Saturday, November 11, 2023
Interview with Ari Folman, Israeli film director
Friday, November 10, 2023
Do you have any New Years resolutions ready to go?
1. Lose weight.
2. Make a budget and stick to it.
3. Get out of debt (we never had any except mortgage or a car payment so we never did this one).
4. Find a soul mate. Hate that phrase. I got married at 20, so don't recall ever making this one.
5. Spend more quality time with family and friends.
6. Quit smoking. Nope. Never smoked. Think of the thousands of dollars I saved. Wished I knew where it was.
7. Find a better job. I'm retired, and I don't remember if I ever thought of this at the end of the year. I took my last position in Sept. 1986 and retired in Sept. 2000, and generally loved it.
8. Learn something new. No problem. Today I learned that a lifetime smoker spends $1.1 million. Just looked it up.
9. Volunteer to help others.
10. Get organized. I wish I had a dollar for every time I made that one. This year I tried it as a Lenten "fast." One thing each week. Only 6, how hard could it be? Very.
Those are the top ten according to Gary Ryan Blair who has a website on goals, or used to.
Tuesday, November 07, 2023
Rape as a military weapon to terrorize civilians
Then I came across the horror statistics about rape. I don't remember if it was South Sudan or Sudan but the figure was 70% of the women had been raped as part of war booty--the soldiers are paid with whatever they can loot or steal and permission to rape and torture.
One of the illustrations (journalists try to bring horror down to a manageable level) was about a young woman who had used her college holiday to travel back to her home village, and got caught in one of the raids. Her parents and grandparents were killed, and she was taken hostage and held in a slimy snake filled pit and raped every day. Finally, she was starving so they just expelled her from the camp to make her way back home. And she survived (although these women are usually not accepted back into community). In what she calls a blessing, she learned she was pregnant, and had her baby, who is the delight, love and hope of her life. With the help of other disgraced women who have banded together, she hopes to earn enough to return to college and make a life for herself and her child.
Please vote for life today, November 7, 2023, if you're reading this in Ohio. Vote NO on Issue One to change Ohio's constitution, a bill which is far beyond what most Pro-Choice voters can imagine, and they don't even realize it. They are believing lies. Many call themselves Christians. I know some of them. I grieve.
Sunday, November 05, 2023
Abortion amendment to the Ohio Constitution should have been on every church's sermon list.
Sarah (Genesis 21:1): Sarah had a child when she was past the age; this means that she is post-menopause but our God can bypass menopause and do the impossible
Hannah (1 Samuel 1:20): Hannah also waited on the Lord before Samuel was born. She cried to the Lord year after year in Shiloh.
Racheal (Genesis 30:22): Racheal was loved by her husband Jacob, but she was barren. Her sister, Leah, who is also married to her husband, had children freely.
Elizabeth (Luke 1:36): Elizabeth and her husband were devout and blameless before God but they were barren. Elizabeth was now old but they continued in their devotion and duty to God.
Psalms 127:3-5: "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward".
Psalm 127:3: "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward".
Luke 1:42: "And she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”.
Exodus 1:7: "And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them".
Deuteronomy 7:13A, 144.
These verses highlight the importance and blessing of children, often referred to as the “fruit of the womb”. They also emphasize the power of God to bless individuals with children, even in circumstances that seem impossible.
Saturday, November 04, 2023
African food crises
Conflict Remains the Dominant Driver of Africa’s Food Crisis (africacenter.org)
Highlights of the report
- An estimated 149 million Africans are facing acute food insecurity—an increase of 12 million people from a year ago. This equates to a risk category of 3 or higher (Crisis, Emergency, and Catastrophe) on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) scale of 1 to 5.
- Some 122 million of those facing acute food insecurity are in countries experiencing conflict—82 percent of the total—accentuating that conflict is the primary driver of acute food insecurity in Africa.
- 8 of the top 10 African countries experiencing acute food insecurity are facing conflict.
- The 149-million-person figure represents a 150-percent increase in the number of Africans facing acute food insecurity since 2019 when 61 million people were in this category.
- This highlights the compounding humanitarian effects of Africa’s unresolved conflicts.
- While 38 African countries are experiencing some level of acute food insecurity, roughly two-thirds of this threat is concentrated in five countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, and South Sudan—all of which are conflict-affected.
- Nearly all of the continental increase in acute food insecurity in the past year was a result of the eruption of conflict in Sudan and a deterioration of security in northern Nigeria.
- Four of the top 10 countries facing the most acute food insecurity are in East Africa—Sudan, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Somalia.
- 19 African countries have at least 10 percent of their populations facing acute food insecurity.
- Conflict compounds the impacts of other external shocks like climate change, inflation, and the disruption to global grain supplies caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Moscow’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain deal that enabled 33 million MT of grain to reach global markets and lower food prices, especially in Africa, has further worsened the food outlook.
- Historically, El NiƱo climate patterns, which have now returned, have historically led to decreased precipitation in Southern Africa, Western Africa, Sudan, and Ethiopia.
- There have already been fatalities due to hunger reported this year in Ethiopia and Somalia. WFP has predicted that before year’s end, 129,000 people are expected to experience Catastrophe levels (IPC 5) of hunger in Burkina Faso, Mali, Somalia, and South Sudan. A rapid scale-up of assistance has averted even more people facing starvation.
South Sudan
In South Sudan, 7.8 million (71 percent of the population) faced Crisis and above levels of hunger this year. This number included 2.9 million people facing Emergency levels of hunger countrywide and 43,000 facing Catastrophe levels in the state of Jonglei.
The situation is being driven by rising levels of violence and insecurity as well as “chronic vulnerabilities worsened by frequent climate-related shocks (severe flooding and dry spells), the macro-economic crisis, and low agricultural production.”
Since the outbreak of the Sudan conflict in April this year, almost 293,000 South Sudanese returnees and Sudanese refugees have entered South Sudan. This influx is exacerbating the already severe humanitarian situation in South Sudan, placing additional strain on limited humanitarian resources and escalating food and fuel prices.
Read the rest of the report for the other countries.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
We missed the reunion again
Wenger family plans annual reunion | TownLively My grandfather's mother was a Wenger.
The Wenger Family Association will hold the 101st annual Wenger reunion at the Wenger Meetinghouse, 16 Supervisors Drive, Jonestown, [PA] on Friday to Sunday, Aug. 25 to 27 [2023]. Wenger family members' surnames may also be spelled as Wanger, Whanger, Winger, Wengerd, Wengert, Wingerd, Wingert, Wingard and Wingart.
On Aug. 25 at 7 p.m., a historical meeting will be held, featuring James C. Landis speaking on the topic "Lessons From Land and Law: A Review of Deeds for the G1 Hans Wenger Homestead, the Wenger Cemetery and Wenger Meetinghouse."
Reunion attendees may take a bus tour on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 8 a.m., visiting sites related to Hans and Hannah Wenger in Lebanon and Lancaster counties. The tour will depart from the meetinghouse and return by noon; lunch is not included.
Monday, October 30, 2023
I'm liking Mike Johnson more and more
"So, Speaker Johnson is guilty of being a Christian, a fringe religious sect with only 2.6 billion adherents, including a mere 87.8 percent of our congressional representatives. He is also a conservative, an ideological cohort that Gallup reports as larger (4 in 10) than their liberal counterparts and steadily growing. He is also an unapologetic supporter of former President Trump, whose poll numbers are remarkably high compared to those of President Biden, who is now less popular than Hillary Clinton."
October 7 Hamas attack--story of a survivor
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Podcasts--true crime are the most popular
I'm not sure I knew what a podcast was until the summer of 2021, and now I have about 50 on my "library" list on my smartphone. It used to be I'd see them occasionally on YouTube and follow for awhile, but I really prefer the audio to the video. It's easier to do other things. You can investigate a topic much more in 2 hours than in 30 seconds on the evening news. My list changes some as I learn more about the values and veracity of the host or if I don't like the quality of the host's voice or talking speed. I first figured out that they were a popular form of entertainment and information when I watched the first season of "Only murders in our building." Only Murders in the Building (TV Series 2021– ) - IMDb
"Follows three strangers (Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. When a grisly death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, the trio suspects murder and employs their precise knowledge of true crime to investigate the truth. As they record a podcast of their own to document the case, the three unravel the complex secrets of the building which stretch back years. Perhaps even more explosive are the lies they tell one another. Soon, the endangered trio comes to realize a killer might be living amongst them as they race to decipher the mounting clues before it's too late."
Saturday, October 28, 2023
The cost of food--still grateful
Sometimes I need to remind myself that we in the U.S. still have plentiful, and inexpensive food, despite what Joe Biden is trying to do to the economy in the name of climate change. I just spent $25.05 at Aldi's. I buy a lot of fresh things there (and a few bakery items), and it's only a mile from my home. Ohio doesn't tax food, and recently removed tax on disposable diapers.
Dozen mini muffins blueberry 3.45
10 gourmet choc chunk cookies 2.19
Cantaloupe chunks 16 oz 3.29
Pineapple spears 16 oz 3.49
Butternut squash 2.03 lb 1.81
Sweet onions 2 lb. 1.89
Yellow potatoes, small 3.49
Bananas, 1.55 lb .41/lb .64
1/2 gal. whole milk 1.61
Orange juice 1.6 qt 3.19
According to move.org (a moving company) "The average cost of groceries in America in 2023 is $415.53 a month per person1. [Ohio is $392.59 per person a month.] However, this number can vary greatly depending on factors like age and personal eating habits. Location is another important—though potentially surprising—factor in determining food costs. Groceries cost more in some US cities and states than others." How Much Does Food Cost in the US? | Move.org
Nerd Wallet says: "Have food prices been rising? Absolutely. Thanks to a combination of inflation, pandemic-related supply-chain disruptions and tariffs on certain foreign imports, food prices have steadily risen since 2020.
But inflation has been slowing in the past year and the latest data shows the cost of groceries aren’t rising as fast as they once were.
Food prices rose 3.7% between September 2022 and September 2023, according to the most recent consumer price index (CPI) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By comparison, at the same time in 2022 prices rose 11.2% over a one-year period." The Cost of Groceries: Are Food Prices Going Up? - NerdWallet
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
The Fires of Tribalism
What changed?
To answer this question, consider the two things press reports tell us for certain about the rioters: Most are young, and most are of Middle Eastern descent." American Banlieue | City Journal (city-journal.org)
What changed? The Democratic Party has changed. You can't deny it. It has shown us the past few years that rioting, looting, burning and killing is OK in Democrat run cities, defunding the police is OK, but only if the rioters have their blessing. Crooked prosecutors are OK. Out of control judges filled with hate, and ignorant of the Constitution, are OK. If a crowd gathers to protest an election, even if Democrats have protested elections for several decades, then those Americans, wearing a MAGA hat or even standing around looking, are "dangerous to Democracy."
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
The ghost in the kitchen
"The ghost was a stud finder buried in a pail of tools standing on a stool next to the kitchen counter."
But that afternoon Dave had been repairing a torn underground sprinkler system line. Last Spring they had the stump ground out for one of the aged, deteriorating silver maples that had been overhanging the house and that had been removed last winter. Dave forgot that a sprinkler head was in the vicinity and the stump grinder ground up the tubing. It was not until yesterday that he got around to finishing that repair. He went into the house to scrounge up a steel tape measure and stirred around in the bucket of tools in the kitchen, where he had left the tape measure. One of the jostled tools must have fallen against the on-button of the stud finder and it must have thought there was a stud in the vicinity, so it began doing its thing—squealing with a high-pitched squeal. They turned off every bit of electricity to the house but could still hear the buzzing. When they were searching, he tried to think of any battery-operated devices. He looked at smoke alarms and the radio/cd- players, but never thought of the stud finder. And his wife Donna found it! Now they don't have to call any fire departments or electric companies. They slept securely with no anxieties about ghosts in the kitchen. (as told by Dave)
Monday, October 23, 2023
Vitamin K2--never heard of it
In older persons with low vitamin K status, an age-related decline can be observed. Numerous advantages of vitamin K2 include improved skin quality, strengthening of bones, improved mitochondrial function, and better vascular health. Vitamin K2 dose ranging from 180 to 360 mcg per day is standard, while some people with certain conditions like osteoporosis may need even higher.
Growing Evidence of a Proven Mechanism Shows Vitamin K2 Can Impact Health Conditions Beyond Bone and Cardiovascular - PMC (nih.gov)
Vitamin K2: What It Is and Its Benefits – Cleveland Clinic
Socialism and anti-Semitism
It's not like we weren't told of the connection between socialism and hatred of Jews. This is from 1953.
The Anti-Semitic Tradition in Modern Socialism, by Edmund Silberner. Inaugural lecture delivered at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, 1953.Examines anti-Semitism in socialist theory and political movements in England, France, Germany, and other nations. Most socialist theorists identified capitalism with Jews. Discusses, among others, Charles Fourier, Ferdinand Lassalle, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Jean JaurĆØs.
Saturday, October 21, 2023
Look how much Obama and Biden spent on arming Hamas
https://openthebooks.substack.com/p/biden-pays-rockets-fly-administration?
Our auditors at OpenTheBooks.com found that the Biden Administration spent more than $1 billion from U.S. taxpayers on “aid” to Palestinians. It proposes sending another $260 million in its FY2024 budget request, but that funding is not yet approved by Congress.
Here’s how the Biden Administration allotted U.S. taxpayer Palestinian-aid through the United Nations: $318.4 million (2021), $363.9 million (2022), and $371 million (2023).
Biden’s spending binge is a sharp reversal from President Donald Trump’s August 2018 freeze. Biden started pouring taxpayer dollars into Gaza and the West Bank in April 2021.
Friday, October 20, 2023
A letter from City Journal about the Middle East situation (via e-mail)
Dear Friends and Supporters [of City Journal],
As horrific events continue to unfold in the Middle East, the initial shock of the terrorist attacks has given way to a series of troubling questions. Why have Western institutions responded to the assault by blaming the victims? Could similar dangers emerge in the United States and, if so, what measures should we take to prevent them? How will Israel wage the war for its own survival?
City Journal has been busy seeking answers, providing reporting, analysis, and commentary on the crisis. Be sure not to miss our coverage of:
Universities and woke institutions sympathizing with Hamas
- Eitan Fischberger on the history and terrorist connections behind Students for Justice in Palestine;
- Tal Fortgang and Jonathan Deluty on how SJP is more pro-Hamas than the terror organization itself;
- Abigail Shrier asks how universities can so brazenly abandon their Jewish students;
- Paul du Quenoy eviscerates Harvard’s reaction to the Hamas attacks;
- Max Eden exposes university leaders’ morally perverse responses.
Western moral confusion and a civilizational crisis of confidence
- Hannah E. Meyers on the parallels between BLM activists and Hamas apologists;
- Christopher F. Rufo on the radical Left’s endorsement of civilizational suicide;
- Guy Sorman on religion’s underappreciated influence over today’s geopolitical conflicts;
- Juliana Geran Pilon and Eitan Fischberger on the disturbing moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas espoused by America’s mainstream media;
- Theodore Dalrymple explains the delight Hamas and its supporters take in genocide;
- Nicole Gelinas on the Democratic Socialists of America’s depraved demonstration against Israel.
How to think about the security of Israel, America, and Jews around the world after the attacks
- Mark P. Mills on how advanced defense technologies often provide a false sense of safety;
- Liel Leibovitz explains how constitutionally dubious restrictions on gun ownership facilitate violence against Jews;
- Martin Gurri explores whether domestic infighting will prevent Israel—and the U.S.—from forcefully resisting Hamas (and Tehran);
- Judith Miller analyzes the next steps for Hezbollah and Iran and the intelligence failures that led to “Israel’s 9/11”;
- Ari David on how the attacks have shattered Jews’ sense of safety worldwide;
- Shlomo Brody explains how global naĆÆvetĆ© and Hamas’s exploitation of civilians put Israel in a no-win situation regarding its own defense;
- Ellen R. Wald on the threat the conflict poses to global energy markets;
- Seth Frantzman analyzes the tactical challenges of waging urban warfare in Gaza;
- Andrew A. Michta explains how the attacks should prompt a reassessment of U.S. national-security priorities.
City Journal will continue to investigate what the conflict means for our culture and institutions, our cities and security, and our democracy and civilization.
Thursday, October 19, 2023
The problem is Iran
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Walking outside with Zuby
https://youtu.be/S_SOdzLjEjo?si=YxWg_6jCDNZT_Rt-
https://wydefootwear.com/ I don't own a lot of shoes, but I do change 2 or 3 times a day to be comfortable. I'm willing to try a pair. He's an entrepreneur. A start up during Covid.
"Wyde Footwear was founded with one main mission: To restore our innate human foot function in as many people as possible. Known for being designed after real feet while having zero compromise on design and functionality; Wyde serves customers around the world who are relentless in their search for a healthier body and life."

