. White on black gets huge national coverage and nation's repentance and reparations are demanded; non-binary or trans shooter (I think there has been 5 recently) will slam shut any reporting on medical care/mental illness or manifesto from the shooter; black on black, ho-hum; black on Asian, silence.

Enjoy the holiday.

 I took a wrong turn today and drove through a neighborhood I probably hadn't seen in 20 years. The small houses I remembered had either been remodeled grandly, or torn down and replaced and all the empty lots now had mini-mansions. Then I saw something that really warmed my heart; two young girls were roller skating on the sidewalk, laughing and having the best time. The younger one was looking up to the older. The neighborhood had changed, but kids hadn't.

This is how we did it in the 1940s-50s.  The base could be lengthened so you could pass them on to the next kid.  It would hurt when the shoe clip would slip and you'd go flying into the grass.

A disgusting misuse of crafters' big hearts for volunteering.

I was browsing a website I'd seen in a magazine that describes the activities and products of crafter organizations--people who knit, sew or craft materials that can benefit the less fortunate. I was shocked to see that one group was "helping" out the local Planned Parenthood agency--with heating pads for cramping from a chemical abortion. Wow. They just destroyed a human life so let's donate heating pads. Also little bags for personal items (probably need a lot of sanitary napkins for bleeding) and free birth control pills to take home for 14 year olds. It's the worst imitation of what churches and pregnancy centers do to help teen girls and young women get through some tough times, which includes counseling, clothing, household articles and presenting the gospel in a safe environment. 

The devil in drag pretending to be something else.

Tucker Carlson, episode 8

 https://youtu.be/lT8Bn05WLs8

Tucker exposes "Rick" Levine of the U.S. HHS.  Says, happy summer of pride. Wife and children. Living proof you can become whatever you want to be.

And the bi-partisan support for the Russia-Ukraine war.

A week to celebrate, or not?

Churches across the nation should have been celebrating today for the First Amendment victories this past week. But that probably didn't happen because so many congregations have members who only listen to MSNBC, CNN and NPR lie to the nation. The rest have jaded members (like me) who already know that it's a game of whack a mole with the colleges and universities. Their massive DEI bureaucracies for racism in academe won't give up and the "shop for a judge" political hacks will continue to sue the little baker and candlestick maker who doesn't have the resources to fight back.

Freedom of religion (establishment and free exercise) is first among the Firsts. Without it, nothing else matters, and the founders knew it.

 
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

In 21st century America the bureaucracy just gets a non-government agency to deprive people of their Constitutional rights.

Happy July 4.

Biden v. Nebraska (22-506)
The Secretary of Education does not have authority under the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003 (HEROES Act) to establish a student loan forgiveness program that will cancel roughly $430 billion in debt principal and affect nearly all borrowers. I won't need to pay off someone's student loans.

Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (20-1199)
The admissions programs at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Asians being discriminated against; end of affirmative action supposedly.

GERALD E. GROFF, PETITIONER v. LOUIS DEJOY, POSTMASTER GENERAL
Mr. Groff, a Christian, not required to work on Sunday.

CREATIVE LLC ET AL. v. ELENIS ET AL. (21-476)
Lorie Smith, graphic artist, Christian, does not need to serve same sex couples in wedding celebration.

Dark Horse podcast Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Very disturbing. Bret Weinstein has just released a November 2021 podcast with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is convinced Fauci is the most dangerous man in the world in that we lost all our constitutional guarantees to freedom because of him. Weinstein is an evolutionary biologist who was fired from his professorship for blowing the whistle on wokeism. He and his wife Heather Heying work together and she has a substack column, "Natural selections."  It's almost 3 hours long. Bret Weinstein | DarkHorse Podcast on Apple Podcasts

The word on exercise

A quote from my new book, "Outlive," by Dr. Peter Attia (c. 2023).

"So if you adopt only one new set of habits based on reading this book, it MUST be in the realm of exercise. If you currently exercise, you will likely want to rethink and modify your program. And if exercise is not a part of your life at the moment, you are not alone--77% of the US population is like you. Now is the time to change that. Right now. Even a little bit of daily activity is much better than nothing. Going from zero weekly exercise to just 90 minutes per week can reduce your risk of dying from all causes by 14%. It's very hard to find a drug that can do that." p. 218

 
Dr. Attia has a podcast. Interviews interesting people.

Bob had an appointment with his cardiologist this morning and he said something very similar. Although Bob never took a pill before 2020, he now has a handful every morning. His doctor said that his regular exercise program is worth more than all of them.

Physical Exercise as a Preventive or Disease-Modifying Treatment of Dementia and Brain Aging - PMC (nih.gov)

Hazy and smoky in central Ohio

This is from a Forbes article 4 years ago. But we had heard it from an Arizona tourist guide in 2003--environmental regulations are part of the problem with wildfires. You wonder what other "green" goals will cause havoc in 20 years.

"Yet in spite of blaming climate change and attacking President Trump for suggesting bad environmental policies made California’s fires worse, California’s outgoing governor, Jerry Brown, quietly signed two bills to correct the worst of the state’s fire management policy missteps, proving Trump was right all along." (Forbes, Nov. 27, 2018)

Not a topic I usually research, but central Ohio is pretty smoky from 161 fires in Canada. A friend posted on Facebook an aerial photo of Mt. Verson, OH, and you can barely see the town. Our dinner guest last night had already sought emergency medical attention for his asthma earlier in the day.

Update: Everyone's talking about the smoky haze and hot weather. Photos of downtown Columbus are amazing--we can hardly see it.   And I'm concerned about the guys on my neighbor's roof. They've been replacing it for over 12 hours. Want to bet they are immigrants?

Mis- Dis- and Mal- mischief in the Justice Department

THE WEAPONIZATION OF CISA: HOW A “CYBERSECURITY” AGENCY COLLUDED WITH BIG TECH AND “DISINFORMATION” PARTNERS TO CENSOR AMERICANS

"The First Amendment recognizes that no person or entity has a monopoly on the truth, and that the “truth” of today can quickly become the “misinformation” of tomorrow. Labeling speech “misinformation” or “disinformation” does not strip it of its First Amendment protection. As such, under the Constitution, the federal government is strictly prohibited from censoring Americans’ political speech. The government also may not use third parties to bypass the First Amendment and conduct censorship by proxy.2"

But that's exactly what our federal government did.

cisa-staff-report6-26-23.pdf (house.gov)

Among other things . . . 

• CISA is “working with federal partners to mature a whole-of-government approach” to curbing alleged misinformation and disinformation.8
• CISA considered the creation of an anti-misinformation “rapid response team” capable of physically deploying across the United States.9
• CISA moved its censorship operation to a CISA-funded non-profit after CISA and the Biden Administration were sued in federal court, implicitly admitting that its censorship activities are unconstitutional.10
• CISA wanted to use the same CISA-funded non-profit as its mouthpiece to “avoid the appearance of government propaganda.”11
• Members of CISA’s advisory committee agonized that it was “only a matter of time before someone realizes we exist and starts asking about our work.”12

Good buy.

I was in Walmart on Bethel last Thursday and noticed how nice the fresh flowers looked, so I stopped. There were 3 price levels for bouquet size. I picked out a $5, all buds, but I knew they were lilies. There were 13-14 buds, now in full flower--pink, yellow and orange. What a lovely surprise. God's artistry.

Michael Rectenwald's message for leftists

Michael Rectenwald is the author of numerous books and poetry collections. He is a retired professor of literature. He's recently started a podcast, and has a website, Michael Rectenwald Home.

•  Let leftists live imprisoned in 15-minute cities, under constant surveillance, wearing masks, & submitting to endless useless vaccines, or worse.
• Let them survive on UBI issued in CBDC, with digital IDs that track their every move from cradle to grave.
• Let them forgo real meat, eat synthetic meat, toxic vegetables, and bugs.
• Let them submit to smart city technologies that track their carbon footprints and issue them social credit scores so they feel like good compliant citizens.
• Let them have their Marxism, critical race theory, transgenderism, and servility to the ever-burgeoning state.
• Let them think they are radicals as they serve as the foot soldiers and accomplices of the globalist elite.
• It's time to separate from these people. No reconciliation is possible.
• The only question is whether the totalitarians they serve will let us out.

The 15-minute city (FMC or 15mC) mentioned above is an urban planning concept in which most daily necessities and services, such as work, shopping, education, healthcare, and leisure can be easily reached by a 15-minute walk or bike ride from any point in the city. At this point, I think they exist in China.

UBI is universal basic income.

CBDC is central bank digital currency and is generally defined as a digital liability of a central bank that is widely available to the general public. Today in the United States, Federal Reserve notes (i.e., physical currency) are the only type of central bank money available to the general public.

Quick trip to Indianapolis

Saturday we had a quick trip (80 mph on a moving parking lot all the way) to visit my sister-in-law Jean, and a few other relatives.  We went out to eat at her favorite restaurant, Sero's, a Greek family style restaurant that serves breakfast all day. Indianapolis Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Restaurant | Sero's Family Restaurant (serosfamilyrestaurant.com)

  

Enjoying lunch at Sero's

Visiting at Jean's home

Secretary Bird

We have a bird calendar on our kitchen table, and although I wouldn't say I've "learned" new birds, I've at least seen them, and often we discuss the more unusual ones. Today's is "secretarybird." Not common around here, but endemic to sub-Sahara Africa. Just had to look up this one. When I first saw it I thought it might look like a secretary with a pen in his hair, and I was close according to this video, but the name was similar and different before that time. They have the body shape and hunting instincts of eagles, but legs like storks, and can be over 4 ft. tall. Their legs are very powerful, and they can kill and eat snakes.

https://youtu.be/difrBNjGwLo

Yesterday Bob asked what I did with them when I tore them off, and I said I kept them, but wasn't sure (in a house already with a lot of clutter) what I'd do with them. Maybe I should learn to draw birds, he said. And so, here is a "how to" video. https://youtu.be/2ptuRthuGko