Greeting the neighbors at 6:30 a.m.

 On my morning walk I noticed a DIY moving truck and my neighbors loading personal belongings into their car.  So I stopped to chat.  They are moving to Florida.  I don't think this is political or financial because they bought a smaller home 4 years ago, and are just hoping for a nice retirement on the beach. Covid and the lockdown messed up their timetable, but now they are on their way.  They've lived there 13 years, and although we've chatted at parties, this was the longest conversation we've had.  I remember it used to be a 4 generation household.  His mother, their daughter and a granddaughter. Now it's just the 2 of them in 3700 sq. ft. But that's a lot of boxes, memorabilia and stuff to move. Safe travels Barry and Kathy.

  

Exercise heart rates for 85 year olds

Looks like I might be on target. I've been using 104 as my maximum target rate. I'm not working out to lose weight, but to benefit heart and brain.

The target pulse rate zone for a 85 year old male to burn fat during light to moderate exercise is 68 to 93 beats per minute1. 85 year old females working out to loose weight should exercise between 66 and 91 bpm. This exercise range corresponds to 50% to 69% of the maximum target rate for your age.

If you’re an older adult looking to establish an exercise routine, you should, ideally, be able to incorporate 150 minutes of moderate endurance activity into your week. This can include walking, swimming, cycling, and a little bit of time every day to improve strength, flexibility, and balance.

Exercise Plan for Seniors: Strength, Stretching, and Balance (healthline.com)

https://www.healthly.io/en/heart/exercise-pulse-rate-age/85-years/#

Exercise heart training zones chart for 85 year old women

% Max	Exercise	Pulse
90-100%	Maximum Maximize Performance	118-131 bpm
80-89%	Hard (Anaerobic Zone) Maximize Performance & Improve Fitness	105-117 bpm
70-79%	Moderate (Aerobic Zone) Improve Fitness	92-104 bpm
60-69%	Light (Recovery Zone) Weight Loss & Improve Fitness	79-91 bpm
50-59%	Very Light Weight Loss	66-77 bpm

Sound of Freedom movie--what's the controversy?

Why are some in the MSM and Americans deep in the Democrat political pool denying the truth and seriousness of the film, "Sound of Freedom," with Jim Caviezel playing Tim Ballard? It's a film about a modern abolition movement and underground railroad to free children in sex slavery. With most crimes, it's follow the money.

1. Trafficking in persons (TIP) is the 3rd largest industry in the world, with arms being #1, and illegal drugs #2. It's hard to get a firm fix on the dollars, but ILO claimed $150 Billion for labor trafficking (2014), and other international sources say 70% of that is sex trafficking of women and children. It's a "renewable" product, and once someone is enslaved the money continues to roll in for the owner or syndicate, unlike the illegal drug industry when the commodity is gone when sold, smoked or ingested. In the sex industry, it's 100% on return of investment.

2. Sex trafficking is closely tied to the pornography industry, which is also a global multi-billion dollar industry. Statistics for this industry are for 2023, whereas most government statistics are 2-3 years behind. It's about $97 billion. Pornography is the gate way drug for the consumer, and the training manual for the victims.

 
3. Technology--Big Tech--is right in the middle of all this slime and degradation. Internet porn is probably a third of the recurring business and the image of a woman or children, both boys and girls, and be reused thousands of times, enslaving the consumer in the privacy of his/her home while revictimizing the victim, who may be dead or long ago out of the industry. It's "clean" on subscription with just a few clicks. The income is beyond your imagination. That's why the stats are all over the place.

 
4. The sex trafficking and labor and debt bondage are all tied together. We Americans consume many products produced by forced labor, maybe something small like elements in our smart phones or huge like the windmills on the prairies. Africa and China primarily are the source for just those 2. The List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor comprises 159 goods from 78 countries and areas, as of September 28, 2022. (Dept. of Labor) Here you get into the money of Politics. I can't claim to know the routes and how-to's, but getting Washington to clean up its act will take massive political will from the PEOPLE. If we have politicians who refuse to watch a movie because they are afraid of Christians or conservatives, the quagmire is deep and wide, and money is at the bottom of the pit.

Human Trafficking Statistics by State [Updated August 2022] (worldpopulationreview.com)

2022 Trafficking in Persons Report - United States Department of State

The Shocking Information the Porn Industry Doesn't Want You to Know | Adventist News Network

Cracking The $150 Billion Business Of Human Trafficking (forbes.com)

Slavery is a $32bn industry so why aren't we following the money trail? | Global development | The Guardian  (2013 article)

Economics of forced labour: ILO says forced labour generates annual profits of US$ 150 billion

Transgender Ideology, Biden Border Abet Child Sex Slavery, Rescuer Says (dailysignal.com)

Today's photo--Romena church in Tuscany, Italy

Romena church in Pratovecchio Stia, Tuscany, Italy was the photo (not mine) that came up today as I opened my computer. We've visited many countries after I retired in 2000, and Italy for beauty, history, and spirituality is still my favorite. 

"The Tuscany region in central Italy has been romanticized, and rightly so, for its rich history of art, music, literature, and cuisine. Add to that laudatory list the sheer breathtaking beauty of the place—Tuscany is simply one of the most scenic places on the planet. Our image captures a lyrically sublime sight of the region."

It took me back to our travels with the University of Illinois Alumni Society in 2008 in Italy. Here's what we did/saw/experienced.

Day One: Leave Chicago for Naples
Day Two: Arrive in Naples, get on a bus for Sorrento, 
Day Three: Motorcoach along the Amalfi Coast. Visit Positano. Back in Sorrento attend lecture and discussion.
Day Four: Pompeii. Meet the folks of Sorrento to hear about their lives.
Day Five: Isle of Capri.
Day Six: Discussion--that's all I see on the program.
Day Seven: Motorcoach to Orvieto. Wine tasting event
Day Eight: History of Orvieto and Umbria and Italy. Focus: Etruscans, who were there first. Walking tour. Cathedrals. Cobblestone streets. Discussion of Renaissance Art.
Day Nine: Walking tour of Florence. Architectural highlights.
Day Ten: Perugia and Assisi.
Day Eleven: Free day for sightseeing, shopping, etc.
Day Twelve: Motorcoach to Rome (which we won't see except the airport). Fly home. Based on previous tours, the only place we won't hear understandable English is the O'Hare Airport.

Travel is/was the joy of early retirement.  I'm glad we didn't wait too long, since it is difficult at this age.

Positano, Italy

Dog Vomit Slime Mold Fuligo septica

 That's what I have in my flowers/bushes in front of our condo.  I took a photo and posted it on Facebook. Someone identified it. It's bright yellow early in the morning. It even has a Latin name, and was identified and named in the 1700s.

Dog Vomit Slime Mold (Fuligo septica) · iNaturalist

Folklore

In Scandinavian folklore, Fuligo septica is identified as the vomit of troll cats.[18]

In Finland, F. septica was believed to be used by witches to spoil their neighbors' milk. This gives it the name paranvoi, meaning "butter of the familiar spirit".[8][19] In Dutch, "heksenboter" refers to "witches' butter". In Latvian, the slime mold (amongst other slime molds) is called "ragansviests" as "witches' butter" or "raganu spļāviens" as "witches' spit" but it is unclear about the origins of these names.

Human pathogenicity

The species is known to trigger episodes of asthma and allergic rhinitis in susceptible people. [20][21]

Why do men have nipples?

Why men have nipples when they obviously don't need them was the discussion between Bret Weinstein and his wife Heather Heying published July 8 (podcast). I won't go into the details, but apparently evolutionary biologists and others have wondered about this long before Woke took over science. They also discussed many other ethical and scientific issues, like the CDC site which now includes "chest feeding."

We've learned in the last few months that a born female human who thinks she is male, decides to become pregnant. She lactates, gives birth and has enlarged breasts to feed the offspring (even though it was bathed in testosterone beyond safe limits). But the transagenda is way ahead of us if we accepted "chest feeding" (only Democrats loyal to Biden did that).

Now just a few months later, that term may also include a born male who claims he is a woman, who takes a toxic brew of hormones to violate his biology which then causes his nipples to leak liquid of foreign origin, then he attaches an infant to his nipples (the kid doesn't know any better) and claims "chest feeding."

Woke has eliminated the need for breasts, the perfect solution for the continuation of the human race, and for females just like that. This is a war against women, whether in the locker room, the board room, the bedroom or the nursery.

These are the very same people who are worried that pesticides upset the endocrine system moving from the soils to the plants to the harvest to our dinner table.

Added the kettlebell to my morning exercise

My arms and hands are weak, and my fingers struggle to open a package of cheese or squeeze the toothpaste tube. Today I added kettlebells to my morning routine at Lifetime Fitness. I started with 5 lbs, the smallest they had. The kettlebell is a round-shaped steel or cast iron weight, commonly described as resembling a cannonball with a handle. I only walked around the outside of the workout area once, so in case it's not comfortable, I shouldn't feel awful tomorrow. They are much more comfortable than carrying groceries in a sack with handles, which is usually the only weight I carry like that. When I looked it up I found it is a popular sport, especially in Europe and is used in physiotherapy in everything from metabolic syndrome to osteoporosis to hip fractures in the elderly.  I did my usual search for articles, using "ncbi" and elderly.  Not much out there, but in finding a review article I learned some new words, and discovered that what I did this morning is called "farmer's walk" I suppose because you look like you just carried 2 buckets to or from the barn.

For my morning walk around the condo grounds, I've added a water bottle attached to my waist to squirt at dogs that aren't on a leash.  I only met one dog this morning, but she was on a leash.  She looked eager to greet me with a jump on my legs, but fortunately Bobbi my neighbor (her owner) restrained her/him.  They used to have two 15-year-olds of the same breed, but they have died and this friskier one seems to be a rescue and younger.  God bless dog lovers who rescue their pets.

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